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GARYVILLE — As the mother of four daughters, Angie Duhe believes it’s important for all women to be aware of their surroundings and have the skills necessary to protect themselves in a dangerous situation.

Duhe is the instructor of the Ladies Concealed Carry Class returning to Nick’s Shooting Range & Gun Shop in Garyville at 9 a.m. Friday, October 6. Nick’s will host a separate Concealed Carry class for men and women at 9 a.m. Saturday, September 16.

Classes are approximately eight hours. The course also includes one hour of training on the range.

Both courses include instruction on Louisiana laws, basic handgun safety, and one-on-one handgun training. Participants will fire a semi-automatic and a revolver. Instructors will also walk participants through real-life scenarios to simulate split-second decision-making.

While Nick’s Shooting Range & Gun Shop hosts conceal carry classes once a month, the upcoming ladies class was moved to a Friday to draw participation from women who may have other commitments and children’s activities on the weekend. However, the one-hour shooting portion will need to be scheduled on a Saturday or a Sunday.

“It’s important to me to offer this for women because it levels the playing field for us with self-defense. It’s important that we can be our own first line of defense,” Duhe said. “It’s important for us to be well-educated on laws and also have a skill that we can use to protect ourselves.”

Duhe said instructor-led gun training is offered any time the shop is open.

Nick’s Shooting Range & Gun Shop is a multi-generational family business that has been in the community since 1975. The current location at 5192 W. Airline Highway in Garyville opened in the mid 1990s.

Duhe’s grandfather, Nick Lasseigne Jr., started the family legacy while he was working as a deputy for the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office. What started as a hobby turned into something bigger when he began reloading ammo for other deputies and doing custom reloadings for local outdoorsmen. After gaining his federal licensing to purchase and sell firearms, he opened the original gun shop on side of the family house in Gramercy.

His son, Nick Lasseigne III, followed in his footsteps while working as a St. James Parish deputy and taking the family business to new heights.

Nick Lasseigne III has years of experience leading hunter education, women’s self-defense, and “shoot, don’t shoot” classes for law enforcement. He continues to share his knowledge through concealed carry classes, teaching safe gun handling with three basic rules: keep your gun pointed in a safe direction, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot and keep your gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.

Nick’s Shooting Range & Gun Shop has also united individuals from all walks of life with shooting competitions on the range.

The gun shop is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

Currently, the shooting range is only open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays due to ongoing construction of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Levee in Garyville.

For more information about the business or Concealed Carry class registration, please call 985-535-8161.