Safety continued… There are several ways to acquire training. At the national level, the National Rifle Association or NRA authors many courses used by NRA trained and certified instructors to teach principles of firearm safety. The courses offered are by type of gun, level of experience and desired qualification. Several courses satisfy state Firearms Safety Course requirements needed before purchasing a gun. Others will qualify participants for concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit. Cost of the course range from $80 to $100. To find courses in your area follow the link.

There are local resources as well. Consider Guns and Ammo Warehouse in Manassas. Not too difficult to figure out their main business. In addition they conduct Home Firearm Safety courses and a basic Cartridge reloading course. The reloading course is another facet of gun ownership that can reduce the costs of your new found hobby. I’ll cover that in future blogs. Gander Mountain is a national retail chain of outdoor recreation stores. There is one in Stafford and another in Richmond. They offer a full spectrum of outdoor goods, clothing, equipment, archery equipment and guns. In an effort act as more than just the Walmart of sporting goods, Gander stores are community minded. They have a bulletin board for posting announcements for fishing and hunting events, an online bragging board and a Lodge or classroom that can used for conducting classes in the store. Checking the events in the Richmond store, one finds a listing for ten different events ranging from Basic Handgun Safety to Concealed Weapons Classes.

Last but not least, the wonderful state of Virginia offers Hunter Education safety courses. Sponsored by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries the course is mandatory for first time hunters and hunters 12 to 15 years of age are required to complete the course before buying a hunting license and to present the certificate when a hunting license is purchased. While focused on the certain age group, they encourage refresher courses to brush up on safety, principles of conservation, and sportsmanship.

Enough on safety, these are just some of the great resources available to those interested in educating and qualifying themselves for the next step, gun ownership.