Contents
1) Announcements
2) Upcoming Classes
3) Upcoming Matches
4) Upcoming Major Matches
5) Drill of the Month
6) Newsletter Article
Announcements
FACTORY AMMO for sale!
9mm = $30/100, 40S&W = $35/100, 45ACP = $40/100.
Upcoming Classes* (20% Discount for women)
August 22nd Introduction to Competitive Handgun – 8AM $100
September 15th & 17th Missouri CCW – 6PM to 10PM both nights $125
Upcoming Matches*
August 15th IDPA Match (Classifier) $15
September 12th USPSA Match $15
September 13th Arnold IDPA Membership Drive (Arnold Range) $20 (Wounded Warrior Project)
Upcoming Major Matches* (Pre-Registration Required)
October 10th USPSA Trophy Match
October 18th IDPA Trophy Match
December 12th 2009 MCSA Fall MULTI-GUN Championship
* All Classes/Matches will be held at Bench Rest Rifle Club unless noted.
Drill of the Month
El Presidente (Click for Diagram)
Here are the times for various shooting levels:
|
Beginner |
18.25 |
|
Intermediate |
10.75 |
|
Expert |
8.25 |
|
Master |
6.75 |
|
Professional |
4.95 |
Three C or -1 hits allowed for Beginner to Expert shooters. All A or -0 hits required for Masters & Professionals.
Newsletter Article - Concealed Carry Gear
Over the years, I have heard arguments for carrying all of the following as a CCW holder: Handgun, back-up gun, flashlight, knife, back-up knife, spare magazine, pepper spray, cell phone, spare cell phone, Taser, expandable baton, handcuffs, gloves, stun gun & personal alarm. If you really need all that gear before leaving your house, you should just STAY HOME!
Question: What items do you really need to carry?
Short Answer: Awareness, a mobile phone, a firearm carried in a holster that securely retains the handgun, a knife, a flashlight, a spare magazine, & a defensive pen. Learn how to use what your carry proficiently and practice on a regular basis because self defense skills are perishable and will erode over time.
Long Answer: AWARENESS is the most important thing to have with you at all times. On more than one occasion I have completely avoided a bad situation by being aware of my surroundings. Many of you have heard this story before, but I’m going to tell you again anyway:
I was driving home from a range in Illinois one night when my announced I had “ZERO MILES TO EMPTY.” Therefore, I had to stop for gas at a little station around I-70 & Goodfellow and this entire vicinity is known for it’s high crime rates. As I was filling up my luxurious Towncar, a young man begun walking towards me from the other side of the gas station parking lot. I turned to face him when he was still about 40 feet away with my car between us and made direct eye contact. Before I said a word or made any motions he said, “Hey Man, don’t shoot me! I just want some money for a tow truck.” Just my stare was enough to convince him I was not going to be easy prey even though my gun was unloaded and locked in my truck. I informed him that I didn’t have any extra money on me politely and he walked back across the parking lot without incident. I have no idea if he planned to rob me or just wanted some help, but I wasn’t going to let him get close enough to find out. Being AWARE can often eliminate the need for conceal carry gear altogether in some instances.
Having a MOBILE PHONE on your person is something that is often overlooked when it comes to personal protection, but it can help you by avoiding a bad situation. Let’s say I would have run out of gas before making it to the station in the above real-life scenario. My cell phone could have gotten someone else there to pick me up before another situation arose or if the gas station incident had escalated and I had to present my firearm I would be able to call the authorities and explain the situation instead of the gas station attendant witnessing the scenario and calling in saying, “There’s a crazy man in the parking lot with a gun.” If you have to present your gun you want to be the first to call the authorities if possible or at least get someone on the phone to them on your behalf. This gives you a chance to describe yourself and then the responding officers are more likely to treat you as a “victim” upon arrival.
The reason for having the FIREARM should be obvious because there is no other tool that is as effective to STOP a threat BEFORE you are injured in some way. The firearm needs to have at least 200 rounds through it to verify it functions with the ammo you choose to carry and be well maintained. Related to the firearm is a good holster that securely retains the gun. The last thing you want is for your gun to come flying out if you trip while out for a walk or someone pushes you to the ground. A simple check is to hold your UNLOADED gun and holster upside down and see if it is retained. Gun retention is less of an issue with CCW holders because no one should know you’re carrying if you are doing it correctly. However, there is nothing wrong with a retention device that satisfies the above requirements and keeps someone from grabbing you gun out of your holster.
A KNIFE is an extremely useful utility tool and can be hard to live without when you get used to having it along. I flew out of town a few weekends ago and did not have a knife with me for all of two days. In those two days, I reached for my knife at least 8 times just to do simple everyday tasks like opening a package. A knife is also a great tool to use for weapon retention if someone is trying to grab your gun. Just make sure you can access it with your off hand because your strong hand will probably be trying to keep your gun in its holster and anyone reaching for your gun will get quite a surprise!
The FLASHLIGHT is another utility tool that can be useful in your everyday activities. Think about how many hours of the average day you spend in artificial light and what would happen during a natural disaster that causes wide spread power outages. Could you even navigate your house or place of business in the dark without some type of illumination tool? A good tactical flashlight should be able to disorient an attacker and can also be used effectively as a striking tool if necessary.
The SPARE MAGAZINE is often debated, but I will tell you that it is an absolute necessity. The last report I saw said the average gunfight was 2.3 rounds, so it’s not needed for the added capacity. However, I have seen countless malfunctions on the range when guns are fired in awkward positions such as those that happen in real encounters. For many of these malfunctions the fastest way to get “back in the fight” is to just load a spare magazine, rack the slide, & address the threat. The other advantage of the spare magazine is that it makes topping off your gun much easier and safer. Think about loading a standard 1911 with 8 in the magazine and one in the chamber to carry. You have to insert the magazine, rack the slide, remove the magazine, holster the gun (this is the right way to do this safely), retrieve the extra round, put the round into the magazine, present the gun, put the magazine in, and finally re-holster the gun. That’s 9 steps to get it ready and back in the holster. With a spare magazine you simply insert the magazine, rack the slide, remove the magazine, insert the other magazine, and re-holster the gun for a total of ONLY 5 steps! Sure your spare magazine is short one round, but you already know the average gun fight only requires 2.3 rounds and if you can’t STOP the threat with 16 rounds, I cannot envision any realistic scenario where that 17th round is going to solve your problem. I would rather be short that one round than carry a single round “Barney Fife” style in my lint & dirt-filled pocket.
The DEFENSIVE PEN is not that popular and I’m not sure why because it gives you the utility of always having a pen handy for your daily tasks and this is where you will use it the most. However, a defensive pen also gives you the ability to quickly write down a description or license plate number (even on your hand) if or be used as a Kubotan (aka Instrument of Attitude Adjustment) or even a striking device. Now a few of you are probably wondering why you need a pen if you have a gun, a knife, and a flashlight. Well, there are times (no matter how vigilant you are) when you will not have all these items with you because you either forgot them at home, decided consciously to not wear your carry gear that day or simply are not allowed to have your other carry items. For example, if you go into a Federal building they will not allow you to enter with a gun or knife and the same scenario holds for an airplane and even places like Six Flags that use metal detectors to scan all the visitors. Your flashlight may or may not be allowed in some of these various scenarios, but you will be able to have the defensive pen with you at all times.
Learn how to use what your carry proficiently and practice on a regular basis because self defense skills are perishable and will erode over time. If you get in the habit of carrying these 6 items with you at all times AND STAYING AWARE of your surroundings, you will be prepared for any situation you may encounter.
Remember that when it comes to self defense...Only Shoot as a LAST RESORT!
John Parker
President - Missouri Competitive Shooting Academy
John@ShooterShack.com
