Molon Labe
Member
So my wife and I would like to get our CCW permits, and today we took the requisite 12-hour training course giving by a certified LEO firearms instructor. He has been an LEO for 20 years, and is an instructor at numerous law enforcement academies. According to his website, the instructor recommends an LEO (such as himself) over a non-LEO/NRA-certified instructor for teaching the CCW class. This makes me think he is not NRA-certified.
Am I still alive? Someone pinch me.
When we walked up to the building where the classroom session was held, there was a sign outside that said, "No ammunition allowed in the classroom." At the beginning of training the instructor asked, "Is everyone's gun unloaded?" Everyone nodded yes. And then he asked, "Does anyone have any loaded magazines?" Two female students said "yes."
The instructor's wife gathered up these magazines and took them to the back of the classroom.
The instructor never personally checked the condition of weapons while in the classroom. He might have asked each person to check their neighbor's weapon to see if it was loaded. To be honest, I was too distracted by all the unsafe gun handling to notice what the instructor was saying.
Anyway, the instructor was waiving his gun throughout the duration of the 10-hour classroom portion, and regularly pointed it at the class. Of course, the gun was unloaded. But should that make any difference? (I wasn't aware there were two sets of rules when handling a firearm – one for loaded, and one for unloaded. I thought there was only one set of rules. I thought everyone knew you should treat an unloaded firearm the same as a loaded one.)
During the classroom portion the instructor picked up his handgun about 50 times to show us something. He never checked the chamber before picking it up. EVER.
If he ever came over to my house to shoot, I'd be bitching him out the whole time. Any of my regular shooting buddies is 1000% more safe than this guy.
Even worse were the students. Many were screwing around and dry-firing while facing forward. Which means they were pointing a gun directly at the person in front of them and pulling the trigger. Thank GOD my wife and I were in the very last row, or I would have had a heart attack. And throughout the class, students would routinely pick up their handguns and rack the slide while pointing it directly at someone. My jaw hit the floor about a thousand times. And like the instructor, none of the students (except my wife and I) checked the chamber before picking up their handguns.
Muzzles? Pointed everywhere. Fingers on triggers? Yep, every time a student picked up a gun...
The worst thing is that it wasn't just one or two students (plus the instructor) being unsafe: it was every last one of them! Here's just one example: every time the stupid bitch sitting next to my wife would take out her gun and play with it, she would put her finger on the trigger and rack the slide while pointing it directly at my wife.
Again, I was in total shock at the incredibly unsafe firearms handling techniques. And when I looked around the room, none of the other students seemed fazed. I was apparently the only one who noticed it.
It's frick'n amazing there were no NDs.
If you ever take a CCW course, I highly recommend the following:
1. Pick a company with a low instructor-to-student ratio. (There were about 100 students in our class. During the classroom session, there was only one instructor to keep an eye on things.) Yea, you'll probably have to pay more money. But at least you won't die of a heart attack.
2. Pick an instructor that PRACTICES and ENFORCES safe gun handling.
3. Pick a seat in the LAST row. That way, no one behind you will be pointing a muzzle in your direction.
4. It is apparent to me that many LEOs are primarily tactically-oriented, not safety-oriented. By contrast, NRA-certified instructors are primarily safety-oriented, not tactically-oriented. IMO, a CCW license holder should be more concerned with safety than tactics. So make sure your instructor is NRA-certified.
It was 12 hours of complete horror. I am STILL in shock.
Am I still alive? Someone pinch me.
When we walked up to the building where the classroom session was held, there was a sign outside that said, "No ammunition allowed in the classroom." At the beginning of training the instructor asked, "Is everyone's gun unloaded?" Everyone nodded yes. And then he asked, "Does anyone have any loaded magazines?" Two female students said "yes."
The instructor's wife gathered up these magazines and took them to the back of the classroom.The instructor never personally checked the condition of weapons while in the classroom. He might have asked each person to check their neighbor's weapon to see if it was loaded. To be honest, I was too distracted by all the unsafe gun handling to notice what the instructor was saying.
Anyway, the instructor was waiving his gun throughout the duration of the 10-hour classroom portion, and regularly pointed it at the class. Of course, the gun was unloaded. But should that make any difference? (I wasn't aware there were two sets of rules when handling a firearm – one for loaded, and one for unloaded. I thought there was only one set of rules. I thought everyone knew you should treat an unloaded firearm the same as a loaded one.)
During the classroom portion the instructor picked up his handgun about 50 times to show us something. He never checked the chamber before picking it up. EVER.
If he ever came over to my house to shoot, I'd be bitching him out the whole time. Any of my regular shooting buddies is 1000% more safe than this guy.
Even worse were the students. Many were screwing around and dry-firing while facing forward. Which means they were pointing a gun directly at the person in front of them and pulling the trigger. Thank GOD my wife and I were in the very last row, or I would have had a heart attack. And throughout the class, students would routinely pick up their handguns and rack the slide while pointing it directly at someone. My jaw hit the floor about a thousand times. And like the instructor, none of the students (except my wife and I) checked the chamber before picking up their handguns.
Muzzles? Pointed everywhere. Fingers on triggers? Yep, every time a student picked up a gun...
The worst thing is that it wasn't just one or two students (plus the instructor) being unsafe: it was every last one of them! Here's just one example: every time the stupid bitch sitting next to my wife would take out her gun and play with it, she would put her finger on the trigger and rack the slide while pointing it directly at my wife.
Again, I was in total shock at the incredibly unsafe firearms handling techniques. And when I looked around the room, none of the other students seemed fazed. I was apparently the only one who noticed it.
It's frick'n amazing there were no NDs.
If you ever take a CCW course, I highly recommend the following:
1. Pick a company with a low instructor-to-student ratio. (There were about 100 students in our class. During the classroom session, there was only one instructor to keep an eye on things.) Yea, you'll probably have to pay more money. But at least you won't die of a heart attack.
2. Pick an instructor that PRACTICES and ENFORCES safe gun handling.
3. Pick a seat in the LAST row. That way, no one behind you will be pointing a muzzle in your direction.
4. It is apparent to me that many LEOs are primarily tactically-oriented, not safety-oriented. By contrast, NRA-certified instructors are primarily safety-oriented, not tactically-oriented. IMO, a CCW license holder should be more concerned with safety than tactics. So make sure your instructor is NRA-certified.
It was 12 hours of complete horror. I am STILL in shock.
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