Reciprocity

Random Shots

From the July 15, 2012 edition of The Dayton Daily News: “GUN PERMITS AVAILA-BLE THROUGH RECIPROCITY IN FLORIDA” was the headline followed by a quote from Jeff Lingo, Lucas County Prose-cutor: “If you live in the state of Ohio and the laws of the state of Ohio govern your conduct, why shouldn’t you be required to get an Ohio permit.”. Well okay, possibly a good point, but the fact of the matter is that Ohio does not require a “home state” per-mit before granting reciprocity for the Flori-da, New Hampshire and several other state’s non-resident permits. Maybe it was an over-sight, but that’s the Ohio law.

It seems a jogger in Toledo allowed his pis-tol to imprint under his shirt and fellow joggers sent a “911-man with a gun” call. When accosted by police, the fellow pro-duced a Florida non-resident handgun per-mit. This sent the situation into a temporary tailspin, until it was determined that the Florida permit is recognized in Ohio. In jumps the Lucas County Prosecutor who doesn’t like the law and is upset because “it was unclear if the Florida licensed satisfied Ohio law”. It seems that is why they call it RECIPROCITY!

Lingo went on to say, “I don’t think that the people of the state of Ohio understand that other states can dictate who carries a gun in Ohio.” Well, I don’t think Mr. Lingo under-stands that reciprocity is based on the states having similar laws, and that the Ohio Attor-ney General determined that Florida and Ohio training requirements were similar enough to recognize Florida licenses. Some states require citizens to have their home state permit before recognizing a non-resident permit, but Ohio is not one of them.

Anti-gunners were forced to admit that legal concealed carry permit holders are not con-nected to the increase in violence in Toledo. However, the parting shot of the article was a quote by Toby Hoover of the Coalition of Gun Violence: “Although permit holders start out as law-abiding citizens, they don’t always remain that way.” She also con-demned proposed changes in Ohio’s con-cealed carry law as “weakening” the law. So what? I say that the statistics on concealed carry permit holders who misuse firearms is miniscule compared to the reduction in vio-lent crime rates in those states that allow citizens the right to carry concealed weap-ons.

[Editor’s Note: Since this article was submitted, Mississippi has been added to the list of states that recognize Ohio concealed carry licenses.]

- D.C. Long

New NRA Defensive Pistol Class

Well, it looks like the National Rifle Associa-tion has made the defensive pistol class that I wrote about in the Fall 2011 edition of Random Shots available. As I had previously indicated, this new class is specifically de-signed for individuals seeking concealed carry licenses. It includes portions of the NRA’s Personal Protection in the Home (PPITH) and Personal Protection Outside the Home (PPOTH) courses that deal with self-defense situational awareness, the physi-ological and psychological affects of stress, and an expanded range exercise that in-cludes drawing a handgun from a holster.

Rather than being a separate course, howev-er, the NRA has decided to make it a “module” of the Basic Pistol course. The challenge is that this “module” takes ap-proximately 6-8 hours to teach and thus it does not seem to be practical to teach it as part of the 12-hour Ohio CCW course taught at the LongMeadows Shooting School. (I have asked one of the other NRA instructors that is currently authorized to teach this class how he intends to conduct it and he indicated that he will be teaching it as a separate class to graduates of the basic pistol course.)

It may be a while before we are able to offer this new class at the LongMeadows Shoot-ing School. To teach it (or even be able to order the course materials from the NRA), you must be an NRA-certified Advanced Pistol Instructor. To obtain this certifica-tion, you must be certified to teach the NRA PPOTH course and apply to the NRA Training Division with evidence of your ability to teach the materials that are part of this class, of having taken additional training from one of the nationally-recognized fire-arms training facilities, and six letters of recommendation. I will be seeking this cer-tification, but may have some difficulty demonstrating my “thorough knowledge of the advanced materials” because there has been very little demand for the PPITH course and no demand for the PPOTH course. I will keep you advised of my pro-gress.

In the meantime, if you would like to obtain additional training in the use of a handgun for personal protection, we are offering the PPITH and PPOTH courses.

- G.R. Evens

Fall 2012 Volume 2, Issue 5

Edited and Published by

Gary Evens, NRA Certified

Firearms Instructor & Range Safety

Officer

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to

keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in Random Shots are those of the author(s), and

do not necessarily represent the positions of any other individual or

organization.

Self-Defense Tactics Part I: Why Tactics Matter

“If you are involved in a fair gunfight, your tactics suck!” I don’t know who first said this, but it is certainly true. Let’s face it, if you are involved in a violent encounter your first priority is to survive and you need to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal. Giving your opponent a “fair chance” means giving them at least an equal oppor-tunity to win the encounter and the last thing you want is for your opponent to win.

In this series of articles I hope to give you a sense of the importance of applying good tactics. But, to start off, we first need to define what “tactics” are.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “tactics” are:

A. The science and art of disposing and maneuvering forces in combat.

B. The art or skill of employing available means to accomplish an end.

Definition “B” certainly appears to be the most applicable to individual self-defense situations, so we will use that one.

Surviving a violent encounter will depend on how well prepared you are. You have taken a first step in being prepared when you de-cided you needed to get a concealed carry permit. As part of this, you began develop-ing your handgun shooting skills. “Skills” are the first element in what the National Rifle Association defines as the “survival triangle”. The other two elements are your “mindset” and your “tactics”. Your mindset is how you are mentally prepared to deal with a violent encounter. It is your determi-nation to not give in to your opponent and to win at all costs. Your tactics are how you

apply your mindset and skills to the encoun-ter. Of these three elements, mindset and tactics are the most important. With the proper mindset and tactics, you may be able to avoid the violent encounter entirely and thus never have to rely on your skills with a handgun.

Being aware of your surroundings and avoiding suspicious-looking people and plac-es is a good way to avoid a violent encoun-ter. However, you will not be able to avoid all suspicious-looking people and places. Indeed, the goal of the criminal that seeks to attack you is to avoid detection until the last possible moment. They rely on the element of surprise to give them the upper hand in an encounter. Your mindset and tactics must come into play to avoid being sur-prised.

So, your first lesson in tactics is to maintain situational awareness of your surroundings. Be continually alert to potential threats in your environment. Walk with your head up and scan your surroundings. Do not become so engrossed in talking on your cell phone or texting that you allow someone to approach you unexpectedly. In the vast majority of situations, a criminal will need to get within “conversational distance”—typically 10 feet or less—from you to initiate their assault. And from that close distance, you will have just fractions of a second to recognize what is happening, decide what to do, and to take action. Therefore, do not let suspicious individuals get too close to you. Maintain as much separation as possible, and ideally keep a physical barrier between you and the stranger.

When entering a building, locate the exits in case you have to use them to escape. Also look for places where you can get behind cover, both to hide from a potential threat and to protect yourself from incoming fire should shooting erupt.

By being aware of your surroundings, you will hopefully be able to avoid threatening situations. By appearing to be alert, poten-tial assailants may decided to pass you by and pick on a less alert victim.

So, alertness (a mindset) and situational awareness (a tactic) can help you avoid a violent encounter and thus make it more likely you will never need to apply your self-defense skills.

Until next time, be safe!

- G.R. Evens

Concealed Carry

Options

Part VI

Comfort is a primary consideration in your choice of how you will carry your handgun. If you cannot be comfortable carrying it, you will simply leave it at home or in some other location where you will not be able to quickly access it when needed.

Having a good quality belt to wear with your holster is important. It will help keep the holster in place and it will help to distribute the weight of your gun better so that it is more comfortable to wear for extended peri-ods of time. There is nothing worse than having to constantly pull up your pants be-cause the weight of your gun keeps pulling them down.

To carry the weight of a handgun, the belt needs to be stiff. Double layers of thick leather is the traditional material used to make gun belts, although stiff canvas belts were also used in the past. In more recent

Page 2 Random Shots Volume 2, I ssue 5

times, nylon and even plastics have been used to make gun belts.

Dedicated gun belts date back to the 19th Century, and were especially common in the American west. They provided a place to carry the holster and spare ammunition in a time period when belts were not commonly used to hold your pants up. Such dedicated gun belts are still available today, but are more appropriate to open carry than they are to concealed carry applications.

Modern gun belts suitable for use in con-cealed carry do not have loops to carry spare ammunition in. Instead, they resemble the dress belts that most men wear. As such, they come in varying widths. Typically, the wider the belt, the better it distributes the weight of your gun. Anything less than 1½-inches does a poor job of distributing the weight of your handgun.

Leather gun belts are still the most popular and are available from most holster manu-facturers. Such belts are of high quality and as such they are not inexpensive. A good quality leather gun belt such as the one de-picted above will likely cost $45-$150, but they are worth it when it comes to comfort-ably carrying your pistol in a holster—either inside or outside your waistband.

Ballistic nylon has also become a popular material to make gun belts out of. They are very durable, especially in rugged outdoor environments. The military were the first to adopt such belts, but they have spread into civilian use. The “instructor’s belt” is a typi-cal implementation of belts of this type. Again, they are made of stiff material to better carry the weight of those items at-tached to it. Many use Velcro to hold them closed. Was with leather belts, widths of 1½-inches to about 2-inches are optimal.

These belts are more appropriate for “casual” or “utility” styles of dress. They tend to be less expensive than leather gun belts, typically $35-$75.

- G.R. Evens

Selecting a Concealed Carry Handgun

Mini-9mm Semi-Autos—Part III

Since I first saw the Diamondback DB9 on the Internet while ordering an extra maga-zine for my DB380 I have thought the slim, thin and light 9mm Luger semi-auto was just about the best idea in a carry gun that I have encountered.

The DB9 is a striker fired mini-9mm semi-automatic pistol with a polymer frame and steel barrel and slide. It weighs just 11 ounces empty. Ammunition capacity is 6 rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber for a total of 7. The gun has no external safeties, relying instead on a heavy and long double-action only trigger pull. It is approximately 5.6 inches in length, 4 inch-es in height (with the magazine inserted), and 0.8 inches in width. The barrel is 3 inches long.

I have had so much good luck with my DB380 (chambered in .380 ACP) that I thought I couldn’t go wrong with its full-power 9mm brother. I was absolutely cor-rect, but with one drawback—every 3rd, 4th, or 5th round jammed in one way or another. Failure-to-feed, stovepipes, double-feed—you name it, it did it. So I sent the gun back to the factory, seriously disappointed.

(I did experience one challenge when I re-turned the gun. The Dayton UPS center will only ship handguns to known firearms mak-ers, dealers, or gunsmiths. I had to show my DB9 owner’s manual to prove that Dia-mondback is a legitimate gun company. UPS policy is that all handguns must go “overnight air”—even if going from Dayton

to Columbus—and to Florida the cost was $62. I suggest you contact your firearm manufacturer to determine who will be pay-ing the shipping costs. Many US firearms manufacturers pays both ways—Diamondback pays the return shipping on-ly.)

It was returned in about one month, with a note of procedures used to repair the gun and a certification that 18 rounds had been fired without a failure Reliability was im-proved, that’s true, but now it was every 10th, 12th, or 16th round that failed—for the same reasons as the first time. Now I was a bit steamed, so I went “scientific”. I talked to my engineer gun buddy, who also bought a DB9 and was having similar problems. We put in a heavier magazine spring, pol-ished the feed ramp and set about to test the ammunition we were using in the DB9.

After boxes and boxes of 9mm ammunition were fired though our DB9s, our meticulous records indicated higher percentages of fail-ure were associated with specific brands. We discovered that the CCI Blazer Brass brand worked the best in our guns if the FMJ bullet types were used, but reliability was still not what could be considered to be adequate. It turned out that the shorter-than-average length Hornady Critical De-fense loads seemed suitable for concealed carry. As far as we could determine, the shorter overall cartridge length made them feed reliably in the DB9.

It still had problems though so I sent the gun back for additional repairs—at a cost of $62 again—and a month later is was again returned with some additional modifications made to it to improve reliability. Repeating the previous testing, I determined that the Blazer Brass FMJ bullets had nearly no fail-ures and is excellent for practice. Sellier and Beloit is a close second with only 2 malfunc-tions in 40 rounds. Russian Wolf brand is useable but has a failure rate that is annoying (about 6 in 40 rounds, on average) and would not be suitable for even informal competition. The 115-grain Critical Defense specialty hollow-point ammo appears to be perfectly reliable at this time and is currently the only type I will carry for personal de-fense, but it is too expensive for routine practice.

How many times have we said it: “Semi-auto’s are often ammunition sensitive”. The financial cost of proving this once again was high, but I got to do a lot of shooting to get

Page 3 Random Shots Volume 2, I ssue 5

to this point. I have contacted Diamond-back and retracted the “bad things” I said about, and to, them.

With my DB9 seeming to work properly now that I was feeding it a steady diet of the kinds of ammunition that it liked, I decided to buy a second one. But wouldn’t you know it, it behaved the same way as my original one so I sent it back to the factory to be re-worked.

While I love the size and concept of this gun—especially in the full 9mm caliber—I cannot make it work reliably for more than a few shots. I have tried nearly everything I can think of. With a polished ramp, strong-er magazine spring and altered magazine follower, using the Hornady Critical De-fense loads, and sending it back to the facto-ry twice (with their repair department’s as-surance that it had been fixed both times), I thought I had it fixed. Alas, the reliability issues continue with the failures occurring less frequently, but occurring none-the-less. Finally, I sent it off to a firearms engineer in Michigan. If he can't fix it "for any price" then it goes on the scrap heap.

Several shooter on the Internet seem to have made theirs work fine, but I can't seem to get mine to work more than four times in a row. On GunsAmerica.com they do a review that mimics my efforts and my re-sults.

Diamondback Corporation has said on their website that they are cautioning the use of +P, +P+, or bullets over 124 grains. NONE OF THIS IS IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. The folks on Gun-sAmerica think this is a way to void warran-ties "en masse" by informing the owner AFTER the problems occur. GunsAmerica has issued a DO NOT BUY advisory for the DB9. However, they continue to speak highly of the DB380 (which is my experi-ence, too).

If you choose to purchase a DB9, save the box and be ready to ship it back for fine-tuning at the first sign of reliability prob-lems. Call ahead and they will send you a free UPS shipping label. (The Crimson Trace laser grips from the DB380 fit per-fectly on the DB9—they are that close in size.)

- D.C. Long

Traveling Through the “Forbidden Zone”

My “day job” requires me to make the

slightly over 6-hour drive from Dayton to

St. Louis, Missouri about once every other

month. Doing so requires me to travel

through Illinois—the only one state in the

U.S. that does not have any provisions for

it’s citizens to carry a concealed firearm. As

an Ohio CCW permit holder, I can legally

carry in all of the states surrounding Illinois

except Wisconsin, so the trips to and from

St. Louis do present me with some challeng-

es.

The issue of transporting handguns to and

through Illinois came up during a recent

Ohio CCW class so I thought I’d research

the subject a little more.

According to one of our favorite references,

the Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the

Fifty States (2012 Edition) by J. Scott Kap-

pas, Esq.—that means he’s a lawyer—“a

non-resident with a valid carry permit may

possess firearms or ammunition in a vehicle

if the weapons are unloaded and cased.” It

goes on to indicate if the non-resident does

not have a concealed carry permit, the fire-

arm must be stowed in an inaccessible area

such as the trunk or if such an inaccessible

area is not available then the firearm must

be broken down into a non-functioning

state (i.e. disassembled).

According to a brochure published by the

Illinois State Police—Transport Your Firearm

Legally: Commonly Asked Questions on Trans-

porting Firearms in Illinois, Illinois residents

must have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identifi-

cation (FOID) card in order to acquire or

possess firearms or ammunition within the

state. To transport a firearm, the individual

must contend not only with Illinois’ criminal

code, but also the wildlife code and the Fire-

arm Owner’s Identification Act. This means

that the individual must have a valid FOID

if they are an Illinois resident or if they are a

non-resident they “must be eligible to pos-

sess or acquire firearms and ammunition in

their state of residence”. In addition, the

firearm must be unloaded and enclosed in a

case. Illinois law does not apparently re-

quire the firearm to be in a “locked” case,

but any closure—such as a zipper, snap,

buckle, etc.—must be closed. There are

some differences in the definition of what

constitutes a “case” between Illinois’ crimi-

nal code and their wildlife code, with the

wildlife code being somewhat more restric-

tive.

Some Illinois communities have ordnances

that prohibit the possession of firearms.

Others prohibit the possession of certain

types of firearms like “assault rifles” or pro-

hibit the possession of over 10-shot maga-

zines. Unlike in Ohio, Illinois state law does

not pre-empt these ordnances so it may be

unlawful for a resident or non-resident to

transport a firearm through one of these

communities. (The majority of these com-

munities seem to be Chicago and several

surrounding suburbs.)

Interestingly, Illinois residents must have a

FOID card to even transport ammunition.

Apparently the ammunition can be loaded

into magazines and the ammunition can be

in the same container as the firearms is as

long as the firearm itself is unloaded.

Illinois also permits individuals—it is un-

clear if this includes just residents or also

non-residents—to possess a firearm while

staying in a hotel room. However, any local

ordinances regarding the possession of fire-

arms would apply and the firearm must be

carried between the vehicle and the hotel

room unloaded and enclosed in a case.

An individual I know was recently in Illi-

nois—he is originally from that state and his

parents still live there—and went to an auc-

tion where several firearms were up for bid.

At the start of the firearms portion of the

auction, the auctioneer announced that the

previous day they had been “visited” by

representatives from the BATFE and in-

Page 4 Random Shots Volume 2, I ssue 5

formed that if the firearms auction proceed-

ed they would be subject to federal criminal

prosecution and could spend up to 2 years

in prison. Alternately, the auctioneer was

informed that the sale could continue if all

firearms were transferred through a federal-

ly-licensed firearms dealer or if the auc-

tioneer obtained an FFL license themselves.

This surprised the auctioneer because he

had been auctioning firearms as part of es-

tate sales in Illinois for over 20 years and

never had an issue with it from law enforce-

ment before. The BATFE official indicated

it was a “grey area” of the law. So, the auc-

tioneer arranged to have an FFL dealer pre-

sent to do the paperwork necessary to trans-

fer the firearms, but before the bidding be-

gan he made a little speech—it turned into a

mini-Tea Party rally. He informed the audi-

ence that if they supported the 2nd Amend-

ment of the U.S. Constitution, no matter

what their political party affiliation, they

only had once choice for this year’s Presi-

dential election, and that choice was to not

vote for President Barak Obama. I’ll

leave it up to you to make your own

choice—I hope it is the right one.

All is not lost of the 2nd Amendment in

Illinois. The prosecuting attorney—in Illi-

nois they are called “state’s attorney”—for

McLean County, the largest county in the

state, indicated recently that he will “no

longer use the power and authority of our

office to criminalize and punish decent, oth-

erwise law-abiding citizens who choose to

exercise the rights granted to them by the

Second Amendment of the United States'

Constitution to keep and bear arms in de-

fense of themselves and their families”.

However, the McLean County Sheriff, while

agreeing there is a conflict between the 2nd

Amendment and Illinois’ gun control laws,

indicated he would continue to enforce the

laws in their present form. Therefore, the

state’s attorney’s stance appears to be largely

symbolic at this time.

Our usual disclaimer applies to the above

information. The author is not a lawyer and

the above information should not be con-

sidered to be legal advise. Therefore if you

are planning to travel to or through Illinois

with a firearm or ammunition you should

contact the appropriate officials. These

include the Illinois State Police (217-524-

2525) or the Firearms Services Bureau (217-

782-7980) or consult their website

http://www.isp.state.il.us. You can also

check with the Illinois Department of Natu-

ral Resources (217-782-6431) or check their

website http://www.dnr.state.il.us.

- G.R. Evens

Is the Shooter Ready? So, are you ready to take on the challenges of an advanced shooting course? Probably a more appropriate question to ask is how soon you will be ready to get additional training.

The vast majority of individuals that obtain their concealed carry licenses do not attempt to get any firearms training beyond the mini-mum required to get their license. This min-imum training typically consists of learning basic handgun handling and shooting skills and understanding the laws of your state regarding the use of deadly force and the legal requirements of carrying a concealed handgun. However, your shooting skills are not the most important thing you will need to know to increase your chances of surviv-ing a violent encounter—your mindset and the tactics you use will be more important. That is where advanced training courses come in.

Recently we conducted another advanced course at the LongMeadows Shooting School. In mid-August we conducted the NRA Personal Protection in the Home (PPITH) course and had five students take on the challenges of learning about mindset and tactics to augment their shooting skills. (We were forced to cancel the PPITH we had scheduled last Spring because our re-quired minimum of four students did not sign up for the course.)

As have our previous PPITH students, this group quickly learned how much more there is to consider when using a firearm for self-defense. And, while the additional class-room instruction is necessary to learn about what happens to human beings when they are placed in high stress environments, it wasn’t until they got to the range that they truly began to understand how stress affects their ability to react during a violent encoun-ter.

The course of fire for the PPITH class is designed to expose the students to increas-ing levels of stress—but nothing compared to the stress they would encounter during a real-life violent encounter. Several of the students commented that the course of fire required them to do things they had never practiced before—how good are you at shooting your handgun from your weak hand with a one-hand and two-hand grip? How about trying to pull off a head shot? How quickly can you get back in the fight after you run out of ammunition in your gun?

When individuals do go out to practice their shooting skills, they usually shoot at a single target at a set distance while standing still. They also tend to practice those shooting skills that they are already pretty good at. So, how would you do if faced with a situa-tion where you have multiple targets at dif-ferent distances that you need to engage? How about moving before you can take the shot? Can you move and then quickly ob-tain the right sight picture to take the shot? What about shooting at targets that are moving? Mastering these skills could be key to your survival during a violent encounter yet most commercial shooting range rules will not permit you to practice them at their facility. If you are lucky enough to have access to your own shooting range or have a friend that has one, you probably have a little more flexibility regarding what you can or cannot do during a practice session.

All of the latest group of PPITH students came away from their time on the range with a much better understanding of where their shooting strengths and weaknesses are. And, they had a much greater appreciation for how they might react when placed in a stressful situation.

We had a couple of safety issues—fortunately all minor. We had to use the “boo-boo" first aid several times—once because a student walking down to the range

Page 5 Random Shots Volume 2, I ssue 5

brushed his hand on a thorn bush, once when a shooter pinched the heal of their hand between the bottom of the magazine well and the magazine baseplate when in-serting the magazine into their pistol, and a couple of “slide bites” from an improper grip while firing their pistol. The improper grips usually occurred when the student shifted to shoot with their weak hands—it is very easy to get your thumbs placed wrong when doing this.

We also had one unintentional discharge when a student rushed a reload while stand-ing behind a high barricade and had their finger on the trigger during the reload. This particular stage of fire had only one student on the firing line at a time. As the student slammed the magazine into the grip of their pistol, the slide immediately went forward placing a new round in the chamber. (I think the student accidentally activated the slide release button on the Glock Model 19 they were shooting.) This startled the stu-dent with the result that they tensed their trigger finger which was in the wrong place—on the trigger—and the gun went off. Fortunately, the student had the gun pointed downrange at the time and the “barricade” was made out of cardboard so their were no serious consequences. This was a perfect lesson in the importance of keeping your finger off the trigger until your sights are pointed towards the target!

Another lesson the students learned is that guns can jam at the worst possible moment and that they need to be prepared to deal with that. (Unfortunately, clearing jams is an even more advanced skill that is part of the next course in the series, the NRA Per-sonal Protection Outside the Home course.)

I was very encouraged that most of the stu-dents chose to use their concealed carry handguns for this course. These guns are typically smaller and harder to shoot, but they did quite well with them. Hitting tar-gets beyond about 15 feet proved to be a real challenge with these small guns so that is an area they will definitely need to practice more.

So, are you ready to give it a try?

- G.R. Evens

Lefties With Guns

About one in ten people in the United States are left-hand dominant. Sometimes this poses troubles and requires adaptation for shooting. Most revolvers have the opening latch on the left side of the gun, thus making it easy for right-handers to op-erate. "Break Top" styles are easily operated with either hand, but most "carry" sized guns are older models, usually in semi-obsolete calibers. Some semi-automatics suitable for concealed carry have ambidex-trous safeties, but few have left-hand operat-ed magazine latches.

Several years ago I discovered that my .380 ACP Ruger LCP semi-automatic pistol could be rendered useless by a magazine release that could be operated inadvertent-ly. Shooting left-handed my trigger finger runs along the grip to the trigger, pressing against the magazine release in the pro-cess. Under the smart recoil of this little gun, my finger sometimes presses the maga-zine release button and the magazine drops about an inch out of the grip. This disrupts further shooting. I thought I had adapted to this problem, but recent failures have caused me to rethink the issue. I studied and possi-ble cure.

Switching the release to the right side didn't seem possible in this gun. So I hit on the idea of grinding the mag. release button down level with, or lower than, the sur-rounding grip area. A Dremel tool with a mini-drum sander was engaged and in less than a minute the task was accom-plished. Don't you know and aren't you surprised to find out that “Uncle Dave”, gunsmith extraordinaire, actually performed this operation without grinding the gun into worthlessness!

- D.C. Long

Upcoming Classes 2012 Ohio CCW Course:

September 22

October 13

November 10

December 15

NRA Personal Protection in the

Home Course:

October 27

NRA Personal Protection Outside

the Home Course:

The currently scheduled October 21-22 course has been cancelled because there has not been enough students sign up to take it yet—we require a minimum of 4 students. Look for this course to be offered in the Spring of 2013.

Tentative 2013 Ohio CCW Course

Schedule:

January 19

February 16

March 16

April 20

May 11

June 22

July 13

August 24

September 14

October 19

2013 dates for our PPITH and PPOTH courses are still being coordinated and will be announced later.

See our website for the latest information about classes and associated costs.

Page 6 Random Shots Volume 2, I ssue 5

We specialize in providing quality firearms

training at reasonable prices. Our staff of

instructors and range safety officers are

NRA certified. Check out our basic and

advanced classes at

www.longmeadowsshootingshoool.com

LongMeadows Shooting