CWP, 2 March MMXXIV Anno Domini

  🇺🇸

 Greetings Sheepdogs,
     Please Subscribe to CPRC, John Lott et al.  
https://crimepreventionresearchcenter.nationbuilder.com/subscribe
 
Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit
16-18 August 2024
in Knoxville, TN
Venue:  ???, see last paragraph
Admission will be free for GOA (Gun Owners of America) members ($25 membership),
and all attendees will be allowed to “lawfully carry while in attendance.”  
https://www.gunowners.org/gun-owners-of-america-announces-inaugural-convention/
     "Gun Owners of America announces ‘premiere’ Second Amendment convention"
by Kaelan Deese
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2869730/gun-owners-of-america-announces-premiere-second-amendment-convention/
     I wrote to GOA and even the staff don't seem to know where the event
will be held.  Stay tuned for further announcements.  
 
Table of Sections:  
     Prevention
     Intervention
     Postvention
     Education
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Prevention *****     *****     *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.  
 
Table of contents:  
     Mindset
     Safety
     Training
     Practice
 
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset -----
Figuring out the correct way to think.  
 
“When faced with a choice between force and cowardice, always choose force.”  
-- Ghandi
 
     “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.)
 
"WILL YOU USE YOUR CCW IF YOU ARE ATTACKED?"
by Mike Boyle
https://www.thearmorylife.com/will-you-use-your-ccw-when-attacked/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     “It isn’t being fast or even accurate that counts.  It’s being willing.  
I found out early that most men aren’t willing.  They blink an eye or
draw a breath before they pull the trigger.  I won’t”.  
 
     ‟We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a
lethal force encounter initiated by someone else.  
That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive.”  
– William Aprill
 
"Getting Your Mind Right
It’s More Than Movie Dialog"
by Ken P. Campbell
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/getting-your-mind-right/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     ". . . if you walk around clueless, you’ll never even get a chance to use your skills."  
 
     ‟Fear is an instinct.  Courage is a choice.”  
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
 
     ‷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
 
***** Situational Awareness *****
How to avoid being taken by surprise.  
 
     "Jeff Cooper's Color Code exists to help you get your head
around the need to kill someone in the immediate future."  
-- John Hearne
 

Unaware (white) of what's going on around you. 

Aware (yellow) of who is around you and what they are doing. 

Alert (orange) to a potential threat and taking action to avoid the threat. 

Alarm (red) by a real threat and taking action to escape the threat, which might include shooting it.  

Combat (black) front sight, press. 

 
     “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
                   UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.  
RULE IV:  BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.  
 
     “All political movements, in a hopeless attempt to perpetuate themselves,
unavoidably become reactionary and despotic.”  
-- Tito (President of Yugoslavia)
     "NYC" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/nyc-3/
 
     "It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."  
-- Claude Werner
 
     In case you don't understand the purpose of personal security (body guards,
alarm systems, fences, etc.)  
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d2nglDPJ7MU
 
"Terror Exports!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/terror-exports/
     Errata -
I keep getting BHO and JRB mixed together!  
The 2021 “withdrawal” from Afghanistan was on JRB’s watch, not BHO’s
I apologize for the gaffe!  
-- John
 
     Proof that guns save lives (of good guys and gals).  
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns:
30 Cases During November 2023"
https://crimeresearch.org/2024/02/defensive-gun-uses-by-people-legally-carrying-guns-30-cases-during-november-2023/
 
"Ann Coulter interviews John Lott about the Mass Public Shootings"
https://crimeresearch.org/2024/02/ann-coulter-interviews-john-lott-about-the-mass-public-shootings/
     Freedom and safety go together.  The more freedom you have, the safer you are.  
You don't have to trade one for the other.  
 
     "The statement that police officers are better trained and
equipped to be security is complete sophistry."  
-- Paul G. Markel
 
"Naive!" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/naive/
     “The naive don’t want to hear truth,
because they can’t endure seeing their
delusional phantasies demolished.”
-- Nietzsche
 
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.  
Have a “normal” appearance.  
Be in bed by 10:00 PM (your own bed).  
Don’t fail the attitude test.  
 
"Carpe Diem" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/carpe-diem/
Excerpt:  
“Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.”  
-- Horace
(Seize the day. Tomorrow may never arrive.)  
 
*************************************************************************
----- Training -----
Figuring out the correct tasks to practice.
 
[Extremely important!  Please read!]  
     "The very first step to developing any skill is to recognize
what is “right” from what is “wrong” in the subject matter."  
-- Steve Tarani
     "Perishable Skills" by Steve Tarani
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/perishable-skills/
Excerpts:  
     "It’s not possible to ask your body to do something physically
that you cannot grasp with your mind."  
     "Most shooters want to be better and to shoot well,
but many fail to realize how much time, commitment
and discipline it takes to achieve those desired levels.  
The amount of practice it takes to get good at any perishable
skill is always greater than the practitioner initially envisions."  
     "The most insidious part of perishability is that your mind,
since you clearly understand it mentally, tells you there has
been no change in your skills.  In other words, your mind is
writing checks that your body can no longer cash."  
 
     “If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
 
"The Dangerous Ambiguity Of Qualification Drills"
by Richard A. Mann
https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/firearm-training/qualification-drills/amp
Excerpt:  
     ". . . qualifications tend to bring with them the illusion that you’re actually qualified."  
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
     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)
 
"Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | The First Trimester"
by Ally Corless
https://www.primerpeak.com/conceal-carry-during-pregnancy-the-first-trimester/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     "I encourage the not pregnant partner to take the entire course!"  
     [I've always thought and practiced that the father should abstain from drinking
just as the mother would during pregnancy.  Though my son-in-law didn't think
so. -- Jon Low]  
     This article contains information that you would never have thought of.  
Which means it is expanding your mind.  
 
     "You brought a gun to the fight.  That doesn’t mean it’s YOUR gun.  
The gun belongs to whomever can keep it.  Think about that before intervening
in other folks’ problems.  When is the last time you practiced your in-hand weapon
retention skills?"  
-- Greg Ellifritz
     For that matter, when was the last time you practiced your holstered weapon
retention skills?  Do you have such skills?  Have you ever learned such skills?  
Better get on it.  Your time is coming.  
 
     In scientific terms, Stephen Macknik, Ph.D., professor, neuroscientist, author
and columnist at the State University of New York, explains what you experience
during a magic trick is a series of "electrochemical signals going around a bunch
of circuits in your brain."  Because there are no windows in your skull, he says,
the only way you can get information into your brain is through your five senses.  
From there, your brain draws on past memories and then uses cognition to fill in
the details — essentially forming what Macknik calls "a grand simulation of reality."  
He states:  "It's not that the world around you isn't there.  It's there, but you've
never lived there.  You've never even been there for a visit.  The only place you've
ever been is inside your mind."  
     Excerpt from "Automatic Brain:  The Magic of the Unconscious Mind"
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
Send me an email requesting the paper if you're interested.  
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
     This is something you need to understand for your training to be successful.  
And for your training of others to be successful.  
     A video is at
"Automatic Brain: (1) The Magic Of The Unconscious Mind (2011)"
by George Kalarritis, Clinical Psychologist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRrh54VCFs
But, never judge a paper by its video.  
Hat tip to Deanna (Dee Dee) Staton.  
 
     “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
 
     I apologize for not being crystal clear in a previous blog posting.  
The professional NFL football player tore his Achilles tendon.  
The team declined to pay the player because the team claimed
that it was the player's fault because the player had neglected to
do the stretching exercises that the team trainer had prescribed.  
(Of course, the player will sue the team.)  
     If you don't do your stretching exercises every morning, and
tear you Achilles tendon as a result, in combat, you won't be suing
anyone, because you'll be dead.  
 
     "Safe gun handling and knowing how to operate the gun competently is one thing.  
How to fight with the gun is a whole other plane of knowledge."  
-- Tiger McKee
 
"People don't understand red dots" by Ben Stoeger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYZjLIy487g
     Deep truth!  Humans never get to the point where they don't have to worry
about a technique anymore, because they got it, permanently.  All skills are
perishable, even with deliberate practice.  Perfection is what we strive for,
not what we ever attain.  
 
     "Those motivated by a desire to improve their
gunfighting skills as opposed to a quest for trophies,
must be willing to bleed ego on the match results
to avoid shedding blood in combat."  
-- Andy Stanford
 
"2023 Training Year End Review | All The Classes I Took Last Year"
by Tessah Booth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbotgTIekUg
 
--- Start of Classes ---
 
Trident Concepts
https://tridentconcepts.com/course-calendar/
 
Mike Seeklander's defensive handgun classes
https://shooting-performance.coursestorm.com/category/defensive-handgun
 
Rangemaster classes
https://rangemaster.com/firearms-training/
 
Defensive Training International classes
https://defense-training.com/training-courses/
 
The Outpost Armory
https://www.theoutpostarmory.com/training/
 
Mead Hall
http://meadhallrange.com/home-events/
 
Tatiana Whitlock
https://tatianawhitlock.com/events/
 
--- End of Classes ---
 
     ‟Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”  
-- Claude Werner
 
*************************************************************************
----- Practice -----
How to get proficient at that task.  
 
     ‟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
 
     "Shooting Practice for a Criminal Encounter
Improving your pistol skills doesn't require a complex set of drills."
by CLAUDE WERNER
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/shooting-practice-for-a-criminal-encounter
     "Shooting Practice for a Criminal Encounter" by Tactical Professor
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2024/02/20/shooting-practice-for-a-criminal-encounter/
 
     “Willingness is a state of mind.  Readiness is a statement of fact!”  
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant 1960-1963
 
"The 7 Most Common Concealed Carry Mistakes" by Travis Pike
https://inside.safariland.com/blog/the-7-most-common-concealed-carry-mistakes/
 
     "People rust faster than equipment."  
-- John Hearne
 
"Dry Practice Safety Deep Dive" by Justin Carroll
https://revolverguy.com/dry-practice-safety-deep-dive/
 
     “Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”  
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
 
"Good training looks bad" by Ben Stoeger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYC8Jgi64bI
Ben Stoeger:  Did you see that?  
Jon Low:  No, I didn't see anything.  I don't know what you're talking about.  
[Isn't that the problem in just about every class you've ever attended?]  
 
     ‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″  
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
 
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
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Intervention *****     *****     *****
Suggestions on how to deal with the incident that you failed to avoid.  
 
     Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, Escape
 
Table of contents:  
     Strategy
     Tactics
     Techniques
 
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy -----
Deciding on the end state and how to achieve it,
which tactics to use, which includes walking away.  
 
     “How do you win a gunfight?  
Don't be there.”  
-- John Farnam
 
     Extremely high information density.  Please scan carefully.  
     "Realities and Legalities of Child Snatching: Part One" by Melody Lauer
http://limatunesrangediary.blogspot.com/2014/02/will-your-passion-for-your-loved-ones.html
     "Realities and Legalities of Child Snatching: Part Two" by Melody Lauer
http://limatunesrangediary.blogspot.com/2014/02/will-your-passion-for-your-loved-one.html
     "Realities and Legalities of Child Snatching: Part 3" by Melody Lauer
http://limatunesrangediary.blogspot.com/2014/02/realities-and-legalities-of-child.html
     Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
     Melody talks about a lot of things that actually take a lot of training and practice
to understand much less execute.  Just reading about a thing ain't going to make you
capable, much less proficient; for instance locking up with your child who is already
entangled with the bad guy, and then delivering a contact shot to the bad guy in a
correct target area without jeopardizing your child or you.  I studied this stuff in a class
by Ralph Mroz.  It's hard.  Expect to get banged up.  
 
"God, Guns, & Guts: What It Takes to Protect Houses of Worship"
by Paul G. Markel
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/472fa6de-7cfb-40d9-97be-57e1f1e5522a
Excerpts:  
     ". . . only those present at the moment of the attack will be able to stop or
minimize the death and destruction."  
     "Training for church security requires classroom work, “walking the ground”
on the physical premises, and work on the range."  
     ". . . cameras do NOT provide security, ergo the term “security camera” is
a misnomer."  
     "Our churches should not need mercenary security teams and I would argue
that dedicated volunteer members of the congregation would be best suited to
address the security needs of the facility after they have received training and
become organized.  The statement that police officers are better trained and
equipped to be security is complete sophistry."  
 
     "You win gunfights by not getting shot."  
-- John Holschen
 
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics -----
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.  
 
     "Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
 
     "Understanding Reactionary Zones
More room gives you more options when things get weird." by SHELLEY HILL
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/understanding-reactionary-zones/
     "Reactionary Zones Part 2
What happens when the problem is too close to avoid?" by SHELLEY HILL
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/reactionary-zones-part-2/
     "Reactionary Zones Part Three
What to do when it's the wrong time to get up close and personal." by SHELLEY HILL
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/reactionary-zones-part-three/
     "Reactionary Zones Part 4: The Closest Distance
Welcome to Worst-Case Scenario Land, population: You." by SHELLEY HILL
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/reactionary-zones-part-4-the-closest-distance/
 
     “Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”  
-- Chuck Haggard
 
"Pointing Guns at People" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/pointing-guns-at-people
Excerpt:  
     "Lots of administrators now demand that cops keep their weapons holstered or
pointed safely at the ground until they are legally justified in using lethal force.  
That’s a ridiculous standard that will lead to future police deaths."  
[Similarly for you too. -- Jon Low]
     {Getting internet clicks is not justification for violating
Safety RULE II:  
NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING
YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.}  
---
"Dry Fire With A Live Gun: A Needed Skill" by Adam Winch
https://www.defenders-usa.com/dry-fire-with-a-live-gun-a-needed-skill/
Excerpt:  
     "We must know how to press the trigger to the wall on our handgun –
allllll the way to the wall of the trigger break –
and be able to quickly and immediately know how to come off that trigger
without breaking the shot."  
     "This requires an intimate knowledge of your trigger and it's break point.  It requires
an intimate knowledge of your own grip, trigger pressures, and more.  Have you ever
sat and spent time just feeling every consistent, tiny granule of slight resistance in your
trigger slack take up and through the actual break itself ?"  
 
     Now here is an example of what NOT to do.  
"Cops MAG DUMP The Wrong Person!!!"
by Donut Operator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM3ycTK7EHo
     Meat starts at 2:35.  
     The two cops fired 3 magazines at the innocent bystander at distance less than
the width of a room in a cheap apartment complex.  The cops turn the walls into
Swiss cheese (as well as walls in adjoining apartments).  The innocent bystander
is in stable condition.  What's wrong with this picture?  
     The cops had weapon mounted lights.  Were they aiming at anything?  Had
they positively identified their target?  (Rhetorical questions.)  
 
"WATCH: Barrage of gunfire as officers confront Houston megachurch shooter"
by KSAT 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ8GIx8yblk
     Note the level of confusion.  
 
     "The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
 
*************************************************************************
----- Techniques -----
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.  
 
     "Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
 
"Kinesthetic Shooting – Killing A False God" by Dustin P. Salomon
https://buildingshooters.com/kinesthetic-shooting-killing-a-false-god/
Excerpts:  
     "The negative long-term performance impacts of teaching entry-level students
point shooting, and having them practice point shooting almost exclusively,
are severe enough that it would probably not be wrong to describe this training
methodology as psychological abuse of the student."  
     "This training delivery failure doesn’t just build shooters who can’t aim in
gunfights.  It builds shooters who can’t learn to aim in gunfights."  
 
"How to Shoot a Pistol" with Jimmy Cannon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzHhISF549o
Meat starts at 1:41.  
---
     Using the slide lock lever to release the slide is fine if the slide is locked back.  
But, the slide does not always lock back on an empty magazine.  It may "always"
lock back in pristine range conditions.  But combat / self-defense is not pristine.  
Better to use a technique that works in all circumstances.  Rack the slide.  
 
     "The foundations of your grip are established
before you even draw the pistol from the holster."  
-- Tanner Denton
 
     The pistol is harder to shoot than a rifle because:  
⬢ the pistol trigger weight is heavier than the pistol (or should be for combat
purposes), while the rifle trigger is much lighter than the rifle (or should be
for accuracy).  
⬣ the pistol is held with two hands (maybe only one),
while the rifle is held by two hands, clavicle between the neck and shoulder,
cheek bone, and jaw bone.  
⧫ iron sights - the pistol has a short sighting radius (distance between front
and rear sight), while the rifle has a long sighting radius.  
• optics - the pistol red dot sight gives the shooter a virtual image of the red
dot projected at infinity, while the rifle scope gives the shooter a real image
of the reticle projected at the distance of the target (assuming everything is
adjusted correctly).  [Which doesn't matter, until it does.]  
⬡ in order to effectively penetrate barriers or body armor, the pistol must
have a huge recoil, while the rifle can effectively penetrate barriers and
body armor without bruising recoil.  
 
"How to Hold a Pistol" by Tyler Freel
https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/how-to-hold-a-pistol/
     Oh, new word (for me), "thenar".  
     ". . . with your ring finger up tight against the trigger guard."  
I'm pretty sure the author means middle finger, not ring finger.  
Firing side middle finger is up tight against the trigger guard
and pressing tight against the grip.  
Support side index finger is up tight against the trigger guard
and pressing tight against the firing side middle finger.  
---
     The author says to relax the thumbs.  If you relax the thumbs and apply pressure to
the thenar, the thumbs will go high.  (Tom Givens teaches high thumbs.  Which I
think is correct.)  
     Pointing the thumbs forward requires muscle tension,
which is not relaxing the thumbs.  
     Or, pointing the thumbs forward requires bending the wrist,
which weakens the grip.  Wrists should be straight for a strong grip,
which means the thumbs will be pointing up, not forward.  
     But, to each his own.  Assuming appropriate experimentation,
not religious belief in which ever instructor you worship.  
 
"Shooting With One Eye or Two Eyes Open: Which is Correct?"
by George Harris
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/2/11/shooting-with-one-eye-or-two-eyes-open-which-is-correct/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     "Do what is necessary to achieve the desired hits on target because the objective
of shooting is hitting what you are aiming at, whether you have one eye open or two."  
     [I had a student who physically could not close one eye at a time.  So, the
assumed option is not available to all.  Instructors should be prepared for this.  
-- Jon Low]
 
"Shooting from the Ground: An Overlooked Skill" by Salvatore
https://www.usacarry.com/shooting-ground/
 
"4 Best Concealed Carry Positions: Pros Vs. Cons
If you'd like to carry your defensive gun concealed,
here are the four best choices for how to do it."  
by Frank Melloni
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/4-best-concealed-carry-positions-pros-vs-cons/
     You must do the experimentation.  There is no way around it.  Only you have
your body.  Only you have your perceptions of comfort.  
 
Trigger control –
     Trigger terms:
slack = trigger movement without sear movement (necessary for combat pistols)
break dawn = the hard stop at the end of slack and the start of sear movement
creep = the movement of the sear before the break (there shouldn't be any)
break = when the sear releases the firing pin or striker
over-travel = movement of the trigger after the break (this should be minimized)
reset = releasing the trigger until you hear or feel the click of the trigger resetting
     Place your trigger on the center of your fingerprint.  Your fingerprint has a whorl,
loop, or arch.  You should be pulling the trigger with your distal phalange.  The distal
phalange should be perpendicular to the line of fire when you have taken the slack
out of the trigger, so that you are pulling the trigger straight to the rear, no vector
component of lateral force.  Have your gunsmith move your trigger to achieve this.  
Instructors, as viewed from the front the cuticle at the back of the fingernail will
appear to be over the center of the trigger.  
     Touch the trigger.  Just touch, don’t press.  Trigger control is a fine motor skill.  
We are determining where the trigger is.  Your grip might be off (especially if you
snapped the pistol out of your holster in a high stress situation), which means the
trigger position will be different.  
     Remove the slack from the trigger.  Press until you feel a stop.  You must take
the slack out of the trigger before starting the press to release the shot.  (When you
are taking the slack out of the trigger, the trigger is moving, but the sear is not moving.)
Smoothly increase pressure.  Do not intentionally fire the shot.  (Any further
movement of the trigger after the slack is out, causes the sear to disengage which
causes the pistol to fire.)  
     Strive for a surprise break to defeat your autonomic nervous system, thereby
releasing the shot before any flinch, jerk, freeze, or push.  [Your autonomic nervous
system is your low-level instinctual system that automatically anticipates the recoil
and report, and reacts in anticipation of these events.  You cannot train yourself not
to react, because it is a reflex response (as blinking when something approaches your
eye or kicking when the doctor taps you below the kneecap).  So, we are defeating
the autonomic nervous system by not allowing the brain to know exactly when the
shot will be released, so the anticipatory reaction to the shot occurs after the bullet
exits the muzzle.]  You are not intentionally firing the pistol; rather you are allowing
your subconscious to fire the pistol.  Your subconscious is much better at estimating
time and distance than your conscious.  (Thanks to Col. Kitchen, USMC for this
explanation.)  
     If you are having difficulty achieving a surprise break, try this.  Touch the trigger.  
Take the slack out of the trigger.  Apply 1 pound of pressure.  Smoothly increase to
2 pounds of pressure.  Gradually increase to 3 pounds of pressure.  Gently increase
to 4 pounds of pressure.  Deliberately increase to 5 pounds of pressure.  I guarantee
the pistol will fire before you reach 5 pounds.  And because you never intended to
fire the shot, you will get a surprise break.  (The trigger of your self-defense pistol
should be at least 5 pounds.)  
     Right-handed shooters who are scattering their rounds low left are not getting a
surprise break, rather they are anticipating the shot and pushing against the anticipated
recoil before the bullet exists the muzzle.  Left-handed shooters who lack a surprise
break will scatter low right.  
 
"Following up on Red Dots and lack of understanding"
by Ben Stoeger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNY3tRHwCXU
Excerpt:  
     "It's a mechanical skill that you need to have.  Or, that you'll develop with training.  
It's not an intellectual concept.  You can't get it from book knowledge.  You actually
have to practice.  You have to develop and index."  
     Don't stare at the sight (red dot).  Look at the target.  Just be aware of the dot.  
Don't worry about losing the dot on recoil.  Trust yourself.  The dot will return to
where you are aiming.  
 
"Ready ... Or Not?" by Clint Smith
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/ready-or-not/
 
     "It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Postvention *****     *****     *****
Suggestions on how to treat your wounds.  
Suggestions on how to avoid prosecution, conviction, and prison time.  
Suggestions on how to avoid the civil law suit and judgment.  
 
Table of contents:  
     Aftermath
     Medical
     Survival
 
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath -----
You must be alive to have these problems:  criminal and civil liability.  
 
     “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
 
"Did Alan Colie’s Gun Insurance Deny Him Coverage as a USCCA Member?"
by Attorneys On Retainer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uzQIi9Mt8c
     Colie certifies that he is indigent, while having unlimited resources from USCCA?  
     Colie's attorney requests funds from the court for an expert witness, while having
unlimited funds for experts from the USCCA?  
     Colie's attorney requests funds from the court for the assistance of a paralegal,
while having unlimited funds from the USACCA for an attorney to assist?  
     What's wrong with this picture?  
 
     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.  
The various policies are drastically different.  
     "You need to read the fine print." -- Massad Ayoob  
 
     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
     If you think you're smarter than the police officer, you're wrong; and displaying
a self-destructive arrogance.  
     If you think the cop is your friend, and trying to avoid arresting you, and trying
to get you home as soon as possible, you're a damn fool.  
 
     “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
 
*************************************************************************
----- Medical -----
 
     "If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
 
*************************************************************************
----- Survival -----
 
"5 Ways to Stay Ready So You Don’t Have to Get Ready!" by Justin
https://swiftsilentdeadly.com/stay-ready-so-you-dont-have-to-get-ready/
 
     "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 *****     *****     *****
 
Table of contents:  
     Legal
     Instruction
     Gear
 
*************************************************************************
 
     "You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
 
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – January 2024" by Claude Werner
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-97498558
Excerpts:  
     "Someone who has an Unintentional Discharge inside a crowded
public place has a moral duty to
1) check for casualties, and
2) take responsibility for being a buffoon."  
     "Stupid people doing stupid things. Challenging someone to shoot you
is as foolish an act as can be imagined."  
 
“ Defining Terms: What is "Ballistics"? ” by NRA Staff
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/defining-terms-what-is-ballistics/
Excerpt:  
•  Interior ballistics studies phenomena that occur inside the firearm;
•  Exterior ballistics studies the bullet as it [free falls] through the air; and
•  Terminal ballistics studies the bullet as it strikes and penetrates the target.  
 
The Tactical Professor
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/
 
"Weekend Knowledge Dump" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/
 
Rangemaster newsletter
https://rangemaster.com/newsletter/
 
The Reload
https://thereload.com/
Sign up for their newsletter.  
 
     "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
 
Hello Jonathan,
     Friend of the show Konstadinos Moros ( @MorosKosta on Twitter )
and fellow lawyer C.D. Michel have written an awesome law review article
for the Wyoming Law Review, just published:  
"Restrictions 'Our Ancestors Would Never Have Accepted':  
The Historical Case Against Assault Weapon Bans."  
     A Reading: "Gun Restrictions Our Ancestors Would Never Have Accepted"
by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=claX-RyWU50
 
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca (free book, just pay shipping so you
don't have to go to Colorado to pick it up.)  
http://lawofselfdefense.com/freebook
 
"KC" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/kc/
Excerpts:  
     “A nation can survive fools, even ambitious ones.  But, it cannot survive treason
from within.  An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries
his banners openly.  But, the traitor moves freely among those within our gates.  
His sly whispers rustling through galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself,
for the traitor appears as ‘a friend.’  
     He speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and garments.  
     He appeals to the despicability that lies deep in the hearts of all men and thus
rots the soul of a nation.  
     He works secretly to undermine the pillars of the City.  He contaminates the body
politic, so that it can no longer resist.  
     A murderer is less to be feared.”
-- Cicero, 42 B.C.
     “I have little interest in ‘streamlining’ government, nor in making it
‘more efficient,’ for I mean to reduce its size.  
     I do not undertake to ‘promote welfare,’ for I propose to extend freedom.  
     My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them.  
     It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do
violence to our Constitution, or have failed their purpose, or that impose
on the people unwarranted financial burden.  
     I will not attempt to ‘discover’ whether legislation is ‘needed,’ before
I have first determined whether it is Constitutionally permissible.  
     And, when attacked for ‘neglecting my constituents’ interests,’ I shall
reply that I was informed that their main interest is Liberty, and in that
cause I am doing the best I can.”  
-- Barry Goldwater, 1962 A.D.
 
Handgunlaw.us
https://handgunlaw.us/
 
"Resident shoots at burglars; 1 suspect dead, 1 charged"
by Lawrencia Grose and Jessica Knox
https://wreg.com/news/local/resident-shoots-at-burglars-1-suspect-dead-1-charged/
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
Excerpt:  
     WREG reached out to the District Attorney’s office to see why Diveney was
charged with first-degree murder when he was not the one who pulled the trigger.  
The DA’s office responded with the statement below:  
     “In the state of Tennessee a person can be charged with murder if someone
was killed during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a felony,
as determined by Tennessee’s felony murder rule—burglary, robbery, or arson.”  
     In this case, Diveney is accused of participating in a burglary where his
accomplice was killed.  Because burglary is a felony, he is now charged with
first-degree murder.  
 
"The 5 Elements of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca (free of charge)
lawofselfdefense.com/elements/
 
     Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.  
"On the day of the deadly shooting, in which Alec Baldwin pointed a gun at
cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and fired two rounds killing her,
prosecutors argue that Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the live
ammunition in the gun's chamber."  by Katie Daviscourt
https://thepostmillennial.com/rust-armorer-testifies-alec-baldwin-producers-didnt-take-firearm-training-seriously-before-deadly-on-set-shooting
Excerpt:  
     "On the day of the deadly shooting, in which Alec Baldwin pointed a gun at
cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and fired two rounds killing her, prosecutors
argue that Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the live ammunition in the gun's
chamber."  
---
     [Baldwin fired two (2) rounds at the cinematographer and the director
of the film, "Rust".  I had never heard that before.  I thought that only one round
had been fired.  So, I guess all of the previous news reports were wrong.  
That's what I get for believing news reports. -- Jon Low]  
---
“ LIVE: "Rust" Armorer Manslaughter Trial: Day 1 (PART 2!)" ”
by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPrPqE5rnA
 
     “Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”  
-- Thomas Jefferson
 
“Firearm "Expert" Col. Craig Tucker is Full Of It”
by Runkle of the Bailey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEZ1Hq77wCc
     "A man has got to know his limitations." -- Dirty Harry
     "Stay in your lane." -- Claude Werner
 
     As pointed out by a 19th-century congressional leader,
“One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope
that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation.”  
-- Stephen P. Wenger
 
     Convicting a person for the crimes committed by another person is insanity.  
"At Townhall: Jennifer Crumbley Shouldn’t Have Been Convicted"
https://crimeresearch.org/2024/02/at-townall-jennifer-crumbley-shouldnt-have-been-convicted/
     Only liberals would do such a thing.  Conservatives believe in individual
responsibility.  Society did not make the criminal commit the crime.  
The gun and ammunition manufacturers did not did not make the criminal
commit the crime.  The parents did not make the criminal commit the crime.  
 
"A Lesson In Justice:  When Good Prosecutors Go Astray" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voHHwlx3_2w
     There are lots of bad prosecutors.  Nashville has one in Glenn Funk.  
Shoot a Black (criminal who is pointing a pistol at you) in self-defense and
Funk will prosecute you (Andrew Delke).  Riot, loot, burn the court house
with Black Lives Matter and he'll ignore the crimes.  For which Funk was
rewarded with re-election.  
     Hopefully, Tennessee Attorney General, Jonathan Skrmetti, will get rid
of Funk.  Skrmetti is investigating Funk for bugging conference rooms to
eavesdrop on conversations between defense attorneys and defendants.  
 
"US Supreme Court Unanimously Overturns Georgia Decision" by Roman Balmakov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISZN5Wuvd0o
     Primary source document -
https://ept.ms/3US0ds8
Sam Alito's concurring opinion is on the last page.  Sorely needed clarification,
because Justice Brown can't write to save her life.  (That is to say the clerks
she hired, can't write to save their lives.  They were all diversity hires.)  
     U.S. Constitutional "Double Jeopary" protection overrides inconsistent verdicts.  
The defendant cannot be tried for a crime that he was acquitted of, even if he is
convicted of lesser or greater included offenses arising from the same incident.  
Stop and think about that.  
 
"Judge Benitez Delivers Another Big Win Overturning"
by Copper Jacket TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YglLF8-SvM
     California's law that sticks are illegal (except for police) has been ruled
unconstitutional by Federal District Court Judge Benitez in a summary judgment.  
     The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.  
 
     This is significant.  Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.  
"JUDGE GRANTS SUMMARY JUDGMENT AGAINST
CA LAW DENYING RESTORED GUN RIGHTS"
by Second Amendment Foundation
https://saf.org/judge-grants-summary-judgment-against-ca-law-denying-restored-gun-rights/
Excerpt:  
     "A federal judge in California has granted summary judgment to three
individuals in a lawsuit challenging that state’s Penal Code which
permanently denies Second Amendment rights to people who have
had felony convictions vacated, set aside or dismissed, and their rights
to possess firearms fully restored.  The case is known as Linton v. Bonta."  
     Primary source -
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.336229/gov.uscourts.cand.336229.1.0.pdf
 
    “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 -----
 
     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
 
     "Teach them diligently . . . "
-- Deuteronomy 6:7
 
     "Remember,
the students who require the extra effort
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
 
     The advantage of using the 45 ACP for training of new students is that the
cartridges are larger and therefore easier for the newbie to manipulate.  Actually,
this is significant, especially for those with arthritis in their hands or small
hands.  Larger items are simply easier to manipulate.  
     Another is the instant positive feedback from steel plates.  The massive
(230 grain) bullet will reliably knock down plates in a plate rack when hit.  
And ring steel targets when hit.  Audio and visual feedback is good and
encouraging for newbies.  
     Another advantage is relatively low recoil (less than a 40 S&W) due to
the low muzzle velocity.  
     Another is that there is sufficient recoil to display limp wristing and hence
allow the instructor to correct the problem.  Something you won't have with
22's and might not have with 9mm's.  This allows the student to understand
what a strong grip means at an experiential level, as opposed to an
intellectual level.  
 
     "You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."  
-- John Hearne
 
----- Students -----
 
----- Andragogy -----
 
     ‟An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.”  
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
 
     In scientific terms, Stephen Macknik, Ph.D., professor, neuroscientist, author
and columnist at the State University of New York, explains what you experience
during a magic trick is a series of "electrochemical signals going around a bunch
of circuits in your brain."  Because there are no windows in your skull, he says,
the only way you can get information into your brain is through your five senses.  
From there, your brain draws on past memories and then uses cognition to fill in
the details — essentially forming what Macknik calls "a grand simulation of reality."  
He states:  "It's not that the world around you isn't there.  It's there, but you've never
lived there.  You've never even been there for a visit.  The only place you've ever
been is inside your mind."  
     Excerpt from "Automatic Brain:  
The Magic of the Unconscious Mind"
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
Send me an email requesting the paper if you're interested.  
Jon_Low@yahoo.com
     This is something you need to understand for your teaching to be successful.  
The video is at
"Automatic Brain: (1) The Magic Of The Unconscious Mind (2011)"
by George Kalarritis, Clinical Psychologist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRrh54VCFs
But, never judge a paper by its video.  
Hat tip to Dee Dee Staton.  
 
     “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 -----
And the safe storage thereof.  
 
     “Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
 
"The Rationale for Defensive Hollow Points" by Massad Ayoob
https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-rationale-for-defensive-hollow-points/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpts:  
Hollow Points Reduce the Likelihood of Overpentration.  
Hollow Points Reduce the Likelihood of Ricochet.  
Hollow Points Decrease the Delay in Making an Attacker Stop.  
Hollow Point Bullets Are More Humane.  
---
     Mas includes a picture of a Hornady Critical Duty .45 ACP bullet in gellatin.  
Having used that cartridge in my duty pistol, I concur that it is effective, and that
it is +P, and that recoil is substantially more than practice ammo.  So you must
practice with it to know the point of impact.  It's not going to be the same as the
point of impact of your practice ammo.  I'm not talking 5 yards, I'm talking 25 yards.  
     Mas also includes a picture of a Federal HST 230 grain +P.  Note that unlike the
Hornady Critical Duty, the Federal HST has an open cavity that can get plugged
by material that it passes through before entering the body.  Sometimes if the
hollow point gets plugs, the bullets acts as if it didn't have a hollow point.  
Chuck Haggard demonstrated this in his ballistics class a few years ago at Tac Con.  
     New Hampshire politician Ms. Dudley Dudley?  I kept waiting for the April
Fool's punchline.  But I guess she is real.  
 
     Never let anyone take your standard capacity magazines or force you to use
low capacity magazines.  It will only get you killed.  
     "Armed Citizen Shoots 3 Robbers That Were Robbing A Gas Station in Houston"
by Colion Noir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HpE59VpaYI
     Ya, it turns into an advertisement at the end.  You don't have to watch to the end.  
 
Hello Jonathan,
     Recently I've had to upgrade some of my holsters as I've changed to different
weapon mounted lights.  First, that is not a requirement for an everyday carry pistol.  
Most defensive gun uses that happen in hours of darkness happen in well lit areas.  
My updates has to do with working with some new government clients and having
to match their loadout.  Because my "go to" holster maker and the backup holster
maker don't make the model in the pistol/light combo I had to stray from the path.  
Here are three important tips when choosing a good holster.  
     Tip #1: It has to be comfortable.  
I don't care who makes the holster or how many social media queens profess
its awesomeness, if it is not comfortable it is a bomb.  Now, carrying a pistol
may already be uncomfortable to some so making it more comfortable is key.  
If the holster is not comfortable you can expect to fidget, adjust and worse
not carry.  The goal is to not attract attention.  If you are constantly fidgeting,
that will lead to scrutiny, scrutiny leads attention and attention leads to discover.  
     Tip #2: It has to be concealable.
Carrying concealed means accepting compromises.  Your favorite pistol might
be too large to realistically carry.  I'm not talking about carrying that one time,
but everyday.  Many do a great job with their selection, but then their wardrobe
is best described as frumpy.  Finding a holster that was well designed in the
first place, then has features that enhance the concealability is a solid plan.  
     Tip #3. It has to be adjustable.  
The bottom line is no two people are the same and holsters are very
personable [I don't understand the word usage. -- Jon Low]
addition to our loadout.  Finding a good holster out of the box is a pipe dream,
but finding one that can be adjusted to fit your needs is the smart play.  You are
looking to adjust the ride height, cant and flare; which is what I reference as
how far away from the body the magazine flares.  When you can personalize
these three traits to your body you have a solid combination.  
     [Once you know how everything should be adjusted, it makes sense to have
a holster made for you where everything is sewn.  No screws to come loose.  
Nothing to go out of adjustment.  It is absolutely worth the expense.  I love the
smell and feel of quality leather. -- Jon Low]  
     It goes without saying the holster you choose meets these minimum
requirements:  it must retain the pistol, protect the trigger, secure to the body
and allow for a firing grip [while the pistol is completely in the holster.  
-- Jon Low].  In addition to the tips listed above.  
Good luck
JLG (Jeff L. Gonzales)
P.S. feel free to share with other like minded folks.  
 
     I have been experimenting with sheep skins for holster making.  
I do not recommend.  But for magazine pouches or flashlight pouches,
it works.  
 
Hi Jon,
     Hocks Hearing Healthcare Products is a wholesale site and is informational only.  
You can order the Standard ear plugs [which is what I recommend -- Jon Low] from
NoiseBrakers.com
or from
HearingHealthHouse.com
Thank you,
Karen Blair
Hocks Corporation
CustomerService@HocksProducts.com
     [I buy them in bulk and give them to my students.  No electronics.  
No batteries.  They block harmful noise.  They allow conversational
sound to get through.  So, the student can hear the instructions of the
range safety officer and me.  
(Ceramic acoustic baffles.  No moving parts.) -- Jon Low]  
 
“Get Out: Ejection Rejection” by Tamara Keel
https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/why-your-super-reliable-carry-gun-suddenly-becomes-a-jam-o-matic/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
"Candela vs Lumens: What Are They and Why Care?"
by Tom Stilson
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/candela-vs-lumens-what-are-they-and-why-care/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
     Brian C. Sheetz wrote an article in the American Rifleman, "Eye Relief
Explanation, Application", March 2024, in which he describes the eye relief
of various scopes.  Excerpt:  
Conventional, rifle scope, 3 inches.  
Extended, shotgun scope, 5 inches.  
Intermediate, scout scope, 12 inches.  
Long, handgun scope, 18 inches.  
Unlimited, red dot sight, any distance.  
 
"Thousands of gun safes recalled due to faulty biometric locks"
by Jessica Phillips
https://www.wvnstv.com/life-health/recalls/thousands-of-gun-safes-recalled-due-to-faulty-biometric-locks/
     This article is about biometric locks that will unlock and allow the safe to be
opened by anyone, including little 6 year olds.  
     On the other hand, these biometric locks will not open for authorized users
when their hands are bloody, dirty, cut, etc.  Which may happen in a self-defense
situation.  Self-defense is combat.  Never let anyone tell you otherwise.  
 
     Salvatore's recommendation for cheap ammo.  
9MM BLAZER BRASS 124 GRAIN FULL METAL JACKET #5201 (1000 ROUNDS)
https://www.ammoman.com/9mm-blazer-brass-124-grain-fmj-5201-1000
     Prices on 45 ACP not bad either.  
https://www.ammoman.com/45-automatic
 
     I sent this article about stipling the grip to my son.  
"How to Stipple the Grip On Your Polymer Pistol" in American Handgunner
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/how-to-stipple-the-grip-on-your-polymer-pistol/
     He responded by saying that this is easier.  
"TALON Grips for Glock Pistols"
https://talongungrips.com/gun-grips/pistol-grips/glock/20-21-40-41/
 
"Things You Learn From The Box O' Holsters"
by Tom McHale
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/vantage-point/things-you-learn-from-the-box-o-holsters/
Excerpt:  
     "My very high-end leather holster had gotten damp and very grabby,
locking up my draw, especially when trying to hurry to meet the aggressive
par times in this particular course of fire."  
[My solution to this is to coat the interior of the holster with Resolene.  
It's a water soluble acrylic finish that soaks into the leather and forms
a harder water proof surface.  The pistol will slide easily against this
surface.  Resolene is available at Tandy leather stores or other such
places. -- Jon Low]
---
     The poor folk live in the swamps.  The middle-class folk live in the marshes.  
I never knew them that lived in the scenic wetlands (Isle of Palms, et al).  
Though they did hire me to house sit for them a time or two, drive 'em to and
from the private airports, and body guard them.  They tip well.  
---
     To holster the pistol means to put the pistol into the holster.  "Re-holster"
is bad word usage and just plain wrong.  Tiffany Johnson says so!  
 
"Buying Used Firearms: Are The Savings Worth The Risk?"
by Ryan Domke
https://themagshack.com/buying-used-firearms/
Excerpt:  
     "Police departments frequently upgrade their service weapons and trade in
the old ones.  Those old ones then get sold and often at a great price.  Best of all,
you can bet the firearm was well taken care of, even if it was shot often."  
     [Cops don't shoot their pistols much.  Some only shoot when they have to qualify.  
OfficerStore.com has a lot of police trade ins.  They are effectively in "new in the
box" condition. -- Jon Low]
 
Craft Holsters.  I have several of these.  
https://www.craftholsters.com/holsters
 
Falco holsters.  I have several of these.  
https://www.falcoholsters.com/gun-holsters
 
Kramer horse hide holsters.  I like horse hide.  
https://www.kramerleather.com/
 
Galco holsters.  I like the Kingtuk.  
https://www.galcogunleather.com/
 
Numrich Gun Parts (for hard to get, specialty items)
www.gunpartscorp.com
 
MidwayUSA
https://www.midwayusa.com
 
Brownells
https://www.brownells.com
 
Gun Mag Warehouse (good prices on ammo)
gunmagwarehouse.com
 
Alien Gear Holsters
https://aliengearholsters.com/
     I like the standard basic model.  
https://aliengearholsters.com/alien-gear-cloak-tuck-iwb-holster-inside-the-waistband.html.html
 
     Hey, it's a datum point.  
"Drop test a sig p320 yes it goes BANG!! 1st time on carpet!"
by dennis1979gm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsljmVh-GFQ
     Failed drop tests, law suits, not sued by Mexico (selling arms to Mexico
and then continuing to do so after Mexico sued other arms manufacturers
in the U.S.).  Drug dealers will inform on their competition to eliminate the
competition.  
 
     David of Bethlehem killed Goliath of Gath with David's first shot.  While David
knew that God was with him, David wasn't stupid.  David charged his ammo pouch
with 5 stones before the fight.  1st Samuel 17:40  
     Do likewise.  Charge your magazines to maximum reliable capacity.  Carry a spare
magazine (or a few).  God may be with you, but you may still need lots of ammo to
deal with multiple assailants, assailants who know how to use cover, assailants who
are more skilled than you (You ever see the movie "Collateral"?).  You can still win.  
You just have to have enough ammo to continue fighting until you win.  
     I have a friend who was in the Israeli army.  He told me horror stories about running
out of ammo, food, and water in combat.  I was fortunate to serve in the U.S. Marine
Corps.  We never ran short of anything.  Understand?  
     "Amateurs talk tactics.  Professionals talk logistics." -- Napoleon
[Ammunition supply is logistics.  When I was in artillery, Gunny Schuman (he was a
Staff when I knew him) would ensure the transfer of ammo from the magazine to
the trucks, and that the ammo trucks were in position for us when we emplaced the
guns.  Never a hitch.  That's why we are all still alive.]  
     As my father would tell me, "No second chances."  
---
"Auto Pistol And Continuity Of Fire
You Gotta Reload When They're Empty"
by Clint Smith
https://americanhandgunner.com/handguns/auto-pistol-and-continuity-of-fire/
     Assuming that the slide will lock back on an empty magazine in combat
is a bad assumption.  
     James Yeager taught to only do reactive reloads (when the pistol was empty).  
Never to do proactive reloads (when the pistol was not empty).  If for some
reason you feel compelled to top off your pistol, drop the partially charged magazine
and insert a full mag.  Ammo is cheap.  Your life is not.  
 
     “Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
 
*************************************************************************
     *****     *****     *****  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.  That means cryptosystems are
covered by the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Never let the
government infringe on your right to keep and bear cryptosystems, to
include home made cryptosystems.  To include publishing cryptology
in the open source literature.  Information wants to be free!  
 
"Linux System Administration Full Course" by My CS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCr04qIB7uc
     The UNIX / POSIX standard architecture is a kernel surrounded by a bunch of
utilities.  Linux is a kernel (about 20,000 lines of code back when I studied it).  
The utilities are the GNU utilities.  So it is actually the GNU / Linux operating
system.  There are many distributions.  The various distributors have made decisions
about which utilities to include, how the various system parameters are configured,
and such.  
     It works because Linus has good tastes.  
 
     "Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."  
-- Donald Knuth
 
     Elon Musk says, if you get the physics wrong,
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vFgXiCmMW3E
the rockets will blow up and cars will fail.  
Where have we seen this?  
---
"Bad News for Quantum Computing:  Another Advantage Gone"
by Sabine Hossenfelder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSV0RMlJpEg
---
     We generally think of error-correcting-codes for fixing errors caused in
communication channels.  The errors in quantum computing are introduced
in the computer.  So that's a real engineering problem.  And of course, the
physics is wrong.  So the industry will crash and burn.  The emperor has
no clothes.  Just as in the fable, very expensive clothes.  
---
"What if Singularities DO NOT Exist?" by PBS Space Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRir6-9tsJs
     The narrator's pronunciation is so bad, it's distracting.  
     Primary source -
"Do Black Holes have Singularities?" by R. P. Kerr
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2312.00841.pdf
 
     "Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.  
Life is not easy for any of us.  But what of that?  We must have
perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.  We must
believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing
must be attained."  
-- Marie Curie
 
"Simple yet 5000 years missed ?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRV4WsM40AE
     Do you see how you can use this?  
 
     "Premature optimization is the root of all evil."  
-- Donald Knuth
 
"What is the Dual Write Problem? | Microservices 101" by Confluent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpLXCBr7ucA
     What's the point?  You must write your code assuming that errors will occur.  
Otherwise, finding the errors will be extremely difficult.  Combine this
intermittent error with race conditions and you will waste a great deal of
man-hours and money debugging.  
 
Knot Theory
"How The Most Useless Branch of Math Could Save Your Life"
by Veritasium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DBhTXM_Br4
 
     "Aleph-null bottles of beer on the wall,
Aleph-null bottles of beer,
Take one down, and pass it around,
Aleph-null bottles of beer on the wall" (repeat).  
-- Renteln, P. and Dundes, A.  
"Foolproof: A Sampling of Mathematical Folk Humor."  
Notices Amer. Math. Soc. 52, 24-34, 2005.  
     [In the schools that I had attended, we pronounced it Aleph-sub-nought.  
ℵ₀ = the cardinality of the countable sets.  
-- Jon Low]
Hat tip to Stephen Wolfram's Mathworld.com.  
---
     The Continuum Hypothesis is independent of the axioms of set theory.  
So by denying the CH, you can create infinite sets of cardinality
between ℵ₀ and ℵ₁ = the cardinality of the continuum.  And hence, sets
with cardinality between a set S and the set of all subsets of S (the power
set of S).  How many?  What's the resolution?  Does it change at higher
cardinalities?  Does it work for all cardinalities?  
     The Parallel Postulate is independent of the axioms of geometry.  
So by denying the PP, you can create non-Euclidean geometries.  
Elliptical, hyperbolic, et al geometries.  Oh, yes, there are many other
geometries.  A fun study.  You should explore it.  
     The Axiom of Choice is independent of the axioms of set theory.  
So by denying the AC, you can create sets whose elements you can't
arrange in a well defined order.  You can create infinite sets from
which you cannot form cross products.  You can't choose an element
from each set (perhaps because the elements are indistinguishable?  
Or, perhaps for other reasons.  Be careful, such reasons could make
your mind explode.).  
     Oh, the list of these sorts of things is very long.  Limited only by
your imagination.  Do you see how you can use this?  
     "Hey, staff, our computers can only handle finite sets.  What's the
point of working with infinite sets that cannot be held in memory?"  
     Our computers don't store and manipulate infinite sets.  Our
computers only do formalized symbol manipulation.  Our computers
don't care (or know) what the symbols represent.  Our computers
only obey the rules for manipulating the symbols.  
(1)  (ℵ₀)ʳ = ℵ₀  for r > 0, r ∈ R = the Real numbers
(2)  r ℵ₀ = ℵ₀  for r ≠ 0
(3)  ℵ₀ + f = ℵ₀  where f is any finite set.  
(4)  2^ℵ₀ = ℵ₀^ℵ₀ = ℵ₁ = the cardinality of the continuum = power set of ℵ₀
       where ^ means raised to the power, exponentiation.  
The power set P(S) of the set S is the set of all subsets of S.  
P(ℵ₀) = ℵ₁ , P(ℵ₁) = ℵ₂ , P(ℵ₂) = ℵ₃ , . . .
ℵ₀ = the cardinality of the countable sets (Natural numbers, Integers, Rationals,
algebraic numbers, constructible numbers, etc.).  
ℵ₁ = the cardinality of the continuum (the number line, the set of Real numbers).  
ℵ₂ = the cardinality of the set of all functions from an interval to another interval.  
Let us restrict our function to be from one point to another point.  Could be a
path that never goes off to infinity in any direction, and never crosses itself.  
(The trajectoids can trace paths that cross themselves.)  
A function is more restrictive than that, but that's all we need to create a trajectoid,
"These Shapes Can Trace Out ANY Line!"
by Jade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMGb5_CSIk
Oooohhh, that would mean there are an infinite number of trajectoids and the
cardinality of this set of trajectoids is ℵ₂.  And we have the source code to generate
them.  Source code at
https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1XZ7Lf6pZu6nzEuqt_dUCHormeSbCCMlP
     Primary source,
"Solid-body trajectoids shaped to roll along desired pathways"
by Yaroslav I. Sobolev, Ruoyu Dong, Tsvi Tlusty, Jean-Pierre Eckmann, Steve Granick,
and Bartosz A. Grzybowski
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06306-y.epdf?sharing_token=MfjPA0Uduzd60wRcg6kvYtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0PI2oLqSz3ENBVadr6bTqqLXcnyfhIenA1AWB-lO_690iJFCALE1LSm57zc7zJ_0tgwc8etNM2RCelBtq8HIqT9EUbdWrgJv4WS2TN3vUg7dNO-otq2THip68dw4Mli0a8%3D
     Nature citation,
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06306-y
     Do you see how you can use this?  Cryptologic algorithms map from plaintext (a discrete
interval) to cyphertext (another discrete interval).  The cardinality of this set of mappings is
ℵ₁ (in the Platonic realm of forms).  But if the crypto-key (another interval) were to give us
the set of functions from plaintext (point) to cyphertext (point), the cardinality of the set of
mappings would be ℵ₂.  Of course, we lose a level of cardinality when moving from the
Platonic realm of forms to the real world.  (or do me?)  [ Yes, I know it's sloppy.  But as is
often said when playing pool, slop counts.  (When you're not calling the pocket.) ]  
You can figure it out.  It's easy.  (As Professor Lee Lady would say.)  
 
***** Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare,
Cryptologic Communications, Cyber Security, and such *****
 
"Americans Across The Country Impacted By Massive Cellular Outage"
by  Leif Le Mahieu
https://www.dailywire.com/news/americans-across-the-country-impacted-by-massive-cellular-outage
Excerpt:  
     "The spike in outages first occurred at 3:33 a.m. CST with 32,836 reports of
disruptions before dipping at around 5:00 a.m. before jumping back up to around
66,000 by 6:51 a.m., according to Downdector."  
---
     Cyber attack against AT&T and other cell phone networks in the Nashville, TN
area at ~06:00 CST on Thursday, 22 February 2024 A.D.  
---
     Connect to October 7th, 2023 attacks in southern Israel, NAZIs marching in
Nashivlle, TN on 17 February 2024, and "Black Cultural Event" (Black Lives Matter,
et al).  Keep your spider webs (association graphs) and time lines updated.  
---
     Why are the time and date significant?  
 
     Do you understand the security engineering trade offs?  Some claim that
C et al are not secure because many security problems are linked to
programming errors in handling memory.  So Java, Rust, et al are better.  
     With C you can touch the hardware.  With the safe languages, you can't.  
So the safe languages are much slower.  
     With C you can control the memory.  With the safe language, you can't.  
     Be aware.  
 
"The Mistake That Got So Many CIA Agents Killed in China🎙Darknet Diaries
Ep. 75: Compromised Comms"
by Jack Rhysider
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh_q02eefFM&t=1617s
     Transcript,
https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/75/
https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/75/
     Welcome to the real world.  Nothing ever gets fixed in government bureaucracies.  
Whistleblowers are fired or killed.  Organizations / bureaucrats protect their fiefdoms.  
 
     ‟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, "Principles of Personal Defense"
 
*************************************************************************
     *****     *****     *****  Intelligence  *****     *****     *****
 
     "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
     The art and practice of Intelligence is an arm protected by the 2nd Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution.  Never let anyone infringe upon your God given right
to keep and bear intelligence.  (The enemy will try to dumb you down.  Resist!)  
     The right to keep and bear arms is Biblical.  
     “Then Jesus said to His disciples, whoever does not have a sword should sell
his coat and buy a sword.”  
– Book of Luke 22:36, New Life Version of the Bible
 
"Football, ice hockey . . . shooting?  Finland hopes hobby will boost national defence"  
by Betsy Reed
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/19/finland-to-open-more-shooting-ranges-amid-russia-threat
 
     If women did not vote in the U.S., Lyndon B. Johnson would have been
the last Democrat to be elected President of the U.S.A.  That is the effect
of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Of course, we can't blame
all women.  It is predominantly young single women.  (And old single women.)  
Sorry, that's just reality.  Bearing a child does not do the trick.  The woman has
to be in a stable relationship with a man to think conservatively.  
 
     Not reported by mass media, but it is true that there are shortages in stores
in New York City.  There are also shortages at construction sites.  Because there
is a de facto trucker's strike.  They are declining to accept contracts to bring
supplies into NYC.  This is in response to the $400,000,000 judgment against
Donald Trump in the civil lawsuit brought by the N.Y. Attorney General,
Letitia Ann James that claimed that Trump had defrauded the banks by inflating
the value of his properties.  (Even though no bank lost any money.  All of the
banks said that they were doing business with Mr. Trump and would continue
to do so.)  
     Also, New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, said that now that they got Trump,
no one else needs to worry about being sued or prosecuted.  She had to make
that public statement because a lot of wealthy people are leaving New York.  
Not just the nouveau riche, old New York families (the names of classmates
at Columbia University or the names on buildings at Columbia).  Oops,
New York losing its tax base.  A very small number of people / corporations
pay all of the taxes in New York.  
     Stop and think about that.  
     If the Democrats in New York take all of Trump's assets and properties
in New York, what will happen?  Trump will start new businesses elsewhere
and make money.  The liberal trustees that the New York courts appoint
to run Trumps companies in New York will run those companies into the
ground within 5 years.  Be woke, go broke.  Trump is an entrepreneur.  
The political hacks appointed to run his businesses are not.  The best they
could hope for would be to sell off the companies.  There are a lot of rich
liberals that would buy in a fire sale.  
 
     In case you don't understand.  
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3Jc9iIAkO-A
 
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
 
*************************************************************************
     *****     *****     *****  After Thoughts   *****     *****     *****
 
     Rest in Peace Chuck Mawhinney.  
Sergeant, 5th Marines, U.S Marine Corps.  
Bronze Star with Combat Valor, Navy Achievement Medal,
Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Valor, and two Purple Hearts.  
"Chuck Mawhinney, the Deadliest Sniper in Marine Corps History, Dies at 75"
by Blake Stilwell
https://www.military.com/history/2024/02/15/chuck-mawhinney-deadliest-sniper-marine-corps-history-dies-75.html
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.  
     Hyperlinks to the books and documentation in the article.  
     "Legendary Marine Scout Sniper Chuck Mawhinney dies at age 75
His legend will endure." by Joshua Skovlund
https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/chuck-mawhinney-legendary-marine-scout-sniper/
     "Most lethal sniper in Marine Corps history, Chuck Mawhinney, dead at 75"
by Richard Pollina
https://nypost.com/2024/02/16/us-news/deadliest-sniper-in-marine-corps-history-charles-chuck-mawhinney-dies-at-75/
---
     [Wikipidea article not cited because it has too many errors.]  
 
"A Toast for Senator Blaine" by Elizabeth Kidney
https://catholicvote.org/a-toast-for-senator-blaine/
Hat tip to Michael Gallagher.  
     We did the prohibition experiment with alcohol
(Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution).  
It failed.  So we repealed it.  
     Now we are doing the same experiment with drugs,
prostitution, et al.  
     You're either pro-freedom or you're not.  There is
no in-between.  
     Yes, drunk, intoxicated, and distracted drivers pose
a danger to you.  Solution:  drive defensively.  
Yes, as a matter of fact, you can avoid the collision.  
Bad drivers will eliminate themselves.  
     Claiming that your safety is more important than
someone else's freedom is wrong.  As Benjamin
Franklin says, those willing to give up freedom for
safety deserve neither and will get neither.  
 
     What a great ad.  
"M400 TREAD Rifle: The New Face of Freedom"
by SIG SAUER, Inc.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRomnQ7Re2g
 
     Retaliation against the peons doing their job.  This is why incidents such as that
at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX occur.  
"Uvalde CISD campus monitor fired after sharing school shooting threat with
DPS [Department of Public Safety] trooper"
by KSAT 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znM5wt56whs
     It's not just the cops getting thrown under the bus.  Even the low level campus
monitors are being fired for doing their job.  Reporting threats to law enforcement
is exactly what campus monitors are paid to do.  
     Do you understand what's really going on here?  If there were no incidents, there
are no crisis.  Nothing to use to advance the anti-gun agenda.  The people who fired
the campus monitor want incidents.  They are making an example of the campus
monitor to cause the other campus monitors to keep their mouths shut and not report
threats.  Hence, in time, another school incident.  Sick?  Evil?  Yes.  You are seeing
Satan in action in real time.  The Robb Elementary School shooting was not an
accident.  The LEOs on the scene were ordered not to attack by the incident
commander.  A flaming coward put in charge by liberal politicians, because he's
their kind of guy.  
 
Female Acquaintance:  What do you do?  Not, what you want to do, or dream of
doing, or plan on doing, or have done in the past.  What do you do in the here
and now?  
Me:  I protect the Jews and I teach women how to use pistols for self-defense.  
FA:  I'm going to have to think about that before we go on a second date.  
Me:  Are we on a date?  
 
"Revise the textbooks:  New type of magnetism confirmed"
by Sabine Hossenfelder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0st_6sE7Bk
Ferromagnetism, Diamagnetism, Paramagnetism
vs.
Ferromagnetism, Anti-Ferromagnetism, Altermagnetism
     Primary source paper,
"Observation of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the band structure
of altermagnetic RuO2" by
Olena Fedchenko, Jan Minár, Akashdeep Akashdeep, Sunil Wilfred D’Souza,
Dmitry Vasilyev, Olena Tkach, Lukas Odenbreit, Quynh Nguyen,
Dmytro Kutnyakhov, Nils Wind, Lukas Wenthaus, Markus Scholz,
Kai Rossnagel, Moritz Hoesch, Martin Aeschlimann,
Benjamin Stadtmüller, Mathias Kläui, Gerd Schönhense,
Tomas Jungwirth, Anna Birk Hellenes, Gerhard Jakob,
Libor Šmejkal, Jairo Sinova, and Hans-Joachim Elmers
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj4883
 
"Why It Was Almost Impossible to Make the Blue LED" by Veritasium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF8d72mA41M
 
    “Because really, I think the antivaxxers were just really distrustful
of big companies and big government.  That’s never wrong!  It’s never
wrong to distrust government.  It’s never wrong to distrust big companies.  
So if you just took the position let’s just distrust everything the
government did, well, you won!"  
-- Scott Adams
Source document,
https://voxday.net/2024/02/27/you-are-the-winners/
     Hat tip to Docent.  
 
     I saw a stupid YouTube.com video that asked the question, 

"Why does everything decay to lead?"  
and then went on to give an explanation.  

The end product of radioactive decay is iron, not lead.  
People who think they know everything, irritate those of us who do.  
 
    “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