Corey Bland – Interview Transcript – 3.22.13

(The following is a transcription of the interview in its entirety. The interview was organized, conducted and recorded by Zach Nelson while speaking to Corey Blandon 3.22.2013)

Bio:

Name: Corey Bland

Age: 21

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Occupation: Reserve Deputy for Athens County Sheriff’s Offices

Question 1 – What is your personal connection with firearms?

Corey Bland: “The way I got started with firearms was basically just with friends, friends who taught me how to shoot. Eventually I took some Concealed and Carry classes, took some training and stuff like that. But originally just got into it with friends.”

            Q - How old were you when you got started?

Corey Bland: “Probably about 15.”

            Q - Was it hunting or target shooting?

Corey Bland: “Target shooting with shotguns was how I started out.”

Question 2 – Why do you choose to have Firearms?

Corey Bland: “I have firearms obviously for my job; it’s something we have to have. I also like to hunt and love to target shoot, I get a lot of fun out of recreational shooting. They’re just great.”

Question 3 - What makes you most proud as a firearms owner?

Corey Bland: “I take pride in being able to protect myself and my family. Shooting firearms is fun, but you still always have to think about having to protect yourself, and that’s what they were originally built for. I just take pride in being able to protect the people I love.”

Question 4 – What is the hardest part about being a firearms owner for you personally?

Corey Bland: “I believe the hardest part about owning a firearm definitely is the stigma of it. A lot of people, you know, if you have a concealed and carry permit people will say, ‘Oh you’re paranoid. What do you need to carry that for?’ Mostly that’s just people who don’t understand firearms and I think are actually afraid of them. I think people just need to learn more about them and they would be more accepting of firearms.”

Question 5 – What do you do as an individual to make sure you are being a responsible gun owner?

Corey Bland: “There are responsible people out there. The right steps need to be taken for firearm ownership. I think its definitely a fun hobby, I would like to see more people get into it and I would definitely be okay with more training too.”

Question 6 - What do you wish was different about being a firearms owner? Looking towards the future what would you change?

Corey Bland: “I would fully support having more background checks. I don’t think certain weapons need to be banned, whatsoever.  There are responsible people out there who could own any weapon. The first weapon I ever bought, I would have no problem with waiting longer to have a more extensive background check. So I definitely would support changing that in the firearm community.”