Arocho Firearms cuts ribbon on 1st physical location in Lorain

LORAIN — City officials and well-wishers welcomed Arocho Firearms to its first physical location in the city with a ribbon-cutting Saturday afternoon. Owner/operator Kevin Arocho and a half-dozen NRA and U.S. Concealed Carry Association-certified trainers will teach eight-hour CCW classes for $60 per student, he said, including classroom and firing range time. "This truly is a great time and a great moment for all of us," he said. "Just having a physical place is going to be outstanding, to have all our students here to get the basic knowledge to be safe, to protect themselves and their loved ones. We want to make sure the community stays as safe as possible." Students don't have to take a class just to get a CCW permit, but can take one for basic gun safety purposes, Arocho said. There are four classes scheduled in April, including a women-only class (which including additional provided materials will cost $80). The first class in the new building is on April 3, he said Sign-ups for classes and information on future courses can be found at ArochoFirearms.com, where merchandise including T-shirts and gift cards also can be purchased. Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley and City Councilman Rey Carrion, D-6th Ward, were there Saturday to welcome Arocho Firearms to the city. Bradley said the business "that is very, very good for our community." Training keeps guns out of the wrong hands and helps educate those "who don't know how to have a gun properly in a residence," he said. Bradley said one of the community's greatest fears is that a child might get their hands on a gun and be injured or killed. "With this kind of training, we make sure that gun safety is emphasized and people who have the right to have a firearm do it responsibly and do it as a good citizen," he said. Arocho Firearms is one of two businesses that owners Amy Price and Jose Mendez hope to attract to their Lorain Commerce Center at 1825 E. 28th St. The former LorMet Credit Union building has been refurbished inside with new floors and furnishings. Mendez said the pandemic hurt plans to open up last year, but the local real estate brokerage firm House to Home Real Estate Professionals already is a tenant along with Arocho Firearms. There is a conference room available for rent inside, along with copying and scanning equipment and kitchen space for tenants that could eventually include professional services like attorneys. Signs also are planned for the exterior of the building. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him @daveobrienCT on Twitter.