More people are seeking gun education, according to Sandra Linares, the owner of Freedom Rings Firearms Training Academy LLC.

"People are legitimately worried about our country. And the more people are worried, the more I get phone calls, the more classes, the more guns that will be sold, the more training that will occur. Because people are done living in fear." said Linares.

Linares is an NRA certified instructor, who grew up around firearms.

She said, "Like many, their fathers taught them to shoot when they were wee big, for me it was the same thing. I've been shooting pistols since I was 10."

Linares is also a United States Air Force Veteran. She spent her military days as a security specialist and was trained as an M-60 Specialist to protect nuclear weapon storage areas.

Years later, Linares became an NRA Certified Instructor.

"I thought you know what, this is something I need to do that I feel that I can make the biggest contribution to our county, just to help women and men feel like, hey I'm empowered." said Linares.

Although Linares teaches beginner courses and Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) training for men and women, one of her priorities is to encourage women to pursue education in the use of firearms. She has spent more than a decade training women of all ages and all skill levels on the basics of pistol shooting.

Linares said, "Women are getting more and more involved, and they're realizing you know what, it's nice to be able to take care of myself, it's nice to have a fighting chance."

Linares says it's important for gun owners to be confident and safe. She recommends people take basic courses, and afterwards they could pursue their CCW permit if they'd like to. Before considering a CCW permit, Linares recommends that people should know how to do the following:

  • Take a gun a part
  • Clean a gun
  • Hold it properly
  • Safely load and unload magazines
  • Clear any malfunctions

Any person who is a resident of Nevada may apply to the sheriff's office in their county for a concealed firearm permit.

Qualified candidates include:

  • A person that is 21 years of age or older
  • A person that is not prohibited from possessing a firearm
  • A person that demonstrates competence with handguns by presenting a certificate or other documentation to the sheriff which shows that he or she successfully completed an approved course in firearm safety, including instruction in the use of handguns and in the laws of Nevada relating to the use of a firearm

In Washoe County, CCW appointments are booked through March 2022. Of the more than 4,000 appointments booked for the permits, 28 percent are renewals and 72 percent are new applications. However, on Monday Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam announced plans to eliminate the wait for concealed carry weapons permit appointments by July 1, 2021.

To read the Sheriff's statement you can click here.

To learn more about Sandra Linares Freedom Rings Firearms Training Academy LLC., you can click here.