Wholly Online Firearms Training Insufficient for Concealed-Carry Permits in Colorado

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Last month, Colorado passed a law that made it mandatory for those seeking concealed-carry permits for firearms to prove in person to a firearms instructor that they can safely handle a gun. Democratic Rep. Jenise May, who sponsored the bill with Democratic Sen. Lois Tochtrop, told the media that one of her staffers found a firearms training course online and got her concealed-carry training certificate in less than an hour.

Sen. Lois Tochtrop said that the law related to concealed-carry permits was outdated and lawmakers who passed the law 10 years ago could not have foreseen fully online firearms training courses. She said, “There was no thought of anyone going and sitting in front of a computer and doing the whole course online” in 2003.

However, the bill was questioned by Republican Sen. Greg Brophy who asked, “We allow people to obtain full, four-year college degrees online. Why wouldn’t you be allowed to obtain the training for a concealed carry weapons permit completely online?”

  

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Colorado county sheriffs supported the bill even though opposing some other restrictions on firearms. County sheriffs are the final authority in Colorado for issuing concealed-carry permits. Chris Olson, the executive director of the County Sheriffs of Colorado said that sheriffs were concerned that online training may be insufficient for ingraining proper safety procedures.

The new law in Colorado does not ban online training on firearm safety, and allows most of it to be done online, but like a driving test the new law requires the applicant to show an instructor in person that he or she actually knows how to handle a gun and follows proper safety procedures.