My name is Dan Schillaci and I am a retired police officer with 23 years of service. During my career, I was fortunate enough to work a variety of assignments including patrol, FTO, undercover narcotics, SWAT, Violent Crime Investigations, K9, and of course, Firearms Instructor.

I have been an FBI certified Firearms Instructor for 27+ years, instructing local, state, and federal law enforcement as well as civilians. Additionally, I am a Ca. DOJ Certified Instructor. For additional information please check out the “Qualifications” section.

A while back I was reading an article about firearms ownership in the United States. One alarming statistic stood out among all others. Approximately 42% of all new, first-time gun buyers resided in the state of California. This statistic is probably due to the extremely restrictive laws in California and the concerns that guns won’t be available.

The reason this is so alarming is that California now has a large number of citizens who have purchased and are in possession of a firearm with little to no background in firearms!

While I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I also believe that people should not even be around firearms without some training. Furthermore, I believe that if you are going to have a gun in your home, then all members of the family should have basic familiarity and safety training with the gun.

Frequently, I hear people say that they are afraid of guns. My personal opinion is that people are afraid of the unknown, and not the gun itself. I have already been successful in teaching men, women, and children about guns and gun safety. In addition, I have been able to provide these same people with instructions on how to accurately and consistently hit their targets.

First and foremost the topic of GUN SAFETY MUST be addressed. The reason that almost ALL accidental or negligent shootings occur is because of a lack of gun safety. Safety is paramount to me and MUST be adhered to at all times.

So why am I unique and why should you choose me to teach you?

Well, I will take you from the beginning of your new venture, right through having the ability to hit your target repeatedly with confidence. If you have not already selected and purchased your new gun, I will advise you on the make, model and caliber. I will make sure that some overzealous salesman doesn’t try to sell you something you do not need or something that you can’t handle.

I will help you select proper safety equipment and provide you with the necessary legal information on the storage and transportation of your firearms.

Following the purchase, I will help you become familiar with your gun, going over ALL safety precautions including proper breakdown, cleaning and reassembly. This is the time for questions and we won’t stop until you are ”comfortable.”

During that initial lesson, I will discuss basic sight alignment, trigger press, and provide you with a series of dry fire drills.

Next, we will hit the range ona private ranch for “live fire.” We will review safety protocols, practice a little dry firing and then load up and begin shooting.

I instruct using a building block/foundational philosophy. Safety is first and paramount. Marksmanship is the next step. I will analyze your target and help you make any needed changes. Equally important is that you have fun! If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. I instruct and modify all of my courses according to your needs and progress. I am a strong believer in teaching the “why” as well as the “how.”

Instruction is PRIVATE - you will not be shooting with strangers! By the end of your day you will be COMFORTABLE, CONFIDENT, and COMPETENT with your weapon!