INDIANAPOLIS – A former Navy SEAL turned business owner is giving back to his community in a different way – through gun safety training.
Jesse Barnett began his service in 1985 and became a seal in 1990, where he served in that role for 15 years.
"Shortly after that, in 2007 I became a high-profile diplomatic security contractor, so essentially I was working in Afghanistan and Iraq for another seven years,” said Barnett.
Now Barnett has dedicated his time to helping those in central Indiana become safer gun owners at Poseidon Experience, a shooting simulation range on the city’s northeast side.
"I would say the vast majority of the folks who own guns are not comfortable or confident with them. People indicate to us that they leave them in the drawer or in the box they bought it in for quite a long time,” he said.
Barnett believes intimidation and lack of confidence with a firearm scare many people away from learning how to use a gun properly.
At Poseidon Experience, the guns operate similarly to computers by synchronizing software to allow the instructor to give real-time feedback and the customer time to extend their training.
"The methodology here, because we use diagnostic tools and lasers, it enables us to much more efficiently diagnose an individual. what they are doing right or wrong," said Barnett.
The idea behind the training, Barnett said, is that if you are confident and understand safety measures, everyone is safer and can make better decisions in stressful situations.
"We go just way beyond the simple weapon handling. We can go into stress inoculation, which enables our customers to set themselves up for success," he said.
TOP STORIES | Search continues for Delphi killer| Teen girls go missing, bodies found | Friend of killed Delphi girl: 'I question everything' | Families of teen murder victims get support from community
