About Our Instructors
Jeremiah Sandahl - Founders
founded Pro Carry USA in 2010. His grandpa, who served in WWII introduced him to guns and to reloading, and they would hunt and shoot targets together. Jeremiah studied guns extensively. Because of his parents' work, Jeremiah spent his teen years in Germany where carrying guns has been illegal since the Nazi regime. Seeing that strengthened his passion and firm belief that it is the right of men and women to be able to defend themselves with firearms. With the start of a family, his belief in the value of guns grew. He is an avid shooter, and his gun experience ranges from a .17 caliber to a .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum and from revolvers to semi-autos to rifles to shotguns. Humorous though meticulous in his teaching method, Jeremiah desires that his students not only have a full knowledge of firearms, but also are ready for any scenario that they could encounter. His qualifications include certification to train Pro Carry USA Firearms Instructors as well as NRA Basic Pistol, NRA Home Firearms Safety, NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home, NRA Metallic Cartridge Reloading and MN Permit to Carry.
Eric Hulstrand
is a pastor and permit to carry instructor who believes that every person (that passes a background check) should have the right to defend themselves and those they love. His history with firearms began in elementary school with his dad taking him out to shoot at 7 years old. He has been shooting ever since, including shotgun, rifle, handgun and recently bought a muzzle loader to try his hand there this winter with deer. He is also a bow and rifle hunter for deer. Eric's goal in training the permit to carry class is to help everyone, even the first time shooter, feel more comfortable and confident with the possibility of carrying a firearm for personal protection. His classes are laid back with plenty of opportunity for questions of all kinds. For classes with Eric, call 612-741-6615. He lives in Eden Prairie and will come to your home, work or wherever it works best.
Michael Gangestad
was fortunate to have a father that was an outdoorsman that included him with his activities. Therefore, He had exposure to firearms and the outdoors from a very young age. He served 10 years in the MN Army National Guard, in the 11B and 13B MOS. He is a MN DNR certified youth hunter safety instructor. NRA Life member. FFL dealer (Freedom Ranch Firearms) and now a Pro Carry USA certified permit to carry instructor. He has been very blessed by God and am very thankful for the opportunities and blessings he has bestowed upon him. There are two defining forces that have died for you 1. Jesus Christ 2. The American soldier. We should all be grateful for both.
Scott Castillo
grew up in west central Minnesota in a small farming community called Benson. He was about 10 years old when he received his first BB gun and well fell in love with firearms from there. From deer hunting to pheasant, to target and clay shooting, Scott has plenty of safe gun handling experiences. Scott has had a passion to make sure gun safety was a priority with his friends and family while enjoying the above past times, he continues today passing that passion on to others with our Permit to Carry course.
John Stenen
is a former Marine. He served in Viet-Nam as a Scout Sniper. In San Diego he served as a Military Policeman; and in the Philippines he served as a Platoon Sgt. doing security duty for a U.S. Naval base. The last year of his four years served was at Parris Island, South Carolina where he served as a Weapons Instructor teaching the M-14 and M-16 rifles and the .45 caliber pistol. He has had the permit to carry for the past five years and in April of 2011 he went through our training course to become a certified instructor.
Erik Mossberg
Erik grew up in Novi Michigan. He moved to MN in 2002. At age 17 he joined the MN Army National Guard as an Infantryman. Deployed to Iraq in 2011 for OIF/OND. With almost 10 years of Total service he has served in multiple positions such as: Weapons instructor, training coordinator, and range NCO. Outside of the military he is proficient and competes in many shotgun sporting games as well as he is a registered USPSA competitor for hand guns. He believes in making sure that Americans understand the laws around them and feel a sense of comfort while carrying a firearm. "Protecting ourselves, loved ones, and the law abiding citizens is our responsibility as Americans.
Robert Moinichen
has over 13 years of law enforcement experience including several years as a sworn police officer within the metro. Robert has been teaching at the Law Enforcement Education Center for several years where he is a firearms instructor. Teaching is one of Robert’s passions and he enjoys helping others learn and strengthen their skills. He is also passionate about firearms, especially handguns. Robert is willing to travel to teach a permit to carry courses and willing to work in small or large groups. He feels it is important that everyone has the right to exercise their second amendment rights and feels the more good guys out there with gun will help fight against all the bad guys with guns.
Kurtis Ferrier
is a Marine Corps veteran. He served 5 years in the military and deployed overseas 4 times. Kurtis was a Basic Security Guard in Yorktown, VA and then an Infantry Rifleman in Twenty-Nine Palms, CA. During his time in the military he qualified as expert in both pistol and rifle. Kurtis is currently an NRA Basic Pistol Instructor, and has 10 years of firearms experience with pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
Mark Andrews
was born in Bloomington Minnesota. The son of a Marine Corps Special Forces and police officer and spent most of his life here with his family. He grew up around firearms all his life and started firearms training at a very early age. He has had the opportunity to train with some of the best groups of people in the law enforcement and military arena. He also competes in the 3 gun firearms competitions held in Minnesota and throughout the US. Mark is a member of the NRA, has is own Tactical Training school and is now a Pro Carry USA certified instructor. He believes strongly in the US Constitution and the especially the 2nd Amendment, our military personnel and our right to protect and defend ourselves and family. Last but not least please stop and thank all military active and retired for their service because without them we would not have the freedoms we have today.
Adam Richardson
grew up in Midwest Iowa. was introduced to Firearms at early age. Joined the Army in 2001. 2 combat tours in Afghanistan. Served as a Platoon Marksman/ Ground Dismount Team. BRM Instructor for Special Forces Led training for local Afghan police an border police agencies. Completed Advanced Marksmanship/Squad Designated Marksman Training. Level 30 Armorer. Enjoys teaching the importance of gun safety and believes every responsible American should carry!
Jason Klar
grew up in East central Minnesota and has always had an interest in firearms and the outdoors. At 27, he joined the Army National Guard Military Police Corps and in 2012 was deployed to Afghanistan. After the deployment, he and his family were able to pursue their dream of moving to the country where he is also able to pursue his interest in firearms. He has a special regard for exposing new people to the sport and helping people to exercise their 2nd amendment rights.
Jason Belinski
Jason was born and raised in Central Minnesota. He has always had a passion for shooting sports. In 2001 he joined the MN Army National Guard as a diesel mechanic and is currently serving as an Infantry Officer. He has been on one deployment to Kosovo and is currently a company commander. Jason has had his permit to carry since 2006 and is now a certified instructor. He owns and shoots several different pistols and has extensive experience with the M16/M4 rifle platform.
Steven Rime
Steven grew up in Central Minnesota. He joined the MN Army National Guard at age 17. While serving in the Guard, he has experienced many roles. Basic Rifle Marksmanship instructor (M4), M9 (9mm) Instructor, .50 Cal instructor (mounted), M240 instructor, M249 instructor and MARK 19 instructor (Grenade Launcher). He also spent time as a Range Control NCO. In his 18yrs of Military Service, he has received over 32 Awards and Accommodations. He is a Veteran of the Kosovo Campaign and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He believes in the 2nd amendment and that God and Family come before anything else.
Tim Gangestad
is a Master Electrician. he has been handling firearms since a very early age. He is an avid outdoorsman and shooting sports enthusiast. He is a Minnesota permit carry holder and now a certified instructor. He has also been an NRA member for over 20 years and is currently an Endowment Member. He believes very strongly in upholding our Constitution and particularly the importance of the 2nd Amendment.
Andrew Greven
is a professional gunsmith and FFL and travels to gun shows to sell his gear. We met him at one such gathering. Besides being certified to teach Permit to Carry, he is also a certified MN DNR hunter's safety instructor. He teaches principles of defensive handgun selection for our courses.
Jason Hoaby
started target shooting with his father at a young age and has been ever since. He has been in law enforcement for 10 years with 6 years as a police sniper on a SWAT team. He strongly believes in an American Citizen’s right to keep and bear arms which is why he wanted to become a permit to carry instructor.
Michael Christopherson
was born and raised in central Minnesota. He has always been an avid hunter and enjoys the outdoors. Michael is a full time licensed Police Officer serving since 2003. He has also spent five years on an entry team for a local SWAT team. Michael has also had training in Advanced SWAT, Use of Force, Taser, AR-15, Shot gun, Pistol, Advanced Strategies of Low Light Engagements, and has been a licensed EMT for the last six years. Michael is also a firm believer in the 2nd amendment in the right to keep and bear arms.
Jarrod Uilk
has enjoyed target and recreational shooting since childhood and has a passion for helping others learn shooting sports. He currently enjoys competing in USPSA, 3-gun, and cowboy action matches whenever possible. Jarrod got his first permit to carry over 15 years ago, and is now a Minnesota permit to carry certified instructor.
Dustin Daak
grew up in Olivia, MN. I joined the US Army when I was 17. I served two years in Iraq. One years as a 92F and one year as an 11B. After serving my second deployment and sustaining a few injuries I was medically retired at age 23. During the time I waited for my retirement papers to go through I started taking different classes for different weapons and tactics, where I would then qualify with the weapons, and complete the tactics courses and would soon be teaching the classes to new incoming soldiers. I would soon to go back home to Minnesota. Where I met my wife and started a family and became a very avid waterfowl, upland and deer hunter. I realized after being home for a while that I was use to carrying a weapon overseas and wanted to be able to carry one here in the states just so I knew I would be safer than without. After many years of carrying and being asked several questions I decided it was time for me to become a certified instructor so that I could answer people's questions and also teach them right from wrong and separate the facts from the myths. I am a very open person and I am not easily offended, scared, or embarrassed. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are interested in getting your MN CCW permit. Dustin Daak 320-444-3431 Renville, MN
Matt Tri
was, and is still considered by some to be a Marine with five years active duty. He received pistol training and shooting from Basic Security Guard school in Chesapeake, Va. He qualified as marksman. Since then he has continued schooling at Bemidji State University for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science. In April of 2011 he took a permit to carry class and has a permit to carry through Beltrami County. In the summer of 2012, since he wants to be a Peace Officer in Minnesota, he went through Hibbing Community Colleges summer Professionals Peace Officers Education Program aka SKILLS, and received even more shooting training through them. He wants to better himself and after doing so would like to be able to teach others what he have learned.
Verity Sandahl
grew up in a patriotic and politically involved family. The right to bear arms was a part of the many moral beliefs that her family shared. At an early age, Verity and her twin sister went shooting with their father because he wanted to make sure his daughters knew gun safety. After learning a love for teaching, Verity earned her Bachelors in education. She chose to get a Permit to Carry when she was pregnant with her son because she wanted to be able to protect her child. She loves teaching the Women's Only classes because she believes that women should be able to defend themselves and their children. Verity teaches the legal aspects of concealed carry in Minnesota. Verity also manages much of the administrative side of Pro Carry USA
Christopher Watson
is no stranger to firearms, having safely handled them for more than ten years. He has earned bachelors and masters degrees in theology, and is currently working towards a PhD in theology and an MBA. He has a great deal of experience teaching in various settings to people of all ages.
Jacob Swanson
Guns were always a hobby of his. He maintains his certification for Minnesota Permit to Carry and specializes in detailed firearms cleaning.
