The KR Training January 2016 newsletter is up
Biggest thing is the coverage of the start of Open Carry here in Texas. Karl provides his thoughts on open carry, as well as a contest to win a free slot in the January 30 Open Carry Concepts class!
Lots of great classes shaping up for 2016. Hope to see you out on the range!
Last month I revisited the notion of carrying pepper spray. I settled on the ASP Key Defender system, made my purchase, and a couple weeks ago did my first spray tests with some disappointing results.
But maybe it was a fluke. I mean, it couldn’t have been on the market this long if it was a dud product, right? All duds eventually get weeded out so…. I wasn’t willing to give up.
I bought a few more inserts, both “heat” and “test” inserts. They just came in a few days ago.
Today I was speaking with some folks at work on the topic, so I took a quick break and gave a spray test of another test insert and another heat insert.
Results were much better!
The test insert did have a little sputter, but overall it worked well enough.
The heat insert worked pretty well. In fact, I got a snoot-full of spray because the wind suddenly shifted. That was mighty uncomfortable.
Once I recovered, I finished out the insert. When I did that, I had positioned myself relative to the wind which also happened to position my view of the spray cloud against the sun just right so that I really saw the spray pattern. It’s actually a pretty impressive pattern.
So I’m feeling better about things now.
One thing I wondered. The spray hole in the end cap is small. Could it have been clogged? After the first tests I washed the tube and endcaps to ensure all residue was removed. Maybe there was something in there that was flushed out? I wonder because the way the thing sputtered and “sprayed” was like a clog or other failure. I mean, it’s just aerosol, and if you’ve worked aerosol cans in your life you basically know how things will work or how they will malfunction. It was very akin to that. I obviously cannot say for certain, but it makes me wonder. My recommendation at this point is for people using this system to check the endcap hole – even as periodic maintenance – to ensure it’s clear.
And get this. Reader/commenter gteague made mention about expiration dates on the inserts. I didn’t see any. The remaining test insert I have doesn’t have any either. But the 3 remaining heat inserts? They all have a stamp of “Aug 18”. So… not sure what to make of the fact some inserts don’t have stamps – too old?
Anyways, I’m feeling more positive about the system. Sure, it’s still limited. Sure my confidence isn’t 100% still, but I am feeling better about it.
Frankly, I’m kinda curious to buy a ASP Street Defender (the “large” model) and see how it carries in my pocket.
Just returned from KR Training‘s first Open Carry Concepts class. First, of course, because the (licensed) open carry of handguns only became legally possible in Texas just yesterday. But, this won’t be the last class (there’s another scheduled for January 30).
The intent of the class is to cover concepts relevant to the open carry of handguns, such as: proper retention holsters, open carry laws, draw/reholstering drills using retention holsters, relevant live fire drills, interactions with people (law enforcement, random folks), gun retention and disarm techniques. The class was co-taught with Leslie Buck of Tactical Arts Academy.
If you’re going to open carry, or even just want to learn a little more about it, taking a class like this is a must. Open carry brings a host of new issues into your world, and the more you can be aware of those issues and handle them responsibly and gracefully, the better off you will fare.
Class was sold out, and we had a good group of students. Some returning alumni, some new folks. But everyone seemed to get a lot out of the day, and it was eye-opening on a number of levels.
First, retention holsters are going to require practice. It will be different from your normal holster, not just in terms of managing the lock mechanism, but most retention holsters are going to “carry/ride” differently on your body, and even an inch of variation can make a huge difference to your muscle memory. There were numerous self-administered wedgies today when people would fail to deactivate the retention mechanism, try to draw, and wind up with their pants pulled up high. It’s going to be different, you’re going to need practice. Thankfully, working on drawing from a retention holster is something you can do at home in dry practice.
Second, almost no retention holster is going to be concealable. Is it that you can’t have retention and concealability? I don’t think so – I think it’s more about what’s on the market, but to some extent there is mechanics. I mean, that ALS mechanism would be difficult to work if it was tight against the body. This Safariland 537 has been working out really well in terms of concealment, but it was pretty evident in class today that while technically there is a retention mechanism, gee it’s really not much. Even those with rigs like the Safariland 7377 were able to have the ALS defeated fairly easily with particular simple grabs – tho for sure, adding the 6006 ALS Guard greatly aided in making it difficult to defeat the retention. But then, that 6006 caused a lot of thumb pain and grief and missed draws. So again, it’s back to lots and lots of practice.
But when it comes to holsters, like so many things it’s going to come down to tradeoffs. My present feeling – for myself – is if I’m going to intentionally and knowingly open carry for some reason, using my 7377 with the 6006 is going to be the way to go. But this will also require me to not have a need to conceal (e.g. needing to enter a place with a posted 30.07 sign), because the only way I could conceal the 7377 would be under my huge Carhartt duck coat. The 537 is much more concealable, and I could potentially even see wearing it as a normal concealment holster (tho OWB, so I would have to have particular clothing). Then if I went open, or if there was need to be open but then sometimes go concealed, the 537 would work out better. But then, I just don’t feel as good about the retention mechanism (jury is still out; needs more testing but so far I’m not high on the retention mechanism). So, trade-offs.
Frankly in most respects? It feels like the best option is to just keep it concealed and go about life as usual.
See for me, the question comes down to: what is gained? Is there some advantage I’m gaining by carrying openly? I mean, fundamentally what it comes down to is: is my shirt tucked in or untucked. Really, that’s it. At this time, I see no advantage gained in carrying openly, and I do see disadvantages. But this is me in my life and my world. Other people, other circumstances, carrying openly may be useful. For example, now that a lot of reciprocity agreements with Virginia were just nullified, one way people can get around it in Virginia is to carry openly… so there’s an advantage there.
But for me? Well, what I appreciate most is having the option available to me, should I wish or need to exercise it.
And for what it’s worth, I did today. I mean, I was going to KR Training to assist in an Open Carry-related class, so might as well walk the walk now that I can. And that I did.
And you know what?
No one cared.
I’m not even sure anyone noticed.
If anything seemed to get noticed, it was the group of 3 “goth-ish” girls that walked into the Buc-ee’s, one of whom looked like a goth Santa Claus. That got everyone’s attention. My gun? Not so much.
Will I OC regularly? Again, I don’t think so because what does it gain me? I do see it causing me some hassle (e.g. weaving in and out of the web of 30.07 postings), and frankly, there’s a bigger thing I thought about as I was getting dressed this morning.
See, I have a hard enough time being “the gray man”. The very nature of me doesn’t blend in very well: I’m tall, I’m big, I have long hair, I have this fu-man-chu-like facial hair. I stand out. People may not know me, but people sure recognize me and I easily leave impressions on people. And there’s other things about me that cause a lot of interest and odd looks, and I’ve dealt with this most of my life. Consequently, I have to do things to manage people’s perception of me, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in bad ways. I know when to look intimidating, and I know when to look soft and friendly.
And frankly? I’d just rather not put the whole gun thing into the mix of managing those perceptions of myself. I don’t carry a gun as a fashion accessory – it’s a tool with a specific purpose. It’s too sensitive of an issue for some people. I don’t need the hassle that may come, whether it’s from dealing with 30.07 signs, to hysterical hoplophobes, to some dude that just wants to talk gun gear with me. If I’m out and about I’m either doing something with my family, or I’m taking care of business. I don’t need hassle and distraction and other shit getting in my way and delaying me. I like keeping my shirt untucked anyways – always preferred this, even before I carried a gun – because it’s just more casual, it’s just more comfortable, and Motörhead t-shirts look stupid when tucked in. 😉
And honestly, I don’t care to have people irrationally associate me with “gun”, because it will happen. I have enough things people irrationally associate with me anyways (because of my hair, my clothing, whatever). I’m getting older and prefer to make my life easier, not more annoying. Right now there’s nothing that I personally gain from carrying openly; and for me personally I only see potential negatives.
But to each their own. Everyone’s going to be different.
And if you are going to choose to carry openly, please please please. Don’t be “that guy” that hurts the cause more than helps it. Karl wrote some excellent thoughts on open carry. Please read them.
Carry on.
Seth Godin wrote about Training and the infinite return on investment
Imagine a customer service rep. Fully costed out, it might cost $5 for this person to service a single customer by phone. An untrained rep doesn’t understand the product, or how to engage, or hasn’t been brought up to speed on your systems. As a result, the value delivered in the call is precisely zero (in fact it’s negative, because you’ve disappointed your customer).
On the other hand, the trained rep easily delivers $30 of brand value to the customer, at a cost, as stated, of $5. So, instead of zero value, there’s a profit to the brand of $25. A comparative ROI of infinity.
And of course, the untrained person doesn’t fall into this trap once. Instead, it happens over and over, many times a day.
The short-sighted organization decides it’s ‘saving money’ by cutting back training. After all, the short-term thinking goes, what’s the point of training people if they’re only going to leave. (I’d point out the converse of this–what’s the danger of not training the people who stay?)
Granted, Seth speaks in the context of marketing, sales, and business – his “lane”. But really, training – education – is relevant to any and every facet of life.
The more training you have, the more education you have, the more knowledge you have, the more it pays off.
Because to Seth’s last point: you stay in your life, so what’s the danger of going through life untrained and ignorant?
Seth concludes:
What’s not so easy is to take responsibility for our own training.
We’ve long passed the point where society and our organization are taking responsibility for what we know and how we approach problems. We need to own it for ourselves.
If I apply this to one of my “lanes” – self defense – I actually am pretty astounded at how much people don’t take on responsibility for what they know and how they approach problems, which is odd because these are the same people that espouse how they have/carry a gun because they accept responsibility for their own personal safety. Often times there’s belief they are “good enough” and will be able to handle themselves if the flag flies, yet they’re unable to quantify what “good enough” should be – but whatever it is, I’m it (apparently).
Grant Cunningham writes about “shooting well”:
Any shooting you do — whether in competition, for hunting, or in self defense — is a balance of speed (how quickly you shoot) and precision (the size of the area into which you can shoot)….
Most people evaluate their shooting skill level under only one of those two factors. Either they focus on how precisely they can shoot, or they focus on how quickly they’re shooting. Either one in isolation gives an incomplete view, and the same is true when evaluating a gun; if you shoot slowly enough, so that each shot is a completely separate event unaffected by what came before or what will come after, then most guns can be shot “well”.
In other words, just about anyone can shoot just about any handgun (or rifle) “well” for one shot. It’s when you need to fire more than one shot, or when time becomes a factor, do you discover how things like recoil, weight, hand fit, and more affect your ability to shoot well. It’s not just about tight groups!
Granted, Grant’s writing was alluding to issues of caliber and recoil, but the whole of his article touches on the fact that most people believe they can “shoot well”, yet aren’t fully considering the complete context under which they may have to shoot.
That complete context, in terms of self-defense, is likely to go beyond these issues of caliber, recoil, and marksmanship. If you are in a self-defense incident, there’s going to be chaos, adrenaline, and intense high-pressure split-second decision making. Can you “shoot well” in that context? Remember: doing “well” in that context may actually require you to not shoot at all.
Some people are proud to seek out the least amount of training possible. They want the cheapest, least-hassle solution. As few dollars spent, as few hours in the classroom or on the range. It’s as if they are proudly seeking ignorance. I grant, if you can spend $50 or $500 and get precisely the same results, I’d go for the $50 option as well. But like most things in life, you do get what you pay for – and you get more spending $500 on a weekend training with Tom Givens or Massad Ayoob.
Especially if you contrast that $500 against the potential $50,000 or $500,000 or more you could wind up spending on a lawyer. Because ignorance of the law can be mighty costly.
You may not be training to be a customer service rep answering phone calls about a product. But aren’t you trying to bring value into your own life? You’re going to be staying in your life, hopefully for a long time, so take the time to invest in yourself. Don’t expect the state or others to provide “adequate” training, because it usually is not. Take the time, the money, the responsibility to invest in yourself. The education will pay dividends.
I had a good morning.
How about you?
Details, for those curious.
Taken in Lee County, Texas, at the KR Training ranch, on Wednesday December 23, 2015, around 7:05 AM.
It was overcast, so despite first light it was still somewhat dark. Around 7:00 or so it was starting to just get light enough to be able to see well-enough, so I picked up the binoculars and started looking around. Looked south, nothing. Looked north… huh? Whoa! There’s already deer; they usually don’t come out this early. Just sitting maybe 125-150 yards away, eating. Very casual, very relaxed.
Wait. Are those antlers? Yup.
Lee County has the antler restrictions (must have at least 13″ inside spread). Hrm. Whoa… yeah, he looks to have the spread. Come on… lift your head a few more times so I can verify.
Yup.
Bye-bye.
Put 95 grains of Barnes TTSX squarely through the heart. He jumped but didn’t run. Quick, clean, ethical. Can’t ask for more.
Rifle is my usual: “franken-AR” with a Wilson Combat 6.8 SPC upper and a RRA lower (and their 2-stage match trigger), Leupold VX-R 3-9×50 with a LaRue mount, various little bolt-ons (e.g. Magpul CTR, ERGO grip, etc.), shooting Wilson Combat’s 6.8 SPC 95 grain Barnes TTSX loads. An excellent performer, once again.
He’s no monster buck, but it was a good buck – especially for Lee County. Got a decent yield of meat. Looking at his antlers and talking with Karl about it (Karl came out to the ranch today on unrelated business), it was a good harvest because while he doesn’t appear to have horrible genetics, he doesn’t seem to have ideal ones. So hopefully this will help in breeding selection.
Me? I’m giddy. I don’t get to shoot bucks all that often, and Karl was kind enough to let me shoot one this year (thank you again, Karl!). The weather was gorgeous (warm for this time of year: in the mid-60’s this morning). I’m happy I was able to get out, get away from the computer, enjoy nature for a while, and just clear my head a bit. In a way tho, I feel a little gypped! I was only in the blind (and the field, this entire season) a grand total of maybe 65-70 minutes – usually it’s hours, days. I was kinda looking forward to a bunch of time to just sit and clear my head, but hey… I can clear my head another day – while eating a venison burger. 🙂 I actually debated last night if I should go out or not because so many things, but I knew if I didn’t I’d regret it.
No regrets. 🙂
Recently, there have been stories in the news about private citizens using guns to stop petty crime (e.g. shoplifting, theft of goods).
A Michigan woman trying to stop shoplifters at a Home Depot.
A man in Indiana trying to stop shoplifters at a farm supply store.
A woman in Bellmead, Texas trying to hold a purse-snatcher at gunpoint until the police arrive.
In all of these cases, the people had good intentions. They saw something bad happening and – given the popular outcry to “do something” when bad things happen – they did something.
Unfortunately, their choice of something to do wound up doing themselves more harm than good.
On Wednesday, a Michigan judge sentenced Duva-Rodriguez to 18 months of probation and stripped the 46-year-old of her concealed gun permit.
If convicted – Reynolds is charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and pointing a firearm – Reynolds could face up to five years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines.
A McLennan County grand jury indicted Emma Cotten, 28, on a deadly conduct charge in a Nov. 20 incident in the parking lot of a Bellmead Wal-Mart, sources familiar with the case said Wednesday.
[…]
Deadly conduct can be a Class A misdemeanor or a third-degree felony, depending on how it is alleged. That was unclear Wednesday, because the indictment remains sealed.
Is this right?
Certainly some people would say it isn’t, because they were just trying to help.
Others would say it is right, because they broke the law.
Let’s consider the actions themselves.
What was the context of the crime? Generally petty: theft, shoplifting, purse snatching. Certainly things society deems unacceptable, but it’s small property crimes.
Was anyone’s life in danger? Nothing in the news reports indicate the crimes put lives in danger.
Was deadly force – because that’s what these people all used – justified in these cases? I cannot speak to Michigan or Indiana law, but in Texas there are situations where yes you can use force or deadly force to protect property (see Texas Penal Code, Title 2, Chapter 9, Subchapter D, §9.41 – §9.44). But just because you can, does that mean you should?
Let’s get back to the maxim of “making choices that maximize your enjoyment of beer & TV“.
Did the choices these 3 people make enable them to maximize their enjoyment of beer & TV? I would say no. The fact they are now facing criminal charges means lawyers, court appearances, lots of money spent, perhaps loss of job and/or wages, not to mention the mental and emotional anguish and pain this will cause them, not just for the months it will take to resolve the situation but likely it will loom over them for the rest of their lives. To me, that doesn’t enable maximum enjoyment of beer & TV.
Yes I know it’s terrible to see crimes unfold around you, but your response needs to be in accordance. Could you have gotten pictures of the car? Maybe a good description, the license plate number? These are responses that can help abate the crime, but don’t put your life or other lives in danger. And then, you can proceed to beer & TV.
What was troubling to me as well is the interviews with the first two citizens and what they said about their choices and actions:
“I made a decision in a split second,” she told judge Julie Nicholson on Wednesday, according to WJBK. “Maybe it was not the right one, but I was trying to help.”
[…]
“She’s there to help; saw something happening; thought it was serious; pulled her gun,” added Schwartz, her attorney. “She didn’t want to hurt anybody. We didn’t know that there were any people in the parking lot, other than this person that was driving away this vehicle. She didn’t shoot it in the air; she didn’t shoot it at the window, at the windshield. She fired at the tires.”
She made a choice. She needs to be able to articulate why she made that choice.
What did she understand about the situation? about it that made it serious enough to warrant the use of deadly force? That if she didn’t want to hurt anyone, why would she resort to an option that has the potential to cause hurt?
As two shoplifting suspects got into a truck in the parking lot of the Big R in October, Reynolds said he fired one shot in an attempt to stop the suspects from getting away.
“I wanted them to stay there [in the parking lot] until the police arrived,” Reynolds said.
[…]
Reynolds said he fired one shot at the truck just behind the passenger seat because he felt threatened.
“I figured if [the suspect] had a weapon, he wasn’t gonna use it then,” Reynolds said.
[…]
Reynolds said he never intended to shoot anyone; he just wanted to scare the suspects into waiting for the police, which is why he placed his shot where he did on the truck.
So which is it? Did you shoot to have them stay in the parking lot? Did you shoot to scare them? Did you shoot because you thought the guy had a gun and going to hurt you? But if you thought he wasn’t going to hurt you, how did you feel threatened? Or did you never intend to shoot anyone?
There’s a lot going on here, and his intentions don’t seem to be well-articulated.
(I also wonder if it was wise for him to try to articulate to a news reporter, before first articulating to the judge and jury).
As for the Bellmead case, I wrote about that last month under the same notion: Can you articulate?
It’s not just the ability to articulate your choices after the fact, to the police, to the judge, to the jury. It’s important to be able to articulate your choices to yourself BEFOREHAND.
If you choose to carry a gun, you take on a great responsibility. There are clear times to use it, and clear times not to use it. But there are a lot of times that aren’t so clear. Thus it is important for you to clearly articulate to yourself – before you find yourself in a situation – to know where your lines are drawn.
Will you insert yourself into a crime unfolding between two strangers? Maybe you are in the 7-11 when the place gets robbed. Will you try to stop it? Should you? Maybe you see a man atop another giving him the ground & pound. Do you know what’s going on? Just because the guy on top is punching, does that mean he’s the criminal (maybe he’s the Good Samaritan beating some dude that just attempted to kidnap a child). Should you insert yourself?
What if you get involved, and then you get injured. Will those people pay your medical bills?
What if you get involved, and you injure someone else? Will you pay those medical bills? Will you pay for the property damage? Will you be prepared for potential lawsuits that could drag on for years and throw you into bankruptcy?
I’m not saying these things will happen, but they could happen. It is important for you to consider these things, and how they pertain to your situation and how you should react. The answers are different for everyone, and even the same person might change their answers when their life changes (e.g. you might respond different if you are single with no kids vs. married with small children).
Know your lines, where they are drawn, and what responsiblity and consequences you are willing to accept. Figure this out beforehand. I’m not sure any of these three people did:
“I thought, ‘Really? A felony charge?’” Reynolds said. “I’m very well trained.”
Maybe in marksmanship, but there’s a lot more to self-defense than marksmanship.
He still supports people arming themselves for protection, but urges people to get some kind of training.
Indeed. Learn from their mistakes. Get training – before you need to put it into practice.
The woman in Bellmead? Seems she didn’t have a handgun license. In Texas, the handgun license program really is about learning the law. I wonder if she had taken the class and learned something about the law, if she might have made different (better) choices that day.
And realize: training is more than marksmanship. There’s learning the law. There’s learning how to handle pressure situations (e.g. scenario training, force-on-force training). These sorts of classes aren’t as fun as burning through 1000 rounds of ammo in a weekend, but I’d say they’re a lot more fun and educational than being charged with a felony and being dragged through the court system.
There’s a great deal to be learned from these 3 cases.
First, we must work to make good decisions. While “maximize enjoyment of beer & TV” sounds silly, it really works towards helping you determine what is a good decision (at least in this context).
Second, making good decisions comes from prior thought. To know ahead of time where your capabilities lie, where your lines are drawn. The ability to articulate those lines will be important in your decision making, and in your post-action explanations.
Third, making good decisions is empowered by knowledge. Ignorance rarely leads to good outcomes. The more you know, the better off you’ll be.
Finally, we have good people in this world. People that still care. People that are tired of seeing bad things happening and want to try to help. Really, we cannot lose sight of that, and we ought to encourage more of it. In encouraging it, we must direct and enable people to make wise decisions, and we ourselves must endeavor to ensure our decisions and actions will be the best they can be.
Have you registered yet for the 2016 Paul T. Martin Preparedness Conference?
It’s almost here: Saturday, January 9, 2016 at the Cabela’s in Buda, TX.
There’s a Mega door prize – a weekend getaway to a beach house in Port Aransas!
Alas, while I’ll be at the Conference, I won’t be qualified to win the door prize. Why? Because I’m one of the Conference presenters!
John Daub of Hsoi Enterprises on Preparing for the Aftermath of a Self Defense Incident. Self-defense incidents involve far more than just the moment of the incident itself; there’s an aftermath of legal, social, and emotional issues. John Daub will be discussing these issues and how to prepare yourself to handle the aftermath of a self-defense incident.
There’s a lot of other great topics being discussed, including the fresh Open Carry laws (that will have been in effect in Texas just 9 days as of the Conference) and one I’m especially interested in: Allen Codding, DVM on Pet Preparedness Strategies.
There’s a lot of great topics on the schedule at this 4th annual conference.
Hope to see you there!
Continuing education is vital – always be learning, always be improving.
So with that, on Sunday December 6, 2015 I attended a unique class: Shooting with Xray Vision (SXRV), presented by Dr. James S. Williams, M.D. of Tactical Anatomy Systems. About the class, from their website:
This class was developed to train law enforcement personnel in anatomically effective targeting in an Officer Involved Shooting. In other words, we teach cops where to place their bullets for optimum results.
This class gives cops the tools they need to visualize vital human anatomy in 3 dimensions from any presentation or angle. In the past ten years thousands of officers have been trained in SXRV, and reports from these officers and departments tell us that SXRV-trained officers are stopping their opponents more quickly, fewer officers are taking return fire, and round accountability is drastically increased.
SXRV is designed to give any officer or firearms trainer the tools he or she needs to not only shoot more effectively, but to train others in the system with a minimum of expense to the department.
Topics covered in this class include:
- Ethics and U.S. case law of use of deadly force
- Terminal ballistics
- Gunshot wounds and incapacitation
- Vital human anatomy and physiology
- Practical classroom training in 3D visualization
- Simulated and/or live fire 3D targeting
This is an 8-hour class and is POST-certified in several states.
My particular class was hosted at my home-base: KR Training. Class was sold out, and all those attending were KRT veterans (so a good, solid, and “tuned in” group). Weather was awesome; couldn’t ask for a better day.
I’m at a point in my study where most classes don’t present me with much brand-new stuff. Most classes tend to be things I already know, but there’s always something I learn. This class was no different, and I think that’s what made this class especially valuable to me.
See, sometimes you learn new things, but sometimes you learn what you know is wrong. There’s much value in simply gaining new knowledge, but even more value in ensuring the knowledge you have is correct AND correcting/improving existing knowledge.
Case in point. Much of the 3D targeting, especially in terms of how to improve training to avoid training scars, are things we already do. When we teach people how to shoot, yes you have to keep it simple and gradually introduce concepts to students. So you might start with a basic bullseye target, but later you progress to a more “realistic” target that has a humanoid-like shape, such as an IDPA target. But it’s then important to progress to photorealistic targets, when teaching self-defense, because there’s a psychological hurdle people must overcome in order to enable successful self-defense. One aspect not often discussed is how every target is a flat, head-on, squared-up, perfectly presented target in 2D. When does anyone in life ever face you like this? There’s always an angle, always something odd to content with. That’s core focus of what SXRV is all about: to understand that people are 3D and 2D training artifacts can cost you.
So that in more advanced Defensive Pistol Skills classes @ KR Training we’ll use photorealistic targets, and more “realistic” ones, such as with people at odd angles and placements, the information in SXRV validates what we’ve been teaching and how we approach the topics. Validation is good. We know our students are getting good training, good information.
But what’s great is when things you thought you knew, you find out you didn’t. Case in point here: ocular window. No, that’s not really the best way to do things. First, when you break away from someone being perfectly squared up to you, the index of “ocular window” just doesn’t work. Second, and more important, it’s a poor way to index and target the brain stem, which is the supposed target of the ocular index. It comes back to a key focus of SXRV: learning true anatomy.
It was also great to learn about the pelvis as a target. I mean, we already knew about it, but it’s interesting to see how even today the pelvis as a target isn’t being properly taught. When Dr. Williams explained more of the structure of the body and how it worked, you can easily see how traditional pelvis targets are not the best and can be improved upon.
This is good stuff!
And this is why it’s so important to continue education: not just because there’s so much to learn, but you might find out what you know isn’t right and/or could be improved upon.
I can only speak for myself, but I know I’m going to teach a little different, a little better. I often run students through the shoot house, where we use a lot of good photorealistic targets. In the past I’ve already worked to explain visualizing 3D targets, but I’ve got more knowledge, more vocabulary, more ways to explain the concepts. This only means good things for students, and for myself.
Dr. Williams doesn’t teach this course very often: it’s a heavy course. There’s a lot of talk of ethics, use of force, and legal issues (that’s the bulk of the class: there’s very little live fire). Even the medical portions of the class get a little of the heavy side to talk about. The subject matter is what it is. It’s not meant to be heavy, or unfun, or morbid: it’s about trying to save lives.
I wouldn’t say this class is for everyone. True beginners, those just dipping their feet in, it’s a bit much. But for anyone serious about saving lives, if you carry a gun on a regular basis – be you private citizen, or be it your job (police, military, etc.) – this information is important to have.
Thank you, Dr. Williams. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to future work together.
Why haven’t I carried pepper spray? Because I couldn’t find a suitable carry option.
But I’m working to change that.
I have long wanted to carry pepper spray. Why? Because it’s useful, and because sometimes it’s the better – only (?), right (?) – option.
For example, I’ve had more than enough times when 4-legged critters were more the issue, and spray would certainly be more appropriate for the situation. Just the other day I was crossing the street and a drunk homeless guy started yelling at me. I politely and firmly dened him, he didn’t like it, started cussing me out; should he have opted to escalate, pepper spray likely would have been an appropriate option.
But I haven’t carried any? Why? Because I can’t find an option that works for me.
I carry enough stuff on my belt. I really don’t have room for more stuff.
In my pocket? The main worry I have is accidental discharge.
I looked at the Sabre Spitfire upon recommendation from Claude Werner, but that was just asking to go off in my pocket. Plus I didn’t like the discharge (distance/reach, spray pattern, etc.).
We do have a lot of Fox Labs products around the house. The Mrs. and Daughter have keychain sprays. We have some larger canisters for use and carry at other times (e.g. walking to the mailbox).
But the Fox Labs keychain model (or any of those types, as most keychain sprays are the same style) just never felt good in my pocket. Last week I was on vacation and the only things I was able to carry were my Spyderco Delicas and a Fox Labs keychain spray. The spray was in my pocket, and too many times the tab was flipped around. I kept fearing a discharge in my pocket.
That said, carrying the spray for a week finally made me get off my butt. The trip made me think a lot about sprays, including learning that yes you can bring pepper spray on an airplane in your checked luggage (there are limits and restrictions, but ultimately you can). So the whole trip I spent a lot of brain cycles thinking about spray. This is as opposed to “normal” where I think about it, struggle to come up with a suitable option, then put it back on the backburner until it comes up again; lather, rinse, repeat, remain unsatisfied.
Well, I’m hoping my luck will change.
I just purchased an ASP Key Defender. It looks like it will have a good chance of being something I could carry, that should have minimal chance of accidental discharge, and could be effective and useful. Plus it should be sturdy enough to be a striking implement too. Yes, I avoided this in the past because I just wasn’t sure about deployment under pressure. I’m still not, but I do hope to put it through some paces. The indications I’ve seen from people’s whose opinions I trust seem that the ASP Defender should be workable; not ideal, but workable.
The Palm Defender seems too small (capacity, distance, and size in the hand for striking). The Street Defender is probably going to be a little too big. Some videos of the Key Defender in action seem reasonable so…. it’s what I’m going to try. I picked up a couple refills of the OC spray, as well as a couple inert cans too.
We’ll see.
A few days ago a news report and video went around of an incident in Bellmead, TX.
In short, outside a WalMart a man tried to snatch an elderly woman’s purse. A bunch of good people observed this, gave chase, and were able to apprehend the man; it appears the intention was to hold him for police. Frankly up to this point, all things seem good and like any reasonable citizen would applaud.
Then the amateur video starts. In the video a woman was seen using a gun in a manner that appears to be trying to hold the man at gunpoint. The purse-snatcher breaks free of the men restraining him and begins to run off.
That’s when the woman fires her gun.
According to Bellmead Police, the armed female chose to fire a round over Andre and she left the scene without making contact with law enforcement.
As the video continues, the woman then dangles the gun at her side, sees the police arrive, and she walks off. According to the updated news story, it seems this woman has now visited the police and was released pending investigation. According to the news story, not only was the man arrested and charged with theft and credit card abuse, but it seems the woman may be charged with something and her behavior may be sent before a grand jury.
And should it?
Yes it should.
Here’s the thing.
Massad Ayoob often asks what CYA means. No, it’s not “cover your ass”. It’s “can you articulate?”
A gun is deadly force. Can she articulate how her life or someone else’s life was in danger?
Can this woman articulate why she pointed a gun at this man?
Can this woman articulate why she fired the gun?
In terms of public perception, the man was running away. As well, any shots fired then would be “in the back”. Can she articulate her reasoning for her actions given that situation?
Can this woman articulate why she chose to fire the gun over the man?
Can she articulate why she left the scene without speaking with police?
Because if she cannot articulate, she’s in for a heap of trouble.
And even if she can articulate, does it mesh with our legal framework?
I know I’m about to armchair quarterback this based off a little video and news story, so take the following in that light.
A gun is not a solution to every problem; it can be a tool used to aid in solving particular problems. Usually those particular problems involve some sort of immediate danger to your life or the life of someone else. Could there be something in the whole of this situation that involved such danger? Possible, because the video only shows so much.
But there’s so much the video does show that makes me think things are not going to go well for this woman. That she made a great many poor decisions, and it’s fortunate that no one was harmed by her poor choices. Slight correction: that the only person that’s going to be harmed by her poor choices is herself.
Thing is, if she had a gun on her, I would reckon she has a Texas Concealed Handgun License. Granted, she might not, but we’ll assume she does. Do you know what the CHL classes are all about? The law. Even if she didn’t have a CHL, it doesn’t preclude her from not knowing about the law. You need to know and understand the law – when you can, and when you cannot use force or deadly force – because you are directly affecting people’s lives. I don’t get the impression this woman understands those laws, and for that, she’s likely to pay the price.
Folks, when you choose to carry a gun you choose to accept a strong responsibility. Yes, some punk mugging an old woman is a scumbag, and I applaud the spirit of the people that didn’t want to see this dude get away with it. But in trying to stop his lawless behavior, we must remain within the law. We must know the law, and we must be able to articulate our choices.
The ability to articulate? It does not come from having a gun, or even from taking the minimal “training” that the CHL class provides. No, it comes from joining groups like the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network (disclosure: I’m a member), because they provide a great deal of education – as well as legal defense, if ever needed. But hopefully the education will serve you best.
It comes from taking additional training, not just in marksmanship, but also decision-making. Scenario training, also known as “force-on-force”, is invaluable towards helping you learn how to handle actual situations. It gives you a safe place to learn – which means making mistakes – so when the flag does fly, you have improved your chances of arriving at an acceptable outcome.
It comes from continuing education. Grandpa taking you into the back pasture as a kid may be a nice way to start, but it should not be the last time you received any sort of education. Going to the gun range once a year doesn’t count either. You need a good instructor (disclosure: I am an assistant instructor at KR Training). You need to spend time on topics that challenge you, that may humble you, but that will give you the skills needed to keep you out of trouble.
Because even if this woman lucks out, the need to obtain a lawyer, deal with a grand jury, and who knows what else may come her way… that can add up to thousands of dollars, much stress, much headache, maybe even jail time, the loss of her carry license, and who knows what other fallout.
As they often say, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.
Stuff From Hsoi 