Greetings Sheepdogs,
Happy Independence Day!
“Then Jesus said to His disciples,
whoever does not have a sword should
sell his coat and buy a sword.”
– Book of Luke 22:36, New Life Version of the Bible
This is a transliteration of an ancient text.
The sword was the standard sidearm of the time.
Jesus is saying that self-defense is more important
than staying warm in the winter. A modern translation
would be, “Then Jesus said to His disciples,
whoever does not have a pistol should
sell his smart phone and buy a pistol.”
***** Mindset *****
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
-- John Farnam
Sheriff's Tips: Understanding Condition Red
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/5/30/sheriffs-tips-understanding-condition-red/
Shoot/Don’t Shoot
http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/shoot-dont-shoot
Excerpt:
Do you still think all intruders need to be shot?
Hart County grandmother kills rabid bobcat with bare hands
http://www.onlineathens.com/news/20180615/hart-county-grandmother-kills-rabid-bobcat-with-bare-hands
Grandmother at 46. I'm 60 and still waiting for my
first grandchild.
EMOTIONS - DO NOT FEED THE BABOON
http://blog.suarezinternational.com/2018/06/emotions-do-not-feed-the-baboon.html
Skill Set: A Confident Mindset
http://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/a876207f-83cb-4b80-a889-9b27d6f0fd2b
Excerpt:
Faith is another important component. Having faith
in your skills and abilities is important, but it’s
nothing compared to the confidence created through
a solid religious foundation. I have faith that I
will win. I don’t have to fret over the outcome
of the battle. If it is my Lord’s will that I
should personally be defeated then I am assured
it’s still a victory - towards a greater glory.
I cannot lose. Faith creates confidence.
To Build Influence, Master How You Enter a Room
https://hbr.org/2014/09/to-build-influence-master-how-you-enter-a-room
Complacency kills.
***** Training *****
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
"Training is only the preparation for practice."
-- The Tactical Professor (Claude Warner)
https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2018/05/21/myths-and-misconceptions/
The techniques may seem difficult and complicated.
That is because you have never done them before.
With practice, the techniques will become natural and
comfortable. Later, you may wonder why you bothered
to take a class that taught you things that were so
easy and obvious. When you start teaching your friends
and children, you will understand.
If you see anything unsafe, yell STOP!
It is your duty to maintain a safe range.
If you drop your pistol, let it hit the
ground, then safely (with your trigger finger
in the register position, not on the trigger)
pick it up. It will not fire.
Modern pistols have internal safety mechanisms
that prevent them from firing when dropped.
If you try to grab your pistol as it is falling,
there’s a good chance you will fire the pistol
and hit something that you don’t want to.
Keep your finger outside the trigger guard
until the weapon is pointed at the target and
you have decided to fire.
Failure to obey this rule may cause others
to commit homicide. In Lebanon, TN two police
officers were in a high speed chase of a suspect.
When the suspect finally pulled over, one officer
approached from the driver's side and one approached
from the passenger side. The officer on the driver's
side tripped and fell. Because his finger was on the
trigger, instead of in the register position, he
fired his pistol. The officer on the passenger side
heard the gun shot, saw the other officer fall, and
concluded that the suspect had shot the officer. So,
the passenger side officer shot and killed the suspect,
as the suspect sat in the driver's seat of the car.
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12389244
Sorry, WKRN took the story off their web site.
If the instructor teaches you anything that seems
crazy, stupid, or unsafe, please tell the instructor
immediately.
If you don’t understand what you are supposed to do,
ask the instructor. Don’t think that you can watch others
and figure it out. That would be dangerous.
I know training can be difficult. Let me share
some words of encouragement that my teacher told me,
that I believe apply to all training regimens.
"Keep in mind that this is some seriously next
level material. It is totally normal that the first
time you see this stuff, you find it confusing. You
find it difficult to understand. So, confusion should
not discourage you. It does not represent any
intellectual failing on your part. Rather, keep in
mind that it represents an opportunity to get even
smarter."
-- Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science
and other stuff at Stanford University
Marksmanship and the manual of arms is a matter
of technique, not strength. If you cannot rack the
slide of the pistol, it is because you have never
done it before or you are not doing it correctly.
With the proper technique and practice you will be
able to do it easily. In a month you will wonder
why you had such a hard time doing it before.
The answer is that you had never done it before
(or weren’t doing it correctly). Many things are hard
to do at first, but become easy with practice.
Of course, one has to have a good attitude and
make a good faith effort.
A right handed shooter, who is shooting with
both eyes open and hitting to the left of the
intended target is shooting at the wrong image.
Stick your thumb out at arm’s length and place it
over a distant object with both eyes open. If you
focus on your thumb, you will see two images of
the distant object. If you focus on the distant
object, you will see two images of your thumb.
Close one eye at a time and you will see how far
your thumb moves relative to the distant object.
When aiming your pistol, focus on the front
sight and close your non-aiming eye. Just for
the fraction of a second it takes to release the
shot.
Why do we sleep?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWULB9Aoopc
You must sleep after training.
My computer science teacher in high school,
Mr. Lawrence, told us, "If you can't solve the
problem, make sure you understand the problem
and then go to sleep. When you wake up, you
will have the answer." I have found this to
always be true. My physics professors also
told me similar things.
COMBATIVE PISTOL: The Epistemology of Dave Spaulding
https://civiliandefender.com/2018/06/03/combative-pistol-the-epistemology-of-dave-spaulding/
Why you have to practice support hand only shooting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3zM2EOGbhE
The lady's right hand was wounded in the initial exchange of gun fire.
She immideately transferred her pistol to her left hand and continued
fighting. She drover off the bank robbers.
Instructor Defined
https://www.tridentconcepts.com/2018/06/16/instructor-defined/
Report: Would-Be Robbery Victim Pulls Gun, Shoots Three Suspects
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/15/report-robbery-victim-kroger-shoots-3/
Yes, you have to practice against multiple targets.
Because bad guys operate in gangs.
5 Reasons You Don’t Want Free Training
https://www.agirlandagun.org/5-reasons-dont-want-free-training/
Fix Your Flinch: Tips for Curing Anticipation When Shooting
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/6/18/fix-your-flinch-tips-for-curing-anticipation-when-shooting/
Of course, the essential thing not mentioned
in this article is the surprise break. Which
actually fixes the problem. If you don't know
what the "surprise break" is, or have never
experienced it, ASK FOR HELP!
Breath: The Most Underrated Shooting Fundamental
https://www.concealedcarry.com/training-2/breath-underrated-shooting-fundamental/
Training in adverse conditions
First, once I got good and wet, my shirt was
clinging to my undershirt. It took an aggressive
draw stroke to clear the outer garment sufficiently
and make an efficient presentation. One should
always practice an aggressive draw stroke, just
in case it gets wet or the wind is blowing
strongly from a direction that pins your outer
clothing to you.
Next, the grip texture on my Boresight Solutions
Glock 17 worked just fine, even when my hands were
soaking wet. The support hand, however, is mostly
gripping wet flesh. You really need to clamp down
with that support hand to keep the grip together
in multiple shot strings, especially when your
hands are wet.
The late Pat Rogers often said that we don’t
always get to train when it’s a sunny 70 degrees,
with an impossibly blue sky and cotton-ball clouds.
He was right. The next time you’re going shooting
and it starts to rain, stick around and get used
to it. It’s just part of being properly prepared.
-- Tom Givens
Accept your wobble. If 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.)
Okay, Coach, so what's the scientific explanation that's
going to satisfy my secular mind?
Strive for a surprise break to defeat your autonomic
nervous system, thereby releasing the shot before any flinch,
jerk, or push. [Your autonomic nervous system is your low
level instinctual system that automatically anticipates
the recoil and report, and reacts in anticipation of these
events. You cannot train yourself not to react, because it
is a reflex response (as blinking when something approaches
your eye or kicking when the doctor taps you below the
kneecap). So, we are defeating the autonomic nervous system
by not allowing the brain to know exactly when the shot
will be released, so the anticipatory reaction to the shot
does not occur before the shot.] You are not intentionally
firing the pistol; rather you are allowing your subconscious
to fire the pistol. Your subconscious is much better at
estimating time and distance than your conscious.
(Thanks to Col. Greg Kitchens, USMC for this explanation.)
If you are having difficulty achieving a surprise break,
try this. Touch the trigger. Take the slack out of the trigger.
Apply 1/8th pressure. Smoothly increase to 2/8th pressure.
Gradually increase to 3/8th pressure. Gently increase to
4/8th pressure. I guarantee the pistol will fire before you
reach 8/8th pressure. And because you were never intending
to fire the shot, you will get a surprise break.
Right-handed shooters who are scattering their rounds
low left are not getting a surprise break, rather they are
anticipating the shot and pushing against the anticipated
recoil before the bullet exists the muzzle. Left-handed
shooters who lack a surprise break will scatter low right.
Train to Fight: Solid Defensive Habits for the Armed Citizen
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/6/14/train-to-fight-solid-defensive-habits-for-the-armed-citizen/
“It is better to be wrong than to be vague.”
-- Freeman Dyson
If you are wrong, the instructor can correct you.
If you are vague, no one can help you.
***** Tactics *****
Only those who risk going too far can
possibly find out how far one can go.
-- T.S. Elliot
***** Techniques *****
Avoidance, Deterrence and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
Sighted vs. point shooting: Myths and realities
http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/sighted-vs.-point-shooting-myths-and-realities/recreation-leisure
Excerpt:
Sighted shooting is more forgiving to a lack of
frequent practice because you have concrete
steps to fall back on to hit your target every time.
AIWB (Appendix, Inside the Waistband) Carry
http://defense-training.com/2018/aiwb-carry/
Concealed-Carry Safety . . . In the Bathroom
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2018/6/1/concealed-carry-safetyin-the-bathroom/
I believe the instructors cited in this article
are wrong. The best thing to do with your pistol
when using the bathroom is to keep your pistol holstered.
"The primary cause of negligent discharges is
unnecessary gun handling." -- John Farnam
So, just keep your pistol in its holster as you
drop your pants (or whatever) to use the bathroom.
Training Your Field of View
https://gundigest.com/gun-videos/gundigest-tv/video-training-your-field-of-view
The AOJ (Ability, Opportunity, and Jeopardy) model
works well for sworn law enforcement officers,
but not so much for civilians. A better model for
civilians would be ADEE (Avoid, Disengage, Evade, Escape).
-- Skip Gochenour
If there is not enough contrast between your sights
and the target to align your sights, move your sights
off of the target to a higher contrast background,
align your sights there, and then move your sights onto
the target. With practice, you can make this technique
work reliably.
Remember, sight alignment is far more important
than sight movie.
Vision
http://www.gabewhitetraining.com/articles/vision/
***** Gear *****
Do not be overly concerned with your pistol.
The surgeon is not known by his scalpel. He has no
favorite scalpel. He has a skill, any scalpel will do.
(I have seen a tracheotomy preformed with a steak
knife grabbed off a dinner table.) Similarly, you
should concentrate on honing your skill, any pistol
will do. A person will become comfortable with
anything he practices. Sentimental or personal
preferences have no place in combat.
Cut serrations on the back of the slide to
allow reliable racking. Cut serrations on the
front of the slide to allow reliable chamber checks.
The serrations should be angled so that when your
hands are slippery your hands will slip into the
pistol, not off of the pistol. Deburr and polish
after cutting the serrations. Otherwise, you may
cut up your hands.
One of my students was experimenting
with suspenders to hold up her gun belt, because
it is heavy with all the ammunition in the pistol
and spare magazines, and such. Standard use of
suspenders with two straps in the front and one
strap in the back did not work for her, because
she has breasts that interfered with the straps.
So, she wore the suspenders backwards, one strap
in the front and two straps in the back. She
moved her belt buckle from centered under her
navel to a one o'clock or two o'clock position
(she is right handed). This worked for her.
Everyone is different. It's worth experimenting.
Push up bras (generally speaking) not only
push the breast up, but also together to achieve
a certain look. Some sports bras will hold the
breasts apart so there is no rubbing between the
suspender strap and the breasts.
3 Things To Know About Wheelchair CCW
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2018/6/15/3-things-to-know-about-wheelchair-ccw/
May I recommend gunsmith Richard Modzelewski?
He is a graduate of Colorado School of Trades'
gunsmithing program and a former Marine.
Echo Three Armory
214 North Horton Parkway
Chapel Hill, TN 37034
(931)364-5486
Echo3Armory@gmail.com
May I suggest you get an eye exam and eye glasses
or contact lenses that allow you to focus on your front
sight with your aiming eye (hopefully your dominant eye)
when your eyes are relaxed. Your mind will concentrate
on what your eye focuses on. If you focus on your
front sight, you will know where your pistol is pointed
and you will hit your intended target. If you focus on
the target, your front sight will wander off and you
will never notice it. Hence, you won't hit what you
think you are aiming at. Yes, this is extremely difficult.
Nature and instinct will force you to focus on the threat
to your life. But, if you do, you will miss. And every
miss is damaging property and injuring innocent bystanders,
perhaps killing them. So, by training and practice you
must learn to focus on your front sight while shooting.
***** 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."
"In any field, staying up to date is an excellent idea for anyone.
For instructors, it’s absolutely mandatory."
-- The Tactical Professor (Claude Warner)
https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2018/06/14/years-of-experience/
Please do a thorough equipment inspection,
at the start of every class,
to make sure the pistol and holster function
properly.
You have to teach the fundamentals.
Never assume the student knows anything.
And be aware that the student may know
things that are false. Because they have
learned all kinds of neat stuff from TV
and movies. Keanu Reeves for instance
has had extensive training at prestigious
gun schools. So, he knows what is correct.
But, he still has to do what the director
tells him to do (no matter how stupid) in
order to get the visual effect and screen
shot that the director needs to tell the
story. There are also directors (such as
David Mamet) who have extensive deep gun
knowledge. But, they have to subordinate
that to movie making. Movies must be easy
for the audience to follow. Otherwise,
the audience won't be satisfied. View
YouTube.com videos of real gun fights.
Hard, if not impossible, to follow, right?
The narrator has to explain what is
happening. You have to view in slow motion.
You have to stop frames and carefully
examine to see the details. The narrator
has to circle or draw arrows to things
to direct your attention to important objects.
That's why fencing is not a money making
Olympic sport. The TV audience can't follow
the action. So, the networks won't televise it.
I carry a set of files in my range bag to
deburr the students' pistols. Because students will
bring pistol that have sharp edges. If the
student refuses to deburr his pistol and refuses
to allow you to deburr his pistol because it will
ruin the resale value of the pistol, diplomatically
explain to the student that his attitude is wrong.
And have Band-Aids for the student when he cuts
himself. The student will also develop bad habits
in an attempt to avoid the sharp edges. Point
these out to the student to motivate him to deburr
his pistol.
The Undeniable Question
https://www.tridentconcepts.com/2018/06/09/the-undeniable-question/
20 leadership tips for firearms instructors
https://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearms/training/articles/345968006-20-leadership-tips-for-firearms-instructors/
The Left-Handed Revolver Reload
https://revolverguy.com/left-handed-universal-revolver-reload/
You can't teach it, if you don't know how to do it.
Yes, as a matter of fact, you might have a left handed
student in your class who brought a revolver to your class.
Make It So
http://www.grahamtradecraft.com/make-it-so/
What is “Training”?
http://www.corneredcat.com/what-is-training/
“Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something.”
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
***** Pedagogy *****
Don’t rush to cover all of the material.
It is better to ensure the student understands
what has been taught and leave the rest for
next time. If the student doesn’t want to come
back next time, that’s their choice.
-- Nathan Goode, NGInvestigations.com
May I suggest you read
"Teaching Women To Shoot A Law Enforcement Instructor's Guide"
by Vicki Farnam & Diane Nicholl
ISBN-10: 0965942295
ISBN-13: 978-0965942294
and
"Women Learning to Shoot: A Guide for Law Enforcement Officers"
by Diane Nicholl and Vicki Farnam
ASIN: B00C9PZK2W
Because you will be teaching women: daughters, sisters,
friends, etc. The basic pedagogical problem is that women
(generally speaking) do not have spatial perception as men do.
That means that women do not automatically generate pictures
in their minds, while men will instantly and automatically
picture things that are described to them (even without
sufficient detail, they fill in the blanks automatically,
they make assumptions [sometimes very dangerous assumptions]).
So, when you describe sight alignment and sight movie, the
guy automatically pictures a straight line from his eye
to the rear sight to the front sight to the target. Thus,
aligning the pistol with the line of sight. The gal usually
will not get such a picture automatically. You must describe
in enough detail to allow her to generate such a picture
in her mind. No, it's not easy. Teaching is a difficult task.
To Build Influence, Master How You Enter a Room
https://hbr.org/2014/09/to-build-influence-master-how-you-enter-a-room
***** Education *****
A Comparison of Affordable Concealed Carry Insurance Plans
http://misfiresandlightstrikes.com/2018/05/31/a-comparison-of-affordable-concealed-carry-insurance-plans/
“First Dollar” Coverage is the most important thing.
If you don't have the money up front, you're not going
to have a very good defense.
Reimbursements may or may not be made depending on
whether or not you are convicted. And if you don't have
the money up front to hire a competent attorney, private
investigators, and expert witnesses, you might get
convicted. Oh, innocent people get convicted all the
time. In America, you get the justice you pay for.
5 Essential Concealed-Carry Tips for Women
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/5/31/5-essential-concealed-carry-tips-for-women/
Interstate Travel: Understanding Article 926A of FOPA
https://www.concealedcarry.com/law/interstate-travel-understanding-article-926a-of-fopa/
Protect Your Home Against Burglars
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2018/6/3/protect-your-home-against-burglars/
Examining the gross versus fine motor skills debate
http://soldiersystems.net/2013/04/20/gunfighter-moment-mike-pannone-8/
Brownells, Inc.
https://www.youtube.com/user/brownellsinc
A fascinating blog
http://dtiwomen.com/the-blog/
***** News, Legal, Philosophical, and Political stuff *****
THE DOOMSDAY SCENARIO: WHAT IF SCHOOL WALKOUTS DON'T WORK?
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2018-05-23.html
RACIAL QUOTAS KILL KIDS
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2018-03-07.html
The truth as to why Nikolas Cruz was allowed by
law enforcement to murder 17 people at the
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida.
FBI agent accidentally fires gun while dancing at a Denver nightclub
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/03/fbi-agent-accidentally-fires-gun-while-dancing-at-denver-nightclub.html
So, he was drunk. Doing a stupid thing.
So, he was in a nightclub. Going to a stupid place.
So, he had his finger on the trigger. Violating a basic safety rule.
So, of course he's going to have a negligent discharge.
But, it's okay, he's FBI.
Short Barreled Rifles (less than 16 inch barrel) vs.
Long Barreled Pistols (no shoulder stock)
http://defense-training.com/2018/krebs-pd-18-pistol/
Illinois passes wide sweeping ban on semi automatic guns!
https://www.facebook.com/NewsForNatives/videos/1303288573137446/
NY Misery!
http://defense-training.com/2018/ny-misery/
Excerpt:
“Extreme risk protection order” is polite terminology
for abrupt and permanent gun confiscation.
Suspected Walmart robber tries to carjack two different cars,
both drivers pull out guns
https://whdh.com/news/suspected-walmart-robber-tries-to-carjack-two-different-cars-both-drivers-pull-out-guns/
Gunman wounds 2, fatally shot by bystander at Walmart store
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gunman-wounds-2-fatally-shot-095051169.html
All the action happens in Wal Mart parking lots.
***** Survival Tips *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Dr. Sherman House
***** Basics *****
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
Tips for Starting to Carry
https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2018/6/18/tips-for-starting-to-carry/
***** Miscellany *****
What's going on with the volcanoes in Hawaii?
https://www.facebook.com/lesley.brey/posts/10156406579232801
Dancing FBI Agent Facing Felony Charges
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/06/14/dancing-fbi-agent-facing-felony-charges/
Free drinks for life! That's better than any
settlement he could have gotten.
For the latest version of my lesson plans for my
NRA Defensive Pistol course, send me an email. Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Cheers,
Jon
