The Defensive Carbine class was designed for gun enthusiasts who are interested in the defensive use of the semi-automatic carbine in a home or urban environment. Like DL, from the class said, “most people would never think of a Carbine as a short range weapon but it is a really effective once you learn how to use it.”

A variety of handling and defensive drills including malfunction drills, shooting in close quarters, shooting in various positions including prone and supine, shooting on the move, transition from carbine to handgun, and utilizing cover are taught and practiced during every defensive carbine class. DL commented that several drills were particularly eye-opening. As an instructor, this type of comment is always exciting to read – makes us realize that we really are making a difference.

DL sums it up nicely, noting that finishing up at the long range and shooting the steel buffalo from 365 yards really shows the versatility of the carbine type of weapon systems.

“I highly recommend that everyone, regardless of your experience with this style of weapon, take this class and learn the fundamentals. Great Class!” ~ DL

Well, thank you DL, we enjoyed having you in the class and hope to see you one of the other classes we offer in the near future.

Visit our Defensive Carbine Class page to see all of the class details. Additional information and classes can be found in our Upcoming Events section in the sidebar, behind the Calendar tab or scheduled upon request. Please feel free to contact us any time.

Today, the New Mexico Senate unanimously passed SB 26, NRA & NMSSA-backed legislation sponsored by State Senator Bill Payne (R-ABQ) which would repeal Section 30-7-9 of the New Mexico Criminal Code.

This section of state law limits the purchase of rifles and shotguns by New Mexico residents to their home state and contiguous states. Repeal of this law would eliminate this restrictive language and would enable residents of New Mexico to purchase long guns in non-contiguous states, and residents of non-contiguous states to purchase long guns in New Mexico.

We will update you on House committee referrals once we have them. Thank you for your calls and emails in support of SB 26, it truly made a difference!

“Resist! We each have a duty to ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our city, our state and our country to resist criminals. Reasoning with a thug who believes that his failures are because of people just like you is not likely to be helpful…Resist!

How will you respond if you are confronted by evil as some of us have been in the past and some of us will be in the future? If you have not decided ahead of time what you will do, you will likely do nothing. Those who fight back often win and survive. Those who surrender never win and often die a horrible death. Have you made your decision? Remember, no decision is a decision to do nothing.”

“Resist! We each have a duty to ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our city, our state and our country to resist criminals. Reasoning with a thug who believes that his failures are because of people just like you is not likely to be helpful…Resist!

How will you respond if you are confronted by evil as some of us have been in the past and some of us will be in the future? If you have not decided ahead of time what you will do, you will likely do nothing. Those who fight back often win and survive. Those who surrender never win and often die a horrible death. Have you made your decision? Remember, no decision is a decision to do nothing.”

Private or Individualized Training… More people have been scheduling individual or small group classes to meet their specific training needs. If your particular training needs are not being met by our regular classes, or you desire some on-on-one instruction to improve your shooting skills, please let me know. I’m willing to travel to your locale if we can work out the logistics.

February Concealed Carry Class… February 11 & 12…this is our regular monthly concealed carry class. Completion of this class meets the training requirement for a New Mexico Concealed Handgun License and enables you to apply for that license. If you have any questions, or would like to sign up for the class, contact me at riclin@tularosa.net or by phone at 575.430.3040.

Defensive Carbine Class… Held on January 19 was a big success. After sighting in their carbines, participants did a variety of close quarters defensive drills including moving while shooting, shooting from their strong and weak sides, utilizing cover, shooting around above and under barricades, ‘slicing the pie,’ and finally some longer range shooting to see how accurate their carbines were out to 350 yards.

Defensive Shotgun Class… Will be on Thursday March 8. This class will teach the basics of using your shotgun in defensive situations. For more information, or to sign up for the class, contact me at riclin@tularosa.net or by phone at 575.430.3040. Note…this is not a beginner’s class. If you are not comfortable shooting your shotgun, contact me about a basic shotgun class.

Ladies Concealed Carry Retreat… The First Annual Ladies Concealed Carry Retreat will be held on March 24 & 25, 2012 at the beautiful Sacramento Assembly, south of Cloudcroft. Sponsored jointly by Riclin Firearms Training, LLC and SAFE, LLC, this will be a 2 day retreat with 4 shooting sessions and some other fun and interesting activities designed to improve your defensive shooting skills as well as to assist you in applying those skills in defensive situations. Meals and lodging are included. There are 12 slots available for this first retreat. This retreat is not intended for beginners. Participants must have a New Mexico concealed carry license or equivalent training.

Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. For further information contact me at 575.430.3040 or riclin@tularosa.net or Coralie Carrier at 575.644.1692 or safeinlc@aol.com.

Refresher Class… Don’t forget to check the expiration date on your license to see if you need to take a Refresher (2 years after the issue date of your license) or a Renewal (2 months prior to the expiration date on your license).

Alamogordo Ladies Concealed Carry Group… The next meeting of the Alamogordo Ladies Concealed Carry Group will be February 16, 2012, at Casa de Suenos restaurant in Tularosa. We will be meeting at 6:00 for dinner and a brief program. If you know someone interested in concealed carry but hasn’t made a final decision, invite them to the join us.

Las Cruces Ladies Concealed Carry Group… This ladies group will be meeting on February 15, 2012 from 6:30 pm – 8 pm at the Command Bunker at 415 S. Valley in Las Cruces. All ladies are welcome. Whether you are in Las Cruces that day, or make a trip over just for the meeting, you will find this a very interesting group of ladies.

Cloudcroft Ladies Concealed Carry Group… The next meeting of the Cloudcroft Ladies Concealed Carry Group will be on February 13 at 6:00 in the Village Council Chambers. Police Chief Matt Flotte will be the speaker. If you know someone interested in concealed carry but hasn’t made a final decision, invite them to the join us as well.

Basic Firearms Training Classes… If you are interested in learning the basics of the handgun, rifle or shotgun, then these introductory classes will get you started and will open you to the exciting world of recreational or defensive shooting. These classes are taught on request, so if you are interested please contact me at riclin@tularosa.net or by phone at 575.430.3040.

Specialty Classes… We now offer a variety of specialty classes, including…

• Night Classes…learn to shoot at night…this is when most defensive situations occur and shooting at night is much different than shooting in the daylight
• Defensive Shotgun…learn to use your shotgun in a close quarters self defense situation
• Defensive Carbine…learn to use your AR, AK, 10/22 or lever action rifle in a close quarters self defense situation
• Advanced Defensive Handgun Class…advanced defensive handgun shooting techniques
• Women’s Advanced Defensive Handgun Class…advanced defensive handgun shooting techniques oriented towards women’s unique situations
• Shooting from the Ground…learn to shoot effectively from the ground in the event that you end up on the ground in a defensive situation
• Concealed Carry Drills Class…a review of the various drills from the Riclin Concealed Carry Class.

If you are interested in taking one of these classes, please contact me at riclin@tularosa.net or by phone at 575.430.3040 and we can discuss putting a class together. My teaching schedule is very flexible and can certainly accommodate the training and scheduling needs of you or your group.

Interesting Comment on Whether or Not You Should Carry While at Home… “If I’m dressed, I’m completely dressed.” Stated by Kathy on the United States Concealed Carry Association Forum in response to the question “Do you carry while at home?”

Going Out To Eat… When you are heading out to eat, go to the following web site to determine if the restaurant you are going to has a Restaurant license which allows them to sell only beer and wine http://164.64.87.25/MyLicenseVerification/Search.aspx?facility=Y.

Supporters… Thank you to all our supporters (and my apologies to any I have forgotten).

• Mac at Mesquite Firearms (575.437.4867)
• David at the Postal Annex in Ruidoso (575.973.1049)
• Kerry at Western Auto (575.437.0660)
• James at Basin Firearms (575.430.0541)
• Wyatt at the Gun Rack (575.443.1528)
• Larry at Fire Power Gun and Pawn of Ruidoso (575.257.3943)
• Robert at the Wal Mart (575.434.5870) Sporting Good Department
• Concealcarrychat.com… http://www.concealcarrychat.com
• Cressie at Mountain Magic in Cloudcroft (575.682.2348)

Please patronize these fine businesses that cater to and support shooters.

Tip of the Month… You need to practice shooting in all sorts of awkward positions. It is very unlikely you will have the opportunity to assume a perfect Weaver or Isosceles stance to engage the bad guy. The position you use will be the one you happen to be in when the bad guy attacks. You need to be able to shoot from any position…sitting, standing, walking, lying down…you never know.

In closing… As you consider the thoughts at the beginning of this newsletter, think also about your defensive skill level. Do you feel adequately trained to deal with a violent confrontation? If not, consider some additional training. I’d be happy to help if I can!

Richard Barbaras
Owner/Instructor

Each month for the past year the Alamogordo Ladies CCW Group has gotten together to continue our quest for knowledge, practice tips and support. This month’s meeting was an overview of what went well during the past year and the planning and brainstorming process of what will come.

Far and away the most popular meeting event that was enjoyed and appreciated by the group during 2011 was the CCW fashion show. We watched and/or participated in a fashion style show featuring some the styles of clothing that can been worn while still carrying your weapon. Models demonstrated concealed carry techniques with clothing worn during events such as “out for a jog”, “business meeting attire” and “Sunday best”. The ladies from the Las Cruces Ladies CCW Group members enjoyed the show so much that they have scheduled their own CCW Fashion show in March 2012. Other meeting activity highlights from 2011 were the shooting clinics and guest speakers.

Upcoming Agenda Items

The events scheduling for 2012 has also begun to take shape. Although a few months have been left open to accommodate schedules of a few (2-3) key guest speakers that will be invited, it was not difficult to completely fill the calendar. A dry fire practice event will be added to the schedule once the guest speakers confirm their speaking engagements. The group also expressed a desire for some sort of practical experience to be added to each meeting’s agenda in addition to the safety briefing that occurs.

Here is the tentative and preliminary schedule for the Alamogordo Ladies CCW Group for 2012. Be sure to watch the site’s sidebar calendar of events for actual dates, times and places.

• February 16th – Couples Night for Dinner Out

The group will meet at a CCW friendly local restaurant (location to be announced). Members are encouraged to invite their spouses and enjoy a night out on the town… OK, maybe not out on the town but at least a night out for dinner.

• March 13th celebrates the Thank You and Pot Luck for OPSA

The Otero Practical Shooting Association is responsible for assisting and sponsoring our shooting competition last year. 

• April – Open for Guest Speaker
• May – Shooting Clinic
• June – Fashion StyleShow
• July – Open for Guest Speaker
• August – Open for Guest Speaker
• September – Shooting Clinic
• October – Fashion Style Show
• November – Open for Guest Speaker
• December - Open for Guest Speaker (highly probable that we do not meet in Dec. due to the holidays)

As always, feel free to continue to invite your lady friends to join you at any of our meetings and encourage them to contact Richard for training. Be safe and remember that concealed means concealed.

After a brief program we will have a planning session to see what activities and programs you all are interested in for 2012. This will be an important meeting, so I encourage you all to come. One of the things we will also be discussing are ways to increase the participation in the group, so come with your ideas.

I have attached a flyer for the meeting. I encourage you to post this wherever you can and give copies to your friends that might be interested.

I’ll see you all next Thursday!