Meeting Tomorrow!

Meeting someone that says they have a firearm for sale is always problematic. I will offer these tips as I will meet someone tomorrow about a *pony snake*. 

Meet in a controlled place such as a friendly range that knows you. Never go to the sellers house! Do your homework on the hardware in question. Be prepared to have the proper purchase permit or a copy of your CCH permit (in this state anyway) to present to the person. Get a bill of sale from them! If at all possible have it witnessed by a third impartial party. 

Let's face it. You are going to be carrying cash or a negotiable document.  

Wish me luck! 

Some Days at the Office are Better Than Others!

Congrats to my 11 Concealed Carry Handgun students today. They rocked. I love doing this! I am tired, with stuff to be put in the safe still. No matter. This is important. 

In the Mail Box Today.....

Anytime I see this return address on an envelope I get a bit nervous. I'm sure it pails in comparison to the mail man, person, lady. 

No worries though. Just my new Concealed Carry Handgun Instructor ID card. I really don't know why they issue one though. OTOH, man that picture from *mumble, mumble* years ago rocks! No grey hair to be found on it! 


 






.

That Time of the Month Again?

Yes! It seems like 17 or so new shooters will be present tomorrow. An indeterminate number will be present for Concealed Carry Handgun class on Sunday (don't ask, we never know until we go).

Wish me luck! I always enjoy it. If you get a chance come meet me at Elite! I always take a break every hour on the hour.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Is it February already? Time again for new shooter and concealed carry classes this weekend. So it looks like this so far. 

Little things matter to people that are new to the community. Perceptions are reality to some.  Presenting a professional appearance counts. If you come off as some yahoo in appearance or demeanor you are doing a disservice to the legal gun owning community. 

Next? The good, the bad, and the ugly.

A chance to show students that although the handguns look about the same and shoot the same caliber rounds, they are totally different in the way they operate and shoot. 

So tomorrow I wander off to teach new shooters.  I am honored and humbled to do so. Being an Ambassador and instructor carries profound responsibilities in my opinion.  I only have one chance to get this right.  I am not as vocal in this space as many are on rights and such (in fact here I fear I would be preaching to the church) .  I like to think I am just as effective in my efforts however.

So breakfast looks like this.

 











Classes are beyond capacity for tomorrow and so we opened up the second classroom and a principal of the range will pick up the overflow. 

Wish us luck tomorrow. Sunday promises to be interesting. I have a full CCH class. We also have a fundraiser going on.  We are as Jennifer points out some awesome people. 

I know at the end of this I will probably fall back to this on Monday. 
  

I'm Toast.

So after 30 new shooters yesterday I had 27 students for concealed carry class today. Record numbers.  We adapted and overcame the challenge. I'm pretty beat up right now but still running on the caffeine I ingested all day. 

So I drag the stuff into the house.  

Just want to get the guns into the safe.  To add to the happiness today guess who shows up? A camera crew for local news. Again.  Link is here for My local story on the Fox channel.  Sigh.  Thanks to my RSO's.  They were awesome!  I appreciate the fact that the owners of the range allow media into the range if all the students and personnel agree.  Most do not.  We have nothing to hide. 


I do my part.  It leaves me without a speaking voice and mentally and physically exhausted. I know that going in and do it.  

So for tomorrow my plan is this.  I will emulate a old friend I miss and do this.

 













Wasabi has been gone for almost a decade but even now I miss this dog.  I will follow her lead tomorrow and do as little as possible!  She loved that spot. Warm in the winter and cool in summer.  So for tomorrow I will try to just enjoy my environment and do very little!  



 

Defender Food!

So I continue to work with the Colt Defender.  I seem to have found some food it and I like for the range.

 

















15 rounds with 10 at 7 yards, 5 at 10.  The reloads with 4.2 grains of Tite Group powder and 230 round ball totally changed the nature of the Pistol.  It fed and fired them without a hitch and turned it into a fun Pistol on the line.  I was not expecting that the gun would function with those powder loads.  Yeah, I pulled the first two rounds to the right as I expected the recoil and tightened my grip before the trigger broke.

So I got an idea.  The Commander is now fully in retirement and I thought that she and I did well at USTC.  Now she looks to occasional range time and will not be carried.  I thought I would be smart and get the CT lasergrips off and put her back to original Walnut grips and put the CT's on the Defender to replace the stock Houge grips.  

 







BZZZT! Wrong!  The compact 1911 platform requires a different model.  I looked around and CT does have a NRA  Instructor discount.  About 40% off retail.  Woo-Hoo! 

In other news it appears that even after people seeing me in HD TV, it did nothing to slow this weekends attendance for Basic Pistol and Concealed Carry Classes.  25 New shooters Saturday and 28 CCH students Sunday. 

I'm ready!  I have my spiffy shirts ready to go! 

 














Wish me luck!  I have never taught this many students before at one time!

QOTD X 2!

So at work today one of my friends is trying to find low brass .12 ga #7 shells for rabbits.  Make no mistake, he and his family eat them.  As his Father comments while they are hunting he says you can get #X shot (I can't remember what number it was) and use it if they are in range. I told him: "Hell, you can use a rock if they are in range".  That garnered some laughter. 

The next one?  A old friend commented tonight on the events of the day.  I will leave you with this one.  "So I served in the Army during the Korea era and they taught me how to shoot a M1 Garand and Carbine and I took an oath to defend the Constitution.  Now they are trying to tell me I can't have a Carbine in my house!  Pound sand!" 

Enough said my friend!    


  

A Quiz For My "Assault Weapon" Ban Friends!

After some spirited conversation with a family member tonight I decided to throw this little quiz out. For ones that already know the answer, please feel free to chime in. 

So what is the evil assault rifle that needs to be banned? 

Exhibit A

  








Colt M-4 


Exhibit B

Glenfield Model 75C by Marlin. 

Decades mark the difference between these rifles.  So which one is the "EVBIL ASSAULT RIFLE OMG the children!"  Well guess what. Both fire the .22LR cartridge and both are semi-automatic. So now we are left with the fact that the M-4 has a large capacity clip magazine. Oh, maybe the "shoulder thing that goes up" too.  Really? 10 rounds vs 20? At what point does capacity become "EVIL"?

Last I heard man's capacity for evil goes back to the first of recorded history. Cain committed murder on his brother with a rock if memory serves. 
   


 

I Thought This Would Happen

A brick and mortar gun store supports an online ammo purchase ban. Tam brings it.

When seconds count....

911 call depicts 5 minutes of terror | bedroom, lisa, call - Gaston Gazette

Light a Candle

So the Brady Campaign thinks that by lighting a candle today "gun violence" will be brought to the forefront of issues. Weer'd suggested another idea. Here is my late contribution, and I would have forgotten except for Brigid's excellent post today.   

Here is my contribution:

As far as lighting a candle to stop violence goes, I thought long and hard about the picture you see. Over 125 years of evolution of a tool, one that allows the weak to stand against a predator. There is a reason for this. I encounter victims of violence that have had their lives shattered by two legged predators that have no regard for the law and view others as prey. 

Ask one of my students in my Concealed Carry Handgun class if lighting a candle would have stopped a predator from beating her all day. I think it would have been just as effective as the restraining order issued against him. I think her response is much more appropriate now. 

Many gave their lives to defend our way of life. How sad to think many now are of the opinion that lighting a candle will do anything to ward off evil.   

Changes in North Carolina CCH Law

Here is the PDF from the NCDOJ outlining changes to NC Statutes Effective December 1st of this year as they pertain to CCH (click to enlarge).

North Carolina CCH Reciprocity Clarification!

That got a lot of comments! Here is the deal. It used to be that "if you show me yours, I will show mine". Meaning that if you accepted a NC CCH, we would accept yours. If you did not we did not. That is gone now. 

"North Carolina will honor any valid Concealed Carry Handgun Permit from another state, regardless whether the state recognizes the North Carolina Concealed Carry Permit". 

I did not mean to cause any confusion! States we had Reciprocity with will remain in effect!

It is a minor change on one level and yet not on another!

To Defend....

This is the pact.  Once again the third Weekend of the month is here. A task I take to willingly. I will teach new shooters tomorrow and the CCH class Sunday.  I truly enjoy "paying it forward". I am honored to perform these tasks. 

If anyone here has a current CCH permit from the State of North Carolina, important changes will be in effect starting December 1st. If you need to know what they are, shoot me an email. I will send you the NCDOJ instructor summary of these changes in PDF form.  They are good changes IMHO!

Makes this weekend class a transitional one, but that is OK!

Oh, BTW, if you have a valid Concealed Carry Handgun Permit or license from another state, we will honor it, period after December 1!  (G.S. 14-415.24) 

I'm so proud!

So my student from last months CCH class has been at the range every weekend since. Last week she showed up with one of these:

Ruger SR9c. She is still carrying the S&W Bodyguard, but has come to the semi auto world.

Today, she is back at the range again with her Stepfather, Mother, and Aunt. Mother and Aunt are observing. She wants to know If I want to shoot the Ruger. I say sure. Then she wants to shoot my M&P. OK!

Icing on the cake is that she has named her weapons and shoots both of them, AND is sporting this Tshirt:

I think my work here is done! I am so proud!

I am once again humbled. And exhausted!

To me, issuing one of these is a big deal. Note what the certificate states (click to well, you know):

The certificates are issued to me. The Statutes are well defined and explicit. Sumdude was selling these for 100 bucks each out of the back of his car at the Waffle House parking lot in Winston Salem some time ago. He got busted and deservedly so.  That cheapens what true instructors do, and more importantly denies people the import and training of what carrying a concealed handgun really means.

I spend all day with people from all walks of life, the motivations they have to give up a beautiful fall Sunday and spend money is profound to me. I will never get rich doing this. Today however was very rewarding, yet emotionally draining.

A young woman today, a Senior at NCSU was accompanied by her Stepfather (I said "GO WOLFPACK" to her and she immediately responded with the correct hand signs, LOL!). She and he told the tale as to why they were both here today. He, a very large man about 6'2" 230 lbs; she a very petite, 5" nothing and looked like she would blow away in a stiff wind. It is so very hard to hear these stories. I must maintain composure as they are spoken in class. Sadly I hear more than my fair share.

She has a restraining order on a former boyfriend that Stepfather says is bigger than he. After the boyfriend took an entire day to beat her at his leisure, she is here now today with one of these:

Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .38. 

I am humbled. For someone to come thru that ordeal, speak of it in public and decide to take action against that ever happening again, I can only be in awe of that spirit. It again overwhelmed me today doing my admittedly pedestrian tasks at hand. God Bless her and her Stepfather. I wish the best to the young lady and her Stepfather. 

So after shooting the Bodyguard 40 rounds during qualification (I exceed State requirements and require weak hand only shooting as well), I allow students to shoot the remaining 10 rounds from a box of ammo if they would like to do so. She says she is done. I understand. That is not a pleasant handgun to shoot. I ask if she would like to shoot this:

A Colt Detective Special made before she was born. She had observed it in class, and remarked how much heavier it was than her .38. She smiled and said "yes please". I left my RSO in charge as I went to get it. 

She shot it and the smile from her face was my reward for the day! I told her that her gun is great for what it is and what it is designed for, but not a "fun" gun to shoot. Actually neither is the Colt, but far better than what she was shooting!

So for now I am here with guns that need to go to the safe, I need to get ready for the "real job" tomorrow and I am very happy for my student today and yet crying. I lament the loss of innocence.

I seem to meet the best people for all the wrong reasons.

I cannot cheapen what she went thru, but I hear too much of violence against good people in class. Sadly, for many that was the motivator for them to be there in the first place.  

   

You do what you can...

Local media was at the range yesterday for all the wrong reasons. We all do everything we can and still wind up with senseless tragedies like this. How very sad.

Welcome a shooter!

John was a student last weekend for my concealed carry handgun class. He is documenting his work as a new shooter on shooting and competing in IDPA. I would appreciate it if you gave him a warm welcome. Ex-Navy, and carried himself about smartly during class last week. Blog is here! I cannot offer any advise on IDPA. Anyone out there that can I am sure it would be appreciated! 

Bowling pin shoot today after a day trip yesterday. Be back soon! 

Whew!

Congratulations are in order for my SIXTEEN new shooters today in my Basic Pistol Class. What was really wonderful was it was comprised of Families. The bad part? There were only 6 students on the sign in sheet yesterday! It threw all of us at the range into a bit of panic. We adapted and overcame!

It has been said that people that like sausage and hot dogs should not see how they are made. Well pretty much the same for a Basic Pistol Class (clicken to embiggen):

 

Yes I do use Tupperware to lock in the freshness of my dummy rounds! 

So for tomorrow I have six students on the books for CCH. I'm scared! Lets see how many I get.

So for tomorrow a quick country breakfast and off for a day of it:

Before I get any Coffee snob comments please note the grinder behind the Maxwell House stuff. I can enjoy the best coffee freshly ground here and do so on occasion. Quite frankly I am not looking for a subtle nuance of some flavor in the morning. I am looking for my caffeine! 

I have my "shoot me first" attire ready to go to:

5.11 pants behind the USTC shirt. Note: If your clothing comes with instructions on what pocket is for what item (magazine, knife, cell phone, etc.) you are now elevated to Tacticool (or mall ninja). I never really got the whole thing behind it but I consider it a work uniform now. 

I hope everyone has a great week and wish me luck for tomorrow! 

Oh I bought everything here so the FTC can bite me!