Meet Our Instructor

Peter Helton
Owner | Lead Instructor
“Efficiency creates speed, speed KILLS.” Battle Gnome, WPS

I grew up in Missouri, out in the farm lands. At age seven I started hunting rabbits by trampling on the brush piles for my dad and by age 10 I had my first 20 gauge single-shot shotgun.  I spent my youth hunting throughout Missouri and Iowa and loved shooting my traditional Howard Hill longbow. This ultimately became my preferred hunting weapon and still is today when I do get a chance to go hunting.  At age 13 I took a record size buck out of a deer stand that I scouted myself. We were traditional hunters, building our own arrows out of individual components.  I would say I always enjoyed the shooting sports, whether it be hunting, range shooting, stump shooting, clay, skill training, you name it.  In 2009, I started getting into handguns.  As I began shooting more I gained a new passion for shooting pistols and carbine style rifles.  In this new pursuit I found that I really enjoyed learning about technique, mindset, methods, gear, etc.  As I was growing up I always thought of myself owning a little bow and gun shop. This isn’t quite the bow and gun shop, but from that thought process came the idea to start something where I could do what I love and teach others what I love as well. And who knows, there still may be a little bow and gun shop in my future!

Qualifications: 

Certified USCCA Instructor:  Concealed Carry | Home Defense | Basic Handgun | LaserTRAIN

Certified NRA Instructor:  Basics of Pistol Shooting | Chief Range Safety Officer (CRSO)

Graduated Sig Sauer Academy Pistol Instructor Course; earned the Pistol Instructor Patch | Graduated Pistol Mounted Optics Instructor Course | Graduated Rifle Instructor Course | Graduated Advanced Pistol Instructor Course

Certified Range Master Instructor: Instructor Development Course (3 day)

Training & Continuing Education:

Massad Ayoob Training Group

  • Mag 40 (with Massad Ayoob)

Sig Sauer Academy

  • Handgun 101 & Handgun 102 (x2) (with Issac Lopez & Jim Palmer) || Handgun 103 (x2) (with Ross Begnaud & Kyle Barrington) || Handgun 104 (with Ross Begnaud & Allison Glassick)
  • Skill Builder: Pistol 1 & Skill Builder: Pistol 2 (with Ross Begnaud & Jerry Knight) || Skill Builder: Handgun Marksmanship (x2) (with Ross Begnaud)
  • Mission Red Dot (with Ross Begnaud & Jerry Knight) || One Handed Pistol Operator (with Ross Begnaud & Jerry Knight) || Shooting On the Move (with Ross Begnaud & Jim Palmer) || Red Dot Domination (with Ross Begnaud & Jim Palmer) || Dynamic Pistol Performance (with Ross Begnaud & Isaac Lopez) || Long Range Pistol (with Issac Lopez) || Close Quarter Pistol Operator (with Ross Begnaud & Isaac Lopez) || Low Light Pistol Operator (with Issac Lopez) || Reflexive Shooting (with Justin Christopher & Ross Begnaud)
  • Rifle 101 – MSR (with Ross Begnaud & Issac Lopez) || Rifle 102 – Rifle Mechanics (with Ross Begnaud) || Rifle 103 – Rifle Operator (with Isaac Lopez) || Rifle 104 – Advanced Rifle Operator (with Chris “CAV” Cavallaro & Ross Begnaud)
  • Precision Scoped Rifle 101 (with Dave Perkins) || Advance Precision Scoped Rifle 102 (with Dave Hinkel)
  • Pistol Instructor – 5 day instructor development (with Justin Christopher & Ross Begnaud) || Advanced Pistol Instructor (with Chris “CAV” Cavallaro, Ross Begnaud & Issac Lopez) || Pistol Mounted Optics Instructor (with Ross Begnaud & Issac Lopez)
  • Rifle Instructor – 5 day instructor development (with Ross Begnaud & Isaac Lopez)
  • Basic Trauma Management (with Kerry Davis)

Range Master Instructor

  • Instructor Development Course – 3 day (with Tom Givens)

Ground Operations Development

  • Concealed Carry Deployment 1, 2, & 3 (with Shawn Marx & Ben Carrol)
  • Pistol Skill Builder (with Shawn Marx)

Warrior Poet Society

  • Pistol 1 & Pistol 2 (with John Lovell & Paul “Battle Gnome” Perkerson)
  • Pistol 3 (John Lovell, Paul “Battle Gnome” Perkerson, & Josh Griffiths)
  • Rifle 1 & Rifle 2 (with John Lovell & Paul “Battle Gnome” Perkerson)
  • Med 1 & Med 2 (with Doc T)

Sheepdog Response

  • Sheepdog Level 1 (with Tim Kennedy, Matt Smith, Spencer Canup)
  • Carbine Level 1 (with Matt Smith, Spencer Canup, Travis Joyner, Justin Jones)
  • Tactical Trauma Response Course (with Matt Smith)

Full Spectrum Warrior

  • Pvt Class: 360 Range – MSR, pistol, MSR/pistol transitions, shooting with movement, skill development (with Rich Ghram)

GORUCK

  • Basic Rifle (with Garret “Machine”)

Elite Tactical Firearms Training

  • NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting || NRA Basic Instructor Training (BIT) || NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Instructor (with Jeffrey Nolan)
  • NRA Range Safety Officer || NRA Chief Range Safety Officer (with Jeffrey Nolan)

Swanson Training Group

  • USCCA Instructor Workshop Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals (with Trampas Swanson)

United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA)

  • Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals
  • USCCA LaserTRAIN – Instructor Course
  • Countering the Mass Shooter’
  • Women’s Handgun & Self-Defense Fundamentals
  • Protector Academy Level 1 || Protector Academy Level 2

Comprehensive Training Options

At Weapons Training & Fundamentals Academy, we offer a range of programs designed to help you improve your shooting skills. From beginner courses to advanced training sessions, our instructor will guide you every step of the way.