Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:
A few years ago, Ramsey County Sheriff Fletcher got in hot water for using the list of carry permit holders to raise money for private charities. Lots of things wrong with that idea and he deserved to be rebuked.
But the notion of the Sheriff’s department working with carry permit holders still intrigues me. Could there be a useful public safety function?
Some law enforcement officials worry that the shooting skills of civilian carry permit holders are not up to snuff. Hell, I’m sure they’re not – my wife and I have our permits and in good light, wide awake, at a motionless target 15 feet away . . . we’re deadly. But public ranges won’t allow low-light shooting, barricades, moving targets so there’s no good way for civilians to improve their skills for a real-life situation.
The Sheriff has access to a shooting range, range safety officers and shooting instructors. His deputies have to pass realistic qualification courses every so often – why not open them up to civilians, on a voluntary basis?
What if the Sheriff offered “refresher” classes to carry permit holders? For a nominal fee and a box of your own ammo, you could bring your carry gun to the range, shoot a realistic course of fire and have your shooting critiqued by an instructor. For some of us, of course, it would simply confirm that we are, in fact, the World’s Best Shots. But for those few others whose skills aren’t quite up to snuff, it might be a useful wake-up call.
Yes, it would cost the Sheriff some overtime, some targets, some potential liability if someone gets hurt. Fees might cover some of that. The program would generate publicity that the Sheriff is doing something to make the streets safer by helping carry permit holders make themselves safer (the anti-gun crowd will hate it, but they’re like Mikey, they hate everything, so that’s not a big minus).
There are potential drawbacks. If I shoot the Sheriff’s range and fail, then kill some “youth” in Frogtown, it’s going to look bad for the Sheriff (why didn’t you pull his permit) and also for me (you knew you shouldn’t be carrying). If I shoot the Sheriff’s range and pass, then kill some “youth” in Frogtown, it’s going to look bad for the Sheriff (teaching crackers to kill youths). Okay, so the Sheriff’s got a tough job and why make it worse? Except in some cases, maybe he can make it better? Maybe one or two of those folks will realize they shouldn’t be carrying on the street and will leave the gun at home? Or maybe we’ll get the training we need to be safe when carrying on the streets?
Joe Doakes
If a DFL controlled County sheriffs office were to develop such a level of common sense, it would be a very good sign indeed.
a private facility employing retired (many S.Os retire after 20 or 25 years), certified rangemaster, police officers/deputies that was inspected and sanctioned by the Sheriff’s office could provide 10, 20, 40, and 60 hr courses that would significantly improve legal knowledge, gun handling, marksmanship and safety skills without hitting the public purse. I know I’d pay for training at low-light interior shooting.
That is an excellent, private-sector based, solution, kel. No doubt pricey, but probably worth it if you have the misfortune of coming down to a choice between losing your life and ruining your life when you have to deploy your weapon.
I like the idea.
It saddens me that my local range, a “Public Safety Training Facility” won’t allow anything but closely prescribed conditions. Targets must not be silhouette; can only be round. No targets closer than 28 feet (if you accidentally select 25 feet the safety officer will quickly make you stop and adjust the target). No drawing from a holster. No low light conditions.
Wouldn’t everyone (except a bad guy) be a little safer if we could train in more realistic condition? What would the cops say if they had to train like that?
I’d be up for that, too. Even though I have some experience, albeit a couple of decades old, shooting in low light conditions, I could use a refresher course.
My fear though and you can call me a skeptic, is that a DFL sheriff would use those courses to profile, then take the guns of anyone that their “gut feel” tells them is a threat. A Bloomberg deciple would have a field day.
Tactical Handgun – June 25 & 26, 2016 – Princeton, MN – Open Enrollment
Tactical Carbine 2 Day Rifle course – Princeton, MN – May 7 & 8, 2016 – Open Enrollment http://www.thedefensiveedge.com/Tactical_Carbine_p/taccarbine.htm
Gander mountain has a simulator that goes for the rate of $20 / half hour. Better than nothing.
One correction; we are not “civilians”. We are citizens. Civilians exist in juxtaposition to soldiers, not peace officers. And I’m not quite sure I trust my government to do this–the same government that tacitly encourages peace officers to consider themselves soldiers and the rest of us “civilians.”
Thanks Emery, that’s a valuable link.
Although . . . $400 is a bit pricey. I get that it’s valuable training, but wow, I didn’t pay that much for my pistol. Or my carbine. Or for my pistol and carbine together (what can I say, I’m a cheap ba***rd, I shoot Hi Point).