BIG BAY -- The second amendment is the right to bear arms. Fortunately for Bob Laughna, his long-time friend, Rebecca Estelle, was there to help him exercise that right despite losing his hearing.
"At about 19 months old I was hit with meningitis, and I lost a lot of my hearing," explained Laughna.
Regardless of a hearing impairment, he always had his sights set on a concealed weapons permit. Luckily for him, Rebecca helped make that happen.
"We're sharing coffee one day a week ago and she was talking about going for training, and I said, wow, I was thinking about going, too," Laughna said. "I find it very interesting, and so I decided, why not?"
"I signed up to get my CPL and he wanted to take it, too," said Rebecca.
That triggered Laughna to contact the class instructor at Big Bay Sportsmen's Club.
"He has a little bit of a handicap, but that doesn’t prevent him from learning the class, understanding the laws, being able to fire the firearm effectively," said CPL instructor Dave Kent. "He does have the right to protect himself like anyone else."
"When I heard I could get in, I was really excited," Laughna admited. "I text messaged Rebecca, ‘I got in we're set to go.’"
Laughna’s loss of hearing may present him some obstacles, but being a sharp shooter isn't one of them--hitting his targets practically dead center.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC