This past weekend, citizens of Crenshaw and surrounding counties had the chance to familiarize themselves with their handguns. Many in attendance were already used to their firearms but were able to learn more tips and tricks to make their shooting more accurate, and also took away safety, cleaning and repair tips.

“It went well. We didn’t have any cancellations. The students definitely interacted well with everybody and asked a lot of very interesting questions,” said Mason Adcock, investigator with the Luverne Police Department.

“We were blessed to have beautiful weather Saturday, so that worked out really well. We had good field activity; being out on the range worked really well.”

After attending classes from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., the group broke for a short lunch break and then hit the firing range.

Jim Snyder, retired Alabama State Trooper, led the majority of the class session, along with other firearm professionals around Crenshaw County.

Each participant supplied his/her own ammo, and was instructed by trained professionals as to how to carry the firearm, how to load it safely in the presence of others and how to shoot properly.

Extreme caution was taken throughout the exercise to ensure the safety of all involved.

“Overall, we had some really good shooters Saturday. Nobody shot badly, either. Everyone was pretty much where they needed to be, considering the skill level. It was obvious some participants had had more experience in shooting,” Adcock said.

Adcock has already received calls from citizens asking when another class will be offered. The tentative plan is to host another workshop next year around March or April, depending on the weather.

“We’re definitely wanting to do more. We’ve already had people call with interest in it, saying they missed it and wanting to know when we’ll have another one,” Adcock said.

“Right now what we’re trying to do is take names, phone numbers and emails from them, compile a list and when we get ready to do it again, we can reach out to those people and see if we can do something for them.”