Clint Smith is an expert on the use of Defensive Firearms. He is a Marine Corps Infantry vet, SWAT officer, and has been running Thunder Ranch since 1993.
I like his style, this thought process, and how he teaches. When I teach firearms classes, there are several techniques and lessons that I share that I gleaned from Mr. Smith.
I have searched YouTube for good training videos to share, and I have found several clips of Thunder Ranch training videos. Think of them as advertisements for their full length training videos. (I don’t gain anything from this, but I do think there videos are a valuable and worthwhile purchase.)
As a family man home defense is very important aspect of my preparedness planning. Personal Protection in the Home was one of the first NRA courses I got certified to teach, and it is remains a priority to me as I age.
Whether or not you believe that firearm background checks should be required to purchase firearms, most firearms dealers in the United States do perform such checks after the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act was passed in the 1990s. As a responsible gun owner, it’s important to know basic facts about background checks and other standards of federal and state gun control. Here’s what you need to know.
1.An individual is not allowed to own a gun if a background check reveals a specific criminal history.
Of course, a prospective gun buyer is not automatically disqualified from owning a gun if he or she has had any sort of criminal history. However, in accordance with the Brady Act, a firearms dealer cannot sell a firearm to a person whose background check indicates that he or she has/is
Persons Disallowed Firearm Purchases
Been convicted of or is under indictment for a felony punishable by up to one year in prison.
Been convicted of a felony punishable up to two years in prison.
Renounced American citizenship
A fugitive
An illegal immigrant
Been deemed mentally unstable by any institution.
Used illegal controlled substances
2.If a background check cannot be cleared in three business days, a firearms dealer is allowed to sell the firearm.
Most background checks for purchasing firearms are issued to dealers in a matter of minutes. Firearms dealers have access to national database that streamlines the background check process. Delays mostly only take a couple of hours. If, however, a background check has been delayed by three business days, the firearms dealer may sell the firearm without a background check.
3.It is illegal to privately sell a firearm across state lines.
This is an important rule to keep in mind if you happen to want to sell any of your firearms to an individual privately. While you can sell a firearm to another individual, the transaction must occur within the state that you reside.
4.It is illegal to sell a firearm privately if you know or have reasonable suspicion that the prospective buyer has a criminal history.
Again, this is another important regulation to remember. Of course, it’s entirely possible that you may accidentally sell a firearm to a criminal. But if you have reasonable doubt about the buyer’s criminal background or mental instability, you can be held liable.
Gun control in the United States is ever-evolving, and as the government increasingly encroaches on our freedoms, it may be more and more difficult for a law-abiding citizen to purchase and keep a firearm. Even so, it’s important for all gun owners to be aware of the laws and how it may affect them.
Today I have a guest Post from Nancy Parker on Preparing for Disaster with Your Child
There are many different kinds of disaster sand they are always out of the human’s control. As an adult you know how to prepare and what to do during a disaster, but what about the children? Some adults neglect to teach their child what to do base on the fact it could ‘never happen’ to them. Before it’s too late, here are ways to help you prepare your child for a disaster:
It is always good to keep your child informed of possible and potential disasters. Now this doesn’t mean that you educate them to the point where they live in fear but that they understand the potential disaster. When teaching them about disasters, keep the conversation upbeat and positive by stating that there is a solution to the disaster. Keep the conversations short, allow for questions and answer honestly.
Always be prepared, that is the best advice for a disaster. Get the supplies that you need to help yourself during a disaster. For example if it’s preparing for bad weather gather the tools you need like candles, emergency radios, food and water. Teach your child what is needed in certain disasters so that they know what is available for them, if ever needed.
Plan:
You should always have an emergency plan for you and your child for any dangerous situation. Teach them the first they should do for different disasters. Write out a simple and easy least that they can read. Typically that emergency plan should start with listen to an adult’s advice and/or call 911.
Practice:
Once you have purchased the correct safety tools and figured out the right plan, practice. Practicing with your child what to do during a disaster will help them if the time comes. Explain during the practice the procedures that they need to take and why. Practice this emergency plan every few months.
Reaction:
The most important advice that regency officials can give people during a disaster is to remain calm. Teach your child to remain calm during emergencies. You can do this by leading by example, if you remain calm you child is more likely to remain calm. Disasters have the potential to be worse if there is fear and panic to cause confusion and difficulty.
Disasters can’t be avoided but they can be lessened the more you are prepared and ready for one. Teaching your child this will help you and them in any future events. Remember above anything else, remain calm and work with them on the emergency plan.
The CARB compliant gas can law means all gas cans and gas can lids sold in this country have to have a vapor lock on them. The extra spillage associated with the new caps causes a lot more hazardous material to be released than the vapor it was trying to prevent. Which by the way is still released when you open the darn thing. That matters because you cannot buy caps for the military 5 gallon jerry cans anymore.
I have seen several functional 5 Gallon Jerry Can gas containers in surplus stores around Tennessee, but I never bought them because they did not have lids.
Jerry Can Comes from the GI Term for Germans
Imagine my surprise when I realized that when we stole the idea from the Germans in North Africa during WWII. Then, we redesigned the cans to use standard bungs from steel drums.
I did not want to take this at face value. To investigate, I went to Nashville Drum and Barrel to get a bung as well as a steel drum for a homemade charcoal post I am working on.
I do not get any compensation from them; they just have always treated me right. Therefore I wanted to pass their information to those interested. They are located in Fairview TN and their phone number is 615-799-9449.
The reason I like these guys is not just that they are the only game in town for small purchases, but because when I tell them what I am doing, they try to get me a used drum that best fits the intended purpose.
They will not sell you a used barrel for projects involving potable water. However, they will tell you what was in the drum you are buying. That is nice when you are making a rain barrel or a barrelponic setup.
Sometimes when I go to other stores and explain what I need and what I need it to do the clerks get funny looks and tell me they don’t have the parts. When I went to the drum store and tell them what I want they help me the best they can. When I told them about the bung fitting the jerry can, I was pleasantly surprised when they gave me a drum bung just because they thought it was interesting.
Jerry Cans are Great for Preppers
So to get back on topic, the bung fit the jerry can perfectly. Now, I have a spare for my gas can. From now on every time I find a jerry can on sale without a lid I buy it.
They are perfect for preppers, 5 gallons is a fine balance of weight for one man to carry, and capacity. They are strong, easy to store and stack, and because of the three grips on the top, one man can carry it by grasping the center handle, and two can carry one by grabbing the grips on each side.
Jerry cans are a wonderfully engineered product, let’s just hope modern government stops stealing bad ideas that collide with good ideas our past governments won by conquest…
This video was created by a lawyer to give the viewer tips on how to deal with police. It’s name, “The citizen’s guide to surviving police encounters” is a very accurate summary of it’s content.
It is not a lawyer video for thugs, nor does it help if you are guilty, but it does provide valuable information for innocent citizen’s whose instincts for helping and cooperating with government officials may lead them into trouble.
If a policeman is talking to you about a crime they may suspect you, the courts have ruled a law enforcement officer can lie to you, they can use anything you say against you, and cannot use anything that you say that may help you to help you.
When teaching self defense, and especially armed self defense I try to incorporate many of the concepts in this video as they are standard to the field. This is not rocket science and the video does not show anything new or groundbreaking to those in the know, but much of what it teaches is not commonly known to the millions of honest law-abiding citizens that are just trying to mind there own business and help out when asked.
I’m not a lawyer so don’t believe me – Just watch BUSTED: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters.
