Tired, but happy

I took the minimum required courses for a CCW in Colorado, then decided to move to Texas so I never applied for the paperwork.

Texas has much more stringent requirements, including an actual test that questions an applicant's knowledge of the law (after instruction) and shooting proficiency.


Readers of this blog will not be surprised that I aced the shooting portion. It was less demanding than the "qualifier" I shot in the spring. I hadn't fired a shot since the last time I shot IDPA and still managed to score 250 out of 250. I'm not Mr. Accuracy. I'm just Mr. Persistent. As Franklin observed, he believed in luck, but noted that the harder he worked the luckier he became.

Written test I didn't ace. I plead guilty. Yes, I had been awake more then 24 hours, had put in 12+ hours of work and fought to stay awake during the class. I still flubbed two out of fifty questions. I passed. I should have made this one be 100%, too.

It was NOT my instructor's fault. I admit that I didn't know what to expect from my Texas CHL instructor but Larry Arnold was as sincere, as dedicated to train and as effective as if I had sat in a class of 10. Perhaps more since I couldn't hide in back in a class of 1.

Texas is not just interested in making sure a CHL holder doesn't shoot his own foot. In this they surpass the Colorado requirements. They want to make sure you understand the responsibility of packing that gat. Larry Arnold wasn't running a scare show. He was trying his level best to prepare someone for assuming grave responsibility.

I hope to finish up the paper work and submit this week.