Wordpress articles imported into Joomla were pointing back to their original WP links, which displayed fine, however were pointing to firearms.fortreg.com domain. This will break when the domain is pointed to the new r3 site.

Solution:

mySQL

update  '{prefix}_k2_items`
set
introtext = replace(introtext, 'firearms.fortreg.com', 'fortreg.com/firearms')

-- test with one record
 --WHERE id = 521

04/06/13: We have moved to a new web host and the downloads (plugin) section did not survive. In the meantime I have moved the 2013 NRA Instructors Discounts to its own page:

NRA Instructors Discounts (2013-4)

3/09/2013: Per request of S&W (tm) legal counsel - ALL documents created/owned by the company known as "Smith & Wesson" (a registered trademark) will be removed. As requested this includes pictures of items which may be copyrighted the company.

2/21/2013: I am told that Ruger has suspended sales of the instructor program.
6/13/2013: I am told that Ruger will be resuming the program in July.

I am in the process of consolidating all of my pics.

My primary repository is still on my [Flickr site].

However, as I am now paying for space and this domain (fortreg.com) I am starting to load pictures onto coppermine.fortreg.com.

At this time the pictures do not overlap, although I will be moving them over to my local storage shortly.

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.

updated: 04/22/2013

Reg Mathusz aka remat457

I have been an NRA Certified Instructor since 1990 serving the South King County, WA area -- Seattle/Tacoma. Up until a few months ago I was also an Utah Certified Firearms Instructor (it expired and I probably won't renew it). I am also a Glock Certified Armorer and recently completed my local city's FEMA CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).

I have a variety of firearms experience which includes working in a few different gun shops while going to college at night.

One thing people don't seem to accept is that there is no "right" or "wrong" answer to what an individual prefers as far as firearms/ammo. I adore revolvers and "old school" firearms like 1911's and HiPowers which exude a bit of soul and craftsmanship. But I also admire the functionality and utilitarianism of "modern" firearms like Glocks and M&P's. I am a power fiend, however. I like magnums, the 10mm and the 6.8 among other things.

Because I get asked frequently:
Q: Do you carry concealed?
A: I hold a WA, OR, and UT CCW. I carry when I legally can. I will talk about other state CCW licenses in upcoming posts. FL is on my list, but I haven't needed it.

Q: What kind of pistol do you carry?
A: I carry a S&W M&P9c (both registered trademarks) it is perfect for summer. Unless wilderness is involved, in which case I carry a Colt Delta Elite.
This has changed a little. I still really like my 9c but it is a little shorter in the grip than I like. I also am a big fan of 40/180. I have switched back to my GLOCK 23. When it gets too hot it will be my 27.

For wilderness, I have also switched out to the super-beefy S&W 1006. There is a story there. I wanted to customize up my Colt Delta Elite but it wasn't cost effective. The DE was to replace a Dan Wesson Commander Bobtail 10mm  but full power 10mm is too much for a small pistol. The DW was to replace various 357 magnums, which have just become too expensive to shoot.

I have been pleased with the 1006--so much so that I got two.

Q: What brand/type/weight of ammo do you carry?
A: As long as you can shoot accurately with it and the ammo is reliable it doesn't matter what you choose. Any well known brand will serve you well. I can't stress enough shooting what you carry. However, I am a big fan of Hornady XTP/TAP, Speer GoldDot, and DoubleTap. Lately, though, there has been good pricing on Winchester Ranger and I like what I have shot. I like heavy bullets. I just got some Federal HST, but I haven't tried it yet. SwampFox Ammo builds powerhouse 10mm ammo, but I haven't shot much of it yet. For 6.8 SPC (and I am a big fan) Silver State Armory and Hornady are king.

For my day job I am a software developer specializing in HL7 interfaces and the Microsoft Amalga (super data warehouse is putting it mildly) platform and building it out for enterprise health care.

I like Lexus, Jeeps, Mustangs and Linux. I also like pie. And pudding.