250 Defensive Pistol

My name is Ryan B. and I attended your 250 Pistol course in October 2020.  I am purposefully writing to you several months later to provide you with my feedback in the most objective way possible, and free from the emotional influence common to more immediate feedback.  Rest assured, I took very detailed notes so that my recollections would not be blurred by the passage of time.   I feel it is important that you know that what I had heard about Gunsite, particularly the positive testimonials and feedback was not my experience, and if I may, your reputation as a leading firearms training organization falls well short of my experience.  It is my testimony that Gunsite is a world class organization and training institute of the highest order.  To limit the life changing impact of the services you provide and the expertise of the professionals on your team to only the world of firearms training, as reasonable and understandable as it may be, is incomplete.   I was trained by professionals with integrity, character, and wisdom; they just so happened to be experts in firearms   As a black man, it has been my experience that many in my community and the public at large have sought to characterize those in the firearms community in very disparaging and at times, hostile terms.  So much so, that I admit that those biases and presumptions have occasionally intruded into my own thinking and required the attention of my better-self to ensure those thoughts never took root.  My experience at Gunsite was evidence that the firearms community is one of, if not the most, honorable, decent, inclusive and intimately encouraging communities in our American society, and Gunsite is a worthy ambassador of those virtues.   I specifically recall Lew Gosnell explaining to the class that "each round is a thing of value".  It would be days later that I would experience the full meaning of his consideration in those remarks.  While there were more than two dozen students in my class, I witnessed the careful eye of the instructors and their intentional awareness of my attitude, safety, presentation, marksmanship, and improvement.  I shot nearly 1,000 rounds, each a thing of value, and I would eventually recognize that at Gunsite, the student is the true thing of value.  Each round, every presentation, every discussion, every remark of encouragement or instruction, every "make ready", every "good morning", every "well done", every "slowly press the trigger to the rear", carried with it the thoughtful investment of the instructors.  Simply put, it mattered to Lew, Jerrod, and Jerry that I got better, and it mattered on a personal level.   I completed the course.  I did get better at the fundamental, practical, and tactical aspects of safe and defensive gun fighting, as one might expect from a world class training facility.   I also improved as a leader, a friend, and a person, all of which was a "value added" service I was not expecting or requiring.   I plan to attend future classes at Gunsite; however, I will never forget my first experience with Lew Gosnell, Jerrod Baugh, and Jerry Parsley.  My goal is to find at least one person to accompany me in the future.   May God bless you sir, the Gunsite organization, and the dedicated men and women of character, patriotism, and love that serve Gunsite and empower our community. All the Best,

Ryan B., 250 Defensive Pistol Class, October 2020, Gunsite, Paulden, AZ

Take Me Back Where I Was