Scheduling
Contact Ryan directly at Ryan@rapds.com. A short questionnaire comes by email so the day matches your current skill and the outcome you want. Several people can train the same day at different times.
Policies and fees
Current class prices, deposits, payment, and cancellation rules, plus the personal-training rate.
MN Permit to Carry (in person)
$100 per person. A deposit of at least $50 is due by the date posted for the class to hold your spot. The remaining $50 is due before class starts.
Host a Permit to Carry class
The host pays $50. Every other student pays $100. A hosted class needs at least 5 students.
Online Minnesota Permit to Carry
$115. That price includes the online class plus an in-person live-fire qualification. You meet with an RAPDS instructor at a designated location set by the instructor, based on RAPDS policies. Payment comes first. The video link is sent once payment is received.
Pistol 1 (8 hours)
$250 per person. A $100 non-refundable deposit holds your spot, and the remaining $150 is due at the start of class. Bringing your own semi-auto pistol is highly recommended; ask ahead if you need one provided. Bring a semi-auto pistol (no revolvers), an outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster, 2 to 3 magazines with pouches, 300 rounds, eye and ear protection, and water.
Pistol 2 (8 hours)
$275 per person. A $100 deposit is required to hold your spot, and the remaining $175 is due at the start of class. Prerequisite: Pistol 1.
Pistol Education (about 2 hours, no live fire)
$170 for one person, or $150 each for two people. The instructor supplies inert training rounds, and a gun if you don't have one. Bring eye protection, a cleaning kit, and your owner's manual.
Intro Rifle (4 hours)
$100 per person.
Rifle 1 (8 hours)
$250 per person.
Low Light / No Light (about 6 hours, at night)
$200 per person. A $100 deposit is required to hold your spot, and the remaining $100 is due at the start of class. Prerequisite: Pistol 1 or solid basic pistol skills.
Home Protection (2 hours, at your home)
$140 for an in-home walkthrough and a home protection plan. Mileage follows the travel rule below: free within 25 miles, then $0.76 per mile, round trip.
Rates and travel
Private training is $100 an hour for one person, or $75 an hour per person for two or more family members. Active-duty military, veterans, and law enforcement can ask about a discount. The instructor is based about 15 miles southeast of St. James, Minnesota. Travel is free within 25 miles. Beyond 25 miles, mileage is $0.76 per mile, round trip. Longer trips are quoted case by case.
Payment
Pay by PayPal invoice (credit cards are accepted through PayPal), Venmo @ReadyAmericanPDS, or cash. If you plan to pay cash, tell us at least 48 hours before class. Checks are not accepted.
Loaner firearms
Bringing your own firearm is highly recommended, but one can be provided when needed. For Permit to Carry, a 9mm or .22 handgun can be provided at no charge. You still supply the ammunition. If you use one of the instructor's firearms, it must be good-quality factory ammunition only: no reloads, no steel case, and no low-power or reduced-recoil loads.
Ammunition
Permit to Carry needs at least 50 rounds. Pistol 1 needs 300 rounds in an approved caliber (.380, 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm, or .45 ACP). Low Light / No Light needs at least 400 rounds. Pistol Education uses inert training rounds supplied by the instructor. If you use one of the instructor's firearms, bring good-quality factory ammunition only: no reloads, no steel case, and no low-power or reduced-recoil loads.
Equipment
Students are highly encouraged to bring their own firearm so the gun becomes familiar. A firearm can be provided when needed. Targets and stands are provided. SIRT training pistols, Blackhawk training pistols, and inert rounds in several handgun calibers are available. Other training gear depends on the course.
Cancellation
Deposits are non-refundable if you don't show or you cancel. In an emergency, your deposit may be moved to a future class if your instructor (Ryan or Robb) approves. This depends on availability, such as whether that class is full or is a private class. Anyone showing signs of impairment can't take part, and no refund is given. Anyone who breaks range rules or firearm safety rules may be removed from the class for the safety of students and instructors, and no refund is given.
What the training is, and is not
The work is meant to raise your weapons-handling ability and your personal safety with firearms, using skills military and law enforcement personnel train. It does not guarantee you will win an encounter, and it does not mean you will never be a victim of a crime. It is meant to lower that chance and raise your ability to defend yourself and the people you care about. You still have to train with the tools you carry.
Waiver
Insurance requires every student to sign a liability waiver and assumption of risk before any training begins.