by Josh Amos
March has arrived and like other spring things, the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network is growing.
First, let me get a little business out of the way to help us and our affiliated instructors ease into spring. Last year, with a focus on getting ahead of the pressures of the summer training season, I tried some new procedures for getting needed booklets and coupons out to our affiliated instructors and gun shop owners. Solving affiliates’ summer booklet supply issues early worked so well last spring, that I am going to do more of the same this time around.
If you are a Network affiliate I will be reaching out to you over the next 30 to 60 days to check in to see how your coupon is working and how many booklets you need to introduce your students and customers to the Network through out the summer. I have a lot of great affiliates to talk to, so if you need booklets, brochures or if you need us to reissue your coupon right away, don’t wait for me to call; please call me at 360-978-5200 or email me at
In this month’s affiliate spotlight, I’d like to start by telling you a little about our affiliated instructor, Coralie Carrier at Southwestern Academy of Firearms Instruction in Las Cruces, NM (http://www.safeinlc.com). Coralie teaches monthly New Mexico CCW classes at the American Legion Hall and she has a full 2018 schedule already! Her classes cover New Mexico self defense and gun law, understanding responsible, legal and ethical use and ownership of guns for self defense, mental preparation, awareness and its critical role in concealed carry, avoiding criminal attack, controlling a violent confrontation, dispute resolution without violence and safe gun storage and gun safety for folks with children. That just scratches the surface, so if you’re looking for concealed carry license classes, contact Coralie Carrier at Southwestern Academy of Firearms Instruction!
My next shout out goes to Mike, Steve, Robert and the rest of the staff at Red Dot Arms in Lake Villa, Illinois (http://www.reddotarms.com). Red Dot is a “multi faceted” destination range with a gun shop selling new and used rifles, shotguns and pistols as well as accessories, plus they have a gunsmith on site and a gun rental counter at the range.
Red Dot also has an impressive line up of training at their home facility in Lake Villa, IL and at satellite training facilities across the states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Red Dot has classes to assist you in whatever tool you use or skill set you want to improve, including multi-state CCW license training, first aid, knife, pistol, shotgun, rifle, gun maintenance, ammunition reloading and you can schedule time with a private instructor, participate in a group class or take instruction from a guest instructor like Steve Tarani.
Every time I call, email or otherwise contact Red Dot, the folks are top notch. If you are in Illinois or Wisconsin, please consider making the trip to Red Dot Arms and getting to know these great Network affiliates.
Since we are already geographically in the upper Midwest, I want to mention Frank Le Fevre at Saginaw Firearms in Saginaw, MN (http://www.saginawfirearms.com/home.html). Frank is a long-time supporter of the Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network and an accomplished firearms safety trainer. Although he has been involved with shooting and firearms for 45 years, this dedicated instructor is passionate about getting beginners off to a good start, be they young people, senior citizens or disabled shooters and whether their interest is shooting for sport or for self defense. He’s logged over 3,000 hours of instruction, according to his instructor bio on his website.
Although one of Frank’s earlier hobbies included exhibition shooting with pistols and rifles, western style quick draw and other feats of marksmanship, today his interests primarily lie in combat style bulls eye, target shooting and self defense use of the pistol. If you are in Minnesota you should get to know Frank and let him know that you are a Network member, too.
As the Network grows, the opportunities to train with and buy from fellow Network members increases. See https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org/our-affiliates/map and enter your location in the search field in the upper right quadrant of the page for lists of affiliated instructors and affiliated gun shops within a 200 mile radius of the location you enter.
To read more of this month's journal, please click here.