Craig’s Bio
My
fascination with firearms started at a young age, seemingly without
explanation. I grew up on a farm in East
Central Indiana where we had an old single shot 12 gage shotgun and a couple
.22 rifles. They were considered tools and
nothing more. My interest in firearms
really kicked into high gear when a friend gave me a stack of old Guns and Ammo
magazines. I was about twelve at the
time and after reading them, I decided I needed to become a rifleman. When time allowed, I practiced on my own with
Dad’s .22 bolt action Savage and became a reasonably good shot with it. Dad rarely shot with me because he was
preoccupied with running our farm but, when he did, he was quite good. I later learned that his performance should
not have surprised me, since he spent time in the 1950’s on the Marine Corps
Rifle Team.
I
joined the Marines after graduating high school and the time I spent with the
Savage served me well, as I qualified Expert with the M16 throughout my
enlistment. While the Corps was very
effective at teaching marksmanship, it did little in the way of instilling good
gun handling skills (in the ‘80’s). To
be honest, I really didn’t give ‘proper’ gun handling a lot of thought because
I didn’t know any better. I always considered
myself competent and safe but, in reality I was operating at Skill level 1 (see
Handgun Training Page).
I
always wanted to become proficient with a handgun but didn’t have the chance
while in the Marines or after my enlistment. College, starting a family and
career put that desire way down the priority list. However, since reading those old issues Guns
and Ammo, I knew I wanted a 1911 .45 acp.
Once I reached the point in my life that I could get one, I was overwhelmed
with all the choices, options and conflicting information (some swear by brand
X, others swear at brand Y). During this
time I had the extreme good fortune to get to know a shooter who was willing to
help guide me through the learning process of properly selecting and running a
handgun. He is a multiple graduate of GunSite, Thunder Ranch, has taken numerous classes from the
most renowned trainers in the business and is one of the most capable shooters
I know. He was able to help me connect
the dots on purchasing the ‘right’ handgun, correct equipment, seek the best
training and tutored me on the Modern Technique of the Pistol.
My
friend’s training methods and the logic of the Modern Technique meshed very
well with my military experience and engineering mindset. As my awareness and skill level grew, I came
to realize how difficult it is for people to get the same kind of quality
training that I have been fortunate to receive.
I also realized that I could not have achieved the skills I posses today
without formal training. Even if I had
the awareness to seek out the best literature, there is no replacement for
supervised practice with an experienced person to quickly and effectively
progress from Skill Level 1 to Skill Level 4.
After witnessing the power of quality instruction, I feel somewhat
obligated to pass the training and information I’ve received onto others. I have benefited greatly from experienced
shooters and hope to return the favor so we can continue to help educate as
many good citizens as possible.
Remember, the quickest way to turn a non gun person into a shooter is to
invite them to the range and show them the fundamentals in a safe, fun and
friendly environment.
Thanks,
Craig
Hetisimer
Training Courses
Taken
USMC,
Expert Rifleman, 1984-1988
GunSite Defensive Pistol 250, 2006
Jim
Higginbotham, Fire for Effect Defensive Pistol, 2009
Threat
Solutions, Tactical Shotgun, 2010
NRA
Basic Handgun, 2010
NRA
Personal Protection in the Home, 2010
USPSA,
Single Stack, 2006 to present
God’s
Fist self defense class, Tom Griswold, 2010
Jim
Higginbotham, Surviving Lethal Encounters, Jan 2011
Certified
NRA Instructor, Basic Pistol, Firearm Safety in the Home, 2011
Tom
Givens, Range Master’s Tactical Conference, March, 2012
Bill
Jeans, Close Quarters Combat, Carbine, May, 2012
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