Aqil is the founder and lead instructor of CSA. His background as a firearms instructor started at age 12, teaching urban youth in his father’s gun club. He followed in his dad’s footsteps, becoming an NRA Certified Instructor at the age of 22. He has been training civilians for over 35 years and training law enforcement for over 20. His passion is teaching civilians how keep themselves and their families safe.

Tiffany is a “late bloomer” who underwent a 180-degree-conversion in the world of firearms. She grew up subscribing to common fears and misconceptions about guns and gun owners. After college, she reluctantly enrolled in a Rangemaster handgun safety course, and she was hooked. Her interests and training have expanded from handguns to shotguns and carbines. In addition to being mentored by Tom and Lynn Givens and other Rangemaster instructors, Tiffany has also trained under Jim Higginbotham, John Farnam, Craig Douglas, Massad Ayoob, Jeff Gonzales, Marshall Luton, and several respected veterans of the self-defense community. She is member of the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation, and she has earned instructor credentials from the State of Tennessee, the State of Mississippi, the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, Massad Ayoob Group, and Rangemaster (Advanced Instructor Certification). She’s also a practicing attorney, and she teaches Legal Studies at her local university.

Ryan first started shooting at eleven years old for his Hunter Safety certification. As best he can recall, this was the first activity for which any adult told him he had a natural talent. He’s been chasing that feeling and honing that talent ever since. Ryan has extensive experience in combat sports that involve rolling around with other sweaty dudes on the ground and punching and kicking things until his whole body hurts. He was an armed courier in the Middle Tennessee area for most of his twenties until he got tired of people telling him he couldn’t grow his hair out or have a beard. He’s a serial trainer, a shooting sports competitor, and a pistol coach who is trying his best to avoid having a regular grown-up job. Most of Ryan’s deepest and most meaningful relationships have come from the combat sports and defense training world, so sharing that world with new students is intensely fulfilling for him. He specializes in using the bumpy things on top of the gun to reliably make holes appear where you want them to on B8 targets.