August 18, 2004

WHAT HAPPENED TO JULY? I’m not sure what happened, but July seemed to go by far too quickly. We held our July match, ate too much pizza, and went home with great selections from the prize table. A little travel, some vacation time, and, suddenly it seems, it’s August. This is, of course, all in the way of explaining why we didn’t have a newsletter last month.

First prize at the Annual Pizza Fest Prize Drawing was a certificate for Matt Burkett’s IDPA class this Fall. It was won three times: First, by Wayne Johnson who already had his place in Burkett’s class taken care of. The second winner was Reed Moore. However, because of work constraints, Reed won’t be able to take the course. He accepted the Second prize, the full set of Matt Burkett’s training DVDs. The third and final First prizewinner was Randy Bates to win the training certificate. Randy, do we hear a heartfelt thank you for Wayne and Reed?

The Board of Directors ran unopposed and was elected unanimously. Jim Cyran was the only board member to take the precaution of resigning prior to the elections. John Mercurio volunteered to take Jim’s place on the board

MATCH RESULTS – JULY: The top ten finishers were separated by less than 9 seconds. Mike Grant finished in 1^st place. John Mercurio, in 2^nd place, finished less than ½ sec. behind Grant. Wayne Johnson finished in 3^rd place, slightly more than 1 sec. behind Mercurio.

Scott Yu was 4th overall. Gayl Morse in 5th, Brad Maynard, in 6^th, and Allen Lowe, in 7^th, finished with less than 1 sec. separating 5^th through 7^th place.

Jerry Miller, in 8^th, was less than 1 sec. behind Lowe. Brian Gonsalves finished in 9^th overall and was followed by Tex Hollis, in 10^th, by less than ½ sec.

MATCH RESULTS – AUGUST: The ten top finishers clustered into three groups. Brain Gonsalves finished 1^st overall leading Allen Lowe in 2^nd place by less than 1½ sec. Wayne Johnson was 3^rd overall.

The times for 4^th through 7^th place were grouped within less than 0.7 sec! Ed Vernon finished 4^th overall, followed by Roger Maryatt in 5^th place, Russ Holetz in 6^th place, and Mike Grant in 7^th place.

Eighth through 10^th place times were also less than 0.7 sec. apart. Jim Cyran Finished in 8^th place, John Mercurio was in 9^th place, and Gayl Morse finished 10^th overall.

NOTES FROM OUR PRESIDENT: Hi Folks! I recently got back from five days of cool Ft. Bragg weather (our 25^th anniversary). Also, there was an IDPA match put on by the Redwood Practical Pistol Shooters that I just happened to attend (I finished 2^nd overall to the current state CDP Expert champion, Darrell Godwin). The Redwood club is a very active club with a lot of state champions for a small club. Enjoyed a Mendicino County Law Enforcement Officer barbecue, abalone, tri-tip, smoked and cooked salmon and smoked venison. Hope all of you enjoyed the annual Pizza Feed and Prize Drawing.

Because of a few cancellations, there were three (3) openings left in the Matt Burkett’s IDPA-oriented shooting class that will be held at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center on October 22-23 (there may be fewer places now). Burkett's class, "How To Shoot Faster", is highly recommended for those who want to make a significant improvement in their shooting skills. For further information, or to register on-line, go to www.MattBurkett.com. To register by telephone, call (866) Gun-DVDs.

2004 IDPA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP – SOME RESULTS: The State Championship was incredible! The venue is extensive, with bays for nine stages. The props for each stage were uniformly well done. One stage incorporated a prop semi-trailer rig that was done so well that it fooled several people walking by the bay on the day before the match. Competition among the 178 shooters was fierce. Local shooters who placed were: Bob Lee, 1^st place ESP Marksman; Bruce Gray, 2^nd place SSP Master; Kelly Houser, 3^rd place SSP Marksman; Susan Soesbe, 2^nd SSP Novice. Brian Schlegel was 3^rd place ESP Novice. Deanna Sykes was 2^nd Lady Shooter (of 16), and Wayne Johnson was 1^st Veteran. Wayne eked out his first place finish ahead of me in 3^rd by a mere 120 sec. Can you say "no shoot", Mike? Can you say "front sight"? See me personally for a detailed accounting of my tragic story.

Notable 4^th place finishers were: Ron Durham, in SSP Master; Brian Gonsalves, in ESP Expert; John Mercurio, in CDP Expert; and Randy Bates in CDP Marksman.

The prize table was exceptionally generous. Deanna Sykes came home with a new Beretta.

BAN ON ASSUALT WEAPONS DIDN’T REDUCE VIOLENCE

by Jerry Seper, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Published August 17, 2004

The federal assault-weapons ban, scheduled to expire in September, is not responsible for the nation's steady decline in gun-related violence and its renewal likely will achieve little, according to an independent study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

"We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence," said the unreleased NIJ report, written by Christopher Koper, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

"It is thus premature to make definitive assessments of the ban's impact on gun violence. Should it be renewed, the ban's effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement," said the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times. The report also noted that assault weapons were "rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban."

For more see, www.washingtimes.com

DEFENSIVE PISTOL SHOOTING – FOR REAL The following was sent to me by Stephen Wenger.

What Happens When You Shoot Someone: ONE STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE

A graduate of the Defensive Use of Firearms CWP course was forced to kill an assailant several years before taking the course. This is an edited version of a thread he had contemplated posting on a popular website that deals with concealed-carry and related topics. He has agreed to share his experience in the hopes that it will cut through some of the myths about using deadly force in self-defense.

Over the time that I have been a member here I have learned many things on packing.org and have actually spent time training with one other member in particular. I have been considering a post of this nature for quite some time and the one that finally committed me to doing it is "Anyone had to use their weapon?" Even more specifically it was the lines that stated "and if you feel regretful about it then maybe you shouldn't have shot. I know I would not feel regretful about shooting some lunatic trying to kill me. This is just my opinion" and "I feel confident in my ability to make an educated decision if I would ever be in that situation, hopefully I will not."

In my, nearly five decades of life I have known several people who have employed "deadly force". Some were during military operations or as a police officer and others as private citizens. A few fall into more than one of those categories.

There is no way to soft soap or sugar coat what I am about say, so here goes, and let the chips fall where they may.

When, if ever, your balloon goes up, you WILL NOT have time to formulate an "educated decision." You will not have time to think, you must act and act now or die. THIS IS NOT A GAME and it should not be discussed like one. A confrontation that calls upon you to employ deadly force will be: QUICK, UP CLOSE, VERY PERSONAL, VERY VIOLENT and VERY BLOODY.

You will NOT have time to think about any of the following; is this person a danger to my well being? Do I draw now or not? Should I shoot or not shoot? The Tueller Drill says 21 feet but this guy is 21 feet 6 inches away? When I went through my CCW class my instructor told us to do this or that when this or that happens. Do I have a clean field of fire? Can I draw my firearm without sweeping it across some innocent bystander or some part of my body, etc? When your time comes, if you want to LIVE, you either KNOW and DO or YOU DIE, lying in a pool of your own red blood, trying to remember exactly what it was your CCW instructor told you to do in that scenario.

It begins with DANGER NOW, simultaneously your REACTION coupled with a massive adrenaline dump, and then its OVER. It literally took longer for you to read that last sentence than most encounters last. You realize you’re down, flat on your back; where am I, what happened, where is he, have I been unconscious, how long? You roll onto your right side and there he is on lying on his left side unmoving. Passed out, yeah, that’s it he’s passed out. Then you see the blood; my God, will you look at all that red blood. It is oozing away from the body and forming into a large pool around his head. Your stomach churns as a wave of nausea washes over you. Slowly, using just the right arm, you push yourself to your knees then you get to your feet. Staggering a bit, you lurch into the side of your vehicle for support, eyes never wavering from the body. For one instant your minds clears and you know you are a survivor.

Emotions?? In the moments immediately after it is; "YES… YES BY GOD. I’M ALIVE I DID IT! I AM A SURVIVOR… YES, THANK YOU, GOD ALMIGHTY. Then the adrenaline starts to deplete and you begin going into shock and it is; OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE, HOW COULD I POSSIBLY HAVE DONE THIS TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING?

People try to talk to you but you’re shaking uncontrollably, stammering, stuttering, and slurring your words, you can't maintain a specific train of thought or complete a coherent sentence, because he keeps coming at you again and again. Out of the dark and close, too damn close, a cocked arm, there’s something in that hand, the bared teeth, the curled lip, the red and black hooded sweatshirt and those eyes. Never have you ever seen such evil, mean hate, such revulsion, and such determination in a pair of eyes before. DO IT, DO IT NOW. Even in replay your reaction is the same, it’s those eyes, those bloodshot determined eyes, DO IT, DO IT NOW, it will always play out that way, always.

You understand what is happening because you are seeing it from the outside of your own body as you sit on the back end of the ambulance. The lights, the bright red and blue flashing lights are all around. You’re looking over your own shoulder as a paramedic flashes his pen light in your eyes while holding a bandage to the left side of your head. It aches. He brings it away and there’s blood on it, not a lot, but it is your blood. Numb, yes that’s it, numb, why is my left arm numb? You have trouble making it do what you want it to and you tell the medics that. They cut your shirt away to find the bruise on the upper left side of your chest and arm. It doesn’t appear to be broken and the more you flex your fist the less it seems to be numb. A concussion, they say, with instructions to see a doctor in the morning or call for an ambulance if things get worse tonight. Finally you can have someone drive you home. As the car pulls into the drive your family pours out of the house in a rush to greet you; they have heard that something bad has happened but don’t know what… yet. They are just happy you’re home.

Strangely, you see all of this the same way you saw the ride home, from the back seat. As you push open the front passenger door and begin to get out of the vehicle your mind’s eye rushes back into your body and your knees wobble and buckle as you lean against the top of the car door, trying to remain upright. Then they are on you, the wife, and the kids, hugging, sobbing, trying to reassure themselves that you really are home, that you really are all right. And then for just merest of a moment, you’re safe, protected by the love of a family; you block it out, it’s gone or was it ever really there? Then from out of nowhere, like a baseball bat in the gut, it’s back and yes it’s real, very real. Still clinging to you, the family guides you into the house, your house, your safe house, a place where you are going to have to tell your children you have just done something you have always told them one person should never have to do to another. You are going to have to tell them Daddy has just killed another human being.

The aftermath of the ensuing hours, days, months and years: within days of the tragedy, the X-rays come back clean but the doctor puts you on two weeks medical leave because the back of your left arm and half of your hand is still numb. Nerve damage they say. You are also required to see the psychiatrist before being allowed back on the job and after a battery of questions you ask him if it is a normal reaction to be "HATEFULLY ANGRY" at that person for making you do what you did. He tells you it is. Mentally you are cleared to return to work, but it will be the better part of two weeks before the numbness is not noticeable.

Then there are the newspaper articles that, over a period of days, second-guess a decision you had to make in less than a second. It begins to EAT AT YOU, your stomach burns, you can’t eat and you start having your own RESERVATIONS about what happened, maybe they are right. The only sleep you get is when you pass out from sheer exhaustion. And even that is interrupted by "those eyes."

Then there's the funeral that you don't attend but you hear all about the deceased's, now fatherless, children and other grieving relatives and you genuinely REGRET, what you did whether it was justified or not. Then your told it has been No Billed and that no charges will be preferred against you. It is a small consolation. You PRAY to your God asking for FORGIVENESS and guidance.

At first people you thought were friends console you and tell you how glad they are that you are ok. Over the next few months you just don’t hear from them as often as you used to. At church even the Pastor looks at you differently and people that you associated with make excuses, to the point that they even avoid talking to your wife. And that is the hardest; these people, especially the Pastor, are supposed to be there for moral and spiritual support. Aren’t they? The other children at school are relentless and your children’s attitudes start to change and their schoolwork begins to suffer. Then when things just can’t seem to get any worse, the deceased’s family files a quarter of a million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against you. The physical realization of being sued for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars hits you like a sledgehammer in the pit of your stomach. Your hands clamp to your midsection and your body literally bends with the pressure of the blow.

Not having to pay for an attorney, court costs or any of the potential monetary awards makes things slightly more than bearable, and when the family settles out of court for a few thousand dollars, officially, it seems over. Throughout the next year, occasionally someone will still say something to your wife at the supermarket, periodically your children still hear things at school and you note the hushed comments and feel the finger pointing when you are at a restaurant or other social gatherings. RELUCTANTLY, out of sheer DESPERATION, you just stop attending social functions. You really try to live a normal life but you can’t, you never know when or where you will encounter a relative of the deceased or what they may say or do. You’ll never know who they are, but you can bet that everyone of them knows who you are. You begin to ask yourself if you are becoming PARANOID.

Ostracized in your own community, for something you virtually had no control over, you consider packing up and moving to another town; hell, you consider moving to another state. But then you GET MAD AGAIN, DAMN MAD and it is HELL NO, I AM STAYING RIGHT HERE! I’m not going to be forced out for what I did. I WAS RIGHT DAMMIT.

Things begin to ease with time and you begin to make new friends; some of the old ones begin to come around again, but not all of them. Just when you think it’s really going to be ok it all comes screaming back in a flood of SICKENING BILE when someone asks, "What does it feel to have had to kill someone?"

Things will never ever be the "normal" you are used to again. NEVER. There will be a new normal that includes flashbacks and questions that you go day to day hoping no one is ever again rude enough to ask. But they do ask and for a time all of the emotions; fear, elation, anger, hate, regret, paranoia assault every fiber of your being. Eventually (six years and 22 days) you do move, not just out of town, but also completely out of state. But you weren’t forced to move; no, you did it on your own terms.

And now you only think about it when someone who has no knowledge of you or your background posts a generic request on a message board asking you tell about the time you had to kill someone. For a long time you ignore it because you can, then finally (after 15 years and 8 months) you have again been put in a position where your only choice is to respond because someone that has "never been there done that" has the nerve to slap you in the face with it and for added good measure smear it around with the snide comment that; "if you regret it then you maybe shouldn’t have done it in the first place, but that’s just my opinion."

Lastly to all of you wannabe gunfighters who constantly bombard this board with "my CCW instructor told us this or my friend the cop told me that or guru somebody said to do it this way in the last issue of etc..", yes, proper training should be mandatory, practice is absolutely essential, and the proper firearm, ammunition and holster is a necessity, but none of these things, no not a single one of them, will keep you alive if you have trained yourself to be politically correct in a gunfight. If you are going to be worried about crossing someone with your draw, the Tueller drill, or any one of a hundred other things you have been told on this board you’re supposed to think about, consider or do just before and during the draw, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.

The one thing more than anything else needed to survive an encounter involving deadly force is MINDSET. In order to win you must have a SAVAGELY RAW AND PURELY VIOLENT UNADULTERATED WILL TO LIVE. Because when it comes for you, and I hope from the depths of the blood that’s on my soul it never does, it will be QUICK, VIOLENT, UP CLOSE, VERY PERSONAL AND BLOODY. If all of the training you have had and the practice that you do has not yet instilled in you the ability to act on a raw pure gut instinct to survive, then put your guns back in the safe and go get the right training .

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