Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Should Cops Make Limb Shots? Yes, Actually
This article will likely make most cops apoplectic. That’s OK. They should read it anyway. While I doubt the “average” cop has the skill and mindset to pull this off on demand, the author makes some sense with his recommendations.
We need more thinkers like this to propose “out of the box” solutions in the police world. Too many police administrators parrot the “we’ve always done it this way” line in every situation. I’ve never seen any other career field so unwilling to consider unconventional solutions to institutional problems.
You might also like Massad Ayoob’s take on Police Power and Responsibility.
15 Trees Every Outdoor Lover Should Learn to Identify
Yes, you should know these trees if you live in North America.
The Essential Guide to Knife Lock Types
A nice description of many of the popular knife locks on the market. Most manufacturers are doing pretty well constructing their locks. I don’t see locks fail nearly as often as I did 10-15 years ago. The newer frame locks and axis lock knives perform best in the live cutting exercises I do in class. I’m cautious about liner locks. I see more of them fail than any other lock type.
Carjacking Victim Goes “John Wick” on Carjackers
Watch the video of this extraordinary gunfight. In a carjacking attempt, this victim is trapped in an upside down wrecked car and shot four times. He drew a gun from his ankle holster and returned fire, hitting both attackers (firing one handed). One of the attackers was 40 yards away. John’s interview with the defender is worth listening to as well.
Developing or qualifying?
“Time on the job does not by default make you a better leader, magically give you the tools to make good decisions in complex environments or automatically make you a better investigator. These are all skills which can be learned and improved through ongoing, high quality, developmental training. This requires an investment of finances, time and other resources on the part of the agency and the training cadre. Make no mistake, this is an investment. An investment with a potential for an extremely high ROI (return on investment).
It is time for us as a profession to think differently about training and learning and developing our people.”
Writing a Worthwhile AAR
My friend Michael Lake writes an informative article teaching you how to critique your firearms training class. Such online reviews are critical for this business. They drive more class registrations than any formal advertising an instructor can pay for. Here is a page full of online AARs (After Action Report) of my previous classes.
I’m Not a Sheepdog (and you shouldn’t be either)
I’m not a big fan of the “sheepdog” analogy and this article explains why.
“I preach against the sheepdog mentality for two reasons. First, it creates a dangerous mindset. The term sheepdog implies you are the good protecting the sheep from evil. This mentality says that violent situations are always clear cut. There is a good guy, a bad guy and a victim. The truth of the matter is that the world is rarely black and white, it’s almost always shades of grey. This mentality could lead some good people to make bad assumptions. Bad assumptions get people killed. The police, the prosecutors, and society doesn’t care about your good intentions. Maybe you assume that someone’s a sheep and you get got because you made a bad assumptions. Maybe you think someone’s a wolf and you pull that trigger, and now you’re in prison with real wolves.”
The Unthinkable
My friends and fellow trainers William Aprill and John Murphy are teaching a version of William’s “Unthinkable” series in Virginia on October 28-29. I’ve attended William’s class four times now and I learn something new every time I go back. I’ve been to several of John’s classes as well. Both are excellent instructors. You can go to Dr. Aprill’s lecture alone on Saturday (click link above) or combine it with a shooting class taught by John on Sunday for a discounted price. This is a class you shouldn’t miss.
Stand by for a course announcement coming soon. I will also be teaming up with Dr. Aprill to teach a class in Columbus, Ohio on February 24-25. 2018. I will have the details up in the next couple weeks.
Wound Packing 101
A very good summary on wound packing. The biggest misconception I hear about in my classes is that people think they should pack torso and belly wounds. No. It won’t work (you don’t have enough gauze for that and you probably can’t visualize the injured vessel). It may also cause damage. Organs don’t like to be poked. Save the packing for junctional areas and very large or irregular wounds to the limbs.
What’s the difference between AKs produced in different countries?
Detailed information for all of you AK fans.
Why No Groin Strikes?
Cecil Burch talks about why certain strikes are less dependable than others and why we should properly analyze the techniques upon which we are relying to defend ourselves.
.32 Automatic ballistic test
Fairly comprehensive ballistic gelatin testing for a lot of popular .32 ACP loads.
Dog Out Bag: What You Need In A Dog Survival Kit
Quality information if you want to include your K9 family members in your survival planning. If you are interested in the topic, check out Dr. Lauren’s thoughts as well.
Know When To Say When
A perspective I hadn’t considered. Makes for a valuable re-frame for most of us.
COMMENTARY ON THE ADVENT OF “ESTRO-MAN”
“At the end of the day…women don’t want some sentimental “estro-man”. They want a dude with bloody knuckles, a hairy face, a knife in his belt, and big arms that will throw them on a shoulder and carry them upstairs…on who will punch the teeth out of, someone that disrespects them.
So don’t worry kids. Nature finds a way. All those lumbersexuals and whathaveyous that give rise to all those articles? I would not worry too much. In a survival situation, they will be food. And we will not feel one bit sorry for them as we baste their carcasses with jalapeno sauces and rum.”
Strategies That Burglars Use To Case Rural Houses
My readers who live in rural areas will want to read this article.
Ventura 10mm Lehigh Extreme Defense/Penetrator armor test
This is a very interesting test. Not all level IIIA body armor can defeat the same threats. All are tested against a .44 magnum with a velocity of around 1400 feet per second. All will stop that round, but there’s no guarantee that they will stop other handgun rounds. Frankly, I’m a little bit leery of the IIIA hard plates.
The primary deciding factor of whether a vest will stop a certain round is the round’s velocity. Most good IIIA soft vests have a V50 (velocity where 50% of projectiles penetrate) of around 1600 feet per second. The bullet size and shape also changes armor penetration. If you are looking for a round to penetrate soft armor, these rounds seem to be a good choice.
New Study Puts a Crack in ‘Broken Windows’
Compelling research showing that crime rate for serious crimes actually dropped when officers stopped enforcing minor laws. There are some weaknesses to this study. There are no controls and it was retrospective, among other problems. More research is necessary before we hang our hat on any one piece of data.
I’m not a fan of the “broken windows” theory of crime. I hope we see more research like this regarding its true validity or lack thereof. Most police agencies have fully embraced “broken windows.” I’d caution that the “broken windows theory” is just that…a theory proposed by some academic researchers. It is far from proven science. We probably shouldn’t be basing our societal policing strategy on a single unproven theory.
To view the counterpoint to this article, read Re-civilize the Streets.
Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care
What I’m reading…
While research for the book, one of the authors actually reached out to me to ask some questions about medical care in extremely austere environments. I just started reading it, but it appears quite valuable so far. It’s interesting for me to see a medical text that combines both modern first aid with traditional herbal healing methods. There aren’t enough books like that on the market and I’m glad to see this one was published.
Some replacement trigger options for your AR-15. Personally, I’m a big fan of the Geissele and the ALG triggers.
But I Can’t Reach! Strategies for Reloading Pistols
Several options if you find yourself unable to reach the magazine release button using your normal grip on the pistol.
How Generation X Already Changed the Gun Industry (Not That You Noticed)
How Generation X has contributed to the firearms industry. If this topic interests you, check out the book The Fourth Turning about generational differences in this country since its beginning. It’s a fascinating book and shows how history repeats itself over the centuries,
A Meathead’s Guide to Reading Scientific Papers
This is a great article written by one of my students. She does a good job covering the strategies needed to successfully decipher a scientific research paper, whether in the field of fitness or any other topic. Do yourself a favor and read this one if you would like to increase your scientific literacy.
4 Flashlight Techniques for Concealed Carry
I am regularly surprised when I speak to students who admit never having tried to shoot with a flashlight in their hand. This is a critical skill to possess. The article above demonstrates four of the most popular flashlight shooting positions. Learn how to do them all.
After you get comfortable shooting with a flashlight, you need to take a low level light pistol class to learn how to use the light to search effectively without backlighting yourself or blinding yourself on indoor walls. That skill is even more important, but few people ever progress far enough to master it.
Marksmanship Matters
In last week’s Dump, I posted an older article from Todd Green debunking the “spread the trauma” theory of gunfighting. Here is another article that reinforces the idea that people who carry guns should probably be capable of putting bullets where they intend those bullets to go.
Age of Terrorism!
This is probably the most useful article I’ve come across in terms of providing advice for surviving a Las Vegas style mass murder event. It will be a short and valuable read for both my gun owning friends and those who do not embrace the idea of being personally armed.
Quite honestly there is minimal utility for a CCW handgun in an event like this. I am a good shooter and have carried a gun daily for more than 20 years. There is no way I would take a shot at a random hotel window with my pistol from 400 yards away. Your Rambo fantasies are not helpful. Escaping or seeking cover is the best initial response.
That doesn’t mean that the CCW pistol is useless. Active killers are constantly looking to improve their body counts. How could you improve on this event?
It’s easy. You station extra shooters along the predictable evacuation routes. The “sniper” shots get people running straight towards the killers who are waiting at the exits (outside the metal detectors and “security” staff). This is basic ambush planning. This style of attack happens regularly in war zones. It’s just a matter of time before we see more complex attacks like that here.
Your CCW pistol is useless against a sniper in an elevated position 1/4 mile away. It is very useful in the event of an attack with additional killers placed at the exits or within the crowd. Having a concealed pistol or blade will help you make your escape if you happen to run across those secondary attackers waiting to kill the fleeing victims.
If you want some more information about the Las Vegas attack, check out this article written by Gabe Suarez as well.
Why The Vegas Shooting Happened, and Why Men Keep Doing This
Everyone keeps looking for the reason that an apparently successful man would decide to commit mass murder. This article has a hypothesis. While the factors mentioned are probably not the sole causative factors in the shooting, I would guess that they played a role. It’s rare that happy and connected people become mass murderers.
CarryTrainer’s Post Shooting Advice
One more bit of sensible commentary on this week’s mass shooting attack. Mickey hits it out of the park in this short video.
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.
