Page 1 of 1

Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:56:51
by LFS
A Quick Review of Lessons From Armed America by Mark Walters and Kathy Jackson

Image

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.

Federal Intrusion Notice: in the ongoing erosion of public freedoms and the usurpation of individual liberties, the government would like you to know that should you purchase any items from the above links that the author of this content may one day be compensated in a manner that may allow him to purchase a fancy cup of coffee.

This article was originally posted at http://hxr.us/LFS/Blog/Entries/2009/11/ ... erica.html

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:37:13
by GS78
:whistle:

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:15:26
by zephyp
GS78 wrote::whistle:
????

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:25:30
by OakRidgeStars
zephyp wrote:
GS78 wrote::whistle:
????
I agree with every word of that

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:10:56
by zephyp
OakRidgeStars wrote:
zephyp wrote:
GS78 wrote::whistle:
????
I agree with every word of that
I might too if GS78 lets us in on why he was giving his little "hey guys, does this post look ok" whistle... :hysterical:

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:02:30
by SgtBill
It look's as if this is an advertisment to purchase this book, which is ok if you need some type of training. But I believe that a person that reads a book on certain thing's will at times interject what they thought the writer said and it could be 100% wrong. I believe more in hand's on training so mistake's can be corrected by the trainer first hand. and a exchange of reason's for saying such and such can take place. This will never leave a person's mind if done right.

Book's are great and I love to read,but If my life depends on something I want to learn it first hand.
Bill

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:46:18
by zephyp
SgtBill wrote:It look's as if this is an advertisment to purchase this book, which is ok if you need some type of training. But I believe that a person that reads a book on certain thing's will at times interject what they thought the writer said and it could be 100% wrong. I believe more in hand's on training so mistake's can be corrected by the trainer first hand. and a exchange of reason's for saying such and such can take place. This will never leave a person's mind if done right.

Book's are great and I love to read,but If my life depends on something I want to learn it first hand.
Bill
Me too, Bill. I like to learn from a master. Thanks for everything. I'm looking forward to another lesson.

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:06:06
by SgtBill
Hey DK, stop my head won't fit through the door. Shut up Henry. Are you going to bring your lady with you this time ?

P.S. you are a good student grasshopper!
LOL Bill

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:47:57
by LFS
Bill,

The book is a quick read and a longer review would have been a spoiler given that each chapter is essentially self contained, though they have a natural flow of progression. The book doesn't even come close to being a training manual and doesn't try, though it does a lot to set ones mindset regarding why one would carry and the implications of it. Ayoob's book mentioned above is more of a manual, with distinct chapters on which types of holsters and which types of guns somebody might use. Neither covers the actual act of using a firearm, drawing from a holster, finding cover, etc... As you said, there is no substitute for training. I don't think any of the authors would contend otherwise.

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:05:50
by zephyp
SgtBill wrote:Hey DK, stop my head won't fit through the door. Shut up Henry. Are you going to bring your lady with you this time ?

P.S. you are a good student grasshopper!
LOL Bill
So when I can snatch the bullets from your hand and walk downrange to the target without disturbing the grass I graduate !!!!!!!!

I wish, Bill but Young and I still have different schedules. We're working on getting her a job with regular hours. Its tough to get away together right now but I'm workin on it...

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:44:20
by pax
Bill,

I agree with you: there's absolutely no substitute for hands-on training in person.

Fortunately, this book isn't a "how to shoot" book anyway. It's a "thinking about defending yourself" book. And that kind of thinking is the sort of thing you need to do in the privacy of your own skull, without an instructor breathing down the back of your neck.

LFS,

Nicely written review. Thanks for posting it.

pax,

Kathy Jackson

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:25:29
by GS78
I learned debating , not from a book....but from a master..... :whistle: .... he was a master debator......... :whistle: DE-bator.... :whistle:

Re: Lessons From Armed America

Posted: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:59:52
by zephyp
GS78 wrote:I learned debating , not from a book....but from a master..... :whistle: .... he was a master debator......... :whistle: DE-bator.... :whistle:
:whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

You're treading thin ice bucko... :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: