Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
This week’s dump starts with an exploration of what we know about last weekend’s shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Monsters Rise to the Bait
Michael bane talks about his thoughts about what prompted the Buffalo shooting and what citizens like us can do to survive such an event in the future.
DISCUSSION ON THE BUFFALO ACTIVE SHOOTER
Gabe Suarez’ commentary about the shooting.
Fools Rush In: The Calculus of Armed Interdiction
Some things to think about before you involve yourself in trying to stop an active killer attack. The guy who is “built like a two-legged refrigerator” says you should read it.
Understanding the Terror Contagion Hypothesis
This is an interesting way of thinking about violent radicalization. Or we might just be in the middle of a slow burning civil war over race and culture as this author postulates.
Dr. Yamane also reminds us that we can’t discount outright racism and white supremacy as a powerful motive.
Tactics for Stopping an Active Shooter
Caleb Giddings writes a very thought provoking article about escaping an active killer.
What to Do if You’re Caught in a Riot
As racial tensions and economic hyper-inflation continue, I would expect to see more riots this summer. It’s best to have a plan to escape if you get caught up in one.
What Is the Striker Control Device?
All of my appendix-carried Glocks have a “gadget” installed. It’s just another layer in my safety protocols. Not shooting yourself in the junk while reholstering your gun is an admirable goal.
Problem Solving Shooting Positions
No matter if you are hunting or sniping, finding a stable position from which to fire your rifle is important. You can’t always go prone. Here are some ideas. I really like shooting using my shooting sticks. It’s an amazingly useful way to stabilize a long range rifle. For more information on this topic, read Shooting Positions: Are You Ready?
Square and Round Butts
The Revolver Guy talks butts.
Larry Vickers 5-10-15 Drill — Handgun Fundamentals
I have several different shooting drills for you this week. We’ll start with the 5-10-15 drill. To add a little more time pressure, try On-Demand Drills. Finally, if you are a shotgunner, shoot the The DOE Shotgun Qual — Scattergun Joy.
How to Poop in the Woods
I cover this issue in some depth in my travel safety book Choose Adventure. You might be surprised how few Americans have ever defecated in something other than a private bathroom toilet. This article provides some options that even I hadn’t considered.
When to Replace Your Self-Defense Ammo
When talking to students, I’m often surprised that they don’t have a plan for regularly replacing their carry ammunition. Ammo carried in the gun gets exposed to oils and solvents. They can deactivate the primer over time. Regular movement or shaking the bullet (from running, rechambering, or frequent drawing of the weapon) may also degrade the priming compound. Then we have the issue of bullet setback (which is explained in the article). You need to replace your defensive ammo regularly.
As the article states, the general recommendation is replacement every six months. When I started as training officer at the department, that was our schedule. When the first budget cuts hit, I changed our replacement schedule to an annual one to save some money. I had the officers shoot up their one year old duty ammo and looked for ammo failures caused by the longer replacement schedule. I never saw one. While I wouldn’t want to go a decade without swapping my ammo, but I am perfectly comfortable saying that a year of regular carry won’t damage your defensive ammunition.
How your self-defense strategy will fail
“The reaction to even a properly applied, physically disabling technique might not slow down a bad guy as much as you think they should be. People might not immediately stop what they’re doing if they’re shot somewhere not instantly vital, and they might not double over in pain if they’re kneed in the groin or even if you manage to break a bone or dislocate a joint. Bad guys can be extremely motivated to meet their goal, and their perceptions might also be altered due to drugs, mental state, or biochemistry. Much like you can and will be able to accomplish great physical feats when you are hyped up on adrenaline or riding an endorphin high, so too can your attacker. No matter how perfectly you execute a move, you have to assume that the outcome is that your opponent is going to simply keep on doing what they were doing before you did it, possibly with more anger and aggression.”
Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong
What I’m reading…
Do beards actually break the seal of gas masks?
It appears from this study that short (under 1/4″) beards do not negatively affect gas mask seals. And that same beard might help prevent a broken jaw in a fight. Thanks to Hock Hochheim for digging up the second link.
Parking Spot Dispute Boils Over
As repugnant as it sounds, it isn’t unusual in today’s world to be shot over a disagreement about a parking space. It’s a sad commentary on the direction our culture is heading.
Divers foul tricks and stratagems: Mexican and Bowie knife fighting
Some historic knife fighting advice. You might also like to see the work a military surgeon published in 1768 Very Perilous: A sword wounds compendium by the surgeon Ravaton
CCW Training: Are We Practicing the Wrong Skills?
“Another skill for which I’ve become an advocate is being able to safely and positively put a gun away when it isn’t needed. If your carry gun has a safety or decocker, it’s probably best practice to get in the habit of using that thing any time you come off the sights. Putting cocked guns away in a hurry was a leading cause of “racing stripes” back when LEOs typically carried DA/SA semi-automatics.
If you’re standing in the produce section at the grocery store and some dude pops out of the cereal aisle going all mass-casualty on the place and you successfully use your AIWB-carried blaster to save the day, it’s going to take some of the shine off the moment if you forget to de-cock your P226 Legion and shoot yourself right in the meat department while putting it away.”
Redundancy It’s Not For Dunces
Mas Ayoob’s EDC pocket dump.
Stealth Fighter: Techniques for Camouflaging Rifles
Tips for changing the color of your rifle.
25 Gunfighting Stats Learned From Convicted Cop Killers
The author’s highlights from the study titled “Violent Encounters.” The criminals interviewed for this study were the worst of the worst. All of them killed or attempted to kill a police officer. What kind of insights do those folks have about training? You might be surprised. I also wrote an article discussing the same study when it initially came out. Check out my article titled Training vs. Experience if you want even more insights about how a violent criminal thinks.
How dangerous is it to walk by Skid Row in LA?
For those of you looking to become more socially literate around the urban poor folks with whom you might have interaction, this is actually really good advice from an unusual source.
Want more information on the topic? Read Beggars and Thieves: Lives of Urban Street Criminals. It’s an older book, but had unique information that remains very relevant.
Ready Positions & Better Outcomes
When I taught at TDI and was a full-time firearms trainer at my police department, I favored the “chest ready” or “high compressed ready” position. It created minimal fatigue for long building searches and I could shoot the gun from that position very quickly. The more I study and the more I learn, the more I tend to default more towards a “low ready” position for safety and reduced poor judgement scenarios.
Does Failure to Warn Before Shooting Equal Liability?
An excellent legal analysis.
The Rimfire Report: CCI Velocitor As A 22LR Self-Defense Cartridge?
My top choice in defensive ammo for a .22 long rifle.
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