For Christmas I received the Magpul Dynamics Art of the Dynamic Handgun DVD set. This features over 300 minutes of handgun training. The DVDs cover everything from basic grip and drawing from the holster to dynamic scenarios and real world applications.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTr8xvkUWp4

I particularly enjoyed disc three which covers concealed carry (which you know I support from my previous post). Costa and Haley, the class instructors, cover the lifestyle of concealed carry and things like drawing from concealment, holsters, guns and other gear. Also covered are malfunctions. They presented a more streamlined and efficient method of clearing double-feeds and fixing failure to feeds (FTF) than I had previously used. They spend a good bit of time focusing on getting the gun into the fight and keeping it there.

They repeat their motto a couple of times on the DVD, "Amateurs train until they get it right, professionals train until they can't get it wrong." I can't complain with logic like that.

If Magpul Dynamics ever does a class close enough for me to travel to, you can bet I will try to get into it. From what I can tell, these guys look to be the most professional and well trained shooting instructors in the U.S. right now. I can certainly support their techniques way more than that of the Sig Sauer Academy.

You can buy the DVD straight from Magpul and you also have the option of picking their other DVDs as well. Here is the link to the Dynamic Handgun. I highly recommend these guys.

http://store.magpul.com/product/DYN004/76

Police Departments

This is a website listing the police departments in Montana. Just scroll over the county you want to see. How accurate it is, I don't really know. It's kind of cool to check out though.

http://www.usacops.com/mt/

Self-Defense

Today's societal norms have many by-products that we are forced to deal with. One of these effects is the rapid increase in crime that was begun in large cities and is slowly working its way towards the smaller, more peaceful towns in the U.S.

It is my strongly held conviction that we must not rely on Law Enforcement Officers alone to protect us from the lowest common denominator. It is the responsibility nay, the duty, of the individual to ensure the safety of his or herself and their loved ones. What is the best thing you could use to prevent yourself from becoming a statistic, a victim? The mind. Remain aware of your surroundings, always work to maintain your level of alertness at its peak. Take the time to think how best to avoid getting into a bad situation before you walk into one.

Sometimes though, you just don't see it coming and you don't have the time to avoid a confrontation. If your life or the life of your family is in immediate danger and you have to resort to deadly force then, a firearm is the way to go. Depending on your state laws you can apply for and receive a Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP). It the State of Montana you can apply for one of these once you have reached the age of 18 after you have presented either a hunter's ed certificate or verification of having taken a Concealed Carry Class. Once you have received your permit you can carry a concealed firearm (of course) and you can fill out a 4473 (form filled out with purchase of firearm) without a NICS FBI call having to be performed.

Next, you need to find a holster system to use for your gun. I personally use a Sidearmor kydex holster but before long I will make the transition to running a Raven Concealment holster.

http://www.sidearmor.com/

http://www.ravenconcealment.com/

Before you even think of holsters however, you need to get a gun and quality self-defense ammunition. I won't even begin to cover ammo selection as there are many calibers available to the ordinary citizen and an even wider array of bullets to choose from within that caliber. However, whatever you choose to shoot in your gun, for whatever reason, make sure it works! It's fine to practice with plain old ball ammo but purchase enough of your defensive ammunition to ensure that it runs smoothly through your weapon's system without as much as a hiccup.

Remember, things in the gun industry are always changing and evolving. You can carry a firearm for 20 years and still learn more. So, take some time to learn all that you can about your gun and concealed carry. Best of all, be adaptable. Be willing to throw any bad habits that you may have away and adopt something that is more efficient and effective.

Don't take chances, don't be another statistic. Take the necessary actions now to safe guard the safety of yourself and those around you. Carrying concealed is a life style, not just an action.

Between Now and Then

So, in order to become an officer I will be taking a year off. After I have accomplished this task I will go back to MSU. This time will be different though. I will major in Criminal Justice and minor in Psychology. After reading a few books on the subject I have developed quite an interest in Criminal Profiling.

So, with a little bit of luck and a lot of work one day I will be an FBI profiler. Just maybe.....

Right now though, I am a gun salesman working at a sporting goods store. I love being able to work with one of my hobbies, firearms, but at the same time you wouldn't the customers we at the store all have to deal when I work. A good many of the interactions I have with customers are perfectly fine. In this industry you either meet the nicest people in world or the biggest jackasses. And unfortunately, there are plenty of jackasses. It's usually the old man who, because I am younger, acts like I have no idea what I'm talking about. This is usually because the person in question has been "doing this for 50 years." Man, I hate those arrogant types. Another type that really aggravates me is the man buying a gun for his wife who wants her to have a gun that is far too big for her hands and she doesn't even like it. My motto is, "it's all about personal preference, you won't shoot well with a gun you don't like. If it feels good in your hand, you will shoot better with it." However, for the most part, I really do love my job. I mean, how many kids my age do you know who work in a gun shop?

After this semester ends I will return to the deli in a State Park to take a management position. In my free time I will prepare for the police testing and work on saving money. Further than that, I don't know what's going to happen. I can only try my best to make the most of where ever I am and work towards the law enforcement goal.

Step One

So after deciding that you want to become a police officer, where do you start?

Well, you need to start out with testing at the Montana Law Enforcement Testing Consortium (MTLETC).

Register for that at one of the three testing site options. That will put you into an eligibility pool for the police departments to look at and then determine how hire-able you are.

http://www.mtletc.org/

After I registered for the Consortium I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a study guide. None of the books in the store were specified for Montana so I bought what I thought to be the best one. I ended up with John Douglas's Guide to the Police Officer Exams. I chose Douglas's book because I knew that he was an FBI agent and famous too. I've read his books on criminal profiling and in fact, I'm reading one of his books now it's called The Cases that Haunt Us. Anyways, here is a link to the study guide.

http://www.amazon.com/Douglass-Guide-Police-Officer-Exams/dp/1419552287

The Back Story; Life Goes On Part II

Like the title says, life does go on. I carried on with school and college preparations and just took every chance I could to be with my friends. Every now and again I had my moments of feeling hopeless or lost, but for the most part I did pretty well. Besides, who couldn't be happy? Graduation was nearing with each day passed. Alas though, this blog is not supposed to be about me pouring my guts out. This is about my journey to become a law enforcement officer and the steps I take to complete that task and school. Along the way posting links and information concerning this process and on occasion just some fun stuff. So carry on, I must.

I began college in the fall of 2010, so I haven't been there very long. I declared my major as Pre-Medicine and started taking the core classes under CLS or college of letters and science. About half way through the first semester I decided that Pre-Med was not for me. I took the biology courses and found myself uninterested by it. To this day, I don't know why I feel that way, I loved that same class in high school. So I began looking at my other options, finally settling on becoming an English major. Of all the AP classes I took in school English was among the subjects. I didn't love it as much as science but I was definitely the best at it. When registration for second semester came around, I knew what I was going to do. I re-declared myself as an English major and was happy with that decision even though, I really didn't like college. And that right there, was my downfall. I didn't attend class, I didn't do all of the work and my grades suffered for it. It just happened to be easier that way.

By the time second semester was underway I was put on academic probation. I hadn't planned on returning back to school but I had just crashed my car and I needed the financial aide to buy a new one. So last month I returned back to MSU with my English and History classes at the ready. As of yet, I am doing far better than last semester. I like my classes more and better yet, I am doing all my work and getting better grades.

You might ask, why did I decide I wanted to be an LEO (Law Enforcement Officer)? Well, I had always entertained the idea in the back of my head. My father was an officer and when I was growing up I had always wanted to follow in his foot steps. I had it all planned out, I would enlist in the military and when I got out, I would become a police officer. As luck would have it I was turned down by every branch of the military due to my hearing loss. After learning that, I sent those dreams to the back of my mind. Then, one afternoon just after Thanksgiving all of that would change. Montana Highway Patrol Trooper David DeLaittre was brutally gunned down in Three Forks, MT. On what was just a routine traffic stop a crazed suspect used a shotgun to shoot the trooper. The Trooper was shot once in the abdomen and then once in the head execution style by the suspect. After that event I knew what I wanted to do. I would become an officer and stop people like that.

3-7-77

The Back Story; A Flashback Part 1

Hot and humid, that describes a southern summer day. To this day, with my limited experience, I can not think of more miserable conditions. Yeah, I may be crazy, but I just can't stand the heat. I was born in the South and for part of my youth I lived in Georgia. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and lived in the surrounding area for about four years afterward. One day, my family packed its bags and moved northward, to Montana. This was not the end of our southern existence though, we moved back and forth between MT and NC a few times only to find Montana to be a far better place to live. We had lived in heat and humidity, now I have learned to love an entirely different climate, cold.

Montana is a large state, most likely with more deer than people. Haha, in any case I love it up here. Even though more than half of my life has been in this state, I am certain that there is no better place to live. Over the years I have become very much accustomed to the negative temperatures in the winter and summers in which the high 80's is about as hot as it will get.

We hadn't completely settled down after moving to this state. We lived in several different towns in throughout Montana until we eventually we ended up in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Along with biology, I feel in love with this town too. I made friends quickly and before I knew it, I was one of the more popular kids in school. That's certainly not a position I would think to find myself in.

I always have been predisposed to joke about my intelligence and my "awesomeness." Usually, I find myself admitting to being narcissistic and being a big deal. In reality though, I am always joking and tend to have a bit of a confidence problem. To this day, I still have trouble asking girls on dates and end up wishing I could just say it. However, that is neither here nor there. So, I ending up in Small Town, Montana. These types of places are quite abundant, really. For the next four years I attended the high school there and made some of the best friends that I will ever have, including one girl who I wish to have in my life for the rest of my life. It all started in Freshman year P.E. She was just a girl whom I never really talked to. I just thought she was cute, I never realized how quickly she could become so much more than just the cute girl. I spent a very long time trying to win her over, to no avail. Finally, after a year of chasing this girl, my best friend, I accepted reality. It would never work.

Stay tuned for Part II.....

Author's note: If you find the story slow, boring or just plain stupid, I don't care. This is my life, this is how it happened and if you don't like something about it either deal with it or don't read the story. It's just that easy.

The Start

This is the story of my life and my road to start my career in Law Enforcement. So, I must begin my story. But, where do I begin? From the very beginning, or from the point in which my adventure begins? Ah...perhaps the latter. To begin with, I graduated from a small town high school in Southwestern Montana.

The summer following my graduation I worked for a deli in a state park to save up my money for college. Only near the end of high school had I decided what I planned on going to college for. Senior year I took an AP Biology class because my best friend was in it. She was lucky I took the course because after the second semester everyone who had been in the class dropped it, so it was just her and I.

However I digress, after taking the class I fell in love with biology. I decided that I had wanted to become a doctor. I promptly enrolled myself in Montana State University as a Pre-Med student. I probably wasn't as excited about college as I should have been however, I was convinced this was the path for me. I was certain I wanted to be a doctor one day.

To be continued.....