Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Resistance is Never Futile
“Fight back. Always.”
Glock 17 Survives 18-Year, 250,000-Round Torture Test Including 6 Months in Ocean
I like reading about gun “torture tests.” This one is almost unbelievable.
Want a more reasonable test? Read Tamara Keel’s article about her 2000 round test of a S&W 5906. Those third generation Smith autopistols were heavy and clunky, but were generally reliable.
Mobile Giants: Please Don’t Share the Where
I predict that in the near future, we will start seeing the smarter criminal gangs and organizations using this technology to geographically locate nearby cops by tracking their personal phone numbers.
Many departments publicly share their officers’ names on social media. I think that’s a horrible idea. Once a criminal has the officer’s name, he could use one of the paid commercial information database sites to get the officer’s cell number.
With the officer’s name and the number, the criminal organization can then hack into the sites mentioned in this article to get real time tracking of the officer’s cell phone.
I don’t think most of us will even be able to comprehend the type of new tech-based crimes we will see in the next decade.
You are being watched. Act accordingly.
Enough Gun
The late Todd Green’s advice on what constitutes “enough gun.”
10-88! OFFICER DOWN
What I’m reading…
I just started this one, but it appears promising so far. It’s stunning to me how police administrators can be so vengeful and callous to the effects their decisions have on the people who work for them. I don’t want to be a cop now. After finishing this book, I’m certain my desire to retire will increase even more.
Loaner/ Cache Pistols
A box full of “loaner guns” I’ve collected over the years.
I really think that most gun owners should have some “loaner” pistols available in the event that non gun owning friends, neighbors, or family members suddenly need one. In the course of my lifetime, I would say that periods of economic depression and social unrest are likely to increase. If something really bad happens, a whole bunch of your people who don’t currently own guns will be coming to the only “gun guy” they know in order to get a pistol. It’s nice having some spares to be able to give out.
I really think that the four inch Smith and Wesson .38 revolver is an ideal weapon for this task. People who don’t own guns now can will be able to learn the revolver manual of arms far faster than they would be able to learn how to run a semi-automatic pistol. For home defense, the .38 revolver will likely handle any task required of it.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve been gradually amassing a bunch of beater .38 “loaner guns.” None of them cost more than $250. I keep them in storage. Each one has a holster, a speed loader, and a speed strip available for it. If things get really bad, I can arm my neighbors and family members very quickly to set up some kind of apocalyptic version of a neighborhood watch program.
13 Things to Remember When You Land in a New Country
Many travel advice articles or blogs are virtually useless. This article is the exact opposite of that. All of her suggestions are insightful. I do almost everything the author suggests as soon as my plane touches down on foreign soil. Any of you amateur travelers would do well to follow the article’s suggestions.
Snatched at the airport
While we are on the topic of travel, take a look at this article/video of a foreign tourist being kidnapped in a Bangkok airport. The kidnappers used a five-man team and had ten more airport and immigration officials on the payroll to make sure things went smoothly.
This is certainly a unique and rare crime. It might still be worth the mental effort to figure out how to avoid/escape such a well-coordinated attack.
Defender Gives Mugger an Educational Beat Down
A prime example of the mindset and aggressiveness necessary to prevail in a violent confrontation.
PAIN!
I call it a “psychological stop” and it happens with stunning frequency. People don’t want to be shot with any caliber gun.
Another Injury Attributed to the Serpa. (Graphic Content)
Please stop carrying Serpa holsters.
Effects of Cant
Some old-school math for you rifle shooters. This was originally published in a gun magazine in 1955. There’s no way that modern-day readers would ever see such a math intensive article in current gun magazine.
The Surprisingly Solid Mathematical Case of the Tin Foil Hat Gun Prepper
Speaking of math, do you know the mathematical probability of a violent revolution in the USA during your lifetime? You may be quite surprised at the likelihood of such an event.
If you enjoyed that article, you will also like the same author’s Everybody’s Lying About the Link Between Gun Ownership and Homicide.
10 Uses For Triangular Bandages
Triangular bandages are useful pieces of kit.
What Ages Should Children Start Learning About Emergency Preparedness
Required reading for parents and grandparents.
KABOOM REPORTS: Egyptian Surplus In A Kel-Tec Edition
When I was the department training officer, I would occasionally get donations of Egyptian surplus pistol ammo from people in the community. Usually they bought a large amount of the ammo for a cheap price at a gun show. It generally proves to be so unreliable, that the original purchaser just wants to get rid of it. They usually dumped it at the police department.
I’ve shot a bunch of it over the years. It is without a doubt the worst ammo I’ve ever seen. Lots of squibs, casehead separations, and split cases. I won’t shoot it anymore. Don’t buy any Egyptian surplus ammo. It usually comes in thin cardboard packaging (often pink colored) with Arabic writing on it. Most of the boxes are rectangular and hold 20 rounds. Stay away.
De-Escalation: When & How to Make It Work
De-escalation is a hot topic in the police world. In fact, police officers’ training in de-escalation (as well as my own) has been a central component of the last two use-of-force expert witness cases I’ve worked. Opposing attorneys questioned both me and the officers being charged about what de-escalation courses we had taken and how de-escalation as a strategy fit in to the officers’ responses to a given scenario.
As a cop (and most certainly as an expert witness) in the current political environment, you should expect this line of questioning to figure prominently in any future legal actions against you. All of you cops should have a good understanding of the concepts involved and know when de-escalation is likely to be productive and when it should not be employed. If you don’t know those facts, the attorneys examining you will eat you alive on the stand.
This webinar from Lexipro and Force Science is free and provides a nice knowledge base. It would make it much easier to defend you at trial if you could tell the judge or jury that you were so concerned about the issue that you took your own time to educate yourself by watching an online training class on the topic. As a cop in today’s world, I think you are absolutely crazy if you don’t avail yourself of these free resources. Your department will not give you enough training on any topic. You need to take care of yourself. This is a good way to start.
…or you could just turn on the ball game and hope for the best the next time you get sued or prosecuted.
Also on the topic of de-escalation, you should read about When de-escalation places the officers and public at a greater risk.
The Five Stages of Skill Development
I find it fascinating that people still don’t understand these developmental stages. I’ve been using them in my classes for more than two decades.
Becoming the “Grey Man”
This is a strategy I wish more people in the gun community would embrace.
Lessons from a Negligent Discharge at MAG-40
In last week’s Knowledge Dump, I posted a link to Massad Ayoob’s discussion of a negligent discharge in class. Here is Paul Carlson’s report on the same incident. As instructors, we need to learn from these events and take precautions so that they don’t happen in our own classes.
If you are still interested in the topic, you’ll also want to read Massad Ayoob’s followup article and John Johnston’s thoughts on the incident.
The StressFire Revolver Reload
Speaking of Mas Ayoob, you revolver shooters should take a look at his revolver reload.
How To Increase Your Situational Awareness: 6 Tips To Be Safer from Arminius Tribe
“You don’t have to become an expert at profiling and methods of attack, but arming yourself with some basic knowledge is a very good idea. It will make you recognize deviations from the ‘ normality’ baseline and often used methods of attack.”
First-Time AR-15 Outing: Shooting Drills & Techniques
Drills to get you started with your new AR-15 rifle.
Leather Holster Comparison: Milt Sparks vs. Versacarry
Pay attention to John’s advice about buying a quality leather holster. Please don’t carry your gun in a “sausage sack.”
Speaking of junk holsters, read this article about a man who shot himself in the junk because he was carrying a holster that didn’t fit his gun.
“The holster was filled with some type of paper to make the gun fit…”
Seriously? Stuffing your holster with paper to make your gun fit? We gun owners really have to do better than this.
Parkland Shooter explains that he killed people to get publicity
As I’ve explained hundreds of times, most of these killers have the same motivation. They want the notoriety of having a high body count.
“when you see me on the news you will all know who I am.”
“from the rath of my power they will know who I am.”
“with the power of my AR you will all know who I am.”
“you will all know what my name is.”
Here is the video the killer made on the morning of the attack.
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.
