By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
When California Senate Bill 2 takes effect Jan. 1, it will—as noted by the Sacramento Bee—double the amount of training required for first-time concealed carry permit applicants, and those renewing their permits, while an “emergency regulation” announced by the state Department of Justice, will dramatically reduce the number of available instructors.
Writing at the Los Angeles Daily News on Dec. 13, author Susan Shelley put it bluntly: “The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear: the people of the United States, even in California, have an individual right to keep and bear arms. The government of California simply refuses to accept that.”
The California Rifle & Pistol Association has been very vocal about the emergency regulation. In an announcement on its website, the organization stated, “These new proposed emergency regulations strictly limit which instructors can provide CCW training in a system that already has a heavy load of too many students and not enough classes. This move seems like a move to limit and slow the processing of CCWs in the state, which is problematic given that CCW applications have increased significantly since the Bruen decision. Under the emergency regulations, the only groups or individuals who can provide CCW training are:
“(1) Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, Department of Consumer Affairs, State of California-Firearm Training Instructor;
“(2) Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), State of California Firearms Instructor or Rangemaster; or
“(3) Authorization from a State of California accredited school to teach a firearm training course.”
This is considerably different from a list of organizations specified by California Penal Code Section 31635, subdivision (b) which are:
- Department of Consumer Affairs, State of California-Firearm Training Instructor.
- Director of Civilian Marksmanship, Instructor or Rangemaster.
- Federal Government, Certified Rangemaster or Firearm Instructor.
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Firearm Instructor Training Program or Rangemaster.
- United States Military, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as marksmanship or firearms instructor. Assignment as Range Officer or Safety Officer is not sufficient.
- National Rifle Association-Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement Instructor, Rangemaster, or Training Counselor.
- Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), State of California-Firearm Instructor or Rangemaster.
- Authorization from a State of California accredited school to teach a firearm training course.
According to a report at KTXL/Fox 40 News, the California State Sheriff’s Association is “pushing back.” The Sheriffs’ group issued a statement, quoted by KTXL: “A likely and obvious byproduct of reducing the number of trained and certified CCW instructors will be an increased difficulty in CCW applicants’ ability to access appropriate CCW training and certification…It can be argued that impeding access to sufficient numbers of adequate CCW instructors will jeopardize CCW applicants’ ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights lawfully.”
As noted by a report at Ammoland News, NRA-certified instructors have been providing firearms safety training for decades, and their courses have traditionally been accepted across the landscape.
After announcing the proposed emergency regulation, CalDOJ only allowed five days for public comment.
