Shooting Illustrated by Chris Christian March 11, 2019
Armed citizens with concealed-carry permits who want to evaluate or increase their skill levels often focus on one of the various law-enforcement-qualification courses as a guide. All can be valid skill checks as far as shooting goes, but one drawback for civilians is that many such courses involve the use of an exposed duty holster and include targets at ranges out to 25 yards (or more), neither of which is something the overwhelming majority of self-defense scenarios for us regular folks will entail.
One notable exception is the Tactical Pistol Course (TPC). Commonly called the “old Air Marshal (FAM) course,†it was created for Federal Air Marshals in 1992. In cooperation with the Office of Civilian Airline Security, it was developed by a private instructor in the Fort Bragg, NC, area who routinely taught skills to certain units based at that facility. It eventually became the qualification course for all Federal Air Marshals. Those who passed it received their flying orders. Those who failed went back for more training. It was not an easy course. In fact, when senior officers from the Joint Special Operations Command attended and reviewed the course in 1998, their opinion was that those passing the TPC were among the top one-percent of pistol shooters in the world.
The TPC qualification course demands speed, accuracy and advanced gun-handling at close range. That’s obviously an important skill for an Air Marshal, who may have to engage an armed terrorist in the crowded confines of an aircraft cabin or a bustling airport-passenger terminal. Speed is critical, and errant rounds could be catastrophic. It also must be accomplished from concealment, since Air Marshals wear civilian clothing to blend in with passengers.
The situations confronting Air Marshals are actually quite similar to those an armed citizen might experience in an assault (or active shooter situation) in a crowded mall, restaurant, theater or other public venue. Speed can be critical, and errant rounds are ultimately the responsibility of the concealed carrier firing them. That makes the “old TPC Air Marshal qualification course†an excellent training regimen for civilian carriers.
More:
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/3/11/federal-air-marshal-qualification-test-your-ccw-skills/
