James D. Carr Qualifications FAQ

What is your motto?

“Protect the innocent. Save the injured.” 

As a motto, this reminds us of our responsibility as private citizens to balance both sword and shield. The sword is representative of knowledge & skill at arms, while the shield represents knowledge & skill in the field of tactical / emergency medicine.

Explain the Bright Arrow Trademark

Throughout history, the bow and arrow have served duel purposes of being both hunting implements in times of peace and as weapons of battle in times of war.

An arrow must be straight to fly true, but it must also be wielded by the skillful hand so as to be effective and hit the mark. A crooked arrow is not to be trusted and can never be counted on to fly true. Also, an archer who lacks skill cannot reliably hit the mark. 

The "bright arrow" represents the necessary balance of knowledge and force. As knowledge, it strikes into the darkness of ignorance and evil to abolish them with the light of wisdom and truth.  As force, it represents the ability of knowledgeable, skillful armed citizens to strike a distant target in hunting and in times of war.

We are reminded of the notion that as American citizens, we are guaranteed certain rights under Natural Law, Common Law and the Penal Law to bear arms in defense of innocent life. To be just and effective, such force must be available and be wielded by those of a wise and skillful hand.

Why do you do this?

This question was posed to me by an interviewer when I was serving as an assistant instructor at Lethal Force Institute.

My response was pretty straightforward. I indicated that the students had a God given right to self-protection and that I was there to help them learn how to properly exercise that right.
While that explanation was simple, it is still accurate and heartfelt. To this day, it remains the core element of why I am dedicated to teaching others within this field.

As an instructor in the fields of Threat Management and defensive firearms use it is my responsibility to provide as much accurate and useful information to the student as is possible. But before I can teach others, I must be motivated to do it for the right reasons!

In this field we are literally dealing with people’s lives via education & training. Hence, this type of teaching is not a job, but it is a responsibility. If a student misunderstands the material or the reality of the playing field they could get robbed, assaulted, maimed, killed or locked up in prison.

The field demands that the instructor be experienced in that particular segment of the field. As well, the whole notion of “training” must be approached in a balanced and detail oriented way.

I believe in the “pay a little now, or pay a lot later” approach to life. You can invest time right now learning the right way to do things, or you can pay a higher price later when you make a mistake.

How have your own training experiences and instructor qualifications influenced your classes?

General overview:

It was through a combined process of education, training and life experiences that I came to understand I could help others in this field by becoming an instructor. I began my journey as a trainer within this field in order to bring high quality training to the average local citizen. Training that was badly needed and would be difficult or impossible to acquire here in Western New York.

My path to instructor certification began as a student enrolled in one of the most famous training programs available to private citizens in the U.S. The school was known as Lethal Force Institute (LFI). 

In October of 1996 I began my threat management & defensive firearms training under noted trainer and author Massad Ayoob. My first course was his 40 hour LFI 1 “Judicious Use of Deadly Physical Force” class. While tactical shooting schools have recently sprung up everywhere it is important to remember that Lethal Force Institute was unique. At LFI the course of study combined training in the legal and ethical aspects of judicious use of deadly physical force, threat management principles and defensive firearms use.

From this 40 hour course we learned foundational principles and skills that were both unique and potentially life-saving. We graduated from LFI-1 with a keen understanding and respect for what to expect legally, tactically, emotionally, physically and psychologically when compelled to resort to using Deadly Physical Force in defense against a lethal attack.

I vividly remember being on the range during that October LFI 1 class and wishing that I had known some of these things when I took my own Pistol Permit class back in 1984! I spoke to Mas and expressed my interest in getting involved in training others and he recommended that I continue with my studies in threat management & defensive firearms use, seek membership with the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers and become an NRA certified firearms instructor.

I followed his recommendations. In time I trained with a number of noted instructors and eventually served as an assistant instructor at LFI (see the exceptionally well done photo essay by Ken Smith entitled “How I spent my summer vacation” at: http://www.kensmith.com/lfi2/).

Following graduation from Lethal Force Institute in 1996 I was accepted for membership with the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers and began my studies under the NRA instructor program (obtaining my NRA instructor credentials in 1997). It was then that I began offering my NYS Pistol Permit classes and, in 2002, offered my first 20 hour Tactical Handgun class in Western New York. Later, I became the first resident of Western New York to become certified by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification as a Concealed Firearm Permit instructor.

Over subsequent years I’ve kept current with instructor development by attending various noted training programs and schools (see my CV).

How do your experiences as a handgun hunter factor into your classes?

First off, it’s rare to see a hunter who uses a handgun exclusively for hunting squirrel, rabbit or deer. That being said, I got into handgun hunting early on and simply ignored the people who said that it couldn’t be done.

Hunting with handguns has been fascinating. I’ve learned many, many lessons on mindset, skill, tactics and equipment. Such life lessons influence the way I teach and the points I stress in all of my classes.

Photo below is of a nice Whitetail I took with my Colt New Frontier .44 Special.