Editor's note: As a military veteran (Aerospace Rescue and Recovery, flightline mechanic) and also a former veterinary technician and horse owner/trainer, have lived in rural country across the U.S. to more urban areas. Life is an education and living with people and knowing your neighbor teaches tolerance – seeing through another's eyes, learning different points of view. Knowledge is power; responsibility is part of being human – or should be. This ethic is taught by example. Have gone along on hunts and lived in tightly-knit communities where food is brought to the table from woods, rivers, creeks, streams and pasture with skill and expertise – and the consumption of what is on the table is a gift to respect, life to life – never taken for granted. Know history and know current events. Will think independently, ever asking questions. There is always more to learn.

Safety.

“We do a lot of training here, we do a lot of basic classes, pistol classes, long gun classes for younger people who want to get their hunting licenses,” said Robert W. Pizzi, Jr., owner of Central Connecticut Arms in Portland.
“When you leave here you will have your basic knowledge of how to handle a firearm, how to load them, how to unload them, how to properly care for them, how to store them and the basic safety rules of firearm safety.”

Maybe for some there would be surprise that on a recent visit, an elderly couple shopping for self protection spent more than an hour with Rob, asking questions. Hand strength and grip, weight, safety issues, makes and models. On display is patience and the goal to equal or exceed a customer's expectations. The couple were still on site when our own visit was complete. As a female, being welcome and respected, with personal concerns addressed in an environment that is non-threatening and secure is important.

“We actually have a lot of doctors and nurses that carry, and we make a special holster for them. Here, you are not just a number. I promised myself after I had a bad experience in a gun store, I walked out and promised myself to be a gun dealer. The number one thing to me is customer satisfaction. Here when people walk in the door, it's showtime. We treat everyone with respect. I had a woman come in and she is 82 years old, took the pistol permit class, she came in here with a walker. Yes, we also have woman-only classes.” We aim to please is more than a phrase here – Pizzi stands behind the words he chose for his business.

A portion of his life story from the company web site: “I grew up in North Branford (Connecticut) and wasn’t your typical kid of the times. I spent a lot of time outdoors hunting, fishing and trapping my whole youth. My passion for the outdoors and affection for firearms led me to join the U.S. Army…

After I got out, I have been involved in retail sales for 30 years. I know how to treat a customer and, more importantly, I have patience with my customers…

That leads me to how I became an FFL….

One day, I was trying to buy a gun at a well-known gun shop in Connecticut. After waiting 30 minutes or so and being ignored the whole time, I finally was lucky enough to be waited on. “Sparky” (not his real name) was a young kid who didn’t look old enough to own a gun was my sales person. I asked some basic questions about the Kimber I was interested in and immediately knew he only wanted to ‘sell me something.' After going back and forth with him and the condescending attitude he gave me (I am saying in my head, listen kid, I was shooting guns and fixing them long before you were a twinkle in your parents eyes) I thanked him for his time and left. The moment I walked out the door, I said to myself ‘I’m gonna be a dealer and someday open a gun shop.'

Fast forward to 2012. I got my FFL (Federal Firearms License) and was a home-based dealer.

And to 2017. The moon and stars aligned and everything just fell into place and here we are. I was drawn to Portland, noting the welcoming business community and that active the Fish & Game Club that reminded me of growing up in North Branford, where hunting, fishing, and trapping were sports shared by parents with their sons and daughters.

I have left my full time job and career to focus on making this the best gunshop in the state. One can say I am ‘ALL IN' now. Thanks ‘Sparky.'”

“You're going to leave here not being the best shot in the world, but you'll leave here knowing how to handle a gun safely. Three basic rules. Rule number one is always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction; two, to keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Three – keep the firearm unloaded when not in use. If you follow the three basic safety rules nothing bad is going to happen.”

Pizzi offers an eight-hour training class. The classroom training is all hands-on with instructors who are NRA-certified, military veterans and combat veterans.

“We then go to a range and do live fire. The NRA mandate is an eight-hour class. We use a private property here in Portland (Connecticut) for our range firing. This is an inclusive training course. When you leave here you'll know how to clean a gun, and how to take your gun apart. We go through each of the parts. You handle them so you are not afraid of them when you go to the range. We do a lot of dry-fire training in the classroom so you know what you to expect. The instructors work one on one with each class member. At the range, instructors are right there helping at each step along the way so you have no apprehensions or fears.”

“In the training we use anything from .22s up to .45s, semi-automatic and revolvers. The first question I ask when someone walks in to buy a gun is what are you going to use it for, such as home protection or targeting. Once you tell us what it's going to be used for we build that around you – match up your wants and needs and come up with the best solution.”

Advanced classes and advanced training are also offered

.

“Advanced training is a five-hour custom course which we designed that hones your basic skills and helps develop speed and confidence. It will culminate at the range with firing from your holster positions, so how you carry your gun is how you'll be firing. It's a pretty intense course for advance shooters, people that are very comfortable with a firearm, to fire about 400-500 rounds.”

“All of the holsters we sell are either from major manufactures or we have a local guy in Rocky Hill, Conn., he makes them custom to each order. Say your a cross draw or you prefer the waist, he does anything you want. We are veteran-owned and -operated, and do a tremendous amount of business with military, and law enforcement professionals,” he said. “We are one of the largest Glock Blue Label dealers in the state.”

Note: Central Connecticut Arms LLC is located at 130 Marlborough St., Portland, Connecticut; (860) 788-3974. LE/military programs are offered “with special discounted pricing for those who protect and serve our communities” according to Pizzi. “We offer the following programs: Glock Blue Label. Smith & Wesson LE & Military. FN LE & Military. Beretta LE.” Call for pre-requisites and documentation required.