Concealed Weapons Class (Florida)

katamus

So, here in the good ol' Sunshine State, we take this 2-4 hour class before we can apply for our concealed weapons permit. I did this last night. I don't know if it's awful or scary or funny...

Before the class I had to get some range time. I guess they need to see us fire off one shot to get our certificate for the class. Half an hour before the class I go in and get my target and some ammo. I go down the range, set up, and try to load my gun. I say "try" because I picked up a bullet and thought it looked weird. Yeah, I asked them for 9mm and they gave me 40. REALLY? But I didn't want to leave my purse and everything, but I also didn't want to have to pack all my stuff up to go back out and have it swapped. So I only fired off the 20 rounds I had come in with. Lame.

The class itself.. The instructor was funny and made the class less of a drag. "Before you go off and start shootin' folks.."

Okay, so let's get down to what really happened. Now I don't know about everyone else, but if someone is planning on getting their concealed they should have at least SOME knowledge. I don't know everything but I've talked to hundreds of people (employees at the range, gun shop owners, former and current police officers, military, etc.) and have read a lot about our laws down here. I know that I can have my weapon in my car (as long as it's in a container that zips, snaps, etc.) and that I can carry either concealed or open on private property that either I (a) own or (b) have approval for. The people in this class were clueless. I know, that's why we're taking the class. But seriously?

The instructor explained something about women carrying in purses. I wildly disagree with this. Some dude approaches me.. What does he want? If he wants my purse, well *kitten*, my gun is in there. If he wants to rape me, chances are he's still going to take my purse. If he just straight up wants to kill me, maybe it matters a little less. I don't know about anyone else, but the sheer amount of crap that is contained within most women's purses is ungodly. I don't have much, but I carry a slightly larger purse. My concern is being able to reach down to the bottom of that thing, past my wallet and sunglasses case, and secure my weapon.

Something that made me nervous was that this guy was aiming guns all over the room and being pretty careless with them (in my opinion). There are two rules that my household abides by. (1) Don't point the gun at anything you don't intend to shoot/kill and (2) don't put your finger on the trigger unless you are aiming the gun at whatever you want to shoot/kill. Now, I know.. This guy has been in the military, owns the shop, is an NRA instructor, and doesn't have any of the guns in the room loaded. But I only found out they weren't loaded AFTER the fact. He had a revolver in a holster in the back of his pants for the first two hours of the class. I don't know if it's loaded or not. Maybe that's just a paranoid pet peeve I have. I feel like he should be setting a better example.



Things that I learned:
(1) Apparenty, if a 14-year-old (minor) breaks in to my house and steals my loaded weapon, I am going to be held responsible. Because I didn't lock it up in a safe.
(2) New York gun laws suck.. But I already kind of knew that.
(3) I do not have to volunteer information. If I get pulled over, I do not have to just tell an officer I have a gun in the car. If he asks, I should.



To sum it up, the class wasn't extremely useful. Mildly entertaining. Probably would have learned more by buying and reading the Florida Firearms book and spent half the money.. But the class is mandatory.

Next month I'll be applying for my permit. Then discussing my Christmas gift..

sirthickness

If it was the intstructor who was "aiming guns all over the room", he is a full-on retard and shouldn't be teaching. Maybe he forgot, " all guns are always loaded".

At least you have to go to a class for a concealed carry permit. In Washington, all you have to do is get fingerprinted for a background check, pay the fee and there you have it. I don't shoot a public ranges because there are too many idiots who have NO idea what they are doing and have obviously never been to any type of class.

Also, good for you doing your homework first and taking the responsibilty of carrying concealed seriously.

I hope you have a bountiful Christmas!

Newf77

It does not surprise me that they mixed-up your ammunition, I have seen it happen so often with semi-automatics. I hope after class you straightened it out.

It amazes me how often instructors get lax with their weapons safety. I would have spoken to the instructor during one of the breaks, but that is me.

I truly hope {as a LEO} that if you have a weapon in the vehicle loaded or not and you get pulled over. You show the Officer the courteously of putting your hands in plain sight and advise them that you do have a weapon in the vehicle. There is nothing like making that discovery and what could occur upon that discovery.

I commend you on your research and commitment to weapons safety and your own protection.

katamus

Thank you, I'm glad someone agrees with me on that. I would think that one of the first things that should have been mentioned would be FIREARM SAFETY. But I didn't want to be that person who calls out the teacher. He seemed like the type to act like he knows better.

I guess taking a class is better than not, but I wonder what the percentages are of dumb people and accidental shootings in each state. I hear stories of stupidity all of the time.

I agree with you, I hate going to public ranges. This particular one is REALLY small with a crappy demographic. I've seen a kid (I guess he had to be 18 to come in) blasting off rounds with the gun sideways all gangster style. Epic fail. But I don't have the property or know anyone with property to shoot on.

Thank you for responding. I thought it was such a long post that nobody would read it. Haha.

RainHoward

The best thing about a Florida CCW is that it's valid in multiple states, more so than Utah. I actually have the paperwork for it sitting here on my desk and I live in Oregon.

kgb6days

Sounds like a real hotrod you had for an instructor. Guess he thinks the "gun is always loaded" applies to everyone but him. Geezzz. It also sounds like the range you went to is not a very good one. We are members of an outdoor range and there is a range officer there all the time. They do not hesitate to call anyone out for inappropriate activity. also the indoor ranges around here are pretty strict as well, with a range officer observing everything and stopping people that are unsafe. No one underage allowed.

I don't carry my gun in my purse. I have several holsters that allow me to carry either in my waistband or in my bra. Look up Flash Bang holsters. They are made especially for women. I have one and love it. Wear it when I run, shop - everywhere but in my bathing suit. Totally comfortable and concealed. There are also videos on YouTube of it.

swordsmith

There are numerous womens purses that incorpate a hidden pocket with holster that can be accessed from out side the purse. Gun is all safely tucked into its own little place with no worries of junk in the way.

However, I am a massive advocate of keeping the weapon ON you. A purse can be snatched and it takes a long time comparatively to draw from it.

I also prefer strong side on the hip or inside the waist carry. No shoulder holsters, cross draws, ankles or small of the back carry. All of them take too long, puts you at a position of disadvantage, and can be unsafe to boot (i.e. shoulder holsters - you are going across your body which alerts the perp you are going for a weapon, the travel distance is huge and gives the perp time to shoot/knife or trap your arm, when drawing you have a weapon pointed behind you that you have to sweep 180 degrees (to include sweeping your own arm) before getting it into play).

katamus

Sounds like a real hotrod you had for an instructor. Guess he thinks the "gun is always loaded" applies to everyone but him. Geezzz. It also sounds like the range you went to is not a very good one. We are members of an outdoor range and there is a range officer there all the time. They do not hesitate to call anyone out for inappropriate activity. also the indoor ranges around here are pretty strict as well, with a range officer observing everything and stopping people that are unsafe. No one underage allowed.

I don't carry my gun in my purse. I have several holsters that allow me to carry either in my waistband or in my bra. Look up Flash Bang holsters. They are made especially for women. I have one and love it. Wear it when I run, shop - everywhere but in my bathing suit. Totally comfortable and concealed. There are also videos on YouTube of it.

Yeah the instructor was a derp. I will probably never go back to that range again.

I've seen the Flash Bang. I like it. Thank you for the tip.. I wasn't sure if it just looked cool or if it was actually something functional for women.

moosegt35

No wonder that almost every stupid story you read on the internet/news happens in Florida. Is there something in the water there or something? A 2-4 hour class and you have to fire 1 round? WTF does 1 round tell anyone? In KY we had to take a class that is no less than 8 hours, and you had to hit a human sized targert 11 out of 20 rounds from 21 feet to pass. You also had to score at least 80% on a written test as well as break down and clean your weapon in front of teh instructor.

katamus

You have to do all of that to get a concealed? Interesting. I can see a written test being appropriate, but I'm not sure what a persons accuracy or cleanliness of their weapon would have to do with whether or not they are allowed to carry a gun. I'm not saying that it's not important, just wondering why that's being judged. I would say a psych eval would be a better solution. But, pretty much anyone can buy a gun here. As long as I'm over 18, I can walk into Wal*Mart and walk out with a rifle. 21 years for a handgun. Handguns have a three day waiting period unless you have your permit, in which case you can walk in and buy a gun anywhere.

There's Lyme in the water. Among other things.

swordsmith

In Connecticut you must provide your fingerprints, photo and a certificate that you have passed the basic NRA safety course which takes about 8 hours and requires live fire. In theory you should get your temporary state permit within 8 weeks but depending on the town they can drag it out for 6-9 months for CCW unfriendly towns.

Once you get your temp state you have I think 30 days to go get your permanent state CCW or else the temp is null and void and you start over again.

Without a permit in CT dealers may not even show you a handgun. For a rifle/shotgun you need the CCW or NRA hunters safety certificate or again you cannot even handle it let alone buy it.

Now you CAN get a certificate of possession which allows you to purchase a single firearm but you cant carry it anywhere. The requirements for a CoP are the same as for a permit including fees.

To top it off- the way our state constitution is set-up we do not recognize or have reciprocity with any other states CCW.

DOnt ge me started on our AWB or the fact that a sub 12" SBR is both a rifle and a pistol per the way the laws are written.

MikeM53082

If it was the intstructor who was "aiming guns all over the room", he is a full-on retard and shouldn't be teaching. Maybe he forgot, " all guns are always loaded".

At least you have to go to a class for a concealed carry permit. In Washington, all you have to do is get fingerprinted for a background check, pay the fee and there you have it. I don't shoot a public ranges because there are too many idiots who have NO idea what they are doing and have obviously never been to any type of class.

Also, good for you doing your homework first and taking the responsibilty of carrying concealed seriously.

I hope you have a bountiful Christmas!

I could picture it. The instructor waving the gun around (with his finger on the trigger and not in the safe spot) and the entire crowd ducking as the gun was pointed at them.

I've seen some doosies at the shooting range down here. Last time I went, I saw this guy walk up and down the range with his gun in hand being slightly loud and erratic. That kind of behavior will eventually get someone you shot. I told the guy who worked there and he ended up giving him a tongue lashing and tossed him out.

I know there are a few south Florida shooters on here. I like the outdoor range down here at Markam Park (Weston, FL; Broward County). There are some range nazi's, but they keep everyone in line. They frown upon rapid fire and pistol grip shotguns though.

What are some crazy things that you've seen while at a firearm safety class or at the range?

moosegt35

You have to do all of that to get a concealed? Interesting. I can see a written test being appropriate, but I'm not sure what a persons accuracy or cleanliness of their weapon would have to do with whether or not they are allowed to carry a gun. I'm not saying that it's not important, just wondering why that's being judged. I would say a psych eval would be a better solution. But, pretty much anyone can buy a gun here. As long as I'm over 18, I can walk into Wal*Mart and walk out with a rifle. 21 years for a handgun. Handguns have a three day waiting period unless you have your permit, in which case you can walk in and buy a gun anywhere.

There's Lyme in the water. Among other things.

No waiting period here, I can walk in the store and walk out with a few guns, long or handguns here. Hitting a human size target at 21 feet 11 out of 20 times isn't about judging your accuracy per say, that to me is just making sure that if you ever do pull your gun that you can hit a target instead of just wildly throwing bullets everywhere. You also get more than 1 chance to pass it. The instructor said he had 1 person that went through 100 rounds and never passed it. Would you want someone like that carrying a gun? The written test was mostly common sense stuff. Cleaning your weapon they will actually help you with as well if you need it, but in my opinion anyone carrying a gun should be able to field strip and clean it as well.

digitalbill

While I do appreciate the fact that I can carry here in Florida, the process for obtaining my license was a joke at best.
Because I am a veteran (and I have a DD-214), I did not have to take any kind of class whatsoever.
All I had to do was take a written test and pass a background.

I call it a joke because there is a world of difference between a combat situation and a street shooting situation.
Also, if you take the hunters safety course here in Florida, you do not need to take the CCP class.