Politics & Government
Bass Pro Shops Sued Over 'Worthless' Concealed Carry Class
Joliet man says the Bolingbrook store falsely advertised a course that ended up not meeting state requirements. The instructor is no longer permitted to teach concealed carry classes.
A Joliet man is suing Bass Pro Shops after the Bolingbrook sporting goods store allegedly advertised a concealed carry training course taught by a firearms instructor who has since been decertified.
John P. Ambrose accuses the store of falsely advertising a "worthless class" that did not meet the 16 hours of training required to obtain a concealed carry license in Illinois, according to the Southtown Star.
The suit comes after the Illinois State Police on April 1 announced that a Bolingbrook instructor was decertified for allegedly failing to train applicants properly.
Ambrose said he took a course offered by Bolingbrook-based Security Guard College and instructor James Andel, who at the time was certified to teach concealed carry training courses.
Ambrose said he took the class after seeing an ad for it at the Bass Pro Shops in Bolingbrook last October, the Southtown Star reported.
The Joliet resident claims that Andel told him the eight-hour class satisfied the state's concealed carry requirements because it included supplemental online education and time at a shooting range, according to the lawsuit.
Ambrose said he got a letter from state police on March 31 saying his application for a concealed carry permit was denied because he did not meet the required 16 hours of training. Click here to read the Southtown Star article.
Andel is one of 13 instructors who are no longer approved to teach concealed carry training courses. State police said the instructors were banned from teaching the classes amid complaints regarding instructors who were allegedly improperly training students and/or awarding certificates to students who had not completed the 16 hours of training.
A list of the revoked instructors is posted to the state's concealed carry website.
State police said 327 applicants will have their requests for a concealed carry license denied because they took Andel's course.
The applicants will have the opportunity to become re-trained without incurring another $150 application fee, and will be allowed to appeal the denial by submitting a written petition through the ISP’s administrative review process, police said last week.
The suit comes after the Illinois State Police on April 1 announced that a Bolingbrook instructor was decertified for allegedly failing to train applicants properly.
Ambrose said he took a course offered by Bolingbrook-based Security Guard College and instructor James Andel, who at the time was certified to teach concealed carry training courses.
Ambrose said he took the class after seeing an ad for it at the Bass Pro Shops in Bolingbrook last October, the Southtown Star reported.
The Joliet resident claims that Andel told him the eight-hour class satisfied the state's concealed carry requirements because it included supplemental online education and time at a shooting range, according to the lawsuit.
Ambrose said he got a letter from state police on March 31 saying his application for a concealed carry permit was denied because he did not meet the required 16 hours of training. Click here to read the Southtown Star article.
Andel is one of 13 instructors who are no longer approved to teach concealed carry training courses. State police said the instructors were banned from teaching the classes amid complaints regarding instructors who were allegedly improperly training students and/or awarding certificates to students who had not completed the 16 hours of training.
A list of the revoked instructors is posted to the state's concealed carry website.
State police said 327 applicants will have their requests for a concealed carry license denied because they took Andel's course.
The applicants will have the opportunity to become re-trained without incurring another $150 application fee, and will be allowed to appeal the denial by submitting a written petition through the ISP’s administrative review process, police said last week.
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