TexasCHLforum.com

The purpose of the shooting portion of the Texas CHL course is to exhibit a minimum level of shooting proficiency. It's been years since I've seen the minimum TCLEOSE firearms proficiency requirement for LEO's, but it is/was basically the same as the range portion of the CHL class, except for weak hand shooting and I think one timed reload. Most agencies and departments establish their own requirements that are more demanding. When the CHL statute passed, there was a real concern that DPS could/would establish an unreasonably difficult course, so DPS was advised that the standard should be no more difficult than the TCLEOSE standard.

I am a strong believer in practice and advanced training, but I would never support a more stringent CHL proficiency exam. A very small percentage of us will ever have to shoot in self-defense (out of uniform anyway) and an even smaller percentage of those who do will have had any advanced training. Nevertheless, these untrained citizens seem to be doing a great job defending themselves with handguns, especially here in Houston in the last several months. Not all win the fight but most do and I don't recall a single "friendly fire" casualty in recent years. If these folks had to draw quickly from a holster, purse, fanny pack, pocket, or anything else, they must have done an adequate job.

In at least one of my CHL Instructor renewal classes we were told not to allow students to shoot from the holster. I strongly encourage my students to bring a holster if they have one simply because it's the easiest way to move safely between firing lines. We don't shoot from a holstered position.

The number and percentage of gun fights that require a quick shot from the holster are extremely rare for civilians and only slightly less rare for LEOs. When a COP has to do it, odds are it is a traffic stop gone bad. If a citizen has to draw and fire quickly, then it's likely he/she will be in a deserted area, not in the middle of Wal-Mart or the mall.

Again, we should all encourage advanced training and practice, but let's not overstate the need.

Chas.