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Hello, I am David Maglio. I have been on this journey since 1975 and in my 5th decade of being a “Student of the Gun” with experience in Military, Law Enforcement, and Competition.

THE 870
It all started with a trap shooting event for kids. I was 10 yards old and my father bought me a Remington 870, lightweight, 20 gauge. I remember getting yelled at distinctly by the Instructor for keeping both eyes open when I was shooting. Being left handed, I was shooting the 870 left handed as well. I told the Instructor I could not see down the barrel with both eyes open. Afterwards, I enjoyed early Sunday morning duck hunts every fall until I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

THE PYTHON
In October of 1980, the addiction started. My father took me to the Police PPC League he was shooting on. My first rounds down range with a handgun was a 4 inch, Blue, Colt Python. My training was reading the poster on the wall that explained safety and marksmanship. Every Tuesday night, we would shoot a 50 round Course of Fire where rapid fire was 5 rounds in 20 seconds. Yes, we timed those shots with a sun dial. I was a teenager that did not know what I did not know.

THE M16-A1 AND 1911A1
Straight out of High School, I left for Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. Some 43 years earlier, my maternal grandfather went to Bootcamp in San Diego also. We would be the only two Marines on both sides of the family.

I qualified as a Rifle Expert using a Vietnam era M16-A1. This is where I learned I was cross eye dominant. I enlisted in the Military Police field as went to MP School after Bootcamp Graduation. My introduction to the 1911A1 was more detailed than reading at safety poster. I shot Pistol Expert and was very pleased.

I was assigned to the Provost Marshal’s Office at Camp LeJeune, NC. At 19 years old, I started carrying a handgun.

In 1986 and 1987, I was aboard three different U.S. Navy Warships where I was issued a M16-A2 and a Beretta M9. I visited several countries in the Mediterranean and the East Coast of Africa.

I was Honorably Discharged as a Corporal with Third Award Rifle Expert and Third Award Pistol Expert. My unit at the Provost Marshal’s Office was awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation. I received a Good Contact Medal and a Sea Service Ribbon with a Star.

SHERIFF
Six month after my discharge, I was hired at Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office. While in the Police Academy, I was “Top Gun” as High Shooter. I was the last Deputy to be issued a revolver before the semi-auto transition in 1992. The department went to Beretta 92FS pistols, the civilian designation for the Beretta M9. I was Top Gun at the annual qualifications for the department several times.

Once I was promoted Patrol Officer from the Jail, it was time to get serious about handgun training.

Lethal Force Institute (LFI)
In 1993, I was introduced into the civilian training world. Again, I did not know what I did not know, but I learned quickly. I met Massad Ayoob, the Director of LFI and a Police Captain, in New Hampshire. I took every class in the LFI curriculum and in 2002 I became a Staff Instructor.

International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA)
Several Instructors along the way encouraged me to test my training in competition. I began competing in IDPA. I started winning monthly matches which caused me to seek out more training. Each Division within IDPA has a Classification. Of course, I strived to become a Master Class Shooter. I was the first person in Wisconsin to become classified as a Master in Stock Service Pistol. The race was on the become a 4 Gun Master with I accomplished a short time later. IDPA added an additional Revolver Division which I shot Master for as well. This made me a 5 Gun Master though IDPA. I since have won several State and Regional Championship Matches.

MASSAD AYOOB GROUP (MAG)
In 2010, Massad Ayoob split from LFI and founded the Massad Ayoob Group. After a discussion with Massad, I was appointed a Senior Staff Instructor as well as the Instructor Course Program Director. Massad Ayoob has allowed me to develop new curriculum under the Massad Ayoob Group name. Teaching took over my time and competing in matches took a back seat in my schedule.

In March of 2015, I retired from being a cop and started teaching full time. I travel the country teaching from Anchorage to Miami, Texas to Minnesota, and California to New Hampshire. It has been extremely rewarding meeting the type of people that create life long bonds.

David Maglio

Owner/Instructor (Massad Ayoob Group) Senior Staff Instructor and Instructor Course Program Director

CERTIFICATIONS

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

TRAINED WITH

> Buck Peddicord
> Jim Cirillo
> Ken Hackathon
> Pat Rogers
> Greg Ellifitz
> Darryl Boelke
> Wayne Dobbs
> James Williams, MD

> Masad Ayoob
> Tom Givens
> John Farnum
> Marty Hayes
> Denny Reichard 
> Joseph Truncale
> Hershal Davis
> Chuck Haggard

> Andy Kemp
> Bob Houzenga
> David Elderton
> John Hearne
> Andy Stanford
> Clyde Caceres
> Michael de Bethencourt
> John Skaggs

“David Maglio performs his host & range-master duties in a polite and professional manner. He anticipates the needs of his guests. David Maglio truly excels as an instructor. I’ve taken MAG-20, MAG-30, and MAG-IC from him. David’s best subject was the “Trigger Cycle”. I look forward to his next class.” - KYLE T.

robert zenoni firearms instructor at firearms academy of wisconsin

Robert Zenoni

Retired EMS / Firearms Instructor

Bob excels in the training and education of civilians and first responders in simple techniques for personal protection and rendering aid to themselves and others in need.

CERTIFICATIONS
Bob is a Certified Deadly Force Instructor & Staff Instructor for the Massad Ayoob Group, an NRA Certified Basic Pistol Instructor, NRA Certified Personal Protection in the Home and Personal Protection Outside the Home Instructor, NRA Certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and Certified Pistol Instructor with the USCCA.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER
A retired EMS worker, having worked both “on a Rig” and in the Emergency Room, Bob trains civilians in the use of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment), Hazardous Materials, Mass Casualty, and Recognition of WMD.

Bob has taught engineering at the university level at Northern Michigan University, Michigan Technological University and Purdue University.

APPROACH
Bob has a simple, direct, and open approach to training/teaching, which encourages discussion and is open to varying ideas and philosophies.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

  • EMS (Retired)
    - On Rig
    - Emergency Room

  • Teacher (Engineering)
    - Northern Michigan University
    - Michigan Technological University
    - Purdue University

TEACHING / INSTRUCTION

  • Firearms Instruction
    - MAG Deadly Force Instructor
    - MAG Staff Instructor
    - NRA Certified Basic Pistol Instructor
    - NRA Certified Personal Protection in the Home
    - NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home
    - NRA Certified Chief Range Safety Officer
    - USCCA Certified Pistol Instructor

  • Civilian Training
    - PPE (Personal Protection Equipment)
    - Hazardous Materials
    - Mass Casualty
    - Recognition of WMD

  • Engineering
    - Northern Michigan University
    - Michigan Technological University
    - Purdue University

CERTIFICATIONS

Upcoming Courses

MAG-30 Range: Shooter Development Course MAG-30 Range: Shooter Development Course MAG-30 Range: Shooter Development Course
MAG-30 Range: Shooter Development Course
$575.00

Overview

“Repetition is the mother of learning”

MAG-30 is a Shooter Development Course built to forge disciplined, competent, consistent, and measurable handgun performance. Developed in 2012 by David Maglio, this three-day program drives students through approximately 3,000 rounds of structured, purposeful repetition to hardwire safe gun handling and efficient shooting mechanics.

This is not a casual shooting class, it is a standards driven performance program. Every drill, every repetition, and every metric exists for several reasons: to eliminate inefficiency, reinforce correct techniques, and produce reliable performance under pressure.

Rooted in Massad Ayoob’s StressFire Defensive Handgun System, refined and proven over more than five decades, MAG-30 delivers a framework for shooters who demand accountability, structure, and measurable results. This course is for those who expect more from themselves than just time on the range.

Training Approach

Instruction is deliberate, progressive, and unforgiving of shortcuts. Skills are introduced, reinforced, and validated through performance based drills that require execution and effort.  Specific order of instruction allows for a maximum foundational adult learning theory.   The 3,000-round count is not about volume, it is about mastery.  Repetition is used as a tool to build consistency, eliminate hesitation, and establish a dependable performance baseline that holds under stress.

This course of fire has been tested and validated by thousands of students.  The result is consistent, repeatable performance, where technique is no longer theoretical, but automatic and reliable when it matters most.  Skill mastery, cognitive strengthening, and habit forming is essential to deepening understanding and achieving success.

What You Will Train

  • Firearms safety and disciplined gun handling under constant evaluation

  • Performance drills including the Exemplar and Blind Swordsman

  • The Power Stance and grip development (High Hold and Crush Grip)

  • Conventional and Stress Point Index sighting techniques

  • Figure 7 draw stroke and emergency reloads under time pressure

  • Trigger control, cadence, and firing rhythm

  • Single-hand shooting capability (left and right)

  • Positional shooting: cover crouch, high kneeling, and low kneeling

  • Proven stance systems: Weaver, Chapman, and Isosceles

  • Combat breathing and stress management

  • Performance metrics including split times and reaction times

Outcome

Students do not leave MAG-30 the same as they arrived.  They leave with a hardened technical foundation, increased efficiency, and a clear, measurable understanding of their capabilities. Performance is no longer guesswork, it is defined, tested, and repeatable.

The end result is a faster, more disciplined shooter with a proven process—one that stands up under pressure and continues to improve long after the course is complete.

Tuition: $575.00. Refresher pricing does not apply to MAG-30 Shooter Development Courses.

June 2026 dates at ISRA include all range fees.

MAG – Instructor Course MAG – Instructor Course
MAG – Instructor Course
$1,038.00

The Massad Ayoob Group - Instructor Course (MAG-IC) is for the MAG-30 Range Course graduate that wishes to instruct MAG-20 Range Courses. Upon their safe and successful completion of MAG-IC, Candidates will be appointed a Staff Instructor through the Massad Ayoob Group and authorized to instruct MAG-20 Range Courses.

MAG-IC is a “Subject Matter” Instructor Course and is NOT an Instructor Development Course. Candidates should be well grounded as an Instructor, such as Rangemaster, NRA, DOJ and similar type organizations. Each Candidate will need to be able to explain and demonstrate the Core Techniques for Massad Ayoob’s StressFire Defense Handgun Shooting System.