So I took my HCP course finally.

[Guest Spurhunter]

I decided it was finally time to get my HCP, so I took the free course that our local sheriffs dept offers. You know what they say, you get what you pay for.

I could have aced the test prior to the class, I was really surprised by that fact actually. It not because I am so "tactical" but I fully expected the class to contain much more information about shoot/no-shoot situations. It was really just all basic common sense, and some very basic firearms component questions.

One part that really bothered me was how many times we had a gun pointed at us. Not by students, but by so-called instructors, and yes, they were all LEO's. I don't mind it while you had a cylinder open and a cleaning rod rammed into the brl, but when said instructor pulls a revolver out of his back pocket to help illustrate while answering a question, and fails to clear the gun.....or when he repeatedly pulled his LCP in a pocket holster out of his pants to talk about concealment options, never clearing the gun...I still don't know if that one was loaded or not. Even after clearing a gun, if the slide or cylinder is closed, DON'T POINT IT AT ME! Not to mention while teaching proper finger placement on a trigger, he pointed the gun at the entire classroom multiple times.

Yes I understand this was not a gun-safety class, but some people had NEVER fired a gun before. The class is obviously geared towards the novice with the rudimentary education the class is composed of. During this class, they basically taught the newbies that finger on the trigger and pointing a gun at people is OK if YOUR convinced its empty....unreal.

Another Case in point, the guy next to me in class, came in with this fine homemade holster out of neon green duct-tape.

They told him he better get a real holster for the range. He was borrowing a Buckmark to qualify with. We all just swapped tests to grade them, I got Mr Neon's and he missed two questions. One of them. "When a trigger on a semi-automatic pistol is pulled, multiple rounds will fire simultaneously" True or False. This is after the guy reads the entire test to us out loud, gives us the correct answer, Mr Neon writes down every answer, and afterwords he is shaking his head and tells me, "I thought I had written down the answer wrong, so I went with what my buddy told me".

Now to the range, Mr Neon found a holster at Wally World I guess. We shot at 3-5 & 15 yards. The guy FAILS. He scores a zero, as not a single round strikes the silhouette. Only four rounds are on the paper! He was shooting over the dang target! Amazingly, they want their rate of graduation to be 100% so they give him instruction, and let him shoot again. I have no idea if he passed the second round, I left with my 97%, they docked me for a flyer while I was double-tapping to get through the boredom. Can you tell which knot-head was Mr Neon??

[Guest tnxdshooter]

The hoodie dude?

[Erik88]

I'd say Mr. Hood.

Wow, and I thought my permit class was bad. My instructor didn't know any of the current laws and couldn't answer any of my questions.

[Jonnin]

They require a holster now? I didnt have to have one back when.

You never know. Maybe the buckmark was just for the class and he has a real holster and setup for a .40 cal or something. I dont have any holsters for half my pistols; nothing fits my desert eagle, target 22s, or some of the other oddballs. Seems odd to force folks to buy a holster for the target qualification when they might like to use a target 22 to save ammo costs.... but whatever, the class is mostly a joke anway from what little it actually covers and tests. I do know that if I did it today with my target .22, I would probalby make the gun fit into an inappropriate holster as well. No way I would buy one for those guns, if it was a choice between a holster I don't need and a box of ammo for a more expensive gun, I would just get the ammo at that point.

I am glad they showed the guy how to aim and gave him a chance. Thats one more HCP out there, and he may not be any good right now, but if he tries (and he may, you never know) that is one more good guy who may someday save the day. Stranger things have happened.

[Guest Spurhunter]

Yes, the Hoodie is it. You can tell from the obvious tactical stance he has taken. LOL

I am all for having permits in the right hands. But to just give them out to people that cant even handle a dang 22 is starting to strech it for me.

[Guest Spurhunter]

Almost forgot, the reason you have to have a holster is to be able to get your hands off the gun while on range, for the saftey of the range masters. I agree with it personally. The said a few years back a guy stuck his gun under his armpit and surprise, round in chamber and it went off and almost hit somebody. YIKES!! While holstered, if you have an AD, its discharges in a safe direction. (for everyone else)

[Erik88]

Almost forgot, the reason you have to have a holster is to be able to get your hands off the gun while on range, for the saftey of the range masters. I agree with it personally. The said a few years back a guy stuck his gun under his armpit and surprise, round in chamber and it went off and almost hit somebody. YIKES!! While holstered, if you have an AD, its discharges in a safe direction. (for everyone else)

how would one have a "AD" if the gun is holstered?

unless it's that goober using a duct tape, even then I'd say it's unlikely something could get in there to pull the trigger.

[Guest Red5]

Since most classes are geared toward the person with NO gun skills/knowledge it sucks that their first formal instruction includes terrible safety habits like you described.

When I took mine at Sportsman's in Hixson, our instructor often used his blue trainer but any time he touched his Sig, since I was in the closest chair, he would ask me to verify that it was clear. While my class didn't teach me anything new, he did a great job.

[Jonnin]

Yes, the Hoodie is it. You can tell from the obvious tactical stance he has taken. LOL

I am all for having permits in the right hands. But to just give them out to people that cant even handle a dang 22 is starting to strech it for me.

I would agree with you, and at one time I would have. But several states have had the constitutional carry for some years now and no rash of gun accidents or other chaos has been reported. They dont take a class or anything, just buy a gun and strap it on, and no problems. This guy is ahead of those fine people: he has had a class and may or may not have passed a shooting test, but if he did, I am ok with him and welcome him to the ranks. Not saying I want to be in a 180 degree arc in front of him if he starts shooting at a bad guy, but then again, I dont really want to be in that same arc with any of the rest of you guys either, and wont be offended if you said the same about ME

[Guest Spurhunter]

how would one have a "AD" if the gun is holstered?

unless it's that goober using a duct tape, even then I'd say it's unlikely something could get in there to pull the trigger.

I would guess there are more AD's while trying to holster a gun than any other way? The point here is at least its dishcarging into the safest location?

[Guest pfries]

Yes, the Hoodie is it. You can tell from the obvious tactical stance he has taken. LOL

That is a modifide military stance "shoulders back,Gut forward":rolleyes:

[Guest Spurhunter]

That is a modifide military stance "shoulders back,Gut forward":rolleyes:

Bwahahahahahah!!!!

[Supranforever]

My class made me realize how many idiots shouldn't be handling guns, that and there were tons of women with questions like "what if the big bad man chases me to my car and there is another guy under the car waiting to grab my ankles and pull me under the car and rape me?". I kept thinking in my mind, one, your ugly, no one will want you, two, what the **** do you drive that sits 3 foot off the ground? Three, you can't see under the car? I understand women want to be safe, and that's perfectly fine, I would help a woman with an attacker no problem. However, questions for things that would likely never happen are insane, especially when it took 3 hours to answer questions from 2 people. My hcp instructor was awesome though. Awesome job not pointing guns and teaching basic gun safety, he wouldn't even let us bring our guns in with us until we were to shoot. There were a few rednecks, one had a very nice polished 1911 with laser grips and when he shot he had the great tactical stance like your hooded neighbor. All in all great stuff, but it really made me think about all the people that shouldn't have an hcp, sounds like your class was decent considering though, congrats, now get your permit and carry proudly!

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

My class definitely had a fair number of people who had never shot before, but the instructor was very good, very safe, and did a nice job on helping those who had no clue what they were doing. Thankfully there was a fairly limited number of stupid questions.

[Guest Agave]

Now to the range, Mr Neon found a holster at Wally World I guess. We shot at 3-5 & 15 yards. The guy FAILS. He scores a zero, as not a single round strikes the silhouette. Only four rounds are on the paper! He was shooting over the dang target! Amazingly, they want their rate of graduation to be 100% so they give him instruction, and let him shoot again.

The rules state that you are to shoot at 3, 7, and 15 yards. Five yards is not in the state approved syllabus. Shooting a second time is allowed and is definitely common. I don't understand how he could not put all rounds in the 9 ring at three yards.

[daddyo]

There's one of these in every class. I had one in mine, and when my son took his HCP class last year, there was a dude who thought he could teach the class better than the instructors. I still don't understand why they didn't just ask him to leave.

As for the neon green holster, that's one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.

But congrats on taking your class! We need more good guys!!

[Guest Spurhunter]

The rules state that you are to shoot at 3, 7, and 15 yards. Five yards is not in the state approved syllabus. Shooting a second time is allowed and is definitely common. I don't understand how he could not put all rounds in the 9 ring at three yards.

I think your right it was 7 not 5. No matter it's a joke of a test if you fail and they let you pass eventually. Why even bother with that part?

[Guest Kamikaze]

They didn't allow hipsters at my class, nor did they allow anyone to bring a gun to class. They gave us all lowes aprons to hold our ammo and the gun while you reloaded. My instructors were good for the most part. I did duck a few times from being muzzle swept by them though.

[Guest Red5]

I think your right it was 7 not 5. No matter it's a joke of a test if you fail and they let you pass eventually. Why even bother with that part?

So they can say that you were "properly trained". I agree that for most of us here it is a joke but by a show of hands, over half of the people in my class had never touched a handgun. During our range time, we had a few that missed the silhouette but everything was on the paper; nothing quite as bad as your Neon Gunslinger.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

They didn't allow hipsters at my class

I guess your instructor is a big fan of IWB carry, and figured the hipsters can't fit anything extra into their skinny jeans.

[Guest Spurhunter]

[Guest Kamikaze]

Damn auto correct.......

[GLOCKMEISTER]

its instructors like this that give us all a bad name. The problem is there isnt enough oversite in this industry and no one takes the role of helping to solve the problem by reporting the bad apples. I wish you would call the state and tell them about this class. 615-251-8590 Ask for LT Eckerman.