Instructor John Farnam

John Farnam

by
  • Cornell College, BA in Biology
  •  US Marine Corps Second Lieutenant, Vietnam
  • infantry platoon leader
  •  three Purple Hearts
  •  Trained Marines
  •  Active in the Reserves until 1987, rank of major
  • 1971 Police Officer
  • 1972 – Began Instruction
  • DTI Defense Training International
    http://defense-training.com/
  • Inspired by Jeff Cooper
    “Each of our students is an instructor”
  • 1996 selected by his peers to receive “Tactical Advocate of the Year”
  • 2009 inducted into Black Belt Magazine’s “Living Legends”


Books:

  • 1998 – “The Farnam Method of Defensive Shotgun and Rifle Shooting”
  • 1998 – “The Street Smart Gun Book”
  • 2000– “The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning”
  • 2006 – Guns & Warriors: DTI Quips, Vol. 1

Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, Inc.

 

Instructor John Farnam

 

See John Farnam and more than 50 other trainers in the After Action.net Firearm Instructors directory.

About John Farnam

John Farnam is a veteran American firearms instructor and the founder of Defense Training International (DTI), a school that has trained private citizens, law enforcement officers and military personnel for decades. A Vietnam combat veteran who later served as a police officer, Farnam concluded that the firearms training he received in uniform did not fully prepare people to carry a gun responsibly in daily life, and he built DTI to fill that gap. He credits Jeff Cooper with shaping his thinking, including the idea that defensive guns should be carried loaded and that training ranges should reflect that reality.

For gun owners, Farnam’s influence lies in his emphasis on what he calls soft skills: avoiding trouble, de-escalation, verbal commands and preparing for the legal aftermath of a defensive shooting. DTI pistol courses have long included scenario-based force-on-force training alongside live fire, and he teaches an Urban Rifle course in which students carry loaded rifles throughout. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network and has consulted on use-of-force cases for both prosecutors and defense attorneys. He remained an active instructor and frequent podcast guest as of 2023.

Key Facts

  • Vietnam War: Served as a combat veteran, then as a law enforcement officer
  • Founded Defense Training International, training citizens, police and military personnel
  • April 2010: Interviewed as an Advisory Board member in the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network eJournal on force-on-force training
  • 2010: Running two-day, all force-on-force courses at a dedicated facility in Illinois
  • July 26, 2023: Featured guest on the In Self Defense Podcast, episode 118

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Sources

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