01/24/14:

I never was able to negotiate with the local ranges as I am unable to offer a full schedule. I will, however, continue to offer personal training and 1:1. It is early in the year, so I am hopeful things will improve, but as of this time, I simply don't have the energy. My pending divorce has left me drained. Thank you and my apologies.

11/28/11:

So, I have been terribly remiss in updating this page and it has been plagued with problems--My original page crashed on a free host and I never got it back, the best looking solution was using a message forum to host it, but it became ridiculously filled with spam. Anyway, I will come up with something.

In the meantime, here are my thoughts:
I am an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor offering NRA 'Basic Pistol,' or for those very new to firearms 'FirstSteps'  for those who want to learn about them but not necessarily have range time.

These classes are geared towards the new or intermediate shooter or someone who wants more formalized training or certification. The focus is on SAFETY --  safety for the owner + everyone around them,  and the safe handling, operation, and maintenance of a pistol. Basic pistol requires range time. If you do not have a pistol, I can provide one for you to use.

I believe 1-on-1 or small group setting  is essential for learning and student comfort.  I lot of people are nervous around firearms, and having a large group of people around them doesn't necessarily help. When I used to co-teach large classes at local clubs, I noticed that a lot of people seemed unsure of themselves or too nervous to speak out or ask questions in the group, while those who were outgoing were usually outspoken dominated the entire class. I hoped that the quieter students got all of their questions/concerns answered. This is why I offer the individualized training. Well, that and since I only do this  part-time to support and encourage  safe shooting it is much easier to coordinate with individuals than a 30+ group.

We cover the NRA course materials  100% in entirety. However, separately, we can also arrange: additional range time, help with handgun selection/accessories,  or just try out a few different pistols. This has been very popular for people who are taking the Basic Pistol course before selecting a firearm. A lot of people find visiting their local gun shop and/or range to be intimidating, it should not be this way.

In fact, most folks who have taken my course have never fired a handgun or have just bought their first. I welcome more experienced shooters also, but remember this a "BASIC" course. Once I had a student show up wearing his Safariland 6004 (drop leg) holster expecting more. Firearms Academy of Seattle (FAS) is great and offers a wide range of courses, although they are more located towards Olympia than Seattle.

Note:
* I no longer offer Utah CFP. I did it before it was in vogue and did because I believe in multi-state reciprocity. I did not make enough to justify flying down to Utah to take their class to renew my instructor certification.  I will not charge high prices either. The market is flooded with instructors now in it for the wrong reasons which is what caused the additional instructor requirements.

* I have not offered Personal Protection in the Home for some time. The class requires that a lawyer (a LEO used to be sufficient) co-teach the class. Again, I will not charge high prices to pay for a lawyer to read the material. If you want to learn more the legal aspects of firearm usage, I recommend reading Massad Ayoob's excellent "In the Gravest Extreme." For tactics I recommend the Magpul "Art of..." videos.

Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking lawyers, but when I approached a lawyer quite a few years ago, his fee was 10x what I charged for the entire course. If I can't provide the service reasonably, then I don't want to do it.