Kathy Jackson - Lessons from armed America: true stories of men and women who defended themselves and their families

Lessons

from

Armed

America

High Praise for Kathy Jackson and Mark Walters!

I have worked with Kathy Jackson and Mark Walters for over five years. Not only are they extremely knowledgeable when it comes to self defense and personal protection, but they are two of the staunchest defenders of freedom and liberty that I know. Mark and Kathy write from the heart because they truly care about people... and that is why I have complete trust in their advice and recommendations.

Tim Schmidt, Publisher - Concealed Carry Magazine
Founder - United States Concealed Carry Association

Self preservation is the first law of nature. It is common sense that firearms even the odds for weaker humans who otherwise would be defenseless against human predators. As the old saying goes, God created men (and women). Sam Colt made them equal. Kathy Jacksons and Mark Walters Lessons from Armed America is an essential primer on self preservation. Buy this book, read it thoroughly, and become prepared to deal with reality, as unwelcome as it may be.

Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.
Board Certified, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Founder, www.DefensiveHandguns.com
www.PersonalDefenseSolutions.net

How much better to learn from the experiences of others than making ones own painful mistakes! In Lessons from Armed America, we have a tremendous educational resource. First comes an account of how a violent crime occurred; it is followed by analysis of how it could have been prevented, stopped short, or survived. This is a powerful format, enjoyable to read, and packed full of valuable lessons.

Gila Hayes
Operations Manager, The Firearms Academy of Seattle
Author of "Effective Defense" and "Personal Defense for Women"

This book blew me away with useful info on self defense! Kathy and Mark centered the bullseye! Its not just a good read, its absolute, need-to-know info on how to protect yourself and your family. Read it and enjoy!

Skip Coryell
Founder, Second Amendment March
Author of Blood in the Streets

Copyright 2009, Kathy Jackson & Mark Walters, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the authors.

Published by White Feather Press, LLC in 2009

ISBN 978-0-9822487-6-8

Printed in the United States of America

Cover design by Ron Bell of AdVision Design Group
( www.advisiondesigngroup.com )

Disclaimer

The authors of this book assume that you, the reader, are an adult human being capable of making your own choices and taking responsibility for same. If you are not an adult, or are not capable of taking responsibility for your own choices, STOP. Do not read anything else in this book. The authors have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the book is accurate and contains good advice, but we hereby advise the reader that the authors are normal human beings who make the normal number of human mistakes. If something in this book sounds stupid or dangerous to you, dont do it. The authors accept absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for anything you might say or do as a result of reading any material in this book. Live your own life!

Contents
Chapter 1 - All Bets were Off! 1

Chapter 2 - Making the Decision 11

Chapter 3 - The Political Bravery of Michael DeBose 27

Chapter 4 -What are the Odds? 35

Chapter 5 - Get Back in the Car! 47

Chapter 6 - The Unarmed Alternatives 54

Chapter 7 - A Savage Gunfight 78

Chapter 8 -The Physiology of Danger 82

Chapter 9 - On a Cold February Night 105

Chapter 10 - Stalking and Stalkers 113

Chapter 11 - A Cold Day in Hell 130

Chapter 12 - When the Shooting Stops 137

Chapter 13 - Because I Needed the Money 153

Chapter 14 - Sometimes Real Life Sucks! 164

Lessons from Armed America

True stories of men and women who defended themselves and their families

Written by Kathy Jackson & Mark Walters

It is with profound gratitude that I dedicate this book to my family, without whom nothing else would matter. I thank God every day for bringing each of you into my life and pray every day that He will keep you safe in His loving arms.

Kathy Jackson

This book would not have been possible without the assistance of some amazing people.
To Tim Schmidt: Thank you for the opportunity you gave me to write.
To my co-author and managing editor Kathy Jackson for coming along at the right time in my life.
To those of you whose encouragement meant so much to me, you know who you are.
To my parents simply for being my parents.
To my children. Thank you for giving me the courage and strength to be your dad. Without you, nothing else matters.
Finally, to the survivors. Without your dedication, honesty and strength, none of this would have been possible. May your bravery and courage be an inspiration to every reader to take control of their own lives. To you, I dedicate these pages.

Mark Walters

Foreword By Massad Ayoob

Its always an honor to be asked to write a foreword for a book in your field, and its particularly so in this case.

Ive known Kathy Jackson for years, first as a student and later as a co-instructor. Ive been a guest on Marks radio show and Podcast. They both do good, and important, work.

Kathy was a brilliant student who became a brilliant instructor in her own right. Reviewing the manuscript here showed me just how deeply Kathy had internalized what she learned from me, and of course from others. If you dont read, you cant write; if you dont learn, you cant teach. Kathy Jackson was and is an insightful and incisive learner, and that has done much to make her the patient, knowledgeable, informative writer and trainer that she is today. For years now, her website www.corneredcat.com has been high on my list of recommended study for my own readers and students, and while I recommend it to people of both genders, Ive found it particularly useful for women. Ive watched her learnIve watched her teach Ive seen her shoot (100% qualification scores on demand!) and Ive read how she has made a compendium of her knowledge here and elsewhere. This woman is serious, and she has it nailed.

Ive both read and listened to Mark, and it struck me in reviewing the manuscript of this book that even though Id heard many of the personal experiences from the horses mouth on Marks Podcast, seeing the detail he was able to bring out in his written version put more critical detail into the minds of all of us learners who have read, and will read, the book youre holding in your hands. Weve all heard the old saying, The Devil is in the details. We would do well to bear in mind that the great architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe also said, God is in the details. Mark Walters is also serious, and he also has it nailed.

Its the details that save you. Understanding the details of how violent encounters unfold, and the details of the history of the survival of the strong versus the death and crippling of the helpless. Understanding the details of the law, in a way that can allow you to act without hesitation instead of pausing to ask yourself Am I allowed to, uh, hurt this guy? in a moment when he or she who hesitates truly will be lost.

Mark and Kathy have taken a new approach to ground some others of us have covered before. Ive been writing about the legal, ethical, and psychological aspects of the use of defensive deadly force for decades, including my 1980 book In the Gravest Extreme. Others have since written books on that topic. I was the first to do a series of gunfight analyses in a periodical, American Handgunner magazines long-running series called Ayoob Files. And the first to do a book collecting such, titled with my usual lack of imagination, Ayoob Files: the Book. Thats been done by others, too, notably the excellent work of Chris Bird and of Robert Waters, and the insightful studies of David Klinger and of Dr. Alexis Artwohl and Loren Christiansen. All are available through Police Bookshelf, PO Box 122, Concord, NH 03302.