My name is Kent Hower. I am the chief instructor here at Green Mountain Defense. I have enjoyed my path as a perpetual student of firearms and defensive concepts. Like most red blooded American males, I came to the shooting sports with the assumption that my heritage naturally endowed upon me a higher than average level of shooting skill. After all my father taught me and he couldn't possibly be wrong. I spent the next 10 years or more learning just how flawed that initial assumption was. I have had the privilege of training with some amazing instructors and mentors. Below is a list of some of the training I have partaken in and the credentials I have been humbled to build. For transparency and total clarity I am not military or law enforcement. I am not a world champion shooter (though I do compete). I am an every day citizen who has leveraged sales, communication, adult education, and presentation skills into the ability to convey firearms concepts to the average citizen.
Sonoran Desert Institute- Professor of Firearms Technology
Sonoran Desert Institute- Associate's Of Science in Firearms Technology
Rangemaster Advanced Certified Instructor
National Rifle Association- Certified Pistol Instructor
National Rifle Association- Certified Rifle Instructor
International Defensive Pistol Association- Certified Safety Officer
Sig Sauer Academy- Multiple Classes Completed
Modern Samurai Project- Multiple Classes Completed
Tim Herron Shooting Practical Practical Performance Alumni
Tim Herron Shooting Instructor Development Alumni
Amtac Shooting Bill Rapier Combative Rifle Alumni
Amtac Shooting Bill Rapier Combative Pistol FOF Alumni
Lone Star Medics Med class Alumni
Apache Solutions AEDC Alumni
Chuck Pressberg NO FAIL PISTOL Alumni
Vigr Training- Multiple Classes Completed
Handgun Combatives- Multiple Classes Completed
Tactical Response- Fighting Pistol Alumni
SOLGW Certified Armeror
Instructor Insurance provided by Firearms Trainers Association
For additional questions or to discuss my background in further detail please feel free to reach out kent@greenmountaindefense.com
Sonoran Desert Institute- Professor of Firearms Technology
Sonoran Desert Institute- Associate's Of Science in Firearms Technology
Rangemaster Advanced Certified Instructor
National Rifle Association- Certified Pistol Instructor
National Rifle Association- Certified Rifle Instructor
International Defensive Pistol Association- Certified Safety Officer
Sig Sauer Academy- Multiple Classes Completed
Modern Samurai Project- Multiple Classes Completed
Tim Herron Shooting Practical Practical Performance Alumni
Tim Herron Shooting Instructor Development Alumni
Amtac Shooting Bill Rapier Combative Rifle Alumni
Amtac Shooting Bill Rapier Combative Pistol FOF Alumni
Lone Star Medics Med class Alumni
Apache Solutions AEDC Alumni
Chuck Pressberg NO FAIL PISTOL Alumni
Vigr Training- Multiple Classes Completed
Handgun Combatives- Multiple Classes Completed
Tactical Response- Fighting Pistol Alumni
SOLGW Certified Armeror
Instructor Insurance provided by Firearms Trainers Association
For additional questions or to discuss my background in further detail please feel free to reach out kent@greenmountaindefense.com
Hello, I'm Justin Payne
It’s only recently, within the last couple of years, that I’ve decided to become a serious student of the gun. That’s not to say that I’m new to firearms however. It turns out that I’ve been attracted to firearms, from a very early age. This attraction was much to my mother’s dismay and initial disproval by the way. Lacking any strong guidance or support from a traditional family background, I decided that I would have to teach myself how to be safe and competent with my first firearm. Back in the days before the internet and the Google, my allowance was spent regularly on firearms magazines of the era, where I absorbed as much information as possible. Along the way I learned about the 4 Rules of Firearms Safety, how various pistols worked and functioned, and finally what the most up to date techniques on shooting a pistol looked like. Eventually on my 21st birthday, full of excitement and anticipation, this self-taught “expert” purchased his first handgun. The moment I had that shiny new pistol, I immediately headed to the range! Now, looking back on it, that first range session by myself had the potential to go very wrong. Ego, youthful exuberance, and a bit of innocent ignorance were all present that day. Fortunately for all of my friends and family, I made it through the event without any visible or permanent scars, and my learning and personal growth continue to this day! Now, many years later, with valuable life experience and professional training behind me, it is my sincere hope to be able to walk with you through your personal journey with the gun. Whether that journey involves an individual’s first firearms experiences, teaching an old dog a new trick or two, and certainly anyone who’s somewhere in the vast spaces in between, I would love to make that process more educational, more exciting, and certainly much safer than it would otherwise have the potential to be.
Credentials:
Maryland CCW Instructor
Rangemaster Advanced Instructor
NRA Certified Pistol Instructor
Tim Herron Shooting Instructor Development Alumni
Modern Samurai Project Instructor Development Alumni
Apache Solutions AEDC Alumni
Green Mountain Defense Full Curriculum Alumni (except for the shit Kent hasn't come up with yet)
Vigr Training AVD Alumni
Amtac Shooting Rifle Alumni
Chuck Pressberg No Fail Pistol Alumni
Loan Star Medics Med Class Alumni
Instructor Insurance provided by Firearms Trainers Association
For additional questions or to discuss my background in further detail please feel free to reach out justin@greenmountaindefense.com
It’s only recently, within the last couple of years, that I’ve decided to become a serious student of the gun. That’s not to say that I’m new to firearms however. It turns out that I’ve been attracted to firearms, from a very early age. This attraction was much to my mother’s dismay and initial disproval by the way. Lacking any strong guidance or support from a traditional family background, I decided that I would have to teach myself how to be safe and competent with my first firearm. Back in the days before the internet and the Google, my allowance was spent regularly on firearms magazines of the era, where I absorbed as much information as possible. Along the way I learned about the 4 Rules of Firearms Safety, how various pistols worked and functioned, and finally what the most up to date techniques on shooting a pistol looked like. Eventually on my 21st birthday, full of excitement and anticipation, this self-taught “expert” purchased his first handgun. The moment I had that shiny new pistol, I immediately headed to the range! Now, looking back on it, that first range session by myself had the potential to go very wrong. Ego, youthful exuberance, and a bit of innocent ignorance were all present that day. Fortunately for all of my friends and family, I made it through the event without any visible or permanent scars, and my learning and personal growth continue to this day! Now, many years later, with valuable life experience and professional training behind me, it is my sincere hope to be able to walk with you through your personal journey with the gun. Whether that journey involves an individual’s first firearms experiences, teaching an old dog a new trick or two, and certainly anyone who’s somewhere in the vast spaces in between, I would love to make that process more educational, more exciting, and certainly much safer than it would otherwise have the potential to be.
Credentials:
Maryland CCW Instructor
Rangemaster Advanced Instructor
NRA Certified Pistol Instructor
Tim Herron Shooting Instructor Development Alumni
Modern Samurai Project Instructor Development Alumni
Apache Solutions AEDC Alumni
Green Mountain Defense Full Curriculum Alumni (except for the shit Kent hasn't come up with yet)
Vigr Training AVD Alumni
Amtac Shooting Rifle Alumni
Chuck Pressberg No Fail Pistol Alumni
Loan Star Medics Med Class Alumni
Instructor Insurance provided by Firearms Trainers Association
For additional questions or to discuss my background in further detail please feel free to reach out justin@greenmountaindefense.com