Taran Butler is an American sport shooter and world champion born in California. Growing up Taran was encouraged by his mother to learn shooting and began his shooting career in 1994 after winning a Bowling pin match at a local indoor range in the Los Angeles Valley. He competed with a Glock-24 he borrowed from stuntman Bruce Barber, who encouraged him to shoot at the Southwest Pistol League. In January 1995, Butler went to the Southwest Pistol League in Piru, California, with a Glock-21, and finished 7th overall out of 118 shooters. He continued to practice and became a USPSA Grand Master in 14 months. He was also the first Glock Grand Master shooter in the history of the sport.