Two more journalists provide positive CHL class coverage

Another two Ohio journalists have written articles providing positive coverage of concealed handgun license (CHL) classes, and for those who recall the name Matt Westerhold, the newspaper in which one of the two articles appears will come as quite a surprise.

There was some good information provided in the following Sandusky Register article...and NO mention of Register editor Matt Westerhold's declaration of war on gun owner privacy last year.

Sandusky Register: Firearms safety course aims to educate

Guns are evil.

That's the myth Don Cole has been trying to dispel, one student at a time.

Instead, it's the person behind the weapon that matters, Cole said.

"That's what I'm trying to get people to understand," he said. "This is not the deadly item everybody thinks it is."

A certified gunsmith and firearms instructor, Cole has been in business in Sandusky since 1984.

"Firearms themselves don't hurt anybody," he said. "It takes someone to pick it up and use it."

Cole teaches a Conceal Carry Weapon class, which is required to obtain a CCW license.

..."I'm here to teach you how to be safe. I'm not here to force this lifestyle on anyone," Cole said. "If you choose to get a Conceal Carry Weapon license, that's up to you."

Throughout the class Cole not only addresses how to use a firearm, but a variety of safety issues that come along with that responsibility. The course consists of 10 hours of in-house training and two hours at a shooting range. Cole goes over how to fire a gun, the different types of guns, proper handling and transportation.

The reasons why someone may want a conceal carry license are not limited to personal protection. They also include hunting, competitive and recreational shooting and collecting.

...During the course Cole tries to have a lawyer and a police officer speak to participants about the legal ramifications they may encounter when carrying a firearm.

Stu Lippe, a lawyer who practices in Cleveland, advises participants of their rights when carrying a gun and also what the law says about firearms.

"The criminals don't go to the store and register and buy a gun legally," Lippe said. "Nobody's going to go through the permit class and go out there and shoot up everybody."

Cincinnati Enquirer writer Peter Bronson has long been known for his strong pro-gun commentaries, and has not let readers down with this, his latest effort:

Cincinnati Enquirer: Concealed-carry course graduates are armed but not dangerous

The course is excellent. We start by naming the parts of a cartridge, a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol, then move on to 25 true-false questions on dozens of topics. "Being armed is a tremendous responsibility," it says. True.

And while police cadets open fire at the indoor range across the hall, making muffled bangs like someone pounding a file cabinet with a ball bat, [the instructor] targets safety, safety and more safety.

He tells true stories of stupid gun tricks by trained lawmen who shot the carpet in their office, or put a 9mm round into their neighbor's car - through their own house and the garage next door. [He] has our attention. During the state-mandated 12 hours of instruction, all 17 students are riveted.

...Sunday morning we go to the range. I start out jumpy, but get the hang of it and pass all the tests, hitting paper outlines of bad guys from five, 10, 15 and 20 feet.

Safety is drilled in as loud and clear as that booming 1911 Colt, which barks with deep authority, even through ear protection.

Everyone passes. Nobody gets hurt. From what I can tell, legal concealed carry is nothing like the anti-gun crowd made it sound when Kentucky and Ohio passed laws in 1999 and 2004. There are no cowboys. No wild shootouts. No blood in the gutters, as gun-banners predicted. Just law-abiding adults who want to exercise their Second Amendment right to self-defense.

...If every gun owner took a class like this, we'd all be safer. But meth-heads, crack junkies and street muggers don't take classes. They don't get permits or certificates like the one Lengle gave me Sunday. They just grab a "nine" and use it against defenseless victims.

Each month another concealed-carry class graduates from Scarlet Oaks. And the bad guys are a little less sure their next victim is defenseless.

Related Stories:
AP reporter takes Ohio-CHL class; not yet sure she'll carry

Another newswriter takes CHL training; comes away impressed

Blade reporter takes CHL class: impressed with thoroughness

DDN Reporter takes CHL class; biggest lesson SAFETY

INSTRUCTOR DOES IT RIGHT: Fails undercover reporter in CHL class