by Gila Hayes
Every August, our Network affiliated instructor and owner of Riverside Sporting Gear Jon Thompson takes our Educational Foundation’s free booklets What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know About Self Defense Law and gives them out at his exhibit at the MN Game Fair. That event is coming up again on August 11-13 and the following weekend August 18-20. A regular exhibitor at the yearly Game Fair, Thompson told us that in addition to his regular exhibit, this year he is teaching a seminar entitled Developing a Personal and Home Protection Plan in a Changing World.
Thompson has been a Network affiliated instructor for a decade now. During that time, he has handed out many, many copies of our Foundation’s booklet both in his sporting goods store and at his concealed carry classes, as well as at for-the-public events, including Harley owners group get-togethers, and, of course, the Game Fair.
If you’re around Minnesota’s Twin Cities the second or third weekend of August, head out to the Armstrong Ranch Kennels 4.5 miles West of Anoka and look up Riverside Sporting Gear on the exhibitor info given out at the admissions gate. Go support your fellow Network member at this fun event. There are a lot more details at https://www.gamefair.com .
Toward the end of July, the Network enjoyed several visits with our Advisory Board member Massad Ayoob who was in town to teach his 40-hour immersion course in the “rules of engagement” for armed law-abiding private citizens. This year’s class offering in Washington was special for us because we had a Network staffer enrolled. The first day back at work after class, she told me she was surprised at retention of the skills taught on the range that focus on defensive handgun use under extreme stress. The classroom material was of such depth that she said there really is not just one highlight – there are many. If you haven’t yet got this training under your belt, there are three more sessions scheduled for 2023, one about an hour south of Chicago, another in Manchester, NH and the last one of the year in Northern Florida. Check the Massad Ayoob Group website for more details. You can watch some of Massad’s lessons at https://armedcitizenstv.org/presenters/massad-ayoob.
In light of riots, demonstrations and unrest (I can’t bring myself to call it civil unrest because it is decidedly not), it should come as no surprise that there is a lot going on in the firearms training world in Minnesota. Our Network member and firearms instructor Dale Miller of A-Zone Solutions took our Educational Foundation’s booklets to the Wright County Fair with him the third week of July. Because of the youthful audience, we made up a special table top display for Dale that stressed the need to understand the law if you own guns. He gave fairgoers who visited his exhibit free copies of our booklet so they could start learning right away. See Dale’s website https://www.azonesolutions.com/ for his teaching schedule and class descriptions.
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ou’ve noticed, no doubt, throughout this column mentions of our Armed Citizens’ Educational Foundation, which foots the costs for printing our free booklets What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know About Self Defense Law. As a 501(c)(3) entity, the Foundation is set up to receive tax-deductible contributions with the donations going to defray the booklet printing costs. Along with the much-appreciated individual donations, we were reminded mid-July of the unflagging support we receive from the Ammo.com Freedom Fighter Support program when a $1,500 check for the Foundation arrived.
Ammo.com tells its website visitors, “We believe in supporting those who fight to protect our freedoms, whether that fight takes place in the courtroom, at the ballot box, in the halls of a legislature, or on a distant battlefield. You pick who we support with every purchase, and we donate 1% of your order - all at no cost to you.” If you get your ammo online, please add Ammo.com to your list of preferred online sellers. When you order from them the check out process includes the option to identify which freedom fighting organization you would like the 1% contribution of your purchase to benefit. Thank you, Ammo.com, for including Armed Citizens’ Educational Foundation on your list!