When it comes to the lawful carrying of a concealed handgun, Massad Ayoob is considered one of the nation's leading writers and instructors on the subject. So what does that say about a book with a forward by Massad Ayoob that can be summarized as, "I should have written this book"? Lessons from Armed America, by Mark Walters and Kathy Jackson, (White Feather Press, 2009) is that book and a must read once one has finished Ayoob's own The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry.
The format of the book is what makes it so compelling. Composed of 14 chapters, it interleaves true life stories of ordinary Americans who have had to defend their lives using firearms with followup chapters on instruction relating to the true life incidents.
The stories are taken from Mark Walter's extensive background material accumulated as the writer of "The Ordinary Guy" column in Concealed Carry Magazine. The stories are gripping and range from the attempted mugging that turned around anti-gun legislator Michael DeBose to that of a Navy family's deadly encounter with a serial killer. Walter's even recalls his own hair-raising incident on the streets of Tampa, Florida.
As intense as the true-life stories are, the followup chapters written by Kathy Jackson are packed with information and lessons that can be drawn from each incident. Kathy Jackson is the managing editor of Concealed Carry Magazine and an instructor at the renowned Firearms Academy of Seattle. While no substitute for real training, these chapters cover everything from firearms alternatives to crime statistics to the psychological aftermath of surviving a deadly encounter -- all very useful to any individual making the personal decision to arm themselves for self defense.
At 179 pages of true drama and informational text, Lessons from Armed America is well written, easy to read, and a great resource. In addition to his column in Concealed Carry Magazine, Mark Walters can also be found hosting the Armed American Radio show every Sunday evening.
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This article was originally posted at http://hxr.us/LFS/Blog/Entries/2009/11/ ... erica.html
