johnallen

John Allen

Instructor

John is certified to teach Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Home Firearm Safety and is a Chief Range Safety Officer.  While teaching shooting classes since 2017 John has had hundreds of students both youth and adults. He is the former shooting sports director for the local Boy Scout Camp and the Scout council shooting sports committee chairman.  With a firm belief of Safety-first and foremost, John works with each student individually to develop their knowledge of firearm safety and use.
George Valentine - Instructor

George Valentine

Instructor

George is a certified NRA Pistol instructor who has extensive experience in competitive pistol shooting and is active in local IDPA and USPSA matches. He has been a member of a local church's Safety Team for the last eight years. George has spent his professional life working for a major energy supply company as an Engineering Technical Consultant for the last 36 years.
Jeff Coiner - Instructor

Jeff Coiner

Instructor

Jeff is a lifelong recreational shooter and USMC veteran who has spent the last 5+ years on a Church Safety Team. As an experienced instructor and coach for firearm safety, marksmanship, and shooting sports Jeff brings a great skill level to the team. Jeff is currently teaching NRA courses in Basic Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun marksmanship and focuses on the necessary fundamentals with his students.
Todd Long - Instructor

Todd Long

Instructor

Todd is an NRA Range Safety Officer, NRA Pistol Instructor, and has had Crisis Intervention Team training. Todd currently serves as a full-time Professional Firefighter EMT and instructs at the fire academy as well as teaching fire and life safety education for ages five to adult. He earned his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and continues to enhance his credentials by furthering his training with many recognized leaders in firearms instruction.

John Kochensparger

John Kochensparger

Education Director

John Kochensparger has spent his entire career in law enforcement and security since 1973 with more than 21 contiguous years as a school director and trainer in private security services (VA DCJS 88-1190). The other highlights include, in chronological order: 

  • U. S. Army Military Police, 
  • Sergeant, 
  • Investigator and Physical Security Inspector; 
  • Armed security officer as a college student; 
  • Police Officer, City of Alexandria, VA; 
  • National trainer; 
  • Corporate security director Washington, DC; 
  • Electronic security; 
  • Administrator at the VA Department of Criminal Justice Services.

                    PC Hecker - Instructor

                    Philip C. Hecker

                    Director

                    Phillip C Hecker has 20 plus years’ experience in the government and security arena. He is certified as a Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun expert. Is a NRA Certified Instructor, he brings safety to the table while educating you on all levels of defense and situational awareness. As one of the leaders in Situational Awareness development, he brings a level of skill to the table that is rarely experienced in the Self- Protection and Defense arena.
                    Living in a State of De-Escalation


                    Living in a State of De-Escalation

                     

                    Part 1

                    Castle Doctrine in Virginia

                    Your door gets kicked in by an intruder brandishing a weapon. Does the law require you to retreat before defending your home? No. Under Virginia law, you have no duty to retreat before using deadly force against such an intruder. But these legal protections have specific limits. So how do you protect yourself when using deadly force? Here’s how you stay on the right side of the law:

                    • You make sure that you are not the initial aggressor. This “innocence” means that you have no duty to retreat.

                    • You are cautious that your use of force is reasonable. You do not respond with deadly force unless the threat poses a risk of death or great bodily injury.


                    Common Misconceptions: 

                    I. BELIEVING, I AM AUTOMATICALLY JUSTIFIED BECAUSE SOMEONE IS IN MY HOUSE.


                    Response: Virginia has never defined the Castle Doctrine, but Virginia courts have referenced this concept for estimated 100 years. The idea of the Castle Doctrine in Virginia stands for the proposition that if someone in your home or the area immediately surrounding your home poses a threat to you of death or great bodily injury, you have no duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force. However, this power is pulled in by the idea that your use of force must be reasonable. You must reasonably believe that the person poses a risk of causing death or great bodily injury. For this reason, shooting someone in your home who you do not reasonably perceive as a great threat to you, or another person can still land you in a lot of trouble. Furthermore, if you invited the person to your property, or they had a license or privilege to be there, your ability to use force to remove them will be greatly limited.


                    II. APPLYING THE CASTLE DOCTRINE TO MY ENTIRE PROPERTY.


                    Response: Case law in Virginia addressing the Castle Doctrine discusses the concept of using force, including deadly force to “prevent forcible entry,” but limits this concept to situations where “necessary to repel the aggressor” and when the “party assaults a homeowner in his own home.” Fortune v. Commonwealth, 112 S.E. 861 (Va. 1922). Notice the restrictive “in his own home” language. While Virginia has broad protections on the use of force outside the home, case law has narrowed the Castle Doctrine to only the home and curtilage.


                    III. THINKING THAT I CAN’T GET SUED BECAUSE OF THE CASTLE DOCTRINE.


                    Response: It is a common misconception that if your use of deadly force was found justified, even under the “Castle Doctrine,” then that justification means you can’t be sued civilly. Unfortunately, Virginia does NOT provide for such civil immunity from lawsuits. What Virginia does, however, is utilize an older system called a “contributory negligence” system. This system bars recovery if the party suing you is even a little bit negligent. The downside to this? Even if you are sued, you will still have to have a lawyer represent you and may still have to go to trial to prove that the other party’s claim should be blocked by contributory negligence.  


                    To learn more about laws surrounding self-defense and firearms use please visit our concealed carry page. 

                     

                    IF you have any questions or input, please email us at:

                     

                    [email protected]

                     

                     

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