Instructor – Tom Laye

Tom L

Tom has been involved with firearms for more than 50 years having started hunting as a pre-teen. Tom served in the U.S. Navy as an Electronics Technician on assignments throughout the world. He also performed as Shore Patrol and Master At Arms Supervisor. His last command was Coastal River Division (now Special Boat Unit) XI where in addition to being the command’s lead electronics technician he was certified as a Combat Coxswain for the unit’s Patrol Boats River (PBR).

Tom served 10 years as a Reserve Police Officer (7-years as Level 1) with a greater Bay Area city. He completed California POST Police Academy training in 1985 and has received advanced training since.

Tom has a number of trainer certifications. He is a POST certified Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor and an NRA Training Counselor and Certified Instructor for Pistol, Rifle, Personal Protection in the Home, Personal Protection Outside the Home, Home Firearm Safety, Metallic Cartridge Reloading, Shot-shell Reloading, Chief Range Safety Officer, and Range Safety Officer. Tom is a past firearms and deadly force instructor with the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. He is a past certified Utah Department of Public Safety-Bureau of Criminal Identification – Concealed Firearms Permit Instructor.

Tom is an NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer, an International Defensive Pistol Association Safety Officer, and served as a Range Safety Officer for the San Jose Municipal Firing Range. Tom teaches other subjects besides firearms and served as an Instructor in the US Navy at the Davisville, RI, Naval Construction Battalion Center‚ (SeaBees) Camp Fogarty Military Training Department, with Coastal River Division XI (CosRivDiv XI), and Special Boat Unit XI (SBU XI).

Tom not only teaches, but is a student himself as much as possible. Tom has attended dozens of firearms or self-defense training classes from a variety of nationally recognized trainers and firearms or tactical schools. He has attended schools such as Tactical Firearms Training Team, Front Sight, Marksman Enterprise, Advanced Weapons and Tactics, HALO Group, and Reactive Tactical Training (RTS) among others in the disciplines of Pistol, Urban Carbine, Shotgun, Precision Rifle, Sub-Machinegun, Edged Weapons, and Defensive Tactics. He has also been trained in VIP Protection, High Risk Environments, Detecting Improvised Weapons, Impact Weapons, Chemical Weapons, NRA Range Development and Operations, and other classes that broaden his skills and knowledge base.

Tom has also attended FEMA Emergency Management training for Emergency Operations Centers. He graduated CERT training for the cities of Santa Clara and San Jose. He also attended the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class at San Jose City College and Combat Medicine with LMS Defense.