VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — With the uptick in gun violence and accidental shootings, one Virginia Beach man has made it his mission to educate families.
Joel Jones runs the Strong Arms Training Academy and is hosting 22 free classes all summer.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been 800 accidental shootings this year. The K through 12 database says 40% of accidental shooting deaths involving children and teens, are between 2 and 4 year olds.
Jones said it’s time that number drops.
The firearms instructor has been around guns his whole life, both as a young teen in a gang and during his 24-year career in the Navy.
"I shot a lot of big guns and rockets and machine guns," Jones said.
Now, Jones said he wants to share his knowledge with others, specifically families.
"So we can prevent, discontinue all of this accidental gun shootings with babies, youth," he said.
Just this year in Hampton Roads, a 6-year-old got access to his mother’s gun and shot his teacher in January.
Two three-year-olds were shot in two separate incidents. Police found a loaded and unattended gun in one of the homes.
These are incidents that Jones has at the top of his mind
"Usually, we find out that they didn’t have a lockbox or the gun was just sitting around," he said.
In response, Jones is holding 22 free classes this summer focused on family and youth gun safety.
"It starts with education and, believe it or not, some parents just don’t know how to start that conversation," Jones said. "I get it. There's nothing wrong with that. The only problem with that is that they do nothing about it."
Sydney Trewartha, 13, attended Jones' first class Wednesday night. She said she doesn’t know much about guns
"I've shot before and it felt like more of like a hurting thing than a helpful thing," she said. "The noise kind of scares me."
But, seeing so many school shootings is what pushed her and her mother to attend the class.
"I just don’t want to feel scared anymore about them. I want to be more comfortable so if I’m in a dangerous situation, I can act like prepared and protect myself," Sydney said.
Jones said he feels compelled to share what he knows and take action against preventable tragedies.
"Come to my class. We're gonna sit you down, and the kids, and we're gonna go over how to talk about gun safety," he said. "No more talking. It's time for action."
For more information on how to sign up for one of Jones’ classes, click here.