Are these online Utah CCW courses legit?

[losangeles]

I always knew about the Stefani Defensive Firearms offering at:
http://www.getaccw.com

Then, in surfing the Net, I also found:
http://www.onlineccw.com/

I'm in the process now of getting my Utah CCW through more traditional means (live course by Utah Certified Instructor), but just out of curiousity I found these. Are they legit and are they worthwhile?

TIA. Thanks.

[EBWhite]

I took the stefani course online. Yes, it is legit. However, he doesnt have good communication skills, i had to wait an extra month for my ccw becuase he sent it late and i never got my certificate from the course that he promised. kind of pist me off. i called again and no call back...i don't recommend him now.

go with the other onlineccw.com

[losangeles]

I just received a leter from the Utah CCW dept, the gist of which was that online classes are not accepted to satisfy the "demonstrate familiarity with the gun" part. That has to be done in person.


OK, I looked a little more into the online course. They are requiring that you have some type of certification on gun handling as a pre-requisite for their online course. Seems to make sense.

[losangeles]

i had to wait an extra month for my ccw becuase he sent it late and i never got my certificate from the course that he promised. kind of pist me off. i called again and no call back...i don't recommend him now.


I don't blame you for being upset with them. Wow, one month? That defeats the whole purpose of taking a class online.

[Super_tactical]

Is it possible to get it without ever having to show up in person?? One of these posts makes it sound like you can't....

[EBWhite]

You can get around showing how to demostrate gun use by providing a California Handgun safety certificate.

[Jeff Rambo]

As EBWhite mentioned, if you have a CA HSC... which you should if you have purchased a handgun within the last several years, you can attach this to your form when you mail it in.

A few other methods that are acceptable to satisfy the demonstration portion:
DD-214, showing military service.
Handgun Training Course certificates.
Police Academy (POST) Certificates.
CCWs from other states that require demonstration.

But if you do not have anything to show you have ever safely handled a handgun, you must show up in person. But it is very easy to just go to your local gun shop and take the handgun safety certificate course and do a safe handling demonstration.

[catsupsam]

Stefani offers a live course at Gun Shows. Has anyone taken it or have any feedback regarding his gun show classes? He advertises it as a one-stop complete course.
http://www.stefanidefensivefirearms.com/ccw_training.asp

[Supernam]

Does CA approve of these courses?

[EBWhite]

No, california does not approve these courses, Utah does. California is a whole different issue

Stefani offers the at the show or online. It is the same course, watch it at the gun show for an hour or watch it online for an hour. your choice.
He does not have good communication skills and sent my stuff a month late to utah. He never even sent me my certification for the class. It really pisses my off and i am going to let him know that next gun show. Last time i spoke with him on the phone he was more worried about suing the post office who he blames for being hateful towards jewish customers.

I would say go with someone else.

[383green]

You can get around showing how to demostrate gun use by providing a California Handgun safety certificate.

I didn't look at the Stefani site based on the bad reviews, but I did follow the http://www.onlineccw.com/ link. They state that the only options for skipping the in-person demonstration are:


NRA Basic Pistol Certificate
NRA Instructor Certification
Sworn law-enforcement experience


Is acceptance of the CA HSC for a waiver of the in-person demonstration just a Stefani course thing?

Edit: I just used onlineccw.com's contact form to ask them about the HSC.

[MaxQ]

When I looked into this last year, a CA HSC did not satisfy Utah's safe handling requirement. Unless that's changed you have to show up in person at least to do that.

Stefani is hit or miss. I had no problems with him or his course at all. Registered online, viewed the videos online, then went to a local show and did the safe handling, prints, photos, etc. The advantage to doing his course online, is that you can sit at your pc and go thru each lesson as you have time. You don't have to sit at a gun show and watch a video for a couple of hours, while your brain wanders instead of you. Overall, it was fast, easy and I learned a few things, too.

I know someone else that that had to wait a few MONTHS before the Utah permit came because Stefani dropped the ball, and was hard to get a hold of. It finally worked out, but it took way too long. You decide.

[losangeles]

It's not difficult to do a course with live fire to demonstrate experience and safe handling. There are a lot of NRA certified instructors who offer these courses fairly regularly. The NRA First Steps Pistol is only a half day course anyway.

[Jicko]

A CA CCW is so much harder to get. Those courses DO NOT give you a CA CCW!!!

Does CA approve of these courses?

[383green]

I got a response from onlineccw.com indicating that Utah will not accept the CA HSC for a waiver of the in-person handling demonstration. :(

[losangeles]

I got a response from onlineccw.com indicating that Utah will not accept the CA HSC for a waiver of the in-person handling demonstration. :(

Find a NRA First Steps Pistol course. It's cheap and a quick Saturday morning to invest in.

[pbs911]

Find a NRA First Steps Pistol course. It's cheap and a quick Saturday morning to invest in.


You might as well take the Utah class room if you are going to take a class. I completed mine this past weekend with William Desy down in San Diego. The class is also good for the Florida CCW, and is included in the cost of the class for no additional cost.

FWIW, I have also received confirmation from both Florida and Utah that the CA DOJ Handgun Safety Course certificates ("cards") are not accepted for anything.

If you do take a NRA Safety Course, be sure they issue a certificate that states "NRA Certified Instructor." I've found that the NRA class is promoted when in reality all you end up receiving is the DOJ Handgun Saftey Card.

[losangeles]

You might as well take the Utah class room if you are going to take a class. I completed mine this past weekend with William Desy down in San Diego. The class is also good for the Florida CCW, and is included in the cost of the class for no additional cost.


Yup, you're right. I personally recommend William's Desy's class to anyone looking for a Utah CCW. It's a little over 3 hours instruction, and Bill is a great instructor with a sense of humor and great anecdotes. He instructs law enforcement and he has a lot of experience with firearms and defense in general.

The only thing is it may not be convenient for many people since he's in San Diego. Here's his website: http://www.ccwusa.com