Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Stuff You Should Know About Buckshot [Part 1]
Shotguns have been on the “back burner” as compared with AR-15s in the last 15 years. When the federal “assault rifle” ban was not renewed in 2004, everyone went out and bought the rifles that they couldn’t legally own in the previous decade. That may be changing. I think future restrictive gun laws will cause a resurgence in shotgun popularity in the near future.
There are a lot of myths about defensive ammunition in the shotgun. Chris does a good job sorting through all the internet’s horrible advice to distill what is important in this article series. Pay attention. This is sound advice.
You should read Part Two as well.
27 Statistics That Describe How Criminals Use and Obtain Illegal Firearms
Informative statistics and a well-written article. When reading, please keep in mind that there is an issue with the sample being researched here. They only interviewed prisoners. Those are the guys who got caught. The ones convicted may differ significantly from those who weren’t caught or convicted. They are also likely to be the folks who are more violent than the average criminal. Read the research, but I would caution you not to broadly apply it to all the potential criminals you might encounter.
The 10 Types of Bullets (& 5 Bases)
A quick explanation of all the types of bullets you can buy. Another good ammunition article for beginners is How to Read a Shotgun Ammo Box.
The Perils of Concealed Carry: Remember There’s no Prize for the Fastest Reholster
This is the single most common problem I see with relatively untrained shooters. They are WAY too casual about reholstering their pistols. Take the time to ensure the holster mouth is clear of shirt tails, cover garments, and zipper pulls. CAREFULLY reholster your gun, stopping immediately if you encounter any resistance whatsoever.
Digital Security Primer, Part I: Why Bother?
Do you pay as much attention to your digital security as you do your physical security?
Read Part two as well Resist Malware.
Escape and Evasion 301: Harsh Reality
“This installment of “Escape and Evasion” is largely to simply crack a few eggs and see what’s inside. You might have been sold a fantasy that the world is a looming darkness, but when you see for yourself that most people really aren’t all that different, it grounds some of that pointless tension. You won’t need to stab people in Turkey any more than you’ll need to stab people in Texas… Both have risks, and both are manageable with some basic awareness and judgment. While there are certainly countries with MUCH higher rates of crime (cough… Mexico), the risks are reasonably low if you’re paying attention, staying away from organized crime, and are remaining aware of the threats in a given country.”
ISG’s article titled Fact to Action: Abduction Resilience is an informative read as well.
“Realistic” De-Escalation
“But more importantly, the BETA report provides insights that cut against many of the myths surrounding de-escalation. These insights provide law enforcement an important resource to manage the expectations of officers, courts, and communities. Here are a few such insights summarized from the BETA report:
– Some people are unable or unwilling to be engaged and verbally de-escalated.
– The goal of de-escalation is not to calm another person but to help a person calm their self.
– Verbal de-escalation is a promising practice but there is very little research on its effectiveness.
– Relying solely on a person’s report that they are not suicidal or homicidal is inadequate.
– The presence of family or friends with an agitated person is not always beneficial.”
For a really good article on de-escalating agitated patients in a medical context, read Verbal De-escalation of the Agitated Patient. The principles articulated in that article generally work well for police situations.
States Blocking “Self-Defense Insurance” And What To Do About It
There are three states where “self defense insurance” is not legal. The author of this article provides some suggestions for those residents. I would also note that people residing in the states where such insurance is prohibited can also join the Armed Citizen Legal Defense Network. The ACLDN is not an insurance product, but will assist you with funding the legal expenses that follow a self defense shooting.
Zeroing Target – 50/200 Yard Zero at 10 Yards
I zero my tactical AR-15 rifles at 50 meters. Here is a handy target that will generate the same 50 meter zero while shooting at 10 meters.
How Obsolete Are They- Results Roundup
Do you like old guns? Here are some velocity testing results from various “obsolete” cartridges. Want to learn more about these guns? Read about the Smith and Wesson Hand Ejector series.
For a little more history, read The End of an Era and learn about how the US Air Force used the Smith and Wesson model 15 revolver.
What’s The Best Trail Gun For You by Skeeter Skelton
While on the topic of history, some of you aren’t familiar with the historical gun writers who influenced the firearms world before the internet was around. One of my favorite gun writers was Skeeter Skelton. Here is a piece he wrote more than 40 years ago.
Weapon Zero: What You Need To Know
“The confidence that comes from making sure your rifle is zeroed is huge. Knowing—not guessing—where you need to hold at various ranges and under different conditions is a game-changer. You can concentrate on the fight, not the gear. Sure, misses happen. But it’s your job to hit what you aim at. Making sure you are capable and your equipment is ready may save your life or someone else’s in a crisis. Is it easy? No, but no one with a clue ever said it was. Welcome to the real world.”
Paul Howe on Combat Mindset
“Either you’re willing to overcome that uncomfortableness you feel or you’re not. We’re talking about you pushing forward against another person with a gun and taking their life. . . . If it makes you uncomfortable, it’s reality . . . Do we need to understand it? I think so. Can we keep it in a certain place in our lives? Yes. We don’t have to dwell on it. But you have to get over the shock because you’re going to put a front sight on somebody and pull the trigger until they fall down. And if their gun is in their hand on the ground and they make a furtive or aggressive move, you’re going to shoot them in the head. That’s what it’s going to take. I would rather have you say, ‘I can’t do it.’ I’m fine with that. You’re not a wimp. What you are is you’re not willing to commit to the combat mindset.”
The ‘Perfect World’ Bachelor’s of Tactical Sciences
A fun thought exercise.
Most won’t want to admit it, but quite a few of my students and readers have very poor social skills. Their lack of social ability contributes to their discomfort around strangers. Their discomfort leads to fear, which starts them on the path of learning the gun, knife, or physical skills that I teach. I’ve discussed this problem at length with Claude Werner, Craig Douglas, and Dr. William Aprill. They see the same thing with many of their students.
Rather than going to a class that teaches how to make a sub-one second draw from concealment, many of our students would benefit more from a class that covered the basics of how to talk to people. We want to do the class, but it’s doubtful that anyone would show up if the class wasn’t about guns or knives. People don’t know what they don’t know. Social and verbal skills can be learned. Check out the tips in this article. If the socially awkward folks out there embraced even a few of these techniques, their interactions with other people would be much less frightening.
How To Irresistibly Attract, Charm, and Influence the People Around You is another solid article on the topic.
How to Drive Through a High-Risk Environment
“If you have learned how to negotiate typical roadway hazards and accidents maneuvering your vehicle near the extremes of its capability, the next logical step to grow your driving skills as a prepper is mastering vehicular operations in high risk environments.”
Zeroed in: Sal Glesser
Interesting interview with the founder of one of my favorite knife companies.
Shooting While Pregnant: Is It Safe?
Information for my female readers.
Money Won’t Fix Police Training
Some ideas to improve the grossly inadequate ways we train our police officers.
Review: Ka-Bar Last Ditch Knife
A nice little review of the knife I designed from the Survival Mom website. You can find the knife for around $15 on Amazon. Check out my article on knives for foreign travel to learn how I carry and use this handy little blade.
Purslane – One of the Most Nutritious Plants in the Garden
This one grows all over the place, is really easy to identify, and doesn’t taste too bad. Learn how to identify and eat the purslane plant. If this article makes you crave more knowledge, read 14 Types of Plants Everyone Should Know.
Best Buy Thief Uses Pepper Spray To Escape
I’m noticing an uptick in news stories about criminals using pepper spray against their victims during the attack. Here is one example. Have you thought about how you might handle a situation like this? For some more tips, read my article When the Criminal is Armed with Pepper Spray and Defeating Pepper Spray.
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
What I’m reading…
Everyone needs some more joy and happiness in his or her life.
SIG Sauer P365 Air Pistol (BB) — Maximizing Your CCW Practice
For any SIG 365 shooters out there, here is a new tool to use for practice in your back yard. They are available on Amazon for $79.
How to Assess your Strength to Fight
If you are a male under 60 years old, these are attainable standards, but will likely take some work if you are not already training hard. Take a look at your numbers across these tests and assess where you need to make improvements.
If you’ve been doing this for a while, try the more challenging tests at Four Strength Tests You Have To Pass.
Increased Long Gun Availability has No Effect or Reduces Violent Crime
“Combining daily crime data with deer hunting seasons spanning 20 years and 21 states, I estimate that the start of firearm season is associated with a 300% increase in long gun prevalence. Despite this enormous increase in gun use, I find no evidence of an increase in violent crime.”
The World’s Best Pocket Pistol and Avoiding “The Plastics”
Michael’s podcast is one of the best in the industry. I seldom miss an episode. In this installment he discusses some considerations with regard to carrying and training with pocket pistols as well as the article I posted last week about Revolvers in the Coming Pandemic.
Police officer among 4 killed in Missouri shooting, chief says
A mobile active killer who then set up an ambush for responding cops. As I’ve written in the past, the bad guys know that the cops are coming in hard and fast. They are now modifying their tactics to take those first responding cops out quickly in order to lengthen their killing sprees.
These two cops both entered together. They both got shot. Depending on the layout of the attack site, I think independent entries may be the best bet. That may not be possible in this location.
Read this article for tips about how to prevent this problem.
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.
