Massena man leads charge to bring gun instructor to north country

MASSENA — A former Border Patrol agent is working to stir up interest in a firearms training program that would give retired law enforcement officers a chance to keep their weapon.

Jean-Pierre Plante has proposed bringing a certified gun instructor to the north country, giving former officers a one-day crash course on everything weapon-related. The class would be the first of its kind in the area and would help retirees take advantage of a federal law that allows them to carry a concealed handgun.

“A lot of them (law enforcement officers) are retiring and sometimes they are interested in being able to keep their weapon,” Mr. Plante said. “But in order to do so they need to take a class.”

In 2004, President George W. Bush signed bill H.R. 218, also known as the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004. The federal law allows off-duty and retired officers from a wide variety of agencies to carry a concealed firearm between states and without a permit.

Only a photo identification with a credentials card is needed.

“It puts more boots on the ground as far as armed officers,” Mr. Plante said. “They are not encouraging them (retirees) to get involved, but if an opportunity comes to where you can help out, that’s what they were trying to do.”

Retirees, however, must meet a number of requirements such as having retired in good standing and had 15 or more years of employment as a law enforcement officer.

The law also requires the retirees to pass a certified training course, either from a law enforcement agency or by a certified firearms instructor.

That training can be tough to come by, Mr. Plante said, especially for people living in the north country.

“Most departments do not want to get involved in qualifying retired officers for liability reasons and myriad of other excuses,” the Massena man said.

And with the closest certified instructor in Rochester, local retired officers are hard-pressed to get the certification. So the former St. Lawrence County sheriff’s deputy and Massena village police officer is working to bring the training here.

“What I wanted to do is put something out there for retired law enforcement officers and see if they would be interested in taking a local class,” Mr. Plante said. “It can be pretty expensive, especially when you have to travel that far.”

The one-time, four-hour class would feature classroom instruction including a review of safety rules and self-defense laws. The instruction period is followed by a qualification time on the range, where students would take part in target practice.

For the Rochester class, retirees pay $55. If a class were to come to the area, prices may be closer to $75, Mr. Plante said, but that could drop if more people sign up for the course.

Mr. Plante said anyone interested in the class can contact him at retlawoff@yahoo.com.