Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class profile picture

Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class

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"You should not be satisfied with being a victim, nor with being a survivor: You should aim to be a conqueror. There is an extraordinary quality of spirit that leads one to aspire to conquering rather than surviving. I hope you discover that in yourself."
- Dr. Laura Schlessinger
"We have come to a point in our community where this is no outside conspiracy doing this to us. This is us killing us. This is mostly African-Americans killing African-Americans and we, as a community, have to stop it now. Nobody's coming to save us."
- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
"I'm tired of seeing our children die. We as adults have a responsibility to our children to allow them to grow up as adults in a safe environment, and we're failing them."
- Detroit Chief of Police Ella Bully-Cummings
"Detroit has plenty of jobs, but too few residents are taking the necessary steps to land them. People have to make changes. They have to get off their porches to get jobs."
- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
“It shouldn’t be me, as Chief of Police, saying we have to put a blanket on our city and take it back.”
- Detroit Chief of Police Ella Bully-Cummings
“Everybody should go out and buy a gun. I recommend an Uzi. If you don't like guns, then I suggest you buy a pair of guard dogs, preferably a pit bull and a Rottweiler. You're going to need them.”
- Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson Fundamental Rules of Gun Safety
- Always treat a firearm as if it is loaded.
- Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction.
- Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
- Always keep the firearm unloaded until it is ready for use.
- Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Michigan Pistol Free Zones
The following places only forbid law-abiding citizens, unlike criminals who ignore the law, from carrying a pistol - concealed or otherwise:
- Casinos (e.g. MotorCity Casino)
- Courtrooms (e.g. 36th District)
- Hospitals (e.g. Detroit Receiving)
- Daycare Centers & Schools
- University Classrooms & Dormitories
- Sports Arenas (e.g. Ford Field)
- Entertainment Facilities Seating 2,500 or more
- Churches (unless you have permission)
- Establishments that earn more than 50% of their income from the sale of alcohol by the glass to be served on the premises.
Note 1: Parking lots of the aforementioned are exempt.
Note 2: Police officers, Retired police officers, & Licensed PIs are exempt.
Top 10 Most Murderous U.S. Cities
City Murders/1000 (2006) Murders/1000 (2005)
1. New Orleans, LA 63.5 (-1.5) 65.0 (1rst)
2. Gary, IN 48.3 (-9.7) 58.0 (2nd)
3. Detroit, MI 47.1 (+7.8) 39.3 (9th)
4. Flint, MI 46.5 (+6.4) 40.1 (8th)
5. Birmingham, AL 44.5 (+0.2) 44.3 (3rd)
6. Baltimore, MD 43.3 (+1.3) 42.0 (6th)
7. Richmond, CA 40.7 (+1.9) 38.8 (10th)
8. Richmond, VA 39.0 (-4.0) 43.0 (5th)
9. Newark, NJ 37.4 (+2.9) 34.5 (15th)
10. Oakland, CA 36.4 (+13.2) 23.2 (24th)
Source: FBI Info About My Company
Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
"One-Day Guaranteed CCW Training"
P.O.B. 805, Sterling Heights, MI 48311
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.detroitccw.com
Chief Instructor: Rick Ector - NRA ID 150406926
- NRA Appointed Training Counselor
- NRA Certified Instructor
- NRA Chief Range Safety Officer
- NRA Membership Recruiter
- NRA Member
- Midwest Instructors (Member)
- Michigan Gun Owners (Member)
- Gun Rights Activist
- Grassroots Organizer
Next CCW Training Class Dates:
Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Location: Hampton Inn Conference Room
27500 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, MI 48034
Saturday, May 10th, 2008
Location: Days Hotel Conference Room
1 West Nine Mile Road, Hazel Park, MI 48030
Class Schedule: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Participants receive NRA Personal Protection Book, NRA Sports Shooting Guide, NRA Gun Safety Brochure, An hour long presentation on lethal force/self defense from a MI bar approved attorney, a framable Certificate of Completion, and all the coffee you can drink.
Our class is backed with our iron-clad 100% satisfaction guarantee for all students who complete the course! You have no risk!
All students receive a voucher for one free hour of coaching ($75 value) at a local shooting range (range time, ammo, & gun rental not included).
All graduates are entitled to a free life-time retake of the class for renewals (No materials/certificate issued).
Tuition Investment: $160.00 ($50.00 deposit required)
Range Time: $15
Gun Rental: $15 (if applicable)
Ammo Cost: $15 (if applicable)
Email us today to RSVP! Class fills up fast! CCW/CPL Applicant Qualifying Criteria
- Must be at least 21 years of age
- Must be a Michigan resident or resident alien
- Must not have a dishonorable discharge from military
- Must not have an active Personal Protection Order (PPO)
- Must not have been judged mentally incapacitated
- Must not have a domestic violence conviction
- Must not have any felonies or certain misdemeanors
All applicants that meet the above requirements shall be issued a CCW/CPL - it's the law!CCW Class (Personal Protection) Agenda
1. Defensive Shooting (50 minutes)
- Three Primary Gun Safety Rules
- Ethical Responsibility
- Proper Mindset Conditioning
- States of Mental Awareness
- Intruder/Assailant Confrontations
- Intent of Shooting/Stopping Threats
- Realities of Shooting Encounters
2. Handgun Skills (180 minutes)
- Range Safety Briefing
- Rules for Using and Storing a Handgun
- General Range Safety Rules
- Defensive Accuracy
- Fundamentals of Marksmanship
- Elements of Good Shooting Positions
- Two-Handed Standing Shooting Positions
- Sight Alignment and Flash Sight Picture
- Cover versus Concealment
- The Tueller Drill
- Thirty (30) Round Target Qualification
3. Legal Topics (60+ minutes)
- CCW Application Process
- CCW Disqualifying Factors
- Record Expungement
- Pistol Free Zones
- Deadly Force & The Law (Case Studies)
- Castle Doctrine & the Duty to Retreat
- MI "Stand Your Ground" Laws
- Self Defense vs. Fighting
- Police Stop Encounters
- Gun Sales & Transfer of Ownership
- Posession and Transportation of Handguns
- Safety Inspection/Gun Registration
- Shooting Aftermath/Statements to Police
4. Home Safety/Violent Encounters (60 minutes)
- Personal and Home Safety Tips
- Emergency Plan for Break-in Response
- Police Arrival Considerations
- Emotional and Legal Aftermath Issues
- Safe Storage of a Handgun
5. Handgun Selection (30 minutes)
- Handgun Feature Considerations
- Revolver vs. Semi-automatic Handguns
- Handgun Ammunition Considerations
- Handgun Purchasing Considerations
- Handgun/Personal Protection Accessories
6. Sports Shooting (20 minutes)
- Shooting Activities
- Additional Training OptionsCustomer Testimonials
"Rick, Sorry that it has taken me so long to thank you. Although the class alone can't protect me or my family from danger, it has improved our ability to defend ourselves. The techniques and information that we covered in the class have taught me to be more aware and prepared period. I am more confident and comfortable when I leave home, knowing that I'm better prepared to address potentially dangerous confrontational situations. Once again thank you and I look forward to Session II (Personal Protection Outside The Home Course)."
- Mr. A. L. Odell III, Auto Industry Employee, Southfield, MI
"I appreciate the realness of the seriousness in obtaining a CCW/CPL. The class was informative, especially the lawyer and how the both of you agreed and disagreed on handling certain situations. However, I wished we could have practiced even longer at the range. I am going to recommend you and your class, for first-hand knowledge, to anyone who didn't have a clue, such as myself. Thank you!!!"
- Ms. A. Gilliard-Garner, Registered Nurse, Detroit, MI
"Hello Rick. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Just to let you know, I've got my CCW license and I bought a 9mm S+W (M&P) semi-automatic. I had intentions of getting a revolver, but after seeing and shooting your semi-automatic, I changed my mind. As for your class, I found that you were not only knowledgeable but you were also enthusiastic. What really impressed me was the fact that when we went to the gun range, I was a little short on money, you were kind enough to let me use your gun. This is what convinced me to buy a 9mm. I appreciate your help and I would (and do) recommend your class to anyone wanting to get their permit. Thank you."
- Mr. C. W. Miller, Retiree, Detroit, MI
"Rick Ector's firearm safety class provides a comprehensive introduction to the possession and use of firearms for personal defense. The knowledge gained in this class is invaluable to both novices and experienced firearm owners. Mr. Ector's sincere presentation of the materials is insightful and serves as a reminder of the care and safety which must be exercised when using firearms. The course is taught in a comfortable environment which is not intimidating to the first-time gun user. Any gun owner can benefit from taking this course."
- Mr. J. Boyer, Attorney At Law, Detroit, MI
"The firearm training class was very useful to me. The class taught me skills to protect myself and my family. Everyone should take a CCW class from Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit. Thank you."
- Mr. A. Lewis, Auto Industry Worker, Detroit, MI
"Mr. Ector's class was well worth the fee. He was very informative. He really was an excellent teacher. Under his instruction I learned more than I had planned. The things that I thought I knew about guns and their use was all wrong. He made the class easy and made me feel comfortable at the range. If you are getting a gun permit, his class is definitely the one to take."
- Ms. C. Boyce, Detroit, MI
"Rick, you're great! You taught me everything that I didn't know. You did a great job! Just the class was too long. I guess that's not up to you. That's the state's fault or the federal government's. Thank you. You were great!"
- Mr. W. N. Kiryakoza, Farmington Hills, MI
"Hi Rick! First of all I want to thank you for your help that you put your time with us to teach us about firearms and the rules and shooting. I want to tell you that the lessons was so interested and clear and I got what I want. And now I feel I understand everything such as rules, safety, and etc. Best Regards."
- Mr. H. Mansour, Farmington Hills, MI
"Thank you, thank you, thank you is all I can say due to your leadership in the classroom as well as at the firing range. I took the time to get a better understanding of the privilege to carrying a CCW. The class is not boring and the time flew by because the information was very interesting and kept my attention. The time spent was well worth it."
- Mr. J. M. Brown Jr., Detroit, Michigan
"The class was quick, easy, and simple. It was straight to the point with a real lawyer to answer questions about the law. Plus, the firing range training was excellent - top class. Simply put, they are the best."
- Mr. V. J. Starks, Auto Industry Worker, Detroit, MI
"Rick Ector, you are a very funny man but very knowledgeable in the firearms department: 'It is not a bullet; it is called a round of ammunition!' 'Do not call it a weapon; it is a gun!' '8-1/2 x 11 center mass - it is going to be on the test!' I had a great time in the class. The eight hours really went quick. Keep up the good work, Rick!"
- Ms. D. R. Lambert, Detroit, MI
"I think the class was very informative. I learned a lot of things about guns that I had never learned before. You kept me entertained throughout the class."
- Ms. B. North, Clinton Township, MI
"Dear Mr. Rick Ector, I was in your class and really enjoyed it. I really thought that you were very helpful and you made me understand how important was all of the information that you gave us for safety reasons. I do appreciate your service and keep up the good work!"
- Mr. A. Gjergji, Sterling Heights, MI
“The firearms training that I received from Rick Ector’s class was very good. I learned a lot of things about guns and the other stuff that goes along with carrying guns. The course tells you about the law, which you are going to have to know. The best part of the course was the gun range. Hands on training is the best way to learn. I hope everybody, who is eligible, go and take Mr. Ector’s course. It is a lot of fun and you won’t be disappointed at all.”
- Mr. C. B. Fisher, Auburn Hills, MI
"The class was very informative. My understanding of firearms has been definitely increased."
- Ms. P. Hardeman, Canton, MI
“It was a great class – a bit long – but it had great information. I would highly recommend it to anyone.”
- Ms. S. Jones, Redford, MI
"Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit CCW class provided an excellent introduction to understanding personal firearm basics, personal safety best practices, ccw application procedural instructions, and legal implications with firearm ownership. Rick Ector and his assistant kept the class interesting with sharing personal experiences, demonstrating basic firearm techniques, discussing legal matters with a lawyer, and concluding with an exciting practice session at the firing range. Whether or not you pursue a ccw application, this class is certainly a memorable one."
- N. Franklin, Automotive Engineer, Rochester Hills, MI
"Dear Rick, I enjoyed your class due to your good teaching. Like you, I also believe in community care and withdrawal from potentially bad situations. Your class has already saved my life before I was finalized for my CCW. I will always have with me your training and skills. We are living in a time where we all need a CCW. Take Care.
(R)eady
(I)nstructor
(C)ommunity Helper
(K)ind
(E)ducation
(C)lass
(T)eacher
(O)ffice
(R)ange Safety
P.S. I always remember a great instructor."
- Ms. O. Gray, Detroit, MI
“Rick, it’s been a while since I took your course, but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the experience. When I signed up, I had no idea of what to expect, but I found a warm and fun environment to learn the ins and outs of obtaining my CCW. There was a lot of information put out that day, and because there were so many real life examples, rather than just throwing out facts, I have been able to retain a lot. It’s funny how much my awareness of my environment has improved. I notice things I did not see before taking the class, and I feel I am better prepared to protect myself and my family. Thanks for the training and let me know when you plan to expand your training program. Regards,
- Mr. J. Grady, Network Engineer, Detroit, MI
“Rick, sorry I haven’t gotten back to you sooner. I think the military version of weapons safety is much easier to absorb: 1) Treat all as loaded. 2) Never point at anything you do not intend to shoot. 3) Keep finger straight and off the trigger until ready to fire. 4) Keep weapon on safe until ready to fire. 5) Keep unloaded until ready to use. A nice ditty is ‘Treat, never, keep, keep.’ The class was informative but I would have liked to have seen more range time, tactics, and dry fire exercises. If you don’t teach these things, in my opinion, some people may shoot themselves with their own firearm. Overall, you did a great job and I have no problem referring people to your class. I did get my permit last month. Thanks.”
- Mr. M. A. Russo, Ex-Military and Current Business Owner, Madison Heights, MI
“I enjoyed the training, learned a lot, and would refer someone to you any day. Thank you for my training. It helped a lot.”
- Mr. R. L. Jones, Detroit, MI
“The CCW/CPL class was awesome! I definitely will recommend your training class. I don't mind at all if you use the contents of my email for your testimonial file. Thanks!”
- Mr. S. Alexander, Federal Government Employee, Southfield, MI
“Hello Rick, I apologize for the delay. I truly enjoyed your class! You did not only inform me about guns and gun safety but also about general safety rules on how to stay alert! I wish we would have had more time at the gun range. Having never even touched a gun, I was initially unaware on how to load the ammunition (I felt like a girl! LOL) Also, I believe we shot between 30-60 rounds. I wish we could have spent more time learning how to load the ammunition into the magazine. Also, I wished we could have spent an additional 60-90 minutes at the gun range. Or maybe just another 4 hour class on ‘How to load the gun’ and an additional 2 hrs at the range. Thank you and I hope all is well.”
- Ms. L. Johnson, Business Owner, Southfield, MI
"Rick, from the very beginning you showed a very professional demeanor. You also did this while being a friendly guy. You extended your knowledge, experience, and information, in a fun way but when it came time to get critical info or techniques across you became very serious to get the point across effectively. I totally appreciated your class and when I am ready to advance in my training in the area of becoming a 'PROFESSIONAL' in the use of a sidearm I will be in touch. I am sorry it took so long to get back to you but I pray that 'better late than never' applies. Sincerely,"
- Mr. M. Kleckler, Ferndale, MI
“Rick, I think that the Personal Protection Class was great. I also believe having the attorney present for questions was also great. I would recommend this class to anyone who is interested in a personal protection firearm class.”
- Mr. E. Jackson, Detroit, MI
“Rick, I learned a lot from the class. It was interesting and kept my attention. The facilities were nice. I do have a suggestion - Have a handout for individuals to follow along in the book. Regards,”
- Ms. R. Reese, Livonia, MI
“Rick, prior to taking your class, my thought process was to arm and protect myself in this violent world in which we live in. You have taught me that owning and carrying a firearm also brings much more responsibility. This decision was not taken lightly and forced me to research firearms, perfecting the fit (size does matter), practice handling a firearm, loading and unloading the magazine, in addition to understanding the regulations and laws associated with owning and carrying a firearm. I just wanted to thank you and your associates with all the valuable information required to obtain a CCW license.”
- Ms. T. Clifton, Harper Woods, MI
“Hey Rick! I loved the class, I also learned so much! I remember you saying something about another shooting class? Do you have the web site for them?”
- Mr. G. Reeves, New Haven, MI
“Rick, I want to thank you again for the class. It was very informational and helpful to my knowledge as to how to properly use and store a sidearm as well as knowing the whole concept of personal and family self-defense. Bringing in an attorney to answer legal questions was a huge plus.
You mentioned something about an advanced class where there are tactical concepts and other aspects of pistol training. I may be interested in taking that class in the future. Would you have any information on that? The range was a great experience. All the information being said was one thing, but nothing beats the experience to tie in the practical use to what was being taught in class in terms of properly handling a sidearm and to follow all the safety rules regarding it. Thanks again very much! If I have any questions I will be sure to contact you. You have been a great instructor. Sincerely,”
- Mr. H. Sam, Sterling Heights, MI
“Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit's CPL Class is very informative and well presented. I am thankful for the experience and will recommend this class to anyone I come into contact with.”
- Mr. C. H. Brown, Detroit, MI
“Hello, Rick! Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you but I do want you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed your class. As you know by now, I have sent many people to you to take your class and will continue to send more your way. Thank you for everything!”
- Ms. R. Beasley, Detroit, MI
Hi Rick! Your class was awesome! I learned way more than I thought possible. The time flew by and I really appreciated the fact that you actually had a lawyer present to answer questions. Take care! Sincerely,”
- Ms. M. McKivens, Ann Arbor, MI
“I enjoyed the class. It was interesting and everything was explained very clearly. It had lots of helpful info. The only problem was not enough range time. I would like more shooting time at the range. Thank you very much. I enjoyed the class very much.”
- Ms. V. Donahue, Detroit, MI
"Thanks Rick! I have been involved with firearms since I was 12 years old. I am an avid hunter and I also participate in various shotgun sports like Sporting Clays and Skeet. My experience with handguns has been minimal and I have thought about participating in a class like this for quite a long time. I have several friends that have taken a similar class and earned the CCW/CPL permits and after talking to Rick about his class and asking questions about the class experiences of my other friends I decided to sign up for your class.
I think this was a great decision and I thoroughly enjoyed the class. The format of the class was very informal and participative. Rick does a great job involving those in the class with questions and in doing so gets people to participate and absorb the material.
I really liked the inclusion of an attorney to discuss the legalities and Rick's questions at the appropriate time to emphasize points the attorney was making. The two of them have a great rapor and it really helped move the class along. The class flowed along at a great pace and kept everyone's attention for the whole time.
Personally - I had learned a bad habit in firing a handgun for my two hand position which definitely put my left thumb at risk when firing a semiautomatic pistol. Rick's watchfull eye saved my thumb at the right time. Old habits are hard to break and I'm glad for the one on one range time and his help.
Thanks Again for a great class Rick!"
- Mr. A. Kropiewnicki, Oxford, MI
"Mr. Ector: I very much enjoyed your firearm safety class on February 24, 2008. I have been around guns (weapons for us military types) all of my life. Your comments about Rule Number Zero, "All weapons will be treated as if they are loaded even if we have confirmed that they are not," is a basic rule and is one that I learned as a child on the farm in Pennsylvania.
The class was very informative and your repeated insructions and demonstrations on the important safety precautions, that each of us will need to follow to prevent accidents, was outstanding. The additional information provided from your legal counsel was also very good.
In summary, I will recommend anyone seeking to learn about handguns attend your class. You have my permission to quote from my comments and use those quotations in your ads, brochures, mailings, and other marketing promotions. Good Luck! Thanks for the class."
- Mr. R. W. Bryson, Harrison Twp., MI
"Hey Rick! Had an amazing time today, you guys were so great with all of us, made every one of us understand it all so very well! Thank you so much for everything today! Talk to you soon!"
- Mr. R. Crotty, Centerline, MI
“Hey Rick, I want to thank you for your help and time with me in class; it was very informative. I learned a lot of things that I had never learned before. I wish that class was a little bit longer. Keep up the good work! Thank you,”
- Mrs. C. Smith, Detroit, MI
“This class is highly recommended. If you want to know the advantages and benefits of concealed carry and of firearm ownership, this class is for you. You may go in a skeptic, but you will come out a believer.”
- Mr. N. Hardeman, Business Owner, Canton, MI Who am I?
I am a child of God, a father, a brother, a son, a leader, a thinker, a man of action, a business owner, a gun owner, a supporter of the 2A, a voter, a writer, a veteran, a networker, a college graduate, a firearms instructor, and a proud black man.
I believe in the following: God, Jesus, peace - yet I train for war, love, justice, due process, education, self-reliance, and community service. What am I Like?
I have only two speeds: all out or off. At times, it may seem that I am omnipotent, invulnerable, and driven. At other times, you may be surprised that I am in the room. One day I may be loud, boisterous, and gregarious. On other occassions, I may be quiet, observant, and introspective. I work hard, I party hard, and I sleep hard. Nothing I do is a half-hearted effort. The task is either worth doing to the best of my ability or not worth doing at all.
If you are an ally, there is nothing that I would not do to help you. If you are an adversary, I will repay your trespasses and iniquities with interest. I don't bother anyone and I expect that others would have the good sense not to bother me. I can't help it; it's just the way I am wired. What Do I Believe?
My strong sense of fairness and justice makes me despise those that prey upon the weak, the sick, and the old. I have no love for those in our community that rape, rob, bully, and pillage. I pray that the cowards in our great city stop their evil and wickedness before they decide to"roll up on" the wrong person. Every month, I train people how to shoot a firearm. I hope you don't have the misfortune of meeting one of them under questionable circumstances.
I believe that you can have anything in this world you desire without trespassing upon the innocent. All you need to do is figure out what exactly it is that you want for your life, put together a plan to get it, and execute your plan. Will it be easy? No. If it was, you wouldn't appreciate it. My greatest accomplishments were those goals that were the hardest for me to reach.
When you step out on faith in the execution of your plan, unforeseen forces, resources, and people come into your life to help get to where you are going. I wouldn't trade those experiences accumulated along my path for anything in the world.
During the execution of your plan, one may experience discomfort. Doing something new is not always a pleasant experience. Don't let an unreasonable fear of failure prevent you from acting. Take solace in the fact that without pain, akin to weight training, there can be no growth. Further, make no mistake about it, you may fail on your first couple of attempts like a toddler learning to walk. Keep trodding and plodding onwards.
You only fail when you quit on your dreams. That is truly a miserable existence as you become what many call a hater. From my experiences, I have learned that failure is not bad. You have merely learned how not to do something. Try again, but change something - only a moron does the same thing over and over and expects a different result.
My greatest successes came after numerous trials and failures. It's not how many times you fall but how many times you get back up and do something. A set-back can merely be a set-up for something truly great to happen in your life.
Realize that you can't share your hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations with everyone. Every single time that I have pre-announced something I had going, I had a person close to me tell me how hard it was going to be, how it wasn't the right time, or suggest reasons why I was going to fail.
Many folks have given up on what they want from life. Any excuse will do: too old, too fat, too skinny, too short, too ugly, too hard, too many kids, too many other obligations.
Please do not let their despair and hopelessness drag you down to an eternal pity-party about how life is not fair. Life is not fair; get over it. Don't become one of them. If you were to succeed, it would highlight in their own minds deficiencies that they have long ago accepted. Find out what you want and go get it.
I have integrity: I do not lie, cheat, or steal. You see, a grown man does not do these things because he realizes that he doesn't have to do so. A grown man acquires what he wants or needs without committing trespasses against others. A grown man is accountable for his actions and doesn't blame others for his station in life. A grown man doesn't make excuses for situations others may take at issue.
A grown man explains what he did and, if he is so inclined to do so, shares his rationale for why he did it. A grown man doesn't mislead women. A grown man explains what he wants and lets others decide if they want to deal with that situation. A grown man doesn't sneak; he struts. I am a grown man and I don't make any apologies for it.
Am I perfect? Not by a long-shot. I have many vices. Please recall that all fall short of the glory of God. I won't disclose my issues in this forum. However, I will say that I do not rob, rape, and pillage. I believe that my continued existence is by the grace of God and that He is still working on me. Every single day that I look into a mirror, I can truly say that I am impressed by the man I see grinning back at me. I am truly blessed. Why I am a Firearms Instructor
I am a firearms instructor because the Lord put me on that path. Not too long ago, I had the misfortune of being robbed at gunpoint by two young lost souls. Considering the fact that I was outnumbered two-to-one and was outgunned two-to-none, I came away from the situation with only a bruised ego and the relief of a few paltry and easily replaceable material possessions.
I resolved on that night however, I would never experience another trespass. On the very next day, I did my civic duty of submitting an incident report at the local police precinct to an apathetic officer. I then listened to and promptly dismissed his suggestion of "not contributing to the problem by getting a gun."
Many people, such as the person who I used to be, stand on the sidelines of the Second Amendment/gun ownership game until something happens to them. Well, something happened to me and I then chose to get on the playing field. To my surprise, I have been warmly greeted by the pro-side and have been consequently shunned by the "guns are evil" side. Making the decision to own a firearm makes you a gun nut in the eyes of many people. I'll patiently wait until "something" happens to them and I'll forget all of the ignorant things that they said and welcome them to the correct side.
Anyhow, I went to a local gun shop without haste upon leaving the neighborhood police station, bought my first handgun, went to police headquarters downtown and had the firearm "safety inspected," picked up a copy of an application for a Concealed Pistol License (CPL/CCW), and went to a local range to shoot a handgun for the very first time in my life.
It is not recommended to visit a firing range without first taking a gun safety class or at the very least taking along a knowledgeable shooter with you. In fact, it is dangerous. I didn't know any better. You have read this passage, so now you now. Ignorance kills. The Bible says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge."
I didn't know what I didn't know. I was lucky. Any number of things, all of them bad, could have happened that day. Fortunately for me, I checked my ego at the door and asked someone behind the counter for help. I got a very basic introduction but critical 20 second tutorial: Don't load it until you are in the booth, Always keep the gun pointed downrange, Position your hands so that they are not in the path of the slide, and Unload the gun before you leave the booth.
I managed not to hurt myself or anyone else. However, if I had experienced a hangfire or a squib load in the booth, things may have turned out differently. I must say that I was rather proud of myself after shooting. Shooting was an enjoyable experience. It was a blast - pun intended. My adrenaline was pumping; I was high off of shooting a gun. I guess I have just found myself a new and exciting hobby.
As I was driving home from the range that afternoon, still mentally digesting the requirements for the permit, I had arrived at an intersection whereby the stoplight had just turned red. The car in front of mine had an advertisement on the back of it for a CCW Class. More than ever, I believe that when your mind is truly ready for something, the Lord will make it appear. This situation merely provided confirmation. I immediately called the displayed phone number and discovered that there was a class being held on the very next day. I RSVP'd and took the class on the very next day.
During the class, I learned a staggering amount of information about the safe usage, storage, loading, unloading, handling, purchasing, transporting, and maintenance of firearms. Before that day, I truly did not know how much I did not know about firearms.
I was introduced to the nomenclature of all of the firearm's constituent parts on both a revolver and a semi-automatic, learned how the parts inter-operated to create a discharge, learned the legal aspects of self defense and lethal force, learned how the media and "certain powers that be" distort the truth and spread outright lies about handguns, learned the proper fundamentals of shooting a firearm, learned a few shooting stances, and learned how to become a more hardened target.
More than anything, I was a little disheartened by my instructor's admonition that I was now not a gun-fighter. I was told in plain and in no uncertain language that I had now just met the state's minimum requirements to qualify for a CPL/CCW. Thus, I was just given another clue that there was much more to learn about firearms and their role in personal protection. I still didn't know what I didn't know. I then dedicated my spare time to devouring any literature that I could buy or find on the Internet that had anything to do with firearms and their role in personal protection.
How I Became Detroit's Best Firearms Trainer
I discovered and studied the works of many authors: Colonel Jeff Cooper's "The Art of the Rifle," Massad Ayoob's "In the Gravest Extreme," David Kenik's "Armed Response," Gabriel Suarez's "Tactical Pistol," Andy Stafford's "Surgical Speed Shooting," Chris Byrd's "Thank God I Had A Gun," Marc Young's "Street Safe," and Chad Cantrell's "No Bull Gun Fighting." The gun section of my library is comprised of over 100 works that I have read, re-read, highlighted, and studied relentlessly.
I have practiced the concepts and techniques explained in those books faithfully. I have spent hundreds of hours at neighboring target ranges shooting thousands upon thousands of rounds of ammunition to perfect my shooting ability.
I have befriended numerous local firearms instructors and gunshop employees throughout the metro-Detroit area to glean and retain whatever knowledge they had to bestow. I joined gun themed Internet bulletin boards: Michigan Gun Owners, Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, AR-15, The High Road, Glock Talk, and many others.
Finally, I had reached a point where I felt that my learning curve had steepened to such a point that further research was delivering diminishing returns. Simply put, now the act of spending a day to read a new book "might" teach me something that I didn't already now. I then turned to and joined the nation's oldest firearms organization: The National Rifle Association (NRA).
Currently, I have NRA certifications to teach Personal Protection, Basic Pistol, and Home Firearm Safety. To qualify as a NRA certified instructor, a candidate must meet certain admission requirements, take a grueling 40 hour course, and pass six timed examinations with a score of 90% correct or better on each exam, and must meet the Training Counselor's expectations of teaching ability. Not many people qualify. Also, I am a NRA Range Safety Officer (RSO). RSOs are certified to safely oversee shooting activities at a shooting range. Further still, I am an authorized Membership Recruiter for the NRA.
Further, upon recognition of my teaching abilities as a firearms instructor, in January of 2008 the NRA appointed me to the position of Training Counselor (TC). As such, I am now authorized to certify law-abiding citizens as being NRA certified instructors for the disciplines for which I am credentialed. As an additional consequence of my TC appointment, I was promoted from being a Range Safety Officer (RSO) to being a Chief Range Safety Officer (CRSO). A CRSO not only trains law-abiding citizens to be RSOs but is also qualified to inspect and certify gun ranges.
I have personally provided firearms training to people from all walks of life: ex-military, FBI agents, business owners, stay-at-home mothers, college students, real estate agents, business executives, bar bouncers, waitresses, club DJs, and etc.
I truly feel that I am doing what God has called me to do. He has placed me on this path and I have accepted his mission to do His will. I am hands-down the best firearm instructor in the metro-Detroit area. I stress safety, teach with enthusiasm in an entertaining manner, and never take any shortcuts.
I have met many people in this industry and some don't measure up. Some of them don't cover legal training. Some of them use airsoft pistols for the target qualification. Some have questionable certifications. Some of them commit felonies punishable by four years of prison time by selling certificates. Some of them, quite simply, can't teach. Bad instructors not only do a disservice to their students but also to the community as a whole because their practices make the streets more dangerous.
I have a drawer full of testimonials that attest to my ability to clearly explain complicated concepts, to make newcomers to firearms comfortable with the experience, and to teach a person who has never shot a firearm before reliably hit the X on the target silhouette.
Firearms instruction is my passion and it shows. I am literally making a difference in my community - one class at a time. No one, in my opinion, becomes an instructor to get rich. Quite simply, if you have integrity and do things by the book it won't happen. The scam artists turn up dead or become imprisoned.
I teach because I want to empower people to defend themselves in an increasingly violent time. Many folks are surprised to learn that the police do not have a legal responsibility to protect you. Their job is to uphold the genral peace and to investigate crimes. If you become a crime victim, you can't hold them responsible. Very sobering.
I am a firearms instructor, a defender of freedom, an empowering force in my community, and a proud educated black man.

My Interests

target range shooting, firearms training, improvised weapons, collecting antique firearms, recruiting for the NRA, grassroots politics, ballroom dancing, horseback riding, comedy shows, fine dining, travel, and crossword puzzles.

I'd like to meet:

Jesus, Apostle Paul, John the Baptist, King David, Moses, Mary Magdalene, Ghandi, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Sigmund Freud, Nat Turner,Denmark Vesey,Gabriel Prosser, Fredrick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, MLK Jr., Muhammed Ali, Elijah Muhammed, George Washington Carver, Madame C. J. Walker, Benjamin Banneker, Eldrige Cleaver, Elija McCoy, Thomas Edison, Coleman A. Young, Col. Jeff Cooper, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Johny Cochran, James Brown, Supporters of the 2A, Firearms training students, my Mastermind Group, and Dad (I'll see you again)

What Handgun Fits You Best?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as 1911

Colt 1911. This .45 caliber handgun was used extensively in World War 2 by the Americans. Many models and variations exist. It is still in use today and is favored by many handgun owners.


Desert Eagle


100%

1911


100%

Beretta 92FS


83%

Glock 20


83%

Glock 19


67%

Music:

blues, jazz, rock, neo-soul, classic soul, hip-hop, old school rap, Chicago house, techno, trance, and reggae.

Bob Marley, Phylis Hyman, Isley Brothers, Jimmi Hendrix, Kanye West, AMG, Ghetto Boys, DJ Quick, Parliament Funkedelics, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Rick James, James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, Run DMC, LL Cool J

Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Ice T, BDP, Public Enemy, Aretha Franklin, Prince, B. B. King, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Erika Badu, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, B-52s, Devo, Pink Floyd, Gary Newman, Doobie Brothers, Hall and Oates, Queen, Led Zepellin, Rod Stewart, Rolls Royce, Commodores

Movies:

Sam Jackson, Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Lawrence Fishbourne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Duval, Robert Deniro

Animal House, Terminator, Hard Boiled, Face Off, The Five Deadly Venoms, Blade Runner, The Matrix, The Departed, New Jack City, 12 Monkeys, Memento, Scanners, The Godfather, Training Day, Boys in the the Hood, Do the Right Thang, A Time to Kill

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." - Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, in “Pulp Fiction”

Television:

Supernatural, Heroes, The Wire, Oz, The Shield, The Sopranos, 24, SNL, Hardball, Countdown, Michigan Football, Lions Football, Pistons Basketball, Politically Incorrect, Dave Chappelle

Books:

The Bible, Art of War, The Prince, Psycho-Cybernetics, Winning Through Intimidation, The Art of the Rifle, In the Gravest Extreme, Armed Response, Think and Grow Rich, the Richest Man of Babylon, How to Master the Art of Selling
"Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" - Psalms 144:1
"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace" - Luke 11:21
"Then said He unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." - Luke 22:36
"And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough." - Luke 22:38
"If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him." - Exodus 22:2
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." - Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
"... a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen..." - Warren v. District of Columbia
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
"The strongest reason for the people to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against the tyranny of government." - Thomas Jefferson
"Any unarmed people are slaves, or are subject to slavery at any given moment. If the guns are taken out of the hands of the people and only the pigs have guns, then it's off to the concentration camps, the gas chambers, or whatever the fascists in America come up with. One of the democratic rights of the United States, the Second Amendment to the Constitution, gives the people the right to bear arms. However, there is a greater right; the right of human dignity that gives all men the right to defend themselves." - Huey P. Newton
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." -Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." - Ronald Reagan
"We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary." - Malcolm X
“The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory.” - Colonel Jeff Cooper
"If the rest of the country had adopted right-to-carry concealed-handgun provisions in 1992, about 1,500 murders and 4,000 rapes would have been avoided." - John R. Lott, Jr.
"After more than two decades of trying to destroy the firearms rights of more than 80 million law-abiding American gun owners - and statistically failing to show any impact on violent crime - the Brady 'Campaign Against Illegal Guns' is yet another crusade whose ultimate goal is to trample the Second Amendment into dust.” - Alan Gottlieb
"Our task of creating a socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally disarmed." - Sarah Brady
"After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military." - William S. Burroughs
"When only cops have guns, it's called a 'police state.' - Claire Wolfe
"Here's my credo. There are no good guns, There are no bad guns. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. Any gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone, except bad people." - Charlton Heston
"He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it." - Seneca
"You can do more with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word." - Al Capone
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life." - Robert A. Heinlein
"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilised nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!" - Adolf Hitler
"The people of the various provinces are strictly forbidden to have in their possession any swords, short swords, bows, spears, firearms, or other types of arms. The possession of unnecessary implements makes difficult the collection of taxes and dues and tends to foment uprisings." - Toyotomi Hideyoshi
"All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party." - Mao Tse Tung"
"To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." - George Mason
"When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it." - Bill Clinton
"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." - John F. Kennedy
"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." - Alexander Hamilton
"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." - The Dalai Lama
"The thing that separates the American Christian from every other person on earth is the fact that he would rather die on his feet, than live on his knees!" - George Washington
"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." - Daniel Webster
"Though defensive violence will always be 'a sad necessity' in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men." - St. Augustine
"Taking my gun away because I might shoot someone is like cutting my tongue out because I might yell 'Fire!' in a crowded theater." - Peter Venetoklis
"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them..." - Richard Henry Lee
"The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose." - James Earl Jones
"Strict gun laws are about as effective as strict drug laws...It pains me to say this, but the NRA seems to be right: The cities and states that have the toughest gun laws have the most murder and mayhem." - Mike Royko
"Gun Control: The theory that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled with her panty hose, is somehow morally superior to a woman explaining to police how her attacker got that fatal bullet wound." - L. Neil Smith
"The biggest hypocrites on gun control are those who live in upscale developments with armed security guards -- and who want to keep other people from having guns to defend themselves. But what about lower-income people living in high-crime, inner city neighborhoods? Should such people be kept unarmed and helpless, so that limousine liberals can 'make a statement' by adding to the thousands of gun laws already on the books?" - Thomas Sowell
"Save a thief from the gallows and he will cut your throat." - French proverb
"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest." - Mahatma Ghandi
"In a polity, each citizen is to possess his own arms, which are not supplied or owned by the state." - Aristotle
"Probably fewer than 2% of handguns and well under 1% of all guns will ever be involved in a violent crime. Thus, the problem of criminal gun violence is concentrated within a very small subset of gun owners, indicating that gun control aimed at the general population faces a serious needle-in-the-haystack problem." - Gary Kleck
"We, the People are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts — not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln
"You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence." - Charles A. Beard
"I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other." - Harriet Tubman
"For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery." - Jonathan Swift
"Better to starve free than be a fat slave." - Aesop
"When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered." - Dorothy Thompson
"You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free." - Clarence Darrow
"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home." - Edward R. Murrow
"The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will." - Frederick Douglas
"None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." - Goethe
"The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe." - H. L. Mencken
"Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be." - James Baldwin
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - John Adams
"Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom." - Marilyn Ferguson
"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" - Patrick Henry
"A right is not what someone gives you; it's what no one can take from you." - Ramsey Clark
"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too." - Somerset Maugham
"So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men." - Voltaire
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." - Wendell Phillips
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." - George Bernard Shaw
"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." - Malcolm X
"They came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I wasn't a communist; They came for the socialists, and I did not speak up because I was not a socialist; They came for the union leaders, and I did not speak up because I wasn't a union leader; They came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up for me." - Martin Niemoller
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." - Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Any day you're free is a beautiful day." - ex-P.O.W. Air Force Col. Jim Lamar
"If ye love wealth more than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our country men." - Samuel Adams
"Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise." - Adolf Hitler
"They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?" - Paul Harvey
"Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure, is to betray it." - Germaine Greer
"It is every American's right, and obligation, to read and interpret the Constitution for himself." - Benjamin Franklin
"Find out just what the People will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." - Frederick Douglass
"Probably all laws are useless; for good men do not want laws at all, and bad men are made no better by them." - Demonax
"All bad precedents begin with justifiable measures." - Julius Caesar
"The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don't have to waste your time voting." - Charles Bukowski
"Written laws are like spiders' webs, and will, like them, only entangle and hold the poor and weak, while the rich and powerful easily break through them." - Anacharsis
"Those who are in sovereign control of arms are in a sovereign position to decide whether the constitution is to continue or not." - Aristotle
"Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush moustache and swastika armband -- it creeps up insidiously... step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone." - Baron Lane
"A tyrant... is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader." - Plato
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas." - Joseph Stalin
"Since when is 'public safety' the root password to the Constitution?" - C. D. Tavares
"Governments need armies to protect them against their enslaved and opposed subjects." - Leo Tolstoy
"The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments. The state can be and has often been in the course of history the main source of mischief and disaster." - Ludwig von Mises
"To the States or any one of them, or any city of the States: Resist much, obey little. Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved, ... no nation, state, city, on this earth ever afterward assumes its liberty." - Walt Whitman
"Don't ever think you know what's right for the other person. He might start thinking he knows what's right for you." - Paul Williams
"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves." – Edward R. Murrow
"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong." – Voltaire
"A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand." – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." – P.J. O'Rourke
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." – Will Rogers
"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you." – Pericles
"The strength of the Constitution, lies in the will of the people to defend it." – Thomas Edison
"Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives want government to be your Daddy. Libertarians want it to treat you like an adult." – Andre Marrou
"Virtually all reasonable laws are obeyed, not because they are the law, but because reasonable people would do that anyway. If you obey a law simply because it is the law, that's a pretty likely sign that it shouldn't be a law." – Unknown
"When the government's boot is on your throat, whether it is a left boot or a right boot is of no consequence." – Gary Lloyd
"If every man has freedom to do all that he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man, then he is free to drop connection with the state --to relinquish its protection, and to refuse paying toward its support." Herbert Spencer
"Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric." - Thomas Sowell
"In the Supreme Court and elsewhere, blithe talk about 'a living Constitution' conceals the fact that the constitution is in fact dying as it is being reinterpreted out of existence, whenever it stands in the way of the prevailing zeitgeist." - Thomas Sowell
"We must remember that a right lost to one is lost to all." - William Reece Smith, Jr.
"Give me control over a man's economic actions, and hence over his means of survival, and except for a few occasional heroes, I'll promise to deliver to you men who think and write and behave as I want them to." -Benjamine A. Rooge
"Two visions of the world remain locked in dispute. The first believes all men are created equal by a loving God who has blessed us with freedom. Abraham Lincoln spoke for us: 'No man,' he said, 'is good enough to govern another without the other's consent.' The second vision believes that religion is opium for the masses. It believes that eternal principles like truth, liberty, and democracy have no meaning beyond the whim of the state. And Lenin spoke for them: 'It is true, that liberty is precious,' he said, 'so precious that it must be rationed.' Well, I'll take Lincoln's version over Lenin's - and so will citizens of the world if they're given free choice." - Ronald Reagan
"Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine
"Let's get this straight: because there's, say, a .00001% chance of me being killed or otherwise abused by the mob, the corner dope pusher, kiddie porn freaks, or religious-nut bombers, I'm supposed to sacrifice my privacy, freedom of speech, security, and other civil liberties? I think not." - Stanton McCandlish
"No man escapes when freedom fails, the best men rot in filthy jails, and those that cried appease, appease, are hanged by those they tried to please." - Horace Mann
"There is no such thing as part freedom." - Nelson Mandela
"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation." - Douglas MacArthur
"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." - Abraham Lincoln
"It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest." - Abraham Lincoln
"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence … from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that's good." - George Washington
"I say carry wherever you go regardless of whether it is legal or not. You don't need a "license" to save your own life. Americans are born with a CCW license." - Josh Bergman
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it...it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. ..." - The Declaration of Independence
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." - Thomas Jefferson
"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." -George Mason
"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, and more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces as public enemies, all who question it's methods or throw light upon it's crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the Bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe..corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powers of the country will endeavor to prolong it's reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed." - Abraham Lincoln
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." - Thomas Jefferson
"Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it." - John Adams
"The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions." - Robert Lynd
"If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves I would do it." - Abraham Lincoln
"No slaves shall keep any arms whatever, nor pass, unless with written orders from his master or employer, or in his company, with arms from one place to another." - A Bill Concerning Slaves
"There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes, and the other is the Bill of Rights." - Major General Smedley Butler, US Marine Corps, 1930
"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." - Adlai Stevenson, Jr
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!" - Senator Barry Goldwater
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing the one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind." - John Stuart Mill
"25 States allow anyone to buy a gun, strap it on, and walk down the street with no permit of any kind: some say it's crazy. However, four out of five US murders are committed in the other half of the country: so who's crazy?" - Andrew Ford
"Guns are not always the answer, but obtaining a firearm has saved the lives of many... While I favor keeping guns out of the hands of felons, youths and the mentally impaired, I oppose adding more bureaucratic obstacles that attempt to fight crime by disarming its victims." - Peter Kasler, NY Times, 13 Jul 91
"Without either the first or second amendment, we would have no liberty; the first allows us to find out what's happening, the second allows us to do something about it! The second will be taken away first, followed by the first and then the rest of our freedoms." - Andrew Ford
"The claim and exercise of a Constitutional right cannot be converted into a crime." - Miller v US, 230 F 2d 486, 489
"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government's purposes are beneficent... the greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding." - Justice Louis Brandeis
"I heartily accept the motto ..The government is best which governs least'; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe, - ..That government is best which governs not at all'." - Henry David Thoreau
"In America, freedom and justice have always come from the ballot box, the jury box, and when that fails, the cartridge box." - Steve Symms, US Senator from Idaho, 1990
"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country." - Theodore Roosevelt
"A government can be compared to our lungs. Our lungs are best when we don't realize they are helping us breathe. It is when we are constantly aware of our lungs that we know they have come down with an illness." - Lao-Tzu
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms..." - Richard Henry Lee
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Gun control? It's the best thing you can do for crooks and gangsters. I want you to have nothing. If I'm a bad guy, I'm always gonna have a gun. Safety locks? You will pull the trigger with a lock on, and I'll pull the trigger. We'll see who wins." - Former Mafia hit man turned informant Sammy "the Bull" Gravano
"One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton
"Be more wary of the rights you are willing to give away, just because YOU are not using them -- the next person may be willing to give away YOUR rights." - Dave Tomlinson
"Trust is a two way street. If your government does not trust you, how can you trust your government?" - Bruce Montague
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Unjust laws have to be fought ideologically; they cannot be fought or corrected by means of mere disobedience and futile martyrdom." - Ayn Rand
"Liberty has never come from government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of government. The history of liberty is the history of resistance." - Woodrow Wilson
"The government has created a nation of paper criminals. People can be put in jail and lose civil rights and liberties through bureaucratic procedures. The only thing that is keeping you out of jail is government goodwill." - Ayn Rand
"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." - Edward Abbey
"Every actual state is corrupt. Good men must not obey laws too well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Any excuse will serve a tyrant." - Aesop
"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." - Dante
"If you have got to resist, your chances of being hurt are less, the more lethal your weapon." - Dr. Arthur Kellerman New England Journal of Medicine
"A gun is 32 times more likely to be used to defend against criminal threat than to kill anybody." - Dr. Preston Covey
"Reckless, homicidal and suicidal people may own guns but gun ownership does not make anyone reckless, homicidal or suicidal." - Dr. Preston Covey
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." - Albert Einstein
"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." - Thomas Paine
"A ruler is legitimate only in so far as he upholds the law. A ruler that violates the law is illegitimate. He has no right to be obeyed; his commands are mere force and Rulers who act lawlessly, whose laws are unlawful, are mere criminals." - John Locke
"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stuart Mill
"I don't trust a government I can't shoot back at" - Claire Wolfe
Laws that forbid the carrying of arms, disarm only those who are inclined to obey the law. - From Unintended Consequences by John Ross
"He who goes unarmed in paradise, had better be sure that that is where he is." - unknown
We are free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. - William Faulkner
"One of the ordinary modes by which tyrants accomplish their purpose, without resistance, is by disarming the people and making it an offense to keep arms". - Joseph Story, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
"Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms." - Aristotle, "Politics"
"I am willing to defend my property and liberty with the same force and enthusiasm as the ones that try to take it away!" - Bruce Montague
"All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable." - Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience", 1849
"Experience hath shewn [sic] that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson
"When asked "Is it worth risking my life to defend my property?", I ask "Is it worth risking your life to take away my property?" - Bruce Montague
"Today's citizen is obliged to find his freedom only in the narrow ruts pre-approved by his bureaucratic overlords. 'Risk-free liberty' is the ideal of the Welfare State: citizens are permitted only liberties which have been declawed, defanged, neutered, certified and wrapped in benevolent restrictions." - James Bovard
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." - Tacitus
"Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual)" - Ayn Rand
"Our country is at an awkward stage; it's too late to work within the system, but it's too early to shoot the bastards." - Claire Wolfe
"Liberty not only means that the individual has both the opportunity and the burden of choice; it also means that he must bear the consequences of his actions... Liberty and responsibility are inseparable." - F.A. Hayek
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves..." - William Pitt
"Fear of death will not prevent dying, but it may prevent living" - Anonymous
"You do not examine legislation in light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered." - Lyndon B. Johnson
"I may disagree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it!" - Voltaire
"When you disarm your subjects, however, you offend them by showing that either from cowardliness or lack of faith, you distrust them; and either conclusion will induce them to hate you." - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
"If we don't all hang together, we will surely be hanged seperately! - unknown
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge, Past President of the United States
"Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of mind and body will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day." - Thomas Jefferson
"If 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin

Heroes:

I'd have to say that my mom has been my biggest hero in my life. She managed to raise four kids on her own - none of us are dead or imprisoned. We didn't get everything we wanted, but we had everything we needed. She did without a lot of things to ensure that we had things that we needed.

I got mad love for Ken Blanchard, a fellow firearms instructor in the Virginia/D.C. area. He runs a web site called Black Man With A Gun . He stresses safety, accountability, responsibility, dispells all the myths about gun ownership, and preaches that gun control is racist and designed to keep black folks under control. I met him at this year's Gun Rights Policy Conference during the weekend of October 5, 2007. He interviewed me as part of his urban shooter podcast show. Check out episode #38 in on his web site. Stay black and stay armed.

My Blog

Shooting Incident at Detroit Middle School

Detroit police are hunting for a man who fired a shot outside a middle school on the city's east side that missed a group of girls and went through the principal's window. It happened around 4 p.m. a...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:32:00 PST

Civilians Stop and Detain Robber of a Wendys in Warren

DETROIT -- Warren city officials held a press conference Thursday to commend the brave citizens who chased and detained a thief after he robbed a woman across the street. Three men chased an alleged t...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:26:00 PST

Man Charged With Shooting Deputy and Police Chief

Donald Burke, 50, was charged today in St. Clair County District Court with shooting Capac Police Chief Raymond Hawks and St. Clair County Deputy Tim O'Boyle. He faces three counts of assault with int...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:21:00 PST

Craving For Sliders Sparks Teen Crime Spree

A hankering for hamburgers late Wednesday night has landed two Pontiac teens in the custody of police. According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the incident started in the drive-through of a ...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:18:00 PST

Washtenaw Bank Robber Caught On Camera

Camera Snaps Suspected Bank Robber A bank camera snapped an absurdly clear view of a robbery suspect in Washtenaw County. Now investigators need help identifying this man. Washtenaw Sheriff's Deputies...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:55:00 PST

Man Tries To Buy Gun With Crack

ATF: Man Tried To Buy Gun With Crack DETROIT (AP)  A federal spokesman says agents arrested a Detroit man who was trying to use crack cocaine to buy a machine gun. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firea...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:51:00 PST

Two Men Sentenced For Slaying of Taylor Woman

2 Men Sentenced In Taylor Mom Slaying DETROIT -- Two men were sentenced Monday on second-degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of Taylor mother Wendy Meinke. Juan Willis, 22, was sentenced to 1...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:44:00 PST

Murder - Suicide Attempt

Man charged in wife's death in alleged murder-suicide attempt A Waterford Township man is facing a murder charge in connection with his wife's stabbing death, police say. Michael Fleming, 54, was char...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:41:00 PST

One Reason To Stay Alert At The Target Range!

LaCalamita practiced at gun range before rampage, owner testifies Three days before he went on a shooting spree at the Troy office building where he had been fired, Anthony LaCalamita went target prac...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:38:00 PST

Did A Detroit Police Officer Contract A Hit On Wife?

Promise of $10,000 drove hit, police saySuspect in death of cop's wife portrayed as paid killer of 7 Usually he got his targets from a drug dealer, but a hit man suspect told Detroit police he made an...
Posted by Rick 9mm™ - Detroit Michigan CCW/CPL Class on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:34:00 PST