We canceled the Law of Armed Defense Class previously scheduled for April 2 but will be announcing the new date and location very soon. Watch the ADTA calendar page for this and other upcoming events.

Members of the Armed Defense Training Association recently participated in two live-fire events at Paul Bunyan Range in Puyallup. Dave Farrow and Bruce Wood, both experienced USPSA competitors and Range Officers, ran the courses of fire for the ADTA. Additionally, Dave is President of Paul Bunyan and Chairman of USPSA activities at Paul Bunyan.

At the first event, on March 23rd, Dave explained the rules for using the action bays at Paul Bunyan and a safety-check. Safety-checks are critical for any shooters that want to shoot-on-the-move because there is more going on than most of us have experienced in normal target practice and it is absolutely essential to understand the range commands, procedures and rules that keep everyone safe.

Some ADTA members still don’t have the right equipment. Choosing a firearm is an entirely personal decision. Nevertheless, .44 magnums, .22 pistols and .380s are not ideal for normal self-defense purposes. Most police departments require officers to carry a round that is at least .38 caliber. I have seen USPSA and IDPA competitors shoot revolvers much faster than most of us shoot semi-automatics. The speed with which a revolver can be reloaded would surprise most of the critics that want to ban high capacity magazines.

It is true, however, that most of us can reload a semi-auto faster than we can reload a revolver. If you choose to bring a revolver to an action shoot, you should have some speed loaders or moon clips and start practicing how to reload on the move.

And think about your holster, too. Some shooters showed up without any holster. If you are on a budget, Uncle Mike’s has very good Kydex holsters for all calibers. Outside the waistband holsters are safer for action shooting and will be required by ADTA n most instances. You can invest in a good inside the waistband leather holster for everyday concealed carry. I have several but increasingly wear OWB under my suit coat. IWB holsters are often needed for casual wear during hot weather when you won’t be wearing a coat.

We have to make sure we keep our muzzles pointed away from the top of the berms. One accidental discharge that gets over the top of the berm will destroy years of hard work by many generations of shooters that built Paul Bunyan.

We had twelve ADTA members participate in the second event, on Wednesday March 30th, including a few that shot on the previous Wednesday. We had some very experienced shooters and some inexperienced shooters, too.

Bruce administered safety-checks and Dave got us shooting a course of fire that was very similar to a relatively easy USPSA course of fire. We engaged multiple targets, reloaded while transitioning to a window. We engaged three steel targets with the strong hand from the window and then proceeded to another series of cardboard IPSC targets.

There was good sense of fellowship and some frustration as we experienced some of the stress that is normal while developing proficiency and making transitions under the eagle eye of Dave Farrow. Dave let us know when we made mistakes that involve safety and also had some helpful hints for better shooting techniques.

The evening was not complete without taking turns on shooting at a star that spins around with plates for targets. Then we engaged in a “billet drill”- five shooters in front of five targets shooting six shots into a target as fast we could. I am suggesting that we take up a collection and make both Dave and Bruce ADTA members. I hope they will continue to be involved even when we start holding live-fire events at the West Coast Armory. The ADTA Board also will be meeting and formalizing our intent to donate some nine millimeter ammunition to Paul Bunyan’s youth programs.

The following is a report from one of our members that attended the second ADTA event and recently participated in his first USPSA practice at Paul Bunyan:

Subject: What a great experience!! For those following, some suggestions - it is more difficult than you can imagine so prepare yourself!

BEFORE you get to the Range preparation-
Learn the commands, safety check procedure and where the safety area is and its purpose.

Attachments previously provided (or attached) are an excellent resource. You do have to study this material.

It is complicated and there is STRESS!! You need it to be second nature.

Practice drawing, reloading and firing with blanks/dummy rounds/snap caps.

Wear a big strong belt. Get all your gear on your belt as you will have it at the range.

Best procedures for perfecting your draw, presentation and other information about getting started can be located at Getting Started- USPSA Practical Shooting.

http://northwestsection.org/newshooter.html

Research them on line, books, acquaintances.

Bring at least 3 magazines and belt mag holders, ‘More is better’. I saw some with a rack of 6-8 magazines on their belt.

Holster on one hip(outside the waistband)- muzzle straight down (I didn’t see any ‘FBI cants’); magazines on other hip.

No Rambo stuff – clothes, gear or attitude.

No cross draws, shoulder holsters (the muzzle points away from downrange. More on this below).

Range preparation:

Your time to shoot is announced:

START of shooting sequence-

Step to the firing station

Face downrange and await instruction from Range Officer.

Know how to prepare your weapon for the start of the firing sequences at the firing station.

Face downrange. You have an unloaded pistol with NO magazine in gun in your hip holster.

Range Officer will tell you to “Make ready” (Remove pistol from holster keeping muzzle downrange, insert loaded magazine in your pistol and cycle a live round into the chamber, place safety on and return pistol to holster).

Stand facing downrange waiting for Range Officer behind you to issue these commands:

“Are your ready” (no response required unless there is a problem; nod head if want to); “stand by” ;"BEEEEEP” . Draw and Engage targets.

END of shooting sequence-

Know how to show clear to the Range Officer when directed.

To ‘Show clear’ after each shooting session:

While muzzle is facing downrange - remove magazine, cycle out last round, lock or hold open slide to display empty chamber, close slide and dry fire straight downrange.)

Oh, did I mention to keep the muzzle always pointing downrange?

If you break 180 by turning too far to the left or right you will be disqualified and not allowed to complete the match for that day. (See ‘DQd’ below).

Move and Shoot-

When you move between targets, change magazines. It saves time from running out (10 with one in the chamber is IDPA round limit/mag. IPSC-USPSA does not have a limit in the open category.)

If you go to the next window and fire at another 3 targets (with 6 rounds) you will run out during that window and have to change mags anyway.

Drop the mags in the gravel while running to the next window/firing station. Doesn’t hurt them.

One way in which IDPA differs from USPSA is that there are situations in which you will be required to retain the magazine when you reload.

When shooting at targets through a window, don’t stick your pistol through the window (you are thinking ‘the closer I get to the targets the better’). The window is small and if the pistol recoils or you jam it going into/out of the window - it can cause a firing interruption, or worse- a dropped gun- a DQ!

‘DQd’…

So many things will get you disqualified (see ‘muzzle downrange’ and ‘dropped gun’ above.)

Read and study the USPSA and IDPA rules material!!!

We represent a fledging organization and first impressions count. Make them good ones. You represent more than just yourself.


http://www.shootonthemove.org/

View YouTube “idpa or ipsc shooting” and see what you will be doing BEFORE you arrive.

http://northwestsection.org/newshooter.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dQNKN58ZDc for Renton facility. A good video.

Watch everyone else to see what they are doing. Copy/steal any technique that works! This is the American way.

Range Duties-

After the “all clear” (RO confirms recent firing sequence is done, pistol is clear of rounds and re-holstered) is sounded, help paste paper targets / paint steel and pick up spent brass (most reload so they want it back).

IDPA has a strong focus on shooting from cover which is important to our objectives. USPSA, IDPA and Steel Targets are all good ways to build skills. Paul Bunyan’s steel match is the third Sunday of every month at 10:00 AM and IDPA at Paul Bunyan is on the fourth Saturday of evey month.

Many folks have observed that we are bonding together as neighbors in love and good fellowship that will continue to grow!

Federal Way gun owners are letting us know that they are serious about the proposed gun range for our city.

We appreciate all the support we have received for our Armed Defense Training Association to achieve our training objectives.

I don’t know whether we will be shooting like SWAT operators but we can all become proficient at shooting on the move and from behind cover. LEOs call such procedures Reality Based Training. Front Sight and excellent local schools like the Firearms Academy of Seattle (in Onalaska, Washington) are well worth the considerable time and expense — if you plan to own a weapon for self-defense.

Incidentally, at FAS you will shoot on the move, from cover and under low-light conditions! We are lining up similar opportunities locally by negotiating range time as a group and then bringing in various instructors and other professionals to make the events safe and productive.

We received encouragement to get going with this plan of action from several business leaders, including members of the Chamber of Commerce. Before the recent proposal for a Shooting Arts Center was published in the Federal Way Mirror, I spoke to the Noon Kiwanis Club and a local Rotary Club about armed self-defense. Soon after I spoke at Rotary, a Rotary Club member asked when we are going to get started with a range.

All ADTA scheduled events are posted here. However, as of March 13th, the eventscalendar needs to be updated to reflect the new dates of March 23/30th. You can now sign up for events and join the club at our website.

As our membership grows, ADTA will continue working towards establishing a local Federal Way shooting facility with the flexibility to provide tactical shooting events.

We hope the proposed range will be a resource for law enforcement (at very little cost to local government) and ADTA members for training. There are quite a few of us working to make all these things happen!

Please watch this location for updates!

Another Federal Way resident, Rick Cook (USMC), and I wrote a book entitled, He Trains My Hands for Battle. The book is a primer on Scriptural Kingdom principles relating to armed defense. In order to obtain an electronic copy ofthe manuscript that you can printout on your own printer, go to www.firearmslawyer.net and use the e-mail address there to send $9.00 via Pay Pal. You can make additional copies for church groups and other nonprofit organizations at no charge. Please contact us if you wish to present a seminar or class based on the materials.

Attorneys for various municipalities around Washington State have issued legal opinions that RCW 9.41.290 “only applies to the regulation of firearms themselves” and “excludes regulations that only secondarily affect firearms… that do not embody a punitive regulation”. The Washington State Attorney General’s Office issued a legal opinion last week that thoroughly rebuts such opinions based on Cherry v Metro and another case that dealt with certain narrow issues applied to a venue for a gun show leased from the City of Sequim, washington.

We previously pointed out in a letter dated May 22, 2008, that the so-called “legal authority” on which many jurisdictions are relying is contrary to any reasonable analysis of the law. Incidentally, the City of Federal Way is now in full compliance with state law as of January 8, 2009.

The legislature has put cities and counties in Washington on notice that local governments’ hands are tied when it comes to restricting our gun rights- even inside the building where the jails and police stations are located. If the City can’t disarm you inside City Hall, how can it force you to be defenseless in the City’s Parks? Keep in mind- cities can only enact those laws and ordinances relating to firearms that are specifically authorized by state law.”

There was recently a mass shooting in another state where the attacker shot and killed a uniformed police officer as a prelude to killing several other people during a City Hall meeting. Our state’s legislature has decided that the solution to such scenarios is not to disarm the people but to make sure that many honest people will be armed when violence occurs.

The key case is Cherry v Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, a case in which a Metro employee was fired for bringing a gun to work. The folks that seek to repeal or subvert the state preemption law assert that Cherry is authority for disarming you when you cross onto City property. Despite such bold assertions, the Cherry case just stands for the premise that if you work as a municipal employee, you may be prohibited from carrying a weapon while on the job.

There are presently cities all over Washington State receiving legal advice based on legal reasoning that has already been repudiated by every jurisdiction that has honestly looked at the state preemption law and the cases. The reason they get bad advice advice is because many politicians in our state of Washington, like Mayor Greg Nickels in Seattle, don’t like the state preemption law and have announced publicly that they want it repealed.

Lawyers often provide advice that will provide justification for the client’s agenda (e.g., to restrict your gun rights). Prior to the AG issuing the opinion putting anti-gun politicians in their place, cities were being advised by counsel to rely on the case of Pacific Northwest Shooting Park Association v Sequim in order to wage their quiet jihad on your ability to protect your family and loved ones and remain safe at public meetings.

In Pacific Northwest Shooting Park Association v City of Sequim, 158 Wash.2d 342 (2006), the court held that the City of Sequim was acting in a private capacity when leasing out a city convention center to an association conducting a gun show within the premises belonging to Sequim. The court decided that the laws that apply to public parks, public meetings and other municipally owned premises and property are not the same as restrictions imposed on private parties per a city’s contractual relations with private parties.

AGO Opinion 2008-8 essentially states that the City of Federal Way’s conclusion that the city has the right “to decide as an owner how its property is used” would render the preemption statute meaningless. In the event civil litigation becomes necessary, attorney’s fees for the defendant can be very high especially in the face of the unequivocal legal authority outlined herein.

As stated already, there are several jurisdictions within the State of Washington that are not presently complying with the preemption law and firearms owners are becoming very concerned that such callous indifference to state law may endanger the lives of Washington citizens in direct contravention of legislative intent!

The best defense for the citizens of Washington state, all of whom are vulnerable to random shootings and street violence is to limit the number of “gun free” zones that are available as kill zones to criminals, terrorists or other deranged individuals seeking publicity by mass shootings. Almost all such shootings have occurred in areas where honest citizens have been rendered defenseless by laws or policies that violate RCW 9.41.290.

See also The Living Constitution?