The Ultimate Tactical Firearms Training with Ex-Special Forces

Last week, the team stepped away from the office to do some tactical firearms training with the best. Unlike your typical company retreat or mixer, we found ourselves on the training grounds of a counter-terrorism school in the Las Vegas desert for a unique team-building event. This facility is ran by a group of former Israeli Special Forces with over 24 years of experience training military, law enforcement, and other agencies. From safety basics to more immersive scenarios and tactical drills, the day was an adrenaline-packed opportunity to learn valuable lessons in preparedness, spatial awareness, and problem-solving. Here’s a recap of our action-filled day with the CRI crew.

Arrival at the Tactical Firearms Training Facility

We began our day early at the CRI training facility in Las Vegas where we were greeted by our instructors—highly trained professionals with experience in real-world counter-terrorism operations. After a thorough safety briefing, we geared up and got ready for what would be a day full of intense physical and mental challenges.

The facility itself was impressive—plenty of space for the team, all of our equipment, and some real-world training scenarios. It felt like we were getting ready to be part of the next Mission Impossible!

Fundamentals of Tactical Firearms Training

Our first session focused on firearm fundamentals. We learned basic techniques that are critical to understand before moving on to more advanced scenarios and training. This covered everything from the handling of firearms to proper grip, breathing techniques, holstering your gun, various ways of holding firearms in a “ready” position, and more. We even learned a few different ways to reload a handgun, including how to quickly flick a magazine out and replace it (eat your heart out, John Wick).

Tactical Firearms Training: Clearing Jams and Malfunctions

Some of the team was more experienced with firearms training than others, so it was important to ensure everyone knew how to clear virtually any jam or malfunction that could come their way. The team worked diligently to assess various malfunctions before springing into action to fix the issue. This proved to be incredibly useful information as a few of our firearms did malfunction on the range, however, thanks to our training, we were able to fix the issue and continue using the firearms without problem.

Immersive Scenario – Tactical Firearms Training: Moving and Shooting

After we covered the basics, we continued with more practical training. The team lined up and did various drills to get more comfortable moving and shooting. We started with dry-fire drills to help gauge and familiarize ourselves with the movements. Once we were a bit more comfortable, we moved on to live-fire training. This included sidestepping left and right to avoid shots, dropping to a knee to shoot, firing while moving forward, firing while moving backwards, firing behind cover, and more. While all of this might sounds simple, there is definitely a lot more involved when it comes to moving and shooting than there is with standard stationary shooting.

Immersive Scenario: Defending Against Knife Attacks

Half-way through training, we dove into a live scenario that felt straight out of an action movie—we simulated a knife-attack scenario. We were tasked with creating distance from the attacker so that we had enough time and space to move away from the attacker, draw your weapon, and accurately fire it to immobilize the attacker. While this didn’t sound too crazy, the intensity of the experience really took everyone by surprise.

The pressure was real, even though we all knew it was a simulation. It was important to be present and in the moment in order to react to the instructors who were simulating the knife attack. This exercise required a lot of quick thinking skills, which translate directly into handling stressful, high-stakes situations in our professional lives as employees of your favorite local pawn shop.

Learning how to manage distance in various scenarios like this can truly be the difference between life and death. The way the instructors walked us through the strategies for keeping distance, moving away from your attacker, and/or firing from behind cover in hostile environments was fascinating. It’s amazing how much precision, discipline, and awareness it takes to keep a safe distance from would-be attackers.

Tactical Firearms Training: Firing From a Vehicle

The final part of our training involved shooting your firearm from a stationary vehicle, a critical skill that can translate directly to rare, but real-world scenarios we may face working at a pawn shop. This exercise helped us practice firearm control, accuracy, and decision-making in tight quarters, all of which are essential when defending yourself from an unexpected threat while inside or near a vehicle. Given the nature of our business, where handling high-value items like jewelry, firearms, and cash can make us a target for theft or robbery, it’s crucial to be prepared for situations such as a parking lot ambush, an attempted robbery while entering or exiting a vehicle, or even a situation that escalates right outside one of our pawn shops. By learning how to quickly and effectively fire from within a vehicle, we gained confidence and tactical readiness that could help us stay safe in high-risk scenarios that could arise in this line of work.

Reflections and Takeaways

By the end of the day, we were physically exhausted but mentally energized. The outing was an incredible blend of thrill and education. Not only did we get a rare glimpse into the world of counter-terrorism, but we also left with a deeper appreciation for the power of preparedness, awareness, and attention to detail.

We all walked away from the training with a stronger bond as a team and newfound respect for the real-life heroes who perform these operations every day.

We’re Ready for More Tactical Firearms Training!

This outing was truly a unique experience, and we’re already thinking about how we can incorporate more hands-on learning into our future team-building events. We learned A LOT and had SO MUCH FUN at CRI training and we hope you had as much fun recapping the experience with us!

If you ever get the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone with your team, we strongly recommend it! You’ll learn a lot about yourself, your skill level, and your abilities. You’ll get to know and trust your team a lot better than you would a night out drinking at the bar (but hey, a round after CRI training wouldn’t hurt!). And most importantly, you’ll be prepared and know what to do in various life or death situations. Stay safe and always be prepared out there! Until next time, friends.

– JUM-PAWN-IT Crew

Are you interested in legally purchasing a firearm for protection or home defense? Visit any of our local pawn shops in California and Arizona! We can help you with any prerequisites to owning a firearm (like acquiring your Firearms Safety Certificate aka “FSC” in California) or help you find the perfect firearm for you. We even have a Firearm Fanatics WhatsApp Community coming soon where you can be the first to know about the latest and greatest firearm inventory available in our local pawn shops. Visit us today to learn more.