KR TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 NEWS
WHERE WAS THE JANUARY NEWSLETTER?
This newsletter is the January/February newsletter because the political situation and other issues were changing rapidly in January. There is a lot of content in this longer-than-usual newsletter. There was so much information that there is a second page of links to relevant articles.
UPCOMING CLASSES WITH SPACE AVAILABLE
Almost every class on our schedule through early May is sold out. Thanks for your support of our training program!
Check our schedule page for a listing of courses that still have slots open between now and the NRA convention the 1st weekend of May.
SUMMER CLASSES
I am still working on our schedule for May-August 2013. I have many requests and am trying to work them all in. Traveling instructors and special courses we are considering for summer and fall 2013:
- NRA Pistol and Rifle Instructor June 1-3
- Dynamic First Aid (Lone Star Medics 1 day course) - June
- NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home Instructor (3 days) - August
- Robert Vogel Competition Course (2 days) - early September
- Rangemaster Combative Pistol 1 (2 days) or Level 2 (2 days) - October
- Medicine-X (Lone Star Medics 2 days) - September/October
If you are interested in any of these courses, please let me know.
AMMUNITION SHORTAGES
Ammunition is almost impossible to find. If you are registered for any class between now and May, I strongly recommend that you make sure you have sufficient ammunition on hand for the course, or start shopping for that ammo now, because the likelihood that you'll be able to run out to the store and buy what you need the night before class day is basically zero. I have no secret sources for ammo and have no significant quantities of ammo on hand to sell, loan or give to students.
This new website claims to have information on which online retailers have ammo in stock.
GUN POLITICS
Since our last newsletter, the school shooting at Sandy Hook, CT, and the media and political reaction to it have resulted in all of the following significant events:
- The biggest gun and ammuntion buying frenzy in US history. The entire "supply chain" of the gun industry has been drained. Shelves are bare, vendors cannot keep up with demand.
- People that have never owned guns before are buying them; gun owners who have never owned AR's before are buying them.
- Ammunition has become very difficult to obtain, and it's selling for 2-3x what it was selling for back in October 2012.
- Demand for training is also at record levels.
- The "mainstream" media and many Democratic politicians (including some in 'political' positions within DoD) have engaged in a major campaign, using emotionally provocative language, vague statements poorly supported (or totally unsupported) by data, and technically inaccurate statements about semiautomatic firearms, to stir up public support for new gun control laws, none of which would have prevented the Sandy Hook incident or other similar incidents.
- The bias of the media elites against guns and gun owners, and the media's desire to assist in the gun banning effort, has never been so strong or so obvious as it has been in the past few months.
- NBC media personality David Gregory violated DC gun laws on national television but was not prosecuted, while military veterans guilty of the same offense receive the full penalty of the law.
- Companies, from NBC, and the Discovery Channel to Groupon, Intuit and Time Warner, have all implemented "symbolic" measures that discriminate against gun owners or gun businesses (cancelling shows, ads or refusing to provide service to gun businesses).
- President Obama issued 23 Executive Actions, most of which were symbolic and/or pointless, except for the actions related to encouraging health care providers to notify government officials about their patients' gun ownership and mental state related to firearms use. Those directives, if implemented, will destroy the traditional doctor-patient relationship and likely result in gun owners needing mental health treatment choosing not to seek it, out of justifable fear that speaking honestly to their doctor will result in loss of their gun rights.
- Extremely draconian gun laws have been passed or proposed in many majority-Democrat states (NY, NJ, CO, CA, CT, MN, MA, IL, MO), restricting magazine capacities to 5, 6 or 7 rounds, proposing bans with no grandfathering, making possession of prohibited magazines a felony, and authorizing law enforcement to go door-to-door to inspect and/or seize firearms.
- A UK-based gun show promoter who decided to ban the display and sale of "assault weapons" at a major gun show in PA had to cancel the show, because over 200 vendors pulled out in protest of their policy.
- Sheriffs are making public statements that they will refuse to enforce new gun laws or Executive orders, should they be enacted. The current number is over 200. Many sheriffs in Texas have made public statements.
- An attempt by Travis County Commissioners to shut down gun shows in the Austin area failed, and state Attorney General Greg Abbott threatened Travis County with "a double barrelled lawsuit" if they passed a ban. Expect the Travis County Commissioners to attempt this ban again when the current contract has expired, and please remember that next time you vote for these offices.
- The Texas Legislature will be considering many gun bills, including campus carry, open carry (only legal if you use a level 2 retention holster), and reduction of the training hours required for Texas CHL from 10 to 4 hours, in the upcoming session.
WHAT TO DO?
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg (founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, whose members have committed multiple felony crimes) will end his term as NY mayor in 2013, and he has pledged to devote all his resources to 'breaking the NRA'. His money was used to launch a blitz of advertising that drove a pro-gun Democrat out of an important race in Illinois. The anti-gun wing of the Democratic Party is exploiting every option in the most serious political 'push' in 20 years. The future of gun rights in America is at stake.
- Join the NRA.
- (Special $300 NRA Life membership offer!)
- Join the Texas State Rifle Association.
- Join the Second Amendment Foundation.
These are the organizations that are fighting for your rights in the state capitol, inside the Beltway and in the courts. They are the reason we have concealed carry in Texas; the reason the 1994 assault weapon and magazine ban expired in 2004, restoring our standard capacity magazines and AR-15s; the reason we won the McDonald and Heller cases in the Supreme Court, finally getting a SCOTUS decision that clearly states that the 2nd amendment is an individual right.
Use the Ruger website to send a form letter to your representatives.
This is not the year to refuse to be an NRA or TSRA member because you "don't agree with what they stand for" on minor nuances or because you object to their junk mail. They are the strongest, best funded, most likely to succeed lobbying voices we have. If you do not join and support them as they speak for you to those that make the laws, you are essentially getting a 'free ride' on the backs and out of the wallets of those of us who have contributed to them in the past.
Take a non-shooter to the range. There's no shortage of statistical data and logical arguments supporting the pro-gun position, but often the best way to get someone that is neutral or negative about guns to consider new information is to provide them an actual experience shooting and handling a real gun.
More ideas on "what to do" from KR Training assistant instructors John Daub and Paul Martin.
The Truth About Guns blog is promoting March 9th as "Take a Newbie Shooting" day. They will be running an event at Best of the West range near Austin.
KR TRAINING SHOOTING TEAM NEWS
Thanks to multiple "special classifier matches" held in December at the Bullet Hole and Austin Rifle Club, Karl moved up to Master class in USPSA Production Division (was already Master class in Open, Limited, and Limited 10 divisions), and is now ranked in "A" class in Revolver and Single Stack. In February, KR Training team shooter Dave Reichek promoted to Master class in IDPA in the Stock Service Pistol division and won another local IDPA carbine/pistol match.
Karl and Penny assisted the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Team in running a Scholastic Pistol regional match in College Station on February 2. The TAMU team won the match. KR Training, along with the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, also co-sponsored two teams of junior shooters from the Dripping Springs 4-H Club.
The New York Times recently ran a long article about junior shooting programs such as Scholastic Pistol, presenting them in a negative way, as part of their general opposition to gun ownership in all forms.
IPSC & STEEL CHALLENGE RACEGUN FOR SALE
From assistant instructor John Kochan: for sale - IPSC/Steel Open Gun. Tripp research (STI) frame, Caspian hybrid with Titanium comp for IPSC Major, also second top end setup for Minor Steel loads, 2nd top end does not have dot sight any more. Includes 3X 140mm Mags and 1X 170mm Mag w/Dawson basepads. 1000 Pieces Remington 38 Super +P brand new brass and another ~1000 pieces of fired brass. Dillon seat and crimp dies as well. $2K takes all. Located in Central Texas, prefer face to face transfer with you having a CHL. If it has to be shipped, buyer pays FFL and shipping fees. Contact John for more information.
NRA ANNUAL CONVENTION
The NRA's annual convention will be in Houston May 3-5. Many of the KR Training crew will be there for one or more days. NRA is looking for volunteers to work the air gun range and other parts of the convention. Volunteers get credit for merchandise from the NRA store, a pin and a hat. Here's the link for those interested in volunteering.
More blog posts and interesting links on page 2
WELCOME TO 2013!
Remember: A gun is like a parachute. If you need one, and don't have one, you'll probably never need one again.
2013 will be an important year in the history of gun rights, nationally as well as at the state level.
We look forward to seeing all of you in a class sometime in 2013!
Karl, Penny and the KR Training crew