Gun Sales, Concealed Carry Classes On The Rise In Green Country

Firearm sales are skyrocketing this holiday season; and here in Green Country, interest in concealed carry classes is growing, too.

Recent classes have expanded in size, from two students to 30. One instructor believes it correlates to the San Bernardino shooting, but said he didn't see this kind of increase after other mass shootings, like Sandy Hook.

Concealed carry classes at the Tulsa Gun Club are usually half the size they are now. Instructor Dan Detmer said, in the days after the San Bernardino shooting, his business grew by about 60 percent.

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The piqued interest isn't specific to concealed carry; Detmer said he's also seeing increased participation in shooting lessons.

"Terrorists on domestic soil is really bothering them. I think they feel it can happen now to anybody, anytime, anywhere, so I think people are just concerned about that," he said.

That's part of the reason Connie and Jim King signed up.

"The American public have access to weapons and we can use them and learn how to use them properly, and I think that's what everyone should consider," Connie said.

But the King's and other older members of the class said age also plays a role.

Concealed carry student, Kenneth Fessenden said, "I'm just not as well protected. I used to be pretty young and buff, but now, if someone were to jump me, it might not be as equal as it used to be."

The Kings feel that, because they're older, they're the target of burglaries and home invasions, so they got more guns.

"When you know where they are, and you know you can access them no matter what happens, there's a reasonable sense of security in that," Jim King said.

But there is also insecurity about gun control.

"They want to get their handgun license now while they can," Detmer said.

The concealed carry class taught Wednesday lasts a full work day, costs $60, and covers both the legal ramifications of firing a gun, as well as how to fire.