CRPA Jan-Feb 2016

JAN. // FEB. 2016 • ISSUE 1021 

LINE$8.95 

CRPA FIRING 

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE CALIFORNIA 

RIFLE & PISTOL ASSOCIATION 

ATTORNEY GENERAL 

HARRIS 

– ANOTHER GUN CONTROL 

HYPOCRITE 

Damned Statistics: 

NEWSOM’S 

NUISANCE 

8 Things 

New Shooters 

Need to Know About 

Competition

CRPA HAS A 

VARIETY OF POPULAR 

Shirts, 

Women’s Tees, 

Jackets, 

& other Items 

GREAT NEW MERCHANDISE 

ADDED REGULARLY! 

Every purchase is a direct donation to CRPA for 

continued protection of your RKBA! 

www.CRPA.org 

2 

JAN. / FEB.

CRPA IS PROUD TO WELCOME ITS NEWEST HONORARY BOARD MEMBER: 

FIVE-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST AND WORLD CHAMPION KIM RHODE 

Kim Rhode, 36, is an outspoken 

leader in the shooting sports and 

a strong advocate for the Second 

Amendment. She has stood in times 

of crisis for the cause, as seen recently 

following the tragic events of the 

San Bernardino massacre. 

“My heart goes out to the victims 

and their families; it is terrible,” 

Rhode said in a telephone interview. 

“But my views on gun control are that 

I support the Second Amendment and 

the right to be able to shoot and to 

protect your family. If anything, what 

has happened makes me have more of 

a reason to carry.” 

“Kim’s expertise in competitive 

shooting is an outstanding addition to 

our board as an Honorary Board and 

to the organization as we advance our 

shooting, training and education programs 

throughout the state,” stated 

Rick Travis, CRPA Programs Director. 

“Her tireless efforts as a leader 

of the shooting sports community are 

unmatched in her discipline. She continues 

to foster her love of the sport in 

everyone she meets.” 

Rhode was the flagbearer of the 

U.S. team at the Pan Am Games in 

Toronto this summer and is in a strong 

position to qualify for what would be 

her sixth consecutive Olympics in 

Rio de Janeiro next year. 

Kim started competitive shooting 

at the age of 10 and won her first 

California Rifle & Pistol Association 

January TFL 

CRPA FIRING LINE 3

of 23 world championships at the age of 

13. She has captured 14 National Championship 

gold medals since making the 

National Team in 1995. Kim’s career 

also includes 35 medals in international 

competitions including five Olympic 

medals. She is the first U.S. Olympian 

competing in an individual sport to win 

five medals in five consecutive Olympic 

Games. She was the 2015 Pan American 

Games Team USA flagbearer and 

would later go on to earn Pan Am gold. 

Taking time off after her success in the 

2004 Olympic Games, Rhode returned 

in 2006 with a new focus: the Women’s 

Skeet event. Women’s Double Trap 

was removed from the Olympic Games 

following the 2004 Games in Athens. 

Rhode successfully pocketed a silver 

medal at the 2008 Beijing Games in 

Women’s Skeet. She is a member of the 

Safari Club International and an honorary 

lifetime member of the National 

Rifle Association. Kim keeps busy 

with training, public speaking, shooting 

demonstrations, skiing and hunting, 

and is an avid builder and restorer 

of antique and muscle cars. She also 

collects 1800’s and 1900’s first edition 

children’s books, her favorite being The 

Wizard of Oz series. Gave birth to a son, 

Carter, on May 13, 2013. 

SPORT ACCOLADES: 

• Her five Olympic medals are 3 

more than any other woman and 

2 more than any other man in the 

shotgun discipline 

• Only three other women have won 

five medals in shooting 

• A sixth medal in Rio would make 

her the all-time winning medalist 

among women in shooting 

• Only one other shooter in history, 

Yifu Wang of China, has earned six 

medals in Olympic competition 

• Rhode is in a rare group of seven 

shooters all-time having earned 

five or more Olympic medals 

• Her 23 World Cup medals ties her 

for most all-time in shotgun, alongside 

Italy’s Ennio Falco. She’s 

earned seven more World Cup 

medals than any other woman in 

the shotgun discipline. 

OLYMPIC ACCOLADES: 

• Only American to have won five 

individual medals 

• Trying to become just the third 

woman in Olympic history to win 

medals in six Olympic Games, 

joining Birgit Schmidt-Fischer 

(GER/Canoe) and Elisabeta Oleniuc-Lipa 

(ROM/Rowing) 

• Trying to become just the second 

U.S. woman ever to compete in six 

Olympic Games. 

COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS: 

• 5-time Olympic Medalist (‘96 gold, 

‘00 bronze, ‘04 gold, ‘08 bronze, 

‘12 gold) 

• 23-time World Cup Medalist (13 

gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze) 

• 14-time USA Shooting National 

Champ (‘11, ‘10, ‘09, ‘08, ‘07, ‘04, 

‘03, ‘02, ‘01, ‘00, ‘98, ‘97, ‘96, ‘95) 

• Won her first World Cup gold medal 

in Double Trap in 1996 in Lonato, 

Italy 

• Won her first World Cup medal 

in 1995, Double Trap Bronze in 

Seoul, South Korea 

Honorary Board Members of CRPA 

serve in an advisory capacity, bringing 

their expertise and influence to the mission 

of the organization. They lend their 

voice to the organization without a vote 

on the board. 

FROM THE EDITOR 

Happy New Year CRPA Firing Line readers! 

We have a great issue to kick off 2016! Check out an in-depth look at California 

Attorney General Kamala Harris’ hypocrisy on gun control. Of course we also have 

all of the usual suspects, from Tech Talk to the Programs Report to Senior Spotlight. 

Thanks to all of those who attended either of our pheasant hunts – we have featured 

some of our favorite photos! For the kids we have a spotlight on the Eddie Eagle 

GunSafe program – NRA’s gun accident prevention program for parents and their 

children. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Eddie Eagle and The Wing Team, 

this is a great introduction! 

Finally, don’t forget to get your ticket to our upcoming awards banquet this February. 

You don’t want to miss out on the special guests, dinner, auctions, and prizes - reserve 

your spot before they’re gone! 

This year is going to be a great one for CRPA. We look forward to seeing you at CRPA 

events and programs in 2016! As always, thank you for your continued support! 

-Holly Furman 

Editor-in-Chief and Marketing 

& Communications Specialist 

4 

JAN. / FEB.

CRPA’S 

FIRING LINE 

ISSN 0164-9388 

California Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. 

271 E. Imperial Highway, Suite #620 

Fullerton, CA 92835 

(714) 992-2772 

PRESIDENT 

VICE PRESIDENT 

TREASURER 

GENERAL COUNSEL 

PROGRAMS DIRECTOR 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

LAYOUT DESIGN 

C.D. Michel 

Mike Barranco 

Steven Dember 

Michel & Associates 

Rick Travis 

Holly Furman 

Chipotle Publishing, LLC 


The Firing Line is the official publication of the California Rifle 

& Pistol Association, Inc. a nonprofit organization. CRPA is the 

state affiliate of the National Rifle Association of America and The 

Civilian Marksmanship Program for the purpose of promoting 

safety and education in the sport of shooting. The Firing Line is 

published bimonthly. Deadline for articles and advertisements is 

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The Firing Line is sent to all Life, Club, Business, Junior, Temporary, 

and Regular Annual dues-paying members of the Association 

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copy. One additional copy (due to non-delivery members) may 

be obtained upon written request, when accompanied with a first 

class (two-ounce rate) postage pre-paid self-addressed envelope 

(#10 business size or larger). 

Caution: All technical data in this publication may reflect the 

limited experience of individuals using specific tools, products, 

equipment and components under specific conditions 

and circumstances not necessarily herein reported, of 

which, the California Rifle & Pistol Association has no control. 

The data has not been tested or verified by the CRPA. The 

CRPA membership, its Board of Directors, Agents, Officers, 

and Employees accept no responsibility for the results obtained 

by persons using such data and disclaim all liability for 

any consequential injuries or damages. 

Submissions: Submitted articles and letters are encouraged 

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Due to staff limitations, CRPA does not and cannot verify, 

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6 

JAN. / FEB.

IN THIS ISSUE 

COURT REPORT 

RKBA LITIGATION UPDATE 

BY: C.D. MICHEL 

REGULAR COLUMNS 

PROGRAMS REPORT 

YOUR CRPA IN ACTION 

BY: RICK TRAVIS 

APEX PREDATOR 

HUNTING & CONSERVATION AFFAIRS 

BY: RICK TRAVIS 

RANGE REPORT 

2015 NATIONAL 4-H 

SHOOTING SPORTS WORKSHOP 

BY: JOHN BORBA 

PLACES TO SHOOT 

RANGES NEAR YOU 

WOMEN SHOOTERS 

THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN TO THE 

SHOOTING SPORTS 

BY: CHIP LOHMAN 

#IAMCRPA 

CRPA MEMBER PROFILE: DAVID KIMES 

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT 

WHAT IS A VOLUNTEER? 

BY: KATHY GRAHAM 

FEAR & LOADING 

TRAINING FOR HIGH-STRESS SELF-DEFENSE 

SHOOTING AT HOME 

BY: DAVID MORRIS 

READING WITH REDCORN 

WHY DO WE HUNT? 

BY: GUY NIXON 

NEW SHOOTER ENGAGEMENT 

8 THINGS NEW SHOOTERS NEED TO 

KNOW ABOUT COMPETITION 

BY: MIKE SEEKLANDER 

8 

11 

12 

13 

16 

18 

26 

29 

32 

34 

36 

TECH TALK 39 

5.56 VS 223: A POTENTIAL DANGEROUS 

SITUATION FOR SHOOTERS 

BY: BRUCE E. KRELL 

FEATURED BUSINESS MEMBERS 42 

DAMNED STATISTICS 44 

NEWSOM’S NUISANCE 

BY: GUY SMITH 

HUNTING WITH THE CRPA 52 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 53 

THE NEXT GENERATION 54 

KID’S CLUB 

36 

CRPA’S NEWEST HONORARY BOARD 

MEMBER: KIM RHODE 

THE SILVER STAR 

BY: SILVIO CALABI, STEVE HELSLEY & ROGER SANGER 

CONTRIBUTED BY STEVE HELSLEY, CRPA LIFE MEMBER 

ATTORNEY GENERAL HARRIS – 

ANOTHER GUN CONTROL HYPOCRITE 

BY: C.D. MICHEL 

3 

20 

6 SELF DEFENSE COURT CASES 46 

YOU NEED TO KNOW 

BY: MASSAD AYOOB 

CRPA’S NORCAL & SOCAL 

PHEASANT HUNTS 48 

HOW EVERYTOWN’S BACKGROUND 50 

CHECK LAW IMPEDES FIREARMS 

SAFETY TRAINING AND SELF-DEFENSE 

BY: DAVID KOPEL 

21 

FEATURE ARTICLES 


COURT 

REPORT 

BY CRPA PRESIDENT & 

GENERAL COUNSEL 

C.D. “CHUCK” MICHEL 

Peruta v. County of San Diego – This case challenges 

San Diego County’s policy that requires 

residents to demonstrate a special need or “good 

cause” beyond self-defense to obtain a license to carry 

a firearm. In February 2014, the Ninth Circuit Court 

of Appeals ruled in favor of the Plaintiffs, confirming 

that the Second Amendment secures a right to carry a 

firearm for self-defense, and finding that policies denying 

that right to average, law-abiding citizens, are 

unconstitutional. San Diego decided not to appeal 

the decision, but one Ninth Circuit Judge called for 

the Ninth Circuit judges to vote on whether the case 

should be reheard by an 11-judge “en banc” panel. In 

March 2014, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered 

that the case be reheard en banc. Oral arguments 

took place on June 15, 2015. The case is still under 

submission to the en banc court, and a decision could 

come anytime. 

8 

JAN. / FEB.

All filings in the case 

can be viewed here: http:// 

michellawyers.com/guncasetracker/perutavsandiego/ 

McKay v. Sheriff Hutchens 

– This is a sister lawsuit 

to the Peruta case that challenges 

Orange County’s requirements 

for obtaining a 

CCW. It was filed after the 

California legislature banned 

the “unloaded open carry” 

of firearms in California in 

light the district court’s reliance 

in Peruta on the availability 

of unloaded open 

carry to uphold restrictive 

CCW policies. The case has 

been briefed and argued on 

appeal, and the case is now 

stayed pending Peruta. 



michellawyers.com/mckay-v-sheriff-hutchens/ 

Parker v. State of 

California – This lawsuit 

successfully struck down 

California’s “AB 962,” 

which would have banned 

mail order ammunition purchases 

and required registration 

and thumb-printing 

for all in-store purchases. 

The plaintiffs successfully 

defended against the State’s 

appeal of the case to the 

California Court of Appeals, 

resulting in a 41-page published 

opinion affirming the 

victory in full. The case set 

groundbreaking precedent 

for due process “vagueness” 

challenges, confirming 

that gun laws must provide 

heightened levels of clarity 

in order to withstand vagueness 

challenges. The case 

was also the basis for the 

governor’s veto of subsequent 

legislation similar to 

AB 962. The State asked the 

California Supreme Court to 

review the decision, and the 

California Supreme Court 

accepted the case. Briefing 

before the California Supreme 

Court is complete, 

and oral arguments are expected 

to take place in 2016. 



michellawyers.com/guncasetracker/parkervcalifornia/ 

Bosenko v. Los Angeles 

-This state court case 

challenges the city’s ban on 

so-called “large-capacity” 

magazines on grounds that 

state law preempts the ordinance. 

In November 2015, 

the trial court denied Plaintiffs’ 

request for a stay of 

enforcement to prevent the 

ordinance from taking effect 

while the case proceeds. The 

law took effect on November 

19, so gun owners should 

be aware of their rights and 

responsibilities to protect 

themselves from becoming 

accidental victims of the new 

law. As a resource for gun 

owners, CRPA published a 

detailed compliance guide 

that informs gun owners 

about how to comply without 

the ordinance without 

inadvertently violating local 

or state law. That guide 

is available for free on 

the CRPA’s website, here: 

http://www.crpa.org/los-angeles-large%E2%80%90capacity-magazine-ban-guide/. 

The case will now proceed 

towards a final resolution in 

the trial court, and a decision 

is expected in mid-2016. 



michellawyers.com/ 

shasta-county-sheriffthomas-bosenko-et-al-vsthe-city-of-los-angeles-et-al/ 

Fyock v. Sunnyvale 

– This case raises a Second 

Amendment challenge 

to Sunnyvale’s ban on the 

possession of so-called 

“large-capacity” magazines. 

In 2014, the plaintiffs filed 

for preliminary relief to 

prevent the ordinance from 

being enforced while the 

case proceeds is litigated. 

In March 2015, the Ninth 

Circuit Court of Appeals 

issued a ruling confirming 

that the Second Amendment 

protects standard-capacity 

magazines that hold more 

than ten rounds, but erroneously 

held that the City’s 

total ban on their possession 

should not be enjoined while 

the case proceeds. The case 

will continue in the federal 

district court, but it is currently 

stayed pending resolution 

of the Peruta and 

Bosenko cases. 

All filings in the can 

be viewed here: http:// 

michellawyers.com/ 

fyock-v-sunnyvale/ 

Bauer v. Harris – This 

federal lawsuit challenges 

the California Department 

of Justice’s misuse of DROS 

fee revenues collected from 

lawful firearm purchasers 

at the time of sale as violating 

the Second Amendment. 

In March 2015, the district 

court ruled against the plaintiffs. 

The case is now fully 

briefed before the Ninth Circuit 

Court of Appeals. Oral 

arguments are expected to 

take place in late 2016. 



michellawyers.com/barrybauer-et-al-v-california-department-of-justice-et-al/ 

Gentry v. Harris – This 

is a sister state court case to 

the federal court challenge to 

the DOJ’s improper use of 

excess DROS fees to fund 

the State’s general law enforcement 

activities. The 

case is currently being litigated 

in the trial court after 

the court granted the DOJ’s 

motion for judgment on the 

pleadings. In November 

2015, Plaintiffs filed a request 

to amend the complaint 

to add claims that California 

Senate Bill 819 effectively 

made the DROS fee a property 

tax that was enacted in 

violation of the California 

Constitution. The Plaintiffs 

are currently awaiting a ruling 

on that request. 



michellawyers.com/gentry-v-harris/ 

Belemjian v. Harris – 

This lawsuit challenges four 

underground regulations 

adopted by the California 

Department of Justice 

to implement the Firearm 

Safety Certificate Program 

and long-gun safe-handling 

demonstrations that took effect 

in 2015. Plaintiffs filed 

suit to stop enforcement of 

the illegally adopted rules 

and to enjoin the long-gun 

safe-handling demonstration 

requirement unless and 

until the Department formally 

passed regulations 

as state law requires. The 

Department has a history of 

passing underground regulations 

in excess of its statutory 

authority. In response 

to the lawsuit, the Department 

adopted “emergency” 

regulations formalizing the 

rules. Because the lawsuit 

prompted the DOJ to adopt 

formal regulations, the case 

was dismissed. A motion 

to recover attorneys fees is 

currently pending. 

All filings in the 

case can be viewed here: 

http://michellawyers.com/ 

kim-belemjian-et-al-v-kamala-harris-et-al/ 

A challenge to local 

restrictions on fire- 


COURT REPORT 

arm retailers and other 

lawsuits are coming soon!!! 

OTHER LITIGATION 

EFFORTS 

CRPA also provides 

assistance in a number of 

Second Amendment cases 

by participating as an amicus 

curiae or “friend of the 

court.” Recent examples 

of amicus efforts in cases 

that may impact the rights 

of California firearm owners 

and shape future challenges 

to California firearm 

laws include the following: 

Pena v. Lindley — This 

case seeks to overturn California’s 

ban on common, 

constitutionally protected 

handguns that are not included 

on the DOJ’s “roster” 

of handguns approved 

for sale in the state. CRPA 

submitted an amicus brief 

in support of the appeal. 

Oral arguments are expected 




michellawyers.com/guncasetracker/penavcid/ 

Nesbitt v. U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineer — This 

suit challenges a total ban on 

the possession and carriage 

of firearms on public and 

recreational Army Corps’ 

lands. The district court held 

that the restriction violated 

the Second Amendment, and 

the state appealed. CRPA 

filed an amicus brief in support 

of the plaintiffs. 

All filings in the case can 

be viewed here: http://michellawyers.com/morris-v-u-sarmy-corps-of-engineers/ 

Silvester v. Harris – 

This suit challenges California’s 

10-day waiting period 

for persons who already own 

a firearm. In 2014, the district 

court issued a ruling that 

the waiting period is unconstitutional 

as applied to individuals 

who already own 

firearms. The State appealed 

the decision and briefing is 

now completed before the 

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

CRPA filed an amicus 

brief in support of the plaintiffs. 

Oral arguments are expected 


Friedman v. City of 

Highland Park- This case 

challenges bans on socalled 

“assault weapons” 

and “large-capacity” magazines 

ban in the City of 

Highland Park, Illinois. 

The plaintiffs appealed the 

case to the United States 

Supreme Court. CRPA and 

NRA lawyers recently prepared 

an amicus brief that 

was filed by NRA in the 

Supreme Court urging the 

Court to accept the case. 



michellawyers.com/guncasetracker/friedman/ 

Wrenn v. District of 

Columbia-This case challenges 

Washington D.C.’s 

“good reason” requirement 

to obtain a CCW. The 

CRPA Foundation recently 

filed an amicus brief, along 

with several prominent historians 

and legal scholars, 

in support of the plaintiffs. 

All filings in the 

case can be viewed here: 

http://michellawyers. 

com/wrenn-et-al-v-distsrict-of-columbia-et-al/ 

Civil rights attorney C.D. Michel 

is President and General Counsel 

for CRPA. He is a former prosecutor 

and currently runs the law firm 

Michel & Associates, PC in Long 

Beach. The firm’s clients include the 

NRA and CRPA, as well as firearm 

manufacturers, distributors, retailers 

and owners. 

Written by long-time CRPA and 

NRA attorney and member C.D. 

Michel, this book explains the 

state and federal firearm laws affecting 

firearm owners, and particularly 

warns about legal traps 

and troublesome “gray areas.” 

Available now at 

www.crpa.org 

10 

JAN. / FEB.

CRPA 

PROGRAMS 

REPORT 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! CRPA is 

expanding its programs yet again 

to meet the needs of new, as well 

as seasoned people to the sport. Our offering 

of programs is moving to every 

corner of the state. Partnerships are expanding 

and yes of course the “anti-everything 

we cherish” crowd will be in 

force since 2016 is an election year! 

We are rolling out programs to support 

our mission and to stand in direct 

opposition to the antis, NIMBYs (not 

in my backyard), and misguided. Each 

program is there to give you and those 

around you increased opportunities to 

engage in our passion for the Second 

Amendment, shooting sports, hunting, 

and the great outdoors. 

Senators Boxer and Feinstein 

working through President Obama are 

attempting to limit our hunting access 

through a last ditch effort to set aside 

millions of acres as National Monuments. 

Each of these proposed monuments 

will have committees that will 

overwhelmingly be comprised of the 

anti and NIMBY crowd. CRPA, in partnership 

with the National Rifle Association 

and Safari Club International, are 

working around the clock to make sure 

your interests are represented in each of 

these attempts. 

CRPA is also expanding its hunting 

outreach by working with Hunter 

Education Instructors, expanding youth 

hunter camps, sponsoring and offering 

hunter education at both our headquarters, 

as well as locations around 

the state. CRPA is also working with 

numerous local, regional and national 

hunting organizations to build coalitions 

that work together for the rights 

of all hunters and to have a unified 

voice that stands against organizations 

like the Humane Society of the United 

States (HSUS), PETA, and others. 

Ranges have come under attack by 

various federal, state and local agencies. 

There is a well-defined attempt to limit 

or shut down ranges up and down the 

state. CRPA, in partnership with the 

National Rifle Association and the National 

Shooting Sports Federation, is 

working to defend and educate range 

owners on their rights. CRPA is expanding 

its range programs beyond holding 

CRPA events or co-sponsoring events. 

We have dedicated staff to work directly 

with ranges as well as legal and technical 

assistance to help keep our existing 

ranges strong and pave the way for new 

ranges to be developed. 

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom has 

joined the likes of Hillary Clinton on assaulting 

the law abiding citizens of our 

state with a proposed ballot initiative 

that would outlaw large capacity magazines. 

This of course is just the first of 

many proposals the anti-gun lobby and 

Newsom will push for during this election 

cycle. CRPA is leading the charge 

against Newsom with multiple programs 

that will get out the vote to stop 

these inane proposals in their tracks. 

Throughout the year you’re going to 

witness your organization flex its muscle 

as we go toe to toe with the “anti” 

crowd to take back our state. 

CRPA is fighting back and we 

need each of you to join us in this 

fight. There are no excuses to not take 

a stand this year. Anyone who chooses 

to stand on the sidelines has in effect 

joined the “anti-everything we 

by Rick Travis 

CRPA Programs Director 

collectively believe in” crowd. 

Before you say to yourself, “Not 

again!” Before you think of words your 

mother taught you never to say in polite 

company. Before you feel like just 

leaving the fight, I have something to 

share with you. I grew up in a military 

family and got to witness various 

traditions throughout the years. One of 

my absolute favorites takes place every 

November 10th in celebration of 

the Marine Corps’ birthday (240th in 

2015). During the celebration there is 

the Marine Corps cake Cutting Ceremony. 

The ceremony recites the purpose 

of the celebration and then cuts the first 

three pieces of cake which go in order 

to the guest of honor, the oldest living 

Marine and then the youngest Marine. 

I have seen marines in their late nineties 

stand across from Marines who 

were still teenagers. 

Like all military traditions this one 

has a significant purpose. It highlights 

“once a Marine, always a Marine.” The 

concept is that from the day you become 

a Marine you never stop being one. The 

Marine Corps Hymn even suggests that 

your service continues as the Marines 

guard the very streets of Heaven. 

I want each of you to consider that 

as people who have chosen to stand and 

fight against those who would erode our 

rights, regardless of age, we all have 

something to contribute. We get up each 

day and fight, not just for ourselves, but 

for all of our nation’s citizens. Not by 

running but by standing our ground. 

Ground that has been purchased with 

the ultimate sacrifice by every generation. 

Stand with us in 2016 and make 

those sacrifices count. 


APEX PREDATOR 

HUNTING & CONSERVATION 

REPORT 

BY RICK TRAVIS, CRPA PROGRAMS DIRECTOR 

Winter has fallen throughout the state and many a 

hunter is either warming themselves by the fire as 

they regale friends and loved ones with their tales 

of the hunt this past fall. Others will try their hand perhaps for 

the first time at cooking their spoils to the delight of others. 

Some will still be hunting as Mother Nature throws what may 

be her most significant winter (provided El Nino actually happens) 

in decades. This is the year to grow both our skills and 

our numbers as the Apex Predator in this state. 

Many of my fellow hunters have been or are beginning to 

share their adventures hunting here in California and around 

the world. These stories are literally timeless and have their 

roots in human history dating back to hunting cave art some 

30,000 years ago. Hunting stories have literally been passed 

down through millennia to both instruct and inspire. Today, 

those stories have more significance than when they were first 

told by our ancestors. Believe it or not there was a time when 

hunters were the primary providers of protein for the survivability 

of the human race. 

Stories today are often meant to share one’s experiences 

in the field and possibly to inspire those around us to give the 

sport a try. In reality they are so much more. Your tale also 

includes wisdom of the do’s and don’ts of hunting. Experiences 

shared of how Mother Nature will test you and of the 

Murphy clan showing up to disrupt your best laid plans is 

vital for the education of new and experienced hunters. Seek 

out opportunities to tell these stories to as many people who 

will listen. Think outside the box and expand your storytelling 

horizons beyond your family and local club. Some examples 

I have personally witnessed over the past year are churches, 

neighborhood events and meetings, workplaces, schools, universities 

and sporting goods stores to name a few. 

The smell of anything new and interesting is bound to 

encourage both the hunter and non-hunter alike to be inquisitive. 

Foodies have found game meat to be some kind of new 

frontier for the palate. Some seek to challenge this crowd 

with statements such as one older gentlemen did recently at 

a game barbeque with, “Are you kidding me this stuff has 

been around since before you were in diapers.” I encourage 

you to do three things instead. Take out some of that awesome 

game meat and cook up a wonderful new recipe such 

as “Wild Game Chili”, “Venison and Wild Rice Casserole” 

or “Duck Bolognese” (these can be found on www.food.com/ 

topic/wild-game) . 

Food is the gateway for many to the world of hunting. I 

have led far more people to our way of understanding the role 

of hunting in society by sharing a meal of wild game than by 

arguing our side of the cause. Personal experience has shown 

me that many of those who are neither for nor against hunting 

have come over to our side with a simple taste of a wild game 

meal. Sharing a meal demonstrates to the average person that 

the story they have been told about hunting and hunters is a 

lie. Remember the anti-hunting movement has a well-crafted 

tale that hunters go into nature to kill off some animal for the 

sole purpose of cutting off their head as a trophy. 

People who have been exposed to the anti-hunting lie 

and believed in it will not be moved away from their personal 

truth about hunting by a few words. Experiencing a wild 

game meal is the fastest way to overcoming the lie told by the 

anti-hunting community. If every hunter in this state shared a 

wild game meal with friends and neighbors who don’t hunt 

we could expand our influence dramatically. 

After a good meal most of us turn to entertainment in the 

evening. With over 300 channels we can see the public’s thirst 

for everything from prepping, survival of the fittest, reality 

television shows (which for the record aren’t real but scripted 

entertainment-my apologies for the spoiler), weather disasters 

and the ever-popular monsters versus human shows. 

Hunters this winter in the Golden State, will actually 

employ real life prepping skills in a myriad of circumstances 

that range from the mundane to life threatening to 

life saving events. Survival skill sets will be tested, honed 

and developed in harsh environments that range from wetlands 

to alpine ridges and everything in between. Real life 

threats of predatory animals such as bears and cougars, wild 

weather and formidable terrain will trump anything a reality 

television show will concoct. The fact is that you the hunter 

have much to share with a huge audience that craves this 

type of knowledge as evidenced by the number of shows the 

networks have developed. 

Collectively storytelling, sharing a wild game meal and 

passing along skills is a real opportunity for all of us hunters 

to not just stand our ground but expand our encampment of 

those who support our way of life. The days of hunters being 

reclusive are over. The time has come for us to stoke the fire 

and educate the middle ground to our way of life. To those 

who are hunting, stay safe and have an awesome winter hunt. 

To those who are not hunting, look for friends and neighbors 

and begin using one of the processes in this article to inform 

them of the truth in what we do. 

Rick serves as the Programs Director of the California Rifle & 

Pistol Association. He brings 30 years of public service to his 

position of working with organizations, businesses, government 

and most importantly our membership. Rick is a CRPA 

Life Member, NRA Benefactor Member and Scoutmaster. 

12 

JAN. / FEB.

RANGE REPORT 

2015 by 

NATIONAL 4-H SHOOTING 

SPORTS WORKSHOP 

John Borba, 4-H Youth Development Advisor 

The California 4-H 

Shooting Sports Program 

is open to youth 

who are 9 - 19 years of age 

and provides instruction in 

the safe and responsible use 

of firearms, air guns, and 

archery equipment. It also 

develops self-confidence 

and leadership abilities in 

4-H participants and instills 

an appreciation for conservation 

and wildlife. The 

program has been around 

for years in many guises 

in California. Originally it 

might have occurred as an 

archery or rifle program at a 

4-H summer camp. It could 

have taken place as a wildlife 

conservation or hunter 

education project led by a 

4-H adult volunteer or staff 

member in an individual 

facebook.com/crpa.org instagram.com/crpaorg twitter.com/crpanews 


National 4-H Shooting 

club or county. However, the 

formal structuring of the 4-H 

shooting sports program in 

California can find its roots 

in the early 1980s when a 

group of 4-H staff attended a 

national 4-H Shooting Sports 

Workshop in Iowa and 

brought the program back 

to California. Since then the 

project has grown and established 

itself as a popular part 

of the California 4-H Youth 

Development Program. 

The shooting sports program 

in California offers six 

disciplines to young shooters: 

archery, hunting, muzzleloading, 

pistol, rifle, and 

shotgun. The projects are 

led by adult volunteers who 

must hold certification in 

each of the disciplines they 

wish to instruct. There are 

currently 905 certified 4-H 

shooting sports leaders who 

donate thousands of hours 

of volunteer time to the program 

on an annual basis. The 

2014-15 program year saw 

5,569 4-H youth members 

enrolled in the program. The 

program has grown considerably 

over the past dozen 

years when there were 2,000 

youth enrolled. The growth 

in the program is because of 

the dedicated volunteers who 

receive training and certification 

to become shooting 

sports leaders. 

This year, for the first 

time ever, a national 4-H 

Shooting Sports Workshop 

was held in California from 

September 29 to October 2, 

2015. The California 4-H 

Youth Development program 

hosted 67 students and 

14 instructors from 20 different 

states at Camp San Luis 

Obispo. The National 4-H 

Shooting Sports Workshop 

is designed to train and certify 

adult volunteer leaders 

to return to their home states 

and educate other adults who 

will instruct youth in promoting 

4-H and 4-H shooting 

sports through the safe 

and responsible use of archery 

equipment, air guns, 

muzzleloaders, and firearms. 

The adult participants re- 

14 

JAN. / FEB.

ceived hands-on training 

that certified them to teach 

one of seven disciplines, including 

archery, coordinator, 

hunting, muzzleloading, 

pistol, rifle and shotgun. The 

event took place at Camp 

San Luis Obispo, which 

is located on Highway 1, 

and serves as home of the 

California Army National 

Guard. The facility was the 

ideal location to support this 

type of event as it contains 

classrooms, ranges, training 

areas for outdoor skills, barracks, 

and a dining facility. 

The California Rifle and 

Pistol Association played 

a major role in making this 

event possible. CRPA generously 

donated funds to pay 

for all the facilities that were 

used for live fire and outdoor 

education skills. These 

included Charlie, Delta, and 

Foxtrot Ranges, and the 

Kilo Training Areas. Charlie 

Range is a designated small 

arms range and the pistol and 

rifle classes utilized this facility. 

Delta Range serves a 

zeroing range for troops but 

was used by instructors and 

students in the archery and 

muzzleloading disciplines. 

The Foxtrot Range is set up 

for machine gun qualification 

by the military, complete 

with firing pits. However, 

for 4-H purposes, Foxtrot 

was set up as the shotgun 

range using portable clay 

launchers. Finally, the Kilo 

Training Areas is an open 

and wooded area that served 

as the perfect training site 

for the hunting skills class 

to practice land navigation, 

tracking, and other outdoor 

skills. Wildlife observation 

was a skill that was easily 

practiced with the abundance 

of deer, wild turkey, California 

quail, cottontails, and other 

species that live on post. 

The members, parents, 

and leaders of the California 

4-H Shooting Sports 

Program extend their thanks 

and appreciation to the 

California Rifle and Pistol 

Association members and 

officers for their generous 

donation to this event and 

other 4-H activities that the 

CRPA has supported. 


Jan/Feb 2016 

PLACES TO SHOOT 

Editor’s Note: In the November/December issue of CRPA 

Firing Line we incorrectly stated that the Escondido Fish 

& Game Association was open to the public when it is in 

fact a members only range. We apologize for any confusion 

or inconvenience this may have caused. 

Fresno Rifle & Pistol Club 

115687 Auberry Road, Clovis, CA 93619 

(559) 299-6365 

shootfrpc.com 

Open to the public 

Outdoor 

Pistol, Rifle 

Gun Room 

9221 Survey Road, Elk Grove, CA 95624 

(916) 714-4867 

thegunroom.org 


Indoor 

Pistol, Rimfire, Air Rifle/Pistol using pellets, 

Black Powder, Shotgun 

Gunrunner 

2040 Yosemite Parkway, Merced, CA 95340 

(209) 723-3006 

merced-gunrunner.com 


Indoor 

Pistol 

Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff 

197 Butcher Road, Vacaville, CA 95687 

(707) 451-1199 

new.gunsfishing.com 


Indoor 

Pistol 

FOR A FULL LIST OF PLACES TO 

SHOOT VISIT OUR WEBSITE 

CRPA.ORG 

16 

JAN. / FEB.

Hi-Desert Rod and Gun Club 

8046 Yucca Park Road, Morongo Valley, CA 92256 

(760) 365-1355 

hdrgc.org 


Outdoor 

Pistol, Rifle, Trap, Shotgun 

Insight Shooting Range 

Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff 

Gun Room 

Gunrunner 

Fresno Rifle & Pistol Club 

17020 Alburtis Avenue, Artesia, CA 90701 

(562) 860-4365 

insightrangeinc.com 


Indoor 

Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun 

Iron Sights 

618 Airport Road, Oceanside, CA 92054 

(760) 721-4388 

iron-sights.com 


Indoor 


Island View Enterprises, Inc. 

2359 Knoll Drive, Ventura, CA 93003 

(805) 256-1547 

islandviewent.com 


Indoor 


Island View Enterprises, Inc 

Insight Shooting Range 

Facebook.com/crpa.org 

Hi-Desert Rod and Gun Club 

Instagram.com/crpaorg 

Iron Sights 

Twitter.com/crpanews 


The 

Importance of 

to the 

Shooting 

Sports 

by Chip Lohman 

Chip Lohman, a retired Marine 

and pistol instructor, is 

the former editor of Shooting 

Sports USA and now serves 

the NRA as Deputy Director of 

Publications. 

Reprinted with permission 

from www.NRAFamily.org 

To steal a line from the 

1968 Virginia Slims 

ad campaign, women 

shooters “have come a long 

way” since the early days of 

shooting sports. 

In her 1988 book Fair 

Game, A Lady’s Guide to 

Shooting Etiquette, Englishwoman 

Piffa Schroder 

wrote, “Shooting was considered 

to be an unladylike 

pastime. In 1882, Queen 

Victoria herself had written 

in a letter to her daughter, 

that although it was a 

perfectly acceptable for a 

woman to be a spectator, 

only ‘fast women’ shot.” 

More recently, the National 

Shooting Sports Foundation 

reported that “The face of 

America’s target shooters is 

changing. New target shooters—those 

who have taken 

up the sport in the last five 

years—are younger, female 

and urban when compared 

to established target shooters—those 

participating for 

more than five years.” 

The number of women 

shooters has grown steadily 

thanks to trailblazers like 

Ruby Fox, America’s only 

woman to earn an Olympic 

Pistol medal (1984 

Los Angeles Games). Kim 

Rhode has medaled in Shotgun 

for five consecutive 

Olympics and has secured 

a slot for the 2016 Games 

in Rio, and recently retired 

Master Sergeant Julia 

(Watson) Carlson won the 

overall, shoulder-to-shoulder 

National Service Rifle 

Championships at Camp 

Perry in 2014. 

In 2009, the percentage 

of female NRA-classified 

shooters was less than 10 

percent. Industry sources 

now report that 37 percent 

of new target shooters are 

female, compared to 22 percent 

of established target 

shooters. The number of 

NRA-certified women instructors 

has reached 9,343 

or about 8 percent of the 

total count of 122,394, and 

796 women out of 7,206 are 

NRA-certified coaches. 

As recently as 2013, a 

Pew Research Center survey 

found that there was a 

substantial gender gap when 

it came to gun ownership: 

Men were three times as 

likely to purchase a gun as 

women (37 percent versus 

12 percent). But just two 

years later, 78 percent of retailers 

queried reported that 

they have experienced an 

increase in women customers. 

“Interest in the shooting 

sports” and a “Desire 

for personal protection” 

are the common justifications 

given by women 

entering the world of 

firearms ownership. 

As the largest buyer 

of firearms, even the U.S. 

Department of Defense 

acknowledges the trend 

toward more women customers 

in their current recompete 

of the U.S. Service 

Pistol (XM17) contract, for 

which the Beretta M9 has 

supported American servicemen 

and women since 

1985. The XM17 Request 

for Information (RFI) solicits 

modular systems with 

a “slimmer design,” recognizing 

that Polymer pistols 

with replaceable grips 

have become increasingly 

popular as lightweight and 

ergonomic alternatives, 

particularly among women. 

As an incentive for industry 

to devote resources 

to the growing number of 

female customers, NRA 

Publications unveiled a 

new category for the Golden 

Bullseye Awards during 

this year’s Annual Meetings 

& Exhibits—The Woman’s 

Innovation Product of the 

Year. American Rifleman 

and Shooting Illustrated 

presented their inaugural 

version of this prestigious 

award to EAA for their 

Witness Pavona semi-auto 

pistol, and Hunter Safety 

System was recognized for 

their innovative HSS-Contour 

Harness by American 

Hunter. Perhaps in re- 

18 

JAN. / FEB.


31 

OF WOMEN REPORT HAVING 

% A GUN IN THE HOME 

According to a 2014 a Pew Research Center Poll, 

31% of female respondents reported having a 

gun in the home. The percentages were similar 

whether the household still had children under 

18 living in the home or not. 

sponse to this new award, 

the number of woman-specific 

advertisements in 

recent NRA magazines 

and websites confirms 

that a growing number of 

manufacturers have committed 

their support to 

women sports shooters. 

If you’re in the industry 

and have a candidate 

for Woman’s Innovation 

Product of the Year, perhaps 

a purpose-built holster 

for personal defense or an 

adaptation to make racking 

the slide easier, contact 

publications@nrahq.org. 

If you’re new to women’s 

shooting, consider joining 

the NRA’s Women’s 

Leadership Forum, the only 

philanthropic society of its 

kind and the fastest-growing 

community in the NRA, 

at www.nrawlf.com. Also, 

http://women.nra.org lists 

many women’s programs 

sponsored by the NRA. 

With targete 

websites such as 

www.womensoutdoornews.com, 

www.shootlikeagirl.com, 

www.packinginpink.com, agirlandagun.org, 

womenshooters.com, 

www.gungoddess.com and www. 

thewellarmedwoman.com, the 

future is bright for our industry, 

for our sport, and 

for more “girl power” 

among our ranks. 

WOMEN GUN BUYERS 

ARE NOT IMPULSIVE 

67.3% of new women gun buyers 

report spending “at least a few 

months” considering their purchase. 

58.1% of themended up buying from 

a local gun shop after consulting with 

family members (65%), manufacturer 

websites (54.8%), friends (51.9%), and 

gun shup personnel (51.8%) 

A GROWING NUMBER OF 

WOMEN ARE SKEPTICAL 

ABOUT THE IMPACT OF 

MORE GUN CONTROL’ 

56% of women think that stricter 

gun laws would reduce gun-related 

accidens, down sharply from 76% in 

1993. Also in 1993, 47% of women 

make it more difficult to protect their 

homes and families. Now, 56% 

agree with the same statement. 

56% 

WOMEN WHO OWN GUNS 

FEEL SAFER 

80 % SAFER Consistent with the number-one 

reason for buying a gun in the first 

place, 80% of women say that 

having a gun makes them feel safer. 

That’s roughly equivalent to the 79% 

of men who report the same. 



The Silver 

Star 

An excerpt from 

“The Gun Book for Girls” 

by Silvio Calabi, Steve Helsley and Roger Sanger 

Contributed by Steve Helsley, CRPA Life Member 

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, 617th Military Police 

Co. of the Kentucky Army National 

Guard. In talking about the day her convoy 

was ambushed in Iraq, she said, “Your 

training kicks in…You’ve got a job to do – 

protecting yourself and your comrades.” 

Mary Louise Roberts 

Wilson, the US Army 

lieutenant and nurse 

who became the first 

woman to win the 

Silver Star, passed 

away in Dallas, Texas, 

in November 

2001 at the age of 87. 

When British forces attacked 

Plattsburgh, New York, 

during the War of 1812, a 

group of teenage American boys led by 

young Martin Aiken fought with such 

bravery that the US House of Representatives 

awarded them rifles for their 

“gallant and meritorious conduct.” 

In those days outstanding military 

acts by Americans were acknowledged, 

if at all, with an engraved sword 

or some sort of paper citation. In this 

case the rifles—Model 1819 Hall 

breech-loading flintlocks, the most 

advanced military arm of the day— 

weren’t delivered until 1826. The process 

of officially thanking the nation’s 

heroes was a bit slapdash, at least until 

the Congressional Medal of Honor 

was created. (Read “Killer Apps.”) 

But that was just one award, and 

there are different levels of heroism. In 

1918 Congress authorized more decorations 

that together make up the Pyramid 

of Honor: At the top is the Medal 

of Honor; next come the Distinguished 

Service Cross (Army), the Navy Cross 

(Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) 

and the Air Force Cross. The third level 

of the pyramid is the Silver Star; like 

the Medal of Honor, it is given to all 

branches of America’s armed services. 

The first woman to earn a Silver Star 

was Mary Louise Roberts, a nurse and 

operating-room supervisor for the US 

Army’s 56th Evacuation Unit. In January 

1944, during WWII, the 56th landed 

at Anzio as part of the Allied invasion of 

Italy. Lt. Wilson was honored with the 

Silver Star for her actions while shrapnel 

from German artillery tore through 

the tent where she and her staff were 

working. Two of her nurses, Elaine Roe 

and Virginia Rourke, also earned Silver 

Stars that day but, because of her rank, 

Wilson, “the angel of Anzio,” was the 

first. Six nurses were killed at Anzio. 

The first woman to receive the Silver Star 

since World War II was Sgt. Leigh Ann 

Hester of the 617th Military Police Company 

of the Kentucky National Guard. 

The Armed Forces Press Service wrote: 

Hester’s squad was shadowing a 

supply convoy March 20 [2005] when 

anti-Iraq fighters ambushed the convoy. 

The squad moved to the side of 

the road, flanking the insurgents and 

cutting off their escape route. Hester 

led her team through the “kill zone” and 

into a flanking position, where she assaulted 

a trench line with grenades and 

M203 grenade launcher rounds. She 

and Nein, her squad leader, then cleared 

two trenches, at which time she killed 

three insurgents with her rifle. 

Sgt. Hester’s Silver Star was presented 

by Lt. Gen. John Vines, who 

declared, “My heroes don’t play in the 

National Basketball Association and 

don’t play in the US Open at Pinehurst. 

They’re standing in front of me today. 

These are American heroes.” 

Women have won far fewer military 

medals than men, but for more than 

200 years women in America’s armed 

forces were officially barred from positions 

that directly involve fighting. This 

is changing fast, however, as the wars 

in Iraq and Afghanistan put everyone 

in harm’s way. Now women fly combat 

missions in helicopter gunships and 

fighter planes, command armed patrol 

boats, serve as military police, escort 

convoys through combat zones, and 

patrol with infantry squads as “support 

teams.” These women are fighting and 

being wounded and sometimes dying 

right alongside men. 

In December 2012 Secretary of 

Defense Leon Panetta announced that 

the last barriers would be removed. 

Soon women in the US Army will be 

able to join ground combat units as 

full-fledged soldiers, provided they 

meet the same physical-fitness and skill 

standards as the men. 

Editor’s note: On 3 December 2015 Secretary of 

Defense Ashton Carter announced that all combat roles 

would be open to women. 

20 

JAN. / FEB.

ATTORNEY GENERAL 

HARRIS 

by C.D. Michel 

– ANOTHER GUN CONTROL HYPOCRITE 

California Attorney General Kamala 

Harris, a candidate actively campaigning 

for the Senate seat that is opening up with 

Barbara Boxer’s retirement, recently made 

the news when she tried to shame members 

of Congress for refusing to enact unconstitutional 

and counterproductive gun-control 

laws. “They should have closed the chambers 

of Congress on the House and the 

Senate side, and said all you members go 

in there, only you, and spread out the autopsy 

photographs of [the school children who 

were killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary 

School Shooting] and [required] them 

to look at those photographs. And then vote 

your conscious,” Harris said at Politicon, a 

political convention held in Los Angeles. 1 

Wow! That’s some pretty extreme 

rhetoric. But is the pot calling the kettle 

black here? Harris is the highest level law 

enforcement officer in California, and the 

head of the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

The DOJ is responsible for maintaining 

criminal records, mental illness records, records 

of those who have become ineligible 

to possess firearms, and the databases used 

to perform background checks on gun buyers, 

to register firearms, and to take firearms 

away from people who are prohibited from 

possessing them but who still have firearms 

registered in their name. 

Those records, and the related databases, 

are a hot mess. 

As the California State Auditor has 

confirmed not once but twice, Harris herself 

is responsible for maintaining those systems. 

And she has repeatedly dropped the 

ball. Under her leadership, DOJ has failed 

to properly implement, manage, and administer 

California’s gun laws and associated 

databases and records. 

1. Mollie Reilly, Kamala Harris: Congress Should 

Look at Autopsy Photos Before Voting on Gun Bills, 

THE HUFFINGTON POST (Oct. 12, 2015), available 

at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-gun-violence_561bce3ee4b0e66ad4c88766. 

I. CALIFORNIA’S CRIMINAL CONVICTION RECORDS 

Both federal and California law require a background check to be done when 

a person goes to purchase a firearm from a dealer 2 . Because California requires 

essentially all firearm transfers to be conducted through a licensed dealer, all firearm 

dealer transactions in California, including private sales, require the recipient 

to undergo a background check. Most states have the FBI conduct a background 

check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). 

These checks are often instantaneous. But some states, like California, are “Pointof-Contact” 

states. Point of contact states conduct the background check (or part of 

it themselves), instead of allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 3 to 

access all of the state’s records and databases so the Feds can determine a person’s 

eligibility to possess a firearm for the state. Essentially by acting as a point of contact 

state and doing its own background checks, California misses the opportunity 

to let the feds perform this service, and bear the cost of it. 

Regardless, California’s own records are in shambles 4 . Older state court criminal 

records often lack a final case disposition and/or adjudication, making it difficult 

to determine with any certainty a person’s eligibility to possess firearms. 5 In 

fact, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2011 that the final outcome (i.e., guilty, 

not guilty, case dismissed) was missing from about 7.7 million of the 16.4 million 

arrest records entered into state computers! 6 Some courts even destroy criminal 

case records entirely after a certain number of years, making it impossible to check 

or correct such destroyed records. As a result, unless the information contained in 

a particular court record or summary information database of those records was 

accurately and completely recorded in the first place, there is no way for the DOJ to 

2. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(t); CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 26815(a), 27540(a). 

3. .28 C.F.R. § 25.6. 

4. See Jack Dolan, California Criminal Database Poorly Maintained, L.A. Times (July 17, 2011), available at 

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/17/local/la-me-crime-data-20110717. 

5. This issue prompted the California legislature to enact Assembly Bill (AB) 500 (2013) which, in part, 

allowed firearm dealers to release firearms after 30 days when the California Department of Justice (DOJ) 

could not determine whether a transferee was eligible to possess firearms. See AB 500, 2013-2014 Leg., 

Reg. Sess. (Cal. 2013). Prior to the enactment of this law, individuals were delayed indefinitely while the DOJ 

attempted to track down information that never, or no longer, existed or in the alternative insisted that the 

transferee prove to the DOJ they were eligible before the firearm could be transferred. This resulted in individuals, 

who should not be considered prohibited from possessing firearms, being denied firearm purchases 

because they had an arrest somewhere in the distant past. 

6. See Jack Dolan, California Criminal Database Poorly Maintained, L.A. Times (July 17, 2011), available at 

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/17/local/la-me-crime-data-20110717 

“ 

But is the pot 

calling the kettle 

black here? ” 


“ 

Despite these multiple admonitions, 

Harris has failed to fix these problems. 

confirm a person’s eligibility to possess firearms. 

For example, in one case a person was arrested for murder, 

but was later exonerated of that charge. He was, however, 

guilty of a much less serious collateral offense. He pled no 

II. CALIFORNIA’S MENTAL HEALTH RECORDS DATABASE MESS 

Recent polls show most Americans recognize that mental 

health issues are behind most mass shootings, 8 and that 

most violent crimes are committed by the mentally ill. Studies 

have shown that persons with mental illnesses are up to 13 

times more likely to commit violent crimes. 9 Nearly every 

mass shooting in recent memory, including the shootings in 

Oregon, South Carolina, Isla Vista, and Newtown involved 

perpetrators with a reported history of mental illness. 

Despite these compelling facts, again, not one but two 

separate Reports from the California State Auditor have 

found serious problems with the way the DOJ processes 

mental health records to determine a person’s firearm eligibility. 

Despite these multiple admonitions, Harris has failed 

to fix the problems. 

A 2013 Report from the California State Auditor found 

that under Harris, the DOJ “had not sufficiently reached out 

to the courts or mental health facilities to remind them to 

promptly report required information,” which if done would 

have allowed the DOJ to determine when dangerously mentally 

ill persons were in possession of firearms or attempting 

to purchase them. 10 Additionally, this report found that: 

[K]ey decisions, such as whether a person is prohibited, 

are left to staff whose work does not receive a 

supervisory review. Because of these issues, Justice 

cannot identify all armed prohibited persons in California 

as effectively as it should, and the information 

it uses to ensure public safety by confiscating firearms 

is incomplete. 11 

So, Harris has squandered multiple opportunities to potentially 

prevent serious mental cases from acquiring firearms. 

The 2013 Report also found that the DOJ had not reached 

out to, and was not even aware of, all the mental health facilities 

in the State that were approved to treat reportable individuals. 

By comparing the DOJ’s facilities outreach list to a 

” 

contest to that misdemeanor charge. But the person’s records 

still showed a murder conviction instead of the misdemeanor. 

Those types of errors are all too common, and have led to inaccuracy, 

confusion, and delay in processing firearm purchases. 7 

list of approved mental health facilities, the 

Auditor identified 22 mental health facilities that the DOJ 

had failed to contact about reporting requirements. The 2013 

Report concluded that DOJ’s failure meant those mental health 

facilities that did report to the DOJ probably did not report all 

prohibited individuals – since they had not been advised by the 

DOJ of, and were unaware of, the reporting requirements. 

Here again, Harris’ DOJ failed to take any steps to prevent 

dangerous prohibited persons from obtaining firearms, even 

when all that was required was something as simple as a phone 

call or a letter. 

Aside from this DOJ failure to require mental health facilities 

to report qualifying treatments, the State Auditor found in 

the 2013 Report that county courts had also failed to report at 

least 2,300 mental health determinations to the DOJ between 

2010 and 2012. The report noted that a countless number of 

mental health determinations have gone unreported because 

DOJ failed to advise the courts of their reporting requirements, 

failed to gather the information as state law requires, and because 

courts did not even have the computer software necessary 

to track them. 12 

Harris’ has done nothing to solve these problems. But 

what’s worse is that Harris’ abysmally managed DOJ did not 

even know the problems existed until the State Auditor pointed 

them out when it was preparing its 2013 report. By the time the 

2013 Report was published, Harris’ DOJ still had not bothered 

to follow-up with the courts to confirm all prohibited persons 

were being reported. 13 

In 2015, the California State Auditor issued its second Report 

documenting how the DOJ was failing to use the programs 

and funds at its disposal to keep firearms out of the hands of 

those who are dangerously mentally ill. 14 The 2015 Auditor’s 

Report found that the DOJ had failed to fully implement even 

the most basic recommendations made in the 2013 Report, and 

that this resulted in the DOJ failing to accurately and promptly 

7. DROS Entry System (DES) Firearms Dealers User Guide, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, BUREAU OF FIREARMS (rev. Dec. 29, 2014), available 

at https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/dros_entry_guide.pdf. 8. California State Auditor, Armed Persons with Mental Illness (Oct. 2013), available at 

https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-103.pdf. 

8. See Peyton M. Craighill & Scott Clement, What Americans Blame Most for Mass Shootings (Hint: It’s Not Gun Laws), THE WASHINGTON POST (Oct. 26, 

2015), available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/26/gun-control-americans-overwhelmingly-blame-mental-health-failures-for-massshootings/; 

see also Margaret Tyson, More See Mass Shootings as a Mental Health Issue (POLL), ABC NEWS (Oct. 26, 2015), available at http://abcnews.go.com/ 

Politics/mass-shootings-mental-health-issue-poll/story?id=34686199. 

9. Seena Fazel, Gautam Gulati, Louise Linsell, John R. Geddes & Martin Grann, Schizophrenia and Violence: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, PLOS MEDI- 

CINE (Aug. 11, 2009), available at http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000120. 

10. California State Auditor, Armed Persons with Mental Illness (Oct. 2013), available at https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-103.pdf. 

11. Id. 

12. See Jack Dolan, California Criminal Database Poorly Maintained, L.A. Times (July 17, 2011), available at http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/17/local/la-mecrime-data-20110717. 

13. California State Auditor, Armed Persons with Mental Illness (Oct. 2013), available at https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-103.pdf. 

14. Cali¬fornia State Auditor, Follow-up—California Department of Justice: Delays in Fully Implementing Recommendations Prevent it From Accurately and Promptly 

Identifying All Armed Persons with Mental Illness, Resulting in Continued Risk to Public Safety (July 2015), available at http://bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2015-504.pdf. 

22 

JAN. / FEB.

HARRISYPOCRITE 

identify “firearm owners in the State who are prohibited from owning or possessing 

a firearm due to a mental health-related event in their life.” 15 

Maybe its Harris who should be locked in a room with autopsy pictures? 

III. BILLIONS IN MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT MONEY 

GOES UNSPENT 

Mental health treatment is the first line of defense in preventing mass shootings. 

Recent statistics by the U.S. Department of Health indicate that approximately 

11 million U.S. adults, or 4.8 percent of the population, were diagnosed 

with serious mental illnesses in 2009. 16 Critical incidents involving the mentally 

ill, such as the school shootings in Newtown, Isla Vista and others, underscore 

the seriousness of detecting and treating mental illnesses. Even President Obama 

has claimed that increased funding for mental health would reduce violent crimes 

committed with firearms. 17 

But Harris, who has the power to prompt action on this issue, has stood on the 

sidelines while billions of dollars in funds collected and specifically earmarked 

for mental health treatment in California remains unspent. Meanwhile, mental 

health treatment programs throughout the state are chronically underfunded. 

By providing effective treatment and services for those who suffer from mental 

illness, or who are at risk of mental illness, some tragic incidents might be prevented. 

Recognizing this need, California voters approved Proposition 63, the 

Mental Health Services Act (“MHSA”) in 2004 and expanded mental health treatment 

services and utilized innovative methods more likely to identify, mitigate, 

and treat mental illness. MHSA imposed a 1% income tax on individuals earning 

over $1 million to fund these programs. While more than $7 billion in funds were 

collected for the MHSA, a 2013 California State Auditor report found these funds 

were mismanaged, and are not being used for their intended purpose of treating 

mental illnesses. 18 

In Orange County for example, a recent grand jury report determined that 

while the county should have about 1,500 psychiatric beds according to the standards 

set by the California Hospital Association, the county has only 685 beds. 19 

There is also a shortage of psychiatrists in Orange County, and wait times to see a 

psychiatrist are often months long. These doctors are critically important in diagnosing 

and treating many mental health problems which, if left untreated, may ultimately 

lead to acts of violence. Despite this evidence of pervasive underfunding 

for mental health treatment, Orange County has built up nearly a quarter-billion 

dollars in unspent MHSA funds. 

And Orange County is not alone in mismanaging its mental health system. 

San Diego County accumulated a $172 million fund balance as of 2013, 20 

while Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties also accrued massive 

amounts of unspent mental health funds. 

So why isn’t Harris prompting these counties to action? Harris has done nothing 

to get these monies where they are needed and legally belong. 

IV. FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT 

THE NICS IMPROVEMENT ACT 

OF 2007 

Following the Virginia Tech shooting, 

the federal government implemented 

the NICS Improvement Amendments Act 

(“NIAA”) of 2007. This legislation, supported 

by the National Rifle Association (NRA), 

sought to increase the information available 

in the NICS background check system databases 

so they could be used to more accurately 

identify prohibited persons. NIAA 

even enhanced the cooperation among federal 

agencies, allowing them to freely share 

information creating better and more complete 

criminal records. The law also provided 

incentives to states to submit complete 

information to the United States Attorney 

General regarding prohibited persons. The 

NIAA authorized several new grant programs 

for both state executive and judicial 

branch agencies to improve their reporting 

systems. 21 To date, 26 states have requested 

and received NIAA funding with over $72 

million in grant distribution. 

Tellingly, California was not among them. 22 

Harris has ignored this silver-platter 

opportunity to receive additional funding 

to assist th DOJ in gathering and managing 

mental health information in order to conduct 

more efficient background checks. She 

has left millions in federal money to improve 

the overall effectiveness of such background 

checks on the table. 

21. The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, 

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS, http://www.bjs.gov/ 

index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=49. 

22. State Profiles, BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS, 

http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=491. 

15. Cali¬fornia State Auditor, Follow-up—California Department of Justice: Delays in Fully Implementing 

Recommendations Prevent it From Accurately and Promptly Identifying All Armed Persons with 

Mental Illness, Resulting in Continued Risk to Public Safety (July 2015), available at http://bsa.ca.gov/ 

pdfs/reports/2015-504.pdf. 

16. SAMHSA: 4.8% U.S. Adults Suffer From Serious Mental Illness, NEWS MEDICAL (Nov. 19, 

2010), available at http://www.news-medical.net/news/20101119/SAMHSA-4825-US-adults-sufferfrom-serious-mental-illness.aspx.12. 

Kimberly Leonard, White House Claims Medicaid Expansion 

Would Curb Gun Violence, U.S. News (Oct. 7, 2015), available at http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/10/07/white-house-claims-medicaid-expansion-would-curb-gun-violence. 

17. Kimberly Leonard, White House Claims Medicaid Expansion Would Curb Gun Violence, U.S. 

NEWS (Oct. 7, 2015), available at http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/10/07/white-houseclaims-medicaid-expansion-would-curb-gun-violence. 

18. California State Auditor, Mental Health Services Act California State Auditor (Aug. 2013), available 

at https://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2012-122.pdf. 

19. Nick Gerda, County Stashing Mental Health Cash While Needs Go Unmet, VOICE OF OC (Sept. 10, 2015), 

available at http://voiceofoc.org/2015/09/county-stashing-mental-health-cash-while-needs-go-unmet/. 

20. Lauren Mascarenhas, County Amasses Mental Health Funds Amid Need, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRI- 

BUNE (Aug. 22, 2015), available at http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/22/countyamasses-mental-health-funds-amid-need/. 

“ 

Mental health 

treatment is the first 

line of defense in 

preventing mass 

shootings. 

” 



V. CALIFORNIA’S FIREARM REGIS- 

TRATION DATABASE MESS 

In addition to searching criminal records as 

part of a background check, California also refers 

to its Automated Firearm System (“AFS”) database 

to ensure that prohibited persons do not possess 

firearms. Through AFS, police can access a 

firearm’s serial number and other characteristics. 23 

Before January 1, 2014, only handguns, 

voluntarily registered firearms, and registered 

“assault weapons” and “.50 BMG rifles” were 

required to be registered with the AFS. California 

law prohibited the DOJ from recording the 

serial numbers of long guns until that date. 24 

Pathetically, the information in the AFS is 

often incorrect. Model numbers are incorrectly 

listed as the firearm’s caliber, calibers are listed 

as serial numbers, vice versa, and etc. The database 

has not been updated, so many firearms 

remain unregistered or registered to a previous 

owner. This makes the entire purpose of the gun 

owner registration system pointless. 

Unfortunately, the AFS database is also 

in shambles. 

People are often unaware of the restrictions 

California places on firearm transfers or sales. 

They fail to transfer firearms through a dealer 

when required, and subsequently fail to have the 

firearm registered to the recipient. Additionally, 

some dealers have failed to enter firearm information 

upon transfer, or entered it inaccurately. 

In the few situations where firearm transfers can 

be legally done without going through a dealer, 

some recipients have failed to register the firearm 

with DOJ upon receipt. Consequently, firearms 

transferred years ago are often incorrectly 

still registered to the original purchaser. 

There is a mechanism in place through which 

individuals can remove the firearms they no longer 

possess from the registry in order to correct 

the errors. 25 But, DOJ refuses to take registered 

firearms out of peoples’ names without “verifiable 

proof.” Harris’ DOJ insists that a former 

firearm owner show proof the firearm was transferred, 

lost, or stolen before unregistering the firearm 

in that person’s name. Oftentimes this proof 

is impossible to come by. How do you prove 

that you don’t have something? Consequently, 

errors in ownership remain within the AFS. 

Despite her unfounded claims that a firearms 

registry is critical to her gun control agenda, 

Harris has failed to address these chronic 

errors in the DOJ database. 

23. CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 28155, 28160, 28215(d). 

24. CAL. PENAL CODE § 11106 (2013). 

25. See Notice of No Longer in Possession, California 

Department of Justice (Rev. May 2015), available 

at http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/ 

firearms/forms/BOF4546NLIP0209.pdf 

“ 

This makes the entire purpose of the gun 

owner registration system pointless. 

” 

VI. APPS DATABASE RIDDLED WITH ERRORS – AND 

RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE 

The Armed & Prohibited Persons System (APPS) was created in 

2001 (SB 950). 26 APPS cross-references the Automated Firearm System 

(AFS) with the databases covering those prohibited from possessing firearms 

(like the mental health and the criminal databases discussed above). 

As you may have surmised, given the inaccuracies of all of these databases 

upon which APPS relies, APPS while occasionally snagging a bad guy, 

has largely become a joke. APPS is mismanaged, filled with inaccuracies, 

and enforced by agents who would rather do anything other than be a part 

of what they see as a demeaning program. 27 

In May of 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed controversial 

Senate Bill 140, giving the DOJ $24 million that had been collected 

from gun buyers to conduct background checks to enforce the DOJ’s existing 

APPS program. 28 At the time, Harris claimed this money would 

improve APPS enforcement, saying that: 

California is leading the nation in a common-sense effort to 

protect public safety by taking guns away from dangerous, violent 

individuals who are prohibited by law from owning them . . . . 

These funds will allow the Department of Justice to increase the 

number of agents conducting these smart and effective operations. 

I commend Governor Brown for signing this critical public safety 

investment into law. 29 

But the 2013 Auditor’s report also found that the DOJ had failed to process 

reports of people becoming prohibited, potentially allowing them to 

keep illegally possessed firearms. The Auditor also said that the DOJ’s 

unit in DOJ’s Bureau of Firearms had not met its own internal deadline 

for completing initial reviews of potential armed prohibited persons. This 

failure was attributed in part to “current weaknesses in Justice’s workload 

management and controls over information it receives.” As a result, according 

to the Audit, the DOJ reported “more than 20,800 persons were 

still deemed to be armed prohibited persons as of July 2013, and these 

persons had not had their firearms confiscated.” 30 

In a sign of strain on the program, the Department of Justice hadn’t 

vetted the status of some 380,000 gun owners as of the 2013 audit. 

Enforcement appeared to be lagging as well: the state audit found 

20,800 prohibited people with mental illness who had not had their 

guns confiscated. 31 

The failure of this APPS system was further highlighted by DOJ’s 

report on APPS for the 2014 Calendar year. 32 Despite the rosy disposition 

DOJ tried to spin in the report, it showed the backlog had shrunk by 

less than one-fifth from the previous year. 33 “There were almost 17,500 

people in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System as of December 31, 

“ 

Harris has refused to address these major 

problems, despite repeatedly touting 

the need for a firearm registry. 

” 

24 

JAN. / FEB.

“ 


These kinds of dangerous errors inevitably lead to law enforcement 

attempting to confiscate firearms from the homes of 

law-abiding citizens who are neither armed nor prohibited. 

” 

2014. That was down by about 18 percent from the more than 

21,000 in the database as of January 2014, according to the 

DOJ’s March 1 report to the Legislature.” 

Compounding matters for Harris, the 2015 Auditor’s 

report came out soon thereafter. The 2015 report identified 

errors in 20% of the APPS cases reviewed by the Auditor, 

including at least one case where a person was wrongly identified 

as a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, when 

in fact they were not prohibited. 34 

These kinds of errors inevitably lead to law enforcement 

attempting to confiscate firearms from the homes of law-abiding 

citizens who are neither armed nor prohibited. According 

to the Auditor, when the DOJ makes this type of error, “it 

inappropriately infringes upon an individual’s right to own 

and possess firearms.” 35 Uh, yeah. But even individuals who 

have never owned firearms can find themselves in law enforcement’s 

crosshairs due to the mistakes and lack of supervision 

at the DOJ. 36 Of course these errors also mean that 

dangerous persons, who are actually prohibited, are allowed 

to continue to possess firearms undetected, until they decide 

to use them. The Auditor also found that the DOJ did not even 

have a checklist to assist the APPS unit staff in making correct 

prohibition determinations, or in reviewing and entering all 

pertinent information into the APPS database. 37 

In 2015, the Auditor also reported that the backlog of 

pending potential prohibited persons in possession of firearms 

did not improve after the first Audit in 2013. In fact, it 

was actually three times worse by the second audit in 2015. 38 

During late 2012 and early 2013, the first Audit found that 

DOJ had a backlog of more than 1,200 matches pending initial 

review in its daily queue — the queue that contains the 

daily events from courts and mental health facilities that indicate 

a match and may trigger a prohibition for an individual 

to own a firearm. By 2015 this daily queue had reached more 

than 3,600 cases, six times higher than the DOJ’s “goal” of no 

more than 600 cases. 39 

And that’s just the potential matches. The DOJ has a “historical 

backlog” of more than a quarter-million potentially 

prohibited persons, which it hasn’t even checked for matching 

records yet. Based on DOJ’s poor performance record of reviewing 

this “historical backlog,” the California State Auditor 

estimated that at its current pace the DOJ would not complete 

its review of these records until 2022. 40 The Auditor found the 

longer it takes the DOJ to review the records in the “historical 

backlog,” the longer armed prohibited persons keep their 

firearms. The 2015 Report also found that DOJ had not implemented 

all the recommendations from the 2013 Report. 41 

Given the gross mismanagement of the APPS program, 

the Legislature has asked DOJ some important questions. The 

California Senate Republicans requested an oversight hearing 

for the failing program. 42 In the letter to President Pro Tem 

De León, the Senate Republicans inquired, amongst other 

things, why the DOJ failed to meet their hiring objectives despite 

spending 40% of the funds provided to them in 2013. 43 

In hearings on April 30, 2015, and May 20, 2015, the 

DOJ tried to justify their actions relating to APPS, and shockingly 

requested millions in additional funds. According to the 

DOJ, there is approximately only $12 million remaining in 

the DROS fund. During the May 20, 2015, hearing the DOJ 

asked for the additional money from the Firearm Safety and 

Enforcement Fund. 44 This fund, much like the DROS fund, 

is paid by responsible firearm purchasers at the time of lawful 

firearm purchases. Essentially, it’s a tax on gun buyers. 

It’s easy for Kamala Harris to score political points for her 

Senate campaign using inflammatory rhetoric to make vague 

demands for more gun control laws. But when it comes to 

making existing laws work, laws that she herself has trumpted 

as part of reducing gun violence, Harris has botched the 

job big time. 

Civil rights attorney C.D. Michel is President and General Counsel for 

CRPA. He is a former prosecutor and currently runs the law firm Michel & 

Associates, PC in Long Beach. The firm’s clients include the NRA and CRPA, 

as well as firearm manufacturers, distributors, retailers and owners. 

26. Armed Prohibited Person System, OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENER- 

AL, available at https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press_releases/ 

n2521_apps_fact_sheet.pdf. 

27. See California’s APPS: DOJ Special Agent Greg Cameron, NRANEWS 

(Aug. 2013), https://www.nranews.com/home/video/apps-dept-of-justice-special-agent-greg-cameron. 

28. Kathleen Miles, California Gun Confiscation Bill Passes, Approves $24 

Million to Expedite Illegal Gun Seizure, HUFFINGTON POST LOS ANGELES 

(Apr. 19, 2013), available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/california-gun-confiscation-bill_n_3117238.html. 

29. Mark Leno, Assembly Passes Leno Bill Taking Illegally Possessed Firearms 

Off Streets (Apr. 18, 2013), available at http://sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/2013- 

04-18-assembly-passes-leno-bill-taking-illegally-possessed-firearms-streets. 

30. California State Auditor, Armed Persons with Mental Illness (Oct. 2013), 

available at https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-103.pdf. 

31. Jeremey B. White, The Latest on California Politics and Government (Dec. 

16, 2013), available at http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/12/california-lawmakers-question-gun-confiscation-program-backlog.html. 

32. Armed Prohibited Person System, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUS- 

TICE (2014), available at http://www.oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/armed-prohib-person-system.pdf. 

33. Jim Miller, California Continues to Have Large Backlog of Prohibited Gun 

Owners (Mar. 2015), available at http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article15138524.html. 

34. Protect Yourself! California’s Politicized Gun Confiscation Program Threatens 

Uninformed Gun Owners, MICHEL & ASSOCIATES, P.C. (May 23, 2014), 

available at http://www.calgunlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Protect-Yourself1.pdf. 

35. Cali¬fornia State Auditor, Follow-up—California Department of Justice: Delays 

in Fully Implementing Recommendations Prevent it From Accurately and 

Promptly Identifying All Armed Persons with Mental Illness, Resulting in Continued 

Risk to Public Safety (July 2015), available at http://bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2015-504.pdf. 

36. APPS: California’s Universal Registration Scheme, NRANEWS, https:// 

www.nranews.com/series/ginny-simone-reporting/video/apps-california-s-universal-registration-scheme. 

37-41. Id. 

42. Senate Republications Seek Oversight Hearing to Examine Significant 

Backlog in Attorney General Kamala Harris’ Program to Take Guns from Criminals 

and Mentally Ill, REPUBLICAN CAUCUS (Mar. 17, 2015), available at 

http://cssrc.us/content/senate-republicans-seek-oversight-hearing-examine-significant-backlog-attorney-general. 

43. Letter to Senator de Leon, President Pro Tem, California State Senate, from 

Republican Leaders (Mar. 17, 2015) available at http://cssrc.us/sites/default/ 

files/150317_Letter.pdf . 

44. Senate Budget and Fiscal Review, Subcommittee No. 5 – Agenda (May 

20, 2015), available at http://sbud.senate.ca.gov/sites/sbud.senate.ca.gov/files/ 

SUB5/05202015Sub5MR.pdf. 


STRENGTH IN MEMBERS 

#IAMCRPA 

DAVID KIMES, 

CRPA LIFE MEMBER 

November, 1963, I am working my 

first job out of school at the Auto Club 

of Southern California (ACSC). President 

Kennedy is assassinated. Everyone 

is talking about it – so they let us go 

home early. At home I opened the mail 

- one letter started with, 

“Greetings from the President, you are 

hereby drafted into military service.” 

That event was to be the re-start 

of my career in competitive target rifle 

shooting. My first start was when my 

family visited Lakeview, Oregon where 

distant relatives came across the plains 

in covered wagons and settled. I was in 

middle school. Seeing a .22 rifle behind 

one of the doors in the home they had 

built at lake’s edge, I asked my father 

if we could go shoot. Yes! He showed 

me the basics – safety, sighting, trigger 

squeeze and follow-thru. A few 

years later in high school I am eating 

lunch with a friend and I happened to 

mention that trip. He said, “Why don’t 

you come out to the South Coast Gun 

Club this weekend, my dad is a coach”. 

Without that conversation I would not 

be writing this today. At “South Coast” 

I worked my way up through the NRA 

junior shooting program. In those days, 

the 1950’s, the Southern California Junior 

Rifle League held competitions 

26 

JAN. / FEB.

every few months at various ranges. 

Clubs with junior programs would 

bring their juniors to compete. I especially 

remember the Los Angeles Rifle 

& Revolver Club (LAR&RC) – a 100 

point small bore rifle range, established 

in 1905, and located in El Monte just off 

of Rosemead Blvd. at the 60 Freeway. I 

am now a life-member. 

Since that time as a junior, I attended 

Orange Coast College (OCC) – my 

high school grades not good enough 

to go to a 4-year college. In those days 

OCC, located on the abandoned Santa 

Ana Army Airbase, still had a small 

bore range in one of the WW-II barracks. 

That fellow from high school 

with the father as a coach? - We would 

practice there during the school year. An 

OCC professor, Dr. Giles Brown, suggested 

that I set a goal to get a 4-year 

college degree. I did and booked it hard. 

I ended up getting invited to Stanford, 

Claremont Men’s, and UC Berkeley. I 

chose Berkeley because in those days 

it was only $75 a semester plus books, 

AND they had a rifle team. Two-time 

NRA All-American. Then – to work at 

ACSC after graduation and the draft 

notice. I had basically stopped shooting 

and was concentrating on my career. 

During Army basic, having heard 

about the U.S. Army Marksmanship 

Unit, I wrote a letter to the commander 

asking for a tryout for the International 

Rifle Team. By the end of basic 

training I had “orders” waiting – to be 

assigned for a 90 day tryout. The sergeants 

thought it was because I had set 

the range record during rifle qualification, 

but I knew better. 

I learned and trained hard and was 

assigned. The first few months of my 

assignment included the 1964 Olympic 

Tryouts and later the 1966 World 

Championships (WC) tryouts. I extended 

my 2-year obligation by 10 months 

to include those WC tryouts. I made 

that team to Germany for the 39th WC - 

only shooting high enough at the tryouts 

to be an alternate, but I was on the team 

trip and able to train there for my event, 

300 meter 3-position rifle. Memorable! 

At the end of 34 months in the service, 

I returned home to work on a master’s 

degree. Little did I know that my work 

ethic in an information management 

class at USC would get me a job at 

Rockwell International in the Apollo 

Program – 18 months before Apollo 11 

landed on the moon. 

An early morning call from the 

Chief of the US Army Reserve office – 

they were forming an International Rifle 

Team and asked me to join. How could 

I resist? The next 20 years I was with 

the reserve team - training, shooting in 

competitions, presenting marksmanship 

clinics – but maintaining a full-time job 

in the Apollo and Shuttle Programs. 

I made the next five WC teams 

(every four years, like the Olympics). 

It took three WC teams before I won – 

that was the 1974 WC in Switzerland. 

It was the 300 meter Standard Rifle 3-P 

event, I tied for the gold with world record, 

but won the tie-breaker with my 

perfect 100 kneeling in last 10 shots, 

with a 198 kneeling score. I set my goal 

to win that same event at the next WC + 

increase my world record. 

I wanted to leave no stone unturned. 

I quit work, lived off my work retirement 

fund and the USAR pay checks for 

attending competitions with the team. 

I trained 5 days a week at LAR&RC 

shooting competitions on weekends. I 

took four years off from work to train 

and make the 1978 WC, 1979 Pan-Am 

team, and 1980 Olympic team. In 1977 

I discovered 1976 Rifle Gold Medalist 

Lanny Bassham’s Mental Management 

Systems. I flew to Texas for a three day 

one-on-one with Lanny, learning precision 

shading, mental visualization, 

mental shot program, positive self-talk, 

and much more. That added a lot to my 

“mental tool box”, and boy did that 

come in handy. At the 1978 WC in Korea 

I won again increasing my world record. 

Visualizing hundreds of times - on 

the award stand being presented with a 

gold medal - was one of the many mental 

visualizations that paid off. 

Two years later I made the 1980 

Olympic Team - precision shading in 

switching wind conditions was huge 


STRENGTH IN MEMBERS 

in winning that 50 meter rifle tryouts. Years later I 

gave a Shuttle astronaut my 1980 Olympic stick 

pin with this written on the back of card, “Many 

thanks for your dedication and efforts in the Space 

Program! You are just like a farmer... ‘outstanding 

in your field’. David Kimes, 1980 Olympic Team”. 

Long story short, he took the pin into orbit and returned 

to present it to me framed with photos of the 

launch and landing. 

Fast forward to 2011 – we are fundraising to buy 

electronic targets for LAR&RC just like are used at 

the Olympics. The CRPA Foundation helped us and 

we purchased those units. Later, the USA Shooting 

coach for Paralympic shooting contacted me about 

the Navy Safe Harbor group needing a shooting 

coach for coaching and attending the Warrior Games 

(WG). Those games include swimming, cycling, 

track and field, archery and shooting. Athletes include 

wounded warriors and others who have physical 

and mental challenges. I agreed and found that 

in all previous training and tryouts for shooting they 

were pinning targets onto hay bales and spotting targets 

with binoculars. This is all 10 meter precision 

air gun shooting. Long story short, we used those 

e-targets to training and tryouts for the Navy Team. 

Head coach at LAR&RC, Bob McMullin, and I then 

worked with the team – using the e-targets and incorporating 

Lanny Bassham’s Mental Management 

to the coaching mix. With only a bronze in standing 

shooting for the Navy before this, our first year they 

won 2 gold medals. The next year 3 gold + 1 silver, 

and this year at the Warrior Games - 2 gold, 1 silver, 

and 2 bronze. More importantly, we had no idea on 

how much we were positively affecting the lives of 

these Navy wounded warriors. One thank you note 

we received the day before this year’s WG saying that 

we and the team had saved her life. 

It has been a hugely rewarding ride – this competitive 

shooting and coaching experience. Hard 

work, good ethics, memorable life experiences, and 

the satisfaction of being able to pass along successful 

techniques that took me many years to learn. 

I have never regretted joining the CRPA. I am a 

long-time life member. 

Even with the President Carter forced boycott of 

the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, I did not get involved 

much in paying attention to politics. But with the current 

president and California Legislature working to 

take away our guns, and reading of the many instances 

in history where countries confiscated its citizens’ 

guns and then killed millions – I really started taking 

note. I urge you to pay attention and be active – please 

get on the CRPA email list, and always remember my 

“favorite” bumper sticker: 

“WITHOUT GUNS, YOUR FREEDOM IS SHOT” 

28 

JAN. / FEB.


WHAT IS A 

VOLUNTEER? 

by Kathy Graham 

What is a Volunteer? A person who freely offers to take part 

in an enterprise or undertake a task. It is also a person 

who donates his time or efforts for a cause or organization 

without being paid. 

Why do I volunteer for CRPA? I volunteer with California Rifle 

& Piston Association to promote our Second Amendment and Right 

to Keep and Bear Arms. As a Volunteer I rely on others to help to 

spread the word that in order to remain a free nation we must be able 

to protect ourselves from harm. 

A typical weekend for an event or show starts sometimes weeks 

before the show. Contacting other volunteers to help in the booth 

at the Gun Show, or Home and Garden Show or a Grand Opening 

or Sport and Boat Show. Then making sure that we have all of the 

supplies needed to inform people of our quest to keep our rights. 

Once I have a list of the volunteers for the event I will then set 

up a tentative schedule for days and times that we will all man the 


ooth. It doesn’t matter to us, 2 hours 

4 hours or a full day or both days. We 

are always in need of help and so appreciate 

the help of the many volunteers. 

If you have volunteered to help us and 

something comes up and you are unable 

to help, no problem, we will keep you 

on our list of volunteers for next time. 

We arrive the day before the event 

to set up our booth and make sure we 

have everything looking presentable to 

the public. Once the doors open it is full 

go for the remainder of the weekend. 

Greeting people and asking if we can 

answer any questions that they might 

have regarding our gun rights and if we 

do not have the answers that we need 

then we refer them to the people that 

have the answers. 

We, my husband and I, along with 

30 

JAN. / FEB.


many others travel throughout the 

Northern part of the state promoting 

our mission of keeping our “Right to 

keep and Bear Arms” and our Organization. 

You may see us in San Francisco, 

Daly City, Reno NV, Fort Bragg, 

Loleta, Eureka, Crescent City, Redding, 

Red Bluff, Orland, Chico, Yuba 

City, Marysville, Ukiah as well as San 

Jose, Vallejo, Stockton or Antioch. 

One of our volunteers sent me a 

note explaining why he volunteers, “I 

volunteer my time to show my chil- 

dren that giving to an association is 

good and that we may receive good 

from the volunteering. It also provides 

an opportunity to develop new 

skills and build on existing experience 

and knowledge” Thank you John for 

the input. 

If you are interested in volunteering 

please contact Ashley at the CRPA office 

at 714-992-2772 extension 4. 

Thank you to fellow CRPA volunteer 

Tim McMahan for his contributors 

to this article! 

Kathy has been recruiting for about 8 

years starting out just recruiting for the NRA 

with a friend in Reno. At one of the shows 

in Reno she met a representative from CRPA 

and approached them about recruiting for 

CRPA and that’s how it all started. She started 

out with a banner, some Firing Lines, and 

a couple of application books. She and her 

husband, Galvin, took their car with everything 

in it. Since then they have GROWN 

and now take their truck in order to fit everything 

they need to represent CRPA in a 

professional manner. Kathy still recruits for 

the NRA, as well as CRPA, for smaller shows 

that do not have an NRA representative. She 

has a passion for our Constitution and our 

gun rights so we fight back for our freedoms 


FEAR & LOADING 

Training for 

HIGH-STRESS 

Self-Defense 

Shooting 

by David Morris 

@ Home 

REPRINT: Orignally published 

by the Daily Caller: 

dailycaller.com 

David Morris is a contributor to 

the Daily Caller and author of two 

books: “Urban Survival Guide” 

and “Tactical Firearms Training 

Secrets” which are incredible 

resources for all levels of shooters. 

David’s advice is always well tested 

and actionable. He can take you as 

far as you want to go for personal 

preparedness. 

Today we’re going to cover a few 

quick tips on firearms training 

techniques that you can use to 

get your mind and body ready to use 

a firearm in a high-stress defensive 

situation that won’t cost you a small 

fortune in ammo. 

One axiom of firearms training 

is that you will perform half as well 

under stress as you do on your best 

day of training. 

Another is that if you shoot 8 inch 

groups (aka: Combat Accurate) in training, 

you’ll shoot 16-24 inch groups under 

stress. 

They’re both accurate, albeit optimistic, 

and are based in large part 

on the fact that most people’s minds/ 

bodies are SO far out of their comfort 

zone when shooting under stress that 

shooting performance becomes erratic 

and unpredictable. 

You might fumble with your cover 

garment, your retention, your grip, your 

safety, or you might even think that 

your front sight is so hard to find that 

you swear it must have fallen off. Then, 

when you have a malfunction or your 

slide locks back after emptying a magazine, 

you feel like you’ve got mittens 

on as you’re trying to manipulate your 

firearm and get back in the fight. This 

can happen even after firing thousands 

of rounds at the range. 

You’re not alone. I’ve talked with 

dozens, if not hundreds, of career operators 

and door kickers and they all say 

that the best way to prepare for highstress 

life or death situations is to repeatedly 

and successfully go through 

high-stress life or death situations– 

which are a little different than shooting 

at a range. 

Realistically, you’re probably not 

going to be able to go through that kind 

of stress indoctrination on a regular basis, 

but what you CAN do is run your 

current firearms handling skills and 

self-talk through the at-home “crucible” 

that I’m going to share with you 

that will quickly and easily refine your 

current techniques so that they’ll have 

a MUCH better chance of working in 

high stress situations. 

This refinement process is based on 

trying to replicate some of the different 

stresses that you’re likely to experience 

in a self-defense situation, and do so in 

your living room without bothering relatives, 

roommates, or neighbors. 

This means, unfortunately, that you 

won’t have anyone screaming at you, 

shooting near you, or have sirens and 

flashing lights going, but you can 

STILL get some high quality training 

in at home. 

One thing that I’ve covered before, 

but that’s worth repeating is that I usually 

combine calisthenics, heavy bag 

work, and weights with my dry fire and/ 

or airsoft training. I do interval training 

where I workout for 20-60 seconds 

(wearing my firearm) and switch to 

firearms training during the “rest” periods. 

I’ll repeat this cycle for my entire 

workout and really like the combination 

of high intensity physical activity and 

firearms training. 

I have to remind you to ask your 

doctor before doing anything strenuous 

AND to get qualified expert instruction 

in proper dry fire techniques 

so that you don’t hurt or kill yourself 

or someone else. 

Here’s an example training 

session (all with my Glock in an 

in-waistband holster): 

1. 4 sets of jumping lunges firing 3-6 

rounds (with an airsoft platform or 

other training platform) between 

sets while drawing from concealment 

and moving side to side, 

changing mags when necessary. 

2. 4 sets of kettlebell clean & presses 

engaging 2 targets with 3-6 rounds 

between sets while drawing from 

concealment and moving to cover, 


3. 4 sets of pushups firing 3-6 precision 

headshots between sets, 


4. 4 rounds on the heavy bag, firing 

3-6 rounds at both the heavy bag 

and a paper target between sets, 


(The purpose of this is to practice 

transitioning from fighting with my 

hands to fighting with my firearm.) 

5. 10 SLOW dry fire repetitions of 

drawing, acquiring my sight picture, 

trigger press, and follow 

through with my sidearm. (I’ve 

visually and physically confirmed 

that my sidearm is unloaded, re- 

32 

JAN. / FEB.

moved any live ammo from the 

room, and only practice dry firing 

in a direction that has a solid backstop 

that could absorb a negligent 

discharge, if applicable.) 

6. 10 dry fire repetitions of drawing, 

acquiring my sight picture, trigger 

press, and follow through with 

my sidearm. 

7. 10 dry fire repetitions of drawing, 

acquiring my sight picture, trigger 

press, and follow through with my 

sidearm, while moving to cover. 

8. 39 SLOW dry fire repetitions of 

drawing, acquiring my sight picture, 

trigger press, follow through, 

(rack the slide) and repeat with my 

sidearm and snap caps. (39 rounds 

because I have 2 15 round mags 

and one 8+1 mag set aside for dry 

fire with snap caps. 

It’s not that long…a couple hundred 

reps with different muscle groups, 50- 

100 rounds of airsoft, and 69 dry fire 

repetitions. The key is that if you do 

something similar every day, it adds up 

to thousands of repetitions per month. 

And don’t worry about doing any specific 

exercise. I usually do additional 

sets of fighting-based calisthenics 

where the movements focus on the core 

and recovery after being knocked down, 

but you can do any kind of exercise you 

want or none at all. It should go without 

saying, you should adjust this to fit your 

fitness level and physical abilities. 

When I’m splitting wood, I sometimes 

do sets of “interval” splitting 

where I split at a hectic pace and then 

switch over to dry firing. 

When I’m in a hotel, I’ll switch 

back and forth between exercises with 

my luggage or furniture in the room and 

dry fire practice. 

When I’m doing heavy bag work, I’ll 

alternate between striking and shooting. 

Occasionally, I’ll fill 2 bowls with 

ice water, hold my hands in them until 

they hurt, then alternate back and forth 

between doing pushups with my hands 

in the bowls and practicing dry fire drills. 

WHY THE ICE? 

Because one of the things that happens 

in high stress situations is that your 

fine motor skills disappear and your fingers 

feel like and respond similarly to 

when your hands are ice cold. 

There are two ways to combat this… 

first, repeated exposure to stress so that 

your heart rate doesn’t go out of control 

when you get into a high stress situation 

and second, practicing techniques 

that will still work when your body 

doesn’t want to. 

When you go through the ice drill 

and add a little elevated heart rate and 

maybe a little light headedness, you’ll 

be able to quickly and easily see which 

of your gun handling techniques have 

a chance of working under stress and 

which are disasters waiting to happen. 

David Morris is a contributor to the 

Daily Caller and author of two books: 

“Urban Survival Guide” and “Tactical 

Firearms Training Secrets” which 

are incredible resources for all levels 

of shooters. David’s advice is always 

well tested and actionable. He 

can take you as far as you want to 

go for personal preparedness. 

Bequests make a connection between 

your love of shooting and their future. 

Leave your legacy. 

www.CRPA.giftlegacy.com 


Reading with 

REDCORN 

BY GUY NIXON (REDCORN) 

Why Do We Hunt? 

The question you and I are often asked that 

honestly deserves a good explanation. 

For many of us the question (Why 

do you hunt?) is asked as a way 

of raising our ire —to get at us— 

yet sometimes it is truly meant to find 

out what drives us. As for any “Group” 

there as many answers as there are individuals. 

For some it is part of their family upbringing 

while others have found it on 

their own, yet both become just as passionate 

about it. Why? 

In the shortest line possible, it is because 

of what we are. 

The explanation is actually very simple, 

yet very deep. What do we admire 

about a wild bighorn ram that we do not 

admire about a domesticated sheep, or 

the wild turkey versus the white domesticated 

one? The answer is everything 

that has meaning in life. 

The wild non-domesticated type of 

any species has the attributes we admire. 

It can make its own living, make its own 

life, and makes its own decisions. 

As hunters we are that part of the 

population that is not “domesticated,” 

we are as we were meant to be. My 

grandfather pointed out that as Cherokee 

we were Civilized but that is 

entirely different from being domesticated. 

The domesticated live 

their lives by the handouts 

of others, they do not have 

the initiative to make their 

own decisions. They may 

complain about their predicament, 

but they lack the 

inner force to try to make decisions 

on their own be they 

sheep, turkeys or people. 

For those who then begin 

to argue that we should be 

vegetarians it often works to 

point out that primates hunt 

as well as gather. Our fellow 

omnivores the bears may eat 

honey and berries but also 

take down (hunt) deer as 

well. 

The typical argument 

then goes that the world is 

not the same as the one our 

ancestors lived in and we 

cannot live off wild meat 

alone. My response is that, 

even if we may not be able 

to live as we once did, this does not 

mean that we have to, or even that we 

should stop practicing our ancestors’ 

values and cultures—our values our 

Drying buffalo meat. 

One of the author’s grandfather’s 

cousins setting up his camp. 

cultures. What is the idea behind “range 

fed” or “cage free”? Why do people 

want “Organically raised and “hormone 

free”? Are they not trying in some way 

34 

JAN. / FEB.

The author hunting with his Grandfathers 

rifle a .38/55 Winchester. This was the 

first cartridge rifle his grandfather bought 

which he purchased with the stipend 

money he received while playing football 

for Haskell Indian College. 

“Guy Nixon (Redcorn) is an avid hunter who lives in Northeastern 

California. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, with an emphasis 

in Recombinant DNA, and a minor in Geology. He worked for the 

USFS at the Institute of Forest Genetics and later as a Forest Protection 

Officer performing the first Abandoned Mine Survey of the El 

Dorado and Tahoe National Forests and an extensive trail survey. As 

a school teacher and father of four, he helps operate his grandfather’s 

family sawmill near Spanish Flat, California. As a Petty Officer 2nd 

Class he served three enlistments in the US Navy as a Gunners Mate 

Guns serving in the First Gulf War and numerous other operations 

and is a 10 point disabled Veteran. WahShaShowahtinega Guy Nixon 

Hapashutsy (Redcorn) honors his Osage, Cherokee, and Pawnee ancestry 

and is the author of nine books.” 

to get back to values and traditions that 

hunters are already practicing? When I 

take a deer, bear or turkey I know exactly 

how the meat was taken care of and 

precisely how the animal was raised. 

In hunting we keep the traditions 

and values that make us, as a species the 

way we were meant (designed) to be. 

Hunting for many is or becomes quite 

a religious experience. It’s not that we 

just hunt to kill something but it is the 

methods that we use. Using a traditional 

bow, hunting as a group, the involvement 

of your family or maybe 

even tribe, or using your grandfather’s 

rifle - all these bring the hunt into 

its full meaning. 

To give a little explanation of this, 

for me the connections are quite close 

and have a face. My grandfather was 

taught to hunt by his father, grandfather 

and a great uncle. By the time he was a 

teenager he was fully expected to bring 

in food. He, his two brothers, and several 

neighbor boys would ride two to four 

days west of their family farm to hunt 

antelope in the fall. They all had Osage 

Bows but only one neighbor had a muzzleloading 

shotgun and his brother had 

a surplus Civil War cap-and-ball revolver. 

Hunting with those tools required 

coordination and skill. The meat was 

carefully taken and dried in camp. Then 

the antelopes stomachs were 

taken and turned inside –out, 

knotted in one end like a sausage 

casing, while the meat was 

stuffed into them and hung up to 

dry. Thus the stomach acted like 

shrink wrap and protected the 

meat from dust, flies and horse 

sweat on the four day ride home. 

There it was saved to be used to 

make stew in the winter. They 

were expected to bring back the 

rawhides and meat, and to show 

the antelope and occasional deer 

racks from their hunt. It was a 

demonstrating of having learned 

these skills. Skills that are not 

“bad” to know even today. 

Trophy hunting is not new. 

Young men were expected to demonstrate 

that they were capable of taking 

the most difficult, and most dangerous 

predators, before they were accepted 

into society as equals of those who 

had also done this. To cheat in order 

to achieve these “trophies” was punishable 

in the extreme in most all societies 

no matter where in the world. 

You have a strong foundation to 

stand on, you have no reason to be fearful 

or ashamed of anything, let them 

know this with a firm yet friendly demeanor. 

I often joke that the new craze 

Tunters change with the times and use 

cars instead of horses. Note, the Osage 

set aside their own land for a Tall Grass 

Preserve for free range buffalo herds 

which they keep to this day so as to retain 

their traditions of the hunt. This land and 

the buffalo there would have vanished into 

farms if the Osage had not been hunters. 

in organic and free range, not to mention 

all the exercise they say we need, are 

old hat with my family. Give them some 

more time and they will realize hunting 

is the source for real meaningful food. 

Food that has been honorably hunted 

and taken IS a trophy. Taking a predator 

honorably was and IS a trophy to 

be proud of. You are as you were meant 

to be, there is nothing wrong with that. 

I hope this helps you the next time 

the question is asked, that you can respond 

in a true and meaningful way. 


Mike Seeklander is the owner 

of Shooting-Performance LLC, 

as well as the president of the 

U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, 

Okla. Mike has extensive 

formal training and experience 

as a full-time professional instructor, 

and has authored numerous 

pieces of curriculum. 

Visit his website at shooting-performance.com 

or his blog at 

blog.shooting-performance.com 

by Mike Seeklander 

Things 

New 

Shooters 

Need to 

Know About 

Competition 

Like many shooters, my passion began 

for competing in high school, 

but unlike many, I had the opportunity 

to join the rifle team and was introduced 

into small bore and high power 

competition rather early. 

Years later, after some competitive 

shooting in the Marine Corps, I found my 

true competitive love while watching a 

shooting video of the top United States 

Practical Shooting Association shooters. 

Practical shooting began decades 

before in the form of leatherslap competitions, 

where the shooters focused 

on fast drawing defensive firearms from 

their holsters. The original informal 

competitions became governed by the 

USPSA and the International Practical 

Shooting Confederation. The sports became 

known as “practical shooting,” 

and the shooting and gear evolved at a 

very fast rate. 

Reprint permission given by Mike Seeklander 

36 

JAN. / FEB.

Practical shooting has been in 

my blood for over 20 years now, and 

I have competed in both USPSA and 

IDPA, as well as other variations of 

steel or practical type competitions. 

This experience has led me to figure 

out some stuff along the way, things 

that would make life for a new shooter 

much easier. 

Let’s keep the list short for this article, 

so you can focus and absorb each 

one, and in future articles I will expand 

on all the other things you will need to 

know to shoot competitively. While 

my focus (and background) is in practical 

shooting, this list addresses things 

that can be applied across the board. 

Don’t Make Assumptions 

I am surprised each time I hear 

someone in conversation or from a distance 

talk about competitive shooting. 

Oftentimes they are misinformed by 

other “target” shooters on what competition 

is really all about, what gear 

to use or specific rules. I have students 

who are avid competitors show up to 

classes with a lack of knowledge about 

the rules of their sport. So, one of my 

first recommendations is to read the 

rulebook of the sport they are shooting. 

If you are a new shooter, don’t make 

assumptions until you attend a match 

and watch and speak to the shooters. 

After that, you will have a much broader 

understanding of the sport and what 

your next steps should be. 

You Don’t Need a 

Predetermined Skill Set 

Many new shooters may actually 

be required to attend a class or group 

session before being allowed to compete. 

That being said, you don’t need 

to be a great shooter (or even a good 

one) to compete. Almost every shooting 

sport out there has different classes 

of shooters ranging from beginner to 

expert. Most often, you will be competing 

against others with similar abilities. 

I have heard shooters say they are 

going to practice a bit before getting 

into competition, and my response is 

always to encourage these folks to get 

to a level of training where they are 

safe, then jump in with both feet. Competing 

with good shooters will probably 

help you more than practicing 

on your own. 

Don’t Be Too Quick to 

Buy All Your Gear 

Please follow my advice on this 

one: Do not go out and buy guns and 

gear until you have watched a match. I 

can’t possibly express how often I see 

shooters with guns that are completely 

wrong for their division. While there 

is a wide range of gear that may work, 

there are probably more effective (and 

most of time less expensive) gun/holster/magazine 

combinations available. 

Please take the time to watch a match, 

and take a notebook with you. Ask 

the best shooter you see what guns he 

or she is using and why. This insight 

will save you time, headaches and 

hopefully some cash. 


NEW SHOOTERS 

Match Nerves Never Go Away; 

Learn to Control Them 

This is one that prevents many 

people from shooting a match, or even 

considering it. Just think of the inevitable 

nervousness as an adrenaline rush. 

Even the top shooters in the world get 

the shakes when they step up to the 

plate, but one thing they all know is 

there is no secret potion that will get 

rid of that performance anxiety. If your 

nerves are really bothering you, find a 

good instructor/coach that can break 

down your issues. 

Don’t Expect to Win Right Away 

When I was still in law enforcement 

I routinely brought other officers 

with me to handgun matches. 

Most of them shot well, but seemed 

to be surprised when they were outshot 

by civilians or first timers. Since 

then, I’ve met many people who shot 

their first match and were so humbled 

that they chose not to go back. Even 

if you’re a good shooter at your local 

range and you can beat your buddies, 

you’re probably not going to win your 

first match. You can’t let a slow start 

bother you, though, my personal suggestion 

is to look at it as a challenge! 

If You Need Help, Simply 

Ask Someone 

When you are at your first match, 

it’s pretty likely that you will have a 

question or need some help. Don’t be 

afraid to ask someone. Most shooting 

communities that I have been a part of 

are extremely helpful to all involved 

and more often than not will go to extreme 

lengths to help fellow competitors. 

I have seen more guns, gear and 

ammunition loans than I can count. 

Your Ability in Practice Will Probably 

Never Translate to the Match 

I wish this weren’t true, but it is. 

Practice makes perfect, so hopefully 

you will spend some time training on 

the range to improve your match scores. 

Surprisingly, you may not be able to 

perform to the same level in a real competition 

as you do in practice. Don’t let 

this discourage you, though, as long as 

your skill is improving in practice it 

will carry over to competition. If there 

is a huge difference in your ability in 

practice and a match, then consider this 

an indication that you might not be as 

strong mentally as you need to be. Likely, 

the failure during competitions is a 

result of a lack of confidence, or high 

anxiety, which brings us to my final tip... 

Have a Strong Mental 

Preparation Program 

Shooting is a physical skill that is 

strongly influenced by visual input and 

mental control. That is why it’s so important 

to understand what the “mental game” 

is, and how to improve in that area. The 

reason I bring this up is that new shooters 

always tend to react to a poor performance 

by going to the range and simply 

shooting more. While this may be an effective 

solution, it is much less effective 

than adding some mental training to the 

equation. In my book, Your Competition 

Handgun Training Program, I include a 

mental section that helps shooters build 

solid mental skills that translate to better 

performance in competitions. A key 

point in that section covers utilizing the 

mental tools I give them, such as a “focus 

breath” and “performance statement” 

during their training. 

38 

JAN. / FEB.

5.56 vs 223: 

A Potential Dangerous 

Situation For Shooters 

Several years ago, I was attending a Colt AR Armourer’s 

Course. These courses are only open to Law Enforcement 

Armourer’s and FFLs. During this course, I 

learned something very interesting about 5.56 cartridges and 

223 cartridges. 223 and 5.56 are not the same cartridge. 5.56 

is a military cartridge while 223 is a sporting cartridge. An 

operator can discharge a 223 in a 5.56 chamber but should not 

discharge a 5.56 cartridge in a 223 chamber. 

Until I heard this admonition, I had regularly discharged 

the ammunition interchangeably. After all, a rifle chambered 

to safely discharge a 223 cartridge will chamber a 5.56 cartridge. 

But, according to the Armourer’s course, just because 

a cartridge can be chambered does not mean that the cartridge 

can be safely discharged. 

Some research was necessary to understand why this 

statement was made by the manufacturer. 

The First Clue 

The best source for information about this issue is the 

web site of SAAMI, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition 

Manufacturer’s Institute. As explained previously, this organization 

keeps specifications on firearms and ammunition. 

After searching around a bit on the web site, an interesting paper 

was found: Technical Data Sheet, Unsafe Firearms-Ammunition 

Combinations. On the first page, the following 

sentence appears: 

“This unsafe condition is caused by an excessive 

buildup and/or release of high-pressure gas in a firearm’s 

chamber, barrel, and/or action beyond which a firearm is 

designed to withstand.” 

On page 7, in the section on Centerfire Rifles, an entry 

occurs that states the following: 

In Firearms Chambered For 

Do Not Use These Cartridges 

223 Remington 5.56 Military 

TALK 

©2015, Bruce E. Krell, PhD, All Rights Reserved Printed 

By CRPA With Permission Of Author 

by Bruce E. Krell, PhD bruce@shooters-edge.com 

This warning is pretty clear. The organization that represents 

the manufacturers are telling shooters that discharge 

of a 5.56 military in a 223 Remington is an unsafe combination, 

due to high pressures. 

The Second Clue 

Nothing in this warning document indicates the pressures 

involved with the two cartridges. Searching around 

the SAAMI website reveals another document: Velocity and 

Piezoelectric Transducer Pressure: Centerfire Rifle. An entry 

for 223 Remington indicates that the Maximum Average 

Pressure for the 223 Remington cartridge is 55,000 PSI for 

the complete range of bullets weighing from 35 grains to 77 

grains. Several searches revealed an interesting issue. The 

pressure tables for centerfire rifles do not include an entry for 

the 5.56 cartridge! 

This table includes only civilian cartridges used for hunting 

and sporting purposes, such as competitions. So, entries 

are included in the table for 223 Remington and 308 Winchester. 

But, 5.56mm and 7.62mm are military cartridges. 

Thus, maximum pressure levels are not included for these 

military cartridges. 

However, pressure measurements do exist for the military 

cartridges. These measurements are offered by another 

group. NATO performs its own pressure testing on military 

cartridges. The maximum pressure specification for the 5.56 

cartridge appears in Ministry of Defense Standard 05-101 

Part 1entitled Proof of Ordnance, Munitions, Armour, and Explosives. 

This document is published by the UK Ministry of 

Defense on behalf of NATO. According to this document, the 

Maximum Proof Pressure for the 5.56mm cartridge is 77957 

PSI (expressed in the document as 5375 Bars). On the surface, 

this difference in pressure between the 5.56mm and the 223 

Remington is huge, 22,957 PSI. 

However, purists would say that these numbers are not 

exactly “apples to apples.” SAAMI chamber pressures are 

determined using a piezoelectric transducer and a test barrel. 


A hole penetrates the test barrel chamber. The transducer’s 

face is precision machined to match curvature of the chamber 

wall at the mounting location a specific distance from the 

breech face and functions as part of the chamber wall. NATO 

chamber pressure is collected with the pressure transducer 

mounted ahead of the case mouth. So, the chamber pressures 

are measured at different locations: SAAMI measures the 

pressure a specific distance from the breech face while NATO 

measures the chamber pressure just ahead of the case mouth. 

For practical purposes, however, the difference in measurement 

approach is not a particular issue. If the SAAMI location 

were moved further forward towards the case mouth, 

then the SAAMI pressures would be lower. This effect would 

occur because the maximum pressure is inside the casing and 

is somewhat reduced towards the case mouth, as the pressure 

spreads out from the confines of the case into the bigger 

chamber area just behind the barrel. 

So, the 22,957 PSI is a fair, practical difference in pressure 

between the 5.56 and the 223 cartridges. Look at the 

numbers carefully. This difference in pressure shows that the 

5.56 cartridge generates 42% more pressure than the 223 cartridge. 

Clearly, a chamber designed to safely discharge 55,000 

PSI is going to have problems safely discharging a chamber 

that generates 77,957 PSI (or 42% more pressure). 

These differences in pressure should not be surprising 

when you consider the purpose of the cartridges. By design, 

the 223 Remington cartridge is for hunting and sporting competitions. 

You don’t need higher pressure cartridges for these 

activities. Low pressure cartridges cost less money, since the 

powder is less expensive and the casings can be thinner to 

withstand the lower pressures. However, the military uses 

the 5.56 cartridges in live combat with the goal of killing and 

wounding the enemy. More costly, higher pressure cartridges 

are necessary to effectively perform these activities. 

If you own a real military specification Colt AR, you will 

notice that the parts are bigger and beefier and are not compatible 

with parts from civilian versions. MilSpec AR rifles 

discharge the higher pressure 5.56 cartridges and usually at a 

burst or fully automatic rate of fire. These rifles need parts that 

can withstand the amount of the higher chamber pressures, 

higher temperatures, continuously over a greater time period. 

The Third Clue 

Clearly, a cartridge that handles 42% more chamber pressure 

must possess a different chamber design. In fact, the 5.56 

chamber design is different in a small but very significant way. 

The diagram below characterizes the dimensions of both 

the 5.56 chamber and the 223 chamber. 

This illustration demonstrates a number of important design 

elements of a chamber: free bore and leade. These two 

areas are often called the “throat” of the rifle. 

As shown, the leade area appears just in front of the bore 

and is angled downward. This portion of the chamber slightly 

compresses the bullet as the bullet enters the bore. Bullet 

compression is needed because the diameter of the bore is 

somewhat smaller than the diameter of the bullet, due to the 

lands in the rifling of the bore. 

Perhaps the most important area of this chamber is the 

free bore. This area appears behind the leade. When a cartridge 

is loaded in the chamber, the bullet in the cartridge 

actually sits within the free bore. In the free bore, an open 

space exists between the bullet and the leade where the rifling 

begins. Having an open space between the bullet and the 

leade enables the pressure to build at an even rate, effectively 

serving as a pressure bleed from the higher pressure inside the 

casing. For a thorough discussion of the relationship between 

free bore, pressure rates, and bullet seating depth, see the discussion 

of internal ballistics at the Hornady web site: http:// 

www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/internal. 

Therefore, the dimensions of the free bore must be 

matched to chamber pressures that can be generated during 

the discharge of the cartridge. If a cartridge generates more 

pressure than can be managed by the free bore, then the chamber 

can experience excessive pressures. 

In the table below, the dimensions of the 5.56 and 223 

chamber are compared. 

These measurements are provided by Clymer Manufacturing 

Company, manufacturer of headspace gauges. 

# Item 223 Rem 5.56 Nato Difference 

A Shank 0.4370 0.4370 0.0000 

C Base Diameter 0.3760 0.3780 0.0020 

D Shoulder Diameter 0.3553 0.3560 0.0007 

E Neck-2 0.2550 0.2550 0.0000 

F Neck-2/Case Mouth 0.2540 0.2550 0.0010 

G Free bore Diameter 0.2245 0.2270 0.0025 

H Pilot Diameter 0.2180 0.2180 0.0000 

K Base-to-Case Mouth 1.7720 1.7750 0.0030 

L Base-to-Shoulder 1.2340 1.2380 0.0040 

M Neck length 0.2200 0.2180 -0.0020 

N Free bore Length 0.0250 0.0500 0.0250 

O Rim/Belt Thickness 0.2000 0.2000 0.0000 

Q Shoulder Angle (Degrees) 23.0 23.0 0.0 

R Throat Angle (Degrees) 3.1 2.5 -0.6 

Free bore length of the 5.56 chamber is 0.0250 inches greater 

than the free bore length of the 223 chamber. While this seems 

like a small difference in terms of inches, this difference is a 

100% greater area for pressure management during discharge. 

So, the difference in free bore length is the key difference 

in the chamber designs that enables a 5.56 cartridge to safely 

discharge in 5.56 chamber. Furthermore, a 223 cartridge only 

40 

JAN. / FEB.

TALK 

needs 50% of the free bore length so that a 223 cartridge can 

safely be discharged in a 5.56 chamber. 

However, great danger exists if a 5.56 cartridge is discharged 

in a 223 chamber. Free bore length of a 223 chamber 

is not sufficient to manage the extra pressure generated by the 

5.56 cartridge. 

The Real Problem For Shooters 

Normally, the acceptable cartridge for the rifle is indicated 

somewhere on the rifle. 

A rifle that is marked 223 Remington should be used only 

with a 223 cartridge. An operator should never load a 5.56 

cartridge into a rifle marked with 223 Remington. 

However, other rifles are marked 5.56. These rifles are a 

real problem. Often, rifles marked 5.56 are really chambered 

for 223 Remington. Many manufacturers of low end and no 

name rifles do not actually realize that a difference in cartridge 

exists. If a rifle is marked 5.56, your best approach is to take 

the rifle to a gunsmith and have the gunsmith run a 5.56 chamber 

reamer through the chamber. If the chamber is a 5.56, the 

reamer will be clean when removed. If the chamber was 223 

Remington, the reamer will have chips from the chamber when 

removed. However, the chamber will now be converted into a 

5.56 chamber and the operator will have solved the safety problem. 

In my gun shop, I have reamed chambers marked 5.56 

and extracted metal chips, so I know that this problem exists. 

If a rifle is marked multi-caliber, the chamber reaming 

must absolutely be accomplished. Often, manufacturers label 

the rifle Multi-Caliber to indicate that an upper receiver can 

be installed in either 223 Remington or 5.56 military. But, no 

guarantee is given either way, so the chamber reaming is the 

only way to insure that the chamber is 5.56 capable. 

If you assemble your own AR rifle, you also must absolutely 

have the chamber of your upper receiver subjected to a 

5.56 chamber reamer test. 

Unless you have confirmed that the chamber supports a 

5.56 cartridge with a reamer test, you can take several very 

important safety precautions. Use ammunition clearly labeled 

223 Remington. And, stay away from all that military surplus 

5.56 junk ammo that is cheap but very high pressure. 

As you might guess, the same issue exists with the 308 

Winchester cartridge and the 7.62 x 51 military cartridge. Significantly 

different chamber pressures will be generated by 

these cartridges. 

Over pressuring your rifle can cause the rifle to explode. 

Yes, this situation is a definitely a safety hazard. 

Dr. Bruce Krell is a licensed gun dealer/gunsmith, firearms instructor, and 

expert witness in the criminal justice system. He has 38 years of experience 

as a ballistics research scientist/engineer and 17 years as a firearms instructor. 

He is the author of Ferguson, MO: What Really Happened, A Scientific, 

Systematic Analysis available on Amazon. 


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Louderback’s Black Powder 

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LUCERNE VALLEY LIONS CLUB 

Lucerne Valley Lions Club operates a shooting range as the primary fundraiser 

to support their charities. They are open to the public only on specific days, so 

please check the schedule and hours of operation when planning a visit. Whenever 

a Lions club gets together, problems get smaller, and communities get better. 

That’s because they help where help is needed – in our own communities and 

around the world – with unmatched integrity and energy. 

Visit them at www.lvlionsclub.com or at 30200 Del Oro Road in Lucerne Valley 

or contact them by phone at (760) 248-7670. 

42 

JAN. / FEB.

BUSINESS MEMBERS 

MIKE RAAHAUGE SHOOT- 

ING ENTERPRISES 

Mike Raahauge Shooting Enterprises 

is the premier shooting range 

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outdoor public shooting range offering 

ranges for handgun, rifle and shotgun. 

Includes a 100-yard rifle range, 

35-yard-plus private pistol bays and 

a 30 station sporting clays course. 

Mike Raahauge Shooting Enterprises 

hosts a Shporting Clays Fun Shoot the 

second Sunday of each month. It is 

open to the public. It is also a chance 

for National Sporting Clays Association 

(NSCA) members to register 

their targets. 

Visit them at www.raahauges.com 

or at 14995 River Road in 

Corona or contact them by phone 

at (951) 735-7981. 

MINUTEMAN FIREARMS LLC 

Minuteman Firearms, located 

in Anaheim, California, is a veteran-owned 

fully licensed firearms 

dealership that sells quality firearms, 

personalized firearms-related services, 

basic firearms training, and shooting 

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Customer service is the foundation of 

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Visit them at www.pawndog.com or at 1828 Savlers Road in Oxnard or contact 



DAMNED STATISTICS 

Newsom’s 

Nuisance 

BY GUY SMITH, HEAD OF THE GUN FACTS PROJECT 

Nobody has ever accused California’s lieutenant governor 

of being well-informed. Sadly, he insists on 

proving it. Emboldened by presidential politicians 

strutting for gun control (and very likely some Bloomberg 

mullah), Gavin Newsom is supporting a public ballot initiative 

to bring Californians four new forms of gun control. That 

Newsom thinks this helps his chances as he runs for governor 

is an indictment of either Newsom’s sanity or that of low-information 

California voters. Clear in his proposal is an utter 

lack of understanding about the nature of crime, violence and 

guns. Without exception, the proposals will: 

• Do nothing to address the common and recurring forms 

of gun violence. 

• Possibly push illegal activities to more underground 

means. 

• Harass and legally imperil legitimate gun owners and 

hobbyists. 

So what doesn’t Gavin understand about gun policy? Nearly 

everything. And this opinion comes from someone who has 

lived in and around San Francisco for 20 years and watched 

Newsom’s dementia up close. His proposals may be ignorant, 

but the method of announcing his support was politically astute. 

Take, for example, that he stood in front of 101 California 

Street to make the announcement. This is a building where, 

years ago, a lone madman committed a mass murder, hunting 

lawyers. Gavin likely doesn’t know David Frankel, a lawyer 

who survived the shooting. Frankel became a gun control 

advocate, but through years of personal experience with violence 

and gun control is now a gun rights activist and civil 

rights lawyer. 

So let’s examine Newsom’s nuisances one by one and 

estimate the impact they may have. 

Banning Extra-Capacity Magazines 

Perhaps the most inane of Newsom’s proposals is forcing 

people who own grandfathered extra-capacity magazines 

(which the media keep calling “clips”) to dispose of them – 

turning them over to police, sending them out of state, or destroying 

them. 

According to criminology research, a staggering majority 

of firearm homicides are committed with handguns, and in a 

Guy Smith has been referred to as a libertarian with a foreign policy. 

With an education in quantitative management, and as a working 

market researcher, Guy started noticing that members of the gun 

control industry were less than factual and often outright dishonest. 

He decided to take on the cause of debunking gun control misinformation. 

Guy is a regular speaker on television, radio, and at meetings 

of civil liberty groups, including being an invited speaker at 

the Gun Rights Policy Conference. For more information and other 

articles, visit GunFacts.info 

typical firefight even between trigger-happy gang members, 

the number of rounds fired by any single person is less than 

three 1,2 . Knowing this – as Newsom apparently does not – it 

becomes obvious that extra capacity magazine bans don’t 

solve much of anything. It might inconvenience an insane 

mass shooter (though statistically they prefer handguns with 

standard capacity magazines), but we know these instances to 

be rare especially when compared to the daily carnage within 

inner-cities… like San Francisco. 

“I just don’t get why people need 11-plus rounds of ammunition,” 

was one of the anti-intellectual things Newsom uttered 

at his press event. Gavin remains blissfully unaware that 

recreational shooting requires these magazines. Hog hunters 

rely on the capacity during extended chases. Three-gun match 

shooters cannot compete without them. Even target shooters 

prefer not to reload so often. 

Then there is the matter of civil unrest, as in the Rodney 

King riots, where the media filmed Los Angeles shop owners 

sitting atop their stores with so-called “assault weapons” 

sporting extra-capacity magazines. These firearms kept many 

stores from being looted, burned down, and their owners injured 

or killed. 

Background Checks For Ammunition Sales 

Newsom wants to license all ammunition sellers and make 

people pass background checks for ammo. The question is why? 

Foremost, if criminals are in possession of a firearm (and 

if they have a record, as most do) then they are already in 

violation of the law. And according to the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics, they most likely came to possess the gun through 

completely underground means. 3 This is how they can and 

do acquire ammo as well. At best, Newsom’s ammunition retail 

regulations might scare off a few of the bolder thugs who 

would walk into a gun store to buy a few rounds. 

The more likely outcome though is that it will push the 

supply chain underground. Straw man purchases, out-of-state 

trafficking (such as occurs daily with over-taxed cigarettes) 

and more theft will be the first alternative. So you get to wait 

in line to buy ammo, but the gangsters don’t. 

More interesting though is that some enterprising felon 

will discover that you can buy ammunition manufacturing 

44 

JAN. / FEB.

equipment and order the raw materials online. Gavin may be 

creating a new criminal industry in the manufacture, distribution 

and retailing of ammo for thugs. 

Lost/Stolen Reporting 

Oddly, nobody is opposed to reporting stolen guns. Not 

the NRA, not the cops, not me. But the devil sleeps in the 

details alongside Newsom’s PR team. 

The issue is creating legal vulnerability. Some firearm 

hobbyists own more than a few guns. Thankfully, most of 

them own more than a few safes. But if burglarized and, say, 

20 guns went missing, would the victim be able to account for 

every one of them? Perhaps not. So if one of these firearms 

found its way into criminal hands, was recovered by the cops, 

and thus flagged as never having been reported stolen… the 

honest gun owner goes to jail but not the gun thief. 

So the law as proposed does nothing to intercept crime 

guns that were stolen. It also does little to disrupt the few guns 

that enter underground markets via straw man purchases 4 by 

non-felon criminals. Would these petty entrepreneurs be concerned 

about the penalty for not reporting a gun that wasn’t 

stolen to begin with as stolen if the bigger charge of trafficking 

firearms to known felons is enforced? At best Newsom’s 

“solution” solves nothing in terms of daily gun abuse, but may 

well abuse lawful gun owners. 

Felons Turn In Their Weapons 

The final proposal is to clear the process to make felons, 

who are not allowed to have guns, turn in their weapons. This 

is an outgrowth of the failed Armed Prohibited Persons System 

(APPS). This is what law enforcement has noticed when 

they go to collect guns from felons: 

• Non-violent felons cooperate. This doesn’t reduce gun 

violence. 

• Violent felons have a lot of excuses as to why they don’t 

possess the guns registered to them, such as claiming 

they were lent to a friend or relative who can no longer 

be located This doesn’t reduce gun violence. 

• Violent felons who get their guns off the street – at a minimum 

40% of all crime guns, according to the Bureau 

of Justice Statistics 5 – are not in the database at all. This 

doesn’t reduce gun violence. 

Given all of the above, streamlining a defective system 

doesn’t address the defect. I suspect there will be more to the 

story once the final wording of the proposal is complete, and 

it won’t be good for gun owners (though it certainly won’t 

impede criminals). 

Less Than Worthless 

Newsom’s nuisances are less than worthless. Remember 

this if anyone asks you to sign a petition supporting the measure, 

because it is worthless to sign the form. 

1. Targeting Guns, Kleck, Aldine, 1997 

2. 11 Years of Police Gunfire, in Painstaking Detail, New York Times, 

May 2008 

3. Firearm Violence, 1993-2011, Bureau of Justice Statistics, May 2013 



WWW.THECMP.ORG 

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is a national 

organization dedicated to training and educating U. S. citizens 

in responsible uses of firearms and airguns through gun safety 

training, marksmanship training and competitions. The CMP 

places its highest priority on serving youth through gun safety 

and marksmanship activities that encourage personal growth 

and build life skills. Links on this page will lead you to more 

detailed information about the CMP and its programs. 

Statutory mission. The federal law enacted in 

1996 (Title 36 U. S. Code, 40701-40733) that created 

the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice 

and Firearms Safety, Inc. (CPRPFS, the formal 

legal name of the CMP) mandates these key functions for the 

corporation: 

1. To instruct citizens of the United States in marksmanship; 

2. To promote practice and safety in the use of firearms; 

3. To conduct competitions in the use of firearms and 

to award trophies, prizes, badges, and other insignia 

to competitors. 

The law specifically states: In carrying out the Civilian 

Marksmanship Program, the corporation shall give priority to 

activities that benefit firearms safety, training, and competition 

for youth and that reach as many youth participants as possible. 

For more information visit thecmp.org today! 


Originally published in 

PersonalDefenseWorld.com 

by Massad Ayoob 

Massad Ayoob is an internationally known 

firearms and self-defense instructor. He has 

taught police techniques and civilian self-defense 

to both law enforcement officers and 

private citizens in numerous venues since 

1974. massadayoobgroup.com 

SELF-DEFENSE COURT 

CASES 

You 

Need 

To Know 

Leading self-defense lawyers offer their advice 

on important self-defense court cases 

to keep you on the right side of the law! 

Last year, I had the privilege of being one of the instructors in 

the Texas State Bar Association’s annual Firearms Law Seminar. 

This was Continuing Legal Education (CLE) training, 

as CLE credits are required every year for an attorney to keep his 

or her license to practice law. I made a point of taking lots of notes 

when the other presenters were speaking. 

The audience was made up almost entirely of lawyers who 

practice in one or more specialties where firearms issues play a 

part. I was told that we had roughly 180 people in attendance. The 

speakers and topics at the Firearms Law Seminar vary every year, 

and for many attendees this was not their first time at the rodeo. 

We possess firearms and perhaps even carry them on or about 

our persons in public for reasons of self-defense. Since the criminal 

gets the first move and has the advantage of picking the time and 

place of his attack, he is the actor and we are the reactor. For us to 

be equipped to effectively react, we must be armed virtually constantly. 

Thus, while for most of us actual self-defense situations are 

few and far between, possession of firearms is a daily occurrence. 

Therefore, we have to give thought ahead of time to being sure 

we’re in compliance with laws regarding possession and carry. 

The Second Amendment is one bastion of our ability to protect 

ourselves, though it is certainly not the only wellspring of that 

right. It was good to hear Attorney Stephen Halbrook discuss the 

fine points of Case One, Heller v. District of Columbia, and Case 

Two, McDonald v. City of Chicago, the two relatively recent U.S. 

46 

JAN. / FEB.

“ 

Supreme Course cases which 

solidly confirmed that the 

right to keep and bear arms 

is in fact an individual right 

in this country. 

Steve Halbrook litigated 

Case Three, National Rifle 

Association v. Mayor Ray 

Nagin. This centered around 

the many firearms confiscated 

from law-abiding citizens 

in New Orleans during the 

disastrous Hurricane Katrina. 

“They said in essence, 

‘We’ll give them back, but 

we never seized them,” Steve 

chuckled grimly. 

Related to possession 

issues is the matter of a concealed 

weapon inadvertently 

becoming visible in a place 

where—as in the host state, 

Texas—open carry is not 

legal. Charles Cotton is a 

skilled attorney who has represented 

the Texas State Rifle 

Association since 1987. He 

apprised us of Case Four, in 

which the defendant apparently 

exposed his concealed 

firearm to another person 

with intimidation in mind. 

Hit with multiple criminal 

charges, this defendant was 

convicted only of intentional 

failure to conceal a handgun. 

Cotton explained that until 

the recent passage into law 

of Texas Senate Bill 299, a 

person legally carrying concealed 

in the Lone Star State 

“could be prosecuted in some 

counties if the wind blew his 

coat open. Now, that charge 

would require intentional 

display, to ‘intentionally 

display the handgun in plain 

view of another person in a 

public place,’” said Cotton. 

One such topic was whether 

a person’s automobile 

liability insurance would 

come into play if he were 

involved in a shooting incident 

in or near the vehicle. 

” 

Much of the credit for 

this bill’s passage goes to 

the Texas State Rifle Association, 

and the same is true 

for the whole package of 16 

pieces of pro-gun legislation 

that was recently signed into 

law. In the wake of recent 

horrific school massacres, 

that same legislative package 

included House Bill 

1009, which authorizes one 

“school marshal” per 400 

students. Cotton notes that 

this will confer full police 

authority on the school marshals 

(who must also have 

concealed handgun licenses), 

except that they can’t 

write traffic tickets. While 

Cotton feels that the 80 

hours of training required 

of school marshals is on 

the light side, there is little 

doubt that it will provide another 

layer of lifesaving protection 

whenever a monster 

enters a Texas school with 

murder in mind. 

Few know more about 

guns and the law than John 

LeVick of Lubbock, Texas. 

On the one hand, he is a 

veteran competitive shooter 

and a skilled gunsmith, and 

on the other, a seasoned trial 

lawyer in civil liability cases 

relating to guns and ammunition. 

He came to the seminar 

to teach the other attorneys 

just how insurance would 

apply. One such topic was 

whether a person’s automobile 

liability insurance would 

come into play if he were involved 

in a shooting incident 

in or near the vehicle. 

LeVick cited Case Five, 

in which a little boy accidentally 

discharged a gun in 

a truck’s rifle rack. The bullet 

struck another boy in an 

adjacent vehicle. The court 

held in that case that the circumstances 

did constitute 

use of the vehicle and did 

invoke coverage from the 

insurance carrier. This was 

an exception to the typical 

Texas experience, LeVick 

added. “A drive-by shooting 

would probably not invoke 

coverage in this state, due 

to the Intentional Act Exclusion.” 

He explained, “If the 

only use of the vehicle in the 

shooting was as a mobile gun 

platform, the mood of Texas 

courts seems to be that this 

isn’t what auto insurance liability 

is for.” 

The topic then went 

to homeowner insurance. 

LeVick related one of his 

own cases, Case Six, in 

which a jealous boyfriend 

broke into the defendant’s 

home and began savagely 

beating the first man he 

found in the mistaken belief 

that the man had disrespected 

his girlfriend. The defendant, 

the primary resident 

of the dwelling, grabbed 

his new and as yet unfired 

Ruger P95 pistol and, when 

all else failed, shot the intruder. 

It took 10 rounds of 

full-metal-jacket 9mm ball 

ammo to make the assailant 

stop. By this time, the attacker 

was dead. However, 

nine of the rounds had gone 

through and through the attacker, 

and one over-penetrating 

bullet wounded the 

victim in the leg. The victim 

promptly filed a lawsuit 

against the friend who had 

saved him. 

In that case, LeVick 

explained, homeowner liability 

insurance did kick in. 

When the insurance company 

refused to go above 

$40,000 and the plaintiff 

insisted on at least $60,000, 

the lawsuit ended with a 

$50,000 settlement paid by 

the insurance carrier. The 

criminal justice system had 

already ruled the killing of 

the intruder to be justified. 

One speaker was Dr. 

“ 

The defendant, the primary resident 

of the dwelling, grabbed 

his new and as yet unfired Ruger 

P95 pistol and, when all else 

failed, shot the intruder. 

Glenn Meyer, a psychologist 

in San Antonio who has 

worked with a lot of mock 

juries on firearms issues. 

When he wryly mentioned 

that there is a meme on the 

gun-related internet that “a 

good shoot is a good shoot,” 

there was a wave of laughter 

from the sea of attorneys in 

the audience. They knew better. 

Meyer pointed out that 

all other things being equal, 

the defendant may have a 

tougher time justifying the 

shooting of an intruder if he 

did it with an AR-15 instead 

of a bird gun, and that juries 

are harsher with people 

who differ from stereotypes: 

the man who is incompetent 

with a gun, for example, or 

the woman who is confident 

with one. 

NFA trusts for machine 

guns, silencers, etc. was another 

hot topic. Attorney 

Sean Healey noted that errors 

in drawing up the trust 

can end in forfeiture of expensive 

weapons, loss of gun 

ownership rights, huge fines 

and even hard time in federal 

prison. Veteran gun case lawyer 

David Griffith warned 

of the danger to everyone 

involved in the trust if one 

member loses a suppressor 

or “lends it to a buddy.” 

Space here does not permit 

me to recount everything 

said by many fine presenters 

in a day so jam-packed 

with information that we all 

worked through lunch. There 

is only time to thank the Texas 

State Bar Association, and 

all the lecturers, for making 

this important Firearms Law 

Seminar possible. 

” 


48 

JAN. / FEB.

CRPA’s 

NorCal & Socal 

Pheasant Hunts 

What great weekends for the men and women of CRPA in Southern and 

Northern California! On November 14th, CRPA held its 2nd Annual 

Pheasant Hunt at Raahauge’s Pheasant Club in Norco. Last year, the 

SoCal Pheasant Hunt was a huge success, so naturally we had to bring CRPA’s 

Pheasant Hunt to NorCal for the first time ever at Raahague’s Pheasant Club in 

Dunnigan. We appreciate the support that these clubs show CRPA. The support 

of the attendees will enable CRPA to hold six youth camps in 2016, getting 150 

kids in the field to learn how to shoot! Thank you to everyone that came out for 

these hunts. CRPA appreciates your support and we look forward to seeing you 

at our next shooting event! 

CRPA FIRING LINE 49 

CRPA FIRING LINE 49 


How Everytown’s 

BACKGROUND 

CHECK LAW 

Impedes Firearms Safety 

Training & Self-Defense Originally published by The Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com 

by David Kopel 

Today, many gun control advocates are pushing for 

what they call universal background checks. In this 

and future articles, I will explain the strange system of 

“universal background checks” being promoted by Michael 

Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety lobby. These laws 

severely obstruct ordinary activities that do not involve gun 

sales, such as self-defense and firearms safety training. 

Laws based on the Bloomberg system have been enacted 

in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. They will be on the 

ballot in 2016 in Nevada, and perhaps in Maine. A similar law 

(Fix Gun Checks Act, S. 374) has been repeatedly proposed 

federally by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) 

The Bloomberg system applies to every firearms 

“transfer.” In normal firearms law, a “transfer” means “a 

permanent exchange of title or possession and does not include 

gratuitous temporary exchanges or loans.” Chow 

v. State. 393 Md. 431, 473, 903 A.2d 388, 413 (2006). 

However, the Bloomberg laws create a very different 

definition. For example, the Washington state law says that “ 

‘Transfer’ means the intended delivery of a firearm to another 

person without consideration of payment or promise of payment 

including, but not limited to, gifts and loans.” Rev. Code 

Wash. § 9.41.010(25). In other words, it applies to sharing a 

gun while target shooting on one’s own property, or to lending 

a gun to a neighbor for a weekend hunting trip. 

Under the Bloomberg system, transfers may take place 

only at a gun store. The transfer must be conducted exactly as 

if the retailer were selling a firearm out of her inventory. So 

the transferee (the neighbor borrowing the hunting gun) must 

fill out ATF Form 4473; the retailer must contact the FBI or 

its state counterpart for a background check on the transferee; 

and then, the retailer must take custody of the gun and record 

the acquisition in her Acquisition and Disposition book. Finally, 

the retailer hands the gun to the transferee and records 

the disposition in her Acquisition and Disposition book. A 

few days later, after the hunting trip is over, the process must 

be repeated for the neighbor to return the gun to the owner; 

this time, the owner will be the “transferee,” who will fill out 

Form 4473 and undergo the background check. 

SELF-DEFENSE 

How does this affect the Second Amendment’s “core 

lawful purpose of self-defense”? (D.C. v. Heller, 554 U.S. 

570, 630 (2008)). Under the Bloomberg federal model, there 

is no allowance for lending a firearm to a citizen in case of 

emergency. S. 374, § 202(2) (exceptions only for family gifts, 

inheritances, transfers in the home, and for “hunting or sporting 

purposes” with various limitations). 

Under the proposed Nevada initiative, a firearm may be 

lent if the loan is “necessary to prevent imminent death or 

great bodily harm” and the loan “lasts only so long as immediately 

necessary to prevent such imminent death or great 

bodily harm.” Whatever “imminent” means, the loan is allowed 

only as long as “immediately necessary.” 

This is a narrow exemption. If people in a house were attacked 

by rioters, it would allow the sharing of all arms within 

the house. But it would not allow for a much more common 

self-defense situation: A former domestic partner is threatening 

a woman and her children. An attack might come in the 

next hour, or the next month, or never. The victim and her 

children cannot know. Because the attack is uncertain — and 

is certainly not “immediate” — the woman cannot borrow a 

defensive handgun from a neighbor. Many domestic violence 

victims do not have several hundred spare dollars so that they 

can buy their own gun as soon as they find out about the threat. 

SAFETY TRAINING 

Sensible firearms policy should encourage, not impede, 

safety instruction. The Bloomberg laws do just the opposite. 

They do so by making ordinary safety training impossible unless 

it takes place at a corporate target range. (The federal 

S. 374 allows transfers “at a shooting range located in or on 

premises owned or occupied by a duly incorporated organization 

organized for conservation purposes or to foster proficiency 

in firearms.”) 

A target range is usually necessary for the component of 

some safety courses that includes “live fire” — in which students 

fire guns at a range under the supervision of an instructor. 

However, even the courses that have live fire also have an extensive 

classroom component. Some introductory courses are 

classroom-only. In the classroom, dozens of firearms transfers 

will take place. Many students may not yet own a firearm; 

even if a student does own a firearm, many instructors choose 

to allow only their own personal firearms in the classroom, as 

the instructor may want to teach particular facts about particular 

types of firearms. The instructor also wants to use firearms 

that he or she is certain are in good working order. In any classroom 

setting, functional ammunition is absolutely forbidden. 

In the classroom, students are taught how to handle guns 

safely. Some safety skills can be taught with inert, plastic replicas 

— for example, the lesson that a person should always 

keep a gun pointed in a safe direction, or that a person should 

keep her finger off the trigger until a gun is on target. Learning 

other safety skills, though, requires using a real gun. For 

50 

JAN. / FEB.

example, when a person hands a gun to someone else, she 

must first make sure that the gun is unloaded, that the safety 

is “on” and that the gun is inoperable because the “action” is 

open. For this latter requirement, this would mean that a double-barreled 

shotgun is broken open so that the hinged barrels 

are not aligned with the rest of the gun. For a semiautomatic 

gun, it would mean that the slide is locked back into the open 

position. For a revolver, it would mean that the cylinder is 

swung open, and not inside the rest of the gun. The training 

requires real guns with moving parts. 

Another element of safety instruction is teaching students 

how to safely load and unload a gun. This is typically done 

by using real guns along with inert dummy ammunition. (The 

dummy ammunition is orange so that it can instantly be distinguished 

from real ammunition.) During the course of instruction, 

the instructors and students may “transfer” firearms dozens 

of times, with each transfer lasting only seconds or minutes. 

Under the Bloomberg laws, the above activities are allowed 

only if they take place at a firing range owned by a 

corporation. Pre-Bloomberg, these classes had been commonly 

offered in office buildings, churches, schools, and homes. 

Limiting the classes to target ranges makes the classes much 

more inconvenient. Target ranges are often located on the outskirts 

of town, not where most people live. In rural areas, there 

may be many places where shooting is lawful and safe, but 

the nearest corporate-owned shooting range may be far away. 

The likely result will be fewer people taking safety classes. 

In Washington, the state government says that Hunter Education 

instructors for the Washington Department of Fish and 

Wildlife work for a law enforcement agency, and are therefore 

exempt under the terms of the Washington Bloomberg statute. 

However, those instructors, according to the state government, 

cannot allow “student-to-student transfers of firearms.” 

Nor does the exemption help the many instructors 

and students who take courses other than the 

state’s hunter safety program. These non-exempted 

instructors teach courses for students who are not 

interested in obtaining a hunting license, but who are interested 

in learning how to own and use firearms responsibly. 

Also criminalized by the Washington statute is the informal 

safety training that has always been a traditional part of 

normal use of firearms (e.g., inviting a friend to one’s home 

and teaching him how to handle an unloaded firearm). 

The stated purpose of the Bloomberg laws is to prevent 

prohibited people from obtaining firearms, since 

prohibited people are more likely to perpetrate firearms 

crimes. In formal or informal safety training, there is no 

realistic risk that a student who holds a firearm for a few 

moments, before transferring it to another student or the 

instructor, is going to use that firearm in a violent crime. 

This article is based on my forthcoming article 

“Background Checks for Firearms Sales and Loans: 

Law, History, and Policy,” 53 Harvard Journal on Legislation. 

Also, in a case pending before the 10th Circuit, 

I am counsel for 54 Colorado sheriffs, who argue that 

the Colorado version of the Bloomberg system violates 

the Second Amendment. 

David Kopel is Research Director, Independence Institute, Denver; 

Associate Policy Analyst, Cato Institute, D.C; and Adjunct professor, 

Denver University, Sturm College of Law. He is author of 17 books 

and 100 scholarly journal articles. Kopel is an NRA-certified safety 

instructor. The Independence Institute has received NRA contributions. 


HUNTING WITH CRPA 

by Richard Minnich, CRPA Life Member & Board Member 

T 

he late comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, used to start every routine with the 

phrase, “I don’t get no respect!” And often, as hunters, we feel the same way. 

We know that we are not always popular with the younger, pop-culture, social 

media segments of our society. Every day we find ourselves dealing with people who 

have grown up in urban environments and know very little about hunting. 

They are often full of moral indignation against hunters fueled by lies and misinformation 

fed to them by groups of self-styled ‘environmentalists’ whose transparent 

political agenda is focused on stopping all hunting. 

Their long-term goal is not to protect our environment for our use and that of 

our children; rather, to protect the environment from us and future generations by 

excluding humans from the equation. If you just go along our plan, they assure us, we 

will create a new Eden. But remember: Just look, don’t touch! 

It is a fair question then to ask: who really supports the environment, not just 

with talk but also with money and action? 

Americans who hunt and fish paid more than $25 Billion (that’s billion, not a 

typo) in excise taxes and license fees last year to fund wildlife management and improve 

the environment! And they paid a similar amount the year before, and the year 

before that — all the way back to 1937. 

But that isn’t all that American hunters have done: we have donated even more 

money to hunting organizations and foundations that have acquired literally THOU- 

SANDS of square miles of habitat for native species and brought species that had 

fallen to unhealthy population levels back to today’s abundance. Among those species 

— the wild Turkey, the Wood Duck, the Pronghorn, the White-tailed deer and the 

Rocky Mountain elk. How many species can PETA claim to have re-established? How 

much wildlife habitat has Humane Society of the U.S. acquired? 

The honorable heritage of legally regulated hunting in the U.S. stretches back at 

least to the efforts of Teddy Roosevelt. We have nothing to apologize for and much to 

be proud about. Hunters have not just talked idle talk; we’ve walked the walk. 

So how does the CRPA fit into the equation? As American hunters we are fortunate 

to have a number of fine organizations that represent our areas of special interest, 

whether it is upland game, waterfowl, big game, predators and more. If you are like 

me, you belong to several of those groups. 

The CRPA though, works to protect our hunting rights across the board in 

California. 

We were leaders in opposing the lead ammunition for hunting ban; we also 

opposed banning the use of dogs for bear hunting in California (which has, predictably, 

drastically reduced the number of bears harvested) and we continue to fight 

the misguided people who want to stop coyote and predator hunting in the state. 

(For goodness sake: coyotes aren’t even a native species — they are as invasive as 

a zebra mussel!) 

CRPA, working closely with the NRA and other hunting organizations, has 

significant influence in Sacramento. Our representatives keep close tabs on both 

firearms and hunting related legislation. They have stopped most of the worst legislation 

that has been proposed and mitigated the worst features of many other 

laws. We don’t win them all, but I can assure you: we fight every day. 

Similarly, CRPA representatives are active participants at all California Fish 

and Wildlife commission meetings. We evaluate any proposed changes to the rules 

and regulations and support those that will benefit our community and oppose 

those that will harm us. And I mention with pride, that with the exception of the 

recent restriction on commercial trapping of Bobcats (which we, as well as the 

State biologists opposed), we were successful this past year in preventing any new 

rules from being adopted that would negatively impact hunting in California. 

And just in case you haven’t noticed, CRPA has been active in litigation in 

both 2A and hunting issues. When other forms of persuasion haven’t worked, we 

take it to court! 

CRPA is also looking to the future. Because we all recognize that the future 

of our hunting heritage depends on bringing new hunters into the culture of hunting, 

CRPA is involved in hunter education at several levels. 

Just this year, CRPA has held a number of Hunter Education classes for 

Youth, and by the time you read this article, for Veterans. We ran an amazingly successful 

Youth Hunt weekend where 31 young beginners were trained in firearms 

safety, hunter safety, learned how to use shotguns, received their hunting licenses 

and bird tags, and finally, hunted their birds, cleaned them and ate them! All over 

a three-day weekend! 

We are dedicated to seeing the NEXT generation of hunters in the field. 

In this short message, I’ve only scratched the surface of CRPA’s efforts on 

behalf of hunting this year. So if you are a hunter but not already a CRPA member, 

then join today. If you have friends who hunt but don’t belong, then ask them to 

join with us and support our efforts. 

We must remain united in our defense of hunting and opposition to those 

who would rob us of our heritage. As Ben Franklin said, “We must hang together, 

gentlemen…else, we shall most assuredly hang separately!” 

52 

JAN. / FEB.

CALENDAR OF 

EVENTS 

For our full calendar 

and more details visit: 

www.crpa.org 

JANUARY 

9/10 

16/17 

19-22 

Daly City Gun Show 

Cow Palace 

2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA 

Saturday 9AM-5PM 

Sunday 9AM-4PM 

Costa Mesa Gun Show 

OC Fairgrounds 

88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 



NSSF Shot Show 

Las Vegas 

Sands Expo and Convention 

Center, Las Vegas 

Tuesday, 8:30AM-5:30PM 

Wednesday, 8:30AM-5:30PM 

Thursday, 8:30AM-5:30PM 

Friday, 8:30AM-4:00PM 

21-24 

International 

Sportsman Expo 

California Exposition and State Fair 

1600 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento, CA 

Thursday 11AM-8PM 

Friday 11AM-8PM 



FEBRUARY 

6/7 

Ventura Gun Show 

Ventura County Fairgrounds 

10 West Harbor Boulevard, 

Ventura, CA 



19-21 

Solano County Home & 

Garden Show 

27 

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TO 

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COMPLAIN) 


Dixon Fairgrounds 

655 S First Street, Dixon, CA 

Friday 12PM-6PM 



CRPA Awards Banquet- 

Join CRPA in celebrating 

Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa 

3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 

5:30-10:00PM 

Join the CRPA in celebrating 

“Year of Law Enforcement” at our 

Annual Awards Celebration! 

Get your tickets today at www.crpa.org 

Facebook.com/crpa.org 

Instagram.com/crpaorg 

Twitter.com/crpanews 

List your event 

on CRPA’s 

Master Calendar! 

Send an email to 

CONTACT@CRPA.ORG 

with your event’s 

NAME, DATE, TIME, LOCATION, 

& ANY OTHER FUN DETAILS! 

IT’S 

FREE! 


THE NEXT 

GENERATION 

54 

JAN. / FEB.

REGISTER 

TO 

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Get your tickets today! 

CRPA's 141 st Annual 

Awards Banquet 

February 27, 2016 

at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa 

3050 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

Join us for dinner, auctions, raffles, and more! 

We will be honoring America’s Law Enforcement Officers! 

Scheduled Special Guest 

STEVEN SEAGAL 

Also honoring Outstanding 

Senator, Assemblyman, 

and Sheriff* 

*to be announced 

You do not want 

to miss this huge 2A event! 


(714)992-2772

CRPA Jan-Feb 2016

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