1 in 30 adults in the US are a victim of a violent encounter.
The average response time by law enforcement for a priority one call is 11 minutes. What are you going to do in those 11 minutes?
Even police officers have a hard time defending themselves within the REACTIONARY GAP.
Keep what is important safe and secure. WHERE ever you are. WHEN ever the time. WHAT ever the circumstances. Because if it is important, it needs to be protected and you can’t always count on someone else to do it for you.
“Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.”
CCC 2265
“Blessed be God, my Rock who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle”
Psalm 144:1
Active Shooter/Aggressor Defense – On average, mass shootings are over in 9 minutes, the police are called at the 2 minute mark and it takes 4 minutes for the police to respond. In many cases, the perpetrator is done before the police make contact with them.
Citizen-Defender Heroes
80-year old store owner stops four armed gunmen – Aug 2022
Concealed-carry man stops mass shooting at mall in 15 sec with news video – Jul 2022
Concealed-carry woman stops mass shooting – May 2022
Citizen Defenders protect the public from mass shootings – Sep 2018
Defending the 2nd Amendment
Banning “military” and “assault” rifles argument
Knowing how to shoot a gun isn’t only for protection. Many people use a firearm to hunt and being a proficient hunter results in more harvests of wildlife.
“All are willing to eat, few are willing to hunt”
T-shirt at the gym
See our full calendar at www.gappstrategies.org/events
We teach a variety of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced courses to include: Maryland Handgun Qualification License course, Maryland Wear and Carry, NRA Basic Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun as well as the NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home, Outside the Home and Concealed Carry. Intermediate and Advanced classes including Defensive Tactical Handgun I, II & II are offered and individual skill builder classes are custom designed to meet the needs and level of each person.
Our instructor grew up in the Midwest first shooting a Daisy 880 then graduating to hunting pheasants, rabbits, turkey and deer. His first exposure to teaching firearm skills was in middle school 4-H when he gave a demonstration on Hunter Safety at both the local at state level. Since then, he has accumulated over 18 years of US federal law enforcement experience to include international policing assignments in four countries. As a competitive shooter in DoD, he was awarded Top Gun in pistol and was the team captain which took Gold in pistol and Bronze in rifle. His first concealed carry license was in the 90’s in the mountain states and has provided dignitary protection for several senior executives to include congressional delegates. He was a SWAT commander as well as a hostage negotiator during his tenure in southwest US. Prior to instructor duty at the Joint Law Enforcement Training Center where he also designed courses for law enforcement, he was the range operations officer with an annual graduation of 55,000 firearms students sending 10.5 million rounds downrange from 9mm to 81 mm.
Firearms Orientation
New to guns? Interested in firearms? Looking to purchase your first gun? On the fence and want to learn more? This is a 2-hour session that provides an overview of several types of guns and their function. Hunting, shooting sports, personal protection, home defense and concealed carry will all be covered with lots of time for questions and answers. No firing during this session but participants will have the opportunity to hold different firearms.
Women-Only Courses
Have female friends, neighbors or family members who want to get together for a course? No problem! All of our courses can be offered only for women. Get four or more ladies together and we can have a course just for you. Please contact us to set up a date.
Youth Courses
Youth shooting sports have been a mainstay for generations to include Boy Scouts, 4-H and others. Call us to book an event to either introduce youth to the sport of shooting or to increase skills.
Individual Coaching
Skills-building instruction based on your goals and objectives; ranging from competition skills to practical applications. Typical blocks of coaching are one-hour long for $60. Other formats are available upon request.
Self-Defense (Combatives)
Learning strikes, blocks and escapes is where most programs start and stop. In contrast, we offer a comprehensive program based on years of counter-surveillance and vulnerability assessments (domestic and foreign) in the military and law-enforcement arenas to detect, assess and respond to threats proactively before the encounter forces compromised reactions. An eight-week session comprised of one-hour segments is $120 and teaches the skills to detect, deter and defend yourself. Other formats are available upon request.
Call 305-814-4277 or e-mail info@gappstrategies.org for information on custom classes and courses. Don’t see a course you want or on a date that doesn’t work for your schedule? We’ll work with you.
Beginner Firearms
Owning a firearm is a right protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and our right demands our responsibility. The NRA sums it up the best:
“Americans enjoy a right that citizens of many other countries do not – the right to won firearms. But with this right come responsibilities. It is the gun owner’s responsibility to store, operate and maintain his or her firearms safely. It is the gun owner’s responsibility to ensure that unauthorized or untrained individuals cannot gain access to his or her firearms. And it is the gun owner’s responsibility to learn and obey all applicable laws that pertain to the purchase, possession and use of a firearm in her or her locale. Guns are neither safe nor unsafe by themselves. When gun owners learn and practice responsible ownership, guns are safe.”
Rifle and Shotgun
In Maryland, a person can purchase a rifle or shotgun without any additional requirements. We teach the NRA Basic Rifle and NRA Basic Shotgun courses to provide beginners with the foundation of knowledge and skills needed to safely and proficiently use a rifle and shotgun.
NRA Basic Rifle Shooting Course $200- Teaches the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for the safe use of a rifle in target shooting.
This course is eight-hours long and includes classroom and range time learning to shoot rifles. Students learn NRA’s rules for safe gun handling; rifle parts and operation; ammunition; shooting fundamentals; range rules; shooting from the bench rest, prone, sitting, standing and kneeling positions; cleaning, and continued opportunities for skill development. Students will receive the Basics of Rifle Shooting handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure, Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification booklet, take a Basics of Rifle Shooting Student Examination, and receive a course completion certificate.
NRA Basic Shotgun Shooting Course $195 – Teaches the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude for the safe and proper use of a shotgun in shooting a moving target.
This course is at eight-hours long and includes classroom and range time learning how to shoot shotguns at moving targets. Students learn NRA’s rules for safe gun handling; shotgun parts and operation; shotgun shell components; shotgun shell malfunctions; shooting fundamentals; range rules; shooting at straight away and angled targets; cleaning; and continued opportunities for skill development. Students will receive the Basics of Shotgun Shooting handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure, Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification booklet, take a Basics of Shotgun Shooting Student Examination, and receive a course completion certificate.
Handgun
Handguns are considered regulated in Maryland. To purchase a handgun in Maryland, a person must first complete the Handgun Qualification License (HQL) class and apply for the license through the Maryland State Police.
NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course + HQL $185 – Teaches the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for the safe use of a pistol in target shooting.
This course is eight-hours long and includes classroom and range time learning to shoot handguns. Students learn NRA’s rules for safe gun handling; pistol parts and operation; ammunition; shooting fundamentals; range rules; shooting from the bench rest and standing positions; cleaning, and continued opportunities for skill development. Students will receive the Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure, Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification booklet, take a Basics of Pistol Shooting Student Examination, and receive a course completion certificate and HQL letter. The HQL portion includes state firearm laws.
NRA Basic Range Safety Officer Course $150 – Develops NRA Certified Range Safety Officers with the knowledge, skills, and attitude essential to organizing, conducting, and supervising safe shooting activities and range operations.
This course is nine hours long and is conducted in a classroom and at a shooting facility. Range Safety Officer candidates will learn roles and responsibilities of an RSO; Range Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); range inspection; range rules; range briefings; emergency procedures; and firearm stoppages and malfunctions. Each Range Safety Officer Candidate will receive an RSO Student Study Guide, a Basic Firearm Training Program brochure, an NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure and a Course Evaluation form.
Intermediate Firearms
Defensive Tactical Handgun I $235 – Teaches enhanced knowledge, skills and attitude essential to armed self-defense
You must first take NRA Basic Pistol before you can take this course. This course is designed to increase proficiency as a shooter preparing for a defensive pistol situation and is the first of three defensive tactical handgun courses. It is an 8-hour course conducted solely on the range. Instruction and practical skills include remediating stoppages, tactical and emergency reloads, presentation from a holster and drills to improve accuracy and speed in a defensive pistol encounter.
NRA Basic Personal Protection In The Home Course $210 – Teaches the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude essential to the safe and efficient use of a handgun for protection of self and family, and to provide information on the law-abiding individual’s right to self-defense.
Prerequisite: This course is for law-abiding adult citizens, as defined by applicable federal, state, or local law, and experienced shooters (shooters able to show mastery of the basic skills of safe gun handling, shooting a group, zeroing the firearm, and cleaning the firearm). Prospective participants can demonstrate that they have the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes by producing an NRA Basic Pistol Course Certificate, NRA FIRST Steps Course Certificate, NRA pistol competitive shooting qualification card, military DD 214 with pistol qualification, or passing the Pre-Course Assessment.
Description: This is an eight-hour course. Students should expect to shoot approximately 100 rounds of ammunition. Students will learn basic defensive shooting skills, strategies for home safety and responding to a violent confrontation, firearms and the law, how to choose a handgun for self-defense, and continued opportunities for skill development. Students will receive the NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection In The Home handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure, the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification booklet, and course completion certificate.
NRA Basics of Personal Protection Outside The Home Course $260 – Teaches students the knowledge, skills and attitude essential for avoiding dangerous confrontations and for the safe, effective and responsible use of a concealed pistol for self-defense outside the home.
Prerequisite: This course is for adult individuals who are not disqualified from possessing a firearm as defined by applicable federal, state, or local law and are of good repute and possess defensive pistol skills presented in the NRA Basics of Personal Protection In The Home Course. Participants must also understand the basic legal concepts relating to the use of firearms in self-defense, and must know and observe not only general gun safety rules, but also those safety principles that are specific to defensive situations. Prospective participants can demonstrate that they have the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes by producing an NRA Basic Personal Protection In The Home Course Certificate, or by passing the pre-course evaluation.
Description: The course is divided into two levels. Level one is nine-hours and offers the essential knowledge and skills that must be mastered in order to carry, store, and use a firearm safely and effectively for personal protection outside the home. Students spend several hours on the range and shoot approximately 100 rounds of ammunition during level one. Upon completion, students may choose to attend level two, which is an additional five hours on the range and approximately 115 rounds of ammunition learning advanced shooting skills. Time and ammunition requirements are minimum, and may be exceeded. Students will receive the NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection Outside The Home handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure and appropriate (level one/level two) course completion certificates(s)
NRA Basic Concealed Carry $350 – Teaches the basic knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to carry a concealed pistol for personal defense. The NRA CCW Course is intended for all individuals regardless of previous shooting experience or NRA-affiliation and fulfills the training requirements for Maryland Wear and Carry. This instructor-led only course gives you direct instruction from an NRA-certified instructor from beginning to end and may be conducted in a classroom and on a shooting range with an Instructor.
Description: Course topics include: Firearm Safety (Mandatory), Pistol Nomenclature and Selecting a Pistol for Self-Defense, Basic Defensive Pistol Skills, Drawing from Concealment, Loading and Stoppage Remediation, Mindset, Carry Modes and Pistol Concealment, Firearm Cleaning, and Sport Shooting and Training Activities. Course length is determined by the Instructor, to meet your State’s requirements for a CCW permit. Additionally, students may complete live fire training and a nationally standardized shooting qualification while on the range with an NRA Certified Instructor. Students will receive reference books, take a NRA CCW Student Examination and receive a course completion certificate bearing the signature of the NRA Secretary and your NRA Certified Instructor.
Maryland Wear and Carry $350 – Wear and Carry Permit training is 16 hours of instruction for an original application and 8 hours of instruction for a renewal application ($175). The approved training includes instruction on state firearm law, home firearm safety, handgun mechanisms and operation, and a component that requires the applicant to demonstrate gun safety and proficiency with a minimum score of 70% accuracy. Completion of this class does not result in a Wear and Carry Permit. Once this course is completed, the student must submit a Wear and Carry application to the Maryland State Police along with other documents. After review, the Maryland State Police will either approve or deny the application.
Advanced Firearms
Defensive Tactical Handgun II $285 – Teaches advanced knowledge, skills and attitude essential to armed self-defense
Successful completion of Handgun 1 is required for enrollment in Handgun II. This course is 8 hours long and designed to build upon the accuracy and speed from Handgun I and introduces multiple targets and movement of the defender to the defensive handgun encounter. Transitioning between targets quickly and accurately while the defender moves in order to survive a defensive handgun situation will be taught using various drills to increase the skill set of the defender. Bring your own lunch and drink, handgun, holster, holster belt, eye and ear protection and 250 rounds of ammo.
Defensive Tactical Handgun III – $335 – Mastery of advanced knowledge, skills and attitude in armed self-defense
Successful completion of Handgun II is required for enrollment in Handgun III. This course is 8 hours long and builds on the movement, multiple threat and survivability lessons from Handgun II. Instruction and skills taught in this course include barricades, obstacles, concealment, target discrimination (hostile vs non-hostile) and advanced shooting positions. The culminating event is a complex defensive pistol situation using skills from all three courses. Bring your own lunch and drink, handgun, holster, holster belt, eye and ear protection and 250 rounds of ammo.
Access the Events page to see classes being scheduled or use our Contact page to request additional classes.