SCP - Firearm Training

Concealed Handgun Carry License class, Saturday, February 27... A few seats still available...

Looking at scheduling a CHCL class sometime in late February or early March... Anyone interested?

CHCL FAQ: "If I get a CHCL, am I obligated to respond to a hostile situation?"

Response: No... A CHCL does not make you law enforcement... While I would hope that you would act in defense of innocent individuals, you are not obligated by law to do so...

Had another successful training today... Always fun shooting in freezing drizzle...

Three Things You Aren’t Taught In Your Concealed Carry Course By Robert Farago via The Truth About Guns I oppose mandatory fi****ms training. It violates our Second Amendment protection against government infringement on the right to keep and bear arms. That said, I’ve been impressed with the instruction rammed down my … Continue reading →

This is how the CHCL licensing process works... Steps one and two do not necessarily need to be completed in order, but doing so will ensure the quickest results...

1. Apply for your license online ( https://www.ark.org/asplicense/chcl_application/chcl.aspx ), and pay the state licensing fee (currently $144.94 for ages 64 and younger, $93.44 for ages 65 and older)... Upon submission, you will be given an order confirmation code... Keep that number, because I will need it...

2. Take a CHCL course from a registered ASP instructor (that's what my class is)... The class will be 5 hours of instructional time (including a lunch break, which I will provide), followed by live fire on the range... If you have a handgun, bring it along with at least 50 rounds of ammunition... If not, you are welcome to use one of my handguns... I only ask that you bring ammunition for the gun you intend to use (I will answer any questions you have about this, and I realize that this may be totally new to you)... Also, bring a USB flash drive, so that I can upload all relevant files and training materials onto it for you to keep for reference...

3. After the course, you will receive a training certificate... You will take this training certificate to the State Police headquarters on Geyer Springs, and have your fingerprints taken...

4. You wait... Your training certificate and fingerprints will be added to your application, and will be sent a few different places... Background check, county sheriff, then back to ASP for processing... You will receive your license in the mail... This whole process typically can take close to 120 days... However, my previous class began receiving their licenses after only a month and a half...

"Understand deep in your being that though you are shot, even in the heart or the eye, you can still function: You can call for help, shoot the perpetrator and/or get yourself to safety. Know that with today’s incredible medical technology you have a greater chance of surviving than at any other time in history. The key is to stop him from putting any more bullets in you. In most cases that means killing the SOB who just shot you."

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat

When I hear some of the crazy headlines in the local news, I think "wow, criminals are getting more bold, more brash, and more indiscriminate."

It is a general indication that the scope and reach of violent criminals is expanding in ferocity, and becoming more emboldened in terms of methodology and target selection...

As a parent, I'm reminded by stories like this of how vulnerable my own children are... They don't get a pass just because they're young and innocent...

Being armed isn't about looking for a fight... It's about being prepared in the event that a fight should find you (alone or with your family)... It's the only way to ensure that you will even have a chance to defend yourself or your family... I can't imagine the dread of being attacked by an armed assailant and being helpless to defend my family... Having to watch as they are hurt in front of me... I will never have to imagine it nor experience it, because I choose to exercise my 2nd Amendment right to bear arms... And I intend to assist others [whom so choose] to do the same safely, responsibly, and effectively...

In a world where someone will hold an AK-47 to your head just because they want the shoes off your feet, some people would prefer to have the capability to defend themselves and their families...

There is no effective way of discerning a man's intentions when they are holding you at gunpoint... Does he want your shoes? Your wallet? To r**e you? To murder you? Or some combination of those? Choosing not to act in self-defense is always a gamble in such a scenario... There are countless stories of victims cooperating with assailants, and still ultimately being r**ed or murdered or both...

Being armed with a concealed handgun is no guarantee that the scenario will be resolved in your favor... But not being armed is almost certainly a guarantee that it won't...

People are being slaughtered in public and in their own homes... In "bad" neighborhoods and "good" ones... I'd much rather be involved in a gunfight than to be on the receiving end of a slaughter by gun...

Classes will be scheduled upon request...

I've been asked about what other classes I offer. I am NRA-certified to teach the NRA basic pistol course, and I'm an NRA-certified Range Safety Officer. Both were prerequisites for my CHCL instructor license.

I can teach a basic handgun course, but most of the material is the same as in the CHCL course.

I would like to know, however, if anyone would be interested in basic firearm safety/responsibility courses (or ongoing lessons) for their children... Ages 3-18, at varying degrees of involvement... There is no age too young for PROPER introduction to fi****ms... If there is an interest for this, we can make it happen...

I have four young children of my own; with whom I work carefully and closely to ensure they have a healthy respect of fi****ms, as well as an understanding of the dangers associated with improper use and handling... I also work regularly as a mentor (that's my day job) to teenagers with behavioral issues... I use firearm training with them as a therapy session... It's an incredible tool for teaching discipline and respect...

CHCL FAQ #2: Do you have to register your gun to get a license? And is that gun the only gun you can carry?

Answer: The state police keep a list of license holders, but no list of guns... No guns are registered... You can carry as many guns as you can conceal... On you, or in a bag, or both...