Crazy media guys - Updated!

twofifty said:

Seems like the media were on the up and up
and the broadcast will be positive.

edit: invite them back in 8 months to one of your snowbound matches.

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Haha! Those are pretty hardcore man.

The producer already said they want to do a follow-up show with me, either on the High Power / Smallbore matches, or more defensive handgun stuff.

He was joking with the camera crew saying "We should do a practical shooting DVD series with this guy."

At least I think he was joking. You never really can tell with people like that.

For those reading that don't know what twofifty is talking about, I run NRA High Power and Smallbore matches year round so the hardcore guys can get their "fix" in the winter months. Not many ranges / officials will do that. (It CAN get pretty damn miserable, considering I don't even get to shoot in the tournaments, per NRA rules.)



I can shoot, but not for an official score. Which is OK; I won every match we had before getting NRA approved status and now other people get to win.

This is me after one of the tournaments was done putting some rounds on patched mid range prone targets. It was COLD, with 14" of snow on the ground. We had to carpool in 4x4's to the range for this event.

Following up on the NRA thing, I sent the editor who's working on the show a note with some additional information to plug the NRA training courses (NRAInstructors.org, what classes are available, etc.)

Also gave them a voiceover script the host can do, pulling from the material I teach;

The National Rifle Association was founded in 1871 as a training organization. After 140 years, firearms training is still a core mission and vital part of the NRA. Trent is an independent instructor, and one of over 97,000 certified NRA instructors and range safety officers nationwide who promote the shooting sports by teaching the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to safely enjoy our heritage. For more information about NRA firearms training courses local to you, you can visit the website shown on your screen (NRAInstructors.org)

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If I'm going to promote NRA training as an instructor, might as well point people in the right direction.

Video here;

[YOUTUBE]j41sYCPX6Hw[/YOUTUBE]

The only part that bothers me (besides the couple of 9 ringer shots I made) was they clipped the explanation I gave leading in to the prohibited places dialog.

The way it looks on the video makes it seem like I had to refer to a cue card to remember the long list of Illinois prohibited places (even though truthfully, I *do* to remember some of the more obscure ones that don't affect me day to day). But the way it plays out just kind of irks me a little.

The dialog leading in to that was clipped...

"Good question Harry. {pull out wallet, remove card} Illinois is one of the most restrictive states in the country, with regards to concealed carry and prohibited places. Which is why I give my students business cards. {show card} On the back are a list of prohibited places that they can reference later to jog their memory."

Which puts it all in context, and makes it flow a lot better.

But, that's what happens when you shoot 2 hours of dialog & action and have to prune it down to 20 minutes. Lots of good digital video and explanations went to the great bit-bucket in the sky.

Claude Clay said:

nicely done.

at ~10 minutes I cringed that there was gun handling prior to talking about the 4 rules and checking that the guns were empty -- and realized that was likely on the cutting floor.

my daughter had on camera plus newspaper interviews prior to her stint at NRA HQ. connecting through a camera to an audience you do not see can be a challenge. or not.

looking forward to your follow-up adventures

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Yeah unfortunately in editing they dropped the dialog about safety. There's a lot of quick fade transitions during that piece, each of which had several minutes of dialog that was dropped. (Also dropped my somewhat scornful look while he was demonstrating ankle holsters... ugh.)

They also cut every single piece of anti-government information I tried to relay. Guess they wanted it to be politically neutral. There was some really good stuff, there.

Some of the other information that was cut; The interviewer kept backing me in to a corner on shoot/don't shoot scenarios during the introductory part. I suppose my repetition of "I'm not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice, but here is what the law reads" got too old.

I always try to be wary of giving legal advice, even in the classroom when I'm teaching. IL Law requires I teach lethal force laws in my classroom, but students invariably ask questions about "should I ...?" or "what about...?". I explain that giving legal advice isn't my job (and I can get in trouble for doing it) - BUT, we go through the scenario they want to know about, and discuss possible outcomes.

He raised the recent East Peoria shooting topic and that one was a bit nerve wracking. First, I don't like discussing recent shootings where innocents were killed (out of respect for the families), but second, it wasn't a CCL holder that intervened, it was an FBI agent. The laws on lethal force for law enforcement in Illinois are VASTLY different than the laws mere mortals must abide by. No arrest powers, for starters...

There wasn't obviously time for that sort of back & forth philosophical discussion about it. Can't recall but I think they left the "as an absolute last resort" part in there about using a gun in self-defense, particularly with intervention. My first choice is always going to be "leave and call the cops" - but obviously if the threat is against a family member my chain of decision would be different than a random stranger.

I had to make sure my answers were strategic in nature, and carefully worded since I was wearing that shirt I had on, and have professional credentials. But there was only so much time... It's hard to fit much in to 20 minutes, considering my courses are 16 hours long.

Outlaw Man said:

Good job. It would be nice to have a little primer video like that for every state, if for no reason other than visitors understanding the off limits locations. Those lists don't always explain very well.

Nice shooting, too.

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Thanks! I gave myself 3 lashings afterwards for putting the 3 shots outside the 10 ring. (Just kidding!) But I did go through a few hundred rounds of ammo in practice this weekend, although I can't exactly call a day spent shooting punishment.

I *normally* don't miss the 10 ring at those distances. But cameras make me a little nervous. I get a little choked up if I'm presenting to more than about 30 people even in a private classroom. Gave a speech once to close to 500 and I *damn* near passed out. Got white sparklies and tunnel vision. Knowing this was going over the air and on youtube gave me about the same sensation. Lots of jitters.

By the end of the day though I was having fun, when they did the close quarters shooting exercise at the end, I'd relaxed quite a bit. They did 4 takes from different angles and I managed to keep all the shots centered even though I was point shooting while moving. I've been practicing that quite a bit this summer, I've got shooting while moving and point shooting both down pretty good now. I can hit center of mass without sights out to 15 yards reliably in a 6" circle, and I can shoot from the hip and keep them in the 6" circle out to about 5 yards. (practicing shooting from retention off the draw).

When I *first* started doing those drills I missed more than I hit, the fact that I'm now shooting respectable groups without aiming at this point is a good feeling. I strongly recommend to students to take the time to learn those skills and keep them refreshed.

Officers'Wife said:

Trent, first off excellent job!

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Thank you!

Second: I hope you will forgive my curiosity but I am in an area where guys usually carry their wallets in their hip pocket of their "working" hand. With the method of carry you were using do you ever have problems pulling out your wallet and revealing your weapon?

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No, when I reach for my wallet the shirt bunches under the grip. I tend to wear baggy shirts (casual dress code at work). That NRA shirt was printing pretty good. Since the material is a bit stretchy, and it's only a large, it's tighter than I usually like to wear when carrying. (I usually wear XL).

It's *real* comfortable to wear in the hollow of the hip while standing or sitting. Just get the slide right behind the hipbone. It only digs in when I kick back in the recliner at night, but that's my cue to take it off and put it in the windowsill next to me.

Item last: I sent the youtube address to my Dad knowing he would enjoy it. Word of warning though, Dad often visits Moline (IL) and usually goes on 24 to I-75. If a guy with a prosthetic leg from Indiana shows up don't let him argue about the range fees and don't let him talk you into a 50 yard shooting match for said fees left handed "just to make it 'fair.'"

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LOL I've learned when an old guy challenges a young guy to a shooting match, to say yes, BUT, only to watch, and learn (keep the money in the wallet!)

There's a LOT of "60-to-70-somethings" out there who spent a LOT of time shooting Bullseye matches (one handed), who still know how to handle a piece of iron just fine. I know my limits on accuracy, and I know there are PLENTY of guys out there who are better marksmen.

Very cool; must be neat to actually see a project like this come to fruition, even if you aren't the one doing the editing. Not a bad audition at all (you do plan on parlaying this into a TV crime drama at some point, don't you?).

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Well, I've done martial arts for 30 years now (taught for 22 of that), so you might be on to something. It'd sure be fun to have a change of pace from the network engineer/programming gig.

I think when I retire from the IT world I'll start doing teaching full time. I enjoy the instructor side job, more than what I do now. I mean, what other job lets you teach people how to shoot bad guys, plus gets you on the range all the time? (OK, I can think of a few.. drill sergeant.... etc, but I"m too old to enlist.)

I have to say; right now I'm outside in Texas, 95 degree heat, and I shivered when I saw those artic adventure pictures at the top of the page!

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EDIT: Hit the wrong pics last night; here's the ones.



Finger numbing pulling those out of the snow. But I can't let THOSE cases go to waste.



Long walk to the targets when the truck can't make it through the snow.

silicosys4 said:

Trent,
very well done, good shooting, you carried yourself very well. Thank you for getting out there and sharing your knowledge in the public eye.

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Well, thanks to the knowledge on this board I've accumulated over the years and the training I've taken to learn how to teach.. I've collected enough info that it's time to pay it forward however I can.

It's actually a strange feeling looking back, or is or me at least. Going from recreational shooter to competitor to instructor happened pretty seamlessly - didn't even really feel a "change" along the way. Just a natural progression that took 20 long years of shooting to realize.

I have to say it again though, the knowledge that is on tap on this bulletin board is phenomenal. Many thanks to those who have taken the time to type out answers to questions over the years.

Coyote3855 said:

You are an excellent spokesman for firearms owners/users. Thank you for your effort on this project. You project exactly the image the public should see.

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Thanks!

I was nervous posting the link up on THR, not because of flak or negativity, but because people on here set the bar so VERY high. If there was ever a jury of peers to be judged by you couldn't pull together a list of finer shooters than who is on this board.

There's some talk of maybe doing a dedicated practical shooting show, but who knows where it'll go. The ASO show is great, and Harry does a fine job, but the format is really set up for hunting & fishing. This segment was a pretty big departure from the normal stuff they do.

One of the harder questions I've been asking .. "Is there anything that I can contribute that already hasn't been covered out there?" There's a plethora of shooting shows out there on both TV and web, and a ton of instructional videos already out there.

What I *want* to do, and what my abilities are, may not line up with what would draw an interested audience. My goal (and job) as an instructor is to teach safe gun handling, knowledge, attitude, and skills.

At the very least, even if I do it in web format and just leverage social media, it would give my students follow-up or refresher material. Each class runs a little different, maybe in one class discussion on a topic goes a little long and I have to compress something else a little to finish at a reasonable hour of the day. Even though IL CCW courses are 16 hours, I often run over to 17 or 18 and STILL have a thousand things left unsaid at the end of the class. Putting out a series could expand on some of those topics, for additional material or for later review. Each episode, on top of practical advice, I could do a different drill they can go practice at the range, or maybe a gun review. (I have some exotics on hand lol).


Dunno. We're kicking it around a little, but don't know if it'll fly.

Sam1911 said:

You could always do a series on "The Citizen's Guide to Belt-Fed Weapons!"

You'd be amazed how many of your fellow citizens don't know very basic things, like to check the pin position before you slam the top cover, or why you have to pull the handle twice ... things folks SHOULD know.

(Darn public schools!)

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HAH! Oh I'm sure that'd get me all sorts of the wrong attention, living in the state I'm in.

My son said he'd be up for appearing in the videos. He's 17 and good looking. Decent shot, too. Between me and him we could probably draw the full female demographic to the show from high school through 65.

(#2 on the list of "Things that will make my wife angry if she reads this")

Speaking of my son...

For those who didn't see the prom pictures I took, my son is the one on the left holding the SCAR17, with his date.



That's my oldest daughter on the far right right holding the PS90. The Asian boy is her date, he's Vietnamese, adopted. *Almost* handed him an AK-47 then I thought better of it. Great kid, I'd adopt him over again if he wasn't already adopted (and over 18...)

(And... Yeah I was as shocked as you probably are when she unveiled her "prom dress" an hour before leaving. My wife and her kept her little non-traditional appearance a secret from me until the last minute.... going to prom with a boy over 18 dressed like that is the sort of stuff that adds more gray hair to a father... but he is a VERY respectful and nice kid so I wasn't too nervous.)

My son and his date had a real "modern bonny and clyde" look going.



Anyway I feel he'd make a fine addition to the "probably never happen" shooting show's cast.

Editor got a hold of me today.

"If you are interested in creating a gun themed series or making an educational gun series let me know."

Sam1911 said:

Oooohhh! Sometimes a door cracks open unexpectedly. It is up to you to step through it.

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Meeting is set for tomorrow night.