Deputy Sheriff Jake Knight wins two Georgia Police and Fire Games gold medals
Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) Deputy Sheriff Jake Knight first picked up a gun at 5 years old.
He’s been shooting ever since.
“Pretty much my entire adult life, I’ve either served my community or the country,” he said.
At the June 2026 Georgia Police and Fire Games, Knight went toe-to-toe with some of the best shots in Georgia and won gold medals in Pistol Match and Marksmanship.
“It feels so good,” he said. “I was excited, and it’s always fun to get together with other law enforcement.”
Getting these medals has been the journey of a lifetime.
Knight has served as an Army Ranger and firefighter before joining the GCSO in 2024.
Professional shooting pushes the edge of what people can do.
“It’s just crazy that a human being can do it,” he said.
Like any martial art, shooting involves a complex web of connected movements.
Vision, stance, movement, tension, breathing, grip and many other factors must all line up to result in a good shot.
“Everything comes down to milliseconds,” Knight said. “It’s the only thing that I can say, ‘I can be a tenth of a second faster here if I just move my hips out of the way of this transition.’”
It’s impossible to simply think of all these factors and get it right the first time. Instead, all these skills must be built up over years of practice.
Knight shoots twice a week whenever his schedule allows.
“I’ve put a lot of time, effort, money, blood and sweat into training with firearms,” he said. “It’s a big part of law enforcement.”
A shooter can’t rely on instinct alone. Every shot needs to be a deliberate choice.
“You have to make the decision,” Knight said.
In his journey to the gold medal,
Pistol Match is an exhibition of all these skills.
In this event, a shooter enters a “stage” where they will confront a scenario.
A stage could involve a quick draw, shooting a target holding a hostage, multiple engagements, reloads, quick draws and more.
“It’s so much more than just standing at a flat range and shooting,” Knight said.
To succeed, a competitor has to shoot accurately, quickly and sometimes while moving.
“It wraps all of the fundamentals of shooting and puts them together in a practical foundation,” he said.
The hardest part of learning to shoot is vision focus.
“You’re having to transition your vision so fast and precisely,” Knight said.
The other event he scored gold in was Marksman Competition.
In this event, Knight used a scoped rifle to shoot targets at several ranges, including at 600.
A marksman must factor in wind, humidity, bullet drop and temperature to hit a target. A high-tech scope that can monitor these factors can be an essential.
“Today’s technology makes it a lot easier,” he said.
Even a tiny error at this range can result in a major miss.
“My rifle drops 40 inches at 500 yards, so I have to account for that and aim higher,” Knight said.
Unlike other athletes, Knight and his fellow deputies must always practice knowing their skills involve life and death. The pressure of competition can be helpful because it resembles the pressure
“You have a capacity to take a life,” he said. “And you have to take that responsibility very seriously, and train very seriously. There could be huge consequences if you don’t.”