Tom Givens is the owner and operator of Rangemaster Firearms Training Services. For over thirty years Tom’s duties have included firearms instruction, and he has trained law enforcement officers at the local and state levels; foreign government agents; and military personnel, including units of the 20th Special Forces, MP units, and the USMC High Risk Personnel cadre. At Rangemaster, he directs a successful training business that takes people from the ground-floor basics of gun safety to high-level tactical training.


Prior to establishing Rangemaster in 1996, Tom completed a 25-year career in law enforcement and specialized security work, during which time he made hundreds of arrests, including taking numerous armed felons into custody. He has successfully used a handgun to defend himself and others against armed criminals.



He is certified as an expert witness on firearms and firearms training, giving testimony in both state and federal courts all over the country. He serves as an adjunct instructor at the Memphis Police Department Training Academy, the largest in the state.

Tom’s training resume includes certification from the FBI Police Firearms Instructor School, NRA Law Enforcement Instructor Development School, NRA Law Enforcement Tactical Shooting Instructor School, US Army Instructor School, Advanced Tactical Pistol-TEES, and Gunsite 499 under Jeff Cooper, where he earned an Expert certificate, plus numerous other schools and courses.

He is the author of five published textbooks, including “Fighting Smarter,” and over a hundred magazine articles in SWAT Magazine, Combat Handguns, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, and other publications. Formerly an active competitive shooter, Tom once served on the IDPA Board of Directors, and has won several state and regional championships in both IPSC and IDPA competition. For a number of years he has attended the prestigious National Tactical Invitational (NTI) both as a shooter and as a lecturer.