Miss. couple to open gun training facility in Raymond

Kim Condon's husband had tried for years to get his wife interested in firearms.

She never would.

The Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting did what Mark Condon could not. That incident — 12 dead, 70 injured just because they wanted to catch the premier of Batman franchise's "The Dark Knight Rises" — changed Kim Condon's mind.

"I went to Mark and said I think this world is going crazy, and I want to defend myself," she said.

What started as a trip to a firearms training facility in Arizona to teach Kim the ins and outs of using a gun led to Kim asking Mark if there was something similar close to Jackson. There wasn't. There will be when the Condons open Boondocks Firearms Training Academy next weekend.

Off U.S. 18 in Raymond, Boondocks will not be a membership-driven range. Instead, it will be dedicated to teaching the art of self-defense with a firearm, with classes for handguns and shotguns. The first class is May 30. Registration for future classes — which include those needed for an enhanced concealed carry permit — is at boondocksfta.com or by calling (769) 972-2382. Sessions are available for shooters of every skill level, Boondocks instructor Cliff Cargill said, including private lessons. Cargill is one of about 40 instructors, from all over the Southeast U.S., Boondocks will use.

The classes will average around 12, to keep the instructor-student ratio manageable and ensure adequate instruction, Cargill said. "There are so many enhanced carry classes that can have 20 or more people. A lot of times you'll have people there shoot only one magazine and that'll be it. We're going for quality over quantity."

The Jackson area's new chapter of The Well-Armed Woman, which starts with a class tailored for women who have no firearm experience but want to change that, will meet there, too. "And that's where I come in," Kim Condon said. "I approach this from the woman's perspective."

Construction started late last fall. The clubhouse will feature a pro shop that will sell firearms, ammunition and shooting gear. A separate, climate-controlled building will serve as an all-purpose space whose most frequent use will be serving catered lunches to students, Mark Condon said. The entire place belies the connotation usually associated with firearms training places: Ceilings of reclaimed barn wood hover over luxurious furniture, something Mark Condon said was the product of his wife's sharp eye for design.

Out from that, covered ranges feature steel and paper targets normally found at law enforcement and military installations. Mark Condon said he has already entertained overtures from law enforcement agencies interested in using the facility.

For now, Boondocks will concentrate on its educational mission. "We got the website up and almost immediately people were registering and going through the process of securing a spot with their credit cards," he said. "We weren't even open yet. It was amazing. We're here to teach Harry and Henrietta Homeowner how to defend themselves and their property. We're not looking to turn them into ninjas, but we want them to have some training."

Contact Clay Chandler at (601) 961-7264 or cchandler@ jackson.gannett.com. Follow @claychand on Twitter.



