It’s a great day for all Missourians after Missouri joined 10 other states with “constitutional carry,” which allows people to conceal carry anywhere they can open carry a weapon. Effective January 1, the legislation also created a “stand your ground” right, meaning people no longer have a duty to retreat from danger any place they are legally entitled to be.

“This is a great day for freedom in Missouri. The legislature stood strong for the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens by overriding Gov. Nixon’s misguided veto,” said Chris W. Cox, Executive Director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.

In a nutshell, Senate Bill 656 allows anyone who is legally allowed to possess a firearm to be able to conceal carry that firearm. You can view the NRA press release here.

The bill also:

• Expands Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground protections
• Adds additional permit options to include extended and lifetime permits
• Specifies that, with the exception of credit card fees, no additional fee beyond $100 may be charged to process concealed carry permits
• Allows members of the military extra time to renew their permits

General Outdoors News

Smith & Wesson 15/22 Banned from All Appleseed Events After Accidents

 

A warning was issued recently to the Appleseed Instructor forum. The popular 15-22, made by Smith & Wesson, is temporarily banned from Project Appleseed events nationwide after issues involving out of battery discharges occurred at numerous events.

The following email was sent out to Appleseed instructors regarding recent reports of potentially dangerous malfunctions:

To: All Appleseed Instructors
Subject: TEMPORARY BAN ON SMITH & WESSON M&P 15/22 USE AT APPLESEED
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THE USE OF SMITH AND WESSON M&P 15/22’S AT AN APPLESEED IS HEREBY BANNED UNTIL SMITH & WESSON FORMALLY INVESTIGATES THE PROBLEM AND ISSUES AN OFFICIAL CORRECTIVE ACTION. THE AOC WILL NOTIFY THE CADRE WHEN THIS BAN IS LIFTED.
The AOC has received a rash of reports regarding safety issues with the Smith & Wesson M&P 15/22, including a shooter getting injured as a result of an out-of-battery discharge (see reports below).
As responsible Instructors, we have a duty to maintain safety at our events. If we know a rifle to be potentially unsafe, we shouldn’t allow it on the line at all.
At this time the least risk course of action would be to exclude the Smith & Wesson M&P 15/22 from future events until Smith & Wesson formally investigates the problem and issues an official corrective action.
________________________________________
REPORTS TO BE AWARE OF:
Bowie, MD: A shooter (RHS) firing a M&P 15/22 with Remington 22 Thunderbolt Ammo had an out of battery discharge. A Metal Fragment hit the arm of a shooter next to her (LHS) in her right arm. She, did not realize that she had been hit with fragments at first and continued to fire until blood begin to pool (time est. 11:10am) feeling only a warm sting. Instructors rendered first aid applying a compression type bandage to stop the bleeding. Shoot boss suggested that she go to local hospital or emergency clinic. She was able to drive herself to the hospital. They took x-rays of the area and found a fragment deep in her arm. Hospital suggested that she see an Orthopedic surgeon or her Doctor on Monday to have the object removed but surgery should not be required.
Casper, WY: This past weekend we had a student show up with a 15/22. She had been using it pretty regular, since she had also attended our recent boot camp. After about 8 sets of squares, she began to notice the malfunction. Upon careful observation, it was noticed that as she reset the sear the rifle would discharge. We called cease fire and immediately removed this rifle from the line, and replaced it with a loaner.
Once off line, it was field stripped and upon inspection, found that not only was it firing at reset, but also when the safety was engaged. Further inspection found that the trigger pin and the hammer pin were both loose. They both had moved about 1/16th of an inch to the right. Just enough to be loose on the left side of the receiver. The pins were gently hammered back in and function checks performed. After about 3 sets, the hammer pin slid out again.
The rifle was reassembled and tagged out, student was told that 1) the rifle needed to be seen by her gunsmith; or 2) (my recommendation) sent back to the manufacturer for repair/replacement.
Michigan Senior Instructor: The SI wanted to shoot an AQT with his 15/22, but he needed to verify the zero. Another instructor volunteered to take the rifle over to another range, put it on a bench, and confirm zero. While shooting the first string, after pulling the trigger, the extractor shot out the ejection port along with the case and the extractor spring. The case was retrieved and it was observed to be split down the side, indicating that the rifle fired out of battery. Fortunately, the instructor was alone on the range, and no one was injured. The rifle was sent back to S&W, and it was repaired and returned. A copy of one page of the manual was enclosed, highlighting the need to keep the rifle clean and only use certain types of ammunition, insinuating that the problem was operator error, not a design flaw. The Senior Instructor sold the rifle shortly thereafter.
Michigan Instructor: “Back before I was more familiar with this model, we had a malfunction of the Extractor during an event – it simply fell apart during a course of fire. I took it to Williams and they said it needed to go back to S&W. To save time I just bought a new extractor, springs and dowel pins and replaced them myself. Tested it and it worked fine, that’s until it malfunctioned again after several hundred rounds down range.
As the old saying goes “two is one and one is none” – I had purchased several extractors, springs and dowel pins – replaced it a second time and it worked fine all up until I had a “Run-Away…” Luckily I had the muzzle pointed down range as it spit out the balance of 30 rounds down range without the need to have a finger on the trigger….
I contacted S&W and they sent me a repair tag and shipped it back to them. Upon its return I noticed that they replaced the hammer, sear and all the springs were replaced with “Blue” springs. The rifle performed well the after that but I never brought it back to an Appleseed. It now sits in the vault as an expensive club.”
Montpelier, VA: I’ve witnessed out-of-battery firing and squib from M&P 15/22’s twice but never from a 10/22.

While no one is certain of the exact cause, we are sure the team over at Smith & Wesson is on top of this and investigating the situation thoroughly. In the meantime, please remember to wear eye and ear protection and follow proper range etiquette.

*** ATTENTION :

Is competitive shooting self-defense training? No. Is it a fun way to improve gun-handling skills? Yes.

One of the scariest traits you can develop from a self-defense perspective is a false sense of security.

You know what I’m talking about. We’re human, so we’re superior not only because we have opposable thumbs, but because we can think, strategize, reason, and hope. The hope part, while awesome and critical to our long-term survival, can also get us into big trouble on occasion.

When most people buy a gun for self-defense, they immediately feel better, and sometimes even invincible. “Now, I’m prepared!” That’s the downside of hope.

Buying a gun no more prepares one for self-defense than the acquisition of an accordion prepares one to join the French Foreign Legion.

But don’t take my word for it. Consider the tragic case of Franklinton, North Carolina woman Tracy Williams. Her abusive ex-boyfriend, previously arrested 89 times, was reason enough for her to buy a gun and obtain her concealed carry license. When attacked yet again by the man, she fired once and hit him in the leg, at which point her gun jammed. She was unable to clear the jam or bring a second gun that she had available into the fight. She ran and was murdered. Her ex-boyfriend was able to not only load his gun but use it during the attack.

It’s not entirely fair to second-guess the result of a dynamic situation like this, but practice and training certainly would not have hurt. Knowing “non-range” skills like malfunction drills and how to transition to the backup gun she had on her person might have made all the difference. The knowledge that a state-mandated concealed carry class is not preparation for self-defense might also have saved her life. Concealed carry classes generally teach laws, not survival tactics.

So that some good might come from tragic cases like this one, it’s always a good idea to reflect on how we can learn and do better. With that thought in mind, here are some shooting range habits that just might get you killed.

1. Focusing on your target

You’ve probably seen people at the range who fire one or more shots and then pause and deliberately look side to side. They’re not tacti-cool derpa warriors. They’re just developing a good defensive shooting habit.

The act of firing a handgun tends to encourage tunnel vision. You know, because of that whole focus-on-the-front-sight thing. And then there’s the desire to see where you hit the target. After that, you’re focused on aiming the next shot. That’s great for deliberate and leisurely target shooting, but might get you killed in a self-defense situation.

Don’t take my word for it. Consider the case of Joseph Wilcox. After murdering two police officers at a CiCi’s Pizza restaurant, a married couple entered a nearby Walmart store. Firing into the air, they ordered customers to leave. Wilcox, a concealed carry holder, decided to intervene and challenged the husband of the perpetrator duo, unknowingly walking right past the wife, not suspecting her involvement. The wife then shot and killed Wilcox. Sadly, Wilcox focused on the man waving the gun and did not observe the other threat.

2. Firing one shot

In a self-defense shooting, you don’t get to decide how many shots are required to stop the proceedings—the assailant is in charge of that.

At the range, we tend to fire a shot, then stop to evaluate our results. That’s fine to establish bragging rights with your range buddies, but not so fine in a fast-moving self-defense encounter. Sometimes an attacker wisely chooses to stop attacking after one shot is fired. Sometimes the first shot misses. Sometimes, as in the case of one law enforcement gunfight, the attacker might absorb 33 gunshots before quitting.

If you’re practicing at the range, consider working different scenarios into your practice, so you don’t hard wire a habit of firing once, then lowering your gun and relaxing. Fire two times. Fire five times. Fire at multiple targets. Most important, before lowering your gun, evaluate the situation. Train your brain to consider your surroundings before ending a shooting string.

3. Not practicing with a holster

From personal experience, I can assure you that the first time you try to draw and fire from a holster under a bit of stress it’s going to go badly. Drawing a handgun seems so easy and natural until you’re trying to do it quickly. Add the complexity of concealed carry using covering garments and things can get interesting. Fumbling, tangling, and dropping aren’t words you want used to describe your tactical gun draws.

You might consider joining a local IDPA competition group. That discipline has competitors drawing from concealment, moving, and engaging multiple targets, all the while under time pressure. Of course, the “pressure” is minuscule compared to a life-or-death struggle, but it’s enough to show you where you need practice with your gun handling skills. Just to be clear, competitions like IDPA won’t teach tactics, but they will give you practice with manipulating your gun, drawing, reloading, malfunction clearance, and hitting multiple targets quickly.

IDPA won’t make you a Special Forces Operator, but it will get you thinking about basic self-defense skills like finding cover and moving while shooting.

4. Not moving

With the exception of those nifty little clocks, range shooting is like chess. The whole battlefield remains perfectly still while the players take all the time they want to plot their next move.

Virtually any self-defense encounter will involve movement, and lots of it, by all parties involved. That’s mainly because we have legs, unlike those chess pieces with felt bases. Shooting a pistol with accuracy under time and pressure is challenging. Hitting a moving target under those conditions is even harder. Hitting a moving target while you’re also moving is a whole new ball game.

Unfortunately, most ranges don’t offer moving targets, so that’s a tough scenario to practice with regularity. However, you can start to develop the habit of at least starting to move while drawing your gun to address a threat. No, your range probably won’t take kindly to you running across a half-dozen shooting lanes while unloading your 15-round magazine, but that doesn’t rule out smaller and safer practice moves. How about conditioning yourself to take a step to the side just before you draw or raise your gun to shoot? Getting into the habit of moving your whole self while deciding whether you need to draw and fire is a good defensive move. Movement not only makes you a more difficult target, but it creates action, which causes your assailant to evaluate what you are doing. That buys you time—perhaps just enough to save your life.

5. Practicing failure

One of the reasons I’m such an advocate for getting involved in local competition and live training is that you learn how to handle your gun. You program into your brain instinctive actions like focusing on your sight, transitioning to a new target, reloading, and, perhaps most importantly, dealing with malfunctions.

A competition involves a little bit of stress. The clock is running and people are watching you. Is that analogous to the stress of a self-defense encounter? Of course not. But it can be enough to expose your gun-handling weaknesses. In a competition, when your gun goes click instead of bang, you have to deal with it while the clock is running and peers are watching. That’s great! You’ll quickly learn the malfunction routines for your particular gun. More importantly, you’ll program those into your mind so the responses become automatic.

Think about this. I suggest that you are more likely to have a malfunction in a self-defense encounter than any time on the range. Why? By definition, you’re shooting from unnatural positions, and, especially if you use a semiautomatic, the odds of improper cycling are increased. Look at the first case in this article. Tracy William’s gun malfunctioned after the first shot. It can and does happen.

Whether you elect to get involved in some competitions or not, figure out your own ways to practice malfunction drills until they become automatic. You should never have to stop and ponder how to operate, load, or clear your gun. It needs to be automatic, like (hopefully) using the turn signal in your car.

I’ve highlighted just a couple of examples of range habits that are fine, and even fun while shooting recreationally, but that might develop bad self-defense habits. What say you?

Tom McHale is the author of the Insanely Practical Guides book series that guides new and experienced shooters alike in a fun, approachable, and practical way. His books are available in print and eBook format on Amazon.

Images courtesy Tom McHale

• On the "pay to" line, enter: Camden County Fund 012 Firing Range.
• On the memo line, enter: Acct # 12-21-4641.
• Mail the check to: County Treasurer
• 1 Court Circle, Suite 3
• Camdenton, MO 65020

Senate Bill 489 contains important Right-to-Carry reforms by honoring all live-fire training exercises as part of the concealed carry course prior to changes made in the training requirements last year.  SB 489 would also legalize the ownership of auto-opening, switchblade knives throughout Missouri.

House Bill 1647, would lower the Right-to-Carry age requirement from 21 to 18 years old for active duty military who are residents of or stationed in Missouri.  It would also remove penalties for an accidental exposure of a firearm by a concealed carry endorsement holder and establishes a process for restoration of firearm rights for those currently prohibited.

Senate Bill 480 is a transportation omnibus bill that includes a provision establishing a National Rifle Association license plate.  Purchase of Missouri NRA license plates will help fund important pro-Second Amendment activities in the Show-Me State.

All bills, if enacted, without an emergency clause will go into effect on August 28.

Thank you to Missouri NRA members for making your voices heard in the final days and hours of the 2012 session.  Contacting your state elected officials was key in resurrecting a number of important NRA-backed firearm freedom legislation.

Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated on these bills as they are signed by Governor Nixon.