With the popularity and success of our first newsletter, this month we're looking to continue the format and even expand it a bit. We've added a few new sections here including:

• Training Tips - informative articles brought to you by leading firearms trainers. If you're interested in submitting an article, email us at [email protected]
• Giveaway Results - each issue we will announce the winners of the previous month's giveaway. Winners will have 30 days to claim their prize. All users are automatically entered each month simply by clicking on newsletter links
• NRA-ILA News and Direct from DirectAction - important news from across the country regarding your gun rights

We changed the issue enumeration as well with this newsletter, so while the first issue was #1, this one is #1008 representing the year and month. We decided this would be a better method for keeping track, as it would be easier to know exactly when a newsletter came out based on the issue number.

We promised special offers from the AR15.com store in each newsletter; last issue we blew out some AR15.com lower receivers for $99, and this month we're featuring custom logoed AR-15 rifle stands. These are great stands either to display your rifles or to use as a cleaning stand.

Thread Tracking - This month we introduced a new feature for Team Members, the thread tracking system. This improvement focuses on the user experience as it will store the last known position within a thread for each and every thread visited. There is one catch: to avoid client side interaction and keep things simple, the system will store the last reply on a page and assume the user reads to that point. There is no limit to the number of discussions and data will be stored until a user is downgraded from team or a thread is archived.

As an extra benefit, Gold Team Members (and higher) also have access to a bookmark feature, which allows any reply within a thread to be "bookmarked" and provide another entry point into a discussion. There is one user defined bookmark allowed per thread. This feature provides users with the power to follow multiple discussions at their last read entry, or "bookmark", without having to recall the specific location.

Travel Services - A while back we introduced a travel service for AR15.com Members. This gave our Team Members access to a travel agent that we had worked out a relationship with. Many people have taken advantage of the service with everything from weekend getaways to destination weddings and honeymoons. I'm happy to announce that this agent will now be working directly for AR15.com Members, and as such will have much greater availability. For those of you not familiar with using an agent, the bottom line is that they will take care of all of the hard work for you, and many times will find you a better deal than you could get on your own online due to volume pricing. In addition, they have the expertise and experience to guide you to the destinations or resorts that are a best fit for you and your interests, budget, and schedule. Check out the AR15.com Travel Forum for details to be posted in the coming days, and for your next vacation compare what our agent can provide for you vs. what you could get on your own.

Quite a few people asked about the status of this project, and the truth is we're still working on it. We will be testing a prototype of the purpose built Osprey Defense piston conversion in the next week or so, and moving to a 14.5" barrel in order to optimize the case layout.

With these two changes, we'll cut back about 3" from the overall length of the barrel assembly, and that's enough to fit it in the case alongside the upper and lower without having to position it diagonally. This makes the case layout much simpler and eliminates any chance of damaging the exposed back-end of the op-rod, so we're definitely looking forward to this next iteration.; updates will be posted to the forum thread listed above.

In addition to this new conversion, Osprey Defense is releasing new heavy barrel kits this month which will fit up to 1" diameter barrels, and all kits will now be available with the Fail Zero coating.

I am often asked via phone or email prior to a student attending one of our classes what "gear" do I need for the class. This is an especially common question when it comes to our carbine and shotgun classes. Oftentimes students show up with the latest and greatest tactical gear such as drop leg holsters, tactical vests, bandoliers etc. While some of this gear can be helpful in a class I question the utility or realism of having such gear as a citizen. Don't misunderstand me, I have plenty of gear that I use all the time in various training events and classes but none of it is what I have at home in preparation for protecting myself, family or those I am responsible for.

It is important that those interested in personal protection train within and strive to operate within the context of their specific situation, job description or lifestyle. I am not a police SWAT operator or military serviceman who may need 100 extra rounds of ammunition on my person in order to act as a force multiplier in a combat zone. I am a citizen whose duty is to protect my family from harm and that is how I approach my personal training. It doesn't make much sense to me to attend a carbine class in full battle rattle since it is unlikely I am going to jump off the couch or out of bed and throw my tactical-vest on to answer the door at 3am when two unknowns are standing on my front porch. Maybe you disagree, which is fine.

So, to be as prepared as possible and able to grab the gear I may need as fast as possible I utilize pre- loaded and pre-positioned ready bags. One upstairs slung on or next to my shotgun/on a door knob and one downstairs securely stored in a kitchen cupboard high enough the kids cannot get to it. With a simple system like this I can grab a firearm, throw the bag over my shoulder and go very rapidly no matter what clothing I am wearing.

Essentials
There are essential items I feel are necessary or may come in handy if I have to rapidly prepare to protect my home from intruders or possibly even looters (Katrina type disaster). Everyone's idea of what they will need can vary and those included here are simply my suggestions based on my personal beliefs and training:

1. A cell phone: If power is out or has been cut the home phone will not work and my top priority is contacting 911 to call for assistance, whether that is Law Enforcement assistance or Emergency Medical Services.
2. Spare ammunition for ANY firearm I grab: I may have my shotgun ready to go or my pistol or carbine or even a combination of two. Because of this I cannot have 3 separate ready bags for each individual weapon platform. So, the bag I utilize needs to have multiple pockets within which I can store extra shotgun buck shot, at least (1) spare pistol magazine and (1) spare carbine magazine. This way, it doesn't matter which gun I grab under stress, I have extra ammunition if needed.
3. Medical Supplies: If I am involved in some type of home protection scenario there is a good chance that me or one of my family members may be injured. This could involve actual gun-fire related injuries or something more common like tripping over the dog and cracking your head open. Either way, having a tourniquet, some type of pressure dressing and maybe a hemostatic agent could go a long way toward continuing to protect you or family after an incident has occurred.
4. A light source: Some people believe in lights on guns and some don't, which is fine. Regardless, sneaking around in the dark during a power outage or intentional power cut off is not conducive to effective home protection. A light source is necessary for navigation, identification of possible threats and engagement of those threats if justified. Even if you have a weapon mounted light remember it's not a good idea to use that light for administrative tasks such as opening doors etc. Also remember that the weapon mounted light can and will break so having a back up is a good idea.
5. An edged tool: Nobody knows what can or will happen or predict what type of fight or disaster will occur. Having some type of edged tool available is good common sense and while they make effective personal protection tools it is more likely they will be used for prying open an object or cutting away some debris or clothing from an injured family member or yourself.
6. Short term food & water source: Again, we cannot predict what type of situation can or will occur. Regardless, being prepared for a variety of situations is smart planning. Maybe we are trapped or simply barricaded in a safe room or basement. Having a small bottle of water and a power bar will at least help make those with you such as small children a little more comfortable during a tense, scary situation.

Conclusion
If you have taken the time and spent the money to attend training then don't let your preparation stop when the class ends. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. It is unlikely you will ever have to use your home readiness kit but at least you have it, just in case. Awareness + Preparation = Success!

About Chris: Chris Fry is the owner and director of training and curriculum development for Modern Defensive Training Systems in Utica, N.Y. where he conducts courses in reality driven practical combatives skills, extreme close quarters physical defense, tactical folding knife and edged weapon combatives and combative pistol, carbine and shotgun skills. MDTS offers a variety of courses for responsible citizens, corporations, law enforcement and the U.S. Military with a singular goal of providing up to date, realistic and practical personal protection training.

I was honored when ARFCOM asked me to write a monthly column for it’s latest membership benefit....the ARFCOM Newsletter. First of all, it’s a great chance for me as an NRA Board Member, to help keep AR15.com members up to date on legislative issues and to take the pulse of grassroots gun owners.

Second, in many ways this site represents the future of gun ownership in America. As with many things in the gun world, it’s a blend of new and old technology. Besides letting us talk about the great guns we all enjoy, the ARFCOM uses the latest Web technology to keep members and visitors informed about the latest developments that affect our right to keep and bear arms—a new tool for a debate that goes back centuries. ARFCOM’s members dwarf the readership of some nationally circulated gun magazines and even the membership of some national gun owners’ organizations.

As most of our membership knows, the AR-15 platform was launched in the middle of the last century, but it’s been honed by civilian and government users into one of the most popular all-around rifles of this century. With more than 2 million AR’s sold in the U.S. from 1986 through 2009, I am proud to say it is likely to keep that title for the foreseeable future.

That’s especially true with the boost the platform is getting from thousands of young Americans coming out of military training and deployments with the M16 and M4. Like the dough boys of the last century who trained and fought with the 1903 Springfield and 1917 Enfield, today’s servicemen and women like what they see. That coupled with the popularity the civilian market has added proves that the system is here to stay.

Likewise, more and more police departments are adopting AR-15's and other "Patrol Rifle " configurations, often to take the place of or as an addition too the venerable shotgun as the "long arm of the law" in the effort to keep our law enforcement officers and the people they serve - safe.

But while ownership of AR-15's and other guns is growing, there’s a dark cloud. While the federal gun ban that dubbed the AR-15 and other semi-autos as "assault weapons" is, thankfully, gone due to NRA’s political efforts, too many states still have their own restrictions in place. And at the federal level, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has promised that she’ll "pick the time and place" to push for a new ban.

Outright gun bans aren’t the only threat. While the Supreme Court protected our right to keep and bear arms in the 2008 Heller case and the McDonald case this summer, there’s a real risk that new anti-gun Supreme Court justices could try to reverse those decisions. In the meantime, initiatives to drive gun stores out of business through legislation, regulation, or litigation are never ending. Shooting ranges are constantly under attack. Restrictions on ammunition such as Micro-stamping or California’s outrageous new laws on ammunition record keeping and shipping are also on the move.

Fortunately, our side is fighting back. Since the best defense is a good offense, the NRA has taken the fight to the enemy by passing new pro-gun laws all over the country. From the end of anti-gun lawsuits to destroy the firearms industry to the removal of restrictions on places where you can legally carry a firearm for self-defense, gun owners have kept the momentum on our side. I’ll cover all of these issues and more in future months. But we can only continue our victories if you take action. And since information without action is just as useless as a rifle without ammunition, I’m going to end these columns with things you can do to take action. If you aren’t already an NRA member—join. If you are a member—renew, upgrade or sign up your friends. Whether you’re a member or not, sign up for NRA-ILA’s free e-mail alerts at www.nraila.org. And if you aren’t registered to vote, or need to help a friend sign up, go to www.triggerthevote.org to get started.

About Joe: Joe DeBergalis is a big contributor at AR15.com, a great representative for gun owners everywhere, and a great personal friend. He's also a member of the NRA Board of Directors, Vice President of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, and Moderator of ARFCOM’s NRA Activism Forum. A longtime NRA Election Volunteer Coordinator, he was named "Volunteer of the Year" in 2005 by NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.