Handgun Carry Class

I have been asked by multiple people in the last few months exactly what it takes to get a Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit. Here is a link to the Tennessee Department of Safety requirements.

Most of the questions I get involve the training course. It is an all-day event (8 hours). It is split into two large sections - Classroom and Range (four hours each).

The Classroom section involves instruction in the following areas:
- Deadly force and criminal law.
- Deadly force and civil law.
- Where you can & cannot carry a handgun.
- When you can & cannot use your handgun in self defense.

There is a written exam at the end of the classroom portion. After having just covered the information, it seemed about as hard as a drivers license exam. It is geared toward the person who has minimal, if any experience with firearms.

The range section involves qualifying. To do so, one must place 33 out of 50 total shots on a life-sized target (silhouette of an averaged-sized man).
- Anywhere on the target counts.
- A shot that even touches the target counts in most places. Few people actually "nick" the target with such a grazing shot. Most either hit fairly well, or not at all.
- 18 shots are taken from a distance of 10 feet.
- 18 shots are taken from a distance of 20 feet.
- 12 shots are taken from a distance of 45 feet.
- 2 more shots are worked in at any of the above distances.

Note that at least 36 shots are taken at 20 feet or less, and only 33 hits are needed to pass. According to FBI data, most (96%) of self defense uses of a firearm are from 21 feet or less.

I saw several people in my class who had never shot before score a perfect 50/50 shots on the target. I saw one man who "knew what he was doing" fail to qualify and had to re-do that part. There was a man next to me who had just been honorably discharged from the Marines who shot everything right in the middle - it was one big hole.

I shot all in the middle, then I got bored. I shot smiley faces at 45 feet... twice (once left-handed). I started shooting at specific numbers on the target, and hitting them. I switched hands, and shot with both hands in a proper position. It was fun.