Handgun safety course offered by Albany Police Department

ALBANY — The Albany Police Department will host a no-cost basic firearm safety course on Sept. 16 for citizens who want to learn more about the basics of handgun safety, including legal issues involved with carrying a gun and potential life-saving handling skills and techniques needed to deploy a gun for self-defense.

“The APD firearm safety course has been around for several years now,” department Public Information Officer Phyllis Banks said. “The course came about and was designed in response to continuous requests that the department would get from individuals who wanted to learn about and be trained on firearms that they recently purchased. Many of these individuals were either women who wanted to learn how to defend themselves or husbands wanting their wives to learn how to handle a gun and be trained by someone other than themselves.”

Banks said the course consists of three parts or “levels.”

“What people can expect from our course is three levels of training,” she said. “There is classroom training and there is practical training. The classroom training consists of firearms and the law, which is taught by District Attorney Greg Edwards. Mr. Edwards covers all laws regarding the responsibilities of becoming a gun owner, where to carry a gun and things of that nature. We encourage people to get their carry license and their permit, and we answer any questions that people may have about being a gun owner.”

According to Banks, the second level of training is basic handgun safety.

“The second part of the class is gun safety, and it is taught by one of our in-house firearms trainers,” she said. “Essentially, they cover all safety aspects of being a gun owner. They make sure you know things like how to handle the weapon, muzzle control and how to properly secure your gun and ammunition. They also cover how you need to stand or how to position yourself to prepare to fire your weapon.”

The final level of training, Banks said, is utilizing the provided training in a “practical” situation on the shooting range.

“At the end, all of that classroom instruction is taken out for practical instruction at the law enforcement range,” she said. “Shooting is involved. We asks participants to bring their own firearms and ammunition. Handguns only, so no shotguns or AR-15s, or anything like that. We just work with handguns, semi-automatic and revolvers.”

Banks stressed that while there is no cost for the class, participants must provide their own basic safety gear recommended to shoot a firearm.

“The class is free,” Banks said. “We provide the targets, but there are some safety things that we ask people to bring: eye protection, ear protection and a ball cap.”

APD’s basic firearm safety course begins at 8 a.m. in the Community Room of the Law Enforcement Center, located at 201 W. Oglethorpe Blvd.

Seats are limited, and applicants must sign a release authorizing APD to conduct a background check to obtain any information relating to a criminal record to determine eligibility.

For more information, contact APD Public Information at (229) 483-6298.