Greetings Sheepdogs,
***** Mindset *****
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
As a civilian, you have no duty to pursue and arrest. You have no
duty to close with and destroy the enemy by fire and close combat.
You have the overwhelming duty to escape, and to ensure the escape of
your loved ones. The pistol is merely an emergency tool you use to
overcome anything that would prevent your escape.
***** Safety *****
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
The incorrectly designed holster is also an excellent way to shoot
yourself.
"But, the U.S. Army uses them."
Doesn't that prove the point?
***** Training *****
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
A Beginner Takes an Advanced Class and Tells the Tale
https://www.womenandguns.com/a-beginner-takes-an-advanced-class-and-tells-the-tale/
A tale of encouragement.
Care enough to continue your training.
Why do I need to train?
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique
to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if
that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for
that which could have been their finest hour."
-- Winston Churchill
Two ways to improve firearms training
https://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearms/training/tips/476633027-Two-ways-to-improve-firearms-training/
Excerpt:
“There are two reasons to attend training:
to learn something new, or to validate that what you
are currently doing is still the best thing out there.”
An email to my junior rifle team members -
"Why can't I shoot high standing scores?"
Because you don't have balance. Unlike prone and kneeling,
standing is an unsupported position. So, in prone and kneeling,
you relax to be still to shoot well. In standing, if you relax,
you fall down. So, you have to constantly adjust muscle tension
to maintain balance. In order to do this, you have to practice
fine balance.
"I can stand still."
No, you can't. The SCATT traces show you wobbling all over
the place. You think you are still because you lack the kinesthetic
awareness to detect your movement, because you haven't practiced
enough to develop the kinesthetic sensitivity.
Practice does not eliminate errors. Practice increases
sensitivity, which allows you to notice the errors that you were
always committing, but never noticed. Once you notice the errors,
you will correct them, often automatically (if you are educated
enough to recognize them as errors). So, it appears to the
ignorant that practice is eliminating their errors. But,
practice is just making the shooters aware of their errors. They
still have to have the intellect to recognize the error as an
error, and know what to do to correct it. That takes reading
of your textbooks and questioning of your coaches. If you
think you can do it without help, you are on a fool's quest.
"What can I do to improve my balance?"
You are fortunate to be a biped. Monopeds, as cranes,
cannot do much to improve their balance.
But, you can stand still on one leg, for long periods of time,
until you can do it indefinitely (on either leg). Standing still
means not moving at all. Balance by adjusting muscle tension,
not by movement of mass.
Then, you can do deep knee bends with one leg, until you can
do it gracefully. Watch yourself in a mirror. Are you wobbling
around or are you in complete control?
Then you can stand on one leg while leaning forward,
other leg in line with your torso. Then lean back, keeping
your free leg in line with your torso. (The leaning should
be to the limits of your range of motion. If your range of
motion is poor, stretch twice daily.)
Then you can do the above with your eyes closed. Because,
we wish to develop inner ear balance, not just balance based
on visual cuing. Because when we are aiming, we are mentally
focused on sight alignment and sight movie, not on visual
cues for balance. We might pick them up out of our peripheral
vision, but if we are wearing a hat and blinders, probably not.
Tell your yogi or yogini what you are trying to accomplish.
They can help you. (If you let them.)
When I was your age, I practiced the balance exercises
twice daily and mastered fine balance in one month. At which
point I was able to shoot 95 out of 100 on the old NRA smallbore
targets at 50 feet back in the late 70's. So, I think you
should be able to master fine balance in one month with
dedicated practice. Less dedication, less self discipline
will stretch out the time to accomplish your goal.
As with most things in life, it's not hard to do.
It's hard to force yourself to do it consistently and long
enough to achieve the goal. Once you achieve the goal,
it's fairly easy to practice enough to maintain the fine
balance. Until you get distracted with other things.
That's why you have to strive for your Olympic medal
before you get married. You have to strive for your
doctorate before you have children. Life is full of
distractions. Saying no to the distractions is extremely
difficult. It takes will power, self discipline, that
most people don't have.
Of course, if your legs are weak, you will have to
exercise correctly, eat correctly, and sleep correctly;
to have enough strength to do any of the above.
Cheers,
Coach Low
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
So you Wanna Take a Shooting Course?
https://www.breachbangclear.com/so-you-wanna-take-a-shooting-course/
I love his point about socialize, make friends.
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
I took a "Use of Force" class presented by attorney Marcos M. Garza,
https://garzalaw.com/
(I think I met him when he was a JAG officer at Quantico many years ago,
but I'm not sure.) and sponsored by U.S. Law Shield,
https://www.uslawshield.com/
What I took away from the lecture:
We don't kill people over stuff.
It is reckless to give a statement at the scene. (Police don't
give statements until 72 hours later. Some 48 hours.)
Invoking your Constitutional right to have your attorney present during
questioning supersedes all other rights. Invoke it and shut up.
A given set of facts can be presented in many different ways
from many different perspectives. If you give a statement without
your attorney present, you prevent your attorney from presenting the
facts in a favorable light. Compare:
"The lady fired two shots a the intruder. The first shot missed.
The second shot struck the intruder and killed him."
to
"The lady fired a warning shot. The intruder continued to advance
on her after the warning shot. She fired a second shot that struck and
killed the assailant."
Same facts, different narrative.
You ain't that smart. You ain't that sophisticated. And you're
under terrible stress. So, keep your mouth shut. Let your attorney
talk for you. Because he is not under stress, so he is objective.
Don't consent to anything. Your attorney cannot fight your consent.
But, he can fight a search warrant, a drug test, etc. after the fact.
If you find yourself in North Carolina check out,
Apache Solutions LLC
https://apachesolutionsllc.com
5239 US 601 Hwy
Yadkinville, NC 27055
United States
(336) 422-6859
apachesolutionsllc@gmail.com
Sergant Tim kelly was a mortor man in my son's company in the
Marine Corps.
The unidentified moderator on Shop Talk at Concealed Carry
https://www.facebook.com/concealedcarryinc/videos/vl.885739085098217/828860547499974/?type=1
says Dave Spaulding is going to retire. Get your training while you can.
Everyone has an expiration date.
I attended a Civil Liability lecture from attorney John Harris,
http://harrislawoffice.com/content/attorneys/john_i_harris.htm
He is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association.
https://tennesseefirearms.com/
Civil liability requires a "preponderance of the evidence" (51% certainty),
not "beyond a reasonable doubt" (95% certainty).
In reality, the Castle Doctrine is easily overcome by the plaintif.
In reality, the No Retreat Doctrine is easily overcome by the plaintif.
Any unlawful activily will void the claim of self-defense. For instance,
you were in voilation of some zoning ordinace. The unlawful activity doesn't
have to have anything to do with the self-defense claim.
Get training from qualified experts who will testify for you at trial
and are in fact good witnesses. [This is one of the reasons taking Massad
Ayoob's course is worth far more than the price of tuition. He will testify
for his students. It's up to the court (the judge) as to whether or not
your witness will be considered an expert by the court. It is up to your
attorney as to whether or not it is a good legal strategy for this expert
witness to testify for you.]
[I write in my lesson plans that I give to my students that I will
testify for them at no charge. I consider it my duty. Whether or not
they ask me to testify for them is another thing entirely.]
Always carry a cell phone that can make video and audio recordings.
Have your 911 script prepared and memorized, NOW! Otherwise, you
will screw it up later.
Know who to call. Attorney [I give my students a list of competent
attorneys. Any legitimate self-defense insurance program will have a
number to call to get an attorney sent to you immediately.] Bail bondsman.
Friend (who can actually help you). Spouse (who is willing to help you).
Etc.
Write a will and estate plan. Structure your finances, so you don't
lose everything in an civil judgement. If you don't know what I'm talking
about, call an attorney with expertise in estate planning. Prepared
people don't get bankrupted by civil judgements.
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid." -- John Wayne
Don't be stupid. Structure your finances.
Wiley Clapp, field editor for the American Rifleman magazine, wrote an
article in the July 2019 issue of the American Rifleman paper magazine, in
which he explains in detail why you have to focus on the front sight when
aiming. Unfortunately, the NRA web site,
https://www.americanrifleman.org/
neglected to publish his article on the web site. So, read it in the paper
magazine if you can. Clapp recommends you shoot a blank piece of paper,
instead of a target, to hone your sight alignment skills. In particular,
focusing on the front sight.
My archery coach, Al Lizzio, would refer to the bullseye target as the
one eyed monster, because it distracts the shooter from concentrating on
the shooter's form, and instead caused the insufficiently trained shooter
to fixate on the target. Which always leads to failure.
The NRA Whittington Center
34025 U.S. 64 West
Raton, NM 87740
has courses you might be interested in,
http://nrawc.org/training/wu-defensive-academy/school-of-practical-pistol/
5 Biggest Mistakes Concealed Carriers Make
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2019/6/18/5-biggest-mistakes-concealed-carriers-make/
Excerpt:
If you wanted to learn to scuba dive or fly an airplane,
a smart person would realize the importance of getting training.
It is no different with personal defense: It only makes sense
to get good professional training.
. . .
Carrying a concealed handgun is a way of life. In many ways,
it changes the way we dress, the way we act and the way we think.
It changes our priorities to the point that we pass on a vacation
in order to spend time and money on training. Taking it seriously
will help a person avoid these five pitfalls to concealed carry.
SHOP Talk: Concealed Carry Tips
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms-ownership/shop-talk-concealed-carry-tips/
***** Practice *****
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Armed Self-Defense: 4 Reasons to Practice Movement Drills
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2019/6/3/armed-self-defense-4-reasons-to-practice-movement-drills/
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
***** Techniques *****
These articles were written for rifle shooters, but they directly apply to
combat pistol shooters.
What Causes Poor Trigger Technique?
https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2019/6/15/what-causes-poor-trigger-technique/
Excerpt:
Check each item carefully and adjust the trigger,
your position, or your grip as necessary. Don’t be satisfied
until you are correct.
[Yes, as a matter of fact, you can move your trigger (or your gunsmith can
move it for you). Yes, as a matter of fact, you should move your trigger.
The probability that the factory settings of your trigger are correct for
you is infinitesimal.]
[The first stage of the trigger that the author is referring to is the slack;
perceptible movement of the trigger, but no sear movement. The second stage
of the trigger that the author is referring to has no perceptible trigger
movement, but has sear movement.]
Our Guide To Help Develop Proper Rifle Trigger Technique
https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2018/3/5/our-guide-to-help-develop-proper-rifle-trigger-technique
Excerpt:
"When you shoot, you receive and process not only sensory information
but also the thoughts in your own head, which can influence your shooting
results. These thoughts are generally unrelated to your sensory input —
things like what happened at work today or what you need to do tomorrow."
[That's why yoga practice is an essential part of your training program.
Level III Rifle Coach Jonathan Low says, this is the difference between
winning and losing the match.
Advanced Pistol Instructor Jonathan Low says, this is the difference
between winning and losing the gunfight.]
. . .
"Follow your shot plan."
[This means you have to have a shot plan. This means you had to have
been taught what a shot plan is, written it out in your own words, and practiced
it until it became automatic.
If you don't have a shot plan, even God can't help you. Because God will
never violate your free will. And by not having a shot plan, you have chosen
to be negligent in your training.]
“Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
8 Self-defense tips for men
https://www.wimsblog.com/2013/04/self-defense-tips-for-men/
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
How to use the small fixed blade knife with Craig Douglas of Shivworks
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=307624830151292
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Shooting Through Doors and Walls [always a bad idea]
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/shooting-through-doors-and-walls
As Greg says, you have to positively identify your target before
shooting it.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET (Jeff Cooper's Rules of Gun Safety)
When I was an artillery forward observer, the instructors at the
U.S. Army artillery school at Schofield Barracks told us to call Marine Corps
pilots for air strikes because the Marines would fly low and inverted
over the target to positively identify it before attacking it. Do likewise.
The U.S. Air Force pilots flew high (to avoid getting shot down) and
scattered their bombs everywhere (nearly hitting us). Everyone serves a
purpose, even if it's to be an example of what not to do.
Skill Set: Fundamentals, Pt IV: Cover
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/8d314381-248a-4def-aee1-d706008d6add
Mastering Jim Cirillo’s Technique For Coarse-Aim Shooting
https://gundigest.com/handguns/personal-defense/mastering-jim-cirillos-technique-for-coarse-aim-shooting
I do not teach nor do I recommend this technique.
But, I cite it as something you may want to experiment with.
***** Tactics *****
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
Considerations for Fighting With a Little One at Your Side
https://www.recoilweb.com/considerations-for-fighting-with-a-little-one-at-your-side-150139.html
Excerpt: "You Should Make the Hardest Decisions Now"
This article is full of counter intuitive truth.
"Audacity wins."
-- Carl von Clausewitz
Skill Set: Fundamentals Pt V -- Shooting
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/d0b93733-9f98-4d9c-ac6f-00227652a11c
The pelvic girdle probably isn't the best place to hit,
but it's the best place to aim (John Farnam also teaches this),
because it moves the least.
***** Gear *****
9mm Ammunition for Serious Purposes
http://defense-training.com/2019/9mm-ammunition-for-serious-purposes/
The Secrets of Gunpowder
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2019/5/31/the-secrets-of-gunpowder/
Full Circle!
http://defense-training.com/2019/full-circle/
Some history on our armed forces rifles.
All About Flashlights
https://www.concealedcarry.com/gear/shop-talk-all-about-flashlights/
Excerpt:
Stick any flashlight from this page into your cart and
use the code FlashTalk at checkout to take 15% off.
***** Instructors *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God’s gift to our students.
Our students are God’s gift to us."
The following is a letter that I wrote to my son's friend who has
been conducting firearms training for about two years.
My advice concerning firearms instruction as a business,
vocation, or calling --
* Continuously seek top level training.
I have attended the Tactical Conference for the last 5 years. Three days of
quality training for $400.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tactical-conference-2020-dallas-tickets-60665750894
It's really important to be taking classes regularly. Otherwise, you fall behind
and get lost. You end up teaching things that are not best practices. They made
sense when you learned them, but things have changed since then. If you don't
think the fundamentals change, you're wrong. (Trigger finger in the register
position was not always taught. It's a fairly recent development. Now days,
it's fundamental.)
* Carry insurance.
I carry one million dollars of general liability and five hundred thousand dollars
of professional liability (in case someone sues me for something that I taught
one of my students).
"If I do things right, I will never get sued. So, I don't need to carry insurance."
No, that is false. Neglecting to carry insurance is stupidity incarnate.
I use the NRA instructor insurance through Lockton. But, there are many
available. Best to shop around.
Knowledgeable students are going to ask for your insurance. Any range that
you want to use for your classes is going to ask for your insurance, and they
are going to ask you to add them to your insurance policy.
* Regularly communicate with your students.
Write a blog, such as
DefensivePistolcraft.com
Send out a monthly newsletter.
So, your students don't forget you. So, your students will refer others to you.
To give your students an avenue to ask you questions. To keep your students
involved and thinking.
* Encourage your students to take courses from other instructors.
You don't want a cult following. And you want your students to be talking
about you with other students who don't know about you.
* Accumulate credentials.
There is no rush on this, actually it will happen naturally.
Getting an NRA instructor certification will allow you to post your courses
on the NRA web site. And it will get you all kinds of discounts and freebies
from companies that like to do business with the NRA. As a certified NRA
Instructor, you are allowed to post your non-NRA courses on the NRA web site.
Front Sight has a free 5-day instructor development course. It's free because
they expect you to work for them. But, you don't have to.
https://www.frontsight.com/Courses.asp?Action=View&ID=270
Rangemaster has a 3-day instructor development course for $685
https://rangemaster.com/training/instructor-development-course/
Defense Training International has an Instructor Program for $725
http://defense-training.com/training-courses/
description near the bottom of the web page. I'm going to attend this course
in Nashville, TN at Royal Range on October 5th and 6th. You should too.
Get your state's certification, so you can teach your state's course for
whatever concealed carry licensing your state might have.
All this credentialing is to give you legitimacy, so people feel comfortable
going to you for training and referring their friends to you.
* Price your classes commensurate with your experience, credentials, and
intended audience. At Front Sight we charged $2000 for a 4-day handgun
course. That is a well defined demographic. When I taught weekend classes
for little old ladies in the small town of Dowelltown, TN, the tuition for the
class was a very small tax deductible donation to the church that was hosting
the class. I didn't make any money, but I got a lot of good will.
Don't deceive yourself. Good will is invaluable. Good will gets you referrals.
Little old ladies have daughters and granddaughters, who will eventually
realize that they need your training services. Hopefully before the traumatic
event, but probably after. Be prepared for these students.
There is a service,
https://www.shootingclasses.com/
that you might want to sign up for. I haven't used them much, as they just
started up recently. But, they seem to have a good business model.
Get in bed with self defense insurance companies, e.g. U.S. Law Shield,
https://www.uslawshield.com/
Invite them to come to your classes and give their spiel about the benefits
of their self-defense insurance program. They in turn will drive students
to your classes. Explain to your students that they carry life insurance
to protect their loved ones in case they lose the fight, they carry self
defense insurance in case they win the fight.
* If you don't have your own range facility (or even if you do), get in
bed with the local ranges, so you can use their facilities for your classes.
It's a symbiotic relationship. It's like a doctor having privileges at a
hospital. If you don't, people will wonder what's wrong with you.
I use the Strategic Edge Gun Range, the gun ranges at Long Meadows
Farms, Davidson County Sportsmans Club, and several private properties.
Sometimes you will want to shoot at night or do things that some ranges
won't allow, like bringing cars onto the range to do car jacking scenarios
where you shoot out of the car. (accessing a concealed pistol while buckled
into a seat in a car and shooting out the window usually requires
private property).
* Don't tell war stories. They waste the student's valuable time.
Nobody cares what a great special forces operator you were. Nobody cares
what a heroic cop you were. All your students care about is what you can
teach them that will be useful in protecting themselves and their loved ones.
* Have an emergency plan and explain it to the students. Who has first
aid training? Where is the first aid kit? Who is responsible for calling 911?
Who will run out to the street to direct the ambulance to the range? Etc.
The plan will make the students feel safe and comfortable. They will
think you are an experienced professional.
* Be aware that beginner classes are the most difficult to teach,
because so much of what the student knows to be true is false.
Cheers,
Jon
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
Dustin Solomon, in his book “Building Shooters” states that
an instructor should not expect any learning to take place
the first time new information is presented.
[Hat tip to Bill Hayes of Axiom Training.]
Avoid using acronyms like the plague, because your students
won't ask you what they stand for. No one wants to look stupid.
***** Pedagogy *****
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
***** Education *****
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
Law of Self Defense
Live Online Class on August 24, 2019
https://lawofselfdefense.com/live-online-class/
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
How To Secure An Apartment Or Condo From Intruders
https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/15/ccw-weekend-how-to-secure-an-apartment-or-condo-from-intruders/
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-- John Farnam
Street Survival: When it comes to using deadly force,
are you a P.O. (Police Officer) or a C.O. (Conscientious Objector)?
https://www.policeone.com/police-training/articles/484143006-street-survival-when-it-comes-to-using-deadly-force-are-you-a-po-or-a-co/
[You have to register to access the article, but registration is free.]
Excerpt:
When a police officer has to use deadly force to save innocents from a killer,
that officer must be unencumbered and purposeful in his mission. They must be able
to seek out that killer, take aim and fire a bullet into a vital area to stop the
threat.
To be able to do this while making the right decision in doing so takes not
only a great deal of ongoing training, but also a quantum of soul-searching in
advance to determine that the officer is a P.O. (Police Officer) who can do what
needs to be done, and not a C.O. (Conscientious Objector), who can’t.
Lt. Dan's other articles are at
https://www.policeone.com/street-survival-dan-marcou/
The Law-Abiding Gun Owner's Guide to Firearms Customization
https://assets.uslawshield.com/docs/PSA_Informative.pdf
Ignorance may be bliss, but what you don't know can
get you arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned.
Do you understand the term, "illegal constructive
possession"? If not, you better read this article.
Did you know that the NFA prohibits vertical foregrips
on pistols? Do you understand what that means? If not,
you better read this article.
U.S. House of Representatives, oversight hearing --
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D - N.Y.):
"How bad does the mass shooting epidemic have to get before
you will adopt common sense gun safety policies like other
banks have done?"
Mr. Tim Sloan (CEO of Wells Fargo Bank):
"We just don't believe that it is a good idea to encourage
banks to enforce legislation that doesn't exist."
As Herr Professor Doctor Albert Einstein said,
never underestimate the power of large numbers of stupid people.
Tennessee is a "True Man" state.
“Soft” v. “Hard” Stand-Your-Ground: A Case Example
https://lawofselfdefense.com/soft-v-hard-stand-your-ground-a-case-example/
“She died defenseless”
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/06/finally-one-national-news-story-about-how-the-virginia-beach-shooting-was-in-a-gun-free-zone-she-died-defenseless/
"I don't believe. I know and decide.
No maybes. No in-between. Yes must be yes. No must be no.
Never change your mind.
Vows are sacred. Never play with the D word. (Divorce)
Your life is a sermon."
-- Pastor Mike Ayon
Not only is your life a sermon that is on display to the world,
many persons whom you don't even know exist
are listening and watching your sermon.
President Trump signed H.R. 1222 Target Practice and Marksmanship Training
Support Act into law on 10 May 2019.
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Why You Should Carry Medical Gear: Part 1
https://www.shootingclasses.com/blog/posts/why-you-should-carry-medical-gear-part-1/
Why You Should Carry Medical Gear: Part 2
https://www.shootingclasses.com/blog/posts/why-you-should-carry-medical-gear-part-2/
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
-- John Farnam
SWAT Raid or Home Invasion?
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/how-can-you-tell-the-difference-between-a-swat-raid-and-a-home-invasion
Excerpts:
I’ve never seen a home invasion where a criminal used
a weapon mounted light or ballistic shield.
If you don’t see any badges, it isn’t a legitimate police raid.
Real cops wear belts.
All the cops on a raid will have a police radio (walkie-talkie).
It may be on the vest or clipped on the belt. SWAT teams will likely
have helmets with mounted radio headsets using mouth or throat
microphones. I’ve never seen a reported home invasion where the
criminals are using radios (even the commonly available walkie-talkies
you can buy at a sporting goods store). No radios = no police.
If you are hearing lots of ineffective beating at the door,
it’s likely home invaders.
. . . during a raid, ALL of the officers will be yelling “Police”
to identify themselves. If you aren’t hearing lots of identifying
words and verbal commands, you are likely dealing with home invaders.
To buy yourself time, you need to harden your house. . . .
All of those interventions will slow down both the police and
home invaders, giving you more time to make a better assessment
about what is really going on. If there is any doubt, call 911
immediately.
***** Basics *****
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
***** Miscellany *****
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
When it’s least expected, you’re selected.
-- John Farnam
Semper Fidelis,
Jon
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
God can do more than we can hope or imagine.
Friday, June 28, 2019
Saturday, June 1, 2019
CWP, 1 June MMXIX Anno Domini
Greetings Sheepdogs,
Murder is wrong.
Legally, if you pay someone to commit the murder, you are
responsible for the murder. Legally, if you order a
subordinate or employee to commit the murder, you are
responsible for the murder. Morally, if you vote for
someone whom you know will vote to fund the murder,
you are responsible for the murder.
Murdering babies is wrong.
“When you love wealth greater than liberty,
the tranquility of servitude greater than
the animating contest for freedom, go home
from us in peace. We seek not your counsel,
nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the
hand that feeds you. May chains set lightly
upon you; and may posterity forget that
you were ever our countrymen.”
-- Samuel Adams
***** Mindset *****
"You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts.
If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad."
-- Gen. Mattis (published in the San Diego Union Tribune)
Victims, by Choice!
http://defense-training.com/2019/victims-by-choice/
Who Dares Wins.
-- motto of the Special Air Service
Surviving a Gunfight: Go Back to Basics
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/3/surviving-a-gunfight-go-back-to-basics/
Excerpt:
. . . three things are important to survive a gunfight —
deliberation, accuracy and speed
— in that order. -- Bat Masterson
(paraphrase of a paraphrase)
Front Sight teaches speed, power, and accuracy being of equal
importance, because whoever hits first will usually win, you have
to hit with enough power to have an effect, and you have to hit a
vital area to have an effect.
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
Learned Helplessness
http://defense-training.com/2019/learned-helplessness-2/
A few years ago there was a Marine Corps recruiting poster that had
a picture of a Marine on it with the caption, "Smart Weapon". Be
likewise.
"The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.
That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot."
-- Gen. Mattis (published in the Business Insider)
***** Safety *****
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
***** Training *****
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
Why Do I Need Training?
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/tactics-training/why-do-i-need-training-2/
Care enough to continue your training.
Why do I need to train?
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique
to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if
that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for
that which could have been their finest hour."
-- Winston Churchill
Want to get great at something? Get a coach.
https://www.ted.com/talks/atul_gawande_want_to_get_great_at_something_get_a_coach
Excerpt:
"A coach is your external eyes and ears providing a more accurate
picture of your reality."
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
I have been to many driving schools (not all of which were court ordered).
Some of the schools were for vehicles that no longer exist (gamma goat, jeep, . . .).
Yes, I am that old. So, I've learned a few things:
Don't drive close to bicycles. Your draft will knock them over.
Ram vehicles on the end away from the engine or center of mass.
If you tap the other vehicle's rear side panel thinking that you will
cause them to spin out, be prepared to spin out. [If you intend to intentionally
spin your vehicle (as in the movies), you're not thinking correctly.]
Always back into parallel parking spaces. Time spent parking correctly
gives you time to escape on the other end. Just because you're going to a
friendly meeting, doesn't mean the other guys are there for a friendly meeting.
Remember, "mufi englee" means "I don't understand English." no matter what the
hand gestures indicate.
Never stop to help out when you see a vehicle accident. 100% guarantee
it's an ambush. Besides, the Emergency Medical Technicians you called to
help the victims will do a better job than you could have.
Stopping to give money to beggars is not an act of kindness. It is
not Biblical. It is an act of stupidity. They will shoot you.
Never pick up hitch hikers. They will kill you. And take your
vehicle.
If someone accuses you of being paranoid, blame your behavior on the policy.
That's why they give us these briefings when we enter the country. Because,
it's not paranoia. It's reality.
Self-Defense Training: Clearing Hurdles & Obstacles
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/13/self-defense-training-clearing-hurdles-obstacles/
Baselines #4 Reload Drills
https://primaryandsecondary.com/baselines-4-reload-drills/
Excerpt:
Action is always faster than reaction.
Change the mag when you want to not when you need to.
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
***** Practice *****
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat
whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- Sara Ahrens
“Shooting in Self-Defense” by Sara Ahrens
(I have paraphrased Ms. Ahrens.)
Practice increases your sensitivity, your kinesthetic awareness.
This allows you to know that you are doing something wrong. Once you
become aware of errors, you can correct them (often automatically).
Before you are sensitive enough to detect errors, you don’t notice
them. So, you don’t believe that you are committing the error.
So, practice does not cause you to commit fewer errors; it causes
you to become aware of the errors that you were always committing,
but not noticing.
***** Techniques *****
“Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
Track your target left-right. Are you able to maintain sight alignment?
Track your target up-down. Are you able to maintain sight alignment?
Lying on your back, track your target in the hemisphere above you. Are you
able to maintain sight alignment? Were you able to maintain your correct
Weaver or Isosceles position? If not, practice.
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
Tips & Techniques: Rotate-To-Fire In Close Encounters
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2019/5/2/tips-techniques-rotate-to-fire-in-close-encounters/
If you are presenting from concealment, the support side hand would
be holding the concealment garment up and out of the way. So, there
should not be any chance of shooting your support side hand.
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Tom Givens (Rangemaster Firearms Training Services) teaches
gripping the pistol with thumbs up. Because a thumbs forward position
bends the wrists, which weakens the grip, which is bad for retention and accuracy.
Ignatias Piazza (Front Sight Firearms Training Institute) teaches thumbs up,
support side thumb over the firing side thumb. This thumbs up position is a natural
outcome of the Weaver position. If you bend your support side elbow and pull it
down in front of you, your support side thumb is going to point up.
If you point your thumbs forward, your trigger finger will hit
your support side thumb, and the gun won't fire, and you won't be
able to figure out why the gun won't fire. I have seen this happen
in many classes with many different students, who were at various
levels of competence. Remember Murphy's Law, if anything can go
wrong, it will go wrong, at the worst possible time. So, relax your
thumbs and they will naturally go up. Pulling your thumb down to
grip your pistol as a hammer is wrong. (The exception might be
shooting one handed, for some persons.)
Why you should never shoot from a moving vehicle. Why you
should never shoot at a moving vehicle. Why you should never
shoot at a moving vehicle from a moving vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEhT5wqn9tY&fbclid=IwAR0bofVMpDRFwPjB-L88ar_GCwtnwlFY12fduIBANvX-YSDmhKk8rfCVr7c
You're going to miss, and every miss is destroying property
and injuring innocent bystanders, maybe killing them. Maybe in a
rural area, you could justify this. But, not in urban Anaheim, CA.
How to be as scary as hell in less than 5 seconds
http://thesurvivalmom.com/scary-hell-less-5-seconds/
Even as a child, people told me that I looked scary. So, I started wearing
glasses and grew my hair long. (My dad always wore a crew cut, so I did.)
I made a point of smiling. I think it helped. But, it's actually hard not to
leak information. (Unless you're psycho.) Because people generally feel
uncomfortable maintaining a facade. So, they have a hard time doing it.
Overcoming Threat-Fixation & Tunnel Vision
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/13/overcoming-threat-fixation-tunnel-vision/
Practice your after action drills, so that you will form the habit
of executing your after action dills automatically, so that in a high
stress situation you will execute your after action drills.
Autogenic breathing: inhale over a count of 4, hold for a count of 4,
exhale over a count of 4, repeat, repeat, repeat. This will improve your
judgment, lower your pulse rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure.
Quick check: As the Sheriff says, LOOK! No seriously, slow down and
look! If you have developed a California twitch, you are wrong (because
you won't see anything). At Front Sight, one of the instructors would stand
behind the line and hold a knife up. After the shooting drill, the range
master would ask the students, "What threat did you see behind you?"
Very few noticed the instructor hold the knife up in the air.
How To Clear a Double Feed Malfunction
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/clear-double-feed-malfunction/
People who have been in combat have a deep understanding of Murphy's Law
(Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong; at the worst possible time.).
They will never tolerate anything that could go wrong; equipment or personnel.
So, they will clean their weapons and replace parts. They will never forget
to bring something. They will never go on a mission with anyone they don't trust.
If ordered to, that weak link will have an administrative or medical problem
that will prevent them from deploying. Because we know Murphy's Law is true.
***** Tactics *****
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
Avoiding mistakes wins.
Brilliant moves not so much.
The move only gets called brilliant in retrospect,
if someone recorded it on video, and some POG
analyzed it. How often is that going to happen?
Medals are only given for conspicuous gallantry.
Almost all heroism is inconspicuous.
Highlands Ranch STEM Shooting
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/highlands-ranch-stem-shooting
Excerpt:
"Although police radios are not cheap (some cost over $5000 each),
I would advise that every school have an emergency police radio to
broadcast directly onto the police radio frequency in the event of
an emergency. Doing that will cut at least 3-4 minutes off of the
police response time. Active killers average six to eight victims
per minute. A response time four minutes faster equals a potential
of 32 lives saved."
"Audacity wins."
-- Carl von Clausewitz
***** Gear *****
3 Hot New Women's On-Body CCW Clothing Solutions
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2019/4/30/3-hot-new-womens-on-body-ccw-clothing-solutions/
The cited web sites:
https://darkalleydenim.com/
https://tacticafashion.com/
https://www.cancanconcealment.com/ (guys might not want to brows this
web site at a church luncheon)
If you're going to carry in a purse, the strap has to have a
steel cable running through it, and you have to put the strap over
your head (not just over your shoulder). This is real. The mother
of my friend at church had her purse stolen off of her body while
shopping in a grocery store.
Suggestion for concealed carry when exercising in public,
http://aliengearholsters.com/belly-band-holsters.html
You can use their belly band with your holster.
http://aliengearholsters.com/sport-tuck-belly-band-expansion.html
308 and 7.62×51
http://defense-training.com/2019/308-and-7-62x51/
Important technical and philosophical information.
Please do a thorough equipment inspection to make sure the pistol and holster function properly.
Remove the magazine.
Chamber check to make sure the pistol is unloaded.
If the pistol has a magazine safety and will only fire with a magazine inserted in the magazine
well, insert an empty magazine and make sure it is locked in place. (A magazine safety is a
design flaw. You must be able to shoot the round in the chamber if attacked while reloading.)
Keep the pistol pointed in a safe direction.
Press the trigger. You should feel slack (no sear movement) and then a hard stop
(sear engagement). Press through the hard stop to release the firing pin (sear movement).
(If the sear is machined correctly, the trigger release will be smooth and crisp, no catching,
no gritty feel, no friction.) You should hear the click of the firing pin being driven forward.
Put a pencil in the barrel with the rubber eraser end toward the firing pin and point the
pistol up. The firing mechanism should have enough force to pop the pencil out of the barrel.
(Otherwise, the student is going to get a lot of misfires due to light firing pin strikes.)
Press the trigger and hold it to the rear. Rack the slide. Release the trigger to reset
the action. There should be a distinct click on reset. (The lack of a distinct click on reset
is a design flaw. Multiple clicks, making it impossible to determine which click is the reset,
is a design flaw.) Take the slack out of the trigger. (Yes, there will be slack after reset.)
There should be a hard stop. Press through the hard stop. There should be a distinct click as
the firing pin is driven forward.
Make sure the pistol does not fire when any one of the safeties is on.
Make sure the pistol does not fire when holstering with the safeties off.
(Yes, some ill-fitting holsters will press the trigger when holstering.)
Make sure the pistol does not fire when the slide is out of battery. (Yes, I have heard
all of the safety vs. reliability arguments. If the pistol fires when the slide is out of
battery, the pistol is unsafe and should not be used. "Are you saying the Sig Sauer P229 is
unsafe and should not be used?" Yes, I am saying that.)
Make sure the pistol does not fall out of the holster when you turn it upside down and shake it.
(This may not apply to inside the waist band holsters that use the pressure of the belt to squeeze
the holster against the body.)
Make sure the mouth of the holster stays open, so the student can holster with one hand.
(Two handed holstering causes the student to muzzle his support side hand.)
Vigilant Gear
https://www.vigilantgear.com/
All kinds of neat stuff.
Only the SOFT and CAT tourniquets are certified.
A friend at work gave me a HALO (Hemorrhage Arresting, Lever Operated)
tourniquet to test out.
After using the HALO tourniquet and watching the YouTube.com videos
on their web site,
https://zrodelta.com/products/halo-tourniquet/
I have found that I can't turn the lever without pinching skin (to the extent
that I'm pretty sure I'd be tearing skin if I had to apply it for real). The
YouTube.com video says they have a patented "no pinch" device. But, I
have found that the HALO pinches skin every time. Clothing does not
seem to mitigate the pinching. One would have to put a piece if stiff cardboard
under the area where the strap goes into the buckle to prevent the pinching.
(They must know about this problem. Otherwise, why would they mention it?)
The instructional video says the HALO is better than the CAT or SOFT
because the effective strap is wider. The narrator says the tourniquet is wider
and therefore requires less pressure to stop the blood flow. That doesn't make sense.
The pressure required to stop the blood flow is whatever the blood pressure
in the body is.
Pressure is force divided by area. So,the wider the strap, the larger the area.
The larger the area, the more force required to achieve a given pressure.
So, if the HALO has a wider strap, it's going to require a larger force to
achieve the same pressure.
It's not obvious to me that the HALO lever creates more mechanical advantage
than the windlass on the CAT or the SOFT.
So, I can't recommend it to my students.
Tourniquet Musings by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/tourniquet-musings
Greg reviews some other tourniquets.
***** Instructors *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God’s gift to our students.
Our students are God’s gift to us."
TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO NOT OUTRUN THEIR HEADLIGHTS
https://ftaprotect.com/blog/teaching-students-not-to-outrun-headlights
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- Sara Ahrens (paraphrase)
“Shooting in Self-Defense” by Sara Ahrens
Losing A Legend Mourning Mike Voigt
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/losing-a-legend-mourning-mike-voigt/
Get your training while you can. Instructors don't teach forever.
And those who teach till the end, don't live forever.
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
The most difficult skill we teach! (Trigger Control)
http://defense-training.com/2019/most-difficult/
***** Pedagogy *****
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
Guns, Gear, and Training Issues in Last Weekend’s Shotgun Class
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/guns-gear-and-training-issues-in-last-weekends-shotgun-class
Please read the part about the "slug drill" and understand
why some of the students were having a problem. That's why it
is essential to teach the fundamentals, including the mechanics
of how things operate. Otherwise, the student may have a false
understanding of what's going on. As a matter of fact, this
sort of thing happens all the time in all areas of instruction.
Human brains are very good at filling in the gaps with obviously
correct beliefs that are completely wrong.
Always teach the fundamentals, because some of what your
students know to be true, is false.
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
Alarm Fatigue: Correlative Applications to Gun-Related Self Defense
https://havokjournal.com/culture/alarm-fatigue/
Excerpt:
"A 24/7/365 attempt at condition orange awareness will ultimately decrease
your awareness as your brain tells you that you are crying wolf."
That's why you should be in condition yellow, not orange, any time
you're not sleeping.
***** Education *****
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
Please check out the Law of Self Defense blog at
https://lawofselfdefense.com/
Always enlightening.
What is Concealed Carry?
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms-ownership/what-is-concealed-carry/
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
Concealed Carriers [Full Documentary]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9AXDa_OFo
Force-on-force training at the Sig Sauer Academy.
You should intend to win, not survive. Surviving as a paraplegic
is not acceptable.
It really doesn't matter what happens to the bad guy. He
forfeited his expectation of any happiness when he started the
hostilities. His injury or death is incidental to your mission
to stop his attack.
If you're going to carry, you need to take this (force-on-force)
training.
Everything that can go wrong will go wrong! You'll get
fatigued. Your holster will break off your belt. You'll have
an emotional break down. You won't be able to see. (Your glasses
will fog up. Or, it's too dark to see.) You'll get hurt. . . .
No matter how carefully you plan a training scenario, you
can't predict what will happen, what the student will do, what
props will malfunction, what will go wrong with the instructors
or actors.
The first time, the student doesn't remember anything.
By the last scenario, they are replaying it in their minds like
a bunch of golfers sitting around the 19th hole having a beer.
Why Eye Witnesses Get It Wrong
https://www.ted.com/talks/scott_fraser_the_problem_with_eyewitness_testimony
Excerpt:
Much of what the witnesses knew to be true was false.
A person's certainty of their correctness or the vividness of the
memory is not a good measure of the memory's accuracy.
The Average Gun Owner
https://revolverguy.com/tago/
You are the gun expert relative to "The Average Gun Owner" (TAGO).
It's your duty to teach in a friendly kind manner.
May I invite your attention to
https://robertforbus.com/
Spend some time exploring the tutorials.
I think you'll find them useful.
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
"Among many misdeeds of British rule in India,
history will look upon the act of depriving a
whole nation of arms, as the blackest!"
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Schools that Allow Teachers to Carry Guns are Extremely Safe:
Data on the Rate of Shootings and Accidents in Schools that allow Teachers to Carry
Newsletter article:
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/major-new-research-on-school-safety-schools-that-allow-teachers-to-carry-guns-havent-seen-school-shootings-during-school-hours/
Abstract:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3377801
Paper:
https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=101111070070115118000001093005004073116000017019026088089089079026078000095070110025052012063126123028115124116064019008117088044005075034012089072086085102073069035082087113070088102120080024074016007083098106121073096107083000003007029069067031&EXT=pdf
See the graph on page 8. It shows that schools that have armed teachers
have zero people killed on campus. Not statistically zero, but real number zero.
So, if you're going to send your child to a school, make sure the teachers are armed.
Why is this so? Because while bad guys may be crazy, they are not stupid.
They are not going to attack a school with armed teachers, because they might
get hurt.
Indiana becomes 17th state that doesn’t require
a fee or training to carry a concealed handgun
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/04/indiana-becomes-17th-state-that-doesnt-require-a-fee-or-training-to-get-a-concealed-handgun-permit/
Excerpt:
Now Indiana becomes the first state to offer a permit without a fee
and carry your concealed handgun in 32 states besides Indiana.
Besides the 16 Constitutional Carry states and Indiana, there are
seven other states with permits that don’t require training
to carry a gun.
Bill to let people carry without a permit overwhelmingly passes Texas state House
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/bill-to-let-people-carry-without-a-permit-overwhelmingly-passes-texas-state-house/
SCOTUS Denies New York City’s Motion – NYSRPA Case To Move Forward
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/05/01/scotus-denies-motion-nysrpa/
Excerpt:
In the language of NYSRPA’s filing is a request that SCOTUS rule
all 2nd Amendment cases be subject to strict scrutiny. If the court
agrees to implement Strict Scrutiny on all Second Amendment cases
then all gun laws brought before the court would have to pass a very
difficult 3-part test to be upheld as constitutional. The law or
policy would have to, first, be regarding a compelling governmental
interest. Secondly, the law or policy must be narrowly tailored.
Thirdly, the law or policy being challenged is the least restrictive
means of achieving that interest.
President Trump Signs Bill to Fund State-Level Gun Range Expansion
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/13/president-trump-signs-bill-fund-state-level-gun-range-expansion/
Booker’s Agenda
http://defense-training.com/2019/bookers-agenda/
What Do Jihadists Really Want? (2019) by Sam Harris
https://samharris.org/podcasts/154-jihadists-really-want-2019/
Excerpt:
"They hate us for our freedom." is true.
As a intelligence analyst, I find Mr. Harris' comments
concerning the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) magazine
article having excellent writing and excellent copy editing,
significant. Not many people on this planet have a command
of their native language, much less a command of a second or
third language. Newspapers in the U.S. are written at the
8th grade reading level, because that's their audience's reading
level. (Yes, including the New York Times.) [Having an
undergraduate or graduate degree does not mean the person
has a high level of reading comprehension. It just means they
had the perseverance to finish their degree. Perseverance is
a fine character trait. But, it has nothing to do with the
vocabulary, semantics, and logic of reading comprehension.]
Mr. Harris gives a better intel briefing than a lot I
have attended. He explains the Islamic jihadist mindset.
As Sun Tsu says in "The Art of War", you have to know your enemy.
In case you don't understand what's going on.
Nolte: Media Quickly Lost Interest in Politically Inconvenient School Shooting
https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2019/05/10/media-quickly-lost-interest-politically-inconvenient-school-shooting/
Baltimore’s War on Guns Almost Exclusively Targeted Black Neighborhoods
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/14/report-baltimores-war-on-guns-almost-exclusively-targeted-black-neighborhoods/
Weekend Knowledge Dump- May 17, 2019
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weekend-knowledge-dump-may-17-2019
See the article, "Why Don’t Cops Train Independently?"
See the article, "St. Louis-area cop indicted for shooting shoplifting suspect"
Greg Ellifritz says it's the individual officer's responsibility
to get training, because the police departments don't provide sufficient
training. But, some cops are prohibited from taking unauthorized training.
Which means any training not given by their department.
Freedom to self defend
Texas Gov. Abbott signs law lifting ban on brass knuckles, kitty key chains and clubs
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2019/05/15/brass-knuckles-kitty-keychains-ban-lifted-texas-lawmakers-heads-gov-abbotts-desk
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-- John Farnam
None dare call it ‘vigilantism’ — It’s ‘Justifiable Homicide’
https://americanhandgunner.com/insider-online/none-dare-call-it-vigilantism-its-justifiable-homicide/
According to FBI statistics, justifiable homicides are trending upward.
Actually, it's the Coast Guard that says, "Always Be Prepared",
as in their motto, "Semper Paratus".
It is the Boy Scouts of America who say, "Be Prepared", as their motto.
Excerpt:
Lest anyone wonder why a growing number of Americans [are] arming up and
fighting back, a report from KATU News in Portland, Oregon may offer one explanation.
A Multnomah County grand jury recently returned a 25-count indictment
against a man identified as Logan Johannsen, 26, who allegedly entered a man’s home,
fatally stabbed him and then drove away in the dead man’s car. The victim,
Gregory Isernhagen, was 50.
While the suspect’s guilt or innocence will be determined in court,
the potential for something similar to happen elsewhere often spurs gun buying
for the first time, plus increased interest in self-defense courses. No rational
person wants to take a life, but neither do they wish to become a murder victim.
Defensive gun uses by people legally carrying guns over the past two months
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/04/defensive-gun-uses-by-people-legally-carrying-guns-over-the-past-two-months-2/
North Texas homeowner shoots, kills intruder
http://www.fox4news.com/news/north-texas-homeowner-shoots-kills-intruder
Imagine the outcome if the woman did not have a gun. It's not enough
to have the will to fight. You must have the tools.
In his blog posting of May 31, 2019,
https://lawofselfdefense.com/blog/
Attorney Andrew Branca says,
"I can tell you that I’ve personally been involved in a lot of very difficult
decisions with clients about whether to accept an offered plea in such circumstances.
For many of them accepting the plea is the smart move, no matter how genuine their
belief that they acted in lawful self-defense. The risk of conviction and an
effectively life-ending sentence simply isn’t worth it."
In my classes, I teach my students to never accept a plea deal. Because, pleading
to a lesser offense to avoid the risk of a long prison sentence, is lying; and lying
is a sin. It is wrong to say you committed a crime when you did not. Don't let the
authority figures convince you to confess to a crime that you did not commit.
"Well, you can talk because you've never been in that position."
As a matter of fact, I have been in that position. The prosecutor offered me a
plea deal, that my attorney conveyed to me. But, I plead not guilty and the
Federal Magistrate in New Jersey dismissed all charges. (Not the same as a verdict
of not guilty, but effectively the same thing.) Pleading to a lesser offense would
have resulted in a conviction and caused me to lose my security clearance, my job,
the ability to hold positions of trust in the church, the ability to possess firearms,
and the trust of my children.
Even if you get convicted, you can appeal. It's just a matter of believing
you are righteous and having faith in the American justice system.
Keep the faith. God will bless you.
Showing how the percent of adults with concealed handgun permit changes in states over time from 2013 to 2018
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/showing-how-the-percent-of-adults-with-concealed-handgun-permit-changes-in-states-over-time-from-2013-to-2018/
The situation is much better than some of the graphs show, because many states
don't require a permit to carry, so you're not going to see much of an increase in
issued permits.
Democrats push gun control legislation that disarms poor minorities
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/democrats-push-gun-control-legislation-that-disarms-poor-minorities/
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Make sure to have a suction bulb syringe to suck the mucus out of your baby's
nose. Babies are nose breathers. They can't breath through their mouths because
their tongues are disproportionately large relative to their throats, just as their
heads are disproportionately large relative to their bodies. When you all were
born the nurse or midwife carefully sucked all the mucus and other junk out of
your nostrils. But, it doesn't end at birth. You have to continually take care of this.
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
-- John Farnam
Church Security Planning
https://warriorpoetsociety.us/church-security/
John Lovell recommends doing background checks on everyone on your
security team. The church can avoid the cost of this by requiring
everyone on the security team to get a Tennessee Handgun Permit at their
own expense. The applicant has to pass a background check, have a clean
criminal record, and have a clean mental health record in order to get
a THP.
John recommends the security team be highly trained. The church can
avoid this expense by choosing team members willing to train on their own
time and at their own expense. Yes, these people do exist; to them
protecting the flock is a calling, not a job.
John talks about weapons competency testing. He recommends standard
law enforcement tests, which are timed marksmanship tests on a range. In
my opinion that's just liability mitigation and not indicative of combat
competence. I would recommend testing the team members by taking them
to shoot an IDPA match or an IPSC match, in a tactically correct manner,
not racing to win the game (an entirely different process).
Judgment testing should be done in a force-on-force course or a computer
video simulator. There is a good Simunitions course given by Bob Allen
at Royal Range. Bill Hayes of Axiom Training runs a good video simulator
course.
The real importance of team meetings before going on duty is to ensure
everyone recognizes everyone else, so they don't shoot each other by mistake.
John says you have to have a sworn law enforcement officer to lay hands
on anyone. But, that's not true. All states have state licensed security guards:
armed and unarmed. Self-defense or defense-of-others justifies the laying on of hands.
You weren't assaulting him, you were blessing him (or attempting to heal him).
John misuses the word "violence". Good guys cannot commit violence as
the word is defined in the English language. Bad guys commit violence.
Good guys use force.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Sex Offender Registry
https://tnmap.tn.gov/sor/
FBI Sex Offender web sites
https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/sex-offender-registry
***** Basics *****
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
"Always carry a knife with you.
Just in case there's cheesecake,
or you need to stab someone in
the throat."
-- Gen. James Mattis, USMC
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
***** Miscellany *****
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
I have had to say the following to many people. --
May I suggest you look up the word "violence" in a scholarly dictionary?
(Such as American Heritage.) You are misusing the word. Only bad guys commit
violence. A good guy committing violence against a bad guy does not make sense,
as violence is defined in the English language. Good guys use force, not violence.
When it’s least expected, you’re selected.
-- John Farnam
Semper Fidelis,
Jon
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
God can do more than we can hope or imagine.
But, God can't do anything. He can't violate your free will.
Murder is wrong.
Legally, if you pay someone to commit the murder, you are
responsible for the murder. Legally, if you order a
subordinate or employee to commit the murder, you are
responsible for the murder. Morally, if you vote for
someone whom you know will vote to fund the murder,
you are responsible for the murder.
Murdering babies is wrong.
“When you love wealth greater than liberty,
the tranquility of servitude greater than
the animating contest for freedom, go home
from us in peace. We seek not your counsel,
nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the
hand that feeds you. May chains set lightly
upon you; and may posterity forget that
you were ever our countrymen.”
-- Samuel Adams
***** Mindset *****
"You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts.
If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad."
-- Gen. Mattis (published in the San Diego Union Tribune)
Victims, by Choice!
http://defense-training.com/2019/victims-by-choice/
Who Dares Wins.
-- motto of the Special Air Service
Surviving a Gunfight: Go Back to Basics
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/3/surviving-a-gunfight-go-back-to-basics/
Excerpt:
. . . three things are important to survive a gunfight —
deliberation, accuracy and speed
— in that order. -- Bat Masterson
(paraphrase of a paraphrase)
Front Sight teaches speed, power, and accuracy being of equal
importance, because whoever hits first will usually win, you have
to hit with enough power to have an effect, and you have to hit a
vital area to have an effect.
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
Learned Helplessness
http://defense-training.com/2019/learned-helplessness-2/
A few years ago there was a Marine Corps recruiting poster that had
a picture of a Marine on it with the caption, "Smart Weapon". Be
likewise.
"The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.
That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot."
-- Gen. Mattis (published in the Business Insider)
***** Safety *****
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
***** Training *****
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
Why Do I Need Training?
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/tactics-training/why-do-i-need-training-2/
Care enough to continue your training.
Why do I need to train?
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique
to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if
that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for
that which could have been their finest hour."
-- Winston Churchill
Want to get great at something? Get a coach.
https://www.ted.com/talks/atul_gawande_want_to_get_great_at_something_get_a_coach
Excerpt:
"A coach is your external eyes and ears providing a more accurate
picture of your reality."
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
I have been to many driving schools (not all of which were court ordered).
Some of the schools were for vehicles that no longer exist (gamma goat, jeep, . . .).
Yes, I am that old. So, I've learned a few things:
Don't drive close to bicycles. Your draft will knock them over.
Ram vehicles on the end away from the engine or center of mass.
If you tap the other vehicle's rear side panel thinking that you will
cause them to spin out, be prepared to spin out. [If you intend to intentionally
spin your vehicle (as in the movies), you're not thinking correctly.]
Always back into parallel parking spaces. Time spent parking correctly
gives you time to escape on the other end. Just because you're going to a
friendly meeting, doesn't mean the other guys are there for a friendly meeting.
Remember, "mufi englee" means "I don't understand English." no matter what the
hand gestures indicate.
Never stop to help out when you see a vehicle accident. 100% guarantee
it's an ambush. Besides, the Emergency Medical Technicians you called to
help the victims will do a better job than you could have.
Stopping to give money to beggars is not an act of kindness. It is
not Biblical. It is an act of stupidity. They will shoot you.
Never pick up hitch hikers. They will kill you. And take your
vehicle.
If someone accuses you of being paranoid, blame your behavior on the policy.
That's why they give us these briefings when we enter the country. Because,
it's not paranoia. It's reality.
Self-Defense Training: Clearing Hurdles & Obstacles
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/13/self-defense-training-clearing-hurdles-obstacles/
Baselines #4 Reload Drills
https://primaryandsecondary.com/baselines-4-reload-drills/
Excerpt:
Action is always faster than reaction.
Change the mag when you want to not when you need to.
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
***** Practice *****
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat
whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- Sara Ahrens
“Shooting in Self-Defense” by Sara Ahrens
(I have paraphrased Ms. Ahrens.)
Practice increases your sensitivity, your kinesthetic awareness.
This allows you to know that you are doing something wrong. Once you
become aware of errors, you can correct them (often automatically).
Before you are sensitive enough to detect errors, you don’t notice
them. So, you don’t believe that you are committing the error.
So, practice does not cause you to commit fewer errors; it causes
you to become aware of the errors that you were always committing,
but not noticing.
***** Techniques *****
“Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
Track your target left-right. Are you able to maintain sight alignment?
Track your target up-down. Are you able to maintain sight alignment?
Lying on your back, track your target in the hemisphere above you. Are you
able to maintain sight alignment? Were you able to maintain your correct
Weaver or Isosceles position? If not, practice.
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
Tips & Techniques: Rotate-To-Fire In Close Encounters
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2019/5/2/tips-techniques-rotate-to-fire-in-close-encounters/
If you are presenting from concealment, the support side hand would
be holding the concealment garment up and out of the way. So, there
should not be any chance of shooting your support side hand.
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Tom Givens (Rangemaster Firearms Training Services) teaches
gripping the pistol with thumbs up. Because a thumbs forward position
bends the wrists, which weakens the grip, which is bad for retention and accuracy.
Ignatias Piazza (Front Sight Firearms Training Institute) teaches thumbs up,
support side thumb over the firing side thumb. This thumbs up position is a natural
outcome of the Weaver position. If you bend your support side elbow and pull it
down in front of you, your support side thumb is going to point up.
If you point your thumbs forward, your trigger finger will hit
your support side thumb, and the gun won't fire, and you won't be
able to figure out why the gun won't fire. I have seen this happen
in many classes with many different students, who were at various
levels of competence. Remember Murphy's Law, if anything can go
wrong, it will go wrong, at the worst possible time. So, relax your
thumbs and they will naturally go up. Pulling your thumb down to
grip your pistol as a hammer is wrong. (The exception might be
shooting one handed, for some persons.)
Why you should never shoot from a moving vehicle. Why you
should never shoot at a moving vehicle. Why you should never
shoot at a moving vehicle from a moving vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEhT5wqn9tY&fbclid=IwAR0bofVMpDRFwPjB-L88ar_GCwtnwlFY12fduIBANvX-YSDmhKk8rfCVr7c
You're going to miss, and every miss is destroying property
and injuring innocent bystanders, maybe killing them. Maybe in a
rural area, you could justify this. But, not in urban Anaheim, CA.
How to be as scary as hell in less than 5 seconds
http://thesurvivalmom.com/scary-hell-less-5-seconds/
Even as a child, people told me that I looked scary. So, I started wearing
glasses and grew my hair long. (My dad always wore a crew cut, so I did.)
I made a point of smiling. I think it helped. But, it's actually hard not to
leak information. (Unless you're psycho.) Because people generally feel
uncomfortable maintaining a facade. So, they have a hard time doing it.
Overcoming Threat-Fixation & Tunnel Vision
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/5/13/overcoming-threat-fixation-tunnel-vision/
Practice your after action drills, so that you will form the habit
of executing your after action dills automatically, so that in a high
stress situation you will execute your after action drills.
Autogenic breathing: inhale over a count of 4, hold for a count of 4,
exhale over a count of 4, repeat, repeat, repeat. This will improve your
judgment, lower your pulse rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure.
Quick check: As the Sheriff says, LOOK! No seriously, slow down and
look! If you have developed a California twitch, you are wrong (because
you won't see anything). At Front Sight, one of the instructors would stand
behind the line and hold a knife up. After the shooting drill, the range
master would ask the students, "What threat did you see behind you?"
Very few noticed the instructor hold the knife up in the air.
How To Clear a Double Feed Malfunction
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/clear-double-feed-malfunction/
People who have been in combat have a deep understanding of Murphy's Law
(Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong; at the worst possible time.).
They will never tolerate anything that could go wrong; equipment or personnel.
So, they will clean their weapons and replace parts. They will never forget
to bring something. They will never go on a mission with anyone they don't trust.
If ordered to, that weak link will have an administrative or medical problem
that will prevent them from deploying. Because we know Murphy's Law is true.
***** Tactics *****
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
Avoiding mistakes wins.
Brilliant moves not so much.
The move only gets called brilliant in retrospect,
if someone recorded it on video, and some POG
analyzed it. How often is that going to happen?
Medals are only given for conspicuous gallantry.
Almost all heroism is inconspicuous.
Highlands Ranch STEM Shooting
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/highlands-ranch-stem-shooting
Excerpt:
"Although police radios are not cheap (some cost over $5000 each),
I would advise that every school have an emergency police radio to
broadcast directly onto the police radio frequency in the event of
an emergency. Doing that will cut at least 3-4 minutes off of the
police response time. Active killers average six to eight victims
per minute. A response time four minutes faster equals a potential
of 32 lives saved."
"Audacity wins."
-- Carl von Clausewitz
***** Gear *****
3 Hot New Women's On-Body CCW Clothing Solutions
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2019/4/30/3-hot-new-womens-on-body-ccw-clothing-solutions/
The cited web sites:
https://darkalleydenim.com/
https://tacticafashion.com/
https://www.cancanconcealment.com/ (guys might not want to brows this
web site at a church luncheon)
If you're going to carry in a purse, the strap has to have a
steel cable running through it, and you have to put the strap over
your head (not just over your shoulder). This is real. The mother
of my friend at church had her purse stolen off of her body while
shopping in a grocery store.
Suggestion for concealed carry when exercising in public,
http://aliengearholsters.com/belly-band-holsters.html
You can use their belly band with your holster.
http://aliengearholsters.com/sport-tuck-belly-band-expansion.html
308 and 7.62×51
http://defense-training.com/2019/308-and-7-62x51/
Important technical and philosophical information.
Please do a thorough equipment inspection to make sure the pistol and holster function properly.
Remove the magazine.
Chamber check to make sure the pistol is unloaded.
If the pistol has a magazine safety and will only fire with a magazine inserted in the magazine
well, insert an empty magazine and make sure it is locked in place. (A magazine safety is a
design flaw. You must be able to shoot the round in the chamber if attacked while reloading.)
Keep the pistol pointed in a safe direction.
Press the trigger. You should feel slack (no sear movement) and then a hard stop
(sear engagement). Press through the hard stop to release the firing pin (sear movement).
(If the sear is machined correctly, the trigger release will be smooth and crisp, no catching,
no gritty feel, no friction.) You should hear the click of the firing pin being driven forward.
Put a pencil in the barrel with the rubber eraser end toward the firing pin and point the
pistol up. The firing mechanism should have enough force to pop the pencil out of the barrel.
(Otherwise, the student is going to get a lot of misfires due to light firing pin strikes.)
Press the trigger and hold it to the rear. Rack the slide. Release the trigger to reset
the action. There should be a distinct click on reset. (The lack of a distinct click on reset
is a design flaw. Multiple clicks, making it impossible to determine which click is the reset,
is a design flaw.) Take the slack out of the trigger. (Yes, there will be slack after reset.)
There should be a hard stop. Press through the hard stop. There should be a distinct click as
the firing pin is driven forward.
Make sure the pistol does not fire when any one of the safeties is on.
Make sure the pistol does not fire when holstering with the safeties off.
(Yes, some ill-fitting holsters will press the trigger when holstering.)
Make sure the pistol does not fire when the slide is out of battery. (Yes, I have heard
all of the safety vs. reliability arguments. If the pistol fires when the slide is out of
battery, the pistol is unsafe and should not be used. "Are you saying the Sig Sauer P229 is
unsafe and should not be used?" Yes, I am saying that.)
Make sure the pistol does not fall out of the holster when you turn it upside down and shake it.
(This may not apply to inside the waist band holsters that use the pressure of the belt to squeeze
the holster against the body.)
Make sure the mouth of the holster stays open, so the student can holster with one hand.
(Two handed holstering causes the student to muzzle his support side hand.)
Vigilant Gear
https://www.vigilantgear.com/
All kinds of neat stuff.
Only the SOFT and CAT tourniquets are certified.
A friend at work gave me a HALO (Hemorrhage Arresting, Lever Operated)
tourniquet to test out.
After using the HALO tourniquet and watching the YouTube.com videos
on their web site,
https://zrodelta.com/products/halo-tourniquet/
I have found that I can't turn the lever without pinching skin (to the extent
that I'm pretty sure I'd be tearing skin if I had to apply it for real). The
YouTube.com video says they have a patented "no pinch" device. But, I
have found that the HALO pinches skin every time. Clothing does not
seem to mitigate the pinching. One would have to put a piece if stiff cardboard
under the area where the strap goes into the buckle to prevent the pinching.
(They must know about this problem. Otherwise, why would they mention it?)
The instructional video says the HALO is better than the CAT or SOFT
because the effective strap is wider. The narrator says the tourniquet is wider
and therefore requires less pressure to stop the blood flow. That doesn't make sense.
The pressure required to stop the blood flow is whatever the blood pressure
in the body is.
Pressure is force divided by area. So,the wider the strap, the larger the area.
The larger the area, the more force required to achieve a given pressure.
So, if the HALO has a wider strap, it's going to require a larger force to
achieve the same pressure.
It's not obvious to me that the HALO lever creates more mechanical advantage
than the windlass on the CAT or the SOFT.
So, I can't recommend it to my students.
Tourniquet Musings by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/tourniquet-musings
Greg reviews some other tourniquets.
***** Instructors *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God’s gift to our students.
Our students are God’s gift to us."
TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO NOT OUTRUN THEIR HEADLIGHTS
https://ftaprotect.com/blog/teaching-students-not-to-outrun-headlights
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- Sara Ahrens (paraphrase)
“Shooting in Self-Defense” by Sara Ahrens
Losing A Legend Mourning Mike Voigt
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/losing-a-legend-mourning-mike-voigt/
Get your training while you can. Instructors don't teach forever.
And those who teach till the end, don't live forever.
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
The most difficult skill we teach! (Trigger Control)
http://defense-training.com/2019/most-difficult/
***** Pedagogy *****
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
Guns, Gear, and Training Issues in Last Weekend’s Shotgun Class
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/guns-gear-and-training-issues-in-last-weekends-shotgun-class
Please read the part about the "slug drill" and understand
why some of the students were having a problem. That's why it
is essential to teach the fundamentals, including the mechanics
of how things operate. Otherwise, the student may have a false
understanding of what's going on. As a matter of fact, this
sort of thing happens all the time in all areas of instruction.
Human brains are very good at filling in the gaps with obviously
correct beliefs that are completely wrong.
Always teach the fundamentals, because some of what your
students know to be true, is false.
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
Alarm Fatigue: Correlative Applications to Gun-Related Self Defense
https://havokjournal.com/culture/alarm-fatigue/
Excerpt:
"A 24/7/365 attempt at condition orange awareness will ultimately decrease
your awareness as your brain tells you that you are crying wolf."
That's why you should be in condition yellow, not orange, any time
you're not sleeping.
***** Education *****
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
Please check out the Law of Self Defense blog at
https://lawofselfdefense.com/
Always enlightening.
What is Concealed Carry?
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms-ownership/what-is-concealed-carry/
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
Concealed Carriers [Full Documentary]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9AXDa_OFo
Force-on-force training at the Sig Sauer Academy.
You should intend to win, not survive. Surviving as a paraplegic
is not acceptable.
It really doesn't matter what happens to the bad guy. He
forfeited his expectation of any happiness when he started the
hostilities. His injury or death is incidental to your mission
to stop his attack.
If you're going to carry, you need to take this (force-on-force)
training.
Everything that can go wrong will go wrong! You'll get
fatigued. Your holster will break off your belt. You'll have
an emotional break down. You won't be able to see. (Your glasses
will fog up. Or, it's too dark to see.) You'll get hurt. . . .
No matter how carefully you plan a training scenario, you
can't predict what will happen, what the student will do, what
props will malfunction, what will go wrong with the instructors
or actors.
The first time, the student doesn't remember anything.
By the last scenario, they are replaying it in their minds like
a bunch of golfers sitting around the 19th hole having a beer.
Why Eye Witnesses Get It Wrong
https://www.ted.com/talks/scott_fraser_the_problem_with_eyewitness_testimony
Excerpt:
Much of what the witnesses knew to be true was false.
A person's certainty of their correctness or the vividness of the
memory is not a good measure of the memory's accuracy.
The Average Gun Owner
https://revolverguy.com/tago/
You are the gun expert relative to "The Average Gun Owner" (TAGO).
It's your duty to teach in a friendly kind manner.
May I invite your attention to
https://robertforbus.com/
Spend some time exploring the tutorials.
I think you'll find them useful.
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
"Among many misdeeds of British rule in India,
history will look upon the act of depriving a
whole nation of arms, as the blackest!"
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Schools that Allow Teachers to Carry Guns are Extremely Safe:
Data on the Rate of Shootings and Accidents in Schools that allow Teachers to Carry
Newsletter article:
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/major-new-research-on-school-safety-schools-that-allow-teachers-to-carry-guns-havent-seen-school-shootings-during-school-hours/
Abstract:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3377801
Paper:
https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=101111070070115118000001093005004073116000017019026088089089079026078000095070110025052012063126123028115124116064019008117088044005075034012089072086085102073069035082087113070088102120080024074016007083098106121073096107083000003007029069067031&EXT=pdf
See the graph on page 8. It shows that schools that have armed teachers
have zero people killed on campus. Not statistically zero, but real number zero.
So, if you're going to send your child to a school, make sure the teachers are armed.
Why is this so? Because while bad guys may be crazy, they are not stupid.
They are not going to attack a school with armed teachers, because they might
get hurt.
Indiana becomes 17th state that doesn’t require
a fee or training to carry a concealed handgun
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/04/indiana-becomes-17th-state-that-doesnt-require-a-fee-or-training-to-get-a-concealed-handgun-permit/
Excerpt:
Now Indiana becomes the first state to offer a permit without a fee
and carry your concealed handgun in 32 states besides Indiana.
Besides the 16 Constitutional Carry states and Indiana, there are
seven other states with permits that don’t require training
to carry a gun.
Bill to let people carry without a permit overwhelmingly passes Texas state House
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/bill-to-let-people-carry-without-a-permit-overwhelmingly-passes-texas-state-house/
SCOTUS Denies New York City’s Motion – NYSRPA Case To Move Forward
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/05/01/scotus-denies-motion-nysrpa/
Excerpt:
In the language of NYSRPA’s filing is a request that SCOTUS rule
all 2nd Amendment cases be subject to strict scrutiny. If the court
agrees to implement Strict Scrutiny on all Second Amendment cases
then all gun laws brought before the court would have to pass a very
difficult 3-part test to be upheld as constitutional. The law or
policy would have to, first, be regarding a compelling governmental
interest. Secondly, the law or policy must be narrowly tailored.
Thirdly, the law or policy being challenged is the least restrictive
means of achieving that interest.
President Trump Signs Bill to Fund State-Level Gun Range Expansion
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/13/president-trump-signs-bill-fund-state-level-gun-range-expansion/
Booker’s Agenda
http://defense-training.com/2019/bookers-agenda/
What Do Jihadists Really Want? (2019) by Sam Harris
https://samharris.org/podcasts/154-jihadists-really-want-2019/
Excerpt:
"They hate us for our freedom." is true.
As a intelligence analyst, I find Mr. Harris' comments
concerning the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) magazine
article having excellent writing and excellent copy editing,
significant. Not many people on this planet have a command
of their native language, much less a command of a second or
third language. Newspapers in the U.S. are written at the
8th grade reading level, because that's their audience's reading
level. (Yes, including the New York Times.) [Having an
undergraduate or graduate degree does not mean the person
has a high level of reading comprehension. It just means they
had the perseverance to finish their degree. Perseverance is
a fine character trait. But, it has nothing to do with the
vocabulary, semantics, and logic of reading comprehension.]
Mr. Harris gives a better intel briefing than a lot I
have attended. He explains the Islamic jihadist mindset.
As Sun Tsu says in "The Art of War", you have to know your enemy.
In case you don't understand what's going on.
Nolte: Media Quickly Lost Interest in Politically Inconvenient School Shooting
https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2019/05/10/media-quickly-lost-interest-politically-inconvenient-school-shooting/
Baltimore’s War on Guns Almost Exclusively Targeted Black Neighborhoods
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/14/report-baltimores-war-on-guns-almost-exclusively-targeted-black-neighborhoods/
Weekend Knowledge Dump- May 17, 2019
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weekend-knowledge-dump-may-17-2019
See the article, "Why Don’t Cops Train Independently?"
See the article, "St. Louis-area cop indicted for shooting shoplifting suspect"
Greg Ellifritz says it's the individual officer's responsibility
to get training, because the police departments don't provide sufficient
training. But, some cops are prohibited from taking unauthorized training.
Which means any training not given by their department.
Freedom to self defend
Texas Gov. Abbott signs law lifting ban on brass knuckles, kitty key chains and clubs
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2019/05/15/brass-knuckles-kitty-keychains-ban-lifted-texas-lawmakers-heads-gov-abbotts-desk
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-- John Farnam
None dare call it ‘vigilantism’ — It’s ‘Justifiable Homicide’
https://americanhandgunner.com/insider-online/none-dare-call-it-vigilantism-its-justifiable-homicide/
According to FBI statistics, justifiable homicides are trending upward.
Actually, it's the Coast Guard that says, "Always Be Prepared",
as in their motto, "Semper Paratus".
It is the Boy Scouts of America who say, "Be Prepared", as their motto.
Excerpt:
Lest anyone wonder why a growing number of Americans [are] arming up and
fighting back, a report from KATU News in Portland, Oregon may offer one explanation.
A Multnomah County grand jury recently returned a 25-count indictment
against a man identified as Logan Johannsen, 26, who allegedly entered a man’s home,
fatally stabbed him and then drove away in the dead man’s car. The victim,
Gregory Isernhagen, was 50.
While the suspect’s guilt or innocence will be determined in court,
the potential for something similar to happen elsewhere often spurs gun buying
for the first time, plus increased interest in self-defense courses. No rational
person wants to take a life, but neither do they wish to become a murder victim.
Defensive gun uses by people legally carrying guns over the past two months
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/04/defensive-gun-uses-by-people-legally-carrying-guns-over-the-past-two-months-2/
North Texas homeowner shoots, kills intruder
http://www.fox4news.com/news/north-texas-homeowner-shoots-kills-intruder
Imagine the outcome if the woman did not have a gun. It's not enough
to have the will to fight. You must have the tools.
In his blog posting of May 31, 2019,
https://lawofselfdefense.com/blog/
Attorney Andrew Branca says,
"I can tell you that I’ve personally been involved in a lot of very difficult
decisions with clients about whether to accept an offered plea in such circumstances.
For many of them accepting the plea is the smart move, no matter how genuine their
belief that they acted in lawful self-defense. The risk of conviction and an
effectively life-ending sentence simply isn’t worth it."
In my classes, I teach my students to never accept a plea deal. Because, pleading
to a lesser offense to avoid the risk of a long prison sentence, is lying; and lying
is a sin. It is wrong to say you committed a crime when you did not. Don't let the
authority figures convince you to confess to a crime that you did not commit.
"Well, you can talk because you've never been in that position."
As a matter of fact, I have been in that position. The prosecutor offered me a
plea deal, that my attorney conveyed to me. But, I plead not guilty and the
Federal Magistrate in New Jersey dismissed all charges. (Not the same as a verdict
of not guilty, but effectively the same thing.) Pleading to a lesser offense would
have resulted in a conviction and caused me to lose my security clearance, my job,
the ability to hold positions of trust in the church, the ability to possess firearms,
and the trust of my children.
Even if you get convicted, you can appeal. It's just a matter of believing
you are righteous and having faith in the American justice system.
Keep the faith. God will bless you.
Showing how the percent of adults with concealed handgun permit changes in states over time from 2013 to 2018
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/showing-how-the-percent-of-adults-with-concealed-handgun-permit-changes-in-states-over-time-from-2013-to-2018/
The situation is much better than some of the graphs show, because many states
don't require a permit to carry, so you're not going to see much of an increase in
issued permits.
Democrats push gun control legislation that disarms poor minorities
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/05/democrats-push-gun-control-legislation-that-disarms-poor-minorities/
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Make sure to have a suction bulb syringe to suck the mucus out of your baby's
nose. Babies are nose breathers. They can't breath through their mouths because
their tongues are disproportionately large relative to their throats, just as their
heads are disproportionately large relative to their bodies. When you all were
born the nurse or midwife carefully sucked all the mucus and other junk out of
your nostrils. But, it doesn't end at birth. You have to continually take care of this.
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
-- John Farnam
Church Security Planning
https://warriorpoetsociety.us/church-security/
John Lovell recommends doing background checks on everyone on your
security team. The church can avoid the cost of this by requiring
everyone on the security team to get a Tennessee Handgun Permit at their
own expense. The applicant has to pass a background check, have a clean
criminal record, and have a clean mental health record in order to get
a THP.
John recommends the security team be highly trained. The church can
avoid this expense by choosing team members willing to train on their own
time and at their own expense. Yes, these people do exist; to them
protecting the flock is a calling, not a job.
John talks about weapons competency testing. He recommends standard
law enforcement tests, which are timed marksmanship tests on a range. In
my opinion that's just liability mitigation and not indicative of combat
competence. I would recommend testing the team members by taking them
to shoot an IDPA match or an IPSC match, in a tactically correct manner,
not racing to win the game (an entirely different process).
Judgment testing should be done in a force-on-force course or a computer
video simulator. There is a good Simunitions course given by Bob Allen
at Royal Range. Bill Hayes of Axiom Training runs a good video simulator
course.
The real importance of team meetings before going on duty is to ensure
everyone recognizes everyone else, so they don't shoot each other by mistake.
John says you have to have a sworn law enforcement officer to lay hands
on anyone. But, that's not true. All states have state licensed security guards:
armed and unarmed. Self-defense or defense-of-others justifies the laying on of hands.
You weren't assaulting him, you were blessing him (or attempting to heal him).
John misuses the word "violence". Good guys cannot commit violence as
the word is defined in the English language. Bad guys commit violence.
Good guys use force.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Sex Offender Registry
https://tnmap.tn.gov/sor/
FBI Sex Offender web sites
https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/sex-offender-registry
***** Basics *****
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
"Always carry a knife with you.
Just in case there's cheesecake,
or you need to stab someone in
the throat."
-- Gen. James Mattis, USMC
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
***** Miscellany *****
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
I have had to say the following to many people. --
May I suggest you look up the word "violence" in a scholarly dictionary?
(Such as American Heritage.) You are misusing the word. Only bad guys commit
violence. A good guy committing violence against a bad guy does not make sense,
as violence is defined in the English language. Good guys use force, not violence.
When it’s least expected, you’re selected.
-- John Farnam
Semper Fidelis,
Jon
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
God can do more than we can hope or imagine.
But, God can't do anything. He can't violate your free will.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
CWP, 2 May MMXIX Anno Domini
Greetings Sheepdogs,
***** Mindset *****
"THE CRIMINAL IS NOT SCARED OF YOUR FIREARM.
If you plan to resolve any conflict with your
gun’s deterrent value, you are making some
very bad assumptions."
-- Greg Ellifritz
Who Dares Wins.
-- motto of the Special Air Service
Situational Awareness Training and Evaluating Human Behavior
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/situational-awareness-training-and-evaluating-human-behavior/
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
“Disengage and Separate”
http://defense-training.com/2019/driveways-and-parking-lots-the-most-dangerous-places-you-go/
"In combat you will perform at 70% of your worst day on the range."
-- Paul Ford
***** Safety *****
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
Statistically speaking, holstering is the most dangerous
part of any training class. This is where students shoot themselves
in the leg or foot. This happens when the badly designed holster
or the worn out holster presses the trigger. This happens when
the person holsters his pistol with his finger on the trigger instead
of in the register position. This happens when something (shirt,
windbreaker drawstring, undershirt, necklace, etc.) gets caught
in the holster when holstering. All avoidable with competent
training.
***** Training *****
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
Are You Out-shooting Your Brain? Jared Reston, Field Notes Ep. 29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMA7Y7aer0
Yes, you can shoot faster than you can think. I've seen
it happen many times, always with negative outcomes.
Why do I need to train?
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique
to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if
that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for
that which could have been their finest hour."
-- Winston Churchill
Training Scars
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/training-scars
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
***** Practice *****
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
***** Techniques *****
“Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
Strategy for the Armed Citizen
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/4/26/avoidance-the-best-strategy-for-the-armed-citizen/
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
The rear sight is a window. You look through the rear sight
to see the front sight. The front sight is the object of interest.
Yes, I know that's counter intuitive. You're thinking the bad guy
should be the object of interest. But, if you focus on the bad
guy, the front sight will wander off and you'll never notice it
moving off the target. Then you'll wonder why you're not hitting
where you are aiming. It's because you are not aiming. Focusing
on the front sight is aiming. Focusing on the threat is not aiming.
Focus on the front sight!
To focus on the front sight, you must be able to focus on
the front sight. Do you need glasses? New glasses? Reading glasses?
[If you've got enough time to put on your glasses to check out that
cute person, you've got enough time to put on your glasses to check
out that active murderer.]
To focus on the front sight, you must practice focusing on
the front sight. If front sight focus does not happen automatically,
you haven't practiced enough.
But, what about all those instructors that teach "point shooting",
"target focused shooting", "instinctive shooting", etc., where you
don't focus on the front sight? They are wrong.
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Accept your wobble. When you achieve a surprise trigger break,
you will get good hits, no matter how much your sights look like
they are wobbling. Yes, actually it is magic. (Any sufficiently
advanced technology will appear as magic to the ignorant. God's
creation, the human, is very advanced technology.)
***** Tactics *****
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
So, how do we avoid getting shot?
"Avoiding Stupidity is Easier than Seeking Brilliance"
https://fs.blog/2014/06/avoiding-stupidity/
That is to say, 'Avoiding getting shot is easier than getting
that A-Zone hit.'
We run away. (Retreat is a tactical maneuver. Retreat is not
surrender.) We use cover and concealment. We move. We shoot
whatever is visible without exposing ourselves (this may be the
enemy's foot or elbow); as opposed to taking the center of mass shot,
which necessitates exposing more of our body.
We know our limits and stay within our capabilities;
because we know that,
'In combat you will perform at 70% of your worst day on the range.'
-- Paul Ford
'In combat you'll be half as good as your best day on the range.'
-- Ignatius Piazza
So, we don't take that low probability shot (because we might miss
and hit an innocent bystander). Instead, we close with the enemy
to take the high probability shot.
In foil and epee fencing we learned special infighting
techniques to get our electric tips on the target, so we could
score. Our pistols are short, allowing us to make contact shots
without contortions. Strive for a shot at the side of the neck
down into the torso. The human skull is very hard. Your pistol
bullet might not penetrate it, even at contact. (Ya, I know
it always works in the movies, but that's fiction.)
Pull your elbow back away from the enemy. Do not press your
muzzle into the enemy, because that will push your slide out of
battery.
Avoiding mistakes wins.
"Audacity wins."
-- Carl von Clausewitz
I have been to many schools where they do exercises to
show you your inhibitions. Because once you recognize them,
you can overcome them. An inhibition that stops you from
getting a gun or taking the shot will get you killed.
***** Gear *****
Why Ballistics Gel Works and Caliber Arguments are Dumb
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/why-ballistics-gel-works/
Words of wisdom from experts.
No More Stinky Body Armor
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/no-more-stinky-body-armor
Not just for body armor.
Boberg XR9S & XR45S: The Bullpup Pistols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YtFhLMJNzg
The narrator explains why cartridge crimp is critically
important with this type of pistol. Reducing the length of
the pistol without shortening the barrel. Brilliant!
***** Instructors *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God’s gift to our students.
Our students are God’s gift to us."
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
***** Pedagogy *****
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
***** Education *****
Alex Sansone posted these After Action Reports on blocks of instruction
from this past Tactical Conference (2019 A.D.):
AAR Larry Lindenman: Saps & Jacks
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_BHKMblP9Nws7fgKGtrnZXjD1cX9UA6Izc8uqoAMa7s/edit?fbclid=IwAR0iKJFtvmAEcP_K0qxpsr3tJsLUPfJ0SBNV2MpfQytUVBtkHPjuxAMdb3o
AAR Chris Fry: Practical Folding Knife
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvxZDjYheK6uq41643GDir5M1PFEx2kJZjzCQhQGTn0/edit?fbclid=IwAR1OXTaGLwyJcL0p_KiDgijICYDW2ku9xKurX3paQFkYoW3VXmuWUV1v7EM
AAR Lee Weems: Police Citizen Contacts
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f6da9TW_GO_TwpzrZiS5s6qJwgCzxzaiZLbVjRs0sLc/edit?fbclid=IwAR2wnNR4r8rIwUx1AKhgsuFlU5-K0G7EVQjn8qRPF9YgOX4NSlzrqsY2oX4
AAR Tom Givens: Social Shotgun
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jTkYTM7-DaK4YzeVRWwKACQZETs1ONuaIDOFvtysnXQ/edit?fbclid=IwAR1BXbGyEZV105gCzJejJ7IlhR_Fx-Yf8GbeRNJeBIXn5fXpvejSBEBYXvk
AAR Paul Sharp: Recoil Management
https://docs.google.com/document/d/189UF1NIPudGwyayKn7YoC23gKNWwQV4c8fK5ufql5Cs/edit?fbclid=IwAR0LHhSw6plK-YnSjL4uYKAVIKsFWLtV5Ttk1ecFQBgOzq3PZv0O6nZmAS4
AAR Gabe White: Technical Skills for Tactical Success
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TkUgBGqXpN--0vnKdMl0oVJnTX0e6KyodOO1WKXE6Tg/edit?fbclid=IwAR05JN64GQ5xwgGcwHWEUGpbclWL8ghOwGE8ppb3-r3TWBMBCfY1bSPVcLE
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
Sure Fire's Field Notes series of videos,
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGEq1uyckXhQ_KTQYuu8AZ-SfAt6WGs31
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
MODERN WARRIOR PROJECT
Black Label Report
Justifiable Homicides
Law Enforcement Officers Killed
Law Enforcement Officers Assaulted
Officer-Involved Shootings
Gunfights
https://myreadyroom.com/Modern-Warrior-Project-Black%20Label-Report-Volume-1-FINAL%20(1JAN19)reduced.pdf
Excerpts:
The 45 (49%) private citizen gunfights lasted on overage 9.2seconds,
ranging from 2 – 25 seconds with a difference of 23 seconds.
Out of 92 gunfights, multiple aggressors were involved in 28 (30.4%) cases.
Over 50% of officers experienced distortions in Visual Detail,
Slow Motion, or Tunnel Vision during a shooting event, with 80%
experiencing Diminished Sound.
Justifiable Homicide, 1996 and 2017:
Over the 22 year focus there were 14,207 total justifiable homicides,
averaging 646 per year.
Overall, law enforcement officers were responsible for 8,529 (60.0%) of all
justifiable homicides and private citizens were responsible for the
remaining 5,678 (40.0%).
Nearly 12% of justifiable homicides by private citizens being carried
out with edged weapons makes a strong case for every day carry knives and
proper training, particularly for locations that restrict 2nd amendment rights.
Please read the section on emotional and physical responses.
This is truth that you need to be aware of.
While this is not a peer reviewed journal paper, it does cite primary
sources and draws reasonable conclusion without statistical rigor.
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
Mr. Farnam's suggestions on behaviors to avoid being entrapped
by the Red Flag laws.
http://defense-training.com/2019/red-flags/
President Trump at the 2019 NRA Annual Meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZquUWSsWoac
The testimonials of persons who used guns to defend
themselves and others will touch your heart.
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-– John Farnam
UPDATED: Compiling Cases where concealed handgun permit holders
have stopped mass public shootings and other mass attacks
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/04/uber-driver-in-chicago-stops-mass-public-shooting/
Female gun ownership and the rise of fashionable "carrywear"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/female-gun-ownership-and-the-rise-of-fashionable-carrywear/
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
-- John Farnam
***** Basics *****
Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses.
-- Tom Givens
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
***** Miscellany *****
The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get.
-- John Holschen
Math is philosophy. Philosophy is pure thought (no experimentation).
Actually, Donald Knuth said,
Computer Science has nothing to do with computers or science.
[If I put the text in quotation marks with a citation, it's
something I read. If not, it's something someone said to me
that I am recalling from memory and should be considered a
paraphrase.] Which is true. Computer science is pure math.
Which is philosophy (as opposed to science). Which is pure thought,
no physical experiments need be done (Just as you don't need
a chess board and pieces to play chess. They are just
artificial conveniences.), just thought experiments.
For your entertainment:
The Halting Problem (Computer Science)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t37GQgUPa6k
Which is a special case of
Russell's Paradox (Set Theory)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xauCQpnbNAM
"What's your point, Staff?"
Self-Defense has nothing to do with self or defense.
Self-defense is often taught as a martial art form or as
a combat practice ("practice" in the sense that a doctor
has a medical practice). I suspect most of my audience
are Christians. So, death of self is no big deal.
As Tatiana Whitlock says, we practice for those who
love us. So, that we will be around for those who love us.
Not primarily to preserve self.
Defense is a losing proposition. So, we avoid it.
If your training is correct, you are learning techniques
that allow / cause you to never need to defend.
If your self-defense train is all about fighting
your way out of a bad situation, your instructor is doing
you a disservice in neglecting the teaching of the
techniques to avoid the bad situation.
Combat causes friendly casualties. So, it is best
avoided. That's why the Marine Corps teaches maneuver
warfare. That's why Fredrick the Great (of Prussia)
practiced maneuver warfare. A study of his campaigns
leads to the discover that he rarely engaged in combat.
Getting your subordinates killed doesn't accomplish
your goals. No, taking friendly casualties is not
necessary in war or any type of combat. Consider the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It avoided Operation
Olympic. More recently, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Relatively few friendly casualties.
The point is, you have to have made the decision
to use the nuclear option before the start of hostilities,
if it is to be used in time to avoid friendly casualties.
[Remember the swatting the mosquito exercise?]
It is impossible to hide this decision. So, any competent
enemy will not start hostilities. Unfortunately, many
people on this planet are stupid. You will have to
stop them. (You should not get into a fight with them.
Just immediately incapacitate them.) The sooner you
incapacitate them, the less injury you and your loved ones
will suffer. This should be your mindset.
The police are public servants. They are your
servants. Be nice to your servants. They are scared
(because they have much less training than you do),
and their first priority is to protect themselves.
Aid them in their endeavor to do so by holstering your
pistol before they arrive.
Attorneys are hired guns. Hire the best you can,
and follow their advice. No, as a matter of fact, you
are not smarter than they are.
I once had to help a lady whose husband died without
life insurance. His failure to buy life insurance was
an act of irresponsibility. Be responsible. Buy self-
defense insurance. It's what responsible adults do to
protect their loved ones. The enemy bankrupting you
will affect your family. Remember,
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid." -- John Wayne
Don't be stupid. Buy life insurance, because you might
lose the fight. Buy self-defense insurance, because
you might win the fight.
[The young girls love the handsome champion surfers.
They may even marry them. But, in their next stage of
life, they live with the responsible ones. Responsible
nice guys win (in the end).]
When it’s least expected, you’re selected.
-- John Farnam
Semper Fidelis,
Jon
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
God can do more than we can hope or imagine.
***** Mindset *****
"THE CRIMINAL IS NOT SCARED OF YOUR FIREARM.
If you plan to resolve any conflict with your
gun’s deterrent value, you are making some
very bad assumptions."
-- Greg Ellifritz
Who Dares Wins.
-- motto of the Special Air Service
Situational Awareness Training and Evaluating Human Behavior
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/situational-awareness-training-and-evaluating-human-behavior/
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
“Disengage and Separate”
http://defense-training.com/2019/driveways-and-parking-lots-the-most-dangerous-places-you-go/
"In combat you will perform at 70% of your worst day on the range."
-- Paul Ford
***** Safety *****
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
Statistically speaking, holstering is the most dangerous
part of any training class. This is where students shoot themselves
in the leg or foot. This happens when the badly designed holster
or the worn out holster presses the trigger. This happens when
the person holsters his pistol with his finger on the trigger instead
of in the register position. This happens when something (shirt,
windbreaker drawstring, undershirt, necklace, etc.) gets caught
in the holster when holstering. All avoidable with competent
training.
***** Training *****
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
Are You Out-shooting Your Brain? Jared Reston, Field Notes Ep. 29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMA7Y7aer0
Yes, you can shoot faster than you can think. I've seen
it happen many times, always with negative outcomes.
Why do I need to train?
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique
to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if
that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for
that which could have been their finest hour."
-- Winston Churchill
Training Scars
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/training-scars
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
***** Practice *****
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
***** Techniques *****
“Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
Strategy for the Armed Citizen
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/4/26/avoidance-the-best-strategy-for-the-armed-citizen/
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
The rear sight is a window. You look through the rear sight
to see the front sight. The front sight is the object of interest.
Yes, I know that's counter intuitive. You're thinking the bad guy
should be the object of interest. But, if you focus on the bad
guy, the front sight will wander off and you'll never notice it
moving off the target. Then you'll wonder why you're not hitting
where you are aiming. It's because you are not aiming. Focusing
on the front sight is aiming. Focusing on the threat is not aiming.
Focus on the front sight!
To focus on the front sight, you must be able to focus on
the front sight. Do you need glasses? New glasses? Reading glasses?
[If you've got enough time to put on your glasses to check out that
cute person, you've got enough time to put on your glasses to check
out that active murderer.]
To focus on the front sight, you must practice focusing on
the front sight. If front sight focus does not happen automatically,
you haven't practiced enough.
But, what about all those instructors that teach "point shooting",
"target focused shooting", "instinctive shooting", etc., where you
don't focus on the front sight? They are wrong.
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Accept your wobble. When you achieve a surprise trigger break,
you will get good hits, no matter how much your sights look like
they are wobbling. Yes, actually it is magic. (Any sufficiently
advanced technology will appear as magic to the ignorant. God's
creation, the human, is very advanced technology.)
***** Tactics *****
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
So, how do we avoid getting shot?
"Avoiding Stupidity is Easier than Seeking Brilliance"
https://fs.blog/2014/06/avoiding-stupidity/
That is to say, 'Avoiding getting shot is easier than getting
that A-Zone hit.'
We run away. (Retreat is a tactical maneuver. Retreat is not
surrender.) We use cover and concealment. We move. We shoot
whatever is visible without exposing ourselves (this may be the
enemy's foot or elbow); as opposed to taking the center of mass shot,
which necessitates exposing more of our body.
We know our limits and stay within our capabilities;
because we know that,
'In combat you will perform at 70% of your worst day on the range.'
-- Paul Ford
'In combat you'll be half as good as your best day on the range.'
-- Ignatius Piazza
So, we don't take that low probability shot (because we might miss
and hit an innocent bystander). Instead, we close with the enemy
to take the high probability shot.
In foil and epee fencing we learned special infighting
techniques to get our electric tips on the target, so we could
score. Our pistols are short, allowing us to make contact shots
without contortions. Strive for a shot at the side of the neck
down into the torso. The human skull is very hard. Your pistol
bullet might not penetrate it, even at contact. (Ya, I know
it always works in the movies, but that's fiction.)
Pull your elbow back away from the enemy. Do not press your
muzzle into the enemy, because that will push your slide out of
battery.
Avoiding mistakes wins.
"Audacity wins."
-- Carl von Clausewitz
I have been to many schools where they do exercises to
show you your inhibitions. Because once you recognize them,
you can overcome them. An inhibition that stops you from
getting a gun or taking the shot will get you killed.
***** Gear *****
Why Ballistics Gel Works and Caliber Arguments are Dumb
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/why-ballistics-gel-works/
Words of wisdom from experts.
No More Stinky Body Armor
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/no-more-stinky-body-armor
Not just for body armor.
Boberg XR9S & XR45S: The Bullpup Pistols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YtFhLMJNzg
The narrator explains why cartridge crimp is critically
important with this type of pistol. Reducing the length of
the pistol without shortening the barrel. Brilliant!
***** Instructors *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God’s gift to our students.
Our students are God’s gift to us."
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
***** Pedagogy *****
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
***** Education *****
Alex Sansone posted these After Action Reports on blocks of instruction
from this past Tactical Conference (2019 A.D.):
AAR Larry Lindenman: Saps & Jacks
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_BHKMblP9Nws7fgKGtrnZXjD1cX9UA6Izc8uqoAMa7s/edit?fbclid=IwAR0iKJFtvmAEcP_K0qxpsr3tJsLUPfJ0SBNV2MpfQytUVBtkHPjuxAMdb3o
AAR Chris Fry: Practical Folding Knife
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvxZDjYheK6uq41643GDir5M1PFEx2kJZjzCQhQGTn0/edit?fbclid=IwAR1OXTaGLwyJcL0p_KiDgijICYDW2ku9xKurX3paQFkYoW3VXmuWUV1v7EM
AAR Lee Weems: Police Citizen Contacts
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f6da9TW_GO_TwpzrZiS5s6qJwgCzxzaiZLbVjRs0sLc/edit?fbclid=IwAR2wnNR4r8rIwUx1AKhgsuFlU5-K0G7EVQjn8qRPF9YgOX4NSlzrqsY2oX4
AAR Tom Givens: Social Shotgun
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jTkYTM7-DaK4YzeVRWwKACQZETs1ONuaIDOFvtysnXQ/edit?fbclid=IwAR1BXbGyEZV105gCzJejJ7IlhR_Fx-Yf8GbeRNJeBIXn5fXpvejSBEBYXvk
AAR Paul Sharp: Recoil Management
https://docs.google.com/document/d/189UF1NIPudGwyayKn7YoC23gKNWwQV4c8fK5ufql5Cs/edit?fbclid=IwAR0LHhSw6plK-YnSjL4uYKAVIKsFWLtV5Ttk1ecFQBgOzq3PZv0O6nZmAS4
AAR Gabe White: Technical Skills for Tactical Success
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TkUgBGqXpN--0vnKdMl0oVJnTX0e6KyodOO1WKXE6Tg/edit?fbclid=IwAR05JN64GQ5xwgGcwHWEUGpbclWL8ghOwGE8ppb3-r3TWBMBCfY1bSPVcLE
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
Sure Fire's Field Notes series of videos,
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGEq1uyckXhQ_KTQYuu8AZ-SfAt6WGs31
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
MODERN WARRIOR PROJECT
Black Label Report
Justifiable Homicides
Law Enforcement Officers Killed
Law Enforcement Officers Assaulted
Officer-Involved Shootings
Gunfights
https://myreadyroom.com/Modern-Warrior-Project-Black%20Label-Report-Volume-1-FINAL%20(1JAN19)reduced.pdf
Excerpts:
The 45 (49%) private citizen gunfights lasted on overage 9.2seconds,
ranging from 2 – 25 seconds with a difference of 23 seconds.
Out of 92 gunfights, multiple aggressors were involved in 28 (30.4%) cases.
Over 50% of officers experienced distortions in Visual Detail,
Slow Motion, or Tunnel Vision during a shooting event, with 80%
experiencing Diminished Sound.
Justifiable Homicide, 1996 and 2017:
Over the 22 year focus there were 14,207 total justifiable homicides,
averaging 646 per year.
Overall, law enforcement officers were responsible for 8,529 (60.0%) of all
justifiable homicides and private citizens were responsible for the
remaining 5,678 (40.0%).
Nearly 12% of justifiable homicides by private citizens being carried
out with edged weapons makes a strong case for every day carry knives and
proper training, particularly for locations that restrict 2nd amendment rights.
Please read the section on emotional and physical responses.
This is truth that you need to be aware of.
While this is not a peer reviewed journal paper, it does cite primary
sources and draws reasonable conclusion without statistical rigor.
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
Mr. Farnam's suggestions on behaviors to avoid being entrapped
by the Red Flag laws.
http://defense-training.com/2019/red-flags/
President Trump at the 2019 NRA Annual Meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZquUWSsWoac
The testimonials of persons who used guns to defend
themselves and others will touch your heart.
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-– John Farnam
UPDATED: Compiling Cases where concealed handgun permit holders
have stopped mass public shootings and other mass attacks
https://crimeresearch.org/2019/04/uber-driver-in-chicago-stops-mass-public-shooting/
Female gun ownership and the rise of fashionable "carrywear"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/female-gun-ownership-and-the-rise-of-fashionable-carrywear/
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
-- John Farnam
***** Basics *****
Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses.
-- Tom Givens
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
***** Miscellany *****
The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get.
-- John Holschen
Math is philosophy. Philosophy is pure thought (no experimentation).
Actually, Donald Knuth said,
Computer Science has nothing to do with computers or science.
[If I put the text in quotation marks with a citation, it's
something I read. If not, it's something someone said to me
that I am recalling from memory and should be considered a
paraphrase.] Which is true. Computer science is pure math.
Which is philosophy (as opposed to science). Which is pure thought,
no physical experiments need be done (Just as you don't need
a chess board and pieces to play chess. They are just
artificial conveniences.), just thought experiments.
For your entertainment:
The Halting Problem (Computer Science)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t37GQgUPa6k
Which is a special case of
Russell's Paradox (Set Theory)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xauCQpnbNAM
"What's your point, Staff?"
Self-Defense has nothing to do with self or defense.
Self-defense is often taught as a martial art form or as
a combat practice ("practice" in the sense that a doctor
has a medical practice). I suspect most of my audience
are Christians. So, death of self is no big deal.
As Tatiana Whitlock says, we practice for those who
love us. So, that we will be around for those who love us.
Not primarily to preserve self.
Defense is a losing proposition. So, we avoid it.
If your training is correct, you are learning techniques
that allow / cause you to never need to defend.
If your self-defense train is all about fighting
your way out of a bad situation, your instructor is doing
you a disservice in neglecting the teaching of the
techniques to avoid the bad situation.
Combat causes friendly casualties. So, it is best
avoided. That's why the Marine Corps teaches maneuver
warfare. That's why Fredrick the Great (of Prussia)
practiced maneuver warfare. A study of his campaigns
leads to the discover that he rarely engaged in combat.
Getting your subordinates killed doesn't accomplish
your goals. No, taking friendly casualties is not
necessary in war or any type of combat. Consider the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It avoided Operation
Olympic. More recently, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Relatively few friendly casualties.
The point is, you have to have made the decision
to use the nuclear option before the start of hostilities,
if it is to be used in time to avoid friendly casualties.
[Remember the swatting the mosquito exercise?]
It is impossible to hide this decision. So, any competent
enemy will not start hostilities. Unfortunately, many
people on this planet are stupid. You will have to
stop them. (You should not get into a fight with them.
Just immediately incapacitate them.) The sooner you
incapacitate them, the less injury you and your loved ones
will suffer. This should be your mindset.
The police are public servants. They are your
servants. Be nice to your servants. They are scared
(because they have much less training than you do),
and their first priority is to protect themselves.
Aid them in their endeavor to do so by holstering your
pistol before they arrive.
Attorneys are hired guns. Hire the best you can,
and follow their advice. No, as a matter of fact, you
are not smarter than they are.
I once had to help a lady whose husband died without
life insurance. His failure to buy life insurance was
an act of irresponsibility. Be responsible. Buy self-
defense insurance. It's what responsible adults do to
protect their loved ones. The enemy bankrupting you
will affect your family. Remember,
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid." -- John Wayne
Don't be stupid. Buy life insurance, because you might
lose the fight. Buy self-defense insurance, because
you might win the fight.
[The young girls love the handsome champion surfers.
They may even marry them. But, in their next stage of
life, they live with the responsible ones. Responsible
nice guys win (in the end).]
When it’s least expected, you’re selected.
-- John Farnam
Semper Fidelis,
Jon
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
God can do more than we can hope or imagine.
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