SMLPSA ON TARGET NEWS January 2013 To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them ~Richard Henry Lee January Edition Volume Four Happy New Year to the SMLPSA Membership, Wow! Is it just me or did 2013 fly by at the speed of sound? I can t recall a year feeling like it passed so quickly before can you? I believe it is because I couldn t wait for it to be over! I like everyone else, have been flooded on a daily basis with the news media telling me how bad things are out there. We have seen a year full of Political Scandals, Cover up, Cronyism, manipulation by the media, deceit and deception at the high levels of Government as well as complete disregard for the Constitution, with constant surveillance on American civilians by agencies within our Government. It is really mind boggling that our Country has fallen so quickly in its moral obligations to its people, as well as its fiduciary responsibility to govern within the confines of the law. It troubles me to know that people in power can make up rules and regulations as they go, to manipulate the system, excuse friends and fellow Politicians of liability or responsibility under the law, and; commit to policy and decision making that forces us to do things we don t want to do, or have to do under the Constitution. It is quite apparent that times have changed in this Country and nothing can be taken for granted anymore. We see our individual Rights under the Constitution being slowly eroded by the media constantly feeding us with false narratives and canned political speeches to convince us of a certain Political position. Or, they commit serious falsehoods by omission of the facts, to accomplish the same goal. Why is it we cannot get information as we did from men with scruples and morals like Walter Kronkite, and Harry Reasoner or Chet Huntley and David Brinkley back in the 60 s and 70 s who were obsessed with telling us the truth and the facts and didn t care about Political pressure to do just the opposite? I certainly miss those days when what we heard coming from someone s mouth on the news was really the truth! 1
Furthermore, what happened to America where we could ride down the road with a shotgun on a gun rack in our pickup truck rear window and not worry about someone calling 911 and it alerting a SWAT team response on you? Last night at the stroke of midnight my new neighbor decided to do the same thing he did when he moved in around the Fourth of July last year and celebrate by shooting off 6 rounds from his back porch with his shotgun. I m not I big fan of his way of celebrating, but I didn t freak out and call 911 either. I chalked it up to him being a hard and fast Democrat who just took Joe Biden s advice a little too far! He apparently is not a genius and I hope his drinking was limited to less than a case of beer last night. You see, guns don t scare me because I understand them and realize that even though someone else may have a firearm, that because I have the legal right to carry one, I can still defend myself on an equal or higher level. Now I say (higher) because I constantly train with my firearm and prepare myself for such an event. I realize that carrying my firearm for selfprotection may lead to a moment that I may have to use it. I also realize that I need to show specific restraint in the use of my firearm and that sometimes, my words or actions can be enough to change someone s thinking without having to use brute or deadly force. That is one of the things I learned quickly in working at the Sheriff s Department. Carrying a gun and a badge does not give me an automatic response to use it nor does it absolve me of the liability to come after I use it. Most people can appreciate the fact that they are not going to win an altercation if you convince them of such. The only time I have seen that not to be true is when a person is high on drugs and completely disconnected from reality. At those moments, you really need to slow down your actions and think about everything you do in response. I personally don t leave my house every morning looking for a gun fight, but I know in this day and age, with the amount of trouble going on in this World, the amount of criminal activities that now occur during the day, along with the significant increase of individuals with serious mental health or drug issues going into public places and shooting masses of people like it was a video game, that I would not leave my home without my concealed handgun with me. As most of you know, I also carry a badge and am required under the law to intervene in the event of a Felony being committed in my presence. With that said I also leave the house with spare magazines and handcuffs on my side at all times. I hope I never have to use any of them but I would rather be prepared than be a victim. I hope that all of you who are members of our Club realize that if you carry a concealed firearm for selfprotection, your greatest asset is you mind and your state of preparedness. Most criminals not only qualify as knuckleheads but they also are not very proficient with a handgun. If you practice and get good in self-defense shooting tactics, you will always have the upper hand in a bad situation. Remember, if someone threatens you, don t react first, but observe and analyze the situation. Make sure they intend to use deadly force, before you draw your firearm then warn them that you will use your firearm if they don t retreat or stop the threat. If they choose to disobey your command, then you have the right to defend yourself and do so with the intent to stop the threat. Criminals who are crazed on meth or crack or bath salts possess super human power sometimes and you would be amazed what a scrawny little 120 pound person can do when wound up on drugs. I saw one put up a good fight one night while 4 guys in Brown Uniforms tried to hold him down. It was an amazing thing to watch and I took nothing for granted after seeing that episode. I believe that for anyone to maintain a level of proficiency for self-protection, you should practice at a minimum at least once a month. You should train with an Instructor on the art of responding to a threat with your 2
firearm and be able to at least shoot a 6 group at 21 feet in a human silhouette target torso. As you all know, I train Law Enforcement personnel and DCJS certified Security Officers how to shoot at a threat. I teach them how to shoot accurately up to 75 which is well within the realm of a realistic threat condition. I also emphasize the need for accuracy. If you were ever to come home and be faced with a home invasion situation, and one of your family members was being held hostage, how would you respond? Could you take that one time shot and hit someone holding your child or grandchild hostage with a knife or gun and not hit your loved one? That is a real and plausible scenario that could happen to anyone. How many times have you seen on the local news in our area where elderly people have been brutally assaulted by home invaders? It seems to happen all too often lately. The key to stopping that situation from escalating is number one, have a firearm ready to defend yourself, and number two, be well prepared and efficient in using it. Again, these knuckleheads who commit these crimes are not rocket scientists and don t go to the range on a regular basis to practice their criminal skills! Be prepared in 2014 and start going to the range on a regular basis and learn how to defend yourself. I have some great videos I would like to begin showing to members again as we did two years ago with our Video Night once a month. I think these videos are very helpful and we show them for free at the range. Once again, Happy New Year to all and I wish everyone a safe and prosperous New Year along with good health and hope you all remain cautious and observant in your surroundings. Also I just want to remind everyone we are holding our Annual Club Meeting Wednesday, January 15 th, 2014 at 7Pm at the Range in the Educational Room. Please attend and vote on the items being presented that night along with bringing your suggestions on how we can improve our Club. Thanks again. Peter A Fisette - President SMLPSA Upcoming Events Monday 01/06/14 and 01/20/14 Ladies and Men s Night at the Range 6Pm-9Pm $5.00 all you can shoot. Wednesday 01/15/14 6Pm is a Mandatory Range Safety Officer meeting at the range and at 7Pm we will hold our Annual Club Meeting. NRA Basic Pistol Safety and CCW Class Monday, 01/13/14 at the JOCO Computer Science Room, 9Am-5:30Pm. Price $100 and includes lunch plus the use of a firearm. For more information please call Peter at 540-400- 1070. Registration deadline ends by 01/09/14. There are still seats left for this class so call and book your reservation soon. 3
My Favorite New Gun Related Item!. 4
Can be used in both the Car and at Home! o MiniVault Standard GV 1000S Portable Compact Safes that Provide "Go Anywhere" Security The MiniVault (GV 1000) series offers optimum security for your handgun and valuables at an affordable price. Keep what's important readily accessible when you need it. Available in standard, deluxe and biometric models. Protective foam-lined interior Tamper-resistant spring-loaded door 16-gauge steel housing Audio and LED low battery warning Battery power provides portability Optional high-strength security cable secures GunVault in a home, car, RV, office or hotel Mounts almost anywhere in any direction Learn buttons make it easy to program over 12 million user-selectable access codes Precise fittings are virtually impossible to pry open with hand tools Built-in computer blocks access after repeated invalid keypad entries Tamper indicator alerts invalid entry attempts CA DOJ approved Specifications Model Weight Dimensions (L x W x H) Gauge ACCESS GV 1000S 9 12 X 8.1 X 4.9 16 Combination Price $179.99 5
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