Greetings, fellow quarantiners! Long time no see! 
I hope you’re all doing well, staying healthy, and managing to preserve your sanity as we tread these novel waters. As for me, I’ve got a terrible case of cabin fever. And being the extreme introvert that I am, I never thought I’d miss seeing human faces as much as I do now.
That being said, Citizens Safety Academy has stayed surprisingly busy. Our online classes have gotten more traffic, as expected under the circumstances. But our in-person classes have been filling too (we’ve reduced our class sizes). Even despite the new Concealed Carry permit, we continue to get steady sign-ups for our Enhanced Carry permit training. Hope I didn’t just jinx it. LOL
Guns Are Like Gremlins
If you happened to spy the news at any point in the last few weeks, you might have peeped that pandemics tend make guns start multiplying exponentially.
- ABC News: “Gun sales on the rise as coronavirus concerns spread“
- CNN: “Gun sales surge as coronavirus pandemic spreads“
- New Your Post: “Coronavirus crime worries are making New Yorkers want guns“
- New York Times: “About 2 Million Guns Were Sold in the U.S. as Virus Fears Spread“
- NSSF: “Viral run on guns shows America wants firearms“
I’m a data visualization nerd, so this chart from NYT (Collins/Yaffe-Bellany, April 1, 2020) caught my attention:
More people buying guns… awesome! But will those folks know what to do with those guns? Will they get even the slightest modicum of training? Will they be safe, responsible gun owners? I certainly hope so, but the jury’s still out on that one. And hope isn’t always the best currency.
I got a gun… Now what?
CSA’s online training hub does have a few free classes, including a Basic Safety Primer where we just go over the safety rules. We are thrilled to see interest in that class on the rise. I hope folks will spread the word and encourage new and prospective gun owners to seek out some kind of safety training, at a bare minimum. There are lots of free, web-based, pandemic-friendly options out there. But of course, this is the internet. So, not all sources are reliable, let alone accessible to consumers for interaction in real time.
And that brings me to the point of this post (I know, I took the scenic route). Every month, Citizens Safety Academy offers a FREE open Q&A session for all gun-curious walks of life. It’s called a Guns 101, and on May 27th at 6pm Central, Guns 101 is going virtual! That’s right – we’re moving online, so anyone can join the party from any place with a webcam and a decent internet connection.
Here’s my little spiel on the event. Apologies for the vertical video. I vehemently abhor vertical videos, but I recorded this for Instagram. And, well, when in Rome…
If you know someone who’s on the fence, hesitantly eyeing a gun purchase, newly braving gun ownership, or just eager to chat (or to listen) about guns, please invite them to join us. We hope to have a lively conversation and squeeze in a little virtual human contact while we’re at it.
For more info on Guns 101 Online, check out the event posting on our website. Although it’s free, advance registration is required so we’ll have an approximate headcount. You can also register on our site (or on Eventbrite). Hope to see you there! And again, please help us spread the word!
