TexasCHLforum.com

When i took my CHL class at the end of may. The course was very non informative. The instructer walked in said hi "walked" us through the paper work, then the rest of the time all he did was turn on a video from the 80's and leave. Most of the videos were how to draw from a fanny pack. Not once did he ask to see any identification, check our guns, go over gun safety or talk to us in regards to any legalities of the CHL. When it came time for the shooting lets just say he was very leniant. After the shooting and a generous lunch break. We returned for more videos, finger printing, and pictures. We even at one point watched clips from jamie kennedy expiriment, and numerous other non CHL related videos. He finally passed out the test and left the room. Never once did he go over anything on the test and the aswers to the test were circled on about half of the tests. If it were not for the chl handbook,this website and my own searching i would have not known any laws or info related to chl. I guess it was just a very awkward and kinda scary experiance. In january my dad is having a CHL class at his church and i plan on sitting in on it so that i can get some more insite and gain more knowledge. What does everyone here think? Is this the norm?

It's not the norm at all for the instructors I know. I also can't imagine how he/she's still in business. Sitting in on another class is a very good idea. If you didn't have one in mind, I'd invite you to my next class on Dec. 19th.

Chas.

I think most of the people who take the class i went to, went there because there is nothin to the class other than sitting there for the mandetory time frame. My dad is having a class at his church in january so i will be going to that one. thanks for your response Charles L. Cotton.

I'd think that kind of situation should be reported. Our class was at the Bass Pro Shop via Lonestar Handguns. It was extremely LAWS oriented, as well as conflict resolution, attitude, more LAWS, 3 LEO's with relevant stories to tell. All I can say is WOW!

Doug

LaserTex wrote:I'd think that kind of situation should be reported. Our class was at the Bass Pro Shop via Lonestar Handguns. It was extremely LAWS oriented, as well as conflict resolution, attitude, more LAWS, 3 LEO's with relevant stories to tell. All I can say is WOW!

Doug

Both me and my father both took it together and it. was dissapointing to say the least. W e both agreed that this was not right.The only thing i would be worried about if i reported it would be. That it could create bad press for the CHL community. Also I wouldnt want them to say ok well hes not competant as an instructor, so whoever went thru his class their CHL is now not valid. I am a law abiding citizen and wouldnt want to be penalized for another persons mistake.

Definitely not normal, and yes, dangerous.

Most of the folks with whom I've talked (not that many) indicated that their CHL classes were pretty good. Mine was taught by a retired cop, who emphasized strongly that conflicts should be resolved peacefully. Maybe the last hour included things like choosing a weapon, and how it might be carried. I thought he covered the law quite well.

The one thing, however, that he did not mention and I wish he had, was that veteran's paid a reduced fee. I didn't know that until after I'd paid. I suppose that's not strictly considered course material, but I could have saved a few bucks if I'd known about that. Oh well, I got my license and that was the primary objective.

Definitely not the norm!

I’ve been dissatisfied with all four of my classes, but for different reasons. Contrary to your situation, all spent all classroom time ‘teaching to the test’. If you could stay awake, you would absorb enough to make 90+ on the exam. So if you weren’t unsafe on the shooting portion, passing was a given.

But all made errors to some extent. From reports by other forum members, that must happen quite a bit. Reading the Handbook and discussions on the old Packing.org strengthened my understanding in the early days. But PDO eventually went to the dogs. I’ve been here four years. There are many members here, some of whom are instructors, that have a much better understanding of the CHL laws that any of the instructors I’ve had.

I probably won’t take the class in 2011, but if they don’t boot me from here, I figure I’ll still be in good shape. Read the handbook on your own and get updated copies every other year. Then ask questions here about anything that isn’t clear. Texas law makes sure that there’s plenty of that.

Thanks, mike1951 i will deffinately keep asking questions and reading up on the new laws. I plan on being here for quite some time. Where can i get updated copies from?

tauruspt145 wrote:Thanks, mike1951 i will deffinately keep asking questions and reading up on the new laws. I plan on being here for quite some time. Where can i get updated copies from?

You can find just about anything in Texas statutes here. Click the + sign next to "Texas Statutes" to expand the list. Most laws relating to CHL concerns are in the Texas Penal Code.

The booklet you should have received in your class was probably current at the time, but would not include changes effective 9/1/09.

At this site, you can either download the current version in 'clean' form or another version that has the changes marked.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administra ... edlaws.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There will be no more changes until 2011.

My class was pretty terrible, as well. Out of 10 hours we spent probably 4 waiting for people to shoot, waiting for people to get printed, waiting for people to get photos, slowly filling out application paperwork, etc. The rest of the time was mostly the instructor trying to impress people with lame stories and silly tactical drawing, and watching him browse the internet for videos and what not. He also gave out quite a bit of advice that was terrible for people who are new to guns.

I spent most of the class reading the handbook and was the first one to finish and got a 100%. Some people were really struggling to even finish it.

Thankfully, we have the internet.

I'm beginning to think better of my previous instructors!

I don't think any of mine were former LE. Maybe that's how I missed out on the story telling.

However, since my last renewal, that instructor has had an ND in the classroom.

I was very impressed with my instructor. He seemed very knowledgeable and he went over a lot of information regarding the legal ramifications of being involved in a shooting. He did not try and trip us up on the test, and when we got to something that was going to be asked on the test, he would tell us to note it. Everyone seemed to score high on the test in my class, but I think we were all really well prepared and received a very good education. I have recommended him to everyone who has asked me about getting a CHL in my area. He is a former LEO, so many be that makes a difference.

It seems we always hear about bad instructors and classes. I want to put in a good word for the class I took at Personal Defense Concepts here in the Midland / Odessa area. Our instructor was absolutely top shelf. He covered all the material at a great pace and had plenty of time for some questions. Very professional. The shooting was also handled professionally and with great emphasis on safety but he made everyone feel at ease so they could do their best. My hat's off.