Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #058 Chris Dover CloverTac I was on CloverTac's podcast earlier this year. I was excited to hear he was coming to Gun Rights Policy Conference in Phoenix, AZ, on September 21 & 22. He was also at AMMcon on September 20. He is busing his green tail getting shows out in all platforms. Videos on YouTube and GunStreamer. Audio podcasts on all the podcast outlets. He's busting it! Anyway... this starts with him running in front of the stagecoach just after I finished filming a show. I told him to hop in and we were going to do an impromptu show. Its a quick one, but we have several laughs, regardless. Check out CloverTac at: Website: http://clovertac.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/clovertac Instagram https://www.instagram.com/clovertac/ Help support his show at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/clovertac

This summer, I headed to DC to hang out and get some shows with women from the DC Project.  You’ll be seeing and hearing from of those shows.    I met Lori Blackwell at GPRC 2018 in Chicago. She’s a lawyer with became an avid shooter and instructor. Going to pick up Lori, Susan Hansen decided to also join us.  She’s a 3 gunning nana who created CrittEar, ear plugs for animals.    I drove the ladies from one hotel to another.  We have only a few driving fiascoes, which they said is normal while they’re in DC.     Lori talks about joining The Well Armed Woman and starting her own instructing business, FOMO Training.    They both share stories of how they got involved in shooting sports and instructing.  Susan tells us what inspired her to start CrittEar. And Lori helped her as well.  Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/b5h9QSSOLs0 RSWC Susan Hansen & Lori Blackwell CrittEar Website www.crittear.com   The Well Armed Woman https://thewellarmedwoman.com/   The Well Armed Woman Local Chapters https://twaws

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #056 Kelly Pidgeon ARMED and Feminine RSWC #056 Kelly Pidgeon on YouTube Imitation is the sincerest from of flattery. Don't believe me check out this video. Riding Shotgun WITHOUT Charlie   Kelly Pidgeon and Amanda Suffecool took it upon themselves to imitate Riding Shotgun With Charlie on a road trip from western Pennsylvania to Washington DC!  They even TRIED a GunGram.  I emphasis the word TRIED!   Kelly started ARMED and Feminine after being involved with her local emergency response team.  Her local police encouraged her to get her carry permit.  She ended up becoming an instructor and starting an instructing business. Then she started making videos to help her students so they were able to go back and revisit what she covers in her courses.  That became her YouTube Channel ARMED and Feminine, LLC.    She's been on NRATV, Eye On The Target Radio (with Amanda Suffecool) and several other programs and podcasts.  She's also part of the DC Project. The DC Project visits pol

Riding Shotgun With Charlie  #055 Kerry Slone   This was one of the most fun interviews to conduct!   Kerry Slone is from Washington state.  She’s a domestic violence survivor. She’s been an entrepreneur for years. And in the last year, she’s taken the 2A community by storm.    Kerry was in Washington DC to meet with Cheryl Todd,  from Gun Freedom Radio, to talk about women’s issues, firearms, and activism. I was able to catch her in Philadelphia on my way to meet up with some of the DC Project women.    We cover lots of topics! From her grandfather’s entrepreneur spirit, to starting her own business as a nail technician, starting a non-profit We The Female, a phone call from Amy Dillon while she was in DC, to the work she’s doing with Maj Toure.    Of course, we DID stop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and we ran up the Rocky stairs after the show!   She has really been shaking up with firearm community with new eyes on what we’re doing and how we may be able to attract more females.  For sure, she’s not w

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #054 Shaky Dave Smith Parkinson's Shooter I got to have breakfast with one of the most humble people you could ever meet. Shaky Dave Smith.  He's had Parkinson's Disease for about 8 years.  He's gone from being a regular 'able bodied' person to completely disabled with the disease.  But he didn't let that stop him.  He discovered "gun therapy".   Shooting for Dave raises the dopamine levels that are lost when someone has Parkinson's. This is how he uses shooting as a means of dealing with his disease. I watched another interview with him.  When he holds a rifle, made by F-1 Firearms, his shaking stops.  Its pretty incredible.  I was able to talk with Dave and ask how he became knows as Parkinson's Shooter. He really takes it to heart.  As a matter of fact, he spent the last week in Sweden competing at the Rifle World Shoot.  He was speaking at the DC Project in Washington when I caught up with him. I only spent a couple days with the ladies, but he spent the whole week wit

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #053 Chris Doherty Chris was modeling tactical kilt at the Gun Owners Action League’s Concealed Carry Fashion Show. Not quite something you see everyday in the firearm world. I was emceeing the show and he was one of the models. He did the first fashion show and was automatically (maybe fully semi automatically) signed up for the tactical kilt for the second year. He’s an instructor at Mass Firearms School http://www.massfirearmsschool.com/ in Holliston, MA. His wife had her firearm license and it was about to expire, so she suggested they go shooting. They took a Learn To Shoot course at MFS, which turned into a License To Carry course. And his wife realized that this was going to be an expensive hobby. Chris took all the courses MFS had to offer, then he pursued becoming an instructor with the NRA, the MA State Police, the Utah BCI, and SABRE Pepper Spray. He’s currently teaching a number of the courses at MFS. Join in the stagecoach while we talk about getting into firearms, get

Riding Shotgun With Charlie#052 Tatiana WhitlockThe Tactical Pixie I’ve been following Tatiana Whitlock on social media for sometime before I reached out to have her as a passenger. When I messaged her and asked her to hop in the stagecoach, she gave me an excited YES! When she was young she treasured the time bird hunting with her family. She only handled a shotgun when she took an NRA Women On Target course and learned about pistols and rifles.  Tatiana has only been in the firearm world for about 8 years. She went to college for design but when she started to get into firearms and training, she went all in!  Her attitude is that she has these tools for defensive reasons to protect her family. She’s been on TriggerTime TV. She’s the lead instructor at A Girl And A Gun. She’s co-host on Civilian Carry Radio.  We met at Fort Williams Park in Portland, Maine. Got selfie in front of the lighthouse then headed out for the show. The conversation went really well.  It was a bit of a rainy day. The dash cam didn’t

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #051 Jared Yanis Guns & Gadgets I met Jared in November 2017. I just came back from the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Dallas. I heard about the 2A Capital Rallys. Every state was putting on a rally at the state house in every state capital. I reached out, asking to speak, and I heard back from Jared Yanis. He was the man that was organizing everything. He’s started a YouTube channel reviewing guns and gadgets, hence the name, then the format turned. Guns & Gadgets is now “YOUR Source for 2A News!!”. He covers lots of laws that are coming down the pike from ERPO laws to magazine capacity bans to everything in between. Jared has been doing the channel on YouTube for several years. He’s got all the social media outlets and stays on top of them like you wouldn’t believe. He, too, didn’t start out wanting to be a “YouTuber”, but its been going well for his channel with over 95,000 subscribers. You, too, should follow the link below and subscribe to it. Jared and I head to the

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #050 Mary Schuster-Callison DC Project, TIME cover, & Goats! I picked Mary Shuster-Callison up on West Randolph in Chicago. I had a parking spot and she was going to take it and we were going to take my rental car. As I'm waiting, I see a woman wave to me and slow down. The car behind her honked and she yelled at the driver. I knew that was going to be fun! Mary started as an activist after Newtown and the One Million Moms for Gun Control. She started 1 Million Moms Against Gun Control. Now I understand why she was yelling at the other driver! Hehe! She was going along with 1MMACG then she had the unthinkable happened to her sister. She was stabbed, beaten, sexually assaulted. That’s when Mary really doubled down and activism. She got involved with the DC Project as a side person with the likes of Rhonda Ezell (RSWC #037). Mary took her sister’s story to DC to let Congress know that not all gun owners are middle aged, overweight white guys like me. Mary also shares a bunch of

RSWC #049 David “Rosey” Rosenthal Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners   I got to meet David “Rosey” Rosenthal at the NJSAFECON back in 2017.  I was a speaker on a panel with Tony Simon, Anthony Colandro, & Maj Toure. After the conference, I went for dinner with Tony and some others.  One of the people I got to meet was Rosey.   I’d heard him a number of times on Gun For Hire Radio Podcast a number of times. It was a lot of fun talking with him and everyone else. I knew then that I needed to interview him on the stagecoach.   I met Rosey at Harold’s New York Deli in Edison, NJ. We had a HUGE roast beef sandwich. (You’ll see it in the show)  After lunch, we headed out in the stagecoach.   Rosey shared stories about buying a brick of .22 ammo for $3.99 (plus tax) and achieving Distinguished Expert in Muzzleloader when he was young. We talk about the start of the CNJFO (Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners) and the fundraising events they host.  We also talk about how we got our children into shooting an

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #048 Lauren Hartnett Girl's Got A Gun DC Project Thanks to Holly Sullivan, RSWC #036, for asking me to attend the CCDL Banquet in February. That's when and where I met Lauren. She wanted to make sure that I sat at the same table with Lauren. Holly told me that Lauren was in from NYC and sitting at a table by the back of the room. I went to a couple tables, getting out of my comfort zone asking strangers if they were Lauren. But I finally got the correct table. In April, I had some vacation time coming and I messaged Lauren. She was at A Girl And A Gun Conference when I messaged her, but she said she would be in for a ride in the stagecoach. I made a plan and headed to Staten Island. Lauren learned about gun safety from her aunt in upstate New York. Professionally, she's an EMS in NYC. She's out at night, seeing all the things that happen in the biggest city at night. And she wasn't, and isn't, able to carry a firearm for self defense. The training required for a carry permit in NYC

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #047 Steve Merrette Florida Carry   Its the 5th Tuesday of the month and I'm putting out an extra RSWC episode!   RSWC #047 Steve Merrette https://youtu.be/ib06CNc7j1w   You never know when you'll find a new friend or a new guest. When I attended the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Tampa in 2016, I had no idea what kind of ride I was about to go on. At this event, I met many of my firearms 'idols', all the cool "rock stars" of the gun community.  This trip I got to meet so many great people. Steve Merrette was one of them.  He & his wife sat behind me for the conference.  We became friend on Facebook and started following each other.  Steve was one of the people that I wanted to hand out with and get to know better on the Florida Carry trip in February 2019.  Of course, he wanted to come Riding Shotgun! He spends time covering his military experience and handling firearms. He got out of it while his kids were young.  He does have a DUI in his past in New York state, which

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #046 Gianni Russo The Hollywood Godfather!   RSWC #046 Gianni Russo https://youtu.be/4-YzugXV96w   But did you ask? This is going thru my mind. I couldn't let this chance go by. I asked my son if I should give Gianni Russo a business card and ask if I could drive him around. I put a card in my pocket before we went up to the table.  My son and I went to hear Gianni Russo speak in western Massachusetts. Mr Russo is known as the Hollywood Godfather. He played Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather. We were in line waiting to have him autograph his new biography and get a photo with him.  I over heard him say that he was doing a signing the next day at a Barnes & Noble. I figured I could get everything ready and film an interview the next day.  He said "Yes! I should be free from 4 to 7:30 tomorrow." Gianni Russo has one of the most interesting stories.  He used to deliver messages for Frank Costello, an old mafia member. He washed Marilyn Monroe's hair.  He learned to act from Marlo

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #045 Massad Ayoob The Man, The Myth, The Legend! What can I say? He’s been the self defense go to guru since the 1970’s. He’s been influential on instructors, police officer, and authors since he started. He started the Lethal Force Institute in New Hampshire. LFI turned into Massad Ayoob Group and the MAG 20 and MAG 40 courses. Mas has author two dozen books in guns, the effects and aftermath of dealing with a lethal encounter. The Gun Rights Policy Conference in Tampa 2016 is when I first met Mas. I asked him to sign my copy of In The Gravest Extreme. I also mentioned Riding Shotgun With Charlie and I’d love to have him as a passenger. Alan Gottlieb was behind him and he say “Mas, you’ve GOT to to Riding Shotgun With Charlie!”. Mas said “OK, when do we do this?”. I said “Well, I don’t have a car, but if you give me your contact I’ll see what I can set up.”. I was shocked it was “that easy” to ask. I went to New Hampshire in the summer of 2018 to hear Mas speak about suicide preve

Riding Shotgun With Charlie Ep #044 Open Carry, Fishing, & YouTubing Michael Taylor & Steven Keith Jenkins   RSWC #044 with Soloyaker & Jenkins https://youtu.be/hjB9ZNTY_Z8 You've seen both of these men from Florida, but you're learning their names now.  Michael Taylor is knows as #Soloyaker on YouTube. He's a fisherman who makes videos of his fishing adventures. Until he was arresting for open carrying while fishing. Its totally legal to open carry in Florida while fishing, camping, or hunting, and on the way to and from each of these activities.  Here's Michael's YouTube page.  Soloyaker YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/soloyaker Steven Keith Jenkins is a just a regular guy who into shooting and fishing. He was with Michael when this incident happened.  Both men were open carrying while fishing in Miami on a dock. They were both arrested and currently there is a case going on about it. They're both members of Florida Carry. This propelled both of them into the fight for the Right

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #043 Kevin Sona (& KJ Sona) Open Carry, Camping & Alligators Kevin organized a number of events for Florida Carry. We filmed this after a camping event in Dunnellon, FL, where there were a number of speakers and campers. We met in Tampa at GRPC in 2016. Kevin kept in touch and we struck up a friendship and mutual admiration club. He says he's camera shy and doesn't want to be out front, but he's a great organizer! And we need people like him to make things happen! He's started the America Under Distress Facebook page after he was booted for using his 1st Amendment on some other Facebook pages. Its been successful gaining almost 700 members. This has given him the chance to reach more people and get the freedom message out to more people. His newest venture is City Tavern Talk. They've got a YouTube channel and Facebook page. You should check them out and subscribe to it. We drive to see come alligators, switch seats, and have a lot of laughs. His son, Kevin Jr (KJ in my boo

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #042 Rob Morse I met Rob Morse at the GRPC in Tampa in 2016. I was asked to be on the Polite Society Podcast, where Rob is a co-host. He also does the Self Defense Gun Stories and he writes for Slow Facts as well. His Slow Facts blogs are often posted on other websites like AmmoLand, as well. And he's a reoccurring guest on Bill Frady's Lock N Load Radio. At the GRPC in Chicago this past September, Rob earned the Ray Carter Blogger of the Year award. Besides being a writer and a podcaster, in his 'regular life' he's an design engineer and analyst during the day, and a civil rights activist after hours. He's a very smart man and before he speaks you can see his brain working before the words come out. That keeps him very articulate and on point. I was hoping to get to interview Rob in Chicago, but it worked out in Florida instead. He's one of the great guys that I'm glad to call a friend. He's there with good solid idea, as much as they may be uncomfortable. Rob was coming to the Fl

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #041  Tony Simon The Largest Pound for Pound Firearms Instructor in America I recently spent a day driving to upstate New York for the RSWC with Dan Was (#040), then I headed down to Edison, NJ, to interview "the largest pound for pound firearms instructor in America"....TONY SIMON!! He is one of the busiest instructors in the country!  He's started with Simon Says Train.  Then he started The Diversity Shoot, The Second is for Everyone, The Minuteman Challenge.  He's co-host of the 2A4E podcast, a regular on Self Defense Gun Stories and many other podcasts.  This is a longer episode than usual.  Tony has so much going on and there's so much to talk about with him.  We cover his move from Virginia to New Jersey, getting into training with some friends who became instructors, and how he started the Diversity Shoot, The Minuteman Challenge, 2A4E and everything else that he does.  Please check out the episode on YouTube.   Here's links to many things Tony is involved in.  Simon

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #040 Dan Wos   Author, Advocate, & Ace Frehley   This episode of RSWC is with author & speaker Dan Wos. Dan grew up around firearms but left them when he was a touring musician being Ace Frehley is a KISS tribute band. After an incident leaving a late nite movie, Dan decided it was time to get back into being a gun owner.     He was writing about gun rights when an article was picked up by a number of websites and pushed him into the world of writing about guns.  Jan Morgan loved the article and she wrote the preface to both of his books. He’s spoken around the country talking about how the anti gun activists use the language to twist the meanings to get the non-gun folks on their side.   Please check out this episode as we drive around Saratoga Springs, NY, and talk about writing his books and how we interact with new gun owners.   You can buy Dan’s books, Good Gun, Bad Guy and Good Gun, Bad Guy 2   On amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dan-Wos/e/B00J7NGXR0   Good Gun Bad Guy Y

Riding Shotgun With Charlie Ep #039 Leyla Pirnie Roommates, rights, and revolvers Leyla Pirnie was put into the news in December 2018. She's a college student who lives near Boston. Her roommates saw her MAGA hat and knowing she was from the south, the decided she was probably a gun owner. They looked thru her closet, under her bed and in her dresser. After they found a locked case and tried to break into it, they had a roommate meeting and they decided she needed to lock everything up and take the firing pin out of the gun. Check out the whole interview and see what happened. Thanks to the gents at Cape Gun Works in Hyannis, MA. They hosted a "Shoot with Leyla Pirnie" event and that's when I was able to get her in the "stagecoach". www.capegunworks.com I mentioned the I'm With ROSCOE. Here's a link to that. www.imwithroscoe.com Baby Its Cold Outside GunGram https://youtu.be/8U0YCFv3K_E Here's a link to the Go Fund Me. I've got people all around the country that would love to get on the stagecoach, but I need