Armed Ohioans required to be on target

Schools emerge after concealed-carry law

March 8, 2004
Dayton Daily News

VANDALIA | The students fire their guns repeatedly. Some put tight clusters of bullet holes on 9-inch paper plates mounted 7 yards away. Others scatter their shots; they often hit the cardboard behind the plates.

One older man can barely hit the plate. Nine out of 10 shots from his revolver fly elsewhere. His chances of earning his concealed-carry weapon training certificate, required to get his permit, appear to be nil.

"You're not going to make it," an instructor softly tells him.

Not everyone does, according to Dave Williams, a retired Dayton police lieutenant who opened Miami Valley Law Enforcement Training last year, and who is offering the CCW classes. Some people are rejected outright. Williams' staff has also thrown out at least one student for not following safety rules or instructors' orders.

"We removed him from the range," Williams said. "We are very selective about who we let in here. I am under no obligation to teach anyone."

Still, the demand is high, and the applicants keep coming. The enactment of concealed-carry Jan. 8 has brought about a unique business opportunity for about 5,300 people across Ohio, instructors certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy or the National Rifle Association.

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Under the law, CCW permit applicants must pass a background check and get a certificate of completion from an instructor, proving they attended a 12-hour CCW course, including two hours on a range. Aside from meeting a few legal requirements, the course matter is at the instructors' discretion.

It's unclear how many instructors will be teaching CCW to civilians. The instructors are not required to register with the state. Some may form businesses, but others could tutor individually.

OPOTA officials, who oversee training standards for all police academies in Ohio, say about 3,500 police officers are certified to teach firearms use.

Among civilians, about 1,800 instructors in Ohio are certified under NRA guidelines to teach a pistol class to others, said Jorge Amselle, NRA media relations coordinator.

"I think it's fertile ground," said James V. Canepa, chief deputy of the attorney general's criminal justice division. "There's a demand for the training."

At Williams' MVLET, more than 300 people have been trained and classes are booked through April, Williams said. The $300 class, which can be booked through the Olde English Gun Shoppe in Tipp City, covers 16 hours, four more than mandated by the law, Williams said.

Some students say they're concerned about crime. Others say they want the permit simply because it's available.

Williams said he believes most CCW permit holders will not carry guns frequently, but want the option.

Rose Alexander of Dayton, the lone woman among the more than 20 people in the class Thursday night, said her husband is very interested in self protection. He is in the class with her.

"I'm at home quite a bit by myself," she said.

Not an experienced shooter, she said she learned a lot during the four nights with MVLET. Especially important was the classwork on self-defense law, which she called a "rude awakening." Don't follow the laws, and you open yourself up to criminal and civil liability, instructors tell the class.

"It's a major responsibility carrying a gun and knowing when and how to use it," Alexander said.

Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, said she hoped that instructors were teaching when deadly force was appropriate, and when to call a police officer.

People have the right to defend themselves when they reasonably believe their lives are in danger, but a CCW permit doesn't allow them to intervene any time they see something suspicious, she said.

"Those judgments are not theirs to make," Hoover said. "You don't go intervening. You still back off and call law enforcement."

Canepa of the attorney general's office has another worry: that consumers will unwittingly turn to con artists for training. Anyone who takes a CCW course should ask to see the instructor's certifications, he said.

OPOTA will eventually have a verification system on its Web site, where potential customers can check if an instructor is certified through the agency, Canepa said.

Licensed instructors also can be found through the NRA Web site, Canepa said.

All certified NRA instructors have a card, including the certification number, and will use NRA textbooks and issue NRA certificates, Amselle said.

NRA instructors must take a basic five- to six-hour course, then can take advanced courses, such as pistol, a 15-hour class with a heavy emphasis on safety and shooting fundamentals, Amselle said.

To become certified, instructors must score at least 90 percent on a 50-question written test.

The training counselors, who evaluate potential instructors, watch for attitude problems, which the NRA takes seriously, Amselle said.

"They can be rejected at any time, just based on attitude," he said.

Instructor certifications also can be rescinded if the instructor doesn't follow NRA rules.

"They're pretty adamant about how the courses are taught," Amselle said.

At MVLET, which opened its Vandalia range last May, OPOTA- and NRA-certified instructors work together. The CCW course includes safe gun handling, firing the first shot and advanced shooting techniques. They also talk about when not to use the gun.

"We talk about conflict avoidance," said Williams, who was involved in two shootings during his time on the force. "The use of deadly force is always a last resort."

To get the certificate from Williams' MVLET, students must score 80 percent on both a written and range test, Williams said.

About a dozen suburban officers have started Simtrainer, a civilian and police training academy, said Jeff Pedro, one of the officers, who asked that his department not be identified.

Classes cost $150 for those who join the shooting range, which is being built in Moraine and should be open by April. Nonmembers will pay $250, Pedro said.

SimTrainer's 15-hour CCW class puts people in realistic simulation exercises, using Simunition cartridges, similar to paintball.

"We want people to understand the ramifications of bad decision making," Pedro said.

Only people who can demonstrate basic handling and proficiency can take the CCW class. Others will be steered to a basic eight-hour firearms class, Pedro said.

"It's our approach: Carrying a weapon concealed is a serious responsibility, and it's not something you're going to learn in two hours on the range," Pedro said.

They will conduct written and shooting tests, which Pedro said will not be a cakewalk.

"There will be a lot more people who fail my classes than will fail other classes," he said. "There's just not going to be a carte blanche rubber stamp."