Your First Concealed Carry Class

[EL LOBO]

ABSOLUTELY! I probably would have expressed my concerns to the "instructor" also.

Absolutely and out loud so they all hear it. They will remember it forever Treat all firearms as if the were Loaded Keep those muzzles pointed in a safe direction up and downrange it still rings in my ears when a Drill Sergeant said it on the Rifle Range in Basic Training 49 Years Ago!

 

[ScottJ]

Absolutely and out loud so they all hear it. They will remember it forever Treat all firearms as if the were Loaded Keep those muzzles pointed in a safe direction up and downrange it still rings in my ears when a Drill Sergeant said it on the Rifle Range in Basic Training 49 Years Ago!

The one I never forget (USN) were the fire field instructors yelling " Fog on deck! Elevate! Let's Go Get It!!!", and then standing between us (the nozzlemen), and leading us into the live fire training (flames, not bullets) at Naval Damage Control Firefighting school, Phila. PA. Nine weeks of fun and games

Sorry, got off-topic there for a moment.

 

[EL LOBO]

The Point is You never forgot what he said He spoke up! Thank You for your service!

 

[SATRP]

My friend has a CCW. He had to attend a CCW course every time he's renewed his permit. I asked him what he learned. It wasn't what he needed to learn. The course taught him target shooting. I told him that he needed to learn tactical shooting. Even after his course, he had no clue of tactical shooting until I explained it to him.

He did learn CA firearms law, which I could've taught him in 10 minutes.

He did not learn the two dominate rules of gun fighting:

Rule One: The only known way of surviving a gunfight is to not get in one.

Rule Two: If Rule One is unavoidable, do not get shot.

I'm exempt from CA CCW's laws: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=25450.&lawCode=PEN I have to renew my agency credential every 5 years and my HR 218 every year. If necessary, I could renew my credential in a day. It takes CCW holders months to renew theirs, and they have to attend poorly designed CCW courses. My belief, which is 100% consistent with James Madison's Amendment II of the United States Constitution, is that CCW permits should be renewed automatically every five years unless a holder has been convicted of a felony.

 

[TidalWave]

Use your own gun. You want to be familiar with the weapon going in, and the course will help you build on that familiarity - all of which gives you a better end result.

Don't be afraid to ask questions in the class, either. In my experience, instructors are ALWAYS gracious and happy to provide answers, no matter how "dumb" the pupil thinks the question might be.

Here in Maryland, you have to take a PAIR of classes. One, you have to take in order to even BUY a handgun - that's the HQL class, or Handgun Qualification License. Then, there's the wear-and-carry class (Maryland does not distinguish between concealed and open carry, so it is not a CCW class but a wear-and-carry class). HQL is a pre-requisite for w&c.

I took both classes together, so I'm not 100% sure on which class required the live-fire work...but I know that in order to do the whole process, I was required to shoot a live fire target consisting of 50 rounds at varying distances. The state requires one target; the range where I took the courses required four. Repetitive, but...not exactly a nuisance to "have" to shoot 200 rounds at the range! Scoring - and my understanding is, this is a "standard" target setup - is anything in the 8-ring or better is 5 points. 7-ring is 4 points. 6-ring is 3. Outside that, 1 point. Perfect score is 250 - 50 rounds, inside the 8 ring, 5 points each.

I had put five rounds through my XDs - total - before lining up for my live fire qualifications. I shot a 250, a 248, a 248, and a 250.

But, the live fire is only PART of the equation. The classroom side is HUGE - legal ramifications, definitions of "castle doctrine", "stand your ground", and other pertinent phrases. State law regarding use of force. State law regarding transport, carry, display/concealment. State law regarding establishments that serve liquor. State law regarding "no firearms" signs on businesses - do they have force of law and you can get arrested? Or are they business preferences and all they can do is ask you to leave the premises? What do you do when you are in a traffic stop, and carrying your weapon? It is ALL covered in the class...and you DEFINITELY want to be alert for all of it. The classroom is likely more important than the live-fire portion, when it comes down to YOUR life after an incident.

PegLegJ: did they talk about aftermath management? I.E. what all goes down after the “situation is over and I’m the last man standing” and LE shows up?
just wondering if they cover how to handle yourself...

 

[papadan]

My ccw expires in December, not sure what I will need to do to renew it yet. I took my class at a public range with a former military training officer. He did cover just about everything, we had 4 out of the 15 washed out before the shooting test because they couldn't break their weapon down, clean and reassemble it. The final part was shooting, which consisted of 10 shots at 10 yards. Minimum 8 inside a 12" circle, any misses had to be inside a 16" circle. Any outside the 16 was a failure to pass. They required us to use our intended carry piece, one guy showed up with a 38 Derringer, missed the whole target with his first shot and failed. We had 7 of 15 pass the course, I did score 10 on the range test.

Edit: Now Ky has concealed carry without permit but I will renew mine and I have seen several that need to be trained.

 

[ScottJ]

My ccw expires in December, not sure what I will need to do to renew it yet. I took my class at a public range with a former military training officer. He did cover just about everything, we had 4 out of the 15 washed out before the shooting test because they couldn't break their weapon down, clean and reassemble it. The final part was shooting, which consisted of 10 shots at 10 yards. Minimum 8 inside a 12" circle, any misses had to be inside a 16" circle. Any outside the 16 was a failure to pass. They required us to use our intended carry piece, one guy showed up with a 38 Derringer, missed the whole target with his first shot and failed. We had 7 of 15 pass the course, I did score 10 on the range test.

Edit: Now Ky has concealed carry without permit but I will renew mine and I have seen several that need to be trained.

You did your CC class in Kentucky? I didn't have to do the class part, due to submitting my military affidavit form.

Just copied this portion from the KY training section:

"...Include actual range firing of a handgun in a safe manner, and the firing of not more than 20 rounds at a full-sized silhouette target, during which no fewer than 11 rounds must hit the silhouette portion of the target".

Renewal process:

STEP 1:	Not less than 120 days prior to the expiration date of a CCDW license, the Department of State Police will mail a written notice of the expiration and a renewal form to each licensee. If you fail to renew your license on or before the expiration date and wish to renew your license, you will be required to pay an additional late fee of $15.00. If 6 months or more has passed since the expiration date of your license, your license has permanently expired and cannot be renewed. If your license has permanently expired, you may reapply for a new license.
STEP 2:	Take the renewal notice and a passport-style photograph to the Sheriff of your county of residence. If you are not a U.S. Citizen, the Citizenship Affidavit (KSP Form 131) must be completed and submitted to the sheriff of your county of residence to be attached to the renewal form.
STEP 3:	Pay the $20 fee.
STEP 4:	You will be notified by mail if your application has been approved.

 

[papadan]

Thanks Scott, I didn't know if they would send notice or not. I did need the full class, I'm not a vet. When we finished the instructor supplied us with a certificate and that was sent in to the state with payment. Picked it up at the Sheriffs office. We don't need them anymore, but I am going to keep mine up to date anyway.

 

[ScottJ]

Thanks Scott, I didn't know if they would send notice or not. I did need the full class, I'm not a vet. When we finished the instructor supplied us with a certificate and that was sent in to the state with payment. Picked it up at the Sheriffs office. We don't need them anymore, but I am going to keep mine up to date anyway.

. No problem, and keeping your CCDW current is probably a good idea, just in case the dem governor decides to encroach on our 2A rights. I do not trust him one iota.

 

[Peglegjoe]

Maryland does NOT send a renewal notice (nice way for them to get out of renewals on a permit they don't want to issue in the first place...) - it's completely up to the holder to remember and apply/process.

TidalWave - they did touch on the aftermath, at least as much as you can. You will never be the same, is a given.

Once the dust settles, if you haven't already, call the police and explain the situation. Describe yourself (clothing, height, hair color, etc). Let them know that you are armed, so please have the respondents identify themselves clearly before entering. Keep hands in the open and weapons holstered. Don't touch anything.

In the case of a public location (as opposed to home invasion), I have friends who know I carry. A select few people that I can count on one hand. If something goes down in public, they have been advised to exit the situation and call police immediately. Give them MY description (height, clothing, hair, etc) as a "good guy" so there is no confusion when they arrive on scene.

Legally...clam up. Identify yourself and assume you will also be arrested and your weapon(s) confiscated for the duration of any investigations. Assume you will never see your weapon again, and if you do, it will be in crappy condition when it is returned. Yes, sir. No, sir. I understand, sir. Call your legal team, and let them talk for you. You tell THEM what happened, and THEY tell the police. If the LEOs persist, politely explain that you have contacted your legal team and they will arrive shortly, and on their advice you prefer not to speak until they arrive. You will be happy to comply with any instructions they have - including being handcuffed and booked, if needed - but you will be waiting until your legal team can speak for you.

DO NOT let adrenaline take over your mouth. This is not the time to be proud of defending yourself - this is the time to shut up, and not make things worse. If you took another life, they left someone behind...and that someone will be looking for any and every way to come at you in court. Don't open that door.

 

[ghosttwofive]

Going for my Arkansas enhanced concealed carry permit this Saturday. Mostly classwork on active shooter situations for about 6 hours, then 50 rounds on target, 20 at 3 yards, 20 at 7 yards, and 10 at 15 yards, all timed. Only costs $15.00 to upgraded to the enhanced CCL, plus I get to shoot, so that's always a good thing.

 

[HansGruber]

If I ever need to use my firearm for defense, the 911 call will go like this:

“This is Hans Gruber. I’d like to report a firearm related incident at Nakatome Plaza. Please send law enforcement and EMS.”

And hang up.

And not answer when they call back—and they will.

When law enforcement arrives? I will identify myself, and say I will comply with all lawful demands, but I will not speak any further without legal representation present.

The cops are not your friends at this moment.

One addition: I will also lock down my phone, and not give police permission to access it.

 

[SATRP]

Keeping in mind that I'm a Founding Fathers conservative, I find the entire CCW rigmarole offensive to James Madison's Amendment II. There is nothing in Amendment II requiring permits prior to exercising one's right to carry wherever the heck one decides to carry. I also find that one must declare guns one intends to carry for self-defense. The government has no legitimate reason to know what type of handgun anyone chooses to carry.

 

[SATRP]

If I ever need to use my firearm for defense, the 911 call will go like this:

“This is Hans Gruber. I’d like to report a firearm related incident at Nakatome Plaza. Please send law enforcement and EMS.”

And hang up.

And not answer when they call back—and they will.

When law enforcement arrives? I will identify myself, and say I will comply with all lawful demands, but I will not speak any further without legal representation present.

The cops are not your friends at this moment.

One addition: I will also lock down my phone, and not give police permission to access it.

Hi Hans,

My bet is we agree far more than we disagree, and I doubt we disagree on much of substance.

In the totalitarian state of CA, law actually protects victims who are forced to use deadly force; to wit: California Penal Code Section 197: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=197.

You do not have to take rounds before you can defend yourself, California Penal Code Section 692: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/...ivision=&title=1.&part=2.&chapter=1.&article=

Since the law protects citizens who've have to use deadly force, they would not be subject to arrest, for they would not have committed a crime.

I would cooperate with cops up to a point. I'd tell responding cops that because I don't want to be sued by the dirt bag's relatives, I'd want my civil attorney present before answering questions in effort to protect my assets. Cops should agree to that request. After all, if you've used deadly force within law, you wouldn't have to cooperate at all and not become subject to arrest because you would have committed no crime.

The reality is responding cops will know very quickly what happened, especially if video cameras captured an event and witnesses were present. Forensically, scientific evidence tells a very compelling story. Hence, never, ever lie. Wait until your civil lawyer arrives (check with your homeowner's agent) before giving statements. Also, after such a mentally traumatic event, it would be reasonable for you to be transported to a hospital and sedated. Cops would have to wait until CNS depressants wear off before asking for your statement.