There are plenty of articles that will tell you what happens during a Minnesota Permit to Carry course.
For the second installment of our Summer Learning Series, we wanted to do something different.
Instead of another traditional lesson, we sat down with Gun Permit Center’s Jay Ganal for a conversation about firearms training, the students who walk through the door, what instructors really notice on the range, and why earning your certificate should never be confused with being finished learning.
And because this is Jay, the conversation eventually involved overthinking, nuclear fusion, giant targets, competitive shooting and splitting playing cards on edge.
We probably should have expected that.
You’ve been around firearms and teaching for quite a while. What do you understand about firearms training today that you didn’t fully appreciate when you started?
Jay: Honestly? One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that sometimes I can get in the way.
I’m pretty much your prototype overthinker. Because of that, I used to feel like I needed to cover absolutely everything I possibly could.
The problem is that’s exhausting—not only for me, but for the students.
Over time, I’ve learned to make my training much more conversational while still maintaining a true instructor-led course. When we developed our online training, I took the same approach.
Short. Digestible. Impactful.
I’m not trying to give someone an encyclopedia. Give them the information they need, make sure they understand it, and then go deeper when their questions take us there.
That’s actually what helps make a course feel tailored to the people taking it.
The other thing I’ve come to appreciate is something I’ve always tried pretty hard to do: leave the ego at the door.
I’ve sat through other courses where I’ve thought, This is called the Minnesota Permit to Carry course—not the “I/Me” course.
The instructor shouldn’t be the most important person in the room. The students are.
What do people think they’re signing up to learn compared with what they actually need to learn?
Jay: I’m going to put my own spin on this one because I get so many phone calls and emails about it.
I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if there’s a shortcut for renewing their Minnesota Permit to Carry.
Can I just do the shooting qualification?
Do I really need to take the course again?
There’s this assumption sometimes that because someone has already taken the course, there isn’t anything new for them to learn.
But Minnesota doesn’t have some abbreviated “renewal class” where we just cut out the parts you’ve heard before. You’re taking the course again.
And there’s a reason for that.
Things change.
Here’s one of my favorite questions to ask returning students:
How old do you have to be to obtain a Minnesota Permit to Carry?
The majority will confidently answer 21 because when they took their course five years ago, that was the answer they learned.
Today?
They’re wrong.
Am I going to give you the answer here?
Nope.
Take the course. You’ll learn it there.
Who do you enjoy working with more: experienced shooters or nervous beginners?
Jay: Oh wow. Great question.
If I’m being completely truthful, sometimes the answer depends on me in that moment.
There are days when my brain is moving a hundred miles an hour and I want a smooth, efficient qualification. An experienced shooter knows the routine, puts the rounds downrange safely, and we can sometimes be finished in less than 15 minutes.
And yes, sometimes that’s wonderful.
Other times, I really enjoy getting someone who’s nervous or unsure of themselves.
That’s when I can look at what they’re doing and try to find one or two things they can build on. You don’t have to rebuild somebody’s entire shooting technique in one session.
Give them something they can succeed at.
Then build confidence from there.
Ultimately, I want to be the best face for our company regardless of someone’s skill level. When somebody leaves after working with me, I want them to feel good enough about the experience that they’re willing to become an ambassador for my name and for Gun Permit Center.
During a shooting qualification, what are you watching besides where the rounds land?
Jay: Safe firearm handling comes first. Period.
I’m looking at their grip. I’m making sure they’re not setting themselves up for the dreaded slide bite.
I’m watching muzzle awareness. Are they conscious of where that firearm is pointing? Are they avoiding flagging themselves, me or anybody else around us?
Their first five shots tell me quite a bit.
I also really appreciate a shooter who’s deliberate.
We’re in a controlled environment. There’s no reason to rush through the process. I want to see someone being intentional about what they’re doing.
But there’s another little thing I watch for.
Someone takes a shot that doesn’t land where they wanted it. They lower the firearm and shake their head a little bit or show that tiny bit of frustration.
They don’t see me standing behind them giving the little nod.
That’s my:
“Yep. We’ve got a shooter here.”
I don’t expect every student to shoot bullseyes. That’s not what this is about.
But when they expect more from themselves, I know they’re paying attention.
Train like it matters, so when it matters, it’s like training.
And who knows? I might also be looking at our next instructor.
I’d be crazy not to think that way.
There might already be one—or three—people on our team who started out as customers.
What’s the most common mistake you see shooters making?
Jay: It’s a combination of physical technique and what’s happening between the ears.
Grip is probably the biggest physical thing I see keeping people from becoming better and more confident shooters.
A good grip is a great place to start.
Then we move to sight picture.
Quite often I’ll see someone looking over the rear sight and focusing incorrectly on what they’re seeing through the sights. The result can be rounds hitting significantly higher than where they intended.
But there’s also the grey matter between the ears.
One thing I don’t love is using the sheer size of a target as a crutch.
You’ll sometimes see enormous silhouette-style targets being used at relatively short distances. That’s not the philosophy we use at Gun Permit Center.
We’re trying to help our shooters become better.
I’m not a huge fan of the cliché “aim small, miss small,” but there’s an idea behind it that makes sense.
If you’re shooting at shorter distances, giving yourself a more defined area to work toward provides feedback. Simply hitting somewhere on a giant silhouette doesn’t necessarily tell you much about what you’re doing well—or what you need to improve.
Passing matters.
Learning something from those rounds matters more.
Does passing a Permit to Carry course mean someone is actually ready to carry every day?
Jay: I really wanted to skip this question.
But how can I?
Our responsibility is to provide quality educational content and ensure someone can, at the very least, successfully complete our shooting qualification.
The course isn’t a doctorate in nuclear fusion—is that even real?—and our shooting qualification is absolutely doable.
But I’ve failed people.
That’s part of being an instructor.
That doesn’t mean, “Sorry, you failed. Goodbye.”
I’ll offer to meet them again another day. Hopefully they practice first, or maybe they take me up on doing a private session together.
But let’s get back to the question that’s going to get me into hot water.
Someone completes the course. They pass the shooting qualification. They receive their certificate. They apply through the appropriate sheriff’s office and eventually receive their permit.
Are they automatically ready to carry a firearm every day?
No.
They might not be.
Do they have the right firearm for their needs?
Do they understand their equipment?
Have they learned how to safely work with their chosen holster?
Are they so conscious of the firearm they’re concealing that they’re constantly tugging on their clothing, touching the holster or adjusting their belt—and inadvertently drawing more attention to it?
Some courses cover certain topics more deeply than others. No single class can recreate every situation somebody might encounter after they leave.
And here’s something else people don’t always say:
Having a permit doesn’t mean you have to carry every day.
There are days when even I don’t.
Sometimes I have too much going on, rush out of the house and realize I don’t have it with me.
Am I turning around?
Sometimes, no.
And sometimes I simply don’t want it on me.
Having the ability to carry doesn’t remove your ability to decide whether carrying makes sense for you that day.
What’s something a permit holder may be able to do, but you personally wouldn’t necessarily recommend?
Jay: Let me answer this in two different ways.
First, training.
People have choices about where they train, and I’m never going to be the instructor who tells somebody, “My course is the only course worth taking.”
It’s not.
I’ll happily give someone the names of other companies.
What I will tell them is to do their homework.
Look at the company. Look at its reputation. Look at independent reviews and complaint history. Find out who’s actually behind the training. If you’re taking a Minnesota Permit to Carry course, there’s nothing wrong with asking whether the company you’re choosing is actually based in Minnesota and how familiar its instructors are with Minnesota requirements.
You don’t have to choose Gun Permit Center.
Just make an educated choice about who you trust to train you.
The other example is open carry.
Minnesota law allows permit holders to carry a pistol in public subject to applicable restrictions, but personally, I prefer concealed carry.
I’m not going to stand in front of my students and demand they make the same decision I do.
I’ll explain considerations for and against different methods of carry, give them information, and let them make an informed decision for themselves.
That’s really what education should do.
The course is over. The student passed. You get one final piece of advice before they walk out the door. What is it?
Jay: This one’s easy because I say it to every student who chooses me for their live-fire qualification:
Keep shooting.
And some of them get the second part:
If you need someone to shoot with, give me a call.
Training shouldn’t stop because somebody handed you a certificate.
Last question. Who concerns you more: the nervous shooter or the overly confident shooter?
Jay: As an instructor?
The overly confident shooter.
As JAY?
Oh, definitely the overly confident shooter.
Because now my competitive side is going to come out like a broken dam.
Maybe we need to have a little split-the-playing-card-on-edge competition.
And I’ll have you know…
I haven’t lost yet.
The Certificate Is a Beginning, Not an Ending
If there’s one theme running through this conversation, it’s that firearms education isn’t about knowing everything.
It isn’t about an instructor showing everyone in the room how much he or she knows.
And it isn’t about firing the required number of rounds, getting a piece of paper and deciding you’ve officially mastered carrying a firearm.
Good training gives you a foundation.
Good instructors give you information you can actually use.
And good students stay curious enough to realize there’s always something else they can improve.
So we’ll finish Summer Learning Series #2 with the same advice Jay gives his own students:
Keep shooting.
And if you need somebody to shoot with?
Apparently you know a guy.
Just don’t challenge him to split a playing card.
He’s insufferable enough about being undefeated already.