The team

Ben

Ben founded Artifex Firearms Training after a career in the U.K. in both law and the military. As a U.K. attorney he appeared in over 2,000 cases in the equivalent of district, appellate and military courts. Switching to serve in the British Army he passed Selection in 1999 as a Reservist, retiring in 2012, with operational tours of Afghanistan, Iraq and Kurdistan. His military specialties included special mission unit patrols, combat medic, designated marksman and close-protection operator. Ben became a U.S. citizen in September 2018 and is very proud to call himself an American. He became a dad late in life in order to reduce the average male age in his house.

Dave

Dave is co-owner of Artifex and the nicest man you’ll meet, and a patient instructor, but his mild demeanor conceals a deep knowledge of unarmed combat, improvised and edged weapons. He will tell us more about himself when he finally trusts us - sometime around 2030.

BIG TONY

Big Tony Alvarez is a certified NRA RSO (Range Safety Officer) and an instructor for Artifex, he has been shooting for well over 30yrs. He has trained extensively in personal carry and tactical pistol, low light, carbine and long-range rifle applications and techniques. Big Tony has a martial arts background spanning over 40yrs and teaches students and seminars privately across the US. He has traveled extensively in South East Asia, India, Bangladesh, Central America and Mexico as a security professional and for action sports related business. Surfing is his thing and he has been known to do just about anything for good waves and tacos.

BRANDON

Brandon is our newest instructor while being an active military service member and competitive shooter. In the military he has worked alongside Special Operations, NCIS and multiple law enforcement agencies. He also competes in USPSA pistol matches, precision rifle matches and is a member of the Navy Marksmanship Team. Look out for Brandon setting up the Oregon Artifex outpost, although he’ll be visiting us here in California still.

LUKE

Luke is our most recent instructor, joining us in June 2025. An active duty Navy guy, Luke has 12+ years of experience in military law enforcement, weapons instruction and leadership training. We’re looking to Luke to both lead the crew-served weapons class, and source the hardware to allow us to have what sounds like too much fun…in the meantime he’ll instruct on pistol and rifle.

JEREMY

Jeremy is a Marine Corps Veteran, worked 7+ years in Executive Protection/PSD (Private Security Details), and most recently worked in law enforcement and was a member of his department’s SWAT Team. 

Currently, Jeremy is a competitive shooter representing The Recon/Sniper Foundation and believes that every person should have the knowledge and skill set to safely and effectively protect themselves and their families. Jeremy is a lifetime student and passionately passes on the knowledge and life experience he has gained to his students.