McDowell County Sheriff's Office Offers Free Beginner Handgun Safety Course

The McDowell County Sheriff's Office will offer a free Beginner Handgun Safety Course on Saturday, April 25, taught by a National Rifle Association-certified instructor and capped at exactly 10 participants.

Registration is open now and closes once the first 10 callers claim their spots. To enroll, call the Sheriff's Office at 304-436-8523 and leave a name and a callback number.

The course begins at 10 a.m. with a classroom session at the Sheriff's Office, then moves to a local firing range for hands-on instruction. NRA Range Safety Officers will assist throughout the range portion. Participants are required to bring their own ammunition; no tuition or fees apply.

Designed explicitly for novices, the curriculum covers basic handgun safety and shooting fundamentals under direct supervision. Despite the beginner focus, the course is also open to residents who already hold concealed-carry permits. The Sheriff's Office indicated the class may count toward some concealed-carry licensing requirements, but stopped short of guaranteeing state credit; anyone pursuing a permit should confirm eligibility by calling the office before registering.

The 10-person cap reflects both class size preferences and range safety protocols, and the session will proceed rain or shine. Attendees should prepare for outdoor conditions during the range portion.

The Sheriff's Office manages McDowell County's concealed-carry permit application process, and for county residents the free, locally delivered course removes a meaningful access barrier: traveling to NRA-certified training in larger cities can mean hours on the road and out-of-pocket costs that the April 25 class eliminates entirely.