Charles L. Cotton wrote:I have mixed feelings about this Bill. I applaud any reasonable effort to reduce the burden on citizens wanting to get a license to carry, but we have to watch out for unintended consequences. I share the concerns expressed by jmorris in his post. I have taken many online courses to meet my continuing legal education requirements, but none require a test. Neither do they cover subjects so critical to my safety and liberty that I want/need to opportunity to ask questions. The LTC class is arguably the most important safety/liberty class one can take, so a knowledgeable live instructor is critical, at least in my view.
I'm also very concerned about the criteria for being approved to provide online courses. LTC instructors are shut out and companies like Sylvan Learning Center will have the entire market. The benefits of a knowledgeable live instructor would also help to ensure better online courses, if they/we were allowed to offer courses. We know the types of questions we typically receive and we are in a better position to cover the less clear issues in an online course. As for testing, no one can ensure an honest test given online -- no one.
The overall cost to applicants using online courses is quite likely to be higher than a live course, when you consider the cost of the course, plus the fee to an instructor to provide the range qualification certificate. Most instructors will reduce their fees only slightly, especially when they have to pay a line fee to a range.
If online instruction were to be implemented, then the DPS should do it and there should be no fee. The written test could be administered by LTC instructors when the student comes to them for the range qualification.
Chas.
Or even have the DPS administer the test, at a DPS office,like they do for DL. That way there is no chance, that a less than scrupulous LTC holder, or instructor doesn't "take" the test for them. But, I agree that face to face instruction, with the ability to ask questions, is a much more effective way to ensure that the information, is actually "learned" and not just read. JMHO