On Saturday February 4, 2017, I had the pleasure of taking the Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) class with my dad. The course was taught by NOLATAC instructor Kenneth "Kenny" Fernandez inside of the St. Bernard Indoor Shooting Center. This nearly 10 hour class (including the shooting course) fulfills the mandatory requirement of 9 hours of classroom instruction necessary for a lawful citizen to apply for a CHP. This is a long day and I recommend that students bring their lunch, as we only had 30 minutes to eat lunch, as well as 2 separate 5 minute restroom breaks. This may sound extreme to some, but it was the goal of NOLATAC to provide a course that could be completed in a single day, rather than having a 2-day course. The classroom is set up with tables and has room for approximately 20 students. Thankfully, the chairs are extremely comfortable and there is a lot of legroom between rows. The classroom also features a Keurig coffee machine with at least a dozen varieties of coffees, as well as snacks, water and sodas. Kenny Fernandez is an excellent instructor. By law, he is required to cover a lot of topics. Louisiana Revised Statute was covered in depth through a series of lectures and videos, with emphasis on "Use of force or violence in defense", "Justifiable homicide", "Illegal Carrying of weapons" and "Statewide permits for concealed handguns; application procedures". Discussing law can often be mundane, but Kenny's approach includes a lot of relevant videos, slideshows and scenarios. To get his students thinking, a lot of "what would you do if" scenarios were presented and discussed. From the onset of his presentation and throughout the day, the importance of safety being paramount was drilled into our heads. Our particular class had a good representation of demographics to include both sexes, multiple ethnicities and ages ranging from mid-20s to mid-70s. Kudos to Kenny for being able to keep all of us engaged and keep us all moving forward through the class until it was actually time to shoot. Topics were covered in a way that even if a student had never touched a firearm, he or she would have a solid foundation by the end of the day. Some of the basics taught were firearm nomenclature, the 4 components of a pistol cartridge and the 3 causes of ammunition malfunctions. The essential 6 fundamentals of shooting (listed below) were explained in great detail, with significant emphasis on sight alignment and follow through. 1. Grip 2. Position (stance) 3. Breath control 4. Sight alignment/sight picture 5. Trigger press 6. Follow through We were taught that as CHP holders, "lethal force should be our last resort and we should exercise confrontational avoidance whenever possible; and our ultimate goal is to avoid a confrontation by not presenting ourselves as a target". Kenny was realistic in that he advised us that sometimes, good people are placed in situations where they may have to use lethal force to protect ourselves or the life of another. But he emphasized that "We do not make the decision to shoot someone. He/she makes the decision to get shot". Furthermore, we were taught that we shoot to stop the threat and we shoot until the threat stops. We received a lot of handouts at the beginning of the class to include: 1. United Stated Concealed Carry Association 2. Louisiana Open Carry Awareness League 3. The Louisiana Shooting Association 4. National Crime Prevention Council 5. National Rifle Association 6. Armed Citizen Educational Foundation 7. Pocket Constitution (my favorite) The actual shooting portion of the class took place at the very end of the day after all the academics were complete. The shooting portion, in my opinion as a somewhat experienced shooter, was not challenging. However, it served a valuable purpose for the newer shooter and met the requirements for a CHP. The course was a 36 round course with 12 rounds being fired at a black silhouette target from 6 feet, 10 feet and 15 feet. There was also a mandatory magazine change (for semi-automatic firearms) after each 6 rounds. Kenny was able to get us through the range portion of the class quickly and safely by utilizing some of the St. Bernard Indoor Shooting Center firearms instructors. I thoroughly enjoyed this class and I highly recommend using NOLATAC if you ever consider taking a CHP class. And if you do, I'd find out when Kenny Fernandez is teaching and try to get in his class. read more

I have attended the chp class on numerous occasions just for refresher knowledge in regards to the laws. For those that want to claim false facts in regards to the class or the instructors and say it's a racist class that would be a flat out lie and false. At the beginning of the class it is even states that the class will cover issues which have happened in the past and may be controversial, but only 100% of the truth in regards to the legal outcomes will be put out. There has never been any personal feeling or thoughts injected into the classes at anytime and it's always a great thing to hear people ask questions in regards to all situations and matter that is displayed during the course. Again the has never been any bias given in regards to anyone's race, color or sex during the class or in any of the items covered during the class. In fact if anyone is evening extra knowledge or guidance in regards to there chp permit the owner as well as the instructors are always available via email or even to the side during the class on breaks to assist. Great class and it's obvious due to the amount of other chp instructors within the state who have come and sat in the class as well as sought out additional knowledge for their personal classes. Even if you don't intend on getting your chp I highly recommend atleast at a minimum attend the course for the knowledge it provides read more

If you want to get your CHP, or have been merely thinking about getting your Louisiana CHP, you need to take the course here, taught by Brannon LeBouef. Why? Because he does a great job teaching the basics you need to know in order to apply for your permit - and you will walk away more prepared for the responsibilities that concealed carry entails. The class was taught at the St. Bernard Indoor Shooting Center, which is a gun store and shooting range. Brannon operates this business and teaches CHP classes in a classroom in the same building under the auspices of NOLATAC. So what should you expect? Get there early. You want to be able to pick a good seat. The classroom has a number of tables and comfortable chairs, and they provided snacks, soft drinks, water, and coffee. The class lasts all day - approximately 9 hours - so be prepared. Also provided was a packet of literature, a free range pass, a pen, and a legal pad (for note-taking). Brannon's instruction was engaging. The course of instruction consists of lecturing (the majority) as well as a number of illustrative videos and a bit of demonstration to show things such as the types of handguns and their function as well as things such as cleaning your firearm, how to hold your handgun, and how to line up your sights. (Basic essentials.) The lecture and video instruction covers the Louisiana state requirements and then some. You will (hopefully) have a sober attitude about what can happen (good or bad!) if you take the responsibility to carry a firearm on yourself. His real-life experience backs up what he talks about. You will see actual videos of crimes - some of which involve a citizen who carried and some that didn't end so well. (Most likely, you will become more sure of your choice to start carrying.) Various laws are covered at length, as well as some "what if" scenarios. It was not at all "boring", by the way. It WAS interesting and thought-provoking however. At the end of the classroom instruction, you will be able to take the shooting portion of the requirements in the range, right there on the premises. (If you do not own a firearm, you may rent one - and buy ammo - there. Otherwise you may bring and use your own.) Brannon gave a lot of good advice and I enjoyed his style of teaching. I plan on going back to the shooting center for some other special courses that will be offered as well. I recommend NOLATAC's CHP course because it was thorough and convenient for me. If you are unsure of what to do or what you need, they take care of all the details and explain what you need to do. read more

Absolutely the best place to go for a concealed carry course. I have been through 3 other classes and Brannon really gave out the most information. The class actually went long...and we were glad that it did. I highly recommend NOLATAC for training. read more

Just did the ccp class, very informative and the instructor kept it interesting .l highly recommended it. The range is nice and the staff is very helpful .lots of cool stuff in the store. read more