Pandemic fuels demand for gun classes

Instructor from Saukville says his classes are filling up immediately because of concerns about the coronavirus, civil unrest and increase in violence

SHOOTING INSTRUCTOR Dave Maglio taught Fredonia resident Randi Todorov how to use a gun on Monday at his range near Cascade. Maglio, of Saukville, said he has recently been inundated by first-time gun buyers wanting to attend his classes. Photo by Sam Arendt
By 
DAN BENSON
Ozaukee Press staff

In the midst of a pandemic, political upheaval, violence on an almost daily basis and calls for defunding law enforcement, people are worried, Dave Maglio says.

He knows because business is booming for his handgun training classes as more and more people are buying firearms for the first time.

“Since Covid opened up, my classes have been filling up almost instantly,” Maglio said. “And with current affairs the way they are, people are worried.”

The FBI reported background checks associated with the sale, transfer or permitting of firearms set an all-time record in June when the bureau conducted more than 3.9 million checks.

In July, the FBI conducted more than 3.6 million firearm background checks, making it the third highest month on record since the bureau began keeping statistics in 1998.

The second highest month on record was this past March when coronavirus restrictions were first imposed and the agency conducted 3.7 million checks. 

  By comparison, the bureau conducted just more than 2 million checks in July 2019.

Maglio, a Saukville village trustee and former Marine, is director of training for Concealed Carry Associates and affiliated with Florida-based Massad Ayoob Group as a five-gun master.

He has led classes of as many as 50 people at the Saukville Police Department and operates a gun range near Cascade.

Currently, due to social distancing recommendations, classes are usually limited to 20 people, he said.

He also does in-home classes for groups of as many as 10 people.

One new gun owner who sought out Maglio’s expertise is Randi Todorov, a firefighter and emergency medical technician who knows Maglio from his days as an Ozaukee County Sheriff’s deputy.

“I did a concealed carry course with him a few years ago but I hadn’t gotten a gun yet,” she said. “He’s helping me buy a gun that’s correct for me.”

Todorov, who lives in Fredonia, said she feels she needs a gun to protect herself, her family and her neighbors.

“People are going nuts,” she said. “With the unpredictability of people, the brutality these days and the Covid, people are stuck at home. They’re defunding police in a lot of different areas. If you can’t trust that they’ll be there, you need to take care of yourself.”

She organized one at-home training session with Maglio for friends and relatives, including her mother, her husband and two neighbors.

“We did it in my living room,” she said. “My two neighbors bought guns just days before.”

Maglio said people who buy a gun and don’t get training, but expect to protect themselves and their families are hazards to themselves and those around them.

“If you think you’re going to buy a gun and not train with it, you might as well just buy a rabbit’s foot because you’re just hoping to get lucky,” he said.

“In a stressful situation you will not rise to the occasion,” he said. “You will default to your level of training.”

In his courses, he said, the safe handling of a firearm is paramount. And completing a course is not the end for a conscientious gun owner.

“Shooting skills are perishable,” he said, saying like any pursuit, whether riding a bike or playing golf, skills can deteriorate over time if not regularly practiced.

“People want a one-stop, magic answer for everything. There’s a ritual to how you do things with firearms so it’s important to train and practice it correctly.”

Maglio, who has 15,000 likes on his Facebook page, used to conduct four to five classes a month but has had to cut back in recent months because of other business interests.

He doesn’t see the demand for his services slackening any time soon.

“People see the violence, the property damage. There are no consequences for the bad behavior,” he said. “Who’s going to respond if something happens and police are tied up? People are very concerned about their safety.”

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Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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