Who’d have ever thunk it... Less than 24 hours after graduating from Gun For Hire
Academy, my newly found skills would be put to the test, in a life threatening
encounter.
Unlike the rest of my class, I had no real personal interest in the subject matter.
I’m not what you’d call a “gun guy.” I didn’t own a gun, nor was I in the market
for one. And far different from my fellow classmates, I never thought I’d get
any personal use, whatsoever, out of what I’d be learning. I was there purely
for professional reasons.
As an author, I often find myself neck deep and intimately involved in research
on a whole host of wacky subjects, most of which, if it wasn’t for the project at
hand, I’d never give a second thought. Learning to shoot a gun was one of
those subjects. There I sat, prepared to learn yet something else that I was
bound to soon forget. But the instructor seemed like he’d be a lot of fun and
the coffee and donuts were more than decent, so I made sure my wife wasn’t
around, grabbed a second donut, settled in and thought... hell, this might be
fun after all.
The trainers name was Anthony Colandro. Nice guy. Funny guy. Certainly
nothing like the gun-totin‘ Ramboesque figure I pictured in my mind when I
first signed up for the program.
I was introduced to Anthony and Gun For Hire by Bill Poole, National Director
of Training at the NRA National Headquarters in Fairfax Virginia. I wanted to
find a firearms expert who could show me around the world of firearms, give
me a few pointers and answer some of my questions. Anthony’s was the only
name he gave me, and once I met him, I instantly knew why...
Anthony is one of those people who is larger than life--the moment he enters
the room everyone knows it. The first thing you notice about him is his smile,
juxtaposed to his menacing 6’ 3” frame, its warm and kind. Although he’s
known for his affable sense of humor, and trademark light hearted
“ball-busting,” which he skillfully employs to soften the omnipresent
seriousness that accompanies deadly weapons training, behind the smile you
get a real sense of devout seriousness about what he does and who he does
it for. And that attitude and skill set is carried forward throughout his staff.
It doesn’t take one long to notice it. The main emphasis at Gun For Hire
Academy is safety. Some say they’re obsessed with it. Much as Gun For Hire’s
training methods make the intense instruction surprisingly a lot of fun, the
instructors and staff are quick to remind: this is not a game and the gun in
your hand is not a toy. Read More
