CWP, 9 March MMXXI Anno Domini

 Hi Sheepdogs,
 
*****     *****     ***** Software *****     *****     *****
 
“You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol
than you are a musician because you own a guitar.”
from "Principles of Personal Defense" by
Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC, (1920 – 2006 A.D.)
 
*****     *****     ***** Basics *****     *****     *****
 
     "Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
 
Mastering the Basics of Defensive Handgun Shooting by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2021/1/3/mastering-the-basics-of-defensive-handgun-training
Excerpt:  
     "If you’re looking for a good New Year’s resolution,
make it that you will master the basics of marksmanship.  
Building that foundation can be life saving."
 
"Developing A Proper Shooting Stance" by Jamey Caldwell
https://gundigest.com/gun-videos/gundigest-tv/video-developing-a-proper-shooting-stance
Excerpt:  
    "Eliminate as many moving pieces as you can."
 
     “No possible rapidity of fire can atone for habitual
carelessness of aim with the first shot.” -- Theodore Roosevelt,
(26th President of the United States) The Wilderness Hunter, 1893
 
----- Mindset -----
 
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."  
-- Tom Givens
 
"Preparing Yourself for A Violent Attack" by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2021/2/19/preparing-yourself-for-a-violent-attack
     In Marine Corps recruit training, the Drill Instructors taught us to keep
our hands out of our pockets when walking or standing around.  This is body
language.  Hands in pockets says, "I'm a dweeb and would be a good victim.  
Please attack me."  
     If your hands are cold, wear gloves.  Don't put your hands in your pockets!
     Being obese sends a similar signal.  No, being a soft marshmallow is not cute.  
     Wearing sexy clothing sends a similar signal.  
     If you've got your five body guards (4 of whom are not visible) then maybe
you can get away with being a dweeb.  But, you're not a cop running a sting.
 
"Angles Fear to Tread!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/angles-fear-to-tread/
     If you think this can't happen here, you are wrong.
It may not be reported in the broadcast media, but it is happening.
     President Biden is releasing 25,000 illegal aliens into the San Diego area;
many of them are MS13 (El Salvador), some are Los Zetas (Mexico).
I know because Customs and Border Patrol told me so.
     Take precautions.
 
"Fear is an instinct.  Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
 
"Concealed Carry Corner: Questioning Whether You Could Take A Human Life" by Matt E.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2021/02/25/taking-human-life/
Excerpt:  
     "Since we also represent gun ownership as a whole, not just for self-defense,
keeping things polite and calm is key."
     [People get killed with their own gun (including police), not just because
they hesitate to shoot (because they don't want to hurt the bad guy), but also
because the pistol gets taken from them before the gunfight.  That's why open carry
is so criminally stupid. -- Jon Low]
 
"10 rounds to the chest and still coming!" by Scott Buhrmaster
https://www.police1.com/police-training/articles/10-rounds-to-the-chest-and-still-coming-AMuUPZLXG2Y3PZZC/
Excerpt:  
     "Officers in similar situations have virtually all said they were asking
themselves the same troubling question:  “How can I be missing this guy?”  
They are primed to believe that direct hits will result in immediate physical
reactions, including falling to the ground and ceasing the attack.
     What happens when someone is hit in TV shows and the movies?
Blood spurts from the wound and the bad guy flies backward after being
knocked off his feet.
     What happens in real life?  Well, that’s completely different.
Are you ready for that?"
 
From an email that I received --
. . .
     It made me reflect on something that I feel God has been trying to teach
me every day since I was born:
     That we can't actually control much of anything.  But what we can control
is our reactions.
     The first time this message sunk in for me, I realized:  "So you're saying,
WHO I AM is not what I drive, where I live, or even what successes or what
failures I've experienced.  No.  Instead, WHO I AM is... the sum of how I
react to things."
     And that's it.  That's our personalities.  That's our legacies.  That's
our reputations.  That's what determines our salvation.  "It has to be,
because that's about all I can actually, completely control.  So:  judging me
based on anything else would be unjust."
     WHAT A WARRIOR IS:
I have come to believe that a warrior is anyone who does what they are called
to do, when it's necessary that they do it.  
     Because someone who fights when they shouldn't is not a warrior.
And someone who sits idle when they should be taking action is not a lover
of peace.
     Therefore:  a warrior can be defined by his or her reactions.
     My wife and I have come to call the ugly tasks that we know we need to
do, "Frogs."  And we call the process by which we suck it up and get them
done, "Eating a frog."
     Human life demands that we all will face many frogs.  I advocate the
'swallow it whole before it even realizes you're there' approach.  
. . .
-- Patrick Kilchermann
 
It’s about prevention, not response.
-- Michael Mann
 
----- Safety -----
 
Jeff Cooper's Rules of Gun Safety  
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.  
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.  
 
"How to improve your situational awareness with natural threat detection mechanisms"
by Patrice Bonnafoux
https://www.urbanfitandfearless.com/2015/09/improve-situational-awareness.html
Excerpt:  
     "I'm telling you that it's better to focus your effort on knowing/understanding
what's normal in a given situation/place (that's the 'baseline') and let your
intuition spot the anomalies, rather than looking directly for signs of danger.
     Science tells us it works better that way."
     "Note that 'worry' is not in the list.  Worry is noise that obscure the signals
sent by our intuition (much detailed explanations about the importance of intuition
and how it operates can be found in de Becker's book)."
[This is one of the reasons Jesus of Nazareth tells us not to worry.  This is a
positive command, not a suggestion. (If you have a correct translation of the
Bible, you will see this.) -- Jon Low]
 
"No Need To Worry" by Brian Enos
https://brianenos.com/no-need-to-worry/
 
     Yeah, I know some of this stuff is deep.  You're an adult.  You can handle it.  
 
"Preparation: The Best Complement to Situational Awareness" by Kevin "KD" Dixie
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/preparation-the-best-complement-to-situational-awareness/#
Excerpt:  
     "If you are in charge of your family’s security,
don’t enter the vehicle until they are buckled in and ready to go. "
 
"Telltales
Examples: Strange Smells & Ringin’ Bells"
by John Connor
https://gunsmagazine.com/odd-angry-shot/telltales/
     Useful techniques for your safety and the safety of your loved ones.  
 
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
 
----- Training -----
 
     You need training because:  
You don't know what you don't know.  
Much of what you know is false.  
It's good to the have the answers before the criminal tests you.  
-- Claude Werner (paraphrased)
 
"How To Master The Pistol Squat & Overcome Limiting Beliefs" by Zuzka Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oTtTvOPIp0
     A deep dive into the psychology of failure and using beliefs to
protect yourself from failure.  And how to view failure.  (That's why
John Farnam says, we are here to fail magnificently.)
     The learning process, the journey, is worthwhile.  Even if you never
achieve your goal.  
     Plan.  (Without a plan, you don't have a goal.  It's just a dream.)
     She talks about paying attention to your form.  At the Olympic Training
Center they would use the terminology kinesthetic awareness.  
     If you can't do a one legged deep knee bend at all, she takes you
from completely incapable to mastering the movement.  
     Strive for micro progress, as opposed to big jumps.  
     [Ya, I know her English isn't very good.  But, it's a lot better than
it used to be.  
     Yes, as a matter of fact, this directly affects your combat effectiveness.  
That's why Marines stretch and exercise every day.  
-- Jon Low]
 
"Learning How to Shoot Takes Practice and Patience" by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2021/3/5/learning-how-to-shoot-takes-practice-and-patience
Excerpt:  
     "No shooting school is going to make a person a skilled marksman in just
a few days.  All they can hope to do is give the student a basic foundation,
some things to practice, to start them on the road to developing their skills.  
There is also the element of forgetfulness and that is why a lot of us take
multiple classes, even repeating a particular class to pick up the stuff we
miss or have forgotten."  
     "Be patient and keep learning!"
 
"How To Choose a Concealed-Carry Pistol Instructor" by Jay Grazio
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2021/2/10/how-to-choose-a-concealed-carry-pistol-instructor
 
"The real value of training and practice isn't gaining technical competence,
it's achieving confidence in your abilities."
-- Claude Werner
 
"Becoming the Civilian Defender" by Sherman House
https://civiliandefender.com/2016/04/14/becoming-the-civilian-defender/
Excerpt:  
      ". . . here is what I feel should constitute the undergraduate
education of THE CIVILIAN DEFENDER:
    Criminology / Street Smarts / Physical Preparedness
    Defensive Driving
    Emergency Medical
    Legal Preparation, Aftermath and Rules of Engagement
    Less Lethal skills
    Handgun Carry Course
    Handgun Skills and Tactics Course
    Defensive Tactics"
 
“Train as you fight!” by Kathy Jackson
https://www.corneredcat.com/train-as-you-fight/
Excerpts:  
     "Whatever the training objective might be, we should only simulate deaths
and serious injuries during training — not cause real ones."
     [In the Armed Forces we get a lot of training casualties, and fatalities.  
Such is the nature of realistic training.  So, if your training is safe, you
have to question its realism.  Which is fine.  Unrealistic training is what
it is, as long as you recognize what it is, and you are not in a state of
self deception. -- Jon Low]
     [Some instructors disable their student's pistols by having the student
run a brightly colored piece of paracord through the barrel and magazine well,
and then tying a knot in the ends.  So, they would argue that the pistol is
not functional, and visibly so.  Dummy guns are expensive.  And stringing the
student's pistol allows the student to train with his pistol. -- Jon Low]
 
     A friend asked me to join his team for a training evolution.  (I don't know
where they come up with this terminology.)  Individually, we moved down a
fire escape ladder well (stair case), pulled a door open, and entered the sub
basement level of a large parking garage.  As I pulled the door open, I noticed
what looked like a large (12 inches in diameter) black nylon wrapped sausage
lying across the doorway.  (It was a water barrier to prevent water from getting
into the fire escape ladder wells.)  I stepped over it and entered the empty
garage.  (The obstacle was not placed there for us.  We were using the garage
as it was normally, during off hours when no one else was using the garage.)
. . .
     During the debriefing, I discovered that I was the only one who did not
trip over the water barrier.  Why?  Everyone should have been watching where
they were going, as none of us had ever been in this garage before.  But, I was
going slowly enough to alter my actions based on what I saw.  Others had seen
the barrier and tripped over it, because they didn't have the time to process
what they saw.  They were moving faster than they could think.  Some did not
see the barrier and tripped over it.  They just need to look where they are
going.  
     A lot of the officers participated in IDPA and IPSC competitions.  And they
were in the mindset of racing against the clock.  They were moving much faster
than they could think and process what they were seeing.  A competition, a
sport, an athletic event, is artificial.  If you are running a race, there
will be a smooth flat track with lanes clearly marked.  At the signal you
go and run as fast as you can to the finish line.  No decisions to make.  No
chance of altering what you are doing.  Such is not combat.  
 
"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
 
"Are You Spending Your Time At The Range Totally Wrong?" by Joshua Gillem
https://www.concealedcarry.com/training-2/are-you-spending-your-time-at-the-range-totally-wrong/
 
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 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
 
"Can You Shoot Your 1911 Backwards?" by Massad Ayoob
https://www.thearmorylife.com/ayoob-can-you-shoot-your-1911-backwards/
 
"Eye Dominance / Shmominance" by Brian Enos (Yes, the Brian Enos)

https://brianenos.com/eye-dominance-shmominance/
Excerpts:  
     "Optometrist Dr. Kerry Pearson assured me that vision is highly subjective."
     "Never believe anything you read or hear.  To figure out what’s
best for you, experiment until you have no doubt."  
 
     Pay attention to detail.  Execute the technique correctly.  Otherwise, you
will play a sleight of hand trick on yourself and get a negligent discharge.  
(See previous blog posting for an example.)
 
     Check your range of motion.  This is information you need before TSHTF.  
Here is something you can do in dry practice at home.  
     From your standing position, while maintaining sight alignment, while
maintaining balance (bend your knees more if you need to), twist as far as
you can to the right (note where you are pointing), twist as far as you can
to the left (note where you are pointing).
     From a seated position, while maintaining sight alignment, twist as
far as you can to the right (note where you are pointing), twist as far
as you can to the left (note where you are pointing).
     You're sitting in the restaurant, when bad guys demand money from the
cashier behind you.  Can you twist around far enough to get a good shot at
the bad guys?  Are you sure?  You certainly don't want to stand up and call
attention to yourself.  The bad guy's first indication that you are present
should be the bullet impact if you're shooting supersonic ammo, or the
report (BANG!) if you're shooting manly subsonic ammo.  
     At Strategic Edge Gun Range, we have a 360 degree range at the end of
the pistol bay road.  So, we can actually shoot at targets around us without
moving our feet to determine viable range of motion.  If you don't have
such a facility, you can do it dry at home.  
 
     At Front Sight and other places (including NRA Defensive Pistol class),
they teach a "quick check" as part of the after action procedures.  
The quick check is usually taught as looking around to your right until you
can see behind you and then looking to your left until you can see behind you,
while keeping the pistol pointed down range.  
     John Farnam teaches a rotation of 360 degrees while keeping the pistol
pointed down in front of you by using the SUL position.  You may find this
easier, especially if you have limited range of motion.  
     I used to teach the SUL position, but don't anymore, because I think
it is important to maintain the correct grip on your pistol from holster to
holster.  So, I teach pivoting from the elbows to point the pistol down in
front of you.  Don't bend your wrists, that weakens your grip.  Simply
straighten your elbows to point the pistol down in front of you.  
 
     Several articles on technique for Double Action / Single Action
Semi-Auto pistols have appeared recently.  I deleted all of those articles
from this blog posting, because why would anyone in their right mind carry
a pistol that does not have the same trigger pull on every shot?  
A different, much heavier, much longer, trigger pull on the first shot is
crazy stupid.  Such a pistol has no place in self defense, no matter what
the gun writers say.  (I carried a Sig P226 for several years, so I sort
of know what I'm talking about.)  
     It takes a huge amount of trigger finger and hand strength, which many
people don't have.  (Remember the law suit that the female FBI candidates
filed against the FBI?)  
     There is no break dawn (hard stop after the slack is taken out of the
trigger), so you can't prep the trigger, you can't stage the trigger.  
The technique generally taught is to roll right though from touching the
trigger to firing.  Think about that; your trigger finger is moving a lot
while the shot is being released.  As oppose to near zero movement with a
single action or striker action pistol, because you've taken the slack
out of the trigger before you started the press to release the shot.  
 
"Defending Yourself From A Vehicle" by Jamey Caldwell
https://gundigest.com/gun-videos/gundigest-tv/video-defending-yourself-from-a-vehicle
     Not "from a vehicle that is attacking you", "from within a vehicle". 

 
     A student said that racking a shotgun in a home invasion scenario would
cause the bad guy to leave.  I disagree.  
     Racking a shotgun is a violation of noise discipline.
     Racking a shotgun in order to load is lack of preparation.  You will
never have enough time in a combat situation.  You won't have time to
load your shotgun.  Murphy's Law:  Anything that can go wrong will go
wrong, at the worst possible time.  In combat, everything takes longer than you
thought it would.  In a high stress situation, easy things are difficult, and
difficult things are impossible.  Racking a shotgun in a high stress situation
is entirely different from racking a shotgun in pristine calm conditions.  
So, just as your pistol is always loaded, so your shotgun should be loaded with
the safety on.  (Because it's not in a holster.  Your pistol does not have a
safety, because the holster is the safety.)  
     There is a non-zero probability that the enemy will not hear the racking
of the shotgun, or that he will not recognize the sound as the racking of a
shotgun.  (Because, he's so high on drugs that he's operating in an alternate
reality.)  So, racking the slide may not cause the reaction you think it will.
 
"The Call to Follow Through" by Brian Enos
https://brianenos.com/the-call-to-follow-through/
     The prose are simple, but the thoughts are deep.  Take your time and study
what he says.  
 
"Fundamentals & Technique" by Brian Enos
https://brianenos.com/fundamentals-technique/
Excerpt:  
Fundamental means essential: what you must do.  
Technique is physical: how you do it.  
 
"Jammed: How Can an Adversary Cause a Failure?" by Bob Campbell
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/jammed-can-adversary-cause-failure/
 
"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
 
"How Should I Flee from an Attacker?" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/how-do-i-flee-an-attacker
Excerpt:  
     "Run TOWARD safety, not AWAY from danger."
 
"Tactical Moment" by John Holschen
https://www.youtube.com/user/tacticalmoment
 
"Make a Plan for Home Invasions" by Guy Sagi
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2021/2/19/make-a-plan-for-home-invasions
     First person accounts are always useful, if you study them.  
 
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
 
----- Education -----
 
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
 
"Probability and Statistics, Common Sense Math for the Concealed Carrier" by Greg Moats
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/69bf0e2b-df31-4e0b-bc37-b4b0385c0909
Excerpt:  
     "Just because you’ve never needed to shoot someone in the past doesn’t mean
you won’t in the future just as 100% of last year’s murder victims had never
been killed before."
     "Probability-wise therefore, carrying a 17 round sidearm with no spare
magazine is less prudent than carrying a 7 round sidearm with a spare magazine."
     [Probability is a branch of mathematics, which is a branch of philosophy.  
Philosophy is pure thought.  There is no real world experimentation or data
collection in philosophy.  Exempli gratia, the Sun having risen everyday in the past does
not logically imply that the Sun will rise tomorrow.  
     Statistics is a branch of science.  You have to do experiments in the real
world (not thought experiments) and collect data to do science.  E.g. the Sun
having risen everyday in the past implies to a certain confidence level that
the Sun will rise tomorrow.  (One often collects enough samples from the
population to make a statement to a 97% confidence level.  But, even knowing
that is not the whole truth.  You have to know the null hypothesis and the
experimental methodology to understand the probabilities and caveats of a
false-positive, false-negative, true-positive, and true-negative result.  
     Remember when the bad guy gets killed by the good guy, that gets counted
as a homicide with implication of society bad, but we all know that killing
bad guys is good for our society.  That's why we did it in the Marine Corps.)
     The science of statistics uses a certain probability model to model the
real world system under consideration.  The probability model may be wrong.  
Deciding which model to use requires assumptions.  The assumptions may be
wrong.  (That's why the death toll from Covid-19 in the United States is
500,000 as opposed to initial predictions of 2,000,000 in the first year.)  Any statistical
model will have explicit and implicit parameters.  In the real world, there
are effectively an infinite number of parameters.  The scientist arbitrarily
excludes almost all parameters from consideration to make the problem
tractable.  Because as more parameters are considered and more precision
is striven for, all problems become intractable.  
-- Jon Low]
 
"Concealed Carry: Issues and Perspectives" by John Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ju5GtzzgLE&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSduhVBwzGL2ROyN-TSdDGLq
 
Rangemaster Firearms Training Services
MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER
https://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-03_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf
     Make sure to read through the
PERSONAL SAFETY CHECKLIST
and share it with your loved ones.
 
"Quick Fixes For Eye Dominance And Both-Eyes-Open Shooting
for Automatic Aiming That's Faster Than A Laser" by Mike Ox
https://dryfiretrainingcards.easywebinar.live/registration-vision-on-demand
Excerpt:  
     "Cross dominance is not a problem.  It is a reality."
     [Aikido is all about the quiet mind.  Often practiced with the eyes closes.  
     The disadvantages of shooting with one eye closed that Ox cites, are only
valid for closing the eye for long periods of time.  Not the fraction of a
second to release the shot. 
     Ox's analysis of phantom pain and cure thereof is classical in the
literature.  There is actually a whole series of these exercises with a mirror
that are used in the VA hospitals with amputees.  -- Jon Low]
 
"Skill Set: Small Things" by Tiger Mckee
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/b214fe53-0d7a-4de2-a739-c0ad848b4cf6
Excerpt:  
     "Don’t be distracted by the misfortune, or dwell on the mistake.  
Compensate, correct and continue.  This is the path to victory."
 
"News/Q&A Show: Mar. 4, 2021" by Andrew Branca
https://lawofselfdefense.com/news-qa-show-mar-4-2021/
Scroll down for transcript.  Many of the links go to patreon pages, not accessible
to the public.  Lots of interesting stuff.  
 
CV Ministries
Church Security Through Prevention
https://www.cv-ministries.com/podcast.html
     A series of pod casts that you might find useful as continuing education
in church security.  
 
"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
 
"3 Defensive Handgun Features You Don't Really Need" by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2021/3/1/3-defensive-handgun-features-you-dont-really-need
1. 3-DOT SIGHTS
2. EXTENDED SLIDE STOP
3. FULL-LENGTH GUIDE ROD ON 1911 PISTOLS
 
     I mention this because there appears to be merit to the allegations,
even though Sig does not admit (which is not the same as denying the
allegations, which Sig is not doing).  
     "Sig Sauer Faces $10 Million Lawsuit over P320 Pistol After
Alleged Accidental Discharge Wounds Federal Agent" by Matthew Cox
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/02/19/sig-sauer-faces-10-million-lawsuit-over-p320-pistol-after-alleged-accidental-discharge-wounds.html
     "Sig Sauer to Settle Lawsuit Over Alleged Safety Glitch in P320 Pistol" by  Matthew Cox
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/19/sig-sauer-settle-lawsuit-over-alleged-safety-glitch-p320-pistol.html
 
     Because I teach, I have many pistols of varying grip size and trigger positions
for my students to use.  Because, often, the pistols that they bring to class do not
fit their hands and the trigger is often in the wrong position for the length of their
trigger finger.  
     When the shooter has established a high (the web between the thumb and index finger
is bunched up under the tang) tight (squeezing with the middle finger, ring finger,
and little finger only; thumb is high and relaxed, index finger is in the register
position) grip with the barrel in line with the bones of the forearm (in line, not
just parallel to), the tips of the middle and ring finger should be pointing back
towards the shooter.  Otherwise, the grip is too big, which means not maximal strength.  
     With the correct grip, with the trigger in the center of the fingerprint of
the trigger finger, after the slack is taken out of the trigger, the last bone of
the trigger finger should be perpendicular to the axis of the bore of the barrel.  
If not, move the trigger.  Yes, as a matter of fact the position of the trigger at
break dawn of any pistol can be moved.  It may take a gunsmith and parts, but it
can and should be done.  Otherwise, the shooter will have a lateral vector of
force on the trigger, which will degrade accuracy.  
 
     Magazines are expendable.  So, you have to have lots of them.  Otherwise, you
will worry about them, and be picking them up when you should be running for cover.  
And then, BANG! you're dead.  
 
     Silencer Central at
https://www.silencercentral.com/
+1 (888) 781-8778, listen to the recording and press the appropriate number.
     In case you don't get the American Hunter, let me tell you about an article
I read.  Silencer Central will set up a trust for you (and anyone else that you
want to add to the trust) free of charge when you buy a silencer from them.  Such
a trust allows everyone listed on the trust to possess and use the silencers owned
by the trust.  So, you list your heirs and the silencers do not go through
probate when you die, because the trust owns the silencers.  The trust may be
modified at any time without government oversight.  
     You can purchase the silencer online, or call in and talk to one of the reps,
which makes things much clearer and easier for the end user.  They take care of
dealing with the government for you.  You just pay $206 for the Federal Tax Stamp,
and the price of the silencer, which can be spread out in 4 monthly installments.  
After waiting 8 months or so for the FBI to do their check and BATFE to do their
check, they deliver the silencer to your door.  Apparently, no FFL intermediary
is required.
     Their customer service is pretty amazing.  I phoned them and hung up after
listening to the recording.  I just wanted to make sure the phone number was
correct for this article.  Within a minute, Mr. Drew Sorenson
drew.sorenson@silencercentral.com
called me back, responding to the missed call.  
They say that unlike ammunition, silencers are available.  The delay is the
government bureaucracy, not the supply chain.  Worth checking out.  
     Also note that Threading Central at
https://www.threadingcentral.com/
will thread your barrel to accept your silencer.  Apparently without an FFL
intermediary.  Just mail it to them (they send you the mailing container)
and they mail it back to you.  
     According to the American Hunter article, 42 states allow the ownership
of silencers and 40 states allow hunting with silencers.  Hey, I'm getting
too old to draw my 45 pound bow.  May have to switch to rifle hunting with
a silencer.  My friend in Mount Pleasant, SC hunts squirrels in her yard.  
The neighbors never hear a thing.  
 
"Concealed Carry Corner: Tips For Winter Carry" by Matt E.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2021/02/18/concealed-carry-corner-tips-for-winter-carry/
     Larger objects are easier to manipulate than smaller objects.  As a
preschooler or kindergartner we used the big fat pencils.  As our coordination
improved, we moved to the thinner pencils.  Such I learned from experience.  
 
"A SILENT KILLER | Mitigating Exposure Risks from Lead at Shooting Ranges" by Eugene Nielsen
https://americancop.com/a-silent-killer-mitigating-exposure-risks-from-lead-at-shooting-ranges/
Excerpt:  
     "There are two basic ways in which the risk of toxic effects from lead can
be minimized — by reducing exposure and through proper nutrition. "
     "Generally non-toxic primers are less reliable than conventional lead styphnate primers.  
For this reason, lead-free ammo is not recommended for duty and self-defense use."
 
“Your car is not a holster.”
– Pat Rogers
 
----- Technical -----
 
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
 
"ONE HAND ONLY
TIPS ON “EVERY DAY CARRY” KNIVES FROM A KNIFE KNUT"
by JOHN CONNOR
https://gunsmagazine.com/odd-angry-shot/one-hand-only/
Excerpts:  
     "You should be able to pull it out, open the blade to fully-deployed
locked position, use it, unlock the blade, restore it to folded status
and return it to your pocket using one hand only."
     ". . . the knife should be stable and secure in your hand throughout
that process."
     "Flipper opening designs employ a projection on the blade, which
protrudes upward when the knife is closed, and often functions as a
fingerguard when it’s open."
     ". . . must have a locking blade."
     "If it doesn’t engage to the same degree every time, whether opened
forcefully or gently, you’re asking for an accident.  Demand the same
performance you would from your car’s brakes:  consistent every time."
     "For a general-duty EDC, plain and simple spear points or drop points
are most useful.  Unless you have a specific need for radically curved or
fully serrated blades, they limit your folder’s utility."
 
"How to Adjust Your Rifle Setup for Body Armor" by Steve Adelmann
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2021/2/22/how-to-adjust-your-rifle-setup-for-body-armor
     I include articles like this because some of us have to wear body armor to work everyday.  

 
"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
 
"On Being a Beginner (Again)" by Justin
https://swiftsilentdeadly.com/on-being-a-beginner-again/
Excerpt:  
     “. . . when was the last time you were a beginner at something?”
 
"The Rise of the Polymer Striker Nine
Is there a word beyond ‘ubiquitous?’ "
by Massad Ayoob
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/the-rise-of-the-polymer-striker-nine/
     If you are going to teach, you should carry same type of pistol your students
bring to class.  All leadership is by example.  You must set a good example for
your students.  Sentimental preferences have no place in combat.  
 
     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 -----
 
     "The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.  
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."  
-- Robert John Meehan
 
     I had a lovely conversation with a female instructor who teaches
the NRA Pistol class.  She told me that she usually teaches women and
that she only does one student per class.  I congratulated her.  It is
wonderful what retirees and church ministries can do.  
     If you've never taught a one person class, I recommend you try it.  
It won't work for everyone.  I once had a lady tell me that the class
was too intense for her.  (She didn't feel comfortable with the
personal attention.)  So, I invited her to come back and join a
larger class.  Some people like to hide in the crowd.  Unfortunately,
it is those people who are reluctant to ask questions.  So, you have
to draw them out.  
 
Teach positive.  Teach what to do.  Don't talk about what not to do.
-- John Farnam
 
"The Neutral Grip" by Brian Enos
https://brianenos.com/the-neutral-grip/
Excerpt:  
     "I was working with a new shooter, watching him re-grip
(loosen then tighten his fingers) after every shot. Instead of
telling him what he was doing wrong, I told him, after his
next string of fire, to tell me whether he gripped harder with
his right or left hand. He did not re-grip from that moment on.
     Without knowing that he had a problem, what the problem was,
or even trying to fix the problem, the problem fixed itself.  
Simply by placing attention where it is most needed. Which is,
of course, the best way to do everything."
 
     “The one important thing I have learned over the years
is the difference between taking one’s work seriously and
taking one’s self seriously.  
The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.”
-- Prima Ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn
 
     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 *****     *****     *****
 
     "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.
-- John Adams, October 11, 1798
 
"Proxy!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/proxy/
     During the Cold War (for which none of us got a medal, though many of
us filled out the forms) the Finnish would say, the Western Europeans feel
safe from the Soviets (USSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) because
Finland blocks the road.  (Finland is nice.  They all spoke English.  At
least the intel guys did.)
     Did you ever notice that the Nazis (National Socialists) and the
USSR (CPPP in Cyrillic), Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, have the
word socialist in common.  That would be a clue.  Oh, you mean like
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?  
 
Don West & Andrew Branca - Escalation of Force
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/34332
     They discuss at what distance the enemy is an imminent deadly threat.  
     The enemy may be shot with a shotgun in the chest (heart destroyed)
and still have 15 seconds of mobility (function normally).  That's more
than enough time for the enemy to kill you.  It doesn't matter that the
enemy is mortally wounded and will eventually die, he is not incapacitated.  
And so still presents an imminent deadly threat.  
     People always credit Dennis Tueller.  Let me tell you the rest of the story.
---
     Mike Waidelich designed a study which measured the amount of time the
"average" man can present his weapon from the holster or the "ready" position
and fire a single shot to the center of mass of a humanoid target and compared
it to the distance a man armed with a contact weapon could run and inflict a  
fatal wound.  The time is 1.5 seconds, the "average" man can travel 21 feet.  
Therefore, when facing an opponent armed with a contact weapon, 7 to 10 yards
away, with nothing intervening between you and the weapon, you are in immediate
danger of death or serious bodily injury.  Dennis Tueller later wrote an article
on Mike Waidelich's study which appeared in SWAT magazine, 1983 and the study
became known as the Tueller Drill.
-- New Student Lecture Packet, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
---
 
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
SIMPLE ADVICE IS MOST PROFOUND"
by WILL DABBS, MD
https://gunsmagazine.com/our-experts/our-tax-dollars-at-work/
Excerpt:  
     "Sixteen states including my own [Alabama] currently allow permit-less
constitutional carry of a firearm.  Of those 16, exactly none of them are
embroiled in the kind of urban chaos and anarchy consuming places like
Chicago, New York, Seattle, and Portland.  Something tells me there’s a
correlation there someplace."
 
"The “List” " by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/the-list/
     It's okay to be on the losing side.  We often lose,
that's just part of life.  But, it's not okay to be on
the wrong side.  Because in the end we are all judged
by God.  And He will ask us to account for our decisions.  
 
"Traffic stop for a noise violation leads Supreme Court
to consider a BIG expansion of warrantless entries"
by Val Van Brocklin
https://www.police1.com/patrol-issues/articles/traffic-stop-for-a-noise-violation-leads-supreme-court-to-consider-a-big-expansion-of-warrantless-entries-RKYLrMWtirRVdhL9/
Excerpt:  
     "Justice Gorsuch asked why they should expand the warrant exception
to misdemeanors now when the framers of the Fourth Amendment hadn’t."
     The decision will be announced in June 2021.  Yes, as a matter of
fact, it will affect you.  That's why so many pro-gun groups filed
amicus curiae (“friends of the court”) briefs.  
     In the previous article above, John Farnam, talks about the secret
police.  How did the secret police get so much power?  Sometimes individuals
join the big motorcycle gang, sometimes the big motorcycle gang absorbs the
entire little motorcycle gang.  It's really easy for federal law enforcement
to deputize state, county, and municipal law enforcement.  The lower level
LEO's are always excited and eager to get federal credentials.  Think it
could never happen in America?  It already has.  
    Follow the hyperlink in the article to the U.S. Supreme Court blog at
https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/lange-v-california/
Why are so many groups interested in this case?  Why did California decline
to argue the legal point that it had argued in the U.S. Circuit Court case?  Why
would the U.S. Supreme Court hire an attorney to argue California's case
for California?  Remember, California is extreme liberal Democrat.  
     Regardless of intent, an expansion of warrantless searches will be used
against us.  Be prepared.  Because you won't get a warning.  This is not
a "no knock" search warrant.  This is a warrantless search.  Get it?  
 
"Self-Defense Update: How to Stay on the Right Side of the Law" (no author cited)
https://www.uslawshield.com/essential-self-defense/
Excerpts:  
     "Fourteen states continue to impose some form of a legal duty to retreat:  
Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and
Wisconsin."
     "All 50 states have some variation of the Castle Doctrine on their books,
although a specific state’s laws may not actually contain the words
“Castle Doctrine.” "
 
“Safe?” by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/safe/
Excerpt:  
     " “Gun-safety laws” are contrived solely to make criminals of honest gun-owners."
     "Thus, liberals can realize their wet dream of filling prisons with political
opponents, which include all gun-owners!"
    "The governor and his bodyguard cadre will be, of course, exempt.
They are also exempt from ammunition restrictions, magazine-capacity restrictions,
“weapons-of-war” restrictions, . . ."
 
"Beyond Black Letter Law" by Rob Keating
https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/beyond-black-letter-law
     An explanation of case law.  
 
     “Is there no virtue among us?
If there is not, we are without hope!
No form of government, existing nor theoretical, will keep us from harm.
To think that any government, in any form,
will insure liberty and happiness for an dishonorable population
represents the height of self-deception.”
-- James Madison, 1788
 
*****     *****     ***** Survival, Medical, Security, and such *****     *****     *****
 
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Dr. Sherman House
 
Sat, Feb 27 at 1:06 PM
Multiple ballistic missiles intercepted over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. US Embassy urging increased awareness and caution. Be prepared to seek shelter.  
     [When I lived in Riyadh, we would get such messages from the U.S. Embassy
regularly.  You probably don't get such messages from anyone.  So, you're on
your own.  You've got to pay attention to what's going on around you.  Because,
nobody is going to warn you. -- Jon Low]
 
When it comes to survival, “just barely” beats the heck outta “not quite good enough.”
-- John Connor
 
*****     *****     ***** Miscellany / History *****     *****     *****
 
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
 
"World History!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/world-history-2/
     For those of us who spent our military careers fighting the communists,
it is very disappointing to see Americans embrace communist ideals.  Yes,
we always knew they were in the U.S., but to see the communists subsume the
entire Democrat political party is heart breaking.  
 
     Don't believe anything you see, hear, or read on the internet.  
Deep fakes are very easy to create.  And very difficult to detect.  
Hat tip to Marcus Wynne.
"The Post-Truth Era*" by Marcus Wynne
https://marcuswynne.com/the-post-truth-era/
"Shockingly Real Tom Cruise Deepfakes Are Invading TikTok" by Marlow Stern
https://www.thedailybeast.com/shockingly-real-tom-cruise-deepfakes-are-invading-tiktok
 
All kinds of neat stuff at:  
     Practical Eschatology by Docent
https://practicaleschatology.blogspot.com/
     The Tactical Professor by Claude Werner
https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/
     Active Response Training by Gregg Ellifritz
http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/
     Quips by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/quips/
     Rangemaster newsletter by Tom Givens
https://rangemaster.com/publications/rangemaster-newsletter/
     CIVILIAN DEFENDER by Sherman House
https://civiliandefender.com/
     Handgun Combatives by Dave Spaulding
https://www.youtube.com/c/handguncombatives/videos
     Marcus Wynne
https://marcuswynne.com/blog/
 
"NOTHING HAPPENS BECAUSE OF RANDOM CHANCE" by WILL DABBS, MD
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/nothing-happens-because-of-random-chance/
     I have taken many science and philosophy classes where arguments were
put forward to prove the existence of God.  But, as a wise pastor once told
me, theology is by faith, which is to say, belief in God is a decision you
make outside of science or philosophy.  
 
“In the long-run, there is no such thing as ‘luck’.
However, the short-run is longer than many individual lifetimes!”
-- Anon
 
     May I entertain you with my creative writing?  I assure you it is fiction.  
Though not very good fiction, for as Mark Twain said, "Fiction is much harder to
write than non-fiction, because fiction has to make sense."  
     There are instructors who teach don't get involved with other people's
problems, especially domestic disputes.  Because you don't know what's going on,
even if you think you do.  You won't be her hero, rescuing her from a beating.  
She will testify against you.  (If she doesn't pick up a pair of scissors and
stab you.  Then you will have to Mace her, her boyfriend, and the kids who
are now all attacking you.)
     But, what if you do know?  What if it's your blood relative?  A grandchild
for instance.  
(Translated from a foreign language.  So, there may be problems with the translation.)
Daughter:  "Pay them you bastard!"
Father:  "You're angry with me?  I did not kidnap your son.  You should be angry
with the kidnappers."  
Daughter:  "You have the power to pay the ransom.  Pay it!"  
Father:  "If I did, within a day, everyone would know that I pay ransoms.  
All of our families would have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars
every year for security.  Within a month there would be several kidnapping
attempts on my grandchildren.  Some would be successful.  You must think
about them."
Daughter:  "I don't care about them.  Save Roger (her son)."  
Father:  "That is a problem. (Referring to her statement "I don't care about them.")  
If I paid, they might still kill Roger.  And then we would have lost Roger and
a great deal of money."  (Father would never give money to people who had
killed his subordinates:  bodyguards, gardeners, maids, and butlers.  It was
not a well executed kidnapping.)
Daughter:  "Dexter, you can negotiate with them.  You can pay the ransom."
Dexter:  "You don't want anyone to know that I am here.  If they knew, they
would kill Roger and go underground."
     When I lived in South Carolina, I attended Sea Coast church.  They had an
extensive missionary program.  At the initial briefing for the volunteer
missionaries, they told the prospective missionaries not to buy ransom insurance.  
Because such information would leak out and it would make them high value targets.  
It would create an incentive for the criminals to kidnap the missionaries.  Rich
Americans are always good targets for kidnapping.  
     When my parents traveled, they would buy ransom insurance.  If they were
kidnapped, an insurance agent would negotiate with the kidnappers to get them
released.  Or, at least that was the idea.  Insurance policies have limits,
and the insurance agents have to ensure they get what they paid for.  So, it's
not so easy.  I guess my parents didn't trust their kids to bail them out
or launch a rescue.  My father still doesn't think that I can tie my shoe
laces.  Some things never change.  
     There are instructors who justify your not getting involved with other
people's problems by saying, the other person had the opportunity to get the
self defense training that you took.  Why should the other person's negligence
become your problem?  Why should you use the skills, that you invested thousands
of dollars and hundreds of hours to learn, to help a stranger who didn't give a
shit and so didn't bother to do anything to prepare or protect himself?
Father:  "I urged Roger to take the safety training and the self defense
training. (Father had offered to pay for everything:  air fare, hotel, rental
car, tuition, equipment, ammunition, etc.)  But, he didn't.  Instead, he flew
around and partied with his friends.  I sent him a butler to help him."  
Daughter:  "That wasn't a butler.  That was a bodyguard and a nanny.  He tried
to tell Roger what to do.  He told Roger not to associate with his friends."  
Father:  "Have you not noticed that this kidnapping was an inside job?  
Roger's friends abetted this crime."
     When my daughter was in college, she and her friends took a trip to
Mexico (instead of studying, which is what the Navy was paying her to do).  
I told her not to go.  At the time kidnapping for ransom was rampant.  
I told her that I could not provide security for her.  (I was in a different
stage of life at that time.)  She told me that she was going anyway.  
So, I called a friend from church and he graciously consented to provide
security for her and her group.  She and her friends were so oblivious that
they never noticed.  
     As Sam Harris says,
     "In my experience, most people do not want to think about the reality
of human violence.  I have friends who sleep with their front doors unlocked
and who would never consider receiving instruction in self-defense.  For them,
gun ownership seems like an ugly and uncivilized flirtation with paranoia.  
Happily, most of these people will never encounter violence in any form.  
And good luck will make their unconcern seem perfectly justified."
https://samharris.org/the-truth-about-violence/
     Many instructors teach that you should not call attention to yourself.  
Father:  "The criminals cannot attack you, if they don't know you exist.  
None of your sibling's families would every have such troubles.  No one
recognizes them.  No one knows they are wealthy.  
     There is an article on the internet of you on your yacht with high
resolution color photos.  You have done interviews that have been widely
broadcast.  Your son follows your example with his jet set lifestyle.  
     The names and faces of fools appear in public places.  
     When I was in college (in New York), classmates asked me to join
them for dinner in London.  They told me it was a short trip on the SST
(super sonic transport).  You buckle in, have a few drinks, and you're
landing.  We'd be back in time for classes on Monday.  I said, no thank you.  
You should follow my example."  
Daughter:  "What are you going to do about it?"  
Father:  "Nothing.  Call the FBI (equivalent translation).  Cooperate
with them.  Let them handle it."  
 
     I put the lesson plans for my Defensive Pistol class, in book form
on Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/
for download free of charge.  
"Defensive Pistol" by Jonathan D. Low
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/474513
In the last report that Smashwords sent me, it appears that people from
literally all over the world are downloading it.  I assume to use for
training.  But zero of my in person students or persons with internet
addresses that resolve to U.S. locations have downloaded it.  
 
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Jon_Low@yahoo.com