Don Stewart speaks with an economy of words. But his calmness, the intensity of his gaze, his discipline and the firmness with which he says those few words speak volumes about an officer whose job is to teach other officers how to safely carry a gun and use it effectively.

DRC/Al Key

Range master Don Stewart of the Denton County Sheriff’s Office holds an AR-15 rifle Monday at the county firing range, located in northwest Denton.

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It’s serious business to Stewart, for whom firearms are both his job on duty and his joy after work. He is the full-time range master for the Denton County Sheriff’s Office. He teaches novice deputies rudimentaries and polishes the skills of veterans.

“No. 1 is, I want them to learn to be safe, how to handle a gun safely,” he said. “No. 2 is that I make sure they can shoot properly. And No. 3 is I want them to utilize the basics to understand how to use their weapon most effectively in all situations,” he said.

Chief Deputy Lee Howell said the range master plays an important role at the sheriff’s office.

“We’re lucky to have Don,” Howell said. “There are not too many people around with the credentials, talent and experience that he has.”

Howell said there is some sort of firearms training going on almost every day at the sheriff’s firing range on a hill in northwest Denton. Stewart coordinates the schedules of the sheriff’s office and other agencies that use the range. He teaches classes and conducts biannual qualifications for every officer.

Each officer must show proficiency with every weapon he carries. The county recently switched from shotguns to AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, and Stewart made sure every officer who was issued one knew how to use it well and safely, the chief deputy said.

“Having him out there coordinating all that allows us to conduct much more firearms training than we would be able to do if we didn’t have our own range and range master,” Howell said.

Stewart was born at Fort Knox, Ky., the son of a career military soldier. The family moved to Texas when he was 10, and he graduated from Perryton High School and attended Hardin-Simmons University before joining the Texas Department of Public Safety as a highway patrolman. He was stationed in Colorado City and Eastland before moving to Denton in 1978.

He retired from the DPS after 32 years of service in 2005 and began looking for something to do. He learned of an opening at the sheriff’s office.

“There are two things I know,” he said, “trucks and guns.”

He thought it might be a good fit, and it has worked out well. State troopers don’t get many holidays off, but for the most part this job offers a regular work week.

“With the highway patrol, it was understood that you work while other people play,” he said. “When I went to work at the sheriff’s office, I got my first Labor Day off in 32 years.”

In January, Stewart was named chairman of the patrol committee for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, the state agency that oversees the licensing of all Texas peace officers. The committee is developing a patrol rifle course for setting the standard on weapon proficiency, he said. When the standards are set, all agencies will follow the same instruction course to ensure the proficiency.

Stewart’s wife, Donna, is the county budget director. They have two daughters. When he’s not working with guns at the range, he’s often working with them as a hobby. He hunts and collects weapons and spends a lot of time working on his collection, he said.

He taught in DPS academies for 10 years. He wasn’t sure how proficient or disciplined the local deputies would be.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I was pleased at how well they shot and how safely they handled themselves. When we come out here it’s all business,” he said. “And that’s the way it should be.”

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .