About The Instructor

Formal Training:

• Over 100 hours of training in use-of-force and weapons laws, firearms, defensive tactics and other law enforcement topics from the New Mexico Mounted Patrol and Las Cruces Police Department
• NRA Instructor Development School
• NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection certified
• Fingerprinting training from New Mexico DPS
• Texas DPS Certified CHL instructor (included 32 hours of training on Texas use-of-force and weapons laws)

Education:

• Bachelor of Individualized Studies from New Mexico State University
• Eagle Scout

You might be asking yourself, “So who is this guy trying to sell me firearms training?”

My name is Dusty Sensiba, and while I don’t have decades of military or law enforcement experience, I have a rich variety of down-to-earth experience (and some law enforcement training) that can better benefit everyday people in West Texas and Southern New Mexico.

I come from a long line of recreational shooters, ranchers, hunters and war veterans, and have been training on firearms for as long as I can remember. This combined familial experience led to a great wealth of information and training that was available from a very young age.

On my mother’s side, my grandfather fought in World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge and shared some of his wisdom from those events. He was also a Karate instructor and third-degree black belt and would regularly train family in martial arts. On my father’s side, there is a long line of Texas lawmen, including Texas Rangers. Some on that side were immigrants from northern Chihuahua who had to deal with “wild west” conditions that persisted into the 20th Century, including repelling attacks by native insurgents and supplying and then defending against revolutionaries such as Pancho Villa.

I learned from both sides that peace only comes through strength and the skill to properly use that strength, thus Practical Tactical Training’s motto is “Peace Through Superior Firepower – And The Skill To Use It!”

My first formal training came from NRA certified instructors in the Boy Scouts, where I earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I continued getting mixed martial arts training from a variety of sources in middle and high school.

In college, I realized that a traditional degree program was not going to meet my career goals, and pursued a Bachelor of Individualized Studies at NMSU, earning minors in Journalism and Mass Communications and History, and also pursuing coursework in computers, economics and Chinese language, spending some time in Taiwan. I spent a significant amount of time in college studying asymmetrical war tactics and the ways normal people dealt with bad times in history. I graduated with a GPA of 3.4.

Toward the end of my time at NMSU, I joined the New Mexico Mounted Patrol, a state volunteer law enforcement agency that assists other law enforcement agencies throughout the state. During the academy, I learned about legal issues (including weapons laws), use-of-force laws, and the use of non-lethal weapons. I also received 36 hours of training on pistol, shotgun and rifle from the firearms instructors of the Las Cruces Police Department, and passed the qualification courses to carry weapons on duty.

Unfortunately, due to a health condition, I was unable to work for the department.

Later, I spent some time living in the Phoenix, Arizona area doing internet marketing work. While living there, I trained on a variety of weapons platforms, with some of the training with police in that area. I then attended an NRA instructor development school to get ratings on Basic Pistol and Personal Protection.

After returning to New Mexico, I attended a special fingerprinting class in Santa Fe put on by the same office that processes fingerprints for CHL applicants, to be sure that I would be able to provide this service to my students. I have also made arrangements with Arizona DPS to accept my training for the purposes of obtaining an Arizona concealed weapons permit so my New Mexico students will be able to carry in more states.

One of the unique things about west Texas and southern New Mexico is how much people travel back and forth between the two states. With most areas of the law, there isn’t enough difference to get yourself into trouble, but when it comes to carrying a gun just a small mistake can make you a felon. For this reason, I attended the Texas DPS CHL instructor course in Austin. I am one of the few instructors who can properly assist students in learning about the laws and regulations of both states.

I look forward to helping you learn the skills necessary to safely and legally protect yourself and people you love, and helping you overcome the obstacles (carry licensing) in your path to carrying a firearm for personal protection.