View a Calendar of Training and Events HERE
   

Trainers:
Steve Cooper • Terry Gainey • Patrick Lee

All of us at Paladin have one goal: To help you win. That is our passion.

Sometimes 'winning' means being somewhere else. Sometimes it means being 'deselected' by the Predator. Our crime prevention lectures, with their focus on situational awareness, address those issues. But, sometimes winning means aggressively meeting and defeating him. We can do that, too.

There are certain things we are dogmatic about and our curriculum reflects this. However, we treat every student as an individual, with unique talents, shortcomings, and circumstances. We have combined our over 50 cumulative years as trainers and students and distilled that knowledge and experience into a flexible package designed to meet your needs.

Last word: Whatever you do, don't look at the instructor bios and credentials below and be intimidated out of taking a class with us! Many of our students have never held a firearm before coming to one of our basic classes and they do just fine. If this describes you, you are welcome here!

Let us help you prepare to defeat your enemy. He's out there. Waiting.

Steve Cooper
SLED/NRA Certified Trainer
Personal Security Trainer
Certified Firearms Trainer

A four-year veteran of the US Navy, retired from the SC Army National Guard (SCARNG), and former law enforcement officer (LEO), Steve and his wife, Libby, have lived in Florence, SC since 1980. They are both active members at Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church where Steve leads men's groups through the study of John Eldredge's book Wild at Heart [www.ransomedheart.com].

Steve began his career as a firearms instructor in 1985. He has experience meeting firearms and tactical training needs in military, private security, and civilian sectors

Instructor Certifications:

• SC Concealable Weapon Permit Instructor- SLED
• Security Officer Basic, Level 2 and Level 3 Instructor - SLED
• LEO Handgun, Shotgun and Patrol Rifle Instructor- NRA

Past assignments as a trainer include:

• Unit Marksmanship Coordinator, SCARNG 133d Military Police Co
• Scout / Sniper Instructor, SCARNG 4 / 118 Infantry Bn (Mech)
• Instructor, SCARNG State Marksmanship Training Unit
• Security Training Lieutenant, H. B. Robinson nuclear power plant

 
 
 

Advanced training (partial list):

• Basic Military Police Officer, Ft. Meade, MD
• Battle Skills, Cp Robinson, AR
• Basic Law Enforcement Sniper, Sniping Technology, Durham, NC
• Military Police Field Tactical Operations (Drug Interdiction), US Army MP Corps, Anniston, AL
• Special Reconnaissance Operations (Drug Interdiction), 20th Special Forces Group, Cp Blanding, FL
• Basic Infantry, Cp Robinson, AR
• Judicious Use of Lethal Force (LFI 1), Lethal Force Institute, Concord, NH
• SLED Security Officer Instructor Certification, Levels I, II, & III, Anderson, SC
• Basic and Intermediate Defensive Handgun, Insights Training Center, Bellevue, WA
• Defensive Urban Carbine & Shotgun, Defense Training International (DTI), LaPorte, CO
• Advanced Defensive Handgun, DTI
• Firearms Instructor Development, FrontSight Training Center, Las Vegas, NV
• Advanced Combatives, Rangemaster Training Center, Memphis, TN
• Intermediate Tactical Pistol (350), Gunsite, Paulden, AZ
• Advanced Tactical Pistol (499/'Expert'), Gunsite
• Combative Pistol, Trident Concepts Research Group, Prescott, AZ
• Tactical Pistol, Blackwater Training Center, Moyock, NC
• Tactical Gunshot Wound Treatment, DTI
• Counter-Drug Special Response Team, Levels 1 and 2, Mid-Atlantic Narcotics Training Academy, Ft. Fisher, NC
• LEO Handgun, Shotgun, & Patrol Rifle Instructor, NRA
• Defensive Handgun Instructor Certification, DTI
• As often as possible, Steve attends the National Tactical Invitational held each year in Harrisburg, PA   [www.teddytactical.com].
• At NTI, participants must handle numerous tactical scenarios, involving both live-fire problems and against role players using simulated ammunition. NTI is the premier reality-based event available to civilians to test their training and equipment. If you're serious about self-defense, this is the place to go.

(left) Terry Gainey (right) Pat Lee

Terry Gainey

Terry Gainey is a retired law enforcement officer with over twenty years law-enforcement and investigative experience. A firearms instructor since 1989, he was instrumental in implementing progressive training programs designed to help his officers win a deadly encounter. As a SWAT officer, he served on the entry team and was later trained and designated as the Sniper Team Leader. At retirement, he served as a patrol supervisor with Hartsville (SC) PD.

Although skilled with many firearms, Terry's specialty is the Glock pistol. He is a certified Glock Armorer and has more than 10 years experience shooting and servicing this system. Other handgun specialties include the Smith & Wesson revolver and the 1911. His long gun specialty is the Remington 700 bolt-action precision rifle.

Terry is a well-rounded instructor. He has written papers and served as keynote speaker at local, state, and national levels on developing and implementing strategies for school violence abatement. He was also featured in a recent training video produced by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy on Weapons of Mass Destruction and Domestic Terrorism. While working as Training and Crime Prevention Coordinator, he developed and presented public education courses in crime prevention and personal security. He conducted SPEC training (Self-Protection Education for Civilians) and taught citizen firearms classes.

Some of the highlights of a diverse and decorated career include Letters of Commendation for the successful arrest of an active shooter who attempted to kill Gainey and other officers investigating a domestic disturbance, and providing executive protection for personages as diverse as Elizabeth Dole on a political stop, to Their Majesties, King Goodwill Zwelithini and Queen Mantfombi of the kingdom of Kwa-Zulu Natal during a goodwill visit.

When asked what is the best part of retirement, Terry says, “Now I don't have to let work interfere with my own learning. Now I have the time to sharpen my own warrior's edge.”

Instructor Certifications:

• Revolver Instructor - South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA)
• Auto-Pistol Instructor - SCCJA
• Shotgun Instructor - SCCJA
• Firearms Training Systems (F.A.T.S.) Instructor - SCCJA & Midlands Technical College
• Pressure Point Control Tactics Instructor - PPCT Management Systems
• Spontaneous Knife Defense Instructor- PPCT
• Defensive Tactics - PPCT
• OCAT (Pepper Sprays) - SCCJA

Advanced Training:

• Weapons of Mass Destruction & Anti-Terrorism Awareness - Texas A&M
• Weapons of Mass Destruction - First Responder, Center for Domestic Preparedness Anniston, AL
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Advanced Operations - Auburn University
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Advanced Operations - Center for Domestic Preparedness
• Special Response Team, Levels I and II - Mid-Atlantic Narcotics Training Academy , Ft Fisher, NC
• SWAT Sniper - Chandler-Riefinger Sniper School, Jacksonville, NC
• Tactical Response to Active Shooters - James Murray, Esquire, Pensacola FL
• Ballistic Shield - Southeastern SWAT Training & Competition
• Street Survival - Caliber Press
• Glock Pistol Armorer - Glock, Smyrna, Georgia
• School Resource Officer, National Association of School Resource Officers, Denver, Co

Supervisory Certifications:

• First-Line Supervision - University of Tennessee Southeastern
• Community Oriented Policing Education Institute Knoxville, TN
• Leadership Issues, Knoxville, TN
• Grant Management - Department of Justice Grants Management Office
• Community Mobilization - SCOPE, Knoxville TN
• Field Training Officer - SCCJA
• Investigative Certifications:
• White Collar Crimes - FBI
• Financial Crimes - FBI
• Asset Forfeiture and Seizure -FBI
• Criminal Investigations - SCCJA
• Drug Enforcement - DEA & SLED
• At-Scene Accident - SCCJA
• Crime Scene - SCCJA
• Venerable Adult Abuse - SCCJA
• Narcotics Investigations - SCCJA & Florence - Darlington Technical College
• Advanced Domestic Violence (Duluth Model) - Minneapolis, MN


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Patrick Lee

Patrick Lee is a twelve-year veteran of law enforcement currently serving as a deputy sheriff with the Darlington County Sheriff's Office. He has prior experience as a municipal police officer with the Darlington and Hartsville police departments.

Past assignments have included SWAT team member, night shift patrol supervisor, patrol officer, field training officer, and training instructor with each agency. Patrick is currently assigned to the Darlington County Sheriff's Office bloodhound tracking team.

His areas of expertise are the various H&K systems, especially the MP-5 sub-machinegun and H&K handguns.
Patrick is an aggressive officer, a true 5 percenter. His instincts and perseverance have resulted in a lot of drugs and Bad Guys being taken off the streets. Many have learned the hard way why Pat is called 'Bulldog' by his friends.
Patrick's experience as an instructor is diverse. What he teaches is tested and grounded in street experience.

Instructor Certifications:

         • Firearms Instructor - South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA)
         • Select-Fire Instructor - South Carolina Department of Public Safety
         • HK Tactical Instructor - Heckler & Koch (H&K), Chantilly, VA
         • MP-5/UMP/M-16 Instructor - Singleton International, Salemburg, NC
         • Defensive Tactics Instructor - SCCJA
         • Specific Skills Instructor - SCCJA
         • MP5 Operator - South Carolina Tactical Officers Association, Aiken, SC
         • HK Tactical Rifle - H&K
         • Firearms Training Systems (F.A.T.S.) Instructor - SCCJA
         • Armorer Certifications:
         • Heckler & Koch Armorer - H&K
         • Mossberg Shotgun Armorer - NRA HQ, Fairfax, VA
         • Beretta Tactical Handgun & Shotgun Armorer - Beretta International, Fairfax, VA
         • Glock Pistol Armorer - Glock, Smyrna, GA

Advanced Training:

         • Special Response Team, Level 1 - Mid-Atlantic Narcotics Academy, Fort Fisher, NC
         • Officer Survival - SLED
         • Drug Investigations - SCCJA
         • Drug Interdiction - SCCJA

Always...
Know who is around you and what they're doing.
Maximize your ability to see and maneuver.
Know where you would go and what you would do in every contingency.

Honor your instincts!

Life is War. Train to Live

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