Over 500 Colorado teachers attended a free concealed carry class Saturday at the Centennial Airport. The event was sponsored by the Centennial Gun Club, which held it to fight back against the, as they put it, “ongoing epidemic of school shootings and other illegal gun violence perpetrated in gun-free zones throughout the United States.”
Among those in attendance was first-grade teacher Samantha Schuller, who knows firsthand how it feels to be defenseless in the face of an armed assailant.
In 2006, a gunman took Schuller hostage along with five other students at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado. One of those students was killed as a result of the encounter. It’s something the 23-year-old will never forget.
“It has affected me my whole life,” Schuller told local news affiliate Fox 31 Denver.
“I don’t want to be afraid of the world I live in,” she continued. “And I’ve reached a point in my life, I want to protect myself and I don’t have to be a victim anymore.”
Following the eight hour course, Schuller will now have to the Centennial Gun Club range to work with a real gun and live ammunition. Once she completes the training, she’ll present her certificate to her local sheriff who will then issue the permit.
While Schuller will be able to carry in the public square, she will not be allowed to bring a firearm into the workplace as Colorado law mandates that schools be gun-free zones, an obvious frustration for the young woman.
“I know how it feels waking up one morning thinking it’s a completely normal day and then to go to bed that night and be completely changed forever — based on the experienced in one day and the choices of one person,” she told ABC 7. “It’s very disheartening to take all of the steps up to but then not be able to actually protect myself the way I want to.”
Yet, having a permit and being allowed to carry in many places is better than having no permit and not being allowed to cary in any place, something Schuller is mindful of.
“This is one small step I do for now. I figure out how to protect myself and those immediately around me,” she said.
“I don’t want to be helpless,” she added. “That’s the last thing I want.”
“Following the eight hour course, Schuller will now have to the Centennial Gun Club range to work with a real gun and live ammunition. ” The exclusion of the word “GO” is just plain silly..
I think it to be absolutely Fricken AWESOME that (1) the gun club did this (2) that so many took time from their day to attend. On the other hand, when are you absolute fricken dumb ass folks going to change what is wrong with the WHOLE system? (1) Any person willing to get this offered training, and take it serious, & works in a school – from food serving, janitor to the Principal and on ground patrol SHOULD have the right and the offer to carry concealed “IF” they choose & are comfortable doing so. As far as I’m concerned, crime and shootings would decrease radically if more people were to carry cause the bad guy’s would be OUT NUMBERED and less apt to commit an offence if he thought the person was carrying. All we need is 1 good person in office to stand up and get, us, to be numbered and stand with him. This isn’t the land of the FREE. That is a joke. Every time we turn around we have tree huger’s and extremists taking more of our rights away and making new laws. Maybe we like minded folks should all live in the same state(s) and govern ourselves.
I’m a concealed carrier and I thank the state of Oregon and Utah which gives me many, many more states to carry in. I get out of bed every day and when I get dressed my sidearm is a part of that and is just as normal as wearing my shoes. I had worked for many, many police agencies, city, state and county & ATF in my younger years under cover. I’ve also worked in business that only made it right to carry since we dealt with sales and purchases of firearms and ammo. I TOTALLY disagree with some of the places, buildings and companies that wont let US carry when we there. What if your doctors office had a “no weapon or weapon free zone” and a pissed of patient comes in and opens fire? What if you stopped him from having mass victims? You should get a fricken medal. This is no different than school, church, mall, fast food shootings. I totally think if you’ve gone through training and have a permit and are right minded you should be able to carry in most places. You “never” ever know when you could save your life or LIVES of others. I’ve been finger printed so many times in my life, like for the ARMY, and been back ground checked many times. If the Feds and law enforcement deem me ok and trusted to carry then that should be good enough. I’ve taken it 1 step further and carry cuffs too. Think about it. What if you stop a bad situation? Are you going to keep your gun on the bad guy the whole time waiting for law enforcement? I would cuff the bad guy and holster my gun. They can switch cuffs and give mine back. To many laws out there and misdirected ones at that. We need to stand up and ban together.
Its about time!!!!