Austin Atherton
Austin Atherton was born and raised in Sherman. His passion for firearm training and safety started at an early age, shooting with his Dad in 4-H. Austin graduated Sherman High School in and also began working for BPS Outfitters in 2015. His interest in firearms led him to pursue many certifications. He trained under a former Secret Service Agent to become a NRA Chief Range Safety Officer and NRA basic pistol instructor, becoming a License to Carry Instructor in 2018. In 2019, Austin attended Sig Sauer CHALK Academy where he completed the Reach Out to 1000 course. Austin graduated from Texoma Regional Police Academy in June 2020 and is a Reserve Police Officer for the City of Bells, Texas. Austin also graduated from Grayson College EMT-B in 2020. Austin is a certified Glock Armorer, certified Sig Sauer pistol instructor and has attended multiple pistol and carbine classes from various instructors.
Austin continues to attend instructor courses as well take more firearms training classes to provide the most up to date firearms training. One of Austin’s favorite quotes is “May I grow to be a teacher in the service of students, and may I always remain a student.”
Will Baker
Will Baker grew up in rural Fannin County Texas, the oldest of several. He played football throughout school, finding a scholarship to Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Deciding school was not for him, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a Military Policeman serving 5 years in a variety of roles from customs enforcement and base patrols, to route security and machine gunning. Will began instructing firearms at Camp Pendleton in 2016, and continued to instruct through his end of active service. He personally instructed hundreds of Marines and civilians in a variety of differing roles, continually learning from shooting professionals to this day. Though he has instructed Military Police firearm qualification courses, Will focuses on carbine marksmanship and manipulations. He became a Texas License to Carry instructor in 2019, and began working at BPS during the summer of 2020. In addition to his professional life, he is currently pursuing a political science degree at TAMUC, maintains his physical fitness as much as time allows, trains with firearms often, and has a growing family situated in Van Alstyne.
“The three most important factors in improving yourself defensively are to train with your weapon, train your mind to respond to dynamic situations, and train your body to be capable of doing what is needed when it is needed.”
