Riding Shotgun With Charlie Charlie Cook: Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#204
Deb Ferns
Women’s Outdoor Media Association



The “Olympic Rings” of the gun community are alive and well. At SHOT Show 2024, I was supposed to help Brooke Cheney (RSWC #075) film some video with Deb Ferns. Brooke was able to talk Deb into filming an RSWC with me. But I failed Brooke and got very busy and couldn’t help Brooke. I ended up running around on my last day and making the connection with Matt Mallory to borrow his rental vehicle. (Thanks, Matt!  RSWC #096 & 201)
 
Deb is an interesting and busy woman! She didn’t get involved in the shooting sports until she was 45 years old and an empty nester. Her first excursion was with International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA). A couple years into it, she connected with Lisa Monson, who is a world class competitive shooter. Lisa offered some help with just about everything Deb was doing. Lisa offered to help Deb at the home range of Kay and Jerry Miculek! That particular weekend, Kay was in the middle of practicing for the World Handgun Shoot. At the end of the weekend, Deb was overwhelmed and didn’t want to leave. She talked with Lisa and Kay and wondered how to get their training out to more female shooters. They told Deb she needed to start a camp and they would teach there. Deb’s background as a corporate meeting planner came in very handy. 
 
Brainstorming with others at events like the NRA Annual Meetings, Deb was able to get Sandy Froman to write the foreword for her book, “Babes with Bullets”. Babes With Bullets is the name of the camp where they train women in all aspects of gun ownership. The camps have been empowering women for nearly 20 years!  Not only that, the women would go back to their home ranges and pay it forward. They would spread the message to new female shooters. Thousands of women have done this. This is how gun owners get more people involved. 
 
Ted and Shemane Nugent reached out to Deb and wanted to host her camp in Michigan. At Ted’s encouragement, he said if she wanted to do something for women, she needed to do it herself. In 2009, she started Women’s Outdoor Media Association (WOMA). Their mission is to train women in shooting, fishing, archery, and hunting. When we filmed the show, Deb was scheduled to go on a hunt with some female veterans. WOMA has a weekend in April where they train women in all the disciplines and they raise money. She said they’ve raised over $300,000 for various groups. 
 
Another part of the group’s mission is reaching out to other media to be guests on shows and let people know about WOMA  and their doing for female first responders and veterans. Deb tells a story about being interviewed by someone from CNN. The host was trying to get Deb to say something she didn’t want to say. She knew from her media training that they were trying to trip her and she didn’t fall for it.  
 
Deb has also been a sponsored shooter with Fiocchi and they sent her to be a Super Senior at the Heavy Metal Three Gun, meaning that she’s shooting .308, 12 gauge, and .45 ACP in competition. She’s the only female in the 65+ age group. For this competition, she had Jerry & Kay as her “roadies” lugging all of her gear. She’s got a great relationship with the Miculeks. At the events, she claims Jerry is her sister, but he denies it. She knows she’s lucky to have them as friends. But most gun owners are great people, willing to help out, and give to others. Maybe let them use some gear if something breaks down. 
 
Deb has had lots of great opportunities. She’s made opportunities, too. She’s got Babes With Bullets, WOMA, and she’s empowering and influencing women by the thousands to learn about guns & shooting, fishing & hunting, and all things outdoors related. You’ve got to love and appreciate that. 





Favorite quotes:
“It was amazing to train with all these world female champions.”
“What can I do besides Babe

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#203
John Castillo
Father of Kendrick Castillo
 
While on a trip to Denver to film some shows, Laura Carno (RSWC #188) introduced me to John Castillo. He’s the father of a hero, Kendrick Castillo, in the truest sense of the word. Just over 5 years ago, there was a school shooting at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. 
 
Two students decided to attack the school and shoot as many people as possible then commit suicide. They entered in two separate locations. According to one of the students, one of the shooters entered a room and yelled to everyone ‘don’t move’. Kendrick jumped up and attacked one student, while getting shot in the chest. This gave two other students time to jump up and go after the shooter. One was shot with non-life threatening injuries. Kendrick’s injury was fatal. 
 
John tells me how he was notified and went to the school. He was texting some other parents, looking for Kendrick. No one saw him. Eventually he made it to the police. There he was able to describe Kendrick and what he was wearing. The officer told him to follow them. They confirmed that Kendrick was shot and died. But John and his wife, Maria, were not able to see Kendrick as his body was at the crime scene. It was several days before he was able to see Kendrick. 
 
Just the week before, John and Kendrick were out doing some shooting and training at Front Sight Training Institute in Pahrump, NV. There they learned that the best thing to do is to go after the shooter. Most of the time, the shooter is not expecting someone to fight back. Kendrick knew what he was facing, dying while hiding or dying while fighting and saving others. 
 
While in Littleton, I was able to visit Castillo's home. Kendrick’s bedroom is a shrine to him and his bravery and heroism. There are lots of posthumous awards from several organizations. There’s also awards he earned in robotics. There is also a local brewery, Strange Craft Beer Company,  that makes a special brew in honor of Kendrick every year. John gave me a can from the most recent batch of “Kendrick’s Ale.”
 
The silver lining is that John and Maria know it wasn’t any of the firearms used that are the reason for Kendrick’s death. It’s the people who wanted to do harm to others before they took their own lives. It’s Kendrick who saved lives and gave his for those people. This hasn’t turned the Castillos into anti gun people. Quite the opposite. They are totally on board with arming school staff.
 
This led to Laura Carno and John connecting. Laura is with FASTER Colorado FASTER has trained a few thousand school staff in over 300 schools around the country. The program isn’t just for teachers. It’s for any school staff- secretaries, custodians, or teachers. The program started with Jim Irvine (RSWC #186) after the Sandy Hook tragedy. It’s been spreading across the country and currently in Colorado, Ohio, and Arizona. The program takes school staff who want to protect students from learning firearm safety and fundamentals, through trauma first aid, and then into responding to active shooters. I’ve been through the Level 1 course in Ohio a few years ago. It was very impressive! The active shooter training for my group was done in a real school when school was out of session. 
 
John has been able to go out and speak at various rallies around Colorado talking about how arming school staff. is what needs to be done for the people who want the training and are willing to carry in schools. He does this so other parents won’t have to go through what he and Maria have gone through. They live close to where Kendrick was put to rest. They visit the site everyday. 
 
I think it’s time to crack that beer. I’ve been waiting to have it until I put this show out. 
 
Thank you for your heroism. Rest In Peace, Kendrick. 




Favorite quotes:
“Mr. Castillo, Kendrick rushed the shooter.”
“We

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#202
Paul Kricher
Artist & Author, Jim Cirillo’s Tales from the Stakeout Squad
 
I’ve seen the book “Jim Cirillo’s Tales from the Stakeout Squad” online for years. It’s always been very expensive, often selling for $250. I saw that Alex Sansone, The Suited Shootist, (RSWC #162) was suggesting that folks buy the book no matter the cost. Well, I started hunting for it. I found a copy at GunBroker for $30 with shipping. I messaged the seller asking if it was a pdf of the book. Well, I found gold! Paul Kirchner, the author, was selling the book on GunBroker. Not only that, he lives about an hour from me in Connecticut. We talked and set up to film a show after I read the book. 
 
Not only has Paul written the book about Cirillo and the SOU, he’s penned a several other books including “The Deadliest Men” and “More of the World’s Deadliest Men”. He’s also a comic book artist with several credits to his name.. And he’s done the drawing in several of Jeff Cooper’s books, including “To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth” and several others. 
 
I headed down to Connecticut to Paul’s house on a trip that was bringing me to Virginia. Paul invited me into his office. It was what I would expect: a drawing table, lots of art gear all around the studio. He had some copies of his books, both of his comic books and his other books. We talked for about an hour to get familiar before we headed out. 
 
Paul studied art in New York and didn’t want to be a fine artist, he wanted to do comic books. After a few years in art school, he found a gig and took it. He eventually moved to Connecticut while working in New York. During his nearly 2 hour commute, he decided to read books about real life heroes. This led to him writing “The Deadliest Men” covering people like Alexander the Great, Geronimo, Andrew Jackson, and Wild Bill Hickok. 
 
He had a hard time finding a publisher but Paladin Press thought it was exactly what their readers would want. They wanted another book, which is “More of the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived”. The second book was about more contemporary men. Paul had the chance to interview some who were still around. One of the folks was Jim Cirillo, former NYPD member of the Stake Out Unit. Spending hours on the phone with Cirillo, Paul decided that Jim was worth his own book.Cirillo had his own book, “Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights” which covered several of his stories. Paul wanted to make a serious book about Jim. 
 
Paul and Jim became good friends through these calls. Jim was retired from law enforcement and training, but wanted to get together with Paul for some social hangout time. Unfortunately, Jim’s life was taken in a car accident and they never met. Reading the book, in my mind’s ear I heard what I assumed someone from NYC who was a police officer sounded like. 
 
Paul also had a close connection to Jeff Cooper. He ended up doing several drawings for Cooper’s books like “To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth”, “C Stories”, “Another Country”, and “Principles of Personal Defense”. He said he’s got a pile of handwritten letters from Cooper that is about 8 inches high. 
 
Paul shared several amazing stories about Jim, Jeff, and some of the people that are associated with them. He confirmed what we know, that gun owners are the best people. We’re just like everyone else. I’m really honored to have his stories and that he gave me some time. These stories need to be written down and preserved for the future. You can find Paul’s books on GunBroker.com. His username is “stayingamused”. I’ve got copies of a few of the books and I’m looking forward to reading them. 



Favorite quotes:
“I think he (Cirillo) realized that I was trying to write a serious book. And that he kind of switched gears from the storytelling to trying to nail down what really happened.”
“He (

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#201
Matt Mallory & Klint Macro
Meet The Pressers
 
It’s always a great time to run into Matt & Klint from Meet The Pressers. We filmed a show at SHOT in 2020. And they let me use their car to film a couple other shows. This year we were able to film another show on SHOT’s Range Day. 
 
Since our last show, Matt has been busy getting and giving training with Public Safety & Education, his training company. He offers several of the NRA and USCCA courses. But he is also a Master Instructor for SABRE Pepper Spray and for the TASER Civilian Course. He travels the country teaching these classes. Of course, he also offers several other training opportunities. Since the Bruen decision in June 2022, he’s been doing the 18, yes EIGHTEEN, hour course to get a carry permit in New York. The NY Governor signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, or the Concealed Carry Improvement Atrocity as he calls it. He was able to take topics and lessons from his other courses to meet the 18 hour requirement and qualification. Some states like Massachusetts, have approved courses. States like New York have approved content in the course. 
 
Another new course is the Build Your Own 2A BeAR. You can build your own AR-15 style rifle, with a pinned magazine, which makes the rifle not an “assault weapon”. Matt offers about 95 different courses through PS&Ed, including teaching at the local police academy.
 
Other than that, Matt and I have been doing a LIVE show on our YouTube channels. We’re honored that Mantis and Next Level Training are our sponsors of the show. And we give away a Mantis X10 and a SIRT pistol every month. 
 
Klint is holding his own in the keeping busy department. He’s had LASIK surgery on his eyes. Yes, it may seem weird to talk about eye surgery on a gun show. The reason he did it is because if someone broke into his home, got into a confrontation, and swiped his face and knocked his glasses off, he wouldn’t be able to see them anymore. This is the outside of the box thinking that Klint does. 
 
He’s also a consultant with the USCCA. They have him training the trainers all around the country. As a consultant for the USCCA’’s official partners, he helps instructors build a training path for their clients. Some duties include helping with marketing and retaining clients. 
 
He’s been working with them for years, but they offered him a position he couldn’t turn down. He’s also been able to keep his training company, Trigger Pressers Union, offering courses. He’s doing classes with Personal Defense Network, running National Train a Teacher’s Day, president of Allegheny County Sportsman League. He’s the Vice President of Firearm Owners Against Crime. The most challenging part of all Klint’s gigs is keeping his hats separated and on correctly. He can’t speak for one group when he’s representing a different one or speaking to a different group. 
 
Klint talks about how after the government lockdowns of 2020, there were lots of people making purchases and seeking out training. This was very different from previous generations of gun owners. People want to buy firearms and take some training not because its required, but because they want to know how to use their new guns safely. Often he’ll tell folks to offer a basic course on having a firearm in the home and teach people how to be better consumers. 
 
Matt and Klint have a lot going on, individually and as a team. Between the courses locally and around the country, they’re always on the go. You should take a course with either of them when they’re in your area. And tell them Charlie said Hello!



Favorite quotes:
Matt: “It’s a corrupt government in New York state… It’s legalized crime.”
Matt: “I’m not going to let them walk out with a certificate if they can’t keep their finger off the trigger when it’s important.”
Klint: “All the stuff I had in pla

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#200
Michael Bane
MichaelBane.tv
 
Michael Bane. What can I say? I watched Michael for a long time as a new gun owner back on The Outdoor Channel on the shows Shooting Gallery and The Best Defense. I really enjoyed them and got a lot from The Best Defense! If I had a VHS player, I’m sure there are some tapes in storage. I met him at SHOT a couple years ago and asked for a selfie and he happily obliged. In November of 2022, Matt Mallory and I did a LIVE Show with him and I really had no idea about all of his history. Michael is an amazing storyteller so I just sat back and listened. This show isn’t much different. 
 
I posted on my social media that I was going to Denver for a few days. Michael asked when I was coming out and said if I had the time, he would love to be on the show. He said I could visit the Secret Hidden Bunker. How am I going to pass this up? 
 
The last 24 hours of this trip were spent with Michael and his sweetie. We had dinner the night the previous night and I got some stories that just seemed over the top. It was amazing! The next morning, I headed to the Secret Hidden Bunker. Before we even started I got two hours of stories. His sweetie finally said that we needed to film my show.  I needed to get to the airport, too.  Once we were the appropriate distance from the Bunker, we started filming. 
 
We headed to Estes Park, CO, to The Stanley Hotel, which was the inspiration for The Shining. Michael talked about his writing career and working for Country Music magazine back in his youth. He grew up in Memphis and took in all the R&B, blues, and early rock. He spent time writing for local newspapers over the years. When a friend showed him a check from writing for a magazine, he knew that was the path for him. He traveled with and became friends with many of the country singers and musicians. I love the story about how he went to Hank Williams Jr’s house and ended up touring with and writing Hank Jr’s autobiography. He’s written a number of books about country musicians, from Travis Tritt to Willie Nelson. His stories and experiences are unmatched!
 
Once at the Stanley Hotel, we may have had a drink with Lloyd the bartender. On the way back to the Bunker, we talked about guns, TV careers, and life lessons. Michael shared how Shooting Gallery got started with four episodes and the producer thinking it won’t last.  With no experience writing for TV or hosting a show, he moved ahead and took the chance. 
It ran for 22 years. There’s a story about how the Best Defense saved a woman’s life. I’m sure more than one person’s life, too. He worked with several counter terrorist experts to film an episode in a hangar about what really happens during a terror attack on a plane. He’s got connections to the best people with first hand knowledge and experience. And he did the last interview of Jeff Cooper!
 
I am truly honored to have had Michael on the show. I’m excited that I have a lot of his stories on video. I know there’s many, many more stories, too. This episode is really all the things that I enjoy. Stories about music, guns, and why you should take opportunities in life. I’m looking forward to listening to the show myself, even though I was there and I edited it. I need to take it all in. Happy 200th episode!



Favorite quotes:
“You can get paid to write but you don’t have to work for a newspaper?”
“You’ve just got to move with the opportunity.”
“You just keep going. People say “are you willing to do X?” You always say yes.”
“How do most people get this information that is literally life and death information?”
“I learned competency in different fields.”
“Excellence never comes from a consensus. Never.”
“The history of arms is the history of the world.”



Michael Bane TV
https://www.michaelbane.tv/
 
Blog Spot
https://michaelbane.blogspot.com/
 
Triggered YouTube Chan

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#199
Brad Landseadel
Central Virginia Sporting Clays
 
A trip to Central Virginia Sporting Clays last July led to another trip in October. I headed down to CVSC with good friends John Petrolino and Cam Edwards. On the first trip, we encountered Brad Landseadel, the owner. He’s a great guy and started telling us some jokes. We got to talking, telling him what we do. John wrote an article about the trip. Cam suggested we should do this again. John said I should film a show with Brad. Brad suggested we do the show in one of his planes. On the trip in fall, I brought the GoPros and filmed a show from a shotgun cart driving around the path of the stations.. It was a bit noisy with the cameras rattling for 7 minutes  but we stopped and the audio was better. 
 
Brad started Central Virginia Sporting Clays back in 2007. He grew up in a military family and they traveled often. He had a career in the government. When he got married he took a job doing construction. They ended up in central Virginia when they retired. Moving to this area, they finally felt at home. Brad said most of the gun clubs were private clubs with a waiting list so he started his own.  
 
Not growing up hunting or shooting, shotguns didn’t become an interest until he blew out his knee playing basketball. After some surgeries and recoveries, he was still moping around the house. His wife told him he needed to find something to do and suggested he go shotgunning. Without having any shooting experience, he found out that the gun community is full of great people who want to help you learn about firearms, safety, and shooting. He found the comradery, friendship, and competitiveness he was missing from basketball on the range. Naturally, he’s made lifelong friends from the shooting sports. 
 
Some of the challenges of running a sporting clays range include getting the town to be on board with all of the permitting needed. Currently, his property is just under 400 acres. He bought it little by little, starting with 95 acres. He bought more property as it came up. Adding more land parcels keeps any neighbors from getting close or complaining about noise levels.He buys the land, takes the timber off, sells it, and uses those funds to purchase more land. 
 
When we were there, Brad unfortunately locked himself out of his house. So he needed to tend to getting into the house. With that excitement, he forgot to give us score cards. We went into the office and picked up the clipboard and white sheets, thinking that was the easiest course of fire. Turns out, we were wrong. It was the hardest course. John was wondering if Brad was hitting the sauce when he layed out the white course. We all shot less than we usually would, but still had a great day. 
 
One of the wonderful things about CVSC is that every 30 days, Brad changes the course of fire. He’s out there moving the targets around so every month is different. It takes a day for him to move the throwers and make changes. There are four throwers at most stations. The next day he goes out and shoots the course himself. If there’s something he can’t hit, he makes adjustments.The throwing machines at CVSC have timed delays so someone could go out and shoot a round alone. But it’s always more fun with friends.
 
They have shotguns to rent and ammo to buy at CVSC. The rental fees aren’t much and the cost per box is about what you’d pay at your local gun shop. Of course shotgun carts are available for rent, too. I’d always suggest getting the carts. There’s a lot to lug around: guns, ammo, water bottles, cigars, etc. Throughout the year, they host some fun shoots and competitions. He offers some instruction, too, so if you need help you’ll get it. Obviously, safety is the top concern. But after that, having a good time is a close second when it comes to what’s important. 
 
If you find yourself in central Virginia, you need to take an after