Thursdays on KFAR's Problem Corner 11am-12 noon

This week on Shooter's Corner
Why get an Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit?

I get this question often. I answer it in every ACHP Class I teach. Let me answer it for you here.
In 2003 the Alaska Legislature passed a law which allows anyone 21 years of age or older, who is legal to posses a firearm, to carry it concealed in Alaska without any permit. But, there are still the following reasons to get the permit.
1) Your Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit will allow you to carry your handgun concealed in 32 other states. I pass that list of states around during each of my classes.
2) If you have the permit, you will be in the police computer as one of the “good guys”. Your background has been checked. You know the Law. You are safe and responsible with your gun. The police know they do not have to worry about you. Permit holders do not violate gun laws.
3) You will be safer, and more accurate, with your gun after taking the class and getting the Permit.
4) You will know what the Law says your responsibilities are with the permit. You will have heard three hours of the Law, and you will have copies to keep so that you can conduct yourself legally and ethically.
5) Who knows? The State Legislature may change the Law back so that you are required to have a Permit to carry a handgun concealed. It could happen.
6) The Permit is good identification. It not only identifies you, but it says you are an upstanding citizen with no criminal background.
These are just some of the reasons I urge you to take the training and apply for the Alaska Concealed Handgun permit. I will be happy to help you do that. Just call me.

The ADF&G Shooting Range
Congratulations Fairbanks shooters.  It appears as if you have helped foil a plot to eliminate the ADF&G Shooting Ranges in three major cities of Alaska.  One legislator, from a “bush community” sits as co-chair of a finance committee, so he was able to zero out the funding for the ADF&G Shooting Ranges in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.  Many of us took up the challenge, and working through our legislators and their aides, we were able to get that money reinstated into the budget.  It still must withstand the Governor’s scrutiny, but I am not worried about that. 

Our Fairbanks ADF&G Shooting Range has given us a place to teach gun safety, marksmanship and hunter safety to thousands of people.  It is a recreational gathering place for people who know and use the legitimate purpose of guns.  Too often the media only tells us about the inappropriate use of guns.  Shooting is a recreation.  And, teaching shooting safety reduces gun accidents.  The number of gun accidents goes down each year, thanks to the many volunteers who teach gun safety through various courses. 

Yes, we have dodged that bullet.  But, we must be ever vigilant or those who would take away our opportunities to enjoy our recreation of shooting will prevail. 

So, tune in to SHOOTERS’ CORNER every Thursday from 11 am to 12 noon, and we will keep each other informed.  Together we will prevail. 
-Joe Nava

That question occurred to the 4-H headquarters back in the 1980s. They were getting more deeply involved with 4-H shooting programs, in conjunction with the National Rifle Association. After looking all around, the 4-H realized that almost everybody was teaching different gun safety rules. They decided to change that.

The 4-H called a conference at their national headquarters just outside of Washington, D.C. in Maryland. They invited all the units that were involved with guns. All the major gun makers were there, along with the ammunition manufacturers, and the Boy Scouts, Future Farmers of America, etc. About 50 people in all attended that 3 day workshop for the purpose of deciding on the most effective gun safety rules to teach.

I was there as the Chairman of the National Rifle Association’s Junior and Collegiate Committee.

We spent three days working out what we all could agree on as the most effective gun safety rules. The first rule proposed as the “Golden Rule” was: “Treat every gun as if it is loaded”. We worked with that for a while, but soon realized that when you say that to a person you have not taught that person anything. You have not taught that person how to treat a loaded gun, so to tell him to treat every gun that way is useless. He does not know how to treat a loaded gun.

We finally came to the agreement that positive statements must be made. The “Golden Rule” that was accepted by all was: “Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction”. That tells the person what to do. If that rule is followed no one will ever get hurt by a gun.

The second rule was then accepted as: “Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. That rule will eliminate the accidental discharges.

The third rule was: Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use”. That would prevent accidental discharges by someone who handled the gun and did not know how to use it safely.

After these three rules were agreed upon, a further, short note was added. It said: “Treat every gun as if it is loaded”. We could now say that because we had taught how to treat a loaded gun. This did not become one of the three rules.

The NRA has followed these rules precisely, and still teaches them today. They are still the most effective rules to teach to eliminate firearms accidents. They are in all the NRA teaching materials.

Unfortunately, I am now seeing people take on the chore by themselves of determining their own rules. They are different, and usually not as effective. We see 4 rules or 10 rules or different rules. One old one that is still used today is: never point a gun at anything you don’t want to kill. That’s not good for many reasons. The main reason is that it is negative. It does not teach what to do. We must teach positively to be the most effective. That wrong rule also says nothing about target shooting. We do not intend to “kill” anything when we practice our marksmanship toward the Olympic Games.

Anyway, I hope you get the point, and I hope you will always teach the three most effective gun safety rules that about 50 experts could devise. Follow the “Golden Rule” and no one will ever be injured by a gun.

Eddie Eagle does a great job of teaching youngsters how to be safe with guns. I take him into elementary school classrooms and he tells the students what to do if they ever find a gun. Eddie Says to: Stop! Don’t touch! Leave the area. Tell an adult.

This is a very effective safety program designed by educators for grades K-4. The program has been presented to over 22 million youngsters across the Country already. We have a full sized Eddie Eagle costume that stays in the Fairbanks area. It works best for Eddie to appear at all the class rooms in one elementary school on the same day. He only waits to be invited by the principle or other school official.

Eddie doesn’t talk. Of course not, he’s an eagle. But he brings volunteers along with him to show the Eddie Eagle video and do Eddie’s talking for him. Eddie likes to get hugs from the students, and he helps them do the Eddie Eagle shuffle as they all say the safety message together.

Eddie leaves work books, coloring books, and decals for the students to work on in class or to take home. He also leaves one of his videos with the school.

Eddie has visited all the elementary schools in North Pole, the Two Rivers Elementary School, the Salcha Elementary School, and the University Park Elementary School. He only needs an invitation to visit the school where your child goes. Talk to your child’s teacher or principle and see if Eddie can visit your school and teach an effective gun safety lesson to your youngsters.

Research has shown that this message does work to keep youngsters safe.

Stop! Don’t touch! Leave the area! Tell an adult!