Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Handgun License Course Of Fire?

Blue, my course of fire. I want them to be safe and be able to hit what they are shooting at. State only requires they safely load 1 round and fire it down range.

BTW, if they flunk with me and don't get a certificate I refund their money, only had to do it twice so far but it would be my signature on the line and that ain't gonna happen. Under FL law you CAN carry concealed a loaded gun in your place of business,home and property, you CAN also keep a loaded firearm in your vehicle as long as it is out of sight and contained in a holster, glove box or gun case.

Has it always been this? I did mine years ago, and I don't remember even having to shoot at 15yds... Maybe I'm just forgetting it, like I said, has been a while.

I thought then that the test was pretty pathetic.

And, on one hand, I agree about shouldn't even have to do it. But on the other, seeing some of the folks that were there and are now carrying.... Hmmmm....

I did mine about 20 years ago in MO. At that time I think you shot 10 rounds from both a revolver and a pistol at 3 yards. Maybe backed up to 5 yards for a few.

Looking at Sarges post, perhaps they were all from 7 yards. I don't recall. It seemed very short. Definately both pistol and revolver though.

Shooting at targets is a whole lot different than tactical shooting. Target shooting proves nothing other than ability to hit a stationary target at a specific distance while stationary. Gunfights don't work that way.

While I've never had to take such a course, if a course doesn't teach avoidance, getting the heck out of a bad guy's line of sight, identifying barriers, and running away, it's inherently deficient. A comprehensive course would teach potential bad guy recognition.

The only two rules of gunfighting that are controlling:

1. Don't get in one

2. If Rule 1 is unavoidable, don't get shot.

We have to be legal to own a handgun, nics check. Pay money, leave.

No course of fire in WA. Fill out the paperwork, let them fingerprint you and pay them their money. 30 days later you have your CCW.

About the instructors...Why should the ability to shoot be required for an instructor? What they need is the ability to TEACH, to pass on what they know. Many will be surpassed by the students at the firing line if they can TEACH the students what to do correctly. That's good. Yes, it's more ideal if the instructor can demonstrate it, but if they have the ability to turn a beginner into a good shooter, that's what they're there for.

Teaching is important and can be done by those that like others to do what they say.

But when an instructor can demonstrate what it is he wants the student to achieve, it gives that instructor credibility.



Dave

At the very highest levels of the art an instructor might need to instruct a shooter to do something that he can't do himself. But for what 95% of people want to know they should have every expectation that the instructor should be able to do what they're teaching.

Becoming a good shooter is about mastering the fundamentals of shooting and overcoming the common problems that nearly everyone encounters. And if you haven't been through that journey and come out in the other side then you should keep your mouth shut and keep on journeying, IMO.

I've found that the ones that preach "You don't have to be a great shooter to be a great instructor" are the ones that can't shoot for dog schit.

They also tend to be the proverbial "range Nazi."




Dave

Blue,

Oregon requires that for a concealed carry permit that You have experience as shown by classes taken, job or military experience, etc. Lacking this You are required to take a so called class.

As a handgun 'enthusiast' I spend too much time at gunshops looking over/handling the wares. I often see folks (not always but mostly women) new to firearms come in and be shown a few handguns, quite often buying. Great new folks in the fold! They often have no idea how to load, fire or even safely handle the handgun, except what the clerk shows them prior to and during the sale. They either ask about or the shops promote their own concealed carry class... most offer "No Shoot" classes. Why? it is quick, easy, doesn't require a trip to the range and no shoot classes qualify under Oregon's concealed carry permit requirements.

Blue, I too am leery of government mandated tests, particularly since under some administrations they could be used to deny carry. But what I describe above is pretty common here... someone with no prior firearm experience taking a class that has no live fire and then carrying.

Jerry

It's been 'bout a decade since I've moved away from SD, but the last time I applied for and recieved a SD CCL permit, all it was, was Name, SSN, and Physical Description, deputy called in a NICS check, paid the lady ten bucks, and walked out with your temporary permit. Official permit came in the mail a week later.

When did this change to requiring a class and test?

For my CCW course we fired 30 rounds total at 7, 10, and 15 yards on standard silhouette target after 4 hours of classroom instruction.

The CCW classes I have taken were a joke. Basically if you could hit a man sized target at 7 yards...not even every time...then you're good to go. Scary.

Why is that scary?



Dave

It was scary because there were people in those classes that just weren't safe with a handgun. And then, under the most ideal of conditions, had a very hard time hitting a human sized target at just 7 yards. In my first class, a full 5 people had to re-shoot because the couldn't even put 50% of their round on a B27 size target the first time. We're talking two handed, slow fire, with a target .22 auto. And had to be reminded several times to keep their finger off the trigger, and to not point the gun at people. They were unsafe. Danger to themselves and others.

I just think the bar ought to be higher...just my opinion.

I don't believe Ohio has a requirement on the shooting proficiency. I've taken the course twice, once the first year it was offered, shortly thereafter I became an over the road trucker and wasn't allowed to have a firearm with me so I didn't renew after it expired.

Circumstances changed, so last year I went through the course again under a different instructor. I found out after I was there, that the laws had changed and I wouldn't have had to retake it. I was already there anyway and looked at it as a refresher from the one 8 years or so prior. Turns out a lot of laws had changed, and I believe I got a much more thorough overview of the legal system. $75 well spent.

The first time was a 12 hours minimum course time, by the second time it had been reduced to 8 hours minimum, both of which had 2 hours of that being the minimum at the range. Both times I was the only one who scored 100% on the paper test.

Both times there were approximately 8 of us total in class. Both times I felt I was the only one that had any idea about what they were doing shooting. Both times there was a mid-60's lady who struggled to even get one hit on a good-sized target at close range (15' maybe?), with at least one or two others that eventually were keeping them on the target, but barely.

How high does the bar need to be for people to exercise their 2nd Amendment right?