TTAG’s team is preparing to head to the National Rifle Association’s OFWG hoe-down in St. Louis. Once again, it’s NRA convention time. We’ll be blogging the beJesus out of the world’s largest gathering of gun-loving Old Fat White Guys. Ahead of that blessed event, let’s focus on the big O. Just after the NRA confab, Force Science Analyst Colonel Robert A “Bob” Lindsey [above] will be in Wheeling, IL presenting “Always the Warrior at Every Age.” Well he would say that, wouldn’t he, being 68-years-old and all. Anyway, Bob raises some interesting points in his pre-conference questionnaire. The basic one is this: are you dealing with the fact that getting older makes you a less capable armed self-defender? Well that’s my take. Make the jump for the full interrogation . . .

What do you do on a regular, consistent basis to keep your professional edge as you go through the aging process? How do you stay fit–or make adjustments–to be ready physically for foot pursuits, gunfights, hand-to-hand encounters, etc.? How do you stay sharp mentally to make sound decisions in crisis situations and avoid routine, mundane thinking? How are you accommodating the emotional changes that come with growing older? What role does your spiritual life play in your job, your family and friends, and to yourself? What obstacles do you encounter? What adjustments do you find necessary/useful? What do you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of your approach? In all candor, do you think you’re winning the battle?

Sorry, Bob, that’s one battle we all lose, eventually. And a very good morning to our readers too!

[DGU = Defensive Gun Use. Make the jump for the map key.] “Gun control proponents want legislation that will restrict access to firearms, cato.org asserts. “The rationale for such legislation is to reduce accidental shootings and the criminal use of guns against people. But if harm reduction is the goal, policymakers should pause to consider how many crimes–murders, rapes, assaults, robberies–are thwarted by ordinary persons who were fortunate enough to have access to a gun. Gun control proponents cannot deny that people use guns successfully against criminals, but they tend to play down how often such events take place. The purpose of this map is to draw more attention to this aspect of the firearms policy debate. Two additional points are worth noting . . .

First, the map is not comprehensive. Criminals will often flee the scene when they discover that their intended target has a gun. With no shots fired, no injuries, and no suspect in custody, news organizations may report nothing at all. Thus, it is important to remember that news reports can only provide us with an imperfect picture of defensive gun use in America. Second, when a citizen is able to shoot an attacker or hold a rapist or robber until the police arrive, it is very likely that more than one crime has been prevented because if the culprit had not been stopped, he could have targeted other citizens as well. The bottom line is that gun owners stop a lot of criminal mayhem every year.

Cato’s admission regarding the map’s lack of comprehensiveness puts the org in the running for The English Understatement of the Year award.

The vast majority of DGUs go completely unreported. Yesterday’s post on a DGU in Chicago is typical; the gun owner didn’t contact police after scaring off his potential attackers—for fear of legal retribution. There may be hundreds of thousands of similar incidents every year.

As we reported in June 2010, experts estimate that Chicago is home to over 100k+ illegal firearms. An unknown percentage are these gun owners are otherwise law-abiding citizens; they possess the weapon for self-defense. Extrapolate that into other gun restrictive jurisdictions (LA, New York City, New Jersey, Hawaii, etc.) and you have an enormous population of gun owners flying under the statistical radar.

What’s more, we can safely assume that the people who own these unregistered weapons live in high crime areas. Which means they have a greater chance of using them for self-defense than the population who own guns legally. The key takeaway: a person who owns a gun illegally is NOT going to report a successful DGU to the po-po.

More generally, there is no reliable data on the number of successful DGUs in the United States. Estimate vary widely. But Cato’s right: if a non-ballistic DGU happens in an urban jungle, and there’s no cop there to arrest anyone it didn’t happen. And yet it did. And it does. Every day of the year. Bottom line: you don’t have to shoot someone to save your life with a gun. But if you have to, you can.

“We’re paramilitary, but we’re positive. I’m not a vigilante. I’m an agent of change.” - Threat Management Center owner and Detroit resident Dale Brown [above] quoted in thedaily.com article 911 Is A Joke

This just in from a member of TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia:

“As I begin to write this, not 20 minutes beforehand, I pulled my gun in self defense. For the second time in 4 months. In the gun free city of Chicago. I already know what you’re thinking, I’m not allowed to carry a gun in Chicago. Let’s get this out of the way, I have made the decision to conceal carry in Chicago. Yes this is stupid, but it has already been beneficial for me. Not once but twice.

A little background, I’m a FF/Paramedic that lives in the downtown Chicago area and works in the near suburbs. I work for a municipality on a paid department that I commute to using the CTA. I am a transplant from South Florida that is only here temporarily while my wife finishes  school.

I’m not a large guy, but I’m not what would be considered a soft target. I participate in Crossfit and swim for health and strength. I’ve taken some force on force training and have taken self defense classes with my wife.

As most emergency service providers, I’ve learned to always be aware of my surroundings and situations that I’m entering. I’ve been first on scene for shootings, highway accidents, domestic disputes, drug overdoses and other terrible incidents. My main focus is the safety of myself and my partner first, above and before everyone else. We are trained this way.

All this being said, I have been part of many situations that have been defused with nothing more than words.

This morning I was running late to the “L” and ran the 1/4 mile to the station. Just as I made the platform, the train left. No big deal, I give myself leeway for this very reason. As I’m waiting for the next train, three men step on to the platform on the opposite side of the tracks. They say some words to each other that I’m way too far away to hear and step off the platform and out of sight.

Not a minute later these three same men step onto my side of the platform from the near by staircase. They quickly look around and start walking toward me with fists clenched, I scan around me and I’m the only one on the platform except them. I’m standing about half way down the platform, with both staircases behind these guys.

The man closest to me asked me for a smoke, he was standing still  about 5 feet from me. I told him I don’t smoke with a firm voice well above normal volume but not a yell while making eye contact with him.

He then said, “I’ll take your fucking wallet then dick” while reaching out to me.

I smacked his forearm away with my left hand as I took 3 steps farther down the platform and drew my gun from its five o’clock spot on the right side of my body. As I drew I yelled ‘back off’ very loudly. They all turned tail and ran while cursing their lungs off after giving me saucer eyed unbelieving looks. I thank God that they had the sense to not even move in my direction.

If they had, there’s no question I wouldn’t be typing this right now. It felt like I stood there for a solid 10 minutes before the train arrived but it couldn’t have been more than 2-3. I re-holstered just before the train pulled into the station.

I boarded and spent the ride attempting to calm down. I’m writing this as a way to vent and direct my anger in a positive way. I’m hoping for some sort of an assessment or some feedback from someone. I hope I can get it from you guys here, as I will not be telling anyone around Chicago about this for obvious reasons.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.”

[Click here to read an off-the-record response from a Chicago cop]

Arizona is considering a “controversial” bill that would prevent state-run colleges from restricting students’ Second Amendment rights. Only not really. SB1474 will allow in-state campuses to ban guns within buildings—provided the campus has gun lockers and posts signage informing gun owners of the policy. The first thought in my mind: what good is concealed carry if you have to check your gun at the door of every class you attend? I’ve got three words for the bill’s framers: target rich environment. Further, creating a single storage space where a pile of weapons are just a crowbar away strikes me as an exceptionally bad idea. And here’s the big question: how do you get to college without learning about the United States Constitution? How do you get to be a professor–-a law teacher— without understanding its basic tenets? azcentral.com:

Flagstaff Mayor Sara Presler [above], an attorney who has taught at Northern Arizona University, asked legislators to vote down the bill.

She said she supports the Second Amendment, but said college is not the place for weapons.

“It’s (hard) to imagine encouraging a free marketplace of ideas and intellectual growth developed in an environment with a Colt 45 strapped to the hip of a student or professor,” Presler wrote in a letter. “Bring a book to class, not a Colt 45.”

“I support the Second Amendment.” Words. The same (first) words that came out of the mouths of Mayors Menino and Bloomberg during their pro-gun control Superbowl ad (aired in the New England market). Note to gun control advocates: words have meaning. If you think about it . . .

One of my favorite rhetorical tactics when it comes to the Second Amendment: substitute one of the other items in the Bill of Rights for the right to keep and bear arms. It’s why I am no longer a “reasonable restrictions” guy and am now a “the second amendment is my permit” guy.

Imagine if Arizona were considering a bill to restore the right to peaceably assemble on campus. Would student groups form in opposition to the idea (admittedly, such a group would have trouble convincing one another to get together for a protest)?

I’m confident that if a vote were taken on any given college campus to “restore” Second Amendment rights to students while on campus, the vote would fail handily*.  Our education system does a horrible job of teaching civics in anything approaching a historic fashion. There is far more fervent support for a “right” found in the emanations and penumbras of the Fourth Amendment than a clearly articulated right such as the second.

The common view of the Bill of Rights is deeply distorted in society and the academy is a chief culprit. I’ve said before that children are ignorant barbarians, born naked and unknowing into the world. It’s up to us to teach them right from wrong. For decades we have sub-contracted the teaching of civics to those who believe that what’s enumerated in Second Amendment isn’t really a right. We need to take upon ourselves the teaching of constitutional government since government-run schools are doing such a piss-poor job of it.

*On the other hand, almost all the college age folks I talked to at the Occupy St. Louis “happening” supported the 2nd Amendment, so long as one had small magazines.

I haven’t posted in over a week and it’s driving me crazy. I’m like a crack addict that hasn’t had a fix in a while. Considering my recent SHOT Show binge, the withdrawl’s pretty sucky. The reason for the hiatus: I moved from Fairfax, VA to San Antonio, TX, driving the whole way with my guns and ammo in the trunk and my loyal carry piece on my hip (most of the way, at least). I made a slight detour through Minnesota, stopping for some range time along the way in Wisconsin with some friends we met at SHOT Show. What the gun blogger saw was incredible.

Wisconsin only recently recognized their citizens’ right to keep and BEAR arms. Recognition of the right to carry has had a remarkable effect on the firearms industry.

I stopped by an undisclosed range in Wisconsin (the same one used to make the video at the top of the article) and had a chat with the owner. According to the man, business has picked-up dramatically since the new law went into effect, specifically training classes and concealed carry firearms sales.

In terms of self defense training, the shift in demographics within the classes is the biggest indicator of the law’s effect (according to the shopkeep). Before the law went live, the classes were patronized mostly by OFWGs, 40+ years old. No surprise there. After the law passed, the average age sank closer to 25, including more women. A lot more. The fairer sex now accounts for somewhere around 51 percent of his self-defense business.

Sales have been picking up at the gift (i.e. firearms) shop, too. Smaller handguns of the 9mm and .38 special varieties have been flying off the shelves. The shopkeep said the Kahr Arms CM9 and a S&W J-frame .38 (whose model number escapes me) were his new most popular models; two handguns that seem perfectly suited for CCW. While he’s happy about the extra cha-ching, he’s been encouraging aspiring CCWers to use their existing firearms instead of buying new ones, even if they are gigantic.

The biggest and most obvious indicator of the new concealed carry law: a massive increase in range attendance. The shopkeep says the range doesn’t see it. TTAG reviewer and YouTube rave sensation FateofDestinee (and, yes, her dad) disagree. [Video above.] They say the range used to be lightly attended. Since the law passed it’s been packed, many of whom are firing guns for the first time. [ED: don't forget to duck] On Wednesday night, there was a waiting list. FOD says it’s an increasingly common occurrence.

Like you didn’t see this one coming. The Badger State liberalized its concealed carry laws (to include law-abiding, tax-paying citizens) and – whaddaya know? – more people are carrying guns. The streets remain river-of-blood free. Meanwhile, a lot more money is running through the registers at gun ranges and gun stores. It’s win-win time in Wisconsin.

I just received the following email from Wisconsin Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer [above] re: Danny’s previously posted story Bill Kramer: New CCL Holder, Politician: 

I did not want to affect the comment flow, but I wanted to let you know that I did not out myself.  The AP called me knowing that I, and one other legislator by name, was carrying in the Capitol.  By taking the interview, I hoped that I could get, at least, part of my side into the story and try to keep other legislators from being named . . .

I stressed in every interview that the key is “concealed”, and that I was less than happy being named.  I am not ashamed to carry.  I am not scared in the Capitol.  I am not shouting from the mountain top that I am carrying, either.

Bill Kramer
Speaker Pro Tem

It’s a truism that if a politician’s lips are moving s/he’s lying. And truisms are only truisms because they’re usually, you know, true. So what to make of Bill Kramer’s claim to the AP, as reported by chicagotribune.com, that he carries a concealed Glock 26 on the Wisconsin Assembly floor from time to time? Just going on gut feel, this is probably one of those rare instances of something true passing the lips of an elected official. Not smart, mind you, but true. . .

Kramer’s the Speaker Pro Tem of the Assembly. And as a Republican, he’s one of those targeted for harassment by Badger Staters who aren’t happy with a number of new laws Governor Scott Walker and his legislative friends have enacted.

He said he feels he needs the weapon given the toxic atmosphere at the state Capitol, and he’s not the only lawmaker packing in the chamber.

“Have you been in the Capitol lately?” Kramer said. “The saying is you don’t need a gun until you need it. I hope I go to my grave having never fired at anything but a paper target.”

Bands of protesters still angry over Republican Gov. Scott Walker‘s contentious collective bargaining law have spent the past year harassing GOP legislators.

According to Kramer, he received concealed carry permit #16,657, for which we offer our hearty congrats. Under legislative rules enacted along with the state’s new law, it’s legal for both Assemblymen and Senators to carry on their respective floors. The Assembly allows those in the gallery to pack as well, while the Senate has disappointingly seen fit to disarm its observers. And things have been, well, interesting in the Capitol recently.

One (protestor) threw a beer on state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington, co-chairman of the Legislature’s powerful finance committee, in a Madison bar in September. Last week, protesters heckled Walker from the Assembly’s overhead galleries as the governor delivered his state-of-the-state address in the chamber. The next night during debate on a divisive mining permit bill, Kramer ordered the galleries cleared after agitators hung a banner over a railing and hurled profanities at lawmakers.

But Speaker Kramer seems to need some time to get used to this whole concealed carry thing. For instance, he’ll do well to learn that one of the more important aspects of a carry permit is that modifier, ‘concealed’. As in, why the hell would he tell someone – especially a reporter – that he’s carrying? Never mind ratting out others (thankfully, not by name) who may be packing, too.

Then again, it would be helpful to remember who and what Speaker Kramer is. Given his occupation, it’s probably too much to hope that he’d learn to STFU about his heat-packing practices. Or anything else, for that matter.

As we’ve mentioned here before, the daily parade of would-be flyers who are stupid (or forgetful) enough to unintentionally carry a gun or some other contraband through a TSA airport checkpoint has become tedious. The TSA arrests the poor absent-minded schmucks and gives them the full prostate exam. Uncle Sam’s minions confiscate their guns and charges them with a felony. Their gun rights? Gone baby, gone. It’s the same story over and over, right? Well not quite. Not if you’re a TSA manager. Once again, with monotonous regularity, we learn that there’s one set of rules for government employees and one rule for us . . .

According an azcentral.com Action Eyewitness On-Your-Side Night Beat Special Investigative Edition Bulletin Report (you know it’s a big deal because they have an actual whistleblower with a pixellated face and altered voice), an unidentified TSA manager unintentionally brought a loaded gun through a TSA checkpoint on his way to work in December of 2008.

Did alarm bells go off? Was local yokel law enforcement called in, as TSA procedure dictates? Was the guy humiliated and frog marched out of there as any Tommy Traveler would have been? No, not quite. According to a transcript,

At 12:11 p.m. the TSA manager enters lane 5 reporting for work. At 12:13 p.m. he puts his briefcase on the conveyor belt for screening. At 12:16 p.m. he enters the checkpoint through the walk-through magnetometer. Then at 12:17 p.m. as the briefcase moves into the X-ray scanner, the TSA manager demonstrates anxiety over his property in the X-ray tube. At 12:17 p.m. a Lead Transportation Security Officer signals to Supervisory Transportation Security Officer Mike Hales, the firearm signal with his hands. At 12:18 p.m. Hales recognizes the employee who brought the gun and responds to him in lane 5. Hales then signals towards the supervisor’s desk appearing to stop the required call to the Phoenix Police Department, Airport Bureau.

At 12:19 p.m. Hales takes the briefcase from the X-ray. Oneminute later, Hales and the TSA manager exit the checkpoint and walk into the airport side of the checkpoint off camera. The TSA manager then walks out of the airport, still carrying the loaded gun with one in the chamber and a magazine.

The whistleblower maintains, “This was a cover-up, this was despicable. It’s the most egregious thing I’ve ever seen while I’ve been with the TSA.”

Evidently the whistleblower hasn’t been at TSA long enough to witness three-year-olds being sexually molested or old ladies in wheelchairs forced to disrobe in public. In any case, the incident wasn’t considered worthy of much note at the time. Not, at least, by Hales’ boss.

More specifically, in an email from Mike Hales to his boss, Dave Couts, the Assistant Federal Security Director of Screening (AFDS-S) Hales informs him of the gun incident. Couts hardly seems troubled by the news responding, “Thank you for the quick turnaround,” Couts wrote, “Will there be cigars needed for your child’s birth? A box is on me.”

But TSA did eventually look into the shady goings on, at which time Hales attempted to justify his actions. Or lack thereof.

An internal memorandum containing the findings of the TSA internal investigation reveals why Supervisor Mike Hales broke policy. In his first sworn statement, Hales writes, “I felt that this situation involving upper-management had the potential to give TSA Phoenix yet another public relations black eye. In an effort to avoid bad publicity for TSA, the TSA Manager, me and the checkpoint I told the X-ray operator to release the bag from the X-ray machine.”

We wouldn’t want the sterling image of TSA to be sullied in any way. At least not “yet again.” What eventually happened to Hales and Couts as a result of this little cluster?

One investigator said Hales should be removed from federal service. But he wasn’t. Months later Hales was given just a 3 day suspension for his actions that day. We tried to speak with Hales but he had no comment. Hales currently holds a position of greater duties and responsibilities with the TSA. He’s employed as a Transportation Security Inspector (Aviation.) His annual salary is $53,605, according to TSA Public Affairs Officer Lorie Dankers.

As for Dave Couts, documents reveal he received a five day suspension in lieu of reprimand. That letter was placed into his personnel file for two years. He’s still with the TSA but in a different position. He’s working as a Program Analyst and his annual salary according to Dankers, is $114,394.

The azcentral.com report, though, makes no mention of the mysterious TSA manager who actually brought the gun through security and was allowed to walk. Nothing about who he or she is or what – if anything – happened as a result of the incident. The intrepid reporterette on the story likely met with a stone wall of stonewalling over that minor detail.

So next time you’re flying the friendly skies, if you happen to leave a heater in your carry-on and slide it into the x-ray machine, ask the arresting officer as he’s cuffing you why the same violation isn’t treated as seriously when a TSA employee is involved. We’re sure he’ll show a lot more leniency as a result.

I put this gun on my hip and declare my freedom from fear, so that I can protect myself, my family and my community against those who would do us physical harm.

I put this gun on my hip and declare my independence from the government, which has no legal obligation to protect myself, my family and my community against those who would do us physical harm.

I put this gun on my hip and declare my gratitude to those who died defending my liberty, and those who defend it today.