February Classes and Notes
February Classes
While I'm working heavily on the Missouri version of "Everything You Need to Know About (Legally) Carrying a Handgun in Minnesota", I'm still doing classes. I think that keeping my hand in for that has been really very good for the writing, and for improving the presentation. I'm hoping we'll soon be able to get the updated presentation to and through AACFI so that the other instructors will be able to use it, too; I think that some of the things that we spend extra time and go into extra depth on in my classes would be of use to their students, as well.Most of the classes this month will be out at the Dan Patch American Legion in Savage—it's a nice place, and a very short drive to Burnsville Pistol Range for the shooting qualification. I'm hoping to make that my regular class location; it's awfully convenient, and the food there is particularly good, if you like plain food. (Me, I like all kinds of food.)
Yes, they do have a bar, but I've yet to have to remind anybody that alcohol and a carry class don't mix.
Please note that this month the intro portion of the Beginner-to-Carry Class is on a Thursday night, and that I've scheduled a Sunday class. Normally, I prefer to spend Sunday working on the books and spending time with my family, but I've had two Orthodox Jewish students who want to take the class, and obviously can't do it on a Saturday, or a Friday night.
Yet Another Teapot Tempest
There's been a little local tempest-in-a-teapot about carry permit badges. You can see a sample of one right here.There's nothing illegal about wearing the sort of badge, unless you're pretending to be a police officer or something like that, but it's still a bad idea. I can think of one very unlikely hypothetical situation where it might actually be useful, and a whole lot of others where it can get you into trouble. Somebody—a cop or a civilian—might get the idea that you're a impersonating a police officer, and that obviously could be very bad. Less serious, but still bad, is giving anybody the idea that you are a cop "wannabe" — whether or not you are. The MCPPA is still a new thing, and some police officers—and quite a few uninformed citizens — are still new to the idea. Particularly during these early years, it's important that permit holders not only act responsibly, but the seem to be acting responsibly. Wearing cop paraphernalia doesn't do that.
No, it's not that big a deal. And, of course, the antis are going to make a huge fuss about something, no matter what we actually do. They kind of have to.
But there's no point in giving them any, you should pardon the expression, ammunition. And, alas, that's just what happened. Somebody down at Bill's Gun Range—my least favorite place to shoot, locally—apparently had one on his belt of the other day, while practicing. Not a big deal, but apparently one of the antis was there, looking for dirt to dig up on permit holders, and sent a typical hysterical letter to Rebecca Thoman, the local physician specializing in the sexual dysfunction of women, who runs the local anti site. See this.
Yes, Rebecca, impersonating a police officer is a crime. Wearing a badge that doesn't say that one is a police officer isn't a crime—security guards, who carry on the same permits the rest of us do, do that every day that they go to work—even though it's not a particularly good thing to be doing unless you are a security guard.
Hope this clears up for you.
Wouldn't bet the farm, though. Even though I don't actually have a farm.