A quick hello & intro.

[TMOwen5257]

Hi folks:

I'm new to the forum and thought I'd introduce myself. I posted in the MontCo area, but wanted to say hello to other areas as well.

I'm originally from the NW (Oregon), but I've been living/working here in MontCo for the last six years. I came to SEPA by way of the world's "garden spots", as I'm formerly a dignitary protection (firearm) instructor for the U.S. State Department, and now call MontCo home. Great place and great people here!!

The gun culture in southern Oregon where I grew up was and is strong, so I've been a shooter all my life. But I've found that here in the mid-Atlantic region it's a bit of a different culture. However, I consider myself very fortunate to have landed in PA, which is one of the few NE states that still supports and respects our 2nd Amendment rights!

After the second election of our current POTUS, and the ensuing increase in firearms sales, I started to give some thought to the number of folks buying firearms and obtaining CCWs (LTCFs) who had no or minimal training in handgun safety and deployment. Frankly, this has caused me some personal and professional consternation! Please don't take me the wrong way, I'm an ardent supporter of our constitutional right to armed self-defense! But I also feel strongly that with that right comes the responsibility to carry safely and to gain a reasonable level of proficiency!

As we all know, after the tragedy (mass homicide) at Sandy Hook, the resultant knee jerk reactions of the uninformed calling for restrictive firearm legislation sent firearm sales and LTCF applications through the roof!

Well, this was the swift kick in the pants I needed. Because I'm employed in a profession that requires me to work in an armed capacity, and as a result of the credibility my former career affords me with law enforcement, I and my subordinates have had access to the MontCo TRTC range for the last few years, and we frequently train and qualify there. Recently, I initiated discussions with the MontCo public safety training administration to see what I could do to provide law abiding gun owners here in SEPA, and specifically MontCo, with an increased opportunity to gain an appropriate level of firearm safety and defensive firearm training. The result is the formation of an incredibly well trained and experienced cadre of firearm instructors who will be presenting real world firearm training at the MontCo Tactical Response Training Center (TRTC) in Conshohocken.

This endeavor is still in its infancy, and I continue to assemble the myriad of pieces to this puzzle, so please have patience with me. But if you're new to gun ownership and/or wish to explore defensive handgun & carbine training opportunities in MontCo, please feel free stop by http://gtg-rangetime.com. The site isn't finished yet, but I promise you that I'm working on it!

In any event, I look forward to becoming a contributing member here on the PAFOA forum, and I hope I have an opportunity to meet and get to know other PAFOA members, whether that be in person or virtually.

Stay safe,

Tom

[CenterTree]

Welcome Enjoy the info here.


Note: ya really didn't need to make 5 threads to introduce yourself.

[TMOwen5257]

CT:

LOL!

I suppose five intros was a bit much! Just wanted cover all the nearby counties as well. My mother taught me it was impolite to leave others out. I try to be polite!

So far, the PAFOA forum has presented a tremendous amount of valuable info, and some classic comments, to boot! It'll take awhile to read through it all. I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks for the welcome.

[gummy jones]

smells like a troll. quickly neg rep him until he retreat back under the bridge from whence he came!



jk welcome to the forum

[RXM]

Welcome to the forum.

[TMOwen5257]

RXM:

Thanks for the welcome. I responed to your PM on the range location.

Tom


And to you "grumpy jones", I can assure you I've never lived under a bridge, nor do I intend to in the future. I do have a few warts though (don't we all, in some manner of speaking). Nope, just a guy that went out into the world, did a few things, saw a few things, learned a few hard lessons along the way and got some t-shirts (well, actually, Polos) to cover the sunburn. If that makes me a troll in your book, so be it. Happy to wear that badge for ya GJ! Your probablly a guy who has all the answers and knows sumpth'n about everything, and a root'n, toot'n gun slinger to boot, so I probably don't have anything to offer you. But hey, thanks anyway for that warm and sincere "welcome"!

[JLeahy]

Welcome to the forum and I really hope you can get something started that's open to the public at that facility. I drive pass it daily and wasn't even aware that they had a range.

[TMOwen5257]

JL:

The TRTC is a very active LE range facility, so any range time that I can get for GTG course presentation has to be scheduled well in advance. As such, I unfortunately don't foresee "open" range time for public shooters.

As I said in my opening intro post, this endeavour is in its infancy. As we get a bit further into this thing, I do plan to develop and offer intermediate & advanced handgun & carbine courses. Hope to see you at one of those, perhaps.

But for now, we're walking before running, and limiting our offering to the 8 hour Basic Defensive Handgun (semi-auto) and 4 hour Woman's (semi-auto) Familiarization courses.

Based on attendee interest and participation, we'll be looking to expand in the fall of this year or first quarter of 2014. But who knows, if this this takes off sooner, we may need to also expand sooner. Time will tell.

Tom

Tom

[JLeahy]

By "open" I meant to be able to enter for any type of training as a civilian. I figured it would never be open as a public range just maybe for some limited activities. Anyways good luck with it and I hope you to move on to some more advanced courses there.

[TMOwen5257]

JLeahy:

Sorry for my misunderstanding! Yes, GTG courses at the TRTC are open to the public. In fact, the "public" is the primary audience.

The underlying reason I'm conducting this training, and the reason the MontCo Department of Public Safety Training is allowing GTG's acess to the TRTC range is to provide an opportunity to the "public" to receive firearm training, many of whom have recently purchased thier first firearm, .

As I said, I believe strongly in our 2nd Amendment rights, but I feel equally as strong about our individual responsibility to see that we are safe and proficient in the carrying and defensive deployment of the firearms we have a right to own and carry.

Hope to see you at some GTG training!

Tom