Hi Sheepdogs,
"Self-defense is not only our right; it is our duty." – Ronald Reagan
"If God came to earth and revealed himself with undeniable proof,
some people would still not believe or would choose Satan instead.
Oh wait, that did happen."
-- John Harris
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Safety ----- (How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
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.
"On our own!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/on-our-own-2/
The 911 dispatcher hanging up on the caller is common. Three days ago (17 May 2022),
I called 911 to report an armed robbery in progress at the MAPCO gas station and store on
Harding Lane just east of Nolensville Pike in Nashville, TN. The dispatcher made it clear that
she would not dispatch police to the scene. She asked me if I would like to talk to a police
officer. I said, yes. The police never called me. Or, she never passed the message. This is reality.
"Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked."
-- Nehemiah 4:17 18
"... each had his weapon, even when he went for water."
-- Nehemiah 4:23, New International Version Bible
The use of lethal force in self-defense is justified to prevent the unlawful use of lethal force.
The threat has to be lethal force for you to use lethal force in defense. You only have to
reasonably perceive the lethal force threat. You never have to suffer the unlawful lethal force.
Such a requirement would be ridiculous, you'd be dead or disabled. You don't need to suffer
any injury. The whole point of self-defense is to prevent your injury.
What happens to the bad guy does not matter. If you are concerned about the bad guy,
you are putting his welfare above that of your loved ones. When he kills you, he will leave
your family destitute. Which will force your children into prostitution and drugs. Because
that's what happens to children without parents and money.
Actually, I do know what I'm talking about. I was a Court Appointed Special Advocate
for children in the Tennessee Family Court system in Wilson County.
You need to stop the bad guy before he injures you. Do it for the kids. If your family's
wealth is eaten up by your medical bills, where is the money for your kid's education?
If you waste your time and money suing the bad guy, you won't get anything. Because he
has no assets. That is reality. Criminals are not like you. They have no assets. They have
nothing to lose. Much like dogs. Are you disgusted that I don't consider violent predatory
criminals human? Keep in mind, they don't consider you human. They will not show any
mercy.
Nashville West Precint Weekly Crime Update May 20, 2022 -- Excerpt
The MNPD [Metro Nashville Police Department] strongly encourages Nashvillians to lock
their automobile doors, secure any valuables---especially guns, and REMOVE THE KEYS.
So far this year, 575 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville. More than 70% of
ALL guns reported stolen in 2022 (810) were taken from vehicles. Last week, 29 guns were
stolen from cars and trucks.
Going hand in hand with vehicle burglaries is vehicle theft. A review of last week’s stolen
vehicle reports in Nashville shows that 77% of the automobiles taken (46 of 60) were easy
targets because the keys were left inside or made available to thieves.
Just like guns taken from vehicles, these stolen autos are also routinely involved in criminal
activities, including carjackings and robberies.
---
If you leave your keys in your car, a thief will steal it, smash into other cars, and total your
car. Your insurance company won't pay, because it is your fault for leaving your keys in your
car. You will then be held liable for all of the damage to the other cars. That is what "strict
liability" means. It applies to guns too.
Stupidity has severe consequences.
Looking around doesn't cost anything and is a health habit.
-- Joe Foss
"Wisconsin man accidentally kills friend with AR-15 rifle" by Jack Hobbs
https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/wisconsin-man-accidentally-kills-friend-with-ar-15-rifle/
Don't hang out with stupid people, because they will kill you. No matter how nice they are.
"Self-defense is not only our right; it is our duty." – Ronald Reagan
"If God came to earth and revealed himself with undeniable proof,
some people would still not believe or would choose Satan instead.
Oh wait, that did happen."
-- John Harris
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Safety ----- (How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
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.
"On our own!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/on-our-own-2/
The 911 dispatcher hanging up on the caller is common. Three days ago (17 May 2022),
I called 911 to report an armed robbery in progress at the MAPCO gas station and store on
Harding Lane just east of Nolensville Pike in Nashville, TN. The dispatcher made it clear that
she would not dispatch police to the scene. She asked me if I would like to talk to a police
officer. I said, yes. The police never called me. Or, she never passed the message. This is reality.
"Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked."
-- Nehemiah 4:17 18
"... each had his weapon, even when he went for water."
-- Nehemiah 4:23, New International Version Bible
The use of lethal force in self-defense is justified to prevent the unlawful use of lethal force.
The threat has to be lethal force for you to use lethal force in defense. You only have to
reasonably perceive the lethal force threat. You never have to suffer the unlawful lethal force.
Such a requirement would be ridiculous, you'd be dead or disabled. You don't need to suffer
any injury. The whole point of self-defense is to prevent your injury.
What happens to the bad guy does not matter. If you are concerned about the bad guy,
you are putting his welfare above that of your loved ones. When he kills you, he will leave
your family destitute. Which will force your children into prostitution and drugs. Because
that's what happens to children without parents and money.
Actually, I do know what I'm talking about. I was a Court Appointed Special Advocate
for children in the Tennessee Family Court system in Wilson County.
You need to stop the bad guy before he injures you. Do it for the kids. If your family's
wealth is eaten up by your medical bills, where is the money for your kid's education?
If you waste your time and money suing the bad guy, you won't get anything. Because he
has no assets. That is reality. Criminals are not like you. They have no assets. They have
nothing to lose. Much like dogs. Are you disgusted that I don't consider violent predatory
criminals human? Keep in mind, they don't consider you human. They will not show any
mercy.
Nashville West Precint Weekly Crime Update May 20, 2022 -- Excerpt
The MNPD [Metro Nashville Police Department] strongly encourages Nashvillians to lock
their automobile doors, secure any valuables---especially guns, and REMOVE THE KEYS.
So far this year, 575 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville. More than 70% of
ALL guns reported stolen in 2022 (810) were taken from vehicles. Last week, 29 guns were
stolen from cars and trucks.
Going hand in hand with vehicle burglaries is vehicle theft. A review of last week’s stolen
vehicle reports in Nashville shows that 77% of the automobiles taken (46 of 60) were easy
targets because the keys were left inside or made available to thieves.
Just like guns taken from vehicles, these stolen autos are also routinely involved in criminal
activities, including carjackings and robberies.
---
If you leave your keys in your car, a thief will steal it, smash into other cars, and total your
car. Your insurance company won't pay, because it is your fault for leaving your keys in your
car. You will then be held liable for all of the damage to the other cars. That is what "strict
liability" means. It applies to guns too.
Stupidity has severe consequences.
Looking around doesn't cost anything and is a health habit.
-- Joe Foss
"Wisconsin man accidentally kills friend with AR-15 rifle" by Jack Hobbs
https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/wisconsin-man-accidentally-kills-friend-with-ar-15-rifle/
Don't hang out with stupid people, because they will kill you. No matter how nice they are.
No matter how much they love you.
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
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.
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
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
Am I paranoid to carry a gun?
"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come.
When in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin.
When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.
Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."
-- Confucius (551 B.C. –– 479 B.C.)
"Better be despised for too anxious apprehensions,
than ruined by too confident security."
-- Edmund Burke (Edmund Burke (1729 –– 1797 A.D.)
If you think you are better off submitting, you are statistically wrong.
May I invite your attention to “More Guns, Less Crime” by John R. Lott Jr.?
ISBN: 9780226493640;
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
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.
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
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
Am I paranoid to carry a gun?
"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come.
When in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin.
When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.
Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."
-- Confucius (551 B.C. –– 479 B.C.)
"Better be despised for too anxious apprehensions,
than ruined by too confident security."
-- Edmund Burke (Edmund Burke (1729 –– 1797 A.D.)
If you think you are better off submitting, you are statistically wrong.
May I invite your attention to “More Guns, Less Crime” by John R. Lott Jr.?
ISBN: 9780226493640;
and you would be doing the criminal’s next victim a grave disservice.
In the May 2011 issue of the American Rifleman on page 83,
Criminology Professor Gary Kleck of Florida State University concluded from a
study of National Crime Victimization Survey data that “Robbery and assault victims
who used a gun to resist were less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than
those who used any other method of self protection or those who did not resist at all.”
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
Habits start as cobwebs, but become cables.
-- Chinese Proverb
"We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a lethal force encounter initiated by
someone else. That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive."
– William Aprill
Criminology Professor Gary Kleck of Florida State University concluded from a
study of National Crime Victimization Survey data that “Robbery and assault victims
who used a gun to resist were less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than
those who used any other method of self protection or those who did not resist at all.”
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
Habits start as cobwebs, but become cables.
-- Chinese Proverb
"We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a lethal force encounter initiated by
someone else. That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive."
– William Aprill
The following two articles show that if you are not training and practicing on your own time,
on your own dime, the criminal is better trained and more practiced than you are. The violent
predatory criminal is definitely more experienced than you. Because he as been in more
gunfights than you have.
The enemy mindset --
"Training vs. Experience" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/training-vs-experience
Excerpts:
Nearly 40% of the criminal attackers in this study had received FORMAL firearms training
(mostly in the military). More than 80% of the criminal attackers regularly practiced with their
firearms, with an average number of 23 Practice Sessions Per Year. They conducted these
practice sessions in trash dumps, wooded areas, back yards and “street corners in known drug
trafficking areas”. What that means is that the practice sessions were taking place in realistic
environments, under conditions similar to those the attackers were likely to face in combat.
The cops involved in these incidents all had some type of formal training at their
departments, but on average, only fired their guns 2.5 times per year. All of that training was
conducted on a static shooting range that had little relevance to the environmental conditions
where the cops actually fought.
So, who do you think is better trained, the criminal or the cop? In this sample study, it was
clearly the criminal. If you aren’t a cop and carry a concealed weapon to defend against
criminal attack, how does your training stack up against the bad guys in this study? Most
educated firearms trainers would barely consider at state concealed carry course as “formal
training”. CCW classes are generally geared to novices and focus on safely handling a firearm
rather than teaching anything that could be considered “tactical”. Yet many shooters stop their
education there. It’s not enough.
What about practice? How many of you shoot your weapons 23 times a year in a realistic
environment? I don’t know many people other than hobbyist shooters who do that. The
average CCW permit holder is clearly outmatched by any violent criminal similar to the type
interviewed in this study.
More than 40% of the criminals identified in the study had at least one gunfight experience
before attacking the officer. 25% of the attackers had been involved in more than five
gunfights. [So, the criminal is going to have way more experience in gunfights than you
will have.]
This study showed that the police officers were outmatched by their criminal opponents in
every domain studied: training, experience, and mindset. If trained police officers are
outmatched, where does that put the average citizen?
There have been several research studies that have shown dry firing to be just as valuable
as real shooting for maintaining marksmanship abilities. [Dry practice! Just do it!]
. . . force-on-force training. The best type of this training is conducted at professional
shooting schools and uses tightly-scripted professional role players. It is costly, but worth the
expense. You will learn more in one day of this type of training than you will learn in weeks
of practicing by yourself.
---
"25 Gunfighting Stats Learned From Convicted Cop Killers" by Jake (a fellow Marine Intel POG)
https://www.tierthreetactical.com/25-gunfighting-stats-learned-from-convicted-cop-killers/
Excerpts:
"The vast majority of these cases were also against officers in uniform, 42%."
[I couldn't figure out what the author meant by that. 42% is not a majority, much less a vast
majority.]
". . . approximately 40% reported no use." [of drugs or alcohol. So don't expect the
bad guy to be high. Underestimating the opponent is really bad.]
"This lends some insight into why they are so willing to commit crime.
They are rarely caught for it."
"This offender is talking about murdering huge numbers of people with no appreciable
concern that this kind of behavior is not normal, because to him it is normal."
[Never make the mistake of thinking that the criminal thinks the way you do.]
"16 of 43 offenders had received weapons training"
Hit rate offender on officer: 68%
Hit rate officer on offender: 39%
Most common offender shooting method: point shooting
[Stop and think about this. Most of the criminals had no training. All of the police officers
had training. The criminals are not using their sights to aim their pistols. In spite of all that,
the criminal hit rate was 29% higher than the police hit rate.]
Offender’s had a higher hit rate because they almost always shot first.
Many of these criminals have learned that aggression and violence are key to survival,
and they are not constrained by laws or other’s welfare. If they hit a bystander, they couldn’t
care less.
No criminal in this study used a holster. [Because a holster is evidence of gun possession
which is illegal.]
The average time officers practiced in this study was 14 hours per year.
So engage your brain before you engage your weapon,
and hopefully you won’t have to do the latter.
Primary source document from 2006,
https://ucr.fbi.gov/leoka/2006
"Do not pursue goals that lack eternal meaning." -- John Harris
*************************************************************************
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to learn) -----
Security Operations Summit 2022, Faith Based Security Network
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ej617htu79f49fe2&llr=econctzab
Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 9:00 AM CDT
-to-
Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 1:00 PM CDT
Evangel University
1111 N. Glenstone Ave.
Spence Chapel
Springfield, MO 65802
Contact:
SOS Event Coordinator
Faith Based Security Network
719-357-1630
info@fbsnamerica.com
$159.00, $179.00 after Thursday, May 26, 2022
Dorm Rooms are $40.00
Meals are $10.00
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)
"Tactical Tomfoolery – Our Dangerous Gear Obsession" by Gideon Joubert
https://paratus.info/2022/04/28/tactical-tomfoolery/
Excerpts:
"Hence if you are an unfit, weak, and situationally oblivious individual there is no
equipment-based solution in the world that can save you. And even if you are fit,
strong, and highly situationally aware – maintaining those skills and attributes will be
an ongoing process of repeated investment. Which is exactly where your priorities
should lie."
"So treat this as a call to stop obsessing over tactical gear. Investing in yourself is
vastly superior to investing in equipment. Get off the couch and start a daily cardio
regime. Take up boxing, jiu-jitsu, or (even better) combatives once or twice a week.
Lift some weights. Run 15 minutes of dryfire from your EDC (Every Day Carry)
The enemy mindset --
"Training vs. Experience" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/training-vs-experience
Excerpts:
Nearly 40% of the criminal attackers in this study had received FORMAL firearms training
(mostly in the military). More than 80% of the criminal attackers regularly practiced with their
firearms, with an average number of 23 Practice Sessions Per Year. They conducted these
practice sessions in trash dumps, wooded areas, back yards and “street corners in known drug
trafficking areas”. What that means is that the practice sessions were taking place in realistic
environments, under conditions similar to those the attackers were likely to face in combat.
The cops involved in these incidents all had some type of formal training at their
departments, but on average, only fired their guns 2.5 times per year. All of that training was
conducted on a static shooting range that had little relevance to the environmental conditions
where the cops actually fought.
So, who do you think is better trained, the criminal or the cop? In this sample study, it was
clearly the criminal. If you aren’t a cop and carry a concealed weapon to defend against
criminal attack, how does your training stack up against the bad guys in this study? Most
educated firearms trainers would barely consider at state concealed carry course as “formal
training”. CCW classes are generally geared to novices and focus on safely handling a firearm
rather than teaching anything that could be considered “tactical”. Yet many shooters stop their
education there. It’s not enough.
What about practice? How many of you shoot your weapons 23 times a year in a realistic
environment? I don’t know many people other than hobbyist shooters who do that. The
average CCW permit holder is clearly outmatched by any violent criminal similar to the type
interviewed in this study.
More than 40% of the criminals identified in the study had at least one gunfight experience
before attacking the officer. 25% of the attackers had been involved in more than five
gunfights. [So, the criminal is going to have way more experience in gunfights than you
will have.]
This study showed that the police officers were outmatched by their criminal opponents in
every domain studied: training, experience, and mindset. If trained police officers are
outmatched, where does that put the average citizen?
There have been several research studies that have shown dry firing to be just as valuable
as real shooting for maintaining marksmanship abilities. [Dry practice! Just do it!]
. . . force-on-force training. The best type of this training is conducted at professional
shooting schools and uses tightly-scripted professional role players. It is costly, but worth the
expense. You will learn more in one day of this type of training than you will learn in weeks
of practicing by yourself.
---
"25 Gunfighting Stats Learned From Convicted Cop Killers" by Jake (a fellow Marine Intel POG)
https://www.tierthreetactical.com/25-gunfighting-stats-learned-from-convicted-cop-killers/
Excerpts:
"The vast majority of these cases were also against officers in uniform, 42%."
[I couldn't figure out what the author meant by that. 42% is not a majority, much less a vast
majority.]
". . . approximately 40% reported no use." [of drugs or alcohol. So don't expect the
bad guy to be high. Underestimating the opponent is really bad.]
"This lends some insight into why they are so willing to commit crime.
They are rarely caught for it."
"This offender is talking about murdering huge numbers of people with no appreciable
concern that this kind of behavior is not normal, because to him it is normal."
[Never make the mistake of thinking that the criminal thinks the way you do.]
"16 of 43 offenders had received weapons training"
Hit rate offender on officer: 68%
Hit rate officer on offender: 39%
Most common offender shooting method: point shooting
[Stop and think about this. Most of the criminals had no training. All of the police officers
had training. The criminals are not using their sights to aim their pistols. In spite of all that,
the criminal hit rate was 29% higher than the police hit rate.]
Offender’s had a higher hit rate because they almost always shot first.
Many of these criminals have learned that aggression and violence are key to survival,
and they are not constrained by laws or other’s welfare. If they hit a bystander, they couldn’t
care less.
No criminal in this study used a holster. [Because a holster is evidence of gun possession
which is illegal.]
The average time officers practiced in this study was 14 hours per year.
So engage your brain before you engage your weapon,
and hopefully you won’t have to do the latter.
Primary source document from 2006,
https://ucr.fbi.gov/leoka/2006
"Do not pursue goals that lack eternal meaning." -- John Harris
*************************************************************************
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to learn) -----
Security Operations Summit 2022, Faith Based Security Network
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ej617htu79f49fe2&llr=econctzab
Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 9:00 AM CDT
-to-
Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 1:00 PM CDT
Evangel University
1111 N. Glenstone Ave.
Spence Chapel
Springfield, MO 65802
Contact:
SOS Event Coordinator
Faith Based Security Network
719-357-1630
info@fbsnamerica.com
$159.00, $179.00 after Thursday, May 26, 2022
Dorm Rooms are $40.00
Meals are $10.00
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)
"Tactical Tomfoolery – Our Dangerous Gear Obsession" by Gideon Joubert
https://paratus.info/2022/04/28/tactical-tomfoolery/
Excerpts:
"Hence if you are an unfit, weak, and situationally oblivious individual there is no
equipment-based solution in the world that can save you. And even if you are fit,
strong, and highly situationally aware – maintaining those skills and attributes will be
an ongoing process of repeated investment. Which is exactly where your priorities
should lie."
"So treat this as a call to stop obsessing over tactical gear. Investing in yourself is
vastly superior to investing in equipment. Get off the couch and start a daily cardio
regime. Take up boxing, jiu-jitsu, or (even better) combatives once or twice a week.
Lift some weights. Run 15 minutes of dryfire from your EDC (Every Day Carry)
setup every day. Start collecting a training library and build your knowledge base.
Perhaps find a way to combine most of these into a single activity. Be creative!"
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
"Domestic Violence: Your Right to Self-Defense" by Emily Taylor and Richard Hayes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFSja5QJX5Q
· What is domestic violence? Is domestic violence a felony?
· Can you own a gun if charged with domestic violence?
· What constitutes self-defense against domestic violence?
· Can men defend themselves against domestic abuse?
· Is it easy to prove self-defense in domestic violence cases?
· What can you do if you’re falsely accused of domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
"The Reality of Domestic Violence" by U.S. Law Shield
https://www.uslawshield.com/the-reality-of-domestic-violence/
Abusees know the magic words, "He was choking me." All states consider strangulation
a felony. Go directly to jail, do not pass Go. Police are required to arrest. If convicted,
you lose your gun rights forever. A magistrate in Nashville explained this to me. He always
tells the woman that he will ensure that she is prosecuted if she is lying, if she withdraws the
charges, if she changes her story. But, it doesn't matter. The accusation of domestic violence
is the only way she can hit back, so she takes it.
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
"Domestic Violence: Your Right to Self-Defense" by Emily Taylor and Richard Hayes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFSja5QJX5Q
· What is domestic violence? Is domestic violence a felony?
· Can you own a gun if charged with domestic violence?
· What constitutes self-defense against domestic violence?
· Can men defend themselves against domestic abuse?
· Is it easy to prove self-defense in domestic violence cases?
· What can you do if you’re falsely accused of domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
"The Reality of Domestic Violence" by U.S. Law Shield
https://www.uslawshield.com/the-reality-of-domestic-violence/
Abusees know the magic words, "He was choking me." All states consider strangulation
a felony. Go directly to jail, do not pass Go. Police are required to arrest. If convicted,
you lose your gun rights forever. A magistrate in Nashville explained this to me. He always
tells the woman that he will ensure that she is prosecuted if she is lying, if she withdraws the
charges, if she changes her story. But, it doesn't matter. The accusation of domestic violence
is the only way she can hit back, so she takes it.
Just as the criminals are known by the police, because it's the same guys committing
the crimes over and over, so the domestic abusers and abusees are known by the police,
prosecutors, and courts. It's the same people over and over.
These are the stupid people that John Farnam warns you to stay away from.
Arm yourself NOW! Don't wait for the ex to become violent.
“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.)
So it takes a lot of training, practice, effort, and time to become armed. It doesn't happen
over night. It doesn't happen when you buy the gun.
If you are innocent, never plea bargain. Accepting a plea means you are confessing to a
crime. Confessing to a crime that you did not commit is a lie, which is a sin. You will have
to answer to God for lying. I'm not a hypocrite. I have plead "not guilty" to every prosecution
in state and federal court.
Disposition paperwork. (Mine says, no arrests, no convictions, no judgements, no
outstanding warrants, no charges pending. Ya, I've paid for the college education of the
children of many an attorney. But, if you're not in court fighting the government,
you're just not living.) [If you're out in the field fighting the government, well that's a whole
other level.]
In your next class, ask questions. You can always ask "Why?"
-- Jeff Gonzalez
Cornered Cat
https://www.facebook.com/CorneredCatCCW/
Check out the 18 May 2022 post.
16 May 2022, "Guard your Mindset".
2 May 2022.
28 April 2022. Shooting well is not innate.
[There is nothing natural or instinctive about shooting. Shooting is a learned skill using an
awkward unnatural noisy bucking tool. -- Jon Low]
"Avoiding violence is a specific skill.
So is surviving violence.
They are not the same skill."
-- Cornered Cat
"Self defense is not punching and kicking.
Self defense is not beating people up.
Self defense is keeping yourself from harm,
and the number one way to do that is to avoid it in the first place."
– Alain Burrese
Ron Stephen says,
"Courtesy is free, Gold Dots are $50 a box.
The other problem with being a jerk is that if there is trouble and the law gets involved,
you do not want them looking at your situation as "scumbag on scumbag". "
Checkout 11 April 2022, correct protocol for showing your pistol to a friend.
8 April 2022,
My take: Being realistic about self defense includes acknowledging that
the world isn't as dangerous as we fear, but it is also not as safe as we hope.
6 April 2022, excerpt:
". . . *YOU* are the only person that you know for sure will be there when you are in danger.
And that means that ultimately, you must be prepared to take care of the problem yourself if
you absolutely need to. That means getting the tools, learning how to use them, and having
the mindset that you *will* do what it takes to protect yourself and the people you love."
"The number one way to avoid a home invasion is to not be a drug dealer."
– Chuck Haggard
“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
"The Threat You Missed — Are You Prepared?" by Mike Boyle
https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-threat-you-missed-are-you-prepared/
Excerpt:
"Just about all our practice takes place under the noonday sun or at a well-lit indoor range.
In contrast, most violent crime unfolds in the evening hours under less than optimum light
conditions."
"A very disturbing trend I became aware of recently was a spike in incidents where there
was more than one assailant."
". . . my focus is on the fastest possible response to one or more threats in relatively close
quarters. I feel my efforts are better spent training in scenarios that are more likely to happen,
as opposed to what could happen."
"If you carry a concealed handgun, by all means, work from concealment with the holster
and clothing you typically wear in polite society."
"I feel more frequent, modest round count training sessions are better than the occasional
marathon."
You may think this video is silly. But, I don't think so. I've seen a lot of people on video
simulators. The hesitation factor is high. The ambiguity is high. I have never seen a person
hesitate when they hear the beep in an IDPA or IPSC match. Training scar?!?!
"Shot Timers In Gunfights . . . " by Mike Ox
https://dryfiretrainingcards.com/blog/shot-timers-in-gunfights/
Excerpt:
"What we want is for stimulus to cause us to know that it’s time to make a decision about
whether or not to shoot . . . not just automatically shoot."
You need Tools, Training, and Practice. [Stolen from Andrew Branca]
Tools - refers to a complete weapons system. Including your non-lethal force tools.
(Pepper spray, understanding that it won't work on 10% of the population, and knowing
how it affects you. Tasers don't work in the real world; only 2 shots, needles won't pentrate
tough clothing, needles must stick in a muscle mass, one needle must be above the belt line
while the other needle must be below the belt line to have the desired effect, needles are easily
knocked out, etc. Telescoping steel baton, you have to take a class, because where you strike
determines if it is a lethal or non-lethal weapon. Etc.)
Training - on how to avoid the conflict, how to de-escalate the conflict, how to escape the
conflict, and how to win the conflict. Hand-to-hand combat. Weapons safety. Weapons
retention and disarming. Weapons cleaning and storage. Weapons usage in civilian defensive
situations. Etc.
Practice - because these skills are perishable. If you haven't practiced in the last week,
you're going to have a real hard time with the fight, especially a gunfight.
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- 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
If you're right handed, get a left handed holster and shoot an IDPA match or an IPSC
match left handed. Similarly if you're left handed. You'll have an epiphany, if you're
serious and deliberate about shooting the match in a tactically correct manner, not racing
to win the game.
Don't crowd cover. We will stay back away from corners, windows, and doors,
because we understand that there is someone hiding there who will grab our pistol.
Move slowly to ensure you positively identify every shoot-target and every no-shoot
target. Never muzzle the no-shoot targets.
Shoot the first part of the target that comes into view, because we can do so without
exposing our bodies to enemy fire. You can get the A-zone hits later as you slice the pie.
Because unlike the other competitors, we are not playing a game. We are training for
combat.
"My pistol is not ambidextrous."
Well, that's a real problem. I suggest you get an ambidextrous pistol.
"I'm right handed. I'll never be shooting left handed."
If you think that, you're a fool. But, don't worry. No one will chide you about it.
They will be condoling your loved ones upon your passing.
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
"Relative Performance Measurement" by Karl Rehn
https://blog.krtraining.com/relative-performance-measurement/
Everyone wants to win. Few want to prepare to win.
It is not the knowing that is difficult, but the doing.
"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
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it, which tactics to use) -----
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
When playing chess, beginners attempt to gain material advantage by capturing enemy
pieces and protecting friendly pieces. The player learns forks, skewers, pins, and such.
These are techniques. Techniques are used in support of one's tactics. The player executes a
technique to gain tactical advantage. But tactics are used in support of the strategy to win.
So, unless the material gain gives us a clear path to checkmate, it is not in line with our
goal to win.
A more advanced player understands that pieces that the player is given at the start of the
game are resources to be expended to achieve the goal, checkmate. So he is happy to sacrifice
pieces to gain positional advantage, which is tactical advantage.
The player wins by achieving checkmate. One achieves checkmate by attacking the
opponent's king. So unless the move gives the player a clear path to attacking the opponent's
king, it is not in line with our goal to win.
When the player moves to check the opponent's king or threaten checkmate or threaten
a check, the opponent is forced to make a move that alleviates the threat. That is to say, the
player has drastically reduced the set of possible moves for the opponent. By doing this,
the player has effectively gained a tempo. That is, forced the opponent to react to the attack.
The tempo is a unit of time. The player has cycled through his OODA loop faster than the
opponent. At the Grand Master level, a tempo is enough to win the game. At the Master
level, a few tempi may be enough. At the novice level, the players don't understand this.
(At least not at a conscious level, perhaps intuitively.)
In a gunfight (Which it is, because you have a gun, whether you use it or not. We carry
the pistol for the option to use it. We do not carry the pistol because we want to use it.)
there are several players making moves simultaneously, no one is waiting their turn. So,
the gunfight is several orders of magnitude more complex than a chess game. Sorry, that's
just reality. That's why the Armed Forces require a high IQ to get into the infantry.
The goal of your self-defense strategy is to ESCAPE or to destroy the bad guys to allow
your loved ones to ESCAPE. Is your strategy in line with this goal? Are your tactics in line
with this strategy? Will the techniques you are learning and practicing support your tactics?
The material you will see at most gun schools or conferences are all about techniques,
not tactics, not strategy. So you're going to have to search to find what you need.
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
Prof. Jordan Peterson said that if I read, took classes, and studied; and then wrote about
what I had learned for about 15 minutes a day, in 10 years I would have straightened out my
thinking. You be the judge. Is my writing helpful to you? [I actually find myself writing
several hours a day.]
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
That's why I have problems with paintball practices. There is no fear of getting hit, so the
players don't practice appropriate behaviors to avoid getting hit. Only in paintball will you see
people standing in the open as they shoot. Something a real infantry man would never do.
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics (tasks that you should strive to be able to do in support of your strategy) -----
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Weapon Malfunctions in an Active Shooter Event" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weapon-malfunctions-in-an-active-shooter-event
Excerpt:
"If you are unarmed, things get a little more tricky. Rushing a shooter with a fully
functional firearm may or may not be successful. Seeking cover and waiting for a better
resistance (or flight) opportunity when the shooter’s gun stops working is a much safer
strategy for most folks. Knowing how to recognize an unloaded or malfunctioning gun
is key."
"Here is a short video I made showing what a malfunctioning rifle and pistol look like.
Please share it with your friends and family members who don’t know much about guns."
Cited article,
"Gun jams on active shooter in Montreal"
https://www.police1.com/active-shooter/articles/gun-jams-on-active-shooter-in-montreal-VFnLR1xr8W1i6Czr/
"Stay Mobile" by Steve Tarani
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/stay-mobile
Excerpt:
"How you survive the “X” is to immediately unass that location and move to a greater
distance from the threat and toward a safe area. Whether it’s a firearm or non-ballistic
weapon threat, then staying mobile via rapid physical movement on foot or in a vehicle
and continually putting space between yourself and the active threat makes you and your
protectee far more difficult targets and significantly lowers the probability of incurring
injury."
[I could not find the word "unass" in any dictionary. I think the word should be "leave".]
". . . you have only two seconds or less to change your physical location."
Self-defense usually ain't about chasing, but rescuing a kidnap victim might be.
"Foot pursuits: 13 tips to improve your running skills and your safety"
https://www.police1.com/officer-safety/articles/foot-pursuits-13-tips-to-improve-your-running-skills-and-your-safety-1lzWklsFhdUNxS7I/
From Chris Sajnog's 18 May 2022 Live Team Hangout (14:00 Central Time) --
When engaging multiple targets, shoot all of them first before going back to make sure they
are incapacitated. (This is the IDPA and IPSC way to engage multiple targets.)
For civilians, if you pull your gun out, shoot. You are not police looking for compliance.
When exercising, give yourself time to recover.
Set up your glasses or contact lenses, with your aiming eye able to focus on your front
sight and your other eye able to focus at infinity. [If you're using a red dot sight, you would
want to have your glasses or contact lenses of your aiming eye focused at infinity so the red
dot will be in focus. -- Jon Low]
The basics done perfectly is what makes you better. Learning "advanced" techniques can
be counterproductive, especially if they are very different from the basics.
In low light conditions, turn on the lights. Strategically place mirrors and glass doors to
use for viewing reflections.
For civilians, don't use a weapon attached light. Use a separate hand held flashlight. You
must be able to place your light away from you. Because the enemy will shoot at the light.
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love can defeat all the hate.
If someone gives you a gift and you don't accept it, whose gift is it? -- Buddah
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Techniques (ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics) -----
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
"Firearm Retention is an Essential Skill for Civilians Who Carry Concealed"
by Michael Janich
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2022/05/firearm-retention-for-civilians/
I teach a 4 hour lecture class at the Bass Pro in the Opry Mills shopping center in
Nashville, TN every month for the Tennessee Handgun Permit. There is a section on
weapons retention, but I always tell the students to take a class to learn it properly.
You can't learn it properly in a lecture class. You must have hands-on instruction.
Preferably on a soft mat or grassy field, because people will fall down, because it is
rough.
Of course, some people don't want to get into hand-to-hand combat. So, they
don't want to do the training. But, that's never their choice.
Greg Ellifritz comments that the techniques in the article are not those that he teaches.
Nor are they the techniques that I learned from Fletch Fuller at Tac Con 2018. That's
why it is so important to take classes from different people. Everyone is different. You
have to find what works for you. Yes, as a matter of fact, there is a technique that works
for you, no matter how weak, uncoordinated, limited range of motion, etc. you suffer from.
You just have to find it. Yes, it takes time and effort. As does everything worthwhile.
“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
The armed security guard, Aaron Salter, 55, a former police lieutenant, at the Tops Friendly
Markets in Buffalo, NY engaged the bad guy with pistol fire. Salter died and did not stop the
attack. He either did not know to take the head shot or he was incapable of making the head
shot. News reports say that the bad guy's body armor stopped Salter's bullets.
Can you make the head shot, when someone is shooting at you? If you are able to
consistently make the head shots in IDPA and IPSC matches, then maybe. If you are not able
to make the head shots in the pristine conditions of matches, you've got a marksmanship
problem. If you don't shoot matches regularly, you've got an attitude problem, and you're
going to have a hard time in the gunfight. Combat skills are perishable skills. Recency of
practice is far more important than volume of practice.
“No one rises to the occasion. That's just a myth.
They sink to the level of training that they have mastered.”
-- Ken Alexandrow, Agape Tactical
https://agapetactical.com/
If some organization is depending on you for protection, you owe it to the organization to
practice correctly and enough to make the head shot under high stress conditions. Otherwise,
you're negligent, which may result in your sheep getting killed.
Everyone wants to win. Few prepare to win.
"Repent!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/repent/
Excerpts:
"The problem is not poor technique, which can be corrected through repetition.
The problem is poor philosophy, the only cure for which is personal repentance!"
"Poor/obsolete/naive/non-serious habits and philosophies must fall away,
assuming you want to die of old age!"
Have you ever seen a real fighter with long hair? Of course not. It can get in their eyes and
obstruct their vision. Hair can be grabbed. Controlling the enemy's head is enough of an
advantage to run the table. (In pool that means you can sink all of the balls and win the game.
My proofreader insisted that I explain. Because she didn't understand.) If you are following
rules, you are participating in a sport. You are not in a real fight. If you gouge eyes, bite
(through the skin and tear arteries), stomp on the foot in close by the ankle (because the small
bones in the foot are easily broken, enemy may be wearing steel toed shoes), use weapons, etc.
you're in a fight. Confusing the two (sport and fight) is bad. You will never learn techniques
that break bones or kill in your local Judo Dojo. They would be out of business in no time if
they taught such things. You would have to go to Marine Corps boot camp for such training.
The first thing they do in boot camp is to shave off your hair (well, at least for those Marines
serious about fighting and killing). [My daughter went through all of her training with long
hair. She just tied it up and greased it down. She rose to O-4 and never cut her hair the
whole time. Oh, well.]
"3 Tips for Better Trigger Control with World Champion Mike Seeklander"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNttuPdn1do
1. Trigger finger placement.
2. Resetting the trigger.
3. Grip first, then pull the trigger.
I disagree. I think you need to trap the trigger to the rear until you have the sights back on
the target that you just shot. And then reset the trigger. That is follow-through.
Follow-through is essential to actually hit what you're aiming at.
"Reloading in a Gunfight: Basic Skills You Need" by Hunt Fish Shoot
https://www.thearmorylife.com/reloading-in-a-gunfight-basic-skills-you-need/
Video included.
In my classes, I teach:
full magazines in your mag pouches,
partial magazines in your pockets,
empty mags on the ground (because they are useless to us).
Why you should never open carry.
[In the context of the Buffalo, NY grocery store mass murder]
"Gun control groups pointed out that there was an armed guard there, but over the years,
I have kept pointing out that uniformed armed guards have an extremely difficult job stopping
mass public shootings. The murderer had cased the store before the attack, and if a murderer
believes that the uniformed armed guard is the only person with a gun, who do you think the
murderer will attack first? The attacker has huge strategic advantages, and he can easily
identify the uniformed guard who has a gun. The benefit of concealed handguns is that it
takes away the advantage of these attackers."
-- John Lott, Jr. [from email of 21 May 2022]
"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 -----
"Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Andragogy -----
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
"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
Gun Rights Policy Conference
by 2nd Amendment Foundation
https://www.saf.org/grpc/
September 30th – October 2nd, 2022 in Dallas, Texas
It's in person and free. But, you don't have to be there in person,
"We will also be on multiple virtual platforms including YouTube and Facebook."
Gun Owners of America
https://www.gunowners.org/wp-content/uploads/GOA-May-28th-Nevada-Event-edit.pdf
28 May 2022
9 AM to 6 PM
12801 Old U.S. 95
Boulder City, NV 89005
"In Self Defense - Episode 98: Tom Givens PT. 1"
with Don West, Shawn Vincent, and Steve Moses
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/36128
Transcript included, so you don't have to listen to the verbose lawyers drone on.
"In Self Defense - Episode 99: Tom Givens PT. 2"
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/36154
Transcript included.
Excerpt: paraphrased
Don't draw your gun unless you are mentally prepared to use it. You don't have to
use it. You must have the option to use it. You don't have the option, if you aren't
mentally willing to shoot.
We have to fight against Cultural Indoctrination. After watching tens of thousands of
hours of TV shows and movies, the typical person knows all kinds of things that are false.
*** The more competent you look, the less likely you are to have to shoot. ***
Selection of the holster is critical.
Condition your brain to accept the possibility of being attacked. This is an entirely
different mindset (for most people).
"CCX2 S03E09:
Discussing The Mass Shooting In Buffalo With Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple"
by USA Carry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShY1AMyuxsk
In New York state, it is up to a judge to sign the carry permit, not any law enforcement
officer.
If you're not under threat, don't get involved. If you hunt the bad guy, the responding
officers might shoot you. The responding officers won't know you. All they see is a guy
with a gun in an active killer area.
Under stress, your shooting is going to be pretty bad. Are you ready for that reality?
Do you know how to accommodate? [Maybe charge the bad guy to get closer to get a
better shot? -- Jon Low]
The bad guy chose his target based on the gun control laws of the target state and the
number of concealed carriers in that state and county. He was looking for minimum
resistance. [That's pretty smart. Intelligence is not correlated with criminality, nor with
insanity. -- Jon Low]
Sheriff Craig Apple has many rehabilitation programs. He created a homeless shelter
in his 1400 person jail. And so has been able to reduce recidivism. [In Nashville, TN,
the police and ambulance services dump all the homeless people in the hospital emergency
rooms. Which the homeless use as their hotels. Good for Sheriff Apple for coming up
with a better idea.]
"The Armory Life Presents
Digital Magazines" (free)
https://www.thearmorylife.com/magazines/
Latest issue,
"Volume 9: EDC"
https://www.thearmorylife.com/magazines/volume-9-edc/
Click on the pictures to get to the articles.
"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
***** Fraud Alert! *****
"Kalashnikov USA Website Fraud Alert" by Tim C.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/05/16/everyone-lookout-kalashnikov-usa-fraud-alert/
There is actually a lot of fraud on the internet. BE CAREFUL!
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA.
"Too Much Of a Good Thing" by Tamara Keel
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/too-much-of-a-good-thing/
Excerpt:
"As an extreme example, a Model 325 chambered in .45 ACP can’t run an entire cylinder
full of inexpensive FMJ practice ammo without the last couple rounds disassembling
themselves in their chambers." [The standard 45 ACP loading does not use a crimped case
to hold the bullet in the case. It's just friction between the case and the bullet. -- Jon Low]
This is deep truth. Please take Tamara seriously.
Apache Solutions in North Carolina forbids Serpa holsters and nylon holsters.
All federal law enforcement that I know of forbid the Serpa holsters.
The U.S. Army uses them. Which says a lot about the U.S. Army. Never let
anyone tell you there is no difference between the branches of service. There are
in fact deep philosophical and practical differences.
"P320 Double click issues?" by Tony Hightower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w1I99b85b0
Check out the comments.
The use of biometrics (fingerprints, iris scans, etc.) to unlock safes or to unlock guns
is criminal stupidity. Unlike passwords, you can't change your biometric. So once it is
stolen, you're screwed for the rest of your life. [That's identity theft. They can be stolen.
They are commonly stolen. Blue Tooth can be intercepted and recorded. The signal
between your fob and your car can be intercepted. If you have a credit card that does not
require physical contact with the reader, the bad guys can read your card when you pass by.]
The bio-metric reader won't recognize an abraded or cut fingerprint or iris. The reader
won't recognize the body part covered with blood or mud or dirt.
Murphy's Law says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst
possible time. Add a smart gun or smart safe to your weapon system and you guarantee
a system failure under combat conditions.
Do not be overly concerned with your pistol. The surgeon is not known by
his scalpel. He has no favorite scalpel. He has a skill, any scalpel will do.
(I have seen a tracheotomy preformed with a steak knife grabbed off a dinner
table.)
Similarly, you should concentrate on honing your skill, any pistol will do.
A person will become comfortable with anything he practices. Sentimental or
personal preferences have no place in combat.
You may not have a pistol, any knife will do. What is the best way to hold a
knife? The way you picked it up. Don’t change grips. Don’t throw your knife.
Lead with the knife, as a fencer, with your other hand covering your carotid
arteries in your neck (Thanks to Sensei Cat Fitzgerald). You may not have a
knife, a pen will do.
You may not have any weapon, your hands will do. Concentrate the strength
of two of your hands against one of his hands or one of his fingers, and continue
to twist; don’t stop when something breaks. Stomp on his foot over the arch, the
small bones in the foot are easily broken (and he may be wearing steel toed shoes).
Gouge his eyes, if the enemy is wearing glasses or goggles, gouge up and under the
glasses. A blood choke will incapacitate a person in 8 seconds (often much less
than 8 seconds). (An air choke is ineffective because a person can hold his breath
for a minute or more.) If you don't know what I'm talking about, ASK! Take classes!
Keep fighting. As long as you maintain a combat mindset, you can win.
"How to Find The Best Concealed Carry Holster" by Kevin Creighton
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/how-to-find-the-best-concealed-carry-holster/
Ya, it's an advertisement for PHLster Holsters, but the article has some good information.
OfficerStore.com
Discount code: RESPONDERS10
Orders of $99 or more get free shipping.
A new leather holster will be tight. Your natural body movement as you wear it will loosen
it. That's why you have to wear it every day to break it in. There should be a tensioning screw
on the holster to tighten its grip on your pistol. The holster should squeeze the trigger guard,
not the slide. Tighten the holster so that you can hold the holster upside down and shake it
without the pistol falling out. Yes, even hybrid IWB (inside the waistband) holsters. You
should be able to pull the pistol out of the holster easily when presenting to the target.
Remember, in combat, easy things become difficult, and difficult things become impossible.
So, drawing the pistol from the holster must be easy.
"How Not To Get Killed With Your Sig P320" by RightToBear Jer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl2d28zrCFI
I'm glad Jer did this video. Yes, any pistol with a high exposed magazine release button
runs the risk of accidentally releasing the magazine. It is a design flaw. Keep searching,
you will find much better designed pistols.
This is why adding an extended magazine release or an extened slide lock is criminal
stupidity.
"How can a P320s fire un-commanded? AKA P320 fires while in its holster?"
by Grey Wolf Armory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK66ua7-Bm0
Excerpt:
"This is a serious design flaw."
[I previously posted about this YouTube.com video in my 16 May 2021 blog post. But,
didn't have the opinions below.]
I don't see how Sig could have allowed this pistol to be released into the market. Because
the tolerances for sear engagement and safety engagement are too small to be safe. (In the
learned opinion of my professional machinist friends.) Remember, Sig never recalled the
P320 pistol. They only did a voluntary thing where the owner could send it back for refitting
if the owner wanted to. But Sig kept saying the pistol was safe, discouraging owners from
sending the pistols in for refitting, saving Sig big money.
Mountain Man Medical
https://www.mountainmanmedical.com/
15% OFF coupon code: STOPTHEBLEED
"Pistol Red Dots: Are Iron Sights Better?" by Mike Boyle
https://www.thearmorylife.com/pistol-red-dots-are-iron-sights-better/
Excerpts:
"The smaller dots will allow the user to shoot with a greater degree of precision but will be
difficult to pick up at speed. Larger dots are faster to read but might be too coarse for targets
in the distance. For personal defense, I believe a dot in the 2.5 MOA to 6.5 MOA range would
be about right."
"The biggest advantage an MRDS brings to the table is a single plane of focus."
"However, with MRDS both eyes should be kept open. You are still able to shoot with a
high degree of precision and by keeping both eyes open, it is more likely to lead to better
decision making in a street scenario. Initially, this was a big hurdle for me to clear, but once
I bought into the concept my shooting improved."
"It is especially important you keep both eyes open and focus on the target. This can be a
very tall order for shooters with decades of experience using iron sights."
"I would submit that the switch from irons to red dots is every bit as traumatic as the big
swap we experienced decades ago from revolvers to self-loading pistols."
"One way we can move the ball forward in getting up to speed with a red dot is dry practice.
And the price is right! I find the key to finding the dot quickly is a consistent grip and
presentation."
---
Be careful with the size and brightness of your red or green dot. If adjusted for normal
lighting conditions, in low light conditions the dot may initially blind you and wash out
everything in the sight window. On the other hand, if you're using your 750 lumen flashlight
to illuminate the target, you might not be able to find your dot, because it is too dim.
Ya, as a matter of fact, this is a real problem. If you can't find your dot, you can't aim, so you
can't shoot. (At least not responsibly.)
"Handheld or Weapon-Mounted Light: What You Need To Know" by Ivan Gelo
https://www.thearmorylife.com/handheld-or-weapon-mounted-light-what-you-need-to-know/
Except:
"Some schools and instructors have taught the intermittent use of lighting. My thought?
It depends. If the intermittent use of lighting gives the bad guy a chance to potentially move
to a more advantageous position, that is a problem. As a result, I say keep your light focused
on that person and dominate with light."
"Why You Also Need a Handheld Light" by Richard Johnson
https://www.thearmorylife.com/why-you-also-need-a-handheld-light/
Video and text.
Excerpt:
"You need a separate flashlight so you can properly illuminate areas without having to
point your firearm. Otherwise, you may be the part of a tragic headline."
"Blades for Self-Defense: Fearsome or Foolhardy?" by Steve Tarani
https://www.thearmorylife.com/blades-for-self-defense-fearsome-or-foolhardy/
"Review: XR920 from Shadow Systems" by Andrew L. Butts
https://www.police1.com/police-products/firearms/articles/review-xr920-from-shadow-systems-wFI3BZ8OxqV1cxOk/
Explanation of "open emitter" vs. "closed emitter" red dot sights.
"When to Replace Your Self-Defense Ammo" by Justin Carroll
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/why-and-how-to-rotate-ammo/
Well, there is a way to load your semi-auto without impact to the cartridges.
Insert the cartridge into the chamber. Release the slide gently.
Pry the extractor out with a hard wood or plastic or nylon pick,
and gently press the slide forward.
Pull the slide back slightly to ensure the extractor has engaged with the rim of the cartridge.
Easy, once you've done it a few times. And it avoids the problems with loading by racking
the slide.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
----- Technical / Maintenance -----
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
"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, militia refers to YOU)
*************************************************************************
----- 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
If you are cool, calm, and collected after the most stressful incident in your life; and highly
intelligent; and highly educated in self-defense law, it might make sense to talk to the
responding officer. Then by all means follow the instructions that Massad Ayoob or Andrew
Branca give you concerning talking to the police. I would recommend that you take their
classes.
But, you're not. You can't be. You just shot someone. If you think you will be thinking straight,
you're WRONG!
So, ask for your attorney and shut up! This legally forbids the police from questioning you.
If you start talking, you have legally waived your right to remain silent. Everything you say
will be used against you.
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the direct address
https://defensivepistolcraft.blogspot.com/p/never-talk-to-police.html
Read carefully and think.
"Thinking is the hardest thing to do. That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
Declining to talk to police is not lying to the police. It does not show consciousness of
guilt.
In the right-hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the direct link is,
http://defensivepistolcraft.blogspot.com/p/self-defense-insurance.html
There are many insurance policies. They are all very different. You have to read the fine
print. Whether or not a particular policy is appropriate for you at your stage of life, your
financial situation, your family situation, etc. depends on your situation. You have to decide
for yourself. Don't buy a policy because someone else has that policy. They are not you.
In yesterday's (21 May 2022) Law of Self Defense live webinar, Andrew Branca said
that he does not recommend U.S. Law Shield, and he does not recommend USCCA. There are
lots of self-defense insurance policies. He urged us to read the policies and decide for
ourselves based on our situation in life, financial situation, persons living in your house, etc.
And he noted that if you kill someone in self-defense, the legal fees are going to be in the
hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, if the cap on the policy is $250,000, that's just
insufficient. He doesn't recommend a particular policy because they are all very different and
people's situations are very different.
“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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** 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
"Stopping ACTIVE SHOOTERS: The KEY Legal Difference!" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ayJoMizsYw
Lack of ambiguity.
"Ninth Circuit Rules California’s Under-21 Rifle Ban Unconstitutional" by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/ninth-circuit-rules-californias-under-21-rifle-ban-unconstitutional/
Primary source,
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/firearmspolicycoalition/pages/5345/attachments/original/1652284352/Jones_v_Bonta_Opinion.pdf
"California Suddenly Removes All Models of Popular Pistol from State Roster" by Jake Fogleman
https://thereload.com/california-suddenly-removes-all-models-of-popular-pistol-from-state-roster/
Excerpt:
". . . all pistols in the USP line from popular gunmaker Heckler & Koch (H&K) were
removed from the state’s approved handgun roster. As a result, the pistols “may no longer
be sold, offered for sale, or manufactured” in the state."
I guess H&K refused to pay the bribe. Of course, I am referring to political campaign
contribution to the Democrat Party of California.
In his Level 1 class Tennessee Supplement, Andrew Branca says there are three sources
of self-defense law:
1. Statutes, the law that the legislature passed.
2. Case Law, how the appellate courts interpret the law that the legislature passed.
3. Jury Instructions, how the judge instructs the jury.
You can't speculate. Your attorney must be able to articulate why your behavior was
reasonable based on the admitted evidence. The pre-trial motions where the attorneys
argue as to what evidence will be allowed or excluded is where the trial is won or lost.
Once you claim self-defense, in order for you to be convicted, the prosecutor must
prove beyond a reasonable doubt that:
1. You were not Innocent
If you pursue the other guy, it's not going to look like self-defense. If you agree to fight,
it's not self-defense. No dueling.
or
2. The threat was not Imminent
or
3. Your response to the threat was not Proportional to the threat
[Intensity of the force and duration of the force.]
Deadly force is deadly force. Non-deadly force has a continuum.
or
4. You could have Avoided the threat
39 states are Stand Your Ground states. [True Man doctrine.]
There is a duty to retreat in 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
You only have a duty to retreat if you can do it safely. The prosecutor can still claim that
your failure to retreat was unreasonable.
or
5. Your action was not Reasonable
Subjective reasonableness (good faith belief). Objective reasonableness (in the totality
of the circumstances). The danger you face need not be actual, it only has to be reasonable.
[So it doesn't matter that the gun was a toy, if you reasonably believed it to be real.]
---
Defense of others
Reasonable Perception standard vs. Alter Ego standard
Tennessee is a Reasonable Perception state. Thank God!
Defense of property
Least Defensible property vs. Highly Defensible property (Highly Protected property)
Residence, business, or occupied vehicle. Unlawful and forcible entry causes an assumption
of reasonable fear.
Self-Defense Immunity
Tennessee only has civil immunity, not criminal liability. No immunity for shooting innocent
bystanders.
Consciousness of Guilt
Guilty behaviors. Call 911 immediately! Don't talk to the responding police officers!
Wow! This was a really detailed course.
Arm yourself NOW! Don't wait for the ex to become violent.
“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.)
So it takes a lot of training, practice, effort, and time to become armed. It doesn't happen
over night. It doesn't happen when you buy the gun.
If you are innocent, never plea bargain. Accepting a plea means you are confessing to a
crime. Confessing to a crime that you did not commit is a lie, which is a sin. You will have
to answer to God for lying. I'm not a hypocrite. I have plead "not guilty" to every prosecution
in state and federal court.
Disposition paperwork. (Mine says, no arrests, no convictions, no judgements, no
outstanding warrants, no charges pending. Ya, I've paid for the college education of the
children of many an attorney. But, if you're not in court fighting the government,
you're just not living.) [If you're out in the field fighting the government, well that's a whole
other level.]
In your next class, ask questions. You can always ask "Why?"
-- Jeff Gonzalez
Cornered Cat
https://www.facebook.com/CorneredCatCCW/
Check out the 18 May 2022 post.
16 May 2022, "Guard your Mindset".
2 May 2022.
28 April 2022. Shooting well is not innate.
[There is nothing natural or instinctive about shooting. Shooting is a learned skill using an
awkward unnatural noisy bucking tool. -- Jon Low]
"Avoiding violence is a specific skill.
So is surviving violence.
They are not the same skill."
-- Cornered Cat
"Self defense is not punching and kicking.
Self defense is not beating people up.
Self defense is keeping yourself from harm,
and the number one way to do that is to avoid it in the first place."
– Alain Burrese
Ron Stephen says,
"Courtesy is free, Gold Dots are $50 a box.
The other problem with being a jerk is that if there is trouble and the law gets involved,
you do not want them looking at your situation as "scumbag on scumbag". "
Checkout 11 April 2022, correct protocol for showing your pistol to a friend.
8 April 2022,
My take: Being realistic about self defense includes acknowledging that
the world isn't as dangerous as we fear, but it is also not as safe as we hope.
6 April 2022, excerpt:
". . . *YOU* are the only person that you know for sure will be there when you are in danger.
And that means that ultimately, you must be prepared to take care of the problem yourself if
you absolutely need to. That means getting the tools, learning how to use them, and having
the mindset that you *will* do what it takes to protect yourself and the people you love."
"The number one way to avoid a home invasion is to not be a drug dealer."
– Chuck Haggard
“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
"The Threat You Missed — Are You Prepared?" by Mike Boyle
https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-threat-you-missed-are-you-prepared/
Excerpt:
"Just about all our practice takes place under the noonday sun or at a well-lit indoor range.
In contrast, most violent crime unfolds in the evening hours under less than optimum light
conditions."
"A very disturbing trend I became aware of recently was a spike in incidents where there
was more than one assailant."
". . . my focus is on the fastest possible response to one or more threats in relatively close
quarters. I feel my efforts are better spent training in scenarios that are more likely to happen,
as opposed to what could happen."
"If you carry a concealed handgun, by all means, work from concealment with the holster
and clothing you typically wear in polite society."
"I feel more frequent, modest round count training sessions are better than the occasional
marathon."
You may think this video is silly. But, I don't think so. I've seen a lot of people on video
simulators. The hesitation factor is high. The ambiguity is high. I have never seen a person
hesitate when they hear the beep in an IDPA or IPSC match. Training scar?!?!
"Shot Timers In Gunfights . . . " by Mike Ox
https://dryfiretrainingcards.com/blog/shot-timers-in-gunfights/
Excerpt:
"What we want is for stimulus to cause us to know that it’s time to make a decision about
whether or not to shoot . . . not just automatically shoot."
You need Tools, Training, and Practice. [Stolen from Andrew Branca]
Tools - refers to a complete weapons system. Including your non-lethal force tools.
(Pepper spray, understanding that it won't work on 10% of the population, and knowing
how it affects you. Tasers don't work in the real world; only 2 shots, needles won't pentrate
tough clothing, needles must stick in a muscle mass, one needle must be above the belt line
while the other needle must be below the belt line to have the desired effect, needles are easily
knocked out, etc. Telescoping steel baton, you have to take a class, because where you strike
determines if it is a lethal or non-lethal weapon. Etc.)
Training - on how to avoid the conflict, how to de-escalate the conflict, how to escape the
conflict, and how to win the conflict. Hand-to-hand combat. Weapons safety. Weapons
retention and disarming. Weapons cleaning and storage. Weapons usage in civilian defensive
situations. Etc.
Practice - because these skills are perishable. If you haven't practiced in the last week,
you're going to have a real hard time with the fight, especially a gunfight.
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- 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
If you're right handed, get a left handed holster and shoot an IDPA match or an IPSC
match left handed. Similarly if you're left handed. You'll have an epiphany, if you're
serious and deliberate about shooting the match in a tactically correct manner, not racing
to win the game.
Don't crowd cover. We will stay back away from corners, windows, and doors,
because we understand that there is someone hiding there who will grab our pistol.
Move slowly to ensure you positively identify every shoot-target and every no-shoot
target. Never muzzle the no-shoot targets.
Shoot the first part of the target that comes into view, because we can do so without
exposing our bodies to enemy fire. You can get the A-zone hits later as you slice the pie.
Because unlike the other competitors, we are not playing a game. We are training for
combat.
"My pistol is not ambidextrous."
Well, that's a real problem. I suggest you get an ambidextrous pistol.
"I'm right handed. I'll never be shooting left handed."
If you think that, you're a fool. But, don't worry. No one will chide you about it.
They will be condoling your loved ones upon your passing.
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
"Relative Performance Measurement" by Karl Rehn
https://blog.krtraining.com/relative-performance-measurement/
Everyone wants to win. Few want to prepare to win.
It is not the knowing that is difficult, but the doing.
"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
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it, which tactics to use) -----
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
When playing chess, beginners attempt to gain material advantage by capturing enemy
pieces and protecting friendly pieces. The player learns forks, skewers, pins, and such.
These are techniques. Techniques are used in support of one's tactics. The player executes a
technique to gain tactical advantage. But tactics are used in support of the strategy to win.
So, unless the material gain gives us a clear path to checkmate, it is not in line with our
goal to win.
A more advanced player understands that pieces that the player is given at the start of the
game are resources to be expended to achieve the goal, checkmate. So he is happy to sacrifice
pieces to gain positional advantage, which is tactical advantage.
The player wins by achieving checkmate. One achieves checkmate by attacking the
opponent's king. So unless the move gives the player a clear path to attacking the opponent's
king, it is not in line with our goal to win.
When the player moves to check the opponent's king or threaten checkmate or threaten
a check, the opponent is forced to make a move that alleviates the threat. That is to say, the
player has drastically reduced the set of possible moves for the opponent. By doing this,
the player has effectively gained a tempo. That is, forced the opponent to react to the attack.
The tempo is a unit of time. The player has cycled through his OODA loop faster than the
opponent. At the Grand Master level, a tempo is enough to win the game. At the Master
level, a few tempi may be enough. At the novice level, the players don't understand this.
(At least not at a conscious level, perhaps intuitively.)
In a gunfight (Which it is, because you have a gun, whether you use it or not. We carry
the pistol for the option to use it. We do not carry the pistol because we want to use it.)
there are several players making moves simultaneously, no one is waiting their turn. So,
the gunfight is several orders of magnitude more complex than a chess game. Sorry, that's
just reality. That's why the Armed Forces require a high IQ to get into the infantry.
The goal of your self-defense strategy is to ESCAPE or to destroy the bad guys to allow
your loved ones to ESCAPE. Is your strategy in line with this goal? Are your tactics in line
with this strategy? Will the techniques you are learning and practicing support your tactics?
The material you will see at most gun schools or conferences are all about techniques,
not tactics, not strategy. So you're going to have to search to find what you need.
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
Prof. Jordan Peterson said that if I read, took classes, and studied; and then wrote about
what I had learned for about 15 minutes a day, in 10 years I would have straightened out my
thinking. You be the judge. Is my writing helpful to you? [I actually find myself writing
several hours a day.]
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
That's why I have problems with paintball practices. There is no fear of getting hit, so the
players don't practice appropriate behaviors to avoid getting hit. Only in paintball will you see
people standing in the open as they shoot. Something a real infantry man would never do.
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics (tasks that you should strive to be able to do in support of your strategy) -----
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Weapon Malfunctions in an Active Shooter Event" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weapon-malfunctions-in-an-active-shooter-event
Excerpt:
"If you are unarmed, things get a little more tricky. Rushing a shooter with a fully
functional firearm may or may not be successful. Seeking cover and waiting for a better
resistance (or flight) opportunity when the shooter’s gun stops working is a much safer
strategy for most folks. Knowing how to recognize an unloaded or malfunctioning gun
is key."
"Here is a short video I made showing what a malfunctioning rifle and pistol look like.
Please share it with your friends and family members who don’t know much about guns."
Cited article,
"Gun jams on active shooter in Montreal"
https://www.police1.com/active-shooter/articles/gun-jams-on-active-shooter-in-montreal-VFnLR1xr8W1i6Czr/
"Stay Mobile" by Steve Tarani
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/stay-mobile
Excerpt:
"How you survive the “X” is to immediately unass that location and move to a greater
distance from the threat and toward a safe area. Whether it’s a firearm or non-ballistic
weapon threat, then staying mobile via rapid physical movement on foot or in a vehicle
and continually putting space between yourself and the active threat makes you and your
protectee far more difficult targets and significantly lowers the probability of incurring
injury."
[I could not find the word "unass" in any dictionary. I think the word should be "leave".]
". . . you have only two seconds or less to change your physical location."
Self-defense usually ain't about chasing, but rescuing a kidnap victim might be.
"Foot pursuits: 13 tips to improve your running skills and your safety"
https://www.police1.com/officer-safety/articles/foot-pursuits-13-tips-to-improve-your-running-skills-and-your-safety-1lzWklsFhdUNxS7I/
From Chris Sajnog's 18 May 2022 Live Team Hangout (14:00 Central Time) --
When engaging multiple targets, shoot all of them first before going back to make sure they
are incapacitated. (This is the IDPA and IPSC way to engage multiple targets.)
For civilians, if you pull your gun out, shoot. You are not police looking for compliance.
When exercising, give yourself time to recover.
Set up your glasses or contact lenses, with your aiming eye able to focus on your front
sight and your other eye able to focus at infinity. [If you're using a red dot sight, you would
want to have your glasses or contact lenses of your aiming eye focused at infinity so the red
dot will be in focus. -- Jon Low]
The basics done perfectly is what makes you better. Learning "advanced" techniques can
be counterproductive, especially if they are very different from the basics.
In low light conditions, turn on the lights. Strategically place mirrors and glass doors to
use for viewing reflections.
For civilians, don't use a weapon attached light. Use a separate hand held flashlight. You
must be able to place your light away from you. Because the enemy will shoot at the light.
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love can defeat all the hate.
If someone gives you a gift and you don't accept it, whose gift is it? -- Buddah
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Techniques (ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics) -----
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
"Firearm Retention is an Essential Skill for Civilians Who Carry Concealed"
by Michael Janich
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2022/05/firearm-retention-for-civilians/
I teach a 4 hour lecture class at the Bass Pro in the Opry Mills shopping center in
Nashville, TN every month for the Tennessee Handgun Permit. There is a section on
weapons retention, but I always tell the students to take a class to learn it properly.
You can't learn it properly in a lecture class. You must have hands-on instruction.
Preferably on a soft mat or grassy field, because people will fall down, because it is
rough.
Of course, some people don't want to get into hand-to-hand combat. So, they
don't want to do the training. But, that's never their choice.
Greg Ellifritz comments that the techniques in the article are not those that he teaches.
Nor are they the techniques that I learned from Fletch Fuller at Tac Con 2018. That's
why it is so important to take classes from different people. Everyone is different. You
have to find what works for you. Yes, as a matter of fact, there is a technique that works
for you, no matter how weak, uncoordinated, limited range of motion, etc. you suffer from.
You just have to find it. Yes, it takes time and effort. As does everything worthwhile.
“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
The armed security guard, Aaron Salter, 55, a former police lieutenant, at the Tops Friendly
Markets in Buffalo, NY engaged the bad guy with pistol fire. Salter died and did not stop the
attack. He either did not know to take the head shot or he was incapable of making the head
shot. News reports say that the bad guy's body armor stopped Salter's bullets.
Can you make the head shot, when someone is shooting at you? If you are able to
consistently make the head shots in IDPA and IPSC matches, then maybe. If you are not able
to make the head shots in the pristine conditions of matches, you've got a marksmanship
problem. If you don't shoot matches regularly, you've got an attitude problem, and you're
going to have a hard time in the gunfight. Combat skills are perishable skills. Recency of
practice is far more important than volume of practice.
“No one rises to the occasion. That's just a myth.
They sink to the level of training that they have mastered.”
-- Ken Alexandrow, Agape Tactical
https://agapetactical.com/
If some organization is depending on you for protection, you owe it to the organization to
practice correctly and enough to make the head shot under high stress conditions. Otherwise,
you're negligent, which may result in your sheep getting killed.
Everyone wants to win. Few prepare to win.
"Repent!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/repent/
Excerpts:
"The problem is not poor technique, which can be corrected through repetition.
The problem is poor philosophy, the only cure for which is personal repentance!"
"Poor/obsolete/naive/non-serious habits and philosophies must fall away,
assuming you want to die of old age!"
Have you ever seen a real fighter with long hair? Of course not. It can get in their eyes and
obstruct their vision. Hair can be grabbed. Controlling the enemy's head is enough of an
advantage to run the table. (In pool that means you can sink all of the balls and win the game.
My proofreader insisted that I explain. Because she didn't understand.) If you are following
rules, you are participating in a sport. You are not in a real fight. If you gouge eyes, bite
(through the skin and tear arteries), stomp on the foot in close by the ankle (because the small
bones in the foot are easily broken, enemy may be wearing steel toed shoes), use weapons, etc.
you're in a fight. Confusing the two (sport and fight) is bad. You will never learn techniques
that break bones or kill in your local Judo Dojo. They would be out of business in no time if
they taught such things. You would have to go to Marine Corps boot camp for such training.
The first thing they do in boot camp is to shave off your hair (well, at least for those Marines
serious about fighting and killing). [My daughter went through all of her training with long
hair. She just tied it up and greased it down. She rose to O-4 and never cut her hair the
whole time. Oh, well.]
"3 Tips for Better Trigger Control with World Champion Mike Seeklander"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNttuPdn1do
1. Trigger finger placement.
2. Resetting the trigger.
3. Grip first, then pull the trigger.
I disagree. I think you need to trap the trigger to the rear until you have the sights back on
the target that you just shot. And then reset the trigger. That is follow-through.
Follow-through is essential to actually hit what you're aiming at.
"Reloading in a Gunfight: Basic Skills You Need" by Hunt Fish Shoot
https://www.thearmorylife.com/reloading-in-a-gunfight-basic-skills-you-need/
Video included.
In my classes, I teach:
full magazines in your mag pouches,
partial magazines in your pockets,
empty mags on the ground (because they are useless to us).
Why you should never open carry.
[In the context of the Buffalo, NY grocery store mass murder]
"Gun control groups pointed out that there was an armed guard there, but over the years,
I have kept pointing out that uniformed armed guards have an extremely difficult job stopping
mass public shootings. The murderer had cased the store before the attack, and if a murderer
believes that the uniformed armed guard is the only person with a gun, who do you think the
murderer will attack first? The attacker has huge strategic advantages, and he can easily
identify the uniformed guard who has a gun. The benefit of concealed handguns is that it
takes away the advantage of these attackers."
-- John Lott, Jr. [from email of 21 May 2022]
"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 -----
"Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Andragogy -----
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
"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
Gun Rights Policy Conference
by 2nd Amendment Foundation
https://www.saf.org/grpc/
September 30th – October 2nd, 2022 in Dallas, Texas
It's in person and free. But, you don't have to be there in person,
"We will also be on multiple virtual platforms including YouTube and Facebook."
Gun Owners of America
https://www.gunowners.org/wp-content/uploads/GOA-May-28th-Nevada-Event-edit.pdf
28 May 2022
9 AM to 6 PM
12801 Old U.S. 95
Boulder City, NV 89005
"In Self Defense - Episode 98: Tom Givens PT. 1"
with Don West, Shawn Vincent, and Steve Moses
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/36128
Transcript included, so you don't have to listen to the verbose lawyers drone on.
"In Self Defense - Episode 99: Tom Givens PT. 2"
https://ccwsafe.com/blog/36154
Transcript included.
Excerpt: paraphrased
Don't draw your gun unless you are mentally prepared to use it. You don't have to
use it. You must have the option to use it. You don't have the option, if you aren't
mentally willing to shoot.
We have to fight against Cultural Indoctrination. After watching tens of thousands of
hours of TV shows and movies, the typical person knows all kinds of things that are false.
*** The more competent you look, the less likely you are to have to shoot. ***
Selection of the holster is critical.
Condition your brain to accept the possibility of being attacked. This is an entirely
different mindset (for most people).
"CCX2 S03E09:
Discussing The Mass Shooting In Buffalo With Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple"
by USA Carry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShY1AMyuxsk
In New York state, it is up to a judge to sign the carry permit, not any law enforcement
officer.
If you're not under threat, don't get involved. If you hunt the bad guy, the responding
officers might shoot you. The responding officers won't know you. All they see is a guy
with a gun in an active killer area.
Under stress, your shooting is going to be pretty bad. Are you ready for that reality?
Do you know how to accommodate? [Maybe charge the bad guy to get closer to get a
better shot? -- Jon Low]
The bad guy chose his target based on the gun control laws of the target state and the
number of concealed carriers in that state and county. He was looking for minimum
resistance. [That's pretty smart. Intelligence is not correlated with criminality, nor with
insanity. -- Jon Low]
Sheriff Craig Apple has many rehabilitation programs. He created a homeless shelter
in his 1400 person jail. And so has been able to reduce recidivism. [In Nashville, TN,
the police and ambulance services dump all the homeless people in the hospital emergency
rooms. Which the homeless use as their hotels. Good for Sheriff Apple for coming up
with a better idea.]
"The Armory Life Presents
Digital Magazines" (free)
https://www.thearmorylife.com/magazines/
Latest issue,
"Volume 9: EDC"
https://www.thearmorylife.com/magazines/volume-9-edc/
Click on the pictures to get to the articles.
"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
***** Fraud Alert! *****
"Kalashnikov USA Website Fraud Alert" by Tim C.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/05/16/everyone-lookout-kalashnikov-usa-fraud-alert/
There is actually a lot of fraud on the internet. BE CAREFUL!
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA.
"Too Much Of a Good Thing" by Tamara Keel
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/too-much-of-a-good-thing/
Excerpt:
"As an extreme example, a Model 325 chambered in .45 ACP can’t run an entire cylinder
full of inexpensive FMJ practice ammo without the last couple rounds disassembling
themselves in their chambers." [The standard 45 ACP loading does not use a crimped case
to hold the bullet in the case. It's just friction between the case and the bullet. -- Jon Low]
This is deep truth. Please take Tamara seriously.
Apache Solutions in North Carolina forbids Serpa holsters and nylon holsters.
All federal law enforcement that I know of forbid the Serpa holsters.
The U.S. Army uses them. Which says a lot about the U.S. Army. Never let
anyone tell you there is no difference between the branches of service. There are
in fact deep philosophical and practical differences.
"P320 Double click issues?" by Tony Hightower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w1I99b85b0
Check out the comments.
The use of biometrics (fingerprints, iris scans, etc.) to unlock safes or to unlock guns
is criminal stupidity. Unlike passwords, you can't change your biometric. So once it is
stolen, you're screwed for the rest of your life. [That's identity theft. They can be stolen.
They are commonly stolen. Blue Tooth can be intercepted and recorded. The signal
between your fob and your car can be intercepted. If you have a credit card that does not
require physical contact with the reader, the bad guys can read your card when you pass by.]
The bio-metric reader won't recognize an abraded or cut fingerprint or iris. The reader
won't recognize the body part covered with blood or mud or dirt.
Murphy's Law says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst
possible time. Add a smart gun or smart safe to your weapon system and you guarantee
a system failure under combat conditions.
Do not be overly concerned with your pistol. The surgeon is not known by
his scalpel. He has no favorite scalpel. He has a skill, any scalpel will do.
(I have seen a tracheotomy preformed with a steak knife grabbed off a dinner
table.)
Similarly, you should concentrate on honing your skill, any pistol will do.
A person will become comfortable with anything he practices. Sentimental or
personal preferences have no place in combat.
You may not have a pistol, any knife will do. What is the best way to hold a
knife? The way you picked it up. Don’t change grips. Don’t throw your knife.
Lead with the knife, as a fencer, with your other hand covering your carotid
arteries in your neck (Thanks to Sensei Cat Fitzgerald). You may not have a
knife, a pen will do.
You may not have any weapon, your hands will do. Concentrate the strength
of two of your hands against one of his hands or one of his fingers, and continue
to twist; don’t stop when something breaks. Stomp on his foot over the arch, the
small bones in the foot are easily broken (and he may be wearing steel toed shoes).
Gouge his eyes, if the enemy is wearing glasses or goggles, gouge up and under the
glasses. A blood choke will incapacitate a person in 8 seconds (often much less
than 8 seconds). (An air choke is ineffective because a person can hold his breath
for a minute or more.) If you don't know what I'm talking about, ASK! Take classes!
Keep fighting. As long as you maintain a combat mindset, you can win.
"How to Find The Best Concealed Carry Holster" by Kevin Creighton
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/how-to-find-the-best-concealed-carry-holster/
Ya, it's an advertisement for PHLster Holsters, but the article has some good information.
OfficerStore.com
Discount code: RESPONDERS10
Orders of $99 or more get free shipping.
A new leather holster will be tight. Your natural body movement as you wear it will loosen
it. That's why you have to wear it every day to break it in. There should be a tensioning screw
on the holster to tighten its grip on your pistol. The holster should squeeze the trigger guard,
not the slide. Tighten the holster so that you can hold the holster upside down and shake it
without the pistol falling out. Yes, even hybrid IWB (inside the waistband) holsters. You
should be able to pull the pistol out of the holster easily when presenting to the target.
Remember, in combat, easy things become difficult, and difficult things become impossible.
So, drawing the pistol from the holster must be easy.
"How Not To Get Killed With Your Sig P320" by RightToBear Jer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl2d28zrCFI
I'm glad Jer did this video. Yes, any pistol with a high exposed magazine release button
runs the risk of accidentally releasing the magazine. It is a design flaw. Keep searching,
you will find much better designed pistols.
This is why adding an extended magazine release or an extened slide lock is criminal
stupidity.
"How can a P320s fire un-commanded? AKA P320 fires while in its holster?"
by Grey Wolf Armory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK66ua7-Bm0
Excerpt:
"This is a serious design flaw."
[I previously posted about this YouTube.com video in my 16 May 2021 blog post. But,
didn't have the opinions below.]
I don't see how Sig could have allowed this pistol to be released into the market. Because
the tolerances for sear engagement and safety engagement are too small to be safe. (In the
learned opinion of my professional machinist friends.) Remember, Sig never recalled the
P320 pistol. They only did a voluntary thing where the owner could send it back for refitting
if the owner wanted to. But Sig kept saying the pistol was safe, discouraging owners from
sending the pistols in for refitting, saving Sig big money.
Mountain Man Medical
https://www.mountainmanmedical.com/
15% OFF coupon code: STOPTHEBLEED
"Pistol Red Dots: Are Iron Sights Better?" by Mike Boyle
https://www.thearmorylife.com/pistol-red-dots-are-iron-sights-better/
Excerpts:
"The smaller dots will allow the user to shoot with a greater degree of precision but will be
difficult to pick up at speed. Larger dots are faster to read but might be too coarse for targets
in the distance. For personal defense, I believe a dot in the 2.5 MOA to 6.5 MOA range would
be about right."
"The biggest advantage an MRDS brings to the table is a single plane of focus."
"However, with MRDS both eyes should be kept open. You are still able to shoot with a
high degree of precision and by keeping both eyes open, it is more likely to lead to better
decision making in a street scenario. Initially, this was a big hurdle for me to clear, but once
I bought into the concept my shooting improved."
"It is especially important you keep both eyes open and focus on the target. This can be a
very tall order for shooters with decades of experience using iron sights."
"I would submit that the switch from irons to red dots is every bit as traumatic as the big
swap we experienced decades ago from revolvers to self-loading pistols."
"One way we can move the ball forward in getting up to speed with a red dot is dry practice.
And the price is right! I find the key to finding the dot quickly is a consistent grip and
presentation."
---
Be careful with the size and brightness of your red or green dot. If adjusted for normal
lighting conditions, in low light conditions the dot may initially blind you and wash out
everything in the sight window. On the other hand, if you're using your 750 lumen flashlight
to illuminate the target, you might not be able to find your dot, because it is too dim.
Ya, as a matter of fact, this is a real problem. If you can't find your dot, you can't aim, so you
can't shoot. (At least not responsibly.)
"Handheld or Weapon-Mounted Light: What You Need To Know" by Ivan Gelo
https://www.thearmorylife.com/handheld-or-weapon-mounted-light-what-you-need-to-know/
Except:
"Some schools and instructors have taught the intermittent use of lighting. My thought?
It depends. If the intermittent use of lighting gives the bad guy a chance to potentially move
to a more advantageous position, that is a problem. As a result, I say keep your light focused
on that person and dominate with light."
"Why You Also Need a Handheld Light" by Richard Johnson
https://www.thearmorylife.com/why-you-also-need-a-handheld-light/
Video and text.
Excerpt:
"You need a separate flashlight so you can properly illuminate areas without having to
point your firearm. Otherwise, you may be the part of a tragic headline."
"Blades for Self-Defense: Fearsome or Foolhardy?" by Steve Tarani
https://www.thearmorylife.com/blades-for-self-defense-fearsome-or-foolhardy/
"Review: XR920 from Shadow Systems" by Andrew L. Butts
https://www.police1.com/police-products/firearms/articles/review-xr920-from-shadow-systems-wFI3BZ8OxqV1cxOk/
Explanation of "open emitter" vs. "closed emitter" red dot sights.
"When to Replace Your Self-Defense Ammo" by Justin Carroll
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/why-and-how-to-rotate-ammo/
Well, there is a way to load your semi-auto without impact to the cartridges.
Insert the cartridge into the chamber. Release the slide gently.
Pry the extractor out with a hard wood or plastic or nylon pick,
and gently press the slide forward.
Pull the slide back slightly to ensure the extractor has engaged with the rim of the cartridge.
Easy, once you've done it a few times. And it avoids the problems with loading by racking
the slide.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
----- Technical / Maintenance -----
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
"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, militia refers to YOU)
*************************************************************************
----- 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
If you are cool, calm, and collected after the most stressful incident in your life; and highly
intelligent; and highly educated in self-defense law, it might make sense to talk to the
responding officer. Then by all means follow the instructions that Massad Ayoob or Andrew
Branca give you concerning talking to the police. I would recommend that you take their
classes.
But, you're not. You can't be. You just shot someone. If you think you will be thinking straight,
you're WRONG!
So, ask for your attorney and shut up! This legally forbids the police from questioning you.
If you start talking, you have legally waived your right to remain silent. Everything you say
will be used against you.
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the direct address
https://defensivepistolcraft.blogspot.com/p/never-talk-to-police.html
Read carefully and think.
"Thinking is the hardest thing to do. That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
Declining to talk to police is not lying to the police. It does not show consciousness of
guilt.
In the right-hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the direct link is,
http://defensivepistolcraft.blogspot.com/p/self-defense-insurance.html
There are many insurance policies. They are all very different. You have to read the fine
print. Whether or not a particular policy is appropriate for you at your stage of life, your
financial situation, your family situation, etc. depends on your situation. You have to decide
for yourself. Don't buy a policy because someone else has that policy. They are not you.
In yesterday's (21 May 2022) Law of Self Defense live webinar, Andrew Branca said
that he does not recommend U.S. Law Shield, and he does not recommend USCCA. There are
lots of self-defense insurance policies. He urged us to read the policies and decide for
ourselves based on our situation in life, financial situation, persons living in your house, etc.
And he noted that if you kill someone in self-defense, the legal fees are going to be in the
hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, if the cap on the policy is $250,000, that's just
insufficient. He doesn't recommend a particular policy because they are all very different and
people's situations are very different.
“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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** 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
"Stopping ACTIVE SHOOTERS: The KEY Legal Difference!" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ayJoMizsYw
Lack of ambiguity.
"Ninth Circuit Rules California’s Under-21 Rifle Ban Unconstitutional" by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/ninth-circuit-rules-californias-under-21-rifle-ban-unconstitutional/
Primary source,
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/firearmspolicycoalition/pages/5345/attachments/original/1652284352/Jones_v_Bonta_Opinion.pdf
"California Suddenly Removes All Models of Popular Pistol from State Roster" by Jake Fogleman
https://thereload.com/california-suddenly-removes-all-models-of-popular-pistol-from-state-roster/
Excerpt:
". . . all pistols in the USP line from popular gunmaker Heckler & Koch (H&K) were
removed from the state’s approved handgun roster. As a result, the pistols “may no longer
be sold, offered for sale, or manufactured” in the state."
I guess H&K refused to pay the bribe. Of course, I am referring to political campaign
contribution to the Democrat Party of California.
In his Level 1 class Tennessee Supplement, Andrew Branca says there are three sources
of self-defense law:
1. Statutes, the law that the legislature passed.
2. Case Law, how the appellate courts interpret the law that the legislature passed.
3. Jury Instructions, how the judge instructs the jury.
You can't speculate. Your attorney must be able to articulate why your behavior was
reasonable based on the admitted evidence. The pre-trial motions where the attorneys
argue as to what evidence will be allowed or excluded is where the trial is won or lost.
Once you claim self-defense, in order for you to be convicted, the prosecutor must
prove beyond a reasonable doubt that:
1. You were not Innocent
If you pursue the other guy, it's not going to look like self-defense. If you agree to fight,
it's not self-defense. No dueling.
or
2. The threat was not Imminent
or
3. Your response to the threat was not Proportional to the threat
[Intensity of the force and duration of the force.]
Deadly force is deadly force. Non-deadly force has a continuum.
or
4. You could have Avoided the threat
39 states are Stand Your Ground states. [True Man doctrine.]
There is a duty to retreat in 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
You only have a duty to retreat if you can do it safely. The prosecutor can still claim that
your failure to retreat was unreasonable.
or
5. Your action was not Reasonable
Subjective reasonableness (good faith belief). Objective reasonableness (in the totality
of the circumstances). The danger you face need not be actual, it only has to be reasonable.
[So it doesn't matter that the gun was a toy, if you reasonably believed it to be real.]
---
Defense of others
Reasonable Perception standard vs. Alter Ego standard
Tennessee is a Reasonable Perception state. Thank God!
Defense of property
Least Defensible property vs. Highly Defensible property (Highly Protected property)
Residence, business, or occupied vehicle. Unlawful and forcible entry causes an assumption
of reasonable fear.
Self-Defense Immunity
Tennessee only has civil immunity, not criminal liability. No immunity for shooting innocent
bystanders.
Consciousness of Guilt
Guilty behaviors. Call 911 immediately! Don't talk to the responding police officers!
Wow! This was a really detailed course.
Law of Self Defense free show, every Wednesday, 13:00, register at
lawofselfdefense.com/show
Patreon page at
lawofselfdefense.com/patreon
John Lott talks with Andrew Branca
https://lawofselfdefense.com/expert-destroys-gun-control-narrative/
The people who sell drugs are the same people who sell guns. Even if all the illegal drugs
and guns instantly disappeared, how long would it be before they flowed back into the U.S.?
Twenty minutes if you live in El Paso, TX.
Many of Andrew's clients were prisoners in possession of guns and drugs. If you can't
stop the flow of guns and drugs into our prisons, how do you expect to stop the flow into
our country?
Everywhere in the world where gun bans have been enacted the homicide, murder, and
crime rates have gone up. Simple reason, only law abiding citizens give up their guns.
The criminals don't. So now it is much easier for the criminals to practice their trade.
[You have to be extremely stupid to not understand this. What does that say about politicians
who advocate gun control? What does it say about the citizens who vote for those politicians?]
Paneled data, a statistical term, is needed to say anything cogent about gun control.
"More Guns, Less Crime:
Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws (Studies in Law and Economics)"
by John R. Lott Jr.
Publisher : University Of Chicago Press (June 1, 1998)
Language : English
ISBN-10 : 0226493636
ISBN-13 : 978-0226493633
There are mass media news reports where lots of people get killed. There are no mass
media news reports of incidents where a good guy stops the bad guy, preventing lots of
people from getting killed.
All mass murders are actually liberal socialists. No, really, read their manifestos.
The media lies by calling them right wingers. They are all left wingers. [The Democrats
fought the Republicans under President Abraham Lincoln to keep slavery. Not all Democrats
were Klu Klux Klan, but all KKK were Democrats. I could go on, but you get the idea.
They guy who shot up the grocery store in Buffalo, NY was an environmentalism wacko.
Liberals believe that we have to reduce the human population to save the environment.
Conservatives believe that God gave us dominion over the world.]
Andrew describes teaching at the FBI Academy and showing the evidence to the Special
Agents that directly contradicts their preconceived notions about a case. Half will say,
"Wow! I can't believe I was fooled." But, the other half will sit there with bank stares.
They emotionally cannot change their view of what the facts were. [And these are FBI
Special Agents. They have to have a graduate degree in law, accounting, or a hard science.
There is a saying, "You can educate the ignorant. You can medicate the crazy. But you
can't fix stupid." But, the truth is you can't educate some.]
The U.S. mass media lie to the public. Do you think Biden's Bureau of Truth in the
Department of Homeland Security will arrest anyone in the mass media?
Check out,
CrimeResearch.org/
If you are innocent, never plea bargain. Accepting a plea means you are confessing to a
crime. Confessing to a crime that you did not commit is a sin. You will have to answer to
God for lying. I'm not a hypocrite. I have plead not guilty to every prosecution in state and
federal court.
Disposition paperwork. (Mine says, no arrests, no convictions, no judgements, no
outstanding warrants, no charges pending. Ya, I've paid for the college education of the
children of many an attorney. But, if you're not in court fighting the government,
you're just not living.)
"If you carry a gun, so you're hard to kill, know the law, so you're hard to convict."
Free infographic on the 5 elements of self-defense. Free download.
https://LawOfSefDefense.com/elements/
Free one hour webinar, every Wednesday at 13:00 Central Time, register at,
https://www.hardtoconvict.com/
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca
https://lawofselfdefense.com/freebook/
The book is free of charge. Just pay shipping, so you don't have to drive to Colorado
to pick it up.
"Educate yourself. So, you don't spend the rest of your life in a cage."
From Andrew Branca's weekly webinar on 18 May 2022 (13:00 Central Time) --
As Andrew Branca says, some of his clients think they committed self-defense,
but they didn't because the clients didn't know where the legal boundaries were.
Or, the prosecutor doesn't know the law.
Or, the prosecutor is politically motivated, so the prosecutor doesn't care that
you are innocent.
The prosecutor chooses which cases to take to trial. So, they have a 95%
conviction rate. Federal prosecutors have a 99% conviction rate. And they don't
like to do anything that will lower their rate. It's a matter of professional pride.
That's how prosecutors are rated professionally. And they want their promotions
and raises. So, if you give your attorney good facts, you make yourself hard to
convict. Which makes you unattractive for prosecution.
"Should You Shoot? Self-Defense Tips You Don’t Know"
by Mike Boyle
https://www.thearmorylife.com/should-you-shoot-self-defense-tips-you-dont-know/
An explanation of Ability, Opportunity, and Jeopardy; and Preclusion.
Excerpt:
"To defend your application of deadly force, you need to be able to articulate the totality
of circumstances that led you to believe the assailant had ability, opportunity and intent to
inflict death or serious bodily harm on you."
As Massad Ayoob says, "intent" would indicate that you can read the bad guy's mind. So,
the term "jeopardy" is used instead.
“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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Personal Security, Medical, Survival, etc. ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Dr. Sherman House
"Bleeding Wound Management, Pt. 1" by Joseph Alton MD
https://www.doomandbloom.net/bleeding-wound-management-pt-1/
Do you believe in conservation of mass? Well, it's true whether you believe it or not.
Just another one of those laws of physics. Consider trees. The big red woods in California.
Do you see depressions around them? No. Then where did all that mass of the tree come
from? The air. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and use it to make all their parts.
What happens when the plant burns, as in a forest fire? The carbon combines with oxygen
in the air, turns into carbon dioxide and returns to the atmosphere.
Similarly with humans. Do you eliminate carbon (fat) in your urine or your feces? No.
Your carbon is burned (metabolically), turned into carbon dioxide, and exhaled. So, how
do you lose weight? Exhale more. (Are you laughing?)
If you're exercising to create more muscle mass, you're not going to lose weight. Because,
muscles weighs more than fat. So, you're going to gain weight (which is good if not taken
to extremes). Fat floats. Muscle sinks. That's why being muscle bound is bad for water
survival.
Low impact cardio exercise is good, as in ambulating, swimming, water aerobics, etc.
Stretching is good, as in Yoga and such.
Of course, you have to eat correctly. Nancy, a former girlfriend, worked for WIC (Women,
Infants, and Children) in Philadelphia, PA as a nutritionist. She would give lectures on eating
healthy. She told her clients not to drink soda pop, never to feed soda pop to children, as that
is the primary cause of childhood obesity, because children quickly become addicted to sugar
or sugar substitutes like high fructose corn syrup. Which leads to diabetes and all kinds of
other problems. Her clients would look at her, a petite Chinese woman who spoke English as
she had learned it in Hong Kong; and they would ignore her. Because it's hard to compete
with multi-million dollar advertising campaigns run by the soda pop companies. On the other
hand, people watch Dr. Anthony Fauci, Caucasian distinguished looking, and obey him as a
God. What does that tell you? (Nancy was actually much more highly educated and
experienced than Fauci.)
"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
Rest in Peace Randy Weaver
"In the infamous Ruby Ridge standoff, federal agents killed his wife and son."
by Joe Lancaster
https://reason.com/2022/05/13/randy-weaver-dies/
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
The scum bag West Point graduate Lon Horiuchi was also involved in the murder of
the Branch Dividians in Waco, TX. The FBI hostage roasting team knows no bounds.
Horiuchi was charged with manslaughter for the murder of Vicki Weaver, Randy's wife, as she
held her infant child in her arms while standing in the front doorway of her house. And then
as if by magic, all charges were dismissed. In America, you get as much justice as you can
afford.
Law enforcement claims that a small number of criminals cause just about all of the
crime. I would suggest that a small number of LEOs (law enforcement officers) cause just
about all of the crime. They plan and execute the entrapments. Because it's easier and much
less dangerous than hunting real criminals. These "law enforcement agents" are lazy cowardly
bureaucrats. Don't believe me? Look up Richard Jewel. [Clint Eastwood made a movie about
"Richard Jewel", that's the title of the movie. I like Eastwood. He gave a speech at a
Republican convention (trying his best to save Mitt Romney) about Obama (because he
couldn't say anything good about Romney). Few understood what Eastwood was saying,
because he used a manner that made him look old and decrepit. He's an actor. Eastwood was
by far the most intelligent person on the stage that night. People make the mistake of thinking
he's just another Hollywood pretty boy.] Look up the kidnapping of
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (she was never kidnapped, it was a conspiracy trial).
Zero convictions. But, as FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a dog and pony show at
the FBI training facility on the Quantico Marine base, "Damn good investigation."
What happens if LEOs investigate and charge law abiding citizens? The citizen hires an
attorney. What happens if the LEOs investigate and charge a criminal, especially one connected
to a criminal organization? They kill the LEO, maybe his family too. So, if you were an LEO,
what would you do? Remember, the goal is to get to retirement, to get the pension. Sometimes
analysts don't understand the subject's goal, and so come to the wrong conclusion.
Well, once the behavior of the LEO becomes obvious he will be fired. Oh, no. All of the
above mentioned were promoted. The goal of the bureaucracy is to to protect their own, not
to clean house. Firing persons would be an admission that something is wrong, and that's
bad PR (public relations).
"The Homo Sapiens Projectile Club - Explained (Light Over Heat #14)" by David Yamane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shYVArzWVfI
Whoa! This is deep.
"Tucker: They are hoarding baby formula"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M9Ack29DCI
A distillation of what "America last" means.
"IDPA New Shooters at Royal Range in Nashville"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udup7LyLVHg
2000 MULES - FULL DOCUMENTARY
https://www.bitchute.com/video/oUxVva4yWsuu/
Tom Givens' comments on the Buffalo, NY mass murder,
https://www.facebook.com/tom.givens.37/posts/10224917282471792
Excerpt:
The rifle he used is already illegal in NY in the configuration he used.
The magazine he had is already illegal in New York.
In NY there is a statute against randomly killing strangers. It’s called murder.
Nothing proposed by the Left would have had any effect whatever on this incident.
What next, make murder “more illegal”?
"Tucker: These people are lunatics"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EzgfBMVwFQ
It's not just Tucker Carlson, it's also you that Sen. Charles Schumer wants to throw
in jail. Because once convicted, you won't be able to vote against him.
Tom Givens demonstrates the stupidity of gun control laws by making analogous arguments
against the 1st Amendment right to free speech.
https://www.facebook.com/tom.givens.37/posts/pfbid02DtbkFBVXj8eJa2uGKTEmBUtzBLT9PqkHmhgWduf7BV3Lnkc6nV89qYqmM8MWeaWRl
"ATF Report Shows Massive Increase in Gun Industry Since 2000" by Ben Marquis
https://thereload.com/atf-report-shows-massive-increase-in-gun-industry-since-2000/
Excerpt:
"There were only 2,074 Type 07 FFLs in 2000, comprising less than 2 percent of all FFLs.
That number had increased to 5,169 by 2010 and, as of 2020, stood at 16,473. That’s slightly
more than 11 percent of all FFLs."
This is significant. Soon we will not be depending on the big companies for our firearms.
Soon, we will not be depending on the big companies for reasonably priced ammo. Just as
it was in Colonial times. I foresee more persons as me building and selling complete weapon
systems to individual customers, not agencies. Think of the "unintended" consequences.
(The ex-wife and I had an FFL to manufacture ammunition. They are not hard to get. A friend
of ours had a destructive devices FFL, up to Nike missiles. He sold some at the Singapore
Air Show. U.S. Representative Pat Saiki was very helpful with the paperwork.)
"When Misinformation Drives Bad Policy" by John R. Lott Jr.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/05/16/when_misinformation_drives_bad_policy_147601.html
". . . the average, likely American voter mistakenly thinks that over 46% of violent crimes
involve guns. The true figure is less than 8%."
I [John Lott] have a piece at Townhall about how the news media falsely claims that mass
public shooters are "right-wingers" when they are environmental extremists.
"Media Falsely Claim Mass Public Shooters are 'Right-wingers'
When They're Environmental Extremists" by John R. Lott, Jr.
https://townhall.com/columnists/johnrlottjr/2022/05/17/buffalo-shooter-the-environmentalist-n2607365
[In the context of the Buffalo, NY grocery store mass murder]
"Gun control groups pointed out that there was an armed guard there, but over the years,
I have kept pointing out that uniformed armed guards have an extremely difficult job stopping
mass public shootings. The murderer had cased the store before the attack, and if a murderer
believes that the uniformed armed guard is the only person with a gun, who do you think the
murderer will attack first? The attacker has huge strategic advantages, and he can easily
identify the uniformed guard who has a gun. The benefit of concealed handguns is that it
takes away the advantage of these attackers."
-- John Lott, Jr. [from email of 21 May 2022]
I had lunch with a young lady who was a model, sent to me by a modeling agency.
Well, I ate. She declined to eat. She was preparing for a photo shoot (by starving herself).
I explained how unhealthy that was. Her retort was that "the clothing hangs so nicely on
a thin frame." No, she really looked like a concentration camp victim.
She wanted firearms training so that she could competently handle small arms, so she
could get acting gigs in movies and TV shows. I explained to her the curriculum that I
used in my Defensive Pistol course. She showed no interest. But seemed resigned to do it
as a necessary evil.
She wanted to know how to get a carry permit as that was a credential that might help
her get acting jobs. I explained the process in Tennessee. And pointed out that getting the
permit is not training, as she could get the permit by watching a 90 minute video online.
Though the permit class that I teach is a 4 hour lecture. (Hopefully with lots of questions
and discussions.)
She wanted to trade sex for the training. I said no thank you. I told her that she could
make a donation to my church for the training. The amount would be between her and
God. I would never know the amount and I didn't care. I explained to her that training
requires an objectivity and professional distance between the instructor and student. She
seemed surprised that I couldn't treat her professionally if I were sleeping with her.
She didn't like the idea of giving money to a church, so she said she would just pay me.
I explained to her that if she were to go to any of the big gun schools for a 4 or 5-day course,
she would be paying $2000 in tuition plus equipment rental, ammunition, round trip air fare,
hotel, rental car, and food. Before I could ask her for the $800 that I usually charge for my
5-day course, she offered me $5000 and told me that she wanted private lessons. She did not
want to be in a class with other people. [In my life, I have run into many rich spoiled brats.
They are extremely difficult to deal with, much less teach. My smart move at this point
would have been to discover that my schedule was full. But, no one has ever mistaken me
for a genius.]
The training actually went smoothly. She was professional. I was surprised.
A while later I saw her at a fund raising dinner. She was there with her then-boyfriend.
She's the type that really stands out at any gathering. The guys at my table mentioned how
skinny she was. She came over to talk to me. When I went for a head call, her boyfriend
comes into the bathroom and tells me that he is her boyfriend. Okay. I've never slept with
her and I had no intention to.
Yesterday I'm browsing through YouTube.com videos (cheap entertainment, as
Greg Ellifritz calls it). I click on a short clip from a movie, and there she is. The camera
adds 60 pounds to the actors. That's why they have to be so skinny to start with. All pros
wear make up, because otherwise they look weird. They won't look natural and healthy.
That's just how it is with professional movie cameras and lighting. The technology causes
the actors to mutilate themselves to be photogenic.
[Sorry to have wasted your time with this essay. But, hey, it's my blog.]
"Your character is what you do when no one is looking."
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology stuff ***** ***** *****
"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
[Remember, cryptosystems are considered "arms" by the U.S. government and federal law.
ITAR, International Traffic in Arms Regulations]
"NSM10: The National Quantum Initiative (NQI) and the NQI Advisory Committee"
by Daniel Pereira
[Sorry to have wasted your time with this essay. But, hey, it's my blog.]
"Your character is what you do when no one is looking."
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology stuff ***** ***** *****
"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
[Remember, cryptosystems are considered "arms" by the U.S. government and federal law.
ITAR, International Traffic in Arms Regulations]
"NSM10: The National Quantum Initiative (NQI) and the NQI Advisory Committee"
by Daniel Pereira
https://www.oodaloop.com/archive/2022/05/16/nsm10-the-national-quantum-initiative-nqi-and-the-nqi-advisory-committee/
"The Emperor has no clothes! The Emperor has no clothes!"
An astronomical year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. That's why we
have leap years (adding a day to the year, February 29th, but not every 4 years) and leap
seconds (adding a second to the year, when we get out of synch with the stars). Do you
see how you can use this to your advantage? The atomic clocks and the stars are not
synchronized. [Yes, I know it is much more complicated than that. But, you get the idea.]
Remember, stock trades occur in micro-seconds. The other clown in the back of the room
writes software which are effectively financial weapons. And the arms race is hot.
I attended a software conference recently. A guy asked me about a statement made by
Brian W. Kernighan or Dennis M. Ritchie. I use to know the attribution, but my dementia is
taking its toll. The statement was to the effect that if you put a back door into the original
compiler, such that it propagates to all of the code that you compile with the compiler, you
effectively have a back door into every piece of software derived from that original compiler.
No one write compilers, pre-processors, lexers, etc. from scratch, and even if they did,
they would compile it with a previous compiler.
Oh yes, I remember now. It was a C++ conference. Silly, as C++ is just Bjarne Stroustrup's
pre-processor that converts C++ code to C code. Ya, I know. I remember working in Silicon
Valley when the C++ standard fist came out. Those were good days. All of the original
authors were there, and easily accessible.
But back to the point, you can't backdoor open source at the source code level, because
the humans can read the source code. You have to backdoor through the compiler.
Did you write your compiler in assembly language? And then assemble it? If not, trace the
lineage of your compiler. What do you know?
I suppose you can backdoor proprietary code. But no one in their right mind would use
proprietary programs written by others. Would they? Oh right, that's why ransomware attacks
work. How silly of me. Well, if you use Micro$oft, you get what you deserve.
I remember polo in Palo Alto. Much nicer than polo in Hawaii. We would sit at tables
on the side of the field, eat, drink, and never worry about getting [I had originally written
"being", but my proofreader caught it and replaced it with "getting", as there is no verb form
of "being". Smart girl.] hit by a ball.
Train of consciousness? Oh no. When asked what he does, Marcus Wynne would say,
"I drink coffee and know stuff." I do neither.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intel stuff ***** ***** *****
“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.)
"How to be harder to find" by Annette
https://onherown.life/how-to-be-harder-to-find/
Tradecraft for the civilian.
"Anti-Poaching Units: The Tools Of The Trade" by Kyt Lyn Walken and Andy Martin
https://www.recoilweb.com/anti-poaching-units-the-tools-of-the-trade-174282.html
More tradecraft.
"With Viasat Satellite Hack Officially Attributed to Russia by US and EU Allies,
What Next for Satellite Security?" by Daniel Pereira
https://www.oodaloop.com/archive/2022/05/12/with-viasat-satellite-hack-officially-attributed-to-russia-by-us-and-eu-allies-what-next-for-satellite-security/
Genius can be recognized by its childish simplicity.
-- Chinese Proverb
For my friends who are connoisseurs of chocolate, may I recommend Heidi Dark made by
Heidi Chocolat S. A. in Romania? I once attended an Easter service at a Romanian church.
It was surprisingly long, but well worth the time. All such events are social. You do it for
the people around you.
"Tucker: Inflation is proof the people in charge are reckless and stupid"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YyfGIpqulA
You can tell how intelligent a person is by listening to her speak. Consider a presidential
administration that chooses such a person to be their spokeswoman. The next time Peter Doocy
asks her a question, he will be accused by the liberal media of being racist and homophobic for
beating up on the retard.
Oh, wait, that already happened. (There is a delay between my writing and publishing
this blog.)
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
"The Emperor has no clothes! The Emperor has no clothes!"
An astronomical year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. That's why we
have leap years (adding a day to the year, February 29th, but not every 4 years) and leap
seconds (adding a second to the year, when we get out of synch with the stars). Do you
see how you can use this to your advantage? The atomic clocks and the stars are not
synchronized. [Yes, I know it is much more complicated than that. But, you get the idea.]
Remember, stock trades occur in micro-seconds. The other clown in the back of the room
writes software which are effectively financial weapons. And the arms race is hot.
I attended a software conference recently. A guy asked me about a statement made by
Brian W. Kernighan or Dennis M. Ritchie. I use to know the attribution, but my dementia is
taking its toll. The statement was to the effect that if you put a back door into the original
compiler, such that it propagates to all of the code that you compile with the compiler, you
effectively have a back door into every piece of software derived from that original compiler.
No one write compilers, pre-processors, lexers, etc. from scratch, and even if they did,
they would compile it with a previous compiler.
Oh yes, I remember now. It was a C++ conference. Silly, as C++ is just Bjarne Stroustrup's
pre-processor that converts C++ code to C code. Ya, I know. I remember working in Silicon
Valley when the C++ standard fist came out. Those were good days. All of the original
authors were there, and easily accessible.
But back to the point, you can't backdoor open source at the source code level, because
the humans can read the source code. You have to backdoor through the compiler.
Did you write your compiler in assembly language? And then assemble it? If not, trace the
lineage of your compiler. What do you know?
I suppose you can backdoor proprietary code. But no one in their right mind would use
proprietary programs written by others. Would they? Oh right, that's why ransomware attacks
work. How silly of me. Well, if you use Micro$oft, you get what you deserve.
I remember polo in Palo Alto. Much nicer than polo in Hawaii. We would sit at tables
on the side of the field, eat, drink, and never worry about getting [I had originally written
"being", but my proofreader caught it and replaced it with "getting", as there is no verb form
of "being". Smart girl.] hit by a ball.
Train of consciousness? Oh no. When asked what he does, Marcus Wynne would say,
"I drink coffee and know stuff." I do neither.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intel stuff ***** ***** *****
“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.)
"How to be harder to find" by Annette
https://onherown.life/how-to-be-harder-to-find/
Tradecraft for the civilian.
"Anti-Poaching Units: The Tools Of The Trade" by Kyt Lyn Walken and Andy Martin
https://www.recoilweb.com/anti-poaching-units-the-tools-of-the-trade-174282.html
More tradecraft.
"With Viasat Satellite Hack Officially Attributed to Russia by US and EU Allies,
What Next for Satellite Security?" by Daniel Pereira
https://www.oodaloop.com/archive/2022/05/12/with-viasat-satellite-hack-officially-attributed-to-russia-by-us-and-eu-allies-what-next-for-satellite-security/
Genius can be recognized by its childish simplicity.
-- Chinese Proverb
For my friends who are connoisseurs of chocolate, may I recommend Heidi Dark made by
Heidi Chocolat S. A. in Romania? I once attended an Easter service at a Romanian church.
It was surprisingly long, but well worth the time. All such events are social. You do it for
the people around you.
"Tucker: Inflation is proof the people in charge are reckless and stupid"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YyfGIpqulA
You can tell how intelligent a person is by listening to her speak. Consider a presidential
administration that chooses such a person to be their spokeswoman. The next time Peter Doocy
asks her a question, he will be accused by the liberal media of being racist and homophobic for
beating up on the retard.
Oh, wait, that already happened. (There is a delay between my writing and publishing
this blog.)
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
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