Compiled by Gila Hayes
The recent holidays were brightened by all the holiday wishes we received from a number of Network affiliates. When affiliated instructor Domenick Rocco sent a brief holiday greeting, I wondered what he’d been up to lately, and browsed over to his website. Rocco’s blog is worth following, containing his own commentary, as well as reposts of the thoughts and advice of many leaders in our self-defense community. For thought-provoking and action-inducing blog posts, add http://rotac2.blogspot.com to your reading list!
One of our widely traveled Network members, Phil Smith, sends in the most interesting email reports. Phil travels for work, and related recently, “I had to deliver some parts to a client in Baltimore. On the way down I stopped at a Graingers outlet to pick up some anti-sieve compound for a HF Ham Radio Antenna. The gentleman assisting me asked what is was for and I told him. He then gave me his call sign as he is also a ham operator.”
“After a talk on radios it shifted to living in woods and we both do, then politics and gun control under Obama. With an opportunity like this I had to ask if he was familiar with the Network and he was not. After I retrieved a booklet for him, he kept asking questions. At the end he asked if I had any more booklets for his friends and followed me to the car for a big handful. February takes me to Jacksonville, FL and then Vegas. I have set a goal to introduce at least four people to the Network.”
Phil has a lot of fun connecting with new people that he meets by giving them our Foundation’s complimentary booklet What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know About Self-Defense Law. If you would like some booklets to share with your friends–old and new–please just drop me an email at
I recently enjoyed exchanging emails with Mark Perillo, one of the three key players at TOTAL Firearms Techniques, Inc., in Brewster, NY. Mark, Ralph and Sergio at TOTAL Firearms teach many of the NRA firearms safety and use courses, as well several state’s concealed carry licensing training both for groups and private lessons. In addition, they have a nice stock of both used and new pistols and can provide the services of a Federal Firearms Licensee to assist those wishing to buy a gun elsewhere and have it shipped to their FFL for the necessary background check and paperwork before taking possession. Learn more about TOTAL Firearms at http://www.tftny.com/our-mission/ and take advantage of their services and their focus on safety.
Our Affiliated Instructor Keith Fisher in Hillsboro, MO wasted no time after the holidays getting back to teaching, with concealed carry license classes scheduled between Christmas and New Year’s Eve–as well as right after the first of the year. We’re proud to note that Keith promotes Network membership in his classes and on his website.
In addition to the NRA firearms courses, Fisher is working on curriculum to take the concealed carry licensee from the training required for licensing, to a fuller understanding of the law, more advanced pistol handling and marksmanship, handgun retention, and as a graduate of Massad Ayoob’s excellent training himself, Keith intends to host that essential training for his clientele. It is fun to see an instructor so enthusiastically reaching out to new gun owners with essential safety and use of force training. Learn more about Keith’s classes at http://fisherarms.com/our-instructor.html.
A note to Network affiliates and members alike: As you know from earlier journals, on January 1, 2016, we implement one of our rare Network dues increases. It’s been three years since we had any type of rate increase, and the 2013 increase only applied to new memberships! The increase in dues rates has necessitated reprinting our tri-fold brochures and our advertising in the back of our Foundation’s booklet, What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know About Self-Defense Law. Our friendly Network printer, Lynx Group in Salem, OR, is now busily working to get our new booklets and brochures ready. There will be a slight delay in filling orders for booklets and brochures throughout the first three weeks of January while we wait for our friends at Lynx Group to get our order ready for pickup. If you would like us to send you some of these new booklets please email ghayes@armedcitizensnetwork, and while I’ll apologize for the delay, please know that when we are restocked we will share our most current booklets and brochures with you.
Click here to return to January 2016 Journal to read more.