Hi Sheepdogs,
Today (13 August 2022) in History:
Born, in 1860, Phoebe Anne Moses, later known as Annie Oakley,
a sharpshooter and entertainer.
-- Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
You vote with your dollars. Buying from woke companies prevents them from going broke.
Never talk to federal law enforcement officers (LEO), especially the FBI. If you don't
understand what I'm talking about, consider --
"Feds Indict Officers In Breonna Taylor Death" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WsVkgJlFt0
Do you remember Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn? Never talk to the LEO's because it's a perjury
trap. You're not helping them. You're not helping your community. You're setting yourself
up for your indictment.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Safety ----- (How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.)
Jeff Cooper's Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
"Trigger Finger Positioning, Hand Clenches, and Accidental Discharges" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/trigger-finger-positioning-hand-clenches-and-accidental-discharges
You must have trauma medical supplies and training to use them.
"Self Defense with a Firearm Inside Your Car" by Sara Ahrens
https://www.range365.com/self-defense-from-inside-your-car/
1. Keep Your Doors Locked and Windows Up
I learned first-hand a couple years ago that if your keep your windows up,
that disturbed individual who had escaped from a facility won’t be able to lick your face!
[With automatic transmission, keep your car in gear. With standard transmission, keep your
car in gear and press the clutch. So you can move immediately. -- Jon Low]
2. Leave Yourself an “Out”
. . . if I was ever in a situation in which armed subjects approached my car from various
angles, I think I would take the knockdown power and accuracy of the vehicle over any firearm.
3. Check Your Holster and Practice Access
The seatbelt will usually fall where the firearm is holstered,
which can and has resulted in inadvertent release of the magazine
by the seatbelt or seatbelt stem.
Many concealed carriers find that the appendix position makes the most sense,
as it positions the seatbelt pretty much where your gunbelt is, and as long as you
untuck your shirt from the seatbelt, you can draw as you normally would from the
seated position. What will happen if your gun is [driven] into your pelvis by the
seatbelt during a collision is yet another layer of consideration. [Can you draw from
the appendix position without muzzling your legs? -- Jon Low]
4. Know That Shooting From a Car is Different
When you shoot through glass you will get glass on you. You will probably breathe
in some shards and get some in your eyes. This is a better scenario than failing to
address a lethal force [threat] and I only mention it so that if this scenario does occur,
you won’t be shocked.
5. Using a Vehicle for Cover/Concealment
. . . be aware that taking up a shooting position behind the engine block requires
that the muzzle clear the car hood. Otherwise, you’ll probably shoot your car.
This may seem obvious, until you try it. This is a factor because the hood may not
be visible in your sight picture because of your proximity to it.
And remember, any part of a car other the engine block is concealment, not cover.
Most handgun rounds and pretty much all centerfire rifle rounds will put bullets clean
through other parts of a vehicle. [I have used a 30-06 to shoot through an engine block.
-- Jon Low]
6. Take Away
Understand tactics to prevent and deter victimization in the car, test the accessibility
of your holster, practice any necessary modifications to shooting mechanics in and
around your car, and mentally rehearse these scenarios. They’ll help you prepare
should a GMT-type gang crop up in your community.
"Self Defense on Campus — Your Next Back to School Essential" by Grace Stevens
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/self-defense-on-campus-your-next-back-to-school-essential/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"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
We train, practice, and carry pistols because we assume the responsibility to protect
ourselves and our loved ones from violent criminal actors (VCA); as opposed to shirking our
responsibility and leaving the protection to others. Because we recognize that VCA exist;
as opposed to pretending that they don't.
We understand that using lethal force in self-defense or the defense-of-others may result in
our death or incarceration for the rest of our lives. We accept this possibility, because we
believe that the use of lethal force is worth the risk. Such is the difference between bravery and
cowardice.
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
Be in bed by 10 PM. Your own bed.
Don't look like a freak.
Don't fail the attitude test.
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
If you look at someone bigger, faster, and stronger and immediately think,
'I'm at a disadvantage,'
I have news for you: you are.
But that's only because you just put yourself there for no reason.
The truth is that anyone can do debilitating violence to anyone else.
Your size, your speed, your strength, your gender --
all the factors that untrained people think make the difference when it comes to violence --
all matter far less than your mindset and your intent.
-- Tim Larkin
William Aprill speaks.
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-introduction-018665/
"Violent criminal actors are a different type of being. Not a normal person with a mental
illness."
"The vast majority of the mentally ill are not a danger to anyone."
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-training-for-defensive-violence-018669/
"Moral certainty."
"Training must be recent, relevant, realistic."
"Be willing to lose face in training."
"Tool focus is a distraction from the existential reality."
"In order to thrive in the world, I have to live in the world as it is, not as I wish it were.
But, more than that, not as I pretend that it is."
" “I'll figure it out when I get there” is not a plan." -- Claude Werner
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-changing-your-mindset-018670/
"Schema are so powerful, it appears to the objective observer as delusional."
"The inability to understand the VCA's perspective causes all kinds of trouble."
[People believe what they want to believe and refuse to believe anything that is obnoxious
to their world view, especially their political view.
People will do what they want to do and neglect to do what they don't want to do.
People will buy what they want, not what they need. (It is not only drug addicts who will
by drugs and neglect to buy food for their children. Addiction is but one point in a continuous
spectrum of behavior.) That's why there exists a multi-billion dollar advertising and marketing
industry. For example, soda pop has no nutritional value and is the primary cause of childhood
obesity. And yet some people choose to buy it, even though it is very expensive. Even worse,
some people choose to buy it and feed it to their children.
-- Jon Low]
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-wrap-up-018671/
"Skills have to be available, adaptable, flexible."
"Mindset, Gunhandling, and Marksmanship are the 3 disciplines you need to know."
-- Tom Givens
"Exceptions To The Rule
There is no such thing as a typical gunfight." by Sheriff Jim Wilson
Today (13 August 2022) in History:
Born, in 1860, Phoebe Anne Moses, later known as Annie Oakley,
a sharpshooter and entertainer.
-- Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA
You vote with your dollars. Buying from woke companies prevents them from going broke.
Never talk to federal law enforcement officers (LEO), especially the FBI. If you don't
understand what I'm talking about, consider --
"Feds Indict Officers In Breonna Taylor Death" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WsVkgJlFt0
Do you remember Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn? Never talk to the LEO's because it's a perjury
trap. You're not helping them. You're not helping your community. You're setting yourself
up for your indictment.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Software ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
----- Safety ----- (How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.)
Jeff Cooper's Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
"Trigger Finger Positioning, Hand Clenches, and Accidental Discharges" by Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/trigger-finger-positioning-hand-clenches-and-accidental-discharges
You must have trauma medical supplies and training to use them.
"Self Defense with a Firearm Inside Your Car" by Sara Ahrens
https://www.range365.com/self-defense-from-inside-your-car/
1. Keep Your Doors Locked and Windows Up
I learned first-hand a couple years ago that if your keep your windows up,
that disturbed individual who had escaped from a facility won’t be able to lick your face!
[With automatic transmission, keep your car in gear. With standard transmission, keep your
car in gear and press the clutch. So you can move immediately. -- Jon Low]
2. Leave Yourself an “Out”
. . . if I was ever in a situation in which armed subjects approached my car from various
angles, I think I would take the knockdown power and accuracy of the vehicle over any firearm.
3. Check Your Holster and Practice Access
The seatbelt will usually fall where the firearm is holstered,
which can and has resulted in inadvertent release of the magazine
by the seatbelt or seatbelt stem.
Many concealed carriers find that the appendix position makes the most sense,
as it positions the seatbelt pretty much where your gunbelt is, and as long as you
untuck your shirt from the seatbelt, you can draw as you normally would from the
seated position. What will happen if your gun is [driven] into your pelvis by the
seatbelt during a collision is yet another layer of consideration. [Can you draw from
the appendix position without muzzling your legs? -- Jon Low]
4. Know That Shooting From a Car is Different
When you shoot through glass you will get glass on you. You will probably breathe
in some shards and get some in your eyes. This is a better scenario than failing to
address a lethal force [threat] and I only mention it so that if this scenario does occur,
you won’t be shocked.
5. Using a Vehicle for Cover/Concealment
. . . be aware that taking up a shooting position behind the engine block requires
that the muzzle clear the car hood. Otherwise, you’ll probably shoot your car.
This may seem obvious, until you try it. This is a factor because the hood may not
be visible in your sight picture because of your proximity to it.
And remember, any part of a car other the engine block is concealment, not cover.
Most handgun rounds and pretty much all centerfire rifle rounds will put bullets clean
through other parts of a vehicle. [I have used a 30-06 to shoot through an engine block.
-- Jon Low]
6. Take Away
Understand tactics to prevent and deter victimization in the car, test the accessibility
of your holster, practice any necessary modifications to shooting mechanics in and
around your car, and mentally rehearse these scenarios. They’ll help you prepare
should a GMT-type gang crop up in your community.
"Self Defense on Campus — Your Next Back to School Essential" by Grace Stevens
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/blog/self-defense-on-campus-your-next-back-to-school-essential/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"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
We train, practice, and carry pistols because we assume the responsibility to protect
ourselves and our loved ones from violent criminal actors (VCA); as opposed to shirking our
responsibility and leaving the protection to others. Because we recognize that VCA exist;
as opposed to pretending that they don't.
We understand that using lethal force in self-defense or the defense-of-others may result in
our death or incarceration for the rest of our lives. We accept this possibility, because we
believe that the use of lethal force is worth the risk. Such is the difference between bravery and
cowardice.
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don't go to stupid places.
Don't do stupid things.
Don't hang out with stupid people.
Be in bed by 10 PM. Your own bed.
Don't look like a freak.
Don't fail the attitude test.
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
If you look at someone bigger, faster, and stronger and immediately think,
'I'm at a disadvantage,'
I have news for you: you are.
But that's only because you just put yourself there for no reason.
The truth is that anyone can do debilitating violence to anyone else.
Your size, your speed, your strength, your gender --
all the factors that untrained people think make the difference when it comes to violence --
all matter far less than your mindset and your intent.
-- Tim Larkin
William Aprill speaks.
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-introduction-018665/
"Violent criminal actors are a different type of being. Not a normal person with a mental
illness."
"The vast majority of the mentally ill are not a danger to anyone."
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-training-for-defensive-violence-018669/
"Moral certainty."
"Training must be recent, relevant, realistic."
"Be willing to lose face in training."
"Tool focus is a distraction from the existential reality."
"In order to thrive in the world, I have to live in the world as it is, not as I wish it were.
But, more than that, not as I pretend that it is."
" “I'll figure it out when I get there” is not a plan." -- Claude Werner
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-changing-your-mindset-018670/
"Schema are so powerful, it appears to the objective observer as delusional."
"The inability to understand the VCA's perspective causes all kinds of trouble."
[People believe what they want to believe and refuse to believe anything that is obnoxious
to their world view, especially their political view.
People will do what they want to do and neglect to do what they don't want to do.
People will buy what they want, not what they need. (It is not only drug addicts who will
by drugs and neglect to buy food for their children. Addiction is but one point in a continuous
spectrum of behavior.) That's why there exists a multi-billion dollar advertising and marketing
industry. For example, soda pop has no nutritional value and is the primary cause of childhood
obesity. And yet some people choose to buy it, even though it is very expensive. Even worse,
some people choose to buy it and feed it to their children.
-- Jon Low]
---
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/video/violent-criminal-actors-wrap-up-018671/
"Skills have to be available, adaptable, flexible."
"Mindset, Gunhandling, and Marksmanship are the 3 disciplines you need to know."
-- Tom Givens
"Exceptions To The Rule
There is no such thing as a typical gunfight." by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/exceptions-to-the-rule/
Excerpt:
We used to tell our rookie cops that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop, and I
would suggest to you that there is no such thing as an average gunfight. It is a good thing
to keep in mind that the fight is going to be what it is going to be.
"The Best Defensive Scenario Is The One That Doesn’t Happen
Being Prepared Often Means Nothing Happens" by Lars Smith
https://gatdaily.com/the-best-defensive-scenario-is-the-one-that-doesnt-happen/
Excerpt:
The OODA loop goes both ways, and often, when you do things right, nobody knows
you did anything at all.
"The Essentials of Combative Pistolcraft – Part I" by Dave Spaulding
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/28151983-fc92-4ccc-b931-7b6c43b8b05f
Excerpt:
"True preparation is like aging . . . it’s not for wimps."
"How To Stop A Mass Shooter" by Brent Wheat, Tom McHale, Roy Huntington
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/training-tips/how-to-stop-a-mass-shooter-lessons-from-indiana/
Context: Indiana mall shooting.
The good guy went from "being at the mall with his girlfriend" to "guns" in an instant.
Think about that. No freezing. No confusion. Presence of mind. Do you have the mindset
to be able to do that? Competence at 40 yards in 15 seconds, 10 shots, 8 hits, while being
shot at by a rifle.
The good guy had no military experience, no law enforcement experience.
Practice shooting at distance. Stay aware. Have a plan. Stay out of gun-free-zones.
The mall was not a gun-free-zone. The posted "no guns allowed" signs do not have the
force of law in Indiana. In Indiana bank tellers wear guns and the citizens have Constitutional
carry. Across the border in Illinois, nobody wears guns. The results are obvious.
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
*************************************************************************
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to learn) -----
"Recap of Concealed Carry: Street Encounter Skills and Tactics" by Lee Weems, Tessah Booth,
Jon Hauptman, Sarah Hauptman, and John Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgyGX1dlq8w
Check out the explanation of response time and reaction time at 27:44.
John's [Murphy] class [Concealed Carry: Street Encounter Skills and Tactics] is the best
bang for the buck that you can get to prepare you for what you will meet out on the street.
-- Lee Weems
https://www.fpftraining.com/concealed-carry
I have taken John Murphy's class at Tac Con (not the stand alone class by itself) and I
agree wholeheartedly.
This is part of the video "view ahead" for my (John Murphy) Concealed Carry:
Armed Self-Defense course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoKj8aGPhDM&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSfNi9WXJkDbTvgqjqdbhdLn
"Street Encounter Skills and Tactics" by John Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oUEaX0ZIVU&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSduhVBwzGL2ROyN-TSdDGLq
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)
"Dr. William Aprill has been gone for over a year,
but he left an enduring body of work that remains relevant.
Make the time to watch the videos linked at
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/williamaprill/
and gain an understanding of triggers and indicators."
-- John Murphy
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
FPF Training
https://www.fpftraining.com/fpf-calendar
“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
When I was active duty Marine Corps, we were paid to exercise as our full time job. And
to ensure that we were exercising daily, we were tested regularly in addition to formal annual
tests (PFT = Physical Fitness Test and CFT = Combat Fitness Test). If we were in garrison
units (and sometimes in deployed field units) we would also do weekly formation runs, in
large part to embarrass all the fat bodies who would fall out of the runs.
If you didn't keep up, some NCO (too often me) would meet with the fat bodies every
morning (7 days a week) at 05:00 and take them for a run (beach runs on the soft sand were
especially painful). This is a particular attitude. You may not have this attitude.
So you may find it difficult to exercise regularly. That's okay. Taking a walk around your
neighborhood will work. Do it once, and eventually, you will be doing it daily. You don't
need to buy a membership to a gym. Doing dumbbell exercises with a soup can in each
hand will work. You don't need to buy dumbbells. Stretching exercises are good. Lots of
YouTube.com videos teaching you how to stretch (often led by pretty girls). No need to
buy equipment.
Exercise and stretch now, so you don't regret later. Put the beer down. Get off the couch.
That's it, keep going. Stop wasting your money buying toys (guns). If you're injuring yourself
during training classes, stop wasting your money on training until you are physically fit.
No, that gut hanging over your belt is not the new normal. It took you years to create that
gut. So, it will take years to remove it. (NO! Surgery is not the answer. Self mutilation is
WRONG!) You can eat all the ice cream you want, as long as you exercise twice daily.
Pooh Bear loves honey.
From an email from Patrick Kilchermann --
I have found that the health & fitness battle is not a tactical one ("eat this weird fruit and
all your troubles will be solved") or a strategic one ("exercise on these days and...") -
instead, 90% of the battle is . . . as usual . . . a philosophical one. A mindset one. It is a lifestyle.
A way of life. And philosophy takes time.
1. BEING IN SHAPE FEELS GOOD.
I've never been obese, but even still: I feel better in my body today than I did when I was 23.
Being in decent shape feels great, and if I'd known how great I might have been a little more
motivated to try back then.
People who lose a ton of weight talk about having more 'energy.' I never knew what that
meant, but I do now. (Although getting there for me looked like adding 20lbs - of muscle).
Increased mental focus, mental endurance, mental toughness . . . better blood pressure,
better resting heart rate, better sleep . . . the benefits are endless, and that's not mentioning
the aesthetic improvements. (Which, for a married guy like me who's balding anyway, are
pretty much a moot point. Kidding. Mostly. No, I'm kidding.)
Plus: getting in healthy shape makes your body not need many of the prescription
medications that circulate.
In short: it's worth it. Outside of committing to a strict daily prayer session, the decision
(and action) to get and stay 'fit' has been the best investment in myself that I've ever made.
Not just physically, but mentally.
2. IT IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
In my life before, the only kind of 'fitness' regimen I could imagine adopting would be a
short term solution. "I'm doing a 10-day hike in the Rockies; I'd better spend a month getting
prepared." etc etc. For most people, it's: "I'm going to lose 10lbs in January."
Now, I see this is the wrong attitude and those results won't last. They never did for me.
Instead, you've really just got to make a realization and decision:
REALIZATION: I am the way and what I am because of what I do and don't do on a
regular basis.
DECISION: I am going to change my life (what I do on a regular basis) so that the 'output'
(who I am!), is more in line with what and who I want to be.
We already had a great diet. My wife has been into organic, whole food and reasonable
proportions for a long time. For me, the realization was: I don't do regular exercise.
You've got to want health and fitness more than the things that are dragging you down.
3. "LIFESTYLE CHANGE" JUST MEANS HABITS AND DISCIPLINE.
We just talked about conditioning the 'action mindset'. That is one way discipline is built.
When I teach handgun accuracy to new shooters, once they start adopting the right stance
and press and once they begin busting bulls, I literally walk them down to their targets (or
wind the target in) and have them put their fingers in the holes.
I want their brains to see: I did that.
I do this because the human mind is unfortunately good at negative self-talk and disbelief
in oneself. . . .
Some people understand this right away, others need a whole lifetime to get to that point.
But in my experience, self-confidence must come first, and then growing discipline comes
easy. And once you've got some discipline, THEN you'll be successful in building better
habits.
Your habits will take you some where. Again: WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW is
nothing more than the mathematical consequence of the sum of and the average of the things
you do every 7 days.
Make modifications to your 7 day rhythm for long enough, and you WILL change.
4. DO NOT OVER-THINK IT.
Don't get hung up on finding 'a program', or a coach or guide. These things too quickly
turn into 'reasons' to hesitate. Don't make the mistake of thinking anyone is 'the' expert.
There are a lot of in-shape people in this world. Nearly all of them got there by doing
something different from each other.
"You have to exercise every day." "No, you should ONLY exercise every 3 days per
muscle group." "No! You should exercise 5 days per week and rest for two in a row."
The fact that so much fitness and diet advice is completely contradictive doesn't mean
they're all wrong. bIt means they're all right.
It's liberating, because it means we just have to find and stick with basically any path that
is healthy, and do it consistently, and we'll get healthy. (If we stick with it for long enough).
In my experience, diet and fitness aren't that hard.
DIET: Eat fewer crappy foods and eat more good foods for a year, and you'll look and
feel better, and you'll be much healthier. In particular, I think eating at least 2x the number
of greens recommended (so like . . . 8+ servings of green vegetables per day) is extremely
important.
EXERCISE: Do more physical activity for a year, and you'll look and feel better, and
you'll be much healthier.
It all has to come from within. You have to do it for you. Be selfish with your health.
Take the time that you need. Ultimately, those who love you will be grateful.
May God be with you, and good luck!
-- Patrick Kilchermann
patrick@concealedcarryuniversity.com
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- Practice (how to get good at that task) -----
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
"Stress Proofing Skills" by Trevor Thrasher
https://www.breachbangclear.com/stress-proofing-skills/
Excerpt:
"The assumption that if you practice something with enough repetition, you will
automatically perform it well is false when the conditions between practice and performance
are widely different."
"The vast majority will never get enough live fire time to master the basics of shooting.
Many instructors think more range time is an automatic fix for gunfight failures. It isn’t."
In case you don't understand the concept of "training scars", please consider --
My pastor told the following story.
He was coaching a Kindergarten basketball team. They would practice once a week for 45
minutes and then play games against other teams on Saturdays. The games were 4 quarters,
6 minutes per quarter, and at the 3 minute mark the referee would stop the game so that the
coaches could substitute players, so everyone had a chance to play. The referee blew his
whistle to start the game and something was wrong. One of my players was guarding his
own teammate. Timeout!
"Gentry, what are you doing guarding your teammate?"
"Coach, this is exactly how we do it in practice."
Gentry was right. That is how we did it in practice.
---
"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
---
"Sermon: The Call to Worship | Psalm 95" by Pastor Jim Bachmann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Ub2mbOEI8
The story starts at 7:07 / 30:00 in the video.
---
If you think this is a cute little story, but that could never happen to you, you are WRONG!
It can easily happen. That's why we get so many friendly fire casualties in combat.
In his Law of Self Defense class, Andrew Branca tells the story of a little girl who walked
into a school in Wisconsin with a rifle and shot another student, and then went into the
bathroom and committed suicide. Scores of law enforcement officers from many different
agencies showed up at the scene. A Deputy U.S. Marshal saw a man in civilian clothes with
a gun in his hand and shot him to death. The victim was an officer of the Department of
Homeland Security. Why the friendly fire shoot? Because that's what the Deputy had trained.
That's what he had practiced. The Deputy Marshal did exactly as he was trained, exactly
as he had practiced.
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
A much better use of your money and time than buying toys (guns and accessories).
Matches in the Nashville area -
Costs about $30 and requires about 200 rounds of practice ammo. Check your calendar.
Let me know and I'll go with you. It's nice being retired.
Glock Store, 1930 Air Lane Drive, Nashville, TN 37210
https://www.glockstore.com/
Low Light Outlaw match, 4th Saturday of the month, 3 squads at 08:30, 12:00, and 15:30.
USPSA match, 2nd Saturday of the month, 3 squads at 08:30, 12:00, and 15:30.
Indoor. (but not well air conditioned) $35
Royal Range, Nashville, TN
1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 18:00, IDPA, Indoor. 6 PM to 9 PM.
2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, 18:00, Outlaw Shooting League, Indoor. 6 PM to 9 PM.
Nashville Armory, 4290 Kenilwood Drive, Nashville, TN 37204.
https://www.armoryranges.com/location/nashville-armory
Last Tuesday of the month, 18:00. Indoor.
Sumner Gun & Supply, 526 W Main St, Gallatin, TN 37066-3122.
https://www.sumnergunstore.com/home
2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, 17:00 set up, 18:00 shoot. Indoor.
Strategic Edge Gun Range, 2613 Hwy 270, Chapel Hill, TN 37034
http://www.strategicedge.us/gun-range
3rd Saturday of the month, 07:00 set up, 08:00 register, 09:00 shoot. Outdoor.
Volunteer Pistol Club, 21 Barns Lane, Brush Creek, TN
2nd Sunday of the month, 13:00, except Mother's Day. Outdoor.
Music City Tactical Shooters,
Eagle Eye Shooting Complex
30 Elk Ridge Road, Mt. Pleasant, TN 38474. Outdoor.
Rattlesnake Ridge
698 7 Mile Ridge Rd, Indian Mound, TN 37079. Outdoor.
you have to check their web site cause it changes,
http://www.mctsclub.com/matches/
Middle Tennessee Shooters Club, Manchester, TN. Outdoor.
Club Rep: Bill Dukemineer
256-426-9014 or duckfisher@mediacombb.net
Middle Tennessee Sporting Association nee Gallatin Gun Club
175 Dry Branch Rd. Dixon Springs TN.
https://www.midtnsportingassociation.com/
Robert Standley runs it.
They shoot every weekend either IDPA or IPSC.
Range 16 on Fort Campbell, KY
If you have trouble getting through the Ft Campbell gate,
call Range 16 at +1 (270) 412-7939
1st Saturday of every month.
0700 Match set up
Directions to Range 16
From Gate 4, Take Screaming Eagle Blvd until it dead ends into Market Garden Road.
You will go through 6 traffic lights. The road will briefly change names to
Normandy Blvd but go back to Screaming Eagle Blvd. Take a left onto Market Garden Road
and your first right onto range 16. There will be a concrete block with the numbers 15 / 16.
"Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous."
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it, which tactics to use) -----
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 21 Cases During June 2022"
by John Lott
https://crimeresearch.org/2022/08/defensive-gun-uses-by-people-legally-carrying-guns-21-cases-during-june-2022/
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics (tasks that you should strive to be able to do in support of your strategy) -----
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Deadly Decisions: Do You Make These Mistakes?" by Richard Johnson
https://www.thearmorylife.com/criminal-interviews/
"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
"Why (& How) You Should Learn To Shoot One-Handed" by Frank Melloni
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/why-how-you-should-learn-to-shoot-one-handed/
Excerpt:
These techniques are less-than-perfect solutions,
but so are all emergency defensive scenarios.
"Malfunctions!
You Are Going To Have Them" by Clint Smith
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/malfunctions-you-are-going-to-have-them/
Excerpt:
Type 3 malfunction (failure to extract, double feed) -
Tap, Rack, (rack doesn't feel right), unload, load.
[This works if you can bend the lips of your magazine around the cartridge that is half way
out of the magazine. So it doesn't always work with all pistols. That's why others teach -
Lock (the slide to the rear)
Strip (the magazine out)
Rack (the slide)
Load
-- Jon Low]
"The Counting Game" by Cecil Burch
https://www.iacombatives.com/2017/07/26/the-counting-game/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz
A technique to achieving situational awareness.
"Tactical Shooting: Firing From a Vehicle" by Kyle Lamb and Richard Nance
https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/tactical-shooting-from-a-vehicle/248651
"Self-Defense Behind the Wheel of Your Car" by W.H. "Chip" Gross
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/12/23/self-defense-behind-the-wheel-of-your-car
Excerpts:
“The deflection is due to the slant of the windshield,” Sly said.
“When a bullet starts to penetrate glass, as it does any obstruction,
it follows the path of least resistance. Meaning that as the tip of
the bullet strikes the glass, the back of the bullet tilts downward,
causing the bullet to fly high.”
[That explanation doesn't make sense to me. But that doesn't matter. The experimental
results are what they are. The point of impact was 2 feet high at a range of 11 feet.
-- Jon Low]
If the kids are old enough, Sly recommends having a code word that the kids quickly
recognize, such as “gun!” “When you say that word, the kids should immediately plug
their ears with their fingers, tightly close their eyes, and put their head down. Because if
you have to shoot there will be flying glass, and the report of a handgun in a vehicle is
extremely LOUD. So loud in fact, that a young child could have his eardrums broken
or hearing permanently damaged if his ears are not plugged.”
“As humans, we’re hard-wired to look at each other’s faces,” he said. “And during
a gunfight that is not good because you will instinctively shoot high. Instead, look and
aim where you want the bullets to go—center mass—and they’ll go there.”
[I have found in video simulators that the students will look at the enemy's gun and shoot at it.
So training to look and aim at the center of mass is important. -- Jon Low]
Note: Before trying this type of advanced-handgun training, make sure you are
wearing adequate eye and ear protection plus a scarf that covers your nose and mouth,
because small glass particles will be sent flying. In most American-made vehicles the
glass in the windshield will spider web when hit by a bullet; side and rear windows will
shatter into small, pea-sized pieces.
How to correctly use the "ball and dummy" exercise.
By Spencer Keepers
https://www.facebook.com/spencer.keepers/videos/130968682437294
Spencer Keepers' FaceBook.com page -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1499099943675838/user/100002395865730/
"THE CROSS-DOMINANT EYES
Corrections are easy"
by Massad Ayoob
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/the-cross-dominant-eyes/
"Actions Of A Good Guy
In A Bad Scene"
by William Starnes
https://gunsmagazine.com/self-defense/actions-of-a-good-guy-in-a-bad-scene/
I learned the SUL position and I used to teach the SUL position. But I don't anymore.
I think it is better to maintain your two handed grip and pivot from the elbows (not the wrists
because that weakens your grip) to point your pistol down at the ground a couple of feet in
front of your feet.
You've lost your two handed grip in the SUL position, which means you have to re-establish
it. Will you have the time and competence to do so? Even a retention SUL position with the
support side hand on top of the pistol instead of against your chest still requires you to
re-establish your two handed grip. Who has time to do that?
When the cops tell you to drop your gun, drop your gun. They have to make a split second
decision to shoot you or not to shoot you. Anything other than immediately dropping your
gun is STUPID!
I remember taking at class at Tactical Response. They got everyone up on line, told us to
point in at the target, and to drop your gun. They asked those who refused to drop their guns
to please leave the class. Attitude test.
In Marine Corps boot camp, the Drill Instructors would yell, "Attitude check!" And we would
respond, "Fuck this shit!" If you don't immediately drop your gun, you are asking the
policeman to shoot you. No, really you are.
"Pistol Retention" by W. Hock Hochheim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PYA0rREmjU&t=389s
"A Practical Reload – topping off your pistol while retaining rounds" by Erick Gelhaus
https://americancop.com/a-practical-reload-topping-off-your-pistol-while-retaining-rounds/
"Seeing What You Need to See" by Gabe White
https://www.gabewhitetraining.com/vision/
Excerpt:
"If you have a hard time with a doubled image (particularly the target) when keeping both
eyes open and using iron sights, you probably have a strong natural linkage between your
convergence and accommodation (see original article for details.) You are probably a good
candidate to explore and develop two main aiming methods – target focused shooting with
both eyes open on easier shots, and closing or squinting your nondominant eye for harder
shots that require the detail allowed by sight focusing (sharp and clear front sight.)
Closing/squinting the nondominant eye will eliminate the problem with the doubled image.
Ideally, closing/squinting the nondominant eye should be done after the decision to fire has
been made and as the gun is being brought into alignment with the target, whether that is from
the holster, a ready position, or a previous target.
[I guess using a different technique for "easier shots" versus "harder shots" is like using a
close contact technique for close in shots when the bad guy might grab your pistol versus
using sighted fire with arms extended when the bad guy is too far away to grab your pistol
and you need to use the sights to ensure a hit. -- Jon Low]
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Instruction ***** ***** *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
----- Instructors -----
"Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
“Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something.”
– Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
[So, if you're not learning when you teach, you're doing something wrong. -- Jon Low]
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Andragogy -----
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
"5 Key Factors For Choosing Your Gun Instructor" by Brad Fitzpatrick
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/5-key-factors-for-choosing-your-gun-instructor/
1. They’re Safe
2. They Leave Their Ego at the Door
3. They Meet Students Halfway
4. They Favor Repetition and Fundamentals Over Flash
5. They’re Effective Communicators
[Ya, but how do you get this information before attending the class? -- Jon Low]
When you use a word, it creates mental images. All words have connotations. So be
careful which word you use. Yes, it matters a great deal.
That's why Tom Givens uses the word "press" in the context of trigger control.
That's why Mike Seeklander uses the phrases "Controlled Pull" and "Accelerated Pull"
in the context of trigger control.
That's why some instructors refer to your "sight movie" as opposed to your "sight picture".
Pictures are static, movies are dynamic (constantly moving / wobbling).
I could go on, but you get the idea.
"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."
-- Robert John Meehan
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath ----- (You have to be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.)
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
"After The Shooting Stops
How does an armed citizen avoid being confused for a threat?
There’s no simple solution, but there are ways to minimize that concern."
by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/after-the-shooting-stops/
Excerpt:
The hand-on-holstered-gun ready position should be made a regular part of your
defensive-practice sessions.
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
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
“Your understanding and consent are not required
for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones,
and destroy all you hold dear.”
-- William Aprill
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Legal ***** ***** *****
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.
-- John Adams, October 11, 1798
"Tucker Carlson: This is disgusting"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wg7CYDPKbo
Fox News host Tucker Carlson weighs in on the power George Soros has all over the world.
Governor Ron DeSantis removes prosecutor Andrew Warren from office.
I have asked Governor Bill Lee to remove prosecutor Glenn Funk from office.
"Is it Ever Lawful to Use Deadly Force in Defense of Pets/K9?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpDiADtvg8s
"If you carry a gun, so you're hard to kill, know the law, so you're hard to convict."
Free infographic on the 5 elements of self-defense.
https://LawOfSefDefense.com/elements/
Free one hour webinar, every Wednesday at 13:00 Central Time, register at,
https://www.hardtoconvict.com/
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca
https://lawofselfdefense.com/freebook/
The book is free of charge. Just pay shipping, so you don't have to drive to Colorado
to pick it up.
Law of Self Defense YouTube.com channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/Lawofselfdefense/videos
Law of Self Defense Rumble.com channel
https://www.Rumble.com/lawofselfdefense/
"Educate yourself. So, you don't spend the rest of your life in a cage."
"Might Your Claim of Self-Defense Be Perceived As A Lie?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2FWF1rQ420
You are not going to remember anything with any accuracy in a high stress situation.
So, never talk to the police, never make a statement. NEVER!
Ask for your attorney and shut up!
What are you going to do when you are threatened with life in prison and the prosecutor
is offering you a plea deal for only 3 years in prison?
Your statements, that can be used against you, will be used against you at trial. Your
statements that help you are not admissible at trial. Oh, you didn't know that?
You have no idea how your words will be twisted against you.
You get the charges dismissed by being hard to convict. The prosecutors won't prosecute
hard cases, because they want to maintain their 95% conviction rate. The prosecutors have
a high conviction rate because they get to choose which cases cases to take to trial.
https://lawofselfdefense.com/advanced/
which resolves to
https://lawofselfdefense.com/live-online-bonus/
Before you are read your rights, your silence may be used against you . So, immediately
assert your right to silence and assert your right to talk to your attorney. And then shut up!
If you start talking, you have waived your right to remain silence.
---
Even if you are completely justified, completely innocent, you can easily talk yourself into
a conviction and spend the rest of your life in prison. Consider Michael Drejka. He was
thrown to the ground by a larger stronger younger man. While on the ground, Drejka shoots
his assailant once in the chest. The attacker retreats into a store and dies. The security cameras
recorded the whole incident. The responding officers decline to arrest Drejka because it was
self-defense. A few weeks later, the County Sheriff declines to press charges against Drejka
because it was self-defense.
It's done. Drejka could have just moved on with his life. That would have been the smart
move. But instead, a few weeks later, Drejka goes into the police station to talk to the police
without his attorney present for 2 hours. (No one in their right mind would ever do this.)
The prosecutor plays the 2 hour interview at trail and gets a manslaughter conviction.
Drejka is getting beaten in prison on a regular basis. Drejka is going to be in prison for the
rest of his life. Please learn from Drejka's mistake.
"Vegas Clerk Stabbing: Unlawful Use of Force or Self-Defense?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmWdsdt5Qb8
If you click on the gear symbol at the bottom right of the screen, you can control the
playback speed. I like viewing such videos at 1.75 speed. YouTube.com is apparently
smart enough to adjust the frequency of the sound. So playing at higher speed does not
make high frequency voices.
NEVER talk to the media! Experts can disagree on whether or not you should say anything
to the responding officers. But, everyone agrees that you should never talk to the investigating
officers (detectives) and you should never talk to the media. There is no upside to talking to
the media. Even if they are pro-gun conservative media, DON'T talk to the media.
The store owner undermined any claim of self-defense that his attorney could have made
by making statements to the media.
"Can "Castle Doctrine" Save Man Who Stabbed A Woman 94 Times?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXhutE5VJDU
"In 2011 a man fatally stabbed his girlfriend 94 times using 3 knives, and was convicted
of murder. Now he claims he deserves a new trial under the "Castle Doctrine." Could this
be right?"
The prosecutor, judge, defense counsel, and defendant didn't know the use of force law.
That's why you have to know the law. Sorry, that's just reality.
Excerpt:
We used to tell our rookie cops that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop, and I
would suggest to you that there is no such thing as an average gunfight. It is a good thing
to keep in mind that the fight is going to be what it is going to be.
"The Best Defensive Scenario Is The One That Doesn’t Happen
Being Prepared Often Means Nothing Happens" by Lars Smith
https://gatdaily.com/the-best-defensive-scenario-is-the-one-that-doesnt-happen/
Excerpt:
The OODA loop goes both ways, and often, when you do things right, nobody knows
you did anything at all.
"The Essentials of Combative Pistolcraft – Part I" by Dave Spaulding
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/features/28151983-fc92-4ccc-b931-7b6c43b8b05f
Excerpt:
"True preparation is like aging . . . it’s not for wimps."
"How To Stop A Mass Shooter" by Brent Wheat, Tom McHale, Roy Huntington
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/training-tips/how-to-stop-a-mass-shooter-lessons-from-indiana/
Context: Indiana mall shooting.
The good guy went from "being at the mall with his girlfriend" to "guns" in an instant.
Think about that. No freezing. No confusion. Presence of mind. Do you have the mindset
to be able to do that? Competence at 40 yards in 15 seconds, 10 shots, 8 hits, while being
shot at by a rifle.
The good guy had no military experience, no law enforcement experience.
Practice shooting at distance. Stay aware. Have a plan. Stay out of gun-free-zones.
The mall was not a gun-free-zone. The posted "no guns allowed" signs do not have the
force of law in Indiana. In Indiana bank tellers wear guns and the citizens have Constitutional
carry. Across the border in Illinois, nobody wears guns. The results are obvious.
"Panic is simply the lack of preprogrammed responses."
-- Tom Givens
*************************************************************************
"Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans."
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
----- Training (figuring out the correct tasks to learn) -----
"Recap of Concealed Carry: Street Encounter Skills and Tactics" by Lee Weems, Tessah Booth,
Jon Hauptman, Sarah Hauptman, and John Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgyGX1dlq8w
Check out the explanation of response time and reaction time at 27:44.
John's [Murphy] class [Concealed Carry: Street Encounter Skills and Tactics] is the best
bang for the buck that you can get to prepare you for what you will meet out on the street.
-- Lee Weems
https://www.fpftraining.com/concealed-carry
I have taken John Murphy's class at Tac Con (not the stand alone class by itself) and I
agree wholeheartedly.
This is part of the video "view ahead" for my (John Murphy) Concealed Carry:
Armed Self-Defense course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoKj8aGPhDM&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSfNi9WXJkDbTvgqjqdbhdLn
"Street Encounter Skills and Tactics" by John Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oUEaX0ZIVU&list=PLkL2g0uY2GSduhVBwzGL2ROyN-TSdDGLq
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)
"Dr. William Aprill has been gone for over a year,
but he left an enduring body of work that remains relevant.
Make the time to watch the videos linked at
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/williamaprill/
and gain an understanding of triggers and indicators."
-- John Murphy
"Take training from different instructors.
We are all wrong about something."
-- John Farnam
FPF Training
https://www.fpftraining.com/fpf-calendar
“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
When I was active duty Marine Corps, we were paid to exercise as our full time job. And
to ensure that we were exercising daily, we were tested regularly in addition to formal annual
tests (PFT = Physical Fitness Test and CFT = Combat Fitness Test). If we were in garrison
units (and sometimes in deployed field units) we would also do weekly formation runs, in
large part to embarrass all the fat bodies who would fall out of the runs.
If you didn't keep up, some NCO (too often me) would meet with the fat bodies every
morning (7 days a week) at 05:00 and take them for a run (beach runs on the soft sand were
especially painful). This is a particular attitude. You may not have this attitude.
So you may find it difficult to exercise regularly. That's okay. Taking a walk around your
neighborhood will work. Do it once, and eventually, you will be doing it daily. You don't
need to buy a membership to a gym. Doing dumbbell exercises with a soup can in each
hand will work. You don't need to buy dumbbells. Stretching exercises are good. Lots of
YouTube.com videos teaching you how to stretch (often led by pretty girls). No need to
buy equipment.
Exercise and stretch now, so you don't regret later. Put the beer down. Get off the couch.
That's it, keep going. Stop wasting your money buying toys (guns). If you're injuring yourself
during training classes, stop wasting your money on training until you are physically fit.
No, that gut hanging over your belt is not the new normal. It took you years to create that
gut. So, it will take years to remove it. (NO! Surgery is not the answer. Self mutilation is
WRONG!) You can eat all the ice cream you want, as long as you exercise twice daily.
Pooh Bear loves honey.
From an email from Patrick Kilchermann --
I have found that the health & fitness battle is not a tactical one ("eat this weird fruit and
all your troubles will be solved") or a strategic one ("exercise on these days and...") -
instead, 90% of the battle is . . . as usual . . . a philosophical one. A mindset one. It is a lifestyle.
A way of life. And philosophy takes time.
1. BEING IN SHAPE FEELS GOOD.
I've never been obese, but even still: I feel better in my body today than I did when I was 23.
Being in decent shape feels great, and if I'd known how great I might have been a little more
motivated to try back then.
People who lose a ton of weight talk about having more 'energy.' I never knew what that
meant, but I do now. (Although getting there for me looked like adding 20lbs - of muscle).
Increased mental focus, mental endurance, mental toughness . . . better blood pressure,
better resting heart rate, better sleep . . . the benefits are endless, and that's not mentioning
the aesthetic improvements. (Which, for a married guy like me who's balding anyway, are
pretty much a moot point. Kidding. Mostly. No, I'm kidding.)
Plus: getting in healthy shape makes your body not need many of the prescription
medications that circulate.
In short: it's worth it. Outside of committing to a strict daily prayer session, the decision
(and action) to get and stay 'fit' has been the best investment in myself that I've ever made.
Not just physically, but mentally.
2. IT IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
In my life before, the only kind of 'fitness' regimen I could imagine adopting would be a
short term solution. "I'm doing a 10-day hike in the Rockies; I'd better spend a month getting
prepared." etc etc. For most people, it's: "I'm going to lose 10lbs in January."
Now, I see this is the wrong attitude and those results won't last. They never did for me.
Instead, you've really just got to make a realization and decision:
REALIZATION: I am the way and what I am because of what I do and don't do on a
regular basis.
DECISION: I am going to change my life (what I do on a regular basis) so that the 'output'
(who I am!), is more in line with what and who I want to be.
We already had a great diet. My wife has been into organic, whole food and reasonable
proportions for a long time. For me, the realization was: I don't do regular exercise.
You've got to want health and fitness more than the things that are dragging you down.
3. "LIFESTYLE CHANGE" JUST MEANS HABITS AND DISCIPLINE.
We just talked about conditioning the 'action mindset'. That is one way discipline is built.
When I teach handgun accuracy to new shooters, once they start adopting the right stance
and press and once they begin busting bulls, I literally walk them down to their targets (or
wind the target in) and have them put their fingers in the holes.
I want their brains to see: I did that.
I do this because the human mind is unfortunately good at negative self-talk and disbelief
in oneself. . . .
Some people understand this right away, others need a whole lifetime to get to that point.
But in my experience, self-confidence must come first, and then growing discipline comes
easy. And once you've got some discipline, THEN you'll be successful in building better
habits.
Your habits will take you some where. Again: WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW is
nothing more than the mathematical consequence of the sum of and the average of the things
you do every 7 days.
Make modifications to your 7 day rhythm for long enough, and you WILL change.
4. DO NOT OVER-THINK IT.
Don't get hung up on finding 'a program', or a coach or guide. These things too quickly
turn into 'reasons' to hesitate. Don't make the mistake of thinking anyone is 'the' expert.
There are a lot of in-shape people in this world. Nearly all of them got there by doing
something different from each other.
"You have to exercise every day." "No, you should ONLY exercise every 3 days per
muscle group." "No! You should exercise 5 days per week and rest for two in a row."
The fact that so much fitness and diet advice is completely contradictive doesn't mean
they're all wrong. bIt means they're all right.
It's liberating, because it means we just have to find and stick with basically any path that
is healthy, and do it consistently, and we'll get healthy. (If we stick with it for long enough).
In my experience, diet and fitness aren't that hard.
DIET: Eat fewer crappy foods and eat more good foods for a year, and you'll look and
feel better, and you'll be much healthier. In particular, I think eating at least 2x the number
of greens recommended (so like . . . 8+ servings of green vegetables per day) is extremely
important.
EXERCISE: Do more physical activity for a year, and you'll look and feel better, and
you'll be much healthier.
It all has to come from within. You have to do it for you. Be selfish with your health.
Take the time that you need. Ultimately, those who love you will be grateful.
May God be with you, and good luck!
-- Patrick Kilchermann
patrick@concealedcarryuniversity.com
Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice".
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- Practice (how to get good at that task) -----
Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
"Stress Proofing Skills" by Trevor Thrasher
https://www.breachbangclear.com/stress-proofing-skills/
Excerpt:
"The assumption that if you practice something with enough repetition, you will
automatically perform it well is false when the conditions between practice and performance
are widely different."
"The vast majority will never get enough live fire time to master the basics of shooting.
Many instructors think more range time is an automatic fix for gunfight failures. It isn’t."
In case you don't understand the concept of "training scars", please consider --
My pastor told the following story.
He was coaching a Kindergarten basketball team. They would practice once a week for 45
minutes and then play games against other teams on Saturdays. The games were 4 quarters,
6 minutes per quarter, and at the 3 minute mark the referee would stop the game so that the
coaches could substitute players, so everyone had a chance to play. The referee blew his
whistle to start the game and something was wrong. One of my players was guarding his
own teammate. Timeout!
"Gentry, what are you doing guarding your teammate?"
"Coach, this is exactly how we do it in practice."
Gentry was right. That is how we did it in practice.
---
"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
---
"Sermon: The Call to Worship | Psalm 95" by Pastor Jim Bachmann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Ub2mbOEI8
The story starts at 7:07 / 30:00 in the video.
---
If you think this is a cute little story, but that could never happen to you, you are WRONG!
It can easily happen. That's why we get so many friendly fire casualties in combat.
In his Law of Self Defense class, Andrew Branca tells the story of a little girl who walked
into a school in Wisconsin with a rifle and shot another student, and then went into the
bathroom and committed suicide. Scores of law enforcement officers from many different
agencies showed up at the scene. A Deputy U.S. Marshal saw a man in civilian clothes with
a gun in his hand and shot him to death. The victim was an officer of the Department of
Homeland Security. Why the friendly fire shoot? Because that's what the Deputy had trained.
That's what he had practiced. The Deputy Marshal did exactly as he was trained, exactly
as he had practiced.
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
A much better use of your money and time than buying toys (guns and accessories).
Matches in the Nashville area -
Costs about $30 and requires about 200 rounds of practice ammo. Check your calendar.
Let me know and I'll go with you. It's nice being retired.
Glock Store, 1930 Air Lane Drive, Nashville, TN 37210
https://www.glockstore.com/
Low Light Outlaw match, 4th Saturday of the month, 3 squads at 08:30, 12:00, and 15:30.
USPSA match, 2nd Saturday of the month, 3 squads at 08:30, 12:00, and 15:30.
Indoor. (but not well air conditioned) $35
Royal Range, Nashville, TN
1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 18:00, IDPA, Indoor. 6 PM to 9 PM.
2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, 18:00, Outlaw Shooting League, Indoor. 6 PM to 9 PM.
Nashville Armory, 4290 Kenilwood Drive, Nashville, TN 37204.
https://www.armoryranges.com/location/nashville-armory
Last Tuesday of the month, 18:00. Indoor.
Sumner Gun & Supply, 526 W Main St, Gallatin, TN 37066-3122.
https://www.sumnergunstore.com/home
2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, 17:00 set up, 18:00 shoot. Indoor.
Strategic Edge Gun Range, 2613 Hwy 270, Chapel Hill, TN 37034
http://www.strategicedge.us/gun-range
3rd Saturday of the month, 07:00 set up, 08:00 register, 09:00 shoot. Outdoor.
Volunteer Pistol Club, 21 Barns Lane, Brush Creek, TN
2nd Sunday of the month, 13:00, except Mother's Day. Outdoor.
Music City Tactical Shooters,
Eagle Eye Shooting Complex
30 Elk Ridge Road, Mt. Pleasant, TN 38474. Outdoor.
Rattlesnake Ridge
698 7 Mile Ridge Rd, Indian Mound, TN 37079. Outdoor.
you have to check their web site cause it changes,
http://www.mctsclub.com/matches/
Middle Tennessee Shooters Club, Manchester, TN. Outdoor.
Club Rep: Bill Dukemineer
256-426-9014 or duckfisher@mediacombb.net
Middle Tennessee Sporting Association nee Gallatin Gun Club
175 Dry Branch Rd. Dixon Springs TN.
https://www.midtnsportingassociation.com/
Robert Standley runs it.
They shoot every weekend either IDPA or IPSC.
Range 16 on Fort Campbell, KY
If you have trouble getting through the Ft Campbell gate,
call Range 16 at +1 (270) 412-7939
1st Saturday of every month.
0700 Match set up
Directions to Range 16
From Gate 4, Take Screaming Eagle Blvd until it dead ends into Market Garden Road.
You will go through 6 traffic lights. The road will briefly change names to
Normandy Blvd but go back to Screaming Eagle Blvd. Take a left onto Market Garden Road
and your first right onto range 16. There will be a concrete block with the numbers 15 / 16.
"Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous."
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it, which tactics to use) -----
How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.
-- John Farnam
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 21 Cases During June 2022"
by John Lott
https://crimeresearch.org/2022/08/defensive-gun-uses-by-people-legally-carrying-guns-21-cases-during-june-2022/
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, and Escape
You win gunfights by not getting shot.
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics (tasks that you should strive to be able to do in support of your strategy) -----
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Deadly Decisions: Do You Make These Mistakes?" by Richard Johnson
https://www.thearmorylife.com/criminal-interviews/
"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
"Why (& How) You Should Learn To Shoot One-Handed" by Frank Melloni
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/why-how-you-should-learn-to-shoot-one-handed/
Excerpt:
These techniques are less-than-perfect solutions,
but so are all emergency defensive scenarios.
"Malfunctions!
You Are Going To Have Them" by Clint Smith
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/malfunctions-you-are-going-to-have-them/
Excerpt:
Type 3 malfunction (failure to extract, double feed) -
Tap, Rack, (rack doesn't feel right), unload, load.
[This works if you can bend the lips of your magazine around the cartridge that is half way
out of the magazine. So it doesn't always work with all pistols. That's why others teach -
Lock (the slide to the rear)
Strip (the magazine out)
Rack (the slide)
Load
-- Jon Low]
"The Counting Game" by Cecil Burch
https://www.iacombatives.com/2017/07/26/the-counting-game/
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz
A technique to achieving situational awareness.
"Tactical Shooting: Firing From a Vehicle" by Kyle Lamb and Richard Nance
https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/tactical-shooting-from-a-vehicle/248651
"Self-Defense Behind the Wheel of Your Car" by W.H. "Chip" Gross
https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2020/12/23/self-defense-behind-the-wheel-of-your-car
Excerpts:
“The deflection is due to the slant of the windshield,” Sly said.
“When a bullet starts to penetrate glass, as it does any obstruction,
it follows the path of least resistance. Meaning that as the tip of
the bullet strikes the glass, the back of the bullet tilts downward,
causing the bullet to fly high.”
[That explanation doesn't make sense to me. But that doesn't matter. The experimental
results are what they are. The point of impact was 2 feet high at a range of 11 feet.
-- Jon Low]
If the kids are old enough, Sly recommends having a code word that the kids quickly
recognize, such as “gun!” “When you say that word, the kids should immediately plug
their ears with their fingers, tightly close their eyes, and put their head down. Because if
you have to shoot there will be flying glass, and the report of a handgun in a vehicle is
extremely LOUD. So loud in fact, that a young child could have his eardrums broken
or hearing permanently damaged if his ears are not plugged.”
“As humans, we’re hard-wired to look at each other’s faces,” he said. “And during
a gunfight that is not good because you will instinctively shoot high. Instead, look and
aim where you want the bullets to go—center mass—and they’ll go there.”
[I have found in video simulators that the students will look at the enemy's gun and shoot at it.
So training to look and aim at the center of mass is important. -- Jon Low]
Note: Before trying this type of advanced-handgun training, make sure you are
wearing adequate eye and ear protection plus a scarf that covers your nose and mouth,
because small glass particles will be sent flying. In most American-made vehicles the
glass in the windshield will spider web when hit by a bullet; side and rear windows will
shatter into small, pea-sized pieces.
How to correctly use the "ball and dummy" exercise.
By Spencer Keepers
https://www.facebook.com/spencer.keepers/videos/130968682437294
Spencer Keepers' FaceBook.com page -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1499099943675838/user/100002395865730/
"THE CROSS-DOMINANT EYES
Corrections are easy"
by Massad Ayoob
https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/the-cross-dominant-eyes/
"Actions Of A Good Guy
In A Bad Scene"
by William Starnes
https://gunsmagazine.com/self-defense/actions-of-a-good-guy-in-a-bad-scene/
I learned the SUL position and I used to teach the SUL position. But I don't anymore.
I think it is better to maintain your two handed grip and pivot from the elbows (not the wrists
because that weakens your grip) to point your pistol down at the ground a couple of feet in
front of your feet.
You've lost your two handed grip in the SUL position, which means you have to re-establish
it. Will you have the time and competence to do so? Even a retention SUL position with the
support side hand on top of the pistol instead of against your chest still requires you to
re-establish your two handed grip. Who has time to do that?
When the cops tell you to drop your gun, drop your gun. They have to make a split second
decision to shoot you or not to shoot you. Anything other than immediately dropping your
gun is STUPID!
I remember taking at class at Tactical Response. They got everyone up on line, told us to
point in at the target, and to drop your gun. They asked those who refused to drop their guns
to please leave the class. Attitude test.
In Marine Corps boot camp, the Drill Instructors would yell, "Attitude check!" And we would
respond, "Fuck this shit!" If you don't immediately drop your gun, you are asking the
policeman to shoot you. No, really you are.
"Pistol Retention" by W. Hock Hochheim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PYA0rREmjU&t=389s
"A Practical Reload – topping off your pistol while retaining rounds" by Erick Gelhaus
https://americancop.com/a-practical-reload-topping-off-your-pistol-while-retaining-rounds/
"Seeing What You Need to See" by Gabe White
https://www.gabewhitetraining.com/vision/
Excerpt:
"If you have a hard time with a doubled image (particularly the target) when keeping both
eyes open and using iron sights, you probably have a strong natural linkage between your
convergence and accommodation (see original article for details.) You are probably a good
candidate to explore and develop two main aiming methods – target focused shooting with
both eyes open on easier shots, and closing or squinting your nondominant eye for harder
shots that require the detail allowed by sight focusing (sharp and clear front sight.)
Closing/squinting the nondominant eye will eliminate the problem with the doubled image.
Ideally, closing/squinting the nondominant eye should be done after the decision to fire has
been made and as the gun is being brought into alignment with the target, whether that is from
the holster, a ready position, or a previous target.
[I guess using a different technique for "easier shots" versus "harder shots" is like using a
close contact technique for close in shots when the bad guy might grab your pistol versus
using sighted fire with arms extended when the bad guy is too far away to grab your pistol
and you need to use the sights to ensure a hit. -- Jon Low]
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Instruction ***** ***** *****
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
----- Instructors -----
"Remember, the students who require the extra effort are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
“Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something.”
– Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
[So, if you're not learning when you teach, you're doing something wrong. -- Jon Low]
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
----- Andragogy -----
An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.
-- "Building Shooters" by Dustin Solomon
"5 Key Factors For Choosing Your Gun Instructor" by Brad Fitzpatrick
https://www.nrafamily.org/content/5-key-factors-for-choosing-your-gun-instructor/
1. They’re Safe
2. They Leave Their Ego at the Door
3. They Meet Students Halfway
4. They Favor Repetition and Fundamentals Over Flash
5. They’re Effective Communicators
[Ya, but how do you get this information before attending the class? -- Jon Low]
When you use a word, it creates mental images. All words have connotations. So be
careful which word you use. Yes, it matters a great deal.
That's why Tom Givens uses the word "press" in the context of trigger control.
That's why Mike Seeklander uses the phrases "Controlled Pull" and "Accelerated Pull"
in the context of trigger control.
That's why some instructors refer to your "sight movie" as opposed to your "sight picture".
Pictures are static, movies are dynamic (constantly moving / wobbling).
I could go on, but you get the idea.
"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives."
-- Robert John Meehan
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath ----- (You have to be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.)
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
"After The Shooting Stops
How does an armed citizen avoid being confused for a threat?
There’s no simple solution, but there are ways to minimize that concern."
by Sheriff Jim Wilson
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/after-the-shooting-stops/
Excerpt:
The hand-on-holstered-gun ready position should be made a regular part of your
defensive-practice sessions.
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
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
“Your understanding and consent are not required
for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones,
and destroy all you hold dear.”
-- William Aprill
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Legal ***** ***** *****
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.
-- John Adams, October 11, 1798
"Tucker Carlson: This is disgusting"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wg7CYDPKbo
Fox News host Tucker Carlson weighs in on the power George Soros has all over the world.
Governor Ron DeSantis removes prosecutor Andrew Warren from office.
I have asked Governor Bill Lee to remove prosecutor Glenn Funk from office.
"Is it Ever Lawful to Use Deadly Force in Defense of Pets/K9?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpDiADtvg8s
"If you carry a gun, so you're hard to kill, know the law, so you're hard to convict."
Free infographic on the 5 elements of self-defense.
https://LawOfSefDefense.com/elements/
Free one hour webinar, every Wednesday at 13:00 Central Time, register at,
https://www.hardtoconvict.com/
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca
https://lawofselfdefense.com/freebook/
The book is free of charge. Just pay shipping, so you don't have to drive to Colorado
to pick it up.
Law of Self Defense YouTube.com channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/Lawofselfdefense/videos
Law of Self Defense Rumble.com channel
https://www.Rumble.com/lawofselfdefense/
"Educate yourself. So, you don't spend the rest of your life in a cage."
"Might Your Claim of Self-Defense Be Perceived As A Lie?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2FWF1rQ420
You are not going to remember anything with any accuracy in a high stress situation.
So, never talk to the police, never make a statement. NEVER!
Ask for your attorney and shut up!
What are you going to do when you are threatened with life in prison and the prosecutor
is offering you a plea deal for only 3 years in prison?
Your statements, that can be used against you, will be used against you at trial. Your
statements that help you are not admissible at trial. Oh, you didn't know that?
You have no idea how your words will be twisted against you.
You get the charges dismissed by being hard to convict. The prosecutors won't prosecute
hard cases, because they want to maintain their 95% conviction rate. The prosecutors have
a high conviction rate because they get to choose which cases cases to take to trial.
https://lawofselfdefense.com/advanced/
which resolves to
https://lawofselfdefense.com/live-online-bonus/
Before you are read your rights, your silence may be used against you . So, immediately
assert your right to silence and assert your right to talk to your attorney. And then shut up!
If you start talking, you have waived your right to remain silence.
---
Even if you are completely justified, completely innocent, you can easily talk yourself into
a conviction and spend the rest of your life in prison. Consider Michael Drejka. He was
thrown to the ground by a larger stronger younger man. While on the ground, Drejka shoots
his assailant once in the chest. The attacker retreats into a store and dies. The security cameras
recorded the whole incident. The responding officers decline to arrest Drejka because it was
self-defense. A few weeks later, the County Sheriff declines to press charges against Drejka
because it was self-defense.
It's done. Drejka could have just moved on with his life. That would have been the smart
move. But instead, a few weeks later, Drejka goes into the police station to talk to the police
without his attorney present for 2 hours. (No one in their right mind would ever do this.)
The prosecutor plays the 2 hour interview at trail and gets a manslaughter conviction.
Drejka is getting beaten in prison on a regular basis. Drejka is going to be in prison for the
rest of his life. Please learn from Drejka's mistake.
"Vegas Clerk Stabbing: Unlawful Use of Force or Self-Defense?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmWdsdt5Qb8
If you click on the gear symbol at the bottom right of the screen, you can control the
playback speed. I like viewing such videos at 1.75 speed. YouTube.com is apparently
smart enough to adjust the frequency of the sound. So playing at higher speed does not
make high frequency voices.
NEVER talk to the media! Experts can disagree on whether or not you should say anything
to the responding officers. But, everyone agrees that you should never talk to the investigating
officers (detectives) and you should never talk to the media. There is no upside to talking to
the media. Even if they are pro-gun conservative media, DON'T talk to the media.
The store owner undermined any claim of self-defense that his attorney could have made
by making statements to the media.
"Can "Castle Doctrine" Save Man Who Stabbed A Woman 94 Times?" by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXhutE5VJDU
"In 2011 a man fatally stabbed his girlfriend 94 times using 3 knives, and was convicted
of murder. Now he claims he deserves a new trial under the "Castle Doctrine." Could this
be right?"
The prosecutor, judge, defense counsel, and defendant didn't know the use of force law.
That's why you have to know the law. Sorry, that's just reality.
The appeal was upheld. The appellate court ordered a new trial.
The best outcome is not getting prosecuted. A good attorney can get that for you if you
give him good facts to work with. Worse is the prosecutor taking you to trial, but getting
acquitted. Worst would be getting convicted. Reversal on appeal is less than one percent.
So, you need to stay within the pales of the law to give your attorney good facts. So, you
must know the law. Ignorance is no excuse. Unfortunately, as we see in this case, all parties
were ignorant of the law.
Most state laws are written "unlawful and forced entry". So, lock your doors!
"We don't lock our doors. We have never locked our doors. We were not brought up
that way."
WAKE UP! Come into the real world. Lock your doors. You have to force the bad guy
to break something. Otherwise, there is no "forced entry".
"Unexpected Find:
A Self-Defense LAW Lesson from Jui-Jitsu Experts Ryron & Rener Gracie"
by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONkrIJDtJhA
Size matters. Weight matters. Age matters. Strength matters. Disparity of force.
Every 10 years of age is a belt. Every 20 pounds of weight is a belt.
"Ayoob Files: Going For A Gun: the Jarrett Jones Case" by Massad Ayoob
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/ayoob-files-going-for-a-gun-the-jarrett-jones-case/
"Texas, Silencers, ATF and the Supreme Court Bruen case" by Dean Weingarten
https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2022/08/texas-silencers-atf-and-supreme-court.html
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA, http://spw-duf.info
Tennessee has law specifically stating that guns and accessories made and transferred
within Tennessee are exempt from federal regulations, in particular Federal Firearms
Licensing. To the best of my knowledge, the Tennessee law has not been tested in any court.
Texas is more aggressive, attacking the federal government head on.
“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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Hardware (which includes you) ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
"I would like to see every woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
----- Gear -----
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Concealed Carry Corner: Open vs Closed Emitter Red Dots For Carrying" by Matt E.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/07/28/concealed-carry-corner-open-vs-closed-emitter-red-dots/
Excerpt:
There are a number of things that can get into the hood of the optics lens and block your
sight picture such as rain, snow, and lint. [The window can fog up.]
---
"Tips for Transitioning to a Pistol Red Dot Sight" by Salvatore
https://www.usacarry.com/tips-transitioning-pistol-red-dot-sight/
Excerpts:
The single biggest challenge that most face when moving to a red dot is that they
“can’t find the dot” when they present the gun. Upon pressing the gun out to target,
the dot is not visible, so the shooter fishes the gun around until the dot appears in the optic.
This is typical. The reason for this is that, unlike when a red dot is on a rifle that makes
multiple points of contact to the body, thus getting the alignment right, the dot on a
handgun will be misaligned to the eye unless the handgun presentation is perfect.
Building the perfect presentation takes time and work. Iron sights are always visible
during the presentation process, so the shooter can make adjustments to visually align
the sights. With the dot optic, if the dot is not visible, then the shooter needs to fish
around and search for it in the window.
To overcome this problem, you need to practice so that your presentation to this
perfect alignment is consistent.
[Well, that's not always possible when presenting from awkward positions. But, some
red dot sights have a 100 MOA ring around the center dot that allows you to find the
dot. -- Jon Low]
[Accepting one's wobble is a problem that air rifle and smallbore target rifle shooters
have, because their desire to make the perfect shot causes them to attempt to force the
sights to become stationary on the target. A counterproductive habit and very difficult
to break. It takes a great deal of maturity to accept one's wobble. -- Jon Low]
---
"Learning How to Master Red-Dot-Equipped Pistols" by Mike Pannone
https://www.recoilweb.com/learning-how-to-master-red-dot-equipped-pistols-153252.html
Excerpts:
One of the benefits of iron sights is that during recoil, it’s easy to identify the orientation
of the bore based on the sights at opposite ends of the slide.
With an RDS on the gun, that’s no longer possible, so even a minor grip failure can make
you completely lose sight of the dot and force you to fish for it again.
Many shooters tend to stare at the dot like they do with the front sight of a pistol. This is
counterproductive. Don’t look at the dot like the front sight; look through it at the target.
You should focus on the target and superimpose the dot when you want the bullet to go.
Also, many folks crank up the brightness on their sight too much. This is also
counterproductive, drawing your vision to the dot and away from the target — effectively
replicating iron sight shooting.
In low light, an overly bright dot can obscure the target because it’s so much brighter than
the ambient conditions. Again, the eye will focus on the brightest object in its field of view.
So, make sure you set the brightness of your dot so it isn’t distracting based on current
conditions. [Can you predict "current conditions"? -- Jon Low]
Keep practicing your draw and presentation until the dot appears centered every time.
Then practice the same drills with strong hand only and support hand only using the same
concepts.
For years, shooters of all precision disciplines, both rifle and pistol, have been told to
“accept the wobble” and press the trigger smoothly to the rear.
This refers to allowing the sights to float in the desired target area, understanding that
you’ll never be able to keep your weapon completely still. This mantra still holds true,
but the information you receive from your RDS is far more pronounced and leads to
mistakes if not taken in proper context.
In my classes, we always do an equipment inspection. One of the tasks in the equipment
inspection is to cock the unloaded pistol, point it straight up, insert a pencil with the rubber
eraser down, and press the trigger. The firing pin or striker should drive the pencil to hit the
ceiling. If there is not enough force to pop the pencil out of the barrel, you're going to get
light primer strikes, hence unreliable detonation of the cartridge. (Especially against Eastern
European military surplus ammo.)
One of my students with a Glock 23, Gen 4, 40 caliber was barely popping the pencil out
of the barrel. I attempted to take the striker out of the slide, but I am incompetent and could
not get the black plastic tube to move down out of the back plate. Later at home, the student
was able to take the striker out and clean it. (He hadn't cleaned the striker since he got the
pistol over a year earlier.) It was all gunked up. After cleaning, he got strong striker action
against the pencil. WIN!
I know cleaning the striker is not in the manual that comes with the Glock pistols. But,
it is necessary. Ya, you can pay a gunsmith to do it. But, you don't need to. Lots of
YouTube.com videos on how to do it.
July 1 – August 31, 2022
Receive 3 extra magazines and a range bag FREE when you purchase any new
Springfield Armory® striker fired handgun.
https://www.springfieldpromo.com/
Craft Holsters summer sale
https://www.craftholsters.com/holsters
Most state laws are written "unlawful and forced entry". So, lock your doors!
"We don't lock our doors. We have never locked our doors. We were not brought up
that way."
WAKE UP! Come into the real world. Lock your doors. You have to force the bad guy
to break something. Otherwise, there is no "forced entry".
"Unexpected Find:
A Self-Defense LAW Lesson from Jui-Jitsu Experts Ryron & Rener Gracie"
by Andrew Branca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONkrIJDtJhA
Size matters. Weight matters. Age matters. Strength matters. Disparity of force.
Every 10 years of age is a belt. Every 20 pounds of weight is a belt.
"Ayoob Files: Going For A Gun: the Jarrett Jones Case" by Massad Ayoob
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/ayoob-files-going-for-a-gun-the-jarrett-jones-case/
"Texas, Silencers, ATF and the Supreme Court Bruen case" by Dean Weingarten
https://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2022/08/texas-silencers-atf-and-supreme-court.html
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA, http://spw-duf.info
Tennessee has law specifically stating that guns and accessories made and transferred
within Tennessee are exempt from federal regulations, in particular Federal Firearms
Licensing. To the best of my knowledge, the Tennessee law has not been tested in any court.
Texas is more aggressive, attacking the federal government head on.
“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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Hardware (which includes you) ***** ***** *****
*************************************************************************
"I would like to see every woman know how to handle
guns as naturally as they know how to handle babies."
-- Annie Oakley
----- Gear -----
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Concealed Carry Corner: Open vs Closed Emitter Red Dots For Carrying" by Matt E.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/07/28/concealed-carry-corner-open-vs-closed-emitter-red-dots/
Excerpt:
There are a number of things that can get into the hood of the optics lens and block your
sight picture such as rain, snow, and lint. [The window can fog up.]
---
"Tips for Transitioning to a Pistol Red Dot Sight" by Salvatore
https://www.usacarry.com/tips-transitioning-pistol-red-dot-sight/
Excerpts:
The single biggest challenge that most face when moving to a red dot is that they
“can’t find the dot” when they present the gun. Upon pressing the gun out to target,
the dot is not visible, so the shooter fishes the gun around until the dot appears in the optic.
This is typical. The reason for this is that, unlike when a red dot is on a rifle that makes
multiple points of contact to the body, thus getting the alignment right, the dot on a
handgun will be misaligned to the eye unless the handgun presentation is perfect.
Building the perfect presentation takes time and work. Iron sights are always visible
during the presentation process, so the shooter can make adjustments to visually align
the sights. With the dot optic, if the dot is not visible, then the shooter needs to fish
around and search for it in the window.
To overcome this problem, you need to practice so that your presentation to this
perfect alignment is consistent.
[Well, that's not always possible when presenting from awkward positions. But, some
red dot sights have a 100 MOA ring around the center dot that allows you to find the
dot. -- Jon Low]
[Accepting one's wobble is a problem that air rifle and smallbore target rifle shooters
have, because their desire to make the perfect shot causes them to attempt to force the
sights to become stationary on the target. A counterproductive habit and very difficult
to break. It takes a great deal of maturity to accept one's wobble. -- Jon Low]
---
"Learning How to Master Red-Dot-Equipped Pistols" by Mike Pannone
https://www.recoilweb.com/learning-how-to-master-red-dot-equipped-pistols-153252.html
Excerpts:
One of the benefits of iron sights is that during recoil, it’s easy to identify the orientation
of the bore based on the sights at opposite ends of the slide.
With an RDS on the gun, that’s no longer possible, so even a minor grip failure can make
you completely lose sight of the dot and force you to fish for it again.
Many shooters tend to stare at the dot like they do with the front sight of a pistol. This is
counterproductive. Don’t look at the dot like the front sight; look through it at the target.
You should focus on the target and superimpose the dot when you want the bullet to go.
Also, many folks crank up the brightness on their sight too much. This is also
counterproductive, drawing your vision to the dot and away from the target — effectively
replicating iron sight shooting.
In low light, an overly bright dot can obscure the target because it’s so much brighter than
the ambient conditions. Again, the eye will focus on the brightest object in its field of view.
So, make sure you set the brightness of your dot so it isn’t distracting based on current
conditions. [Can you predict "current conditions"? -- Jon Low]
Keep practicing your draw and presentation until the dot appears centered every time.
Then practice the same drills with strong hand only and support hand only using the same
concepts.
For years, shooters of all precision disciplines, both rifle and pistol, have been told to
“accept the wobble” and press the trigger smoothly to the rear.
This refers to allowing the sights to float in the desired target area, understanding that
you’ll never be able to keep your weapon completely still. This mantra still holds true,
but the information you receive from your RDS is far more pronounced and leads to
mistakes if not taken in proper context.
In my classes, we always do an equipment inspection. One of the tasks in the equipment
inspection is to cock the unloaded pistol, point it straight up, insert a pencil with the rubber
eraser down, and press the trigger. The firing pin or striker should drive the pencil to hit the
ceiling. If there is not enough force to pop the pencil out of the barrel, you're going to get
light primer strikes, hence unreliable detonation of the cartridge. (Especially against Eastern
European military surplus ammo.)
One of my students with a Glock 23, Gen 4, 40 caliber was barely popping the pencil out
of the barrel. I attempted to take the striker out of the slide, but I am incompetent and could
not get the black plastic tube to move down out of the back plate. Later at home, the student
was able to take the striker out and clean it. (He hadn't cleaned the striker since he got the
pistol over a year earlier.) It was all gunked up. After cleaning, he got strong striker action
against the pencil. WIN!
I know cleaning the striker is not in the manual that comes with the Glock pistols. But,
it is necessary. Ya, you can pay a gunsmith to do it. But, you don't need to. Lots of
YouTube.com videos on how to do it.
July 1 – August 31, 2022
Receive 3 extra magazines and a range bag FREE when you purchase any new
Springfield Armory® striker fired handgun.
https://www.springfieldpromo.com/
Craft Holsters summer sale
https://www.craftholsters.com/holsters
use code: SUMMER10
for a 10% discount.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
----- Technical / Maintenance -----
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
Concerning Holosun sights and what a sub-second draw may mean to you.
By Spencer Keepers.
https://www.facebook.com/spencer.keepers/videos/600530787637197
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
(capitalization as in the original document, militia refers to YOU)
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Personal Security, Medical, Survival, etc. ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Dr. Sherman House
"If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit.
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained.
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** War Stories, History, Politics, and such ***** ***** *****
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
"North Carolina deputy shot and killed in line of duty, police say
the deputy's fatal shooting took place at approximately 1:30 a.m. ET in Wake County"
by Lawrence Richard
https://www.foxnews.com/us/north-carolina-deputy-shot-killed-line-duty-police-say
"6 N.C. LEOs shot, 2 fatally, in 1 month" -- Police1 Roll Call
" 'We will find who's responsible': N.C. deputy shot, killed on duty" By Mark Schultz
https://www.police1.com/lodd/articles/we-will-find-whos-responsible-nc-deputy-shot-killed-on-duty-sBleKrFUAtq1v6dp/
"Political Prisoners:
Battlefield Contractor Speaks Out On The Murky Legalities Of Asymmetric Warfare"
by Kurt White
https://www.recoilweb.com/political-prisoners-battlefield-contractor-175895.html
This is why it is so important to get Trump or some other good person into the office of
President of the United States. A good president will pardon those wrongly convicted.
This is why it is so important not to have any embedded journalist in your unit. If they
exist, they must not be able to testify.
This is why it is so important for Commanding Generals to quash all investigations of
their subordinates. That's why I consider General James Norman Mattis a POS.
This is why it is so important to ensure any investigators file favorable reports, or no
report. Never answer their questions. Never give written statements. Or terminate their
operation.
Loyalty! Death Before Dishonor. If necessary, enforce Death Before Dishonor.
"Leaked Documents Show FBI’s Definition of a Militia Violent Extremist is YOU!"
by John Crump
https://www.ammoland.com/2022/08/leaked-documents-show-fbis-militia-violent-extremist-is-you/
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA, http://spw-duf.info
FBI considers most of the Second Amendment community to be possible
Militia Violent Extremist (MVE).
Photos of primary source documents are at the end of the web page.
“The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the
prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and
the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.”
-- Albert Einstein
“ 'Did you really think we want those laws to be observed?' said Dr. Ferris.
'We want them broken . . . There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any
government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough
criminals, one makes them.' ”
-- Ayn Rand
The purpose of gun control laws is to criminalize the behavior of political opponents
so that the government can arrest, imprison, and disenfranchise the political opponents.
for a 10% discount.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
----- Technical / Maintenance -----
"Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice."
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
Concerning Holosun sights and what a sub-second draw may mean to you.
By Spencer Keepers.
https://www.facebook.com/spencer.keepers/videos/600530787637197
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
(capitalization as in the original document, militia refers to YOU)
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Personal Security, Medical, Survival, etc. ***** ***** *****
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Dr. Sherman House
"If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit.
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained.
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** War Stories, History, Politics, and such ***** ***** *****
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
"North Carolina deputy shot and killed in line of duty, police say
the deputy's fatal shooting took place at approximately 1:30 a.m. ET in Wake County"
by Lawrence Richard
https://www.foxnews.com/us/north-carolina-deputy-shot-killed-line-duty-police-say
"6 N.C. LEOs shot, 2 fatally, in 1 month" -- Police1 Roll Call
" 'We will find who's responsible': N.C. deputy shot, killed on duty" By Mark Schultz
https://www.police1.com/lodd/articles/we-will-find-whos-responsible-nc-deputy-shot-killed-on-duty-sBleKrFUAtq1v6dp/
"Political Prisoners:
Battlefield Contractor Speaks Out On The Murky Legalities Of Asymmetric Warfare"
by Kurt White
https://www.recoilweb.com/political-prisoners-battlefield-contractor-175895.html
This is why it is so important to get Trump or some other good person into the office of
President of the United States. A good president will pardon those wrongly convicted.
This is why it is so important not to have any embedded journalist in your unit. If they
exist, they must not be able to testify.
This is why it is so important for Commanding Generals to quash all investigations of
their subordinates. That's why I consider General James Norman Mattis a POS.
This is why it is so important to ensure any investigators file favorable reports, or no
report. Never answer their questions. Never give written statements. Or terminate their
operation.
Loyalty! Death Before Dishonor. If necessary, enforce Death Before Dishonor.
"Leaked Documents Show FBI’s Definition of a Militia Violent Extremist is YOU!"
by John Crump
https://www.ammoland.com/2022/08/leaked-documents-show-fbis-militia-violent-extremist-is-you/
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA, http://spw-duf.info
FBI considers most of the Second Amendment community to be possible
Militia Violent Extremist (MVE).
Photos of primary source documents are at the end of the web page.
“The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the
prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and
the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.”
-- Albert Einstein
“ 'Did you really think we want those laws to be observed?' said Dr. Ferris.
'We want them broken . . . There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any
government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough
criminals, one makes them.' ”
-- Ayn Rand
The purpose of gun control laws is to criminalize the behavior of political opponents
so that the government can arrest, imprison, and disenfranchise the political opponents.
We are winning!
"NY's new gun laws restrict weapons in businesses,
but some owners welcome them. Here's why"
by Thomas C. Zambito
https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2022/07/28/as-nys-gun-laws-restrict-guns-in-businesses-some-owners-welcome-them/65382470007/
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger, W2MRA, http://spw-duf.info
"Why Don’t We Just Ban Assault Weapons?" by Will Dabbs, MD
https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/why-dont-we-just-ban-assault-weapons/
Hat tip to Tom McHale.
Excerpt:
First, banning assault weapons would be like outlawing foul language or sunburn.
Doing so might make us feel good, but it in no way affects reality. We seem incapable
of devising a cogent definition for just what an assault weapon even is. “Just because
it looks scary” seems dangerously vague in a legal document.
"Regulate This" by Tom McHale
https://americanhandgunner.com/our-experts/regulate-this/
"A well regulated Militia, . . . " does not mean regulated by the government. To claim such
is disingenuous. It means "functioning properly". Language must be understood in context
of time, place, and culture. To do otherwise is intellectually dishonest.
Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead, are
elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to
sustain themselves or succeed are rewarded with good and services paid for by the confiscated
wealth of a diminishing number of producers. -- Libert O'Sullivan
"At Real Clear Investigations:
How the FBI Undercounts Armed Citizen Responders to Mass Killers —
and Media Play Along" by John Lott
https://crimeresearch.org/2022/08/at-real-clear-investigations-how-the-fbi-undercounts-armed-citizen-responders-to-mass-killers-and-media-play-along/
So sad to see that the FBI is just another propaganda organ of the state.
"Supercharged IRS Will Collect $20 Billion More From Americans Making Less Than
$400,000 Under Inflation Reduction Act" by The Epoch Times
https://www.theepochtimes.com/supercharged-irs-will-collect-20-billion-more-from-americans-making-less-than-400000-under-inflation-reduction-act-report_4662304.html
87,000 new IRS agents (Agents, not employees. Agents carry guns, arrest people, seize
assets, property, etc.) All of these new agents will be in a federal employees union whose
political campaign contributions go exclusively to Democrats. What could go wrong?
"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]
Epistemology
"How do you know that you know what you know?" by Jade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ZM5tuhFWs
Justified, True, Belief.
Gettier problems.
If you believe the Godel Theorem, there might not be a definition of knowledge that
eliminates the Gettier problems.
If two artificial intelligence (AI) computer programs, Alice and Bob, attempted a zero-
knowledge-proof (ZKP) protocol, and Alice accepted Bob as authenticated with confidence
level 1 - pⁿ, (Where probability pⁿ is the probability that the remote program is not Bob,
where p is the probability of Bob giving a correct response to a query and n is the number
of transactions in the protocol.) would the data used for training the AI need to have semantic
relevance? That is to say, would the queries and answers need to be meaningful? Related
to anything in the real world? Or could we abstract the ZKP protocol into the realm of
pure mathematics? Pure thought (philosophy) independent of reality.
What if Alice and Bob had never met, had never exchanged any information. Could
they set up a ZKP protocol? What if they had no common knowledge? No public knowledge?
(Yes, we are aware of man-in-the-middle attacks. This is a thought experiment.)
If you had communication with an alien in a far off galaxy (we can't see the same stars)
and gave him the instructions for building a car. Could you know that the steering wheel
would be on the left side? (If it is obvious to you that you can, STOP! Think about it. In general,
you can't.) Well, Madame Wu determined that you could. Violation of "conservation of parity".
She showed me her lab and the experimental set up. Take a radio-active isotope, in this case
Cobalt. Lower the temperature to 3 Kelvin to eliminate thermal noise. Impress a strong
magnetic field to align the nuclei. Observe the emissions. If parity is conserved, the emissions
should be symmetric with respect to the magnetic alignment of the nuclei. But, they are
asymmetric. Experimental proof of the violation of conservation of parity.
Can you use that violation in your ZKP protocol?
"A New Discovery about Dodecahedrons - Numberphile" by Jayadev Athreya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9_l8QASobI
This is deep and significant.
"A Trajectory from a Vertex to Itself on the Dodecahedron"
by Jayadev S. Athreya and David Aulicino
https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.00811
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.00811.pdf
Amazing that this simple proof took so long to be discovered.
"Platonic solids and high genus covers of lattice surfaces"
by Jayadev S. Athreya, David Aulicino, and W. Patrick Hooper
https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.04131
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1811.04131.pdf
Do you see how to use this to build crypto systems?
[Ya, it took me awhile to convince myself that this paper was correct. As professor Adolf
Mader says, the proof is correct to you if it convinces you.]
"Primes without a 7 - Numberphile" by James Maynard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeoBCS7IEqs
"Primes with restricted digits" by James Maynard
https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.01041
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1604.01041.pdf
I don't think the result is interesting, but the proof method pushes the envelope. I don't find
the proof satisfying. (But then I don't find the 4 Color Theorem proof satisfying. I don't
believe a myriad of computer generated cases proves anything.)
"By making a suitable approximation to SA(θ), we can re-interpret moments of this
approximation as the average probability of restricted paths in a Markov process, and
obtain asymptotic estimates via a finite eigenvalue computation." Really? A probabilistic
proof.
"The Cyber Mercenary Business is Booming" by Emilio Iasiello
https://www.oodaloop.com/archive/2022/08/02/the-cyber-mercenary-business-is-booming/
Well, isn't that special?
Date time group: 21:04:09.97 13AUG2022 (Z)
/* Random data from the HotBits radioactive random number generator */
unsigned char hotBits[256] = {
81, 188, 81, 134, 14, 213, 240, 14, 186, 33, 134, 236, 154, 204, 218,
101, 132, 244, 48, 21, 201, 18, 227, 103, 129, 174, 81, 79, 59, 164,
66, 49, 53, 59, 38, 201, 194, 141, 152, 99, 36, 177, 51, 23, 84, 113,
127, 131, 57, 103, 7, 37, 194, 58, 170, 194, 63, 15, 166, 71, 23, 77,
235, 145, 203, 213, 251, 45, 114, 183, 52, 150, 245, 85, 48, 165, 180,
115, 179, 225, 251, 51, 240, 16, 142, 52, 185, 249, 178, 238, 249, 240,
69, 171, 192, 140, 83, 117, 66, 98, 67, 209, 202, 232, 137, 79, 147,
240, 1, 165, 198, 232, 73, 135, 240, 122, 143, 174, 173, 0, 9, 230, 200,
134, 21, 26, 239, 186, 197, 64, 93, 90, 40, 172, 17, 234, 149, 77, 4,
111, 124, 154, 207, 181, 71, 76, 112, 181, 152, 98, 73, 14, 188, 183,
88, 80, 181, 63, 55, 72, 249, 229, 143, 163, 207, 47, 31, 80, 129, 48,
142, 230, 105, 124, 0, 209, 22, 2, 55, 93, 180, 26, 61, 199, 203, 50,
56, 64, 40, 132, 2, 56, 76, 108, 37, 106, 129, 90, 195, 92, 0, 163, 231,
220, 165, 149, 105, 224, 143, 138, 178, 80, 107, 245, 160, 25, 216, 206,
173, 117, 44, 106, 193, 108, 195, 117, 212, 211, 254, 157, 201, 46, 51,
37, 45, 81, 165, 173, 161, 46, 49, 87, 59, 3, 40, 143, 144, 149, 132,
222, 47, 132, 35, 112, 180, 71
};
/* The HotBits radioactive random number generator will
be discontinued on January 1, 2023. Please see
https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/retirement.html
for details and how to use the secondary generator
which will replace it. */
---
The secondary generator that the Fourmilab refers to is based on the Intel CPU built-in
RDSEED instruction, which is not suitable for our purposes.
The Hot Bits generator closing down is very sad. Rather like driving away from home for
the last time.
We are trying to establish a random number generator (as opposed to a pseudo-random
generator based on a computer algorithm). If you know of any, or know of any resources for
one, please let us know. It need not be based on radio-active decay. Cryptologic generators
that require large amounts of input data would not be suitable for our purposes.
"The Sierpinski-Mazurkiewicz Paradox" by Zach Star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVaDTnrwCnk
Do you see how you can use this to create cryptosystems?
A friend (who was the S-2 at MAG-49) asked me to write a blog post for his company's
blog analyzing the quantum computer threat to classically encrypted data. I could not do it
in 500 words or less. I could not make it intelligible to a lay audience. My essay was full
of squiggly lines that were only meaningful to one with a mathematical background.
The best I can do is to cite YouTube.com videos as the following.
"Counterfactual Quantum Computation is Really Weird" by Sabine Hossenfelder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQIfSrRBEgw
Professor Christ told me that the test of whether or not you understand something is
whether or not you can explain it to someone else. And the test of whether or not you have
a deep understanding of the thing is whether or not you can explain the thing to a lay
[Third form of the word "lay", second definition in the Random House dictionary.
Second form of the word "lay", second definition in the American Heritage dictionary.
] audience. So, I do not have a deep understanding of quantum computers nor of quantum
cryptology.
assets, property, etc.) All of these new agents will be in a federal employees union whose
political campaign contributions go exclusively to Democrats. What could go wrong?
"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]
Epistemology
"How do you know that you know what you know?" by Jade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ZM5tuhFWs
Justified, True, Belief.
Gettier problems.
If you believe the Godel Theorem, there might not be a definition of knowledge that
eliminates the Gettier problems.
If two artificial intelligence (AI) computer programs, Alice and Bob, attempted a zero-
knowledge-proof (ZKP) protocol, and Alice accepted Bob as authenticated with confidence
level 1 - pⁿ, (Where probability pⁿ is the probability that the remote program is not Bob,
where p is the probability of Bob giving a correct response to a query and n is the number
of transactions in the protocol.) would the data used for training the AI need to have semantic
relevance? That is to say, would the queries and answers need to be meaningful? Related
to anything in the real world? Or could we abstract the ZKP protocol into the realm of
pure mathematics? Pure thought (philosophy) independent of reality.
What if Alice and Bob had never met, had never exchanged any information. Could
they set up a ZKP protocol? What if they had no common knowledge? No public knowledge?
(Yes, we are aware of man-in-the-middle attacks. This is a thought experiment.)
If you had communication with an alien in a far off galaxy (we can't see the same stars)
and gave him the instructions for building a car. Could you know that the steering wheel
would be on the left side? (If it is obvious to you that you can, STOP! Think about it. In general,
you can't.) Well, Madame Wu determined that you could. Violation of "conservation of parity".
She showed me her lab and the experimental set up. Take a radio-active isotope, in this case
Cobalt. Lower the temperature to 3 Kelvin to eliminate thermal noise. Impress a strong
magnetic field to align the nuclei. Observe the emissions. If parity is conserved, the emissions
should be symmetric with respect to the magnetic alignment of the nuclei. But, they are
asymmetric. Experimental proof of the violation of conservation of parity.
Can you use that violation in your ZKP protocol?
"A New Discovery about Dodecahedrons - Numberphile" by Jayadev Athreya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9_l8QASobI
This is deep and significant.
"A Trajectory from a Vertex to Itself on the Dodecahedron"
by Jayadev S. Athreya and David Aulicino
https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.00811
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.00811.pdf
Amazing that this simple proof took so long to be discovered.
"Platonic solids and high genus covers of lattice surfaces"
by Jayadev S. Athreya, David Aulicino, and W. Patrick Hooper
https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.04131
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1811.04131.pdf
Do you see how to use this to build crypto systems?
[Ya, it took me awhile to convince myself that this paper was correct. As professor Adolf
Mader says, the proof is correct to you if it convinces you.]
"Primes without a 7 - Numberphile" by James Maynard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeoBCS7IEqs
"Primes with restricted digits" by James Maynard
https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.01041
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1604.01041.pdf
I don't think the result is interesting, but the proof method pushes the envelope. I don't find
the proof satisfying. (But then I don't find the 4 Color Theorem proof satisfying. I don't
believe a myriad of computer generated cases proves anything.)
"By making a suitable approximation to SA(θ), we can re-interpret moments of this
approximation as the average probability of restricted paths in a Markov process, and
obtain asymptotic estimates via a finite eigenvalue computation." Really? A probabilistic
proof.
"The Cyber Mercenary Business is Booming" by Emilio Iasiello
https://www.oodaloop.com/archive/2022/08/02/the-cyber-mercenary-business-is-booming/
Well, isn't that special?
Date time group: 21:04:09.97 13AUG2022 (Z)
/* Random data from the HotBits radioactive random number generator */
unsigned char hotBits[256] = {
81, 188, 81, 134, 14, 213, 240, 14, 186, 33, 134, 236, 154, 204, 218,
101, 132, 244, 48, 21, 201, 18, 227, 103, 129, 174, 81, 79, 59, 164,
66, 49, 53, 59, 38, 201, 194, 141, 152, 99, 36, 177, 51, 23, 84, 113,
127, 131, 57, 103, 7, 37, 194, 58, 170, 194, 63, 15, 166, 71, 23, 77,
235, 145, 203, 213, 251, 45, 114, 183, 52, 150, 245, 85, 48, 165, 180,
115, 179, 225, 251, 51, 240, 16, 142, 52, 185, 249, 178, 238, 249, 240,
69, 171, 192, 140, 83, 117, 66, 98, 67, 209, 202, 232, 137, 79, 147,
240, 1, 165, 198, 232, 73, 135, 240, 122, 143, 174, 173, 0, 9, 230, 200,
134, 21, 26, 239, 186, 197, 64, 93, 90, 40, 172, 17, 234, 149, 77, 4,
111, 124, 154, 207, 181, 71, 76, 112, 181, 152, 98, 73, 14, 188, 183,
88, 80, 181, 63, 55, 72, 249, 229, 143, 163, 207, 47, 31, 80, 129, 48,
142, 230, 105, 124, 0, 209, 22, 2, 55, 93, 180, 26, 61, 199, 203, 50,
56, 64, 40, 132, 2, 56, 76, 108, 37, 106, 129, 90, 195, 92, 0, 163, 231,
220, 165, 149, 105, 224, 143, 138, 178, 80, 107, 245, 160, 25, 216, 206,
173, 117, 44, 106, 193, 108, 195, 117, 212, 211, 254, 157, 201, 46, 51,
37, 45, 81, 165, 173, 161, 46, 49, 87, 59, 3, 40, 143, 144, 149, 132,
222, 47, 132, 35, 112, 180, 71
};
/* The HotBits radioactive random number generator will
be discontinued on January 1, 2023. Please see
https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/retirement.html
for details and how to use the secondary generator
which will replace it. */
---
The secondary generator that the Fourmilab refers to is based on the Intel CPU built-in
RDSEED instruction, which is not suitable for our purposes.
The Hot Bits generator closing down is very sad. Rather like driving away from home for
the last time.
We are trying to establish a random number generator (as opposed to a pseudo-random
generator based on a computer algorithm). If you know of any, or know of any resources for
one, please let us know. It need not be based on radio-active decay. Cryptologic generators
that require large amounts of input data would not be suitable for our purposes.
"The Sierpinski-Mazurkiewicz Paradox" by Zach Star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVaDTnrwCnk
Do you see how you can use this to create cryptosystems?
A friend (who was the S-2 at MAG-49) asked me to write a blog post for his company's
blog analyzing the quantum computer threat to classically encrypted data. I could not do it
in 500 words or less. I could not make it intelligible to a lay audience. My essay was full
of squiggly lines that were only meaningful to one with a mathematical background.
The best I can do is to cite YouTube.com videos as the following.
"Counterfactual Quantum Computation is Really Weird" by Sabine Hossenfelder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQIfSrRBEgw
Professor Christ told me that the test of whether or not you understand something is
whether or not you can explain it to someone else. And the test of whether or not you have
a deep understanding of the thing is whether or not you can explain the thing to a lay
[Third form of the word "lay", second definition in the Random House dictionary.
Second form of the word "lay", second definition in the American Heritage dictionary.
] audience. So, I do not have a deep understanding of quantum computers nor of quantum
cryptology.
"Post-quantum encryption contender is taken out by single-core PC and 1 hour
Leave it to mathematicians to muck up what looked like an impressive new algorithm."
by Dan Goodin
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/08/sike-once-a-post-quantum-encryption-contender-is-koed-in-nist-smackdown/
Hat tip to Bruce Schneier.
Leave it to mathematicians to muck up what looked like an impressive new algorithm."
by Dan Goodin
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/08/sike-once-a-post-quantum-encryption-contender-is-koed-in-nist-smackdown/
Hat tip to Bruce Schneier.
Primary source document -
"AN EFFICIENT KEY RECOVERY ATTACK ON SIDH
(PRELIMINARY VERSION)" by WOUTER CASTRYCK AND THOMAS DECRU
https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/975.pdf
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
“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.)
"Wagners" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/wagners/
In case you're not familiar with the Wagner mercenary group.
There are a lot of mercenary groups. Very blurry borders.
"AN EFFICIENT KEY RECOVERY ATTACK ON SIDH
(PRELIMINARY VERSION)" by WOUTER CASTRYCK AND THOMAS DECRU
https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/975.pdf
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
“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.)
"Wagners" by John Farnam
https://defense-training.com/wagners/
In case you're not familiar with the Wagner mercenary group.
There are a lot of mercenary groups. Very blurry borders.
Ask Lieutenant (O-3) Erik Prince.
HumInt (human intelligence) is much more difficult than the other technical intel gathering
disciplines, because humans lie. And not just the sources and enemies. We once discovered
a friendly lying. At school we were taught to go as high up the chain of command as we could
to report it. (Because one never knows how high up the chain the problem goes.) We never
heard anything after the report. (No reason to keep us informed of the outcome.) But we did
notice that the problem disappeared. (In the sense that the problem was transferred to
Okinawa, but never actually checked in.) Commands often can't press charges (because it
makes them look bad) because classified evidence cannot be revealed in court martial
proceedings. Of course, if the idiot listening to Morse code in the tunnels is just making up
shit on the transcription, well that's different.
I know a lot of attorneys who were former HumInt. Yes, direct correlation. Highly refined
B.S. detector. A skill I lack.
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
If the person says "you know", "um", "ah", etc. I will stop listening or reading and will not
cite the video or audio in my blog. If the person mispronounces words or misspells words or
pracitces improper word usage, I will not cite them. There is no excuse for bad public
HumInt (human intelligence) is much more difficult than the other technical intel gathering
disciplines, because humans lie. And not just the sources and enemies. We once discovered
a friendly lying. At school we were taught to go as high up the chain of command as we could
to report it. (Because one never knows how high up the chain the problem goes.) We never
heard anything after the report. (No reason to keep us informed of the outcome.) But we did
notice that the problem disappeared. (In the sense that the problem was transferred to
Okinawa, but never actually checked in.) Commands often can't press charges (because it
makes them look bad) because classified evidence cannot be revealed in court martial
proceedings. Of course, if the idiot listening to Morse code in the tunnels is just making up
shit on the transcription, well that's different.
I know a lot of attorneys who were former HumInt. Yes, direct correlation. Highly refined
B.S. detector. A skill I lack.
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
If the person says "you know", "um", "ah", etc. I will stop listening or reading and will not
cite the video or audio in my blog. If the person mispronounces words or misspells words or
pracitces improper word usage, I will not cite them. There is no excuse for bad public
speaking. Life is too short to consume sloppy information or low information density material.
As John Farnam says, "Get to the point. And then shut up."
As John Farnam says, "Get to the point. And then shut up."
If you're going to write, you should read "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser and
"The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. , E. B. White, et al. At the very least.
Let me explain the structure of this blog. I had a newsletter for my friends in Signals
Intelligence. I rolled that emailing list into my newsletter for my friends in Intelligence.
Then I rolled that emailing list into my newsletter for my students and friends in
Defensive Pistolcraft. Dave Spaulding uses the term "combative pistolcraft". Which would
include offensive
( Adjective 4th definition in Random House dictionary.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/offensive
Adjective, 2nd definition in American Heritage dictionary.
https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=offensive
) techniques. Civilian concealed carry for self-defense would only include defensive
techniques.
Example of an operation where offensive techniques would be used:
Intel gives operations a report of an enemy cell planning an attack on a friendly facility
(church). Ops takes the report to an O-6 or higher, usually the Commanding Officer or G-2.
The O-6 signs off on a finding that the subjects are in fact enemy combatants. Somebody
writes a targeting order to find the enemy combatants and terminate their command.
Operators execute the order.
"Like with a missile from a drone?"
No, we are professionals. We don't cause collateral damage. So we never use bombs.
"Are you speaking disparagingly of the U.S. Air Force bomber crews?"
Consider how many friendlies and innocents they have killed. They don't understand
our safety rules.
Offensive operations are the only way to ensure the friendlies suffer zero casualties.
It's nice that the good guy with a pistol stopped the bad guy with a rifle in the shopping
mall in Indiana. But wouldn't it have been better to avoid the deaths of the innocents?
The good guy was not a vigilante. (That's just incorrect word usage by liberal commentators.)
Competent vigilantes would have interdicted the bad guy before the incident. There would
have been no news reports, because nothing happened. That is the underlying premiss of
the Global War On Terrorism.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
Let me explain the structure of this blog. I had a newsletter for my friends in Signals
Intelligence. I rolled that emailing list into my newsletter for my friends in Intelligence.
Then I rolled that emailing list into my newsletter for my students and friends in
Defensive Pistolcraft. Dave Spaulding uses the term "combative pistolcraft". Which would
include offensive
( Adjective 4th definition in Random House dictionary.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/offensive
Adjective, 2nd definition in American Heritage dictionary.
https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=offensive
) techniques. Civilian concealed carry for self-defense would only include defensive
techniques.
Example of an operation where offensive techniques would be used:
Intel gives operations a report of an enemy cell planning an attack on a friendly facility
(church). Ops takes the report to an O-6 or higher, usually the Commanding Officer or G-2.
The O-6 signs off on a finding that the subjects are in fact enemy combatants. Somebody
writes a targeting order to find the enemy combatants and terminate their command.
Operators execute the order.
"Like with a missile from a drone?"
No, we are professionals. We don't cause collateral damage. So we never use bombs.
"Are you speaking disparagingly of the U.S. Air Force bomber crews?"
Consider how many friendlies and innocents they have killed. They don't understand
our safety rules.
Offensive operations are the only way to ensure the friendlies suffer zero casualties.
It's nice that the good guy with a pistol stopped the bad guy with a rifle in the shopping
mall in Indiana. But wouldn't it have been better to avoid the deaths of the innocents?
The good guy was not a vigilante. (That's just incorrect word usage by liberal commentators.)
Competent vigilantes would have interdicted the bad guy before the incident. There would
have been no news reports, because nothing happened. That is the underlying premiss of
the Global War On Terrorism.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
