Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Small Of The Back Carry: Easy Concealment Or Injury Waiting To Happen?
Carrying your gun in the small of your back is almost always a mistake. In addition to the points mentioned in the article, SOB carry is less concealable (you print every time you bend forward) and very difficult to access from the ground. Even worse, the position makes it virtually impossible to defend the gun if a criminal grabs it in a struggle.
Don’t carry in the small of your back.
Self Reliance
An insightful long-form piece about the importance of self-reliance.
“…solitude is foundational for self-reliance. If we can’t be alone, we can’t be self-reliant.
Nietzsche describes a danger of this inability in Thus Spoke Zarathustra: “The lonely one offers his hand too quickly to whomever he encounters.” If we’re afraid to be alone, we’ll accept the company of just about anybody.
If we spend our time alone itching to be in the company of others, how can we discover what we truly think? If we’re forever embedded in the “madding crowd” it can be difficult to parse our inherited, default desires from the things that we truly want to want.”
Compliant Clerk Shot by Armed Robber
No matter what strategy you use to protect yourself in an armed robbery, make a decision and act with intensity. Here is an example where half measures got a man shot.
The Mythical Thin Blue Line.
An interesting idea from this article:
“Yet the same systems which encourage punitive actions to show the public the misconduct as much a a typo on a report will not be tolerated, are also the ones who lack a system by which to reward their own cops.”
Buying a Gun Does Not Make You a “Responsible Gun Owner”
We now have an unprecedented number of new gun owners entering the fold. Buying a gun is just the first step to becoming a responsible gun owner. Unfortunately, that’s where many new gun owners stop.
13 Google Maps Tricks Travelers Need to Know
Most of us world travelers use Google Maps as our primary mapping application. Here are some very cool tricks that will allow you to do some things I didn’t know were possible.
Infographic: Hotel Safety for the Single Gal
Speaking of traveling, here are some hotel safety tips you’ve probably never seen before. Although the article was intended for women, men should embrace these practices as well.
Should You Modify Your Carry Gun?
Dave Spaulding provides sensible advice about modifying your defensive carry weapons.
The Borrowed World: A Novel of Post-Apocalyptic Collapse
Very good dystopian fiction. My only complaint is with the weapons the author chose to arm the characters with and some of the “tactics” employed by the characters in the book.
Recognizing that many folks use this type of fiction to generate ideas and “wargame” to prepare against future threats, I would have been more diligent about arming the characters with the best choices of weapons for the given task. Ruger Mini-14s and Springfield Armory XD pistols carried in Fobus holsters would not be on the list.
Overall, very entertaining and engaging. I’ll be reading the rest of the series. If you have Amazon prime, the book is free to “borrow.”
‘AK-22’ sub-machine guns used in Dhaka attack
Have you heard of the “AK-22”? It’s a locally made .22 long rifle submachinegun that is cosmetically similar to the AK-47, but operates in a different manner. It has increasingly been used by Islamic terrorists in attacks around the world. Read the article. It’s probably good to know how it works in case these things find their way over here.
Note that the gun fires from an open bolt. That means that if the bolt carrier is locked to the rear, it is ready to fire. When you see this, don’t assume that the weapon is empty or malfunctioning. That’s how it is supposed to work.
EverBrite 6-pack LED Headlamp for Trauma Kits Review
Short Barrel Shepherd has some great advice about headlamps here. I’ve found them to be absolutely invaluable in all my outdoor adventures. He’s absolutely right. A headlamp should be part of every trauma kit. It’s hard to hold a flashlight and apply a tourniquet at the same time.
If you want to take a step up from the ultra-cheap headlamp options he recommends, check out the Princeton Tec Byte. It’s ultra light weight and very reliable. At $23, it won’t break the bank either. That’s the headlamp I carry in my kits.
Mexican Cartel Stockpiling Grenade Launchers at Texas Border
Mexican drug cartels are armed with all kinds of military hardware. When the cartel wars start to drift over the border more than what happens currently, American law enforcement officers will be utterly unable to respond to attacks with RPGs, grenades, machine guns, and helicopters. It’s going to get ugly.
Use Gratitude to Rewire Your Brain
I’m starting to recognize the value and importance of this practice.
Liberated Manuals.com — Free Military Manuals
Nearly 5000 free downloadable military manuals are available at this site. H/T to WeaponsMan for finding the link.
Religious involvement lessens likelihood of owning a handgun
Some interesting statistics in this study.
Female suicide bomber with a baby strapped to her back used the infant as a decoy
Here’s another new terrorist tactic that will eventually be used here. The suicide bomber used a baby in a backpack to hide her suicide bomb vest. Cops and security personnel need to be alert for such tricks.
National Consensus Policy on Use of Force
My police readers should take a look at this. Many organizations are attempting to place unlawful restrictions on justifiable police force. This is a consensus standard use of force policy that is based on current case law and constitutional standards. It is not unduly restrictive, nor is it too liberal. Useful ammunition against agencies wanting to follow some of the PERF recommendations.
What Cops Need to Know About Autism
Another must-read article for my police officer friends.
THE PURPOSE OF THE SHOTGUN IN TWO IMAGES
This is actually a very good point even if it runs counter to current shotgun “doctrine.” A shotgun is not a rifle. There are advantages to a rapidly spreading shot pattern at close range when shooting quickly. I’m not sure the trend of ever tightening shot patterns is the best answer. Yes, tighter patterns are better for hostage shots or long range engagements. Maybe a shotgun isn’t the right tool for those kind of problems?
Very interesting. The CCW holder who saved the Arizona trooper’s life is a former felon. He was convicted of felony theft in 2000. Normally that conviction would forever bar the convicted person from ever owning a firearm for the rest of his life. This guy petitioned a judge to get his felony reduced to a misdemeanor so he could carry a gun again. Fortunately for everyone involved, the judge granted that petition.
I’m generally against the idea of prohibiting someone from ever owning a firearm solely because of a felony conviction. Lots of people who commit felonies are not violent and pose no danger to society.
Certainly there are violent felons who should not be carrying guns, but to bar someone from ever being able to protect himself (or, in this case, a state trooper) just because he made a bad decision in his past is just poor public policy. It keeps good men like this guy from doing good things like saving a cop’s life.
One other item to note…
Look at this guy. How many of you gun owners would embrace a man like this and introduce him to the world of defensive shooting? Or would you just write him off because of the tattoos and ear gauges? Maybe you should rethink your assumptions.
Truly valiant folks might have a felony record in their past. They might not look like you. We shooters need to be less judgemental and more open to accepting folks who may lead lifestyles very different from ours.
There are powerful lessons here.
ISIS Graphic Video: Kids’ Shooting Exercise With Living Targets
I’ll close today’s post with this link to a propaganda video from ISIS. It’s one of the most disturbing videos I’ve ever seen in my life.
While our kids are playing Pokémon, ISIS is training its children to murder bound prisoners in a “kill house.”
Watch these kids clear an abandoned building, practicing by shooting mannequin targets. After a couple minutes, the kids transition to shooting live bound prisoners.
The pre-teen kids have better muzzle and trigger discipline than most SWAT teams I see.
This is going to be a huge problem to deal with in the future.
Don’t watch the video unless you want to see close up video of kids executing bound prisoners.
* Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
