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+ F R O N T S I G H T +
+ 2 7 J U N E 2 0 0 2 + Do you remember the first time you heard about Burning Man? There was something special about it, but you weren't quite sure what it all meant? I seem to have a sense about things on the edge of culture… events and trends that are just beginning. It was early in 1999 that I first heard the name 'Front Sight'. It had something to do with guns, the desert and community. It was three years later that the opportunity to experience 'Front Sight' dropped into my lap. In June 2002, I spent four days at 'Front Sight'. Here is my report. On June 21st, 2002, Danger, Dusty and MrFreeze made the long drive to Front Sight. We turned off the highway about 20 miles south of Pahrump, Nevada, which is less than 60 miles from Death Valley and then drove west another 5 miles before arriving at the entrance. From there, a 4-mile long, paved raceway was almost complete. I call it a raceway because we were told that there will be no speed limit on this private road. As we crested a hill and arrived at the gate, a familiar looking desert compound environment was spread out before us. A large white tent-like structure was surrounded by an array of steel shipping containers used for storage and housing. Here and there were generators, water tanks, and stockpiles of various materials. The place was a hive of activity with heavy earth-moving equipment, road graders, compactors and water trucks rolling by. As we pulled into the graveled parking lot, I noticed that all the staff members were dressed exactly alike; crisp uniforms of gray short-sleeved shirts, black pants tucked into black combat boots and each with a semiautomatic pistol on the hip. For some reason, a vision of the robo-cops from the movie THX-1138 popped into my mind. Later on, I was to learn that all the guns were fully loaded and each had a live round in the chamber. In two days, after countless hours of safety instruction, ours would be too. "Good to go" is an understatement here. The next four days were filled with classroom and on-the-range defensive handgun training, one of several courses offered at Front Sight. Much like the participants at Burning Man, there was considerable diversity within the group attending. Our class consisted of about 80 people and included a variety of individuals from all over the country, a few sheriffs deputies, a CHP officer, a large contingent of business owners, and a housewife who had never picked up a firearm before. The single purpose of this particular training course is to develop the skill and ability to stop a deadly attack on your life. In the classroom, we learned about the legal issues involved and the moral and ethical decisions on the use of deadly force. On the range, we learned how to draw a gun from concealment and place two bullets within an 8-inch diameter circle at 20 feet, all within 3 seconds. We have now had more self-defense training than the majority of professional law enforcement officers and are way ahead of most armed criminals. I have come away from this training experience with a feeling of fearful confidence. I also learned much more than just what was taught during this course. Front Sight is a firearms training school which was started in Bakersfield, California in 1996 by a man named Ignatius Piazza. In 1998, construction of a range facility was begun on a 550-acre parcel of Nevada desert, located 40 miles north of Las Vegas. In the year 2000, over 8,000 students attended courses at Front Sight. It is now the number one firearms training school in the United States, with more students than the next four schools combined. Front Sight is to gun owners what Pebble Beach is to golfers. It is a strong advocate of the 2nd amendment and it's stated goal is to reach 95% of the gun owners in the United States. At the time we attended, the development of the desert facility was in the first stage of 3 planned phases. When completed, it will have 21 outdoor firing ranges, a 5-story SWAT tower, an administration building, a maintenance building, an armory, a martial arts gymnasium, a 7,200 square foot classroom, a 4,500 foot airstrip, an RV parking area, 177 luxury homes, 350 condominiums, a school, a commercial center, paved roads, underground power grid, municipal water and an on-site sewer system. The planned completion date is 2012. At that time, the annual gross income is projected to be $2 billion… and everyone there will be armed. Despite apparent differences, Burning Man has much in common with Front Sight. They both; And both have drawn a line in the sand. There are also some interesting things that are shared, but are applied towards opposite ends, such as: environmental impact, law enforcement costs and the physics of mass and velocity against flesh. The Front Sight experience (training) is conducted with smaller groups of participants (students), and lasts only 2 to 4 days, but the event (class) is held approximately 30 times over the course of a year. The annual growth rate of Front Sight, then at 200% in their 6th year, is very similar to Burning Man's history. And there are things that we can learn from Front Sight. They have developed an incredibly effective feedback loop that has dramatically improved their training program. They learn from their students. Front Sight also has a keenly developed financial program and now has several million dollars in assets and a guaranteed income that runs years into the future. Front Sight is having a sizable impact on it's local area. A large percentage of the Nye county sheriff's department is employed by, or involved with, Front Sight. One of it's main goals is gaining influence in Nevada and national politics. I have begun a dialogue about Burning Man with Ignatius Piazza and a few of his staff. It is my belief that the rapid growth and cultural impact of Front Sight within the state of Nevada will have implications for Burning Man several years from now. It is this future connection that I am scouting ahead and preparing for. We must plant the seeds now. — Danger |