U.S. Concealed Carry Weekly Tip January 19th, 2007 Dear Friend,    Here I am with Mark Walters (The author of Concealed Carry Magazine's "The Ordinary Guy") at the 2007 Shot Show in Orlando, FL. I really enjoyed meeting with Mark, he is a great guy. I'm typing this week's tip from a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Just a few days after returning from the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando, my wife and I flew back to Florida for our first vacation in EIGHT years. We left all three kids at home with my wife's Mom and we're taking it easy. (God bless my Mother-in-law!) I think I might have to make this week's tip a short one. If my wife catches me working, she'll "string me up" for sure. There ARE a few things I'd like to share with you before my beautiful bride of 13 years wakes up! I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with a few writers from Concealed Carry Magazine. I spent some time with Duane Daiker on the Shot Show floor. Duane is putting together a SHOT Show article for CCM. Based on the sneak preview that Duane gave me, the article will be a good one. I also went out to dinner with Mark Walters. Mark and I had a great time swapping stories and "talking shop". Okay, I better get down to business before Tonnie wakes up. Quote of the Week Sometimes a good quote will inspire or motivate you. Sometimes, they'll just put a smile on your face! Here is the quote for this week... "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ~George Washington I can always count on George Washington for a good quote about government. Tim Concealed Carry Magazine Here are some highlights of the current issue of Concealed Carry Magazine. CCM is the official publication of U.S. Concealed Carry... You should have received your January issue of Concealed Carry Magazine by now. I think this cover photo may be my favorite one yet! This issue is jam-packed with great articles. The article on handgun safes was excellent and George Hill's review of the CZ100 was fantastic. Gabe Suarez writes an excellent article about school shootings. (This article might be a little controversial!)    Here is the latest issue of Concealed Carry Magazine. I think this might be my favorite cover photo yet. Now You Can Learn Real Insider Secrets About Four of the Best Ways to Deeply Conceal A Handgun... You'll save time, money and you'll eliminate frustration with Ultra-Deep Concealment Techniques from USCCA... Have you already made the decision to carry a handgun for personal protection? Are you considering carrying a gun but maybe a little confused about the best way to do so? Maybe you have a handgun carry permit but haven't yet found the most comfortable carry method? Carrying a concealed handgun for personal protection is one of the most important decisions you may ever make during your lifetime. It was for me! Learning the techniques in Concealed Carry Basics Volume 01 may just save your life one day! Let Me Introduce Myself My name is Mark Walters and some of you may know me as "The Ordinary Guy" columnist for Concealed Carry Magazine. I know firsthand the importance of carrying a handgun for... keep reading Gun & Gear Review Here we go! My favorite part of every "Tip of the Week". This is where we get to look at some neat and interesting guns and gear. Be sure to send me a message if there is something you'd like to read about in this section. Click here to go to our contact form. This week I'm going to tell you about a very useful piece of gear that I own. Heck, not only do I own this piece of gear, I built it myself. With a few scrap pieces of lumber and an old wood-workers clamp, I built a very handy gun vise. As you can see in the pictures below, this vise can be used for either handguns or long guns. Here is how I built it: I took a 3/4" thick x 8" wide oak board and cut it to approx. 36" I drilled attachment hole patterns so I could solidly mount the vise to my workbench. I took another chunck of the oak board and created a deep-V long-gun rest. I put some adhesive-backed felt pad on the edges of the rest. I built a small platform by gluing and screwing a bunch of scrap oak boards together. I then screwed the wood-workers clamp to this platform.    Here is my "Home-Made" gun vise. I use it for both handguns and long guns. The best part is how it can be solidly clamped to my workbench. The wood-workers clamp allows you to fine-tine the amount of force you're applying to your slide or stock. You're want to be careful not to apply too much force. It is really nice to be able to work on your guns when they're solidly mounted to your workbench! I'll bet it took my less than two hours to build this baby. I guess you could always just buy a gun vise like this. Sometimes it's a lot more satisfying to build it from scratch!    TOP LEFT: Here is my M1A resting solidly in my vice. TOP RIGHT: The slide of my Glcok 21 is about to get a good cleaning. BOTTOM LEFT: G21 slide from a different angle. BOTTOM RIGHT: I use an inexpensive threaded knob and alumunim T-Slot to fasten the vice to my workbench. Closing Thoughts Member Feedback: Some of the best ideas, tips and thoughts come from other USCCA members just like you! So if you have something you'd like to share with the rest of us, please don't hesitate to send me a message. Click here to go to our contact form. Uh oh... I think I hear my wife starting to wake up. I better fininsh up this e-mail before she wakes up and sees me working. That's it for this week, folks. I wish you and your family, safety, security and happiness. All the best, Tim Schmidt Founder U.S. Concealed Carry http://www.usconcealedcarry.com P.S. - Do you want to instantly boost your self-defense expertise? Click below to learn more about USCCA membership. P.P.S - Wow, listen to what our members have to say... Dear Tim, I consider your publication and website the most informative and focused on the issue of concealed carry. Having it in my house has allowed me to address several individuals' questions about concealed carry and what their responsibilities are as citizens. Most importantly, my wife's opinion about carrying for herself has been turned around totally, such that now she is scheduled to take a CCW class after the holidays, and she has begun going to the range with me to practice. Given her travels around the busy city of Houston in her occupation, knowing she can protect herself gives me a lot of peace of mind. I attribute this change in her attitude entirely to U.S. Concealed Carry. Scott Meador Richmond, TX P.P.P.S. - Here is the USCCA "Picture of the Week". P.P.P.P.S. - Don't forget to check out our Giveaway Sweepstakes! Every month we give away new products to help you be a responsibly armed citizen.