THE proliferation of crime in the country has resulted in a sharp uptick in licensed gun holders going to Woodleigh Shooting Range in May Pen, Clarendon, for firearm competence training.

Howard Brown, the owner of the range, told the Jamaica Observer that the clients have been coming in, especially on a Sunday. He said what they have been relating is that they need to brush up on their shooting skills so that if the need to defend themselves arises, criminals will not hold an advantage over them.

“What we are seeing now is an upsurge in persons attending the range. And this is not new and I’m not surprised because, over the years, as the crime situation starts to escalate and people feel it’s reaching closer to home, so to speak, they will be interested in coming to the range just to increase their skill levels or maintain a certain level of competence. It’s most definitely so. The track record speaks for itself,” Brown stated.

“We are seeing that now. The numbers have increased since the start of the year — and especially female licensed firearm holders are getting involved. We are now seeing a lot of activity as it relates to persons coming and wanting to practise. So, the males are the dominant gender but we are seeing an increase in the number of female licensed firearm holders now who are coming and wanting to get that training done,” he added.

Statistics from the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) reveal that over the past five years, 8,278 applicants were granted firearm licences. Of that number, 898 were female and 7,380, males.

Apart from the Jamaica Rifle Association and the Jamaica Skeet Club, which are members-only clubs, Woodleigh Shooting Range is the oldest public shooting range in the island.

The range is known for the annual Emancipation Pistol Championship which had its first staging in 2011.

Brown, also a certified range operator, told the Sunday Observer that the clients visiting for training frequently share concerns about the crime situation.

“Some of them know they’re not competent because they have not been visiting the range as they should,” he said.

“We live on an island and it is smaller than we think it is, because you know somebody who is related to somebody or you know somebody who used to go to school with somebody. So, once crime happens down the road or it happens in the neighbourhood, or just if it’s too much in general, people get that fear factor,” he said.

Brown said even during the curfew hours imposed as part of the Government’s COVID-19 containment measures between 2020 and 2022, people were still showing up at the range.

In 2020 there were 1,323 murders recorded across the country. The following year, 1,463.

“During the pandemic we were on and off. The attendance fluctuated because we had a lockdown on some Sundays. That hindered range activities because most persons find Sunday as a better day to actually come to the range. And when you have a complete lockdown, the range is dead. And then we moved to a curfew and we had to close off by midday to give persons enough time to go back home.

“But the flip side to that is that persons came out during that period because, of course, after the lockdown in the week as well persons just wanted to come out and relax and do some recreational stuff. The range got good support,” he said.

Brown told the Sunday Observer that he advises firearm holders to get the necessary training.

“Shooting is a perishable skill; if you don’t use it, you lose it. You lose that muscle memory; the subconscious is not being tuned. I always encourage persons to do so. If you don’t even come to the range, you need to be doing dry fire practice with the empty gun,” he said.

“Pulling it from your waist and indexing a target with the empty gun… you don’t need to fire [as for] that you will need to go to a range, so to speak. You can do that in your own time in a safe area.”

But it’s not just anyone who can walk into Woodleigh, he warned, as only certified firearm holders are allowed.

Further, the FLA stipulates that shooting ranges should obtain a Range Operator Licence which authorises the holder to operate a range for firearm training, recreational and sporting events. Applicants interested in applying for a Range Operator Licence must be licensed firearm holders.

“The FLA is the governing body; it is the authority that governs firearms and ammunition in the country, which is supervised by the Ministry of National Security. At Woodleigh’s we only allow you to enter the facility and conduct firearm handling if you have a licensed firearm with an updated certificate,” Brown said.

“Your certificate must be renewed on a yearly basis. If it is not current, then we require you to have one, and that is through paying your fee of $12,000 to the FLA and having your certificate of a pre-approved letter from the FLA stating that you’re in good standing and need training to prepare you for a competence examination.”