Clearly stated by the NRA Training Dept., in NRA instructor guides and student handbooks: NO LIVE AMMO IN THE CLASSROOM - EVER. Numb nuts instructor; his NRA creds are gone forever, and should be.
Florida has been at the sleazy end of the concealed carry industry for too long now. Anyone who thinks a 4-hour NRA “First Steps Pistol Orientation” (note the word “Orientation”, not “class”) and a single .22 Colibri round shot into a sand pile will allow safe concealed carry should have his head examined. The self-created “Uncle Billy’s Shootin’ and Killin’ Concealed Carry” courses are even worse.
There are two great NRA courses - Personal Protection In The Home and Personal Protection Outside The Home - you can’t give ‘em away in Florida. Sleazebag instructors are too busy hawking the “Home Firearm Safety” course. Shame, shame.
The instructor is supposed to certify that the student can safely handle a pistol. This is often ignored. The reason is that the application for the carry permit has the student swear that he complied with the requirements. The instructor is off the hook. He can say that it’s not his fault the student didn’t get it; the student should have said he didn’t understand instead of signing the form.
There was a scandal a year and a half ago. Instructors were giving the permit lecture at gun shows, then meeting the students at a local range. The instructor loaded a pistol, closed the slide, handed it to the student, and told him to fire one shot. The student handed the (still loaded) pistol to the instructor and was sent on his way with a passing grade. Next . . .
When this was discovered, the instructors had their credentials revoked. The students were told to take another class. I would personally enjoy publicly humiliating these instructors. They’re irresponsible scum, and it’s a miracle that no one has been killed on account of their conduct. The hammer will drop in Florida, and not soon enough. It’s going to be pretty nasty when it happens, but it is long overdue. We see people with gun show carry permits every day. Most of them have no idea how ignorant, and dangerous, they are.
Sleazy end of the concealed carry “Industry” huh? Maybe you want to clarify your position a bit. Are you suggesting that there are a lot of people in firearms training that are simply out to make a quick buck without teaching the information they claim they will impart? Or perhaps you think the qualifications to carry should be more onerous then a 4 hour class?
Dummies should just be held accountable for their "mistakes", be they with a handgun, or a 392 Hemi V-8.
And of course, just because the LAW doesn't require a course, doesn't mean that taking one, a good one, isn't a Good Idea. Personally, I'd like one that has more about using a concealed weapon, under what circumstances it's legally justified for example, and less about the minutia of the law about where one can and can not carry, than the curriculium for the Texas CHL classes contains.