What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 6pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Wednesday 9am - 6pm Thursday 9am - 6pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

L.A. Progressive Shooters

Home
United States
Los Angeles, CA
L.A. Progressive Shooters

Call Directions Website Contact the business

Helping people scared of guns shoot since 2020
Safe, Inclusive Space to Demystify & Empower

CLASSES in the Los Angeles area to help people learn about firearms in a welcoming and inclusive space. We want to demystify guns for the most intimidated people, empower the most vulnerable and marginalized communities, and destigmatize responsible gun ownership. We welcome people who are curious or passionate about firearms, but tired of the stigma and stereotype of being a gun owner in liberal circles, and being the minority in conservative-dominated gun spaces.

10/28/2026

⚠️ 2027: LAPS is downsizing & going back to 1 Instructor Operation

✅️ You can get 20% Off 2027 classes by booking now through Dec. 31 using code FALL20:
laprogressiveshooters.com/group-lessons

2026 has been economically rough for everyone in our BIPOC communities.

As a small biz, we expanded to a majority women & q***r team to offer Women, Femmes & Thems classes.

And a lead instructor available weekly instead of wait monthly for me to fly to L.A.

But the demand was never there in 2026, so we didn't have enough work to sustain our team.😪

So, LAPS goes back to its roots with me as the only instructor. Only 10 weeks that I fly back from Mexico to teach:
1. 1st wknd: Beginner Pistol 101/101+ and 102 Try Before You Buy
2. Mon-Fri: Group & Private lessons for all beginner/advanced classes
3. 2nd wknd: Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) taught with Pistol 101/101+ and Pistol 201 Speed & Performance

If those don't get booked, I'll add Pistol 202 Master Red Dot or Pistol 301 Run & Gun (very little demand for advanced classes).

✊🏿We always teach on MLK Day and Juneteenth to honor Black armed self-defense as integral to Civil Rights Movement. Also open Easter & Mother's Day.

When I'm not booked, it's a chance to reconnect with & support L.A. art & activist communities dear to me:

FEB Pan African Film Festival largest Black History Month event in USA.
Leimert Park Art Walk last Sundays
Caminarte.BoyleHeights 2nd Fridays at Espacio 1839
JUN Open LA Pride wknd. Support The TransLatin@ Coalition
SUMMER some of my fav music & community events Grand Performances The World Stage LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Sunday Jump Hola Mexico Film Festival
FALL Open Halloween y Dia de los Mu***os. From then through December holidays, it's an important time for artists/artisans to make a living. Support events at Self Help Graphics & Art EastSideCafeLA autonomous space inspired by Zapatistas, where I'm a monthly donor & take cumbia classes by Toxicos De La Cumbia

Too many amazing community orgs to list! Follow my stories for more & hope to see you in 2027!👋

10/28/2026

Not all Instructors are Safe.🤡

Who you choose to learn from and shoot with -- your life and limb are at stake.

Choose wisely.

I tell Pistol 101 students if they ever feel unsafe in a class, JUST LEAVE IMMEDIATELY....PERIOD.

Don't feel an obligation to stay because you paid a lot of money for the class -- no amount of money is worth your life and limb.

Don't feel like you have to ask permission or wait for a break or the class to be over.

Social pressure and the instructor's supposed "authority" is going to keep you from speaking up or going along with everyone else.

Don't do that.

That's why I make it clear in my classes there can be no ego and no one is above the safety rules, not even me.

Students are able to call me out if I do anything to make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable just like I can call them out.

No one gets offended or upset and the only words we want to hear are "Sorry" and "Thank you for calling me out."

You want to surround yourself with people who have zero tolerance for unsafe gun handling and always humble and collectively, proactively watch out for each each other.

Repost from Urban Defense | Rod Cortés - Instructor a true professional and instructor in Guatemala

#

10/26/2026

‼️20% OFF ALL CLASSES FOR FALL‼️

Enjoy 20% Off all Group, Private and Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) classes.

✈️ Tom flies back from Mexico this week and Private lessons with him now start at $480 after discount.

✅️ USE CODE FALL20

📦 2 CLASS PACKAGES AVAILABLE! When you book any 2 classes together, you save $160 with this Fall special.

Great for one person to make progress with 2 classes or 2 people of different experience levels who each want to take a different class.

▶️ BOOK NOW (Click profile link):
https://laprogressiveshooters.com/group-lessons

🎯 PISTOL 101 - reg. $250, now $200
OR
🎯 PISTOL 101+ - reg. $175, now $140

For couples and groups with different experience levels, these 2 classes are taught together so you can all learn together.

🫣Totally new to guns and nervous about them?
✅️Take Pistol 101: you DO NOT NEED TO OWN a gun yet -- we prefer it that way and guns/ammo are already included, along with Friendly Intro to Fi****ms video you watch at home to build confidence before coming to class and start shooting with gentler .22 ammo to warm up to 9mm.

🤓Already own a gun but want to get more confident and fix bad habits?
✅️Take Pistol 101+. Gun/9mm ammo not included but can be rented for additional $50.

🔫 PISTOL 102 Try Before You Buy - NEW LOWER PRICE $210, now $168 Fall Special
Practice fundamentals learned in Pistol 101 with 10 different brands, models, actions and sizes of handguns.

All advanced classes reg. $250, now $200:

🎯 PISTOL 201 Speed & Performance
Learn realistic skills to shoot fast & be accurate, advanced skills not allowed at public ranges.

⭕️ Pistol 202 Master Red Dot
Unlock the full potential of shooting fast & dynamically with optics.

🏃‍♂️Pistol 301 Run & Gun
Dynamically shooting on the move & intro to pistol competition.

🎯 CARRY CONCEALED WEAPON (CCW) -
Weekend group classes monthly by LAPS and weekly by partners Asset Training Group
Also private CCW classes MON-FRI. Family/friends can join to learn the same advanced skills for $250.

Also all classes can be booked PRIVATELY.

Tom is always working on his professional development so we're CLOSED Nov. 2-3 to attend Tim Herron's Pistol Performance class.

10/24/2026

I barely announced Val is leaving and I'm already getting folks asking if they can teach Women's Pistol 101 for me.

1. Every person I've hired started as a client first.

I don't usually hire strangers no matter how much gun experience they have -- experience doesn't automatically tell me how safe they are.

Only people who've gone through my classes know my strict safety standards and how we provide an inclusive, welcoming space for those not traditionally welcome in the gun world.

If you've always been automatically accepted and welcome in the gun world, you can't relate to our clients.

2. Shoot Good.

Most instructors are a dime a dozen, basic NRA certified after a weekend course and suck at shooting.

Impress me by showing you constantly challenge your skills like competition shooting. You're not complacent or overconfident, but humble in always pushing to learn more.

3. Be an Educator.

You shoot good...so what? Can you coach someone to do the same? An effective trainer no matter the subject matter is able to transfer knowledge effectively so the student can apply that knowledge and get immediate results.

You have to understand different learning & communication styles esp with neurodiverse clients.

4. Be from a marginalized, vulnerable community

That's who we serve. People relate better to those with shared lived experience.

I'm a refugee who isn't a native English speaker. I know what it's like to be automatically judged on sight, underestimated even though I'm trilingual, and not respected even though LAPS is the 4th small biz I've built from scratch.

I'm a unicorn in the gun world and looking for other unicorns.

I do not accept less. I expect more.

10/23/2026

😭 It is with great sadness that Val is leaving us after November!

This is your last opportunity to book a group or private lesson with Val, especially Women's Pistol 101 which will be discontinued after she leaves.

Val has been an incredible force on our team -- starting as one of our 1st clients in 2021, to becoming a range safety officer in Aug 2025.

In less than a year, Val became only the 2nd lead instructor, after Tom, in LAPS 6 year history to lead classes on her own.

We wish Val nothing but the best as she moves forward in her life's journey and she will be missed!

There's only 5 dates remaining so book her while you can, and use code FALL20 for 20% off:
laprogressiveshooters.com/group-lessons

10/16/2026

HORRIFIC: 16 year old boy used a pump sh***un bought by his mother to massacre 3 young children (5, 8, 11) and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school.

2 bystanders tried to intervene.

The 1st was a driver in the school parking lot who confronted him and called 911 after the boy shot at him in his pickup truck multiple times.

Then a father of a student, who was armed, chased after him into the school, and killed the shooter before police arrived.

Another student, 7, and a teacher are in critical condition in the hospital.

‐-----

In both my Pistol 101 and Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) classes, we talk about how children get their hands on guns...whether they are mass shooters, or like so many young males like the 15yo I was, trying to show off and be macho in front of the guys....

Children gain access to guns because parents are irresponsible about securely locking them up.

Communities and courts are starting to hold parents accountable if their child assesses a gun and does harm. Especially if the parent knows their child had emotional issues and didn't take further action to prevent their assess to fi****ms.

We don't know yet the identity and background of the 16yo shooter.

It's another example of an armed bystander intervening to stop an active shooter, like the 2 men who engaged the shooter at the In N Out in Idaho.

It's a common question we discuss in CCW class: whether to intervene in an active shooter situation

Intervening in an active shooter situation as a civilian is fraught with risk and comes with a lot of consequences afterwards.

But I don't think any parent would hesitate and stand by while their child's life is threatened. Like the parents who wanted to rush in at the Uvalde, Texas elementary school mass shooting, only to be stopped by cops who waited over an hour before confronting the shooter.

"To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life, your actions carry a heavy emotional burden and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said.

It is not clear what weapon the bystander used, and authorities have yet to say whether he had a concealed carry permit.

10/15/2026

Contry Costa County Sheriff had banned Concealed Carry Weapon permit holders from adding red dot optics and weapon mounted lights and banned single action only guns.

Remember I posted recently about a large security company that also banned its 7K personnel from having red dots on their guns?

Why wouldn't these agencies want people to be more competent, more accurate shooters?

And swipe to the 3rd slide how ignorant media are about guns....

They describe red dot sights as a form of a laser and single action guns as guns that don't need to be re-cocked after the 1st shot.🤣🤡

They also mentioned another lawsuit by Second Amendment Foundation against Santa Clara County for making the process of getting a CCW so costly that it's a financial barrier for folks who want to carry to defend themselves.

10/13/2026

‼️20% OFF ALL CLASSES FOR FALL‼️

Enjoy 20% Off all Group, Private and Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) classes.

✅️ USE CODE FALL20

📦 2 CLASS PACKAGES AVAILABLE! When you book any 2 classes together, you save $160 with this Fall special.

Great for one person to make progress with 2 classes or 2 people of different experience levels who each want to take a different class.

▶️ BOOK NOW (Click profile link):
https://laprogressiveshooters.com/group-lessons

🎯 PISTOL 101 - reg. $250, now $200
OR
🎯 PISTOL 101+ - reg. $175, now $140

For couples and groups with different experience levels, these 2 classes are taught together so you can all learn together.

🫣Totally new to guns and nervous about them?
✅️Take Pistol 101: you DO NOT NEED TO OWN a gun yet -- we prefer it that way and guns/ammo are already included, along with Friendly Intro to Fi****ms video you watch at home to build confidence before coming to class and start shooting with gentler .22 ammo to warm up to 9mm.

🤓Already own a gun but want to get more confident and fix bad habits?
✅️Take Pistol 101+. Gun/9mm ammo not included but can be rented for additional $50.

Women's Pistol 101 taught by VAL available Thu-Fri and weekends on demand.

🔫 PISTOL 102 Try Before You Buy - NEW LOWER PRICE $210, now $168 Fall Special
Practice fundamentals learned in Pistol 101 with 10 different brands, models, actions and sizes of handguns.

All advanced classes reg. $250, now $200:

🎯 PISTOL 201 Speed & Performance
Learn realistic skills to shoot fast & be accurate, advanced skills not allowed at public ranges.

⭕️ Pistol 202 Red Dot: Unlock Its Power
Unlock the full potential of shooting fast & dynamically with optics.

🏃‍♂️Pistol 301 Run & Gun
Dynamically shooting on the move & intro to pistol competition.

🎯 CARRY CONCEALED WEAPON (CCW) -
Weekend group classes monthly by LAPS and weekly by partners Asset Training Group
Also private CCW classes MON-FRI. Family/friends can join to learn the same advanced skills for $250.

Also all classes can be booked PRIVATELY.

10/09/2026

This incident touches on a lot of topics covered in our Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) class:

Castle Doctrine in CA (PC 198.5) gives you right to stand your ground within the confines of your home, but not the front & back yards.

CALCRIM 3475 says you can use some degree of force but not automatically use lethal force if a trespasser refuses to leave.

If the trespasser presents an imminent threat, then deadly force may be justified under 3 elements of CALCRIM 505:

1. Reasonable belief of imminent danger of death or great bodily injury.
2. Reasonable belief deadly force was necessary against that danger.
3. Used no more force than was reasonably necessary to defend against that danger.

Also while CA has no Stand Your Ground statute, CALCRIM 505 & CA case law provides that a non-aggressor has no duty to retreat and is entitled to stand their ground anywhere they are lawfully present.

While the police have pressed no criminal charges based on the evidence, in CA, even if you aren't criminally chatged, you can still be sued in civil court by the person you harmed or their family.

Thankfully, this elderly homeowner and his daughter didn't suffer anything worse, but it could've turned out differently.

Just because the law affords you some legal right to investigate a drunk person on your lawn at 3am, doesn't mean you have to put yourself at more risk unecessarily.

To avoid this whole traumatic experience, it would've been more prudent to stay safe behind locked doors and just call the police to investigate the person.

ABC7 Eyewitness News

10/09/2026

Until you can shoot as fast as possible and keep all shots in center mass at 5yds, you're not a shooter. You're just a gun owner.

Most people who own guns seriously overestimate their ability in a real life situation.

Whether you have a gun for home defense or concealed carry, if you can't shoot with urgency like your life depends on it AND be accountable for all your shots, then you're just a liability endangering everyone around you shooting blindly under panic.

Don't be that person. Drop the ego and come learn how to shoot like a Boss.

Especially people who want to carry a gun in public with a Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) permit.

After fixing their basic fundamentals in Pistol 101, CCW applicants go right into Pistol 201: Speed & Performance with our students who are learning to shoot fast for the 1st time.

They learn safe holster draw, and how to shoot fast while being defensively accurate and not endanger bystanders.

There was 1 CCW applicant who only has a revolver -- she quickly learned what a disadvantage that was, struggling and fighting to squeeze the heavy double action trigger and not being able to shoot fast.

In a life and death situation, when your gun needed to go off yesterday, don't handicap yourself with a double action only trigger.

People who shoot indoors and CCW trainers who teach indoors can't practice any of these realistic skills.

Props to all these students who braved triple digit heat and learned to shoot like a Pro!

Address

Burro Canyon Shooting Park, 22100 E East Fork Road, Azusa
Los Angeles, CA
91702

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Thursday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+13239005277

Website

http://laprogressiveshooters.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when L.A. Progressive Shooters posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.