Idaho’s Family Owned and National Firearms Training Company – Boise, Kuna, Meridian, and Nampa
About Level 1 Firearms Training in Idaho
About Level 1 Firearms Training in Idaho. We are a family-owned firearms training company. Our family has lived in the Treasure Valley since 2011 after discovering the beautiful city of Boise while on vacation from Colorado. We immediately fell in love with the safe, quality, lifestyle Idaho has to offer. We discovered Idaho offered affordable housing, good job prospects, and offered an affordable cost-of-living lifestyle.
Like many young families with children, we found the schools to be progressive in their teaching, crime was low, and the small, hometown feeling was very welcoming. We ended up deciding to call Meridian our home.
We particularly enjoy the amount of freedom afforded to us in the state of Idaho. Where adults are treated as adults and your neighbor treats you like family. We remember the day we moved into our house, the neighbor from across the street introduced themselves with a plate full of cookies. We knew we were “home” because of the warm welcome our neighbor, a complete stranger gave to us on day one.
History
Because of the extensive amount of travel we were doing between Idaho, Utah, and Colorado, we decided to apply for an Idaho Concealed Carry license. Like most folks, we had no idea what to look for in an instructor. It seemed everyone was a certified firearms instructor in the state of Idaho. All of them pushed NRA certification, membership, and training, all claiming to be the best, with prices ranging from free to hundreds of dollars. Most never answered their phones, others wouldn’t return messages, and the ones who did just wanted our money.
We finally settled on an instructor we found on the NRA Website. We believed he would be very good, after all, he was the one that actually answered the phone. We found later he is retired with no real firearms training or experience. He is teaching classes to make extra side money for his retirement. By the time we found this out, it was too late, we had given him our money and were attending his class.
Look at the picture above. This is exactly how our instructor handled his firearm during class. This example, unfortunately, is very common and is easy to find on the Internet.
The class was the most boring and uninformative class you can imagine. Our textbooks must have been printed in the 50s, the posters used seemed out of date and antiquated, and his entire lesson was reading from a three-ring-binder full of pages. If we had questions, we were told to look them up on Google. The highlight of the class was when students were allowed to take a break and socialize.
When we went to the range for qualifications, let’s just say we’re glad we survived. We asked ourselves as we watched from a distance “Isn’t there a better way”? When we returned to his house (yes, he taught his class in his house) he handed us our completion forms and wished us luck. We found out later he was supposed to teach us how to clean our guns after shooting at the range; he didn’t. When we had a question about gun cleaning we were told to Google it!
We were disappointed, underserved, and overwhelmed a retired person with no real firearms experience felt he had the qualifications to teach a concealed carry class.
We later found out it doesn’t take much to become a certified pistol instructor in the state of Idaho.
All you need to do is pass a class is to pay off the instructor and receive a certificate of completion to turn into the state of Idaho. Regardless of the instructor’s knowledge, skills, and attitude, and abilities to teach practical concealed carry concepts to students. It was a bad learning experience overall and one that left us very disappointed.
Birth of a Business
Level 1 Firearms Training LLC was born in Meridian, Idaho, on July 22, 2013. The company’s name was Level 1 Firearms Safety and Training, INC. On September 26, 2014, the company changed its name to Level 1 Firearms Training LLC, dropping the word “Safety” to better reflect its goals. Safety is part of everything concealed carry instructors teach; it’s an obvious component of your syllabus. Training is the process of transferring knowledge that builds on existing skills, introduces new ones, and ensures training has taken place.
The Certification Process
Our first goal was to become certified to teach the concealed carry class in Idaho. The training is very basic, too basic for anyone to be certified as a concealed carry instructor. The course title is “Basics of Pistol Shooting”, which sounds exactly like how to shoot a pistol. There are no concealed carry topics addressed in the course.
Our philosophy is simple: If you don’t want to excel at what you do, why do it? We trained hard with other instructors outside of Idado. Instructors from as far away as the east coast, to improve our teaching skills and deliver the high-quality classes we envisioned.
Idaho Enhanced Concealed Carry Weapons Class (CCW)
On July 1, 2014, Idaho adopted a more advanced CCW license known today as the Idaho Enhanced Concealed Carry Permit. It adds additional states for reciprocity and increases the areas you can carry. A lecture on federal, state, and local laws from a state-certified attorney or a police training officer.
As with any profession, if you want to be the best, you must train with the best.
Our classes grew in size – sometimes exceeding 50 students seeking training for the Idaho Enhanced Concealed Carry Weapons license. When you’re exposed to over 100 students a month and two intense lectures on firearms and the law each month, you learn a thing to two.
We learned a lot about Idaho gun laws from our guest speakers, which we appreciate. We believe the Idaho Enhanced Concealed Carry Weapons Permit is the best in the nation.
Idaho Adopts “Permitless” Carry
On July 1, 2016, Idaho became a permitless carry state. This precluded non-residents from legally carrying in the state without a permit. This type of bad advice is what gets students and instructors in trouble. Students rely on their instructors to be subject matter experts. Unfortunately, there are no national training standards, and no national organizations, which hold instructors accountable for remaining current on the law.
Idaho Adopts Constitutional Carry
On July 1, 2020, Idaho became a Constitutional Carry state. Constitutional carry states recognize all individuals over 18 (21 in some) to carry a concealed carry weapon without a permit. Constitutional carry allows any U.S. citizen from any state to carry concealed without a permit.
Students often come in with bad, pre-conceived thoughts. These thoughts include the right to shoot anyone in their home, which is untrue. Proof of the loss of life, limb, or death existed. A simple example is an intoxicated person who enters a home not realizing it’s not their home. A homeowner claiming he has the right to shoot this person is 100% incorrect.
Level 1 Firearms Training LLC Continues to Teach
Level 1 Firearms Training LLC maintains a higher average number of class participants. We continue to train those who seek knowledge in personal defense and firearms and want to protect themselves legally.
I AM
SOMETIMESEASILY CONFUSED!
Don’t be. We help take away the mystery of owning a firearm. Helping students understand the many complexities and responsibilities of gun ownership. “Pistol Essentials 101“, “Rifle Essentials 101“, and “Shotgun Essentials 101” classes. We have a very simple philosophy: No question, no matter how small it may seem to others, goes unanswered. We encourage students to ask questions.
National Certified Pistol Instructor and Concealed Carry Instructor Training
Level 1 Firearms Training LLC has a National presence in the U.S. We have taught from East to West and North to South, combining the best in firearms training and experience from across our great nation. We bring a wealth of information to our training events for a well-rounded learning experience. Now that we “teach the teachers” nationally, we have collected a vast amount of information and combined the best of that information into our courses.
“As an innovative firearms training company,
David M. Streb, Managing Partner
Level 1 Firearms Training is focused on creating
learning and educational opportunities for
instructors and students alike”
Meet the Managing Partner
David M. Streb is co-founder of level 1 Firearms Training. He is one of the most experienced leaders in academic firearms training. He is known for his commitment to expanding student opportunities, firearm instructor training, innovative teaching methodologies, and encouraging the personal growth and success of Level 1 Firearms.
Co-Founding Partner & Education Director
Nicki is the co-founder of Level 1 Firearms Training, LLC. She is the Program Director for Level 1’s popular WOW “Women Only Workshops™” course series; a program focused on introducing women to firearms in a safe environment. Nicki works closely with students to coordinate class schedules and organize training nationally. Nicki also consults on business development strategies to promote student firearms business success.
Firearms training opportunities for
many kinds of learners
Level 1 Firearms Training offers several certifications for students and instructors
alike who are in pursuit of knowledge, personal improvement, and continuing their firearms education.
Level 1 Firearms Training
Students and Graduates
are shaped and strengthened
by our many communities.
In The NEWS
Level 1 Firearms Training LLC staff and instructors are often interviewed for comments about Breaking NEWS in communities and states. Our breakthrough training methods, opinions on gun violence, and the second amendment right to carry are the most sought-after topics in current events.
We Support Our Military
Special discounts are offered to all our military friends and their families. Discounts are extended to our local Mountain Home Air Force Base through quality training for our servicemen, their families, and their spouses.
Firearms training in the military is far different from civilian training. We help you bridge the gap between your military and civilian training to maximize your success as an Idaho firearms instructor.
We provide discounts to your spouses.
Come Join our Family
Over a decade, the family at Level 1 Firearms Training LLC has taught hundreds of individuals how to safely and responsibly use firearms. To our knowledge, we have certified more instructors than any other family-owned training business.
By leveraging teaching and training methods using Modern Gun Training Techniques, which surpasses the old way of teaching. We also created a national training program, known as the Level 1 Firearms Training Hell Week™ event, a comprehensive and in-depth instructor certification program accepted in all 50 states nationally.
Our family is here to assist you in any facet of firearms training. Beginners to advance, choose the correct firearm, and answer questions. Specialized classes for women, our Church of Latter-Day Saints community, Real Estate Agents, and church and school security teams.
If you can’t find a class, call us! We’ll be happy to create a custom training session for your group.