Tonya Franklin
Instructor # 1326862 | ACT FAST First Aid & Firearms Academy
Certified with the USCCA since 5/6/2018
Certification Renewal Date 10/6/2026
USCCA Certifications
- Concealed Carry & Home Defense
- Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals - Training Counselor
- Emergency & First Aid
- Countering the Mass Shooter
- Women's Handgun & Self-Defense
- Children's Firearms & Safety Fundamentals
My Biography
My EMT/Nursing background and qualifications as a dedicated safety and self-defense educator. With over 30 years of teaching experience in healthcare and 18 years in the firearms industry, my mission is to educate and empower students with experience, expertise, and enthusiasm. My current certifications and credentials include:
- USCCA Training Counselor
- USCCA Certified Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals Instructor
- Illinois State Approved Concealed Carry 16-Hour Course Instructor
- NRA Certified Pistol & Personal Protection In The Home Instructor
- American Heart Association BLS Healthcare Provider & Heartsaver CPR/AED and First Aid Training Center Faculty and Instructor
- Stop The Bleed & Gunshot Wounds/IFAK/Blowout Bag Tactical Training Instructor
- Range Safety Officer
- Chapter Facilitator for A Girl & A Gun (IL-McHenry County)
- Former Certified Well Armed Woman Instructor
I firmly believe that safety and self-defense go hand in hand. To ensure our students always benefit from the most up-to-date information and resources, I regularly expand our class offerings and continuously pursue advanced training myself.
Current Classes Available
Request a Class
16-hour Illinois Concealed Carry Home Defense Fundamentals and Basic Pistol Foundations. We have all you need to succeed and welcome you to try ours before you buy yours. We will train you on your firearm or ours. FOID card and a desire to have fun in a very safe environment with the best training technology around. Our academy offers everything including on-site Gunsmith, fingerprinting services and application filing. 32 years of teaching experience. USCCA Concealed Carry Home Defense Fundamentals Textbook $30 Text instructor Tonya Franklin 575-430-4470 if you have questions
This course includes American Heart Association Heartsavers CPR/AED and First Aid 2 year certification w/student workbook Stop The Bleed Certification 4 clock hours Gunshot Wound Tactical Training Certificate
This course includes American Heart Association Heartsavers CPR/AED and First Aid 2 year certification w/student workbook Stop The Bleed Certification 4 clock hours Gunshot Wound Tactical Training Certificate
What to bring: Bring your firearm but do not display it! No live-ammo in the room during any dryfire practice with holsters. Clearance Checks must be performed multiple times. Eye and hearing protection, 50 rounds of ammo for your firearm, preferably 3 magazine(s), holster (if you have one) (we supply targets) Feel free to bring a covered beverage, and dress comfortably but with layers. The class is indoors but we go outside for the shooting qualification. My outdoor range is closed only in Jan/Feb, during those months we go to a local indoor range. I already have everything set up and our class sizes are smaller and very interactive.
Pistol/range/live fire on Day 1 Classroom/legal Day 2
Flexible scheduling, blended methodology- 16 hours total 1st 8 hours- online NRA Basic Pistol Course $60 Range/live fire 1.5- 2 hours with instructor $40 2nd 8 hours (or two 4 hour sessions) classroom $100
Firearms and ammo available for use during the course. Ammo is market price. You can discuss this if you need to with the instructor.
Students will receive NRA Certification for 8 hours of Basics of Pistol Shooting. This course meets all state requirements for the first 8 hours of IL 16 hour Concealed Carry. Day 2 is offered monthly
This course is designed for the new shooter in mind with 2 extra hours of safety and range time to prepare for Concealed Carry 9mm ammo 50+ rounds USCCA Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals Textbook and targets included use of several firearms, eye/ear protection with Coaching So You Succeed! Take this first then select the perfect carry pistol.....you will be armed with knowledge, experience and lots of education! Try before you buy!
Day 1 Morning Current CPR/AED First Aid certification Instructor Training (elearning onlne portion must be completed prior to class dates included in cost after registration and payment are made via stripe) Afternoon Part One of Instructor Class Day 2 Morning Completion of Instructor Training and Afternoon Teach backs full course CPR/AED First Aid
$80 if you don't need ammo! Chapter members discounted! Enjoy our new facility with beverage station while our expert female instructor coaches you to success! Bring your own to learn on or try before you buy, we can supply you with ammo (depending on availability), targets and various firearms to try under our safe direction at your pace. Join our ladies shooting chapter for lots of opportunities to train weekly and many discounts..... We have over 70 members waiting to share this sisterhood with you! AGirlandAgun.org IL-McHenry County Chapter
Certification Course taught by a medical professional....this class covers everything. American Heart Association Certification Available and includes Stop The Bleed Certification at no extra charge. Build your First Aid Trauma kit with supplies at our cost! Great inventory for you to choose from and all products are available to practice with during training! This class is the real deal.
Use our firearms or yours. Instruction, coaching, clearing malfunctions, disassembly/reassembly, cleaning, Outdoor range and simulator. This course meets part of the state requirements for 6 hours of IL 16 hour Concealed Carry at our training academy. Students must complete all 16 hours before receiving final certificate.
4 hours will count towards the 16-hour IL Concealed Carry Training Requirements at our training academy; students must complete all 16 hours before receiving certificate. We will cover Safety Rules, Fundamentals, Handling, shooting and gun cleaning/maintenance
This 2 day instructor course offers lots of opportunities to teach back and many ways to expand and grow your business immediately. Our training isn't like anything out there, we offer 28 years of teaching and business expertise so you can apply it now. Find out why our instructor development training academy is the best path for you! We use advanced technology simulator laser, infrared, recoil enabled and more. Range fees included.
The AHA’s BLS Course provides the foundation for saving lives from cardiac arrest. It teaches both single-rescuer and team basic life support skills for application in both prehospital and in-facility environments, with a focus on high-quality CPR and team dynamics. Compressions, Rescue Breathing, AEDs, Advanced Airways, Adult Child Infant Choking
The AHA’s BLS Course provides the foundation for saving lives from cardiac arrest. It teaches both single-rescuer and team basic life support skills for application in both prehospital and in-facility environments, with a focus on high-quality CPR and team dynamics. Compressions/Breaths/AEDs/Advanced Airways/Choking- Single Rescuer and Team Rescue Adult/Child/Infant
What does this course teach? First aid basics Medical emergencies Injury emergencies Environmental emergencies Preventing illness and injury Adult Child Infant CPR, Choking and AED use Opioid-associated life-threatening emergencies Optional modules in Child CPR AED and Infant CPR
COURSE COVERS Adult CPR and AED Use Opioid-associated Life-threatening Emergencies Child CPR and AED Use Infant CPR Choking in an Adult, Child or Infant 2-year Certification
Some students have reserved seats through the instructor, capacity does not always reflect accurate number of students registered. This 2 day instructor course offers lots of opportunities to teach back and many ways to expand and grow your business immediately. Our training isn't like anything out there, we offer 30 years of teaching and business expertise so you can apply it now. Find out why our instructor development training academy is the best path for you! We use advanced technology simulator laser, infrared, recoil enabled and more. Range fees included.
Certification Course taught by a medical professional....this class covers everything. American Heart Association Certification Available and includes Stop The Bleed Certification at no extra charge. Build your First Aid Trauma kit with supplies at our cost! Great inventory for you to choose from and all products are available to practice with during training! This class is the real deal.
Students will receive Certification for 8 hours of Basics of Pistols and Shooting. Use our firearms or yours. Instruction, coaching, clearing malfunctions, disassembly/reassembly, cleaning, Outdoor range and simulator. This course meets all state requirements for the first 8 hours of IL 16 hour Concealed Carry. This is Day 1 of 2 required by IL State. Day 2 is offered frequently.
This course includes American Heart Association Heartsavers CPR/AED and First Aid 2 year certification w/student workbook Stop The Bleed Certification 4 clock hours Gunshot Wound Tactical Training Certificate
You can use your firearm or mine. I have numerous models and calibers to try. 22, 380, 9mm, 45
You must also take Day 2. You can choose any available seats from the course title IL Concealed Day 2 of 2 CCHDF Concealed Carry Home Defense Fundamentals or contact me for alternate dates.
Day 2 also needs to be taken in order to complete the entire 16 hour requirement, unless you have documentation of 8 hours prior Basic Pistol Foundations, law enforcement or military background. 4 hour credit is also given for documented Hunter Safety Course. Day 2 can be taken before or after this course.
Hands on scenarios utilizing skills and first aid items from the Emergency First Aid Fundamentals
Refresher or New Shooter
Shotgun, pistol, rifle, optics, positions, barricades, barriers, moving and shooting, holster drills. Scopes, red dots and iron sights.
Use our cleaning supplies or yours. We help you disassemble, try all of our products and tools before you buy a cleaning kit and help reassemble your firearm. We simplify the process for you, so you are more likely to want to keep your guns cleaned more often!
Stop The Bleed/ Control The Bleed Build your Individual First Aid Kit and practice with our tourniquets, chest seals, clotting/hemostatic gauze, wound packing and lots more
The AR-15 has a long history in military applications and a very fast-growing civilian applications in home defense, as well as sporting applications for hunting and competition shooting. Classroom topics include: Safety Rules & Guidelines Overview of basic AR-15 Nomenclature and Function Shooting Fundamentals Accessories, Optics conversion kits and upgrading to improve performance of the AR-15 Home and Personal Defense AR-15 Modern Sporting Rifle Live-range topics include: How to safely and effectively operate an AR-15 Shooting from various positions Bipods, Scopes, Red Dots, Iron Sights, Slings and more will be discussed
AG&AG Holsters, Holsters and More Holsters Review Clinic. What holster do I need, what options and how do I purchase and practice with them? Time to get some answers!
Gun Safety with Certificate
Our training methodologies, using training aids, industry best practices, USCCA Curriculum and 30+ years teaching and business experience allow us to offer one of the most comprehensive instructor training programs around. Alumni students have an open line of communication and support after they complete the training. Candidates learn about building your budget and your business and lots of ideas for potential revenue sources. We utilize role playing and evaluations while teaching portions of the course. Candidate Instructors will enjoy a professional and comfortable setting. We have a private outdoor range and classroom, perfect for groups.
Moving and shooting forward and back, shooting from concealment and cover, reloading, re-holstering, magazine changes
We offer on-site shooting qualification, training, coaching, virtual simulator scenarios and so much more! Thank you for your service.
Dryfire and live fire, holster (outside the waistband/from concealment with approved holsters- we can provide ours if you don't have one or if yours doesn't pass gear check) drawing, moving and shooting, magazine reloads/malfunctions and more Use our gear or yours
16-hour Illinois Concealed Carry is a comprehensive and prepares new shooters for the next step. Don't wait to take this class, it's meant for beginners. Taught by Women for Women- 32 years teaching experience. We have all you need to succeed and welcome you to try ours before you buy yours. We will train you on your firearm or ours. FOID card and a desire to have fun in a very safe environment with the best training technology around. Our academy offers everything including on-site Gunsmith, fingerprinting services and application filing. USCCA Concealed Carry Home Defense Fundamentals Textbook $30 Text instructor Tonya Franklin 575-430-4470 if you have questions
Defensive Pepper Spray Course is a blend of PowerPoint and hands on training using POM Industries brand inert training units. Class price includes the one live canister of POM OC spray and Inert Trainer to take home in addition to the training units used during class. The POM canister included in is legal in all 50 states. This course does not include live exposure to OC. Inert spray units will be provided, for a safe but entirely realistic training experience. We discuss safe and correct deployment, how to recognize danger cues from potential attackers, giving verbal commands and more.
This course is a combination of simulator (Smokeless Range) dry fire with lasers and sometimes live fire/range and presentation on the range. Key concepts regarding Flashlights (bring yours for comparison to ours) No Light and Low Light Shooting. Flashlight holds, managing unknown threats, combatants and effective ways to use your gear when you conceal carry and when you don't. Scenario situations to practice at home.
Come learn everything about defending yourself in and around different vehicles. We will dive into the safe zones of a car, how to defend from inside, around, under, and more. We will be simulating this entire course using Laser SIRT training guns. What to bring: -Firearm *Preferably your carry gun -Holster *Preferably for your carry gun -Snap Caps / Laser Bullet *if you own NO AMMO ALLOWED
This course is for those that have already completed 8 hours of Basic Pistol. Copy of certificate, prior military DD214 or LEO background required.
This state supplement information in addition to a firearms training course allows Wisconsin residents to apply.
We meet at Northshore Sports, after shooting we drive over to my academy to finish the training and issue your certificates.What to bring: Bring your firearm but do not display it! Eye and hearing protection, 50 rounds of ammo for your firearm, preferably 3 magazine(s), (we supply targets) Feel free to bring a covered beverage, I already have everything set up and our class sizes are smaller and very interactive. So you will finish on time.
Defensive Pepper Spray Course is a blend of PowerPoint and hands on training using POM Industries brand inert training units. Class price includes one live canister of POM OC spray to take home. The POM canister included in is legal in all 50 states. This course does not include live exposure to OC. Inert spray units will be provided, for a safe but entirely realistic training experience. We discuss safe and correct deployment, how to recognize danger cues from potential attackers, giving verbal commands and more.
