CHL Renewal

Back to work today - Blech....

As my last act of freedom during my vacation I completed the process of renewing my Concealed Handgun License. Took the required 4 hour class (new applicants take 10 hours) on Saturday and Aced the test. Proficiency shooting was Sunday morning before the range opened to regular business and I shot 249 out of a possible 250 - which I was pretty happy with. The Certificate is on its way to Austin for processing so I should be good to go in plenty of time before my current license expires in October.

We had 13 people in our class (8 first timers and 5 renewals). The teacher asked the retreads how long they had been licensed to carry and how often they actually carried. Three of the renewals came back with the answer that irritates me whenever I hear it. Its some variation of: "I only carry when I think I might need to. You know, when I'm going someplace where I think I might have a problem. My gun is too big to conceal in Texas in the summer - so I keep it in my car most of the time."

I wanted to ask them exactly how they developed the skill to see the future and know when and where they were going to need to defend themselves. But I didn't.

During the shooting test I was able to help a fellow shooter out. I, being an over-preparer, had brought along a backup gun. My Beretta has never given me any problems at all. However, I'm a believer it not just planning for what you think will probably happen. I'm a believer in looking at the potential problems that could come up, weighing the consequences of each possible outcome, and then planning accordingly. The odds of something going wrong with my chosen gun during the exam were extremely small - however, the consequences of not having a functional gun during the exam were high enough that I thought it wise to pack a "spare".

One of the shooters, a very nice older guy, had his gun repeatedly hiccup during the shooting circuit. The gun would fire one round fine, chamber the next round fully, but then the trigger would lock up for some reason on the second round. I loaned him my FNP-9 so that he could complete the exam. The only downside to this tale is that he shot better with my gun than I do :)

Also picked up some info on a legal defense program called Texas Law Shield. I'm looking into it, but basically its a program that allows you to place an attorney on retainer for use if you are ever involved in a defensive handgun shooting - at an extremely low cost. Should you have to use your gun, they defend you in criminal and civil matters at no further expense.

Any of you out here have experience with this outfit? I'll share more about them as I look things over.