Minnesota politicians are calling for gun reform after church shooting
Minnesota leaders, including Rep. Ilhan Omar and Mayor Jacob Frey, called for rapid gun reform after the fatal Minneapolis church shooting.
Some activists dedicated to ending gun violence had to look twice at the source of firearm training ads that flashed on computer screens. Everytown for Gun Safety has created the name “Advocate for stricter gun laws and prevent violence,” but it now offers courses to gun owners.
Organizers say on-demand or zoom-style sessions are aimed at responsibility and safety without salesmanship excellence.
The Gun-Rights group responded to the launch by dumping newcomers in a space filled with hidden carry and pistol programs run by the National Rifle Association and other groups.
The new program, Train Smart, also risks angering grassroots chapters and a network of gun violence prevention volunteers in Everytown. Recoiled at the launch, others left their positions.
However, the creators of the program say there is a place for Everytown brand’s gun safety guidance.
“It looks more like what my grandfather is teaching my grandchild than what I get in the back room of a gun shop,” said Chris Marvin, who helped create a program that costs between $20 and $100 and has sessions that last 90, 150 minutes and up to eight hours.
Marvin, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the US Army, said he and other military veterans designed the course to mimic military guidance from reliable sources.
The launch of the program comes when the country is upset by political and everyday gun violence. Meanwhile, the group is facing constant headwinds in Washington, making changes to federal gun laws.
Training can also demonstrate a broader shift towards what researchers call “harm reduction” models instead of “ascetic” messaging.
Gun sales have recently fallen from record-breaking figures over six years. The industry saw 87 million background checks, which ranged from August 2019 to July 2025, or more than one million per month. An estimated 26 million people have become first-time gun buyers over that period.
“This is a signal to gun owners and gun owners, a signal that they own guns, support for safety and are bravely working hard against gun violence,” Marvin said. They hope to add in-person and scope sessions next year.
Violence Prevention Members were “shocked” by the decision
In addition to the ock laughs from gun groups, the program has raised harsh opposition from its own members and longtime supporters.
For Sandy Phillips, training is offensive. Phillips, whose daughter Jessica Gow, 24, was murdered in Aurora, Colorado, attacked a cinema attack in 2012, but went bankrupt after losing a lawsuit against the company that fought firearms and ammunition makers for a long time and sold ammunition, tear gas and body armor to her daughter’s murderer.
“What they’re doing is so harmful and very insulting to the survivors. “Oh my god, how can survivors continue to support them?” “People are hurt and confused. Our mission is to reduce gun violence and ensure that people don’t have guns in their homes. Here we offer gun safety classes that encourage gun ownership.
For many years, Phillips has criticized all towns that demand action against what Brady and Mama consider top-down, ineffective models. She said she and her husband helped change Colorado laws to make it easier for them to sue gun makers after they declared bankruptcy. Phillips believes that large gun violence groups are more interested in raising money and perpetuating their existence than solving problems.
“We should have broken in more by now, but we did more. “They didn’t ask anyone for their opinions. If they had, we would have told you ‘Don’t do this.’ ”
Everytown was born in 2013 as the mayor’s growth against illegal guns, and merged with Mama’s demand behavior. The group is slowly closing the gap between fundraising and lobbying with gun rights groups.
Last year, Everytown spent around $2.3 million on lobbying the federal government, according to Open Secrets. This is compared to $7 million by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, $2.4 million by American gun owners and $2 million by the NRA.
Deborah Parker of Arizona was so infuriated by the train’s smart launch that she resigned from her position leading the local survivor group. Her daughter, Lindsay, 19, was shot and killed in 2006.
“I’ve heard about the program on Facebook and it felt like a tooth kick,” Parker said. “All of these years working on expanded background checks and how you know you have a gun in your home won’t make you safer…this makes no sense.”
Parker said he believes that when all towns can simply link to a politically neutral gun training program that already exists, they waste valuable resources “reinventing the wheels” in training.
Everytown has not heard criticism
Everytown president John Feinblatt says the new programme is a mixture of “curiosity, enthusiasm and skepticism,” and has received feedback from 200 courses he has already filmed with the 10 pilot states.
He said that every town is meant to be a large tent that always includes gun owners. He says he drove the name itself, not portrayed as anti-gun or hardline gun control.
“We’ve seen existing markets, and it’s primarily based on fear,” Feinblatt said. “Bringing it down, it’s marketing for the gun industry, disguised as training.”
Still, gun training classes need to land on some important answers to thorny questions arising from trainees.
Should I buy a gun? Do I need to store my guns near the bed? Will I be safer in my home with a firearm?
Veteran trainer Marvin said these answers are subtle, but all training focuses on clear statistics. Yes, buying a firearm increases the risk of someone in your home being shot. No, you should not unlock pistols loaded on the nightstand. No, you shouldn’t always assume that buying a gun will be an important part of your home’s defense plan, Marvin said.
Marvin said instructors would explain the balance of storage that leaning towards safes that could still be opened quickly, or to change storage options when someone in the house is struggling with mental health.
“Many people are taught the guns, the solution to your problem. Whether it’s a suicide, or a conflict with a neighbor or a man who cut you off in traffic, “But like the military, we talk about solving problems with ongoing power and non-fatal means.”
NSSF, NRA responses, others say training is better than anyone
Larry Keene, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, appeared skeptical of the new program after leaking in August.
In a blog post, he rattles off suggestions that Everytown supports, including more permissions, age restrictions, waiting periods, Red Flag Act, and gun-free zones.
“It’s like getting a barbecue lesson from a vegan,” Keene said.
Similarly, the NRA writes ridiculously about the program, teaching gun safety for 150 years and estimates that there are 125,000 instructors nationwide who teach hundreds of thousands of classes each year.
“Our instructors will not tell you that you should not have a legal specific firearm you own,” the organization was posted in connection with Everytown’s proposal to limit large-capacity magazines and some semi-automatic rifles.
Firearms industry veteran Rob Pincus runs his own training regime, the Personal Defense Network, and although he appeared skeptical of the new programme, it was measured by his critique.
“They are trying to reinvent themselves, I think it’s because they’re not going anywhere along with the gun ban,” Pincus said.
“But I think the more education opportunities we have with responsible firearm ownership and the better we use, the better,” Pincus said.
