San Jac CHL

This was my second chl class in my lifetime. Wow… no longer the 10 hours of endless repetitive banter. Right to the laws, facts and I was especially impressed with Billy’s encouraging words of getting the woman of the house into the class. I’ve been shooting for years & have always felt the importance of it. Highly recommend this class to all. The only down side… wasn’t too impressed with the gun range. Felt more like a prison. No ventilation. The instructor, Billy, seems like a hard ass, but really very concerned for the well being of his class… actually made the range portion fun.

Signing up was easy and painless, chose to pay over phone and received a call the day before for payment.
Class was relaxed but focused, instructor was friendly and very knowledgeable. Not only did he cover the material needed to submit the CHL application but touched on other subjects that one would find very useful in any concealed carry situation.
Would recommend.

I took the class on 07/​12/​2014. Billy Simmons was very down to earth and informative instructor. I enjoyed the classroom teaching along with the environment and presence that was in the classroom that day. All I can say is there was no idiots on that day, just mature men and women. Great class would recommend to anyone!

The class advertises 4 – 6 hours but it was 8 hours. It would have been nice to know it was going to last until 3:30pm and no lunch break before hand to prepare some kind of lunch since there were no free snacks as advertised. Seems like pretty minor stuff but I was starving by the time class was over. Though the instructor was very knowledgeable, there were still some gray areas left out there in my opinion to what you can and can’t do if put in certain situations based on questions the class asked. I think my only complaint would have to be it was way to long considering the new laws changed to reduced hours.

No nonsense, common sense instructor. Recommend it. Larry Holley did a good job with the class!

The class was LONG. But it has to be because there is A LOT to cover. Getting your CHL is a privilege and it should be taken seriously. Larry didn’t seem like much of a morning person but he warmed up. And he too admitted he was grumpy. :) Wes was very friendly and easy to talk to. Prior to class, he kept us all updated with various emails about location changes, rescheduling, etc. We had to watch a lot of videos and some were actually entertaining. Of course the shooting portion was my favorite part of the course. :) You need to be familiar with your gun BEFORE you take the class. They aren’t going to hold your hand at the range. I learned that because I had a hard time loading my magazine in a timely manner. But I figured it out. I scored 209 out of 250. Not too shabby!
I agree with the previous reviewer. It was FREEZING in the meeting room at La Quinta!!! But that wasn’t San Jac CHL’s fault. You might want to bring snacks with you. We were there for over 10 hours total. And there wasn’t a vending machine for snacks. There was only a soda machine. We got to pick up something to eat on the way back from the shooting range but it was still morning-​time. So some of us had lunch at 10:30am. By 6:30pm, I was pretty much starved!
Overall, I would recommend this class. Like I said, it’s long and some of it is tedious. But it’s necessary if you want to carry a gun. I was impressed with how many women were in the class. I think everyone in my class passed. Yay!

Like Jeremy said above, the law parts are really boring but a necessary evil. Becoming a CHL holder is a big reponsibility and it’s important that the applicants are made aware of the legal ramifications of their actions. Larry’s not the most spirited speaker but very knowledgeable and friendly. Wes was bit more lively. The meeting room at the La Quinta on the Pasadena Fwy was a little chilly for me. The Pasadena Gun Center, built in an old movie theatre, is suitable. I wish the target holders hung a little higher so that the targets were actually at eye level, but that’s a minor range issue and has nothing to do with the class.
I live in Bear Creek and there are closer classes and ranges but wife bought me theirs as a deal on Living Social which was nice. I certainly recommend these guys.

I really would have rated them a 3.75, but couldn’t quite do a 4 since Unilocal using and «!» in the description portion of that. So keeping it real here on Unilocal.
Bought the online deal for myself and my fiancé along with 3 other friends and I was so glad I didn’t try to do this alone. Larry did a good job of bringing information that is less than exciting and I enjoyed the videos with the exception of the giraffe one (just a little racy even though some words were bleeped out)…still funny idea. The location was nice and clean, but it is true that you might want to bring your own snacks since the day can get a little long. I think that the class is a little longer than others since there is drive time to and from the range with the chance to stop and grab lunch on your way back and we did leave around 6, so we got the full 10 hours of class time without having to stay until 7pm. It also felt a little like we could have left before that if we had just gone a little bit faster toward the end.
They also had adjusted the way that you spend time at the range and it went very smooth for our groups. If you don’t know how to shoot… learn first and then take the course. It will be worth it to make sure that you score the best you can and not have to go repeat this portion at a later date. I rated the course a 3 since I would have preferred to have been able to walk through the process of getting my license. They did cover all the different resources on the website, but seeing a checklist might have been a little more helpful since I knew there were more things I was going to need and had to still do a little research when I got home.
Wes has offered himself as a resource after the class via email and phone (he prefers email though!) and I really appreciate his willingness to make sure we are as equipped as possible to deal with such a responsibility.
Glad we took the course!

Good class, Wes and Larry are great. Law is boring, that’s just the way it is… don’t expect to be entertained. You are taking this very serious class to become licensed to carry a deadly weapon. You aren’t there to be entertained.
Tips:
***Shoot a pistol BEFORE you go so you don’t hold up the whole shooting group at the range. This is NOT a How To Shoot or a How to Load, Clear, Hold, Stand Class!
***Bring yourself some snacks and a large container for coffee and water so you don’t have to keep getting up. (You may also want to bring a 5-​Hour Energy for the afternoon)
*** There is only one restroom accessible to the class and there will e a line during breaks. GO BEFORE THE OFFICIAL BREAK if you REALLY need to go.
***Bring a light jacket or sweater. If you sit next to the A/​C you will need it.
***Pay attention to Larry!

I found this class to be very informative and educational. However, some parts of the lecture can challenge your ability to pay full attention because of the technical legal jargon, but at least they have free coffee to help! The videos and other discussions of techniques and personal stories that were shared also made things more interesting.
The classroom is held at La Quinta and the shooting portion is done at Pasadena Gun Center. At first I thought having a class in a hotel was odd, but it turned out to be OK and a closer location for me. The gun center is just five or ten minutes away. If you don’t own a gun, you can rent one there for $ 10 but you have to purchase their own ammo at the range.
There were many shooters from beginners to experts and young to old. Some of the students never even shot a gun before but that wasn’t uncommon.
The price was right for me ($ 65 after LivingSocial Deal) and I feel like I learned what I needed to know.
TIPS:
— — — — — — — — — — — — — -
–Bring snacks. They have snack/​soda machines and give you time to buy food but ten hours of class is long!
–Take your time shooting. Although 2 – 3 seconds per round sounds like a little, its actually a decent amount of time. Don’t rush it.