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Gregory Kielma • Dec 21, 2023

Guns for Beginners or Advanced Firearm Owners: How to Find Quality Self-Defense Firearm Training

Guns for Beginners or Advanced Firearm Owners: How to Find Quality Self-Defense Firearm Training

By
 John Boch
 December 20, 2023


Carrying a gun lawfully for self-defense can make the difference between life and death in a critical situation. Yet at the same time it comes along with risks to the carrier thanks to laws and land sharks. Training can help reduce those risks dramatically.

In a perfect world (and most states), you wouldn’t need a license to carry or training in the effective use of a firearm for self-defense. Unfortunately, the world isn’t perfect and neither are we.

In the real world, mistakes happen. All it takes is a single moment of oversight, sloppy gun handling or lousy gear and you can find yourself jammed up and wearing handcuffs. Heaven help you if you have a negligent discharge or make a mistake in judgement about when to pull your gun. Make those kinds of mistakes and you risk everything, including prison.

With good training, the risks attendant with carrying and using a firearm for self-defense are greatly diminished. You’ll become an expert at gun safety and can share those skills with your family and others to make them experts at safety as well. You’ll also learn better situational awareness.

The right training will teach you body language and behaviors that will make you less likely to be “selected” for victimization by bad guys. Best of all, your odds of prevailing in a deadly force encounter will be significantly enhanced. But remember . 

All Training Isn’t Equal

With the growing numbers of new gun owners across America, many people are looking for classes, especially those who also want to apply for a carry license. These concealed carry classes tend to be plentiful where required, and are often conducted by National Rifle Association-certified instructors. Classes run the gamut from borderline incompetent to barely adequate to well-presented, comprehensive learning programs.

As an example, in Illinois a year before right-to-carry was passed, there were approximately 42 NRA instructors who had taught ten or more people the previous year. Today, we have over 3000 Illinois State Police-approved instructors.
Beyond learning the basics from an introduction to concealed carry class, there are other programs out there for people looking for basic gun safety skills or to make themselves better shooters…everything from competition and marksmanship to hunting and self-defense.

When it comes to self-defense firearms training, easily the most common are those designed to teach self-defense fundamentals. The best of these “save your bacon” courses will incorporate all three of the following:

Mindset

Mindset is the knowledge and attitudes needed to avoid and, if necessary, survive a confrontation. This includes the mental preparation for dealing with all aspects of a violent encounter at home or in public…and to never give up in a fight for your life.

This particular aspect of training emphasizes conflict avoidance, layering your defenses, and knowing the legal standard by which you will be judged for using lethal force against another. A well-taught class will help you avoid trouble through situational awareness and conflict de-escalation, and also keep you out of jail for inappropriately introducing a weapon – firearm or otherwise – into a situation.
Functional ability/training

Functional ability training consists of knowing how to make your gun work, the ability to use it safely and effectively, and the associated aspects of your gun’s proper care and feeding.

Any reputable course will inculcate you with basic firearm safety. Exercising proper muzzle discipline and keeping your finger off the trigger until you have decided to shoot should be as natural as breathing. Sadly, for those without formal training, poor muzzle control and trigger finger discipline are the norm.

Gun selection plays an important role as well. Some folks may have compatibility issues with a gun they like, making it a bad choice for them. If you can’t manipulate your preferred gun, then you should find another one. Arthritis, hand strength, or other physical limitations are common causes for these issues, but so are a lack of familiarity with a firearm’s controls.

Good schools will steer you away from poor gun choices without making fun of what you may already have. Just because you thought the Beretta 92 looked really cool in Lethal Weapon doesn’t mean it’s a good carry choice for you.

Tactical training

Tactical is not “tacticool” where people dress up in tactical bro gear and pretend they’re something they aren’t. Instead, it’s the practical, hands-on study of the tactics needed to avoid conflict or, failing that, to fight with your personal defense tools.

This includes learning the effective use of cover and concealment, proper presentation of the gun, situational awareness, proper force “application” strategies, malfunction clearing procedures, reloading techniques and so much more.

Reading a book or watching a video helps and can serve to introduce these concepts, but there’s no substitute for doing it yourself under the tutelage of a skilled instructor who will ensure you’re using good technique and minimizing wasted movement. This allows you to act quickly and decisively, without “thinking” about the mechanics of what you’re going to do once you’ve decided to act.

The old saw that ‘you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to your level of training’ is pretty much true. Indecisiveness, wasted motion and/or poor skills seldom win competitions or gun battles.

Finding a good course

Better, more enjoyable courses will share many common attributes. Here’s how to find for them and some attributes to seek out.

Research the instructor/school. Start with their website. Pictures will often tell the tale of how many people they’re training and how they do it. Is poor muzzle control or other questionable safety issues shown in the pictures? I’ve seen images of everything from people shooting inside a pole barn without proper ventilation to people walking in front of other shooters on an open range. If it’s the same three “students” in all of the photos, that’s a clue. If there are no photos, that should be a clue as well. No website? Why not?
Unless they are very small or very new, there will often be reviews of their training courses online at various gun forums or other locations. If there aren’t any reviews, that should tell you something.
Call and talk with them. Speak with the instructor ahead of giving them your money. Ask them any questions you might still have…anything from describing their previous experience, to inquiring about accommodations for those less-mobile or otherwise disabled. Ask them about how many instructors will be present and the expected ratio of staff to students. Ask them why they became a firearms instructor. Good teachers should have good answers for your questions.

Look for experienced instructors. While everyone has to start somewhere, previous instructional experience measured in years — not months — will usually lead to a better end result for you, the consumer/student. If prospective instructors try to dazzle you with their experience in the Boy Scouts, ROTC, or “personal interest,” look out.

Look for instructors who have continued their education especially if they’ve been to some of the nationally-known schools. They will most likely bring lessons and techniques they’ve learned from the nationally-respected masters to your local class.

Instructors who carry Do the instructors themselves carry every day, or are they just teaching theoretical concepts to their students?

“Team teaching” is a good thing, as instructors can teach to their strengths and students enjoy hearing a more diverse set of perspectives. The end result is usually a better educational experience for the students.

A team of instructors also offers greater opportunities for the student to get more one-on-one help as needed, particularly on the firing line during live fire or in other practical aspects of the class.


If there aren’t enough instructors, there’s little or no opportunity for one-on-one help to help learn, develop, and understand new skills, especially for those new to the gun world.


Previous law enforcement or military instructional experience is a bonus. Again, it’s about bringing applicable aspects of the latest tactics to the class. I’ve been teaching for two decades and seen first-hand that “military” and “police” listed in someone’s credentials, while a net positive, doesn’t necessarily mean a lot when it comes to teaching new skills to new shooters.

Your class isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a boot camp or police academy. What matters is instructors’ ability to communicate with everyday people, teaching and empowering them with the skill sets they need to avoid becoming a statistic in the real world.

High instructor-to-student ratios. I can’t stress this one enough, especially for range exercises. If you have one or two instructors trying to run a range with ten or twelve entry-level students on the firing line at once, you’re getting badly short-changed as a student and it’s not as safe as it could be.

Ability to communicate with everyday people outside of the gun culture. Do schools try not to use jargon and are they willing to spend that extra time (and do they have the staff to do so) to work with new shooters, including women and children? Are they there for those who are a little slow at absorbing the subject material?

This one’s harder to assess outside of personal referrals or recommendations, but it’s especially important if you’re a novice, the lone woman in the class or you’re bringing your kids.

Courses that offer more than the minimum. Good instructors won’t cut corners, but in fact will supplement the minimum required material with valuable and useful (not to mention life-saving) information they’ve learned from other schools or instructors.

Loaner gun availability. Do they have loaner guns for folks who come with inappropriate or malfunctioning firearms, especially for basic firearm/home defense/CCW-type courses?

Sometimes they might even have an armorer on staff, but usually just having a loaner gun and gear (holster, ammo pouches, etc.) will be very helpful. You might have to pay a nominal fee, but loaner availability is a big plus.

Referrals, testimonials, and word of mouth are all things to look for in reputable, experienced instructors. Ask your friends who have been to a class what they thought of it. Visit your local gun club or gun rights organization and ask those present for recommendations on instructors and/or classes.

Red flags

With booming gun sales and more demand for firearm training, there are a lot of instructors — especially newly-minted ones — who vary significantly in skill, ability, and ethics. There are some red flags you can look for in entry-level training to help you avoid a disappointing experience.

Unsafe gun handling: Do instructors demonstrate safe gun handling or do they routinely put their cotton pickin’ finger on the bang switch inappropriately? Are they careless about muzzle control or are there not enough of them to police muzzle discipline of untrained/careless students?

Even worse, do they stand downrange while students are shooting or handling their guns? If you see any of this, the first step is to bring those concerns to the staff. If these problems go unaddressed, it might be a good time to pack your bag and walk. Training-related accidents are very rare, but if those running classes are lackadaisical about safety, it’s time to make yourself scarce. Internet classes: Do instructors attempt to “teach” the classroom segments of the class via the internet? In general, that’s sub-optimal. Given social distancing and limits on the number of people in indoor spaces, that may be done more frequently these days.

Cost: Expect to pay a little more for experienced instructors with solid reputations or classes in big cities where range space is at a premium. But any course that’s advertised for dramatically less than the normal market rate for similar training from similarly-credentialed instructors is a big red flag.

Example: If a hypothetical CCW class goes for $200-250 at most locations and someone’s advertising theirs for $50, beware. Find out why it falls so far outside the norm.

Charging for free items like license application packets: One firearms training group in Illinois charged students $20 each for Florida and Arizona license application packets, even when those respective states send them out to anyone for free.

Cutting corners to do less than the minimum requirements: If it’s supposed to be an eight-hour class and the instructor finishes in six hours, that’s not good. In fact, it may constitute fraud in state-mandated CCW classes depending on local laws.
“Instructors” who haven’t had training: If the only formal training your prospective instructor has had was their “instructor certification” class, that’s cause for concern. Good firearm handling skills and knowledge of self-defense, personal protection, and the judicious use of deadly force don’t come from on high. They are learned.

Instructors teaching flawed, out-of-date or just plain unsafe information: That could get students killed or injured, either from tactical or a safety perspective. Example: “You should carry your gun with an empty chamber and rack the slide on your pants.”

Courses that are unrealistic: Do they teach you to hang upside down out of a pickup truck, firing one-handed under the door? Do they teach you barrel rolls while you hold your gun? Pack your gear and run. Worry about a refund later.

Things you can do to make your training experience better

1. Come bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Get a good night’s rest. Leave the drinking and nightlife alone the night before.
2. Come with an open mind. Leave preconceived notions behind along with your man-card if you’re a guy. If they teach you something new, try it. You can always discard it later.
3. Dress appropriately. Wear closed-toe shoes, long pants with a belt, and bring along a baseball cap or similar. Ladies, leave the low-cut shirts at home. Also bring rain gear or extra clothing for unseasonably cool weather.
4. Bring your own eye and ear protection. Bring sunscreen and bug spray, just in case.
5. Hydration should be provided by the class sponsors. Hydration is a safety issue, but bring some of your own just in case. Avoid caffeine as it contributes to dehydration.
6. Bring lunch, as necessary along with any medications or other personal needs.
7. Bring your gun, gear and the required amount of ammunition, minimum. Check your gun and gear before the class. If a family of dust bunnies has taken residence in the barrel, clean it. If it’s filthy, clean it. If your ammo dates from the Spanish-American War era, looks corroded, or the lead has turned white, buy new ammo.
8. Bring a backup gun in case your front-line gear goes down, especially for intermediate and advanced classes where you expect to shoot a lot. Ditto for any gear you know you’ll need.
9. For rifle classes (or if you have a fancy optic on your pistol), come to class sighted in. Bring spare batteries for your holographic sights and   a sling for your long gun
10. Bring a notepad and pens.
11. Read the recommended gear list and follow those instructions.
12. Turn your phone off or on completely silent mode before class starts.
13. Everyone’s a range safety officer. If you see someone doing something unsafe, ask them to stop. Report any safety concerns to the instructor(s) right away.
14. Address any concerns or questions you might have privately before class or during breaks where possible. Don’t tie up class time.

Do your own research

There’s no need to settle to waste your hard-earned money on a course that will disappoint you. Use the information contained here to help guide your course selection. It’s not that difficult to find training that meets or exceeds your needs instead of settling for a marginal offering that falls short.

Life is precious, training is cheap  

Remember, training is inexpensive compared to your life and the lives of your loved ones, so it’s not a place to cut corners. Good training that allows you to avoid becoming a victim and come out on top is truly priceless in the long run.

By Gregory Kielma 04 Oct, 2024
Man accused of trying to smuggle gun into football game Gregg Kielma Just another ill-informed person that doesn’t know the “rules”. Take the CCW class offered by Tactical K Training and Firearms. Know the law and know your rights says FFL, Firearms Instructor, Gunsmith and First Aid Fundamentals Instructor Gregg Kielma… Read carefully, know the laws and your right or go directly to jail, no get out of jail free card. THINK! A Manatee County man is in custody after detectives say he tried to sneak a gun into a high school football game. According to Bradenton Police, Rasheim Alexander Reckley was walking into the Manatee High School football game on Sept. 30. A metal detector alerted deputies to the presence of something in his satchel. School guardians pulled him to the side and searched the bag where they found a magazine. Further inspection found a weapon. When officers asked Reckley why he had the weapon, he told officers he had CCW permit and didn’t know it was illegal to carry a weapon onto school grounds. He is in the Manatee County jail.
By Gregory Kielma 03 Oct, 2024
What would be the impact of an "assault weapon" ban passing? What would happen if an "assault weapon" ban does not pass? Gregg Kielma Assault Weapon? no such thing.....please read on says Gregg Kielma. If an “assault weapon” ban DID pass, then Honest Law-Abiding Citizens (the people who do NOT commit deadly shooting crimes) will give up possession of and NOT own guns that are used in fewer than 500 homicides out of about 20,000 US homicides Every Single Year! And while Honest Law-Abiding Citizens are NOT owning and ARE giving up their “so-called” assault weapons, criminals (the people who DO COMMIT deadly shootings) WILL STILL possess any and every type of gun they choose, because they do NOT obey laws, including bans! “Ban does not pass?” If a ban does not pass, things will basically be the same. Liberal judges, Liberal District Attorneys and Liberal Defense Attorneys will continue to enable criminals with lengthy arrest records to freely walk the streets and commit even more crimes! If anyone disagrees with my assertion about Liberal Judges and Attorneys, I suggest you watch/listen to the news and educate yourself. Everyday criminals with lengthy records are arrested, causing law abiding citizens to ask, “Why was a career criminal, like that, free and on the streets to begin with?”
By Gregory Kielma 03 Oct, 2024
Is my Glock Gen 4 9mm legal in California? If not, Why? Gregg Kielma Depends. You can’t buy one from a California dealer because they aren’t deemed a “safe” handgun. Mainly because the manufacturer has to pay for that determination every time a gun changes in any way including changing the color. Glock, like several companies, stopped paying the state for its roster shakedown so Glocks after Gen 3 cannot be sold in California. They want “safe” guns there, after all. Strangely, if you are law enforcement apparently all guns are safe. Special clothing issued by the state overrides the safe handgun roster. You can buy any handgun new from a dealer with the imprimatur of the state behind you. Also, if you legally owned the gun out of state and, for some insane reason, moved into the state of California, your handgun apparently inherits “safe” status. Up to and including allowing you to sell it to another California resident as that one-time safety is now transferable as well. But the new Glock in the box? No way. Unsafe as it comes. So if you own the Gen 4 already, it’s legal. If you don’t, it isn’t legal unless you have a badge or have a recently moved in friend willing to sell you theirs. Then it magically becomes legal. No, I am not making any of this up. This is the actual law in the state of California as it applies to handguns.
By Gregory Kielma 02 Oct, 2024
Defending Against Forced Entry USCCA/Gregg Kielma In a quiet Chicago neighborhood, where witnesses say “nothing ever happens," an 80-year-old man answered a knock at his door and found a young man and a woman waiting for him. The duo pushed their way in, demanding the homeowner give them money and then assaulting him. The bigger, younger and stronger male beat the homeowner badly, putting him in critical condition when he was later hospitalized. But the gentleman fought back. Despite being beaten nearly to unconsciousness, the defender retrieved his firearm and shot the attacker once in the chest. The woman fled. Both intruders were arrested. The attacker was later hospitalized and was reportedly in critical condition from his gunshot wound. In Review: No two self-defense incidents are ever the same. From what we know from the reports of this incident, here are my key takeaways: Legal: The defender faced a pair of deadly threats. The robbers had both the intention and the means to critically injure him … and did so. In addition, they were engaged in a felony. This case appears to be an appropriate use of force. Tactical: First, our defender had a firearm available and in a location he could get to under stress. But that stress would not have been present had he done two things: installed cameras to monitor the front door and refused to open the door. In most cases, a home invader will not invade if you make it difficult. Additional barriers such as dead bolts and an alarm system would also have been helpful. Training: Our defender learned the hard way that in today’s world, the rule needs to be “pants on, gun on.” Having to retrieve a firearm once a fight has started is not a viable solution for anyone, but particularly not for an 80-year-old gentleman. How important is it to have quick access to your firearm in a home-invasion scenario? What are effective ways to ensure your firearm is both secure and accessible?
By Gregory Kielma 28 Sep, 2024
Winter Garden Man Who Backed Vehicle Into Business And Stole Six Firearms Pleads Guilty Friday, September 27, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Edward Vincenzo Camacho (20, Winter Garden) has pleaded guilty to theft of a firearm from a federal firearms licensee. Camacho faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, just before midnight on August 18, 2023, Camacho backed a sports utility vehicle into the front of a federal firearms licensee business. After smashing the front door and wall of the business, Camacho entered the store and broke a glass case where multiple firearms were housed. Camacho stole six firearms and then fled in his vehicle. Camacho was apprehended less than two hours later after a foot pursuit with law enforcement. During the foot pursuit, Camacho was seen tossing three firearms onto the ground, two of which were confirmed to be stolen from the federal firearms licensee business. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Winter Park Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Alexa McNeff. This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Updated September 27, 2024
By Gregory Kielma 21 Sep, 2024
Kamala Owns a Firearm or Does She? By Larry Keane The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump didn’t provide voters with much regarding a topic that is one of the most important issues to them as they consider which candidate they’ll support on Nov. 5: the Second Amendment. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have operated for three and a half years as the most hostile presidential administration against the firearm industry and the right to keep and bear arms. The vice president is talking on the campaign trail like she’ll continue that approach. Many believe she would be even more antigun, anti-industry as president than she is as the Biden administration’s “gun czar” leading The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention that is staffed by Everytown’s former top lobbyist. It took more than 90 minutes before there was even a mention of firearms and it was the candidates who brought it up, not the transparently biased moderators. Voters will be looking for more as they rightfully have serious concerns about what a potential Harris administration would mean for law-abiding Americans and their Constitutional rights to purchase and possess firearms. Surprise Gun Owner? ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis referenced the vice president’s flip-flopping on mandatory gun buybacks, which amount to confiscation, during one question that was more about changing policy positions generally than it was about the Second Amendment specifically. Near the end of the debate, Davis asked, “You wanted mandatory buybacks for assault weapons. Now your campaign says you don’t,” Davis said before asking Harris why so many of her policy positions had changed, according to The Reload. Vice President Harris didn’t address the question and was only forced to respond later to a criticism by former President Donald Trump warning voters that if elected, the vice president would have “a plan to confiscate everyone’s gun.” She jumped in with a comment that caught viewers’ attention. “And then this business about taking everyone’s guns away, Tim Walz and I are both gun owners,” Vice President Harris stated. “We’re not taking anyone’s guns away. So stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.” The vice president’s remark about being a gun owner drew attention. She practically never mentions being a gun owner in all her calls for more gun control and the only reference before is a glancing mention in a 2019 CNN interview. Not surprisingly, Second Amendment supporters were skeptical of her statement. “So now Harris owns a gun? Ha, I’d love to know what kind/caliber and how often she trains with it,” competitive shooter, GunsOut TV founder and CNN commentator Shermichael Singleton posted on social media. Podcast host and former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly jumped in, too. “KH: we’re not taking anyone’s guns away. Truth: She is literally on camera saying she supports a mandatory buy-back program.” Kyle Smith posted on X about the vice president’s track record on gun confiscation as well. “Um Harris did support mandatory gun confiscation aka ‘buybacks’ and the people deserve an explanation of why she has reversed course on this, ABC News.” Smith posted a Bloomberg News article after his comment with the headline “Kamala Harris Supports Mandatory Buyback of Assault Weapons.” Outkick founder and sports and political commentator Clay Travis also added some important questions in his post about the remark. “Kamala owns a gun? Where does she keep it? Aren’t they illegal in DC? Has she ever talked about having a gun before? Genuinely curious.” Pro-Second Amendment attorney Kostas Moros added a salient point. “Kamala Harris is why Californians couldn’t buy a modern handgun for a decade,” he posted. And Ashley St. Clair posted about the hypocrisy of VP Harris’ remark. “Kamala Harris just said Trump is lying about her support of a mandatory gun buyback because she ‘is a gun owner’ The reality is, Kamala will get to keep the guns protecting her while she forces you to turn yours in. But don’t listen to me, listen to Kamala herself,” she posted while linking to a video of the vice president. Crime Fact Check Earlier in the debate, former President Trump brought up the fact that voters were still very concerned about crime while attacking the Biden-Harris administration track record on law enforcement and keeping Americans safe in their communities. ABC News moderator David Muir jumped in to attempt to fact check the former president in real time, suggesting President Trump was wrong. “President Trump, as you know, the FBI says overall violent crime is actually coming down in this country,” Muir falsely suggested. The former President didn’t let it slip, either. “Excuse me, the FBI made defrauding statements. They didn’t include the worst cities,” former President Trump corrected. “They didn’t include the cities with the worst crime.” That’s true and the former president was correct in fact-checking Muir. NSSF has reported on this in detail – nearly a third of America’s cities where most of the crime is being committed are no longer reporting crime statistics to the FBI. It’s an important fact that deserved more attention in the debate as well as “self-defense” and keeping one’s family and home safe remains the top reason given for why Americans continue to buy firearms during an historic stretch. Record of Concern Americans who value their Second Amendment rights can make their voices heard at the ballot box on Nov. 5. There are estimates of 10 million hunters who remain unregistered to vote, and over 22 million Americans who purchased a firearm for the first time since the previous presidential election. That’s a tidal force in a close-polling election and NSSF urges everyone to #GUNVOTE.Vice President Kamala Harris has a 20-plus-year fervently antigun record. Her top surrogates still vouch that she supports gun confiscation, upending the U.S. Supreme Court with antigun justices, “reimagining” the Constitution and would be more radical on gun control than she is right now as partner in the Biden-Harris administration. Don’t Risk Your Rights. #GUNVOTE on Nov. 5.
By Gregory Kielma 21 Sep, 2024
Did Biden falsely say that “you can buy whatever you want” at a gun show with “no background check”? Gregg Kielma Well, first you must know what you can buy at a gun show, right? Private sales - where the seller is not in the business of transacting guns. He has the inclination to sell something of his collection but doesn’t buy and sell guns as a primary means of getting a profit. Nope - no background check there in most states. But to say this is a gun show failure is flat wrong. A gun show is merely a convenient place to be selling a gun as that is where the buyers are. You don’t try to sell collectible beanie babies or postage stamps at a gun show, that’s not where the buyers are. The key here is that these are private sales using the convenience of a concentration of gun buyers. The last group is people selling because that’s their business. Those are DEALERS and as such must be FFLs and therefore must run a background check. The exception is in 22 states where the ATF says their carry permit is a good substitute for the NICS check. Texas is one such. For a dealer at a gun show Biden is lying. A check is required. So, what is the actual ratio of dealers to private sellers? About 99:1 from my observation. Perhaps 199:1. The reason is that a private vendor must rent a table and have alarmed cables securing his small inventory. To show one gun he must disconnect the cables, meaning for that interval none of his guns are alarmed, and can disappear in the crush of a crowd. Secondly, he really can’t have much of an inventory lest the ATF thinks he’s in the business of selling. Net result, given the competitive pricing of the other vendors, and cost of the table rental, he won’t sell enough to much cover his costs. So, Joe, you get 5 out of 5 Pinocchio’s. You twist the truth to fit your narrative. Shame on you.
By Gregory Kielma 21 Sep, 2024
Suspect at Trump International Golf Course Charged with Firearms Offenses Monday, September 16, 2024 Office of Public Affairs Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, has been charged by a criminal complaint in the Southern District of Florida with firearms charges related to an incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15. Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23. The investigation remains ongoing. According to allegations in the criminal complaint, a Secret Service agent walking the golf course perimeter saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. After the agent fired a service weapon in the direction of the rifle, a witness saw a man later identified as Routh fleeing the area of the tree line. Routh was later apprehended by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The complaint alleges that in the area of the tree line from which Routh fled, agents found a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a black plastic bag containing food. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated. According to the complaint, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010. The FBI is leading the ongoing investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Secret Service are providing assistance. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
By Gregory Kielma 21 Sep, 2024
Ohio Man Sentenced For Making False Statements To Purchase Firearms And Unlawful Sale/Transfer Of Firearms To Juveniles Monday, September 16, 2024 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Gabriel Gladman (23, Akron, Ohio) to four years in federal prison for making false and fictitious statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer with the intent to purchase firearms, and unlawful sale/transfer of firearms to juveniles. Gladman was also ordered to forfeit the following: a Smith & Wesson (SD40) semi-automatic firearm, a Taurus G2 semi-automatic firearm, a Glock 26 semi-automatic firearm, a FMK 9C1 semi-automatic firearm, 2 - Taurus G3 semi-automatic firearms, and 2 - Tara TM-9X semi-automatic firearms which are traceable proceeds of the offense. According to court documents, on eight separate occasions between November 2022 and June 2023, Gladman provided false information to federally licensed firearm dealers in Tampa with the intent to purchase eight semi-automatic firearms. On six separate dates, Gladman sold/transferred some of those firearms to juveniles under the age of 18. It was determined that some of those firearms were used by the juveniles during violent crimes in Tampa. At the time of Gladman’s arrest in Ohio, he was found in possession of two additional firearms. This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky will handle the forfeiture. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
By Gregory Kielma 11 Sep, 2024
Kamala Harris: Firearms and The Second Amendment. She Wants Are Guns. A Lying Democrat Can Never Be Trusted WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris surprised some viewers during her debate with Donald Trump when she said that she's a gun owner, raising the fact to counter her Republican opponent's accusation that she wants to confiscate firearms. “Tim Walz and I are both gun owners,” Harris said, referencing her running mate. “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away.” Harris previously talked about owning a gun in 2019 during her first campaign for president. “I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety,” Harris previously said. “I was a career prosecutor.” At the time, her campaign said that Harris purchased a handgun years earlier and kept it locked up. A spokesperson did not provide any additional details when asked on Tuesday. The exchange about gun ownership came as Trump tried to paint Harris, who started her political career as a San Francisco district attorney, as radically liberal. “She is destroying our country,” he said. “She has a plan to defund the police. She has a plan to confiscate everybody’s gun. She has a plan to not allow fracking in Pennsylvania or anywhere else.” Harris rebutted each of Trump's allegations, adding that he should “stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.” Trump claims he wanted to send Harris a 'MAGA hat' for copying his policies Walz, the Minnesota governor, has also talked about gun ownership and boasted of his marksmanship. Republicans frequently describe Democrats as a threat to the Second Amendment, while Democrats describe their proposals as common sense measures to protect public safety. Harris has called for implementing universal background checks and expanding red flag laws to take away guns from people who are deemed dangerous or unstable. She also wants to ban so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
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