Re: Houston Chronicle article on CHL delays
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:19 pm
The reporter, Janet Elliott, who wrote the article in May about the DPS backlog, did sort of a follow-up piece yesterday that you may find interesting. Here's an excerpt:
July 12, 2008, 9:57PM
Learning to conceal and carry
Reporter takes up offer to attend licensing course
By JANET ELLIOTT
BLANCO — For wannabe pistol packers, we were a pretty mellow bunch.
A middle-aged schoolteacher and her husband; the owner of an excavating company; two college buddies; a couple who both served in the Air Force and now work for the state; a retired correctional officer who helped set up the prison museum in Huntsville and his grown son; a 23-year-old volunteer paramedic and his parents.
And me, a newspaper reporter who has covered enough gun-induced mayhem in three decades to have serious concerns about the prominence of the weapons in American life.
Mike Cox, a certified concealed handgun license instructor from Driftwood, had invited me to attend one of his classes after reading my coverage of the increased demand for the licenses.
"You'll be surprised at the emphasis on non-violent conflict resolution," he promised... [Description of the classroom instruction followed.]
Having the option
After taking a written test, we drove to a nearby ranch and set up targets. We would have to hit the figure of a man's torso with 50 rounds of ammunition fired from distances ranging from three to 15 feet.
My hands gripped the semiautomatic 9mm pistol and trembled as I lined up the sights and waited for the signal to begin firing. The gun kicked, but I aimed again and kept firing.
However, my borrowed weapon soon jammed, and I wondered what would happen if I was really trying to defend myself.
Art and Lisa Railsback, the military veterans, said later that they would like to see the training increased so attendees can be taught more about the weapons.
The Kyle couple don't hunt or shoot guns often. But they want the option to carry concealed weapons on occasion for their personal safety.
Although I don't plan to apply for a license, I'm glad that nearly 300,000 Texans have cared enough to get theirs. The people in the course were not the gun carriers we fear.
