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.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
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.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
CWP, 19 April MMXIX Anno Domini
With God, all things are possible.
Greetings Sheepdogs,
***** Mindset *****
Training Mindset
"Amateurs think equipment.
Students think techniques.
Experts think tactics."
-- John Holschen, InSights Training
---
You will only be able to buy equipment correctly if
you have had competent training. Because then you are
making informed intelligent decisions.
Through training and practice, techniques are learned
to an unconscious reflexive level. If you don't have to
think about the techniques, you will have the bandwidth to
think about tactics.
Good-guy tactics are entirely different from bad-guy
tactics. Because we care. We avoid endangering innocent
bystanders, much less injuring them. Good tactics is a
learned skill. There is nothing natural or instinctive
about combat tactics. Expert training is the only way
to learn good tactics.
[There really isn't any substitute for experience.
Teaching from 'first hand experience' is entirely
different from teaching from 'academic study'.
Sorry, but that's just truth. So, if you are going to
teach civilians concealed carry for self defense, you
should be carrying concealed every day. Otherwise, you
won't be able to answer simple questions.
"But, Staff, the simple questions are just common sense."
WRONG!
When my wife and I were applying for her U.S.
permanent residency, the immigration agent separated us and
asked simple questions that any couple living together
could easily answer, but were effectively impossible for
two people who did not live together to answer (with matching answers).
At Israeli airports, the security agents will strike
up casual conversations with passengers in the waiting
area. The questions will be friendly and simple. But, each
question will be based on the responses of the previous
questions. They go deep, not broad. If you haven't been
there, done that, you won't know the answer.
"What should I do when I have to use a public restroom?"
"What should I do when some one wants to hug me?"
An instructor should have a cogent answer that actually
worked in personal experience. Why?]
"Amateurs talk tactics.
Professionals talk logistics."
-- Napoleon
Napoleon is talking about regimental commanders,
senior field grade officers, colonels. But, it applies
to you. All the good tactics are for nought if you
don't have:
Health (which requires food, water, exercise,
and sleep [and proper dental and medical care]);
Tools (flashlight [at least 500 lumens], first
aid kit [a real one with tourniquet, etc.] pistol,
ammunition, holster, extra loaded magazines, etc.); and
Training. You have to know if it's appropriate
to apply the tourniquet. (If I apply a tourniquet
the limb will have to be amputated, WRONG!)
If so, you have to know where to apply the tourniquet.
(2 to 3 inches above the wound, WRONG! That is not
modern best practice.) You have to know how to apply
the tourniquet. You have to be able to do it fast.
[That's real self defense.]
Talk to anyone who has served in infantry. They
are always willing to carry extra ammo and water.
That's logistics.
THE DANGERS OF INTERVENTION
http://www.stoppingpower.net/commentary/comm_dangers_in_intervention.asp
". . . personal defense is a lifestyle, not a hobby."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
Shooting in Self Defense: What to Do When the Police Arrive
https://www.range365.com/self-defense-shooting-what-to-do-when-police-arrive
EWR
http://defense-training.com/2019/ewr/
Excerpt:
Don’t fail the attitude test!
Costa Rica Store Owner Gets Shot, Stays in Fight, Kills Attacker
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2019/03/costa-rica-store-owner-shoots-attacker/
Excerpt:
Had this Costa Rica store owner simply laid there in pain,
he probably would have died. He, however, refused to go silently
into the night. Instead, he protected his store, his customers,
and his life, and stopped a bad guy from ever doing something
similar again.
***** Safety *****
John Farnam says the primary cause of negligent discharges
is unnecessary gun handling. So, . . .
When you go to the bathroom, keep your pistol in its
holster. Keep your holster on your gun belt.
When you take your clothes off to take a bath or go to
bed, keep your pistol in its holster. If you need to lock it
up, put the holster and pistol in the safe and lock it. Don't
take the pistol out of the holster.
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
***** Training *****
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
In Shape for Shooting: How Fit Do You Have To Be?
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2019/4/5/in-shape-for-shooting-how-fit-do-you-have-to-be/
Yes, as a matter of fact, this is critically important.
Tactical Application of a Bianchi Plate Rack
by Dave Spaulding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR77XCjfICs&fbclid=IwAR2NRqBdZxwzvXAcx2b1VSmsUjEUdEnKWqbpPjJYF9b27VGmBXFBWPo9Ln0
“Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
1998 NTI (National Tactical Invitational)
http://defense-training.com/1998/1998-nti-national-tactical-invitational/
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
Distance Shooting: Myth of the Average Engagement (December 2013)
by the late Patrick Rogers
https://www.swatmag.com/article/distance-shooting-myth-average-engagement/
[The laws for us, state licensed armed guards in Tennessee,
are much better these days. Still pretty bad in other states.
-- Jon Low]
Studying Self-Defense: Do Your Homework
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/4/5/studying-self-defense-do-your-homework/
9. Concealed Carry: Lethal Force Tactics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HilfliL8Lco
The rest of the episodes,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ju5GtzzgLE&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSduhVBwzGL2ROyN-TSdDGLq
I have taken classes from John Murphy. I highly recommend
you take classes from him.
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
Making space . . . before you need it!
https://godgalsgunsgrub.blogspot.com/2019/03/making-space-before-you-need-it.html
[This link does not seem to work anymore. The context is gas station
pumps.]
One more tip from [Greg Ellifritz]. Now that many pumps have video
screens that play advertisements while distributing gas, you should not
be staring at the screen clueless about your surroundings. Those video
screens are going to contribute to more robberies than anyone can even
imagine. Ignore them.
Extreme Close Quarters
https://www.mdtstraining.com/extreme-close-quarters/
Six questions you need to answer with training.
In combat you will perform at 70% of your worst day on the range.
-- Paul Ford
Skill Set: Another Look at Speed
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/1bbb7dde-f641-4fe5-abf0-a1b108ccc1a2
Excerpts:
Time is an important consideration, but not in the way most people think.
Regardless of what you’re doing, there’s a limit on how fast you can perform.
Go too fast and things fall apart, mistakes occur – which consume more time.
Overall efficiency drops.
. . .
It’s not about the speed you perform;
it is about how quick you make the decision to act.
***** 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
Four Key Systematic Drills for Handgun Skill Development
https://www.shooting-performance.com/four-key-systematic-drills-for-handgun-skill-developement/
My filling in the details of the article:
5 shots precisely with correct sight alignment, sight movie,
and trigger control. Strive for a tight group (bullet holes all touching).
5 shots carefully to the high thoracic cavity (triangle defined
by the nipples and notch at the top of the sternum). Strive for
a hand span sized group. If the group is smaller than a hand span,
speed up. If the group is larger than a hand span, slow down.
5 shots carefully to the cranio-ocular cavity. Slow down
until you can get all five within the eyes and nose. Then speed
up until you can't.
3 shots to the high thoracic cavity, 2 shots to the cranio-ocular
cavity. Slow down until you can get all 5 shots into the correct
areas. Then speed up until you can't.
A man's got to know his limits. -- Dirty Harry
Doesn't matter what those limits are. If you know what they are,
you can compensate accordingly by adjusting your distance, speed,
tactics (movement, cover, etc.), and techniques (standing, kneeling,
prone, etc.).
"How Should You Practice After Training?"
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/how-should-you-practice-after-training/
Excerpts:
The saying “Only perfect practice makes perfect” applies
not only to the physical skills involved but also to the
structure of what and how you practice.
. . .
The steps involved in developing your practice plan might look like:
Gather information
Recreate incidents
Prepare a practice plan: Drills and Scenarios
Document your results and plan your next session
Practicing in the Resource-Constrained Environment
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/practicing-in-the-resource-constrained-environment/
Excerpt:
There are several ways to maximize the resources we do have:
Visualization
Dry fire
Effective range use
Inert guns
Lasers and laser training devices
Role play
Shooting events
6 Defensive Handgun Drills to Master
https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/training/6-defensive-handgun-drills-to-master
***** Techniques *****
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
Three Pistol Breaking Points
http://www.forcenecessary.com/three-pistol-breaking-points/
by Hock Hochheim of Force Necessary
http://www.forcenecessary.com/
Email: HockHochheim@ForceNecessary.com
He did a class at Royal Range in Nashville, TN recently.
Excerpt:
* Hand sizes are different. Gun sizes are different.
* Understand the stress grab and drawing from awkward positions.
* Find your best finger position for a squeeze, gun-by-gun.
* You cannot/should not always shoot with two-hands.
* You cannot/should not always shoot with one hand.
* You cannot always shoot with an acquisition of sights.
* There is probably a good chance you are doing too much
shooting with two-hands in comparison to close quarter
incidents/statistics.
* Through experiments, know the best distances for single
and double-hand, pistol grips.
* Train with simulated ammo in likely situations.
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Rangemanster April 2019 newsletter
https://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-04_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
How to Master the Double Action Trigger
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/how-to-master-the-double-action-trigger/
It may cost you not to pay attention
http://www.recoilweb.com/it-may-cost-you-not-to-pay-attention-40343.html
As Dave Spaulding likes to remind us,
“It’s not new. It’s just new to you.”
***** Tactics *****
Audacity wins.
-- Carl von Clausewitz
Who Dares Wins.
-- motto of the Special Air Service
***** Gear *****
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
If you're going to carry pepper spray, take a class and learn
how to do it properly.
You have to practice with inert units, otherwise you won't
know the trajectory of your stream, fog, or spray; and you won't
know how the wind can blow it back in your face.
You have to experience it in your eyes, otherwise you won't
know how it affects you. You have to see how it affects the
other students in your class, otherwise you just won't understand.
In my military police training, I learned that pepper spray
debilitates me. I observed that it had no effect on about 10%
of the Marines in my class. I saw that about half of the Marines
could fight through the effects and accomplish the mission
in spite of the pepper spray. [So, as a civilian, I made the
decision not to carry pepper spray, because it has
100% effect on me (when the wind blows it back in my face)
and stops only 50% of my assailants. This may not be a
reasonable decision for you.]
If you decide to carry pepper spray and refuse to take a
class from an expert, you should at least know to spray across
the assailant's eyes from left to right. If he is wearing glasses,
spray across his forehead from left to right. Of course, you're
not going to know at what distance you can do this, because you
never took the class.
If you're going to carry pepper spray, get some of the real
stuff, not the cheap junk. The cheap junk don't work, because
the Scoville Heat Units are too low. That's a measure of the
concentration of the oleoresin capsicum.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/181655.pdf
One of the Marines in my MP unit (Provost Marshal's
Office, Marine Corps Air Station New River) sprayed a door knob
as a joke. The Provost Marshal, Captain Cook (Major Cook the
last time I heard of him), took his pepper spray, revoked his
certification to use pepper spray, and other disciplinary action.
If you are the type of person who would think that using pepper
spray as a joke would be funny, please don't carry pepper spray.
Tactica Concealed Carry Corset Holster
https://tacticafashion.com/tactica-corset-holster
Exactly what I need to hold my pot belly in.
How Often Should You Clean Your Carry Gun?
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/04/05/how-often-should-you-clean-your-carry-gun/
Don't be a goof. Clean your pistol weekly, whether she
needs cleaning or not. That means field stripping, spraying with
cleaner, scrubbing all surfaces, bronze bore brush with bore solvent,
Q-tip and pipe cleaners for areas your brush can't reach,
lubricating with oil, blow off excess with compressed air and
clean rag.
And then at least once a year, a detailed cleaning. This
requires disassembly. If you don't know how to do this,
take it to a competent gunsmith.
It is during cleaning that you will discover all the things
that need to be replaced before they break. Finding out during
combat, because they break, would be bad.
A clean pistol will function correctly, as opposed to intermittent
malfunctions. A clean pistol is capable of tight groups because
the rifling is not covered with fouling.
If you can't get the commercially available shooting glasses
to fit you, try the "Asia Fit" glasses from Oakley Standard Issue at
https://www.oakleysi.com/en-us/product/W0OX8142
or on the regular Oakley web site at
https://www.oakley.com/en-us/search?text=asia+fit
or ESS at
https://www.esseyepro.com/
search for "asian fit"
As Bruce Lee says, “Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
If you have small or thin feet, check out the women's section
of the shoe store. If you're uncomfortable doing this, you need to
fix your attitude. If you have large or wide feet, check out
the men's section for shoes. No shame. Just do it.
Similarly for pistols. Similarly for everything.
Remember, average is not normal. You are normal for you.
You are not average.
Why Carry a Spare Magazine?
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/why-carry-a-spare-magazine/
Carry More Comfortably
https://www.concealedcarry.com/gear/carry-more-comfortably/
***** 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 Tips: Vocal Range Commands
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/teaching-tips-vocal-range-commands
"There is no such thing as a bad regiment.
Just bad colonels." -- Napoleon
Stop and think about why this is true. Any population
(such as a regiment) has a normal distribution (technical term
from statistics) with regards to any characteristic. So as a
unit will function as any other regiment.
But, the leaders are individuals with character traits
and personalities. When I was with Marine Forces Pacific, G2,
we had every Iranian regiment plotted on a wall map with its
effectiveness. Yes, personnel and equipment were factors.
But, the dominant factor was the quality of the regiment's
commander. We maintained detailed dossiers on these men,
because the leadership is what really mattered.
"Hey, Staff, how does this relate to us?"
There is no such thing as a bad class. Just bad instructors.
"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
How Does Failure in Training Enable Learning?
http://fieldgradeleader.themilitaryleader.com/failure-wasilewski/
"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
Beyond the One Percent (part 1)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-1/
Beyond the One Percent (part 2)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-2/
Deep psychological truth in this article.
Beyond the One Percent (part 3)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-3/
Beyond the One Percent (part 4)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-4/
Excerpt:
On one of the Facebook forums I’m on, my standard response to
“what kind of new gun should I buy?” is “spend that money on training,
range time and practice ammo with the gun you already have, or at
least spare mags, better sights, and good quality carry gear for the
gun you carry most often.” That response is never well received.
There’s a sizable chunk of the armed citizen community that will spend
$500, $1000 or more on a new gun that will not spend a dollar on
training, and the new gun they wanted will spend 364 days a year in
the safe alongside all the other New Guns that were briefly
interesting also.
Beyond the One Percent (part 5)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-5/
Beyond the One Percent (part 6)
Excerpt:
Train to a real standard.
Dry fire weekly.
Live fire monthly.
One class per year.
Beyond the One Percent (part 7)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-7/
Beyond the One Percent (part 8)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-8/
The official blog of KR Training, Karl Rehn Music and Karl Rehn.
http://blog.krtraining.com/
Self-Defense Gun Owner Insurance Programs Compared
https://www.concealedcarry.com/self-defense-gun-owner-insurance-programs-compared/
Watch the video that pops up before the text
of the article.
Only one of the programs listed is a reimbursement
program. What "reimbursement" means is the policy will
reimburse up to the specified monetary amounts if you
are acquitted. Now stop and think about that. What
about a conviction? mistrial? dismissal with prejudice?
dismissal without prejudice? plea bargain? or any number
of other possibilities? No money.
The NRA states that they set up the policy that
way because they can't be paying for illegal activity.
They obviously don't understand the concept of "innocent
until proven guilty". Without the money "upfront",
you're screwed. No competent attorney will take your
case without payment in full upfront. (Because after
the case, the client has no incentive to pay the attorney.)
As attorney Andrew Branca alludes to in the video
introduction, there are some subtle and nasty details
that you have to be aware of, because they will bite
you.
--------------------------------------------------------
I speak from first hand experience. In the
years before these insurance programs existed, I fronted
$50,000 in legal fees to get the charges tossed,
$800 to get the arrest record expunged, and
then had to hire a different attorney ($6000) to force
the Cherry Hill (New Jersey) Police to return my guns.
If my attorneys had not been able to convince the
prosecutor to drop the charges, I would have had to
front $250,000 before the trial started, plus whatever
expenses the defense team incurred during the trial.
The only reason I didn't have to post bail was
that my OIC (Officer-in-Charge) drove from Pennsylvania
down to the police station in the middle of the night
with an attorney friend of his to convince the police
to release me.
What if I didn't have the money to pay these
expenses? What if didn't have a loyal responsible
commanding officer?
Why? Because my son wrote an essay in high school
about how he wanted to be a Marine Corps sniper. His
English teacher panicked and called the police. The
police raided our apartment without a warrant (because
it was an emergency). [My son did not threaten anyone
or anything in the essay.] The police make mistakes.
We pay for their mistakes, not the tax payer.
Legal Boundaries By State,
The Travel Guide For American Gun Owners
https://amedia.concealedcarry.com/resources/Law+Summary+E-Book-20190304.pdf
Thanks to Joe at Concealed Carry Inc. The material
at the end of this document is well worth reading.
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
This is the text of the Firearms Safety Course for the
state of Wisconsin.
https://www.doj.state.wi.us/sites/default/files/dles/ccw/student-manual.pdf
There is a gut wrenching story, starting on page 18, of
Michael Lesnick (former federal police officer) and how his
negligence and his wife's negligence contributed to the death
of their son, Joshua.
Excerpt:
“Familiarity breeds contempt and complacency.
Cops are handling guns all the time. Sometimes you
get lax wearing body armor, and I just want to
remind everybody of the safety procedures.”
In June 2008, Lesnick was sentenced to one year of probation
after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge for keeping a
loaded firearm near a child, as a party to the crime. A judge
also ordered him to pay a $500 fine and have counseling.
Lesnick’s wife, Jessica, 35, pleaded guilty to the same
crime and was sentenced to 18 months probation in August 2008.
Don't be "that guy". Secure your weapons any time they
are not strapped to your body.
We all have friends who are less trained and less educated
than we are. So, it is our duty to evangelize.
"Indiana Man Shoots Self in Genitals Due to Holster-Less Carry"
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2019/03/holster-less-carry-causes-genital-shot/
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-– John Farnam
“Gun Safety”
http://defense-training.com/2018/gun-safety-3/
Colorado Sheriff Says He’ll Go to Jail Before Enforcing Gun Confiscation Law
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/03/co-sheriff-says-hell-go-to-jail-before-enforcing-gun-confiscation-law/
Pittsburgh passes gun safety legislation
https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/breaking-pittsburgh-passes-gun-safety-legislation/1894655452
The full text of ordinance is given in the article.
§ 1101.04 USE OF WEAPONS BY DISCHARGE
1. Firearms
2. Air guns
3. Bows defined in § 1101.01(D)(1) through § 1101.01(D)(4)
1. A crossbow;
2. A recurve bow;
3. A compound bow; and
4. A longbow.
---
Ya, I know the legalese is hard to read. Politicians do that intentionally.
The point is, it's not just gun control. They have regulated bows and
arrows, and air guns. Knives were already regulated. (Unlike Tennessee
where there is no such thing as an illegal knife.) So, we can correctly
conclude that it is not gun control, it is people control.
Remember, the purpose of such laws is to criminalize the behavior of
political opponents, so that they can be arrested, prosecuted, disenfranchised, and
imprisoned. That's why the Founding Fathers insisted on the 2nd Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution before they would vote for it. There will always be
enemies of the Constitution. The 2nd Amendment allows us to identify them,
and holds them at bay, and will continue to do so, as long as you support the
2nd Amendment.
You spent much of your career fighting the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
the Chinese Communists, the National Socialists (Nazi), Korean Communists,
Vietnamese Communists, etc. You don't want the U.S. to end up like Venezuela.
You are intelligent enough to see the connection.
On the bright side -
Federal Court Rules California Magazine Ban Unconstitutional
http://www.gunsandtactics.com/federal-court-rules-california-magazine-ban-unconstitutional
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Benitez's opinion,
https://d3uwh8jpzww49g.cloudfront.net/sharedmedia/1510684/2064261_2019-03-29-order-granting-plaintiffs_-msj.pdf
Latest News of Self-Defense With Firearms Contradicts Gun Control Rhetoric
http://tennesseestar.com/2019/04/11/latest-news-of-self-defense-with-firearms-contradicts-gun-control-rhetoric/
Attorney Question of the Month
1. What are a citizen’s options when the police knock on the door
with a warrant and want to confiscate the citizen’s guns?
2. Assuming the guns are securely locked in a gun safe,
do you advise the citizen to comply and open the safe?
3. What consequences do you anticipate would result
from refusing to open a safe?
https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/en/april-2019-attorney-question
IDPA Africa Champ Van der Bank shares his secrets to success
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/article/2001320659/idpa-africa-champ-van-der-bank-shares-his-secrets-to-success
Excerpt:
. . . Chapter 114 of the laws of Kenya require that every licensed
firearm owner be proficient . . .
---
Now stop and think about that. In the United States of America,
we have a Constitutional Right to keep and bear arms, but no legal
requirement to be proficient. How many of your fellow country men
are proficient? I'm not talking about the 1%, like the guys and gals
you see at the Tactical Conference, or the people you see at the range
when you go to practice. I'm talking about the guys who have grown
up with guns but never practice, have never taken a real class and
don't need to because shooting is natural / instinctive.
With rights come responsibilities. But, this symbiosis is
not obvious. It must be taught. It must be learned.
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
10 Tips to Prepare Your Family for a Possible House Fire
https://ayearwithoutthegrocerystore.com/2018/11/02/10-ways-prep-house-fire/
Preparation for female and pediatric emergencies,
https://www.americanpartisan.org/2019/03/the-parts-of-shtf-medicine-you-might-be-forgetting/
You should know how to insert a nose tube (nasopharyngeal, not a
nasogastric intubation). You should have lubricant for inserting it.
You should have at least three of these tubes of different diameters.
You have to take a class on this. It's not common sense obvious. If
your tube isn't the right length, you have to know how to measure from
nostril to ear lobe to trim it to the correct length. You have to know
which nostril to put it in; a human's right nostril is generally larger
than his left nostril (no, as a matter of fact, humans are not
bilaterally symmetric). You have to know how to put the victim into a
recovery position. Otherwise, the victim will suffocate.
How to Survive (and Prevent) a Carjacking
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/what-to-do-in-carjacking/
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
Prof. Edward Melkonian asked me to solve a problem
(an ODE, Ordinary Differential Equation, as I remember).
As I was working on it, he asked me if I were trying to
solve this particular problem or if I were applying a general
method that would solve all problems of this type.
I told him that I had only learned one method (having only
completed one course in ODE's), so I didn't know how to
answer his question.
He explained to me that the general method would not
work on this type of equation (which modeled a physical
process that we were interested in). We would have to try
something more sophisticated.
An infantry officer told me that they learn the
frontal assault, flanking maneuvers, enfilade, etc.
But, as the enemy also knows them, it would be foolish
to use such. You have to know how to do them, so if
the opportunity presents itself you can do it. But,
in real combat against a well trained enemy, you have
to be more sophisticated.
Sometimes the tactics that they teach you in school
(military, police, and civilian) won't work in your particular
situation. So, you have to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Search for instructors who will teach you how to. Remember,
there are no rules; there are only inhibitions. That's why
Clausewitz said, the more audacious will win.
"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
A nice place to train,
Boondocks Firearms Training Academy
11771 Hwy 18, Raymond, MS, United States
https://www.boondocksfta.com/
Electronically Remote-Controlled Weapon System
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/04/04/potd-electronically-remote-controlled-weapon-system/
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.
Greetings Sheepdogs,
***** Mindset *****
Training Mindset
"Amateurs think equipment.
Students think techniques.
Experts think tactics."
-- John Holschen, InSights Training
---
You will only be able to buy equipment correctly if
you have had competent training. Because then you are
making informed intelligent decisions.
Through training and practice, techniques are learned
to an unconscious reflexive level. If you don't have to
think about the techniques, you will have the bandwidth to
think about tactics.
Good-guy tactics are entirely different from bad-guy
tactics. Because we care. We avoid endangering innocent
bystanders, much less injuring them. Good tactics is a
learned skill. There is nothing natural or instinctive
about combat tactics. Expert training is the only way
to learn good tactics.
[There really isn't any substitute for experience.
Teaching from 'first hand experience' is entirely
different from teaching from 'academic study'.
Sorry, but that's just truth. So, if you are going to
teach civilians concealed carry for self defense, you
should be carrying concealed every day. Otherwise, you
won't be able to answer simple questions.
"But, Staff, the simple questions are just common sense."
WRONG!
When my wife and I were applying for her U.S.
permanent residency, the immigration agent separated us and
asked simple questions that any couple living together
could easily answer, but were effectively impossible for
two people who did not live together to answer (with matching answers).
At Israeli airports, the security agents will strike
up casual conversations with passengers in the waiting
area. The questions will be friendly and simple. But, each
question will be based on the responses of the previous
questions. They go deep, not broad. If you haven't been
there, done that, you won't know the answer.
"What should I do when I have to use a public restroom?"
"What should I do when some one wants to hug me?"
An instructor should have a cogent answer that actually
worked in personal experience. Why?]
"Amateurs talk tactics.
Professionals talk logistics."
-- Napoleon
Napoleon is talking about regimental commanders,
senior field grade officers, colonels. But, it applies
to you. All the good tactics are for nought if you
don't have:
Health (which requires food, water, exercise,
and sleep [and proper dental and medical care]);
Tools (flashlight [at least 500 lumens], first
aid kit [a real one with tourniquet, etc.] pistol,
ammunition, holster, extra loaded magazines, etc.); and
Training. You have to know if it's appropriate
to apply the tourniquet. (If I apply a tourniquet
the limb will have to be amputated, WRONG!)
If so, you have to know where to apply the tourniquet.
(2 to 3 inches above the wound, WRONG! That is not
modern best practice.) You have to know how to apply
the tourniquet. You have to be able to do it fast.
[That's real self defense.]
Talk to anyone who has served in infantry. They
are always willing to carry extra ammo and water.
That's logistics.
THE DANGERS OF INTERVENTION
http://www.stoppingpower.net/commentary/comm_dangers_in_intervention.asp
". . . personal defense is a lifestyle, not a hobby."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
Shooting in Self Defense: What to Do When the Police Arrive
https://www.range365.com/self-defense-shooting-what-to-do-when-police-arrive
EWR
http://defense-training.com/2019/ewr/
Excerpt:
Don’t fail the attitude test!
Costa Rica Store Owner Gets Shot, Stays in Fight, Kills Attacker
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2019/03/costa-rica-store-owner-shoots-attacker/
Excerpt:
Had this Costa Rica store owner simply laid there in pain,
he probably would have died. He, however, refused to go silently
into the night. Instead, he protected his store, his customers,
and his life, and stopped a bad guy from ever doing something
similar again.
***** Safety *****
John Farnam says the primary cause of negligent discharges
is unnecessary gun handling. So, . . .
When you go to the bathroom, keep your pistol in its
holster. Keep your holster on your gun belt.
When you take your clothes off to take a bath or go to
bed, keep your pistol in its holster. If you need to lock it
up, put the holster and pistol in the safe and lock it. Don't
take the pistol out of the holster.
“The fast and/or emphatic reholster
is an awesome way to shoot yourself.”
-- Chuck Haggard
***** Training *****
"Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
In Shape for Shooting: How Fit Do You Have To Be?
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2019/4/5/in-shape-for-shooting-how-fit-do-you-have-to-be/
Yes, as a matter of fact, this is critically important.
Tactical Application of a Bianchi Plate Rack
by Dave Spaulding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR77XCjfICs&fbclid=IwAR2NRqBdZxwzvXAcx2b1VSmsUjEUdEnKWqbpPjJYF9b27VGmBXFBWPo9Ln0
“Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
-- Bruce Lee
1998 NTI (National Tactical Invitational)
http://defense-training.com/1998/1998-nti-national-tactical-invitational/
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
Distance Shooting: Myth of the Average Engagement (December 2013)
by the late Patrick Rogers
https://www.swatmag.com/article/distance-shooting-myth-average-engagement/
[The laws for us, state licensed armed guards in Tennessee,
are much better these days. Still pretty bad in other states.
-- Jon Low]
Studying Self-Defense: Do Your Homework
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/4/5/studying-self-defense-do-your-homework/
9. Concealed Carry: Lethal Force Tactics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HilfliL8Lco
The rest of the episodes,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ju5GtzzgLE&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSduhVBwzGL2ROyN-TSdDGLq
I have taken classes from John Murphy. I highly recommend
you take classes from him.
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
Making space . . . before you need it!
https://godgalsgunsgrub.blogspot.com/2019/03/making-space-before-you-need-it.html
[This link does not seem to work anymore. The context is gas station
pumps.]
One more tip from [Greg Ellifritz]. Now that many pumps have video
screens that play advertisements while distributing gas, you should not
be staring at the screen clueless about your surroundings. Those video
screens are going to contribute to more robberies than anyone can even
imagine. Ignore them.
Extreme Close Quarters
https://www.mdtstraining.com/extreme-close-quarters/
Six questions you need to answer with training.
In combat you will perform at 70% of your worst day on the range.
-- Paul Ford
Skill Set: Another Look at Speed
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/1bbb7dde-f641-4fe5-abf0-a1b108ccc1a2
Excerpts:
Time is an important consideration, but not in the way most people think.
Regardless of what you’re doing, there’s a limit on how fast you can perform.
Go too fast and things fall apart, mistakes occur – which consume more time.
Overall efficiency drops.
. . .
It’s not about the speed you perform;
it is about how quick you make the decision to act.
***** 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
Four Key Systematic Drills for Handgun Skill Development
https://www.shooting-performance.com/four-key-systematic-drills-for-handgun-skill-developement/
My filling in the details of the article:
5 shots precisely with correct sight alignment, sight movie,
and trigger control. Strive for a tight group (bullet holes all touching).
5 shots carefully to the high thoracic cavity (triangle defined
by the nipples and notch at the top of the sternum). Strive for
a hand span sized group. If the group is smaller than a hand span,
speed up. If the group is larger than a hand span, slow down.
5 shots carefully to the cranio-ocular cavity. Slow down
until you can get all five within the eyes and nose. Then speed
up until you can't.
3 shots to the high thoracic cavity, 2 shots to the cranio-ocular
cavity. Slow down until you can get all 5 shots into the correct
areas. Then speed up until you can't.
A man's got to know his limits. -- Dirty Harry
Doesn't matter what those limits are. If you know what they are,
you can compensate accordingly by adjusting your distance, speed,
tactics (movement, cover, etc.), and techniques (standing, kneeling,
prone, etc.).
"How Should You Practice After Training?"
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/how-should-you-practice-after-training/
Excerpts:
The saying “Only perfect practice makes perfect” applies
not only to the physical skills involved but also to the
structure of what and how you practice.
. . .
The steps involved in developing your practice plan might look like:
Gather information
Recreate incidents
Prepare a practice plan: Drills and Scenarios
Document your results and plan your next session
Practicing in the Resource-Constrained Environment
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/practicing-in-the-resource-constrained-environment/
Excerpt:
There are several ways to maximize the resources we do have:
Visualization
Dry fire
Effective range use
Inert guns
Lasers and laser training devices
Role play
Shooting events
6 Defensive Handgun Drills to Master
https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/training/6-defensive-handgun-drills-to-master
***** Techniques *****
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
Three Pistol Breaking Points
http://www.forcenecessary.com/three-pistol-breaking-points/
by Hock Hochheim of Force Necessary
http://www.forcenecessary.com/
Email: HockHochheim@ForceNecessary.com
He did a class at Royal Range in Nashville, TN recently.
Excerpt:
* Hand sizes are different. Gun sizes are different.
* Understand the stress grab and drawing from awkward positions.
* Find your best finger position for a squeeze, gun-by-gun.
* You cannot/should not always shoot with two-hands.
* You cannot/should not always shoot with one hand.
* You cannot always shoot with an acquisition of sights.
* There is probably a good chance you are doing too much
shooting with two-hands in comparison to close quarter
incidents/statistics.
* Through experiments, know the best distances for single
and double-hand, pistol grips.
* Train with simulated ammo in likely situations.
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Rangemanster April 2019 newsletter
https://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-04_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf
Slow is smooth. Smooth is efficient. Efficient is fast.
How to Master the Double Action Trigger
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/how-to-master-the-double-action-trigger/
It may cost you not to pay attention
http://www.recoilweb.com/it-may-cost-you-not-to-pay-attention-40343.html
As Dave Spaulding likes to remind us,
“It’s not new. It’s just new to you.”
***** Tactics *****
Audacity wins.
-- Carl von Clausewitz
Who Dares Wins.
-- motto of the Special Air Service
***** Gear *****
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
If you're going to carry pepper spray, take a class and learn
how to do it properly.
You have to practice with inert units, otherwise you won't
know the trajectory of your stream, fog, or spray; and you won't
know how the wind can blow it back in your face.
You have to experience it in your eyes, otherwise you won't
know how it affects you. You have to see how it affects the
other students in your class, otherwise you just won't understand.
In my military police training, I learned that pepper spray
debilitates me. I observed that it had no effect on about 10%
of the Marines in my class. I saw that about half of the Marines
could fight through the effects and accomplish the mission
in spite of the pepper spray. [So, as a civilian, I made the
decision not to carry pepper spray, because it has
100% effect on me (when the wind blows it back in my face)
and stops only 50% of my assailants. This may not be a
reasonable decision for you.]
If you decide to carry pepper spray and refuse to take a
class from an expert, you should at least know to spray across
the assailant's eyes from left to right. If he is wearing glasses,
spray across his forehead from left to right. Of course, you're
not going to know at what distance you can do this, because you
never took the class.
If you're going to carry pepper spray, get some of the real
stuff, not the cheap junk. The cheap junk don't work, because
the Scoville Heat Units are too low. That's a measure of the
concentration of the oleoresin capsicum.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/181655.pdf
One of the Marines in my MP unit (Provost Marshal's
Office, Marine Corps Air Station New River) sprayed a door knob
as a joke. The Provost Marshal, Captain Cook (Major Cook the
last time I heard of him), took his pepper spray, revoked his
certification to use pepper spray, and other disciplinary action.
If you are the type of person who would think that using pepper
spray as a joke would be funny, please don't carry pepper spray.
Tactica Concealed Carry Corset Holster
https://tacticafashion.com/tactica-corset-holster
Exactly what I need to hold my pot belly in.
How Often Should You Clean Your Carry Gun?
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/04/05/how-often-should-you-clean-your-carry-gun/
Don't be a goof. Clean your pistol weekly, whether she
needs cleaning or not. That means field stripping, spraying with
cleaner, scrubbing all surfaces, bronze bore brush with bore solvent,
Q-tip and pipe cleaners for areas your brush can't reach,
lubricating with oil, blow off excess with compressed air and
clean rag.
And then at least once a year, a detailed cleaning. This
requires disassembly. If you don't know how to do this,
take it to a competent gunsmith.
It is during cleaning that you will discover all the things
that need to be replaced before they break. Finding out during
combat, because they break, would be bad.
A clean pistol will function correctly, as opposed to intermittent
malfunctions. A clean pistol is capable of tight groups because
the rifling is not covered with fouling.
If you can't get the commercially available shooting glasses
to fit you, try the "Asia Fit" glasses from Oakley Standard Issue at
https://www.oakleysi.com/en-us/product/W0OX8142
or on the regular Oakley web site at
https://www.oakley.com/en-us/search?text=asia+fit
or ESS at
https://www.esseyepro.com/
search for "asian fit"
As Bruce Lee says, “Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it.”
If you have small or thin feet, check out the women's section
of the shoe store. If you're uncomfortable doing this, you need to
fix your attitude. If you have large or wide feet, check out
the men's section for shoes. No shame. Just do it.
Similarly for pistols. Similarly for everything.
Remember, average is not normal. You are normal for you.
You are not average.
Why Carry a Spare Magazine?
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/why-carry-a-spare-magazine/
Carry More Comfortably
https://www.concealedcarry.com/gear/carry-more-comfortably/
***** 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 Tips: Vocal Range Commands
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/teaching-tips-vocal-range-commands
"There is no such thing as a bad regiment.
Just bad colonels." -- Napoleon
Stop and think about why this is true. Any population
(such as a regiment) has a normal distribution (technical term
from statistics) with regards to any characteristic. So as a
unit will function as any other regiment.
But, the leaders are individuals with character traits
and personalities. When I was with Marine Forces Pacific, G2,
we had every Iranian regiment plotted on a wall map with its
effectiveness. Yes, personnel and equipment were factors.
But, the dominant factor was the quality of the regiment's
commander. We maintained detailed dossiers on these men,
because the leadership is what really mattered.
"Hey, Staff, how does this relate to us?"
There is no such thing as a bad class. Just bad instructors.
"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
How Does Failure in Training Enable Learning?
http://fieldgradeleader.themilitaryleader.com/failure-wasilewski/
"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
Beyond the One Percent (part 1)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-1/
Beyond the One Percent (part 2)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-2/
Deep psychological truth in this article.
Beyond the One Percent (part 3)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-3/
Beyond the One Percent (part 4)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-4/
Excerpt:
On one of the Facebook forums I’m on, my standard response to
“what kind of new gun should I buy?” is “spend that money on training,
range time and practice ammo with the gun you already have, or at
least spare mags, better sights, and good quality carry gear for the
gun you carry most often.” That response is never well received.
There’s a sizable chunk of the armed citizen community that will spend
$500, $1000 or more on a new gun that will not spend a dollar on
training, and the new gun they wanted will spend 364 days a year in
the safe alongside all the other New Guns that were briefly
interesting also.
Beyond the One Percent (part 5)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-5/
Beyond the One Percent (part 6)
Excerpt:
Train to a real standard.
Dry fire weekly.
Live fire monthly.
One class per year.
Beyond the One Percent (part 7)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-7/
Beyond the One Percent (part 8)
http://blog.krtraining.com/beyond-the-one-percent-part-8/
The official blog of KR Training, Karl Rehn Music and Karl Rehn.
http://blog.krtraining.com/
Self-Defense Gun Owner Insurance Programs Compared
https://www.concealedcarry.com/self-defense-gun-owner-insurance-programs-compared/
Watch the video that pops up before the text
of the article.
Only one of the programs listed is a reimbursement
program. What "reimbursement" means is the policy will
reimburse up to the specified monetary amounts if you
are acquitted. Now stop and think about that. What
about a conviction? mistrial? dismissal with prejudice?
dismissal without prejudice? plea bargain? or any number
of other possibilities? No money.
The NRA states that they set up the policy that
way because they can't be paying for illegal activity.
They obviously don't understand the concept of "innocent
until proven guilty". Without the money "upfront",
you're screwed. No competent attorney will take your
case without payment in full upfront. (Because after
the case, the client has no incentive to pay the attorney.)
As attorney Andrew Branca alludes to in the video
introduction, there are some subtle and nasty details
that you have to be aware of, because they will bite
you.
--------------------------------------------------------
I speak from first hand experience. In the
years before these insurance programs existed, I fronted
$50,000 in legal fees to get the charges tossed,
$800 to get the arrest record expunged, and
then had to hire a different attorney ($6000) to force
the Cherry Hill (New Jersey) Police to return my guns.
If my attorneys had not been able to convince the
prosecutor to drop the charges, I would have had to
front $250,000 before the trial started, plus whatever
expenses the defense team incurred during the trial.
The only reason I didn't have to post bail was
that my OIC (Officer-in-Charge) drove from Pennsylvania
down to the police station in the middle of the night
with an attorney friend of his to convince the police
to release me.
What if I didn't have the money to pay these
expenses? What if didn't have a loyal responsible
commanding officer?
Why? Because my son wrote an essay in high school
about how he wanted to be a Marine Corps sniper. His
English teacher panicked and called the police. The
police raided our apartment without a warrant (because
it was an emergency). [My son did not threaten anyone
or anything in the essay.] The police make mistakes.
We pay for their mistakes, not the tax payer.
Legal Boundaries By State,
The Travel Guide For American Gun Owners
https://amedia.concealedcarry.com/resources/Law+Summary+E-Book-20190304.pdf
Thanks to Joe at Concealed Carry Inc. The material
at the end of this document is well worth reading.
“Destiny doesn’t make appointments,
nor does she waste her time with the naive and unready!”
-- John Farnam
This is the text of the Firearms Safety Course for the
state of Wisconsin.
https://www.doj.state.wi.us/sites/default/files/dles/ccw/student-manual.pdf
There is a gut wrenching story, starting on page 18, of
Michael Lesnick (former federal police officer) and how his
negligence and his wife's negligence contributed to the death
of their son, Joshua.
Excerpt:
“Familiarity breeds contempt and complacency.
Cops are handling guns all the time. Sometimes you
get lax wearing body armor, and I just want to
remind everybody of the safety procedures.”
In June 2008, Lesnick was sentenced to one year of probation
after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge for keeping a
loaded firearm near a child, as a party to the crime. A judge
also ordered him to pay a $500 fine and have counseling.
Lesnick’s wife, Jessica, 35, pleaded guilty to the same
crime and was sentenced to 18 months probation in August 2008.
Don't be "that guy". Secure your weapons any time they
are not strapped to your body.
We all have friends who are less trained and less educated
than we are. So, it is our duty to evangelize.
"Indiana Man Shoots Self in Genitals Due to Holster-Less Carry"
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2019/03/holster-less-carry-causes-genital-shot/
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
How do you win a gunfight?
Don’t be there.
-– John Farnam
“Gun Safety”
http://defense-training.com/2018/gun-safety-3/
Colorado Sheriff Says He’ll Go to Jail Before Enforcing Gun Confiscation Law
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/03/co-sheriff-says-hell-go-to-jail-before-enforcing-gun-confiscation-law/
Pittsburgh passes gun safety legislation
https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/breaking-pittsburgh-passes-gun-safety-legislation/1894655452
The full text of ordinance is given in the article.
§ 1101.04 USE OF WEAPONS BY DISCHARGE
1. Firearms
2. Air guns
3. Bows defined in § 1101.01(D)(1) through § 1101.01(D)(4)
1. A crossbow;
2. A recurve bow;
3. A compound bow; and
4. A longbow.
---
Ya, I know the legalese is hard to read. Politicians do that intentionally.
The point is, it's not just gun control. They have regulated bows and
arrows, and air guns. Knives were already regulated. (Unlike Tennessee
where there is no such thing as an illegal knife.) So, we can correctly
conclude that it is not gun control, it is people control.
Remember, the purpose of such laws is to criminalize the behavior of
political opponents, so that they can be arrested, prosecuted, disenfranchised, and
imprisoned. That's why the Founding Fathers insisted on the 2nd Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution before they would vote for it. There will always be
enemies of the Constitution. The 2nd Amendment allows us to identify them,
and holds them at bay, and will continue to do so, as long as you support the
2nd Amendment.
You spent much of your career fighting the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
the Chinese Communists, the National Socialists (Nazi), Korean Communists,
Vietnamese Communists, etc. You don't want the U.S. to end up like Venezuela.
You are intelligent enough to see the connection.
On the bright side -
Federal Court Rules California Magazine Ban Unconstitutional
http://www.gunsandtactics.com/federal-court-rules-california-magazine-ban-unconstitutional
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Benitez's opinion,
https://d3uwh8jpzww49g.cloudfront.net/sharedmedia/1510684/2064261_2019-03-29-order-granting-plaintiffs_-msj.pdf
Latest News of Self-Defense With Firearms Contradicts Gun Control Rhetoric
http://tennesseestar.com/2019/04/11/latest-news-of-self-defense-with-firearms-contradicts-gun-control-rhetoric/
Attorney Question of the Month
1. What are a citizen’s options when the police knock on the door
with a warrant and want to confiscate the citizen’s guns?
2. Assuming the guns are securely locked in a gun safe,
do you advise the citizen to comply and open the safe?
3. What consequences do you anticipate would result
from refusing to open a safe?
https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/en/april-2019-attorney-question
IDPA Africa Champ Van der Bank shares his secrets to success
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/article/2001320659/idpa-africa-champ-van-der-bank-shares-his-secrets-to-success
Excerpt:
. . . Chapter 114 of the laws of Kenya require that every licensed
firearm owner be proficient . . .
---
Now stop and think about that. In the United States of America,
we have a Constitutional Right to keep and bear arms, but no legal
requirement to be proficient. How many of your fellow country men
are proficient? I'm not talking about the 1%, like the guys and gals
you see at the Tactical Conference, or the people you see at the range
when you go to practice. I'm talking about the guys who have grown
up with guns but never practice, have never taken a real class and
don't need to because shooting is natural / instinctive.
With rights come responsibilities. But, this symbiosis is
not obvious. It must be taught. It must be learned.
***** Survival *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
10 Tips to Prepare Your Family for a Possible House Fire
https://ayearwithoutthegrocerystore.com/2018/11/02/10-ways-prep-house-fire/
Preparation for female and pediatric emergencies,
https://www.americanpartisan.org/2019/03/the-parts-of-shtf-medicine-you-might-be-forgetting/
You should know how to insert a nose tube (nasopharyngeal, not a
nasogastric intubation). You should have lubricant for inserting it.
You should have at least three of these tubes of different diameters.
You have to take a class on this. It's not common sense obvious. If
your tube isn't the right length, you have to know how to measure from
nostril to ear lobe to trim it to the correct length. You have to know
which nostril to put it in; a human's right nostril is generally larger
than his left nostril (no, as a matter of fact, humans are not
bilaterally symmetric). You have to know how to put the victim into a
recovery position. Otherwise, the victim will suffocate.
How to Survive (and Prevent) a Carjacking
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/what-to-do-in-carjacking/
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
Prof. Edward Melkonian asked me to solve a problem
(an ODE, Ordinary Differential Equation, as I remember).
As I was working on it, he asked me if I were trying to
solve this particular problem or if I were applying a general
method that would solve all problems of this type.
I told him that I had only learned one method (having only
completed one course in ODE's), so I didn't know how to
answer his question.
He explained to me that the general method would not
work on this type of equation (which modeled a physical
process that we were interested in). We would have to try
something more sophisticated.
An infantry officer told me that they learn the
frontal assault, flanking maneuvers, enfilade, etc.
But, as the enemy also knows them, it would be foolish
to use such. You have to know how to do them, so if
the opportunity presents itself you can do it. But,
in real combat against a well trained enemy, you have
to be more sophisticated.
Sometimes the tactics that they teach you in school
(military, police, and civilian) won't work in your particular
situation. So, you have to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Search for instructors who will teach you how to. Remember,
there are no rules; there are only inhibitions. That's why
Clausewitz said, the more audacious will win.
"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
A nice place to train,
Boondocks Firearms Training Academy
11771 Hwy 18, Raymond, MS, United States
https://www.boondocksfta.com/
Electronically Remote-Controlled Weapon System
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/04/04/potd-electronically-remote-controlled-weapon-system/
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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