[Chris Brines]

Sorry, I know you weren't talking to me, but just to interject, I'd say it would be a good idea for those in the CHL community (instructors, FFL dealers, pretty much anyone involved with providing arms and licenses to carry them), to strongly encourage physical training (obviously if you grew up on a farm and know guns like the back of your hand...you would not need this), but also how to deal with stressful situations....when one minute you're standing in line at a gas station, next minute, some fool walks in with a sawed off shotgun and sticks the place up...do you draw and shoot? do you hit the floor? Wait till he shoots?

Then what?
Panic so bad you forget your own name, and forget that you even have a gun when you hear the sound of a gunshot in an enclosed space? What do you do?

Being trained to deal with this could make you MUCH more effective in a chaotic situation....and even people who have been shooting their whole lives could benefit from that...cause if you have been in a non hostile environment every day of your life, regardless of how good you are at shooting...you may STILL not know exactly what to do....it's alot more stressful than most of us would think, I'd imagine...

Been to Iraq and/or Afganistan? Been a cop? You know exactly what to do...

That's the thing alot of people may be a little confused about..and it wouldn't hurt to set a baseline of how the general gun owning and CC community would react...in other words.....at this time, everyone would act differently...some more effective than others...but some more dangerously...like the guy in Houston who chased two robbers out of a Denny's and was firing off rounds down I-10 after their fleeing vehicle...not exactly brilliant if you ask me...obviously that is an extreme case...sure does send a clear message though

..but the end result is yet another media free for all against gun owners if it goes wrong...that's a reality today and it is definitely not a fact to ignore...

Also, yes, you can never be to certain about the ever changing laws...So glad I live in TX....

But to go back to the original post, I agree with the sheriff in the article, rigorous training may be needed....but I DO NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, feel that the gov't should mandate it...in fact, I don't even feel they have the power to do so, and that is something that gun rights groups need to focus on so this anti gun craze can just be put to rest....no need to allow thousands of law abiding citizens to be killed to prove the point, just read the news in Mexico for an example of why NOT to restrict gun rights.....education is the answer..not restriction...

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by RussP

Sharky7, you added a word that changed what John Galt first said, and he did not correct you, so, John Galt, let me ask if you meant your statement to mean actual physical force on force training, or training on the laws governing the use of force?

Both.

As I've said previously, it is a very good idea to get training on when and how to use a firearm. However I do not believe that it should be a requirement to obtain a LTCH. I just don't see how the numbers support it.

Over 300,000 people in this state have a LTCH, that's roughly 5% of the population. Yet I haven't seen a rash of idiots with permits blowing people away. Does it happen? Yes, occasionally it does and those people are punished accordingly. But it is such an insignifigent number proportionately as to be a non-issue. Certainly not enough of an issue to require more government regulation and the possible "slippery slope" that goes along with it.

[Bren]

Are we still debating the "people who sell training say the government should require you to buy more training from them" issue?

In other news, I hear coal companies want us to cut back on our reliance on oil.

[Misty02]

Our children grew up never learning a thing about firearms; it was entirely my fault as I didn’t think about it. I didn’t grow up around firearms and knew little to nothing about them either. We’ve corrected that horrible oversight with our grandchildren.

It's funny (and not the ha ha type) but it never crossed our mind to get sufficiently educated to teach them about the dangers. We taught them about nearly everything else, yet we failed miserably on that one. They would have had no clue what to do, more importantly what NOT to do if they ever saw a firearm lying around the school yard or any other place where we might not have been present. I suspect we were not the only parents that failed our kids in that area. We were just lucky that we didn’t have to live with the possible consequences of such an oversight. Just because we didn’t own any at the time didn’t necessarily translate that they couldn’t have come across one.

Originally Posted by Peace Warrior

In the interest of full disclosure: I really can't wrap my head around a person not growing up with gun safety as part of life. The topic is so common around here or other gun boards. I honestly find it hard to think about someone reaching the age of 21 (e.g., able to legally buy and own a revolver/pistol here in Florida) and not already knowing the four primary gun rules, but also being experienced with gun safety while out hunting or at the very plinking at the range.


All things being equal, then training should start at home! Period.

Lacking this particular experience:

Hopefully one will get training when entering the military.

Lacking this particular experience:

I guess, yes, if one is going to own a gun, then one should get training, but personally, I'm in the camp of the zero/less experienced persons getting a revolver as/for their first SD gun.

Even so, the training mentioned should NEVER be a prerequisite for owning or having a gun in the home and at the ready for SD purposes. (I'm also in the camp that those persons only knowing the difference between the actual business end of a gun and where the trigger is are better off having a gun in case the SHTF in their own home. Any person with a capable weapon, regardless of their level of training, is better than having nothing available to protect self or family members, IMHO.)

Honestly, and this may seem hypocritical to some, but I would not recommend a Glock to someone who doesn't have some experience with handling firearms; however, if there were no other choice or option, I would let someone, WHICH I KNEW PERSONALLY, borrow one of my Glocks if they believe their life was potentially at danger when staying at their home. Simply put, people deserve the right to protect themselves regardless of the level of professional training they receive, but it is a great idea to get all the training/experience you can get!

[Jake Starr]

It has been said,

"If the only tool you own in a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail."

LEOs have options... not just because of their training but also by virtue of the additional items on their duty belt.

Most CCDWers do not for whatever reason....

This is when training becomes invaluable. I work for a range/training facility that makes classes and training available to the public. Such as "Surviving a Lethal Force Encounter" taught by a certified NRA, KY CCDW instructor and a county attorney with 30 yrs experience...and we have a FATS system available to rent with certified trainers. All great stuff not available for most people in this country who do carry concealed.

But how many people sign up to utilize these classes or tools? Hardly any in comparison to the number we train for CCDW.

My point? Personal responsibility is great but most don’t take the initiative. People don’t do what you expect but rather what you inspect. While I am conflicted on the issue, I would have to say that I favor more training and re-qualification training for CCDWs a requirement.

[Chris Brines]

Originally Posted by Misty02

[FONT=Verdana]Our children grew up never learning a thing about firearms; I didn’t grow up around firearms and knew little to nothing about them either.

Ya know...I can't help but to think about how there was once a time in our nations history, that very few, if any, people reached adulthood without at least knowing how to use a gun.

I used to be a conspiracy theorist hater, and would get all offended and bent outta shape when someone would try to say "this is a gov conspiracy", but seriously...in recent decades, the gov has slowly but surely rendered us nearly defenseless by convincing society that they no longer need to take responsibility for their own safety....because now the gov is completely sufficient to handle that....Americans can just sit there in the dark, and have no need to become proficient with firearms....

Well, just remember this, a government strong enough to give you everything you want/need is also strong enough to take everything you have...and I think we narrowly missed being blindsided and disarmed with a smile on our faces...

Advocate for 2nd Amendment rights to become, and stay, a mainstay in American households. Kudos to you for ensuring your children and grandchildren are gun smart. That may save their life one day, and will surely keep them safe any time they touch a gun...

I just had to do the same thing with my Mexican wife...who is from a country who HAS been blindsided, and disarmed...look at how well that is working out for them...I can at least rest assured that if my wife happens to stumble across a gun...she knows exactly what to do to ensure it is neutralized....not to mention load it up and shoot...well, a Glock anyway...I had her shooting 2 Glocks back to back at the range yesterday...