Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SANDY — Utah is a state that fully supports residents’ constitutional rights to possess and bear arms. But some of the state’s most fervent gun rights advocates also believe in doing so in the safest manner possible.
The Rocky Mountain Gun Show on Saturday and Sunday included free gun safety and awareness classes each day of the show.
Citing numerous incidents that have occurred in Utah and across the nation in which people have been seriously injured or even killed during accidental discharges of weapons, gun show organizer Mitch McKinlay said it had become apparent there was an increasing need for firearms education.
“We want to make sure and give the public the opportunity to obtain professional gun safety courses,” McKinlay said. “Hopefully these classes will help avoid some of the tragedies that have taken place recently.”
Everyone who owns a gun, including new and longtime gun owners, can use the information and techniques taught during the classes, he added.
“We should all take the time to learn or refresh safe and proper techniques with gun ownership,” McKinlay said.
Other reasons for offering the classes, he said, are frequent inquiries from attendees, particularly women, who asked specifically for weapon safety instruction. The safe classes, along with concealed carry classes, were offered at no additional cost with any paid admission to the show, McKinlay explained.
Having a safety class is really important. If you've never been around firearms, like myself, it was helpful.
–Wendy Birch
Wendy Birch, 44, of Salt Lake City, was among the 300 people who took the class this weekend. The wife of an avid hunter, she had never been to the gun show before.
Though Birch had never been into guns previously, having spent a fair amount of time in the outdoors with her spouse began to pique her interest.
“As years passed of watching the outdoor channel, I thought, 'I really want to get involved,'" she explained.
Birch's husband gave her a new Mossberg .22-caliber rifle for Christmas, and because it was the first time she had ever “picked up or handled a gun,” she figured taking the gun safety course was smart idea. The 30-minute class offered basic information on firearm safety and etiquette, she explained.
“Having a safety class is really important,” Birch said. “If you’ve never been around firearms, like myself, it was helpful.”
She said she would recommend it, especially to novice gun owners.
“For someone who isn’t educated and don’t know anything about firearms, I would definitely suggest it,” Birch said. “You’re at least being taught the basic principles of what to do and what not to do. I felt more comfortable.”
Birch said that she wants to take a hunter safety course in a few months to gain more knowledge about how to be careful with the new rifle.
Regarding overall gun safety, certified instructor Jordan Simons — who led the classes at the gun show — said being educated about firearms “is always an advantage.”
“Individuals (should) take every aspect of their life, particularly one that has safety concerns, and try to seek out as much education as possible so they can make the appropriate decision as adults on how they handle those things,” Simons said. “Just like driving a car, we all want to have appropriate levels of education and experience in those endeavors.”
