Randy’s Bio
Randy Harris began his instructor career teaching Handgun Carry Permit classes in 1999. In 2005 he was chosen by Gabe Suarez as one of the original Suarez International staff instructors and at the time of his departure from Suarez was the longest serving with 15 years experience. He has over 20 years of experience teaching and working in the shooting industry, and now teaches his own original curricula under the banner of Harris Combative Strategies. Randy also holds a Master Instructor certification from Rangemaster, a Pistol Instructor certification from the National Rifle Association, Handgun Carry Permit Instructor certification for the state of Tennessee and is a factory certified Glock Armorer.
Randy is able to share his extensive knowledge from decades of experience carrying concealed weapons in public and an extensive training and teaching resume. Not only is he able to teach students how to win a fight, but when to fight and how to avoid one if possible. He spent several years in college working the door at a night club where he gained practical experience and insight into not only how to end fights quickly, but how to use verbal skills and body language to diffuse situations and avoid them if possible.
Randy is a Master class shooter having competed in everything from IDPA to GSSF to 3 Gun, and Subgun and SASS Cowboy Action (shooting under the alias of Cruel Hand Luke). He has had articles published in several defense oriented internet newsletters and publications and has appeared on several shooting industry podcasts. He has been a practitioner at the National Tactical Invitational and has attended and been a presenter at the Rangemaster Tactical Conference/Polite Society Match where he also scored two Top 3 finishes in the Polite Society match while shooting against some of the best serious gunmen and defensive shooting instructors in the country. He has won both the Tennessee and the Georgia IDPA State Championships in the Back Up Gun division in 2022 and finished in the top 20 in the Stock Service Pistol Division at the 2015 IDPA World Championship.
Randy is a strong proponent of continuing education and over the last two decades he has trained with some of the best in the business in the areas of gun, knife and empty hand combatives and takes a thinking man’s approach to integrating those skills and teaching people to better defend themselves. Here is a partial compilation of Randy’s training credentials:
SUAREZ INTERNATIONAL
- Ultimate Combat Skills Week
- Extreme Close Range Gunfighting
- Shotgun Gunfighting
- Interactive Gunfighting (FOF)
- Kalashnikov Rifle Gunfighting
- High Intensity FOF I
- High Intensity FOF II
- High Intensity Pistol
- Knife Fighting
- Vehicle Gunfighting
- Zero to Five Feet Gunfighting
- Advanced Kalashnikov Rifle Gunfighting
- SMG Gunfighting
- Tactical Medicine for the CCW Operator
- Practical Theory and Training for the Use & Defense of Edged Weapons
- Private Seminar for Edged Weapons Combat
- Accessing While Under Attack
- Edged Weapon Combat 1
- Edged Weapons Tactics
- Knife Defense for Shooters
- Empty Hand Knife and Pistol
- Edged Weapons Combatives
- Kill Zone Tactics
- Disarming Using Knives
- Combative Pistol I
- Combative Pistol II
- Dynamic Marksmanship
- 3 Day Firearms Instructor Development Course (1st in class)
- Advanced Firearms Instructor Development (1st in class)
- Defensive Shotgun 2 Day
- Establishing a Dominance Paradigm (with William Aprill and Craig Douglas)
- Intensive Pistol Skills
- Rangemaster Instructor Reunion 2018
- Master Firearms Instructor Development Course
- Rangemaster Instructor Reunion 2021
- Practical Unarmed Combat
- Extreme Close Quarters Concepts
- In Extremis Knife
- Saps and Blackjacks
- Armed Movement In Structures
- Edged Weapons Overview
- 3 Day Pistol Class (Advanced Ranking 115 score / Top Shooter in class)
- Course conducted in conjunction with Dodd and Associates
- Enhanced Combative Pistol
- Situational Pistol
- Critical Space Pistol
Gabe White Training
- Pistol Shooting Solutions ( Winner of Turbo Pin # 8)
Massad Ayoob
- Armed Citizens Rules of Engagement (MAG 20)
TWO PILLARS TRAINING / JOHN HEARNE
- Who Wins, Who Loses and Why
- Cognitive Pistol with Tactical Anatomy
Additional Training and Teaching:
- TN Handgun Carry Permit classes since 1999
- Suarez Int staff instructor since 2005 taught over 200 classes for Suarez Int travelling from Tn to GA, AL , MS, FL, SC, NC, KY, IN, OH, MI, AZ .
- Have been a guest on That Weems Guy Podcast, Shooters Rest Radio and the Shooters Nation Podcast. Published in several internet newsletters and quoted in Recoil Magazine Issue 35
- Lessons Learned from Watching 20,000 Gunfights (Active Self protection / John Correia)
- AKs and Bandaids (1-day AK/1-day medical class) (Paul Gomez / Ian McDivett)
- Close-Quarters Combatives Training (CQB Services / Dennis Martin)
- Kalashnikov Rifle Gunfighting (Sonny Puzikas)
- Private Training Session with Dog Brothers / Mark Denny
- Sheepdog Church Security Seminar (Dave Grossman, Carl Chinn, Jimmy Meeks)
- National Tactical Invitational 2007
- Warriortalk Symposium 2006
- Warriortalk Symposium 2007
- Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2007
- Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2008 (Instructor/Presenter)
- Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2018 (Instructor/Presenter)
Certifications/Memberships
- Glock Certified Armorer
- TN Dept. of Safety handgun Carry permit instructor
- Monadnock Baton Certification
- NRA Pistol instructor
- Member, Gung Ho Chuan Association
- Member, National Rifle Association
- Won over 100 practical pistol , cowboy action , 3 Gun and IDPA matches since 1999.
- Winner of annual overall championship Tennessee Mountain Marauders Cowboy Action Shooting club Chattanooga TN (2001-2005)
- Winner of annual overall championship Ocoee Rangers Cowboy Action Shooting club Cleveland TN (2003 &2004)
- GSSF Indoor League A Division 1st and 5th Place (same match) 2002
- GSSF Indoor League A Division 2nd Place 2011 (Glock 500 Club)
- GSSF Indoor League A Division 1st Place and 2nd Place (same match) 2012 (Glock 500 Club)
- GSSF Indoor League A Division 1st Place 2013 (Glock 500 Club)
- Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2007 Polite Society Match – 3rd Place Open Division – 5th overall (Award for Conspicuous Competency)
- Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2008 Polite Society Match 1st Place Staff Division – 2nd overall
- International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA)
- IDPA Master Class Stock Service Pistol (SSP)
- IDPA Master Class Enhanced Service Pistol (ESP)
- IDPA Master Class Custom Defensive Pistol (CDP)
- IDPA Master Class Compact Carry Pistol (CCP)
- IDPA Master Class Back Up Gun (BUG)
- IDPA Master Class Carry Optics (CO)
- Secret City Challenge 2013 – Master SSP 1st Place
- The Masters 2014 – Master SSP 3rd Place (High Industry award)
- Steam Plant Shootout 2014 – Master SSP 1st Place and SSP Division Champion (High Industry award)
- Carolina Cup 2014 – Master SSP 9th Place
- Virginia State Match 2014 – Master SSP 6th Place
- Ranier Ballistics Invitational 2014 – Master SSP 6th Place
- Secret City Challenge 2014 – Master SSP 2nd Place
- Mountaineer IDPA Classic – Master SSP 5th Place
- 2014 IDPA Nationals – Master SSP 25th Place
- Music City Cup 2014 – Master SSP 5th Place
- Kentuckiana Kolonel 2014 – Master SSP 6th Place
- Secret City Challenge 2015 – Master SSP 3rd Place
- Carolina Cup 2015 – Master SSP 19th Place
- 2015 IDPA World Championship – Master SSP 14th Place
- 2016 Tennessee State Championship – Master CCP 2nd Place
- Carolina Cup 2016 – Master SSP 8th Place ( Zombie Shooting Association “8 Gun Side Match” 1st place )
- Steam Plant Shootout 2016 – Master CCP 3rd Place
- Sandgnat Challenge BUG 2018 – Master BUG 1st Place
- Rocky Top Rumble 2019 – Expert CO 1st Place
- Sandgnat Challenge 2019 – Master CCP 8th Place
- 2019 Tennessee State Championship – Master SSP 6th Place
- 2022 Tennessee State Championship – Master BUG 1st Place and BUG Division Champion
- 2022 Georgia State Championship – Master BUG 1st Place and BUG Division Champion
