Firearm Training in Palm Beach County

NRA Certified Instruction in Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, and Across the County

Owning a firearm and being competent with one are two different things, and most gun owners in Palm Beach County are somewhere in between.

You have probably shot at a range. You may have taken a class once. But shooting without structured instruction leaves gaps you cannot see from inside them. Your grip may be working against your accuracy. Your trigger pull may be producing a flinch you have never noticed. Your stance may hold up fine right up until it does not.

We train people out of those gaps. Private lessons, concealed carry certification, rifle training, and group sessions, at whichever range in the county is closest to you.

Or call or text Mike at 561-213-2974

Training Available in Palm Beach County

Private Firearm Training. One on one instruction built around your firearm, your experience, and what you actually want to fix. $125 per hour, or less per person if you bring somebody. Available at five ranges across Palm Beach and Broward.
Concealed Carry Certification. Florida CWFL qualification without the classroom. The law comes to you as a PDF you read at home. Your instruction time gets spent shooting. $250 for two private lessons.
Rifle Training. Rifle Fundamentals at any of our ranges, or Defensive Rifle with movement, cover, and vehicle work at our Okeechobee range. From $75 per person.
EmpowHER Women’s Training. Women only sessions where every student on the line is a woman and most of them are beginners. One hour, from $75 per person.
Protector Courses. Two levels of defensive pistol training at our outdoor range in Okeechobee. $200 each, three hours, ten students maximum.
Group Training. Four to twelve people, one instructor, and a session built around your group. One hour at any range, or three hours outdoors. From $75 per person.
Stop the Bleed. Tourniquet application, wound packing, and direct pressure. The skills that matter in the minutes before EMS arrives. Standalone or paired with firearm training.

Where You Will Train

Palm Beach County students have three ranges inside the county and three more within reach. You train at whichever one makes your drive shortest, not at whichever one happens to be convenient for the instructor.

Palm Beach Shooting Center, Lake Worth. The most convenient option for Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, Wellington, and Royal Palm Beach. A clean, well-run indoor facility and the default choice for most central county students.
Shoot Straight, West Palm Beach. The largest indoor range in the area, with a long bay and a full rental counter. Best for West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and Jupiter.
Our private outdoor range, Boynton Beach. Three bays with nobody else on the property, which means no lane assignments, no cold line every four minutes, and no range officer stopping you mid-drill. The closest real outdoor option in the county.
Gun World of South Florida, Deerfield Beach. Just over the county line and often closer than anything inside it for students in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and northern Broward County.
Declaration Defense, Pompano Beach. Convenient for the southern end of the county and for anyone already heading toward Broward.
Our private outdoor range, Okeechobee. 1.25 acres with training vehicles, steel, barricades, and a wrap-around berm. This is where movement, cover, and vehicle work happen, because no indoor range in South Florida permits any of it. No range fee either, since we own it.

Range fees are paid directly to the range and run approximately $20 at indoor facilities and $40 at our Boynton Beach outdoor range. There is no range fee at Okeechobee.

Tell us where you are driving from when you book and we will put you at the closest range that fits the training you want.

Who You Are Training With

Mike Kneuer has spent twenty-two years carrying a firearm daily and the last several teaching other people how to do it properly. He competes in USPSA, constantly furthers his education by taking other top level instructors courses, and has put thousands of hours in with students ranging from people who had never touched a gun to daily carriers with bad habits they could not see.

A certification is a starting point, not an achievement. It means someone passed a course, and it says nothing about the years since. What Mike brings to your session is a working knowledge of what actually goes wrong for shooters and how to fix it.

He does not lecture and he does not perform. Most of the hour is you shooting and him watching, with short corrections between strings. If what you are doing works, he leaves it alone. If it does not, he tells you plainly and shows you the fix. Nobody gets yelled at and nobody gets talked down to.

NRA Certified Pistol Instructor
Tactical Hyve Level 1 Instructor
Stop the Bleed Instructor
USCCA Member
USPSA Competitor
22 Years Concealed Carry

Mike has trained hundreds of Palm Beach County residents. Beginners who had never held a firearm, daily carriers with habits they could not see, families, and professionals. Most of them came in expecting to be judged and left surprised that they were not.

How to Get Started

Tell Us Where You Are

Pick Your Course and Range

Show Up and Train

Your experience level, what you want out of it, and where you are driving from. That is enough for us to tell you which course fits and which range makes sense.

Not sure which one? Call 561-213-2974. Five minutes on the phone sorts it out faster than reading six pages will.

Firearms are provided if you need one. Eye and ear protection are provided. Bring ammunition or purchase it at the range.

Why Palm Beach County Residents Train With Us

A credential stack most instructors in this county do not have. NRA Pistol Instructor, Tactical Hyve Level 1, USPSA competitor, USCCA member, Stop the Bleed instructor.
Twenty-two years of daily concealed carry informing every drill and every correction, rather than a certification earned once and never revisited.
A nonprofit mission. We are funded by training fees and donations. Nobody here is trying to sell you a holster.
Six ranges. You train at whichever one is closest to you rather than driving across two counties because that is where the instructor happens to be.
An outdoor range that permits what indoor lanes cannot. Movement, cover, barricades, and vehicle work at our Okeechobee facility. There is not another option like it within reach of this county.
Built for everyday people. No military background required. No prior shooting experience required. Most students walk in having never had formal instruction.

What Palm Beach County Students Say

“I came in as a complete beginner with zero experience and honestly a little nervous, but the team at Suburban Protector made me feel comfortable right away. They explained everything clearly, were very patient, and focused on real-world safety and confidence. By the end of the session, I felt way more capable and informed. Highly recommend for anyone starting from scratch.”

-Lorne S.

“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.”

-Tia B.

“Training with Big Mike was an incredible experience! I started off as a complete amateur and walked out feeling like a pro shooter. His patience, knowledge, and hands-on guidance helped me feel confident, safe, and fully capable of handling a firearm. I now feel protected wherever I go, and I’m proud of the skills I gained. I’ll definitely be taking this course again and highly recommend it to anyone, no matter your skill level. Thank you, Big Mike, for everything!”

-Joyce W.

Suburban Protector holds an excellent rating on Google from verified students across Palm Beach County and South Florida.

Common Questions About Gun Training in Palm Beach County

Where in Palm Beach County do you train?

Palm Beach Shooting Center in Lake Worth, Shoot Straight in West Palm Beach, and our private outdoor range in Boynton Beach. We also train at Gun World in Deerfield Beach, Declaration Defense in Pompano Beach, and our outdoor range in Okeechobee, all of which are within reach for most of the county.

How much does training cost?

Private lessons are $125 per hour one on one, $100 per person for two, or $75 per person for three or more. Concealed carry certification is $250 for two private lessons. Protector Courses are $200 each. Group sessions start at $75 per person. Range fees are separate.

What are the range fees?

They are paid directly to the range, not to us. Indoor ranges run approximately $20 per person and our Boynton Beach outdoor range is $40 per person. There is no range fee at our Okeechobee range, since we own it.

Do I need to own a firearm?

No. We provide one at no charge for any lesson. If you do own a firearm, bring it, since training with the gun that is actually in your house makes more sense.

I have never fired a gun. Where do I start?

A private lesson, or an EmpowHER session if you would rather learn alongside other women. Both are built for people with no experience and nothing is assumed.

Do I still need a concealed carry permit in Florida?

Not to carry inside Florida, as long as you are legally eligible. You do need one for your carry to be recognized in other states, and it exempts you from the waiting period when buying a handgun. Most people who get certified are doing it for travel.

Which course should I take?

Call 561-213-2974 and describe where you are. Five minutes on the phone answers it better than reading through every course page. Most people who are unsure belong in a private lesson.

Do you train beginners and experienced shooters differently?

Yes, which is the entire point of private instruction. A beginner spends the hour on grip, stance, and trigger control. An experienced shooter spends it on whatever specific thing is not working, which is usually something they cannot see themselves.

How far is the Okeechobee range?

Roughly an hour and a half from most of Palm Beach County. It is a real drive, and it is also the only range in reach that permits movement, cover, and vehicle work.

Start Training in Palm Beach County

In a real moment, the training either happened or it did not. There is no middle ground and no time to wish otherwise.

This county has no shortage of people who own a firearm and plan to get trained eventually. The next step takes about thirty seconds.