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Old June 5, 2012, 07:48 AM   #1
HeadHunter
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RIP Paul Gomez

Anyone who has done any training past the basic level should be familiar with the name Paul Gomez.

Paul passed away last Friday, apparently due to complications from diabetes. He was 40.

He will be missed.
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Old June 5, 2012, 08:18 AM   #2
Bartholomew Roberts
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Very sad news. Paul contributed a great deal to the training community.
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Old June 5, 2012, 08:45 AM   #3
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What a tragic loss, he was too young.
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Old June 5, 2012, 09:13 AM   #4
Willie Sutton
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Very sorry to hear this.

Perhaps now Colonel Cooper can guide him back towards the straight path, from which he wandered. I trust a bottle of Jeff's best whiskey and a good 1911A1 with which to experiment is waiting for Paul 'Out West', someplace past where the sun sets.


Via con Dios,


Willie

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Old June 5, 2012, 09:26 AM   #5
Manson
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This is difficult to wrap my brain around. Two weeks ago we were watching his latest training video's. A very good and knowledgeable trainer. Our community has lost a good man. He will be missed.
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Old June 5, 2012, 11:07 AM   #6
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Happy trails to you, Mr. Gomez. You will be missed.
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Old June 5, 2012, 11:09 AM   #7
Glenn E. Meyer
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My heart felt sympathies to his family. He was a great guy and instructor. I just saw him a few months ago. Tragic.

Glenn
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Old June 5, 2012, 05:16 PM   #8
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Are you guys sure?

I've met him several times and he sure didn't look like he had diabetes.

If so, well that's pretty sad. Only 40.

Deaf
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Old June 5, 2012, 05:39 PM   #9
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I'm sorry to hear about his death. My thoughts are with his family.
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Old June 6, 2012, 07:01 AM   #10
NYC Drew
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We have lost a wealth of knowledge. Mr. Gomez was a solid trainer.
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Old June 6, 2012, 08:48 AM   #11
skoro
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Tragic...

Rest well, Paul Gomez.
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Old June 6, 2012, 12:26 PM   #12
sonick808
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i was just reading his posts and watching his vids less than 12 hours ago. What a loss, he seemed like a real straight shooter. no pun. Sorry for his family
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Old June 6, 2012, 02:22 PM   #13
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Man like others said I was just watching his videos a few days ago. Seemed like a pretty level headed guy and he most def knew his stuff. I wish the best to his family during this tough time.
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Old June 6, 2012, 02:43 PM   #14
Glenn E. Meyer
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Here's a very thoughtful eulogy by Andy Stanford.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/...aul-gomez.html
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Old June 9, 2012, 05:40 AM   #15
1911Alaska
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Sad that he died so young. Scary for me to, I have had type 1 diabetes since 2009. Luckily I am still young (20) and have fairly good control of my diabetes (below 7 A1C) but there are always complications when it comes to diabetes. Really scares me, but also motivates me to eat healthy, keep my blood sugar under control, and to exercise regularly.
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Old June 10, 2012, 01:12 PM   #16
Lee Lapin
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Mas posted at his blog also -

http://backwoodshome.com/blogs/Massa...-p-paul-gomez/
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Old June 12, 2012, 02:17 AM   #17
Ed Lawrence
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Willie Sutton wrote:
Quote:
Perhaps now Colonel Cooper can guide him back towards the straight path, from which he wandered.
Do you realize what an incredibly insensitive and thoughtless statement you made in your post? One of my best friends in the world dies and leaves three children, and your big concern seems to be the caliber/gun/or shooting stance that a now dead person preferred?

Paul was one of my best friends in this world. We had our disagreements over some firearms related things. But that had zero effect on our friendship, nor did it even enter my mind when I first learned that he had died or when I attended his funeral.

Paul had stayed at my house many times, we'd attended training together and had spent hundreds if not thousands of hours discussing all manner of things over the 10 years that I was privileged to have known him. He was as sincere a person and as true of a friend as I could ask for.

I will miss his company and our long conversations on the phone whenever one of us were on the road.

He was a model firearms trainer, with boundless enthusiasm to teach and increase his encyclopediac knowledge of the subject as well as more avant garde pursuits. He was a strong proponent of encouraging people to seek out a wide variety of professional training and in the forefront of new trends, like advocating woundcare training for the average person. He played a huge role in organizing and promoting conferences, convincing instructors to appear there, and convincing students to attend, and doing lots of work behind the scenes.

When I got one of the first FS2000s in the country, Paul immediately encouraged me to approach SWAT Magazine about doing an article on it since there was no first-hand info on this gun, and I had been into firearms and training for a while and had gotten articles published elsewhere. And that turned out to be my first of many articles that SWAT printed. I had forgotten Paul's role in this until someone mentioned first hearing about Paul in an article that I wrote for SWAT on his AK class.

Paul spent many extra hours of his own time on the range working with students who had issues, without extra charge. He also provided many people with private and semi private lessons for what they could afford if they were in his travel routes. This sometimes meant offering training in exchange for a meal and a place to crash.

He probably spent hundreds of hours a month answering questions from people he barely knew either online or on the phone.

You don't hear much about these students because they typically were not major participants in forums or attended many shooting classes. It was likley someone who approached Paul with aquestion somewhere who he got to talking to and communicating with and said, "let me see what I can do for you . . . "

I remember his ex-wife who is the mother of his 3 children saying that if they were on the road and saw someone pulled off to the side with car problems who looked like it was beyond their ability to handle it, like an elderly person with a flat tire, she knew that Paul would pull over to lend a hand. So she always made sure that they left extra early on any trips.

I feel especially bad for his three children, his family, girlfriend, and the many people in the firearms and tactical community that he rubbed shoulders with. He will be missed by many people.

I hope I'll see him on the other side.

Ed

Last edited by Ed Lawrence; June 12, 2012 at 02:40 AM.
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Old June 12, 2012, 10:06 AM   #18
Glenn E. Meyer
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Please let's not continue an off-topic discussion. Ed, I appreciate your experience with Paul. Willie - no need to respond. I assume your post wasn't trying to be hurtful.

So let it cease (same for others).

Folks who have met and worked with Paul morn his loss and pray for his family.

Glenn
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Old July 4, 2012, 11:28 PM   #19
Brian48
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He was only 40? Unbelievable. The gun owning community has lost a great asset. RIP and prayers to his family.
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