So, are you ready for some cutting edge journalism the likes of which this country hasn’t seen for decades? Ready to immerse yourself in Pulitzer worthy copy on a daily basis?
Man, did you come to the wrong place!
Hello, I’m John Cello, president and lead instructor at The Tactical Pirate, here to introduce myself and this blog. Now, to warn you up front, this blog is about guns. And while it won’t be all firearms all the time, there will be more than enough of that type of content to make an anti-gunner apoplectic. (I actually had that as part of the mission statement I wrote for this blog. I only took it out as having it as part of a work related function blurred that whole job-recreation line.)
So, who am I and why should you pay attention to anything I say? Valid questions. Well, I’ve been kicking around this planet for almost six decades now, and I’ve been involved with shooting for all but one of them. I’ve held a variety of jobs in my life, no one really a logical progression from another. I have had the pleasure of carrying a gun professionally in a couple of the jobs I’ve held, and have had occasion to use them.
I was a cop, both civilian and Military Police in the Army Guard. I also did one of my three deployments as an infantryman. So I’ve had the chance to shoot guns that most people only get to see in pictures. (And use them in places most people only get to see in pictures!) I was an EMT in Milwaukee and Chicago, so between those locales and mideast, third world Hell holes I’ve had the opportunity to study projectile induced trauma up close and personal.
I’ve been an instructor doing firearms training of one sort or another since back in the late ’70s. After seeing the sad state of affairs in the current crop of local and military instructors, I decided to do it full time because I thought someone should do it right. My company, The Tactical Pirate, was formed so that students would be able to get the most effective, relevant training in gun handling, defensive shooting, shooting games, and concealed carry I could give them. After taking my South Carolina concealed weapons permit course, I thought to myself “this can be done a whole lot better.” And, since I’m one of those if you want it done right do it yourself kind of guys (some say I’m OCD, anal-retentive, and tyrannical, but I like my description better) I decided to do just that.
And why “The Tactical Pirate” you’re asking? It stems from my military background. As you know, the Army has an acronym for everything. One of those is TTP, which stands for Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures. That’s the Army’s way of saying how they study what the enemy does, and what the Army is going to do to counter it. Sort of. And in essence, that’s what I’m teaching in my classes. Tactics, techniques, and procedures. But that doesn’t really make for a snappy company name. So I ran different permutations of names using TTP. I finally settled on The Tactical Pirate, because it used the acronym, was memorable, and, well, who doesn’t like pirates? I’m not talking Somali coast pirates, but the romanticized ones that we used to think of when we heard the word pirate. Ergo, the name.
I was born and raised in the People’s Republic of Chicago, but left as soon as I was able to escape the fifteen month long winters, traffic, and draconian gun laws. And this was in the ’70s. I now live in the South, where most things make sense and the weather is far more livable. There’s a certain rhythm to life in Dixie that’s appealing.
So, we’re here. The company has an online presence, and I have a bully pulpit from which I can be responsible and pass on knowledge and information, or just be a dick and spew whatever is on my mind. I promise far more of the former, though I hope you enjoy the latter when it happens. Along with general discussion, I’ll be doing gear and gun reviews, some how to’s, and whatever else I think may be useful to the shooting community. That said, I’m always wide open for suggestions on topics.
So sit back and enjoy the ride.
