Annie Oakley program students reflect on shooting

Jeannette Morgan, womens’ program director at the Clark County Shooting Complex, Left) enjoys target shooting with Kimberly Davis, another instructor, on Oct. 10, 2017. Both are involved with the Annie Oakley Oakley Women’s Shooting Program which has women teaches women how to handle guns safely. (Jan Hogan/View)

Signs outside the Clark County Shooting Complex Oct. 10, 2017, point the way to its weekly Annie Oakley Oakley Women’s Shooting Program. It's taught by women and only women are allowed in the classes. Many attendees said they preferred to learn from a woman as men took a more macho approach. (Jan Hogan/View)

A poster is seen Oct. 10, 2017, at the Clark County Shooting Complex promoting its weekly Annie Oakley Oakley Women’s Shooting Program. The classes are for women only and are taught by women. (Jan Hogan/View)

Jeannette Morgan, womens’ program director at the Clark County Shooting Complex, talks about the features of a gun Oct. 10, 2017, as her fellow shooting coaches Adrienne Logan (center) and Ruth Motta look on. The Annie Oakley Women’s Shooting Program has about 60 such instructors or coaches. Morgan said most women did not talk about the mass shooting, they were just there to learn to shoot. (Jan Hogan/View)

Instructors get in some target practice before women begin showing up for the Annie Oakley Oakley Women’s Shooting Program, taught by women for women. The class includes both class and shooting range time with 22 caliber pistols and ammunition provided. (Jan Hogan/View)

Wendy Jaroslawski, instructor, addresses women on gun safety Oct. 10, 2017, during the indoor training portion of the Annie Oakley Women’s Shooting Program. The program began in late April and has seen roughly 1,000 women attend. The women at the event said the mass shooting had not prompted them to take the class, though one said it showed her the need to carry one should something like that happen again. (Jan Hogan/View)

Women take aim during the hands-on portion of Annie Oakley Women’s Shooting Program Oct. 10, 2017 at the Clark County Shooting Complex. The program began in late April and the first night, more than 500 women showed up and more than half had to be turned away. The program has seen roughly 1,000 women attend. Program organizers said the mass shooting on the Strip has had no affect on turnout. (Jan Hogan/View)

Annette Roskowski aims at a target Oct. 10, 2017, during a session of the Annie Oakley Oakley Women’s Shooting Program. The women at the event said the mass shooting had not prompted them to take the class, though one said it showed her the need to carry one should something like that happen again. (Jan Hogan/View)

Laura Ward, seated, gets shooting tips Oct. 10, 2017, from Kimberly Davis during an Annie Oakley Women’s Shooting Program. Jeannette Morgan, womens’ program director at the shooting complex, said most attendees weren't talking about the mass shooting incident, even when it was held the Tuesday after the incident. They were focused on shooting, she said. (Jan Hogan/View)

Wendy Jaroslawski, instructor, shows Angel Perry (seated, left) and Angela Dupuy (seated, right) how to hold a gun if one is left handed Oct. 10, 2017, during the indoor training portion of the Annie Oakley Oakley Women’s Shooting Program. (Jan Hogan/View)

Nine days after the mass shooting on the Strip, representatives of the The Annie Oakley Women’s Shooting Program said the events hadn’t affected participation in the popular “women teaching women” training.

It is held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays except holidays at the Clark County Shooting Complex. It consists of an hour of class instruction and another hour on the shooting range to fire a pistol, provided by the program.

Jeannette Morgan, women’s program director, said the Strip shooting was still hanging over the heads of everyone at the complex but wasn’t discussed, not even when the class was held two days later.

“I thought I wouldn’t have anybody show up, but we did,” she said.

She said about 17 women attended the class that night and 22 came for the shooting range portion. Normally, a class has 20, Morgan said.

“Even on the line (the target practice portion), I thought maybe some would become upset, but no,” she said.

Attendee Angela Dupuy, a Centennial Hills resident, said she is considering getting a gun and possibly a concealed-carry permit. She said she was “frightened to death of guns” but felt a duty to own one.

“After the incident that just occurred, the massacre? I was hoping I could put myself in a position where maybe I could protect myself and people around me, just to be an aid to the community, if necessary,” Dupuy said. “We should just be more prepared. We get a lot of fake news and I think it’s more conspiracy, seemingly. And it’s better to be prepared than not.”

She said she’d love to see global peace but didn’t think it was possible, so “you have to go for what you know. … We’re warriors. We’re all warriors. You’ve got to protect the family.”

“He was crazy,” fellow attendee Laura Ward said of the shooter, shrugging. “There’s no way to stop crazy. We need to have more mental hospitals and we need to make sure that they don’t have rights that they say they need to have. They should be taking their medicine, not telling us what to do.”

Don Turner, president of the National Rifle Association’s state association, the Nevada Firearms Coalition, said the National Shooting Sport Foundation estimated that 49 percent of households in Las Vegas own firearms.

He said schools offered drivers safety training, and parents ensure that their children get swimming lessons, “but they prohibit firearms instructions in schools. We tried to get courses into the community centers; they won’t let us. They won’t let us teach firearms safety in school, and yet over half the population owns guns.”

Contact Jan Hogan at jhogan@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2949.