Concealed Carry Report

Dear Friend,

Are you paranoid? We know you’re not- but we want to know what you say to people who think that all armed citizens are. That’s what the Managing Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine wants to know. You can read Kathy Jackson’s question in the Forum Highlights section of this edition of the Armed American Report.

Cody reviews the Ruger Mini-14 with the ATI stock and fore end in the Gear Review Section. He said that he wrote this review departing from the standard technical format that one usually reads in a gun review. This review is written in a style that even a first-time gun buyer could easily grasp. We old-timers may know all the gun jargon, but a new shooter may not.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Armed American Report!

First, I’d like to share an exciting announcement from a woman named Kate Woolstenhulme from Designer Concealed Carry:

“Hello fellow armed citizens! This is Kate Woolstenhulme from Designer Concealed Carry with a VERY exciting message for the ladies out there! (Men, pay attention too as the ladies in your life have been waiting for this to come along) FASHIONABLE concealed carry handbags are now available at www.designerconcealedcarry.com.

If anyone wants to contact me, my email address is: kate@designerconcealedcarry.com!

A Protest to Remember: The 9/12 Tea Party

“…disgust with the current administration and Congress with their handling of the economy, runaway spending, gun control, and health care….”

by Christopher James Galosi

On Friday, September 11, 2009, while I was driving up to Washington D.C. to participate in the 9/12 Project Tea Party, I saw numerous tour buses and vehicles with signs on them proclaiming “Washington or bust,” “9/12 is here,” “Tea Party 2009,” and my personal favorite, “It’s Time To Party Like 1773.” There were a host of other signs proclaiming the signmakers’ disgust with the current administration and Congress with their handling of the economy, runaway spending, gun control, and health care. The license plates passing by said it all: Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi, to name just a few.

That night while lying in bed, I could not help but wonder what our forefathers would think about what is going on and how we tore a page out of right out of history in an attempt to get back to our roots. To get the government’s attention that people are out of work and fed up with what is going on in this wonderful country of ours. What would George Washington, John Adams or Paul Revere think if they could be here today? Would they approve? I think so. Since we are protesting against the big corporate bail outs and governmental abuse, it is not much different than what happened over two hundred years ago up in Boston. After all, didn’t Benjamin Franklin compare Congress to organized crime?

CAPTION: Although the crowd was large, the protest was peaceful and the atmosphere pleasant.

On Saturday, September 12, 2009, I and a few friends hopped the Metro into Washington D.C. to exercise our First Amendment right to free speech. I was impressed by the diverse group of people. These people were your average Americans. Most I talked with were like myself: college educated, voted across the board. Some were veterans, some had businesses, and all were hard-working citizens trying to make a better life for themselves and their family. While walking the crowd, I was amazed at how polite and peaceful people were. Nobody threw anything at the police, trash was thrown away or piled neatly next to full trashcans, nothing was desecrated, and everyone had a good time. If it weren’t for the seriousness of why we were there, I could honestly say the protest had almost a carnival-like atmosphere to it. People had picnics on the Mall while listening to the speeches. Others had little side shows going on like juggling acts, or smaller speeches from groups I’d never heard of. The area was filled with people mingling around and sharing information and ideas. Everywhere we went, we saw American flags flying proudly, along with the good old “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. There were also signs depicting various caricatures of the President and members of Congress.

There were people dressed like Native Americans, complete with rubber tomahawks; Minutemen and other revolutionary figures; patriots of all walks of life; Vietnam vets proudly displaying their colors on field jackets and leather, and a host of others wearing patriotic themes.

I found myself chatting with a gentleman from DelMar (Delaware/Maryland state line) who runs a small business about how he voted for Obama in hopes of a better and quicker economic recovery. He now may have to close his doors because of the taxes and fees that Obama is looking at placing on the small business owner. For this gentleman, that equates to putting his workforce of approximately 50 people on the street, out of work.

A lady I talked with was concerned about the national debt is spiraling out to control and believes it may not be paid for in full until her grandchildren come of age. Next to her, I met a retired professor of economics. He was furious how the administration and Congress are trying to monetize our debt. He then proceeded to give me a crash course of Economics 101.

During this time there were various speakers on the Capitol steps giving speeches. Some of the speakers were Dick Armey, Yaron Brook, Rev. C.L. Bryant, Rep. Tom Price (GA), Rep. Joel Winters (NH), and Senator Jim DeMint (SC). All told there were around 62 speakers present giving speeches between the Capitol and Freedom Plaza.

What was very interesting were the numbers involved regarding the crowd size. Depending on whom you talked with or heard on the news, the numbers varied greatly. I heard figures that ranged from hundreds to upwards of two million. Who is right? I have no idea. But I do know this: the Capitol area was packed to overflowing proportions. When I looked down Pennsylvania Avenue or on the Mall, it was a sea of people as far as the eye could see.

CAPTION: Many of the protesters chose to wear outfits with Revolutionary-Era themes, symbolizing both patriotism and freedom.

The disturbing part was when I went back to my friends place and later home, nobody really knew about the protest. The major networks did not cover the protest to the extent that Fox did. As for CNN, I’m not sure about how much they covered except I saw their truck parked near Fox’s. If any other network had a truck there, I did not see it, and I know I walked a good ways Saturday. In their defense, I will admit, I saw camera crews walking around talking with people. Whom they worked for? I have no idea. I saw no labels or other identifying marking on them or their equipment.

When you compared the two networks, CNN and Fox, it was like oil and water. Fox said there were hundreds of thousands, closer to a million, while CNN said there were hundreds to tens of thousands. Other people had the internet up on their phones and IPods linked to the foreign news groups, which were were reporting around a million or two. During the protest, one of the organizers stood at the podium and told the crowd there were around 1.2 million of us present.

As I write this, I wonder why it was not widely covered on every network. After standing there in the heart of it all, watching a huge sea of people politely exercising their God-given rights, this just boggles the mind. Was this protest considered not important enough? Looking on the internet for hard figures is impossible, and the Park Service no longer gives out official estimates. This is due to the possible politicizing of the figures.

When I tell people whom I meet in my travels I get the two extremes: “A protest last weekend?” and “Oh cool! How was it?” Why America wasn’t better informed? I cannot answer that. At least at my local gun shop, I got an “Atta boy” and free drink.

Christopher J. Galosi is a retired Navy Petty Officer, holds a BA in Criminal Justice, and is an NRA Certified Instructor, and a former Customs and Border Protection Officer. Currently he teaches CCW and Personal Protection classes in Norfolk, Virginia. He can be reached for comment at cjgalosi@netscape.net.

USCCA Laugh of the Week

by Chaim’s Cartoons

Update on Orange County’s pro-CCW Sheriff’s Candidate

By Uli Gebhard, Suarez International Staff Instructor

Last Friday was the first dedicated fundraiser for our pro-CCW Sheriff’s candidate Bill Hunt.  Safe OC had organized a shooting event appropriately titled “Shoot for your rights”.

A huge crowd of supporters had gathered at the range to meet Mr. Hunt, ask their questions and of course to shoot action stages and precision shooting stages against him.

Mr. Hunt opened the event with a brief speech reviewing the current situation in our county where many in the administration pay too much interest to their own respective agenda, rather than centering their actions around the one document that should dictate every step they take:  The United States Constitution.

Add to this that Mr. Hunt is determined to make accountability from the top down departmental policy.

Folks, I went to three of the board meetings where our appointed anti CCW Sheriff gave her statements regarding her policies.  She is one of these agenda driven people.  In addition to that, this person cannot deliver a coherent statement that gives the impression that she is fully behind it.  Add to that that she has a sad tendency to avoid uncomfortable questions.

OC Sheriff’s Candidate Bill Hunt addresses his supporters

Mr. Hunt is a stark contrast to that.  He did not use any notes or memory cards during his address and you could tell from the way he delivered it that he stands 100% behind his statements.  He made several strong points about the current sad status of the sheriff’s department.

Another key point traced the current departmental problems back to the lead personnel of the OCSD.  The problems began when the leadership did not come from within the department and hence from proven officers who had worked their way up the ranks.  They started when politically ambitious people with little knowledge of the OCSD internals took or were appointed to the position of Sheriff.

In a contrast to this, Mr. Bill Hunt has worked in many of the divisions of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, such as the county jail, patrol, narcotics and SWAT all the up to his position as Chief of Police in Dana Point.

After his address, Mr. Hunt joined range staff and supporters in the safety briefing and immediately afterwards competed in the action shooting stages of the event.  His scores were taken and posted.   It prove to be a tough crowd in terms of shooting skills as a number of shooters were able to beat Mr. Hunt’s score.

Ready for the action shooting stage.
(OK – this is a staged photo with an empty gun)

Ladies, Gents, this was a very positive experience in every sense.  It reinforced the good impressions that I gathered of Mr. Hunt during the interview that was published last month.   He is a person who has leadership skills, can clearly articulate his intentions and most of all, he is definitely doing so without any star-like attitude.

The “shoot for your rights” event was a great start.  This was the first fundraiser specifically supporting Mr. Bill Hunt and his candidacy for Orange County Sheriff.

Safe OC has organized the next event for November 4:

“An Evening with John R. Lott, Ph.D. “

Dr. Lott is the author of “more guns, less crime”, which is probably the best researched pro-second-amendment work that has been published to date.  Please join our efforts to bring this pro-CCW candidate into office.  Sign up for the event and get more ammunition for discussions with the people who deny the fact that armed and trained citizens have a huge role in reducing crime.

Uli Gebhard is an Engineer and Firearms Instructor in Orange County, CA.
You can find additional information about him and the situation in Orange County on his website.

Review of Ruger’s Newest Incarnation of the Mini-14

USCCA Gear Review

by Cody Alderson

It’s as simple as this: RUGER=RUGGED. I could end the review there, but I know y’all want details. Ruger guns are known to be beefy, but what about tactical? The Mini has been around since about 1973 when Bill Ruger and James Sullivan decided to scale down the M-14 into their own Mini-14. After some little changes as the first rifles came off of the production line, the Mini-14 came into its own.

With its Garand-style action it starts out reliable right out of the box without having to fool around with any gunsmithing. Isn’t that one of the necessities of a weapon that may be used in a self-defense tactical situation? Sure it is. Okay so we got reliability. Check the forums, Google to your hearts content, and ask your buddies at the gun store about whether or not an AR platform rifle will shoot both .223 and 5.56 x 45 NATO out of the same barrel. About the best answer is that an AR with a barrel stamped 5.56 NATO will shoot .223, but there aren’t any guarantees about performance or safety the other way around. Ruger’s Mini-14 states right in the owner’s manual that it is okay with both the commercial .223 as well as the military version 5.56, and the Mini also is renown for not being finicky about different ammo manufacturers. Plus the Mini is also available in 6.8mm Remington SPC and 7.62 x 39 (Mini-30).

Ask around. Round for round, which rifle is more reliable, Stoner’s AR or Ruger’s Mini-14? It is already widely known that the Mini-14 will shoot dirty and dry. Listen to or read a review about an AR, and the story is to keep them clean and wet (lubed) if you want them to shoot reliably. The Mini has been called the Ranch Rifle for many years now. Who cleans a ranch rifle? They sit in a gun rack in the truck, in a scabbard on a horse, or in the closet next to the front door to take out a predator here and there that is threatening the livestock or ruining Grandma’s garden.

My Mini-14 is the one that the guys at the gun shop said would not have been made except for the fact that Bill Ruger is dead. Things changed a bit at Sturm Ruger after Mr. Ruger passed away. One man at my favorite gun store told me that he knew Bill Ruger, and Bill wouldn’t have allowed the Mini that I now own to be made if he was still alive. I really couldn’t get out of them the rhyme or reason why they felt that way, but they certainly were convinced.

If I were to guess, I would suppose it has to do with the furniture on my Mini-14. The men at the gun store seemed to think that Bill Ruger would have been opposed to jumping on the bandwagon of consumer demand and outfitting a Mini-14 such as mine.

I do wish to point out that Sam Colt declared that his company would never make a double-action revolver while he was alive. Well, after Mr. Colt died the Colt name went on some of the best double-action revolvers ever made. I’m certainly glad that the company moved on into the present with a goal for the future. And that is what is happening at Sturm Ruger now. We have been fortunate to have the choices of owning some fine new firearms such as the Ruger LCP and the Ruger LCR. Modern and innovative firearms made for today’s consumer needs but built on the foundation of quality that is Ruger.

My Mini-14 has a fine tactical stock and fore end from Advanced Technology Incorporated (ATI). Check it out.

On the fore end there is a quad Piccatiny rail system to hold optics, lights, LASERs, or whatever else one would like to mount on the rifle.

The collapsible stock also folds.

I really like the adjustability of the collapsible stock. In a second I can fit the length-of-pull to myself, or to my friend’s nine-year-old son seen in the photo below. It’s quick! Then with a quick press of a button I can fold the stock completely out of the way. This makes the already compact rifle even more compact. It’s easy to stow just about anywhere.

This weapon is set up for right-handers, but the slide handle is on the right side. If it was really designed for combat the slide handle would be on the left side for right-handed shooters. In a bad situation the shooter doesn’t want to have to take his trigger finger too far away from the boom button in order to charge the weapon. I like to be able to keep my right hand ready to press the boom button while using my left hand to work any actions. That’s one advantage an AR has with its charging handle.

Fortunately the magazine catch is in a good spot. However, these magazines aren’t meant to just drop out of the Mini-14. To place or remove a magazine, they need to be pivoted like they do on an AK. There is a hole on the front of the magazine that connects with a protruding stud up in the magazine well of the rifle. Catch that hole on the stud, and then rotate the magazine back and up into place. To remove a magazine, press the latch, lever the magazine forward, and pull it out.

Another plus for the Mini-14 now is that mine shipped with two 20 round magazines. There are also 30 round magazines available now since I received my Mini.

Ruger is working hard to get it right and giving the customers what they want. There is no argument that the Black Guns are extremely popular. Ruger with ATI, and the higher capacity magazines are meeting the demands of the customer. Take away the ATI stock, the higher capacity magazines, and the guts of the Mini-14 is still the fantastically reliable Garand-style action that has made the Mini famous.

The Trigger guard has a hole in it so that it can be pried up with just about any tool in order to field strip the rifle. The safety is forward of the trigger. The position of the safety concerns some folks. They are worried that a user may accidentally squeeze the trigger while trying to activate the safety thinking that the trigger is the safety when going by feel instead of by sight.

It’s easy to avoid that problem by putting the trigger finger under the trigger guard, and sliding it forward until the safety is felt. With the finger outside of the trigger guard using the trigger guard as a guide to get to the safety there is no doubt where the finger is. I’ll demonstrate that in the video that will follow.

What’s truly great about the Mini? Its basic functional components. There aren’t that many parts. Fewer parts mean fewer things to go wrong. Most of us shooters aren’t armorers or gunsmiths. We are just shooters who reluctantly clean our guns so they will keep on shooting.

I departed from the usual accuracy testing a gun writer normally does. I was going to set up some Caldwell accuracy targets and give the data of how far apart the holes were at X number of yards. Typically a Mini shooter is looking at about ¾ of an inch to an 1 ½ at 100 yards. So to really find out how the rifle shoots, I decided to go to a friend’s house in the country and shoot some cans, jugs, and a watermelon.

We shot American Eagle 60 grain .223 rounds from Federal Premium Ammunition. I like Federal Ammunition in that it goes bang every time I press the trigger. We had ZERO issues with the ammo or the gun. I’ll be putting up a video of the shooting session as soon as I can get it ready.

The trigger on the Mini works great for the intended use of the rifle. It’s not a target trigger by any sense of the word, but it is a clean trigger. By that I mean that there isn’t any issues with it that would make a shooter have to adapt specifically to the gun. Some guns have triggers that have a lot of take-up before the trigger is doing anything as far as getting the firing pin drop on the primer. They feel like a loose switch.

Then others may have overtravel after the gun goes bang. That’s where the trigger still has room to move backward after the round goes off. That kind of trigger is clumsy to reset for the next round on a semi-auto because the shooter needs to adapt to not pulling the trigger too far so he can let it go forward again to reset it.

There are no such problems with the trigger on Ruger’s Mini-14.

My friend’s nine-year-old son is an eagle eye with a gun. We showed him how the Mini works, and he was doing great in no time. He was so excited to be shooting the cool looking Mini outfitted with the ATI stock and fore end. He would have done much better if I had a rest with me to help him support the rifle. It was a bit heavy for him. But hey, he’s only nine!

There isn’t any issue with the recoil of the .223. It’s just a .22 caliber bullet with some extra powder behind it. Take a look at the .223 side-by-side with a .22 Long Rifle. My friend’s son didn’t even flinch with the recoil and he’s got a thin build to him.

I liked it that in less than a second we could adjust the stock to fit me, my friend, and his son. A collapsible stock is great for that. This should be considered for a home-defense gun that may need to be used by multiple members of a family in a self-defense situation. This Mini’s stock comes with an add-on cheek piece if one needs to add a bit of height to the stock. The cheek piece is adjustable with a tool.

I want to put a reflex sight on this Mini. For close quarter battle situations against an armed predator trying to do a home invasion or other such nonsense, I would prefer that over the current aperture and blade sights on this Mini. Looking through the peephole aperture, and lining up with the front sight isn’t as easy as it used to be now that my eyes are forty-five. My friend wears what looks to be a strong prescription with his eyeglasses, but he didn’t seem to have any issue with the sights.

(This same model of Mini-14 is available with a flash hider for those who desire one. Make sure they are legal in your area before ordering one with the flash hider. Same thing with the higher capacity magazines)

My friend was dead-on after a couple of rounds getting used to the gun. I thought it was shooting a bit high, but I was wrong. I’ve got excuses though, if anyone would like to know them. Things like the sun was too bright (it was), my glasses were too dark (they were), and my other pair of glasses were fogging up (they were). Still, I was able to knock some cans around. I wanted to shoot the watermelon, but my friend got to it first.

I would dare to say that even a mediocre shooter would be able to put rounds center mass on a man-sized target at a hundred yards. A shooter who has a bit more plinking experience should be able to easily pop coyote-sized targets at that range and further. We saw a groundhog keep popping its head up at about 200 to 250 yards away while we were plinking cans and stuff. If I had something against groundhogs, I could’ve popped him. But I like the furry little fatsos. They never did anything to hurt me. So the little veggie muncher is still safe.

Ruger’s Mini-14 is available with the same guts housed in a nice variety of furniture options. Pick any of them, and you have picked a reliable rifle that you just will not want to get rid of even if there is a need for immediate cash. I know how it is. A man or woman who owns a few guns, or maybe bought something that they weren’t too sure of, will sell that gun whenever there is a sudden need for immediate cash. Buy one of these Mini-14’s, and it’s going to be staying in the family.

If you want to stick a scope on it the bases are part of the receiver, and Ruger includes a set of scope rings. The brass ejects at a low trajectory so that it won’t hit a scope.

Plink all day then put it behind the seat of the truck. Take care of a predator or two on the property, and put it back behind the seat. Then if the Mini is needed to save a life the Ruger reliability is there to get the job done.

They shoot dirty and dry. Does your fancy AR do that? (Yeah, I know some do now). The only negative I have ever heard was of the possibility of the bolt rusting shut on a VERY neglected Mini stored in a very high humidity environment. Mine sat for six months in my house with a dirty barrel, and without being lubed once.

Before we started sending rounds downrange, I checked the bore for any obstructions then we just started hitting targets without a problem. No cleaning and no oil, just bang-bang-bang. I also tore up some holes in the dirt that looked like golf divots firing the Mini nice and fast doing the Rambo imitation from First Blood Part One. Yes, I did it safely by shooting where there was a sufficient backstop. I probably shook up the neighbors out there in the country with the rapid fire, but the rifle didn’t hiccup once. And it is just way cool to empty a magazine like that.

We shot it until the barrel got so hot that I couldn’t touch it. Then we shot some more after it cooled down a bit. That heated it back up again. Still no problems. Just a fun time shooting.

Check out all of Ruger’s fine firearms at www.ruger.com. Ruger has a Mini-14 that is named the Tactical Mini-14 now. Take a look at the same model of the Mini I reviewed in this article HERE. Go to your favorite gun store and hold and manipulate the version of the Mini-14 that strikes your fancy. The whether or not you already own one, have owned one before, or have never even heard of them, you’ll probably be putting one on layaway.

There are lots and lots of nice rifles out there, but everyone should own a Ruger Mini-14.

Comments? I’d love to hear from you!
E-mail me at: cody@uscca.us
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Quote of the Week

“You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or use any other word you think will work, but I’ve found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head is pretty much the universal language”

-Clint Smith

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!

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(USCCA members should definitely check out this forum post)

Share your tips with the readers of Concealed Carry Magazine!
- “Are You Paranoid?”

For the November/December issue, the question is:

What do you say to people who accuse you of being ‘paranoid’ for carrying a gun?

Each answer MUST be under 50 words.

Enter as many times as you like.

ALL posts in this thread may be used in the magazine. If you are not comfortable with your words appearing in Concealed Carry Magazine, please don’t post here.

Cute slogans are nice, but original thought is better. Chances are that if you simply repeat something you heard somewhere, your post won’t be picked for the magazine.

No Internet nicknames will be used in the magazine. You may choose to be identified by your full name (”John Smith”), or by your first name only along with a location (”John from Alabama”). Please post your preference when you post your answer, or if you prefer, drop me a PM to let me know.

Thanks,
Kathy Jackson Managing Editor Concealed Carry Magazine

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Racking the pistol?

I Just had a quick question. I am taking a Concealed Carry class this Saturday and have a small problem. The Taurus 709 that I just purchased for the class holds 7+1 and I will be shooting 100 rounds thought the weapon and that will be a lot of racking being done.
What would be a easy way to rack the gun? Are there gloves that grips that you can get so you can grip the gun to rack it? A few times racking the pistol isn’t bad but I want to save my fingers of my left hand and trying to spend all day racking will hurt the fingers, call me a pansy if you want but I was wondering if anyone else has or did have this problem and how they solved it?
I have four little pieces of rubber shelf liner that I cut to take with me if I can’t find any gloves that will grip..I know, I should have bought a revolver since you don’t have to rack it but for my first weapon for conceal carry I wanted the Taurus 709B 9mm.And I don’t plan on racking it all the time.Any suggestions?

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Gang Initiation

A friend of the family, was returning from work around 6PM. His apartment is located two blocks from my residence. When he proceeded to exit his vehicle three gang members rush up to him and pressed a pistol to his chest. They forced him into his apartment and tore his rooms apart looking for cash, etc.

They found his ATM card and forced him to drive to his bank’s drive through window the following morning to draw out the balance in his account. They returned to his apartment and held him captive for another day before leaving. Upon leaving they threatened to come back and kill him if he reported the incident to the police.

The gang members were 16 to 17 years old. During the captivity they said the robbery was a gang initiation.

Luckily he is still alive. He asked my advice on what he should have done, and what he can do to avoid a future incident. I did give him the applications for a CWC permit and information about a weapon for home defense. I also spoke to him about the various degrees of alertness.

I do not have enough experience with this type of assault. He’s been staying with us and is afraid to return to his apartment. We welcome any advice from USCCA members.

Video of the Week

Remember the shootings at Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen Texas?

Luby ’s survivor Suzanna Hupp

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

October 3, 2009

Halifax, North Carolina

From: WRAL

Sheriff: Revenge likely motive for fatal home invasion

A New Jersey man who was shot and killed during a home invasion in Halifax Friday morning was likely seeking revenge for a two decade-old domestic dispute, according to Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Frazier.

The investigation is ongoing into details of the 1988 dispute between Marcel Alston, of Halifax, and Carlton L. Burgess, 61, of Lumberton, N.J. Frazier said.

“It’s baffling right now. We’ve got a lot of loose ends that we’ve got to try to tie up,” said Lt. Bobby Martin, with the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said that a knock woke up Alston around 7 a.m. at his house at 5524 U.S. Highway 301, where he lives alone. When Alston opened the door, Burgess, who had a gun, began assaulting Alston.

Alston got away and was climbing up the stairs when Burgess fired, striking his victim in the buttocks, investigators said. Alston managed to get to his bedroom and got out a gun he kept there.

Burgess followed Alston into the bedroom, and Alston fatally shot him in the upper torso, according to investigators.

According to a 911 call, Alston went to a neighbor’s for help after the shootings.

In addition to a gunshot wound, Alston suffered a gash on the head. He was undergoing surgery at Halifax Regional Hospital Friday afternoon. His condition was stable, Frazier said.

Alston acknowledged his acquaintance with Burgess and said they hadn’t seen each other in several years.

Deputies were examining a white van with New Jersey license plate parked in front of Alston’s house that Burgess might have driven. Investigators were also searching a room at the Days Inn in Weldon where Burgess had checked in Wednesday.

Frazier said the killing appeared to be a case of self-defense. The Halifax County District Attorney’s Office has to decide whether charges will be filed.

Neighbors said they were stunned this happened to Alston, who has been their friend for years.

“It shocked me,” neighbor Leroy Lynch said. “I’m really sad. He’s a real nice man.”

Closing Thoughts

Dear Tim,

-Baffled in the city
Hello Baffled,

You are NOT alone. Lawyers are expensive, and there isn’t much out there for answers to all these questions.

Listen- when I read your question, I had an idea…

Why don’t ALL of you use the special “Ask Tim” form that I’ve created to voice all of your legal concerns, and I’ll see what I can do to get these questions answered for you.

Just click the picture below, and then use the form below and ask ALL of your legal concerns!

Dear Friend,

This week’s Armed American Report has so much life-saving info packed into it, that you’re going to have a hard enough time getting through it without me going on and on about how grateful I am that you’re an Armed Citizen, and that you’re reading this Armed American Report right now…

…so let’s get right to it!

Keeping What You Need, Protecting What You Love: A Weapons System for After the Disaster

“…stay alive and the wherewithal to keep going until civilization in your area is rebuilt…”

by C.R. Williams

There are three possibilities in the aftermath of a disaster, man-made or otherwise:

1) You resolve to remain at home; you will stick it out there for as long as it takes.

2) You have decided or are otherwise forced to evacuate.

3) The event occurred while you were away from home and you want to get back there despite conditions or obstacles between you and the house.

In each case, I will assume that you have stockpiled some reasonable amount of food and water and that you have or can construct shelter; basically, that you have what you immediately need to stay alive and the wherewithal to keep going until civilization in your area is rebuilt. If you don’t have these already, forget the guns until you get them.

After that, however, history has shown anyone that looks that it is unwise to depend on the mass onset of nobility to prevent others from taking what they need, or even just want, from what you have. So we’re back to considering weapons—in this case, (big surprise here) firearms.

I’m going to suggest a weapon system built around at least two and preferably four weapons, that you have on hand at least 250 rounds of ammunition and 5 magazines (for magazine-fed weapons) for each gun, and that you keep cleaning and simple maintenance tools, materials and supplies in stock to keep those weapons functioning properly without help for an extended period of time. I do not suggest that you empty your bank account, take out a second mortgage, or eat nothing but Ramen noodles for months to get all of this.

I want this system to be easy to put together and inexpensive (as guns go) to get, while allowing flexibility and expansion if you wish to pay for it. I want this system to keep looters and criminals as far away from you as possible for as long as it takes normal law enforcement coverage to be restored to your area. I want this system to be easily packed and as portable as possible. The same system should be able to stay at the house, travel with you as part of a vehicle disaster kit, or go in the bug-out bag in the event you are forced to evacuate the area.

Within those broader parameters, each part of the core system—the two-gun minimum recommended—is intended to give you the best possible chance against my estimated biggest threat—multiple hostiles with weapons either inside vehicles or using light buildings, i.e. houses, for cover. The main difference between the individual weapons is the range of engagement they are intended for. (Note: There will be overlap! That’s part of the plan.)

Get a street-by-street map of your neighborhood, or better yet get the free version of Google Earth or similar mapping program, get an overhead view of your address, and put a marker where your house is (Caution: Google Earth was off about a block on my address. Make sure you identify your house). Now draw scale circles around that mark at ten, 100, and 300 yards. That’s what we’re going to be planning for.

The “hard core” of the system is a sidearm—a pistol or revolver—and a shoulder arm—a carbine or rifle. (For purposes of this article I define a carbine as a rifle chambered for pistol-caliber ammunition. Though there are such things as rifle-caliber hunting pistols and pistols chambered for the .223 cartridge, they will not be included in my working definition.) The pistol can be “dual-use” as your carry gun as well as part of the disaster weapons system. If you are buying for the first time or buying specifically for a kit, I recommend a widely-used caliber to maximize your chances of getting inexpensive ammunition for storage and to give you the greatest chance of getting ammo by scrounging or bartering in an emergency. In the US currently, that appears to be .38, 9mm, .45, and possibly .357 calibers of ammunition. Because of widespread adoption by police, .40 might also be widely obtainable. The most common calibers in your area may vary from my estimate. (If you do choose an uncommon caliber for your sidearm, consider increasing the amount of stored ammunition and obtaining additional weapons in more common calibers in case of supply interruptions.) Whatever brand of ammunition you settle on should, of course, be tested in every gun it fits, and stocks should be rotated from time to time. Very old ammunition is still usable, but test some of those WWII vintage rounds just to make sure.

The pistol is the one that’s always on you, the same as it is now. Whether you wear it openly after an event or continue to conceal it will be up to you and defined by the circumstances and environment. It is your “reactive” weapon, intended to cover the shortest ranges, contact to around thirty feet (the ten-yard circle). It may literally fulfill the purpose of being “what you use to fight your way to your rifle.”

Having a shoulder arm of the same caliber will simplify ammunition purchase and storage choices. Some manufactures also produce carbines that can use the same magazines as their pistols (Hi-Point and Kel-Tec come to mind; the Kel-Tec carbine can be obtained in Glock, Beretta, and S&W variants, in fact). This could simplify logistics and get you more for your money. The carbine part of the weapons system is there to provide better precision (you can mount all manner of optics on a shoulder arm that would be awkward or impossible to fit on a pistol) at longer ranges. It could also be given to a partner while you use the rifle, and/or assigned to family members who would be less comfortable with a full-caliber rifle. The carbine will overlap the pistol in its use at the ten-yard line, but its main use is for precision fire out to 100 yards. Though there are very inexpensive rifles on the market (SKS for example), if cost is a factor consider a common-caliber carbine as the first shoulder arm.

If only one shoulder arm is chosen, and cost or recoil tolerance is not otherwise an issue, I recommend the purchase of a rifle. In fact, if you’re only going to get one weapon solely for protection in the aftermath of a disaster, it should be a rifle or carbine. (For normal self-protection in normal times, it should be a pistol or revolver.) Again, choose a commonly-available caliber—most of what I see here is .223/5.56 or .308/7.62×51, but there are enough imports of Russian designs around that you may find one of those calibers easily available. In urban or most suburban areas, I would favor the .223/5.56 or the Russian 7.62×39. These calibers offers offer enough precision and power (more precision with the .223/5.56, more power with the 7.62×39) over the ranges I expect to face in a town or city. Also, the .223/5.56 will also be less likely to go through walls you may not want to be piercing. (With frangible ammunition the 5.56 has been shown to be less penetrative than even some 9mm rounds. Realize that, even in the aftermath of a large scale disaster and resulting extended loss of government control the rule of law will still apply; more importantly, it will be applied following restoration of control. You will still need to pay attention to laws governing use of force.)

In a rural area or some very spread-out towns and suburban areas I would give some thought to the .308 or similar heavier-caliber rifle. Though the .223 can, and does, do very well at the longer ranges of more open country, I would still feel better with the heavier punch at long range provided by the bigger gun. Also, in rural areas especially, I would expect that potential threats might well be armed with higher-caliber hunting weapons that overmatch the .223. If I must engage, then, I would want to do it on at least equal terms if I can’t manage superior ones.

And speaking of superior terms: Whatever you get in whatever caliber, make it a magazine-fed semi-auto. There are some that can maintain a high volume of accurate fire with bolt-action rifles; I am not one of them, and I believe there are more people like me. With all the stress you will already be under from the post-disaster environment added to the extreme distress imposed on you in a firefight, the operationally-simpler semi-auto will make it easier to protect you and yours during the time of troubles.

A word about optics: On the carbine or rifle, I believe it better to have some kind of optical enhancement than not. The type you choose is up to you. But whatever optical enhancement you put on the shoulder arm, you must be able to switch to iron sights at any time. And you must be comfortable doing so. Do not use an optical system that blocks or replaces your iron sights. You don’t have to expect the optics to fail at the worst time, but you do need to be read if they do.

Once the purely defensive weapons have been obtained, consider adding a .22 rifle and pistol to the mix. This will give you a cheap way to practice basic marksmanship and tactics, provide pest and varmint control in a post-disaster situation, is a common caliber which can be stockpiled inexpensively, and in a pinch can back up larger-caliber weapons in a defensive situation.

So: A pistol or revolver to begin. After that, a shoulder arm, a carbine of the same caliber as the handgun and/or a semi-auto rifle of commonly-available caliber. After that, rifle and pistol in .22 caliber. These are my recommendations; these are the things I believe you will probably need when (I wish I could say “if”) the next Event occurs.

Some will question the need for this kind of collection. Perhaps they don’t know about the gunfights between citizens and groups of looters after Katrina, or about those who were threatening or actually tried to take fuel and food from other Rita evacuees after their own vehicles ran out or broke down. Perhaps they did not hear of how those who turned themselves over to government control were stripped of everything except a plastic grocery bag’s worth of possessions. Perhaps they still believe, after all evidence to the contrary, that the government really will be there to help them. You, though, at least have a hint of it now. So I will leave you not with more information and recommendations, but with two questions:

Do you have what you need to keep yourself and those you love alive?

And, finally:

Do you have what it will take to keep it?

Si vi pacem parabellum.

C.R. Williams is the moderator of the Knives, Lights, & Gear forum on U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s website.

USCCA Laugh of the Week

by Chaim’s Cartoons

“I only wish I had this stuff 10 years ago…”

Last month I sent you a link to a complimentary program I felt every USCCA members should own. It was created by a hand-to-hand close combat expert named Tim Larkin. The feedback on it has been phenomenal. In a phone call, one guy called it “a life changing experience.” Here’s what he wrote directly to Tim Larkin (he asked to remain anonymous and we’ve respected that wish by deleting his name).

——

“I can honestly not thank you enough for giving USCCA members the huge discount on your Human Weapons ‘package’ deal.

“I have trained most of my life to survive. I’ve taken multiple survival classes (you know, being dumped out in the desert with absolutely nothing and having to live for a week). I took firearms training classes as soon as I was old enough to own one and I’ve taken practical self defense courses, mostly emphasizing on getting it over with as quickly as possible. I’ve worked with Marines all my life so I’ve had advantages other civilians have not had. I’ve also taken medical classes, EMT certified, you name it. Being prepared is something I take seriously. The safety of my family and myself I take very seriously.

“But this mega pack of materials is amazing. The practicality, straight forwardness and focus of the material is fantastic. I have always wondered why so many instructors insist on teaching things that have absolutely no practical value in saving my life or the life of another. Why fill student’s heads with crap. We are only going to retain so much in a true life or death scenario – so give people the best possible odds of winning. The rest is fluff and gets people killed.

“Your information is just so valuable - I have already had many of my friends and co-workers purchase the set.

“As I emailed Tim Schmidt of USCCA - I can only hope that all the money, time and effort that I continue to put into this program is completely ‘wasted’ (ie, I’ll never need to use it).

“Your concept of ’break things inside people so they don’t work anymore’ honestly is so, I don’t even have words for it, unbelievably simple. For the life of me I cannot understand why that isn’t at the core of every training class I’ve ever taken. I’ve heard it said other ways with a lot of fluff around it but it is a straight up truism. All of my firearms training - that was the point of it. Just that simple. From that axiom everything can be built.

“I feel like a lot of my training has been complete crap and I also feel like it is so damn obvious I am annoyed at myself for not realizing it before. After reading your book I know why I didn’t realize it but still, it isn’t a pill that’s easy to swallow.

“A while ago I was put on the disabled list that severely limits the amount I can train. I have to take every opportunity I can to keep pushing myself but I have to do it in a way where I am not making things worse for myself. The material that is in this program is a major help to me. Some things I simply cannot do, others I can adapt to my situation. What is important is that I now have better tools to use and a better understanding of how to use them and when. I hope that I can one day attend one of your classes.

“So - thank you. I only wish I had this stuff 10 years ago and was ahead of the curve instead of catching up.”

(name withheld for confidentiality reasons)
-USCCA member

If you missed it last month, here’s the link again:

=> http://www.targetfocustraining.com/uscca <=

Coming Up On Armed American Radio

The Official Voice of the USCCA

by Mark Walters

WOW again! AAR continues its wild growth across America as we add new stations in COLORADO. Grand Junction, KNZZ YOU are now on the Armed American Radio Network! Join me this week for an amazing conversation with President of the US Bill of Rights Foundation Mr. Dane vonBreichenruchardt and Mr. Dick Heller who will jump in to the conversation about the Supreme Court accepting the McDonald vs Chicago case. DON’T MISS this! Also, Ms. Niki Goeser will join me to talk about her husbands murderer and the pace of the upcoming trial. From Phoenix AZ Mr Marc Preagler, owner of a restaurant and bar will be with me to discuss the new law allowing carrying of concealed weapons by law abiding citizens inside restaurants and bars in the great, free state of Arizona. Another TWO hours of hard hitting talk about your right to keep and bear arms ONLY on Armed American Radio. Visit www.armedamericanradio.org for where to listen and show information.

Lessons from Armed America with Foreword by Massad Ayoob, by Mark Walters and Kathy Jackson is now available nationwide! Pick up YOUR copy today at amazon.com, barnes and noble,com or right here at http://www.whitefeatherpress.com/id16.html

See ya on the radio!!! Don’t miss the radio broadcast taking the radio industry by STORM. The program exists for YOU! Be there every Sunday night from 8-10pm eastern LIVE!

Review of Armed Response’s Newest DVDs

USCCA Gear Review

by Cody Alderson

Thirsty? Not right now? Well you will be in a few hours or even earlier if the fluid being sweated out, breathed out, and peed out isn’t replaced. And by the time one is thirsty, dehydration has already begun. Access to a myriad of beverages is easy when times are normal. Upset the drink cart with a natural or man-made disaster, and people get thirsty fast.

Normally we wouldn’t dip our cups into the water of the toilet’s water tank to get a drink, but go without the precious fluid for a day or so, and that toilet tank water starts to get mighty appealing. However, many households today have the Ty-D-Bol man in there making even that water source unfit to drink.

More families are starting to store an emergency water supply now. Something is poking people in the squirrel centers of their brains to get more prepared. Oh, the squirrel center is my name for that part of us that drives us to put away nuts for the winter. Or in this case, food, water, and other supplies in case of disaster. Having stored water available for emergencies is a superb idea. But what does one do to make water drinkable when on the move, or when the stored supplies run out?

Of all the filters I’ve heard about and read about, I trust Katadyn the most. Pronounced Kat-Ah-Dine in their video advertisements, and not Katey-Dine as many say it, the Katadyn water filtration products are what I own. They have a bunch of different products to meet the specific needs of the users from the Pocket filter being reviewed in this article to Desalinators for those needing a way to make fresh water from saltwater.

The water source any filter is used on must be considered first. Heavy contamination of water with chemicals and biological organisms is not likely to be made safe by any portable filter no matter what the claims are. The three biggest concerns of contamination of water to be used for drinking are bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. These things live and reproduce in our bodies when we get an infectious dose inside of us, and gulping them down into our stomachs in drinking water is a good way to get them inside.

Then there are chemicals such as agricultural chemicals to be concerned with. Fortunately most of the agricultural chemicals are organic and can be removed by filtration through activated charcoal. I have the accessory charcoal filter to go with my Katadyn Pocket Filter. It’s not a bad idea to double up on safety while filtering water by using a halogen such as iodine to first treat a water source. Then use the charcoal filter accessory for the Pocket Filter. Charcoal removes much of the bad tastes of the water including the taste of the iodine will. The huge surface area of the activated charcoal pieces just suck up the nasties.

There is much more to learn about making water safe to drink, and I’m not going to discuss it here in this review since Katadyn already provides free-of-charge an excellent downloadable guide at their website. Click HERE to get a copy of the guide. Read it and more details of this review will make sense. Download it A.S.A.P. One never knows when the knowledge in that little guide will be needed to save a life. Drinking contaminated water during a disaster can kill slowly and painfully.

Here’s what comes with the Pocket Filter:

The Pocket Filter is made out of metal. It is so sturdy it has a 20 year warranty. It is made for extreme use. Every little detail of this unit is well thought out from the curved handle to the cushioned base. The statistics of filtration effectiveness are actual, not nominal. Consumers need to be aware of the difference between those two terms. Actual filtration means the filter actually filters out particles of a certain size all of the time. Nominal is basically saying a filter catches particles of a stated minimum size most of the time.

The Pocket Filter Stats:

Filter is ceramic and cleanable. Not like disposable filters which are not.

Filter to an actual 0.2 microns. This gets out the nasties such as bacteria, protozoa, cysts, algae, viruses, and any other particles greater than 0.2 microns in size. It has a 13,000 gallon filtration capacity operating at a manual output of 1 quart per minute. It is 10 inches tall, 2.4 inches in diameter, and weighs 20 ounces.

I’m telling you, this thing is like having a water filtration plant that fits in the tiniest of packs!

In the kit contents pictured above, one can see a green scrub pad. Yep, just like the ones that are in kitchens across America, the little scrub pad is used to scrub the outer surface of the ceramic filter to clean it when it gets a bit tough to pump water through.

There is a gauge provided to indicate when the ceramic filter will need to be replaced. After so many scrubbings, the diameter of the ceramic will decrease to a point that the gauge will fit over the core. That lets the user know it is time to replace the ceramic.

The Pocket Filter also can reduce radioactive particles in the water as well as some chemicals. Adding the accessory charcoal filter that the water will run through after it comes out of the Pocket Filter will remove more organic chemicals.

When the stored water is gone and when the only sources of water look like they do in the photo below, what plans do you have in place to make water safe to drink? Even water from the stored sources or a deep well could become contaminated and require filtering before drinking. With a 13,000 gallon capacity of the Pocket Filters ceramic, it should last through many trips into the wild or a protracted survival situation.

Prices for the Pocket Filter vary among retailers. Do an online search to find the best price for you. Katadyn started making ceramic filters back in the 1930’s. They know what they are doing, and their products are trusted by many international relief organizations and militaries. Read more about Katadyn’s great products at www.katadyn.com.

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

Quote of the Week

“If someone is so fearful that they are going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, it makes me very nervous that these people have weapons at all.”

-Representative Henry A. Waxman (Democrat California)

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!

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Announce or don’t announce?

So … my wife and I are sitting around talking about a self defense video that I received from the NRA. The situation was: He was in bed when he heard an intruder in the house. He armed himself, called 911 and retreated to the closet of the bedroom since there was no secondary exit to outdoors from the bedroom. While on the phone with 911 he announced loudly “you in the house, I’m in the bedroom and don’t want trouble, but I have called 911 and I am armed and in fear of my life and am willing to defend myself”.
His point was that the announcement would be recorded on the 911 call for evidence and the intruder may vacate once aware that he’d be shot if he enters the room, and it also let LE know where the good guy is.
Conversely, he stated that this plan only works if you are alone and not depended upon to protect others in the house (kids, etc). MY SITUATION, is my wife and my bedroom is downstairs (standard split level home) and the kids rooms are upstairs. If the kids are home and we heard an intruder in the middle of the night, obviously she or I would not “hunker down” in our room, but would search the house. Now the question becomes, as we head up the stairway from the basement, would it be a) wise or b) suicide to announce that you are armed and coming up the stairs?
We’re new to this “scenario” thing, but it seems to me that any BG that had the mental capacity to load a weapon would camp out with a clear shot at the stairwell waiting for a head-shot as I/she came up the stairs.

Any thoughts?

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Compact Reloading Station

Not what you’d call “fancy” but it’s a start.

(Photo used by permission)

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Food Storage, Dehydration and Preserving

I have been doing a lot of food dehydrating as one facet of my food storage strategies. I recently purchased a dehydrator and quickly outgrew it and purchased an Excalibur 9 tray model. Already looking for more capacity and planning to add one of the 160 liter Cabela commercial models.

Lesson: don’t skimp. This is one thing you want to overbuy on.

I have found this to be an excellent option for all of those surplus vegetables when they come in all at once. I have dried sweet potatoes, apples, squash, pineapple, peppers, eggplant turkey bacon etc. Dried food takes up very little space. Once dried I will usually put them in Ziploc vacuum bags. It easily reconstitutes into soups, stews, casseroles, etc. Also makes great healthy snacks for the family and myself.

The pictures are of sweet potatoes and eggplant I am running through the dehydrator now.

Sweet potato chips are easy and great tasting. I slice them in the food processor, spray with olive oil, sprinkle them with some Italian seasoning and dry for about 12-14 hours. Some like them dried less so that they have sort of a leathery, jerky texture but I find that a little tough on the teeth, so I dry them till they are like normal commercial chips.

(See the rest of the photos on the forums)

Video of the Week

Young Derrion Albert died from the beating he sustained as can be seen in this video. Though some parts of the images have been digitally blurred, the horrible sadness and anger one feels from witnessing this crime cannot be stifled. Violence such as this can happen to any of us at any time.

(Note: At last minute, the video that I wanted to show you was pulled from YouTube, but I found another. It is not graphic, and is just a new report from the Associated Press.

There is one quote that makes the entire video worth it: A man, who says something to the effect of “Since the war in Iraq began, we’ve lost TEN soldiers. We’ve lost more than 300 young people to violence right here in Chicago during that time… what is happening in our city?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VwgGHrDdX0

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!

September 25, 2009

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

From: NBC Philadelphia

(Okay so this one is a bit lighthearted. We figured you needed a break from the really bad stuff.)

Turkeys Terrorize Jersey Neighborhood

A revolt of the feathered kind is going on in Cherry Hill.

A gang of five wild turkeys are invading the area of Brookmead Drive every afternoon sending children and joggers running for the safety of their homes.

“They’re really, really fast…like these things are vicious,” said one young girl.

The birds are charging at children and pecking at joggers. We caught one of the unprovoked attacks on tape Thursday when the bad birds went after a little boy who was riding his tricycle down the sidewalk. The turkeys then lunged at the boy and his mother as they ran screaming across the street.

“I wanna just be able to go back to a normal life and go out of our house without worrying where a turkey might be,” lamented Nancy Giordano.

Township officials know neighbors are fed up with the fowl encounters, but they don’t plan to do anything about it, citing the rules of natural habitat.

“[They] do not belong,” one angry homeowner said. “They need to find someplace to be with their own kind and enjoy life instead of trying to deal with urban life.”

Closing Thoughts

Hi Tim, This is not a question but a factual statement. GOD did NOT give us the right to keep and bear arms. Our Country’s founding fathers did that. Please make sure that credit goes where it is deserved.
Friend, you are right. God did not give us the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment merely recognizes what I believe to be our God-Given right of self-defense. Second Amendment or not, I believe ALL individuals have this right of self defense, and it’s up to them to make their government recognizes it.

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!