Retook my gun safety class here after my other certification expired, this time aiming to get a license and join a range. The class was awesome! Army Mike (he told us to call him that since both instructors are named Mike) was informative and funny. He was really knowledgeable about the materials he planned to present as well as at answering any questions thrown at him. There were many questions (common or uncommon) and he answered them thoroughly and with plenty of insights. There are roughly 3 hours of presentation materials including basic introduction to gun types and gun safety; loading and unloading different types of guns; licensing information; MA gun laws. He reinforced each safety rule with a youtube video of mishaps by people, they were to the point and funny. (But of course sad at the same time) He also had plethora of entertaining stories and examples to give for each scenario. Everyone got to practice loading and unloading guns in front of the instructor. The 3 hour class went by like a breeze. Learned a lot in this class and most importantly, had lots of fun learning them! There is also an optional simulator session after handing out the certification, we did not stay for this one, but from past experience, it's like playing a video game with a fake gun, pretty fun to try! Had a Groupon for $40/per person, great price for an excellent certification class. read more

Pretty lame presentation for a very serious subject. The instructor was too loose in the presentation of the material and did not give any meaningful technical details RE gun safety. For example- he never mentioned that you must drop the clip then rack the slide in any auto- a very common cause of accidental gun shootings. The simulator was silly. In all, I would not recommend the course- especially at the price. read more

Took an evening firearm safety class in late December 2014, and received the certificate at the end. We did not use the police simulator (in fact, it was never mentioned or offered to us). As someone who is fairly familiar with firearms, I think I learned what I need to obtain a license, but I can't imagine that a novice would have walked away feeling very confident. The instructor, John G., was a friendly guy and was very entertaining...at first. He had a very loose style, choosing to just talk to us instead of show any of the slides or videos on his laptop. This would have been fine, but he tended to go off on tangents, ramble on about his personal views and stories that didn't have much to do with the class, and would spend precious minutes trying to work up to his next joke. He also spoke to us as if everyone was familiar with All Things Firearm, and by the end of the second hour some the attendees were clearly becoming agitated. The class began with an announcement that Massachusetts gun laws were changing as of January 1st, but then he just moved on from there, offering no further information (a hand out or something describing the changes would have been helpful). He also spent a fair amount of time promoting websites of his friends and telling us why the NRA is not racist. After two hours, there was a break and when we returned, we received more of the same. The topics seemed very random, and after a very long story about how he is great at reading people followed by a few Bill Clinton and OJ Simpson jokes (because it is 1998, apparently), he finally got around to just showing us a bunch of videos in rapid-fire succession, with little to no context. Then the class was over, and we spent the next half hour standing in line so he could sign our certificates saying we took the class. This may sound like I'm hating on this instructor and class, but let me reiterate that he was a friendly and somewhat entertaining guy, and took time (sometimes way too much time) to answer questions. But he really needs to work on the whole "instructing" thing. It's an extremely complex topic that requires dissemination of very specific information, and I don't feel that was what we received. read more

I think we had a bad instructor for this class we took in early February 2015. Like, really bad. He sounded like he didn't really know the material well, was trying out jokes for the big-boy crowd, and was just name dropping (without the names) all these REALLY COOL people he knew in gun clubs. Called Peabody police Nazi for their restrictions. Death grip on chair. Does he not speak for a living. Toastmasters, son. "All lawful purposes as a reason" - Why someone can menace someone with a gun over someone else. I feel like I learned less coming from this class than I would've had I just stayed home and read my own material, or watched Die Hard. read more

I feared that this course would be very driver's ED-sy, but it far exceeded my expectations! The instructor was very engaging, entertaining, but most importantly, knowledgeable and realistic. Additionally, the price was reasonable compared to others I'd seen. The simulator was also pretty awesome. They sent you a packet to study/reference packet which was a nice courtesy. I left the class feeling knowledgeable and motivated to get my license. Now just to deal with the massive amount of red tape (AND FEES) I will need to go through to get my LTC in Boston. I will be recommending this to anyone who is looking for their firearms safety certificate! read more

Good course. Not too much or too little of anything. At the end Mike allowed for questions...as many as you can think of, so have your questions ready prior and he'll answer them. Keep in mind, you probably want to limit your questions to firearm safety and state laws. Otherwise you can be in there all night asking self defense questions or questions you can google that are going to hold the class over. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in getting a license to own or carry. Mike made the course interesting and kept the material moving. Three hours went by fast. read more

I recently took this class and was extremely satisfied with its content and presentation. This class is purposely focused on the novice and therefore more experienced gun users may find this material remedial, but as a novice myself it was provided me with exactly what I needed to know in an easy to understand and well structured manner. The instructor was down to earth, highly experienced, and well informed, and provided an excellent presentation which included helpful short videos to illustrate his points. The material was fully comprehensive yet still easy to follow and understand. This class reviewed different types of guns (handguns, rifles, shotguns) and the underlying mechanics of how they operate. It also presented important information on loading and cleaning guns including hands-on examples for each student. It also presented a well structured and extremely valuable lesson on gun safety which included numerous pragmatic tips based on the instructor's practical experience. The course also covered gun laws both in Massachusetts as well as in other states. Thought I originally signed up for this course out of necessity for applying for a gun license, but in taking the course I realized the great value of the information that was provided to prospective gun users. I strongly recommend this course. read more

Oh boy, where to start? I wanted to take a gun safety course with the ultimate goal of obtaining a firearms license. I bought a Groupon for this course. The address on the Groupon was incorrect. The school had sent out a registration confirmation email with the correct address, which luckily I remembered after wandering around the wrong address for a while and having no luck reaching anyone on the phone. The following information is straight from their website FAQ section: " Do I need to study or bring anything to class? No, you will be given course materials. Is there a test? There are in class quizzes on the materials we went over and in class exercises to load actual firearms with dummy bullets (no gunpowder). The reality is that almost everyone gets a completion certificate." The 'course material' was a pdf document that was mailed before class, and no copies were offered to any students in class. We also were not quizzed on anything, nor did we load any firearms. The Groupon mentioned a simulator that we could use for practice. It was not offered to anyone in the class. The instructor spent the entire class vaping and telling lots of personal stories, many of which were only vaguely gun safety related (such as he mentioned to the people in the story that he teaches a gun safety class). He also spent a lot of time talking about his former jobs and letting people know about other classes he teaches, reminding us that he wasn't getting rich off of this course. Most actual information came from videos that you could easily find on YouTube. After taking this course, I received a certificate that would allow me to apply for a firearms license. I had to do NOTHING to demonstrate that I understood the material or could operate a firearm safely, aside from stay awake in class. I actually feel less safe knowing that people who took this class are able to obtain firearms licenses. Needless to say, I'm going to have to look elsewhere for useful instruction as I don't feel qualified to actually carry a weapon anywhere yet. read more

This guy is a fraud. You are suppose to handle guns with instruction for this class. I had to take a real gun safety class in order to be properly trained for real gun safety. He shows videos and give lectures and blames COVID for the reason no guns are handled. This guy only wants to take your money. read more

Avoid at all costs. You may end up hurting yourself. Advertised as 4 hours, it actually half that. Instructor shows videos, no real guns to practice on. What good is a piece of paper saying I am safe, when I didn't touch a gun. I should have read the other reviews first, shame on me. Same story, different persons. read more

Took this class recently, through Groupon. There are a bunch of firearms safety classes in the area that are good. This is not one of them. Little practical knowledge bestowed. Instructor (John) spent more time talking about his personal life than educating us. He seems absent minded, and unmotivated to teach. I learned little from him and more from the handful of mediocre videos he played while disappearing for a while. There was no hands on education at all, and no simulator, so that's false advertising. This class was an embarrassment. I could have learned more from one hour on YouTube than the 3 hours I wasted at this "class". Seriously. read more

Avoid this place! I purchased a GroupOn for this company. They give you a half-working website, and a phone number. I tried schedualing a class, and it did not work online. I then called, and no one NEVER answers. I left a very clear and detailed message, and never received a call back. I am working with GroupOn to get my money back. This is a shame of a business. read more

Would not recommend anyone to take this course through this school at all. I did take the Massachusetts Course here and that was well run and the instructor was very knowledgeable and helpful. Beyond that I am surprised they are even certified to give this course. I then took the Utah course and it was a total waste of my time. The instructor seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but there that night. spent his whole time during the class texting on his phone would not answer questions when asked. But the worse is the fact he did not have enough course materials for everyone in the class. Do not know how this could happen since you have to pre register. My wife and I went up and asked him about this and we were promised our materials would be sent to us within two weeks. Although I don't know how cause when we said to him want us to write our names and addresses down he siad no I know who you are and I will mail the stuff to you within two weeks. Well it's a month later and we still have not received anything nor have we received any phone calls back despite us calling them on several occasions. Complete waste of my money. read more

Not sure about the disparate views. John was interesting and funny. I don't think the class is meant to provide an extreme level of detail that people might be looking for, it's not law school. John answered all the questions, gave us real life stories, and did provide many URLs for laws, support, gun shopping, and anything else you might need to know. read more

If you care only about a piece of paper (a certificate) this might be an option but if you're interested in learning something this is not the place for you. The instructor was a nice guy but simply showed a few YouTube videos and talked mostly about tangents, including readings his own Yelp reviews. He also discouraged anyone from using the simulator. read more

John was awesome! He was very informative yet entertaining so he kept everyone's attention!

This course was a joke. There were over 40 people in the class. Room was extremely hot and uncomfortable. The instructor wasn't too bad but aside from some inane youtube videos showing idiots shooting themselves, there wasn't much more to learn. He gave some safety tips but was pretty cavalier in his presentation. No one in the class got to even touch a gun. It was all demonstration and videos. Couldn't use the "simulator" they advertised, since it was not working properly. I think most people didn't care about the content and just wanted to receive their certificate saying they attended the course. read more

John Gambone is an awesome instructor, whether he is teaching you about guns and getting you licenses or educating you on real estate he gets the job done! He's approach is super friendly, relevant and easy to understand. It's obvious that he has a passion for teaching and helping people get licensed and become successful in whatever it is they decide to pursue! read more

I think the instructor took gun safety into the most realistic point of view that an instructor can: protect yourself but don't be a hero. Listen folks, if you plan on receiving your LTC to make channel 7 news as a hero, please don't waste our time and come to the course. It's not hard. Carry to protect yourself. We do not carry in anticipation of shooting others. Great class and with the right mindset might be the most informational class to date! read more

This class was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be. John G ran through all the basics without completely boring me to death. I also gained quite a bit of valuable information. Most importantly I got my certificate at the end of it all and can now turn in my application. I can't speak for the rest of the class but I certainly got what I came for. read more

I had a great time at the course considering my friend spent 8 hrs and another 3 or 4 hrs on the shooting range. John is cool and knowledgeable and made time go by fast. Thank you very much guys. Highly recommended it, especially for the price I got from Groupon. My wife loved it also. read more

Very good class Mike has the ability to teach to all different levels.

First off, instructor (John) seems like a very nice guy. If you just want a cheap, fairly quick course and don't care about a thorough, clear, articulate presentation then this class will be fine. The bottom line is you get your safety certificate! The course was only around $50 with a groupon code. That's hard to beat anywhere. The instructor does take time to answer questions and that was helpful. I called the number on the website and left two different messages before taking the class but never got a return call. As far as presentation, he told us at the beginning that he mumbles and that is correct. Often times it was difficult to interpret what he was saying. We had a large class of about 50. Again, it just didn't feel very comprehensive at all....mostly random information. The instructor did say that anyone that wants to stay after class could do the simulator but at that point it was 3 1/2 hrs later and I was ready to leave. Plus, with so many people it would have been very difficult to do. Not sure how many people, if any, even stayed for that. John, if you're reading this...please don't take it personal. You come across as a very nice guy that truly wants to help people and thank you for what you do! I would just encourage you to maybe take some classes on public speaking and presentation strategies to really help engage your students even more.. read more

I got the class for a Christmas present and went on jam 2nd. It was very poorly put together. The instructor who started the class saying he was tired and confused from doing a class earlier. Hey buddy no one cares. The class was disjointed and all over the place. The instructor spoke in this weird monotone and he would drift off. Try using some inflection. He would go on tangents about things that were totally unrelated to gun safety. It seemed like the class was a nuisance for him. He made a subject I was very interested initially very painful. read more

Just took the class thought the instructor, mike c., did a good job of holding the attention of everyone in a large class. The time seemed to go by pretty quick. I think it should involve a little more hands on with a gun otherwise no complaints read more

Took my course last Saturday and it was absolutely great. The instructor was easy going, articulate, and genuinely a pleasure to be in class with. The only thing I wasn't expecting was that we did not have any hands on. Other than that awesome! read more

Such a great class! John was an amazing instructor and gets the job done. Not only was he engaging but also quite amusing, informative and clearly passionate about his work. He makes you feel comfortable and actually cares about his students. I learned so much from his class and time literally flew by. I would definitely recommend his class to absolutely anyone!! read more

Very informative I would recommend to anyone interested in gun law information.Two thumbs up seriously!!!

I found this gun control class as an amazon deal. I found the class to be very laid back and comfortable to questions. Army Mike was a great instructor, he emphasized the most important areas of gun control and made the class fun. Thank You! read more

I think most of these reviews have to be fake. One of the most awful 3 hours of my life. Awkward instructor, poor answering of questions, limited instruction on gun ownership and safety. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

Spent the full price to take the course only to find everyone else paid half by using Groupon. Over 40 people crammed into the class. Worst part was it started over 30 minutes late due to rude people who can't show up on time. I didn't think that was very fair to the rest of the class, guess our time isn't valuable. The simulator was broken, not presented well. So I got to pay full price for a late class, that wasn't everything it was advertised to be. I am disappointed and will NOT be recommending to anyone! read more

An aweful experience. The instructor seriously lacks passion and voice. All you learn there can easily be found on Youtube, for free. I do not recommend this place. read more

Worst instructor ever. John had no passion and just showed you a bunch videos, and some plastic guns. Some awkward jokes without anything to do with the class. No shooting simulator practice as advertised on groupon or website. What a waste of 3 hours! read more

Awful management at this place. I bought a groupon. I called matt devito to schedule an appointment and left a message no one ever got back to me. Three months of emailing the email provided on the website and yet no reply. I was then messaged back after several attempts of messaging the business (3 months later)and was told by matt devito that id have to pay full price for the course (100$) when i bought it on groupon because i was booked for a date i never knew about, he did not bother messaging me to confirm about that date. He stated i was only eligible to reschedule a date if i paid again full amount. Horrible business and matt was very rude. read more

Great course. Went to appease the man friend and my dad since I've been around guns a fair amount and have a decent amount of experience. I'd definitely recommend this class to anyone who's interested in learning more about gun safety, the crazy laws in MA (for real...not so black and white like I thought) or someone who doesn't know anything and is interested. Army Mike, as he asked us to call him on Yelp, was smart, to the point and funny. I wasn't looking forward to the four hour class, especially after the Boston Marathon Bombing, but it was much better than I had anticipated. Way to go Army Mike! read more

I'm not sure what Jonathan K is talking about? The class is entertaining yes, but I certainly didn't get the feeling the instructor didn't take the material seriously. Overall I felt I learned what I came there to learn and I got a kick out of the simulator at the end of class as well. Class is right off of 93 and 95 so super easy to get to as well. read more

Army Mike was very knowledgable and presented the material very well. Good videos, great personality . This was our first gun safety course and we feel more prepared to continue with our firearm education and application for a license. Interested in further courses !! Thanks "Army Mike"!!!!!!!! read more

Great class very informative and helpful in going forward to get a ltc. The instructor mike was on point knew his stuff very friendly and knowledgable. Great class read more

We really enjoyed the LTC class and learned a lot. John is a knowledgable teacher and does a great job handling any questions you may have. He was kind enough to take extra time with us after class even on a nice day when everyone else ran out the door. Highly recommend. read more

Really fun class and I learned A LOT! Defininately worth it and good size classes. Thanks "Army Mike"! Lol.