Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Overview of gun laws by nation
A lot of Americans think that no one can own guns in other countries. It’s simply not true. There are nearly 40 countries that have some type of “must issue” permit system or constitutional protections allowing legal residents and citizens to own firearms. In most of these countries, it’s difficult or impossible to get a concealed carry permit, but having a home defense weapon isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
ERGO DELTA Grip Review
Caleb’s take on the Ergo Delta Grip. Bottom line, may be good for shooting. Not so good for concealment.
Massad Ayoob’s Concealed Carry Tips and Techniques
Mas Ayoob discusses how to effectively carry a pistol in appendix or crossdraw positions.
Fundamentals of Shooting Through Glass
Some high quality advice on shooting through glass. You may also like to read Shooting Through Glass.
Thanks to Practical Eschatology for digging up those links and sharing them.
Police Use of Force: Digital Video Evidence
Kevin Davis provides valuable information about the issues involved in police analysis of video evidence.
When Six Is Not Enough – Myths of the Self-Defense Revolver
I love my revolvers, but I have to admit that on occasion six rounds won’t be enough to do the job.
Elite Level Fitness: Programming Analysis of a Games Athlete
A look at the training volume from an elite CrossFit athlete.
“He is doing ten times the work of a traditional bodybuilder, and five times the work of my already high volume program. Needless to say, there is a reason he is one of the fittest athletes on earth.”
That amount of work can’t be sustained by the average person for the long term without extensive use of anabolic supplements. Modeling your personal training after someone like this would be a disastrous mistake.
“What Would You Do” if an active shooter showed up?
Details about an unusual active killer attack that was stopped by an armed citizen.
A very insightful article about police use of deadly force.
“Further, the public needs to understand that America’s cops aren’t prowling about looking to kill someone, that officers don’t pull the trigger in most of the situations in which doing so would be clearly legally permissible, and that our police often take great risks to avoid gunfire. And, perhaps most importantly, people need to realize that police officers are human beings who often suffer in the wake of those situations where they can’t avoid gunplay, no matter how justified their actions might be. The research I conducted, along with my own experience in killing a criminal and living with the aftermath of that action, tells me is that the conversation our nation is presently embroiled in about the use of deadly force desperately needs to be balanced by facts and knowledge. I say this because the vitriol that has been directed from many quarters of our society at our men and women in blue since August of last year portrays America’s police officers as heartless beasts who enjoy killing.But nothing is further from the truth.”
The author’s book Into the Kill Zone is an excellent reference for anyone interested in learning more about police use of deadly force.
Massad Ayoob On Safe Carry & My Favourite Things:
Proud to be one of this Kiwi blogger’s “favorite American things.”
Check out this site if you are interested in gun stuff from a New Zealand perspective.
How Loners Are an Evolutionary Insurance Policy
“Yet there are always individuals that don’t participate in the collective behavior—the odd bird or insect or mammal that remains just a little out of sync with the rest; the stray cell or bacterium that seems to have missed some call to arms. Researchers usually pay them little heed, dismissing them as insignificant outliers.
But a handful of scientists have started to suspect otherwise. Their hunch is that these individuals are signs of something deeper, a broader evolutionary strategy at work. Now new research validating that hypothesis has opened up a very different way of thinking about the study of collective behavior.”
Don’t Do These Things with Your 1911!
I’m betting that most of the people who carry 1911 pistols screw up at least one of the things Mr. Ayoob identifies.
Deer Tracks And What They Tell You (ID, Speed, Direction, etc)
Lots of my readers are either deer hunters or nature lovers. This is a very useful article about how to understand deer tracks.
8 Problems with Single Point Slings on AR-15s
I was once on a barricade call where a guy beat up his girlfriend and then holed up in a bedroom with a gun while refusing to come out. We finally talked the guy out and got him to walk out the back door and get down on the ground. I covered him while another officer (who was carrying an AR with a single point bungee sling) moved in to handcuff the compliant suspect. As the officer knelt to apply the cuffs, the muzzle of his slung rifle bounced and struck the suspect in the head almost hard enough to knock him out. Ooops.
I’m not a fan of single point slings. One might make the argument that they are useful on a pump shotgun, but that’s about the only place where they have any utility whatsoever.
Officer Down: Detective shot multiple times after gunman opens fire at six officers working crime scene
We cops need to do a better job handling scene security. We have to have a plan for if the killer returns to the scene.
In our last double shooting, I was worried enough about it that I sent officers to protect each of the victims and the medic crew working on them as the killer was still in the area on foot. I didn’t want her coming back to finish the job. Fortunately she fled and we didn’t need that security element, but it was comforting having it.
I wrote the following in an article last year.
“Think about scene security. Remember how I talked about active killer tactics constantly evolving? Can you predict where it might go beyond mere mobility? Here’s my prediction…
We know terrorist bombers often employ “secondary devices” to kill first responders to the initial bomb blast. We also know that many active killers dream of ending their attacks by dying in a blazing shootout with police. Eventually, shooters will start combining these tactics.
Think about a mobile active shooter working for a 10-15 minute period, staying just ahead of responding officers. When he wants to end it all, he circles back to the first scene, which will now be swarming with cops and paramedics. He either shoots the cops/firemen until he is killed by return fire or blows himself up with a bomb that also kills all the first responders as well.
Outside of SWAT teams in gang-infested neighborhoods, we cops don’t do scene security very well. Consider posting at least one cop with a rifle to guard the other cops and medics at the scene. The killer might come back. Most of us cops don’t think about how distracted and vulnerable we would be if he does and thus we don’t adequately plan for our own security .”
Think about that on your next shooting response.
Split the Difference drill
A shooting drill you may enjoy.
Attempted Kidnapping Teaches Us Lessons
Take a look at this video and study how quickly and violently the kidnapper acted. It will be disturbing for many of you. A lot of the folks I talk to have a default “I’d just shoot him” response to a violent attack. Really? You think you can shoot this guy as he physically dominates you? What about all you folks who carry your gun in the car instead of on your person? How easy do you think it will be to open your glove compartment when a man twice your size is trying to kill you with his bare hands.
Don’t be delusional. Acknowledge your weaknesses and get some training.
Skill Set: Targets
Have you ever used “negative targets?”
Tourniquets and the CoTCCC
“Simply put, if a Tourniquet isn’t CoTCCC approved, I wouldn’t recommend using it. That’s not to say it’s a bad TQ, but it’s not an approved one and TCCC approval does matter. Some companies are selling hogwash, and if it’s been around for a few years now and hasn’t been approved by now, it’s likely worth dropping from your kit.
Most tourniquets will work in a controlled environment and even under a doppler in controlled conditions. That doesn’t make it battlefield ready or even civilian first aid ready. Has there ever been a first aid condition under a ‘controlled’ environment?”
If you want even more information about tourniquets, read my Tourniquet Research Review.
The Red Dot Club
What I’m reading…
A series of in-depth interviews with police gunfight survivors.
The Public Is Being Misled by Pandemic Technology That Won’t Keep Them Safe
“As we seek to meet the difficult social and economic challenges of this pandemic, we need to vigilantly guard against the latest form of security charade, what law professor Peter Swire calls “public health theater.” Whether it’s government officials flaunting responses that lack scientific validity, like covering city streets with disinfectants, or selecting ineffective technological options like poorly designed contact tracing programs, or even airports adding hand-sanitizer dispensers, it’s dangerous to prime people’s expectations by relying on protective measures that can’t deliver the goods. Thermal imaging cameras are quickly becoming one of the most widely deployed props for perpetuating the illusion that hazardous conditions are under control. Allowing or even condoning this trend is morally objectionable for businesses and governments alike.”
Security Guard Takes Stolen AR-15 from Looter
This is an insightful video. The story as I understand it is that the guy open carrying the AR-15 had just stolen the gun from a police car. The guy with the pistol (and a second slung stolen AR) is a security guard who witnessed the theft. He was repossessing the gun from the thief in order to return it to the cops.
See how easy he snatched the open carry AR-15? Those of you who open carry should think about that. Weapon retention skills are sorely lacking with most CCW carriers/open carriers.
Best Home Defense Shotgun
Good general shotgun selection advice.
The Best Defense Roundtable – Riots
Extremely valuable information.
How to Make Sense of the Chaos and Uncertainty
“People and groups can be both good and bad simultaneously. In fact, they usually are. Two opposing viewpoints can each be partially correct and partially incorrect. Evidence can be complicated and suggest contradictory conclusions. Be prepared to sit with these. Your mind will try to push you to be comfortable on one side of the fence or the other, but do not let yourself fall into mental complacency. Life is complicated. Issues are complex. Sit with the uncertainty”
The Psychology of Deterring Attackers–Part I
Dr. Aprill is one of the world’s foremost experts in criminal psychology. In this article he provides amazing information about “de-selecting” yourself from the risks of criminal violence. It covers what you can do to make the criminals pass you by.
The article is from the ACLDN monthly newsletter. I like the ACLDN and am a member. They can provide a massive amount of financial assistance and expert witness testimony to help keep you from being bankrupted or jailed following your self-defense shooting.
Mark and Rob Pincus in the AAR Video
Thanks to Rob and Mark for talking about my new book on their latest podcast episode. They discuss the book starting around the 11 minute mark. I appreciate the kind words. Go check out the Armed American Radio podcasts. I think you will enjoy them.
Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.
If you would like to further support my work, head over to my Patreon page.
