If you take “Run, Hide, Fight” training being advertised following the horrific Perry tragedy, remember this is NOT a checklist or order of operation. It’s just options. Run, Hide, Fight is a government program that is in need of some updating.
As soon as you break out of the normalcy bias and realize those are gunshots and not fireworks, you have been granted an exception to do whatever gives you the current best option for living. Rules have left the building. All options are at your disposal. Students and staff need to know this. There will be no repercussions for trashing the classroom or leaving campus as fast as your feet will carry you.
Instead of “Run” think Escape. Throw a chair through the first floor window or whatever you need to do to get everyone in your immediate care away from the bad man. We will worry about “reuniting” families later. Somebody will have a phone.
Hiding under a desk is a good way to get everyone in the classroom killed (Uvalde). I’ve participated in plenty of “ALICE” trainings and everyone hiding under tables was easily shot like sheep (with harmless nerf darts.) Was very eye-opening for the pastors and staff. Even being out of view of the window slit in the door isn’t ideal. Many have died in school shootings when the gunman simply shot randomly through the walls.
Locking out and/or barricading the entry door can slow down the bad guy. It may give you a few seconds to provide whatEd Monk calls the “welcoming party” if escape is not possible, like on the upper floors.
The “Fight” really means Eliminate or Take Out the threat. You’ve been granted full license to unleash your inner beast and violently and ruthlessly demolish the bad man with impact weapons like fire extinguishers, furniture, or that giant blue world Atlas that Mrs. Freese knocked me right out of my desk with a blow to the head in fifth grade at Glidden-Ralston. (I was selling slingshots at school and classmates were firing pencils at the overhead projector screen.).
No matter what your personal decision is, several staff members need to eliminate the threat as the first option in order to prevent deaths in the precious few seconds after the killer starts. The best option with fewest casualties, and with nearly a 90% success rate when armed, is a team who are present, trained and willing. TheIowa Firearms Coalition Educator Academy was a good example.
I’ll take the cafeteria worker making peanut butter sandwiches and carrying a Glock under her smock instead of doing nothing while the body count rises every few seconds till the heroes arrive.
Yours in Freedom
John McLaughlin Chairman Iowa Firearms Coalition
Some references lifted from Ed Monk and Chuck Haggard.
PS: We know that economic times are tough right now, but to ensure that we at IFC & IFC-PAC can keep fighting for you please purchase your tickets to the IFC PAC Prime Rib Dinner on January 18th. Hopefully we’ll see you there, after meeting each and every one of you at IFC’s annual 2A Lobby Day that morning.
Help us educate Iowan’s on the facts by joining or renewing your IFC membershiphere today. And please stay Ready at All Times.
Once again, “the Cat’s away, so the mice will play!” Our illustrious President, Dave Funk is burning the candle at both ends working at the Iowa State Fair these days, so I’m on tap for this week’s President’s Message. You’re going to get a veritable stew, if you will — there’s a lot going down these days.
Laws for me but not for thee! Can you think of a current case where this applies? (Can you think of one where it Does NOT Apply?!)
First, in today’s news, Hunter Biden’s attorneys are arguing that the sweet diversion deal on the gun charge (you know, the one that DOESN’T send him to jail?), yeah…Anyway, his attorneys are arguing that even though the entire plea deal fell apart in court under the judge’s scrutiny in late July, the deal on the gun charge is separate and still binding. Really?
Specifically, a Fox News article reports:
Hunter Biden’s legal team said in a Sunday court filing that federal prosecutors reneged on a plea deal reached by both parties in June, and an agreement reached on a felony gun charge against the president’s son still stands.
The article goes on to report:
The filing says “the Defendant intends to abide by the terms of the Diversion Agreement that was executed at the July 26 hearing”…
Of course, this filing came two days after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel to lead investigations into Hunter Biden. This is the same U.S. Attorney for Delaware who led a very slow and lax prosecution into the tax and gun charges eventually levied against Hunter Biden and who crafted the original “sweetheart deal” on both that came apart in court last month. (Funny, I seem to recall that when the judge clarified with the prosecutors that immunity from additional crimes would not apply to Hunter, HIS attorneys declared – in court – that the entire agreement was “null and void”). Here is a link to the full article, if you care to read it: Hunter Biden’s Attorneys Argue Gun Deal Still Stands
Growing up as a military brat, I learned ALL the acronyms — including RHIP (Rank Has Its Privileges)! Indeed.
Nothing to see here folks. Moving on…
School Districts Arming Staff & Employing More Security
In the aftermath of Uvalde, Texas conservative lawmakers have been pushing for more teachers to be armed. Although many teachers have voiced opposition, “the strategy is catching on with more and more isolated school districts, like Harrold, where the nearest officer is miles away”. In this article (now over one-year-old), Harrold Independent School District Arms Half of its Staff, this very remote small rural school district on the Texas/Oklahoma border has armed fully one-half of its staff to thwart any would-be active shooter threats. Cody Patton, Superintendent of Harrold Schools, says:
I have two daughters in this school…But basically every kid who walks in that door is my child, and I’m responsible for their safety and make sure they get home to mom and dad at the end of the day. So we want to give our employees whatever they need to protect our kids.
So how does the general public feel about this idea? In this 26-minute YouTube video from Bearing Arms, Cam & Co. Research Shows Armed Teachers Save Lives, Cam interviews Dr. J. Eric Dietz with the Homeland Security Institute at Purdue University about effective measures to save lives. Dr. Dietz says that “so much of what’s going on, isn’t accomplishing that”. Dr. Dietz says that, based on their research, an on-site school resource officer who responds without delay can reduce casualties by about 70%, but stated that when you add just 5% of teachers with concealed carry, you can have even better casualty reductions. He went on to say that if armed teachers were focused on just protecting the kids in their classrooms, they could further reduce casualties by another 5-10%. The video also discusses the reality of police response time, saying in most places in the country it ranges between 5-10 minutes, and sometimes more.
Public attitudes toward this idea are changing: A poll by the Trafalgar group polled 1,091 general election voters and found that 57.2% of the respondents said they felt a school shooting situation would be more dangerous without armed teachers. The video is worth listening to and the link is above.
Meanwhile, here in Iowa…IFC Educators Academy Begins!
IFC is launching its first-ever Educator Academy beginning this morning. For the next three days, selected scholarship applicants — all of whom are employed by an Iowa school — will be getting intensive training on Active Shooter Response. The premier trainers (Lt. Col. Ed Monk (U.S. Army Ret.) & owner Last Resort Firearms Training) and Adam Winch (Former Law Enforcement and Military Policy Officer with duties including SWAT, Quick Reaction Team, and trainer for Colorado National Guard) and John McLaughlin (Chair of Iowa Firearms Coalition, Active Self Protection and NRA certified firearms trainer) will review the statistics and realities of active shooter events, discuss in-depth what works (and what doesn’t) to counter an active shooter, put the participants through the paces with safe gun handling, dry fire practice, drawing from concealment and then on to live fire drills, then timed live fire drills. Participants must shoot qualifying scores to pass. In addition, there is a trauma medicine segment. This is not for the faint-hearted and I guarantee you the participants will be bone tired when this event concludes. Stay tuned next week for a recap!
Guess I better close. Dave will never turn me loose again! 🙂
Join the fight for our Second Amendment rights. Join IFC. We need every body! The threats are increasing every day.
As the saying goes, while the cat’s away, the mice will play! IFC’s illustrious President, Dave Funk, who normally pens this message, decided he needed a little vacation. Reluctantly, we let him go. (Hope you’re having a good time, Dave!) So, this message is a look back at the year so far and a couple of things to come.
Legislation
2023 has already been quite a year for IFC members. Granted, the legislature did not deliver for us, but it was not for lack of effort! Our volunteer Lobbyist, Richard Rogers, spent every day at the Capitol impressing on the legislators the importance of the bills we were supporting and trying to garner the votes needed to pass them. Michael Ware, also on the Board of Directors, put in countless hours, and others wrote pieces explaining the purpose of each bill and why it was important, drafted information pieces for our members, and wrote letters for our members to submit via Action Alerts. (If you haven’t used our Action Center yet, take a look here.)
All to no avail…I can tell you that IFC is not used to this! Historically, IFC has helped to get many 2A bills ‘over the finish line’ (and “killed” many bills that never should see the light of day). If you want to see just how effective IFC has been over the years, look here. But you can’t win them all, unfortunately, and we now have information about the opposition to these bills so will be better able to position them for success next Session. As Arnold Schwarzenegger says, “I’ll be back!”.
2A Lobby Day 2023
Then, in February, there was 2A Lobby Day. Of course, it snowed and it WAS windy and cold, but that did not stop folks from trekking to the Capitol. If you missed it, I’m sorry. Kris Paronto “Tanto” of legendary Benghazi fame, talked straight from the heart to the attendees in the Rotunda.
He and his team were the victims of red tape, indecision, politics and bureaucracy — delays and bad decisions that cost Ambassador Stevens his life. Tanto and his team were absolutely caught out, seriously outgunned. No one came to their rescue–all night long. Since no one (on the other side) was in uniform, one of the biggest challenges was identifying the friendlies from the terrorists. His retelling of the story was detailed, heart-wrenching, and raw. It was clear that his life, and the lives of his team, were irrevocably changed. If you did miss the event, be sure to watch 13 Hours.
2A Lobby Day 2024
In the meantime, SAVE THE DATE! January 18, 2024, at the Capitol for the 2024 2A Lobby Day. Gabby Franco (competitive shooter previously featured on Top Shot, and Walther Firearms representative) moved to the US from Venezuela and is now a US Citizen. Her story is compelling and a cautionary tale about what can happen if we don’t protect our Second Amendment rights. More information to come!
First Responder Training April 2023
Now rewind to April and a day of First Responder & Self Defense Training in Newton. Organized by Michael Ware, and John McLaughlin (who conducted the training), this event was held in a church in Newton. 172 people attended and they learned about situational awareness, concealment, and cover, how and when to apply a tourniquet, or use a chest seal or pack a wound. They also learned “Firearms 101” and practiced with pepper spray (inert cannisters). It was a fantastic day. Many church security folks were there. Several farmers and farmers’ wives, and their kids, also attended. One shared with me that she wanted to come because, “If he’s out on the tractor and one of the kids gets hurt, I need to know what to do”.
On The Border 2023
Just this past week, I had an eye-opening trip (not affiliated with IFC) to the Yuma sector of our border in Arizona. Our group heard from the Mayor of Yuma, the recently retired Chief of the Border Patrol/Yuma Sector, farmers and educators and health care providers working in the area, the Sheriff, and other Border Patrol agents on the job. I have actually spent 25 years of my life living along the border (not in the Yuma sector), so I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the situation but “Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore!” Things have definitely changed since the last administration and now that Title 42 has expired, the situation is even more grim. The impacts to public safety, hospitals and other medical facilities, and to the schools is horrendous. The number of apprehensions is staggering and the amount of fentanyl (and other drugs) coming across is unfathomable.
The border wall — where it exists — really is a great big beautiful wall (as shown in photo below)…with gaps that are as wide as two tour busses end-to-end in some places. This “gap” wasn’t quite that large. Perhaps only as wide as a single tour bus.
We were told that apprehensions over the past year were from 140 countries, with apprehensions from Mexico ranking 8th or 9th.
They are seeing more people attempt border crossings from Russia and China; the highest number of apprehensions was single Adult Males. It was an informative, astounding and disheartening trip. The need for border security and for immigration reform is paramount.
Next Up: IFC Educator Academy
Looking forward, IFC is hosting the IFC Educator’s Academy August 15-17 for eighteen very fortunate Iowa school employees who will spend three jam-packed days learning from experts about Active Shooter situations in schools and being trained on how to effectively counter that threat. IFC is not only putting this program together and bringing in the experts, but is sponsoring $1,000 scholarships for those fortunate school employees, to cover the cost of the program. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, or to learn more about the program, check out the link above.
Join IFC!
Yes, we are that busy! Keep in mind, IFC is an all-volunteer organization. If you want to get involved, JOIN IFC! We are always looking for new talent to help out with these events and at gun shows…(Oops! I forgot to mention the numerous gun shows!) Oh, and I forgot to mention the weekly vlog from John McLaughlin “Warrior Wednesdays“! There is indeed a lot going on at IFC. We could really use some help with those gun shows, with graphic design, event coordination, and to help further develop our Trusted Partners program, which is one of the ways we are adding value to your membership.
Thus ends the “surrogate President’s Message” for the week! 🙂
IFC is embarking on a new venture – one designed to keep Iowa’s school children safer. IFC is offering a part of the SOLUTION when evil walks through the doors of our schools. Gun-free zones, like schools, are attractive to active shooters because they will not encounter armed resistance to their assault, until the police arrive. And our children’s bodies stack up.
IFC is offering eighteen $1,000 scholarships to cover the cost of the Academy for the selected participants. Several scholarship applications have already been filed. If you are employed by Iowa schools, have a Permit to Carry (or can obtain one prior to the Academy), and want to be prepared to protect the students in your school, you can file a scholarship application HERE.
Listen to Michael Ware of IFC talking with Simon Conway on an iheart.com podcast about this opportunity.
ACADEMY INSTRUCTION
The training will feature three renowned instructors:
Adam Winch / military veteran and police trainer, of Defenders-USA
John McLaughlin / Chair of the IFC Board & Certified Instructor
The 30 hours of training begins with an in-depth review of the history of active shooters in school situations, and the necessity of having Present, Trained and Willing defenders at the school, to protect the children. This premise is the foundation of the course and is derived from over twenty years of research on mass shooting incidents, by Lt. Col. Ed Monk. He provides a compelling narrative and breaks down the statistics, drawing a mathematically derived conclusion that ONLY by having Present, Trained and Willing defenders on-site will casualties be reduced. This portion of the training will be live streamed to Iowa educators wishing to watch remotely (watch for future information on how to access), and will also be recorded for future training sessions.
The remainder of the training focuses on building skills through dry fire, then live fire at a variety of distances and speeds, repetition, incorporating basic tactical movement, and focusing on accuracy and firing under pressure. Participants will have a baseline assessment before the training. Additional blocks of training include Trauma Medicine, Deep Concealment for Educators, and What to Do When the Shooting Stops.
Three indoor ranges at CrossRoads will be used for the training. Six participants will work with one of the instructors and each range will have a Range Safety Officer to assist. There will be a second skills assessment prior to the end of the Academy.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
This is an opportunity to become part of the solution. To seek individual training like this at your own expense would be very costly. This is an immersive experience featuring modern learner-centric educational theory and data-driven analysis of real world threats. Our response to active shooters at schools cannot be the simple offering of thoughts and prayers. We must counter the active shooter threat.
IFC Educators Academy – Present, Trained, Willing: A research-based response to the active shooter threat based on data collected by Ed Monk, using modern learner-centric educational theory and data-driven analysis of real-world threats.
18 scholarships are available to Iowa public and private school staff members.
The Iowa Firearms Coalition, in cooperation with active-shooter researcher Lt. Col. Ed Monk (US Army retired) and military veteran and police trainer Adam Winch of Defenders-USA, have developed the IFC Educator Academy: Present, Trained, Willing.
Three full days of training begin with a historical look at the active shooter threat in schools and the sobering reality that the threat must be neutralized in the first 30 seconds to one minute in order to keep the victim count low.
Educators will be trained in basic tactical movement and the balance of speed and accuracy when firing a handgun. Each participant will be evaluated with a firearms skills assessment before the training and at the end to gather metrics on improvement in accuracy, time to draw from concealment and the ability to shoot precisely at a variety of distances under pressure. This data will be used to tweak the curriculum with the goal of offering “best practices” and streaming video content of Ed Monk’s presentation to all interested Iowa educational institutions. Additional instructional blocks include Trauma Medicine, Deep Concealment for Educators, and What to Do When the Shooting Stops.
18 participants will be selected to attend the 30-hour course. Applicants should have or will obtain, an Iowa permit to carry weapons before the class. The scholarship covers the $1000.00 course fee and lunch during training. Successful applicants will need to provide an appropriate firearm, concealed holster, and a minimum of 500 rounds of ammunition.
LISTEN HERE for the Simon Conway WHO Radio 1040AM interview centering on the IFC Educator Academy.
Each Attendee Will Receive -30 hours of Instruction -Lunch each Day -Steak dinner with a presentation by Ed Monk.
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So how does the general public feel about this idea? In this 26-minute YouTube video from Bearing Arms, Cam & Co. 
IFC is launching its first-ever Educator Academy beginning this morning. For the next three days, selected scholarship applicants — all of whom are employed by an Iowa school — will be getting intensive training on Active Shooter Response. The premier trainers (Lt. Col. Ed Monk (U.S. Army Ret.) & owner Last Resort Firearms Training) and Adam Winch (Former Law Enforcement and Military Policy Officer with duties including SWAT, Quick Reaction Team, and trainer for Colorado National Guard) and John McLaughlin (Chair of Iowa Firearms Coalition, Active Self Protection and NRA certified firearms trainer) will review the statistics and realities of active shooter events, discuss in-depth what works (and what doesn’t) to counter an active shooter, put the participants through the paces with safe gun handling, dry fire practice, drawing from concealment and then on to live fire drills, then timed live fire drills. Participants must shoot qualifying scores to pass. In addition, there is a trauma medicine segment. This is not for the faint-hearted and I guarantee you the participants will be bone tired when this event concludes. Stay tuned next week for a recap!
He and his team were the victims of red tape, indecision, politics and bureaucracy — delays and bad decisions that cost 
They are seeing more people attempt border crossings from Russia and China; the highest number of apprehensions was single Adult Males. It was an informative, astounding and disheartening trip. The need for border security and for immigration reform is paramount.
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