Staff Bios

Matt Janes and his wife, Dana Janes, started Second Amendment Sports in 1993 with six cases of ammunition, and things just took off from there. He is impassioned about what he does, because he loves the outdoors. He involves himself in the entire outdoor sports industry. He has hunted upland game and big game in many western states with firearms and bow. He fished both salt and fresh water for multiple species: his repertoire of fishing including fly and bait fishing on the entire Pacific Coast, including three trips to Alaska. He is a Martial Arms graduate, has a CCW, and has owned almost every firearm imaginable! As for his camping background, Matt is an Eagle Scout who has attended three national and two world jamborees. He also has extensive backcountry experience in the entire Upper Kern Plateau. His most recently acquired skill is mastering the compound bow --so that he can extend his hunting opportunities. Matt used most brands of paintball markers, but in 2000, he slid into a bunker and blew his right knee out. “Recball has tapered off since,? he jokes. In 2005, he was honored with the title of “2005 Kern County Sportsman of the Year.? Needless to say, Matt puts his whole heart, mind, body, and soul into providing Kern County with the most comprehensive, progressive, one-stop outdoorsports store.

“Raised with basic family values and many early outdoor opportunities, I stayed close to my desires while honing my business skills with my father/mentor. Then I took those family business and relationship skills and applied them to the outdoor industry. Continually surrounding myself with good people and loving family has allowed me to find a creative outlet at Second Amendment Sports. I appreciate all my association with you over time, and I hope to continue to share this passion with you!

Keith Foster started working for Second Amendment Sports in 2000. Although he hunts hogs and exotics from time to time, his passion is martial arts –especially techniques that implement edged weapons. Keith’s 20 years of martial arts studies include concentration in Japanese and Filipino edged weapons training, giving him practical working knowledge of knives, cutting techniques, and knife maintenance. While people may only dream of being able to mesh their sports with their professions, Keith made it a reality. He has 16 years of retail experience in cutlery, and of those 16, he was the manager of two cutlery stores for 13 years. For the last 10 years, Keith has crafted his own knives part time, and now has his own line, Oni Knives. He has also trained with our rangemaster, Don Busse, in his defensive handgun Martial Arms classes, to round out the whole of martial arts training. Keith brings to SAS a multidisciplinary background comprised of his management skills and his practical experiences.

Joshaua Beck has worked with us since 2004, and in the beginning of 2007, headed south to start up our new store location in Tucson, Arizona. He is the assistant manager, and he is also the Department Head of Archery and the Archery Pro Shop. He comes from a well rounded outdoors background as both a bow hunter and a long gun hunter, specializing in deer and upland hunting. He was born and raised on the Kern River, fishing for Trout, Small Mouth, Catfish, and Striper, and he even took occasional offshore rock fishing trips. He does camping and rock climbing trips as often as time allows him. Josh has even spent four years pursuing the sport of paintball! He loves every aspect of the outdoors: “hunting, climbing, fishing, or camping trips are great excuses to leave the city and run to the hills for relaxation.

Thomas started working for SAS in the Spring of 2005. He has 9 years of firearms and archery hunting, 11 years of paintballing, and 19 years of camping and hiking experience. He is a former Boy Scout. Somewhere along his way, Thomas got trained in rock climbing, and took that up as a hobby, also. It his goal to climb every 14,000 foot mountain in California, within the next two years. So far, he has climbed Mt. Langley, Mt. Whitney, and Split Mountain.

For Second Amendment Sports, Thomas is the Sales Floor Manager, Fall Goods Department Head,a certified Glock Armorer, and a Law Enforcement Sales Rep. He has trained with the Martial Arms Training Division in Martial Arms I and II, and has supplemented that with a Handgun Retention class. In 2005, Thomas was awarded 1st place in the Glock Shooting Sports Foundation shooting match held here, at SAS. Thomas continues training in all departments in the store and gaining product knowledge, to serve his clients better. “I have been fortunate enough to have over 9 years of experience in both retail and hunting. I am a very diverse hunter, with experience hunting waterfowl, upland game, varmints, and small and large game."

Ross Bacon was hired in 2007 as a salesman and promoted close to six months later to be the Archery Department Head. “I love to camp anytime I can. I have camped extensively throughout the Sierra Nevadas. I love to go hiking, but prefer multi-day backpacking trips. Hiking on the Grand Mesa in Colorado, my home state, tends to be the most rewarding for me. I am also skilled in wilderness survival as well as improvised first aid in remote areas. I have been shooting archery on and off for a few years, but have recently become more dedicated to the sport, since becoming Archery Department Head,” he says. In addition to his experience in the outdoors, Ross has also been in a few paintball wars, exercising his team strategy skills! We think his team skills have also translated into being a great member of our sales staff. Ross will assist customers in any category of the store –including law enforcement purchases, but will also be our customers’ contact for bow tuning and maintenance, and mount and boresighting of firearms.

Alex Bowman started working for Second Amendment Sports in August of 2007. Born into a family of outdoorsmen, Alex grew up in Northern California, and he was active in Boy Scouts. He shot competition small bore with the Scouts, camped, and fished, since he was 7 years old. Alex fished Salmon, Striped Bass, and Trout out of the Sacramento River, Clamouth River, the Carquinez Straits, and the San Francisco Bay, since he was 5 years old. He’s had some experience paintballing with friends. “Most of the things I know about the outdoors and firearms I learned from my dad and granddad, but I’m always looking to advance my knowledge. I love outdoors cooking and camping, but firearms are probably my biggest passion.” Since the start of his employment, Bowman has taken several classes from our Training Division: Advanced Defensive Handgun 1, 1 Day Tactical Rifle, 4 Month Tactical Rifle, Handgun Retention, Shotgun 1, and the 8 hr CCW course.

I started working with Second Amendment Sports in the summer of 2002, and have recently been filling in some time on the sales floor, as a lead sales rep. I have no experience in paintballing or airsoft. I have been known to pick off squirrels with an air rifle, though. I have four years of experience as a competitor in Olympic style archery. Consequently, most of my experience is with recurve bows, but a lot of the basic principles of shooting cross over to the high tech compound bows that we sell. I’ve fished bass all my life with my father, at Don Pedro and Melones lakes. I have had the opportunity to catch shark and cod in chartered trips, and Steelhead and Walleye in occasional trips. As for camping and hiking, most of my camping has been car camping in places like Hume, Yosemite, the Kern River, Dinkey Creek, Prairie Creek, and Sequoia. In fact, on one of my trips, I literally camped IN my car –a Honda Element! I’ve done some long day hikes in Yosemite, but I have yet to hike into a spot and camp. Most of my firearms and self defense training has come from Second Amendment Sports. I have taken Knife I, Advanced Defensive Handgun 1, Tactics 1, Handgun Retention, Shotgun 1, CCW Tactics and Techniques, the Womens Only Self Defense Options Seminar, and the CCW courses. I also trained with the Karate class for a time, and spent a year training in CSUB’s judo class. I have some practical experience that can help our clients make good choices, and I can find good answers for the questions that they may have.

Brandon began working for Second Amendment Sports in 2008. Brandon is from Lake Isabella, and he has a comprehensive background in sports. First, he was a serious paintballer. He played tournaments and 24 Hour Scenario Matches for seven years. Then, prior to his employment, Brandon was a regular student of the Training Division. He has taken a number of courses: Advanced Defensive Handgun 1-4 and the Advanced Defensive Handgun Combat Master of Handgun course. He has also successfully completed Shotgun 1 and 2, Tactics 1 and 2, Precision Rifle, Practical Rifle, CQB, Tactical Pistol, the 8 Hour CCW course, and he has even received training in Full Auto Sub Machine guns with Chuck Taylor. In addition to his tactical training, Brandon also has six years of experience in hunting upland game and varmint in the Lake Isabella area and in the high desert region. He’s taken courses in outdoor survival with Sledfast Outfitting, and he has been camping all over California, Colorado, and Oregon, since he was three. In conjunction with his camping, Brandon did a lot of fishing and fly fishing, as well. Venues include but are not limited to Eagle Lake down through Lake Isabella, and Mammoth Lakes. Brandon is an experienced outdoorsman with a lot of knowledge to offer any customer who walks into the store. He is friendly and helpful, provides excellent advice, and is quick to build positive relationships with clients.

Geno was hired in 2008. Like most sportsmen, he was taught how to handle firearms by hunters in his family. He learned to shoot, when he was 7 years old, and he's been hunting upland birds and varmints up and down the San Joaquin valley ever since then. Geno also learned freshwater fishing, when he was 4. He's fished all over California and Oregon. He's camped all his life in areas such as Balch Park, Klamath, San Diego, and various locations in Oregon. Geno's newest venture in outdoor sports is bowhunting. After studying archery and outfitting clients with proper equipment, Geno won a complete bow setup in a company contest, and he is eagerly honing his archery skills for use in the field. Recently, Gno attended a lecture from Swarovski Optik, and has acquired insight into the principles of optics. He can help anybody find the best optic that he or she needs. Geno is a big friendly guy who speaks honestly and plainly. He is a good reference for archery, firearms, fishing, and optics.