The following is a press release from American Gunsmithing Institute
Gary Smith wanted something more. He was stuck, stuck driving a truck to keep a roof over his head, but still not earning enough money to pay his bills and stuck spending all of his time away from home, his wife and his family. While he was in this seemingly impossible situation, Gary ran across something online about how he could become a professional gunsmith through the American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI).
“I said, ‘let’s do it.’ I’d been tinkering with guns for years, so I started out on the pistol course. You know, you get a lot of wait time while you’re out driving your truck someplace in the middle of Timbuktu. In the evenings I’d watch DVD’s and each week I’d look ahead at the index to see what we were going to cover. I’d say, ‘I’ve got a gun like that,’ so I’d take it along with me on my semi-truck and at night I’d be tearing guns apart on my bed and putting them back together while I was watching Bob on the DVD,” said Gary.
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Gary continued to gradually learn the art of gunsmithing in the cramped confines of his semi-truck bedroom. He’d always been mechanically inclined and tinkering with guns fascinated him. After he finished the shotgun part of the Professional Gunsmithing Series, he decided it was time for something more; it was time to see if his new skills would really allow him to succeed. So, with a smile on his face and courage in his step, he turned in his resignation to the trucking company owner.
“I told him, ‘I’m going to start my own business,’ and you know what? I did. It’s called Precision Guncrafters.”
Because of his hard work, determination and the American Gunsmithing Institute, Gary no longer fixes guns in the cramped confines of his semi-truck sleeper. He now works from his home, which is located on a seven and a half acre lot in the wide open spaces and green rolling paradise that is the outskirts of Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“I have four granddaughters and I’m going to be a great grandfather soon, I also have a horse that while well trained, still occasionally acts like a 1,200 pound 3-year-old child. I’m at home every night now. It’s nice, if something needs fixing, or animals need to be taken care of, I can do it. Yeah, it’s good to finally be home.”
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Even though Gary has graduated from the American Gunsmithing Institute and is a professional gunsmith, he still gets a lot of use out of the AGI DVD’s. “One of the beauties of the AGI DVD’s is that when you get a gun that you’ve never seen before you can say, ‘oh that was in the course,’ and instantly know how to take it apart or say, ‘man, I haven’t seen one of those in years, I know there’s a trick to that, but I can’t remember it,’ and then you’ll go to the index, find the DVD, pop it in and there you go.”
Watch Gary’s full interview with AGI Founder and President Gene Kelly below.
About American Gunsmithing Institute
American Gunsmithing Institute offers complete Certified Professional Gunsmithing Courses and a variety of affordable DVD gunsmithing courses that can be viewed in the comfort of one’s home and at one’s leisure. Unlike traditional schooling, the DVD’s are 100 percent instruction and can be played over and over again for reinforcement. AGI instructors are all working Master Gunsmiths who provide our students the highest quality instruction available. Visit AGI at www.americangunsmith.com to download their free course catalog and find out more about the Professional Gunsmith Course as well as other affordable courses.
