Gunsite Academy, the developer of the modern technique of the pistol and the world’s oldest & largest firearms training organization, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on October 1st.
Gunsite has been in continuous operation year round since October of 1976. Gunsite was founded by Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, author, columnist, professor, WW II and Korean War combat veteran. Col. Cooper intended Gunsite to be the vehicle for spreading the Modern Technique of the Pistol, which he created during his years in Big Bear Lake, CA.
Jeff Cooper built the facility which was known then as the American Pistol Institute (API), just west of Paulden, Arizona, about twenty miles north of Prescott.