John Harold Weaver (November 1, 1928 – April 7, 2009) was a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff and the developer of the Weaver stance, a popular shooting stance for firing handguns.

Biography

Weaver was born on November 1, 1928, in South Gate, California. He was an only child. Weaver attended Herbert Hoover High School in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, and briefly attended Glendale Community College, but left when he was drafted into the United States Army. It was around this time that he met Joy Moniot, whom he married on August 30, 1952, in Glendale. He joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 1954. Weaver was a member of the Southwest Combat Pistol League, along with several other world-class shooters including Ray Chapman. In 1955, the team and individuals won the national championships at the Toledo, Ohio, combat range using both one-handed and two-handed stances. The team defended the trophy for most of the following decade at practice matches in preparation for the National Pistol Matches, held shortly thereafter at Camp Perry in northern Ohio. Weaver retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 1979, and resided near

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

, until his death.

Weaver stance

The Weaver stance was developed by Weaver in the late 1950s to compete in

Jeff Cooper John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine, the creator of a "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. Early life and education Cooper was ...

's "Leatherslap" matches, which Weaver won in 1959. The stance, which incorporates a two-handed grip,

isometric The term ''isometric'' comes from the Greek for "having equal measurement". isometric may mean: * Cubic crystal system, also called isometric crystal system * Isometre, a rhythmic technique in music. * "Isometric (Intro)", a song by Madeon from ...

tension to reduce

muzzle flip Muzzle rise, muzzle flip or muzzle climb refers to the tendency of a firearm's or airgun's muzzle (front end of the barrel) to rise up after firing. It more specifically refers to the seemingly unpredictable "jump" of the firearm's muzzle, cau ...

, and aimed fire using the weapon's sights, was adopted in 1982 as the official shooting style of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

. Weaver's approach to handgun technique is reflected in a 1994 letter he wrote to ''Handguns'' magazine: "Practice, experiment, shoot in competition, stick to one gun, one style (no last-second decisions) and don't wait until you're in a shootout to find out what works and what doesn't."

Notes

References

External links

The REAL Weaver Shooting Stance
via YouTube * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, Jack 1928 births 2009 deaths American law enforcement officials People from South Gate, California