As a child and adolescent Angelo Agonoy trained in empty-hand defense under the arts of Tae Kwon Doe, Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He learned firearms safety and basic marksmanship from his father and uncle hunting small game and target shooting. He was also an avid airsofter in his youth participating in mil-sim events and competitions. 

 

Angelo was a member of Pathfinders, a co-ed parachurch organization similar to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, but works specifically with the cultural, social and religious education of children and teens. As a Pathfinder he learned about first aid, wilderness leadership, wilderness first aid and outdoor survival. 

 

While he was in college, a chain of events led him down a road of researching how to be better prepared. As active killer events began to rampage, he naturally sought out first responder, self-defense and very basic formal firearms training. 

 

On December 15, 2015, a terrible tragedy changed the trajectory of his life. At approximately 11:04 am, he received a text message from his mother, an employee of the Inland Regional Center, as she was sheltering in her manager’s office. Two active killers had shot up a Christmas party in the campus auditorium with rifles, killing 14 innocent lives and injuring 22 more. This was the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history  since 9/11, and his mother was right in the middle of it. 

 

Angelo recounts the feeling of his heart sinking in his chest when he got that text message. Tuning into the news, he watched as SWAT teams and helicopters swarmed in. As they watched, he and his father felt utterly helpless. He begged his mother to turn the ringer off on her phone and did his best to explain to her how to seek cover, barricade the door, close the blinds and turn off the lights. He wanted to do more, but knew he could do nothing to affect the situation. He watched in horror as things unfolded on TV, hoping and praying. 

 

Angelo was reunited with his mother later that day and he thanked God for His protection over her and for allowing her to be unharmed. That day, as he held his mother in his arms, he vowed in his heart to do something to hopefully make a difference in stopping active killers and to help himself and others be more prepared to preserve innocent life. 

 

In the weeks following the San Bernardino Terrorist Attack, Angelo researched violent crime and sought out more intensive defensive firearms training and active shooter response programs. His training research led him to taking his first 40-hour defensive handgun course that winter, just weeks after the attack. He began to train extensively for the next three years racking up hundreds of hours of formal training. 

 

In the summer of 2018, Angelo was recruited to work as an instructor at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute. After teaching part-time for several months, he transitioned out of vocational pastoral ministry, moved to Las Vegas and began working as a full-time firearms instructor. 

 

While working at Front Sight, Angelo taught courses in multiple weapon platforms and disciplines. He trained thousands of law enforcement officers, military personnel, security professionals and responsibly armed citizens on the range. After attending an EMT school and obtaining first responder certifications, Angelo also taught trauma management courses and joined Front Sight’s medical response team. 

 

Angelo accepted an invitation to serve a local congregation as a safety team leader in the fall of 2019, while still working for Front Sight full-time. He oversaw the training of the church safety team in tactical and medical training, provided close protection services to the pastoral team and implemented updates to the church’s safety plan. 

 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Angelo accepted a call to serve as a member of the pastoral staff overseeing youth, collegiate and young adult ministries.He now serves as the assistant pastor overseeing church safety and security ministry. He has a great passion for the integration of church safety and security into the mission of the church. 

 

In April of 2022, Angelo left his full-time employment at Front Sight and started Higher Purpose Training. He wears multiple hats as he not only operates HPT, but he continues to preach in churches and teach for other organizations. He is a proud member of the firearms instructor cadre for the Center of Constitutional Defense at Patriot Academy and an instructor for Southern Nevada CERT through the City of Las Vegas Office of Emergency Management. He also works in the private security and executive protection industry. 

 

Angelo has every intention of remaining involved in pastoral ministry in one way or another. It is his life’s calling. He resides in Las Vegas with his wife and best friend, Judy, and their daughter.