U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Avery “Skip” Skipalis is an active duty Airman in the United States Air Force. She is also the owner and lead instructor of Skip’s Tactical Solutions.
Skip’s Tactical Solutions is a firearms training academy with the goal of giving men and women the tools they need to own and operate a firearm from sport and home defense and beyond.
Avery uses the skills that she acquired by being a military firearms instructor for ten years to help men and women learn the techniques and tactics needed to prevent them from becoming a victim. She has sought out training across the country to improve her skills to better teach for students. Avery believes by continually updating her knowledge; she can better equip her students for situations they might face in the world.
Avery’s goal is to equip men and women with the skills, attitude, and knowledge necessary to own and safely operate a firearm for personal, home protection and sport. He goal is to empower her students by giving them the tools they need to be in control of their own safety and not have to depend on others.
I had a chance to speak with Avery about her mission.
John: You didn’t grow up around guns, and now you are a firearms instructor. How did you find your passion for firearms?
Avery: My passion for firearms started while serving in the Air Force. I wanted to challenge myself and get outside of my comfort zone; which led me to choose the military firearms instructor as a job. This forced me to become intimately familiar with weapons and passionate about instructing. Currently, I’ve been a firearms instructor for 10.5 years.
John: Why did you decide to serve the country in the United States Air Force?
Avery: Honestly, I wanted to make a difference by serving my country. I also wanted to challenge myself both mentally and physically. Enlisting in the military seemed like it would help me grow while enabling me to serve my country.
John: How long have you been in the military? Are you planning on making it a career?
Avery: I have been in the Air Force for over 16 years. I’m 100% invested in making it to retirement. I plan to continue to honorably serve my country until the retirement tenure of 20 years.
John: Is it hard balancing your firearms training business with your Military duty?
Avery: It is extremely hard. I will not lie and say that it’s easy at all. It’s challenging at times trying to juggle my military career, running a business, and also finding family time. When it gets hard, I reach back to my “why,” and that’s my reason for starting my business.
John: What is the biggest challenge in teaching new shooters?
Avery: Many times, the challenge with new shooters is getting them to take the first step in taking a class or handling a firearm.
When it comes to new shooters, I feel that at times they are scared of many things that they shouldn’t be scared of. But you don’t know what you don’t know. They can also lack the confidence in themselves and what they are capable of.
John: In October you are holding a free class. What can people expect to learn in the course?
Avery: This class is for all experience levels with firearms. It’s a meet and greets, range day and giveaways wrapped up into one event. During this event, we will be providing basic firearms safety education, learn about Skip’s Tactical Solutions, get product demos, and add a little emergency medical training in there as well. Our main target is individuals that may be looking to get firearms education, and they may not know where to go, or maybe they can’t afford training — also, individuals looking to handle a firearm for the first time. We will have something for every skill level at the range event from basic fundamentals to advanced marksmanship techniques.
John: What made you decide to hold the class?
Avery: I love giving back to the 2A community. Having a free event helps eliminate many barriers. My goal is to expose as many people to firearms safety in a comfortable environment as possible.
John: Tell us about your podcast.
Avery: My podcast is called Skip’s Tactical Solutions, and the main goal with the podcast is to reach a different group of people. What I mean by that is people that create podcast typically listen to podcasts, but they may not necessarily be into firearms or personal protection. I also try to bring awareness to different people and different perspectives within the second amendment community, such as a child’s perspective on firearms and firearms safety. Although my podcast isn’t very big, I still try to use it as a way to help others and the 2a community as well.
John: You were at the PSA media event. How did that go?
Avery: Yes, I attended the PSA media event, and I have to say that it was amazing! First and Foremost, I was able to get to learn more about their company and their products. Getting to tour their facilities and see the behind the scenes on how their products are made and interacting with the employees was great. I was also able to network and meet some amazing people and make connections which is invaluable. I truly appreciate PSA for inviting me to the event.
John: Do you have any other projects coming up soon?
Avery: To be honest, I always have little projects going on. I’m trying to get more into product reviews and growing my YouTube channel. In October, I will also have a giveaway across all of my platforms. I love doing giveaways because I feel like it encourages the supporter to get excited while also building brand awareness for companies that are willing to support and be involved. I started a Patreon for people to support me in my efforts of putting out content and introducing new people to the second amendment lifestyle.
Readers can check out Skip’s Tactical Solutions at www.skipstacticalsolutions.com.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
Love it!!! A beautiful passion it black women with a rifle. sign me up! I m ready to learn!
She sounds like my kind of woman. Good for you Skip, keep it going.