By Megan Alley
Sun staff

There are still spots open for a free gun safety course being offered to kids, ages 5 to 12, by the Union Township Police Department on Jan. 30.

“My personal opinion is, with all the concealed carry permits, there are a lot of guns out there in houses,” said Lieutenant Tony Rees. “We’re hoping that parents are responsible and have them locked up, but kids may come across one, and we want them to understand how it works, how to handle it safely and how dangerous it can be.”

The department held its first gun safety class for kids in November 2014, which was attended by 25 kids and adults.

“We got good feedback and had a good response,” Rees said.

The tone of the class is semiformal.

“We want it to be enjoyable for the kids as well as educational,” Rees said.

The Jan. 30 class will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the training room of the police department, located at 4312 Glen Este-Withamsville Road. Breakfast will be provided.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Participants are not permitted to bring their own gun.

The class will be taught by the agency’s certified firearms instructors and gun armorers.

Rees said the kids will be shown the parts of a rifle, how to determine if the safety is on or off, and the difference between single and double action pull.

“We’re going to educate them on all that stuff,” he said. “We’re going to show the kids how guns function.”

The kids will not be shown how to shoot a gun, and the class will not include the firing of any weapons.

“You will always have pro-gun or anti-gun people, and I feel that if the guns are in the hands of an educated person, then the police department has at least done their job,” Rees said.

He added, “Parents may have guns but not know how to teach their kids about them. We want to offer a resource to people who may not be comfortable or feel they can’t do it.”

To register, call Rees at 513-753-2247. Callers are asked to leave the age and name of those attending the class, including adults, and a call-back number.