More than a hundred people gathered at the Hamasa Temple Shrine on Wednesday as the Marion Police Department held its third annual Rights and Responsibilities gun education forum.

Forum attendees heard from an array of different law enforcement, firearms trainers and emergency responders about being safe and responsible as gun owners and as citizens.

“A lot of what I’m going to say, you already know,” said Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Auto Theft Division Captain Jeff Willis.

Willis, who spoke about deterring auto theft, said some of the most effective ways to keep thieves out of a vehicle are also some of the easiest. Things like making sure the car doors are locked, taking the keys out of the vehicle and making sure the windows are rolled up go a long way in making a car more trouble to break into than it’s worth, he said.

“We don’t want to make it easy on them,” he said.

Paying attention to surroundings and being alert for potential threats is also highly effective at deterring thieves, Willis said.

Lauderdale County Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun, who spoke to the crowd about situational awareness, echoed Willis about the importance of being alert.

“The number one thing for your own personal safety is to pay attention,” he said.

Calhoun encouraged attendees to put down their phones and look around to identify things that look out of place when out and about. An example, he said, would be someone just standing around in a parking lot of a big box store.

“People don’t just stand in parking lots, folks,” he said. “They just don’t.”

Once a potential threat has been identified, Calhoun said, steps can be taken to avoid it. In the previous example, he said, using another entrance to avoid walking past the person loitering or simply getting back in the car and driving away are both actions that can be used to avoid the potential threat.

Many of the crimes in Lauderdale County are crimes of opportunity, Calhoun said, and staying aware of their surroundings and avoiding potential threats deprives criminals of the opportunity they need to strike.

“The crooks we have around here are not the professional catburglers from the movies in the 1960’s,” he said.

As far as carrying firearms for protection are concerned, Calhoun said it should stay on the person or in a bag that is within reach. Many of the firearms used in shootings throughout Lauderdale County are stolen from unlocked cars, he said.

“To be a responsible gun owner, you have to know where your gun is located,” he said.

Residents who attended Wednesday’s gun education forum also heard from Mississippi Highway Patrol’s Sgt. Jameka Moore about getting a concealed carry permit, Lauderdale County Animal Control Director Rocky Rockette about laws concerning animals, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks’ Bud Loper about hunting laws and licenses and Lauderdale County Emergency Management Director Odie Barrett about disposal of hazardous materials.

“About once a year we get a call for ‘We’ve found a box of old dynamite,’” Barrett said.

While possessing old dynamite is not illegal, Barrett said it can be very dangerous and urged residents who find some to call LEMA or 911 immediately.

Barrett also said residents who have large quantities of ammunition should be prepared to let first responders know where it’s located if their home catches on fire.

“The only time we want to know where your ammo is is if your house is on fire,” he said.

Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Deputy Maj. John Calhoun also shared his testimony about a fatal defensive shooting he was involved in in 2017 and the emotional toll it took afterward.

Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun, who is also Maj. John Calhoun’s brother, said people need to understand there is a price to be paid for killing another human being, even in self defense.

“There is always a price to be paid, and unfortunately we ask officers to pay it,” he said.

In addition to law enforcement, residents also heard from Ross Belk of Rock House Gun and Pawn about purchasing firearms, 601 Sports’ Manager Christine Hemphill about range use, firearms classes and gun sales and Phillip Jerguson about membership in Meridian Shooting Club.

Hemphill, who teaches a women only firearms class, said she’s talked with multiple women who come in to purchase a gun after bad things have happened to them. She encouraged all attendees interested in having a gun for protection, both men and women, to take a basic handgun class, try out some rental firearms and learn to protect themselves before its needed and not after.

As a firearms dealer, she said, “we want to be on the front end of the story.”