To quote the course description from MDTS, Combative Carbine Skills series “emphasizes three critical elements of defensive shooting: Mindset, Skill-At-Arms, and Tactics.” CCS 1&2 begins the series with the fundamentals needed to operate the carbine in a combative and defensive manner. What I love, personally, is the focus on the class from a citizen perspective, which 90% of us who take these classes will be using the training for.

The first hour of the day was classroom-based training, which went over firearms safety, range safety, some carbine history and zeroing, accessories and rifle modifications, as well as some initial administrative firearms handling and platforms. Once the initial classroom training was complete, we moved out to the range and jumped right into zeroing our rifles.

Once all of the rifles were zeroed, training began. Without divulging too much of the course, there was a great deal of information thrown at the attendees. Personally, I enjoy “drinking from the firehose” as they say, but I can see how some people may not like that approach. However, most everyone rose to the occasion and stepped up their game to learn.

I also noticed that there were several people attending the class who had just bought their AR-15 or similar carbine, and by the end of the class they were engaging targets out to 75 yards, and clearing complicated “triple feed” malfunctions. Considering how some of the newer shooters were picking up the information, I have to say that speaks louder than I can about Chris’ proficiency as a trainer.

As I said above, this is the second time I have had the chance to take this class from MDTS, which has joined my resume of several other carbine training classes, and I have to say that I would highly recommend anyone with carbine rifles to give this class a shot (no pun intended). From the basic fundamentals to some advanced weapon malfunction clearing, the class provides a great deal of valuable information to the average shooter.

MDTS is holding another Combative Carbine Skills 1&2 class on August 28th in the Rochester, NY area. Visit their website, mdtstraining.com, and check out their schedule to sign up!

Combative Carbine Skills 1&2 Course Details

The MDTS Combative Carbine Skills curriculm is designed for the new rifle owner, individuals who have owned a rifle but never attended formal training as well as the seasoned operator. A solid grounding in safety and fundamentals of gun handling is presented with a heavy emphasis on the students ability to manipulate the carbine platform while mult-tasking or under stress. This is a fast paced, challenging course. Course content will include but is not limited to:

CCS1 Firearm Safety/Range Safety
History & Zero
Modifications & Sling Options
Personal Equipment Selection & Placement
Administrative Gun-Handling
Carry & Carbine Ready Positions
Fundamental Marksmanship
Combative Marksmanship
Shooting Response Theory
Combative Gun-Handling/Malfunctions

CCS2
After Action Assessment Concept
Bilateral Weapon Operation
Transition to Handgun
Combative Shooting Positions
Vertical and Lateral Displacement
Multiple Target Engagement
Proactive Movement
Fundamental Use of Cover & Concealment and more…

Equipment List:
A serviceable carbine to include M4, AR15, AK47 or pistol caliber rifle, a minimum of 3 magazines, 500+ rounds rifle – NO GREEN TIP OR AP AMMUNITION, 50 rounds pistol, eye and ear protection, pistol and minimum of 2 magazines (if you own a pistol), appropriate clothing for weather, water, hat with brim, optional equipment- sling, gloves & knee pads.

*A pistol is not required to attend this course

Additional Equipment Considerations:
Weapon mounted illumination tool, knee & elbow protection, note taking materials, lunch for full day class

The first event for my relay was presented by Southnarc of ShivWorks. The block was entitled “Confined Space Shooting” and covered the physical mechanics required to defend yourself with a handgun in small spaces and at close proximity to both threats and innocents. The first part was the basic steps of drawing from a holster. While the pistol draw is something most shooters have a pretty good handle on, Southnarc has some very targeted specifics that keep the gun very close to the body and enable rounds to be accurately fired as early as possible. The focus here was being able to access your handgun while minimizing the opportunities for an opponent to interfere with the draw. We practiced each step of the draw and fired from both the compressed ready and extended positions. We covered the “nose over toes” stance that I’m familiar with and conducted several drills. One very enlightening drill was where we practiced engaging a target while surrounded by innocent bystanders, literally shoulder to shoulder. The mechanics of Southnarc’s draw stroke proved effective here as we were able to draw and fire in these very tight confines without sweeping any of the bystanders with our muzzles. Southnarc is very attentive during these drills, always right there to intervene if there is any hint of a safety issue as well as offering corrections. The session concluded with an overview of how to both shoot from, and properly exit a vehicle. The mechanics of this are way more complicated than you would think. Being able to exit a car without sweeping yourself or any of your (presumably friendly) passengers with your muzzle requires lots of forethought.

The entire Confined space block was very educational. Most of the techniques were small tweaks to what I’ve already learned in various other courses, but these small changes have big results. The only downside of this session was that I managed to slam my holster hard on the seatbelt latch when entering the car and I broke one of the screws. Having a pinwheeling holster isn’t conducive to range safety. Thanks to Chris for stealing a screw from one of his spare holsters and getting me back online!

The next block was presented by Chris Fry of MDTS Training, and I had the pleasure of assisting him. The class was based around dealing with carbine malfunctions. We started with a diagnostic test that shows basic gun handling at very close range.  We then covered what to do when your carbine stops functioning at various ranges from contact distance to 25 yards. This included muzzle strikes as well as both one and two handed pistol transitions. Finally Chris described and demonstrated all the common (and a few not so common) carbine malfunctions as well as his simple system to handle them without some of the problems of more traditional methods (like SPORTS). The culmination of this block is an exercise where students get a chance to handle multiple malfunctions under some induced pressure.

During a great lunch provided by the club, we enjoyed a lecture from Andy Langlois about Dealing with First Responders. Some good insights into what will be going through an officer’s mind if they are responding to a defensive shooting. Biggest takeaway from that, when an Officer says “DROP THE GUN!”, do it … now.

After lunch we had an overview of some of the many hardware options available for the AR platform. There are a lot of them.

After this I assisted Chris again with his carbine block for the 2nd relay of shooters, this meant I had to miss the block on Tactical Medicine, but I will be looking for more opportunities in that area.

Overall, it was a great day of training. The blocks of instructions were somewhat compressed, but there is a lot of information to be learned, and the opportunity to train with many instructors is a welcome one.

Thanks to the organizers and all the help from Pelham Fish and Game Club, which, incidentally, is a beautiful club.

Click here for day 2…

“Mastering the basics is the only way to shoot faster or more accurately, and this goal can be achieved only with proper instruction and critiques. This consolidated, easy-to-read handbook provides a base knowledge that offers laymen and/or professional operators the references to learn/maintain their skills with their pistol, thus raising their level of competence. Whether you carry a pistol for a living or for defense, this book will help you attain the level of training desired.”

The book address concepts like mindset, body mechanics, fundamentals, tactical reloading, and even shooting while wounded. There were many times where it made me go “Well, what if this happened to me??” Additionally it gives you some drills to work on your skills, and even includes a progress worksheet. Unfortunately for Jeff (darkvibe), the entire book is written for the right hand dominant shooter, but it does have a small chapter towards the end for some information on left hand shooting.

The book is concise and to the point, and it gives the feeling of being written by an author with years of real-world experience. Many shooting books and guides are very much like textbooks, and teach great theories but do not offer practical applications to the concepts taught. This is not the case with Lawrence’s book.

After finishing this book I feel I have a much better grasp of the concepts and something to work on at the Tuesday night defensive pistol shoots with Rochester Personal Defense. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who wants to refine their skills or learn some new ones.

Title: Tactical Pistol Shooting, 2nd Edition
Author: Erik Lawrence & Mike Pannone
Pages: 256
ISBN: 1-4402-0436-5
Price: US $24.99

Happy Holidays from all of us at NY Firearms! We wish you and your families a very happy holiday season and prosperous new year. Thank you so much for being part of our community and we look forward to bigger and better things in 2010!

Best Wishes,
Mike & Jeff

NYFirearms.com Diecut [IHS-C-NYF] – $1.00 : ihatestickers.com

Check it out!

11:00 AM we’ll meet in the parking lot at Tully’s for lunch, meet and greet and good conversation. After lunch we’ll head over to to the gun show at the fairgrounds to look at cool stuff. Meeting in the parking lot at Tully’s will make it easier for us to find each other. Look for the green NYFirearms.com t-shirts and you’ll find us.

Additional riders on your existing policy:

Most insurance companies will allow you to add additional coverage to the full replacement value of your guns.  This will cost you additional money in your premium but may be a good investment.  Most insurance companies will require you to schedule your firearms and provide this to them in order to be covered.

NRA insurance coverage:

If you are a member of the NRA you already have some coverage.  Your NRA membership includes ArmsCare insurance coverage for up to $1,000.  If you require additional coverage the ArmsCare Plus program allows you to purchase additional coverage for up to $1,000,000 in coverage.  ArmsCare plus will cost you $17.40 per $1,000 in additional coverage (with a $50 annual premium minimum) and a $10 administration fee.  ArmsCare insurance covers firearms and accessories against direct physical loss or damage such as fire, burglary or theft. Theft from a vehicle is covered when it is the result of breaking and entering a locked vehicle or locked portion of a vehicle.  Under this policy individual firearms valued under $2,500 do not need to be scheduled.  Any firearm valued over $2,500 does need to be scheduled but the serial number is not required.

Third Party Insurance Companies:

Many insurance companies such as Travelers Insurance* offer insurance for firearms.  This may be called Valuable Items Insurance or something else depending on which company you contact.  Similar to homeowners or renters policies, be sure of their coverage limits and required documentation.

Documentation of Ownership:

Whether your insurance company requires it or not, it is always a good idea to keep a detailed record of your firearms for reference in the event of a loss.  This information may include make, model, serial number, date of purchase, and replacement value.  Keeping a photo of each firearm with your records may also be beneficial even if not required by your policy.  If you would like a form to document your firearms please feel free to download and use this form created for your use.

*Note that although Travelers Insurance is mentioned, NYFirearms.com does not endorse them in any way.  Travelers Insurance was used as an example only.

I am writing regarding Marie Coco’s column “Guns and the link we won’t admit.” Though I am happy to consider anyone’s opinion, this piece presented factual errors and faulty logic to make the case for more gun control. I use such terms not as diatribe or insult, but because I think that arguments for abridging freedom should be held to particularly high standards. I would like the opportunity to rebut Ms. Cocco’s piece not only because of her destructive ideas but also in an effort to encourage an intellectual lifting of the debate.

Ms. Cocco directly implies that the availability of guns causes people to commit horrible crimes. Inanimate objects cannot cause people to carry out any actions. Does alcohol cause drunkenness? Do wrenches cause people to fix their own leaky pipes? Do shoes cause more pedestrian traffic? I know that such statements are ridiculous: That is my point. The idea that guns cause people to commit crime is equally ridiculous, but it is the logic of Ms. Cocco’s piece.

Ms. Cocco describes James Von Brunn, a man with a long history of open, violent racism. Would such a man, ready to break the highest law, including murder, have ever hesitated to break a law against acquiring a gun? And in fact, laws did not prevent him from committing his crimes. As a convicted felon (whose felonies included illegally possessing guns) it is illegal for von Brunn even to touch a gun. Under the strongest possible regulation of guns, an outright total ban, von Brunn’s actions would have been no more illegal than they already are, and if he was not deterred now, why would he be deterred after a ban?

The gun trace legislation that Ms. Cocco mentions actually specifically states that gun trace data will be released to any law enforcement organization at any level in the course of investigating a crime. The only prohibition on law enforcement is that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will not release data if it is not in connection with an active criminal investigation. And that prohibition is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, among others.

Ms. Cocco also mentions Richard Poplawski and the crimes he committed with a gun identified as an AK-47, which Ms. Cocco implies would not have been possible if the “Assault Weapons” ban was still in force. This is not true. The AK-47 is a machine gun, capable of fully-automatic fire, and is not regulated by the “Assault Weapons” ban but rather by the National Firearms Act.

Perhaps the most important point here is that Ms. Cocco gives no indication of why we should think that stricter gun control will prevent crime. The examples she gives are in fact ones of why gun control does nothing to prevent crime. Other countries that have strict gun control do not see a decline in illegal guns, and criminals in South Africa, Russia, and even Taiwan , the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are just as quick to commit murder despite the fact that guns are not widely and legally available.

And what of the tens of millions of Americans who own guns under the current system of regulation yet commit no violent crimes with them? They don’t suddenly become filled with violence when they walk into a sporting goods store. The number of legal gun-owners far exceeds the total number of violent criminals, but Ms. Cocco lumps them all together as a threat to society. It is good that Ms. Cocco is looking for ways to reduce violence, but if she proposes to do so by abridging the long-held freedoms of American citizens, she should at least get her facts straight.