HoustonGrey

Everybody needs three mags for these stages...

We are just specifying how many good hits must be on the target.  You can make up shots if you miss.  In the description we tell you it is Vickers Count.     If we specified that you could only shoot two or three shots at any given target then you would be penalized for additional shots.  We will always specify in the instructions if it is Limited Vickers.    

I read the post on "How to get started as a vendor on TGO" but the link at the bottom does not work.  How do I need to proceed?   Thanks!

Anyone can sign up the night of the shoot.  If you are new sign up by 6:15pm and we will run you through the new shooter briefing.  

All stages tonight are Vickers count.  We are not limiting the number of shots. 

I have three that want a spot... Can you confirm for us? Me - Mick Houston Darryl McCreary David Dewey

The gun with slash thru it was posted at the door at the downtown location a few weeks ago when I walked by. It is not a legal posting as is described in TN law. Mick

+1 on the PM9. Great backup gun or summer carry primary. I am having an IWB holster made for me by Little Bear Holsters. I will post some pics when I get it in. Mick

I'm a Glock Armorer. I would be happy to help you out... There are some misconceptions on lubrication, etc... If you have any questions let me know. Mick

Demos | Home Click Contact Us and send him a note. I hope everyone who feels the same way will do so too... Mick

Demos plans on posting no guns in their four locations. I wrote the owner today and wanted to share the conversation we had. Please take the time to write any restaurant that makes this choice. Unless we protect our rights they are meaningless... Mick Mr. Demos, I was saddened today by an article that said you would be posting "No Guns" in your restaurant. You happen to be my favorite restaurant. I think your 12oz Sirloin is better than any other steak in town. My wife and daughter love your liquid sugar for the tea and the rolls are incredible. That being said, if you post "No Guns" I will not dine in your restaurant again. You see I work in downtown Nashville at LifeWay. I do not drink in your restaurant nor intend to ever start. I have a concealed carry license by the state. That means the TBI has done a background check on me and found me to be a law abiding citizen. My families protection is more important than your food. For some reason the media has twisted the law and called it Guns in Bars. Which isn't the case... It seems that for some reason concealed carry holders have been characterized as bad people. Tell me how many other people that dine with you today have had a background check by the TBI. Concealed carry holders are just trying to take personal responsibility for their own safety for a variety of reasons. It is a second amendment right and the supreme court has upheld it in the recent Heller Case. I would recommend you do more research before reacting to the news media. One thing you won't find in the news is concealed carry holders being arrested for shootings. Believe me, if that was the case it would be all over the news. Do your homework, we don't get arrested because we obey the law, are educated, and have good jobs and families. By the way, your sign will do nothing but upset people like me. Criminals are criminals because they break the law. They don't pay attention to them or little signs with a bar through them. I hope you will do some research and reconsider. We will miss the food but I can't allow someone to force me to leave my gun in my car in a parking garage in downtown Nashville. Why would I allow you to compromise my rights as a US citizen. You would not want me to do the same for you and your family. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Mick Houston HIS RESPONSE Dear Mr. Houston: Thank you very much for your comments regarding our decision to not allow guns in Demos'. This was a very difficult decision, and frankly, I am very irritated with the State legislators to place the decision in our hands. No one in the hospitality industry wants to say "no" to anyone. It is against our nature as business people in the service industry. However, considering the phone calls we received on both sides of this issue, we were going to have to decide against someone's position causing them to choose to not eat with us. I find it interesting that the State felt it was important enough to change the law, but that they considered the issue unimportant enough because they gave business owners an option to not follow it. They don't give us options on health regulations, employment laws, building codes, etc... Many of our "business friendly" legislators did not factor this in their decision. This was equally disturbing to me as I am a big believer in 2nd Amendment rights, but prior to the new law, no one was allowed to carry guns in our restaurant anyway. We felt that since people were eating with us without fear of it being a dangerous place before, then we would continue with the practice. Also, by continuing with not allowing guns in our restaurant, we do not have to manage who has a carry permit and who does not; who is drinking with a gun and who is not. Now, we can just not allow guns at all and let the police, who are trained in these matters handle a situation if we see a gun on our premises. Again, I hate the fact that you will not visit our restaurant, and I hope you will change your mind one day. I write you this letter in the hope that you understand why we were forced by the State to choose the way we did. If you continue to feel strongly about this, I encourage you to contact your representatives to have them actually choose a position, and not leave it up to businesses that only want to serve all of our customers regardless of their beliefs. Thank you again for your comments. Sincerely, Peter Demos P.S. A list of your legislators may be found at Legislators - TN General Assembly MY REPLY Mr. Demos, I want to thank you for taking the time to reply. I understand your position and I also respect your decision. When you decide to take the signs down let me know because I will be back. I would like to respond to a couple of your comments just to give you something to think about. I am not expecting a reply, I know you are busy just like the rest of us. This was equally disturbing to me as I am a big believer in 2nd Amendment rights, but prior to the new law, no one was allowed to carry guns in our restaurant anyway. We felt that since people were eating with us without fear of it being a dangerous place before, then we would continue with the practice. I disagree... I was fearful every time I had to leave your restaurant. You see my rights were actually being infringed. There was just nothing I could do about it until the law was changed. That is not something I could complain to you at the time since it was the law. You could do nothing about it but now you can. Why would you expect for anyone to be in fear now? Once again, the law only allows law abiding citizens who have passed a course and a background check to carry a gun in your restaurant. It is the law now. I agree with you that I don't think you should be given a choice but I am sure they felt that was necessary to allow you an option since you do serve alcohol. Also, by continuing with not allowing guns in our restaurant, we do not have to manage who has a carry permit and who does not; who is drinking with a gun and who is not. Now, we can just not allow guns at all and let the police, who are trained in these matters handle a situation if we see a gun on our premises. Short of posting a policeman at the door to protect all of us and to search everyone I don't see how or what the point would be to managing this issue. The law is clear on drinking with a handgun just as it is on drinking and driving. I don't see you managing the drinking and driving law in your restaurant. No one is getting a breathalyzer on the way out or getting there keys confiscated if they go to the bar. You don't assume that everyone who drinks in your restaurant is going to break the law so why would you think I am going too? To your point of those that have called you or sent you letters on the other side of the issue. I would submit to you that you are not infringing on their rights. Nothing will change for them... They will continue to eat with you and not do anything different. On the other hand the law has now given me the right but you are choosing to infringe on my right. Now I have a reason to take issue with your decision. I plan on supporting those restaurants that support the law and my rights. I wish you would give it a try first and double check the statistics before making this decision. Thanks again for listening and responding. I would love to discuss further over coffee sometime. I think if you get to know some of us you might change your mind. Thanks again, Mick Houston 615-807-0397

My wife and daughter have a Remington 870 20 gauge with Knoxx Recoil Stock for home defense when I travel. I actually used this gun in an Awerbuck class and it ran flawlessly. My girls can handle it just fine. Nice controlled, multiple follow up shots... I run Federal #3 Buck shot for home defense. I have a 12 gauge set up the same way for me running Federal 00 Low Recoil Buck shot. I can tell you that the 12 gauge definitely kicks more than the 20 gauge.

On April 24-26, I attended the Rangemaster annual Tactical Conference at the United States Shooting Academy in Tulsa, OK. USSA has one of the largest and most modern shooting range complexes in the country, and it was a great venue for the event. About 150 defensive arts practitioners from all over the United States attended this year. 18 well known trainers conducted instructional blocks at various locations throughout the complex. I have listed all the classes to give you an idea of the variety and quality of instruction that was offered. I will give you my review of the classes I attended below. Massad Ayoob, “Shooting Incidents, Managing the Aftermath†John Farnam, “Urban Rifle, the AR and its Alternatives†Rob Pincus and Paul White, “Combat Focus Shooting†(live fire) T.J. Pilling, “Defensive Shotgun†(live fire) Glenn Meyer, PhD, “Modern Psychology and Firearms Usage†John Hearne, “The Newhall Massacre and its Training Implications†Steve Moses, “The AK-47 as a Pick-Up Weaponâ€, (live fire) Southnarc, “Managing Unknown Contacts†(hands on) William Aprill, “Violent Actors, Violent Acts, an Overview†Marty Hayes, JD, “Reducing Firearms Instructor Liability†Karl Rehn, “Force on Force Scenarios with Airsoft Munitions†(live) Mike Brown, “Weapon Access in a Clinchâ€, (hands on) Skip Gochenour, “Criminal Psychology†Paul Gomez, “On Scene First-Aid for Traumatic Injuries†Hany Mahmoud, “Islamic Terror Groups†Will Andrews, “Shooting on the Move†(live fire) Mike Seeklander, “Wounded/Disabled Shooter Drillsâ€, (live fire). There was also a tactical shooting match. The match consisted of a very realistic problem in the Shoot-House, with reactive, 3D mannequin targets, bystanders, movement through a structure, distraction devices (loud explosions) and other stressors. The outdoor stages included Standard Exercises, a classic Dozier Drill, and a stage in which the shooter had to rescue a toddler. The child rescue stage involved rapid movement, carrying a heavy three-year old (a dummy), engaging targets en route to cover, and engaging threats from cover without hitting bystander targets in the line of fire. I did not participate in the match this year because the classes I wanted to attend interfered with my squad times. Did I mention that the cost was $149.00! This has to be one the best if not the best values in firearms training I have ever seen. The facility was outstanding and Tom Givens really took care of the participants. He must have given away 50 or more door prizes during the awards ceremony. I won a range bag that was probably valued at half the cost of my admission. Classes I attended: Southnarc, “Managing Unknown Contacts†(hands on) Southnarc is an undercover narcotics agent from the gulfcoast area. You can find more info about him on shivworks.com and other places online. I believe this class should be required training for all CCW holders. This two hour session really gave me new skills in managing an unknown contact. I have an office in downtown Nashville and I am constantly approached by someone asking for money, a smoke, etc... I quickly realized that I have handled these situations completely wrong. This has completely changed how I view someone approaching me and how I handle these situations now. Without going into too much detail topics covered were - Distance, Positioning, "Letting the Tape Run", Visual cues to an imminent attack. After the instruction time we spent considerable time role playing to develop the skills that were taught. Outstanding class... Mike Brown, “Weapon Access in a Clinchâ€, (hands on) This class was designed to be a natural follow up to "Managing Unknown Contacts" What happens if the encounter was not avoided? What happens if their multiple opponents? First a footnote - I have trained in JKD concepts most of my adult life. I trained MMA back in the early nineties when the Gracies were first making splash with UFC. I have had 4 amateur MMA matches back in the day. I tell you this so you know that I feel I have a solid martial arts background. Even though this is true I received some very key learnings from this class that were worth the travel expense and admission price to the conference. This two hour session is physically demanding. We spent the first hour working one-on-one on what I call pummeling or standing grappling skills. We traded partners for application after each skill was demonstrated. We would work willingly at first and then added some resistance for our partner. Some guys had the testosterone flowing and each session turned into a mini-match for superiority. Mike had to tell several to tone it down from time to time. These skills were not new to me but I was paired with two officers that had extensive training that were able to help me really work hard during these drills. We then spent some time on multiple opponents and how to use the clinch and positioning to our advantage. In the last half hour Mike Brown had Tulsa police officers suit up in full padding. They were something like the suits that Tony Blauer sells. Mike told the class that now we were going to go full out on a two against one scenario. We started the class with 12 people and by the time the officers were all suited up 9 of the participants had an appointment or another class to get too. That left 3 of us to work the drill. Funny how some people want to get the theory so they feel good but never really test their skill... I was placed with my back to a berm with both opponents at arms length facing me on a 45 degree angle. When the signal was given I thought I was really being confronted by a couple of gang members. These guys played their part very well. The idea was to use your new skills to help you reach an advantageous position to pull your weapon. You could use a training knife or pistol. I did not know this going in so I did not have a training knife but I had brought a red gun so that is what I used for the drill. The first run went pretty well for me and I was able to draw and shoot both assailants. I was also coached on a better way to use the retention technique while in close quarters. Since there was only three of us we had plenty of time so I asked if I could do another run. This is the run that really gave me new insights. This time I was more aggressive and immediately elbowed the first assailant, drew my firearm and used the new retention technique I had just been shown. The first assailant was down quickly but I was hit from the side by the second assailant and the firearm quickly became a liability. Now were fighting for control of the firearm and the damn thing went flying to the ground. I was so focused on that pistol that it completely changed how I normally handle a physical confrontation. We both scrambled and grappled for the weapon and the officer reached it and tossed it to the first officer. Luckily he felt that I had truly taken him out of commission and did not pick up the weapon. If not, I surely would have been dead. During the scramble I was mounted but reversed the position and ended up in the officers guard. Unfortunately I was completely gassed... I couldn't finish him and we finally stopped the drill. Key Insights: 1. I am not in shape. After an hour and a half of grappling I could not make it through a 2 or 3 minute confrontation without being completely out of air. It doesn't matter what you know or what skills you have at that point. I need to get in better shape again. 2. I believe the pistol was a liability at this close range. My focus was on the weapon and not on taking out my opponent. 3. I would have been better served with a knife. That being the case the folder I usually carry would not have been the ideal weapon. The odds of me pulling and deploying a folder while grappling with two individuals is not something I would bet my life on. I have had extensive blade training but it has always been with a fixed blade training knife facing one opponent with a knife. This is not even close to the experience that I had during this drill. My training needs to change from a mano a mano thought process to a more realistic scenario based process. Criminals just want to get paid. They are not looking to have a face off with you as we so often train in the dojo. 4. I believe the ideal weapon in this case would have been a small fixed blade carried appendix style on my belt in a kydex sheath. This way I could have accessed it with either hand depending on how I found space. It would be much simpler to deploy compared to a folder. The knife could have been used very effectively in close quarters. I would have pulled it initially and moved to the pistol if I could have made considerable distance. Great class... The instructors were outstanding. Massad Ayoob, “Shooting Incidents, Managing the Aftermath†Mas made two hours go by so fast. The class was interactive, entertaining and educational. His experience with court cases has really taught him the do's and dont's after a shooting. I think this class should be also be required for anyone wanting to carry a handgun in public. I also caught a couple of classes at a distance while moving to different venues. It looked like the two classes that Rob Pincus and Mike Seeklander did would have been outstanding to attend. Yes- I actually did not fire one round of ammo at this conference. Although there was plenty of opportunity to do that... I do not feel like I missed anything by not shooting at a class or during the match. I have spent much of my time training on the actual act of shooting somebody in a defensive situation. I would guess most of us do that and go to classes that focus on that. This weekend gave me an opportunity to explore issues before or after an incident that were priceless for me. I would highly recommend this conference. I will be attending again next year. Mick Houston

It is my understanding that Ghost Inc. is working on a lighter trigger connector for those that are unhappy with the trigger pull. I am not sure when they will be available though. Mick

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