Category: education

April is CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH in Polk County, Florida

Why child Gun Safety Month matters – Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell

In-Gauge of Polk County continues to get the support of community leaders for its CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH initiative.

Why child Gun Safety Month matters

Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell, April 13, 2026

https://www.midfloridanewspapers.com/winter_haven_sun/opinions/columns/why-child-gun-safety-month-matters/article_622bb71c-cd7c-4e63-985b-f4acd9f089a1.html

Friday, April 3rd In-Gauge received its 9th proclamation declaring April as CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH, from the City of Lakeland.

Earlier in the week, In-Gauge received proclamations from the City of Winter Haven and the City of Haines City. During the week of April 5th, the cities of Auburndale, Frostproof and the Town of Lake Hamilton will be issuing their proclamations. That will be a total of 11 Polk County municipalities and Highlands County that have joined In-Gauge of Polk County’s campaign to make April Child Gun Safety Education Month.

Monday, March 2nd the City of Davenport issued a proclamation recognizing and declaring the month of April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

To date, we have received commitments from 9 Polk County municipalities and the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners recognizing April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

You are encouraged to join us recognizing April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

Contact us to learn how you can participate. You can call us at: 863-206-1996 or send us an email at: CONTACT US or in-gauge@ingaugeofpolkcounty.com

April is CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH in Polk County, Florida

April is CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH

In-Gauge of Polk County continues to get the support of community leaders for its CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH initiative.

Friday, April 3rd In-Gauge received its 9th proclamation declaring April as CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH, from the City of Lakeland.

Earlier in the week, In-Gauge received proclamations from the City of Winter Haven and the City of Haines City. During the week of April 5th, the cities of Auburndale, Frostproof and the Town of Lake Hamilton will be issuing their proclamations. That will be a total of 11 Polk County municipalities and Highlands County that have joined In-Gauge of Polk County’s campaign to make April Child Gun Safety Education Month.

Monday, March 2nd the City of Davenport issued a proclamation recognizing and declaring the month of April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

To date, we have received commitments from 9 Polk County municipalities and the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners recognizing April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

You are encouraged to join us recognizing April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

Contact us to learn how you can participate. You can call us at: 863-206-1996 or send us an email at: CONTACT US or in-gauge@ingaugeofpolkcounty.com

Join us for CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH – April 2026

Join us in recognizing April as CHILD GUN SAFETY EDUCATION MONTH.

Monday, March 2nd the City of Davenport issued a proclamation recognizing and declaring the month of April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

To date, we have received commitments from 9 Polk County municipalities and the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners recognizing April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

You are encouraged to join us recognizing April as ‘Child Gun Safety Education Month’.

Contact us to learn how you can participate. You can call us at: 863-206-1996 or send us an email at: CONTACT US or in-gauge@ingaugeofpolkcounty.com

Polk County safety advocates push for availability of ‘STOP THE BLEED’ kits

STOP THE BLEED skills assessment clinics can be attended locally all day Thursday, May 19th – National STOP THE BLEED Day , at In-Gauge of Polk County, in Winter Haven, Florida.

by: Staci DaSilva : WFLA News Channel 8 – May 17, 2022

https://www.wfla.com/news/polk-county/polk-safety-advocates-push-for-availability-of-stop-the-bleed-kits/

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – In the wake of another rash of school shootings, and in the middle of National “Stop the Bleed Month,” advocates are spreading the word about blood loss.

In-Gauge and WFLA News 8 – STOP THE BLEED

“A person can bleed to death in less than two minutes,” said Dr. Andrew Gaugler, a trauma surgeon at Lakeland Regional Health.

He says, with a little bit of awareness and education, people may not have to die that way.

“Once the ‘Stop The Bleed’ course came out, that’s how we decided that we could get the community and the everyday citizen involved to help save lives,” said Dr. Gaugler.

The “Stop The Bleed” initiative came to be in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy, as part of a collaborative effort led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.

“Tourniquets and bleeding kits should be pretty much standard anywhere you go in a public place,” said Dr. Gaugler.

“We have gloves, we have tourniquets, we have scissors, we have roll gauze,” said Robert Dummett.

Dummett is chief training officer and executive director at In-Gauge of Polk County, a non-profit organization focused on firearms safety. Dummett, and the organization, also host “Stop the Bleed” training courses.

He says the goal is to get the “Stop the Bleed” kits everywhere there is an automated external defibrillator (AED) machine.

“The goal is to have these kits mounted next to them, readily available, for anybody to use anytime there’s blood loss, just like a person would pull a fire extinguisher off the wall,” said Dummett.

This week, he donated a kit to the Saddle Creek Gun Range in Polk County. The steps to save life and limb, he says, are clear cut.

“Wound packing is number one – wound packing and applying direct pressure to the wound and, if that’s not sufficient to stop the blood loss, then it’s application and tourniquet.”

You can order a mounted kit or a portable one online. You can also go online to find a “Stop the Bleed” course near you.

Classes Locally

STOP THE BLEED skills assessment clinics can be attended locally all day Thursday, May 19th – National STOP THE BLEED Day , at In-Gauge of Polk County, in Winter Haven, Florida. Register for a clinic at Eventbrite – StopTheBleed.

FREE Emergency Blood Loss Control Training Clinics – STOP THE BLEED

A person can bleed to death in less than 3 minutes. How long did it take for EMS to arrive the last time you called 9-1-1? Think about it.

Celebrating National STOP THE BLEED Month, In-Gauge of Polk County will be conducting FREE, open to the public, Stop The Bleed training clinics throughout the month of May.

May National STOP THE BLEED Month

How it works:

  • Simply complete the FREE, 20 minute, Stop The Bleed online ‘Interactive Training‘ class
  • Then schedule your FREE Phase 2, in-person, skills training and assessment session
  • Show up for your scheduled appointment.
  • Bring with you your completed Phase 1 printed quiz results from your online ‘Interactive Training‘ class.
  • Complete the Phase 2, in-person, skills training and assessment and receive your official Stop The Bleed certificate of training.

Skills training and assessment clinic location . . .

In-Gauge of Polk County, 3812 Cypress Gardens Road, Winter Haven, Florida

Training is appropriate for those 12 years of age and older. For complete training course information go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stop-the-bleed-emergency-blood-loss-tourniquet-training-tickets-305852171077

Additional information:

You are encouraged to schedule your skills taining and assessment appointment as soon as possible, as this is only a one day opportunity and appointment times are expected to book quickly.

You can take and complete the online, ‘Interactive Training‘ at your convenience, any time prior to your scheduled skills training and assessment appointment.

We look forward to your participation in the 2022 National Stop The Bleed training month.

May 2022 – National STOP THE BLEED Month

In-Gauge of Polk County will be conducting FREE official Stop The Bleed training clinics throughout the month of May.

Celebrating National STOP THE BLEED Month and National STOP THE BLEED Day, May 19th, In-Gauge of Polk County will be conducting FREE, open to the public, Stop The Bleed training clinics May 19th.

How it works:

  • Simply complete the FREE Stop The Bleed online ‘Interactive Training‘ class
  • Then schedule your FREE Phase 2, in-person, skills training and assessment session
  • Show up for your scheduled appointment Thursday, May 19th
  • Bring with you your completed Phase 1 printed quize results from your online ‘Interactive Training‘ class
  • Complete the Phase 2, in-person, skills training and assessment and receive your official Stop The Bleed certificate of training.

Skills training and assessment clinic location . . .

In-Gauge of Polk County, 3812 Cypress Gardens Road, Winter Haven, Florida

Training is appropriate for those 12 years of age and older. For complete training course information go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stop-the-bleed-emergency-blood-loss-tourniquet-training-tickets-305030914677

Additional information:

You are encouraged to schedule your skills taining and assessment appointment as soon as possible, as this is only a one day opportunity and appointment times are expected to book quickly.

You can take and complete the online, ‘Interactive Training‘ at your convenience, any time prior to your scheduled skills training and assessment appointment.

We look forward to your participation in the 2022 National Stop The Bleed training month.

Active Shooter Defense – Another class graduated

Another group of active shooter community guardians graduated.

Last Saturday, we graduated another class of ‘active shooter’ community guardians. These people will have your back while you are shopping, filling your gas tank or attending church services and you will never know they are there.

They have more than a concealed carry license. They have been trained to carry a deadly weapon in public.

This group completed over 15 hours of ‘active shooter’ defense training that included: situational awareness, mental preparedness, the drawing from a holster, advanced live-fire handgun training, that included the use of cover and concealment, moving, shooting, reloading, moving between cover and concealment, managing firearm malfunctions, while engaging single and multiple assailants and Stop The Bleed emergency wound care training.

If your concealed carry class did not look like this, you did not take a true concealed carry class . . .

Regardless if you have already taken a concealed carry class or you have a Florida concealed carry license, contact us for official NRA firearms training that will prepare you to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Our advanced CONCEALED CARRY CLASS teaches more than just how to shoot little round holes in a piece of paper hanging from a string.

If you haven’t taken a concealed carry class or have little to no training, we can take you from the novice, beginner shooter to the advanced level in shorter time than you think. Firearms training is all we do and we are good at it.

Having a concealed carry license is of no benefit if you do not know how to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.

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There is no substitute for official . . . .

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In-Gauge of Polk County's advanced concealed carry training class
In-Gauge of Polk County Active Shooter Training

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Polk County, Lakeland, Winter Haven, self-defense, concealed carry, focused fire, shooting lessons, gun training, gun classes, concealed carry, conceal weapon, online class, lead feather, online permit, gun shop, gun show, gun permit

CONCEALED CARRY CLASSES – Basic & Advanced Training

We train you to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Contact us: info.ingauge@gmail.com – http://www.ingaugeofpolkcounty.com
  • In-Gauge of Polk County conducts authentic concealed carry and unequaled official NRA firearms training.
  • In-Gauge of Polk County never conducts classes in rented hotel rooms.
  • All In-Gauge of Polk County’s concealed carry classes and firearms training use REAL defensive caliber firearms and ammunition.
  • All In-Gauge of Polk County’s firearms training and concealed carry classes meet and exceed the State of Florida’s training requirement for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license.
  • Concealed carry training conducted in a hotel is not recognized for as firearms training.
  • Our live-fire range training involves only the use of real, defensive caliber handguns firing live ammunition. No simulated or non-lethal ammunition is used.

For complete information and to register for a class, go to: Register For A Class

FREE class offer for those who already registered for a hotel conducted class – Click on the following link to get our FREE offer . . . . . https://ingaugeofpolkcounty.com/2020/10/05/free-concealed-carry-class-offer-for-those-who-registered-to-attend-a-hotel-conducted-ccw-class/

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Polk County, concealed carry, gun permit, leadfeather, gun license, focused fire, gun training, Winter Haven, Lakeland, lead feather, shooting lessons

Concealed Carry Class : GANDER Outdoors – Bartow

Concealed carry class Sunday, October 11th. Cost: $50. Pre-registration required.

In-Gauge of Polk County is currently accepting registrations for October classes. Classes conducted both weekends and weekends. Private classes available.

Our current class schedule can be viewed at: https://ingaugeofpolkcounty.com/register-for-a-class/

In-Gauge of Polk County’s only business is conducting firearms safety training.  In-Gauge of Polk County is a local, non-profit organization that conducts training that prepares you to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones. 

Go Gander!

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Is the Right to Armed Self-Defense Obsolete?

The Right to Armed Self-Defense in the Light of Law Enforcement Abdication

DAVID BERNSTEIN – Oct. 5, 2020

This article defends the position that the right of armed self-defense remains important today, in particular in light of the civil unrest of the Summer of 2020. The article proceeds in three parts. The first part will summarize arguments from various prominent commentators that the right to self-defense with firearms is anachronistic in the contemporary United States. These critics argue that Americans can and should rely solely on their local professional police force to protect them.

The second part of the article will focus on how this argument has been undermined by recent events. This part documents in great detail the failures of law enforcement in reaction to looting, rioting, and other forms of illegal behavior that threatened the well-being of the public. First, many police departments received implicit or explicit orders from their political supervisors to “stand down.” Second, in many instances, the police themselves were unwilling or unable to combat lawless behavior. If police consistently fail to enforce law and order, the argument against the individual right to bear arms for self-defense purposes significantly weakens.

Finally, the last part of the article will discuss examples of individuals and groups of citizens using firearms in self-defense during the recent unrest in the absence of effective law enforcement. Some of these episodes are open to criticism, whether on the grounds that one believes that it’s never worth using or even threatening to use deadly force to defend property, or because the line between justified self-defense and unjustified vigilantism is not always a clear one. Nevertheless, if law enforcement is unwilling or unable to preserve basic law and order, it’s both inevitable that citizens will try to fill the breach, and desirable that law-abiding individuals should be given the means to do so.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3703927

DAVID BERNSTEIN is the University Professor and the Executive Director of the Liberty & Law Center at the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University.