Storage of NLTA Training Firearms when not in use.

[rstallman]

I have a problem that I hope someone can assist me with. I am a Training Technician for a NY State agency, currently assigned to the Training Center. I am a police officer with more than 15 years experience and have been a firearms instructor and DT instructor for a number of years. Last year I took Ken's RBT Instructor Course (excellent by the way). My agency (which is not a police agency) is in the process of purchasing a quantity of NLTA training firearms (either Simunition or Airmunition) and there is a deep rooted safety concern among the executive and adminstrative staff that these NLTA training weapons can be stolen and easily converted back to live ammunition firing weapons. I have painstakingly advised certain persons that they are incapable of firing live ammunition and it would be easier to steal a real one than to steal a simunition M4 and convert it into a real M4. They don't get it. They want to store them (they keep referring to them as weapons) at a local LE agency when not being used. This will be a logistical nightmare, not only for us, but for the agency that accepts this responsibility. We are talking about a large amount of money in equipment. I have come up with a plan to store them on site in locked pelican cases, in a locked steel cage, in a locked concrete wall room with no windows and one door, inside a locked building. I feel this is MORE than adequate security, but that feeling is not shared by some of the decision makers.

So my question is this, is there anyone out there who has a policy on storage of NLTA training weapons or can lend me some assistance in convincing the powers that be that these NLTA training firearms are just that, and not real weapons.

Thank you for any assistance that can be offered,

Bob

[justken2u]

Hey Robert:

Quick question ... do they have the same concerns about your duty weapons? First off, most bad guys are idiots. I, personally, would be delighted to have a stolen NLTA converted pistol pointed at me during the commission of a crime. Imagine my delight as the soon-to-be-dispatched ne'er do well is struggling with a gun that he can't figure out how to make go "bang", erstwhile becoming the recipient of incoming .40 projectiles. OOOOOPS .... shoulda stolen a functional firearm.

That said, the process to converting a weapon back to operational is a relatively simple gambit unless you purchase the Glock 17T pistols which cannot, by design, be converted to operational weapons. You just can't buy a parts set to reconfigure it to operational. Given the prevalence of the Glock in New York state this would be the optimal solution. These are still classified as firearms, though, according to the BATF and both the price and the paperwork for purchase are identical to regular weapons. So your administration is correct in calling them weapons despite their training intention. That said, I don't really understand how an agency (yours) that has either been tasked with or that is choosing to be a provider of RBT is so schizophrenic about the storage and maintenance of one of the necessary components of the training - the training weapon and its associated ammunition.

Your storage proposal is actually overkill - for ACTUAL firearms. A locked case inside a locked cage inside a locked room inside a locked building?!? The people who would jack a half dozen pistols are crooks of opportunity - the guns are sitting on the back seat of an unlocked car and they didn't know they were stealing guns - or you have been specifically targeted for the theft because of someone who knows what they are after i.e. someone set you up. If you have them locked inside your building with access limited only to those who have been specificaly trained in their use and sign them out when taken you'll be fine. Snatching a case full of blue training weapons isn't exactly the "big score" that the hooligan of today is after, and any cop born after 1990 is familiar with what these things look like in the event they get one pointed at them. Hell, Airsoft weapons look more realistic than these blue training guns.

As for your decision between the various available technologies, I presume that by "Airmunition" you are referring to Airsoft guns? Airsoft are useful for drills as you learned in my 5 day school, but are not recommended for use during actual scenarios. Stick with a cartridge based technology for the scenarios for all the reasons we discussed in class and which are too numerous to mention in this response.

I don't have a storage policy per se due to the differences in possession and storage requirements for operational firearms across the country and from agency to agency. Suffice to say that most agencies store their training weapons in a manner consistent - no more or no less stringent - than they would an operational firearm. If it's a huge hairy deal for you to store them at your building, then why not buddy up with a nearby police department and get them involved in helping out with your RBT program. Remember, we talked about reaching out to other agencies anyway, right? While I don't think it is necessary to park your gear anywhere else except in your office in a secure location, there has to be a nearby agency that would love to have access to some free training gear when you guys aren't using it WITH THE PROVISO THAT WHOMEVER IS GOING TO EMPLOY IT AT THEIR AGENCY HAS BEEN TRAINED IN RBT PRINCIPLES AND SAFETY.

As we spoke about in the class, it's all about progress by inches. Get your equipment this year and agree to have it housed off-site. Next year start bitching about what a hassle it is to have to go back and forth to get the gear and lobby for storage at your location. Nibble, nibble, nibble.

Build trust. Build support. Build your program.

Hope that helps. Stay safe.

Ken