I disagree. Some states (like here in PRHI), students are not able to handle firearms. Depending on who reviews your paperwork, if they somehow figure out that the only "firearms safety" class that you had was one in which you were shown a bunch of pictures of firearms and told how to store them etc., and not allowed to HANDLE any firearms, your permit may get denied. As a Certified NRA Instructor, I know of at least one specific case. A lady here in PRHI applied for her FL CCW License. The ONLY training she had was the State of Hawaii Hunter Education course. Someone in the state of FL actually called her to ask if she handled any firearms in the safety class. The lady answered honestly and was told that she will be receiving a letter in the mail in the next week or so. Upon receiving the letter, the lady contacted one of the instructors in her PRHI Hunter Safety class, who in turn contacted me to assist her. I read through the letter and found that other than some minor paperwork issues, the application was denied due to "Inadequate firearms training". One of the suggestions from the FL Dept. of Agriculture (the issuing agency) was to take a NRA Basic Pistol course. The lady took a class from me, I issued her an affidavit that she included with her application and resubmitted it to the FL Dept. of Agriculture. Three weeks later, her CCW License arrived in the mail.
When I applied for my FL CCW License, I applied in person and chatted with the Sheriff Deputy who took my fingerprints. When I mentioned that I lived in PRHI, his face turned blank. He asked if I had any "hands on" experience with handguns. I told him that I was in the military and had years of experience with a variety of firearms. He recommended that I submit as much relevant firearms training information as I could. With that advice, I included a copy of my military ID, affidavit from a Certified NRA Instructor and a copy of my Hawaii Hunter Education Card. Needless to say, I got my FL CCW License.
If you're unsure of what you need to do or what "counts" in satisfying the requirements, don't be afraid to call the issuing agency or contact somebody who processes the permit/license applications.
gf