Armed Lifestyle - Issue 2 - June 2022

One of the things that Anthony drives home all the time, in
person or on the GFH podcast, is that ‘gun people are the best
people’. We talk a lot about how we make new friends on the
range just by asking what kind of gun they’re shooting, where
did they get it, and what do they think of it. Those are always
great ice-breaker questions at the range. Often, but not all the
time, it turns into someone asking if you want to try their gun.
(This is a great tip for new gun owners!)
We talk about tips for young shooters and getting kids involved
in shooting. He suggests getting Peltor youth hearing protection
so it fits around their head better. And of course, starting them on
a .22 rifle. At the new GFH range, he’s started a .22 league and
has people shooting from 8 all the way to ‘sarcophagus’ age. And
he’s said the older shooters think the sights are off. Meanwhile,
the kids are shooting just fine.
some that are different. Anthony also talks about the ‘revolving
door of justice’ where criminals plead gun charges down to a
misdemeanor then the gun charge never happened. We also talk
about how New Jersey has a policy where when a ‘smart gun’ is
made, it has to be sold and all firearms then have to be ‘smart
guns’. We both agree that when the police start to use them is
when we will consider it. (FYI…the police won’t use them…and
neither should you!)
We do go back and revisit some revolver talk, covering carrying
spare ammunition, jams with semi-autos, and what happens
when your ‘fight or flight’ kicks in. And we cover some about
gun safes and biometric fingerprint readers. Anthony also gives
us some tips about keeping information about the value of our
firearms somewhere with your important documents. You don’t
want your spouse selling your collection for pennies on the dollar.
When I admit to Anthony that I carry a J-frame as my EDC
(everyday carry), he says that he likes carrying revolvers because
there’s less of a possibility of them jamming or having issues. He
suggested a Ruger LCR or even an old Colt Detective, which holds
6 shots. He also suggests getting a .357 Magnum and shooting
.38 Special +P ammunition out of it. About revolvers: “if you have
17 rounds in a gun and you get a jam, or you can’t rack the
slide if its, to reloaded what good is it? I’d rather have you know,
you can buy a Smith and Wesson the plus guns have seven
round chambers. You know, Taurus has an eight rounder I think,
right? I’m not a big fan of Taurus, but but they have an eight
round. So give me a seven round revolver for home defense.
I’ll take it every day. And you and I would discussed it. I prefer
five shot revolver to carry all the time. It’s idiot proof. I can put it
anywhere. I don’t have to worry about the safety. I don’t have to
worry about anything?”
Since I was traveling to New Jersey, ‘where fun comes to die’, I
wasn’t carrying, obviously, but I was carrying a tactical pen with
me. Anthony and I talk about how with a tactical pen, we would
have to write our way out of trouble. During COVID besides the
Quarantine Crawl, Anthony took some time to put all his tips from
his podcast and other ideas to stay safe and turned that into a
book called, “Crime Proof: Think Like A Criminal And Beat Them
At Their Own Game”. In it there are several tips for everyone of
every age, from teens and college students, to adults, and adults
who are watching after their parents.
We talk about what to do if you’re pulled over and you’re carrying
a firearm. He’s got some smart points about it, if you do have
to inform the police that you’re carrying. However, you don’t
have to in all states. I always use HandgunLaw .us https://www.
handgunlaw.us/ for information when I’m traveling to other
states. When you’re pulled over and carrying Anthony says “So
that cop is approaching you in a much different mindset than
you’re handling him. I ever you know, I’m a big guy. I don’t dig in
my wallet. I don’t look in the console. I don’t look at
my glove box while the cop is parked behind me because it
looks like I’m either trying to hide something or I’m trying to find
something.”
For the first few years of RSWC, while I was traveling through
New Jersey, I would reach out to Anthony to see if he was around
so we could catch up. Most times, he was able to make time
for me, which I was grateful for. One of the things I wanted to
do with RSWC was to expand my circle of friends. With Anthony
and the GFH staff, you’re family. The last couple of trips through
the Garden State, he has been busy with expanding the range
and some other issues. But he was able to give me some time
recently.
We caught up and talked about the expansion of the Gun For Hire
range, Crime Proof, and some travel tips. Anthony told me that
every time he travels outside the US, he takes with him a tactical
pen and a flashlight. To new folks that are getting into firearms and
self defense, a flashlight may seem strange, but the power can
go out when we’re inside and we won’t be able to see anything.
He likes the Fenix flashlights and carries one everywhere but he
also carries a tactical pen. The flashlight should be at least 200
lumens and can be used to shine in someone’s face, which can
blind them and give you time to escape. When Anthony travels
he says “I always take a tactical pen. I actually I take two tactical
pens, I put one in my little man purse that I carry on messenger
bag, where I keep like, you know, medicine that I need any
medications or whatever. And my cell phone and a charger and
a few other things. But I always have a tactical pad and I pack in
my luggage, a spare tactical pen, a small pen knife that I don’t
care about that I bought in a big box store in case it gets taken
away. And I always pack two flashlights.”
I’m really glad that I stopped at GFH on that first trip to DC.
Becoming friends with Anthony over the last few years has been
a wonderful thing for me. He and his staff always make me feel
welcome and like I’m part of the family. As a matter of fact on
one stop, he had me shoot the 50 BMG and he made a video
of it to share on his social media. Both of us living in ‘occupied
territory (MA & NJ), we’re like kindred spirits. He’s pushed me a
few times to get some things done which has been good for me.
A mentor like that is priceless. Like I said, one goal of RSWC is to
expand my circle of friends, and Anthony Colandro was the first
of many to be in my circle.
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
We do cover some of the differences between two states that
are both “occupied territory”, as I call it. There are some things
that are the same between Massachusetts and New Jersey and
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