Uncertainties draw more people to firearms training

Alan and Linda Laird can almost predict the answers.
The certified firearms instructors ask students why they decided to take training in the proper use of a gun.
Invariably, most responses range from fear of being a crime victim to concern about government limitations on gun rights.
The Lairds have felt the same anxieties.
That’s why they offer a monthly class that explores the logistical, legal and moral aspects of gun ownership, which is rising rapidly across the nation.
“We know the world is growing more dangerous everyday,” said Alan Laird. “I’m very encouraged to see the number of people who are sharing this interest. I believe it’s the right thing to do.”
“People are waking up,” said Linda Laird. “They’re paying attention. It’s a different world, even from what it was five years ago. We shouldn’t run around in fear, but we should be wise and be prepared.”

What if?
Experience got the Lairds interested in firearms training.
The couple used to make deliveries for business clients and did a lot of night driving.
“We saw there was a tremendous amount of crime on the road,” Alan Laird said.
One incident at a rest stop was particularly troubling.
As her husband slept, Linda Laird remembers a young man approaching their truck.
“We thought ‘What if he had a gun?’” she recalled. “People are more vulnerable than they realize.”
The Lairds became National Rifle Association certified instructors five years ago, and their program has become so popular that they’ve had to turn people away.
“There are a lot of them on the list that want to get in,” Linda Laird said. “We try to accommodate them as best we can.”

Intensive class
The classes stress defensiveness and responsibility.
The day-long sessions, usually on Saturdays, are held at the Lairds’ farm southwest of New London.
Everyone from beginners to experts is welcome.
The next session is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12, with a lunch provided.
Participants may use their own guns or weapons provided by the Lairds. Much of the instruction focuses upon safety and the law.
While Missouri allows concealed weapons, Illinois doesn’t, and Iowa doesn’t recognize Missouri permits.
“It’s pretty thorough,” Linda Laird said. “We try not to give just facts and figures. We try to talk to people about the reality should they have an incident. We try to get people to think this through. We try to let people know what the reality is, no matter what the circumstance.”
There also is field practice with 20 shots from a revolver and 20 shots from a semi-automatic handgun.
Fifteen of the 20 shots must strike a designated area on a target that’s 21 feet from the firing stand. Practice is allowed.
“Some of them think they have to be a professional target shooter,” Alan Laird said. “It’s not that way.”
Graduates receive a state-required certificate that they’ll need if they later apply for conceal-carry permit.

Permits go up
As more people complete gun classes, the number of conceal-carry permits also has risen.
From Jan. 1 to July 1, 2007, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department issued 17 permits.
The number had climbed to 41 for the six-month period last year and by this year it was up to 78.
Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Shinn said he is a strong supporter of gun rights, but recommends owners take a training class.
“There’ve been people who’ve said ‘I learned a lot in those classes,’” Shinn said. “That’s what we want.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were done nationally from January to May 2009, up 25.6 percent from 4.8 million during the same period last year.

Sales rise
Gun sales began rising last year and remain a recession-beater.
Many credit the increase on the sluggish economy and the election of Democrat President Barack Obama.
Though Obama has consistently said he won’t mess with Second Amendment rights, many gun advocates are not convinced.
They cite Attorney General Eric Holder’s call to re-institute a ban on assault weapons, which President George W. Bush let expire.
Rusty Gander of Gander’s Guns and Archery outside of Shelbyville said many shops “can’t keep up with” the demand.
“Handguns are harder to get,” Gander said. “Ammo’s hard to get. Reloading components are hard to get. The supply is limited.”
Gander doesn’t see sales leveling off anytime soon.
“It don’t think it’ll loosen up this year,” he said. “Things remain pretty scarce.”

Concerns voiced
Ladd Everitt understands the desire for self-defense.
But he’s also concerned about what he calls groundless political fears.
Everitt is communications director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence in Washington, D.C.
The group does not oppose private gun ownership, but is concerned about an increase in the sale of semi-automatic handguns and assault weapons.
It also worries that what it calls inadequate background checks and permit processes could open the door for increased violence.
Some potential killers are “slipping through the cracks, and it’s because no one’s looking,” Everitt said. “It’s disturbing.”
Gun advocates say there are already too many laws. They argue that the overwhelming majority of owners are law-abiding people whose passion is being smeared every time a criminal uses a gun.
Federal statistics show the national violent crime rate has dropped consistently while the number of privately-owned firearms has risen in the last 15 years.
“Everywhere people have guns and can carry guns, crime goes down and it goes down significantly,” Alan Laird said. “No crook wants to face a loaded gun.”

More training
The Lairds aren’t restricting themselves to firearms training.
Linda Laird already plans to start classes entitled “Refuse to be a Victim.”
The instructional program, with materials provided by the National Rifle Association, covers topics ranging from Internet safety to improving protection around the house.
“If you don’t educate yourself, you don’t know what’s going on,” she said.