TexasCHLforum.com

OK, I was in the committee hearing regarding Permitless Carry. I heard all the pro and con. As an LTC Instructor and NRA Instructor, I am very much in favor of training. That said, The first person to testify on this was Dr. John Lott. I think most folks will recognize the name. Dr. Lott stated that he was not testifying for or against the bill, but was testifying ON the bill. He stated that he was a statistician and was only presenting facts. Among the facts Dr. Lott presented were that those states which had enacted a Permitless Carry system did NOT see an increase in firearms accidents or in persons arrested for illegally carrying a firearm. What they did see was actually (after the first few months and the novelty wore off) an increase in the number of people obtaining a license (he was specifically speaking about Arizona and Indiana). The reason for this was threefold: #1 the License provided for reciprocity in other states, #2 The License allowed the holder to bypass the NICS check and #3 Many carriers realized that if they were carrying regularly that more training and education was needed.

I was initially ambivalent about permitless carry, but have come around to being in favor. In order to be LEGAL with permitless carry, the carrier still must be legally eligible to purchase and carry a firearm.

If it impacts my LTC business, so what. Hopefully I can make up for that with folks taking my advanced classes