Peltor Ear and Eye Protection

By

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June 11, 2018

I first encountered the Peltor Sport Range Guard model electronic ear muffs, and Peltor Sport Secure Fit safety eyewear at Range Day of SHOT 2018.

I had a bit of a discussion with the reps, as I was interested to see if I could find electronic ear protection that would be useful both on the range AND in the hunting field. Thus far I have worn my own “range” ear protection in the field, because that’s all I had. While it was effective, it was magenta camo colored, and thus not so hot for a camouflage situation. It was also bulky and not always ideal for using a shotgun. I generally do not like earplugs as an alternative, as the crinkle sound drives me crazy, and I want to be able to hear my surroundings and game calls. I don’t like having my awareness all stuffed up – especially when I am in the woods. These Peltor electronic muffs however, are neutral colored and low profile. They are designed to work with long guns in the field. Thus I was eager to give them a try.

Features of the hearing protection include:

21 Decibel noise reduction

Outside access battery door

Audio input jack, and cord

These muffs also use two AAA batteries – no weird hard-to-find battery sizes when your ear protection goes dark at an away match or on a hunting trip. A definite “plus” in my book.

Features of the eye protection include:

Three-pack of clear, amber and gray glasses

Polycarbonate Impact resistant lenses

Absorb up to 99.9% of UV

Flexible temples

Anti-fog coating

I first wore my trial set of the Peltor Range Guard earmuffs and glasses at a local club clays match. It was March, and the high temperature was 45 degrees in the sun. The earmuffs kept my ears nice and warm, while not being in the way of my shotgun mount. The cups were roomy enough to allow me to tuck my earrings up inside for a good seal. The low profile allowed a good cheek weld on the shotgun without pushing the muffs out of place. The glasses were equally comfortable and provided a good field of vision.

I next wore the Peltor Range Guard ear muffs and glasses while assisting with teaching an NRA Basic Pistol course. That was the kind of situation when it was important to be able to hear the students’ questions. The microphones and noise-cancelling worked well for conversation in this atmosphere. I only wish some of the students had similarly functioning ear protection as I often had to shout instructions in order to be heard.

As for the safety glasses – the lighting changed a bit through the course of the day, but the clear, yellow and dark glasses in the pack served me well. The temples of the glasses were very flexible, so I didn’t find them uncomfortable under the earmuffs. Some of my other safety glasses dig into my scalp and give me a headache after a long day on the range. I didn’t have this issue with the Peltors.

I next took my trusty AR15 out for a test run with this earmuff and glasses combo to see how they fit with my rifle set up. Everything again worked well and quite comfortably. However, despite the listed claim of an anti-fog coating, I did have an issue with the glasses fogging in the humidity of the range. In their defense, I also deal with the hot flashes inherent to women in my demographic – which challenges the best of fog coatings. I have this problem with all my other glasses as well, so It’s a “me” thing, not necessarily a failure of the product.

One REALLY interesting capability of this hearing protection that I forgot to mention is the four hour auto-shutoff. I discovered the utility of this feature when I pulled the Peltor muffs out at the range, only to discover that I had forgotten to turn them off after my last use two weeks beforehand. Because of the auto shutoff feature, they were still useable and did not have dead batteries. That is a definite win from my perspective.

After thorough testing with pistol, rifle and shotgun I can say that I am very satisfied with the fit and performance of both the Peltor Range Guard ear protection and the Peltor Secure Fit safety glasses. Although I have not yet had the opportunity to wear them hunting, they meet all of my criteria, and I can see no reason why they wouldn’t perform well in that environment as well. Both products performed as advertised, and are very budget-friendly, with retail prices of $38.70 and $14.57 respectively on Amazon Prime.

OVERCOMING GUN PHOBIA

By

A Girl and a Gun

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June 10, 2018

The word phobia is defined as an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something. You may or may not identify yourself as having a true gun phobia, maybe just a fear of the unknown, nervous because you don’t know anything about firearms or what to expect the first time you fire a gun. If your only exposure to firearms is what you see on TV and movies, which has created a perception and understanding that guns are bad and scary, that is a reasonable fear. Or you may 100%, no doubt about it, have an overwhelming fear brought on by a subconscious or conscious life experience. Either way we are here to address the unknowns of firearms, learn how to anchor the fear and anxiety you may be feeling, and turn this into an empowering moment in your life. It is just a piece of machinery, a tool if you will. When you learn how to control the tool, the tool no longer controls you.

Identify Your Level of Fear

We’ve all heard the regular advice – things like ‘be well prepared’, ‘relax’, ‘remember to breathe’ – and all this advice is great if you only have mild anxiety.

But if you are experiencing real FEAR – that overwhelming feeling of anxiety or nervousness that makes you sick to your stomach – you are experiencing an ‘unwarranted automated fear response’ which no amount of trying to relax or breathing will help.

What makes people afraid?
• Have been embarrassed by someone, usually a family member or close friend.
• Witnessed someone making a fool of themself or being unsafe, and you think “I will never put myself in that situation.”
• Stems from lack of opportunity during adolescence to develop self confidence.
• Product of your environment. If you were not raised around guns, you are less likely to appreciate them.

How we create fear – and every other emotion

The first thing to understand is how we create fear in the human nervous system. The way you feel at any moment in time is a direct result of two things: Focus and your Physiology.

Focus is the way you are using your mind: your beliefs, what you are thinking about, and the language you use inside your head to describe things to yourself.

Physiology is the way you are using your body: your posture, your breathing, and even things like how tired you are and whether you have been drinking lots of coffee (very bad) or water (very good).

Every feeling you ever have is a result of the precise strategy composed of the different elements of Focus & Physiology you are using at that moment. The good news is that you can change the recipe almost instantaneously if it is one that causes you anxiety.

Anchoring

The Simple Subtle Powerful Strategy for Overcoming Phobias and Fears

Whenever something unique happens and you are in an intense emotional state (good or bad), your nervous system creates a link between the two and it creates a snapshot to remember.

For example, the first time you fell in love, there may have been a song that you heard on the radio. At the time that unique song played over and over again, you were in the intense emotional state of being in love, and now whenever you hear that song that feeling of falling in love comes back.

Anchoring is tapping into the very same part of your nervous system that is causing the gun phobia/fears in the first place. The quickest way to stop fear in the short term is to quickly and radically change what you are doing. If you are sitting still thinking what will happen if it all goes wrong, remember a time when you felt incredibly powerful, centered, and strong. Your feelings could change immediately or over a short period of time.

The questions we ask ourselves will open the door to conquering our fears. A question like, “What will happen if this all goes wrong?” will generate answers that feel terrible and you are less likely to participate in the activity and unfortunately making an anchored negative emotional response stronger. Instead ask, “How can I make this incredible?” or “How will others benefit when I overcome this?” This is life-changing and can shift how you feel in a heartbeat, changing the anchored response to a positive.

Change the Physiology and the Focus, and immediately the feeling changes. I compare it to a German shepherd (or any working dog) that are naturally programed to do more than sit around all day because they NEED to work. They can get bossy or destructive if their needs for physical and mental activity are not met with walks or time at the dog park. Our brain can be compared to a working dog. It needs to have a job. If you have a fear of guns the brain automatically assumes its job is to protect you from the experience of shooting: The loud noise, the recoil. You close your eyes, you flinch. But, if you give your brain a job by putting it to work by focusing on your sight picture, concentrating on your trigger press and holding your position for the follow through, you will find that you can quickly overcome anything from major anxiety to simple marksmanship mistakes. Remembering to breath and oxygenate the body will help you to control these fine motor skills.

In both cases the same thing happened: your mind created a link and a snapshot – an anchor – between a powerful feeling (love or firing the gun) and a unique stimulus (the song or the sensation of the recoil).

The way to use anchoring to transform your gun phobia is to create a deliberate link between some kind of unique stimulus – one you control and can initiate whenever you want – and a powerful mixture of the kind of calm, confident emotions you want to experience instead of gun phobia.

Then, and this is the magical part, you simply apply the stimulus while thinking about firearms and your mind will build a new map of the emotions that belong with firearms. Literally, your mind will create new neural pathway attaching the new positive emotions in place of the old.

The job here is to bundle together a collection of overwhelmingly positive powerful emotions you can call up whenever you want. Now when you are in a situation in which you would previously have been afraid, you are feeling confident.

What to expect

Stage Fright
After your instructor has covered the safety rules, showed you how to operate the firearm and done some dryfire drills, it is time to load up and take that first shot. You may find that you get in and out of your stance, grip and re grip the gun, take a few breaths, put your finger on the trigger, start to press and then – stop. It is ok. Remember give your brain a job to do – focus, breathe, and press.

Tearful Moment
It is not unusual for a person to take their first shot and experience a tearful moment. These tears are produced in response to that strong emotion you have experienced from stress, pleasure, relief, anger or sadness and are released the moment you pull the trigger. Tears contain a natural painkiller, called leucine enkephalin – perhaps, part of the reason why you might feel better after a good cry.

Gain Confidence
As you continue in the process, repeat with the same level of attention and dedication to the each time. Make sure you are recording the experience in your subconscious brain correctly. As you gain muscle memory you will start to move a bit faster, more confidently through the process and want to challenge yourself for what’s next!

The instructor makes all the difference.

Having the experience to associate firearms with exhilaration and empowerment while breaking and overcoming your gun phobia or fear is critical. Here are 7 tips for creating a positive range experience:

1. Talk to others. Talking to others about their experiences will help normalize what you are thinking and feeling. Often times we think that we are alone, that no one else has ever felt the way we feel.

2. Find the right Instructor. Take time to research instructors in your area. Talk to family and friends to find out if they have a favorite instructor. Ask if they would send their daughter or mother to the same trainer and why.

3. Meet the Instructor before you sign up. Ask if you may audit a portion of class before you actually attend. This gives you the opportunity to and see how the instructor interacts with others and if you will be comfortable in his/her presence, and review their teaching philosophy. Keep in mind that the instructor may not be accustomed to letting “non-paying” observation of their class, so make sure you say you only want to observe about 20 mins and will not interfere with the class in progress.

4. What to expect from your Instructor. The instructor should take the time to find out what level you are at ensuring the correct class for you, or can adjust instruction. Make sure your instructor is open minded to make physical adjustments as you need them, won’t yell if you aren’t doing it right, and will make sure you are ready for the curriculum. Keep in mind any safety violations can result in extremely firm tones and statements. The instructor’s job is to keep you safe, no compromises there. But at all times you and the instructor should have mutual respect.

5. Schedule a Private Lesson. The ideal learning environment is 1:1. Especially if you are feeling any level of anxiety. This will allow time and space to ask your questions and work at your own pace. 1 hour is sufficient time for a private lesson learning just the basics of marksmanship. After the initial lesson you can decide if you want to join a group class or continue with private lessons.

6. Tell the instructor your story. Your story is unique, but at the same time your story is similar to so many others and chances are your instructor has dealt with your situation before. It may be you are fearful of the noise or sensation of the recoil, it may be you have been a victim of gun violence or been affected by a traumatic incident. This will help your instructor be prepared to appropriately deal with your specific needs during class and be prepared for your physical and psychological reactions.

7. Bring a friend. When women are stressed about everyday life things they often turn to girlfriends to vent, talk, problem-solve, and get support. We know that they won’t judge us and feel safe being vulnerable.

Girl’s Night Out

For many women who are fearful of guns, it is beneficial to attend one of our Girl’s Night Outs (GNOs). AG & AG has GNOs at over 130 ranges across the country. All of our GNOs are hosted by certified instructors, so women of all experience levels can attend and get quality information as well as meet other women. Many women find the AG & AG community experience invaluable because it is not only casual and welcoming, but it is a judgment-free zone where women can ask questions about shooting, conceal carry, safe storage in the home, and other concerns.

With weekly #TrainingTipTuesday emails, AG & AG members receive information on shooting techniques and personal safety. Members are a part of an enthusiastic and knowledgeable community of women who offer support and encouragement. AG & AG currently hosts national, regional, and local events at over 130 ranges. If there is not a chapter near you, you can join at the national level, start a chapter in your community, or utlize the AG & AG Shooting Journal, which serves as a virtual personal instructor to teach you safe gun handling, with monthly live-fire, dry-fire, and journaling drills that not only document your improvements in marksmanship but track how your empowerment on the range affects every area of your life.

AG & AG has more than 5,000 members nationwide. Join us today at www.AGirlandAGun.org!

SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/overcoming-gun-phobia/

REVIEW: ZUCA RANGE CART

By

A Girl and a Gun

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June 9, 2018

Just prior to the A Girl & A Gun National Conference at Reveille Peak Park in Burnet, Texas, and to my squealing delight, my Zuca Backpack Cart LG arrived. In 5 minutes in the hotel room with just a Phillip’s screwdriver, I was able to get it range ready the night before the conference’s opening day.

At last year’s conference, I was toting a Zuca All-Terrain Cart which not only included the all-terrain frame, but also an insert bag. Although I enjoyed the product, it was just not big enough for all the pistol gear that I needed for the 3 day event and as an instructor. I think I must have been a Boy Scout in a previous life. I carry at least one each of everything in my range bag.

The Backpack Cart LG took care of my gear needs! I was able to take my GPS Handgunner Backpack and by simply flipping up the seat, my range bag dropped onto the floor of the cart. I think if the side pouches of my range bag would have been completely full (each side can hold 6 magazines) the bag would have overflowed the frame and rubbed on the wheels causing some mobility issues.

The telescopic handle and foam tires made this cart a dream to pull and/or push at the range. The tubeless tires are a new feature to my Zuca carts that are a great asset to the product. Over the past year, prior to each use, I would need to make sure my tires were filled with air. There is nothing worse than dragging a cart with a flat tire. This was not a concern this year. The large, all-terrain tubeless tires ran through ruts, sand, mud, Texas burs, and over hills and curbs without effort. As I was testing this cart, I purposely went out of my way to take the difficult path. As a side note, my Fitbit and thigh muscles also got an extensive workout.

Normally at conference, I pull a cart filled with my range bag, chairs, umbrellas and Gatorade. This year, I only needed my Zuca which is significantly smaller and easier to steer. It has its own built in seat that can carry up to 300 pounds of extra weight. I was able to easily and comfortably sit on the Zuca between shooting sets. I was concerned that the cart may be too tall for someone shorter than me to comfortably sit and still have their feet on the ground, but several of my height challenged friends (5’2”ish) said this was not an issue. As the cart has two rear wheels and 2 front feet, I would caution users to make sure the cart is on flat, stable ground before sitting down and don’t rock back, so that the cart does not tip backwards.

The second morning of conference we had a significant downpour. My Zuca is accessorized with an umbrella holder that easily clips on to the handle. I placed my golf umbrella in the holder and adjusted the height of the handle to cover my gear when I was shooting and cover me when I was resting. I am happy to say that my gear stayed dry. I did not, but that was not due to the Zuca or the umbrella, but my decision to happily participate in the shooting during the downpour. (How could I pass an opportunity to take a class taught by Karl Rehn of KR Training?)

My Zuca is also accessorized with a multi-use pole holder and water bottle holder. I used the pole holder for storing my umbrella when not in use and also rolled up targets. I was fortunate to also get my hands on an early prototype ammo shelf. The ammo shelf attaches to the handle and can fold flat for travel or fold down to hold boxes of ammo. I stacked 400 rounds of ammo on the shelf with no problem. I also used it as a pocket dump. I understand that this accessory will be available to the public as soon as fall.

Traveling with the cart is also stress-free. I leave my range bag in the cart, lower the handle and lift the light weight frame and not so light weight range bag combo into the trunk of my SUV lying it flat. To reduce the space it takes up even more, the tires and also can be effortlessly removed with a few turns of the tire knob. Although the suitcase sized Backpack Cart LG is not rated to fly in the cabin of airplanes, many other Zuca products are.

Once I got home, cleaning the Reveille red dirt off the cart was a breeze. I pulled my range bag out and merely hosed the cart down letting it air dry. Next time, I think I will towel dry it, just because my OCD has issues with the water spots. My Zuca was probably the only item from conference that did not need multiple washes to remove the all the muck.

One of the features that I enjoy about this cart is the accessory options. What lady doesn’t like to accessorize? On top of the water bottle holder, umbrella holder, and multi-use pole holder, I will also be adding a seat cushion, tire fenders and rain cover over the next year. I also appreciate that it comes in multiple colors, including black, orange, blue and red.

The uses for Zuca carts are endless: conferences, 3-gun, and shotgun field sports just to name a few. (Check out their web site for other industries they specialize in.) As the company dives further into the shooting industry, each year they come out with better ways to help us carry our equipment. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Sandra Kozero is an NRA certified pistol and rifle instructor, along with being an NRA Level 1 Shotgun Coach. She teaches Home Firearm Safety, Personal Protection in the Home, Refuse to Be a Victim and the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program. Sandy has been shooting with the San Antonio TX Chapter of A Girl & A Gun since 2011. She also dabbles in competitive shooting. She is not only the San Antonio Chapter Facilitator, but she also serves as an AG & AG National Regional Director.

SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/review-zuca-range-cart/

Educating the Next Generation on Responsible Gun Ownership

By

MASF

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June 9, 2018

By: Adam Kraut, Esq. – MASF Member

Originally Published in MASF Quarterly Online Magazine Fall 2015 issue

While it is impossible to isolate any particular factor responsible for the increase in interest and ultimately the rise in firearms owners over the past decade, there can be no disputing the number of new shooters has grown. The flocking of new individuals to firearms ownership means that there are plenty of individuals who could use some guidance.

With the influx of new shooters to the community there is a responsibility that all of the more experienced shooters should embrace. Educating those around you. Part of the MASF’s Mission Statement is, in the pertinent part, “strive for responsible firearms ownership by promoting…Education…”

While educating new shooters is a great and certainly encouraged, it is the education of non-shooters that is what will have a profound effect on the view of firearms ownership in not only your state, but also this country. In order to better understand this a little background is necessary.

Firearms were not part of my childhood. While I did own a BB gun, real firearms were not something found in my house or any of my friends. It was not until I spent my first summer down at Camp Horseshoe with my Boy Scout Troop that I ever laid hands on a real firearm. I’ll never forget the smile that crossed my face when I pulled the trigger on that .22 for the first time, as it is still plastered to my face.

When I turned eighteen, I headed down to Dick’s Sporting Goods and bought my first gun, a Remington 870 Express Magnum. It wasn’t long before my parents discovered I had it stashed under my bed and told me to get rid of it. As you might have guessed, I never did get rid of that shotgun.It was not until about seven years later that my father asked me to take him shooting. We had several conversations about guns between the purchase of my shotgun and his request to go shooting and nearly all of them ended with us vehemently disagreeing with the other. I saw a world where individuals were becoming increasingly violent towards one another for no reason, with little respect for human life and sought to protect myself. My father maintained that I would get myself killed by carrying a gun.

I soon learned that my father had spent the last sixty some years of his life without having shot a gun. Yet, despite having never laid hands on one, he had a very strong opinion that guns were unnecessary and only caused problems. In an effort to educate my father, I took him to the range. After going over the basics of safety and the operation of the firearm, my father took his first shot. The same grin I had creep across my face years before began to spread across his.

range 2

As the next several months went by, I was asked how to obtain a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF), what guns he should look at and how to care for them. It was through my experience with my father, who was what we would call anti-gun, that I learned education is more than just teaching tactics, drills, how guns work, etc. Education begins with taking someone who is unfamiliar with guns and showing that person guns are simply a tool that have a purpose and can be quite fun when used safely.

In order to preserve firearms rights in the United States and your state, it is important that you educate those around you. How can you do that? Offer to take those around you who have never been shooting before to the range. Let them shoot your guns and ammo for free. Winning the hearts and minds of those who are on the fence or have a baseless opinion is something that has no monetary value.

Start with the basics of firearms safety; explain what the rules of firearm safety are and why they are important. Then show them the firearms you plan on using (I prefer smaller caliber guns to start), explain how they function and let the person you are with familiarize himself or herself before any ammunition is introduced. After he or she is comfortable with the guns, start the fun!

I’ve found that those who are on the fence or who have even had a negative opinion about firearms have typically not had any experience with them. It is this lack of experience that leads to an uninformed and negative opinion of guns, especially when buttressed by media reports of gun violence and politicians who seem to make it their life’s goal to ban guns.

Education doesn’t stop at the initial introduction. It is likely that the person you took shooting will contact you and ask for help making decisions relating to purchases, should they elect to do so. While most of us have bitterly entrenched ourselves into differing camps as to our preferences, let us not forget, you can give objective advice without touting a particular brand. Of course, we have all had experiences with certain products that were less than stellar and those that are obvious junk should be pointed out. slr While working behind the gun counter, I’ve found the most effective way to help someone make a selection is to lay out all of the options available, explain the pros and cons to each option and let that person make the decision as to what suits them best. I’ve helped first time buyers choose the appropriate gun for home defense, concealed carry or just plain target shooting. However, it was the person on the other side of the counter that decided what was best for them, as I had given them the tools to do so.

My challenge to all of you is to take someone who has never been shooting to the range. Go over gun safety, how firearms work and let them shoot. Even if that person doesn’t become a gun owner, you’ve potentially changed their opinion about guns for the better and at the very least, shown them a safe manner to approach firearms, a skill that is invaluable.

BIO – Adam Kraut: Adam Kraut is a freedom loving Pennsylvanian who is a lawyer and the general manager of a gun shop. When he isn’t busy engaged in legal discourse, he can be found behind the counter helping to arm the free world. During his free time, Adam enjoys spending time on the range, volunteering with his old Boy Scout troop and experimenting in the kitchen. Fueled by caffeine, a strong yearning for freedom and the occasional glass of bourbon, he has been known to get snarky with the government at all hours of the evening. You can follow him on the Prince Law Blog.

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Adam Kraut, Esq.
Firearms Industry Consulting Group
a division of Prince Law Offices, P.C.
646 Lenape Rd
Bechtelsville, PA 19505
610-845-3803 ext. 81115
610-845-3903 (fax)

SOURCE ARTICLE: http://masf.co/2016/02/23/educating-the-next-generation-on-responsible-gun-ownership/

Ticky Tacky Boxes Full of People

By

Annette Evans

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June 8, 2018

A Gathering of Friends — Members of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus at the 2018 NRA Annual Meetings, with their token Philadelphia friend

Diversity is a hot buzzword everywhere these days. In the gun community, we’re seeing outreach and inclusion efforts from all over, working hard to include people of all colors and genders.

It’s a backlash against the tired stereotype of the white male gun owner – and it’s an important one. I’m an avid shooter myself, and I’m almost the exact opposite of that image. When people talk about their idea of a “gun person,” I rarely feel like I fit the mold.

So it’s inspiring and exciting to see more women who look like me in the firearms world, to have more examples of how all types of people are part of the gun community. More than that, I love being able to show outsiders how we look like them, no matter what they look like.

But in the rush to showcase the diversity of the shooting community, we often leave behind white men…and maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss them.

For one, they’re still the majority, both inside and outside the gun world. No matter how many minority and women shooters we find, we’re unlikely to make them an equal force to white men in pure numbers. Even if we did, we wouldn’t be accurately representing the U.S. population as a whole.

Certainly there are parts of the country where white people, white men aren’t the majority, but overall? Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to look around a gathering like the NRA Annual Meetings and see lots of white skin. I’d love to see a few more “looks like” others too, but as the numbers game goes, it’s unlikely to be drastically different for an inherently American passion.

Here’s the other thing: just like I don’t want people to assume who I am and what I think because of how I look, it’s not fair to do that to others.

If I listen to much of the news and social media, white men, especially those who are into guns, are rather uniformly uneducated, intolerant, and insular. Maybe it’s the folks I know, but that’s definitely not been my general experience. I’d like to tell you about a few of them and so you don’t think I’m cherry-picking, I’ll share two little pieces from my first trip to the NRA Annual Meetings, just a few weeks ago.

I stayed with some new friends this year in a rented house. They were a group who knew each other through their heavy involvement in local Second Amendment activism through the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. When I showed up and finally met everyone, I realized we had quite the mixed crew. Not only was I not the only woman in the house, I wasn’t the only non-white woman. White men didn’t even make up the majority until we added a few guests to the party. Between us, we spanned the most of the political spectrum from center to…liberal. We held degrees and jobs across technical and mechanical fields, working in offices and machine shops. And our easy acceptance of each other completely ignored all of those differences unless we were making lighthearted fun of each other. No tokenism here, just people.

One night, I went out to dinner with some writer buddies. The stories, as you can imagine, were uproarious and hilarious, just like you’d expect from a room full of gun people who write for fun and money. But one of the moments that struck me most? I’m sitting next to a good ol’ country cop from Texas, across from a good ol’ country medic from Louisiana, and they’re telling me a beautiful story about a recently passed and much missed friend, a gay man who thoroughly embraced his contradictions and who clearly loved his friends as much as they loved him. While I was doubled over, gasping with laughter, I had a moment when I wondered whether this was the “intolerance” that I was supposed to expect. Then I caught my breath and kept laughing because the joy everyone in that story had in each other and in what they were doing was too much to do anything else. Because in the end, it was about friendship, not about my [something] friend.

As a double minority, I often resist being judged solely on my race and gender. I’m an individual who only has so much shared identity with others who “look like” me. Sometimes, the people I share the most identity with are the ones who don’t look like me at all – who maybe look like the majority. And it turns out that they, too, can’t be judged just on their race and gender.

SAFE STORAGE OPTIONS FOR NEW (AND NOT SO NEW) GUN OWNERS

By

A Girl and a Gun

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June 6, 2018

One of the first questions I asked myself when I bought my first firearm, seven years ago was, “How am I going to store this thing safely when I’m not using it?”

My children were not small anymore at that time, but I was still concerned about unauthorized access – whether during a burglary or simply a teenage slumber party.

My choices were somewhat limited at the time. The cheap push button safe that I purchased served the purpose when I needed it, but it is probably not what I would choose were I starting over again today. Why? Because there are so many better options now than there were even seven years ago.

My recent trip to SHOT Show afforded the opportunity to investigate the wide array of safe storage and quick access options that are available for today’s first time gun owners. I limited my search to smaller options, thinking that if you already had or could buy a large floor model safe, then you probably weren’t a first-timer.

While I was looking, I imagined myself as perhaps a young single mother in a rented apartment, who had limited options for space or renovations, and I narrowed the search accordingly. If you don’t live in a home with small children, you don’t have quite as many safety worries, and you’ve got more options, so I adopted the perspective of this more difficult demographic.

Presented here is just a small selection of what I found. The categories break down roughly as hiding places, lock boxes, and true small safes. There is also a separate category for newer long gun security.

Bear in mind as you read this, that I am no security expert. I am only offering advice based on personal experience, having been down this road myself, as I would to any of my girlfriends. If you are the nervous, litigious sort, you should probably consult a professional security company, and a lawyer, depending on your state and local firearm laws.

Hiding Places

First, there are the “Hiding in plain sight” options. While not as physically secure as a steel safe, these offer easy accessibility and concealment/camouflage in your home environment. These would need to be used with extreme care in households with small children, as they either have no actual locks, or are easily unlocked with a magnet or RFID device. If your kids can figure out where you hide the Christmas gifts, they probably also know where you hide the guns, AND where you hide the key/magnet/RFID device. Use these options with extreme care please – your kids are smarter, stronger, more agile, and more observant than you think.

Several companies offer options like this. The ones I saw at SHOT were a Clock, a shelf and a mirror by Tactical Walls/ and a false air vent by QuickSafes.

For actual secure storage and not just concealment, you need to step up to the steel lock boxes and “pistol vaults”. The steel lock box options are vast, and available from many different companies. The smallest of them fit a small pistol and extra magazine, and come with a cable to secure the box to a car seat frame, a bed frame, a metal desk or filing cabinet drawer with holes in it, or even a sink drain pipe in a hotel room. While this is the cheapest option, drawbacks include limited storage space, thin cables that could be cut, and keys that could be lost or not readily available when you need them. These type boxes are meant to deter inquisitive little fingers and the idly curious. They won’t stop a determined thief, and won’t be the quickest access when you need your gun NOW.

Lock Boxes

A step up in the lockbox category (and for more money) are the touch combination type pistol vaults. Big advantage here is there are no keys to lose, so there is less fumbling in an emergency. They do come with back-up keys though, in case you forget the combo or the battery dies. These models are still small enough to fit under a car seat or in a drawer, and secure with a sturdier cable, so your handgun is locked up, but still quickly available if you have to put it away to go into the school or courthouse.

A further step up in this category is the fingerprint recognition type pistol vault. This is the kind I currently have in my car. I don’t even have to remember a combo when my brain is spinning – I push a button and swipe a finger. The model I have stores many different iterations of several fingers, in case one hand is incapacitated or the finger swipe is at an odd angle.

I have even flown with this model as my “hard sided pistol case” in my suitcase. The cable can be secured around the inside ribs of the suitcase, and since my fingerprint is the “key”, TSA can’t demand the keys to open it away from my physical presence.

Small Safes

True small safes are the better bet for home use, as they hold more of your guns/valuables, and tend to be more durable/secure. Portability is what you don’t want in this category – you want to make it as difficult as possible for a burglar or other unauthorized person to gain access. You want screw holes and ways to bolt or screw the safe down – either to the closet floor, or the inside of a kitchen cupboard or heavy piece of furniture. This especially important if you live in an apartment, and can’t put permanent holes in anything. If you have a dining room hutch or entertainment center that belongs to you, you can try screwing a small safe to a (non-removable) shelf, or an inside divider. It would take a fairly determined thief to take the time to either pry the safe loose, or drag out the entire piece of furniture. Nothing is a sure bet though when it comes to criminals (or small children for that matter) so use your best judgement here.

I had the thought while I was looking at some of these larger models that they might even fit an entire purse inside. While I am not a purse carrier as a rule, many women are, and as a pediatrician I worry about kids and purse-gun access. I was thinking that one of these larger models with fingerprint access, installed in an upper cupboard, could be a great place to just stick the whole purse when you get home. This would reduce handling the pistol so much to get it in and out of the purse, and would also keep the kids out of your lipstick, checkbook, and medication. What do you think?

Companies I visited at SHOT offering all of the above were:

Long-Gun Security

A newer category in the market is designed to appeal to those who prefer a long gun for home defense. A tactical shotgun or AR will obviously not fit into a quick access pistol vault, so the market has been developing alternatives. What I saw at SHOT were various iterations of a wall-mounted locking bracket. In an apartment, you could probably mount it inside a free-standing wardrobe or something, so as not to mar walls that don’t belong to you. The two of these that I looked at were from SHOTLOCK and BoomDock

Alternatively, SecureIt has a bed frame mounted long gun safe, called the Fast Box which is a viable option, and SnapSafe has a cable-secured under-bed long gun safe as well. Neither of these last two options would require you to put holes in your apartment in order to securely mount them, but would still offer rapid access to your long gun in an emergency.

Many of the safe storage options listed here are available from your local gun shop or sporting goods store. An even wider selection can be had through online sources such as Amazon. Sadly, the days of your grandfather’s glass front walnut gun cabinet are pretty much over. With the wide array of options on the market today, there really is no excuse to not have secure firearms storage available to meet your needs. There are many options to meet many requirements and price points. If you are a woman looking to get into self-defense and the shooting sports, worries about safe storage should not be the thing that stops you. Happy Shopping and Happy Shooting!

SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/safe-storage-options-for-new-and-not-so-new-gun-owners/

Dealing with opposing views on firearms with a significant other

By

MASF

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June 6, 2018

By: Eric Cotter, Field Editor – MASF Member

Originally Published in MASF Quarterly Online Magazine Fall 2015 issue

For most the idea of being with someone that has such a different view on firearms in general is absurd or even 100% off limits for some. With most topics there will always be disagreements on various subjects from religion to money, guns to coffee, and pizza to bacon. Sticking with your guns on a topic is what makes us individuals and free thinking beings, but what if it someone you love dearly and their opposing views on such a die-hard subject as the right to bear arms? With everything in life there will be compromise, but where do we draw the line? This goes back to being an individual and you personally deciding on where the line in the sand is with your beliefs. 406114_513777421977846_85222890_n

Before I go much further I guess I should start by stating that have been through this very situation. I lived with this for many years and let me tell you, it’s not easy at all. Arguments would range from why I needed to actually train with a firearm to why a box of steel cased 9mm had to be $11/box and why I needed more than one box at a time. Basically, everything was a potential argument waiting to happen so choosing your fights become a rather crucial detail.

I was married at the age of 21 and wasn’t the avid 2A guy I am today, so it wasn’t like I mentioned above for my entire marriage. As we got older and our views on certain things changed it became apparent that my spouse and I didn’t really agree on some rather important issues. I didn’t need a rifle, the police have them and that’s good enough…..right? There is nothing that I can’t handle with my Remington 870 and my Glock 19, so why on earth would I need more? Why would I need to actually carry a gun after I took the CCW course? Why do you need more than 100 rounds of ammunition? You aren’t a soldier Eric, you don’t need this or that. I can go on but I think that I’ve laid the foundation of what I was dealing with and maybe some of you are dealing with at this moment. How do you deal with these issues and keep your relationship in tact? It takes compromise and a LOT of patience. My advice is based off my own trial and error in wanting to continue in being with my wife, so this will really only apply to those that want to still be in a relationship such as mine.

Having gone through all of that, here’s MY advice on how to continue in a relationship with someone that might not fully agree with your stance on guns. Since money seems to be where most relationship issues originate that’s a great place to start. These situations will obviously vary from couple to couple. And so it begins…

If you are wanting to purchase anything firearms related always remember that the other person doesn’t see the value in an item the way that you do. Your $15 box of ammo is their shoes on sale, so in their mind your ammo is a waste because it could be gone in seconds unlike their shoes which they say will be worn for years….but then stay in the box and eventually get thrown away. Using the “It’s such a good deal I couldn’t afford not to buy it” ploy doesn’t work in any case with guns, trust me.
Do your best to explain exactly why you are buying what you are buying and the purpose to you that it has. Even though it sucks, explaining your purchases gives you credibility and also helps with communication…which I hear is important. Everything you buy should have a legitimate purpose in their eyes, so this isn’t really a hard one to follow once you get the hang of it. That goes both ways too. Your significant other’s purchases, for whatever they are getting, should serve a purpose and remind them of that kindly when they start to give you crap because you are buying targets to train with…..giant 3D zombie ones that bleed.

10407713_915010098521241_1987853910528096326_n The mother of all argument starters is the purchase of a new gun for whatever reason it may be needed for. Personally, I like all of my guns to have a purpose. I don’t want a safe full of trophies to brag to my buddies about even though I can’t use 5 of them properly. “You shouldn’t fear the man that has trained with 10,000 guns once, you fear the man that has trained with one gun 10,000 times bro” -Gandhi. Be proficient with what you have before you try and add another weapon to your arsenal just for kicks and giggles, seems legit. Find your balance between “want” and “need” and work within those parameters. To some this may sound like being a doormat to someone, but if you want to keep a strong relationship you may have to give up the idea of buying your dream Barrett M107 .50 to blow squirrels off of your baby blue birdfeeders for a month or forever. Be sure and talk about why you need certain things without making it seem like you are talking down to them.

12036382_1014600201895563_7145529357387795608_n Me talking guns to my wife was like her trying to explain the differences between Boho Chic fashion and Grunge design. Smile and nod, smile and nod. Keeping that in mind, you showing interest in their purchases for something they have passion for may just help you out in the long run with your purchases of a new boomstick when that time comes. Who’s ready for some politics of the whole situation?

In my situation this was the make or break point. Politics is a one of the main issues that that makes up the four corners of your relationship’s foundation. In my mind the four main issues are as follows in the fancy list I have supplied below:

• Religious belief

• Financial goals and views

• Political stance

• Appearance

Sorry, I don’t know anyone that wants to start a new race of super viking ninja warriors with an ugly person….that’s a fact. Anyways, politics are a touchy subject with those that are staunch supporters of the 2nd Amendment since it’s kind of our rights and stuff like that. This is where that line in the sand I mentioned before really comes in to play. The time that it hit the hardest in my life was when James Yeager made the famous YouTube video stating that he would take the first shot if it came down to him vs whomever came to take his guns. I mean, we all feel that strongly about our RIGHT to bear arms, right? This started a rather heated argument because I said that I would be willing to die defending my right to bear arms if it came down to the government wanting to seize weapons from citizens. That lead to me being called an idiot and then a small war broke out. After that something major like that happens you tend to do some more soul searching into whether you believe what you do believe or whether or not it was a relationship ender. My belief was that I have the right to own an “assault rifle” and my significant other’s view was that the cops have them and I don’t need one since I have a tactical Remington 870 megashottyblaster.

At this point compromise isn’t as easy to swallow as only buying 100 rounds of ammo instead of the 500 you really wanted. This is something our forefathers and military have died giving and protecting or freedom, right and duty to defend ourselves. Rather a huge deal in my eyes, especially when you realize that our rights are written on paper with the blood of men and women in our military. Now that the severity of this subject is clear, what do you do in this case 10704032_846542812034637_7480100529087323127_n ? Do your best not to lash out and call out to your sweetheart that they are literally dumber than a box of rocks that don’t like to eat pizza by the truckload. If you do do that, their defenses will go up and most times may never come down since they will immediately feel like you are belittling them for their views on a subject. Try and reverse the situation and use that to figure out a way to explain to them the rights that we have as free Americans. Trying
to force someone to fall in love with you doesn’t work. Trust me, if it did Brad Pitt wouldn’t be with my Angelina right now. I still love you Angie, come back to me.

This whole situation will vary from couple to couple, so will the results. I pray that over time you can continue in your relationship and slowly guide your other half to seeing the light when it comes to your right to bear arms. The other issues I mentioned above are mostly money driven issues since the value that they see in your purchases are little to zilch. It’s not about what the actual value of something is, it’s about what others believe the value of said object is. Since the issue of politics is an explosive one it will either explode in your face and leave your relationship in tatters or the fuse will slowly burn down to the time when it will explode. Hopefully, you can defuse it before it blows your world apart and leave you in the fetal position crying in a shower in a cheap hotel yelling “Why God, why me?”.

I hope that my ramblings have helped someone out there and given them some insight into a tough situation. What happened to my marriage you ask? Well, not long after all of that went down we decided to separate for other reasons. Live and learn and I hope none of you have to go through a separation because of these issues. Live and learn, that’s the only way to not suck at life.

Stay safe, Eric Cotter
Just a regular dude trying to leave his mark on the world.
Instagram: @THE_KODDER

SOURCE ARTICLE: http://masf.co/2016/03/06/dealing-with-opposing-views-on-firearms-with-a-significant-other/

A LOOK AT THE NEW NORM

By

A Girl and a Gun

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June 5, 2018

Our friend Sandi at OffHand Gear has done it again. She’s created a thoughtful, unique, quality shooting product. The new NORM (No Ordinary Range Mat) is not like the range mats you have seen around. Her long-range precision shooting mat has a fan-fold style closing (no more edges curling up on you), is long, wide and completely padded (who wants to feel all those branches and rocks), a bi-pod stop which also doubles as a carry handle or use the ambidextrous sling for easy carrying. NORM is light and features a velcro style loop fabric surface on the top 2 panels (30″). Why, the loop fabric? One, it is softer than traditional canvas type materials making it more comfortable. Coming soon is also a line of accessories that will have the hook side sewn onto them that make you able to attach them to the mat, keeping your accessories in place. The OffHand Gear range mat is one that changes how you look at a range mat, it makes sense, works and is built in America ready to handle the abuse of constant range time.

We met up with Sandi to ask her about her inspiration for this innovative new product:

What’s the story behind your new shooting mat?

Sandi: In Feb of 2016 I was invited to go out to the range with a group of pro long range shooters. I hadn’t shot long range before but was defiantly interested in it. Once everything was set up the line was amazing! A dozen or so beautiful rifles set up all in a row, all different calibers and styles. Each with it’s own mat and set up ready to go down the line and try them. I noticed right away that many of the mats were curling up on the end, some people were part way off of and thought “wow, these guys have the newest, best equipment but those mats, what’s up with that?” Long story short, I fell in love with long range shooting, got myself a newbie rifle and started to acquire gear. Didn’t need a lot but a mat of course was gong to rank up there with a case for my rifle. I just couldn’t find a mat that had the features I was looking for. Why wasn’t someone making a “different” mat? Why is everyone making the same basic mat? So as I have done before, I hit the drawing board. I made a list of what I did or didn’t want and started building my own, and now I think I have a great addition to the OffHand Gear brand of products.

What makes NORM different from other mats?

Sandi: At first NORM may not look very different, but I believe it has a quite a bit more features then anything else out there. For starters, It’s a nice size 75” long and 44” wide at widest point (32” at smallest). NORM has padding that might not look like much but it is a dense, light weight pad and gives your knees cushion as you set down and keeps those pesky rocks and branches from being so pokey, the padding runs the full length of the mat and the wings, if your elbows are going to be there, that’s an important spot to have some padding in my opinion. One of the more unique features in NORM is the loop side of “hook & loop” fabric, it covers the top 30” of the mat. This fabric serves 2 purposes. One, to be a softer fabric for elbows to rest on and also to hold accessories like a spent brass bag, data book or rear bag in place. Yes, these accessories will also be available as part of the series. Another very unique feature to NORM is the handle. While it serves as a means to carry its first purpose in the design is as a bi-pod stop. You put your bi-pod legs in there and while you are pushing forward your rifle stays put instead of sliding in the rocks, sand or grass. For carrying, there is also an adjustable sling style strap that is ambidextrous, you can move the sling to fit in either corner and carry it left or right shoulder, Oh, the curl, I can’t leave out one of the biggest peeves I have with shooting mats, that curl at the end that happens from rolling the mat up. NORM folds up in a fan-fold manner, this of course means there is no curl, but also makes it really easy to store right next to your rifle case. Myself, the bi-pod stop handle works perfect around the handle of my hard case and it’s more like carrying one item instead of two. I honestly feel I designed one of the best USA made, long range mats on the market and once you try OffHand Gear you won’t want anything else!

To order yours or find out more, check out the NORM in our AG & AG store.

SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/a-look-at-the-new-norm/

TWANGnBANG Takes on AR500’s UHMWPE

By

Keith Finch

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June 5, 2018

We’ve talked a few times about AR500’s new Polyethylene SAPI Plates.

I’ve been using them and the AR500 Valkyrie carrier for several months with a great review.

That the plates work is without question the, NIJ shot quite a pile of them in order to verify that they do.

But if you were curious on how the plates actually work? This video does an excellent job explaining.

Check out the plates and the carriers and start an armor set up. Well worth the investment.

DOCUMENTING YOUR TRAINING AND PRACTICE

By

A Girl and a Gun

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June 4, 2018

If you have to use your gun in self-defense, you will find yourself in a lengthy legal process. How will you demonstrate that you acted appropriately? How will you prove that your decision was based on knowledge, rather than panic or over-reaction? Could you articulately convince a judge or jury of your peers that your actions were justifiable?

Your legal defense may balance on your awareness of how long it takes you to draw your pistol, do a reload, or clear a malfunction. You may have to explain how quickly someone moving toward you could close distance to physically attack you, or your ability to get an effective hit on an attacker at different distances, or even your understanding of the law and Use of Force. This is not knowledge obtained haphazardly; this is information that you have learned through firearms training classes, sessions, and drills.

When you take a professional firearms course at KR Training, Karl Rehn distributes Course Completion Certificates after each class. He explains that the primary function of the certificate is to prove that you attended the course on a specific date and document that you passed if the course had a graduation test. The certificates could be needed for state carry permit applications or other requirements, and many shooters use class certificates and ratings to track their skill level and improvement. This documentation could also be used as part of your legal defense when you have been charged in criminal court or sued in civil court. It could help court officials understand your mindset leading to your decision to shoot in self-defense and ultimately prove that your actions were reasonable and justifiable.

If you take notes during a class, take them on a digital device or take a photo of the notes, so that both documents are time-stamped. Save them in a dedicated training folder in “the cloud” that you can access even if your phone or computer is seized as evidence. The most court-proof way to document your training is to make a hard copy of all your class notes, a copy of the class certificate, and a jump drive of any photos, digital handouts, videos, or other content related to the course, and put it all in a sealed envelope that you mail it to yourself via certified mail and keep it sealed. That creates a postmarked, date-stamped item that proves what you knew and what your skill level was prior to the incident.

You may already be documenting your training and practice in a legally useful way without realizing it: social media posts (photos, videos, and posts), as well as registration and attendance at events run by AG & AG or other groups, including shooting matches. Magazine subscriptions, online forums, and blogs you follow also influence your training. If you read something that makes an impression on you, include it in your Shooting Journal along with notes from your practice sessions, match experiences, and professional training courses.

One last thing to call attention to is how you can hurt your defense by something you might be doing unknowingly and unintentionally. If you ever have to use lethal force to save your life or protect a life of another, your character will be called into question. Your persona on social media will paint a portrait of your character. The memes that are somewhat inappropriate, controversial, or what you think is funny, will be used to describe your mindset. Signs in your home that say “we don’t call 911” or bumper stickers on your car that say “keep honking, I’m reloading” will sabotage your defense as you are trying to prove your analytical mindset and your understanding of the law and Use of Force.

Your Shooting Journal

If you have not downloaded your AG & AG Shooting Journal, start today to track your knowledge and skills. The information and worksheets will help to keep you organized. The drills give you simple ways to improve your shooting skills and document your improvement. Karl Rehn advises to use your phone to document the drills: photos of the targets, with the times and scores saved either by taking a photo of handwritten notes, sending yourself an email, or using a note taking app.

SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/document-your-training-and-practice/

New shooters? “You gotta pay your dues”

By

Keith Finch

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June 4, 2018

From Team Hollis

Are you a new shooter?

Are you attempting to pave a little footpath in this sport?

Are you a little discouraged? Have you been working really hard and have had little in the was of results?

Look no further.. I’ve spent the past year busting my backside. Shooting, dry runs, technique drills, prep work, research, you name it. I have little to show results wise, and boy does that sting. Not towards others in a bad way, but because I expect more from myself. I set my standards high, often too high for my own good.

I started shooting competitively a little over 2 years ago. I watch other shooters compete and have great runs, with fast times and accurate shots. Then I try, and it’s usually a hot mess. My husband who has been around firearms his entire life, can pick up a 9mm and grab a zero within a breath or two.

Revelation time.

It takes A LOT of time to be good. It takes a lot of hard work and even more patience to shoot well. Yes it’s going to be hard, but nothing worth having ever came easy.

Competitive shooting is one where gender doesn’t matter. Male & female standard.. All the same. As it should be. Just because you’re a female, doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t shoot well. Same goes for a new male shooter. Figure out what works for you, and stick with it. Don’t be afraid to fail again and again. Over and over, until you finally get it. Most would agree, males dominate this sport.. Respectfully, so what. Go out, pick up your 9mm and start shooting.

Be open to criticism. Be open to help, and ask for it when you know you need it. Be a student of this sport. Go to seminars, classes and conferences. Invest in it if you truly want to be good.

Don’t be afraid to speak up at competitions. Tell them you’re a newer shooter. As long as you are a safe shooter and you follow the rules, I guarantee they will help and offer for guidance.

Those winning now, those shooting fast accurate runs, have been working on their craft for a very long time. Hundreds, and even probably thousands of repetitions and hours of practice.

Pay your dues & put the time in if you want to be good. And if you stick with it long enough, eventually success will find you.

——-

Candace / TeamHollis

HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEARNER

By

A Girl and a Gun

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June 3, 2018

5 Fundamentals Of Pistol Marksmanship Partnered with 5 Key Points of Effective Learning

If you’ve ever tried to teach someone how to shoot a handgun, or tried to learn from a friend or family member, it may not have gone as smoothly as you expected.Over the last 11 years Julianna Crowder has taught thousands of people to shoot handguns, and along the way taken note of core principles that help aspiring shooters to be more effective learners. Mapped onto the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship, here are Julianna’s 5 key points for effective adult learning.

5 FUNDAMENTALS

Be ready to learn. Just as a pistol shooter is told to “find your feet,” the effective learner has to cultivate a mental stance of openness and decide that the time is right to acquire a new skill. The teacher should utilize this attitude of readiness by adopting a flexible approach and looking for teachable moments as they present themselves.
Know the whys and hows. For the student, it is empowering to understand why learning certain information is necessary for accuracy and safety, and how mastering this knowledge puts them in control of the outcome. Awareness of these factors is important to be able to “find your grip” and productively confront fear or anxiety.
Explore different learning styles. People generally favor either a visual, auditory or tactile approach to learning, and it is in the best interest of both student and teacher to identify the style that works best. The best way to do this is to start out emphasizing all three until it becomes clear which one works best. Think of this as analogous to how the pistol shooter focuses on a target by matching sight picture and sight alignment.
Use a familiar framework. Just as proper trigger control requires incorporating kinetic feedback from the gun into muscle memory, the student progresses by internalizing the learning process. I like to use students’ life experiences to develop frameworks for learning. An athletic person may have an easier time understanding examples from other kinds of physical activity, while someone grappling with fear may need a psychological perspective on how to block out negative impulses from the brain.
Good pistol shooting requires effective follow-through, and so does learning. It is critical that learners maintain a high level of enthusiasm and willingness to grow. A teacher can encourage that by being positive and encouraging, helping the student to deal with frustration while respecting their intelligence and maturity level.

Understanding these fundamentals of learning is important if you want to coach a friend or family member who is learning to shoot, but the that familiarity with these key points can be just as helpful to whoever is on the learning end. Both the teacher and the learner can work together most effectively if they are working on the same principles and striving toward the same goals.

If you are looking for an instructor, take a moment and read our recommendations on how to find the right instructor for you and check out our list of caring qualified instructors across the country.

SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/how-to-be-an-effective-learner/

Concealable Armor for the Civilian World

By

Travis Pike

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June 3, 2018

Concealing a handgun is a pretty standard affair these days. If you are reading GAT Daily I’m going to assume to either conceal carry, want to, or are aware of the CCW phenomenon. A concealed gun is great, but what about concealable armor? We live in a world with an industry that has immense coverage and can provide almost anything you desire. The civilian side of the armor market has explosively grown and just keeps growing. Today we are going to look at three different options for concealable armor for the civilian.

Why armor?

Certainly, not everyone needs some form of concealable body armor. The idea that the average person doesn’t need armor at all is silly. There are lots of jobs and situations where some form of concealable armor can be a lifesaver. I worked a repo gig in a state that bars repo workers from carrying guns. What exactly could I do? It was a dangerous job and I eventually got out of it since I couldn’t legally defend myself. I was lucky enough to have a job to leave too. If I couldn’t I’d at least want some form of protection.

Not Exactly Concealable

Other dangerous, but somewhat mundane jobs include running a convenience store, driving an ambulance, or even just dropping off and delivering a large some cash. These are dangerous tasks and being unprepared isn’t an excuse.

Concealing It

Concealing body armor is a challenge. It’s obviously much larger than a handgun, and you can’t just tuck it in your waistband. Concealable armor means compromise. Concealing armor panels can be challenging, but these options do give users an excellent combination of protection and concealability.

The Concealable Armor Shirt

So the first is a combination of two products. One from Tru-Spec and one from Premier Body Armor. The Tru-Spec Men’s concealed armor shirt is a skin-tight shirt that features moisture wicking technology called Tru-Dri. It fits like a standard sports undershirt but offers a 10”x12” pocket on the front and back of the shirt to accommodate a soft armor panel.

The shirt is quite comfortable, and the pockets are heavily reinforced to support the panel and keep it in place. The collar is also reinforced and prevents the shirt from sagging with the weight of the panel.

Concealing the shirt is extremely easy. Put it on, and put a shirt over it. I found button downs to work the best to break up the outline of the panel. Under some t-shirts, the top line of the panel shows slightly. A button down eliminates this issue and makes the shirt invisible.

The EDC Bag

As EDC bags become more and more common we are seeing small, and compact panels coming out designed to fit them. I keep an Angel Armor Ally One 9″x12″ panel on hand for use in my favorite sling bags, laptop bags, and backpacks. It fits perfectly in a wide variety of bags, including my Vertx Commuter, my T3 Bolt Bag, and BFG Jedburgh backpack.

When properly used it can be rotated around the body for facing a threat head-on, or placed behind the back for a safe retreat. These panels can be real lifesavers in terrorist attacks involving explosives and shrapnel.

This is a simple and comfortable way to carry concealable armor when you need it and leave it behind when necessary.

Phalanx Defense Concealed Carrier.

Our above two options are soft armor and are designed to resist pistol and shotgun rounds. This is the hard armor choice for fighting against rifle rounds. The PD Concealed Carrier disguises itself as a briefcase and can hold two armor plates. Soft armor fits, but hard armor is the way to go with this carrier.

It’s quick and easy to open and don in an emergency and looks like a simple nylon bag when it’s disguised. This isn’t a fighting carrier, but a surviving carrier. It’s the only option I can see to carry around a set of hard armor without being noticed.

The carrier and plates are available from AR500.com and are surprisingly affordable. It’s hard to beat hard armor in briefcase form.

Is it For You?

Concealable Armor isn’t for everyone, and it’s not always needed. However, for undercover officers, repo men, and other low profile but dangerous jobs, there are options out there. Stay safe and stay prepared.

Sunday Sermon: Win

By

Keith Finch

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June 3, 2018

This is not a contest of champions…

This is not sporting combat…

This is not a duel for honor…

It is not a bar brawl, a scuffle, a UFC match, Olympic wrestling, or settling your differences at the treeline…

This is a fight for your life and it has but one rule… Win.

Lethal threats are in a league of their own. They’re a force unto themselves and that is why the rules get so simple. You must survive. Their survival is optional. You need to come to these conscious conclusions now, it cannot wait until the hour is upon you and the measure of your life and will is to be tested.

Choose now to win and understand that when violence of that unique nature is threatened unto you and yours that you will meet it swiftly, overwhelmingly, and skillfully with your own.

Now is the moment to seek your advantages. Horde them like the precious treasure they are. Cover and concealment, terrain advantage, noise discipline, light discipline, site defense plan, site escape plan, overwhelming force and firepower… let all of these available tools form your response to anyone who would try and take that most precious and nonnegotiable gift from you, your life and those whom you cherish.

After Action Review (AAR) of Sentinel Concepts Practical Shotgun Class

By

MASF

-

June 3, 2018

By: Baraka Ulrich James, Founder/Chairman MASF Modern American Shooting & Firearms 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization

Originally Published in MASF Quarterly Online Magazine Fall 2015 issue

Class Overview:
Though I have been shooting for well over 20 years and I have taken many firearms training classes from some of the countries top instructors, this was my first shotgun class. The reason I decided to take this class specifically is that like many Americans my primary firearm of choice for home defense is a 12 gauge shotgun. One of the main things that I’ve learned and try to pass onto others is that you need to train with all of the firearms you own. Having a gun that is untested, unfired, that you’ve never trained with and have nor have any idea of the capabilities of that weapons system makes it a liability that can end up doing you more harm than good and at a time where you may need
it the most. Truly I had no idea what I was in for but to quote our instructor Steve “Yeti” Fisher “the shotgun is a very powerful and violent weapon, it beats you up so you must know how to handle it”. Steve taught us just how to do that. Our class consisted of 15 students total who brought various types of shotguns, anything from pump shotguns, semi-auto shotguns, side by sides to high end big money brands. Steve told us all ahead of time “bring what you have in your house and train with that”.

Equipment:
At the beginning of class shortly after the student introductions, Steve had all of his students show him what shotguns they brought to train with. He inspected all 15 students shotguns and made various assessments of everyone shotguns. Many people had a lot of things that Steve said were not “ideal” such as heat shields, pistol-grip stocks with built in side saddles, slings, rail mounts that were either in the way of the sites or on the forends. Steve explained that for home defense the two most important things you need on your shotgun is a white light and an additional source of ammo outside of what is in and on the shotgun.

Personal Equipment notes: 10561050_692177607532643_1176270414_n
I brought two of the three shotguns I own (pictured right) On the left, My 12 gauge Mossberg 500 with Magpul FDE Furniture (both forend and stock), on the forend is the Gripstop , TacStar SideSaddle Shotshell 6 shell Ammo Carrier loaded with Remington double ought 12 gauge Buckshot. On the right, My 12 gauge USSG SXS (side by side) Double Barrel 20″ Shotgun aka the Coach Gun.

Regarding my Mossberg 500. When I had the forend replaced from the stock Mossberg one to the Magpul FDE one, the castle-nut was not tighten completely and twice during training the forend came off completely. Steve fixed it once (pictured below) with his Series 3 Multitasker Tool

But later it broke again due to the threads of the tube being messed up. As a result as Steve tried to fix it he Guillotine'ed his thumb and ended up cutting a chuck out of it (pictured below) and had to once again had to call upon histrusty Series 3 Multitasker Tool to perform some in field minor surgery. — But later it broke again due to the threads of the tube being messed up. As a result as Steve tried to fix it he Guillotine’ed his thumb and ended up cutting a chuck out of it (pictured below) and had to once again had to call upon histrusty Series 3 Multitasker Tool to perform some in field minor surgery.

Class Breakdown:
The first thing Steve explained, demonstrated and taught us was about patterning your shotgun ammo. Steve shot various shotgun loads, various brand shotguns, at various distances and showed us all how different brands / manufactures loads patterned. Depending on the brand of the load, the brand of the shotgun and the distance you were shooting made all the difference when it came to what kind of spread impacted the target. For instance at 10 and 15 yards “Federal flight control 12 gauge buckshot” left a rat hole that we were all amazed to see revealing a huge fallacy that most believe. That fallacy Steve revealed is that you can miss with a shotgun, it is not just aim from the hip and whatever is in front of it is hit as one would believe from watching movies, you must aim a shotgun just like any other firearm or you may miss you intended target! Another huge revelation that many were surprised to learn is that buckshot penetrate much deeper than slugs. Want another? Buckshot and slugs can both be out to 100 yards and beyond from a smooth bore / non-rifled shotgun. Last one… racking the slide on a shotgun does not serve to “scare” any potential intruders, what it actually does is reveal two things to said intruder(s) 1) where you are and 2) that you have a shotgun, giving them more information that they could potentially use against you.

Lessons that I learned:

1: The Push / Pull method helps not only to mitigate recoil but also increases your accuracy and consistency when shooting

2: How to unload a shotgun properly without just racking the gun repeatedly as your shells fly out and you damage them from repeatedly doing so.

3: You can load and reload a shotgun very fast with the methods and practice that Steve showed us in class

4: A sling on a shotgun can be very cumbersome and in a home defense scenario is definitely not recommended and can actually hinder you

5: When using a shotgun one of the basic rules of firearm safety becomes even more vital of: knowing your target and what is beyond it

6: The reason having a mounted white light on your shotgun for home defense is so vital is for positive identification of the intended target.

7: Red dots sites instead of the traditional beard site such as the Aimpoint T1 or a Trijicon RMR are excellent on shotguns.

8: Steve left off with a very good piece of wisdom “do not try to memorize and regurgitate what he or any other instructor teaches you, it is what you learned from their teachings, what you took away that counts”

9: If you want to know and learn more then seek out the proper instruction from a reputable instructor! Do not “fall in Love’ with one instructor and just train from them elusively. Always be open to learn, ask questions and practice / apply what you learn.

I leave off with this:
I believe that all hard-work in life deserves praise and acknowledgement. Steve Fisher is a MASTER of his craft! He knew when to be hard on us and when to make us burst out laughing with his awesome sense of humor. With 15 students he still found time to give each and everyone of us his own personal attention. A testament to that is that one of our
MASF Modern American Shooting & Firearms members Allen Sams brought his 17 year old daughter with him to train with us. She had never taken a single firearms class in her life and
ran a 20 gauge Remington 870. She never complained once!

Lexy Sams 1st Gun class at 17 years old. 16 hours of Shotgun training.

She followed Steve’s instruction perfectly, was accurate,
determined and made not only her father extremely proud
but Steve and all of us as well. We were proud to see one
of the next generation of Americans getting passed down
a skill and proud American tradition. Lexy Sams, thank you
for doing so well, we are so proud of you, may God continue
to bless you young lady!

Steve never rejected or chastised anyone regardless of the
question and as a result not one question went unanswered.
Steve was not only generous with his time but took time after
class to answer and address questions that people had one
on one. I am proud to now say that I am a student of Steve
“Yeti” Fisher and I am completely looking forward to more
classes with him. I cannot say enough good things about this monster of a man at 6′ 5″ who people have kindly nicknamed “The Yeti” it was truly an honor and an experience I will never forget! Thank you Steve!

Yes all 15 of our classmates did extremely well and we have come closer as a community. Thank you all for a great class! I look forward to training with you all again in the near future! Please stay safe and remain vigilant! Godspeed – Baraka Ulrich James

SOURCE ARTICLE: http://masf.co/2016/02/11/after-action-review-aar-of-sentinel-concepts-practical-shotgun/