You can spend countless hours at the gun range practicing handgun and long gun proficiency, but the fact of the matter is if you're practicing the wrong techniques, you're just getting more and more wrong with every hour you put in the range. Here is where the professionals become such an asset.

They are not sharing their knowledge and time out of the kindness of their hearts; they do charge a pretty hefty fee for these courses. But as long as you retain these skills and remember the lessons that are taught to you, they are definitely worth it. There is no amount of money that can bring you to life if you are killed by a violent attacker. The skills you bring home from this kind of training can save your life, so if you look at it that way, it's more than worth it.

Here are a few popular gun training schools in the USA:

• Front Sight - This is the largest of the gun training schools in the USA. Located in a large piece of land privately owned out in the Nevada Desert, they have facilities and classes for all types of weapons and situations. The guy who started all of this, Dr. Ignatius Piazza, is kind of a nut, he basically wants to start his own city, complete with large communities, an airport, restaurants, and possiblY a courthouse and post office in the near future, lol, just kidding, but who knows. But regardless of his dreams (or his mental state), he does have world-class facilities out there and the instructors he has have great credentials.

  He offers unarmed combat courses, edged weapons courses, handgun courses, rifle courses, shotgun courses, repel wall, shoot house, and much more.

• Valhalla - Advertised as the most realistic firearms training you will encounter. Instead of normal shoot houses, he uses buildings that are dressed up with furniture and other things to simulate a real residence. There is also a course in how to take down a hijacker on an airplane, unarmed combat training, and many other things. It also features automated targets that appear to "die" when you hit them. Check out their website for more information.

• Gunsite - Started in 1976 by LtCol. Jeff Cooper, this shooting facility is located in the Arizona desert. It covers about 2000 acres of land and features a long range rifle range, shoot houses, campgrounds, and much more. You can learn about pistols, carbines, rifles, shotguns, just about everything here at Gunsite.

  Many people consider Gunsite as one of the best firearms training facilities in the country. I'm sure the fact that it was started by the legendary late LtCol. Jeff Cooper probably has something to do with it. He was known as one of the most knowledgeable people in the firearms industry.

• Thunger Ranch - Started in 1993 by a Marine veteran of two infantry and Combined Action Platoon tours in Vietnam, Clint Smith. Smith is very well known and respected in the firearms community because prior to opening Thunder Ranch, he was head of the Firearms Training Division of a police department and then Dean of instruction for the American Pistol Institute. He then founded International Training Consultants, Inc., which was an active mobile training program which is nationally recognized for innovative programs in Urban Rifle, Shotgun, Precision Rifle, and various handgun formats. After that, he served as Director of Training for Heckler & Koch, Inc. Basically, his credentials speak for themselves.

  They provide courses for handgun, rifle, combination, and special courses such as home and vehicle defense and team tactics. Check out their website for more information.

• 10-8 - Law enforcement "10" code for "Officers on Duty," 10-8 employs instructors of various backgrounds such as law enforcement, military special operations, firearms industry professionals, and modern mixed martial arts. Alongside their training courses, they also design and retail an arsenal of firearm accessories. They also publish many useful articles on important aspects of firearms training and maintenance. Basically they are a wealth of information that anyone with an interest in defensive or combat use of firearms should check out.