Thanks! We have 9 boys and this will be girl number 4.
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@Robbie13 congratulations on your up and coming child. You have a small army. The largest family I knew had 23. Foretunately the father was a successful contractor. One of his son’s was my fraternity brother. My mom was one of ten. My wife is the baby of eight. I wanted a large family too but settled for three. One of my BIL carries and is an elder/preacher. We have several preachers in the family. Welcome.
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Thanks! We’re excited as well! I don’t think there’s anything I’d rather be than a dad (and a certified firearms instructor)
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Hello Everyone! My name is Kyle Barker, I’m a Veteran 55B of the US Army and Concealed Carry Instructor for the State of IL. I’m also a former Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Clown. I toured with The Greatest Show On Earth for 3 years. I’m also a proud father of 2 daughters.
Being raised by a single mother, my uncle was also a huge influence and mentor towards the shaping of my life and character. He recreationally participated in shooting events through the American Legion my grandfather was a part of. My uncle and I would hit the range a few times when we could, he needed a shooting buddy when I got out of the Army so he didn’t have to go alone. I never owned a gun during that time, my mother is terrified of them because she was held at gun point, twice.
Between various training I received from the military, the time spent with my uncle simply practicing marksmanship, I’d say I have roughly 20 years of off and on training, self defense, and firearms knowledge. It wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I decided to become an instructor. For no rhyme or reason, a car had pulled in to the parking lot of my apartment complex, fired off 5 shots, and drove on through. I later found out that I had driven past the car as I was on my way to the grocery store. Talk about timing! It was then that I decided to apply for my concealed carry license. I had never thought that something like that would happen in my town, but I was awakened pretty quickly.
As a 55B Ammunition Specialist I spent a lot of time at ranges and ammunition depots. Stationed at “The Home of the Infantry,” I was able to fire a decent amount of firearms, though I wouldn’t call that formal training. I would call it a crash course, enough to qualify, but not have it on record. In order to become an IL CCL Instructor, my formal training is through NRA Courses (Personal Protection Inside and Outside the Home, Basics of Pistol Shooting [all 3 of those being Instructor Certification Courses.]) However, I love the plethora of information and Courses offered by USCCA. The First Aid Course is pretty close to a Combat Lifesaver Course offered by the Army I took while stationed in Korea, the only thing missing would be how to administer an IV.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten regarding your self-defense? Continue Learning. No matter how the scenario is presented, it will never play out as it is planned in your mind. The more you absorb, converse, share, reflect, and practice, the better prepared you can be to handle yourself during a conflict.
I don’t have a favorite gun. I am very smitten over a MK19 Automatic Grenade Launcher but I haven’t shot one since 2000!
As an Instructor, I have the opportunity to hit the range either 2-3 times a month, though the winter months have mostly kept me indoors.
Involving my mother in recreational shooting hasn’t been as fruitful as I wanted it to be. Since becoming an instructor, she has at least seen my collection, so there is slight progress. I have instructed a few of my neighbors so they could apply for their concealed carry license, as well as taking my daughters to the range so they can punch a few .22 holes into some paper from 5 yards.
Joining the USCCA Community, I hope to learn alongside others as well as provide whatever I can to the educational side of discussion. I hope to learn how people engage their training. As I’ve seen in my classes, most people have been shooting for years and then decide, for some reason or another, to carry. As the saying goes “With great power, comes great responsibility.” As an armed citizen, my combat training and experience has taught me a great deal of discipline in threat detection and situational awareness. My intentions of becoming an instructor was to make sure recreational or hobby shooters have a sense of the differences between that, and defensive shooting. I hope to learn more ways others add stress to their training, how often people practice shooting with their non-dominant hand in scenarios of impairment, and how prepared responsibly armed citizens are for any medical care or first aid that may occur during a defensive situation. I’m am looking forward to sharing and preparing!
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We were 13B cross trained to 55G. Nukes. Now I have to kill you. 
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Yup, Them 55G were a little bit too crazy… only met 2 of them…lol
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You know what guys are really odd? 68W. Combat medics are the weirdest guys.
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Our mission was a suicide mission. You had to be a little crazy to be on the team.
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Happy Friday! Please help me welcome all of those who joined the USCCA Community this week! If those of you who are new haven’t introduced yourself and would like to, I’d love to hear more about each and every one of you!!
@Frank1
@Dave3
@Kyle
@Norman
@Robbie13
@Pamela
@Frank
@Jeffery
@SheepDog76
@David1
@Terry
@Gary
@Holli
@Aaron
@Curtis
@Bob34
@Robert2
@Casey
@Mikey
@RJ1
@Frosty
@Dean
@MarkLo
BTW - if you’d like to change your username, it’s very easy to do!
Be sure to click on the change button after entering your new username! 
Welcome to the USCCA Community everyone!
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My wife and I are having a great time learning together about guns and everything associated with owning them responsibly. My wife shot some when she was younger, but I had only pulled a trigger less than a dozen times in my life. We bought our first guns on Black Friday 2018 and now have five between us, all different calibers. I have a S&W M&P 9 2.0 and a S&W Bodyguard 380. My wife has a Henry 410, a S&W Bodyguard 38 Special, and just ordered a S&W M&P 22 2.0. We’ve taken a tactical medical class together and have watched tons of YouTube videos and other training videos (including a lot on the USCCA site) on shooting techniques, situational awareness, gun reviews, etc. I’ve also done a lot of dry fire and I’m sure will continue training in different areas. It’s been a lot of fun and also an eye-opening experience delving into the world of self defense.
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Welcome @Trmptr64! So glad to have you here! There is always more to learn on your self-defense journey so please ask and answer others’ questions as well. As someone who is newer on the self-defense journey, you have a great perspective that some of us haven’t seen in a while and that can help us in valuable ways.
Please invite your wife to the Community as well!
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Hello my brother and sisters, I’m Anthony Bolds. I’m a Navy veteran and First Responder. I grew up in South Carolina Carolina and I reside in Florida. I have been a fan of firearms as a young man. My training in the Navy and as a First Responder has made me love carrying all the more. Some of my favorite carry weapons include the Sig P365, Glock 42, Glock 43, Glock 27 and a variety of others. I carry because this society we are in is not safe enough not to. As a First Responder, I train with every opportunity I can. Off duty, I’ll never go anywhere without my carry weapon. I’ve been a USCCA member for going on my 3rd year and I’m very pleased. I’ve learned so much and there’s so much more to learn as we share our experiences with one another. I’m excited to be a part of this community and I look forward to sharing and learning.
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Welcome to the USCCA Community, @Anthony1! You’re a Sig and Glock person? Impressive! 
Please jump in and check out the Community! Ask questions, give your opinion and share knowledge! We’re excited to have you here!
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I have Smith & Wesson and FN also.
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Welcome, @Shepherd! Thank you for your service to your community! We’re so glad to have you here! Can’t wait for you to jump into the conversations!
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Thanks @Dawn, I appreciate the warm welcome and all that USCCA has and is doing. Thanks for the invite to this community. After my intro, I’ll probably spend more time lurking, catching up with all the posts but will chime in if I can be of any help or have anything of value to add to the conversation.
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Sounds good, @Shepherd! Feel free to chime in anywhere! And if you don’t see something we should be talking about, please start a topic! 
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FN is my brand. So is Glock. I imagine I’ll like Sig too, only shot one. Sounds like you’re like me, @Anthony1 you just like guns. 
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Definitely my brother, definitely…
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It’s an addiction. Sometimes I wish I only liked one gun. But I don’t, and that’s why I have lever actions, SAA revolvers, Glocks, FN, an AR…
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