Your Family Deserves a Protector Who is Ready
Expert Firearm Training in Palm Beach County, Broward County and Okeechobee-Built for Real World Self Defense.
You already made the harder decision. You looked at the people in your house and decided you were going to be the one responsible for them, and most people never get that far. But there is a version of that decision that stops halfway. The firearm goes in the drawer, and having it there starts to feel like the job is finished. That feeling is comfortable and it is genuinely hard to argue with, which is exactly why most people never take the next step. Training is not a second decision. It is finishing the one you already made.
No experience required. No gear required. Firearms, eye and ear protection all provided if you need them. Just show up.
Mike Kneuer is an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor, Tactical Hyve Level 1 certified, a USCCA member, a Stop the Bleed instructor, and a competitive USPSA shooter with 22 years of concealed carry experience.
A certification is a starting point, not an achievement. It means someone passed a course, and it says nothing about what they have done in the years since. Mike has spent those years the way expertise actually gets built: constant training, live competition, and thousands of hours of instruction with students at every level from first-timer to daily carrier. That is what he brings to a session. Not a credential on the wall, but a working understanding of exactly what goes wrong for shooters and how to fix it.
Sessions run one on one and in small groups, at indoor ranges across Palm Beach and Broward or at the private outdoor facility in Okeechobee. Most people start with a single private lesson, because an hour with an instructor tells you more about where you stand than a year of range trips will.
Getting Started Is Simple.
The Path From Uncertain to Prepared Starts Here
STEP 1 Choose Your Starting Point
Tell us where you are. First time gun owner in Palm Beach County? We start with the fundamentals. Experienced shooter in Broward County looking to go further? We'll match you to the right course. There's a path here for every skill level and we'll help you find yours.
STEP 2 Train With Purpose, On Your Terms
Most indoor ranges in Palm Beach County and Broward County won't allow movement, drawing from concealment, or the kind of dynamic drills that build real defensive skill. That's why serious training happens at our private outdoor facility in Okeechobee, FL where you can move, react, and train the way threats actually happen. For foundational courses and concealed carry certification, we also work with local ranges across Palm Beach and Broward County to make getting started as convenient as possible.
STEP 3 Leave Confident and Prepared for Real Life
Walk out of every session with something you didn't have when you walked in... a sharper skill, a deeper instinct, a stronger sense of readiness. Our students across South Florida don't just feel more confident at the range. They feel more confident everywhere.
Every course at Suburban Protector is taught by NRA certified firearms instructors who have spent years running gun safety, defensive handgun, and tactical shooting classes across Palm Beach County and Broward County.
Nobody is going to lecture you. An instructor stands next to you and works the problem: your stance, your grip, your trigger press, one rep at a time until it stops requiring thought. Then you build on it. Drawing from concealment, shooting on the move, running drills with enough pressure that you find out what actually holds up.
Plenty of people are nervous walking into their first class. We hear it from new shooters in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and all over Broward, usually in the parking lot before we start. It goes away in the first twenty minutes. Nobody here cares what you do not know yet, and there is no such thing as a question you should have already known the answer to.
Defensive Firearm Training That Builds Confidence
Whether you’re picking up a firearm for the first time or refining skills you’ve had for years, our private one-on-one and small group training sessions are built entirely around you. An NRA-certified instructor. One hour. Your goals. $125 per session at locations across Palm Beach County, Broward County, and our private range in Okeechobee, FL
Florida’s minimum CCW requirement is a low bar — we set it much higher. Our concealed carry certification is built around live-fire training that actually teaches you to shoot, not hours of sitting in a classroom. Complete 2 private lessons or our Protector Level 2 course and we’ll sign off on your Florida CCW certification. Starting at $250.
Every expert shooter started by mastering the basics — and most people in South Florida have never had someone correct their fundamentals properly. Protector Level 1 is a 3-hour pistol fundamentals course at our private outdoor range in Okeechobee, FL. Stance, grip, vision, trigger control, and multiple target engagement — built for beginners and intermediate shooters ready to get it right. $150 per student.
A concealed carry permit tells the state you’re legally allowed to carry. Protector Level 2 makes sure you’re actually ready to. This intense, real-world course at our private range in Okeechobee, FL covers drawing from a holster, magazine changes, shooting while moving, use of cover, vehicle scenarios, and high-stress drills that build genuine carry confidence. $200 per student. Also qualifies for Florida CCW certification.]
EmpowHER is a women only small group firearm training experience built on one principle: every woman in South Florida deserves to feel genuinely safe. A supportive, judgment-free environment. NRA certified instruction. Firearms provided. All skill levels welcome. Groups of 4 to 8 women at our private range in Okeechobee or Pompano Beach, FL. $100 per student.
Owning a rifle for home defense is one thing. Knowing how to use it in a real defensive scenario is another. Our 3 hour defensive rifle course at our private outdoor range in Okeechobee, FL puts you through multiple real-world scenarios with your AR-15 or similar rifle platform. Open to all skill levels. $200 per student with rifle rental available.
From corporate team building to family safety days to friend groups ready to take their skills seriously. Our custom group firearm training in South Florida is built entirely around your group’s goals. Indoor sessions at our Pompano Beach or Deerfield Beach range starting at $100 per person per hour, or a full outdoor experience at our Okeechobee facility at $150 per person for 3 hours. Groups of 4 to 12. Custom quotes available for larger groups.
A firearm is a tool for protection but so is knowing how to stop life-threatening bleeding before help arrives. Our nationally affiliated Stop the Bleed course teaches you tourniquet application and wound packing in a single one hour hands on session. Open to the general public across South Florida. This is a skill everyone should have. $150 for private lesson. $75 for groups of 4 or more.
Churches, synagogues, mosques, and houses of worship across South Florida face a security reality that can no longer be ignored. Our specialized armed security training prepares your security team for real threats: firearms handling, active shooter response, and real-world scenarios specific to a worship environment. Group bookings only. $200 per person, minimum 6 participants.
Private Outdoor Firearm Training in Okeechobee, FL
Where Real World Scenarios Paper Targets
Almost every firearm class in Palm Beach and Broward runs at an indoor range. You stand in a lane, you shoot a paper target that is not going anywhere, you sweep up your brass and you drive home. There is nothing wrong with that. It is just not the same thing as being ready.
Our private range in Okeechobee is where the rest of it happens. You will move. You will draw from concealment. You will work around vehicles and barricades, shoot from positions no indoor range will let you get into, and find out what your fundamentals look like when your heart rate is up and somebody is running a timer.
It is 1.25 acres, fenced, with three full-size training vehicles, steel, barricades, and a wrap-around berm. No lane assignments, no range officer telling you when to shoot, nobody else in your space. Nowhere else in South Florida can the public train like this, and that is why people make the drive.
South Florida's Trusted Firearm Training Academy
“I took a Concealed Carry fundamentals course this weekend and our instructor Mike did a phenomenal job! The program was packed with info. Mike is a great teacher who clearly explains not just what we should do, but why that principle is important and effective. Each lesson was built on top of the principles from the previous lesson and then drilled on the range.
I left a far more confident and proficient concealed carrier.
I highly recommend Suburban Protector and any courses taught by Mike and his partner Greg.”
-Tim Bach
“Mike and Greg are a master at their craft of shooting. The first time I attended a Suburban Protector class, I wasn’t confident with a firearm, and could barely hold my sights straight. With Mike’s help, I’m now able to group multiple shots on target and feel confident in a gun range scenario. I highly recommend signing up for a class if you’re serious about improving your firearm experience.”
-Matthew Gaquer
“I am so fortunate to have found the Suburban Protector, Mike is everything you want in an instructor when learning firearm safety, to advance shooting. The range allows for training for any level of training someone may need; from working on accuracy to shooting on the move at different targets in different angles— all sorts of stuff you would never be able to do at a regular shooting range. I recommend this to anyone who is looking to get more comfortable with firearms to protect their loved ones to advanced shooters who just need to find someone who can challenge them— this is the place!”
-Felipe Picado
“Standing and shooting at the range doesn’t even slightly compare to this. You’ll learn real life drills and skills that you hope to never have to use but you need to know. Mike is extremely knowledgeable, patient, and has a great teaching method. With Greg and Mike there’s no way to walk away without feeling confident that if something were to happen, you are significantly more prepared than before taking the class. I cannot recommend this enough!”
-Brandon
“I’ve been training with Mike for self-defense, and I can honestly say he’s one of the best instructors out there. He’s patient, knowledgeable, and really takes the time to make sure you feel confident and safe. Mike explains everything clearly, focuses on proper technique, and always makes sure you understand why each step matters.
He creates a comfortable learning environment, no matter your skill level, and his advice is practical and easy to remember. I’ve already noticed a huge improvement in my accuracy and confidence. He also encourages good habits, like staying consistent with practice, which I really appreciate.
If you’re looking for a professional, trustworthy, and skillful firearms trainer, Mike is definitely the person you want. Highly recommend!”
-Tia Bates
Be Your Own
First Responder
It starts with one conversation and one afternoon. Leave us your name and number and we’ll find you a time.
In a real moment, training either happened or it didn't.
Nobody gets to choose the moment. It arrives without warning, it is over before help is close, and what you have rehearsed is all you bring to it.
There is no middle ground. No pause to remember what you meant to do. No chance to wish you had signed up.
The families who train with us in Palm Beach County move differently, and it has nothing to do with the firearm they carry or how brave anyone is. They have drawn from a holster with their pulse climbing. They have made decisions outdoors, after dark, in conditions a static indoor lane never asks about. When something goes wrong, their hands get there before their thinking does.
That is what real firearm training builds. Tight groups on paper are the easy part. What carries over is the steadiness of someone who has already been tested.
If you have been putting this off, stop.
No. Florida has allowed permitless concealed carry since July 1, 2023 for anyone 21 or older who can legally possess a firearm. Most people still get the license anyway. It gives you reciprocity in roughly 38 other states and exempts you from the handgun purchase waiting period. Our Florida CWFL certification course covers the state training requirement and runs as a series of one at home learning via PDF and 2 hours of live fire training. For more info go to: https://suburbanprotector.com/concealed-carry-class-palm-beach/
$250 for the CWFL certification course. Private instruction is $125 per hour. Range fees are separate and payable directly to the range. We provide firearm, eye and ear protection, and targets. We offer ammo for sale. We offer group lessons which are less expensive per person, however you cannot match the individual attention in a private shooting lesson. Our students in Palm Beach County and Broward County benefit the most from one on one private shooting lessons. In firearm training, like most things in life, a high quality and experienced coach is not going to be the cheapest. Learn more at: https://suburbanprotector.com/shooting-lessons-southflorida/
Yes. Most people who call us are first time shooters in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. We start with the firearm unloaded on the table and cover safe handling before anyone touches ammunition. Nobody gets rushed to the firing line and nobody gets embarrassed. If you are anxious about it, say so when you book and we will schedule you into a slower paced private session instead of a group.
No. We provide the firearm, sell ammunition, and eye and ear protection for beginner sessions included with the cost. Taking a class before you buy is the smarter order to do this in. Shooting a few different pistols under instruction will tell you more about what fits your hand than an hour of reading reviews or a conversation at a gun counter.
We train at five ranges. In Lake Worth we use Palm Beach Shooting Center. In Deerfield Beach we use Gun World of South Florida. In Pompano Beach we use Declaration Defense. We also run sessions at private outdoor ranges in Boynton Beach and Okeechobee. Students come to us from Boca Raton, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, Wellington, and Jupiter. Tell us where you are and we will book you at the closest one.
Yes, and it is what we recommend for most people. A private session runs one hour and moves at your pace rather than the group’s. It works well for first time shooters and for experienced shooters trying to fix a specific problem like flinch, grip, or trigger control. Couples book it together regularly. Book your lesson here: https://suburbanprotector.com/shooting-lessons-southflorida/
Yes. We run private and small group sessions for women, including women who are picking up a firearm for the first time because something changed at home. No yelling, no ego, no assumption that you already know the vocabulary. If you would rather train without men in the bay, tell us when you book and we will schedule it that way. Learn more: https://suburbanprotector.com/empowher-women-firearm-training/
Yes. A June 2026 Fourth District Court of Appeal ruling lifted Florida’s carry prohibition for adults aged 18 to 20. They still cannot purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer, which is one reason our beginner sessions include the firearm and ammunition. If you are in that age range, contact us at 561-213-2974 and we will confirm what currently applies before you book.
Yes. Home firearm safety is a different conversation from marksmanship and we treat it as its own subject. We cover storage, access control, and what to tell a child who finds a firearm somewhere other than your house. Parents in Boca Raton and Wellington book this one more than any other session we offer.
Yes. We book private group sessions for families, friends, bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate team events, and church or HOA safety groups. Group size is dependent on the range we use. Our private outdoor range in Okeechobee is the better fit for larger groups. We also offer private range rentals in Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach. Call 561-213-2974 with your headcount and date.
Yes. A firearms training session makes a better gift than another gun accessory, and we sell certificates for the concealed carry class and for private shooting lessons. They do not expire. If you are buying for someone who has never shot before, get the private lesson rather than the group class. Contact Mike at 561-213-2974 to purchase.
Closed toe shoes and a shirt with a high neckline. Hot brass finds low collars. Tie long hair back. Bring your Drivers License for certification courses. If you own a firearm and want to train with it, bring it unloaded and cased. If you already have ammo bring it. Everything else is provided or available for sale.
Firearm Training Near You All Across South Florida
PALM BEACH COUNTY — West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach, Riviera Beach, Palm Springs, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Belle Glade
BROWARD COUNTY — Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Miramar, Coral Springs, Davie, Sunrise, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lauderhill, Weston, Tamarac, North Lauderdale, Margate
MARTIN COUNTY –Stuart, Palm City, Jupiter Island, Ocean Breeze, Sewall’s Point, Hobe Sound, Jensen Beach, Indiantown
OKEECHOBEE AREA – Okeechobee, Fort Pierce, Fort Drum
Can’t travel to our Okeechobee range? No problem. We bring professional firearm training to Palm Beach County and Broward County at convenient local range locations. Wherever you are in South Florida, expert gun training is close.