Leadership
Ed Lovette
Founder Emeritus and Capo di tutti capi
Ed Lovette is a retired CIA paramilitary operations officer. He was a captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces and is a 10-year law enforcement veteran. Ed is the author of The Snubby Revolver and coauthor of Defensive Living.
Michael deBethencourt
Founder
Jason Chandonnet
Founder
Jason Chandonnet is a self described classical shooter systems enthusiast and a researcher/student of classic police defense tactics systems. Jason brings decades of Software and I.T. innovations combined with his passion for martial arts and historic firearm research together for the benefit of his fellow snub shooting advocates.
Staff
Bob Lose
Staff Writer
Brian Drake
Staff Writer
Brian Drake currently lives in California, but keeps running out of reasons to stay. He is the author of over 30 novels featuring guns, blondes, bombs, and Bonds.
Chris Edwards
Staff Writer
Born in the southeastern United States, Chris Edwards considers himself a pretty fortunate fellow. Introduced to shooting by his maternal grandmother, who purchased his first single shot, bolt action .22 rimfire rifle. He has journeyed from teacher to law “dawg”(a Sheriff’s Deputy) to working for a major handgun manufacturer. Blessed with two daughters and an exceptionally kind wife, he has been a researcher and student of handguns and practical shooting for over half a century(!) He desires to not ever stop shooting as a free American, and continue to pass on to others safety and technique.
I don’t currently have a vested gentlemen’s suit, or a trench coat that fits, but I certainly admire the Snub Noir lifestyle, to include gin and tonics in the summer, single malt Scotch in the winter, and a somewhat jaded, slightly cynical point of view.
Conrad Szymczak
Staff Writer
Daniel de Casanueva
Staff Writer
Daniel is a weapon enthusiast from Sweden with a love for classical things and style, especially old snub nose revolvers! He eats spy and war stories for lunch and is a self-defense and 2A advocate. Daniel aims to give you the darker noir stories you can’t find anywhere else, real, and fictional for those that can’t speak for themselves.
Earby Markham
Staff Writer
Frank Groth
Staff Writer
Frank Groth is a writer, raconteur, instructor and man about town. After a twenty plus year career in law enforcement; which included patrol, investigations, training, policy creation and administration, Frank made a jump into a second career in Operations for a major software company and is currently in a Business Analyst role working on operational implementation of new sales models. With more that 250 hours of instructor led firearms training under his belt, including certification from Rangemaster and the NRA,
Frank has a broad base of insight and experience upon which to draw. He is also a lifelong student of both history and of film, and has a deep appreciation of film noir, and its visual and narrative storytelling styles
G.S. Morris
Staff Writer
G.S. Morris is a retired U.S. Army CID Special Agent. He is an experienced small arms instructor, case agent, and protective service officer.
Glenn Gould
Staff Writer
The photo is of myself and my Father with a couple cap guns in 1953. He taught me how to shoot at an early age. Just as importantly how to take care of a gun. I still enjoy the smell of Hoppe’s #9.
My first encounter with a Roscoe, other than my Grand-Uncle Roscoe, was in 1967. That’s when I had a chance to shoot my friend’s nickel plated Colt Detective Special. It felt right, looked right, I was impressed. In 2006 I purchased my first Snub, a Smith & Wesson 642-2. As they say, better-late-than-never.
I am not a firearms expert. However, for over twenty years I have been writing automotive and outdoor related articles for various publications. I hope you will enjoy my take on all things Snub Noir.
Greg Bettis
Staff Writer and Author
Greg Bettis is a recently retired police officer from Georgia. He teaches high-liability and train-the-trainer courses to both civilians and law enforcement instructors nationally. He is a regular presenter for the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors and sits on the Board of Directors.
Guy Schnitzler
North Texas Representative and Instructor
Guy Schnitzler is a career law enforcement officer with 30 years at both the local and federal level. Guy is currently an armed professional at the US Department of Homeland Security with counterterrorism responsibilities in the aviation domain. Guy is the lead Defensive Tactics instructor for his field office, as well as a firearms, tactics and physical training instructor. Guy is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Combatives University, Kenpo Karate and San Soo Kung Fu black belt. Guy also, has hundreds of hours in firearms instruction.
Guy has instructor certifications from the following organizations:
- Immediate Actions Combatives – Only certified instructor by Burch
- RangeMaster certified Master and Shotgun
- Point Driven Small Impact Weapon
- Red Zone Threat Management Knife Defense, Ground Fighting Overview, Adaptive Striking
- Agile Consulting OC Spray
- HSI Pistol Optics
Hany Mahmoud
Staff Writer
Hany has been a law enforcement officer for the last 22 years. An LE firearms instructor for 21 years, civilian firearms trainer for approximately 20 years. Fulltime academy and inservice firearms instructor for the last 5 years.
I J Larivers
Staff Writer
I J Larivers was born and raised in the United States, but emigrated to what was then Rhodesia in 1978. He has worked as a biologist, game warden, and National Parks investigator. He has written extensively for MAN Magnum and other South African shooting magazines, was the editor of African Hunter magazine for several years, and is the co-author of Intelligence and Undercover Operations in the Fight Against Wildlife Crime.
Jeff Lehman
Staff Writer
Jeff has been serving in the law enforcement profession in northwest Ohio for the past 35 years, and counting. He served as a full-time police officer for 27 years, ascending through the ranks to become police chief, a position he held for 12 years, until his retirement in 2013. During his seven and a half years of “retirement” Jeff simultaneously enjoyed a variety of side jobs in both the public and private sector to include court security officer/deputy bailiff, auxiliary police officer with a neighboring city police department, campus police officer at a local community college. For 28 years, Jeff regularly taught basic, in-service and refresher courses to law enforcement, private security and correctional officers. Among the many topics he covered revolver, semi-automatic pistols, patrol rifle and pump-action shotguns. Jeff has and does conduct classes of defensive knife techniques, subject control and “unarmed ” self-defense as well as integrated impact and environmental weapons. Jeff currently serves as the chief deputy for a sheriff’s office.
Jim Finnerty
Staff Writer
Jim Higginbotham
Staff Writer
In this capacity, he trained officers of the Kentucky State Police, Various Sheriff’s Offices, Corrections Officers, SWAT Teams, Kentucky National Guard Units, and members of the 20th Special Forces Group. He has testified as an expert witness several
times in court.
Jim was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for developing the Ky. National Guard Weaponcraft Program, training the instructors and deploying soldiers.
John Farnam
Staff Writer
Jordan Bell
Staff Writer
Proficient shooting cameras as well as guns, Jordan is a regular contributor to a handful of gun magazines with hundreds of photos published as well as several full, feature articles. He grew up immersed in gun culture and history. Guided by his father, a veteran gun writer and lawman, Jordan is doubtless a chip off the old block.
Joseph “Pepe” Castillo
Staff Writer
Lee Santo
Staff Writer
On a more serious note, Lee is a veteran of the US Marine Corps, a 30-year Texas peace officer and police trainer. He is a certified police firearms instructor since 1997.
He is currently the police academy coordinator for a regional police academy in central Texas. During his tenure there he has served a subject matter professional for several instructional courses including the basic law enforcement firearms instructor course, patrol rifle instructor, armed off duty encounters and vehicle defense.
Mary Long
Staff Writer
Mike Boyle
Staff Writer
Mike has been a frequent contributor to law enforcement and firearms periodicals and has also authored a book, Combative Shotgun, for Looseleaf Law Publications. He has been featured in a number of training videos marketed by Panteao Productions.
Nils Grevillius
Staff Writer
Phil Penny
Staff Writer
R.L. Martin
Staff Writer
R.L. Martin is a retired Peace Officer and Army officer. For over four decades, he served as a patrol officer, detective, line supervisor, academy and firearms instructor, and Commander at the local and federal levels. He retired as a Colonel from the 11th largest Sheriff Office in the United States. Martin has earned Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees from Saint Leo College and Samford University. He is an NRA Endowment Member and holds a Texas Master Peace Officer certification. When not busy watching old, grainy, black & white movies, he has also written several books and articles on military and legal topics.
Rob Garrett
Senior Contributor
Robert Luedeman
Staff Writer
Robert is a regular working stiff from Jersey who ended up roosting in Iowa. He’s retired from the practice of law after attending Drake and the University of Arkansas
and before that, he spent twelve years as an aircraft engine mechanic and inspector.
Robert worked as a prosecutor in a rural county for three years and did criminal defense the other 14 until he decided he was not going to waste any more of his life arguing with people. But Robert still liked reading and writing about them, and he is always looking for quirky stories with a noir angle.
Russell D. Howell CISSP
Staff Writer
Russell has completed dozens of firearms related courses including Tactical Defense Institute’s Snubby Revolver class. He also polishes his bad guy skills by assisting Ohio law enforcement agencies as a “Threat Actor” and simunitions sponge.
Martial arts study including Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, and Victorian era martial arts are his favorite past times.
Stephen Tryon
North Texas Representative and Instructor
Stephen Tryon is a retired federal agent with over 36 years in law enforcement with military, county, municipal and federal agencies. He is also retired after 21 years of military service in active and reserve units. He has served in a number of capacities including patrol, investigations, K9, SWAT, dignitary protection, tactical medic and counter terrorism operations.
Stephen is the founder of Blade 6 Training Group. Stephen has served as a firearms instructor since 1988 and has an extensive wealth of experience utilizing sub caliber weapons and routinely carries in a non-permissive environments during deep cover operations.
Stephen brings a unique knowledge to the snub nose world from personal and professional experience. You will walk away challenged and driven to push yourself further and more competent in your skills with the snub nose revolver.
Steve Rustad
Staff Writer
TJ Parmele
Staff Writer
William Bell
Staff Writer