 
**2 Possess & Bear Arms**

an update to **HANDGUNS: Cold Hard Facts & Fanny Packs**

Published by Duaine Zeitz at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Duaine Zeitz

Updated 2014

**Smashwords Edition, License Notes**

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. Thank you for your support.

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**CONTENTS**

INTRODUCTION

WARNING

Chapter 1 - EDUCATION

The 2nd Amendement...how much justice can you afford to buy?

Select your concealed carry weapon carefully

Select your ammunition and targets with equal care

Learn about the local gun laws wherever you carry

Where, when and how do you intend to carry?

How will your weapon be secured when out of your control?

Does your family know what you will do in an emergency?

Attend you local Citizens Police Academy

Chapter 2 - SELF DISCIPLINE

Other than family, no one should know if you are armed

Know when to shoot and when you must not!

Know what is in the line of fire

Never draw a weapon you don't intend to fire

Never carry when your thinking might be impaired

Chapter 3 - COMPETENCE

Marksmanship

Understanding the mindset of others

Recognizing danger

Chapter 4 - INTEGRETY

Never disturb a crime scene

Never misuse your weapon. Other lives are at stake!

Don't worry. In an emergency, you will react the way you've been trained

Never resort to the threat of gunplay in a non-lethan situation

Chapter 5 - UNDERSTANDING FIREARMS, AMMO AND PRACTICE

Firearms

Ammunition

Eye and Ear Protection

Sighting in your weapon

Learning to shoot with one hand

Clean your weapon

Understanding ballistics

Handle your weapon until it's as automatic as driving your car

Looking at the real world

Rapid reloading

Instinct shooting

Use your mirror for practice

Reloading for practice only

Why we do the things we do

Chapter 6 - WRAPPING IT UP

About Missouri

A little history

Thank you

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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# INTRODUCTION

There has always been a psychopathic as well as a criminal element in our midst and there always will be. In fact, they represent a shocking percentage of our state's population. Nationwide, 2.7% of our population has actually served hard time. These are repeat offenders that commit over 90% of all crimes. Our government has failed miserably in protecting us from them. This element has always found it much easier to prey on the weak and unsuspecting than to work for a living. They have expensive habits, usually drugs. They will do anything to support their miserable lifestyle, except work! They will rob, rape, maim and kill with no regret, as they place no value on another human life and very little on their own.

Every time one of their atrocities makes the news, throngs of honest people panic and run out and buy guns they have no idea how to use safely! They usually ask a friend to show them how to shoot, and they will normally fire less than a full box of shells. Despite all of their good intentions, the lack of both knowledge and training will not only get them in deep trouble with the law, it may also get them killed.

The very first thing I want to impress on you is the responsibilities and the safety issues facing those of us that choose to carry a concealed weapon are far more complex than any of those faced by the average hunter or target shooter. Subjects like "always assume a gun is loaded", "keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire" and "never point a gun at anything you do not intend to destroy" are all extremely valid and important. However, they pale in comparison to the additional moral, legal and safety issues involved when we choose to participate in the potentially deadly practice of concealed carry.

My second point, if you are going to handle a firearm, you owe it to yourself, your family and the world at large, to become an expert in its use. Like learning to drive, one can teach you the rules of the road, the traffic laws and the basics, but only diligent practice will make you truly skillful.

Along with the other basics, I promise to give you a firm foundation in ballistics that is no longer taught by many of my fellow instructors. Don't panic, I will try to make it interesting and fun. I will give you all of the basic tools required to become an expert marksman. I will cover most all of the problems unique to concealed carry. I will attempt to explain the reactions and mindsets of other groups of people you will encounter, including law enforcement officers, politicians, criminals and anti-gunners, so you can better understand them and deal with them in relative safety.

More importantly, I will teach you what you may expect from your own reactions to stress. I will give you the basics so you can make your own decision on when and how to carry, transport and store your self-defense weapon in the home, at the range and in the field. I will show you how to devise a safe home defense plan that involves everyone in the family. Above all I will attempt to equip you with some rudimentary knowledge of some of the principles that are common to most areas laws. Remember, you must always check with a competent local attorney on any matter involving law.

In order to give you an idea of the scope covered by this booklet, let's start by trashing the words "Firearms Safety." Like "Military Intelligence" and "free lunch", there is no such thing. Firearms are neither dangerous nor safe; those words only have meaning when applied to the person that is using the firearm.

If we consult the dictionary we find safety is defined as "freeing ourselves from danger." We might better describe the carrying of a weapon as insurance, or the ability to deter or prevail over danger.

A basic rule of safety in all of the firearm sports is "Never load your firearm until you are ready to use it!" As a personal defense weapon, an unloaded gun is worse than useless. Therefore, a whole new set of safety rules must be devised, and they must protect those on both ends of our guns.

The Ten Commandments of safe gun handling are:

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

2. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.

3. Always make sure the firearm is unloaded and keep the action open except when actually hunting or preparing to shoot.

4. Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions and you have the proper ammunition for the firearm you are carrying.

5. Never point a firearm at anything you do not want to shoot. Avoid all horseplay with a firearm.

6. Never shoot at a flat hard surface or water.

7. Store firearms and ammunition separately.

8. Avoid alcohol and other drugs before or during hunting or other uses of firearms.

9. Never climb a fence, tree, or jump a ditch with a loaded firearm.

10. Be sure of your target before you pull the trigger.

These time-tested rules were devised to reduce the number of common accidents in the various firearm sports. We will follow them where practical. They should serve us well at home and at the range. But for concealed carry I would like to add a couple commandments of my own.

1. I will only draw my weapon in public, to save a human life, or prevent great bodily harm.

2. I will never advertise the fact I am carrying a concealed weapon, never!

3. I will practice with my weapon until I become expert in its use and then I will practice regularly to maintain that skill.

4. I will keep all firearms and ammunition under lock and key when they are out of my immediate control.

5. I will teach gun safety to anyone that will listen, and a few that will not.

While protecting yourself from danger may be why you chose to carry a concealed weapon, doing so will open you up to a whole mess of other personal dangers. Courts of law, both criminal and civil, with their police, lawyers and judges, will determine your fate if you ever have to use that weapon. The only way to give you a degree of protection from these dangers is through insurance, education, self-discipline, practice, competence and integrity. Fortunately these are the same requirements that insure the safety of those around you and the world at large.

These are the areas where I can be of service to you, by making you aware of, and passing along, a lifetime of experience. Please keep in mind that everything I am about to teach you is strictly my own conclusions about a subject near and dear to my heart. It is not legal advice and must not be construed as such.

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# WARNING

The author expressly disclaims any and all liabilities, losses, costs, claims, demands, suits or actions of any type or nature whatsoever, arising from or in any way related to: this booklet, the use of this booklet, any representation or statement made in this booklet, or any claim that a particular action is in compliance or performed according or pursuant to this booklet.

This booklet is under no circumstances to be viewed as a restatement of the law in any jurisdiction or to assure compliance with any applicable federal, state or local laws, ordinances, rules or regulations. You must consult a local attorney to ascertain compliance with all applicable federal, state or local laws, ordinances, rules or regulations and to advise you of the applicable duty of care required of firearms owners in your jurisdiction.

Discharging firearms in poorly ventilated areas, cleaning firearms, or handling ammunition or lead-containing reloading components may result in exposure to lead, a substance known to cause birth defects, reproductive harm and other serious physical injury. Have adequate ventilation at all times. Wash hands after exposure.

Great pains have been taken to make this booklet as complete as possible, however it was the authors intention it only be used as an aid in conjunction with professional classroom and firing range instruction. Reading this booklet is not, in itself, sufficient to confer proficiency in the many techniques of personal protection.

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# Chapter 1 \- EDUCATION

## The 2nd Amendment...how much justice can you afford to buy?

When the citizens of this new land rose up in arms and threw off a repressive government they collectively set about writing a constitution that would insure their freedom forever. Many of them felt the original document was not specific enough. They decided they would not willingly consent to be governed by it unless certain limitations to this new government's powers were spelled out in detail.

The first ten items on this list of amendments to the constitution took nearly a year and a half before enough signatures were obtained in order to ratify it! They were added and became known as our "Bill Of Rights." We should all find it interesting that the founders of this country wanted to make it crystal clear that this new government was, first and foremost, forbidden to meddle in free speech, free press, choice of religion and the right of the people to freely assemble. They specifically and emphatically reserved the right to come peacefully together to demand redress of those grievances fostered against them.

The second most important thing on the minds of these courageous young rebels was to insure this new government would never try to disarm them in any way. For they knew full well if this new government they just created should someday became an overly oppressive monster that refused to respond to their demands for redress of grievance, they would once again have to rise up in arms!

And so they said:

" _A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."_

Now, all that being said, if you think this, **your constitutional right** , will help you in a court of law in this country today - you are in for a rude awakening! The winds of change are blowing, but for now, if you are seeking justice in this country, the last place you are apt to find it is in a court of law. We are quite simply at the mercy of the courts. If you don't believe me, ask any man who has ever been sued for divorce. Ask any Native American about justice. Ask any black American how many years it takes just to get to the front of the bus. There are thousands of dangerous and unconstitutional gun laws on the books, over 20,000 at last count, with more being added daily. Despite having the largest lobby in Washington, neither the NRA nor anyone else had been rich or powerful enough to get a test case to the Supreme Court since 1934 until recently when Heller vs. Washington D.C. opened the floodgates of freedom.

If you choose to carry a gun, sooner or later you will run afoul of one or more of these laws. Be prepared to be treated like a common criminal. You may be jailed and you most probably will face a costly legal battle. Fortunately, in this country, it is usually much easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission. If you truly acted in self-defense, justice can most likely be eventually obtained in a criminal court. But, much to your dismay, you may still find yourself the butt of a civil law suit filed by the family and lawyers of your criminal attacker, claiming wrongful death. At best, it will cost you several thousands of dollars to defend yourself no matter how absurd the charges may be - it pays to have insurance.

I am often asked why we, as honest citizens, should be so concerned about the law when the criminals ignore it constantly and get away with it. The answer of course, is we are not only sitting ducks for the criminal; we are equally easy pickings for the legal system. First, we are easy to find. We always use our real names and our real addresses. We have steady jobs; we own property and have bank accounts that can easily be seized. We pay our debts, including unjust fines. When we do something wrong, we admit to it and take our punishment. We work hard for our money, and will go to any length to protect our good name.

Criminals don't. They are difficult and expensive to prosecute. They don't pay fines. If they go to jail it costs the system a fortune. A criminal gets out of jail with an enhanced reputation, bigger ideas and valuable new contacts. When we get out, our reputation is ruined. The house, boat and car belong to the lawyer. Our old job is not waiting for us and we can't find another employer willing to take a chance on hiring us.

Worst of all, no one will care or even give you the chance to explain that the law that convicted you was unconstitutional! In fact, they will not believe you when you try to tell them you were denied a fair trial by the very judge whose sole job it is to insure you do get a fair trial. The sad truth is it is a common practice for the judge to instruct your jurors they MUST convict on the evidence. He will then refuse to inform the jury it is their duty to find you NOT GUILTY if the law you were being tried under was unjust or unconstitutional. People will tell you that sort of thing just does not happen in this country. Let me assure you it happens every day, in fact any juror that defies a judge on this point will be instantly dismissed, fined or thrown in jail.

Right about now, if you have a lick of sense, you should be wondering why anyone in his or her right mind would ever consider carrying a concealed weapon. I often ponder that question myself. If there were any other plausible alternative, I would definitely not choose to put myself in that kind of legal jeopardy. But normally, when a life is on the line you simply have no time to dial 911. You must decide whether or not you are going to be prepared to defend yourself, or your loved ones, regardless of the consequences. My father and I were seldom able to agree on anything, except when it came to self-defense. One of his favorite sayings was:

" _If one is going to be buried, and the other is going to be prosecuted, make sure you get your day in court!"_

Most of the people residing in the United States have been taught from the day they were born that the police are here to protect them from harm. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the job of the police to enforce laws, good or bad. It is the job of the courts to see the law is enforced fairly. Unfortunately, they have been much too busy protecting the rights of criminals to provide simple justice to someone they see as a vigilante, that has taken the law into their own hands. You are left with the unbelievably expensive and daunting task of appealing to a series of higher courts to decide if a particular law is unconstitutional.

The police cannot arrest someone for what they might do; they can only act after a crime has been committed. That is why restraining orders do not work. Criminals seldom do their dirty work when they think a cop might be around. It is left up to you to protect yourself in any way you can until the police get there. And until quite recently, if you were outside of your home, they expected you to do it unarmed.

Did you know, in spite of all of this, every year in this country there are approximately twice as many criminals shot by private citizens than are shot by the police? Did you know many police officers go through their entire careers without ever having to draw their weapon? This is simply because they are seldom there when the crime goes down. The streets have always been a far safer place for a law enforcement officer than for a victim.

Today the common practice among the states that will issue a license to carry a concealed weapon, including Missouri, allows the county sheriff to collect a non-refundable fee up front, usually $100 or less. You will be required to swear to and sign a list of qualifications and requirements, under penalty of perjury. You will probably be fingerprinted and checked for a criminal record, both locally and nationally. You may be photographed. You may have to provide the make, model and serial number of the weapon you will be licensed to carry. Most will require you to take a safety course given by a certified instructor. In Missouri, you are not only required to demonstrate proficiency with both revolvers and semiautomatic handguns, you are required to pass a live fire test as well.

This is a lot for you to submit to just to exercise a right your constitution guarantees will not be infringed, but it is the best you can expect in today's political climate. In any case, the process usually takes considerable time and you may be rejected. If you are rejected and you feel it was done arbitrarily or unjustly, you can go through the small claims court and force the issue.

This seems like as good a time as any to tell you there are other options available to you when applying for a (CCW) concealed carry permit. You do not have to put up with these little tin gods! All states that issue CCW permits have agreed to reciprocity arrangements with certain other states. In other words "WE WILL HONOR YOUR STATES' PERMITS IF YOU WILL HONOR OURS." Check it out, you will find other states offer CCW permits that are perfectly legal in your state. You will find some cost less and are good in more places. These are called OOS (out-of-state) permits

Times have changed, people have changed, and not many people alive today even know how or why this constitutional right was lost. It goes all the way back to the civil war. Former slave owners had a very real reason to fear those they had treated so badly would seek revenge. Then, as now, the rich had the power to do whatever they pleased. First, they disarmed the nation and then set about preventing entire classes of people from exercising their right to vote.

Over the years we have gained back most of these immoral losses. In the meantime, inept politicians have passed thousands of anti-gun laws for no better reason than to cover up their own inability to deal with crime. It is their feeble attempt to deceive the voters into thinking they have done a good job of crime prevention. Do not expect them to back down without a fight, they will say and do anything to get re-elected. Be patient, and get even in the voting booth!

The very fact you are still with me tells me a great deal about your dedication and self-determination. You are my kind of people. We have got a lot of work to do. Let's get started!

## Select your concealed carry weapon carefully

If you have come this far, you probably have already decided on your choice of a self-defense weapon. It's a very personal choice and everyone has different ideas, depending on his or her personal circumstances. If you haven't purchased one, don't run out and buy it just yet. I will not try to influence your choice much, but I can give you some things to take into consideration before you plunk down your hard-earned cash. I also encourage you to visit a facility where you can rent and try out the weapon you are thinking of buying before you actually purchase it.

Let's review our reasons for selecting a handgun as a self-defense weapon. After all, it is neither the most powerful, nor the most accurate or the easiest to shoot. An automatic shotgun loaded with "double ought" buckshot would be far more effective. Unfortunately, a self-defense weapon must be readily available to be of any use, so we will have to sacrifice some things.

Just remember the firearm you settle on must be capable of being concealed effectively and still be large enough to do the job. Its appearance must be intimidating to a criminal and still be light enough to be carried comfortably. Its mechanism must be simple enough for you to handle under stress, yet it must be safe. Ideally, it would fit you like a glove and point like a finger. Above all it must function flawlessly with the type of ammunition you will be carrying. (More about that later.)

In general, I would advise buying no more power than you are comfortable with. Carrying a concealed weapon can get mighty hot and uncomfortable in the heat of summer and a drawn weapon can get heavy in a hurry when held at arm's length. If your weapon is uncomfortable to shoot or your ammo too expensive, you will not practice and you're shooting will never improve.

What we should be looking for is stopping power, which is a product of bullet speed, expansion and weight. When we select a short barrel for concealability we give up bullet speed. Most rounds require about 18 inches of barrel to develop their full potential. Most concealed weapons have barrel lengths of one to four inches. At these reduced speeds, the bullet's weight and ability to expand on impact becomes far more critical.

Don't misunderstand me; a well-placed .22-caliber bullet can be just as lethal as Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum. What I'm talking about is a "non-lethal hit." Will it stop a man in his tracks or just piss him off? In the days of the Old West, a .32 caliber was considered sufficient, today a .38 is questionable. When you are ready to buy, pick your gun dealer as carefully as you choose your weapon. I suggest you buy your personal carry weapon from a local, federally licensed, gun dealer you trust. Ask for his honest input on your selection. I personally would never consider buying anything but a brand new weapon for concealed carry, one that has never been fired by anyone outside of the factory where it was made.

Expect to pay several hundred dollars for a quality weapon. I know you can buy the same weapon, only slightly used, elsewhere for a lot less. These are called street weapons. The risk you run is if a ballistics check is ever run or if that gun's serial number ever turns up as stolen, you may become a prime suspect in a crime you did not commit. Remember, most prosecutors have political ambitions and their record of convictions is what gets them promoted. You definitely do not want to be a stepping-stone in his career path.

## Select your ammunition and targets with equal care

When you are carrying your concealed weapon you want it to be fully loaded with the most powerful commercial load readily available for your particular choice of weaponry. Preferably, it would be a quality hollow point bullet that will rapidly expand inside the intended target rather than travel on through and perhaps strike an unlucky bystander. Never carry re-loads or the radical so-called cop killer type of ammunition. The reasons for this choice of ammunition are legal and moral; all you want to do is to stop the attack. You do not intend to kill anyone. What you do want to do is apply the maximum amount of force to the center of the mass of an attacker. And you want to continue to apply this force until the attack has stopped.

The reason for the ban on anything but commercial ammunition is because you may someday need to provide a court with reasonably identical rounds for testing. The ban on re-loads is for carry ammunition only. I highly recommend them for practice. The cheaper cost of re-loads should allow you to do far more practice shooting, and practice is the only way you will ever become an expert. We will talk more about doing your own re-loading later.

The paper targets you use should always be the standard round bull's eye or one of the many animal silhouettes but never the human silhouette. This could someday prevent a lawyer from using one of your old targets to portray you to a jury as a bloodthirsty monster looking for a chance to kill. Yes, I know Missouri will force you to use a human silhouette target for their CCW test!

## Learn about the local gun laws wherever you carry

In some areas of this country the only thing more dangerous than choosing to carry a self-defense weapon is choosing not to do so. The sad truth is that in several of our states you are in more danger of being shot by a police officer than a criminal. As you cross this country you will encounter the full range of firearms legislation. Starting with Vermont in the east or Alaska in the north, with no repressive laws, to California in the west where they are actually and forcefully (at the time of this writing) confiscating certain types of legally owned and properly registered weapons! Confiscation is also taking place in our nation's capital, as well as New York and Chicago. New Orleans was a lesson never to be forgotten during and after hurricane Katrina. The lawlessness of that city's street thugs was greatly overshadowed by the lawlessness of its Police force and political leadership.

If you live in a state that honors your second amendment rights, you are indeed fortunate. When you travel however, you will most certainly be unknowingly breaking some laws. Some states have adopted Preemption Acts. This Act prevents smaller areas from passing their own conflicting laws. The fact remains that other well-intentioned communities have placed literally thousands of gun laws on the books. There is no way anyone can be aware of them all.

Some carry states will honor your CCW license while you are traveling in their state. This is by means of a reciprocity agreement, meaning your state has agreed to also honor their permits. There is also a federal law that says even non-permit states must allow you to proceed unmolested through their state if your firearm is transported unloaded, in a locked metal container, ammunition separate and locked in the trunk of your car. I will go a little deeper into these matters a little later but right now I want everybody's undivided attention.

If you learn nothing else from this booklet make sure you thoroughly understand the following statement:

If you attempt to cross the Canadian border with a handgun, no matter how it is carried or whatever permits you may possess, if caught, you will probably be jailed and your vehicle and gun seized. You likely will be tried, convicted, fined, imprisoned and eventually deported. The only thing you will have to be thankful for will be the fact you were not caught trying to take a gun into Mexico. In our country you are supposed to be treated as if you are innocent, until proven guilty; in Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent. You could be jailed and never get out. You might wait forever just to come to trial. They most likely will not even allow you to see a lawyer. There is a very good chance the American Consulate will not be informed you are in their jail!

Remember, the right to bear arms is unique to the United States of America. We fought for it. We died for it. That is what makes us the envy of the world. But when you step across a border you give up all of your rights.

You must also understand that even crossing a state line here at home is dangerous. The law enforcement people in those states that restrict or deny their citizens the right to defend themselves will most certainly not recognize your right of self-defense, regardless of your out-of-state CCW permit. It is a common practice in many of the inner cities of our nation to stop automobiles and search for weapons. These cops are so poorly trained and misinformed; they really believe it is their duty to seize all guns they encounter.

Law enforcement people have been known to treat anyone with a weapon as a dangerous criminal and a personal threat. Because of this, I want you to learn the laws of each state you will be visiting before you take a trip. This type of information is available on the Internet if you visit the NRA's web site and dig it out.

Each of the states fall into one or more of the following basic categories: No restrictions, Concealed carry, Open carry, "Limited" or "No issue" states and No concealable firearms allowed outside the home. We will discuss them in detail a little later. If you are like me, rather than leave your weapon at home, you may decide you want to re-route your trip to avoid states known to be a problem. When, and if, they ever discover their hard-nosed attitude is costing them big time tourist dollars, perhaps they may decide to choose a little more enlightened path to providing liberty and justice for all.

If you run into trouble in one of these localities, be prepared for anything. Statistics show a criminal will most probably break off an encounter, and make a hasty exit at the first sight of your gun. That is exactly what you want to happen. Let him go. If you choose to report it to the police however, and they learn you were armed and displayed your firearm in a threatening manner, they will in all probability be more interested in arresting you than chasing the crook. It all depends on the attitude of the officer you encounter. You may find one that will understand and send you on your way. You may get some jerk that thinks he's SUPER-COP! Remember, a street corner is definitely not the place to have a discussion on Constitutional Law. You can't win.

To minimize our exposure in a situation like this, we must educate ourselves on what to do and what not to do when confronted by an officer that cannot tell the difference between an armed citizen and a dangerous criminal. Only through understanding and training will we be able to respond properly in this situation, thus vastly reducing the perceived danger a police officer might feel.

The most probable contact you will have with a police officer will be a routine traffic stop. He has been trained to watch you carefully and respond accordingly. Slow your vehicle down immediately, use your turn signal, and stop at the first place it is safe to pull completely off the road. Shut your engine off so he knows you do not intend to run. Shut off your stereo. If it is a nighttime stop, turn on your interior lights. Sit still, and other than rolling your window down, keep both hands in plain sight and resting on the top of the steering wheel.

Do not attempt to exit the vehicle unless he tells you to do so. If there are other adults in your vehicle, instruct them to also sit tight. Tell them to keep their hands in plain sight and make no sudden moves. Remember, the officer has no idea what he is walking up on. He will have his hand next to his gun as he approaches. His car will probably be positioned further out in the traffic than yours and may be at an angle. This is not just to give him some protection from traffic, but more importantly, it gives him some heavy metal (his engine block) to get behind in case someone in your car starts shooting.

This is a very dangerous situation for him. He may appear casual and professional from having done this so many times but his mind is on high alert! Be friendly and greet this man with respect. He is literally holding your life in his hands.

If you are carrying your weapon legally and it is concealed properly he may not know you are armed. When he asks you for your driver's license, you may want to say, "Yes Sir, it's in my right (or left) pants pocket (or purse)." "Do I have your permission to reach for it?" Wait for his approval and then get it out slowly. If you are armed, you want to hand him your driver's license and your concealed carry permit at the same time. Place both hands back on top of the steering wheel.

Do not move until he tells you how he wants to handle this situation. While this may suddenly get a little dicey or complicated, it is not likely to trigger a fearful response because you have let him know, in a non-threatening manner, you may be armed. In some states the law actually requires you present your CCW permit with the driver's license. In other states, your permit may actually be a physical part of your drivers' license. In some areas it is a serious crime not to notify the officer the moment he arrives.

Let's say you are stopped in a state you believe truly does allow open carry. If you are carrying your firearm in plain sight on the seat next to you, and you attempt to get it out of sight, the officer will see a shoulder drop. He will know you are reaching for something or are trying to hide something. If you decide to simply keep your hands at the top of your steering wheel, the first thing you should probably say to the approaching officer is, "Sir, I need to inform you there is a legal means of self defense on the seat next to me."

If your firearm is not in plain sight and you are not sure whether your weapon has been properly stored away to meet the laws of the particular location, you may choose to remain silent about your firearm. Be aware the officer only has the right to search a very limited area. He may politely ask for permission to search your vehicle. He may even ask you to sign a legal consent form. You will be tempted to say, "yes" to keep from looking guilty. Your best response might be "no" and go on to explain you would like to cooperate, but you are not familiar with the local laws and feel if he insists on searching, he will have to do so on his own, or wait until you have had a chance to talk to a local attorney. At the minimum you can expect this will probably lengthen your time together considerably, as he will undoubtedly want to call for the drug-sniffing dogs.

When traveling, as I said before, some states have reciprocity agreements and will honor your home state CCW permit. Others may issue permits to residents of their Border States. All states including the "Limited and No Issue" states, thanks to a federal law called "The McClure-Volkmer Act" must allow you to transport your firearm unloaded in the trunk, as long as you are on a continuous peaceable journey through their state.

Some of the states with "Open Carry" laws are of special concern because they enforce other laws that make open carry impossible. Missouri is such a state. While these states, at one time, would turn their backs on Billy Bob with his deer rifle and shotgun in the back window of his pickup truck, they would not hesitate to arrest you for having your handgun in plain sight on your car seat. If you are a long way from home, they will probably confiscate your weapon, let you post bond and hope they never hear from you again. This practice is known as "arresting the gun." They will be able to brag to their buddies they have taken another gun off the streets. If this should ever happen to you, demand a receipt for your property that includes a full description of its condition and the serial number,

Legally, a law enforcement officer can only seize your gun if he reasonably thinks it is a stolen weapon, has defaced serial numbers, or has been used in the commission of a felony. Real life is quite different however. Let's say you defended yourself from a burglar in your own home. In the not too distant past, the cops would not only take you and your firearm into custody, they would also empty your gun safe including hunting rifles and shotguns. The recent passage of the Castle Doctrine laws should bring this practice to a long overdue halt! Remember, no judge has the authority to order your gun destroyed unless it was proven it was used in the commission of a felony. If you have to sue for the return of your property however, don't be surprised to find it has somehow "disappeared" out of the evidence room. You will probably have to go to small claims court to recover your firearm's equivalent dollar value.

When I meet a policeman on foot I usually follow the "don't ask, don't tell policy." If specifically asked if you have any weapons on you, you might decide on a polite but non-direct reply, like "Sir; I have a CCW license in my wallet, do I have your permission to display it to you?" Don't be surprised if you next find yourself lying face down on the pavement, being handcuffed. This is better however, than being shot for saying, "Yes, I have a gun."

The least likely situation, the one we hope will never happen, is the confrontation that will follow if you ever have to actually use your weapon in self-defense. In this case you must call the police or have someone call for you. When the police arrive on the scene, they will not know who you are or who the bad guys might be. If you are holding someone at gunpoint, get them spread-eagled on the ground before the police arrive. The first moments the officers must deal with when they arrive are extremely dangerous for everyone.

Remember the situation is now completely in their hands. You have no further use for your weapon. Lay it down when ordered to and raise your hands. Yell your lungs out, if necessary, to let them know you are the good guy! Even if the bad guy jumps up and tries to escape, it is no longer your problem. The police will handle it!

Now the questions begin. The bad guy will be trying to get the police to believe you're the bad guy and he is the innocent party. They may restrain both of you until they sort it out.

Never lie to the police about anything. Get caught in just one lie and your integrity is gone forever. The crime scene will tell the story better than you can anyway. They will sort it out based on what they see and hear.

If you have broken any of their laws you will be arrested. Don't worry about it, that's what lawyers are for. You did just fine. You survived a potentially deadly situation without a scratch. Good job! But wait, you are not out of the woods yet. You're about to meet your worst enemy - your very worst nightmare.

If you have never been in this situation before you have no way of knowing what is coming next but it will be coming out of your own mouth! The calm nerves of steel you displayed during the crisis are gone. That steady hand is starting to shake like a leaf. You may not realize the jolt of adrenaline in your bloodstream has gotten control of your tongue and you are talking a mile a minute.

**Remember; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!**

Get control of your tongue; do not harm yourself by saying anything stupid. Be especially careful not to say anything the bad guy's lawyer could use against you or to sue you with later. Your natural response is you are the good guy and you shouldn't need a lawyer. You must remember, anybody can sue anyone else, for anything, anytime, and they will!

Your lawyer might advise you to say such things as: "He tried to kill me." "Those two guys over there saw the whole thing." "I was terrified for my life; I thought I was dead." "I'm the one that called you." "Their spent shells should be on the ground over there." "They tossed a gun into those bushes." And then **clam up**. Be sure to politely tell them you want to cooperate, but "not being familiar with the local laws, I think it best to wait until I have spoken to an attorney, and then I will give you my full cooperation." If that don't work, feint a heart attack and demand to be taken to the nearest hospital. Then call your lawyer and shut up!

Remember... If you cannot afford council, one will be appointed for you..... Probably not a very good idea, but better than nothing, or a rubber stamp for the system depending on how you want to look at it!

## Where, when and how do you intend to carry?

The vast majority of us will only go armed on the occasions we perceive to be potentially dangerous. We would never wear a weapon to church, school, sports stadiums, the theater or the super market unless they were in a high crime area or had dimly lit parking areas that should rightly concern us. We would more likely be armed when traveling overnight, going to the ATM or visiting in a strange area at night. You may choose a holster; pocket, purse or fanny pack or you might choose to put your gun in the glove compartment. No matter how you carry, it must be readily accessible and ready for instant use if it is to be of any value. If simply carried in a pocket, a small lightweight, hammerless revolver would be a good choice of weapons. It is the only choice (other than a derringer) that will allow you to shoot right through your pocket or purse without jamming. This type of revolver has nothing that will snag on clothing when drawn but you give up some accuracy because of the short barrel and long, hard trigger pull. Simi-automatics by nature of their complexity require you have a much higher level of skill. The semi-automatics are also available in hammerless or DAO "double action only" models for pocket carry.

Some of you will want to have your weapon on you most of the time. You should invest in a high quality rig that will do your job comfortably. I prefer a belt level "pancake" holster that hides well under loose fitting clothing with a bold print in hot weather. Fanny packs work well. Shoulder bags with special compartments work great for the ladies. The bottom line is no matter how you carry, it must not only be readily accessible, but it must be completely discreet. Think of your weapon as if it were underwear, nobody should be able to tell whether you are wearing it or not.

## How will your weapon be secured when out of your control?

The courts today are holding the gun owner responsible for the damage caused by others if their gun should fall into the wrong hands. At the same time there are many places a firearm is forbidden, forcing you to leave it unattended in your car or at home. If you can afford it, I strongly suggest you invest in a locking steel gun safe for your home (as little as $90.00 at your local Wal-Mart) and a locking steel tool box bolted to the metal floor of your car's trunk. Keep the keys to these boxes on your person and hide the spares where little unauthorized fingers cannot get at them.

If you don't feel you can afford a gun safe, find some creative hiding places. The top three things a burglar is looking for are money, jewelry and guns because they are easy to turn into cash or drugs. Your goal is to make your valuables either hard to get at or hard to find.

I know it is not practical for you to lock up your weapons every time you leave the room. I also know how important it is for other family members to be trained and have access to the same weapon in a crisis. When no responsible supervision is present however, or when having company in your home, lock your weapons up.

The best way to insulate your own children from a firearm accident is to train them in the proper handling and use of a gun at a very young age. Each of my children fired their first rifle before they started school. They were never curious about guns because I would take them shooting any time they wanted to go. They were never allowed a BB gun. They understood from the start that **all** guns were dangerous weapons and not toys.

If you are wondering, we raised three children. All are firearm experts. Our daughter is a safety instructor like me. Our oldest son was the president of a local gun club for many years. He is also a certified instructor, but will wait until he retires to start teaching. The job of our second son takes him into the wilds of Alaska and the Arctic Circle, where MAN is definitely not at the top of the food chain. Here, major firepower must always be close at hand to avoid becoming lunch! (At least his enemies are easy to recognize and they usually only kill for food or to protect their young.)

Even in states with laws favorable to concealed carry, some businesses will post their property with "no firearms allowed" signs. It is their right to do this just as it is your right to take your business elsewhere. They are, however, leaving themselves wide open for a lawsuit by anyone injured or killed on their property because they denied that individual the right to his or her own self defense. Civil Courts work both ways!

It is not possible to avoid some places where weapons are prohibited, like schools, courthouses, voting booths and public transportation. In these cases you will be glad you have a lock box in the trunk of your car to secure your weapon. Good ones are available for under $30.00.

This is probably a good spot to point out guns **can** be transported on most commercial airliners. Notify the airline in advance. They will probably tell you to place your unloaded gun in a case, pack it in your checked luggage and declare it at your airlines check-in counter. Ammunition is not usually allowed. Buy fresh when you arrive at your destination. If you are traveling outside the United States, get advance clearance for your firearm or leave it at home.

## Does your family know what you will do in an emergency?

At this point you are probably saying, "How would my family know what I'm going to do? I don't know what I would do in a real emergency!" We do not always have the luxury or time to figure out what the best response would be in a given situation. Don't worry, you will respond the way you are trained. With a little luck and advanced planning, so will your spouse and kids. Just like a fire drill, everyone needs to know what to do and where to go. Play the game. Play "what if" and rehearse how each of you might act or react. Make sure they understand for example, when you say to an intruder, "OK, OK, we will do whatever you say, just don't hurt anyone!", you are only trying to buy them the time they need to get out of the line of fire. This is the time for them to do whatever you have rehearsed. Run next-door, dial 911, hide in the closet, whatever.

##  Attend your local Citizens Police Academy

Across this nation, law enforcement agencies are putting on valuable programs to better their relations with the communities they serve. They are called "Citizens Police Academies." They are free and typically require two nights per week, for five weeks. Ladies are more than welcome. I suggest you and your spouse attend together.

After graduation you might each be invited to "ride along" with an officer on a regular shift. This is a very enlightening experience that will leave you with a much better appreciation for what they do and why. More importantly, they get a chance to know you, and you never know when having a couple of friends in the police department could be beneficial.

You will learn about the gang activity in your area, places to avoid and how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim. They will invite you to become involved in their local programs, like "Block Captain" or "Crime Watch." They may even issue you a little identification card that could help in a traffic stop. They will teach you some self-defense moves. They will suggest ways to harden your home against burglars. It's free, it's fun and you will enjoy every minute of it.

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# Chapter 2 \- SELF DISCIPLINE

## Other than family, no one should know if you are armed

I cannot stress this point enough. All kinds of bad situations are going to develop if you are not smart enough to keep your mouth shut. You do not want a macho image. You want no image. Discrete carry means just exactly that, **DISCRETE**! If you would not openly discuss your sex life or bank account with someone, why in the world would you share this kind of information? Your best buddies might get belligerent and pick a fight thinking YOU are going to back them up with YOUR GUN! Walk away. Let them get their ass kicked. Find some new friends.

Don't tell. Not even in confidence. People do talk and the next thing you know your house has been broken into and your guns have been stolen. Or, let's say you are in a restaurant that serves liquor and some drunk starts to mess with you. Your buddy says, "You better not f--- around with him buddy, he carries a gun!" and the drunk disappears. The next thing you know, the drunk comes back from his car with his own gun! You are not carrying a gun to settle fights or prove you are tougher than some drunk. You are only carrying that gun to save your life, and now thanks to the fact neither you nor your buddy could keep your mouths shut, you just might have to use it.

## Know when to shoot and when you must not!

In all of the examples I will be giving, I will keep repeating that the only justification for using deadly force is to **save a life**. That life may be yours, a loved one or even a total stranger. According to law there must be a real or perceived threat you believe is immediately life threatening. In other words, it must be an immediate and present danger. The legal test is - would any other right thinking individual feel a life was in danger in the same circumstance?

This does not mean you have to give the bad guy the first shot. This is definitely not a sporting event. Any right thinking individual would agree an attempted sodomy, rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary or arson presents a very real and present threat of serious physical injury or death to the victim. It is always a good idea, and in some states it is actually required, to retreat if at all possible to avoid a shooting.

Legally, the next thing I am going to tell you is a problem. The legal definition of jeopardy says there must be a threat, the ability to do harm, and a means of carrying out that threat. That "ability to do harm" is the problem. It has been interpreted by some courts to mean, "Close enough to do harm." Almost any good cop will tell you he would **never let them get close to him and he would probably shoot before they got within lunging distance** , because if you let them get within 20 feet, anyone with combat training could probably disarm you. The simple fact is, a human's reaction time is slow enough that a gun can be stripped from your hand before you can pull the trigger.

Let's say you were foolish enough to get within lunging distance of someone that knows what he or she is doing. Your gun is cocked and ready and pointed directly at their mid-section. In one swift movement they charge forward, their hand opposite your gun hand shoots out and their body pivots. They grab your gun hand just behind your wrist, shoving it sideways. Even if you manage to pull the trigger, the shot will pass harmlessly in front of them. Their other hand grabs the top of your gun barrel (the longer the barrel the more leverage they have) and twists it violently around so the barrel is now pointing straight back at you. By the way, the trigger guard just broke your trigger finger and you are feeling intense pain. No matter, that is the least of your worries because they now have your gun and most probably will shoot you with it.

Most violent criminals are repeat offenders; one of the first things they learn in prison is how to disarm a cop. It has been estimated that approximately 12% of all policemen shot on duty are shot with their own gun. What I want you to understand is if you are not a policeman, you do not have to get close enough to subdue, handcuff or arrest anyone. Even after they have given up, you would be well advised to keep them at least 20 feet away from you until the police arrive.

Always be aware other lives are in danger any time a bullet is fired. It is never just you and the bad guy. A bullet travels a long way. Let's say you wake up in the middle of the night because someone just forced his or her way into your motel room. Your wife and kids are in the room with you. You grab your gun from under the pillow. You have every reason to believe the intruder is armed and the lives of both yourself and your family are in danger. You yell you will shoot and he keeps coming. Without training and self-discipline, your natural reaction would be to empty your gun in the general direction of the intruder. You would probably be left standing there defenseless with an empty gun, after missing the intruder completely. However, your bullets would be ripping thru plasterboard into other occupied rooms.

But you have been doing your homework. You wait until you can see the outline of your target. The intruder keeps coming even after you tell him you will "blow his head off." You shoot at the center of his torso and he drops with a bullet thru his heart. (Please note this only happens in Hollywood, in real life it will take three or four shots) When the cops get there they may find he was unarmed, no gun and no knife. Were you within your rights to shoot? You had every reason to believe the intruder was armed. Any right thinking person would have been afraid for their life in that circumstance and it probably would have been foolhardy to allow him to get any closer.

Let's say instead of that scenario, the intruder grabbed your wallet and tried to run out the motel room door while you are ordering him to "stop or I'll shoot." He just keeps running. You fire a warning shot over his head, he stops and gives himself up. Congratulations, you got your wallet back. You're going to need it because you are going to jail. He was running away, no longer a threat. You, however, have just endangered the lives of others. Even though you purposely shot over his head, a judge will rule shooting in the general direction of the suspect constituted "the use of deadly force." Additional charges could be "the criminal use of a firearm", "discharging a firearm inside the city limits" and a few other things including taking away your gun and CCW license.

Did you do wrong? The moment the intruder turned his back to you, he was no longer a threat to your life. Deadly force is out of the question. If you are foolish enough to be more concerned about your wallet than your life, you could have run him down to get your property back. You could have made a citizen's arrest and held him for the police. Unless he turns on you and you again feel you are in mortal danger, you cannot legally or morally use deadly force.

Let's change our hypothetical situation slightly. Let's say you heard him trying to break in to your room and you had time to call 911. The dispatcher will instantly know the address where the call was made (This will not work with some cell phones). All 911 calls will be recorded, so do not hang up. You do not even have to speak, if time will not permit. They will do their part and your lawyer will have access to the tape for your defense in court.

You might, under the stress of the moment, think you would like to shoot someone that is stealing from you. Unless your name is GOD, you cannot name yourself judge, jury and executioner. Let's face it; stealing is just not a crime punishable by death in this country. In fact, the law will only recognize the use of deadly force as justifiable if it is used to prevent the loss of life or limb, or to prevent rape, kidnap or the arson of an OCCUPIED building. (Your lawyer will advise you on this.)

## Know what is in the line of fire

Firing a warning shot is never a good idea, especially in a crowded building like we used in the motel example. If you don't know what your shot is going to hit, don't fire. Bullets fired into the air travel a long way. A shot fired into the ground or water might ricochet in any direction. My best advice is never fire a warning shot. It serves no worthwhile purpose and leaves you with one shot less for self-defense.

## Never draw a weapon you don't intend to fire

If a life is not in jeopardy, the gun stays hidden. If you think you can just bluff your way through a bad situation, you are liable to get shot before you realize the bluff did not work. I am not saying if you draw, you have to shoot. I am saying if you have not made up your mind you will shoot if you have to, don't draw.

## Never carry when your thinking might be impaired

Impaired judgment, be it from depression, medication, booze or lack of sleep, can lead to deadly situations. Lock your gun up for safekeeping. A cell phone pre-programmed for 911, or a canister of pepper spray, will have to suffice.

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# Chapter 3 \- COMPETENCE

## Marksmanship

Wyatt Earp was one of my childhood heroes, his motto was "Speed is fine, but Accuracy is final!" A quick draw and a fast shot may have its place, as it is a sure way to make the other guy duck for cover. It may buy you the time to take cover yourself but sooner or later one of you will have to expose yourself long enough to aim a decisive shot. Otherwise, the guy that runs out of ammo first, losses!

This is the way most gun battles go because SPRAY and PRAY is what most shooters were trained to do. On a national average, only one out of five shots fired by policemen find their intended mark! I cannot think of a more unsafe place for an innocent bystander to be trapped, because this "4th of July fireworks display" results in lead flying everywhere! Both the military and the police were trained to "fire for effect" and to "aim at the center of mass" and are issued relatively inaccurate, high rate of fire weapons, and are told to use a "flash sight picture."

One of the results was shown a short time back on nationwide TV at that now infamous LA bank robbery. I am of the opinion that any good Missouri squirrel hunter could have stopped that fiasco, in spite of the body armor, with just two shots from his .22-caliber rifle. One well aimed shot for each man, right between the eyes! There were a lot of heroes on hand that day, unfortunately none of them knew how to take cover and shoot accurately.

## Understanding the mindset of others

At this point you have probably decided I am anti-police or anti-government or both. Nothing could be further from the truth. A few police, and a lot of politicians, are only interested in their personal wealth and positions of power. The rest are people just like you and I that deserve our loyalty and respect for doing a very tough job. When a policeman goes off duty or retires, he becomes an ordinary citizen just like us. He wants to keep his right to bear arms just the same as we do. He has his own family to protect and out of uniform, faces the same discrimination we do.

Ordinary citizens are almost equally divided between those that own, use and like guns and those that do not want any part of them. These anti-gunners are accustomed to seeing guns on the persons of police and the military. They have no argument with, or fear of, them. They are also used to seeing guns on the hips of uniformed guards and Brinks truck drivers. They may not approve of what we are doing but they do not panic when they see us at the target range or out in the woods hunting. They might actually stop and enjoy watching us shoot a round of skeet. But if they ever get a glimpse of your concealed weapon they are going to panic. You cannot blame them. Seeing a gun out of place will trigger a reaction in them similar to the one you would have upon seeing you are about to step on a rattlesnake.

It is critical you understand and remember the next statement. A criminal is different. He is not going to panic at the sight of a gun in your hands. He runs with a crowd that all carry guns. He sees guns all the time. He knows it is not the gun that is dangerous but rather the person carrying it. The only thing that is going to scare him is if he thinks you are ready, willing and able to use it. Never say, "I don't want to have to shoot you." You want to sound more like Dirty Harry and say, "OK dirt bag, make my day!" In fact the police are trained to use their voice as their second level of force, loud and commanding. The first level of force is the uniform or badge.

This is one area we can learn from the cops on TV and the movies. From the moment you draw your gun, you want them to understand you are in total control. Yell your orders at them non-stop until they comply. The first order they comply with indicates they are wavering in their resolve and can be controlled. Until this happens, they are still not convinced you will shoot.

Your goal at this point is complete domination. One of three things must happen.

1. They will turn and run, in which case you happily let them go.

2. They comply with your every command. In this case, you order them face down on the ground, arms and legs spread with palms facing up. Do not allow them to move or talk until the police arrive. If you do, they will plead with you to let them go. Believe me, if you waver, they will take it as a sign of weakness and resume the attack.

3. They may continue to advance. In this case, you will have to make an instant personal decision. Personally, I would never let them get close enough to reach me, as I would feel my life was definitely in immediate danger. I would choose to SHOOT and keep shooting until the danger was eliminated.

Approximately 80% of all encounters that require an armed person to draw his weapon defensively will end without a shot being fired. All criminals are looking for the easy mark. Unless they are so doped up they can't recognize reality, they will go off in search of a more helpless victim. But if he thinks you are bluffing, he just might try to take your weapon away from you and use it on you. After all, financial wizard that he is, he knows he can readily sell your $500 gun on the street for a quick $50. And he only had to kill one human being to get it.

The last group of people I want you to take a look at, while we are on the subject of mindset, is you. You and I and all of those other folks like us that know something about guns. Chances are we grew up with guns. We played cowboy and Indians as kids. Some of us lived on farms where a firearm was just another tool. Some of us are still hunters today. We may venture into the woods once a year to go deer hunting. We think we are experts. We are not!

Women have no problem with seeking instruction in firearms, but we guys are born way to bull-headed to ever admit we might have something to learn about a subject as macho as firearms. It's a guy thing!

Just as driving a taxi does not equip you for the Indy 500; shooting at tin cans does not prepare you to shoot at another human being. Experience with the military or law enforcement may have properly prepared you to shoot at another human but they never even attempted to turn you into anything more than an everyday, run of the mill, average marksman. They referred to it as "qualifying", which is just another way of saying you have met their bare minimum standards.

Some of you may be very good with shotguns or rifles but are just starting out with a pistol. You will soon realize this is a whole new ballgame. You no longer have that nice long stock to firmly plant against your shoulder. Instead of having three feet between the front and rear sight you are lucky to have three inches. This means you are going to have to use any means possible in order to get the most rock solid grip. A slight misalignment of the sights on a rifle means you miss the center of the target by a few inches. A slight misalignment of the sights on a pistol means you miss the whole target by several feet.

All of you experienced guys and gals are just going to have to bear with me. This booklet is designed for beginners to understand. I will go into great detail in order to give all of my readers the same chance to become a highly competent marksman. But my words are only tools. Only you can make yourself into a superb shot. If you will take the tools I give you throughout this course to the range and use them time after time, and practice, practice, practice, you will be well on your way to becoming an expert shot.

## Recognizing danger

What does a bad guy look like? He looks just like you and I. If you think that skid row looking guy hanging around the ATM is a criminal, you are probably looking at an undercover cop. A bad guy wants to blend in. Sure, if you're on his turf, he will be wearing gang colors because he wants to be seen. But you had better be aware it's those two cute innocent looking little kids, riding lazy circles around him on their bicycles that are carrying his weapon. One will have his automatic; the other one has his loaded clip. That way, when the cops show up, the kids say they found the gun and nobody goes to jail.

Always be alert to your surroundings. Most attacks happen to people who put themselves in danger. Like any predator, the bad guy is an opportunist. He is always looking for an easy chance to make a quick buck, with as little danger to himself as possible. Your subconscious mind may tip you off before you are even aware anything is amiss. Do not ignore it! If you suddenly get a feeling something is not quite right, it probably isn't. Get ready for anything. The bad guy is way ahead of you at this point. He knows what he is going to do and how he intends to do it. You have to be alert to your surroundings at all times if you are going to have the time to react. Be street smart. Give yourself a way out. Put some distance between yourself and potential danger. Look for cover.

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# Chapter 4 \- INTEGRETY

## Never disturb a crime scene

This might be a good time to point out you should never tamper with a crime scene. Everyone has heard the old wives tale about shooting a burglar that is breaking down your front door. He falls backward and dies on your porch. The sage advice is to drag him into the house before the police get there. The belief being if he is in your house, you had the right to kill him. There are several things wrong with this story. We will go into the others later but for now let's talk about moving the body. The story assumes either there is no blood or the police are too stupid to see it. The truth is, it is illegal to tamper with evidence and it would make you look like you were trying to cover up a murder.

## Never misuse your weapon. Other lives are at stake!

It never ceases to amaze me that more people are not killed every 4th of July and New Years Eve. Thousands of mental incompetents step out their back doors and empty a firearm into the air. What goes up, must come down, somewhere. Having made some noise, they go happily off to bed and sleep peacefully, never thinking they may have just committed a senseless killing of another human being.

## Don't worry. In an emergency, you will react the way you've been trained

In most cases if a dog attacks you, all you have to do is place something between yourself and the dog. A briefcase or shopping bag will work nicely. The dog will come to a skidding stop, turn and retreat. This is because the dog intended to attack you. The briefcase, or whatever you used, was not supposed to be there. The dog is confused by this change in circumstances and has to back off and think. This will not work with a dog that has been trained, like a police dog. A police dog has been trained way beyond the initial attack and will continue to do what he has been trained to do until his handler calls him off.

Likewise, the military understands that during the most unbearable of circumstances, their people will do whatever they have been trained to do, and so will you. The soldier does not become a hero because of love of country. He becomes a hero by doing what he has trained to do because his buddies are depending on him. In your case, it may be yourself, family, friend or even a total stranger, whose life is in danger. You will react however you have trained yourself to react because they are depending on you!

## Never resort to the threat of gunplay in a non-lethal situation

Take your lumps, swallow your pride and run. Tell him 'HE is the best man"; buy him a beer, whatever it takes. This is better than escalating the encounter to a potentially deadly level. Running away or avoiding an encounter is not cowardly. It is always the smartest thing to do.

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# Chapter 5 \- UNDERSTANDING FIREARMS, AMMO AND PRACTICE

## Firearms

It's lost in history, but the Chinese are given credit for inventing gunpowder. They would "wet mix" approximately five parts charcoal, five parts sulfur and seven parts bat dung. When dried, it would explode on contact with fire. By adding other things, like iron filings, they could get different colors to the fireball when it exploded. It did not take very long for the Chinese to figure out the black powder they invented was not only good for fireworks, but could be used as a potent weapon or bomb.

One of the earliest military weapons was called a Bombard. By hollowing out a short, fat log on one end, they could put their powder in the hole with a large rock placed inside the hole on top of the powder. The log could then be propped up and pointed at an enemy's camp. When the powder was ignited it could send a rock the size of a bowling ball bouncing wildly through the camp. Because the log had a nasty tendency to split, or otherwise blow apart, they would chain a slave to it to do the lighting.

This design was soon modified and became a short, fat "metal" Bombard that could fire metal balls. This, in turn, gave way to long barreled "Cannons" that could be aimed and fired accurately enough they could score direct hits at great distances. This gave birth to a new science called Ballistics, which we will examine in detail in just a little while. Don't panic, it's not anything technical, but you must have a general idea of what happens to a bullet in flight.

Things went along for centuries with very little change except for size. They reduced the barrel and shot diameter until they had a cannon that could be fired from a man's shoulder. Then they reduced the length until they could fire a tiny cannon, at the end of a long stick, aiming with one hand while the other lit it off with the smoldering end of a piece of string. Then, there was a flurry of improvements over a very short length of time that brought forth our modern firearms. They went rapidly from matchlocks, to flintlocks, to pin fires and then percussion caps. These developments were followed closely by breach loaders, rifled barrels, metallic cartridges, smokeless powder and repeating arms.

Nothing new of much importance has been added in the last century, with most all of our modern weapons based on technology that is at least 100 years old. Modern metals allow more powerful loads, gas operation, mechanized or machine guns and some clever sighting systems pretty well sum it up. The projectiles themselves however, have changed drastically in the past few years. Great strides have been made in the controlled expansion of the bullets upon impact with their target. This allows improved stopping power with lighter loads and reduces the chance of unintended damage by any bullets that pass completely through the intended target.

Repeating handguns fall into one of three basic designs; Multi-barreled models like the Derringer, Revolvers and "Blow back or Gas operated" Automatics. All are properly called "Pistols."

Derringers are a popular choice for concealed carry because of their small size and light weight. They are chambered from .22's to magnums and are relatively inexpensive. They can be very effective at close range. The downside is, they typically hold only two shots and are difficult to shoot accurately. They can be a very comforting back up weapon and can be carried most anywhere without being noticed.

Revolvers are my personal choice. I feel they are superior in all respects. Except for the bulge of the cylinder, which makes them a little harder to conceal and the smaller number of rounds they hold, I would never recommend anything else. Now having said that, I must admit that when carrying concealed, I sometimes carry a 9mm automatic. For home defense and traveling, I use a medium frame .357 magnum revolver. For the wife's purse, an Airweight small frame .38 hammerless 5-shot revolver equipped with Crimson Trace Lasergrips and +P hollow points. My son in Alaska will not consider anything smaller than a .44 magnum without laughing! When I said that a well placed shot with a .357 magnum would drop any animal on the North American continent, he advised me to file the front sight off my pistol before coming up. He went on to explain I would not have time to aim, and when that bear took that thing away from me and shoved it up my butt, it would not hurt nearly as bad! Even I get no respect!

Revolvers are made in every size, weight, caliber and finish you can imagine. One manufacturer even chose to have his cylinder rotate in the opposite direction. The notches on the cylinder look like little arrows, and they always point in the direction of rotation. They are all basically the same simple, reliable, strong, dependable and accurate design. There is no safety to fidget with and they do not jam, even with bad ammo. The only feature that needs explanation is the choice of single or double action. Hang in there guys and gals, this explanation is going to sound like double talk. No pun intended.

In the early model revolvers you had to first cock the weapon and then pull the trigger to make it fire. For some reason they chose to call this a single action, even though it took 2 separate actions on your part to make it fire. In order to get any real speed in a rapid-fire situation, they would reach across with their free hand to shove the hammer back. This was called fanning. Every kid that ever saw a western wanted to do this. Leave it to the Hollywood stunt men, as it is very dangerous. I had to learn this the hard way. I was unhurt, but a brand new Ruger Single Six was destroyed.

In order to speed things up, they next modified the action so the gun could be fired simply by pulling the trigger, if you so desired. This was accomplished at the expense of a long, hard trigger pull, which cocked the weapon on the first part of the long pull and fired it at the end of the stroke. They chose to call this a double action, even though it was capable of being fired with only one simple movement of the finger. This new design was optional. You could still fire it the old fashioned way if you so desired. So, I guess that is what they meant by double action. This makes sense until you try to describe the hammerless revolver, which can only be fired one way, double action!

The NRA may have the simplest way of explaining this double talk; they say that in a single action the trigger only has only one job, to fire the weapon. In a double action, the trigger has two separate jobs, cock the weapon and fire the weapon.

The important thing for you to remember is, shot single action, the revolver is a fairly accurate weapon. Shot double action, it is doubly hard to hit anything because you cannot aim accurately while wrestling with that long, hard trigger pull.

The only reason I have subjected you to this gibberish is our next subject is going to be automatic pistols, which are not really automatics but rather semi-automatics. Go figure. The letters DAO, meaning "double action only," will become very important to you when selecting or shooting a semi-automatic pistol.

Now, last but definitely not least, are the so-called automatic pistols. They are by far the most popular weapons on the market today. They have become the predominate standard issue for military and law enforcement around the world. They can spit out a large number of shots very rapidly. If you carry extra loaded clips, you can reload very fast. The theory seems to be that if you throw enough lead in the general direction of your intended target, something is bound to hit it sooner or later. Don't get me wrong, a good shooter with a solid stance and a two handed grip can get pretty accurate with an automatic. In fact, a lot of automatics are used in competition, demonstrating outstanding accuracy, especially in rapid-fire events.

The basic design of all automatics uses the recoil, or gas, from a fired round to separate the breach from the barrel by driving it back into a spring which in turn shoves it back forward. It ejects the spent cartridge, re-cocks the action and chambers a fresh round with each roundtrip. It stops at this point and waits until the trigger is pulled again, thus making it a "semi automatic" pistol.

This design requires the weapon be cycled by hand to cock it and get the first round into the chamber. It would then be only necessary to pull the trigger for each shot until it was empty. Most models have a device that will lock the slide in the open position after the last shot, so you will know it is cocked but empty. By inserting a fresh clip and releasing a lever, the slide would slam shut, reloading the weapon. As you can see, a reliable safety is of vital importance on an automatic and most of them have more than one.

This is a good place to talk about safeties. They are never to be trusted. They can and do fail. I can't tell you the number of times I have seen some idiot say; "Don't worry, I have the safety on, SEE" and then pull the trigger to prove it!

How to carry an automatic safely is a big issue. If you choose to carry one with no bullet in the chamber, you must cock your weapon by pulling the slide back before it is of any use to you. If you choose to carry it with a live round in the chamber and the safety on, you are a darn fool ---- and besides, you still have to release the safety before your weapon can be used. If you decide to go with a live round in the chamber and the gun in a de-cocked position, you can carefully let the hammer down with your thumb. This is always a dangerous thing to do and you will still have to cock the hammer again before you can shoot. They now offer several models with de-cocking levers that take most of the danger out of this maneuver.

I have seen police carrying fully loaded and cocked automatics, safety off, relying solely on a leather strap on their holsters to keep the hammer from falling. But they still have to remove the strap just to draw their weapon. Don't even bother taking a firearm safety course if you like this setup. So what's the answer? You guessed it, DAO, Double Action Only, same old long, hard trigger pull, but it allows you to instantly use the weapon with just a pull of the trigger. One manufacturer has solved this problem with a grip squeeze-cocking feature I personally like. I have tried, so far without success, to encourage a revolver manufacturer to use a similar design on their hammerless revolvers to eliminate the long, hard trigger pull.

So what is the best choice for you? I have no idea. You will make your own decision and learn how to work with it. If you are like most people, you have bought several gun magazines only to learn they are all touting their favorite version of the old 1911 military .45 automatic. A great weapon, but if you are not built like a Sherman tank, it's way too big and too heavy for you. Pick something you are comfortable with and learn to use it well. It's just like learning to drive. No matter what car you choose, if you drive it long enough every move becomes completely automatic. You become accustomed to dealing with all of its little quirks. When an emergency presents itself you react properly out of pure reflex action. It's just some guns, like some cars, are easier to learn and safer to operate than others.

## Ammunition

There is one more thing I want to impress on you before you run out and buy that gun. I want you to be fully aware your gun is nothing more than a launching pad for the ammunition you wish to fire. Here there is a big difference between the revolver and the automatic. The automatic is very finicky about what you feed it. Just changing from a round nosed bullet to a hollow point is enough to jam some automatics. They will typically fire the first round and jam on the second because the new shape does not want to feed properly. If you try to use less powerful loads for practice, they may not produce enough energy to operate the mechanism. You will be stuck with using just the ammunition your automatic was designed to handle. Oh, by the way, you are stuck with that box of ammo that won't feed because once you've bought it, ammunition is not returnable.

On the other hand, there is no feed mechanism on a revolver. It will be happy on a diet of most any bullet type. Round nose, wad cutters, hollow points - it can't tell the difference. My .357's, for instance, will also fire any of the cheaper .38 caliber rimmed rounds because the bore diameter is the same. Some revolvers have even been adapted to fire un-rimmed (automatic) ammunition through the use of "moon clips." For you beginners, as a general rule, you can tell whether a cartridge was designed for an automatic or a revolver by its shape. The base diameter will be the same as the case diameter on an automatic cartridge, with a groove cut around the bottom for the extractor and the case will probably not be crimped. The revolver cartridge, on the other hand, will have a rim at its base that is larger than the shell and the shell front will have a slight crimp into the bullet.

Okay, you have saved up your money and done your homework. You have made your decision and are ready to go out to your friendly firearms dealer and buy your weapon of choice. You will not only need some serious cash, but you will also have to submit the following information:

_Your full name and address, your age, place of birth and S.S. number (optional) as well as your height and weight. Sorry ladies, I know that's tacky. You will be asked to show your driver's license from which they will copy the number and check to see if you look like you in that great picture on your photo I.D. You will have to prove you are over 21 years old. You will have to swear, under penalty of law, you are either male or female, a Latino or an "other" and have never lived on the funny farm or had a judge declare you "a few bricks short of a load." You will also have to swear you were never dishonorably discharged from the military, are not a fugitive or under indictment, or have never been convicted of, or plead guilty to, a crime that carried a 1-year jail term._

So much for the myth there is no gun registration in Missouri.

## Eye and Ear Protection

While you are at your favorite sporting goods store, pick up a quality pair of shooting glasses and some good ear protection. The reason for the safety glasses should be obvious. In addition, they look really cool and help you see the target and your sights by reducing glare. The reason for the ear protection may also seem obvious but I don't want you to simply use earplugs. I want you to buy a pair of shooters ear protectors. That's right, those WWII radio headset looking things. I know they look way un-cool, but humor me and spend a few dollars for a set. Most shooting ranges will require you have and use both eye and ear protection. Most ranges will supply, or sell, protective gear if you forget. If you are one of those that want the latest and greatest, you can get an electronic headset that will allow you to hear normal conversation and filter out all of the loud noises. They cost a little more but are worth it.

Now please pay close attention, I am about to give you your first lesson on how to become an expert shot. The reason most shooters cannot hit the broad side of a barn is they flinch. Everybody mistakenly thinks they flinch because they are anticipating the kick of the weapon. They will flinch just as bad with a .22, as they will with a deer rifle. The reason people flinch is the anticipation of that loud noise. They know it is going to hurt their ears. Wear good ear protection while learning to shoot properly and you won't flinch.

While we are on this subject, people who flinch do not realize they flinch. Some of you more experienced shooters who have never become great are thinking flinching is not your problem because you know you don't flinch. Think again! One of the tricks we used in team competition shooting was to assist the shooter while he is shooting "single shot" in the prone position. With the instructor lying on the mat next to him, he would have them do everything as usual accept place the cartridge into the chamber. He would do that for them. After the shooter has fired a random number of shots, the instructor slips a spent shell into the chamber. Remember I'm talking about very good shooters that are convinced they do not flinch. When they squeeze off the shot and they hear nothing more than the click of the firing pin, no bang, no kick, they suddenly realize their rifle jumped and it was nobody but them that made it jump. Interestingly enough, this is all that is needed to cure the problem. Once they know they are doing it, they deal with it and the problem goes away.

## Sighting in your weapon

Congratulations, you have finally gotten past all of the bureaucratic red tape, claimed your prize and are anxious to shoot your new gun. Chances are its sights were adjusted perfectly well at the factory but we have to find out for sure. That brings up the next problem most people have. Where can they go that it is both legal and safe to shoot?

If you have a place in the country where you can practice, I would not tell too many people about it. It is a vanishing resource. Private landowners have long since gotten their fill of uninvited guests on their land that have made it difficult for everyone else. Most public land has been closed to firearms for the same reason. They simply are not willing to pay for the cleanup costs of the clods that leave broken glass and dead beer cans littering the landscape. Always pick up after yourself, pack everything out and dispose of it properly.

Some states provide modern shooting ranges, operated by their conservation departments. Some police ranges may be open to the public. Private shooting clubs and ranges are listed in the yellow pages. If you have any national forest land in your area, contact a Forest Ranger.

I would prefer that on your first trip to the range you ask a responsible adult, knowledgeable about firearms and shooting ranges, to accompany you. Make sure they too have some type of eye and ear protection. Bring your weapon to the firing line in a case and make sure it is unloaded. Follow the posted rules. If there is a range master on duty, be sure to tell him this is your first visit. Most range masters will require you sign a waiver and they will hold your driver's license until you are ready to check out. He will tell you everything you need to know to use the range safely. He will assign you a shooting position and explain the color-coded flags or markers. Do not load or fire until instructed to do so by the range master. When you are finished, bring your targets and spent brass home with you.

The goal of this first trip is for you to become acquainted with your new surroundings, learn the rules of the range and find out what it feels like to shoot your new gun. But before we make this trip, we have a little more homework to do. We need to pick a "sight picture" that feels good to you, learn how to use it properly and then use it for every shot in exactly the same way every time.

Before going into detail, let me explain that I will be talking about Open Iron Sights because that is what you are going to find on just about any firearm capable of being concealed. Many pocket models have non-adjustable sights because the manufactures do not want anything on the firearm that might snag on your clothing.

While you are learning about sight pictures, you can do this at home, make sure the gun is not loaded and keep your finger off the trigger. I like to start people off with a sight picture that looks like the moon coming up over the mountain, where the rear sight is like two mountain peaks of equal height and you are looking down between them. Your front sight will be like a third peak off in the distance, make it fit exactly in the center and be the same height of the others at their peaks. Now place the tip of your center peak on the exact center of the moon or, in this case, the bullseye.

This is the sight picture taught to both the military and the police. Some people do not like this method because it covers up the bottom half of the target and thus is harder to see. If you would prefer to balance the entire "moon" on top of the front sight, go right ahead. Most target shooters prefer this sight picture. It makes no difference because the next step is to sight the weapon in. Just always use the same sight picture.

When you try this, you should be having two distinct problems. First you will probably find it is hard to line up these three points because everything except the moon is blurred. The problem is in the limitation of our eye. We humans can focus on only one thing at a time and here we are trying to focus on all three at once. Our natural tendency is to focus on the thing of most interest, in this case, the target. As you just found out, this will not work satisfactorily. What I want you to do is force your eye to focus on the front sight. When you do this, the rear sight will be blurred but this is of no consequence because you can still see it well enough to center your sharply defined front sight in the center of it and get the tops of all three points' level. Now all you have to do is center the blurred bull's-eye behind or above (depending on which method you have chosen) the tip of your front sight.

That brings us to problem number two. Keeping the two sights lined up is not too hard but the darn bullseye keeps moving. That's okay; we are not going to try to become good shots on our first day at the range. We will just be having some fun and finding out how our new pistol shoots. Chances are good the range has provided a shooter's bench. It may have a sandbag or two on it, and maybe even a place to sit down. You will want to find the most comfortable position you can and support your gun and shooting hand on one or both of the sandbags.

You can practice doing this at home at the kitchen table by using a couple of telephone books and an unloaded gun. Instead of picking up your gun with your shooting hand, pick it up by its top with your off hand and force its butt into the web of your shooting hand. Extend your pointing finger alongside the trigger guard. Wrap your next two fingers around the butt and allow the little pinky to hang free. Bring your free hand up and under your shooting hand so it cradles the butt of your weapon in the palm of your weak hand.

This is the classic two-handed grip. If done properly, when you move your trigger finger to the trigger it will come to rest with the first pad of your trigger finger in position to squeeze the trigger straight back with no sideways pressure. Pick a target on the far wall, and practice your sight picture.

This is about as firm a shooting platform as you can improvise. When you sight down your weapon now, you will be able to get an almost perfect sight picture. As you will see, there is still a little movement. Take a deep breath and let out about 1/3 of it, now hold the rest and sight again. Ah! Near perfection, but not quite. That is because your heart is still beating, causing a tiny amount of movement. I guess we will just have to learn to live with that.

With practice this movement will grow smaller and smaller as you develop muscle tone and strength. However, you will never get rid of it completely. Therefore, there is no such thing, and you will never achieve, a perfect sight picture. But you will get very close.

You will be able to hold your breath comfortably long enough to squeeze off a shot while trying to achieve this sight picture. Not now however. You don't ever want to snap your weapon on an empty chamber unless your owner's manual specifically says it is O.K. Sooner or later this will break the firing pin. You can safely dry-fire your gun with spent shells in the chamber or if you are feeling rich, you can purchase "snap-caps." More on that later.

It won't be long before you have the confidence to try standing up without the aid of the sandbags. With the same 2-hand grip, you will still be pretty steady. Try adding a little muscle tension by pushing forward with the gun hand and pulling back slightly with your support hand. Pretty good. Not as good as the sandbags, but pretty good.

Let's hold off on any further instructions until we get to the range.

When you get to the range and make contact with the range master, he will inform you of any fees or rules or restrictions. They will tell you whether you can "fire at will" or if they will be calling out the orders.

The entire time you are there the muzzle of your weapon will always be pointed down range. From the time you take it out of the case until you put it back, it is to be pointing DOWN RANGE. If the need arises to turn around to talk to someone or if ordered to cease fire, you should unload, engage the safety if your gun has one and lay your gun down on the table with its muzzle pointing where? You got it - DOWN RANGE! Some ranges will provide gun racks where the un-loaded firearms may be placed with the muzzle pointing up. Some ranges will only allow each shooter one un-cased weapon on the range at a time.

There may be a wall or partition between the shooters, it may or may not stop a bullet. Everyone will be depending on you to handle your weapon safely. With a revolver, it is easy to perform all necessary functions with the muzzle pointing down range. With an automatic, some functions require an "across the body movement." It will require you to turn your body sideways in order to keep the weapon pointing safely down range.

Relax and have a good time, but please do what I have asked you to do. Find a nice comfortable position to shoot from and get back into the same position for every shot. Take the same grip and aim exactly the same way every time. If you are not hitting the target where you are aiming, this will tell us what we have to know to re-set your sights. What we want to see is a nice tight group of bullet holes, all hitting in approximately the same spot.

In order to get this nice tight group, you will have to learn something called "trigger control." Believe me, this is where we separate the men from the boys. If I just offended any young men, I apologize. That was just a figure of speech. I know you young guys, those of you that know how to shoot, can outshoot most adults. That's simply because you can see much better than us and have not yet destroyed your nervous systems with booze, cigarettes and age. I learned in high school competition that just one cigarette in the 24-hour period before a match would reduce my score by as much as 10 points.

When you get to the range, number your targets so you can later follow your progress. Don't expect perfection at first, you are here to learn. This is probably what will happen. If you wait until you have the perfect sight picture and pull the trigger, you are going to miss the target. The harder you jerk the trigger the farther you will miss. Learn to squeeze the trigger but not your entire grip.

After a few shots you will have a pretty firm idea of just how far your trigger has to travel before the gun actually fires. If done properly you will not know exactly when the gun is going to fire, in fact, I want it to be a surprise every time. If it does not come as a surprise, you are still "jerking" the trigger.

Jerking is a product of the mind. When it sees a perfect sight picture it wants the gun to fire right then, before the sights wander off the center of the target. Unfortunately, by applying sudden force, the barrel is forced to dip and is pulled to one side, resulting in a miss of several inches. Once the sight has passed the perfect picture without firing, just hold the pressure you have and as the sights come back towards the center again, resume the trigger squeeze.

When the gun finally fires, once it has been sighted in properly, your shot will go exactly where your sights were pointed at the moment of discharge. If you were not on exact center, your shot will not be in the exact center but it will be damn close!

Just as in any other sport, follow through is important to accuracy. Maintain your grip for a moment after firing then release the pressure on the trigger. Let the gun do its thing, let it jump or kick without resisting it. You will remember where the sights were last pointing when you fired. If you are doing everything right, this is where your shot will have impacted. You will soon be able to "call your shots" with confidence.

I know I have given you a lot of things to remember and do at the same time and I hate to burden you with one more detail, but there is something else you are going to have to remember. It's very important to keep the firearm vertical. You have all seen the bad guys in the news, the movies and on TV holding their weapon on its side to shoot. Man, they really think they are cool and looking good! As you will learn when we discuss ballistics, the gun's sights are worthless if they are not held vertically. Only a damn fool, that has no regard for where his bullets are landing, would ever shoot a gun in this fashion!

Okay. It's time to put this all together. You are holding your breath, your gun is vertical, your eye is focused on your front sight, and your front and rear sight picture looks perfect. The only problem is the target is swaying slightly back and forth. You gently squeeze the trigger as all three elements are approaching perfect alignment. The gun has not yet fired as the sights pass the perfect point, so you hold on to the squeeze you have and wait for the next sway cycle to approach the perfect point. Once again you begin to squeeze a little more. This is called trigger control. You have done your job correctly. It comes as a surprise when the gun actually fires! If this process takes up too much time and you have to take a breath, relax your grip, take a couple of deep breaths, let out about 1/3, hold it and try again.

Shoot as much as you want but if you start to get shaky, it's time to go home. If your friend has shot your gun, give his targets to him. You will only want to see your numbered targets in order to adjust the sights. The reason for this is he may have been using a different sight picture. Or he was following his own instincts, which would cause his bullets to hit elsewhere.

I referred earlier to your gun as a launching pad for ammunition. The sights attached to it are only reference points and have nothing to do with where your gun shoots. In other words, if we put that gun in a vice where it could not move, everything else being equal, we could wear out a curved path through the air with every shot taking precisely the same path and hitting the same landing point at exactly the same place, every time. What we want to do however, is to make our bullet pass directly through the center of a target we have placed a certain fixed distance from our gun.

When you look at your targets, I would hope you see that nice tight little group getting smaller on each succeeding target as you gained skill thru practice. I would also expect the group to be located in the same general area of each target. Let's say your group was 2" left of center and down 1." The front sight on most guns does not adjust, and we don't want to change our sight picture. So if it's adjustable, let's move the rear sight. Don't worry; it's just a reference point. Let's try to remember how much we move it just in case we mess up so we can always go back.

When correcting for sideways error, we always move the rear sight the direction we want the bullet to go. In this case we want the bullet to impact 2" to the right, so we move the rear sight a little to the right. We also want it to impact 1" higher so we will raise the rear sight, but only about half as much. The next time you shoot, the group will be in a new spot, hopefully closer to the center. You may have to do this more than once to get it perfectly in the center of your target. But you now have a pretty good idea of just how much you have to move the sights to get it to shoot where you want it.

You may have noticed I did not give you a general rule for adjusting the sights for vertical re-alignment. That is a whole different ball game because of ballistics, which we will be studying shortly. In general the same instruction applies. Move the rear sight in the direction you want the bullet to impact. The problem being the amount of adjustment varies with distance. We will clear this up in a few minutes.

Many of you will be saying the sights on your gun are solid, non- adjustable hunks of metal sticking up a little higher than the gun barrel. Rather than take a file to them, simply change your sight picture to compensate. In the case above, we were hitting the target 2" left and 1" down, so we simply change our aim point to a spot 2" right and 1" up. Problem solved. It just takes a little more skill.

## Learning to shoot with one hand

Now, we are going to learn to shoot with one hand. You are about to find out why the grip I taught you is so important. To shoot with one hand, stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and stand roughly 45° from the target, your shooting side foot pointing forward.

Raise your empty shooting hand and point your finger at the target while you are looking in the other direction. Slowly rotate your finger in a smaller and smaller circle until you feel you are pointing at the target with your arm in the most comfortable and natural position.

Freeze your arm in that position and turn only your head to see where you are actually pointing. If you are not pointing at the center of your target, adjust your footing and try it again. When you get it right, you have found your natural point of aim. This is the position you will always want to assume when shooting with one hand.

Now, without moving your arm or losing your point of aim, rotate your wrist to the shooting position and pretend you are gripping your firearm. It will be quite obvious that if your gun were gripped properly it would now be pointing exactly where your finger was just pointing a second ago.

Once again, go back to pointing with your finger and this time take note of the straight line formed, your line of sight, from your eye, your finger and the target. Moving nothing but your hand, rotate your wrist and curl your hand into the shooter's grip. Take note of the fact that your line of sight now falls directly down the center of the "V" formed between your thumb and your hand.

By picking your gun up with your off hand and pushing it's backstrap into the web, the "V" of your shooting hand like I taught you to do, you have placed the sights in that natural pointing position. If you are shooting a revolver, learn to re-cock the hammer with your off hand so you do not disturb this grip between shots.

To further illustrate this point, pick up your gun with your shooting hand and note the natural position it wants to take in your hand is controlled by the grip required to pick it up. The trigger now falls on your first joint, not the pad. Point your arm at the target and you see the pistol is pointing off at an angle to your line of sight. It would require you twist your wrist into an unnatural position in order to line up with the target. This is how most people shoot, but remember most people are lousy shots.

## Clean your weapon

Clean your carry weapon regularly. Sweat and lint are a constant problem. A dirty gun may not function - just when you need it most. Always clean your gun before you put it away and wipe away all but a thin film of oil. Even the stainless steel models will soon show their age if you don't. Revolvers normally require no disassembly to clean. You guys with automatics, follow the manufactures instructions, and good luck!

One gentleman could not get his weapon back together after taking it apart to clean it. He took it to the clerk at the sporting goods store where he bought it and asked if they could re-assemble it for him. The clerk turned his back and slipped it back together. Handing it back he said "No charge." Our customer said, "Wait a minute I want to see how you did that." The clerk again took the weapon and deftly field stripped it and laid the parts out on the counter. He then slowly and deliberately re-assembled it with our customer watching every move. He handed it back and said, "That will be twenty dollars." Our customer sputters, "A second ago it was free!" To which our clerk responds, "Still is, it's the education that cost you the twenty bucks!"

## Understanding ballistics

It did not take those old timers long to figure out how to place those cannon balls right into their enemies lap. They tried to make the balls all the same size, shape and weight. They understood the powder had to be of nearly the same strength, batch after batch. They used wedges to elevate the barrel and marked the height. They recorded all this information and it soon became an exact science - a science that most of today's shooters ignore. Without a firm grasp of ballistics, you will **never** be a good shot.

First, if you take any weapon and measure it carefully you will probably find the aiming point of the front sight, down to the centerline of the barrel is always less than the same measurement taken at the rear sight. This means if your line of sight were dead level, your barrel would be pointing slightly up hill. There are actually two things the gun maker is trying to overcome with this arrangement. First off, the difference in height between the line of sight and the centerline of the barrel has to be accounted for. This can be anywhere from ½" on a small pistol to 2" on a model with a scope. To make my point, think of the AR15 military rifle. The sights on this rifle are several inches above the barrel.

The other thing that has to be reckoned with is the force of gravity. Our bullet has not yet had to contend with the force of gravity because it has been safely snuggled up inside our firearm. Even when we fired it and it was rapidly increasing speed as it traveled the length of the barrel, it was firmly supported by the barrel. Remember that sickening feeling you get when you fall out of bed? Well that's what happens to our little bullet the instant it leaves the muzzle.

Gravity could not care less if an object is stationery or traveling at high speed. The force it exerts will always be exactly the same. Visualize standing on a perfectly flat and level field with two identical bullets. Let's say we could fire one bullet perfectly parallel to our surface. At the exact same instant our fired bullet left the barrel, we drop the other from the same height and let it freefall to earth. With everything else being equal, they would both strike the ground at the same exact instant. Granted, one would be a long way from the other but this is how you can understand the actual drop of a bullet in flight.

The next thing you need to realize is the incredible amount of resistance a bullet encounters as it travels through the air. Remember the force against your arm when you stuck it out of an automobile window at high speed? Well, that's nothing to what our bullet is going to encounter at the speeds it is going to be traveling. I have seen high-speed photos of once round lead musket balls with their front surface actually being flattened, in flight, by nothing more than the resistance of the air.

It should now be easy for you to visualize the flight path of our bullet. Because the pull of gravity is constant and the speed varies from extremely fast at the muzzle, to pretty slow as it arrives down range, the flight path starts off pretty flat and curves in an ever-increasing arc until it hits the ground. Picture this same setup as a horizontal water pipe shooting out a high-pressure stream of water. The exact same forces are at work and the curve will be the same, just shorter due to the relatively slow speed of the moving water.

Now let's change things just a little bit. Instead of making the centerline of our barrel parallel to the ground, let's make our line of sight parallel to the ground. Remember when we measured our gun we found there was a little difference from the front to rear, meaning our barrel is now pointing slightly up hill. This means our bullet path and our line of sight will soon cross as the bullet rises. It won't stay up there very long however because gravity is pulling it down. This means it will cross our line of sight a second time on its way back down.

To visualize this, picture yourself standing next to a chain link fence with your garden hose held waist high. Aim the stream down the fence and make it come up and cross the top rail at a post about 10 feet away. Follow that stream with your eye and you will see it coming back down and crossing that top rail again further down the line. If you had placed a target at each of these places on your fence you would have scored a bulls-eye on two different targets at the same time.

That's right; when you sight in a firearm you have zeroed it in at two different ranges. The points at which these two lines cross can be adjusted by simply changing the height of the rear sight. This fact can be used to great advantage as long as the firearm is held vertical, with the line of sight directly above the center of the bore. Tilt the weapon just slightly out of vertical and you may not be able to tell the difference at close range (your first target), but at long range (your second target) all kinds of strange things become quite obvious.

All guns will shoot differently due to the distance at which they are sighted in and the size and speed of the projectile. You will soon learn through experience, now that you know what is happening, what the trajectory of your particular gun is, as long as you stay with the same load. Different brands will have slightly different performance characteristics.

Take the .22 long rifle cartridges, as an example. It is a lightweight bullet traveling at a pretty good speed. Let's say it leaves the barrel ½" below the line of sight. If we have sighted our weapon in at 50 feet, that is exactly where the two lines cross.

Our little bullet has already lost some of its speed, but because our barrel was pointed slightly up, it is still rising.

At 100 feet, gravity has canceled out the upward flight of our bullet. It has lost more of its speed and it has reached the top of its arc, approximately 1" above the line of sight.

At approximately 150 feet it has slowed even further and the relentless pull of gravity again pulls our little projectile down thru our line of sight. We could say our weapon was sighted in at both 50 and 150 feet.

At this point you might be tempted to assume at 200 feet our bullet would be about 1" below the line if sight, but that would be wrong. Remember, our valiant little bullet has had most of its energy sapped by headwind it has been fighting and gravity never gives up. So, our arc becomes much steeper as our speed falls off. Our dimension at 200 feet will be more like six inches below our line of sight. In fact, it will not travel very much farther until it plunges into the ground.

There are three other things that influence the flight of our bullets; shape, spin and weather. If the shape of the bullet's nose is aerodynamic, like a jet fighter, it will cut through the air easier, allowing it to travel further. The spin is imparted to the projectile by the rifling of the barrel and keeps it running true, just as a child's top will not fall as long as it is spinning. Unless you are shooting in a hurricane, wind is of no measurable consequence to a short-range weapon like a pistol.

## Handle your weapon until it's as automatic as driving your car

For safety's sake, head on down to your local sporting goods store once again and see if they carry "snap caps" to fit your firearm. They are usually made of red plastic so you can readily see you are using fake ammo. As I said before, you can also use spent cartridges for dry fire but it is hard to distinguish them from a live round when they are chambered. In either case, I have told you to never snap your weapon without something in the chamber as you may break your firing pin. If snap caps are not available locally, use an Internet mail order house.

Anytime you handle your gun, you become more familiar with it, whether you shoot it or not. The feel, the balance, the grip, the action, the sight picture, your stance and the trigger pull are all things you can practice without ever firing a shot. This is called dry firing. It helps develop muscle tone and fine motor control. But I want you to go far beyond this; I want you to load, unload, disassemble, clean and re-assemble until you can do it blindfolded. Go out to the range as often as possible as there is no substitute for live fire. This can get expensive in a hurry, if you are using the premium ammunition you will be carrying for self-defense. Practice, however, need not be all that expensive if you buy or make your own reloads.

## Looking at the real world

Everything I have taught you up until now has been devoted to shooting accurately and safely. Now I would like to jump forward in time. If you have been paying attention and practicing, you should have developed into a very good shot by now. Your confidence level should be top notch. If you don't panic under fire you will be able to dominate any situation. But I must point out we have not been living in the real world. An encounter means we must be able to act even when being shot at. We must learn how to make a snap shot count. We need to learn how to take advantage of any available cover or concealment. We need to learn to shoot and reload with our off hand. We need to learn how to deliver accurate fire while we are retreating to cover. We need to be "Street Smart."

As I just said, we have not been living in the real world. Nothing in our past training and experience has prepared us for what is going to happen to us when we encounter the stress of a potentially deadly encounter. Accurate shooting requires good hand and eye coordination and steady nerves. These are the very things that are likely to be the first to go in a stressful situation. Until you have been there, you don't know how your nervous system is going to react. The only thing I can do is warn you in advance of what to expect.

If you interview people that have lived through intensely stressful situations, you will find several things that are totally normal reactions and yet they took them completely by surprise. The phenomena where your mind does not want to accept the fact that what you are seeing is really happening, can be deadly. The first time I experienced this was when I met a wrong way driver coming at me on the interstate. I saw him coming but my mind's reaction was "No, this can't be real... OH! NO! ...It is real!" By that time, it was almost too late to evade a head-on collision.

Hollywood has taught all of us what to expect when a person is shot. The reality, however, is something nobody is prepared for. The sounds of suffering, the screams and the blood are very real. No sane person can ever walk away unchanged. The only thing that will let these people get on with their lives is the knowledge they had no other choice.

Survivors tell of experiencing a form of "tunnel vision" or "target fixation" where the only thing they could see clearly was the threat. They could not see the sights on their own gun. They all say they experienced some degree of fine motor control loss. What they are experiencing is normal human reactions to extreme stress. You may experience some, none or all of the following: tunnel vision, loss of fine motor control, time warp, panic or the inability to move or think. You might just get mad enough to forget personal safety altogether and charge blindly into the fight.

These things will happen to both parties in a gunfight. This probably explains all of the TV news coverage of incidents we see of close quarter encounters where shots are exchanged at point blank range and nobody is wounded.

I personally have had experiences where I was able to stay cool and focused until the danger had passed and then I fell apart. I have actually had one experience where everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I seemed to have all of the time in the world to do everything just right. This incident actually took only a split second. Thirty minutes later I was shaking so bad I couldn't hold a cup of coffee.

So how can I expect you to be calm in an emergency? I can't, but commitment, education and training will help. You will have all the commitment you need, just realizing your life is at stake. Your attacker was only committed to the crime itself. He is not trained and he never expected to be in a battle for his life. Now it's his turn to feel the panic. The adrenaline is now blurring his vision and clouding his mind. Chances are, all he wants to do at this point is to GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE, FAST!

How well you train yourself is up to you. I gave you the tools and the education. If you train as hard as I think you will, you should be in great shape.

If you should ever find yourself in a situation where a gunfight cannot be avoided, the chances are very good your attacker will have very little idea of how to use his weapon. He probably knows how to load it and point it in the general direction of something and pull the trigger. He has probably fired it in the air a few times just to hear it go bang. He may have even shot at a few road signs and a beer can or two but chances are good this is the extent of his training.

Only 2% of our population will ever have to use a gun to defend themselves in their entire lifetime. If you should be one of those unlucky few, at this point in your training, the odds of both you and your attacker hitting anything are about equal, as each of you takes a quick shot in the general direction of the other and each ducks for cover or runs.

After the first shots however, the odds swing to 100% in your favor, because his succeeding shots will be no better than his first and several of your next shots will be well-aimed shots right in the center of the chest.

Don't waste time looking for that perfect sight picture, at less than 20 feet, close is good enough. Notice I said several shots. One shot probably will not stop the attack. You might choose to keep shooting until you have eliminated the threat. Count your shots. If your attacker has not stopped before your last round, he's probably wearing body armor. You might decide to take the time needed to acquire the perfect sight picture and place your last round somewhere not protected by armor. Carry a speed loader or an extra clip and reload quickly. He may have an accomplice lurking nearby.

## Rapid reloading

Reloading quickly also requires practice and this is as good a time as any to teach you the proper techniques. With the automatics, just release the magazine and let it fall to the ground. Slip in the fresh clip with your off hand and release the slide. With the revolver, grasp the gun with your off hand, palm up, from underneath, with your two middle fingers pressing in on the cylinder. With the thumb of your gun hand, release the cylinder lock. As the cylinder swings open, your two fingers will pass through the opening and you will be able to release your grip with the gun hand completely. You now have a firm grip on the guns cylinder with two fingers and your thumb. Rotate the barrel straight up and "slap" the ejector rod straight down with the heel of your gun hand to eject the cases cleanly. Let all of the empties fall to the floor including any live rounds that might have been left in the cylinder. Rotate the muzzle away from you and down as far as your wrist will allow. At the same time, grab your speed loader with your shooting hand and feed the fresh rounds into the cylinder. Gravity will seat them for you when they are released from the speed loader. Close the cylinder by slamming it shut with the thumb of your off hand as you regain your grip with your shooting hand.

## Instinct shooting

If you have come this far with me, why stop here? I can teach you "instinct" shooting that will tilt the odds of even that first shot way in your favor. Instinct shooting is the art of shooting relatively accurately without aiming. There is only one way to get good at it and that is through many long hours of practice. You already know how to do it; you do it every time you point your finger at something. The trick is to practice until you can point your gun as accurately as you can point your finger. Taking the time to learn to trust yourself at instinct shooting has double rewards. It not only gives you the ability to instantly gain the upper hand but it allows you to shoot relatively accurately in near total darkness. In most encounters, you will probably not be able to see your target clearly.

## Use your mirror for practice

There is only one way to safely look down the muzzle of a gun and that is to use a mirror. We can start this exercise with an empty gun or load it with snap caps or spent casings. In the privacy of your own bedroom with drapes drawn to keep from alarming anyone, use your image in the dresser mirror as a target.

But first there is something we need to establish. Which is your dominant eye? Raise your outstretched shooting hand to eye level and point at something on the far wall. That clock will do nicely. Without moving, wink first one eye and then the other. Your finger will point at the center of the clock when your dominant eye is open and quite a ways off when the other eye is open. If you're dominant eye and your shooting hand is on the same side, you can shoot with both eyes open. If not, you will have to shut you're off side eye when you practice instinct shooting.

With your arm extended, like when we pointed at the clock, point your weapon at your image's shooting eye. Without moving, shut your off side eye, and look at the image of the gun. You should be staring straight down the bore of the gun. Do the same thing with the elbow of your shooting arm tucked tightly into your waist, shooting from the hip. Next try standing with your back to the mirror. Try whirling around and pointing your weapon at the shooting eye of your image.

Take note of any movement you have to make to get the perfect alignment and try to compensate for it in the future. Do the same thing from behind the doorframe, with only your eye and gun hand showing. Drop behind the bed and pretend you are using it for cover. You will soon get bored with this exercise and want to try your new skills using real bullets. Be realistic. There is no real accuracy in this type of shooting. You will want large targets, like paper plates or balloons. You will want to shoot at very close range, 5 to 10 feet. They will not allow this type of practice at most ranges. Find a safe backdrop out in the country, like a riverbank.

## Reloading for practice only

I told you earlier not to carry re-loads for self-defense purposes. Unless you have money to burn however, you may want to either buy or make re-loads for practice. Buying re-loads will save you a bundle. Making them will also give you a valuable education on what happens and why it happens, when you pull the trigger. For the few of you that may be interested in pursuing the hobby of re-loading, tons of free information is available from the powder manufacturers. Use these manuals like the bible. They will tell you exactly how to duplicate any proven factory load. Never improvise or try to "cook up" a hotter load of your own.

## Why we do the things we do

O.K. guys and gals we're coming down the home stretch. You have been a great bunch of students. I'm sure you will make me proud some day by passing your new skills and knowledge on to the next generation as they come to be responsible adults. But before we say goodbye, let me take you through the process of what actually happens when we fire a shot. I will do this in slow motion detail. I think this will be an important reminder so you can better understand why I have told you to do the all the things I have.

You have just squeezed off a shot from a center fire cartridge; rim-fire is similar but simpler. What happened in that millisecond between the time your sight picture approached perfect and when your bullet tore through the exact center of your target? You suddenly released the stored up spring pressure that drove your hammer home, where a firing pin at its tip slammed into a primer, denting it severely.

On a center fire cartridge, the primer was a cupped piece of sheet metal that contained both an explosive material that will explode if crushed and a little metal anvil. When you dented the rear of the primer, you crushed the priming material against the anvil and it did its job of exploding and sending a jet of flame through the small internal hole between it and the hollow part of the cartridge that held the powder. On a rim-fire cartridge, the same thing happened by denting the rim.

Inside the cartridge the flame ripped into, churned up and ignited the precisely measured amount of rapid burning dual based or single based powder. The size and shape of this powder has been carefully crafted to release a tremendous amount of hot gas over an exact length of time. This powder is not a powder at all but a bunch of identical granular pieces of nitrocellulose (single based) or nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin (double based). As this burning powder produced this tremendous amount of high-pressure gas, a force was exerted equally in all directions.

Your poor little cartridge shell was actually blasted into a new shape, exactly the size of the inside of your chamber. The chamber walls were able to contain the force, re-directing it fore and aft. Some of the rearward forces were resisted by the action, the weight of the gun and you. The remainder of the rearward force, like the other forces, were redirected to the "path of least resistance", which is forward. Our forward force found it relatively easy to dislodge the soft lead bullet from its home in the front of the cartridge and send it on its way down the rifled barrel.

As our bullet is forced down the barrel, it is also forced to take on the shape of the inside of the gun's bore diameter. The rifling forced it into a spin. Due to the redirected force and the fact the powder is still burning, an ever-increasing amount of hot gas is pushing our little bullet on to a very predictable top speed (muzzle velocity) as it exits the end of our vibrating gun barrel. Any excess hot gas escapes to free air behind our bullet and produces the supersonic shock wave or BANG.

The rest of our bullet's flight has already been covered in great detail. What I want you to reflect on at this point is how, with all of this slamming, banging, exploding and vibrating going on, can we ever hit anything? It is possible simply because, if everything is equal, the exact same thing will duplicate itself each and every time. The careful precision that was built into your weapon and your ammunition will insure order out of chaos, if you let it. You can do that by doing what I have kept repeating throughout this course. Practice your shooting by doing exactly the same thing, exactly the same way, every time, until it is completely automatic.

There is one last thing I must pass along before I dismiss this class. I saved it for last because nobody wants to think about it. What can you expect if, God forbid, you are shot? Surprisingly you may not even know it has happened. I have never been shot but I have been wounded by the fragments of a bullet. I felt nothing. After rendering aid to the person that had been seriously wounded, I went to wash off what I thought was his blood. The more I washed, the more blood I had on my hand. That is when I found I had also been wounded, in two separate places.

Some people will report feeling something hot. Others may say it felt like they were punched or hit with a baseball bat. If a bullet strikes a vital part you could drop instantly but that seldom happens. What with modern medicine and transportation, very few gunshot wounds prove fatal today. The lesson here is to never quit, keep fighting and don't allow your predator the chance to finish you off! If you have the will to survive, YOU PROBABLY WILL!

One last scenario I would like for you to think about;

You are down and wounded, your gun hand is worthless, you switch hands but can't get the gun up to eye level to aim, you have a clear shot at your attackers head. Your only thought is how smart you were for investing the $200+ for the Crimson Trace Lasergrips, like the ones James Bond used and made famous in one of his early movies! When your attacker's eyes pick up on the red flash of your laser, there is a split second when he realizes he has just made the biggest mistake of his life! You will recover, he will not!

~~~~

# Chapter 6 \- WRAPPING IT UP!

## About Missouri

As one of those that fought the battle with the Missouri legislature for many years to get our concealed carry bill passed, let me tell you it was not an easy victory nor is the battle over. The very first time a Missouri citizen who holds a CCW license screws up, there will be a media blitz like you have never seen before, trying to get this law repealed.

Mass hysteria regarding guns has been instilled in the brainwashed minds of many of our people. That, coupled with the boorish and inexcusable actions of some small number of our hunters has made shooters unwelcome on most private land. Today we find it much tougher to find a safe place to practice and develop our skills. Police ranges have been closed to the public or eliminated. As far as I am aware, no other public ranges exist in Missouri except for those operated by the Conservation Commission.

It should be obvious to everyone that all shooters must have a place where they can train, practice and be properly instructed in order to develop proper shooting and safety skills.

Missouri law also requires you learn about the laws pertaining to concealed carry (House bill 349, 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY) and the lawful use of deadly force (Chapter 563, RSMo), which we discussed in chapter 2. Here are a few other things you need to be aware of:

1. If a restraining order should be issued against you or you are charged with any of the infractions previously discussed, you will have to surrender your CCW identification. If it was issued on the face of your driver's license, you must apply for a new driver's license, all within 3 days.

2. Failure to re-new in a timely manner will cost a late fee of $10.00 per month for up to six months. After, you will have to re-apply at full fee.

3. If you change your residence or your name you must report it to the Sheriff's office that issued your permit and the Sheriff's office you have moved to (if applicable) within 30 days or it will be invalidated.

4. If your CCW license is lost or stolen you must report it to the Sheriff's office that issued your permit within 3 days.

5. There is a multitude of places you are not authorized to carry a concealed weapon, however, this generally does not prevent you from transporting the weapon in your vehicle as long it stays there and is not brandished. All government and law enforcement facilities, schools, churches, hospitals, gambling boats, amusement parks, taverns and any private businesses that are posted, fall in this category. Thanks to a little known terrorist law, it is a crime to carry a weapon on any means of public transportation, even with a valid concealed weapons permit.

6. The law spells out many places where it is unlawful to discharge a weapon and the varying penalties depending on their severity. In general, if you are acting in self-defense these laws do not apply.

7. Missouri law clearly states the use of deadly force against another person is only justified if you reasonably believe it necessary to protect yourself or another from death or serious physical injury, sodomy or kidnapping, or serious physical injury through robbery, burglary or arson of an occupied building.

8. Missouri law also clearly states physically restraining another person, until the police arrive, is also justified if you reasonably believe it necessary to protect yourself or another from death or serious physical injury, sodomy or kidnapping, or serious physical injury through robbery, burglary or arson of an occupied building.

O.K., enough of that. The reason you are reading this booklet is to prepare yourself to get a CCW license. If you have met all of the States requirements, including a live fire test in the presence of your instructor, you will be issued a certificate of successful completion. Keep the original in a safe place. It will be valid for the rest of your life, but your instructor will only maintain your records for the required four years.

To obtain a Missouri permit, you will have to take your training certificate to your local Sheriff, along with a fist full of cash. He is going to ask for a non-refundable fee of up to $100.00. They are going to want your full name and the address of home and work, your age, (at least 21 years old) and S.S. number as well as your occupation, color of eyes, hair and your height. You will be asked for your driver's license or photo I.D. You will have to prove you are over 21 years old and live in Missouri, or are in the military, or spouse thereof, stationed here. You will have to swear under penalty of law you have never lived on the funny farm or had a judge declare you "a few bricks short of a load." You will also have to swear you were never dishonorably discharged from the military, are not presently a fugitive or under indictment or convicted or pled guilty to a crime that carried a one year jail term. Up to two years is OK on a misdemeanor, if it did not involve weapons.

The Sheriff will have three days to make whatever inquiry he feels necessary to satisfy himself the information you have given is true. He will look back five years for liquor or drug offenses. He will make sure no court orders of protection are in effect. He will take your fingerprints and check them with the state. If no disqualifying records are found, the fingerprints will be sent to the FBI who will run a federal check on them. This could take quite a while. If he has not received an answer in 45 days he must go ahead and issue your certificate without it.

The Sheriff will send you an outcome notice or contact you by phone. You must return to the Sheriff's office to pick up your permit. Your CCW permit will be good for a period of five years and renewable for up to $50.00. When it's time to renew, see your Sheriff.

If you have chosen to go for an out-of-state permit, I will give you everything you need to know in order to apply when you take my class!

## A little history

As you probably know, both St. Louis City and County experienced major gas bubbles over our new law and even after the Supreme Court of Missouri ruled in our favor, they flatly refused to cooperate in its implementation.

In an act of defiance to these so-called public servants, I became a licensed Utah instructor. I was one of the first instructors in the state that gained authorization to certify any qualified student for the much sought after Utah CCW permit.

At that time, it was not generally known that the state of Missouri honored all concealed carry permits; regardless of where a person may reside or which state may have issued the permit. This allowed the residents of St. Louis City and County to obtain a perfectly legal permit and ignore the local prima donnas. It also gave every citizen in Missouri a choice; they could opt for an out-of-state permit that might be cheaper and better suit their needs.

All good things must eventually come to an end however, and Utah chose to change its permit policy. Fortunately for us, Arizona stepped in and became the premier out-of-state permit provider.

St. Louis City and County were eventually forced to comply by a simple change in the wording of our law and a gentle nudge from the Attorney General's Office.

## Thank you

If you are not a member of the NRA, please join. Most shooting clubs have their insurance through the NRA and will require you to be a NRA member to use their range. With your membership you will receive a nice monthly magazine to keep you informed. You will also receive secondary insurance on your guns that's worth the membership fee all by itself. Most homeowner's insurance will only cover a small portion of the value of your firearms unless you pay extra for a rider. The NRA also sponsors a third party liability insurance policy specifically for concealed carry that you should definitely take a look at.

When you vote, and you HAVE TO VOTE, please vote for a candidate that has not made a mockery of his or her "Oath of Office" by denying anyone his or her constitutional rights. Never forget a politician, a judge or a lawman can hurt you worse with his ink pen than a criminal can with his gun. Once you have given up a basic human right it is nearly impossible to ever get it back.

# # #

# ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Duaine is the CEO of Pack-N-Heat, Inc., and an NRA certified firearms instructor in both basic pistol and personal protection.

He was a farm boy that grew up with guns. Firearms became a very satisfying, lifelong hobby. He shot competitively with some success with both rifle and pistol. As a member of the legendary Hadley Tech rifle team, he managed to acquire two consecutive Missouri state championships and one 3rd place in the nation in one of those years.

Duaine became a small arms trainer in the Air Force and has been deeply involved with both bank and airport security in civilian life.

After retirement, Duaine become politically active and helped the NRA in their efforts to get Missouri's "Proposition B" on the ballot in 1999. He soon found himself in a position to be a major player in the efforts to get a CCW law passed in the state of Missouri. He provides the safety training required to qualify for the Missouri Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permit as well as several out-of-state permits obtainable by mail.

Please visit Duaine's web site at http://www.pack-n-heat.com.
