What Is The Guardian Conference?

The Guardian Conference is a three-day training event hosted by ConcealedCarry.com, focused on supporting everyday armed citizens in their journey to become more effective, more capable, and more prepared guardians.

maruster instructor

Matthew Maruster Teaching at the 2021 Guardian Conference

This isn’t an event where you wander from room to room jumping into presentations you like most. The Guardian Conference is a structured, hands-on training experience where you arrive with a schedule already built based on your preferences and skill level—and you move from bay to bay on the range participating in mostly live-fire classes designed to sharpen your skills and also help you grow in knowledge and mindset.

How The Guardian Conference Works

Each day of the event includes two training blocks:

  • One 4-hour training block in the morning
  • One 4-hour training block in the afternoon

Most classes are four hours long and fill an entire training block, but there are two-hour classes as well (often paired within a single block).

Matt Little Teaching at the 2022 Guardian Conference

Over the course of three days, attendees typically complete at least 6 classes for a total of 24 hours of training.

Train With Top Instructors—All in One Weekend

The Guardian Conference features some of the top trainers in the country. We’re fortunate to bring in instructors who you would normally pay a similar fee to train with in a one- or two-day course.

At the conference, you’re able to train with multiple respected instructors in one event, which creates several major benefits:

  1. Exposure to a variety of techniques (all thoroughly vetted)
  2. You discover which nationally known instructors best fit your learning style and personality—so you can seek them out for deeper training later
  3. You can explore a wide range of self-defense topics in a single, focused weekend

Adam Winch teaching at the 2025 Guardian Conference

What Topics Are Covered?

Class offerings change from year to year, but last year's classes covered:

  • Efficient draw and presentation
  • Pistol optics fundamentals
  • Practical drills and performance shooting
  • Jiu-jitsu for armed citizens
  • The legal distinction between brandishing and defensive display
  • Vehicle-based shooting tactics
  • Defensive shotgun shooting
  • AR/carbine fighting concepts
  • Trauma medicine and emergency response
  • Low-light shooting
  • Marksmanship and trigger control
  • Pepper spray training
  • Pistol ballistics
  • Grip and recoil management
  • Gunfight tactics and mindset

The goal is a well-rounded curriculum that meets you where you are and supports real growth, whether you’re building fundamentals or pushing toward higher performance.

Mickey Schuch instructing a student in unconventional shooting positions at the Guardian Conference, emphasizing comfort is the enemy of growth.

Mickey Schuch teaching at the 2024 Guardian Conference

Location & Logistics

The Guardian Conference takes place just outside Oklahoma City, which has an international airport and a central location that’s easy to travel to by plane or car.

  • Name-brand hotels are about 15 minutes from the range and offer an event group rate
  • Breakfast and lunch are included
  • Most dinners are included
  • Meals are served onsite so you don’t have to leave the facility to get fed

The idea is to remove distractions so you can focus on training.

The Most Important Part: The People

The training is top-tier—but the most important part of The Guardian Conference is the people who come and invest in themselves and in each other.

2022 guardian conference welcome

That might sound a little corny until you’ve been there, but it’s real: this event draws a special community of responsible, growth-minded Second Amendment supporters. You’ll meet people who take the “guardian” mindset seriously and are committed to becoming safer, smarter, and more capable.

Guardian Nation Member Discount

Members of Guardian Nation save $150 off the price of admission to The Guardian Conference, which often makes membership— even if temporary—well worth it.

Ready to learn more? See The Guardian Conference details and registration options here: The Guardian Conference

About Jacob Paulsen

Jacob S. Paulsen is the President of ConcealedCarry.com. For over 20 years Jacob has been involved as a professional in the firearm industry. He values his time as a student as much as his experience as an instructor with a goal to obtain over 40 hours a year of formal instruction. Jacob is a NRA certified instructor & Range Safety Officer, Guardian Pistol instructor and training counselor, Stop The Bleed instructor, Affiliate instructor for Next Level Training, Graduate and certified instructor for The Law of Self Defense, TCCC Certified, and has been a Glock and Sig Sauer Certified Armorer. Jacob is also the creator of The Annual Guardian Conference which is a 3-day defensive handgun training conference.

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