Greetings Sheepdogs,
This newsletter is continuing education for students of Defensive Pistolcraft.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
“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.)
It takes a lot of expert training, dedicated practice, effort, and time to become armed.
It doesn't happen when you buy the gun. It won't happen overnight.
"How-to: A close-to-home example of risk analysis" by Grant Cunningham
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2023/05/how-to-a-close-to-home-example-of-risk-analysis/
---
Most risk is very easy and cheap to mitigate. The expensive difficult part of the
exercise is finding the risk. Because people don't know what they don't know. But
they are absolutely certain that they do know. Such is superstition.
Example --
"I can't believe I'm being prosecuted! It was self-defense."
Well, no, actually it was not self-defense. You don't know the law. You don't know
what you're talking about. Because you have no training, no education. Because you
made no effort to educate yourself. Because you didn't bother to take a class.
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
"Intimidating Criminals at Gunpoint: Does Gun Choice Matter?"
by Massad Ayoob
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/intimidating-criminals-at-gunpoint-does-gun-choice-matter/
Excerpts:
"They [criminals] don’t fear the gun. What they fear, when they fear anything at all,
is the resolutely armed man or woman who is obviously prepared to shoot them if
they continue their violent transgression!"
"Criminals are predators, and one definition of “predator” could be “expert in prey
selection.” If you know in your heart that you can and will apply deadly force lawfully
if you must, your opponent may well intuit your resolve. That will probably go further
than your choice of gun in making the confrontation end with the criminal’s flight or
surrender, and prevent anyone from being shot at all."
What if you are not armed or have decided that you are not going to use a weapon yet?
How do you convince the enemy that you are ready, willing, and able to fight? Body
language.
Look at the enemy's hands and waist line.
Shut up. (Idiots talk. [Dirty Harry was a Hollywood character, not a real anything].
Operators strike silently, preemptively, without warning. But you're so confident,
you haven't decided to strike yet. You're going to give this schmuck the opportunity
to save his life by leaving.)
Stand up. (If you can. If you can't, move forward to the edge of your chair and
prepare to push off from your toes and balls of your feet.)
Shoulders down and relaxed.
High chest. (Imagine someone is pulling your nipples up.)
Tuck your chin and pull your head back, so your ears are above your shoulders
as they should have been if you had good posture and weren't slouching. So you will
be looking at the enemy out of the tops of your eye sockets. And your chin won't be
sticking out to invite an uppercut.
Tilt you body forward if you are standing. Tilt torso forward if you are sitting.
Shift your weight to the balls of your feet and your toes. (Even if you are sitting.)
Flex your knees, if you are standing. Prepare to push off, if you are sitting.
Practice doing this until the action is smooth and automatic, while looking
at the enemy and surroundings.
The wimp may take a step back and raise his hands. The hardened criminal may
give you a hard look and flare his nostrils, clench his fists, or something like that.
If you don't get a good reaction from the enemy, time to acquire a weapon.
Lots of field expedient weapons all around you that you noticed upon entry.
Because you were paying attention.
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
"Planning isn’t sexy,
but it’s the best way to get where you want to go.
That’s why preparedness and security start with pen and paper,
not guns and shooting."
-- Grant Cunningham
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2023/05/just-a-quick-thought/
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
In competition shooting, the decision to shoot is made when the buzzer sounds.
The shooting stops at the shooter's discretion.
In defensive shooting, the decision to shoot is made before each shot, including
each shot of a double tap. The shooting stops based on the assailants' behavior.
Do you understand the difference? In competition, you might risk hitting a no-shoot
target (It's just a penalty). In self-defense, unintentionally shooting an innocent
bystander might be considered "reckless" by a court, which is a crime (as well as being
immoral and irresponsible). Well, ya, it is your fault. You are responsible for every
bullet you launch. You are responsible for everything it hits. You can of course
attempt to evade responsibility, but that would be dishonorable.
“Willingness” is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- David M Shoup, USMC Commandant, 1960-1963
Sayings of Barbara Johnson:
The only thing you can really control in this life is your own mental attitude.
You can be as happy as you decide to be.
Yesterday is a canceled check, and tomorrow is a promissory note. But today is cash,
ready for us to spend in living, and that's why I say wake up and rejoice and take advantage
of the FRESH START. There are no mistakes, nothing has happened, and nobody has
goofed it up -- we've got today. We've got another chance.
We cannot let our burdens paralyze our progress.
---
"My life is a performance for which I was never given a chance to rehearse."
-- Ashleigh Brilliant, Pot-Shots No. 1318, © Brilliant Enterprises 1977.
Used by permission.
---
Instructions an Appalachian grandmother gave a new bride years ago concerning how to
wash clothes. You might want to copy it and stick it up over your automatic washer and
dryer. Then, every time you're tempted to have a pity party because life isn't so perfect,
you can read it and remember that life is always a choice.
Washday, 1916
1. Bild fire in backyard to heet kettle of rain water.
2. Set tubs so smoke won't blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3. Shave one hold cake lie soap in bilin water.
4. Sort things, make three piles, 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags.
5. Stir flour in cold water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water.
6. Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, then bile. Rub colored, don't bile, just rinch and starch.
7. Take white things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch and startch.
8. Hang old rags on fince.
9. Spread tee towels on grass.
10. Pore rinch water in flower bed.
11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12. Turn tubs upside down.
13. Go put on fresh dress, smooth hair with side combs, brew cup of tea, sit and rest and
rock a spell, and count blessings.
---
Life is easier than you think,
All you have to do is:
Accept the impossible,
Do without the indispensable,
Bear the intolerable,
and
Be able to smile at anything.
-- Source unknown
---
Barbara Johnson, Inspirational Press, New York, 1996
Library of Congress: 96-77143
ISBN: 0-88486-155-4
Not enough sleep causes poor judgment. Not enough water causes poor judgment.
Consumption of alcohol causes poor judgment. Consuming narcotics causes poor
judgment.
When do you need good judgment? Always, to avoid combat.
When do you need good judgment? In combat.
When will you engage in combat? Whenever the criminal chooses.
"You need to have the capacity for danger. You need to be ‘dangerous’.
Yet, you need to learn how to not use it except when necessary.
And, that is not the same thing as being harmless. . . .
There's nothing virtuous about harmlessness.
Harmless just means you’re ineffectual and useless."
-- Jordan Peterson
*************************************************************************
----- 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 [in the register position]
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET. [Also, what may move in front of your
target (in case someone panics and runs in front of you) and what is beyond your
target (in case your shot misses or passes through your intended target).]
"The Rest Of Gun Safety
Good eye and ear protection are must-haves when shooting."
by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/the-rest-of-gun-safety/
"If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it.
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury.
Therefore what he must fear is his victim."
-- Col. Jeff Cooper
A friend posted on FaceBook.com that his father's car was stolen a few minutes ago.
His father had left his keys and wallet in the car.
Just about every car that is stolen in Nashville has the keys in the car (criminals are lazy).
I wonder what the solution to this problem is?
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don’t go to stupid places.
Don’t associate with stupid people.
Don’t do stupid things. [Girlfriend: That's a terrible idea. What time?]
Be in bed by 10:00pm (your own bed!). [And make sure YOU set your alarm.
Boyfriend: Did you set the alarm for nine? (Speaking English)
Girlfriend: Nein. (Auf Deutsch) ]
Don’t look like a freak. [Goth, clown, Tammy Faye Bakker, etc.]
Don’t fail the attitude test. [If you meet an asshole, he's an asshole. If you're meeting
assholes all day long, you're the asshole.]
*************************************************************************
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to practice) -----
I know training can be difficult. Let me share some words of encouragement
that my teacher told me, that I believe apply to all training regimens.
---
"Keep in mind that this is some seriously next level material. It is totally normal that
the first time you see this stuff, you find it confusing. You find it difficult to understand.
So, confusion should not discourage you. It does not represent any intellectual failing on
your part. Rather, keep in mind that it represents an opportunity to get even smarter."
– Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science and other stuff at Stanford University
---
So having to take the class several times before you pass, should not bother you at all.
Prof. Albert Einstein felt that the semester was an arbitrary unit of time. Some need more
time, some less, to assimilate the material.
On the other hand, if your training is not difficult, but rather all fun and games;
you should look for more challenging training.
"The “Confidence Gap” and How it Relates to Training" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-confidence-gap-and-how-it-relates-to-training
--- Classes ---
"Close Quarters Handgun" by Agile Training and Consulting, Chuck Haggard
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/close-quarters-handgun-tickets-526098965167?aff=eand
Sunday, May 21 · 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
Apache Solutions
5239 U.S. 601 Yadkinville, NC 27055
$209.91
[I know this class has passed. I'm noting it so that you will know such classes are available.]
Massad Ayoob Group
https://massadayoobgroup.com/classes/
Due to the nature of our instruction, it is necessary to provide us
with one or more of the following when registering for all classes:
a. Current State Issued Permit to carry a concealed handgun
b. Current FFL – Federal Firearms License
c. Current FOID Card (Illinois Residents only)
d. Current Police or Military ID
e. Other current proof of clean criminal record. Most sheriff’s departments will run
these for you at a nominal fee, done routinely in many occupations
Security Operations Summit 2023, $159.00
https://fbsnamerica.com/sos/
Attendees must be an active first responder (uniformed / credentialed officer, responder
or chaplain) or serving a specific faith-based organization in a leadership or safety / security
role to attend. Because our speakers know they are speaking to a restricted audience,
more sensitive information is shared. We could fill more seats by opening up registration
— but we want real operators getting unfiltered information. We want the RIGHT seats
filled. NOTE: Because it is a vetted audience, it is not live-streamed or available remotely.
Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 8:00 AM CDT
-to-
Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT
The Journey Church
1240 Leeville Pike
Lebanon, TN 37090
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)
Guardian Conference, $650
https://guardianconference.com/
Oklahoma City Gun Club
12465 NE 234th St, Arcadia, OK 73007
Friday, Sept 15th, 2023; 7:15 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday, Sept 16th, 2023; 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday, Sept 17th, 2023; 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Active Self Protection National Conference 2023, $600
https://activeselfprotection.com/asp-national-conference-bullets-and-bibles-2023/
September 29th – October 1st of 2023 A.D.
Manhattan, KS
Tac Con 2024, $595
https://taccon.info/
Friday to Sunday, April 5-7, 2024. Classes run all day, from 8am to 6pm.
Dallas Pistol Club, just outside of Dallas, TX.
1830 W Belt Line Rd; Carrollton, TX 75006.
If you fill out the registration form, you'll be put on a waiting list.
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
--- End of Classes ---
"The Value of One Hand Shooting" by Marlan J. Ingram
https://www.openrangesports.com/blogs/blog/the-value-of-one-hand-shooting/
Excerpt:
Are you trained? Once again, that generally is up to you, and being trained is better
than not being trained. To this point, to what level are you trained? If you’ve taken a
Basic Pistol Safety Class or Concealed Carry Class, that’s good, but those classes don’t
teach you HOW to defend yourself. The purpose of those classes is to make sure that
you are safe, and that you are legal. To learn how to actively use the firearm as a self
defense tool, higher level ‘Self Defense Pistol Skills’ classes are in order. Do you
practice what you’ve been trained on? Firearms skills are perishable . . . how often do
you come to the range to train? Do you do one hand practice with your defensive firearm?
[One-handed practice should include one-handed presentation from the concealed
holster, including support-hand-only presentation from the concealed holster. Because,
if your firing-side hand / arm is injured, your pistol won't magically appear in your
support-side hand.
I know this is not taught in many gun schools. That's because it is dangerous.
That's why you have to learn it and practice it. So you can do it without endangering
everyone around you (or yourself). There are many many ways to get your pistol into
your support-side hand. It may take some effort to find a way that works for you.
Deciding that you can't do it is WRONG! and FALSE!
-- Jon Low]
"Quick Fixes For Eye Dominance And Both-Eyes-Open Shooting" by Mike Ox
AutomaticAiming.com
Click on "replay" to view the recorded class immediately, as opposed to participating in
a live webinar at a future date.
Excerpt:
'Not being confused by double or "ghost" images when shooting with both-eyes-open.'
---
Mr. Ox advocates shooting with both eyes open. I disagree. Closing the non-aiming
eye during the aiming and releasing of the shot, which would be a fraction of a second,
ensures that you are shooting at what you think you are aiming at.
Mr. Ox assumes that the student can close one eye while leaving the other one open.
Some people can't. I had a student who could not close one eye at a time. So the shooter
must have a sighting system that eliminates the ambiguity (double image of the target,
double image of the sight), red dot sight maybe?
Mr. Ox showed an example of using a laser pointer attached to your head to do exercises.
My physical therapist had me attach such a laser pointer to my hip for lower spine exercises.
I'll be twerking in no time.
“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
"Surviving Disarming Attempts" by Massad Ayoob
https://gunsmagazine.com/self-defense/surviving-disarming-attempts/
Excerpt:
"After he wrestled the gun away and had the woman safely handcuffed, he had
another thought: “I’m not nearly as squared away with this as I need to be.”
The harrowing moment transformed Dobbs into a relative rarity in American law
enforcement, a true believer in the notion that he needed training beyond the police
academy and the bloodless calm of the gun range."
"Just because you’re a private citizen carrying concealed, don’t think that you
won’t experience a felonious gun-grab. The gun might become visible and trigger
the grab. The bad guy may be a disgruntled employee who knows where you carry
your gun. The situation may start with a hand-to-hand fight in which he grabs you
around the waist and feels your gun!"
[The weapon retention techniques that I teach in my class were learned from
Fletch Fuller at a TacCon and Todd Fossey at the Guardian conference.
I will have to learn the Jim Lindell techniques. -- Jon Low]
If you make the decision to get training and act on it now, you may expect to be
competent, confident, and comfortable carrying concealed for self-defense in about a
year, depending on how much you practice. It took me two decades. I'm a slow learner.
"Hone Your Defensive Skills While Enjoying the Outdoors
What to do when you have attended many classes to learn how to shoot,
when to shoot and what to shoot." by George Harris
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/hone-your-defensive-skills-while-enjoying-the-outdoors/
---
Hunt wild game in the wild, not a reserve. Stocked game are different from wild game.
Field dress it. Butcher it. Cook it. Eat it. (You probably want to hunt deer initially.)
If you have never done this, put it on your bucket list; the sooner the better. You'll want
to have hunting experience before taking your kids or grand kids on a hunt. I remember
when I first took my kids into the forest. They made lots of noise and asked me where all
the animals were. I told them that they were making too much noise and their noise was
scaring all the animals away. They didn't understand, too young.
I've been on hunts with guys who would smoke while "hunting" and wonder why they
didn't see anything all day.
There is a huge class of people to whom the obvious is not obvious. As Tiffany Johnson
says, you have to explain the chamber check in detail because some people have never
checked a chamber. They don't know what to look for.
No, it's not obvious. If it were, there wouldn't be hundreds of negligent shootings
every year in America. There is nothing obvious about firearms safety, hunting, or
shooting in general.
Get your training while you can. You never know when some government will
outlaw your favorite gun school.
---
'State [Vermont] Bans "Paramilitary Training" In Violation of the 2nd Amendment'
Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDBHixuGuBw
---
'State Attacks Gun Range as "Antigovernment Training Camp" '
by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-M3seQPVr8
"Pre-Attack Indicators
Learn how to tell someone is about to assault you
long before they make their first move."
by Dave Young
https://www.policemag.com/training/article/15346362/pre-attack-indicators
If you start watching the first video, the succeeding videos will play automatically.
"Lessons Learned From Analyzing 40,000 Gun Fights Part 1" by John Correia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA3K3f0yR38
"Lessons Learned From Analyzing 40,000 Gun Fights Part 2" by John Correia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXp1SBRriQI
"Lessons Learned From Analyzing 40,000 Gun Fights Part 3" by John Correia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSc54YTznvM
The slides can be downloaded from,
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vnygty964cq1l0v/30k%20Lessons%20v2.0%20PDF.pdf
You should have a blue gun (inert solid piece of plastic that is the same shape as
your real gun) for your training.
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- Practice (how to get competent at that task) -----
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
"3 Top Defensive Handgun Drills" by Richard A. Mann
https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/firearm-training/top-defensive-handgun-drills
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
This newsletter is continuing education for students of Defensive Pistolcraft.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
“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.)
It takes a lot of expert training, dedicated practice, effort, and time to become armed.
It doesn't happen when you buy the gun. It won't happen overnight.
"How-to: A close-to-home example of risk analysis" by Grant Cunningham
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2023/05/how-to-a-close-to-home-example-of-risk-analysis/
---
Most risk is very easy and cheap to mitigate. The expensive difficult part of the
exercise is finding the risk. Because people don't know what they don't know. But
they are absolutely certain that they do know. Such is superstition.
Example --
"I can't believe I'm being prosecuted! It was self-defense."
Well, no, actually it was not self-defense. You don't know the law. You don't know
what you're talking about. Because you have no training, no education. Because you
made no effort to educate yourself. Because you didn't bother to take a class.
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
"Intimidating Criminals at Gunpoint: Does Gun Choice Matter?"
by Massad Ayoob
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/intimidating-criminals-at-gunpoint-does-gun-choice-matter/
Excerpts:
"They [criminals] don’t fear the gun. What they fear, when they fear anything at all,
is the resolutely armed man or woman who is obviously prepared to shoot them if
they continue their violent transgression!"
"Criminals are predators, and one definition of “predator” could be “expert in prey
selection.” If you know in your heart that you can and will apply deadly force lawfully
if you must, your opponent may well intuit your resolve. That will probably go further
than your choice of gun in making the confrontation end with the criminal’s flight or
surrender, and prevent anyone from being shot at all."
What if you are not armed or have decided that you are not going to use a weapon yet?
How do you convince the enemy that you are ready, willing, and able to fight? Body
language.
Look at the enemy's hands and waist line.
Shut up. (Idiots talk. [Dirty Harry was a Hollywood character, not a real anything].
Operators strike silently, preemptively, without warning. But you're so confident,
you haven't decided to strike yet. You're going to give this schmuck the opportunity
to save his life by leaving.)
Stand up. (If you can. If you can't, move forward to the edge of your chair and
prepare to push off from your toes and balls of your feet.)
Shoulders down and relaxed.
High chest. (Imagine someone is pulling your nipples up.)
Tuck your chin and pull your head back, so your ears are above your shoulders
as they should have been if you had good posture and weren't slouching. So you will
be looking at the enemy out of the tops of your eye sockets. And your chin won't be
sticking out to invite an uppercut.
Tilt you body forward if you are standing. Tilt torso forward if you are sitting.
Shift your weight to the balls of your feet and your toes. (Even if you are sitting.)
Flex your knees, if you are standing. Prepare to push off, if you are sitting.
Practice doing this until the action is smooth and automatic, while looking
at the enemy and surroundings.
The wimp may take a step back and raise his hands. The hardened criminal may
give you a hard look and flare his nostrils, clench his fists, or something like that.
If you don't get a good reaction from the enemy, time to acquire a weapon.
Lots of field expedient weapons all around you that you noticed upon entry.
Because you were paying attention.
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
"Planning isn’t sexy,
but it’s the best way to get where you want to go.
That’s why preparedness and security start with pen and paper,
not guns and shooting."
-- Grant Cunningham
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2023/05/just-a-quick-thought/
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
In competition shooting, the decision to shoot is made when the buzzer sounds.
The shooting stops at the shooter's discretion.
In defensive shooting, the decision to shoot is made before each shot, including
each shot of a double tap. The shooting stops based on the assailants' behavior.
Do you understand the difference? In competition, you might risk hitting a no-shoot
target (It's just a penalty). In self-defense, unintentionally shooting an innocent
bystander might be considered "reckless" by a court, which is a crime (as well as being
immoral and irresponsible). Well, ya, it is your fault. You are responsible for every
bullet you launch. You are responsible for everything it hits. You can of course
attempt to evade responsibility, but that would be dishonorable.
“Willingness” is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- David M Shoup, USMC Commandant, 1960-1963
Sayings of Barbara Johnson:
The only thing you can really control in this life is your own mental attitude.
You can be as happy as you decide to be.
Yesterday is a canceled check, and tomorrow is a promissory note. But today is cash,
ready for us to spend in living, and that's why I say wake up and rejoice and take advantage
of the FRESH START. There are no mistakes, nothing has happened, and nobody has
goofed it up -- we've got today. We've got another chance.
We cannot let our burdens paralyze our progress.
---
"My life is a performance for which I was never given a chance to rehearse."
-- Ashleigh Brilliant, Pot-Shots No. 1318, © Brilliant Enterprises 1977.
Used by permission.
---
Instructions an Appalachian grandmother gave a new bride years ago concerning how to
wash clothes. You might want to copy it and stick it up over your automatic washer and
dryer. Then, every time you're tempted to have a pity party because life isn't so perfect,
you can read it and remember that life is always a choice.
Washday, 1916
1. Bild fire in backyard to heet kettle of rain water.
2. Set tubs so smoke won't blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3. Shave one hold cake lie soap in bilin water.
4. Sort things, make three piles, 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags.
5. Stir flour in cold water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water.
6. Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, then bile. Rub colored, don't bile, just rinch and starch.
7. Take white things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch and startch.
8. Hang old rags on fince.
9. Spread tee towels on grass.
10. Pore rinch water in flower bed.
11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12. Turn tubs upside down.
13. Go put on fresh dress, smooth hair with side combs, brew cup of tea, sit and rest and
rock a spell, and count blessings.
---
Life is easier than you think,
All you have to do is:
Accept the impossible,
Do without the indispensable,
Bear the intolerable,
and
Be able to smile at anything.
-- Source unknown
---
Barbara Johnson, Inspirational Press, New York, 1996
Library of Congress: 96-77143
ISBN: 0-88486-155-4
Not enough sleep causes poor judgment. Not enough water causes poor judgment.
Consumption of alcohol causes poor judgment. Consuming narcotics causes poor
judgment.
When do you need good judgment? Always, to avoid combat.
When do you need good judgment? In combat.
When will you engage in combat? Whenever the criminal chooses.
"You need to have the capacity for danger. You need to be ‘dangerous’.
Yet, you need to learn how to not use it except when necessary.
And, that is not the same thing as being harmless. . . .
There's nothing virtuous about harmlessness.
Harmless just means you’re ineffectual and useless."
-- Jordan Peterson
*************************************************************************
----- 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 [in the register position]
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET. [Also, what may move in front of your
target (in case someone panics and runs in front of you) and what is beyond your
target (in case your shot misses or passes through your intended target).]
"The Rest Of Gun Safety
Good eye and ear protection are must-haves when shooting."
by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/the-rest-of-gun-safety/
"If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it.
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury.
Therefore what he must fear is his victim."
-- Col. Jeff Cooper
A friend posted on FaceBook.com that his father's car was stolen a few minutes ago.
His father had left his keys and wallet in the car.
Just about every car that is stolen in Nashville has the keys in the car (criminals are lazy).
I wonder what the solution to this problem is?
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don’t go to stupid places.
Don’t associate with stupid people.
Don’t do stupid things. [Girlfriend: That's a terrible idea. What time?]
Be in bed by 10:00pm (your own bed!). [And make sure YOU set your alarm.
Boyfriend: Did you set the alarm for nine? (Speaking English)
Girlfriend: Nein. (Auf Deutsch) ]
Don’t look like a freak. [Goth, clown, Tammy Faye Bakker, etc.]
Don’t fail the attitude test. [If you meet an asshole, he's an asshole. If you're meeting
assholes all day long, you're the asshole.]
*************************************************************************
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to practice) -----
I know training can be difficult. Let me share some words of encouragement
that my teacher told me, that I believe apply to all training regimens.
---
"Keep in mind that this is some seriously next level material. It is totally normal that
the first time you see this stuff, you find it confusing. You find it difficult to understand.
So, confusion should not discourage you. It does not represent any intellectual failing on
your part. Rather, keep in mind that it represents an opportunity to get even smarter."
– Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science and other stuff at Stanford University
---
So having to take the class several times before you pass, should not bother you at all.
Prof. Albert Einstein felt that the semester was an arbitrary unit of time. Some need more
time, some less, to assimilate the material.
On the other hand, if your training is not difficult, but rather all fun and games;
you should look for more challenging training.
"The “Confidence Gap” and How it Relates to Training" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-confidence-gap-and-how-it-relates-to-training
--- Classes ---
"Close Quarters Handgun" by Agile Training and Consulting, Chuck Haggard
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/close-quarters-handgun-tickets-526098965167?aff=eand
Sunday, May 21 · 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
Apache Solutions
5239 U.S. 601 Yadkinville, NC 27055
$209.91
[I know this class has passed. I'm noting it so that you will know such classes are available.]
Massad Ayoob Group
https://massadayoobgroup.com/classes/
Due to the nature of our instruction, it is necessary to provide us
with one or more of the following when registering for all classes:
a. Current State Issued Permit to carry a concealed handgun
b. Current FFL – Federal Firearms License
c. Current FOID Card (Illinois Residents only)
d. Current Police or Military ID
e. Other current proof of clean criminal record. Most sheriff’s departments will run
these for you at a nominal fee, done routinely in many occupations
Security Operations Summit 2023, $159.00
https://fbsnamerica.com/sos/
Attendees must be an active first responder (uniformed / credentialed officer, responder
or chaplain) or serving a specific faith-based organization in a leadership or safety / security
role to attend. Because our speakers know they are speaking to a restricted audience,
more sensitive information is shared. We could fill more seats by opening up registration
— but we want real operators getting unfiltered information. We want the RIGHT seats
filled. NOTE: Because it is a vetted audience, it is not live-streamed or available remotely.
Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 8:00 AM CDT
-to-
Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT
The Journey Church
1240 Leeville Pike
Lebanon, TN 37090
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)
Guardian Conference, $650
https://guardianconference.com/
Oklahoma City Gun Club
12465 NE 234th St, Arcadia, OK 73007
Friday, Sept 15th, 2023; 7:15 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday, Sept 16th, 2023; 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday, Sept 17th, 2023; 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Active Self Protection National Conference 2023, $600
https://activeselfprotection.com/asp-national-conference-bullets-and-bibles-2023/
September 29th – October 1st of 2023 A.D.
Manhattan, KS
Tac Con 2024, $595
https://taccon.info/
Friday to Sunday, April 5-7, 2024. Classes run all day, from 8am to 6pm.
Dallas Pistol Club, just outside of Dallas, TX.
1830 W Belt Line Rd; Carrollton, TX 75006.
If you fill out the registration form, you'll be put on a waiting list.
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
--- End of Classes ---
"The Value of One Hand Shooting" by Marlan J. Ingram
https://www.openrangesports.com/blogs/blog/the-value-of-one-hand-shooting/
Excerpt:
Are you trained? Once again, that generally is up to you, and being trained is better
than not being trained. To this point, to what level are you trained? If you’ve taken a
Basic Pistol Safety Class or Concealed Carry Class, that’s good, but those classes don’t
teach you HOW to defend yourself. The purpose of those classes is to make sure that
you are safe, and that you are legal. To learn how to actively use the firearm as a self
defense tool, higher level ‘Self Defense Pistol Skills’ classes are in order. Do you
practice what you’ve been trained on? Firearms skills are perishable . . . how often do
you come to the range to train? Do you do one hand practice with your defensive firearm?
[One-handed practice should include one-handed presentation from the concealed
holster, including support-hand-only presentation from the concealed holster. Because,
if your firing-side hand / arm is injured, your pistol won't magically appear in your
support-side hand.
I know this is not taught in many gun schools. That's because it is dangerous.
That's why you have to learn it and practice it. So you can do it without endangering
everyone around you (or yourself). There are many many ways to get your pistol into
your support-side hand. It may take some effort to find a way that works for you.
Deciding that you can't do it is WRONG! and FALSE!
-- Jon Low]
"Quick Fixes For Eye Dominance And Both-Eyes-Open Shooting" by Mike Ox
AutomaticAiming.com
Click on "replay" to view the recorded class immediately, as opposed to participating in
a live webinar at a future date.
Excerpt:
'Not being confused by double or "ghost" images when shooting with both-eyes-open.'
---
Mr. Ox advocates shooting with both eyes open. I disagree. Closing the non-aiming
eye during the aiming and releasing of the shot, which would be a fraction of a second,
ensures that you are shooting at what you think you are aiming at.
Mr. Ox assumes that the student can close one eye while leaving the other one open.
Some people can't. I had a student who could not close one eye at a time. So the shooter
must have a sighting system that eliminates the ambiguity (double image of the target,
double image of the sight), red dot sight maybe?
Mr. Ox showed an example of using a laser pointer attached to your head to do exercises.
My physical therapist had me attach such a laser pointer to my hip for lower spine exercises.
I'll be twerking in no time.
“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
"Surviving Disarming Attempts" by Massad Ayoob
https://gunsmagazine.com/self-defense/surviving-disarming-attempts/
Excerpt:
"After he wrestled the gun away and had the woman safely handcuffed, he had
another thought: “I’m not nearly as squared away with this as I need to be.”
The harrowing moment transformed Dobbs into a relative rarity in American law
enforcement, a true believer in the notion that he needed training beyond the police
academy and the bloodless calm of the gun range."
"Just because you’re a private citizen carrying concealed, don’t think that you
won’t experience a felonious gun-grab. The gun might become visible and trigger
the grab. The bad guy may be a disgruntled employee who knows where you carry
your gun. The situation may start with a hand-to-hand fight in which he grabs you
around the waist and feels your gun!"
[The weapon retention techniques that I teach in my class were learned from
Fletch Fuller at a TacCon and Todd Fossey at the Guardian conference.
I will have to learn the Jim Lindell techniques. -- Jon Low]
If you make the decision to get training and act on it now, you may expect to be
competent, confident, and comfortable carrying concealed for self-defense in about a
year, depending on how much you practice. It took me two decades. I'm a slow learner.
"Hone Your Defensive Skills While Enjoying the Outdoors
What to do when you have attended many classes to learn how to shoot,
when to shoot and what to shoot." by George Harris
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/hone-your-defensive-skills-while-enjoying-the-outdoors/
---
Hunt wild game in the wild, not a reserve. Stocked game are different from wild game.
Field dress it. Butcher it. Cook it. Eat it. (You probably want to hunt deer initially.)
If you have never done this, put it on your bucket list; the sooner the better. You'll want
to have hunting experience before taking your kids or grand kids on a hunt. I remember
when I first took my kids into the forest. They made lots of noise and asked me where all
the animals were. I told them that they were making too much noise and their noise was
scaring all the animals away. They didn't understand, too young.
I've been on hunts with guys who would smoke while "hunting" and wonder why they
didn't see anything all day.
There is a huge class of people to whom the obvious is not obvious. As Tiffany Johnson
says, you have to explain the chamber check in detail because some people have never
checked a chamber. They don't know what to look for.
No, it's not obvious. If it were, there wouldn't be hundreds of negligent shootings
every year in America. There is nothing obvious about firearms safety, hunting, or
shooting in general.
Get your training while you can. You never know when some government will
outlaw your favorite gun school.
---
'State [Vermont] Bans "Paramilitary Training" In Violation of the 2nd Amendment'
Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDBHixuGuBw
---
'State Attacks Gun Range as "Antigovernment Training Camp" '
by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-M3seQPVr8
"Pre-Attack Indicators
Learn how to tell someone is about to assault you
long before they make their first move."
by Dave Young
https://www.policemag.com/training/article/15346362/pre-attack-indicators
If you start watching the first video, the succeeding videos will play automatically.
"Lessons Learned From Analyzing 40,000 Gun Fights Part 1" by John Correia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA3K3f0yR38
"Lessons Learned From Analyzing 40,000 Gun Fights Part 2" by John Correia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXp1SBRriQI
"Lessons Learned From Analyzing 40,000 Gun Fights Part 3" by John Correia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSc54YTznvM
The slides can be downloaded from,
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vnygty964cq1l0v/30k%20Lessons%20v2.0%20PDF.pdf
You should have a blue gun (inert solid piece of plastic that is the same shape as
your real gun) for your training.
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- Practice (how to get competent at that task) -----
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
"3 Top Defensive Handgun Drills" by Richard A. Mann
https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/firearm-training/top-defensive-handgun-drills
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
You should have a blue gun (inert solid piece of plastic that is the same shape as
your real gun) for your practice.
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
If you have zeroed your pistol for self-defense at 2 yards, your point of impact will
exactly match your point of aim at 2 yards, and be within a couple of inches out to 10 yards.
The distance from the wall in the Board of Director's room (the other side of which is
the hallway connecting the Senior Kitchen to the Early Childhood Learning Center) to
the end of the hall by the elevators is 83 yards. Joe Gaines (fellow security officer and
retired Deputy Sheriff) and I were discussing how to shoot this shot with our pistols,
should the need arise. My point of aim (with my weapon system) would be 2 inches low
(according to Hornady. ShootersCalculator.com says 1 inch low. Federal says 3.4 inches low.
See ballistic calculators below.). That is to say my point of impact will be 2 inches above
my point of aim. Given,
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.194
Muzzle Velocity (ft/s): 850
Bullet Weight (Grains): 230
Drag Function: G1
Sight Height (inches above center of bore): 0.5
Shooting Angle (Degrees): 0 (shooting up hill or down hill)
Zero Range (yards): 2 (first distance at which the point of impact matches the point of aim,
the second zero will be at about 100 yards)
Wind Speed (mph): 0
Wind Angle (Deg.): 90 (doesn't matter, there is no wind)
Altitude (ft. above sea level): 0
Pressure (mm of Hg): 29.53
Temperature (F): 59
Humidity (%): 78
This is the standard military 45 ACP cartridge out of a 5 inch barrel.
Do you know where you must aim to make that shot? Ya, that's outside of "normal"
pistol range. But if you're fighting a guy with a rifle, you might not be able to close the
distance. And several of the recent mass murderers have used rifles.
I know that I can make this shot from a standing position with my pistol, because
I have done it (at Front Sight and at Strategic Edge, humanoid steel plates at 100 yards).
I would be more confident in a prone position.
If you practice the shot (whatever it may be) you will have the confidence. You must
have the confidence. Otherwise, you won't attempt the shot in the first place.
71-year-old Jack Wilson made the head shot (on the first try) in his church in
White Settlement, TX because he had the confidence to take the shot,
because he had practiced the shot thousands of times over many years.
If you don't know where your bullet will impact at every distance from 0 to 100 yards,
print out the results from the ballistic calculator (see below) and shoot those distances
to verify. Every ballistic calculator will give you slightly different results, because
they all use different formulae and different assumptions (the temperature of the
ammunition [as opposed to the ambient air temperature], the tightness of the bore
of the barrel, etc.).
If you are shooting uphill or downhill, do you know how that will affect your point
of impact relative to your point of aim. (The affect of gravity is less than when shooting
horizontally, so the point of impact will be higher.) Print out the results from the
ballistic calculator and shoot those angles to verify.
If you take a shot without knowing exactly where you bullet is supposed to hit at
that range and angle, you're being reckless. And that's a crime. (It only takes
negligence to be civilly liable. Recklessness makes you criminally liable.)
---
List of online ballistic calculators:
Federal (everyone in my gun club says this is the one to use)
https://www.federalpremium.com/Ballistics-Calculator
Hornady (my favorite)
https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/
Ballistic Coefficient Calculator (This is very useful to find ballistic coefficients.)
https://gundata.org/ballistic-coefficient-calculator
ShootersCalculator.com (they seem to be using a different formula)
https://shooterscalculator.com/ballistic-trajectory-chart.php
GunData.org (doesn't have the resolution for pistol analysis)
https://gundata.org/ballistic-calculator/
Winchester (will only do their own cartridges, so basically worthless)
https://ballisticscalculator.winchester.com/#!/
---
If your bullet comes out of your muzzle at supersonic speed, you must know
when your bullet transitions to subsonic speed. Because during this transition,
your bullet will be in its own shock wave. The turbulance will destabilize your
bullet. Just as with rifles, the effective range of your pistol is the distance to
sonic transition, because the bullet is not stable during or after the transition.
That's why shooting subsonic ammunition in your pistol is such a good idea.
The bullet never transitions. And silencers work very well.
Some of the above ballistic calculators will indicate when the bullet transitions.
Otherwise, you can use 1125 feet per second (767 miles per hour) around sea level.
At 35,000 feet altitude, you can use 953 fps (650 mph). That's why your commercial
jet airliner travels at 650 mph at 35,000 feet altitude. As long as it stays subsonic,
it saves a lot of fuel. Generally speaking, the less dense the medium, the slower
the speed of sound (but less air resistance); the lower the pressure, the slower the
speed of sound (but also less air resistance).
"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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intervention ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it,
which tactics to use, which includes walking away) -----
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
your real gun) for your practice.
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
If you have zeroed your pistol for self-defense at 2 yards, your point of impact will
exactly match your point of aim at 2 yards, and be within a couple of inches out to 10 yards.
The distance from the wall in the Board of Director's room (the other side of which is
the hallway connecting the Senior Kitchen to the Early Childhood Learning Center) to
the end of the hall by the elevators is 83 yards. Joe Gaines (fellow security officer and
retired Deputy Sheriff) and I were discussing how to shoot this shot with our pistols,
should the need arise. My point of aim (with my weapon system) would be 2 inches low
(according to Hornady. ShootersCalculator.com says 1 inch low. Federal says 3.4 inches low.
See ballistic calculators below.). That is to say my point of impact will be 2 inches above
my point of aim. Given,
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.194
Muzzle Velocity (ft/s): 850
Bullet Weight (Grains): 230
Drag Function: G1
Sight Height (inches above center of bore): 0.5
Shooting Angle (Degrees): 0 (shooting up hill or down hill)
Zero Range (yards): 2 (first distance at which the point of impact matches the point of aim,
the second zero will be at about 100 yards)
Wind Speed (mph): 0
Wind Angle (Deg.): 90 (doesn't matter, there is no wind)
Altitude (ft. above sea level): 0
Pressure (mm of Hg): 29.53
Temperature (F): 59
Humidity (%): 78
This is the standard military 45 ACP cartridge out of a 5 inch barrel.
Do you know where you must aim to make that shot? Ya, that's outside of "normal"
pistol range. But if you're fighting a guy with a rifle, you might not be able to close the
distance. And several of the recent mass murderers have used rifles.
I know that I can make this shot from a standing position with my pistol, because
I have done it (at Front Sight and at Strategic Edge, humanoid steel plates at 100 yards).
I would be more confident in a prone position.
If you practice the shot (whatever it may be) you will have the confidence. You must
have the confidence. Otherwise, you won't attempt the shot in the first place.
71-year-old Jack Wilson made the head shot (on the first try) in his church in
White Settlement, TX because he had the confidence to take the shot,
because he had practiced the shot thousands of times over many years.
If you don't know where your bullet will impact at every distance from 0 to 100 yards,
print out the results from the ballistic calculator (see below) and shoot those distances
to verify. Every ballistic calculator will give you slightly different results, because
they all use different formulae and different assumptions (the temperature of the
ammunition [as opposed to the ambient air temperature], the tightness of the bore
of the barrel, etc.).
If you are shooting uphill or downhill, do you know how that will affect your point
of impact relative to your point of aim. (The affect of gravity is less than when shooting
horizontally, so the point of impact will be higher.) Print out the results from the
ballistic calculator and shoot those angles to verify.
If you take a shot without knowing exactly where you bullet is supposed to hit at
that range and angle, you're being reckless. And that's a crime. (It only takes
negligence to be civilly liable. Recklessness makes you criminally liable.)
---
List of online ballistic calculators:
Federal (everyone in my gun club says this is the one to use)
https://www.federalpremium.com/Ballistics-Calculator
Hornady (my favorite)
https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/
Ballistic Coefficient Calculator (This is very useful to find ballistic coefficients.)
https://gundata.org/ballistic-coefficient-calculator
ShootersCalculator.com (they seem to be using a different formula)
https://shooterscalculator.com/ballistic-trajectory-chart.php
GunData.org (doesn't have the resolution for pistol analysis)
https://gundata.org/ballistic-calculator/
Winchester (will only do their own cartridges, so basically worthless)
https://ballisticscalculator.winchester.com/#!/
---
If your bullet comes out of your muzzle at supersonic speed, you must know
when your bullet transitions to subsonic speed. Because during this transition,
your bullet will be in its own shock wave. The turbulance will destabilize your
bullet. Just as with rifles, the effective range of your pistol is the distance to
sonic transition, because the bullet is not stable during or after the transition.
That's why shooting subsonic ammunition in your pistol is such a good idea.
The bullet never transitions. And silencers work very well.
Some of the above ballistic calculators will indicate when the bullet transitions.
Otherwise, you can use 1125 feet per second (767 miles per hour) around sea level.
At 35,000 feet altitude, you can use 953 fps (650 mph). That's why your commercial
jet airliner travels at 650 mph at 35,000 feet altitude. As long as it stays subsonic,
it saves a lot of fuel. Generally speaking, the less dense the medium, the slower
the speed of sound (but less air resistance); the lower the pressure, the slower the
speed of sound (but also less air resistance).
"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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intervention ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it,
which tactics to use, which includes walking away) -----
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
Retreat is a tactical maneuver. Retreat is not surrender.
"WHAT IS AN ORDERLY RETREAT?" by Hock Hochheim
https://www.forcenecessary.com/what-is-an-orderly-retreat/
Excerpt:
"The law will ask, if there’s trouble, why did you go there and why are you still there?
Can you leave people behind? Will you be leaving family, friends and comrades behind?
Can you leave? Should you leave? Sometimes you can’t leave."
---
Are you competent? If not, your smart move is to leave. Deciding to get involved,
when incompetent, is effectively deciding to commit suicide. What would your spouse and
kids think of that?
"I won't be a coward."
Protecting your family's income and health is not cowardice.
"I have a duty as a citizen and human to defend others."
No, no, you don't. The victim has a duty to defend himself. His negligence, in not
maintaining situational awareness, not acquiring a pistol, not carrying the pistol, not getting
training, and not practicing is his sequence of choices that lead to his victimization. He
chose to be a victim. Why would you interfere with the consequences of his choices?
(Well, if the victim is smoking hot, maybe. Though in my experience, the damsels in
distress that I have rescued, haven't given me a second glance.)
Remember, his choices were intentional. Just as smoking, doing drugs, driving while
texting will eventually kill a person, so the victim's past decisions will eventually kill him.
You can't save him. You have no duty to try to save him. Your imagined duty is from
reading too many "knights in shining armor" stories.
"I am competent."
As Andrew Branca says, when you get involved, you take on the risk of death, serious
injury (which means disabled, wheelchair, bed ridden, drooling on yourself in the nursing
home, etc.), and spending the rest of your life in prison (with violent agressive persons
who will eventually kill you, oh it's true that some people thrive in prison, get degrees
and such, but not good people like us). And you don't take on the "risk" of spending
more money that you could possibly have; no, no, you will definitely spend that money
because you don't want to spend the rest of your life in prison. And if the first trial ends
in a mistrial, you'll have a public defender for the second trial, because you won't have
any money. You're not Bill Cosby. You don't have money for a second trial and appeals.
In America, you get as much justice as you can afford.
I have had real training in the Marine Corps. I was a military policeman for a time
in the Marine Corps. I have had lots of training in civilian gun schools and conferences.
I practice a lot. I have had combat experience at the individual level. An objective
observer would probably consider me competent. I do not consider myself competent,
in the sense that I am not sure that I can incapacitate the assailant and escape unscathed.
(Because that is my purpose, to escape, preferably unscathed.)
I know that getting involved will not end well for me. CNN will label me a
White-Asian (just as they labeled George Zimmerman a White-Hispanic), gun nut,
and extremist (maybe a White Supremacist, because that's the label they used on the
Mexican (not Mexican-American, just illegal alien Mexican) in Texas who shot up
the Allen Premium Outlets north of Dallas, TX). The local prosecutor, Glenn Funk,
will prosecute me (remember Andrew Delke). Black Lives Matter will be protesting
in the streets. So I have to be absolutely certain that shooting the young black male
with a long violent criminal record (because statistically, that is the assailant)
is the only way to protect my loved ones and myself. As Andrew Branca says,
after 20 years in prison, you have to be able to think to yourself, "Ya, it was worth it,
I would do it again."
Oh, do you find this reality disturbing?
So even if you're competent, the smart move is to walk away.
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
"A government that (unlike ours) values the lives of its citizens!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/a-government-that-unlike-ours-values-the-lives-of-its-citizens/
Killing the bad guys after the murders is good. It sends a message. But the only way
to prevent the murders of innocent civilians is to preemptively incapacitate the bad-guys.
Yes, we (Intelligence) know who they are. Here in the U.S., the bad-guys have long
criminal records, because in America, we coddle repeat offenders. So everyone knows
who the bad-guys are. A lot of countries don't have repeat offenders, because they behave
as do the Israelis, the Saudis, the Turks, etc. (Those are just the countries that I know of,
because I have operated in them. There are many others that don't tolerate criminals,
much less pamper them as we do in the U.S.)
---
The only way to prevent friendly casualties is to strike preemptively. As Michael Mann
says, we always strive for prevention. (That was and is the strategy of the Global War On
Terrorism [oh ya, that war is still ongoing]. I always wondered why the Department of
Defense handed out the GWOT medal/ribbon to everyone, while no one got the
Cold War medal/ribbon.)
Striking preemptively is within self-defense law. Your competent lawyer will articulate
your reasonable fear of death or grave injury to justify your preemptive strike. (You, on the
other hand, will keep your mouth shut!) Nowhere in our country are you required to suffer
an injury before defending yourself or defending others.
In every mass murder, analysis reveals that persons were killed because no good-guy
struck the bad-guy preemptively. If a good-guy strikes preemptively, there is no mass murder.
So there is no report of a mass murder, so there is no news report of a mass murder. Isn't
that a better outcome? The only way to ensure zero friendly casualties is to strike the
bad-guy preemptively.
"You win gunfights by not getting shot."
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics (tasks that you should strive to be competent to do in support of your strategy) -----
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Two Men Rob Woman Sitting In Her Car" by Active Self Protection (John Correia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghN3dD9C58k
"Watch how this robbery unfolds. John gives some good advice about how to prevent
it from happening. Don’t loiter in your parked car. If you have to wait in your car,
lock your doors, keep it in gear, and regularly scan your mirrors."
-- Greg Ellifritz
“Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”
-- Chuck Haggard
"The Danger of Trying to Run Backwards" by Dave Spaulding
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/8ae2c778-eef0-46f9-a95c-7bbdf2be65ae
"Get Back In The Action: The New York Reload
Is drawing a backup gun faster than reloading your revolver?"
by Kevin Creighton
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/get-back-in-the-action-the-new-york-reload/
Excerpts:
"At first, the times for drawing a gun from a crossdraw surprised me a bit.
Three or so seconds is a good time for inserting a fresh magazine into a
semi-automatic pistol. Knowing that I can potentially draw a new gun in the
same amount of time makes a backup gun on my support side hip a very viable
alternative to carrying a spare magazine in the same location."
"If you’re unfortunate enough to have a gun break on you, or run into a
more difficult malfunction like a double-feed or tip-up malfunction,
then doing a New York Reload and going to a backup gun is probably your best option."
[If you're going to carry a second pistol, it might make sense to place it in a position
to allow your support-side hand easy access. -- Jon Low]
"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
"Handgun Action Shooting Technique - Grip" by Dryfire Systems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hw_iPn3cQA
"Lock your wrist" What does that mean? If you're going to teach, you must define
the terms you use and explain in detail.
While continuously walking up range, can you turn to your right, and fire down range?
While continuously walking up range, can you turn to your left and fire down range?
And hit what you're aiming at? With a one-handed grip? With a two-handed grip?
Can you do it while running? If not, would it be better to stop and then shoot?
Can you do it at a high crawl (hands and knees)?
Can you do it at a low crawl (belly in contact with the ground)?
"I don't need to learn or practice such things.
I cannot imagine ever being in such a situation."
The CIA has a saying about that.
“There are things that you cannot imagine, but there is nothing that may not happen!”
-- CIA Axiom
The CIA stole it from the Bible, Ephesians 3:20.
Acronym used in the security industry,
RMVE = racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist.
Your target area decreases as the reciprocal of the square of the distance from the threat.
You may not be able to hide your entire body behind a telephone pole if you're standing right
behind it, but take a few steps back and the 2-dimensional angle (measured in steradians)
subtended by your body decreases and you are completely covered and concealed by the
telephone pole. (The closer the enemy is to the telephone pole, the worse it is for him,
because the telephone pole will subtend a larger angle, obscuring more of the enemy's
field of view.)
If the enemy moves left or right to shoot you, you will be able to see him at the edge
of the telephone pole and shoot whatever part of him first becomes visible. (Prefer the
enemy's foot as opposed to the elbow or shoulder, as that will reduce the chance of hitting
innocent bystanders in the background. Ya, your bullet may ricochet, but ricochets have
less energy than direct hits.)
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Postvention ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath (You have to be alive to have these problems:
criminal and civil liability.) -----
A reader asked why I didn't mention gasoline in my last posting that cited Docent's
posting at Practical Eschatology on the disposing of dead bodies.
I am incompetent with gasoline. I have burned myself.
Gasoline vapors are invisible, and they burn and they flash and they explode,
and they get all over the place. It's real easy to lose control of gasoline vapors.
"Caught in the Crossfire: The Thin Line Between Defense & Felony"
by Law of Self Defense, Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_7STAhUoCg
The home owner ran his mouth instead of asking for his attorney, so he got charged
with a crime. There was no physical evidence indicating a crime. He would never
have been arrested if he had kept his mouth shut.
"I can't believe I'm getting prosecuted."
The home owner is getting prosecuted because he talked himself into getting
prosecuted by talking to the cops. NEVER talk to the cops. Cops get their raises and
promotions by making arrests. Finding the bad guys to arrest them is a lot of hard work.
Arresting the home owner is easy, especially because the home owner is giving the
police all the evidence they need to arrest and convict him. Felony reckless endangering.
The home owner said that he was firing with his eyes closed. What a stupid thing to say.
"You can't get in trouble if you tell the truth." FALSE, completely false.
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
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
In the 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
Read this before you buy insurance. You need to make an informed decision.
"You need to read the fine print." -- Massad Ayoob
Just like criminals, prosecutors are looking for an easy win, not an
expensive tough fight. So, if you can convince the prosecutors that you
have money and expertise to fight them, they are more likely to drop the
charges or offer you a better plea deal.
If you take a plea deal (confess to a crime that you did not commit),
you will have to explain your lie to God in the end. Good guys don't confess
to crimes that they did not commit. To do so, to avoid a long prison sentence,
is an act of cowardice. You have to decide what type of person you are.
Death Before Dishonor!
I'm not a hypocrite. I have never accepted a plea deal. I have always
plead "not guilty" and fought every prosecution, state and federal. That's
why I have no house, no retirement fund, no money, no wife etc.
Learn from my mistakes. Get an insurance policy.
“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
----- Survival, Medical, etc. -----
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
"The Best Tourniquets- A Research Review" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-best-tourniquets-a-research-review
Excerpt:
A lot of folks justify their elastic tourniquet choices by stating that the
CoTCCC-approved tourniquets don’t tighten small enough to reliably occlude
the blood vessels of very small children and/or pets. That simply isn’t true.
It’s marketing disinformation from the elastic tourniquet companies purposely
designed to prey on the fears of parents and pet owners.
"Movie Theater Safety Tips" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/movie-theater-safety-tips
Excerpts:
"Remember the Aurora, Colorado Batman movie shooting? In that attack,
70 theater patrons were shot. Because of concerns about a second shooter,
cops wouldn’t allow medics to enter the theater to treat the wounded.
It took 26 minutes for medical teams to get inside to treat the injured.
You better have the gear you need to keep yourself alive awhile if you get
shot in a movie theater active killer attack. Trusting an overwhelmed EMS
system is a bad plan."
"Training is important. Think about this scenario again. It’s dark and smoky.
You have dozens of innocent people running around. A man is firing at you with
a semi-automatic rifle. Could you actually hit the target with your chosen CCW gun?
That’s a tough shot to make. Don’t delude yourself thinking that your military
experience from 30 years ago or the eight-hour CCW class you took gives you
the skills to do it. It’s never been easier to get quality professional firearms training.
If you are serious about protecting yourself and your loved ones, it would be in
your best interest to find a good instructor or shooting school and take some classes."
"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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
"Weekend Knowledge Dump" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weekend-knowledge-dump-may-12-2023
Some history.
"TOP 10: The Best Shooting Instructors & Gunfighters of All-Time"
by Massad Ayoob
https://www.ballisticmag.com/best-shooting-instructors/
If you happen to find a fawn.
https://www.facebook.com/greg.kitchens.9/posts/pfbid0K9PXjHzB4KjgqWNvcvjsA42gSKJneajmH4PZjvYiw9ya4MsFXWZ3jt89xLDoMJH6l
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
***** ***** ***** 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
Law of Self Defense by Andrew Branca (free book, just pay shipping)
http://lawofselfdefense.com/freebook
Elements of Self Defense poster by Andrew Branca (free download)
http://lawofselfdefense.com/elements
This stuff is free. If you decide not to get them, bad decision. If you get them
and don't read and study them, bad decision. Just do it.
"Your Best Interest!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/your-best-interest/
Please study this video. This is deep and significant, to you.
"Trust YOUR Lawyer with Self-Defense Case? Are You SURE?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhS5a4HUjjs
Hello Jonathan,
In today's show we cover the recent successful appeal of a Washington state woman
who had overturned her conviction on a charge of first-degree (reckless, unintentional)
manslaughter over the stabbing death of [her] abusive boyfriend.
The reason for the reversal of the conviction? The woman's trial attorney--and,
apparently, the trial court itself -- MISTAKENLY believed that self-defense was not
a legal defense to the crime of reckless manslaughter.
It is true that the legal defense of self-defense operates in a subtly different manner
when raised against reckless manslaughter than when raised against an intentional killing,
and we'll discuss just how that works.
The real take home message, however, is that it is extremely dangerous to presume
that even a well-experienced criminal defense attorney is really comprehensively
informed on the actual law of self-defense -- and if they get it wrong, it's YOU who
goes to prison.
---
Some of Andrew's arguments and explanations are subtle, very subtle. You really
have to study what he's saying.
You get as much justice as you can afford in America. You don't know what you don't
know. Much of what you know is false. Your cheap lawyer doesn't know shit. You want
a politically connected attorney from a powerful law firm. (Because such an attorney
will have lunch or dinner or a round of golf with the prosecutor and get all charges
dismissed. You don't believe me?) Because such an attorney will have experts advising
him, educating him. So you better have huge amounts of money. So you better have a
self-defense insurance policy with no caps. [Or, I guess if you're rich, you can self insure.
But the insurance policies are better, because they give you access to competent attorneys.]
(Full disclosure, I am a Platinum member of Andrew's Law of Self Defense thing.
I've taken a lot of classes from him. He used to travel and came to Nashville and
Middle Tennessee several times to teach classes in the past.)
---
Self-defense applies to intentional killings. Self-defense ALSO applies to reckless
killings. But in a different way. Did the defendant know? Did the defense attorney know?
Did the trial judge know? Did the prosecutor know? NO! Incompetence runs rampant.
That is reality.
Self-defense applies because you are denying that the act was reckless.
The killing was not intentional. But unintentional does not imply reckless.
The killing was not an accident. It was unintentional. BIG DIFFERENCE!
Unintentional can still be lawful.
---
NEVER talk to the police! Ask for your attorney. Because you are not going to give
a correct statement that corresponds to the physical evidence. If you think you can,
you're a damn fool. The discrepancies will indicate you're lying, which is consciousness
of guilt.
Even if you say something that is completely truthful and consistent with the physical
evidence, it could harm or restrict your options at trial. Don't force your attorney to spend
valuable time and effort trying to explain your statements. Your statements are STUPID,
no matter how brilliant and truthful you think they are. That is reality. Accept it. And
keep your mouth shut.
The attorneys for Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie”
Bryan Jr. spent almost all of their time trying to explain the statements that their clients
had made. If these three men had kept their mouths shut, they never would have been
arrested or charged in the first place. Their statements created probable cause.
The police used their statements to arrest them. The prosecutors used their statements
against them at trial to convict them. Yes, talking is stupid. And stupidity has
consequences. These men will spend the rest of their lives in prison (state and federal).
---
Never have a drug addict as a boyfriend, NEVER. Remember Farnam's rules.
Never give the drug addict boyfriend money to buy drugs.
---
Negligence = you didn't know that you were creating a danger, but you should have known.
Recklessness = you knew that you were creating a danger, but you did it anyway.
Negligence is sufficient for civil liability. Recklessness is required for criminal liability.
Big difference.
---
This poor lady was in prison for 5 years while this legal error was corrected. Can you
tolerate 5 years in prison? Without the knowledge that you will eventually get out.
Would you have committed suicide in prison before your conviction got overturned?
Would you have been killed in prison before your conviction got overturned? Would
you have been forced to kill in self-defense. (That may result in a conviction that
would add time to your sentence. That may prevent your parole.)
[What happened to that lady's daughter while she was in prison? No, that's not a rhetorical
question. Have you made plans for the care of your children, should you be in prison for
an extended term (maybe the rest of your life)?]
What have you done to prevent this bad outcome? Have attended classes to get yourself
educated? Have you purchased a self-defense insurance policy? Or, have you decied to
be an apathetic lazy turd and put your loved ones through hell.
"I don't have to worry about this, because everyone will recognize that I am the hero."
Every heard of Daniel Penny?
---
Hello Jonathan,
This past Saturday, May 20, Daniel Penny--the NYC "choke hold" subway rider
charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Jordan Neely--gave an
interview to the NY Post.
This interview could have been used to share Penny's version of the confrontation
with Neely--but Penny's lawyers took a wiser path. Instead of laying out their explicit
narrative of self-defense and defense of others, as well as other facets of their legal
strategy, for the prosecution to peruse, they instead chose to use this interview
opportunity to humanize Penny.
In effect, the interview was a counter-propaganda initiative by Penny and his lawyers.
-- Andrew Branca
"Initial Aggressors and Provocateurs" by Shawn Vincent
https://ccwsafe.com/news/initial-aggressors-and-provocateurs/
Excerpt:
Even if a judge allows a jury instruction on self-defense, a jury is unlikely to acquit
a defender who provoked or started a fight that leads to the use of deadly force.
' Reading Kurt Schlichter: "We Must Defend Self-Defense" ' by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXt3oBfwmko
"MAJOR BREAKING NEWS:
SCOTUS Issues Unusual Order in AR-15 and Magazine Ban case"
by The Four Boxes Diner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKzsQfgk3aI
"Supreme Court 6-3 Decision Eliminating Concealed Carry Laws & State Defiance!!!"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YSkj7zunmA
"84-Year-Old Man Defends Himself From Home Invasion - Receives Life Felony"
by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je5OKbF0rcg
This is how propaganda works in the U.S. They turn a home invasion into an
innocent child knocking on the wrong door while looking for his younger brother.
The responding officers did not arrest the home owner because it was self-defense.
The prosecutor could not get a grand jury indictment because it was self-defense.
Doesn't matter. The prosecutor can charge the home owner with murder anyway.
[Isn't that a violation of the 5th Amendment?
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime,
unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, . . . " -- Jon Low]
No one needs to note the race of the home owner or the race of the home invader.
Because they could be determined with certainty by reading the "news" / propaganda
reports. Or by the fact that there was a news / propaganda report at all.
"EPIC: Gun Control catches a LOSS . . .
Which will impact FURTHER against the Gun Controllers NATIONALLY"
by Langley Outdoors Academy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRsf8AeWfPo
"Supreme Court Decision To End NFA & GCA Restrictions And Strip ATF Authority!?!"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwa3y1adQRY
5th Circuit en banc ruled that bump stocks are not machineguns. So the ATF is asking
for U.S. Supreme Court review. 6th Circuit also ruled on this issue, pro 2nd Amendment.
"Aero Precision Stops All In-State Sales" by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWjGE5VcVjg
It's legal for them to sell outside of Washington. They just can't sell in their home state.
"Federal Judge Blocks Most New Jersey ‘Gun-Free Zones,’
Upholds Permitting Requirements" by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/federal-judge-blocks-most-new-jersey-gun-free-zones-upholds-permitting-requirements/
"Supreme Court Decides Against Early Intervention in Illinois AR-15 Ban Case"
by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/supreme-court-decides-against-early-intervention-in-illinois-ar-15-ban-case/
"After school shooting, Tennessee Gov. Lee signs bill protecting gun industry from lawsuits"
by Andy Sher
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/may/15/after-school-shooting-tennessee-governor-signs-bill-to-shield-gun-firms-further-against-lawsuits/
The cited bill,
"HB 1189"
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1189&GA=113
"Nevada gov. vetoes gun-control bills, threatens to ax proposed state budget"
by GABE STERN
https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-nevada-governor-veto-ca50b9e0641937ce7b27a1d902699606
Yes, as a matter of fact, governors do matter. VOTE! Contribute money. Volunteer.
"Civil Rights, Civil Liberties and the Constitution" by Dr. Linda Denno
https://americanlawcourses.com/constitutional-law-deal/
We can expect gun manufacturers to move out of Illinois and hopefully into Tennessee.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/5/18/23728959/all-gender-bathrooms-restrooms-multi-capacity-gun-lawsuits-democrats-republicans
Excerpt:
". . . the [Illinois] Senate voted 34-22 to approve a measure that will change a section
of the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practice to allow the state and
consumers to sue gun manufacturers. It will now head to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk,
and he has vowed to sign it. Three Democrats voted no."
[The list of gun companies that have left Democrat states and moved to Republican states
is long. You only hear about the big companies in the media reports. But there are a lot of
small companies too. -- Jon Low]
Dear Jonathan:
The media and gun control advocates in academia predicted disaster in Brazil
when Bolsonaro was president and increased gun ownership by over 600%.
When the socialist Lula took over on January 1st, he signed an executive order
banning sales of guns and ammunition, banning concealed carry, limiting people
to a maximum of three guns, and more of those academics predicted that murder
rates would fall. Well, they were wrong that Bolosnaro’s policy would increase
murders. The murder rate fell dramatically under Bolsonaro. Since there was
such a dramatic change in Brazil’s gun control laws and these academics are
constantly claiming gun control will reduce murder rates, I contacted 12 prominent
gun-control academic advocates, and I offered a $1,000 bet on if Brazil’s homicide
rate would go up or down during the next two years. I would have been willing to
change the bet, but none were willing to bet me. I wrote a piece in The Federalist
https://crimeresearch.org/2023/05/testimony-before-the-delaware-house-judiciary-committee-on-ss-1-for-sb-2/
that discussed the bet. Here are the academics that I approached.
Dan Webster, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Phil Cook, Duke University
Jens Ludwig, University of Chicago
John Donohue, Stanford Law School
Andrew Morral, Rand Corporation
Garen Wintemute, UC Davis
David Hemenway, School of Public Health, Harvard
Chris Koper George Mason University
Mark Siegel Boston University
Adam Winker, UCLA
Paul Helmke, Indiana University
Frank Zimring, University of California at Berkeley
Let me know if you have any suggestions on other prominent gun control
advocate academics who should be approached.
. . .
John R. Lott, Jr.
President
Crime Prevention Research Center
http://crimeresearch.org
johnrlott@crimeresearch.org
(484) 802-5373
Sign up for the newsletter at
https://crimepreventionresearchcenter.nationbuilder.com/subscribe
"Illinois crack dealer granted clemency by Obama charged with attempted murder"
by Katherine Donlevy
https://nypost.com/2023/05/19/illinois-man-charged-for-illinois-expressway-shooting/
". . . it's worth noting that a commutation is not a pardon and that none of Illinois's
gun laws seem to have prevented this convicted felon from getting hold of a gun."
-- Stephen P. Wenger, http://spw-duf.info
"BREAKING!!! Supreme Court 6-3 Decision Changes Second Amendment"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wrAz7dm3A8
5th Circuit Court says domestic violence restraining orders prohibiting possession
of firearms are unconstitutional.
"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
---
2nd Amendment 📜
by Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmnI9zfAzxA
---
The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has nothing to do with self-defense,
hunting, sport shooting, etc. The purpose of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
is to ensure that the people always have the ability to overthrow the government.
As they did in the American Revolutionary War, and more recently in Athens, TN.
And elsewhere.
"Fifth Circuit Blocks Biden Pistol-Brace Ban" by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/fifth-circuit-blocks-biden-pistol-brace-ban/
Primary source document,
https://thereload.com/app/uploads/2023/05/Mock_v_Garland_Order_Granting_Motion_for_Injunction_Pending_Appeal.pdf
The court issued a preliminary injunction against Biden’s brace ban in Mock v. Garland
for the named plaintiffs. So the ruling is pretty limited. Which is the opposite of what
activist liberal judges do when they issue nation wide injunctions. Conservative judges
are very different from liberal judges. That's why voting for President is so important.
The President nominates federal judges for life time appointments. First time appointees
are generally appointed to the District Court. Then the President's staff reviews their
record to decide whether to elevate them to the Circuit Court. Similarly for promotion
from the Circuit Court to the Supreme Court. Such step-wise promotion is not required.
Having a law degree is not required. It's a political appointment. Many Supreme Court
Justices have had no legal training or experience. (Much preferable in my opinion. Less
legalese, more common sense.)
“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
***** ***** ***** 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
"How to STOP Using Eventbrite & Why The Firearm Industry Should Get Off The Platform"
by Jacob Paulsen
https://www.jacobspaulsen.com/tutorials/how-to-stop-using-eventbrite-why-the-firearm-industry-should-get-off-the-platform
---
There is also Shooting Classes dot com.
https://www.shootingclasses.com/
John Murphy uses it. I use it.
---
"Four Steps for Creating Social Media Posts for Firearm Instructors That Get RESULTS"
https://www.shootingclasses.com/blog/posts/creating-social-media-posts-firearm-instructors/
Create a compelling post.
It’s been proven - goldfish now have a longer attention span than humans.
Your window to capture viewers’ attention and reach potential students is
short – very short.
Just posting on social media is not enough to gain an audience or make a
positive impact on your firearms instruction classes. ShootingClasses.com
wants to share some of our best tips for creating social media posts that get
results. Here are some quick tidbits below, but if you want to learn more,
visit our blog and read the full post (see link above).
Have a clear objective. What is the action you want the viewer to take?
Make it clear, and make it easy. Simplicity works for social media posts.
Add graphics, video etc. A picture is still worth a thousand words.
Make it easy to register for your classes. It doesn’t get any easier than
using your ShootingClasses URL. As an instructor on ShootingClasses.com,
you receive your own unique landing page URL. This makes it easy to get
students to your site to register for classes. You can link to your firearms
training business landing page, courses and course registration.
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
I attended a class in which the instructor said, "When he comes around the corner,
light him up." Does that mean shoot him or shine your flashlight on him or something
else? Instructors should NEVER use ambiguous language (ambiguous to the student,
of course the instructor knows what he means). Very dangerous.
"Teach them diligently . . . "
-- Deuteronomy 6:7
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 Salomon
"In teaching, don’t criticize, condemn, or complain" by Hsoi (John Daub)
https://blog.hsoi.com/2018/05/12/in-teaching-dont-criticize-condemn-or-complain/
I have read Dale Carnegie's books. I highly recommend.
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
"Speak More Effectively
Learning Guide"
by Dale Carnegie (the company, not the person)
https://studioassets.blob.core.windows.net/production/0-DCA/content/white-paper-and-ebook/english/Speak%20More%20Effectively.pdf
Excerpts:
[You, ]
(a) Have earned the right, by study and experience, to talk about [your] subject;
(b) Are excited about it yourself; and
(c) Are eager to communicate your ideas and feelings to your listeners.
I. Make brief notes of the interesting things you want to mention.
II. Don’t write out your talks.
III. Never, never, never memorize a talk word for word.
IV. Fill your talk with illustrations and examples. [Not irrelevant war stories. -- Jon Low]
V. Know far more about your subject that you can use. [Because your students will
ask you questions that you should be able to answer. -- Jon Low]
VI. Rehearse your talk by conversing with your friends.
VII. Instead of worrying about your delivery, find ways of improving it.
VIII. Don’t imitate others; be yourself.
---
Learn more at
dalecarnegie.com
"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."
-- Robert John Meehan
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Gear ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
GunMagWarehouse.com has some great deals on ammunition.
And their customer service is very good.
"Best Concealed Carry Holsters of 2023 [Hands-On Tested]
What's the best concealed carry holster?
We cover what makes a great holster and
choose our favs for IWB, OWB, Ankle, & Shoulder holsters."
by Eric Hung
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-concealed-carry-holsters/
"Hung By The Lanyard Until Dead" by Clint Smith
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/hung-by-the-lanyard-until-dead/
Back in 1996, Front Sight was teaching "no lanyards", for similar reasons.
Weapon mounted light for home defense? I can't help but feel that persons will be
searching with the WML rather than turning the house lights on. Searching with the
WML violates safety rule II.
You control the lighting in your house. Why would you use a WML?
"Concealed Carry: Beyond the Strong-Side Hip
Adjusting the position of your concealed-carry handgun
just a few inches can make all the difference." by Jim Wilson
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/concealed-carry-beyond-the-strong-side-hip/
"Why You Should Use Premium Ammo In Your Defensive Gun
Here's why you should "bite the bullet" and dig deep
into your wallet for the best defensive ammunition." by Jeff Johnston
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/why-you-should-use-premium-ammo-in-your-defensive-gun/
The author talks about returning ammunition. I have never heard of any gun store
accepting returned ammo.
"10 Best Single-Stack 9mm Pistol Options For Concealed Carry (2023)"
by Brad Fitzpatrick
https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/9mm-single-stacks
The grip of the pistol must be long enough for you to get all of your fingers on the grip,
especially the little finger of your support-side hand. Otherwise, you won't be able to resist
the muzzle flip.
================================================
Pistols for those with weak hands and arms:
Walther PDP F-Series, MSRP $699. Striker action.
https://waltherarms.com/pdp-f-series/
M&P® SHIELD™ EZ®, Striker action.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/9ez
The Remington RP, $349.00. Striker action.
https://remingtonarmsusa.com/remington-rp9-9mm-striker-fired-pistol/
================================================
Pistols for small hands or short trigger fingers:
(in order of grip girth from small to big,
in order of pull length from small to big)
Sig P365XL (the grip is long enough to allow all fingers on the grip
without a magazine grip extension. The regular P365 grip is too short.)
Walther PDP F series
Glock 48 (like the Glock 43 but with a longer barrel, which I think is better)
Glock 43
Smith&Wesson Military&Police Shield EZ
Ruger LCP Max (this has a longer grip allowing you to get all of your fingers
on the grip, the regular LCP grip is too short)
If the grip is too short, you will pinch your hand between the grip
and the magazine when reloading. And you need the little finger of your
support side hand on the grip for the torque to prevent muzzle flip.
================================================
Ambidextrous pistols: (updated list)
Because, being right handed doesn't mean you're going to be right handed in combat.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following are truly ambidextrous --
Springfield Armory, XDM Elite
https://www.springfield-armory.com/xd-series-handguns/xd-m-elite-handguns/
Striker action. ~$653 MSRP.
FN (Fabrique Nationale Herstal), 509 and others
https://fnamerica.com/products/pistols/fn-509/
Double action / single action. MSRP: $719.00.
The H&K (Heckler & Koch), VP9 and others
https://hk-usa.com/hk-models/vp9/
Striker action. Retails for around $600.00.
Ruger, American
https://www.ruger.com/products/rugerAmericanPistol/models.html
Striker action. MSRP:$669.00.
Global Ordnance, Arex Delta Generation 2M
https://globalordnance.com/arex-delta-gen-2/
Striker action. MSRP $535.
IWI (Israeli Weapon Industries), MASADA
Standard version,
https://iwi.us/product/m9orp17/
Tactical version,
https://iwi.us/product/m9orp17t/
Striker action. MSRP $480.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following has an ambidextrous magazine release, but not ambidextrous slide stop --
The Springfield Armory XD type pistols.
https://www.springfield-armory.com/xd-series-handguns
Striker action. MSRP $440 - $568.
Louis Awerbuck recommended the XD Tactical (5" barrel) in 45 ACP. That's why I use it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following have ambidextrous slide stops, but not ambidextrous magazine releases --
(being able to move the magazine release to the other side is not the same as being
ambidextrous)
The latest Glocks. ~$600 to $700. Striker action.
https://us.glock.com/en/pistols/g17
The latest Walthers. MSRP: $649. Striker action.
https://waltherarms.com/pdp-full-size-5/
The S&W M&P's. MSRP: $ 665. Striker action.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-m20
================================================
"How Does a Silencer Work?" by Matthew Every
https://www.fieldandstream.com/guns/how-does-a-silencer-work/
---
230 grain, 45 ACP, at 1100 feet per second is +P (normal is 850 fps) and subsonic
(no supersonic shock wave noise). With a silencer, you can hear the slide cycling.
With a rubber (or synthetic) buffer to prevent the slide from banging into the frame,
you can hear the "ting" of the case hitting the ejector and ringing as it falls to the ground.
As Reston says, when you get shot, you don't feel it (at least initially).
If you don't hear it either, you might not know you got shot until the medical exam.
(You must have a medical exam after any lethal force incident. Because you don't
know what happened. You don't know how injured you are.)
If you're suffering from auditory exclusion, you won't hear anything.
You should have a blue gun (inert solid piece of plastic that is the same shape as
your real gun) for your training and practice.
Bad ideas revisited.
Biofire Smart Gun,
https://smartgun.com/technology
Specifications,
https://smartgun.com/tech-specs
I'm surprised RECOIL Newsletter is advertising this. Just money, I guess.
Excerpts:
"Biofire’s revolutionary Guardian Biometric Engine unlocks your Smart Gun in any
situation. State-of-the-art capacitive fingerprint identification and 3D facial recognition
systems independently verify your identity so your firearm always recognizes you, even
if you wear gloves or a face covering."
Stop and think about that. It's reading your fingerprint through a glove? It's reading the
capacitance of your skin / body through a glove? It's recognizing your face through a
"face covering"? Would that mean you have to point the rear of the pistol toward your
face? Won't work if firing from a close contact position with the pistol grip pressed
tight against your rib cage. How much training does it take to recognize you?
"The Biofire Smart Gun locks the moment it leaves your hand. Your firearm
immediately secures itself to prevent misuse when you set it down or if someone takes
it from you."
No combat pick up. No friendly use. Can't pass it to someone else. Think about that.
"You can provide permanent access to other trusted adults in your home or
temporarily register a friend at the range. You are in total control of who can access
your firearm at all times."
If you have the docking station with you and an electrical outlet. Can the system
distinguish between adults and children?
"Biofire’s secure fire-by-wire technology with encrypted fire control is a new
paradigm in handgun technology. Solid state electronics ensure no one can mechanically
modify your Smart Gun to circumvent its biometrics. Even if your firearm is stolen,
it can never be used."
So the pistol requires a "Rechargeable Lithium-Ion" battery. The firing mechanism
is electronic, not mechanical. Stop and think about that.
". . . high-endurance battery lasts for months on a single charge."
How many months? A month is not a long time. Your pistol could easily go months
without being removed from your holster.
"Choose a left or right-handed firearm . . . "
So it is not ambidextrous.
I've only mentioned things from their advertising on their web site. I have a list of
reason why you should never use biometrics on gun safes or pistols. You can find it in
a previous blog posting. The probability of false positive (will fire for a stranger) is . . . ?
The probability of false negative (will not fire for you) is . . . ? I'm just talking about
the electronics, not the ammo or mechanical function of the pistol. Have they even
done the testing to answer those questions? If so they are not sharing.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
Excerpt:
Even if a judge allows a jury instruction on self-defense, a jury is unlikely to acquit
a defender who provoked or started a fight that leads to the use of deadly force.
' Reading Kurt Schlichter: "We Must Defend Self-Defense" ' by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXt3oBfwmko
"MAJOR BREAKING NEWS:
SCOTUS Issues Unusual Order in AR-15 and Magazine Ban case"
by The Four Boxes Diner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKzsQfgk3aI
"Supreme Court 6-3 Decision Eliminating Concealed Carry Laws & State Defiance!!!"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YSkj7zunmA
"84-Year-Old Man Defends Himself From Home Invasion - Receives Life Felony"
by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je5OKbF0rcg
This is how propaganda works in the U.S. They turn a home invasion into an
innocent child knocking on the wrong door while looking for his younger brother.
The responding officers did not arrest the home owner because it was self-defense.
The prosecutor could not get a grand jury indictment because it was self-defense.
Doesn't matter. The prosecutor can charge the home owner with murder anyway.
[Isn't that a violation of the 5th Amendment?
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime,
unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, . . . " -- Jon Low]
No one needs to note the race of the home owner or the race of the home invader.
Because they could be determined with certainty by reading the "news" / propaganda
reports. Or by the fact that there was a news / propaganda report at all.
"EPIC: Gun Control catches a LOSS . . .
Which will impact FURTHER against the Gun Controllers NATIONALLY"
by Langley Outdoors Academy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRsf8AeWfPo
"Supreme Court Decision To End NFA & GCA Restrictions And Strip ATF Authority!?!"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwa3y1adQRY
5th Circuit en banc ruled that bump stocks are not machineguns. So the ATF is asking
for U.S. Supreme Court review. 6th Circuit also ruled on this issue, pro 2nd Amendment.
"Aero Precision Stops All In-State Sales" by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWjGE5VcVjg
It's legal for them to sell outside of Washington. They just can't sell in their home state.
"Federal Judge Blocks Most New Jersey ‘Gun-Free Zones,’
Upholds Permitting Requirements" by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/federal-judge-blocks-most-new-jersey-gun-free-zones-upholds-permitting-requirements/
"Supreme Court Decides Against Early Intervention in Illinois AR-15 Ban Case"
by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/supreme-court-decides-against-early-intervention-in-illinois-ar-15-ban-case/
"After school shooting, Tennessee Gov. Lee signs bill protecting gun industry from lawsuits"
by Andy Sher
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/may/15/after-school-shooting-tennessee-governor-signs-bill-to-shield-gun-firms-further-against-lawsuits/
The cited bill,
"HB 1189"
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1189&GA=113
"Nevada gov. vetoes gun-control bills, threatens to ax proposed state budget"
by GABE STERN
https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-nevada-governor-veto-ca50b9e0641937ce7b27a1d902699606
Yes, as a matter of fact, governors do matter. VOTE! Contribute money. Volunteer.
"Civil Rights, Civil Liberties and the Constitution" by Dr. Linda Denno
https://americanlawcourses.com/constitutional-law-deal/
We can expect gun manufacturers to move out of Illinois and hopefully into Tennessee.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/5/18/23728959/all-gender-bathrooms-restrooms-multi-capacity-gun-lawsuits-democrats-republicans
Excerpt:
". . . the [Illinois] Senate voted 34-22 to approve a measure that will change a section
of the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practice to allow the state and
consumers to sue gun manufacturers. It will now head to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk,
and he has vowed to sign it. Three Democrats voted no."
[The list of gun companies that have left Democrat states and moved to Republican states
is long. You only hear about the big companies in the media reports. But there are a lot of
small companies too. -- Jon Low]
Dear Jonathan:
The media and gun control advocates in academia predicted disaster in Brazil
when Bolsonaro was president and increased gun ownership by over 600%.
When the socialist Lula took over on January 1st, he signed an executive order
banning sales of guns and ammunition, banning concealed carry, limiting people
to a maximum of three guns, and more of those academics predicted that murder
rates would fall. Well, they were wrong that Bolosnaro’s policy would increase
murders. The murder rate fell dramatically under Bolsonaro. Since there was
such a dramatic change in Brazil’s gun control laws and these academics are
constantly claiming gun control will reduce murder rates, I contacted 12 prominent
gun-control academic advocates, and I offered a $1,000 bet on if Brazil’s homicide
rate would go up or down during the next two years. I would have been willing to
change the bet, but none were willing to bet me. I wrote a piece in The Federalist
https://crimeresearch.org/2023/05/testimony-before-the-delaware-house-judiciary-committee-on-ss-1-for-sb-2/
that discussed the bet. Here are the academics that I approached.
Dan Webster, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Phil Cook, Duke University
Jens Ludwig, University of Chicago
John Donohue, Stanford Law School
Andrew Morral, Rand Corporation
Garen Wintemute, UC Davis
David Hemenway, School of Public Health, Harvard
Chris Koper George Mason University
Mark Siegel Boston University
Adam Winker, UCLA
Paul Helmke, Indiana University
Frank Zimring, University of California at Berkeley
Let me know if you have any suggestions on other prominent gun control
advocate academics who should be approached.
. . .
John R. Lott, Jr.
President
Crime Prevention Research Center
http://crimeresearch.org
johnrlott@crimeresearch.org
(484) 802-5373
Sign up for the newsletter at
https://crimepreventionresearchcenter.nationbuilder.com/subscribe
"Illinois crack dealer granted clemency by Obama charged with attempted murder"
by Katherine Donlevy
https://nypost.com/2023/05/19/illinois-man-charged-for-illinois-expressway-shooting/
". . . it's worth noting that a commutation is not a pardon and that none of Illinois's
gun laws seem to have prevented this convicted felon from getting hold of a gun."
-- Stephen P. Wenger, http://spw-duf.info
"BREAKING!!! Supreme Court 6-3 Decision Changes Second Amendment"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wrAz7dm3A8
5th Circuit Court says domestic violence restraining orders prohibiting possession
of firearms are unconstitutional.
"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
---
2nd Amendment 📜
by Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmnI9zfAzxA
---
The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has nothing to do with self-defense,
hunting, sport shooting, etc. The purpose of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
is to ensure that the people always have the ability to overthrow the government.
As they did in the American Revolutionary War, and more recently in Athens, TN.
And elsewhere.
"Fifth Circuit Blocks Biden Pistol-Brace Ban" by Stephen Gutowski
https://thereload.com/fifth-circuit-blocks-biden-pistol-brace-ban/
Primary source document,
https://thereload.com/app/uploads/2023/05/Mock_v_Garland_Order_Granting_Motion_for_Injunction_Pending_Appeal.pdf
The court issued a preliminary injunction against Biden’s brace ban in Mock v. Garland
for the named plaintiffs. So the ruling is pretty limited. Which is the opposite of what
activist liberal judges do when they issue nation wide injunctions. Conservative judges
are very different from liberal judges. That's why voting for President is so important.
The President nominates federal judges for life time appointments. First time appointees
are generally appointed to the District Court. Then the President's staff reviews their
record to decide whether to elevate them to the Circuit Court. Similarly for promotion
from the Circuit Court to the Supreme Court. Such step-wise promotion is not required.
Having a law degree is not required. It's a political appointment. Many Supreme Court
Justices have had no legal training or experience. (Much preferable in my opinion. Less
legalese, more common sense.)
“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
***** ***** ***** 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
"How to STOP Using Eventbrite & Why The Firearm Industry Should Get Off The Platform"
by Jacob Paulsen
https://www.jacobspaulsen.com/tutorials/how-to-stop-using-eventbrite-why-the-firearm-industry-should-get-off-the-platform
---
There is also Shooting Classes dot com.
https://www.shootingclasses.com/
John Murphy uses it. I use it.
---
"Four Steps for Creating Social Media Posts for Firearm Instructors That Get RESULTS"
https://www.shootingclasses.com/blog/posts/creating-social-media-posts-firearm-instructors/
Create a compelling post.
It’s been proven - goldfish now have a longer attention span than humans.
Your window to capture viewers’ attention and reach potential students is
short – very short.
Just posting on social media is not enough to gain an audience or make a
positive impact on your firearms instruction classes. ShootingClasses.com
wants to share some of our best tips for creating social media posts that get
results. Here are some quick tidbits below, but if you want to learn more,
visit our blog and read the full post (see link above).
Have a clear objective. What is the action you want the viewer to take?
Make it clear, and make it easy. Simplicity works for social media posts.
Add graphics, video etc. A picture is still worth a thousand words.
Make it easy to register for your classes. It doesn’t get any easier than
using your ShootingClasses URL. As an instructor on ShootingClasses.com,
you receive your own unique landing page URL. This makes it easy to get
students to your site to register for classes. You can link to your firearms
training business landing page, courses and course registration.
Qui docet, discit. (Who teaches, learns.)
-- motto of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
I attended a class in which the instructor said, "When he comes around the corner,
light him up." Does that mean shoot him or shine your flashlight on him or something
else? Instructors should NEVER use ambiguous language (ambiguous to the student,
of course the instructor knows what he means). Very dangerous.
"Teach them diligently . . . "
-- Deuteronomy 6:7
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 Salomon
"In teaching, don’t criticize, condemn, or complain" by Hsoi (John Daub)
https://blog.hsoi.com/2018/05/12/in-teaching-dont-criticize-condemn-or-complain/
I have read Dale Carnegie's books. I highly recommend.
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
"Speak More Effectively
Learning Guide"
by Dale Carnegie (the company, not the person)
https://studioassets.blob.core.windows.net/production/0-DCA/content/white-paper-and-ebook/english/Speak%20More%20Effectively.pdf
Excerpts:
[You, ]
(a) Have earned the right, by study and experience, to talk about [your] subject;
(b) Are excited about it yourself; and
(c) Are eager to communicate your ideas and feelings to your listeners.
I. Make brief notes of the interesting things you want to mention.
II. Don’t write out your talks.
III. Never, never, never memorize a talk word for word.
IV. Fill your talk with illustrations and examples. [Not irrelevant war stories. -- Jon Low]
V. Know far more about your subject that you can use. [Because your students will
ask you questions that you should be able to answer. -- Jon Low]
VI. Rehearse your talk by conversing with your friends.
VII. Instead of worrying about your delivery, find ways of improving it.
VIII. Don’t imitate others; be yourself.
---
Learn more at
dalecarnegie.com
"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."
-- Robert John Meehan
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Gear ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
GunMagWarehouse.com has some great deals on ammunition.
And their customer service is very good.
"Best Concealed Carry Holsters of 2023 [Hands-On Tested]
What's the best concealed carry holster?
We cover what makes a great holster and
choose our favs for IWB, OWB, Ankle, & Shoulder holsters."
by Eric Hung
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-concealed-carry-holsters/
"Hung By The Lanyard Until Dead" by Clint Smith
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/hung-by-the-lanyard-until-dead/
Back in 1996, Front Sight was teaching "no lanyards", for similar reasons.
Weapon mounted light for home defense? I can't help but feel that persons will be
searching with the WML rather than turning the house lights on. Searching with the
WML violates safety rule II.
You control the lighting in your house. Why would you use a WML?
"Concealed Carry: Beyond the Strong-Side Hip
Adjusting the position of your concealed-carry handgun
just a few inches can make all the difference." by Jim Wilson
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/concealed-carry-beyond-the-strong-side-hip/
"Why You Should Use Premium Ammo In Your Defensive Gun
Here's why you should "bite the bullet" and dig deep
into your wallet for the best defensive ammunition." by Jeff Johnston
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/why-you-should-use-premium-ammo-in-your-defensive-gun/
The author talks about returning ammunition. I have never heard of any gun store
accepting returned ammo.
"10 Best Single-Stack 9mm Pistol Options For Concealed Carry (2023)"
by Brad Fitzpatrick
https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/9mm-single-stacks
The grip of the pistol must be long enough for you to get all of your fingers on the grip,
especially the little finger of your support-side hand. Otherwise, you won't be able to resist
the muzzle flip.
================================================
Pistols for those with weak hands and arms:
Walther PDP F-Series, MSRP $699. Striker action.
https://waltherarms.com/pdp-f-series/
M&P® SHIELD™ EZ®, Striker action.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/9ez
The Remington RP, $349.00. Striker action.
https://remingtonarmsusa.com/remington-rp9-9mm-striker-fired-pistol/
================================================
Pistols for small hands or short trigger fingers:
(in order of grip girth from small to big,
in order of pull length from small to big)
Sig P365XL (the grip is long enough to allow all fingers on the grip
without a magazine grip extension. The regular P365 grip is too short.)
Walther PDP F series
Glock 48 (like the Glock 43 but with a longer barrel, which I think is better)
Glock 43
Smith&Wesson Military&Police Shield EZ
Ruger LCP Max (this has a longer grip allowing you to get all of your fingers
on the grip, the regular LCP grip is too short)
If the grip is too short, you will pinch your hand between the grip
and the magazine when reloading. And you need the little finger of your
support side hand on the grip for the torque to prevent muzzle flip.
================================================
Ambidextrous pistols: (updated list)
Because, being right handed doesn't mean you're going to be right handed in combat.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following are truly ambidextrous --
Springfield Armory, XDM Elite
https://www.springfield-armory.com/xd-series-handguns/xd-m-elite-handguns/
Striker action. ~$653 MSRP.
FN (Fabrique Nationale Herstal), 509 and others
https://fnamerica.com/products/pistols/fn-509/
Double action / single action. MSRP: $719.00.
The H&K (Heckler & Koch), VP9 and others
https://hk-usa.com/hk-models/vp9/
Striker action. Retails for around $600.00.
Ruger, American
https://www.ruger.com/products/rugerAmericanPistol/models.html
Striker action. MSRP:$669.00.
Global Ordnance, Arex Delta Generation 2M
https://globalordnance.com/arex-delta-gen-2/
Striker action. MSRP $535.
IWI (Israeli Weapon Industries), MASADA
Standard version,
https://iwi.us/product/m9orp17/
Tactical version,
https://iwi.us/product/m9orp17t/
Striker action. MSRP $480.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following has an ambidextrous magazine release, but not ambidextrous slide stop --
The Springfield Armory XD type pistols.
https://www.springfield-armory.com/xd-series-handguns
Striker action. MSRP $440 - $568.
Louis Awerbuck recommended the XD Tactical (5" barrel) in 45 ACP. That's why I use it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following have ambidextrous slide stops, but not ambidextrous magazine releases --
(being able to move the magazine release to the other side is not the same as being
ambidextrous)
The latest Glocks. ~$600 to $700. Striker action.
https://us.glock.com/en/pistols/g17
The latest Walthers. MSRP: $649. Striker action.
https://waltherarms.com/pdp-full-size-5/
The S&W M&P's. MSRP: $ 665. Striker action.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-m20
================================================
"How Does a Silencer Work?" by Matthew Every
https://www.fieldandstream.com/guns/how-does-a-silencer-work/
---
230 grain, 45 ACP, at 1100 feet per second is +P (normal is 850 fps) and subsonic
(no supersonic shock wave noise). With a silencer, you can hear the slide cycling.
With a rubber (or synthetic) buffer to prevent the slide from banging into the frame,
you can hear the "ting" of the case hitting the ejector and ringing as it falls to the ground.
As Reston says, when you get shot, you don't feel it (at least initially).
If you don't hear it either, you might not know you got shot until the medical exam.
(You must have a medical exam after any lethal force incident. Because you don't
know what happened. You don't know how injured you are.)
If you're suffering from auditory exclusion, you won't hear anything.
You should have a blue gun (inert solid piece of plastic that is the same shape as
your real gun) for your training and practice.
Bad ideas revisited.
Biofire Smart Gun,
https://smartgun.com/technology
Specifications,
https://smartgun.com/tech-specs
I'm surprised RECOIL Newsletter is advertising this. Just money, I guess.
Excerpts:
"Biofire’s revolutionary Guardian Biometric Engine unlocks your Smart Gun in any
situation. State-of-the-art capacitive fingerprint identification and 3D facial recognition
systems independently verify your identity so your firearm always recognizes you, even
if you wear gloves or a face covering."
Stop and think about that. It's reading your fingerprint through a glove? It's reading the
capacitance of your skin / body through a glove? It's recognizing your face through a
"face covering"? Would that mean you have to point the rear of the pistol toward your
face? Won't work if firing from a close contact position with the pistol grip pressed
tight against your rib cage. How much training does it take to recognize you?
"The Biofire Smart Gun locks the moment it leaves your hand. Your firearm
immediately secures itself to prevent misuse when you set it down or if someone takes
it from you."
No combat pick up. No friendly use. Can't pass it to someone else. Think about that.
"You can provide permanent access to other trusted adults in your home or
temporarily register a friend at the range. You are in total control of who can access
your firearm at all times."
If you have the docking station with you and an electrical outlet. Can the system
distinguish between adults and children?
"Biofire’s secure fire-by-wire technology with encrypted fire control is a new
paradigm in handgun technology. Solid state electronics ensure no one can mechanically
modify your Smart Gun to circumvent its biometrics. Even if your firearm is stolen,
it can never be used."
So the pistol requires a "Rechargeable Lithium-Ion" battery. The firing mechanism
is electronic, not mechanical. Stop and think about that.
". . . high-endurance battery lasts for months on a single charge."
How many months? A month is not a long time. Your pistol could easily go months
without being removed from your holster.
"Choose a left or right-handed firearm . . . "
So it is not ambidextrous.
I've only mentioned things from their advertising on their web site. I have a list of
reason why you should never use biometrics on gun safes or pistols. You can find it in
a previous blog posting. The probability of false positive (will fire for a stranger) is . . . ?
The probability of false negative (will not fire for you) is . . . ? I'm just talking about
the electronics, not the ammo or mechanical function of the pistol. Have they even
done the testing to answer those questions? If so they are not sharing.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
Greek cafe sign in Plakias, Crete
*************************************************************************
***** ***** Religion, Politics, History, War Stories, et al ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
Rest In Peace Tina Turner (26 November 1939 to 24 May 2023)
Born Anna Mae Bullock and raised in Nutbush, Tennessee.
Happy 75th Birthday Israel!
Happy 25th Birthday Defensive Use of Firearms website!
http://spw-duf.info
"The Big Picture" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/the-big-picture/
Excerpt:
But, what really struck me when recently re-viewing this program (sixty years later)
is that back then America’s Democrat politicians did not malevolently regard American
gun-owners as “domestic enemies,” as they do today.
“The death of an independent press can lead to tyranny and render
a population helpless to protect itself against a government that
disdains law and conscience.”
-- Lesley Blume
“Free Press?” by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/free-press-2/
"Elon Musk (Full Interview) | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO8w6XcXJUs
Elon Musk, African-American immigrant to the United States,
is the richest man on Earth. Note his comments on our 1st Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution.
In Murfreesboro, TN.
"Tennessee homeowner kills intruder, wounds second after they allegedly held
teen at gunpoint, tased dog
Homeowner not facing any charges in shooting of alleged home invaders"
by Stephen Sorace
https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-homeowner-kills-intruder-wounds-second-they-allegedly-held-teen-gunpoint-tased-dog
Note that the bad guys were violent repeat offenders of a protected class.
What were they doing out in society free to invade the homes of good people?
That's why it is so important to vote for conservative judges and conservative politicians
who appoint judges and parole boards. If Black Lives Matter endorses the candidate,
vote against him, donate money to his opponent. Because elections matter. As this
article demonstrates.
"The ATF Stole 20 Million Dollars" by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_JuqQ05hU
"SOUND OF FREEDOM Official Trailer (2023)" starring Jim Caviezel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfn2oy9bYdM
Sometimes you have to do it yourself. The government won't lift a finger.
The police won't intervene. That's why God made you.
"Age Is Just A Number! So They Say! Words Of Tucker"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXVZ6Ddjme0
"EPIC: Megyn Kelly SHREDS "Gun Cult" over Gun Control obsession . . .
Gun Rights are moving to the center" by Langley Outdoor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxSYwTJvMl4
Cited primary source,
"Megyn Kelly Says It's "Time to Shame the Gun Control Zealots"
After Texas Mall Mass Shooting"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SLF1XJ1Xak
"Laura Ingraham: This is tragic"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtu5wDIkN9o
"Tucker Carlson bursts out laughing as Elon Musk describes Twitter layoffs"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNuCFgO8MXg
"IRS Admits it Targets Black People" by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPH_Er_M2r4
"Finding ‘common ground’ with the thinking of evil men is a fool's errand."
-- Herschel Smith
---
“Lethal-Means Reduction?” by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/lethal-means-reduction/
---
“Where there is trust, no proof is necessary.
Where there is none, no proof is possible.”
As I remember it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZfZ8uWaOFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJDtukGW79Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54BCLYNkFKg
"Your character is what you do when no one is looking."
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology ***** ***** *****
"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
[Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law.
ITAR, International Traffic in Arms Regulations]
"Windows & MacOS can't do this, but Linux can!" by The Linux Experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuPO-eAMy4I
I took a class on writing device drivers when I was at U.C. Santa Cruz. (You're making
changes in the kernel while the operating system is running. How many other operating
systems will allow you to do that? None.)
Booting and running your computer off a flash drive in your USB port. How useful
is that? Certain agencies don't have USB ports in any of their computers in their facilities.
Because humans will pick up thumb drives in the parking lot and plug them in. And
some will copy classified material to post elsewhere.
I noticed that the x-ray machines in the airports and federal buildings run Linux.
When people say "Linux operating system", they mean the GNU utilities and the Linux
kernel.
Tuxedo Computers,
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/
Auf Deutsch,
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/de/
"Euler's Formula Beyond Complex Numbers" by Morphocular
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1gOYtQYRXo
Rotations in arbitrary-dimensional space. That actually work for all spaces.
Cited video,
"How (and why) to raise e to the power of a matrix | DE6" by 3Blue1Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O85OWBJ2ayo
For an explanation of e raised to the power of a matrix.
---
This is important because Complex numbers,
X = a + bi
where a and b are variables and i is the imaginary unit,
only describe transforms in 2-dimensional space (and don't describe a scalar value
of every point in that space).
Quaternions,
X = a_1 + a_2 i + a_3 j + a_4 k
where the a's are variables and the i, j, and k are the unit vectors of the dimensions,
only work for 3 space dimensions and one scalar value (as a density at every point in the
3-dimensional object).
Octonions, also called Cayley numbers,
X = a_1 + a_2 i_1 + a_3 i_2 + a_4 i_3 + a_5 i_4 + a_6 i_5 + a_7 i_6 + a_8 i_7
where the a's are variables and the i's are the unit vectors of the dimensions,
only work for 7 dimensional space and a scalar value (as an electric potential at every
point in the 7-dimension space).
Wolfram Mathworld says Octonions describe 8-dimensional space. That's just wrong.
Ya, you could use number systems to describe higher dimensions, but the number systems
break down quickly. Only the Complex numbers possess the structure we would normally
associate with a well formed algebraic structure (in which we could play all of our little
cryptologic games). The Quaternions lack commutativity. The Octonions lack associativity
and commutativity.
We need to operate in the 5th dimension as this is the age of Aquarius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxSCAalsBE
The 5 x 5 square skew symmetric matrices as exponents of e allow this. Ya, there are other
restrictions on the matrix (to avoid degenerate cases; the Taylor expansion must converge
and we need neat closed form expressions for the thing that it converges to),
but you get the idea.
The following is what happens when persons without cryptologic training try to do security.
"Using the iPhone Recovery Key to Lock Owners Out of Their iPhones" by Bruce Schneier
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/04/using-the-iphone-recovery-key-to-lock-owners-out-of-their-iphones.html
And it's not just that the guys at Apple are stupid.
I could tell you horror stories of the Red Book (the National Security Agency Information
Security manual), the requirements of which, we had to implement when writing software
for Department of Defense radios. [I was working on JTRS (Joint Tactical Radio System).]
The InfoSec requirements are written by bureaucrats instead of cryptologists, resulting in
soldiers dying in the field. That's why I had to resign from BAE Systems. I refused to be
part of the stupidity.
The nameless faceless bureaucrats never suffer any consequences for their idiocy. For
example: If you are forced to periodically change your password, the person responsible
for that policy does not understand cryptology. Good passwords never go stale, and so
should never be changed. Bad passwords are not mitigated by being changed periodically.
So the persons who establish these bad policies need to be fired immediately. But they
never will be, because the people they work for are even more stupid than they are. And so
will think that such policies are brilliant. I could give you hundreds of such bad policies.
Bruce Schneier has articles listing scores of of such bad policies.
There is a saying that persons in any corporation will rise to their level of incompetency.
But that is false. There is nothing to prevent the rise of incompetent persons, e.g.
Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX, etc. The list could go on for
pages, but you get the idea. Stay away from them. Don't invest with them. If your financial
advisors are investing with incompetent persons, find a new advisor. Stupid people love
stupid people. Birds of a feather flock together.
---
How do you generate a good password that you can remember?
Consider a text that you know. Take the first letter of each word in the order that
the words appear in the text, capitalized as they are in the text.
Consider a number. Perhaps your zip code, phone number, birth date, social security
number, etc. Press the shift key, type the number on the keys above the alphabet keys,
not the numeric key pad.
Concatenate.
Example:
Text -- "Continue to behave normally. Continue with your work. Do not acknowledge
or mention our presence. We are conducting a scan for eavesdropping devices."
Processed text -- CtbnCwywDnaomopWacasfed
Number -- 808373932096821567932257
Processed number -- *)*#&#(#@)(^*@!%^&(#@@%&
Concatenated -- CtbnCwywDnaomopWacasfed*)*#&#(#@)(^*@!%^&(#@@%&
Or a shorter one could be,
Text -- If you are under duress, ask me, "How's the weather outside?"
IyaudamHtwo
Number -- 6152289050
^!%@@*()%)
Concatenated -- IyaudamHtwo^!%@@*()%)
Stack overflow.
Core dump.
"Modern C++: Unique Ptrs and Vectors" Dave's Garage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8V-WIjlScA
Ah, smart pointers. Smart pointers were around before the Standard Library's
Unique Pointers. Standard Template Library.
"Linux File System/Structure Explained!" by DorianDotSlash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbgzrKJvDRw
In UNIX, Posix, Linux, et al everything is a file.
"Engineer/Comedian" by Don McMillan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnlzuqf__eU
"The REAL Reason You Don't Understand Relativity" by Dialect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an6JiBLQqXY
Actually, the philosophy does affect the calculation. That's why the philosophy of
physics is so important. Do anti-particles have negative mass? (negative gravity)
There is no measurement that answers the question. At least none that I find
convincing.* So how you calculate depends on your theory of anti-particles,
which depends on your philosophy.
How does this apply to cryptology? Cryptology uses communication channels.
At high data rates (I'm talking very high data rates), the errors depend on the physics
of the channel (how the particles interact).
*[My teacher, Prof. Baltay (Charles Baltay retired in 2022),
https://fas.yale.edu/book/tributes-2022/charles-baltay
then at Columbia, never felt the positron experiments were convincing of positive or
negative mass (inertial or gravitational). -- Jon Low]
"Go First Dice" by Numberphile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q32heFz1bs
Do you see how you can use this? Can you see the protocols? If Alice, Bob, et al
each had their own die, what could you do? What games you could play.
Bobby Fischer on Paul Morphy and
how opening theory destroyed chess "I hate chess" - Bobby Fischer.
by GoodKnightChess
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P349BdHUxlc
Do you understand? Has cryptologic theory been exhausted? The game theory of our
protocols? The math of our transformations? Have computers made the field uninteresting,
non-creative?
Our systems operate in the real world. The real world is described and predicted by
science, physics in particular for our purposes. Just as you must have a command of your
language to communicate precisely (Precision of language is precision of thought.) so
you must have a command of your physics to calculate (math) and build (engineering)
your cryptosystem correctly. (You also need a command of Information Theory.)
---
Email excerpt from Dr. Elliot Schneider --
". . . there are several standard approaches to classical mechanics—including the
Newtonian method with forces and F = ma and so on that we all learn in freshman physics.
But there is a more powerful approach in the Lagrangian formulation, which is rooted
in the principle that the path a classical particle follows is the one that minimizes this
quantity called the action.
Before Feynman, it was essentially a matter of taste and convenience whether you
preferred to work with forces or actions and Lagrangians.
But what his path integral discovery showed is that the Lagrangian formulation has
a far deeper connection to the foundations of physics. It’s the bridge that links together
the laws of classical and quantum mechanics."
-- Elliot Schneider
https://courses.physicswithelliot.com/lagrangian-fundamentals-page
"Explaining the Principle of Least Action: Physics Mini Lesson" Part I
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/least-action-mini-notes
"The Special Relativistic Action, Explained: Physics Mini Lesson" Part II
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/special-relativity-action-mini-notes
"How Einstein Uncovered the Path a Particle Traces Through Spacetime" Part III
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/gr-action-mini-notes
"The First Thing You’ll Learn in a String Theory Class" Part IV
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/string-action-mini-notes
"Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics in Under 20 Minutes:
Physics Mini Lesson" Part V
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/lagrangian-hamiltonian-mini-notes
---
The Feynman Lectures on Physics,
https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/
This was one of our textbooks when I took physics at Columbia.
These are audio records of Feynman's lectures,
https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/flptapes.html
Feynman was a student of Wheeler [John Archibald Wheeler
(July 9, 1911 – April 13, 2008)]. Can you tell?
"John Wheeler, relativity, and quantum information"
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/15184/1/Misner2009p1638Phys_Today.pdf
Compare to the thoughts of
Edward Melkonian (1920-1991)
https://www.apam.columbia.edu/edward-melkonian-1920-1991
Prof. Melkonian was one of my teachers at Columbia.
Ya, they all worked on the Manhattan Project.
---
"Elon Musk's view on money will change yours forever..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avDXGjKEiNs
You must apply information theory to money, because money is information.
Just as you apply game theory to economics, because economics is a game.
"The spin of the neutron about its symmetry axis is conceptually meaningless."
-- Emilio Segrè (February 1, 1905 – April 22, 1989)
We used his book,
"Nuclei and particles : an introduction to nuclear and subnuclear physics"
when I was an under grad at Columbia.
The Middle Tennessee State University
James E. Walker Library has a copy. Proving to my grand kids that I am old, not ancient.
[Ya, the neutron has a well defined quantum mechnaical spin. He's making a
philosophical statement about measurement. He's not talking about quantum mechanical
spin. -- Jon Low]
"The power is in the question - Keith J. Cunningham"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1aXw-FZnjA
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
Always cite an open source article to avoid accusations of divulging classified information.
“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.)
"Putin's 'incompetent' Russian Air Force could run out of pilots - this is how | Ukraine Russia"
-- Daily Mail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSvSF0_ceE
"An influencer's AI clone will be your girlfriend for $1 a minute" by Taylor Lorenz
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/influencers-ai-clone-girlfriend-1-121319554.html
In Nashville, TN an expert massage will cost you $1 per minute (different from
New York City or the Connecticut suburbs of NYC). Per unit time of pleasure,
it is cheaper than heroin.
"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein
ASIN: B000JJRW80
---
"How ChatGPT Works Technically | ChatGPT Architecture" by ByteByteGo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSvTVREwSNw
The narrator talks about "human values". That's really scary.
"Ukraine Shoots Down Russia's "Unstoppable" Kinzhal Missiles" by Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2rS7-hNTbQ
"The Applications of Matrices | What I wish my teachers told me way earlier" by Zach Star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rowWM-MijXU
Note the association chart. Do you use linear algebra to analyze your association charts?
You bet the enemy does. I know it's not done much in the small units, but you should.
The cited video,
"Essence of linear algebra" by 3Blue1Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNk_zzaMoSs&list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab
"You're Being INSTRUCTED Not To Notice This!!" by Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwsc6RtN5Ys
Canada.
"The Army We Don’t See
The Private Soldiers Who Fight in America’s Name"
by Andrea Mazzarino
https://tomdispatch.com/the-army-we-dont-see/
I wonder if the author would consider us Marines or contractors?
DFAS (Defense Finance Accounting Service) just dropped another 50k in the
New Jersey TD Bank (Commerce Bank) account. More fun and games.
U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8 Enumerated Powers, Clause 11 War Powers --
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal,
and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-8/clause-11/
Prizes of War and Congress's War Powers
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C11-5/ALDE_00013591/
When I think about all the things we brought back in the SCIFs
(Sensitive compartmented information facility).
"US Supreme Court Issues Major 9-0 Ruling" by Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eA6Ggq-IC0
Cited cases,
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1496_d18f.pdf
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1333_6j7a.pdf
Do you see how this affects us? Information warfare. Psychological warfare. Ride the
wave. Don't get smashed.
"Supreme Court 6-3 Decision Strikes Down Suppressor Purchase & Ownership Bans!!!"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNTMfbR5uTE
Do you understand why this is in the intel section?
"China’s New Rifle is Worse than You Think" by Task & Purpose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgwP36WyXEg
Note the Peoples Liberation Army rank structure. Remember China's war with Vietnam?
The Vietnamese moved way into China. Mao Tse Tung's woke rank-less policy destroyed
their army's effectiveness.
Political commissar in each company. Two radios per company, one for the commander,
one for the political commissar.
Our generals don't study history and so follow China's example into a woke and
ineffective armed forces.
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
"You can’t truly call yourself 'peaceful' unless you are capable of great violence.
If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful, you’re harmless.
Important distinction." -- Stef Starkgaryen
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
***** ***** Religion, Politics, History, War Stories, et al ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
Rest In Peace Tina Turner (26 November 1939 to 24 May 2023)
Born Anna Mae Bullock and raised in Nutbush, Tennessee.
Happy 75th Birthday Israel!
Happy 25th Birthday Defensive Use of Firearms website!
http://spw-duf.info
"The Big Picture" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/the-big-picture/
Excerpt:
But, what really struck me when recently re-viewing this program (sixty years later)
is that back then America’s Democrat politicians did not malevolently regard American
gun-owners as “domestic enemies,” as they do today.
“The death of an independent press can lead to tyranny and render
a population helpless to protect itself against a government that
disdains law and conscience.”
-- Lesley Blume
“Free Press?” by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/free-press-2/
"Elon Musk (Full Interview) | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO8w6XcXJUs
Elon Musk, African-American immigrant to the United States,
is the richest man on Earth. Note his comments on our 1st Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution.
In Murfreesboro, TN.
"Tennessee homeowner kills intruder, wounds second after they allegedly held
teen at gunpoint, tased dog
Homeowner not facing any charges in shooting of alleged home invaders"
by Stephen Sorace
https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-homeowner-kills-intruder-wounds-second-they-allegedly-held-teen-gunpoint-tased-dog
Note that the bad guys were violent repeat offenders of a protected class.
What were they doing out in society free to invade the homes of good people?
That's why it is so important to vote for conservative judges and conservative politicians
who appoint judges and parole boards. If Black Lives Matter endorses the candidate,
vote against him, donate money to his opponent. Because elections matter. As this
article demonstrates.
"The ATF Stole 20 Million Dollars" by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_JuqQ05hU
"SOUND OF FREEDOM Official Trailer (2023)" starring Jim Caviezel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfn2oy9bYdM
Sometimes you have to do it yourself. The government won't lift a finger.
The police won't intervene. That's why God made you.
"Age Is Just A Number! So They Say! Words Of Tucker"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXVZ6Ddjme0
"EPIC: Megyn Kelly SHREDS "Gun Cult" over Gun Control obsession . . .
Gun Rights are moving to the center" by Langley Outdoor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxSYwTJvMl4
Cited primary source,
"Megyn Kelly Says It's "Time to Shame the Gun Control Zealots"
After Texas Mall Mass Shooting"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SLF1XJ1Xak
"Laura Ingraham: This is tragic"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtu5wDIkN9o
"Tucker Carlson bursts out laughing as Elon Musk describes Twitter layoffs"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNuCFgO8MXg
"IRS Admits it Targets Black People" by Liberty Doll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPH_Er_M2r4
"Finding ‘common ground’ with the thinking of evil men is a fool's errand."
-- Herschel Smith
---
“Lethal-Means Reduction?” by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/lethal-means-reduction/
---
“Where there is trust, no proof is necessary.
Where there is none, no proof is possible.”
As I remember it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZfZ8uWaOFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJDtukGW79Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54BCLYNkFKg
"Your character is what you do when no one is looking."
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology ***** ***** *****
"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
[Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law.
ITAR, International Traffic in Arms Regulations]
"Windows & MacOS can't do this, but Linux can!" by The Linux Experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuPO-eAMy4I
I took a class on writing device drivers when I was at U.C. Santa Cruz. (You're making
changes in the kernel while the operating system is running. How many other operating
systems will allow you to do that? None.)
Booting and running your computer off a flash drive in your USB port. How useful
is that? Certain agencies don't have USB ports in any of their computers in their facilities.
Because humans will pick up thumb drives in the parking lot and plug them in. And
some will copy classified material to post elsewhere.
I noticed that the x-ray machines in the airports and federal buildings run Linux.
When people say "Linux operating system", they mean the GNU utilities and the Linux
kernel.
Tuxedo Computers,
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/
Auf Deutsch,
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/de/
"Euler's Formula Beyond Complex Numbers" by Morphocular
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1gOYtQYRXo
Rotations in arbitrary-dimensional space. That actually work for all spaces.
Cited video,
"How (and why) to raise e to the power of a matrix | DE6" by 3Blue1Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O85OWBJ2ayo
For an explanation of e raised to the power of a matrix.
---
This is important because Complex numbers,
X = a + bi
where a and b are variables and i is the imaginary unit,
only describe transforms in 2-dimensional space (and don't describe a scalar value
of every point in that space).
Quaternions,
X = a_1 + a_2 i + a_3 j + a_4 k
where the a's are variables and the i, j, and k are the unit vectors of the dimensions,
only work for 3 space dimensions and one scalar value (as a density at every point in the
3-dimensional object).
Octonions, also called Cayley numbers,
X = a_1 + a_2 i_1 + a_3 i_2 + a_4 i_3 + a_5 i_4 + a_6 i_5 + a_7 i_6 + a_8 i_7
where the a's are variables and the i's are the unit vectors of the dimensions,
only work for 7 dimensional space and a scalar value (as an electric potential at every
point in the 7-dimension space).
Wolfram Mathworld says Octonions describe 8-dimensional space. That's just wrong.
Ya, you could use number systems to describe higher dimensions, but the number systems
break down quickly. Only the Complex numbers possess the structure we would normally
associate with a well formed algebraic structure (in which we could play all of our little
cryptologic games). The Quaternions lack commutativity. The Octonions lack associativity
and commutativity.
We need to operate in the 5th dimension as this is the age of Aquarius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxSCAalsBE
The 5 x 5 square skew symmetric matrices as exponents of e allow this. Ya, there are other
restrictions on the matrix (to avoid degenerate cases; the Taylor expansion must converge
and we need neat closed form expressions for the thing that it converges to),
but you get the idea.
The following is what happens when persons without cryptologic training try to do security.
"Using the iPhone Recovery Key to Lock Owners Out of Their iPhones" by Bruce Schneier
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/04/using-the-iphone-recovery-key-to-lock-owners-out-of-their-iphones.html
And it's not just that the guys at Apple are stupid.
I could tell you horror stories of the Red Book (the National Security Agency Information
Security manual), the requirements of which, we had to implement when writing software
for Department of Defense radios. [I was working on JTRS (Joint Tactical Radio System).]
The InfoSec requirements are written by bureaucrats instead of cryptologists, resulting in
soldiers dying in the field. That's why I had to resign from BAE Systems. I refused to be
part of the stupidity.
The nameless faceless bureaucrats never suffer any consequences for their idiocy. For
example: If you are forced to periodically change your password, the person responsible
for that policy does not understand cryptology. Good passwords never go stale, and so
should never be changed. Bad passwords are not mitigated by being changed periodically.
So the persons who establish these bad policies need to be fired immediately. But they
never will be, because the people they work for are even more stupid than they are. And so
will think that such policies are brilliant. I could give you hundreds of such bad policies.
Bruce Schneier has articles listing scores of of such bad policies.
There is a saying that persons in any corporation will rise to their level of incompetency.
But that is false. There is nothing to prevent the rise of incompetent persons, e.g.
Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX, etc. The list could go on for
pages, but you get the idea. Stay away from them. Don't invest with them. If your financial
advisors are investing with incompetent persons, find a new advisor. Stupid people love
stupid people. Birds of a feather flock together.
---
How do you generate a good password that you can remember?
Consider a text that you know. Take the first letter of each word in the order that
the words appear in the text, capitalized as they are in the text.
Consider a number. Perhaps your zip code, phone number, birth date, social security
number, etc. Press the shift key, type the number on the keys above the alphabet keys,
not the numeric key pad.
Concatenate.
Example:
Text -- "Continue to behave normally. Continue with your work. Do not acknowledge
or mention our presence. We are conducting a scan for eavesdropping devices."
Processed text -- CtbnCwywDnaomopWacasfed
Number -- 808373932096821567932257
Processed number -- *)*#&#(#@)(^*@!%^&(#@@%&
Concatenated -- CtbnCwywDnaomopWacasfed*)*#&#(#@)(^*@!%^&(#@@%&
Or a shorter one could be,
Text -- If you are under duress, ask me, "How's the weather outside?"
IyaudamHtwo
Number -- 6152289050
^!%@@*()%)
Concatenated -- IyaudamHtwo^!%@@*()%)
Stack overflow.
Core dump.
"Modern C++: Unique Ptrs and Vectors" Dave's Garage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8V-WIjlScA
Ah, smart pointers. Smart pointers were around before the Standard Library's
Unique Pointers. Standard Template Library.
"Linux File System/Structure Explained!" by DorianDotSlash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbgzrKJvDRw
In UNIX, Posix, Linux, et al everything is a file.
"Engineer/Comedian" by Don McMillan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnlzuqf__eU
"The REAL Reason You Don't Understand Relativity" by Dialect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an6JiBLQqXY
Actually, the philosophy does affect the calculation. That's why the philosophy of
physics is so important. Do anti-particles have negative mass? (negative gravity)
There is no measurement that answers the question. At least none that I find
convincing.* So how you calculate depends on your theory of anti-particles,
which depends on your philosophy.
How does this apply to cryptology? Cryptology uses communication channels.
At high data rates (I'm talking very high data rates), the errors depend on the physics
of the channel (how the particles interact).
*[My teacher, Prof. Baltay (Charles Baltay retired in 2022),
https://fas.yale.edu/book/tributes-2022/charles-baltay
then at Columbia, never felt the positron experiments were convincing of positive or
negative mass (inertial or gravitational). -- Jon Low]
"Go First Dice" by Numberphile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q32heFz1bs
Do you see how you can use this? Can you see the protocols? If Alice, Bob, et al
each had their own die, what could you do? What games you could play.
Bobby Fischer on Paul Morphy and
how opening theory destroyed chess "I hate chess" - Bobby Fischer.
by GoodKnightChess
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P349BdHUxlc
Do you understand? Has cryptologic theory been exhausted? The game theory of our
protocols? The math of our transformations? Have computers made the field uninteresting,
non-creative?
Our systems operate in the real world. The real world is described and predicted by
science, physics in particular for our purposes. Just as you must have a command of your
language to communicate precisely (Precision of language is precision of thought.) so
you must have a command of your physics to calculate (math) and build (engineering)
your cryptosystem correctly. (You also need a command of Information Theory.)
---
Email excerpt from Dr. Elliot Schneider --
". . . there are several standard approaches to classical mechanics—including the
Newtonian method with forces and F = ma and so on that we all learn in freshman physics.
But there is a more powerful approach in the Lagrangian formulation, which is rooted
in the principle that the path a classical particle follows is the one that minimizes this
quantity called the action.
Before Feynman, it was essentially a matter of taste and convenience whether you
preferred to work with forces or actions and Lagrangians.
But what his path integral discovery showed is that the Lagrangian formulation has
a far deeper connection to the foundations of physics. It’s the bridge that links together
the laws of classical and quantum mechanics."
-- Elliot Schneider
https://courses.physicswithelliot.com/lagrangian-fundamentals-page
"Explaining the Principle of Least Action: Physics Mini Lesson" Part I
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/least-action-mini-notes
"The Special Relativistic Action, Explained: Physics Mini Lesson" Part II
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/special-relativity-action-mini-notes
"How Einstein Uncovered the Path a Particle Traces Through Spacetime" Part III
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/gr-action-mini-notes
"The First Thing You’ll Learn in a String Theory Class" Part IV
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/string-action-mini-notes
"Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics in Under 20 Minutes:
Physics Mini Lesson" Part V
https://www.physicswithelliot.com/lagrangian-hamiltonian-mini-notes
---
The Feynman Lectures on Physics,
https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/
This was one of our textbooks when I took physics at Columbia.
These are audio records of Feynman's lectures,
https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/flptapes.html
Feynman was a student of Wheeler [John Archibald Wheeler
(July 9, 1911 – April 13, 2008)]. Can you tell?
"John Wheeler, relativity, and quantum information"
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/15184/1/Misner2009p1638Phys_Today.pdf
Compare to the thoughts of
Edward Melkonian (1920-1991)
https://www.apam.columbia.edu/edward-melkonian-1920-1991
Prof. Melkonian was one of my teachers at Columbia.
Ya, they all worked on the Manhattan Project.
---
"Elon Musk's view on money will change yours forever..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avDXGjKEiNs
You must apply information theory to money, because money is information.
Just as you apply game theory to economics, because economics is a game.
"The spin of the neutron about its symmetry axis is conceptually meaningless."
-- Emilio Segrè (February 1, 1905 – April 22, 1989)
We used his book,
"Nuclei and particles : an introduction to nuclear and subnuclear physics"
when I was an under grad at Columbia.
The Middle Tennessee State University
James E. Walker Library has a copy. Proving to my grand kids that I am old, not ancient.
[Ya, the neutron has a well defined quantum mechnaical spin. He's making a
philosophical statement about measurement. He's not talking about quantum mechanical
spin. -- Jon Low]
"The power is in the question - Keith J. Cunningham"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1aXw-FZnjA
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
Always cite an open source article to avoid accusations of divulging classified information.
“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.)
"Putin's 'incompetent' Russian Air Force could run out of pilots - this is how | Ukraine Russia"
-- Daily Mail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSvSF0_ceE
"An influencer's AI clone will be your girlfriend for $1 a minute" by Taylor Lorenz
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/influencers-ai-clone-girlfriend-1-121319554.html
In Nashville, TN an expert massage will cost you $1 per minute (different from
New York City or the Connecticut suburbs of NYC). Per unit time of pleasure,
it is cheaper than heroin.
"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein
ASIN: B000JJRW80
---
"How ChatGPT Works Technically | ChatGPT Architecture" by ByteByteGo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSvTVREwSNw
The narrator talks about "human values". That's really scary.
"Ukraine Shoots Down Russia's "Unstoppable" Kinzhal Missiles" by Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2rS7-hNTbQ
"The Applications of Matrices | What I wish my teachers told me way earlier" by Zach Star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rowWM-MijXU
Note the association chart. Do you use linear algebra to analyze your association charts?
You bet the enemy does. I know it's not done much in the small units, but you should.
The cited video,
"Essence of linear algebra" by 3Blue1Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNk_zzaMoSs&list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab
"You're Being INSTRUCTED Not To Notice This!!" by Peter Zeihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwsc6RtN5Ys
Canada.
"The Army We Don’t See
The Private Soldiers Who Fight in America’s Name"
by Andrea Mazzarino
https://tomdispatch.com/the-army-we-dont-see/
I wonder if the author would consider us Marines or contractors?
DFAS (Defense Finance Accounting Service) just dropped another 50k in the
New Jersey TD Bank (Commerce Bank) account. More fun and games.
U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8 Enumerated Powers, Clause 11 War Powers --
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal,
and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-8/clause-11/
Prizes of War and Congress's War Powers
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C11-5/ALDE_00013591/
When I think about all the things we brought back in the SCIFs
(Sensitive compartmented information facility).
"US Supreme Court Issues Major 9-0 Ruling" by Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eA6Ggq-IC0
Cited cases,
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1496_d18f.pdf
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1333_6j7a.pdf
Do you see how this affects us? Information warfare. Psychological warfare. Ride the
wave. Don't get smashed.
"Supreme Court 6-3 Decision Strikes Down Suppressor Purchase & Ownership Bans!!!"
by Armed Scholar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNTMfbR5uTE
Do you understand why this is in the intel section?
"China’s New Rifle is Worse than You Think" by Task & Purpose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgwP36WyXEg
Note the Peoples Liberation Army rank structure. Remember China's war with Vietnam?
The Vietnamese moved way into China. Mao Tse Tung's woke rank-less policy destroyed
their army's effectiveness.
Political commissar in each company. Two radios per company, one for the commander,
one for the political commissar.
Our generals don't study history and so follow China's example into a woke and
ineffective armed forces.
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
"You can’t truly call yourself 'peaceful' unless you are capable of great violence.
If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful, you’re harmless.
Important distinction." -- Stef Starkgaryen
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
