Volume 3 - February/March 2006 ......2016/02/05 · Concealed Carry Magazine Volume 3 - February/March 2006 I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and I have spent the majority of

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I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and I have

spent the majority of my 39 years in and around the central part of Ohio, with a lot of traveling. After I graduated from college, I went to work for a Canadian airline as an aircraft maintenance technician and spent the next three years on the road, living in various cities, from Toronto-Canada, to a brief stay in Montana and in Phoenix, for specialized schools. It was an exciting life, but I missed sleeping in one place for an extended period.

When the airline went bust in the early 90s, I took a job with a plastics company as the Chief of Maintenance and co-pilot. So much for staying in one place, I spent about two days a week away from home. After a year of flying, I decided that I wanted to stay on the ground for a while and moved to southern Michigan, working for a small, but rapidly growing air freight company.

In 1993, my fiancé and I decided to get married, and since I had been commuting 350 miles each week for the previous six months, I decided to pack up again and move home. Once back in Columbus, I worked for a contractor for the Air Force Base Closure Agency, turning over a former Air Force Base to the local community, working as an Airport Safety/Operations Officer. As the contract was finishing up, I changed jobs and went to work for a fractional aircraft ownership company, where I was responsible for the maintenance of 250 aircraft throughout the world.

After three years of the night shift and the birth of my second daughter, my wife strongly suggested that I change jobs.

She wanted me home at night. I went to work for a regional bank as the Chief of Maintenance for their flight department. A couple years later, my job was eliminated after a change in CEO and Board of Directors, and I once again moved. I am now an instructor in Aviation Maintenance at a local community college, and looking to stay. Seven moves in five years and wearing out several sets of luggage… I am home.

I received my first exposure to firearms as a Civil Air Patrol Cadet. I was thirteen and attending the annual summer camp at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. We went through the standard aircrew firearms training on the M-16 (22LR conversion). I shot an amazing 250 points out of 300 possible and was allowed to shoot again with .223 and full auto. I looked forward to the summer camps every year and my love for the intricacy of firearms grew. I went on to shoot competition for the Naval ROTC rifle team in college. We shot two to three times a week, with an average of 500 to 1000 rounds.

The aviation bug bit me harder than a career in law enforcement, so I went on to get my degree in Aviation Maintenance. I still competed, but mainly in local clubs and tournaments. I really enjoy the bowling pin shoots at one local gun range. I started helping a retired Sheriff and part-time gunsmith, working on duty weapons for smaller police departments. I was always amazed at the neglect that these weapons undertook. One snub-nosed .38 that we received was inoperable, due to coffee being spilled on the weapon. It had not

been cleaned for several months since the spill and the cream had molded. I had to drift out the rounds and fully disassemble and clean the weapon. I worked on that one piece about eighty hours to get it functional again. My biggest piece of advice to anyone that carries a firearm is treat it well. It could save your life if it is functional.

My aviation career and firearms have always been tied together. Piloting an aircraft in Florida in the 90s was rather dangerous with the theft of aircraft for drug trafficking. We took courses in theft prevention and detection, as well as firearms training around aircraft. Working as a Safety/Operations Officer at a closing Air Force Base, we had routine security briefings. I learned to develop threat assessments, which came in useful in my later jobs. As a college instructor, I teach law enforcement officers and firefighters about aircraft operations—the truth and not Hollywood fiction.

I have managed to stay in one place for the last eight years, and I plan on many more. I am married, with a beautiful wife and two lovely daughters. I spend most weekends at the soccer fields or riding my motorcycle. I am a Life Member of the NRA, a member of USCCA, Ohio Gun Collectors Association, and the grassroots gun lobby organization, The People’s Rights Organization.

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 de-cision to always be armed.



Practice shooting off-hand and in different positions, such as kneeling, prone, around corners, and with one hand immobilized. The computer simulator helps in this type of training. Take advanced training courses on clearing jams and shooting techniques.

CCM: How long have you carried a concealed weapon?

Jeff: For just over a year.

CCM: What weapons do you carry?

Jeff: I carry a Kel-Tec P-32 (.32 auto) most often. I also carry a Daewoo DP51C (9mm) Tri-action and occasionally a Walther PPK (.380).

CCM: What type of ammunition do you carry?

Jeff: Federal Hydra-shok.

CCM: What concealment holsters do you use?

Jeff: DeSanti in-the-pocket for the Kel-Tec or a 5.11 Tactical Shirt. Uncle Mike’s Slide Holster for the Daewoo, and an Uncle Mike’s Shoulder Holster for the Walther. I try to limit the carry techniques to one or two for each weapon. This allows for muscle memory if I would need to draw. It makes for a more natural draw.

CCM: What do you do for a living?

Jeff: I am an Aviation Maintenance instructor at a community college. I also run an aviation maintenance consulting company.

CCM: Do you have any advice for our readers?

Jeff: My biggest piece of advice would be to know your weapon. Be able to field strip it accurately and reassemble it without fumbling. Handle your weapon often, knowing how to quickly put the safety on and take it off. Know where the magazine release is. Practice the best way to clear jams for each weapon. Keep the weapon clean, keep it clean, and keep it clean. I have helped “smith” a few firearms for police departments and found one that was completely inoperable due to mold from spilled coffee. I had to drive the shells out of the cylinder. Not a good situation if you should have to use it. If you are going to carry, you should know your weapon, keep it clean, and train/practice often.

CCM: Was there a specific incident that caused you to carry a gun?

Jeff: There isn’t any one specific reason for me to decide to carry concealed, other than my hope to protect my family and myself. I used to travel late at night, back and forth from the airport I worked at, which wasn’t in the best part of town. Being an employee of a bank and traveling to the CEO’s airplane did make me a little nervous. When Ohio legalized CCW, I decided to seek my permit.

CCM: Have you ever had to use your firearm in a defensive situation?

Jeff: Thankfully, I haven’t. My brother is a police officer, so I get to hear his stories.

CCM: What training methods do you employ? Do you have any recom-mendations?

Jeff: For firearms training, there is nothing better than practice. Practice pulling the firearm from a concealed carry position, practice loading and unloading, but remember to always think—safety. When I practice, I always have someone else verify that I have nothing but a snap cap loaded. For shooting, I practice point shooting, which is hard for me, coming from a precision shooting past. It does help though. I am lucky enough to have access to a computer simulator for law enforcement academies. It really helps in situational awareness and conflict resolution training.

�Concealed Carry Magazine


Each issue of CCM contains an article that “PROFILES ” an everyday individual who carries a concealed weapon. Lynn, as interviewed by Don Myers, is an inspiration to our readers by help-ing them to realize that they are not alone in their lifestyle decision to always be armed. Don Myers is a professional pilot, a Vietnam era army captain, an author, a certified concealed handgun license instructor for the state of Texas, and most impor-tantly of all, a proud grandfather.

One Sunday, while in church, my wife and I noticed a striking blonde along side her husband whom we had not seen before. During a break, my wife and I found that we had both noticed their sartorial taste in western wear, with her large silver belt and the silver conchos in her husband’s belt accenting his crisply starched jeans and western shirt, which gave them both an elegant look. Admittedly, talking about worldly things such as the way someone looks or dresses in church is not normal for us, but I have a friend who is one of the few artists in the state who makes silver conchos. As a result, I notice when someone is wearing them.

As my wife and I were leaving the sanctuary, we happened to come along side the visiting couple. My wife commented to the blonde about how much she liked her silver belt. That led to an incredible conversation in which I discovered that she had a concealed handgun license and carried a .44 Special. Within minutes, we became good friends with Thomas and Lynn Moore and before we departed, I knew the readers of CCM had to hear Lynn’s story. Strangely, Thomas does not have his concealed handgun license yet. For a departure from the norm, it is the wife who is encouraging her husband to carry protection. He agrees and will be in my next concealed handgun class.

Lynn was born in Longview, Texas to a loving and nurturing mother and father. This ebullient lady has lived in Texas all of her life, except the four years her husband served in the Air Force. She grew up between Dallas and Fort Worth, where she graduated from L. D. Bell High School.

During those formative years, her parents guided her development with Christian principles, resulting in Lynn’s forming a relationship with Jesus that would be her anchor to weather some difficult days that lay ahead in her interesting life.

“My parents lived Christianity in everything they did. My dad was one of the wisest, godliest men I have ever known, but not religious, in the sense that he did not preach. He was a strong man with a gentle manner who constantly showed agape love when dealing with anyone. He was a positive influence on everyone, with his wonderful, dry sense of humor. He had the wisdom, through his humor, to keep heavy

issues light. Thirty-five hundred people attended his funeral, which is a testimony to the influence he had on others.” Lynn’s father’s quiet, principled strength provided the model that molded a vivacious and precocious young girl into a strong, intelligent woman.

Lynn married after 3 semesters at the University of Texas, at Arlington. She and her husband moved back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area after serving four years in the Air Force. She raised and home schooled three children, while attending Tarrant County College, during which time she also served 14 years as Nursery Director within the children’s ministry in her church. “I love children and I loved that ministry.”

Terrible marital problems in the early 80s began a dark period in her life. “I was devastated. I had poured everything I was into my family. This wasn’t supposed to happen to a Christian. However, through the heartache, I found I was gaining strength in my relationship with the Lord. I always thought I was a Christian, but I came to


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realize that I had a tremendous amount of head knowledge, not a personal relation-ship with Jesus Christ. I accepted Jesus as my Savior and was radically changed for the Lord, which was absolutely the most significant event in my life, since it changed every aspect within me for the better. For the first time, I began experiencing grace to endure.”

In 1995, after twenty-eight years of marriage, Lynn walked through a very difficult divorce. “Even though I was strug-gling financially to get my two younger children through college, and processing the hurts of a hostile relationship with my ex, I had become self-sufficient in my own commercial cleaning business. At the same time, I decided to incorporate the business, having been under the counsel of three very godly men. I also realized the Lord was abundantly blessing me in spite of what I felt had crumbled. This renewed strength and closer relationship with the Lord are the very essence of who I am and what I stand for.

An interesting thing happened during this time. Even though my dad and brother were hunters, I had never hunted much. Tracking rabbits in the snow and a little frog gigging were about the extent of my experience. About four years after my divorce, I started thinking of some things I had always wanted to do and hunting was one of them. I became friends with a couple of people who were experts at big game hunting and was offered the opportunity to hunt all over the United States and Canada.

CCM: Was there a specific incident that caused you to carry a gun?

Lynn: Yes, I was already in the process of getting my CHL, but this incident just confirmed it was a good idea. I own a commercial cleaning business and had gone by to pick up one of my employees one night, on the way to a client’s office. I had just come from Austin on a hunt and before going to pick up my employee, I dropped off my Jimmy to have it serviced. I noticed there was a 12-gauge shotgun in my truck I had forgotten about (and yes, it was loaded), so I took it out of the Jimmy and put it in the rental car they had provided. I laid it in the back floorboard and went to pick up one of the girls who worked for me at this clinic we cleaned.

I parked by the back door, since it was a decent part of town. We had been there about an hour, when the girl came in just white from shock and said, “Lynn, someone broke into the car.” Since I’m always joking around, I thought she was kidding and said, “Oh, get outta’ Dodge. Are you kidding me?” She goes, “Yes ma’am, they did.”

I went out there with the knowledge that I had that shotgun and a $500, King Ranch, Limited Edition handbag in the car, along with her purse in the floorboard of the front seat, with my purse. They had broken the back passenger window and taken the shotgun out. They had broken the front driver window and taken my purse and her purse. I usually carried quite a bit of cash, but thankfully, I only had thirty-six dollars that time.

All of my concealed handgun information, including my application, finger print cards, the notarized documents, and a hundred and forty dollars in cash paper-clipped to the back of the envelope had been laying right next to the barrel of the shotgun, but they didn’t touch that. When I realized what had happened, a fear just consumed me because I didn’t know if they were standing somewhere behind a wall, aiming at us.

That theft confirmed a need to have a concealed handgun because it happened in a nice area. I saw the need to carry a gun anyway, since being out at night by myself was getting a little rougher. I was traveling a lot at night because of my business, so the car break-in confirmed to me my former belief that I needed to be armed.

I’ve hunted caribou in the Northwest Territories and moose in the Yukon.” Pointing to the huge whitetail mount on the wall, she said, “I shot that deer on the King Ranch, so I’ve done a lot of fun things. I absolutely love to hunt and during this time developed a keen interest in guns and the guns used in the hunt. The fact that my friends are bow hunters still challenges me today to be as proficient with guns as they are with bows.

I was running three cleaning crews at this time. Of course, most of that work was done at night, so I often worked until midnight or one o’clock in the morning. As a result of these late hours, I realized the need for some type of protection in the form of a handgun. It wasn’t so much fear, or thinking I would have to use it, as much as it was the confidence I would have knowing if I ever needed to use a gun, it would be available. So, I obtained my concealed handgun license and have been carrying ever since. It’s unusual to find me without my pistol on me or nearby.”

In spite of the fact that Lynn is a former honor student who graduated with a 97.6 GPA, she still gets the brunt of all the blonde jokes. “Believe me, I get the ‘blonde’ thing all the time! But then, I’ve been accused of being a one-person party because I just love, so much, to have fun. It seems I must wear a neon sign stamped on my forehead that shouts, ‘Yeah, I’m blonde....go ahead....take a shot!’ I have a 28-year-old son who seems to have written the book on it. He is the absolute worst and

so hysterically funny.After ten years of being single, I met and married a man who did the impossible. He secured my trust and asked permission to fill and seal the tender issues in my heart. He is a rock, keeping me grounded in Christ’s love by showing wisdom that still amazes me. In addition to my children

and grandchildren, Thomas is the greatest gift ever given to me.”

I sat down with Lynn and Thomas in their beautiful, Western motif home to ask her some questions about her life. The walls were filled with mounts of deer and other animals that have fallen to the skill of this blonde huntress. She proved, once again, that there is something special about people who are serious about being armed at all times.


CCM: Have you ever had to use your firearm in a defensive situation?

Lynn: I have never had to pull the trigger, but I had a friend, a while back, that turned out to be pretty mean. I had some jewelry that he demanded I return. It was given to me as a gift and he wanted it back.

I was getting ready to leave my home for a trip to San Marcos and had taken a suitcase out to my truck in the back, then went back in the house to lock the doors. I saw this guy’s Jeep pull into the back driveway and then he walked toward the door. He had been out of my life for a while. Our relationship had been completely cut off and finished months before, so it was unnerving to have him show up, beating on the glass at my back door.

He just stood there looking at me. I debated whether or not to call the police, but seeing him there just made me mad

Lynn: I started carrying when I got my license, about five years ago.

CCM: What weapons do you carry?

Lynn: I carry a little Charter Arms, Bulldog .44 Special. I started out with my brother’s Kahr 9mm, but I like the Bulldog, since it packs real flat and I like the power of the .44 Special hollow points for self protection.

CCM: What type of ammunition do you carry?

Lynn: I had been using Hornady hollow points to carry in my handbag for protection, but when Hornady stopped production of that round, I switched to Remington, who also stopped production of the .44 Spcl HP. For a while, the only HP I could find was Blazer 200 GR GDHP.

I recently became aware of the dangers of over penetration from a gun like a .44 Special, so last week I changed to Cor-Bon, 165 grain, jacketed hollow points to reduce the chances of having a bullet pass through an attacker and hit someone else. This load should have tremendous stopping power, since the higher velocity will cause explosive expansion of the lighter bullet, with less chance of getting an innocent person hurt.

I use cowboy loads for practice, since they are cheaper and have less recoil.

CCM: What concealment holsters do you use?

Lynn: I use a cloth holster with Velcro on the sides, made by Uncle Mike. I also have an Uncle Mike’s body belt that goes under loose fitting clothing. It has elastic holsters built into it and it fits real close to the body.

that he actually thought he could pull this off. I had my gun in its holster, stuck in my belt, on my side and rage came over me as I thought, “He’s not doing this to me! He will not put fear in me.”

I probably should have called the police. That would have been the smart thing to do, but I was in a hurry. I walked out the back door and told him to leave, as I moved my gun around to the front where he could see it. He started calling me terrible names, so I told him if he didn’t leave I was going to pull this gun. He said, “You can’t make me leave.”

Well, I just pulled it out and held it down by my side, with my finger not on the trigger, but on the side of the gun. He started backing up and told me that I had not seen the last of him. I said, “Oh yes, I have,” and I pulled my cell phone out and said, “If you persist, I will call 911.”

He started toward me and I just raised my gun, not aiming it directly at him, but to his side, with my finger still off of the trigger. He backed up, never turning his back on me, got in his Jeep and left. I haven’t heard a word from him since.

CCM: What training methods do you use? Do you have any recommendations?

Lynn: My brother was in law enforcement for years, so when I go out to the farm, he gives me tips on shooting. I used to go to the range two or three times a week, but I have been so busy the last couple of years that I haven’t shot nearly as much. Also, I didn’t want to quit shooting, but I realized how much it was costing in range fees and ammunition. I love being at the range, but I had to cut back, just to keep the cost of my passion in line.

As far as recommendations go, since you don’t know when you are going to have to use your gun, you need to shoot on a regular basis, just to keep your eye keen and feel refreshed because you can pretty quickly lose your accuracy.

An important safety aspect that some people may not think about, in regard to training, is what to do about children. I have thirteen grandchildren who are being trained in gun safety and how to use a gun. Since they are young, they aren’t thinking seriously about a gun as a means of protection, but their fun now may save their lives later. As I said earlier, I love children and one of the best ways to love them is to teach them to shoot safely, as a family activity.

CCM: How long have you carried a concealed weapon?


CCM: What do you do for a living?

Lynn: I am a sales rep for Xact Business Solutions. It’s a printing company. I sell every type of printing on every printable surface, and office supplies. My corporation is also still alive and well, with several diverse services.

CCM: Do you have any advice for our readers?

Lynn: Don’t carry a gun unless you can use it when necessary. Even though I had been around guns all my life, I was very humbled when I got my concealed handgun license, realizing the responsibility that came with it. It was a moment of reckoning when I knew what I had in my hand if I had to use it.

Absolutely carry all the time. You don’t know when you are going to need it. My car was broken into in a good neighborhood. Bad things happen in good neighborhoods too.

Stay current on the laws as well. I didn’t know the law had changed that allows me to carry in a church until you mentioned it last Sunday. After that nut at Wedgwood Baptist in Fort Worth killed those seven young people a few years ago, I’ve been

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carrying in church anyway, thinking I was breaking the law. If someone had been packing, I can guarantee you only a couple of those teenagers would have been killed, instead of the seven who had time to try to talk the killer out of murdering them.

There was also that shooting at a church in Wisconsin a few months ago. My husband and I, as Christians who are actively serving the Lord, are targets for the Muslim extremists too. I’m surprised there have been no shootings in the U.S., since there have been so many Christians killed in Iraq, Pakistan, and Sudan, simply for not being Muslim.

Be active in politics to protect the gun rights we currently have and to regain the ones lost while we gun rights supporters were asleep during the 70s and 80s. That’s why I’m a life member of the NRA. I have been active in the Republican Party, serving as secretary at the precinct level and the 10th state, senatorial district level. I have been to two state, Republican conventions as a representative and have campaigned for several candidates, including George Bush when he was running for governor. I campaigned for our current governor, Rick Perry, who is even stronger on the 2nd Amendment than George Bush.

I’m not a one-issue candidate, but I have found that the conservatives, who share my world-view of Christian values, are virtually always strong in the area of gun rights. You really must support the candidates who hold your values. Don’t be swayed by the lie that you so often hear: “You can’t legislate morality.” All laws, in one form or another, are based on moral choices. If you don’t vote to uphold the morality of self-defense, then you are doing the same as voting that you don’t have a right to protect yourself.

Finally, pray for our leaders. God does answer prayer. I have no doubt that God put George Bush in the White House as an answer to the fervent prayers of thousands of the faithful, honoring their prayers for a steadfast leader who would bring dignity and truth back to the presidency. Also pray for those who are trying so hard to strip us of our guns. God has changed the hearts of tyrannical kings. He can change the hearts of these lesser men and women who don’t understand.

CCM: What does a blonde have at a party that a brunette doesn’t have?

Lynn: An invitation!

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SHOOTING AT A CLUBMILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — A shooting that left one man dead and another critically injured in a bar early Saturday is being treated as a self-defense case, police spo-keswoman Anne E. Schwartz said Tuesday.

LaCharles Hester, 27, was killed and another man, 23, who was not identified, was wounded in the chest by a bartender at Club Lush, 2529 N. Hopkins St., Schwartz said. The case has been referred to the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office as justified but it will be up to prosecutors to rule on whether charges will be filed in the case, she said.

The bar owner was trying to clear the bar when Hester pulled out a gun, fired

into the ceiling and pointed the gun at the bartender and other people in the bar, Schwartz said. The bartender, 36, who was not identified, drew a gun from his holster and shot Hester in the back of the head, she said. The 23-year-old man then tried to take the gun away from the bartender and it fired, hitting the 23-year-old in the chest, Schwartz said.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel December 27, 2005

CLERK FIRED FOR PULLING GUN ON THIEF

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire — A store clerk fired for bringing a gun to work has a new job at another store.

Bruce Soiett said that he always brings his .45-caliber handgun to work. He used to work at a Cumberland Farms in Greenland, and on Dec. 7, the store was robbed at

gunpoint. When the thief ran, Soiett followed him.

“I yelled at him to stop, and he turned with the gun,” Soiett said. “I fired two quick shots because I thought he was going to shoot at me.”

No one was hit, and the robber was never caught. Soiett lost his job because Cumberland Farms has a no-weapon policy. The owner of the Exit 3 Travel Stop in Portsmouth was happy to hire him.

“We feel more comfortable having people who can stand up for themselves,” store owner Bharat Batel said.

Greenland Police Chief Mike Maloney said that while Soiett has every right to pack heat at work, he has some concerns.

“The clerk might get killed over $200,” Maloney said. “I find, in my opinion, it’s just best to let us do our jobs.”

Soiett said that as long as he has a job at a convenience store, his gun will be loaded, just in case. “If you come in and rob from me, you may get more than your money,” he said.

Manchester’s TheWMURchannel.comDecember 29, 2005

BURGLAR HIDES IN BUSHESBOULDER, Colorado — Deputies arrested an attempted burglar who was scared off by a homeowner who fired a shot in the air on New Year’s Day.

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An elderly couple called police when the man tried to kick their door in at 4:15 a.m. on the 9100 block of Nelson Road.

After telling the suspect to go away several times, the man of the house fired a warning shot over the suspect’s head. The homeowner told police he feared for his and his wife’s safety. When deputies arrived they found 22-year-old Michael Gadbois hiding in some bushes. He was arrested on charges of attempted burglary.

Denver’s 9News.comJanuary 2, 2006

ROBBERY VICTIM FIGHTS BACKHARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A man tells police he shot a suspect who was allegedly destroying his property.

It happened around 2 a.m. Friday on Antoine near W. Little York in northwest Harris County. He spotted a group of men breaking out the windows of his Suburban. He scared them off, but says they returned. The homeowner heard a gunshot and grabbed his gun. He shot one of the men and they all sped off.

The man gave police a detailed description of the suspects and the car. Police picked them up nearby. The suspect who was shot was taken to the hospital. The other men with him were arrested.

Houston’s ABCLocal.Go.com January 6, 2006

MAN IS SLAIN AFTER APARTMENT BREAK IN

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California— An Oxnard man who broke into the bedroom of a Rancho Cucamonga apartment early Friday morning was shot and killed by one of the occupants—a prison counselor for the state Department of Corrections, authorities said.

The intruder, Hector Soto, 21, of Oxnard, died less than three hours after being shot and undergoing surgery at Arrowhead Reg-ional Medical Center in Colton, the San Bernardino County coroner said. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department did not release the prison counselor’s name. He will not be charged, a spokeswoman said.

The break-in occurred about 2:50 a.m. Sheriff’s homicide investigators said Soto opened a front window to enter the apartment in the 8400 block of Fir Street, and walked to a bedroom. The

prison counselor fought with Soto and then pulled a pistol from his nightstand, sheriff ’s investigators said. When Soto advanced, the prison counselor shot Soto one time, investigators said.

Los Angeles Times January 7, 2006

HOMEOWNER FIGHTS BACKHOUSTON, Texas — A northwest Hou-ston father fought back and killed an armed intruder. The final straw came when one of the home invaders grabbed his 12-month-old daughter and threw her down the stairs. Police say three men forced their way into the home of a man at an apartment complex on W. Tidwell near W. Sun Forest. The armed men demanded money.

The victim first tried to stop the men with a steak knife. The men grabbed a child in the home and threw the toddler down the stairs. The toddler is okay. One suspect pulled a gun but the victim was able to get it away from him and shot him. Then the suspect pulled a second gun and the victim got it away from him and shot him again, killing him. Police say the other two men fled the scene.

“The two suspects are known to the complainant. The dead man is not known to the complainant. They left the scene before police arrived,” said Officer Philip Yochum with the Houston Police Department.Investigators say the victim knew the two suspects who got away and that both the victim and suspects are Katrina evacuees. Police aren’t sure if the dead suspect is an evacuee as well.

Houston’s ABC13.comJanuary 23, 2006

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hen I first met Carolyn Lewis, she had just won the concealed

carry class I donated to our club’s annual Women on Target day, a program sponsored by the National Rifle Association, designed to introduce women to shooting. She told me that she didn’t like guns, had never fired one before, and wouldn’t even allow her husband to have any in the house.

During that day, I had the chance to work with Carolyn as she fired her first .22 handgun, a Ruger Super Single Six. Her target was a paper plate about 5 yards away. She had no problem putting all six rounds in the middle of the plate. “Hey, this is fun,” she said. Then she wanted to shoot again. Progress, I thought.

That evening she gave me a call. “I think I would like to take that concealed carry class,” she said. As it turned out, my next class was the next weekend.

The concealed carry class, which incidentally turned out to be a women’s only class, went well for Carolyn. During the 15 hour class, she learned how to handle revolvers and semi-auto pistols safely. She learned safe handgun storage (particularly with children in the home), the basic fundamentals of handgun shooting (with an emphasis on sight alignment and trigger squeeze), how to clear malfunctions when they occur, how to reload properly, and some tips on where and how to carry a concealed handgun. More importantly, she also learned how to avoid becoming the victim of a crime, along with ways to deal with a situation that was potentially violent. Ways to de-escalate an argument so it did not generate

into a gunfight were also discussed. She saw that distance was her friend and not to let people she was unsure of get too close to her. She also learned the circumstances under which she could legally use deadly force in New Mexico and other aspects of the law, including places where she could not legally carry that apply to concealed carry. Finally, she spent some time on the range, first practicing and then firing the qualification course.

By the end of the class, she was hooked. She had managed to qualify with both categories (defined in New Mexico as a semi-auto or revolver) and six different calibers of handguns, including the .45 ACP.

(At that time, New Mexico required that you qualify with each caliber and category you wanted to carry.) Not bad for someone who had never fired a handgun a week earlier. And her enthusiasm grew.

That was the beginning of her evolution from disliking guns to someone who became very interested in handgun shooting. Having experience as a substitute teacher, she decided that she wanted to become certified to teach the concealed carry

class in order to teach women to be comfortable with guns and how to use them in self-defense.

After the class was over, she realized she needed to do more shooting and learn more. During our additional range sessions, she began looking for a pistol to purchase for concealed carry. After firing both my Glock 19 and Glock 26 several times, she decided on the Glock 26 in 9mm as the one she wanted. A week later, she picked up her new Glock. It was late afternoon and we went

immediately to the range. She shot her new Glock well, and even had the opportunity to do some reduced and low-light firing as it got dark. She was happy with her new pistol, and I was very happy to get my Glock back.

Now it seemed like she couldn’t get enough. Every chance she got, she wanted to go to the range. I encouraged her to shoot as many different pistols as she could, trying to get her familiar with a wide variety. After all, she wanted to become an instructor, so she needed to be comfortable with the myriad of handguns that her students would be bringing to the class. Within a couple of months, she had fired almost 1,000 rounds.


We did all kinds of basic drills…drawing and firing two shots, failure drills, reloading, multiple targets, malfunction drills, firing with her strong hand and weak hand, shooting at ranges from 3 feet to 15 yards, shooting while moving, using cover, shooting from the ground as well as the kneeling position, and just generally having a good time and burning up lots of ammunition.

In an effort to reduce ammunition costs—it does get expensive if you shoot a lot—we integrated a .22 Ruger, semi-auto pistol into our training sessions. We even shot bull’s-eye targets to reinforce the concepts of sight alignment and trigger squeeze at the beginning of our sessions and then went to man-type silhouette targets to finish the session as we worked on the rest of the drills.

I used the work I did with her at the range to develop an advanced concealed carry class, an item that I’ve gotten lots of requests for. The class will include a review of basic firearms safety and a review of the law, in addition to lots of drills. When she becomes a certified instructor, she will be teaching the class with me.

One bright Saturday morning, Carolyn met me at the range to observe one of our club’s Action Matches (very similar to an IDPA match, but much more relaxed). After watching the first stage, she wanted to try it herself. After all, she had brought her own pistol and ammunition. Why shouldn’t she be able to shoot? She fired two of the stages and did quite well. (The other two included a shotgun and she wasn’t quite ready for that yet.) And equally importantly, because she was obviously grounded in the safety rules and handled her Glock well, she was immediately accepted by the group. The rest of the shooters went out of their way to provide her with assistance and advice as she tried this new experience. It appears that she has gotten hooked on this as well.

To broaden her basic firearms knowledge, Carolyn took the NRA’s Home Firearms Safety class. This made her much more comfortable around rifles and shotguns. Now her husband could have guns in the house. In fact, he even bought her a Walther P22 for Christmas so she could practice more.

She applied for her New Mexico Concealed Handgun License and received it in about 6 weeks. After she received her permit, we went out to lunch to celebrate. We were both carrying, and we did it to introduce her to the logistics of concealed carry in the real world, as opposed to a range environment. She began to see that you really do have to dress around your gun, rather than simply adding the pistol to your wardrobe.

The next step in her evolution was to become trained as an NRA instructor in the Basic Pistol, Personal Protection in the Home and Home Firearms Safety courses. Then she was eligible to apply to the New Mexico State Police for approval as a New Mexico Concealed Carry Instructor. She recently received that approval. Now she can follow her dream of teaching other women.

I suspect that Carolyn’s story is not unique. Many women just need to be given the opportunity and some good instruction, in order to handle firearms. (Most seem to be interested in handguns rather than rifles or shotguns.) Women tend to learn the basics quickly. Once they become somewhat familiar with guns, their interest grows, and who knows where it will end? Carolyn certainly didn’t know what the future would hold, that after training she would qualify for her concealed carry permit, take classes to become an instructor and actually end up teaching concealed carry classes.

All because she showed up that day at Women on Target.


NEShooters consists of four active shooters, with a goal of bringing top quality, nationally known, firearm trainers to New England. We are not trying to make any money from the classes, and as such, the profits from our classes have been donated to the host clubs.

My name is Jim Conway. I am 68-years-old and a very active shooter. I have been shooting since high school and I thought that I was a good shot and knowledgeable about firearms. All of that changed six years ago, when I attended a 2-day Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight, in Nevada. While this course gave me the basics of the legal and technical aspects of shooting, the most important thing that I learned was how little I knew and how much of what I thought that I knew was wrong.

This realization was the beginning of my desire to get better. As I trained at Front Sight and Gunsite, it soon became clear to me that I could not afford the travel and course costs and the time away from my business.

I had heard that Jim Crews of Marksman’s Enterprise traveled to his students and that he was an exceptional handgun trainer who specialized in marksmanship. After scheduling a training date, locating a suitable range, recruiting the students and dealing with all of the items that can make a class a success, I knew that I had found part of the solution to my problem.

The remaining part of the problem was that setting up and arranging a class still took a lot of time. After talking with two long-

time shooting friends, Mike Nastek and Andy Langlois, we decided to spread the workload between the three of us and to set up a website (www.Neshooters.com) to advertise our classes. The second decision that we made was that we would focus only on nationally known trainers, to minimize the amount of time spent on recruiting students.

The biggest, single problem that we faced was the negotiation with the clubs that will host our training classes. We have had one club that did not want a defensive handgun class because we “teach people to shoot people.” Other clubs embraced the class content, but wanted range fees and/or free seats.

In our second year (2004), we hosted only one course with Jim Crews. In our third year (2005), we hosted Randy Cain, Gabe Suarez and Jeff Gonzales, and brought in Roy Ward as our fourth member. For next year (2006), we will be hosting Tom Givens, Gabe Suarez, Louis Awerbuck and Jeff Gonzales.

A little basic information on the NEShooters members:

Andy Langlois is a New Hampshire resident and has served as a police officer and a firearms instructor in three states, for over seven years. His other claim to fame is his custom rifle slings and holsters, which he markets through his website at (www.shottist.com). Andy carries a Springfield Gunsite Service Pistol or a Kimber Pro-Carry, for Duty, CCW and Training.

Mike Nastek is a Massachusetts resi-dent and a heating and air conditioning

contractor. He started his firearms training in the Army and as a member of the Military Police. Until Mike took his first class at Front Sight, most of his shooting was in the recreational category. Since then, he has trained at Front Sight (numerous times) and with Jim Crews, Randy Cain, Gabe Suarez and Jeff Gonzales. Mike is certified by the NRA as a Handgun Instructor and a Range Safety Officer, and by the Massachusetts State Police as a Basic Firearms Safety Instructor. Mike normally carries a S&W, 1911 Commander, built on a scandium frame and occasionally a S&W Lightweight, J-frame revolver in .38 Special.

Roy Ward is a Vermont resident and the principal of a six person architectural firm. Roy began his active shooting career when he moved to Vermont in 1995. Since then, he has trained with local trainers, as well as Gabe Suarez and Jeff Gonzales. In addition to being a husband and father of 4 children, Roy also co-pastors a local church. His preferred carry is a Glock 22, .40 S&W. He also carries a Kel-Tec P3AT or a Sig 232, both in .380 ACP.

Jim Conway is a Massachusetts resident and a professional engineer who operates an engineering consulting business. Jim began his shooting in high school, as a member of the rifle team and has dealt with a variety of rifles, shotguns, and handguns until he started to carry a concealed weapon about 15 years ago. After trying to learn as much as possible about how to carry a weapon properly, it became obvious that some level of professional

training was needed. This need led Jim to take multiple courses at Front Sight, a class taught by Jeff Cooper at Gunsite and courses given by Jim Crews, Randy Cain, Gabe Suarez and Jeff Gonzales. Jim is certified by the NRA as both a Handgun Instructor and a Range Safety Officer and also by the Massachusetts State Police as a Basic Firearms Safety Instructor. Jim normally carries a lightly customized, full-sized S&W 1911 in .45 ACP and occasionally a SIG P239 in 9mm.


Okay, on to the Toters jeans. The first thing I noticed about the “Toters” jeans from Blackie Collins was that they were really heavy. I mean when I picked them up, I thought, “Wow, these jeans are really substantial!”

Let’s start with the front pockets. Both left and right front pockets are lined with a super-strength, “Cordura Plus” material. The pockets also have a super-deep holster panel of this same material sewn right into these main pockets. These holster panels have an adjustable lacing system built right in that allows you to adjust the size of the opening. This opening is where you stick your gun. You adjust this opening so that your trigger guard just fits in and allows for a nice, snug fit.

Now if you want to, you can just leave the lace system out and use a traditional pocket holster. The heavy-duty, Cordura Plus material does a great job of masking any “gun-printing.”

The Toters jeans also have a nice, little knife pocket sewn onto both the left and right thighs. These knife pockets are about six inches deep and about three inches wide. They’re perfect for holding your folding knife.

Another nice thing I noticed about both the front “holster” pockets and the knife pockets was that they have heavy duty rivets on the corner stress points. This makes a lot of sense. I have to tell you, these jeans are designed to take a lot of abuse!

Finally, as if these design features were not enough, the folks at Blackie Collins decided to line the insides of the

I’ve always wondered about the “Toters” jeans from Blackie Collins. They sounded like a pretty neat concept, but I had never seen anyone actually wearing them. Well, I finally decided to stop wondering and just order a pair. The folks at Blackie Collins were very pleasant to deal with on the phone. It seems like good customer service is harder and harder to find these days, so when I get treated nicely, it really means a lot to me!

back pockets with this same Cordura Plus material. All I have to say is…Wow!

How did the jeans fit? They were very comfortable. As I am writing this article, I have them on with my Glock 21 in my right pocket and my full-size 1911 in my left pocket. No, I don’t normally walk around with two full-size .45 autos. I just thought I’d see if the jeans were still comfortable while carrying around two big guns, and they were!

You’ll have to pay about $75 to get a pair of the Blackie Collins Toters, but if you ask me, they’re worth every penny. They’re made right here in the United States, and like I said before, they’re built like an Abrams tank.

Now, I’ll admit that I’ve purchased blue jeans from Old Navy for only $25. I think the Old Navy jeans are made in Bangladesh, Madagascar or someplace like that. They look fine in the store, but they start to fall apart after you wash them 3 times!

The bottom line is that these “Toters” jeans from Blackie Collins are definitely worth the extra money. They are a really unique product and I’m glad I have a pair.

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n case you haven’t kept up with your Latin, those words mean Accuracy,

Power, and Speed. Together they form the motto Jeff Cooper came up with to define the essential elements of combat shooting when he was putting together an organization to govern realistic competition in combat shooting skills worldwide.

Combat shooting, by the way, is what you do when your intent is to kill another person in order to save your life or the lives of other innocents. As in war, law enforcement and personal defense.

Pistol instructors are not allowed by their political and public relations overseers to tell you that. They will obediently explain to you that you are not shooting to kill your adversary, you are simply shooting to stop his aggression, without going on to mention the obvious fact that the only way to stop a person who is in the process of trying to shoot you to death is to kill him deader than a Christmas Eve turkey. You will not find the word “combat” as part of the name of any private org-anization related to combat shooting.

�� Concealed Carry Magazine


Continued on page 18

Whichever political underling has the job of protecting us from provocative corporate names must have immediately sensed the danger in such a straightforward use of the English language. The most popular euphemism for “combat” is “practical,” occasionally “action,” and sometimes “defensive” or “tactical.” In the Bureaucratese language, these words mean “to kill in order to save your life,” just as the Latin words “Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas” reveal the not-so-secret recipe for doing so. From here on out, we will use plain English.

The three elements of Accuracy, Power, and Speed are not in any particular order of priority and must work together to be effective. Accurate shooting alone is of little use if your bullets do not penetrate your enemy’s body and destroy his vital organs. A powerful handgun does no good if you miss your shot, or take a fatal microsecond too long to decide to pull the trigger. Speed means absolutely nothing if you’re just spraying and praying or shooting blanks.

People like to play games, with a tendency to cheat when the opportunity arises. This plays a part in the internal politics in all organizations. Even well-meaning combat competition has seen the need to redefine the meaning of Accuracy, Power, and Speed.

Accuracy has become an exercise in shooting familiar targets from predictable

positions at known distances. The necessity to factor in the different power levels of various handgun loads has proved to be an inconvenience at best, and has generally been dispensed with except for an arbitrary minimum beneath which gunshot wounds might be considered in the same category as mosquito bites. Speed, given the almost complete elimination of time-consuming decision-making regarding whether, whom and where to shoot, has been reduced to a leather slap of the sort seen in grade-B Western movies.

Imaginative combat scenarios, meant to challenge the mental agility of com-petitors, have been memorized, gamed out, rehearsed and added to the repertoires of the winning players. The gamers have learned to shave the dice at the expense of the true martial artist. The goal of learning to kill to save you life has been obscured in the dust kicked up by the run-and-gun crowd who, after all, just want to have fun.

Such “action” shooting does, indeed, increase your familiarity and facility with your weapon and there’s nothing wrong with it except that, in the end, it is neither very “practical” nor “defensive.” It is “tactical” only within the narrow confines of the rules and regulations of the game, and it has little to do with “combat.” It is not exactly what I think Jeff Cooper had in mind.

In a discussion once when we drifted from comments about the state

of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) to another subject of mutual interest, Cooper said, “Fencing, of course, suffered the same fate as IPSC. The fencing foil is of no use at all in a fight.”

ACCURACY, POWER, AND SPEED IN THE REAL WORLDLet’s look at what Accuracy, Power,

and Speed mean in the real world, a world which, naturally, is ever-changing and full of surprises.

You may have to shoot accurately at ranges from point blank to 50 yards. Your target may be as large as the distance between a set of nipples to as small as the distance between a pair of eyeballs. The target is highly unlikely to be attached to a metal stand facing you straightaway for your convenience in measurement, is more probably going to be in motion, twisting and turning and diving and leaping as it rushes toward your face or disappears behind a parked car to get a steadier aim at the center mass of your body which, hopefully, is not just standing there waiting for the bullet to arrive. There may be more than one target, all moving in different ways and divergent directions as you move yourself as rapidly as you can. How accurately can you shoot under these conditions?

And what happens when you hit what you’re aiming at? Hint: your adversary is not going to go flying backward through the air


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no matter what you hit him with. (Unless, of course, you take the time beforehand to strap him into a leather body-harness attached to steel wires running through an overhead pulley system and pay some guy in the background to give the wires a big yank at the opportune moment, which is the way they shoot people in California.) You know your gun is powerful enough to punch a hole in a piece of cardboard and ring a metal gong, but is it powerful enough to shred the heart or blow up the lungs or obliterate the brain of a human being? What if your bullet has to bore through a heavy winter coat or a fat leather wallet or an automobile windshield before it even touches the first layer of skin?

And how fast can you really shoot? The test of speed is not how long it takes you to whip out your gun, but how long it takes you to plant a killing shot in your adversary. To get from here to there, you have to process a lot of diverse information and make innumerable critical decisions at a rate more rapid than you may have thought possible. Most gunfights are over and done with in a few short seconds, but they are the longest few short seconds of the participants’ lives. The decision to draw your gun, fire, and devote the entire sum of your skill, knowledge and experience to killing the human being in front of you is a big step, but it is just step number one.

You still have a long way to go in a very brief period of time after that, and heaven help you if you make the slightest error of judgment or allow yourself a microsecond of hesitation at any of the other steps along the way.

The tissue that bonds Accuracy, Power, and Speed together is a fourth and final crucial element called Mindset, without which the first three elements simply fall apart. Mindset is the total commitment to relentless violent aggression until the job is done, the ability to maintain absolute focus right through the jigsaw puzzle of muzzle blasts, recoil, counter-attacks, pain and injury to the ultimate goal.

The question naturally arises: How do you practice all of this, train up your physical and mental proficiencies and prepare yourself so that you’re confident you can step up on stage and perform flawlessly to the best of your abilities if and when your life is on the line? What makes you think somebody else can give you the answer to a question like that? Helpful training is available from a few select sources, but the real answer to the question is something you have to figure out all by yourself. All alone. Just like in the real world.



This gun is almost in a league of its own when it comes to packaging fire power. The only gun that comes close is the Glock 26. Now, the Glock 26 is a good handgun, but many shooters complain that it is too thick. They often remark that they wish Glock would make a version just like it, but using a thinner, single-stack magazine. So far, Glock has not listened to these requests. Evidently, Kahr Arms has, and the result is the PM9. There is also a .40 caliber version

Many readers have e-mailed me many times requesting a review of a Kahr pistol. Without further ado or delay, here is your review.

When Concealed Carry Magazine contacted Kahr Arms, they were most agreeable to send us a pistol for testing. After a phone call from the factory rep. (good guy by the way), they promptly sent out an example of their most popular little pistol. Of course, all Kahr Arms pistols are rather small, but this one is just about the smallest you would really want to go for in a 9MM automatic.

The box says KAHR ARMS PM9, Black Diamond Stainless Steel Slide. PM9094A is the official product number. Black Diamond is, from what I can tell, a finish applied over a stainless steel slide. It has a nice, smooth, flat, black finish. Stainless is an excellent material for concealed handguns because of its corrosion resistance. I’m not sure how this finish wears, but when it does at the normal places, the metal underneath remains the resistant and tough stainless. This could be an ideal combination.

that could be compared to the Glock 27, but we’re just talking about the 9MM today.

Size-wise, the PM9 is smaller than the Glock 26 in every dimension. It’s shorter in length and it’s shorter in height. Thanks to the single-stack configuration, it feels a lot thinner. It’s so small that it makes you think, “Wow, this is really a nine millimeter?” There are only a couple of other guns out there in 9MM that are smaller than the PM9, but none that I would like to shoot more than a few rounds out of. The PM9 pretty much reaches the lower limit of where you should go with size. It’s small enough to be concealed in pocket, but you can still shoot it. The PM9’s advantage is that in spite of being so small, it remains very shootable.

Some shooters dislike handguns so small that they dangle their pinkie fingers. The PM9 is a pinkie dangler to be true. But for those so inclined, Kahr’s spare magazine is one with an extension that allows for a full grip. Keep the short one in for concealment, and then when you need to reload, you can do so with the longer one. Simple, really.



The sights are not the typical, mere suggestions of handgun sights that you get on tiny pistols, but real, usable sights. This example comes with a “dot the i” configuration mostly seen on SIG pistols. The rear sight as a white rectangle in the center, while the front has the standard dot. Lining them up is fast and easy. Some guys don’t like this setup, but being a long-time SIG fan and owner, I actually like this setup better than the common “three dot” setup.

Helping the good sights is a good trigger, not a great trigger, but a good one. Not a heavy pull either—smooth enough to allow good control through the whole pull. Many shooters would be tickled to have a trigger this good on their bigger handgun offerings. The trigger feels like a traditional, double-action-only type pull, like what you would have in most revolvers. But it doesn’t allow for a second strike, meaning you can only pull the trigger once without having to cock the action again. If the pistol was loaded and you fired the gun, the action would cycle and cock the action per design. If the round was a dud, or you were dry firing (firing on an empty chamber), then you would have to pull the slide back by hand.

There is one thorn in the PM9’s side that I found to be distracting. Let me correct that. It wasn’t so much a thorn in the side of the pistol, but the pistol’s thorn in my side when I was carrying it inside the waistband—the slide release lever. Most of the gun sports decent contours around the edges after the muzzle. One of the things I appreciate about a good firearm is the craftsmanship of its creation and the quality of the work. Kahrs generally sport a very high level of both. That is why the slide release is such a disappointment. It sticks out like a sore thumb. (More on that in a minute.) The slide release lever remains as sharp as a bitter teenager’s tongue. The edges are not sharp enough to cause damage, but they are squared




George Hill is an NRA Certified Pistol and Personal Protection instructor and the writer and publisher of MadOgre.com. Visit his website for more information on Mad Ogre. http://www.madogre.comPhotography by Deveni.


enough to be painful if they scrape along your side, going to and from a holster or if your thumb encounters it during recoil when firing. Some guys wouldn’t even think of it, but to me...? I find it irritating. The argument is that the sharper edges allow the shooter a sure grip on the lever for a positive release. Unfortunately, I don’t think that holds any water because other gun makers are putting out guns with levers that can be easily operated without feeling potentially dangerous. This is really my only complaint about the gun’s form factor, and it is a small complaint at that. I’m sure higher-end examples would sport a bevel or two on this part. If not, this would only take but a few seconds of time at a belt sander or a couple of minutes work with a file to sort out properly. I’m not sure if this would void any warranty, but if it did, I don’t see that it would be any trouble to buy a second lever to do the contouring work on.

My bride, who helps me out with camera work, likes to try out each new pistol that I review. She instantly liked the PM9 from the first time she saw it. After she fired it, she announced with no hesitation, “This is my favorite out of all the guns so far.” She’s said that before, but was adamant

about this one. (I think I know what to get her for her birthday now.) She mentioned that one reason for liking it so much was the way the little gun shot. It shoots to near point of aim and groups well (about 3 inches) with little effort, thanks to the good sights and trigger. When I fired it, I didn’t exactly dub it my favorite, but I do like it. The recoil was tame and controllable. The .40 caliber version would be a handful, but the 9mm certainly wasn’t.

The only downside was that which I have already pointed out, the slide release. During recoil, the sharp corner would intercept the thumb of my firing hand causing some…I’ll call it “discomfort.” I could have adjusted my grip, but that is the way I shoot. I didn’t have a single malfunction during testing. The gun performed flawlessly.

Overall, I’m impressed with the Kahr, and to be honest, I didn’t expect to be. I had heard from some shooters that these things can jam up a lot when new. This wasn’t the case in the example that I was sent. Maybe it wasn’t so new and had already been worn in. If this is the case with all Kahrs, then it’s a simple matter of buying a couple of bulk packs of ammo when you buy the gun, and spend some time getting familiar with

the gun. A 200 round break-in period is short, and you can do that in an hour. Before you carry any handgun for personal defense, you should shoot at least that many just to get to know the gun and to train your hands in its feel and function. While I wouldn’t make it my primary carry piece, it makes for an outstanding back-up gun (or “bug gun”) or for deep concealment.

I showed this piece to a friend of mine who happens to be a Police Chief. He was impressed with size, weight, sights, and trigger. Being a Marine, this man is not one to be easily impressed with any new gun to come around the corner. One comment he made was, “This would make for a hell of a back-up gun.” Yes, yes it would. This is one gun that every serious shooter or professional gunslinger should have in their arsenal. It’s small, light, reliable, and it shoots like a bigger gun. If I was Ian Flemming, I’d have Bond packing one of these babies. It would even look cool with a suppressor. Does the Kahr PM9 get my nod of approval? Absolutely.


ordinarythe

guyGEORGIA ON MY MIND

he Ordinary Guy has been defenseless (legally speaking) for over two months now, since my recent move from Tampa, Florida to Georgia, and as Jackie Gleason might have once said, “How depressing it is.” In the last issue, I touched on the fact that reciprocity from one state to another may leave you defenseless, depending on the laws of the state that you relocate to after becoming a “permanent resident.” I had never really considered this an obs-tacle until my decision to relocate my family, but now the realization of state laws usurping my federally guaranteed, Constitutional rights has smacked me right between the eyes and is foremost in my ordinary mind.

There is a lot of fun stuff that goes with the recent relocation though, besides my ability to purchase 50 gazillion times more home here than in the bloated real estate market of central Florida. For example, I was standing outside on my back porch a couple of nights ago, grilling a steak, proud of the hickory smoke wafting from my charcoal grill (no gas here, babe) throughout my new neighborhood, when I heard it…pop, pop, pop, pop…“Could it be, could it truly be?” I wondered aloud. Why, …it was…Distant gunfire, the sweet sounds of…gunfire, crackling through the evening sky like dancing lightning bolts visible in a far off storm cloud, only more beautiful. Had I heard that sound of exploding cordite while grilling a steak in my Tampa neighborhood, I would have put my family in the safe room and reached for the AK-47 and two 40- round magazines.

I knew then that my decision to move would not be as traumatic for me as I had once thought and that things would be okay—that here in Georgia, there is no 3-day “Shady Brady Lady” waiting time to pick up your handgun purchase, with or without a concealed handgun license.

Now, there was no wait time in Florida as long as one held a CCW and passed the N.I.C.S. check, while those law-abiding citizens who, for whatever reason didn’t have a CCW, were forced to watch three days of “Brady Bunch” re-runs until they could pick up their handgun. You see, I had gotten a little confused when reading my GA concealed carry license application and there was an insert that said that the BATF would no longer honor the GA license as a replacement for the N.I.C.S. check. I had mistakenly understood this to mean that all GA residents must now watch 3 days of Brady re-runs before picking up their guns, with or without a concealed handgun license. How wrong I was!

While standing at the counter of the Bargain Barn, in Jasper, GA (which comes highly recommended for you outdoor folks) last weekend, perusing the fine display of guns, the gentleman behind the counter politely informed me, “Georgia don’t play that waitin’ game, thang. Ne’er did and ain’t ne’er gunna.” This made me ask about the B.A.T.F. handout in the GA application and he again straightened me out on GA law. Apparently in this fine state, a buyer never had to fill out the N.I.C.S. check if licensed to carry and could walk out with his/her handgun without the federal government needing to know his/her grandmother’s maiden name. That has changed since the B.A.T.F. ruling, as one must now fill out the instant check forms, but still no 3 day wait.

This is a beautiful thing. However, I have issues with all of this N.I.C.S./Brady, licensing of a Constitutional right thing anyway, but for the moment, I want to get back to the importance of those gunshots I heard the other day while standing on my back porch. Those weren’t just the sounds of gunshots…Those were the sounds of freedom. I envisioned a man teaching his son or daughter how to hold that new Marlin rifle Santa had just brought. I envisioned a family on their own property, not needing local government permission to shoot on their own land—land that the federal, state or local government can’t take away under the guise of “manifest destiny,” so some local big-shot can build another condo complex—land that a man has worked his

entire adult life for, to give his children the freedom to do what they want to do, without fear of reprisal from an overbearing government.

We’re losing these freedoms every day in this country and we don’t seem to mind. In fact, we get excited when another state finally allows its residents permission to carry a gun for self-defense. We forget that in order to do so, we must send fingerprints to the FBI so they may create a file on us and do “God knows what” with it. In some states, we must make our good names available to unscrupulous, liberal, hate-America-first, reporters to print in the local papers (like Ohio), simply because we have been granted permission by our state of residence to exercise our Constitutional rights. We must have judges sign our permission slips after state and federal governments determine us to be who we say we are.

Keep this in mind: Even though we must wade our way through a myriad of local, state and federal regulations, and even though we are fingerprinted like rapists and willfully give the government whatever information they may require, we still have the uniquely American right to own and carry our guns. And what about the hoops we must jump through to exercise these rights? We also have the uniquely American right to change the things we do not like. I’ll get over it because I have “Georgia on my mind,” not Canada, Mexico, England, Australia, Japan, France, etc., or any other “free” country. You get my point!

Thanks again to the fine folks at the Bargain Barn. Their assistance was most helpful as I become accustomed to the Georgia gun laws. If you ever find yourself passing through Jasper, GA, please stop in and see these fine folks.

9


By now, everyone has read or heard about the shooting in the Tacoma, Washington Mall. If you have not, I will keep the briefing brief: The location and motivation may be different, but the song is the same one that has been played in too many places—a psycho decided to go into the mall and kill people with his rifle. This time, a CCW carrier tried to intervene, but for a number of reasons, was not successful. So since this will probably happen again, I want to discuss the dynamics and options of such a dangerous, yet likely event.

I have a theory that when a critical incident happens, the police will only coincidentally be there. Professionals don’t like to be thought of as irrelevant at the moment of truth, so I am often taken to task for this. The truth, however, is that unless the police are targeting a bad guy, in the sense of a surveillance hit squad operation of some sort, they will only be able to respond after someone advises them of something going down. The likelihood of an officer just so happening to be at the scene when the poop hits the fan is not very likely.

What is likely is that there will be plenty of potential victims right there. Unless it happens in a state that has forgotten the Second Amendment, at least one of the potential victims is likely to be armed.

�� Concealed Carry Magazine



So what are we to do? This has developed into quite a thread on Warrior Talk (www.warriortalk.com), with varying points of view as widely different as go fetal and wait, to run and save yourself, to attack the gunman with everything you have. The bottom line is of course that you should have a plan. So I will point out some things that perhaps will help you do just that.

The first consideration is where you are in the fight. If you are the focus of the attacker (meaning he is specifically shooting at you or at a family member), all restrictions are off. Forget the legal situation; forget the background; forget everything. If you do not react immediately, you will be shot.

Some have voiced concerns over legal repercussions if you take action. Well, all I can say is that in a fight for your life, thoughts of legal entanglements should be

at the bottom of your list. Remember, if you are dead, legal stuff is moot.

I know a man who got stabbed several times and was lucky to live through an attack because he was so brow-beaten about getting sued and possibly prosecuted that he held fire on a man who was trying to stab him to death! His HK P7 remained in hand, but unfired. Anyone who would rather be shot than get in trouble needs a check-up from the neck up.

If you are not the focus of the bad guy and you can egress, it may be a consideration, epecially if you do not know what is going on. I’ve been told by survivors of events like this that all they had was the sound of shots “around the corner.” If that is all you have and there is an exit there, take It! Grab your family members (physically by the hair if you must), and

Some “professionals” advise that if you are caught in such an event, you should “duck and cover,” go fetal, and hope that the police can rescue you in time. Stupid idea if you ask me!

In virtually all active shooter events, from San Ysidro to Columbine, the killing takes place within minutes after the event begins, after which the bad guy will either kill himself or take hostages. If you are one of the planned targets, you can wish for the cops to save you all you want, but they probably don’t even know about the event as you succumb to the bad guy’s gunfire.

��Concealed Carry Magazinewww.concealedcarrymag.comVolume 3 - February/March 2006


drag them out. Don’t stay; leave. You don’t know what is going on. Don’t stay to find out. If there is doubt, get out! Especially if you are unarmed, as you may be in certain liberal states.

Those are the easy situations, aren’t they? Being attacked specifically has an easy response—immediate and overwhelming counter-attack! Hearing a fight you are not involved in and being able to get out is also easy; you get out. But what about those other situations?

Situations such as seeing that the gunman was walking backwards and firing at everyone. Situations such as hearing the sound of gun shots, but not having your family right there with you, but dispersed around the mall, shopping. The circumstances may be varied, but the end result is that you cannot morally just run away and leave those whom you are responsible for, or you choose not to leave for various personal reasons. What do you do then?

The answer may lie in how prepared you are. Most of us do not venture out of the house unarmed. Even in non-permissive environments (NPE) we are generally carrying something. So what now?

In the Tacoma incident, we read that there was a CCW armed citizen that “responded to the active shooter.” There is still a great deal of fog surrounding what actually happened, but bits and pieces are coming to us from some who were there, from some of the officers who responded, and even from the CCW shooter himself (who was seriously wounded, but survived).

Napoleon once said that a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. We can learn a great deal from what went wrong here, can’t we?

Here are some points for you to consider:

1) A pistol will win against a rifle if the pistolero kills the rifleman before the rifleman sees him. Much of this has to do with tactics, but that should be part of your skill-set.

2) If the pistolero fails to drop the rifleman due to an inoperative pistol, a miss, or insufficient damage caused by too few pistol rounds, the rifleman will probably kill the pistolero.

3) The surest way to stop a man in his tracks (with some permanence) is with a shot to the head, delivered at close range. Some folks dislike teaching head shots. I require them.

4) Verbalizing or challenging, as in, “Halt—drop the gun!” is not a good idea. In fact, it’s virtual suicide in a situation like

this. You cannot yell and shoot well at the same time, and yelling may alert the bad guy to your location. There is evidence that this occurred in Tacoma.

5) You verbalize and challenge only when you are not certain of what is going on and then only from behind solid cover (if the adversary is armed with a rifle, few things qualify as cover). If you have enough to justify shooting, then shut your trap and work the trigger.

6) There is a great deal of discussion on defensive shooting. Shooting in a case of this magnitude is only defensive in concept. It is pro-active, aggressive, deliberate and premeditated shooting.

7) Although I like and teach point shooting (in its context), pro-active shooting like this requires traditional marksmanship. Be deliberate! Watch your front sight and press carefully and repeatedly (with your mouth shut).

8) Train with photographic targets and do force-on-force training. Get used to the idea that you carry your gun to potentially shoot at a human attacker. The more you get comfortable with this, the easier it will be. Tommy Lee Jones’ character in the movie, The Hunted, told his students that when you can kill in your mind, the physical part is easy. He’s right.

9) Consider that under some cir-cumstances you may have to make do with a knife. I’m not saying that you will attack a rifleman with your Spyderco at 50 yards, but that in the event that he is within arm’s reach (which was the case with several of the Tacoma hostages), your knife may be the only thing between you and being killed. So learn how to kill with your knife.

10) Last, consider that there may be a reason why God (or fate if you wish) put you, armed and trained, at that very spot and place in time, with the ability to save innocents. This is the life-giving sword (or gun in this context) that some ancient warriors discussed in their writings.

What you do is your choice, of course. Perhaps its just me, but I would not be able to live with the fact that I, well-armed and well-trained, and with my family in no danger, ran away from a snot-nosed punk whom I could have easily dropped in his tracks, and who subsequently was free to kill innocent people, due to my inaction.

Invariably, what I’ve written here will be controversial. Oh, well. I believe strongly in it. Sadly, the time will come again when some psycho decides to pull an active shooter routine, or perhaps it will be an American Jihadist that didn’t go to school on bomb making day. Everything will play out as before. Innocents will die. Special Weapons Teams will deploy. And the news vultures will come out to drool over the corpses, as the politicians call for more intrusions on our rights. Unless one of you is there, of course. Then the future is yours to write.

Gabriel Suarez is an internationally recognized trainer and lecturer in the field of civilian personal defense. He has written over a dozen books and taught courses in several countries. http://www.suarezinternational.comhttp://www.warriortalk.comSuarez International, Inc.303 E. Gurley St., Ste. 461Prescott, AZ 86301 USA (Office) 928-776-4492


As a gun owner, it would be best to have a few fast facts in your back pocket when it comes to your right to own and/or carry a weapon.

The original body of the Constitution of the United States consisted of 7 Articles (or sections) that set up the basic functions of government offices, such as Executive functions like taxation, roads, post offices, commercial regulations, armed forces, states rights, elections, etc. Try not to yawn here. Hold on, it gets better!

This document was signed by those fellas, sometimes referred to as the Founding Fathers, all gun owners, on September 17, 1787. George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton were some of the notables that signed it before it went to the states to agree upon it. To them, owning and carrying a gun was as natural of a right as any they outlined in the Constitution. The opening sentence that begins with “We the People…” is a beautiful piece of enlightened thinking;

THE GUNS Of AMERICA—STORIES Of INDEPENDENCE

Alexa H. Madison, a collector of fun historical facts and stories. Concordia University Graduate—History. Madison traveled the Western U.S. for 20 years before settling in the Wisconsin area. e-mail: [email protected]

ALExA H. MADISON

the actual document reads like a ho-hum laundry list of rules. But the Bill of Rights portion of the Constitution is where we get into our personal rights.

Some people, at that time, felt that the Constitution did not fully protect “the people” or individuals or individual rights. The citizens of the new country wanted to be sure that an elite class of a bully king, and their legislative rhetoric, could never again infringe on their newly declared rights as American citizens. Taking away the right for people to own arms, and to have a free press and free speech are the first steps on the journey to a Monarchy or Dictatorship. For this and other reasons, The Bill of Rights was brought to life by the first congress and fully ratified by the states by December 15, 1791. The original ten amendments protect a variety of personal rights, and among these rights the Second Amendment guarantees to you the right to keep and bear arms.

“…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The Second Amendment appears in the Bill of Rights among the amendments securing individual rights, a placement that indicates that the right of the people to keep and bear arms belongs to individuals. The Amendment secures to “the people” the right to keep and to bear arms owned by them, not the National Guard. It secures the right for citizens to be able to use their own firearms in time of invasion of home, family, or country. These arms were used for hunting, and personal protection.

To “bear” means to carry. “I come bearing gifts” does not mean I have to leave them at home! Not only was the right to keep them guaranteed, but also to carry them from place to place.

David Ramsay, a state legislator of the era, asked, “What European power will dare to attack us, when it is known that the yeomanry of the country uniformly armed and disciplined, may on any emergency be called out to our defense.

John Locke (1632-1704) “Whereas by supposing they have

given up themselves to the absolute arbitrary power and will of a legislator, they have disarmed themselves, and armed him to make a prey of them when he pleases...”

Did the image of people from flooded homes desperately waving helpless hands in the air to be lifted to safely, or the image of businesses being looted bring home the fact that personal safely is each person’s responsibility? The Constitution does not guarantee your personal safety or your family’s safety; that’s your job, and the Second Amendment is the tool that guarantees you the right to carry out your responsibility. We must not fall victim to the vague laws proposed, written by legislators designed to subvert the true spirit of our Constitution. Endless buried regulations, restrictions, and registrations cannot counter the simple and timeless words, “keep and bear arms.” That ranks right up there with freedom of religion or speech. You just can’t mess with those simple words. It is what it is.

The Second Amendment is part of an armory, both philosophical and physical, that can be used to defend your freedom and the American way of life.

Yes, The Constitution Really Does Protect Your Right to “Keep and Bear Arms.”



John Farnam is an internationally acclaimed firearms instructor, and the author of three books and numerous articles. The course text, which is a “must read” for all defensive handgunners, is John’s comprehensive book, The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning, published by DTI Publications (Tel: 303-443-9817). Vicki Farnam, John’s wife and business partner, is also an accomplished firearms instructor and shooter in her own right. She is the co-author of the acclaimed, Teaching Women to Shoot: A Law Enforcement Instructor’s Guide.

This was John’s class. Vicki worked in a supportive and adjunctive role. John and Vicki complement each other magnificently and make an awesome teaching team. The two-day class I attended took place over a weekend. School began with the academic portion of the class, which took up all of Saturday morning.

John’s lecture style is both academic and poetic. He is eloquent, interesting, witty, comical at times (always to illustrate a point being taught), knowledgeable, thoughtful, friendly, approachable, student-oriented, and dead serious when he has to be. He speaks with clarity, decisiveness and authority. He’s attentive, he commands every bit of your attention, and you can be sure that everything he says is based on hard won, real-life experience.

There are no safe guns. John made it clear from the outset that lethal weapons training is dangerous, guns are dangerous, there are no “safe guns,” life is dangerous, and we all should start thinking of ourselves as dangerous and harmful if we have to be.

With that said, John takes safe gun handling very seriously, and he enforces his rules with no exceptions. He runs a “hot range” and a very “tight ship.” Suffice it to say, no safety violations went unnoticed or uncorrected during the two days that we spent on the range.

efensive shooting is all about training to fight with a gun,

and the key word is fight. This is very different business than competitive target shooting. Recently, I had the opportunity to take John and Vicki Farnam’s Defensive Handgun Course. It was reality-based training at its best. John and Vicki are the principals of Defense Training International, Inc., a mobile, tactical, firearms, training school. What follows is an overview of their defensive handgun course, a preparatory course on how to survive in a real fight for your life, and how to avoid one if at all possible.


LECTURE HIGHLIGHTSIn the classroom, John covered the

things you need to know and apply to stay alive and avoid or prevail in a lethal encounter: the “stealth lifestyle,” blending into a crowd, how to avoid being selected as a victim, mindset and mental preparedness, the force continuum, the psychophy-siological aspects of lethal encounters, threat evaluation, risk identification and reduction, dealing with aggressors, controlling the focus of one’s attention, the psychology of winning in a fight (and in life), and ways to disengage from a potentially violent encounter.

He also covered basic gun handling safety rules and essential considerations in equipment selection. John explained, “Every technique works to one degree or another. We teach techniques that work in the greatest number of circumstances.” He encouraged us to learn to use a variety of guns the way they come out of the box because, “The one you get to use when you need a gun may be the one that slides across the bar room floor amidst the blood, beer and sweat.”

Be decisive. To raise one’s odds of surviving a violent encounter, John emphasized the importance of “thinking and doing” over “feeling and dawdling.” He asserted, “You can feel any way you want; it doesn’t change anything.

Feelers are losers. The body bag will look exactly the same.” John advised that we become “thinkers, not feelers.” He emphasized the importance of clearing one’s mind of clutter, thinking about what you’re doing, having a plan, and making a decision in a critical situation.

John said, “You might be wrong, but never in doubt.” There is no room for doubt because doubt causes hesitation and hesitation leads to dithering. John reminded us of Theodore Roosevelt’s dictum, “The best thing to do is the right thing; the next best thing is the wrong thing; and the worst thing is nothing.” This might as well be a lesson in positive living. John explained, “Learn to get the crap out of your mind and get on to the front sight!”

SAFE GUN HANDLINGAll guns are loaded. John pointed

out, “We carry serious guns for serious social purposes all the time. Fighting guns are designed to be carried loaded. That’s why we carry loaded guns and we handle all guns the same way all the time.” In that regard, John emphasized, ”We train so that we don’t miss and don’t have accidents. There is no right way to do the wrong thing.” Having done the wrong thing 21 thousand times without injury is no excuse to keep doing the wrong thing.

Safety rules were explained and strictly enforced. John instructed that at the end of the day, before we left the range, he would ask us to decide how we wanted our gun—loaded and holstered (the only way to carry), or unloaded and in a case. Unloaded in one’s holster and loaded in one’s hand were not options. He allowed no gun handling off of the line; guns stayed holstered. John, Vicki and their assistant instructors policed the range like hawks and demanded continuous “muzzle consciousness” and attentiveness. That one second when you’re handling a loaded gun and become distracted is when the serpent strikes. Seventy-five percent of gunshot wounds are self-inflicted accidents.

John and Vicki’s loaded gun handling safety mantras are: (1) establish your master grip as soon as you grasp your handgun; (2) keep your trigger finger off of the trigger and high in register (i.e., extended along the frame and in contact with the slide of an autoloader and along the top of the frame of a revolver) except when your sights are on the target and you’ve made the decision to fire; and (3) always be aware of the direction in which your muzzle is pointed.

John said, “There is only one ‘go’ button—the trigger. Under five constellations of circumstances, you can pull the trigger without being aware that you are doing it, and you’ll have a unintended



discharge as a result: (1) when you’re tired; (2) when you’re distracted; (3) when you’re startled; (4) if you lose your balance; and (5) as a result of a sympathetic, inter-limb interaction. That is why the most likely time of an accidental discharge (AD) is within two seconds of the last AD!”

Thus, John pointed out, “When loading, unloading, performing a chamber check, and performing user-level maintenance, we need to have an attention span sufficient to complete the process. Interruptions will provide the deadly catalyst! As with parallel parking a car, handling guns requires that we pay full attention to what we’re doing throughout the procedure.”

John recommended that when moving or stationary, the manual safety should stay “off” any time both hands are on the pistol. John said, “Taking it ‘on’ and ‘off’ continually is a waste of time and adds a plethora of extra steps. The trigger finger should be in register until the sights are on the target and the operator has decided to shoot. Having one’s finger on the trigger and the pistol simultaneously pointed at a ‘target’ about which he has not yet made up his mind, is an invitation to catastrophe. ...However, manually decocking pistols, like the SIG, need to be decocked before moving, so that the trigger is returned to its forward position where the finger expects to find it.”

THE “FOUR D’S OF WINNING A FIGHT

John teaches that we want to: (1) divide our attacker’s focus, (2) disrupt his plan, (3) disable his body, and (4) destroy his will to fight (if it gets that far!). In regard to numbers 1 and 2, he teaches disengagement routines which incorporate rehearsed verbalizations, moving off of the line of attack, and using a less than lethal force option if necessary and possible, such as O.C. pepper spray. Successful disengagement can usually be accomplished via posture and firm verbalizations, but you must be practiced and have your “tape-loops” ready to go!

Divide his focus. For example, if you’re being approached by a stranger asking for money, your immediate goal is to

verbally and physically divide the intruder’s focus and then disengage by verbalizing something like, “Sorry sir, I can’t help you,” as you keep moving away. If he continues to press the issue, you might yell, “Now back off buddy!” or “Get away from me now!” If someone is closing in on your personal space, you might verbalize (with eye contact and a commanding presence), “Can I help you sir?” No matter what he asks for or says, your answer should always be the same, “Sorry sir, I can’t help you.” Your verbalizations should be rehearsed to the point where you can run them off like tape loops when they are triggered by danger stimuli.

Disrupt his plan. You disrupt the assailant’s plan by moving and being unpredictable. Whatever you do, don’t freeze! If the stranger attacks you, you believe that your life and limb are in jeo-pardy, and you have no other options for avoiding imminent death or grave bodily harm, you may have to employ your final option and draw your gun. If being held at gunpoint and given the verbal challenge/command, “Don’t move. Drop your weapon!”, does not deter the attacker, you may have to shoot to stop the attack in order to avoid becoming another violent crime statistic. Your goal is to disable the attacker’s body and destroy his will to fight.

Disable his body and destroy his will. In this regard, John teaches the “zipper” method. The objective is to turn off the attacker and stop the aggression as quickly as possible. This usually means inflicting lethal shots—shooting at the naval and then shooting up the attacker’s midline, like a zipper, until the attacker stops coming at you.

DAY ONE ON THE RANGEI shot the course with my 9mm Glock

19 and my .45 caliber Glock 30. With my Glock 19, I used a cowhide, IWB holster made by master holster maker and my

friend, Matt Del Fatti. With my Glock 30, I used a horsehide, Greg Kramer IWB #3. To keep it real, I used self-defense, jacketed hollow point (JHP) ammunition in 9mm, Cor-bon’s DPX (“Deep Penetrating X Bullet”—highly recommended by John), Black Hills JHPs, and Federal Hydra-Shok JHPs; in .45 ACP, I used Black Hills and Federal Hydra-Shok JHPs. I fired over 1000 rounds, and both of my Glocks and all of the ammo shot accurately and functioned as reliably as a Swiss clock. Glad I have some left for carry!

John was equipped with three con-cealed handguns: a Glock 38 in .45 GAP, in a low profile, Hoffners Ultimate Shirt Tucker ITP, Inside-the-Pants, Kydex holster; a Smith & Wesson 340PD Airlite revolver in a Rusty Sherrick leather shoulder holster; and a Kel-Tec 3AT in .380 ACP carried in a Comp-tac “Centerline holster” suspended around his neck on an adjustable lanyard. He also carried Fox Labs O.C. pepper spray, and two Cold Steel, combat, folding knives (their Ti-Lite and Vaquero).

Lethal threat containment and management. The defensive shooter must practice and become adept at precision and discretionary shooting under stress. Throughout both days on the range, John and Vicki, with the assistance of their helpful adjunct instructors, taught the correct use of movement, verbal challenges, cover, and other tactical skills.

We learned and practiced diseng-agement from close encounters, weapon control and retention, close range shooting, hostage shots, shooting and moving, and shooting multiple targets under radical time pressure. The Farnams started us on square, paper, humanoid targets and then moved us on to steel, rotator targets, so we could track moving targets with multiple shots.

Administrative procedures and tactical basics. The first day we learned the proper way to chamber check and clear a handgun, and other administrative techniques, such as administrative load-ing, unloading and reloading. We also learned and practiced such “tactical basics” as the “interview stance,” the draw from concealment, covering suspects at


gunpoint, properly and safely re-holstering, and marksmanship fundamentals (Farnam high thumbs grip, Weaver stance, trigger manipulation, first shot, and multiple shot strings). On Saturday evening, we learned low-light shooting techniques (with and without a flashlight) and practiced in the dark.

Keep moving! John and Vicki continually reminded us of the importance of movement and cover. When you are not shooting, you should be moving and seeking cover. We moved as we challenged a threat, we moved as we drew our pistols, we moved before and after we fired, and we moved as we kept our guns running.

DAY TWO ON THE RANGEDay two commenced with a warm-up

shoot. Then John and Vicki covered speed reloads on the move. Later in the day, they also covered tactical and military reloads (conserving the partially spent magazine). The day was made interesting with man-on-man competitions, and team exercises and drills using the steel, rotator targets, which made us employ the skills that we covered.

On day two, John and Vicki also taught immediate action drills for “non-diagnostic” stoppage reductions. They had each student also shoot every one else’s gun as part of their “running guns drill.”

QUALIFICATION EXAMBy the end of the second day, most of us

were tired and on stress overload. However, to pass the course and earn our DTI pin and certificate, we had to shoot and pass John’s rigorous qualification examination. The bad news is that no one passed on the first round. The good news is that John and Vicki let everyone do it as many times as it takes to pass—criterion-based learning at its best!

Some students cried; some cursed under their breath. John, Vicki and their instructors coached everyone through their “speed bumps,” encouraging each student to stay focused, “stay in the fight,” “fight through it,” and “solve the problem.” By the end of class on Sunday, everyone was exhausted, and everyone felt accomplished. We all eventually passed, although most of us had to fight through our own demons, as we repeated the final drill, until we got it perfect. Our pin and certificate of completion from Defense Training International was truly earned through sweat (no blood), and in some cases, tears.

To pass this rigorous course, we had to apply all of the things that we learned and absorbed throughout the long training weekend. Psychologically, each student had to have a plan; stay focused; act decisively and without delay; jettison the clutter from his mind; let nothing get between him and his front sight; and recover quickly from mistakes, errors, and frustrations. In order to accomplish this, we had to keep our emotions in check—think and not feel—and never dawdle. This is just how it has to be done in real life to survive a lethal force confrontation.

My own personal plan for passing the final qualification course (as I repeated it over and over) was to keep coaching myself with the following self-talk: Keep moving and scanning (for additional threats) ...Try to disengage. For example, “Excuse me sir, can I help you?” “Sorry sir, I can’t help you!”)—Note: Use the same answer every time). ...Keep moving and scanning (for additional threats) ...Keep moving and draw (to combat ready) ...Issue a challenge (Warn the identified threat. For example, “Police! Don’t move! Drop your weapon!”) ...Oh shit! Stop, front sight (acquire sight picture and verify sight alignment)… Trigger, press, reset; front sight, press, reset; front sight, press, reset; front sight, press, reset (press off a four-shot string zippering the attacker right up his midline starting at the naval) ...Move, move, move! Look around and scan (my 360 degree world for threats after shooting and while moving) ...Move, move, move! I’m going to win this fight and go home tonight. Fight through it! I can do it! Keep it running!

Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D. is a board certified, licensed, clinical and forensic psychologist, NRA Certified firearms Instructor, NRA Life Member, Glock Certified Armorer, a Utah Dept. of Public Safety Concealed firearms Instructor and an Author in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the co-owner of Personal Defense Solutions, LLC, Bruce teaches concealed carry classes and NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection courses, as well as offering individual shooting instruction. He also teaches CCW classes that prepare people to apply for a florida Non-Resident Concealed Carry Weapons Permit which is honored by 28 states. for more information, he can be reached by phone at 215-938-7283 (938-SAVE) and by e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. for a schedule of upcoming classes, you can log on to the PDS website: www.PersonalDefenseSolutions.net. Bruce is also the co-author, with Stephen Rementer of the Pennsylvania Lethal Weapons Institute, of the Essential Guide to Handguns: firearm Instruction for Personal Defense and Protection, which is published by: Looseleaf Law Publicationswww.LooseLeafLaw.com. 800-647-5347

Sources:Black Hills Ammunition. Tel: 605-348-5150www.Black-Hills.com

Comp-Tac Victory Gear. Tel: 281-209-3040 www.Comp-tac.com

Cor-bon/Glaser Ammunition. Tel: 800-626-7266 www.Corbon.com

Defense Training International, Inc., P.O. Box 917, LaPorte, CO 80535 Tel: 970-482-2520 www.Defense-Training.com

Del Fatti Leather. Tel: 715-267-6420www.Delfatti.com

John S. Farnam (2000). The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning. Boulder, CO: DTI Publications. Tel: 303-443-9817

John S. Farnam (1997). The Farnam Method of Defensive Shotgun and Rifle Shooting. Boulder, CO: DTI Publications. Tel: 303-443-9817

Vicki Farnam & Diane Nicholl (2002). Teaching Women to Shoot: A Law Enforcement Instructor’s Guide. Boulder, CO: DTI Publications. Tel: 303-443-9817

John S. Farnam (1990). The Street Smart Gun Book. Concord, NH: Police Bookshelf. Tel: 800-624-9049

Federal Cartridge Company. Tel: 800-322-2342www.FederalCartridge.com

Hoffners Holsters. Tel: 877-463-3637 (877-HOFFNER)www.Hoffners.com

Kramer Handgun Leather. Tel: 888-KRAMER1www.leather.com

C. Rusty Sherrick Custom Leather Works. Tel: 717-361-7699 www.c-rusty.com


In the 1980s, when police departments across the country started trading in their Smith & Wesson revolvers, they looked to a familiar source for their new 9mm autoloaders—Smith & Wesson. The first generation S&W semi-autos were standard issue for law enforcement officers across the country, with full size, double-stack “wondernines,” like the Model 59 for patrol officers, and more compact versions like the 69 and the 39 for detectives and plain-clothes types. These early autoloaders paved the way for many more, and the wheelguns were eventually considered to be obsolete for modern law enforcement. The S&W semi-auto guns evolved and improved, but were also met with stiff competition from other manufacturers. While the S&W guns are still in wide use by law enforcement, other guns like Glocks and Sig Sauers seem to garner far more attention these days.

Since the late 1990s, however, the firearms market has changed dramatically. The passage of “right to carry” legislation in states across the country has resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilians having the ability to carry concealed firearms. A whole new market has exploded, as

civilians eschewed traditional full-size guns and gravitated to smaller, thinner, lighter and easier to carry guns. It seems now that firearms companies rush to market every year with new compact designs for concealed carry.

While S&W certainly arms a very large portion of the CWP holders in this country, it is most noticeably with their lightweight snub-nose revolvers. S&W autoloaders are often overlooked by the gun magazines and the glitterati of the firearms community as old news. However, S&W autopistols, and in particular, the 3913 and related models, have an almost cult-like following that is not often discussed. This is a modern interpretation of a classic firearm that deserves your consideration.

The particular gun reviewed here is the 3913 TSW. The “TSW” moniker is marketing-speak for “Tactical Smith & Wesson.” The TSW pistols are the top of the line guns that have slightly different sight packages and different checkering, and later models all sport a tactical light rail. This same, basic gun has also been

recently offered as a “standard” 3913, and is currently offered as a “value model” 908 and 908S. In the past, this same basic gun has been made as a Model 39, and later as a 439, 639 and perhaps others. One attractive aspect of these guns is that many, many of them have been made over the years, so they can be found relatively easily on the used market.

The 3913 TSW is a single-stack 9mm, meaning the magazine is designed to hold only a single row of ammunition. In a world of double-stack Glocks, Berettas, Sigs and H&Ks, the single-stack 9mm has become a bit lost in the crowd. While capacity is “sacrificed” to a mere 9 rounds (8 rounds in the magazine, plus one in the chamber), the benefits abound. A thin gun is much easier to carry and conceal. The grip portion of a gun is usually the most difficult portion to hide, and the bulk of a double-stack 9mm grip can be problematic. The 3913’s grip is adorned with very thin, but decent looking plastic grips and is approximately one inch wide—quite svelte. The slide measures only .9 inches across, although that width is increased by the width of the slide-mounted safety lever.


The 3913 comes configured with what S&W calls “traditional double-action” or TDA. In the TDA configuration, the gun has an ambidextrous, slide-mounted, de-cocking/safety lever. The gun is designed to be carried with the hammer down, requiring a long, double-action pull to fire the first shot. All subsequent shots are single-action, with a bit of take-up, but a reasonably lightweight pull. The gun can be carried with the safety on (requiring the disengagement before firing the gun), or with the safety off (relying on the weight of the double-action trigger pull for safety). This is a matter of personal preference and training. If you don’t care for a safety, S&W can convert the gun to a “de-cock only” configuration with no safety. If you just don’t like levers at all, and don’t mind the double-action trigger pull, S&W can convert the gun to a true “double-action only” with no protruding levers at all.

This S&W does not have a factory key-lock, which is appreciated by many. It does have a “loaded chamber indicator,” which consists of a small hole in the barrel at the top of the ejection port that will show if a piece of brass is present. Not a bad thing to have, but you should never rely on a visual inspection through a tiny hole to determine if your gun is loaded. On a more controversial note, this gun also has a magazine disconnect safety. The gun cannot be fired without a magazine in place. Some believe this is an undesirable, unnecessary safety feature that may, for instance, prevent you from being able to fire a round in the midst of a tactical reload if necessary. Others appreciate the magazine safety as a way of essentially disabling the gun if in danger of being lost in a struggle. That is your call to make, and the safety could theoretically be disabled, although I would never suggest that you do so.

The 3913 is equipped with Lo Mount Novak 3-dot sights that provide a clear sight picture. Night sights are available for upgrade, although the guns are not offered to the civilian market with factory night sights. The gun also comes with two high quality magazines that have finger-rest bases, clearly numbered index holes, and a high-contrast, orange follower. Spare magazines are a bit pricey (about $40 from S&W), but I have had great luck with the much cheaper Mec-Gar units. The TSW models also have an integrated light rail for a weapon mounted light. A gun-mounted flashlight won’t solve all your lighting problems (a topic for another day), but it can be nice to have.

All in all, the 3913 is a very solid, well put-together gun in a proven design. Take-down is relatively simple, and proper maintenance should not be a problem. Most importantly, the gun is backed with the S&W Lifetime Repair Policy and S&W’s legendary customer service.

Yes! The 3913 TSW digested several types of ammo, including my carry favorites, Gold Dot 115 grain JHPs, with no problems at all. These guns are not typically very ammo sensitive, and this particular example certainly was not. I have personally put over 500 rounds of assorted ammo through the gun used for this review without a single malfunction of any kind. The gun is rated for 9mm +P ammo, and seems to handle it without any problems.

The TSW shoots very well for me. I think it is a combination of a nicely ergonomic, single-stack grip, good sights, and a pretty decent single-action trigger.

Double-stack 9mms have been the rage for so long, that I had almost forgotten how nice a single-stack 9mm fits my hand. Obviously, the fit may be different for you, but I like it. The Novak sights also help put this gun easily and quickly on target. The trigger pull on this gun leaves a bit to be desired, but it is still quite workable. The double-action is heavy, although reasonably smooth. Fortunately, most of your shooting is likely done in single-action, which is a lot more manageable. There is little take-up and a short reset, making the gun easy to shoot, whether slowly for accuracy or for quick follow-ups. A bit of attention from a decent gunsmith could make the DA trigger quite a bit better, resulting in faster and better first shots out of the holster. Of course, you will always have to train and pay special attention to mastering the transition from the first DA trigger pull to the following SA trigger pulls, which is a common problem on traditional, double-action guns. This skill, like any other, is acquired through training and practice.

I don’t find a lot of value in firing concealed carry guns from a bench rest at 25 yards. The target shown was fired without support in singles and pairs at 30 feet. This gun is more than capable of good combat accuracy. The “9 Tactical” will do its job if you do.

I would not presume to tell you what gun you should carry. I can’t tell you what model will fit your hands or your lifestyle. I can tell you, however, that the S&W 3913 is worth your consideration. It is not the latest, the highest tech, or the most popular concealed carry firearm on the market. Unlike a Glock, you can’t walk into any gun show and buy hundreds of accessories and do-dads to hang off of your gun (of course, whether you need any of those things is another topic for another day). And yet, the S&W 3913 TSW and its closely related kin have been out quietly doing their jobs for decades, and they are worth a close look in your quest for the perfect carry gun.

Duane A. Daiker is a Contributing Editor for CCM, but is otherwise a regular guy, not much different from you. Duane has been a life-long shooter and goes about his life as an armed, responsible, and somewhat opinionated citizen. Duane authors a regular column in CCM entitled Real World Carry Gear. Duane can be reached at: [email protected] and additional information can be found at: www.RealWorldCarryGear.comPhotography by the aurthor.

Volume 3 - February/March 2006 ��Concealed Carry Magazine


iven the common maladies of aging, such as arthritis, which affect hand strength and dexterity, old geezers like myself who carry a handgun everyday for self-defense want something reliable, that’s easy to operate and simple to maintain. Amongst big bore, defensive, semi-automatic pistols, that spells G-l-o-c-k.

The Glock is user friendly, durable, reliable, low maintenance, and eminently shootable. Recoil in every Glock is very manageable for its caliber. The Glock slide is easy to grasp and doesn’t require extraordinary strength to work. There aren’t a lot of buttons and levers to operate, so extraordinary dexterity is not required. Glocks are built to take a lot of neglect and abuse, and to continue functioning under the most adverse of conditions. A new, out-of-the-box Glock will have an expected service life of well over 200,000 rounds. That means it should outlast you!

Nevertheless, despite the Glock’s remarkable durability and dependability, it still needs to be cared for. If you make the time to take care of your defensive firearm, it will stay in shape to take care of you. The good news is that you don’t have to be an armorer or gunsmith to learn how to field strip (disassemble) your Glock for routine inspection and cleaning. Just read your Glock owner’s manual (Instructions for Use) and this article.

Maintenance Schedule: Unlike many other autoloading pistols with tightly machined tolerances, the Glock does not need to be over-cleaned. If you are one of those types who likes to clean your gun a lot (right before and after every shooting session), exercise your need with another gun! Your Glock also doesn’t like to be over-lubricated. New Glocks come with a copper colored lubricant on portions of the slide’s interior for long-term lubrication. This lapping compound should not be

removed, and shouldn’t be mixed with gun oils, which can create a gluey, gooey mess! With that said, your Glock should be cleaned regularly.

My routine is to field strip and clean my gun after every two to three trips to the range, or if I have run more than 400 rounds through it since its last cleaning. However, if you carry your gun a lot, even if you haven’t shot it much, it should be cleaned, lubricated, and function-checked at least once every three months. Carrying a gun exposes it to body oils, sweat, dirt, dust, lint, moisture, etc. Once a year, you also might want to consider taking your Glock to a Certified Glock Armorer or qualified gunsmith (who works on Glocks regularly) to have it detail stripped and detail cleaned.

What follows are ten easy steps to keep your Glock up and running. Please note that the basic cleaning steps described below apply to most other semi-automatic pistols. However, for each and every handgun you own, you should read the owner’s manual for specific disassembly, reassembly, lub-rication and cleaning instructions.

Step one: Make sure the pistol is unloaded.

It is vital for your own safety and the safety of others that (a) you make sure your pistol is unloaded before commencing to field strip it and (b) that there be no live ammunition whatsoever in the cleaning area. To prepare to field strip your Glock:

1) With your pistol facing in a safe direction, remove the magazine, and then rack the slide to eject a round from the chamber if the chamber is loaded. Always remove the magazine first before ejecting a round from the chamber. Otherwise you will just chamber another round!

2) With no magazine in the magazine well, lock the slide back and visually and with your little finger check the chamber,

bolt face and magazine well (through the ejection port) to make the sure the gun has been cleared and made safe.

NOTE: With a Glock, this first step is super crucial because the pistol must be dry fired in order to initiate disassembly. Even after you have visually and physically checked clear, you still want to hold the weapon pointed in a safe direction.

Step two: Dry fire the pistol.1) Pointing the gun away from any

person or objects of value (i.e., a safe direction), rack the slide to return the slide into battery and close the action. Check that the chamber is clear one more time.

2) With the slide in battery, point the pistol in a safe direction and then press the trigger rearward. You’ll hear and feel the click of the firing pin moving forward. The trigger must be in its rearward position to remove the slide.

Note. Apply your total attention to complete steps one and two above. Do not allow yourself to get distracted! Most unintentional discharges with the Glock occur at this point when the operator gets distracted.


Step three: Disassemble the pistol into its four main component parts.

Follow the Glock owner’s manual instructions for disassembling your pistol into its four main component parts: slide, barrel, guide rod/recoil spring assembly, and frame/receiver. No further disassembly is required for routine maintenance and cleaning of your Glock. You are now ready to clean.

You will need the following materials to properly clean your gun: appropriately sized cleaning patches; Q-tips; a good quality cleaning rod; a screw-on, brass, bore brush of the appropriate caliber for your gun; a screw-on, slotted tip for threading cleaning patches onto your cleaning rod; a two-ended, nylon, gun cleaning toothbrush; a quality gun cleaner/solvent; a quality lubricant/gun oil; and a lint-free cleaning rag.

Step four: Clean the barrel.1) Wet a cleaning patch with your

quality gun cleaner/solvent. I like to use Break Free Cleaner Lubricant Protector (CLP). Thread the wet patch through the slotted tip on your cleaning rod. Insert the cleaning rod into the breech end of the barrel and swab out the chamber and bore. Work the wet patch back and forth through the entire length of the barrel at least five or six times. Don’t bottle brush inside the bore. This will just keep the debris inside the barrel. Rotate the cleaning rod clockwise, as you push the patch all the way forward from the breech, out through the muzzle, and continue to rotate the rod clockwise, as you pull the patch all the way backward through the barrel and out of the chamber and breech. Five or six full-length passes should do it.

2) Remove the patch from the cleaning rod and replace it with a brass bore brush. [Note: If the bore is heavily fouled, you can squirt some cleaning solvent onto the bore brush. Alternatively, you can dry brush the bore, as described here, and wet patch again afterwards.] Insert the rod into the barrel from the breech/chamber end and vigorously scrub the entire bore,

following the same principle as with the patch (full–length, rotating passes). Scrub until the bore is shiny and clean when inspected under a bright light.

3) If the bore is heavily fouled and you used a dry bore brush, swab the bore again five to six times with another wet patch.

4) Dampen the large end of your two-ended cleaning toothbrush with some solvent and vigorously scrub carbon deposits off of the barrel hood and feed ramp.

5) Wipe the exterior of the barrel down with a solvent dampened rag or patch.

6) Dry out the bore by swabbing with clean, dry patches until the patches come out clean and dry.

7) With a dry patch, wipe down the exterior of the barrel. Put the barrel aside for now.

Step five: Clean the slide.1) Holding the slide vertically, muzzle

down, use the toothbrush to brush clean the breech face, the extractor, and the area around the extractor. Keep in mind that you want to avoid getting solvent into the firing pin channel. Solvent and lubricants collect dirt and grime and you don’t want to cake or grease up your firing pin and firing pin channel! This could cause your gun to fail to function.

2) Swab the slide rail cuts and the inside of the slide with a clean, cotton Q-tip. Notice all the dirt that collects on the Q-tip!

3) Using a slightly solvent dampened rag or patch, clean the underside/inside of the slide. You can also use the wide end of the toothbrush to scrub the inside of the slide. Dampen the small end of the toothbrush (single row of bristles) with solvent and vigorously scrub the slide rail cuts.



4) Use a clean, dry patch to wipe down the interior of the slide and slide rails.

Step six: Clean the receiver.1) Using the wide end of your nylon

cleaning toothbrush, brush off carbon deposits on the metal contact points and the locking block on the receiver. Use some solvent if necessary, and if so, then use dry patches or a dry rag to wipe off excess solvent.

2) Using the wide end of your tooth-brush, brush out any unburned gunpowder and debris from the interior of the receiver.

3) Make sure to wipe clean the locking block, the trigger bar, the connector, the cruciform, and the ejector. (See the Glock owner’s manual for a list of parts.)

Step seven: Inspect the pistol’s main components and function check.

Note: If your Glock fails any of the following inspection tests, have it inspected by an experienced, factory trained and certified Glock armorer, or send it back to Glock.

1) Barrel: Inspect your barrel for dirt, lead deposits, bulges, obstructions, and cracks.

2) Firing pin and firing pin safety: There are four parts to this test:

(a) With the barrel and the recoil spring assembly removed, hold the slide with the interior facing upwards. Pull the firing pin lug all the way rearward and then ease it forward until it stops, as it contacts the firing pin safety. Do not allow the firing pin to snap forward! Then, press the firing pin lug forward with your forefinger (toward the muzzle). It should not slip forward, past the firing pin safety and it shouldn’t protrude through the firing pin hole on the breech face of the slide.

(b) Hold the slide muzzle down and press in on the firing pin safety button in the slide’s interior. The firing pin should move downward and its tip should slip through the firing pin hole on the breech face.

(c) Retract the firing pin back into the slide. Now shake the slide vigorously with the muzzle facing downward. The firing pin safety should prevent the firing pin from protruding through the breech face.

(d) Depress the firing pin safety button with your fingertips while you vigorously shake the slide from end to end. You should hear the firing pin moving freely inside the firing pin channel. If you do not hear and feel the firing pin movement, the firing pin and its channel could be caked with dirt and blocked, or the firing pin could be broken. See a Glock armorer.

3) Extractor: Inspect the extractor on the breech face of the slide for cleanliness and to make sure the extractor claw is not broken or chipped.

4) Ejector: The ejector is a piece of metal that protrudes forward from the left rear of the receiver or frame. Make sure it is clean and not chipped or broken.

5) Slide stop lever test: Grip the receiver in your strong hand and with the thumb and index fingers of your other hand, pull upward on the slide stop lever and let

it go. It should snap down sharply into the frame. If it doesn’t, there’s a problem. See a Glock armorer.

Step eight: Lubricate the pistol. You just need six drops of oil. Use a

quality gun lubricant/rust protective oil. Note: If you’re using a binary compound such as Break Free CLP, make sure to shake the bottle vigorously to mix the ingredients before applying it. Lubricate the following areas in the following order:

1) Slide: Hold the slide such that the slide rail cuts face upward and the muzzle end is canted slightly downward. Using a lubricant applicator, drag one drop of lubricant down the entire length of each slide rail cut. That’s two drops of oil. Apply one drop of lubricant to the front inside of the slide which rubs against the upper portion of the barrel. That’s three drops of oil. (See Photo 12.)


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Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D. is a board certified, licensed, clinical and forensic psychologist, NRA Certified firearms Instructor, NRA Life Member, Glock Certified Armorer, a Utah Dept. of Public Safety Concealed firearms Instructor and an Author in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the co-owner of Personal Defense Solutions, LLC, Bruce teaches concealed carry classes and NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection courses, as well as offering individual shooting instruction. He also teaches CCW classes that prepare people to apply for a florida Non-Resident Concealed Carry Weapons Permit which is honored by 28 states. for more information, he can be reached by phone at 215-938-7283 (938-SAVE) and by e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. for a schedule of upcoming classes, you can log on to the PDS website: www.PersonalDefenseSolutions.net. Bruce is also the co-author, with Stephen Rementer of the Pennsylvania Lethal Weapons Institute, of the Essential Guide to Handguns: firearm Instruction for Personal Defense and Protection, which is published by: Looseleaf Law Publications - www.LooseLeafLaw.com. 800-647-5347

2) Barrel: Wipe down your barrel’s exterior with one of the oil dampened patches or the oil dampened rag that you’ve used for cleaning. With your lubricant applicator, apply one drop of oil on the rear side of the barrel lug and one drop on the outside front of the barrel. That’s five drops so far.

3) Frame/Receiver: Hold the receiver in your strong hand, left side facing down. Apply one drop of oil to the curved, upper extension of the connector, at the right rear corner of the receiver/frame where the rear end of the trigger bar touches the connector. Hint: In this position, this upper rear extension of the connector looks like the palm of a hand. (See Photo 13.) And that is six drops of oil. Done.

Step nine: Reassemble the pistol and function check the reassembled gun.

1) Reassemble your gun. To reas-semble your Glock, reverse the dis-assembly steps.

2) Function test and inspect your reassembled gun. First, make sure your reassembled gun is unloaded and keep it pointed in a safe direction!

(a) Slide cycling: Rack the slide several times and make sure the slide moves and cycles freely and smoothly.

(b) Trigger function: With the pistol facing in a safe direction, press the trigger rearward. Make sure the trigger works.

(c) Trigger Reset: Rack the slide again to return it into battery and reset the trigger. Make sure that the trigger resets into its forward, cocked position. Next, with your pistol still pointed in a safe direction, press the trigger rearward and hold it to the rear. You should hear and feel the firing pin fall. Now, pull the slide to its most rearward position and release it. After the slide has snapped into its forward, in-battery position, release the trigger. The trigger should reset to its forward, cocked position. Repeat several times to be sure.

(d) Trigger safety: With your pistol pointing in a safe direction, grasp the sides of the trigger without touching or depressing the trigger safety, which is the trigger in front of and within the trigger. The trigger safety should remain engaged and as such, prevent the trigger from moving rearward and releasing the firing pin.

(e) Inspection: Make sure the outside of your pistol is clean and free of dirt, rust, corrosion or other damage. Make sure your sights are fixed in place and not cracked. Inspect your magazines. Make sure that they’re not dirty or damaged. Check the magazine followers and feed lips to be sure the followers are not chipped and are set

in the magazine properly, and that the feed lips are not bent or crushed. When you press down on the follower and release it, it should spring back all the way up and not stick inside the magazine tube.

(f) Slide lock open test: Insert an empty magazine into your in-battery pistol. Firmly pull the slide all the way rearward and it should lock open. Repeat with each of your empty magazines. A defective magazine can prevent the slide from locking open.

Step ten: Decide what condition

you want the gun in and put it in that condition.

Wipe your gun down with a slightly oiled rag or gun cloth. At this point, decide how you want your pistol. The two sensible choices are: (a) unloaded for storage (no magazine in the magazine well, slide in battery and the gun decocked with the trigger pressed rearward), or (b) loaded and safely secured in a lock box or holster. Now you have a gun that you can rely on.

SOURCES

“Glock Cleaning FAQ”. The Glock Papers. http://www.f-r-i.com/glock/FAQ/FAQ-clean.htm

Glock Instructions for Use (User’s Manual). Glock USA. 6000 Highlands Parkway. Smyrna, GA 30082. 770-432-1202. www.Glock.com

“Speed-Clean Your Glock!” by Gila Hayes. In Glock Autopistols. Vol. 9. No. 1. 2003. pp. 62-65.

* The author wishes to thank Classic Pistol Indoor Range and Training Institute in Southampton, PA (www.ClassicPistol.com) and Pistol People Indoor Range and Training Institute in Bensalem, PA (www.PistolPeople.com) for use of their excellent facilities and their generous assistance in different phases of this author’s education about Glocks.

www.concealedcarrymag.com�� Concealed Carry Magazine Volume 3 - February/March 2006www.concealedcarrymag.com�� Concealed Carry Magazine Volume 3 - February/March 2006



ast summer, a Massachusetts man was killed in an apparent case of road rage. While removing his baby from a car, he was shot four times

in front of dozens of witnesses. According to Massachusetts police, the victim’s 10-month-old daughter was found in a car seat on the floor of the vehicle, covered in blood. Fortunately, she was uninjured. A 60-year-old man, taking two medications for depression, was arrested and charged with the murder of the 27-year-old father. The shooter told police he’d driven his wife to a train station earlier that day and as he attempted to park, the victims vehicle backed towards him. There was a con-frontation and the two men exchanged heated words. The man said it scared his wife and he became angry over the encounter. After dropping her off, he returned, pointed a handgun through a window of the victim’s car and fired. Police reported the shooter had a valid state handgun license and no criminal history. Quoting the local DA, “We have a homicide that resulted from a circumstance where somebody picked a fight with an individual who obviously lost control and exploded.”

The shooter in this case had a current handgun license and used a legally owned pistol to kill someone, apparently because he was mad at him. This happened in a state with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. Tragically, this has destroyed several lives, altered many others and gives anti-gun politicians an excuse to pass more, increasingly restrictive, gun control laws. For your safety and the safety of every person you encounter, when you carry a gun, you also carry an obligation to know when as well as how to use it.

Most gun owners accept the responsibility of owning a firearm very seriously. Nevertheless, some people should never be allowed near a gun for the good of everyone, including themselves. Furthermore, even responsible people can

change for reasons beyond their control. By his own admission, the shooter was taking several medications for depression when he left the scene of the original incident. It was later, after the initial confrontation, that he returned and shot the victim as he was removing his daughter from a car and his back was turned.

In my opinion, there were numerous places where this tragedy could have been avoided if the shooter had only remained in control. He could have just walked away at the start. I’m aware of no law that requires him to respond if another driver cuts him off or makes a crude remark. Next, if the shooter was medicated for emotional problems, he was aware his judgment was possibly impaired. Knowing this, he could have decided not to carry a weapon. This would have prevented him from unintentionally harming himself or others. Finally, what could have compelled him to kill the other man? Couldn’t he have written off the first encounter as an annoying, but harmless experience? Again, this is the sort of tragedy the anti-gun lobby and it’s cohorts use in their attempt to take away our right to keep and carry arms.

Carrying a firearm brings with it great responsibility. Being shoved at a bar or finding your fender dented in the parking lot is not reason enough to take a life. Lethal force should only be used for self- defense. It’s a last resort when lives are threatened with immediate and extreme harm or death. When you hold a gun, you hold the power of life and death. As in the Massachusetts tragedy, the results are disastrous when that power was used unwisely or carelessly.

We gun owners spend a lot of time debating where and how to best use our weapons, but what about not using that weapon? Just because we CAN carry a gun, does it always mean we should? What if I’m angry over a divorce? What if I’m depressed due to the loss of a job or

Concealed Carry Magazine and its publisher Delta Media, LLC are not responsible for mishaps of any kind which may occur from use of published firearms information, equip-ment recommendations, tactics and training advice or from recommendations by staff or contributing writers. Carrying a concealed weapon can be very dangerous if you are not well trained and familiar with the weapon you carry. Notice: Some advertisements may concern products that are not legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions. No advertised or reviewed item is intended for sale in those states, or in those areas where local restrictions may limit or prohibit the purchase, carrying or use of certain items. Check local laws before purchasing. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not necessarily mean that it has been tested or approved by Concealed Carry Magazine or Delta Media, LLC.

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prolonged illness? What if I discover a gun carrying friend is taking mood altering drugs? We’ll have to make a choice if we should find ourselves in a situation similar to one of the above. Whether for myself or someone else, I dread being placed in the position of deciding if it’s wise to carry a gun or should it be locked away? I can only pray I make the right call if it happens and avoid a repeat of that tragedy in Massachusetts.

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 Rife and Pistol Club and holds a Texas CCL. You can find out more about him at his website,

http://vchilder.home.netcom.com

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Dear CCM Reader,

Maybe you’re a new member and don’t have all the back issues. Maybe you’ve been with us from the beginning but you’ve misplaced your old issues. Either way, NOW IS YOUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY! You can buy the entire 2004-2005 Concealed Carry Magazine archive CD for only $34! That is a full 30% off.

Each issue on the CD is in high resolu-tion PDF format. You can view these files on your computer. You can even print your favorite articles on your own printer! Order now, before we end this limited time sale.

The Complete 2004-2005

CCM Archive CD

List Price: Sale Price:

$49.00 $34.00

FREESHIPPING

You Save: (30%)

-0-Tim SchmidtUSCCA Founder

November 28th, 2005

Dear Tim,

I received the CCM Archive CD and have been reading all the archives cover to cover. It’s excellent reading and I’m glad I ordered the CD with my membership.

Thank you,

R. HippersonFort Myers, FL

If You Like Concealed Carry Magazine,

You’ll LOVE This Special Offer!

Documents

Volume 3 - February/March 2006 ......2016/02/05 · Concealed Carry Magazine Volume 3 - February/March 2006 I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and I have spent the majority of