Pulled in to the driveway at 2 AM after not having slept in my own bed since the night before Easter. It was a coast to coast run: got my segments for the next season of Personal Defense TV filmed in California, taught a couple of 40-hour armed citizen classes, was in Houston for the whole three days of the annual NRA conference, and spent a week in Chicagoland for the annual conference of the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors.
This month marks 39 years for me as a part-time but fully sworn police officer. (Doing it part-time staves off burnout.) I was an armed citizen before they pinned my first badge on me, and will be one after I leave The Job, and with one foot in each world I think I may have a pretty good handle on how the two actually interrelate.
At ILEETA, I was attending a course on interdicting active mass-murderers when it was announced that the universal background check bill sank in the Senate, and witnessed the audience of police instructors burst out in spontaneous applause. At the NRA annual meeting, I saw countless cops – many in uniform – on the floor in the conference center interacting with the gun enthusiasts. Across the street, where a relatively miniscule group of anti-gunners had gathered to protest, the cops seemed to keep their distance from those folks. NRA had a strong presence at the vendor expo at ILEETA, and one of the training presentations focused on a police department which provided NRA-based training to their community, with the tuition going toward the department’s own officer training budget. The “Brady Bunch” was, as usual, notable by its absence there. Oh, and the PDTV filming? We did the live fire segments on a police department tactical shooting range, thank you very much.
The ammunition shortage, caused by panic buying which was in turn triggered by a White House- and media-driven full court press for meaningless gun legislation, has had a profoundly negative impact on police firearms training as well as on law-abiding citizens who own guns. Yes, there is much in common between our armed citizens and our cops, both of whom realize at a boots-on-the-ground level that the problem is criminals, not guns.
Now I’m home, in a community where both the Chief of Police and the County Sheriff recently stated on the front page of the local paper that they’re four-square behind armed citizens and against meaningless “gun control” legislation. I for one find that reassuring.
A good nights sleep and some range time and you’ll be all fixed up. See you in June.
My local sheriff (Washington County, Oregon) has also publically come out against meaningless “gun control” legislation.
Conversely, the sheriff in the next county over (Multnomah County) sounds like a shill for all the anti firearms groups. Multnomah County has Portland in it, and is the largest in population in the state. Portland city and Multnomah County governing bodies are flaming liberals.
Mas, are you still affiliated with the ‘Armor of New Hampshire/Police Bookshelf’ website? I’ve been trying to get a copy of one of your older books (Stressfire II), and its apparently back-ordered (for quite some time). I spoke with a nice lady on the phone there a week or so ago, but I didn’t really get any idea of when (or if) it would be back in stock. I’m loathe to pay one of the people on Amazon $100+ for a copy, when the ANH website has them listed for $35. Sorry to hijack your thread with a question like this, but wasn’t sure how else to reach you.
Matt, I’ve been away from PB and ANH for a decade. Best bet, I think, is to give it a little time. Or, check with Backwoods Home: they have a lot of their regular authors’ books in stock ready to ship.
Mas,
How do you travel from friendly to non-friendly states in the same trip? Do you leave your “standard capacity” mags at home and go lowest common denominator? Do you switch to lower capacity mags right before changing the border and come back to pick up your standard mags?
I’m happy to join the ranks of those whose local Sheriff has come out in support of the 2nd Amendment. Dale K. Schmidt, Sheriff of Washington County, Wisconsin, published a letter in which he came out in support of the people. You can read it here (it had me cheering):
http://www.washingtoncountysheriffwi.org/sheriff_articles.php
Mas, where in the world do you get your ammo from? I can’t picture you waiting in line at Walmart early every morning.
Jeff, I saw it coming and stock up.
George, I was carrying single-stack 1911 the whole trip for just that reason.
Thanks for the update Mas and thank you for 39 years service!
This thread is on the verge of turning into a “Roll of Honor” for Sheriff’s nationwide who stand by the Constitution in face of Obama gun-grabbing.
Let me add :
Sheriff Terry Box, Collin County, Texas
His statement is available on his website.
Regards
GKT
Mas,
I don’t know how you do it. Well, yes I do. The older I get the more I realize how much the human psyche can conform to conditions. Look at the criminal element that spends their life in prison. When released they can’t wait to get back.
If every morning you got up and smacked your thumb with a hammer, the morning you couldn’t find the hammer, you would be lost.
Of course you should be ashamed not to have mentioned Gail as a real help mate.
After our course in Ill I left the hotel, leaving 2 pairs of slacks behind. Had to have them shipped to me. My wife had repositioned the belt loops to conform to where I wanted my gear located.
Mas,
Well, I feel fairly stupid, not having noticed the Stressfire II book on the Backwoods book list…thanks for pointing that out. I’ve just ordered a copy, and got my wife a book on canning, too!
I experienced a shortage in benchrest reloading in the ’90s and have never been even close to short since then. thus, this one caught me unaware but unaffected.
It is probably true that we created the shortage ourselves but it is also probably true that the outlandish puchase by dhs set it off.
Competition shooters do a lot of matches and train hard in between. 500 rounds a week is not unusual. We buy powder by the 8 pounders, primers by 5000 sleeves, and bullets 2-3000 at a time.
Do you ever teach any Mag 20/40 Classes in Nevada?
They Don’t Like It When You Know What You’re Talking About
Reader Jake F. writes:
Today I received a phone call from Gifford’s new campaign “Americans for Responsible Solutions”, who were trying to squeeze $100 dollars out of me. What follows is an approximation of my phone call, which took place about five minutes previous to my writing this up. Not every word is perfect, but it’s about as close as I can recall it . . .
Caller: Are you familiar with Gabby Giffords’ and Mark Kelly’s new organization “American’s for Responsible Solutions”?
Me: Oh, yes. Very much.
Caller: Oh, that’s great. What we’re trying to do is get support for the new federal bill that’s trying to make its way into congress, the new background check law, in order to help us get some law and order into this country. We’re trying to prevent tragedies like what happened in Newtown, and the movie theaters where two men came in and shot people and what happened to Ms. Giffords, who was shot in the head, and stop people from buying all these guns without a background check and get more mental health checks so we can prevent people from going in and havng all these shootings and bombs and…and…
Me: Wait, what do bombs have to do with background checks for guns?
Caller: Well, these checks would help us prevent people from getting these heavy munitions that they can use to blow people up!
Me: The Tsarnaevs went to a fireworks store and used completely legal fireworks to create their bomb.
Caller: Well, you know, you know, the-uh, do you know about what are called these “high-level magazines”?
Me: Uh, I think-
Caller: The ones that can shoot more than 10 or 15 rounds and are used in “heavy ordnance” rifles? The AR-15 and the AK-47 and such?
Me: I know what they are, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what heavy ordnance is, and everyone involved in all those events you mentioned, Aurora, Tucson, had successfully passed a background check.
Caller: We’re talking about mental health checks here, mental health checks. We’re trying to get some responsibility into the system, because nobody is taking responsibility for their actions here.
Me: Wait, so murderers aren’t being held responsible for their actions?
Caller: What’s that?
Me: Did none of those people who committed murder get arrested and go to jail?
Caller: Criminals, sir, they buy the guns over the counter, with no background check and no paperwork, and they slip through the system because they don’t have a mental health check.
Me: A “mental health check”? What is a mental health check?
Caller: Well, we’d have your medical records on file so we can see if you have been reported as being mentally ill.
Me: YOU want my mental health records, or the government?
Caller: The government would have them, so we could check when you buy a gun if you have a history of mental illness.
Me: What would be disqualifying mental health criteria for buying a gun? I mean, it’s already illegal to buy it if I’ve been declared incompetent or-
Caller: Right now we have people, I know some people personally who are buying guns, North Carolina we have this, where people are buying guns over the counter without a check, and they have a criminal record.
Me: Wait, so these people are buying guns illegally, and you know about it? Have you called the police?
Caller: I mean, I’m not doing it personally-
Me: No, I understand YOU aren’t buying the guns, but I mean are you telling-
Caller: They’re just buying guns over the counter with no paperwork and no background check, because the laws aren’t being enforced!
Me: And you know these people personally?
Caller: Sir, it’s happening all over the country. People aren’t enforcing the laws and these criminals just go and buy guns.
Me: So you know of people who are breaking federal law and buying guns in gun stores without a background check?
Caller: We don’t have mental health check laws right now, which is what we’re trying to do, so we’re hoping that if you would give us a donation of $100 dollars in order to meet our quota-
Me: No, I’m sorry. I’m fundamentally opposed to your organization’s principles.
Caller: I see, well thank you for your time.
Me: Can I ask you something, though?
Caller: What’s that?
Me: Do you support police officers having these magazines that can hold 30 bullets and carry AR-15s?
Caller: *brief pause* Well, police officers aren’t what we would call civilians, and they-
Me: Police officers are most definitely civilians.
Caller: No-
Me: If they aren’t military they’re civilians.
Caller: Well, I do think police should have them because they’re very well trained.
Me: I can be just as well trained as any police officer, why shouldn’t I be able to keep a rifle?
Caller: *annoyed* Sir, we are trying to make sure that these weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands, these people, crazy people, get guns and they shoot up the theater and they shoot up Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head, and they don’t stop them, and then they shoot little children in schools! None of these people had a background check, and they’re all crazy!
Me: ALL of those people passed a background check to buy their weapons, except for Adam Lanza, because his mother owned the guns, and SHE passed a background check and then was killed by him. Those laws wouldn’t have stopped Newtown from happening.
Caller: Newtown is just a single example, and you can’t judge-
Me: You’re the one who brought it up! All those other people passed a background check! If I can pass all those checks, why can’t I have a rifle?
Caller: You keep changing the criteria! You keep changing the criteria and we’re talking about things you obviously don’t get, so I hope you have a good-*CLICK*
She hung up before she could finish her own sentence. I had wanted to explain to her that the people she had brought up were reported as dangerous by their mental health physicians but the police didn’t do anything about it, but the conversation got away from me. It wasn’t my intent to piss her off as much as I did, only to make her question what she thought, which probably didn’t happen, and to take up enough time from her that maybe she’ll lie to one or two less people for money. I was having quite a bit of fun, myself. What an easy debate partner.
Congratulations on all the recent accomplishments — whew and in a short amount of time!
Regarding the ammunition shortage: I haven’t been to IDPA or even my local range in months to conserve the small stock I have on hand. It would be difficult and costly (200-300% or more of former prices) to replace ammunition. It’s difficult to even try to find ammunition locally in the most popular calibers. I have purchased more online (yes even with the shipping charges) than locally in recent times. Frankly, the anti-gunners have achieved a victory in that regard. They have hurt businesses and the ability of the average citizen to freely practice a sport we enjoy.
Eddie, while I’ve taught in Vegas in the past, I don’t have anything on the current or next year’s schedule for Nevada. We do have Arizona and Washington state on the list, though, if those are in striking distance for you; check the training website at http://massadayoobgroup.com.
My family and I were at the NRA conference for all 3 days as well. It was a pleasure to meet you, and Gail. Thanks so much for talking with my son about IDPA and encouraging him to continue his passion for firearms and self-defense. He is a big, and long time, fan of you and your work. I am a new fan of yours! Keep up the good work and welcome home!