(Photo Source: HeraldTribune.com)

An innocent woman was killed as a result of a negligent discharge incident that occurred during a “Citizen’s Academy” put on by the Punta Gorda, Florida Police Department. The tragedy shocked the community and the question we all must address is, could this incident have been avoided?

During our SWAT Fuel Fitness talk Jarrad talks about diamonds. No, he didn’t finally propose to Alexandria. Jarrad and Paul discuss how diamonds are formed. When it comes to personal fitness, few people will push themselves beyond their comfort zones.

Also, our friends at Aklys Defense were right in the middle of the flooding in Louisiana. They could use your support.

Brought to you by Silencer Shop!

Topics Covered During This Episode:

• SWAT Fuel Fitness Talk: Push yourself, diamonds are created under pressure. Ramp up the intensity, remove the time. SWAT Fuel Reviews article: www.studentofthegun.com/blog
• Woman is killed by Florida officer in academy exercise, police say
• How to Survive your CCW Class without being shot article: www.studentofthegun.com/blog

Please visit www.SilencerShop.com and take a look at what they have in stock!

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From www.studentofthegun.com/blog: 

I met Dr. Dan Olesnicky a few years ago at the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. We were introduced by a mutual friend whose opinions I value highly. Dan told me about his company, SWAT Fuel, and gave me the five minute run down.

Dr. Dan explained that SWAT Fuel was designed for “occupational athletes”, a term not often used in common conversation. Occupational athletes are essentially any people who need to get or be physical as a part their job; cops, firemen, paramedics, soldiers, Marines, etc. Naturally, professional athletes can benefit from SWAT Fuel as well, but they tend to be instinctively more attuned to fitness and sports nutrition than the average occupational athlete.

Jarrad, my eldest son, was with me when I met Dan O and my first thought was that he (Jarrad) would benefit more from the products than I would. Dan gave us each a bottle of 9mm SWAT Fuel (fat burner in red capsules). We parted ways and followed up with each other occasionally after that.

To be completely honest, my initial interest in SWAT Fuel was the belief it would help Jarrad to cut weight when he was preparing for a fight. Jarrad has fought professionally in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and boxed. Pro fight events require their competitors to “make weight” for a designated division. I really did not think SWAT Fuel would be something for me.

Nearly a year went by and I ended up on the telephone with Dr. Dan. At the time I had come to the realization that I was carrying around too much weight and had recently begun a new exercise regime. However, I had hit a wall or a plateau if you will. It seemed that no matter what I did I was stuck and I was getting discouraged and frustrated.

During my phone call with Dan I admitted to him that while I encouraged Jarrad to use the SWAT Fuel fat burner for pre-fight training, I was not really using it for myself. Dan O inquired about my multivitamin intake and I admitted that I was not taking any. Very patiently, he gave me advice about the importance of a multivitamin for someone on the far side of 40 and who was trying to get into better shape and drop weight. I ended up ordering the SWAT Fuel 9mm +P (Endurance Formula in blue capsules) and the 40 Cal multivitamins.

I am six feet, one inch, and I was walking around at 245 pounds before I decided to act. I had fallen into the softness trap. In my mind I was still a physically fit US Marine in my 20’s, but the scale and mirror knew better. When I had the conversation with Dan O, I was stuck in the 230’s and could not seem to gain any ground. I needed both physical and psychological motivation.

(Click Here to Read the Full Article)

From www.latimes.com:

A woman was fatally shot by an officer while participating in a “shoot-don’t shoot” exercise during a two-hour citizens academy hosted by the Punta Gorda Police Department in southwest Florida.

Police Chief Tom Lewis said the shooting happened Tuesday night as two of the 35 participants were randomly selected to take part in a live role-playing scenario “in which they make decisions on using simulated lethal force.”

Lewis said Mary Knowlton, a librarian, was “mistakenly struck with a live round.”

“I am devastated for everyone involved in this unimaginable event,” Lewis told reporters during a late-night news conference at the Police Department. “If you pray, please pray for Mary’s family, and for the officers who were involved. Everyone involved in this accident is in a state of overwhelming shock and grief.”

Knowlton was taken to a hospital in nearby Ft. Myers, where she was pronounced dead.

The citizen’s academy is a free, eight-session course designed to provide insight into city government, according to the city’s website.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, Lewis said. He declined to identify the officer involved in the shooting, but said he’s been placed on administrative leave.

A profile on a Facebook page that appeared to be Knowlton’s said she lived in Punta Gorda, but had been a librarian at Scott County Public Library in Savage, Minn. She studied library science at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., and elementary education at George Mason University in Virginia. The profile information said she’s from Austin, Minn.

Carolyn Hartwigsen, of Edina, Minn., told the Associated Press she was a longtime friend of Knowlton. She said Knowlton had a love of books and tried to instill that in young readers.

“So much is on the Internet now. But books are so important to have in children’s hands. That was important to her,” Hartwigsen said Wednesday morning.

Hartwigsen said Knowlton and her husband of more than 50 years would come back to Minnesota periodically to visit.

“She was the salt of the earth, a beautiful soul and the kindest women you would know,” she said.

The couple had two sons, Hartwigsen said.

From www.studentofthegun.com/blog:

On June 18, 2016, James Baker, the owner of KayJay Gun Shop in Ohio, was killed after a student in a Concealed Carry training class had a negligent discharge. The bullet that killed Baker had passed through an adjoining wall and struck him in the neck.

In 2013, a firearms instructor in Lancaster, Ohio negligently shot a student during a concealed carry permit training course. Fortunately, the student was struck in the arm and survived.

So you don’t think I’m picking on Ohio, a California firearms instructor shot a student during a “gun safety class”. The incident was described as a “freak accident” and one person said “The gun accidentally went off.” It would seem that a live gun was grabbed by the instructor instead of a trainer.

Too Many Examples
The three incidents listed above occurred during the last year or so, but a quick Internet search will bring up numerous other news reports of students and/or instructors being negligently shot during controlled training situations. I wish it was difficult to find these reports, but sadly, there are far too many examples and we cannot just ignore them.

A common reaction to the report of someone being shot during a training class is to express sadness and sympathy for the wounded party or for the survivors in a fatality. We shake our heads, share the story with our friends, and say “Isn’t that terrible?” or words to that effect.

The question we should ask is, what can we or should we as members of the gun culture do differently in the aftermath of such an incident? Or, are we the clinical definition of insane, doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome?

(Click Here to Read the Full Article)