Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
International Travel’s Biggest Risks
I discuss this issue at length in my upcoming third-world travel safety book. If you die overseas, it won’t be from a terrorist bullet or an infectious disease. It will most likely be the result of a car crash. This article does a great job explaining the difference between the theoretical risks you envision and the actual risks you take when you travel in the developing world.
Best Drills For An Armed Citizen – FAST drill
Have you shot the FAST drill?
I realize that almost all of the drills I post in these articles are handgun drills. What if you want to improve your rifle shooting abilities? Here is a modified “El Presidente” drill designed to be shot with a lever action rifle.
Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
A very handy interactive map showing where your CCW license is valid. The photo above is for an Ohio resident CCW license.
Blunt Head Trauma
Easy to understand guidelines for determining when your child’s head injury is serious enough for medical attention.
For another sensible and incredibly useful first aid article, read Trail First Aid: Wound Management.
15 Reasons to Sprint More This Year
I’m a big fan of sprinting, both for exercise and for survival training. When is the last time you ran an all-out sprint?
THE DECISION TO DEFEND ONESELF
“Having a defensive mindset is a life choice. Defending oneself, their families, etc. starts with the decision to be mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared and proficient to the threats that we can be faced with at a moment’s notice.”
Gunfighting: The American Martial Art
Caleb provides an interesting perspective in this article.
“Traditional” double-action pistols are neither traditional, nor double-action
My first duty gun
There has been a resurgence in interest in the DA/SA pistol for defensive purposes. I’ve written extensively on the topic in the past. Read Ralph Mroz’ thoughts about the issue. I really can’t disagree with any of them.
Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog
This might be a useful resource for any of you looking for details on specific individual armed citizen defensive encounters.
Debunking the Myth of the 10,000-Hours Rule: What It Actually Takes to Reach Genius-Level Excellence
The article doesn’t really debunk the idea, it clarifies some of the issues. Practice time isn’t the largest factor in acquiring competency, it is focused and concentrated practice with a goal of improvement. Coaches and feedback can speed the process along.
Rare and Historic Thompson Submachine Guns
You Thompson fans will really enjoy this article. I learned quite a bit of new Thompson trivia.
How to Practice Your Drawstroke
A good practice plan for improving your drawstroke.
Armed Citizens Are Successful 94% Of The Time At Active Shooter Events
Some data about armed citizen response to active killer events.
Sinister Studies: Serious Scrutiny into Southpaw Shooting (Part 1)
An excellent resource for you left handed shooters. Even if you aren’t a lefty, you should learn how to run a gun left handed in case and injury takes your right hand out of the fight. Part Two covers left hand only reloads and malfunction drills. Part Three covers left handed revolver manipulation.
How to Ban Private Gun Ownership in America
We all need to realize that the anti-gun fanatics are using the strategy of “incrementalism” to slowly erode our gun rights.
The ‘Diablo,’ A 12GA Muzzle-Loading Pistol from American Gun Craft
A unique defensive solution for folks who have checkered backgrounds and aren’t legally allowed to purchase traditional firearms.
Gabe White Pistol Shooting Solutions
If you haven’t heard of Gabe White, you are behind the curve. I’m looking forward to taking one of his classes in the future.
Facts Don’t Change People’s Minds. Here’s What Does
If you read one thing today, make it this article.
Facts play a very small role in an emotional argument. The sooner we realize this curious state of affairs, the more likely we will be to affect legitimate change. Criticizing the “other side” isn’t the answer. Neither is being stuck in our own echo chamber.
“The moment you belittle the mind for believing in something, you’ve lost the battle. At that point, the mind will dig in rather than give in. Once you’ve equated someone’s beliefs with idiocracy, changing that person’s mind will require nothing short of an admission that they are unintelligent. And that’s an admission that most minds aren’t willing to make.”
On the same topic, you might also like The “Other Side” Is Not Dumb.
“A dare for the next time you’re in discussion with someone you disagree with: Don’t try to “win.” Don’t try to “convince” anyone of your viewpoint. Don’t score points by mocking them to your peers. Instead try to “lose.” Hear them out. Ask them to convince you and mean it.”
The Average Civilian Pistol Permit Holder Is Better With Their Weapons Than Most Cops.
I’d have to disagree with this one. I’ve been vocally critical of the lack of police training for more than two decades. With that said, the “average” cop is a significantly better shooter than the “average” CCW carrier.
The problem is that most of you reading this article would not be considered “average,” no matter if you are a cop or a CCW carrier. All in all, an active recreational shooter who shoots a couple hundred rounds a month and occasionally attends a shooting class is probably more skilled than the average cop who is not a gun enthusiast.
The real issue is that the “average” CCW carrier has little to no formal firearms training. Some states don’t have a training requirement for a CCW license. My state is one of the more restrictive in that it requires eight hours of training to get a CCW permit.
According to research from Karl Rehn, fewer than 1% of CCW carriers ever take a gun training class beyond their CCW cert. So the “average” CCW carrier has a grand total of fewer than eight hours of formal firearms instruction.
Depending on the state, police academy firearms training requirements for cops tend to be somewhere between 60 and 100 hours of initial training. That’s far in excess of what most CCW carriers will ever do.
There are a lot of cops who can’t shoot well. But as a whole, I’d bet on the guy with 80 hours of gun training over the guy with only eight hours of gun training.
Read more of my thoughts on the topic at Are Cops Good Shooters?
Modifying A TDI Knife with Tek Lok
The Ka-Bar TDI knife is a very affordable option for a small centerline-carried fixed blade. It’s the fixed blade knife that I use in all my classes and carry myself. Occasionally, I see complaints about the sheath’s belt clip. Here’s how to retrofit a Tek-Lok onto the sheath to make it more secure. You can also use this method if you would prefer to carry the knife horizontally instead of vertically.
The knife is unbeatable for less than $35 on Amazon.
The 5 Kinds of Guns You Should Avoid Like the Plague
This is probably sound general advice, but I’m just pedantic enough to want to say that their proscriptions aren’t perfectly correct. I have three “cheap” Century Arms AK-47 rifles. I’ve never had a malfunction with any of them. While there are certainly crappy AK models on the market, I’ve found that even the lower end guns generally feed reliably.
I also have a bone to pick with the author in regards to his advice to avoid any .25 firearms. In general, this is good advice. But in some situations (like as a “hideout gun,”) the .25 can be carried in places that even the smallest of .380s won’t fit.
Ohio Sheriff Deputy Set On Fire While Serving Warrant
I’ve written about the increasing threat from incendiary missiles that police officers are facing. Here is yet another example. Have my cop readers prepared for this possibility? I have a couple small fire extinguishers in my duty bag that I can drop into my uniform cargo pockets if necessary. My smarter cop friends should have them as well.
Very cool dry fire tip for Glock users
My friends who dry fire their Glocks a lot might find this tip useful. Thanks to Practical Eschatology for originally posting the link.
Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America
What I’m reading…
I’ve traveled to every single Latin American country except Venezuela. The cultures of crime and corruption fascinate me. After my most recent trip to Mexico, I’m inspired to learn more about how things work.
Tactical Tip of the Day: Proper Buttstock Length
Kyle Lamb has some quick tips on AR-15 stock adjustment. I would suggest using his system, then shooting a measurable course of fire with that adjustment as well as one notch forward and one notch back. Sometime what feels the best does not perform the best.
Mr. Lamb also presents some unconventional advice about weapon mounted lights. Some of you will find it valuable.
6 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Recoil Control With A Handgun
Mike Seeklander shares some excellent tips for getting a better grip on your pistol.
For more information on gripping a handgun, read the article starting on page 16 of the winter IDPA Tactical Journal. Opens to PDF.
A Magic Word For Your Group
Having such a “magic” code word is absolutely critical if you are out in public with your young children. It may even be useful for dealing with a spouse who is generally unaware of his or her surroundings.
Age and the Snubnose
A discussion about why a snubby revolver might be the best choice for people with certain physical limitations. While in general I agree with the author, I will say that a common issue with those same infirm people is a lack of grip strength. If you don’t have the ability to physically pull the longer and heavier revolver trigger, it wouldn’t be a good choice for you.
Man Fights Dummy To Retain His Tool
Yet another instance where a person openly carrying a holstered pistol is attacked for his gun. There was a second example this week as well.
Open carry practitioners don’t believe these events happen. They are delusional. Read my article Friends Don’t Let Friends Open Carry to learn about more than 40 other cases where the same thing has happened.
Your openly carried gun is not a crime deterrent. It is more of a crime magnet. Please stop open carrying in urban environments.
Winchester Issues Product Warning and Recall Notice for Certain .38 Spl. Ammo
Winchester just announced a recall on some of its more popular .38 special practice ammo. Check your lot numbers before you blow up your gun.
FPF Training Knife Skills for Concealed Carry Class AAR
David from The Hebrew Hammer Blog posted an excellent review of the knife class I taught last weekend. If you are curious about the content of the course, check out this AAR.
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