Drizzt
May 1, 2003, 04:26 PM
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.
April 30, 2003, Wednesday, BC cycle
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 735 words
HEADLINE: Concealed handgun permit seekers get training in lethal force
BYLINE: By GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: MINNEAPOLIS
BODY:
In the first three hours of their training, the dozen men in the Plus P Technology handgun course didn't fire a weapon, or practice drawing one, or learn how to defend against having one taken away.
Instead, the instructors in Wednesday's class talked about understanding how courts have interpreted concepts of self-defense. There was also a segment on changes in the body during moments of stress, such as adrenaline rushes.
With interest in their courses rising, the instructors at Plus P say they have a lot more in mind than simply teaching their students how to use a gun in self-defense. They would rather see them never pull the trigger at all.
"We are going to stress, repeatedly, that if there is any alternative to the use of deadly force, do it. Because, for heaven's sake, it's not worth it," instructor Gary Bjergo said.
Monday night, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a bill giving most Minnesotans the right to carry a concealed handgun. Just a day later, St. Louis County officials said nearly 60 people called with inquiries about handgun permits. And in one hour's time Wednesday, 15 people called a Plus P instructor ask about training.
Mike Wolbrink, the lead instructor at Plus P, led students through several scenarios in which they might have to decide whether to shoot someone. In one case, he played the role of a man who stands in the doorway of the room, wielding a baseball bat and saying, "A bunch of gun nuts. I think I'll wipe some out."
Matthew Carlson, a student from Bloomington, sat just a few feet away, holding a fake wooden gun.
"Do you shoot him?" Wolbrink asks Carlson, who doesn't have an immediate answer.
After hashing it out, Wolbrink asks the students to assume they learn later that the man wielding the baseball bat was blind and crippled.
"Would that have changed your decision?" he asks.
When the law takes effect May 28, applicants will no longer have to show they need to carry a handgun because of a personal threat or job requirement. They will simply have to show they are 21, have the proper training, are not disqualified because of a criminal history or mental health issues and are not seen as a "substantial risk" to themselves or the public.
A legislative study estimated that 90,000 Minnesotans would get such permits within three years. The current number is almost 14,000.
The students who pass the one-day course at Plus P Technology - which also includes firing at a shooting range - will have enough training to apply for a permit.
Some police chiefs and sheriffs consider that grossly inadequate.
Dennis Delmont, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association - which opposed the bill - said much more training is needed to prepare someone for handling a firearm in a tense situation.
"There's a difference between shooting at a pop-up target and actually having someone come at you with a weapon, or see a situation involving others and making decisions," he said.
Delmont, a former Mendota Heights police chief, said his officers often fired 150 rounds a month at shooting ranges, just to stay fresh.
"People will be put into situations where their heart will be going like a biathlon skier, and they'll have to make good, sound judgment," he said.
St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman, who also opposed the bill, said his deputies go through extensive training on using lethal force.
"Now, it's easier for citizens to carry a firearm than it is for a law enforcement officer," he said.
Most of the students at Plus P said they have handled guns of all kinds for years and were serious about getting good training.
Carlson said he paid the $110 for the course because he wanted to learn more about the legal definitions of self-defense. The Army veteran owns several guns and likes to hunt and practice his shooting at target ranges.
While he said he has never felt threatened, he plans to carry a gun in certain circumstances.
"It won't be a daily thing," he said. "I live out in the suburbs, and I don't feel safe going into the inner city where there's a different class of people and higher crime."
Keith Barden of St. Louis Park, who works in the meat section for Lund's, said he plans to carry a gun "on and off."
"I want to learn about the law," he said. "I need to know about what I can and can't do."
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.
April 30, 2003, Wednesday, BC cycle
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 735 words
HEADLINE: Concealed handgun permit seekers get training in lethal force
BYLINE: By GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: MINNEAPOLIS
BODY:
In the first three hours of their training, the dozen men in the Plus P Technology handgun course didn't fire a weapon, or practice drawing one, or learn how to defend against having one taken away.
Instead, the instructors in Wednesday's class talked about understanding how courts have interpreted concepts of self-defense. There was also a segment on changes in the body during moments of stress, such as adrenaline rushes.
With interest in their courses rising, the instructors at Plus P say they have a lot more in mind than simply teaching their students how to use a gun in self-defense. They would rather see them never pull the trigger at all.
"We are going to stress, repeatedly, that if there is any alternative to the use of deadly force, do it. Because, for heaven's sake, it's not worth it," instructor Gary Bjergo said.
Monday night, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a bill giving most Minnesotans the right to carry a concealed handgun. Just a day later, St. Louis County officials said nearly 60 people called with inquiries about handgun permits. And in one hour's time Wednesday, 15 people called a Plus P instructor ask about training.
Mike Wolbrink, the lead instructor at Plus P, led students through several scenarios in which they might have to decide whether to shoot someone. In one case, he played the role of a man who stands in the doorway of the room, wielding a baseball bat and saying, "A bunch of gun nuts. I think I'll wipe some out."
Matthew Carlson, a student from Bloomington, sat just a few feet away, holding a fake wooden gun.
"Do you shoot him?" Wolbrink asks Carlson, who doesn't have an immediate answer.
After hashing it out, Wolbrink asks the students to assume they learn later that the man wielding the baseball bat was blind and crippled.
"Would that have changed your decision?" he asks.
When the law takes effect May 28, applicants will no longer have to show they need to carry a handgun because of a personal threat or job requirement. They will simply have to show they are 21, have the proper training, are not disqualified because of a criminal history or mental health issues and are not seen as a "substantial risk" to themselves or the public.
A legislative study estimated that 90,000 Minnesotans would get such permits within three years. The current number is almost 14,000.
The students who pass the one-day course at Plus P Technology - which also includes firing at a shooting range - will have enough training to apply for a permit.
Some police chiefs and sheriffs consider that grossly inadequate.
Dennis Delmont, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association - which opposed the bill - said much more training is needed to prepare someone for handling a firearm in a tense situation.
"There's a difference between shooting at a pop-up target and actually having someone come at you with a weapon, or see a situation involving others and making decisions," he said.
Delmont, a former Mendota Heights police chief, said his officers often fired 150 rounds a month at shooting ranges, just to stay fresh.
"People will be put into situations where their heart will be going like a biathlon skier, and they'll have to make good, sound judgment," he said.
St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman, who also opposed the bill, said his deputies go through extensive training on using lethal force.
"Now, it's easier for citizens to carry a firearm than it is for a law enforcement officer," he said.
Most of the students at Plus P said they have handled guns of all kinds for years and were serious about getting good training.
Carlson said he paid the $110 for the course because he wanted to learn more about the legal definitions of self-defense. The Army veteran owns several guns and likes to hunt and practice his shooting at target ranges.
While he said he has never felt threatened, he plans to carry a gun in certain circumstances.
"It won't be a daily thing," he said. "I live out in the suburbs, and I don't feel safe going into the inner city where there's a different class of people and higher crime."
Keith Barden of St. Louis Park, who works in the meat section for Lund's, said he plans to carry a gun "on and off."
"I want to learn about the law," he said. "I need to know about what I can and can't do."