Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#220
Matthias Quellenberg
San Diego Firearms Academy
In 2022, I went to GunProm, hosted by San Diego Gun Owners. It was a huge event with over 750 attendees, the biggest 2A dinner I’ve attended. I was there with John Petrolino and we didn’t really know many folks. We were put at the table with Matthias. We talked all night and exchanged contact info. The next day, he messaged me via Instagram and said he’s seen the show, but didn’t put it together after seeing me. The next week, Petrolinio messages me and says he’s been messaging Matthias. I asked who and he replied “The German.” The name stuck.
In 2024, GRPC was held in San Diego, where he lives. We were able to film a show at the end of GRPC. Everyone was talking about “the wall” and I thought it was some sort of Pink Floyd tribute. Alas, it was the border wall. When he asked where we were driving, I replied “the wall.” We had to make sure we didn’t cross into Mexico. I don’t have a passport. He was packing.
Matthias grew up in Germany and served in the army. That was his first exposure to shooting and firearms. If it was a choice and an option for the citizens, he would have been a gun owner. But it’s very elitist in Germany. The first gun he got to shoot was a Walther P1, the predecessor to the P38. He did boot camp, specialized training, then some office work, and ended up in the Ministry of Defense, similar to the Pentagon here. Then he became a boot camp instructor.
He met an American woman and they had a long distance relationship. Eventually, he made it to Boston. After they got married, he was able to get a green card and he applied for a License To Carry right away. They moved to California and settled in San Francisco. He found out there were only 2 carry permits issued in the city when he got there. In the same time, Fresno County issued over 6,000 permits.
Then life brought them to San Diego. Doing some research, he found out you needed to list your guns and serial numbers on your license and you could only have three guns on that carry license. He looked for an attorney who may want to pursue suing the state about this and ended up talking with the lawyers from the Peruta case. The lawyers thought they may be able to pair the cases, but it didn’t fit their strategy.
Back in 2020 while he was Ubering, he would talk with his riders and gun owning came up. They were looking for guidance and opinions. Realizing that there could be a market, he became an NRA certified instructor and started San Diego Firearms School.
We got into talking about teaching gun classes. He teaches a couple classes a month. The next step for him is to get certified by the sheriff’s department to be an instructor. In California, you have to take a short test to get the firearm safety certificate, which you need to purchase a firearm. Then you have to do a shooting qualification to be able to take the 16 hour course needed for the CCW permit.
Matthias won tickets to the GunProm back in 2022. That’s when he started to see that there are so many more people involved in firearms and the bigger gun community in general. He’s good friends with Desi Bergman (RSWC #217) and they both do lots for San Diego County Gun Owners. He even presented for one of their seminars.
I had a great time with Matthias. He’s a great guy and he’s out there busting his tail to make things happen. He’s very active on Instagram, so follow him. If you end up in San Diego, get an Uber driver with a German accent, and his good dog, Lucky, there’s a good chance it’s Matthias!
Favorite quotes:
“We don’t have gun rights. Guns is not a thing in Germany.”
“Within a week of me getting a greencard, I got my first gun and I applied for a License To Carry.”
“At the time, you can only have three guns on your license.”
“So many people were asking me questions and looking for help and guidance.”
San Diego Firearms School Website
https://sandiegofirearmssc.wixsite.com/home
San Diego Firearms School Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sandiegofirearmsschool
San Diego County Gun Owners
https://sandiegocountygunowners.com
Gun Owners Radio
https://www.gunownersradio.com
Second Amendment Foundation
https://secure.anedot.com/saf/donate?sc=RidingShotgun
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
https://www.ccrkba.org
Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.
Dennis McCurdy
Author, Speaker, Firewalker
http://www.find-away.com/
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