Well, we’ve received some excellent feedback on our new Armed American Report design, which is great. I’m glad everyone likes it as much as I do

Look- We’ve got an excellent issue of the Armed American Report for you… so let’s get started!

Holster Safety and the Four Rules

“…Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy…”

by Kathy Jackson

I received an intriguing question in my email the other day. In a nutshell, my correspondent wanted to know, “How can the Four Rules apply while the gun is holstered, since many holsters seem to point the weapon in unsafe directions?” Here is my answer:

The Four Rules

1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot). 4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

The second of the Four Rules is the main focal point of this article: “Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.”

This rule applies every time you pick up, hold, or put down a firearm. While you are holding the gun, you never deliberately or cluelessly let it point at stuff you don’t want holes in.

But what about muzzle direction when you are not directly holding the gun?

I am of the opinion that a gun, by itself, is an inert object. There is no rational reason to fear a loaded gun lying on the kitchen table as long as no one is touching it. (See footnote1) Gun shop customers do not need to worry about a gun of unknown state (loaded? unloaded?) which is behind a gunshop counter, no matter which direction the gun is pointed, as long as no one is touching it. An untouched firearm is only a thing. It is not a living creature with a mind or a will of its own.

The risk comes when human beings enter the picture. Because human beings are prone to accidents and mistakes, the gun must be pointed in a safe direction whenever human hands touch it. If you cannot pick a firearm up without pointing it in an unsafe direction (or if it is already pointed in an unsafe direction), you should not put your hand on it. If you cannot put a firearm down without pointing it in an unsafe direction, you should not put it down. This is necessary because the mixture of human hand and unsafe direction can cause bad stuff to happen.

With me so far?

When considering whether a holster is “safe” or “not safe,” I don’t worry much about muzzle orientation while the user’s hand is not on the gun. A gun held securely inside a trigger-covering holster, and which is not being handled by a human being, is as safe and as inert as one which is lying on the table untouched.

But notice the italics in the paragraph above. The real danger comes when the gun is being placed into, or withdrawn from, the holster, because that is the point at which human hands get involved in the process. With some holsters, this risk can be avoided entirely. For instance, with a dropped and offset OWB holster on the point of the hip, it takes a near-determined effort of will to cover oneself with the firearm (though I’ve seen it done!). Yet this sort of rig isn’t easily concealed and thus isn’t practical for those who want to carry a concealed firearm.

The risk of pointing the gun in an unsafe direction during the process of getting the gun into or out of its holster can be greatly minimized so that it is nearly avoided. This deliberate action takes a very conscious effort of will, and should never become a matter of complacency.

One example of minimizing the risk would be the careful process of safely holstering and unholstering with a shoulder holster. Most smart folks I know who carry with one of these rigs make a conscious effort to place the left elbow high into the air while drawing with the right hand. This moves the brachial artery far away from the risk of inadvertent discharge. (See footnote 2)
Important!
Any time you absolutely must come close to violating one of the Four Rules, it should be a red flag to slow down and pay special attention to all the other rules. The safety rules should be so engrained in your habits and thoughts that it should take a really conscious act of the will to do anything near the line.

Another example. Since I carry my IWB holster in the appendix carry position, I never reholster while sitting down. Ever. If I did so, the gun’s muzzle would be pointed directly at my femoral artery while I handled the gun — a very dangerous combination of circumstances! Even standing up, I’m always very conscious of where my trigger finger is while I am reholstering, and hold my trigger finger far outside the trigger guard at all times. And I don’t simply stand up straight. Instead, I put my right leg slightly to the rear, suck my gut in as far as it will go, and lean back slightly while reholstering. This allows me to angle the muzzle away from me during the process. Doing it this way, if a shot were to fire it would most likely strike the ground in front of me rather than hitting any of my favorite body parts. Nevertheless, I’m always very conscious of the risk while reholstering, and never reholster in a hurry.

My point here is that the combination of human hand plus loaded gun is dangerous. Every carry method you might choose will probably allow the gun to point at stuff you don’t want shot during the day, and there’s simply no way around that fact. For safety’s sake, remember that if the gun is pointed in an unsafe direction, you must never be the one doing the pointing.

If you are uncertain whether you have been using your holster safely, please be sure to read the “Safety Matters” article on the Cornered Cat website that corresponds to your holster type, and contact a qualified instructor to discuss any specific concerns you might have.

Safety Matters: Using a Belt Holster — http://www.corneredcat.com/Holster/belt.aspx
Safety Matters: Using a Shoulder Holster — http://www.corneredcat.com/Holster/shoulder.aspx
Safety Matters: Using a Waist Pack Holster — http://www.corneredcat.com/Holster/waist.aspx

Stay Safe!

Footnotes 1. Please note the exception! If there is a possibility of children, the criminal, or the clueless picking the gun up, it’s not safe just lying there. But as long as none of those pesky and unpredictable human beings come on the scene, the gun isn’t going to do anything on its own. 2. It does not, however, reduce the danger to people standing behind or to the left side of the person wearing the shoulder holster. For this reason, these rigs are rarely allowed on crowded ranges — though you may be able to find an instructor willing to work with you to learn safe drawing techniques under carefully-controlled conditions.

Kathy Jackson is the Managing Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine. This article is from her website. She has an incredible amount of information for those who carry concealed at www.corneredcat.com. Go check out her website and bookmark it. You will definitely want to revisit!

USCCA Laugh of the Week

by Chaim’s Cartoons

Coming Up On Armed American Radio

The Official Voice of the USCCA

by Mark Walters

Armed American Radio continues its march across the United States of America now as a NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO PROGRAM adding affiliate stations to the growing list of cities every week.

Help us get AAR in YOUR city by calling your local talk station and ask them to FEED YOUR HEAD with the nationally syndicated Armed American Radio Network! Until then, listen live every Sunday at 8 PM Eastern on www.920wgka.com. Armed American Radio Network with host Mark Walters, brought to you every week by the USCCA!

Subscribe to, and download our podcasts here: www.ArmedAmericanRadio.org

Review of Blackhawk’s SERPA High Performance Carbon Fiber Composite Holster

USCCA Gear Review

by Cody Alderson

Okay, I like it. Apparently I’m not the only one who likes this holster system; however, there are some detractors. With any product that I test, I run it through its paces then check out other opinions about it after I have formed one of my own, based on thorough analysis.

I read about the issue with the shape of some early models, and I read some of the beautiful prose of those who opined about the SERPA holster as I found them from a GOOGLE search. A select few of the opinions were explicitly unkind, but many of the replies were equally as vehement in their approval of the holster.

Such is the life of a product in the age of the Internet. Customers get on the Internet and search up and down for opinions about a product before they make the leap to parting with some of their hard-earned cash to actually buy something. The problem is that many of the Internet opinions are based either on half-truths or the failure to follow proper procedures and/or instructions for using a product.

I read a couple of posts on a couple of different forums that were supposed to have been written by instructors who won’t allow their students to use the SERPA holster in their classes, because of hearing how another instructor had a student who had an experience at some point somewhere. It’s sort of like my uncle has this friend at work who said he has a cousin whose neighbor did something stupid with a holster. So what I’m going to tell you about in this article is my direct experience and results of my analysis of the SERPA holster system from Blackhawk.

I evaluated the SERPA made for a 1911 style .45 ACP in commander size. The very first time I slid the gun into the SERPA I liked it, and I’m more of a fan of leather than any kind of plastic type of holster no matter how sturdy it is. I used to carry a Smith & Wesson 9mm in a retention style holster while working a couple of different jobs where I had to wear a duty-belt. Of course that was many pant sizes in the downward numerical direction many years ago.

That retention holster was a pain to get used to because my draw stroke had to be modified to get the gun out of the holster. The gun had to be tilted forward then withdrawn. I suppose it would work great to fool a criminal trying to snatch the gun, but I didn’t like having to have a modified draw stroke just to have a bit of extra security.

Some concealed carry permit holders have never considered just how much a wrestling match or trip to the ground is very likely to occur in a life or death encounter with a criminal. An open top holster, or even one with a thumb break, may serve a person very well for years. However, if one has considered maybe employing the extra security a retention holster offers, the SERPA is a great system to consider.

My SERPA employs the use of a locking mechanism that holds the gun at the front of the trigger guard to keep the gun from coming out. The locking mechanism of the SERPA is naturally disengaged by activation of the release lever by simply having the index finger in the position it should be in when drawing the gun.

One of the issues that the detractors had was users of the SERPA were using the tip of their fingers to release the locking mechanism instead of the pad of their straight finger as they are supposed to do. The argument was that a student used the tip of his finger to release the locking mechanism, which resulted in the student’s finger then slipping inside the trigger guard and causing a negligent discharge under the stress of an intense training environment.

I have to say, in the most delicate way possible, that I understand the fear and concern of having a student make a mistake under stress; and an instructor wouldn’t want any piece of equipment to even be remotely associated with having anything to do with a student’s failure to perform safely. I personally know some individuals who exercise their right to bear arms, but I’m not satisfied that they would be able to perform satisfactorily with their gun in a life or death situation due to inexperience with the adrenalin dump.

I could give names and examples of some very nervous people who do not respond well to any negative stress, and inferring how they may perform in a live-fire combat situation against an assailant causes me some concern. Blame it on genetics or my training that started with my dad, I’m not made up of those same jittery nerves. I have had some interactions with some of our less than law-abiding citizenry to the extent that I have become familiar with how I will react to a bad situation.

Thus being said, I can only state that the SERPA holster is a holster that I like and will trust. My draw stroke is the same during practice as it is under stress. Due to situations that have occurred in my past, I’ve been able to make that declaration. If anyone reading this thinks for even just the briefest of moments that they may possibly react like Don Knotts’ character Barney Fife would under stress, then not only should another holster possibly be considered, but maybe not carrying a gun at all should be considered too.

I know . . . Tough words to swallow, but just because we have a right to bear arms does not mean that everyone is competent to do so. Afraid of your own competency? Get proper training. Get proper training. Get proper training. Hey, I didn’t forget to tell you to get proper training, did I?

THE WRONG WAY

THE CORRECT WAY

Since the first gun was made, no gun or ancillary gear product can react to the misuse of a handler. The products are objects without a will of their own, and can only function correctly according to the handler following the directions flawlessly.

Thumb break holsters have been left unsnapped. So-called safe action triggers have been activated during the careless reholstering of such equipped guns into any type of holster. Guns have gone off in pockets due to them not being in a holster and/or other objects such as keys or coins being in the same pocket. In fact, except for the extremely rare occurrence of a catastrophic multiple system failure on any gun, they only go bang when the user presses the trigger either intentionally or unintentionally. And in my experiences, I have never even heard of a catastrophic multiple system failure happening.

It’s a good thing to ALWAYS keep in mind that if your gun ever goes off, it is YOUR FAULT. If I press the trigger at the range intentionally to hit the target, whose fault is it? Mine. If I shoot a person who is trying to maim or kill me, whose fault is it that bullets from my gun went into the criminal? Mine. Of course I defended myself, but the fault, cause, reason of the gun going off when aimed at that hypothetical criminal is mine alone.

Now think of this scenario too. Someone gets hold of your gun and accidentally shoots someone. Whose fault is that? Yours, because it is YOUR gun. If your gun goes bang while you are reholstering, or goes bang before it is supposed to when being drawn from the holster, it is YOUR fault. It cannot be blamed on a holster.

The SERPA also has a passive retention system that can be tightened or loosened to the personal desire of the user. The retention screw on the front of the holster can be tightened or loosened to adjust how tight of a grip the holster has on the gun. I really didn’t care too much that the bolt of the retention screw on the holster spun freely instead of being locked onto place, but I really didn’t have much of a problem tightening it using both hands and a screwdriver.

Now the second best part of the SERPA system next to the locking mechanism is the mounting options. There are new mounting systems available that open up a wide variety of mounting options all the way from a soldier’s MOLLE vest to mounting the holster under a desk to have a gun ready for mighty quick deployment.

My SERPA came with the options for belt loop mount and paddle mount. Both the mount for use with belt loops and the paddle are adjustable for cant.

Both mounting systems are also adjustable for the user’s particular belt width. Shown here is the belt hooks with the paddle mount. The adjustments for belt size on the belt loop mount can be seen in the photo of that mount type above.

Now the locking mechanism does operate by the use of a spring loaded mechanism. Is that a part that could fail? Well, certainly. The design appears to be of a very sturdy construction, though I did not disassemble it to see how it was put together. I would suppose that in all likelihood that I will experience more firearm malfunctions than malfunctions of the locking mechanism of the SERPA holster. Its construction is solid.

I like it that the holster has nylon in its construction. I had a 1972 Dodge Polara that had a nylon timing gear with a metal timing chain. The gear was made of nylon to quiet some of the noise the system would make. That nylon gear only had to be replaced once, but if I remember the incident correctly, it was the chain that went bad, not the gear. The gear was just replaced incidentally along with the chain.

Some might be thinking the nylon of disco shirts from the seventies. I certainly hope that you never wore any of those! I’m thinking nylon of internal engine parts designed to take high wear and high temperatures. The SERPA is tough like that. No, not the disco shirts. The other one.

I don’t like wearing paddle-style holsters, so I figured I would try out that mounting system first. Hey, I never get anywhere with testing these products by only doing what I like to do. Anyway, I really liked this paddle mount. It was really comfortable. Surprisingly comfortable actually. Now of course I had the butt of that forty-five digging into my side a bit, but the holster itself wore just fine. And man could I draw fast from the SERPA even though it is a retention style holster.

It was a surprise for me that this holster would facilitate such a quick draw and still offer the protection of a retention holster. If one doesn’t feel the need to use a retention-style of holster, then maybe the SERPA might not be for you. If one would like the extra bit of security of a retention holster without having to relearn or modify the natural draw stroke, the SERPA is a great choice.

Sliding the gun into the holster makes a positive click as the locking mechanism engages. I didn’t test to see just how much the lock could hold before breaking, but it holds up just fine to a hefty yank on the gun. That brings me to another thing the detractors mentioned. One complaint was that one student at a training school was able to release the locking mechanism and take the gun belonging to another student.

Let me just say DUH! A student of the proper handling of firearms would naturally have the index finger in the proper place to deactivate the locking mechanism. The holster is designed to RETAIN the gun from falling out of the holster during hand-to-hand combat with an assailant as well as stopping an attacker from just doing a quick grab of the gun by yanking on its grip.

In a fight you should think that you may very well end up on the ground even if you are the baddest Ninja that ever lived. Going to the ground with a snap or open-top holster the first time will have you putting a whole lot of concentration on gun retention every time thereafter. Protruding gun grips get caught on things throughout the carrier’s life of carrying concealed. The likelihood of a criminal going for your gun if it is spied by him or her is high. I really like the extra security the SERPA gives me while maintaining the natural draw stroke.

The SERPA High Performance Carbon Fiber Composite Holster is made for a wide variety of handguns, and it is available in black, foliage green, coyote tan, and olive drab in either right or left hand style. Check them out at www.blackhawk.com.

Comments? I’d love to hear from you!
E-mail me at: cody@uscca.us
Follow Me on Twitter

A Must Read…

USCCA Exclusive

Dear Tim,

I am not writing to ask a question, I am writing to say thanks for the Beat the Ban. I thought I was ahead of the curve, but only realized I had been putting off buying what I may need and what I really wanted before the Obamanation takes place. I wanted to beat the ban.

I was going to joke and say your Beat the Ban cost more than 17.00 dollars, hell I bought a Saiga 12 Shotgun overpaid but got it anyway and to 2 RRA AR15s at retail cost due to having a gunsmith relationship. I also bought some fantastic 5.56 ammo and over 2k rounds of practice ammo.

My next purchase will probably be an SKS or AR47. I have read a great deal more about my rights to arm myself and to protect my country from a threat.

Thanks for placing me ahead of the curve and your book only cost me over 2800.00 dollars in guns and ammo. Well lets just say it was a good investment in my family’s future! Best to you and your family and may you continue with success and great health.

-Mike P.
Proud USCCA Member
Proud Member of the NRA
Proud American!

This is a DIGITAL PRODUCT on PDF and MP3, so you get this timely information instantly delivered to your inbox, so you can Beat the Ban ASAP!

Quote of the Week

“If a forty-five weighs you down too much on one side then carry more spare magazines on the other side to balance it out!”

-Cody S. Alderson

USCCA Forum Highlights

Every paying website member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over sixty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!

If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!

*******************

Glad I was “Packing”!!!

I have never had the misfortune of needing to pull out my concealed carry gun before, but this weekend, my little pistol really came in handy.

However, it may not be what you are thinking…

Let me explain:

I sometimes carry a Bersa Thunder .380 in a SmartCarry rig (it hangs inside the pants, and in front of the “boys”). I was at a friends house who has several small children. Well, it turned out that one of his sons was feeling a little spunky that night, and he started to wrestle with me. I wasn’t in a mood to wrestle, but everything was in good fun. He decides that this might be the right moment to take me to the floor with his favorite “kick-to-the-groin” maneuver that always works on his brothers.

Here’s where it got funny…

He wasn’t wearing any shoes when he made that fateful kick. I didn’t feel any pain, but he sure did when his toes came into contact with solid metal! The look on his face was priceless!!! I hate to imagine what he must have been thinking, but you could tell that this whole situation didn’t make a lot of sense to him.

Needless to say, he hasn’t tried that move again…

*******************

Chambered Round in Springfield XD

Hello, I have a Springfield XD 9 sub-compact. Can anyone tell me if it is safe to carry a round in the chamber when using it for concealed carry? Everyone I ask seems to have a different idea. Thanks for any help you can give.

*******************

Bad Holster Experience

[Abridged – Read entire post at link]
From me:

I just left a voice mail for you, so if you haven’t gotten it yet, you can ignore it and just reply to this email. Folks, I am all too aware that top quality products are very time intensive and can create a backlog. I think I have been patient, considering my debit card was charged on 12/23/2008 (*that was incorrect — bank had it listed incorrectly). It has now been over 28 weeks, well over the 16-24 week estimated delivery time. I’m sure your products are wonderful, but this is just bad business practice. I really don’t understand how you could be so far off your estimated delivery time and not be in touch with your customers. It’s not only bad business, it’s downright rude.

As you can tell, I am extremely frustrated at this point. If you cannot provide the holsters I ordered within one week, please cancel my order. This will give you more time to get to the other customers who have been waiting too long. It will also give me time to spread the word of the way you treat your customers.

Thank you,

From them on July 9:

Sir,

We bend over backwards to do the very best that we can for our customers, but sometimes things do not go as planned. As far as your threats go, do as you see fit. I do not respond well to being threatened and you just [expletive removed] me off. I do wish to thank you for canceling your order - It will indeed allow me to serve another customer who’s business I value highly. Thank you.

Video of the Week

This video is of a reholstering accident. These accidents are caused by the handler of the gun failing to keep their finger and any foreign object out of the trigger guard. This is a security cam video which makes the incident look as if it was taken from an old Keystone Cops movie.

Court House Shooting: El Paso, Tx

USCCA Photo of the Week

All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s website:
http://www.a-human-right.com/.
It is a fantastic site. Please check it out!

USCCA Self Defense Story

Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!

Houston, Texas
July 23, 2009
From: The Houston Chronicle

74-year-old man shoots carjacker in SW Houston

A 74-year-old man shot and wounded a teenager who attempted to carjack him with a knife early this morning in southwest Houston, police said.

The 18-year-old male suspect was wounded in the abdomen and was caught by police after he tried to run away following the shooting. He was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital in fair condition.

No other injuries were reported.

Police have not released the suspect’s name because no charges have been filed against him, but investigators said that he will mostly likely be charged with aggravated robbery.

The shooting happened outside a home in the 10900 block of Corona in southwest Houston about 6:30 a.m., police said.

The victim, August Peters, had just parked his car in front of his wife’s home when he noticed another car drive past him and park at the curb across the street.

When the victim got out of his car, he told investigators that the teen came up to him and pressed a knife against his throat.

“He said, ‘Give me your car or I’ll kill you,’” said Victor Senties, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department.

The victim was able to reach inside his car to get a pistol. He fired two shots at the suspect, Senties said.

The suspect ran into the driveway of a home across the street and then somehow got into the home. He broke a window to get out and continued running away. Senties said no one was at the home at the time.

Police found the teen moments later on bridge on Wilcrest near Bellaire about two blocks from where he was shot.

Investigators are uncertain if the teenager got out of the car the victim had seen park on the street. They have no description of the vehicle and no other suspects at this time.

Closing Thoughts

Tim, I frequently ride my motorcycle in rural areas and want to carry while riding. My 9 is too bulky and uncomfortable, and my Baretta 22 is too small. I am considering a Seecamp 32 or 380 because of their compact size. The 32 is readily available, but the 380 is extremely hard to find. Question: Is there a huge difference in stopping power between the 32 and the 380?

This is a very good question. With all handgun rounds (including .45 ACP!), you’re relying more heavily on shot placement than raw power, for when it comes to stopping an attacker.

I’d say a .45 ACP belly wound would be a bit less survivable than a .32 ACP belly wound- but to really put someone out of the fight, you’re going to have to hit something important- brain, spine, or pelvis.

I don’t know if a .32 ACP, or a .380 could shatter a pelvis or not, and in fact, I’ve heard a couple pro’s talking about .32 ACP and .380s being mostly “eye ball guns”- meaning, try to shoot for the face.

Of course, this is all just what I’ve heard and read. I would recommend that if you’re a member, you scoot on over to the member’s forum, and ask the community there.

Good luck!

Do you have a pressing concern? Use the ‘Ask Tim’ contact form found at this page to let me hear your advice. Just use the graphic below!

Listen- I have some BIG news for you today.

Do you remember ‘Beat the Ban‘? The digital product that the USCCA team put together to help you go about preparing for the next gun-ban in an organized way?

Well, we never imaged the response Beat the Ban would get:

- In three months, Beat the Ban quickly rose to become our BEST SELLING product.

-Out of almost 4,000 copies sold, we only had ELEVEN people take us up on our ‘no questions asked’ refund.

Beat the Ban was just that good. It tells you where to get ammo despite the shortage, and tons of other stuff. If you missed it, you really should have a look at it. HERE is more information on the original Beat the Ban.

RELOADED! is born…

Well, it didn’t take long for us to realize that this is the information USCCA members need.

So, we sicked our team of contributors on the task of picking up where Beat the Ban left off.

We really wanted to get down into the nitty-gritty of the political situation. We wanted to find out exactly what kinds of firearms would be banned.

We wanted to dig up MORE information that would help you prepare for another ban, and most importantly, we wanted to get you information on how to become effective with what you get.

Well, our contributors came through with flying colors, and the team spent some solid time getting the second edition of Beat the Ban ready for you.

And, Beat the Ban: RELOADED! was born.

Friend… this isn’t just a polished, or re-worked Beat the Ban. This is a whole new animal filled with entirely new content, and now, including an ultimate-crash-course video we made with an active duty U.S. Marine all about the AR-15 rifle.

If you plan on even buying ONE box of ammo in the next few months, or ONE new gun… or especially if you’ve done any of these things… STOP.

Stop, and get this report FIRST- you may avoid a costly mistake.

This is information that I WANT you to have. I consider my fellow armed citizens my neighbors, and I want to have fully prepared neighbors.

Please use the following link to get more information on RELOADED and to get your own digital copy ASAP!

=> More Info on Beat the Ban: RELOADED!

(http://www.deltamediallc.com/products/
btbreloaded/beattheban.html)

Stay Safe!

–

Tim Schmidt
USCCA Founder

P.S. - If we get hit with another ban, it’s going to be way worse than last time.

BUT- That doesn’t mean we need to go out and pay double for a truckload of ammo.

Yes- we CAN get fully prepared, smartly and responsibly- even if you haven’t started yet.

=> More Info on Beat the Ban: RELOADED!

U.S. Concealed Carry
“Armed American Report”

Visit Here for Membership Information!

July 17th, 2009

Dear Friend,

Although I am humbled by the wonderful growing membership of the United States Concealed Carry Association, I am not at all surprised at the steady rate of new subscribers added daily. The whole team here at USCCA strives daily to truly live up to our motto of being “The Ultimate Resource For The Armed Citizen.”

With forty-eight states permitting citizens to be armed with firearms in one capacity or another, we are here to provide the information needed to become better trained, better informed, and better prepared as responsible citizens who carry firearms. With our online forums we are also the ultimate resource for the armed citizen who would like to get to know other armed citizens. Since our forums are only available with a paid subscription, this automatically stops the Internet Rambos from trying to add their rhetoric.

Our print magazine, Concealed Carry Magazine, is jam-packed full of articles and information specifically for the armed citizen. The magazine isn’t about hunting game, it isn’t about tactics for law enforcement, and it isn’t just a showcase for the latest gadgets that are available. Concealed Carry Magazine is solely for citizens of these United States who are permitted to carry a gun concealed, enabling them to be better trained, better informed, and better prepared.

New members have such a huge volume of resources available to them that they often act like a starving person standing in front of the biggest and best buffet ever to be seen—they don’t know what to try first! I’d suggest starting out with an article or two at the website then maybe reading some forum posts. Follow up by introducing yourself with a post to the online forums, and maybe download a couple of back issues of Concealed Carry Magazine to read until your first printed issue arrives by mail.

It won’t be too long and you will find yourself armed with the information and answers to help others who wish to become a responsibly-armed citizen. Join today. You won’t be sorry that you did. I guarantee it!

== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==

See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website:
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/

Sunday, on Armed American Radio!

Armed American Radio continues its march across the United States of America now as a NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO PROGRAM adding affiliate stations to the growing list of cities every week.

This week we add new listeners at 99.1 KKTF, the station with Nevatitude in Carson City Nevada, KBYR in Anchorage Alaska and Mountain Talk 97.1 in Mountain Home Arkansas as well as our flagship Intelligent Talk 920 WGKA in Hotlanta, GA.

Help us get AAR in YOUR city by calling your local talk station and ask them to FEED YOUR HEAD with the nationally syndicated Armed American Radio Network! Until then, listen live every Sunday at 8 PM Eastern on www.920wgka.com. Armed American Radio Network with host Mark Walters, brought to you every week by the USCCA!

Subscribe to, and download our podcasts here: www.ArmedAmericanRadio.org

“Personal Boundaries:
Where Do You Draw the Line?”

“…I will not kneel. No one is going to execute me.
If I die, I’ll die fighting…..”

by Kathy Jackson

The last few weeks we have been republishing some articles from past issues of Concealed Carry Magazine to give everyone a taste of what they are missing if they aren’t a subscriber to the United States Concealed Carry Association. This week’s article is from the Web Only Articles. We have way too much great info to squeeze into the issues of Concealed Carry Magazine, so we publish the additional articles on the web. New articles are added every week.

Listed below are some conditions under which I intend to fight back even if I don’t think I can win.

I have made this list for myself because I understand that the natural thing to do, when something bad happens, is to deny that it is happening: “This can’t be happening to me!”

Even if you get past that thought (a lot of victims never do), the other natural tendency is to tell yourself that if you wait, if you do what the other person says, things will get better. The situation will work itself out. All you have to do is cooperate. The attacker will take your wallet, your car keys, whatever, and leave you alone. Just wait, do what he says, and everything will be okay. That’s what most people who are attacked tell themselves — and in most cases, that is exactly what people should do. Even if you are armed, why kill someone if you don’t have to? It’s only stuff!

But while waiting for an opening and cooperating with the attacker might be the best survival strategy in many situations, there are a few very specific situations where waiting and cooperating are the worst things the victim can possibly do.

A woman forced into a car by an attacker, for instance, has a 95% or higher chance of getting killed if she complies. Even if it seems highly likely the attacker will kill her right there if she doesn’t get in the car, the fact is that right at that moment, the odds are the very best they will ever be for her. They might be lousy odds, but they aren’t going to get any better. So I have decided, in advance, that if I’m ever in that situation, that’s when and where I will fight back no matter what my frozen brain and in-denial guts are telling me about my odds.

Similarly, a man forced into a back room on his knees, with his back to the attacker, has just been put into the execution position. Most of the time, when someone is forced into this position, what comes next is a bullet in the back of the skull. Once you are on your knees, you don’t have any more choices left, even if do you suddenly realize what is about to happen. If you’re going to save your own life in such a situation, you have to make the choice to fight back before you’re on your knees.

The purpose of analyzing this stuff beforehand is to make sure that even my frozen brain and my in-denial guts cannot lull me into cooperating if I am ever in one of the extreme places where a victim really needs to fight if she is going to survive. Because I’ve thought about this stuff in advance, if something like it ever happens, even my frozen brain will have a definite decision point.

Some of my personal boundaries are:

* I will not go anywhere at gunpoint. If the bad guy wants me to go somewhere else, it’s because he will be able to do something to me there that he is unwilling or unable to do to me right here, right now. Therefore no matter how bad the tactical situation seems right here and now, right here and now is the absolute best chance to fight back I will ever have and I intend to use it.

* I will not be tied up. If the bad guy wants to tie me up, it is because he wants to do things to me that I would be able to prevent if I were not tied up. Therefore, I will resist while I am still able to do so.

* I will not kneel. No one is going to execute me. If I die, I’ll die fighting.

* If someone tries to take one of my children, I will fight even at the risk of my child being killed in the resultant firefight. I plan this not because I have positive assurance that I would be successful, but because I would not be able to live with myself if I simply “allowed” my child to be taken, brutalized, and his body perhaps never found. I’d rather watch him die in front of me. (Yes, that’s harsh … but given those two options and only those two, which would you choose?)

My point is not that your boundaries should be the same as mine. It is simply that even though you can wait until the very last moment to make the final decision about fighting back, you should have certain things already set into your decision-making machinery beforehand. If you don’t, and if you are ever attacked, you may not have enough time to do anything but stand there with your brain frozen solid while your attacker takes all your choices away.

***

Kathy Jackson is the Managing Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine.

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Read what Scott has to say below.

Dear U.S. Concealed Carry,

I consider your publication the most informative and focused on the issue of concealed carry. Having it in my house has allowed me to address several individuals’ questions about concealed carry and what their responsibilities are as citizens. Most importantly, my wife’s opinion about carrying for herself has been turned around totally, such that now she is scheduled to take a CCW class after the holidays, and she has begun going to the range with me to practice. Given her travels around the busy city of Houston in her occupation, knowing she can protect herself gives me a lot of peace of mind. I attribute this change in her attitude entirely to your publication.

Scott Meador
Richmond, TX

Optx 20/20 Hydrotac Lenses

written by Cody S. Alderson

USCCA GEAR REVIEW

I’m forty-five and my distance vision is excellent. I can see objects beyond arms length clearly and in vibrant detail. Now bring those objects up close or present me with print smaller than newsprint, and it all gets out of focus. I can actually feel my eye muscles trying to bend that lens to read small print. It just doesn’t work though, and if I don’t have my reading glasses on, I say to my wife, “Would you please read this for me?”

I have cheap pairs of reading glasses that I leave at work, at home on my work bench, in my Bug Out Bag, and I have a pair of prescription readers that I carry with me. Now that’s all well and good, but out in the sun I like to wear my Revision Eyewear Hellfly sunglasses. I can get a pair of prescription lenses for them for another hundred bucks, but I only need readers to see things up close. I don’t have any other vision issues, and a hundred bucks is way too pricey for what amounts to a fancy magnifying glass for what I need. If I had different vision issues I could possibly justify the expense.

Readers are pretty much like having a magnifying glass in front of your eyes. My prescription readers are of the bifocal type that lets me see stuff at a distance out of the top of the lens, and when I need to see objects up close or read fine print, I look down through the bifocals.

Awhile back I was thinking of a lens that I would like to see for sunglasses that would just turn them into readers by adding a stick-on bifocal made of some sort of flexible plastic. I didn’t know if such a thing existed, but I figured that I wasn’t the only person who thought of it so I did a Google search. A wonderful thing about our human species is that when a need exists, there are many great minds out there who are working on solutions.

The only viable option for stick-on lenses turned out to be the Optx 20/20 brand so I figured I would give them a try. I am very glad that I did. I must say before I go any further that the user must follow the application instructions exactly in order to get good results. I know how some folks like to take shortcuts, or just dispense with instructions altogether. Do not do that with this product. In fact, don’t do it with any product!

The flexible Optx 20/20 lenses stick on by what the manufacturer calls Hydrotac. The method for placing the lenses is simple, but needs to be followed exactly. The Optx 20/20 lenses are great to add bifocal capability to a favorite pair of sunglasses or a dive mask. To apply the Optx 20/20 lenses, the receiving lens needs to be clean and oil and lint free.

The manufacturer recommends warm soapy water to clean the receiving lenses. I used liquid dishwashing detergent since it will strip away any oils. I also made sure that my hands were clean and not oily when I was applying the flexible stick-on lenses to my Hellfly sunglasses. I used paper towels to dry off the sunglasses after cleaning them, but the paper towels I was using left behind lint. A paper towel brand like Viva is much better suited for the task. If the lint just won’t go away, try waiting until everything is perfectly dry then blow away the dry lint fibers.

The next step is to put a drop of water on the receiving lens followed by placement of the stick-on lens over the drop of water. Then press the lens into place squeezing out the excess water between the receiving lens and the stick-on lens. Squeeze out any air bubbles too. Then use a paper towel or cloth to squeeze the stick-on lens again and soak up all of the water that comes out.

Make sure that the lenses are in the correct position. They can be moved around a bit while they are still wet. Put the sunglasses on and look at something up close. The lenses will be a bit blurry until all of the water dries out, but it is easy to tell if one is actually looking through the stick-on lens or is looking through just the sunglass lenses. Don’t be discouraged at the blurriness of the lenses at this point. Once they dry out (about 24 hours), they will be clear. I was actually worried about this when I first applied them.

It’s a good thing that the flexible Optx 20/20 lenses can be trimmed to fit because my Hellfly lenses don’t have a lot of surface area from top to bottom, and the Optx 20/20 lenses are big. They are made that way so that the user can fit them to whatever glasses or dive mask that they want to use them on.

I got a sharp pair of scissors and cut them across the top. It actually took me three tries to get the size and placement of the lenses just right to suit my needs. I really think that it was only an issue because of the size of the Hellfly lenses. I had to cut the Optx 20/20 lenses small enough that they didn’t interfere with my distance vision, but not too small in that I didn’t have enough magnified lens to see things up close. By being careful and methodical, I got it just right.

I know lots of folks who are in a real hurry to get things done. It seems as if it takes more than three seconds to do something they start to get nervous. If you are that type of person, you can mess up your Optx 20/20 lens application. Don’t blame such an error on the product. If I can get them to work for me on a pair of Revision Eyewear Hellfly’s, then there shouldn’t be too many types of other lenses where there would be a problem applying them. There has been some reports of them not sticking well to sharply curved lens shapes.

The Optx 20/20 Hydrotac Lenses can be peeled off by simply using a fingernail. This actually concerned me a bit. I was worried that they would fall off while in use. Hydrotac is a fancy term for using water to enable adhesion of the stick-on lenses to the surface of the receiving lenses. The adhesion is due to the inherent properties of the stick-on lens material and not an externally applied adhesive. It’s sort of an upgraded version of the vinyl cling-on window “stickers” that are sold for just about every sport and holiday.

I wondered what would happen if I left the Hellfly sunglasses on the dashboard of my Jeep out in the hot sun with the Optx 20/20 lenses attached. Well, nothing happened. They were fine. I had to cool off the sunglasses before putting them on by holding them in front of the air-conditioner vent—they were that hot. I thought I would find the Optx 20/20 lenses lying on the floor of the Jeep, but they weren’t. They were right where they were supposed to be.

I really like it that I can wear my sunglasses now without having to switch to readers to see something up close. The lenses of my Hellfly’s are safety lenses and I like wearing them, and I didn’t want to spend another hundred bucks to get prescription lenses for them.

The Optx 20/20 Hydrotac Lenses are available in six magnifying strengths—1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.00, 2.50, 3.00. If you don’t know which magnifying strength that you may need, just visit the Neoptx website to utilize their online eyechart.

The retail price for a pair of Optx 20/20 Hydrotac Lenses is $20.00. However, a quick look around the Internet showed me that various distributors are offering the product at different price points. Of course you should buy from who a trusted source. Then again, maybe you might want to become a distributor yourself!

Go to www.optx2020.com to learn more.

I would like to hear from you. Email me at: cody@uscca.us. Twitter me.

I am not writing to ask a question, I am writing to say thanks for the Beat the Ban. I thought I was ahead of the curve, but only realized I had been putting off buying what I may need and what I really wanted before the Obamanation takes place. I wanted to beat the ban.

I was going to joke and say your Beat the Ban cost more than 17.00 dollars, hell I bought a Saiga 12 Shotgun overpaid but got it anyway and to 2 RRA AR15s at retail cost due to having a gunsmith relationship. I also bought some fantastic 5.56 ammo and over 2k rounds of practice ammo.

My next purchase will probably be an SKS or AR47. I have read a great deal more about my rights to arm myself and to protect my country from a threat.

Thanks for placing me ahead of the curve and your book only cost me over 2800.00 dollars in guns and ammo. Well lets just say it was a good investment in my family’s future! Best to you and your family and may you continue with success and great health.

-Mike P.
Proud USCCA Member
Proud Member of the NRA
Proud American!

This is a DIGITAL PRODUCT on PDF and MP3, so you get this timely information instantly delivered to your inbox, so you can Beat the Ban ASAP!

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If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!
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Opening a shooting range

Good morning.

I would like to open a shooting range in CT.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience in the business plan writing and planning process thereof.

Additionally, if anyone has any thoughts on how they can “better” their shooting range, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I am planning on an open air range.

Regards and appreciation,

GBA
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Carjacking Attempt?

I live in cleveland ohio I am female and 22 and the other night I went out to the CVS to pick up some stuff. It was around 11 p.m and I was done shopping and got into my car.

My windows were partially open my doors locked as i unholstered my gun tucked it into the front of my pants( my preferred way to carry when i drive) and lit up a smoke. I was waiting on my friend a chef in a nearby restaurant so I figured I would chill there for awhile.

A guy probably around 25 years of age approached my window and politely asked if i had jumper cables. Something about him didn’t sit right and i saw no other cars nearby so I told him “no i don’t.” He didn’t leave. He asked “with a car this nice you don’t carry cables?” I looked up and saw two of his buddies one by my passenger side and one by the rear passenger door. Now I really was uneasy so I discreetly slid my hand to my gun and politely but firmly asked him to leave.

His friend thinking i was distracted tried to slip his hand in my window and unlock my doors even as i was closing the windows. I pulled my .45 and said “you all had better leave right now your starting to p*** me off.” They jumped back and the guy by my door said ” oh we didn’t mean to upset you” I said “well you did the safety is off and i will use this”.

They proceeded to hightail it out of there. Now only after upon telling my friend what happened did he look at me and explain they were trying to car jack me. They wanted me to step out and they were all positioned to get in. I don’t know if they wanted anything to do with me but either way i’m glad i did what i did.

I don’t want to know how this story could have ended. I’m also glad i got a good test run to see how i acted with my adrenalin pumping and fear in my heart. But my voice did not quiver my mind did not shut down. I was confident in my ability to defend myself and to me that means everything in the world.

== Video of the Week ==

USCCA VIDEO OF THE WEEK

== “Tim-spiration” of the Week ==

USCCA PHOTO OF THE WEEK

All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s
website: http://www.a-human-right.com/. It is a
FANTASTIC site. Please check it out!

USCCA QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Sometimes a good quote will inspire or motivate you. Sometimes, they’ll just put a smile on your face! Here is the quote for this week…

“Make (your attacker) advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he’s gonna have to beat me to death with it, ‘cause it’s going to be empty.”

-Clint Smith

Self Defense Story OF THE WEEK

Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!

July 14, 2009
Lexington, South Carolina

From: The State

Again, A pizza, A Robbery, A Gunshot

A Papa John’s pizza delivery man shot and wounded a 17-year-old who called in a pizza order and then robbed him at a vacant house with a fake handgun, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said.

The incident occurred July 5, but deputies delayed announcing it until Monday — a day after the teen was charged with robbery, and eight days after the shooting.

It was the second time in recent months that a pizza delivery man in Lexington County has shot someone trying to rob him.

The other incident was March 7, when a Pizza Hut delivery man shot and killed a 17-year-old assailant who was beating him. Deputies have arrested three other teens in that Irmo-area incident.

But neither pizza delivery man is facing charges, since authorities have ruled both shootings were in self-defense. The two delivery men carried concealed-weapon permits, deputies said.

In the most recent shooting, Sheriff James Metts is withholding the name of the pizza delivery man. He said Monday through a spokesman that deputies feared for the man’s safety — but would not give details of any threats.

The suspect, Raymond Antonio Metze, 17, of 212 Crestridge Drive, Lexington, was booked Sunday at the Lexington County Detention Center on charges of armed robbery and possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He is in jail under $100,000 bond.

A black BB pistol that resembled a semiautomatic handgun was used in the robbery, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Metze was at Palmetto Health Richland for more than a week, though details of his treatment were not released. He got out of the hospital Sunday night.

The July 5 shooting occurred in the Red Bank area of Lexington County, about a mile west of White Knoll High School.

According to warrants and reports from deputies, shortly before midnight, the 29-year-old delivery man — from Papa John’s on 3937 Platt Springs Road — brought pizza to 236 Crestridge Drive. The home was vacant.

After the delivery man knocked on the front door, a man came from the side of the house with what appeared to be a handgun and demanded cash.

The pizza delivery man gave him a little more than $200.

As the pizza delivery man left, the suspect kept pointing his fake pistol at him. Not knowing it was fake and only fired BBs, the pizza man pulled his handgun. It was real, a 9mm semiautomatic.

He fired one shot, wounding the suspect in his chest.

The suspect fled and the pizza delivery man called 911. Acting on a neighbor’s tip, deputies found the suspect within minutes, lying on a porch of a nearby house.

The suspect was airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland.

Metts said the unidentified pizza delivery man was not charged because he acted in self-defense. Deputies and the 11th Circuit solicitor’s office made the determination.

In the March shooting, pizza delivery man Christopher Miller, 43, from an Irmo-area Pizza Hut, voluntarily agreed to have his name released to the public, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The Papa John’s pizza man, a spokesman added, wants confidentiality.

Closing Thoughts

Hi Tim, I just got my concealed carry permit, and I was at a local gun shop looking for a carry handgun.

I had pretty much decided to look for a .38 revolver because of the simplicity and reliability of revolvers (I am a newbie and just learning about guns; but have taken the required handgun safety course in my state). I also thought that a double action would be best for a concealed carry piece.

The gun shop owner let me try shooting a S&W .38 revolver. I mentioned that the double-action took quite a lot of pressure to make it fire. He told me I should cock it with my thumb and just use the trigger to fire it.

He said that I wouldn’t be able to hit anything using the trigger to cock and fire, anyway. My question is, isn’t the plus of a double action the fact that you don’t have to cock it first, especially in a moment of crisis? Or do I need to plan on learning to cock with my thumb before firing, until it becomes automatic. (I am an almost 57 year old female.)

Thanks for your thoughts! Carol

Carol, GREAT QUESTION, and you have my highest praise for deciding to go armed.

First of all, do not- I repeat, DO NOT let a guy at a gun shop tell you what you can or can’t hit. What I want you to do, is six months from now, when you are shooting all five rounds through a 3-inch circle at 7 feet in rapid, double-action fire, is this:

Go back to that gun shop and rub it in… hard.

Honestly though, you are exactly correct- the whole point of a double action is to be able to shoot quickly without having to pull the hammer back.

The trigger on these revolvers is very stiff indeed, and it feels like you have to pull it back a quarter mile before that gun goes bang. But after that first shot, you’ve already done most of the work- now the trick is to learn where your trigger “resets”- in other words, exactly how far you have to let it up before you can begin pulling again.

After a little while, this action will become as automatic as putting on your seatbelt when you get into a car.

The next trick, which you will also find as automatic as breathing, is to find the exact point during the trigger pull at which your hammer is in the “cocked” position. If you pause for a millisecond at this point, you are able to re-align your sights and apply the final hundredth of a pound pull to the trigger which will break the shot.

Carol, I know these both seem like challenges right now, and the weapon you are holding seems as foreign to you as a copy of “God’s Honest Truth” feels to Al Gore, but you will master it with just a little bit of practice.

I believe you can do it, Carol, and to help you out, I’d like to mail you a free copy of one of our all-time best selling books, “107+ Handgun Accuracy Secrets“. It’s a $47 value, and I think you will find it to be extremely helpful. It’s helped thousands of people since we released it last year.

I don’t have your contact info however, so you’ll have to email me at this address: aar@uscca.us

Good luck Carol, and stay safe!

Do you have a pressing concern? Use the ‘Ask Tim’ contact form found at this page to let me hear your advice. Just use the graphic below!