Tom Speciale – Chief Instructor

 

As President and Chief Instructor of Responsible Firearm Owners of America, first and foremost I am a firearm safety advocate. I have been a practical shooter and firearm instructor for over 20 years. I have served in the military in various specialties, serving as a Military Patrolmen, Infantryman, and with US Army Special Forces in Afghanistan. Throughout this time, I have instructed thousands of our service members in safe gun handling and the fundamentals of marksmanship.

I started RFOA because I believe that because of a lack of understanding about guns there is a growing fear of guns and gun owners. Additionally, a severe lack of training has led to thousands of firearm “accidents” and injuries every year. When it comes to firearms, I do not believe in “accidents.” The mishandling of firearms, including the inappropriate storing and securing of firearms, is negligence. Firearms can be dangerous if mishandled or if they are in the hands of the untrained.

 

RFOA’s primary goal is to raise safety awareness about firearms and reduce fear regarding firearms and firearm owners. To achieve this goal RFOA encourages firearm safety training for all ages. I believe that like our rights of freedom of speech and assembly, the right to bear arms comes with important responsibilities.

I realized many years ago that while the right to bear arms is guaranteed to us in the Constitution, we do not teach our citizens about this right or the responsibilities that come with it. We teach our citizens about their rights and responsibilities regarding voting. We teach them about their rights and responsibilities regarding safe sex. But no one is teaching our citizens about their rights and responsibilities regarding firearm ownership. This lack of education and training has led to a fear of guns. This fear of guns has become an irrational fear of anyone who exercises their right to own them. RFOA’s goal is to educate and train anyone interested so that they can safety and responsibly exercise their Constitutional rights. Most people don’t need or want to carry a concealed firearm, they just want to be safe with them. Sure, there are hundreds of companies offering advanced training but most owners don’t need or want to become Navy SEALs or SWAT. They just need to feel safe handling firearms.

 – Thomas Speciale, 2017.