Rick Vasquez is a nationally and internationally recognized firearms and security expert with over 45 years of experience in the field. He has worked with and for a large majority of the big names in the industry from the United States Marine Corps to Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms to Diplomatic Security and so many more.
Rick Vasquez began his career as a United States Marine in 1974. Over his 21 year career in the Marine Corps, Rick received training as a basic armorer and as an advanced gunsmith at the precision weapons shop in Quantico, Virginia, where Rick subsequently served as the chief instructor of the facility. During his tenure with the Marine Corps, he was the representative that ensured the introduction of the M16A2 service rifle into the hands of the 6th Marine Regiment, coordinated the implementation and development of the Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle, and deployed to Colombia where he developed armorer training for the Columbian Marines. Additionally, Rick served as a Marine Recruiter, a Marine Security Guard Detachment Commander at the American Embassies in Kingston, Jamaica and Moscow, Russia, and a Marine Barracks Security Guard in Naples, Italy.
After leaving the Marine Corps, Rick joined the U.S. Department of State as a gunsmith and firearms instructor before joining the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a Firearms Enforcement Officer in the Firearms Technology Branch (FTB). Rick’s tenure at ATF included traveling to Bosnia where he worked with NATO forces to gather evidence for the war crimes tribunals; he also assisted the governments of Columbia, Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Curaco, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Australia, as well as INTERPOL, with firearms regulations, statutes and prosecutions for the U.S. Government. While at ATF FTB, where he served as both a Assistant Branch Chief, and Branch Chief, he wrote the first Standard Operating Procedures for all disciplines of the FTB, wrote firearms rulings, prepared firearm briefs for Congress, developed firearms identification courses, and reviewed/approved all ATF firearms rulings produced by FTB. Rick was also instrumental in reviewing the National Firearms Act Trade and Collectors Association (NFATCA) for accuracy and trained U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the intricacies of importation guidelines and the recognition of unlawful imports.
Rick has received a public service award from the United States Attorney in the 4th district, numerous letters of appreciation from ATF, FBI, and foreign law enforcement, and was presented with a commendation from the Director of Diplomatic Security. He was also awarded ATF’s Distinguished Service Medal and Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Year for the United States Marine Corps.