Wake County no longer offers course on AR-15-style rifles – but you can still shoot them

The Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center no longer offers a class that involves semi-automatic rifles — but that's not because a resident complained about it.

The class, which had a self-defense component that "involved shooting with an AR-15 rifle" has been removed from the schedule because it wasn't popular, according to the Wake County Sheriff's Office. The last time the course was offered was 2016.

The issue was raised by a resident who asked Wake County commissioners about the course being listed on the website of the training center, which is located near Holly Springs and is publicly funded. Law enforcement use the center for training, but it's also open to the public. Residents must complete a safety orientation course and can then pay hourly or longer-term fees to use the four shooting ranges, and they can also enroll in classes.

"What on Earth are my tax dollars doing to help the next mass shooter learn his craft?," a resident wrote in an email to commissioners. "Why on Earth are you allowing this to continue? Please tell me this has been, or will be now, stopped. I was absolutely shocked to find that this was happening."

An AR-15-style rifle was used in the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 people dead. The weapons are often debated in discussions about how to prevent mass shootings.

Commissioners said they were pleased that particular course is no longer offered.

"I am very pleased that the sheriff has decided to ensure the firearm center no longer offers that type of training for citizens," Wake Commissioner Greg Ford said. "I see no reason why a taxpayer-funded center should provide opportunities to teach people how to shoot an AR-15. That is just common sense to me."

But Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said other courses involving semi-automatic rifles could be offered in the future. And residents are still allowed to shoot such weapons at the center as long as they follow the rules — armor-piercing rounds and tracer ammunition are prohibited, for example.

The defensive rifle class was last offered at the center in 2016, said Fred Stough of Range Safety Management, which operates the shooting range for public use and sets the course list. Only five people attended the class, and a planned second class was canceled due to lack of interest.

There are no other courses at this time that teach people how to shoot an AR-15-style rifle, Stough said.

In the aftermath of the Florida school shooting, Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart announced they would no longer sell AR-15-style weapons. Last week, thousands of Triangle students walked out of their classrooms as part of a national movement for school safety.

This story was originally published March 19, 2018 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Wake County no longer offers course on AR-15-style rifles – but you can still shoot them."