When The National Concealed Carry Reciprocity (NCCR) bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives the anti-gunner’s propaganda machine went into high gear. According to the ant-gunners, if NCCR passes the U.S. Senate, every conceivable calamity known to man will sweep across the county. I expect a plague of intergalactic locusts will invade the earth and eat every morsel of vegetation.
They are using the same untrue charges (none of which ever happened) against concealed carry they have used in every state since Florida passed a modern concealed carry law back in the 1980s. There are about 16.5 million concealed carry permit holders in the United States, not counting the states that allow open carry and permit-less concealed carry (that would include several million more people). The lies are: women will be less safe, domestic abusers will be getting guns, criminals will be able to get guns, crime rates will go up, stalkers will be able to carry guns and, of course, “this is a gift to firearm manufacturers from the NRA.” The fact is that concealed carry drives crime rates down. If National Reciprocity passes the Senate, crime will go down even further. That is what the anti-gunners are really afraid of.
December 7, 2017 was the 76th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the beginning of the U.S. involvement in WWII. I say formal because we had been helping supply Britain with material and ships through the Lend-Lease program.
President Roosevelt had been preparing for war even though most Americans were against the U.S. entering WWII. Much of the United States was isolationist, but technology combined with international events was about to change all of that.
I spent much of my youth in the Chatsworth American Legion Hall with my dad and his buddies who were veterans of WWII, but there were some WWI veterans there also. Whether they were in the Pacific Theater or European Theater, it didn’t seem to matter. They all understood one another and, in many ways, were closer to their fellow veterans than their own families. In those days we didn’t know what PTSD was, but they all had some form of it and dealt with it; most came out alright, largely because of the Legion Hall and the support of each other. I am sure the same thing happened in American Legion Posts and VFWs all across the United States. Take a minute or two and think about the 16,000,000 Americans who served in WWII, all they gave and all they built when those who made it got back.
When Donald Trump decided to drain the swamp in Washington D.C., I don’t think he, or any of us, had any idea of how deep and foul the swamp was going to be. One of our most trusted institutions, the FBI, turns out to be more like the KGB. It is more than sad and disappointing; it is a danger to us all. Terrible.
If there was ever a trial where justice was locked out of the Court Room, the Kate Steinle murder trial was it. This trial was held in a sanctuary city, in a sanctuary county, in what will soon be a sanctuary state. The Judge, the District Attorney, and the Public Defender all work for the very entities that wanted to let the alleged perpetrator go. Was the prosecution as vociferous as it should have been? Were all the facts brought out that could have been? The jury could only decide on the evidence presented. The Public Defender thanked the prosecution.
What about Kate Steinle, her family, and the other families that have suffered deaths of their loved ones at the hands if illegals? There is no justice for them, nor will there be, unless we rise up and put a stop to this nonsense.
The end of November wrapped up the Fall Glock League. It was a crispy 19 degrees when we were setting up the league match. I know some of you reading this are thinking, why would anyone want to shoot a match when it’s that cold? I have to admit that I had the same thought when the alarm went off at 5am. Most of us prefer to go to the range when it’s a balmy 70 degrees. Anyone who is interested in self-defense should realize that bad things don’t just happen on nice days. In fact, it is more likely that they don’t.
It is also important to find out how your equipment will operate in cold weather. Too much oil can really change how your gun operates; in fact, it may not operate at all. It is also important to find out how you are going to operate in cold weather. Cold hands, cold feet, and watery eyes have to be dealt with, like it or not. There is no other way I know of but to learn to deal with those conditions and to practice in them. These things are not something you can sit in your recliner in front of a warm fire and visualize.
The feeling of shooting under pressure is something that competition provides. Combine the pressure, along with the noise of competition, and you get stress. Our bodies and minds naturally want to avoid stress. We cannot visualize stress either. We learn to deal with the stress we initially feel when we compete. Is the stress of competition the same as in a self-defense situation? The answer is no, but it will certainly help prepare you if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in one of those situations.
When I am on the range one of my jobs is to watch shooters. I often see shooters who, while handling their firearm safety, are obviously not as familiar with their gun as they should be. Shooting in a league will also help shooters learn to handle their firearms with dexterity, which is also something you need to do in a self-defense situation. As I tell my students, a self-defense situation is no time for on-the-job training! Repetition is the key. Participating in a league will help you to learn to handle your pistol on a regular basis.
There are many indoor ranges that have winter leagues. If you live close to one, you should join. Of course, next year, I would like you to join one of the ISRA’s summer leagues. The first Summer Glock League Match will be held on Sunday, June 24th, 2018.
The FBI reports that in the 24 hour period that covers Black Friday, the number of firearm background checks requested was 203,086 (setting a new one-day record). That is 18,000 more than the previous record set in 2016. In 20 states, those with concealed carry permits do not have to go through a background check to purchase a firearm. Therefore, the number of firearms purchased is actually much higher than the NICS system report of 203,086.
As gun owners, we are always told by the anti-gunners that “if you just give us this restriction or that ban we will leave you alone.” I have never believed them and neither have most of you. The latest propaganda piece put out by Gabby Giffords and her space cadet husband, Mark Kelly, lists things they want to ban. One of those is the dreaded muzzle loading rifle because some of them can shoot a .50 caliber ball. This is just an example of how far they really want to go, which is to ban everything.
Most of the time, I discuss what is happening in the State of Illinois but that doesn’t mean we should forget what is going on in Washington D.C. October was a busy month for the anti-gun crowd in Congress. Representative Bonnie Coleman (D-NJ) introduced H.R. 3962 to stop online sales of ammunition. Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4025 which would require reporting of any two firearms purchased in a five day period.
Representative Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) introduced H.R. 4052, which is a magazine ban. Many of the bills in Congress will have a state version introduced at some time in the future.
We all received an early Thanksgiving blessing at 8:13 pm on Sunday night when Charles Manson finally died. Manson spent 45 years in prison living off the tax payers. Why some people want to keep mutts like Manson alive, I will never understand. Manson and his followers killed many more people than they were charged with and convicted of. I am often asked if I oppose the electric chair. The answer is no; I prefer the electric couch, however.
Last week, I mentioned classes that included both partner classes, for those who you live or work with, and active shooter classes, for those who could be a target (such as churches, businesses and other organizations). This week, I spoke to a fellow instructor who just held a concealed carry class for a church group; they decided it is best to begin training for their own self-defense. With those things in mind, I am working on two such classes to be held at the ISRA Range. I hope to have them scheduled before the end of the year, and I expect the classes to take place in late spring or early summer. In the meantime, anyone who is interested these types of classes, should get their concealed carry class out of the way and take a handgun skills class.
I have been receiving phone calls about the U.S. Government Surplus 1911s being released for public sale. Please refer to the CMP informational article published on our website regarding this matter.
Correction: The 2018 Winter Wars XVI date is Saturday, January 13th, (not the 9th, as stated in the Illinois Shooter). Please check our website for the match flyer and addendum.
On behalf of the ISRA staff, the Board of Directors and myself, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year and prosperous 2018. I am thankful for all of you great ISRA members. You are the best.
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