Friday, May 02, 2008

Panic in Orlando!

Panic Sets In!
Since 1987, more than a million Floridians have received concealed-weapon permits. Should I be allowed to carry a gun, too?

It's a life-and-death responsibility with no experience needed.
Yeah, that's the funny thing about life and death, isn't it? We're given brains and have access to resources, and then have to make free-will decisions, often with very little control of the situation we're thrust in.

Welcome to the human experience, nitwit. How many more years were you going to call yourself an adult before figuring this out?

Justifying the PSH
Recent complaints to state officials pointed out that almost anyone who wants to carry a handgun to the movies, mall or church can do so. The shortcomings they cited include training that allows firing bullets without gunpowder, and passing students for merely pulling the trigger once or twice without ever loading or unloading a handgun.
Well, that's not good. But there's no indication it was widespread and there's every indication it was a violation of rules, and that swift and sure steps were taken to self-correct and eliminate shortcutting.

So amidst all "Authorized Journalist" Henry Pierson Curtis' wailing and gnashing of teeth (and the not so subtle attempt to fan the flames of hysteria against the parking lot bill), a few key questions are missing, foremost among them just where the hell the true problems with firearms abuse occur, and what kind of mayhem record have the people who have been going through the process he's wringing his panties over established over the years?

[Via Phillip C]

5 comments:

Kurt '45superman' Hofmann said...

. . . include training that allows firing bullets without gunpowder . . .

Wow--training that apparently teaches the ability to circumvent the laws of physics! Sounds pretty cool, to me. Do you have to go to Florida to get it?

West, By God said...

"there's no indication it was widespread"

Actually, one of the most common and popular classes only requires you to pick up a loaded gun, pull the trigger, and set it back down. I know, because I took the class, and it was packed. About 3/4s of the people in the class were experienced gun owners who just want the benefit of a CCW license in FL (no waiting periods, more protection under the law even when not carrying, etc.) The other quarter of the class was middle-age women who wanted to keep a .38 in their purse.

The thing is, the instruction in the class is fantastic. Gun safety, gun law, self defense law, carrying practices and tactics are all covered well, but only as much as you'd expect from a 3-hour course. The one thing the instructor pounded into us (and I'm willing to bet most other instructors are the same) is that you have to practice practice practice. You can't just buy a gun and be able to carry.

The class meets all state requirements (which are minimal, but more than some states, like PA), and then some. I don't think, however, that anyone going through the trouble of getting a concealed weapons permit is going to take it lightly. Sure, not everyone is gonna practice and be as proficient as they ought to be, but I seriously doubt there is a permit holder in the state who doesn't know how to safely load, fire and unload a revolver.

David Codrea said...

All one needs do is look at Vermont to see this is much ado about nothing.

Anonymous said...

We'll never be "qualified" ENOUGH, sane enough, trustworthy enough, eagle-eyed enough, psychic enough, infallible enough.
The NFL draft was last week. Did they only pick players who bull's-eye every pass, catch every throw, outrun every pursuer? Not much football would get played with those impossible standards. And that's just a game.
This is life and keeping ahold of it. Load, unload, cock, uncock, aim, front sight on target, press. If threat remains, press again. They say there's no such thing as "instinctive" shooting, but at the moment of truth, people with NO training have done the right thing and saved lives.
Better to have it always and never need it than not have it and need it even once. Anyone who says different must not have loved ones or friends.
"Bullets without powder" I guess could be snap caps or empty cases for dry-firing. They let you see if you're flinching or jerking or milking the trigger and whether your front sight is on target when the hammer drops. They help accuracy. That improves safety. Now they're even on us about THAT.

Phillip said...

Part of what irritates me so much about this is the fact that the suggeste changes are by NRA instructors who would be able to charge more money for classes if they enforced higher standards, and make it much more expensive to get a CCW license.

I got my first FL CCW when I was about 22 and a student in college. Do you think it was hard to come up with over $100 at a time when I was working part time for minimum wage? Yes, it was. When I renewed last November, I was recovering from a major injury that had put me out of work for months. For a lot of people, making the classes harder and longer and adding more requirements would put the price of the license out of reach.

On the positive side, I read through a lot of the comments on the OS website and they were overwhelmingly against the reporter and the articles. Maybe we can't properly punch ballots here in FL, but at least we know how to call bull when we read it.

Thanks for running this one, David.