My name is Zack, and I live in the National Capital Region. I recently became a licensed firearms instructor after years of military and international security experience with a medical/disaster relief NGO. What started as a personal decision to qualify for a concealed carry license, has since grown into a side gig. Many of my forwardly minded, sci-fi/fantasy, and D&D loving friends and family have expressed that my experience with firearms might benefit the growing population of folks interested in learning safe and responsible gun handling. Thus, I launched “Progressive Defense Works, LLC.” See what I did there? Yeah, yeah, bad dad joke, so sue me.

Mission Statement

My hope is that PDW will be a place where everyone can feel safe learning how to operate firearms. That particularly, and specifically, includes at risk, or traditionally targeted groups in our society for hate, discrimination, and political terror, if not outright violence. Furthermore, my courses will be either private one on one classes, or small parties. This is to ensure both quality of care in the instruction, discretion of the individuals seeking training, and a secure environment where the participants can feel safe being themselves, without worrying about judgment from others.