Meet the Instructors: Matthew & Barbie Dinsmore
At DINSMORE-DEFENSE, we're a husband-and-wife team passionate about empowering responsible Michiganders with practical firearms skills for self-defense and confidence. Matthew and Barbie Dinsmore are USCCA Certified Instructors offering Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals courses, including ladies-only Michigan CPL classes, private sessions, and flexible scheduling on our private range.
We tailor training to all skill levels with options for online classroom portions, private training, dry-fire sessions, CPL refreshers, and more. Whether weekdays, weekends, mornings, or nights, we work around your schedule. If a posted class time doesn't fit, just reach out and we'll adjust!
Matthew is the founder of DINSMORE-DEFENSE and a dedicated firearms instructor with extensive training under some of the nation’s top experts, including Tim Herron, Scott Jedlinski (Modern Samurai Project), Tony Cowden (Capable Inc.), Haley Strategic, and more. As a lifelong concealed carry practitioner, Matthew regularly hones his skills through practice and competition in IDPA, A.C.T.S., two-gun (rifle & pistol), USPSA, and Steel Challenge matches. He brings real-world expertise to every class, focusing on safety, responsibility, and building confidence for students to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.
Barbie is a USCCA-certified firearms instructor fiercely dedicated to empowering women through hands-on training. Her women’s-only Michigan CPL classes, held on weekends, create a supportive space to build confidence and skill. Barbie has mastered concealed carry for nearly two decades, seamlessly integrating her firearm into her hectic life of raising dogs, kids, running marathons, working out, etc. Her expertise in choosing firearms and gear, optimized for active women and moms who demand reliability and comfort in any scenario, makes her a go-to authority. With an engaging teaching style, Barbie offers online classroom options and private training sessions on weekday evenings or weekends, by appointment, when not leading group classes.