Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #216 Mark Keefe NRA Managing Director of Editorial & Public Affairs   Like everyone who has read any of the NRA’s magazines or watched American Rifleman, or even seen some shows on The Outdoor Channel or The History Channel, I’ve seen Mark Keefe for years. Emails between the NRA staff and me while setting up the show with Doug Hamlin (RSWC #213), I saw that Mark was on the email last. I had to ask if he would be available and interested. And he was.  I was pleasantly surprised when Mark came out before I interviewed Doug to check and make sure everything was good to go.   Mark has been shooting since he was young. His grandfather used to drink beef from a can. When the beer got old, they used to shoot the beer cans with the beer in them while using a BB gun. That’s quite a reactive target, for sure! As a young teenager, the family elders decided he was “old enough for the Thompson.” But it was only semi-auto until he was older. He also did some shooting in the Boy Scouts.    In

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #215 Keith Barry (KB) 51Fifty Rifles/Optimum   At the NRA Annual Meeting, I got a message from Frank Johnson to meet him at the 51Fifty/Optimum booth. I was asked to be on Frank’s show Range Report earlier in the year, so I wanted to meet him in person. At the 51Fifty booth was Keith Berry (KB). I was very impressed at how fast Frank was able to take down their AR style rifle. Legit, I looked away to see if my bag was still on the ground and the rifle was apart. They have a Rapid Access Cam that connects the upper and lower receivers. With the flip of a lever, similar to a safety switch, you can do the lock and take the rifle apart.    Recently, I got the time to go out and meet with KB. He’s only in western Mass so it wasn’t far of a drive to get together. He gave me a tour of the building and how they build their rifles. They’ve got a room in the back where they do all their videos with a number of “wall decorations” as their backdrop.    KB grew up shooting since he was young, l

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #214 News2A Shawn Abramson & Grant Kielczewski   Last year, I filmed a show with Shawn and Grant from News2A. Due to camera issues, we decided to scrap it and do it another time. That time was in Knoxville, Tenn, at the Gun Owners of America’s G.O.A.L.s event. Since we first tried this, Grant up and moved from New Jersey to middle Tennessee, so this was the ideal time to make it happen again.    Shawn grew up in a mostly non-gun house, but he and his brother took any chance they could to go out and shoot with their father’s friends. At 18, getting an FID and joining the NRA was on the top of the things he wanted to do as an adult. For Grant growing up in the Midwest, guns were just tools. Also buying his first gun at 18, he spent years just being a casual shooter. In the last five years, things changed for him. He’s been more active in taking courses and in helping others get started on their gun owning path. He’s been working more towards becoming a better instructor.    Shawn

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #213 Doug Hamlin  NRA, Executive Vice President   It’s not everyday you get to interview the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, let alone take him for a drive around Fairfax. But when the chance comes up, you take it. I owe a huge Thank You to Amanda Suffecool for making the connection. It’s pretty cool when Mark Keefe, who I’ve seen on TV and in magazines, comes out to make sure everything is ready for the interview.    Like many folks, firearms were a family tradition for Doug. He learned to hunt from his grandfather and they had a “healthy collection” of firearms, many which were military surplus. When he was old enough, Doug joined the Marines. The years in service were very beneficial in forming the self confidence that people need. It also taught him that life is competitive and that you need to step up or step out.    After the Marines, he had a friend who was working with Petersen Publishing Company in Detroit. His friend was doing well. He asked hi

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #212 Irv Gill Blackbelt Ammunition   I love it when a plan comes together. I was heading to New Jersey and it was a vacation week, so I had some extra time. I’d been in contact with Irv Gill from Blackbelt Ammunition and we were able to meet at Tanner’s Sports Center in Jamison, Pa. I met Nayara Andrejczyk there last year to film a show with her. It isn’t too far from Reading so we all met there.    Irv has been a long time shooter and hunter, like many folks. His grandfather taught him to shoot and he got his first .22 rifle around 12 years old. During his junior high and high school years, he joined the rifle team. He bought some muzzleloading handguns and it felt like reloading since you have to apply all the components of ammunition. He also started casting his own bullets as well. By 18 years old, he got his mom to buy him his first revolver.    When he was younger, he got into hunting boar with handguns. It was much more exciting because you have to get a little closer to the

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #211 Dick Heller Heller v DC   Back in 2018, I was heading to hear some friends speak at the Heller 10 Celebration hosted by Second Amendment Institute. I got a call from one of my friends and she said “we’re going to Heller’s house”. I wondered “who’s we? Is it her? Am I part of we?”. She called back and I got to go hang out at the Heller resident. The next day, I found myself being asked/told that I was going to give an impromptu speech on the Supreme Court Steps. I’ve seen Dick at a number of events and got to film this show on our way to go shoot sporting clays at the M&M Hunting Preserve in New Jersey. He was the keynote at a fundraiser the night before. We shot clays with John Petrolino (RSWC #093), Gabby Franco (RSWC #), and Eric, who was helping get Dick around for the weekend.    We’ve all heard of the Heller decision. We all know what happened in the Heller case. It’s been cited and referenced in cases upon cases. It’s referenced in the McDonald v Chicago and NYSRPA v

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #210 Don Mann SEAL Team 1, 2, & 6, Author   It’s great when someone calls you and says “Hey, Don Mann is looking to do some media. Can I give him your contact info?”. The answer is “of course”. Thanks to Rich Yumul from Gun Owners Radio for reaching out. I called Don and talked with him. I had some time off from work and it was easy to plan.    I’d heard of Don’s name. A couple people I knew have been on his TV show, Surviving Mann.  It’s a reality competition show that involves lots of shooting and lots of physical exercise. I listened to the show with my friends on the drive down to the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Virginia. It was very enjoyable to listen to, more enjoyable if I was able to watch.    I headed up the mountain to Don’s house.The house faced the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s a spectacular view! Besides being a SEAL, an author of 23 books, and hosting some TV shows where he sets the mission, Don is a motivational speaker. This really is a mix of all the things I lik

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #209  Mike Harris Gun Owners Action League, Director of Public Policy   A couple years ago, I got a call from Jim Wallace from Gun Owners Action League (GOAL). He was sending out a couple of the GOAL staff to Gun Rights Policy Conference. He asked if I would introduce them to folks. Not a problem. One of the staff was Mike Harris. He’s a great guy with a lot of personality, good stories, and he’s worked on Beacon Hill. Mike also joined me with the Women for Gun Rights episode, RSWC #180, last fall.    There have been a lot of bad things happening in Massachusetts for gun owners. It started with the Gun Law Listening Tour from January 2023-June 2023. It was hosted by State Representative Michael Day. Day said he didn’t know what the new bill was going to look like.  At some point, Day met with Gabby Giffords, who is wildly anti-gun. I assume she gave him what she wanted in the bill with a hefty check for his services rendered.    The bill was dropped just days after the end of the G

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #208 Lucretia Hughes Klucken   This is a name you want to know. And a person you want to follow. I learned about her with the Women for Gun Rights group. I saw her testify in front of Congress. She lost her son to gang violence but she didn’t turn into an anti-gun red shirt. She donned the teal and knew that it wasn’t a gun that killed her son. I got to have Lucretia in the stagecoach at an event in New Jersey recently. She is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.    Lucretia grew up in Georgia in a small country town. Her father raised her and her eight siblings in a junkyard. Whatever the boys would do, she would do so she was considered a tomboy. She had three fathers: one was a leader of the Black Panthers and the other two were in the military during Vietnam. Her grandparents were the first interracial couple in the area. She grew up shooting and hunting like her brothers.  By the time she was 20, she had four kids.    She worked hard to make sure that her kids didn’t grow

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #206 Joe Meaux Aklys Defense  There has only been one other time when someone has driven the stagecoach and I was in the shotgun seat. That was episode #039 with Kevin Sona from Florida Carry. This time Joe Meaux because he had “sensitive materials” in the car and I wouldn’t know what to tell the police if we were pulled over. I met Joe in 2023 at NRA AM in Indianapolis. There was a group of us that went for dinner. This year, Brent, my roomie for the weekend ran into Joe and said he had a van full of machine guns and silencers.  How can I not film this show?   Joe lives in Louisiana and he took an interest in building firearms at a young age. He also spent time repairing lawn mowers when he was young, which came in handy when it was time to build AR. Building an AR was much more affordable than buying one. He would buy kits and put them together. Being a subject matter expert on building and working with computers gave him the chance to teach information technology and business at

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #205 Rabbi Andy Mars   I was asked to emcee an event in New Jersey for the Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners and Women for Gun Rights. The lineup of speakers was great! Gabby Franco (RSWC #117), Lucretia Hughes & Dick Heller (episodes coming soon), and Rabbi Andy Mars. He’s a great speaker with lots of thought provoking ideas. We met in the hotel lobby the morning after the event while everyone was having breakfast.    The Rabbi is a straight shooter. We start right off talking about how it says in the Torah that if someone tries to kill you, you should kill him first.  We have the right and the responsibility to protect ourselves. Going back to the Old Testament days, he points out that if God banned rocks because Cain killed Abel then David wouldn’t have been able to use one against Goliath. He brings up how Dr. Ben Carson talked often about how if we didn’t let the German authorities take away the guns of the Jewish people, then World War II would have been a lot differ

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #204 Deb Ferns Women’s Outdoor Media Association The “Olympic Rings” of the gun community are alive and well. At SHOT Show 2024, I was supposed to help Brooke Cheney (RSWC #075) film some video with Deb Ferns. Brooke was able to talk Deb into filming an RSWC with me. But I failed Brooke and got very busy and couldn’t help Brooke. I ended up running around on my last day and making the connection with Matt Mallory to borrow his rental vehicle. (Thanks, Matt!  RSWC #096 & 201)   Deb is an interesting and busy woman! She didn’t get involved in the shooting sports until she was 45 years old and an empty nester. Her first excursion was with International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA). A couple years into it, she connected with Lisa Monson, who is a world class competitive shooter. Lisa offered some help with just about everything Deb was doing. Lisa offered to help Deb at the home range of Kay and Jerry Miculek! That particular weekend, Kay was in the middle of practicing fo

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #203 John Castillo Father of Kendrick Castillo   While on a trip to Denver to film some shows, Laura Carno (RSWC #188) introduced me to John Castillo. He’s the father of a hero, Kendrick Castillo, in the truest sense of the word. Just over 5 years ago, there was a school shooting at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.    Two students decided to attack the school and shoot as many people as possible then commit suicide. They entered in two separate locations. According to one of the students, one of the shooters entered a room and yelled to everyone ‘don’t move’. Kendrick jumped up and attacked one student, while getting shot in the chest. This gave two other students time to jump up and go after the shooter. One was shot with non-life threatening injuries. Kendrick’s injury was fatal.    John tells me how he was notified and went to the school. He was texting some other parents, looking for Kendrick. No one saw him. Eventually he made it to the police. There he was able t

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #202 Paul Kricher Artist & Author, Jim Cirillo’s Tales from the Stakeout Squad   I’ve seen the book “Jim Cirillo’s Tales from the Stakeout Squad” online for years. It’s always been very expensive, often selling for $250. I saw that Alex Sansone, The Suited Shootist, (RSWC #162) was suggesting that folks buy the book no matter the cost. Well, I started hunting for it. I found a copy at GunBroker for $30 with shipping. I messaged the seller asking if it was a pdf of the book. Well, I found gold! Paul Kirchner, the author, was selling the book on GunBroker. Not only that, he lives about an hour from me in Connecticut. We talked and set up to film a show after I read the book.    Not only has Paul written the book about Cirillo and the SOU, he’s penned a several other books including “The Deadliest Men” and “More of the World’s Deadliest Men”. He’s also a comic book artist with several credits to his name.. And he’s done the drawing in several of Jeff Cooper’s books, including “To

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #201 Matt Mallory & Klint Macro Meet The Pressers   It’s always a great time to run into Matt & Klint from Meet The Pressers. We filmed a show at SHOT in 2020. And they let me use their car to film a couple other shows. This year we were able to film another show on SHOT’s Range Day.    Since our last show, Matt has been busy getting and giving training with Public Safety & Education, his training company. He offers several of the NRA and USCCA courses. But he is also a Master Instructor for SABRE Pepper Spray and for the TASER Civilian Course. He travels the country teaching these classes. Of course, he also offers several other training opportunities. Since the Bruen decision in June 2022, he’s been doing the 18, yes EIGHTEEN, hour course to get a carry permit in New York. The NY Governor signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, or the Concealed Carry Improvement Atrocity as he calls it. He was able to take topics and lessons from his other courses to meet the 18 h

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #200 Michael Bane MichaelBane.tv   Michael Bane. What can I say? I watched Michael for a long time as a new gun owner back on The Outdoor Channel on the shows Shooting Gallery and The Best Defense. I really enjoyed them and got a lot from The Best Defense! If I had a VHS player, I’m sure there are some tapes in storage. I met him at SHOT a couple years ago and asked for a selfie and he happily obliged. In November of 2022, Matt Mallory and I did a LIVE Show with him and I really had no idea about all of his history. Michael is an amazing storyteller so I just sat back and listened. This show isn’t much different.    I posted on my social media that I was going to Denver for a few days. Michael asked when I was coming out and said if I had the time, he would love to be on the show. He said I could visit the Secret Hidden Bunker. How am I going to pass this up?    The last 24 hours of this trip were spent with Michael and his sweetie. We had dinner the night the previous night and I

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #199 Brad Landseadel Central Virginia Sporting Clays   A trip to Central Virginia Sporting Clays last July led to another trip in October. I headed down to CVSC with good friends John Petrolino and Cam Edwards. On the first trip, we encountered Brad Landseadel, the owner. He’s a great guy and started telling us some jokes. We got to talking, telling him what we do. John wrote an article about the trip. Cam suggested we should do this again. John said I should film a show with Brad. Brad suggested we do the show in one of his planes. On the trip in fall, I brought the GoPros and filmed a show from a shotgun cart driving around the path of the stations.. It was a bit noisy with the cameras rattling for 7 minutes  but we stopped and the audio was better.    Brad started Central Virginia Sporting Clays back in 2007. He grew up in a military family and they traveled often. He had a career in the government. When he got married he took a job doing construction. They ended up in central

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #198 David Laird DSC Training & FASTER Saves Lives In the summer of 2021, I was fortunate to have taken a FASTER Saves Lives Level 1 course in Ohio. A number of friends and passengers of the show were there with me. David Laird was there, too, and he was nailing everything like it was nothing. Doing all the drills. Nailing the targets. Finishing before everyone else. It was impressive to say the least. I did interview him on that trip (RSWC #127). David was taking the FASTER course to see if it was something worth bringing back to Arizona. It was.    David was a presenter at AMMcon (Alternative Multimedia Conference), which is hosted by Second Amendment Foundation. His topic the last two years at AMMcon have been on how to better use your social media. Here some of his presentation in 2022.  Here’s some From AMMcon 2023 part 1.  And here is part 2.. He was at AMMcon & GRPC and we hopped in the stagecoach to talk about FASTER. He does spend some time talking about using va

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #197 Erin Mihalik Throom Targets, CEO   At the Great American Outdoor Show in 2022, I got to meet Erin. I was there with John Petrolino and we were in search of Tony Simon. Well, we were pretending we didn’t see Tony while he was behind us and we were talking smack about him. Erin wasn’t sure what we were up to, but she just went with it. That’s the kind of fun spirited person she is. We saw her again at GAOS in 2023 and she wanted to be on the show as things have been growing at Throom over the last year and she has lots to talk about!   She starts us off with some lofty goals for the show. She wanted to see a bear. We did run into a pig (cop). Hehe! We were in the way northern part of New Jersey, Sussex Country, and drove into New York state for about a ½ mile, maybe less. I was honored to hear that she has watched several shows and knew the format well. She tracked out a path for us to drive and didn’t want to get lost. Part of the route took us over the Appalachian Trail.    We