When Christine’s husband died she was left with his firearms. However, she was never trained to use a gun so she left them untouched in boxes.  Over time the idea of living alone made her nervous so Christine turned to Integritas, Firearms Safety, Security and Training for help.

Christine is one of many citizens across the nation wanting to become educated about guns. 

“When I heard about this Firearms Foundation Course I knew I had to take it,” said Christine. 

Firearms instructor Amber Carrillo is the owner of Integritas. Carrillo holds multiple classes during the month one of which is the Gun Foundation Course. This non-live fire course offers the students a lot of gun handling. 

“I am having one hell of a time,” said Christine trying to pull back the slide on a handgun during a recent class. “I think I will go back and try this Ruger that feels better.”  

“My hands are small my grip isn’t comfortable around this Glock,” said another woman, Claire. Claire is a nurse who also wants to learn more about firearms. 

“This is why you are here,” said Carrillo who lets her students touch and feel a variety of guns in a safe, secure and private environment. 

“A gun you are not comfortable using will not help you in accuracy and it will not protect you,” said Carrillo. 

Over the years, the concern of gun violence has created two schools of thought on gun ownership. On one hand, you have citizens and politicians who want to restrict access to guns to lower gun violence. On the other hand, there are citizens who want to increase access to guns to lower gun violence. 

In response to the division surrounding guns, Amber Carrillo, began offering the Foundation Course to increase her students knowledge about guns.  

Carrillo calls it a  Foundation Course because it teaches her students operational use, awareness and personal responsibility before stepping onto a range. 

“You don’t have to own a gun to learn the basics,” said Carrillo. “Regardless of your shooting experience, the gun safety course teaches the core fundamentals. If you choose to visit a range, you will have confidence with safety in mind.”  

Claire, age 50 and Christine, age 82 were realizing the strength they needed in their hands to pull back the slide and have it lock. 

“So many of these guns are too heavy for me,” said Christine who found the Ruger was lighter and comfortable in her hand. 

“I need to pay attention to what my hands can handle now that I am older,” said Christine. 

The foundation class Carrillo teaches has students of all ages learn the proper handling of a gun, as well as how to transport, and store the firearm.  

Parents have been bringing their children ages nine and up to the foundation class as a conversation starter on gun safety. The class also tries to replace the curiosity of a gun with respect. 

According to a Gallup Poll in 2015, 41-percent of households interviewed in the United States said they own a gun.  At the same time, the number of gun owners is growing. This means there is a good  chance someone close to you owns a  gun.  

“My family goes shooting for sport,” said Racheal who brought her teen daughter to a foundation class. 

Although Racheal’s daughter is familiar with guns, Carrillo called up the teen and placed her in a real life scenario about how what to do if she found a gun on a table at her home or at a friend's home. 

The teen was also tested to see how well she could load and unload a firearm using a gun without live ammunition. 

Carrillo worked with the teen and others in the class to remind them of safety and responsibility. 

“Operating a gun is a perishable skill. That means if you have a gun and you do not clean it, use it, touch it, your skills on handling that gun diminish over time,” said Carrillo. 

“I got an in-depth understanding of firearms,” said Claire.  “I liked to learn about the inner workings of the gun the anatomy of the gun. The foundation gave me a better understanding of the gun the totality of all the different parts.”

Claire said she wants to attend the class again and get more comfortable with an unloaded gun before going to the range or deciding if she wants to own a firearm. 

“Amber makes it look easy but there is so much more to a gun than just holding it and pulling the trigger,” said Claire. 

Taking a gun’s foundation class through Intregitas Inc. is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about the basics of a gun, the laws, and legal responsibility. It is not necessary to own a gun at this stage. 

The foundation class is for new and experienced gun owners. Parents can use the class to start a dialogue with their children about their constitutional rights, that comes with responsibility. 

Integritas offers a wide range of classes including live fire at a range. 

Website: http://www.integritasinc.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/integritasinc/timeline 

Contact: (951) 399-3252