Sometimes I'm so damn UNDECIDED that it's downright embarrassing. This is one of those times.
On one hand, I'm a free man, 100% law abiding and I can't stand the idea of any governmental entity mucking up the free will of good people. (and tacking on their FEES and red tape, too) On that thought, I believe concealed carry should follow the Vermont and Alaska model. Not only no training, but no licensing either.
On the other hand, I've been to my share of gun shows and some public ranges, too. And while the "norm" is thoughtful, mature, and careful adults... it's not the entire picture of reality.
There's some real live morons out there handling firearms. YouTube will show you hundreds of them if you have an hour to waste watching them. And easy to find because each idiot video links directly to the next one.
It's not even that I fear one of these guys shooting his left testicle off and hitting me with a ricochet...
It's simply that the next Billybob (or NFL player) that puts a slug in to his thigh is going to get covered by every major and minor media outlet and spread the idea that you or I shouldn't be allowed to carry a Glock.
I know how the masses and the media work and I don't like it, so a little training is something I can handle no matter how much I distaste the idea of being forced into it. (my ccw class was so basic, I could have slept through it)
In my concealed carry course I didn't personally witness any handling that made me pucker, but MANY of the questions that were posed by the group made me GLAD that there was some training going on. And like many of us active here at TFL, I could likely have helped a WHOLE LOT of people in the class on the intricacies of shooting, handling, cleaning and choosing firearms.
The other "side benefit" of being in a training state is that a lot of good people are making a living spreading the knowledge of gun handling, even if citizens are forced to take and pay for that training. The net result is more training (basic although it is) and even ADVERTISING for training, which puts more and more "guns, handguns and firearms in the hands of normal people" out in to the face of society that may or may not realize that this is normal activity for good people and not tools for mayhem used only by bad guys.
That benefit can't be easily discounted!