Oops.The Annoyed Man wrote:Hmmmm.... I carried my concealed gun, a Kahr PM9, for all three days of my Basic Pistol Instructor class. We were told not to have live ammo in the classroom, but that was in relation to teaching students, both about the makeup of a cartridge, and about the mechanical function of the handgun. The idea was to prevent the possibility of a live cartridge being inserted into a gun being used for teaching. But a concealed handgun is concealed. There is no passing around of the gun or its ammunition; so it doesn't really apply.
It really is a stringent NRA requirement: No live ammunition is permitted in the classroom. In any way, shape, or form. This is not only for the protection of the students, but strict adherence to it also helps insulate the instructor from possible liability.
And I don't make the same correlation that MasterOfNone does. As Charles pointed out, these are basic classes where students being introduced to firearms are handling and manipulating firearms. The only way to be absolutely certain no accidents occur is to make sure there is no live ammunition physically available in the classroom. Live ammunition is introduced only in the range exercises.
In terms of fuel for antis, can you imagine anything better than a negligent discharge and injury during an NRA Basic Pistol Course? The good news is that--in large part due to the "no ammunition" policy--I'll bet you've never heard of an ND during an NRA Basic Pistol Course.
While I would support a change in the policy for license holders, I certainly understand NRA's adherence to it. And since the vast majority of NRA classes (excluding Eddie Eagle and Refuse to be a Victim) are taught at gun ranges, they're hardly in the same gun-free zones as a school classroom. You also don't often hear of armed robberies or active-shooter scenarios at gun ranges...