{"id":26528,"date":"2016-06-28T16:49:35","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T16:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunforhire.com\/training\/?page_id=26528"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T17:20:17","slug":"the-best-firearm-instructors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gunforhire.com\/academy\/the-best-firearm-instructors\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Firearm Instructors"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Best Firearm Instructors<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>
If you’re looking for the best Firearm Instructors delivering the best Firearms Education, Gun For Hire is incomparable.<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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Since 1992, we have been the Gold Standard for Firearms Training.\u00a0Our Instructors have over 375 combined years of Military and Police training.<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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NRA Fact: So many\u00a0students have trusted us to train them that we are only second to the Boy Scouts of America.<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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If you have any questions regarding Gun For Hire Courses or you would like to schedule a private lesson, please send Tony Urena our Director of Training an email. We look forward to welcoming you to the family!<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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Tony Urena<\/span> Director of Training<\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Tony is a United States Navy Veteran as well as a Veteran Law Enforcement Officer with over 25 years of experience. During his illustrious career he was the training officer for his department, and was responsible for their bi-annual qualifications and training for approximately 100 law enforcement officers. Tony was also state certified in all aspects of firearms training which included handguns, shotguns, sub-guns, semi and automatic rifles, as well as scoped rifles. In addition, Tony was qualified to testify as a firearms expert, as well as in the \u201cUse of Force\u201d. Tony is also a high level martial artist, with well over 30 years of training, and was a state certified Defensive Tactics Instructor.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Mohamed Lostan<\/span>\u00a0Assistant Director of Training<\/span><\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Mohamed is a United States Army Veteran as well as a Veteran Law Enforcement Officer with 25 years of experience. He was a state certified firearms instructor since 1993. He was a member of the Passaic County Special Weapons Team for 21 years and was commander of the Sheriff\u2019s Emergency Response Team. He retired at the rank of captain in 2010. Since than he has worked as a staff instructor and County Range Master for the Passaic County Police Academy. He also worked as an adjunct instructor for FNHUSA and has taught various courses throughout the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Vlad Vaval<\/span>\u00a0Chief Instructor<\/span><\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Vladimir is an active duty Law Enforcement Officer for over 20 years. Vlad has been assigned as a full time Law Enforcement Trainer since 2009, he works as a lead instructor, in service as well as academy level. Additionally, Vlad is the Range Master, lead armorer and defensive tactics coordinator for his department. Vlad is a state certified physical training, defensive tactics, pistol, shotgun, sub-gun, and rifle instructor.<\/p>\n

Vladimir has been a Martial Arts practitioner for over 30 years, reaching a high level, competing particularly in sparring and full contact competitions, becoming successful in winning numerous tournaments and holding many titles nationally and internationally.<\/p>\n

Vladimir\u2019s experience includes being assigned to various law enforcement units such as anti-crime, emergency services, as well as counter-terrorism throughout the state. Vlad is also a trained HazMat tech, Rescue Diver, and instructs topics such as Use of Force and active shooter, to name a few, to Law Enforcement and civilians.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Wayne Monico<\/span>\u00a0Instructor<\/span><\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Retired at the rank of sergeant in 2010 after serving 25 years with the Fort Lee police\u00a0department in New Jersey. During his time with the police department he worked\u00a0Patrol, Police K-9 Handler, Narcotics detective, Patrol supervisor and Narcotics\u00a0supervisor. He is a graduate of the Drug Enforcement Agencies \u201cDrug Unit Commander\u00a0Academy\u201d, the FBI\u2019s SWAT School, FBI Sniper School and FBI Defensive Tactics\u00a0Instructor School.<\/p>\n

Wayne served on the agencies Emergency Services Unit from 1988 through 2010 and\u00a0was Team Leader starting in 1991 and was responsible for team training and tactical\u00a0operations. Wayne also served as the departments liaison to the Terrorism Task Force\u00a0and taught law enforcement and civilian Terrorism Awareness courses in Bergen\u00a0County.\u00a0Wayne served in the U.S. Army Reserves with the 812th Military Police Company from\u00a01983 to 1987.<\/p>\n

Wayne is certified as a police instructor in the following disciplines: handgun,\u00a0shotgun, sub-machine gun, rifle, FBI certified defensive tactics instructor, physical\u00a0conditioning instructor, SWAT tactics, ballistic shield, distraction devices, OC spray,\u00a0expandable baton, PR-24 and rappelling.\u00a0Wayne is also a student of traditional martial arts and is currently an instructor in the\u00a0Israeli system known as Krav Panim El Panim (KAPAP) which he has taught to both\u00a0civilians and law enforcement.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Musy\u00a0Abraham<\/span>\u00a0Instructor<\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Musy \u201cMoose\u201d Abraham<\/p>\n

Musy is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor, Chief Range Safety Officer, and the site\u2019s Compliance Officer with over 32 years of experience in many firearm platforms and safety programs. Musy is also an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist and an Authorized OSHA Outreach Trainer specializing in the General Industry Standards for the workplace. He has traveled the country and abroad providing Safety and HazMat training, along with the development of safeguarding systems for such industries as Law Enforcement, Military, Construction, Maritime, Manufacturing, Chemical, Medical, Teaching Institutions, Houses of Worship, and Aviation.<\/p>\n

Musy is a retired K9 trainer and handler who was involved in the rehabilitation of military and law enforcement dogs who suffered from PTSD due to overseas deployments and traumatic injuries. Musy believes in paying it forward and possesses a high level of respect for our first responders, the men and women of our armed forces, and veterans. He has devoted every aspect of his career to Safety and takes pride in patiently teaching all walks of life the safe handling and operation of firearms.<\/p>\n

A good dear friend and retired Navy Seal once told him, \u201cIndeed, practice makes perfect but perfect practice seals the deal.\u201d Musy lives by those words daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t just plan on Safety, practice it every day\u201d M.A.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Jim Yankowsky<\/span>\u00a0Instructor<\/span><\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Guy Robinson<\/span>\u00a0Instructor<\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Guy has worked in information technology for over 50 years.\u00a0 <\/span>During those years, he has been a programmer, a software engineer, adjunct instructor, application developer and owner of his own software development company.\u00a0 <\/span>Guy has been a speaker at high schools, colleges and career conferences, served on a division board at the Information Technology Association of America (now part of\u00a0TechAmerica) and was a founding member of the New York Software Industry Association.<\/p>\n

In the 1970\u2019s Guy seized an opportunity to engage in a long-ignored activity that brought parts of everything he had ever learned together, Golf!\u00a0 <\/span>Guy became a USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional\u00ae, a Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Instructor, a First Tee of America Coach, a U.S. Kids Golf\u00ae Certified Coach and the author a book for beginner golfers.<\/p>\n

Guy was introduced to firearms and shooting sports over 60 years ago and during 2015 he returned to this passion from his youth. Guy has been continuously studying, training and practicing.\u00a0 <\/span>He is a Maryland Qualified Handgun Instructor, an NRA Certified Instructor with certifications in Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Home Firearm Safety and an NRA Range Safety Officer.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Leo Manalo<\/span> Instructor<\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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Leo Manalo holds the rank of Guro and is the highest Full Instructor in Atienza Kali.
\nAs the highest ranking instructor, Guro Leo travels throughout the US & internationally to teach and promote the numerous Atienza Training groups.<\/p>\n

Guro Leo has been involved in martial arts for over three decades \u2013 from Tae Kwon Do, Tai-chi, kickboxing, & FMA.
\nHowever, his true passion lies with Atienza Kali where he has been training with the Tuhons (Chief Instructors) of the system for over 20 years.
\nHe has competed at several Sayoc Sama Sama Head Hunter competitions & is the winner of the Cold Steel Sword Competition 2005.<\/p>\n

Atienza Kali practitioners are a varied group \u2013 parents, business owners, Law-Enforcement, military, lawyers, and so on. Guro Leo is proud to teach Atienza Kali\u2019s brand of weapon-oriented martial arts to the Gun-For-Hire community.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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John Gurriell<\/span> Instructor<\/span><\/h6><\/h1><\/span>
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John Gurriell is a New Jersey certified Paramedic. He has been working as a medic since 2002, mostly in an urban setting. John is also a tactical medic who has been involved with the Passaic County S.W.A.T. team since 2010. Along with his medical experience, John has volunteered for his local fire department for over 15 years, serving in multiple positions which included Assistant Chief. He served on the New Jersey Urban Search and Rescue team as a Rescue Specialist and deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Prior to becoming a medic, John spent time volunteering as an EMT with his local emergency medical services squad. John worked in aquatics for 17 years before becoming a Paramedic. He has been conducting American Heart Association and American Red Cross courses for the past 25 years to include Advanced Cardiac Life Support, CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguarding.<\/span>
\nJohn earned his Paramedic Certificate from Rockland Community College in 2002. He is in the process of pursuing his bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/span>
\nJohn Gurriell lives in northern New Jersey.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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You will not find a more loyal and passionate group of instructors that are so committed to ensuring you feel safe, comfortable and excited. Not only do they have the decades of on the job training they also have decades of teaching and interacting with every level of student.<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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Let’s get started! Make the call, stop in or shoot us email! We are looking forward to welcoming you to the family.<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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