Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
The Knife Whisperer – The Whispering Reverse Grip Tip
Hock is 100% correct in this article:
“There is no one perfect knife grip, just the best one for the moment.”
You must be competent in both the forward and reverse grip if you want to successfully defend yourself using an edged weapon.
If you like the author’s take on the subject, you’ll also enjoy his book Knife/Counterknife Combatives.
Officers Need Tourniquet After Robbery in Denver
This video of a police gunfight and tourniquet use has been floating around on social media for the last week or so. Almost all the comments I’ve seen have been universally supportive of the police officer involved. I’m going to take a slightly different view. No doubt that the officer did a good job staying in the fight and integrating medical care immediately after the shooting concluded, but there are some things he could have done a bit better. If we don’t critically evaluate situations like these, there is no opportunity for growth and improvement.
After the bad guy went down, the officer was covering him. While he was the sole officer on scene with a view of the suspect, he chose to do a proactive reload. That’s not the best plan. It’s great that he thought about topping off his gun, but doing so meant that for several seconds he is covering an armed bad guy with a gun which only held one bullet. A second officer was standing right next to him, he should have ensured that the second officer was covering down on the bad guy while he did his reload.
Speaking of the second officer covering down, instead of commanding him to apply a tourniquet, why not have him cover the bad guy and you apply your own tourniquet? Who do you want covering the bad guy? The dude who was just shot in the leg and may go unconscious from blood loss or the guy who is uninjured and thinking more clearly?
Self treatment of gunshot wounds in the “care under fire” phase of the gunfight is preferable if one is able to do so. There is no use endangering or tying up the resources of other people when you can accomplish the same desired outcome by yourself. The officer should have turned over responsibility for the downed gunman to his partner while he removed himself from danger and cared for his wound.
We all want to be heroic. Part of being a hero is a thoughtful analysis of the best course of action in an event like this. Bowing out as soon as your buddies have control of the scene would have been the smartest move here.
When You’re Hit Upside the Head: 6 Signs It’s Dangerous
Good advice about when to seek medical attention after a head injury.
COUNTER TERROR DRILL & TARGET
Need a new shooting drill for your next training session? Give this one a try.
Want more structured practice? Try the Baer Solutions Standards Drill.
5 Experts on How and When You Should Start Teaching Kids to Shoot
Some good advice for teaching children to shoot.
Learning from the Best: Escape Artists of World War I
An interesting bit of history that I hadn’t heard about before reading this article.
The Easiest Way to Avoid Mediocrity and Be a Superstar
Being “blissfully uninformed” is the true secret to happiness and life success.
How to serve a warrant: 1972 versus today
Things have changed quite a bit in the last 40 years….
Dead Dog on the Left – A Story of War, Friendship and Healing
My friend Emanuel Sferios produced this incredible documentary about the power of the drug MDMA to cure Post Traumatic Stress related symptoms. I’ve personally met several military veterans who have cured their PTSD with the assistance of MDMA therapy. The FDA clinical trials on MDMA-assisted therapy will be finishing up in the next couple years. It’s likely that MDMA will come off of Schedule I and become available for doctors to prescribe.
I know some of my cop, firefighter, and military readers are suffering with PTSD. I think this treatment will be a great option when it becomes available in a couple years.
As a Cop, I Know Police Contempt for Drug Users Is Still Widespread—And It Comes From the Top
“Such group-think results in the dehumanization of our neighbors, our friends and our families—above all in poor communities of color. The drug war endangers us all, including law enforcement. It has resulted in untold deaths from overdose and violence, while stripping resources from programs and strategies that would actually enhance public health, equity and police-community relations.”
A More Complete Beast
What I’m reading…
I think a lot of my readers would resonate with jack Donovan’s writing. Pick up his new book linked above. Then check out The Way of Men and Becoming a Barbarian. You’ll be glad you did.
It’s Not Me, It’s You (Podcast – Season 6, Ballistic Radio
This very important podcast covers the difference between a “person who owns a gun” and a “responsible gun owner.” This distinction is lacking in our industry. We should do a better job at policing our own ranks before someone decides to do it for us.
Overview of Swedish Gun Laws
I love to travel. I also love guns. This is a neat series that talks about the legalities of owning and carrying weapons in other countries. In this case, the foreign country is Sweden. While many people think that European countries have an outright ban on guns, that isn’t entirely true. Watch the short video to see what kind of legal obstacles the Swedes have to hurdle in order to own a firearm.
AR-15 Barrel Selection, What You Need to Know
A lot of very good information about AR-15 barrels.
While on the topic of AR rifles, you should also understand the gas system as well.
ADVICE TO THE FIGHT-FOCUSED GUN STUDENT
I think most professional firearms instructors would agree with Gabe on this topic.
You should also check out the author’s solution for dealing with criminals wearing body armor.
3 Simple Rules For Choosing A Defensive Handgun And Ammo
The most important characteristics in good defensive ammunition are almost never the criteria gun owners use to decide which ammo to purchase.
5 Glaring Reasons Why the Rite Aid Mass Shooting Disappeared from Headlines So Quickly
Yet another example of media bias with regards to gun-related stories. If any of you are still watching the television news, please stop. You aren’t getting accurate information about any topic from that source.
Why YOU Should Be Proficient with Double Action Revolvers
I agree. Especially if you are an instructor.
The ‘Three Cs’ of a Self-Defense Mindset
“There are reasons that, in the wake of a chaotic event or dangerous situation, some people simply fall apart amid crisis while other people thrive. Outwardly, we like to say think this is based largely on personality types “weak vs strong,” “passive vs dominant,” etc. The reality is that this doesn’t just happen. People who are able to bring order to a such an event or fight through the fear and panic do so because the brain says,” Ah, I have been here before,” or draws enough comparative similarities from any number of prior events that you can now act.”
Beware of the Echo Chamber!
“If you follow one instructor/company to the exclusion of all others, you are making a mistake. You are not part of their “tribe”, “pride”, or whatever other term they throw around. Instead, you are part of a cult, complete with guru, to whom you look for the answers to all of your questions. NO ONE has ALL the answers! If they will not point you to others outside their circle who can fill in the cracks in your training, then they do NOT have your best interests in mind; only the padding of their own wallets matters.”
PRISON THINKING
“The beauty of the Prisoner’s Dilemma is it makes you say “this.” “This” as in “This is important. THIS is crucial. This is what we NEED to do!”
It will transform your coaching, teaching, parenting and life skills.”
I think a lot of you would like Dan’s book Never Let Go.
What’s the Mission? Responding to Suicidal Subjects
This will be paradigm-shifting online training class for most of my police readers. It covers an extraordinary amount of case law with regards to police response to suicidal individuals. You will be amazed to note that there is very little legal liability if you do essentially nothing in regards to responding to a suicidal person. When you act, however, you may open yourself up to either criminal charges or a civil suit. If you are a cop you need to watch this presentation and learn to better understand the courts’ opinion about using force to save someone from killing themselves.
Fentanyl: The Real Deal
One more video for my police (or first responder in general) friends. There’s a lot of disinformation about this topic. Educate yourselves. I guarantee that you will encounter this drug at some point in your career.
Officer accidentally shoots himself in leg at Henrico gun range
The Serpa strikes again. Please stop carrying this holster.
Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
