Gunsmithing Action Committee meeting held at 6 p.m. Friday at Susanville Pizza Factory in effort to save historic LCC program

Unless you live under a rock in the middle of the Susan River near the Bizz Johnson Trail, you must have heard the anguished cries over the Lassen Community College Board of Trustees’ recent decision to terminate the college’s gunsmithing program.

The Lassen Gunsmithing Action Committee hopes to generate enough community support to persuade the Lassen Community College Board of Trustees to reverse last week’s 6-1 decision to terminate the program due to a lack of enrollment and a deficit  of more than $3 million since 2017. Some sources report the group has collected more than 1,200 signatures on a petition supporting the program in just a few days.

According to the groups’ Facebook page, its mission statement is: “The Lassen Gunsmithing Action Committee is a community-driven coalition dedicated to preserving and reinstating the historic Lassen College Gunsmithing Program — our region’s longstanding center of craftsmanship, safety and skilled trades education. We advocate for sustainable solutions that keep this nationally recognized program in rural California, expand access to high-quality technical training and support pathways to employment for future generations of gunsmiths. Through collaboration, public engagement and respectful dialogue with college leadership and stakeholders, LGAC works to ensure that this essential and rare educational resource is not lost, but strengthened and passed on.”

According to information from LCC, the board’s decision follows an extensive multi-year review process conducted in accordance with Administrative Procedure 4021, which governs the revitalization or discontinuance of academic programs, including input from faculty, advisory board members, campus leadership and a thorough evaluation of program enrollment, compliance with Title V and California Education Code, accreditation standards and fiscal sustainability.

According to LCC, since its peak in 2014–2015, when the program generated 126.08 full-time-equivalent-student enrollments, the program’s enrollment has declined to just 44.89 FTES in 2024–2025.

According to financial figures included with the board’s agenda, expenditures for gunsmithing from 2017 to 2026 were $5.2 million, while the FTES generated only $2.1 million during that period, leaving a deficit of $3.1 million.

Click here to read LassenNews’ Nov. 7 story, “LCC board considers fate of gunsmithing program at Wednesday’s meeting.

Click here to read LassenNews’ Nov. 13 story, “LCC board ends gunsmithing program.”