Here in WA we don’t have training requirements to get a CPL, and no waiting period for gun purchases if you have a CPL. While I don’t want to start that debate, I think it’s important to recognize that those factors may be at play in this. There is no requirement to have any training on when you can/should employ a firearm required by law.
This is a good thing in my opinion. The onus is on you to know the laws before you employ deadly force. Our state has so far not tried to impose those restrictions. After all, we’re all adults here and firearms ownership is a responsibility that carries with it consequences, and serious consequences too.
If the only education a person is willing to get on firearms and their use comes from TV, internet (which is worldwide, so inaccurate for a particular state), or hearsay, they’re surely playing with fire. When I was renewing my CPL last month one of the applicants asked a use-of-force question, to which the clerk referred him to a pamphlet on the laws that the state provides. Sadly those are just a reprinting of the RCWs and thus written in legalese; incomprehensible to most of us on a single reading. For liability reasons the clerk cannot (and will not) give advice on those matters.
Nevertheless, the fact that this is such a rare occurrence says a lot about the necessity for ‘training requirements’ in all states.
