No upcoming event!

Chuck Witt
Arrowhead Region
507-327-2807

Tim Boucher
Metro/St. Cloud Region
763-350-4721

Chris Marsh
Southwest Region
507-822-4755

Beginner's Handgun
New to or been a long time since handling a pistol? Get the training necessary to safely handle a handgun. Learn about pistols and ammunition, selecting a firearm that fits you, and how to safely operate a firearm.
Permit to Carry
Wanting or needing to carry a pistol for self defense? This class covers the information you need to receive your permit allowing you to lawfully carry in Minnesota and 20+ other states.
Advanced Exercises: Basic Survival 1
No deadly force encounter is ever static. This course begins the dynamic training needed for self defense: reloading, cover and concealment, non-standard shooting positions, and engaging multiple threats.
Advanced Exercises: Basic Survival 2
Continuing the dynamic training needed to survive should you find yourself in a deadly force encounter. This course covers shooting on the move, defending from inside a vehicle, and low light/no light shooting.

Mountain Lake Firearms Academy

Mountain Lake Firearms Academy has been offering instruction in Minnesota for Minnesota's Permit to Carry since 2009. We take pride in providing the best possible training available to you.

Our Permit to Carry class instruction is approved by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. We review and evaluate our course instruction to make sure all information presented is up-to-date, accurate, and easily understood.

All of our instructors come from a military background. Our Chief Instructor, Chuck Witt, served in the Minnesota Army National Guard as an Indirect-fire Infantryman. He also has an AAS degree in Law Enforcement, which he received in 1994. He has private, contract, and corporate security experience. Instructor Chris Marsh served 11 years in the military as an infantryman, range control officer, and a helicopter crew chief/flight instructor. Instructor Tim Boucher joined the U.S. Army as an infantryman and upon discharge did private security and fugitive recovery. Instructor Boucher also is a certified NRA Pistol Instructor.

Minnesota Permit to Carry
With our Minnesota Permit to Carry course, we go into depth with the laws, responsibilities, risks, and possible consequences of carrying a firearm. We also provide facts to support the importance of carrying for personal protection. We discuss where you can and can't carry, how to select a firearm for self-defense, firearm safety, and the required live-fire exercise. When it comes to the live-fire exercise, we will never have more than two people on the shooting line per range instructor. This gives us the opportunity to provide better personal instruction should it be needed.

Advanced Training
After your initial training to get your permit to carry, we offer instruction designed to take your self-defense training to the next level to better prepare you for that possible encounter. Our advanced training courses cover different aspects such as encountering multiple threats, defending yourself from non-standard shooting positions, defending yourself from within a vehicle, using cover and concealment, moving "off the X" to better defend yourself, and much more. During the life-fire exercise of each advanced training class, only one person will be on the shooting line at a time. See our class offerings for more details.

Why Choose Us?
We take the time to give each person the attention they need to complete our course. We want each person to be properly informed when it comes to carrying for personal protection. We also believe everyone needs to be comfortable in their ability to handle a firearm. We care about and take the time with everyone who receives their training from us. Additionally, we offer training that goes beyond your permit to carry.