Here in Oregon, it's even more lax. All you do is show up to a class, listen to a 3-hour lecture, sign a piece of paper and get a photo-copied, home-made certificate to take to the local sheriff. Then the standard background check, fingerprints, etc. Later I realized that at no point during the process do you have to speak or prove that you understand what's being spoken to you. In other words, you don't have to understand a word of English, but you can get your CHL.
I've been shooting on a regular basis since I was 9 or 10. I'm confident in my skills and my safety practices. But in Oregon, you may not have ever fired a gun in your life, but if you have a clear background and about $80, you can get your CHL. What if a first-time shooter need a CHL to protect themselves and their loved ones? Fine. Please just learn how to safely operate a firearm during a formal range qualification.
I would like to see a range qualification built in here in Oregon. This way, if a person has a clear background check, the only reason they wouldn't receive their CHL would be if they can't safely operate a firearm and follow instructions. Fine by me. How would this hurt? Others on THR have strongly disagreed with me and see no reason why a range qualification would make a CHL holder and those around them any safer. DMV driving tests have been used as an argument on both sides. Does the DMV driving test keep all dangerous drivers off the road? No. Does it assure that a person can't get their driver's license if they can't even operate a vehicle? Yes. I know people who have repeatedly failed the DMV driving test. Do I feel a little relieved that they aren't on the road? Yes. If a person repeatedly failed a range requirement to receive their CHL, would I feel a little relieved that they weren't walking around with a loaded weapon? Yes. You see, my point is that like a DMV driving test, a range requirement wouldn't keep all irresponsible people from having a CHL, just those that are SO clueless that they can't safely operate a firearm after some instruction.