Another Anti-Gun Tactic - Oversimplification

I just ran across this in my travels. I think it's a shot against the TN gun bill I've mentioned once or twice, but I may be wrong.

I wondered what so-called �rigorous training� was required in order to qualify for a handgun-carry permit.

"So-called"? Ok, chances are I'm not wrong.

A Tennessee handgun-carry permit applicant must have eight hours of training (four in the classroom; four on a gun range) in which a total of 48 rounds are fired. A typical firearms training class is completed in one day and costs between $25 and $85.

That's all? Just 48 rounds downrange and you can get a permit? Um, no. The handgun carry course is hardly a walk in the park. You get instruction on the law, both state and federal.

When I went through the class, we also got a healthy dose of "reality check", in the form of statements like this: "If you wind up shooting someone, you will wind up in court. Either civil or criminal, or both. It will happen." Your instruction doesn't end in the classroom, it continues while on the range. It's eight good hours of instruction.

A handgun-carry permit entitles the holder to carry any type of handgun and as many handguns as he or she desires. Most permit holders carry handguns concealed but this is not required. A handgun-carry permit is valid for four years and no training is required for renewal.

Yes, I can carry any handgun I want. Many people only own one, but some, like myself, have more than one. Spend any time reading gun blogs/message boards and you'll see folks like me change their carry piece depending on what clothing they wear. A smaller gun carried in the summer could get lost in winter clothing, making it useless as a defensive piece. It's just common sense.

As to carrying more than one, the only time I've done it was on the way to and from a range where my carry piece and the one(s) I planned on shooting were not one in the same. Some folks feel the need to carry a back-up and that's fine. There are a few places here locally I might consider it.

Training to renew a permit is not required because it's not necessary. As a law-abiding permit holder, I know it's my responsibility to a.) Keep abreast of any changes in the law, and b.) Keep my handgun skills current. It's called being a grown-up.

The lenience of our gun carry laws weakens any argument for the guns in bars bill.

I don't see lenience, I see common sense. You may see poorly trained rednecks who pack more pistols than Mad Max, drunker than Cooter Brown, but the truth is far from that.

I find it interesting - the same folks who think guns magically make people kill also think being in a bar will force one to drink. Designated drivers don't drink, neither would handgun carriers.

Driving and packing, kinda like pulling double duty for your friends.