Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
ONE ANSWER FOR THREE QUESTIONS
Do you know how to answer the three most common distracting questions criminals use to approach you?
Counter Sniping Tactics Mandatory for Preppers and Survivalists
I’ve attended a few police sniper schools. I was my department’s designated sniper for about 10 years and was certified to instruct other police snipers. Even though I have some experience in the area, it isn’t my passion and I don’t write about or teach the topic. Instead, I share other folks’ writing with you.
While this article is decent, I think the author is a bit inconsistent in his recommendations. He says a bolt action is better than a semi-auto for counter sniper operations, but then goes on to say how all his sniper rifles are semi-autos. His choice of rifles and glass are not exactly what I would expect from an experienced sniper either. Don’t look at the article as a fount of sniper advice. Look at it as a primer about what you may someday have to defend against.
If you are interested in a wider background on this topic, I would highly recommend reading the book “Fry the Brain.”
RUN AND GUN: THE OSCAR PLASENCIA INCIDENT
Massad Ayoob provides a valuable analysis of this police gunfight. Mas brings up a good point:
“When they see the armor, they shoot for the head.” That was the mantra of Richard Davis, the armed citizen and gunfight survivor who invented the soft, concealable body armor which has saved literally thousands of lives since. It was clear to investigators then and now Simms saw the officers were wearing ballistic vests, and deliberately targeted them for head shots. It was equally clear to Oscar Plasencia that in his final shootout with Simms, the cop killer was aiming high, for his head.
The always easy 20/20 vision of hindsight tells us if the body armor had been concealed under a POLICE-emblazoned light raid jacket, it might have turned out differently, and the killer’s mish-mosh of ball and jacketed hollow point ammo, which is typical of criminals, might have lodged in Kevlar instead of fatally piercing unprotected brains.”
Police agencies are increasingly embracing external, non concealed body armor for patrol officers. The external carriers are cooler and more comfortable than a concealed vest. My own agency has authorized them. I’ve made the decision to stick with wearing my concealed vest under my uniform shirt rather than switching to the external carrier. This is one of the main reasons for my decision. It will be interesting to see if the number of officers killed by head shots increases as external body armor becomes more popular.
Stomach “Bugs”: An Herbal Back-Up Plan
I prefer having a stockpile of Zofran for nausea treatment, but here is a good article about herbal alternatives in the event your prescription anti-nausea med runs out.
Hate To Break It To You But You Are The Reason Your Life Sucks So Much
“Stop doing things that don’t fulfill you, stop blaming others for your problems and stop thinking life owes you something because it doesn’t. If you want your life to get better then start living like it. Start doing something positive in the right direction and don’t stop until you get there, then keep going. “
Homemade Firearms Used In Halle Attack
Remember the active killer in Germany last week? He used three guns. All of them were home made. Gun control laws mean nothing when they can be quickly defeated by a hunk of plastic printed from a 3-D printer.
If It Bleeds It Leads: How the American Media Perpetuates and Profits from Mass Shootings
“It’s worth noting that, like terrorism, the intended effect of a mass shooting is attention and fear. When society reacts hysterically to mass shootings without proportion, it is playing into the hands of the agenda of the mass media as well as the intended shooter.”
Everybody’s Lying About the Link Between Gun Ownership and Homicide
On a similar topic, a long-form article about how various media outlets are misrepresenting the association between gun ownership rates and firearms homicides.
Open hand or closed fist striking, which is best?
Should I hit him with an open hand or a closed fist? Here’s a look at some of the variables involved in the decision.
What Makes A Race Gun, A Race Gun?
I’m certain that some of my readers are unsure about what a “racegun”really is.
5 Shooting Drills To Keep Your Skills Sharp
If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you should be familiar with these five classic shooting drills. If you aren’t, it’s time to do some work in your next practice session.
MARCHE2 to manage trauma patients in a CBRN environment
All of you who have taken my medical classes are familiar with the “MARCHE” acronym. Here is an adaptation focusing the same acronym for CBRN exposures. The CBRN scene may be a hazmat exposure. Here’s a quick guideline about how far away you should stay from such an incident.
Situational Awareness at the Range
Something all instructors should be aware of…blocked barrels from broken-off frangible bullets.
The Anatomy of an Effective Tuckable Holster
I haven’t been successful finding tuckable holsters that work for me. Fortunately, I’ve structured my life in such a way that I rarely have to wear a tucked in shirt. You may not be so lucky. Here are some good tips from the Suited Shootist about how to make a tuckable holster a viable concealment option.
Dirty Ground: The Tricky Space Between Sport and Combat
What I’m reading…
I found this while browsing the shelves of a local used book store. It’s been out for six years, but I had never seen it. The book covers the very likely reality of having to fight someone you really don’t want to injure and the techniques for doing so safely.
Driving 401: Immobilized Vehicle
A very informative discussion about fighting from an immobilized vehicle.
Choosing the Best Concealed Carry Belt for You
Super stiff belts are useful if you are carrying a heavy gun and spare ammunition load in outside-the-waistband holsters and ammo carriers. When carrying IWB (either appendix or behind the hip), stiffness is less of an attribute. When carrying IWB, you want a belt to be stiff from the top edge of the belt to the bottom edge. You want it to be a little flexible in terms of conforming to your body. That will ensure optimal concealment and comfort.
10 Most Sought-After Bartering Items in Venezuela
A Venezuelan surgeon discusses his country’s current economic collapse and covers what items are currently in high demand and short supply. This is very useful information for any of your preparedness efforts.
How to Safely Dispose of Bad Ammo
What do you do with bad ammo? I suggest the “Hazardous Waste Drop-Off” events in your local community. When I was the training officer at the PD, that’s where I disposed of all the bad ammo given to the police department.
Greg Ellifritz – Alternativní pohled na zastavovací účinek zbraní
For any of my international readers, the handgun stopping power study I did was just translated into Czech.
My Spanish readers will enjoy my Institutional Memory article translated on the Tiro Tactico Blog.
AR-15 Feed Ramp Problems – School of the American Rifle
I rarely see feed ramp problems with my students’ AR-15 rifles, but here is some advice on the topic so you can be better prepared to deal with a feed ramp issue.
Defend Yourself! A Logical Look at Real Self-Defense
Sometimes a real self defense plan isn’t very sexy. Mike Seeklander takes a look at what skills will provide the most return on investment in terms of saving your life or keeping you from being a victim of crime. Pay attention to his advice. It isn’t all about the shooting.
The Importance Of Failure
This guy’s unscripted verbal eloquence is an endless source of amazement and inspiration. For a highlight reel, check out The Most Mind-Bending, Awe-Inspiring Jason Silva Videos.
Car Safes And Trunk Guns
Car guns are universally bad ideas. “Your car is not a holster.”
If you have to leave a gun in your car while you go into an area that prohibits your legal carry of that firearm, the gun should go into a dedicated safe that is attached to a structural component of the car.
I see no reason for a person who lives in an urban or suburban neighborhood to routinely carry a rifle in the trunk. I’ve researched active killer events for two decades. I can only remember one event where a victim was able to get outside to his “trunk gun” and use it to end the attack.
I carry my personal rifle on police patrol, so it usually rides in my car on work days. On the weekends, I remove it from the car. If I am going anyplace other than work, I remove it from the car.
Don’t carry guns in your car.
Rifle Warning Signs: When You Need to Stop Shooting
How to know when your rifle may be having some problems.
Skipping Buckshot From Vertical Surfaces
I think skipping buckshot is a skill more widely used by police officers than armed citizens, but it is a useful concept to understand.
Reading and Literacy (and Maybe Even Humanity)
Happy to get a favorable mention in Dr. Yamane’s excellent blog.
What if You’re Locked Up Abroad?
Some advice for the unlikely event that you get imprisoned in a foreign country. I’m going to be brutally honest. As long as you stay away from illegal drugs and don’t act like a drunken moron, your chance of being arrested in a third world country is close to zero. I spend six weeks a year traveling in the developing world. I’ve visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and never once thought I would be arrested.
Although the article claims bribes are controversial and bad, that’s how things work in the developing world. Any one of you would rather trade a couple hundred dollars in exchange for avoiding several days in a third-world jail. Ask to “pay the fine.” I would do so without reservation. It’s the cost of doing business and should be considered a “stupid tax.” Don’t do dumb things on your next trip and you’ll likely avoid contact with the local police.
Endemic North American Plants as Potentially Suitable Agents for Wound Cleaning Under Resource Scarce Conditions
Both St. John’s Wort and white oak show documented anti-bacterial effects.
The Firearms Training Checklist: How to Avoid Mall Ninjas, Gun-Fu Gurus & Other Tactical Clodhoppers
I like the term “Tactical Clodhoppers.” Tamara’s article instructs you how to avoid them.
NICS Checks Reveal Americans’ Changing Gun Purchasing Preferences
A real-life illustration of Michael Bane’s idea of “Gun Culture 2.0.” In 1999, long guns outsold handguns by a two to one margin. That’s not the case now.
What School Shooters Have in Common
Good information about school shooters. I disagree with the author’s position on school safety drills. Even if the shooter participates in the drills and knows the security plan, the action of denying him access to more potential victims until an armed police officer or school staff member arrives on scene saves lots of lives. School violence plans do not prevent all school shootings. They will not save every student victim. They will, however. reduce the total body count.
Innocent Couple Lose Their Lives In Robbery
There are a massive number of learning points highlighted in this video. In this one shoot out, three innocent people were killed by poorly-trained security guards carrying guns. One of the guards also brutally physically attacked a person who was not involved in the robbery. The surveillance video showed the guard delivering more than a dozen punches and head kicks to an innocent bystander who had already been mistakenly shot in the foot by the group of security guards.
This is why I implore you to seek professional training beyond your CCW class. Without such training, you truly don’t know what you need to know to make an optimal defensive use of force decision. You don’t want to end up as the “bad” example in one of John’s upcoming narrated videos.
Armed man stole an ambulance and mowed down several pedestrians in Oslo
Vehicle run-down attacks are still a thing. This Norwegian ambulance crew gets called to a car crash. On arrival, one of the crash “victims” pulled an Uzi on the paramedics and stole their bus. He then drove the ambulance down a busy sidewalk running people down.
I’m honestly surprised there aren’t more of these type of attacks. Ambulances are often pretty easy to steal when all of the medics are out treating someone. They are big, heavy vehicles that would cause a lot of damage in a terrorist attack.
20 years ago, I did a joint police/fire training session. It was an “officer down” rescue scenario done at night. The suspect was firing on the officers from inside a house while officers were trying to evacuate their down colleague from the front yard. I chose a guy who weighed over 300 pounds to play the role of the unconscious injured officer. The initial responding officers were not strong enough to carry him away from the scene.
I figured that the officers would not create a good perimeter, so I had the bad guy run out of the back side of the house and steal the ambulance. He was successful.
Both the cops and firefighters hated me for awhile.
My police and fire friends should be thinking about how to prevent large fire vehicles from being stolen and how to stop them in the event a criminal decides to weaponize the fire apparatus.
NOTICE: Facebook And Google Indexing Your Firearm Serial Numbers
Be very cautious about posting any photos of your firearms online.
Blackhawk T-Series L2C Holster Recall For P320 and P250
If you have one of these, please contact the company for a replacement.
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