Your CCW Class Experiences

[heeler]

I enjoyed my class and the instructor was very organized and detailed.
He really needed to be because at that time the class was 10 continuos long hours.
We did the range qualifying two days before the class as this way if you could not pass that then you need not sit there for 10 long hours.
Poor guy was hoarse at the end of the day though.
Class started at 8:00 a.m. and ended at 6:00 p.m.
Long day.
Glad the state changed it.

 

[oneounceload]

The one my wife took yesterday in FL was a joke. The instructor had all these accolades from LEO to contractor in the Middle East, but he taught the bare minimum that FL requires - and since he doesn't like/own any revolvers, he barely mentioned how they worked. I was just there watching and some of the things he omitted were deplorable. BUT, the law's minimum requirement were met; there was no written test, firing consisted of firing 4/5 shots and ejecting the last one to make the gun safe.

 

[RBid]

The OR class is basically 4 rules + handgun anatomy + ammunition anatomy. No shooting at all.

As has been said, it's a great starting point, and a very bad place to end training.

 

[Willie Sutton]

"The one my wife took yesterday in FL was a joke. The instructor had all these accolades from LEO to contractor in the Middle East, but he taught the bare minimum that FL requires"


And let me guess: That's what she paid for: A course meeting the minimum standards for Florida.

If she wants a 250 course at Gunsite, that level of training is available too. You just need to pay for it.


Willie

.

 

[oneounceload]

She was just wanting to get her permit - it has taken me five years to get this far. First we crawl, then we walk, THEN we run..........

He really needed to do a better job on the legal aspect regarding where - never even mentioned the appropriate statute. Luckily I know all about that, but for many of the others they do not.

 

[tepin]

The variety and differences in training seem to reinforce one thing us moderators have been saying for years. The training one gets for their CWP should be the start of formal training, not the end.

Agree. Most of the instructors I know here in MN are up front about the class not being the intro to guns or how-to shoot class. The MN classes I have been to focus on law first then safety... The wise person will know that screwing up with a gun will either cost a lot of money, your freedom or both... generally both.

 

[Frosty Dave]

Oklahoma style

State law here requires an instructor to read the downloadable lawbook aloud to the class, then for the prospective licensees to shoot 50 rounds at something.

I picked a class that was reasonably priced and was to be held in a dog grooming shop. This was fine with me. Random dogs and cats wandering through the makeshift classroom were a welcome distraction from the recitation of the plain English version lawbook.

From time to time the official lecture paused for questions and opinions about the law, certain firearms and CCW topics in the news. This all did a fine job of filling the legally required hours. The class was to have ended with a guided completion of the license application, but well... they only had one application. We all gathered around while the instructor pointed to the blanks and explained what to write if we ever had the chance to request and receive one from the state.

There was an unexplained change in plans come range time. The nearby range was not available and we formed a caravan to another range over an hour away. By the time we reached this "range" (somebody's rural back yard) the range officers had tired of waiting on us and taken the targets down.

I wanted to qualify with an auto pistol but I didn't have one. The instructors graciously rented me a Buck Mark and furnished 50 rounds of .22LR for $5. (State law is, qualify with a revolver and that's all you can carry. Qualify with a semi and carry either)

There were eleven students and the first five volunteers hit the firing line. The students had some very fine firearms and I expected that like me, they were there to get their tickets punched and they already had some experience shooting. Wrong.

Some of them didn't know how to load a mag or how to insert the mag into the pistol. And muzzle control turned out to be... uh... an "issue." I quickly decided that the far side of a nearby barn was a better place to wait my turn. Being quick at simple math, I also realized I could wait until last and be the sole shooter.

The group opened up on the designated target, a dead tree. Amidst the gunfire were shouts of "cease fire" and refresher courses on the Four Rules. The second group was about the same.

By the time I hit the line as a group of one, the sun had set and my 50 rounds disappeared into the darkness with no clue whether I hit the dead tree or not. However, it was my first experience with night fire since the army 30 years previous and that part was very educational.

The instructors were obviously relieved that I already knew some basic skills like loading a mag and keeping my finger off the trigger. After I passed Dead Tree In The Dark 101, they invited me to come back and shoot with them anytime, an invitation I have never taken them up on.

 

[Plan2Live]

Al Thompson said:

The variety and differences in training seem to reinforce one thing us moderators have been saying for years. The training one gets for their CWP should be the start of formal training, not the end.

I agree 100%

The way the SC class is currently taught is a decent class, again depending on the instructor. However, our State legislators just passed a Bill amending certain parts of our State gun laws. In all of their infinate wisdom they have removed the requirement that the students receive a minimum of 8 hours of total training. Once our Governor signs the Bill there will be no minimum number of hours. I firmly believe this will result in a "race to the bottom" and within 6 months the average class will last no more than 4 hours including the mandatory live firing of 50 rounds. And many students coming into the class have never fired a pistol. Brilliant, just brilliant.

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

Al Thompson said:I agree 100%

The way the SC class is currently taught is a decent class, again depending on the instructor. However, our State legislators just passed a Bill amending certain parts of our State gun laws. In all of their infinate wisdom they have removed the requirement that the students receive a minimum of 8 hours of total training. Once our Governor signs the Bill there will be no minimum number of hours. I firmly believe this will result in a "race to the bottom" and within 6 months the average class will last no more than 4 hours including the mandatory live firing of 50 rounds. And many students coming into the class have never fired a pistol. Brilliant, just brilliant.

I agree with Al too and should be just the start of formal training. I have already had formal training in the form of Military, Police, and the classes I had to take for armed security. So the CCW is just the next step in my own training.

Plan2Live, just noticed you were from Columbia SC and at the time of this posting you had 803 post the area code for Columbia. I was born there. Enjoy the snow you are getting right now.

 

[torqem]

Why do folks "think"

they will have all day in which to get the hits? A man can be all over you in 1 second or less, at the common ranges that civilians can justify pointing a gun (much less firing) Just ask George Zimmerman about that. That 2" group at 50 ft doesn't mean a thing. The issue is, can you make a sub-1 second ccw draw and hit at arm's length, on the chest?

 

[hammerklavier]

My NC class was good. We completed the NRA basic handgun course. Reviewed NC law with some state produced videos that were actually very good. And then fired 48 rounds from various distances both low ready and holster draw.

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

I'll know here in two days how mine went. It should be quicker than it normally would be since there will be only 3 of us in the class plus the instructors.

 

[SC Shooter]

In South Carolina, the class is a required eight hours discussing state laws & requirements, guns safety and gun maintenance (ie. cleaning) and a 50 round range exercise. It was a great class and even though I have been and avid shooter for 50 + years, I learned a lot. Most likely it gets doown to the trainer, and I lucked out and got a good one.

However, aas stated in #24, this was just the start. The training continues forever.

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

In South Carolina, the class is a required eight hours discussing state laws & requirements, guns safety and gun maintenance (ie. cleaning) and a 50 round range exercise. It was a great class and even though I have been and avid shooter for 50 + years, I learned a lot. Most likely it gets doown to the trainer, and I lucked out and got a good one.

However, aas stated in #24, this was just the start. The training continues forever.

In a little less than 12 hours I'll see how good the instructors are. I know you never stop learning and training and if you don't use it you lose it.

 

[henschman]

Don't expect to get much actual worthwhile training out of a state mandated class. Think of it as a hoop you have to jump through in order to exercise your privilege to bear arms. If you want actual training, look into some of the private trainers with good reputations, like Rangemaster right there in TN.

 

[coolluke01]

Im an instructor in Northern MN. There are many ways to teach the MN Class, but 3 basics need to be covered.
Training in the safe handling of a pistol.
Use of deadly force.
Live Fire Demonstration.

Unfortunately most just want to get their permit and don't care about additional training. My main job as a BCA Certified instructor is to teach them to be safe and to know the law. If you don't want to take the time or effort to learn how to shoot, well, it's your life. But with the limited time I have, I make sure they understand the what justifiable use of deadly force is.

I have offered NRA basic pistol classes several times with no commitments just a lot of people saying that they would like to take a basic pistol class at some point.

I've seen training that points out the parts of a pistol and then doesn't cover the legal aspect at all. In the words of our local Sheriff "Buyer beware". Sadly most don't know poor training when they see it. As people, "we don't know, what we don't know". In other words, we don't have enough knowledge to understand when we are not being taught sufficiently or correctly. This is why personal study is very important.

My dad has always told me to learn as much as I can before doing any training. That way you can ask intelligent questions.

In the end, ask around and find instructors who have good reviews from people that don't just want their ears tickled, but are serious about learning.

 

[torqem]

You cannot do a proper job of it in less than 40 hours and 1000 rds, and that's if you are a very fine instructor, have avid students, and restrict yourself to realistic, most likely scenarios. You also need lots of dryfire, Laserlyte and Airsoft training to be part of this. You have to learn concealed draw, use of cover, use of lights, see the advantage of luminous sites, be taugh the use of cover, recognizing cover when you see it, the use of sound, reflection, shadow, awarness of direction, lots of tactical stuff, or you are just learning how to start the car, not how to drive at speed in heavy traffic.

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

Just got back from class, it went well and the instructor did a good job. Since this was a added class to get us cripples our certification done and there was just three of us it went a little quicker. We did the four hour class room, took the written exam then headed to the range. I scored a perfect 100% on both the written and at the range. The way Tennessee scores the target anything inside the 7 ring is 2 points in the black but outside the 7 ring is 1 point and in the white is 0. I had one flyer that went wide and went in the 7 ring but very close to the 8 ring. All the rest were in the 10 or at the edge of the 10 in the 9 ring. Several were through the same hole. What was funny was my brother and the other guy in the class took 10 to 15 seconds per shot. At the ranges we were shooting an attacker would have already had them in the time they were shooting. I was basically point shooting and firing about a round a second and out scored them both with me firing a 40 S&W and they firing .22's. The instructor is state and NRA certified, and is a U.S. Army Veteran now in the Reserves with two tours in Iraq under his belt. He is also a expolice officer so knowledgeable on the finer point on what an officer would do at the scene of a shooting involving someone who had a carry permit. If anyone in the Dickson, Centerville area of Tennessee or anywhere else fairly close by and is looking for a carry permit class just PM me and I'll give you his contact info for the classes he gives. Over all I really enjoyed the class.

 

[Duckdog]

In WI the course must meet the minimums set down by the statue, but there is no set time, nor live fire required. And, if you had military training or a valid hunters safety card, you are exempt from the training all together. I did not need to take a course. My wife went to the local tech school and a former FBI training instructor is putting on classes for something like $60.00. It was two 4 hr sessions and she said she enjoyed the class, as the fellow was pretty good natured and was one of those folks who could probably teach anything from calculus to firearms and still have good results. She said there was also some kind of a full screen simulator with different scenarios that the class really liked. She also said there were guys who have hunted their whole life, but never served of took a hunter safety course, as it was not required years ago to hunt. I took mine before it was required, but they were clamoring to get people to go, so I thought "what the heck". Kind of paid off now.

The renewal is just fee based, and no additional training is required. I also see the cost has come down from like $65.00 to something like $50.00, as required by the statute as well. The state is not allowed to make money on the CCW permits. I also believe they only have 21 days to issue the permit, and it is a shall issue state.

I also know there is talk of potentially going with constitutional carry where no permits are needed at all. Personally, as good as our law is, I think that would be the best in the long run.

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

Duckdog: In WI the course must meet the minimums set down by the statue, but there is no set time, nor live fire required. And, if you had military training or a valid hunters safety card, you are exempt from the training all together. I did not need to take a course. My wife went to the local tech school and a former FBI training instructor is putting on classes for something like $60.00. It was two 4 hr sessions and she said she enjoyed the class, as the fellow was pretty good natured and was one of those folks who could probably teach anything from calculus to firearms and still have good results. She said there was also some kind of a full screen simulator with different scenarios that the class really liked. She also said there were guys who have hunted their whole life, but never served of took a hunter safety course, as it was not required years ago to hunt. I took mine before it was required, but they were clamoring to get people to go, so I thought "what the heck". Kind of paid off now.

The renewal is just fee based, and no additional training is required. I also see the cost has come down from like $65.00 to something like $50.00, as required by the statute as well. The state is not allowed to make money on the CCW permits. I also believe they only have 21 days to issue the permit, and it is a shall issue state.

I also know there is talk of potentially going with constitutional carry where no permits are needed at all. Personally, as good as our law is, I think that would be the best in the long run.

I had a firearm safety course while I was a scout in the early 70's but was not required to have it for hunting then or now. Someone can correct me if my dates are off but I think in Tennessee the cut off date is Jan 1 1969. If you were born before then you do not have to take it. If I had applied for a permit when I first moved to Tennessee I wouldn't have had to take the class at all because I would have been exempt since it had been less than five years since I had gone through the armed security training requirements. But I didn't so I had to take it.

 

[heycods]

I took my Texas test back in 89, it covered the basics well, shooting was no problem for wife or I either. However, My sister in law took hers last year in Dallas, class was given by police, claswork was a no problem deal, but when it came to proficiency the officers furnished the guns and ammo. as it was getting close to dark and time was limited, she said the officers loaded the guns and reloaded and handed them to the students to shoot. I have shot with her since then, she cant hit the broad side of a barn and dosent know one end of the gun from the other!

 

[JohnKSa]

The TX classes I've taken were decent in terms of covering what they are supposed to cover. The instruction is supposed to cover the legal use of deadly force and the legalities surrounding concealed carry.

There is not supposed to be any firearm instruction provided in the TX course; the students should come to class already knowing the basic safety rules and with a level of shooting proficiency sufficient to pass the shooting qualification component.

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

I took my Texas test back in 89, it covered the basics well, shooting was no problem for wife or I either. However, My sister in law took hers last year in Dallas, class was given by police, claswork was a no problem deal, but when it came to proficiency the officers furnished the guns and ammo. as it was getting close to dark and time was limited, she said the officers loaded the guns and reloaded and handed them to the students to shoot. I have shot with her since then, she cant hit the broad side of a barn and dosent know one end of the gun from the other!

Yeah the instructor said he had some that showed up for class that went and bought a gun for class that didn't even know how to load it much less shoot it. Makes his day longer if he has a class of 20 newbies. He said he had one girl that was missing not only the target but the whole backstop the target was on and hitting the dirt in front of the target with a 22 revolver for the 3 yard mark. Maybe the reason we had more rounds than required to qualify. The other guy in the class you could tell he didn't shoot much if at all because the instructor had to spend extra time with him at first to get him more on target. His first two shots one was a miss and the second was in the black but outside the 7 ring so a 1 point shot. In real life the perpetrator would have been hit in the high bicep. After the instructor worked with him for a few minutes before he shot again he was fine and kept the rest of his rounds inside the 2 point zone.

 

[Panzerschwein]

My CCW class I took last week for Kansas was downright cake. A lot of information thrown at you, so one should try to pay attention and absorb as much as possible. Knowledge is power. Don't show up just wanting to get out of there, listen and ask questions.

Now I'm just patiently waiting for my letter of approval in the mail, and getting my CCW system worked out.

Good luck you should be just fine!

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

My CCW class I took last week for Kansas was downright cake. A lot of information thrown at you, so one should try to pay attention and absorb as much as possible. Knowledge is power. Don't show up just wanting to get out of there, listen and ask questions.

Now I'm just patiently waiting for my letter of approval in the mail, and getting my CCW system worked out.

Good luck you should be just fine!

All I have left to do is go to the DMV, pay the $115, get a new picture taken,the one they have on file is from 2002, get fingerprinted again, then the waiting starts. Since we did the app online he said that we should have our permits in two to three weeks instead of the normal up to three months doing it the old fashion way by hand at the DMV.