Note from JWR:

Today’s first letter is from a gent who has been a friend of mine for 23 years. The “Doug Carlton” character in my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” was loosely based on him. (Most if the characters in the novel were drawn directly from friends of mine, or composites thereof.) We went to college together and were in the same ROTC program. Upon graduation, he became a U.S. Army helicopter pilot and served in South Korea. He now works in the civilian transportation industry. Among other things, “Doug” is an expert on practical concealed handgun carry, since he has been a CCW license holder for more than a dozen years–in several states–and habitually carries a handgun whenever he leaves his home.