Local Man Pulls Trigger on Firearms Training Academy in Yorkville

About three years ago, Rick Winninger felt restless.

"I got tired of going home after work and watching TV," said Winninger, owner of the Action Graphix sign shop in Yorkville. "So I found a hobby."

An experienced marksman and retired Oakbrook Terrace policeman of 30 years, Winninger got his certification from the National Rifle Association to teach several different courses and decided to open up the Firearms Safety Academy in Yorkville at 1211 Deer St.

"We go through everything, from safety to cleaning to the actual firing of the firearm," he said. "I take them from A to Z and work with them until they're comfortable."

Using hands-on instruction in the classroom and on the range, the Firearms Safety Academy is committed to helping students safely and proficiently use handguns while aiming to teach marksmanship.

Winninger, 67, began hunting more than five decades ago.

"I got my first gun when I was 10," he said. "I grew up in a small town in Indiana and started hunting."

He enjoys helping others learn how to properly use a firearm. Participants at the Firearms Safety Academy range in age from 12 and into their 60s.

"The biggest thing I get are a lot of husbands and wives coming in," Winninger said. "Wives come in a little apprehensive about guns being in the home. When they're done with the course they usually say, 'That's not as bad as I thought it would be.'"

What has surprised him most during the last three years of teaching at the academy?

"Women are better shots than the guys 99 percent of the time," he said.

Winninger said often people will seek out a course at his academy to get more familiar with guns.

"(They take it) for a level of confidence," he said. "They have guns but want to train so they're more comfortable with it."

His favorite part of the job may not be a surprise.

"I like the shooting part," he said. "And when you get people that are here because they want to learn."

Both the Action Graphix shop and the Firearms Safety Academy keep Winninger busy, and he likes that. He has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

"As long as I'm mobile I'll be doing signs and teaching shooting," he said. "I can't relax."

No shooting experience or previous firearm ownership is necessary to participate in the Firearms Safety Academy. A firearm owners identification card is recommended, but not required. FOID card applications are available.

For more information, visit firearmssafetyacademy.net.