Mankato instructor tailors class to female gun owners

MANKATO – Most of the students in Tobias Leonard's permit-to-carry class are like Samantha Roehl and Allyson Hlavka, students at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

They are women who have little to no experience with a gun but are thinking about carrying one for protection.

An Army veteran turned college instructor, Leonard has found a niche teaching permit classes that he says are unlike others. His classes are nonchauvinistic, apolitical, comprehensible even for people who have never touched a gun and focus on personal safety, he said.

The Mankato man has been shooting for sport since he was in Boy Scouts and was the top shooter on his high school rifle team.

When one of his teenage daughters decided she wanted to try her father's hobby, Leonard sampled a few gun safety training courses searching for the best one for his daughter and wasn't impressed. The classes tended to be condescending toward women and beginners, filled with jargon and part political rally for gun rights, he said.

"I realized a lot of people know a lot about guns, but not a lot of people can teach," he said.

He realized he's one of the few with both competencies. His teaching experience started in the Army when he was a trainer of operating room assistants. He later worked as a student adviser and adjunct instructor at Minnesota State. These days, he teaches on and off at South Central College.

Roehl and Hlavka were among the students in his class on a recent Saturday. Neither of the roommates owns a gun, but both are considering purchasing and carrying one.

Hlavka is the most interested. Roehl is more uncertain but decided she wanted to at least have some knowledge about guns if her roommate brings one into their residence.

After learning about the class offering online, the pair said they were worried that Leonard would use jargon. That didn't happen, they said after the class. They found Leonard to be knowledgeable but understandable and engaging.

Theresa Cunningham of North Mankato said Leonard's pulled-from-the-headlines stories warning about the consequences of not understanding permit-to-carry and use-of-force laws kept her engaged as well.

She bought her first gun for protection because she felt unsafe while previously living alone in a rural area. That prompted a hobby of shooting at ranges, which she said is "such a good stress reliever." Now she's planning to apply for a permit because she said she'll feel safer bringing a gun when she takes road trips by herself.

"Your pistol is just a tool. Your thoughts and actions are what keep you safe," he tells his students.

Stories and quips are woven through the remainder of the lecture portion of the class, which includes a lesson on the physiology of flight or fight, guidance on use-of-force law, where permit holders can and cannot carry their guns, advice on what to do if the students ever have to use their gun to protect themselves, and more.

Class participants get some hands-on experiences as well, first with unloaded guns and then at a shooting range.

Students test different types of guns, ammunition and holsters while learning about the advantages and disadvantages of each. They also practice how to safely unjam a gun.

At the range, they shoot targets at varied distances and try shooting one-handed with both hands, in case they ever find themselves with an incapacitated hand during an encounter in which they need to defend themselves.

Throughout the class, Leonard offered reminders of the legal consequences of using deadly force and suggestions for tactics to avoid needing to ever use a weapon.

"A firearm should be the absolute last line of defense," he says.

Some of his students decide after the class that they don't want to apply for a permit to carry after all. Leonard said he respects that decision.