The Grassroots Defense Team – Grassroots Defense

Milo

Good Boy, Mascot, Honorary President

Jane

Instructor, Range Officer, Competitive Shooter, Organizer, Educator, Designer

Jordan

Instructor, Competitive Shooter, Organizer

Jack

Instructor, Range Officer, Competitive Shooter, Hobby Collector, Problem Causer/Solver

Sean

Instructor, Range Officer, Competitive Shooter, Big Revolver Enthusiast, Cat Dad, Professional Napper

Stefan

Assistant Instructor, Competitive Shooter, 3D Printer Enthusiast, Cat Lover, Professional Network-Outage-Causer

Phil

Instructor, Competitive Shooter, Educator, Research Scientist, Bird Dad

Nick

Instructor, Competitive Shooter, Tech Wiz

Our team actively learns and pursues new training opportunities, while also reexamining older skills and drilling fundamentals. This is not a day job for any of us – we all work elsewhere. We consider ourselves lucky to bring a wide range of life experiences and backgrounds to our training mission – keeping a broad perspective makes a big difference. Everything we do in our communities affects how we approach our mission here, too. Iowa matters to us. Des Moines, Ames, Iowa City, Boone – these places matter to us.

We have a growing set of experiences, trainings, certifications and accomplishments under our belts. We’re lifelong students and always – always – have more to learn. The best of that learning, we hope to pass on to you.

A non-exhaustive sampling includes:

Project Appleseed Rifleman, Distinguished Rifleman, Distinguished Known Distance, Pistoleer, and Distinguished Pistoleer
Division podium finishes at Brutality matches
Shivworks ECQC (Extreme Close Quarters Concepts) Course
No-Fail Pistol Course
Rangemaster Basic Instructor Development Course
NRA RSO Certification
USCCA Trainer Certification
AR-15 Armorer Certification
Gunsmithy and Reloading Experience
American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and AED Trainer Certification
Postsecondary, Secondary and Elementary Teaching License
Stop the Bleed Certification
Crisis Intervention Certification through LSCI
Postgraduate research and terminal degrees
Professional experience in education, nonprofits, higher ed, lab and social sciences research, public service, network security, penetration testing, security, network engineering, IT, agriculture and environmental sciences.
Community presence including volunteering, parenting, membership in local churches and synagogues, derecho relief, community sports and martial arts, participation in Scouts (two Eagle Scouts among us), Girls Rock, Pride Rock, People’s Pride, Trans Visibility Week, IC Pride, ARL Dog’s Day Out, local meetups, and more.
Hobbies include ham radio, 3D printing, watercolor painting, fencing, HEMA, martial arts, birdwatching, hiking, RAGBRAI, bicycling in general, attempting to develop a gym routine, board games, cooking, baking, and absolutely doting on our various cats, dogs, birds, fish, and houseplants.

The Grassroots Team In the Wild

FAQs

How often do you run classes/events?

We do not have a set schedule at the moment, but all events are posted on our events page. The eventual goal is bimonthly firearms-centered classes and bimonthly first aid / stop the bleed classes.

Most of our classes and trainings are held by request, in coordination with your group or organization. We have been guests of Trans Visibility events and Meet Your Community weekends, as well as People’s Pride and other locally-run, grassroots events.

To request a class or training, please email us at contact@grassrootsdefense.com with basic details like training goals, general location in Iowa, and rough expectation of attendance. We will work with you to find a time and venue that fits your needs.

Where are classes held?

Venues vary by type of class and expected attendance. Locations will be posted per-event – typically they are around the Des Moines metro or Iowa City areas. We have primarily held classes in public libraries and other municipal venues.

For live fire, we are happy to bring individuals or small numbers of people as guests to the ranges our instructors are members of. We are still developing relationships with the boards of local ranges to ensure that we can run proper live fire classes with larger attendance in compliance with all insurance and facility requirements.

Why should I trust you?

That’s a good question. Our goal is to help people make informed decisions about self defense and shooting. We want to equip you with the best knowledge and tools to make the best decisions for your own needs and circumstances. We welcome questions and encourage everyone to treat us as a resource, not as people with all the answers.

But what do we bring to the table? Our instructors have decades of community experience in firearms, organizing, first aid, and education as well as extensive professional experience in infosec, public education, and healthcare.

If we don’t know how to help, or don’t know how to answer your questions, we’ll point you to someone who can.

After all, if you don’t have all the credentials yourself, the next best thing is knowing people who do. We’re fortunate to have friendships and connections with some wonderful people we are happy to refer people to.

I am an absolute beginner, where should I start?

Check out our Self Defense 101 presentation, and consider coming to one of our intro classes! We also strongly recommend training in first aid, CPR, AED usage, and Stop the Bleed for anyone who is interested in self defense. All of us are vastly more likely to need to use life-saving skills to aid another than to use a firearm in lethal self defense. Preparedness covers wide ground. We also always recommend cardio and community. Getting exercise as you are able and connecting with your neighbors and community are always worth it.

For basic advice, feel free to email us at contact@grassrootsdefense.com. Emails go to all team members and someone will be happy to provide any assistance and advice that’s in our means.

We will continue to add free resources to this website that we encourage you to share.

Do you have a recommended list of guns?

We do not generally have a recommended list of firearms. Everyone’s situation is different. State and local laws, living situation, time to practice, physical ability, work restrictions and other considerations all add up, and we’re happy to talk through your more specific needs and circumstances to help you narrow down the choices.

With that said, standard advice in the US tends broadly to be any AR-pattern rifle in 5.56, and any standard Glock in 9mm (usually a G19 or G17). Both of these have widely available magazines and replacement parts, are very well tested and developed, and will hit the broadest use cases.

More important than that, of course, is proper mindset. Safe, responsible, and well-practiced firearms ownership is crucial for the preservation of all our rights.

Hey, how do I know you’re really from Iowa?

Good question. This is the internet, after all. Are favorite restaurants a decent enough answer?

Jane – RIP to Fighting Burrito in Ames. You got me through some dark times. Currently, Kathmandu in Windsor Heights. Mayalu Coffee off of Fleur is wonderful – try the samoich. Railroad Bill’s for their vegan biscuits and gravy. The Slow Down in Highland Park. Crepes de Luxe in Iowa City!
Jordan – University Library Cafe, Whatcha Smokin’
Jack – Ames: Joy’s Mongolian Grill, Rico’s Tacos. Luther: Whatcha Smokin. Any FFA or county fair stand that makes a good root beer float.
Sean – Waveland Cafe cause it hearkens back to fond memories of childhood, eating breakfast with Grampa after all sorts of farm work. A Dong, cause the name is worth yelling inapporiately and the food is good.
Stefan –
Phil –
Nick – DSM: Persi’s Biryani Indian Grill, Waveland Cafe, Hessen Haus, KPot