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Weekly Newsletter Click Here for Membership Information! September 21st, 2007 Dear Friend, I want to start this week by giving a big THANK YOU to everyone who sent me an email, telling me their opinions on the new look of the newsletter. Everybody likes the new look of the newsletter, so it looks like it's here to stay! Friends, I take it as a major compliment that I got far too many emails from you all to allow me to reply, but again- Thank you very much for all of the kind words from each and every one of you! I've got a great newsletter for you this week! Let's get started... CAUGHT ON TAPE! Armed Robbery Attempt Thwarted USCCA Video of the Week Warning: This video shows a man using a concealed pistol violently against an armed robber to defend innocent lives. Viewer discretion is advised! Tim's warning: To me, this video makes it look like the Good Guy put two innocent by-standers very close to the line of fire. I am not judging his actions one way or another, as I have to assume that he used his best judgment, and probably determined that he would be putting their lives in greater risk by not acting. I'll leave it up to you! So here we go... Hold on tight, and don't blink- this gun fight is over in less than two seconds!! A very real reminder of how quickly things happen. Video Caption: COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police said a desk clerk shot a man who was attempting to rob an east side motel on Saturday night. Officers said that shortly before 9:30 p.m., a man walked into the Super 8 Motel, located at 2055 Brice Rd., showed a gun and demanded money. Police said the desk clerk on duty then shot the alleged robber, Antoine Stephens. Stephens, 20, was transported to Grant Medical Center and was in serious condition on Sunday morning, NBC 4 reported. Police said he would be charged with aggravated robbery. No charges filed against the shooter. [Unverified claims about this video]: 3 shots fired. All 3 hit the bad guy. Gun was a Glock 23, .40cal using 165g Gold dots
Dear USCCA Readership, I deeply apologize for any misunderstandings and the frustration caused with the recent article on the Guardian CCM. (U.S. Concealed Carry Association and Concealed Carry Magazine, had no control, nor should they be penalized, for the following:) When this project began, NAA had every intention to produce the custom Guardian, as mentioned within the article. Unfortunately, shortly after this project began, we started experiencing a delivery problem with one of our key machining venders. This slow delivery and their repeated broken promises, prompted us to switch to a new partner for our machining needs. (Ruger) As I hope you can appreciate, a major change such as this required, new fixtures, programming, tooling, and the lead-times involved with each. During this change, we've been crippled and only able to produce less-than 5% of the orders received for our standard Guardian, with no idea as to the volume of orders lost. (Most of our distributors won't order more if they still haven't received the previous orders placed.) As it stands, we are currently receiving our first article's frames, off the new fixtures from Ruger for inspection. Once these are approved, we should be back into full production. The bad news is that we have a substantial backlog we'll need to take care of first. I'm hopeful we'll be able to revisit and offer the UCC custom Guardian, shortly after the new year. Again, I apologize for the frustration caused, and hope you'll forgive and understand the unfortunate satiation we've experienced this year. Upon your review, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and/or concerns with the above. 1-800-821-5783. With regards, Ken Friel General Manager North American Arms "Why I Carry a Gun" By Kathy Jackson Carrying a gun can be uncomfortable. The gun literally and figuratively gets in the way of some activities. There is a constant and slightly uncomfortable awareness that the folks around me would be unhappy with me if they knew I had a gun under my outer clothing. Nevertheless, I continue to carry almost all day, almost every day. Last week, I went to pick up two of my children from summer camp, and drop another two off at the same camp for the next session. The camp is about 3 hours from my house, in a rural area. The road we travel to get there is a two-lane highway, scenic and beautiful. And we were traveling in broad daylight. Before I left the house, I put my gun on. Did I expect any trouble? Nope. I just wear it as a matter of course. It's what I ordinarily do and so that's what I did on this ordinary day. After dropping one set of kids off and picking up the next set, the kids and I wandered down to the beach. We walked along a nearly empty boardwalk and enjoyed the sun and the crisp breeze. Yes, I still had my gun on. I didn't leave it in the car simply because I expected no trouble. I carried it, because that's what I always do. Because we were enjoying ourselves, we stayed at the beach a bit longer than I had originally intended, and so it was nearly sunset before we got back in the car for the ride home. We got back in the car and I noticed the car needed fuel, so we stopped at the gas station. There were other people fueling up, and I did my standard observant glance around the station before I stepped out of the car and filled the tank. Got back in the car ... and the car didn't want to start. Hmph. My sons and I push-started the cruddy little car and I mumbled a few choice comments under my breath. The car was going, and sounded all right, but the ride home was going to take about 3 hours. We'd piddled around at the beach so that it would be full dark before we arrived home. This particular stretch of road is notorious for its lack of cell service. Was the car reliable enough to drive down the deserted stretch of road? Should I risk it? If I didn't risk it, what would I do instead? There were no service shops open in this almost nonexistent town on a Saturday night, nor were there likely to be the next day. I know nothing about engines (hey, that's what God made mechanics for!) and had no idea what was wrong. Maybe I'd left the headlights on while we were walking the boardwalk? If so, driving for awhile would take care of the problem. The car really did sound okay once it started up, and I couldn't think of any really great alternative plans. So we started back on that empty deserted stretch of road. And of course, a few miles down the road, the car died (fiddlesticks and other comments). So there I was, a woman alone with two young boys, with no cell phone, on a deserted stretch of two lane highway just before dark. Was I worried? About the car, yes. But I wasn't worried about our physical safety. I knew I had both the training and the tools to protect myself and my children even in the unlikely event that a human predator came along. Shortly after the car died, another car pulled over and the man driving it asked if we needed help. Was I worried about his intentions? Nope, I was relieved to see him. I didn't have to worry about him or what he might do, because I knew I could protect myself if he turned out not to be the good Samaritan he appeared to be. Having the means to defend myself allowed me to be friendly and confident in talking to a stranger in what could have been dangerous circumstances. So I gave him the phone number for AAA and asked him to call them for me. He said, "All right, I'll do that -- and I'll come back and let you know what they said so you'll know if I got ahold of them okay." Nice guy. Fifteen minutes later, the man returned, handed us three cold Cokes, and told me AAA was on the way. The kids and I thanked him profusely. An hour after that, I was still sitting on the side of the road, waiting for my tow truck. The boys and I had run out of things to talk about. I was bored, a little worried that AAA had forgotten us, and we were all getting hungry and sleepy. Finally, the tow truck showed up -- a greasy driver who talked a mile a minute. Of course he was greasy, that's his job. But a woman alone on a deserted country road knows in her bones that the tow truck guy could be a rapist of opportunity. Did I worry about that? Not a bit. I knew I had the means to take care of myself and my kids if I needed to. Because I had that confidence, I was able to be friendly and forthright. Eventually, the whole situation worked itself out, as these things do. Nobody offered me the slightest violence and because I was calmly confident of my ability to take care of it if they did, I was able to be outgoing and friendly rather than frightened or churlishly suspicious in dealing with other people, even in what I considered to be risky circumstances. Although the stereotype is that gun owners are after some sort of a "power rush," I never have felt super-powerful or invincible when carrying a gun, nor anything remotely like that. Instead, in a low-key sort of way, I simply feel confident that I am equipped to handle an unpleasant or even deadly situation if I really need to do so. Because I know I could cope with the worst that could happen, I am free to go about my regular business without a lot of that low-level, back-of-the-mind feeling of vulnerability that most women experience on some level in their daily lives (especially when traveling though big cities, or in deserted areas after dark). When I first began carrying, I really liked having that feeling of calm confidence which came from being prepared to cope with the worst life could possibly throw at me, and I wanted to keep feeling it. And that is why I carry a gun all the time. ............................ Kathy Jackson is a freelance writer with an avid interest in self-protection, self-defense, and the outdoors. You can find tons of information about her, and more awesome articles like this at her site, www.corneredcat.com
The Brave One USCCA Gear Review
Well here it is... Bear in mind that I'm no critic, but I'll give it a shot, anyway! Okay, as you know from the preview, the main character, played by Jodie Foster, is attacked, and decides to buy a gun for personal protection. This is good, as we all know, although many of us didn't need to get attacked before deciding that our lives are worth the protection... Still, that much does happen. I have to say though, from the preview and trailers, you really gather that this movie is a lot different than it really is. I don't want to spoil anything, so I can't say much. What I can say is this: A woman does use a pistol in a defensive manner in this film, but I did not come away from it thinking that it did any favors to the Concealed Carry Community, or the Pro Gun Community as a whole. I do not think that the way the actual gun fights play out are realistic, and I do not think this is an extremely believable story. I will say that my favorite line in the move came after Foster visited a gun store seeking a pistol, and the owner explained to her that she had to fill out the paper work and wait 30 days before getting a gun. To this she replied: "I won't survive for 30 days". Overall, considered as a piece of entertainment alone, and with the understanding that ANYTHING Hollywood produces is going to be overly-dramatic and sensational, this was a good film. I personally enjoyed it, and so did my wife. But aside from the fact that no ANTI gun statements were made, I do not think that this movie will encourage many people to obtain a concealed weapons permit, or advance our fight for gun rights significantly. Vague, I know, and I apologize for that! If you choose to watch this movie, maybe you can start a thread on our forum to see what everyone else has to say about it!
Every day, I have people asking me, "Tim, the USCCA is awesome! But I'm already a member, is there any other way I can help you out?" You know what I always say? Absolutely! Send them them our Weekly Newsletter!! It's the best way to show them the kind of awesome information provided by the USCCA, and what we're all about! Do you want to help us out? Click the big envelope above, and send this thing to everybody you know who loves their family, and everyone who feels that it's their duty to protect themselves! Forum Highlights Every Deluxe Member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over twenty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource! Importance of penetration in a defense round I made an interesting observation this past weekend at the range, shooting at a target with an image of an attacker pointing a gun at me. I fired strings of 5 rapid shots from my Glock 19 - 3 to the torso, and 2 to the head... A good percentage of the torso shots hit the target's "hands" or "arms," meaning that the bullet would have to penetrate through these extremities before reaching the vital areas of the torso. Just reinforces why the FBI wants handgun rounds that will penetrate a minimum of 10-12 inches... Prescription Shooting Glasses From who and where can I find a good pair of prescription shooting glasses? Home range suggestions ... I have about 10 acres of land. No big berms or sandy areas to shoot against. I would need some sort of built up 'back stop' to shoot into. My problem is ..... I can't come up with some sort of 'complete' backstop into which to shoot. Perhaps someone here can give me some guidance based on personal experience? Can you help these people? We need your wisdom! Do you have questions of your own? Get help here! Come join us: Make friends, help others, and have your questions answered. The USCCA forum is one of the fastest growing communities on the web! Click here to join now! 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...
Closing Thoughts People, this week I have a special favor to ask of you... Have you ever heard of "Micro Stamping"? If not, learn all about it by clicking here to read its page on wikipedia. You see, the California legislation has passed a bill that will, according to the NRA-ILA: AB1471 would require that after a certain date, the make, model, and serial number of the firearm be microstamped onto the interior surface or internal working parts of all handguns in such a manner that those identifiers are imprinted onto the cartridge case upon firing. Under AB1471, the manufacture, sale, and transfer of handguns that do not include their identifying information would be a crime. I do not have to tell you how destructive this would be, or how little this would do to help fight crime. That means that we HAVE to encourage Governor Schwarzenegger to VETO this bill! Otherwise, it will become law and could potentially find its way to the rest of the states. So California resident or not, contact Governor Schwarzenegger by clicking this link: http://gov.ca.gov/interact, and politely tell him what you think!! You can also dial 916-445-2841, and use the following sequence for the automated attendant: Press 1 - for English Press 2 - for Voice your opinion on Assembly Bills Press 1 - for Micro Stamping Bill (AB1471) Press 2 to OPPOSE the gun control bill. I thank the USCCA Deluxe members BYcyclist, tsmmsmith, and iamasensfan for pointing this information out on the forum! Be safe, be vigilant, and have an awesome weekend, ---- Tim Schmidt Founder - U.S. Concealed Carry http://www.usconcealedcarry.com |
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