Hi Sheepdogs,
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***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
Self-defense is defensive. (As opposed to offensive. The Marine Corps has offensive
training, if you're interested.)
You should choose training designed for civilian concealed carry for self-defense.
Primary objective is to escape. This is not cowardly. This is smart. Keeping you alive
and capable of earning an income and caring for your loved ones is the smart objective.
The criminal predator has nothing to lose. You have loved ones, assets, reputation, etc.
You should not choose training designed for competition (racing to win the game).
You should not choose training designed for hunting (stalking, trailing, tracking).
You should not choose training designed for law enforcement (duty to pursue and arrest).
You should not choose training designed for military (responsibility to initiate lethal force
assumed by high authority; mission to destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, and
if necessary, to close with the enemy to destroy the enemy with fire and close combat).
Because they will all leave horrible training scars. Training scars are ingrained habits
that are wrong for self-defense.
1. The purpose of self-defense is to prevent your injury. So, you have to strike
preemptively. In order to be able to do this you have to be aware. No law in the
United States requires you to suffer the first strike before defending yourself. If you
allow the bad guy to strike first, you will not be able to defend yourself. You'll be
on the ground getting stomped to death. Your loved ones will be kidnapped, raped,
and eventually murdered.
2. If you fail to prevent the attack, the purpose of self-defense is to stop the attack
so you don't get injured anymore. You are shooting or striking to stop the attack,
not to kill. The condition of the bad guy is incidental to our purpose of stopping the
attack. In order to stop the attack, you must either zero the bad guy's blood pressure
or break his central nervous system.
Zeroing blood pressure requires a shot in to the heart. The target from the front
is the center of the triangle defined by the nipples and the notch at the top of the sternum.
From the side, the target is the top of the arm pit. From the back, the target is between
the shoulder blades. So, your ammunition must be powerful enough to break through
the bones of the sternum, rib cage, upper arm, shoulder, and shoulder blades.
Breaking the central nervous system requires a shot into the brain. From the front,
the target is the T defined by the eyes and nose, behind which are holes in the skull.
From the side, the target is the hole of the ear (external auditory meatus). From the
back, the target is the spinal column at the base of the skull.
Your pistol ammunition is ballistically deficient compared to a rifle or shotgun
round. Your pistol bullet probably will not penetrate the skull. (Reality is different
from TV and movies.) So, you have to shoot through one of the holes or attempt
to break the spinal column between the skull and shoulders.
3. If the assailant is walking away, after having beaten and raped you, shooting him
in the back is not self-defense. Self-defense only works to prevent the attack or stop
the attack. Shooting the assailant as he is departing is murder. Such are the laws of
our civilized society.
When your attorney submits your statement to the police or prosecutor, it must
say that you shot to prevent the attack. If the attack continued in spite of your efforts
to prevent the attack, you shot to stop the attack. You were not trying to kill or injure
the assailant, you just wanted him to stop attacking you. If there are bullet hole entry
wounds in the assailant's back, you will need an expert witness to explain how fast
the assailant was turning and your reaction times when you shot him in the front that
resulted in the bullets entering the assailant's back. The physics and psychology are
well established science. But, they are not known to the jury, unless you are able to
hire an expert witness ($7000 per day plus expenses, hotel, air fare, rental car, meals,
etc.) to explain these things to the jury. So, if you don't have a self-defense insurance
policy that covers all legal expenses, bail, and expert witnesses, you're a damn fool.
If your parents offered to buy a policy for you, and you declined, you have committed
an act of criminal stupidity. As my father said, "Only stupid people are in prison.
Guilt or innocence has nothing to do with it."
If you look at someone bigger, faster, and stronger and immediately think,
'I'm at a disadvantage,'
I have news for you: you are.
But that's only because you just put yourself there for no reason.
The truth is that anyone can do debilitating violence to anyone else.
Your size, your speed, your strength, your gender -- all the factors that
untrained people think make the difference when it comes to violence --
all matter far less than your mindset and your intent.
-- Tim Larkin
Tim Larkin says 70% of the people that attend his class are doing so because they
have survived a violent encounter, and so realize that they need training to avoid such
future incidents. I have found that many of my female students are sent to me by
fathers, husbands, or boyfriends who understand that their loved ones need training.
The training changes the person's behavior, body language, and choices.
So, when the criminal predator looks at them, he thinks, "Not a good target" and
moves on to easier prey. So it is essential that the scared bunny gets the training
before the violent encounter, because some people don't survive the encounter.
The training allows the student to avoid the violent encounter in the first place.
Which is far more important than all the techniques for self-defense. The techniques
have to be learned so that the students have confidence, such information leaks
from the trained person and is picked up by criminal predators. That is what causes
the criminal predator to de-select the student for victimization.
"There are no victims, only volunteers.
You volunteer by looking uncertain and afraid.
You volunteer by being, as grass-eaters invariably are,
unprepared to confront the hazards of life."
— Jeff Cooper
"John Farnam Interview with Step by Step Gun Training"
Interviewer: I have friends that will spend thousands and thousands of dollars on
equipment and not a dime on training.
Farnam: That is false economy.
. . .
Farnam: Take training from different instructors. We are all wrong about something.
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
"The feeling of faith is not always peaceful."
"People will do whatever they need to to survive."
-- Pastor Jim Bachmann, Stephens Valley Church, Nashville, TN
The problem is that most people don't know what to do to survive, because they
have had no training. So, you have to get training. You have to send your loved ones
to get training, especially your daughters.
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
"Do not pray for peace. There are only two places where you have peace: in a country
with a totalitarian dictatorship, or a maximum security prison. Anywhere you have freedom
you will not have peace. So pray for victory."
-- Pastor Greg Surrat, Sea Coast Church, Mount Pleasant, SC (The statement was in
the context of Israel.)
Rush Limbaugh said a similar thing. We must defeat our enemies at the polls. There
is no compromising with them. If we do not defeat them at the polls, eventually we will
have to exercise the 2nd Amendment, because socialism leads to communism which leads
to totalitarian government, which is tyranny. Remember, the Founding Fathers wrote the
2nd Amendment into the U.S. Constitution to ensure that the people would always have
the means to overthrow the government. Some people just need killing.
"Sometimes, it is easier to kill the wolf [than to defend the sheep]."
-- Marcus Wynne
Sometimes it is easier for the sheepdogs to kill the wolves than for the sheepdogs
to defend the sheep, or for the sheepdogs to train the sheep in self-defense. The
vast majority of sheep won't sit through a personal-defense / self-defense lecture,
much less participate in a hands-on class, much less pay for a course and then attend
all the classes in the course, as opposed to dropping out before the end of the course.
There are many police officers (would-be sheepdogs) who do not seek out training
on their own time on their own dime, and so are incompetent to protect the citizens;
and often are incompetent to protect themselves. The FBI has a well defined profile
of an "Officer Likely To Be Killed In The Line Of Duty." It makes for disturbing
reading.
"Chainsaws, Guns, and the Rural-Urban Divide in America (Light Over Heat #11)"
by Prof. David Yamane
I live in an apartment complex across the street from the Zoo in Nashville, TN.
After a storm, I walk out to my car in the parking lot, and find a tree has fallen across
my car. It's early in the morning, so I don't want to start up my chainsaw and wake
everyone up. So, I use my all wheel drive vehicle to drive out from under the tree.
If all you've got is a chainsaw, every problem looks like a tree. But your all wheel
drive car is almost always the correct solution. For instance, simply driving away
from the car jacker. (If you then turn around and ram him or shoot him, well that's
not self-defense.)
"Gun sales soar in Lithuania amid war in Ukraine" by Katherine Berjikian
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
Think it couldn't happen here? It already has, WAKE UP!
The Harry Potter stories are the most libertarian, anti-government,
pro-gun stories in recent history. Children in the Wizarding world
are given wands (guns) as soon as they are mature enough to understand,
because they have to defend themselves. Predatory criminals do attack
children. I hope you will read these books to your children as I did to mine.
(This is why J.K. Rowling is so hated by the liberals.)
You can't steer a parked car. Get moving. Do things. God will guide you.
Action brings insight. No, you will not have a flash of insight by meditating.
Help others. Teach. Volunteer. That will bring the insight you crave.
-- Pastor Heath Cross (paraphrased)
Jesus told us to get pistols. And if you don't have a pistol, sell your smart phone
and buy a pistol. Book of Luke 22:36. (My modern translation, not a transliteration.)
My fencing coaches told me that there are no secrets. There are only thing you
don't know. The same is true of defensive pistolcraft. There are no secret techniques.
There are only techniques that you don't know. So, seek them out. Good instructors
want to teach you, just as you want to learn. Some instructors charge a high price
for their classes. But, that is not to create a barrier to your learning. It is only to
weed out non-serious students. Instructors (especially old instructors) don't have
the tolerance to waste their time with students who are not serious about learning.
----- Aftermath ----- (You have to be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.)
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
In the aftermath of a lethal force encounter, NEVER talk to the police. Ask for your
attorney and remain silent.
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the direct address
"Daily Defense
Season 2 - EP 53: Dealing With Police After a Self-Defense Shooting"
by Jeff L. Gonzales
Jeff recommends speaking to your lawyer at the end. I disagree. Speak to your
attorney first, before you do anything else. And then shut up and let your attorney
speak for you. Let your attorney point out witnesses and evidence. Let your attorney
ask for medical assistance for you. Let your attorney file the complaint for you.
Your attorney will be there within minutes because you have a self-defense insurance
policy that has an attorney on call 24/7, right? RIGHT!
Jeff recommends sticking to the facts. You are not going to know the facts because
you will have temporary amnesia and false memories. Such is the normal result of a
high stress situation. So, don't say anything, because your inaccurate statements will
be used to prove you were lying and hence had consciousness of guilt.
In the righthand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the direct link is,
Because self defense insurance is essential.
You have to have coverage for bail, otherwise you sit in jail; where you will
be beaten and sodomized. Oh, I'm sorry, are you a member of a gang that will
protect you? Remember, Jeffrey Edward Epstein thought he could buy protection in
prison. Don't kid yourself. You don't have what it takes to survive in prison.
You have to have coverage for expert witnesses, otherwise the prosecution's
expert witnesses will convince the jury that you are guilty.
You have to have coverage for private investigators. Who is going to find
the witnesses and evidence for you? Remember, your private investigators are
not under the Constitutionally constraints that the police are, because they don't
work for any government entity. No, the police are not investigating to exonerate
you. The police are investigating to convict you.
"Should I Buy Self Defense Insurance?" by Dave Ramsey (the guy on the evening radio)
Excerpt:
If you have to shoot someone in self-defense, it's going to cost you one million
dollars.
"Individual Tactics with John Holschen"
What is your mission statement? What is your objective?
$30,000 to avoid going to trial. Much more if it goes to trial.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars on the civil trial, and then the judgment amount.
"USCCA vs US LawShield vs CCW Safe:
Which Concealed Carry Insurance Is The Best?"
by Jabari Hunt of Obsidian's Arms
Check out the links in the section below the video.
U.S. Law Shield doesn't pay civil judgments, but they do provide
unlimited civil litigation coverage. Civil law suits don't generally go to trial,
because it is prohibitively expensive for both parties. So, generally speaking,
the parties will settle out of court, and then the judge either dismisses the case
or rubber stamps the settlement. But, if you've got an insurance policy that
will pay for going to trial, that's a death sentence for the plaintiff. Because the
plaintiff's law firm is looking at millions of dollars in legal fees and other
expenses that they have to front, because they took the case on contingency
(the plaintiff is not paying the law firm anything), and the law firm only gets
1/3rd of the judgment, if they win. So, the plaintiff's law firm has to calculate
if 1/3rd of the potential judgment is going to cover their expenses plus profit;
and multiply that amount by the probability of winning, which is always less
than one. Not likely. And even if they calculate that it will, does the defendant
have the money to pay? Not likely. (That's why all of my treasure is stored in
heaven. And numbered Swiss bank accounts, a technique I learned from my
father. My father told me that he was walking through a town in Switzerland
and stopped at a bank and asked to use the bathroom. They refused to let
him use their bathroom, so he walked to the next bank. They were friendly
and happy to let him use their bathroom. So, he put all his money in the
friendly bank.)
"Ya, Staff, but the plaintiff's attorney only has to prove to a preponderance
of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt."
Yes, but that sword cuts both ways. The defendant only has to prove that
it was justified self-defense to a preponderance of the evidence. [I'm not an
attorney. This is not legal advice.]
You've got to be careful in choosing a policy, and read the fine print.
Some policies pay in any event. Some policies only pay if they think it was
self-defense (USCCA and Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network).
That's a real problem. Because there is always some perspective from which
what you did was not self-defense. Massad Ayoob tells of a case in which
Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network denied a claim in which the lady shot
someone while she was invading a drug dealer's home to steal drugs and money.
But, your case may not be so clear cut. As Andrew Branca says, all his clients
think they were justified and can't figure out why they are being prosecuted.
So, he has to explain it to them.
Just because you think your shooting was justified self-defense doesn't
mean it is.
“Your understanding and consent are not required for someone to take your life,
kill your loved ones, and destroy all you hold dear.”
-- William Aprill
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----- Safety ----- (how to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders)
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.
"Man’s Negligent Discharge Hits and Kills Pregnant 17-Year-Old" by Luke McCoy
Don't hang out with stupid people, because it will get you killed. Don't get into a
car with a stupid person, because it will get you killed.
“I prefer dangerous liberty to peaceful slavery.”
-- Jefferson
If you drop your pistol, let it go. Would you try to catch a falling knife?
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don't go to stupid places. (just about all violent crime starts in bars or
Wal Mart parking lots)
Don't do stupid things. (all criminal activity is stupid, consider the cost benefit analysis)
Don't hang out with stupid people. (because they will get you killed or charged with
felony murder [someone got killed during a crime at which you were present, even if
you had nothing to do with the killing] )
Be in bed by 10 PM. Your own bed. (because the vast majority of crime occurs
between 22:00 and 05:00)
Don't look like a freak. (because you are attracting the attention of predatory criminals)
Don't fail the attitude test. (polite to everyone, friendly to no one)
Keep your pistol loaded and on your body. You are not going to have time to get
your pistol from where ever you left it. You are not going to have time to load your
pistol.
The time it takes to rack a slide is the time it takes to finish a gunfight. So, while
you're racking your slide to chamber a round, the bad guy is shooting you. Sorry,
that's just reality.
If the pistol is not on your body, it needs to be locked up.
"But, I don't have any children in my house."
Neither do I. But my friend comes into my apartment to do her laundry, because she
doesn't have a washer and drier in her apartment. One day she brought her 4 year old
niece with her, as the niece was visiting from Ohio. I walk in and find a 4 year old girl
wandering around my apartment.
John Murphy tells of his experience as a bachelor living in an apartment with a house
mate. The house mate closed the front door, but neglected to ensure it was locked.
A little girl from an neighboring apartment pushed his front door, it opened, and she
walked in. He found her exploring his apartment.
Little children will magically appear in your house, like gremlins.
Do not engage in conversation with goblins.
"STOP!"
"Sorry sir, I can't help you."
Walk away. Walk around the car. Get some barrier between you and him.
"9 Tips for Gun Safety With Kids" by Defenders And Disciples
The information starts at 2:03.
Looking around doesn't cost anything and is a health habit.
-- Joe Foss
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"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to learn) -----
In your next class, ask questions. You can always ask "Why?"
-- Jeff Gonzalez
"7 Things You Should Do After Buying Your First Gun" by Colion Noir
Learn the safety rules.
Fire your gun. [No, really! The vast majority of the 5 million new gun owners this past
year, 2021, buy the gun and a box of ammo, put it in a drawer, and think they are good
to go if every they should need to use the gun. The height of self deception! -- Jon Low]
Get firearms self-defense training.
Learn the gun laws.
Get your concealed carry license.
Get self-defense insurance.
Join a 2nd Amendment rights organization.
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
"Critical Interaction, The Need for ‘Force on Force’ Training" by Dave Spaulding
Excerpt:
I can’t help but chuckle every time I ask a student what the goal of interactive
training is, I will usually get something like, “It’s the closest thing to a real gunfight
possible with safety” (think about this statement . . . gunfight and safety . . . ) or
“It puts a student in a gunfight environment.” Well, at the risk of popping a few
of your gunfight fantasies, no it’s not! Those who have been shot or shot at can
tell you definitively interactive training is nothing like someone really trying to kill
you, as there is no expectation of injury or death. While training accidents have
happened, every student involved in this type of training knows that when it is
over, they will get in their cars and go home. They might have a few bruises,
but they will be just as healthy as when they arrived. In addition, this knowledge
leads students to attempt things they would not if the stakes for failure were fatal.
No, it’s not the same, but it is still vital.
“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.)
Self-defense is defensive. (As opposed to offensive. The Marine Corps has offensive
training, if you're interested.)
You should choose training designed for civilian concealed carry for self-defense.
Primary objective is to escape. This is not cowardly. This is smart. Keeping you alive
and capable of earning an income and caring for your loved ones is the smart objective.
The criminal predator has nothing to lose. You have loved ones, assets, reputation, etc.
You should not choose training designed for competition (racing to win the game).
You should not choose training designed for hunting (stalking, trailing, tracking).
You should not choose training designed for law enforcement (duty to pursue and arrest).
You should not choose training designed for military (responsibility to initiate lethal force
assumed by high authority; mission to destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, and
if necessary, to close with the enemy to destroy the enemy with fire and close combat).
Because they will all leave horrible training scars. Training scars are ingrained habits
that are wrong for self-defense.
"Professional Firearms Training – Who needs it?" by Larry Mudgett
Excerpt:
"There are a few special operations military units which generally receive excellent
firearms training. However, having been an Infantry Light Weapons Sergeant in the
Air Cavalry in Viet Nam, a Police Officer for nearly 35 years, a Firearms Instructor
for 42 years and a SWAT Instructor for 14 years, I can assure you that most military
and law enforcement firearms training is sadly lacking. Being a skilled hunter can be
helpful if your self defense scenario is one involving sniper skills. As for the
relationship between any of these other “qualifications” and the skills required to
survive armed combat, I cannot find a connection."
“The secret of success is this.
Train like it means everything when it means nothing – so you can
fight like it means nothing when it means everything.”
-- Lofty Wiseman
Are you competent? If so, are you right handed? If so, get yourself a left handed
holster (all of your other gear should be ambidextrous) and take a training class left handed,
shoot a match left handed. For you lefties, get a right handed holster and do likewise.
This will remind you what it is like to be a beginner, which will help your empathy
with beginners.
This will prepare you for when you have that shoulder replacement or carpel tunnel
surgery, and can't use your firing side hand. Oh, you think that will never happen to you?
[I'm on the floor laughing.]
This will improve your ability to teach left [resp. right] handed students.
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
Click on the link in the right hand column labeled "Lesson Plans" and then click on
the link in the text to download the lesson plans for my Defensive Pistol course,
free of charge. Or, you can go directly to
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)
Karl Rehn recommends:
John Daub’s ebook Drills, Qualifications, Standards, and Tests (FREE)
Paul Martin’s ebook Ready Citizen Manual (FREE)
Paul Martin, Karl Rehn, Caleb Causey, Lee Weems –
Preparedness Training Videos on Vimeo (small fee to rent or download)
NRA Basic Pistol online course ($60)
Active Self Protection youTube channel (FREE)
Greg Ellifritz’ Weekend Knowledge Dump (FREE)
FPF Training youTube channel (FREE)
You all are welcome to attend my Defensive Pistol course.
Theory - classroom lectures and pistol manipulation with dummy ammo
at Eve Santiago's house, . . . , Springfield, TN 37172.
16 April 2022; 08:00 to 18:00
23 April 2022; 08:00 to 18:00
Practicum - live fire exercises at Van Evan's Long Meadows Farm pistol range
5075 Betts Road, Greenbrier, TN 37073. $30 per person per day.
You will need about 800 rounds of ammunition.
14 May 2022; 08:00 to 18:00
21 May 2022; 08:00 to 18:00
Force-on-force scenarios - at Bob Allen's Royal Range
7741 US 70 S, Nashville, TN 37221. $100 per person
28 May 2022; 09:00 to 13:00
Tactical scenarios - at Tony Shankle's Strategic Edge Gun Range
2613 Highway 270 Chapel Hill, Tennessee 37034. $25 per person.
You will need at least 200 rounds of ammunition, more if you miss a lot.
18 June 2022; 08:00 to 13:00 (Registration at 08:00. Start shooting at 09:00.)
The tuition for the course is a donation to Stephens Valley Church.
The amount is between you and God. The instructors will never know
of your donation and don't care.
For the equipment list, course outline, etc. send an email to
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
It may take months to get the correct equipment
(It may take a couple of months for a craftsman to make
a holster that actually fits your pistol) or to have a
gunsmith modify the pistol to actually fit your hand,
(gunsmith may need to move your trigger)
so get started immediately if you intend to attend.
Instructor: Jon Low
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
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----- Practice (how to get good at that task) -----
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
What is a reasonable practice regimen to maintain competence, given that I have
trained and practiced enough to have attained functional competence?
Practice 3 time a week for 5 minutes each time. (This was personal advice to me
based on the instructor's knowledge of my history. So, I will neglect to give the
instructor's name, because I don't want it quoted out of context.)
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
Recency of practice is far more important than volume of practice.
"Your gun has recently been cleaned."
My gun has always recently been cleaned.
"So, you've fired your gun recently."
No, I have practiced with my gun recently.
"You clean your gun after practice, even if you don't fire it?"
Yes. Doesn't everyone?
"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
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----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it) -----
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
"What is your objective? Escape! The pistol is just one of many emergency rescue
tools to use in your escape and the escape of your loved ones." -- Massad Ayoob
(paraphrased)
"Significant Incidents and the Lessons That Should Have Been Learned: Part 1"
by Lee Weems, John Hearne, and Erick Gelhaus
Never give up your gun!
[If the bad guy is pointing a gun at your child's head, it would be better to shoot
the bad guy. If you drop your gun, you and your child will be sexually assaulted
and tortured for several weeks before being murdered. -- Jon Low
"Love is but a song we sing, and fears the way we die."]
If your agency forbids you from carrying a backup gun, RESIGN!
Yes, it is that simple.
Never let the bad guys move you to a second crime scene. NEVER!
Explosive counter attack, NOW!
[We always read "THE TRUTH ABOUT VIOLENCE" by Sam Harris,
in the Defensive Pistol classes that I teach. Sam explains why you NEVER let the
bad guy move you. -- Jon Low]
ALWAYS carry your cell phone!
If your agency forces you to use a revolver (RESIGN!) and prohibits you from
using speed loaders RESIGN! Yes, it is that simple.
Practice with the ammo that you carry for self-defense. The SAME ammo!
Or, at least ballistically similar, recoil, muzzle flash, etc. At least enough to know
what it feels like, what it sounds like, what the muzzle flash looks like. The vast
majority can be practice ammo, but some practice has to be with carry ammo.
If your department requires you to write a report whenever you draw your pistol,
RESIGN! As John Hearne states, this creates a terrible behavior in the officers. They
don't draw their pistols until they are fired upon. They are so scared of drawing their
pistol, they end up dead.
Tactics taught under the assumption that the bad guy will comply fall apart when
the bad guy resists, or attacks you. So, make sure you are learning real world combat
tactics, not police academy nonsense.
FBI profile "officer likely to be killed in the line of duty". I train my students to
break them out of this profile, especially young women. There is the scared bunny,
and then there is the she-wolf protecting her cubs. The criminal predator will look
at one and think "jackpot", while looking at the other, he will think "time to move on
to easier prey".
Get to your feet as soon as possible, no matter what the stupid instructors teach
you. You need mobility.
Never order the bad guy to touch his pistol, no matter what the stupid instructor
tells you. Ordering the bad guy to access his pistol and throw his pistol to the side
is criminal stupidity.
[I have been in situations where multiple officers are screaming conflicting commands
at the suspect. Take command and make the other officers shut up. Or shut up and
let the senior officer take command. -- Jon Low]
We teach our students to carry their long gun on the body with a round in the
chamber, action cocked. Because you won't have time. So, if your department
forces you to keep your rifle locked in your trunk, RESIGN! Because you won't
be able to get it in time, which means you will end up dead.
Matched a shell casing to a particular rifle? I've studied enough to know that
that is not possible.
Stupidity runs rampant in police departments. Don't let it get you killed.
Political correctness runs rampant in police departments. Don't let it get you killed.
Politics at the higher pay grades will get you killed. Don't let it happen to you.
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
----- Tactics (tasks that you should strive to be able to do in support of your strategy) -----
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Your Tactical Training Scenario- A Weapon in Each Hand" by Greg Ellifritz
If there is a significant distance between you and the assailant, it makes sense to run away.
If the assailant is close to you and closing distance quickly, it makes sense to charge into the
assailant and gouge his eyes. If he is wearing glasses or goggles, gouge up under the eye
protection. The best defense is always an explosive counter attack. No, really, it works in
the real world. I've done it.
I had just started T-Ball. My father and I were discussing baseball. My father suggested
that I practice batting left handed, as I would be a step closer to 1st base. I said, but batting
right handed, I would be facing 1st base, wouldn't have to turn around. He asked me, where
will you be facing at the end of your follow-through? I said, I bat better right handed. He
said, how well you bat is a function of how much you practice. Nobody sees your practice.
They only see your performance.
Many years later, I remember my father telling a friend of mine, nobody will care how
many time you've taken the bar exam. All that matters is whether or not you have passed.
So, keep studying and keep taking it until you pass.
You have to master that skill to have it in your tool box. You have to be confident that
you can use that skill, otherwise you don't really have the option. Having options is
wonderful in combat. No one will ask how many hours you practiced. No one will care.
"How Powerful is a Handgun?" by Tom Givens
So, you may have to shoot him 6 times to convince him that he has been shot.
So you should not be surprised when your shot has no effect. Keep shooting!
Rangemaster videos,
"Individual Tactics with John Holschen"
Pre-load your reactions. Know exactly what you're going to do given any
stimulus. Skip the "decide" stage of the OODA loop.
Position, prepare, perform.
Larry Mudgett attributes the better survival of his officers in the Los Angeles
Police Department to tactics, not marksmanship.
Seize the initiative. Fire first.
The purpose of self-defense is to prevent injury to you. It really doesn't matter what
happens to the bad guy. If you fail to prevent the attack,
the purpose of self-defense is to stop the attack. What happens to the bad guy is
incidental to your purpose of stopping the attack.
Ya, the bad guy might die, but that was his decision, not yours. You didn't have any
choice in the matter.
"Target Indicators" by Clint Smith
SOUND, learn to be quiet, learn to be quiet so you can hear the other guy
MOVEMENT, learn to freeze so you won't be seen, learn to look for still objects
REFLECTION, don't wear shiny stuff, look for reflections in surfaces
CONTRAST, the higher the contrast, the more visible
OUTLINE, avoid being back lit, avoid silhouetting against the background
SMELL, for explosives
Thanks to Sgt. Luke Campbell and Sheriff Phil McDonald, Lake County, Oregon
Sheriff’s Office for their support of this project.
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
----- Techniques (ways to execute a given task or skill in support of your tactic) -----
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
"Time Vs Timing
Unlocking the secrets of a speedy draw." by STEVE TARANI
You must establish a correct grip before pulling the pistol out of the holster.
Because you won't have time to do it later.
You must establish a correct one-handed close contact position before placing
your support side hand on the pistol. Because you may have to shoot from this
position. (Elbow pulled back as far as possible. Bottom of grip tight against
your rib cage. Top of pistol tilted away from your body, so the slide won't get
fouled on your body or shirt.)
You must establish a correct two-handed grip before pushing the pistol out
to the target along your line of sight. Because you may have to shoot from this
position. (Pushing the pistol out would allow the bad guy to grab your pistol.)
You must align the sights with the target before you move your trigger finger
to the trigger. Otherwise, you will get negligent discharges and misses.
"But many instructors say that you can get faster times by pressing out the
slack in the trigger as you push the pistol forward, so you can release the shot
when the sights come on target."
They are wrong. Placing your finger on the trigger before the sights are on
the target violates our safety rule.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
They are encouraging you to shoot faster than you can think. Always a bad idea.
[Well, maybe it's okay in games like IDPA and IPSC. But in combat (self-defense
is combat) it's a bad idea. Because under high stress it will lead to negligent
discharges. No, IDPA is not high stress. Nobody ever vomits or shits in their
pants in an IDPA match.]
"FourGuysGuns" hat tip to Tom Givens
The instructor makes a good point that taking the holster off your belt, inserting the
pistol into the holster, and then putting the holstered pistol on your belt makes
appendix holstering much safer.
Israeli style = carrying with no round in the chamber, have to load before firing.
03.28 seconds to first shot, 4 shots fired as target moved from 21 to 0 feet.
American style = round in the chamber, action cocked, press trigger to fire.
01.89 seconds to first shot, 7 shots fired as target moved from 21 to 0 feet.
In the real world, you won't have time to load.
In the real world, you won't have two hands available to rack the slide.
So you have to carry with a round in the chamber and the action cocked.
People who gently lower their hammers on a live round in their 1911's
to carry with the hammer down are WRONG!
"4x Types of Draw Stroke Conditions" by Jeff Gonzales
1. Default draw (two handed from concealment to target)
2. Strong hand only
3. Weak hand only [Reaching behind your back (or in front if you have the flexibility)
and establishing a correct grip before pulling the pistol out of the holster is really
the optimal way. Yes, you can do it. It's a matter of technique, not strength or flexibility.
Turning the pistol around is suboptimal.]
4. Sneaky draw
Grip must be achieved while pistol is in the holster, before the pistol is drawn.
"Trident Concepts, LLC"
Rule of the well dressed gunman --
Avoid carrying a gun in public without a collared shirt.
-- John Hearne
John Holschen's analysis of moving and shooting is that you should move and
then shoot, not shooting while moving. Shooting while moving gives you a very low
probability of hitting, which means a high probability of missing. We, good guys,
cannot tolerate misses, because each miss is destroying property, injuring innocents
bystanders or friendlies, maybe killing them. So, we are not going to shoot while
moving. Rather, we will move quickly (perhaps charging up to the target to increase
the probability of a hit) and then shoot. Or, shoot and then move to cover as our life
depends on it. If we move slowly enough to shoot and get hits, we are moving
slowly enough to get hit. And as Holschen says, you win gunfights by not getting shot.
The idea of using our shooting as suppressive fire is wrong. Suppressive fire
requires machineguns. As good guys, shooting without being able to guarantee
hits or at least guarantee not hitting innocent bystanders or friendlies is wrong.
So, the IDPA and IPSC idea of shooting while moving is tactically wrong.
But, of course those are just games. So, they must attract participants to maximize
profit for the clubs running the matches. The matches are not designed for combat
training. Though you may use the matches for combat training, if you shoot the
match in a tactically correct manner.
"Drill of the Week #44 | 3 Things You Must Stop for a Fast Draw"
Our safety rule is
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
But, you can get your sights on target long before the arms are fully extended into the
canonical correct position. So, Beau Doboszenski is correct.
1. Don't dig your thumb down between the pistol and your body.
2. Avoid stacotic movement. Keep the pistol moving smoothly to the target.
3. Get sight alignment as early as possible by bringing the pistol up to your
line of sight as soon as possible. See demonstration. (Mrs. Martha Holschen
(John's better half) taught me this years ago.)
"Beau Doboszenski Sealed Mindset Training"
Their web site,
seems to be up for sale. Oh well.
"#1 Way To (Almost) Completely Eliminate Flinching When Shooting!" by Caleb
Yes, dry practice is good, but the best way to prevent flinching from disturbing
your shot is the surprise trigger break.
"YOUR SHOOTING STANCE: IS EVERYTHING YOU KNOW WRONG?" Part 1
"AYOOB: HOW TO SHOOT A PISTOL USING THE CLASSIC WEAVER STANCE" Part 2
"AYOOB: MODIFIED WEAVER STANCE FOR PISTOL SHOOTING" Part 3
"AYOOB: SHOOTING THE ISOSCELES STANCE" Part 4
"Magazine Loading Tips" by Karl Rehn
For when you don't have your UpLULA with you.
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** 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 -----
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
"The students are not you." -- Lee Weems
Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!
-- John Farnam
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
Training to shoot and training to fight are not the same thing.
Though they can be taught along side each other.
-- Lee Weems (paraphrased as best as I can remember)
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
----- Andragogy -----
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
Nothing is self evident. Nothing is obvious.
-- Lee Weems
Practice backward chaining in your teaching. Start with the final position that you
want to achieve. Then move backwards through the process, one step at a time.
Difficult for you to design and execute. But, much better for the student's
retention and understanding. Hat tip to Lee Weems.
Ever see the movie "Memento"? The movie is played in reverse chronological
order of events to prevent the audience from having any memories of prior events
in the story. The effect on the audience is an excellent experience. The movie allows
the audience to put it all together at the end, without prejudice, without bias, without
preconceived notions of what ought to be. It makes the telling of the story much cleaner.
Example: Presentation from the holster to the target.
1. Start with the pistol pointed at the target, sights lined up, slack out of the trigger.
DO NOT FIRE!
2. [Moving backwards] Starting with 1 above, move trigger finger to the register
position, and pull the pistol into close contact position.
[Moving forwards] Next, push the pistol to the target, line up the sights,
take the slack out of the trigger. DO NOT FIRE!
3. [Moving backwards] Execute step 2 above, then clear the concealment garment,
point the pistol into the holster, holster the pistol, and conceal.
[Moving forwards] Clear the concealment garment, establish the grip, clear the holster,
point pistol at the target while in a close contact position, establish a two handed grip,
push the pistol to the target, line up sights, take the slack out of the trigger.
DO NOT FIRE!
"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."
-- Robert John Meehan
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
There is no such thing as a random attack. Every attack can be detected if you are
paying attention and know what pre-attack indicators to look for.
-- Michael Mann
[This is true on every scale from a personal attack to a 9/11 type of attack. -- Jon Low]
Civilians use lethal force 50% more often than police officers.
(Remember, police carry a lot more tools on their belts than civilians do.)
-- Michael Mann, Michael Mann Security Services
"Our Rights and Responsibilities of Gun Ownership" by JEFF GONZALES
Excerpt:
"There are 5 million new gun owners this year (2021)."
The vast majority bought the gun and a box of ammo, and put it in a drawer and don't
think about it. They know that they can use it if they need to. Self deception on an
extraordinary level.
One of Jeff's students expressed dismay at how hard it was to shoot accurately,
because he (the student) had done so well as a professional video game player. He just
couldn't understand how it could be so hard in real life. So, Jeff explains to the
student that he learned to ride a bicycle by riding a bicycle in the real world, not by playing
a video game about riding bicycles. And that riding a bicycle is a technical skill that
requires practice.
"Read the manual."
"Dry fire." "Not just for beginners."
"No such thing as an advanced gunfight. It's just fundamentals executed faster than
the other guy." "Without practice, it's just sloppy."
"The fear of not knowing." A male ego thing.
Don't want to look bad in front of their peers.
"The fear of the unknown." A female emotion.
Do the drill 7 times. Discard the fastest (highest score) and slowest (lowest score).
Average the remaining 5. That is your baseline, because that is what you can replicate.
Metrics drive everything. You can control time, distance, and target size.
From your baseline, increase difficulty by increasing distance (e.g. move from the 7 to
the 10 yard line), or decrease the time constraint (e.g. 2.7 seconds to 2.0 seconds), or
decrease the target size (e.g. 8 inch diameter to 6 inch diameter target). Push yourself.
Don't be satisfied. Don't be complacent.
"That which is measured, improves."
Jeff's blog,
U.S. Law Shield, YouTube.com videos
"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
T-shirt with Lynn Given's quote,
"I do not carry a gun to impose my will on others.
I carry a gun so others cannot impose their will on me."
"Don't suffer bad equipment." -- Elden Carl
"9 Best Shooting Glasses [Hands-On & Real Views]" BY ERIC HUNG
"HORNADY CRITICAL DUTY 9MM +P 135GR FLEXLOCK"
"This is the current FBI issue duty load. It is in stock at a reasonable price.
I have no connection, just passing on the info." -- Tom Givens
[This is what I carry on duty, except in 45 ACP. It cost me $133 to fill the three
magazines that I carry. -- Jon Low]
"Tennessee bill proposes penalty for leaving guns unsecured"
Excerpt:
"In Metro Nashville, police say 70% of all guns stolen in 2022 were taken from vehicles.
Metro police said 320 guns have been stolen from vehicles so far this year – 20 just in the
last week. Police said a lot of the time, the vehicles are left unlocked. These stolen guns
are routinely involved in other crimes."
Craft Holsters
Discount code: STPATRICK10
"ShipMyGun Steps in to Provide Affordable Firearms Shipping" by Luke C.
You're effectively piggy backing on BudsGunShop.com volume discount
with United Parcel Service. Good deal.
"My Holster Has a Gap Around the Trigger Guard, is it Safe?" by Matthew Maruster
"Here's The Problem With Smart Guns" by Colion Noir
Ambidextrous pistols: (updated list)
The latest FN pistols are ambidextrous, but they are expensive, FN 509
MSRP: $719.00. They're good out of the box, but the grip doesn't fit my hand
and in my opinion the triggers are not smooth and crisp. Double action / single action.
The latest H&K pistols are ambidextrous. They have the magazine
release lever, as opposed to the button. The VP9 retails for around $600.00.
It's good out of the box and the grip fits my hand nicely. Trigger is smooth and crisp.
The Ruger American pistols are ambidextrous. But, they take a bit of gunsmithing
to make them reliable. For me it was worth it because the grip fit my hand and the
angle of the grip fit my wrist. The trigger is ok. MSRP:$669.00.
The MASADA from IWI US, the U.S. based arm of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI)
is ambidextrous. The trigger is nice. MSRP $480
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
----- Technical / Maintenance -----
"HANDGUN MAINTENANCE FOR KLUTZES" by MASSAD AYOOB
Excerpt:
"Emergency life-saving rescue equipment — such as a firearm — is something else
entirely which is why when I travel, there’s some gun cleaning gear with me."
"What I teach with is what I carry. If it jams when I’m demonstrating for a class,
I can be embarrassed … but if it malfunctions when I’m fighting for my life with it,
I could die."
"How a gun (Colt M1911) works! (Animation)" by Thomas Schwenke
"3D Animation: How a Pistol works" by 3DGunner (model 1911)
"How a Glock Works" by Matt Rittman
"How A Semi-Automatic Handgun Works" by 45Snipers
(Springfield Armory XDM 45 ACP)
"M16 and AR-15 - How firearms work! (Animation)" by Thomas Schwenke
"How An AR-15 Rifle Works: Part 1, Components" by 45Snipers
(This video shows assembly.)
"How An AR-15 Rifle Works: Part 2, Function" by 45Snipers
"AK-47 - How this rifle works! (Animation)" by Thomas Schwenke
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
(capitalization as in the original document)
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Legal ***** ***** *****
"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
In the aftermath of a lethal force encounter, NEVER talk to the police. Ask for your
attorney and remain silent.
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the direct address
Tennessee Reciprocity - Updated 8/2/2021
Infographic by Andrew Branca, free download
LawOfSelfDefense.com/elements
which resolves to
"LIVE! Law of Self Defense News/Q&A Show (5 pm ET)" by Andrew Branca
One punch can kill you. So, you can't let the bad guy punch you. Because once he
does, you're dead. You can't employ self-defense if you're dead.
The purpose of self-defense is to prevent your injury. There is no law in the United
States that requires you to take the first punch before defending yourself. All you
need is a reasonable fear of death or grave bodily harm.
Failing to avoid the conflict, the purpose of self-defense is to stop the attack,
so you don't get injured anymore.
You don't have to wait for the bad guy to point his gun at you before shooting
the bad guy. Your attorney only has to be able to articulate why you reasonably believed
the bad guy was going to shoot you. You don't articulate anything. You keep your
mouth shut.
"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe,
and preserve order in the world as well as property.
Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of their use."
-- Thomas Paine
"Is Ownership of Guns Itself Evidence of Drug Dealing?" by EUGENE VOLOKH
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
Excerpt:
"[Doc. 87 at 6 n.2 (quoting in part United States v. Ward, 171 F.3d 188, 195 (4th Cir. 1999)].
It is undisputed, however, that Mr. Franklin owned these firearms legally; he is not a
convicted felon or an otherwise prohibited person. Further, none of Mr. Franklin's
firearms were subject to forfeiture by the Government. The Government has not
presented any evidence from which this Court could reasonably conclude that these
firearms were owned for the purpose of furthering any criminal activity. For the
Government to suggest that a citizen's mere possession of firearms implicates that
person in illicit drug trafficking is to strain credulity. The Government's argument
presents some Second Amendment considerations that counsel has apparently not
considered.” "
So, the cops stop the vehicle for window tinting that was too dark. Then they
smell drugs. So, they search and find drugs. Then they seize the $13k they found.
So, they the citizen can't make the down payment on his house. This is wrong.
But, I don't have any sympathy for the guy. Tinting your windows is stupid, as it
attracts attention from law enforcement. Doing drugs in your car while driving
around is stupid and attracts law enforcement attention. Carrying large amounts
of cash is stupid and attracts law enforcement attention. Unless your job is to
transport cash, NEVER carry cash. There is no upside to carrying cash.
"Checks and cards can be traced."
You worry about that while you carry a smart phone?
"I turn my smart phone off."
If you think you can turn your smart phone off, you're a damn fool. There is no
mechanical switch to turn your phone off. The software switch does not actually
turn your phone off. You can't take the batteries out of your phone to cut power
to your phone. If you let the battery die, there is another battery that won't die
for several (maybe 10) years. That's why you don't lose data in hardware memory
when the battery runs down. That's why the cell towers always know where you are.
That's why the system can do a graceful hand off (transferring your ongoing
conversation from one cell tower to another without you noticing a disruption).
Your smart phone is never off. That's why I don't carry one.
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca, book
The book is free of charge. Just pay shipping.
Educate yourself. So, you don't spend the rest of your life in a cage.
[In my last Tennessee Handgun Permit class this past Saturday at the Bass Pro shop
in the Opry Mill shopping center, a student complained that the book was not really
free as you have to pay about $10 for shipping and handling. I explained to him that
it really was free. If you go to Andrew's house in Colorado, he will hand you the
book, free of charge.]
"Lawmakers put brakes on proposal that could reduce
the amount of gun-free zones in Tennessee" by BLAISE GAINEY
The county jails in Tennessee are run by the elected Sheriffs. So, they are not private
businesses. But, some of the state prisons are run by private companies. But who accidentally
walks into a state prison without knowing that it is a gun-free-zone?
"Alabama becomes the 22nd Constitutional Carry State"
"Ohio becomes the 23rd Constitutional Carry State"
"Nebraska state Senate has enough votes to overcome a filibuster on Constitutional Carry"
-- John Lott
"Indiana Gov. Holcomb signs bill eliminating permit requirement to carry handguns"
by Kaitlin Lange
"Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill allowing people to carry concealed firearms
without training or permits" by Jeremy Pelzer
As of June 12, 2022 you no longer need a permit or training to carry a concealed
handgun in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed Republican-backed
legislation to allow people in the state to carry a concealed handgun without a permit
or training and no longer require them to proactively tell law enforcement during traffic
stops that they’re armed.
"Larry Elder with EPOCH TIMES:
Gun Control Myths:
How Politicians, the Media, and Botched ‘Studies’ Ignore Basic Facts on Gun Control"
27% drop in violent gun crimes. While the number of gun sales exploded.
98% of violent crime don't involve a gun.
All mass shootings, all mass murders, occur in gun-free-zones. Zero attacks in schools
where the teachers and staff carry guns. Sending your child to a school that is a gun-free-
zone is an act of criminal stupidity, child abuse at its worst.
"NRA Admits Not Fighting Gun Control" by Guns & Gadgets
Primary source,
"Did NRA Sell Us Out AGAIN?!?" by Guns & Gadgets
"WYOMING LAW MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO ENFORCE UNCONSTITUTIONAL
FEDERAL GUN CONTROL!" by Mark Jones
“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 a dishonorable population
represents the height of self-deception.”
-- James Madison, 1788
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Survival, Personal Security, etc. ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Dr. Sherman House
"Foreign Intelligence Services Use Social Media Sites to Target People with Security Clearances"
"The China Threat"
Other videos
Do you have a smart phone?
Can you take the battery out? No, you can't.
Can you turn it off? No, you can't.
Do you understand why?
Message
Data Compression to eliminate useless redundancy
Encryption to hide the information from the enemy
Error Correction Coding to add useful redundancy to defeat errors induced by the
environment through the communications channel
Steganography to hide the cyphertext from traffic analysis
Transmission through space, time, or both
Steganography to recover the cyphertext from the container
Error Correction Decoding to defeat jamming attempts
Decryption to recover the compressed message from the cyphertext
Data Decompression to make message human readable
Message
Yes, order matters. More sophisticated systems can change the order of
operations, authenticate without decrypting, etc. But, you get the idea.
Only the encryption/decryption part is keyed. The rest is just data processing.
Of course, the easiest/cheapest way to get the message is to attack the humans,
not the system. Remember, within the human population stupidity runs rampant.
Yes, allowing yourself to be seduced is an act of stupidity. Every read
"Samson and Delilah" Judges 16:1-31? Of course, if everyone acted intelligently,
there would be no story. And we'd all be out of a job, living in the garden of Eden.
How do you attack the humans? Flash drives, the small kind, about the size of
your finger nail. Might want to put it in a small zip lock plastic bag. Looks more
spy-like. An envelope marked "TOP SECRET NOFORN" might be a little too much.
The target company might have blocked all standard USB ports on all of their
computers. But, there are many other ports: flash drives from their cameras,
mini-USB, HDMI (oh, yes, there are flash drives that will fit in those ports), etc.
Look around the computer. You'll find all kinds of ports for inserting all kinds of
things. Sprinkle the flash drives around the parking lot of the target and with
extremely high probability some idiot will find it and stick the device into their
computer.
"I was just trying to help out and get it back to its owner, don't you know."
Or maybe - we trace the virus to X and interview him. X doesn't know, so we
dump X's computer log, and trace it to a thumb drive. X says he picked up the
thumb drive off of Y's desk thinking that it was a report that he needed, but when
he saw that it wasn't, X returned it to Y's desk. So, we interview Y. Y never knew
a virus had been introduced to his computer. In fact, the virus is not on Y's
computer. There are scores of thumb drives on Y's desk, draws, cabinets, etc.
Y can't keep track of them. Y doesn't know where that thumb drive came from.
Not to worry, we have CCTV everywhere. We trace things back and sure enough,
we can't figure out how that thumb drive got onto Y's desk. Y doesn't remember
picking it up in the parking lot or anything like that (as in polygraph can't remember).
Dead ends are really easy to find. So, it's a great technique.
"If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit.
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained.
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** War Stories, History, Politics, and such ***** ***** *****
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
Twenty Russian generals leading the invasion of Ukraine are killed in the first
two weeks of the invasion. News reports from RT (Russian media) and Putin's public
statements say that they were all killed in combat. What's wrong with this picture?
Have you every seen a general anywhere near combat? I was in the Marine Corps
for 34 years. I never saw a general anywhere near combat. They sit in headquarters
units far behind the front lines. The highest ranking officer you'll every see in combat
would be a Colonel (O-6, officer pay grade 6, Naval Captain). And even that is rare.
I find it far more likely that President Putin is purging insubordinate generals.
During Soviet times, there was a political officer assigned to every unit. I don't
imagine that practice has ended.
"Move your troops to the Ukrainian border."
Yes sir.
"Invade Ukraine."
Sir, requesting confirmation and authentication.
"Don't question my orders. Invade Ukraine."
Sir, we don't have the invasion plans. We haven't prepared the logistical support
for an invasion. We are not prepared to invade.
Bang! The general is dead. The second in command takes command.
The invasion proceeds.
[Well now, that would certainly explain a lot.]
"Tucker: You should be worried about this"
Ukraine is not a democracy, never was. Ukrainians are castrating Russian prisoners
of war. How about that?
"Gun sales soaring in Lithuania, up eightfold, applications for licenses to own guns double"
by John Lott
"What Does the Invasion of Ukraine Mean for European Private Firearms Ownership?"
by Ian McCollum
Men take on burdens, that gives life meaning/purpose.
"Jordan Peterson on the meaning of life for men."
Responsibility, that's where the meaning in life is.
"Decline is a choice!" BY JOHN FARNAM
"Albert Einstein Explains Theory of Relativity | Albert Einstein Real Video | Colour Footage"
by Mr. Scientist
"The Radical Politics of J.R.R. Tolkien"
"Sheriff Grady Judd
Polk County, Florida"
17 March 2022 A.D.
Today in History: In 1935, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of President Theodore Roosevelt,
marries Franklin D. Roosevelt in New York. (Some people believe that Eleanor was the force
behind many of Franklin's social initiatives. Eleanor reportedly requested handgun instruction
from one of the Secret Service agents assigned to the first family and held a pistol permit in
Dutchess County New York. In 1958, at age 74, she traveled to Tennessee for a civil-rights
workshop. Despite a report that the KKK had offered a $25,000 bounty for her death, she
declined Secret Service protection, instead placing her revolver on the seat of the vehicle that
she drove after flying to Nashville, Tennessee.)
-- Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
18 March 2022 A.D.
Today in History: In 1939, Georgia finally ratifies the Bill of Rights, 150 years after the
birth of the federal government. Connecticut and Massachusetts, the only other states
to hold out, also ratify the Bill of Rights in this year.
-- Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
"Can Light be Black? Mind-Blowing Dark Light Experiments!" by The Action Lab
All color is perceptual. Black is not absence of color or absence of light, it is
relative brightness.
Do you see how you can use this for your concealment?
"Darkness!" by JOHN FARNAM
Excerpt:
“It is within the context of these forms of collegiate stupidity that we can
understand the one that is now the most salient: ‘wokeism’.
Wokeism can be thought of as the opportunistic infection of a host with
an already weakened intellectual immune system.
Students haven’t learned to think, so they lack the means to spot its
inconsistencies, hypocrisies, absurdities.
They haven’t learned to read, so they uncritically absorb its empty language.
They know little of history, so they blindly accept whatever tendentious
version wokeism hands them.”
-- William Deresiewicz
Let's go Brandon!
"Your character is what you do when no one is looking."
-- Thomas Jefferson
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The Warrior's Prayer
Dear God,
Please give us discernment to distinguish
friend from foe from innocent bystanders.
Give us clear vision so our aim is true.
Give us calm so we execute correctly.
Give us spiritual maturity so that we stop the enemy's attack
without excessive force, without revenge.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
