Live Or Die......?

As some of you may know I am a firearms instructor and do training for both law enforcement and civilians. Last week I had occasion to be the lead instructor for a Virginia DCJS entry level course which is mandatory for individuals that want to carry or have access to firearms while performing a DCJS registered function i.e. private investigator, security officer, armored car guard, bondsmen, bail enforcement agent, conservator of the peace(sworn position)…. For the most part the rookies did a good job insofar as all met the state qualification requirements.

We also conducted a mandatory in-service course for veteran personnel, let me just say that this was the worst group of so called professionals that I have ever seen in my thirty six years of public and private law enforcement . There were twenty two personnel there for training, two of them we had to send away because they could not pass the written use of force test. Three more were sent packing because they kept shooting the side wall and brim at the indoor range. Then there were the armored car guards with guns that would fire once and jam, stove pipe or not fire at all. An inspection of their weapons found dust, rust, burnt powder build-up, and green bullets. Then there was the grand-daddy of all f#%k-ups the fool that put his rounds in the magazine backwards and then tried to fire his 9mm XD 40 CAL.

The point that I want emphasize here is that if you carry a firearm for personal safety you should want to train more with it, clean it regularly, and inspect it daily before you hit the streets. Your firearm is just one of your professional tools, as is your cellular phone, computer, vehicle, however it is a tool that you would not want to be without or not function if someone was trying to kill you. I sincerely hope that none of you will ever be faced with a lethal force decision, but in the event it does come about…are you equipped to protect your life or the life of another person?

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Domestic Security Investigations
P.O. Box 4462
Rockville, MD 20849
Tel: 1-800-387-0787
Anti-Moral Majority Club President
"Fear not the unknown, Fear the person who controls the unknown" Gene 7:14

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Heritage and Profession Together

J.G. Marshall
MARSHALL FUGITIVE SERVICE
Lic. # 2008-392
Moderator


Its the Irish in my mind that keeps me sane,
and the Irish in my heart that keeps me strong.

I can totally relate to this ..

going to the NYPD Range for my Bi-Annual re-certifications ...

when you shoot a 100% at the range and qualify you get to wear your "Pistol Expert" Bar / Medal on your Rack of medals..(passing is 80% / 50 rounds by the way..) .. if you shoot anything less then 100% off the medal comes until you score 100% next re-qual.. so there I am at the NYPD outdoor range at Rodmans Neck, Bronx NY.. 52 stations at the line.. and standing to my right was a black female officer and she was shooting a Glock 19 ... every other shot you hear ... "PING" "PING" .. etc.. she is hitting the metal stand holding the target .. mind you now we are at the 15 yard line !!!! I can spit and hit the target center mast.. anyways .. we finish all of our 50 rounds.. and the instructor starts going down the line to score the targets.. now the instructors just mark with a Black Marker the Missed Shots outside the Target.. and I see a HUGE "X" on the top right of my target .. I was like WTF ???? I missed a shot that far off ? ... I aways shoot 100%.. so I count my target and I have 51 holes in my target .. this stupid female next to me shot my target as she only hit the paper 30 out of 50 rounds.. 20 went airborne.. and one prolly into my target .. needless to say I had to remove my Medal for 6 months cause of this stupid female cop .. also the officer to her right had 54 holes in his target ..anyways I had to buy lunch for my partner as I lost the bet of shooting 100% as he did .. and I had a 98% .. due to that females round hitting my target .. lord knows I never want to work with someone that cant hit the side of a barn when shooting at 15 yards..

so basically I can relate to how sad Law Enforcement can be when it comes to shooting and the care for their weapons.... its your livelihood.. and may one day save your life .. so you best know how to use that weapon to defend yourself or your partners life one day !

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JEFF P.
Limited Surety Agent (FL) - License # P_2O8124_
Private Investigator (FL) - License # C_27OOO33_
NABBI Member



"Surprise Sex is the Best Thing to Wake up to, UNLESS, You are in Jail... "

Gene, this is a very serious thread... I make light of many things on here, as you all know, but being able to handle a firearm in our occupation is absolutely paramount to our safety and the safety of all others around us.

I joined IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) last month and have been to several shoots held in NC... I am listed as a novice since I have not been rated to date... you have to shoot a while before they will score you and rank you... which is fine for me cause this type of shooting is as close to real life as you can get.

http://www.idpa.com/

I highly recommend this organization. Of course handling a weapon safely comes first and shooting it safely and being able to use it in real life situations is what we all strive to do.

I have never pulled my weapon in anger and hopefully I never will, but I certainly want to at least be able to defend myself and anyone around me in the event of a bad scenario.

I think you were quite fortunate to get out of that class without lead in your shorts.

Take care and for Gods sake.......... be careful.

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Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

I, too, have had to remove my expert ribbon due to no fault of my own. At last qualifications, our range captains were the worst I have ever experienced. First off, I zero my M16 (as everyone should). I begin to set my group when I realize that I am not hitting paper. I ask the RC "How can I begin to set up if i am not hitting the target?" He tells me "Just guess. Maybe shoot the dirt to see if you are high, low, left or right." Well, when shooting a rifle at 25 yards, hitting the ground will tell me nothing....I know this and I have the least experience of anyone on the range. After about 20 rounds I decide to recheck my sights only to realize that they were, either, moved as a joke or got knocked off zero. My front sight was bottomed out. Once my grouping was set, I began qualifying with the M16 and M9. By now, probably 400 people had gone through 5 firing lanes....the targets are swiss cheese. I have always shot expert yet, this time, I shoot minimal on each weapon. Even with people claiming to see my targets move with each shot (which obviously means that I was hitting every shot) I complete with a 16 out of 30 on pistol and 27 out of 40 on rifle. I have never shot this bad.....ever.

My point is, it is up to the Range Captain to control these types of situations. A person that is firing "wildly", targets that are inconsistant, and danger issues now become the responsablity of the shooter when an RC is not doing thier job....on top of the pressure to qualify. This is not how it should be, but this is life. Everyone stay safe and watch your six.....there are very few that will do it for you.

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Thomas SnoWolf
FRN# 1999
GAPB 20120726
NSIS ST0707
http://www.rocksolidrg.com
"The hero is not the man that acts without fear,
He is the man that acts inspite of fear"