Paul Duffy
Paul began acquiring his firearms training and skills at the Academi training center in Moyock, North Carolina. Paul is currently certified as an NRA basic pistol and rifle instructor. He is certified by the Maryland State Police as a Maryland handgun instructor, and he is certified by the Utah Department of Public Safety as a Utah Concealed Carry Instructor. He is a graduate of the ALiCE Institute’s active shooters trainer certification course.
Paul also holds a Range Safety Officer designation through the NRA and is continuously looking for ways to expand the footprint of Spartan Firearms Training Group in Maryland. He has many years of experience as a successful small business owner in Columbia, Maryland. He has concealed carry permits from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Utah, and he is a strong supporter of Marylanders’ right to own and carry firearms. He and Frank Duffy formed the Spartan Firearms Training Group to help Maryland residents exercise their Second Amendment rights legally and safely. He can be contacted at Paul@Spartanftg.com.
Frank Duffy
Francis (Frank) Duffy is a veteran of the U.S. Army 6th and 5th Special Forces Groups (the Green Berets), Operational Detachment-A 424 (a combat dive team). He served as his A-team’s Medical Sergeant with cross-training in weapons. He also graduated from the Army Special Forces combat diver school and earned the coveted U.S. Army Ranger tab.
He is a certified Executive Protection Specialist through the Executive Protection Institute (http://www.personalprotection.com/), a member of the Nine Lives Association (nine lives association), a 2017 graduate of the Gunsite Academy Defensive Shooting course, and a Washington, DC, certified firearms instructor. He is also a graduate of the Executive Protection Institute’s Protectors Firearms Course. Frank is a life member of Maryland Shall Issue (https://www.marylandshallissue.org), a non-profit group advocating for 2nd Amendment rights in Maryland. He is also a graduate of the ALiCE Institute’s active shooters trainer certification course.
Frank holds NRA Pistol and Rifle Instructor certifications and is certified by the Maryland State Police as a firearms instructor. Frank is certified by Washington, DC as a concealed carry firearms instructor. He has his Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Utah concealed carry permits. Along with Paul, he participates annually in intensive firearms training in facilities like Academi in Moyock, North Carolina, Team Torn in Elko County, Nevada, and Oak Grove Technologies in North Carolina.
Frank also has more than a quarter-century of experience as an instructor and creator of training programs and courses based on principles of adult learning. He can be contacted at Frank@Spartanftg.com
Ryan Thomas
Sergeant Ryan Thomas teaches the Spartan Firearms Training Group’s (SFTG) Emergency Casualty Care Course (E-Triple C), which has been offered since 2016. He also assists with the SFTG firearms courses on the live-fire range.
He has over twenty years of emergency medical training and eighteen years of law enforcement experience. He brings real-world experience from his time as a career firefighter/paramedic, flight paramedic, and uniformed police officer to every E-Triple C class.
Ryan is currently certified in ACLS, PALS, BTLS, NRP, ABLS, and is an ACLS and PALS instructor. As a law enforcement officer he has been assigned to Patrol, Vice/Narcotics, Bike, SWAT, Emergency Services Unit, and to his agency’s Police Academy as an instructor. Ryan is currently the Chairman of the Maryland Law Enforcement Emergency Medical Care Course Advisory Board.
Marty Day
Marty Day has over 20 years’ experience as a U.S. Marine and Law Enforcement Instructor in the field of firearms and use of force. Marty served as a Marine infantry machine gunner with the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division and completed his enlistment as an Instructor for the Advanced Machinegun Leader’s Course at the Advanced Infantry Training Company. Currently, Marty is a Lead Law Enforcement Specialist with the U.S. Secret Service firearms training program.
Marty specializes in the instruction and use of small arms. He has extensive knowledge of and experience applying basic, intermediate, and advanced marksmanship and weapon handling techniques. Marty possesses an array of instructor level certifications ranging from the National Rifle Association (NRA) to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has instructed, certified, and trained with numerous private, local, state, federal, and DOD personnel, and shares that knowledge and experience with the Spartan Firearms Training Group.
Beau Bryant
Beau Bryant is a combat veteran having served in the 82nd Airborne Division and Special Operations Command. He participated in this country’s most sensitive operations in the war on terror in his role on special operations teams. These sensitive operations required him to demonstrate superior knowledge and skills for the purpose of collecting and analyzing data on enemy combatants and their movements. Also, as a member of these special operations teams, he was expected to maintain a high level of proficiency with various firearms. This expectation engaged him in opportunities to learn and train with the best combat pistol and rifle, instructors in the world. He also trained in the U.S. Army Combatives Course that teaches soldiers how to close with and defeat the enemy in hand to hand combat.
Beau is also a trainer at Westminster Barbell gym in Westminster, Maryland, where he coaches people of all ages to help them become stronger (http://www.westminsterstrength.com/programs/). This strength training is particularly important for people who want to develop self-defense skills including martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or who need firearms self-defense skills. His gym is available to Spartan Firearms Training Group students for a monthly membership fee.
Randy Garland
Randy Garland is currently employed as an Armed Security Specialist with the Department of Defense. He served 4 years in the United States Marine Corps as an Amphibious Assault Crew Chief before enlisting in the United States Army as a medic.
While serving in the United States Army, he earned the “tower of power,” and donned the Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces tabs on his shoulder. He was also a certified Static Line and HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) Jumpmaster.
Randy served in combat with 3rd Special Forces Group (the Green Berets) in Afghanistan where his team was credited with training over 300 Afghan Security Guards and the discovery and destruction of over 100 IED’s. His Operational Detachment-A (ODA) team conducted more than 180 Combat Reconnaissance Patrols and five Humanitarian Aid missions. In addition, as the team medic, Randy was responsible for treating over 15,000 Afghan civilians and soldiers during his time in Afghanistan. Randy was awarded three Bronze Star medals, one with Valor for his selfless actions during combat. He retired from the United States Army in 2016 to spend more time with his wife and 5 sons. Randy maintains his firearm training through the Department of Defense and loves spending time on the Range.
Chase Chandler
Chase “Bama” Chandler is special operations veteran having served with Naval Special Warfare as a Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) where he became an expert in small arms and heavy weapons and was also a graduate of the US Army’s Special Operations Combat Medic course (SOCM) where he was certified as an Advanced Tactical Practitioner. He was also a nationally registered EMT and paramedic in the state of Georgia.
During his time with NSW, Chase was also certified NSW Range Safety Officer as well as TCCC instructor. He conducted deployments with varying mission sets in multiple theatres and has maintained proficiency with multiple weapon systems. Chase left the Navy in 2011 and achieved advanced degrees in physics. He maintains a small farm/homestead in northern Maryland and enjoys transferring the knowledge he learned during his time in service to help the general public obtain a confident level of fire arms proficiency, close quarters self-defense, and self-reliance.
Cody Merson
Cody Merson served as a member of the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He graduated from the Army’s highest level of sniper training- the U. S. Special Forces Sniper Course where he graduated at the top of his class. Cody also completed the U.S. Army Sniper School and obtained additional certification for long range engagements through the Shooter Performance Institute (SPI).
Cody completed four combat deployments to Afghanistan where he was exposed to close quarters combat situations, as well as long-range engagements. These exposures allowed him to apply his training in real world situations to facilitate the successful completion of high-value operations.
He left the military in 2018 when he decided to prioritize his family and moved back to Maryland to pursue a career in law-enforcement. He became a member of the Howard County Police Department, where he excelled and successfully became part of the department’s SWAT team. During this time, Cody was also a member of the United States National Guard where he served as one of the lead instructors for the Maryland Sniper section. His involvement with law-enforcement and the National Guard provided opportunities to compete in military and law-enforcement long-range shooting competitions, as well as PRS style matches.
Jordon Leppo
Jordon is currently employed by the Baltimore City Police Department (BCPD) as a SWAT officer. He is also a member of the BCPD sniper team. During his career as police officer, he worked in district-level and city-wide narcotics and violent crimes units.
He attended two SWAT schools, a sniper school, several close quarters combat schools, and a maritime operators course. He holds certifications as a wilderness first responder, in wilderness survival, and in swift water rescue. He is certified through the Maryland police training center as a firearms instructor, and is a certified instructor for Active Threat Integrated Response course through NDPC and LSU university
