Fidelity Investigative Training Academy

Just finished the Utah CCW course with Fidelity Security. Great course.
Andre Queen was our instructor and provided an excellent, well informed and well managed presentation. Fidelity handles all the administrative details (photo, fingerprint card, etc) as well as submitting the final package to the Utah BCI. Also the registrar was very friendly and helpful
over the phone. Look forward to taking the Illinois CCW from Fidelity this Fall!

Good times :) I just took the class for my Chicago Firearms Permit class last weekend.
About 10 of us in in the Sat-​Sun class, 3 women, and mix of backgrounds. Some people were just doing Concealed Carry permits for other states. A nice group of people to take class with. Class was 4 hours on Saturday, and then range on Sunday at GAT Guns in Dundee, IL.
Joe, our instructor, made it a fun and educational experience for us – as pleasant as sitting 4 hours in a classroom can be :-) Watched some video, Joe went over the Chicago gun laws, and what we had to do for the application form (s), plus education over safe gun handling, dealing with stoppages, and types of guns, etc (not nec. in that order). Range time at GAT guns was a blast though :-) I just wish we had ranges that were a little closer to downtown Chicago.
I plan on taking individual classes with Joe — seems like a really good way to continue my handgun education /​handling in a practical way. I’m not a gun newbie — did some M16 shooting during my military service, plus some limited handgun shooting when I lived in Texas, but that was years ago. Still, I thought I learned stuff that was very practical and useful.
Info on the website a bit cluttered, but the lady who answered the phone at Fidelity was always pleasant and very helpful the few times I called for info.

To begin with, I’m from Texas originally. I wasn’t exactly raised with a gun in my crib, but they’ve been a part of my life for a pretty long time, up to and including having a concealed handgun license. When I inherited a gun and had to leave it behind to moved to Chicago, I decided that it was time to take the Chicago Firearms Permit class.
There are a lot of options, no doubt. I chose Fidelity because I hate talking on the phone, and they accepted online payment. You say lazy, I say «Get with the times, people!»
My class was small; I was one of four people. Two had never touched a gun before. I think I got some street cred by saying, «Hi, I’m Elise, and I’m from Texas.»
Anyway, I’m a training manager, so I have a lot of really high expectations for trainers — and they generally disappoint me. I had my kindle in my purse. I had a sketch pad. I fully intended to be bored out of my mind.
I was pleasantly surprised! Yeah, the videos were generally boring, but I was pleasantly surprised by the curriculum — it was great for beginners, and a solid refresher for intermediates. I also recognized certain tidbits the instructor did to make the class more at ease. He had introductions, he gave us a mid-​class break, he didn’t bring out guns immediately, he had fake ammo in everything, and the discussions of safety were foremost. However, the real benefits came in the range portion the next day.
I wasn’t a huge fan of driving out to BF-​nowhere to go to a range. I blame Chicago, though, not Joe. What impressed me was the guns that we used — he didn’t start us off on giant .45s that would push us smaller students across the room with recoil. Nope, he gave us .22s. Children could use .22s and be successful. It was a great confidence builder for the less experienced members of the class, and they walked out on top of the world. I think I was teacher’s pet — once I was done with the required bits, the instructor asked if I wanted to play with some of the other toys he had bought. Well, certainly!
Anyway, long story short: I liked this place, I’d definitely take another class there if I were in the market for such a thing. If I were interested in general gun knowledge, I’d probably take something that had more range time, but given that I wanted my CFP, it was perfect for me. Solid pedagogy, good instructor, passionate without being nutty about it. A+

Took the course a couple months ago. Joe was my instructor. Probably 4 others in the class with me as well. Same as the other review states. All professional people. No nuts or wackos. Watch a few videos on basic home invasion scenarios, prevention etc… Joe did an excellent job going through all the rules and regulations and relating back to the videos. He went through a lot of safety procedures and the various types of firearms. You take a 25 question test. After you presumably pass if you’re paying attention to what Joe talks about in class you then go to the firing range on the north side of Chicago (Maxon Shooting Range). As long as you can consistently hit the target at short range you’ll be certified. I would recommend the course to anyone trying to get their CFP.