Praetorian Solutions focuses beyond the standard close protection bubble to provide a superior level of executive protection. Our team specializes in assessing and mitigating threats from a skilled rifle marksman, a risk that operates outside the reach of conventional close protection. With over 20 years of experience protecting the world's most high-profile political leaders, our expertise is built on a foundation of comprehensive security planning and advanced risk mitigation.


Our security professionals come from diverse backgrounds, including federal law enforcement and military service.

This expertise allows us to provide unparalleled protection and strategic advice tailored to your situation.

Beyond the Bubble

HISTORICAL DATA

Below is a list of notable rifle attacks motivated by political, ideological, personal grievance and indeterminate factors, along with key relevant information.

  • John F. Kennedy (1963)

    • Date: November 22, 1963
    • Place: Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX
    • Shooter Position: 6th‑floor window
    • Weapon Used: Bolt‑action rifle
    • Distance: 80.77 m (88.36 yds)
  • University of Texas Tower (1966)

    • Date: August 1, 1966
    • Location: University of Texas at Austin clock tower, Austin, TX
    • Shooter Position: 28th floor of the tower
    • Weapon Used: Bolt-action rifle
    • Distance: 457.2 m (500 yards)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. (1968)

    • Date: April 4, 1968
    • Location: The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN
    • Shooter Position: Bathroom window across the street from the Lorraine Motel
    • Weapon Used: Pump-action rifle
    • Distance: 62.5 m (68.35 yds)
  • D.C. Beltway Snipers (2002)

    >

    • Date: October 2, 2002
    • Location: Parking lot in Wheaton, Maryland
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice) 
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 3, 2002
    • Locations: The Fitzgerald Auto Mall in Rockville, MD / Mobil gas station in Aspen Hill, MD / Post office in Silver Spring, MD / Gas station in Kensington, MD / Washington, D.C.
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 4, 2002
    • Location: Parking lot in Fredericksburg, VA
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 7, 2002
    • Location: Middle School in Bowie, MD
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 9, 2002
    • Location: Gas station in Manassas, VA
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 11, 2002
    • Location: Gas station in Fredericksburg, VA
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 14, 2002
    • Location: Parking lot in Falls Church, VA
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 19, 2002
    • Location: Parking lot in Ashland, VA
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance

    >

    • Date: October 22, 2002
    • Location: Parking lot in Aspen Hill, MD
    • Shooter Position: Rolling sniper's nest (Chevrolet Caprice)
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: The shot was fired from a unknown distance
  • Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival (2017)

    • Date: October 1, 2017
    • Location: Music festival in Paradise, NV
    • Shooter Position: 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle equipped with "bump stock"
    • Distance: 365m (400 yards)
  • Highland Park Parade (2022)

    • Date: July 4, 2022
    • Location: Highland Park, IL, Independence Day parade
    • Shooter Position: Rooftop of a building on the parade route
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: Distances varying. 50 - 150 m (55 - 164 yds)
  • Butler, PA (2024)

    • Date: July 13, 2024
    • Location: Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler, PA
    • Shooter Position: Rooftop of a building adjacent to the venue
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: 128 m (140 yds)
  • West Palm Beach, FL (2024)

    • Date: September 15, 2024
    • Location: Golf course in West Palm Beach, FL
    • Shooter Position: Shrubbery along the fence line of the golf course
    • Weapon Used: Semi-automatic rifle
    • Distance: 320 m (350 yds)
  • Orem, UT (2025)

    • Date: September 10, 2025
    • Location: Utah Valley University in Orem, UT
    • Shooter Position: Rooftop of a campus building
    • Weapon Used: Bolt-action rifle
    • Distance: 129 m (141 yds)
  • Dallas, TX (2025)

    • Date: September 24, 2025
    • Location: ICE facility, Dallas, TX
    • Shooter Position: Rooftop of a nearby building
    • Weapon Used: Bolt-action rifle
    • Distance: 158 m (173 yds)

RIFLE MARKSMEN

Think only military and law enforcement personnel are taught and continuously hone their advanced marksmanship skills? Many private citizens not only own rifles but practice and research advance techniques regularly, particularly through high-power rifle gun clubs.


Many of the club's members own rifles chambered in 7.62 mm (.300/.308), 6.5 mm (.264), 8.6 mm (.338), and 12.7 mm (.50). Rifles in these calibers are capable of high velocity and achieving distances beyond 1,000 m (1,093 yds), or 0.62 miles.


However, not all rifle marksmen are created equal, and there are individuals who can identify and mitigate this type of threat.


Below are three basic categories of marksmen who can address this growing concern in varying degrees, and a brief description as to their purpose and differences.

  • Counter-Sniper

    A highly skilled specialist whose defensive and reactive mission is to locate, neutralize, or deter hostile snipers or assassins, thus protecting critical personnel or assets.


    Counter-Snipers focus on "hunting the hunter." They typically occupy defensive overwatch positions to pre-emptively deny threats a firing solution. Their expertise centers on Counter-Surveillance and Detection, utilizing specialized equipment and advanced skills in immediate threat discrimination and triangulation. Counter-Snipers are trained in advanced observation techniques, sniper methodology, and the use of highly accurate, high-power rifles for fast, precision engagements at extreme distances, often as part of protective details for personnel or major events.

  • Military/LE Sniper

    A highly trained specialist whose primary roles are Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and the precise elimination of critical threats, often providing protective overwatch. Operating either independently (military, often to extreme ranges exceeding 1,000 meters) or as part of a tactical unit (law enforcement, often at short-to-moderate ranges), the sniper uses high-precision rifles with specialized optics. Their expertise requires advanced skills in marksmanship, fieldcraft, concealment, and immediate threat discrimination.

  • Designated Marksman

    A specialized rifleman who provides support with rapid, precise engagements on critical threats at mid-to-long ranges (typically 100–600 meters). They achieve this using a scoped, semi-automatic rifle to extend the unit's tactical reach, contrasting with a sniper whose primary mission is independent reconnaissance, surveillance, and extreme-range precision fire.

SERVICES

Consultation

Our consultation services are designed to provide a strategic foundation for your security. We specialize in educating clients on the threats that operate beyond the close protection bubble, empowering you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and build a robust, comprehensive security plan.

Security Planning

We don’t react to threats; we anticipate them. Our team conducts thorough on-site, advance risk assessments and develops comprehensive security plans that address potential vulnerabilities, giving you peace of mind that threats beyond pistol range are addressed.

On-Site

We work alongside your licensed security personnel to ensure optimal positioning and threat identification. Our experts assist with logistics and briefings on site specific roles. We also provide long-range obseration equipment essential for effective threat identification and situational awareness.

FAQ's

  • Do you do remote consultations?

    Yes. We can provide a consulation either over a phone call or online meeting.

  • Do you do in-person consultations?

    Yes. We can meet with you at your place of business.

  • What is discussed during a consultation?

    Consultations are intended to discuss generalized assessment and mitigation strategies that are directly related to an event or a site.

FAQ's

  • What is included in an on-site assessment?

    Our on-site threat assessment focuses on rifle threat areas for a specific location. All areas of concern are documented in a written report and photographs taken on site.

  • What does an on-site security plan entail?

    Our security plan will include an on-site assessment and in close coordination with your advance security team, develop a mitigation strategy to address all areas of concern for a rifle marksman.

  • Will any documentation be provided?

    Yes. A comprehensive Threat Assessment and Mitigation Report will be provided, including an executive summary, methodology, risk analysis, detailed photos and maps with areas of concern notated.

FAQ's

  • Are you able to assist during the event?

    Yes. We can provide someone to position alongside licensed security personnel or key event staff, brief security personnel on their roles and expectations for the event and assist with the logistics regarding building access for security personnel.

  • Where are you able to perform services?

    We can provide consulting services anywhere you may need. Our personnel can operate in advisory and accessory roles to locally licensed security personnel.

  • Are you able to provide any specialized equipment?

    Yes. If requested to assist during an event, we can provide magnified and low-light optics, laser range finders, spotlights and identification markers for authorized personnel in elevated positions.

ABOUT

About Praetorian Solutions

Praetorian Solutions was founded on a foundation of unparalleled expertise. For 22 years, our founder served as a member of the U.S. Secret Service Counter Sniper Team, and has worked with elite military units. Our founder has provided a superior level of protection for the President, Vice President, and foreign leaders.


Our experience is built on decades of real-world assessments, both domestically and internationally, for major events, routine sites, and residential locations. This specialized knowledge allows us to anticipate and mitigate threats that operate beyond the conventional security perimeter, ensuring you receive the same caliber of protection trusted by the world's highest-profile political figures.

CONTACT

Business Hours

Mon - Fri
-
Sat - Sun
Closed
Washington, DC, United States

Contact Us