Tactical Response “Fighting Pistol” course review

David Giuffre

May 26, 2009 (photography by James Yeager, owner, Tactical Response)

Back in October, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Tactical Response in Camden, Tennessee to take an amazing tactical shooting course called “Active Shooter.”
My wife knew I wanted to take my shooting training to another level, so she contacted James Yeager at Tactical Response and booked me on one of the more advanced courses they offer.

Normally, one would take the Fighting Pistol and Advanced Fighting Pistol courses before taking Active Shooter, but they let me come anyway, as it was a surprise 40th birthday gift from my wife, and I was so excited to be there.

Needless to say, the course was life changing.

I established an excellent and continuing relationship with James Yeager and everyone at Tactical Response, and regularly compose electronic music for the newer Tactical Response videos. When I discovered that Tactical Response was “going mobile” and bringing the Fighting Pistol course to Winslow, NJ (which is a scant hour plus from my dwelling in Morrisville, PA) I jumped at the chance to take more training from James and the crew.

DAY ONE

I arrived 10 minutes early to the firing range at the South Jersey Shooting Club, May 18 2009, deep in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and figured I was in good shape. I sat there like a jackass for 8 minutes, wondering where everyone was! James called my cell moments later and asked where I was. They were downrange, at an outdoor pistol range out of sight. I promptly got myself down to the class, and started what was to be a wonderful cementing of things I had learned in a more cursory manner in the Active Shooter course. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND following Tactical Response’s advice and taking the courses in the order in which they have been designed! You will get the maximum benefit when taking the classes in order, as they build on each other. (They also now require shooters to take these classes in order, so no worries there.)

I was pleasantly surprised to see James standing next to his famous and Armageddon-ready pickup truck, with six other gentlemen. I wasn’t sure that James would even be there to teach the course, as he has many highly competent and effective instructors working at Tactical Response with him. I might have expected to se Aaron or Brian or one of the others there, but there he was, smiling at me and telling me to get my ass in gear so they could get started. James doesn’t mince words or stroke your ego; he gets the job done!

We began the course with introductions and telling each other about our background and experience, including James, who described his past learning, jobs and training, which I always find fascinating. It seemed like in interesting bunch of guys, including two IT professionals, two hardcore ammunition re-loaders and a plumber! (He was a wonderful Italian guy, who reminded me of some of my relatives, and who shot the longest Glock I had ever seen!) Everyone seemed like they were there to be serious, but also to have fun at the same time, which is essential in a course like this. You don’t want to be stuck in the Pine Barrens for two days with a bunch of stuffed shirts!

We then listened to James as he described basic safety procedures, medical procedures and what we would be doing and covering in the two-day class. Both days were sunny, and warm, but not too hot. I recommend following Tactical Response’s protocols of lots of water, (I have a Camelbak hydration system, well worth the money) sunblock and bug repellant. Wear a hat! (Yes, even if you are like me, and look like a dork in a hat.)

We then learned about tactical gun-handling, and how to clear various malfunctions. I loved the malfunction drills, as we were constantly required to load dummy rounds into our magazines, and had to clear these malfunctions on the fly, in high stress shooting situations. There is nothing quite so humbling as pulling your trigger on a bad guy and hearing a click instead of a bang! Most new people freeze in place when this happens, I noticed, including myself!

The next part of the course was involved with drawing and presenting your weapon properly. This was something that I had learned in Active Shooter and had been practicing nonstop since then, and after Fighting Pistol, it has been permanently etched into my muscle memory, just like “getting off the X” when drawing, topping off and clearing malfunctions, which moves you out of the line of your enemy’s return fire, giving you an advantage in the gunfight.

Even handling my firearm at home, I employ the techniques taught at Tactical Response; it has become a part of my routine. The techniques also make you a much safer gun handler, and are so refined that there is a wonderful economy of movement: there is nothing in there that isn’t needed, and looks very elegant to a bystander who is watching you shoot. As James says, “Tactical Shooting is the only true American Martial Art.” Watching one of James’s accomplished students looks much like watching a martial artist.

I won’t bore the reader or spoil the experience by writing blow by blow over both days of the course. Get out there and take a course from Tactical Response yourself!

We spent the rest of the day learning fundamental but elegant techniques to make us deadly accurate shooters under pressure.

One invaluable skill we learned was the 360 degree scan after shooting. We would put the gun into a safer, barrel to the sky grip, and then do a detailed, full-circle scan of the surrounding area, to look for other bad guys who might be sneaking up on us. We also learned the need to top off our pistols immediately after shooting, to get them back into the fight and back up to full fighting capacity. I can speed reload my Glock extremely fast now, during a confrontation. (Which is something else I practice on a regular basis now.) We had to get used to racking live rounds out of the gun to make sure the new magazine was interfaced properly with the gun. It took some guys (as it took me, in Active Shooter) to get used to dumping half-full magazines on the ground, but we all got it in the end. It is better to have a fully running gun, than to worry about a half-empty mag on the ground!

We then took it to a new level, with drills about shooting and the structure of the human body, myths about miracle shots and one-shot stops. We engaged targets from every imaginable position (something my body is still feeling the effects of) and constant moving while shooting.

We ended the day with a great dinner together at a steakhouse, and had good conversation about the day and many other things. James is a charismatic and effective teacher, who is a blast to hang out with before, during and after class. We truly had a great time.

It was displayed to me yet again that Glocks are the best handguns made, period. My personal weapon had NO malfunctions during the entire two day course, the same experience I had with Active Shooter in October, where I saw almost all other types of firearms fail, jam consistently and just plain break down! One 1911 had pieces fall off of it. James started Fighting Pistol class by hurling his loaded Glock 19 twenty yards out onto the blacktop of the parking lot. No problems, just a few small scratches. THIS is the weapon I want with me in the heat of battle, should that ever happen.

The one non-Glock shooter in the course had constant feed problems and jams, malfunctions of every sort. One of the hardcore re-loader guys had put green nail polish on every round of 9mm he shot, and after half a day, the nail polish started to cause malfunctions in his Glock, and they were spectacular failures. Lesson One: No nail polish on your brass, just your fingernails!

DAY TWO

Day Two started bright and early with a wonderful lecture from James on many diverse topics that were of utmost value to us. This was actually one of the most valuable parts of the course, and for the folks out there who think that they just want to shoot, shoot, shoot, be patient. The lecture is jam-packed with info and stories from hard-earned experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Pay attention and take notes! I learned many things that could help save a life one day.

We shot from cover and concealment (there is a BIG difference between these!) and shot right up close to the target in “retention position” which was very intense! Drill after drill, we learned how to be top notch tactical shooters, where the mindset was so focused on staying in the fight at all times, until no threat remains.
One of the best drills was the Allen DEA dot drill, where we let the firearm surprise us by adding pressure to the trigger SLOWLY until it goes off unexpectedly, all the while watching the front sight of the gun. This broke us of flinching and anticipating the report of the gun, and we were then able to consistently hit small, 1 inch diameter dots on a paper target DEAD CENTER, every time. I was amazed at how my accuracy improved!

Right after the course I traveled to Canada, where possessing defensive firearms is pretty much prohibited, and I couldn’t believe how naked I felt without my Glock riding in its Galco strongside belt holster. Instead of just feeling naked, however, I practiced my awareness drills and was able to experience a new level of preparedness, just by keeping my head up, and really LOOKING at people and things. I found myself looking for possible cover, and making threat assessments on people I encountered.

Day Two ended with a great debrief of the experiences we had, and even more great information from James on various subjects related to the course. Overall, it was a complete blast (pun intended) and just as influential on me as Active Shooter had been, albeit in a slightly different flavor. James told me after the Active Shooter course that certain folks would become “Training Junkies” and that he thought I was one of those folks. Well, dammit, he was right again, and I can’t wait to train more with Tactical Response, as well as other schools I might encounter later in life. James encourages any good training, as he logs hundreds of hours a year himself in many other disciplines, including medical training, which, he says, is sadly neglected by most tactical shooters.

Although this is the premier tactical pistol class offered by Tactical Response, this is by no means a mere “beginner” course. I daresay that many “hardened operators” out there, who might never take this course thinking that they were “well beyond it,” would be humbled by the drills, and amazed at the wisdom and nuggets of exclusive, useful information and technique to be found in the course.

I even learned by personal experience in this course that after years of owning Glocks and trying different holster/Glock combinations, that I have more changes to make in my carry kit. I have owned four different Glock pistols in my lifetime, in the search for the “perfect” carry pistol that is concealable and powerful enough. My latest Glock is the Glock 26 in 9mm, which is definitely the most concealable, but unfortunately not the best “fighting” pistol. There just isn’t enough gun to hold on to, and the capacity is a bit low, at 10 rounds per magazine. It seems that my other Glock, the 10mm Glock 29 (which I shot at Active Shooter) is a slightly better choice, but the 10mm round can be expensive and hard to find, as well as a bit recoil-heavy. I believe a third Glock is in my future, the middle of the road Glock 19, which James let me try in class. It is the best of both worlds, and really isn’t that much bigger than my current Glock 29. See, still learning! It never ends…

Good training like this demands the utmost seriousness and open mind that you can bring to it. There is no room for ego, whining or “your way” of doing things. Several people in class (probably every class) had some initial difficulty in shutting up and listening, wanting to tell James what they were doing, instead of listening to him, and setting aside their preconceptions and opinions, as well as being blank slates, ready for new data. They all got it in the end, though. James and the folks at Tactical Response have a way of breaking through our thick-headedness and making us realize that there are better ways to do things. I am happy to say that this course impressed me just as much as Active Shooter, and I look forward to taking my training to the next level with Advanced Fighting Pistol as soon as I can. I feel like a competent tactical shooter who could now hold his own in a gunfight, and probably help save a life or two, even if it was only my own.

Cheers, James and company, and as before, I can’t wait to come back, again!

Sincerely,

David Giuffre
from the band, Brainclaw

Gary and David spent Sunday creating a darker cover of a Pink Floyd song that was already pretty dark, “Comfortably Numb.”

You can check it out HERE.

Enjoy.

“Comfortably Numb” was featured on the platinum-selling Pink Floyd album, The Wall, released in 1979.

David will be performing this song and several others live with Gary at his next show, so stay tunes for show dates.

Be sure to check Gary’s MySpace page for all kinds of new songs and concert dates.

Getting ready to make the Uzumaki Steak and Ale Pie…

(stunning culinary photography by Taraclaw, mostly)

So, you want to make a steak and ale pie to warm your insides during this cold tail-end of winter, huh? Well, David from Brainclaw is here to show you exactly how to do it! What follows is a huge, fairly funny pictorial cooking lesson with a full recipe and directions. Try it out! This is a mutation of a classic British recipe for a hot, steamy, flaky meat pie. Vegetarians and vegans can stop reading now, if you haven’t already. Let’s get started…

Ingredients List for one Davidclaw Deep Dish Uzumaki Steak and Ale Pie:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 box of pie crust mix, enough for 2 pie crusts (or make your own if you have time!)
2 nice steaks (use organic beef!) or you can use regular old beef stew meat if you are cheap.
1 nice onion, we use Vidalia onions! Yum!
Pam cooking spray or equivalent
salt
pepper (or season to taste, many possibilities here)
vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
shredded cheeses of your choice, cheddar works best

and the main Secret Ingredient…
1 six-pack of Miller Genuine Draft in bottles… ICE COLD.

Have a sharp knife, an oven-safe deep dish pie pan, 2 cutting boards, a cookie sheet, a nice deep frying pan, an Xbox 360 and the Elder Scrolls Oblivion software, a fork and a spatula…

First things first… flour that cutting board!

Flour your cutting board with some of your all-purpose flour, getting some on your face and shirt to make people think you know what you are doing. This also serves the purpose of preventing your pie crusts from sticking.

Prepare the dough balls!

Following the instructions on the pie crust mix box, make the pie crust into two equal dough balls, that we like to call boluses (boli?) OK, that IS gross, sorry.

Our more or less circular pie crust.

Roll out the first one on the floured cutting board, making it flat and even, and about an inch and a half larger than your pie dish all around. Try to keep it as circular as possible. This took us several tries, but it’s fun! Once it is done, place it gently in the pie dish. Repeat for the pie crust topper, and set that aside as well, on a non-stick area. Prevent cats from walking on it.

Mr. Meat!

Now whip out your meat! Remember to have the high-quality organic beef thawed and close to room temperature. Frozen meat is… unpredictable.

Remember, all good chefs continuously SAMPLE their ingredients!

Remember, it is VITAL that this particular ingredient be sampled continuously throughout the cooking process to insure proper functionality of the chef and the final dish. Really. We’re serious here.

Cut organic beef into bite-sized pieces.

Taking your insanely expensive and meticulously well-maintained Faberware knife, slice beef into bite-sized pieces. This will speed the cooking process, and aid the consumer of the pie later. The last thing you want for your dining experience is the dreaded “giant piece of beef in the mouth and empty pie shell on the plate” syndrome that afflicts some junior chefs.

Dredging the beef cubes in flour.

This part is tedious, but necessary for a successful meat pie. Sampling the beer early on will help this part go by miraculously fast! Take four or five pieces of beef at a time and roll them in the flour. This will help seal in flavor during cooking, as well as forming a thick, rich gravy which will ooze out of your pie and down your face later. Having several cats on hand can help remedy this situation.

Dredged beef pieces.

Place your dredged beef pieces on a clean, dry plate and set aside.

Sauté your onions.

Take your lovely Vidalia onion, skin it, and mince it medium fine on another cutting board. Mince the garlic cloves as well. Pop the minced onion and garlic into your deep frying pan with some vegetable oil and sauté until lightly browned and translucent. Don’t overcook, or we’ll KILL YOU! No, just kidding, but they will continue to cook all throughout the rest of the procedure. And your house will stink, real real bad.

Keep them onions and garlic movin’ in that pan, son!

Sauté dredged beef pieces with onions and garlic.

Carefully add your dredged beef pieces to the sautéing onion mixture, adding some more vegetable oil to keep things lubed up. Cook on high gas heat. Only losers use electric stoves. (Editor’s note: David says he’s sorry for being an elitist, and those of you with electric stoves can do this just fine.)

Use the Davidclaw One-Handed Flip technique!

Keep the beef and onion/garlic mixture moving while sautéing. Try this cool one-handed flip and pull technique if you are feeling brave and haven’t sampled too much of the main ingredient yet! Novices attempt with caution! spillage at this point will require a re-boot of this whole freaking process!

Prepare the Secret Ingredient!

This is why you need a cold six pack on hand. DON’T TRY THIS WITH JUST ONE BEER IN THE HOUSE! You need to leave at least half a beer for this part of the procedure. We’ve found this to be… difficult.

Add the Secret Ingredient slowly!

Remember to add the Secret Ingredient S L O W L Y. You don’t want a “Foamalanche” on your stove at this point. An unexpected Foamalanche would ALSO require a re-boot of the whole freaking procedure. Let the hoppy, meaty aroma waft delicately into your nostrils at this point… Ahhhhh…

The Primordial Mass begins to take shape… IT’S ALIVE!

Keep the ingredients moving with a plastic spatula whilst remaining to cook on high heat. The mixture will begin to thicken, so get ready to add…

Add BEEF BROFF… I mean, Beef Broth.

Chill out that bubbling mass of liquid love with half a can of nondescript beef broth. This will slow things down and add much flavor. “Relax, don’t do it…” Ahem. Never mind.

Add more BROTH…

After the mixture begins to thicken again, add the remaining beef broth, salt, pepper and season to your taste, and FOR GOD’S SAKE, MAN, KEEP STIRRING!

A stirring experience…

Voids of Pastry, waiting to be filled…

Get your pie dish and top crust ready! It’s time to make culinary magic! Plus, the house is starting to smell like a rodeo…

Add one layer of beefy mixture to the pie dish.

OK, you hooligans. Add a layer of that insanely beefy mixture to your pie dish. Spread it gently out over the pie crust, taking care not to rip it, you clumsy, ham-fisted idiot! (I have no internal dialogue…) Take a moment to taste more of the Secret Ingredient at this point, then step back and admire your handiwork.

Add a layer of shredded CHEDDAR JACK, MOFO!

We like to add a layer of shredded cheddar jack at this point, but almost any tangy cheese will do. Beef, cheese, how can you go wrong? The hot meat melts the cheese… oh… OH… ARGH! Oops. Sorry.

Add the remainder of the beefy mixture!

Empty the rest of the beefy mix into the pie dish, covering the cheese completely. Mound it up in the center just a little bit, like a Mayan burial mound, or something… I don’t freaking know. Just do it.

ADD MORE FREAKIN’ CHEESE, fer CHRISSAKES!

Yep, add even more cheese on top of the final layer of beefy mixture. This will insure that you get your recommended daily allowance of cheese. It will also melt, but if you use pure sharp cheddar at this point, it won’t melt as much until later… Don’t panic!

Fold pie crust edges over…

Place top pie crust… um.. on top, of course.

Trim excess pie crust with your fork.

FORK YOU! Take your fork and press the tines against the lip of the pie dish, perforating it and making it easy to remove the excess. But don’t discard this doughy sprue! Keep it handy for…

…and I’LL form the UZUMAKI!

We saw this freaky Japanese horror movie awhile back called UZUMAKI (means ’spiral’ in Japanese) where everyone turned into spirals and died, or something, PLUS we don’t like to waste ingredients, so take your excess dough from the top crust, roll it out REALLY THIN into a long snake, and spiral it on top of the pie!

U Z U M A K I !

Apply low heat for a long time…

Put a nice, big cookie sheet in your 350 degree pre-heated GAS oven (sorry) and place your happy little meat pie on the cookie sheet, to prevent any liquid love from boiling over and trashing your oven’s insides. Close oven before cats can jump in. Or don’t if you have some to spare…

Find SOMETHING to do for an hour…

It is VITAL to find something fun to do for about an hour. We’ve got some suggestions… Check the pie periodically to make sure it doesn’t overcook, since ovens can vary in their heating abilities. Remember to save your game often, and continue to sample the Secret Ingredient.

THE FINAL PRODUCT!!!

By now, a massively powerful food odor has permeated your home, jarring you from your liberation of Kvatch from the demonic forces of Oblivion… eh, never mind. Go take the damn thing out of the oven after you save your game.

A slice of heaven…

It doesn’t get much better than this folks!

Offer some to your wife! OPEN WIDE, HONEY!

This took us about two hours to make, and we had some beers, and one thing led to another, and it was like, 10:30 when we started, so when we went to offer it to our trusty wife…

Oops… More for us.

Don’t fret! This just means you get to eat the whole pie yourself! Thank for joining us on this culinary journey into beefyness! More Cooking with Brainclaw coming soon…

end of line.

Awhile back, I posted a glowing review of my then new Kahr PM9 autopistol.

I have recently modified my views on the ownership of my Kahr PM9, Glocks and handguns in general. I took a course recently at Tactical Response in Tennessee. It was a two day, grueling offensive/defensive course where we shot about 1000 rounds in two days.

The only guns that survived the course were the Glocks.

Period.

I was a big fan of my Kahr PM9 for its size and concealment possibilities. I saw numerous Kahrs fail over the weekend, as well as Sigs, Colts and many others. The worst offenders were the supposedly ironclad Colt .45s, which were worse than useless, with constant jams and finally falling apart completely. The Glocks shot flawlessly, WITHOUT ONE FAILURE TO FEED OR FIRE.

My Glock 29 10mm worked perfectly, and shot like a dream all weekend.

I got home and promptly traded my Kahr PM9 with Armalaser for a stock Glock 26. I am now carrying it in a Galco concealment holster, just behind my right hip. I learned the worth of spending good money on a PRO holster system as well. Having the best gun in the world in a crap holster can get you killed. I also learned an amazing draw, as well as countless other improvements to my shooting skills. I feel like a much more competent shooter now, one who could save a life if needed. I couldn’t recommend courses at Tactical Response more. Take one.

It takes practical applications like this to really put gear to the test. I don’t mean to slag anyone’s firearm in any way. Your gun may work fine for you. The real test of a firearm is this:

Will it fire every time you pull the trigger? Really! Will it go bang EVERY DAMN TIME? If you are unsure, get a different gun. Can you drop it on the ground, in the mud, shoot it upside down and sideways? Can you shoot 1000 rounds through it and have it still work? The first thing James Yeager did in class was to throw his Glock onto the concrete from 5 feet up, and tell us that if we weren’t willing to do this with OUR guns, we should probably find another gun, or another class.

My Kahr PM9 did NOT go bang every damn time, alas. Sorry Kahr!

I have been completely convinced that the most reliable handguns on the planet are made by Glock.

End of line.

http://www.glock.com

Big Skull

I love Halloween! I don’t rightly understand those who don’t. My mom HATES Halloween. She’s a dental hygienist, though, so maybe we need to give her a break.
She dutifully crafted homemade Halloween costumes for us each year, then confiscated almost all of our candy.

Boneyard

That being said, the older I get, the more I enjoy this freakishly old holiday. Each year I fix up the front of our house and attempt to scare the bejesus out of our neighborhood kids. Then we give them extra-generous portions of candy, and the GOOD stuff at that! I only stock the “holy grail” candies: Reese’s Peanutbutter Cups, Milky Ways, Butterfingers and the almighty KitKats.

Spooky Steps

I did have moments of distress a few years back when bored gangs of un-costumed “children” came westward across the “Trenton Makes” bridge. They wandered our neighborhoods, looking for trouble. My massive “NO COSTUME, NO CANDY!” sign took care of that the following year, and I was able to avoid any further trouble.

Pumpkin King

We are known by neighborhood kids as Mr. Dave and Miss Tara, and each year I hear kids tell their parents “I remember THIS house from LAST year!” We are known to have an above-average amount of spooky decorations, lasers, fog, black lights and monstrous beings roaming our property on All Hallow’s Eve.

Grim Reaper

Each year it gets harder for me to go “all-out” as money and time seem to be present in ever-decreasing amounts in our lives. As I deal each year with the straight-lacers at work who wonder why this 39 year-old man goes so far out of his way to make his studio so “spooky” and why he takes a half-day on October 31, I often ask myself why I put this much effort into such a crazy institution as Halloween. Then, each year, I see these excited and breathless little faces on my doorstep, and know EXACTLY why I do it.

The Reason for the Season

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Most of you know that my wife Tara is a pretty cool woman. Well, as previously reported, she wanted to give me the 40th birthday of a lifetime. She contacted James Yeager at Tactical Response in Memphis, Tennessee, and promptly signed me up for a two day intensive course called “Active Shooter.”

She then thought, “who would be perfect to send with David to this pro course on taking down rogue shooters?” Her answer was, of course, photographer Kyle Cassidy. As it turned out, because of his award-winning book Armed America, James Yeager knew Kyle, and loved the book, and also invited him to come down and take a course. So my birthday present was born… and we both took the course.

We flew out of Philadelphia on Friday morning, on the smallest jet and roughest flight ever. I almost barfed. We got there, checked into our hotel and unpacked our gear. We met with James Yeager and his instructors that night, and they were so cool. They want to use our Brainclaw music in their next video!

We started the course on Saturday morning. We shot targets on an outdoor range in the morning, moving, running, reloading on the run, it was amazing. In the afternoon, we moved to the Shoothouse.

Here I am, doing a move called “cutting the pie.” I slowly slide around the corner, looking for the bad guy, and then taking them out with my trusty Glock 29 chambered for 10mm auto.

The next day things got HECTIC. We hit the ground running, and proceeded to learn all about select-fire (full-auto) AK47s. We performed a drill where we shot bad guy number one with our handgun, then took his dropped AK47, got it running, and used it to take out bad guy number two, all from behind cover.

We shot targets on the run from ridiculous distances. I shot a man-sized metal target from 100 meters. I didn’t know I could make that shot with my Glock 29 from that far away! Kyle and I were some of the few who made the shot on our first try.

Then we did the hard stuff… this is the Shoothouse, where we practiced room clearing and basically shooting each other with real guns and simunition UTI bullets. They HURT. I got shot twice in the hand, once in the temple and twice in the stomach. Oh, and right on my thigh near my… um. You get it. One police officer took one right in his, er, manhood.

Pain is a real motivator, though. I did well, and consistently neutralized the bad guys. It was difficult for me to do this drill, where we were hunting each other down, but one of the instructors, Aaron, took me aside and told me to picture Tara and Ming Mei in there with the bad guys. That’s all I needed to hear. I’m walking with a limp from a possibly broken toe, and I look like I went through a blender, but I had a transcendent experience. I know I could help people if something bad went down.

This is James Yeager, owner of Tactical Response, a serious bad-ass, a wise teacher and a hell of a nice guy. He took great care of us, and for that I am grateful. He is a warrior-teacher-healer of the highest order, and he taught me so much about shooting and myself this weekend. Thank you James, Aaron, Kyle, Brian, Cori, Jay and everyone else!

I have a massively increased respect for my firearm, the Glock 29, chambered for 10mm Auto. My weapon had ZERO malfunctions, and cleanly fed almost 750 rounds over two days. Truly an amazing piece of machinery. Here is a picture of it that I took after Day One, with my new macro lens. I didn’t take too many pictures because I was so busy shooting, but Kyle took hundreds of great ones, which I hope he will post someday. He shot like a champ. Tara and I will be heading to Harrisburg, PA in May 2009 to take “Fighting Pistol,” another course offered by the wonderful folks at Tactical Response.

Can’t wait.

– David

Millennium Falcon Vs. Ion Cannons

Who says geeks have no fun?

The girls and I spent a crazy night last night building the Lego Millennium Falcon, Han Solo’s ship from the Star Wars movies. What fun! We’re starting a Lego-Building club, to meet on a regular basis to build Lego stuff from Star Wars. I didn’t have Legos when I was young, I had Micronauts.

Anyway, when the intense building session was complete, the ladies wanted shots with their newly-constructed Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-1300 light freighter.

I hastily obliged, of course. The girls seem to deploy their ion cannons at the slightest provocation…

This is me after the impromptu photo session:

Davidclaw with the Falcon

Together Again…

Click the image for a high resolution version!
Click here for David’s Photo-A-Week page!

We are enjoying the extreme pleasure of having been reunited in Studio Auroviral and working again with my old bandmate, extremely talented vocalist and Carfax Abbey frontman Gary Billings.

We are busy recording a collection of Gary’s original acoustic guitar and vocal songs, which he has been touring recently. The sessions are going extremely well, and we expect to have the recording completed in a few weeks.

Gary’s voice and guitar playing are top-notch, and if you get the chance, see him live.

Feels like old times…

Some of you may know that I’m turning 40 this November. Some of you may know of my wife Tara’s penchant for birthday surprises… Most of you probably know that I don’t really like surprises much. Well, there’s and exception to every rule, and Tara has outdone herself with my birthday surprise for this, the Big Four Oh.

I’m being sent, along with good friend Kyle Cassidy, to Memphis, Tennessee for the weekend of October 25 to attend a serious continuing education class:

We’re going to Tactical Response, a school that teaches advanced firearms training to military, police SWAT teams and qualified civilians. The curriculum we are taking is an intensive, two-day course called Active Shooter. Here is the posted info on the course:

“The threat of a depressed student, disgruntled employee, or terrorist is REAL. This course teaches the police officer or armed citizen the tactics needed to end the violence quickly and efficiently. This course has plenty of live fire and a healthy dose of Force-on-Force training to intensify the lessons taught. Other related topics are covered as well.

In the past these have been our home grown psychopaths and sociopaths but there are other dangers. Whether you are a Law Enforcement Officer or a legally armed citizen you should be aware of the threat of foreign and domestic terrorist tactics. This two day course will teach you the methods for dealing with an Active Shooter quickly and efficiently. Make no mistake, this class is about hearing gunfire and running toward it and is not for everyone.

Although it is not required, it is recommended that the student be a graduate of our Fighting Pistol class.

We respectfully request that students have read “The Principles Of Personal Defense” by Jeff Cooper before attending class. This and many other items from our gear list are available at www.TacticalResponseGear.com

For more information about our classes and to read hundreds of student reviews loaded with pictures and video clips join our web forum www.GetOffTheX.com . You can also see us on www.YouTube.com just search for “Tactical Response”.

Equipment List:
• One (1) open mind
• Bring a lunch to the range both days
• A Fighting Pistol
• 1000 rounds of quality ammo
• Strongside belt holster

(Sorry but we do not allow the Blackhawk “Serpa” Holster in our classes.)
• Eye and ear protection (muffs recommended)
• Sturdy gun belt (double thickness)
• Minimum of three magazines
• Magazine pouch
• Raingear (We shoot rain or shine)
• Hat and sunblock
• Knee and elbow pads (optional)
• Drinking water (Camelback strongly recommended)
• Bug Spray
• Pen and paper

Needless to say, this sounds like BIG FUN. Most of you know that I carry a firearm for self-defense purposes, and I consider this training to be a smart step in taking responsibility for my choice to carry a weapon. I’m sure that I will have some excellent stories for you all when we get back.

Oh, did I mention that my wife ROCKS?

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