Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Measurements and Standards for Pistol Shooting
One of the biggest reasons shooters do not improve is that they fail to introduce time and accuracy standards into their practice sessions.
How Revolver Speed Loaders Work
A very thorough review of the operation of most of the current speedloaders on the market. I like the Safariland Comp II and Comp III the best. They are significantly faster than the other loaders. If you are in the market for speed loaders you should also check out Caleb Giddings’ recommendations as well.
Gell-Mann Amnesia and Group Identity
“Not everyone is willing to looking for difficult, comprehensive audit of their insufficiencies. People want a distraction that pulls them away from the hum-drum of modernity, not emphasizes just how much they’ve lost while living in the gilded cage.”
Reading a Shotshell Box: What You Need to Know
A translation for all of the shotgun shell information you may not (yet) understand.
10 Cases Where An Armed Citizen Took Down An Active Shooter
Massad Ayoob shares some cases where active shooters were stopped by armed citizens. John Lott has an article covering similar subject matter as well.
New Study: Expert vs. Novice Use-Of-Force Decision-Making
“In summary, Mangels writes, “with greater awareness” of time, distance, opportunities for backup, and mitigation possibilities, “experts are more likely to emphasize verbal strategies for engaging with citizens. This stands in direct contrast to novices, who instead prioritize gaining physical control.”
Multifunctional Use of Survival Blankets in Wilderness Emergencies
I had never thought of using a “space blanket” as an improvised tourniquet or pelvic binder.
Store guns out of sight and inaccessible
Have you considered this possibility?
Man Recovering From His Wounds After Ignoring Creep Alarm
Watch this short video of a robbery. It highlights the importance of having empty handed skills in addition to firearms skills. If you were the victim, would you draw your gun when the robber grabbed your bag? I would hope not. Lethal force is not an appropriate response to defend property.
As you were struggling over the bag, the robber quickly draws a knife and stabs you with it. Now lethal force would be the proper answer. The problem is in the logistics of employing it. Could you draw your gun one-handed in less time that it takes the robber to draw his knife here? I know I can’t. The only option to avoid the initial stabbing is to have some unarmed knife defense skills.
A Primer On Buying Used Handguns
A lot of very good advice here about how to ensure you don’t get a used handgun “lemon.”
On Her Own: You Are Worth Defending
“Self-defense isn’t just about reacting to fear. It’s also about being confident enough to say that bad guys can’t scare me. That’s because self-defense is the ultimate woman’s empowerment movement. It’s the ultimate way of drawing boundaries and saying that no, someone else does not have the right to determine the course of my life.
It’s saying that I have value purely for being me, no matter who I am surrounded by. It’s saying that I can choose who I defend and why, even if it’s just me, without permission from anybody else. It’s saying I can be my own hero, just for me.
And you can too.”
How to Bribe at Checkpoints
While I don’t think this is a good plan in our current policing culture (it will likely get you arrested anywhere you try it in the USA), I have used some of these techniques in foreign countries where I’ve traveled. It’s good to have information like this “just in case.”
The phrase you want to use is “Can I pay the fine to you, right now?” I have an entire section on dealing with corrupt police officers and bribe requests in my new book.
Handgunning in the 1920s: The Techniques of W.E. Fairbairn
I’ve noticed that many of the “Gun Culture 2.0” types have a dearth of knowledge about the history of gunfighting. This will provide some useful background. Fairbairn was one of the first people to actually systematize a method of teaching the skill of gunfighting. His techniques reflect the reality of the times he inhabited. Guns often didn’t have good sights. His trainees got less than 50 rounds to fire in training. “Qualification” meant getting 50% hits on a very large silhouette target.
Given those limitations, I think Fairbairn designed a pretty good program. That doesn’t mean I would use it today. We have better equipment and have learned more effective shooting techniques in the last century of evolution since this piece was written. With that said, it’s important to understand why and how training methodologies have changed throughout the years.
If you are interested in learning more, check out my article on Institutional Memory.
SELCO: When Our SHTF Started, We Thought It Was Just a Temporary Disruption Too
A survivor of the Balkan wars in the 1990s describes the attitude of people in the beginning of that crisis and how that attitude contributed to a lot of the residents’ future misery. This is an excerpt from Selco’s new book SHTF Survival Stories. I’m almost finished reading the book. I think it offers a very useful perspective.
DRUG SCHOOL
A document composed by doctors as an educational reference for other doctors. It’s a critical reference for parents, cops, teachers, and anyone who deals with people who may be using drugs. The reference explains how each drug is administered, what it does, and all of its “street” names. Takes some time to read it. Opens to PDF.
Thoughts on Defensive Shotgun Setup
Some shotgun equipment considerations. The author further explains his reasoning for loading his shotgun with slugs in Shotgun Ammo Selection: The Slug.
Autism & Wandering: What Cops Need to Know
Very good advice for police response to calls about autistic missing persons.
Troxler Effect And Instability Of Our Sight Picture
This is new information for me. If you are interested in the science of vision, you may find the article useful.
Active Killer Incidents: A Guide for the Armed Civilian
What I’m reading…
I’m about 75% finished with this one. While the active killer advice is solid, a massive amount of the book focuses on building clearing tactics. The tactics he advocates are very sound. The book is filled with excellent diagrams showing single person, partner, and team clearing tactics. I think this one works better as a building clearing book than as an active killer response manual. If you want simple explanations for good building search tactics, you will enjoy this book.
Digital Security Primer Part IV.I: Data In Motion
Part four of this excellent digital security series.
The case for the 32 Magnum revolver
While I do not own any .32 magnum handguns, I can make a logical argument for how carrying that caliber might offer advantages over carrying the .38 special.
TRIGGER TIME DURING QUARANTINE TIME
Mas has some suggestions for using airsoft or BB guns as training tools when the public ranges are shut down. I like this idea. I’ve been using a Umarex Glock 17 BB gun in my back yard to train for the last couple weeks. It’s not the real thing, but it will most certainly slow the rate of performance decay after months of no shooting practice.
San Marcos police identify officers, suspect involved in fatal shooting
My police friends should remain vigilant even in this time period of exceptionally low crime rates. Ambush attacks like this are still rising. Although this one took place inside the residence, similar rifle attacks have targeted responding officers as they exit their cruisers.
Here’s something I do on as many calls as possible to ensure a better chance of survival….
When I get a call, I figure out which side of the road the house is on. In my city, even house numbers are on the north and east sides of the street while odd house numbers are on the south and west sides. Even if you don’t remember that, most of you have MDT mapping software that will provide the house location.
As I drive to the scene, I’ll approach the house from the direction that places the passenger side of my cruiser towards the house to which I am responding. That way, if I take fire when exiting my cruiser, I’ll have the whole car between myself and the gunfire acting as cover and concealment.
It’s an old school officer safety technique that isn’t commonly taught to the younger officers today.
Use of Deadly Force Instructor with Massad Ayoob and MAG in Phoenix, AZ July 6-10, 2020
Due to all the travel bans, this class isn’t getting the registration numbers that it should. I am personally flying out to take this class and already paid the full tuition price out of my own pocket. That should tell you how much I value this information. Mas may not be doing too many more of these classes in the future. Get the training while you still can.
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