Oregon Firearms Academy
focuses on defensive handgun
tactics and field training

   Many readers of the COSSA
Bulletin have undoubtedly noticed the
listing/or the Oregon Firearms Academy
courses in the 2003 schedule of range
events and in the April and June calen -
ders. We asked Dan Abbott, one of the
owners of the Academy, to give us the
story behind the name for our members'
edification. His answer follows:
   The Oregon Firearms Academy
(OFA), which Abbott defines as a
National Level Defensive Small
Arms and Tactics School, was
founded in 1997 and reorganized
under new management and owner-
ship in 2002. The Academy is a
COSSA business member and an
NRA business alliance member.
   OFA does business from a 700-
acre site located outside Brownsville
in the Willamette Valley. Class-
rooms and a range for field training
are located on this campus. A staff
of seven includes four instructors,
an office manager, accounting team
member, and web master.
   Abbott says OFA's client base
ranges from law abiding citizens to
law enforcement, armed security,
P&P and correctional officers and
to firearms instructors and military
special ops team members. People
enroll in OFA courses basically to
"learn how to use a handgun in high
stress  self-defense  situations."
Students come from all over the
US, some from as far away as New
York state, and also from Canada.
More than 300 shooters enrolled
with OFA in 2003.
   The Academy offers 20 courses
with instruction on-site and off-site
(as at the COSSA range. Bend). The
courses begin with Basic Handgun
Safety and range from basic to
advanced defensive handgun, rifle,
carbine, shotgun and long-range
precision rifle courses. All courses

are Department of Public Safety
Standards & Training (DPSST) cer-
tified. (DPSST is the State agency
which oversees training for law
enforcement, corrections, P&P and
armed security officers.)
   OFA was the first school in the
United States to offer a comprehen-
sive Glock Defensive Handgun
course to private citizens. Many
other schools have since started up
similar programs. Some other spe-
cialty courses are Vehicle Defense,
Night Fire/Low Light Handgun and
Armed Private security. One non-
gun course covers the use of pepper
spray
   Tuitions vary For instance: An
intense two-day (16-hour) Ad-
vanced Defensive Handgun course
with lectures and field training
costs $200. Eight- and 16-hour
courses are the norm, but one for
Firearms Instructor Development
runs 44 hours. Private tutoring is
also an option, while courses can be
set up off-site at the request of a
gun dub/range. OFA also teaches
defensive small arms and tactics
courses at Linn Benton Community
College and Lane Community
College.
   OFA scheduled three off-site
courses at the COSSA range this
year. They taught a two-day Defen-
sive Carbine course last April and in
June a two-day Defensive Handgun
course. Coming up is a two-day
Advanced Defensive Handgun
course on August 23-24. Next year
they will offer all three courses

again and add a two-day long-range
Precision Rifle course which is
taught by an active sniper/scout
SWAT team officer.
   All of the OFA staff are DPSST
Certified Instructors, NRA Certi-
fied Instructors and Adjunct in-
structor  with   Clint  Smith's
International Consultants and
Affiliated instructors with John
Farnam's   Defensive   Training
International.
   Abbott notes "We are very proud
of our instructors team which is rich
in credentials and experience. Our
instructors staff includes a current
SWAT team member with 27 years
as a Sheriffs Deputy, a high ranking
reserve police officer who is a
retired doctor, an attorney who
served as a Marine platoon leader
in Vietnam and was wounded in
combat by small arms fire, and a
former gun store owner who is a
graduate from gunsmithing school.
Two staff member are senior
firearms instructors it the Oregon
Police Academy in Monmouth. The
combined staff has graduated from
more than 200-plus formal tactical
and small arms courses from the
world's best private and public
training institutions. The staff is
very well educated academically as
well with some four master's degrees
and two doctoral degrees among
them. In fact, staff members have
been mentioned by name in the for-
ward of two books on defensive
small arms training for their contri-
bution in promoting the art."
   OFAs comprehensive web site is
at <www.oregonfirearms.d2g.com>