Class aims to teach women to shoot

GLUCKSTADT — Lynn Stuart says she never felt comfortable handling a gun until she took the ladies-only concealed-carry safety class at The Range by Jimmy Primos. 

The ladies-only classes are held twice a month at The Range. The next lesson will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 20. 

Stuart, who took the class on March 6, said the most important thing she learned was how to properly operate a gun and to always pay attention to her surroundings. 

“If you’re thinking about buying a gun, I highly recommend you take this class,” said Stuart of Madison County. “It goes beyond just knowing how to handle a firearm. I was also taught to be familiar with gun laws because simply brandishing a weapon can land you with criminal charges.”

Stuart said staff members at The Range were very professional, and they did a fantastic job teaching her and the other women in the class to understand the importance of a gun and how to properly operate it. 

She said she is now a lot more confident and comfortable with firearms and plans to go back to The Range soon to practice more and raise her comfort level even higher.

“I cannot praise the staff and their level of skill and professionalism enough,” she said. 

Brad Harbour, general manager of The Range and a Madison County, has been teaching firearm safety classes for the past 15 years, far before The Range opened in 2020. 

He originally had his own company called “Action Firearms Training,” based in Madison County, which consisted of the same defensive classes that are now taught at The Range. 

Harbour was born and raised in Ridgeland and has been involved in law enforcement for the past 31 years. 

He ended up merging his company with Jimmy Primos when Primos opened The Range after they became friends when Harbour helped train his dog. He has since continued 

passing along the knowledge of firearm safety to men and women. 

“We first started with our enhancement class for the state of Mississippi to get a concealed carry permit, and we found out that most ladies are not properly trained with a firearm,” Harbour said. “We designed this ladies-only class to not only teach them how to shoot properly but find a gun that suits them.”

Harbour noted that some other skills taught in the class are how to avoid a situation that would involve conflict, how to recognize being stalked or sized up, and how to properly pay attention to surroundings and gut instinct if something doesn’t feel right.

He recommended getting a membership at The Range and practicing as much as possible. He said the skills learned in these classes can be lifesaving.  

“We take a lot of pride in our classes and, our goal is to make it where anyone can buy a gun and know how to protect themselves,” he said. “Anyone can pick up a rifle and go kill a deer, but you need practice and proper training with a handgun.”

Ally Nichols, a Madison resident since 2016, is another student who took the ladies’ concealed-carry class on March 6. She said the class was a great learning experience. 

“Hopefully no one ever has to be at the point where they need to use a gun on someone, but it’s good to know how to defend myself,” Nichols said of the skills she learned in the class. 

Nichols said her favorite part of the class was learning gun laws and that a firearm isn’t a toy that can just be waved around. 

“The instructors did such a great job of teaching us when to use a gun, how to use it, and do it safely,” she said. “Whether or not you think you’ll ever need to use one, the skills you learn in this class are crucial.”

Each ladies-only class costs $200 per person and lasts for eight hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The class cost includes textbooks (available to purchase); guns (semi-auto & revolvers) and ammo; targets; eye and ear protection; indoor shooting range to qualify; virtual simulator training designed for home invasion (if time permits); catered lunch and drinks.

For more information on The Range by Jimmy Primos, visit www.therangebyjimmyprimos.com.