Tex1961 wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 5:05 am
Of course there will be.
You’ll still want a LTC for.
1. Reciprocity if you want to travel out of Texas with your handgun
2. Purchase firearms without a background check
3. Want to be a responsible and actually know the laws when carrying a firearm.
4. Exemption from the GFSZA in the state where the license was issued.
5. A card that you can present along with your TDL when you're pulled over that will (in general) ease some of the concerns of the LEO, because he/she knows that you've been vetted, and this will likely (in general) change the nature of the conversation you're having with said LEO. (No, the LTC is not a 'get out of jail free' card, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence here and elsewhere that it changes the nature of the stop.)
I’m already working on a modified basic pistol / LTC class for those types of people. The stats show that in states who have adopted constitutional carry usually have an initial drop in CCW class but over time actually increase more than where they were. As more people realize they don’t have to go through the legal steps but now want to carry, realize they should at least get some basic training. I do feel sorry for those who’s livelihood is based on LTC training as they are going to have to scramble to try and find ways to make a living for a while.
I had a class this past weekend and the subject of CC came up. I asked my students how they feel now that they understand Texas laws as they relate to carrying a handgun VS when they first walked in the room and was the knowledge they now possess worth it. Everyone agreed that it was.
Maybe I’ll take a machinist 101 class and make MADE IN TEXAS silencers
I've had a huge uptick in classes over the past year, and a sudden downturn just recently with the impending legislation. I'm OK with that, because it's a right restored - and there will likely be an uptick in class demand soon enough anyway.
I've got a day-job outside of LTC instruction, and the classes were always just a little extra "bullet money". I'm probably going to modify my marketing tactics a bit to attract people in a different way, but I'll be just fine, I'm sure.
Since this is a "What Now?" thread, here's my approach (starting with a bit of background stage-setting):
I always tell folks that I'm not here just to 'teach them a class' - I actually want them to carry, so I'll help them break through whatever barriers they have to doing so. Getting the license has (of course) been the big barrier; but sometimes there are others, such as a spouse or significant other who is less than enthusiastic about someone close to them carrying a gun all the time.
To help with that, I invite every student to bring their significant other, free of charge, to 'audit' the course. I don't want them to sit in the back with a muzzle on - I want them front and center, actively asking questions. I find that this encourages conversation more with the other students (they ask some unique questions that others might not have), gets them more engaged, and often helps sway them over away from the dark side.
That's right, take my class for free...it doesn't cost me a bit more to have an extra person in the room creating more good discussion. After all, I don't charge for the classes, I charge for the paperwork, ya know? And besides, this ain't truly altruistic: it's a 50/50 chance that they'll see some benefits to having the license, and they'll go ahead and take the tests & pay for the course anyway.
So going forward, I'll likely expand this. If you want to carry under the authority of CC, take my class free of charge. As long as I'm teaching a (profitable) class and have available seating, I'll be happy to have you sit in. At the end of it all, there's a decent chance you'll want the license anyway, but I won't apply any pressure. What I really want is more folks who know the laws and understand the gravity of carrying a handgun with them all day long.
Some of y'all instructors may think my approach is a bit crazy, and some of y'all may want to adopt it for your own. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing the gov sign some of these bills. All in all, it's been a mostly successful session this year.
Now for the next session in two years, I'd like to see a 'carrot' added to encourage more folks to get their LTC.
- Let's make it such that written or oral notification can be used to block a non-licensed person from carrying on private property, but make it such that only oral notification has force of law for licensed carry.
- And let's remove more statutorily off-limits locations.
- And let's allow non-online instructors to teach via Zoom meetings as well.
