Riding Shotgun With Charlie#117Gabby FrancoThe DC ProjectTop Shot, Season 4 & 5Cartel Crew on VH1   Gabby Franco and several other members of The DC Project were going to be speaking at an event in New Jersey. With some simple coercion from a friend, I was talked into going.  All of the women speaking have been on RSWC except Gabby Franco. I sent her a message, explaining who I am and what I do, and who else has done the show, and asked if she would be able to film a show. Of course, she agreed. Gun people are the best people!   Gabby grew up in Venezuela, in a family full of women.  Venezuela was very different at the time when Gabby’s dad went to get a concealed carry license and saw the range had a junior shooting team. Her name, Franco, translates to ‘sniper’ in Spanish, which kind of set the tone for her life. By the time she was a teenager, she was shooting pistols competitively.  At 16 years old, she found herself shooting to be on the Venezuelan Olympic shooting team.     While at a fair in Miami, she ran into another Olympian she knew from Australia 2000.  They talked about how Gabby could get a visa to come to the United States. After a year, she took a suitcase and moved to the US. She got a call from the Venezuelan Shooting Federation to go to Finland for the World Cup and Brazil for the South American Games.  She took this opportunity to go to Brazil, where she has always wanted to go. She won 3 Gold Medals in Brazil and then retired.   After she got to America, she worked in some firearms stores in Miami and her firearm education continued.  For a while she was working at an office supply store and teaching firearm classes. Her brother sent her a notice that it was the last week to send in an audition for The History Channel’s Top Shot, Season 4. She was still selected despite not having everything they wanted.  She had to quit working at an office supply store and take the chance to be on the show. Despite being eliminated from Top Shot on a 1500 yard shot, she came back for Season 5. But she loved the experience of being on the show.    After Top Shot, she was asked to teach firearms courses to women around the country. During this time, she took time to visit the area and get to know the local people across the country. Eventually she was asked by Para Ordnance and Remington to be a sponsored shooter and instructor. When Walther asked her to be one of her sponsors, she jumped at the chance because she used a Walther at the Olympics.    For years, she was paying attention to politics due to what was happening in Venezuela.  She became very vocal about the Second Amendment and was asked by Dianna Muller (RSWC #059) to be a member of The DC Project. The DC Project goes to Washington DC to speak to our legislators about how the firearms laws affect women.    Most recently, she filmed part of a show with VH1’s Cartel Crew, teaching some of the cast members what firearms are really about and that they’re safe if you use them properly.     Gabby has been an influence to everyone in many ways.  After watching this episode, you’ll be inspired to.  To get others shooting. To get involved with calling legislators. And to do more for the Second Amendment.  Favorite quotes: “It turned into loving the discipline, loving the personal growth.” “I remember falling in love with the activity. And everything that entitled.” “I know that, from my heart, I’m going to leave everything out there.” “Society is so easy to be manipulated.” “The pattern isn’t for more freedom. The pattern nowadays is for more restrictions.” Gabby Franco Website https://gabbyfranco.com/   Gabby Franco Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gabbyfrancotopshot   Gabby Franco Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gabbyfrancots4/   Gabby Franco Twitter https://twitter.com/gabbyfrancots4   The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/ You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/   Help support RSWC and get some stickers! http://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.com/rswc-shop/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#116Neil WeidnerMarketing Director,  Active Self Protection   Neil Weidner saw me do a presentation at AMMcon (Alternative Multi Media conference) the day before the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Phoenix in 2019. He enjoyed the speech and the whole presentation.  A month later, a friend called me to say she was talking to Neil and he asked her how he could get on the stagecoach.  I didn’t believe it.  When I saw Neil at SHOT in January 2020, we talked about the possibility of setting up filming a show somewhere.  When I signed up for the MAG40 class in Sioux Falls in early June of 2020, I reached out to see if he was taking the course.  Boom! We had plans.    Neil and his wife Stephannie (RSWC #112) have four daughters, but they wanted a boy.  So, while living in Iowa, they wanted to become foster parents. They took in a young boy from a family that had some issues. Despite loving their son, the family wouldn’t be able to raise the son. So Stephannie and Neil took the boy in as their own.     When the paternal grandfather found out where the Weidners lived, he wanted to take the 2 month old boy back. That’s when Stephannie realized that maybe it would be good to know something about firearms and have a home defense plan. Neil was at work and grabbed his co-workers to ride with him to prevent something from happening to his new son and his family. Fortunately, nothing became of the incident. The Weidners did open their eyes and started doing some research.    One of the things they found online was Active Self Protection (ASP). Stephannie started watching John Correia’s videos and learning a lot. John put out a call for a volunteer job on the ASP social media to moderate comments.  Stephannie took the position while Neil was working at a call center. The Weidners and Correias have been ‘family’ since they connected.     Neil and Stephannie went to a training seminar that John was doing. Stephannie was checking people in and Neil was taking his first real handgun course.  There was an older couple who were new firearm owners. Their firearm handling wasn’t great and Neil had to keep his eyes on them as he was trying to learn during the class.  Once the stress of that couple was gone, Neil fell in love with training and taking classes. When he was officially hired by ASP as the marketing director, he decided that he was going to take 100 hours of training a year. He’s taken classes from some of the best instructors in the firearm training community.    Neil’s ongoing education and training has led to him doing a series of videos  on the ASP Extra YouTube channel that he calls the Suck Less Saturdays. He’s been working with the MantisX shooting performance system and also making dry firing videos and doing dry fire challenges. After seeing how he shot at the MAG40, I’ll ya...it’s working! And really well!   Neil has some great stories that he shares with us. Despite joining the ASP team, he stays really humble.  Even when airport security notices him.  Having the chance to get Neil in the stagecoach was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to running into him at various events around the country.    Favorite quotes: “It was a good job.  The money was good. The benefits were great, but the quality of life was kind of rough.” “I have never been a quit guy.. I fell in love with the learning process.” “I started taking a class every couple months or so.” “I’m putting in 100 hours of training in 2020.” “I want to suck less this year.”  Active Self Protection Websitehttps://activeselfprotection.com/   Active Self Protection YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/activeselfprotection   Active Self Protection Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/activeselfprotection/   Active Self Protection Bullets and Bibles 2021 infohttps://activeselfprotection.com/asp-national-conference-bullets-and-bibles-2021/   ASP Extra (Where you can find Suck Less Challenge)https://www.youtube.com/activeselfprotectionextra You need to join the Second Amendment Foundationhttp://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Armshttps://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store!https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/   Help support RSWC and get some stickers!http://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.com/rswc-shop/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#114Ben DeWaltOnSight Firearms Training   One of my friends, Mark, asked if I was going to be taking a course called Defense Pistol - Accuracy and Accountability with Ben DeWalt of OnSight Firearms Training. I decided that I was going to do some training for myself this year and said only if Mark was taking the class, too.  He also told me that Ben would be a great person to have in the passenger’s seat.  So I signed up for the class and messaged Ben about being on the show!   Having grown up around firearms and shooting .22 rifles as a kid, he was carrying Guns & Ammo magazine in 3rd grade. About the time he was in 8th grade, he got into martial arts and karate. After high school, he found himself DJ’ing, doing security, and managing night clubs in NYC. That led to being a booking agent and calling clubs to set up tours for bands. Which came in handy years later as a firearm instructor.    Growing tired of the musicians and rockstar attitudes, he decided to make a career shift and decided to become a firearm instructor.  In the meantime, he was working at ranges as an instructor and range safety officer. After working with another instructor, he learned he didn’t know everything and took more classes. He took a position as a customer service/ product service test firing repair guns.  He was gunsmithing 1911s at Kimber and testing the repair firearms.    Meanwhile, Ben was also teaching courses and taking more courses.  After consulting with his wife, they decided it would be better to focus on teaching courses and making a go of it as a full time, self employed instructor. Ben and his wife, who is also an instructor, took as many classes from as many teachers as possible, notably the Tom Givens’ Rangemaster and SIG Academy.  They’ve done over 75 classes at SIG Academy. And he scored 100’s on all the Rangemaster qualifications.    Knowing that with firearms courses, there’s a possibility of injuries, they both became certified to teach some medical and trauma courses, which they also offer. Since many of us carry firearms and knives to protect ourselves, we should also have some medical trauma and first aid training. And maybe even carry some of that gear around with us and in our cars.    One of the things I really enjoyed with talking to Ben is that he’s got an ongoing desire to educate himself and improve himself.  It’s not just his shooting skills, but it’s his teaching skills as well. He likes to retake classes to see what he can pick up from new instructors.  And he encourages his clients to take classes from other instructors as well.    Personally, I enjoyed listening to his story about getting out from working for someone else and going it on his own.  And hearing how he took his skills and knowledge from his DJ’ing days and applied them to his gun instructor days. I’m sure you’ll enjoy that as well.   We did take a few minutes off to get a selfie at the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA, in front of the Massachusetts Minuteman statue.  The statue is a farmer taking up his rifle and leaving his plough behind to help start a new nation.      Favorite quotes   “Sounds like a cool job on the outside. But every Monday morning, you’re someone else’s bitch.” “What could I possibly do if I had more time to focus on my own company?”   “The gun stuff is cool. The certifications are cool. But the knowledge and the ability is probably much cooler.” “I constantly want to train. I constantly either want to teach or I want to train. There’s no point in this thing where I say “I’m done, I’ve learned it all.” “The reason I love doing is this is you have a lot of freedom.” OnSight Firearms Training Website  https://oftllc.us/   OnSight Firearms Training Facebook https://www.facebook.com/onsight.firearmstraining.5   OnSight Firearms Training Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onsightfirearmstraining/ You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#114Daniel Schmutter, Esq.Hartman & Winnicki   Daniel Schmutter is an attorney in New Jersey. We ran into each other at NJSAFECON back in 2017. And certainly at GRPC over the last few years. I’ve heard Daniel on the Gun For Hire podcast for years and I finally had a chance to have him in the passenger's seat. But I do have to thank John Petrolino (Bearing Arms, Ammoland/ Decoding Firearms) as he made the connection to get Daniel and I together.  We covered many topics, from him getting into the 2A as a lawyer, to bringing a knife into court, and talking about liberty, which came up often. Daniel grew up in the Bronx, NYC, in an anti-gun family.  He didn’t have a chance to go shooting until he was in law school and took a course with the rifle & pistol team with a law school roommate He became a firearm owner in 1993 in New Jersey. In 2002, he wrote an op/ed for the Star Ledger, New Jersey's largest newspaper, against the ‘smart guns’ then was contacted by Scott Bach, who is the current executive director of the Association New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC), wondering why Scott didn’t know Daniel. That was his introduction into the gun rights movement.  Daniel got involved in Second Amendment law during 2003 with the Silveira v Lockyer case, which predates Heller.  It was out of California and was a challenge to the state’s ‘assault weapon law’. The case didn’t make it to the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States).  It’s a good thing because it wasn’t a good vehicle so it might not have brought out the right outcome from the case. We really get into how the SCOTUS decides how to accept cases and what makes a good SCOTUS case.  He does a great job explaining some of the terms used. And he shares that he’s written a number of briefs and friends of the court arguments all the way up to the Heller case.  He’s also worked with just about every 2A group from ANJRPC, NRA, SAF, FPC, and others.    We get into some work that Daniel did with Knife Rights and Doug Ritter. He’s got a fun story about bringing knives into court as an exhibit and how he and Doug were trying to prove that “gravity knives” are subjective to whomever owns them and there isn’t a standard for those style knives. He also points out some of the knife laws in NYC.    We also get into why it’s beneficial for us to take our non-gun friends to the range and teach them about firearms and safety.  It’s an eye opening experience for someone to see that the media and the anti-gun groups have been misleading the public with misinformation. Even if a non-gun friend decided that shooting may not be for them, they can still learn that firearms are just tools.  And it’s even fun to go shooting.    It’s always an education talking to someone like Daniel.  Much of the show, I was absorbing his wisdom and stories.   The word I think he used the most was “liberty”. It came up several times during the conversation.  I’m sure you’re going to listen a few times to get everything that he talked about.    Most recently, Daniel filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a major Second Amendment case which is expected to be argued next term.  You can read his brief here:   https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-843/184005/20210715144439142_ANJRPC%20Amicus%20Brief%20%20NYSRPAvBruen.pdf Favorite quotes “The vehicle that brings the issue before the court, it’s actually very important, that it's the right vehicle.” “The Second Amendment is so fundamental to liberty.” “This movement both political, social, legal, is incredibly important to push back on these infringements on liberty.” “...bring a friend to the range. ...it’s so valuable just to get people to understand what firearms ownership is about. What it is and what it isn’t.”  “Fundamentally, us versus them is not left versus right, red versus blue. Us versus them is people versus politicians.” “The best time to clamp down on personal liberty is during an emergency.”  Hartman & Winnicki Website http://www.hartmanwinnicki.com/   John Petrolino https://johnpetrolino.com/   Association of New Jersey Association of Rifle and Pistol Clubs https://www.anjrpc.org/   You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#113Tanisha MonerNRA Instructor Chief Range Safety Officer, Legally Armed In Detroit   Tanisha Moner and I met this past March at the Florida Carry Speaker Event.  I was there to play the Star Spangled Banner and she was there with Rick Ector (RSWC #032) to find more instructors who want to be involved with Rick’s event.  Rick has been doing a free event for women in the Detroit area for 10 years.  His goal is to train as many women as possible.  Tanisha is the person who organizes the event for Rick.    Tanisha grew up in a household around firearms. Her father always had them around and in every room. She was kidnapped and robbed then  sexually assaulted at gunpoint when she was a teenager.  The men who did this to her were serial rapists, who were eventually caught and went to prison. After that, she was afraid of firearms and rightfully so.  She wanted to change that.  She had a talk with herself and realized that guns are inanimate objects and there’s no reason to be afraid of them.  So she decided to get a Michigan CPL (Concealed Pistol License). After seeing Rick Ector all over the media in Detroit, she decided it was time to take a class with him. Regardless of being scared of firearms, she took a class with Rick.  She started hanging out at the range with Rick regularly, like 3 times a week, and eventually got her carry permit.    Tanisha does share that when she started carrying, she carried it unloaded. Which, to me, is fine. New gun owners need to learn to carry and get comfortable with carrying something that hasn’t been part of their life.  And I did the same thing when I was new to carrying. There’s a great responsibility to carrying a firearm.  People need to know more than just how to shoot if they’re going to be carrying.  After she started carrying, she worked her way to be a range safety officer (RSO), then an instructor.    Tanisha started taking lots of classes due to Rick prodding her a bit. She became involved with Rick’s Lady Event during the third year of the event. He started the event after a woman’s body was found after she was murdered. That led him to start the event, offering women a free gun safety and learn to shoot class.  It started with 50 women. The event has been growing to 100, 600, 800 women in one day.  In 2020, the event had 1,938 women learning to shoot over 2 days!    There is a woman who has been to the event several times With her daughter.  Then she brought her daughter and her other daughter.  Then her daughters, her mother, AND her 80 year old grandmother!   The event this year is going to be on August 21 & 22, 2021, in Taylor, MI.  It’s going to be held in  Here’s a Facebook event link https://www.facebook.com/events/438068617516692/   Tanisha is a great example of how someone would be scared of firearms, but took a bad experience and turned it into something good.  Then she takes it up a notch by becoming an instructor and teaching and organizing an event for thousands of women.    Favorite quotes “I didn’t place the blame on ‘men’. It was those guys.”  “Guns are inanimate objects. They don’t do anything unless you make them do something. Why are you afraid of a gun? “ “I just wanted to not be scared of guns anymore.” “These people are doing this on a volunteer basis. They’re doing this on their own dime.” “People who come always come back.”  “We get more from giving than they get.”   Detroit CCW on Twitter https://twitter.com/detroitccw   Detroit  CCW on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/detroitccw   Michigan CCW Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MichiganCCW/   Legally Armed In Detroit-Gear Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LegallyArmedInDetroit   Rick Ector Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Rick.Ector   Legally Armed In Detroit Website http://www.legallyarmedindetroit.com/   Legally Armed In Detroit YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/detroitccw   Detroit CCW on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/detroitccw/ You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#112Stephannie WeidnerCEO, Active Self Protection Stephannie Weidner has been coming up on my Facebook page as “someone you might know” for a long time. I’m friends with her husband, Neil. She and I also have a lot of friends in common.  Finally we got the chance to meet at the end of the MAG40 class in Sioux Falls, SD.  Neil and I and a number of us met for drinks and decompression after the classes ended. She was also highly recommended by some of the participants in The Mingle head by Shelley Hill, RSWC #089.   Stephannie skims over the home life and how the Weidner’s got into firearms. The backstory is they were new foster parents and took in a child from a large, dysfunctional family.  When one of the family members said they were coming to take the child is when Neil & Stephannie decided it was time to learn more about firearms and self defense.    As new gun owners, they turned to the Active Self Protection (ASP) YouTube channel. There's a lot of great info there!  Eventually, John Correia, the channel talent & star, reached out asking for someone who can “mom the heck” out of the comments on ASP’s social media.  Stephannie connected with John about this and took on the volunteer gig.  She was a better connection than she could have realized.  When ASP was looking to officially hire someone, that someone was Stephannie. At one point, she was answering emails as John since she learned so much from watching the channel. Being good at details and well organized with the ‘biz’ part of things, that freed up John to keep being the talent for the channel.    Stephannie tells us about “The Mingle”, which is a women only event held by Shelley Hill of The Complete Combatant.  She gets into how the gun industry, early on when women were getting into it, did the “pink it and shrink it” philosophy and found out that wasn’t good. But also how the industry took the woman’s “parts” and made that part of the places to carry.    One of the amazing things about the times we live in is that you can get a whole education on self defense on the ASP channel.  Then take that info, process it, and get involved with the people who are out there doing it. Then pass the education and information along as well. Before Stephannie became a firearm instructor, she was working with ASP helping organize and run their programs around the country.  She found she has a passion for ‘legal, moral, and ethical self defense’, which she has been doing but wouldn’t have dreamed of doing. We spend some time talking about the great and powerful responsibility it is if you’re going to carry a firearm.  You need to be able to hit your intended target and not an innocent bystander.  Getting extra and more extra training is definitely something concealed carriers need to do.    Stephannie also tells us about the upcoming ASP Bullets and Bibles 2021 event on September 21-23 in Manhattan, Kansas.  The link is below, which is where you get info and get registered.    I think this about every show, but you’re going to get a lot of info from this episode!   Favorite quotes:   “Something of good quality makes it so much easier to carry concealed and comfortably that you can do it.” “You have the power of life and death in your hands. You have to make the best decisions.” “Mistakes cost a lot.  Doing the right thing can cost a lot.” “If something happens to me, I have put my child at risk. He is my highest responsibility.” Active Self Protection Website https://activeselfprotection.com/   Active Self Protection YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/activeselfprotection   Active Self Protection Instagram https://www.instagram.com/activeselfprotection/   Active Self Protection Bullets and Bibles 2021 info https://activeselfprotection.com/asp-national-conference-bullets-and-bibles-2021/ You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#111Tom HallInstructorBuckeye Firearms FoundationFASTER Saves Lives   Tom Hall & I met just last week. He was instructing with the FASTER Saves Lives staff in Ohio.  We enjoyed some social time with some of the other students and instructors of the class the night before the class started. What I thought was really cool was finding out that he was working on getting some education from a whiskey university.  He said if there was a cigar university, he could be all set with firearms, whiskey and cigars!   Tom has been with FASTER Saves Lives since the second year they were around. He is a firearm instructor in Ohio in his own right, but volunteers with FASTER and teaches their FASTERS Foundations courses.  That’s a class for school educators who are going to be carrying a firearm in their schools and have a concealed carry permit already.  The Foundations class gives them all the vernacular of firearms and fundamentals of shooting. He’s also worked at some local gun stores.    FASTER Saves Lives is a non-profit that teaches the teachers what they need to know to help defend their students. As gun folks, we have to know that there’s more than having and using a firearm in a defensive situation.  The shooting portion of the FASTER Level 1 class is about 2 days of shooting. We shot from various distances, with various stances, one handed/two handed, shooting and moving and more. For newer shooters, there’s a lot of ground we covered.  FASTER also teaches trauma first aid: when, where, & how to use a tourniquet, chest seals, and other first (& immediate) aid.   But the biggest take away for me wasn’t shooting at the paper targets. There were targets that shot back.  It was the scenario training we did.  We did use scenarios that were from real school shooting incidents. Tom was the ‘bad guy’ who donned a padded safety vest, protective  mask, and an airsoft gun that fired rubber balls. Other students role played victims and someone was the armed teacher. The teacher knew nothing about the scenario except that there was an ‘active murderer’ in the classroom area. Not only did they have to avoid oncoming and running students, they also had to figure out what to do if or after they neutralized the ‘bad guy’. This is why it’s important to have some scenario training.    Tom and I reviewed the 3 day course during the show. I did have a FASTER buzz while we were filming.  I was also ‘-4’ on the scenario training.  Yeah...I was shot 4 times by the ‘bad guy’ in one scenario. On the last day of the class, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that schools are no longer able to determine which of their staff can carry in the schools. But if a teacher wanted to carry, they needed to go through police training to be able to carry in their school.  For the record, passing the qualification from FASTER Saves Lives is a higher standard than what the police in Ohio use for qualifications.   If your school is interested, please reach out to FASTER Saves Lives so that your children can have the option of being protected by armed teachers.    Favorite quotes: “The more educated, legal, armed citizens there are, the freer I am.” “I know just enough to be dangerous.” “You may have done something good in the process of their death, but you didn’t win.” “I don’t need you to be a pro. I need you to keep them alive until the pros get there.” “Even a cop does not have the duty to jump into the middle of a mass shooting and stop them.” “We know from past shootings, there’s always staff that’s willing to give their lives up to protect kids.”   FASTER Saves Lives https://fastersaveslives.org/   FASTER Saves Lives https://www.facebook.com/FASTERSavesLives Buckeye Firearm Association https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/   Buckeye Firearm Association Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BuckeyeFirearmsAssociation Apex Shooting and Tactics https://www.facebook.com/ApexShootingTactics   Michelle Cerino-Princess Gunslinger https://www.facebook.com/princessmichellecerino   Tactical Defense Institute in Ohio https://www.facebook.com/tdiohio   Priority Defense LLC https://www.facebook.com/prioritydefensellc You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#110Sharyn HinchcliffePink Pistols Seattle   I really appreciate the friendships  I’ve made in the firearm community since I started RSWC. Sometimes the friendship turns into another friendship. Thanks to Derek LeBlanc from Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation for making the connection to Sharyn Hinchcliffe.  She’s a busy woman in Washington state for our Rights on many levels and fronts.    She grew up in New Jersey to a family of police officers. Unfortunately, there was an incident.  She had a relative who, as a 5 year old child, climbed up and over things the way kids do.  And found their father’s revolver.  Due to the weight of the gun and the age and strength of the child, the firearm went off.  Their family lost a child. This incident is why her father instilled firearm safety to her and her other family members at a young age.    In 2008, Sharyn and a blind date for coffee...it is Seattle.  They eventually went to a shooting range.  And things changed for her. She enjoyed her new partner’s company. And she rediscovered firearms. After the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, she decided it was time to get involved with advocacy. A lot of times, there are people who work on the 2A activism more than they shoot.  I’ve had several of these people on the show. Sharyn is not an exception. She's involved with Pink Pistols & Operation Blazing Sword, which are the 2 LGBTQ groups in the firearm community.  A couple years ago, they joined together.  I had Erin Palette on the show in Dallas.  She’s the President of PP/OBS.    Sharyn and Pink Pistols Seattle are very active in Washington. She forgoes heading to Las Vegas for the SHOT (Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade), as she testifies during ‘the first day of gun control legislation’. Her group also attends several events during the year, handing out firearm safety brochures and books, all in the name of educating people and getting them into the fold.   We also talk about some of the laws in Washington state that state that a lever action rifle, a Ruger 10/22, and even a Marlin Model 60, and similar firearms, end up being classified as “assault weapons” because of the way the firearms are designed. And with this designation, there’s an extra fee to purchase one.    On the same activism side, she’s also very involved with the suicide prevention aspect of firearms.  She’s worked with Hold My Guns (Sarah Albrecht RSWC #092) and Walk The Talk America (Michael Sodini RSWC #067).  Suicide prevention is a very big deal in Seattle, with 75% of their firearm deaths being suicide.    Sharyn and I have a really good conversation while we drive through Tacoma, WA, and take in some of the scenery. It’s great to see that there’s people out there who are working very hard to maintain and fight back in states where politicians are working hard against freedom and gun rights. With someone as knowledgeable and well spoken as Sharyn, I’m glad she’s on our side of freedom.      Favorite quotes: “The assault weapon bill that was pushed through last year...had lever action rifles called out as being assault weapons.”“I don’t care about the NRA on the national level.  What I care about is ILA (Institute for “There is also a city attorney that will go after anyone pro 2A.” “If you talk to someone about suicide...it’s going to acknowledge they’re in a crisis and you are listening to them.” “It’s more important to give out that safety information, than it is to be on anything else.”   Pink Pistols https://www.pinkpistols.org/   Pink Pistols Seattle https://www.facebook.com/groups/PinkPistolsSeattle   Operation Blazing Sword https://www.blazingsword.org/   TikTok @sa.hinchcliffe   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/s.a.hinchcliffe/ #pinkpistolsseattle   Pink Pistols Seattle is also on Meet Up. Sharyn is on Instagram, Parler, CloutTub, PocketNet, Twitter, Mastodon.   Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation https://kidssafefoundation.org/   You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#109Rob BeckmanFirearm Trainer’s PodcastAmerican Defense Training    A few months ago, John Petrolino reached out and connected me with Rob Beckman.  Rob was looking for an instructor in Massachusetts for his podcast, Firearm Trainer’s Podcast. I listened to a few episodes and really like Rob’s format for helping instructors on the business side of things. I was on Firearm Trainer’s Podcast back in April, FTP #109.  How ironic that he’s episode #109 of RSWC!   https://www.firearmtrainerpodcast.com/2021/04/12/ep-109-being-a-firearm-instructor-in-massachusetts/   Recently in Sioux Fall, SD, Rob and I were both students at the MAG40 course, taught by Massad Ayoob himself!  There were several other podcasters in the class.  It was hosted by Paul & Susan Lathrop of the Polite Society Podcast. Amanda Suffecool  (RSWC #009) of Eye On The Target Radio, the Polite Society Podcast, and the DC Project was a student.  So was Robyn Sandoval  (RSWC #080), from A Girl & A Gun and DC Project. And Neil Weidner from Active Self Protection was also a student. One of the MAG Staff was Tracy Becker, also with Polite Society Podcast.  Many of us were staying at the same hotel, so Rob & I filmed shows while we were carpooling to the class.    Rob started shooting at a young age and got some formal training while earning the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge in Boy Scouts. He’s spent years hunting. He’s been a trainer for a number of years, then decided to work his way to be an NRA Training Counselor, which is who trains the trainers. He also teaches the USCCA courses, too.    He started the Firearm Trainer’s Podcast to help give back to the firearm community and to really help his instructor students help with the business of running an instructing business. Once someone decides to be an instructor they get educated on firearms, safety, and teaching the curriculum. But often they don’t have a lot of business guidance. (I know I didn’t.)  FTP is a great resource.  I’ve been listening for a while and I really get a lot from the show.    This episode is a bit different from others. Rob and I rode to the MAG40 class and we filmed segments every morning on the way to class. We talk about the drills we did on the range. We also talk about some of the things we learned during the class as well. When you take the MAG40 class, you will learn that there’s so much more to the legal aspect of using a firearm in self defense than just saying “I was in fear of my life”.  Or talking to the police and saying ‘I think I’m having a cardiac arrest. I need to go to the hospital”. Or what’s even worse is when you talk to an old family friend who used to be a police officer and they say “Shoot the bad guy and drag his body back into the house and put a knife in his hand.”  That will certainly get YOU in jail and up on murder charges.    The shooting drills we worked on were great. We did several stances, tweaked grips, and used some uncommon shooting positions to simulate shooting around objects.  We had a new handgun shooter in the class and she ended up being the ‘most improved student’ of the class. She was able to take home Mas’ signed target...which was a perfect score of 300!    Rob had the second highest score of 297. I got 286.  I’ll admit, I started throwing shots when we got to 15 yards back.  I was thinking about which stance we were supposed to use.  That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.    Please check out the link to Massad Ayoob Group for classes.  There’s a course in Manchester, New Hampshire in August, 2021. If you’d like to get a sample of the class, check out In The Gravest Extreme, written by Mas back in the 1970’s.  https://www.amazon.com/Gravest-Extreme-Firearm-Personal-Protection/dp/0936279001/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LOMOSHXNHZJX&dchild=1&keywords=in+the+gravest+extreme+by+massad+ayoob&qid=1623717573&sprefix=In+The+gravest%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-1 Favorite quotes: “My formal education in firearms began when I was in Boy Scouts.” “To help educate the instructors, how they can be the best instructor for their students.” “I became an instructor because of your podcast.” “One of the downsides of being an instructor is you don’t get that much trigger time.” “Most lawyers don’t spend more than a half a day on defense law.” Firearm Trainer’s Podcast https://www.firearmtrainerpodcast.com/   Firearm Trainer’s Podcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/firearmtrainerspodcast   American Defense Training https://americandefensetraining.us/?fbclid=IwAR31DKiP7uBwDBthY1ovjz64P2VUMCljHSLJuaJFyWffJvynoZ_18cQdY3U   Massad Ayoob Group https://massadayoobgroup.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#108Shirley WatralInstructor, Author, & DC Project Member    Shirley and I were both at the Florida Carry Speaker Event in 2021. I was only playing the Star Spangled Banner for the event, but I had my GoPro cameras should I have the chance to film a show.  She was speaking at the event as an instructor, author, and as a DC Project member. I purchased her book in the summer of 2020, but didn’t know she was going to be there.  I approached her and said “Hi, my name is Charlie. I’ve got a show called Riding Shotgun With Charlie.”  She said ‘You’re the guy who interviews the DC Project woman as you drive around, right?”.  I replied “Yes, that's me.  What are you doing for the next half hour? Do you want to be on the show?”   How can she say no?!?!  I told her I have her book and would have brought it so she could sign it, but I didn’t know she was going to be at the event. She offered me another book (signed) but I had to give my copy to another woman.  Which I did.    I learned about Shirley last summer.  She attended the Ambassador Academy with some friends, and they told me she would be a great passenger for the show. I bought a copy of her book, Heels To Holsters, right away, but didn’t read it by the time we filmed the show.    Before she became an instructor, or even shot a gun, Shirley worked in an office. Unfortunately, she found herself in a relationship that wasn’t healthy. Shirley found herself held for 12 hours by her ‘boyfriend’. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happened, but it was a life changing event. At one point, she knew that she was either going to die… or survive. But it wasn’t going to be easy.    That day led her to wanting to become a firearm owner.  After some trips to a range and six months researching which firearm to purchase,  and then taking a class, her life mission was to become a firearm instructor and to help women become empowered to take control of their lives.    Shooting led to 3-gun competitions and instruction. She also was a gun range manager running classes and the shop. It was a long way from her days of working in an office. Eventually, she was asked by Dianna Muller (RSWC #059) to be in The DC Project to represent Florida at our nation’s capital.  Her story is an amazing story for our anti-gun legislators to hear about why women are the largest growing demographic of new gun owners.     One of the things that I really enjoy about ‘my gig’ is that I can ask women who I haven’t met and ask them to be on the show.  Many times, if they don’t know me, they know someone who’s been on the show.  And being a passenger on ‘the stagecoach’ is something they’ll gladly do to get their story out to you! You’ll find an amazon link to Shirley’s book below as well as links to her social media.    Favorite quotes: “I love the shooting community. They’re so nice, so thoughtful, so helpful.” “You’re either going to go out with a bang, so to speak, or you’re going to win.” “He did attempt to kill me. By the grace of God, I’m here today.” “I totally understand them. I know why it's so hard to leave.” “I learned how to become independent again. And I did that through firearms.” “Just think of how many women you can help. I went ‘oh...that makes sense’.”   Shirley Watral Firearm Training https://www.facebook.com/ShirleyWatralFirearmsTraining   Shirley Watral Firearm Training https://shirleywatralfirearmstraining.com/   Shirley Watral Firearm Training Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shirley_watral_firearms/   Heels To Holsters on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Heels-Holster-surviving-relationship-discovering/dp/1734463902/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=heels+to+holsters&qid=1622393978&sr=8-1   The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#107Jeff Spiegelman & Kim PettersDelaware House of RepresentativesThe DC Project After I had the show set up to film with Kim Petters, she asked if I wanted to film another show.  She said she’s friends with Jeff Spiegelman, a member of the Delaware House of Representatives, who is a good Second Amendment supporter and a good friend of hers.  How can I say no?  I didn’t. Kim decided that she should ride in the backseat for this show.  Someone need to keep Jeff in control!   What a time we had! Despite everything he touches breaks!    Jeff wasn’t always a politician.  He was a US Navy contractor for a few years.  Then he was a military historian, teaching on the USS Cole & USS Roosevelt and teaching college history and politics. He was also the guy who complained about how the politicians should do things.  Then he got into commercial real estate.  Then he decided to be the guy who did something because he didn’t like how the politicians were doing things. And he’s been in office since 2012. That’s quite an accomplishment. He’s also co-chair of the Delaware Sportsman’s Caucus.  I like that he’s on a quest to take every animal that the state allows a hunter to bag.   Jeff does have his name attached to some pro-gun legislation in Delaware.  What is really nice to note is that the way he thinks and approaches the bills is very logical.  He’s learned that sometimes you’ve got to say    We do make a quick detour to the Delaware state capital.  The building Kim often refers to is “Leg Hall” is an abbreviation for Legislative Hall. We do talk about how the process works.  And it isn’t as easy as everyone thinks.  There’s lots of unintended consequences from signing one bill and the things to come with it.    One of the many topics we cover is that, very much like New Jersey, Delaware’s northern neighbor, anything that shoots a projectile is considered a ‘firearm’.  That includes things like sling shots and bow & arrows. This is one of the things that Jeff is trying to change. He also tells us how things work in politics and it's very interesting, for sure. Jeff really gets into how things work behind the scenes that often the public doesn’t get or understand.    I was honored to have Kim and Jeff as passengers.  Jeff has a great sense of humor. I was able to keep up with him.  And Kim laughed often from the back seat! I am excited to say that I DID purchase a single shot shotgun while I was in Delaware.  And I am crossing off the list that I’ve bought a firearm outside my home state!  Thanks, Delaware! Favorite quotes: “What kind of coward would I be, if I was the guy who was complaining about the guy, instead of trying to be the guy that people complain about.” “I try and be the representative that I would vote for.” “I’d like to think that if I’m going to sell out, it’d be more than $600.” “One of the many dirty secrets of politics is that politicians do try to keep their promises.” “In an age of hyper partisanship, people are afraid of not keeping their promises.”   Kim quotes: “He’s a good one!” “And he doesn’t sell out. I love that.” “I’ll show you where my office is going to be, when I’m a lawmaker.” “I’m not going to find common ground on something that shouldn’t be.” Jeff Spiegelman Delaware House of Representative https://legis.delaware.gov/AssemblyMember/151/Spiegelman Jeff Spiegelman Website http://www.jeffderepresentative.com/ Jeff Spiegelman Facebook https://www.facebook.com/friends4jeff   The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/   Kim Petters website https://www.kimpetters.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#106Joseph MorseShooting Gallery New EnglandShooting in the Woods Podcast   Joseph Morse reached out to me a while ago.  He’s a gunsmith at a gun store in Massachusetts. But he’s also a content creator!  He’s got an Instagram page called Shooting Gallery New England and a podcast called Shooting in the Woods. Both being gun guys in Massachusetts, we finally were able to connect and film a show!  Since we’re both in Massachusetts, we decided to meet at…. Plymouth Rock!  Of course the rock and the Mayflower are replicas, but we still did selfies in front of them.  Our driving route took us on both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges.    Joseph has really had a bit of success as a young guy. He had a tough childhood and moved around a lot. After some bow hunting with a friend, he decided to get his firearm identification card (FID) which allows you to have non-large capacity rifles and shotguns in MA. After he turned 21 and got a License to Carry (LTC), he also became an instructor.    Not long after that, he took a gunsmithing course from Sonoran Desert Institute and worked towards becoming a smith. Starting a YouTube channel to display and show his builds and work was a natural progression. He’s had a chance to work over several different types of firearms, but also has to make some guns ‘Massachusetts compliant’.    He’s learned some good lessons from other gun YouTubers and podcasts.  Things like being consistent with your content, putting shows out regularly, and asking folks to be on the show. He also does a live weekly show on Facebook and YouTube.. Some of the videos he’s done are showing builds, but he’s also done time lapse videos on builds.    Of course, we spend time talking about the challenges of being a gun owner in Massachusetts. We’ve had the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban but it was permanently adopted in 1998 by one of our former governors. Joseph also tells us that after doing some collaboration with someone in Rhode Island, they have laws that aren’t as bad as it is in MA.  But RI still has issues, like who can and cannot get permits. We also talk about some of the stereotypes of the residents of the Commonwealth.  Things like Dunkin’ Donuts, Aerosmith, & Carla Tortelli.    We have a good conversation about the issues facing groups that deter new gun owners.  There’s lot of ways that we can get new shooters into shooting sports like IDPA & IPSC sports. Of course, the Second Amendment isn’t about hunting or competitive shooting, but those can be good ways to start new shooters.    Joseph really have a lot of things he’s working on whether it’s his Smoking Millennial YouTube channel, the Shooting Gallery New England channel, or working on guns themselves. You should check out his several outlets on IG, FB, & YT!   Favorite quotes.  “I always tell people ‘guns saved my life’.” “I’m not going to be a victim anymore. I’m going to take responsibility for my family and my wife.” “Most people my age don’t think like this, which is kind of weird.” “Times change, but the laws should stay the same.” “Shooting a gun should be normal.” Shooting in the Woods on YouTube with Charlie https://youtu.be/mukcQ3N_hAE   Shooting Gallery NE on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7bWC6QaVwXyS484fl5DMg   Shooting Gallery New England Insatgram https://www.instagram.com/shootinggallerynewengland/   Shooting Gallery NE on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ShootingGalleryNE   Shooting Gallery NE on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ShootingGalleryNE   Smoking Millennial Instagram https://www.instagram.com/smokingmillennial/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation! http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#105Dave WorkmanSecond Amendment Journalist   Dave Workman’s first words to me were “You’re a horrible model.”  It was at GRPC 2017 in Dallas. I was only into the firearm community for a year. I was modeling and IWB and an ankle  for the concealed carry fashion show. I went to a table, hiked up my pant leg, and showed off the ankle holster.  Someone put a one dollar bill into my holster and I left the table. Dave  snapped a picture and then said those ‘famous’ words to me.    Dave has been a journalist covering hunting, firearms, and freedoms for  years. He’s been writing for decades for publications like The Gun Mag, American Handgun Insider Online, Conservative Firing Line, Liberty Park Press, Ammoland, The Northwest Sportsman, and the CCRBKA, among others. He earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Washington, and ran a weekly newspaper after college. The great aspect about Dave’s writing is that he wants to get the story out and he knows the story isn’t about him or his views. With his writing, he’s able to relate to folks in ways the others do not relate.    About 20 years ago, he moved over to writing for the Second Amendment Foundation, under Joe Tartaro, as the Senior Editor at Gun Week. Dave has an admiration of Joe for the way read everything with a microscope as an amazing newsman and editor. We also cover how he’s able to spot a bum story on social media, which he called me out for recently. We talk about how the media coverage isn’t really up to snuff especially if you don’t agree with them.  Dave has no problem calling people on their facata stories.    We get into how the anti-gun folks and the media are working to take over the language. The terms that they use get into our lexicon and language, and then everyone starts using them, even though they aren’t correct or even close. Dave has a story about how a newspaper got a photo of a Smith & Wesson firearm but called it a Ruger. And he said this happens often.    Dave also tells us that he used to photograph car accidents for the police.  That has been something that has impacted him personally.  One of the toughest jobs is dealing with accident clean ups, which is why Dave says to folks “Drive safe” as he says goodbye to folks.    Talking with Dave, you realize that he really does hold the profession of journalism to a high level and expectation. He’s got an amazing resume of writing for decades for several outlets. Dave gives us the perspective from gun ownership and wants to give that in his writing. He emphasised that he takes a different angle for each publication he writes for and doesn’t recycle a story for each outlet.    It was really educational to have Dave in the shotgun seat to talk to the man who writes lots of great content.  Favorite quotes.  “In Seattle, the people would like to stifle opinions they do not agree with.” “I’ve never claimed to be a gun rights advocate. I’m a journalist.” “We’ve been through a year of insanity with this COVID thing. People want to escape that and the best way to do that is to get outside.” “I’m not the story. The story is what I’m writing about.” “I’m as fast with a keyboard as I am with a six gun. Keep that in perspective.” Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation https://kidssafefoundation.org/   The Gun Mag http://www.thegunmag.com/   Liberty Park Press https://www.libertyparkpress.com/   Ammoland.com https://www.ammoland.com/author/dworkman/#axzz6uefOTwRK   The Conservative Firing Line https://conservativefiringline.com/author/dworkman/   Northwest Sportsmen https://nwsportsmanmag.wordpress.com/   Guns Magazine https://gunsmagazine.com/   American Handgunner Insider Online https://americanhandgunner.com/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation! http://saf.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#104Mike PiwowarskiArms Room Radio   Mike Piwowarski is one of those people who goes to ALL the 2A events!  I can’t remember if we met at Gun Rights Policy Conference or SHOT Show, but we run into each other everywhere, which is one of the things I love about my 2A friends!   Mike is officially the SECOND passenger to “really ride shotgun”!  He brought with him a Serbu Super Shorty!  It’s a Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip cut down to be an “AOW”- Any Other Weapon. Which he tells me you only need to pay $5 to have a Class III firearm in Florida.  Now I see how much better Florida is than Massachusetts!   Mike has a long history of family that served in the military and on the police force. He continued the family tradition with over 20 years service active and reserve. He served several years in the Middle East.  Then came back stateside and pursued a career in law enforcement. When the politics got to be too much, it was time to make a life change.    He was already working on building AR rifles for his LEO friends as a side hustle. After a friendly suggestion from an ATF agent friend, he decided to make it official and opened up The Arms Room.  Loving to hang out and talk guns with gun guys but tiring of the government regulations, a sales friend told Mike on the idea that they could continue hanging and talking, but put it on the radio!  After a half a year of selling Mike on the idea of a radio show, Arms Room Radio was born!   He’s got some partners on the show. Kevin Maxwell is an attorney for legal advice. Earl Boone, the 7th great grandson of Daniel Boone. And Mike’s brother, Major Bill. As with everything we do, the first shows weren’t great.  He admits they sounded like info-mercials for the gun store. But everyone decided to take it serious and learn some new skills to really make it happen.  The show started for one hour in the Orlando area.  In 6 months, they were at 2 hours and on 6 stations. Over 7 years later, they’re on at least 25 stations.  But that doesn’t include stations that pick up the show and don’t let them know.  One of the great things about stations putting out the show is that they put out the show!  But it would be nice if the Arms Room Radio crew knew about it...so they could send some swag to give to the new fans!!!   The absolute best story is when Mike was in Afghanistan clearing houses of ISIS terrorists. After they decided the house was inhabited by the good team, then they’d give the guns back to the homeowners.  He was giving them the ability to protect themselves from tyranny. And he knew what it was like in April 1775.   Favorite quotes: “If you’re building them, you should have a manufacturer’s license. That little hobby turned into the Arms Room.”  “Watched Florida go from one of the top gun states to the middle of the pack.“ “If we’re gonna do this, let’s do this for real.” “When you determined they were on the good team, you left that family with their AK -47.” Arms Room Radio Website https://armsroomradio.com/   Arms Room Radio Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/ArmsRoomRadio/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation! http://saf.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#103 Alexander RoubianNew Jersey Second Amendment Society   Alexander and I first met at Gun Rights Policy Conference in 2016 in Tampa. After the conference, we both went with Mark Walters (RSWC #002 & #084) and Alan Gottlieb (RSWC #100) to a radio station to be on Armed American Radio. I’ve also been a fan of the Gun For Hire Radio Podcast, which has had Alexander on several times over the years. When I was heading to NJ to film some other shows, I reached out to Alexander and asked if he’d be up for filming  a show.    Alexander had an unfortunate experience which led him to gun ownership.  He grew up in a “gun agnostic” house, where guns weren’t really talked about. He was 20 feet away from a gang initiation which involved killing someone, he decided it was time to get a firearm. After seeing the ridiculousness of the process to get a NJ firearm permit, Alex reached out to Frank Fiamingo, founder of New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) and joined the group. Within 5 years of joining the group, Alexander became the president.    Every time I have a passenger from New Jersey in the shotgun seat, we end up talking about how absurd the laws are in that state.  Alexander gets into how the New Jersey strict gun laws cause deaths like the woman who had a boyfriend who came out and said he was going to kill her.  While he was waiting to get a firearm license, she was killed by him. Just like he said.  If the state hadn’t dragged their feet for 43 from when she started the process, she may have been able to save her own life.    Some of the games they play in New Jersey are things like, having to apply but only on Mondays between 9am-11am, saying that you need a good reason that satisfies what the police want, and begging to get a license to possess a handgun. I believe many of the residents call the licensing process a ‘scheme’.    NJ2AS is also working with someone who doesn’t have any criminal violations or history, but they’re still being denied because the chief of police doesn't think it serves the “public interest”.  This leads to only “the rich” who can hire an attorney to fight the case will be the only one who can afford to get a carry permit. This is what I call the “gun control loophole”.  It’s any method that the anti-gun folks use to make it difficult for someone to get a firearm.    One of the things they have in New Jersey is a banned list of firearms.  Massachusetts has something similar, we have a list of firearms we can get from dealers.  We can possess those firearms, but we can’t get them through a dealer.     We get into how things work, or don’t work, in New Jersey. If you’re from “Free America”, you’ll be shocked. Alexander explains all the ways the state of New Jersey makes it hard for anyone who wants to get a firearm.  Often people suggest leaving states like that.  But we need to join NJ2AS to fight in these battleground states.    It is great to hear that the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearm Policy Coalition are teaming up with NJ2AS to work on cases so the citizens of the state can eventually have the Right to Keep and Bear.  With people like Alexander fighting for Rights of gun owners in New Jersey, we need to keep supporting them.  Many in New Jersey say “What happens in New Jersey, doesn’t stay in New Jersey!”  So if you can, send NJ2AS a donation!   Favorite quotes:  “So the natural progression to that was ‘I don’t want to be that guy. I need to learn how to protect myself and my loved ones’.” “We have a lot of victories that nobody talks about because they look at New Jersey as a lost cause.”  “The fundamental meaning of the Second Amendment is to bear arms and we do not have the Right to concealed carry in New Jersey.” “It’s all about deterring you from being able to own a gun.” New Jersey Second Amendment Society https://nj2as.org/   NJ2AS Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/NJ2AS   NJ2AS Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nj2as/   NJ2AS YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/nj2as   NJ2AS Twitter https://twitter.com/nj2as   Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation! http://saf.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#102Alan LauALau Firearm Training   Alan and I have been following each other on social media for a while. We were officially connected by Patrick Collins RSWC #91 & #99 Part 1.  He thought Alan would be a great passenger for the show. And he was correct!   Alan grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the Boston area when he was 13.  He had other family members living in the area, so Massachusetts is where they went. He’s got years of martial arts including Muay Tai and used to referee MMA in New Hampshire until Massachusetts became a sanctioned state to run matches.    Alan was a Democrat when he moved to the USA and stayed with the party for a while. During the Obama years is when Alan got into firearms thanks to a Groupon offer. He got his license and bought an overpriced rifle during the Obama administration. He joined a shooting club and started shooting but realized that being an instructor could help him get discounts on firearms.   After becoming an instructor, he would get friends and colleagues interested in taking classes. While he maintains a full time job, he teaches as a side hustle.  During the early part of 2020 and the pandemic, he offered classes to survivors of domestic violence. He would get them in a class so they can get their License To Carry (LTC). He does as for some help via the Cash App (see the link below to donate to help support those clients.)   We drive from Lexington, MA, into Boston and we take the Harvard Bridge (the Mass Ave Bridge) across the Charles River.  I do explain to him what a Smoot is since he’s never heard of it. I was a little off in my story.  A Smoot is the height(length) of Oliver Smoot, an MIT student and not a professor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot  We do grab a selfie on the Boston side of the bridge.    Alan also shares his thoughts, feelings and opinions about all of the crimes against Asians. He points out that it’s been going on for years.  He says that good people are good people no matter their race, gender, sexual preference, religion, whatever. And that the labeling that is done hurts the whole society.  He gives some history about the cancel culture from Asia which has been going on for decades starting with General Mao and leaving people unsure of who they really are in the wake of trying to make everyone the same. He points out that with everything that is going on we are getting more divided. And that all the Asians are being lumped together as the Asian American/Pacific Islanders, even though they haven’t gotten along as societies and cultures.    We also re-live a bit of our college days. Both Alan and I went to college in Boston, right down the road from where each other lived, during different years, of course.  And we drive down Boylston St in the Back Bay, passing where the Marathon bombers detonated their pressure cooker bomb, and over the Marathon finish line. Then we head to the Public Garden and grab a selfie by Cheers.  We are in Boston!   We are both instructors in Massachusetts so we have plenty of stories about our gun laws. It’s good to keep in mind that the MA politicians want to export the silly MA gun laws we have. Things like magazine restrictions, so called assault weapon bans, and many other things.    Favorite quotes: “I make the students think. I make them evolve.” “We want unity, but now we’re dividing the people.So which one is it?” “We are a second class citizen already.” “I want to be the asset, not the liability. I want the person next to me or around me just as good if not better than I am.”   ALau Firearms Training https://www.alaufirearmstraining.com/   ALau Firearms Training on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ALauFirearmsTraining/   Contact: [email protected]   Cash App: @alautraining Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation! http://saf.org/   The Gun Food https://thegunfood.com/ Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#101Hickok45YouTube Creator   Wilder things have happened. Snow in Tennessee isn’t something that happens often. Unless I’m driving down. Despite nearly every place being closed and many Tennesseans not having experience driving in the snow, I was able to meet Hickok45 for breakfast before we filmed the show!  Whew!   We’ve all been watching Hickok45 for years and he’s the nicest man around. He’s been a school teacher for years, which we share in common.  We drove by where he used to teach.  He took a break from teaching and he had another career that he can’t talk about, unless he kills you, of course. Then he went back to teaching in the 1990’s.    He’s been a shooter since he was a young boy.  He used to go shooting with his dad’s old .22 rifle and a pocket full of ammo and that’s when he got the shooting bug.    He started the YouTube channel back in 2007 when most people posted cat videos. He did a video shooting through his Honda Element’s open doors in the very early days. Then he moved to shooting watermelons and pumpkins. While teaching a lesson on “Shane”, Hickok45 made a video using a Colt Single Action for his students to show them the firearms of the old West.  Hickok’s son, John, decided making shooting videos would be cool and it would give them something to do for fun.    The Hickok’s bought the land specifically for shooting in the backyard where they have their home range.  When they started the YouTube channel, they had no idea what could become of this side hustle. They just used their guns and made some review videos. People watched them and kept subscribing so they kept making videos. They did learn to edit and work in video but their approach is very natural and not ‘5th Avenue slick’. Right how, his channel has 6 MILLION subscribers! Hickok45 and his son have turned this into a full time gig.    We drive from the Cracker Barrel in Nashville to Franklin and encounter some snow and some other drivers, even from New York, that can’t drive in the snow very well. We hopped out of the car in downtown Franklin for a selfie at a memorial THe Battle of Franklin.  Hickok also brings up some of the formats of podcasters like Adam Carolla and Joe Rogan. He says you really get a feel for someone in those types of interviews. I was able to share my story and connection to Adam Carolla, as well.    We also share some stories about when ‘worlds collide’ and there was some crossover between teaching and making YouTube videos. After having sponsors seeking them out, they had to decide which fork in the road to take. On his last day of teaching, he presented awards at school, then headed to Philadelphia with John to give a speech.    Hickok45 also shares a story about meeting Massad Ayoob. He’s been a reader and followers of Mas for years. And he was a little nervous to meet Mas and say hello to him. But of course, Mas knew who he was. That helps Hickok keep things in perspective when he meets his fans.   Hickok45 doesn’t really do interviews. I’m honored that he took the time to hop in the stagecoach and come Riding Shotgun. We were able to navigate through the snow and get back to where we started.  Favorite quotes: “We mainly just brought the camera outside and filmed what we were already doing.” “Everything is so scripted. You and I, we don’t know what we’re going to talk about.” “We don’t have a lot of advice really. (for starting a YouTube channel). Do something you like.” “Mainly, I’m a shooter. I really enjoy firearms.”   YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/hickok45   Instagram:  @johnhickok45  @therealhickok45    Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100044290096493 Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    You need to join the Second Amendment Foundation! http://saf.org/   Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#100Alan GottliebSecond Amendment Foundation   Alan Gottlieb is The MAN! At my first Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) in Tampa 2016, I approached Massad Ayoob to have him sign my copy of In The Gravest Extreme. I took a deep breath, asked Mas if he could come Riding Shotgun.  Alan was right behind Mas. He said “Oh my gosh, Mas you’ve got to go Riding Shotgun With Charlie!” It was 2 years before we made it happen.    In Phoenix 2019 at GRPC, I was hanging out with a few people at the social hour and Alan came up to our group and congratulated me on the Blogger of the Year.  And he asked when HE was going to come Riding Shotgun.  We made it happen in Bellevue, WA, at the Second Amendment Foundation headquarters last month. He may have let me conduct the interview in his car, his 7th Corvette!   Alan grew up in New York City then joined the Army.  Earning a degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee, he became interested in fighting for individual rights, and the 2A which is most under attack. He got involved with the Young Americans for Freedom and was sent to Seattle to cover a 13 state region for the Student Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. In 1972, way before the NRA-ILA, he had the idea to change it to the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRBKA).  Within 2 years ,the CCRBKA was bigger than its predecessor, and then he started the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). The CCRBKA donations are not tax deductible as they’re involved with lobbying, but the SAF is non-partisan and donations are deductible. Both offices of the SAF & CCRBKA are located at Liberty Park in Bellevue.    We talk about how things have been changing and the SAF is reaching out to the new gun owners with TV ads. Alan shares how he’s able to get commercials for SAF on some of the networks that are against the 2A. It’s very important to get the new gun owners involved and learning how the anti-gun crowd is going after our Rights and our firearms. Brad Parscale, who worked for the Trump campaign, is now working for SAF and helping the foundation grow.    We also cover how just being public and open about firearms makes us a target for the anti-gun folks. Alan shares some stories about threats he’s gotten and how he passes them on to the local authorities. Some of the threats are ‘downright scary’. He isn’t the only one who gets these threats either.    We also cover that often the people fighting for our rights don’t get enough time to get out and do some shooting on our own. One of Alan’s favorite shotguns was a shotgun owned by Neal Knox. His favorite type of shooting is trap and skeet, which he would love to do more often but he’s very busy fighting for our rights to shoot.     He’s traveling all over the United States and the world talking about gun rights.  He said that  when people in other countries talk about gun rights, they call it “Second Amendment” rights, which is a wonderful hat tip to our Constitution and Founding Fathers. What I really got from my time with Alan is that the shoes he wears in the 2A community are HUGE!  When he does finally decide to retire, we are going to need about 4 or 5 people just to keep up with everything Alan does.   Favorite quotes: “Donations can be tax deductible and you can write part of this off on your taxes and make the government pay part of the freight, since they were attacking our rights to begin with.” “We buy those spots (remnant time) so we’re not feeding the enemy.” “Our outreach is tripled already this year.” “The more public you are in the media with this, the more you get picked on. The more threats you get.”  “In Europe, they always refer to gun rights as “‘Second Amendment’.'' “Internationally, gun rights shouldn’t stop at any country’s border. Gun rights are a human right.” Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/   Special THANKS to Derek LeBlanc of Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation for following us and getting some ‘B roll” film.  https://kidssafefoundation.org/     Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs at the store! https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/ Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#099 Part 2Florida Carry Speaker Event Review Part 2 Stephen Shives, Runaway CampersKristin Franke, Packin’ NeatKevin & Sarah Sona, Florida Carry   While I was at the Florida  Carry Speaker Event on March 20, I filmed a few shows.  This is part 2 of Episode 099. I grabbed a few more folks and put them in the car for a review of the event. If you missed the Clown Car video, you can watch it here. https://youtu.be/d2rR1PtolyQ   Kevin Sona of Florida Carry organized the Speaker Event.  It’s the 4th Annual event and it's been growing every year. It started off with a few speakers and about 50 people.  This year, the numbers were low due to the ‘virus’, but there were speakers and visitors from Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina, New York, Texas, California, and Virginia.  It has been the first time for many to get together since the Florida Carry event last year, which was just before the beginning of the virus.    This year, Kevin had some issues getting a place to host the event due to the virus, but Runaway Campers stepped up.  Stephen Shives is the owner of Runaway Campers. His people cleaned out the finishing shop to set up a space for the event. The store has a pavilion space where they hosted a rally for their customers, but they ended up selling that space and buying a new one, where the speaker event was held.    Kristin Franke, owner of Packin’ Neat, was a vendor at the event.  She was selling her products and was able to hop in the stagecoach with us. She started her business and making products due to a lack of options for carry methods for folks in the Florida and other warmer areas. The Packin’ Neat products are like small ‘go bags’ you can put in your purse.  Not only does it come with a holster for your firearm, you can transfer it to another purse or bag as well. It can be used in briefcases as well.    Stephen tells us, and even shared the audio from, an irate customer who was less than thrilled to hear that Runaway Campers was hosting the Florida Carry event. You’ll hear that phone call here.  We also have a good discussion that the folks in the firearm community are very giving, very caring, and just all around good people.  That really has been a theme to RSWC since I started the show. After the event, many of us went back to the campgrounds where many of the speakers and attendees spent the weekend. We had a wonderful evening of some deep fried turkey and a campfire with much more conversation and networking.    Kudos to Kevin for organizing the event. And even more kudos to Stephen for hosting the event and taking some heat for it.  Favorite quotes: Stephen Shives: “I like people to know what we stand for, what we believe.” Stephen Shives: “We’re all in this together. We’re living it, We’re loving it. We’re not out to get anybody.” Kristin Franke: “Everybody (in the gun industry) is very caring.” Kevin Sona: “A highlight was the diversity panel.  Gun rights just aren’t just for bald, fat, white guys.” Kevin Sona; “It doesn’t mean that someone who  doesn’t have the same beliefs as me, as I do, doesn’t have a right to protect themselves against someone who’s going to do something evil to them.” Runaway Campers https://www.runawaycampers.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RunawayCampers   Packin’ Neat https://www.packinneat.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PackinNeat   Florida Carry https://www.floridacarry.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Florida.Carry   Live Feed from the Florida Carry Speaker Event https://fb.watch/4vEY9Q4yx4/   Polite Society Podcast Friday Night Interviews https://fb.watch/4vF0enLB_-/   Second Amendment Foundation http://saf.org/   Katz & Phillips, P.A. https://thefirearmfirm.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts, hoodies, & mugs to get the #stagecoachacrossamerica https://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.creator-spring.com/   Support the show and buy some RSWC & GunGram stickers here http://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.com/home/rswc-swag-merch/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#099 Part 1Florida Carry Speaker Event Review Part 1 I love my gig! I really do! Kevin Sona (RSWC #043) has been organizing a camping event for Florida Carry since 2018.  In Florida, its legal to open carrying while you’re doing the “...ing” activities: camping, hunting, fishing.  Therefore, anyone camping can open carry while they’re there. Past speakers are a who’s who of the 2A community. Massad Ayoob, Rick Ector, Rob Morse, Rob Pincus, to name just a few.  This year, the event was held at Runaway Campers in Summerfield, FL, on March 19 & 20.  The camping part was both nights, but the Speaker Event was only on Saturday. This was the first time many of the 2A activists, authors, and speakers have gotten together since the Gun Rights Policy Conference hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation in Phoenix, September 2019. The line up for 2021 included Cheryl Todd from Gun Freedom Radio & AZFirearms, Rick Ector from Legally Armed In Detroit, Erich Pratt from Gun Owners of America, Dan Wos author of Good Gun Bad Guy, Craig DeLuz from The Gunshine State, Amy Dillon of Shooting Industry Magazine, and Patrick Collins firearm instructor.  Amanda Suffecool of Eye On The Target and REALIZE Firearm Awareness did one of her world famous concealed carry fashion shows.  The event was emceed by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Deputy Director of New Media and the Polite Society Podcast founder and host, Paul Lathrop.  After the event was over, I was able to round a few of the speakers, all who have been in the passenger’s seat of the stagecoach, for a whiz bang round of RSWC.  The game plan was to get as many people in the car as we could. Then put Amy Dillon across everyone’s lap who was in the back seat.  We had: John Petrolino, author and writer for Ammoland, JM4 Tactical, & Bearing Arms. Patrick Collins, Cheryl & Danny Todd, & Amy Dillon. We just wanted to do a wrap up and review of the event, and what were some good takeaways as well.  Everyone got a chance to share what they enjoyed about it. A big one for me is the fellowship that we get when we all get together.  These events really are like family reunions.  And I know everyone says that.  It’s the closest way to describe it.  We all see each other online and interact on several podcasts and in writing, but there’s nothing better than getting together in person and sharing handshakes and hugs. Cheryl & Danny, Amy, and myself have been to several GRPC’s and The DC Project events. Patrick has been to GRPC and Rick Ector’s Women event.  It was John Petrolino’s first time meeting ‘his people’ as he was able to sneak away from other commitments in the Orlando area. It was wonderful to see everyone.  Next week, there will be an RSWC #099 Part 2 with some of the others who were at the event.  I’m excited to say many of the folks and a couple new passengers made a fun video to kick off this episode.  You can find it on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/d2rR1PtolyQ Favorite quotes: Cheryl Todd: “I got to moderate a panel and that is one of my most favorite things to do. You can do rapid fire questions. And we did a diversity panel.” Danny Todd: “What kind of an event can you go to and leave with two woman on your lap?” Amy Dillon: “Probably the most personal speech I ever made. But I think its important to share vulnerability.” Patrick Collins: “My goal is to teach in all 50 states, which there’s not a lot of instructors have done that before.” John Petrolino: “Hopefully, in 5 years we’ll be writing about none of this stuff and we’ll be writing about freedom!” Cheryl & Danny Todd Gun Freedom Radio https://gunfreedomradio.com/ AZFirearms https://azfirearms.com/   Amy Dillon Legacy Defense Consulting https://www.facebook.com/legacydefense.net   Patrick Collins https://thegunfood.com/   John Petrolino https://johnpetrolino.com/   Florida Carry https://www.floridacarry.org/   Live Feed from the Florida Carry Speaker Event https://fb.watch/4vEY9Q4yx4/   Polite Society Podcast Friday Night Interviews https://fb.watch/4vF0enLB_-/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #098  Dan Grdovic President, CNJFO    Like many people in the 2A community, Dan Grdovic and I were “Facebook friends” before we met in person. We finally met face to face at Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners’ (CNJFO) fundraising event called “Hunting Pheasants With Charlie” at Giberson’s Farm and Wildlife Preserve in Pemberton, NJ I’ve never hunted with dogs and it was an amazing experiment watching them work the field.. One of the hunters was a young man out with his father for the first time. And yes, the son bagged a few birds!   We had a wonderful hunt that morning. There was another hunt that afternoon after lunch, raffles, and a few speeches. The money that was raised helps CNJFO fight their main mission to end “justifiable need” for carry permits in New Jersey. New Jersey has unbelievably ridiculous gun laws. They way CNJFO does this is with a solid foundation of education, activism, safety, and awareness.   Dan went shooting with a cousin and really enjoyed it. But after getting an application, he put  it away. And getting another application and putting it away a second time. Like many people, Dan thought about what the government and town police would think if he applied for a firearm license. Finally enough was enough, and he filled out the application and went through the required paperwork.    After doing some shooting, Dan tried his hand at hunting and really got into it. What he didn’t enjoy all the restrictions on law abiding, background check passing citizens in New Jersey.    CNJFO has only been around about 6 years. We need all types of people and their varying strengths in the firearm community, author & activists, instructors, and wordsmiths. There’s what Dan was able to help out being a self described ‘grammar nazi’. After a couple years on the board, Dan stepped up to take the role as an intern president.    Being from Massachusetts, I really feel a kindred spirit with the folks from New Jersey. Dan and I spent a lot of time commiserating about the gun law similarities between our states. MA has had a 10 round magazine capacity since 1994 and permanently since 1998. NJ has had a magazine restriction since 2019. In both states, we have closet gun owners  who don’t come out and admit they own firearms. And of course, no matter all the gun control laws we have, criminals disregard them anyway.    Dan is a really great guy and it was a pleasure to get to know him. It’s wonderful to know that someone like him is fighting for our Rights in “occupied territory”.    Just for the record, we both bagged some birds that day.     Favorite quotes: “They call them schemes, that’s exactly what they are. It discourages people from applying and getting their license.” “The reason I put them in the drawer is because I was concerned about “what would the government think, right? What would the police think? What would the town think? Is this going to put me on someone’s radar?” “The issue with any more  gun control, for that matter the gun control we already have, is that none of this, not one stitch of it, stops crime.” “At some point, you don’t care what they think of you anymore. You just want your Rights.” Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners https://www.cnjfo.com/   CNJFO Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/cnjfo   Giberson’s Farm & Wildlife Preserve  https://www.facebook.com/Giberson-Farms-Wildlife-Preserve-181668498531649/ Address: 101 S Pemberton Rd, Pemberton, NJ 08068Phone: (609) 726-0600   RSWC Hunting Pheasants Hat Cam Video https://youtu.be/koRLuJkMOZ4 Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#097Kim PettersThe DC Project   I opened the door to Kim’s house in Dover, DE, to pick her up to film the show. “Oh my gosh, Charlie. We’ve met!”  You know how it is, when you’ve met a lot of people in the 2A community and you can’t ‘really’ remember them until you see them in person. That’s what happened.  We met in DC at the DC Project event in the summer of 2019.     Kim Petters recently learned about elections and incumbent politician’s families. Last year, 2 months before the election, she stepped up to run for the clerk of the peace. That means she’s in charge of wedding licenses and very similar to a justice of the peace. With only 2 months to run a campaign, she was only 5% away from beating the incumbent who has had a family member in that office for years. She didn’t win the election, but she learned a lot for the next time.    Before that, Kim spent 10 years in the Air Force. She had a very difficult job: she brought home the remains of our soldiers from Afghanistan. Certainly with a job like that, there’s lots to get to you. And it did.  Kim suffered from PTSD when she got back. Her doctor put her on some medication. Something to get her up during the day.  And something else to get her down to sleep at night.  She didn’t feel right.  She knew there had to be something different, maybe even something that worked.     Kim did some research and found out that there were lots of studies that say using cannabis was better, non-addictive, and worked. She grew up as someone who didn’t smoke marijuana and was not into it. Her family recently moved to Delaware and didn’t know many people, let alone who she could get some cannabis from. So, she had her brother in law send her some. After using it once, she was relaxed and enjoyed an evening of regular family time. After some time, others started noticing that she was looking better and healthier, but she didn’t want to tell them her ‘secret’.   Kim has learned a lot about writing a bill to make Delaware a state where you can get a medicinal marijuana card.  Last year, she had several politicians on both sides of the aisle supporting the bill she was involved with. But thanks to the “virus that shall not be named”, everything was shelved.  And this process goes back the beginning once things open up and the state government goes back into session.    Also, being a pro 2A supporter and a gun owner, Kim has gotten involved with the DC Project as the representative from Delaware. She also brings up a number of times that she’s been at 2A events on the east coast and many of the big name 2A advocates reach out to her to get something to help them sleep.  They can’t bring anything with them if they’re flying so they ended up connecting to Kim.    It's refreshing to hear that there are people who are ‘down with freedom’ on all levels. I don’t partake and never have. But if you want or need to use it, who am I to infringe you.  Just remember, that’s a 2-way street. And it’s still a disqualifier on the 4473!  Favorite quotes: “I was desperate and the pills were taking a toll.” “Everyone’s like ‘Wow, Kim, you look great’, but I didn’t want to tell them my secret.” “Every veteran who is struggling with PTSD needs access to this stuff!” “I am a woman and this is why I want to preserve our Rights.” The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/   Kim Petters website https://www.kimpetters.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#096Theresa InackerCoalition of New Jersey Firearm OwnersThe DC Project   Theresa Inacker has done some cool things...I mean besides coming Riding Shotgun! She hunts pheasants.  She hangs out with Dick Heller. And she puts CNN”s Chris Cuomo in his place.  And it’s all in a day’s work for her.    I was heading down to New Jersey for a couple of other interviews and reached out to Theresa and she agreed to be on the show. Like many people, Theresa didn’t grow up in a household with or around firearms, but she had an uncle that would take her shooting to bust clays when she was young. Later in life, she decided it was time to be a gun owner. She lives in a rural area with a number of wildlife around her property. Once she learned how difficult the process is to buy a gun, how much red tape, and some of the nonsense you have to go through, she got involved.  The process in New Jersey is very unjust and that got her interested in being an activist.     The process in New Jersey is supposed to be 30 days. But that almost never happens, even pre-covid. It would take months. She said in New Jersey, that you own firearms on your own peril. After you find out that 30 days is not 30 days in a row, the outrage of denying your Rights takes over. Besides the regular process, the NCS check is not instant.  New Jersey does their own background checks when they get to them, which is never a rush. The truth is that New Jersey does not want it’s law abiding, background check passing citizens    Shooting shotguns in trap, sporting clays, and 5-stand, lead Theresa into a pheasant hunting trip with the Coalition of New Jersey Firearms Owner (CNJFO).  Her connection to CNJFO’s founder David “Rosey” Rosenthal (RSWC #049) led her to The DC Project with Dianna Muller (RSWC #059).  The connection to Dianna Muller led her and other DC Project members to sitting behind Dianna when she testified in front of Congress and proclaimed “I will not comply”.  Which led to Theresa meeting and hanging out with Dick Heller.    Theresa did get a chance to attend and ask a question at a CNN Town Hall with Chris Cuomo.  After hearing from the anti-gun side, she asked the producers if she was going to be able to ask her question.  When she did, she kind of let them have it. Kind of.  They weren’t sure how to reply to her.    It is beneficial for everyone to hear about the 2A Rights battles in states like New Jersey and Massachusetts so that people in ‘free America’ learn that our Right to own, purchase, and even carry is under attack.  And we can’t just run to a different state to avoid the fight. The fight needs to be in these battleground states so we hold the line.    Favorite quotes: “People don’t think of us as the gun owning people. We’re definitely not the gun toting people because we’re not allowed to do that.” “Someone has to stand and fight. You can’t run away.’ “They’re (Moms Demand) are operating by a lot of fear. There’s a lot of misinformation.”  “Their feelings don’t trump my ability to defend my life and my daughter’s life.” Theresa Inacker on The Truth About Gunshttps://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/tag/theresa-inacker/   The DC Projecthttps://www.dcproject.info/   Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Ownershttps://www.cnjfo.com/   Theresa Inacker on the Polite Society Podcast, 1.18.2021https://youtu.be/qccBWSmScYY   Theresa Inacker on Eye On The Target Radio, 2.14.2021https://youtu.be/6gL9dH8frc0 Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskeyhttps://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters Veteran Owned, American Madehttp://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdyAuthor, Speaker, Firewalkerhttp://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadiohttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Networkhttp://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPadhttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#095Judi WellsA Girl & A Gun The DC Project Judi Wells is more than just an “accidental activist”.  She’s an unexpected gun owner, too. She’s a vegetarian, does yoga, and doesn’t like killing spiders, let alone other animals. Go down the checklist of everything you’d expect as an anti-gunner and that’s her, too. Growing up in Canada and California, no one in her family liked shooting or went hunting. They hated guns.  Four years ago, it was her husband’s “bucket list” that changed everything. He wanted to buy a gun in California and she took lessons with him. During these lessons, Judi cried at the thought of holding and using a gun. She thought the gun was going to jump out of the safe and shoot her, but it didn’t.  When she learned about the Winchester Marksman Program through the National Rifle Association, changed everything for her. The WMP challenged her and she knew she wouldn’t just be throwing ammo down range. She would be working on marksmanship and she had a goal to get better at shooting.  She’s done a 180 degree change on the ‘gun issue’.  She’s started a group of similar and retired women to go shooting.  She still has, to this day, friends who don’t know she’s into shooting & she’s lost some friends, too!  Then she learned about A Girl & A Gun and merged with them.  At a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Fantasy Camp, did some training with several professional shooters including Dianna Muller.  A couple years later, Judi & Dianna were on a squad for a 3-gun competition and Di asked her about being the California rep for the DC Project. That’s how much she’s changed. She’s now educating politicians about how gun rights are women’s rights.  One of the things I really liked is that with her background in yoga, she’s able to make parallels between shooting and yoga.  She teaches both shooters and yoga practitioners about breathing, slowing down, and focusing on your body. It’s certainly a benefit of both activities.   We spend some time talking about getting a license in California, some things about concerns with the women in her AGAG chapter, and their very busy schedule. Judi’s group has 70+ women from all walks of life and all ages, from a famous female athlete to a mom who makes soap for the family business. Please check the link below for their schedule if you’re in the San Diego area.  While we were driving, we wanted to drive by the Lincoln Memorial, but ended up driving by Arlington National Cemetery. Next to Arlington, is the Iwo Jima Memorial where we grabbed a couple selfies.  We also got caught by someone for parking in a non-parking area. (You can see that on the RSWC Facebook page.) Since we filmed this episode, Judi and Tatiana Whitlock joined forces and they host Responsibly Armed Radio.  It’s really wonderful to see that someone can get into the shooting sports even though they’ve been against gun ownership their entire lives. Please share this with someone who isn’t into firearms and maybe they, too, can make a change.  Let’s face it, shooting a .22 is a gateway drug to freedom.  Favorite Quotes: “By my 4th lesson, my instructor brought out something called the the Winchester qualification” “Once you get into the gun world, so much more information comes to you.” “We’re here to educate and talk to our legislators about our Second Amendment Rights.” “I want my congressmen to know, and my senator to know, what is going on in California and what the face of a normal gun owner looks like.” A Girl & A Gun Websitehttps://www.agirlandagun.org/   A Girl & A Gun - San Diegohttps://www.agirlandagun.org/cat/ca-san-diego/   A Girl & A Gun Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/AGirlandAGunClub/   A Girl & A Gun Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/agagclub/   The DC Projecthttps://www.dcproject.info/   The DC Project Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/thedcproject Responsibly Armed Radiohttp://responsiblyarmedradio.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    To order RSWC stickers, patches, shirts, hoodies, and mugs, please go tohttp://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.com/home/rswc-swag-merch/   Keyhole Holsters Veteran Owned, American Madehttp://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdyAuthor, Speaker, Firewalkerhttp://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadiohttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Networkhttp://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPadhttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#094Gabby CannonsA Girl & A Gun Connecticut One of the great things about having a show like mine is the referrals.  I ask my 2A friends about potential passengers and they’ll reach out to their contacts and let their friends know I may be calling.  That’s what happened with Gabby Cannons. I was concerned about getting out of New England during the summer, so Robyn Sandoval (RSWC #080) from A Girl & A Gun (AGAG) connected me with Gabby. I headed down to Hartford to meet with her.  We’d been going back and forth since the summer and finally made it happen.  Gabby was introduced to firearms from an old boyfriend. Her next boyfriend certified people to carry as a security guard so she was at the range regularly. The relationships may not have lasted, but her interest in firearms did. When she didn’t have someone to take her to the range, she invited her mother, who was happy to oblige. After she saw a flyer for A Girl & A Gun at the range, she knew this was the group for her. After a couple years, the other facilitator wasn’t able to keep the commitment to the group, Gabby was approached to take over. She had to meet the AGAG requirements of being an NRA certified instructor, certified in Stop The Bleed, CPR & the SIG SAUER instructor certification. A month before her training at SIG Academy, she broke her hand and had to adapt her training to do everything one handed.  At the AGAG annual conference a few years ago, she volunteered to help load magazines at the “Heligunner”, where women can shoot AR-15s at targets while flying in a helicopter. This is where she met her husband. After two years of a long distance relationship, she was able to convince him to move from Texas (Free America) to Connecticut. We talk about how New England is a bit different from other states and how our laws are a bit out of touch. In both MA & CT, we can own pre-1994 ‘so called’ high capacity magazines.  In 2020, AGAG was able to accommodate their members by doing their annual conference ‘virtually’ and online. The AGAG Connecticut chapter has been meeting online as well. They have monthly online meetings teaching their members about Stop The Bleed, gun cleaning, and other firearms related issues. Please check out their website and Facebook pages to get more information and to join AGAG or the AGAG in Connecticut.  Come with Gabby and I as we get a selfie in front of the Samuel Colt statue at Colt Park and snap a selfie in front of the Colt Museum, both in Hartford, CT.    Favorite Quotes:“Mom, we’re going to the range.” A Girl & A Gun “Is exactly what I need. It’s not intimidating.”“Not only would I be crushed, my heart hurts for people that would never have this opportunity.”“A Girl & A Gun has high standards for facilitators”“I’m a big fan of being a student myself. I’m all about starving for new information.”“We’re friends now because you have access to guns and helicopters.”   A Girl & A Gun Websitehttps://www.agirlandagun.org/   A Girl & A Gun- Central Connecticuthttps://www.agirlandagun.org/cat/ct-central/   A Girl & A Gun Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/AGirlandAGunClub/   A Girl & A Gun Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/agagclub/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    To order RSWC stickers, patches, shirts, hoodies, and mugs, please go tohttp://ridingshotgunwithcharlie.com/home/rswc-swag-merch/   Leadslingers Whiskeyhttps://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters Veteran Owned, American Madehttp://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdyAuthor, Speaker, Firewalkerhttp://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadiohttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Networkhttp://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPadhttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#093 |John  PetrolinoAuthor/WriterDecoding FirearmsAmmoland John Petrolino “relentlessly harassed’ me (his words, not mine) about having Mark Shean on the show. With some experience in writing and publishing, John was helping Mark turn his blog into a book.  Then John wrote his own book about firearms for new gun owners. He’s also been writing for Ammoland as well.  After spending some time with John, I found out he’s been writing & publishing books for over 20 years.    John and I have been going back and forth and finally set a date to film a show in New Jersey.  John has been around firearms since he was a kid, going shooting and hunting with his father. After a number of years shooting long guns, he decided it was time to get a handgun.  With limited training and a less than satisfactory course, he knew there had to be a better way.  So he became an instructor. He started writing his own book to offer his students, incorporating what he wanted to make sure students know.    We talk about the reciprocity between a number of states in the northeast, and how some permits work, some permits used to work, and some aren’t needed at all.  The laws vary from state to state as we all know, but some are more confusing than others.  Massachusetts and New Jersey are kindred spirits that way.    John also writes for Ammoland.  He’s been covering the things that are centered in New Jersey. He’s covered a number of topics from bear hunts on state and private lands to the changes with marijuana and how it's still federally prohibited. John gets into how tobacco is also regulated and how it affects hunting, and how it will also affect marijuana use as well.  We head to a couple ranges for a quick selfie. I wasn’t able to carry or transport in New Jersey, but since we weren’t going straight to a range, John said we couldn’t even bring any firearms with us. We also talk about how it is very important to support our local ranges. And that our state 2A grassroots groups need the help of everyone involved with, not just shooting and competitions, but the gun rights activity, as well.    John has been a really good friend, too. Since we’ve been communicating, he’s been pushing for t-shirt sales because he wanted an RSWC shirt. And a mug.  And a hoodie. But he’s also guiding me with things that I need to do better.  Favorite quotes: “There’s got to be a better way for a guy to get on the target.” “I wanted to write something that would work out for inexperienced shooters and veteran shooters alike.” “New Jersey doesn't issue concealed carry permits to regular peasants” “From a freedom perspective, I want people to be able to do what they want to do.” “The bulldozer of freedom is going cross the country, we got to try to stop it” John Petrolino Websitehttps://johnpetrolino.com/   John’s Articles on Ammoland.comhttps://www.ammoland.com/author/jpetrolinoiii/ Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Ownershttps://www.cnjfo.com/ Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubhttps://www.anjrpc.org/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters Veteran Owned, American Madehttp://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdyAuthor, Speaker, Firewalkerhttp://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #092 Sarah Albrecht Hold My Guns   Sarah, her husband, I and I hung out at a SHOT show event in January and we got along really well.  When I saw that there was a machine gun shoot in Pennsylvania, I looked her up and not only was she close to the shoot, she was going to it as well!  So we got her on the stagecoach.   Sarah started a nonprofit organization called Hold My Guns.  Hold My Guns is working with firearms stores to be able to hold on to people’s firearms when they’re going through difficult times in life. So if someone is going through a difficult divorce, or suffering with depression, PTSD, or some challenging life event, a gun store can safely and securely store the firearms until a later date. It’s a really great idea and Sarah is working to get gun stores on board to make this happen.    Sarah grew up on a ‘farm-ette’, shooting long guns with her family, hunting critters like muskrats and raccoons that lived in rural Pennsylvania. After she got married and started a family, her husband wanted her to learn about handguns for home defense and concealed carry. One of the things she did as a new handgun user/carrier, is she carried it unloaded to get used to the feel of the firearm on her body.  This is a really smart thing to do, to take the time to carry it unloaded, and let it become part of you and your attire.  It's a great way to ‘break someone in’ to the carrying lifestyle.    When her children were young, she would take them shooting with a youth league.  She was a parent volunteer but became a range safety officer (RSO) when she noticed that all the other RSOs were male and it was a good idea for the young girls to see a good, safe female RSO.    Unfortunately, there was a young person in their group of friends that took her life with a firearm.  A number of the other parents Sarah knew came to her as someone with and knowledgeable about firearms and wondered what they could have done to save this girl.  She did some research and found out that letting someone else hang on to your firearms can be difficult legally. There should be a place that can hold your firearms when you may need to take a break. That’s how Hold My Guns got started.  What’s great about Hold My Guns is that its people in the firearm community finding a way to take care of people in the firearm community. When we can help other this way, it shows the people not in the 2A community that we do care, that we are doing things, helping others. HMG is an amazing way to show that we can do this without interference from others outside the 2A community.      A lot of what Sarah and Hold My Guns is doing is thinking outside the box and taking a different approach to handling how we can help each other when life is difficult.  This program eliminates the stigma of experiencing life and retains dignity for the firearm owners.    If you’d like to get your local gun store involved, please follow the link to Hold My Guns and reach out to them to set up this program.    Favorite Quotes: “Mrs. Albrecht, Mom, we know you’re a gun gal.  We miss our friend. What can we do to help people…?” “I want to use this service to help get the help they need, discreetly and protect their Rights.” “Anytime you can take a non-legislative, self governance approach, you are practicing leadership.” “This is a wonderful way to talk to legislators and say “we have a solution for this and this is how we’re helping”.” Hold My Guns https://www.holdmyguns.org/   Hold My Guns Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HoldMyGunsOrg   Hold My Guns Instagram https://www.instagram.com/holdmygunsorg/   Suicide Prevention Hotline https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 1-800-273-8255   Firearms Industry Consulting Group® https://blog.princelaw.com/tag/machine-gun-shoot/   DNA Machine Gun Rentals https://vegdwk.wixsite.com/dnaguns/machine-gun-rentals?fbclid=IwAR28Jj2rHsj9tdy41WSQ0Uft09L2k42HIzaVzLXE9LIRRm4Z79kNDJkfQNQ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #091 Patrick Collins   I met Patrick at the Gun Rights Policy Conference 2019 in Phoenix. He saw that I was doing a Southern Tour this summer and said if I was in Atlanta I should get in touch. After a change in my plans, I reached out and told him I could pick him up at the Atlanta airport and drive him home from a quick weekend trip he took.    We start off with something that happened to Patrick that morning before his flight to Atlanta. A woman on the escalator in front of him took a spill.  His instincts took over, as an Alpha male & someone who has training to help others, and he applied his towel to help with the bleeding while others just watched.  As with many in the firearms community, we train not just with firearms, but also with first aid and trauma. If you carry a firearm, you owe it yourself to learn some first aid.    Patrick was looking for hobbies after moving to Atlanta, and ended up going shooting.  Then he got the bug and wanted to share what he’s learned and started teaching, giving new clients the confidence and abilities that new gun owners need.    He also shares about an event he went to in Detroit. Former RSWC passenger, Rick Ector, from Legally Armed In Detroit, hosts a free training for women to learn about firearm safety and how to shoot.  They had to delay the event until the fall, but Patrick went to Rick’s event where they and others trained almost 2,000 women in one weekend.  This is the second year Patrick went to help assist at this event. He tells us that it’s amazing to empower that many women in one day, relieving them of the fear of handling a firearm. A number of past passengers were at this event.    We also talk about Patrick speaking at the Gun Rights Policy Conference. You can find a link below to his presentation.    He also tells us that he worked with a client who was a first time shooter and only put 3 holes in the target during one of his training courses.  We also get into the company that he is a part owner of  GA FASTA, Georgia Firearm and Security Training Academy. When he works with his students, he often changes his curriculum to meet the needs of his clients and he stays up on current events.    I really enjoyed the conversation with Patrick. He’s a man that’s got a lot going on and keeping busy in the firearm and training community. If you’re near Atlanta and in Georgia, you need to check out GA FASTA and get some training with him.  Favorite Quotes: “Step in and be an Alpha or help support.” “There’s always going to be someone better than you at shooting, no matter how good or  many courses you take.” “We have a Georgia weapons carry license. The key words are “weapons carry’.” “That’s really all defense weapons are, they’re tools.” “A lot of them were anti-firearms...and they shot better than their husbands when they went out to shoot.’ Georgia Firearms and Security Training Academy https://www.gafasta.com/   The Gun Food (Patrick’s online ammo store) https://thegunfood.com/   Patrick’s Speech at Gun Rights Policy Conference 2020  https://youtu.be/d0oD4W6tkh4?t=8053 Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#090Teddy DanielsDecorated Combat VeteranBusiness EntrepreneurRetired Police OfficerUS Congressional Candidate   Teddy Daniels was hanging out with Stephen Willeford at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival. I was talking to Stephen and asked if he’d come Riding Shotgun. He said only if Teddy had the time. Then he suggested that I should get Teddy in the car because he was the “real G.I. Joe!”  When I asked Teddy if he had the time replied with an “Absolutely, Brother!!” that sounded like Hulk Hogan!    Teddy is a big burly man. He was headed towards a football career, but an injury changed his plans. He spent 15 years as a police officer. Then decided it was time to enlist as an infantryman. He was 35 years old. After being “grandpa” at boot camp, he was sent to Afghanistan. He thought he would be hauling machine guns up the mountains, but he ended up scouting and working with an interpreter. On a mission, his unit decided to take a different way back to the outpost, he ended up getting into a gun battle with some locals.    I’m not going to blow it, but he’s got an AMAZING story about what happened on a mountain behind a rock. There’s no way that you won’t be moved by it. And why he and his family celebrate every April 25.    After being discharged Teddy spent some time as an entrepreneur. He eventually decided to turn to politics to keep fighting for what’s right. He ran for office in PA as a Congressman. The election had something that we don’t have in Massachusetts: more than one republican running for the same office. He went to bed as the winner! Two days later after the mail in ballots were counted, he was no longer the Congressman-elect. The success of being number 2 but only after a few days, shows us that the public wants real people in office.  He takes his passion for life, for what he does, and fighting evil and that’s why he believes God saved him.    Teddy also shares that a childhood friend who is on the opposite side of him politically donated to his campaign so he can see him in DC and say he supported that guy. He also tells us about an incident that happened on a podcast he was on recently.  Someone was a keyboard commando and Teddy called him out, and invited him to have breakfast to talk things over in person. The man didn’t take him up on it.    We also spend some time talking about motorcycles. Teddy has been across the country on a bike several times. He said that he was a Harley Davidson guy until he rode an Indian. After he rode the Indian, he put money down and got a cashier’s check to buy the bike that day.    Teddy’s story is absolutely incredible. I’m honored that he took the time to share it with us. I’m sure you’ll want to listen to it a couple times and share it with your friends and family.  Favorite Quotes: “I was the guy that stuck up for the kids that got bullied.’ “I followed my own path and did the things I wanted to do.” “God, I get it. Today’s the day you’re going to call me home.” “The most peaceful, tranquil feelings I’ve ever had in my life came completely over me.’ “That realization set in that this could be gone at any time.” “We need to realize what we have, cherish what we have, enjoy what we have. And be thankful for what we have.” Teddy Daniels Website https://teddydanielspa.com/   Teddy Daniels Facebook https://www.facebook.com/teddydanielspa   In The Trenches with Teddy Daniels Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/inthetrenchesteddydaniels Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #089 Brian & Shelley Hill The Complete Combatant   I met Shelley Hill at Gun Rights Policy Conference in Chicago in 2018. We were both presenters at AMMcon (Alternative Multi Media Conference) and GPRC that year. I was excited to make a stop outside of Atlanta on the Summer Tour 2020 to have Brian & Shelley on the stagecoach.    Brian has a background in martial arts and got into firearms after a course with Massad Ayoob.  Shelley was in the medical field.  They’ve known each other since they were teens. And as adults have reconnected. Watching the show, you can see how well they get along. Together with all their training and experiences, they started The Complete Combatant.    Much of the conversation is around defensive mindset and how this applies to how everyone reacts differently. They have broken it down to seeing, hearing, and doing. In their teaching style it is on the instructor to figure out which way each student learns and the teacher needs to adapt to how the student learns. And this method of teaching was learned by years of martial arts and fighting and learning to coach others how they absorb information.    Shelley shares a story about how they worked together due to their training, while they were en route on a trip, and there was a car accident. Both of them hopped into action, knowing how the other was going to respond, and were able to help.  After they realized there were no injuries, they had to make sure they weren’t in harm's way, either. Their programs and courses are really geared towards teaching students about all of the aspects of self defense and trying to avoid situations before they happen.   Their logo for The Complete Combatant is the Combat Ant. It represents that everyone needs several tools that are needed for citizens, from cell phones & flashlights, to firearms or knives or pepper spray.  It’s not a ‘bug’!  It's everything that they cover in their courses and instruction.    Brain talks about ‘shared responsibility’.  It’s when there are more people at an incident, nothing gets done because everyone else gets a little of the responsibility.  But it's not enough for anyone to do anything. If there was one person to take charge, to tell others what they need to do, it could change the outcome.    Shelley also spends time sharing about the Image Based Decision Drills. She goes through a kit that The Complete Combatant uses with their clients. It has various teaching tools and cards that can help you with different situations and knowing how to respond, thinking it through beforehand is really an important aspect of carrying life saving tools. They’re even working on a type of program for kids from 4-12 years old.  They’re also working on an instructor program teaching the topics they cover.  Favorite quotes: Brian: “We want to see danger as soon as we can. That allows us to live in the future.” Brian: “The only reason to defend yourself is an act of love.” Brian: “The more people that are there, the more the responsibility is shared. The less likely anybody is going to do anything.”    Shelley: “The Complete Combatant is not all about firearms. It’s about making good decisions.” Shelley: “The reason for each person... seeking help or education is different.” Shelley: “The reason they come to us is bigger than us.” The Complete Combatant Website http://www.thecompletecombatant.com/   The Complete Combatant Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/thecompletecombatant   Image Based Decision Drills https://www.imagebaseddecisionaldrills.com/   Image Based Decision Drills https://www.facebook.com/ImageBasedDecisionalDrills   Rachel’s Rest https://rachealsrest.org/   Rachel’s Rest Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/rachealsrest/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie  #088 Stephen Willeford   Last month, I was at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival in Greeley, PA, and was able to get some time with one of the featured speakers, Stephen Willeford. We’ve all heard the story about what happened on November 5. 2017 at a church in Sutherland Springs, TX. Mr Willeford was the good guy with a gun who heard the gunshots, grabbed a handful of ammo and his AR 15 and headed to confront the murder.    Stephen Willeford grew up shooting and hunting on a dairy farm. He saved the money he earned to buy .22 ammo and eventually a .30-30 lever action rifle.  As a parent, his church parishioners would have regular shooting competitions on Sundays, teaching the children gun safety while the mothers shot.  Then the mothers would take the kids while the fathers shot.    On the day that changed Stephen’s life, he was taking it easy on a Sunday afternoon while he was on call at a local hospital where he was a plumber. His daughter heard gunshots nearby and yelled to her dad.  Stephen grabbed his rifle and pursued the murderer at the church down the road. Stephen was able to distract the murderer and exchanged gunfire with him.  The murderer ran out of the church and into the getaway car he had ready. Stephen ran to a man sitting in a truck, who saw the whole gun right. Stephen hopped into the stranger’s car who was arealdy talking to 911 on the phone.    Stephen and the driver, Johnny, got into a high speech chase for several miles.  Stephen checked his rifle’s condition and found out he only had one round in the magazine and one in the chamber. He told the driver that they may have to crash into the car to stop it.  But Johnny already knew that. The murderer ended up driving his car off the road and killed himself. But Stephen and Johnny didn’t know he was dead. They waited 5-7 minutes for the police to arrive.  It was another 4 hours before Stephen could go home a hero.    You can hear how Stephen sees that God was in control over the situation, even though 27 people were killed and 20 more were injured and lived. There are several things that happened that day that proved it. From the local hospital having an emergency training drill which meant several doctors and nurses on hand, to a church member who is a police officer who had several trauma kits in his car.    This story is one that many of us heard and read about in the news.  Now, you can listen to the whole story, the real story, as Stephen Willeford tells us exactly how things happened that day.  And how it changed his life, regardless of him being a good guy with a gun.  Favorite quotes: “People ask me how could you do what you did. And I ask them “how could you not?” “I”ll live with my decisions.” “The police were 5-7 minutes behind me.  My community didn’t have 5-7 minutes” “If you can’t see God’s hand in all this, you’re willfully blind.” Stephen Willeford Website https://www.stephenwilleford.com/ Facebook Stephen Willeford https://www.facebook.com/GoodGunGuyWille Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #087 Beth AlcazarPacifiers & Peacemakers USCCAThe DC Project   I met Beth Alcazar at SHOT Show 2017. The following month, I saw her again at a concealed carry fashion show I was emceeing in Cleveland.  And I’ve seen her at every GPRC since 2017 and even in Washington DC at a DC Project event. That isn’t just how she’s everywhere.  She writes a blog for the USCCA called Pacifiers & Peacemakers, and she teaches the teachers for the USCCA as well.  She’s also a board member of BamaCarry.  She’s one of the busiest women in the gun community and I was able to catch up with her in Birmingham, AL, during the RSWC Southern Tour 2020.  She did start off with some Southern Hospitality and a number of gifts from local businesses and trivia of Alabama. You can check that out on the RSWC Facebook page from August 23, 2020. She also brought her 2A blanket, Twizzlers, and a book for me.    Beth got her start as a writer in the shooting/hunting/outdoor industry, but wanted to learn how the business and marketing worked. She was able to make a lot of connections in the industry, which ends up helping her later in life. She is a real ‘word nerd’ and that helps with her writings. When she found out she was being let go from a job, she reached out to someone with the USCCA and they enjoyed her writing as a ‘mom with a gun’ and that gave her a different perspective than others. She loves what they do, with educating gun owners and she pursued writing, making videos, and working with them.  She blends the importance of gun safety and the fundamentals, but keeps the fun of shooting throughout her courses.    We move from using firearms to knives to other tools for self defense.  We talk about how the mind is the weapon and everything else is a tool, which leads into DGUs (defensive gun uses) and the possibility of a presence of a gun gives many the ‘psychological stop’ to a bad guy.    She’s the Alabama State Director of The DC Project.  She’s looking for and trying to get more women active at the state level to talk to politicians and share their stories about whey they own firearms.  And she’s involved with BamaCarry and testified for both groups.  We also talked about Alabama gun laws, about open carry and how she helped things move forward before ‘the virus’ happened.    We also drove near a local shopping center and the location where several people decided to use a firearm over the protests over some goings on. It’s made her and others reconsider shopping in this area. She also tells us that there are ‘vapor dogs’ at the center which are trained to sniff out gunpowder.   Beth is really a wonderful person and so much fun to be around. Every time we see each other, there’s plenty of laughing and smiling. I’m sure you’ll pick up on this from watching this episode. You can find her blog, Facebook page, and all the groups she’s involved with below. She really is on top of all things that are beneficial for the female shooters in the world! And her wordsmith background brings out an elegance and imagery that others aren’t able to do.  Favorite quotes “All the industry people are great and I think that’s what spoke to me.” “Women usually get into guns for a specific reason, self defense. We’re still the more victimized gender.” “I still go back to teach the end user class over and over again. They give me joy for such different reasons.” “The DC Project has really inspired me to do a lot of things I never would have imagined I would do.”     Women’s Handgun Self Defense and Fundamentals https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/store/education/books/womens-handgun-self-defense-fundamentals-ecb0720004/   Alabama Carry https://www.bamacarry.us/   Pacifiers & Peacemakers Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/pacifiersandpeacemakers/   USCCA  https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/   The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #086 Claude Werner Tactical Professor   Claude Werner brings his airsoft MP5 Zombie Eraser Z71 Edition. We had some time to hangout a little before we started filming at the home of Shelley & Brian Hill before the show. What I really like about Claude is that he likes to ‘stir the pot’ a bit..  And I noticed that when I spotted the SCCY handgun in his waistband. He did tell me that he pushes what others believe and the SCCY has been holding up to his 1,000 Days of Dryfire Challenge.    The reason he’s called the Tactical Professor is because he’s analytical and date driven.  After joining the Army he was sent to West Point to teach tactics to cadets, which led to a Special Forces Team Commander. He’s also run a number of different shooting clubs.  He was a student at the elite Rogers Shooting School in Ellijay, GA, before he had taken enough classes and was asked to be the Chief Instructor there. I love that Claude calls the people who take classes with him “clients” rather than “students”.   After teaching at Tactical Conference, one of his colleagues suggested that since he’s good at data gathering and collating, he should gather data on “bad shootings’.  He’s broken it down in 11 categories of negative outcomes from a shooting, everything from negative police interactions to bringing a gun to the Statue of Liberty. We analyze a number of these negative outcomes.    Claude shares what he calls the legal rules and the social rules of gun fighting. This should be of particular interest to everyone. He also talks about if you “can, could, must, and should” use lethal force against another human being.   One of the things that really struck me was when we talked about Claude’s thoughts on what is the ‘worst possible case’.  He emphasizes that it isn’t a 6’5” man with 4 GLOCKS and a couple of machetes.  It’s when you have to take a shot in the dark at a home intruder you haven’t identified and ends up being your child. It’s when you don’t yell out “Who’s there?” to identify who is in your home. So we need to rethink what could be your worst possible case.    We also cover how the NRA courses are beneficial to many of the new gun owners. And a new training program with a simulator and how can help clients learn good trigger squeeze without having to deal with the bang and recoil of live fire. When new clients see the laser dipping down they’ll comprehend quicker what they are doing.   There’s really a wealth of knowledge you’ll gain from watching this show, so you’ll want to watch it a few times. And maybe even take some notes. You can also check out his blog or purchase some PDF books at the links below.    Favorite quotes: “I kept on going to it (Rogers Shooting School) as a student  because I just enjoyed it.” “You have to know what the rules are. Some of those rules are legal rules. Some of them are social rules.” “My opinion of the worst possible case is...you turn around and kill your kid. You’ll never have a decent night’s sleep the rest of your life.” “If that person wasn’t willing to do what was necessary to protect themselves, why should I get involved?” Tactical Professor Blog https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/   Tactical Professor on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ATLFirearms   1,000 Days of Dryfire Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/840798816011987   Tactical Professor on Twitter https://twitter.com/claudewerner   Tactical Professor on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/HeadHunter100   Tactical Professor Patreon https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor Rogers Shooting School https://www.rogersshootingschool.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

RSWC  #085 Brad Premo CEO, Leadslingers Whiskey   When I heard about Leadslingers Whiskey on Armed American Radio, I decided to find some.  I drove an hour to get a bottle.  I loved it.  Then I decided that I would message Brad Premo, CEO of Leadslingers and a regular contributor to AAR, and inquired about getting some of their hand sanitizer to use during the summer tour while the virus that shall not be named was going on. Within 2 minutes, Brad got back to me and asked for my shipping address. This is the kind of people ‘gun folks’ are!   He replied just as quick when I said I was coming to Nashville to film some shows for the Southern Tour.    Brad and I discuss his early shooting, hunting, and fishing, with family members.  Like many of us, September 11, 2001 changed him, too.  He decided a week after college with a degree in sociology and criminology, he was going to join the Army as an Airborne Infantryman. He did 3 years serving our country including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Joining the military was one of the best things he did to “finish out becoming a man”. After his stint in the military, he moved back to the Nashville area and became a police officer in the area.    Even though he really enjoyed being a police officer, he knew that he needed some kind of a career change. He shares with us a number of the stresses about being a police officer and says that many officers live about 5 years after they hit retirement age.      With the friends he made in the military police, they thought they’d train up and join again, but rethought that move.  He took the GI Bill and went back to college for a couple intense years to earn another degree in accounting.  For a couple years he had a position as an accountant, but he knew that a cubicle wasn’t for him..    Brad’s friends were connected to Jarred Taylor & Mat Best. And they had an idea to start a t-shirt company and they needed an account.  The company was called Article 15 Clothing. The team of friends made many great t-shirts and apparel, but after 6 years, they decided it was time to keep moving.  Some of them moved into making coffee and the others decided that they would start making spirits.  That’s the birth of Black Rifle Coffee Company and Leadslingers Whiskey.    The day after he left the accounting firm he was working for, Brad headed to Oklahoma to meet with the distillers and make Leadslingers a reality. He gives us some of the secrets about the whiskey business. Leadslingers Whiskey now offers bourbon, whiskey, rye whiskey, single malt, cinnamon whiskey, but they’ve also moved into IPA beers!  Whatever you like to enjoy, I’m sure they’ve got something for you! It was great to meet Brad and have him in the passenger’s seat as we rolled through Nashville and relive some of my history there and his as well. I’m looking forward to the next bottle and trying some of the IPAs as well! Favorite quotes: “I lacked the maturity and discipline to be a successful person at the time.” “I’m not here to sign up and do something I can do as a civilian. I don’t want to be an accountant in the Army.” “I was 30 and I was a little bit too old to be starting over in the military.” “We all love whiskey and God knows we spent a lot of money on it.  Maybe its time to try and earn some of that money back.” Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/   Leadslingers on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Leadslingerswhiskey   Leadslingers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/leadslingerswhiskey/   Leadslinges Store Locator (just in case you need it) https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/pages/store-locator Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   OpsLens App on iPhone & iPad https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opslens-network/id1498033459

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #084 Mark Walters Armed American Radio   Part of the Southern Tour 2020 brought me to the Atlanta area. Of course, I had to reach out to Mark Walters from Armed American Radio.  Mark is the reason that I was brought into the 2A Activist fold. I interviewed him in Minneapolis in August 2016 and he loved the idea of driving passengers around as we talk about gun issues with gun people.  He asked if I wanted to speak at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Tampa that year.  How could I say no?   I picked Mark up at his house outside Atlanta and we headed out to film another show. We drove to the bar & marina that Ozark was filmed on Lake Altoona, but the Hood-Cam wasn’t working. Grrr! We covered some of the things Mark and his guests talked about the night before. And we covered some politics about how things are going for gun owners in America.   We talk about Kennesaw GA, GunTown USA since 1982. It was a bit of a pilgrimage to visit the town while I was there. We cover how Georgia Carry helped get their members to carry on Army Corps of Engineer property. Mark shares a story about an incident that happened at the dock where someone pulled a firearm on someone who stole another person’s ski boat. And share some stories about bears.   We drove by some schools that were the first to have COVID-19 in Cherokee County. Mark talks about how things have been in Georgia since March and we compare it to things in Massachusetts, which are completely different. He shares a story about him visiting a hotel for a meeting that was open but there was almost no one in the lobby and restaurant. He told the bartender that she should turn the TV off and life will resume as before the virus.    We spend a bit of time talking about the mask wearing and how it’s parlayed into other areas including restaurants and stores.  But also how it’s a much bigger play into the government taking more and more control of our lives and our freedoms. Mark does go on to predict a Trump victory with 300+ electoral votes again in a landslide.    It was great to visit Mark and be in his hometown area. I do owe it to Mark for helping me get RSWC to a bigger and better level and getting the #StagecoachAcrossAmerica.   Favorite quotes: “Freedom will always prevail.” “You show me an American city in decay and I’ll show you an American city by Democrats control at every level for decades.” “They’re (Democrats) silent. It’s a lie of omission.” “You hear 100,000,000 gun owners, I would put that closer to 150,000,000, maybe even higher.” Armed American Radio https://armedamericanradio.org   Armed American Radio Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/armedamericanradio   Second Amendment Foundation https://www.saf.org/ Second Amendment Foundation Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SecondAmendmentFoundation   Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org CCBKA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CCRKBA/   Armed American Radio  8.23.2020 Hour 2 Janet Mefferd https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/show-archives-armed-american-radio/id316019334?i=1000488971136 Armed American Radio  8.24.2020 (With me on segment 1) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/show-archives-armed-american-radio/id316019334?i=1000489062066   Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #083 Boge Quinn GunBlast   I set up a quick 2020 Southern Tour this summer and I reached out to Boge Quinn.  He watched a few RSWCs and agreed to be on the show. I drove from Nashville to Dover, TN, to meet up with Boge. I never met his brother Jeff, but if Jeff was anything like Boge, he was a hell of a guy! Hearing Boge talk about his brother, you can tell they’ve got an incredible family and relationship, and you can hear it the way Boge talks about Jeff.    We had lots to talk about besides guns and Jeff.  Boge is an accomplished musician, plays all types of stringed instruments from guitar to banjo to electric mandolin. Yes, electric mandolin! He also spent a career working with computers since DOS and Commodore64.    In 1999 when Jeff decided to start writing real gun reviews, Boge was his go to for figuring out to get the reviews and videos on “that internet thing”. They were going to share duties on reviewing guns and started with their own website.  The early videos were short and would lead to the website and the written reviews.  They started by reviewing their own guns.  Ruger and Smith & Wesson were early in supporting GunBlast.  They were super excited one day when the website had 8,000 daily views.  Then they found out their website had clicks that were in the top 1%...outside of porn sites!    Boge and I spent time talking about his music gigs and playing music. Both he and Jeff played music as kids, on trombone and saxophone, respectively. Boge plays bluegrass, country, country rock, western, and even gospel music. I share some of my stories when I was gigging in Nashville in 1993. Boge also gives us some history about Dover, TN, and his family’s history of the property they own.  We also drive by the church where Jeff was a Deacon and where Jeff and other family members live.    Boge shares what had been going on for 7 years with Jeff’s health. He caught an infection in some floodwaters back in 2013. The infection got into his heart, he had a few toes amputated, then a leg. It was finally getting into his hands. The infection is what finally led to Jeff’s early passing. At Boge’s suggestion, we drove to the cemetery where Jeff is laid to rest.    Spending time with such a wonderful man is really a treat! Boge was very kind and welcoming, opening up and taking us to where Jeff was buried. The people in the South are great folks willing to give their time, share their stories. He shared that Jeff was willing to help anyone with food he grew in his garden, he was always about taking care of others. I’m looking forward to running into Boge at events around the country!  Favorite quotes:   On reviewing guns: “We would either send their guns back to them or send them a check, which is what we did most of the time.” “I play rock n roll mandolin. It’s a lot of fun.” “Jeff wasn’t just a brother. He was one of the best friends I ever had.” Jeff to Boge on GunBlast  “Whatever you’ve got to do, keep it going’ “We were in the top 1% of traffic for non-porn sites.” “If any gun does what it’s supposed to, we’re gonna like it.”“Not only would I never hurt you, I’d make sure nobody else did.”   GunBlast Website https://gunblast.com/ GunBlast YouTube Channel GunBlastDotCom https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzurbOLJU1GWbO0n32IJNA Jeff’s Last Video https://youtu.be/KA4ZNvEo9J4 Jeff Quinn Memorial https://youtu.be/4ILSqOoxR4U Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#082Stephanie SchaferA Girl & A GunThe DC Project   Stephanie Schafer is from “basically Wyoming” Nebraska. We met in DC in July 2019 at a DC Project event.  It was funny when we started talking and she said I sound just like I do on YouTube! Hehe!  She’s also a facilitator with A Girl & A Gun (AG&AG), teaching women about gun safety, the fundamentals of shooting, and about their Rights as Americans. She started shooting with her boyfriend and he didn’t know what he was getting her into!    Stephanie and her boyfriend, Lanny, wrote their own curriculum to teach a concealed carry course in Nebraska. Their shooting school, Def Comp  (Defensive & Competitive Shooting Instruction) requires that you take their prerequisite fundamentals of shooting course. After becoming instructors, they also got into 3-gun competitive shooting.  Stephanie is also passing the 3-gun fun with one of her daughters. Just as she was looking into how to start a women’s shooting club, she discovered AG&AG and she got right on board.   AG&AG lead her to The DC Project.  Her background has been in the legal field and she knew she would be a great fit!  She’s risen to be one of the Northwest Regional Directors for the DC Project, adding several other states to her responsibility for the group. With the growth of the group at the state level, they’re looking at methods of educating others to be more active, running for school board, city council, or state senator, or even just testifying. There’s a lot going on with her!   It’s great to be able to talk to instructors in other areas of the country to find out what they need for licensing.  There aren’t permits needed to possess or to even open carry. But if you want to carry concealed, you need to take a course.    Stephanie and her boyfriend started an investigation and  private security business, offering security teams for events and concerts. School security was what they were hoping to do, but only on duty police officers can carry inside of schools.     Stephanie has a lot of experience in many areas from her career in the legal field to starting a business, then getting involved with AG&AG and The DC Project. She’s got a lot going on in many areas of the 2A community and her influence is continuing to grow beyond the shooting ranges.  Favorite quotes: “I believe that the Second Amendment is a Right and somebody shouldn’t have to come take a class” “(Teaching) may be different for someone who wants to safely know how to pick it up and handle it” “Five years I’ve been teaching and learning. Never always just a teacher, sometimes a student, too” “I started googling “how to start a women’s shooting club” and I figured out somebody else has done all the work” “(A Girl & A Gun) really a high level of standard and expectations for their facilitators” “I called and had a conversation with Di (Dianne Muller, DC Project Founder). I  don’t remember much. I was fangirling at that point.” “(The DC Project) is taking it back to the state level now. And meeting with the state legislators to try and change things as well” Stephanie Schafer Firearm Instructor on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stephanieschafer825 Def Comp Website https://www.defcompusa.com/ DefComp Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/DefCompUSA The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/ A Girl & A Gun https://www.agirlandagun.org/ FASTER Saves Lives https://fastersaveslives.org/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie   #080  Aaargo Jay & Rhonda Ezell   (Adult Language Warning: There are a couple offensive words used in this episode. The words were used as a quote from someone who isn’t on the show.  The words used are offensive to the speaker and the host, but they were used to make a point). This is also an extra long episode, so you need to dedicate time to watch it.    In Chicago September 2018, Aaargo Jay and I met at the Gun Rights Policy Conference. He told me that his son is a big fan of my GunGram videos!  We saw each other again at the GPRC in Phoenix in 2019 and Aaargo Jay asked if I would come to Milwaukee to film a show during the DNC in July 2020.  How could I say no?  But the DNC was cancelled due to the virus that shall not be named. I had some personal business to tend to in Illinois, so I set up a date with Aaargo then contacted Rhonda Ezell to see if she wanted to join us.  So I picked up Rhonda and headed to Wisconsin.    We spent about an hour and a half shooting. Aaargo brought 2 of his signature Bravo Oscar Rifles made my American Defense Manufacturing, which were really fun to shoot. (I love the 45 degree safety selector).  He had a 60 round drum magazine and a suppressor/silencer. Then we headed out to film the show.    Aaargo plays down that he’s an instructor.  He’s more known for making AR 15s. As a kid, he found his grandma’s .25 handgun and took it apart.  It took 2 days to get it back together.  That’s when he fell in love with building firearms.  He also used to go shooting squirrels with his grandpa.   From there, his plans were to become an air marshall, but for various reasons that didn’t happen. It's ok because his life would have been very different if he had taken that path. He’s spent time working at a gun store where he was able to teach beginners and build AR 15s.    Our conversation gets deep into racial issues about firearms and society.  The way the world is now, how some folks in the gun community treat minorities.  We also talk about the impact of rioting in black and minority communities, while we drive through an area of Milwaukee that was destroyed by riots a few years ago.  Some of it has been repaired or replaced.  Some of it is still boarded up.   Aaargo takes us through the area that was destroyed by the riots, but then we also drive through some diverse neighborhoods that are just blocks from where the riots happened. Nice homes, nice cars, trees in the yards.) Milwaukee is a little/big city. There’s a lot going on there in development but it has a smaller, old city feeling to it, too.    After we were done filming, we headed out to eat in the Historic Third Ward District of the city. We had a great conversation while we ate and enjoyed the city. What I really like about Aaargo, isn’t just that he’s a great man who is fun and knowledgeable.  But he really loves Milwaukee.  He was always looking at things he wanted us to see.  He’s very proud of his roots and where he makes his home.    After we dropped Aaargo at Brew City Shooting Supplies, Rhonda and I headed back to Chicago, where she was able to speak up about the goings on in her city.  Thank goodness we had the time! Favorite Quotes: “(Wisconsin) is not a gun friendly state, we’re a gun tolerant state” “There has never been an American Right that has been so much under attack, constantly, other than the Second Amendment”  “A populace that isn’t free is not safe” “The truth is evil doesn’t have a location” “Embrace your heritage. We’re all here. We all fly under one flag.” Aaargo Jay: Why I need my AR 15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCZ2V4St5t0 Aaargo Jay Announcing the Bravo Oscar Rifle with Kevin Dixie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnFpyItL86s Black OPS Documentary GoFundMe Link https://www.gofundme.com/f/blackopsdoc   Aaargo Jay Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AaargoJay Aargo Jay YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Aaargojay   American Defense Manufacturing Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AmericanDefenseMFG/ Aaargo Jay Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aaargojay   Brownell’s https://www.brownells.com/   Brew City Shooters Supply Website https://mkeguns.com/ Brew City Shooters Supply Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/brewcityshooterssupply/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie   #080  Robyn Sandoval A Girl & A Gun   Robyn Sandoval and I have been running into each other at several of the 2A events around the country.   Last year, we filmed a show in Phoenix at the Gun Rights Policy Conference, but we didn’t put that interview out. I was able to interview a few of the instructors with A Girl & A Gun in between classes they were taking at SIG Academy in Epping, New Hampshire.    Robyn was an anti-gun person for much of her life, but Hurricane Katrina changed that.  It made her realize that saving peanut butter and tuna fish is only good if you can protect your peanut butter and tuna fish from others. Then she realized it was time to change.     Her husband sent her to a “girls night out at the range” at a local shooting range with Julianna Crowder, a local instructor and soon to be other half of AG & AG. The experience changed her life. She took her background in marketing and content management and made a career transition.  A Girl & A Gun is hosting girls night out at the range in over 200 ranges and they have members in all 50 states.   A Girl & A Gun teaches women in all firearm platforms, rifle, pistol, & shotgun, as well as non-gun self defense, recreational and competitive shooting. They have a national conference and competitions all around the country.  This year, the Fall Festival is in Talladega, AL, on Oct 9-11. And the Women’s Clay Champions is August 13-15 in Lenexa, KS. They even work with women to use their voice as a tool to draw attention to them if they’re being attacked.    Robyn’s background is in content delivery. She’s taken her background and applied it to AG&AG to give women many options for learning, via in person, virtual, and even getting information out on their social media platforms. AG&AG does have some requirements for ranges if they want to offer their programs: they need a good safe, qualified range, have certified pistol instructors who need to be female.  A range could start with female Range Safety Officers and build them up to be an instructor.  Their programs and instructors help women of all sizes and strengths to learn to operate firearms with techniques that may not come easy from male instructors.     Robyn shares that hurricane season is also a time when people realize that they are vulnerable.  And the times we’re living in currently aren’t any different. This is why AG&AG is an incredible resource for women all around America. And why you should find, or even start, a local chapter and send the women in your life to A Girl & A Gun.    Favorite quotes “It changed my life forever. I meet  the most incredible woman on the planet. I was empowered” “Everybody loves the model we have of women mentoring other women.” “There’s something about women learning from women” “You have to have a lot of tools in your toolbox for when you don’t have your firearm with you” “You may not be that big operator guy, but it's all about technique and finesse” A Girl & A Gun Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AGirlandAGunClub A Girl & A Gun Fall Festival, Oct 9-11, Talladega, AL https://www.agirlandagun.org/fallfest/ A Girl & A GUn Women’s Clay Champions, August 13-15, Lenexa, KS https://www.agirlandagun.org/clays/ A Girl & A Gun Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agagclub/ A Girl & A Gun YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/AGirlandAGunClub A Girl & A Gun Club on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/agagclub/boards/   Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #079 Ronnie Siegel A GIrl & A Gun Facilitator for Central New Jersey   Ronnie Siegel is with A Girl & A Gun (AGAG).  Some of the AGAG instructors were taking a class in Epping, New Hampshire,at the SIG Academy. This was like a “bonus” interview. Robyn Sandoval, one of the founders of AGAG, said she wanted to have Ronnie in my passenger’s seat.  It was like a bonus interview!   Ronnie has been shooting since she was a young woman.  Recently, she started the A Girl & A Gun in New Jersey.   She spent years studying art and became an art director, art teacher, and eventually a vice principal. All of her advanced art classes were full. She was also a motorcycle safety instructor.  And she airbrushed her gas tanks, and started a business doing custom tanks for bikers around the country.  Even as a teacher and principal, she knew that she needed a plan for the safety of her students.    Ronnie and her husband are competitive shooters, traveling around the country for the AGAG events in their RV! She shoots trap, IDPA, USPSA, and steel at least three times a week in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.    She’s been an instructor for 3 years and one of her goals as an instructor is that gun safety is a priority for women and she’s working to get the word out that women should learn to be safe and that self defense is important. She volunteers time to help new female shooters and their children, too.  One of the things she really emphasises is that you need to keep moving, even after retirement. And she’s always staying on the go.    She joined AGAG on an airplane when she saw an ad in a magazine. She found an instructor to help her for their 3 Gun Fall Fest so she was able to compete within 6 months. Her goal was to not be the top shooter and to not be the bottom shooter, and she was happy to be in the middle. She loved shooting with all the ladies at AGAG rather than the ‘old men’s club’ that is at many clubs.    She’s got plans to become a GLOCK armorer, participate in the AGAG shotgun champion in Kansas and a 3 gun competition in Alabama this fall. She’s keeping an ongoing education with AGAG at SIG Academy. It’s all to give a better education and training for everyone that she works with all around the country. She says the key to happiness is being self sufficient and having your own interests and hobbies. She’s got motorcycles, Corvettes, and 3 gun competitions! Ronnie doesn’t have plans to slow down, let alone stop.  Favorite quotes “Its not easy, but there’s a need. It's a difficult challenge.” “I’m happy to say...it ain’t over til it’s over.  You’ve got to keep active and keep busy and keep doing” “I was motorcycle mama then. Now I’m 3-gun granny!” “Self defense is bigger now than it ever was before. The problem is people don’t know how to  use these firearms” “It’s hard to hit a moving target. That’s always been my mantra” “ A Girl and A Gun is the platform to go back to teaching and learning from others” “The key to happiness is being self sufficient and having hobbies and interests” Ronnie’s AGAG Chapter in Central New Jersey https://www.agirlandagun.org/cat/nj-central/ A Girl & A Gun Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AGirlandAGunClub A Girl & A Gun Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agagclub/ A Girl & A Gun YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/AGirlandAGunClub A Girl & A Gun Club on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/agagclub/boards/   Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #078 LaKasha Robbins Massachusetts Women Gun Owners Gun Owners Action League The DC Project   It was sometime in 2018 when I met LaKasha. She was modeling for the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) Concealed Carry Fashion Show. I was the emcee. We were running into each other at 2A events put on by GOAL, The DC Project (DCP), and even trap shooting locally. Finally after about a year and a half of telling her she should be on the show, while we were sighting in some ARs recently, she agreed!  She’s been interviewed by Tom Gresham & Cam Edwards, this ought to be like shooting a .22!   LaKasha Robbins is a relatively new shooter and gun owner.  She’s had a license for several years, but things really started moving when she and some other female 2A activists in Massachusetts, started Mass Women Gun Owners (MWGO). She’s got some computer experience and organization skills, so she volunteered to help get materials and information out.  She and the others started the group just to exchange ideas about self defense, the woman’s right to protection, and how to figure out what carry methods work well for women. Even though she’s isn’t fond of public speaking, she’s testified in DC and Boston.    From there, she started taking classes and became interested in becoming an instructor so she can help other new female gun owners learn to shoot, about firearm safety and self defense. This is her calling. We’ve taught at some GOAL events and she’s lots of respect from some veteran instructors.    The MWGO hosted a summit in 2018 to raise money for the organization. One of the guest instructors was Amanda Suffecool from Eye On The Target Radio and The DC Project. After a day of shooting and talking, LaKasha jumped on board as the MA Representative of the DCP.  She’s been going to DC every year, teaming up with other female 2A activists and taking DC by storm, speaking to politicians across the country about the woman’s right to self defense. Unfortunately, this year, they had to not gather in our capitol.    In June of 2019, LaKasha went to Texas to raise money for the DCP, and she and the other DCP ladies got to hang out with Jerry Miculek and John “TIG” Tiegen.  The DCP Team Match is set for the end of October 2020.   LaKasha and I shared some fun stories about trap shooting a few years ago. She also tells us that she’s really met so many wonderful and great people in the 2A community that help raise each other up. The DCP is looking to branch out at the state level.  So, if you’re interested in helping out in any way in your state, check out the DC Project link below, look for your state rep and message her to get involved.  You won’t be sorry. LaKasha has only been in the 2A community for a few years, and already, she’s working with many big name folks from around the country.    Favorite Quotes “I thought it was kind of silly to have a gun and not use it” “I’ve meet the nicest people in the gun community.  Just so helpful. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of everyone.” On joining The DC Project: “It sounded amazing, so I said “I’ll do it!”...Afterwards, that’s when I got anxious… But I went thru, I did it.” “People need to realize that they’re (politicians) are just people, too” “Every year you do it (testifying) it just gets easier” “I encourage people to get out of their comfort zone, even if they’re scared” “My passion is helping other women learn how to use a firearm just the way other people have helped me” Mass Women Gun Owners https://www.womengunowners.org/ Gun Owners Action League https://goal.org/ The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #077 Dawn Hillyer Hiding Hilda   Dawn and I were both models at the concealed carry fashion show at Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) in Chicago, 2018. I was modeling a holster undershirt.  I’m sure she was modeling one of her own products made by her company, Hiding Hilda. I told her that I wanted to do a show in every state and secretly she wanted to be my Indiana passenger. We made it happen in Fort Wayne, Indiana last month.    Dawn Hillyer, like many people, didn’t grow up around firearms or shooting. She got involved with firearms a year after a dating relationship ended and she was stalked for 6 years by her ex-boyfriend. There were death threats not just to her, but her family and friends, too. It kept escalating and escalating. The ex-boyfriend was very computer savvy and sent fake emails to himself making it look like she was going after him. She changed her phone number and email yet he still found and stalked her.     She had a bad feeling one evening and took her children to her ex-husband’s and kept her husband’s gun for the night.  She was convinced that this particular evening, the ex-boyfriend was coming to get her.    Her story ended up on Katie Couric’s show, Stalked. Ms. Couric, of course, was interested in the firearm aspect of the story. Dawn may be the only person in the gun community who had a ‘good’ experience with Ms. Couric. After the show with Dawn aired in December 2013, she became much more vocal about domestic abuse and stalking.  She’s spoken around the country on these issues and started a Facebook page dedicated to women who are stalked by men.  She also recounts her story on her blog posts (see link below).    Dawn tells us that she went from not shooting, to gun ownership, to becoming an instructor, to deciding to be her own hero and make her own line of products for women to use to carry concealed firearms. She enjoyed the NRA AM in Indianapolis in 2018  when she co-emceed the Realize FAC and Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association concealed carry fashion show with Amanda Suffecool.    Dawn has taken this horrible and scary 6 years and turned it into something that has helped women across the country. These women have been educated, trained, and inspired by what she has been doing. And they can buy her products, and Hiding Hilda will help them be their own heroes!   Favorite quotes:   “I had to take control...I truly thought my life was in danger” “I named my first firearm Hilda. Then I was still hiding Hilda, but I could live out loud”“You have a routine. You can’t get away from it. You have to live.” “I think women should be pretty and badass! I didn’t want to lose my pretty to be badass!” “Be your own hero!”   Find Dawn’s website & social media, read her stalker story, and buy her products for the female gun owners (and a few things for the guys, too!)   Hiding Hilda Website https://hidinghilda.com/ Hiding Hilda Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/hidinghilda/ Hiding Hilda Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hidinghildallc/ Hiding Hilda Twitter https://twitter.com/HidingHilda Hiding Hilda Blog (Stalked Story) https://hidinghilda.com/blogs/stalked   Dawn Hillyer Anti-Stalking Advocate Facebook  with Katie Couric https://www.facebook.com/205612966292988/posts/255494204638197/   Indiana State Rifle & Pistol Association https://isrpa.org/ The 2A Project https://the2aproject.com/   Kayle Browning at Gunsmoke Media https://www.facebook.com/gunsmokemedia Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #076 Lauren Nelson This what one of the things I love about the 2A community is how easily we connect with others.  I met Patrick Collins in Phoenix.  He was able to connect me to Lauren Nelson when I asked about finding someone in Vermont to be on the show.    I met Lauren and we headed to her local gun shop in Wells River, VT, called Gateway Sports. They have a nice little shop that was recently redone inside.  While we were there, the store was busy with people looking to trade in some handguns, buying new handguns for some women, and even a few people with their young kids. Lauren shares a story about trading in a pink BB gun to buy her first gun at Gateway,too.    Lauren grew up south of Boston in a non-gun household.  She became interested in getting a handgun after she was married.  Her husband is mostly into long guns. Since they live in Vermont, they have their own range on their farm. They mostly shoot outdoors and usually in fair weather.   We get into how Vermont is a unique state politically.  There are residents on both sides of the aisle and it keeps the state on top of things. Vermont has been the longest state with constitutional carry. As a matter of fact, we used to call it Vermont style carry before it was constitutional carry. We also spend time talking about how the laws vary from state to state and how it affects small New England states more than some larger states in the west.    We also talk about the 80% lowers and the story that was on one of the major networks. I’ve got a story about an “Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself” 80% lower that I may have. And there’s a photo of my friend’s “Murder Hornet” AR style.     We finish up talking about the looks that people get when they stereotype people.  Whether they are gun owners or motorcyclists, we’re all good folks that are doing something we enjoy. Even if it takes us to Vegas for the SHOT Show, the kitchen and bath show, or the AVN awards, all in the same week.    Thanks to Patrick Collins for connecting us! Favorite quotes: “I bought it because it was cute” “I went to my first gun show a few years ago. It was like a flea market or craft fair for guns” “I’m pretty lucky that I moved to a state that when I decided to own a gun I could just go in with my squeaky clean record and buy one” “We don’t shot for the month of May, until the ground gets tilled. We don’t shoot because of the manure issue” “Respectful gun owners and hunters are a good thing” “There’s no cell service. There’s nothing. There’s moose, then you come into the downtown area” “If you want to own a gun, you should have the right to do so, if you’re not a felon and you pass a background check” CBS Story from 60 Minutes about ghost guns https://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/video/mgn3I4VK0t0JgbzEBMyz43XS6LWpBSL5/how-build-it-yourself-firearms-skirt-most-federal-gun-laws/   To get a face-mask from A Girl & A Gun, please visit their website. https://www.agirlandagun.org/category/store/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #075 Brooke Cheney A Great Start Shooting School The DC Project   I met Brooke Cheney at The DC Project dinner in Washington last summer.  Then we ran into each other again in Massachusetts at the Gun Owners Action League Concealed Carry Fashion show back in March. Of course, we kept in touch and with the current times, I needed to stay local for a show.  We did use some Leadslingers Hand Sanitizer, thanks for LeadslingersWhiskey.com, and headed out for a drive.    Brooke grew up and learned a little about firearms when she was a young girl. Her dad would load up a firearm and have her shoot them.  When she was dating her to-be-husband, they would go shooting, and he would load the firearm and have her shoot it. It wasn’t until after she had children, that she really needed to learn about firearms since they were going to be in the house.    Like many of us, after we take a safety course, we learn that we have more to learn. She learned that the course to get her license was just the beginning of the journey she was going to be on.  She ended up getting into competitive shooting and built a backyard range for practicing.  When she looked into insurance for the backyard range,she decided that it was time to become an instructor.  In less than a week, she was an NRA Certified Instructor, teaching courses to help women get their Connecticut permits.    Brooke shares when she had what she calls her “Wonder Woman Moment”! She realized that she can instruct and help women have their own Wonder Woman Moment to overcome their fears and concerns about firearms and firearm ownership. At A Great Start Shooting School,  Brooke offers many courses and opportunities for women to learn and get comfortable using their firearms.  Instructing led to a chance to work with A Girl and A Gun and teach at their National Conference.    Becoming active with firearms and instructing led to her getting involved politically about gun laws with the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, especially after Newtown since it was so close to her. Her actions have led to her getting involved with Dianna Muller and The DC Project.  The DC Project heads to the Capital every year to connect with Congress members, sharing their stories about why gun ownership among women is very important.    Back in 2006, you could have never gotten her to believe that she would be doing all of the things she’s doing.  Besides competitive shooting, instructing and becoming a Training Counselor, CCDL, AG & AG, & DCP, she also does something on her AGSSS YouTube channel. Its the Suicide Prevention Saturday!  Its a live video chat she does on Saturdays at 9 pm/eastern time. She’s put a lot of study into mental health and issues and how it’s related to gun owners and suicides. SPS gives her an outlet to reach out and talk about these issues.     We barely had time to bring up SPS because she’s got a lot going on.  And she’s still a mom and wife and has to work, too!    Favorite Quotes: “You have to become a competitor to learn what you need to learn to get better” “It also built my confidence to realize that it was OK that I sucked”  “I tell everyone of my Wonder Woman moment, where I packed my own range bag”  “Every step of my career has been an impetus from someone else” “Being a gun owner has made me more confident, it has made me more educated about our political system” A Great Start Shooting School Website https://www.agreatstartshootingschool.com/ Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/agreatstartshootingschool/ YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAeFAuFzQcPNREbIp8pcyA   Team Icarus Shirts (Look Like Brooke!) https://teamicarusshirts.wixsite.com/icarus/brooke?fbclid=IwAR0wYFczP_Vj6NfR5sEyqnFm3wdhP_EAS15wrgBfnJfeoV74w5oeE8jNJuw   The DC Project https://www.dcproject.info/   Connecticut Citizens Defense League https://ccdl.us/   A Girl & A Gun https://www.agirlandagun.org/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Leadslingers Whiskey https://leadslingerswhiskey.com/ [email protected]   Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #074 Mike Hughes & Britt Lentz Next Level Training   I met Mike & Britt at SHOT Show 2020 thanks to  Klint Macro & Matt Mallory from Meet The Pressers. They said they’re great guys from Next Level Training  and they needed to get in the stagecoach.  You may have seen Mike Hughes from History Channel’s Top Shot Season 3.    Before Next Level Training and SIRT pistols, Mike was a football player and a patent attorney who enjoyed competitive shooting. He spent a lot of time training and running his business, but having a family took over, and competitive shooting took a backseat.    The SIRT (Shot Indicating Resetting Trigger) pistol was Mike’s idea.  It took a lot of work, effort, and research to make the pistols and assembly them, which is all done in Washington state. They’ve got a number of types of pistols, like a GLCOK 17/22, S&W M&P, SIG P320, and a bolt for the AR 15 platform.    We did cover a little about the differences in intellectual property and functional features about making a training pistol that is similar to other pistols. Mike is a great person to cover that, being a former patient lawyer.    Britt brings up Mike being on History Channel’s Top Shot and we talk about that process to get onto the show and some of the behind the scenes stories. Mike really likes how Top Shot brought firearms to a bigger and broader audience and put firearm ownership in a new light for people. He shares that Top Shot was unscripted.  It was a long six weeks for Mike, but he shared his secret to success.    Britt has a similar background to Mike.  They played football against each other in college.  They became best friends at birthing classes. Britt has been on board since the beginning of NLT.    Mike shares one of his favorite and first moments on Top Shot. His first gun to shoot was a Smith & Wesson 500 against Cliff Walsh, a Grand Master with the USPSA.    Mike & Britt were kind enough to give us a coupon code.  If you use the code, “RSWC” at https://nextleveltraining.com/ you’ll save 10% on your purchase. Please let them know you saw them on RSWC!  A SIRT pistol would be a great item to buy while we’re still in quarantine/lockdown/stay at home. So use RSWC in the coupon code and save 10%! Favorite quotes:   Mike: “We’re talking about hard times, two or three years in, you basically fail. But we’re too stupid to realize it. We’re the walking dead for 9 months. ….in the end, you just keep at it. Pick up the battering ram and keep hitting the wall. ...Things are going pretty phenomenal now.” Mike: “From what I understand about reality shows, they’re scripted reality… Top Shot is not scripted.”  Mike: “Achievement is kinda simple.  You just understand the parameters, and what can go wrong, and you prepare like crazy. And you win. You succeed.” Mike: “It's like everything in life. Which is premised on relationships: respect, courtesy, being kind.” Next Level Training Website (Use RSWC for the coupon code!) https://nextleveltraining.com/   Next Level Training Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/NextLevelTrainingLLC/   Mike Hughes Top Shot Facebook Page/ https://www.facebook.com/MikeHughesTopShot/   Next Level Training Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nltsirt/   Top Shot: Trick It Up Clip https://youtu.be/Rd786i6qry4 Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #073  John Costa The Gunrunner LLC   When I called John Costa, owner of The Gunrunner LLC,  was on the phone with Glenn Beck. I read this story the day before about his gun store. I left my number and a couple hours later, we set up the time for an interview the next day.    During the breakout of COVID-19, many businesses and stores in Massachusetts were ordered to close. MA Governor Charlie Baker made a (vague) list of essential businesses.  President Trump eventually said that gun stores were essential businesses and should remain open. On March 31, Governor Baker included firearms retailers in the essential businesses.  Within hours, Governor Baker retracted firearms retailers on the list. Then Attorney General Maura Healey tweeted that gun stores were NOT essential and that gun owners were a danger to police officers, first responders, and domestic violence victims. The gun stores in Massachusetts would also not be on the list of businesses that could receive financial help from the government. Firearm instructors were also sent an email stating they were not approved to be teaching courses in person or virtually until at least May 4, 2020.    The Gunrunner in Middleboro, MA, a small business since 1986, decided to stay open to sell guns and ammunition to those who needed a firearm to protect their families and loved ones.    The owner, John Costa, came to the United States when he was 2 from the Azores. He learned to speak English when he started school.  His mother struggled to earn enough money to get her husband and young John to bring them to America. John served this country during the VietNam War.    Like other businesses, The Gunrunner has struggled through challenging times and done well in good times. But this government overreach, telling small businesses, who can remain open and be essential and which businesses are not essential and must close, was too much for The Gunrunner.    We spent a lot of time talking about how things have changed and quickly! Mr. Costa is very worked up about how this socialism is taking over the country and how easy it has been for us to give up our Rights, when this is what he and many others fought to stop around the world.    The Gunrunner had the Board of Health show up at the store with a cease and desist order and Mr. Costa took the order and threw it on the floor.    Currently, The Gunrunner is selling firearms and ammunition and will continue to do so. He’s been reaching out to suppliers and other stores and driving up to 4 hours roundtrip to get supplies to sell.  Favorite quotes: “No I am not closing my shop. No I am not going to stop selling firearms. I am going to protect us, the citizens, from the tyranny of these socialists.” “I, myself, call it bully shootings. Because that’s what I think it was.” “Why in the hell is she (Maura Healey) letting the prisoners loose? A crook is a crook always. They don’t change.” “Stopping the gun classes has nothing to do with the virus. This is all about gun confiscation.” “I don’t want to start a riot.  I don’t want to do any of that. But I want you people to wake up! See what’s going on!” John Costa on The Blaze with Glenn Beck https://www.theblaze.com/news/gun-shop-owner-openly-defies-massachusetts-governors-order-to-close   The Gunrunner LLC Website https://thegunrunnerllc.com/   The Gunrunner LLC https://www.facebook.com/The-Gunrunner-LLC-1436275726607329/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/

RSWC #072Mike OxDry Fire Training Cards Thanks to the Meet The Presser gents, Klint & Matt, for the use of their Vegas rental car! Attending a SHOT Show 2020 gathering is where I met Mike Ox.  He’s an instructor, author, and creator of the Dry Fire Training Cards. The Dry Fire Training Cards would be GREAT to have while the country is working through the virus of March 2020. “Ox” has been shooting since he was a young man.  After years of playing sports he got a number of concussions. When he was ‘no holds barred’ fighting in college, he learned to work with Olympic coaches on mental imagery and visualization and control his adrenaline response. Taking this training and combining it with firearm training, he ended up making a dry firing program for himself and it worked very quickly.  It became the Tactical Firearms Training Secrets book. He found out he was suffering with vertigo almost every night for 3 ½ years and learned about neurology and how to not have vertigo and keep doing IDPA Nationals. With some research, he discovered that a Vitamin B metabolization issue was causing the problem. After changing types of vitamins, he was healed. The drills he was working on to keep functioning also worked well for performance enhancers, things like visual, balance, hand-eye coordination, improved reflexes all improve his ability to acquire the front sight of his gun.  He took these ideas and started teaching students with immediate results. These students improved 20% running full speed at the exercises. He’s lot of methods to teach students to improve their skills very quickly.  We do talk about some of the similarities between teaching firearm students and me teaching band students. From the slow is smooth and smooth is fast, to putting information into your brain by gaining knowledge, but more importantly by practicing these skills.  He also developed methods to teach people to shoot on the move. Your shoulders have to stabilize the gun, your neck has stabilize the eyes, while your brain makes sure you don’t fall. His methods help you get through various stages and formations of your body to learn to shoot at different positions and be able to see better. There’s no method like it in the country.  He can also help you virtually and online.     Ox shares things he learned about the brain about parts I’ve never even heard of. And he shares a story about teaching a course to a number of doctors and how his information was able to save a doctor from getting a back surgery.  There’s a lot of information that you’ll get from this episode. Make sure you check it all out and visit his website to get lots of information on his training programs.  Favorite quotes: “I started using it with students and had ridiculous, immediate results” “You can learn knowledge at a firearms class. You are not going to learn a skill. You’re going to learn about a skill.” “The only way to get from A to B is brute force and a lot of repetition and a good bit of luck.” “If you lay down a foundation of a consistent and efficient draw stroke, speed becomes a byproduct.” Dry Fire Training Cards Website https://dryfiretrainingcards.com/   Dry Fire Training Cards Blog https://dryfiretrainingcards.com/blog/   Tactical Firearms Training Secrets Website http://www.tacticalfirearmstrainingsecrets.com/   Tactical Firearms Training Secrets Book amazon.com/Tactical-Firearms-Training-Secrets-Competition/dp/1470082829 Tactical Vision Training Website https://tacticalvisiontraining.com/   Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.  Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/  

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #071 Daniel Easterday Sued Deerfield, IL with IRSA & SAF   I was headed to Chicago for some family events. I had one morning to squeeze in a possible RSWC interview.  I messaged Rhonda Ezell and asked if she knew anyone who would be around that morning. She set me up with Daniel Easterday. She always comes thru!  Check out the Facebook LIVE video we did on the Riding Shotgun With Charlie Facebook page from Jan 26, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/RidingShotgunWithCharlie/videos/2425804361080948/   Daniel Easterday had a gunsmith as an uncle and started shooting as a kid. When he was older, he started to get into training. He learned that people aren’t as good they think they are with a firearm and he wanted to learn more.    After the Supreme Court decided that since Illinois was the last and only state to NOT allow it’s law abiding, background check passing citizens to be able to carry a concealed firearm outside their homes, they needed to change that. However, the anti-gun crowd gave towns time to make their own laws before the state laws took over.    Daniel and his family were living in Highland Park, which also did an ‘assault weapon ban’. He owned items that the town ‘didn’t like’ and had a friend store them so he complied with the laws, so he moved to Deerfield. Highland Park and Deerfield took their ordinance similar to the Cook County assault weapon ban. But Deerfield called it ‘safe storage’, but the state doesn’t have storage laws.    After Deerfield decided to change the laws and legal opinions, they amended the ordinance, it was the same as it was before. They used many of the same old cliches always used about weapons of war on our streets. With the help of the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation, they were able to hold off the so-called-assault-weapon-ban in Deerfield.    We talk about some of the ridiculous laws and things that have to be done in the state of Illinois to get a firearm concealed carry permit. One is where the police can see who is applying for a permit, and can deny anyone the license. After 14 months of delays and the police chief of Highland Park abusing his power, Daneil finally got his carry permit.    Daniel shares that with Clarion Concepts, he is starting a “So You Think You Can Carry” course!  They emphasize that just because you have a gun, doesn’t mean it’s always the best tool. It sounds like a great course that pushes the limits of the comfort zone of the course attendees. He’s also been attending several force-on-force courses, over 100 hours of class time last year.    Favorite quotes “Nobody is as really good as they think they are and we need to get better.” “”There’s way too much responsibility when it comes to firearms to not what we’re doing.” “We’re not going to employ those techniques or  tactics or procedures in real life in regular dude setting”“Gun Rights aren’t a political football. Gun Rights don’t belong to one group of people.” “I murder the poop out of pigs with ARs” “Deadly force is deadly force, no matter what you use.”   Things we talked about and links you should check out.    Raffle for Operation Blazing Sword & Pink Pistols https://lurkingrhythmically.blogspot.com/2020/03/raffle-to-benefit-operation-blazing.html?fbclid=IwAR0MJmaAbwlFnyY-KSY3z8sbnDxLhBqB1FlxWcSZfLYrS4EiNHBi8rgWUuQ   Daniel’s Testimony in Deerfield, IL 4.2.2018 https://youtu.be/mbbig3ll5DY   Clarion Concepts Website http://clarionconcepts.com/   Clarion Concepts Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ClarionConcepts/   Second Amendment Foundation https://www.saf.org/   Illinois State Rifle Association https://www.isra.org/   North Shore Sports Club, Lake Forest, IL http://www.northshoresportsclub.com/   Sage Dynamics  https://www.sagedynamics.org/ Centrifuge Training https://centrifugetraining.com/   Alliance Police Training  https://alliancepolicetraining.com/ Tom Given’s Rangemaster https://rangemaster.com/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Asfaleia Designs https://asfaleiadesigns.com/   Keyhole Holsters  Veteran Owned, American Made http://www.keyholeholsters.com/   Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker http://www.find-away.com/   Or listen on:iTunes/Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riding-shotgun-with-charlie/id1275691565   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4EEPud0XzYz4wo0MYmA9uB   iHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-riding-shotgun-with-charli-30654270/   Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/