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Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Fort Collins. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Nick George helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Fort Collins, Colorado.
Is your business serving the residents of Fort Collins? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpFortCollins.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
E61: From Law Enforcement to Firearms Instructor: John Pashain's Journey
Ever wondered what makes a truly exceptional firearms instructor? Meet John Pashain of 7 Hills Security, who brings more than two decades of military and law enforcement experience to his firearms training business in Northern Colorado.
What separates John from other instructors isn't just his impressive background, which includes nine years in the Army Guard and service with the Pima County Sheriff's Department. It's his personal journey of resilience. After a career-ending wrist injury that kept him from firing a weapon for over a decade, John now teaches despite experiencing pain with every trigger pull. This firsthand understanding of overcoming obstacles infuses his teaching with unique empathy and perspective.
7 Hills Security offers comprehensive firearms instruction, security courses, and de-escalation training, with plans to introduce executive protection studies for a new national standard. As a verified instructor for Colorado's recently expanded concealed handgun permit classes, John focuses intensively on fundamentals and safety, challenging the misconception that firearms themselves are good or bad rather than tools whose use is determined by their handlers.
Perhaps most valuable is what happens after training ends. Unlike many instructors who teach a class and send students on their way, John serves as match director for monthly defensive pistol shoots at the Northern Colorado Rod and Gun Club. These scenario-based practice sessions allow students to refine their skills in a safe, supervised environment among like-minded enthusiasts.
Whether you're new to firearms or looking to enhance your skills, connect with John at john@7hillssecurity.com, call 970-213-8686, or find 7 Hills Security on Facebook. Experience training that prioritizes safety, fundamentals, and ongoing practice opportunities with an instructor who truly understands the journey.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a firearms instructor with over 20 years experience? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, john Pashane, with Seven Hills Security. John, how's it going All right, nick? How you doing Good? We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your practice.
Speaker 3:Well, my business on the private sector side is about five years old Seven Hills Security. I do firearms instruction, security courses, de-escalation, as well as in the future I am hoping to be teaching an executive protection study course for a new national standard that's coming out.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 3:How did you get into the business? My career was in military and law enforcement. I did nine years Army Guard. I medically retired from Pima County Sheriff's Department down in Tucson area. I've been around firearms all my life and kind of got drug into the teaching side on the civilian world.
Speaker 2:What are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3:Oh, there are many. The fallacy that firearms somehow are good or bad is completely false. It is the person that holds that tool that dictates what the tool itself will do.
Speaker 2:I agree. Who are your target customers, John, and how do you attract them now?
Speaker 3:My target customer really is anyone who wants to be educated on the use, the safe use and fundamentals of firearms. I do train a number of security companies here in town as well, though I don't want to limit myself just to security companies. It is anyone who would like to learn more about firearms, especially with our new Colorado law change of July 1, where the concealed handgun permit class has now changed to a mandatory eight-hour class. I'm a verified instructor here in Larimer County that can teach that class.
Speaker 2:And how are you attracting your customers now?
Speaker 3:Right now I do have advertisements out at USA Liberty.
Speaker 3:I also have a future relationship with them where we may be coordinating together. In addition to that, I sit on the board of directors of Northern Colorado Run and Gun Club and I run a defensive pistol shoot, which is a monthly handgun shoot. Focusing on safety and fundamentals Through my interaction with a gun club, the advertisements at USA Liberty and Word of Mouth to include the multiple security companies here in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. Those are the primary ways that I do get my name out into the firearms world in Northern Colorado.
Speaker 2:Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?
Speaker 3:I've thought about it, though it's not really my forte. This is my first ever podcast. I tend to stay away from the electronic side of things, and that's why I teach firearms.
Speaker 2:I get it. Marketing is the heart of every business, as I learned in Atlanta with a little emissions repair shop Outside of work. What do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:I spend a lot of time at my house. I have a great dog and an old Dodge Power Wagon, a 53 Dodge Power Wagon that is fun to drive around With the gun club. I was out there earlier today doing some volunteer work. That's all the volunteer side of my life. With the gun club, Friends, family neighborhood, Fort Collins is a great place to live, to get out, have some good food, some good bourbon out in town. And yeah, that's kind of how I spend my time.
Speaker 2:Let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you overcame and how it made you stronger? What comes to mind?
Speaker 3:Well, as I mentioned earlier, I was medically retired from law enforcement. That was the career that I wanted to do since I was in junior high. I tore my wrist out on a call, suffered some nerve damage, lost some grip strength in my right hand, which is my shooting hand, and readjusted everything on how I had to do a lot of just a basic things in life. As far as that goes, it took some time to adjust. I didn't fire a firearm for over a decade, was worried what it would do to my wrist and got back into it. And every time I pull the trigger it does hurt still and I deal with that every single time, especially when I teach classes and when I run the defensive pistol.
Speaker 3:I do deal with that on a regular basis and it's something that, just like we know as adults in life, you have to deal with and you have to just move on. Does it just hurt or does it affect your aim? It hurts. It can affect my aim If I've shot too much. It depends on how much I do actually shoot. As far as the initial small amount of shooting, it doesn't affect it to any degree. That's overly noticeable, though the more you shoot, the more I shoot, should I say the more it does affect the injury.
Speaker 2:John, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember that they should absolutely remember about Seven Hills security.
Speaker 3:When it comes to firearms and firearm safety, I am focused on fundamentals, fundamentals and safety. There's one thing that I have that's unique with my private business is that I do volunteer as that match director for what's called defensive pistol. After you take a class with me, or even before you don't have to take a class with me, I have that avenue for you to get out and practice your skills on a monthly basis. That's something that a lot of instructors really don't have. They instruct their class and then you're done. Well, I can instruct the class and then I have that direct access to Northern Colorado Rod and Gun, where defensive pistol is put on once a month and it's scenario based and we set up stages and you can go through and you can practice those fundamentals and be safe at the same time.
Speaker 3:We have great range safety officers there. I'm a chief range safety officer myself and that's a very good shoot. I've been running it for roughly five years. So after you get your training, come on out and work on your skills and get better and be around like-minded people who enjoy shooting as well. That sounds exciting, john.
Speaker 2:Please tell our listeners all of the ways that they can get in touch with Seven Hills Security, online and by phone of the ways that they can get in touch with Seven Hills Security online and by phone.
Speaker 3:So online my email address is johnpsevenhillssecuritycom and it's a number seven on that email. My phone number is 970-213-8686. I also do have a Facebook page, which is Seven Hills Security on Facebook.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, John, we really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the very best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Thank you, nick, I appreciate your time.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfortcollinscom. That's gnpfortcollinscom, or call 970-438-0825.