Compiled by Josh Amos
Hello and a happy October! I can hardly believe that fall is here…where has the year gone? Here at the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network we are already gearing up for a great 2017. We have a number of new programs and new opportunities to keep bringing the cream of the armed citizenry into our Network.
One of my favorite things to do as the Network affiliate liaison is recognize how my affiliates are doing great things on behalf of the Network. There were many, but the first affiliate to really catch my attention this month is Brian Dolly. Brian is an independent instructor from River Ridge, LA. I have spoken with Brian over the phone a few times in the past few months, and each time Brian leaves no doubt that he is a good fellow who knows his business. I would not hesitate to recommend Brian to a student.
Not long ago, Brian really caught my attention when he told me that he put up a display of our booklet, What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know About Self Defense Law, along with a little sign on which he wrote an offer to provide a coupon giving $25 off new Network membership to anyone who completes his concealed carry license class. Brian is making an extra effort to support the Network and give his students the incentive to join the Network. Good on you, Brian!
Speaking of affiliates getting creative in getting the Network’s message out to their people, David and Donna Cover from Shelby, AL, have not let their rural location slow them down. The Covers own the shop Cowboys Again in Shelby, AL and are very active in the Single Action Shooting leagues all over AL. When they go to a shoot, they take the Network’s booklets with them. In addition to giving out Network booklets with purchases at their shop, the Covers also vend at gun shows and pass out the Network booklets there, too.
I recently had a great interaction with Thomas Wiedenbeck of Great Lakes Firearms in Oregon, WI. I had called about other matters, but when I mentioned that each affiliate needs to have up to date editions of the Network booklets to give to their customers, Thomas made it a point to go check his stock of booklets and replace outdated versions with the current edition. It turned out he still had some of the 2015 stock, so I was relieved to get those out of circulation and replace them with the current, 2016 version.
The extra effort he put into verifying which edition of our booklet he had tells me that Thomas and the folks at Great Lakes Firearms pay attention to detail and want their customers and students to have the most accurate information possible. So when I refer people to Great Lakes Firearms for training or gun purchases, I know that Thomas and his people will be thorough in everything they do for them. Thanks for the great job, Thomas!
Readers may be wondering, just who are these great affiliates and how did they hook up with the Network? Our first guideline is that affiliated instructors are operating a training enterprise as a business open to the public and or a retail gun shop reaching minimum of 200 students or customers per year. We understand that this can be a challenge for some of our affiliates, especially those who live in sparsely populated areas! If an affiliate is not able to tell approximately 200 clients a year why Network’s membership is critical to armed citizens, we encourage them to get creative! We have members who take our booklets to skeet shoots, single action shoots, hunting clubs, gun shops, ranges, and dojos…there seems to be no limit to the creative ways that Network affiliates are promoting membership as they go about their activities.
As was the topic of my discussion with Thomas at Great Lakes Firearms, I am working hard to be sure affiliates are distributing the current edition of What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know About Self Defense Law to students, customers, and the armed citizens within their sphere of influence. Using the up-to-date, 2016 edition is very important and I am continuously encouraging affiliates and members to check their stock to be sure the copyright date inside the front cover reads “2016.” If you’re out of booklets or find that you are carrying around expired booklets, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or email and we will get a supply of the current edition out to you at no charge.
Our affiliates are listed on the Network website, in pursuit of our goal to send as many clients to our affiliates as possible! Keeping those affiliate webpages current is a challenge, so we ask you, affiliates, to check your listing at http://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org/our-affiliates/instructors for the affiliated instructors and http://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org/our-affiliates/gun-shop-affiliates for affiliated gun shops. Please phone or email me any updates or corrections needed for your affiliation listing. Important details that we want shown in these listings include full contact information so clients can reach you, as well as affiliates’ websites to better introduce you to all of the Network members and visitors to our site. In return we ask that our affiliates post the Network link or one of our banners (http://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org/links-to-acldn) on your site. Contact me for links if you need assistance.
Finally, it occurs to me that you may have not yet seen the video introduction to the Network that our president Marty Hayes recorded. We uploaded it to YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQFqQoS43NU. Go check it out, I think you’ll enjoy this reminder of why he started the Network and how our organization works for the legal protection of our members after self defense. It is a great refresher for anyone who may be able to tell a friend, family member or associate why Network membership is so important, and it is also an easy way to direct people to the right details about the Network, so please share the YouTube link!
Ok, folks…that will do it for this month. Please keep on supporting the Network and rest assured that we are busy supporting you in return. As always, if I can provide you with booklets, brochures, point of sale posters, or clarification on details about Network membership benefits, please let me know!
If I can provide any of these materials, or answer your questions, please call 360-978-5200 or email me a
Click here to return to October 2016 Journal to read more.