Paul Gomez and His Legacy

Who was Paul Gomez?

I might not be the best person to ask.  I never met Paul.  I didn’t chat with him on the phone.  We never exchanged emails, or even typed on the same thread in a forum.

I didn’t know Paul Gomez.  So, I’m not going to pretend like I did.  Those that did can tell it best and so I’ll leave that to them.

I do know Paul’s legacy, or at least part of it.

Paul Gomez was a Professional Firearms Instructor.

On a purely surface level, some might describe Paul as a firearms instructor.

Here is an excerpt from a post I found on a 2011 forum thread.  It appears if at one time this might have been an about me page from Paul’s website, or a social media site.  I can’t confirm that.

About Me:

Paul Gomez has over twenty years involvement in the private sector training community. Known for his detailed, nuanced approach to integrated training and thorough knowledge base, Gomez’s resume is varied and impressive. Gomez has instructed for a number of well-known trainers & companies to include Andy Stanford’s Options for Personal Security, Craig Douglas [SouthNarc]’s Shivworks, Bill Davison’s Tac Pro Shooting Center and, most recently, James Yeager’s Tactical Response.

From the people that I know that knew Paul, I get the impression that it went deeper than that.

Paul’s Family and friends knew Paul Gomez.

I haven’t had that pleasure of chatting about Paul with his family.  However, I have talked with some of his friends about him.  Without exception the conversations were entertaining, moving and sincere.

You can read what some folks who knew Paul have said.

Greg Ellifritz of Active response training wrote one of the first pieces I read when I learned about Paul-E-Palooza.  It makes my Blue Moon assortment choice seem to make some sense, but the leftovers prove otherwise.  I blame Craig’s Whiskey…

Massad Ayoob wrote this piece on his blog at Backwoods Home.

Andy Stanford wrote this.

Of the writings that I found, the person that I know the best is William Aprill of Aprill Risk Consulting.  He shared these thoughts on the passing of his friend Paul.

This week Massad Ayoob will be conducting his MAG-40 and MAG-20 Courses in NE Ohio.  I’m going to do my best to absorb everything I can while I’m in class, just like Paul would.  Why don’t you join me?

Paul Gomez still teaches today.

There is this place called YouTube where Paul still teaches.  If you take just a few minutes I’m guessing you will find some bit of knowledge that is helpful to you by watching a few videos.

This happens to be one of my favorite videos and it does a great job of explaining why Safety Solutions Academy will never release a Plan B for GLOCK 17 Mags to be used in a GLOCK 19:

You can check out the rest of Paul’s Videos at his YouTube Channel by following this link.  There are 48 videos in all.

How can you get to know Paul Gomez?

Simply put, you can’t.  That is how death works.  If you didn’t know Paul before he left, you don’t get to know him.  Join me. That is where I sit.

Kinda.

You see, if you take just a few moments to consider what has happened since Paul’s passing you might notice that he is still influencing people around him.

Through Paul-e-Palooza, Paul still touches his family and friends.

And he reaches out to complete strangers as well.

Death is one of those unfortunate things that is around us all the time yet Dealing with death isn’t easy. If you or someone you care about is struggling with grief, this book might help.

The “fat lady” hasn’t sung.

Each year in August, Paul’s legacy lives on.

In fact it thrives.  On a dusty range in the north east corner of Ohio.

Are you going to be there next year?

Here is what you should do next:

Did you know Paul Gomez?  If so, please share something about Paul in the comments.  If you are like me and didn’t know Paul, has his legacy had an impact on you?  If so, tell us.

Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say!

-= Paul Carlson =-

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