RANGEMASTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founder and Lead Instructor of Citizens Safety Academy
Aqil is the founder and lead instructor of Citizens Safety Academy. 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 25 years and training law enforcement for over 20. His passion is teaching civilians how keep themselves and their families safe.
John is the owner and lead instructor of FPF Training. He recently retired after 25 years of service in the Marines and the intelligence community, but he makes no claim to being a combat veteran. He considers himself very fortunate to have trained under some of the most respected firearms instructors in the country, and he's learned much more about shooting and self-defense outside the military than he ever did during his service. As an instructor, John has incorporated the best and most practical methods and techniques into his courses, and he continues to train and refine his skills every year, both as a defensive shooter and as a trainer. John has presented classroom and range instruction at the multiple Rangemaster Conferences, and currently holds a "Master Instructor" rating from Rangemaster, and is a graduate of Massad Ayoob's "Lethal Force Instructor" program.
Lee Weems is the owner and operator of First Person Safety. He has been a Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) certified peace officer since 1999 having been sworn at the local, state, and federal levels and has served as a patrolman, field training officer, detective, supervisor, three terms as Chief Deputy, and currently as an agency training coordinator. He served two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (GALEFI), and he teaches college classes in political science and criminal justice. He received the Distinguished Weapons Expert rating based on his scores in the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers' Firearms Instructor Training Program.
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. Over twenty years later, she has now taken every course that RFTS has to offer. In addition to being mentored by Tom and Lynn Givens and other Rangemaster instructors, Tiffany has also trained under Jim Higginbotham, John Farnam, Jeff Gonzales, Craig Douglas, and several respected veterans of the self-defense community. She is a member of the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation, and locally she works with Aqil Qadir of Citizens Safety Academy to provide firearms training in Tennessee and throughout the South. Tiffany has earned handgun instructor credentials from the State of Tennessee, the State of Mississippi, the National Rifle Association (Training Counselor), and Rangemaster (Master Instructor Certification).
Tiffany is a practicing attorney and legal research consultant. She taught courses in legal studies and writing at the University of Memphis and trains other attorneys in written argumentation techniques, document design, and visual rhetoric. In addition to teaching, Tiffany blogs on the subjects of law, diversity, and the Second Amendment; and she offers web design and instructional design services to fellow firearms trainers. She assists Tom and Lynn with road classes and currently serves as editor of the RFTS newsletter. If you'd like to contact Tiffany, please click here.