My wife and I attended our first CHL class today!
We have been waiting for a weekend where we had all 3 children out of the house so we could have a Saturday free. It finally came and we jumped at the chance. We found the class online at http://www.chltx.com/. The class was a full-service class (photos, fingerprints, paperwork, etc). Our instructor was David Gilreath. Class started at 9:00 am.
When we arrived, David let us know that we were going to the range first, so we immediately headed for the range. We did our range session at The Shooting Gallery Indoor Gun Range (http://www.winchestergallery.com/index.php?page=Gunrange). I was excited, as this was the range where my wife and I shoot when we can. It would be considered our "home court".
We arrived at the range and got geared up. There were 10 people in the class and we got on a range with 10 stalls. Everyone shot together. The whole process from walking in, shooting, scoring our targets, packing up, and checking out of the range took a total of about 30 minutes. Everyone in the class passed. I think the high score was a 249 and the low score was 237. (A perfect score would be 250 and you must have a 175 to pass.) I was fairly happy with my 246, but I'll probably never hear the end of my wife's 247! She's always been a great shot. She shot the S&W 1911 and I shot my Kimber Ultra CDP II, both are .45s.
We gathered back for our classroom portion. This was a very enjoyable class. David was a great instructor. He is funny and very entertaining. David had prepared a slide show in Power Point to help us follow along with the lecture. The slide show was great as David had embellished it with some great video clips from the internet. Some were just funny and some showed a particular point that we were discussing. It really broke up the class and kept us interested.
David is an obvious fan of the CHL program and is a great spokesman for the program. He drove home to me at least the awesome responsibility that comes with the CHL. While he kept the mood lively, he NEVER took any part of the course lightly. He was serious about what we had to learn. He didn't try and scare us or chase anyone off with horror stories. He simply went into great detail as we discussed the laws concerning CHL and the use of deadly force. I don't think any of us walked out of there with any questions unanswered as it pertained to the course. We all got to ask questions and we discussed a great many scenarios.
What I learned in the class was not at all what I expected. I was amazed at the laws concerning CHL and use of force by a CHL holder. The Texas law is pretty straight-forward and gives a great deal of protection to the CHL holder. I grew up hearing that you can't shoot a person unless they are in your house and you are in immanent danger. This may have been true before CHL laws, but it isn't true anymore. A CHL holder is a vital part of a civil society. Just taking the course and learning what CHL truly is, I feel safer knowing (and hoping) that some of the people around me are as interested and as equipped to protect my safety as I am (soon to be) their's.
During breaks, David would fingerprint a few of us and after the lecture, he worked on our paperwork with us. He took our pictures and printed them for us. Everyone left with a completed package of all the necessary documents that had each been reviewed by David.
If anyone is reading this and looking for a place to take their CHL class, I wholeheartedly recommend David's class. You can find all of his course and contact information at http://www.chltx.com/. If you go to the site, you will also notice that David as a Kimber dealer. Owning a Kimber myself, I can attest to the greatness of a Kimber weapon. If you're ever in the market for something with the Kimber name on it, give David a call. He has some great prices, from what I can tell. The next time I'm looking for a Kimber, David will be my first call.
I came home from class and did my online application. If I had more advanced notice that I was going to get to take the class this weekend, I would have done the application before the class, so I could turn in my packet as quickly as possible. After filling out the application online (and paying the fee), I should receive the packet in about a week. I then sign the application they sent in the packet and mail it back with all the materials received in the class today. From then, it should be 5-6 week before I receive my license.
I was excited before the class, but now I'm even more excited. I've said it before and I'll say it again, CHL is an awesome responsibility. It makes me feel good that I can protect my family, myself and others. It also makes me feel good that I can participate in such an American ideal. I follow this course with the utmost respect. I completely agree with the CHL program. I completely feel, without any hesitation, that it makes for a safer society. I'm proud to be a part of this program.
I'll keep the blog updated with my application and license process.
Trent
P.S. I mentioned David Gilreath and chltx.com on my own accord. I found the site online and took a chance that the course would be enjoyable. It FAR exceeded my expectations. I happily and personally endorse David and his class. David did not ask me to write this. I did not tell him that I was writing about the class. I will tell him about this post after it is posted and I do hope he uses it as a satisfied customer comment on his site if he wishes. But it was not solicited by him in any way.