By Jeremy Tremp<\/a><\/p>\n T<\/span>he Armory Life<\/em>\u00a0is honored to recently have had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Chris Cerino of Gun Talk Media and Range Ready Studios. Chris is a decorated long-time LEO professional, competitive shooter, firearms trainer and two-time runner-up on the hit TV show \u201cTop Shot\u201d.<\/p>\n The Armory Life<\/em>\u00a0(TAL):<\/strong>\u00a0Please tell us about yourself for those who may not know you.<\/p>\n Chris Cerino (CC):<\/strong>\u00a0Before moving to Louisiana, I grew up and lived in the Cleveland, Ohio, area for 52 years. I\u2019ve had a varied career in law enforcement and training, but before that and even during the beginning, I was never really a gun guy. I was just a punk kid that appeared to have a future in pumping gas and cleaning windshields. Honestly, when most of my friends found out I was a police officer, they said they thought I would end up on the other side of the bars.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0How did you get into law enforcement, and how long were you in LE?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0Throughout school and in college, I had a hard time with math and geometry (who knew I\u2019d end up needing it so much in the shooting sports?). Counselors said I could switch my major to Criminal Justice Studies and take a language to get around math classes. Better grades resulted, and I was recruited by the National Park Service in Montana. That was 1992, and I was 22 years old. At 30 years later, I wrapped up a very full career in a small town in Ohio.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What do you think kept you rising in the ranks as an LEO instructor?<\/p>\n CS:<\/strong>\u00a0Right from the beginning I was able to shoot better than most. I had no idea why I was able to qualify once a year, but it afforded me many positions. Always the best of the \u201cbad lot,\u201d I was offered opportunities to become a firearms instructor, SWAT officer and department trainer. It wasn\u2019t until I worked for the Federal Air Marshal Service that I really started to get good, though.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0How did the \u201cTop Shot\u201d television show opportunity come about?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0I was working for the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy when \u201cTop Shot\u201d came about. The History Channel was looking for \u201cultimate marksmen with big personalities.\u201d Dozens of friends bombarded me with these emails and said that I fit the bill and should apply. I applied\u2026 and got in. It\u2019s a long story, involving a few cocktails, a careless attitude and whole lotta luck. That was in 2010. It catapulted me into the firearms industry, inspiring me to start the Chris Cerino Training Group. I\u2019ve never looked back.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Where did your skills come from to be able to participate in \u201cTop Shot\u201d?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0By the time I left the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), I was a helluva shooter and trainer. I spent many weeks and thousands of rounds remediating agents who needed help. It wasn\u2019t enough for me to be a really good shot, I had to get others to be as good as me. This meant I had to learn to diagnose my own successes and failures to best impart knowledge. It really all comes down to solid fundamentals, and beyond that\u2026 it\u2019s grip, sights and trigger.<\/p>\n After leaving the FAMS, I became the lead firearms instructor for the north division of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. I applied what I had learned to every gun you can imagine in that position. I had to teach precision rifle, AR-15<\/span>, revolver, shotgun and submachine gun classes. You can learn fast when you have no fear. To teach is to learn twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What was the most difficult part of \u201cTop Shot\u201d?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0The most difficult part of \u201cTop Shot\u201d was learning\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0to compete. I knew how to shoot, but I had no idea what it took to compete. So I just did my best. I wasn\u2019t a cheater or a gamer, and I\u2019m still not. I just want to have fun and do well. Winning was never a motivator.<\/p>\n My motivation was wanting to see the next challenge, participate in it and not have to watch it from home. It\u2019 worked because I can say that I have been in more episodes and challenges on \u201cTop Shot\u201d than any other competitor in the history of the show. And, of course, I suck at archery, too!<\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0How long have you been a firearms trainer?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0In 1999, the police department asked if I wanted to be a firearms instructor for the agency. There was no way I could say no because nobody else wanted to do it. I personally owned three guns at the time. Over the past 24 years, I\u2019ve attended many courses and obtained some certifications, but much of what I do and teach is based on my time as an instructor.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What is it like to be the Director of Training for Range Ready?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0My actual title is Producer of Training Content\/Host, and it\u2019s a position I\u2019ve worked towards for the past 11 years. I\u2019ve been a contract trainer and talent for about 10 years with Gun Talk, and I\u2019ve always loved it. I get to meet people, travel, make television and pass on knowledge. And, they pay me to do it! Now I get to do it full-time.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0It seems as if you guys stay extremely busy at Gun Talk. What are some projects that you have been a part of that gives you a great sense of pride or accomplishment?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0We are constantly working at Gun Talk Media and Range Ready Studios. We\u2019re constantly filming or recording something. In addition to the classes on the range, we have the new TV show, \u201cBuild Box\u201d. I\u2019m actually really proud to be part of both of those, but training comes easily to me. Being a producer on the \u201cBuild Box\u201d show was a real treat. It was very challenging, time-consuming and hugely satisfying; but not as satisfying as seeing my students succeed and smile.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What are some of your favorite Springfield Armory firearms, and why?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0When I was writing and working for myself, I\u2019ve always had a great relationship with Springfield Armory and am thankful for it. My favorite SA gun is a 6\u201d 10mm TRP 1911<\/a>. Of course, the XD-M<\/span> 10mm<\/a> is equally awesome. The accuracy is beyond comprehension. With hard-cast bullets, it\u2019s a true hog slayer.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Whom do you look up to in the firearms training community?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0The trainers I like, trust and generally agree with are mostly previous mentors of mine. One man, in particular, was my instructor as a young cop. A Vietnam vet and former Ohio State patrol officer, he was rough, demanding and unapologetic. He said, \u201cthe responsibility for preparing men and women for battle should never be taken lightly.\u201d That applies to everyone I train because you never know what anyone may have to do.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What are you most excited about for the future of firearms training?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0The future of firearms training is filled with \u201cflavor of the day\u201d frauds that, even if they could shoot their way out of a wet paper bag, couldn\u2019t impart the knowledge of how and why. Personally, I look forward to teaching new students and mentoring future instructors.\u00a0I\u2019m always searching for the next person I can make as good or better than me. Being an instructor\/mentor has been my mission since around 2005.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Why do you train others to shoot?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0Whenever I train civilians, especially lunch ladies and teachers, they ask how their training differs from my LE and military classes. The answer is, it doesn\u2019t! I give everyone what they can absorb in a fashion that I believe they can handle. There\u2019s no advanced training, only advanced applications of the basics.<\/p>\n I am continually amazed by the performance I get from students whom I\u2019ve trained for as few as three days. Men and women who\u2019ve been in shootings days and years post-training impart stories of success and survival to me. That\u2019s why I train shooters. Shooting can be a lifesaving skill. But it\u2019s also a skill that can be fun. It\u2019s even more fun if you\u2019re good at it.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0After taking a class with you, I can see how much you care about your students and their growth. What drives you to see students succeed?<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0Of course. I do care about my students. It\u2019s hard sometimes, but I usually get around to inspiring everyone in the end. I give every student individualized attention, and I give the class 110% of my energy and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us.<\/p>\n CC:<\/strong>\u00a0It was my pleasure.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
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Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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<\/p>\nRange Ready Studios <\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nGun Talk <\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n1911 Series<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nXD\u00ae Series<\/span><\/h3>\n
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