Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie takes Charlie Cook around the country interviewing people involved with firearms, music, and much more.

RSWC #201 Meet The Pressers 04/23/2024

RSWC #201 Meet The Pressers Riding Shotgun With Charlie #201 Matt Mallory & Klint Macro Meet The Pressers It’s always a great time to run into Matt & Klint from Meet The Pressers. We filmed a show at SHOT in 2020. And they let me use their car to film a couple other shows. This year we were able to film another show on SHOT’s Range Day. Since our last show, Matt has been busy getting and giving training with , his training company. He offers several of the NRA and USCCA courses. But he is also a Master Instructor for Pepper Spray and for the TASER Civilian Course. He travels the country teaching these classes. Of course, he also offers several other training opportunities. Since the Bruen decision in June 2022, he’s been doing the 18, yes EIGHTEEN, hour course to get a carry permit in New York. The NY Governor signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, or the Concealed Carry Improvement Atrocity as he calls it. He was able to take topics and lessons from his other courses to meet the 18 hour requirement and qualification. Some states like Massachusetts, have approved courses. States like New York have approved content in the course. Another new course is the Build Your Own 2A BeAR. You can build your own AR-15 style rifle, with a pinned magazine, which makes the rifle not an “assault weapon”. Matt offers about 95 different courses through PS&Ed, including teaching at the local police academy. Other than that, Matt and I have been doing a LIVE show on our channels. We’re honored that and are our sponsors of the show. And we give away a Mantis X10 and a SIRT pistol every month. Klint is holding his own in the keeping busy department. He’s had LASIK surgery on his eyes. Yes, it may seem weird to talk about eye surgery on a gun show. The reason he did it is because if someone broke into his home, got into a confrontation, and swiped his face and knocked his glasses off, he wouldn’t be able to see them anymore. This is the outside of the box thinking that Klint does. He’s also a consultant with the . They have him training the trainers all around the country. As a consultant for the USCCA’’s official partners, he helps instructors build a training path for their clients. Some duties include helping with marketing and retaining clients. He’s been working with them for years, but they offered him a position he couldn’t turn down. He’s also been able to keep his training company, , offering courses. He’s doing classes with , running , president of Allegheny County Sportsman League. He’s the Vice President of . The most challenging part of all Klint’s gigs is keeping his hats separated and on correctly. He can’t speak for one group when he’s representing a different one or speaking to a different group. Klint talks about how after the government lockdowns of 2020, there were lots of people making purchases and seeking out training. This was very different from previous generations of gun owners. People want to buy firearms and take some training not because its required, but because they want to know how to use their new guns safely. Often he’ll tell folks to offer a basic course on having a firearm in the home and teach people how to be better consumers. Matt and Klint have a lot going on, individually and as a team. Between the courses locally and around the country, they’re always on the go. You should take a course with either of them when they’re in your area. And tell them Charlie said Hello! Favorite quotes: Matt: “It’s a corrupt government in New York state… It’s legalized crime.” Matt: “I’m not going to let them walk out with a certificate if they can’t keep their finger off the trigger when it’s important.” Klint: “All the stuff I had in place would mean nothing if you knocked off my glasses.” Klint: “I believe my purpose is to help empower my fellow Americans to exercise that Right to protect themselves and their families and to be their own first responders.” MTP Website MTP YouTube MTP FB MTP IG Trigger Pressers Union Trigger Pressers Union Trigger Pressers Union PS & Ed Website PS & Ed IG PS & Ed FB Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30898433

RSWC# 200 michael Bane 04/09/2024

RSWC# 200 michael Bane Riding Shotgun With Charlie #200 Michael Bane MichaelBane.tv Michael Bane. What can I say? I watched Michael for a long time as a new gun owner back on The Outdoor Channel on the shows Shooting Gallery and The Best Defense. I really enjoyed them and got a lot from The Best Defense! If I had a VHS player, I’m sure there are some tapes in storage. I met him at SHOT a couple years ago and asked for a selfie and he happily obliged. In November of 2022, Matt Mallory and I did a with him and I really had no idea about all of his history. Michael is an amazing storyteller so I just sat back and listened. This show isn’t much different. I posted on my social media that I was going to Denver for a few days. Michael asked when I was coming out and said if I had the time, he would love to be on the show. He said I could visit the Secret Hidden Bunker. How am I going to pass this up? The last 24 hours of this trip were spent with Michael and his sweetie. We had dinner the night the previous night and I got some stories that just seemed over the top. It was amazing! The next morning, I headed to the Secret Hidden Bunker. Before we even started I got two hours of stories. His sweetie finally said that we needed to film my show. I needed to get to the airport, too. Once we were the appropriate distance from the Bunker, we started filming. We headed to Estes Park, CO, to The Stanley Hotel, which was the inspiration for The Shining. Michael talked about his writing career and working for Country Music magazine back in his youth. He grew up in Memphis and took in all the R&B, blues, and early rock. He spent time writing for local newspapers over the years. When a friend showed him a check from writing for a magazine, he knew that was the path for him. He traveled with and became friends with many of the country singers and musicians. I love the story about how he went to Hank Williams Jr’s house and ended up touring with and writing Hank Jr’s autobiography. He’s written a number of books about country musicians, from Travis Tritt to Willie Nelson. His stories and experiences are unmatched! Once at the Stanley Hotel, we may have had a drink with Lloyd the bartender. On the way back to the Bunker, we talked about guns, TV careers, and life lessons. Michael shared how Shooting Gallery got started with four episodes and the producer thinking it won’t last. With no experience writing for TV or hosting a show, he moved ahead and took the chance. It ran for 22 years. There’s a story about how the Best Defense saved a woman’s life. I’m sure more than one person’s life, too. He worked with several counter terrorist experts to film an episode in a hangar about what really happens during a terror attack on a plane. He’s got connections to the best people with first hand knowledge and experience. And he did the last interview of Jeff Cooper! I am truly honored to have had Michael on the show. I’m excited that I have a lot of his stories on video. I know there’s many, many more stories, too. This episode is really all the things that I enjoy. Stories about music, guns, and why you should take opportunities in life. I’m looking forward to listening to the show myself, even though I was there and I edited it. I need to take it all in. Happy 200th episode! Favorite quotes: “You can get paid to write but you don’t have to work for a newspaper?” “You’ve just got to move with the opportunity.” “You just keep going. People say “are you willing to do X?” You always say yes.” “How do most people get this information that is literally life and death information?” “I learned competency in different fields.” “Excellence never comes from a consensus. Never.” “The history of arms is the history of the world.” Michael Bane TV Blog Spot Triggered YouTube Channel Twitter/X Instagram Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30739893

RSWC #199 Brad Landseadel 03/26/2024

RSWC #199 Brad Landseadel Riding Shotgun With Charlie #199 Brad Landseadel Central Virginia Sporting Clays A trip to Central Virginia Sporting Clays last July led to another trip in October. I headed down to CVSC with good friends John Petrolino and Cam Edwards. On the first trip, we encountered Brad Landseadel, the owner. He’s a great guy and started telling us some jokes. We got to talking, telling him what we do. John wrote an . Cam suggested we should do this again. John said I should film a show with Brad. Brad suggested we do the show in one of his planes. On the trip in fall, I brought the GoPros and filmed a show from a shotgun cart driving around the path of the stations.. It was a bit noisy with the cameras rattling for 7 minutes but we stopped and the audio was better. Brad started Central Virginia Sporting Clays back in 2007. He grew up in a military family and they traveled often. He had a career in the government. When he got married he took a job doing construction. They ended up in central Virginia when they retired. Moving to this area, they finally felt at home. Brad said most of the gun clubs were private clubs with a waiting list so he started his own. Not growing up hunting or shooting, shotguns didn’t become an interest until he blew out his knee playing basketball. After some surgeries and recoveries, he was still moping around the house. His wife told him he needed to find something to do and suggested he go shotgunning. Without having any shooting experience, he found out that the gun community is full of great people who want to help you learn about firearms, safety, and shooting. He found the comradery, friendship, and competitiveness he was missing from basketball on the range. Naturally, he’s made lifelong friends from the shooting sports. Some of the challenges of running a sporting clays range include getting the town to be on board with all of the permitting needed. Currently, his property is just under 400 acres. He bought it little by little, starting with 95 acres. He bought more property as it came up. Adding more land parcels keeps any neighbors from getting close or complaining about noise levels.He buys the land, takes the timber off, sells it, and uses those funds to purchase more land. When we were there, Brad unfortunately locked himself out of his house. So he needed to tend to getting into the house. With that excitement, he forgot to give us score cards. We went into the office and picked up the clipboard and white sheets, thinking that was the easiest course of fire. Turns out, we were wrong. It was the hardest course. John was wondering if Brad was hitting the sauce when he layed out the white course. We all shot less than we usually would, but still had a great day. One of the wonderful things about CVSC is that every 30 days, Brad changes the course of fire. He’s out there moving the targets around so every month is different. It takes a day for him to move the throwers and make changes. There are four throwers at most stations. The next day he goes out and shoots the course himself. If there’s something he can’t hit, he makes adjustments.The throwing machines at CVSC have timed delays so someone could go out and shoot a round alone. But it’s always more fun with friends. They have shotguns to rent and ammo to buy at CVSC. The rental fees aren’t much and the cost per box is about what you’d pay at your local gun shop. Of course shotgun carts are available for rent, too. I’d always suggest getting the carts. There’s a lot to lug around: guns, ammo, water bottles, cigars, etc. Throughout the year, they host some fun shoots and competitions. He offers some instruction, too, so if you need help you’ll get it. Obviously, safety is the top concern. But after that, having a good time is a close second when it comes to what’s important. If you find yourself in central Virginia, you need to take an afternoon and shoot some clays at CVSC. I’m looking forward to going back and filming a show from his plane. As long as I can get a higher score than Petrolino, it’ll be a great day! Favorite quotes: “I haven’t left a single target out there, I don’t leave any of them, if I can’t hit them.” “I did shoot trap and skeet... As soon as I found sporting clays, I was hooked.” “When we’re out here shooting, it's all an even platform.” “Want to hear something unfair? This is me at work.” “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t womanize. I have airplanes and guns.” Central Virginia Sporting Clays Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30533458

RSWC #198 David Laird 03/19/2024

RSWC #198 David Laird Riding Shotgun With Charlie #198 David Laird DSC Training & FASTER Saves Lives In the summer of 2021, I was fortunate to have taken a Level 1 course in Ohio. A number of friends and passengers of the show were there with me. David Laird was there, too, and he was nailing everything like it was nothing. Doing all the drills. Nailing the targets. Finishing before everyone else. It was impressive to say the least. I did interview him on that trip (RSWC #127). David was taking the FASTER course to see if it was something worth bringing back to Arizona. It was. David was a presenter at (Alternative Multimedia Conference), which is hosted by . His topic the last two years at AMMcon have been on how to better use your social media. Here some of his . Here’s some From part 1. And here is .. He was at AMMcon & and we hopped in the stagecoach to talk about FASTER. He does spend some time talking about using various means of the socials, who is using each different one, and why its important to have content at each of the platforms. As a perpetual student, he takes several courses as the student attendee. There’s always something you can learn from another instructor. He runs Dynamic Combative Solutions Training. DCS offers training on all firearms, CCW, and private courses around the country. He’s trained with many of the top instructors and he’s an instructor at the Active Self Protection Instructor. Besides being an instructor, David has been helping the (Arizona Citizens Defense League) bring the FASTER program to The Grand Canyon State. Cheryl Todd (RSWC #060) and David went to Ohio’s FASTER course to see the Level 1 & 2 classes to make sure it was solid and going to be good for Arizona. Since the 1994 gun bill that Biden brags about didn’t end violence with guns in schools. Iit increased. The FASTER program has various levels of courses. There are basic Foundations courses to teach anyone new to firearms the fundamentals of shooting and gun handling. The Level 2, 3 and 4 courses get much more into scenario training and response and force on force. States like Arizona, Ohio, Colorado, and Idaho already have legislation that allows school staff to carry. So the program needs to get into more schools and make this the norm from schools around the country. Particularly for rural schools and counties, this is an important aspect of school safety. Oftentimes, the police can be anywhere from 15-45 minutes away from the school. An incident can be over in that amount of time. I will say that the big takeaway from the FASTER course for me was the medical aspect. There are lots of people who get wounded during a mass shooting whose medical needs are not met until the event is over. Meaning police have stopped the threat and then medical comes in. During that time is crucial for the wounded so they don’t bleed out. The medical training can be used outside of a shooting. It can be used on the playground. But it can also be used for car accidents or even at home if someone is injured. It was great to have some time with David. He’s very well trained and educated, very professional in all ways. I love running into him at GPRC or SHOT or where the road and the training takes us around the country. Favorite quotes: “When I do retire and make training my full time thing, I need to know how to use the social webs.” “Think of using it (TikTok) as a teaser trailer to where you main content is.” “Stick to what you’re already doing, just find snippets of what you’re already doing, then blast that out to the other areas, and bring that traffics back to you primary thing.” “We shouldn’t restrict self defense anywhere.” “Your body won’t go where the mind hasn’t been.” “You can carry it but how often do you train with it?” Dynamic Combative Solutions FASTER Saves Lives Arizona Citizens Defense League AZCDL FASTER Page Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30429643

RSWC #197 Erin Mihalik 03/12/2024

RSWC #197 Erin Mihalik Riding Shotgun With Charlie #197 Erin Mihalik Throom Targets, CEO At the Great American Outdoor Show in 2022, I got to meet Erin. I was there with John Petrolino and we were in search of Tony Simon. Well, we were pretending we didn’t see Tony while he was behind us and we were talking smack about him. Erin wasn’t sure what we were up to, but she just went with it. That’s the kind of fun spirited person she is. We saw her again at GAOS in 2023 and she wanted to be on the show as things have been growing at Throom over the last year and she has lots to talk about! She starts us off with some lofty goals for the show. She wanted to see a bear. We did run into a pig (cop). Hehe! We were in the way northern part of New Jersey, Sussex Country, and drove into New York state for about a ½ mile, maybe less. I was honored to hear that she has watched several shows and knew the format well. She tracked out a path for us to drive and didn’t want to get lost. Part of the route took us over the Appalachian Trail. We do talk about some of the ridiculousness of the New Jersey gun laws, hollow point ammo, and jug handles. She also tells us the difference between living in central New Jersey, where gun owners stay in the closet versus northern New Jersey where it’s a bit more conservative and people are gun owners and not hiding it. She used to say she was in manufacturing but can now say she’s with a company that makes targets. Getting a degree in public relations and psychology, she noticed that her family were great engineers but not great marketers or communicating with people. She grew up in manufacturing with the rest of the family. Erin’s grandfather started an engineering business in the 1970’s and her dad and uncle grew up in the business. They started a side hustle in 1995 called Newbold Targets, which was the first self healing,reactive, ricochet free targets. The only benefit she had is that she had targets to shoot. Throom is a small family owned and run business. This year, Erin is the CEO. Her previous titles were Managing Director and Director of Sales before that. I don’t want to say that titles aren’t important, but they do have someone who manages the dummy rounds they make. He’s the Dummy Director. After working for a big car company, Erin came back to the family business in 2013. She realized that they had a brand image issue and people were mistaking Newbold for other brands of targets. She’s got a great story about someone coming up to them at SHOT show and telling them their targets are junk. But they realized that they were talking about a different self healing target that didn’t heal so well. This is when the marketing stepped in and made a change in the color and packaging. Throom was rebranding before the lockdowns of 2020. There were big plans for SHOT 2021, which didn’t happen. So they had started selling via the big online company. And sales took off! People were stuck at home, buying online, and shooting in the back yards. (Not in the Garden State, of course!) Neighbors weren’t complaining because there wasn’t noise from the Throom targets. More and more people started buying them. The exciting news is that Throom is now in lots of new stores, the big box stores, the small mom & pop stores, and even some of the online suppliers, too. New to the product line is a remote target Favorite quotes: “My husband says ‘Erin, we’re in Sussex County now. You can tell people what you do.” “I am the CEO this year.” “We’re just always having fun. We’re lucky we all get to work together. Most of us are family. And the people who aren’t technically family, we consider family.” “This industry, they respect people that make things in the US” Throom Targets Website Throom Targets Facebook Throom Targets YouTube Channel Throom Targets Instagram Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30333423

RSWC #196 Karise Jerel Crew 02/27/2024

RSWC #196 Karise Jerel Crew Riding Shotgun With Charlie #196 Karise & Jerel Crew That Gun Talk I’ve been going to the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival at the Tommy Gun Warehouse in Greeley, PA, for about 5 years now. While I was hanging out in the VIP room with a friend, Karise Crew came in and sat across the room. I invited her to come join us. I’m glad I did. Karise and her husband, Jerel, are instructors in Philadelphia. They were speaking at the event, too. So after some talking with them, I thought it would be a great idea to have them in the stagecoach. I have to start out saying that I love seeing and husband and wife teaming working together! This was the first year that they’ve been to the Rod of Iron. They were hoping to bring a whole group of people but a few didn’t due to the weather. I also love that they know some of the folks that I know and both of our circles of friendship are growing. Jerel has family from Georgia and his father took him shooting as the youngest of five children. Karise used to hunt with her father, but her first purchase was with Jerel. He bought her a gun because she was robbed while only 10 feet from the police station. She got her permit before Jerel got his and she started carrying right away. Heading out on a trip to Mexico, Karise forgot that she had a gun in her purse. Of course she was stopped at the airport by the TSA. Fortunately, some of the police were Jerel’s friends from his youth and they were lenient on her. This was the turning point for them. Someone saw her on the news and told her about the USCCA. They saw the passion from this man and wanted to learn as much as they could and pass that on to their friends and community. For Father’s Day, Karise got Jerel enrolled in an instructor program. At his instructor course was the man who told Karise about the USCCA. It’s truly a small world. It’s always interesting to hear about the process to get permits around the country. I got my PA permit a couple years ago and it was easy. I went to the county sheriff’s office, paid the $20,and waited an hour. Jerel talked about some people waiting 6 months in Philly. A friend of theirs moved from Philly to the suburbs and applied for a license. The people were about the leave and the woman at the office called them back and said their permits were ready right then. Once That Gun Stuff started offering classes, there was a “mystery shopper” in the class. It was someone from the Philadelphia gun permitting unit who came in to see what they were doing. The great news is the officer came up and told him that he was doing an excellent job and to keep it going. Jerel & Karise also run events for NAAGA, National African American Gun Association. NAAGA promotes gun rights to African Americans. Currently, they have more than 75 chapters around the country. A big part of their clients are women, which is the largest growing demographic of gun owners. Karise said she had a 73 year old woman whose daughter had been shot in the head twice and lived. This woman wants to get training and education so that this doesn’t happen to her and that she can pass this on to her family. That Gun Club was nominated for gun club of the year at the NAAGA conference. They’ve been really knocking it out of the park with That Gun Talk. Both of them have worked in schools as a teacher and IT tech. Jerel said he’s about to do full time as an instructor. They’re taking their passion for firearms and teaching and turning it into a successful business. That’s just great to hear from someone who started their business just a few years ago. Favorite quotes: Karise: “This is your American right. This is your 2A right. You have to exercise your right.” Jerel: “He said ‘I’m from the Philadelphia Police Department Gun Permitting Unit. I came here to see what you’re teaching.’ He shook my hand and said ‘you’re doing an excellent job’.” Jerel: “She refused to let that situation turn her away from guns.” Karise: “Women have been coming out in droves to get more educated.” That Gun Talk That Gun Talk YouTube That Gun Talk Instagram National African American Gun Association Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30116008

RSWC #195 Riley Bowman 02/20/2024

RSWC #195 Riley Bowman Riding Shotgun With Charlie #195 Riley Bowman ConcealedCarry.com I met Riley in passing at SHOT Show a few years ago. We exchanged info and he said he would enjoy being on the show. On a trip to Denver, I reached out and messaged him and we were good to go. Then on the day I was heading there, I didn’t hear from him. I called Neil Weidner (RSWC #116) to double check the number. When I did get in touch with Riley, he wrote a text but didn’t come through. Regardless, it all worked out. I met him at the ConcealedCarry.com offices in Sheridan, CO. Riley grew up in Idaho and has been a lifelong shooter and hunter. During the crash of 2008, he had a construction company that went out of business. In 2009, he moved to Colorado to a bigger city due to the economy. He was a project manager for the government doing construction projects. After a few years he went back to having his own construction company, but then an interest grew in becoming a firearm instructor. He started with some of the NRA training programs and started doing some volunteer police work. Those duties varied between things like driving a patrol car and filling a shift, crowd control at large events, and even responding to natural disasters. Eventually, he became certified for pistol and rifle and started to teach more. Once the classes picked up more, he stopped volunteering and focused on instructing, expanding his knowledge base and offering more classes to clients. Riley also started competing more often, too. By 2015, he was working full time with ConcealedCarry.com. The new business was geared towards helping new instructors with booking classes, marketing, and developing websites. While offering the courses, he started offering products to clients. Products ranged from holsters and belts to training aids, books, and other classes. Seven years later, they’ve got hundreds of products offered to help people carry. Over the years, they went from more training and less products to more products and less training. On his personal website, you’ll see that Riley does offer training around the country. He has also done some instructing at the Active Self Protection Conference.He also keeps his schedule busy with competitive shooting, too. Besides the businesses, instructing, and competing, he’s got a wife and five children that he also wants to spend time with. As he says, he’s trying to raise some freedom loving Americans. The great thing about people like Riley is their business sense. He’s taken ConcealedCarry.com and purchased several other companies over the years. Each one has its own customer base, marketing plan, and business plan. Keeping several businesses going is similar to when he was a project manager and running the construction business. There’s lots of things going on that need attention and never a dull moment. The current businesses under the ConcealedCarry.com umbrella are: Range Tech Timer, Mountain Man Medical, Barrel Blok, KSG Armory, Dry Fire Pro Shop, and Ready Up Gear. Links are below, of course. Riley and his team also have their own conference, called The Guardian Conference. I’m always excited to hear about people who make massive changes in their careers. Going from construction to volunteer policing to firearm instructing and running several businesses with hundreds of products cannot be easy. But Riley and his team have great products. And he wouldn’t go back to construction and project managing because every day he gets to do what he loves. Favorite quotes: “Now it's fully reversed. Used to be training and a little bit of product sales. Now it’s a little bit of training and a lot of product sales.” “Juggling a lot of things doesn’t cause me a lot of stress.” “It’s also important to us that we help people be well rounded self defenders.” “I really, really enjoy what I do now. It doesn’t feel like work.” “Everyday, I get to talk about, teach about, or actually do guns.” Riley Bowman Website ConcealedCarry.com Range Tech Timer Mountain Man Medical Barrel Blok KSG Armory The Guardian Conference Dry Fire Pro Shop Ready Up Gear Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/30024883

RSWC #194 Rob Campbell 02/13/2024

RSWC #194 Rob Campbell Riding Shotgun With Charlie #194 Rob Campbell Eye On The Target Radio You have absolutely no idea when or where you’re going to meet your next best friend. I replied to a Facebook post about a radio show wanting to talk to instructors from every state. I replied because it was 2015 and I was teaching NRA courses in Massachusetts. I made two great friends during that show but I didn’t know it. In 2016, I was at the Gun Rights Policy Conference and I ran into Amanda Suffecool. She’s Rob Campbell’s sister. They were the radio show hosts I talked to. We became fast friends. The following February I went to Cleveland to emcee a concealed carry fashion show with Amanda for Realize FAC, their non-profit to help educate people about firearms. After the fashion show then a Friends of the NRA dinner, we raced to the local radio station to do Eye On The Target Radio. We’ve raced all around the country, SHOT Show, NRA AM, GPRC, Florida Cary events, and the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival. Rob is a very relaxed guy. He’s been called “Rob Dude” for sometime. His father was a collector of Ruger .357s. They have been going to SHOT Show for about 20 years. Rob and Amanda have owned a gun store and they spend time buying and selling some collectibles. Campbell has an extensive knowledge of firearm history and origins. They’ve got a segment on the history of guns on their show. Amanda just gives him a topic and he’s off. Like many folks, Campbell has a day job that keeps him busy. But since EOTT has gone from a station in Akron OH, to a nationally syndicated show on the Salem Network, he hasn't really changed. He loves all the events they go to but he’s the catalyst that pushes Amanda. He says he’s along for the ride and would be OK if they weren’t going everywhere. But I think he secretly enjoys it. We talk about how he does some training with friends. Most of it is defensive training. They like pushing a firearm’s limit to see how much abuse it can take. He’s at the range weekly trying new things and shooting different guns. Having a radio show gives you some credibility. One day; Rob got a call from a local sheriff and the Ohio Attorney General. They inquired about a blind man who wanted a carry permit. Campbell said he would train him and pass on his knowledge and skill information because the blind man also needs to be able to defend himself. When they asked if Campbell would give him a carry permit, he said it’s not up to him. Because the man would have to apply, then be denied, then sue the state over his rights. Then they would have to determine how blind was too blind. Campbell really is a walking encyclopedia of firearm knowledge and history. At some events, he brings his Blue Book of Gun Values and helps evaluate guns for people. He has a story about a man who had a gun and didn’t know what he had. Rob told him to have someone else evaluate it and it ended up being worth thousands of dollars. He’s also told Amanda to go buy a particular gun because he knows it’s worth more than the store is asking. Another time at an auction, someone got into a bidding war. The other person knew that if Campbell kept bidding, it had to have a high value. Turns out it was just going to be a parts gun for another one he was building. Rob is a great guy to hang out with and tell stories with. And I’m not necessarily talking about the tinfoil hat theories or what happened to Epstein. Favorite quotes: “I’ve been a student of the gun since I was a little kid.” “If you got a shotgun, you can find somebody that will buy it.” “I never paid too much for a gun, I just bought it too early.” “Shooting is a memory game: you gotta remember what you did last time you hit the bull’s eye.” “You think the West Coast is anti-gun, but they like Rob & Amanda’s radio show.” “It’s not about the gun, it’s all in the mechanics of keeping your eye open.” Eye On The Target Radio Realize FAC Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29924418

RSWC #193 Lenny Magill 01/23/2024

RSWC #193 Lenny Magill Riding Shotgun With Charlie #193 Lenny Magill The GLOCK Store I’ve known about Lenny Magill probably since I started getting gun catalogs in the mail. I even have a VHS, yes VHS!, tape that he did back in 1993! Before I learned about the other instructors, I knew about Lenny Magill. Lenny now owns The GLOCK Store. But he started out selling advertisements on radio and tv. Back in 1893, he did some commercials and ads for a San Diego area gun store and instructor. The ads did well and lead to some other things.The more he got into firearms, the more he wanted to get involved. Lenny heard about the newly formed ESPN. Yes, there was a day when ESPN was new. The sports channel was looking for more content. Lenny found out that they only wanted $10,000 to run a half hour show. The Bianchi Cup was in southern California and Lenny approached John Bianchi and asked if he could film the competition then put it on ESPN. Bianchi liked the idea, but didn’t have a budget for something like that. The deal they made was that Lenny could film the competition but he wanted the rights to the film. Bianchi agreed. At the games, Bianchi had Lenny pitch the idea for advertisers for the sponsors for a one-minute on the video to help fund the video. They all agreed and chipped in. Meanwhile, Lenny’s filming team went and made flyers to hand out at the competition. Everyone wanted the film and he found 300 orders for the full 90 video. He also had the 24 minute show for ESPN. Soon after, Lenny was filming several other competitions around the country. After nearly 10 years of these videos, he decided to get in front of the camera to show people how to take down this new people everyone was raving about, the GLOCK. After making several more videos on GLOCKs and helping people with competitive shooting, he decided that he was going to start GunVideos. The catalog, which many of us used to get, featured over 150 different videos. As time passed, he opened The GLOCK Store in San Diego, getting pieces and parts for the striker fired pistol and also doing videos on installing and using these new parts. The GLOCK Store started producing their own parts which may be sturdier than some original parts. Besides parts, he also did more shooting and testing of their parts. Which led to other people wanting to shoot at his facility. Eventually, they opened a shooting range for everyone to have access to use. After being in San Diego, Lenny’s wife had the idea to leave southern California and find somewhere new. Searching all around the country, they settled on Nashville, Tenn. The move started with building a new facility and getting that opened around 2018. They built an amazing and big facility, around 75,000 square feet. They make, install, fix, and repair all their parts there. Cerakoting and some other work gets sent out, but they’ve installed several thousand red dots for their customers. The GLOCK Store is going as strong as ever and doesn’t have any signs of letting up. Before the show, Lenny took me around the facility. I got to see the storefront, of course. But I also went through where they manufacture their parts, do all the installing and upgrading, and where Lenny has the “corner office”. The GLOCK Store is only 2 miles from the airport in Nashville. So when you’re in town and waiting for a flight, you should stop by and pick up some new parts for your GLOCK. And tell Lenny “Hello”! Favorite quotes: “I’ll do the show, as long as I get to own it.” “At the end of the deal, I got the $30,000. Everybody committed.” “I think I can also do some instructional videos…” “The challenge with the lane is that you’ll end up shooting in one direction and that’ll be your skill level.” Lenny Magill Instagram GLOCK Store YouTube Channel GLOCK Store GunVideo Website Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29570333

RSWC #192 Quinn Cunningham 01/16/2024

RSWC #192 Quinn Cunningham Riding Shotgun With Charlie #192 Quinn Cunningham FASTER Colorado I’ve mentioned the “Olympic rings” idea before. It’s where I know person A and they know person B, but I don’t know person B. Ok, it's a classier version of the Six Degrees of Separation. In this case, I know Laura Carno (RSWC #188), and Laura knows Quinn Cunningham. If you missed Ep 83, Laura said Quinn is who she wants on her side in a gunfight. He is someone you’d want too and you could also train with him. Laura was selling me on having Quinn in the stagecoach. Not a hard sell. She gave me some of his back story. Again, it’s a story that I’ve heard and read about. You may have heard it, too. And you’ll hear it right from him at the end of the show. Quinn is a SWAT officer, a FASTER Colorado instructor, and a competitive shooter, sponsored by Shadow Systems. An influence on what being a man is came from his brother in law. He showed Quinn about virtue, leadership, and shooting and marksmanship. He grew up in Nebraska and would take the .22 rifle out shooting and tell his folks he didn’t know why the ammo supply was depleting. His decision to get into law enforcement was due to watching Lethal Weapon back in the 1980’s. They drove fast and shot guns and he knew he wanted to do that. After 22 years of being a police officer, he worked in the jail, got to work the streets, and finally got on the SWAT team. To get on SWAT, there’s more training, you need to be an LEO for a number of years, have good performance evaluations, mental and physical challenges, and performance under stress. Now, he instructs at the local police academy. Getting into competition shooting was a way for Quinn to check some of the things he was teaching at the academy. Going to a GLOCK competition, he thought shooting at stable targets from a standing position would be easy. When the buzzer went off, he started shaking and missing shots. There was going to be a lot to learn from this kind of shooting. He had to focus on mindset, marksmanship, and fundamentals under stress. This opened up the world of high performance shooting to him. He found himself completely addicted to it. He worked his way through the rankings and in 2017, found himself at number 2 in the World Police & Fire Games. That year the French team took 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th. But Quinn was at 2nd. Talking with the competitors from around the world and hearing how they trained was also beneficial to him. Quinn is one of the lead instructors with FASTER Colorado. His years as a police officer, SWAT, competitive shooter, and trainer has been instrumental with this position. FASTER Colorado has four levels of courses, each building off the other. FASTER gives school staff the skills and information needed to respond to active shooter incidents. I've done a number of shows with people from FASTER Saves Lives, and I have a few more coming soon. He skimmed over the incident during the conversation.I wasn’t sure about asking about the story, the reason Quinn does FASTER, but he offered it up and I wanted to hear it. You will too. The shooting at Arapahoe High School happened in 2013 and it lasted 80 seconds long. Quinn was one of the responding SWAT members. He was injured at the time and responded regardless. He took someone else’s rifle and a traffic jacket to identify himself as a good guy. What he saw changed his life and his direction. He works with FASTER trying to make sure incidents like this don’t happen again. Favorite quotes: “I was a SWAT guy. I walked up there thinking I was this big, bad dude. And I just got my ass kicked.” “Dry fire will get you so much better.” “Every school, there is someone in every school planning to shoot that school, right now.” “You act totally different than you think you act.” “We need to get this message out. If I have to go through a little bit of pain so kids live, then… so be it.” FASTER Colorado Website FASTER Colorado Facebook FASTER Colorado Twitter FASTER Saves Lives Website Shadow Systems Quinn Cunningham Instagram Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29493358

RSWC #191 Candy Michael Petticord 01/09/2024

RSWC #191 Candy Michael Petticord Riding Shotgun With Charlie #191 Candy & Michael Petticord FASTER Saves Lives In Detroit in the summer of 2022, I was giving time, energy, and effort to Rick Ector (RSWC #032) of , Legally Armed In Detroit. Rick has instructors from around the country help at this event. Two of the people I got to meet were Candy & Michael Petticord. They’re both from FASTER Saves Lives in Ohio. Candy is also with and . She’s a busy woman! As the mother of several kids, it was only about 6 years ago when she got into firearms. It was something her husband suggested she do. She was hooked from the beginning. In the evening, she would sneak out of the house and not tell anyone she was going to the range. This spilled over into long weekends when she would take some advanced classes and be away for a few days. At more than a few of the classes she took, she ran into issues. The issues, she found out, weren’t really issues with her; it was the instructors. I’m not sure how to say this but Candy is a minority. She’s left handed. The instructors she took classes with weren’t really prepared to deal with left handed shooters. Yes, we often call these folks “Fudds”. It would have been much more professional for them to turn this into a learning moment for themselves and figure out a way that she could do things left-handed. Here’s what makes it worse. This happened a few times. Each time, the instructor made it seem like it was Candy who was ruining his day. She also shares that she went to a course for advanced shooters. But she was a little over her head. At one point, she thought of leaving the class at a break. But another student picked up on this and reminded her that everyone was a beginner once. She toughed it out and made it through the class. At one of the advanced classes, she met Jim Irvine (RSWC #0186) and Joe Eaton, from FASTER Saves Lives. They noticed that she was doing wonderfully and they were able to connect, which led to Candy being on the Board for FASTER. Michael started going to some of the courses she was taking, as was one of her daughters. Both of the kids really took to shooting and were doing a great job. Her daughter went through an instructor level course, but wasn’t old enough to get certified. She did pass the course and when she’s old enough, she will get that certification. FASTER Saves Lives teaches school staff how to respond to active shooter situations. It’s not just firearm training. There’s a Foundations course teaching those new to firearms about safety. Day One is lots of range time, shooting various distances and positions. Day Two is more basics then a qualification. A perfect score is needed to pass the FASTER qual. They also teach some medical which is very important for the immediate responders. Many students are lost due to needing some non-life threatening medical help, but do not get it in time. DayThree is working in a school and doing scenario based training. This is world class training.Often Michael ends up being the “bad guy” and wears chest and face protection. He’s been shot at several times. And yes, it does hurt to get hit! You’ll get a lot out of this episode. Candy has some good stories you’ll enjoy. She’s funny to hand around with. And Michael needs to keep it down while in the back seat. Favorite quotes: “As my kids started growing up, I started noticing that we didn’t live in Mayberry anymore and Mayberry is never coming back.” “This is the beginning. Please don’t leave this class thinking that this is all that you need or you’re ready to gear up and go. This is your starting point.” “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t. All of us started somewhere.” “I learned to shoot right handed because I was humiliated by those instructors.” “Once I got involved in FASTER and these horrible school shootings started happening, then the pieces started coming together as to how important and how amazing what we do really is.” FASTER Saves Lives Women For Gun Rights-The DC Project A Girl & A Gun Shooting League Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29397048

RSWC #190 Charl Van Wyk 01/02/2024

RSWC #190 Charl Van Wyk Riding Shotgun With Charlie #190 Charl van Wyk Author & Stopped Terror Attack This was a once in a life chance that had to be taken. I was speaking at a pro- gun event outside of Boston. The emcee said there was a special guest, Charl van Wyk. I knew that name. Then he said van Wyk stopped a terror attack in Cape Town, South Africa, with a .38 Special five-shot revolver. I remember hearing this story from years ago. As I sat at the table waiting to speak, I Facebook requested him. When the speakers were done, I went right over to where he was and introduced myself. I told him about RSWC and said I’d love to have him on the show. I talked to the gentleman who was handling all of Charl’s plans. He was going to be free the next morning, but he was speaking at 2 events later in the day. I said tell me when and where I’ll be there! I picked Charl up in Lexington, MA, before his first speaking engagement. It was a rainy day and I didn’t get any usable footage from the hood cam, but we did drive around the Lexington Battle Green where there’s a statue of Captain John Parker and his famous quote "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here". We did get a selfie in front of the statue of Parker. It felt significant to have that in our background. Charl was in Massachusetts doing a nine state book and speaking tour. He was promoting his book, “Reloaded: Shooting Back Again." His other book is titled, “Shooting Back- The Right and Duty of Self Defense." Both are about his experiences having to use a handgun in self defense and in the defense of others. He’s also got another e-book, “” is a free resource you can get. On a trip out to a friend’s farm for a weekend while in South Africa, Charl and his friend ran into a gang on the street who were burning tires and didn’t look like they wanted company. They were able to make a U-turn while the truck was being hit by bricks and stones. Then headed right to the police station to report the incident. Previously he did two years of national service with the army but afterwards didn’t think he needed to arm himself for self defense. As a Christian missionary, he saw serving in the army in defense of the country as one thing and self defense as something else. An article by Larry Pratt, from Gun Owners of America, led Charl to believe that there is a biblical reason for firearm ownership. Charl gives us lots of details about the incident in 1993 at the church when it was attacked by terrorists.The terrorists were armed with fully automatic rifles and grenades.. He also talks about how he stopped it with his .38 snub revolver. The attack lasted about 7 seconds. (Not enough time to call the police and have them stop it.) And about how a police officer wanted to charge him with manslaughter if he had accidently killed a parishioner, with his return fire.. Then he talks about going to the jail where the attackers were locked up and reaching out to them as a missionary. There’s also another story which leads to the “Reloaded” book. There are several lessons to be learned from these stories. Some about where to carry. Charl and I both often carry on our ankles and carry five-shot revolvers. His stories also point out that gun free zones are where attacks happen, bad guys don’t like resistance, and even a five shot revolver can end an attack. There’s lessons from every interview, so grab your notebook and jot some things down. This was a once in a lifetime chance to get his stories in person and on film. Favorite quotes: “People have become far more aware…generally speaking, is becoming more open to the idea of people having firearms to protect themselves.” “They just see government as the Big Daddy that has to look after them from when they’re born until the time they die.” “Now that they’re in power, they’re not sharing the freedom with us.” “It was only when I saw the splinters shooting out of the wooden benches that I realized this is not a show.” “Have a plan. And even if the plan doesn’t work, it’s better to have a plan than not have one.” Shooting Back Book Charl on YouTube How To Win A Gun Fight e-book Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29298943

RSWC #189 Sarah Riggle 12/26/2023

RSWC #189 Sarah Riggle Riding Shotgun With Charlie #189 Sarah Riggle Attorneys for Freedom I’ve been going to Gun Rights Policy Conference for years now. I love that it’s like a family reunion with old friends. It’s also great to meet new people. Sarah Riggle is one of the people I met right at the end. I just had lunch on the last day with friends and we were walking back into the hotel. We ran into Sarah and her friend Laura Snyder, who was a guest on the Polite Society Podcast. I wanted to have Laura on the show but she had to take care of things at home and she said Sarah would be good to do a show with. So I got the cameras and we filmed a show. Sarah moved to the Phoenix area from Pennsylvania. She moved there with a long time friend about three years ago. This was her first GPRC. She’s currently working in marketing for Attorneys For Freedom. With plans to get a marketing and graphic design degree, Sarah ended up in the restaurant business for several years. Making the move was a chance to try something new somewhere else. When she was young, she did a little bit of shooting growing up. But she realized she needed to get more serious about it when there was a shooting right outside of her house in Pennsylvania. Shocking it was as drug deal gone bad and the person who got shot did not want to go the hospital. We start off talking about what Attorneys On Retainer and Attorneys For Freedom do. Attorneys For Freedom is located in Phoenix. Attorneys On Retainer is all across the United States. They’re a subscription based law firm, not an insurance program. They’ve had several clients over the last three years go purchase a firearm and found out doing the background check, that they’re a prohibited person for something that may have been a misdemeanor and stopped them from being able to purchase a firearm. She also brings up that people who have been admitted to a mental health institution aren’t able to pass background checks and that does stop people from getting help needed when they’re in crisis. She brings up the great things that (RSWC #092) and (RSWC #067) are doing. The interesting misconception about some of the self defense insurance policy programs is that if someone takes a plea deal, the insurance doesn’t kick in and pay for things. You have to be the innocent party. If you admit guilt and take a plea, the insurance cannot cover acts that are not lawful and intentional. For example, your car insurance won’t cover an accident that you caused on purpose. She also brings up that some of the insurance companies will not cover acts that happen with someone you know, particularly with domestic violence. Often what people don’t think about are the other costs that go with a court case. Things like expert witnesses, investigations, and medical testing that may need to be done. Of course, the cost varies, but it can easily be $10,000-$15,000 that someone may need to pay an attorney up front just to start the case. Both Attorneys For Freedom and Attorneys On Retainer have YouTube channels and you can see some of what they’re about there. Should legal services ever be needed, it’s important to have a lawyer that is familiar with firearms, firearm cases, and other topics that are gun related. Often that is not your court appointed attorney. Let’s get a few things straight, Sarah is not a lawyer and doesn’t offer legal advice. Everyone needs to do research on any program they sign up for to help them with legal situations and the aftermath of using force in self defense. Favorite quotes: “It’s great to see more responsible gun owners getting involved with how to help other responsible gun owners.” “No one is going to protect me but myself.” “If you’re forced to defend your life and now you need to defend your freedom, that’s exactly what we’re there for.” “Attorneys On Retainer and Attorneys For Freedom we don’t have any problem covering all of these circumstances.” Attorneys For Freedom Website Attorneys For Freedom Facebook Attorneys For Freedom Instagram Attorneys For Freedom YouTube Attorneys On Retainer Website Attorneys On Retainer YouTube Attorneys For Freedom X/Twitter Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29229308

RSWC #188 Laura Carno 12/19/2023

RSWC #188 Laura Carno Riding Shotgun With Charlie #188 Laura Carno FASTER Colorado It seems like I’ve known Laura Carno since I started this journey. In 2019 at GRPC, she asked me and Derek Leblanc (RSWC #033) why we called each other “brother” and we weren’t calling her “sister”. Since then, she has been our “sister from a different mister”. This year, I was going to Colorado for some personal stuff, and I was able to reach out to Laura to talk about FASTER Colorado. FASTER, as it is known, is Faculty & Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response. Laura grew up in California with a very pro police and pro military family, but they weren’t necessarily a “gun family”. As a young woman in her early 20’s she was followed out of a gym by a big guy and her “spidey senses” went off. The only thing she had was a metal pipe for self defense. That was what opened her eyes and realized she may need to be able to protect herself. Before FASTER, Laura was involved with some local politics and she wrote a book called which you can, and should, buy on Amazon. The book is a great read, and I do suggest it for everyone! It isn’t expensive and it is eye opening! When she started paying attention to politics, her California friends said the Republicans weren’t really doing much, particularly for gun rights, so maybe she should become a “small L libertarian”. In 2008, she realized that Mr Obama wasn’t going to do anything good for guns and gun owners. She kept saying “yes” to new opportunities and she found herself doing new things she never dreamt of doing. By 2013, when Michael Bloomberg came to Colorado for a voting recall, she was running an ad that said “If guns are for you, don’t own one. But don’t you dare tell me how to defend myself.” That led to a connection to NRA TV and Cam Edwards (RSWC #168). Eventually, Laura was friends with folks from the Buckeye Firearms Association and school security came up. Laura went to Ohio to see what this FASTER program was about. She saw that the people taking the class were willing to die for their students. So why shouldn’t they have the necessary tools to save the same students. She put in lots of calls and contacts to county sheriffs to let them know about FASTER and see if they were interested in having this in their rural areas. They’ve got law enforcement and military who train the school staff. Currently they have graduates in 37 school districts and have over 300 people trained to save school children. One of the events that has opened the eyes of the public was the shooting in Uvalde, TX. People have started to realize that the police are not going to be there to stop school shootings in progress. But the biggest one so far was the Covenant Christian School shooting in Nashville. The police were there in 12 minutes and started taking care of business when they got there. One of the things that also changed is how fast the body-cam and school camera videos were released. These videos made people realize that if the school office was able to return fire and stop the murderer at the school entrance, it would have ended differently. When talking about things they’ve learned during the last 8 years, not knowing who would be the teachers/staff willing to step up and take the FASTER courses has shown them some of the least likely people are the willing ones. They’re the quiet professionals willing to do what’s necessary to save their students' lives. We talk a lot about the program and the different levels that they do training on. They’re up to Level 4 in Colorado. Each of the levels do get more challenging. It’s not just shooting, then shooting and moving. It’s very realistic to what you’re seeing on the body-cam videos. Please check out the whole conversation with Laura. There’s a mountain of work that they’re doing. And that we need all over the rest of the country. There’s also more interviews with FASTER Saves Lives staff coming up! So stay tuned! Favorite quotes: “I know how to take care of myself in other realms of my life, but how do I protect myself.” “I kept saying ‘yes’ to things I could have never predicted for myself.” “There are certain attacks that happen that there is no other defense than another firearm.” “Nothing bad has happened in these schools where there’s armed employees.” FASTER Colorado Website FASTER Colorado Facebook FASTER Colorado Twitter FASTER Saves Lives Website Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29141703

RSWC#187 Jim Stoker 12/12/2023

RSWC#187 Jim Stoker Riding Shotgun With Charlie #187 Jim Stoker Firearms Owners Against Crime I love when the Olympic rings of the 2A community come into play and expands my circle. I was at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival in Greely, PA, for may/be the 5th year in a row. I was running around with Rob Campbell & Amada Suffecool from Eye On The Target Radio. Amanda messaged me and said Klint Macro (RSWC #069) from Meet The Pressers & USCCA was here with Jim Stoker from Firearm Owners Against Crime and I needed to have Jim on the show. Jim and Klint were in western PA for an NRA event the night before. They drove hours to Greely so Jim could speak at the Rod of Iron event. Jim is now the president of Firearm Owners Against Crime (FOAC). Their long time president and founder, Kim Stolfer, stepped down due to health issues and passed away earlier this year. FOAC has been involved in Pennsylvania only gun issues since the 1990’s, including reciprocity, castle doctrine, and licensing requirements. Jim has recently retired as a police officer. Before he took the role as president, he wanted to make sure that the FOAC board was ok with him taking the role. Since he’s taken this position, there have been over 50 anti-gun bills from the PA House. The split between parties is only one vote. And the votes are mostly down party lines. He gets information every day about what is going in PA politics and writes about it in the FOAC newsletter. Even though PA has 850,000 hunters and is a very pro gun state, there’s still work that needs to be done. Over the years, there’s lots of compromising done to try and keep some rights for gun owners. Some in the community feel there’s nothing they can do but compromise and they give up 5% of their rights everytime. FOAC tried to get Constitutional Carry, or permitless carry, passed though both houses, but the governor vetoed it. And the current governor won’t sign it either. One of their fights is one that we all have: getting our 2A friends and gun owners to vote for the pro-Second Amendment candidates. A good friend likes to say “each one, reach one”, meaning if everyone that is a gun owner gets just one more person to become a gun owner, then we can not only make changes, but keep the rights we have and maybe get more of them back. Someone cannot hunt big game with a semi-automatic centerfire rifle in PA, even though it’s legal, but the gaming commission said they cannot hunt with those rifles. The fall out of that is that people thinking that the Second Amendment is for hunting and not being able to hunt with a semi-auto centerfire rifle plays into the anti-gun agenda. If the 2A is about hunting and you can’t hunt with an AR, then you don’t need it, which is how they want that to play out. FOAC is out there educating the people that it isn’t just about hunting. We have a great conversation about background checks, permitless carry, and what can be done to help get more people educated, trained, and voting. He brings up that 91% of law enforcement think citizens should have an AR 15. We also talk about how if people don’t get involved in the 2A fight, then PA can become much more like MA. Coming from “occupied territory” of Massachusetts, it's interesting to see that even in Free America states, there’s an ongoing battle to keep the rights they have. It’s not nice knowing that there is an anti-gun agenda that is being worked on in states that have a fantastic reputation for being a supporter of our Rights. Favorite quotes: “The AG can pretty much change on a whim, where we’re going to have reciprocity and where we’re not.” “We don’t affiliate Republican or Democrat. We affiliate pro-gun or anti-gun.” “I'm out there talking about common sense gun rights.” “The idea of universal background checks is not to keep the guns out of bad guys hands, they know bad guys are going to get them anyway. It’s to make you register what you have so they can confiscate them down the road.” “Unfortunately in the sportsmans community there’s too much of ‘someone else will get it’”. FOAC Website Firearm Owners Against Crime, Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action Facebook Instagram Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/29024413

RSWC #186 Jim Irvine 12/05/2023

RSWC #186 Jim Irvine Riding Shotgun With Charlie #186 Jim Irvine FASTER Saves Lives Jim Irvine and I have been trying to make this happen for a while. We finally filmed a show in Phoenix at Gun Rights Policy Conference, just before he had to speak. He helped start something that is near and dear to my heart, teaching school staff shooting, medical, and active shooter training. I’ve been working in public and private schools for longer than I’d like to admit. I was teaching at a public school on 9/11/2001 and it made me realize that I needed to learn to defend myself and my family. That’s when I got a license to carry and began my journey as a gun guy. Jim has been a pilot for years. After September 2001, GRPC was almost canceled as there were hardly any flights. A group of pilots at GRPC got together and ended up changing legislation so that pilots could carry guns again on airplanes. At one point, they were required to carry guns because they were transporting mail. It kind of worked so it was voluntary then it sort of went away. After Sandy Hook, Jim reached out to John Benner who founded , and has been training school resource officers for years to carry guns in schools more than anyone else in the country. Jim hired Benner to teach a class to teachers and they had 24 spots to fill. At a town hall meeting Jim made the announcement of the course. After being mocked by the media, they had over 1,000 people interested in the course from all grade levels. One of the candidates said he was a former law enforcement officer, went into teaching, and carries everywhere he goes, except at school. Another candidate said she would do anything to protect her students and wanted to consider carrying at school, but it wasn’t for her. For the first class, they raised money for everything: materials, hotels, guns & ammo. They were concerned that they were going to spend everything they had. Everyone loved the course. Other people said that since FASTER is doing something other than having a vigil, they would be willing to donate to help them prevent the next event from happening. They ended up having more money than when they started. So they held another class. And another one. FASTER was growing. Jim thought they would be the middleman between the schools and the trainers. But lots of schools were reaching out to have their staff trained. I took the FASTER Level 1 course in 2001. What I really got out of it was the active shooter training and the medical aspect. Lots of people die because they’re wounded and waiting for help. After the police go in and stop the murderer, then the medics can come in. That’s a critical time for the wounded. If the teachers can show the students how to apply pressure and apply tourniquets, then more people will survive school shootings. One of the unintended benefits is getting the local police involved with the training. They are able to build relationships within the schools and that helps in and outside of the school. Jim talks about the teachers doing qualifications helps the police do better on their qualifications. To pass the FASTER courses, you need a perfect score. Some of the teachers were outshooting the police and they didn’t want that to happen. The FASTER program has trained over 3,000 teachers and school staff. FASTER qualified teachers are in over 300 schools around the country. FASTER has programs in Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona. And it’s growing. If you want to help your local schools, please reach out to FASTER and get them in touch with your community. This is the best way to stop school shootings from happening. Even if staff don’t want to learn about firearms, they should be learning about medical and trauma. These are skills that will save lives. Favorite quotes: “You’ve got to carry a gun to protect mail and letters, but you can’t carry a gun to protect children’s lives.” ”We had about 1,000 people sign up in the first three weeks.” “I love my kids, that’s why I have them.” “The response from other people saying“instead of doing a vigil, you’re doing something that may stop the next event from happening. I’ll donate to that.” “There’s one problem they’re going to solve. Every other problem they’re solving the same way.” “After you stop the killing, now you’ve got to stop the dying.” “Fighting is not only acceptable, it’s demanded!” “We are going to end school shootings in our country. Flat out end them.” FASTER Saves Lives Website FASTER Saves Lives Instagram FASTER Saves Lives Facebook Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% SABRE Red Pepper Spray Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/28931423

RSWC 185 Will Workman 11/28/2023

RSWC #184 Alicia Garcia, The Boomstick Babe 11/14/2023

RSWC #184 Alicia Garcia, The Boomstick Babe Riding Shotgun With Charlie #184 Alicia Garcia The Boomstick Babe I had some personal business in Denver this past summer. Of course, I needed to film shows while I was out there, too. I reached out to Alicia Garcia and she said she was up for it! We met in person at NRA in Indianapolis in 2023 doing a march with the DC Project. I was really looking forward to meeting up in Denver. When I arrived, I met Alicia for breakfast at Snooze A.M Eatery. We got to talking and had a great time. When fired up the AC and started the show. Alicia is a Colorado native. We start right out of the gate talking about cannabis and how it changed the economics of Colorado. Very much like firearms, there’s laws and restrictions. And people will find ways around them. She grew up around firearms but as an adult she made the decision that she isn’t going to be a closet gun owner. Afterall, if we’re going to try to get more gun owners, we need to let others know we are gun owners. We have to make it part of our everyday culture and everyday life. We took selfies at the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado State Capitol. And about the Capitol, Alicia is spending more and more time there. She’s with . They’re pushing to eliminate the three day waiting period when you purchase a firearm from a dealer. The waiting period is definitely anti-Bruen. Since we got together, there has been more going on with the case, so please use the links to check it out and keep updated. Colorado has been turning more anti-gun in the last few years. Alicia and RMGO are working hard to keep it free. Getting back to coming out of the closet as a gun owner, Alicia decided that she needs to live this lifestyle, too. She’s started her own t-shirt company that makes lots of pro 2A styles and designs. She made the shirts of Kevin Dixie’s () event called in 2023. She’s got very strong feelings that anyone who is a gun owner needs to promote that they’re gun owners and they need to let others know that we are the face of gun ownership. And when people see that we aren’t what the media makes us out to be, then we can change the perception of what being a gun owner is. Besides Train & Learn, she’s been making the rounds to several training events around the country. She is very active as an instructor teaching all kinds of people not just firearm skills, but some situational awareness and everyday skills, too. The Boomstick Babe is very active on Instagram, which you should follow her. She keeps herself swagged up with her own swag and designs. While we’re driving around Denver, we hit some spots with some very cool graffiti. There’s stories behind the graffiti of course and we get some of those. Some stories involve people that Alicia knew but who are no longer with us. We get some pictures of those too. At one point, the hood-cam over heated and stopped recording, which I’m bummed about. Alicia is a mover and shaker. She’s out there getting things done, between the t-shirt business, teaching courses, taking courses, and suing the state of Colorado. The Boomstick Babe is going places and I’m glad she made time to share some time with us. Favorite quotes: “We strapped. But we don’t want to do that. We de-escalate. We live smart. We don’t put ourselves in compromising situations.” “The only way we’re going to normalize gun ownership is if you start making it part of your everyday culture and everyday life.” “Everything that has to do with guns is hindered. It’s censored. It’s taboo.”’ “I am the face of gun ownership. I am the face of the Second Amendment. “The whole point of being armed is to prevent bad things from happening.” The Boomstick Babe Website The Boomstick Babe Instagram The Boomstick Babe 2.0 Instagram The Boomstick Babe Facebook About her court case… The Boomstick Babe & GOA Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/28629963

RSWC #183 Jim Shepherd 10/24/2023

RSWC #183 Jim Shepherd Riding Shotgun With Charlie #183 Jim Shepherd The Outdoor Wire, Publisher At SHOT SHow 2023, I was in the media room with my good friend, The Pen Patriot, John Petrolino. We decided to only have a half a cup of coffee before we hit the SHOT floor. We ran into Alan Gottlieb and he asked if we were going to be around, he wanted to talk with us. We told Alan we would be there. When Alan walked away, we looked at each other and said “Let’s have a full cup”. While we were listening to Alan tell stories, Jim Shepherd came over. John & I didn’t know him, but Alan introduced us and said he would be a great guest in the stagecoach. We swapped contact info and I said I would be in touch next time I’m heading to Nashville. When I reached out to Jim, he said he would like to be on the show. Jim and I were going to meet at a burger shop in Murfreesboro, TN, but they were closed for the week. He’s got so many amazing stories. He has employee badge #7 from CNN so he had a professional relationship with Ted Turner.. He did radio talking about financial news. He was an on air anchor for a while. He’s been involved with The Golf Wire and The Golf Channel. He used a term I never heard of before, a post gun. I had no idea what it was. He said his dad would buy some guns that may have been in rough shape. If he wasn’t confident about their condition, his dad would tie the gun to a post, put a string on the trigger, then they would hide behind some trees or some cover and pull the string. If the gun fired, it was good. If it didn’t, at least they had cover. He’s always been a gun guy but like many, there are times in his life where he was less involved with them. He was filming a commercial with Tiger Woods in Florida and the weather was not cooperating. So they were just hanging out. Tiger asked him if he was going to the gun show in town. Jim made some calls and found out it was SHOT Show. Being in the media, he was able to finagle some passes and he recorded some interviews. At the time, he was publishing The Golf Wire. When he went into the media room at SHOT Show, he saw there were stacks of magazines and CDs with all the catalogs and information on them. He took The Golf Wire idea and tweaked it a bit for the shooting industry. He took his computer, added an image, added some ipsum lorem, and showed several gun industry businesses what they would be missing. He got them to sign up that day. And boom! The Outdoor Wire was created. That was 23 years ago. Now everyone who is in the know gets whichever Wire suits them. There’s about 10 wires you can subscribe to and get in your mailbox. What I really enjoyed about my time with Jim is his stories. He’s an amazing guy with incredible stories. He flew to Tulsa for a job interview. He saw the city and knew, coming from New York City, that he didn’t want to work there. He called the person he was going to meet and canceled the interview while he was at the airport and took the next flight back to New York. The man he was going to meet was thankful because that was the only day he was able to golf and now he had what I call “the gift of time”. Jim has taken chances. He’s been around the world. He’s done some amazing things that he told me over lunch, which I can’t repeat. I want to get the stories out about gun owners, which of course, Jim is. But I also want to hear about adventures and when people go out on a limb and try things that they don’t know how they’re going to end up. And they make them just fine. He’s got a ton of these experiences in life. I’m glad I got some of them, on and off film. Favorite quotes: “My definition of an anchor is the thing that holds you in place and impedes any progress. But it also holds you on the bottom and keeps you from going.” “I’ve once again turned a hobby into work.” “Somebody figured out they needed it, and I haven’t had to look for a job in years.” “I never set out to be anything other than a reporter.” “Everything happens for a reason, you may not know the reason, you may never know the reason.” “Sometimes the things you don’t get are better than the things you get.” The Outdoor Wire Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/28400438

RSWC #182 Phil Schreier 10/10/2023

RSWC #182 Phil Schreier Riding Shotgun With Charlie #182 Phil Schreier NRA Museum, Director In my formative years as a gun owner (then just a wanna be), I would watch The Outdoor Channel which had Shooting USA on it, shows on The History Channel, and other shows, too. Any time a historical gun came up, Phil Schreier would be there with his white gloves on handling, talking about various firearms, and giving the history. When I “crashed” the NRA BOD party back in April, I got to introduce myself and tell him what I do. He said anytime I was in Fairfax, VA, he would be up for being on the show. Well, I was planning a roadtrip with John Petrolino, The Pen Patriot, and we made a pit stop at the NRA Museum and I was able to film a show with Phil. Growing up, Phil was in a “Kennedy Democrat” household where firearms were encouraged but they weren’t prohibited either. He learned to shoot at Boy Scout camp, like other passengers who have been on the show. He fell in love with shooting the Mossberg .22 rifle. His grandmother told him they were related to General Beauregard, who was a Confederate General in the Civil War. That also sparked an interest in history. Majoring in Political Science and History in college, his first job was as a compliance inspector with the ATF.( Alcohol, tobacco, and firearms…who’s bringing the chips?) But he didn’t like the way they operated and left the position. Does this sound familiar? So Phil ended up going back to the Boy Scout camp as a counselor then worked up to run the camp. During the winter months, he worked at a cigar shop with a friend who he grew up with. Then he got a call from someone from Scout Camp who was also with the NRA and he offered Phil a job to work weekends at the NRA Museum. He was less than thrilled working weekends because he was also doing some reenacting on the weekends. But he took the gig working 6 hours each weekend day. Within 6 months, he was working full time. Then he was able to hire his buddy from the cigar shop to work with him. For the record, his buddy is Mark Keefe, the Editorial Director of all NRA publications. Certainly the “virus that shall not be named” eliminated nearly all the positions at the museum, and Phil has several of the titles. During the last two and a half years, he was the only one working there. There’s much more to running a museum than just “playing” with the guns. Phil will go weeks working there without even touching one of the firearms. Like many jobs that look glamorous, working as a museum director has aspects that have become less glamorous over the years. The lectures at various museums don't get old, but traveling does. I’ve heard several traveling comedians say they’d do comedy for free, but they get paid to travel. What I really enjoyed learning about was how manufacturing helped change the way things were produced. We talk about the Eli Whitney and the cotton gin, but what Whitney really brought about was mass production and being able to make replaceable parts for machines. Then that spilled into Sam Colt making revolvers. We also talked about the impact of AI on history and writing. Phil said his personal book collection is over 5,000 books! There’s really a lot to learn from people like Phil. He’s got a lot of wisdom. But he’s also still the youngest guy at some of the history conventions. If we don’t want out history to die or be erased, we need more people like Phil who has a love of the stories and shares them in ways we all enjoy. Favorite quotes: “Very upset with the way they (ATF) operated as stewards of public trust.” “It doesn’t matter if we’re (ATF) right or wrong, we’ll just bankrupt them.” “I think the biggest misconception is you get to play with guns all day.” “It’s stuff like that that changes the world because of firearms.” “I look at it as having more friends and the effort of spreading the knowledge about firearms, their history, their heritage.” NRA Museum Website There’s 3 different NRA museums around the country. Articles written by Phil Schreier Galleries at the NRA Museum Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/28247147

RSWC 181 Yuri Zalzman 09/26/2023

RSWC 181 Yuri Zalzman Riding Shotgun With Charlie #181 Yuri Zalzman Philly Gun Range Gun people are the best people. I will say this often. On a trip to Philadelphia, I had a change of plans. Nayara Andrejczyk (RSWC #171) and her husband and I had dinner and we were talking over dinner about my “gift of time”. She suggested Yuri Zalzman as a potential guest. He was available to make the time and we filmed a show the next day. Yuri was born in Ukraine and raised in Israel. His father brought them to Philadelphia and he’s been there ever since. He passed on college for a few years but ended up pursuing a history degree and it was much more work than he thought. It was more than memorizing dates. There was a lot of reading and analysis of cause and effects. He calls it the “study of man”. Law school was more work that taught him the ultimate lesson which is to be efficient. As a youth, he loved machines. He learned to drive stick shift at six, a front loader and shooting at seven. He used to fly planes and drive tanks, too. Yuri bought a shooting range in Philadelphia. He runs the range like the special forces; you don’t get hired, you get accepted. He trains the right people to be his employees. It’s not just the gun range policies and procedures, it’s how to handle a firearm and quickly. He treats his employees well. He wants all of his clients to be safe, of course, but also comfortable while they’re at the range. It’s important for his team members to realize that they’ve got the coolest retail job out there. However buying a range comes with the old range reputation. Some of the previous range clients (gang members) needed to be chased away by Yuri and his staff. Sometimes a stern talking to. Sometimes with pepper spray. Being a bit of an entrepreneur, he has been able to change that reputation. They’re focused on safety and customers. And welcoming everyone from whatever background into the range. The area where I met Yuri is where he’s working on a new building expanding the range and the offerings. He’s got plans for 3 hot ranges (25, 50, & 100 meters), a 22,000 Sq ft retail space, a 3,000 Sq ft gym, an obstacle course, areas for simunition training, and a helicopter where people can repel down a rope. Yuri has always been a dreamer and he works hard to make those dreams come true. Gun owners are doers and dreamers. They make things happen. And if you happen to be in Philadelphia, stop by The Gun Range and tell Yuri “hello”! Favorite quotes: “Negative example and a positive example teaches equally important lessons.” “My customers may leave a lot of money at the range, but they never feel like they’ve been taken advantage of.” “I’m there to live out my passions, share them with the world, give back to society.” “A person that has nothing only has their dignity. And when you insult their dignity, they’re going to fight to the death.” Philly Gun Range Website The Gun Range Instagram The Gun Range Facebook Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% Or listen on: iTunes/Apple podcasts /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/28138223

RSWC #180 DCP GOAL Boston 09/12/2023

RSWC #180 DCP GOAL Boston Riding Shotgun With Charlie #180 The DCP Gals & GOAL On August 27, Gun Owners Action League hosted an event called The 2A Freedom Celebration. They pulled in some names you’ve seen on RSWC. Amanda Suffecool (#009), Holly Sullivan (#036), Jared Yanis (#051). And some locals like Toby Leary, (#143) Kerrie Ann Auclair (#139). We were able to film a show with a few of the local DCP gals, Moe Palmer & Bonnie Marshall. Mike Harris, Director of Public Policy, also joined us. Yeah… it was a car full of teal shirts! There were several folks that sent some love GOAL’s way. Todd Eccles from Patriot Defense Podcast, Nikki Goeser, Michael Sodini, David Coy, Klint Macro, John Petrolino, and the closing video was Cam Edwards. Of course Jim Wallace spoke, Jon Green (#030 & #034), Mike & Angi gave away a couple rifles. And Garet & Jeff from the GOAL Podcast (#177) were there as well. It was really a great time. Lots of fun catching up with everyone. I’ve said for a long time, these kinds of events are family get-togethers. We gave everyone the hot shotgun seat for today’s show. Starting with Kerrie Ann, she doesn’t get into Boston often so she was excited to see so much. We talked about the Gun Law Listening Tour and how it turned into HD.4420. But she talked about going to one of the stops and speaking with a woman who said she knew she would be dead if she tried to use a gun against her domestic abuser. Kerrie Ann helped her re-think if she had a gun and some training, the gun could have been an equalizer. Mike Harris talked about his time working in the State House in Boston and learning the ropes there. But he also acted as a tour guide. He does know a bit of Boston history and how to get around BeanTown. Holly Sullivan took the next spotlight. She brought up that the GOAL event is the kind of event where the states need to get together and have a conversation about what is working and what isn’t. This is one of the things she really wants to work on and connect state groups so we can be just as organized as the antis. Bonnie Marshall has only been shooting for a few years. She’s become a Range Safety Officer and started helping Kerrie Ann with her other group, The Well Armed Woman. It was great to have Bonnie break out of her shell and join us for the fun adventure. Moe Palmer is also a local Quincy MA gal. She’s also an RSO working with some local instructors to run the shooting line at live fire courses. Moe reached out to me a few years ago. We took a road trip to SIG Academy in 2022 when they opened. She’s also a regular on the Patriot Defense Podcast with Todd Eccles. And our closer is Amanda Suffecool. DC Project Advisor. NRA BOD member. Host of Eye On The Target Radio. Instructor. And my conscience. Amanda was great at the event. She talked about how GOAL is winning even though it feels like we may not be all the time. She had a busy week. She was in Nashville on Monday with the DCP. She met with Shelley Hill from The Complete Combatant in Georgia. Then she headed to Boston for the weekend. The following week, she headed to Dallas for NRA BOD meetings. We stopped for selfies, got sidetracked, and saw some sights in Boston. Like Cheers, The Granary Burial Ground, The Old State House & where the Boston Massacre started. Kenmore Square and drove next to Fenway Park, followed by going down Boylston Street, where the Marathon bombings happened and finally up Newbury Street. Yeah…it was an undertaking editing this beast with 6 cameras all together. Some of the batteries ran out, but we did the best we could. This is a long show, the longest I’ve done. But I wanted everyone to get some time Riding Shotgun. Favorite quotes: Kerrie Ann: “If you had a gun it creates an equalizer for someone that’s 5’1”.” Mike: “The unintended consequences of that (covid) a lot of people were more activated so it’s easier to get people focused on this bill (HD.4420)” Holly: “In such tiny states in New England, non-resident permits make life accessible.” Bonnie: “It’s a bunch of like minded people, really fun.” Moe: “I didn’t know there was a community out there. I didn’t realize it was a passion.” Amanda: “It’s great when your life comes together and you have a mission that will make a difference and leave a legacy.” The DC Project Gun Owners Action League Connecticut Citizens Defense League Eye On The Target Radio Sisters In Arms- A Firearms Story Armed Women of America Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/28006902

RSWC #179 Todd Ellis 08/29/2023

RSWC #179 Todd Ellis Riding Shotgun With Charlie #179 Todd Ellis NRA Board of Directors Back in April I may have snuck into the NRA BOD party. May have. It was suggested that I work the room. Someone took me around to meet folks that I haven’t met and see if I could connect and maybe get them on the show. It’s fantastic to me when people I haven’t met come up, say hello, and want to talk. As I was sweeping around the room, Todd Ellis stopped me and asked when the episode with Nayara Andrejczyk (RSWC #171) was going to be published. Todd is an NRA BOD member, but also a Training Counselor. They were friends and she had done some training with him. We exchanged cards and I kept working the room. I got home from NRA on a Monday morning. I had a live show to do that evening, then I was off for Philly to film some shows. There was a change in plans and I was given “the gift of time”. Having dinner with Naraya and her husband, we brainstormed who would be available to film a show in my newly found time. She reached out to Todd and he agreed to be on the show. Todd started shooting in Boy Scouts. He was really good at it, enjoyed it, and took to it quickly. He went home and joined the Junior Marksmanship Club at the Rochester Rifle Club. He shot small bore through high school. It was suggested that he become an instructor and take several of the NRA certification courses. He was working with lots of youth shooters with the Scouts, about 350 a year.This was before there was an online portal to report to the NRA the students that went through your courses. When that came around, he missed out on getting credit for about 3,500 students! The NRA Education and Training found out how many students he trained and decided it was time to get him to become a Training Counselor. Todd was invited to be the State Training Counselor Liaison for Pennsylvania. There’s 4,400 instructors and 125 training counselors in PA currently. According to him, the main objective of a TC is to make sure everyone is up to date and current with their teaching materials and to make sure they’re successful. We talk a bit about how it’s important for everyone to be an established shooter before they become an instructor. If an instructor doesn’t know an answer that a student has, they need to find out the answer and get back to the student. Back in 2020 while everyone was in lockdown, Todd was able to fill in on a two year term and get onto the NRA Board of Directors. He was talking to another BOD member about some issues and needed to convince him that Todd had some solutions to some problems. That leads us into talking about the process of getting nominated by someone on the board, which may lead to getting Some folks get in by being on committees. Someone can also go through a petition process and get signatures to be on the ballot. Many of the NRA members don’t know if they can vote, don’t vote, or think they can vote and they can’t. Todd has a story about a canoe trip he took with his son. The canoe tipped when they both ended up paddling on the same side. He uses this story as an analogy to what is happening with many folks in the gun community. If we aren’t paddling together as a team in the Second Amendment canoe, we’re going to capsize and all will be lost. We work for the Second Amendment. And we all need to work as a unit, doing what we need to do to keep this American tradition alive. Favorite quotes: “I really strongly believe in teaching the youth because they’re the folks who are going to replace us tomorrow.” “We got some people that are like ‘they’re never gonna take our shotgun.’ But they will come and get your bolt action rifles, too. So you got to be very aware of why people are really fighting for your Rights.” “I’d love to see more people vote. They get the ballot and don’t vote.” “We’re in a Second Amendment canoe. We all have to paddle together or we’re going to wind up in the ocean and your Second Amendment rights are going to go with the tide out to sea.” National Rifle Associatio National Rifle Association To become an NRA certified instructor Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/27857766

RSWC #178 Robin Bartlett 08/22/2023

RSWC #178 Robin Bartlett Riding Shotgun With Charlie #178 Robin Bartlett Author, Vietnam Veteran It's a great feeling when someone recommends a passenger and it works out well. Robin Bartlett was referred to me. I reached out, did an introduction, and he sent me a copy of his book. After reaching out and setting up an interview date, we were able to make the show happen. We start by talking about some of the nonsense that are New Jersey gun laws. To add to the “fun”, in New Jersey BB guns aren’t legal. And aren’t serialized, too. When he goes out to target shoot, Robin transports everything legally, of course, and keeps his paper with him as well. At the age of 8, Robin was caught with .22 rounds, a hammer, and a chisel. He and his friends were opening the cases and lighting the gunpowder. It was then his dad knew it was time for some gun safety lessons! (PS: Don’t Try It At Home!) While living in Virginia, he joined the Davy Crockett Junior Rifle Club and started with a .22 rifle doing the NRA qualification program. He’s done years of target shooting through college years doing all of the NRA programs. Robin is from a long line of military men who went to West Point. After his friends enlisted and were reassigned, he decided it was time to join the ROTC. He spent 6 years as a career officer and spent time in Vietnam. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne, which was a good assignment. Robin spent time leading the younger troops, which weren’t much younger. And learning from some of the older leadership, which wasn’t much older. His main objective was to his men in the platoon; it wasn’t to have a high body count of the enemy. He was responsible to get everyone home safely. It didn’t always go that way of course. He tells us a gut wrenching story about the first loss he had. He had to make due and fly with some bodies that didn’t have bags. They only had ponchos to wrap the bodies in. Eventually Robin was given a job at the 14th MHD. He didn’t know what it was. He asked others what it was and they didn’t know either. He finally was pointed in the direction and found a tent that said 14th Military History Detachment. Their motto was “You fight it. We write it”. He was given a job that was what he went to college for as a comparative writer. Out of the three who had writing in their background, he was the only one to take the job. The job was in a tent that came with things like cots, refrigerator, two fans, and a shower. He was required to do quarterly reports and review the lessons learned. These reports became the official battle reports. Sometimes they were told to be less than truthful. In one instance, they were not able to get a count of the enemy killed because the Vietnamese took the dead off the field. Robin was told to give a false number and make it real. When he got out he got into publishing and spent years in the publishing business. He talked with several other Vietnam vets about their experiences. And they weren’t all the same. After getting feedback about experiences, he decided to write about his experiences. His mother saved all of his letters in the original envelopes with the dates stamped on them. He was able to relive the war with what he remembered and what he wrote. It took him 10 years to turn it into his book, Vietnam Combat: Firefights and Writing History. The book is very unique in that he was able to put the memories and letters together. It’s an exciting read that I”m sure you’ll enjoy. You can find the links below to Robin’s social media and website. You can buy the book on Amazon, but I’d suggest buying it right from him and having it autographed. I like having a collection of autographed books. Favorite quotes: “The life expectancy of a platoon leader in Vietnam was 90 days.” “Body count was the metric by which we were evaluated.” “Writing this book was supposed to be cathartic for me. It was supposed to get me through all this crap.” “I had to relive so many of these events. Many of them were horrific.” Robin Bartlett Website Robin Bartlett Facebook Robin Bartlett Instagram Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/27815544

RSWC #177 The GOAL Podcast 08/08/2023

RSWC #177 The GOAL Podcast Riding Shotgun With Charlie #177 The GOAL Podcast Garet Holcomb & Jeff Strider Finally, I was able to get together with Jeff Strider and Garet Holcomb from . Jeff & Garet are both board members of . I’ve known them for some time and we’ve run into each other at all the GOAL events, of course, and at the SIG Academy in New Hampshire, too. I do need to say that we filmed this before HD.4420 was released as a bill. We talked about how the Gun Law Listening Tour was going and speculated how it was going to turn out. Now we know. The GOAL Podcast is also ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts according to John Petrolino’s (RSWC #093) recent . Besides that great news, Jeff & Garet enjoy doing the podcast and fortunately the roles on the podcast does not have anything to do as GOAL board members and they’ll keep doing the show when their terms expire. Garet grew up in California but got the gun bug in South Carolina when he was a young man. After some safety rules lessons, he found himself taking the shotgun out to the woods and really enjoying some hunting. Back in California as an older teenager, Garet and his friends would shoot washing machines and what not, as it was legal back in the 1980’s to do so. After some time in the military, Garet ended up in Massachusetts. In 2016, the then AGAG (Anti Gun Attorney General) of MA, the now Governor, Maura Healey, made an edict saying that anything that looks like an AR is an AR and she banned the sale of any new ARs. That’s when Garet got more involved in the gun/civil rights movement. He’s since become an instructor as well. Last year, the three of us ended up doing some instruction at a ladies event. Jeff would do some paintballing with friends when he was a teenager. He had a neighbor that was a police dispatcher and suggested he get his license. During the course, Jeff was hoping for more. The firearms used in the course here Ruger Mark I & IIs. He was hoping for some handguns that were a little more exciting. He also has taken the instructor route, with several certifications. He’s also taken several courses and trains regularly. On The GOAL Podcast, Jeff does a training segment with a drill of the month. Garet and Jeff met back in 2016-ish. That year, GOAL had a rolling rally after Healey’s egregious move. A couple years later, Garet was elected the vice president of a local gun club and learned about the opening on the GOAL board from Jeff. Of course, it’s been great connecting with all these pro gun people in the community. Garet and Jeff both do some instructing with Bill Dalpe (RSWC #154) at Patriot Firearms School. Jeff recently helped a ladies class with Kerrie Ann Auclair (RSWC #139), who runs a local chapter of Armed Women of America and is the MA leader of The DC Project. There was a GOAL Podcast years before they started doing the show. I told them there was even a radio show from Worcester, MA, called The GOAL Line. I used to record those onto a cassette with my stereo back in the early 2000’s. The old version of the show slipped in the timing and got behind and then left behind. The gents took the equipment and heated up the mics to resurrect the podcast. It was really fun to have time with the guys and get them in the stagecoach. We drove to a local Mexican restaurant with Garet in the front seat and drove back after with Jeff in the front seat. You’ll get to know them better here. You can listen to with me as their guest, too. Favorite quotes: Garet: “When she (Maura Healy) did that thing, that to me was like one of the most brazenly cynical and just disgusting things that I’ve ever seen a politician play out in real time.” Garet: “What bothers me the most about the situation (in Mass) is the lack of any meaningful opposition.” Jeff: “You gotta have fun shooting. That’s what keeps people coming back.” Jeff: “Can I shoot? Should I shoot? Do I have to shoot?” The Gun Owners Action League Website The GOAL Podcast Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/27687765

RSWC #176 Mike Giaramita 07/25/2023

RSWC #175 John Kolis 07/11/2023

RSWC #175 John Kolis Riding Shotgun With Charlie #175 John Kolis Instructor & Author, Pistol Practice I noticed on my social media that “Pistol Practice” was coming up more often in my feed. Then I get a text from a friend who says “John Kolis wrote Pistol Practice. He’s in your area and just did Rob Beckman’s podcast. You should have him on your show.”. I tuned in to Beckman’s (RSWC #109) Firearm Trainer’s Podcast to check him out and knew he would be a good fit. We texted back and forth. Then before one of the “Gun Law Listening Tour” stops, John & I met up for a drink. Then we had a few drinks with some other friends afterwards, too. John & I met up at the Weston Shooters Club in Weston, MA, and we headed to On Target Firearms in Dracut, MA, to do some shooting. After a quick warm up, John proved to me that his book, Pistol Practice, truly works! We shot one of the games from his book and he way outshot me! He’s been working on getting his book across the country and in the hands of instructors. So if you’re an instructor, you should check out the link to become an . John’s dad grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and owned a .22 rifle. When they moved to upstate New York, his dad took him shooting outdoors and John really enjoyed it. He still has that rifle, which his father got as salesman of the month in the 1950’s. John enlisted in the Air Force for a few years. However, he doesn’t use that as a focus in his firearms resume. As with many people, life changes and John found himself moving away from shooting to have a family and a career. After years of IT work, during the lockdowns of 2020, his employer let him go. With kids in college and experience in writing courses and manuals, John applied these skills with his interest in getting back into firearms. Having taken several courses through the NRA, USCCA, SIG Academy, John got certified to teach a number of courses. He turned all of this knowledge into “Pistol Practice, The Shooting Range Guidebook to teach you how to practice.” The book is a wonderful method for someone to have fun and enjoy practicing. You should have a solid knowledge of handgun shooting fundamentals. There are several different “games” that you can use with your friends when you are at your next range session. Not only are there various ways to make practicing fun, there’s a chart for two handed, one handed, non-dominant two handed, and non-dominant one hand shooting charts. The book comes with a card that you can use to split, like on the cover of the book. There’s also a QR code that you use to download various other targets. Pistol Practice has its own class as well. There are a number of ways to learn and take a lesson with John. He’s offered free shipping on his book purchases for RSWC followers who use the code “FreeShip23”. As noted above, John wants to spread the Pistol Practice course around the country. If you’d like to offer his course, contact him at to become an affiliate instructor in your area. He does limit how many instructors he has in each area, so contact him today. I had a great time shooting with John. I’m glad that he’s a local guy and also in the fight in Massachusetts. With people like him, we are getting more shooters educated, trained, and having a good time doing so. Favorite quotes: “The firearms community, everyone is so supporting and helpful to one another”. “Marksmanship was an admired quality”. “I became acquainted with Massachusetts gun laws. I became confused with Massachusetts gun laws”. “That speaks to the pursuit of happiness…. As long as your pursuit doesn’t hurt others. That’s the Republic we created”. Pistol Practice Free shipping code “FreeShip23” Instagram Find on Facebook Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/27398040

RSWC #174 Tom King 06/27/2023

RSWC #174 Tom King Riding Shotgun With Charlie #174 Tom King New York State Rifle & Pistol Association National Rifle Association BOD Member Last summer, I thought it would be good to have Tom King on the show before the NYSRPA v Bruen decision. I messaged him and he said yes to being on the show, but I didn’t follow up. This past April at the NRA Annual Meetings, Anthony Colandro (RSWC #003 & #025) introduced us and said I should have Tom on the show. With the summer here and the anniversary of the NYSRPA v Bruen decision, I figured it was a good time to film a show! Tom grew up in an anti-gun household. His father was a pilot in World War 2 and didn’t want to have anything to do with guns when he got back. However, Tom learned to shoot, earning a merit badge in Boy Scouts. Eventually, a friend asked Tom if he wanted to be the Legislative Director of NYSRPA because Tom and his wife owned a company that delivered memos to politicians. Reluctantly, he agreed to the job. After one year in this position, the then-president approached Tom and said he was stepping down. Then asked Tom to take his place due to his political knowledge. He took the president’s role thinking it would be for 2 years. That was 18 years ago. During his tenure, he’s noticed first hand that the government is doing things in little subtle ways to take our rights by what I call the “salami method”, which is one thin slice at a time. He says that other than the S.A.F.E. Act, we didn’t lose our rights at once. Often, people will understand why the antis want something, then admit that it’s not a big deal, then give it away. Until there’s nothing left to give. Tom got involved with the NRA at a Friends of the NRA in Poughkeepsie. A mutual friend took him up to meet someone. That person suggested that Tom should be on a committee at NRA. Tom didn’t know who it was but after formal introductions, it was John Sigler. Mr Sigler was only the First Vice President of NRA, on his way to be President, but Tom didn’t know who he was. A few months later, he was nominated to be on the Clubs and Association committee. Tom also shares a story about introducing Wayne LaPierre, saying the NYSRPA is the parent organization of the NRA. We finally got into NYSRPA v Bruen. After the decision was for NYSRPA, I was insistent on calling it the NYSRPA case, but friends said we needed to use Bruen. Tom shares with us that Bruen was a pro Second Amendment supporter, but his job was more political than police work, and he was just doing what he was told by disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. That led to the then unelected, anti-gun Kathy Hochul to roll out and support the “Concealed Carry Improvement Act”. We spend a lot of time talking about how NYSRPA v Bruen started, how long it lasted, and why it’s important to support your state groups. That can be by joining your state group and by doing more than just writing a check to pay dues. By the way, you can also join other state groups, too. There’s not a limit on which organizations you can support. Tom said the NRA picked up about 70% of the tab, but NYSRPA picked up the rest. It total came to $2,200,000 in legal fees. We also talk about how politicians “make friends” with everyone, even if they don’t support our rights as Americans. For my show, travel, editing, and everything involved, it’s a challenge to do a current and topical episode. But what I can do is evergreen material that lines up with anniversaries of big events. The NYSRPA v Bruen was a very big decision. We’re finding it out in over 260 other cases in the first 6 months after it happened. Time will let us see some of the other impacts it is having on our Second Amendment right! Favorite quotes: “Then all of a sudden, you look at it and you have no rights at all or are on the verge of having no rights”. “I wanted to protect those rights that we had, that I grew up with, for my son and my daughter and their kids.” “The Supreme Court looked at it the way the Founding Fathers looked at it.” “If it wasn’t for the NRA, the Bruen decision, the Rifle & Pistol decision, would never come about”. “I have never been asked to sit in on one his pre-bill meetings. Never once.” “Vote for your rights. Vote for what’s important to you.” New York State Rifle & Pistol Association NYSRPA Facebook National Rifle Association Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/27280689

RSWC #173 Jose Morales 06/13/2023

RSWC #173 Jose Morales Riding Shotgun With Charlie #173 Jose Morales Philly Firearms Academy My familiarity with Jose Morales’ name started years ago. I’ve always been a fan of the Gun For Hire Radio podcast. The main host, Anthony Colandro (RSWC #003 & 025), would often bring up Jose’s name as someone helping with production of the show. Last summer, I was in Detroit for Rick Ector’s (RSWC #032) Ladies Event. As I was introducing myself to the other instructors, I met Jose. I kept running through my mind “how do I know his name?” Then it hit me! Gun For Hire Radio! So I went back up and said I knew his name and finally put it together. Like it is meeting with gun people, it felt like old home week. Jose grew up in New York City and said his mother had a gun. At the time he didn’t know how difficult it was to get a gun as times were different. He spent 3 years serving in the Army and ended up in Philadelphia. He’s had a few careers, of course, doing non-gun stuff, until he decided that after taking several friends shooting, maybe it was time to become an instructor. He traveled to western Pennsylvania to take an instructor course. He’s done a ton of training since then. He’s an NRA and USCCA Training Counselor in several disciplines, so he’s training the trainers. I don’t like saying someone is a “training junkie”, but he’s trained with many of the best, including Massad Ayoob (RSWC #045), Rob Pincus (RSWC #063), and Tom Givens, among others. Therefore he offers courses at various levels to his clients. Just like other businesses, Jose had a lot of growing to do. He talks about going from range to range with students and trying to find students. As many people have found out, there are ranges they don’t want you to bring in your clients or they want half of what you charge to use the range. So, Jose ended up needing a dedicated place for training, which ended up being across the street from where the Philadelphia police issued permits! It was hard to get people to come in. He was near the old Colosimo’s Gun Center which had a range he was using. We also cover how often instructors are very territorial with their areas. We get into some interesting points about people and their training. While it shouldn’t be a government mandate to require training to get a carry permit, anyone who carries definitely needs training in things like how to carry concealed, when you can use lethal force, and absolutely when you cannot use lethal force. People also need education on what to do in a situation after you’ve used lethal force. Jose has a great line saying “everyone wants remedial education not preventative education”, meaning that people take classes after they have an eye opening incident. He will get calls from people saying things like they need an “NRA Basic Pistol or the equivalent” which is code for “I’m reading a paper given to me by the police and lost my license”. We had a really good discussion about this topic. The discussion also led to bringing up the terms that the antis use that we have “adopted” and we fall right in line and use them as if they are legit terms. Yes, words have meanings. Jose also shares what it was like to bring an NRA course into a hospital where he had some connections and tried to train and educate people that just because the course says “NRA” doesn’t mean the course is evil and preaching an agenda. It’s all education and people who are unfamiliar or new to firearms may not want to hear about the NRA due to the bad press the NRA gets from the media. I’m telling you, gun people are the best people! I met Jose at his home in Philly, he offered me some Tastykakes, and we talked like we were old friends. You don’t get this from everyone, just from gun people. Favorite quotes: “It’s a hobby that became a career.” “I’ve always found more success collaborating with instructors.” “Sharing the love, and dispelling the stereotypes, and bringing people into the fold.” “We have to use the same tactics. Some of the people that are anti-gun are incessant.” Philly Firearms Academy Philly Firearm Academy Instagram Philly Firearm Academy Gunwise USA Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/27130434

RSWC #172 Paul Markel 05/23/2023

RSWC #172 Paul Markel Riding Shotgun With Charlie #172 Paul Markel Student of the Gun (The Pimp Hand of America) Paul Markel is someone I’ve heard on Armed American Radio several times. It's always great to hear his stance on anything. He doesn’t mince words. He doesn’t hold back. And you always know where he stands. A good friend said he would be at NRAAM in Indianapolis this year and at the GLOCK booth. So after an email and an introduction, he said he’d be up for doing the show. Special thanks to Rob & Amanda from for the use of their “stagecoach” to film the show. We kicked off with Paul explaining that it wasn’t a job he was looking for, but a job he accepted, was to be the Pimp Hand of America because “this country needs a slap”. And he’s just the man to do it. Paul is very direct and to the point about his stance on topics du jour. Our first topic was the homeless folks on the way to his hotel in Indy. During his youth, Paul spent time running around the yard with a rifle shaped stick. That led to shooting single shot BB guns with his grandfather with a tube of BBs from the local grocery store. Joining the military after his high school love didn’t work out, he enlisted as a Marine and spent time on the USS Forrestal. After jungle warfare training they had to change to desert warfare training and he was involved with Desert Storm Part 1. Upon coming home, he needed to find a job. His family knew a police chief and he went into the police academy but found out that 500 men like him were applying for 3 jobs. Back when he was 19, he tried to take an executive protection course. The job required experience, which he didn’t have at the time. But after the military, he found he was a good candidate for that line of work, which he did for 13 years. With all this experience, Paul took a job as a military contractor and started teaching small arms and tactics. When the contract starts to wind down, the job looks less and less appealing. While in the Marine Corps, he was a rifle and pistol marksmanship coach and really enjoyed teaching classes. A mentor suggested the old adage about “publish or die” and that led to Paul starting to write back in 1993 when he sold a couple of articles. He eventually started writing for Harris Publication and many other magazines. Writing led to talking to a TV producer and that’s how Student of the Gun (SOTG) TV started. Eventually, SOTG ended up on several different TV networks. Producing TV shows takes a lot of work. There’s cameras, lighting, audio, editing, and it’s all time consuming. What I really like about Paul is that he’s a very intellectual man. He’s very well read. On the SOTG website there’s a suggested reading list of several books and how & where to order them. We talk about 1984, The Rape of the Mind, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. He talks about how going to bodyguard school really helped with him learning to pay attention which has also helped out with the things he studied and learned from the masters and the books mentioned. The job of the bodyguard is to make sure that nothing happens and nothing unexpected happens, which means you also need to know what is normal and what is out of place. I’ve already started the SOTG book collection by buying Total Resistance by H.Von Dach. I also downloaded The Rape of the Mind in audiobook for some driving adventures coming up. I do like buying books, but I need to read some of them, too, otherwise it’s futile. Favorite quotes: “It’s the only job you can work and as the years go by, you get paid the same amount or less, for doing the more work.” “A stepping stone in a profession is to be published.” “You destroy the culture. You destroy the language. You destroy the people.” “When everything is a Right, nothing is a Right.” “I don’t know if I ever created anything but I sat at the feet of masters and I paid attention.” Student of the Gun Podcast YouTube The Four Pillars of Fighting Book Second Amendment Foundation Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters. Buy RSWC & GunGram shirts & hoodies, stickers & patches, and mugs at the store! Dennis McCurdy Author, Speaker, Firewalker Self Defense Radio Network Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% /episode/index/show/ridingshotgunwithcharlie/id/26921901

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