ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Since the permit-less carry law went into effect on July 1st, the number of people taking concealed carry classes has dropped dramatically, but one local gun training instructor says his business has doubled.

Thom and Donna Panos are so new to the gun-owning community that they haven’t even purchased a gun yet, but they did buy classes at GUNSAFETY4U in Pinellas County.

“We just wanted to be completely educated a gun before we actually purchased a gun,” Donna said. “We wanted to make sure that we knew the rules and to see if we wanted to go through with it.”

They are part of a growing number of people taking these highly technical and comprehensive training courses since the permit-less carry law went into effect, according to instructor Geoff Davis, Jr.

“Our basic classes are up double and it’s in sheer numbers,” said Davis, Jr. “People are voting with their money and they’re saying if I’m gonna get a license what training do I want.”

Davis, Jr. believes the new law is not only getting people more interested in owning a gun but also more interested in getting the proper training for owning a gun beyond just knowing how to fire it.

“You know how to load it. You know how to unload it.” he said. “You know how to make it safe. And then you have to know how to disassemble it to a certain point, clean it, put it back together. That’s what this class teaches people.”

Donna and Thom feel they’re better equipped now to purchase the right gun.

“I just didn’t want to cut corners especially with a weapon,” Thom said. “And I just wanted us to have the most educational possible and this was the course we were looking for.”

Davis, Jr. says he’s always happy to help.

“At the end of the day we deliver a gold standard product that’s definable,” he said. “The instructors are taught to conduct themselves and deliver the material in a certain way and you can depend on that.”