OCShooters.com/blog

    In 2014 the Orange County Sheriff’s Department started offering a three hour “safety course” of their own design and the Undersheriff is now in charge of deciding who else is allowed to be instructors. The Sheriff department’s “approved instructors” are allowed to give a class but they must use the PowerPoint lesson plan that the Sheriff’s department created without any changes and they must issue a Sheriff’s department approves “Safety Class” certificate. THIS IS NOT AN NRA CLASS.
After January 1, 2015 all safety classes given for pistol applications in Orange County must comply with all of the new requirements that the Undersheriff has created.  Only approved Orange County Sheriff’s Department “Safety Class” certificates will be accepted when applying for a pistol license in Orange County.
Because I object to the new system and how it was implemented and submitted a 6 page letter outlining my concerns to the Safety Committee of the Orange County Legislature, the Undersheriff has decided that I am not a team player and will not be allowed to be an “approved instructor” so I will no longer be able to offer the class that I used to offer.
I contend that the Sheriff’s Department has no legal or moral authority to take over the list or even require a safety class for any pistol license applicant to be issued a handgun license.  The class that the Sheriff’s Department will not be accepted in any state that I know of, to meet the requirement of a safety class as part of getting an out of state license.  Normally only an NRA class or a class given by an instructor approved by that state are accepted to meet that state’s requirements so if you want to get a Florida license you will have to take an NRA class.
I will post links to the letter that I sent to the Safety Committee of the Orange County Legislature and minuets from the Committee meeting when they become available.
The Undersheriff has been very heavy handed in this.  When he had the original meeting with some of the Board Members of the Orange County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and myself, he told us what he would do and when he would do it.  At a second meeting at the Sheriff’s Department he did agree that he would not regulate how much we could charge and people who lived in Ulster and Sullivan county could apply to be approved instructors in Orange County.  The Undersheriff has never published all of the rules and regulations even to the instructors who took his required class.

I will still offer NRA Pistol classes to people or groups who have a pistol license and want or need the NRA class.  Please email to set up a class or for more information.