I believe that no such class should be required, but I am open to firearms training in school. Most self-proclaimed "pro-gun" people who believe in training that might be willing to fall over to the "mandatory" training before carrying category rather than trust their neighbors will see the logic in this approach. The true anti-gun morons however will hate this idea, because they would rather children be kept in the dark about guns rather than educate... a policy which will cause gun accidents when guns are found by people who never seen them, rather than prevent them. Gun accidents among the youth aren't typically the result of supervised training in gun use, but rather a result of kids who have been shielded from the "evils" of guns and thus the first time they find one they treat it without respect and do not know if it is real.
This makes more sense than current training also, as it would be training that anyone could receive. Do people who suggest we ought to have permits to carry think that the gangbangers are taking a training course to carry? They probably aren't. And gangbangers are primarily shooting at each other, so really it is even in our best interest that they are able to shoot properly so that bystanders are not hit.
Wait a minute, am I accepting gun control? No... just education. No checks prior to buying, no card required to carry... I'm just saying that if they incorporated marksmanship into the school curriculum, I don't see a problem with that. Heck, I was on the rifle team when I was in school, but it was optional. I'm not even saying that this should necessarily be the case, as I think it is probably best taught by parents rather than government, and government schools often give substandard education all around... I'm only saying that I would be open to this option, and that perhaps it is a good alternative to propose for those people who insist that gun owners must have training, which would potentially allow the sincere ones to be satisfied while at the same time preventing turning a right into a privilege.
And there is time in school for more content... Much time is wasted doing busy work and crossword puzzles while teachers are surfing the web... at least, that was the case when I was in school.
Yes, some people never graduate from school and thus could get guns without training, but already, criminals do not obey the laws and I would say proponents of mandatory permits would be hard pressed to prove that mandatory permits will result in more training than education for all.
Children are taught to write in school so they can express themselves better, so it is okay with me if they are taught to shoot in school so that they can defend self and nation better as well.
When they vote "No," they are an 'anti.' Until that point, they are 'on the fence,' and open to discussion. It appears his 'fence' isn't about firearms, but about liberty and control. Address those issues, and he may very well be 'pro.' But, unless he denies OC on his property, writing him off the 'friendly list' is most likely to simply make his decision for him, as opposed to keeping discussion open with him.
Label him an 'anti,' and you have created one.
Unfortunately, it seems that a large percentage of even gun owners are not on-board with the idea of a right to carry. I tend to think that we should not let the personal opinions of the owner of a shop sway whether we go there so long as he is not rude, only what his actual policies are. I open carry at coffee shops, yet if I asked each owner if they would support requiring a permit to carry, many might support such a permit even though they are okay with letting people without the permit carry in their store. They ought to be rewarded for allowing carry regardless of how they actually feel about carry, because they are welcoming us. If they get used to seeing gun people around, they may realize that their fears about guns were unfounded.
Say there is a gun shop owner who is a real nice guy that runs a shop but doesn't believe in the right to carry, but accepts you carrying in the shop. He is minding his business behind the counter, and you confront him and say, "Buddy, do you support permit fee carry?" and he says, "Gee, I don't know about that... I think requiring a permit saves lives." If you then leave him without discussion, and pursue another shop, what will that accomplish exactly? His policies in his store should affect his bottom line. If he stops me from carrying in his store, he does not get my business. But being open about his opinion should not be a reason to blacklist him. Then, what you are basically saying is that you are leaving because he did not keep his opinion to himself when you confronted him and asked him what his opinion was. If he loses his business because you left him, he will still vote the same way probably, because he probably still will not be swayed as it probably won't help him come to your conclusion, it will only teach him a lesson not to be open with his opinions. And it is easier to sway the opinions of men who are open with them and their reasons than it is to sway men who keep them bottled up to themselves.
This is all assuming of course, that you came up to him and asked him his opinion and he told you. If he was a jerk and decided, unprompted, to tell me open carry was stupid, when I was in his store, I'd probably leave on the basis of him being a jerk. If I found out that he was actually putting his weight, (perhaps testimony and funds,) behind a gun control initiative, I similarly would go elsewhere because I would not want to add to his weight. But I would not vilify him just because of a response to a question that I asked him.
The unfortunate thing about gun shop owners is that they are often proponents of gun control who DO put their weight behind measures. They support gun control often because they wouldn't be in business without it. (Without gun control, there would be no transfers, and most would probably buy guns online directly to their door rather than going to a shop.) Also, many are trainers themselves, and profit directly from the requirement that people take training courses. I find these people, who put money in front of our rights, to be despicable. Of course, I'm not saying all shop owners and trainers are, only the ones who support gun control in the name of continuing their business.
Just some thoughts.
