After serving his country as an Army sergeant in the Vietnam War, Jimmy M. Parker thought he’d handled enough firearms for one lifetime.

“When I got back (from Vietnam), I got rid of all of my guns,” says Parker. “I had four shotguns and a couple of pistols — they were family heirlooms. But I didn’t want to touch a gun anymore.”

Times have changed, however, as Americans know all too well in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast. On a Sunday afternoon at the Koko Head Shooting Complex, Parker confidently raises a 9mm handgun and takes aim at a metal target. By day’s end, he will have fulfilled the requirements of a six-hour course that will result in his being issued a notarized affidavit that will allow him to again become a handgun owner. His motivation for taking the course, the Sept. 11 attacks, hardly makes him unique among his fellow classmates.

Nor are those who have taken a sudden interest in owning a firearm in Hawaii restricted to those with a military background.

“(The attack) really affected me,” says Parker, who teaches computer science at Hawaii Pacific University. “I can still see the planes (crashing into the World Trade Center). And I always will, I guess. You never know what’s going to happen.”

A need to better protect oneself as a means of self-defense in the wake of terrorist attacks on the East Coast has extended to Hawaii.

“Our mode of thinking has changed,” says Art Ong, president and general manager of Magnum Firearms and Range on Queen Street. “We’ve had a large influx of new shooters since (the attacks). Our class size has increased. Usually, we get three or four (per class) per week. Now, we have 16 to 17 people. There’s so much demand now.

“People are going to take the initiative more now. They don’t want to depend on Uncle Sam. If a situation comes up, what’s the likelihood of someone responding on time? That’s the reality.”

Magnum has sold 100 guns in the past month, with nearly 80 percent of the buyers wanting to protect their homes and families with firearms in response to the events of Sept. 11.

“That’s double (what is usually sold),” says Ong. “Some people are buying two.”

At Magnum, where, according to Ong, a dozen different brands of guns are sold, handguns have been the most-requested item of late. High atop the list is the Sig Sauer p226, a 9 mm.

“It’s very reliable and accurate,” says Ong. “It’s the same gun used by the Secret Service. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s of great value.”

A prospective handgun buyer can expect to spend in the neighborhood of $500-$600. Cost for ammunition is around $24 (for 100 rounds).

Having now completed his required course, Parker expects to purchase a Glock 9 mm, which will cost him approximately $550.

He and his wife, JoAnne, who also took the course, also fired a .38 revolver and a .357 Magnum as part of their training.

“We shot the Glock and liked it,” JoAnne Parker said. “It fit our hands nicely.”

Of course, handgun purchasers in Hawaii first must attend the mandatory safety course taught by a National Rifle Association certified instructor. The course, which can be taken by way of a number of organizations, includes six hours of instruction — four hours of classroom instruction and two hours at a range. The notarized affidavit required by state law to own a handgun is issued upon successful completion of the course.

Many elect to take their lessons through Lessons In Firearms Education (LIFE), a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Hawaii Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association. LIFE instructors have been teaching basic courses, which promote safe and responsible use of firearms, since 1993.

LIFE’s classes also have been full as of late. “The day after (the attacks), our answering service was flooded with calls,” says Ardie Cooper, president of LIFE. “Our class is not a self-defense course, though. It teaches basic safety and skill.”

Adds Noreen Leong, who is also an instructor: “It’s interesting. People who would have never shown interest, have shown interest. There are a lot of anti-gun people in Hawaii. Before, they came more as a hobby.”

Often lost on the subject of firearms classes is that the prevailing theme remains one of avoiding conflict altogether. Taking the law into your own hands is never recommended.

“It’s about being aware of your surroundings and avoiding conflicts — avoid, avoid, avoid,” says Gordon Oshiro, an instructor through Firearms Academy of Hawaii. “It’s like President Bush said. We can help to avoid something that might come up. Everyone’s more aware now.”

Says Ong: “If you’re putting power into the hands of a citizen to use lethal force, you have to discuss the issue of judicious use of that lethal force. The thing I advocate is the use of a firearm as a last resort.”

Ong nevertheless favors having “a plan of defense” in the event that you find yourself in a threatening predicament.

“If you fail to plan, you have planned to fail,” he says. “I advocate a cordless phone to call 911 as well as taking a defensive position.”

Even so, given a choice between being the victim or the aggressor in an altercation, most sufficiently trained in operating a gun say they wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“Not a bit,” says Jimmy Parker, “if somebody is coming to our door, believe me.”

JoAnne Parker encountered one such incident years before.

“There was an attempt to break into my home,” she recalls. “They tore the screws off my back door. While that was going on, I was loading a magazine and calmly called the police. I was very calm, and I told them, “please get here before he gets in, or I will shoot him.’ He (the police contact) thought it was a joke because I was so calm. I explained to him that I was (then) the wife of a police officer and that’s why I was so calm. Then he said to stay on the phone. We had cops coming in eight directions, and they got him coming off of the driveway. He was a Marine who had gone AWOL.”

Because her first husband was a police officer, she had access to a firearm.

“When I first saw a gun in my home, it freaked me out,” she admits. “But as time went on, we took the kids out and taught them to shoot. I don’t have that fear I would have if I didn’t have one. I watched CNN yesterday, and they were saying gun sales were on the rise. I don’t know if it makes me feel safer. It keeps me from panicking. If you’re alone, you need something to protect you. I hadn’t shot in 25 years. But after the attack, it (taking a course) was an immediate thing.”

Others have found themselves in close proximity to danger in the past and don’t wish to see their personal history repeat itself.

Leong witnessed a robbery attempt in 1985 while working on her very first job — at a coffee shop in Waikiki.

“My boss and the cook went to assist, and in the process they were shot,” she says. “Both survived. My boss had his jaw shattered. That had started my fear of firearms.”

Nov. 2, 1999, found Leong working in Customer Relations for Xerox at the company’s Bishop Street location. That day, Xerox’s Nimitz location was to become the scene of Hawaii’s worst mass murder ever when an employee, Byran K. Uyesugi, shot and killed seven co-workers.

“I knew all of them (the victims) — I knew him (Uyesugi), too,” she says. “It was scary to think someone I knew would do that. We thought he was coming to Bishop Street next.”

It was in between incidents that Leong took her own firearms course.

“I wasn’t anti-gun, but I had a fear of guns,” she recalls. “It took a lot for me to take a class. Five years ago, I took my first class. I sat there for half-an-hour before I fired my first shot. I said I would never own one, never have one in my home. Now I own a gun. I’m probably one of the few people who did almost a 180 (degree turn).”

As a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines for the past 28 years, Kay Abe-Kaiser has seen her share of “belligerent people, but nothing like terrorists.” Given her work, it’s only natural that she would give much thought to how a hijacking might be prevented. She recently reviewed the course with Firearms Academy of Hawaii.

“I have two guns, a 9 mm and a .45 mm — both Glocks,” she says. “They (the attacks) reignited my desire to get better at it. Our (flight crew’s) main objective is to keep them out of the cockpit. I can’t (have a firearm on the plane), unfortunately. But the (proposed) idea of having a fire marshal on board is a good idea.”

Her decision to choose to take the course was encouraged by her husband, who elected not to reveal his name.

“It wasn’t only for self-defense,” he said. “It was more out of a mind-set of making her aware of how to remove herself from a situation. The instructors here are awesome. I recommend it (the course) for society.”

The Koko Head Shooting Complex is operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, City and County of Honolulu. Six different ranges (for Rifle, Pistol, Handgun Metallic Silhouette, Skeet, Trap, Action Pistol and Cowboy Action) are available for use.

The Rifle and Pistol ranges are operated by city range attendants, with the remaining ranges operated by shooting clubs, under agreement with the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Parks and Recreation. At Koko Head, targets are shot at from a distance of 25 to 50 yards.

Magnum, which is an indoor facility, offers “more realistic training,” according to Ong. Magnum’s courses run every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and every Monday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. (The Royal Hawaiian Shooting Club in Waikiki is much favored by tourists just wishing to fire a gun).

While prospective gun owners have been quick to take the necessary training of late, some are closed-mouthed about their purchases.

“Hawaii is such an anti-gun state,” says Mike Muramoto, range master with the City and County of Honolulu, “you find very few people who are outspoken (about gun ownership). It’s about protecting your privacy. For a lot of people, it’s not something they want advertised.”

At Koko Head, those Muramoto mostly comes in contact with are the steady stream of regulars who like shooting for sport.

“Mostly, it’s recreational — as a hobby or for competition,” he says. “Some like to race cars, some like to play tennis, some like to shoot. My dad bought a .22 rifle when I was 8 years old, and that’s how I got started.”

Whatever the motivation for learning to operate a handgun, most students come away with high marks for their instructors if they haven’t raised their own confidence level to a degree in the process.

“I don’t own a gun, but I’m looking into purchasing one,” says Matthew Belver of Kailua, 29.

“I knew I wasn’t that experienced, and thought it would help to have some experts work with me. It’s for recreation and a little bit of personal protection.”

Even after successful completion of a firearms course, some wonder how they would react in a tough spot.

“If someone was trying to break in, I think I would hesitate,” says Ronnie Perry of Kaneohe.

“I wanted to be able to shoot in self- defense, but it depends on the circumstances. If I knew someone was going to harm me, I don’t know … if he was just stealing, I wouldn’t shoot a gun. But I would threaten them.”