There have been threads about classes for novice shooters, women etc. I just finished a class for collegians, and the NDSU Newspaper came and observed/attended. In today's student newspaper (about 12000 attend the school) is the following article:
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Through the sights
Classes offer knowledge on gun safety, handling and technique
By Amy Oster
Editor in Chief
The young woman plants her feet shoulder-width apart, locks her arms and wrists in front of her body, and looks through the sights of the semi-automatic Glock handgun.
She steadily pulls the trigger, and a bullet explodes through the paper target 15 feet in front of her.
The woman is one of thousands of Americans interested in learning about gun safety, either for self-defense or simply for knowledge.
“ Guns are all over the country,” Paul Horvick, National Rifle Association Pistol and Permit to Carry instructor, said. “And I think anyone around guns should know how to safely use them.”
Horvick teaches classes, from beginning to advanced, at his lake home near Detroit Lakes, Minn. The courses draw a variety of people, from students who want experience with handguns before entering law enforcement to women who want to carry handguns for self-defense to others who simply enjoy the sport of target shooting.
Horvick begins each class with the three basic rules for safe gun handling: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction, always keep the finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
“ Guns are serious,” Horvick said at a recent beginning handgun class. “You don’t get a second chance if you fire inadvertently.”
During the class, students learned about ammunition, ear protection and styles of handguns. Horvick also showed a video of a DARE officer demonstrating handgun safety to a fourth-grade class. While demonstrating, the officer pulled the trigger of what he thought was an unloaded gun and shot himself in the foot.
“ It goes to show that even people who are pretty well trained can do stupid things when they try to show off,” Horvick said.
After nearly three hours of classroom work, students headed outside to practice with semi-automatic handguns and revolvers. While some seemed nervous at first, they became more comfortable after the first few shots fired at the paper target.
“ It was a lot of fun,” Daniel Garvens, an NDSU sophomore, said.
Garvens, a criminal justice major, took the class to get experience firing handguns.
“ When I go into law enforcement, I want to know what to expect,” he said. “I’m glad I (took the class).”
Many thousands of people take a beginning handgun class each year, according to the NRA. Additional requirements, which vary by state, are needed to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Horvick offers beginning and basic pistol classes, as well as personal protection and permit to carry classes for Minnesota and Utah. The courses range in time from three to 10 hours and vary in cost from $45 to $75. Criminal justice students receive a reduced rate.
“ (Guns) are not quite as simple as they look on TV,” Horvick said.
For more information on handgun safety, visit
www.ShootingSafely.com, or e-mail Horvick at
paul@shootingsafely.com.
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I must confess I was a little apprehensive about the paper coming as I was not all that comfortable about any agenda they may have had...but, they were eager to come (and I had invited them), and it was an absolute great time with super young adults and new shooters. None had shot a gun before.
