Free Republic

This little item could give the IRS’ whole “targeting” conservatives scandal a brand-new twist. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) tweeted that he observed IRS agents training with AR-15s when he toured the Department of Homeland Security: A few weeks ago when I toured a DHS facility I saw #IRS agents training with AR-15's. I'm looking into the issue now. #PJNET

SAN DIEGO—Japanese troops will converge on California's southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country's amphibious attack abilities. U.S. and Japanese military officials said the unprecedented training, led by U.S. Marines and sailors, will help Japan's Self-Defense Force operate in stronger coordination with the United States, its main ally, and better respond to crises such as natural disasters. China may see it differently, however, given the tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over a long-running dispute concerning islands claimed by both in the East China Sea. "It's another...

Close Quarters Carbines, Square Ranges, CQB, Weapons Manipulation and Tactics   Max Velocity wrote an interesting post called The Great Tactical Training Con. I agree with him in some regards but disagree in others. This stumbles into something I have been thinking about for awhile. Over the past few years or maybe the last decade the role of the rifle in close quarters fighting has changed.  What used to be considered almost solely shotgun territory has become dominated by AR's, AK's, etc all. These rifles hold 30 rounds and reload themselves which is pretty handy. Not taking anything away from...

After 2 months of snow delays I recently completed the vehicle combat training class I posted inquiries about last November.http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/sh...-fire-training The class was a solo student course lead by Firearms Iinstructor and assisted (ammo bitched) by an experienced IDPA\Highpower competitor. The course curriculum was very in depth and complete. Ranging from at your door assaults, engagement ranges and choices, vehicles as cover, vehicles as weapons, point shooting, moving targets, moving shooter, moving vehicles, window shooting, cross passenger compartment engagement, vehicle egress, vehicle hard points, glass deflection, under vehicle shooting, equipment tricks, and hand to hand with pistol attacks. We covered...

Political party planner Melissa Dawdy wants to throw frustrated conservatives a lifeline this fall. And she’s landed tea party darling Herman Cain as her first mate. Dawdy, who said she’s participated in several National Review sponsored-cruises and enjoyed those trips, sees an opening for a new wave of conservative coalition building. And she’s hoping to reel in folks who are desperately seeking their political bearings after a devastating fall, such as those at the just-concluded Conservative Political Action Conference. “The average tea party person quit the tea party after 2012. They took a face-plant,” she said of the ripple effect...

No, they don't say it quite like that. But after years of hypocrisy, the Obama administration has admitted that while it declined to arm Syrian rebels directly for fear that weapons would end up in the hands of al-Qaeda forces, it has been quietly vetting and training anti-Assad forces while others provided weapons all around. Now the training is out in the open, and Secretary of State Kerry has pledged $60 million in "non-lethal aid" to the rebels. (Plus $250 million to Egypt, while Israel may take a hit of $150 million from sequestration -- makes you wonder.) American assistance...

The U.S. Army chose a quiet community in central Utah as the training ground for Special Forces soldiers needing to develop Jason Bourne-like skills and to learn how to build a resistance movement by infiltrating the town leadership. With the deeply religious culture present in Manti, Utah and the desert landscape of the area, residents were deemed ideal candidates by the Defense Department to role play with soldiers in the 10th Special Forces as part of a two week training exercise in July on unconventional warfare tactics. Now that sequestration is in full effect, the Utah mission was called on...

What's All This About a Grassroots Cruise? Despite "OWS" Backlash, Still Better to Lead than Lose February 24, 2013 When the idea for this 7-day conference first began to stir among a small group of independent organizers, the first suggestion was to convene at a resort somewhere, like CPAC does. But a little research quickly revealed that an upscale Caribbean cruise was actually more economical, and probably more fun. With three volunteers, and plans for a social media campaign to get the word out, Freedom on the Sea was born. Since 2009, activists have grabbed training any way they can...

Wednesday night on The O’Reilly Factor, Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, broke a series of previously unreleased US Department of Agriculture Videos featuring required “Cultural Sensitivity Training.” The program required employees to chant, “The pilgrims were illegal aliens,” never to use the word “minorities” and to replace it instead with “emerging majorities,” and other similarly leftist tripe. The sensitivity training sessions taped here were held on USDA premises, and is part of what Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack termed the department’s “new era of Civil Rights” and “broader effort towards cultural transformation at USDA.” The training sessions were created by...

WASHINGTON: Rarely have such pretty slides told such an ugly story. While Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno tries to talk up "The Force of Tomorrow," Army briefing documents obtained today by AOL Defense lay out the near-term impact of sequestration, the Continuing Resolution, and unresolved overseas contingency operations needs: an enormous $18 billion shortfall for the service that will be borne almost entirely by federal workers and military readiness. You can see the slides by clicking "download this document" (up and to the left) and read the detailed talking points here, but the highlights are harrowing enough: Training:...

**SNIP** It's a two day course that teaches how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. "A lot of times what you think to do in a mental health circumstance is exactly the wrong thing to do, like telling a person who's feeling seriously depressed to 'snap out of it' or 'you have so much to live for'," said Spindeltop spokesperson Janna Fulbright. The class was offered free to educators. And Henry believes a better knowledge of mental disorders could help decrease violence in schools. "This actually gives you a little more...

Beck speaks about public demonstrations of military strength... in America

Barack Obama and Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn, along with the likes of New York’s Governor Cuomo have awakened a sleeping giant. Attitudes about guns are changing throughout America, and they are changing quickly. For example, on the national scale, attitudes about guns rights and gun ownership are very positive overall. And Americans who were ambivalent about guns two months ago are embracing gun ownership and the benefits of firearm ownership enthusiastically. Even the NRA, long-castigated by the gun control advocates as the boogieman in firearm civil rights, has a far more positive appeal to everyday Americans than does the...

DELAWARE, OH - Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) announced they have launched a pilot program to provide firearm training to teachers free of charge. The announcement was made at a Town Hall Meeting at Ohio State University Thursday evening where participants debated the gun control issue in light of the recent mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Ken Hanson, BFA's Legal Chair, made the announcement, saying, "Teachers and school board members have been asking us for years about training to prepare for an incident like Sandy Hook. So our educational Foundation will sponsor an Armed Teacher Pilot Program...

Once again, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, arguably the world leader in providing intensified courses in the defensive use of firearms for private citizens, has the answer to stopping further attacks on school children. Front Sight will once again offer free firearms training to any school administrator, teachers, or full time staff members designated as school Safety Monitors. Front Sight will accept for training up to three staff members from each school, college or university. Applicants must submit a letter requesting training on school letterhead signed by the top school district official and designating the applicant as the school’s Safety...

Yahoo News is reporting that far-left anarchist Lisa Fithian is training protestors in Michigan on "direct action techniques" in preparation for the upcoming right-to-work protests. Fithian, exposed in the film Occupy Unmasked, is the radical frequently employed by labor unions such as the United Auto Workers. With Fithian involved, look for fireworks in the coming days in the battle for Michigan to become a right-to-work state. According to Yahoo: More than 200 activists attended training Saturday in preparation for a protest at the Michigan Capitol, where lawmakers are putting the final touches on legislation that would allow workers to stop...

While preparing for overseas deployment with the U.S. Marines late last year, Staff Sgt. Nathan Hampton participated in a series of training exercises held at Camp Pendleton, Calif., designed to make him a more effective serviceman. There were weapons qualifications. Grueling physical workouts. High-stress squad counterinsurgency drills, held in an elaborate ersatz village designed to mirror the sights, sounds and smells of a remote mountain settlement in Afghanistan. There also were weekly meditation classes — including one in which Sgt. Hampton and his squad mates were asked to sit motionless in a chair and focus on the point of contact...

My wife and I have a 3.5-year-old female English Springer Spaniel. We got her as a puppy from a breeder, and for the first two years of her life, we were happy with her. She's a beautiful dog bred for the field, not the show line of the breed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A $500-million "green jobs" program to train U.S. workers for new jobs and help spark recovery from the great recession has fallen far short of its goals, according to a report from the Labor Department's internal watchdog released on Friday. As of June 30, fewer than 31,000 people who went through training programs got green jobs, only 38 percent of what had been projected, the department's Inspector General said in the report. Of those workers, less than 12,000 kept these jobs for more than six months, a mere 16 percent of what organizations that got grants had...

Thinking about all the new gun owners out there, I thought this might be a good time to discuss gun/ammo facts, safety issues, training, and legalities within Fedgov and various State laws. This thread should also include various other self-defense items, such as: pepper spray, tazers/stun guns, batons (including extendable), other material items, and various forms of Martial Arts (including Krav Maga).