You’ll Never Guess Who’s Buying the Guns Now

By Kellene Bishop

Last night I was a guest on the NRA News program “Cam and Company.”  The host, Cameron Edwards, asked me a question that I thought a lot of our readers would be interested in knowing the answer to. 

“Have you noticed any particular trend in women purchasing guns?”

The answer is a definite YES, but the description of these women may surprise you.

Photo c/o adminsecret.com

The majority of them are first time purchasers.  But even more surprising, especially to the main stream media, is that the majority of these women are mothers.  Some would say “You’re a mother!  You’ve got kids in the house.  Why are you buying a gun?!”  A mother purchasing a gun may be counterintuitive to the majority of the world.  But the feedback I’m hearing from my students who are mothers, especially of young children, is actually quite logical.  These mothers are slowly becoming aware that they are usually the only point of defense in their child’s life.  Even in a two-parent home, the mother is around the children the most, thus most responsible for their protection and safety.  Although when one thinks of a mother they usually think of a kind, nurturing, loving, and caring woman.  But these mothers nowadays are definitely showing their “lioness” side to them as well.  And they are strengthening that instinct with their money and their time to acquire the skills and tools necessary.  These mothers are realizing that can’t rely on someone else to protect their children and to relinquish such a responsibility would be foolish.  They also are seeing that protecting THEMSELVES is also a critical component to being ABLE to protect and provide for their children.  They aren’t able to rely solely upon their physical strength to do so, and thus in the face of an increasing presence of crime, they are opting for the ultimate equalizer in any fight, a firearm, coupled with the knowledge, skill, and willingness to use it in defense of their loved ones.

If you ask me, I feel that this is a refreshing and perfectly sensible outlook for mothers to adopt.  So ladies, how can I help you implement this strategy?

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop

Countless Government Officials Guilty of Child Endangerment!

By Kellene Bishop, Women of Caliber

 

When you’re finished reading this piece, I hope that you will see how numerous of our government officials AND the majority of our journalists are actually guilty of premeditated child endangerment in our nation. 

 

Don’t you HATE being manipulated?  I don’t know about you, but I LOATHE being manipulated.  So much so that when I’m watching a live presentation and I can tell that I’m being manipulated to laugh or clap or holler at a particular moment, I obstinately refuse to be a “joiner.”  To me, manipulation is right up there with spewing “bold-face” lies.  Such actions are disingenuous, and in my not-so-humble opinion, when such manipulated efforts are perpetrated by a government or otherwise trusted “officials”, it’s worse than just a lie.  It’s an act of treason which is intended to strip me of my freedoms and security.  So how would you like to discover that countless attempts are shot at you regularly to manipulate how you raise your children, and in doing so are actually putting your children at a significant danger?  Yup.  Now “Dem’s Fighting Words, Bubba!”  

Welcome to the relationship our international media has with guns.  Their motives are unfathomable to me, but they clearly reek of a subservience, minion-like attitude of one who is serving a tyrannical king.  (Makes me wonder why so much blood has been spilt so that these journalists can have the right of free press, when they clearly do not use such a right freely.)  While horrific criminals are being let off Scott free for premeditated murder of children, child abuse, child endangerment, and child slavery, our very own media is in love with manipulating our nation’s parents in their views and education of their children about firearms.  IF firearms are a danger to the lives of children, then they are sounding a much needed warning cry.  However, IF firearms are actually an effective means of protecting ourselves and our children, then such manipulation is a terrorist act, in my opinion.  In such a case, here’s the real crime—the protection and safety of our children should be the number one priority of every single parent in America.  Such instincts to protect the children are even remarkably innate in non-parents as well.  And IF a firearm can actually ensure that an added measure of safety and security is available for our children, then anyone who would desire to eliminate such a tool is an enemy to my children, the future security of my country, and thus a terrorist enemy to me.  

 

If right now, you cringe at the thought of possessing a firearm in your home or on your persons out of fear that a child may be harmed by it accidentally, then you have indeed fallen prey to this criminal campaign.  Here’s why.

 

Crime #1—How the government statistics define “children.”  Since the anti-gun proponents frequently use images of young children to ensure the proper emotional reaction to firearm accident statistics, it’s important to understand how such research studies define a child.  Are you ready?  According to the majority of all gun and children related accidents a child is defined as the age of 0 to 20 and even as old as TWENTY-FOUR years old, depending on the source.  That’s right.  Junior who has joined a gang at the age of 18 and is 35 times more likely to be shot as a result of such gang-relations is blatantly used to skew the statistics of the “children and guns” movement of the anti-gunners.  Why is this the case?  For the very reason that I used in my example.  Gang related deaths are numerous.  And unfortunately it’s common for teens to be involved in gangs, thus they are involved in gang related shootings. 

 

“Most violent crime is committed by males ages 16-24, so these numbers include adult gang members dying during criminal activity.” (FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, 1997)

 “18-20 year olds commit over 23% of all gun murders.” (U.S. Treasury and Justice Dept. Report, 1999)  None of these “children” are allowed to purchase a handgun due to their age under current law.

And don’t forget the fact that some of these “children” are fighting over in Iraq or Afghanistan right now.  The clear motivation with this stretched definition of what constitutes a child is that the anti-gun individuals will have a more suitably intimidating statistic of “children involved in gun related deaths” to influence society with.  Don’t believe that these statistics are defined this way?  Here’s just one direct quote from Handgun Control, Inc., a blatantly anti-gun organization.

The annual review of mortality data, published by the Department of Health and Human Services, said gun-related deaths dropped from 4,223 in 1997 to 3,792 among children under age 20 in 1998.” -Handgun Control, Inc. (emphasis added.)

In actuality, 142 children ranging in age from 0 to 14 were killed as the result of a gun.  That does not imply that 142 deaths of any age is acceptable, but do you really think that the media and government officials would get the emotional result from you they desired if they instead stated “Out of over 300 million guns held legally nationwide among over 15 million children under the age of 14, 142 were killed in 1997.”  Yeah.  It lacks the “pow” effect that they believe they can accomplish with the other so-called statistic.  It’s a far cry from the 4,223  or 3,792 number, now isn’t it?  Do you feel manipulated yet?  Don’t worry if you don’t.  I’ve got more.

Crime #2—Blatant Media Bias on the Reporting of Children and Gun Incidents: When you see a news report on a child killed with a gun, pay attention to how many times such a report is run compared to any other news piece, and pay attention to the pictures which are associated with such an instance.  When individuals are killed in an airplane crash, what does the media attempt to do after such a report?  They predictably follow up the story with statistics on overall safety record of flying, attempting to allay any fears the viewers/readers may have about flying.  Have you EVER read a news article that ever attempted to convey the facts about the SAFETY and BENEFITS of guns in our nation?

During 2001, John Lott, Sr., Research Scholar of the School of Law at Yale University, audited the 3 major news networks.  During that year there were over 190,000 words of coverage dedicated to gun crimes.  However, only 580 total words were devoted to the merits of owning a gun for self-defense, and even that occurred as the result of ONE network interviewing a police office who helped stop a school shooting.

In 1999, Newsweek did a special issue of “American Under the Gun.”  There were over 15,000 words spewed in an attempt to bias the dangers of gun ownership and not one single word sharing statistics of the use of guns in self-defense scenarios.

In 2001, USA Today contained 5,660 words on crimes committed with a gun, no words on gun use in self-defense.  Washington Post provided 46,884 words on stories of gun crimes with only 953 words on defensive uses of guns.

In 1999, 20/20 aired a very anti-gun episode specifically attempting to enlighten viewers on dangers of mixing children and guns.  During the course of the show, a toy room was filmed showing children playing with real guns and playing with them as if they were toys.  At one point the “voiceover” even stated “It wasn’t long before the shooting began.”  There was NO shooting.  There was make-believe play!  The same year this show aired, 1999, there were 31 children under the age of 10 who died from accidental gun deaths.  Is there ANY other way that children die which receives more press attention with the same level of alarm?  Think about it.  If 31 children died this year as the result of choking on a Triscuit cracker, do you think it would receive ANY news coverage?  The level of disproportionate coverage is clearly an indicator of blatant manipulation.  Wouldn’t it be revolutionary for a new report to follow-up a rare accidental child shooting with statistics such as, “Did you know that water is 19 times more dangerous to a child than a firearm?  Or “Bathtubs are twice as dangerous to children as guns.  Fire is 18 times more dangerous to children than guns.  Cars are 57 times more dangerous.  Household cleaners and poisons are twice as dangerous.” (Dr. Joyce Lee Malcolm, Guns and Violence , Bentley College history professor)

Feel manipulated yet?  There’s more.

Crime #3—Blatant Government Bias on the Reporting of Children and Gun Incidents: First of all, it’s important that you understand that government reports almost always result in statistics which favor the entity which funded the work of creating such a report.  Politicians clearly want research studies which produce the support for the position which they have already opted to take.  And they rarely resist injecting politics into supposedly objective science studies.  In spite of being in existence and well-funded for decades and with all of the “studies available” conducted by government organizations on guns and children, the Department of Justice and the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, has never conducted ANY is ANY report which attempts to discover the number of children’s lives that were SAVED as the result of a gun being present.

The manipulation never seems to cease, does it?

Crime #4—Out Right LYING about Gun Use Statistics: Seatbelts save lives, right?  That’s why it’s a crime in most areas of the country not to have your child in a car seat and with a seat belt.  And yet in spite of such requirements, 250,000 children are injured in car accidents every year, with over 2,000 of them resulting in child fatalities. (National Center for Statistics) Additionally, in spite of the rare circumstances which have occurred in which a seat belt or an air bag has actually killed a child in such an accident, you do not hear any clamoring for such cars or automobile safety features to be banned or locked up, right?  And yet the entire aura of government reports and media reporting would have you believe that guns are an offending foe in the deaths of children. 

 

While we’re told that 13 children die every day from a gun accident, this number “13” involves gang-related activities while committing felonies and kids that commit suicide. (FBI Uniform Statistics, 1997) In fact, four children dies each day in the U.S. as the result of parental neglect and abuse.  Perhaps we should register and license parents?  Not!  The number “13” is nothing more than a bold-face lie intended to manipulate the presence of guns for self-defense in our lives. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, of all of the accidental killings of children, 56% of them were from car accidents, 22% were from drowning.  0.1% of all deaths of U.S. children between the ages of zero and 14 are from firearms according to the National Safety Council.  In 2000, there were 86 accidental firearm deaths of children under the age of 15.  However, in that same year there were 40 children under the age of five that died in a bucket and 80 who died drowning in a tub.

According to the General Accounting Office, gun trigger locks are proven ineffective against most children older than 7 years of age.  California has a trigger lock law and saw a 12% increase in fatal firearm accidents in 2005.  Texas doesn’t have such a law and experienced a 28% decrease in firearm accidents in that same year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

 

The myth is perpetuated that handguns are 43 times more likely to kill a family member than a criminal.  And yet of the deaths that were reported in the study this mythical statistic originates, 86% of the deaths were suicides.  Other deaths involved criminal activity between the family members such as drug deals that went awry.  Only 0.1% of the defensive gun deaths resulted in the death of a family member. (Dr. Gary Kleck, Criminologist, Florida State Univ.)

 

Manipulation rages on.

 

Crime #5—Failing to Assist in the Education of REAL Gun Safety: You can’t watch television all your life without being exposed to the reinforcement of rules that parents teach their children such as “don’t talk to strangers,”  “say please and thank you”, etc.  And yet there has not yet been ONE government or media sponsored piece teaching children gun safety.  Over the past 5 years, not a single gun safety mention has ever been made after the report of an accidental shooting involving a child.  Not one.  And yet if the safety message of parents were to be reinforced by the media and our government, the number of accidental child shootings would be reduced by HALF!  (Read The Bias Against Guns by John R. Lott, Jr.) Instead of supporting and even sharing such teachings of safety, our media, entertainment industry, and particularly Hollywood glorifies the insolence and rebellion of youth and gangs.  

 

In my opinion, if you are not a part of the solution, then you are definitely a part of the problem.  Instead of getting this kind of support funded from the egregious taxes they pay, parents have to rely solely on like-minded friends and family members, or the generosity of private organizations such as the NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gun Safety program, to reinforce the most critical of gun safety rules.  If you were to protect yourself and your family from an intruder (rapist, kidnapper, robber), would a telephone or a firearm be more effective? 

 

The facts are that over 2.5 million crimes are PREVENTED every year as the result of the possession of legally held firearms. (as reported by John R. Lott, JR AND Dr. Gary Kleck) How many of those prevented crimes have actually saved the life of a child or prevented the sexual abuse of a child or a child kidnapping?  Well, that’s yet one more “research study” that is glaringly missing from the campaign of guns in America.  Gee.  I wonder why?

Instead of vilifying guns and gun owners, our government should be accurately reporting the facts related to guns and children and guns used in self-defense.  And based on the REAL statistics, even encourage and empower more citizens to actually possess and use guns in self-defense and to defend their family. 

Consider these final facts.  Eight times as many children die from non-gun violent acts than from gun crimes. (Kids and Guns, 2000, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) 82% of homicides to children age 13 and under were committed without a gun. (1997, FBI Uniform Crime Statistics)

Yes.  You’re being manipulated.  And the overwhelming statistics of SAFETY actually prove that such a distortion of the truth could cause harm to your children.  That’s why I wholeheartedly accuse several government officials and leaders, as well as so many so-called journalists of endangering the life of our nation’s children.  Unfortunately, if you buy into this travesty of a campaign, the real statistics indicate that it just may COST you or your child their life.  

 

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.

You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Children and Guns Part 3

 

This is part of a four-part blog series addressing Children and Guns.  Part I – want to ensure your kid never commits a crime?  Give him a gun.  Part II addresses myths of gun safety – what you must know in order to truly protect your children.  Part III  addresses when it is safe to educate your child on firearms.  Part IV explores what’s really responsible for the death of our nation’s children.  If you enjoy what you read, please comment and share on your blog or Twitter.  Thank you. 

When Is It Safe to Educate Your Children On Guns? 

 

                                      

A friend of mine relayed an enduring story.  As a gun owner he has diligently practiced safe handling procedures with his children, even down to the youngest. One day he had occasion to take his youngest child, a 4-year-old son, to the emergency room to accompany an ill family member. The 4-year-old insisted that he get to wear his cowboy garb complete with the hat, and boots, as well as his belt, holsters, and pistols.  As the two of them were walking in the entrance, a police officer was walking out.  The 4-year-old cowboy was irresistible to the jovial police officer, so he couldn’t help bending down in front of the boy and making a comment, “Hey there cowboy, you gonna shoot me with those guns you’re slinging?”  The boy instinctively put his hands on his guns just like a gunslinger from the Wild West days and then paused.  He put his hands down and said, “I don’t point my guns at anybody.” Fortunately there are simple gun safety programs such as the NRA’s Eddie Eagle program which teach simple, memorable rules to ensure gun safety.  The Eddie Eagle program has been taught on a volunteer basis to over 26,000 school systems nationwide.  Civic programs have also used this program nationwide to reach over 21 million youth since 1988. This program is even formulated to begin teaching children as young as kindergarten. 

So, when should you talk to your kids about guns?  Consider the following:

According to federal statistics, there are guns in approximately half of all U.S. households.*  So even if you do not have a firearm in your home, it’s very likely that there will be one in another home your child visits.  Thus regardless of your own personal feelings about gun usage, you will be unable to ignore the reality of their presence elsewhere in your child’s life. As such, gun safety education should occur as soon as your child is likely to encounter a gun, real or fake. Another ideal barometer for education your child on gun safety is as soon as your child begins asking questions about guns.  This is also indicative of an ideal time to educate.  Even if such questions are relevant to toy pistols or rifles, it’s imperative that parents do not ignore or deny a child’s interest.  Delaying education will only heighten any sense of mystery your child may have.  Education is much more effective in gun safety than a passionate instruction for them to simply leave them alone. Be sure that any rules you establish with your children also apply to any visiting friends. This will prevent your child from being pressured into showing a gun to a friend.  Be sure to discuss gun use that may be viewed on television or in movies or in video games that your child may see as well.  It’s especially important in these categories because your child is likely to think that the use of a gun merely requires a “reset” button or the switch of a channel, rather than respecting the permanent nature of its use.  Your education of guns should not only ensure that a gun is never used without supervision, but also that a real gun is never mistaken for a toy.   

The essential rules of the Eddie Eagle program are as follows:

STOP!

Don’t Touch.

Leave the Area.

Tell an Adult.

To reinforce this program, there are always posters, activity books, certificates, 7 minute animated DVD program, and reward stickers which accompany the Eddie Eagle training. In many instances, an Eddie Eagle mascot is even available. Note that the Eddie Eagle program does not teach whether or not guns are right and does not promote NRA membership.  No firearms are used in the program.   It focuses strictly on accident prevention.  (If you would like the author to present an Eddie Eagle program for your school or civic group, call us at 801-788-4133.)

 

Should you desire to teach your child about actual gun use, the guidelines for doing so will be determined by their physical and emotional maturity.  However, research has found that the sooner a child understands the true impact of a gun, which is best achieved with supervised gun-use education, the more respectful of guns your child will be.* I recommend that parents who do want to instruct a child to shoot begin with an air soft gun for technique, then graduate to a BB gun, then to a .22 caliber. This process will assist them in physical coordination and technical learning.

 

 *Statistics provided by the National Rifle Association’s web site

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.

You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Children and Guns—Part 2

This is part of a four-part blog series addressing Children and Guns.  Part I – want to ensure your kid never commits a crime?  Give him a gun.  Part II addresses myths of gun safety – what you must know in order to truly protect your children.  Part III  addresses when it is safe to educate your child on firearms.  Part IV explores what’s really responsible for the death of our nation’s children.  If you enjoy what you read, please comment and share on your blog or Twitter.  Thank you. 

The Myth of Gun Safety

By Kellene Bishop

Wow! Our first installment in this series reaped the most feedback, e-mails, and responses than all of our other posts from Women of Caliber.  I hope that you will find this installment at least as equally beneficial.

In this piece I’m specifically addressing real gun safety. I’m referring to the avoidance of accidents, and putting the safety of guns around children in its proper perspective.  I’ve read far too many statistics which inflate the danger of guns around children.  My objection to this is not only that it’s false information, but that such information is the foundation for many women who would otherwise elect to possess a firearm and the accompanying self-defense skills.  So let’s provide the real facts so that we can make an educated decision, shall we?

Myth #1: “Children are constantly killed by accidental gun usage.”

The fact of the matter is that the reason why the media highlights the deaths of children via gun accidents is because they happen so rarely.  Obviously, it’s much more headline worthy when an innocent child is killed via a gun than a headline reading that a child is 6 times more likely to die in a car wreck than by a gun.  In fact, the likelihood of children dying via a car wreck is 14.5 times more likely than from a gun. 

There are approximately 300,000,000 guns owned legally by 94 million people in the U.S.  There are approximately 40 million children in America.  In 1999, the last year for which a detailed breakdown was available, 31 children younger than age 10 died from accidental shootings.  The Center for Disease Control only noted 4 children under the age of 10 dying from accidental gun deaths.  With 300 million guns and 40 million children, you would think that there would be a lot more deaths if the firearms in our homes were as dangerous as the media makes them out to be. 

Based on statistics in the same year, roughly 550 children ages 0-14 were run over by cars, 800 drowned, 660 were burned to death in fires, and 1,850 died inside cars.  Most of the 800 drowned were as a result of unattended children in a swimming pool, 93 drowned in bathtubs, and 36 died in 5-gallon buckets, yet we have no “mothers against bathtubs, buckets and swimming pools” organizations to speak of. 

Eight times as many children die from non-gun violence acts than from gun crimes.  (Kids and Guns, 2000, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquincy Prevention)

 

82% of homicides against children age 13 and under were committed without a gun. (1997, FBI Uniform Crime Statistics)

 

While less than 0.1% of all deaths for children between the ages 0-14 are from firearms, 0.6% are from motor vehicles, 5.3% are from being struck in beatings or bludgeoning, 6% from poisoning, and 42.6% from suffocation. (1997 National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics Report)

Why aren’t more children dying at the villainous hands of 94 million gun owners throughout all of America?  Because, with few exceptions, law-abiding gun owners are conscientious of educating children on gun safety and likewise practice it themselves.  And yet so many parents, and particularly women, relinquish their freedoms to defend themselves based on the warped reality spoon-fed to them by the media.

While one would think that enough has been said about the exaggerated accidents involving children and guns, I still feel it’s necessary to address this next myth.

Myth #2: “If I don’t have a gun, my children are safer and better protected.”

This concern is falsely founded for so many reasons.  For starters, if you are not familiar with the workings of a firearm, how are you able to appropriately stop an accident from happening?  Suppose you walk in on your child who’s holding a firearm in his hands.  What do you do?  Do you grab it from him?  Do you instruct him to put it down?  HOW do you grab it?  HOW would you instruct him to put it down?  Do you know when a firearm’s safety is actually engaged on every possible gun your child could get their hands on?  Do you know the proper manner to TAKE a firearm from an unauthorized child?  Why should you NOT holler at the child, even to “freeze” and put the gun down?  If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you could actually CAUSE a firearm accident by simply trying to prevent one.  (I’ll answer these questions specifically in a further post as the instructions for such an instance are an entirely separate piece.)  Additionally, is a child’s exposure to a gun solely relegated to your own home?  Not teaching your child (and yourself) about firearms doesn’t protect them, it exposes them.

If they don’t know what a gun really is, then how are they supposed to respect its deadly power or to even be an influence among their less educated friends who may possess a firearm in their presence?  Parents who choose to ignore the reality of a firearm in the midst of their children only promote a greater percentage of danger to them.  

If you are not in favor of possessing a firearm yourself and teaching the accompanying rules with such a responsibility, then at least teach your child these 4 simple rules when they come in contact with a gun.

STOP!
Don’t Touch.
Leave the Area.
Tell an Adult.

(Eddie Eagle Education Program sponsored by the NRA)

When the only exposure to guns that children have is on video games—where they “kill” people who get right back up to play some more—you are increasing the chance of them or their friends being injured in a gun accident whether you possess one or not.

Now, let’s address the last myth. I warn you in advance, this is going to get a bit dicey as it will address a topic that most parents do not want to even think about.

Myth # 3: “Waiting until my children are grown so that they can make their own decision on using a firearm is the best policy.”

First of all, let me ask you this question, when has your child EVER waited according to your time-frame to do anything?  They grow up too fast, date far too soon, get married when you swear they are still only 8-years-old, and make you a grandparent while you’re still feeling in your prime.  So let’s debunk the myth that they will actually wait until YOU are ready before deciding for themselves about firearm usage.  The best thing you can do is to give them proper knowledge and education early on so that when they do make that unprecedented decision for themselves, they do it fully informed. 

We communicate regularly with a lot of single moms on the topic of gun ownership so I’m going to create this scenario specifically for you, Super Moms.

Suppose a criminal enters your home just as you’re about to put your 3 children down for bed.  He’s got a knife and he’s holding it at you and making vile threats against you if you don’t give him money.  He’s also made it clear that he intends to fiercely violate your virtue in the presence of your children.  Sounds a bit melodramatic, you may think, but unfortunately this is exactly the situation that numerous children have faced throughout the nation (See examples below).  Of course as a mother you don’t want to ever have to think about your child needing to defend your life with a gun.  That’s a natural instinct.  But if this same scenario is thought out rationally, think about the alternative.  Would you rather that your children have to witness a heinous attack on their mother, then her death, and perhaps even be subjected to more violence to themselves afterwards?  That’s obviously an even more disturbing thought.

So what do you do?  You train your child not to be a victim and to handle a firearm properly.  Why a firearm?  Because out of all of the championship karate matches I’ve ever been to, I have yet to see a “power pint” who is truly capable of kicking the butt of a drug-enraged criminal intent on causing death and mayhem. 

If you do not prepare them mentally for such a situation now, they won’t be ready if such a horrific event does occur and you’ll risk more than one life being lost.  By preparing them for such an instance you are NOT emotionally scarring them.  You are preparing them to win with the best possible situation.  You’re not treating them to bully others.  You’re treating them to heroically defend the lives of those around them.  Such a mental fostering has a much more powerful effect on their lives than fearfully and helplessly reacting to a crisis.  If they don’t decide when they are young, they may not be able to make a decision when someone’s life depends on it.

See:

• Boy shoots home invader  http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/308864
• Son uses shotgun to defend mother against armed home invader http://www.cbs12.com/news/intruder_4709600___article.html/home_alleged.html
• 17-year-old disarms armed robber and shoots him saving his mother http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/06/17-year-old-disarms-shoots-robber.html
• Bank robbery and hostage situation thwarted by a teenager in 1915
  http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070702_1_A4_Kingo54280&breadcrumb=state
• 17-year-old thwarts home robbery with shotgun http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou061228_ac_crosbyshooting.547846d3.html

In closing, I want to reiterate that the maximum way to ensure your children are safe is to be an involved parent.  We can’t control what they are exposed to, but we can have a great influence in what happens when they are exposed.  While I’m fully aware that parts of this article are quite uncomfortable to consider, I believe that even putting yourself mentally “there” goes a long way to assist you in your progress to be fully capable to defend yourself and your loved ones.  I simply don’t want you to NOT make that decision out of misguided information fed to you by the media.  As I’ve said before, I respect individuals who elect not to possess a firearm, so long as that decision is based on sound knowledge.  I hope this piece has assisted you in making wise decisions regarding your own self-defense as well as that of your children. 

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.

You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Greensburg Gun Confiscations

Here is a true article I’d like you to read.  In doing so I hope that you will take more seriously the right to own and use a firearm when necessary.  Yes, it’s controversial to many. But it’s even more frightening to me to think of my life without such a right.  If we keep our heads in the sand then this will continue to occur and we will have no protective rights left. 

“Greensburg Report

I could not find the original Greensburg thread so I started another one. I have talked to many residents who relayed to me first hand their experiences. All that I originally reported has now been verified by the actual individuals who were involved and is no longer second hand information.

The following article will appear in the next issue of the CHIPS which is the KSRA member newsletter. I am also turning over all of my findings and contact info to the NRA and to several legislators.

                                             GREENSBURG GUN CONFISCATIONS

By Patricia A. Stoneking
I would like to start this report by noting that I have personally spoke with several sources who were directly involved in the incidents that I am about to report that took place in Greensburg, KS in the aftermath of the horrible CAT 5 tornado that ravaged and destroyed that town. I will not be divulging their names in this article as they have requested I not do so.

The first thing I would like for everyone to acknowledge is that the residents of Greensburg were forced to evacuate and that, in and of itself, was an illegal action as martial law had not been declared. There were many people who wanted to stay and they were threatened with arrest and forcible removal if they did not leave as ordered. The tornado happened at 9:46pm on Friday evening, May 4, 2007 and they were forced to leave within a couple hours of it, being given no time to collect themselves or assess the damages or even try to pick up anything such as guns and valuables. Ed Klummp, Police Chiefs Association, testified at the House committee hearing with a position opposing The Emergency Powers Act and said the evacuations were so they could search for bodies and shut off gas and power and that the evacuation was for the safety of the residents. I have been told by a reliable source that the electricity was shut off prior to the tornado striking and the gas was shut off within a few hours after. It would seem that the evacuation was not necessary in light of that information. Perhaps the position should have been that those who want to leave be provided a way to do so and those who wish to stay be allowed to stay.

This town was locked down tight for several days and no one was allowed in or out. The only people in that town during this time were Sheriffs Officers, Kansas Highway Patrol Officers, ATF, FEMA, National Guard, Police Officers from surrounding areas and some volunteers from Ft. Riley, generally speaking, government officials. Authorities claim no one else was there or could have gotten in or out. Interestingly enough, I have been told repeatedly by all sources that the media was allowed to roam freely without escorts through Greensburg. Shall we ask why residents were not allowed to stay on their own property but media was allowed unfettered access?

Many guns and other valuables such as jewelry have gone permanently missing and have never been recovered. There were some houses that were not destroyed and were intact and habitable. Those folks did not want to leave but were forced to do so. When they returned they found their houses had been broken in to and all of their guns missing. One gentleman reports that when he went to claim his guns, taken from his secure home, they were returned to him in damaged condition. They were not damaged by the tornado. They were locked up in his home and illegally confiscated. So how do we suppose that damage occurred?

Guns and ammunition that were collected were taken to a trailer and an ATF agent manned the trailer. When people first came to collect their guns they were asked for proof of ownership such as receipts and serial number lists and they had to fill out a 4473 and get a NICS approval before they could claim their guns. No one had paperwork, receipts, or lists of serial numbers because it had all blown away. Later into the process they quit demanding these items and asked only for a list with make, model and description of the firearm. In one case, in the collection trailer, a gun case was claimed by one man who had a very nice trap shotgun in it and when he opened the undamaged and closed case, he found not his nice BT99 but another damaged gun that did not belong to him. That $1500.00 BT99 has never turned up. One comment made by all sources is that many “nice” guns were never recovered. Every source has reported that little to no care was taken with any of the firearms retrieved and taken into protective custody and they were not catalogued in any fashion. One resident said “they were just thrown in there in piles”.

One family, whose house was not damaged, reported that officers were going to remove them at gun point when they refused to leave their property and a gun fight was only averted when a KBI agent stepped in front of the other officers and pleaded with them to consider what they were doing. Those residents had taken up their shotguns and were not going to leave. We can only say thank heavens for that KBI officer who had the sense to realize what pressing these people at gun point would mean.

As I talked to these residents of Greensburg the accounts of their personal experiences kept flowing and they all had certain things in common. Their rights were violated, guns were confiscated illegally and they were forced to leave their homes illegally. When government agents came to their property they did not ask them if they were okay or needed help. They were there to forcibly remove them and confiscate their property. Many of them expressed fear of reprisal should they go public. Do they have the names of the officials who they believe acted illegally and inappropriately? In many cases, the answer is yes. Did all officials act illegally and inappropriately? NO. Many were very helpful and had great concern for the well being of the residents and were there to assist them with the best of intentions.

The people in Greensburg are a close, tight knit community, everyone-knows-everyone kind of place. They were very resentful of government coming in and telling them what they had to do. They would have preferred to stay and help each other locate valuables and guns and not leave their property. Several residents have reported that FEMA did more harm than good and would not even cooperate with local law enforcement. Residents of the town who were firefighters and trained in rescue operations wanted to stay and help their neighbors and friends and were told they could not.

The many stories that have been shared with me are too lengthy to include in this report. I just pose these questions. If there was even one act of misconduct or illegal activity by any governmental official are we to stand by idly and allow it without complaint? Should those who broke the law be allowed to continue to “serve” as law enforcement officials without question? Should the residents of Greensburg have to fear reprisal if they report and file complaints about what happened to them? Should Kansas and its legislative body do nothing to see to it that this never happens again?

I am turning over all of the information I have obtained to the NRA complete with names and numbers of those residents which I have spoke with. I am also going to turn the information over to some members of the Kansas House and Senate. I would urge KSRA members to contact their legislators and demand that a full investigation be conducted in to the events that took place in Greensburg. HB 2811, The Emergency Powers Act is a bill designed to prevent this exact kind of thing from happening and provide a remedy if it does (see that article). At the time of this publication that bill is in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. Rise up Kansas! Let your voice be heard! Don’t let your town be next!”

My First Time…Shooting

People assume that as a self-defense and firearms instructor that I’m some kind of super bad “you know what” and have always been “fine” with guns, etc. Well, they would be dead wrong.

When I married my husband I was a city slicker from Columbus, OH. I had never been around guns. I was raised that they were super bad, super dangerous, etc.

As my brand new husband (a Utah mountain boy) and I were moving items into our new home just a week after our wedding, I found myself bringing in a couple of heavy black cases. The cases were small and I couldn’t fathom what in the world could be inside them that would be so heavy. Finally, curiosity got the better of me and I asked my husband what the heck they had in them. He sheepishly looked at me and said “Oh. I guessed we should have talked about that before we got married.” As it turned out, the cases had handguns in them and my husband was very adept at handling them and shooting them.

This began the long 12 + months of him trying to convince me, the city girl, that it would be perfectly OK for me to “allow” him to get his concealed carry permit. I just couldn’t stomach the thought of him carrying a gun around all the time though. To his great credit my husband was patient in educating me and waiting for me to be ok with him taking a more proactive stance in his 2nd Amendment rights. So finally I relented and “let” him get his concealed carry permit, with the understanding that I wasn’t yet ready for him to actually “carry.” And so his patience continued. Finally, I decided that he was perfectly capable and competent and this was important to him so I put aside my inhibitions and relented as a “birthday present.” But boy howdy did it make him happy!

Then, as a course of natural progression, he patiently attempted to get me to try and shoot a gun. So we finally went to a range. He taught me forEVER about safety, handling, etc. All the while I’m thinking “let’s just get this over with and let me shoot and get out of here, already!” He had me shoot a little Beretta Tomcat .32. (This is a little bigger kick than a .22 but less than a 9 mm.) Terrified, but trying to be brave, I shot it six times and then began crying, shaking inside, and informed my husband we were done with the shooting exercise.

After this I couldn’t watch action/adventure movies (my favorite genre up to this point) for several weeks. When I saw someone on screen shooting a gun, it suddenly felt much more real to me, no longer pretend. I no longer had the desire to cheer for the good guy and yell “Get ‘em!” Instead, I recalled what I felt were the heavy bass reverberations that I experienced shooting the first time and listening to my husband’s shooting. After shooting a firearm I felt just how real, instant, and deadly a gun was. And that kind of power in my hand initially scared the crud out of me and I certainly didn’t want to relive it in a movie.

Several weeks later my husband chose to make use of my competitive spirit and convinc ed me that I should try again and not let this fear get the better of me. So I did. This time he had me shoot a Glock 9 mm. I lasted an entire 20 minutes of shooting this, hitting the target occasionally, and then informed him that I had met my quota for the day. At least this time I didn’t cry.

So what transpired between the crying, the stress, and such and my now being a firearms and self-defense instructor to women?

First: Purpose.  I realized that as our world becomes more volatile, the more likely we will need to defend ourselves in such a manner someday, whether it be protecting our homestead, a family member, virtue, or other scenarios I won’t get into here.  And it’s naive of me to think that my “Rambo” of a husband will be there to save the day when I’m in trouble.  There is a great likelihood that when something does “go south” my husband will be the one out patrolling in the neighborhood, or coming to the aid of others.  I realized that I didn’t want to be a liability for him and wanted to be able to stand on my own when it may be necessary. 

Second: Vision. Then I realized that there were a lot of other women that are in the same shoes as me—their husband may be confident in defending himself physically or with a firearm, but their wives are not. I’m sure it would give a greater peace of mind to those who love their wives to know that their wives can be a protecting asset to the family too. Yet, I also know just how hard it was for me to overcome my stigmas about guns, protection, emergency preparedness, and self-defense. Frankly, in spite of my husband being an excellent and patient teacher with me, there are some things that a man would never think of when instructing a woman, things that I think would have made it easier for me to come around and be more confident in my ability to defend myself without hurting innocent bystanders. I think learning from a man is difficult for a woman…especially when it’s a husband or a boyfriend. There’s already an enormous amount of pressure in this new experience without stressing that you’re disappointing or not measuring up to someone you love as well.

Additionally I realized that there were also a lot of non-married women that aren’t sufficiently protected simply because of a lack of knowledge. When I was Marine-trained to learn physical self-defense (by a couple of men), I realized that there were better ways to communicate and thus properly train a woman in order for her to be effective and proactive, rather than reactive to fear or potential “what if” scenarios. I felt that it would be better to prevent those scenarios from ever happening than trying to educate someone traumatized after the fact.

Assault crimes have continued to rise in our nation.  Criminals are becoming more brazen in their efforts to win the “Oscar” for the biggest, boldest, most gruesome assault.  I realize that simply maintaining the status quo for women and their ability to truly defend themselves really was no longer an option.  And yet they didn’t have a lot of viable answers.

Third: Confidence. It’s one things to have a Concealed Firearm Permit.  It’s another to have the mindset that you will be able to use the firearm if necessary, and that you can do so without harming others.  I was very fortunate in that I was able to get some unique training that enabled me to hit exactly what I was aiming at, without the “fog of war” intruding, and in a quick-draw fashion.  This SKILL made me very competent and confident.  This made a HUGE difference in my acceptance of this new responsibility. I was ready to take it on.  This confidence made a significant impact on my view of circumstances around me.  I no longer seemed to worry as much about things which were out of my control, because I felt in control of the most vital matters, protecting myself and others. 

Fourth: Clarity. Martial arts and boxing training are great for physical activity, confidence, and discipline. But for the majority of ALL students, they are ineffective, and even dangerous (because of the false sense of competence they may invoke) in the heat of a real assault. I’m sorry to offend anyone when I say this, but reality can’t be subject to a popularity contest. The reality is it’s unrealistic to think that someone can get this kind of instruction and effectively defend themselves against a psychotic perpetrator in the heat of the moment. Unless you’re Chuck Norris or Jackie Chan, it’s not likely you’ve instinctively mastered the skills necessary to make these disciplines life-saving. There are too many “moves” to master. There’s too much thinking necessary. Additionally, it appeared that only “beautiful, skinny, and fit women” were capable of using these techniques in an attempt to protect themselves. Considering that I was over 200 pounds, only 5’ 2 ½” and overall out of shape, I didn’t like that idea very much. I didn’t care for the social insinuation that chubby women were ideal marks for perpetrators. That’s when I had an “Aha Moment.” My personal discovery was that the competent use of a firearm far surpasses the effectiveness of a “crouching tiger” or a “right cross” and it is no respecter of what you had for breakfast, lunch or dinner for the last decade! While the knocking someone unconscious may be a more compassionate approach to defending yourself, I had to come to a point where I no longer fostered compassion towards someone who would take me away from my family, cripple me, harm my children, or others that I loved or who were helpless to defend themselves. And whether one is scrawny, hefty, young or ancient, the competent use of a firearm coupled with some street smarts is a great equalizer between good and evil.

After commiserating with so many women over the years who were just like me in their fear and other inhibitions of defending themselves, I SO wanted to share my relatively newfound knowledge with as many women as I could. I wanted them to have the opportunity to learn from a very REAL woman who completely understood and overcame their same fears. To not just learn enough so that they can legally carry a firearm, but to learn enough so that they can skillfully use one when necessary, and can defend themselves when necessary. I also saw value in training women real street smarts with the proper use of other methods of self-defense in the event a firearm isn’t readily available, malfunctions, or could endanger others.

To this end I’ve spent years becoming the most certified female NRA instructor in the Western States as well as a certified Utah CFP Instructor (Concealed Firearm Permit). In addition I’ve endeavored to learn and master as much as my military, DEA, and other helpful experts have to teach me so that I can expertly pass on real life skills to women all over. I’ve also worked closely with my husband to create an exclusive technique that enables a shooter to consistently hit exactly what they are aiming at, with only a couple hours of instruction! So if you’re inclined in the least, begin your journey with me at http://www.womenofcaliber.com/

And that, is the rest of the story.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.

You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.