John was born in Los Angeles in 1948 and has resided in California for nearly 50-years. After graduating from Lincoln High School in June of 1966 he joined the Army and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as a Medic. After his completion of medical training at Fort Sam Houston Texas, the 101st Airborne Division was deployed to Vietnam where he served for one year; December 1967 to December 1968. During his service he received the Combat Medical Badge and the Bronze Star.

At the completion of 3-years of service he joined the Los Angeles Police Department in February 1970 where he spent 23-years of service; from field duty to a Detective in the Firearms and Explosives Unit, of the Scientific Investigations Division. He also logged tenure as a firearms and tactics instructor at the Los Angeles Police Department's Academy for 10-years.

John has competed in firearm competitions of all types, as he believes this prepares an officer for the possibility of life and death confrontations utilizing deadly force. He has racked-up more titles and records, not only as an amateur shooter, but also as a professionally sponsored athlete, than most any other instructor or competitor who ever picked up a gun. He was one of the first competitors to apply the psychology of shooting to his competitions and later developed a teaching program that applies stress confrontation preparation to his syllabus of training. Many of his police students have returned to thank him for this 'mental' training that they believed SAVED THEIR LIVES!

John is a consultant with Armor Holdings Inc. Police Products company, Sports optics companies and represents them in competition, not only at professional matches as a shooter, but as a traveling instructor/expert, demonstrating products such as body armor, holsters, rifle and pistol scopes. He not only shows the wares of these companies, he follows up with valuable training in areas such as, pistol training, officer survival, and gun retention. He has taken this course throughout the world to places such as; Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Holland, Germany, and throughout the United States with many police departments. He was instrumental in the development of the Los Angeles Police Department's historic transition from revolvers to Semiautomatics back in 1986.

As an expert firearms examiner, he has testified in Federal, Municipal and Superior Courts of California in excess of 270 times, and several times as a bomb expert. He has taught thousands of people to shoot, including police and civilian students. John Received a resolution from the City of Los Angeles City Council in 1982 for his contribution to the instruction of, 'The Safe Use and Handling of Firearms' to the citizens of Los Angeles. This was during a time when many people were buying guns, in record numbers, to protect themselves from a serial killer.

John was Co-founder of the Beverly Hills Gun Club, an indoor range in Los Angeles, where many average, as well a celebrity citizens, went to learn to shoot and join the club for leisure and sport shooting.

John acquired his California Community Colleges Lifetime Teaching Credential and helped set up the first P.O.S.T. certified Auto Pistol Transitional and Instructor Courses in the United States!

"There are many shooting academies throughout the world and many fine instructors. My school will add to the list of places to go to learn to shoot, have fun and leave with the feeling that you learned something that will stay with you forever! I have put together a variety of courses that will give the average shooter as well as the professional law enforcement person, or military shooter, a new approach to tactics, marksmanship and way of thinking that has been proven in many situations. Not only life and death confrontations, but in high-stakes competition, where winning $20,000 in cash can seem more stressful than 'LIFE AND DEATH'". -John Pride

John has competed in Police Practical Pistol competition for 25 years and has won over 320 state matches. Over 40 Gold medals in the Police Olympics & International Police Olympics. (5) Gold medals and (1) bronze, in the 1996 and 4-Gold Medals in the 2002 California Police Summer Games. He's a 4-time winner of the International NRA Bianchi Cup World action shooting Championships and 4-time NRA Police National champion. A member of 4-man police champion team 4-times. Holds 14-World records in NRA recognized events. Plus he likes to shoot!

He has produced Shooting How to videos such as "Basics to Bullseyes, the 9mm Pistol", "Pistol Instructor" 3-tape program, "Action Shooting" tape, "Winning PPC" tape and has published the book "The Pride Method, Mind over Matter", (second edition soon to be released).

He has written articles for major shooting magazines over the years and currently has "Prides Corner" in Gun Games Magazine, an internationally acclaimed publication.

JOHN'S Goals in teaching are: To provide the best possible instruction in the art of marksmanship and the use of firearms. By offering a variety of classes taught by him and other well known and experienced teachers that have either proven themselves, their philosophies and methods, by real-life situations or in the heat of competition! John strongly believes in the Second Amendment; "The Right To Keep And Bare Arms" as well as all aspects of the Constitution of The United States of America. He showed his dedication to this belief by serving in the armed forces. His Father served in WWII, and his Grandfather in WWI.

He also believes that if you do own a gun, whether as a citizen or police officer, you have the great responsibility and duty to learn all you can about shooting, laws pertaining to the use of force and maintaining your firearm(s) in a fashion that no one can be unintentionally injured or killed. "There's no excuse for carelessness!"

Always remember this; "For every second of freedom that you and your loved ones enjoy each day, a drop of precious blood was shed by those who sacrificed all they had." It didn't come cheap, so never let IT go without a fight...

-John Pride