CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) on Tuesday evening held a citizens’ firearm safety class. The class is held regularly, but this time around, attendance was higher than usual, at a time of social unrest when, according to Sheriff Matt Gentry, the CCSO is seeing an average of 100 new gun permits or permit renewals per day and has recently seen up to 250 permits issued in a single day.
Gentry told The Tribune, “I think one of the reasons you see such a huge increase with our firearm safety class is the current climate across the nation, as we talked about with our pistol permits going up. There’s a restlessness across the nation, and then people are uneasy.”
Led by Investigator Trevor Clemmons, the class offered advice and instruction in:
Defining and understanding deadly force and when it can be used. Clemmons defined deadly force as “use of force that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to another person. In order for deadly to be justified, there must be an immediate, otherwise unavoidable of death or grave bodily harm to yourself or other innocents.
Concealed versus open carry
Where firearms may and may not be carried
Types of holsters for various purposes and types of carry
Types of firearms for different types of users
Getting comfortable with and maintaining a chosen firearm
Shooting stances, drawing and holding firearms
Rules of gun safety:
- Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
- Keep muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
- Keep finger outside of the trigger guard until on target and you have decided to fire.
- Be sure of your target, what is around it and what is beyond it.
Keeping citizens ready but safe
“One of the things that we take pride in at the sheriff’s office is that we’re probably one of the most pro-Second Amendment sheriff’s offices in the state,” said Gentry, “and that if we can teach our citizens who can legally own and possess a firearm to use them safely and proficiently, that’s what we want to do, because we’re a community that works together with law enforcement. We know, at times, that law enforcement is minutes away and all a citizen has is seconds. So we want our citizens to be safe and proficient in the use of their firearms. And that’s one of our main goals at the sheriff’s office.
“In the last five-and-a-half years, we’ve conducted these classes in the past, and we’ve been able to take probably, roughly a thousand people to the range and teach them how to use their firearms safely and proficiently, and that’s something that we’re proud of.”
Anyone who attended Tuesday’s class has the option of visiting the CCSO firing range this Saturday for hands-on training and live fire with deputies.
For more about community programs of the CCSO, visit www.cullmansheriff.org.
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