We tragically lost William April in the summer of 2020. He will always be an integral part of the Tac-Con family, and his teachings live on in the works of all his colleagues. We honor him posthumously in all that we do for Tac-Con-21.

William Aprill was a licensed mental health professional with over 15 years experience across the continuum of care. He maintained a private practice and consultancy specializing in post-traumatic interventions and other disciplines. William was a former deputy sheriff (Orleans Parish, LA, Criminal Sheriff’s Office) and Special Deputy US Marshal (Eastern District of Louisiana). He was a decorated competitive shooter and taught civilian, law enforcement, and military personnel in various fighting skills since 1990. William maintained an active schedule both as student and teacher, having been instructor-rated by several top-tier trainers and having studied under many of the most influential members of the combative arts community. Through his company, Aprill Risk Consulting, William presented his material on violent criminals and their decision-making, defensive incident aftermaths, mindset development, and defensive preparedness locally and nationally, including at the Annual Conference of the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), the Rangemaster Tactical Conference, Tactical Response Alumni Weekend, and Paul-E-Palooza, the memorial fundraiser for the family of the late Paul Gomez.

Mas Ayoob has spent 40 years working as an expert witness in homicide and weapons cases, he’s the author of some 20 books in the field, and he’s been a full-time trainer since early 1980s. He’s also earned the distinctions of being a former High Lawman in the Tac-Con pistol match and the first-ever IDPA 5-Gun Master. Ayoob founded the Lethal Force Institute in 1981 and served as its director until 2009, and now trains through Massad Ayoob Group. 

Darryl Bolke is a retired police officer from Southern California. He was a Senior Corporal and Firearms Instructor and Armorer assigned to SWAT for over 17 years as well as a use of force instructor and edged weapons instructor. He has been in multiple successful and in-policy officer involved shootings as well as investigating the firearms and ballistics aspects of over 75 officer involved shootings for his police agency. His assignments included ten years as an FTO, working crime suppression, bicycle patrol and he spent four years as a full time flight officer in Air Support. Darryl is recognized by several courts as an expert witness in firearms and use of force.

Darryl has been in the firearms industry for well over three decades at every level from retail, retail owner, gun writer, and pro staff. He currently is a co-owner of Hardwired Tactical Shooting in Dallas, Texas. He also teaches at numerous national conferences. Darryl has been instrumental in the design of numerous knives from various makers.

Darryl works extensively in the private sector as a security contractor and investigator working high level security missions, as well as executive/VIP protection.

Cecil Burch has been a firearms enthusiast since age 12 and a martial artist since age 16. He now has over 35 years of experience in Martial Arts and Combative methods, and he is a first-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Cecil has traveled extensively and conducted seminars across the U.S. and internationally. He has been a featured presenter at the Mid-Atlantic Training Conference, the New England Shooter’s Summit, the Rangemaster Tactical Conference, and several other venues. He has worked extensively with law enforcement officers, federal air marshals, military special operation troops, and private citizens on the functional utilization of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, and clinch-fighting in close quarters combat.

Caleb Causey (owner and director of training for Lone Star Medics) has been involved with field and tactical medicine for over 20 years. Caleb is a former US Army Combat Medic with multiple deployments. Following the military, Causey spent six years with a fire department where he was a member of the ambulance crew, engine and ladder companies, and the dive team. During those six years, he was also assigned to the SWAT team as the team medic with the police department. He has earned several state and national certifications at both the provider and instructor level. Caleb attended an accelerated paramedic program in College Station, Texas; and became an adjunct instructor shortly thereafter. In 2009 Caleb started Lone Star Medics with the help of several close friends and began teaching across the US. Caleb and LSM have been published in several media outlets over the years and has authored multiple articles himself. He has presented at multiple national conferences, trade shows, schools and universities, and taught both US and foreign governmental agencies. Caleb Causey will be the first to tell you that he is a student first, long before he is a teacher of anything.

Over the past 17 years, Tim Chandler has had the opportunity to learn from the best instructors in the military, law enforcement, citizen defense, combatives, and competitive shooting worlds. Tim has earned three instructor certifications from Rangemaster (pistol, shotgun, and advanced instructor), and he currently teaches with Justified Defensive Concepts, FPF Training, and 360 Performance Shooting. He has taught with Tom Givens, John Murphy, Green Ops, and the late Todd Green.

John “Hsoi” Daub is Senior Assistant Instructor with KR Training, where he’s worked alongside Karl Rehn for 12 years. He’s a Rangemaster Certified Master Instructor, holds a Light Pin from Gabe White, a graduate of MAG Deadly Force Instructor, and Force Science Analyst with about 900 hours of training. Along with Karl Rehn, he’s a co-author of the book “Strategies and Standards for Defensive Handgun Training”, with a strong interest in the topic of minimum competency for defensive handgun use. He lives in Bryan, Texas (no more Austin!) with his wife of 25 years, 3 kids, 2 cats, and 1 dog. In his other life, he’s a Principal Architect with a Nerdy software consulting firm, a strong advocate of remote work, and enjoys good bourbon. If he’s not at home or on the range, you can find him in the gym lifting things up and putting them down.

Wayne Dobbs was born in Victoria, TX in 1957, a 5th Generation Native Texan, and grew up in Irving, TX where he graduated from Nimitz HS. Wayne attended UT-Arlington and Abilene Christian University-Dallas, where he majored in Criminal Justice. Wayne began a 25-year career with the Richardson Police Department in May 1978 and served as a patrol officer on evenings and late nights shifts, as a member of the department’s Selective Deployment Team (a covert patrol/interdiction unit) and then as a detective for 18 years in Narcotics and Criminal Intelligence and later in Major Crimes. Dobbs spent nine years of his investigative career serving on an Organized Crime Task Force at the FBI-Dallas. Dobbs retired from RPD in 2003 and served two years in Iraq on a Department of State police training contract and then for two years on another Department of State high risk protective detail training contract. He remains active as a firearms trainer, as both trainer and student, and is employed as the Western US Law Enforcement Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc.

Wayne is married to Deborah Walsh Dobbs and has two grown children and a beautiful 13-year-old bonus daughter, Faith.

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Craig Douglas (a/k/a “SouthNarc”) is the founder of ShivWorks, a consortium of like-minded professionals devoted to training and product development in the emerging field of interdisciplinary problem-solving for self-defense. Craig retired from law enforcement after 21 years of service with the bulk of his career spent in narcotics and SWAT. Since 2003, Craig has been teaching globally under the ShivWorks brand and has conducted coursework on entangled shooting skills in nearly 40 states and nine foreign countries. He has taught for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and to three branches of the U.S. military.

Greg Ellifritz is a seasoned traveler, spending nearly two months of every year traveling in third world countries alone or in a small group.  He’s traveled through more than 50 different countries or territories and has visited all seven continents.  When not adventuring, Greg works as a full-time police officer in central Ohio.  In his 24-year career, he has served as a patrol officer, bike patrol officer, firearms instructor, tactical trainer, and sniper for his agency.  He teaches firearms, self-defense, travel safety, counter-kidnapping, and wilderness medicine classes through his company, Active Response Training. 

John S. Farnam is a prolific author and the founder and president of Defense Training International. He is presently a fully commissioned deputy sheriff (Training Officer) for the Park County, Colorado Sheriff’s Office. With years of experience as a law enforcement trainer and a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, John is one of the top defensive firearms instructors in the nation. He has personally trained thousands of federal, state, and local law enforcement agency personnel, many private security agencies, foreign governments, and hundreds of civilians in safe gun handling and the tactical use of the defensive firearms.

Chris Fry is the Director of Training at Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts and the owner and lead Instructor of Modern Defensive Training Systems. He has earned instructor certifications in multiple martial arts, NRA disciplines, and tactical firearms training programs. Chris has worked in the executive protection industry as a Protection Agent for PFC Safeguards since 2006. At PFC Training, he trains law enforcement, military, and select government agencies. A lifelong student, Chris has studied with dozens of industry experts in several defensive disciplines (including handgun, shotgun, carbine, and tactics) to amass thousands of hours of training. Chris contributes to various online firearms-related websites and podcasts, and he is a frequent presenter at personal protection and small arms training conferences for both civilians and law enforcement. Working with 1000+ clients per year for nearly 20 years, Chris has unique experience presenting information in an easy-to-learn, practical manner. Clients can expect to improve during a class and have the knowledge to continue improving on their own. 

Lynn is the matriarch of the Rangemaster family. She started out as what we call a “motivated student.” Earlier in her life she was stalked and threatened by a mentally ill person who made a number of credible death threats against Lynn and others, including her son. She began taking self-defense shooting courses and was immediately hooked. Within seven months she became a Tennessee State Certified Instructor, going on to attend several hundred hours of training over the next few years. Because of her experiences with a stalker, Lynn has worked extensively with women facing similar problems, and she was recognized for this work with a plaque from the local Attorney General’s office. Lynn was featured on the cover of Concealed Carry magazine and written about in At Home Tennessee magazine. Lynn assists with Rangemaster‘s advanced classes conducted all over the United States. She has trained extensively, studying with some of the most highly respected and renowned experts in the country.

After completing a 25-year career in law enforcement and specialized security work, Tom opened his own pistol range in Memphis, TN in 1996. For 18 years, it was the primary source of handgun carry permit certification for the greater Memphis area. Soon joined by his wife Lynn, the training duo formed Rangemaster Firearms Training Services to share their expertise with a much broader audience. They now travel across the country and around the world to arm responsible citizens with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively protect themselves and their families. 

US Navy SEAL Jeff L. Gonzales is a nationally recognized weapons and tactics instructor. He serves as president of Trident Concepts, LLC.

Jeff’s background is in Naval Special Warfare, where he served as a decorated and respected operator and instructor. Participating in numerous combat operations throughout the globe, his duties involved a wide variety of operational and instructional assignments on both the East and West coasts.

Through Trident Concepts, Jeff pioneered new advances in weapons and tactics instruction. His unique understanding of adult learning, detailed curriculum development and rigorous adherence to performance standards continue to set him apart from an increasingly crowded field.

In recent years, Jeff has increased his focus on concealed carry. Leveraging his experience operating in non-permissive environments all over the world, Jeff has unique knowledge to share with members of law enforcement, military and responsible armed citizens.

Passionate and dynamic, he has been recognized as a subject matter expert on concealed carry and currently a member of the NRA’s Training and Education Committee. His manuscripts and articles are frequently published and he has the good fortune to regularly be asked to speak publicly on a wide variety of topics including firearms, concealed carry and self-defense.

Chuck Haggard has been active in private defensive training throughout his long career in urban law enforcement. After nearly thirty years of steady upward progression through the ranks of the Topeka Police Department, he ventured out on his own and founded Agile Training and Consulting. Chuck is certified as a civilian and law enforcement trainer on various weapon systems, including pistol, shotgun, rifle, carbine, oleoresin capsicum (O.C.), baton, and Taser. He is also skilled and experienced at teaching weapon retention, disarming, and other empty-hand techniques. Chuck maintains his POST certification and stays active in the law enforcement community, but he now devotes even more time to training other police officers, military personnel, security forces, and private citizens on the art and science of personal defense.

John has been a federal law enforcement officer since 1992, serving primarily in uniform patrol. He currently serves as an instructor (firearms, tactics, active shooter, & use of force), an armorer, and a field training officer for his agency. John has earned firearms instructor certifications from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) (Pistol, Revolver, Shotgun, Rifle, Select-Fire), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and Rangemaster (Advanced Instructor Certification), among other organizations. John has been a Rangemaster instructor since 2001 and has helped teach armed citizens, law enforcement officers, and military personnel across the country. He is also a noted public speaker and has been engaged for speeches and research presentations on armed defense and use of force at a variety of national and international venues since 2005.

Owner of Tim Herron Shooting, LLC. Tim is a multiple division Grand Master pistol shooter and competitor. He began teaching high performance pistol concepts in 2015 and became a full time instructor in 2019. Tim specializes in performance handgun shooting diagnostics, troubleshooting and solutions for defensive and competitive minded shooters, both civilian and law enforcement. His approach reflects his knowledge and skill gained in high level competition and apply these concepts in an easy to understand and contextual manner.

John has many years of service in the US Special Operations community as an operator and a trainer. As a civilian trainer he has worked to convert his specialized skills in the areas of weapons and combative techniques into useful defensive curricula for private citizens. John has placed among the top participants in the “National Tactical Invitational” (NTI) multiple times and has been recognized as a “Master Instructor” and “Master Tactician” by the American Tactical Shooters Association.

With over twenty years of experience as a health care provider, Dr. Sherman A. House is a Hospital, Special Needs and General Dentist, as well as a Reserve Police Officer (Patrolman) in Middle Tennessee. Prior to his career in dentistry, Dr. House was a Fireman and Emergency Medical Technician and a Shotgun Messenger for West Coast Armored Truck companies. Dr. House originated the Civilian Defender training concept and has studied extensively in the defensive arts, both armed and unarmed, as well as self-defense law, emergency medicine, criminal psychology, and tactical driving. He has personally saved lives using CPR, Rescue Breathing, AED, TCCC, ACLS, PHTLS and Heimlich Maneuver techniques.

Tiffany Johnson is a practicing attorney and teaches legal studies at the University of Memphis. After years of fearing guns, she started taking classes and changed her views. She now blogs about law, race, and modern (mis)perceptions on firearms through her website, Front Sight Press. Tiffany holds instructor certifications from the NRA (Training Counselor), Massad Ayoob Group (Deadly Force Instructor), and Rangemaster (Advanced Instructor Certification). Tiffany teaches firearms classes with Citizens Safety Academy in Tennessee, and she assists Tom and Lynn Givens with Rangemaster classes as well.

Larry Lindenman retired from the Illinois State Police after 26 years of service. After patrolling the interstates for four years, Larry spent the remainder of his career in Investigations, SWAT, and narcotics investigations. Larry has an extensive background in Filipino martial arts (beginning his training in 1980), and he is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Larry was a SWAT instructor and range officer, and he authored the Defensive Tactics manual for the Illinois State Police. He currently serves as the training coordinator for The Range at 355 in Bolingbrook, Illinois; and he is the owner and founder of Point Driven Training, a tactical training company.

Allan McBee and Steve Moses are co-owners of Palisade Training Group, LLC. Allan’s credentials include:

• Rangemaster certified Advanced Handgun Instructor​
• Red Zone Threat Management certified Adaptive Striking Instructor
• NRA Certified Basic Pistol Instructor
• Former Texas Level 4 Personal Protection Officer
• Former Agent in charge of a 9-person plainclothes protection detail at a D-FW mega-church
• Martial arts background including the study of both empty hands disciplines and edged weapons
• Completed 40-hour SWAT certification course
• Certified PSD driver​
  UTM (Ultimate Training Munitions) Certified
• International Defensive Pistol Association range safety officer with expert rating
• Certifiable training junkie having completed an obsessive number of private sector weapons and tactics courses

With experience as a police officer, school teacher, firearms trainer, and Army officer, Ed Monk has been researching, writing, and providing training on the Active Shooter threat for over ten years. He has trained the armed staff of public schools and church security teams, and School Resource Officers on countering the Active Shooter. He has provided presentations on the Active Shooter threat to universities, schools, churches, law enforcement agencies, and other audiences in several states. Ed is co-owner and instructor at Last Resort Firearms Training in White Hall, AR, where he trains citizens and police on the defensive use of handguns and other firearms. In 2007, Ed retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and Battalion Commander after 24 years of active duty in the US, Europe, and Iraq. Immediately after his Army retirement, Ed taught high school for four years and served as a deputy sheriff in Kentucky. He now serves as a Part Time II police officer. Ed’s formal education includes a BS in US History from the US Military Academy (West Point), an MS in Adult Education from Kansas State U., and he is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.

Steve Moses has taught defensive firearms and tactics classes to hundreds of men and women in six states since 1994. He is a reserve deputy, former member of a multi-precinct large county Special Response Team, Licensed Level 4 Personal Protection Officer Instructor, and holds an International Defensive Pistol Association Expert rating. Moses has completed over 80 law enforcement and civilian-sector weapons and tactics classes, and recently completed the Rangemaster Advanced Handgun Instructor Course. Steve was shift-lead on a mega-church security team for seven years, and has been teaching church security classes for over five years. He started martial arts training in 1974, and holds a brown belt in Bushikan Jiu Jitsu, black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and studied Filipino Knife Fighting and Krav Maga. Steve also has a brown belt in Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu and is currently an instructor at Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu/Krav Maga in Tyler, Texas. Steve Moses and Allan McBee are co-owners of Palisade Training Group, LLC.

Aqil Qadir is a former police officer, a government security contractor, and the founder and lead instructor of Citizens Safety Academy in Murfreesboro, TN. He is an NRA Training Counselor and has earned instructor credentials from several organizations, including the NRA, Rangemaster, Yavapai Firearms Academy, Sabre Red, IALEFI, and Defense Training International. Aqil is a longtime member of the Rangemaster family, having studied extensively under Tom and Lynn Givens.

Ashton Ray is the founder and lead instructor of 360 Performance Shooting in Pittsburgh, PA. He has trained with some of the best instructors in the business (including trainers with military, law enforcement, and competition backgrounds), and he has gathered several instructor certifications along the way. That’s where the name 360 Performance Shooting comes from. Ashton has drawn lessons from many different shooting disciplines and distilled those learnings into some of the most effective training available. His military experience as a US Navy Nuclear Operator helped to build a meticulous attention to detail, critical thinking and analytical skills, and the ability to diagnose and solve problems. This is the basis for his sharp focus on detailed, individualized coaching. Ashton continues to relentlessly pursue best practices from around the industry, which allows his methods to continuously evolve and improve.

TDR.Training’s mission is providing top-quality self-defense training to all law-abiding students without regard to what you look like, where you’re from, who you worship, how you identify, who you vote for, or who you love. Tim Reedy has over 700 hours of personal defense training and over 24 years of experience in concealed carry. Tim is a certified NRA CCW Instructor, a Rangemaster-certified Master Instructor, and a Massad Ayoob Group Deadly Force Instructor.

Karl Rehn is owner and lead instructor of KR Training, offering classes at his A-Zone facility for the past 26 years. He has over 2000 hours of training from the nation’s top tactical schools and multiple national and world champion competitors. He is a multi-division Grand Master in USPSA, an NRA Training Counselor, a Texas law enforcement and carry permit instructor, and a graduate of the Rangemaster Advanced Instructor class. For the past 15 years, KR Training has placed at least one instructor or student in the top 10 of the Rangemaster Tactical Conference shooting match. In 2016, Karl transitioned to full time with KR Training, retiring after 10 years at Texas A&M managing the DHS-funded Threat and Risk Assessment national training program and 23 years doing Navy-funded R&D in physical security systems at UT-Austin.

• Rangemaster certified Advanced Handgun Instructor and Shotgun Instructor​
• Red Zone Threat Management Empty Hand Knife Defense Instructor and Adaptive Striking Foundations Instructor
• Point Driven Training certified Small Impact Weapons Instructor
• Law enforcement officer for 27 years
• Currently a Federal Law Enforcement Officer in the Department of Homeland Security
• Former patrol officer in largest municipal police department in North Carolina
• Former instructor in Defensive Tactics for his agency’s academy
• Former member of North Carolina National Guard (MOS was Infantry)
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt
• Kenpo Karate Black Belt
• Experienced Boxer
• Completed multiple firearm, tactics, tactical medicine, and criminal behavior courses
• Owner of DFW Defensive Training
• Co-Owner of palisade Training group

Email: Guy.A.Schnitzler@DFWDefenasiveTraining.com

Lee Weems has been a peace officer since January of 1999 and currently serves as the Chief Deputy of the Oconee County Georgia Sheriff’s Office. He served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (GALEFI) and holds the GALEFI Master Instructor Certification. He is the owner and operator of First Person Safety and holds numerous instructor certifications from Rangemaster, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and others.

The Tactical Professor is Claude Werner. His background combines extensive work in the military, self defense training, and white collar financial services communities. This eclectic experience base gives him a view of self defense equipment and techniques that is more attuned to the needs of people with median lifestyles than some segments of the industry.

His background includes:

• Retired Army Captain, with 10 years service in Special Operations
• Market Research Director for 3 commercial real estate firms
• National Director of Real Estate Research at a Big Four Accounting Firm
• Match Director, International Defensive Pistol Association Georgia State Championship; 2000, 2001, 2002
• IDPA Area Coordinator for Georgia and Alabama
• IDPA Classifications are: Master – Stock Service Revolver (SSR), Stock Service Pistol, Enhanced Service Pistol, Custom Defensive Pistol.
• Numerous wins in pistol competition.
• NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun; Personal Protection In The Home; Refuse To Be A Victim; and Home Firearms Safety.
• Former Chief Instructor at the elite Rogers Shooting School.

Gabriel White is a defensive handgun instructor and competitive shooter in the Pacific Northwest. Gabe comes from a pure private citizen background and seeks to develop students’ technical and tactical excellence in the training he provides. Gabe stands apart by living a deep commitment to competing and training with his actual concealed carry gear at a high technical level in addition to adhering to safe and effective tactics and self-defense practices.

• Chief Instructor of Public Range FTU and public defensive handgun training program for Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office at Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas, Oregon – Note: This class not associated with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
• Instructor Emeritus at Oregon Firearms Academy
• Master class USPSA Limited Division shooting carry gear from concealment
• Master class GSSF
• FAST Challenge Coin-holder #09
• One of only four people worldwide to clean the Rogers Shooting School Test
• Only person worldwide to clean the Rogers Shooting School Test from concealment
• LFI Judicious Use of Deadly Force Instructor
• NRA-certified Pistol Instructor
• Over 800 hours formal defensive handgun and emergency training as a student
• Defensive handgun practitioner since 1999
• Defensive handgun instructor since 2007

Tatiana Whitlock is a firearms instructor, hunter, and outdoors enthusiast residing in the majestic state of Maine. Tatiana works with men, women & youth to establish a real-world foundation of firearm skills, safety, and situational awareness. A lifelong interest in martial arts resulted in the inevitable introduction to firearms as a means of self and home protection. As a mother of two, Tatiana takes the safety of her family seriously and knows that in a worst-case scenario the first responder on the scene is her. The training that she offers brings participants mindset out of the square range and into the context of daily life. Tatiana is an NRA BPI, RSO and Refuse to Be a Victim instructor in addition to being a featured host & instructor on Trigger Time TV airing on the Pursuits Channel. Tatiana is an Account Strategist with San Diego marketing agency Fidelitas Development, Director of Training at Howell’s Indoor Range and Shooting Academy in Gray, Maine and the Director of Training for the national women shooting league, A Girl and A Gun. She is a contributing author for numerous industry publications and the NRA Women’s Network and co-host of Civilian Carry Radio.