Dawn Hoffman began shooting when she was 8 years old with her father, taking her first deer with a single shot 20-guage shotgun. As she got older, she continued to hunt dove, quail, deer, and hogs, and as an outdoorswoman living in Florida, she can also be found hunting gators with her crossbow.
Dawn has enjoyed the shooting sports and the outdoors as long as she can remember. “I love everything about shooting from hunting to competition,” she shares. “I also love shooting just about every firearm that I have ever picked up, regardless of caliber.” Over 15 years ago, she decided to take her passion and training to the next level and became an NRA Instructor. From then, she obtained her NRA Training Counselor certification and has taught all NRA Training courses since.
She previously worked for the government, which required extensive travel and time away from her family. Longing to stay closer to home, she decided to take her passion for the shooting sports and turned it into a career. That’s when DSH Firearms and Training was born.
DSH Firearms and Training is a gun shop in Tallahassee, Fla. that opened in 2008 to serve as a local source for quality firearms and accessories.
“Our shop is a warm, friendly place where A+ customer service is our goal and we have fresh baked cookies every morning,” shares Dawn. “Our customers say we are like the ‘Cheers Bar’ without the alcohol, with regulars who visit every day to hang out, tell war stories, and keep us up on what is going on in their lives.”
But DSH isn’t just a gun shop. About 20 miles west in Midway, Fla. lies its accompanied 200 acre training facility. There the DSH staff, who are also all certified NRA Instructors, conduct numerous firearms training courses. The range borders Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Academy and offers the opportunity for many local agencies and the United States Army’s 7th Group to utilize the facility, free of charge.
She is often asked with DSH stands for, to which she always responds, “Determination, Strength, and Honor,” the core values of her business. “We strive to provide honest service, education, training, and a friendly attitude to all of our customers.” “Why raise your daughter to be a lady, when you can raise your daughter to be a warrior.” Needless to say, DSH possesses strong community involvement, giving back to groups like the FSU Rifle Association and youth shooting competitions throughout the year. They also sponsor some female competitive shooters. Dawn is an advocate of the female sportsman and strives to encourage women who visit DSH to get proper firearms training whether it be for sport, recreation, or self-defense. In fact, her favorite saying is, “Why raise your daughter to be a lady, when you can raise your daughter to be a warrior.”
DSH Firearms and Training is the product of one woman’s drive to take her knowledge and passion to teach others and aid her community. “It is important to me to educate the public about firearms, teach safety, and encourage competitiveness, but more than anything to show how much fun shooting can be.”