Paladin Training, Inc.

I very strongly recommend you download and read William Forstchen’s DAY OF WRATH.

This is a timely and urgent book about ISIL attacking targets inside the US.  Forstchen has simply taken actions these animals have already committed elsewhere and set them in small towns in the United States.  Nothing speculative about it.

Since 2002 or so, when it became apparent the Islamists had failed to achieve their purpose, I and others have been warning that the next attack would be directed at the heartland of America.

Listen, we can talk about everyone being a citizen of NYC if it makes us feel better, but the truth of the matter is the attacks of 9-11-01 took place far, far away from the majority of America.  NYC and DC might as well be on the moon for all the thought I give them each day.

But, if terrorists simultaneously attacked school buses filled with kids as they went about their routes in different rural areas across America, that would forever change the lives of millions of Americans.  Imagine the same thing taking place at high school football or basketball games across America.  Things would change.  If you believe you have less freedom as a result of The Patriot Act, you haven’t seen anything like the repressive laws that would come about in the wake of this type of event.

We are led by people who ‘never let a good crisis go to waste’.

I do believe it’s just a matter of time.

We can and must ready ourselves.  We must ready our families.

Read more here about the book and:  AboutISIL

Please remember to use www.smile.amazon.com and support Paladin Training’s mission.  I’d link directly to the book but I can’t figure out how to do it without linking my account.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the instructor killed when a 9 year old student lost control of a fully automatic pistol.  I probably shouldn’t use the terms ‘instructor’ and ‘student’ when talking about the relationship between these two people.  That event was about amusement, not training.

But, what a tragic story for everyone involved!  A husband, father and veteran is dead in his prime, a young girl is surely traumatized and likely robbed of a future that, until this occurred, included at least the hypothetical chance of learning how to defend herself with a firearm.

Plenty has already been said and written about fault so I’ll fore go that.  Let’s talk instead a little about training kids to shoot.  Really, I could use some training in that area myself as (a) Paladin is not in the business of training young children in gun safety, and (b) Libby and I don’t have children.

It doesn’t take any skill and not a whole lot of physical strength to ‘shoot’ a gun.  Very young people can support (i.e., hold) and fire a gun.  The important question is this:

Can they CONTROL the gun during recoil?

If you intend to supervise a young person shooting a SEMI-AUTO,  load the gun as a single shot, charging the magazine with only one round, until they have demonstrated the ability to handle the recoil.

People are dead because they fired guns that recoiled more than they could control:  Hit in the top of the head by barrels, hit in the head by rounds unintentionally fired while the gun was in full recoil, etc.

Maybe because it’s what I learned on, I think the ideal handgun for teaching a new shooter the fundamentals of marksmanship is a Ruger Single Six revolver in .22 LR.

Consider these points:

1. Inherently accurate
2. Cheap ammunition
3. Little recoil and blast
4. Has to be manually cocked for each shot, effectively making it a single shot
5. Good sights and trigger
6. Rugged and durable
7. Won’t be ‘outgrown’
   And lastly, seemingly at odds to the purpose of shooting well…
8. Has a long, relatively slow hammer fall

Number 8 is actually a plus, from a training standpoint, because it means that the shooter must concentrate on the fundamental of ‘Follow Thru’ in order to shoot the gun well.

In essence you have a gun that is accurate, but you have to work a little more to shoot it accurately.

If you take this advice seriously, might as well get the convertible version that comes with a .22 WMR cylinder.  This will greatly increase the versatility of the gun.

If you want to learn a little more about the firearm that was used in the incident in Arizona, here’s a YouTube video on the Micro Uzi:

Interestingly, and perhaps relevant to the accident in Arizona, in his opening remarks the shooter mentions a problem with the folding stock.  He says it’s common.  I haven’t a clue as I’ve never fired one.  But, you can see it happen around the 4:30 mark.  Notice that, when the stock comes loose, the muzzle moves to the left and up… where the instructor was positioned.

Cast of characters:

• Gaskins – the shooter / driver
• Burr – the witness / passenger
• Turner – the deceased
• Two juveniles – sons of Gaskins and Burr / back-seat passengers

In August 2013, Gaskins drove Burr and the two boys to Turner’s house to retrieve some medication for Burr’s son.  Turner and Burr’s estranged wife were living together.

Turner met them in the front yard, carrying a baseball bat and acting in an agitated manner.  It would later be determined his BAC was .21%.

According to Gaskins, Turner opened the PASSENGER side door, pointed the bat at Burr and threatened the two men with bodily harm.  Gaskins said he tried to get Turner to step away but he ‘wouldn’t get away from the car’.  Gaskins said he feared for their safety, pulled a pistol from his pocket and shot Turner three times.  Turner died at the scene.  Gaskins was arrested and charged with murder.

At a pre-trial hearing, Gaskins’ attorney sought immunity from prosecution under the Protection of Persons and Property Act.  Circuit Judge Henry James recently rendered the opinion that the PPPA does not apply, which means the case will go to trial.  I think he’s correct.

Disclaimer #1: All the above comes from the Florence Morning News.  You can read it here: SCNow

Disclaimer #2: I am not a  lawyer.  What follows is not legal advice, etc., etc.

Pertinent Sections of The Protection of Persons and Property Act (PPPA)   

(Read it in full here:  16-11-410 )

SECTION 16-11-440. Presumption of reasonable fear of imminent peril when using deadly force against another unlawfully entering residence, occupied vehicle or place of business.

(A) A person is presumed to have a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily injury to himself or another person when using deadly force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily injury to another person if the person:

(1) against whom the deadly force is used is in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or has unlawfully and forcibly entered a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or if he removes or is attempting to remove another person against his will from the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; and

(2) who uses deadly force knows or has reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act is occurring or has occurred.

(C) A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in another place where he has a right to be, including, but not limited to, his place of business, has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or another person or to prevent the commission of a violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60.

(D) A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a person’s dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or a violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60.