Let's talk about CCW classes(your horror stories and opinions)

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Mine was at the range while working. Gander Mountain gave basic firearms classes for CCW by a guy who looked like he needed to be retired to a retirement village. I had the ranges that morning and 14 students showed up, everyone had a holstered handgun and not one had a the chamber locked back or the cylinders open. I decided to watch them because the instructor wasn't there yet. It only took a couple of minutes before girl pulled her weapon and decided to show it off to the rest of the class. That's all it took for me to walk up and start disarming everyone of them. I called the other RSO by radio and told him I needed help pretty fast. And I'm glad he showed up. 3 of the 14 had loaded weapons including the girl that was "showing off" her cool gun her boy friend bought her. Thank God no one was shot.
The instructor finally showed up 45min late and he got his butt ripped pretty badly. It was finally agreed by Gander Mountain that an RSO would always be present during any of their classes.
 
No horror stories at my Nevada class. Four hours of classroom time in a comfortable backroom of a local Pizza resturant. Lunch at the resturant was included. NRA instructor doing a good job on safety; ways of carrying; very good handouts covering all of the law; good emphasis on being aware of your surrounding to keep your butt out of trouble.

After lunch was range time. I was worried as there were four or five out of a class of 30 that hadn't fired a gun before. Those of us who were experienced went on out to the range first (30 min. drive) while the newbies were coached and encouraged.

All went well and everyone had to qualify at 7 yards into a mansize target. If someone was having a problem, the RO's (three of 'em, one for every 10 of us) would work with the shooter to find and correct the problem. They were pretty strict on accuracy too. If you couldn't hit inside the prescribed lines, you either figured out how too or you would have to come back. I got some flack because a little CZ 82 I was using kept having flyers but I couldn't see a problem. I had nailed the target with my big Colt, putting rounds on top of each other into the target. One of the RO's gave me his XD 9 to see if the problem was that I was using a semi-auto. Nope, the XD was dead on accurate. One of the RO's looked at the pattern, looked at the gun, whipped out a screwdriver and tightened up the grips---problem solved.

All in all, it was a good class but very basic. Folks could use their weapons, fire and hit consistently at 7 yards and had a grasp of basic safety rules.
 
My class in Taos NM was great. The instructor was a gal who took us to a range and we practiced shooting from concealment and on the run heading for cover. During the class hours, our District Attorney showed up and gave a talk on how important this training was, his views on the importance of the Second Ammendment, and his support for educated self defense in practice.

BTW he has been as good as his word in handling cases where gun fire has been exchanged in seld defense.
 
Not a "horror" story but definitely a deciding factor on which class to attend:

when I was looking for classes to take for my CCW a couple years ago I was interested in one offered by a local shop that had a downstairs range. One Saturday a month the instructors would hold his classes at this indoor range and one time I happened to be shooting that day when the instructor and his students arrived. I minded my own business while I practiced but I paid attention to how the class was conducted. It seemed like they were being taught well on safety and weapons handling so I figured I'd pick up an application and get in on the next class. That was until I heard the instructor say something in the range lobby.

He was talking to a female student that had just qualified and it sounded like they were talking about what her reaction should be to an attacker. He said, "shoot until the mag's empty," and that, to me, just sounded like horrible advice.

I ended up getting a class somewhere else where we discussed the law portion of CCW and what happens after a shooting for about 4 hours and were only at the range for an hour, tops. I'm glad I didn't take that other class.
 
Well, 22 years ago I took the Virginia Hunters saftey class to be legal to hunt. This past year I used that same certificate to get my CCW. No BS class where some charge $150 and some charge $50 to go thru either 4 hours or 16 hours to be qualified.

I dont understand the states tha require mental checks and all. Just do a severe backround and issue or dont. This country is much safer with citizens carrying than not (legallly). Bang Bang.....
 
I took the Utah class in CDL, Id. It was a very informative class. IT was supposed to be 6 hours but ended up being about 8. No one minded. Almost the whole class was about the legalities. Much was about ballistics, and we spend about an hour shooting, we had to qualify at 21 feet. Alot of time was spent discussing police cases, events and what actually happens during a gun fight.
Not part of the test but part of the class, we had to shoot under stress, THAT is interesting. I am an OK shot with a pistol, but toss in sirens, flashing lights, target that is charging, it gives a good idea what your reaction will be. Even the really good shooters were not doing so well. Just goes to show that being a good shot does not always matter

Very enlightening.

http://www.centertargetsports.com/
 
We don't require classes here... went into the county sheriff, did some paper work, got fingerprinted and sent on my merry way :)
 
I have recently (last year) completed all the requirements in NC to teach concealed carry. I am saddened by some of the stories I hear about other instructors. Seems like they are all in it to make a buck.
I have decided that anyone who signs up for my class must take a "basic competency" test to determine if they need a basic pistol class first. I don't want to hand a certificate to anyone who cannot shoot a pistol. My course of fire is 50 rounds, more if the shooter wants to stick around and work on it some. They are paying for it. I want competent people out there packing, not someone who is in "panic" mode and wants to get the permit just because of the current events related to the current administration.

Here in NC, you have to become an NRA basic pistol instructor before you can get certified by the state to teach concealed carry classes.
 
Reading some of these posts makes me thankful for the class I took. The class was limited to twelve students. You could bring your own firearm or use one of theirs. There were around twenty to choose from. The ammo was provided. The time shooting was on thier indoor range with four to one ratio. We went over basic stance, hold and trigger press. There were some there that never shot a gun before and with the help of the staff were able to hit the target by the end of the day. One lady was having issues and the staff offer to have her stay over after class for some one on one time. The first day we were told that they had a lawyer coming in the next day to go over the different laws and how they effected us. I thought this was going to be dry and boring. I was wrong! This was the best part. The lawyer was very interesting, spent around two and one half hours talking and taking questions. He stayed after class intil we were out of questions. Over all this was a great class.
 
I'm admittedly biased a tad sum, I'm an NRA certified Pistol Instructor and am hoping to work exclusively with a shop & range openning up. I plan to stick strictly to the NRA book, add some handouts which name the statutes that are significant to concealed carry, some handouts which name resources I've discovered over time (www.theboxotruth.com, www.thehighroad.org, thebrassfetcher.com, etc. etc.) with the premission of the websites. I will not give legal advice because (drum roll) only lawyers are supposed to give legal advice, anyone else who does it opens themselves up to major liabilities in my fear at least.

If the NRA, who certifies us, wanted us giving legal advice they'd probably hold a class for that too. I'm in law school, and if I can, I plan to be a pro-gun attorney, take in one of Massad Ayoobs classes, and add to my specialty the defense of lawful shootings(not that they often need defending with our Castle Doctrine down here in Florida), on top of my family law and alternative dispute resolution training.

When you get your NRA credentials, on the back it says that you, the cardholder, represent to the rest of the country how people will view gun owners and firearms (and oh the "Good Luck" bit). So yes now I'm a certified pistol instructor and happy to be so, but I understand the responsibility it carries. Online I'm a bit rabid against antis admittedly, but in person I'm better self-controlled (although in one of my classes I yelled at someone saying that regulation of firearms was okay), because I have to be, it's not good if all us instructors look like we are "they're coming for our guns!!!", from my cold dead hands, full of themselves egomaniacs.

I want to bring people into the fold, the more new gun owners we get, the better our chances are of not having a new AWB. I've bought three EBRs and am waiting on two FFL recorded receivers to finish my YUGO AB02 and AMD 65.
 
More of a humor story than a horror story.

It was time for the shooting part of the class, so we were set up on the firing line at the indoor range where the class was held. There was an older gentleman on the far left, then me, then everyone else down the line. We all have our hearing protection on, so the instructor says, "Shooters, I will sound the buzzer three times, lift your hand up after each buzz." He wanted to make sure that we could all hear it when it came time to do our drawing and shooting. So it goes *buzz* (hands go up) *buzz* (hands go up) *bu-BOOM

Apparently the older guy beside me thought that we were supposed to start shooting on the third buzz? And everyone's looking down at me like I did it, and I'm mouthing "IT WASNT ME" at the instructor. So yeah, pretty hilarious. I later found out that it was his second time taking the test, because he hadn't qualified on the shooting part the first time :uhoh:

Oh and then there was the other guy that kept muzzling everybody...
 
When I took the NRA basic pistol course, there were several people who consistently could not safely handle a handgun. EVERY TIME they picked it up, the finger went automatically to the trigger and they swept the entire class (we did a "show and tell" where we got up in front of the class and picked up one of the various handguns on the table and explain what it was i.e. revolver or autoloader). These people could not get used to safely handling a handgun, yet they all passed the course and received their certificates, which in Maine is the only requirement for a CCP. The instructor was constantly reminding them, but to no avail. I still don't know how these people passed, even on the last day, they couldn't handle a handgun safely, and they even thought it was humorous and silly that they just couldn't remember the safety rules. Jeesh.
 
When I took the class I had a serious armchair commando for a teacher. Guy shows up with a glock plus four mags, two knives, and a surefire on a duty belt. Oh yeah he is wearing 5.11 pants and a black 5.11 type shirt. As we proceed through the class I see a badge and during the break ask him if he is LEO nope it is his "CHL Holder" badge at that point I stopped listening. He also ran around the class room giving demonstrations with an airsoft pistol.
 
I took the NRA First Steps Pistol in a guys basement.

2 hours, no shooting. He ran out of First Steps certificates so 2 out of the 3 in the class got "Basic Pistol" certificates.

Worst legal advice: In VA CCW are illegal in bars or restaurants serving alcohol, open carry is legal. Instructor informed us that no one has ever been prosecuted for this so he would go ahead and conceal carry in those places.
 
There must be a way to double check what comes out of mouth of teacher against the local and state law in your area, in a language you can understand.
 
I'm in Seattle. My CCW permit experience consisted of me walking into the sheriff's office, filling out a form, getting fingerprinted, and writing a check. Four weeks later my permit came in the mail. At no point was any information offered or asked for regarding rights, laws, carrying methods, or gun safety.
 
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