Lunch Hour Range Visit

It's that time of the year when the daytime temperatures can vary by 25° or more from one day to the next. I took advantage of one of the higher end of the spectrum on a recent afternoon to scoot over to the range for some brief trigger time. I only took 100 rounds of ammo with me, a choice I quickly regretted.

During some recent home purging activities, a full box of cardboard USPSA targets was discovered in the basement. I've been out of the IDPA version for some time so this was a fortuitous find. Grabbing one of my metal target bases completed the target supply needs. Using the stand-alone target setup turned out to be a good choice as the breeze at the range would have played havoc with the usual target hung from a rope.

As switch from the usual routine, I skipped the OWB range holster and stuck with my IWB holster for the SIG P320 Compact. Current events illustrate that these are good times to stay fresh on the EDC weapons. 

I spent most of the time simply drawing from under a t-shirt and shooting the target set at 15 yards. Shooting various head/body combinations ate through the 100 rounds pretty quickly. Nonetheless, it was an extremely relaxing time amongst the fall colors in the trees. Not a bad way to spend a "lunch hour."

Cheers!

VSSA Membership Promo

If you are a Virginian who enjoys shooting, hunting, or who simply cherishes your 2nd Amendment rights, now is a great time to get a membership in the Virginia Shooting Sports Association. If you join or renew VSSA for three years between April 1 - and June 30th VSAA will send you a knife with the VSSA logo engraved on the blade. A three year membership is just $60, which is a significant savings over the $25 yearly membership. And who can't always use another knife? You can read more about this promotion at the VSSA blog.

About the VSSA:

The goals of VSSA are to:

• unite shooters, hunters, sportsmen, collectors and all other law abiding firearms enthusiasts to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms

• promote the development of the shooting sports and the facilities necessary to the shooting sports; and,

• provide a united voice to all levels of government to defend the shooting sports, and firearms ownership.

Yes, I renewed my membership for three years.

A Common Fight for Personal Freedom

I am often struck by the audacious attacks on personal freedom from those who seek to interfere with the pleasures and rights of others. The anti-gun crowd in the United States is vocal, intrusive, violent and sadly, out of touch with reality and rational thought. Our 2nd Amendment fight has many parallels in the cigar world. I read the following recently in "The Ultimate Cigar Book," by Richard Carleton Hacker,

But these growing numbers of smoking enclaves aside, there are also subtle ways to win an anti-cigar war fueled by ignorance and prejudice – the two things that cannot be swayed. Rather than pointlessly argue with militant anti-smokers, we must try to win the nonsmokers over to our side. There are people who are neither anti- nor pro-cigars. They are the middle ground and comprise the largest percentage of the American populace. If we can show them that we are more civilized that the radical anti-cigar thugs, we will have made our point. We must convince them with kindness. And courtesy. It does no good to force ourselves upon others, for we only aggravate the situation.

I get as much pleasure from the shooting sports as I do a good cigar. Although my life would not be under threat if I lost the right to smoke a cigar, replace "cigar" with "gun" and the paragraph still rings true. It's a fight we must take on. I know I have successfully explained gun rights to more people who are "neutral" on guns, than people who are already ignorantly "anti-gun." With the Governor of Virginia actively trying to negate the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution, our rights are again under a direct threat.

As with the gun grabbers, the anti-smokers are unabashed in their intrusiveness. Not too long ago I was sitting in the outdoor cigar lounge area at a local brewery. A group of people moved from where they had been sitting to sit in the smoking area, ostensibly to find seats in the sun. A woman in the group promptly asked me to put out my cigar. My one word answer was a very polite but emphatic, "No."

All of these intrusions have as their basis a claim of "for your own good." Americans once appeared to have learned a lesson during Prohibition. Yet, I don't for a minute think that fight will not be fought again. The nanny state and prohibitionists of any ilk are unrelenting. The next time we lose a freedom, it may not be won back.

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” -- William Pitt the Younger

Beware the Thought Police

A New York (of course) democrat (of course) wants to require a review of your internet browsing history as part of the background check to buy a gun.

People applying for a pistol permit or renewing a license could have their social media accounts and internet history reviewed. It's part of a newly proposed bill in the New York State Senate.

State Senator Kevin Parker of the 21st District introduced Senate Bill 9191 in attempts to keep firearms out the hands of people who may be violent.

The measure requires, "social media and search engine reviews prior to the approval of an application or renewal of a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver; requires a person applying for a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver or a renewal of such license to consent to having his or her social media accounts and search engine history reviewed and investigated for certain posts and/or searches over a period of 1-3 years prior to the approval of such application or renewal; defines terms."

In order to facilitate this dismantling of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, the state would demand your passwords to online accounts. What shouldn't be overlooked, is that having your private account information also will allow government agents to control and alter your accounts at their will.

Related news from another part of the world, ironically posted the same day, offers a clue as to where the leftists in this country draw their inspiration. China is moving forward with a plan to rank citizens by their social behavior.

China’s plan to judge each of its 1.3 billion people based on their social behavior is moving a step closer to reality, with Beijing set to adopt a lifelong points program by 2021 that assigns personalized ratings for each resident.

The capital city will pool data from several departments to reward and punish some 22 million citizens based on their actions and reputations by the end of 2020, according to a plan posted on the Beijing municipal government’s website on Monday. Those with better so-called social credit will get “green channel” benefits while those who violate laws will find life more difficult.

How long before democrats demand we be chipped?

See "NY State bill would review social media, internet history as part of background checks" and "Beijing to Judge Every Resident Based on Behavior by End of 2020."

Open Carry is Constitutional

So says the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees a right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense, finding that Hawaii overstepped its authority to regulate firearms possession outside the home.

The ruling by a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, makes the San Francisco-based court the sixth U.S. circuit court to interpret the Second Amendment that way and could set the issue on a path toward the U.S. Supreme Court, which has not taken up a major gun rights case since 2010.

The fact that this comes from one of the most liberal and anti-rights Appeals Court in the nation must have the leftists breaking out in hives.

Wouldn't it be funny if this ruling was upheld by SCOTUS and the snowflakes started demanding we carry concealed because seeing a gun scared them so much?  Sweet, sweet, schadenfreude.

See "U.S. appeals court upholds right to carry gun in public."

Parents Lobby To Keep Kids Unsafe

The Virginia Citizens Defense League alerting members on the efforts of the Virginia PTA.

The Virginia Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is distributing their 2018 Legislative Priorities and it looks like Michael Bloomberg wrote it.

What is the PTA doing lobbying against our civil rights?!  That is NOT what they are supposed to be doing and we need to let them know that.

Here is item #5 on their agenda:

5. Gun Violence Prevention

* Support legislation requiring and maintaining schools as gun-free zones
* Support increased penalties for possession, discharging or brandishing weapons within school buildings
* Support the right of Virginia's children to an education in an environment that is safe and non-violent
* Support universal background checks for the sale and possession of firearms and closing the gun show loophole

-

OK, let's look at those items, one-by-one:

* Support legislation requiring and maintaining schools as gun-free zones

Gun-free zones are the PROBLEM, not the solution.  Over 90% of mass public shootings are in gun-free zones.  This policy endangers the safety in schools by giving the armed attacker the advantage.  The attacker knows that if the resource office isn't there, the attacker has total control of the school and can begin killing people immediately.  (Resource officers are not assigned to some schools and are not always present when they are assigned, as they might be in court or perhaps checking on another school.)  If the resource officer is there, then the attacker knows he will have to kill the officer first with a sneak attack and then the school is his to with as he pleases.

* Support increased penalties for possession, discharging or brandishing weapons within school buildings

It is ALREADY a FELONY to have a firearm on school property that is not unloaded and stowed in a vehicle (except CHP holders can have a loaded, concealed handgun in the vehicle as long as the CHP holder stays in their vehicle).  You can't really increase the penalty beyond that unless you make it a capital crime.

* Support the right of Virginia's children to an education in an environment that is safe and non-violent

Who does't want this?  But violence, including deadly violence, involves much more than just firearms, but that's really all the PTA is concerned with.

* Support universal background checks for the sale and possession of firearms and closing the gun show loophole

Most of the school killers are children, who can't yet purchase a gun and, therefore, are not subject to background checks of any kind.  Of those killers who are 18 or older, virtually all of them either passed a background check or stole their gun.  So universal background checks would make NO difference in reducing attacks on schools.  A background check for POSSESSION of a firearm is what Illinois has - works great in Chicago, doesn't it?  The fact that the PTA supports BOTH universal background checks AND closing the non-existing gun-show loophole, tells me they really don't understand either one.

-

ACTION ITEMS

1)  If you are a member of the Virginia PTA, consider dropping your membership and be sure to tell them why you are not renewing.

2)  Contact both the president, Sarah Gross, and the Advocacy Chair, Kim Chandler, by email:

Email address: advocacy@vapta.org; president@vapta.org

Suggested Subject: The Virginia PTA should not be lobbying against our civil rights!

Suggested Message: (Updated June 14)

 I don't appreciate the Virginia PTA lobbying to restrict my civil right to own a gun and carry it for self-defense.  The Virginia PTA should be supporting our civil rights, not opposing them.  Schools being gun-free zones endanger students; it does not make them safer. Utah and New Hampshire schools are not gun-free zones and they haven't experienced the shootings that gun-free schools have in Virginia, Florida, Colorado, and other states.

Students who are too young to legally buy a gun commit most school shootings - they won’t have had a background check since the system only checks legal gun purchasers.  The older killers have either previously passed a background check or have stolen the gun. Either way, universal background checks will NOT reduce school violence.

The Virginia PTA needs to remove ALL gun-control advocacy from their legislative agenda and stay away from denying the civil rights of Virginia's gun owners.

Sincerely,


3)  You can also contact the PTA by phone: (804) 264-1234

******** 

Whenever the left trots out the "do it for the children" angle, you can be sure they are just dancing in the blood of the dead in order distract from their real agenda. Nothing the VA PTA  proposes makes children safer. These proposals ONLY affect law abiding citizens. The agenda of "gun control" is control, not safety.

Remember, school officials in Parkland, Florida chose to ignore expert advise that would actually have made students safer. In fact, the school essentially AIDED the shooter through their inaction.

I've often quipped that sending your child to public schools might be akin to child abuse. That seems to be moving ever-closer to the truth.

Traveling in Maryland

I end up driving into Maryland more often than I'd like. I still have family "behind the curtain." There are also, surprisingly, really well-run pistol matches at clubs in the state. I came across this warning posted online...

The possibility of getting unintentionally swept up by Maryland State Police for a gun violation is a LOT worse than your last alert portrayed.

Maryland does not honor concealed carry permits from other states. The Maryland State Police vehicles have their on-board computer connected to the automatic license plate readers in their patrol cars. These computers are set to flag the patrolman of out-of-state vehicles with owners that have concealed carry permits. With state sharing all this information in electronic data bases, the "hits" are found almost instantaneously.

The patrolman can elect to stop the vehicle and challenge the driver to produce his concealed weapon, for which he has a legal permit IN ANOTHER STATE. If the driver is found to have a concealed firearm (handgun), he has violated Maryland State firearms law. The person will be arrested and there is a three year minimum sentence.

Having a concealed carry permit in another state may be probable cause for the patrolman to do a search of the out-of-state vehicle. I've seen this done along the Route 50 stretch between Annapolis and Ocean City, some poor sap with the contents of his vehicle splayed on the ground while the officer searched for an "illegal" hand gun, for which the individual had a legal permit to carry in another state.

The bottom line: IF YOU ARE LEGALLY CARRYING CONCEALED FROM ANOTHER STATE, DO NOT EVEN DRIVE THROUGH MARYLAND. AND IF YOU HAVE A PERMIT FROM ANOTHER STATE, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT CARRYING, EXPECT TO BE STOPPED. According to one Maryland attorney specializing in criminal law, roughly 19 out of 20 of his unlawful gun transportation clients are not from the State of Maryland (https://criminallawyermaryland.net/maryland-gun-lawyer/transporting/ )

I cannot speak to the veracity of the claim, however, former Virginia Governor McAullife vetoed a bill that would have stopped the sharing of VA CHP information with oppressive states like Maryland. I can say from personal experience, the above warning is fair and should be heeded. I have been subjected to a pat down on the shoulder of the highway by law enforcement when returning from a pistol match. The hassle in that case came not from a State Trooper, but from the MD Transit Authority, a group that is well-known for their proclivity for harassing travelers. Although the firearms were being legally transported, "for the safety of the public" my companion and I were detained and patted down (after the scared cop called for backup) during a traffic stop; a stop that we soon found out was made for no legitimate reason.

When I travel to and from matches in Maryland, my firearm and ammo are in separate, and locked, containers. The containers are placed in the trunk or cargo area. I drive with an acute awareness of the speed limit. A copy of U.S.C. Title 18, §926A is within reach. I make doubly sure I have no loose rounds left in my range bag or pockets for the drive home. The purposeful harassment has only happened once, but I prepare and accept that it's always a distinct possibility.

When I travel to visit family, I simply succumb to the loss of my rights and leave my firearm at home.  I then rely solely on wits, observation, and other legal defensive tools.

Must Watch: PA Rep. Jeff Pyle

Listen to Representative Jeff Pyle speaking to the Pennsylvania's Judiciary Committee regarding new gun laws under consideration.

"Taking one person's rights, takes all of our rights."

Take A Gun Owner to the Range

Taking a new shooter to the range is a great way to convert law-abiding citizens into gun owners. Most shooters very much enjoy taking new shooters to the range. I've introduced a number of folks to the fun of shooting, and to the armed lifestyle. In fact, my offer posted here still stands. But I believe there's another segment of the population that we need to (re)introduce to shooting. I'm talking about people who already own guns yet who infrequently, if ever, practice with them.

How many gun owners do you know who support the natural right of self defense and gun ownership, and even own firearms, yet never shoot those guns? Shooting is a perishable skill. Simply buying a gun and shooting a box or two of ammo through it does not prepare you to use it to defend your life or the life of a loved one. You must shoot it, and shoot it properly, on a regular basis. If you aren't shooting your handgun on a monthly basis, you probably aren't truly prepared to shoot that gun if called to do so. You're also, quite frankly, missing out on a lot of fun.

Going to the range regularly helps to develop and maintain shooting skills. Participating in competitions will help even more. You'll shoot under some pressure, you'll be put in uncomfortable or unusual positions, and you'll become a better shooter.

I'm extending that offer I made to new shooters, to include those "inactive" gun owners. If you own a gun, yet have not shot it in months, I will help you rectify that. Maybe you just haven't felt like going to the range alone. I'm always up for it so will join you. If it's been a while and you're nervous about shooting again, I'll help. I'll take you to the range as my guest. I'll even provide the ammo and targets. Want to try an IDPA match? I can help with that too. All you need to do is put forth the effort to do it. Let's have some fun!

Obviously, this is applicable only to readers local to me. However, I do encourage everyone to reach out to the non-shooting gun owners in your area. Let's fill those ranges.

Bill Whittle: Guns For Children

Bill Whittle dissects the childish naïveté of the anti-gun "progressives."

Must Watch: "I'm the majority."

Patriot Mark Robinson addresses the Greensboro, NC City council.

I want to shake this man's hand.

Must Watch: Gov. Matt Bevin

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin gives a perfect response to a thinly veiled allegation of hypocrisy from an "independent consultant."

Like Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas, Governor Bevin reminds us there are still a few politicians out there who value freedom and honesty, and who are not afraid to speak out.

The Truth About Gun Control

The folks at Ammunition Depot put together a nice infographic in so-called "gun control." It's not of size I can post clearly here. Click on the graphic to view the original.

From their post...

All of us want a peaceful America—a safe America—not just for us but for our children and our children’s children. But how can we realize this dream if we can’t agree on how to protect ourselves—if we can’t agree on what our gun laws should be?

The argument for stricter gun policies continues to rage back and forth yet strays further away from an end. To make matters worse, a lot of media companies sensationalize stories, fabricate news, and shift the spotlight from a criminal’s sin to the criminal’s gun in order to increase their viewership ratings.

Incomplete and incorrect news leads to ill-informed individuals, whose voices will just distort the debate. We don’t want that, and you shouldn’t either.

That’s why we’ve created this infographic, to educate Americans on the truth about gun control. There are plenty of misconceptions out there and we want to cut straight through the lies with cold hard facts. After all, would you rather rely on fake news or federal statistics?

 See the full graphic here.

NRA - We Will Never Waver

In this video, NRA's Wayne LaPierre reiterates the organization's firm stance on freedom and the ideals enumerated in the Constitution. The NRA will not support any restrictions on law abiding Americans and rejects any further expansion of proven failed policies. LaPierre quite correctly points out that the deaths in Parkland could had been prevented were it not for the cowardliness and incompetence of law enforcement and politicians. After the killer himself, it is they who have the blood of 17 children on their hands. 

If you're not a member, join the NRA now. Let's keep the spike in interest growing and defy the virtue signaling of the left. Our enemies know they cannot win in the legislature, so they try to shame gun owners and turn us into pariahs. Our numbers will counteract that.

My "March For Our Lives" Day

A bunch of useful idiots for the socialist movement in the U.S. were "marching" today to push for the restriction of Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. Ironically, their own "leaders" were whining about having their own rights restricted. I decided to contribute to the cause.

1) I went for a long, brisk walk for my health.
2) I carried a gun for my safety.

So let's see...

Heath + Safety = Life

I think I nailed it.

It's Not "Gun" Control They Want

This list about the Maryland school shooting has been making the rounds of social media, and it gets right to the heart of the matter.

• What didn’t stop the Maryland school shooting

• Maryland’s assault weapon ban

• Maryland’s 10-round magazine limit

• Maryland’s universal background check requirement

• Maryland’s law requiring an extensive application process to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun

• Maryland’s law prohibiting purchase of more than one firearm a month

• Maryland’s law requiring handgun registration

• Maryland’s law requiring licensing of handgun owners

• Maryland’s extremely limited approval of conceal carry permits

• Maryland’s refusal to honor any concealed carry permit from another state

• Federal law prohibiting handgun possession for people under 21

• Laws against carrying without a permit

• Gun free school zones

• Laws against discharging a firearm in public

• Laws against attempted murder

• What did stop the Maryland school shooting

• An armed person at the scene who engaged the shooter in less than a minute

The "do something" laws and restrictions around gun ownership that the left has been crying for are already in place. Honest and intelligent people know these laws do nothing to stop evil people from committing acts of violence. Regulations and processes that could actually serve to keep people safe are routinely ignored by those charged with enforcing them. Our leftist antagonists have but one goal with their calls for "gun control." They are not interested in the safety of children, children are mere pawns to them, a means to an end. Their motive is a compliant, defenseless and submissive citizenry.

The despicable people pushing for "gun control" are in my opinion, no different than the tyrants throughout history who cruelly clamped down on the freedom and lives of others. Whether willful participants or useful idiots, they should be met with utter disdain and contempt. They've already proven how they feel about us.

The violence in Maryland will soon fade from the headlines. Unlike the Parkland, Florida mass killing, the outcome in this case doesn't fit the agenda. The leftist narrative must be maintained, facts be damned.

"Gun Free Zone" Hypocrisy

The irony runs deep.

The anti-gun "elite" hypocritically require men with guns to defend them, while the children are left to rely on men guns who refuse to help them.

H/T to The Miller for posting the meme.

Must Watch: Delegate Nick Freitas

Listen to this blast of truth from Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas regarding the lies and deceptions of the left.

Freitas's words triggered the snowflakes across the aisle and they ran from the room with hurt feelings. They demanded a recess, apparently to recover in their crying rooms.

Delegate Freitas is challenging our current leftist representative for the Virginia Senate seat.

NRA: Now More Than Ever

The basic human right to self defense and the Constitution are under attack. This assault on millions of innocent and responsible gun owners is being waged by the ignorant, the sentimental, and the willfully ignorant. Facts are anathema to those crying #BoycottNRA.

If any right can be limited, they all can be. History has proven it repeatedly. If you aren't a member of the NRA, now is the time to join.

Yes, I know some may disagree with the National Rifle Association's stance on certain matters on occasion, and that's your right. But ask yourself, is that disagreement really a hill you are prepared to die on?

VCDL ALERT: Well Funded Attack On Gun Rights Leaders

I'm posting this alert from VCDL in its entirety. Forewarned is forewarned. Ignorance, hysteria and outright lying is part and parcel of the leftist psyche, and the "gun control" actors have it down to a science.

February 20, 2018

Last weekend, while doing what seemed to be a regular interview, I discovered that a movie is being made with the intent to discredit gun-rights leaders across the country.

No, this is not a joke, it is real and we need to get the word out to other gun-rights organizations, gun-rights leaders, and prominent firearms trainers across the country and we need to do this FAST.

Back in 2014, alleged Hollywood sexual predator Harvey Weinstein said he was going to make a movie “that would make the NRA wish they weren’t alive.”  (All gun organizations are the NRA in his mind.)  And he was dead serious.  Michael Moore has been attempting to discredit gun owners and leaders for years by tricking people and using creative editing techniques to make them look foolish or idiotic.

Who’s behind this effort isn’t clear, but they are EXTREMELY WELL FUNDED PROFESSIONALS.  For example, to reel me in and to try to make me feel beholden to them, they laid out the red carpet, by providing luxury accommodations, limousine service, and providing a generous monetary allowance to cover meals and other expenses for two days.

They use psychological manipulation, as well as lies and tricks to put their victim into comedic situations that subject them to public shame, embarrassment, and ridicule.  I believe the intent is to destroy reputations and even lives.

I did some detective work in the days immediately following the “interview,” and I managed to find out they had targeted at least one nationally known firearms trainer and I know there are more.  They appear to be setting up near gun shows.  I also found out they covered their tracks carefully to avoid revealing their true identity.

It started when VCDL received an email last week from a company called “First Freedom Television” to do an interview with an “Israeli security expert” on the “shared security interests of like-minded countries, such as the U.S. and Israel.”  It went on, “Unlike the misguided position of American liberals, who aim to eradicate guns altogether, Israel has proven that universal gun training and widespread gun ownership actually leads to a safer society.”

I do interviews all the time, and this one didn’t seem to be all that much out of the ordinary.

On Sunday, February 11, 2018, I did the interview in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  About 5 minutes into the interview, my radar turned on big time when the interviewer was making claims about Israeli schools training selected children to use firearms from age 17 down to age 4 (!) as a last ditch effort in stopping a terrorist attack on a school if the teachers and security staff had been killed.  The children would have codes to unlock secured firearms in such a case.

When I balked at 4-year-olds being able to do that, he showed me an alleged newscast video on his iPad.  The text was in Hebrew, but with an English-speaking narration, talking about how a 4-year-old boy had indeed stopped a terrorist attack at his school.  The newscast said that he killed two terrorists using his dad’s gun, which he had brought to school in his backpack to show a friend, in violation of school rules.  Israeli Premier Netanyahu was touting him as a hero in the video.

While I’ve never been to Israel, I do know they have some serious terrorism concerns, especially at schools and other public gatherings.  The way they handle some of their security can be very different from what we have in the U.S.  But that news story just didn’t look right, and 4-year-olds can hold a gun and fire it with supervision, but not take on terrorists, and especially manage to shoot and kill two of them.

Because of this and various other odd things I noticed during the interview, I was now convinced that something wasn’t right.  This wasn’t real and probably some sort of a set up.

I could only think of Hollywood’s threat.  At a minimum, it could be a comedy which would play only in Israel, but it could be a more damaging attempt to make a “mocumentary,” by someone like Michael Moore, or, even worse, a Sacha Baron Cohen-esq “Borat”-type of shock comedy meant to be devastatingly embarrassing and humiliating to the victim in the crosshairs.

As the 15-minute interview terminated, the interviewer asked me if I, as an English-speaking firearms trainer, would help him make a “gun safety” training video for children of various ages.  This had to be the “kicker,” I thought.

For better or for worse, I decided that I would play along with the scheme so I could find out who was behind this and where this was going.   I figured if I was right about this being a set up, I could blow the whistle and get a warning out to the gun-rights community across the country to protect as many people as possible and maybe derail this attack.  If it turned out to be nothing, then no harm, no foul.

We recorded for almost 3 hours using Airsoft guns as props.  They even had a teleprompter!

I was right – it was a set up - and it was much worse than I could have imagined.  If you’ve seen the 70’s movie, “The Sting,” it was much like that.  It was a well-orchestrated, well-choreographed, psychological manipulation, with a production cast of at least 10 people, to slowly lead a person down the primrose path.

We went step-by-step with a ready, and seemingly logical, answer every time I balked at some crazy part of the training.  They seemed to have thought of every thing that a person might question.  All I can say is that these people were extremely good at deception and manipulation.  And no matter how stupid the things the interviewer and I were doing (we were side-by-side the whole time), no one else cracked a smile or laughed once, and I was watching.  The professional actors were keeping up the appearance that this was a serious project.

The end goal was to get the victim to make a “training film” teaching 3 and 4-year-olds how to shoot guns hidden in toy animals at  “bad” people, to sing little songs and make gun noises during the training to make it “fun for children,” and even teach little kids how to shoot a rocket-propelled-grenade or a squad automatic weapon at an approaching suicide bomber vehicle!  

It all sounds unbelievable.  But everything was elaborately and expensively staged; every contingency planned for, with explanations that make unbelievable things seem plausible (fake documents and videos about how Israel handles security in their schools, for example). The interview moved along at a pace, designed not to give the “mark” time to reflect on where things are going.  The craziness factor very gradually got more extreme, like cooking a frog by slowly heating up the water so he doesn’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late.  It’s a con game, a sting, plain and simple.

I don’t know if they have other scenarios or they will use other company names to continue concealing their identity, but anyone doing an interview dealing with gun rights where they sense something odd should terminate that interview.  Or, better, bring a recorder and tell the other party you are going to make your own recording of the interview.  If they say “no,” then walk out.  I am going to make that my own policy going forward to protect against any future fake interviews.  BTW, they had me leave my cellphone in an office “because it might interfere with the recording devices,” but I think it was so I couldn’t take any photos of them or make any video or audio recordings on that phone.

In the end we played each other and I confirmed what I feared this was all about.  Sadly for me, I’m sure I’m going to be in whatever crazy film finally comes out, looking really stupid and, just as sadly, I’ll probably be in good company.  A few of us will no doubt get hammered, but if we can get the word out IMMEDIATELY, we might be able to save the reputations of many other good people. 

Finally, looking at the possibilities and what I saw while making the “training film,” I’m betting this is going to end up being a “Borat”-style film and it’s going to be vicious on the victims.

Please share this alert far and wide.

Philip Van Cleave
President
Virginia Citizens Defense League

Reports from other freedom advocates are starting to come in as well. If you have access to Facebook, read Rob Pincus' account here.