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November 14th, 2008

Dear Friend,

Good morning!

I have an excellent issue of the Armed American Report for you this week- let’s get right into it!

== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==

See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website:
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/

“If You Bought a Gun This Week…”

“…Gun owners were soundly defeated in this election….
…We must examine why this happened…”

by Kathy Jackson

If you bought a gun this week, you’re not alone. While exact figures aren’t yet available, gun stores across the nation reported record-breaking sales in the days following the national election.

“Sales have been… well… brisk. Maybe a better word would be insane. We’ve sold out of everything three times over, and we’re bringing in more guns as fast as we can find them and call in favors. If you’re waiting for something, let’s put this in perspective. I talked to Stag the day before the election and they had received orders for 6,000 rifles in the last few days. They were out 4 weeks [backordered], and that was before” the election, reports Larry Correia of FBMG, Inc., a gun store near Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] When I talked to him Saturday night, he added that sales had only gone up since the blog entry that quote came from was written, and that Saturday had been their biggest sales day in the history of the store.

FBMG was not alone in that. According to an AP report, on Election Day, Franklin Gun Shop (near Nashville, Tennessee) experienced their biggest sales day since the shop opened eight years ago. Guns & Gear (Cheyenne, Wyoming) also set a one-day sales record last Tuesday, only to break that mark on Wednesday.[2]

Even before the ballots were counted, firearms sales — measured by the number of background checks run through NICS — were up 10 to 15% over the numbers reported in October 2007. “The increase in firearms sales was predictable,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. “It’s clear from President-elect Obama’s voting record, and the promises that he continues to make, that gun control will be coming back to the White House. Eloquent rhetoric notwithstanding, sportsmen, gun owners and prospective gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly.”[3]

Blah, blah, blah … so far, I haven’t told you anything you didn’t already know, assuming you’ve been in a gun store at all this week. You’ve seen the lines and felt the tension in the air. Pretty much everywhere, gun owners are asking themselves, “Now what?”

Here’s my plan.

Don’t Panic. Gun owners have seen and endured worse political times. Besides, if worse comes to worst — we’ve got the guns. What is there to panic about?

Admit the Truth. The truth is that there’s a gun-grabber in the White House. And the party most traditionally associated with the loss of firearms rights is most definitely and assuredly in complete control of both the House and the Senate. And the majority of the voting population put them there.

Admit the Whole Truth. The rest of the unpalatable truth above actually contains a germ of hope. It’s this: that party “most traditionally associated with the loss of firearms rights” isn’t actually all that energized about grabbing guns this time around. Sure, Obama’s extremely anti. But the rest of the crew, not so much. After all, firearms ownership is not the private property of conservative Republicans: it belongs to Americans of all political stripes.

Celebrate the Good. Gun owners this week have done more to spur the national economy than all the planners of stimulus checks ever hoped for. That’s good for the economy and good for retailers and good for manufacturers … and it frightens the anti-firearms brigade. What more could you want out of life? True to form, some crotchety types are already griping about the positive news that a lot of people are buying guns. Get over it, guys. The surge in gun ownership is a good thing. You think the politicians aren’t watching the numbers? Those people live and die by the numbers! Welcome the new gun owners. They may well be our salvation.

Embrace Diversity. Despite what the professional anti-firearms-rights folks want everyone to believe, firearms owners come in every color, adhere to every religion, and live in every part of the country (both rural and urban). One participant in an online discussion group wrote, “At the Tulsa Gunshow yesterday I saw the most unlikely mix of people buying hicap pistols and rifles, and lots,and lots,and lots of mags and ammo. Yuppies, gays, lesbians, old ladies (black and white), Hispanics, gothics and even a smelly neo hippy vegan or two all buying guns and all of them with very determined looks on their faces. I saw people who I would never have imagined in a million years carry AR15s, SKSs, M11/9 clones, G3 Clones over their shoulders and often carrying a case of ammo.”[4] This is the way things are supposed to be. Firearms rights belong to every American.

Don’t Be Selfish. Okay, now we’re really getting into it. I don’t mean, “Don’t be selfish and cling to your gun (and your religion)…” Cling away! But don’t be selfish in planning for the future. If you are one of the bajillion gun owners who bought a gun this week, it’s probably because you’re worried about the future of gun rights in this country. So now is not the time to plan only for your own firearms collection. Start planning now for the firearms your children and grandchildren will own. If you want your children or grandchildren legally able to inherit the firearm you purchased this week, what are you doing to make that happen?

Get Active. So, admit the truth. You bought a gun (or two or three) this week because you are worried about the future of firearms rights. Now’s the time to put that fearful energy to better use than simply “clinging” to the physical objects in your safe. Cling to the idea of gun ownership by throwing some money and time into your local gun rights organizations. Get on their email lists so you know what’s going on. Write to your representatives (yes, even the ones playing for the other team) and welcome them into office. Let them know you’ll be watching them. If you’ve never visited your state capitol, plan to make a trip one day soon and let your politicians know what issues motivate you to vote.

Remember All Politics Are Local. The old adage is more true today than it ever was before. Despite the huge uproar that a national election makes, local assaults on freedom happen all the time. The ones that succeed are copied elsewhere and eventually appear on the national stage. The ones that fail … fail. And the old bit about fighting City Hall? Let’s turn to Jeff Cooper for that one: “It is interesting to hear certain kinds of people insist that the citizen cannot fight the government. This would have been news to the men of Lexington and Concord…” When gun owners take care of local politics, national politics are much friendlier toward gun owners.

Take the Long View. In the short term, we may need to batten down the hatches and prepare to battle a storm of ill-conceived political notions with dreary work like writing letters, making phone calls, and lobbying our representatives. In the long term, though, our firearms rights depend upon the number of other gun owners and voters we can bring to our cause. Whenever an experienced gun owner takes a new shooter to the range, our firearms rights become just that much more secure. And here’s the good news: the work it takes to bring a new gun owner into the fold is fun! All you need is a firearm you’re willing to share (got a .22 in that safe?), a commitment to safety, and a willing attitude.

Take a Friend to the Range. Okay, so you’re convinced that the future of gun ownership lies in the hands of new shooters everywhere. Wonderful! Now turn to your friends and neighbors and get them to the range. Yes, even those icky liberals. Especially those liberals. If every person who reads these words takes just one friend to the range, creating a single new shooter every month for a year, our firearms rights would be in good hands. It’s up to you.

Sharpen Your Own Skills. If you’re going to take people to the range with you, you’d better know what you’re doing and how to keep them safe. Not too sure you’re ready for that? Sign up for a professional training class. Take another firearms class. Become a certified RO for a shooting sport. Join the NRA and become a certified firearms instructor. Whatever it is, take the next step so you are ready, able and prepared to get new shooters up and running safely.

Don’t Quit. It’s easy to get discouraged, and most people are more inclined to sprint than to marathon. Nevertheless, we didn’t get into this position overnight, and we won’t get out of it overnight. Do what you can, when you can, as much as you can. And keep up the good work.

Underneath this article, I’ve attached a list of all the local gun-rights organizations I could find. Some of them are active and wonderful and vibrant. Some of them not too much. Some of them are ideologically pure and some of them are pragmatic compromisers. And a few of these organizations (to judge by the websites) sure look as if they could use a hand. What you decide to do about that is up to you.

Kathy Jackson is the Managing Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine.

State and Local Gun Rights Organizations

(Visit THIS link to open a page with TONS of State and Local Gun Rights Organizations! This page was part of Kathy’s article, but wouldn’t fit in the Armed American Report itself!)

[1] SOURCE (Incidentally, this linked blog post is an amusing and encouraging read.)

[2] SOURCE

[3] Press release from National Shooting Sports Foundation, http://www.nssf.org

[4] http://wethearmed.com/index.php/topic,795.msg9049.html#msg9049

== Review of the Kelly Kettle
written by Cody S. Alderson

USCCA GEAR REVIEW

This week’s review is long with lots of photos. There is even a video supplemental to the article. The link is at the end of the article. This product deserves the work and detail that I have put into creating this review. I like this product so much that I wanted to really tell you everything about it that I discovered and learned from the family who makes it.

The Kelly Kettle is not made in the U.S.A. It it is definitely not made in China either! It is made in Ireland by the Kelly family who has been making it for four generations. Patrick Kelly was my contact with the company. Patrick called my cellphone and left a message, as I wasn’t able to take the call at the time. His Irish accent was only slight compared to the exaggerated efforts we hear from actors on television and in movies here in the U.S.

Below is a photo of Patrick Kelly’s grandfather Jim Kelly (seated in the center) along the shores of Lough Conn, where the Kelly Kettle began, with a group of Welsh Anglers in 1964. Patrick told me,

“We have been supplying our kettles for four Generations now. However, it is only in the last three years or so that their appeal has grown significantly worldwide. My Brother Seamus and I purchased the company from our Father three years ago and I suppose brought our Marketing and Commercial Banking experience to what, up to then, was a relatively small family enterprise.”

I’m glad that Patrick and Seamus are distributing their family’s product worldwide. In my humble opinion, I recommend that everyone have a Kettle on hand at least for emergency use. I’ll be using mine even out in the yard at night making hot water for some hot chocolate with marshmallows. It will go with me on day hikes too. I’m also going to keep this piece of kit in the vehicle for any occasion when I want or need some hot water.

The Kelly Kettle boils water for whatever you may need to boil water for. It does the job absolutely perfect using practically any burnable materials that can be stuffed into the base and then lit. Let me tell you a little about how I feel about having the ability to heat water practically anywhere at anytime:

I’ve spent a little time without heat. No problem. Take some time to protect the pipes from freezing, grab a blanket, and wait for the furnace fixers to show up. I’ve also been without water. No problem. We have stored water. I’ve been without electricity too. That’s fine. I need a break from writing, and too much TV rots the brain anyway.

I’ve been without hot water, and that is just downright annoying to say the very least. It’s not too tough to heat up a good quantity of stored water, even if all of the utilities are out, if there is a fueled up camp stove or barbecue grill around. However, during an emergency evacuation, it is unlikely that the barbecue or the camp stove will be in the Bug-Out-Bag (B.O.B.), and fuels like propane run out sooner or later.

Whether evacuating by means of the family minivan or on foot, the average B.O.B. has a means of making fire. Taking the time to make a full-size fire to heat up some water for coffee, tea, personal hygiene, the baby’s bottle, or to rehydrate some dehydrated meals is time and resource consuming. It is also tactically compromising, depending on the situation.

I didn’t know about the Kelly Kettle until a USCCA subscriber asked me about it. I had never heard of it, and I’m researching stuff almost to the point of my eyes starting to bleed. He sent me a private message on the USCCA forums asking me if I knew anything about the Kelly Kettle. By the way, the forums are a great way to get to know some of our fellow USCCA members. I like to participate on the forums. If not, I would not have heard about the Kelly Kettle. I’d like to thank our fellow USCCA member Vernon Thompson of Huntington, W.V. for telling me about it.

This is one piece of kit that everyone should have in their survival bag, whether you call it a Bug-Out-Bag or some other cool sounding name. I cannot stress how much I am pleased with the performance of the Kelly Kettle, which is also known as the Volcano Kettle. Both registered trademarks are owned by the Kelly Kettle Company.

The design is old, tried, and true. That’s why I like it so much. It’s a double walled kettle that is wider at the base on the inside, and tapers to a narrow chimney opening at the top. Below is a photo of the inner wall/chimney of the Kettle. All photos in this article were taken after the Kettle was used and then cleaned up with some steel wool and soap. This thing is durable, simple to use, and meets my number one criteria of being suitable for its intended use.

The inner wall works perfectly as a flue to draw up air from the base, and that lets a tiny fire boil water in less than five minutes.

Between the inner and outer walls of the Kettle is a space that holds water. There is a fill spout just to the side of the top opening of the chimney (see photo below). The Kettles come in 1 pint, 1.75 pint, and 2.5 pint sizes by themselves, and in kit form. Cook sets, replacement parts, and accessories can be purchased separately.

There is a real cork on a metal chain that is used for transporting cold water to the fire base only. Never put the cork in place when the Kettle is on the fire or hot. Pressure will either make the cork a projectile, or it could cause a catastrophic failure of the Kettle. The Kettle isn’t designed for long-term transport of water such as filling it and putting it in a pack for later use. It is designed to be filled from the local water source and used. Much the same as a cook pot isn’t designed to carry water while out hiking, but is used to hold water for cooking at the time of use.

The basic Kettle comes with the self-contained Kettle and a base that will hold the materials that will be burned. The base stores inverted in the bottom of the Kettle. The Kettle pictured in the video supplemental and the article photos is the one with the cook set. The cook set has a pot support that attaches to the chimney of the large Kettle, a small pot with lid (the lid can be used as a small cooking container too), a handle, and a grate for the base so that the small pot can be placed right above the fire in the base when the Kettle is not heating water.

The Kettle is for heating water. It isn’t for cooking stuff in the Kettle. It is so easy to use, it is perfect for those who aren’t adept at making fire or other camping types of skills. Gather some tinder such as a piece of paper, a piece of fabric, dryer lint, strips of dried bark, or practically anything that lights and burns quickly. (Obviously one would want to know what their tinder is. Using dead poison ivy would cause a world of problems that one would especially not want in a survival situation). Put the tinder in the bottom of the base. Put some twigs, cardboard, wood chips, or even camel dung, like it says on the Kelly Kettle website, on top of the tinder. Put the Kelly Kettle on top of the base with water in it, and light the tinder. You might have to blow into the air hole in the base to get things going, but in less than five minutes you will have boiling water.

The Kettle can be kept going by adding more water and more fuel. Just drop small pieces of whatever the fuel is right down the chimney of the Kettle. It works perfectly.

Never use an accelerant. Not only would that be dangerous, it is not needed. The shape of the Kettle, with the fire base, makes it possible to heat water even while out in the rain. Wind is okay too. The base protects the fuel.

The Kettle should only be on a fire when there is water in it. Even when using the pot support on top of the chimney, there still has to be water in the Kettle. It should never be heated dry. The cook set is not designed for cooking raw foods. It is made for reheating things like a can of soup, some pork and beans, or reheating a cooled off re-hydrated meal. It isn’t for frying up a bacon double cheeseburger.

When I used to go night fishing, I would have been much happier to have had a Kelly Kettle with me. When I first started camping, I would have been a happier camper, pun intended, to have had a Kelly Kettle then too. Now I’ve got one. Not only has the Kelly Kettle been made by four generations of the same family, this is a piece of gear that could very well last for four generations of use. Everything is made of metal except for the wooden part of the carry handle and the real cork stopper. The Kettle and cook set are made of aluminum. The only really modern material is the bag to hold the Kettle. I’d like to see them market a heavy cotton canvas bag for it. That wouldn’t be suitable for the backpacking crowd who wants to go super lightweight, but it would be good for me.

For the backpackers who count every gram, the steel handle of the Kettle can be removed and replaced with a piece of wire. It just takes a little extra precaution when removing the Kettle from the fire. The cork and chain can be removed too. Even the fire base can be left at home, and the Kettle supported on a couple of small stones over a small fire. It is really versatile.

Below is a photo of the handle. It is all aluminum and grabs the edge of the pot or lid in a plier-like fashion.

The following photo is the base with the grate on it, and I am holding the pot suspended just above the grate using the handle on the pot.

Here is a closer look at the base with the grate on it. For normal use of just boiling water in the Kettle, the grate would not be used. The grate is to support the pot directly over the fire.

To boil some water and reheat something at the same time, just use the pot support on the chimney. Remember to never have the Kettle on the fire without water in it, and never have the cork in the spout when the Kettle is hot or being heated. Below is a photo of the pot support on the chimney with the pot in place.

The Kettle is really light, but don’t think that it is thin walled like a soda pop can. It is thick enough to be able to hold up to the rigors of daily outdoor use. That is daily use, not occasional use. I could use this Kettle everyday without there being an issue with it. The only thing that I could even predict a problem with would be the cork deteriorating over time, or possibly the storage bag tearing. That’s why I personally want a canvas bag made by the Kelly family. I could buy one somewhere else, but I’m all into keeping this piece of kit authentic.

Here are two photos of the whole set, in the bag and out of the bag. Store the handle in the pot, the lid on the pot, with that combo in the base, and the grate and pot support disassembled and stuffed into the chimney, with the fire base inverted into the chimney. It fits neatly into the compact storage bag. The other photo is that same large Kettle Kit showing the contents spread out.

As of the writing of this article the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and the Pound Sterling is in our favor here in the U.S. There is still time to order the Kelly Kettle to have it arrive before Christmas. If you do anything outdoors such as hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, camping, bird watching, studying plant taxonomy, or hanging around out in the yard at night with friends and family, then the Kelly Kettle will quickly become a tradition for you as it is for me. It took me five minutes to make the Kettle part of my life like the anglers have for generations along Lough Conn in Ireland. Even if you are not the outdoorsy type, I still highly recommend that you have a Kelly Kettle packed in your Bug-Out-Bag. This is one piece of gear that won’t require regular practice to be able to use effectively.

As a matter of fact, for me, I am stating that so far this is my favorite product of all time. It’s a new category for me. I can make a knife, a spear, an axe, a hammer, and other emergency survival tools from found materials. I can make some decent weapons too. If push comes to shove, I can do the bow and drill thing to make fire, but I’d much rather prefer a Bic lighter or a pack of matches. I can make shelter, rope, a warm bed, and so many other things too.

I could even improvise cooking tools by scrounging a discarded number ten can (if one was around) to make a hobo stove. But I would rather have the Kelly Kettle with me, no matter what other stuff I had to do without. Just having some plain hot water to drink on a cold night when I’m surrounded in a makeshift bed of dried leaves would be a definite core temperature, as well as moral, booster. So if I’m in a bad situation where I’m doing without, I would pick the Kelly Kettle to have with me if at all possible.

I have a hope of someday being able to have a store that only has in it items that are suitable for what the manufacture says that they are suitable for. So many products are just hype that can leave you without hope in a survival situation. The store would have things like the most reliable guns, the most reliable knives, the best packs for making Bug-Out-Bags, and other stuff like that. On a display at the front of my store would be a stack of Kelly Kettles with a sign that says, “If you don’t buy anything else, don’t leave without buying one of these.”

If you would like an easy to use product that has been in use for generations with its use spreading across the globe instead of being replaced by something supposedly newer and better, then check out the Kelly family’s famous Kettle at www.kellykettle.com.

Here is the link to this week’s Armed American Report Video Supplemental about the Kelly Kettle.

YOUTUBE LINK TO VIDEO SUPPLEMENTAL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4aeXFn6GHE

EMBED CODE:

I would like to hear from you. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the Gear Reviews email me at cody@uscca.us.

Clarification of the Pro-Ears Review: In the article, I indicated using a simple subtraction method of taking the noise that one would be exposed to such as gunfire at around 140 decibels, and subtracting the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of the hearing protection. In this example making the 140 decibel sound of gunfire be 107 decibels at the protected ears using a Pro-Ears or any product rated at a 33 decibel NRR. At 107 decibels that would still be an unsafe sound level. However, sources that I have been able to find indicate that sound at 110 decibels should be limited to no more 30 minutes of exposure per day.

When an NRR is calculated it is done by finding the attenuation of sound across a range of frequencies with the mean being calculated from the attenuation amounts across a set range of frequencies. In other words, they see how much sound is blocked for some higher and lower pitch sounds, then see what the mean number is.

For example, Pro-Ears uses 9 different frequencies checking for attenuation from 125Hz to 8000Hz. At 125Hz the attenuation appears to be 15 decibels according to their published literature. At 8000Hz it appears to be 37 decibels. Now figuring the mean across their listed attenuation for those two frequencies and the other seven frequencies comes out to an NRR of 33 decibels (rounded down). Though it isn’t accurate to just subtract the NRR from the sound that one is exposed to, it works as a rough idea for limiting exposure.

Bottom Line: Pro-Ears makes top quality hearing protection that you can trust to protect your hearing. I trust it to protect my hearing, and I’m not really the trusting type. It is still up to the person exposed to loud sounds to decide whether or not to limit their exposure times over their lifetime due to hearing loss being a cumulative type of damage.

== USCCA Members-Only ==
Forum Highlights

Every paying website member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over sixty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!

If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!

The Most Awkward Situation… EVER

Posted by an anonymous USCCA Member on our Members Only Forum.

My girlfriend and I spent Saturday in the New Orleans French Quarter which is alive with street performances and music acts. One of the best performance groups are the Dragon Masters. We got there just in time for a new show and sat down to enjoy their comedy and break dancing routine. Everything was going great until their grand finale where they pick 7 girls and 1 guy out of the audience, lay them all down flat on the pavement, and do a flying flip over all of them.

Well can anyone guess which guy they single out of the audience of about 300 (most with cameras)……….

Yeah so I politely decline to be a volunteer. I was wearing my usual P7 rig (H&K P7 IWB + 2 extra mags on weak side all barely concealed under a small Polo shirt) and no way was I going to be in the spotlight. They insist and start making jokes about me over the microphone. The girlfriend says yeah go go go go it’ll be fun. No thanks. Go go go go. OK FINE let’s just get this over with.

So the 7 other “volunteers” and I are up in front of everyone lined up. They ask us to get on our knees and bend forward so our head is on the ground. OH GREAT. I manage to pull my shirt down far enough to keep the gun concealed and just do it, hoping this will all be over soon and I can continue my life of anonymity.

Well of course this being a comedy routine and me being the only guy up there they decide to single me out and start making more wisecracks about me. Yeah OK whatever. Just do the stunt and let’s go. Before I can react one of the dancers comes around behind me and pulls my Polo shirt over my head clearly exposing my whole rig! No one says anything and it seemed like the whole show stopped for about 3 seconds. Thankfully, the performers didn’t make a scene of the gun and let me pull the shirt back down. Rather than draw any more attention to myself, I just got back on my knees like it was not a problem and prayed the New Orleans PD didn’t see me.

They finished the stunt without picking on me anymore and then I grabbed the girlfriend and made a quick exit. That’s it end of story. With all the cameras there, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a YouTube video of it soon enough.

Lesson Learned: DON’T BE A VOLUNTEER!

************

== “Criminals FOR Gun Control” ==

USCCA VIDEO OF THE WEEK

View the ‘Video of the Week’ here…

== “Tim-spiration” of the Week ==

USCCA PHOTO OF THE WEEK

                   All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s
                   website: http://www.a-human-right.com/. It is a
                   FANTASTIC site. Please check it out!

USCCA 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…

“No matter what area of life we are talking about: - spirituality, government, poetry - Americans, perhaps more than other peoples tend to forget that the physical matters. The reason that poetry exists is not to make a new rose, tell a new love story, or embellish a war. It exists to show you an aspect of reality that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. It doesn’t improve reality or create an artificial reality. It serves reality. Religion is equal parts body and spirit. Our bodies will be raised on the last day, and that means physically. What we do - stealing, lying, eating gluttonously, fornicating - it causes real pollution to our soul. The body and the soul in mankind are more intimately linked than we can imagine. This soul-body unity is the only reason that we can say moral good or moral evil exist. It is the only way that good or evil come into the world. It is the only reason that Christ could become God-man and die for us.

While the Constitution is wonderful (it innumerate’s some of the rights that all men are naturally entitled to) the only way that it’s words have any meaning is because they are written in the blood of the revolution. Without men to stand up and bleed for those words they would have died before they were ever written and we’d still be colonials today - paying taxes to a foreign potentate without the right of representation. The only reason that a shred of the original force of The Constitution still stands is because there are true public servants who devote their lives to protecting those principles, and true citizens who realize that to make reality mirror our political ideas is to be entirely prepared, both as a nation and personally, to physically tear those freedoms from the dying hands of our oppressors.

I’m not sure when America forgot about the body, but many of us surely have.”

-Zachary O’Meara Good

Self Defense Story OF THE WEEK

Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!

“Shop Owner Defends Self and Child…”
found at: http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html
“A barbershop owner fought back against a would-be armed robber in the city’s West Oak Lane section.

It happened at ‘Cross Cutz’, on the 7400 block of Briar Road, around 6:07p.m. Thursday.

Police told Fox 29 News that a man in his early 20s stormed the barbershop with a 9mm gun and demanded cash.

The male shop owner forked over everything he had but he and the suspect still got into an altercation, police said.

Minutes later, the shop owner pulled out his own gun and shot the alleged robber in the head. The suspect collapsed right at the door. Police said all of this took place with a 9-year-old boy playing video games in a back room of the business.

“The owner has a 9-year-old son who was in a back room playing video games, in a room right-next-door to where the robbery occurred at the time of the robbery and shooting. However, the 9-year-old boy did not see the actual robbery or shooting,” said Chief Investigator Scott Small of Philadelphia Police.

As police tried to shelter the boy from the scene, medics rushed the wounded suspect to Albert Einstein Hospital where he is in critical condition.

Both weapons were recovered at the scene.

Police are investigating all of the circumstances behind the shooting.”

Closing Thoughts

This week’s question is as follows:

“What if I’m sitting somewhere in public, like a restaurant, and my gun is visible but I don’t know it. Can I get in trouble if someone calls the cops?”

Great question. This is actually one of the most misunderstood situations involving carrying handguns- at least in my mind.

I’ve heard a lot of people warn others that “If your gun ever shows, you WILL be arrested for brandishing a firearm and disturbing the peace.”

Before I say anything, note that I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice!

Anyway, there have been so few people ever arrested or fined for having their gun accidentally show, that in about an hour of Google searching, I couldn’t find any instance of it ever happening.

All of the police officers I have talked to have reaffirmed that to ‘brandish’ a handgun means to ‘wave it around in a threatening manner’. If your gun accident shows, it is highly unlikely (assuming you are legally carrying a legal weapon!) that you will get into any trouble.

You may get asked by the officer to show him your permit, but I can’t see it ever going any further than that.

If any of your have any stories or advice that suggests otherwise, I’d love to print them here! Just shoot me an email:

aar@uscca.us

Do you have a pressing CCW concern that you’d like to get some feedback on? Use the contact form found at this page to let me hear it! Just use the graphic below!

Visit Here for Membership Information!
Want to get your own copy every week? LEARN MORE HERE!

November 7th, 2008

Dear Friend,

As the picture above indicates, today is the LAST day that our Handgun Accuracy package will be on the shelves. At 11:59pm tonight, it’ll be coming down indefinitely.

It’s really a great package, and I encourage you to at least have a look at it. 10% of all the proceeds go to the Fisher House, and I’ve even established almost a hundred bucks worth of product discounts related to Handguns and Handgun training. You get all that with the package.

Check it out and get those orders in before midnight eastern time!

=> Find out more about the Handgun Accuracy Package…
             (and Reserve your own copy if you decide to!)

…when I was new to shooting, I spent hundreds of dollars on ammunition trying to become a great shot. But it turns out that I was throwing that money away- because not only was the practice I was doing not helping my accuracy, but I was reinforcing bad habits- 

Don’t make the same mistake I did.

== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==

See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website: 
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/

“Looking at Conquest”

“…Gun owners were soundly defeated in this election…. 
…We must examine why this happened…”

by XAVIER

It has happened. What Syd so succinctly dubbed the Electoral Apocalypse has occurred. Gun rights advocates lost in the 2008 election. What do we do now? Where do we go from here? 

First, accept defeat with dignity and grace. We must do that. An individual or a group is not characterized in how they achieve victory, but rather in how they accept defeat. We were whooped. Our asses are on a silver platter in front of us. But we do not have to eat. We must determine how this happened and not allow it to happen again. 

I was not surprised that some of my readers would be bemused at my using a MSNBC widget to keep up with the 2008 Presidential election results. But what better way to assess the situation than observing the opponent? The bias that we have seen in the mainstream media will be exposed as they turn on their anointed superhero of 2008. By 2010, Barack Obama will suffer many more slings and arrows than George W. Bush ever did. The mainstream media is not about providing information. They are about power. The power to get someone elected, and then the power to tear them to shreds. Who the President is matters little to these power mongers. Since they felt the taste of power in the taking down of Richard Nixon, they have systematically tried to dismember every President that has held office, whether they helped him achieve that office or not. Barack Obama will not survive this onslaught. His followers are too fickle. 

Barack Obama cannot possibly fulfill all the deluded promises his devoted followers obviously believe he made. He will not buy anyone gasoline, and he will not pay their mortgage. No FEMA cards are going to be available for the economically and socially ignorant. His inability to become the Sugar Daddy to millions of denizens who feel they have been disenfranchised by the Great Right Wing Conspiracy of Hate and Intolerance will cause them to toss him aside with the contempt of a crackhead tossing aside a baggie full of baking soda when the reality of the illusion sets in. Barack Obama will no doubt be remembered as the most ineffectual and perhaps the worst President the United States ever elected. Two years from now, Obama will no longer have the power base he has mobilized. We must preserve our rights until then. 

Gun owners were soundly defeated in this election. Two of the most vehement gun rights abolitionists ever to achieve office are now headed for the leadership of this country. We must examine why this happened. 

Gun owners have allowed themselves to be divided. We must not allow ourselves to be conquered. We must accept any one who wants to legally own and use a firearm, regardless of race, creed, religion, or sexual orientation. The gun abolitionists can not vote against gun rights when over half their constituents own guns and vote for their own human right to self defense. The gun abolitionists can not vote against gun rights when those rights are inextricably tied to human rights and civil liberties. 

There is a reason that gun abolitionists want to preserve hunting. Hunters are easily marginalized. They do not represent a majority of the vote. The same is not true of people who have a need for self preservation and self determination. Those people constitute the entire strata and constituency of the voting public. They cannot be marginalized. We must introduce them to the purpose and true meaning of the second amendment. I know that meaning, most of my readers know that meaning, but did QJ know that meaning? He does now, and it is something he will vote to preserve. 

Gun rights are about self protection, not hunting. We must never allow our opponents to paint us as a group of big game hunters again. We are not just hunters. We must stand up and say who we are. We are mothers and fathers. We are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents. We are black and white, yellow and brown. We are gay, straight, bisexual and asexual. We are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist, and we live in every state in the Union. Our education ranges from doctorates from Harvard and Stanford to GEDs achieved while fighting in the streets of Baghdad. A dusty pick-up truck with a gun rack inside the rear window is not necessary to be one of us. We have one common goal. That goal is the preservation of our right to self defense. That right, that need, is universal. We must never allow ourselves to be portrayed as ignorant rednecks with tobacco juice drooling down our unshaven chins again. 

So I challenge each gun owner reading this. Take an Obama supporter to the range. Teach them to shoot. Teach them about the second amendment. Take away the political left’s power to destroy our rights through the ambivalence of others. If we fail, our enslavement is inevitable.

WHILE teaching you how to MASTER your carry gun…
Your jaw will drop!

== Review of Pro-Ears Gold Series == 
Electronic Hearing Protection
written by Cody S. Alderson

USCCA GEAR REVIEW

I absolutely do not like the feeling that passive (non-electronic) hearing protection gives me when I’m out shooting or just working in an environment where hearing protection is necessary, such as using power equipment. When I put on a pair of regular hearing protection earmuffs, or shove those little foam plugs in my ears, I feel like a big portion of my world has just been shut off. And it has! I can’t hear what I need to hear when I’m taking care of my ears by using passive hearing protection. 

When I am at an indoor range I need to double-up on the passive protection. I put in the foam plugs with a set of ear muffs over them. The pressure wave from gunfire inside is quite a bit different than what one experiences outside. When I’m shooting from behind one of those indoor benches that are made to stand behind, and have side panels that separate me from the shooter standing next to me, I really get a blast in the face when firing even 9mm cartridges. I remember the first time I shot inside behind one of those benches. The muzzle blast reverberated off of those vertical panels and found its way back to my face. It didn’t hurt but it sure was annoying feeling that big POOF hitting me in my face after every shot. 

What we hear is commonly described in relation to its decibel level. Most sources indicate that long term exposure to even 85 decibels will result in hearing loss. For exposure to any source of sound at 140 decibels (some say 130 decibels) it will result in instant and permanent hearing loss. Not necessarily complete deafness, but hearing loss nonetheless. Hearing loss that will be cumulative based on the exposure to the loud sound and for how long. Repeated exposure then would be cumulative adding to the damage to one’s hearing. 

Gunfire most often being over 140 decibels will cause an amount of instant and permanent hearing loss. Does that mean that everyone will go completely deaf the first time that they are exposed to gunfire without hearing protection? No. It does mean that those exposed to gunfire without hearing protection being worn will experience at least some permanent hearing loss that will get worse with repeated exposure. However, it is possible to go deaf being exposed to one gunshot without wearing hearing protection. 

Hearing protection uses a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) that indicates how many decibels incoming sound is lowered by wearing the hearing protection. A point of note when using dual hearing protection such as wearing earplugs and earmuffs that the level of protection is approximately 5 decibels higher than the highest rated product that the user is wearing. So, if your earmuffs are rated at 30 NRR and your earplugs are 27, then the NRR for that setup would be 35 NRR. Since the earmuffs are rated higher than the earplugs you would add 5 to the earmuffs making it a 35 NRR. The two together aren’t 57 NRR that one would suppose by adding the two ratings together. 

If my gun consistently produces 140 decibels I need to lower that to protect me from hearing loss. The way to lower it is to put something between the pressure wave of the gunfire and my ear canals. Foam earplugs, and over the ear earmuffs are the two most common styles of hearing protection. My Pro-Ears Gold Series Electronic hearing Protectors have a 33 NRR. That means they reduce the 140 decibel level of my gun to 107 decibels. According to OSHA they recommend no more than 30 minutes of daily exposure to sound levels of 110 decibels. Since I don’t shoot every single day (though I’d like to) I am not in any danger of exceeding recommended exposure levels. 

A Range Master that doesn’t use a whistle or electronic signal for cease fire or other range commands is going to have some sore vocal chords at the end of the day if all of the shooters are wearing passive hearing protection. Shooters wearing the passive earplugs and earmuffs just can’t hear range commands while gunfire is in progress. That changes when a shooter is wearing a Pro-Ears Gold Series Electronic Hearing Protectors. 

Pro-Ears products aren’t like many of the other electronic hearing protectors on the market. The electronics in these hearing protectors have blown me away. Pardon the pun. Other products clip the sound coming in when it reaches 80 decibels. Gunfire is above 80 decibels, so those types of electronic hearing protectors turn into passive ones at anything 80 decibels or above because they just shut off the incoming sound. Pro-Ears takes sound over 70 decibels and lowers it while simultaneously raising sound levels that are lower than 70 decibels. What that means is that a shooter wearing Pro-Ears Gold Series can hear other sounds while gunfire is in progress. When the Range Master says a command, it can be heard while the line is firing! 

I absolutely am enthralled with my Pro-Ears Gold Series Electronic Hearing Protectors. I use them outside mowing the lawn, or when I am running any type of loud power equipment. They don’t just sit in my range bag waiting for the next time I go shooting. 

I can set a jumper to increase my ability to hear sounds by eight times. For those with hearing loss, the speaker level can be set to a higher level by repositioning another jumper on the circuit board in each earmuff. A jumper is just a little piece of plastic that has metal in it. It fits over two prongs on a circuit board. To change a setting, one just needs to pull it off of one set of prongs and then put it on a different set of prongs. It is easy to do with a pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers.

Wind sounds coming into the Pro-Ears sounds the same as when I’m not wearing hearing protection. Wind is a big issue with some electronic hearing protectors. I listened to the wind buffeting against my ears one day. I compared what the wind sounded like without the Pro-Ears on, and what it sounded like with them on. It sounded the same. We can’t hear other sounds very good when the wind is making that helicopter sound as it blasts into our ear canals. 

Electronic hearing protection won’t fix that, but there is one neat thing about the Pro-Ears that helps with wind noise. Since the electronics bring up sound that is lower than 70 decibels, it would be somewhat easier to detect other sounds in the environment even through a buffeting wind. Also, since the Pro-Ears do not shut off loud incoming sounds, but rather lower them to safe levels, there may be an advantage to this type of electronics in a very windy environment. 

My Pro-Ears also have true stereo sound because of having separate electronic components in each earmuff. Each ear gets its own electronics, batteries, microphone, and volume controls. I like that redundancy, and there isn’t any little wire to break that goes over the head strap like on some units that share the electronics for each cup of the earmuffs. It makes for a system like the real ears I have on my head. If sound is coming from my left I hear it coming from my left just like I would without the Pro-Ears on. I get the same directional sensations with the Pro-Ears on as I do without them. I adjust the volume for each ear and go about my business. I can work, shoot, talk, listen, and be aware even better than without the Pro-Ears on. Better because sound is so clear and distinct. And if I did have diminished hearing in one ear I could compensate by adjusting the volume higher for that ear. 

Another great thing about my Pro-Ears Gold Series is that it has inputs on the earmuffs for me to plug in my MP3 player. I like to download pod casts of Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk radio show at www.guntalk.com, then listen to them while I’m outside mowing the lawn. With my MP3 player hooked up to my Pro-Ears with the included cable, I can listen to whatever is on it through the Pro-Ears. I can choose to adjust the volume on the earmuffs so that I can only hear the player, or I can adjust the volume to be able to hear what’s going on around me, as well as what is playing on the MP3 player. 

To just listen to what is on my MP3 player, I plug it in to the Pro-Ears with the included cable. One end of the cable connects to my player, and the cable splits at the other end to send audio to each earmuff via an input jack built into each earmuff (see photo below). To just listen to what is on the player, I turn each earmuff of the Pro-Ears on, but I don’t turn the volume up. Turning the volume up is just turning up the sound picked up through the microphones on the earmuffs. Turning the volume control to just the “On” position activates the electronics so that I can hear what’s playing on my MP3 player. To adjust my MP3 volume I do it on the player itself. If I want to add some sound of what is going around me I just turn up the volume on the Pro-Ears to a level that suits me.

(Some of the residual dust can be seen in this photo from being out mowing. I just wipe them off and go on with my business. The Pro-ears don’t seem to mind.)

The ProForm Leather™ seals on each ear piece of the Pro-Ears are much more comfortable than any other hearing protection that I have ever worn. If you have only worn earplugs or earmuffs with plastic cushioning I can best explain the difference with an analogy of how it would feel to switch from burlap to silk underwear. And no, I don’t wear silk underwear. Let’s stay on topic people! 

When my Pro-Ears Gold Series were new, I wore them outside mowing the lawn before I had a chance to wear them while shooting. I’m tough on tools when I’m working. I don’t want to have to be careful with tools that are supposed to be able to work harder than me. I wasn’t careful with my new Pro-Ears. 

I sweat when outside working where some of you others may only lightly perspire. I put tools through their paces to get a job done so I can go and do something else like target practicing. We’ve got a couple of spots on our property that is more dirt than lawn, and I sure can kick up a bunch of dust when I go over it with the lawn tractor. If the weather has been dry, I can kick up a dust cloud about sixty feet high and about three-hundred feet long. By the time I’m done mowing, I’ve got a thick coat of dust covering me from head to toe. 

I took off my Pro-Ears after making a big dust cloud, and they looked like an ancient artifact that has been lying untouched for a few thousand years in an Egyptian Pyramid. They were covered in the dust from that huge dust cloud. Hey, I was product testing! It was a cool looking cloud though. The Pro-Ears didn’t have a problem with the dust. They didn’t have a problem with my sweat either. Thanks to sealed military grade electronics. 

I also unintentionally whacked them quite hard when I was getting into a vehicle. I thought I might have broken something on them but they were fine. I knocked them off of my head when I jumped up into a van. I didn’t think to take them off because it’s not like wearing passive hearing protection. I could hear everything going on around me with perfect clarity. I adjusted the volume to mimic the volume that I would naturally hear. After wearing them for awhile, I just forgot that they were there. It’s sort of like a comfortable hat, and how we forget we are wearing one. As a matter of fact the acuity that I had while wearing the Pro-Ears is missed when I’m not wearing them. 

If I was to come up with one negative for the Pro-Ears, it would be a very slight buzzing sound that I could hear from my own voice when I had to yell something to someone else who was a distance away from me. I think that may be due to my own voice causing some sort of resonance with the microphone inputs and earmuff speakers, or possibly due to the decibel level of my voice when yelling something. It was very slight, and only happened when I had to yell.

Pro-Ears electronics have a 1.5 millisecond attack time. That means that in 1.5 thousands of a second the electronics handle the loud sounds and soft sounds coming into your ears without you having do do anything. Inferior electronics in other electronic hearing protection products don’t have that quick of a response time. The response of the Pro-Ears electronics is so quick that if you are shooting steel targets, you will hear the sound of the bullet hitting the steel. How will that help you out if you are a competitive steel shooter? 

The electronics have an 8 bit microprocessor that completes a diagnostic upon powering up. There are two “N” size alkaline batteries per side of the Pro-Ears that give a minimum of 200 hours of service before they need replaced. When the batteries diminish to the point of where there is around 40 hours of use left, the user will hear 10 beeps. This will repeat when only 10% of battery life is left. Then a beep every minute will be heard. 

I want to make mention that there is a battery that looks very similar to the “N” size batteries used by the Pro-Ears which is 12 volts each instead of the required 1.5 volts. Using the wrong batteries will damage the Pro-Ears. 

There is an auto-shutoff that automatically turns the units off after four hours. I wouldn’t use the model that I have on the job, since most work shifts are at least eight hours. I wouldn’t want my on-the-job hearing protectors shutting off right in the middle of trying to hear something important. To turn the units back on, one only needs to turn the volume control off for two to three seconds and then back on. I’m not sure if their industrial models have an auto-shutoff feature. 

Using DLSC™ technology (Dynamic Level Sound Compression) the Pro-Ears lowers sound levels at or above 70 decibels. It doesn’t lower the volume level that you have set the earmuffs to, but actually compresses the loud sound down to a safe level. That means that sounds such as gunfire are heard, but at safe levels. The Pro-Ears electronics are also superior in raising lower decibel sounds such as speech to levels that can be heard even through loud sounds such as gunfire. 

The audio quality features DSR™ (Dynamic Sound Range) which permits the Pro-Ears to give the user an incredible natural sound experience. Gold connectors add to the clarity with gold being the best conductor for most electronic applications.

When you put a set of Pro-Ears on your head it isn’t going to sound like an old AM transistor radio. It brings the world of sound outside of the earmuffs to your ears at safe decibel levels sounding clear, rich, and natural to the ears. 

I said it earlier but I’ll say it again. This product isn’t some cheap inferior electronic hearing protector that just cuts off the sound when it gets too loud to be safe. This product uses state of the art electronics to control the sound reaching your ears. You set the volume level you are comfortable with. Set it how loud or soft it needs to be for your comfort level and to be able to hear the spoken word. Now when the electronics control the sound of something like gunfire coming into the unit, it will be dropped to a safe decibel level, but you will hear it at the volume you have set. The softer sounds such as human speech are brought up to a level that makes it easier to hear and understand.

So, do you want to hear what’s going on around you while protecting your hearing from unsafe levels of sound? Do you want to hear your bullets hit the steel of those steel targets in a competition match? Do you want to be able to hear range commands while the shooting is in progress? Would you like to increase your ability to hear sounds by eight times when out hunting? Would you like the option of listening to your MP3 player, portable CD, FRS radio, or AM/FM radio, through your hearing protection while shooting or working with power tools? Do you have a hearing problem in one or both ears that would benefit from hearing protectors that can be adjusted for volume and microphone sensitivity for each ear? Do you want a durable product that will last for years and years? Do you want to buy a trusted product made in America? Pro-Ears Gold Series is what you want if you answer yes to any of those questions.

Visit Pro-Ears at http://www.pro-ears.com. 

I want to remind the readers that I am reviewing gun and gun related products as well as other products that will facilitate one in surviving any natural or man-made disaster. Being concealed carry permit holders automatically puts us in the segment of the population who wants to be better prepared to survive whatever may come our way. It takes much more than a gun to survive a bad situation. I hope to introduce all of you to gun and gun related products as well as some other interesting products that may help you and your family survive. 

I would like to hear from you. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the Gear Reviews email me at cody@uscca.us.

== USCCA Members-Only == 
Forum Highlights

Every paying website member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over sixty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!

If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!

When Carrying Concealed is MORE than a Preference

Hello! I am a new member. We lost the house we were renting and we just moved into public housing in the middle of gang central. I will be buying a gun soon and getting my CCW permit ASAP. We have had one murder and two shootings within the last month.

I feel more comfortable with a revolver than a automatic due to my learning disability. I have experience as a armed security guard-that is all! My problem is I am a little on the heavy side and normally wear a pullover shirt & shorts. I don’t know what kind of holster to get etc. 

These gang punks usually travel in packs. They killed a guy here last week just to get initiated into the gang! 

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks! 

************

Reply #1

First bit of advice is to move. Save, scrounge and beg if you have to. In some areas public housing is a GFZ. 

Second, a revolver is simpler to operate and if it doesn’t go off for some reason, just pull the trigger again. An auto is relatively simple to operate. Put a magazine in and rack the slide. Some have a safety and some do not. In your situation, I would probably consider the auto just because of the extra rounds. A revolver holds 5-6 normally where an auto will hold 7-32. I carry a LCP that holds 7 and a S&W 9mm that holds 17. With multiple BGs, the extra rounds would be nice to have. 

If you leave your shirt un tucked, a outside the belt holster would work. Your shirt would cover the gun. 
 

************

Reply #2

I second the advice on moving asap (easier said than done, I know), and I also second the advice on considering a semi-auto for the extra rounds. 

And above all, I would seek some training. Many gun ranges host NRA sponsored courses, one of which is called First Shots (I think). I have seen some ranges offer this particular NRA course for free, and while it’s an extremely basic course, it might be a good and cheap way to familiarize yourself with semi-autos so that you can include them as an option as you go forward with selecting your gun and getting your permit. 

Good luck to you, welcome aboard, and be sure and browse many of the existing and old threads. You’ll find a lot of insight on different guns, holsters, and other concealed carry topics. 

************

Reply #3

Go with the semi-auto over the revolver. You can carry more ammo in the initial mag, then god forbid you need more you can load another. I carry a Springfield XD45. 10 in the mag, 1 in the pipe, and my spare mag on my belt has 13. 

Be careful with those gangs. I live in an area where MS13, Bloods, and Crypts are getting out of control. I deal with them at work on a regular basis. 

Be safe.
************

Reply #4

I had a similar problem with some drug dealing neighbors that liked beating the ladies earlier in the year and i managed to pressure them out of the neighborhood. I can tell you though that it was a big pain in the butt and i would have been better off moving. If you would like any advice drop me an email. When it happened to me i turned to the professionals here on the boards for advice and it really helped. I had them scrutinize my actions regarding a firearm action and they told me what i did right and really took me to task for what i did wrong. 

************

Reply #5

From Cody Alderson’s thread Philosophy Of The Gun Unified Theory (P.O.T.G.U.T.):

         ”#22. If you know a fight is about to start then don’t be there.”

Public housing, gang central, GFZ. The best way to survive a gunfight is AVOIDANCE. Do everything you can to not be there. 

************

Reply #6

Move ASAP.

To the point possible use irregular routing, and low probability of attack scheduling of outside movement. For example, moving along with, shopping with, and generally being part of the 8-9 to 5-6 work crowd makes you just one of many. Shop at 3 AM and you’re one of few. Predators are generally less likely to attack a herd, more likely to attack stragglers.

I’d probably get a semi auto with the biggest magazine capacity I could. But avoid the extended mag. route, you need to conceal the thing. A nine with 13 or more round magazines would probably work OK. If the gangs in your area “stack” in groups as opposed to being in a line abreast you may be able to make “shoot through” work for you instead of against you. Consider this in light of your own circumstances.

There’s always a fine line between “challenging” someone and just giving them reason to pick someone else. Rather than planning on an extended engagement I’d probably tend toward using the typical SEAL method of hitting (the leaders) hard then pulling back while the other side is wondering what hit them. I think it’s generally a huge mistake to plan on any type of extended engagement where the other side may have access to shotguns, carbines, and rifles, or ?, and any plan that gets you out of the area is one up on keeping you alive.

Any chance of forming a “coalition” with the locals who share your predicament?

Hope this helps. 

== “Armed Citizen Fights Back ” ==

USCCA VIDEO OF THE WEEK

View the ‘Video of the Week’ here…

== “Tim-spiration” of the Week ==

USCCA PHOTO OF THE WEEK

                   All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s 
                   website: http://www.a-human-right.com/. It is a 
                   FANTASTIC site. Please check it out!

USCCA 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…

         ”Age wrinkles the body… 
                               …Quitting wrinkles the soul.”

-Douglas MacArthur

 

SELF DEFENSE STORY OF THE WEEK

Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!

“Why it pays to be resourceful…”
found at: http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html
A homeowner in North Dallas who answered his door Sunday night to find a man pointing a gun at him killed the would-be-robber. 

Police say the resident grabbed the man’s handgun and used it to shoot the would-be robber. 

A second would-be-robber escaped on foot. 

The homeowner wasn’t injured, but the man he shot later died at an area hospital. 

Names of the homeowner and the victim were not released. 

Police Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse told The Dallas Morning News that the resident “was protecting himself.”

Visit here to find out more!

Closing Thoughts

This week’s question is as follows: 

“What is the best and most comfortable way to carry extra magazines concealed?”

EXCELLENT question. There are many ways to do this, but I think almost everyone who carries a spare magazine does it in one of two ways:

1) “Pocket-Drop”. Yep… you just drop them in your weak side pocket. They wiggle around, collect dust, lint, and dirt, and can print when you sit down… but, it’s what a lot of people do. Simple, and they’re there (somewhere in there) when you need them. Just be careful that when you pull your sunglasses out, you don’t pull the magazine out too!

2) Magazine Carriers. These are “holster” like containers that attach to your belt that hold your magazines- a lot like what the cops wear. You can get them in all sorts of different configurations, but they all have the same basic idea in mind: Consistency. They allow you to reach for the same exact location on your body during training for a reload. 

No grabbing inside your pocket and coming out with your keys, or with your spare magazine upside down. Magazine carriers put your spare magazines right where you want them every time.

Tons of companies make them. I don’t mean to direct you to one company over any other, but to get an idea of what I’m talking about, HERE is DeSantis Holster’s page on magazine carriers. 

I hope this helps!!

Do you have a pressing CCW concern that you’d like to get some feedback on? Use the contact form found at this page to let me hear it! Just use the graphic below!

Visit Here for Membership Information!
Want to get your own copy every week? LEARN MORE HERE!

October 31st, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Dear Friend,

The above photo was emailed to me by a member, and I have no way of verifying who it belongs to- but I have a pretty strong feeling that the person who took the picture and made the sign will have NO problem with me showing it to you. What a great message.

Folks… this is the last issue of the Armed American Report before the Presidential Election of 2008. I can’t believe it. I can still remember the days of Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani- it seems like a decade ago.

McCain vs. Obama.

No matter what your thoughts are on these two individuals, I do not believe it is deniable who is the larger threat to liberty. I respect your beliefs if you believe differently than I do, but I’m just going to say this one more time:

If you are a gun owner… go vote on Tuesday. It is so important that we vote.

I don’t believe in single-issue politics, but the “Gun Platform” is so far from a ’single issue stance’. Where a candidate stands on gun rights says SO much about his or her personality.

Do you want a president who trusts you to walk into his office with a .45 on your hip? Or do you want a president who doesn’t even think you should be able to keep a .45 in your own home?

Please, friend. Go vote on Tuesday.

== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==

See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website: 
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/

“Magazine Changes”

“…if your handgun runs dry, you 
suddenly have a merely a $500 
hammer in your hand…”

by TOM PERRONI

Whether you call it a speed reload, stress reload, empty gun reload, or tactical reload, the specific scenario is reloading an empty gun with or without the slide locked back is the point of this article. 

Let me first start of by saying you can’t reload your handgun if you don’t have a spare magazine. So if I am carrying a handgun I have (2) spare magazines on my person, because lets face it if you are in a gun fight and your handgun runs dry and you can’t reload because you don’t carry spare magazines……Well now you have a $500 or $600 hammer in your hand. 

However No matter what method you use for your Magazine Changes continued training and practice is the key. I will also say that Combat Mindset is also critical I once had the opportunity to hear a very good firearms instructor say “If you had a person armed with a loaded handgun and No Combat Mindset and a person armed with a hammer and Combat Mindset, The person with the proper Combat would win the fight every time”. 

So should we practice Magazine Changes? The answer would be yes. Let’s start with gear placement. The spare magazine pouch should be on the opposite side of the body from the holster (which in my opinion should be a strong side directional draw holster) Now I am about to tell you something that is going to catch me a lot of flack in the handgun community: When I place my fully loaded spare magazines in my magazine pouch I put the bullet noses to the rear so that the flat part of the magazine is facing forward. (I have found that I can reload faster this way). Remember what I always teach this is A way to do it not THE way to do it. 

I train students to bring their strong hand (gun hand) elbows back to brace against their torso on the reload. As they do this, they should bring the support hand and confirm they have a fully loaded magazine to reload, once this is confirmed then we press the magazine release, at the same time they draw the magazine using the first two (2) fingers and thumb only the thumb and second finger grasp the sides of the magazine while the first finger pops the snap on the magazine holder and then as we draw the magazine out the first finger becomes the index finger slightly ahead of the magazine to guide into the empty magazine into the empty magazine well. 

The magazine that was in the handgun drops free onto the ground we are no longer concerned with this magazine we have more pressing issues like winning a gunfight. 

This is done with the chin up and scanning left and right we bring the handgun back to the torso to that basketball size area called the manipulation area. We should be doing magazine changes by feel or tactile sensation we should not have to look at the gun while we reload it should be an automatic response. (Practice, practice, practice) We don’t look at the holster when we re-holster our handgun….do you? 

If we are reloading we are moving left or right or to cover but we need to move there is nothing worse in a gunfight than to stand still and not be shooting while someone is shooting at you. (Get off the X) 

Now here it comes again I will get some grief about this part …weather the slide is forward or locked to the rear we should rack the slide. I know that someone is going to e-mail me and say: You just ejected a perfectly good cartridge from your handgun. YES I know however it is the only way to make sure when you redeploy your handgun it will go bang. You don’t want to have to remember if the slide was forward or locked back just do it. 

Now comes the next question slide stop or slingshot? We can debate fine motor skill vs. gross motor skill all day long. My thought is this I don’t care what kind of skill it is let’s get the gun back in the fight. So use what ever method is faster for you. 

Once the gun is loaded we can bring it back into the fight. Just like any other skill Magazine Changes are a perishable skill so I say practice them every night with your 10-15 minuets of dry fire practice you never know it might one day save your life. 

We could talk all day about Magazine Changes but this is all the room I have for this article. If you want to talk more about Magazine Changes come to class and we can work on them together. 

Stay Safe & Shoot Straight! 

–

Tom Perroni is the owner, President and Chief Instructor of Perroni’s Tactical Training Academy. Pulling on a five-year law enforcement operational background, Tom has spent the last fifteen years delivering training to government, military, law enforcement and private security companies. Tom is a NRA Certified Firearms Instructor and NRA Range Safety Office, Maryland State Police Handgun Instructor, Virginia DCJS Handgun, Shotgun and Advanced Handgun Instructor. Tom is also a Contract Instructor for Blackwater Training Center. Tom is also the Training Director for Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy .He is a member in Good standing with IALEFI & ILEETA & NRA. Tom appreciates feedback and can be reached through the Contact page on his company website athttp://www.perronitactical.com or info@ccjaTraining.com

WHILE teaching you how to MASTER your carry gun…
Your jaw will drop!

== Review of Mr. Heater Big Buddy Heater Portable Propane Heater ==
written by Cody S. Alderson

USCCA GEAR REVIEW

I once watched a program on television where a homeless man was being interviewed. He was asked if he had to choose, would he rather be hungry or cold. He said that he would rather be hungry because being cold was painful. 

Cold does hurt. I remember being a satellite TV installer back before the two big companies we have now were even heard of. My fingers used to get so cold outside in the winter that I lost the ability to grip anything with my fingers at times. Years before that, I was working a security job one winter night when the DJ on the radio warned how no man or beast should be outside because skin could freeze instantly if it is exposed to the air. One other time I was driving to Indiana in an old Chrysler with a barely working heater during a snowstorm. I was told by a truck driver that if I made a left at the next intersection I would find a motel just down the road. I drove right on by the intersection because I didn’t see a road there. The drifts and piles of snow from the snow plows where only about six inches below the tops of stop signs. When I finally arrived at the motel I couldn’t feel my toes. 

We’ve had some mild winters the last few years but I remember some wind chill days that made me think I was living north of the Arctic Circle. I grew up in an old house that didn’t have an ounce of insulation. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The windows would frost up on the inside and get a thick coat of ice during an extended cold snap. The furnace was as big as an old Buick and would run almost non-stop just to keep the house barely warm. 

I survived all of my expected exposures to the cold without much issue, even the ones back when I was young and thought of myself as being invincible. I expected to be cold on those winter days installing satellite dishes. I had extra gloves and chemical heat packs to put in them. Sometimes I had to do work that required me to take my gloves off. The second I was done with that particular task, I would put them back on. On that night that the DJ warned me to stay inside, I completed my foot patrols without getting any frostbite because I was prepared for the cold. When I made it to the motel on my way to Indiana, I knew how to rewarm my toes. Still, it hurt a lot. It felt like they were being squeezed in a vice from the inside, and like they were being stuck with needles on the outside when the feeling started to come back. 

Now that I’m getting older, and with having a couple of diabetic issues, I wouldn’t be able to work outside in the bitter cold without taking even more precautions. Even then, I would need to have access to a warm place when it became unbearable. I remember how it would be painful even when I was prepared for those winter days when the air was so cold and dry that I would feel my nose hairs frost up when I drew in a breath of air, and then having to do work that I couldn’t complete with gloves on. Even though I have never been homeless, I do agree with that homeless man. Cold is painful. 

Some of you who are reading this know what it’s like to be really cold—the kind of cold that goes way beyond my minor childhood and adult inconveniences. I thank God that I’ve never had to experience that kind of cold that goes so deep that it aches all the way down to the marrow of the bones. 

It’s that time of year where the temperatures are dropping here where I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania. If it is already cold where you are at, then I certainly hope that you have established three levels of redundancy in having sources of heat for your home. Some of you live in climates that make Pennsylvania winters look like hot summer days at the beach. In that case, the Big Buddy Heater may not be too effective even as a tertiary heat source where you live. For those readers I strongly recommend that you establish three redundant sources of heat for your home if you haven’t already done so. 

In all things concerning the basic needs of survival, I recommend a primary, secondary, and tertiary system. For heating one’s home, that would be the main central heat source, a backup heat source that will still heat all or most of the home, and another source of heat for when the primary and secondary systems fail. The tertiary system may only be enough to heat one room where the family would hole up in a survival situation. 

Our home is heated by a natural gas forced air furnace system appropriate to the size of the house and the climate of the region. If the electricity fails, the furnace is inoperable even if the gas supply is still working. A portable power generator will provide electricity for the blower in the furnace during power outages. That would be a partial backup system. A ventless natural gas heater around 30,000 BTU’s, though not adequate to heat the whole house, would be another partial backup for our home because both of those plans rely on the main fuel source of natural gas still being intact. 

At our budget level, I have accepted those two plans together as being a secondary system to provide heat. A better secondary plan would be a wood or coal burning heater with an adequate supply of fuel stored on our property. That is what we are planning to purchase and install. For our tertiary plan I found something that I really like having around. 

The product that we use as our tertiary heat supply is a Big Buddy portable propane heater from Mr. Heater. As an accessory, we also have the twelve foot hose attachment so we can connect it to a twenty-pound propane tank. The heater operates using either single or dual disposable one-pound propane cylinders, or single or dual propane tanks up to twenty pounds. This compact wonder puts out BTU levels of 4,000 on low, 9,000 on medium, and 18,000 on high. It also has a circulation fan that runs on four D cell batteries or an electrical adapter. 

Operating on the high setting, the heater will run for about 1.5 hours on a single one-pound disposable propane cylinder. Double that for two cylinders. If two twenty-pound tanks are connected to the heater, it can operate up to 50 hours on the high setting or 220 hours on low. 

I like this heater as our tertiary heat source, and also that I can use it as a primary heat source for so many other occasions. It is considered safe for indoor use as long as there is adequate fresh air for ventilation. As indicated in the Owner’s Manual, I can use the heater in an enclosed porch, a cabin, fishing hut, a trailer, a tent trailer, a tent, a truck cap, a van, a construction trailer, or a temporary work enclosure. So, rather than just sitting on a shelf waiting to be used during a time of emergency, my Big Buddy heater is ready to heat up almost anywhere that it might get cold. 

When it is connected to either a single or dual twenty-pound propane tanks, the propane tanks need to be kept outside of the enclosure being heated. The hoses to connect to the twenty-pound tanks are twelve feet in length. This makes it possible to place the fuel tanks outside which are where they need to be for safety reasons. Leaving a window partway open for the hose to go through is good because of the need for adequate ventilation anyway (be aware of the security ramifications of an unlocked partially open window when using the heater with a refillable tank and hose set up). If I could change anything, I would make the hoses longer. 

When using the disposable one-pound cylinders, they attach directly to the dual inlets on the heater. You can see one of the inlets in the photo below. There is another one on the opposite side. The compartments where the inlets are located are big enough to hold a one-pound disposable propane cylinder. The compartment doors can be closed with the cylinders in place. This makes the heater completely portable with a fuel source attached. Anybody out there have an ice fishing hut? There are even screw slots on the back of the heater so it can be attached to a wall.

Here is a photo of the heater connected to a twenty-pound propane tank with the optional twelve foot hose. Mr. Heater highly recommends that their fuel filter be attached in this configuration. I didn’t have one so it isn’t seen in the photo. I suppose that the reason the fuel filter isn’t included with the twelve foot hose is because one can choose to add a quick coupler and regulator in which case a filter is not needed.

The end of the twelve foot hose that connects to the tank had a plastic handwheel that was included in the hose package. It is a pain to try and attach the handwheel to the metal nut at the end of the hose so I just used a crescent wrench on the nut. I think that the hose doesn’t come with the handwheel installed because the end user has an option of connecting a quick coupler to that hose. A quick coupler will already have a handwheel.

All fittings to tank or cylinder are recommended to be tested for leaks with soapy water. You brush a little on and look for bubbles. Don’t check for gas leaks with a match like I’ve seen some people do. This heater, like any other one, requires that the owner read and understand the Owner’s Manual. Don’t be the person who has the mindset of if all else fails, then read the directions. If you do that, the failure may be you blowing yourself up! The manual indicates to make sure that the unit is operated on the low, medium, or high setting with the control valve locked into position on one of the settings, and to not operate the heater with the valve in between the settings. I may have not known that if I hadn’t read the manual. So read the manual for this and every other tool or piece of equipment that you use! 

I connected my heater for the first time to a one-pound propane cylinder that was over ten years old. The heater fired right up. When I disconnected the cylinder, I heard a hissing sound. The old cylinder’s internal valve had deteriorated and wasn’t stopping the propane from coming out. I just reconnected it to the heater and used up the rest of the fuel in the cylinder. The heater didn’t have a problem running on ten year-old propane. I’m not sure how well a kerosene heater would fare with ten year-old kerosene. 

That’s why the Big Buddy is a very good option to using kerosene heaters. Storing and transporting propane is easy. Hooking up the Big Buddy to a fuel supply is easy too. Using kerosene can get messy for some, and a kerosene heater has to be empty before it can be transported. 

Here is a photo of the heater with a one-pound disposable propane cylinder attached to the right side inlet. The compartment door is open in the photo.

There is a place to put four D size batteries to run the internal fan on the back of the heater, as shown in the photo below. The fan is also capable of being connected to an electrical outlet with an appropriate power pack. The jack for the power pack can be seen to the left of the battery compartment in the photo.

Here is a photo of the fan switch that is on the back of the heater.

The fan doesn’t blow out a huge volume of air, but it is adequate to push the warm air into the area being heated. Putting in the batteries is an experience that I didn’t care for. Due to the design of the battery compartment, it isn’t easy to get the four D size batteries into the compartment. The front two go in easy. It is the back two that are difficult to get in. The battery compartment should be redesigned to facilitate easier battery insertion for the first two that go in. 

I put the heater on high in our kitchen while it was attached to a one-pound disposable propane cylinder. The kitchen started to get warm immediately. There was just the subtlest hint of odor from the heater when it was new. The single cylinder that I had connected to the heater started to frost up on the the exterior of the cylinder. Nothing needs to be done to the unconnected inlet if you only connect a fuel supply to one inlet. 

The burner tiles glow a bright orange on the Big Buddy. Even though you can’t feel the warmth from a photo, the one of the heater in operation below just looks toasty warm. It was. I was standing right in front of it to take the photo. Are you ready to keep yourself and your family toasty warm if your primary and secondary heating sources fail? Maybe the Big Buddy portable propane heater would be appropriate for the climate in your region.

Go to www.mrheater.com to check out the different heater models that Mr. Heater has available, and to find a dealer near you. 

Do you have an essential piece of gear that is part of your survival plan that you would like to see reviewed in the Gear Review section of the Armed American Report? If so, then send me an email to tell me what it is, who makes it. 

I would like to hear from you. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the Gear Reviews email me at cody@uscca.us.

== USCCA Members-Only == 
Forum Highlights

Every paying website member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over sixty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!

If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!

Is there a place for the revolver?    by ‘BigJim1′ 

I recently bought a set of CT grips for a 1911. After my first range session (approximately 150 rounds) the point of impact seems to be wandering a bit–specifically left and a bit down. Should I expect to make slight adjustments every X rounds, or does this sound like perhaps something inside the adjusting mechanism is looser than it should be? 

Thanks for your thoughts. 

************
My Bersa 380 going to my Daughter.      
by ’shirt001′ 

I bought a Smith M&P .40 compact a couple of weeks ago. I was feeling a little under powered wearing my Bersa 380 in a Smartcarry. I was very surprised to find that my new Smith in a Smartcarry conceals even better than my 380 did. Anyone who works in an office environment that has powered down due to concealment reasons as I did, I highly recommend this compact in a Smartcarry. I feel a lot better walking around now. Just thought I would share.
************
G36 or XD subcompact .40 or G27       by ‘maybejim’

I’m trying to decide on a new gun. I need to keep it below $600 if possible. I like .45 but really would like something (I think) a little smaller than the G36. I really liked the feel of the XD subcompact but haven’t shot it. I have a G26 and would prefer something more powerful than the 9mm. The Crimson Trace laser I have for the G26 will fit a G27. I find the G26 a little wide (thick). 

Anyone got any suggestions and rationalizations? 
************

== “Walker on his weapon of choice…” ==

USCCA VIDEO OF THE WEEK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ-lQMUn0xw

View the ‘Video of the Week’ here…

== “Tim-spiration” of the Week ==

USCCA PHOTO OF THE WEEK

                   All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s 
                   website: http://www.a-human-right.com/. It is a 
                   FANTASTIC site. Please check it out!

USCCA 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…

         ”The best defense is a good offense.”

-unknown

 

SELF DEFENSE STORY OF THE WEEK

Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!

“Never stop carrying- even if your 86 years old…”
found at: http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html
Cleveland Police believe a shop owner who shot a robbery suspect Monday acted in self-defense.    

Police were called to the Cleveland Aviary on Bosworth Avenue in Cleveland (see Google map below ) Monday afternoon. According to Lt. Thomas Stacho, the suspect was dead on the front step of the pet shop when the first officers arrived. 

According to police, the 86-year-old shop owner, whose name police did not release, was in the back room of the shop when the robber entered. Police said there was one clerk working in the front of the shop. 

“The robber set upon him, immediately put a knife to his throat and ordered him to open the cash register,” Stacho said. 

Police said the shop owner came out the back room with a gun and asked the robber to leave. 

“He ordered the robber to leave; the robber did not; he approached him in a menacing manner and the second man fired one round striking the man in the chest killing him,” Stacho said. 

The shop owner’s daughter, Maria Oviero, said the shop had been the target of thieves before. She said her father got a gun after a couple of failed robbery attempts. She hoped he would never have to use the gun. 

“It’s sad that he has to use that kind of force. It’s sad, but he had to do what he had to do. I’m just glad he is OK,” Oviero said. 

Police did not release the name of the suspect.

Visit here to find out more!

Closing Thoughts

This week’s question is as follows:

“Tim, is the 1911 style gun designed to be carried cocked & locked? Thanks, John”. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the phrase “cocked and locked”, basically he’s asking if he should keep a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked back on his US 1911 model automatic handgun.

I must preface this with the fact that I don’t carry a 1911. That said, I can tell you that if I DID carry a 1911, it would indeed be “cocked and locked”. I think the best article I have ever read on the subject was written by Robert H. Boatman, and I believe it was called “Condition One and Only”. 

In the article, he explained that YES- a 1911 is indeed designed to be carried cocked and locked, and as long as the safety is engaged, the weapon is totally safe.

He explained that in all other positions (such as a round chambered but the hammer not cocked) the weapon would take too long to deploy and ready if danger required that you presented and fired your weapon in matters of tenths-of-seconds.

So in conclusion, as always- you have to do what is most comfortable for you. BUT- If you’re not comfortable with “condition one and only” (cocked and locked), I would certainly make that your goal. 

Do you have a pressing CCW concern that you’d like to get some feedback on? Use the contact form found at this page to let me hear it! Just use the graphic below!

Visit Here for Membership Information!
Want to get your own copy every week? LEARN MORE HERE!

October 24th, 2008

Dear Friend,

I’d like to begin this week’s Armed American Report with a VERY important message. This is huge…

I’m sure you’ve heard of the organization called “Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership”, more commonly known simply as the JPFO. If you know anything about these guys, you’ll know that they pull absolutely ZERO punches with the way they operate, and they take our God-Given right to self defense, and the Second Amendment VERY, VERY seriously- and I have a LOT of respect for what they do.

Well, if I merely respected the JPFO before, I admire and honor them now. Just wait until you see the absolutely beautiful FREE video they have made about the Second Amendment.

It’s called “2A Today for the USA”, and that’s exactly the message that it conveys. It’s only about 20 minutes long, and it’s an absolute MUST watch.

I had the privilege of talking to Mr. Aaron Zelman on the phone a couple days ago, and he told me that his goal is to have 100 MILLION people watch this complimentary video- 2A Today for the USA. He then went on to tell me about this experience he had while showing the film to a typically left-leaning family, and what he told me was remarkable!

The youngest daughter of this family (who was in middle school) after watching the video, announced that she was going to play it for her Political Science teacher. Her father told her- “Don’t you think you’ll get into trouble for that?” Her answer was beautiful: “If showing this film gets me in trouble… something is definitely wrong here.”

Friend, THAT is the kind of reaction this film is provoking. Check them out:

Here are YouTube links to the video’s three parts:

1) 2A Today for the USA, PART ONE

2) 2A Today for the USA, PART TWO

3) 2A Today for the USA, PART THREE

Watch the videos, and share them with as many people as you can. You can either forward them this newsletter, or just email them the following website URL, which has all the video links on it that you will need: http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/2a-today-download.htm

Lastly- don’t forget. The JPFO has two other MUST-WATCH / MUST-DISTRIBUTE movies that are actually feature length productions. “Innocents Betrayed” and “The Gang”. Both are absolutely fantastic, and I’ve even reviewed them both before right here in the Armed American Report. If you’re interested in those, here is a link to where they can be had: http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/movies.htm

Okay, that’s all for the intro… let’s get the show rolling!

== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==

See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website:
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/