Welcome to this issue of the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter.  This is the monthly communication from my Web site at www.SaveTheGuns.com.  Thank you for reading this month's issue and for passing it on to a friend.

Election Day 2008 is just days away as this newsletter is released.  I have done just about everything that one man could do to inform America's law abiding gun owners that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are not your friends.  America's 90,000,000 gun owners have a very clear choice on November 4th.  Although John McCain has never received great marks from Gun Owners of America, NRA-PVF or others, he is so much better than Obama-Biden '08 on the Second Amendment that he actually received an endorsement by the NRA.

America's biggest voting bloc (gun owners) will either vote in John McCain and Sarah Palin or Obama-Biden or they will just stay home and not vote, thereby assuring an Obama-Biden win.  This election can be won or lost by America's lawful, honest and hard-working gun owners.  I'm only asking that you vote and vote informed.  I'm not a single-issue voter, most of us are not.  But on a personal note, if elected, I believe Barack Obama will surpass Jimmy Carter and Warren Harding as being America's worst President.

Now onto the topic of November's issue.  This issue concerns learning about the internationally recognized, but not too well known, Five (5) Stages of Violent Crime.  Those of us who choose to own firearms at home and those of us who carry concealed firearms in public, focus a lot upon being aware of our surroundings and environment, as well as being able to draw or obtain a firearm and we try to improve our ability to place a bullet under the stress of mortal combat.

Getting to know the Five Stages of Violent Crime, learning more about how the criminal mind works and how the typical criminal goes about choosing a potential victim, is just as important in my opinion as knowing Jeff Cooper's color coded States of Awareness, that I spoke of in the May 2008 issue of this newsletter.

There is a big difference between the issue of self defense and the issue of maintaining personal safety.  Certainly, learning how to draw quickly from concealment and accurately placing chunks of lead and copper under stress is important, but it's even more important not to have to shoot at all or even deal with an encounter in the first place.

The average incident of armed self defense will likely cost you $15,000 to $20,000 in lawyer fees, lost wages, court costs, additional lawsuits such as pain and suffering, perhaps wrongful death suits and so forth.  Let's get ready to learn more about the criminal mind and how a violent crime can be avoided altogether.  There's a difference between self defense and personal safety.  Frankly I think we all need to do a better job learning more about personal safety.

                                                                                                                        Read on...

SaveTheGuns.com Quotes of the Month

"I don't believe that people should be able to own guns."
Barack Obama (D-IL)- From a 'mid-nineties' discussion with John R. Lott Jr.

"I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures."
Barack Obama (D-IL) comments right after the release of the Heller case
Senator Obama apparently believes that a total ban on handguns is a 'common sense' safety measure...

''You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943)  Commander of the Japanese Navy during WWII

"The philosophy of gun control: Teenagers are roaring through town at 90 MPH, where the speed limit is 25. Your solution is to lower the speed limit to 20."
Samuel T. Cohen, (1921- ) Inventor of the Neutron Bomb on a good gun control analogy

"As I watch government at all levels daily eat away at our freedom, I keep thinking how prosperity and government largesse have combined to make most of us fat and lazy and indifferent to, or actually in favor of, the limits being placed on that freedom."
Lyn Nofziger [Franklyn C. Nofziger] (1924-2006) American journalist, political consultant, author, Press Secretary for President Reagan
Lyn Nofziger e-mailed me in 2006, the year he died and thanked me for my efforts...

"I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple. Were we directed from Washington when to sow, when to reap, we should soon want bread." 
Thomas Jefferson  (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President

"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people.  Of course, that is not true.  Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote -- a very different thing."
Walter H. Judd  (1898-1994) Minnesota legislator, physician, missionary, and orator

SaveTheGuns.com Gun Safety Tip of the Month

Do you know that I have published about fifty (50) gun safety rules and tips at www.SaveTheGuns.com?  I have also had more than eighty (80+) gun safety tips in this newsletter.  Occasionally I get asked, 'what is the most important gun safety rule of all?'

What do you think it is?  What is the one rule that stands slightly above all others?  Is it keeping your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire?  Is it keeping the action open and the gun unloaded until you're prepared to use it?

In being involved with basic firearm safety for more than twenty years, I have seen a ton of gun safety information, I've read probably hundreds of articles and books and seen a dozen videos on this subject.  If you were to 'Google' the term "Gun Safety Rules", my Web site comes up always in the top ten results in the world and I've come to the conclusion that if there's one gun safety rule that rises to the top, it's this one:

ALWAYS KEEP THE BARREL OF THE FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION AND BE AWARE THAT THE 'SAFE DIRECTION' WILL LIKELY CHANGE DEPENDING UPON YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

If everyone would keep their barrels pointed in a safe direction while handling them at all times, there would be nearly no more tragic accidental deaths involving firearms.

Please contribute this month if you have not done so before.  More than 90,000 children have learned something about gun safety from my Web site.  Please contribute when you can so I can reach another 90,000 in the future.

NRA Memberships as holiday gifts

Yes, believe it or not, it's time to start seriously thinking about Christmas.  As this newsletter is released, there is less than eight (-8) weeks until Christmas.  You can easily give memberships in the National Rifle Association as gifts for the coming holiday season.

Go here:

http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807

(choose the middle link that says "Give an NRA Membership to a friend or family member")

You can expect the welcome package and membership card to arrive at the recipient's home in four to six weeks.  The welcome package could be picked up at the mailbox by a family member and be presented to the recipient as a gift on Christmas morning.

Giving a young child a gift of a Junior Membership in the National Rifle Association would make a great gift.  A Junior Life Membership in the NRA is currently $550.00.

NRA Membership Recruiter Corner

http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807

This link above will take you directly to the checkout page at the National Rifle Association to make it easy for you to renew your current membership, give an NRA membership to a friend or family member or join the fight for the first time.

Using my link will save you TEN BUCKS ($10.00) on a one year membership.  The normal one year membership is $35.00, but it's only $25.00 through my special link above.

A 10% discount to the services of LifeLock Identity Protection Services to protect against identity theft has recently been added to membership in the National Rifle Association.

SaveTheGuns.com is one of thousands of NRA Membership Recruiters across America.  As an NRA Recruiter, I'm officially a subcontractor for the National Rifle Association of America and not an employee.

I make a small commission whenever you join, renew or give an NRA Membership as a gift.  Please use the link above for all your NRA Membership needs.  If your NRA Membership expires within ten weeks, I encourage you to renew your membership early using my convenient link that lands right on the appropriate page at the National Rifle Association.

I have written a Web page with more information on membership in the National Rifle Association.  It has a list of benefits as well as membership options and prices.  For your convenience the above NRA Membership link is there as well.

http://www.savetheguns.com/nra_membership.htm

P.S.  Remember, my link goes directly to the NRA Membership check out page.  Using my special link is a lot more convenient than trying to find the page yourself.

As of this issue of the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter, I've recruited 385 NRA Members through this link.  221 NRA Members recruited in 2008 alone!

In my quest to be one of the top ten NRA Recruiters for the twelve state Northeast Region which includes Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, I have become one of the TOP TEN NRA Recruiters in the United States, in fact at the moment, I stand in 7th place in the United States for Independent NRA Recruiters.

Please use my convenient links for all your NRA membership needs and pass it around to others.

http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807

Contributions to SaveTheGuns.com

Please use the following convenient link to securely use a credit card online to give SaveTheGuns.com a voluntary contribution:

http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P3GXU3PIEM5ST1

(After giving a contribution of at least $5.00, you'll receive an e-mail with a link to download my e-book entitled How to Choose a Handgun.)

To write me a personal check, it's almost as easy!

Write out a personal check made payable to Marc H. Richardson.  Sign it and put it into a stamped envelope addressed to:

Marc H. Richardson
P.O. Box 424
Shapleigh, ME 04076-0424

My contributors have kept this informative Web site going for more than eight years.  Become a contributor today... please?  Active contributors are the only thing keeping www.SaveTheGuns.com online.

Thank you very much for your support!

CONTRIBUTIONS SINCE LAST ISSUE...

Since the release of the October 2008 issue of the Minuteman Monthly, I have received $145.06 from seven (7) contributors.  Thank you very much to the seven visitors and newsletter subscribers who contributed in October!

E-mail me with suggestions or comments

Retailer of the Month

This is the Minuteman Monthly Retailer of the Month.  Bass Pro Shops has so much more than just fishing gear.  They are the sportsman's paradise.  Sure, there's fishing stuff, but they're also great for hunting, shooting and ammunition online as well.  There's stuff for camping, rugged footwear, golf, great gifts and much more.

Top Rated Gifts at Bass Pro Shops

Heller News

Here is a link to the NRA's political action arm called the Institute for Legislative Action or NRA-ILA.  They have created a special page for District of Columbia v Heller updates.

From the following Web page, you can visit a link to hear the oral arguments in the case, read all of the Amicus Curiae Briefs, download the opinion of the court and much more.

www.NRAILA.org/heller

Obama News

If John McCain wins the election on Tuesday, this will be the last time I mention Barack Obama and his abhorrent stand against our Second Amendment, unless he runs for President for 2012.  If Barack Obama becomes America's 44th President of the United States, I will continue to closely monitor the erosion of the Second Amendment under his watch.

IT IS OUTRAGEOUS THAT THE L.A. TIMES IS WITHHOLDING THE RELEASE OF A TAPE DEPICTING BARACK OBAMA SUPPOSEDLY GIVING SUPPORT TO RASHID KHALIDI WHO IS OR LEAST WAS A PLO TERRORIST.  HOW COULD BARACK OBAMA SUPPORT AND BE FRIENDLY WITH KHALIDI AND ISRAEL AT THE SAME TIME?  I CALL ON THE L.A. TIMES TO RELEASE THIS TAPE AND LET AMERICA BE FULLY INFORMED.

Here is a link to the NRA-ILA's Web page that is completely dedicated to Barack Obama and his firm stand against the Second Amendment.  Despite his current rhetoric that he supports the Second Amendment, Barack Obama has consistently opposed lawful and honest gun owners at every turn.

I encourage you to look at this page thoroughly and send it to any of your firearm-owning buddies who think Barack Obama would make a good president who would support and defend the rights of America's honest gun owners.

www.NRAILA.org/obama

Also see www.gunbanobama.com, which is the Web page about Barack Obama from the NRA-PVF.

U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has made so many mistakes, gaffes, lies and has flip-flopped on so many important issues that he makes Bill Clinton look honest, John Kerry look consistent and Dan Quayle look like a spelling bee champion.

He is virtually insulated from harsh criticism from the mainstream media.  Make no mistake about it, a President Obama would be a friend to anti-gunners throughout the world and a domestic enemy of the Second Amendment.

I stop short of endorsing John McCain for President of the United States, but a President Barack Obama would be disastrous for law abiding American gun owners and would mean almost nothing in the minds of the violent career criminal.

In fact, I have taken the thoughts from a blog that I read recently which said "I'm voting for Sarah Palin and whoever is running with her."

After Barack Obama chose the anti-gun zealot Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), I chose to stand behind Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) for President of the United States.  An Obama and Biden Administration would set back the Second Amendment dozens of years, while John McCain has changed his positions on a couple of firearm issues and poses an insignificant threat to the Second Amendment.  Vote your conscience on November 4th, but risking an Obama-Biden Administration with a Democrat-led Congress and we'll suffer as a result.

Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Aiming Point

The following information is provided by Marc and Dianna MacYoung's Website at http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/five_stages.html by permission.  After reading this month's newsletter, if you have the free time, please pay a visit to their Web site.  Throughout this newsletter's aiming point, I will link back to their Web site for a more in-depth look at specific topics and subjects.

The Five Stages of Violent Crime is an internationally recognized system to identify if -- and determine when and if -- you are being set up for a crime or violence. The information contained on this page is from the DVD/video, Street Safe: How to Recognize and Avoid Violent Crime. It is used by police, military and firearms instructors around the world as a training and teaching tool. Also the system is taught internationally in self defense and crime prevention courses.

While we strongly advocate awareness and avoidance as a primary means for personal safety sometimes that isn't enough. The Five Stages of Violent Crime has been tested in court as an easily explainable standard by which individuals determined if they were legally justified to use self defense tactics. Remember, when it comes to violence there are usually legal repercussions. Therefore we strongly advocate you know when you are justified to use force.

The Five Stages of Violent Crime:
Crime and violence are processes that take time to develop. The attack is not the first step, the preliminary triangle must be built. There are five distinct stages that are easily identified:

1) Intent
2) Interview
3) Positioning
4) Attack
5) Reaction

During the first three stages, you can prevent an attack without the use of violence. These are where the criminal (or violent person) decides whether or not he can get away with it. He may want to (intent), but if he doesn't have the opportunity (positioning) he cannot succeed. The  interview is his way to double check if you are safe for him to attack. If these conditions are not met, he will not attack!

What we are about to say is not hyperbole. Selecting a safe victim is a matter of life or death for the criminal. If he picks the wrong target, he's the one who is going to die. Therefore, he's going to make sure he can successfully use violence against you (interview and positioning) before he commits himself to act. Once he is sure of his ability to succeed -- and has put you in a position where he can quickly overwhelm you -- he will attack.

Below is a shorthand version of the five stages. Each is linked to a more in-depth look at the subject:

<<SaveTheGuns.com Note:  Remember that you can purchase the DVD from which this article is based.  This is a synopsis and shorthand version of the five stages.>>

Intent
This is where the person crosses a normal mental boundary. From this point, the person is mentally and physically prepared to commit violence in order to get what he wants – whatever that may be. Being able to recognize when intent is present is one of the key components of your personal safety. Yet, this isn't always easy as you might think. The criminal has often learned how to mask it behind words and feigned innocence. But once you know how to spot the physiological signs, it is easily recognizable. Learn more about intent.

Interview
With all violence, the assailant's safety is a critical factor in deciding whether or not to attack. While in interpersonal violence, the deciding factor may be anger, strong emotion or pride. However, with criminal violence it is more of a conscious decision. This leads us to the interview, where the criminal decides upon your suitability as a victim. There are several kinds of interviews common to criminal attacks.

Positioning
This is the criminal putting himself in a place where he can successfully attack you. A criminal (or even a violent person) doesn't want to fight you; he wants to overwhelm you. To do this, he has to put himself in a position where he can do it quickly and effectively. An attempt to develop positioning is the final proof of ill intent. Someone trying to position himself to attack removes all doubt that the situation is innocent. Like the Interview, there are several kinds of positioning.

Attack
The attack is the when the criminal/violent person commits himself to using force -- or the threat of force -- to get what he wants. Like the other stages there are important distinctions to be made about the kind of attack you will face.

Reaction
Reaction is how the criminal feels about what he has done. However, this is made more complicated by the fact that your reaction is an important contributing factor.

----------------------------------------------------------

AOI (Short-hand version)

What follows is a parallel system to the Five Stages of Violent Crime. AOI stands for Ability, Opportunity and Intent. Although not as complete as the Five Stages, it will give you a quick-rule-of-thumb set of standards to determine whether or not you are in danger. While the Five Stages is more complete, for people who are not particularly interested in self-defense, AOI is a nice set of fast and easy guidelines. We present both models for you to select which works best for you.

There is a concept called the triangle among firefighters. Along each side is an element that a fire needs in order to burn. If you take away one of these elements, the triangle collapses and the fire goes out. Crime is the same: In order for it to occur, there must be three basic elements.

This is easily remembered as A.O.I. (Ability, Opportunity and Intent). Take away any one of these elements and the triangle collapses. In other words, the crime does not have what it needs to occur.

Ability: Does the person have the ability to attack you? Could this person successfully assault you, whether through physical prowess, a weapon or numerical superiority? Many women underestimate male upper-body strength and how vulnerable they are to being physically overwhelmed.

Opportunity: Does this person have the opportunity to attack you? Are you alone with him or even in an area beyond immediate help? Could anyone come to your assistance within twenty seconds or less? As many victims have found, you can be robbed in plain view or raped with people in the next room.

Intent: Is he in a mental place where using violence to get what he wants makes sense to him?

Of the three, intent is the most nebulous, yet it is vital for determining who is a threat. It is the literally the difference between going off with someone to talk and being raped. Skip over to  intent page and to the profile of a rapist. Acquainting yourself with the criminal mindset is also highly recommended.

The fastest way to figure out if you are in potential danger is to look for these three elements. If you see one, look for the others. If you see two out of three stop whatever else you are doing and pay close attention for a moment. If you see him trying to develop the third, withdraw from the situation to a safer area. This is easier than using physical violence. As you will soon see, opportunity often means staying in an area where someone could effectively use physical violence against you. If you do not see these elements then odds are you are safe. There is no triangle.

If you wish to adhere to a more legally sanctioned idea, you can exchange the I of Intent for a K of Known (for known dangerous behavior = jeopardy). This turns it into the acronym A-OK. Which might be easier for someone to remember.

Conclusion
Knowing the five stages is a standardized guide by which you can assess the potential threat of a situation. These five stages are inherent within crime and violence. What is important to realize is that the first three stages might not occur in that particular order. A violent and selfish person may suddenly find himself with the perfect opportunity/ability to commit a rape, and suddenly the intent appears. There was no conscious initial decision, but the circumstances developed. Due to an intrinsic flaw in his personality, he can decide to act in a violent manner. This is why you always need to check for ability, opportunity and intent (AOI).

As stated the Pyramid of Personal Safety was developed to counter the Five Stages. As the criminal must develop these stages in order to successfully attack you, the pyramid undermines his attempts. By foiling him instead attempting to contest him, you can avoid using violence in all but the most extreme circumstances.

Two major problems exist regarding self-defense. The first is knowing when to use it. How do we know when is the right time? How can we be sure we are not overreacting or starting at shadows? We should all have reservations about using force. Much of this confusion is alleviated by having a proven and external set of standards to compare a situation against. If you don't see the triangle, it is not the time to use violence.

The other problem with self-defense is the legal ramifications. In many states, you risk being prosecuted for "attempted self-defense," both on a criminal and civil front. What was an obvious threat at the time can be later undermined in court by an attorney. When the DA asks how you knew you were in immediate danger you had better have a better answer than "he looked at me mean."

If you end up in court to defend your defending yourself, either system will help you clarify and rationally explain why you thought your actions were warranted.

The DVD Street Safe shows you what has been discussed on this page.

The above article was republished by permission.  www.SaveTheGuns.com heartily recommends you visit the bookstore at www.NoNonsenseSelf Defense.com.  You should consider purchasing the DVD called Street-Safe How to Avoid Becoming a Victim by Marc MacYoung.  I also highly recommend Marc MacYoung's book called Safe in the City.  Safe in the City is a 293 page book published by Paladin Press.  It's a streetwise guide to avoid being robbed, raped, ripped off or run over.

Marc 'Animal' MacYoung used to be a streetwise fighter growing up in the gang-infested streets of Los Angeles.  He has since become one of the leading minds in personal safety and has taught personal safety and self defense to law enforcement, military and martial artists all over the world.  He and his wife have even devised their very own brand of martial arts training system called Dango Jiro.

Throughout this issue of the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter, I have placed links to many pages at www.NoNonsenseSelfDefense.com and I encourage you to visit and learn more.

JOIN THE NRA AND FORWARD THIS ON TO YOUR NON-NRA FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807

Closing Comments

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter.  I encourage you to pass it on.

You may use this newsletter as you see fit.  You may post it, blog it, print it, forward it and publish it.  The only thing I ask is that somewhere in your material, make sure the URL www.SaveTheGuns.com appears prominently.

Thanks,
Marc Richardson
Owner/Founder
www.SaveTheGuns.com

"Congress have no power to disarm the
militia. Their swords, and every other
terrible implement of the soldier, are the
birth-right of an American..."

Tench Coxe

To opt-out of further e-mails from www.SaveTheGuns.com 
simply reply with "Unsubscribe MMM" in the subject line.