Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
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.
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.”
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.
Getting Started in USPSA: A Step by Step Guide
Interested in competitive shooting? Here is an article that will get you started.
On Getting Help When You Need It
I met Dr. Darcie at a surf camp in Costa Rica a few 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.
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.”
Spotting cover
Do you understand the difference between cover and concealment? Do your family members?
Active Shooter Drills May Not Stop A School Shooting — But This Method Could
You cannot evaluate the effectiveness of a school security drill by looking at whether or not it stops school shootings. A lockdown/evacuation drill is not designed to stop shootings.
In simple terms, a lockdown or evacuation plan is designed to temporarily limit the killer’s access to victims until cops or armed school staff can get on scene to shoot or apprehend the killer.
Just like having fire drills doesn’t stop school fires, having a lockdown drill won’t prevent a school shooting. These folks are missing the point.
Bicycle Guns – Whatever Happened to Them?
An interesting article about a class of handguns many of you have never heard of. I have a couple “bicycle guns” in both .22 and .32 short calibers in my collection. They are a fun piece of American history and some of the original “snubnose” revolvers introduced to the firearms market.
When Training Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Be Training
Jedi Marcus shares some perspective for you trainers out there.
Five Weird Recurring Dreams That Gun Owners Have
A lot of gun owners/cops/soldiers have these types of dreams on a regular basis. In my experience, they are your brain’s way of telling you that you don’t feel comfortable with your skills or equipment. Whenever I get one of these dreams, I go to the range and train the next day. The dreams go away.
Terrorism in America: The armed citizen’s view
After last weekend’s terrorist knife attacks in Europe, it might be prudent to re-read this article. 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.
How to Be Alone and Why
The older I get, the more I prefer solitude and maintaining my own company.
“Decades ago, the psychologist Jerry M. Burger said in the Journal of Research in Personality that people with a high preference for solitude don’t necessarily dislike social interaction, and aren’t necessarily introverted. They probably spend most of their time around others, and enjoy it, he wrote; it’s simply that, “relative to others,” they are more likely to decide to be by themselves now and then because they appreciate the reflection, creativity, and renewal that solitude can offer.
For years, the conventional wisdom was that if you spent a good deal of time alone, something was likely wrong with you. And, certainly, as psychologists have observed, many people do withdraw because they’re socially anxious or depressed. Yet many others choose to spend time alone because they find it pleasurable. Maslow, for example, wrote that mature, self-actualizing people are particularly drawn to privacy, detachment, and meditativeness.”
California’s Restrictive Gun Laws Still Can’t Prevent Shootings
A discussion of all of the gun control legislation that failed to prevent the killer in the Saugus school shooting from obtaining easy access to a firearm.
Weekly Shooting Drill #1: National Asset
A challenging rifle shooting drill for those of you who can move around on your range. In this article, Ed Head provides some rifle drills that you can shoot from a fixed range position. If you are looking for a pistol drill, check out Pat Mac’s long range pistol shooting drill.
How to Create a Safe Room in Your House or Apartment
Some very high quality information in this article.
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
What I’m reading….
Submitting to the whimsy of distraction ensures that you aren’t paying attention to the present moment. I’m trying to change that.
The Availability Heuristic and Mass Shooting Fears
How the “availability heuristic” makes it seem like mass shootings are happening more frequently than they actually are.
Preemptive Strikes and Weapon Brandishing
Hock discusses some of the issues involved with preemptive self protection actions.
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.
How to Overcome Your Demons
“The shadowy parts of our fucked up souls aren’t the problem—the problem is our drive to dissociate ourselves from our fucked up souls in the first place. And the stronger our drive is to dissociate from our demons, the larger our demons become.
Put another way, whatever you choose to value in your life, you are also choosing to experience the failure of that value. Read that shit again, motherfucker. Everything valuable and important in this world has a dark underbelly, a subtle shadow, an associated demon with it. And you can’t buy one without the other. It’s a 2-for-1 deal whether you like it or not.
When we don’t face that demon and befriend it, we complicate our ability to live up to our values. This sucks, because living up to our values is what allows us to develop a sense of identity and life purpose. It’s what keeps us happy and healthy and prevents us from falling into vice and addiction.”
Bawidamann Gotham V2 Pistol Holster Review
These are excellent holsters. I’ve also been carrying the Muninn knife. It is one of the best fixed blade defensive knives available.
Two Brazil Videos With Several Lessons
“Jump out” car jackings are commonplace. Do you have a plan to deal with them. “Drive away really quickly” is a good place to start.
Lone Offender Terrorism Report
Valuable reading for those of you who are interested in terrorism-related topics.
DON’T LET YOUR ATTIRE GET YOU KILLED IN THE STREETS.
Your clothing selection plays a large role in your ability to operate without being targeted by criminals.
Experiences with Eyewitness Testimony
Some of the curious peculiarities involved with eyewitness testimony from the ACLDN. I was the first officer on the scene of a murder last year. We identified a suspect and gave four different witnesses a photo lineup. All four eye witnesses independently identified the same guy (our suspect) in a collage of six people who were similar in age, race, skin color, and hair color. Interestingly enough, that suspect wasn’t the guy who committed the murder, despite positive certain identification by four independent witnesses.
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