By now everybody is familiar with the nutty CEO of Tactical Response of Camden, Tennessee. Or think they are. Camden is coincidentally located about 25 miles north of my home stomping ground (before my unscheduled vacation and relocation), and, while I have never availed myself of TR's range facilities I have been well aware of them for several years.
Camden is a typical small town in West Tennessee, roughly equidistant from Nashville and Memphis, very close to the Tennessee River and just north of Interstate 40. Tactical Response's facilities are anything but typical.
The range complex at TR is extensive, and compares favorably with (or exceeds) the facilities available to any large police department. It is NOT simply a "shooting range" with a series of firing points situated opposite a line of target butts, but includes a wooded terrain range, door-breaching and entry facilities, long-range shooting facilities and driving/shooting courses. Follow across the squiggly thing for more...
Tactical Response (TR) maintains an extensive website here that includes a listing of all the courses they offer here. If you look at that list the first thing you'll notice is the scarcity of "Introduction to Handguns for Home Defense"-type offerings. They might do those on request, but it ain't their bread and butter.
Most of the local (and several not-so-local) police and sheriff's departments train there, because the facilities and instructors are better than what they have. Many of these officers consider the staff at TR to be personal friends, and would have severely divided loyalties if a serious move were ordered against them. There would also be a very serious question as to which side was better armed and better trained, with the smart money being on TR.
In the FAQ on the TR website there's this little gem:
Our founder and CEO James Yeager has a 2,000 sq ft “Team Room” in the first floor of his home. It has 12 bunks, couches, tables, wireless internet, bath, fridge, coffee maker, microwave, awesome library and DVD collection and unmatched camaraderie with fellow students. It has a “frat house” like atmosphere that some students love and others hate. This is the private residence of James Yeager and is not owned by Tactical Response. This is just a show of kindness and is only for Tactical Response students (not schools we host at our range).
I don't know how many "hangers-on" there are associated with Tactical Response, but I DO know this area and the people there, and wouldn't be at all surprised if that "frat house" is currently full.
Tactical Response also used to (and likely still does) offer rentals of Class III weapons (fully automatic), so those are somewhere on the premises.
If push comes to shove in Camden it will NOT be a reprise of Waco. The Branch Davidians were religious nuts and innocent (if badly misguided) children. The bunch at Tactical Response, if they chose to fight, are as well armed and at least as well trained as anybody short of the U.S. Army (and they've trained some of them), so it could get real ugly in a hurry. And they have an unknown number of supporters who might well rally to their aid.
Just so you know, not sure what anybody here could be expected to do with their newfound knowledge.