Terry Cornell, an Evergreen Park resident, said he would often spend his weekends having doughnuts and coffee at Kee Firearms and Training with about 100 people from across Chicago, learning about gun safety at the store’s free concealed carry classes.
About 400 people attended the classes monthly, which required a $30 range fee per class, according to owner Jeffery Regnier.
Many customers returned for additional training or to listen in, which created a community space where people, especially those who couldn’t afford other training classes and even young teenagers, could learn more about gun safety and chat, Cornell said.
“So the guys got to eat, and they got to learn, and I’ll tell you they were laughing and joking in the back of the room, and I was sitting back and I was like that’s the best thing I ever seen,” Cornell said.
Since the store closed in 2023, due to Regnier facing several criminal and civil charges, now dismissed, Cornell, who attended the classes with his wife and dozens of friends, said there’s been void that hasn’t been filled. He said he hasn’t found any courses similar to the Kee’s training that are affordable, scheduled on the weekend and extensive.
Cornell said training courses usually cost hundreds of dollars and he said he knew people who would own and use guns without the training or license because the courses were unaffordable and only on weekdays.
Regnier said his offering free classes changed the market, and several businesses that offered paid classes shut down because they couldn’t keep up.
“There’s no one to fill that role, even on a paid avenue,” Regnier said. “Nobody can handle hundreds of people doing training every weekend.”
While gun store owner Joe Malone agrees Regnier threw a “wrench in the market,” he said there are still accessible, affordable options.
“But they would get people in the store and then what happens, when you’re in the store where you see all the accessories they have available, and when you look at companies, yeah, it makes sense as to why they did what they did and it definitely threw a wrench in the market for sure,” he said.
Malone said he had to recently close his gun business in New Lenox due to a lack of registrations, unrelated to Kee, and argues there isn’t enough demand for these trainings in the area.
He said he offers trainings in the Frankfort and Alsip areas, starting at $99 for the 16-hour training. This occasionally requires an additional $25 if they’re using a third party range for the training. Customers can also pay an additional charges for other services like help with their Firearm Owner’s Identification cards.
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Creative Scott, a concealed carry trainer based in Chicago off of North Lawndale, said he led a training in the New Lenox area about a month ago and works to provide affordable concealed carry and other gun safety classes at an affordable rate. That usually requires a $75 fee for the range.
Scott said sometimes it’s reasonable for these classes to charge because it’s important to invest in individual safety.
“It shouldn’t be about money all the time for your safety, like no amount of money determines my safety,” he said. “Some people have the money but don’t want to invest. You have to invest in yourself, in order to better yourself.”
Cornell said many people purchase a gun because they’re scared and work odd shifts.
“But you have to know when to shoot because that is a life-altering decision you’re making and you don’t know how the state’s attorney is going to see it, how the police are going to see it,” he said.
Cornell said 90% of the Kee’s training emphasized gun safety, teaching people how to respond calmly to law enforcement, what types of locks to buy to secure a gun and how to unload a jam safely, which can lead to an explosion if addressed incorrectly.
Regnier said he started the program after a few young moms told him they were scared of guns because they didn’t know how to use them and they didn’t have the money to spend on training.
After more than 2,000 people signed up for what was meant to be a one-time offer, Regnier decided to incorporate the safety training into his business, hiring concealed carry certified trainers to work the weekend shifts so they could answer safety questions.
“We can’t sell guns to people who don’t know how to use them and just hope that everything works out,” Reigner said. “We encouraged people to ask questions because we didn’t want people to come in our store and just stay quiet as some people do and then they don’t know how to do something. That’s what we’re doing it for, to help you.”
Cornell said the instructors zeroed in on any participants that didn’t take the safety measures seriously.
But when federal and local officials raided the home and businesses of Regnier and his wife, Greta Keranen, in 2023 while investigating them for money laundering, Regnier lost his license to sell guns and, in November 2024, didn’t have the funding to pay the store building’s mortgage.
His wife’s construction business has also been on hold since the arrest, he said.
Multiple criminal charges against Regnier were dismissed last month after a Will County judge denied the state’s request to reschedule the trial date. Regnier also pushed back on the charges and won a civil forfeiture case in July regarding the four vehicles and Fidelity Investment accounts valued at $5.5 million that were seized as a part of the investigation.
The Will County state’s attorney refused to comment on the substance of the case, citing that it is still in progress.
Regnier said he lost about 25 employees and a significant amount of revenue because he had to undersell a good portion of the guns quickly to acquire the funding to pay attorneys fees and other fees, such as sales taxes and other unfinished business payments with manufacturers.
Regnier said he still receives dozens of requests over email to continue the training, but he’s unsure if he will reopen the store.
“I never intended to close and we loved what we were doing in the community,” Regnier said. “We were not a typical firearm store where you just come in and buy stuff. We were actually community involved and we were trying to train the community and answer those questions.”
Regnier will face the second round of his criminal charges at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 in room 405 of the Will County Courthouse.
But in the meantime, Cornell said the community needs accessible gun safety training. He said he tries to help educate people if he sees someone doing something unsafe with a gun, but that it’s not the same as a structured classroom where the skills can be learned and applied.
“I think the state should do more to encourage people to get out there to a class because in a blink of an eye you’re changing somebody’s life as well as your own,” Cornell said.