|
|
|
Redwood Falls, Minn. —
“If you have a permit to carry a handgun, the chances are slim to none you’ll ever actually have to use it,” said Greg Larson. “Ninety-two percent of the time when there’s a gun drawn, no shot is fired because no one wants to find out who’s the faster shot. Just seeing the gun ends the standoff.
Larson said the biggest complaint he’s gotten about the Permit to Carry class for handguns he teaches is that he talks too fast.
“It’s an eight hour class, and I have so much to cover,” he said. “I suppose I could try talking slower....”
Between new students and gun owners wanting to renew their permits, Larson has taught an average of 100 students for each of the past two years.
“The youngest student came in four days after his 21st birthday, and my oldest student was 86. You’d be surprised how many people in Redwood Falls carry guns.
“Law enforcement has been very supportive of these classes. The idea is that if enough people have permits to carry, it will be a deterrent, and will drop the crime rate in Minnesota.
“I’ve noticed that when men and women take the class together, the women do better,” Larson said. “The women care about passing the class, while the guys want to look cool.”
The Permit to Carry classes are divided into two parts: book work in the morning, and target practice at Larson’s farm in the afternoon.
On Aug. 24, four students sat in a small classroom in the back of Ace Hardware and Maytag Appliance Center.
The first thing covered: who is actually allowed to carry a gun in Minnesota?
Before students can take the class, they have to prove they’ve already passed the state’s criteria to own a handgun in the first place.
“If you can’t own a handgun, you’re wasting your time taking this class,” said Larson, who added the classes cost $125.
Students who have already been rejected by the state for mental illness, or for being a danger to themselves, or who have been rejected in other states or counties, need not apply.
Taking the class is no guarantee you’ll be allowed to carry a gun afterward. Even someone who passes the class with flying colors may not pass the sheriff department’s background check.
“The county giveth, and the county taketh away,” intones Larson. “The focus of the class is to make students sure of what the state of Minnesota mandates for self-defense.”
“If you have a permit to carry a handgun, the chances are slim to none you’ll ever actually have to use it,” said Greg Larson. “Ninety-two percent of the time when there’s a gun drawn, no shot is fired because no one wants to find out who’s the faster shot. Just seeing the gun ends the standoff.
Larson said the biggest complaint he’s gotten about the Permit to Carry class for handguns he teaches is that he talks too fast.
“It’s an eight hour class, and I have so much to cover,” he said. “I suppose I could try talking slower....”
Between new students and gun owners wanting to renew their permits, Larson has taught an average of 100 students for each of the past two years.
“The youngest student came in four days after his 21st birthday, and my oldest student was 86. You’d be surprised how many people in Redwood Falls carry guns.
“Law enforcement has been very supportive of these classes. The idea is that if enough people have permits to carry, it will be a deterrent, and will drop the crime rate in Minnesota.
“I’ve noticed that when men and women take the class together, the women do better,” Larson said. “The women care about passing the class, while the guys want to look cool.”
The Permit to Carry classes are divided into two parts: book work in the morning, and target practice at Larson’s farm in the afternoon.
On Aug. 24, four students sat in a small classroom in the back of Ace Hardware and Maytag Appliance Center.
The first thing covered: who is actually allowed to carry a gun in Minnesota?
Before students can take the class, they have to prove they’ve already passed the state’s criteria to own a handgun in the first place.
“If you can’t own a handgun, you’re wasting your time taking this class,” said Larson, who added the classes cost $125.
Students who have already been rejected by the state for mental illness, or for being a danger to themselves, or who have been rejected in other states or counties, need not apply.
Taking the class is no guarantee you’ll be allowed to carry a gun afterward. Even someone who passes the class with flying colors may not pass the sheriff department’s background check.
“The county giveth, and the county taketh away,” intones Larson. “The focus of the class is to make students sure of what the state of Minnesota mandates for self-defense.”
Many businesses and organizations today don’t allow guns onto their premises. Larson discussed how gun owners should deal with that, even if they have a permit to carry a firearm.
“Don’t test the waters,” he said. “If a bank has a sign saying no guns allowed, leave it locked up in your car.”
Although he’s got a permit to carry a handgun, Larson takes “no guns” signs seriously.
“I was originally asked to teach this class at the community center, but I decided against it since guns aren’t allowed on school property. If I walked out to my car on the high school parking lot, I’d be breaking the law.”
When teaching the safest methods for storing and handling handguns (“Assume a gun is loaded until proven unloaded”), Larson uses a fake plastic pistol in the classroom.
“I don’t even like pointing the fake pistol at anyone,” he said, making sure it was always aimed at the floor or walls.
“I also teach that when the incident is over, the first thing you need to do is administer first aid, and call law enforcement.”
After lunch, the students regrouped at Larson’s farm to learn safe shooting and gun handling techniques. The students brought their own handguns, which they had already gone through the process of getting licensed and registered.
While waiting his turn on Larson’s firing range, Mark Gorres of Redwood Falls said he decided to take the class for personal safety.
“I own a handgun, so I may as well be able to carry it,” Gorres said. “I read the newspapers, and see (tragedies involving shootings), I think the outcome would have been different if someone with a permit to carry had been there.”
The point of the target practice was to fire five rounds, reload the gun safely, and fire another five rounds in less than a minute.
Although a minute doesn’t seem like a long time, Larson pointed out it lasts forever on the shooting range.
It only took Gary Larsen of Redwood Falls 49 seconds to shoot five rounds, reload, and shoot another five rounds.
Ryan Engstrom of Echo had problems with a jammed gun, and Larson praised the way Engstrom dealt with changing the clip in the safest way while staying under a minute.
“The idea of the class is not to teach how to shoot somebody, it’s teaching how to not get shot,” Larson said. “I teach students when to not pull their guns. There’s a whole chain of events about when you should and shouldn’t pull your gun out.”
