Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, also known as Front Sight and as Front Sight Resorts, was founded in 1996 by Dr Ignatius Piazza. Piazza, a California native and former chiropractor, and himself one of the few graduates of the Four Weapons Combat Master program developed by notable firearms instructor and writer Chuck Taylor, spent 25 years developing hundreds of acres of desert into firearms training facilities following his failure to interest any of the then major existing facility owners into partnering towards the expansion of basic firearms training into American society. The controversial financial program he developed, based on the sales of memberships and upgrades of memberships, brought Front Sight to the forefront of firearms training facilities over the decades but the organization ran into obstacles, challenges and setbacks that resulted finally in a Chapter 11 transfer of Front Sight's materials, facilities and curricula to PrairieFire Nevada. Front Sight declared bankruptcy in May 2022. PrairieFire Nevada is now the sole administrator and owner of the former Front Sight facilities, with its own curricula and membership offers. Piazza is no longer associated in management or direction of the PrairieFire curricula or organization.

Location

Front Sight operated primarily in one location, near Pahrump, Nevada. A second location in Nikiski, Alaska was closed in 2022 amid bankruptcy filings.

History

In 1998, a property in

Nye County Nye County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,591. Its county seat is Tonopah. At , Nye is Nevada's largest county by area and the third-largest county in the contiguous United States, beh ...

, between

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and

Pahrump, Nevada Pahrump ( ) is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town located at the southernmost tip of Nye County, Nevada, United States, about west of Las Vegas (roughly an hour away by driving distance). Pahrump lies adjacent to the Nevada ...

(near

Nevada State Route 160 State Route 160 (SR 160) is a state highway in southern Nevada, United States. It connects the southern Las Vegas Valley to U.S. Route 95 (US 95) northwest of the city via the Pahrump Valley. The southern part of the route sees heavy traffic, m ...

and Tecopa Road) was purchased and the operation gradually moved there. This location, called "Front Sight Nevada", provides facilities for training in firearms as well as climbing, rappelling, and other forms of self-defense. First Family Gear

In early 2012,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

news sources revealed preliminary agreements had been signed for a Front Sight Texas campus, to be located in East

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

Notable events

In 2006,

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attended sniper shooting classes at Front Sight to prepare for the 2007 movie ''

Shooter Shooter may refer to: People * Rod Beck (1968–2007), American baseball pitcher nicknamed "Shooter" * Shooter Jennings (born 1979), country music singer * Evan McPherson (born 1999), American football placekicker nicknamed "Shooter" * Adrian Sh ...

'', despite a felony conviction which legally prohibits him from handling firearms. That same year, Piazza and Front Sight were sued in a class action by certain members of the "First Family", an exclusive membership to the Front Sight facility, for failing to deliver on expectations made when the memberships were purchased. A settlement was reached in 2007. On May 11, 2009, due to Front Sight's legal counsel failing to appear to a hearing, Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court for Northern California ordered a temporary receiver be appointed to Front Sight. This case is related to the class-action suit, brought by plaintiffs, regarding a multimillion-dollar shortfall in the class-action fund. On May 18, 2009, Front Sight's legal counsel appeared at a settlement hearing and Judge James Ware discharged the interim receiver, leaving Front Sight in control of all aspects of its business. The termination of the receivership was made after the court received a copy of the receiver's report and based upon evidence presented at the May 18 hearing. On January 22, 2022, Front Sight notified its members via email of restructuring, which was received critically by most members. The restructuring included substantive changes in value and new charges to members who purchased their memberships under previous terms of purchase. The changes included but were not limited to: On May 24, 2022, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute filed for bankruptcy. On Dec 5, 2022, it was announced that Front Sight had been acquired by PrairieFire Nevada, who is immediately taking over all operations. PrairieFire will continue "to deliver to everyone passionate about shooting sports the very best training, experiences, and competitions, typically only available to military and law enforcement heroes", with future plans "to make the beautiful Pahrump Valley a destination for those interested in an adventure-seeking outdoor lifestyle." The founder of Front Sight, Ignatius Piazza, is not involved in any way with PrairieFire, as clarified in a FAQ emailed to members on Dec 7, despite being paid $700,000 yearly for the next 10 years.

Other services

Firearms training manuals were printed by Front Sight.

References

{{reflist, 2 Self-defense Shooting sports organizations Firearm training Privately held companies based in California Shooting ranges in the United States Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022