January 15, 2010
Happy Friday, and happy reading: I’ve got yet another amazing Armed American Report on deck for you.
Is it just me, or do these keep getting better each week? Let’s get started!
Are YOU truly Prepared to Handle Whatever Comes Your Way?
“…I know as a reporter I’m supposed to remain objective, but sometimes you just can’t remain objective, when you see people hurt, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
by the USCCA
We all know that we need to be prepared for the very realistic possibility of having to defend our lives from a violent attacker.
You and I both know that this happens dozens of times every single day in the USA, and we KNOW how it usually ends up if the victim has no means to defend himself.
We love the police, because they are ’sheepdogs’ like us. BUT- we know that you absolutely cannot count on the police being there to save you when an attacker strikes- and 99% of police officers understand that- that’s why they are in favor of armed citizens- they hate seeing evil triumph as much as we do.
Not to mention, the police are about as good at predicting the next armed assault as the Red Cross is at predicting when the next natural (or man-made) disaster will occur- it’s not only impossible; it’s not their job.
It’s OUR job to prepare in advance for these things.
I know you are actively working on becoming prepared for when an attacker strikes, because you’re a member of the USCCA, you are armed, and you are reading this right now.
But how are your preparations for when a disaster strikes?
We’re here to help you.
The Great Debate
“…what should you do when you encounter someone who just doesn’t share your belief in the right of all Americans to keep and bear arms?…”
by Robert Childers
Because humans have the ability to reason, we’re unique in being aware of our own mortality. It’s why we worry so much about the future, our personal security and spend vast amounts of time, money and energy planning for both. Yet despite this, the unexpected does happen and it usually happens when we are least prepared.
Though individual reasons vary, a common thread through all of this is protection against the unexpected. That’s why the insurance business is the mega-billion-dollar, worldwide industry it is today. With the attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing war on terrorism, a large number of police departments are being stretched thin due to new homeland defense responsibilities. Add to this fact that many experienced LEO’s are being recalled for service in the military, and the result is fewer officers are available to protect us from the normal crimes we encounter every day here at home.
In New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina showed us another sobering fact; there will be times when our government either can not or will not be there when we need them most, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Along with other events, this should be a wake up call to all Americans that we must take responsibly for our own safety and well-being. For many of us, that responsibility includes the owning and carrying of a firearm. If asked why we own and carry a concealed weapon, most would likely respond that we consider it our BEST form of personal protection “insurance.”
Despite the above facts and the current nationwide interest in passing concealed carry and right to carry legislation, what should you do when you encounter someone who just doesn’t share your belief in the right of all Americans to keep and bear arms? There are still tens of millions of Americans who have never seen a real gun unless it was carried by law enforcement officers. Even more have never seen a gun fired except in movies or on TV. Due to this unfamiliarity and the constant barrage of negative information put out by anti-gun groups and the media, many people are afraid of guns and see them not as a tool in defending us against crime, but a cause of it.
We should all begin by educating non-gun owners about the true purpose of firearms. Like an automobile, a gun is no more dangerous than the person using it. My favorite analogy is comparing a firearm to my home’s smoke detectors; I hope they will never be needed, but they can and do save lives when used as intended. You can also point out countries like Australia and Great Britain, or American cities like Washington, DC. where gun ownership has been banned in for most citizens for at least a decade now. In all of them, crime rates have consistently risen yearly since gun control laws were passed, not dropped compared to the United States on general!
Still, we must remember while there are a vast number of positive reasons to support firearm ownership, you must first get a ‘non-believer’ to hear them. We’re all entitled to an opinion in America. Unfortunately, the expressing of that opinion can lead to arguments. Though it may sometimes be tempting, arguing with someone and saying he has no idea what he’s talking about won’t win you much support. All too often, one (or both) of the participants enters a discussion with the assumption, “My opinion is right. Since you don’t agree, yours must be wrong”. After that, things usually go down hill faster than water rolling off the side of Mount Rushmore. Participant “A” begins to push his view while participant “B” begins to defend his and soon, nobody is listening anymore. On the other hand, most people are willing to listen if you try talking WITH them instead of at them.
Listening to an opinion contrary to your own with an open mind can be very difficult at times. However, you’d be surprised at how often you can effect a change in opinion by letting the other person have his say without becoming too defensive of your own. By stating your side of the discussion, listening to the other person’s perspective and saying; “Think about what I’ve said and decide for yourself,” most people will at least consider what you have to say. The WORST thing you can do is tell someone that they’re wrong, they’re stupid, blind or a fool because they don’t agree with you. It’s a part of human nature that nobody wants to admit that they may be wrong, especially on issues they feel are important to them — Even if I had been willing to consider your opinion before, if you’ve just insulted me, I’ll probably no longer listen to anything you have to say.
I consider arguments just another version of leading a horse to water; you can talk until your jaw hurts, but you can’t force the other guy to listen if he doesn’t want to. After many years of trial and error, I discovered that the other guy is usually more open to your side of a discussion if you state your point using facts instead of opinion, if you listen to your opponent without being argumentative or judgmental, and can offer a logical rebuttal or alternative to their opinion. If I still can’t persuade him to change his opinion and he can’t persuade me to change mine, we’ll just have to “agree to disagree.” While I may not have changed his mind, I’m more likely than not to at least get a positive response because I was willing to listen to his viewpoint, even if I didn’t agree with it.
If you find yourself engaged in the great debate over the pros and cons of firearms, just remember the old saying, “You catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar”.
Bob Childers has a Degree in Theology and retired from the United States Navy in 1994. He’s a member of the NRA, Texas State Rifle Association, the East Texas Rifle and Pistol Club and holds a Texas CCL. You can find out more about him at his website: http://vchilder.home.netcom.com
USCCA Toon of the Week
More Guns, Less Crime in 2009
Gun Rights Roundup
by Buckeye Firearms Association
Driven by fear of Barack Obama’s anti-gun past, Americans bought more guns in 2009 than in any other year on record, yet homicide and violent crime rates plummeted nationwide.
The most striking decrease took place in Washington D.C., which had the lowest number of homicides since 1964 despite the end of the city’s longtime ban on private ownership of firearms. Not surprisingly, the city’s administration and the anti-gun doomsayers were wrong. As any clear-thinking person knows, law-abiding residents of Washington D.C. are perfectly suited to owning guns for self-defense.
The Chicken Little predictions of mass killings and bloody scenes of gun owners running amok never materialized, and the panic about the presence of guns in people’s homes was much ado about nothing.
Even though the country enjoys historic low homicide rates, the anti-gun community continues to circulate press releases claiming an unprecedented level of gun related mayhem. Most recently, they fed the media stories about how concealed carry license holders are going on killing sprees across the nation. Yet, when the end-of-year crime rates showed a huge decrease in violent crime, mainstream reporters never questioned the anti-gun group’s unfounded ravings.
But facts are facts. And the sharp decline in homicides in 2009 is something to celebrate, and something that all Americans can understand and be happy about. Violence has decreased. The m-urder and mayhem so prevalent in cities like Washington D.C. has abated. And once again we see the wisdom of the Second Amendment.
Click here to read the full article about guns and crime.
Gun Rights Roundup is a joint venture of Buckeye Firearms Association and USCCA. We will keep fighting until every American enjoys their natural right to carry and self-defense. For more news on pro-gun law, politics, and events, click here to subscribe to Buckeye Firearms Association’s FREE Newsletter.
Coming Up On Armed American Radio
The Official Voice of the USCCA
by Mark Walters
Holy Growth, Batman! It never stops folks, I’m telling you! More interest in Florida cities…I can’t name them yet BUT, they’re coming! More interest in Oregon…Can’t name them yet but they’re coming too!
So the bottom line is that the march continues and the guest lineups keep growing bigger and bigger. This week coming up is HUGE. I’ll be speaking with a PRO GUN candidate for sheriff in San Diego County, California, Mr. Jay La Suer (www.sheriffjay.org) This is a great guy and someone that AMERICA needs in office, not just Californians. I’ll be doing anything I can to help him and you will hear from him yourself this weekend. Remember the old saying “So goes California, so goes the nation”. You know darn well how important it is to put someone like this in office out on the left coast!
In addition to Mr. La Suer, Gabe Suarez will be back to talk about a couple of DVD’s I want to cover with him and the advice you will get is absolutely priceless. Joining me for the entire broadcast will be Mr. Rob Pincus from Best Defense TV on the Outdoor Channel and we’ll be getting some great info to you from all of the guests!. Finally, the third hour which is rapidly becoming known as the “roundtable” promises to be the best one yet! I will be joined by Rob Pincus, The Mad Ogre, George Hill and get this, Morgan Boatman, son of the late and GREAT gun Writer Robert Boatman, author of Living with Glocks, Living with the Big 50 and Living with the 1911 will chime in for the ENTIRE hour. In addition to a tremendous lineup for the Roundtable, we will be discussing the upcoming events in Vegas at the SHOT show where the Roundtable members will literally come together hours after our on air discussion. The information we will be able to bring you from SHOT will be insight that no one else will get unless they attend themselves.
This weeks AAR promises to be one of the best yet and YOU stand to learn from of each of my guests this weekend! For more information about Armed American Radio please visit www.armedamericanradio.org and for up to the second info that also links to Twitter, please visit us on Facebook and click the “become a fan” button to add your name to the ever growing list of AAR fans online.
Also, this past weekend, Tom Gresham named my book, Lessons from Armed America, co written with Kathy Jackson and foreword by Massad Ayoob, one of the TOP 5 recommended books for those interested in self defense. That folks, is a HUGE honor and one that we are very proud of.. especially considering the company he was comparing us with! For your own copy, please visit any online book retailer (which are selling out and constantly backordering)!
Thanks for listening and I’ll see YOU on the radio!
Mark
Review SERPA Quick Disconnect System
USCCA Gear Review
This holster platform just might have more civilian applications than military and law enforcement put together. SERPA holsters come with both a belt loop and paddle mount that the user can choose from. Add the Quick Disconnect Kit and this holster is absolutely incredible.
I like the SERPA’s reflex activated safety locking system that retains the firearm. In my opinion a firearm retention device is a great idea for civilian weapons, but the SERPA retention lock is by far the best I’ve ever seen. If one follows his training of keeping his finger off of the trigger by keeping it straight along the side of the gun until it is time to fire, then the SERPA lock works perfectly every time.
Every training class and instructor I have ever heard teaches his students to keep their trigger finger straight until it is time to fire. This naturally places the trigger finger in the exact spot needed to release the SERPA retention lock mechanism.
The SERPA is comfortable, and it stays right where I want it. It is also angle adjustable to suit the desired level of cant forward or backward to satisfy every user. It’s built like a tank so it should last as long as the gun it is holding. It has a one-year warranty that I think Blackhawk should extend to suit the product. The SERPA is made very well and priced right.
Now what does the Quick Disconnect Kit for a SERPA holster do? Well if you don’t already know, you are in for a treat. How would you like a holster platform that offers a retention lock that is naturally disengaged during a proper draw stroke and also allows the holster to be mounted just about anywhere?
Ever hop in the vehicle and think how tough it might be to draw that gun on your hip if it is needed while you are still seated in the vehicle? How about being able to disengage the holster from the belt loop or paddle mount, and instantly lock it into place at an easy to reach spot somewhere inside the vehicle? This is all made easy with the SERPA Quick Disconnect Kit.
How about being able to take the holster off your body and lock it in place under a desk, or behind a piece of bedroom furniture such as a nightstand? Maybe even lock the holster in place on a bed frame, behind a door, in a locker, in a filing cabinet, under a shelf, or just about anywhere?
The Quick Disconnect Kit was designed for military and law enforcement so that the SERPA holster could be easily swapped back and forth from different platforms such as a tactical vest or a drop-leg holster mount. However, we civilians who are incredibly ingenious with any new product have quickly discovered that the SERPA Quick Disconnect Kit makes it easy to mount the SERPA retention holster just about anywhere.
Each SERPA Quick Disconnect Kit comes with one male adapter and two female adapters. The male adapter mounts to the holster as shown below.
Then take one of the female adapters and attach it to either the paddle mount or belt-loop mount. Then you can mount the other female adapter somewhere else where you would like to be able to quickly attach and detach the holster. Maybe you have a need to switch back and forth between paddle and belt-loop mounts often. The Quick Disconnect Kit makes it easy and quick!
To attach the two pieces of the Quick Disconnect Kit together, just align the male and female adapters at the angle you want, press, turn, and it’s locked.
To disengage the Quick Disconnect Kit adapters, just lift the tab on each side of the female adapter, twist in the opposite direction, and they come apart. I could do it one-handed on the first try, though I must admit that it appears to be designed to be a two-handed operation.
Of course it should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway—do the operation in as safe a manner as possible. You must decide if it is safer to do it with the gun in the holster or placed aside in another safe location. I can’t make that decision for you. It makes sense to attach and detach the parts without a gun in the holster, but always mind your muzzle no matter what you decide because YOU are the one who is responsible if something should go wrong.
Even if you don’t want to use the SERPA as a carry holster, it is still perfect for its mounting option versatility. Hey, maybe someone out there has a need to mount a handgun in a retention holster on a piece of farm equipment. Though that might seem a bit extreme to many of us, I’m just pointing out that it is easily possible with a SERPA holster and a Quick Disconnect Kit. Maybe Bubba needs a place to holster his handgun while he is using the outhouse at his backwoods cabin. The SERPA with a Quick Disconnect Kit will do the job. What I’m telling everyone (and pay close attention here) is that a SERPA retention holster with a Quick Disconnect Kit can be mounted just about anywhere.
The mounting options are limitless for this platform. Just use common sense and follow the safety rules. Also consider gun laws for your own geopolitical location. I can’t begin to address the nutty laws that exist across our Great Land.
Check out both the SERPA line of holsters and the Quick Disconnect Kit at www.blackhawk.com. While you are there take some time to check out the rest of Blackhawk’s gear line. Honor. As A Way Of Life. Blackhawk.
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ATTENTION USCCA MEMBERS!
How would you like to have your gun or gear review published in this Armed American Report?
To have your review considered for publishing, simply email your word document with photos as separate attachments to gearreview@usconcealedcarry.com
Reviews should be between 800 and 1600 words long. Photos are encouraged and should be in .jpg format and less than 500 kb in size (each).
I look forward to reading your submission.
P.S. -Be sure to include your full name and email address so I can email you with questions or comments.
Quote of the Week
“Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? … If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?”
—Patrick Henry
Letter to the Editor
Have something you want to get off your chest? Post it here, and share it with the Armed American community.
Submit your letter to the editor HERE, and I’ll share it next week!
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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This week in the Forum Highlights I’m giving you an example of the responses members get from their posts. I want you all of you who aren’t yet members of our exclusive online members only forums to not only get a taste of the questions and other posts, but also the wonderfully informative replies.
This is based on a situation that happened to me a short time before I started carrying and I’d like some opinions on how to handle something similar to this.
You take your dog for a short walk in your neighborhood at night and encounter a group of 5 or 6 apparently high-school aged males who upon noticing you begin to approach you and taunt you apparently trying to start trouble. To continue back to your home you need to pass by or through this group of individuals. Other than superior numbers and a confrontational attitude they have made no physical or verbal threats but are directly in your path and approaching you. You are legally carrying a concealed firearm, as well as a flashlight and a cell phone, while walking a small dog which serves as no deterrent. There are no side streets at this point and yards are fenced. What are some good ways to approach this situation? If they have no visible weapons but are attempting to block your path and confront you what kind of action should you take? 6 people is definitely disparity of force. People also tend to be more bold in groups.
Should you turn around and head the other way? You can’t get home that way and they are already walking towards you and less than 50 feet away. How should you verbally and physically respond in this type of situation?
I know this is kind of a loaded scenario but it is very similar to a situation I encountered where I was able to turn onto my street and be within about 60 feet of my front door and just went inside. I also wasn’t carrying at that time. I have since pondered the appropriate response to that situation if I were further away from my house and not able to immediately escape it.
I wouldn’t think it would be advisable to try to split the group and walk through them.
I’m sorry if this thread isn’t very well constructed but I would appreciate some input on possible ways to handle this situation because to this point nothing that has happened would justify brandishing a weapon which is illegal in my state.
January Issue of Concealed Carry Magazine - Feedback Please!
(Note: Members of USCCA have direct access to the editor of the magazine on our Members Only Forums. Where else do the subscribers have such access and input in shaping the direction the company goes? If you are a member, then go to the link above and reply!)
What did you all think of the January issue of the magazine?
What could we do better?
Which of the articles taught you something you didn’t know?
Which one was your favorite?
Which one could we have left out?
As always, I’m available via PM or email if you’d rather give your feedback in private. I don’t promise to respond to every feedback message, but I do promise to read every one and reflect on it.
Thanks,
Kathy Jackson
I’d like to solicit some thinking along a new line in the tactical arena.
Since this forum has been around, and on many other forums, the prevailing wisdom is “Carry the biggest gun you can, with the largest capacity”. Usually, whenever someone states that they carry a Beretta Tomcat it’s “open season” and everybody else pounces denouncing the efficacy of a small caliber weapon with limited capacity. The original poster then says something like “Do you want to take three in the chest from my Tomcat?” and it’s out the door with reasoning, and the thread is into hysterics.
I’d like to try something new, an experiment, if you will.
Imagine that you have NO option to carry anything but a Snubby, or a small caliber semi auto, with a 5-7 shot capacity. How would you adjust your tactics to make the most of the situation?
Thoughts anyone?
I think you kind people will be able to help us limit the downside in those situations when we might be “under armed”. And it’ll no doubt be more productive than “That gun’s just too little!” . . . “Would you like to be shot with it?” etc.
Video of the Week
Yes it can happen to you! This is actual footage of a crime from 2008, but the video can teach a whole lot to the student of self-defense who wants to learn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-1O5IpERY0
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!
January 4, 2010
Houston, Texas
From: The Examiner
Violent Home Invader Shot By Armed Homeowner
A Houston, TX homeowner reportedly used his shotgun to save himself and his wife from a violent burglar.
Police say that the husband and wife, who own a home on Cloverleaf Street in Houston, were awakened by the sound of breaking glass and their home security system siren. The wife reportedly noticed an intruder, and yelled for her husband to grab his shotgun. Shotgun in hand, the husband is said to have seen a burglar dressed in black, who was brandishing a fire extinguisher. The husband reportedly fired one shot in self defense, hitting the burglar in the hip and causing him to scream then flee. Police are said to have found a suspect, who was reportedly identified as 17 year old Mark Galvan, laying in a neighbor’s yard and suffering from a gunshot wound. Galvan was reportedly taken in to custody, treated for his wounds, and then charged with burglary.
As this case shows, it is not wise to trust one’s life to the hope that a violent burglar will flee upon hearing an alarm. A burglar may decide that although the alarm is sounding, they can complete their crime in the (at least) several minutes that it will take for the police to arrive. Or, the criminal could be a drug user or mentally disturbed person who is simply not amenable to reason. Regardless of the criminal’s underlying motive, the net result can be unarmed citizens harmed in their own home by a violent burglar.
A couple of real-life examples reinforce this point, while showing the value of gun ownership for self defense: In one case, a man was asleep in his home when his burglar alarm woke him up. Standing over him was a knife wielding criminal, who forced the man to turn off the alarm, and then proceeded to rob the man at knife point. Luckily that man was a gun owner, and managed to grab a self defense gun and scare the criminal away. In another case, a woman was home sick from work when her burglar alarm went off. Despite the fact that the alarm was sounding the police were on their way, the criminals continued to break in. Upon seeing the woman, the three criminals fled. Amazingly, however, one of the criminal circled back and tried to break in yet again. Fortunately, the woman had a gun, and shot the home invader in self defense.
Closing Thoughts
Last Week’s Question: ANSWERED.
“Armed American Report Reader: I keep a .357 revolver in my car year round in the center console. It gets very hot in the car in the summer, and sometimes below zero in the winter. I have had no problems shooting the gun at all, but would like to know if these extreme temperature fluctuations will affect the gun in any way.”
Anonymous:
The main environmental threat to your gun in the console is a car burglar who may or may not be much intimidated by your car alarm. These guys only need about a minute to be inside, have everything loose or in the glove box or console bagged, and back out. The one who got me a few months ago was extremely efficient. High temps may gum your lube and could affect ammunition. Low temps cause condensation on metal and subsequent rust. I’d say dry-lube the innards to the extent possible and wipe out and lightly re-lube the rest fairly often; use up old ammo every time you get to the range.
Anonymous:
If the revolver doesn’t get wet or too dusty there should be no problem. One issue would be the stocks. If they are wood the severe changes in the micro-environment of the console could have major negative effect on the structure of the wood. Some inexpensive plastic stocks will also show extreme deterioration due to such environmental changes.
Anonymous:
In regards the the question about temperature extremes while leaving a gun in the car: This shouldn’t be an issue. It is irresponsible and absolutely unacceptable, in my opinion, to leave any gun (especially a handgun) outside of your home, unsecured or under-secured not on your person. Adequately securing a handgun in a vehicle is very difficult, if not impossible. A handgun kept in the console of your vehicle is not adequately secured and is, whether you care to admit it or not, far too likely to end up stolen. The thought of YOUR gun ending up in the hands of a criminal should be appalling to any responsible gun owner. You should be willing to do whatever is necessary to avoid a dangerous practice like leaving a handgun unsecured off your person while away from home.
Anonymous:
You do not say if the gun is blue or stainless steel. The blued gun is prone to damage because the humidity levels change with the temperature also.The gun should be cleaned and oiled often, inside and out. The extreme heat will make the oil dry out and get sticky and extreme cold will cause it to gel. Mil spec oil like Break Free should be used. The unstable temps also will cause the ammo to deteriorate quickly and should be changed every 6 month or at a minimum once a year.Use ammo with nickel plated cases, they resist corrosion. Police officers weapons are exposed to temp extremes also but not to the levels of a firearm left in a car 24/7/365 a year. If you want it to work when you need it, take care of it.
This week’s question. Have an answer? Use the “Ask Tim” form below to give an answer- I’ll share them here next week!
I am a 100% disabled Veteran that has to use a wheelchair for mobility. I have no problems using my upper body. I am very concerned for our safety when out in public places with my wife because I feel that we are vulnerable to attack. At present, I carry a .38 special in a concealed weapon fanny pack but am afraid that if some store manager should decide to inspect it, that my weapon might be discovered. Is there a better method of carry or choice of handgun and holster that someone like me could carry that would ease my concerns?
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!
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