MEMBER SERVICES
INTEREST IN
HANDGUN LICENSE AND TRAINING
EXPLODES By Shane Reynolds :: Photography by Kelsey Grudle
When the COVID-19 crisis hit us in early spring, I didn’t realize the impact it would have on our outdoor recreation programming at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. Like most businesses, we had to navigate the concerns of keeping our staff and patrons safe while trying to offer some services that members and their guests could still partake in. Along with the COVID-19 crisis came social unrest, widespread protest and civil discord across the country. A bi-product of this was an increased interest at Cordillera Ranch to get trained on how to safely carry and use a handgun. During the past eight years, we have offered the concealed carry course and have had over 500 participants. When we offered the course in May of 2020, we had more interest in the course than ever! Over the past three months, we have sent over 40 people through the Texas License to Carry course as well as many more through our Introduction to Handguns course.
60 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
Texas has been issuing conceal carry permits since 1995. The law was initially introduced following a 1991 mass shooting at a Luby’s in Killeen. In 2007, the Texas Legislature expanded the state’s Castle Doctrine with the Stand Your Ground Law. It cleared the way for gun owners to use deadly force if they feel threatened — not only in their homes, but also if they’re in their vehicles or places of business. Seven years later, in 2015, gun rights activists scored two more big victories. Texas lawmakers passed the open carry law, giving handgun owners the option to show their holstered firearms in many public places. They voted to lift the ban on concealed weapons on college campuses, which has been in place since Vietnam war protests in the 1960s. My opinion on the recent rise in interest to obtain a License to Carry permit is that citizens are concerned about safety. People’s primary motivation for purchasing firearms has shifted from hunting and sports to primarily self-defense and self-protection. On September 1, 2017, a new law in Texas went into effect that
