Today, as I watched live news coverage of a multiple shooting at a business local to me, one theme kept resurfacing. News anchors, reporters, and witnesses repeatedly emphasized that prior to the eruption of violence, today seemed “just like any other day.”
Just like any other day. Until it wasn’t anymore.
Of course it did. This isn’t the movies, you know. There isn’t going to be some ominous background music to warn you that something bad is getting ready to happen. Everyone thought it was just another Thursday…and it was.
There is still very little information on this incident so far, so I’ll refrain from extensive commentary right now. However, it is already evident that it was quite lucky that the attack occurred in a downtown area which typically has a heavy law enforcement presence. Most other locations in this area would not have the benefit of such rapid police response and resolution.
But remember this: Tomorrow, you will get up and go about your business…just like any other day. Are you prepared?
The actor known as Patrick Kilpatrick is releasing and new book which will be part of a two volume memoir, DYING FOR LIVING: Sins & Confessions of a Hollywood Villain and Libertine Patriot on Oct. 1, 2018 by Boulevard Books.
I got to meet Patrick when he invited me to the 2010 Hollywood Shotgun Sporting Clays Invitational to benefit City Of Hope Bone Marrow Donor Program at Triple B Shotgun Sporting Park on October 9, 2010 in El Monte, California. It was big deal because I was the ONLY podcaster present back then. The dude is still at it and maintaining his tireless pace as one of Hollywood’s go-to action villains.
Patrick Kilpatrick has played against a spectrum of Hollywood’s leading action heroes including, Tom Cruise, Yun-Fat Chow, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, Bruce Willis, Steven Segal, Sean Connery, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, to name a few.
I call this professional bad guy a friend. He is pro-Second Amendment. He is a native of Virginia.
The Book
“For those of you hoping for unvarnished, inglorious behind-the-scenes and scandalous sagas of Hollywood action, I boldly refer you to my memoirs.”
He never served in military but he has looked out for vets. His father was a decorated WWII Underwater Demolition Team hero. He and his publisher Boulevard plan on donating a percentage of his book sales to those who’ve been wounded in service to the country.
He is an articulate guy that loves his country. DYING FOR LIVING – Sins & Confessions of a Hollywood Villain and Libertine Patriot is going to share some of the behavior Hollywood is known for.
The books’ plot points include murderous bi-polar assaults by an adulterous mother. It has privileged education amidst pastoral splendor and American Revolution patriotism. Also tucked in are bi-racial affairs, indiscriminate promiscuity and incendiary politics … not to mention, a near fatal car accident, motorcycle crashes. Scribing for nearly every magazine in New York as well as body-guarding the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Rod Stewart and more …and my global vision for 21st century America.
Patrick is smart and often as serious as a heart attack but he is good people. If you see his name on the credits of another movie, or in the book store soon check it out.
This week on the podcast, Kenn interviews John Pierce, Esq. a longtime friend, gun rights activist and now attorney that is strong in support of the Second Amendment for his clients.
This Virginia based lawyer peels the legal “onion” of how to restore your gun rights if you have a felony. He answers the questions about what to do if you have a history in another state and are trying to clear your name so that you can exercise your right to self-defense. I am trying to keep you out of jail.
If you are going through a ugly divorce, involved in a domestic violence case, use a firearm at work, John also breaks down some stuff you should know about the Lautenberg Amendment.
How to defend yourself against false allegations.
Suicide awareness week is approaching and Michael and I talk about the signs that someone is considering it.
CP Time – Colored People’s Time is also discussed.
Eye protection might well be the least exciting shooting accessory in our range bags, but it is certainly one of the most essential. We only have two eyes, and a moment of neglect can have tragic and permanent consequences.
One of the more interesting options I’ve come across is the shooting glasses offered by Hunter’s HD Gold. I had the good fortune to meet the President of Hunters HD Gold, Brian Conley, at the NRA Annual Meeting earlier this year, and he offered me a pair of their glasses to try. I took him up on it, and have been wearing a pair of their “Gauge” glasses since late spring. I’m primarily a pistol shooter, and participate in USPSA and steel matches all summer long.
I’ve typically worn a set of glasses from another large manufacturer (begins with “O”) with interchangeable lenses for different lighting conditions. That works fine, as long as you’re willing to carry the spare lenses with you all day. But one of the great features of the Hunters HD Gold line of glasses is that they feature photochromic lenses which become lighter or darker as the ambient light changes. Combined with the high definition gold tint, this means great visibility whether indoors or outside, in bright sunlight or shade, and in all types of weather.
Whether in clouds or sun, there’s no need to change lenses with Hunters HD Gold.
One thing I was curious about, however, was how well I might be able to see different fiber optic sight colors, or red-dot sighting systems through the gold lenses. I shouldn’t have worried; both red and green fiber optics and the dot in my Aimpoint sight all popped clearly into view. Bright white painted steel targets didn’t wash out the picture, either, as the glasses provided excellent contrast between my sights and the steel plates. I even tried them with my archery sight, with the same great results. In every shooting situation I’ve worn them in, the Hunters HD Gold glasses have helped cut glare and enhance contrast and clarity.
Hunters HD Gold glasses are available in a variety of styles, and are made in the USA with impact-rated and UV blocking Trivex lenses. Need prescription lenses? Hunters HD Gold glasses can also be made with single vision prescriptions, or with bi- or tri-focal lenses using their TriVueLens progressive design which eliminates lines and image jumps typical to some lined lenses.
If you are looking for advanced eye protection for the shooting sports which offers both safety and great vision, I’d suggest giving Hunters HD Gold a look. Detailed information and retail links are available on their website at: https://huntershdgold.com/
In my military career, I have shot the M16 more times than I care to remember. Imagine lying outside in the prone position in the rain or snow trying to shoot; miserable. Miraculously, those elements had no effect on my shooting ability. I learned that the weather, my attitude, and location would vary each time I shot, but four fundamentals stayed the same through those shooting experiences. I had established a steady position, my aim, breathe control, and trigger squeeze. These skills sound pretty simple but surprisingly many people might forget one or two of them.
Without getting too technical, I’ll cover these four basic skills mixing in my previous experience with text book answers. I truly believe everyone should understand, practice, and apply these skills on and off the firing line.
Steady Position
Pretty straight forward. The firer should assume a steady, comfortable position on the firing line. The firer is the best judge on their position, and they should be able to hold the front sight post steady during a shot.
Rifle Butt Position – Place in pocket of firers’ shoulder which helps reduce recoil.
Firing Elbow – Depending on the firing position, the firer should ensure their elbow placement allows their shoulders to stay level. For an unsupported prone positon, elbow is usually tucked close to the body. This helps keep the butt stock in the shoulder pocket.
Non-Firing Elbow Placement – Firmly under rifle providing a comfortable, steady position. If the firer shoots at moving or various elevated targets, this elbow supports those movements.
Cheek Placement – Firers’ cheek should naturally fall onto the stock, neck relaxed. This placement also reinforces a natural line of sight through the rear sight, front sight, and onto the target. Tip: To achieve the same cheek position every time, firer can use two fingers to measure between their charging handle/rear sight and cheek. This ensures the same distance used every time.
Aiming
The firer needs to align the rifle with the target the exact way every time. To do this, there are a few important sight elements that come to play.
Aligning The Sights – The firer needs to have the tip of the front sight post centered in the rear sight. It is critical to know that any miniscule misalignment here multiples the further the target is. A twentieth of an inch misalignment at a 25 meter target can cause the firer to miss their 300m target by about 2 feet!
Eye Focus/Fatigue – Unless you have experience, it is common misconception for new firers to keep one eye closed while aiming. One eye closed will actually cause very fast eye fatigue. Leaving both eyes open reduces eye fatigue which aids in keeping the same sight picture. In conjunction, the eye should be focused on the tip of the front sight post which makes the target blurry, but that is normal. This aids in proper sight alignment.
Sight Picture – Having the sights aligned and aiming point pinned, the firer can now take their sight picture. The target, front sight post, and rear sight post will be aligned.
Breath Control
The firer needs to control their breathing during target engagement. Practicing on paper targets is a sure fire way of seeing if breathing is under control. If a firer’s shot group shows elevation changes (up and down variance) between shots, it is likely they need to practice breathing control.
Natural Exhale Pause – If engaging targets with an increased time limit or zeroing the weapon, the natural pause of exhale in a breathing cycle is when the firer needs to pull the trigger.
Stop Breathing – If the shooting exercise employs very limited timed targets, the firer can expect to stop their breath before squeezing the trigger.
Trigger Squeeze
At last, the final fundamental. The firer can have all other fundamentals perfect, but if the trigger squeeze is off, the rifle misaligns with the target at the firing moment. Dry fire training is the best way to practice and examine whether trigger squeeze is being utilized correctly. If the firer’s shot group shows wide horizontal variance between shots, this is a big indicator of trigger squeeze.
Surprise Shot! – Many firers overthink this one. If the firer knows when they will pull the trigger, this will activate their natural reflexes such as tensing up for the recoil which can make them miss the target. Tip: Firer should focus on their breathing. This will eliminate the anxiety of thinking about squeezing the trigger.
Trigger Finger – The firing hand’s index finger should have the trigger positioned between the first joint and tip of finger. Using the absolute end of the finger could result in a very slight pull/jerking motion on the trigger, resulting in rifle movement.
Wrapping Up
Shooting takes practice. Some people are naturally good shooters while others may have a few kinks to work out. These rifle fundamentals are here to instill the rifle marksmanship basics from veteran shooters down to the utmost beginner. With these marksman skills in mind, remember that it might take more than one try to get them nailed down and that is ok. Aside from these skills, always remember to practice rifle
This guest article was written by Joshua Babicz. He is the founder of a firearm blog, combated. This firearm enthusiast served 6 years Active duty Army and continues to serve as a reservist.
This week Michael and I talk about concealed carrying your firearm every day.When and where to carry is a little like walking around naked.Some places its comfortable, and other times its inappropriate, offense and even illegal.Mike says you need:
Mindset
Skills
Tactics
Gear
Insurance (we suggest the United States Concealed Carry Association https://uscca.blackmanwithagun.com )
Movie Reference
If you want to see a movie that does everything wrong, check out this 1976 classic film. Silencers on revolvers, pump shotguns that shoot 3x before reloading and more. All the things that feed the ignorance and fear of anti-rights folks and those that fear guns.
Welcome to all new listeners. thanks for being a part of my family.I look forward to talking with you in the future.Join us online on our Facebook page @facebook.com/blackmanwithagun1
And for some reason I had a little Georgia on my Mind. I share a little history of gun laws in Georgia. The past wasn’t pretty and usually isn’t but we have two great groups now in the Peach State. Check out NAAGA.co aka the National African American Gun Association and GeorgiaCarry.org that is doing great things. I had a chance to present there and it was phenomenal.
I am a fan of https://Crossbreedholsters.com and they support this podcast. Please reciprocate if you are looking for leather belts, holsters and magazine wear.
Mike mentioned three holster companies he likes – one of which was JM4 Tactical.
Tips Feature:Effective ways to train on a budget
Maryland Gun Owners please join and support: https://www.marylandshallissue.org
PS
I realized this week that having a co-host can be a benefit. Michael has helped me in times when I was frustrated with politics of gun rights. His being new and still excited to the movement is sometimes contagious.
I have started a fiction series about a blues playing werewolf named Solomon Love.It’s different than my pro-gun, 2A stuff you know about.I am hoping you will check out my books.I am working on the third now, the first two are available on Amazon and Kindle.Do me a favor and buy them, review them and support this facet of my life.
I got a chance to review TimberVaults.com’s Homestead Gun Concealment Mirror, w/RFID Lock. In one word: impressive. This is something John Wick would have.
After ordering the mirror, it arrived quickly. It looks good. It’s quality furniture. It works. It’s made in Florida. It’s perfect for bedrooms or living rooms. Inside, your valuables are safely and securely hidden. RFID locking mechanism offers more security than a typical magnet-based lock. It’s one-piece construction makes installation much easier. It’s designed for placement between two wall studs on 16” centers.
I really like this. I have a persnickety spouse, so if it looked cheap, it wasn’t going to be used. She likes it.
You can adjust or remove internal shelves to accommodate a variety of private items. Velcro lining provides secure placement. Two strong magnets securely hold metal objects like knives or handguns. It comes with two RFID key cards and one programming key card.
According to the instructions, Every unit is pre-programmed with an audible warning when the RFID locks batteries are nearing end of life.
The only negative for this piece of furniture is that you have to mount it inside your wall. If you are not a DIY, and have knowledge of drywall construction, you made need to Google it for YOuTube or get a handy friend. It is made to recess into you wall so that it is “concealed” and looks like a flush wall mirror. While that may be obvious to some, I didn’t want to leave you without tell you. This may be especially crucial for an apartment owner or renter that cannot alter the walls of your dwelling. It’s not hard labor though.
If you want to be prepared, secure or pretend to be John Wick, check out TimberVaults.com and tell them Kenn Blanchard sent you.
I think a lot of what is put out about 3D Blueprinting guns is bovine excrement (BS). I admit that some of the reports are true, but I don’t believe the hype is warranted. It doesn’t represent freedom. It doesn’t present a clear and present danger. It is just another “thing.”
I say this because I see the folks that are benefiting from the attention. This thing has been around since 2013 and is coming from what looks like to me a guy loving the attention with his ugly plastic gun called the Liberator. Which looks a little like the real metal pistol (FP-45 Liberator manufactured by the US military during World War II for use by resistance forces in occupied territories. Comparatively, a zip gun from the streets is more dangerous than this 3D printed gun)
So what happened?
Cody Wilson, of Defense Distributed, came under fire after uploading code for the world’s first 3D printable firearm, a plastic single-shot pistol also called “The Liberator.” It’s now out there for all.
As a responsible gun owner and lifetime activist, I know that except for gaining attention, and giving ammunition to politicians that will milk this thing for all they can— it’s a non-issue.
In 1982, when Gaston Glock put out his 17th version of his safe action pistol made of 33 parts, in polymer and steel, called the Glock 17, folks said the same thing about “plastic guns.” It even made a mention in the first Die Hard movie. The myth of the plastic gun is that it will be able to go undetected. The truth is that bullets if nothing else are metallic. The quality of gun that can be made with a 3D printer would not be economical, practical, or safe. But that doesn’t stop anyone from hyping this thing.
What is 3D Printing really?
3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D-printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process, an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.
It starts with making a virtual design of the object that is to be created. This virtual design is made in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file using a 3D-modeling program (for the creation of a totally new object) or with the use of a 3D scanner (to copy an existing object). A 3D scanner makes a 3D digital copy of an object.
According to the news, Cody Wilson is suing the U.S. State Department for his constitutional right to 3D print guns. In May 2013, the federal government demanded that Wilson take down the instructions. They claimed that Wilson and his company Defense Distributed were exporting secret military hardware for anyone to take, which violates the International Traffic in Arms Regulations or ITAR.
However, Wilson believes that 3D-printed guns should be protected by not only the Second Amendment but the First as well. Technically all he created was a digital how-to guide, which is free speech, he says.
Wilson’s lawyers told the New York Times that the case was supposed to be settled two months after the State Department ordered the instructions removed. But after two years without a ruling, Wilson is counter-suing for having his speech restricted. As the Times noted, Wilson thinks his effort drew particular scrutiny because it happened shortly after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in December 2012.
One of the things I learned after this podcast episode is that all of Cody’s files are already in the public and that 3D printing is not only polymers but you can also do it in metals like even titanium.
It’s not good for our community to side with this crap. It’s not a threat. It is feeding the attention whores on both sides of the argument. Politicians are using this to scare people and galvanize their campaigns.
Don’t be fooled by the threat of a 3D printed gun. A 3D printer can cost around $2500. Any gun printed can be detected by TSA and almost all x-ray machines.
Criminals are not going to all that trouble, since the guns themselves tend to disintegrate quickly and traditional firearms are easier to come by.
Unlike traditional firearms that can fire thousands of rounds in a lifetime, these polymer ones usually hold a bullet or two and then must be manually loaded afterward. And they’re not usually very accurate.
3D printers can make parts for guns to make them un-serialized aka “ghost guns” but the BATFE is well aware of all of that. A ghost gun is a firearm without a serial number. To the uninitiated it sounds like the stuff movies are made of. It’s not. In the US, under Federal law, it is legal to make a firearm for your own use. It has to be a firearm that is not regulated under NFA. That means it can’t be fully automatic, a short barrel shotgun, a short barrel rifle, or a disguised gun of some sort.
Zip Guns
The premise, however, is great for political grandstanding. Case in point, there is a state attorney that is also suing the Trump administration for making the settlement with the guy that started this whole thing out of Texas. In addition, their lawsuit asks for a nationwide temporary restraining order that’ll prevent him from uploading the gun design files online.
Last week, attorney’s general from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the city of Los Angeles also threatened legal action in an effort to ban access to the guys’ website in their local jurisdictions.
My point is; 3D gun printing is here and possible but this is not a bell we should be ringing in celebration of freedom. Don’t give the anti-freedom people a rope to hang us with using the support of the ignorant.
This video is pretty snazzy. And makes some points that I agree with and disagree with.
What do you think?
This week on the Black Man With A Gun Show Podcast ends a month long break I took to reassess and reflect on my success and failures of blogging and podcasting. I attended the Podcast Movement and hobnobbed with successful podcasters and Content Creators. I got a chance to remember why I do this thing that my wife still doesn’t understand called “podcasting.” She is not alone though.
I plan to be more purposeful with the show. It even starts with a new tag line, which is “The Responsible Gun Owners Podcast.” I have decided to “stay in my lane,” and be the common sense guy. That alone ought to ruffle feathers the way things are now.
Last week, I married a couple of great people under the Speak Life Church banner at Duke University Chapel but before going to Podcast Movement. Michael J. Woodland reviews the Break Thru Clean product for us.
I’ve reviewed firearms, food, gun parts, airguns, and clothing, but this is the first social media service I have ever had the opportunity to test drive. This is an extremely positive review of a service I used from SocialNetworkElite.com to increase my Instagram (IG) numbers. Everybody doesn’t use IG but if you do and don’t have a network television show, or a staff of folks helping you, I got a recommendation for you.
I didn’t know what to expect when the CEO, Justin H., of this new company hit me up. He gave me 30 days to kick the tires of this thing. I was leery. I didn’t want “bots” or fake accounts. The process was easy. The growth was organic. It didn’t happen over night but once it began it was constant. I am glad I agreed to be a “test dummy” on this thing. The results are in. I hit my thirty-day mark in a couple of days from now.
At the time of this post, I kept over 600 new followers. I had more but I am persnickety. I un-followed some folks, that didn’t share my view of things. You get to decide. This service works folks! According to IG, my profile has been visited 813 times in the last seven days.
If you truly want to organically increase your instagram follower numbers, visit social network elite now.
I’ve been podcasting since 2007. The Black Man With A Gun website has been around since 2000. I know 999 things that don’t work. I am still at it. Podcasting still is an awesome medium for marketing even if the firearms industry doesn’t know it yet as a whole. It won’t replace terrestrial radio but has its own space. It has a long tail. I love it.
The Black Man With A Gun Show provides a connection to the people I know and would hang out with if they lived next door, around the world. We know each other. I love the people in the gun community.
So before hanging up my microphone, (which I was considering) I decided to go to the largest podcast convention for content creators, movers and shakers to better my craft. My wife still doesn’t understand that I have almost 2,000,000 downloads in a niche. Nor exactly what a podcast is but it’s OK. She’s not the only one. Podcasting itself is less than 20 years old. I went to the 2018 Podcast Movement in Philadelphia. Here are some of my biggest Podcast Movement lessons.
The event started for me with an Ignite speech. It was a chance for me to deliver a five minute talk with (20) PowerPoint slides to showcase my gift of public speaking. I’ve been speaking for 20 years and pretty comfortable on stage. Although this crowd was not part of the gun community per se, communication is still key. I realized during this conference that maybe one of the things I could do to help others is to show how to be better on stage.
The next three days were full of presentations, media exhibits and meeting people. The most important thing was the development of those new relationships, and connecting with like-minded people from around the world. I got to talk to a handful of folks that are changing the world through their content creation.
I got a chance to ask the pros what worked in their markets. What was selling and what was not.
There were probably 1800 people there or more. All of us had something in common. We had community. We had family. We have something to say.
It was an expensive week, but I think it was worth it. I’m going to spend more time making my show better for my community. Going to do more of what you like. I’m going to be more purposeful in my content. And continue to lead.
I met podcasters like Entrepreneur On Fire, John Lee Dumas. I got to hang out with John Dennis and Chris Krimitsos. Really nice guys that are like family to me.
I got a selfie with the lovable Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income. Pat gave the Key note speech and even brought his son into the act (literally). Nice.
We celebrated a Hall of Fame moment with my buddy Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting. He was actually inducted into the Podcasters Hall of Fame that week.
I got the opportunity to speak to podcast editor great, Steve Stewart. And a boatload of positive people like Monica Rivera, from You Wanna Do What podcast. It was a great week.
Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.
Which looks a little like the real metal pistol (
