TGO David

Hmmm... let me think about it.

Jason @ Lone Wolf in the Village.

Long weeks, are there any other kind? Welcome!

It's pretty big for me as well.

Who me? I've had decals made before for Tennesspeed.net and have had other "swag" made as well. As a result, I've got quite a few resources at my disposal for doing this kind of thing. Plus, the company I work for employs a group of graphics designers and we regularly deal with quite a few printing companies. So, let me sit down, wade back through this thread and see what I can come up with. I'll get back to you all on it.

Saw this elsewhere and thought it was rather neat.

Welcome! Love the avatar.

This is a very good point that I don't think I've seen anyone else here make until now. There is no overstating the value of the element of surprise.

We look forward to hearing more from you as the days pass. Don't ever hesitate to contribute to an existing topic or start one of your own. We're all here to talk shop or just shoot the breeze!

Having personally witnessed the media take a person's exact words and quote them out of context, I'd go out on a limb and say that what this reporter wrote and what these two fellows said might be night and day apart from one another in intended meaning. Don't judge them based off of what was written in the paper.

Stress did the opposite to me. Swelled up like a deer tick.

Mozambique Drill

I'm right here with this guy. I carry .45acp exclusively now but I still think the .40SW is the perfect balance of size, speed, mass. I'll own another one someday.

Welcome, Tom. Glad to have you here with us. Don't hesitate to jump into the conversations!

WOW... Strider for under $100???

I'm not in near the condition that I need or want to be, but I am taking steps to correct that. I've dropped 60lbs in the past year and am steadily working toward my ideal weight. Strength wise I'm probably average for my height and build. It doesn't take much for me to gain muscle mass, which is either fortunate or unfortunate depending on how you look at it. I have to be careful that when I'm doing weights, I am doing low weight and high reps for that reason. Useful muscle > Bulk > Fat.

Source: The Tennessean (Link to article) Wednesday, 03/07/07 More Tennessee women carry guns Experts cite crime fears, empowerment as reasons By CHRISTIAN BOTTORFF Staff Writer For years, Nashville real estate agent Kim Hoard considered toting a gun for her safety at work and while traveling alone with her two children, ages 7 and 10. She recently took action when she started getting harassing telephone calls from a man who saw her photo in an advertisement. Hoard is now enrolled in a gun safety class that starts this month, and she is planning to obtain a permit so she can carry around a .38-caliber revolver that is now collecting dust at home. "I have strangers in my car every day," Hoard said. "I meet strangers in empty houses all day long. For me, it seems like the logical step to protect myself." Hoard is one of a growing number of women in Tennessee who have obtained handgun carry permits in Tennessee the past two years. Last year, 9,921 women received permits to carry handguns in Tennessee — a record number. That was almost 500 more than in 2005, and about 80 percent more than in 2004, a year that ended a decline in such permits. Permits are issued after completion of a handgun safety course, and after background checks and a fingerprint analysis by local, state and federal authorities. Crime fears are factor Officials from the Tennessee Department of Safety say it is not clear why women have signed up to carry handguns at such an increased rate the past two years. Before 1996, local sheriffs' offices issued the permits. But gun experts, such as Barbara Oonk of Nashville, say that women are increasingly exercising their gun ownership rights in light of concerns about crime. "Why should we not have something to protect ourselves?" said Oonk, the Tennessee representative for the Second Amendment Sisters, a national organization promoting female gun ownership. "Why should we let someone else have their way, when you could protect yourself? "There is so much crime going on, and it is proven that states that have carry laws see less crime. If everybody is carrying, there would be less crime." David Nash, the chief handgun instructor at the Shepherd School Inc. in Nashville, said that his classes are frequently filling up with women like Hoard, who will soon be one of his students. "A lot of it is personal empowerment, as women want to feel in control of their own lives," Nash said. "Some of it is a personal situation where they might be living alone and want a handgun at their house to feel safe." It is also increasingly common for couples to sign up together for gun safety classes, Nash said. It is no surprise to 32-year-old Lila Walker that so many women are choosing to carry handguns. "It seems that with the surge of single women in their 30s now who maybe don't have that male role in their life — we're facedwith the fact that we have to accept responsibility for our safety in maybe some nasty situations," Walker said. Walker, a disc jockey for a country radio station in Chattanooga, obtained the handgun carry permit when she was 26. Since then, she heads to the gun range about once every four to six months to improve her shooting and gun handling skills. She carries her gun in her holster in the small of her back. "Just as I would not go without a hammer in my toolbox at home — it's just a way of life for me," said Walker, who grew up with family members who taught her about gun safety. Women are 'more aware' Hoard said she also didn't find it surprising to find out that women are bearing arms. "I think women are becoming more aware," Hoard said. "They're becoming more independent in having to protect themselves. I think personally, we're seeing more on the news about personal attacks. Whether be home invasions, robberies … the increase in crime has a lot to do with it. "We hear about it every day." Women often opt for lighter guns, such as a .38-caliber or .357-caliber, Oonk said. And the way women carry them is based on their personal preference, she said. Tennessee gun laws permit gun owners to carry their guns out in the open. Often, however, women use special concealment purses that look like typical purses, but give easy access to the weapons through a special side pocket. Others use holsters that are form-fitting and can fit close under their clothing at the waistline, Oonk said. Oonk uses a special concealment purse and a holster, she said. But sometimes, when she is in an area known for crime problems, she wears her .38-caliber handgun out in the open in a holster so everyone can see. "When I go into a place like that by myself, it's not a bad idea to let people know not to mess with me," Oonk said. "I've just got to keep my eyes open 360 degrees all the time, and I've got to be aware of what's going on."

I'll see about fixing that. It's a virtualization issue.

Here are my thoughts... I considered this as a possible course to take when Hornet Handler and I were coming up with the idea for Tennessee Gun Owners, but ultimately I decided that we should probably not become or tie ourselves to any particular political group. By remaining a free agent of sorts, we afford ourselves a lot of lateral movement. That said, I think it is great for folks to get involved politically and as a group we should encourage each other to do so. We have a great group in the Tennessee Firearms Association which has done a lot for firearms owners in this state. They already have the infrastructure to handle the legal / political aspects and they do a good job of it. It would be a shame not to pour support into that organization. Likewise we also have the NRA-ILA and the same can be said of them too. I don't know if we will ever see a time when, politically speaking, there are too many cooks in the pro-2nd Amendment kitchen, but I do think that we might make far better use of our individual resources if we band together with the existing organizations. Just my $0.02 on the matter and certainly not to be taken as words chiseled into stone. I'd welcome further discussion on this and will watch, read and ponder from the sidelines.

Hang in there, man. The doctors don't have the final word; the Big Man upstairs does.

I'm just thankful that it's not a picture of Reef shooting with his dork like he said he did this past weekend.

Welcome! You've moved to God's Country.

Guys, let's be courteous and thankful that Tactical Response is making this class available to the folks here who wish to take advantage of it. Thanks.

I have never been to a Bill Goodman show. I'd like to give it a whirl sometime soon, though. The Bob Pope shows have gotten pretty lame as of late.

You might be surprised. I'd really try for a 9mm if I were in your shoes. A 9mm can definitely be a good defensive weapon and target ammo is really cheap for it too. I think I'd shop for a Glock 19 (9mm) and specifically look for some that were law enforcement trade-ins from someplace like CDNN Investments or a local gunshop. LE trade-ins are usually in very good shape because (a.) they see more time inside of a holster than out, and (b.) they are usually maintained as part of a routine by the agency's armorer. I bet you could get a Glock 19 like this for $300... $300 and change. PS: CDNN's website doesn't show their stock of firearms, but their catalog (available for download as a PDF) does and they can definitely tell you what they have if you call them.