Minnesota Mall Hero: A Skilled Firearms Trainer

Jason Falconer, the hero who stopped a terrorist mall stabbing attack in St. Cloud, Minnesota, is far from just an off-duty police officer.He's also a 3 gun competitor, USPSA shooter, firearms trainer, and concealed carry advocate, as well as the President and owner of Tactical Advantage Firearms Training, a central-Minnesota based company that trains citizens to obtain concealed carry permits.The man who stabbed nine people at a Minnesota mall Saturday was a "soldier of the Islamic State," according to a news organization affiliated with the terror group ISIS.The attack took place at several locations inside the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, when a Somali man, identified by his father as Dahir Adan, 22, began stabbing unarmed civilians.In at least one case, he asked the victims if they were Muslim. Somali immigrants have a large presence in St. Cloud, and nine Somali-Minnesotans have been convicted of attempting to join the Islamic State in the past.In addition, several dozen Somali men have left to join al-Shabaab, a terrorist group operating mainly in Somalia, but also in several neighboring countries.

Armed Hero is Reserve Minnesota Police Officer, Competitive Shooter

According to his biography, Falconer is a former police chief of Albany, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Cloud.He is a member of the United States Practical Shooting Association, the St. Cloud Area Practical Shooters Association, and an NRA-certified instructor.He competes year-round in outdoor matches, including pistol and 3-gun, a discipline in which shooters transition between rifle, pistol and shotgun in a variety of highly challenging stages.He currently serves as a part-time police officer in Albany and assists the St. Cloud State University Law Enforcement Skills Training staff with decision shooting and dynamic entry. He created the Albany police department's POST-approved firearms training curriculum.His goal, according to his biography, is "to teach individuals the mindset, knowledge and skills needed to be successful with firearms in order to secure their personal safety or that of their family; at home or in public."

Get more Grit! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.