![\"GSS-7\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/GSS-7.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFrom 1958 until 2003 the pages of Guns & Ammo magazine<\/a>\u00a0were graced with the words and wisdom of COL Jeff Cooper. Readers worldwide subscribed to read his thoughts; primarily those associated with the use and application of the defensive handgun. Similarly, when Cooper opened the American Pistol Institute on the Gunsite Ranch near Pualden, AZ in 1976, like-minded folk traveled from far and wide to learn from The Guru. The story of Gunsite \u2013 now Gunsite Academy<\/a> \u2013 is<\/em><\/strong> the story of Jeff Cooper.<\/p>\n If you grew up reading Cooper you probably knew this, but for the latest generation of gun owners, the impact Gunsite has had on the world of firearms is, at best, unappreciated and, at worst, unknown. According to Robbie Barrkman, \u201cJeff Cooper and the Gunsite doctrine have single handedly been the genesis of a whole industry. Name anyone who is a somebody in the firearms business, relative to defensive firearm craft or equipment, and I\u2019ll show you a connection either directly or indirectly to Jeff Cooper.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n How could one man and one place be so instrumental in the genesis of defensive weapon craft? For starters that man would need to be a practitioner and teacher, a student and a philosopher; that man would have to be an evangelist of a useful doctrine. He would need a means for broadcasting his teachings and philosophies to the world. And finally, that man would need a practical pulpit from which to espouse his wisdom. Cooper was the first, the only and the last to have all three.<\/p>\n John Dean \u201cJeff\u201d Cooper was born on May 10th<\/sup>, 1920. He graduated Stanford University with a BA in Political Science and received a commission in the United States Marine Corps in 1941. He served in WW II and the Korean War and in the mid 60\u2019s received a Master\u2019s Degree in History from the University of California, Riverside.<\/p>\n Between 1957 and 1976, Cooper became affiliated with two endeavors that would lead to the codifying of the Modern Technique of the Pistol and Gunsite. He had established a relationship with Bob Petersen of Petersen\u2019s Publishing and was writing various articles about sports cars, but mostly guns, for the Petersen\u2019s magazines. He also started the Leatherslap Competitions in Big Bear Lake California. Ultimately, those shooting matches would evolve into the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) of which Cooper was the founder and first president.<\/p>\n Cooper\u2019s writings in Guns & Ammo, shored up by his codified doctrine of the Modern Technique of the Pistol, which was supported by his emphasis on the combat mind-set, reached readers the world over. This led to invitations for Cooper to come and teach. And, teach he did. It started in Guatemala, for the bodyguards of the newly elected President and continued in Salvador, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, South Africa and Rhodesia.<\/p>\n These experiences led to the book, The Principles of Personal Defense, which was the forerunner to the Cooper Color Code, a system that has become the standard for teaching mental conditioning as it relates to individual combat. This and Cooper\u2019s continued study, documentation, codifying and reporting on the developing art of practical pistolcraft, interspersed with his philosophy on an individual\u2019s right to defend himself, his loved ones, and his country, connected with gun owners.<\/p>\n Cooper became the professor of the art of weaponry or more precisely, the Modern Technique of the Pistol. Through his writings in Guns & Ammo and in various books, shooters relished the opportunity to learn from him, face to face. What Cooper needed was a basilica, a place to hold court and teach the value of the combat mindset and the importance of DVC – diligentia, vis, celeritas (accuracy, power and speed). It could be said that what he ultimately created with Gunsite was the church of pistol shooting but what it has become is a cathedral of defensive weapon craft or as Barrett Tillman called it, \u201c\u2026the Camelot of the Great Southwest.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooper and his wife Janelle decided his mission of spreading the word of the Modern Technique could be served best by setting up a school and letting students come to him. In August of 1973 they bought a cattle ranch near Paulden, AZ. There was no water, no electricity and mostly nothing but dirt and rattlesnakes. They named the property Gunsite and called the school the American Pistol Institute (API).<\/p>\n Gunsite started with a single, square range, 50 meters deep. They built roads, erected a windmill for water and purchased a generator for electricity. Soon, they added the Funhouse, an indoor reactionary shooting facility. In 1976 there were no cell phones or e-mail so if you wanted to contact COL Cooper at Gunsite you wrote a letter or called a radiophone rigged up in his Volkswagen bus. When the phone rang, the horn in the bus would blow.<\/p>\n Cooper focused on the curriculum and on acquiring quality instructors or coaches. Over the next 16 years some of the best-known firearms instructors to ever set foot on a range taught at Gunsite. Men like Chuck Taylor, Bruce Nelson, Clint Smith, Louis Awerbuck, Pat Rogers, Robbie Barrkman, and Ed Stock. They helped Cooper spread the word and they spread it often…but not just to anyone.<\/p>\n Only upstanding folk could attend Gunsite. Prospective students had to meet certain criteria. This was not meant to exclude by class or wealth but by character<\/em>. If you were an honorable person, Gunsite was waiting for you. If you were a goblin, Gunsite was bad news because those who graduated Gunsite were not to be trifled with.<\/p>\n The first lecture sessions for classes at Gunsite were held on the Veranda of the Cooper\u2019s home but as time passed more land was purchased, more ranges were built, a classroom was added and so was a gunsmithy shop with live-in quarters. Cooper soon found he and his team were able to produce a very capable practitioner of the defensive handgun in five and a half days.<\/p>\n The certificates awarded upon course completion came in four varieties. Those who attended but did not perform well received a Certificate of Completion. The certificate for those who did okay was marked \u201cMarksman\u201d and a Marksman First Class or M1 certificate was presented to those who were especially good shots. The Expert certificate or \u201cE-Ticket\u201d was bestowed only to those who demonstrated the highest level of proficiency with a defensive handgun. Then and now, no one questions the validity of a Gunsite certificate.<\/p>\n In 1981 Cooper began writing a newsletter called Gunsite Gossip. It was a collection of observations, quotes and pointed remarks from Cooper, pertaining to guns, training, hunting and even politics. Tom Siatos at Guns & Ammo proposed excerpts from this newsletter form a regular column in the magazine. This became Cooper\u2019s Corner and through it readers continued to become enthralled with Cooper\u2019s philosophy and teachings and, they desperately wanted to go to Gunsite.<\/p>\n Gunsite was thriving and at age 72 both Jeff and Janelle wanted to slow down and enjoy the golden years. In 1992 Gunsite was sold. Even though the new owner insisted on his intent to maintain Cooper\u2019s vision and allowed for Jeff and Janelle to reside in their home known as \u201cThe Sconce\u201d on the Gunsite property, the amicable relationship turned intolerable. In 1993 Cooper was banned from the ranges and from anything to do with operations.<\/p>\n Over the next six years Gunsite declined. Lacking the commitment to the doctrine and message that resonated so well with gun owners all over the world, attendance dropped. The facilities were in disrepair and no one wanted to come to the school founded by the father of the Modern Technique if they were not going to be taught by or even have a chance meeting with him. It looked like the end of Gunsite was near.<\/p>\n Enter Buz (Owen) Mills and his wife Sonja. Buz had met Cooper in 1980 and had always been impressed with him. He was equally impressed by the Gunsite doctrine, the professionalism of the Gunsite staff and their ability to teach at all levels. Buz and Sonja purchased Gunsite in 1999 and the revitalization began. Not only did Buz begin to rebuild and repair, he added ranges, offices and classrooms and expanded the pro-shop. More importantly, Buz welcomed Cooper back in a consultant capacity. Buz realized Cooper was Gunsite<\/strong><\/em> and that they were inseparable; he knew Gunsite without Cooper would be like Christmas without Santa Clause.<\/p>\n On September 25, 2006 the four term NRA Board of Director, Lifetime Executive Council Member, founding president of IPSC, father of the Modern Technique, Guns & Ammo Editor at Large, and what some have called the \u201cGunner\u2019s Guru\u201d passed. But, a visit to Gunsite today will leave no question that Cooper\u2019s vision and standards are driving the train. For many years after his passing, Cooper\u2019s widow, Janelle, lived in the Sconce. She would often welcome graduates of the 250 Pistol Class into her home, where she would serve them cookies, brownies and tea mixed with lemonade. They would hear her stories and visit Cooper\u2019s armory, which was very much the same as it was when he was alive.<\/p>\n Today Gunsite encompasses more than 2000 acres of prime shooting real estate. The curriculum has been expanded extensively to encompass all forms of defensive shooting, hunting, and even recreational endeavors. Courses are taught to beginners and operators at every level. From tutorials, women-only courses, to diversified classes filled with shooters from all walks of life, Gunsite is training more shooters than ever before. And, Gunsite is staying in step with technology; courses are now being taught on the use of lasers, night vision, and extreme long range shooting. Gunsite has also become a manufacturer\u2019s proving ground for new guns, ammunition, and accessories.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>