RobertNashville

How much ammo you'll need really depends on what you are shooting...I took 1,000 rounds of .45 but only used about 450 rounds (I was shooting a 1911)...guys shooting double stack mags are obviously going to expend more ammo per drill that I was!

As Westwindmike noted, they'll bring the class to you and they have classes scheduled over all the place, even Canada....even the Socialist Republic of California.

I'll work on that. In the meantime, understand that Frankly, I don't really care if EVERY state allowed open carry because that isn't the point...the POINT is that a small percentage of private citizens actually carry a firearm on a daily basis (open, concealed or up their ass) when compared to the population of each state and all states combined. Therefore, Cracker Barrel's decision was the RIGHT business* decision and the fact that they didn't forbid all carry (when they easily could have) is a WIN FOR US. * Even including all potential legal firearm carriers is a gift when trying to determine the significance of the firearm carrying population compared to the whole population because I'd be willing to wager a sizable amount of $$$ that if you took a scientific poll; you would fine that a pretty hefty percentage of TN HCP holders who can legally carry aren't even carrying right now and may not regularly carry at all.

I think the major problem with Tennessee's Constitution is not so much the Constitution itself but how the legislature has treated it over the years...somewhere along the line they've stopped actually regulating the "wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime" and substituted the phrase regulating the "wearing of arms" in ways that "sound like a good idea". With all its faults, I like that fact that in Tennessee I'm not limited to just one handgun nor to one particular registered handgun nor do I suddenly become a criminal if my "concealed" handgun accidentally becomes unconcealed. Tennessee's firearms aren't perfect by a long shot but we've got it much better than many other states AND we are still working to improve things here! If everyone here on this forum (who aren't already a member, especially the more "vocal" folks to who post our rights in Tennessee) joined the TFA and put some of their money where their postings are, we'd likely get more accomplished and more quickly. Just my $0.02

I try to get my stats from a variety of sources combined with being a firearms affectionado for about 46 years. No, hat doesn't make my "stats" automatically "right" but if you are implying that I'm simply pulling them out of my back side that's not the case either. If you truly want to get into the meat of the statistics on this issue then I'd suggest that you... 1. Try to avoid a source with an obvious bent on the subject being discussed (opencarry.org is NOT an objective observer about open carry issues. I'm not saying they are automatically wrong; just not objective) 2. Rather than look at any one third party group of any philosophical bent; I'd suggest a review each state's actual laws on the firearms carry. As DaveTn accurately points out, it is technically illegal to openly carry a firearm in Tennessee; our HCP simply gives us an "exception" to the law; so, while Tennessee isn't openly hostile to open carry I'd hardly call it an "open carry state". 3. The other data that I think must be looked to really know where we stand is to look state by state at how many people actually CAN legally carry (open, concealed and in total) and then look at how many people actually DO carry (open, concealed and in total) - that's the only way to truly know what numbers of people actually carry a firearm on a regular basis an who might be impacted by Cracker Barrel's decision.

Simply calling something "irrelevant" doesn't make it so. Where exactly do you get all your stats from??? What makes you think the complaints are coming from "norther states" and do you not realize that most states don't even ALLOW open carry (making "banning open carry" and total non issue for most states)? Whether we are talking Tennessee or any other state that has any carry permit process it doesn't change the simple fact that the total number of private citizens in any state or all states combined who carry a firearm is not even enough to statistically register when compared to the population that doesn't carry. Unless you can show that the majority of actual patrons are carrying then the only reasonable business decision a business like Cracker Barrel could make would be to disallow carry. So rant and rave at Cracker Barrel all you want but they made both the smart business decision and the RIGHT decision for HCP holders. What you seem to feel is a "loss" is actually a win for both Cracker Barrel and for us.

I carry a gun so that I can save a life...maybe my own life...maybe the life of someone else...maybe your life (the life of the person asking the question). That (above) answer works well whether you are taking to someone of the same mindset as you and, if you are talking to someone who is "anti-gun' or maybe just uninformed, it's a great object lesson about the purpose of a weapon in the hands of a "good guy". It's a simple truth and as the truth often does, it can quickly take the wind out of the sails of those who ask because they think something is wrong when someone carries.

I carry a 1911 about 85% of the time so that's what I used...in the case of this class, a Nighthawk Talon. Other than a couple of problems with some of my mags it performed a lot better than I did! As others have already said, yes you move and shoot, use cover/concealment, shooting from different positions, etc...they do there best to safely put you into situations that you can run into should ever find yourself defending your life or the life of another. I am FAR, FAR from being in good physical shape but I got through it just fine...since it was somewhat close to me I decided to drive back and forth for the two days which I think was a mistake...not only did it make for a very long day (thus adding to my being tired) but as was mentioned, I short changed myself from additional learning after the "formal" class work. If there is any one thing I learned is that range time and IDPA, etc., while important, is not a substitute for actual training on how to fight with a weapon and let's face it; if we have made the decision to carry a firearm with us; isn't fighting to defend our lives exactly why we did that? EDIT... By the way; don't worry about your "age"....I was NOT the oldest guy there...there were two others who had at least 10 and maybe even 15 or more years on me!

Part of my "New Year's Resolutions" for 2011 was to get some REAL firearms training....this is one of the few such resolutions I've ever followed through on and, aside for my resolution in 1990 to decide once and for all what I believed about "god" in general and Christianity in particular (which I settled on December 9, 1990), may well be the most important resolution I've ever made. Now I've been "shooting" for most of my life; as far back as rabbit hunting with my dad and a single shot 410 shotgun when I was about 10 years old...I carried a 1911, M14 and a tactical shotgun in the Navy (8 yrs active duty) and I've been going to the range pretty consistently for a while now but I came to the conclusion that I needed more. So...back in January, I scheduled myself for the two-day "Fighting Pistol" class at Tactical Response which I completed this past Thursday and Friday. I chose them in part because I had heard of Tactical Response and had read good recommendations about them on other gun-related forums...I chose Tactical Response because they were offering courses in Camden, Tennessee (so drivable distance back and forth each day) and because they offer a wide variety of courses including some that many "gun folks" probably don't always consider "firearms" training! I can't say enough good about the quality of the instructors or the applicability of the class Fighting Pistol - they are simply first class. I have a few other courses scheduled this year as well including classes with Tom Givens and Massad Ayoob (both at Rangemasters) and Larry Yatch (Sealed Mindset) and I'm looking forward to them. That said, I'll DEFINITELY be back at Tactical Response for more. If you need training (and every one of us does no matter how good you think you are) then I'd certainly encourage you to at least check out Tactical Response.

My assumptions area fine. You of course are free to disagree with me all you want but Cracker Barrel number nerds can run the numbers and the numbers say that the buying power of ALL HCP holders in Tennessee* is minuscule compared to that of the general population - if they want to know what group they can piss off and lose the least consequential piece of their business you need only look in the mirror to see who that is. And by the way, I'm not remaining silent...I ate my breakfast at Cracker Barrel this morning and I personally thanked the manager that Cracker Barrel has not banned all carry...I also sent an email last night to their investor relations department thanking them for their pro-Second Amendment stand. * And that's if we all voted with our dollars in one accord which is NEVER going to happen...I mean, hell, half of the "pro-Second Amendment" crowd on this form think that background checks are a good thing despite an overwhelming lack of ANY evidence that they've ever done anything except make it more of a PITA for the law-abiding to buy weapons...I'd be willing to bet that there are some on here who even think that banning high-capacity magazines...I mean clips...errr magazines is a good idea!

Just giving this a little bump, folks...April 23rd is quickly approaching and I'd love to see a couple of TGO folks come out for this! Most of the guys and girls attending are NOT "gun people"...this is one way I try to introduce those who know little or nothing about firearms (except for the usually negative garbage our "news" organizations spoon feed us) a chance to experience first hand one of the positive aspects of firearms with some fun and friendly competition. If you would like to be a part of that; you are more than welcome!

Just giving this a little bump, folks...April 23rd is quickly approaching and I'd love to see a couple of TGO folks come out for this! Most of the guys and girls attending are NOT "gun people"...this is one way I try to introduce those who know little or nothing about firearms (except for the usually negative garbage our "news" organizations spoon feed us) a chance to experience first hand one of the positive aspects of firearms with some fun and friendly competition. If you would like to be a part of that; you are more than welcome!

For-profit businesses do not exist for us...they do not exist to provide jobs...they do not exist to provide a service...they do not exist to be "good community citizens". They have one reason and one reason alone to exist and that is to make a profit for their owners. Therefore, they tend to do what is in their best overall financial interests. As was already pointed out in an earlier post, it is a relatively tiny percentage of Tennesseans who can legally carry a firearm (openly or concealed) and many of them don't carry even though they can which means that even if every carry permit holder in Tennessee were a customer of Cracker Barrel and then stopped frequenting Cracker Barrel (or any other business) as a block; the amount of "business" lost would be inconsequential. However, even a small percentage of customers who don't/can't carry ceasing to give their custom to Cracker Barrel would be a significant financial hit. So...we can complain all we want...write all the letters we want...boycott all we want...but at the end of the day, it just won't matter to these businesses...we simply don't represent enough $$$ to be that important. In my humble opinion (the only one I'm truly an expert in); Cracker Barrel didn't "surrender" to anyone; by making the decision to allow us to continue carrying concealed while banning openly carrying is a VICTORY; not a defeat for firearm rights...it would likely have been easier for them if they had simply put up the ghost-buster no firearms signs and be done with it. Now...I'm not saying that when a business bans all firearms the we shouldn't let that business know how we feel and/or stop using that business...all I'm suggesting is that we don't cut off our nose to spite our face.

Yes...I WILL continue to patronize Cracker Barrel because I like their food AND because of their pro-Second Amendment stand in allowing patrons to carry their legally carried and concealed firearms.

Sorry for misunderstanding!

The most likely outcome of complaining about not allowing open carry is signage that forbids all carry - we should be writing to thank Cracker Barrel for not taking the easy way out and simply forbidding all carry.

Well...if you need the help in that department...go for it!

Assuming the creek don't rise (or a blizzard) I'm going in November - I made reservations already at a Holiday Inn that looks to be not too far from the show location (and close to I-44). The "dates" of the next show are a little confusing...they list the 9th/10th, the 10th/11th and then the 12th/13th so for now at least I'm planning on getting there on Thursday night and then being there for Friday and Saturday (checking out and coming back on Sunday)...my intent is not so much to buy anything but more to just experience the show! I'm also a Route 66 affectationado so I'll likely do at least a tiny bit of Rout 66 traveling as well since Rt 66 travels through Tulsa.

+1 I"m not sure why some folks so often feel the need to turn discussions that mention the words "open carry" or "concealed carry" into a discussion (and often into an argument) about which type of carry is superior even when that is not the point/purpose of the thread. A little common sense about what kind of carry is appropriate based on "where" we plan to be can go a long way.

Actually, we don't need "tort reform". This is a battle cry for many Republicans/Conservatives but the overwhelming number of lawsuits are NOT the outlandish ones that people always throw out there as examples of an out-of-control system. When a person or a company is truly negligent; they deserve to pay a price for that negligence. Civil lawsuits have two primary categories of damage; compensatory and punitive...compensatory damage are only what you can establish was the victim's "cost" in dollars. But, it's VERY possible to have little $$$ cost to be made whole on but have sever "damage" that you can't just add up the bills and put a $ cost on...those are the "punitive" damages...if you limit them to just a small amount you can easily wind up with someone who has been very severely harmed but winds up with almost no $ award because the actual damage you can easily put a price tag on are little or nothing. I guess what I'm trying to say is that whatever "problem" with the current civil tort system is NOT a fault of the system; it's actually a fault of those of us who think that "someone" owes us "something" whenever anything "bad" happens to us - passing "tort reform", then, will only affect the symptom; not the actual problem while concurrently harming those who our tort system is supposed to help.

I'd love to go with you but can't this time...I'm hoping to go to the November show this year!

My Company Commander in boot camp would have a problem with you on this one! Anyone in his presence calling a rifle a "gun" would get two nights of "Happy Hour" ("Happy Hour" was two hours long and the only thing "happy" about was when it was over)!!! Hence, even to this day I am hesitant to call any rifle a "gun" (although in all fairness, I am pretty anal retentive). <smile>

Whatever policy the gun show sets is all that matters...if they say you can't carry or they cay you can carry your weapons in but they must be unloaded then that's how it has to happen...this isn't a matter of "signage". I suggest that if you ever talked with a show owner who has been doing this a while and asked them to relate some of their experiences with the folks bringing loaded weapons to their shows; you would probably understand why they don't want the attendees walking around loaded.

No need to apologize for being "late". I think I'll probably go ahead and zero at a more traditional 50 yards and yes, I agree, I need to practice at appropriate distances. I have (and keep) electric muffs with in my bedroom at night and usually have a pair handy in the living room as well so that whatever firearm I pick up I have both the hearing protection and the advantage of amplifying any sounds the bad guy might be making in the dark!

I was at that show that you had (December of 2009 wasn't it?) and enjoyed it but it was clear that it wasn't well attended by either patrons or vendors (although the vendors and factory guys who were there were really good)! Well of course it's about the money...it has to be. At the end of the day both the vendors and the show owners have to make money or it can't last. I think you are absolutely right - the internet is a MAJOR component of what we've seen happening with gun shows. It gives us data that was, at best, difficult to come by in years past plus, products are available and often less expensive. I buy almost everything online today; the only significant exceptions are shoes (because I simply have to try them on to know if they fit properly); groceries (although even that is changing a bit) and actual firearms...most everything, including most of my "firearm related" gear I buy online. Actual firearms I buy from my local dealer and/or private party...but for most other things, including ammo, while I'll usually go to my local dealer first, if they don't have what I'm looking for or if their price is out of line then I buy online. I do go to local shows (Nashville, Murfreesboro, etc) at least once in a while - it's usually at least mildly entertaining. Here is a show I'm planning on going to (probably in November this year or maybe next spring): Tulsa Arms Show Not only is it huge but I've read that they have extremely rare antique arms that you are unlikely to see even in a museum.