According to Mat-Su Borough Purchasing Director Russ Krafft, 30,000 rounds of ammunition have been purchased and all 300 slots for the citizen firearms training have been filled. More than 100 residents are on the waitlist.
When discussing legislative priorities at a meeting in January of this year, District 7 Assemblymember Ron Bernier encouraged a citizen militia of sorts. At the time, he recalled visiting the Trapper Creek Community Council meeting where the standing-room-only crowd met with Alaska State Troopers and Commissioner Jim Cockrell. Residents at the meeting requested more Trooper presence.
In this year’s budget cycle, $75,000 was allotted for the firearms training. Bernier sponsored the budget item. He reiterated that training and arming citizens in rural areas was important because of delayed Trooper response.
Nearly 61 percent of participants selected the Wasilla area for training. About 31 percent selected the Palmer area. Krafft says he suspects that’s close to being representative of where they live. And that each location’s signups are driven by public interest.
About eight percent of the participants selected the Talkeetna area facility for training. Residents in the Upper Valley rely on Troopers coming from locations farther south for police response. And often wait for several hours. Sometimes there is no response. Wasilla and Palmer both have Trooper posts. And the Cities of Wasilla and Palmer have their own police forces.
The one-day firearms courses are organized by the contractor, Phalanx Academy, LLC. Classes begin mid-December and will run through late May.
