TexasCHLforum.com

This.
Reading the penal, code of criminal procedures, and the uniform act, can be tedious. Even though I have been out of law enforcement for several years, I keep the latest editions of these on hand so I can keep myself updated on any changes.
Someone else's opinion, is just that, opinion. There is no substitute for doing your own homework.

Javier730 wrote:The problem is that people do not do their homework. I know several individuals that take the class, get their chls and that's it. They don't know anything about the laws other than what their instructor taught them. They don't even target practice. They think because they got their chl, they know everything there is to know about carrying and that they'll automatically know what to do when the time comes. They don't consider breaking the law or that they will lose the gun fight if their in one.

I've learned so much about the laws on carrying and tactics since taking my class. This forum has been a great source for knowledge as well. Training and reading about laws are very necessary after getting your license.

I was fortunate in that I had a law enforcement background, so I was already familiar with most laws regarding use of force etc., but also that I was able to pull up the information and interpret any new laws. There is definitely a learning curve to reading the penal code, and it can get confusing, if you are unfamiliar with the format.
But I have met a lot of LTC holders who were totally unaware of any new laws, especially regarding OC, and it astounded me that they didn't take any more time to read and learn them, but relied on word of mouth info, which was often incorrect, but they would repeat it like it was gospel truth.

I have also met several LTC holders who haven't been shooting since they took their LTC class, some of them for years. I know how quickly skills deteriorate, especially as I get older, so consistent practice is a must for me, and I can definitely see a drop off, if I go too long without practice.

I too have noticed a lot of, at least reportedly, bad information passed on through CHL instructors. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to know for certain that the information itself was incorrectly given, or whether the student, misinterpreted the information. The only way to be certain, would be if the instructor gave out written information as part the class, and that information was proven to be false.
I took a lot of time to read as much as I could regarding the CHL laws as they were written, prior to taking my class. I do not recall my instructor saying anything that I would consider "bad" or incorrect, regarding use of force, prohibited locations, or carry laws in general.
I do know that there were a lot of questions from some of the other students, and from all that I can remember, the answers given by the instructor, coincided with what I knew about the law.

You have to remember that instructors are human, and therefore subject to imperfections. But as we all remember from childhood where something was whispered to one person, and the phrase went around the room, what got back to the original person, was very seldom close to the actual phrase.

I don't know that there is a major issue, with bad information, because as you pointed out, some of the misinformation, comes from changes made to the laws, so it could just be a matter of instructors not staying current on the changes. Biases could also play a part, depending on the instructor's background either in military, or law enforcement.

I think one of the main issues, is simply people forgetting exactly what they were told by their instructors, and possibly getting bad information from others, that sounded similar to what they remembered from their class.JMHO