Episode 19

[haskovez]

Good podcast and enjoyed it as always.  That being said I don't think the drivers license is a fair analogy to gun ownership.  There is no constitutional right to operate a motor vehicle and there is to keep and bear arms.  So I fully support constitutional carry.  That being said I would never carry without training, and I think there is always need for more training.  Before I bought my Glock I took the NRA Basic Pistol, then last weekend I took the Texas CHL class.  It was a good class, but I don't think it really prepared anyone for carrying concealed.  All it really did was teach us the basic law in Texas.  That being said I was happy to hear our instructor pushing everyone saying you need to practice and get proficient with your gun.  That being said it seems like the law content of the course could be covered in 5-6 hours and I would like to see the other 4 hours of the class devoted to safe techniques for carrying and things you are going to encounter.  So I feel Texas should go the Arizona route and not require that class to carry.  That being said as a responsible citizen I would still personally always take training.  But I don't really think that the class really showed that anyone was ready to carry.  We had several first time shooters in the class and they passed the qualification.  The qualification in Texas is pretty minimal.  And given the changes in the castle law where an unlicensed person can carry a loaded concealed pistol in their car anyway, I think we are moving in the Arizona direction.  I think it is far better to take Shelton's approach to say even though a permit isn't required here is why you should train with me, and focus on the training to be a practical thing to really prepare people for the responsibility of carrying and the practicality of doing it rather than focus on requiring a class that I think isn't really preparing them anyway.

[Spencer]

"There is no constitutional right to operate a motor vehicle and there is to keep and bear arms."
CORRECT! And I agree with that, I think more than anything, Dennis and Michael were trying to find the closest analogy to fit the situation. More than anything, we were trying to impress upon shooters the awesome responsibility of owning and carrying a firearm. It is nothing to be taken lightly and if you are going to be a responsible gun owner/carrier then get training. Thanks for the comment! 

[MichaelRDT]

Haskovez,


You're 100% right, the Texas CHL class doesn't really prepare anyone to carry concealed, not in and of itself. Luckily, the instructors who teach the class have quite a bit of leeway in what they can cover when talking about defensive carry which is something we take advantage of. That being said there's no way that a 10 hour course gives you all the skills necessary to defend yourself or a loved one with a firearm. We try very hard for most of our course to impart the knowledge the state requires and also to harp on the necessity of further training and the awesome responsibility of carrying a weapon. We also offer extended time on the range to deal with defensive shooting issues, sadly this is not often the case with many CHL classes.
With the drivers license analogy what I think we're trying to impart is that a lot of people feel fully capable of carrying a weapon after say the 10 hour Texas CHL course when a typical drivers education course lasts a couple of weeks and requires a pretty comprehensive demonstration of skill and knowledge before you're allowed behind the wheel of your "Deadly weapon." That it's possible for more and more people to carry with less training than is required to drive a car is alarming to me, and is what I was referring to not the right to protection, which of course is constitutionally guaranteed.   
The point we often make is that armed citizens are educated and responsible citizens. It's only by being educated and aware that we're able to keep the uneducated anti-firearms rights portion of our misguided countrymen from leaving us defenseless in the face of the wolves that wait outside all our doors.

Thanks for the feedback it's always great to hear from listeners and it helps force me to better explain myself when I begin to rant in Spencer's studio.