U.S. Concealed Carry
“Armed American Report”
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June 19th, 2009
Dear Friend,
This week I wanted the Armed American Report to be a reminder to all who are permitted to carry concealed firearms that we are still very much in danger of having our natural right to self-defense stripped away from us. We sometimes joke about the methods and spokespersons of the anti-gun crowd, but propaganda has proven itself an effective weapon throughout history.
Concealed carry permit holders are by their nature honest and law-abiding citizens. The strength of our honor and integrity has been exploited by the continual spread of lies and half-truths of the anti-gun media, politicians, and Hollywood liberals.
This week’s Quote of the Week is from an outspoken anti-gun television personality who has been the butt of jokes in just about every form possible from our side of the fence. Her quote is her mindset about guns in the hands of private citizens. The Video of the Week demonstrates one of the tactics used against us. That tactic is to use a position of mass exposure to spread false information based entirely on emotion. The true fact proven over and over again is that guns in the hands of honest law abiding citizens save lives.
Both the quote and the video are from ten years ago! Nothing has changed from the anti-gun side. It is still the same agenda of rallying anyone who will listen by manipulating information, wrongly quoting statistics, and telling outright lies to citizens who want to feel safe but don’t know how. It is up to us to inform and educate everyone that we possibly can about the truth of why we even have the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and how they can actively benefit because of its existence.
Remember, the Second Amendment does NOT grant a right- it recognizes a pre-existing right of ALL free human beings. The Second Amendment is a written guarantee to the citizens of the United States of America that this pre-existing right, the right to keep and bear arms, shall NOT BE INFRINGED!
This week’s article is a Concealed Cary Magazine Profile. A profile of a concealed carry permit holder appears in every issue of Concealed Carry Magazine. The profiles are a reminder that we are not alone. There are now millions of us across this Great Land that legally carry a concealed firearm.
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== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==
See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website:
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/
“CCM Profile: Josh Benson”
“…being in the chair I wanted to have all the
advantages I could if something happened…”
by USCCA;
Reprinted From:
Concealed Carry Magazine- July 2008
In a world full of whiny emo-boys and latte-sipping cowards, a man who never utters the words, “I can’t,” and who never asks for a drop of sympathy is a refreshing change.
I met Josh for the first time last spring at the Firearms Academy of Seattle, during the last course Jim Cirillo ever taught. Cirillo’s class was a two-day adventure into close quarters shooting techniques, including alternative sighting methods and shooting from downed positions. Josh wheeled himself in on the first day of class, taking the far right hand end of the line so that his crossdraw holster and unusual one-handed reload would not cause his muzzle to cross any of the other students. This class was designed for intermediate to accomplished shooters, not at all for beginners, and I confess that I wondered if the young man in the chair was going to be able to keep up—a worry that seems downright laughable in retrospect.
Josh, it turned out, was no beginner: he is a certified handgun instructor through Tom Givens’ Rangemaster firearms training school in Memphis, TN. Now 25 years old, he’s taken dozens of professional training classes in the three years he’s been shooting defensive handguns. And he takes his personal defense very seriously, carrying a concealed firearm every day.
The physical challenges that Josh faces are a bit out of the ordinary. An encounter with vaccine-induced poliomyelitis as an infant left him with no function in either leg, roughly five percent function in his right arm (very little in his right hand), and only about eighty percent function in his left arm and hand. While most shooters struggle to get shots on paper using both hands in a stable stance, Josh nails the target while holding the gun with his left hand only, steadied somewhat by the lifting muscles in his right arm.
“This kid just impresses the hell out of me,” says Massad Ayoob, who taught Josh’s LFI-1 and LFI-2 classes in 2007. “At LFI, we’ve had students in a chair before. We’ve had one-armed students before. But Josh is the first one-armed guy in a chair we’ve ever had. He taught us all some things.” Like many firearms classes, LFI-2 is physically demanding in a lot of ways. Josh, working one-handed from his wheelchair, kept up with this demanding class just fine. He successfully completed the LFI Qualification shoot at double speed, which included getting all his reloads well under time.
“I can reload an auto-pistol in about four to six seconds,” Josh explains. “I recently have shaved off about two seconds by going straight to a backup gun, the New York reload.”
Although Josh sometimes carries a snub-nosed revolver as a backup, his regular carry is a semi-auto. He considered, but ultimately rejected, making his primary carry gun a revolver—the gun type perhaps most commonly recommended for people with physical challenges—for two reasons. First, he believed that he wanted more ammunition available to him than a revolver generally carries. The second reason was minor, but still worth considering: Less felt recoil. Josh explains, “The action of the slide absorbs some of the recoil. Since I have only one arm to hold the gun, less felt recoil means faster follow- up for me.”
Was there a specific incident that caused you to carry a gun?
No. I grew up with my dad carrying, so when I turned 21 it was one of those natural things. Plus, I moved to Memphis, and they kind of have a high crime rate down there. And being in the chair I wanted to have all the advantages I could if something happened. It was all just very natural.
What training methods do you employ?
Friday nights at Rangemaster we have shooting league, a competition basically similar to IDPA, that helps keep my manipulations and gunhandling skills up. For regular practice, I like just going to the range and dedicating 50 rounds to going through various qualifications. Tom Givens has a list of different qualifications, different tests from various places like the FBI Qualifications and others. I just take 50 rounds and run myself through one of those qualifiers so I’m doing something structured and not just putting holes in paper. I like using the qualifications because it’s a specific bar that tells you this is how well you’re doing. It gives you a structure to shoot and something to evaluate it with to see where you’re at. Plus I take a class probably every couple of months so that also helps. I take classes just as often as I can.
Have you had any difficulties with safety in any of the classes you have taken, or with shooting while there are a lot of other people on the line?
Not really. I’ve just gotta be aware of my muzzle during my one handed reloads and watch the angles from my crossdraw holster. I always take the far right hand side of the line so I don’t sweep anyone. It’s more positioning than anything, and making sure the instructors are aware of what I need, and also my fellow classmates.
You’ve taken a lot of different classes. Which specific classes have been the most helpful to you personally?
The most helpful class was LFI-1, easily. Judicious Use of Deadly Force, the classroom part of the class, covers what happens after a shooting, the aftermath and the legal concerns. That’s a subject a lot of people don’t like to talk about, but it’s probably the one thing that will save you after an incident. If you manage to survive the incident there’s a whole other world that a lot of people aren’t aware of. Other than that, I cannot name just one class—because I’ve taken so many from them—but working with Tom Givens and John Farnam, definitely. It’s not so much the course, it’s the instructor, and Tom Givens and John Farnam have both been very very helpful.
Your primary carry gun is a semi-auto. Did you have a hard time learning how to rack the slide?
Not really. I’m pretty quick at adapting some things. When I was younger my dad just ran it for me but obviously that wasn’t going to work for defensive handgun. My one-handed reload, my shooting ability and how I carry came from different instructors pretty early on.
My shooting ability just came from working with Tom Givens. He’s really been very helpful. The cross-draw carry came out of a Gabe Suarez class. And then when I took the course with John Farnam, he taught me how to do a one-handed reload, so my reload technique came from John Farnam. I started shooting in August when I was 21 (in 2004). I took my first class from Rangemaster in August, and took the Gabe Suarez class also in August, right after my first class. In September that year I took the class with John Farnam. So it all went really quick. I just kept taking classes, figured out what kind of holster I needed, and then was able to work out the one handed reloads. It all happened in a matter of just a couple months, bringing everything together.
What weapons do you carry, and what ammunition?
I carry a Browning Hi Power that’s been worked on by Jim Garthwaite, and also a Springfield XD, both in 9mm. I had a beavertail added to the Hi Power and a Teflon finish and all the parts fitted. It’s got Heinie sights with a gold bead front sight. You can pick the front sight up in any light conditions, or if it’s too dark to see the gold bead it’s too dark to see what you’re shooting at. My Browning Hi Power carries 15+1 and the Springfield XD-9 carries 17+1. I use 127- grain Winchester Rangers in those.
What concealment holsters do you use?
Right now I use a crossdraw holster, the FIST Driving Holster. The holster has a snap where you can move it around on your belt from driving to on your hip and back again. I just run with it in the driving position and it works great. It holds the mouth of the holster up a bit higher than the holster I was using before too.
Do you have a big box o’ holsters?
I really don’t. By taking the classes very early on I kind of avoided that.
My first carry holster was actually made by Dale Fricke. My first two holsters were custom made by him, just for me. After that, I ended up looking around a little bit and I found that FIST driving holster. The other holsters were good, but I looked around because if I never try new things I’ll never know if there might be something better out there. The FIST was leather and I prefer leather over Kydex, it’s just more comfortable. I found it smoother to draw from, and it’s less clicky. Also sometimes I felt like my Kydex one was going to break on me. Since I’m sitting down and bending around a lot, moving around to a lot of different angles in the chair, I just felt like it was on the brink of snapping sometimes. Major paranoia there. So I just like the leather holster better.
What specific adaptations have you needed to make in order to shoot well?
I do a one-handed reload off my wheelchair. It’s just your basic one-handed reload like they teach in a lot of classes. You know, where you just stick the empty gun back in the holster, pop the old mag out, put the new mag in, and then draw the gun again and rack the slide. Instead of running the slide off a belt or a holster, I found a spot on the wheelchair I could press the slide, and just run the slide against that. It works pretty well.
What do you recommend to other physically challenged people who are concerned about self-defense? What advice do you have for other people who have physical difficulties and want to figure out how to safely run the gun?
I would say take as many classes as you can and learn from as many different instructors as possible. You want to get as many different inputs as possible because what one may come up with might work really well for one thing, and someone else might have a good solution for something else. So get a lot of different perspectives. Everybody problem solves just a little bit different. With the different perspectives I was able to problem solve most of the things that I ran into.
Do you have any recommendations for all of our readers?
Yes. If you have the time and money to do it, get as much training as possible. I know not everyone has the money or the time, but if you can you really should. A lot of people don’t want to give up the time but they need to give up at least some time for training. Shooting is a skill that diminishes if you don’t do it for a while. Even just going to the range at least once a month will at least keep your skill where it’s at.
[Each issue of CCM contains an article that profiles an everyday individual who carries a concealed weapon. This article is an inspiration to our readers by helping them to realize that they are not alone in their lifestyle decision to always be armed.]
This column appeared in the July 2008 Issue of CCM. Members, use the links below the cover to download the entire magazine! Not a member? Click on this link for more information: Become a Member of the USCCA.
Table of Contents - Click to Enlarge…
Add Insult to Injury
By Uli Gebhard,
Suarez International Staff Instructor
Many of you have been following the situation in Orange County with our appointed Sheriff revoking CCW’s that have been legitimately issued by her predecessor’s administration.
Looking back, Sandra Hutchens is a person who took a very covert approach with these revocations, apparently in an effort to generate facts before the Board of Supervisors or the public could object.
She ignored advices from well-known and highly experienced lawyers who indicated that her claim to be bound by law to initiate the revocations is completely false.
Assistant Sheriff Hillmann, whom she brought with her from LA County used an overbearing police presence and plainclothes members of his SWAT-team in an apparent attempt to intimidate members of the public who wanted to voice their concerns against Mrs. Hutchens agenda driven policy.
Undersheriff Scott, Assistant Sheriff Hillman and other command staff level members of the OCSD exchanged derogatory remarks about these members of the public on their department-issued Blackberries. There was no visible consequence to these insults – while other police departments have fired employees for similar violations.
A Sheriff’s Department investigator used the security cameras in an apparent attempt to spy on those two supervisors who are most outspoken against Mrs. Hutchens restrictive CCW policy.
Mrs. Hutchens made the attempt to force CCW holders to agree to an early expiration of their permits to prevent a revoked CCW permit from appearing on their DOJ record.
She also posed “course and scope of business” restrictions on many of the remaining CCWs – hoping that felons will not be patient enough to attack their intended victims after business hours – when they are at home with their families.
All these efforts, that are in no way mandated, cost an amount of time, money and departmental resources that the county will most likely never be able to completely calculate, let alone recover.
Meanwhile, according to Supervisor Norby’s office, no real solutions have been developed for the overly costly operations, sub-standard conditions in the county jails and other real and pressing issues.
These are nine paragraphs or a full page of failures, ignorance and unwarranted and unnecessary restrictions – and I’m being very short in the descriptions.
This was the status of developments as of June 9. On June 10, 2009, my wife handed me an invitation-sized envelope labeled Orange County ******* Sandra Hutchens – not quite the official letters I got in the past notifying me that my CCW was marked for revocation.
The material inside added insult to injury: it was in fact an invitation – to a fundraiser for Mrs. Hutchens who had worked so hard to reduce the level of protection for hundreds of Orange County citizens. The minimum required contribution being $500.
A couple of quotes from the letter:
“I am working to restore honor to the department […]” That does not quite sit well with me after Mr. Hillman called me and all the others in attendance on November 17 “Idiots”. Sure, according to Mrs. Hutchens he and the others involved had been “admonished” – again, with no public excuse of the perpetrators nor any visible consequences – no one knows what disciplinary actions – if any – were taken.
“They [the members of the OCSD] are true professionals committed to keeping out community safe and deserve leadership they can take pride in”. Those patrol deputies that I met are truly good cops – I have absolutely no problem supporting them. Can they take pride in a leadership that is driven by their imported agenda, that ignores voices of the public and moreover ridicules them, a leadership that used methods of suppression that reminds me of the schemes that my grandparents were exposed to in the Germany of the 1930’s? I’ll leave that for them and you –our readers- to decide.
Mrs. Hutchens has wasted valuable departmental resources on a perceived problem that did not need fixing. She took the most effective means of self defense from several hundred individuals, many of whom used their carry guns to also keep their loved ones safe.
The invitation included a list of her Co-host Committee.
Among many well-known names, two stood out:
Don Crevier – owner of Crevier BMW
Fletcher Jones Jr. – Owner of Fletcher Jones Motorcars, a large Mercedes Dealership. In his advertisement he gives himself the image of the nice guy next door who will get out of his way to help you.
Ladies, Gents, these people and the other co-host committee members accept willingly that Mrs. Hutchens is putting honest, law-abiding citizens and their families at risk of becoming defenseless victims of violent crimes.
The names are links to the e-mails for their respective companies. I’m sure they will be interested in the public opinion for the person that they intend to support.
Review of Minnesota Permit To Carry A Firearm Fundamentals
written by Cody S. Alderson
USCCA GEAR REVIEW
Now why would I be reviewing a book that is A Companion Guide To The Minnesota Permit To Carry A Firearm Course in a newsletter that is widely read across all of our great states? Because it is packed full of information that applies to everyone who is permitted to carry a concealed firearm. Yes, the book does have some materials that are specific to Minnesota. However, it is also an outstanding source of universal training materials especially suited to the new permit holder of any state.
That being said, I must also add that it is of absolute importance for every person who will be carrying a firearm to be fully versed in the laws where their permit is issued, as well as other locations where they can legally carry under their permit due to reciprocity (USCCA members can check what other states, if any, their permits are also accepted at www.usconcealedcarry.com).
Many books today might have a color photo on the cover with a couple of other full color photos thrown in for effect. This book uses color photos and diagrams on practically every page. I really enjoy this style of book to teach basic material to the reader. Minnesota Permit To Carry A Firearm Fundamentals is done in a style reminiscent of the “Dummies” series of books that are available on just about every topic.
Just inside the front cover are tear out cards to keep on the person of the permit holder that include the Five-Point Statement to the Police, with the Your Only Statements to the Police After the Five-Points on the Other Side, a 911 call outline If You’ve Exposed Your Firearm to Resist an Offense, with 911 Call After You’ve Used Your Firearm on the reverse side of the card.
The book uses iconic graphics as the “Dummies” books do to set off special information found within its pages. The Light Bulb is advice, tips, and points-to-ponder. The Scales of Justice comment and remind about legal issues and requirements. The Liberty Bell sets off facts about the history of firearms and ammunition. The Megaphone is quotes and the Drafting Table icon is quizzes.
Chapter One covers the development of a personal protection plan discussing subjects such as the color codes of awareness, mental preparation, the Tueller drill and much more. Chapter Two deals with handguns and ammunition basics. This chapter is just the ticket for beginners as well as anyone else who has not been grounded in the fundamentals. Learn about the basics of revolvers and autoloaders as well as the different trigger actions. This chapter also covers the most common carry calibers as well as malfunctions.
Chapter Three covers such topics as gripping a handgun - not only the proper grip, but also the improper grip in full-color photos. It also covers information on how to find your dominant eye, proper stance, point-shooting, proper sight alignment with examples of what happens on target when the sights are not properly aligned using more photo examples. It also covers trigger control and follows through after the shot. I’m just giving a quick overview here in this review. The information is detailed with plenty of photos and diagrams to demonstrate by visual example.
In fact, the photos and text are done in a way that makes me feel like I’m being taught by an instructor right here with me as I read the book. I believe this has been successfully accomplished by the author by his ingenious use of anticipating what the student would think of or ask next.
Now there are a couple of chapters that will be mainly about carrying a gun in Minnesota, but the information those chapter contain can easily be adapted to many of the laws in other states. I like this book so much that I would be absolutely thrilled to see one published for each state in our Union that allows concealed carry either by permit or other law. Most of the material could be left as is with only the specifics of covering the laws of use of force and specifics of carry in each state being adapted for other states.
There are eight chapters in the book. Chapter Seven is Gear and Gadgets that covers holsters, lights, and has a great discussion about LASER’s. Chapter Eight talks about advanced training with a great section on how to tactically use the lights covered in Chapter Seven.
The book discusses serious matters about carrying guns while interjecting interesting facts and statistics as well as refuting some anti-gun myths. There are also a few times that humor is used within the pages. I particularly like that. Some times the more serious the material the more breaks should be taken to use a bit of humor to rekindle the minds ability to stay focused on the serious stuff. A giggle or a guffaw is like a dose of caffeine when reading.
At $26.95 the 179 page book is a bargain. It is published by Minnesota Tactics and was written by Michael Martin. Michael is an Army veteran including a stint as an instructor and range officer. He’s also a certified NRA instructor and runs Minnesota Tactics which is an organization certified by the State of Minnesota to teach the Minnesota Permit to Carry a Firearm Course. Visit www.mntactics.com for more information and to see even more photos of the book.
Until Michael Martin makes one of these books for my state, I’ll be using this one as an introductory text to the fundamentals of concealed carry for anyone who asks me for a comprehensive book covering what they need to know. Except for the specific laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where I reside, this book is a great portable teacher.
Hey Mike! Get busy making one for each state!
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I would like to hear from you. Email me at: cody@uscca.us.  Twitter me. |
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!
== USCCA Members-Only ==
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!
I have read a thousand times everywhere that a great practice tool and ammo saving drill is to dry fire your firearm, especially to help get rid of anticipation of recoil, etc.
Is it just me, or does anyone else dry fire PERFECTLY with no flinch, but only because I am in my house without any ammo anywhere, and my brain knows the thing won’t go off, so no flinch.
But I doubt if that translates well at the range when my brain knows it will go bang.
Thoughts…..
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I had an experience today that made me realize how much my thinking has changed since I joined USCCA. Driving down the road, minding my own business, some jerk in a truck starts riding about 3 ft off of my bumper. It used to be I would’ve started screwing with him, which would have only angered him more. Since he could damn near see inside the car, I acted like I was getting on the phone to the cops, he backed off and a potential bad situation went away. Nothing happened, but it showed me how different I react now due to the high level of info and experience on this site. One .38 that did not get pulled. Thanks USCCA.
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We Should Lobby to Allow our Military Recruiters to Carry Concealed Firearms
We should lobby to allow our military recruiters to carry concealed weapons. All of our military recruiters have been formally trained in the use of firearms. A large percentage of our recruiters are combat veterans many with multiple tours during the war on terror. These men are trained and qualified to employ weapons. Obviously, the current events have demonstrated that these brave men and women are targets for protesters and terrorists. Our country has an obligation to allow them to properly defend themselves and their families while they serve this country. Let’s work together to allow our recruiters to defend themselves and stop another tragedy from occurring.
I sincerely appreciate the service of our active military members and all veterans that have fought for my freedom.
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== Video of the Week ==
USCCA VIDEO OF THE WEEK
This is how it works. Liberals simply repeat their mantra over and over to more and more people until it sounds like the truth. Watch this attack on Tom Selleck by Ms. O’Donnell all the way back in May of 1999. It’s ten years later and the outright lies continue to be spread.
== “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…
Have you been a little slack in defending your right? Just to remind everyone, here’s a quote that is representative of the other side:
“I would like to dispute that. Truthfully. I know it’s an amendment. I know it’s in the Constitution. But you know what? Enough! I would like to say, I think there should be a law—and I know this is extreme—that no one can have a gun in the U.S. If you have a gun, you go to jail. Only the police should have guns.”
-Rosie O’Donnell
Rosie Takes on the NRA, Ottawa Sun, April 29, 1999
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!
- MyFoxMemphis June 1, 2009
Oakland Man Fatally Shoots Intruder
An Oakland, Tennessee man fatally shot an intruder trying to climb in his window early Monday morning.
The incident occurred on the 400-block of Bell Grove Road. The homeowner heard what sounded like a knock on his window around 12:30am. When the noise grew, the homeowner found a neighbor, 32-year old Anthony Webb, breaking through his window with a rake.
The homeowner tells FOX13 that he told the man repeatedly to stop, but Webb’s reply was “What are you going to do?”
The intruder was shot three times, and was declared dead upon arrival by local police.
The homeowner also tells FOX13 that the intruder’s father was a high school classmate of his.
Closing Thoughts
| Okay, the answers to last week’s question about reloading are still pouring in- and I will definitely be sharing them with you next week.
In the mean time, I’d like to address a question that was sent to me a couple days ago: Hey Tim, I am a Little person and carry a S&W J frame 32 H&R magnum. I would like to carry my 45 1911A1 but it prints like a neon sign. I would appreciate any feed back. Well, this is a toughy. Not everyone is going to be able to carry a concealed full sized 1911. There are things you can try- the appendix position on your belt (1 o’clock), or even in the “small of back”. But, you may find that you simply have to go with a smaller frame 1911. Here is an old archived link to a discussion on “The High Road” about concealing large guns that you might find handy: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-277402.html 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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Tim Schmidt
Founder - U.S. Concealed Carry
http://www.usconcealedcarry.com
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