“Lucien Black,” (AKA Therivil Black, AKA Michael Thervil, which appears to be his real name) the Fayetteville, NC-based firearms instructor made infamous recently for violating nearly every possible rule of gun safety and insisting that his way is better than the methodologies used by recognized experts in the training industry, has been stripped of his NRA instructor credentials and his North Carolina Concealed Carry Instructor credentials by the NC Department of Justice.
Black/Thervil put up a spirited defense of his methodology for a week on the VODA Consulting Facebook page and on the VODA Consulting YouTube channel. As of today, the Facebook page has been deleted, and the Youtube channel’s videos have all been removed.
A North Carolina corrections officer claims that his experience serving with Thervil was an interesting time:
His name is Michael Thervil, he was a Correctional Officer with the NCDPS for a few months. In his time with the department, Thervil was considered one of the worst officer with the department. He would come to work with red gloves on and a pair of sun shades on at 6 a.m. in the morning. I have an interesting video of him getting a beatdown from an inmate. He says he teaches combat and situational awareness technique, but trust when the rubber met the road, he got his biscuits burned. If anything his “techniques” are photogenically mimiced from what he sees on T.V. or reads in magazaine articles. I agree if he was the real mccoy he was use his real name. I remember passing him in the hallways at work on my way out. My first impression was, “this guy is going to get someone hurt”. Sure enough on October 30, 2014 he shot a guy in the leg in Bonnie Dune. Look ’em up sometime, this guy should have his “credentals” yanked. He is a fraud and a disgrace to criminal justice agents and firearms instructor who teach the proper etiquette.
The world is likely a much safer place as a result of Mr. Thervil no longer being able to teach.
It speaks highly of the firearms training industry’s ability to police it’s own that this instructor was stripped of his credentials so quickly.
Always vet your instructors, folks. Ask for references, see where they’ve trained, and search online look for student reviews of previous classes and after action reports (AARs) from people who have trained with them before.
You’re going to be spending your hard-earned dollars for professional firearms instruction. Make sure you get it.