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.
