Pawn shop's incentive: Buy a gun, get a free concealed carry class

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Valley gun stores say they have seen a big increase in business since the shootings in California last week. Many people say they want to protect themselves or others from similar mass shootings.

Now one valley gun store has an offer: buy a gun, get a free concealed carry class.

This is at the Mo Money Pawn Shop and the business wants to make sure if their customers are going to carry, they carry the right way.

"Run away, hide or shoot.. I would rather have them shot."

When Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio appeared on FOX 10 last week saying people should carry and use their weapons to stop mass shootings like the one in San Bernardino, it got Mo Money Pawn Shop general manager Byron Vaughn thinking.

"If you're not prepared to use a gun safely.. it can be just as dangerous as not having one," he said.

So Mo Money Pawn is now giving every customer who buys a gun a voucher for a free concealed weapons course. It teachers gun owners not only how to safely use their guns, but the legalities surrounding when and where you can carry and pull out and use your firearm.

"What we wanted to do was make sure that people who bought our weapons were using them in a safe, responsible manner.. we didn't want people aimlessly running around with guns on them," explained Vaughn.

And the demand for guns has really gone up. Mo Money Pawn staff say their business is up about 50 percent since the shootings in southern California.

"We've had a lot of customers in the store the last couple of days. They are worried for their families, they are worried being out with their children," said Vaughn.

Here in Arizona, you don't need to have a permit or take a course to carry a concealed weapon, but many experts say that for people with no previous training, it is a smart move to take the class before you carry.