Walt Sherrill
Member
Doug M. said:
It would surprise me! I doubt that more than a few NCHP Troopers were shooting their .357SIG pistols that much. A few of the cadre at the main NCHP training school might have been shooting at that level, but I don't think it was (or is) a widespread practice. The NCHP budget when they were having the M&P problems didn't allow THAT much shooting, then, and it hasn't improved much since then.
Such high-round-count shooting is made more difficult by the fact that most Patrol units -- which are spread all over the state -- don't have easy access to ranges that would allow a lot of practice time. Some ammo was provided for practice use, but not a lot. (And I think the practice ammo and the carry ammo were slightly different.)
Most trooper firing is done during periodic qualification sessions, which takes about 90+/- rounds, and that is done a couple of times a year. If troopers have personal backup weapons (for off-duty carry), they have to qualify with those weapons, using their own ammo (which may not be .357SIG.) Troopers with ARs or Shotguns are required to qualify with those weapons too, but are not given a lot of practice ammo during that tight budget period -- and places where you can practice with those weapons are few and far between.
(Salaries for all state employees were cut by 10% during that terrible financial/fiscal period, too, and they're just now starting to raise salaries again... But they're not close to playing catch-up, yet, and many Troopers who were hired with a promised salary increase schedule are many thousands of $s behind what was promised. Money was tight... still is, but improving.)
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