Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Adversarial Mindset: Understand Criminals and Their Motivations
An absolutely stellar article from John Hearne. While you are on the site, you might also like to read What If You’re Surrounded by Aggressive Rioters?
3 Lessons to Learn From the Death of an Armed Good Samaritan
This is an incredibly ugly incident. If you choose to intervene in an incident like this one, you better be able to finish the job.
“Here is the cold, hard truth. Unless you have numerous training certificates on your wall from academies that taught fighting not marksmanship AND unless you regularly engage in dedicated skill maintenance practice, you are NOT good enough. You can and you will completely miss your target, even at close ranges.
If you’re carrying a gun, or even have one for home defense, you have to approach the subject with the idea that the day will come where you will be required to save a life — your own or a loved one’s — with that gun. You will not be magically blessed with expert level skill on that day.
Quite the opposite will happen. During a fight for your life, you will default to whatever level of skill you have mastered. If your skill level stops at knowing how to load the gun and put it in a holster, then that’s the skill level you will have during the moment of truth.”
Ayoob: How You’d Lose Your CCW (and How to Stop It)
Massad Ayoob shares some important concepts if you want to keep your CHL license.
Good Samaritans after all
A deep dive into the science of bystander intervention in violent attacks. It’s interesting to note the following:
“In fact, the newest research calls that model into question entirely, suggesting that the way our brains process a violent event in the immediate instant, when intervention is most likely, is largely reflexive and unconscious. When it comes to witnessing violence, bystanders are in general more likely to intervene once cognition overrides reflexes, whether or not they are in groups.”
Just like when we experience a violent attack on ourselves, the longer we can stay in our “rational brain,” the better off we are. When we feel overwhelmed, unprepared, scared, and fearful of surviving we switch to the limbic system and act based on instinct. That particular instinctive reaction may or may not be helpful in that particular encounter.
Is the .32 ACP Potent Enough for Self Defense?
The longer I am in this game, the more I realize that the caliber you carry is an almost inconsequential variable in your survival equation.
NSSF Report Reveals Firearm Magazines with Capacity Over 10 Rounds is National Standard
“About 46 percent of the magazines estimated in this study are rifle magazines with 30+ round capacity. The percentage of detachable magazines at 11+ capacity is about 55 percent of total pistol magazines. The amount of 10 and below capacity rifle magazines supplied from the manufacturer is over one and a half times the amount of 30+ capacity rifle magazines. The consumer market totals of rifle magazines show 30+ capacity magazines, over 413 million, are over 30 times the amount available than 10 and below capacity rifle magazines, about 13 million.”
Lessons From Teaching On Different Ranges
Having already taught classes in seven different states this year, I can echo Erick’s advice.
Single Action Revolvers for Self Defense
A rare discussion about the role of the single action revolver in your self defense preparations.
Red Dots – Are We Training to Use Them Best?
Some very important information here. While we are on the topic of police and red dots, you cop might also like to read LPVO to Rifle Red Dot Transition Trainig Drills.
Taser Weapon Confusion
Continuing on the topic of police weapons training, some of you police readers will find this piece useful.
Avid ASP Viewer Blesses The Deserving With The Hot Sauce
You should absolutely be carrying some pepper spray.
The Opinions That You Don’t Have A Right To
“If you want to be an authority figure in any endeavor, go learn how to be one! Curb your inner Couch Captain and go sit in front of the experts and listen to what they have to say. The information and experiences are out there, all you have to do is show up and put in the work. Do I get stuff wrong? All the time. Do the pros get stuff wrong? Sure. That’s what sets the do’ers apart from the Armchair Quarterbacks. Making mistakes, recognizing shortcomings, and working to correct them. I’m a fan of the Do-acracy. Those who do, decide.”
Musings On The Perfect Mini Shell
Until I spent a lot of time working with a Mossberg 590S and a bunch of mini-shells, I didn’t appreciate the technology. Six 00 pellets at 1200 feet per second with no recoil has a lot of utility in some contexts.
Masked high schoolers caught sneaking around Brevard homes in ‘Senior Assassin’ game
I’m sure you don’t want to shoot some stupid high school kid. Read about the “Senior Assassin Game.”
The Handgun Skills Triad – The Key to High Performance Shooting
Mike Seeklander shares a massive quantity of quality information in this article.
Test Yourself Like the Pros
Law Enforcement shooting qualifications you can try at your next range session. You might also like Drills for the B-8 Target and The Perfect Shotgun Test?
Home Defense Pistol Skills gives you another solid shooting workout.
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
What I’m reading…
Can you Fix Your Gun? An Argument for Popular Firearm Platforms
I don’t have a whole lot of use for a gun that I don’t know how to fix. I’ve been to Glock, Sig, Springfield, and Smith and Wesson pistol armorers courses. I’m also a certified armorer on the AR-15, Benelli shotguns, Remington Bolt action rifles, and all Remington shotguns. I taught myself how to fix revolver problems by reading a few books and watching a lot of YouTube videos.
The only guns that I ever carry which I can’t fix are the Ruger LCP. I carry and shoot that guns so infrequently that it ise unlikely to break. I would strongly suggest that you know how to do basic repairs on all your common defensive weapons.
The Collapse in Law Enforcement: As Arrest Rates Plummet, People Have Been Less Willing to Report Crime
Are you tracking the dropping crime rate? When people stop reporting crimes, the crime rate will drop. That doesn’t mean there is less crime.
Vehicle Cover & Concealment
Do you know which parts of your car will stop bullets?
The Evolution of The Underwear Gun
My “underwear gun” is a S&W 351C .22 magnum equipped with a clip draw. It’s incredibly handy to wear while doing household chores. If you have a J-frame, clipdraw installation only involves replacing a single screw. If you are running an LCR (or any other revolver) read Mark’s tutorial about how to install the universal clipdraw.
Self-Defense Law: Castle Doctrine Vs. Stand Your Ground
Some legal distinctions.
Carrying Guns in Backpacks: Is This a Good Idea?
If you want to get some solid training using this carry methodology, come to my upcoming class at Blackwing Shooting Center.
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.
