..shooting competitions. I have a laser on it so I don't miss very often. I also have a Lady Smith and Wesson and a police womans purse with a holster in it. I don't carry at all but I have a permit just in case. And I have really not shot my gun in a long time. I also have a medical marijuana card and now..I have been told.. that if you have a MMJ card you cant get a concealed weapon permit. hmmmmmm. Not sure which one I want to give up ( I live in legal land anyway).

Lots of people have 'em but some still drive like rats off a sinking ship.


FWIW, I would ask around to find a reputable training facility. Just because the government approved, doesn't make it okay. IIRC the government "approved" Jared Loughner.
I have a recommendation I can share via DUmail.

I probably have in the five months in Vietnam than most have in a lifetime. I didn't own a gun for many many years and it wasn't until recently that I purchased one. I do practice on the range and feel comfortable. However, What I originally got a LTC for I could already do, ie. carry a gun in the car when I travel. In Texas it is legal to have a concealed weapon in your car. It is illegal to have an open weapon in your car. I don't get that.

Regardless, I will not take the advice of the instructor and have a weapon in every room ready to rock and roll at all times. And, this guy did not believe in putting guns away when children were present. Nut case...

I was very severely wounded and spent months in recovery and rehab. Enough of that. That is almost 50 years ago so lets move past it, OK?

instructor telling war stories and such. Oh my instructor is now in Federal prison for mortgage fraud, credit card theft and tax evasion.
In other words a good Republican.

buy buy buy mo guns!

Yeah, kinda weird. However I have been looking into black powder guns. I have an actual CW rifle that I have been thinking of firing after a thorough inspection as well as a CVA kit I have not completed. I think it would be fun to shoot. Now if I kud find me some of dem damn yankees to shoot at.

Recognizing your lack of training and ability is the first step.
Now get some good training. and a safe.

i just renewed my license for the third time. I am 16 years TX CHL. After I read the OP, I asked guys at the breakfast bunch and guys at the range if they had had this stuff in class. When I showed them the post, there was a lot of laughter. I have never had that stuff in the classes. Should mention that I take. refresher courses between renewals. The training classes I took were first on avoidance. They stressed your liability for shoot any third parties. The laws were well covered. Perhaps something has been lost in recent changes to the law. If so, that us a significant loss. The range test is a demonstration of basic ability. It is not a training session. You should spend lots more time hat the range - it is your life that will riding on your ability if you ever - God forbid - need to use your weapon. I favor training at night or low light conditions. If you have a person in your home illegally - some one you identify as an intruder - you will not have time for stance or sights and it will be close quarters. As for multiple weapons, here in South Texas daily wear is fishing shorts or golf shorts. Pretty hard to conceal one weapon much less 4. That is Ryan get talk or beer call.

Had to, in this damn state. After Sandy Hook, they changed the laws so you can't even buy ammo without some kind of permit. So, I went all-in and got a concealed carry permit. I can buy ammo, long guns, hand guns, and carry concealed.

Law of unintended consequences is that I've bought 2 handguns since then, and I go shooting more.


But that's besides the point.

I took my instruction from the father of a co-worker. 8 hours of instruction, including some range time.

It was not about turning me into Rambo, it was about learning how guns work and how to handle them safety.

We were given the NRA Basic Pistol handbook, which was full of useful technical information and very little "join the NRA" stuff... mostly in the conclusion. It was full of pictures and diagrams of revolvers and semiauto pistols, with all the various parts identified and explained. It explained holds, stances, sight pictures, etc.

The instructor had a couple of dozen handguns of various types that he used to illustrate the points made in the book. He also stressed some of the legalities involved and that there is a heavy legal burden attached to any use of guns in self-defense. He pushed us to buy the most recent edition of a book called something like "Self-Defense Law in the 50 States".

The session culminated in demonstrating safe gun handling and a reasonable amount of accuracy at a shooting range.



Real tactical training is something that requires a serious commitment of time and money, something similar to what cops go through. Obviously, a one-time course can't do that. But once the basic safety and handling fundamentals are learned, you don't need to keep this skill set highly honed.


I'm sorry your class sucked. It sounds like it was about as fun as a session listening to Alex Jones.

You should notify someone. Maybe the local sheriff or state agency that certifies them.

Ours is done by local law enforcement or private citizens who are certified. 8 hours of classroom and then go to the range. You have to be able to hit the targets so there are retests.

This is one expamle why I think there should be a national standard.

by a person with a license to carry than an Islamic terrorists.

I suggest that anyone with a terrorist conviction be barred from buying a gun or getting a carry permit.

My CCW class was 18 years ago in Oklahoma. The instructor was a retired cop who had taught police courses. We were taught that if we thought that there was a chance of using our firearms, we should not be going to that place. We were also taught what the legal and actual consequences of using a firearm in a confrontation would be. There was about 5 hours class room, and another 3 hours range time. Any safety infraction was IMMEDIATELY corrected, and, if repeated, cause for ejection from the class. No refund, and no excuses. He got the idea across right away that this was about SAFE gun handling, and that was the only way we were going to pass. There were about 12 of us, and everyone caught on quickly. We were tested on what we had been taught in class, our handling the firearms safely, and our accuracy. It was short range and standard police silhouette targets. We shot for the center mass, and were graded after each course of fire. We each shot 50 rounds . I had had much firearms training before this course, and was impressed by how the instructor had taught the inexperienced and experienced shooters the same rules, and everyone had learned from the course.
Your experience was the exact opposite of mine. My course was professional and well worth the time and money invested. Your course was a big disappointment. You might consider finding a better instructor and taking a good course. It is worth the time, and will make you a safer and better shooter.

I know my wife had to sit thru 6 or 8 hours of class when she got hers a few years later.

Gun classes are a business, as such, they get reviews. A little checking of reviews on that class would have told you it was a BS class being run by some lunatic prepper sovereign citizen nutcase. If there was no reviews then you should have found a class that did have positive reviews and was approved by Texas DPS.

Also, getting a carry permit because you're afraid of law abiding citizens, but not crack heads, meth heads, junkies, muggers, car jackers, murderers, thrill killers, gang violence... ok then

Is run by a gun range that I am a member of. Since there are no more garbage dumps to go plinking at anymore I had to do something to relearn how to shoot again so I joined the club. It is a very nice range for sure. The one thing I think is weird is everyone who works there walks around with a gun strapped to their waist. Why?

Of this range?

but no ranges. Maybe to prevent/stop a person that intends to murder someone at the range? Chris Kyle event comes to mind.

The 2nd Amendment is the only permit one should ever need.

He specialized in Self Defense cases, and spent the entire class talking about why you de-escalate, avoid, anything you can, to not have to use that firearm, and what you can expect to endure after the fact, even if you are pure as the driven snow guiltless and had no other choice.

The financial, time, and psychological burden of taking another life, even in a fully justifiable case.

He also spent a lot of time talking about cases where it was fully honest and justifiable, but some little detail turned it into a grueling legal misadventure.


'How to shoot' is a sine qua non to getting a CPL. It is pre-assumed you know what to do with a gun. You don't show up to NASCAR camp at 16 with no drivers license and zero experience behind the wheel.

As Long as he is coming in a window that I'm not going out of I don't see a reason the shoot anyone.

The distances are 3 yards (not 1), 7 yards, and 15 years and that course of fire is 50 rounds, not the 15 that you claim. The instructor and RSO are observing your ability to safely handle a firearm during this course and it's never failed in my experience that one or two (usually novices) are removed from the class due to unsafe handling of their firearm during this phase.

As in most things, what one puts into the class defines what one takes out of a class. You put nothing in, ergo you took nothing but nonsense away from it.

Carrying a lethal weapon is serious business. If you are unfamiliar with handguns but wish to carry one it seems to make sense to get the best instructior you can.

Your instructor does not impress me in the least. I've known instructors who required students to shoot at least 50 rounds at targets placed from arm's length to 24 yards. I've heard of one who was a state prosecutor who emphasized when it was legal to use a firearm for self defense and when it was not. He told the classes he taught that if they failed to follow the law he would be more than happen to prosecute them in court.

A good instructor should also mention situational awareness and stress the importance of avoiding situations where you might find it necessary to use your weapon for self defense. In other words don't walk down dark streets with a cell phone glued to your ear and don't flash a large wad of bills in a bar.

If you go looking for trouble it will find you.

And his description of the class is no way even near the classes taught by Texas Instructors.

I believe that the entire post is BS.

This isn't the only one, the disinterested reader is invited to search my own recent posts in response
to what I believe originates from the *other* side of the issue

Gun control as a subject at DU tends to get trolled hard from time to time, both pro and anti.
Some are more clumsy and obvious than others. My personal favorite was the one that pretended
to be both a forty-something activist living in Eugene, Oregon and a sixtyish American expat living in
Rome who worked for the United Nations.

I live in Florida and in my experience there are some excellent instructors that teach concealed weapons classes and some that are a total waste of your money.

If you are unfamiliar with firearms and the legal aspects of using lethal force it is wise to find the best instructor you can. It may save you a lot a grief in the long run.