MCC Gunsmithing program continues to grow ♥

Published in the Courier-Tribune on March 13, 2011

by Hugh Martin

TROY - While the budget for Montgomery Community College gets smaller, the gunsmithing program continues to grow.

During the regular meeting March 9 Wayne Bernauer, gunsmithing instructor, gave the Board of Trustees a brief history of the program since its inception in 1978.

“Students from all over the United States are receiving two-year associates degrees, certificates and diplomas,” he said.

The National Rifle Association classes have also included students from Canada, Ireland and Trinidad.

“There are only 12 comparable programs in the United States with 20 or so more available by mail order and Internet,” Bernauer said. He told board members that last year the program had 33 full-time students; 47 are presently enrolled and 67 are expected in the fall with 37 names on a waiting list.

The program has expanded from one “shift” of classes to three, largely as a result of a $55,000 grant from Brownells Inc. Improvements to allow additional classroom space are scheduled to be finished in May.

Knife making classes are also a popular draw for the program.

Bernauer said that of 19 NRA courses being offered during the next session, eight were filled within days of being posted on the MCC website. He said that students of all ages and walks of life, from fresh out of high school to retirees, were taking the courses.

“We’ve had hobbyists, professional gunsmiths, a nuclear engineer, an executive of a medical corporation and even a part-time executioner from Tennessee enroll in our classes,” he said. “Many students enroll just to get away from their jobs for a while.”

The NRA classes last from one to two weeks each.

At the 2010 SHOT Show, the international shooting sports trade show, in Las Vegas, MCC students and administrators made contacts with representatives of several firearms manufacturers, including Brownells, Beretta and Remington, who expressed an interest in possibly working with the MCC program to do warranty repair work and in setting up a retail store for student training.

Students sold chances on a gun to raise money to attend the show.

“Every gun that is brought onto this campus is logged into a Federal Firearms Logbook and is also logged out when it leaves,” Bernauer told the board.

Bernauer said students who go through the program are highly employable in the industry. Several have been hired by North Carolina firms, Gander Mountain and a military arms manufacturer.

In other business, board members:

• Approved a local budget request of $810,000 from the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, more than the $701,191 proposed by the county.

• Several new employees were introduced: Lenny Anderson in Computer Technology; Marcus Ervin as Lead Maintenance Technician; Randy Gunter as Dean of Curriculum; Metzi Hopkins as Developmental English and Reading Instructor; Crystal Thomas as Special Programs Assistant; and Mitchell Walker as Director of information Technology.

• Approved a new policy on naming of Montgomery Community College facilities.

• Approved the academic calendar for Fall 2011 through Summer 2013.

• Approved a revised mission statement and goals.

• Approved in-kind transfers of donations of a hospital gurney, medical books and medical references to the nursing program.

• Mack Gaddy, student government association president, reported on the activities of the SGA, including a Polar Volleyball tournament Feb. 22 and plans for the annual Spring Fling on April 6.

• Trustee Sam Martin announced that a corporate sponsor had agreed to support the MCC Relay For Life team.

• Board Chair Gelynda Capel reported that 100 percent of the Board of Trustees had contributed to the Foundation fundraiser, bringing the total amount to more than $65,000. The goal this year is $175,000.

Earlier in the meeting, Gay Roatch, chair of the Foundation Board of Directors, had reported that 107 percent of faculty and staff had contributed, explaining that some part-time and continuing education staff who had not been included in their original goal had made contributions.