March 29, 2024

Gunsmith students to clean firearms for class trip

GRINNELL — Local gun owners can take their firearms to the Iowa Valley Community College in Grinnell for a professional cleaning from students enrolled in the Gunsmithing Program. Students are raising the funds needed for a class trip to attend the 2019 Annual Custom Gunmaker’s Guild Convention in Dallas, Texas.

For a suggested donation of $30 gun owners can drop their firearms off between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays. While the school does do repairs the fundraising campaign is for cleaning only. A cleaning entails removing dirt, grime and carbon build up from parts and lubrication according to manufacturer specifications. Money raised through this program goes directly into a fund to provide transportation and lodging for the convention.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to interact with the best custom gunsmiths in the country,” Eric Kiesler, gunsmith program department head said. “When we offered this opportunity to them they decided that while it wasn’t financially feasible for each student to pay out of pocket, they didn’t want to ask for handouts. I feel this is an opportunity to not only let them work towards a goal, but also reach out to the community to provide a service. I think it’s a win-win.”

If they can meet their goal, these first-year students will interact with industry leaders, experienced gunsmiths with decades of real-world knowledge and learn about future trends in the firearms industry. This sets a program in place for classes that follow them through the program at Iowa Valley.

For more information, call Iowa Valley at 641-236-0513.