Matthew Boltz

My interest in firearms began at a young age when I learned proper safety and weapons handling from my uncle, who is now retired from Law Enforcement after a long and distinguished career.  I grew to have great respect for firearms and a strong appreciation for the Constitution and the Second Amendment.  Like most Americans I believe that self defense is a basic human right.   

My extensive education in firearms and tactics began in the spring of 1996, when I attended a basic California Police Academy (P.O.S.T.).  Soon after graduating, I was hired by the City of Hillsboro (in Oregon, near Portland) as a Police Officer.  I attended the Oregon Police Academy (now D.P.S.S.T.) and then continued my training at the Department.  I worked patrol for 6 years, where I received my “street” education.  During this time, I was also a Firearms Instructor, a member of our tactical team (S.W.A.T.), and a Field Training Officer (coach/trainer of new Officers).  I was involved in countless real world, tactical situations. 

After leaving Law Enforcement, my love for firearms instruction and training inspired me to begin teaching civilian defensive handgun classes, and subsequently, to create Liberty Handgun Training. The general philosophy of Liberty Handgun Training is to be practical and relevant.  We do what works.  There is so much to learn in the realm of firearms and tactics that you could spend a lifetime training and honing your skills (some people do, and it’s not a bad thing).  The goal with all of our training and teaching at L.H.T. is to try and give our clients an understanding of what it might be like to use a firearm to defend their lives, and the skill set to do it effectively.  This is the essence of all we do. 

"In their lifetimes, most people will never need a gun. Those
that do will need one very badly." General George Custer

Danny James

Fostered largely by my avid hunter and fisherman father, my passion for guns started early on. Like most young boys I was fascinated by the magical efficiency of the gun. As a skilled outdoorsman, my father was instrumental in molding my respect for firearms. Through his tutelage the “magic” of the gun was soon replaced with practical skills. With those skills came the revelation that it is the actions of the shooter that ultimately determines the efficiency of the weapon.

Hunting and competition in various sports dominated my life through my college years. After completing my formal education at Willamette University, I joined the US Navy in 1996 with the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. At 29 years of age I was one of the oldest SEAL trainees to pass all the requirements. It was with great honor that I served my country and trained with some of the most elite soldiers in the world until my departure from the Navy in 2005.

As a SEAL, I was taught not only the fundamentals of safety and shooting but also specialized skills that included weapons very few people ever use. Instinctive Shooting, especially with small firearms, became a natural bi-product the more I trained and participated in real world missions.

Today, my experience with the intricacies of live fire situations has given me a more tempered and practical perspective. Though the theater of the battlefield has been replaced by the sacred threshold of private property, the message is still the same: the action of the shooter ultimately determines the efficiency of the weapon.

At Liberty, Matthew and I will train you for real world applications and not just teach how to shoot at targets. Our goal is to prepare you in a safe environment to effectively defend your sacred threshold against any immediate and credible threat.

Are you willing?

“ Life without Risk, Is not worth Living.”

-Jean Luc Renard (Extreme Outdoorsman)