Owner of TFirearms
Staff
Our Quality Team Members
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Joshua “Josh” Stevens
Owner of TFirearms
Joshua Stevens, or Josh, started his professional life in the Air Force as a member of the Security Forces after graduating high school in 2006. Originally planning for a career in law enforcement, Josh only wanted to join the Reserves. He planned to spend most of his post-high school life in college. However, the wars had different plans for Josh. He quickly found himself in Kirkuk, Iraq, watching Army grunts tear apart the countryside, violently distributing American freedom as they saw fit. Realizing he’d missed his calling, Josh joined the Army in 2009, spending the minimum amount of time in the Air Force as his contract required of him.
During the height of the “Global War on Terror,” the Army Infantry was more than Josh could have ever hoped. He would lead a successful Infantry career, completing two violent deployments as a Non-Commissioned Officer to Wardak Province, Afghanistan, and later to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, before his life in the fast lane would eventually catch up to him. In 2015, as a Staff Sergeant, Josh was contemplating leaving the military when the decision was made for him: he was diagnosed with a TBI-induced brain tumor that caused irreparable nerve and brain damage. This diagnosis dramatically changed Josh’s life, leading to a medical retirement from the Army in February 2017. That same year, Josh decided to start TFirearms, his way of giving back to his community and attempt to take life a little slower, all while enjoying the freedoms he had sacrificed so much to protect.
Josh is a certified Advanced Gunsmith, as well as a certified AR-15, 1911, and Glock Armorer. He also has an associate’s degree in firearm technology from Sonoran Desert Institute (SDI), where he was recognized as a famous alumni after graduation. He has also been published in Gun Digest.
The U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group certified Josh as a Military Small Arms Marksman Instructor. Additionally, Josh is an NRA-certified Basics of Pistol Shooting Instructor. Throughout his decade of service, he has trained both U.S. and Coalition service members in basic firearms skills, marksmanship, defensive pistol use, close-quarters combat, and small unit tactics. His military background provides him with experience in military law enforcement and infantry, including over two years of on-the-ground direct combat experience. Among his many accomplishments, Josh takes the most pride in being a father to his son, Liam, who is often at his side in the shop.
Josh is honored to have the opportunity to bring his passion and experience into his work. He looks forward to helping each and every one of his customers find exactly what they’re looking for with their firearm requirements.
Head of Sales and Marketing
Heather Dyer
Head of Sales and Marketing
Heather is the lead sales and marketing manager for TFirearms and is often the first person you’ll meet at the shop, especially if Josh is off, claiming to work elsewhere. Heather brings years of retail experience to TFirearms and is well-versed in common professional sales systems and marketing methods.
Heather is an NRA-certified Pistol Shooting Instructor, NRA CCW Instructor, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, and holds the rank of Oklahoma state champion in FFA/4H competitive air rifle shooting. In addition to her accomplishments in the shooting sports, she has several years of experience collaborating with law enforcement and first responders. Before that, she worked as a civilian contractor with the U.S. Army, establishing a strong foundation in the firearms industry. Heather’s expertise spans the practical application of firearms in real-world situations and the tactics necessary to effectively use them in preventing the loss of life.
When she isn’t at TFirearms, Heather is a mother of three. She is also an enthusiastic hunter, outdoorswoman, she also owns and operates a professional working and service dog kennel.
Lead Gunsmith
Gannon Smith
Lead Gunsmith
Gannon Smith was born and raised in Altus. At the age of seventeen, he enlisted into the Marine Corps as a 2111, or a small arms repairman, to begin his lifelong dream of becoming a gunsmith. In his words, “firearms have always been of great interest to me since I was around nine years old.” Following his enlistment, Gannon shipped out of Oklahoma to San Diego to begin training on October 23rd, 2017.
Once his basic training was completed, he went on to learn the ins and outs of all of the firearms the Marine Corps had to offer, including the M9, M45, M16A4, M4, M249, M240B, M2, MK-19, M27, M110 SASS, Barrett M82, M40A6, M1014, M203, M32, and 60mm and 80mm mortars.
Upon graduation, he was stationed back in California at Camp Pendleton with 1st Marine Division, 3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion. During that time, he trained Marines in immediate and remedial actions with the weapon systems on their amphibious assault vehicles. He also kept their weapons up and running by fixing any problem that arose to keep the live range running smoothly.
As his first enlistment was coming to an end, Gannon went back and forth on whether he should listen to his Chief Warrant Officer and reenlist or separate and continue his education on firearms elsewhere. He chose the latter and stumbled upon SDI, the same gunsmithing school many of the staff at TFirearms attended. There he earned his certification in gunsmithing.
In his words, “Working at TFirearms has given me the opportunity to bring together what I was taught by the Marine Corps, what I learned on my own in the Marines, and what SDI taught me. I look forward to helping my hometown community with all of their firearms requirements.
Owner of Red Beard Carry Solutions
In-house Kydex manufacturerDustin Sharpmack
Owner of Red Beard Carry Solutions
In-house Kydex manufacturerDustin Sharpmack, also known as Dusty or Sharpie, started life bouncing around the country and the globe as a Marine brat. He has lived in North Carolina, Japan, Hawaii, and South Carolina. Growing up around the military, those values and that lifestyle were imprinted on Dustin from an early age, and the thought of joining the military really appealed to him. All of that time spent around the Marine Corps made him realize that crayons are for coloring, not for eating!
Dustin joined the Air Force in 2002 after graduating from high school and completed tech school in 2003. He became an in-flight refueling operator, or a boom operator, on the KC-10A Extender and received his first assignment with the 6th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis AFB in California. He immediately began racking up hours, flying missions in support of the Global War on Terror. While at Travis AFB, Dustin began dating a smoking hot radiological technician in the Air Force named Megan. Dustin and Megan got married that next year. During his almost seven years in the Air Force, Dustin deployed five times, flying 145 combat sorties in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the Horn of Africa. He became an instructor boom operator and became a Non-Commissioned Officer. In 2008, before his 25th birthday, Dustin suffered a stroke that effected his vision, ultimately deeming him non-deployable. He was medically retired in January 2009.
After starting a family and moving to St. Louis to be near relatives, Dustin worked in pharmaceutical manufacturing—legally, with FDA-regulated companies—including narcotics and immunotherapy medications for almost eight years. In 2018, Dustin and his family made a trip to Altus for a close friend’s retirement from the Air Force. During that trip, Dustin and his ever-growing family fell in love with the small-town feel Altus has. He began to pursue jobs at Altus AFB and shortly received a job offer. He took that contracting position and proudly remains in that role, which happens to be back in an air refueling squadron.
As a firearms and shooting enthusiast, Dustin is excited for the opportunity to make custom holsters with TFirearms and provide a quality product for other enthusiasts.
Owner of Wrath Cerakote
Lead Cerakote® ApplicatorLuke Kerr
Owner of Wrath Cerakote
Lead Cerakote® ApplicatorLuke Kerr is the owner of Wrath Cerakote. He is an accomplished master flooring and tile installation expert with decades of experience. This experience lends itself perfectly Cerakote work. His natural attention to detail and knowledge of workable color pallets is exactly what makes him both a good tile installer and Cerakote applicator.
Luke, along with Josh, became a factory-certified Cerakote applicator in January 2022. This certification—combined with the skill and attention to detail Luke provides—makes him one of the top-ranked applicators in the nation and one of the top “Cerakoters” in Oklahoma as ranked by Cerakote.
When asked to provide additional background information, Luke, in his typical rosy disposition, said, “Nope, they don’t need to know anything. Tell them to look at the gallery of our work.”
General Gunsmith
Thomas “TJ” Salka
General Gunsmith
Thomas Salka, or TJ, as most folks know him, started life in the Florida Panhandle. After graduating in 2005, he decided to join the Army in 2007, where he served as a Chinook helicopter crew chief. While in the Army, TJ took some time to vacation in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Iraq, as is often the case, TJ realized just how unstable the world really can become given the right circumstances. Following that time overseas, TJ spent as much of his free time as possible learning about tactics and individual weapons systems outside of what would be considered the normal scope of work for an aviation MOS.
After buying his first shotgun, he really caught the gun modification bug, which led down the expensive rabbit hole any firearms aficionado knows too well, ultimately leading to his employment with TFirearms. To this day, TJ still uses that same old, crusty Mossberg Maverick 88 as a test mule for different Mossberg 500 parts. TJ has since built a number of clone rifles based on weapons he used while in the service. As his skills grew and progressed, he started building out pistols while continuing to tinker with shotguns. He has most recently devolved into the dirty Cosmoline-drenched world of AKs.
In 2012, TJ officially left military service and found himself back in the civilian world. With a strong desire to serve and be of value to his community, TJ used his GI benefits to become certified as an EMT and attend his local firefighter academy. After graduating, he worked as an EMT for two years in the Florida Panhandle. Realizing life as a single father would require a less hectic work schedule, TJ applied to work in the Air Force aviation world and ended up in Altus as part of the A-Team, working to keep the base up in the air while spending as much time with his son as possible.
TJ works part-time with TFirearms as a general gunsmith and is apprenticing with Dustin to help cover down on holster manufacturing for the shop.