In my ongoing consideration of the rise of the civilian gun training industry, my last two posts considered the possibility of the professionalization – or at least the semi-professionalism – of firearms instructors as an occupational group.
As the path of professionalization seems unlikely, at least in the short run, other ways of regulating or organizing the industry can be explored. Here I consider occupational licensing.
According to labor economist Morris Kleiner, “Occupational licensing is defined as a process where entry into an occupation requires the permission of the government, and the state requires some demonstration of a minimum degree of competency” (p. 191).
Universally licensed occupations include dentists, lawyers, barbers, and cosmetologists. “To work in these occupations,” Kleiner notes, “all persons must have a license” (p. 194). [1]
Figure from https://curiousleftist.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/economic-equality-vs-efficiency/
Over the same time that unionization has declined in the United States, occupational licensing has increased. In…
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