CWP Instructor Accidentally Shoots Student

A Spartanburg Police Department deputy accidentally shot a student at CWP class because someone violated both Rule #1 and Rule #2.

Smith was teaching a course at the Chesnee American Legion during the firing portion of the class. Sheriff Wright said the victim was standing next to another student who was having trouble with the grip of her .22 caliber pistol.

Sheriff Wright said the instructor was unaware the pistol was loaded and accidentally shot the victim in the arm and into her side.

Jeff Cooper's gun rules are for your safety and for that of your team. They are not flexible. You don't get a pass simply because you're experienced or an instructor. Either obey them or you are history. Is that clear?

Don't Try to Rob a Waffle House in Spartanburg, SC

I don't want to make too much of a generalization here, but I'm going to anyway. If you don't like it, start your own blog. There are different kinds of people out there.

I'm thinking about the differences between people who go to...say an expensive French restaurant and a Waffle House.

The folks who go to an expensive French restaurant are probably likely to be wealthy, have lived a mostly insulated life, like to go to the symphony, and are members of the local country club. They are not very likely to be carrying concealed weapons because they have lived mostly insulated lives, and are content to call the authorities from their iPhone when needed.

The folks who go to a Waffle House are probably likely to be people who have been working all day at the factory/shop, or doing some other sort of actual labor. They don't put up with much crap, since their boss has probably been riding them all day, and they just want to eat their food without having to pay very much for "atmosphere". They're likely to have a bit of an "independent" streak.

Accordingly, if I'm going to rob a restaurant, I'm probably not going to rob a place where there are some Alpha-Males hanging out. However, someone hadn't done the proper analysis.

A Roebuck man - less than two hours into his 19th birthday - entered the Waffle House on Chesnee Highway with a gun and attempted to rob the restaurant before a customer fired his weapon, killing the teen, authorities said Saturday.

 A customer, who is a concealed weapons permit holder, thwarted the robbery by pulling his gun and attempting to hold the men until deputies arrived. When one of the men pointed his gun at the customer, the patron fired, killing the teenager.

 As you can see, the CWP holder, was probably just sitting there, eating his hash-browns when some punk kid rolls up to the Waffle House and tries to rob the place. It sounds like the CWP holder, rather than just blasting the would-be robber, simply attempted to hold the guy there. Unfortunately for would-be robber, the CWP holder didn't want to die. If you're holding a gun on a bad guy, and he turns his gun to bear at you, it's pretty much game over for someone.

Moral of the story: Don't rob places. However, if you have to rob a place, don't do it in Spartanburg, SC. The good guys are everywhere, and the local sheriff encourages the good guys to carry.

Alternate moral of the story, per the Spartanburg Sheriff:“The way you get shot by a concealed weapons permit holder is you point a gun at him,”

Spartanburg Sheriff Chuck Wright Tells It Like It Is

A 46 year-old man (Walter Lance) is is police custody after an attempted rape. He attacked a woman walking her dog on Sunday afternoon in a park in Spartanburg, SC.

At Lance’s bond hearing on Monday, 7th Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette said the victim was walking her dog when Lance approached her and petted the dog to be sure it was friendly. Then he grabbed the woman and dragged her into the woods...Lance choked the woman from behind, forced her to strip off her clothing and then attempted to rape her.

First, this could happen to anyone. Walking your dog in a park at 2:30PM on a Sunday shouldn't be a high risk activity. This is a prime example of the police simply not being able to be omnipresent. Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens all too often. Apparently, it has come to the point where the Spartanburg County Sheriff is issuing a call to arms (video at link).

Wright said Lance had been charged numerous times with crimes against women, and other crimes such as resisting arrest and escape. Wright said Lance had been on probation for a federal gun charge. 

He referred to Lance repeatedly as an "animal," and expressed his disgust about Lance's long record and the attack. 

Wright said Lance has had more than 20 charges dating back to 1983.

During his press conference Wright expressed his disgust with the current justice system that allows criminals to re-enter society to commit more crimes like this. Multiple times, Wright said that private citizens need to get a concealed weapons permit. "Carry a concealed weapon. That will fix it." I agree; carrying around a sidearm is much easier than carrying around a sheriff's deputy everywhere.

If you like to think of yourself as a responsible person, ask yourself this: Am I responsible for my own protection? Getting a restraining order and a cell phone doesn't stop people (and I use that term loosely) like Lance. The only thing that is going to stop him is a few rounds in his center mass. I know that it may be unlikely for you to need a concealed weapon, but the bad guys only need to be lucky once. You have to be lucky every time.

Permanent Press applauds a law enforcement officer who will tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.  It sure isn't politically correct, but it's common sense. Having said all that, if you do decide to carry, it's also a big responsibility. Don't do so on a whim. Practice, train, and be smart.

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