Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #186 Jim Irvine FASTER Saves Lives   Jim Irvine and I have been trying to make this happen for a while. We finally filmed a show in Phoenix at Gun Rights Policy Conference, just before he had to speak. He helped start something that is near and dear to my heart, teaching school staff shooting, medical, and active shooter training. I’ve been working in public and private schools for longer than I’d like to admit. I was teaching at a public school on 9/11/2001 and it made me realize that I needed to learn to defend myself and my family. That’s when I got a license to carry and began my journey as a gun guy.    Jim has been a pilot for years. After September 2001, GRPC was almost canceled as there were hardly any flights. A group of pilots at GRPC got together and ended up changing legislation so that pilots could carry guns again on airplanes. At one point, they were required to carry guns because they were transporting mail. It kind of worked so it was voluntary then it sort of went

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #184 Alicia Garcia The Boomstick Babe   I had some personal business in Denver this past summer. Of course, I needed to film shows while I was out there, too. I reached out to Alicia Garcia and she said she was up for it! We met in person at NRA in Indianapolis in 2023 doing a march with the DC Project. I was really looking forward to meeting up in Denver. When I arrived, I met Alicia for breakfast at Snooze A.M Eatery. We got to talking and had a great time.      When fired up the AC and started the show. Alicia is a Colorado native. We start right out of the gate talking about cannabis and how it changed the economics of Colorado. Very much like firearms, there’s laws and restrictions. And people will find ways around them. She grew up around firearms but as an adult she made the decision that she isn’t going to be a closet gun owner. Afterall, if we’re going to try to get more gun owners, we need to let others know we are gun owners. We have to make it part of our everyday cultu

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #183 Jim Shepherd The Outdoor Wire, Publisher   At SHOT SHow 2023, I was in the media room with my good friend, The Pen Patriot, John Petrolino. We decided to only have a half a cup of coffee before we hit the SHOT floor. We ran into Alan Gottlieb and he asked if we were going to be around, he wanted to talk with us. We told Alan we would be there. When Alan walked away, we looked at each other and said “Let’s have a full cup”. While we were listening to Alan tell stories, Jim Shepherd came over. John & I didn’t know him, but Alan introduced us and said he would be a great guest in the stagecoach. We swapped contact info and I said I would be in touch next time I’m heading to Nashville. When I reached out to Jim, he said he would like to be on the show.   Jim and I were going to meet at a burger shop in Murfreesboro, TN, but they were closed for the week. He’s got so many amazing stories. He has employee badge #7 from CNN so he had a professional relationship with Ted Turner..

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #182 Phil Schreier NRA Museum, Director   In my formative years as a gun owner (then just a wanna be), I would watch The Outdoor Channel which had Shooting USA on it, shows on The History Channel, and other shows, too.  Any time a historical gun came up, Phil Schreier would be there with his white gloves on handling, talking about various firearms, and giving the history. When I “crashed” the NRA BOD party back in April, I got to introduce myself and tell him what I do. He said anytime I was in Fairfax, VA, he would be up for being on the show. Well, I was planning a roadtrip with John Petrolino, The Pen Patriot, and we made a pit stop at the NRA Museum and I was able to film a show with Phil.    Growing up, Phil was in a “Kennedy Democrat” household where firearms were encouraged but they weren’t prohibited either. He learned to shoot at Boy Scout camp, like other passengers who have been on the show. He fell in love with shooting the Mossberg .22 rifle. His grandmother told him t

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #181 Yuri Zalzman Philly Gun Range   Gun people are the best people. I will say this often. On a trip to Philadelphia, I had a change of plans. Nayara Andrejczyk (RSWC #171) and her husband and I had dinner and we were talking over dinner about my “gift of time”. She suggested Yuri Zalzman as a potential guest. He was available to make the time and we filmed a show the next day.    Yuri was born in Ukraine and raised in Israel. His father brought them to Philadelphia and he’s been there ever since. He passed on college for a few years but ended up pursuing a history degree and it was much more work than he thought. It was more than memorizing dates. There was a lot of reading and analysis of cause and effects. He calls it the “study of man”. Law school was more work that taught him the ultimate lesson which is to be efficient.    As a youth, he loved machines. He learned to drive stick shift at six, a front loader and shooting at seven. He used to fly planes and drive tanks, too. 

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #180 The DCP Gals & GOAL    On August 27, Gun Owners Action League hosted an event called The 2A Freedom Celebration. They pulled in some names you’ve seen on RSWC. Amanda Suffecool (#009), Holly Sullivan (#036), Jared Yanis (#051). And some locals like Toby Leary, (#143) Kerrie Ann Auclair (#139). We were able to film a show with a few of the local DCP gals, Moe Palmer & Bonnie Marshall. Mike Harris, Director of Public Policy, also joined us. Yeah… it was a car full of teal shirts!   There were several folks that sent some love GOAL’s way. Todd Eccles from Patriot Defense Podcast, Nikki Goeser, Michael Sodini, David Coy, Klint Macro, John Petrolino, and the closing video was Cam Edwards. Of course Jim Wallace spoke, Jon Green (#030 & #034), Mike & Angi gave away a couple rifles. And Garet & Jeff from the GOAL Podcast (#177) were there as well. It was really a great time. Lots of fun catching up with everyone. I’ve said for a long time, these kinds of events are

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #179 Todd Ellis NRA Board of Directors   Back in April I may have snuck into the NRA BOD party.  May have. It was suggested that I work the room.  Someone took me around to meet folks that I haven’t met and see if I could connect and maybe get them on the show. It’s fantastic to me when people I haven’t met come up, say hello, and want to talk. As I was sweeping around the room, Todd Ellis stopped me and asked when the episode with Nayara Andrejczyk (RSWC #171) was going to be published. Todd is an NRA BOD member, but also a Training Counselor. They were friends and she had done some training with him. We exchanged cards and I kept working the room.    I got home from NRA on a Monday morning. I had a live show to do that evening, then I was off for Philly to film some shows. There was a change in plans and I was given “the gift of time”. Having dinner with Naraya and her husband, we brainstormed who would be available to film a show in my newly found time. She reached out to Todd a

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #178 Robin Bartlett Author, Vietnam Veteran   It's a great feeling when someone recommends a passenger and it works out well. Robin Bartlett was referred to me. I reached out, did an introduction, and he sent me a copy of his book. After reaching out and setting up an interview date, we were able to make the show happen.    We start by talking about some of the nonsense that are New Jersey gun laws. To add to the “fun”, in New Jersey BB guns aren’t legal. And aren’t serialized, too. When he goes out to target shoot, Robin transports everything legally, of course, and keeps his paper with him as well.    At the age of 8, Robin was caught with .22 rounds, a hammer, and a chisel. He and his friends were opening the cases and lighting the gunpowder.  It was then his dad knew it was time for some gun safety lessons! (PS: Don’t Try It At Home!)  While living in Virginia, he joined the Davy Crockett Junior Rifle Club and started with a .22 rifle doing the NRA qualification program. He’s d

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #177 The GOAL Podcast Garet Holcomb & Jeff Strider   Finally, I was able to get together with Jeff Strider and Garet Holcomb from The GOAL Podcast. Jeff & Garet are both board members of Gun Owners Action League. I’ve known them for some time and we’ve run into each other at all the GOAL events, of course, and at the SIG Academy in New Hampshire, too. I do need to say that we filmed this before HD.4420 was released as a bill.  We talked about how the Gun Law Listening Tour was going and speculated how it was going to turn out. Now we know.    The GOAL Podcast is also ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts according to John Petrolino’s (RSWC #093) recent Bearing Arms article. Besides that great news, Jeff & Garet enjoy doing the podcast and fortunately the roles on the podcast does not have anything to do as GOAL board members and they’ll keep doing the show when their terms expire.    Garet grew up in California but got the gun bug in South Carolina when he was a young m

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #175 John Kolis Instructor & Author, Pistol Practice   I noticed on my social media that “Pistol Practice” was coming up more often in my feed. Then I get a text from a friend who says “John Kolis wrote Pistol Practice. He’s in your area and just did Rob Beckman’s podcast. You should have him on your show.”. I tuned in to Beckman’s (RSWC #109) Firearm Trainer’s Podcast to check him out and knew he would be a good fit. We texted back and forth. Then before one of the “Gun Law Listening Tour” stops, John & I met up for a drink.  Then we had a few drinks with some other friends afterwards, too.    John & I met up at the Weston Shooters Club in Weston, MA, and we headed to On Target Firearms in Dracut, MA, to do some shooting. After a quick warm up, John proved to me that his book, Pistol Practice, truly works!  We shot one of the games from his book and he way outshot me! He’s been working on getting his book across the country and in the hands of instructors. So if you’re

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #174 Tom King New York State Rifle & Pistol Association National Rifle Association BOD Member   Last summer, I thought it would be good to have Tom King on the show before the NYSRPA v Bruen decision. I messaged him and he said yes to being on the show, but I didn’t follow up. This past April at the NRA Annual Meetings, Anthony Colandro (RSWC #003 & #025) introduced us and said I should have Tom on the show. With the summer here and the anniversary of the NYSRPA v Bruen decision, I figured it was a good time to film a show!    Tom grew up in an anti-gun household. His father was a pilot in World War 2 and didn’t want to have anything to do with guns when he got back. However, Tom learned to shoot, earning a merit badge in Boy Scouts.    Eventually, a friend asked Tom if he wanted to be the Legislative Director of NYSRPA because Tom and his wife owned a company that delivered memos to politicians. Reluctantly, he agreed to the job. After one year in this position, the then-p

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #173 Jose Morales Philly Firearms Academy   My familiarity with Jose Morales’ name started years ago. I’ve always been a fan of the Gun For Hire Radio podcast. The main host, Anthony Colandro (RSWC #003 & 025), would often bring up Jose’s name as someone helping with production of the show. Last summer, I was in Detroit for Rick Ector’s (RSWC #032) Ladies Event. As I was introducing myself to the other instructors, I met Jose. I kept running through my mind “how do I know his name?” Then it hit me! Gun For Hire Radio! So I went back up and said I knew his name and finally put it together. Like it is meeting with gun people, it felt like old home week.    Jose grew up in New York City and said his mother had a gun. At the time he didn’t know how difficult it was to get a gun as times were different. He spent 3 years serving in the Army and ended up in Philadelphia. He’s had a few careers, of course, doing non-gun stuff, until he decided that after taking several friends shooting

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #172 Paul Markel Student of the Gun (The Pimp Hand of America)   Paul Markel is someone I’ve heard on Armed American Radio several times. It's always great to hear his stance on anything. He doesn’t mince words. He doesn’t hold back. And you always know where he stands. A good friend said he would be at NRAAM in Indianapolis this year and at the GLOCK booth. So after an email and an introduction, he said he’d be up for doing the show. Special thanks to Rob & Amanda from Eye On The Target Radio for the use of their “stagecoach” to film the show.    We kicked off with Paul explaining that it wasn’t a job he was looking for, but a job he accepted, was to be the Pimp Hand of America because “this country needs a slap”. And he’s just the man to do it.  Paul is very direct and to the point about his stance on topics du jour. Our first topic was the homeless folks on the way to his hotel in Indy.    During his youth, Paul spent time running around the yard with a rifle shaped stick. T

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #171 Nayara Andrejczyk The Gun Evangelist, 2A Advocate   Back in February, I attended a Gun Law Seminar held by Gun Owners Action League. I was in the right seat at the right time!  I was alongside 2 of The DC Project members and behind me was The Gun Evangelist, Nayara Andrejczyk. She saw my RSWC hoodie and asked who I was and what RSWC was. I said RSWC is Riding Shotgun With Charlie and I am Charlie! She said she drove up from the Philly area just to come to this event. We became fast friends and started following each other on social media outlets. A week later, I was going to Tanner Sports Center in Jamison, PA, to interview Nayara. Then in April, she drove 4 hours to attend GOAL’s Concealed Carry Fashion Show & Expo, and drove back that night. Gun people are the best people.    Nayara, NayNay, as her friends who can’t roll the R’s call her, was born in Brazil and moved to Worcester, MA, near some other relatives. I found out she was friends with one of my Brazilian friends

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #170 Jill McDaniel Mom At Arms, The DC Project   Jill McDaniel is someone I’ve been following for awhile. Since she’s a DC Project gal, I already knew that she may be up for being on the show. I had a course scheduled in Virginia and I reached out to her to see how far she was from the class. Lynchburg, VA wasn’t too far so we set up a time and date to film a show.    Growing up in rural southern Virginia, she’s always been around firearms.  Her father was a police officer and worked about a half hour from their home. He instilled in his family that they were going to learn to shoot and handle firearms since worked that far away. She learned on a BB gun and rifle before she started on handguns.    In 2016 with the Clinton/Trump election is when she started to get active on social media and paying attention to the politics of firearms and Rights. This was the first time she saw and heard gun control ads and Moms Demand Action (MDA). She took to Twitter, where she usually crap-talks

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #169 Michael Cargill Central Texas Gun Works   Michael Cargill is getting a lot of attention and press.  First we had Heller in 2008, then McDonald in 2010, and Bruen in 2022.  It’s looking like Cargill V Garland is going to be in 2023. The Cargill case is going to bring us back the right to possess bump stocks.    To start this episode, I have a quick video meeting with Cargill to update us on what’s going on with getting his case to the Supreme Court. We talked at the end of March 2023, but things changed during the first week of April and you’ll hear the recent happenings.    Cargill has a lot going on. He’s the owner of Central Texas Gun Works (CTGW), located in Austin, TX, which offers several levels of training courses from handgun basics to private security qualifications The store offers rentals and purchases as well. If that isn’t enough, he also does a radio show that is focused on guns, training, and all things Second Amendment related.     He spent 12 years in the Army.

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #168 Cam Edwards Bearing Arms Cam & Co   Cam Edwards. What else can I say? I had Cam in the shotgun seat!    I’ve been listening to Cam Edwards since, forever.  Ok since he was on NRATV’s Cam & Co. I’ve had chances to meet with him several times over the years; at the New Jersey Safe Conference in 2017, at Rally For Your Rights in 2019 in DC, and I’ve seen him at several SHOT Shows and NRA Annual meetings. But when I say that, I mean I saw him in the media room working and didn’t want to bother him. He was working, I was “working it.”   Before we get into this, I need to say "thank you" to John Petrolino, The Pen Patriot, who is a contributor at Bearing Arms as well as AmmoLand News, for connecting me with Edwards, suggesting I  have him on the show. I was heading down to Virgina to teach a class and film another RSWC episode, and I saw that Farmville, VA, was between the towns I was traveling to.   Edwards was born in Massachusetts and after a couple of moves ended up in O

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #167 Chris Dover CloverTac   CloverTac is one of those creators that’s everywhere. He’s got gun reviews, podcasts, YouTube channels, he does a ‘lawn chair pop’ (which he had to explain to me), and his wife lets him take the car only to let me drive it! (Shhh…I’m not sure she knows yet!) He’s also got another YouTube channel where he helps others, both in and out of the 2A community, with their challenges. I’m not sure where or how I met Clover. But at GRPC in 2019 in Phoenix as I was pulling in to drop someone off, he got in front of the hood-cam and I had him hop in for the shortest episode of RSWC! You can check out episode #058 with CloverTac here. https://youtu.be/Xeb3VKyzU5o   We were finally able to film another show in Dallas at Gun Rights Policy Conference last year for a ‘real’ episode. Besides being the Tactical Leprechaun, he’s a YouTube wizard! But he’s not just a YouTube wizard, he’s building relationships with local gun stores and with manufacturers who love what he’s