It was a Dark and Stormy Night 

“It was a dark and stormy night.” How many writers have used that phrase to begin their stories? It’s a good catch phrase and it conveys a feeling that something ominous, foreboding or sinister is about to happen.

I get a lot of questions from family, friends and co-workers about the use of lethal force. They all know that I’m involved with competitive handgun shooting and am a certified NRA instructor in pistol, rifle and personal protection. So much misinformation and misunderstanding surrounding the use of lethal force exists that I felt compelled to try to explain in plain language what is involved.

First is the disclaimer. I’m not a legal authority, and I don’t play one on TV. The answers to questions addressed here are my own and may not be the correct legal or moral responses for a given lethal encounter.

The first question one needs to answer is, “Am I capable of using lethal force?” Almost everyone I discuss this with answers in the affirmative. Yet, I wonder if they have thought it through. I doubt that they have considered all the emotional and legal aspects of taking someone’s life. I’ll discuss these things later. Let’s limit our dialogue to what one needs to do now before being faced with a situation requiring the use deadly force.

You should have a personal protection plan and let’s limit this discussion to a plan for your home. I’ll write about the use of deadly force away from home in future articles. This plan should include things like keeping your doors locked while at home; have good lighting around the exterior of your house and perhaps a dog to alert you to intruders. I won’t go into any more detail about a personal protection plan for the home because I want to focus on the use of lethal force. I will assume that you have decided to include the use of a gun in your plan.

A gun is a tool and you should know how to use this tool just like you need to know how to safely operate a table saw or a sewing machine. Simply reading the instructions will give you an idea how it functions. But in order to become proficient with its use, you should get formal training and you must practice. If you are not willing to invest the time and money necessary to learn how to use your gun properly, then you should not include a gun in your personal protection plan.

Training and practice with your gun is the key to being able to employ it in a lethal encounter. And I’m not just talking to the macho man master of the household. How many men have kissed their wives good-by on their way to a business meeting or fishing trip out of town and said, “Honey, I left the gun on the night stand by the bed if you need it.”? Have they taken the time to teach their wives how to use the gun? Does she practice with that gun and is she capable of using it to defend her life or the lives of the children?

Mindset is another important aspect of being able to use deadly force. Mental preparation is important because most lethal encounters happen very quickly and if you have to think about whether or not to use deadly force, it’s too late. You have to decide before a situation develops if you are capable of using deadly force.

People do funny things when confronted with a life threatening situation. Some will freeze for a split second or even minutes. Others will surrender and plead for mercy or take flight and try to run away from the situation. Of these reactions, flight is preferred. However, if you are unable to flee then you must have the capability (training) and mental attitude that will allow you to survive and prevail in the situation.

I have written before about a woman who, when asked what she would do if someone broke into her home at night intent on doing her harm, responded that she would shoot them in the legs because she didn’t want to kill anyone. This is the wrong attitude and it will get you killed. If you employ a gun in your defense, you better be prepared to shoot until the threat no longer exists. That means that you may have to kill someone. Folks, this is why they call it lethal force.

Can I shoot someone who is stealing the lawnmower from my back yard? Well………..yes and no. You have to understand the laws in your state in order to answer this question. A lot of things must be considered before you decide to use lethal force in the scenario above. Ask yourself if your life or the life of another is in imminent danger. Is it better to lose a lawnmower or pay thousands of dollars into the legal system to defend my action? Here in Texas you could use lethal force if it were night but not in daytime. If I were in this situation, I would probably confront the thief but I would not even display a gun unless and until I felt my life was in danger. Keep in mind that if you’re involved in a lethal encounter, you will have to convince a grand jury that any reasonable person given the same circumstances would have used lethal force as well.

Let’s say that a home invasion has occurred and that you have triumphed in the encounter and the bad guy lays dead or dying in your hallway. What should you do now? Do not assume just because the bad guy is down that the threat no longer exists. There are documented cases were a bad guy was shot through the heart yet lived long enough to take the gun away from his victim and kill him with his own gun. Do not approach the bad guy to disarm him. Keep your distance and scan for possible accomplices.

What do I do next? Immediately call 911 and request medical assistance. That’s right, medical assistance. They will ask what the problem is and you should say something like, “A man broke into my house and I thought he was going to kill me so I shot him and he is bleeding all over my carpet. Get help here as quickly as you can.” Do not attempt to render aid because the bad guy could do you harm or he could be infected with aids. Remember that the 911 call is being recorded and that recording can be used in a grand jury hearing to establish the fact that you only intended to stop the threat not to kill him.

Let me pause just for a moment to make a couple of politically incorrect points. Point number one, you need to understand that it is best if the grand jury hears only one side of the story if you are involved in a lethal confrontation. Point number two, it is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.

How many times should I shoot a bad guy? The easy answer is until the threat no longer exists.

In another scenario you have shot the bad guy and he falls just outside your house below the window he was trying to break into. Somehow people think that they should drag the bad guy into the house to make the shooting righteous. What ever you do, never try to fix a crime scene or modify it in any way. Because to do so is a felony and could be interpreted as trying to cover up a homicide. You are going to have enough legal problems to deal with and you don’t need to compound the issue.

What should I do when the police arrive? Just remember that they are arriving at a crime scene and they don’t know who the players are. Expect to be treated like a criminal until they have done a preliminary investigation. You could even be placed in handcuffs and taken to jail. Be polite and do everything they tell you to do especially in the first few minutes after they arrive. Be careful not to give too much information without legal counsel. When asked to tell your side of the story, simply state that you thought your life was in danger and you understand the officers are trying to do their job but that you do not feel comfortable answering any more questions. You have the right to have an attorney present during any questioning and you need to exercise that right. Where can I find a good attorney? This is simple. Just look in the yellow pages of the phone book for a criminal attorney. Most good criminal attorneys have 24 hour services.

New Shooter

During this past Thanksgiving holiday I had the opportunity to introduce my ten year old grandson to the fun of shooting.

William had not expressed much interest or desire to participate in his crazy grandfather’s outdoor activities. The day after Thanksgiving the family was content to sit around and nibble on leftovers, watch football on TV or just engage in small talk. I had to go to the shooting range to take care of some business and asked William if he wanted to ride along. So being bored with all the inactivity, William agreed to accompany me.

I got my old Stevens single shot .22 bolt action rifle out of the gun safe and grabbed an ammo can filled with .22 caliber ammunition and put it in the truck, just in case. This gun was given to me on my 15 th birthday and I thought William might enjoy shooting grandpa’s old rifle.

We got to the range and I conducted my business rather quickly. I then proceeded to explain the four rules of gun safety to William. We set up a plate rack that had five 4 inch plates. And at a distance of approximately 60 feet from the plate rack I made a rifle rest using a table, chair and gun bag.

William got off to a slow start and had trouble hitting the targets. But after a few minutes of explaining the finer points of sight alignment and trigger control, William started hitting the targets with some regularity.

I could see that he was trying to shoot too fast and suggested that we have a little contest. Each of us in turn would shoot until we missed a target. The contest was to see who could run the most plates. The plan seemed to work because he slowed down and started making better hits.

Before long William was really enjoying this activity. In fact he said, “Grandpa this is really fun. It’s like a video game except you don’t have to plug it in.” His shooting improved to the point that he ran the plate rack three times in a row.

I could tell that he was starting to get a little tired, so I suggested that we quit for the day and head back to the house. He agreed that his fingers were getting tired cocking the gun for every shot plus he had gun powder residue on his hands. I love the smell of gun powder in the morning. As we were leaving the range William said, “I want to do this again when we come to visit at Christmas time.”

Well it is just a few days until Christmas. This time I’ll take the Winchester semi-automatic .22 rifle so his fingers won’t get tired.

Close the Barn Door

A co-worker of mine had a very close brush with death at the hands of some punks recently. John Smith (not his real name) and his wife were returning their nephew to his home in an exclusive neighborhood in Houston. They pulled into the driveway and a car pulled right in behind them.

Before they knew what was happening, a couple of young punks were on either side of John’s car banging on the windows demanding money. One of the criminals produced a handgun and shot out the car window. John and his wife fumbled around and produced all the money they had.

The people living at the home were observing this robbery from their front window and the punk with the gun shot the window of the house. The felons were gone as quickly as they appeared. Fortunately nobody was injured in the incident.

This story has made its rounds here at work and a number of people have expressed the desire to get a gun for protection, including John. In my mind it’s like closing the barn door after the horses have fled. But, it has given me the opportunity to counsel them on gun ownership and what it takes to employ a gun in a self defense plan

TOP 10 GUN SAFETY TIPS

New Year and Direction for the Tactical Shooters Club

The decision to quit holding monthly matches was a difficult decision to make. Basically, there are so many other shooting opportunities during the month that participation is less than is needed to generate enough revenue to support the venture.

I have decided to take the Tactical Shooters Club in a new direction. Instead of monthly matches, the club will host a few special shooting events during the coming year. Here are a few ideas for matches:

• Billy Swift Invitational: Loosely based on a gang member who is arrested after a drive-by shooting. He shoots his way out of jail and holds up a bank. Then he kills his girlfriend and her lover and has to deal with her family. He then continues his life of crime. Why call it the “Billy Swift Invitational”? No real reason other than it seemed like a catchy name.
• Team Match: Teams of two shooters compete against each other. Team scores for each course of fire are totaled. Many of the courses of fire are designed so that both team members are shooting at the same time. I’ll make up some team rules to try to level the playing field for all teams.
• Single Stack Match: Is there anyone that does not know what a single stack match is?
• Turkey Shoot: I envision this to be similar to a three gun match. Real turkeys will be given to shooters based on about one turkey for every five shooters. The turkeys awarded will not necessarily be for best scores. I’ll come up with some creative ways to award the turkeys. Some will be random.
• Law Enforcement ONLY: I’m not sure I can get enough cops interested in shooting in a competition. And if not, then maybe I’ll make it LEO and Ladies only.
• Weak Hand Only: An entire match shot weak hand only. I’m thinking this would be an interesting match.
• Class III Match: For all my full automatic friends. Pistol caliber only guys. Some of you may remember the match we held in Lufkin a few years back.

There are a number of other fun matches that could be set up. I welcome suggestions for special matches. So, if you have a fun idea for a match, contact me and maybe we can work something out. Keep in mind that it must be fun and something we can safely do.

I also plan to have T-shirts available for all these special events. Shirts will be available for purchase on Tactical Shooters Club web site a couple of weeks prior to, and for a week or two following the match.

Welcome to the new Tactical Shooters Club.

2006 Louisiana State IDPA Match

The 2 nd annual Louisiana State IDPA Match was held on 18 March 2006 at the Miculek IDPA Club. The club holds a monthly IDPA match on the 2 nd Sunday of the month at Jerry and Kay Miculek’s range located near interstate 20, exit 33, just east of Bossier City, LA.

Lou Wagner, president of the Miculek IDPA Club, contacted me to see if I would be willing to give them a hand putting on the match again this year. I said, “Sure, always glad to give fellow IDPA shooters a hand.” I didn’t realize until later that he was asking me to be the Match Director again. Lou and his staff did a wonderful job of setting the match up. The only thing they couldn’t control was the weather.

The staff shot the match on Friday the day before the match. Weather was perfect, sunny with temperatures in the mid to high 70’s and a light breeze. The match consisted of twelve stages and 134 shots (minimum). There are eight shooting bays and there was plenty of room to have a lot more stages. But we decided to limit the number of stages and shots fired in order to keep the match fun for both the competitors and staff. I took the staff through the scenarios explaining the intent of each stage. We looked for and resolved different safety issues including location of muzzle safe points. We did final tweaking of the target locations and then shot the stages. I had a short meeting with my safety officers and then we were off to enjoy the rest of the day.

Match day started early for me. I awoke about 2am to the sound of thunder and rain. The staff began to arrive at the range around 7 am and started putting up targets with clear plastic bags on them.

At the shooters meeting I welcomed everyone to the Louisiana State IDPA Match and mud wrestling championship. I truly believe the shooters all had a great time shooting in the rain.

I must give a huge THANK YOU to all the safety officers and scorekeepers who performed so well under the conditions we endured at this match. While the competitors could get in out of the rain between scenarios, the staff had to stay on station and perform their appointed duties.

Lunch was provided starting about 11:30 and I have to say they were some of the best grilled hamburgers I’ve had in a long time. Shooters were free to break whenever they wanted to partake of lunch due to the open squad concept we used for the match.

The last shot fired occurred around 2:00 pm and the scores were posted shortly thereafter. There was only one score that needed to be corrected and it did not change the order of finish in the division and classification. The mandatory one hour waiting period after the scores were posted was waved by unanimous consent of the shooters. We held a drawing for items on the prize table that included gift certificates from Wilson Combat and shooting vests from Kay Clark Miculek, just to mention a few. Awards were presented to the shooters and a couple got bumped up in classification.

Training with Gabe

This past weekend I completed the Rifle Gun Fighting / Urban Carbine class given by Gabe Suarez who says, “ Our training courses are described as REALITY-BASED, STUDENT-FOCUSED, CONCEPTS-DRIVEN, and COMBAT-PROVEN.” This was the first time I’ve taken a class from Gabe and my experience in the class indicates that what he says is right on the mark. There were a number of students with law enforcement or military backgrounds in the class and a few other gun nuts like me. I went into this class just as I do others with the idea that I would listen and learn as much as I could. My preconceived notion that the training would be tilted heavily toward law enforcement and paramilitary groups was wrong. Sure those professionals can benefit from the training, but in my opinion the common everyday Joe Citizen like me received the greatest benefit.

My reason for taking this class was to learn how to operate my after the assault weapons ban sunset Bushmaster AR-15 with collapsible stock, pistol grip, bayonet lug, 16” barrel including the 5 ½ inch flash suppressor. This was the first formal rifle training I’ve taken other than what was required to become an NRA Certified Rifle instructor. I can’t say that I’ve mastered the rifle techniques that Gabe showed us. But I’ve got an idea about what I need to work on. The class was not designed for competitive shooters but it would be a great class for 3-gun competitors to take in order to learn how to use their rifles in that shooting venue.

I learned much more than just how to handle the rifle in a close quarters combat situation. I’ve taken a number of pistol classes including those given at the Chapman Academy and Thunder Ranch. While the instruction given at those training facilities are quite valuable and highly recommended, this course seemed to bring all the combat training into focus and make clear what one needs to do to survive a lethal encounter.

A couple of equipment issues became evident as the training progressed that are worth mentioning here. First my stock out of the box Bushmaster with iron sites worked flawlessly. In fact, I did not clean the gun after the first day just to see if it would make it through the class without failure. I’d say that there were at least two dozen failures during the two day training session. Problems included things like failure to extract and double feeds plus a few mental errors. There were a number of guns that went out of service at the most inopportune times. We formed two man shooting teams and shot a couple of scenarios. Both times my partner’s gun malfunctioned and I had to continue cover fire until he got back into the fight. The lesson learned here is not to pick a cop from Baton Rouge as a partner. Just kidding, I think his problem was using department issued weaponry.

I did not keep track of what brand of guns had the most problems. But those shooting Wolf ammunition seemed to have the most failures. The only gun I have that I use Wolf ammunition in is my SKS. Seems to work fine in that gun but I guess the lesson learned here is to use good quality brass ammunition in my Bushmaster. I’ll need to get a longer sling as advised by Gabe. Also, I want to look for a different pistol grip as I believe the stock grip with finger groves does not fit my hand.

If you have the opportunity to train with Gabe Suarez then do it. You can see when, where and what courses of instruction are available at the Suarez International web site, http://www.suarezinternational.com/ or go to the Tactical Shooters Club web site at http://www.tacticalshooters.com and look under Training on the links page

Back in the Saddle

The Tactical Shooters Club got started shooting Tuesday evenings again on April 18 th.

Bob Wolff showed up with 10 new target stands and all new target stakes. I brought a box of targets and put together a tool box with stapler, staples and tape. Also, there is a pouch with score sheets, etc. that will be used for future matches. All this stuff is stored at the range for IDPA match use.

While the kick-off match was not too well attended, it did afford those of us who showed up the opportunity of shooting 10+ scenarios and over 100 rounds. So it was some great trigger time.

Three shooters with no previous IDPA experience joined in the fun for about the first hour and seemed to have a really good time. They promised to join the IDPA and return for more fun.

We have adopted a new format for the Tuesday matches. On the first and third Tuesdays of the month we will have a short training session at the beginning of the evening that will highlight some particular aspect of shooting. Scenarios that follow will incorporate that aspect. We plan to spend only 10 or 15 minutes training and it will be presented by different experienced IDPA shooters each time.

On the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month we will shoot a normal IDPA match. These matches will typically be around 50 rounds but might be as many as 100 rounds depending on how many shooters show up and how many scenarios we can squeeze into the evening.

In months that have a fifth Tuesday, we will have a fun shoot. These matches will not necessarily be completely IDPA legal. Things like man-on-man competitions, speed shoots, balloon shoots and whatever else we can think of to do to have fun.

The Memorial Oaks Shooting Club and the new owners are a lot different than when it was known as the Texas Shooters Range. No more putting your gun in a plastic bag or strip searching shooters. Okay, if you insist on being strip searched, Bob Wolff will take the gentlemen shooters and I’ll handle the ladies.

The facility is now being renovated and eventually the main entrance will be on the south side of the building where there is a lot more parking available. We have the capability of doing low light or no light shooting and there are flashing lights we can use to simulate a police car.

Come and be a part of the new Tactical Shooters Club

Shooting Clay Birds

I grew up on the prairies of Kansas and in my youth I hunted birds with a passion. I can’t even guess how many quail, dove, prairie chicken, duck and pheasant I’ve bagged over the years. Let me just say that in the Fall I kept my whole neighborhood well stocked with game birds for their tables. Summer time was fishing.

I had the opportunity to shoot sporting clays a couple of weeks ago. My friend Ray invited me to try something a little different than defensive pistol shooting.

This trip to the American Shooting Center in west Houston was only my second time to ever shoot sporting clays. So I dug my old 12 gauge pump out of the gun safe, dusted it off and put a little gun oil on it, and headed off to kill clay birds.

We didn’t try to keep score because our reason for going was to have fun and brush up on shotgun skills. We would shoot a clay bird and then shoot one of the pieces that flew off. This way we get twice the trigger time for the price. I think I performed fairly well judging by the way some of the other shooters did. And I’m sure that with more practice I could be competitive.

Question is, do I want to devote the time required to compete in yet another shooting venue? The short answer is no. Yet I need to spend some time to keep what skills I currently enjoy sharp.

Many of my fellow handgun competitors go bird hunting during the season. And I know at least three fellow shooters who shoot shotguns on a regular basis. I didn’t know that there are a number of fellow workers at my office that play with shotguns. I ran into three of my co-workers at the range. Perhaps I can find enough shotgun enthusiasts here at the office that we can put together a shotgun shooting team.

Attention to Details

How many of us have screwed up at least one scenario in a major match? I’m not talking about equipment malfunctions that everyone experiences from time to time. I’m talking about those things we call brain fade or mental malfunctions that make us look and feel stupid.

I have a routine that I’ve established to help prevent those unwanted mental malfunctions. First, I prepare my equipment. I make sure that all my magazines are loaded to capacity and I’ve refilled my magazine pouch. This I do before even thinking about the upcoming scenario. I’ve seen way too may shooters forget to reload after shooting a scenario and go to the next with half loaded magazines and magazine pouches.

I listen very carefully to the instructions given by the Safety Officer during the walkthrough. Pay particular attention to anything out of the ordinary like the number of shots required per target and strong or weak hand shooting. Also, if a scenario calls for magazines to be downloaded, I empty the magazine and count the rounds as I reload them. I don’t depend on the witness holes on the magazine to tell me how many are loaded. Ask for clarification if you are not 100% sure that you understand the course of fire.

Map the scenario in your mind. Plan how you will shoot and where a reload is likely to occur. Try to map scenarios to take advantage of your strengths. By this I mean that if you shoot better from the right side of a barricade and you have a choice then map the scenario so you shoot from your best shooting position. Usually things work out as planned. But on occasion you’ll need to shoot extra shots or you’ll have an equipment malfunction that will blow your plan out of the water. Therefore, don’t spend too much effort in planning the stage. Simply map it out. And if something happens to spoil your plan then you will not stand there with a stupid look on your face wondering what to do next.

I like to help tape targets on a stage that I’m preparing to shoot. This gives me the opportunity to walk through the scenario while I’m formulating my plan. However, I make it a point to remove any stray strips of tape from my clothing prior to shooting. I do this because I’ve seen this stuff become jammed in guns and render them useless.

It is my preference to wear long pants at a match. I know a lot of shooters wear shorts due to hot weather. And I see a lot of them with bloody knees that I’m sure distract their attention during the match.

In the minutes before and immediately following a scenario I try to focus my attention on the job at hand. I mentally treat each scenario as if it were the only one standing between me and a trophy. It’s good to renew old friendships and I enjoy the fellowship of other shooters. But it can be very distracting and you need to put this aside when preparing to shoot the scenario.

2006 Italian IDPA Nationals 

Giorgio Acerboni, Area Coordinator for Italy, asked me to be the Chief Safety Officer for the Italian IDPA Nationals that was held July 28, 29 & 30 at the Futura Shooting Club located near Nepi, Italy. I first met Giorgio at the 2004 IDPA Nationals in Little Rock, Arkansas, and he has attended several Texas State IDPA matches. He was appointed Area Coordinator for Italy just after the 2005 IDPA Nationals and has worked directly with IDPA Headquarters in Berryville, Arkansas, to expand the IDPA shooting sport in Italy from four clubs to fourteen in just the past year.

Nepi , Italy is located about 30 miles north of Rome. Nepi is a small town of perhaps 6,000 residents known as “The door of Etruria”. The town was established during the Roman expansion and was their first colony in the territory of the Falisco. Passing through the town is the well preserved remains of a Roman aqueduct that was built to transport water from the mountains to Rome. Today Nepi is famous for its mineral water and cathedral full of archeological remains.

Girogio arranged the loan a gun for me to use at the match. Because, when I made the decision to attend I didn’t have enough time to process the paperwork necessary to import a gun into Italy. Importing firearms and ammunition into Italy is fairly easy. You need to carry with you copies of your invitation to the match and your entry form. In order to comply with the Italian gun law you must be in possession of a Temporary Firearms Importation Form completely filled out by the shooter and stamped by Border Police when crossing the Italian border whether by car, plane or train. This form allows you to import and transport a maximum of 3 guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition for a period of 90 days from the importing date. The importation form is not a license to carry in Italy and no matter what other kind of permit you have you are not allowed to carry firearms concealed or in open view in Italy. For this reason keep ammunition and firearms in locked cases separated from one another. Also note that 9x19mm (a.k.a. 9mm Parabellum) caliber guns and ammunition are NOT allowed in Italy. 9mm is considered a military round and is restricted.

The Futura Shooting Club is without a doubt a world class facility. The range was built in an old rock quarry and has 20 large pistol bays and 100, 200 & 300 meter rifle ranges. My understanding is that many of the shooting ranges in Italy are built in old rock quarries.

The match consisted of 12 scenarios. Some courses of fire were copied from various state matches as well as last year’s IDPA Nationals match. They even managed to include stage 3 of the classifier.

A side match was offered for those who wanted to have some fun with bowling pins and house clearing. In addition, a man-on-man match with steel poppers was available for those who wanted to test their skill against another shooter.

I want to extend my compliments to the safety officers and staff for their hard work. Those of you who have been involved with putting together a state or national level match can appreciate all the work that goes into making the match run smoothly. On Saturday evening they had an Italian version of a barbequed pig dinner, reminded me of nationals a couple of years back at CASA in Little Rock.

I hope to be able to attend the Italy Nationals again next year. And I would like to see many of my American friends there as well. If you are able to attend, you will find no better hosts than the Italians. Everyone I came into contact with was friendly and went out of their way to insure that all my needs were met. You will enjoy authentic Italian food, see stuff you’ve only read about in history books and make many wonderful new friends.

Arrivederci, Ciao.

 2006 IDPA National Championship
Stage 16, Bay 13

I was privileged this year to be the Chief Safety Officer for Stage 16, Bay 13 at the 2006 IDPA National Championship match. The three Safety Officers assisting me were Tom Skuse, Ted Smethers and Paul Davis. The team did an exceptional job. We soon fell into a rhythm that worked like a well oiled machine. Everyone performed their job with surprisingly few problems given that we had to deal with rain and mud during the last two days of the event.

Stage 16 was 29 rounds minimum with two 6 round strings and one 17 round string. This bay became infamous for the “Little Bastard” that gave several shooters problems, and the description of string 3 below will explain how the bay got this dubious title. By all accounts this was one of the more challenging courses of fire of the match. And there is no argument that it was the muddiest bay. There were a total of nine threat targets, two pepper poppers and three non-threat targets. All paper threat targets in the bay received a minimum of three shots each and the steel was shot until it fell.

The first string had the shooter starting at position 1 holding keys in his gun hand and a briefcase in his support hand. At the start signal the shooter dropped the keys & briefcase and engaged two paper threat targets through windows with three shots each while moving diagonally toward position 2. The time required to shoot this string averaged around 4 seconds. The shooter was reloaded off the clock.

The starting position for the second string was behind a wall pointing the gun at a red dot painted on the wall. When the shooter pointed his gun at the dot, I assumed he was ready and gave the command “Stand-by” followed by the start signal. After the start signal the shooter advanced to the opening and using the wall as cover engaged two paper threat targets in barricade tactical order with three shots each. The first threat was about five yards down range and the second was about ten yards down range with the right half of the second target obscured by a non-threat target. This was the first non-threat target that shooters encountered in Bay 13 and many took advantage of the opportunity to add an additional five seconds to their scores. Average time for string 2 was about 5 seconds and again the shooter was reloaded off the clock.

The third string utilized the same starting position as string two. At the start signal the shooter rounded the corner and advanced to the opening about three yards down the hallway. Again using the wall as cover everything in the room was engaged in barricade tactical order (slicing the pie). Inside the room were five threat targets, two steel pepper poppers and two non-threat targets. One of the threat targets and one of the non-threat targets were swingers activated by the first pepper popper. The order of engagement was as follows: Paper target, pepper popper (tripped both swingers), two paper targets with non-threat swinger in front, second pepper popper (Little Bastard), paper target and swinging paper target with stationary non-threat between the last two paper targets. Average time to shoot this string was around 23 seconds.

This third string is where shooters had the most problems. Everything seemed to be going well for the shooter until after the pepper popper was engaged that started the swingers. From there on things seemed to go down hill because so much was going on. Shooters were required to engage the second paper target with at least one shot and after that I allowed them to switch between the two paper targets that were behind the swinging non-threat. Surprisingly the swinging non-threat was only shot a couple of times. However, there were a number of procedural penalties awarded for engaging these two targets out of tactical order.

After these two paper targets came the “Little Bastard” pepper popper. This little popper was only about 18 inches tall and several shooters went right past it without engaging it. For this effort they received five points down and a failure-to-neutralize and thus an additional seven and one half seconds added to their scores. Or, if they remembered to go back and pick up the “Little Bastard” before finishing they received a three second procedural for engaging the pepper popper out of tactical order. I cannot count on all my fingers and toes how many people the “Little Bastard” got.

I kind of expected that my IDPA membership would be revoked after I awarded Bill Wilson (President of IDPA) a procedural for shooting the “Little Bastard” out of order. Bill came to me after the targets were scored and commented saying, “That’s what I get for not practicing or shooting enough matches before the nationals.”

Next in order was a stationary paper target that was partially obscured by a non-threat target. Then finally a swinging threat target was engaged. For some reason a lot of shooters enjoyed shooting through the swinging threat target and winging the non-threat. And this on top of the fact that there was someone in practically every squad that asked the question “Does a shoot through count?”

I had a ball running this stage. There were so many great laughs, usually at the expense of some shooter who blew up on the third string. Not that I was laughing at the shooter having a problem but rather at their reaction after the “Little Bastard” got them. And most shooters will admit to laughing at themselves once they got past the disappointment of falling prey to the “Little Bastard”.

Women’s Introduction to IDPA

I wrote an article for the Tactical Shooters Club Newsletter in the third quarter of 2002 entitled “Where Have All the Women Gone?” about women shooting IDPA. In that article I explored the reasons why I thought they did not get as involved as their male counterparts. The Women’s Introduction to IDPA is my effort to get more females involved in our sport.

We hold a weekly IDPA match on Tuesday evenings at the Memorial Oaks Shooting Club and I’ve been working with the owners to put together something specifically for women. The idea of a women only IDPA match was suggested. I contacted IDPA headquarters and ran the idea by them. Their suggestion was to not call it a match but rather an introduction to IDPA. Basically, if you call it an IDPA match, then it should be open to any IDPA member regardless of gender. And thus the Women’s Introduction to IDPA was born.

The plan is to hold this introduction to IDPA on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. Women will be able to come and shoot one time without joining the IDPA. Then if they like the format, and I’m betting they will, they can join the IDPA and return on following Thursdays to continue learning.

The Women’s Introduction to IDPA will be formatted much like our Tuesday IDPA match except it will be much less intense. I expect that most of the women who start attending will have little or no experience shooting a handgun. And the majority of them probably will not have the correct equipment, holsters, magazine carriers, etc., when they first start. Emphasis will be placed on safe gun handling, shooting skills and learning IDPA rules. Once shooters learn the basics they will be encouraged to participate in our Tuesday matches and any of the other IDPA matches sponsored by the other four IDPA clubs in the Houston area.

My intention is to provide a really fun and informative shooting experience for beginner shooters. The goal is to endow women shooters with the skills and attitude necessary to participate in IDPA competitions without feeling intimidated or embarrassed. We have several women in the Houston area who are active IDPA shooters. I have asked some of them to stop by on Thursday evenings every once in a while to serve as role models for beginner women shooters.

IDPA SO Class in New Mexico

Butch Cassidy asked me to come to New Mexico and give an IDPA Safety Officer class. He needed the class to complete the requirements to become an IDPA affiliated club. The Hole in the Wall Range will host a monthly IDPA match on the third Saturday of each month.

I tried to get a couple of my friends to go along but they had previous commitments that did not allow them to go. So I ended up making the trip by myself. It is 888 miles from my house to Silver City, New Mexico. The trip was long but not that bad. Interstate 10 west of San Antonio has an 80 MPH speed limit all the way to El Paso.

I arrived in Silver City around noon on Friday and the SO class was scheduled to begin at 6pm that evening. So having a few hours to burn, I drove around to get a good look at the area. It was really a pleasant little community. I found all the standard motels, fast food and retail outlets. The topography was a bit hilly and a refreshing change from flat Houston. On Saturday following the SO training they held a “fun IDPA match” that was designed to attract local shooters to come and learn about what the IDPA has to offer. Included was a great lunch including roast beef sandwiches, hot dogs, potato salad and cold drinks.

The Hole in the Wall Range is located in the southwest part of town. It is a new facility with a large retail area and good sized meeting/training rooms. The shooting range is outdoor but covered. There are two parts to the range. One part is composed of shooting booths with powered target retrieval systems. The second is open and is an area used for police training and IDPA matches. When I said the range was covered I mean that the entire range is covered, not just the area where the shooter stands. Think of it as an indoor/outdoor range.

The Hole in the Wall Range is home to the Pro Force Training Center. Butch provides training for everyone from beginner shooters to law enforcement. There are NRA classes, concealed carry classes and even driver safety classes.

Three Bellies Weekend

It was Friday, my day off, and I was in the process of taking care of a few loose ends. I had gone and done my civic duty by voting early and had stopped by to get my hair cut followed by getting the oil changed in the truck. My cell phone rang and it was Johnny Van Etta. He told me that our friend Jay Hurst had an opening for a couple of guys to go on a Blast-and-Cast weekend of duck hunting and fishing in Rockport, Texas, and asked would I be interested?

YES, I’m interested. A quick call to my wife to confirm that there were no special plans for the weekend (I asked for permission) and the deal was done. Johnny and I got together and went to Gander Mountain to get duck stamps and then on to Academy for chest high waders. We packed our shotguns and clothes then left to meet Jay at his house.

Johnny, Jay and I are affectionately known as the “Three Bellies”. I’m not real sure where that name came from but it seems to have stuck. We put all our stuff in Jay’s SUV and got on the road to Rockport. Jay had a condominium right on the beach at Rockport. So we settled in and spent some quality time sitting on the veranda overlooking the water and telling lies while hoisting a few adult beverages.

Up well before dawn, we went to meet the guide and boarded his air boat for the trip out into the marshes. The water was calm and we skimmed across the shallow marshland with ease. I’m sure glad the guide knew where he was going because he went most of the way without running any lights. The noise of the engine seemed out of place and made for a surreal feeling of flying through the air. We zigzagged around small islands and waterways finally stopping and setting up a blind by sticking branches in the mud. Folding chairs made a good place to sit while waiting for the 6:08 a.m. time to begin shooting.

I started loading my 12 gauge pump and only then noticed that I had not installed the plug that limits the number of shotgun shells to three. It was illegal to hunt ducks with a shotgun that could hold more than three shells. I quickly dug out my multi-tool and started to remove the screws holding the cap on the magazine of the shotgun. Of course the ducks started coming to our decoy spread and both Johnny and Jay began shooting. I continued to work on my gun. I cut a small branch and fashioned it into a plug then installed it in my shotgun. Now I was ready to shoot. Finally, we all limited out and were ready to return to shore by 7:30 a.m.

The return trip to the dock was interesting because now I could see all the stuff we had dodged on our way out. It was my first time to ride in an air boat and I have to say it was an enjoyable experience. While the guide cleaned the ducks, we pealed off our waders and settled on a place to go and have breakfast. We then returned to the condominium for a quick nap in preparation for fishing that afternoon.

After noon we went to the dock and loaded into the boat for the fishing trip. It was a center console boat with a large outboard and the trip to the fishing area was fairly short. We used live shrimp and a bobber to fish for speckled trout. The fishing wasn’t all that great but it was a very enjoyable time. We drifted and fished while talking about the morning’s duck hunt and doing that male bonding thing. After a few hours we headed back. Again the guide cleaned our catch and we talked about where to have dinner. We returned to the condominium to clean up before dinner.

We ate dinner at a local seafood eatery. I knew we were in for a treat when the waitress put bibs on each of us before taking our order. They covered our table with paper and brought a large bucket of food and dumped it right in the middle. The pile of food included shrimp, crab, sausage and potatoes just to mention a few. That and a bottle of wine made for some real good eats. Then it was back to the condominium for some more light conversation on the veranda and more adult beverages.

Sunday morning it was up before dawn again and off to catch the air boat for some more duck hunting. The water was even calmer on this trip and I relaxed and enjoyed the ride. We set up very near where we had been the day before. This time I was ready when shooting time arrived. We limited out again, with 5 ducks each.

I don’t know how it would be possible to have more fun. I even enjoyed the laughter of my two “friends” at my expense. You see, I got stuck in the mud helping our guide pick up the decoys while they enjoyed an adult beverage from the safety of the air boat. It was because of my will to survive and my extraordinary superhuman effort that I was able to extricate myself from the mud and save myself from certain death. My two “friends” were useless being doubled up with laughter, tears streaming down their cheeks and choking on beer. I however remained calm and in control throughout the ordeal. They were fortunate that I was there in case they needed someone to resuscitate them.

Reflection

Where has the year gone? It seems that time has slipped by almost without notice. Now as 2006 begins to fade into obscurity, I reflect on what has transpired in the last year. I’ve had a few highs and a few lows as well in the past months.

I got to see a bit of the world. I was in Paris, France, on business in April for a couple of weeks. I was the Match Director for the Louisiana State IDPA and Mud Wrestling Championship this year. Then I was asked to serve as Chief Safety Officer for the Italian IDPA Nationals held near Rome, Italy, in July. The IDPA Nationals was held in September in Little Rock, Arkansas, and I was honored to serve as Chief Safety Officer for this the 10th anniversary of IDPA. Silver City, New Mexico, was a fun trip (888 miles one way) to teach an IDPA Safety Officer class. I’ve been to Kansas and Oklahoma to visit relatives.

My mom and dad both celebrated their 85th birthdays this year and I was fortunate to be able to attend the birthday party for mom in May and for dad in September. I got to see my six year old granddaughter march with her Girl Scout troop in the Veterans’ Day parade and that evening my twelve year old grandson played his trumpet in a band that gave a musical salute to veterans.

Al Hodges passed away. Al was one of my closest friends. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Still I remember all the great times we had. I could write a whole book about the adventures and laughs we’ve had. And I’m thankful that Al has been a part of my life.

The Tactical Shooters Club got started shooting at the Memorial Oaks Shooting Club on Tuesday evenings and seems to be going well. I started the Woman’s Introduction to IDPA on Thursday evenings at the range.

The duck hunting and fishing trip to Rockport, Texas, was one of the highlights this year. I hope to do another hog hunt before the year ends. And my pal Johnny has invited me to go with him to his deer lease. I’m thinking about becoming more involved with shooting sporting clays. That would require that I get a new toy just for that game.

I’m still committed to teaching NRA classes. It is something I really enjoy doing and I think my students get a lot out of the classes.

My plan for the New Year will be to take a step back from the intensity and stress of competitive shooting. I’ll just shoot to have fun and enjoy the fellowship of like minded shooters. I’ll spend a lot less time on the end of a timer and a lot more time with a gun in my hand.