TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES & KNIGHT'S KORNER
 

For your information and planning, please note that I have 350 rd Tactical Handgun classes scheduled for July 3, August 8 and September 5. I also have 400 rd Advanced Tactical Handgun classes scheduled for July 25 and August 15. All classes begin at 7:30AM and are completed by 12PM. The costs respectively are $90.00 and $100.00. Two hundred round Low/No Light classes are scheduled for August 15 and September 12. These classes are scheduled for 5 - 9PM, require 200 rds and are $80.00. Please contact me for questions and/or to schedule.  Dan Trombini, Knight's Sales manager, reminded me that he still has 1000 round cases of 9mmP Hotshot for $139.99 ($7.00 per 50) + tax. Please don't forget -- Knight's offers you a 10% discount on all products except firearms, range fees, sale items and memberships as students of Major Norm Belson, Inc. Also remember that the discount card must be shown prior to the purchase! See you at Knight's!

 

Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
 

Several students have successfully used the new Electronic Fingerprint system with ease, comfort and efficiency. Per my conversation with the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (DACS), you may receive CWP fingerprinting at any law enforcement agency that has electronic fingerprinting devices provided by DACS. Per the director, each agency that accepted the device signed a Memorandum of Understanding that the department would fingerprint for CWP's. He specifically requested that his department be advised of failures to provide the service for CWP applicants in order to determine possible removal of the device from that agency. Please keep me posted on both successes and failures of this major innovation. However, also please note that if you submitted manual prints and those prints were rejected, you must resubmit manual prints!  A final note my friends, please remember that non-Florida residents are not eligible to use the electronic fingerprint system. The direct link to the Electronic Fingerprint Assistance site is http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/CWCS/ElecFingerprintInfo.htm.  I do have info sheets available at Knight's if you prefer. These sheets will be available in my photo folder filed under letter Z. Please ask the cashier for a copy of same.
 

Florida's Crime Clock -- Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement 
 

Based on 2003 statistics, crime frequency in Florida, represented as the annual ratio of crime to fixed intervals, in 2003 is:
       1. One violent crime every 4 minutes, 14 seconds
       2. One property crime every 42 seconds
       3. One murder every 9 hours, 29 minutes
       4. One robbery (crime of violence) every 17 minutes
       5. One burglary (crime against property) every 3 minutes
       6. One larceny (crime against property) every minute
       7. One motor vehicle theft (crime against property) every 6 minutes
       8. One forcible rape (crime of violence) every hour, 18 minutes
       9. One aggravated assault (crime of violence) every 7 minutes

Dadgum but I sure feel better knowing that Florida crime was recently reported as down in 2003 compared to 2002! Protect yourself my friends -- they are definitely out there. 

 

A 29-year-old father of three was on his way home from a Ybor City motorcycle event about 3:30AM. There is conflicting statements that the Yamaha motorcycle rider either was engaged in an argument with a 26-year-old Civic driver or the younger man challenged the older man to a race. Both versions appear moot at this point. During the chase, the Yamaha driver slowed down and was rammed by the Civic driver with sufficient force to propel the Yamaha through a wooden fence and into a pond while the rider landed on the sidewalk on the corner of the roadway. The rider died at the scene and the Civic driver fled leaving his dying victim screaming in pain. Please remember that no matter how these things start, the scumbag in this case, the Civic driver, was in charge. It is not over just because you want it over my friends. It is easier to avoid it than to extricate yourself from it! Leave the playing field, dial 911 or *FHP, drive to a police station or fire department, etc.

 

St. Petersburg Times "Suspect dies after dose of officers pepper spray" 6/6/04
 

Fort Lauderdale police were attempting to arrest a 36-year-old man who was disorderly, combative and violent. During their efforts to subdue him, pepper spray was applied to gain compliance. He was taken to an area hospital due to the officer's concern for his erratic behavior. While apparently being evaluated and treated by hospital staff, he died. The exact cause of death will be determined by autopsy. There are neither reasons to believe nor any evidence of excessive force by law enforcement. Based on my department's matrix of force, it seems very reasonable to apply pepper spray as an alternative to other more dangerous means available. Unfortunately, it must be remembered that pepper spray as well as electrical discharge devices and other irritating sprays are considered "less lethal" rather than "non lethal" means of subduing violent suspects. As a matter of fact, I recall mentioning a Taser death last month under similar circumstances. Please be aware of possible complications and that both of these "less lethal" devices must be applied properly and for defensive purposes only. You should also note that you may have to clearly articulate why you did so to a group of folks who were not present during the event. Articulate, articulate, articulate in order to develop reasonable belief that you used the right weapon at the right time in the right situation against the right person for the right reason! Scary isn't it?

 

St. Petersburg police have asked for the public's help in identifying a low life scumbag that has attacked three elderly women in three different St. Pete neighborhoods since May 4, 2004. The three victims are 88, 74 and 88 years of age. The first two attacks were at 4PM and 10:30AM with the scumbag making entry through either force or ruse, asking for a drink of water and then conducts a strong arm robbery. The latest event involved a 3:30AM attack on the elderly victim. He threatened the woman with a knife and then raped her. Folks, this animal is still out there. If you have elderly friends or neighbors, please let them know of his MO and to be very leery of strangers asking for water, keep their doors and windows locked and consider either a panic button type alarm or emergency pendant to summon help if needed. Detective Don Crotty of St. Pete PD has requested that anyone with information call him at 727-893-7563.

 

A 63-year-old woman had been the victim of three recent burglaries at her Tampa home. She heard strange noises at 6AM and became frightened so she grabbed a gun that she had owned for ten years but had neither attended firearm training classes nor even fired the gun before. She left the safety of her bedroom with gun in hand and opened the door to her garage to investigate. She saw a shadow in the garage, pointed the gun at the shadow and apparently without any warning pulled the trigger. The next thing that she heard was her 33-year-old niece saying "It's me, it's me." The 33-year-old niece died at the scene. The 63-year-old said the her niece would come and stay with her but always knocked on a window. She further stated that "I never would have thought that something like this would happen. They all know that I have a gun."  I don't even know what to say. Why the devil would this good citizen leave her safe room, her master bedroom, with a dadgum gun that she had never fired to look for an intruder? My tactics for this are simple -- if no reason to leave your safe room, DON'T! Stay there where you have cover, communications and a better chance of protecting yourself. Call the police for help and only consider resorting to the gun if you have been able to clearly identify the intruder as a threat, warned the intruder that you have a gun and are in fear of your life as he or she makes entry into your safe room. This approach may have saved the 33-year-old woman's life and saved the 63-year-old a life of anguish! These are the tactics that I teach during my home and business security surveys!

 

Remember the 12-year-old Largo boy that was shot and killed by his 14-year-old buddy while playing hooky September 5, 2003? Well, it was the 14-year-old's 53-year-old father's turn on June 16 and 17. He was tried for gross negligence due to the fact that he stored a loaded, unsecured . 357 Magnum under a sofa in the living room. That firearm was used to end the life of an innocent child. Well, now the convicted negligent scumbag father is looking at 76 months in Florida State Prison as well as the lifetime appellation of "Convicted Felon," absolutely a great way to go through the rest of his miserable life. His 14-year-old and 12-year-old had so little regard for the danger of handling that unsecured firearm that they were taking turns pointing the firearm at one another and pulling the trigger. Apparently on at least two occasions, they removed all six bullets. The next time, the 14-year-old only removed five bullets, pointed the gun at the 12-year-old and "They heard click, click, BOOM" and the 12-year-old's life was over. What boggles my mind is that the father "...used gun locks when he lived in New York but no longer used them. Though he told his sons not to play with the guns, he never taught them gun safety, nor did he store the guns in the safe he kept in his apartment, prosecutors said."  This really pisses me off! I hate needless tragedy. This not a lightning strike so to speak but a case of absolute gross, freaking negligence. His attorney said that he trusted his boys not to touch the guns. Maybe his sons as well as the other boys trusted him not to be so careless of their safety that one of them would die. Please do not misunderstand me. I don't think the father should spend 76 months in prison. I think he should spend as much time in prison as the 12-year-old will spend dead! Folks, please teach your children to respect firearms. The NRA Eddie Eagle program may save lives in the future if you teach your children that if they see a gun, they should STOP, DON'T TOUCH, RUN AWAY and TELL AN ADULT! If you combine education with gun locks, gun vaults and safes, your children should be infinitely safer! Please visit Knight's to see what is available to you as a responsible and caring parent!