Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
EVERYDAY RIGS – Gunsite’s Professionals Talk About Their Carry Holsters and Guns
I teach at the Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup at Gunsite each year. I am always impressed with the Gunsite experience and the knowledge their staff instructors share with their students.
And while we are on the topic of Gunsite, check out Gunsite instructor Freddie Blish’s take on AR-15 Battlesight Zero.
What If: 911 Down
I predict this problem will become far worse before it improves. You should have a plan in the event no one answers your emergency 911 call.
When You Can’t Pull the Trigger
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard ignorant gun owners make the statement “I’ll just shoot him if he grabs my gun.” It isn’t quite that simple. When the out of battery safety is engaged, you won’t be firing that gun.
If you want to be competent in close range shooting techniques, you need to take a class from an expert. Preferably, that expert will instruct you to avoid “floating” the gun and drill you until a good thumb/pectoral shooting stance becomes an automatic default when you are within reach of your opponent.
If you can’t take a class and want to learn more about the topic, read the author’s book gunFight.
Stop Doom Scrolling. Start Prepping.
“Stop doom scrolling. Exercise instead. Learn some skills. Check your gear. Get your HVAC serviced for the winter. Get your vehicle serviced for winter, too. Inventory your supplies.
Put the work in now, while there’s time and ample supplies available.”
The Case For Shotguns
For my shotgun fans.
7 Steps To Control Fear And Make Sound Decision Under Stress
“Courage under fire is not a matter of being without fear. It is a matter of being able to control fear and accomplish your mission, which is to stay alive. Only fools are fearless.”
Study Defends Concealed Carry Laws, Challenges Previous Research
Their findings challenge earlier claims:
-Both right-to-carry and constitutional carry laws were associated with lower murder rates in the long term, though the effects were not always statistically significant.
-Earlier-adopting states saw greater reductions in crime compared to late adopters, suggesting that implementation barriers (e.g., high fees) limit the benefits of concealed carry laws.
-The supposed increases in crime found in previous studies may result from biased comparisons and truncated data samples.
Houston Texas, Again?!
I’ve written extensively about the trend of criminals initiating attacks with pepper spray. It is becoming so commonplace that you should definitely have a plan to deal with that eventuality should you have to face it. For more info, read When the Criminal is Armed with Pepper Spray and Defeating Pepper Spray.
Cold Weather Concealment
Jeff Gonzales discusses some concerns about drawing your gun when it is covered up by multiple layers of cold weather clothing. Personally, if I am operating in any environment where it’s necessary to keep my winter coat zipped up, I have a J-frame snub revolver in an outside coat pocket for faster access.
Hotel Room Safety
So far I’ve spent 109 nights this calendar year in hotel rooms. With one third of my life being spent on the road, sometimes I wonder why I even bought a house. If you spend enough time in hotels, you’ll see incidents like this one quite regularly. Be prepared to handle problems like this.
THE MISUNDERSTOOD MATTER OF BULLET OVERPENETRATION
Massad Ayoob’s take on bullet overpenetration.
On Getting Help When You Need It
I met Dr. Darcie at a surf camp in Costa Rica about 10 years back. She’s started a blog covering issues of behavioral economics. This article a good look at what is commonly referred to as “The Bystander Effect” and why our long held beliefs regarding the issue may be inaccurate.
Gangster Hunters: How Hoover’s G-men Vanquished America’s Deadliest Public Enemies
What I’m reading…
Train Smarter: Choosing The Best Shooting Targets
You probably aren’t thinking enough about the targets you use at the range.
What is the value of training?
Have you ever asked yourself the question “Why do you train?” The Tactical Professor explores the issue here:
“The value of training is to make you think and perform outside of the cocoon that most gunowners are in, the same way real life frequently does. It’s not so much that we instructors have all the answers, because we don’t. However, most of us have a good idea of the questions to ask and that’s a strong start.”
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
Tom’s always informative monthly newsletter.
Why Me?
Clint Smith discusses how studying WHY a criminal victimizes you may not be the most productive use of your time.
Terrorism in America: The armed citizen’s view
This article has remained remarkably on point despite it being 10 years old. It contains a ton of great information from Massad Ayoob about dealing with a terrorist attack or active shooter on American soil. The Larry Mudgett article referenced by Mas is a good read as well. You can find it HERE.
Managing Unknown Subjects
John Farnam’s advice for dealing with unknown suspects in a public location.
The Rimfire Report: The Last Quackenbush – Bicycle Rifle
I’m betting many of you snub revolver fans have heard of “bicycle guns.” The “bicycle rifle” is something I hadn’t known about until I read this article.
Responder Zero
A phenomenal article discussing what types of criminal events you should involve yourself and which you should leave for the police. The older I get, the less likely I am to get involved in anything on a stranger’s behalf.
Let There Be Light
Sensible thinking about operating in low light.
When To Stop Shooting
I predict that (primarily due to the work of Dustin Solomon, John Murphy. John Hearne, and John Holschen) in the near future we will see a much greater emphasis placed on how and when to STOP shooting than how to reduce our shot to shot split times.
Where to Aim
My readers who hunt will find this article very informative.
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