Why I Carry a Gun

As a Concealed Carry Instructor I have had a lot of fun teaching people to shoot safely and learn how to defend themselves. Empowering people has been a blast, please excuse the pun. My family has made the decision that we will defend ourselves and not be victims. We will not go out an look for trouble and will take every opportunity to avoid trouble. However, there are many reasons that we have to defend ourselves and the number of reasons is growing.

As the economy gets tougher, and the housing bubble busting on the East and West Coasts, crime will be rising. With the failure of our Government to secure our boarder this will exacerbate the problem with the home grown thugs trying to keep up with the imported gangs and insurgents. I personally have had to stop several home invasions, help neighbors with their homes after being broken into, and save several different women from being raped from bad guys. All of this without being a Law Enforcement Officer. I just happen to be in the wrong place at the right time to help my neighbors and friends.

All of that being said, one of the biggest reasons that I choose to carry a side arm is because of the wild animals. We love to spend time out doors and enjoy nature. Some times nature chooses to be a little more aggressive than we would like. We have had Mountain Lyons and Bears around our place for years and we have to be careful to stay out of their way and not become breakfast. Our neighbors have not been as lucky, as their family pets had been carried off by the Mountain Lyon. Pictured on the right is one of them going across in front of our house on Saturday the 15th of Feb. 2008. We had setup cameras trying to catch bad guys stealing gas and caught Monty jogging through instead.

What ever your reason for wanting to carry a gun, please take a little bit of advice. Practice, seek advice from local experts, and lock them up when not in use. The life you save just may be your own.

Happy Trails and Keep the Lead Down Range - Clark - Carryconcealed.net.

When will stupid crooks learn? Do not mess with a Marine no matter how old he is.. Once a Marine, Always a Marine.

There have been many cases in the last few years like this one:

"Mess With a Marine Who’s Trying To Eat: Police investigate the scene –The 71-year-old retired Marine who opened fire on two robbers at a Plantation, FL , sub shop late Wednesday, killing one and critically wounding the other, is described as John Lovell, a former pilot for two presidents. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he works out everyday.

Lovell was a man of action Wednesday night. According to Plantation police, two masked gunmen came into the Subway at 1949 N. Pine Rd. Just after 11 p.m. There was a lone diner— Lovell, who was finishing his meal. After robbing the cashier, t he two men attempted to shove Lovell into a bathroom and rob him as well. They got his money. But then Lovell pulled his handgun, opened fire, shooting one of the thieves in the head and chest and the other in the head.

When police arrived, they found one of the men in the shop. K-9 units found the other in the bushes of a nearby business. They also found cash strewn around the front of the sandwich shop according to Detective Robert Rettig of the Plantation Police Department.&n bsp; Both men were taken to Broward General Medical Center , where one, Donicio Arrindell, 22, of North Lauderdale died. The other, 21-year-old Frederick Gadson of Fort Lauderdale is in critical but stable condition.

A longtime friend of Lovell, was not surprised to hear what happened. “He’d give you the shirt off his back and he’d be mad if someone tried to take the shirt off your back,” he said. Lovell worked as a pilot for the Marines, flying former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He later worked as a pilot for Pan Am and Delta. Lovell is not married and does no t have children. He is not expected to be charged, authorities said “He was in fear for his life,”

Rettig said. “These criminals ought to realize that most men in their 70’s have military backgrounds and aren’t intimidated by idiots.” Something tells me This this old Marine wasn't “in fear” even though his life was definitely at risk. The only thing he could be charged with is participating in an unfair fight. One 71-year young Marine against two punks. Two head shots and one center -body-mass shot - good shooting! That’ll teach them not to get between a Marine and his meal."

This was e-mailed to us by Dan, one of our Carryconcealed.net Contributors. When will dumb crooks learn that there are people no-matter what age that will defend themselves. It is not the fact that he had the training, it is the fact that he had the attitude, coupled with the training to not be a victim.

Think like a sheep and you will be heard-ed like a sheep - That would be Baaad.

Happy Trails and Keep the lead down range. Clark - Carryoncealed.net

Maybe the LDS Church Should Reconsider

While I am not a member of the LDS Church, I do have a lot of friends that are members. We have enjoyed the theological discussions regarding the history of the LDS church. While they have been known as the "Mormons" their headquarters is in Utah. Without going into a religious discussion regarding the LDS Church, it surprises me that they are planning on placing signs throughout Utah effectively banning guns from each of the temples and wards. With a the LDS Church having a history of overcoming all obstacles in order to carry thier religion to the rest of the world, it is surprising that they are banning legal CCW permit holders who are members of the LDS Church from carrying in their own churches.

They should take a moment and take a look at several cases where normal parishioners from other denominations have saved lives in thier own churches by having a legal CCW permit and being in the church when disaster attacks. The most recent was in Colorado when the volunteer security commitee member was instrumental in stopping a shooter with over 1,000 rounds and a AK47 as he was heading into the church. With an estimated 6,000 in attendance a lot of lives were saved because she was there and she was armed.

Many of our CCW classes are filled with local church members from other denominations that are encouraging their patrons to get training and thier permits. There are several churches that I know there are a very high percentage of parishioners that carry thier legal handguns to church. Those would be the churches that terrorists or crazies would not receive the pacifist welcome they expect.

Happy Trails and keep the lead down range. Clark -Carryconcealed.net

Which sign is on your door?

This was sent in to us by one of our readers. He states that he is an NRA Life Member, and was a certified pistol instructor.

His letter states: "I 've got to say that I'm very pleased to have found you folks on the Internet. And I hope that your commitment to responsible self defense will favorably influence others to get their heads out of the sand and take a positive and proactive stand against crime, and no longer accept being passive victims."

The sign on the right was something he jotted down after 9/11 and after Katrina he felt it more valid than when he originally wrote it.

We at Carryconcealed.net would like to thank him for sending this in, but we would also like to challenge everyone in the United States to take this one step further.

Make a plan for any disaster, prepare for the plan, and implement the plan. The sign on the door is more than a warning for bad guys, it is only one part of a plan for your families safety.

Make a plan, and implement the plan, the life you save may just be your own.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range - Clark Carryconcealed.net

The measure of a man is not in the day to day living, but rather what is his reaction to a disaster

After watching Oklahoma setting a record for 6 national disasters in one year; you would think that people would plan for a disaster. During the power shortages in Oklahoma where some 600,000 people were without power for long periods of times we did not see the news covering looting, rioting as we did with Katrina. What they did cover was the Red Cross coordinating shelters, neighbors helping each other, churches opening their doors, and electric companies sending employees from across the country to help get power back up. This is a great story of countless hours of volunteers that cared for their neighbors throughout the ice ravaged area. It looked like a bomb had gone off in many areas of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. We however as a family did not spend much time working on our issues because we were prepared and did not have the disruptions that impacted so many other people. We did have a great time helping neighbors and our church. My son took this picture of an owl during the storm.

There are two key take aways from the ice storm of 2007. First that there were enough people that had a plan, additional supplies and were able to help. Second is that the people who did not have a plan did not panic, riot or loot. Seeing a disaster in a community brings out the best and worst of times. Lots of rebuilding and pain, and lots of community spirit were built in neighborhoods because of the team work that took place.

One key difference between the ice storm of 2007 in Oklahoma and Katrina was that the police were not instructed to pick up the guns from legal owners, and there were very few lootings reported. People were able to band together in their neighborhoods for help and security.

Today I was sitting in an office waiting for my next appointment when a government add came on showing terrorist blowing things up, landslides, tornado's, earthquakes and a family making a plan for communicating. The add had one point; make a plan for any disaster. Is your family ready for the next disaster? Do you have a plan?

Can you ask yourself the following questions: Can my family survive a natural or terrorist disaster without support from the local or national government for 72 hours; 6 months; or 1 year? Each time period has different requirements and different answers. Where do you go? How do you communicate with your family if the cell towers are down? How can you protect your family in a riot and the police cannot respond?

The more we can prepare for both natural and man-made disasters the better we will be prepared to help those who did not prepare. The measure of a man is not in the day to day living, but rather what is his reaction to a disaster. Take a moment and make a plan, communicate the plan with your family, and implement the plan. The life you save may just be your own.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range – Clark –Carryconcealed.net

Dad's, be very careful what you tell your sons.

Being an NRA Certified instructor and working with the Boy Scouts has been one of the highlights of my life. Being able to teach a young man safe gun handling, and life skills, is a reward that only those who have been teaching understand. We had our November camp out at my gun club. The Troop covered the shotgun and rifle basics, and then shot skeet, trap and .22 rifles. The weather was perfect and we also tried to allow the dads that were there to also shoot

After a great day of shooting we were all sitting around the campfire telling stories. Pictured on the left is the club right at sunset. Terry, one of the new dads, was telling a story on his own father. His dad had such a dry sense of humor that no one ever new if he was kidding or not.

Many years ago when Terry was about 9 years old he had his first lesson with the family .22. His dad had taken Terry out and showed him how to use the rifle and he had his first gun safety lesson. Several days later his dad said "Son go and shoot the cow we are going to butcher her tonight". Well a young man of 9 years old walks down to the barn and leads the cow to the house and shoots the cow right between the eyes. While we were deathly quiet around the campfire listening and waiting for the punch line, Terry continues and says he remembers his mother holding his dad down and saying "You told him to shoot the cow".

He described the event as being horrific, because they had to stop and butcher the family pet. I asked Terry if his dad had ever said anything to him, and he smiled and said no but his dad never made a joke like that again.

The reason this story is so important is because boys listen to their fathers. I have been able to see a difference in boys that have dads active in their lives and those that do not. If we are going to leave this country in a better condition for our grandchildren, we as men need to take the time and talk to our kids. We also need to take the time to give them the right directions the first time.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. Clark -Carryconcealed.net

NRA - It is not what it seems.

On the Friends of the NRA event web page this was posted.

"The National Rifle Association has selected three of its top Junior Members to receive the 2007 Outstanding Achievement Youth Award, recognizing them for their active participation in the community, the classroom, and the shooting sports. Overall, $10,000 in scholarship money was awarded to the winners thanks to a generous donation from Brownells, Inc., the world's largest supplier of firearms accessories and gunsmithing tools."

People have decided to label the NRA with a stereo type that is not correct. They have painted the NRA as the giant gun lobby that is trying to throw it's weight around and force politicians to bow down to their will.

If people would actually stop and look at what is going on and who is making those claims against the NRA. Let's take a little walk down history lane. In fact it was the NRA that helped minority towns to help defend themselves during the racial turmoil of the 50's and 60's. They were there when no one else would stand up for the minorities.

They are still very involved in training, and while doing so end up saving lives. The NRA trainers across the country are holding training classes every day because the NRA helped put training materials, and certification programs together. These programs are the very reason that we are able to implement the 2ND Amendment that we hold so dear. With out the trainers and the work that the NRA does, there would be millions of people shot accidentally, robbed or raped. There are several different reports showing that Americans save their families thousands upon thousands of times a year that do not get reported with the proper use of firearms. It is the ones that were not trained or did not follow the safety procedures that the news media publishes.

As an NRA Certified Instructor, I can not begin to tell you the satisfaction of having an underprivileged young man go through one of our camps and learn how to shoot a black powder or a .22 rifle. The fact that they can have a better understanding of what our forefathers had to do when they went hunting for food, or just learning the life skills regarding firearm safety. Their smiles are rewards enough, but it does not compare to when I train a family that has been receiving death threats. They are afraid they may be dead or raped before help can arrive, and there is no better feeling that one can get than helping a family have a fighting chance against the bad guys.

So the next time someone sitting next to you says something nasty and degrading about the NRA, ask them....How many organizations can actually have a rich history of giving back to the communities through scholarships, training communities in danger, and fighting for our rights to defend ourselves? If they still look at you like you are a right wing nut job, just smile and ask them how long it takes for the Police to arrive at their house?

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. Clark -Carryconcealed.net

The Perfect Home Defence

Let me tell you a short story. 13 years ago my wife and two kids were in the mall and walked by the animal adoption spot. As soon as they walked in I knew that I was dead meat. A pit in my stomach rose to my eye balls as I knew I was going home with a dog. While I have always had dogs; I had two kids, who needs a dog with kids around?

My son and daughter picked the ball of fur that ran right out of the pack and landed in their laps. There was no getting out of this one. Hank was only several months old and was a Blue Healer/Austrian Shepard mix. He grew faster than the kids and thought he was one of the kids.

Within the first year he had taken over his job as our protector. I was out of town on business and he normally slept in our bed room. He heard something and went to the front of the house and attacked the front door. The next morning my wife found a big muddy boot print on the front door and part of our retaining wall broken in as the bad guy was running to get away from Hank. This turned out to be only one of many times that he saved my family from bad guys, mountain lions, and lots of insurgent squirrels. He even was instrumental in saving our neighbor from a home invasion from folks that could not understand English.

As he was getting along in years we decided to get a buddy for him and that helped him stay young. We were surprised, but he took the lead and taught the new puppy all of the tricks, including potty training and who was the bad guy. At night we would say "Night Night" and he would go up to my son's room and the other puppy would sleep in our daughter's room. He would never miss a beat and let me know if some one was around. My wife and I really had a feeling of being protected with a dog in each of the kids rooms.

He again was getting along in years and we got another dog from the adoption folks to have him train the next one. With three dogs in the house it was a little wild. He again stepped up to the task and even seemed like he was going to live forever. The new puppy was trained in no time and we had a pack of protection. It was a good time for years to have a night time routine and have the dogs head upstairs to each of the kids rooms and then have Hank in our room. However, this could not last forever.

He and I had our last trip to our favorite place at the lake. We spent hours sitting and just going over the old times. He seemed to enjoy the time and even seemed to let me know he was going to be alright. On the way back up the hill to the house, he collapsed. He was not able to go on.
We may have lost our protector, but he has trained two wonderful friends. They are a great source of joy and still know their place in our family. Right in the middle of everything we are doing.

The purpose of this story is to let you know that if your are looking for protection, it can come in many different ways. One can be just as easy as going to your local pet adoption place and look for a "Hank". He or she will be a friend, companion and the best protection money can buy.
I only hope that I can live up to the person that Hank thought I was. I will miss my best friend. Happy trails, and keep the lead down range. Clark - Carryconcealed.net

FBI: al-Qaeda detainee spoke of fire plot -

First lets say a prayer for the evacuee's of the fires in California. Next their behavior is to be congratulated. In the single largest evacuation in the states history, everyone is working together as Americans. Their "Govenator" is leading the charge to give help. Way to go.

On a more serious note. Posted 7/11/ 2003 in the USA Today, "PHOENIX (AP) — The FBI alerted law enforcement agencies last month that an al-Qaeda terrorist now in detention had talked of masterminding a plot to set a series of devastating forest fires around the western United States"

If there is ever a moment for the FBI and the local Law Enforcement to catch the bad guys, now is the time.