Harry and John Burnham started shooting together as a father-and-son hobby a few years ago. John Burnham is partially disabled from cerebral palsy, and now that he is 21, he has pursued concealed-carry permit classes. He is interested, among other things, in carrying a handgun for his protection when he is in vulnerable situations.
“We’re from Memphis originally, and Memphis is like the murder capital,” said Harry Burnham. “Seven or eight years ago, I got my handgun permit down there. I started working with my son to shoot; he started getting interested in shooting for sport and hunting.”
John Burnham loved the sport from the start. “I liked anything with a high caliber. Dad bought me a Springfield 1911 .45 caliber. One, I want to have protection; two, I’ve just always loved shooting and wanted to have my own permit; three, I want to be a gunsmith soon, and, to do that, I need to learn every aspect of a gun, and I figured owning a concealed-carry permit would be the best way to do it.”
John divides his time between a Thornton apartment with his father and a dorm at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
His father worries about John traveling alone downtown. “He’s learning to do a lot of things by himself, but if I’m not around, he’s easy prey for crime,” he said. “He is going to take a class to shoot out of a wheelchair. From a wheelchair, it’d be just like me and you sitting on a stool.”
John Burnham was surprised and pleased the concealed-carry classes emphasized avoiding gun use whenever possible, and safely storing guns if kids are around.
“It was balancing things out, that’s why I liked it. I believe in the right to bear arms,” John said. “If some people don’t want them, they don’t have to have them, but they shouldn’t take them away from others. People should look at it from both sides, not just one side.”
— Michael Booth
