Hi Sheepdogs,
NRA Cancels 2020 Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Nashville, Tennessee
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/3/13/nra-cancels-2020-annual-meetings-exhibits-in-nashville-tenn/
You've got down time due to the virus? Dry practice.
Clean your guns.
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
----- Mindset -----
Love casts out fear. Remember who we are fighting for;
our spouses, children, grandchildren, etc. If we do not defeat
the criminals, they will be preying on our loved ones.
The sheepdog who is spending the rest of his life in prison,
must be able to say to himself, I knew there was a non-zero
probability of my death, injury, and prison time; but shooting that
criminal was worth the risk, because I must protect my loved ones.
My brother-in-law says this with a smile, because at 20 years
my senior, he feels he has little to lose. I say it, because I
have sworn an oath, death before dishonor. My son, 30 years my
junior, says it because of his foundational values. Whatever
your reason, you should be able to say it; it was worth the risk,
I would do it again.
As Andrew Branca says, even in a totally justified self
defense shooting, you have a non-zero probability of being killed,
and a non-zero probability of spending the rest of your life
in prison.
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
Paul Howe on Combat Mindset by David Yamane
https://gunculture2point0.wordpress.com/2020/03/10/paul-howe-on-combat-mindset/
“Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
-- Aristotle
Peter van Uhm (Netherlands' Chief of Defense): Why I chose a gun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjAsM1vAhW0
Excerpts:
The gun is not some macho instrument to brag about.
The gun is the instrument of peace and stability.
Born to Intervene? by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/born-to-intervene
Excerpt:
The problem really isn’t the intervention.
It’s the fact that people intervene without the
right equipment, skills, or plans. As my friend
William says in his lecture:
“If you are going to intervene, you better be able to punch your weight.”
-- Dr. William Aprill
The Price of Security is Eternal Vigilance by Ed Head
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/27/the-price-of-security-is-eternal-vigilance/
Situational Awareness: When You Have to Use Deadly Force
by Michelle Cerino
https://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2020/02/situational-awareness-when-you-have-to-use-deadly-force/
Excerpt:
Remember, the mind won’t go where the body has never been.
The Importance of Situational Awareness by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/3/13/the-importance-of-situational-awareness/
Excerpt:
Be alert and observe. It saves lives.
Should I Carry My Gun In My House? by Joshua Gillem
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms-ownership/should-i-carry-my-gun-in-my-house/
Excerpt:
Never carry out of fear, always carry out of confidence.
Law of Self Defense PRINCIPLES: Legally Sound Defense Strategy (Audio book)
https://lawofselfdefense.com/law-of-self-defense-principles-legally-sound-defense-strategy-audio-book/
You’re prepared, or you’re not!
-- John Farnam
“The battle has opened, gentlemen. It’s too late to change our dispositions.”
-- Confederate General, Albert S Johnson,
at the dawn of the Battle of Shiloh, 6 Apr 1862
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
----- Safety -----
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
Be in bed by 10 PM. Your own bed.
Don't look like a freak.
Don't fail the attitude test.
-- John Farnam
How to Make Your Home a Hard Target by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/3/22/how-to-make-your-home-a-hard-target/
“How absurd it was that the weakest and most vulnerable, women and girls,
went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were
trained to the highest reaches of their skill.”
-- Kristin Cashore
How Do I Hand A Gun To Another Person? By Joshua Gillem
https://www.concealedcarry.com/safety/how-do-i-hand-a-gun-to-another-person/
7 Things to Know About Your First Time at the Range by Wendy LaFever
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/3/23/7-things-to-know-about-your-first-time-at-the-range/
How to Safely Reholster Your Handgun by Brad Fitzpatrick
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/3/28/how-to-safely-reholster-your-handgun/
"The fast and / or emphatic reholster is an awesome way to shoot yourself."
-- Chuck Haggard
----- Training -----
"Reasons for training:
1. You don't know what you don't know.
2. Much of what you know is wrong.
3. It's good to have some of the answers to the test before taking it."
-- Claude Werner the Tactical Professor
Combat accuracy vs. precision by Mike Ox
https://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/combat-accuracy-vs.-precision/law-enforcement-defense-security
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
Firearm Training: Realistic Practice by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/3/6/firearm-training-realistic-practice/
Speed will come automatically with practice. Accuracy will not.
If you practice intelligently, your motions will become more and more
efficient with every repetition. Hence, faster.
"The real value of training and practice isn't gaining technical competence,
it's achieving confidence in your abilities."
-- Claude Werner the Tactical Professor
Your Tactical Training Scenario - Look Out for Lookouts
by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/your-tactical-training-scenario-look-out-for-lookouts
“There’s a huge training myth out there.
That MYTH is that Information = Something of Value.
FACT: Information = 0,
unless people are inspired to act.”
-- Val Van Brocklin
Train Your Personality - Gunsite Academy Firearms Training by Bob Whaley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VigOuoA6iiI
I think you should defeat any manual safeties as soon as the pistol
is pointed toward the target, because you might have to shoot from a
compressed ready (close contact) position. Waiting to get the sights
on target before defeating the safety is a bad idea. (Actually, he
doesn't explicitly say when he has defeated the safety. I just figured
it out from watching the video.)
I think jacking rounds out onto the ground is a bad idea.
Ammunition in combat is extremely valuable. This may leave a training
scar.
I think not watching what you're doing when holstering is a bad
idea. Too many things can get stuck in your holster while holstering.
If you feel you have to keep your head up and looking around, you
should not be holstering your pistol in the first place.
I have yet to find two instructors who taught the same techniques.
That's why it is so important to take classes from different instructors.
Otherwise, you may have the misconception that there is no other
reasonable way to execute that operation.
Pistol Drills To Aid In Training by John Parker (actually by Brian Zins)
https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2020/3/9/watch-pistol-drills-to-aid-in-training/
Check out the links at the bottom of the article.
Ya, I know he has his finger on the trigger when it should not be.
He's a target shooter, not a tactical shooter.
New Year- Dry Practice by Tiger McKee
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/5ea4d990-eccc-4cc6-ac07-e9fc57f2389d
Excerpt:
Dry practice should be done slowly, concentrating on each technique
and performing the sequence at a speed that minimizes your chances
of making mistakes.
Utah Concealed Firearm Training Class Part 1 (Safety rules and such)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYJ4qIGKaRg
Utah Concealed Firearm Training Class Part 2 (Utah laws and such)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WedaJYr7Q3A
At 57:23, why Tasers are not a good idea for civilian concealed carry.
The Top 3 Firearms Training Myths: Recoil Control + Dry Fire + Live Fire
by Chris Sajnog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofCjPTJJSVw
Skill Set: Control by Tiger McKee
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/4f7e6d03-4fcb-4434-b6e0-f7a7ded27ea1
"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
Take Your Defensive Shooting To The Next Level With Low-Light Dry Fire Practice
by Joshua Gillem
https://www.concealedcarry.com/gear/take-your-defensive-shooting-to-the-next-level-with-low-light-dry-fire-practice/
I have found that trapping the emitting end of the flashlight
in your firing side arm pit works well for freeing the support side
hand to do the stoppage reduction.
Why practice?
"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
Skills Check: Distance Shooting by Ed Head
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/3/30/skills-check-distance-shooting/
Excerpt:
Mr. Wilson, head of the church volunteer security team,
drew his SIG Sauer P229 pistol chambered in .357 SIG and
fired one shot, hitting the murderer in the head and stopping
the attack. Many lives were saved due to this excellent shot
fired from 50 feet away.
Could you do this? If you can't confidently answer, YES,
get to practicing.
Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you
have practiced, no matter how ridiculous."
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Techniques -----
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
How Do I Use a Handheld Flashlight and Handgun at The Same Time?
https://www.concealedcarry.com/safety/how-do-i-use-a-handheld-flashlight-and-handgun-at-the-same-time/
It is rare to find someone who executes the Harries technique
correctly, because it is rare to find someone who teaches the
Harries technique correctly. The support side forearm should be
vertical, so that the support side wrist is pushing outboard, not
up. If the support side forearm is horizontal or nearly so, the
pressure from the support side wrist is up. Which is wrong, because
the recoil from the pistol is up.
Home Invasion! Grab The Defensive Rifle - Dead Trigger . . .
What The Hell Do You Do Now??
http://blog.shooting-performance.com/home-invasion-grab-the-defensive-rifle-dead-trigger-what-the-hell-do-you-do-now/
"These Marines Explain Why They Only Use Fully
Automatic Fire During the Most Intense Firefights"
by James Clark
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/these-marines-explain-why-they-only-use-fully-automatic-fire-during-most-intense
When I did Marine Corps boot camp in 1981, we fired
the M-16's on auto to demonstrate to each Marine, from
first hand experience, that full auto fire from the M-16
was completely uncontrollable. The heavier machineguns
are controllable, but as the article states, it's extremely
difficult to achieve even combat accuracy with automatic
fire. If you really want controlled automatic fire, you
have to use a quality mount and swing arm system to hold
the gun for you. I shamelessly recommend
Military Systems Group,
https://milsysgroup.com/
If you need something special, call me and I'll get you
connected to the right people.
The MP-5's that we used in the Military Police were
also uncontrollable in auto mode, because the rate of fire
was too high. The only automatic that I have used that is
really controllable, is the Uzi (the real Uzi that fires
from the open bolt position, to avoid cooking off rounds;
as opposed to the civilian version of the Uzi that fires
from a closed bolt position and doesn't cook off rounds
because you can't get a high rate of fire on semi-auto)
because the rate of fire is low enough for the operator
to modulate the trigger. With practice, you can fire one
shot bursts, two shot bursts, three shot bursts, etc.
And you have to be able to do that. Unless, you're in a
free fire zone. Unlike my son, I've never been in a free
fire zone. So, I'm not familiar with the discipline in
a free fire zone.
Five Types Of AR Malfunctions And How To Address Them
https://gundigest.com/rifles/ar-15/five-types-of-ar-malfunctions-and-how-to-address-them
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
----- Tactics -----
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
----- Education -----
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
Paul R. Howe has some fascinating stuff on his web site at
http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/published.htm
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
***** ***** ***** Hardware (which includes you) ***** ***** *****
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
----- Gear -----
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
The surfaces of all of your gear should be flat black.
This will allow it to hide in the shadows of your concealment
garment. Human eyes are attracted to anything shiny or of
high contrast.
How to Conceal Spare Ammo by Massad Ayoob
https://gundigest.com/article/how-to-conceal-spare-ammo
What to Look for in a Holster by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/28/what-to-look-for-in-a-holster/
How To Correctly Insert Foam Earplugs by Glen Zediker
https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2020/3/5/how-to-correctly-insert-foam-earplugs/
5 Best Tactical Pens [Hands-On Tested] by Travis Pike
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-tactical-pens/
Concealed Carry Considerations - Gunsite Academy Firearms Training by Charlie McNeese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwDU05Q4B-k
The Holster –
You must use a holster. Carrying your pistol in your pocket or waist band
without a holster is wrong on many levels. The pistol must never fall out of your
possession. The pistol must be easily, quickly, and reliably accessible.
If a situation occurs where the police officer needs to take your pistol from
you, he will ask you to face away from him and interlock your fingers over your
head. He will then aggressively grab your hands to prevent you from using your
hands. He will then attempt to take your pistol. (Or, he may execute a felony
arrest procedure in which he will command you to lie face down on the ground,
cross your ankles, spread your arms, palms up, and face away from him. He will
then approach out of your view, grab your wrist, twist your arm behind you and
place a knee in your back. Do not resist. The police officer is scared that you may
try to kill him.) If you have your pistol in a quality holster, the police officer
should have no problem taking it. And he will think that you are probably a good
guy. If he has to dig around in your pocket or down your pants to get your pistol,
he might think you’re a gang banger.
Wear a holster that attaches to your belt and fits inside your waist band. This
provides much better concealment. Your belt will hold the holster tight against
your body, preventing it from flopping around when you move.
The holster must cover the trigger.
We only use holsters that hold the pistol at the point of our hip on the firing
side with the barrel pointing down. Shoulder holsters, thigh holsters, and cross
draw holsters violate safety rule 2, never cover anything that you are not willing to
destroy. When wearing a thigh holster, you are covering the person across the table
from you when you sit down to dinner. It is very difficult and awkward to present
from a shoulder holster without muzzling your support side arm. A small of the
back holster will not be accessible when sitting in a car or in a chair, and may
cause spinal injury when you fall on your back (even if you fall to your back
correctly). Appendix carry has the pistol pointing at your femoral artery.
If the holster does not allow you to establish a high tight grip with your
trigger finger in the register position and your thumb in a high relaxed position,
then the holster is incorrectly designed and should not be used.
Leather (preferably horse hide, as opposed to cow hide, because it wears
better in the warm moist environment close to your body) is better than plastic (as
Kydex or such) because it is softer, conforms to your body, and is much more
comfortable in the long run.
The holster should tilt the pistol forward so that the grip does not stick out
the back. But, remember that a forward cant makes getting the pistol with your
support side hand by reaching behind your back more difficult.
The holster must stay in place on your body, so that it is where you think it
will be when you reach for your pistol.
The holster should hold the pistol in place with friction on the trigger guard.
Retention holsters are appropriate for law enforcement officers and armed guards
who carry their pistols in plain sight of the enemy. But they are inappropriate for
our purposes, because we must be able to present the pistol with our support side
hand. The more operations you need to perform to get your pistol out, the more
time it takes, and the more training it takes to present under stress; as when
someone is punching, choking, or stabbing you. (It is common to read after action
reports in which the person says that they could not get the pistol out of the holster
because they forgot to defeat the retention device. Such is an effect of high stress,
inadequate training, and lack of sufficient practice. Or, the report is written by the
forensic examiner.)
The holster must stay open so that you can holster with one hand. So, it has
to have a stiff reinforced mouth. Using two hands to holster runs the risk of
muzzling (or shooting) your support side hand. Your support side hand may not be
available to assist in holstering (you might be holding a baby).
If your holster is very tight on the slide of your pistol, it may push the slide
back when you insert the pistol. To prevent the slide from being pushed back, put
your firing side thumb behind the slide and push the pistol into the holster. If you
are using a 1911 type pistol, the thumb safety will lock the slide forward and you
won’t have this problem. Of course, it is better to have a holster that does not push
the slide back when holstering.
Remember, in a high stress situation, easy things become difficult and
difficult things become impossible. So, your holster must work easily, without
thought.
Some people find that they need to trim the leather or plastic of their holster
to get it to work correctly. You should modify the holster as necessary so that you
can establish a high tight grip while the pistol is still in the holster. If you can’t,
the holster does not work for you. Try another one.
If the front sight protrudes out the bottom of the holster, make sure the front
sight can't get caught on the edge of the holster when presenting. You may need to
use a soldering iron to heat and bend the plastic or water to mold the leather.
Using a right handed outside the belt holster on the left hand side as an
inside the belt holster may not work. The pressure of the belt on the holster may
prevent the holster from releasing the pistol.
The holster should not cover the magazine release button (or lever) on the
inboard side. If the mag release button is covered, you won't be able to reload
the magazine in your pistol without taking the pistol out of the holster.
The holster should cover the magazine release button on the outboard side to
prevent unintentionally releasing the magazine when you bump something or fall down.
You must use the retention devices on your holster every time you holster
you pistol. If you are not willing to do this, use a holster without retention devices.
Using any tool in a manner that it was not designed, is wrong.
Avoid holsters that require the use of the trigger finger of the firing hand to
actuate a button to release the pistol, such as the Blackhawk SERPA holster.
Because,
1. the common factor in documented negligent discharges is an unintended
continuation of the movement of the trigger finger toward the trigger due to the
“push button” motion required by the trigger finger to initiate firearm release.
2. The manufacturer recommends that you not insert the pistol backwards into
the holster, because the pistol can get stuck in the holster. This is the primary
technique taught for support side hand presentation in the federal law enforcement
training schools (FLETC, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center).
3. The release mechanism may fail to release the pistol due to debris (dirt,
small pebbles, snow) lodging behind the release button.
Citation – email from U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park
Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240; dated July 5, 2012; from
Acting Associate Director Louis Rowe; reference W34 (2460).
Your holster must be: Comfortable, Concealable, Secure, and Fast.
“Your car is not a holster.” – Pat Rogers
Wear it or lock it up.
A flashlight.
It must be strong enough to blind your enemy. (If you can blind your enemy,
you might not have to shoot him. That’s a big win for you.)
It must have a thumb button pressure switch at the rear end. (Press on, release off.
Anything fancier or more complicated than that is wrong and will not serve you well.
No strobes. No colors. No click switches. The flashlight must go off when you release
the button.)
Your flashlight should be putting out at least 500 lumens (good modern LED
flashlights will put out 500 lumens with two lithium batteries).
Your flashlight probably uses lithium batteries, if it’s not the rechargeable type.
Other battery types just don’t put out enough power (energy per unit time).
Get a rechargeable flashlight. The cost of batteries will bankrupt you.
Your flashlight should have an LED (Light Emitting Diode), not a xenon bulb.
The LEDs are much more efficient. Which means they run cooler and the batteries
will last longer.
Do not put a lanyard on your flashlight. You will be moving around.
If the flashlight is attached to your wrist by a lanyard, it may wrap around your hands,
effectively handcuffing you. Or, it may swing around and hit you in the face.
Better to hold it in your hand or trap it in your firing side arm pit if you need
to free your support side hand.
A friend at work asked for my advice, as a female friend of his had asked
for advice on buying a pistol. A copy of my email response follows.
The Pistol –
A modern self-defense pistol in good working order. Revolvers are
inappropriate because in combat, they take too long to reload, are too difficult to
reload, and require reloading too often.
Some people think, how much money will I spend on something that I may
never use? But you should be thinking, how much money will I spend on
something that my life and the lives of my loved ones will depend on? Your pistol
should be considered emergency life saving equipment, as a life vest when you go
sailing.
Your pistol should be ambidextrous, because you can't know which hand you
will be using in combat. Such is the nature of combat.
The Pistol Action –
We recommend single-action or striker-action pistols, because they have the
same trigger pull on each shot.
Double-action-only pistols have a long heavy trigger pull that makes
accurate shooting difficult, and requires more training to master. Attempting to
stage a double action trigger is difficult, because there is no hard stop. Staging a
double action trigger is technically wrong for combat shooting.
Double/single-action pistols have a long heavy trigger pull that makes first
shot accuracy difficult. Second and subsequent shots from a double/single-action
pistol have a different trigger pull from the first shot. This forces you to train to
two different trigger pulls. In a high stress situation, you might lose a great deal of
manual dexterity and mental competence. You must keep everything in your
system simple. Having the same trigger pull on each shot is simpler.
The single action pistols are better than the striker action pistols, because
they have crisper triggers with less slack and over travel. Clean crisp single action
triggers with a little slack and no over travel are better for accuracy. Accuracy is
essential, because every missed shot is hitting a friendly or an innocent bystander
or damaging property.
Examples of single-action pistols would be any model 1911 type pistol and
the Springfield Armory XD. (The BATFE classified the SA XD as a single action
pistol, because unlike the striker action pistols the trigger pull does not finish
cocking the striker. It only releases the striker.)
Examples of striker action pistols
that we think make good self-defense weapons would be the Ruger American,
Glock, and Smith & Wesson M&P. The H&K P30 with the Law Enforcement
Modification trigger system has a striker (same trigger pull for every shot) and a
double-action hammer, but functions as does a striker action pistol.
If you keep your pistol clean, use factory new ammunition, and don't cause a
malfunction by doing something wrong, you will reduce the probability of a
malfunction to an acceptable level.
The Pistol Caliber –
The NRA recommends a modern pistol in a caliber from 9mm to .45 ACP.
We recommend a modern semi-automatic single action or striker action
pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. You want to throw the biggest piece of
lead you can, because this gives you the best terminal ballistics. If anyone tells
you that the .45 ACP produces too much recoil, they are wrong. Accurate shooting
is a matter of technique not strength. Smaller than 9mm is statistically ineffective.
Larger than .45 ACP has too much recoil, making accuracy and subsequent shots
difficult.
What determines whether or not you succeed in a gunfight? Speed,
accuracy, and power. Speed – you have to hit the bad guy before he hits you.
Accuracy – you have to hit a vital organ to stop the attack (Misses aren't just
ineffective, they destroy property and injure innocent bystanders, perhaps killing
them.) Power is the mass, speed, and form of your bullet. You control speed and
accuracy in real time during the fight. Power is what you bring to the fight. So,
you might as well bring as much as you can shoot accurately. Which we believe is
the .45 ACP.
The Pistol Grip –
The pistol must fit your hand, just as your glove fits your hand or your shoe
fits your foot. You would never wear clothes that did not fit. Why would you even
consider using a pistol that does not fit your hand?
You must be able to get your trigger finger in front of the trigger so as to pull
the trigger straight to the rear. If the pistols with double stack (meaning a double
stack of cartridges in the magazine, as opposed to a single linear stack) magazines
are too big for you, try the single stack models.
If the grip fits but the trigger is not in the correct position, your gunsmith can
move the trigger. Many pistols also have aftermarket triggers that can be installed
by a gunsmith.
If your trigger finger is wrapped around the trigger with the fingertip
pointing back toward you, instead of to the side, you need to move the trigger
forward on the pistol or get a larger grip.
Do not use a pistol that is so small that you cannot get all of your fingers on
the grip. A pistol being super compact may be good for police undercover, but not
so good for civilian concealed carry. We used the big fat pencils in preschool and
kindergarten when our dexterity was poor. Then we used the thinner pencils when
we got older and our coordination improved. In a high stress situation, a human
loses a great deal of coordination, dexterity, and fine motor control. So, it makes
sense to use the biggest pistol you can. Big objects are easier to manipulate with
gross motor skills.
“Avoid tacky soft rubber grips. They make getting a correct grip difficult if
you initially get an incorrect grip.” – Massad Ayoob
The Pistol Sights –
The pistol should have fixed sights. Adjustable sights are fragile, and will
move in rough conditions. You may need to use the rear or front sight to rack the
slide. The rear sight should be smooth and rounded so it doesn’t cut your hand
when racking the slide.
We recommend a blade front sight and a notch rear sight. This allows
precise elevation alignment by making the top of the front sight level with the top
of the rear sight, and allows precise windage alignment by making the amount of
light on either side of the front sight equal in the rear sight notch. Make sure that
there is an ample amount of light on either side of the front sight when viewed
through the rear sight. If not, machine out the rear sight. This is critical, as the
space on either side of the front sight will decrease or disappear in low light
conditions.
We do not recommend a single dot on the rear sight. It is very difficult to
finely resolve the distance between the dots on the front and rear sight, so the
elevation error is great.
We do not recommend a ghost ring rear sight as it is difficult to critically
center the top of the front sight in the large ring.
We do not recommend laser sights. They don’t produce enough light to
identify your target in the dark and you can’t see them on the target in bright
conditions. Murphy’s Law (Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, at the
worst possible time.) says your batteries will be dead when you need to use the
laser, or there won’t be any batteries in the laser when you grab the gun in an
emergency. I have lost count of the number of times someone has brought a laser
out to demonstrate and had to change batteries or get batteries. How fortunate that
it was a demonstration and not combat.
Tritium glow in the dark sights are nice, as they allow you to find your pistol
in the dark. Other than that, they are not useful. Because, if you have enough light
to positively identify your target, you will have enough light to silhouette your
sights against the target. So, you won’t need the tritium sights. And if it's too dark
to resolve your sights without the tritium, it's too dark to positively identify your
target. The solution is a tactical flashlight (500 lumens or more, thumb pressure
switch) and iron sights (blade front, notch rear).
The Pistol Safety –
The pistol should not have a manually operated safety, such as a thumb
lever. It is common to read after action reports in which the person says that they
could not fire the pistol because they forgot to defeat the safety. Such is the effect
of high stress and lack of sufficient practice. Passive safeties, such as grip safeties
or trigger safeties are good, because you don't have to do anything intentional to
defeat them.
The pistol should not have a magazine disconnector safety that prevents the
pistol from firing when the magazine is out. You must be able to fire that round in
the chamber if you are attacked while reloading.
If you are not willing to consistently use the safety on your pistol, use a
pistol without such safeties. Using a pistol in a way that it was not designed is
wrong.
The Pistol Magazine Release and Slide Lock (a.k.a. slide stop) –
The pistol should have a magazine release button easily accessible with
either thumb, so you can release the magazine with one hand. If you have a
magazine release at the bottom of the grip, you won’t be able to release the
magazine with one hand. So, such a pistol is inappropriate for self-defense.
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 magazine releases and extended slide
locks are wrong.
Ambidextrous Pistol –
The pistol should be ambidextrous. Just because you're right handed doesn't
mean you're going to be right handed in combat.
If your pistol is not ambidextrous, install an ambidextrous magazine release,
slide lock, and thumb safety (if your pistol has a thumb safety).
The Ruger American is ambidextrous (mag release, slide lock, no safety).
The Springfield Armory XD has an ambidextrous magazine release, and grip
safety. But slide lock is not ambidextrous.
The Heckler & Koch VP9 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.
The Smith & Wesson M&P has an ambidextrous slide lock. You can move
the magazine release button to either side, but it is not ambidextrous. This pistol
should be purchased without the thumb safety.
Some Glocks have a magazine release that can be moved to either side, but
they are not ambidextrous.
Modifications –
If you buy a quality pistol, you won’t need to do any of the following:
Throat and polish the breech to allow reliable chambering of all bullet types.
Contour and polish the feed ramp for reliable ammunition feeding.
Tune and polish the extractor for reliable extraction.
Install an extended thumb safety (if your pistol has a thumb safety) for ease
of operation. Remember, in a high stress situation, easy things become difficult
and difficult things become impossible. So, you must ensure that everything works
easily. And you must train with them, so that you can easily operate them. Or
better yet, use a pistol without a manual thumb safety. Grip safeties, trigger
safeties, and internal safeties are better and simplify the manual of arms. Simple is
faster. Simple is more reliable. Simple is better.
Bob the hammer (if your pistol has an exposed hammer) to prevent snagging
on your clothes. [There is no reason to thumb cock the hammer on any modern
pistol. The hammer is cocked by racking the slide in all manual of arms. The
hammer is released by pulling the trigger after unloading. There is no reason to
gently release the hammer. If you are trying to gently release the hammer on a live
round, you are WRONG!]
Install a stronger recoil spring to reduce the impact of the slide hitting the
frame when shooting +P loads or just from shooting a lot. Buffers to prevent the
slide from banging the frame are also nice.
Deburr; remove all sharp edges from everywhere on the pistol and
equipment. Otherwise, you're going to need to carry Band-Aids.
The Combat Pistol –
Combat pistols should not have a tight fit between the slide and frame,
because sand, dirt, and carbon can jam the action if the fit is tight. The fit should
be loose. This means that combat pistols will rattle when you shake them.
Reliability is more important than accuracy. The pistol must go bang when you
pull the trigger.
Do not use a ported barrel, compensator, or muzzle break. Do not use
anything that directs the hot gasses in any direction other than straight ahead.
Otherwise, when you fire from close contact, hot gas and burning powder will be
directed up into your face.
You must be able to quickly and easily field strip and assemble your pistol.
If you can't, the pistol design is wrong. You should be able to do it blindfolded.
Springs should not be popping out. Parts should not be falling apart.
Do not disassemble any further than field stripping. Let a gunsmith do
disassembly. If you feel you have to disassemble, do it inside a clear plastic bag,
so you don't lose parts; and video record it so you reassemble it correctly. Some
badly designed pistols allow the user to assemble the pistol incorrectly with deadly
results. A well designed pistol cannot be assembled incorrectly.
The pistol has to be small enough and light enough to conceal and wear all
day long. So, you will probably want a four inch barrel, as opposed to a five inch
barrel. A three inch barrel doesn't give the propellant enough distance to accelerate
the bullet to an effective speed, and the short sighting radius makes precise
shooting difficult.
You need a high capacity pistol. Because, you may encounter multiple
assailants. Criminals operate in gangs.
You need a full size pistol. Because, smaller objects are more difficult to
manipulate under stress.
Comfort is important because if it is not comfortable, you won’t wear it.
And the point is to wear it all the time; to protect yourself, your loved ones, and
your community. So, invest in a high quality holster.
You always wear your seat-belt when in a car, because you can't predict
when a drunk or distracted driver will hit you. You always keep a fire extinguisher
in your house, because you cannot predict when a fire will start. In a similar
manner, you always go armed, because you can't predict when a criminal will
attack you.
Just as your driver’s license is always in your wallet and your wallet is
always in your pocket, so your pistol is in your holster and your holster is always
on your belt. Your Handgun Permit is always in your wallet, too. The permit is
evidence that the police will use to determine that you are the good guy when they
are trying to sort things out after the shooting.
----- Technical -----
How Guns Work: the Firing Sequence
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/3/25/how-guns-work-the-firing-sequence/
Stuff You Should Know About Buckshot [Part 1] by Chris Baker
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/stuff-you-should-know-about-buckshot-part-1/
More Stuff You Should Know About Buckshot [Part 2] by Chris Baker
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/more-stuff-you-should-know-about-buckshot-part-2/
How to Read a Shotgun Ammo Box for Information by Lynne Green
https://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2020/03/how-to-read-a-shotgun-ammo-box-for-information/
The 10 Types of Bullets (& 5 Bases)
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/3/11/the-10-types-of-bullets-5-bases/
How to Clean a Pistol by Becky Yackley
https://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2020/01/clean-pistol-gun-maintenance/
SIG SAUER encourages all P320 owners whose pistols do not include
the upgraded design to participate in the free upgrade program.
For more information on the upgrade or how to participate in the
program, please visit SIG SAUER’s website at
https://www.sigsauer.com/support/p320-voluntary-upgrade/
***** ***** ***** Instruction ***** ***** *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
----- Instructors -----
Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!
-- John Farnam
"Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Pedagogy -----
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
Teach positive. Teach what to do. Don't talk about what not to do.
-- John Farnam
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
***** ***** ***** Legal, Political, and Philosophical ***** ***** *****
"Just because you do not take an interest in politics
doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you."
-- Pericles, circa 450 B.C.
U.S. LawShield Webinar: Emergency Declarations and Your 2nd Amendment Rights
by Edwin Walker
https://www.uslawshield.com/webinar-covid19-2a-rights/
Excerpt:
Federal law Chapter 42 United States Code Section 5207 specifically protects
your 2nd Amendment Rights during Emergency or Disaster Declarations.
Do I Really Need Concealed Carry Insurance? by Joshua Gillem
https://www.concealedcarry.com/gear/do-i-really-need-concealed-carry-insurance/
NYPD: Many suspects freed under bail reforms go on to commit major crimes
https://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/nypd-many-suspects-freed-under-bail-reforms-go-on-to-commit-major-crimes-TBrv1XiCRdyNDJWn/
Coming to a neighborhood near you.
"Unfortunately, what matters is not whether you think your conduct
falls within where you think the legal boundaries are, but whether
your conduct falls within where the legal boundaries actually are."
-- Attorney Andrew F. Branca
Reprinted with permission because the DTI web site doesn't seem to have
the Quips web page yet. http://defense-training.com/quips/
19 Mar 20
“I don't think we went blind.
I think we are blind.
Blind people who can see,
But do not see.”
-- Saramago
Gun Buying!
Our “news media” is currently suppressing the news story about Americans
in every corner of the Country desperately rushing to gun retailers in an
attempt to buy anything that shoots, along with ammunition that will fit
into it.
Gun stores are sold-out of both guns and ammunition.
Most such panic-buyers have not been gun-owners, up until now.
As expected, NICS is acutely constipated, and “instant approval” of
retail gun sales is a distant memory. Most who can even find a gun that
is for sale must come back days, maybe weeks, later to actually take
possession.
The media is resisting reporting all this, because they grievously
don’t want it to be true!
For decades, they’ve promulgated the false narrative, spoon-fed to
them by the DNC, that Americans really don’t like guns, don’t want them,
don’t care about our Second Amendment, so we can just repeal it, and no
one will care.
That is the sleazy lie they’ve always dearly wanted us to believe,
and now Americans are proving them wrong!
So reverting to type, they’re lapsing into denial and cover-up.
Amnesia is next!
Big-city police executives are pseudo-sanctimoniously urging new
gun-owners to make their guns “inaccessible.” I can only wonder why anyone
would want an “inaccessible gun.” Of course, none of these self-righteous
police executives take their own advice, nor do their officers! They know
and understand (but will never say out loud) that, as Jeff Cooper reminded
us, a gun that is “perfectly safe” is “perfectly useless.”
Unhappily, precious few of these new owners will seek-out competent
training, because in order to do so, they will have to honestly confront
their own arrogant hypocrisy. They will have to admit to themselves that
they’ve been wrong.
In other words, they will have to sincerely repent of their leftist
folly.
And for most professing “liberals,” honest repentance is unimaginable.
It’s just not in their DNA!
So, we can now expect a rash of UDs (unintentional discharge) when any of these untrained
(by choice) gun-owners gets a gun in his hands!
“To crooked eyes, truth may wear a wry face”
-- Tolkien
/John Farnam
Gun Control proponents are now trying to buy Guns & ammo anticipating
"The Shit Hitting the Fan" by Colion Noir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiZZJitkKvA
Excerpts:
AmmoSexual.
Gun control laws do not keep you safe from the criminals.
Gun control laws keep the criminals safe from you.
“There are many advantages in being armed,
and accustomed to the use of arms,
and no possible disadvantage.”
-- Joel Barlow
States Blocking “Self-Defense Insurance” And What To Do About It by Jacob S. Paulsen
https://www.concealedcarry.com/law/states-blocking-self-defense-insurance-and-what-to-do-about-it/
Self-Defense Gun Owner Insurance Programs Compared
https://www.concealedcarry.com/self-defense-gun-owner-insurance-programs-compared/
6 Concealed Carry Insurance Options To Protect Your Six (2019) by Gun Digest Editors
https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/4-self-defense-insurance-options
In Self Defense - Episode 55: Enemy at the Gates Part 2: Drunken Sailor
[In Ewa Beach, Hawaii (leeward side of Oahu)] by Don West and Shawn Vincent
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31930
They talk about a lot of legal stuff associated with the aftermath
of self defense. You don't have to listen to it, a transcript is provided
under the window for the pod cast.
". . . the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution (the one you swore to
uphold and defend against all enemies)
***** ***** ***** Survival, Medical, and such ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Israeli Bandage Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNR8rRFgwNk
Hydrate Or Die! by Will Dabbs, MD
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/hydrate-or-die/
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
***** ***** ***** Miscellany ***** ***** *****
When it's least expected, you're selected.
-- John Farnam
WATCH: High School Wrestler Pins Alleged Kidnapper to Ground for Police
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/29/watch-high-school-wrestler-pins-alleged-kidnapper-ground-police/
Heart warming and heroic!
Careers in the Firearms Industry by Brad Fitzpatrick
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/2/26/careers-in-the-firearms-industry/
GUNS Magazine Podcast #2 | Clint Smith
https://gunsmagazine.com/podcast/guns-magazine-podcast-02-clint-smith/
"Unlikely Allies?" by John Connor
https://americanhandgunner.com/guncrank-diaries/unlikely-allies/
The noise in life is distracting. Be still and listen.
“The greatest evil . . . is done by quiet men in white collars,
and cut fingernails, and smooth-shaven cheeks, who do not need
to raise their voices.
Hence, my symbol for hell is something like ‘The Bureaucracy.’ ”
-- CS Lewis
The term, “sub-machinegun” was actually coined by John Thompson,
manufacturer of the famous Thompson SMG. In Europe, they preferred
the term, “machine-pistol”. -- John Farnam
“When you sin, sin against God, never against ‘The Bureaucracy.’
God at least, will forgive you!”
-- Hyman G. Rickover
15 Forgotten Benefits of Shooting
https://thewellarmedwoman.com/blog/15-forgotten-benefits-of-shooting/
Enjoy the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Sunday, March 1, 2020
CWP, 29 February MMXX Anno Domini
Hi Sheepdogs,
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Mindset -----
“Woman must not depend upon the protection of man,
but must be taught to protect herself.”
-- Susan B. Anthony
"The Cheshire Man", written By John Connor
https://americanhandgunner.com/guncrank-diaries/the-cheshire-man/
As a man thinketh, so he is.
Time Lag in Combatives by Kelly McCann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnpWypc7B3A
Someone's opinion of you doesn't have to be your reality.
When buying a self-defense weapon system (pistol, holster, belt,
flashlight, magazine and flashlight pouch, ammunition, cleaning gear,
etc.), some people think, "How much money am I going to spend on
something I will probably never use?" But, they should be thinking,
"How much money will I spend on something that my life and the lives
of my loved ones will depend on."
Of course, any weapon system without a trained operator is a
danger to everyone within range. And only a well trained and practiced
operator would be competent with the weapon system. That's just reality.
-- Two rounds to the center of mass may not stop the attack.
Consider the two following articles. --
Why one cop carries 145 rounds of ammo on the job by Charles Remsberg
https://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/articles/why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job-clGBbLYpnqqHxwMq/
Excerpt:
". . . officers involved in a shooting will not remember to do
basic things due to the trauma, adrenaline and anxiety. Write down
simple instructions like wake up, eat breakfast, etc."
Bad guy was hit 14 times, 3 hits to his head, and survived.
Video: Man charges at Texas LEOs with knife after being shot 7 times
from Houston Chronicle
https://www.policeone.com/officer-safety/articles/video-man-charges-at-texas-leos-with-knife-after-being-shot-7-times-5qjg4niwJFV707rJ/
Bad guy was hit 7 times before knife attack. He was shot
several more times after the knife attack. Suspect survived.
Year Of The Gamma Rat
https://americanhandgunner.com/guncrank-diaries/year-of-the-gamma-rat/
I have heard many pastors preach this sort of attitude.
My pastor says, you can't control what happens to you, but you are
always in control of how you react to what happens to you.
The most prized desire of civilized man is to be left alone.
Unfortunately, the uncivilized wish to enslave you. So, you will
have to fight them off.
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
----- Safety -----
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
Be in bed by 10 PM. Your own bed.
Don't look like a freak.
Don't fail the attitude test.
-- John Farnam
The “Date Night” Restaurant Robbery by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-date-night-restaurant-robbery
This is a sober calm analysis of a high stress situation.
The kind of analysis you need to think about now, before you
are faced with such a situation. Because you may not be able
to make good decisions under stress during the situation.
Being a hero is not a thing to be strived for. Remember,
every medal awarded for gallantry is awarded for conspicuous
gallantry. In my experience, the vast majority of gallantry
is inconspicuous. Real heroes don't want to be celebrities.
Because normal good folk don't want to be celebrities.
Celebrities are targeted by the wackos for murder, e.g.
John Lennon. The children of celebrities are targeted for
kidnapping. Hence, the gray man; gray family, gray children.
How to Win the Bullet Surprise by Kathy Jackson
https://www.corneredcat.com/article/running-the-gun/how-to-win-the-bullet-surprise/
An explanation of extractors and ejectors.
"The fast and / or emphatic reholster is an awesome way to shoot yourself."
-- Chuck Haggard
----- Training -----
If you want to be competent with a pistol,
you really need to do a 4 or 5 day class at one
of the prestigious gun schools. (If you don't
graduate, repeat until you do. I took the 4 day
Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight four times
before I graduated. As my father told me, "After
a few years, nobody will care when you got your
degree. Nobody will care where you got your
degree. No one will care how long it took you
to get your degree. All that matters is that
you have it. [I paraphrase, because he was
talking about the bar exam.])
If you want to stay competent, you need to:
dry practice daily,
shoot a match monthly, and
take a class annually (preferably from a different
instructor every time).
Ya, actually, I do this. Otherwise, I'd be a
terrible hypocrite.
If you want to contribute to your community,
teach a few classes every year. You'll learn a lot.
The classes need not be formal. They could be informal
coaching of friends and relatives. What matters is that
you do it. Love is action. Love is the things we do.
"Reasons for training:
1. You don't know what you don't know.
2. Much of what you know is wrong.
3. It's good to have some of the answers to the test before taking it."
-- Claude Werner the Tactical Professor
HE’S GOT MY GUN! by Steve Moses
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31532
Quoting Paul Sharp and Fletch Fuller. I've taken classes from these gentlemen
at Tac Con. Real world practical.
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
Special Supplement to Church Shooting Reality Check Video by Brad Ackman
https://www.ignatius-piazza-front-sight.com/2020/02/17/special-supplement-to-church-shooting-reality-check-video-watch-learn-forward-and-grab-the-freeguncourse-im-giving-you-with-no-strings-attached/#vid2
May I invite your attention to the first two videos on this web page?
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
Your Tactical Training Scenario - Three Difficult Disarms by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/your-tactical-training-scenario-three-difficult-disarms
What is your overall opinion of competition preparing you for a real gunfight?
by Claude Werner
https://www.patreon.com/posts/33975252
This is on Claude's Patreon page, but he opened it up to the public
because it is important for you to read and understand.
What to Look for in Defensive Firearm Training by Paul Carlson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/13/what-to-look-for-in-defensive-firearm-training/
Excerpt:
Simple training leads to high confidence and low competence.
Complex training leads to low confidence and high competence.
Retention Shooting and the Downward Angle by Cecil Burch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyTwoNhPybs&fbclid=IwAR04Be8p2AzCk3bm3rCXiiTTlRf-EsCV8c6j4NYrBaOajPDd0iOS1mi9-h8
As to what is responsible, downward angle.
Body language and threat recognition by Massad Ayoob
https://www.backwoodshome.com/body-language-and-threat-recognition/
Oldie but goodie.
In my last blog posting, in the Training section, was
"Introducing a Firearm to a Woman in Crisis"
https://www.agirlandagun.org/introducing-firearms-to-a-woman-in-crisis/
I admit to giving a pistol and ammo to a lady who was in fear for her
life and the lives of her children from an ex-boyfriend. Protective
orders were issued by the local court. I asked my friends, who were
the local Constables (Lowest level of law enforcement in Tennessee),
the County Sheriff, and her across-the-street neighbor (a graduate
of my Defensive Pistol class) to look in on her.
I should have given her 50 hours of training:
20 hours of theory, in the classroom
20 hours of practicum, live fire on the range
5 hours for shooting an IDPA match
5 hours for force-on-force using Simunitions
at a minimum before handing a pistol to anyone for use in self-defense.
But, reality rarely gives us time to prepare. So, prepare now,
before the threat faces you.
"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
Mental Training Techniques by Dr. Don Lullen - Sunday, February 16, 2020
https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2020/2/16/mental-training-techniques/
Excerpt:
"The other technique I recommend for training at home is dry firing.
I shoot more shots mentally than I dry fire. I dry fire more shots than
I fire with live ammunition. You can reinforce the techniques you have
learned by dry firing."
I put this article in the practice section of the blog
because these techniques are for you to practice on your own,
and not really a thing you need training in.
First priority - visualization.
Second priority - dry practice.
Third priority - live fire.
The truth is that you can achieve competence without spending
any money on ammunition. This truth doesn't cause or encourage
the purchase of ammunition, but it's still the truth. So, now you
underatand why you won't see it espoused in the commercial
gun magazines or commercial gun web sites.
Why practice?
"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
Be obsessed or be average.
My Range Won’t Let Me . . . ! by Kathy Jackson
https://www.corneredcat.com/article/practice-time/my-range-wont-let-me/
Work-arounds for restrictive ranges.
Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you
have practiced, no matter how ridiculous."
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
If you do the hard things, life will be easy.
If you only do the easy things, life will be hard.
-- Pastor Mike Ayon
----- Techniques -----
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
Maintaining Control of Your Pistol by Steve Tarani
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/18/maintaining-control-of-your-pistol/
Why you need to keep your finger off the trigger by Mike Ox
http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/why-you-need-to-keep-your-finger-off-the-trigger/law-enforcement-defense-security
Shooting-Performance T.V. Episode 7: One-Handed Shooting 5x5 Handgun Series
by Mike Seeklander
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCaeTWlknik
A technique worth trying. It might work for you.
Tactical Training Tip #3: Shooting from Retention by Bob Allen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9jFnu61Ks8
"It’s NOT your Trigger Control" by Michael Seeklander
https://www.shooting-performance.com/its-not-your-trigger-control/
Mike says accuracy errors are predominantly caused by inconsistent
grip pressure, as opposed to bad trigger control. He advocates gripping
tight and maintaining the tight grip throughout the shot process.
Not easy to do. Not easy to know that you are not doing it.
Look at people's trigger fingers the next time you go to the
range. You will see many trigger fingers flying off the trigger
on every shot. But, those persons will swear to you that their
trigger control was correct. They trapped the trigger to the rear
after every shot and followed through as they were taught. They
will say this, because they believe what they are saying.
That is why coaches use video recordings at practices. It is
easy to know something is true that is false. It is easy to believe
something is true that is false. The shooter is justified in this false
belief because he can feel his finger and knows what he is doing.
Such is epistemology, knowledge via justified, true, belief.
That's why every yoga studio and ballet studio has mirrors on the
walls. Because it's very easy for the body to fool the brain.
It's very easy for the brain to fool itself.
The coach can tell the shooter that the shooter is doing
something wrong, and the shooter (especially children) will
acknowledge; but the shooter will not believe that he is doing it
wrong. That's reality. That's why the coach has to use video
recordings. That's why the shooter has to practice in a mirror.
Such visual feedback is required to break the shooter out of
his false beliefs.
Grip pressure would be hard to see. So practice, to achieve
a high level of kinesthetic awareness, is required to get the
grip pressure consistent throughout the shot process. Pay attention
to a thing, and you will become sensitive to that thing.
Grip Control by Ernest Langdon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvOmkcN_ioY
Not a technique that I teach, but worth experimenting with,
as it might work for you.
Other training tips at
https://www.youtube.com/user/eglangdon/videos
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
----- Tactics -----
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
----- Education -----
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
Traffic Stops: What CCW Citizens Need to Know by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/2/12/traffic-stops-what-ccw-citizens-need-to-know/
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
***** ***** ***** Hardware (which includes you) ***** ***** *****
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
----- Gear -----
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
4 Tips To Choose a Defensive Handgun by Sheriff Jim Wilson - Monday, February 17, 2020
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/2/17/4-tips-to-choose-a-defensive-handgun/
Primer Marks Explained by George Harris - Monday, February 17, 2020
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/17/primer-marks-explained/
I get these marks on my primers in my XD pistols in .45 ACP.
No big deal.
In the Marine Corps, we were taught to download (remove one round)
from our 30 round magazines to prevent stoppages (and to use that round
to adjust our sights). I have read many instructors in the
self-defense / firearms community telling their students to download
their magazines to prevent stoppages.
Reliability, as safety, is staying away from the edge of the
cliff. Or, as the pilots would say, staying away from the edge
of the envelope.
Yes, there are cons. In this case, one round less ammo in the
magazine. As always, the choice is yours. Choose wisely. [Choosing
wisely, may be learned from experience. But, it is better learned
from the experience of others.]
John Farnam recommends the
EAGTac DX3B Clicky Pro flashlight
http://eagtac.com/html/dx3bm/index.html
2500 Lumens
7/8 inches in diameter and four inches long
rechargeable
$88 MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price)
Fury Carry Solutions has some neat stuff.
https://furycarrysolutions.com/
Their inside the waistband holsters are interesting.
https://furycarrysolutions.com/hybrid-series-holster/
They do all kinds of fancy surface decoration. Not
shown on their web site. Bright Hawaiian Hibiscus
patterns, etc. A gentleman at a recent Shoot & Scoot
match found them functional.
After market magazine springs, because these things
wear out. I've had to replace many to maintain reliability.
If you compress them, and they don't spring back to the
original shape, they are displaying plastic, not elastic
behavior. Time to change the spring.
Brownells
https://www.brownells.com/magazines/handgun-magazines/magazine-parts/magazine-springs/index.htm
Midway
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?TargetLocation=%2F_%2FN-18830%2B4294931090%3FNp%3D2%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_visible%253A1%252Ccustomertypeid%253A1%2529%26Nrpp%3D48%26Ns%3Dp_metric_sales_velocity%257C1%26Ntpc%3D1%26Ntpr%3D1&PersistedItemsPerPage=0&CustomerSelectedSort=True
I list the distributors rather than individual manufacturers
because the distributors carry springs from many different
manufacturers.
Other distributor's web sites were too difficult for me to
filter pistol magazine springs.
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
----- Technical -----
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
***** ***** ***** Instruction ***** ***** *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
----- Instructors -----
Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!
-- John Farnam
“There’s a huge training myth out there.
That MYTH is that Information = Something of Value.
FACT: Information = 0,
unless people are inspired to act.”
-- Val Van Brocklin
"Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Pedagogy -----
Teach positive. Teach what to do. Don't talk about what not to do.
-- John Farnam
Let's Fix What's Broken
https://www.buildingshooters.com/articles/let-s-fix-what-s-broken
No author is cited, but the team is described at
https://www.buildingshooters.com/about
Notice who they quote at the top of this web page,
our friend Bill Hayes.
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
***** ***** ***** Legal, Political, and Philosophical ***** ***** *****
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
A Shot into the Night Part 1: The Botched 9-1-1 Call by Shawn Vincent
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31546
This is why you need training:
What to do in the event of a bad situation,
What to say, and what not to say, in the 911 call,
What to say to the responding officers, what not to say to the responding officers,
Etc.
If you don't have the training, you might do all kinds
of stupid things, because you don't know that they are stupid.
Doing stupid things will get you in all kinds of legal and
civil trouble. Being the good guy is not enough. You have
to be smart.
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid."
-- John Wayne
INTERVIEW WITH DON WEST NATIONAL TRIAL COUNSEL
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31564
This is why you have to keep your mouth shut. It's real
easy to talk yourself into a murder conviction, even if you're
innocent. The conversations with the 911 dispatcher are evidence
that will be used against you.
Get training. Know what to say. Say it. And then shut up!
If you are accused of murder, testifying at trial is an
act of criminal stupidity.
Never say you intended to kill the bad guy. Police are not
trained to kill. We are not trained to kill. Your only purpose
is to stop the attack. "I shot him to stop his attack."
You never intended to kill him. His death was incidental to
your shooting. "If he had just left me alone, I would not have
shot him." "If he had not advanced on me, I would not have shot
him." "I shot him to stop his attack."
Nikki Goeser talk on the danger of gun-free zones
https://crimeresearch.org/2020/02/nikki-goeser-talk-on-the-danger-of-gun-free-zones/
The purpose of gun-free-zones is to create unarmed victims
for armed criminals to prey upon. Not the "effect", the "purpose".
The politicians who vote for gun-free-zone bills, and the politicians
who sign gun-free-zone bills into law, know that their laws will
result in the murder of good people. The anti-gun politicians
pass these laws intentionally with Malice Aforethought.
The company executives who impose gun-free-zones on their employees,
do so with Malice Aforethought.
The bad guys use Red Flag laws to disarm the good guys,
to create unarmed victims for armed criminals to prey upon.
Anti-gun politicians enact Red Flag laws with Malice Aforethought.
In case you don't understand the insidiousness of Red Flag laws,
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hawaiiccw/permalink/2921409117882466/
Bloomberg Spending B-I-G to Buy 2020 Election by Dave Workman
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/bloomberg-spending-b-i-g-to-buy-2020-election/
Excerpt:
". . . CCRKBA’s Gottlieb has a word of advice:
“Be sure you’re registered to vote at your current address,
and make sure your friends and family members are registered.
Start organizing get-out-the-vote efforts in your communities.
Get involved in political campaigns and actively support
candidates who support your rights, and above all, make
protecting the Second Amendment your personal responsibility.” "
Bernie Sanders Pivots,
Signs on to Repealing Lawsuit Protection for Gunmakers
by AWR Hawkins
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/25/bernie-sanders-pivots-signs-on-to-repealing-lawsuit-protection-for-gunmakers/
Joe Biden to Gun Manufacturers: ‘I’m Going to Take You Down’ by AWR Hawkins
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/24/joe-biden-to-gun-manufacturers-im-going-to-take-you-down/
“How do you tell a Communist?
Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin.
And how do you tell an anti-Communist?
It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin!”
-- President Ronald Reagan
DHS ordered me to scrub records of Muslims with terror ties
by Philip Haney, 02/05/16 12:00 PM EST
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/268282-dhs-ordered-me-to-scrub-records-of-muslims-with-terror
[President Barack Hussein Obama, II issued the order
with malice aforethought, after he had bowed and kissed the
hand of the Saudi Arabian King.
-- SSgt. Low, Jonathan D.; Intelligence Specialist; USMC]
Self defense insurance:
6 Concealed Carry Insurance Options To Protect Your Six (2019)
by Gun Digest Editors
https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/4-self-defense-insurance-options
Self-Defense Gun Owner Insurance Programs Compared (no author cited)
https://www.concealedcarry.com/self-defense-gun-owner-insurance-programs-compared/
This web page, the chart, and the PDF file are updated on a regular basis.
Andrew Branca's info-graphic describing the 5 elements of the law of self defense.
https://lawofselfdefense.com/beginjourney/
Foundations: The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law
https://lawofselfdefense.com/foundations-the-5-elements-of-self-defense-law/
AAR (After Action Report): STATE OF FLORIDA VS. MICHAEL DREJKA
by Steven Harris
http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=18361
Remember that the police who responded to the incident
did not arrest Drejka because they thought the shooting might
be self defense. Later, the Sheriff declined to press charges
against Drejka because the Sheriff thought it was plausibly
self defense.
It was only after Drejka shot off his mouth without counsel
present for several hours while being recorded (audio and video)
that he effectively talked himself into a murder conviction.
The video recording was played at trial and used as evidence
to convict him.
Never talk to police! Tell your attorney what happened
and let him give your statement to the police. Everything
you say (and do) will be used against you.
Never talk to anyone else about the incident or your
feelings about the incident, because they will testify against
you. Yes, they will. Some will willingly testify against you.
Some will comply with a subpoena to testify to avoid a fine and
jail time. Some will be tricked by the prosecutor (The U.S.
Supreme Court has ruled that the police and prosecutors may
lie to the defendant and witnesses. [1]) to testify in a
deposition to exonerate you by providing exculpatory evidence.
This will result in opening avenues of discovery that will
bury you.
"Holy shit! They got so much evidence against me that
I'm going to get convicted and spend the rest of my life in
prison. I better take the plea deal."
No! All the evidence that they showed you is fake.
Just like the fake news on TV.
[1] Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731.
In re D.A.S., 391 A.2d 255, (D.C. App. 1978)
In re D.A.S. followed Oregon v. Mathiason, 429 U.S. 492 (1977)
Illinois v. Perkins, 496 U.S. 292 (1990)
State v. Patton, 362 N.J. Super. 16 (App. Div.) (2003)
State v. Cayward, 552 So. 2d 971 (Fla. App. 2 Dist. 1989)
Arthur v. Commonwealth, 480 S.E. 2d 749 (Va. 1997)
Sheriff, Washoe Co. v. Bessey, 914 P. 2d 618 (Nev. 1996)
People v. Henry, 518 N.Y.S.2d 44 (N.Y. App. Div. 1987)
et al
See,
Case law on police deception by Val Van Brocklin
https://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/case-law-on-police-deception-VuP9C033StWR83T4/
I know Val. She was a classmate at Punahou School class of '77.
The Shooting of Renisha McBride - Escalation by Shawn Vincent
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/24736
Never go to the fight. You should always be trying to get
away from the fight, even in your own home. Once you go to the
fight, it's not self-defense anymore.
***** ***** ***** Survival, Medical, and such ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Don't die on the wrong battlefield.
Marshall Luton writes on February 25, 2019
FYI... this just happened! Today, in broad daylight at a very busy,
public place my good friend's wife was at 15th and Denver QT at
the gas pumps filling up her car when a white male in his 40's
aggressively approached her screaming, “You White Bitch!!!”.
This guy had a large knife in his hand and was screaming
“I’ll show you”!!! This woman is always prepared and is always
carrying a firearm ON HER PERSON. She elected not to make this
guy's head into a canoe, and instead, quickly got in her vehicle
and locked the doors. She watched as the suspect began to puncture
her tires with the knife! She got on the phone and made a call
to 911. Officers arrived and took the man into custody. Turns out
the guy was mentally ill.
Lessons to learn:
1) Always be aware of your surroundings.
2) It's best to carry the firearm on your person!
3) Have a plan and stay calm.
4) Get training that will keep you from being a victim!
She did an incredible job and gave herself an out.
Luckily for this guy, she was able to get into her car instead
of draw out on him and fill him full of holes.
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
***** ***** ***** Miscellany ***** ***** *****
When it's least expected, you're selected.
-- John Farnam
We change by associating with people who are different from us,
and people who are smarter than us.
Training and practice will cause change. Change is not forceful.
Change is graceful.
Because, it's not what we know, it's what we do.
-- Pastor Mike Ayon
Pennsylvania man captures (on video, not in traps)
all walks of life crossing log bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyrbqiCokdw
One score and a few years ago, I took my children for a walk
in the mountains in Hawaii. I told them that we would see
all kinds of wildlife. They kept screaming, "Where are the animals?"
I told them that they had to be quiet. They were scaring the
animals away. If they were quiet, we would be able to walk
right up on the animals, and watch them eating or roaming around.
But, the kids kept screaming. So, we went the whole hike without
seeing any wildlife. I know there is a lesson in this;
I'm just not smart enough to learn it. But, you are.
I went to a Trump rally with a friend.
My friends says, where's Trump?
I point and respond, he's over there.
My friend says, that's not Trump. That's a Trump impersonator.
I've seen Trump on TV, that's not him.
I said, that is him. Everyone was applauding for him. He was
on stage. He went to the podium and gave the speech.
Afterwards, my friend says, I'm so disappointed. I thought
Trump was going to give the speech, not one of his doubles.
I said, that was Trump.
No, it wasn't. You're so naive.
Moral of the story: People believe what they want to believe.
There is a saying, You can have your own opinion, but you
can't have your own facts. That, of course, is false. People do
have their own facts.
Friends have complained to me that they have to leave their
guns in their cars when they go to see Trump, because the Secret
Service won't let anyone in that is carrying. I was in the hall
as a volunteer in the Convention Center in Nashville when Trump
spoke to us at the NRA Annual Meeting. He brought his family on
stage and introduced them to us. No one attempted to disarm me.
I review a lot of videos and text articles to find stuff to put
into this blog. I regret to inform you that the vast majority of
material on the internet and print magazines is false, dangerous,
non-sense, . . .
If you want to learn good stuff, exercise due diligence, find
a competent instructor (by referral or personal interview), and take
a class from said instructor. If you attend Tac Con (the Tactical
Conference),
https://taccon.info/
you can check out a host of instructors who have been vetted by
Tom Givens. You can talk to the instructor, watch the instructor,
and decide whether or not you want to take a class from that
instructor.
The NRA has instructors all over the country,
https://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Mindset -----
“Woman must not depend upon the protection of man,
but must be taught to protect herself.”
-- Susan B. Anthony
"The Cheshire Man", written By John Connor
https://americanhandgunner.com/guncrank-diaries/the-cheshire-man/
As a man thinketh, so he is.
Time Lag in Combatives by Kelly McCann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnpWypc7B3A
Someone's opinion of you doesn't have to be your reality.
When buying a self-defense weapon system (pistol, holster, belt,
flashlight, magazine and flashlight pouch, ammunition, cleaning gear,
etc.), some people think, "How much money am I going to spend on
something I will probably never use?" But, they should be thinking,
"How much money will I spend on something that my life and the lives
of my loved ones will depend on."
Of course, any weapon system without a trained operator is a
danger to everyone within range. And only a well trained and practiced
operator would be competent with the weapon system. That's just reality.
-- Two rounds to the center of mass may not stop the attack.
Consider the two following articles. --
Why one cop carries 145 rounds of ammo on the job by Charles Remsberg
https://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/articles/why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job-clGBbLYpnqqHxwMq/
Excerpt:
". . . officers involved in a shooting will not remember to do
basic things due to the trauma, adrenaline and anxiety. Write down
simple instructions like wake up, eat breakfast, etc."
Bad guy was hit 14 times, 3 hits to his head, and survived.
Video: Man charges at Texas LEOs with knife after being shot 7 times
from Houston Chronicle
https://www.policeone.com/officer-safety/articles/video-man-charges-at-texas-leos-with-knife-after-being-shot-7-times-5qjg4niwJFV707rJ/
Bad guy was hit 7 times before knife attack. He was shot
several more times after the knife attack. Suspect survived.
Year Of The Gamma Rat
https://americanhandgunner.com/guncrank-diaries/year-of-the-gamma-rat/
I have heard many pastors preach this sort of attitude.
My pastor says, you can't control what happens to you, but you are
always in control of how you react to what happens to you.
The most prized desire of civilized man is to be left alone.
Unfortunately, the uncivilized wish to enslave you. So, you will
have to fight them off.
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
----- Safety -----
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
Be in bed by 10 PM. Your own bed.
Don't look like a freak.
Don't fail the attitude test.
-- John Farnam
The “Date Night” Restaurant Robbery by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-date-night-restaurant-robbery
This is a sober calm analysis of a high stress situation.
The kind of analysis you need to think about now, before you
are faced with such a situation. Because you may not be able
to make good decisions under stress during the situation.
Being a hero is not a thing to be strived for. Remember,
every medal awarded for gallantry is awarded for conspicuous
gallantry. In my experience, the vast majority of gallantry
is inconspicuous. Real heroes don't want to be celebrities.
Because normal good folk don't want to be celebrities.
Celebrities are targeted by the wackos for murder, e.g.
John Lennon. The children of celebrities are targeted for
kidnapping. Hence, the gray man; gray family, gray children.
How to Win the Bullet Surprise by Kathy Jackson
https://www.corneredcat.com/article/running-the-gun/how-to-win-the-bullet-surprise/
An explanation of extractors and ejectors.
"The fast and / or emphatic reholster is an awesome way to shoot yourself."
-- Chuck Haggard
----- Training -----
If you want to be competent with a pistol,
you really need to do a 4 or 5 day class at one
of the prestigious gun schools. (If you don't
graduate, repeat until you do. I took the 4 day
Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight four times
before I graduated. As my father told me, "After
a few years, nobody will care when you got your
degree. Nobody will care where you got your
degree. No one will care how long it took you
to get your degree. All that matters is that
you have it. [I paraphrase, because he was
talking about the bar exam.])
If you want to stay competent, you need to:
dry practice daily,
shoot a match monthly, and
take a class annually (preferably from a different
instructor every time).
Ya, actually, I do this. Otherwise, I'd be a
terrible hypocrite.
If you want to contribute to your community,
teach a few classes every year. You'll learn a lot.
The classes need not be formal. They could be informal
coaching of friends and relatives. What matters is that
you do it. Love is action. Love is the things we do.
"Reasons for training:
1. You don't know what you don't know.
2. Much of what you know is wrong.
3. It's good to have some of the answers to the test before taking it."
-- Claude Werner the Tactical Professor
HE’S GOT MY GUN! by Steve Moses
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31532
Quoting Paul Sharp and Fletch Fuller. I've taken classes from these gentlemen
at Tac Con. Real world practical.
"The real value of training, though, is that it improves competence,
which leads to a higher level of confidence."
-- Rehn & Daub
Special Supplement to Church Shooting Reality Check Video by Brad Ackman
https://www.ignatius-piazza-front-sight.com/2020/02/17/special-supplement-to-church-shooting-reality-check-video-watch-learn-forward-and-grab-the-freeguncourse-im-giving-you-with-no-strings-attached/#vid2
May I invite your attention to the first two videos on this web page?
"You train for the people who love you."
-- Tatiana Whitlock
Your Tactical Training Scenario - Three Difficult Disarms by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/your-tactical-training-scenario-three-difficult-disarms
What is your overall opinion of competition preparing you for a real gunfight?
by Claude Werner
https://www.patreon.com/posts/33975252
This is on Claude's Patreon page, but he opened it up to the public
because it is important for you to read and understand.
What to Look for in Defensive Firearm Training by Paul Carlson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/13/what-to-look-for-in-defensive-firearm-training/
Excerpt:
Simple training leads to high confidence and low competence.
Complex training leads to low confidence and high competence.
Retention Shooting and the Downward Angle by Cecil Burch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyTwoNhPybs&fbclid=IwAR04Be8p2AzCk3bm3rCXiiTTlRf-EsCV8c6j4NYrBaOajPDd0iOS1mi9-h8
As to what is responsible, downward angle.
Body language and threat recognition by Massad Ayoob
https://www.backwoodshome.com/body-language-and-threat-recognition/
Oldie but goodie.
In my last blog posting, in the Training section, was
"Introducing a Firearm to a Woman in Crisis"
https://www.agirlandagun.org/introducing-firearms-to-a-woman-in-crisis/
I admit to giving a pistol and ammo to a lady who was in fear for her
life and the lives of her children from an ex-boyfriend. Protective
orders were issued by the local court. I asked my friends, who were
the local Constables (Lowest level of law enforcement in Tennessee),
the County Sheriff, and her across-the-street neighbor (a graduate
of my Defensive Pistol class) to look in on her.
I should have given her 50 hours of training:
20 hours of theory, in the classroom
20 hours of practicum, live fire on the range
5 hours for shooting an IDPA match
5 hours for force-on-force using Simunitions
at a minimum before handing a pistol to anyone for use in self-defense.
But, reality rarely gives us time to prepare. So, prepare now,
before the threat faces you.
"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
Mental Training Techniques by Dr. Don Lullen - Sunday, February 16, 2020
https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2020/2/16/mental-training-techniques/
Excerpt:
"The other technique I recommend for training at home is dry firing.
I shoot more shots mentally than I dry fire. I dry fire more shots than
I fire with live ammunition. You can reinforce the techniques you have
learned by dry firing."
I put this article in the practice section of the blog
because these techniques are for you to practice on your own,
and not really a thing you need training in.
First priority - visualization.
Second priority - dry practice.
Third priority - live fire.
The truth is that you can achieve competence without spending
any money on ammunition. This truth doesn't cause or encourage
the purchase of ammunition, but it's still the truth. So, now you
underatand why you won't see it espoused in the commercial
gun magazines or commercial gun web sites.
Why practice?
"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
Be obsessed or be average.
My Range Won’t Let Me . . . ! by Kathy Jackson
https://www.corneredcat.com/article/practice-time/my-range-wont-let-me/
Work-arounds for restrictive ranges.
Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you
have practiced, no matter how ridiculous."
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
If you do the hard things, life will be easy.
If you only do the easy things, life will be hard.
-- Pastor Mike Ayon
----- Techniques -----
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
Maintaining Control of Your Pistol by Steve Tarani
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/18/maintaining-control-of-your-pistol/
Why you need to keep your finger off the trigger by Mike Ox
http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/why-you-need-to-keep-your-finger-off-the-trigger/law-enforcement-defense-security
Shooting-Performance T.V. Episode 7: One-Handed Shooting 5x5 Handgun Series
by Mike Seeklander
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCaeTWlknik
A technique worth trying. It might work for you.
Tactical Training Tip #3: Shooting from Retention by Bob Allen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9jFnu61Ks8
"It’s NOT your Trigger Control" by Michael Seeklander
https://www.shooting-performance.com/its-not-your-trigger-control/
Mike says accuracy errors are predominantly caused by inconsistent
grip pressure, as opposed to bad trigger control. He advocates gripping
tight and maintaining the tight grip throughout the shot process.
Not easy to do. Not easy to know that you are not doing it.
Look at people's trigger fingers the next time you go to the
range. You will see many trigger fingers flying off the trigger
on every shot. But, those persons will swear to you that their
trigger control was correct. They trapped the trigger to the rear
after every shot and followed through as they were taught. They
will say this, because they believe what they are saying.
That is why coaches use video recordings at practices. It is
easy to know something is true that is false. It is easy to believe
something is true that is false. The shooter is justified in this false
belief because he can feel his finger and knows what he is doing.
Such is epistemology, knowledge via justified, true, belief.
That's why every yoga studio and ballet studio has mirrors on the
walls. Because it's very easy for the body to fool the brain.
It's very easy for the brain to fool itself.
The coach can tell the shooter that the shooter is doing
something wrong, and the shooter (especially children) will
acknowledge; but the shooter will not believe that he is doing it
wrong. That's reality. That's why the coach has to use video
recordings. That's why the shooter has to practice in a mirror.
Such visual feedback is required to break the shooter out of
his false beliefs.
Grip pressure would be hard to see. So practice, to achieve
a high level of kinesthetic awareness, is required to get the
grip pressure consistent throughout the shot process. Pay attention
to a thing, and you will become sensitive to that thing.
Grip Control by Ernest Langdon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvOmkcN_ioY
Not a technique that I teach, but worth experimenting with,
as it might work for you.
Other training tips at
https://www.youtube.com/user/eglangdon/videos
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
----- Tactics -----
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
Avoidance, Deterrence, and De-escalation
-- John Farnam
----- Education -----
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
Traffic Stops: What CCW Citizens Need to Know by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/2/12/traffic-stops-what-ccw-citizens-need-to-know/
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
***** ***** ***** Hardware (which includes you) ***** ***** *****
"I would like to see every
woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they
know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
----- Gear -----
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
4 Tips To Choose a Defensive Handgun by Sheriff Jim Wilson - Monday, February 17, 2020
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/2/17/4-tips-to-choose-a-defensive-handgun/
Primer Marks Explained by George Harris - Monday, February 17, 2020
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2020/2/17/primer-marks-explained/
I get these marks on my primers in my XD pistols in .45 ACP.
No big deal.
In the Marine Corps, we were taught to download (remove one round)
from our 30 round magazines to prevent stoppages (and to use that round
to adjust our sights). I have read many instructors in the
self-defense / firearms community telling their students to download
their magazines to prevent stoppages.
Reliability, as safety, is staying away from the edge of the
cliff. Or, as the pilots would say, staying away from the edge
of the envelope.
Yes, there are cons. In this case, one round less ammo in the
magazine. As always, the choice is yours. Choose wisely. [Choosing
wisely, may be learned from experience. But, it is better learned
from the experience of others.]
John Farnam recommends the
EAGTac DX3B Clicky Pro flashlight
http://eagtac.com/html/dx3bm/index.html
2500 Lumens
7/8 inches in diameter and four inches long
rechargeable
$88 MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price)
Fury Carry Solutions has some neat stuff.
https://furycarrysolutions.com/
Their inside the waistband holsters are interesting.
https://furycarrysolutions.com/hybrid-series-holster/
They do all kinds of fancy surface decoration. Not
shown on their web site. Bright Hawaiian Hibiscus
patterns, etc. A gentleman at a recent Shoot & Scoot
match found them functional.
After market magazine springs, because these things
wear out. I've had to replace many to maintain reliability.
If you compress them, and they don't spring back to the
original shape, they are displaying plastic, not elastic
behavior. Time to change the spring.
Brownells
https://www.brownells.com/magazines/handgun-magazines/magazine-parts/magazine-springs/index.htm
Midway
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?TargetLocation=%2F_%2FN-18830%2B4294931090%3FNp%3D2%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_visible%253A1%252Ccustomertypeid%253A1%2529%26Nrpp%3D48%26Ns%3Dp_metric_sales_velocity%257C1%26Ntpc%3D1%26Ntpr%3D1&PersistedItemsPerPage=0&CustomerSelectedSort=True
I list the distributors rather than individual manufacturers
because the distributors carry springs from many different
manufacturers.
Other distributor's web sites were too difficult for me to
filter pistol magazine springs.
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
----- Technical -----
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
***** ***** ***** Instruction ***** ***** *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
----- Instructors -----
Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!
-- John Farnam
“There’s a huge training myth out there.
That MYTH is that Information = Something of Value.
FACT: Information = 0,
unless people are inspired to act.”
-- Val Van Brocklin
"Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Pedagogy -----
Teach positive. Teach what to do. Don't talk about what not to do.
-- John Farnam
Let's Fix What's Broken
https://www.buildingshooters.com/articles/let-s-fix-what-s-broken
No author is cited, but the team is described at
https://www.buildingshooters.com/about
Notice who they quote at the top of this web page,
our friend Bill Hayes.
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
***** ***** ***** Legal, Political, and Philosophical ***** ***** *****
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
A Shot into the Night Part 1: The Botched 9-1-1 Call by Shawn Vincent
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31546
This is why you need training:
What to do in the event of a bad situation,
What to say, and what not to say, in the 911 call,
What to say to the responding officers, what not to say to the responding officers,
Etc.
If you don't have the training, you might do all kinds
of stupid things, because you don't know that they are stupid.
Doing stupid things will get you in all kinds of legal and
civil trouble. Being the good guy is not enough. You have
to be smart.
"Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid."
-- John Wayne
INTERVIEW WITH DON WEST NATIONAL TRIAL COUNSEL
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/31564
This is why you have to keep your mouth shut. It's real
easy to talk yourself into a murder conviction, even if you're
innocent. The conversations with the 911 dispatcher are evidence
that will be used against you.
Get training. Know what to say. Say it. And then shut up!
If you are accused of murder, testifying at trial is an
act of criminal stupidity.
Never say you intended to kill the bad guy. Police are not
trained to kill. We are not trained to kill. Your only purpose
is to stop the attack. "I shot him to stop his attack."
You never intended to kill him. His death was incidental to
your shooting. "If he had just left me alone, I would not have
shot him." "If he had not advanced on me, I would not have shot
him." "I shot him to stop his attack."
Nikki Goeser talk on the danger of gun-free zones
https://crimeresearch.org/2020/02/nikki-goeser-talk-on-the-danger-of-gun-free-zones/
The purpose of gun-free-zones is to create unarmed victims
for armed criminals to prey upon. Not the "effect", the "purpose".
The politicians who vote for gun-free-zone bills, and the politicians
who sign gun-free-zone bills into law, know that their laws will
result in the murder of good people. The anti-gun politicians
pass these laws intentionally with Malice Aforethought.
The company executives who impose gun-free-zones on their employees,
do so with Malice Aforethought.
The bad guys use Red Flag laws to disarm the good guys,
to create unarmed victims for armed criminals to prey upon.
Anti-gun politicians enact Red Flag laws with Malice Aforethought.
In case you don't understand the insidiousness of Red Flag laws,
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hawaiiccw/permalink/2921409117882466/
Bloomberg Spending B-I-G to Buy 2020 Election by Dave Workman
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/bloomberg-spending-b-i-g-to-buy-2020-election/
Excerpt:
". . . CCRKBA’s Gottlieb has a word of advice:
“Be sure you’re registered to vote at your current address,
and make sure your friends and family members are registered.
Start organizing get-out-the-vote efforts in your communities.
Get involved in political campaigns and actively support
candidates who support your rights, and above all, make
protecting the Second Amendment your personal responsibility.” "
Bernie Sanders Pivots,
Signs on to Repealing Lawsuit Protection for Gunmakers
by AWR Hawkins
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/25/bernie-sanders-pivots-signs-on-to-repealing-lawsuit-protection-for-gunmakers/
Joe Biden to Gun Manufacturers: ‘I’m Going to Take You Down’ by AWR Hawkins
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/24/joe-biden-to-gun-manufacturers-im-going-to-take-you-down/
“How do you tell a Communist?
Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin.
And how do you tell an anti-Communist?
It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin!”
-- President Ronald Reagan
DHS ordered me to scrub records of Muslims with terror ties
by Philip Haney, 02/05/16 12:00 PM EST
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/268282-dhs-ordered-me-to-scrub-records-of-muslims-with-terror
[President Barack Hussein Obama, II issued the order
with malice aforethought, after he had bowed and kissed the
hand of the Saudi Arabian King.
-- SSgt. Low, Jonathan D.; Intelligence Specialist; USMC]
Self defense insurance:
6 Concealed Carry Insurance Options To Protect Your Six (2019)
by Gun Digest Editors
https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/4-self-defense-insurance-options
Self-Defense Gun Owner Insurance Programs Compared (no author cited)
https://www.concealedcarry.com/self-defense-gun-owner-insurance-programs-compared/
This web page, the chart, and the PDF file are updated on a regular basis.
Andrew Branca's info-graphic describing the 5 elements of the law of self defense.
https://lawofselfdefense.com/beginjourney/
Foundations: The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law
https://lawofselfdefense.com/foundations-the-5-elements-of-self-defense-law/
AAR (After Action Report): STATE OF FLORIDA VS. MICHAEL DREJKA
by Steven Harris
http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=18361
Remember that the police who responded to the incident
did not arrest Drejka because they thought the shooting might
be self defense. Later, the Sheriff declined to press charges
against Drejka because the Sheriff thought it was plausibly
self defense.
It was only after Drejka shot off his mouth without counsel
present for several hours while being recorded (audio and video)
that he effectively talked himself into a murder conviction.
The video recording was played at trial and used as evidence
to convict him.
Never talk to police! Tell your attorney what happened
and let him give your statement to the police. Everything
you say (and do) will be used against you.
Never talk to anyone else about the incident or your
feelings about the incident, because they will testify against
you. Yes, they will. Some will willingly testify against you.
Some will comply with a subpoena to testify to avoid a fine and
jail time. Some will be tricked by the prosecutor (The U.S.
Supreme Court has ruled that the police and prosecutors may
lie to the defendant and witnesses. [1]) to testify in a
deposition to exonerate you by providing exculpatory evidence.
This will result in opening avenues of discovery that will
bury you.
"Holy shit! They got so much evidence against me that
I'm going to get convicted and spend the rest of my life in
prison. I better take the plea deal."
No! All the evidence that they showed you is fake.
Just like the fake news on TV.
[1] Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731.
In re D.A.S., 391 A.2d 255, (D.C. App. 1978)
In re D.A.S. followed Oregon v. Mathiason, 429 U.S. 492 (1977)
Illinois v. Perkins, 496 U.S. 292 (1990)
State v. Patton, 362 N.J. Super. 16 (App. Div.) (2003)
State v. Cayward, 552 So. 2d 971 (Fla. App. 2 Dist. 1989)
Arthur v. Commonwealth, 480 S.E. 2d 749 (Va. 1997)
Sheriff, Washoe Co. v. Bessey, 914 P. 2d 618 (Nev. 1996)
People v. Henry, 518 N.Y.S.2d 44 (N.Y. App. Div. 1987)
et al
See,
Case law on police deception by Val Van Brocklin
https://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/case-law-on-police-deception-VuP9C033StWR83T4/
I know Val. She was a classmate at Punahou School class of '77.
The Shooting of Renisha McBride - Escalation by Shawn Vincent
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/24736
Never go to the fight. You should always be trying to get
away from the fight, even in your own home. Once you go to the
fight, it's not self-defense anymore.
***** ***** ***** Survival, Medical, and such ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Don't die on the wrong battlefield.
Marshall Luton writes on February 25, 2019
FYI... this just happened! Today, in broad daylight at a very busy,
public place my good friend's wife was at 15th and Denver QT at
the gas pumps filling up her car when a white male in his 40's
aggressively approached her screaming, “You White Bitch!!!”.
This guy had a large knife in his hand and was screaming
“I’ll show you”!!! This woman is always prepared and is always
carrying a firearm ON HER PERSON. She elected not to make this
guy's head into a canoe, and instead, quickly got in her vehicle
and locked the doors. She watched as the suspect began to puncture
her tires with the knife! She got on the phone and made a call
to 911. Officers arrived and took the man into custody. Turns out
the guy was mentally ill.
Lessons to learn:
1) Always be aware of your surroundings.
2) It's best to carry the firearm on your person!
3) Have a plan and stay calm.
4) Get training that will keep you from being a victim!
She did an incredible job and gave herself an out.
Luckily for this guy, she was able to get into her car instead
of draw out on him and fill him full of holes.
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
***** ***** ***** Miscellany ***** ***** *****
When it's least expected, you're selected.
-- John Farnam
We change by associating with people who are different from us,
and people who are smarter than us.
Training and practice will cause change. Change is not forceful.
Change is graceful.
Because, it's not what we know, it's what we do.
-- Pastor Mike Ayon
Pennsylvania man captures (on video, not in traps)
all walks of life crossing log bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyrbqiCokdw
One score and a few years ago, I took my children for a walk
in the mountains in Hawaii. I told them that we would see
all kinds of wildlife. They kept screaming, "Where are the animals?"
I told them that they had to be quiet. They were scaring the
animals away. If they were quiet, we would be able to walk
right up on the animals, and watch them eating or roaming around.
But, the kids kept screaming. So, we went the whole hike without
seeing any wildlife. I know there is a lesson in this;
I'm just not smart enough to learn it. But, you are.
I went to a Trump rally with a friend.
My friends says, where's Trump?
I point and respond, he's over there.
My friend says, that's not Trump. That's a Trump impersonator.
I've seen Trump on TV, that's not him.
I said, that is him. Everyone was applauding for him. He was
on stage. He went to the podium and gave the speech.
Afterwards, my friend says, I'm so disappointed. I thought
Trump was going to give the speech, not one of his doubles.
I said, that was Trump.
No, it wasn't. You're so naive.
Moral of the story: People believe what they want to believe.
There is a saying, You can have your own opinion, but you
can't have your own facts. That, of course, is false. People do
have their own facts.
Friends have complained to me that they have to leave their
guns in their cars when they go to see Trump, because the Secret
Service won't let anyone in that is carrying. I was in the hall
as a volunteer in the Convention Center in Nashville when Trump
spoke to us at the NRA Annual Meeting. He brought his family on
stage and introduced them to us. No one attempted to disarm me.
I review a lot of videos and text articles to find stuff to put
into this blog. I regret to inform you that the vast majority of
material on the internet and print magazines is false, dangerous,
non-sense, . . .
If you want to learn good stuff, exercise due diligence, find
a competent instructor (by referral or personal interview), and take
a class from said instructor. If you attend Tac Con (the Tactical
Conference),
https://taccon.info/
you can check out a host of instructors who have been vetted by
Tom Givens. You can talk to the instructor, watch the instructor,
and decide whether or not you want to take a class from that
instructor.
The NRA has instructors all over the country,
https://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
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