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Barricada Interview

This article appeared in Barricada #7, May 2001

People tend to assume anything involving guns in the left/anarchist movement is the work of macho yahoos, so before we begin, we want to dispel that by going into your training and qualifications.

The Tactical Defense Caucus (TDC) is a caucus of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation. Justin of Jacksonville TDC has been instructing activists in the tactical and defensive application of firearms since 1996, Neil of Jacksonville TDC has been instructing activists since 1998. Our best qualifications are the people who have been to our classes and the way they felt the sessions went. Asking them about how they viewed the class and what they felt they learned in the time they spent with us make for the greatest references. Aside from this experience in teaching, we have both taken professional classes from some of the best known names in the tactical and defensive firearms industry. In addition to taking formal courses on the use of handguns, shotguns, and rifle, we have also taken instructor classes from the NRA who have certified us to teach students how to safely and legally use firearms. To keep our own skills sharp, we participate in defensive oriented competitions, which are open to the public. These competitions stress the use of and reward the use of proper tactics and techniques. We don't always win (sometimes we do!), but we are usually among the top percentile of competitors, which include police and SWAT officers, DEA agents, US Marshals, FBI agents and other professionally trained individuals. We also constantly keep up on the ever changing and developing tactics and ideas concerning the legal use of force to defend ones self and community. We would be glad to share our specific credentials with anyone who would like to take classes from us and will be glad to refer others to those who have completed out courses.

The other major criticism is that it is premature or misguided to discuss anything having to do with weapons here and we would like you to talk about the threats you have received from the right and the left and armed self defense in general.

The problem with this sentiment, which is often repeated, is that when is the right time? After you are under attack? After you have already been threatened? If you wait that long, it may be far too late to really learn how to defend yourself. We have been involved in the study and use of self-defense for several years now, but are still merely students ourselves. People who come and take our classes find out quickly how hard it is learning to shoot straight at a cardboard target 5 yards in front of them. And this is in a controlled environment, at a stationary target, under no time constraints. Further, learning to shoot straight is in reality a very small part of beginning to be prepared. The truth is it takes many years and much practice to begin becoming proficient and prepared to defend ones self. We would like to stress that what we have stated here is in no way limited to the use of arms. There are many ways in which you can defend yourself and if people are serious about learning to do so, they should learn how to do so unarmed as well as armed.
We would also like to ask those people who feel like it is premature to consider histories other than their own. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the two of us are most involved in learning to defend ourselves and the groups to which we belong. We have had several threats ourselves from not only skinheads and nazi's but anarchists and leftists as well. In the last few years, we have received a half dozen letters that contain threats of physical violence and death. These are merely the letters we have received. We're sure others, which we have not seen, exist. When view these incidents which threaten our security directly, with the politically motivated murders of Lin Newborn and Daniel Shersty of Las Vegas Anti Racist Action, with the threats of death and violence the anarchist band Propagandhi received on their recent tour, and many other examples, we wonder out loud that if it is premature now, how many more threats, and deaths have will it take before it becomes appropriate?
And again, learning to defend yourself with arms is only part of the solution. Firearms generally require a degree distance, and the use threat of death or serious bodily injury from an attacker(s). If you are attacked with less than potentially lethal force, or at such a close distance that firearms are not an option, you should be prepared to defend yourself accordingly. However, becoming a student of the fighting arts may not help you or your group against attackers at a distance with firearms. Making sure you are not over reliant on any one tool of defense is critical.
Even more critical than your skill at using these tools is becoming confident in yourself and you ability. The best way to do so is to have a proper defensive mindset, the will to win and survive, to be safe and aware of your surroundings, to practice, and develop your skill. All of this will help to build the confidence you will need.

How do we go about setting up the infrastructure to get the knowledge and expertise you're speaking of to the movement? Discuss you initiatives and ideas?

The first thing we have to do is convince people that it is NOT premature to discuss these ideas, and take action. By constantly pointing out the contradictions that exist now, and which have in fact always existed always. We can tell people about how only 3 years ago, Lin and Dan were executed in the Las Vegas desert by nazi skinheads for being anti racists. We can tell people about how nazi's and members of the Klu Klux Klan opened fire on and murdered 5 participants of a public Communist Workers Party demonstration. We can tell people about the hundreds of Black Panthers and American Indian Movement who were murdered by the state, racists and other leftists. We can show how before almost all of these deaths there were signs and hints of the violence that was to come. When considering all of this, how can we not take the threats made against ourselves seriously?
Once people realize that it is not too early, we need to show people that talking about becoming prepared is not enough. We need to point out that owning guns is not enough. We need to show people that going out and practicing shooting is not enough. Members of the Communist Workers Party had and used their weapons when the Klan attacked them. But when the smoke cleared, it was discovered that the CWP didn't even hit a single one of their attackers. In contrast, the Nazis and KKK attackers picked out 5 leaders and killed them, they shot and wounded several others. So even though the CWP had and used their weapons, the results indicate that more needed to be done.
We attempt to not only show people that it is indeed time to not only start talking about defending ourselves and our movement, but it is past time to begin to learn to become proficient. We want people to not only start thinking and acting, but also pursuing the correct course. There are many ways to learn to defend yourself, time has proven some to work, time has proven some to fail. Which methods will you use, those of the losers or those of the winners? How will you even know which is which? The TDC hopes to take our studies in this field and offer it to the leftist community. Paving a path that will show us how to be best prepared, how to safely, properly and efficiently use the tools of defense be they your hands, your weapons, or your most valuable weapon, you mind.
What we hope to achieve this through interviews like this, through the use of our upcoming 'zine "Condition Red Quarterly" which will available by the time you read this. By doing workshops and releasing information. We have currently released two instructional videos, Shotgun Tactics for Self Defense and the Urban Rifle. We are currently staging the outline for our third video, the Heavy Duty Pistol. We have written two books which are not yet published, "Condition Red, Handgun Tactics for Self Defense" and "Building the fighting AR15".
Building an infrastructure is terribly difficult, especially when so many are so hostile towards your ideas. But we do have some definite ideas we would like for people to consider and take seriously. First is safety. Accidents and mistakes can often be counted in deaths or injuries. We strongly advocate and endorse the use of the 4 Main Safety Rules. If you are following all of these safety rules at all times, you will not have an accident. If you do, you were breaking one or more of them. Second is that this is deadly serious and your best weapon is your mind. Therefore, a commitment to preparedness is crucial, being prepared means being aware, and we strongly encourage people to abstain from the use of drugs and alcohol the more and more they get involved with arms. This also deals with the issue of security. The TDC is a completely legal formation and we are under great scrutiny. We have been stopped enroute to and from the range, we have been stopped at the range. Everything we do needs to be 100% completely legal. Police have tried to imply we have had stolen and illegal weapons, they have tried to imply we were in possession of drugs. Our enemies, ideological and otherwise like for us to be defenseless. Any sign of our becoming more self sufficient or secure will be attacked. As an aboveground formation we need not give our enemies any excuses to attack us. Be safe, be secure, and be smart.

Many are concerned that those who are proficient with weapons will become some sort of movement vanguard, how do you respond to that?

Becoming proficient with arms or defensive skills is no measure of political maturity or political correctness. Many things are required for a movement to become successful and stable. An ability to defend itself is only part of this. A community able to defend itself without a political direction will go no where. It will aspire to nothing, it will create nothing. Being proficient with arms is no more important than any other political activity. But in a hostile environment such as the one in which we exist, it is no less important. The work we do as the TDC should be neither romanticized, nor demonized. It exists because it is necessary to exist. Not because it is especially important or glamorous. We have a specific interest in which we can offer what we hope is a growing movement we would like to see successful. This is one thing we have to offer. It is important to note that this is not the only activity we are involved in and that TDC members are very active in many other fronts of our anarchist community. This is because we know it will take much more than the limited activity of the TDC for the anarchist community to become a strong and vital movement. We offer what we know about this specific field to help bring us all closer victory. TDC efforts play a part but are in no way by themselves worthy or even able to lead a movement, as a vanguard would imply.
For more info and answers to questions about the TDC, our classes in Combative Shotgun, Heavy Duty Pistol or Urban Rifle, our zine, Condition Red Quarterly, our video series, books or fliers, please get in touch with us:

Jax ABCF - TDC
Box 350392
Jax, FL 32235-0392
Email (jaxabcf@attbi.com)
(toll free) 877-673-2658