You’ve probably heard of Gunsite Academy. After all, it is the oldest civilian shooting school in the country. From the Color Code of Awareness and scout rifle concept to the four rules of gun safety, the founder, Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper, made a profound impact in the firearms community that is still felt today.
In 1976, the American Pistol Institute (the original name for Gunsite) was founded in Paulden, Arizona, and the standard was set. Cooper operated the school for decades before passing away in 2006 at the age of 86.
Gunsite Academy continues to operate 20 years later with more students passing under the raven gate. Some, like me, attend thanks to the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation Scholarship, which is open to all. All it takes is desire and willingness to write an essay.
The Path to Gunsite
In 2019, while on vacation in Arizona, I stopped by to shake hands with Freddie Blish, who operated Robar Guns at the time. Freddie supported me as a writer in the past by building a 300 Win Mag rifle for my African safari and coating my firearms for trips to Alaska.
While visiting with him, he mentioned I should go to Gunsite (where he also instructed) and he explained the process of applying for the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation Scholarship.
When I returned from my vacation, I penned my essay and filled out the application form adding Freddie’s name as the person who recommended me. I won’t go into specifics but my essay included my personal interest in learning about firearms as a historian, being the grandson of a man who defended his family in the jungle of the Philippines with a 1911, my martial-arts background, and my continued interest in training as a student and instructor.
If my application was chosen to receive the scholarship, I could attend one of the 250 pistol courses the following year which was worth $2000 for five days of training.
That September, I opened the letter from the scholarship committee that welcomed me to select a course in 2020. From then on, I started planning my trip from Connecticut for the following July. I arranged for a case of .45 ACP ammunition at my friend’s house in Phoenix (ammunition can be purchased in bundles from the Gunsite Pro Shop as well), my flight and rental car, and camping arrangements since I wanted to stay at Gunsite for the duration and experience the academy that way.
I knew I wanted to use a 1911 at Gunsite to satisfy the purist in me. While I have been a Glock guy since 2001, I felt it unforgivable to attend with anything less than Cooper’s favorite pistol. With the assistance of my friend Mike R., I found a used Wilson Combat CQB that was similar to the one I previously owned and foolishly let go.
With that pistol, and training I received from my friend and 1911 enthusiast John L., I started preparing for my Gunsite experience.
On Site at Gunsite
Once my ammunition was handed off and I picked up some basic supplies for the campout at Gunsite, I set up my tent and made my way to the main campus, where I collected my bearings.
After a great night sleeping under the stars and surrounded by cawing and croaking ravens, I met up with the students for the 250 courses. Since we had a large group, there were two 250 courses running simultaneously. My fellow students came from all walks of life and had varying levels of experience. We were all encouraged to embrace the Gunsite teachings and use the skills as various tools in our toolbox.
Throughout the week, we learned not only methodology but history. Ranges were named for Medal of Honor winners, and terms heard through the firearms industry were explained. “Double taps,” we learned were used to describe a controlled pair of 9mm rounds while a “hammer” was a controlled pair of .45 ACP rounds.
Our training took us from flat range to desert washes with steel targets along the way. We trained barricades as well as inside a kill house using frangible rounds. We shot timed standards, against one another, and according to the teachings of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper.
Both day and night, we fired over 1000 rounds of ammunition in a very calculated way. Each night, I cleaned my 1911 as a sort of cool-down ritual, and I practiced dry fire on the designated dry-fire range at the campground.
There are many fond memories from my 250 pistol course at Gunsite, but the standout for me was the student shootoff. Out of 25 or 26 students, only one would be named top shot and earn the silver raven pin.
The shootoff included a near steel target, a far steel target, a reload, and then a split target as instructors judged and kept track of winners. Students shot against one another until one was determined to have the most wins. That day, my draw strokes felt smooth, my sight pictures were steady, and it all just felt like it came together against some incredible shooters.
The two classes were then brought together with the best from one against the best from another. I was the winner who took home the silver raven pin, after hearing my name announced last in the diploma ceremony and shaking the hands of my instructors Erick, Lew, and Paul.
Sharing the Legacy
I’ve since returned to Gunsite for the 270 rifle and one of the Gunsite Alumni Shoots, also known as a “G.A.S. Match.” I’ve made friends at each of those and continue to praise the academy for the quality of training provided.
Since receiving the scholarship, I’ve recommended it to multiple people and know of at least three people who have received it, with my name taking the spot on their application where Freddie Blish’s name was on mine.
Whenever I teach a firearms class, I have a laminated Gunsite firearms safety rules sheet to use as a reference for students. Even a photo of Gunsite’s four rules appears in my second published book in the chapter on marksmanship. I still train with a 1911 and love introducing students to the single-action platform.
After seeing Lt. Col. Cooper’s study and learning more about his writings and travels, I’ve added to my interests, including doing deeper dives into the scout rifle and modern interpretations of it.
I can honestly say the trip to Gunsite was transformative, empowering, and highly motivational. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity given to me by the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation. My hope is that the readers of this article will apply and follow not only my footsteps but Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper’s.
Take it from Ken
Just as with my first trip to Gunsite, all following trips to the Academy featured a greeting by retired Sheriff Ken Campbell, the CEO of Gunsite. Sheriff Ken lives the Gunsite way and is one of the greatest advocates for Lt. Col. Cooper’s training. He’s always been approachable and friendly, serving as an inviting member of the firearms community to those open to being trained.
I reached out to him and asked him about the Gunsite experience, to which he replied, “When asked about attending Gunsite, I’ve heard folks respond that they have been to the range, been to a shooting school, etc. I compare it to the Grand Canyon for your first time. “I’ve seen it on television. I’ve seen it at the IMAX Theater, etc.” Then they walk up that first time, and there is all of God’s grandeur.
“Attending 250 at Gunsite is a similar experience. We can have the best writers, bloggers, videographers here, and they cannot capture the full experience of what we are. We are not just a shooting school. We teach fighting, and one comes away empowered.” As Cooper said, we teach “Crisis management of close range interpersonal confrontation” and making life-long friends in the process.”
When you attend Gunsite, you become part of a long line of students who have trained there. The academy is a legitimate bucket-list destination if you are looking for world-class training, but for some, the cost of tuition may be prohibitive. In addition to donations to pro-second-amendment causes, the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation makes attending Gunsite a real possibility.
Sheriff Ken added, “In my years here at Gunsite, the JCLF recipients are humble yet eager students. Many would never have the opportunity to attend Gunsite and are greatly appreciative of the opportunity.”
From an Unkindness
Since the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation was established to continue building the legacy of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, I think it is fitting to share the experiences of my fellow ravens (a group of ravens is called an “unkindness” by the way) who are also all recipients of the scholarship.
“I recently joined the training staff at the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois and hope to continue the legacy of Col. Cooper by spreading the word of the modern technique far and wide!”
-Detective Graham Haley
“If I make one person a better shooter and gun owner because of the Cooper scholarship then I believe its intended purpose was accomplished.”
-Boone Walker
2024 Scholarship Recipient
“Being named the first female recipient is both humbling and deeply meaningful. I am incredibly grateful to Mrs. Janelle and the Cooper family for their generosity and belief in me. This experience didn’t just impact a moment in my life, it quietly changed the course of it.”
-Ivy O’Hern Ballauer
“The lessons I learned at Gunsite far overshadowed most of my firearms training I received in 25 plus years in law enforcement. “
-Gerry Y.
Retired SWAT/Detective
2024 Scholarship Recipient
“The instruction was professional, challenging, and grounded in the timeless principles that have influenced generations of responsible gun owners and instructors.”
-Michelle Camp
President, Armed Women of America
“I’ve trained at almost all of the big name training schools in the country. Gunsite is different because you’re learning directly at the site where the art was developed. That’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.“
-David Cagle
Lead Instructor, Hardwired Tactical Shooting
2021 Scholarship Recipient
For more information and to apply to the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation Scholarship, please visit www.jeffcooperfoundation.org
