When new concealed carry laws are passed, particularly with training requirements, one group that benefits are instructors. After all, if everyone has to take a class to get a permit, they get to make some money.

Yet in New York, it seems the rush job for the new law is causing problems for the trainers who are meant to implement parts of it.

James Emmick with firearms training of Western New York is figuring out how to get people certified for a pistol permit under the state’s new requirements. Those looking to get their permit now need to log and prove 16 hours of training, including two hours of range time.

“It puts a huge roadblock in front of most instructors, it really does,” Emmick said. “They’re saying 16 hours, which is 2 days. It’s already tough for a lot of people to give up three hours. To take a three to five hour class, that your county requires to give up 2 days is a lot.”

While that training requirement seems daunting to those applying, local firearms instructors are saying they’ll be overwhelmed as well, and it will create a big lag time in training availability.

“There’s a lot of stuff the state is mandating people teach that they’re not certified to teach and the majority of them are not prepared to teach. Many of them will go out on their own and become proficient in teaching this but what this is going to do is create a huge lag time in people being able to apply,” Emmick said.

He’s also concerned not all instructors will be qualified to instruct the course under the new requirements

Among the new requirements Emmick is concerned about are requirements that instructors teach suicide prevention, state law, federal law, and use of force law. These are all new requirements in New York, and at he noted, few have had an opportunity to become qualified to actually teach those.

He also noted that it’s likely to jack up the costs, which is probably going to happen. I mean, if someone is going to pay for my time, I’m going to charge a whole lot more for 16 hours than I will three to five hours. Even on a per-hour basis, that’s going to increase costs, but a 16-hour course also requires a lot more time away from family, which may lead to some instructors charging even more.

Yet no one knows what’s going on, and that’s a huge problem.

However, I don’t think that’s a bug in New York’s plan, but a feature. After all, every indication is that New York doesn’t want law-abiding citizens to be able to carry guns lawfully. Looking at the law, it’s virtually impossible to go anywhere if you have a permit, so it’s unsurprising they didn’t show any consideration for trying to make sure people could get the proper training.

So yeah, it’s a feature, not a bug; or so it seems, at any rate.

My condolences to the people of New York. I know a lot of folks are thinking that they didn’t vote for this kind of thing, and they didn’t. This is what happens when a large urban mass dominates state politics, unfortunately.