Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
What to tell friends about surviving an active shooter
Probably the simplest and most direct guidelines I’ve seen covering active shooter tactics. This article should be called “How to Survive an Active Shooter in 150 words or less.” Even if you care about these issues, your non-tactical friends won’t. They won’t read my 6000 word article covering every eventuality. Share this with them instead. Simple and effective.
Everything you know about violence is wrong
Speaking about sharing articles with non-tactical friends, here is an excellent article to share with all your friends who don’t understand much about violence. The author dispels several common myths and comes to a brilliant conclusion:
“If you still aren’t convinced, then the next logical step is to seek out more information to debunk my replies and confirm your own arguments. To do that, you need to go to the right sources. In this case, that means people who have actual experience with violence. Not the theorists, but those who are face-to-face with it in their daily lives: police officers, soldiers, EMTs, security officers, bouncers, etc. Whatever your feelings about those kinds of professions, you cannot deny that they have far more actual experience on this subject than you. Go ask them these four questions and see how they reply…
I do ask one thing though: be honest with yourself.
Be honest in admitting that they have relevant experience with a subject that is primarily theoretical for you. So it would behoove you to consider their responses as likely more accurate than your personal opinions. Having an opinion is great, but having an informed opinion is better.”
Victim Wrestles Gun Away From Home Invader
A quality video analysis of a recent incident where an armed criminal attacked a homeowner in his garage. Watch the physical struggle that happened. How many of you who are in the “I’d just shoot him” camp think that you would be able to access and draw your weapon while simultaneously keeping the bad guy’s muzzle off your body in a struggle like this? Physical skills are critical.
There were several points in this fight that the homeowner could have ended it if he had just transitioned to a more dominant groundfighting position. Never give up an opportunity to put yourself in a better position, even if you are “winning.”
Can You Shoot Like a Fed?
Here’s a rather unconventional qualification drill (for Federal investigative personnel). Lots of reloading and retrieving lost mags off the deck. This would be a good one to shoot live, or even to dry fire. If this one is too advanced for you, check out Claude’s Performance Standards.
CLP Changes Over Time
There is some evidence that your firearms cleaner/lubricant changes chemical properties over time. For optimal performance, you should probably ditch that 20 year old bottle of CLP sitting on your workbench.
The Importance of Confidence
The role of confidence cannot be understated when discussing useful personality attributes as related to self defense.
This Hacker’s Tiny Device Unlocks Cars And Opens Garages
Yet another technological threat to your safety to be aware of. If you see any strange items in your yard or near your garage, make sure they aren’t trying to capture your garage remote opening code. Speaking of technology, take a look at these things. Could you imagine the consequences if a terrorist uses a key jammer combined with a shooting attack on a shopping mall? Do you have a spare (metal) key on your person or in your vehicle so that you can make an escape?
Water-Filter Showdown: LifeStraw Mission vs MSR AutoFlow
Two of the best large quantity water filters are reviewed here. If you have a family and live near any water source at all, why don’t you have something like this? Spending $100 gives you the ability to filter 5000 gallons of drinking water. That’s cheap life insurance in the event of a disaster.
New “Scientific” Stand-Your-Ground Study Is Ignorant of the Law
Andrew Branca destroys the results of a new “study” showing that ‘Stand Your Ground” laws have racist outcomes. Check out his followup article HERE, then buy his book.
Keeping It Real
Jeff Gonzales talks about some of the safety issues he sees with beginning shooters. I see the same issues in my classes, often even from more “advanced” students.
12 Tips from a British Army Sniper
Basic fieldcraft advice for those of you who want to be better precision marksmen.
The Philosophical Pipehitters provide some food for thought, especially for my law enforcement audience.
5 Tips For Perfecting Your Pocket Pistol Draw
Michael Janich provides some tips for pocket carry.
How To Take (a lot) of Cash Out Of The Bank Without Going To Jail
I know a lot of you have stockpiled guns, ammo, food, and medical supplies for a future crisis. That’s admirable. But in my study of the folks who have survived the various economic crashes and pandemics around the world, I find one stockpiled resource to be far more valuable than any of those items….cash. Do you have enough cash on hand to survive?
Staying safe in hostile environments
An article that provides great advice about how to stay safe during a riot or political unrest in a foreign country. The tactics are also useful in the event that you stumble into a riot here at home as well.
Why Masculinity Matters – Now, But Especially During the Collapse
Some points to consider from author Glen Tate. Glen wrote one of the best series of survival fiction novels currently available.
“That Guy”: Gearing Up
What is your mission? What gear does that mission require? For most of us, our mission doesn’t involve chest rigs, camo, and rifle plates. While I have all that gear (in case my mission changes), as an armed citizen or cop, I don’t find myself using it. I’ve carried a rifle at work every day for the last 15 years. I use it fairly regularly. When I pull my rifle out of my police car, I stick a spare 30 round magazine in my back pocket. I’ve never felt undergunned with 60 rounds of 5.56 mm and two handguns on my person.
It always makes me laugh when I go to a carbine course running my spare mags out of my back pocket and the real “operators” there laugh at my “untactical” ways. It’s like they are in a live action role play game. They suit up in all their cool guy gear once a year for carbine class and then they go back to being an accountant in Iowa when the class is finished. The “untactical” cop goes back to his cop job….with a single spare mag in his back pocket.
Thresholds of Violence- How school shootings catch on.
This is a very interesting idea on the mechanism by which school shootings “spread.” The article is very long and provides a deep dive into the circumstances behind many prominent schools shootings and some you’ve likely never heard of.
I’m not sure if I’m ready to buy in completely to the author’s theory of some kind of “groupthink hivemind” being involved, but the theory does have some merit. The fact that many school shooters are anti-social, not well liked by friends, and generally disdainful of any type of group leads me to believe that the author’s theory may not be quite complete. It is a good read regardless.
Letters from Survivors in Ukraine Part 3
A couple weeks ago I posted a compilation of reports from the survivors of the total government collapse in the Ukraine. Here is the third installment. It’s worth a read. The author’s book Surviving the Economic Collapse is a valuable resource as well.
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* Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the selling price.
