The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Patrick Maley has a passion for promoting safe, competent firearms use.

Maley is principal instructor of Cascade Gun & Safety, which he launched this year in Sisters. An NRA certified pistol instructor and range safety officer, Maley has a particular focus for his work.

“I really want to focus on women, couples, and first-time shooters,” he told The Nugget. “From our perspective, the more knowledge you have, the safer you are.”

First-time firearms purchase have skyrocketed in 2020 as concerns around the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest have led many to determine that they need to have the means to protect themselves and their loved ones. A substantial proportion of new gun-owners are women, a data point Maley has seen play out on the range.

Maley asserts that simply owning a firearm does not impart safety and security. It is critical to learn to handle a firearm safely and competently. His goal is to help his clients learn to be "comfortable, confident and calm” in handling firearms, both for sporting purposes and for self-defense.

Maley’s practice focuses mainly on handguns.

The instructor strives to make it as easy as possible for his clients to find the right firearm for them and to learn to use it competently. If a client does not already have a firearm, he will help her find the most suitable one. In fact, that can often work out best, rather than trying to adapt to a pistol that doesn’t quite fit the hand or carry comfortably.

“It’s like buying a pair of shoes,” he said. “Is it comfortable? Does it fit?”

Cascade Gun & Safety offers eight hours of classroom instruction, and three to four hours of live fire work at the Redmond Rod & Gun Club.

He tailors instruction to meet individual needs and goals.

“Each one will have different needs, desires and capabilities,” Maley said. “My goal is to help them achieve their desires, what they want.”

Ongoing training is critical to maintaining skills – and it can also lead to discovery of new sporting opportunities.

“We have multiple disciplines there (at Redmond Rod & Gun Club) that they might be interested in,” Maley said. “We have the facilities to graduated them on to the next level.”

He’s willing to stick with his clients along their journey.

“As long as they’re passionate and take it seriously, I’ll stay engaged with them for as long as they want,” he said.

Maley’s own passion for firearms instruction began when he shepherded his four sons through Scouting and served as an instructor for the firearms merit badge. Over the years, his involvement has waxed and waned depending on life circumstances. After his recent move to Sisters, he decided to fully commit to the passion.

After joining the Redmond Rod & Gun Club, he “just kept going and taking the course” to earn NRA certifications. Maureen Rogers, who operates the training program Lady Gets A Gun, urged him to become an instructor.

Cascade Gun & Safety offers classes every two weeks. The schedule can currently be accessed at bit.ly/nraSISTERS. His website at, www.cascadegunsafety.com, will be up by the end of August.

Beyond individual development, Maley has a lofty goal for his program. He hopes to help make Sisters Country “the safest, most self-reliant area of the country.”

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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