I met Buz Mills in passing at NRA AM a few years ago. I felt a little in awe knowing he owns Gunsite Academy, the world’s premier civilian training school started by the late, great Jeff Cooper. This year at NRA AM, I found myself at a dinner and was introduced to him again. I’m honored that he was able to take time during the very busy weekend to give me an hour. I’ve been a fan of Cooper and his books since I became a gun owner, so I was excited to talk with someone else who has a connection to him. The ultimate question was “When am I coming to Gunsite?”
Before we kicked off the show, we spent about 15 minutes just talking in the car. He has amazing stories to tell, and I was able to capture some of them on video. Buz grew up in the era where everyone shot, hunted, and took their .22 rifles to school. After school, if he didn’t shoot any small game, dinner was going to be vegetable soup. He learned to shoot in the Boy Scouts and participated in the postal matches through the NRA. As a kid, he was able to cash in empty soda bottles for .22 ammunition. There wasn’t ammo for misses.
In the 1970s, Buz worked in sales, specializing in electronics and cell phones. He said he’s not a fortune teller, but just an observer, telling people that one day, we’d have one number attached to us (our cell phone). He left that business in 1999 when he purchased Gunsite. Buz met Cooper in 1980 and was a “frequent flyer” at Gunsite.
Next year is Gunsite’s 50th anniversary. They offer a wide range of classes. Besides pistols, carbines, rifles, and shotguns, there are tactical courses, knife courses, responding to active shooter courses, and just about anything you can think of you’d need. Probably more than you can think of. This year, they’ve been building a fifth new building in five years. Since he bought the business back in 1999, it’s grown from 165 acres to over 3,200 acres!
You can tell that Buz breathes the Second Amendment and the NRA. We discussed the events at NRA extensively when we filmed at NRA AM in April 2025. The NRA was formed to teach the North how to shoot after the Civil War. With the passing of the Gun Control Act of 1968, the NRA got more involved in politics.
Having been on the NRA BOD for a few terms, Buz saw that what they were doing was a textbook version of how to “chase your members” away. Particularly, at the members’ meeting, if someone spoke out, the Board would shut that person down. According to him, this tactic chased off about 40% of the membership.
Mills and a handful of others have been working hard to get the “Reformers” on the board. Last year, about 75% of those elected were Reformers. This year, there are more of them on the ballot. The BOD does need a variety of members with a wide swath of skills, including people who run successful businesses who can handle the business of the NRA. The NRA is working to get back to some of the things that made it what it was, which is training and education. They also want to increase membership. The Association has been around for over 150 years and needs to be around for another 150 years. It is going to take some time to right the ship as it took time for it to go in the wrong direction.
There’s a lot of NRA talk in the show. About Doug Hamlin becoming the EVP and his history with the NRA. About getting rid of some of the law firms that were hired for cases. About finding out how the NRA looks for replacements and knows that someone has a 12-month contract to make changes, knowing that it will take more time to make the changes.
Buz shared a lot of wisdom he’s acquired over the years, being in the firearms community and running a successful business. Between Gunsite and NRA, he’s a very busy and well respected man. And he keeps asking me, “When am I coming to Gunsite?”
Favorite quotes:
- “Gunsite is the oldest and largest privately owned tactical firearms training facility in the world.”
- “I’m not a fortune teller; I’m just an observer.”
- “America wouldn’t be what it is today without the NRA.”
- “All that’s behind us. That’s all behind us. No more lawyers, No more lawsuits.
- “I have never been to a class that I didn’t learn something positive that I can put in my toolbox.”
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About Riding Shotgun With Charlie
Riding Shotgun With Charlie isn’t about firearms. It is about having an intimate conversation with 2 people talking. You’re the fly on the rearview mirror. Many of the passengers are involved in the firearm community.
This is a more intimate conversation than a phone, radio, or Skype interview. You get to see the passengers. And you’ll see where the road and the conversation take you!
I am sure that the NRA helped to improve the shooting abilities of the urban population of the Northern states. But to my understanding the primary purpose was to protect the rights of minorities in the south who were continuing to be oppressed by having their second amendment rights denied.