ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Chris Clarke is the Owner and Lead Instructor of DOWNRANGE 31, bringing nearly 17 years of professional experience with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to his firearms, concealed carry, personal protection, and emergency preparedness training.
During his career with CDCR, Chris advanced into specialized instructional roles responsible for training personnel in firearms, officer safety, and tactical applications. His departmental instructor experience includes serving as a Rangemaster and Firearms Instructor, Chemical Agent Instructor, Impact Munitions Instructor, Weapons Retention Instructor and Use of Force Instructor. This background provided him with extensive experience in firearms safety, weapons handling, defensive tactics, range operations, decision-making under stress, and the instruction of law enforcement personnel.
Chris is also a certified CCW Instructor and a certified Firearms Instructor with the California Department of Justice. In addition, he is a certified USCCA Instructor, with training credentials in Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals, Countering the Mass Shooter Threat, Emergency First Aid Fundamentals, Women’s Handgun & Self-Defense Fundamentals, and Non-Lethal Defensive Options. He is also an HSI-certified AED, First Aid, and CPR Instructor and a certified Stop the Bleed Instructor. Through these disciplines, he provides students with practical instruction focused not only on firearm proficiency, but also situational awareness, personal protection, emergency response, lifesaving skills, and responsible decision-making.
His NRA instructor credentials include Pistol, Rifle, Concealed Carry (CCW), Personal Protection in the Home, Personal Protection Outside the Home, and Chief Range Safety Officer. These certifications allow Chris to provide structured firearms education ranging from first-time shooters and basic firearm safety to advanced concealed carry and personal protection concepts.
Chris further brings specialized law-enforcement instructor development through the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (CA POST), including certification as a Concealed Carry Tactics Instructor and Red Dot Instructor.
Through DOWNRANGE 31, Chris combines his correctional, law-enforcement, firearms, defensive tactics, emergency-response, and lifesaving training experience to provide students with professional, safety-focused instruction for real-world situations. His goal is to develop confident, competent, and responsible individuals who understand that effective personal protection involves far more than simply owning or carrying a firearm.
DOWNRANGE 31 — CONTROL THE CHAOS. BE READY.
