About Us

Tom Nguyen is a NRA, USCCA and DOJ certified Instructor & Range Safety Officer, and USPSA pistol competitor. He offers private & group lessons at various locations throughout Los Angeles.

As a refugee who fled a war, Tom understands that guns can be triggering and have traumatic associations in many BIPOC communities. He had to overcome his immigrant parents’ fear of guns to fulfill his childhood dreams of owning and shooting firearms. From his experience witnessing gun violence in his 20s, Tom is passionate about making sure people get the education and information they need to make the best decision for themselves to be safe and responsible with firearms.

Upon seeing scores of new gun owners who would've never considered firearms before the pandemic and civil unrest, he founded L.A. Progressive Shooters in 2020 as a non-intimidating and inclusive community, focused on safety and education, for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and progressives new to firearms.

When Tom isn’t teaching or shooting, he documents LA’s multicultural music & dance scene at EnClave.LA

By teaching sensitively in an open, non-intimidating way, and with an emphasis on safety and education, we feel strongly it’s important to destigmatize and demystify firearms so more folks can empower and arm themselves with the knowledge and self confidence that they can protect and defend themselves and their loved ones if necessary.

Our goal is to give students a firm foundation based on safety and fundamentals, as they take their first steps to empowering themselves as firearms owners. 

In order to provide the best experience for our students, who are often handling firearms for the first time, Tom is constantly honing his craft, and has trained with Tim Herron, Modern Samurai Project, My Own Defender, Raven Wing, Tap Rack Bang Training and regularly competes in USPSA pistol competition.

It’s been amazing seeing our community grow so quickly, with members from as far away as the Bay area, Minnesota, New York, all folks who are looking for other progressive gun owners they can relate to, to share knowledge and help empower others, and to be diverse role models for new gun owners. We're here to build a community of progressive-minded gun owners, and show being a responsible, well-trained, and conscientious gun owner is not incompatible with being a liberal progressive.