Gun Shy Goes Back to School

Well…not exactly. As the readers know, Gun Shy sometimes likes to frequent Gun Stores and Gun Ranges to see what is happening in the wide, wide, world of firearms. I have been seeing a lot more new shooters these days when I observe people at the ranges, and often times wonder where they are learning their shooting skills as well as their concepts of safety. It has been many years since I attended a firearms safety and instructional course, so I decided that I would find a Concealed Carry class that I could sit in on to see what the level of instruction given to the new firearms owners is these days. The class that I attended was at the Police Hall of Fame in Titusville Florida, and is held there on the first Saturday of every month. It is a three hour class that runs from 9-12 noon. The class I attended consisted of about thirty students, and there were two instructors teaching the class whose names were Joe and Clint. I am familiar with both of these individuals from the shooting community, and I can say from personal experience that their firearms skills are very multi-faceted and exceptional in many disciplines (pistol, rifle, shotgun, etc). Many of the attendees appeared a little nervous at first, but the two instructors attempted to loosen them up with a little humor, while also giving them some serious instruction. There were times that the attendees roared with laughter, as the two very animated instructors recounted humorous situations that involved foiled criminal activity and the use of firearms. There were other times when the room was dead silent and you could hear a pin drop, as these two elaborated on the use of deadly force and the legal issues that surround that use. I noticed that during the first break, that one of the instructors was demonstrating to a female attendee who was obviously new to firearms, the differences in the operation of a revolver versus a semi automatic pistol. One of the key things noted about the two instructors, was their ability to articulate detailed information during their instruction and demonstrations, and present it in a way that could be understood by first time gun owners with no prior background. Often times, CCW courses can be a lot like watching paint dry, but I will admit that Gun Shy enjoyed attending this one, and felt that it was three hours well spent. If you are living in central Florida and considering getting a Concealed Carry permit, I can say with confidence that this CCW class has the Gun Shy seal of approval. For more information on attending this course, you can call the Police Hall of fame at 321-264-0911, and tell them that you read about it here.