Monday, March 23, 2015

CWP, 23 March 2015 A.D.

Greetings Sheepdogs,

***** Mindset *****

Duty!
Posted by John S. Farnam on 8 Mar 2015
http://defense-training.com/dti/duty/

“Like parachutes and fire-extinguishers,
guns are emergency/safety equipment.
When you require one, your need will be
immediate, critical, and desperate. And,
when unprepared, you’ll likely never
need one again!” -- Anonymous

     When I was a child, my paternal grandmother
and I were arguing about defensive driving.  I
had learned in school that you can always avoid
a collision (I am in control attitude). 
My grandmother told me that sometimes you can't
do anything to defend yourself when driving
(I am a victim attitude).  She cited an example: 
You're stopped at an intersection and a driver
(not a car, a car is an inanimate object)
drives up behind you and rams you from the rear. 
There is nothing you can do about that.
     I believed that, until I took a course from
Front Sight, where Brad Ackman told us about his
mother who was stopped at an intersection.  She
was checking her rear view mirror and saw a car
barreling down on her.  So, she pulled off the
road, onto the shoulder of the road, to get out
of the way.  (She had intentionally left enough
space between her car and the car in front of
her to make this maneuver.)  Unfortunately, the
bad driver plowed into the car that was in front
of her, pushing it into the intersection, causing
a collision with crossing traffic.  But, Brad's
mother avoided injury.
     You don't have to be a victim.  You can
always avoid the incident, if you pay attention
to what's going on around you.  This is truth.
But, more importantly, it is attitude.

***** Training *****

"Why don’t people train?"
https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/why-dont-people-train/
     Claude Werner says a lot of untrained people
successfully defend themselves with guns everyday.
So, why spend the time and money to train?
     My answer is that training is not just to allow
you to win the fight.  Training is to allow you
to avoid the fight. 
     In golf, the more you train, the fewer
strokes you are forced to play on the course. 
So, as with self-defense, the more you train,
the fewer shots you will be forced to fire in
combat. 
     Good training should teach you principles
that allow you to avoid complacency and stay in
condition yellow.  Good training should teach 
you life survival skills, not just gun skills.
     Good training should be teaching you how
to end the fight with your first shot, even if
good judgement forces you to continue firing.
(Good training would allow you to explain the
preceding sentence.)

Safety Matters: How to Use a Belt Holster
http://www.corneredcat.com/article/holsters/safety-matters-how-to-use-a-belt-holster/
     Table of contents,
http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/

The Pros and Cons of Babywearing
https://limatunesrangediaries.wordpress.com/category/babywearing/
Excerpt:  Go to the range with your wrap or baby carrier
and a weighted baby-doll or bag of kitty litter. Practice
drawing and shooting, moving, magazine changes, and
single-handed shooting. If you find errors in your carry
system, work them out now.

     This is why training in the lawful use of
firearms is so vitally important.
http://bearingarms.com/man-convicted-joe-biden-defense-trial/
     Ignorance of the law is no excuse.  Following
the advice of ignorant politicians is no defense.

***** Pedagogy *****


***** Education *****

Fundamentals Of Ballistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CteH4A-JpgA&t=530

***** Tactics *****


***** Gear *****

     A friend at the Gun Room (in Lebanon, TN)
let me shoot his Heckler & Koch VP9 chambered
in 9mm.  It has ambidextrous magazine releases
and ambidextrous slide locks.  No manual safety. 
It has several back straps and grip side panels
to fit the pistol to your hand.  It sells for
$700 new.  I recommend it, especially for left
handers.

     The holster should not cover the magazine
release button (or lever).  If it does, you won't
be able to reload the magazine in your pistol
without taking the pistol out of the holster.
Which is an useful administrative operation.

     The slide lock and magazine release should
not be reachable when in your correct shooting
grip.  If they were, you might accidentally
release the magazine or lock the slide while
shooting.  So, extended mag releases and extended
slide locks are wrong.

***** News *****


***** Promotions *****

Target Sports USA has all kinds of police
trade in guns on sale for less than $400.
For example,
https://www.targetsportsusa.com/smith-wesson-mp-semi-auto-police-trade-45-acp-13-rounds-black-night-sights-p-54212.aspx?utm_source=Target+Sports+USA&utm_campaign=097ce34817-Police+Trade-Ins+%26+New+Handgun+Sale&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4f4aeab969-097ce34817-973261

***** Politics *****


***** Miscellany *****

Animation
http://www.bushmaster.com/anatomy_bushmaster.asp
Requires Adobe Flash Player,
https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

     An interesting web site,
Limatunes' Range Diaries
https://limatunesrangediaries.wordpress.com/

     Older postings may be found at
http://DefensivePistolcraft.com/
     Lesson plans may be found at
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/474513
or send me an email to request the latest
version.

Cheers,
Jon

Jonathan Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com

Friday, March 13, 2015

CWP, 13 March 2015 A.D.

Greetings Sheepdogs,

***** Mindset *****

Complacency kills.

"Self-Reliant?"
Posted by John S. Farnam on 4 Mar 2015
http://defense-training.com/dti/self-reliant/
Excerpt:  Froze to death while waiting for help from 911.

     What's the most important attribute of self-defense?
Mental alertness. 
     What's the most important attribute of survival? 
Physical fitness. 
     What's the most important attribute of avoiding injury? 
Attitude. 
     In the Marine Corps, we were trained to high crawl
(crawl on our hands and knees) and low crawl (on our
belly, side of the head scraping along the ground, using
elbows, feet, and knees to push ourselves forward)
to avoid getting injured or killed.  In a recent
conversation with a lady, who had slipped on
the ice and broken her hip, requiring total joint
replacement surgery and many months of rehab,
I suggested that in the future she should crawl over
the ice.  I told her that I had negotiated treacherous
ice safely many times by crawling.  She told me that
she was a lady and that crawling would be
undignified.  So, she would never do such a thing.

***** Training *****

     Slow is smooth.  Smooth is efficient.  Efficient is fast.
Speed will come automatically with practice. 
     Accuracy will not automatically improve with practice. 
     You must force yourself to keep your aiming eye open
through the shot process and follow through.  So, that
you can watch where the front sight is going during the
follow through, while you have the trigger trapped to
the rear.  And bring the sights back onto the target,
before resetting the trigger.  Watching your follow through
allows you to control your follow through, which is essential.
     You must focus on the front sight.  Sharp clear focus,
see the serrations on the front sight.  Visual focus equals
mental concentration.  If you are not focused on the front
sight, you are focused on the target.  Which means you are
concentrating on the target.  In such a case, your front
sight will wander off and you'll never notice it.
     You must get a surprise break to defeat your autonomic
nervous system.  Otherwise, you will anticipate the recoil
and push the shot low left for right handers, low right for
left handers.  Do not fire the shot.  Hold the sights on
the target and smoothly increase pressure on the trigger.
The pistol will fire.  You don't have to make it fire.
If you intentionally fire the pistol, you've got a good
chance of missing.  If you let the pistol fire, without
forcing the shot, you will be able to place the bullet
where you want it on demand every time.  In particular,
on the first shot.  Which is the most important, because
if you can end the fight with your first shot, you minimize
your injuries.  Yes, this is counter intuitive.  Yes,
this takes a great deal of practice to engrain in your
brain.
     Perfect practice makes perfect.  Imperfect practice
engrains bad habits that must be broken and fixed.

Improve Your Trigger Pull with These 6 Tips
Posted by Rob Leatham
http://blog.springfield-armory.com/improve-your-trigger-pull-with-these-6-tips

***** Pedagogy *****

     I have had many many students take offense when I tell
them that they missed because they were not aiming.  They
assure me that they were aiming.  I'm standing behind them
when they are shooting and I can see their pistol far below
their line of sight (the line from their eye to the target).
It is natural to focus and concentrate on the target in a
high stress situation.  So, it is easy to neglect to aim.
     Shooting well under stress is not easy.  It is not
natural.  We are not born with guns in our hands.
The natural reaction to loud noises (report) and sharp
jerking motions (recoil) is to tense up our muscles and
shut our eyes.  It will take a great deal of training
to defeat this innate instinctive response to report and
recoil.  But, we must in order to shoot well.

***** Education *****

Understanding Transonic Flight
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/03/08/understanding-transonic-flight/
     Circulation theory (in the realm of fluid physics)
says that, at the boundary between the bullet surface
and the air, the air velocity relative to the bullet is zero.
That is to say, the air sticks to the surface of the bullet
and moves faster relative to the bullet, the further away
from the bullet the air gets.

***** Tactics *****

     Front Sight Reality Check
http://www.ignatius-piazza-front-sight.com/2015/03/06/heres-front-sight-reality-check-video/#vid1
     Brad Ackman is analyzing the incident from the
perspective of a civilian under U.S. laws.  This
incident was in Brazil executed by a law enforcement
officer. 
     Closing the distance to the bad guy in
the store was correct to avoid shooting the store
clerk and to increase the probability of a hit. 
     Shooting the accomplice (on the motorcycle) was
correct to prevent the escape of a violent felon
(the driver was guilty of murder, because his
accomplice killed the customer in the store as
witnessed by the plain clothes police officer
[under Brazilian law].) 
     Shooting the fleeing suspect was correct
to prevent the escape of a violent felon (the
officer witnessed the suspect shoot the customer
in the store).

***** Gear *****

Preparing Your Home, Family, and Business for TERRORIST ATTACKS
by U.S. Representative Robert Pittenger
Chairman of the Congressional Taskforce on
Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare
http://pittenger.house.gov/sites/pittenger.house.gov/files/Terrorism%20Preparedness%20Manual.pdf
     Related article,
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/03/10/task-force-chair-terror-cells-are-in-the-us-americans-should-prepare/

***** News *****

ATF’s AR-15 Ammo Ban Halted in Big Win for California
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/10/atfs-ar-15-ammo-ban-halted-in-big-win-for-california/

"Slate: Not Fair to Say Gabby Giffords’
Attacker Passed Background Check"
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/05/slate-not-fair-to-say-gabby-giffords-attacker-passed-background-check/
     Truth hurts.

"Everytown: Fight Campus Sexual Assault
With Backpacks, Not Guns"
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/05/everytown-fight-campus-sexual-assault-with-backpacks-not-guns/
     Stupidity kills.

***** Promotions *****

     Wilson County Friends of the NRA banquet tickets,
see attached file.

     Donation contest (Raffles are illegal in Tennessee.)
Kimber Custom CDP II, 1911 pistol, .45 ACP, MSRP $1,331.00
Tickets are $20.  Only 100 tickets will be sold.
You do not have to be present to win.  Winner will be
drawn when last ticket is sold.  Winner will be posted
on the Wilson County FNRA Facebook page.
See attached file.

     Alien Gear holsters, 2 for $49.88
http://aliengearholsters.com/alien-gear-2-holster-combo.html/?et_mid=729751&rid=249581314
     You might not notice the fine design unless you've
used holsters from other manufacturers.  You might not
notice the quality craftsmanship until you've worn it
for a while.

     Gamaliel Shooting Supply, Gamaliel, KY
(800) 356-6230, www.gamaliel.com
CMMG AR15 - 16" SS 300 Blackout
Caliber:300 AAC BLACKOUT Chamber
Barrel: 16" M300 Profile Barrel, 416 Stainless Steel, 1:7" Twist, 5/8-24 Threaded
http://www.gamaliel.com/CMMG/CMMG30A77E1_16inch_SS_300BLK.asp?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email+Blast+March+6+Campaign

***** Politics *****

     Did your U.S. Representative sign this letter?
https://shared.nrapvf.org/sharedmedia/1507341/letter-to-atf-director-jones-apa-framework-final.pdf
     News article explaining the letter,
"Congressional Opposition to AR-15 Ammo Ban Grows"
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/05/congressional-opposition-to-ar-15-ammo-ban-grows/

***** Miscellany *****

     Older postings may be found at
http://DefensivePistolcraft.com/
     Lesson plans may be found at
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/474513
or send me an email to request the latest
version.

Cheers,
Jon

Jonathan Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015

CWP, 5 March 2015 A.D.

Greetings Sheepdogs,

***** Mindset *****

     In order to cause an injury by negligent
discharge, one has to violate all three of
these safety rules at the same time. 
     Treating a loaded gun as if it
were unloaded.  Pointing the gun at someone
you don't intend to shoot.  Putting your finger
on the trigger when you don't intend to shoot.
     Obeying any one of the safety rules
prevents the injury.  Obeying all of the safety
rules ensures happiness.

***** Training *****

     One of the things that every class learns from
the simulators is that you must aim your pistol.
You must use your sights.  It is very easy to not
aim.  It is very easy to miss.  So, you have to force
yourself to aim.  Focusing on the front sight,
instead of the target is unnatural and extremely
difficult when shooting under stress.  It takes
a lot of training, about 2000 repetitions to engrain
the muscle memory and about 100 repetitions per
month to preserve the muscle memory.  This is a
perishable skill.

     At the last live fire exercise that I attended,
the sleeve of my Gortex jacket got caught between
the hammer and the tang of my model 1911 pistol.
This prevented the pistol from firing.  "Tap, rack,
assess" ejected a live round, but did not free the
hammer.  The pistol still would not fire.  I had
to yank the sleeve out from between the hammer and
the tang to get the pistol working.
     Solution:  Roll up the sleeve.  Don't wear
jackets with too long sleeves.  Don't use a pistol
with an exposed hammer.  Machine off the hammer spur,
because the hammer should never be manually cocked
nor manually lowered.

"Four-Year-Old Alaskan Injured In Negligent Discharge"
http://bearingarms.com/four-year-old-alaskan-injured-negligent-discharge/
     The article gives an analysis of what caused
the negligent discharge.
Solution:  Carry a modern pistol.  Use a correctly
designed holster.  Get professional training.

8 ways cops can better defend against ambush attacks
http://www.policeone.com/police-trainers/articles/8348383-8-ways-cops-can-better-defend-against-ambush-attacks/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Exclusives1LeftTitle&utm_campaign=P1Member&nlid=

***** Pedagogy *****

     We have recently added simulator training to
our NRA Defensive Pistol course.  We use the Quick
Draw Nashville facility,
http://quickdrawnashville.com/
They have three Meggitt Training Systems simulators.
     The problem is to get the students to take the
training seriously.  It is far too easy to get into
the mindset of playing an arcade video game.  "I
didn't shoot him, but if it were real, I would have
shot him."  Such statements, indicating such thoughts,
are wrong.  What makes you think you would have shot
in the real world if you didn't shoot in the simulator?
If you couldn't figure out what was going on, if you
couldn't figure out who the bad guys were, if you
couldn't recognize any bad guys, then you should not
have shot.  Which was the correct thing to do.
     We are not in there to shoot and have fun.
We are in there to practice making the decision to
shoot or not to shoot.  There is nothing wrong with
going through a scenario and not firing a shot.
But, that is no fun.  That's why IDPA matches are
not optimal training for our purposes.  You will
shoot on every stage of fire.  There will be very
few no-shoot targets (unrealistically few). 
In reality, most of the available targets will
be no-shoots.  Think crowded church, crowded
shopping mall, crowded restaurant, crowded movie
theater.

***** Education *****

     A sermon from a guest preacher at a homeless
shelter.
     "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
(I paraphrase.)  [The context is acts of man,
as opposed to acts of God.] 
     That's the wrong question.
Bad things don't happen to good persons.
Bad things happen to incompetent persons.
Bad things happen to persons as a consequence of
making bad decisions (or of their parent making
bad decisions).  So, how do we make good decisions?
How do we become competent?  We seek training.
We attend training.  We complete training.

***** Tactics *****


***** Gear *****

Ammo prices
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/02/20/weekly-ammo-02192015/

***** News *****

South Carolina’s Haley backs constitutional carry bill
http://bearingarms.com/south-carolinas-haley-backs-constitutional-carry-bill/
Kudos to Nikki!

Gutfeld: Why 'gun-free zone' is liberal for 'sitting duck'
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4078747492001/gutfeld-why-gun-free-zone-is-liberal-for-sitting-duck/#sp=show-clips&v=4078747492001

Gun free zones are target-rich environments for criminals intent on taking life.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/25/donations-to-nra-soar-to-nearly-100-million/

Man's best friend
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2015/2/18/tampa_woman_dog_save.html?cid=rss

Restrictive’ Gun Control Powerless to Stop South Korean Attack
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/02/25/restrictive-gun-control-powerless-to-stop-south-korean-attack/

Department of Justice: No Charges for
George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin Death
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/24/doj-no-charges-for-george-zimmerman-in-trayvon-martin-death/

Support For Permitless “Constitutional Carry” Of Handguns Surges
http://bearingarms.com/support-permitless-constitutional-carry-handguns-surges/

***** Promotions *****

On Target in Murfreesboro, TN
Surefire 60 round magazine for AR-15 ($116.10)
http://store.ontargettn.com/product.surefire-mag560-mag5-60-223-remington556-nato-60rd-ar-15-aluminum-black

Surefire
20% off 60 round ($129) and 100 round ($179)
magazines for M-16 type rifles. 
Promotion code: MAG20 (enter at check out)
http://www.surefire.com/tactical-equipment/high-capacity-magazines.html?utm_source=broadcast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PDN_email_HiCapMag20-2015-02-23

Sale on Streamlight flashlights.
http://www.officerstore.com/store/manufacturerProducts.aspx/manufacturerId/6/Streamlight-Inc-/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_content=email&utm_campaign=LightUpTheFight&utm_term=10%25%20Off%20All%20Streamlight#/orderby/5/offset/0/limit/10000

***** Politics *****


***** Miscellany *****

     Interesting web site.
http://www.shtfblog.com/

     Older postings may be found at
http://DefensivePistolcraft.com/
     Lesson plans may be found at
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/474513
or send me an email to request the latest
version.

Cheers,
Jon

Jonathan Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com