REALteach4u said:
You can bet that States will quickly recognize that there are a bunch of untrained people running around with firearms "thinking" they know what they're doing and that they know the law, which truly won't be the case. For every one of us that makes an effort to self-educate, there are dozens that refuse to do so. This is where mandatory training steps in and all it takes is someone involved in a horrific shooting "thinking" they were justified in their actions without any formal training.
Show us the multitude of injuries, accidents, wrongful shootings, etc. (that could have been prevented by training) which have occurred in the dozen cc-permit-with-only-a-background-check states, or the Constitutional Carry states, or the states in which the gov't doesn't interfere w/ OC?
I was at one of the public speaking opportunities about one of the WI cc bills, and was astounded to hear the NRA rep speak
against mandatory training. :shocker:
He pointed out that (in states w/ mandatory training) it has not reduced accidents, injuries, wrongful shootings, etc., and imposes a disproportionate burden on poorer people, who are more likely to live in more violent areas, & so need protection more.
If the State made mandatory training (& the permit itself) free, that'd be less bad.
In fact (& this is my thinking, not him speaking to the legislators) when the State sets a minimum standard, often that's what people take as "this is all the training I need".
I'm not against training, not by a long shot.
Training is good & more training is better.
I recently became an NRA certified pistol instructor.
But I firmly believe that gov't-mandated just-about-anything is bad. (I see the benefit from certain public health policies like water treatment & immunization, & agree that maintaining social order such as uniform traffic laws is good.)
If someone doesn't get training to drive a car (and in most places, once you're an adult you don't have to take driver's ed to get a license), doesn't learn the rules of the road, & does something illegal (including harming someone else), s/he will face the reasonably foreseeable consequences of being involved w/ the "justice system".
Same applies to firearms.
Same applies to speaking/writing.