TexasCHLforum.com

RX8er wrote:I don't know exactly how I feel about this yet...

I can tell you this.... No one said you can't make your classes longer so be my guest and make them 14 hours. When I took my class, I can say that 1/4 to half of the time was filled with unneeded stories for filler sake. We covered the state mandated items with no problems.

When the committee substitute to HB47 is submitted, it will limit classes to between 4 to 6 hours, exclusive of range time. An instructor will be required to issue a CHL-100 to all students who pass the class at the end of the 4 to 6 hour session and upon completion of the range portion of the class. If the instructor wants to offer optional hours to his students after distributing the CHL-100s, he/she will be free to do so.

Depending upon the size of the class, their experience with firearms and the number of people that can be put on the firing line at one time, the range portion of the class usually runs from 1 to 2 hours, sometime even longer. If an instructor wants to teach a 6 hour class, and then spends from 1 to 2 hours on the range, then the total time will be 7 to 8 hours. That is more than enough time to teach the required material. Even if one teaches a 4 hour class, the total time will usually be between 5 and 6 hours.

I seriously doubt anyone covers the use of force more thoroughly than do I and it takes me about 2 1/2 hours. Even my stand-alone Texas Self-Defense & Deadly Force Laws Seminar can be completed in 3 hours, so my students get almost my entire seminar in both the initial and renewal classes. Sure, I could add more fluff to that segment and spend an entire day on the topic, but it doesn't take 4 hours to teach the Penal Code sections on the use of force, plus a good dose of "real world" discussion.

To those who fear a problem with shorter initial classes, I keep coming back to the fact that we have been doing it in only 4 hours (not 4 to 6 hours excluding range time) with amazing success for 16 years. Rest easy folks, HB47 isn't based upon speculation, but on 16 years of experience.

Chas.

My question to Mr. Bond would be "are you saying you are not properly training your renewal students since those courses are statutorily limited to 4 to 6 hours?"

As I noted, there will be a committee substitute that amends HB47 so that it will allow a course to be between 4 to 6 hours long, excluding range time. I looked on Mr. Bond's website and I couldn't find anything about the length of his renewal classes.

CHL's have an excellent track record and we've been teaching renewal students in 4 hours for 16 years, and this includes range time.

Chas.