Correct target for CCDW qualification

We recently received an email asking what's the correct target for the qualification shooting part of the CCDW course.

The one shown below is the correct target. It's the traditional B21 standard 50 yard target, sized 35x45 inches.
The 'reduced size' version that's listed by some target vendors is intended for use at 25 yards for some courses of fire, but that version is NOT allowed for use in the CCDW classes.
There is also another traditional target, the B27, but it's a different shape and is not authorized for use in the concealed carry classes. You can see it here.
There are variations of the B21 that have different scoring rings, but they're okay to use. It's the overall shape, size and silhouette of the target that's important.
If your instructor is using any other target besides this one, please advise him to check with the Dept. of Criminal Justice Training for information about the right target to use.

RSVP form for the annual meeting

If you intend to come to the meeting May 9th and want to have lunch with all of us, please use this form. You can click on it to enlarge it, then print it and mail it in to KC3. We must receive your RSVP by May 1st so we can order the correct quantity of food for the event.

We look forward to seeing you then.

(click to enlarge form in another window for printing)

KC3 Annual meeting reminder

The Kentucky Coalition to Carry Concealed annual meeting is only two weeks away!

We wanted to remind you once more about the date of the meeting.  And don't forget that if you intend to attend this year's meeting and want to eat lunch with the rest of us before the meeting, you MUST submit the RSVP form that's in the most recent issue of the newsletter.

We'll be posting a copy of it here on the blog ASAP so that you can download it from here and mail it in.  The form MUST be mailed in not later than MAY FIRST for it to be accepted.  Emails and phone calls will NOT be accepted as a form of reply.

We're doing this to save money and avoid squandering resources, which I'm sure we can all appreciate when we're watching the insane spending spree going on in Washington, DC.

The meeting will be held at the Open Range in Crestwood, Ky.  

Registration starts at 11 AM and lunch will be at 12 noon.  The annual meeting will start at 1 PM with the board of directors meeting to follow that.

If you need to renew your membership you can send in the form from the newsletter or get in touch with us by email via the web page on the 'contact us' page.  You MUST be a member to participate in the meeting!

Clear your calendars and be there if you want to be part of the process.  We look forward to seeing all of you.

Milwaukee police chief suspends civil rights in his city

(Chief Ed Flynn - Milwaukee)

There was a recent advisory opinion issued by the Wisconsin Attorney General that confirmed that the mere act of carrying a firearm openly on your person, as provided for by law in that state, did NOT constitute disorderly conduct or any other illegal act.

Unfortunately, Ed Flynn, the chief of police in Milwaukee has announced that he's not going to be guided by this advisory.  He's telling his cops to put citizens on the ground, disarm them and THEN determine if they're doing anything wrong!

We anticipate that there will be some lawsuits forthcoming if the police in that city are as stupid as their chief and try this tactic on law-abiding citizens.

Read more about it here and here.

Citizens gun rights group plans open carry event

More and more groups that advocate the citizens right to be armed have begun holding public events in order to focus attention on this issue.  

One group in Pennsylvania is holding a picnic where their members will carry openly.  You can read about it here.

There's a lot of disagreement in the firearms-owning community about this issue.  Basically we at KC3 believe that it's necessary to exercise our rights, to show the nation that we're not going to be intimidated by bad laws and bullying politicians who want to intimidate us into being reluctant to go public with our beliefs.  Carrying openly helps to dispel the myth that having a gun must inevitably lead to its misuse.

We're lucky that in Kentucky the right to carry openly is recognized, but the reason that KC3 exists is that at one point in time, some police departments made it their business to harass lawful gun owners who tried to carry openly in accordance with the law.

It's great not to have to carry openly, but it's also good to do it sometimes just because you can, because it's your RIGHT.

Congratulations!

The Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog celebrated the posting of its 4000th self-defense incident this week.

Think about it.  That's 4000 times that a firearm has been used in a legitimate, legal manner to save lives or prevent crimes, and this is just since they began keeping track in 2003.

We hear from the mainstream media all the time about the tragic cost of guns and 'gun violence' but not nearly so often about the greater number of incidents in which lives and property were defended by gun owners.  And we know from various studies done over the decades past that the number of actual incidents is much greater than the average of two per day that their blog has posted.

Hats off to Clayton Cramer and David Burnett, the authors of the blog.  Mr. Cramer is a well-known professor and blogger of many years standing, and Mr. Burnett is a member of the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which you can find more info about on this blog.

If you'd like to support their ongoing work, please make sure to hit the donations tab on the Gun Self Defense blog when you visit.  Their link is here on the left side of our page.  It's worth the look and worth your time to read the reports.

"Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back!" - Jeff Cooper

Concealed carry on campus

Update on the Thunder Over Louisville situation

Good news!  The Louisville Metro Police were asked at a press conference today about the ban on firearms that is posted on the TOL web page which we told you about.  They stated that there is NO such ban!

They clarified that the only place where legally concealed firearms would not be permitted would be INSIDE the beer tents, and that those areas would be correctly posted, as required.

They stated that concealed carry by persons with legitimate CCDW permits would be allowed on the Great Lawn and other open areas, in accordance with Kentucky statutes.

We're still waiting for the Kentucky Derby Festival people to fix their web site, but for the time being this is a very significant victory for us.  In the past, Louisville's city government simply ignored any attempts to reverse their discriminatory policy.

Thanks for your help and support!  We'll keep you posted as this situation evolves.

Louisville decides not to obey Kentucky laws

It's Kentucky Derby time again, time for festivities and activities, balloon races and mini-marathons and for the great fireworks and aviation show called "Thunder Over Louisville". But in a stunning show of sheer gall, Louisville's rulers have decided that they are a law unto themselves.

Kentucky has a law that says that only the General Assembly may make laws relating to firearms, what's called our preemption law. But Louisville's Metro council doesn't care.
Anther law states that no unit of government may ban CCDW in the open areas of parks. That doesn't concern mayor Jerry Abrams and his happy band of gun-haters.
Kentucky's constitution plainly says that you may carry firearms openly about your person, with few restrictions and none that relate to this situation. Louisville seems to be making up their own constitution.
Why are we saying this?
Read what's here on the "Thunder Over Louisville" web page about what you can and can't bring into the Derby festival area along the waterfront - http://www.thunderoverlouisville.org/frequently-asked-questions.html -

What can't I bring to Thunder Over Louisville?

For safety reasons the following are not permitted in the event area, which goes south from the Ohio River to Main Street between Clay Street and 10th
Street:

No Tents

No cans or bottles are allowed at the event site. Plastic bottles and food are permitted. There is also plenty of food and soft drink stands to take care of any needs you may have. Beer is available at the Chow Wagon at Waterfront Park and the Belvedere Beer Garden.

No alcoholic beverages are allowed.

No bikes, skateboards or skates are allowed in the event venue. You will be asked to walk them in for pedestrian safety.

No firearms are allowed.

Please leave any pets at home.

Due to increased security - all persons and parcels are subject to search.


So, by decree of the Metro council, they have announced that they have suspended your rights for an area extending 15 blocks east-to-west, and 3 blocks north-to-south!
In blatant violation of the laws and constitution of Kentucky, the Louisville Metro county government has revoked the right to self-defense - and will be searching you at random to enforce their decree!

We were just apprised of this outrage today and have already started the effort to reverse it. Check back here for updates on the situation.
In the meantime, take advantage of the contact page on the Kentucky Derby Festival web site here to get in touch with them, but be warned the email link for info@kdf.org on that page doesn't appear to work so you might have to call them. You can use these addresses to reach their media contact people - aboyd@kdf.org and mshallcross@kdf.org - which ought to shake them up a bit. Please tell them that you won't be spending your money at the Derby or any related events as long as this policy is in place.
They got away with this in the past. We're going to do our best to see to it that it ends now.

Stupid signs just won't go away

(click on sign to enlarge image for viewing)

Okay, so you have a business in Kentucky?  Why would you post signs that quote Ohio law on the door of that business?

Apparently some business people in northern Kentucky either aren't sure which side of the river they're on, or they're too lazy or too cheap to have signs printed up just for their Kentucky locations.

These signs were found on a Cincinnati Bell Wireless store in the Crestview Hills shopping center by KC3 member Scott Berger.

The address of the store is: 2895 Dixie Hwy, Crestview Hills, Ky. 41017.

Their telephone number is (859) 331-1000.

You can also contact their corporate HQ at 'contact us' link at the top of their web page here.

If you live up that way, we wish that you'd stop in and talk to them, or give them a call on the phone.  Tell them, politely please, that the signs are stupid for a couple of reasons.

One, this is Kentucky so quoting Ohio law means nothing.

Two, signs don't stop criminals from robbing their stores or threatening their employees.

Three, stupid signs keep responsible citizens from spending their money in stores that post stupid signs.  You don't want to burden them with your money if that's how they really feel about honest people who carry for their own safety.

They need to hear from all of you before we give them a visit or send them a letter so that they know that you don't appreciate their disregard for your safety and your freedoms.

And tell 'em KC3 sent you!

Missouri moves for major changes in CCDW law

As our members and friends know, KC3 is now in the process of collecting signatures on a petition in support of changing our statutes to legalize the possession of firearms on school property.

Missouri was behind us in getting their CCDW law passed, but they're making up for lost time in a big way -

"Jefferson City — Legislation lowering the minimum age for obtaining a concealed-weapons permit and allowing concealed guns at public colleges and universities received first-round approval Wednesday in the Missouri House." (You can read the rest of it here -)

It goes to show that we can't rest on our laurels and be content with what we have now. We have to keep pushing to expand our rights. That means getting those signatures and being ready to hit the General Assembly hard in 2010 so we get the improvements that we know we need!

Contact KC3 for copies of the petition or copy it from your newsletter, then mail the signed copies in to us.

Excellent thinking in a well-written essay about guns and freedom

So many people write about guns and about our freedoms. But few have written so concisely and cogently as "Armed Liberal" has in this piece at the Winds of Change blog.

Here's an excerpt -

"We are left with the choice between the tragedy of funerals we have today and the tragic farce of placing our face quietly under Orwell's eternal boot. And the tragedy - the real tragedy of that choice - is that it isn't a choice; because what we would get at the end of choosing it, I believe, is the worst of both worlds where law abiding citizens place themselves at the mercy of both an intrusive and useless state and of violent criminals the state cannot control."

Read all of it here.

Gallup poll shows no new support for gun control

A poll conducted before the most recent rash of shooting showed no new increase in support for gun control in this country.

There's good reason to believe that this reflects the possibility that more Americans are getting the news that gun control laws don't work.  Disarming potential victims and ordinary citizens will never persuade maniacs from their intent to commit mayhem.

You can read the Gallup poll story on their web page here.

WLKY report on guns and CCDW in Kentucky

More Kentuckians Apply For Concealed Carry Permits

By Steve Burgin, WLKY news
Read the whole story on the WLKY web page here.
(watch part one here) (watch part two here)


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A Target 32 investigation has found a dramatic increase in the number of Kentuckians applying for concealed carry permits.

Applications in Jefferson County more than tripled in December of 2008. Weapon and ammo sales are up as well, and people are packing gun safety classes, which are required before a person can get a concealed carry permit.

A change in the administration and a troubled economy are the two main reasons given for this increased desire among Kentuckians to carry concealed weapons. As a result, business has shot through the roof at Open Range Sports in Crestwood, Ky. Barry Laws runs Open Range.

"We are starting to love Obama right now," he said. Laws said there's a fear among his customers that President Barack Obama will move toward more gun control.
"It's a double-edge sword," he said. "People want to buy a lot of firearms, but there aren't a lot available."

Stacy Triplett, who recently received her concealed carry permit, was shopping for a way to hide her 9 mm pistol. "It's a fundamental right to bear arms and we are concerned that right might be curtailed," she said.

According to state records obtained by WLKY News, applications for concealed carry licenses, jumped from 12,292 in 2007 to 16,503 last year -- an increase of 34 percent.

Charles Riggs, a member of the board of the Kentucky Coalition to Carry Concealed, said the message behind those numbers is clear. "That says when I go out of my house, I'm responsible for myself. I'm responsible for my own well-being," he said. "I have the right to live my life unmolested by criminals."

Since passing the law in 1996 and through the end of last year, the commonwealth has issued nearly 146,000 concealed carry permits.

(read it all and watch the videos on their web page here)

Where you ban guns, predators will prey

In the aftermath of the most recent mass shootings and murders of police officers, we can expect to hear a mounting hue and cry for more gun control.

Instead of being defensive, we need to be coming right back at the gun-banners and ask them why they insist on a policy that's been shown to fail again and again?
Here's a good article that quotes Suzanna Gratia Hupp, whose parents were murdered in the Luby's cafeteria massacre in Texas in 1991.
The fact that so many of these monsters who commit these crimes commit suicide is a demonstration of their cowardice. Even though the perpetrator in Binghamton, New York was wearing body armor, when he reached the end of his slaughter he shot himself rather than face the guns of the police. He counted on having unarmed victims to prey upon.
We need to be throwing this right back in the faces of the gun haters. They are the ones who should be held accountable because their insistence on disarming ordinary citizens is the very thing that guarantees the monsters will have an open field, filled with helpless targets.
Now is the time to fight back, not to be defensive.
We own firearms with which to defend ourselves. We must gather up our arguments and take the fight to the public forums so that the rest of the nation understands that it's the anti-gunners who have the blood on their hands.

Training is never a bad idea

Have you thought about taking classes?

In talking about concealed carry with people, it's surprising to find that often many of them haven't taken any formal training with their firearm. While that's not a major problem, since most defensive uses of guns are resolved in favor of the defender, quickly and at close range, it's still never a bad idea to increase your skills. Think about it. If you had to use your pistol to stop a thug who was attacking you, how confident would you be in both your own skills and your equipment? Taking professional training will help you with that. It'll show you what works and what doesn't by giving you an opportunity to test your equipment and your tactics. You'll have someone to coach you, who can see what you might be doing wrong and give you suggestions about what you could do to improve your abilities. Many of us assume that we're good enough with what we know, but what kind of attitude is that? You've taken on the burden of carrying a gun so that you can defend yourself and your loved ones. Is "maybe" being prepared good enough when it's the lives of those you love most in the world at stake? Most of you get training in the workplace so you can do your job more efficiently. Is there ANY job more important than defending your own life? Good training is a lifetime investment. When your life is on the line, you'll be glad you put in the time and effort. For suggestions on where you can find professional firearms instruction, contact KC3 via the web page or the comments on this post.

Fox News blows the lid off the government's disinformation campaign!

Eric Holder and others in the Obama administration, including Hillary Clinton, have been telling us that 90% of the guns being used in the drug wars in Mexico are coming from the U.S.


Of course, those of us who know anything about guns know full well that you don't just drop into the local sporting goods store in Phoenix and stock up on machine guns, RPGs and grenades to take back to Juarez. The majority of the weapons being used by the cartels are either bought from other countries which are happy to sell them the full-blown, fully-automatic military weapons that they're using, or are being provided to them by the thousands of Mexican soldiers who go AWOL every year, taking their guns with them.
And where are THOSE fully automatic assault rifles, those M16s, coming from?
Why, they're being GIVEN to the Mexican government by the United States!
But that won't stop the gun-haters in Washington from using any major event and telling any lie and distorting any statistic in order to pass misguided legislation that infringes on YOUR rights.
Fortunately, not all of the mainstream media are falling for it.
Fox News has a story about it here. You can read that, and follow their ongoing broadcast expose of the devious manipulations of the numbers that the Obama gang are trying to employ to take away your personal freedoms.
We can be thankful that at least one of the major news outlets cares about the truth!

Come join KC3 and freedom-minded citizens at this event

KC3 is going to have a table at the Tax Liberation Day event being put on by the BIPPS on April 18th. We hope that you'll plan to attend, and tell your friends and family about it.

We'll be telling you more about our participation in the weeks ahead.
You can get more information right now about the organizers, the
Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions at their web page.
There's going to be food and music and games and contests, so you'll want to check back here to see what's planned for this family-oriented day.
Hope to see you and yours at Applebee's park in Lexington on April 18th!

Be careful about taking a CCDW class

We've received reports of a person who is no longer a certified instructor who's taught CCDW classes and defrauded the students of their money.

Before you take a class, check with the Sheriff's office and be sure that the person offering it is on the current list of approved instructors. Sadly, there are some unscrupulous people out there. You can also find the list at the Dept. of Criminal Justice Training web site here. Click on the link to view it.
The DOCJT and the KSP do everything that they can to investigate every problem that's reported to them and to prosecute those persons who break the law. But you owe it to yourself to do your homework before you take the class and be sure that it's on the up and up, just to avoid the ensuing hassles if it's not.
We'll keep you informed on this situation as more confirmed information is available.

Please welcome our new sponsor

KC3 is happy to announce that the Elzetta company is now a sponsor and supporter of our efforts. Not only do they have some outstanding products but they're located right here in Kentucky.

Please visit them to see their full line of flashlight mounting devices for the AR series of rifles here on their web page - http://www.elzetta.com
We've asked three of the best instructors we know to use one of their mounts for testing, and will be reporting back to you in the weeks ahead to let you know how well they held up. Based on what we've seen of the gear from handling and examining it, we expect excellent feedback.
If you have an AR and want a simple, lightweight and effective way to put a light on it, this could be what you need. Please check them out, and tell them thanks for supporting KC3!