Interresting twist ...

[Liberty]

It was after the class that I learned how little i knew, and i also learned that it was going to be my responsibility to learn the law, so i did. before the CHL class "I didn't know what i didn't know" and after whilst waiting for my plastic, i learned, studied, asked around, practically memorized that little white handbook. I feel much more confident now, and i know how to keep my self out of trouble.

This seems to be true of many good educational experiances. Learning what we don't know is a good step forward.

[Skiprr]

Like several above, I have been shooting hand guns since childhood. Had 2 when I married at 19. When I decided to get my CHL that opened up a lot of new territory to explore. I started learning & training instedad of just target shooting. I am still learning & training.

Just another area where LT and I agree.

We are both "ever the student", always wanting and willing to learn (from anyone).

There is a quotation attributed to the Japanese artist Hokusai (1760-1849; you've probably seen his most famous work, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa") that, to the annoyance of those who know me, I pull out whenever given the opportunity:

I have drawn things since I was six. All that I made before the age of 65 is not worth counting. At 73 I began to understand the true construction of animals, plants, trees, birds, fishes, and insects. At 90 I will enter into the secret of things. At 110, everything--every dot, every dash--will live.

Point is, of course, you either grow, diminish, or die: standing still is not an option. Choose wisely.

Charles proposed something a little over a year ago that I thought was a great idea, but I don't know how many CHL instructors employ it...or something like it.

His thought was to offer a structured program, a package deal, that started with the one-day NRA Basic Pistol course. Following that, students would take the CHL course, shoot the qualifier, and submit their paperwork. During the following two months would be scheduled the NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home (PPIH) course (eight to 12 hours over one or two days, depending upon instructor preference and class size), and the NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home (PPOH).

PPIH is a prerequisite for PPOH, and the latter requires an absolute minimum of 14 hours split over two days, which includes over eight hours on the range. I took the first PPOH offered in the Houston area in early 2007, and I think Charles, Marc, and all the students decided that 14 hours was probably too little time to do all the material justice. There is a lecture component of the course dealing with the legal issues surrounding concealed carry and self-defense, and I think Charles decided that would best be separated to its own session of two or three hours on a third day.

Some people, of course, wouldn't be interested in a plan like this; they feel they know enough and just want to do the minimum CHL course, get the plastic, and be done. Paraphrasing Charles, when we finish teaching a CHL class we pray that none of our students ever needs to use a handgun to defend themselves or others...and for some, we pray a little harder.

The beauty of a structured program like this is, over a period of 75 days or so, you can work in almost 50 hours of extremely cost-effective training over a few weekends that goes from basic gun handling and safety, to moving and shooting, contact-distance defensive work, use of cover and concealment, etc. When the plastic arrives, you have a much more well-rounded and competent CHLer on the street. And the NRA training makes a great springboard to continue on with more advanced professional training, and/or competitive shooting like IDPA.

(I don't think I need to make a disclosure that I'm an NRA instructor. And the concept could be put into place without using the NRA certified material. The advantage of using NRA courses, though, is that they're recognized, structured, controlled, and standardized: other than the discussion about state law, you'd get the same course syllabus whether you took the NRA course in Portland or Pearland.)

[MrsFosforos]

I think it's a matter of personality types. Some people (like me) research everything to death. Others just jump in.

I also think the CHL class is an eye-opener for people who did not realize all the legal ramifications of carrying.

- Jim

That's so true!! If you don't know much about it to start with, a CHL class does open your eyes to legal aspects you may not have already considered.

In our CHL class, 4 of us were members of this forum before we went to the class! The funny part of the story was -- at one point, the 4 of us corrected the instructor on a topic he was teaching, but the law had recently changed (within a week or so before) and he wasn't aware of it!!

[Sport Coach]

I considered, thought and read before taking the CHL class. I was glad I did because the instructor didn't give any further references for people to learn more. To his credit, he allowed me a bit of class time to discuss what I'd read through many magazines and quite a few books. I certainly look at a CHL as a responsibility to continue to practice and learn.

[Excaliber]

Charles proposed something a little over a year ago that I thought was a great idea, but I don't know how many CHL instructors employ it...or something like it.

His thought was to offer a structured program, a package deal, that started with the one-day NRA Basic Pistol course. Following that, students would take the CHL course, shoot the qualifier, and submit their paperwork. During the following two months would be scheduled the NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home (PPIH) course (eight to 12 hours over one or two days, depending upon instructor preference and class size), and the NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home (PPOH).

This is an outstanding idea (not surprising at all, considering the source.) I think that many new and existing CHL folks would enthusiastically embrace it. The only reason they're not clamoring for it and creating demand is that they don't know what they don't know, and therefore don't think to ask for it.