CHANDLER, Texas —
As gun sales surge across the nation, the demand for training classes also continues to increase.
The FBI processed 3.9 million background checks in June alone, the most checks the agency has ever recorded in a single month.
Nomads Tactical, a defensive firearm training range in Chandler has seen the increase firsthand. Owner Dennis Weimer says the demand for his classes has gone up more than 400% compared to this time last year.
"Anytime there's a church shooting that spikes for a while,” Weimer said. “Right now, it is just constant. Since all this happened, and people are worried about their safety, and seeing the riots going on in other parts of the country, people are getting concerned."
Research shows gun sales started surging when the pandemic started due to growing concerns over personal safety..
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, 40% of people purchasing a firearm are first-time buyers.
"Thursday, I am booked from open to close for a week straight teaching classes,” Weimer said. “New gun owners are realizing that they might need to practice a little bit and they come up and practice and are like holy cow I suck. I might need a little bit of training and that's where we come in."
Weimer says proper training is key for first-time gun owners. It’s not only the law to have a License to Carry if you're carrying a firearm, your life may depend on it.
"Just practice, that's what I preach,” Weimer said. “Always practice. In a defensive situation, you will default to 50% of your best training. If 50% no training, that’s pretty close to nothing. You've got to practice."
To get your license to carry, you'll have to take a four-hour class. Weimer recommends taking a firearm training class before purchasing a gun, so you can figure out which one fits you best. You'll learn everything from stance, grip, trigger control and more.