Terms of Service

Firearm Mentorship Network ("FMN") — https://firearmmentorshipnetwork.com

1. Agreement to These Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Firearm Mentorship Network ("FMN," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the Firearm Mentorship Network website at https://firearmmentorshipnetwork.com, related applications, communications, and services (collectively, the "Platform").

By creating an account, clicking "I agree," or using the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, our Safety Policy, our Professional Code of Conduct, and any additional terms that apply to features you use (together, the "Platform Policies"), all of which are incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

PLEASE READ SECTION 17 (DISPUTE RESOLUTION) CAREFULLY. IT INCLUDES YOUR AGREEMENT THAT EXCLUSIVE VENUE LIES IN THE STATE COURTS LOCATED IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA, OR THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, AND A WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

2. What FMN Is — and What It Is Not

2.1 A free networking and directory service. FMN is a free, nationwide online network that helps people interested in firearms training ("Participants" or "Students") find and connect with independent firearms instructors ("Instructors") and mentors ("Mentors"). Instructors and Mentors are together called "Providers." FMN offers profiles, a location-based directory, training requests, messaging, scheduling and booking tools, group classes and waitlists, attendance tracking, reviews, saved searches, and notifications.

2.2 FMN does not provide training. FMN is not a firearms training school, range, or instructor. All training, mentoring, instruction, range time, and related activities ("Training") are provided solely by independent Providers. FMN does not supervise, direct, or control Training, and is not present at Training sessions.

2.3 FMN is not a party to Provider–Participant arrangements. Any booking, agreement, or arrangement for Training is made directly between the Participant (or the Participant's parent or legal guardian) and the Provider. FMN is not a party to those arrangements, except to the limited extent that its Platform Policies apply to use of the Platform.

2.4 No payments for Training. FMN does not charge Participants or Providers to use the Platform and does not process, hold, or refund payments for Training. A Provider may link to its own outside payment page. Any payment you make to a Provider is a transaction solely between you and that Provider, on that Provider's terms and the terms of the outside payment service.

2.5 No firearms or ammunition sales. FMN does not sell, buy, transfer, broker, ship, store, or facilitate the sale or transfer of firearms, ammunition, firearm parts, or other regulated items, and the Platform is not a marketplace. Users may not use the Platform to arrange any sale or transfer of firearms, ammunition, or regulated items (see Section 8).

2.6 Revenue from sponsors. FMN is supported by sponsors and advertisers who display advertising on the Platform. Sponsorship does not mean FMN endorses any sponsor, product, or service, and sponsors do not receive users' private messages or personal contact information through the Platform except as described in our Privacy Policy.

3. Eligibility and Accounts

3.1 Age. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. Individuals under 18 ("Minors") may not create accounts, log in, send messages, or have public profiles.

3.2 Minors through Guardian accounts only. A Minor may participate only in Training designated by the Provider as suitable for youth ("Youth Classes"), and only through the account of the Minor's parent or legal guardian ("Guardian"), under the Parent/Guardian Consent and Minor Participation Agreement. The Guardian creates and manages the Minor's sub-profile, makes all bookings and communications, provides all consents, and must attend the Training or otherwise remain fully responsible for the Minor as described in that agreement.

3.3 Legal capacity. You represent that you are legally able to enter into a binding contract and that you are not barred from using the Platform under applicable law or a prior FMN suspension.

3.4 Accurate information. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to keep it updated. You may not impersonate any person, create a false identity, or create more than one personal account without our permission.

3.5 Account security. You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for all activity on your account. Notify us promptly at support@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com if you suspect unauthorized access.

3.6 Business accounts. If you register on behalf of a business or organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind it to these Terms, and "you" includes that organization.

4. Provider Applications, Credentials, and Verification

4.1 Application and review. Instructors and Mentors must apply and submit information such as certifications, experience, references, and insurance information. An FMN administrator reviews applications and may approve, deny, request more information, or later revoke approval at FMN's discretion.

4.2 Limits of review. FMN's review is limited. FMN does not independently verify every credential, certification, license, insurance policy, reference, statement, or claim made by any user, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any profile. Approval means only that a Provider met FMN's then-current screening criteria at the time of review; it is not an endorsement, certification, or guarantee of qualifications, competence, safety, or legal compliance.

4.3 Background checks. Some Providers may display an optional background-check status. That status reflects information supplied by the Provider or a third-party screening vendor at a particular time, may be incomplete or out of date, and is not a guarantee that the Provider has no criminal history or is safe. Background checks are not required of all Providers, and the absence of a status does not imply anything negative.

4.4 Badges and labels. Any badge, label, ranking, or status displayed on the Platform (such as "Approved," "Background Check Reported," or "Founding") is informational only and may change at any time.

4.5 Your responsibility. Participants and Guardians are solely responsible for evaluating any Provider, including by reviewing credentials directly, asking questions, verifying certifications with the issuing organization, and confirming insurance, range arrangements, and legal compliance before booking.

5. Using the Platform's Features

5.1 Directory and search. Search results and distance calculations are approximate and depend on information users provide. Ranking and ordering may reflect factors such as distance, relevance, completeness of profile, ratings, availability. Sponsors and advertisers do not influence directory ranking; sponsored placements are displayed separately from search results and are labeled as sponsored.

5.2 Training Requests. Participants may post requests describing desired Training, and Providers may respond. Training Requests are governed by the Training Request Terms, the Training Request Participant Code of Conduct, and the Training Request Safety Acknowledgment.

5.3 Bookings and group classes. Bookings, group classes, waitlists, and attendance features are governed by the Booking Agreement, the Cancellation Policy, and the Booking Safety Acknowledgment. Provider-specific terms may also apply if disclosed before booking and if they do not conflict with the Platform Policies.

5.4 Messaging. Private messaging is provided to facilitate Training-related communication. Messages are private between participants but are not confidential from FMN: messages may be scanned by automated tools and reviewed by FMN personnel for safety, fraud prevention, enforcement of the Platform Policies, and legal compliance, as described in the Privacy Policy.

5.5 Reviews and ratings. Reviews must reflect your genuine, first-hand experience with Training that actually took place. You may not offer or accept compensation for reviews, post reviews of yourself or competitors, or post reviews that are false, misleading, harassing, or that disclose private information. FMN may remove reviews that violate these Terms or the law but does not otherwise edit reviews to change their meaning. FMN complies with the federal Consumer Review Fairness Act and will not restrict honest reviews.

5.6 Notifications. You may receive email, in-app, and (if you opt in) text notifications. You can manage most notification preferences in your account settings; certain transactional and safety notices cannot be disabled while you have an account.

6. User Content

6.1 Ownership. You retain ownership of content you submit, such as profile information, photos, class descriptions, messages, and reviews ("User Content").

6.2 License to FMN. You grant FMN a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable license to host, store, reproduce, display, adapt (for formatting and display), and distribute your User Content as needed to operate, promote, and improve the Platform. For public content (such as Provider profiles and reviews), this license continues for a reasonable period after deletion and for content already shared or cached. FMN will not use private messages for advertising.

6.3 Your representations. You represent that you have all rights needed to submit your User Content, and that it does not violate any law, these Terms, or the rights of any third party (including privacy, publicity, copyright, and trademark rights). Do not post images of other people, including Minors, without proper consent.

6.4 Moderation. FMN may, but is not obligated to, monitor, screen, remove, or restrict any User Content or account at any time, with or without notice, for any reason consistent with these Terms. FMN is not responsible for User Content and does not endorse it.

7. User Responsibilities and Conduct

You agree to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including firearms, ammunition, transportation, range, and licensing laws, and with the Professional Code of Conduct (for Providers) and the Training Request Participant Code of Conduct (for Participants). You are solely responsible for your conduct on and off the Platform in connection with any Training.

8. Prohibited Uses

You may not use the Platform to:

1. Buy, sell, trade, give away, transfer, broker, or arrange the shipment of any firearm, frame or receiver, ammunition, suppressor, firearm part, or other regulated item, or post listings or solicitations for such transactions (lawful classroom or range use of a Provider's own equipment under the Provider's direct supervision during Training is not a "transfer" for this purpose, but remains subject to applicable law);
2. Facilitate access to firearms by any person prohibited by law from possessing them, or evade background-check, licensing, waiting-period, or transfer requirements;
3. Promote, plan, or teach violence, unlawful activity, unlawful manufacture or conversion of firearms (including conversion to automatic fire), or tactics intended to harm others;
4. Harass, threaten, stalk, intimidate, discriminate against, or exploit any person, or engage in sexual or romantic solicitation;
5. Contact Minors directly, or attempt to obtain Minors' contact information, outside of the Guardian account;
6. Post false, misleading, or fraudulent information, including fake credentials, certifications, insurance, or reviews;
7. Spam, scrape, crawl, data-mine, or harvest data or contact information from the Platform, or use bots without our written consent;
8. Interfere with, probe, or circumvent the security or operation of the Platform;
9. Use the Platform to recruit Participants away from the Platform for the purpose of evading safety rules, or to send unsolicited commercial messages;
10. Infringe intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights; or
11. Violate any applicable law or the Platform Policies.

9. Sponsors, Advertising, and Third-Party Links

The Platform displays advertising and sponsored content, which will be identified as such. Sponsors are governed by the Sponsor/Advertiser Terms. FMN does not endorse, warrant, or assume responsibility for any sponsor, advertiser, third-party website, outside payment page, product, or service. Your dealings with them are solely between you and them.

10. Safety

Firearms training involves inherent risks of serious injury and death. You must read and follow the FMN Safety Policy and any applicable safety acknowledgments. FMN's safety tools (such as reporting, blocking, and moderation) are supplemental and do not replace your own judgment, the Provider's responsibility for safe instruction, range rules, or law enforcement. In an emergency, call 911. Report safety concerns to safety@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com.

11. Fees

The Platform is currently free for Participants and Providers. FMN may introduce optional paid features in the future; if it does, it will provide notice and the opportunity to accept separate terms before you are charged. Fees for Training are set by Providers and paid outside the Platform.

12. Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its software, design, text, graphics, logos, and the names "Firearm Mentorship Network" and "FMN," are owned by FMN or its licensors and protected by intellectual-property laws. Subject to these Terms, FMN grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Platform for its intended personal or professional purposes. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or reverse engineer any part of the Platform except as permitted by law.

Copyright complaints. If you believe content on the Platform infringes your copyright, send a notice meeting the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) to our designated copyright agent at legal@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com. We may terminate repeat infringers.

Feedback. If you send us suggestions or feedback, we may use them without obligation to you.

13. Suspension and Termination

You may close your account at any time through account settings or by contacting support@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com. FMN may suspend, restrict, or terminate your account or access, remove content, or cancel listed classes, at any time and for any reason, including suspected violation of the Platform Policies, safety concerns, legal risk, or inactivity. Where appropriate and safe, we will try to give notice and an opportunity to respond, but we are not required to. Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including Sections 6.2, 12, and 14 through 19.

14. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, FMN DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

FMN DOES NOT WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THE IDENTITY, QUALIFICATIONS, CREDENTIALS, BACKGROUND, CONDUCT, LEGAL COMPLIANCE, INSURANCE, OR SAFETY OF ANY USER, PROVIDER, PARTICIPANT, GUARDIAN, OR SPONSOR; THE QUALITY, SAFETY, LEGALITY, OR OUTCOME OF ANY TRAINING; THE CONDITION OR SAFETY OF ANY RANGE, FACILITY, FIREARM, OR EQUIPMENT; OR THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE. Training content is not legal advice; consult a qualified attorney regarding self-defense, carry, and use-of-force law in your jurisdiction.

15. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

(a) FMN AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, SPONSORS, AND LICENSORS (THE "FMN PARTIES") WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL;

(b) THE FMN PARTIES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY BODILY INJURY, DEATH, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR OTHER LOSS ARISING FROM ANY TRAINING, ANY INTERACTION BETWEEN USERS ON OR OFF THE PLATFORM, OR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF ANY PROVIDER, PARTICIPANT, GUARDIAN, RANGE, OR THIRD PARTY; AND

(c) THE FMN PARTIES' TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE PLATFORM OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (i) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FMN IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE, OR (ii) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).

These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory and even if FMN was advised of the possibility of such damages, but do not limit liability that cannot be limited under applicable law (such as liability for FMN's own gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud, where non-waivable).

16. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the FMN Parties from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) any Training you provide, receive, arrange, or (as a Guardian) arrange for a Minor; (c) your User Content; (d) your violation of these Terms, the Platform Policies, or any law; or (e) your violation of any third party's rights. FMN may assume control of the defense of any matter subject to indemnification, and you will cooperate.

17. Dispute Resolution

17.1 Informal resolution first. Before filing a claim, you agree to contact legal@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com with a written description of the dispute and to attempt in good faith to resolve it informally for at least thirty (30) days.

17.2 Courts. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. You agree to submit to and avail yourself of the personal jurisdiction of, and agree that exclusive venue lies in, the state courts located in Escambia County, Florida, or the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, for any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform. Each party waives trial by jury to the extent permitted by law.

17.3 Time limit. To the extent permitted by law, any claim must be filed within one (1) year after it arises, or it is permanently barred.

18. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. You agree to submit to and avail yourself of the personal jurisdiction of, and agree that exclusive venue lies in, the state courts located in Escambia County, Florida, or the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, for any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform. Nothing in these Terms limits any non-waivable rights you have under the consumer-protection laws of your state of residence.

19. General

Changes. We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated Terms with a new "Last Updated" date and, for material changes, provide reasonable notice (such as by email or an in-app notice) before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the changes.

Entire agreement; order of precedence. These Terms and the Platform Policies are the entire agreement between you and FMN regarding the Platform. If there is a conflict, these Terms control, except that a feature-specific agreement (such as the Instructor Agreement or Sponsor/Advertiser Terms) controls as to its specific subject matter.

Severability; no waiver; assignment. If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

Electronic communications. You consent to receive agreements, notices, and disclosures electronically, and agree that electronic acceptance has the same effect as a handwritten signature under the federal E-SIGN Act and the Alabama Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

Section 230. FMN is a provider of an interactive computer service and is not the publisher or speaker of information provided by users.

Force majeure. FMN is not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond its reasonable control.

20. Contact

• General support: support@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com
• Safety reports: safety@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com
• Privacy: privacy@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com
• Legal notices: legal@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com
• Sponsors: sponsors@firearmmentorshipnetwork.com