The tentative schedule has us starting with a brief lecture at 1300 and then a safety briefing and first range exercises around 1400. We expect to be through most of the experiments well before dusk, around 1800 at the latest. If you are interested in attending, please follow this link:

Ballistics Lab Registration 28JUN15

As always, thank you for your business, and we look forward to seeing you on the 28th! We have additional information available on our web site at www.AbsoluteProtectionSolutions.com

See our Site!

Sincerely,

Matt Salustro

Because there is absolutely nothing more important than the protection of you and your family.

At the conclusion of each course, we always ask our participants what we can improve on. This feedback has been very beneficial. The biggest request used to be for more time on the F.A.T.S. simulator. Our current CCW course has 3 of the 4 hours for Block 2 dedicated to SIRT and F.A.T.S training. It seems to be well received. Recently participants have asked for a few other additions. They include: what additional training to take next; additional basic firearms training; help on how to choose a firearm; additional training on cleaning, care and maintenance. We have added a couple of new courses already and a re working on more. The APS Academy Living Armed courses offer those who already have a Concealed Carry license an excellent opportunity to continue their training and proficiency. We have just recently added Choosing a Firearm for Concealed Carry and a 4 hour NRA First Steps course dedicated to Glock handguns. We have also added Introduction to Semi-Automatic Pistol care and maintenance. Some of the classes we are continuing to work on include a shortened version of a Home Protection/Defense course that we will run indoors in the classroom using movable partitions, a more condensed introduction to firearms course, and an emergency medical/self aid course.

Since I am certainly not a web design person, if there are any Alumni out there who are interested in helping me maximize the Absolute Protection Solutions website, I will gladly trade instructional time on the F.A.T.S. for web help. Frequently during classes, I will be asked about what gear I use. Because of this, I have added a tab to the website for Shopping and Reviews. It is just getting started, but I have listed some of my EDC (Every Day Carry) gear, along with brief reviews and links where to find the items. This list will be expanded to include some of the source material I use for the classes (books, articles, etc.). If you are looking for some Christmas gift ideas for the CCW people in your life, or even just good basic preparedness items, please check it out.

Speaking of shopping, we are trying our first ever BIG PROMOTION EVENT!!!! On Monday 1DEC2014, we are offering a Cyber Monday discount via the website. Any class booked via the SkeeDazz system on Monday 1DEC2014 ONLY will be 30% off. That is the deepest possible discount we can offer, and we will not be offering any discounts like this again for a while. You will need to enter the code CYBERAPSMON during checkout to receive the discount. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted this, so if you have any problems try calling me. If I am teaching class or otherwise unavailable, please contact SkeeDazz customer support at the number listed in the scheduling system. They are very friendly and eager to help.
While there is a great deal of tension and apprehensiveness with everything form social issues like Ferguson and Immigration, to Ebola, ISIS and the Ukraine, there is also still plenty of good in the world. Earlier this evening, I came across a news story in the Associated Press of a white motorcycle cop hugging a young black man at a protest. If I can find a link I will post it on the web site and the Facebook page. It is good to remember why we choose to live this lifestyle of protection. May we all do our best to keep Peace, Joy and Goodwill toward mankind alive and well. Have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

 
Obtaining a license to carry a concealed firearm is certainly one step to becoming more prepared. But without the correct mindset and the training on how to respond and use the firearm, the license is no advantage. It can even be a severe liability. Depending on where you went to receive the training required to obtain the license, the instructor may or may not have stressed the importance of mindset and continued training. If they did not, then they did you a huge disservice and you need a better education. In the interest of providing for the critical continuing training, development and practice, we have started to create the Absolute Protection Solutions Academy. My vision for the Academy is that of a firearms higher education institution and community of practice. By asking APS Alumni and other industry professionals to help shape all aspects of the Academy including the courses, drills, facilities and events we will create a venue where anyone truly committed to the mastery of personal protection can begin or further their quest while also helping others achieve the same. Utilizing the best practices of multiple industries combined with the life experience of our membership, we will be able to offer practical and relevant training that is constantly evolving.
The first course we are offering thought the Academy is “Living Armed”. This course is geared toward those who already have a Concealed Carry license or permit, but it is not required. We will begin with review the importance of mindset and awareness. Next we will discuss how to evaluate which tools are the best for us, and their utilization. The fundamentals of shooting cannot be over emphasized, and a significant amount of time will be spent practicing. Once everyone is comfortable with their basic drills, we will follow the crawl-walk-run progression to intermediate and then advanced drills. This lays the foundation, and from here we can look further into actually “living armed”. We will discuss and review how we integrate carrying a firearm into our daily lives. At home, away from the house, while at work or while recreating, this is where class participation will shape the course as it develops. Armed companions are a huge benefit only if we know how to safely work together. You certainly do not want to get shot by your spouse or buddy during a situation because you haven’t practiced how to respond to a threat without compromising each other. The course will finish up with some thoughts and strategies on the social aspects of “living armed”. What do we say to friends and family when they ask us about it? How can we all do our part to further the acceptance and education of others regarding firearms? Again, the best answers will come from class participants and all of their varied experience.

While offering set courses, such as “Living Armed”, we will also be offering regularly scheduled practice sessions that will address the four critical areas of dry fire, basic fundamentals, speed and accuracy, and virtual simulations or other Reality Based Training including F.A.T.S. simulator sessions.

Also, we are actively looking for somewhere to grow our outdoor shooting facilities. If anyone knows anywhere that might be a suitable location to conduct outdoor live-fire exercises I would really appreciate the information. Whether we need to rent, lease or purchase something I am looking for either something that already has an adequate backstop or berm to shoot into, or enough area to push dirt up to make one. Please contact me with any leads. I have also revamped the “Schedule” page on the APS website. Rather than having to update class information in three different systems, I am only changing class dates in the SkeeDazz scheduling system. From any course description on the web site, simply click “Scheduling System” to see a list of when those courses are being offered.
Thank you again to all of you who have been so very supportive. We are living in an uncertain and potentially dangerous time, but by leveraging our collective abilities, we will help all of us and the people we care about safer.

Anyone who is interested in taking some basic level training, we are conducting both an NRA Basic Pistol and a Basic Rifle course this month. Pistol will be on Saturday the 21st and Rifle the following Sunday. These are great courses for new shooters just looking to get started with firearms training. There is no maximum or minimum age for these classes. The participants must have an adequate attention span for a full day of instruction. Some may achieve this prior to developing the physical capability to easily handle a firearm. Some may never achieve this, regardless of age. If you are a parent asking this question, use your judgment objectively. For both of the Basic courses, we will provide the firearms (.22 cal) and ammunition. If you have a gun that you would like to use for either class, you are welcome to bring it.

We have recently conducted some really great classes and I am in the process of figuring out the best method of making some of the pictures available through the website. We are also looking into adding some new courses including a Tactical Combat Causality Care (TCCC) course. This course will cover how to handle firearms related injuries until a more advanced level of care is available. We have received a number of requests to come up with a basic firearm manipulation class. This course will most likely be 2 to 3 hours long and cover just the basics of safe gun handling including the 4 basic rules; loading and unloading; care and maintenance; malfunctions and stoppages; and dry fire drills. We will add a second course just for holster draws.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be making some changes to the website and also to the contact management system. If you are receiving emails and don’t want to, please send me a note and I will make sure you have been removed from the distribution lists. If you want more emails and newsletters, please also send me a note and I will make sure that I have added you to the correct lists.

Finally, a very sincere “Thank You!” to all of you who have attended our courses. Things are steadily improving, the classes are going very well and the calendar is filling up for the remainder of the summer. Recently, I have heard that some of the other Instructors’ businesses are not going so well. I am extremely grateful for your business and will continue to do all that I can make sure you always receive the best possible service. Take care of you and yours, stay safe and remember: “There is absolutely nothing more important than the protection of you and your family.”

By Tobias Wall
Staff Writer
Posted Jun. 4, 2014 @ 10:24 pm

Five months after the Illinois State Police began accepting concealed carry permit applications, the agency says it has shifted its priority from processing applications to monitoring compliance with the nearly year-old law.

Spokeswoman Monique Bond said Wednesday that state police officials in the concealed carry division now are most occupied with investigating complaints of firearms instructors who could be “cutting corners” in their training courses.

“We knew this would be a possibility,” Bond said. “We’re proud to know we have the resources we need to enforce the law under the act.”

She said the department has made it easier to file complaints by posting a link to a complaint form on its website. Also on the site is a list of all the firearms instructors who have had their credentials revoked.

There were 188 names on that list Wednesday.

Bond said that the network of more than 2,000 firearms training instructors has a way of policing itself.

“It’s not just citizens filing complaints,” she said. “It’s other instructors, too.”

Under the concealed carry law, instructors who improperly train students will have their credentials revoked. Students who received training under a revoked instructor will have their applications denied but are allowed to reapply.

According to the most recent state police data, 74,778 applications for concealed carry licenses had been filed statewide. Of those, 54,556 were active. State police officials still have a little more than 20,000 applications to work through.

That’s far off the pace of the 400,000-plus applications officials last winter estimated the state would receive in the first year of the program, but Bond said it’s hard to lock in reliable estimates or identify trends because the law is still so new.

“There are just a lot of firsts with this. We’re finding that applications are seasonal — sometimes they come in droves, sometimes not,” she said. “We’re not going to know how any year will go until we’ve had a year under our belt.”

Contact Tobias Wall: toby.wall@sj-r.com, 788-1519, twitter.com/reTcWall.

– Jim Jones, Bolingbrook, IL

– John Smith, Chicago, IL

Before 1987 (when Florida laws changed to allow “shall- issue” carry permits), criminals knew it was very unlikely that their would-be victim was armed. No more! With the majority of states now being shall-issue, and with more citizens carrying guns for protection on more American streets, criminals cannot know who is armed and who is not. This deters criminals, and contributes to the decreasing trends in violent crimes nation-wide.

Carrying a gun is easier than carrying a cop. While the missions of the police officer and the armed citizen are different, guns in the hands of trained citizens can be just as effective against sudden attack as guns in the hands of trained police. The difference is, the responsibly armed citizen has the gun he carries immediately at hand when the danger strikes, and need not wait minutes or even hours for help to arrive. Any honest cop will tell you that most of the time, when they are called for help, they arrive after the danger has passed.

Violent crime has gone down in the United States for the last several decades, while the number of guns in civilian hands has gone up. But there is still more than enough violent crime to give the prudent citizen cause for alarm. Violent crime is still a real threat that can strike anyone anytime and anywhere. For the last year statistics are available from the FBI, there were 14,748 murders, 84,767 rapes, 367,832 robberies, and 797,500 kidnappings. These numbers are hard for some of us to understand, but that is because we are rational, law abiding members of society. We are the sheepdogs that have to help our loved ones, our friends, and even complete strangers from the wolves out there.

Facing the prospect of criminal attacks, many citizens choose to arm themselves with a handgun for the same reason police do: to protect themselves and others from deadly danger. Handguns are more convenient for full-time carry than rifles and shotguns, and given modern ammunition, they can be effective for defensive purposes. There are other options for personal protection, such as martial arts, knives, or sub-lethal devices such as OC pepper spray and noise-makers. Such devices have the disadvantage of being less effective at quickly and decisively stopping an aggressor, and they also have the added disadvantage of needing to be used at close-contact range if they are to be effective at all. By contrast, a gun delivers a powerful deterrent blow at a safer distance than can knives or pepper spray. In the face of a potentially lethal attack, the number one goal is the protection and survival of the innocent: that’s you, someone you love, or another innocent person.

~ Tim Schmidt

For more info on the USCCA, visit their website at  usconcealedcarry.com.

If you are serious about defending yourself and becoming a responsible concealed carry gun owner Illinois, enroll with Absolute Protection Solutions now and learn from the professionals. We have the full spectrum of courses that meet the State of Illinois requirements, and then some! We also have a state-of-the-art scenario simulator that replicates real-life situations, where the user has to make on-the-spot decisions. There is nothing else like it in Will County.

The register for classes, or to book some time on the simulator, click HERE.