5 Months....
Back when I got mine about 15 years ago, you had to belong to a gun club and range ( be a member) and take a NRA certified 3 month course that included bookwork, tests, range time, field stripping, and timed shooting trials. Then came the fingerprinting, application, and a 60 day wait for pending approval, with the chance to go before a review board to prove need to carry. The instruction was clear, and laid out what to expect in case you should shoot someone, and I felt we left the course well prepared.
A friend of mine went to go sign up for a class 2 years ago, and the next day we went shopping for the Berretta he wanted. He got the pistol, we took it out onto the range, and he could barely keep it on the paper. Many did not even hit paper. Upon leaving, we ran into his future " Instructor" and the guy said " Hey, let me see one of your targets and I'll sign off on it"
He got certified the next day.
Personally, if I could do it all over again, I wouldnt change a thing (for me)