I’m Bob Marsolais, your instructor. How did I get into guns? Why do I want to teach people how to use guns? What makes me qualified to do it? Good questions!
My interest in guns started because I like history, especially American history. I already had an interest in guns because of a Christmas present from one of my sons. One day I was at the range shooting the Marlin lever action 1894 rifle he gave me. Also at the range were men, women and children in a shooting competition that used only guns from the late 1800’s – lever action rifles, single action cowboy revolvers, and double barrel shotguns like on the Wells Fargo stagecoaches that carried the week’s payroll. Not only that, they were all wearing costumes that reflected the period of their guns! They were part of an international organization called the Single Action Shooting Society.
Not being able to resist all the fun, I joined and started shooting with them. At first I felt funny dressing like an old-fashioned cowboy but I was having a blast, no pun intended! I learned proper gun handling, how to shoot better and how to shoot different types of guns. I attended local and state level competitions and learned more. I was hooked!
But then our country took a turn for the worse – public violence took a turn towards guns, and school and church shootings increased. Since my family has always been active in our church, the thought of someone trying to pull off a mass shooting in my church bothered me. I would have a hard time living with myself if something did happen and I was not prepared to stop it, especially since I already had some pretty good gun experience.
So I decided to do something about it. I started taking defensive gun classes from the California Pistol and Rifle Association (CRPA), National Rifle Association (NRA), and the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). I gained a lot of useful information and practice from these organizations. Then my children’s friends started asking me questions and I always seemed to have the answer. One evening, after one of those conversations, my wife of 42 years and counting suggested I start teaching gun classes!
That’s all I needed to hear. I started taking instructor classes, got the necessary certifications and started my gun school named after the reason for starting it, PROTECT THE IMPORTANT people in your life.
So if you want to learn about guns for recreational use or to protect the important people in your life, I am confident I can help you.
