Why Firearm Safety Is So Important

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Webmaster

Pro-Gun Columnist Dies After Handing Loaded Gun To Teenager — Why Firearm Safety Is So Important

Posted by James England, December 31, 2016

PORTLAND, MAINE — A well renowned columnist for the Portland Press Herald died from an apparent gunshot wound after he passed a loaded handgun to a 16-year-old. The incident was mired with grief and tragedy as the columnist invited guests over to his home and appeared to entirely skip the step of unloading and clearing a firearm before passing it to another person.

The Portland Press Herald reported that Michael D. Harmon, 71, died inside his home before police arrived to investigate the scene. The teenager negligently discharged the firearm while Harmon was showing it to him.

 Harmon was a champion of gun rights in the state of Maine, covering many controversial topics surrounding the passing of the permitless carry bill that was recently made into law.

While the investigation of the events leading up to Harmon’s death are still under review, his wife and others are calling the incident an “accidental tragedy”.

Tragedy is right.

Now, we’ve covered a number of topics relating to educating family members about the use of firearms and we encourage each household that has guns to educate everyone that lives within that home on their proper usage and safe handling.

Slip-ups like this happen when someone dismisses the importance of firearm safety — a core component of competent, responsible firearms handling.

  • Don’t pass a loaded gun to anyone without the firearm pointed down range AND only after the range is confirmed to be clear of all people or animals.
  • Don’t pass a loaded gun to anyone before confirming that person is competent with the basics of firearm safety.
    • Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
    • Keep your finger clear and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
    • Do not point the gun at anything you do not intend to shoot.
    • Know what is in front of and behind your target.

Pretty easy. The problem with firearm safety is that it is so deceptively easy that even veterans of the firearms community may see those points as a given and assume the person they are dealing with is as competent as they are.

That’s why we can’t ever make assumptions with live firearms.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend people don’t hand off loaded firearms to one another at a firing range. In a range setting or similar training environment, it may even be necessary in limited context with professional oversight and clear, unambiguous direction.

The preferred method of transferring a firearm from one person to another is to do the following:

While ensuring the firearm is pointed in a safe direction…

  • Eject the magazine
  • Rack and lock the upper receiver to the rear (thus ejecting any round in the chamber)
  • Visually inspect the upper receiver to ensure no round is still inside
  • And THEN pass the firearm to whomever you wish.

If you DO NOT do this, you are putting yourself and the people around you at grave risk.

There is no problem with handing off a firearm to a teenager so he may inspect it. The problem is not clearing the firearm PRIOR to handing it off to that teenager.

Harmon, unfortunately, paid dearly for that mistake and we’ve lost a great proponent for the firearms community in New England. However, his oversight was easily avoided.

I personally wish the best for his family during the grieving process and certainly hope that teenager is able to cope with the negligent taking of another person’s life. We don’t water down these sorts of things in the firearm community because it’s so very important to hammer home the reality that mistakes cost lives.

Never forget the importance of firearm safety for yourself and everyone around you. Happy New Year’s Eve to everyone and have a fantastic New Year.

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Pocket Carry for Concealed Handgun Permit Holder

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Webmaster

Pocket Holster

by Rick Sindeband , Have Gun Will Train Colorado ,July 20, 2015, Pocket Carry

I had an interesting weekend in Victor, Colorado and saw some things that I thought I would discuss with the Concealed Carry Permit flock. Some Concealed Carry Holders are choosing to pocket carry guns and while this is personal choice, I am seeing more and more people do it unsafely. One person I recently met pulled the pocket carry concealed firearm out of his pocket with his fingers in front of the muzzle, and when I asked him about it his response was its a long trigger pull it can’t go off!! (See the video I posted on Facebook) I then questioned him about his pocket holster because I am curios about such things and he responded I don’t need a holster it’s this only thing in my pocket. Well he got part of it right. First of all most of you who know me know that I’m not a fan of little concealed carry guns. Yea I know the only gun that counts is the one you have with you when you need it. I think with a little concealed handgun training and wardrobe management a person can carry a reasonable size gun in a decent caliber and be comfortable and safe. With that being said a few things we should all remember about pocket carry for concealed carry. Remember if using as a backup gun ,some states do not allow a second gun to be carried.

1) Use a holster

a. Cover the trigger guard, reducing the chance of a negligent discharge

b. Protect the gun against lint and dirt, pocket carry guns need cleaning and maintenance more often

c. Protect the pocket against the gun’s sharp edges and oil

d. Keep the gun positioned correctly in the pocket, an upside down gun is dangerous and unaccessible

e. Prevents the gun from falling out of the pocket during vigorous activity

f. Allows a simple and rapid draw, with some provision to keep the holster in the pocket when the gun is drawn

2) NOTHING should go in the pocket that holds the gun except the gun and the holster.

Pocket concealed carry need not be limited to a small, sub-caliber handgun in the side or back pocket of slacks. Various pants, jackets and even some shirts provide many possibilities for effective pocket carry of small, medium and large concealed carry handguns.

Pocket carry has several major advantages:

Comfort,Convenience,Concealment,Retention,

Safety in holstering (take the holster out of the pocket face in a safe direction while holstering the firearm and then replace it in your pocket.

Pre-staging the draw, This is one of the biggest advantages of pocket carry compared to other concealed carry methods.

If trouble may be brewing, the aware concealed carry permit holder may place his or her hand on the gun in a firing grip. A practiced individual should be able to draw and make hits out to seven yards. Be careful where you practice this, it is against the rules at one of our favorite ranges.

In all cases, the handgun in question must be:

Reliable and durable under extreme circumstances, Simple and intuitive to operate, Quick to grip and draw, Well fit to your hand and naturally pointable, Shootable and controllable enough for you to keep multiple rounds on target at cyclic speed (as fast as you can pull the trigger) at close range, with one hand, Powerful enough to consistently penetrate a big guy’s vital organs through commonly worn clothing from all angles with expanding bullets.

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Choosing the Wrong Handgun

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Webmaster

Choosing the Wrong Handgun

Lucky Gunner Lounge by Chris Baker Dec 8 2016

As a follow up to my guide on choosing a handgun for new shooters, I made a video covering the flip side of the issue. What happens when we try to get by with a handgun that’s less than ideal? Sometimes we can find a way to make it work, but inexperienced shooters often struggle. Bottom line — using a sub-optimal gun is no fun, and when shooting isn’t fun, we’re less motivated to get better. Watch the video for details, or skip down to the transcript below.

A couple of weeks ago, I gave some guidelines for choosing a handgun for self-defense and I recommended a few specific models that I think would cover the needs of most people who are new to shooting. That list wasn’t intended to be exhaustive. There are a ton of other suitable handguns out there. But there are also a lot of really bad ones and today I want to talk about the potential consequences of choosing the wrong handgun. I think this is relevant for less experienced shooters, but also for those of you who are going to end up helping out friends and family members who are trying to pick out their first gun.

Any handgun could be the wrong choice if it’s not a good fit for the shooter and their specific situation. And some handguns are just objectively terrible because they’re either poorly designed or poorly made. In either case, there is a valid argument to be made that we in the shooting community place way too much emphasis on gear selection. And that’s probably true. So I’m not going to try to tell you that you will be killed in the streets if you choose a gun that’s not on my approved list.

In reality, people manage to defend themselves all the time with crappy guns. The type of gun we have with us at the time of a violent attack is not likely to be the primary deciding factor in whether we survive that encounter. At the same time, there are some limitations to that cliché analogy, “It’s the Indian, not the arrow.” The Indian didn’t learn how to shoot using a broken bow and crooked arrows.

I think it’s important that people start out with good equipment whenever possible. The guns you choose for self-defense and the guns you practice with — particularly for inexperienced or untrained shooters — can have a huge impact on how you develop as a shooter, and whether you even decide to keep trying at all. Choosing your handgun wisely can make it very easy to develop some basic self-defense skills. But trying to power through with a gun that is less than ideal can lead to unnecessary roadblocks to improvement and can even negatively influence your mindset toward self-defense in general.

For example, one of the most common mistakes people make when they’re picking out a self-defense pistol is to insist on a gun that is too small for its caliber. This could be a magnum snub nose revolver or a pocket .380, but lately, I see it most often with sub-compact polymer .40 and .45 caliber pistols. These are some of the most miserable little guns out there, but unskilled shooters get suckered into buying them all the time — usually men who believe Newton’s third law of motion doesn’t apply to them. Almost without fail, these guys end up struggling to achieve anything close to competent shooting. Compared to their 9mm counterparts, the larger caliber subcompacts are really difficult to control. They are usually uncomfortable to shoot for more than a couple of magazines at a time and the excessive recoil makes it really easy to develop a bad flinching habit. Large calibers should be for large handguns.

Another common mistake is to overlook hand size when choosing a handgun. And I don’t just mean whether it “feels comfortable” in your hand at the gun store. You need to be able to reach the trigger with your index finger without that finger touching the frame. If there’s a manual safety, that needs to be within reach of your thumb without shifting your grip. It should not be a strain on your fingers or your wrist to manipulate the pistol. If the gun doesn’t fit your hands, you’ll end up wasting a lot of training time trying to figure out how to modify your technique just to operate the gun. That’s training time that could have been devoted to fine tuning your skills if you had started with a gun that fit better.

One more example of a common mistake is choosing a gun based solely on price. I understand being on a tight budget and having some very real financial limitations. If that’s your situation, obviously, you do the best you can within your budget. But a lot of people who can afford a decent gun just refuse to believe that a $400-500 pistol could possibly be better than a $250 pistol. I’m not saying there aren’t any decent low cost guns out there, or that expensive guns are always better. But usually, the companies that offer the cheapest handguns are cutting corners on quality. On average, cheap handguns malfunction more often at the range and under actual fighting conditions than moderately priced guns. Maybe that budget pistol will work when you actually need it, but why would you want to take that chance if you can afford an extra $100 for a gun that’s statistically more likely to function?

Even if you make one of these mistakes when you buy your pistol, you will probably still end up with an adequate self-defense tool. But let’s consider some of the indirect consequences. An inexperienced shooter who buys a sub-par gun for self-defense can easily become discouraged by how difficult it is to consistently hit the target at the range.They can be turned off to shooting altogether because of a pistol with sharp recoil. Or they may be quickly frustrated by trying to figure out why their gun can’t make it through a full magazine without a malfunction.

Dealing with these issues when you’re trying to learn a new skill can have a powerful demoralizing effect. Shooters who have bad experiences early on are less likely to practice or seek out training. They are less likely to develop safe gun handling skills which makes them a liability every time they touch a firearm.  If shooting their carry gun feels like a chore and they don’t ever make any serious improvement, they will probably either lack confidence that they will be able to use the gun successfully in self-defense, or they will overestimate their ability. Either way, they are in a poor position to make good decisions under stress about when and how to apply deadly force.

Ultimately, the gun itself is a small part of the self-defense equation. That said, I really believe that in a lot of cases, people buy the wrong gun before they understand what kind of gun they actually need and that has a domino effect that results in a lack of confidence and skill. Without those two things, I think it’s questionable whether they are any better off than before they bought the gun.

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Getting a Concealed Handgun Permit Pueblo Colorado

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Webmaster

Getting a Concealed Handgun Permit in Pueblo Colorado is a great option. Many people travel to the Pueblo area for shopping and medical appointments. It is very easy to schedule your training around those days if you have a trainer that will accommodate you.  Maybe you just want gun training so you can be safe handling your firearms around your family, or sometimes many people just want to be able to safely go shooting at one of the public ranges in the area. Gun training can be many different things to many different people. Some people need basic safety gun training. They want to have a gun in their home or auto and they want to be able to use it safely to protect themselves and their family.

Concealed Handgun Permit Pueblo Colorado

No matter what you need in gun training a good basic gun training course will give you gun safety. Basic gun handling skills necessary to use a gun safely in many activities will be covered too. You will be taught the proper method to load and unload popular firearms. Also to keep and store guns and ammunition properly in your home. No matter what the training most of these important firearm topics will be covered. In addition, many of the state laws and regulations will be covered.

Many topics are important to train for like Colorado gun law and Use Of Force law as it pertains to self-defense in Colorado

concealed handgun permit pueblo colorado

 concealed handgun permit pueblo coloradoBe sure to pick a Gun training instructor that has good credentials and can do the training around your busy schedule. Everyone doesn’t fit into the Saturday or Sunday class that some only teach. Finally, there are several Instructors in the area that can work a class around your busy lifestyle. Thus you will be very pleased with how easy Concealed Handgun Permit Pueblo Colorado can fit into your schedule.
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Concealed Carry Permit Pueblo Colorado

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Webmaster

colorado concealed carry permit

Concealed Carry Permit

Get Your Permit Today Colorado’s most popular Firearms Academy and Instructor. Small classes are scheduled almost every day for your busy life.

Get your permit on your schedule. See Instructors giving classes when you can attend. Colorado is what the gun training industry calls a shall-issue state. In this shall issue state, the state of Colorado does not issue the concealed carry permit. The permits are issued by each county sheriff and the rules are the same everywhere in the state. The Concealed Carry Permit has to be issued to any individual that qualifies by the guidelines in the statute. The Concealed Carry Permit process in Pueblo, Colorado is very simple and is listed below.

The Permit process in Pueblo, Colorado

In addition to the completed application form (last page of packet), you must submit: (Pueblo County Now accepting 1 check for both fees no credit or debit cards at this time $152.50)
· A $52.50 processing fee in the form of a cashier’s check or money order, made payable to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This fee pays for a state and national criminal history check (fingerprints) and for an Insta-check (NICS) per Statute. This is required for all regular civilian applicants.

· A $100.00 processing fee in the form of a cashier’s check, money order, or personal check, made payable to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. This fee pays for forms, ID cards, local criminal history checks, and other administrative costs.

· Proof of residency. A copy of (Colorado Driver’s License, Colorado ID Card or Military ID Card and Duty Orders)

· A copy of documentary evidence demonstrating competence with a handgun as specified in section 18-12-203 (1) (h) of the Colorado Revised Statute. (Your training Certificate)

Concealed Carry Permit Criteria

· Is a legal resident of the State of Colorado. A person, who is a member of the Armed Forces and is stationed pursuant to permanent duty station orders at a military installation in this state, and a member of the person’s immediate family living in Colorado, shall be deemed to be a legal resident of the State of Colorado.

Is twenty-one years of age or older or is at least 18 years of age if seeking a temporary, emergency permit.

Is not ineligible to possess a firearm pursuant to section 18-12-108.

Not been convicted of perjury under section 18-8-503, in relation to information provided or deliberately omitted on a permit application.

Does not chronically and habitually use alcoholic beverages to the extent that the applicant’s normal faculties are impaired.

Is not an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance as defined in section 18-18-102(5). Whether an applicant is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance shall be determined as provided in federal law and regulations.

· Is not subject to:
1. a restraining order issued pursuant to section 18-1-1001 or section 19-2-707, C.R.S.
that is in effect at the time the application is submitted,
2. a permanent restraining order issued pursuant to Article 14 of Title 13, C.R.S., or
3. a temporary restraining order issued pursuant to Article 14 of Title 13, C.R.S. that is in
effect at the time the application is submitted.

· Demonstrates competence with a handgun by submitting:
1. evidence of experience with a firearm through participation in organized shooting competitions or current military service.
2. evidence that, at the time the application is submitted, the applicant is a certified instructor.
3. proof of honorable discharge from a branch of the United States Armed Forces within the three years preceding submittal of the application, or
4. proof of honorable discharge from a branch of the United States Armed Forces that reflects pistol qualifications obtained within the ten years preceding submittal of the application.
5. a training certificate from a “handgun training class” (see definitions) obtained within the ten years preceding submittal of the application.

The applicant shall submit the original training certificate or a photocopy thereof that includes the original signature of the class instructor. In obtaining a training certificate from a handgun training class, the applicant shall have discretion in selecting which handgun training class to complete.

Concealed Carry Training in Pueblo Colorado is available from our list of instructors. Our Pueblo Concealed Carry Class can be scheduled at a time that suits your busy life.

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Places to Shoot Pueblo Colorado

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Webmaster

places to shoot

Places to Shoot Pueblo Colorado

 

Places to shoot Pueblo Colorado have changed over time and in the Pueblo Colorado and surrounding area there are a few places to go.  One of my favorite websites to find places to shoot is Shoot Straight Pueblo. Shoot Straight Pueblo is a directory website of all shooting activities in Southern Colorado. If your looking for a Firearms Dealer, Gunsmith, or some ammunition this site has some great places to look. Shoot Straight Pueblo has many of the shooting ranges listed and plans to have shooting events listed as well as firearms training classes. The website will be a must to put into your favorites . Eventually it will be the one place to look everything up that is shooting related in the Pueblo, Colorado area. Anyone that has an event or a place to shoot can contact the webmaster and get listed. Most of the shops that have ammunition and reloading supplies in the area are listed. As time goes on the listings will become more complete. Pueblo Municipal Shooters Inc. is currently the only indoor shooting range.

Numerous Outdoor Places to Shoot

Numerous outdoor shooting ranges are mentioned and even the new range located at Ft. Carson is among them. Several Trap and Skeet ranges are listed and only Republic Shooting Range provides a place to shoot sporting clays.

Take a closer look at Shoot Straight Pueblo and bookmark it for reference when you need to find a place to shoot or are in need of shooting or reloading supplies.

 

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Stand Your Ground Pueblo Colorado

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Webmaster

This map is intended for use as a summary. Usual disclaimers apply.Multiple sources were used to update the map** but the very best resource we found is the book by Mitch Vilos Self Defense Laws of All 50 States. This book is required reading for anybody who carries a weapon. Many states have complex laws. We highlighted those states when you Click for Summary on the map.
Stand Your Ground States 2023 - Wisevoter

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New Gun Laws in Colorado-No real effect on Concealed Carry Training

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Webmaster

concealed carry trainingConcealed Carry Training

Colorado’s new gun laws have no real effect on Concealed Carry Training in the state. The one small change is  that no concealed carry training is allowed to take place on the internet. This is not a problem for most concealed carry training candidates because they want to take a concealed carry training class locally from an instructor that is qualified to give that type of class. The big reason these changes were made was that legislators  felt a training class in person with hands on gun training was more appropriate. I think hands on gun training is very important. Many people have become complacent about gun handling and safety rules. They know them alright but when asked to perform these simple tasks with a gun many fail. Just take for example the loading and unloading of a semi-auto pistol. Step number 1 is always remove the magazine (not Clip) first. The reason is… remove the ammunition supply so that the only round you are dealing with is the one in the chamber. You would be surprised at how many people pull the slide back first to see if the pistol is loaded.

Concealed Carry Training Class

A good training class is a very valuable thing for someone who wants to carry a concealed weapon.

Concealed Carry Training Class is fun

Training class can be a fun time to learn the proper methods and techniques of gun handling

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Colorado a Shall Issue Concealed Carry Permit State

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Webmaster

Shall Issue Concealed CarryShall Issue Concealed Carry Permit State

Did you know that Colorado is a Shall Issue Concealed Carry Permit State! Well it is. What that means to you is that if you are eligible to have a concealed carry permit under the current guidelines of the law, the state must give you one. Unlike  some of the May Issue States they can make up any reason for not allowing you to have a permit.

A Shall-Issue jurisdiction is one that requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun, but where the granting of such permits is subject only to meeting determinate criteria laid out in the law; the granting authority has no discretion in the awarding of the permits, and there is no requirement of the applicant to demonstrate “good cause”. The laws in a Shall-Issue jurisdiction typically state that a granting authority shall issue a permit if the criteria are met, as opposed to laws in which the authority may issue a permit at their discretion.

Typical permit requirements include residency, minimum age, submitting fingerprints, passing a computerized instant background check (or a more comprehensive manual background check), attending a certified handgun/firearm safety class, passing a practical qualification demonstrating handgun proficiency, and paying a required fee. These requirements vary widely by jurisdiction, with some having few or none of these and others having most or all.

The following are undisputed Shall-Issue Concealed Carry States: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee,Texas, Utah,Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming .

May Issue Concealed Carry Permit State

A May-Issue jurisdiction is one that requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun, and where the granting of such permits is partially at the discretion of local authorities (frequently the sheriff’s department or police), with a few states consolidating this discretionary power under state-level law enforcement. The law typically states that a granting authority “may issue” a permit if various criteria are met, or that the permit applicant must have “good cause” (or similar) to carry a concealed weapon. In most such situations, self-defense in and of itself oftentimes does not satisfy the “good cause” requirement.

The following are “may-issue” states: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware,Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

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Get Your Concealed Carry Permit Today

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Webmaster

Concealed Carry

Concealed Carry Training

Now is the time to get your concealed carry permit in Pueblo, Colorado. Concealed Carry Training has never been more convenient than we are making it today. Contact one of our instructors to set up a time and date that works for you. Concealed Carry topics covered are Colorado Statutes, Use of Deadly Force, Gun Safety for common actions,Safe Gun handling, and much more. This hands on class is full of topics and information that you wish you knew.

Concealed Carry Class Made Easy

Concealed Carry Classes cover the essential information that you need to know to be a safe gun owner. Some people never get their concealed carry permit after the training. Find out the truth when it comes to owning and having a gun in your car and home. Carrying a gun in restaurants and bars. What to say when involved in an incident with your gun. Know the rules that a lot of people wish they knew. Sign up today for one of our classes.

Concealed Carry Class Information

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