I had the fortunate opportunity to be a student of some of the greatest instructors around in the…read morefield of security and what it takes to; do your job safe and legally so you can come home every night to the ones you love, knowing your client is satisfied with you performance. Thank you very much Premier Training Academy. You save lives with the instruction you provide.

I recently completed the PPSB training course at Premier Training Academy's Charlotte location-…read morehighly effective and professionally delivered! Donnie and Ernie are consummate professionals whose extensive real-world experience lends credibility to their training. They also have enough insight to recognize that students arrive with widely varying skill levels and prior exposure. Their blocks of instruction are thoughtfully sequenced and clearly articulated, allowing trainees to absorb complex material at a manageable pace while progressively building confidence. Although some of the curriculum set forth by PPSB is a bit cumbersome, they organized the content to fit within the three-day format. The standard is the standard and no shortcuts or "gimmies" are given, but even novice shooters can achieve it by paying attention and applying the principles. Of note, the discussion of physiological responses under acute stress definitely helped on practice day. Unlike similar courses I've attended in years past where instructors project an air of bravado, Donnie and Ernie struck an ideal balance: personable, engaging, and approachable while maintaining an unwavering seriousness about safety. This fosters a relaxed but focused learning environment that greatly benefits folks with lesser experience. This PPSB-compliant armed security training prioritizes genuine safety, skill development, and student success over ego. PTA is top-shelf! God bless the both of you gents. Ed

Great teacher learned a lot very patience very passionate about the class really a great guyread more

Having attended the conceal carry course facilitated by Derek Arms Academy, I recognize their…read moreservices as invaluable to our community. My course was led by David who created a welcoming, encouraging, and supportive learning environment for attendees of all skill and education levels from complete novice to those building on previous experience. Prior to firing live ammunition, the course incorporated dry fire training aids allowing learners to practice grip, aim, and trigger pull with a real firearm effectively eliminating the distraction and anticipation of noise and recoil. This strategy is an excellent step for those with any amount of hesitation or anxiety about safe handling and use of a handgun. All gun owners should consider training with Derek Arms Academy as an essential element of responsible gun ownership.

Michael is an EXCELLENT Concealed Carry Instructor! He's an NRA certified instructor, so don't let…read moreit worry you that he holds classes in his home. He's extremely professional, has a great demeanor & delivers the content in a clear-to-understand manner. He's also fantastic with kids (he does a kids handgun safety course, as well as other adult handgun classes). In his home, it's a more intimate environment as he limits headcount. This allows for more absorption of the class content and important safety guidelines. Live fire after class is right in his backyard. His flexibility, cost and delivery all make Michael a great choice for your CC Training.

My husband & I have been talking about taking a concealed carry class for years now, but I was…read morealways hesitant to do so because I never felt experienced enough. Michael Pegram & Jared did a GREAT job and made me feel right at ease. Whether it was familiarizing beginners with the fundamentals of gun safety, teaching how to wisely think defensively, or making sure we knew NC gun control laws, each part of the day trained me FAR better than when I walked in. Not once did I ever feel out of my league or silly for asking questions. Awesome instructors, awesome class. If you're wanting your concealed carry, this is the class for you!

These guys were amazing!!! I have been wanting to come here ever since some friends of mine had a…read morebachelor party there that I could not join! They gave my entire team and I terrific training, and it was extremely enjoyable when fun in the shoot house and it's really impressive to know that someone like me who has been into martial arts his entire life could get my rear end handed to me by Nicole. I will be bringing my wife and daughters here as well for some specialized training and I cannot thank these guys enough for what a tremendously excellent time we had. I'm at their facility with them.

Great experience! I was scared of handling a gun but Nicole and Altonio took their time to show me…read morehow to properly handle one. I can't wait to go back and take the CCW class!

If Yelp had the option of leaving more stars I absolutely would. All three instructors aside from…read morehaving extensive experience with firearms are incredibly humble and easy going. The classroom setting is very comfortable and they create a learning environment that is fun and easy to comprehend, regardless of your experience. They transitioned that same positive energy at the gun range and took no shortcuts involving the safety of all the students. The information they provide is priceless and comes from years of combined military experience. I salute these instructors and would highly recommend to anyone wanting an awesome firearm training experience, whether it be beginner or advance level.

With full honesty I will say my experience attending a class here is without a doubt one of the…read morebest experiences I have ever had. In my years I have experienced different instructors, but none have shown the perfect balance of comfort, hands on training experience and knowledge presented in such a manner that is relaxing, stress free and to top it off... the ability to build confidence. Jim has a natural ability to place a student at ease, to answer any questions even if they seem simple, encourages discussion and provides education in a manner anyone can understand and relate to. In addition, the method he teaches seems personal and more attentive rather than a large class which seems impersonal and crowded. This allows the student to feel more relaxed and able to soak in the knowledge being presented. A portion of his class was in his classroom which was filled with educational material and material that we could inspect and learn from. He provided lunch then transportation to finish the second part of the class which was held on a private range which was quiet and private. The range portion was just as excellent as it provided an area where we could qualify without the distractions and onlookers a public range would have negatively provided. If you are looking for training whether a beginner, refresher or to gain your certificate this is the best place to choose and I wholeheartedly recommend Jim at Stars & Stripes!

As a unit commissioner with Scouts, and as a shot-gunner, I want to be available to coach Scouts…read moreinitially through their Shotgun Merit Badge program and later through the Shooting Merit Badge. Scouts require that these two merit badge counselors be NRA certificated instructors in Shotgun and Rifle. I found Jim Elliott and it was a great find. Jim teaches a raft of NRA programs which include pistols, rifles, shotguns, reloading, range safety and other programs, like home defense. Just what I was looking for. The initial shotgun course was in his basement home in Tega Cay. Absolutely one of the best small classroom operations I have experienced. Worth a tour. He has great displays of ammunition, guns, training aids and actual guns. You just don't talk about things, you actually can touch them. A very fine set-up. Jim is a super instructor. Emphasis is on safety and applying what you learn to actual operation. You take weapons apart, compare ammunition, watch videos and, ultimately, as part of the training, go to a range and fire the guns. It was a very full day, which included a simple lunch and he drove us to and from the range. A very nice, sincere guy. I am very appreciative of his approach-ability and willingness to teach. I will most likely take other courses that he offers. If you need any type of fire arm training, give him a call. At a minimum he can recommend others, like him, that really care about what they are teaching.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Grace Caskey when she facilitated the CPR & AED course for my…read moreoffice. Working with Grace over the last week was such a pleasure, she made it very easy to communicate and responded the same day with emails or phone calls. Payment When submitting payment, she provided multiple options to accommodate the best and fastest process for you. As would any office we had a few additional adds to our original 13 count, and she was completely understanding and to welcome the other 3 attendees. Planning I connected with her two days before her arrival to find out how we could accommodate her at our location. She shared her needs for the presentation and the space that she would require. We chose one of our larger areas in our office, which I recommend particularly if you have a large attending team as we did. I also mentioned to her that we would be feeding our team during the training and she was completely ok with that. Arrival She arrived on time allowing herself plenty of time to set up and promptly began the course. I was pleased when she shared that she looked into the traffic pattern herself before arriving to allow enough time. Sometimes vendors will ask how long the travel time will be from their location to our office. Most times I'm unsure with the various traffic patterns. So, I appreciated it greatly that she looked into this herself. Class Everyone in my office was very pleased with the way Grace taught the class. She made it extremely fun, involving and allowed everyone to ask endless questions. We liked that she provided us with quick notes already typed up, this was a huge plus! The notes allowed us to focus on the class more and if we needed to step away for a business call, we could do so. I HIGHLY recommend taking a course with your work office, family, church or a group of friends. Grace is Great!

Every two years i look forward to meeting up with Grace again to get certified for the CPR/ First…read moreAid Course. I can count on - not only tons of informative material; but her real life experiences. She makes the course fun, entertaining; and of course- hands on. The hours go by quick and you walk out of there feeling confident knowing that you could SAVE a life. She makes it REAL (and her southern charm adds a bit of fun, light hearted humor). The materials and quick guide reference material are to take home with you... and you have easy access to review anytime you need to.

Instructor cancelled the class 2 days in a row. Both 1 hour before class start time…read more She texted to say that she will issue a refund. Then ignored all calls/texts for the next 2 weeks. Had to dispute through my bank for the refund. There is another class in Huntersville that is more organized and better managed.

I'm much too late with this review - just now found them on Yelp…read more My daughter took her SC CWP class and I took an NRA pistol class with Kelly's team. Very professional and a lot of fun!