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- NRA-approved--beginners welcome
- Moxee group offers handgun training at Sun Valley Shooting Park
- MOXEE (Thursday 4-29-99)---A two-day, $65 course in pistol handling will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 15-16 at Sun Valley Shooting Park here, according to park officials.
- The course, entitled Personal Protection: Basic Handgun Handling, will be taught by several instructors over that weekend.
- "This is a basic course; no experience is required," said Pat Koenig, one of the instructors and the only female instructor in Yakima.
- "We will go through the differences between single-shot firearms, semi-autos, ammunition, the whole route. So you can get an idea about hand guns. Learn when to shoot and not to shoot in a situation. You can gain practical experience in shooting your handgun, learn safe handling, and become more proficient" she said.
- The course is also for neophytes who have never handled a pistol, but recognize their need for self protection in a world where cops obviously can't be everywhere at once.
- Instructors will teach a broad range of topics from from pistol maintenance to the legal, moral and practical use of firearms for personal protection
- Speakers at the training session will include Yakima Police Officer Tony Bennett, as well as an attorney from the Yakima County Prosecutor's office.
- "The attorney will either be Ken Ramm or Glenn Warren--that hasn't been nailed down yet," Koenig said.
- The Sun Valley facility is specially set up for such classes. Instructors include Pat's Husband, Steve Koenig, plus Jim Reddick, Dale Tadweld, Matt Gunderjohn, Mark Kranz, and J.B. Meyer. Gary and Lou Brown are rangemasters at the facility.
- "We have a big club house. Downstairs is the rangemaster's area where shooting takes place. There's a microwave and coffee available. Upstairs we have classrooms with desks, TV and blackboards," said Pat Koenig, who also is a Sun Valley board member.
- Sun Valley is open Wednesday through Sunday on non-training days. Shooters can use the range all day for a $5 fee. If they join the club and pay dues, such use is free. Brochures are available at the facility.
- Sun Valley also makes training available for Yakima County youngsters. Pat Koenig said she would like to take 'Eddy Eagle" training into local schools.
- Eddy Eagle is the logo mascot for an NRA program designed to keep children out of danger when they encounter firearms, either in their own homes or that of a neighbor.
- The training teaches children--when they encounter a firearm anywhere--to "Stop, don't touch, leave the area, tell an adult," Koenig said.
- But political correctness is especially rife in Yakima County, and even more so in area public schools. Gun control is politically correct. Handgun ownership is politically incorrect.
- "When I approach (Yakima) school administrators, my pleas (for educating children about gun safety) fall on deaf ears," said the NRA-certified trainer.
- Pat Koenig said she will teach wherever school administrators can see the value of training children to remain safe around firearms.
- Those who would like schools to set gun-safety training time aside for their children should approach their school board and request it. Those who would like more information about the Moxee facility and training can call Pat Koenig at (509) 965-8163.