Guns

The right time, captured

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Herra Kuulapaa has spent the past 7 years involved in high speed  ballistics photography.

Here’s a gallery of his work.

Here’s his website to see more.

What’s so awesome is how he’s able to capture the moment. Shooting a gun happens extremely quickly, but there’s an amazing amount of things that happen in that short time. Watching the moment the powder ignites, the bullet leaving the barrel… it’s truly fascinating from a ballistics, scientific, and artistic perspective.

You also get to see a lot of things that you may not have known happens when a gun is fired. For example, if you go to this page and scroll down to “19. July 2013 – 9mm STI”, look at the massive amount of debris that flies out of the muzzle. In fact, you see debris in a lot of pictures, which prompts Herra to repeat over and over:

Safety first: Remember to wear your safety gear always when shooting. Some pictures show clear burning particles flying backwards to shooter!

If you want to see some really fun pictures, go look at the “high power” revolvers. That will make it pretty clear as to why you need to keep your thumbs (and other body parts) away from the cylinder (gaps) when shooting.

KR Training – 2014-07-19 – H:BtB/SB Quick Hits

/ hsoi

A fine day at KR Training. Due to that polar vortex, weather was abnormally wonderful: didn’t get higher than the mid-80’s, partially overcast, and tho it was very humid, you couldn’t ask for a better day. Classes on tap ere Beyond the Basics: Pistol and Skill Builder. These are solid intermediate-level classes that help to drive home the fundamentals. Look at any sport, any discipline, and the best in that area know that fundamentals are what everything is based upon. Mastery of fundamentals is key, and here, that’s ultimately about trigger control.

Or at least, that was the order of the day. Yes, trigger control was the biggest issue all day, tho by the end of the day there was marked improvement with very little trigger slapping going on.

Here’s some comments about what I saw.

Trigger Control

Slapping, yanking, jerking, whatever you want to call it… it’s when all your shots wind up low-left, or more generally, they go where you don’t want them.

It comes back to what we kept saying throughout class: slow down, press the trigger. Yes, the feel of the trigger gets heavier as you press, but you don’t need to smack it to then overcome that resistance – just keep pressing.

Work this in dry fire. Start out working slowly, getting the feel, reinforcing that feel. Focus on the front sight, don’t let it be disturbed by your trigger press. But remember that one drill we did? The “ball and dummy” drill? Remember how the first time we’d do it slowly, but later on we did it faster, where you’d press the trigger, round goes off, and as soon as the gun came out of recoil and you had the sight picture we’d have to press again? Work that too. Don’t always make it a slow, deliberate pause between presses, because ultimately you’re trying to get faster so you have to work faster. It will smooth out. Push yourself a little faster, a little faster, until you see things break down; stay there for a bit and keep working it.

Grip

A few people had issues with shots going all over the place. From what I could see, it’s a grip problem.

First, it’s about griping hard enough. Yes, it’s going to make you tired because you need to clamp down as hard as you can on the grip. You’re not used to that, your muscles will fatigue, and you will lighten up your grip to alleviate the discomfort. Don’t do this! Keep clamping down, because you need to build up that strength and endurance. Remember how we were saying just 10 minutes of dry fire every other day? Well, you should be able to work that clamp grip every time you dry practice, and you just watch! Give it two weeks of consistent work and you’ll see your grip improve.

Second, it’s about gripping properly. Remember to get your primary hand up high on the gun, with that cushioned part of your hand between your thumb and index finger smooshed up into the beavertail area. Remember to cant your support hand forward, get it high up on the gun, and clamp hard with this hand. Do this every time. Work to have consistency in your grip.

Third, consistency. Be sure that you grip the same way every time. That you are gripping hard enough every time and that that grip pressure remains as constant as you can make it. Try this. Hold the gun in a proper but very loose grip and line up the sights with your eyes. Now, don’t move anything else and just clamp down your grip on the gun. Did you notice the gun moved? The sights are now off and you do not have a proper sight picture? Try it a few times, and notice how not only things move, but they move differently each time. Often what happens is people start out with a loose grip, then they know the gun is about to go off so they suddenly clamp down their grip and you get what you saw above. That sudden clamping shifts the direction of the muzzle, a different way every time, and so you wind up with almost no consistency nor accuracy in your shots.

.380 ACP

A few yeas ago .380 became the new hotness. All these small guns, the growth of women and people recommending guns chambered in .380 to them. Trouble is, there are problems with .380.

First, the shame is that there are few guns that are of decent quality in that chambering. So many of the .380 guns are cheap and of questionable quality and reliability. Usually when we see a .380 in class, there are problems and failures with it. If this is the gun you’re betting your life on, you need to trust your equipment and know it will perform when called upon.

Second, it’s a marginal caliber. I don’t need to say much here, as Greg Ellifritz recently wrote a good article on this very topic.

A .380 is better than nothing, but I would encourage folks that choose a .380 to step back and examine why they chose the .380  and to see if there’s a better alternative that can satisfy your same reasons and requirements.

For the Ladies

The student body was majority female, and just about everyone stayed all day. I forget what chapter they were from, but most were from A Girl and A Gun, and it was great to have them out there.

What I wanted to mention here was the notion of “drop and offset” holsters. This is a holster where the belt loop is of course at the belt line, but then the holster itself is dropped down a bit and offset a bit from the belt, which helps to work with a woman’s body structure (hips). Take a look at the International from Comp-Tac. See that picture? See how the holster is dropped down and offset from the belt loop? That’s what we’re talking about.

Granted, this isn’t the best solution for every day carry, but for classes, for range work, for competing, it’s an option to look into.

Thanx

Thank you all for coming out and choosing to spend your day with us. It was a pleasure to have you, and we look forward to seeing you again on the range.

 

Not the odds, but the stakes

/ hsoi / 9 Comments

Wil Lewis escaped poverty in Guatemala when he was adopted at age 7. Loving parents raised him in Wisconsin, where he found his two passions: photography and the woman who would become his wife.

He attended art school in Milwaukee and moved to Chicago two years ago. He was looking forward to starting a new job Monday, finally ending the rat race of freelance photography.

Lewis, 28, and his wife moved into a new Rogers Park apartment just two weeks ago. They were thinking about starting a family.

On Saturday, gunfire upended their plans. Lewis was standing in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue about 3:20 p.m. when a gunman approached on foot and shot him in the back, Chicago Police said. He was pronounced dead less than 40 minutes later.

“He was looking to start a family. He was talking about having children,” said Warren Rader, a close friend and fellow photographer. “Everything was going right for him.”

Full story here. (h/t Mike Cox)

A young man, who overcame so much, his life was opening up and looking so incredible — so much ahead. And senselessly killed in what appears to be a gang battle; an innocent man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Here’s the crazy thing:

Rader recalled a conversation he had with his friend in Milwaukee a year or two ago, before Lewis moved to Chicago.

“We were talking about conceal-carry gun licenses and how much nonsense it was and how unlikely it was that you’d ever get into a confrontation . . . He just thought it wasn’t something an everyday person would have to deal with,” Rader said.

It is true. The odds of getting into a confrontation aren’t high, especially if you live your life by a simple set of rules, e.g. don’t go to stupid places with stupid people and do stupid things, and be in bed by 10pm (h/t John Farnam). But even then, as Lewis’ tragic story shows, you can try to do everything right, and yet tragic things can still happen.

It’s important to realize…

It’s not about the odds.

It’s about the stakes.

Teach your children these four vital things

/ hsoi

Our society puts high value on three things:

  1. Our children
  2. Their education
  3. Their safety

We value our children because we love them, because they are our future (and our legacy), and because they are vulnerable and prone to make mistakes (such is childhood). That’s why we put such high value in their education: they need to not just survive but thrive in their adult life, and education is key towards ensuring a bright future. But since “stuff happens” and “kids can be kids” we value the safety of our children, because want to see grandchildren, because we don’t want to bury our children, because we know that mistakes can be costly, so we’d rather see them be a source for education and growth.

Our children,

Their education.

Their safety.

We value these things so highly.

Because of that, I am dumbfounded when I see people going out of their way to keep their children ignorant. I do not understand why someone would do such a thing. Yes, we homeschool our children, but we refuse to shelter them or only expose them to a single mode of thought. How will that serve our children as they enter the adult world? How will that enable them to seek knowledge and truth? How will that keep them safe?

I keep thinking back to a time when I was putting on the Eddie Eagle GunSafe program. I saw numerous parents make an overt effort to keep their children away and not attend the program.

OK, I do understand why. It’s because it involves “guns” and “the NRA” and is probably just some covert indoctrination into that world of gun-toting, Bible-thumping, Tea Party rednecks, right? People just see trigger-words like “gun” and “NRA” and immediately clam up, putting their fingers in their ears, closing their eyes and refusing to hear what has to be said. OK, I can understand why, but I think it’s doing a grave disservice to your children.

You can hate guns all you want. You can be on the crusade to ban guns and wipe guns and gun-loving-people off the planet. That’s totally fine. But in the meantime, guns are still around, and your children could encounter them.

In July 2008 an Austin Police K-9 unit was at a park. Apparently the dog jumped on his handler, knocking the officer’s gun out of its holster. The gun was found by a mother and her child.

“I know that having a 2-year-old, they’d pick that up without a problem,” Bendt [a frequent park visitor, with her 3 children] said.

In January 2013, a school security guard in Michigan left his handgun in a school bathroom.

Chatfield parent Tris Fritz told mlive.com that the incident was “a big mistake”: “I think that some kid might not think it’s a real gun. They might think it’s a toy. They’re going to be curious, that’s the nature of a child.”

Consider that many who despite and hate guns and want them banned do consider police acceptable people to have guns. But police, like you, are fallible; as you can see, so long as there are guns in this world, there is opportunity for your child to come in contact with one.

So while you crusade for a better tomorrow, you must accept the reality of today: guns exist, and you and/or your child may come in contact with one at some point in their life.

When this contact occurs, will your child know what to do to stay safe?

Are you willing to educate your child on how they can keep themselves and their friends safe?

Or would you rather you and your child remain ignorant, perhaps costing them their life?

It’s your call, but I would hope you’d be willing to swallow your pride and at least teach your child these 4 vital things to do if they ever come in contact with a gun:

  1. STOP!
  2. Don’t touch.
  3. Leave the area.
  4. Tell an adult.

I’m not saying this to shill for the NRA. I’m saying this because I don’t want to see your child become a statistic.

What do you recommend for… a gentle disagreement

/ hsoi

Dr. House tackles the subject of “What do you recommend for…”

In short:

In a simple sentence, I don’t.

I can’t, in all honesty and truth, prescribe anything guaranteed to fix your problems. What, “you,” need for self-defense, in terms of guns, holsters, sights, etc., isn’t like I am giving you a treatment plan to treat a specific medical condition you have. I can’t diagnose you…

Nobody else can tell you what is best for you, either. It requires experimentation. What some people recommend for others to use, or warn them against using, is frankly quite silly. It makes no sense. Me, dictating to you what to use is as idiotic as recommending you wear a certain type of eyeglasses, with MY prescription in it. Sure, it might work for you, but it probably won’t!

On the whole, I agree with him. We cannot tell you exactly what will work for you. This is because your situation and specifics will be different, and it’s quite true that what works for one may not work for another.

But where I differ from Dr. House is that this just can’t be done.

We are not special snowflakes. The simple reason much of human existence works is precisely because while we’re all different in the specific, we’re all the same in the general. We generally walk on 2 legs, have 2 arms and hands, 2 eyes, our eyesight and hearing and other senses work the same basic way, our body mechanics work generally the same. Yes there are exceptions, but they are just that and not the rule. This is why we can design cars with ergonomics of the seat style, steering wheel location, pedals, controls, where and how we do. This is why we can design “off the rack” clothing, which while it may not be as ideal a fit as a custom tailored suit, it works well enough to get us by in our lives.

So can I tell you what is best for you? No, but I sure can give you a lot of good guidelines to get you close (enough) and further down the road.

Sometimes it may just be my own experience. For example, my recent experience with the Ergo Delta Grip. I think in part it may be my own problem, because of the level of discomfort I personally felt in my hand. You may not feel this same discomfort due to the nature of your hands, or a higher tolerance for pain. But objectively we cannot deny the shape of the backstrap being more pointed and thus it will direct more of the force into a single point in the palm instead of a wider backstrap dissipating the force. So we can still give general guidance here.

After years of teaching and thousands of students, you start to see patterns of what works and what doesn’t work. You start to see that guns like Glocks and M&P’s run pretty reliably and students in general have less trouble and struggle running those guns. When people bring cheap guns, weird guns, DA/SA guns, guns that are too much for them to handle (e.g. frail older woman with small hands trying to shoot a Sig P226 in .40 S&W just doesn’t end well), well… we know how the story will end – usually – and we also know how we can redirect the situation towards a more successful, fruitful, and satisfying end (e.g. give them a Glock 19). This doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions, but again, they are exceptions.

Maybe I’m just reading Dr. House’s writing the wrong way, because I do think we’re more in agreement than disagreement (thus my “gentle” disagreement). I think he’s right when he writes:

Next time someone tells you that carrying a pistol with a manual safety (like a SHIELD) or a DA/SA semiautomatic pistol will, “get you killed,” it might be wise to take everything they continue to say with an even BIGGER grain of salt. NO PIECE OF EQUIPMENT will replace skill…regardless of what the equipment may be. You can defend yourself with anything, under any condition, with preparation. PERIOD.

Because in a case like that, it’s a matter of being able to back up your recommendations with concrete and factual evidence, not Internet jackassery or gun store bravado. For example, I can back up the above example of the P226 by talking about gun fit, how the P226 is a poor fit for someone with small hands, which requires holding the gun in an awkward manner that provides sub-optimal control over the gun, recoils over the thumb knuckle (ouch!), a long heavy trigger is difficult for them to press due to strength and leverage issues, then the snappy recoil of a .40 S&W adds to the mix; then replacing with a Glock 19 (probably a Gen4 with the small backstrap) allows for a better fit, the trigger is of lighter pull-weight which their level of strength and leverages can more easily work, the milder recoil of the 9mm doesn’t present as much of a problem for their level, and so on. Can the assertion be backed up by proper reasoning?

So no, we cannot tell you exactly what formula will result in the ideal solution for you. However, it is possible to start you down a path with good footing and a solid start. You will need to experiment, you will need to discover precisely what works for you, but we can help you on your way.

 

New home defense tactic

/ hsoi

A burglar in Georgetown ran away with empty hands and an eyeful Wednesday night when he was confronted by a nude, pistol-packing homeowner.

[…]

“I have a tattoo of the grim reaper, my hair is sticking up all crazy and I’m naked,” said the homeowner, who asked that his name be withheld for safety reasons. “I’m not sure if (the burglar) was more afraid of me or the gun.”

Full story here.

So there you go. New home defense tactic. 😉

 

Violence is still golden

/ hsoi

Some years ago I came across an essay by Jack Donovan called “Violence is Golden”.

Recently, Scott Faith revisited Jack’s essay.

Violence should not be a first resort, but sometimes it is the only resort. I think deep down everyone knows this, but there are those that want to deny it. Or at least, they cannot see themselves performing violence, consider it icky, and thus others shouldn’t partake in it either. But somehow they know that violence is sometimes necessary – without it, laws have no ground, no meaning., and society has no structure. And I think everyone has a line, it’s just a question of finding it. I hear many women that go on about how they could never hurt someone else, but are very willing to get “momma bear” protective if someone tries to hurt their children. There you go, there’s your line. Let’s look at forcible rape (forcible, as opposed to statutory); this is not a time for negotiation, this is a time for violent response because it’s demonstrated that rape victims who fight back fare far better than those who do not. Is there anyone not willing to draw a line here?

Have you ever trained a dog? When training a dog, you have to think like a dog. Dogs don’t understand human, they understand dog. For example, petting a dog is an act of reinforcement. If the dog is doing something and you pet it, the dog says “hey, whatever I’m doing is good, keep doing it”. But to a human, petting can be a comforting behavior. So for example, if your dog is afraid of thunderstorms, many people will pet their dog in an attempt to soothe and comfort the dog. This is bad; that’s human-think, not dog-think. What happens is the petting reinforces to the dog that being afraid of thunderstorms is what to do, and that’s not the behavior we want. To successfully work with a dog, you have to think and speak and act dog. You have to speak their language.

And so it goes with 2-legged predators as well. There are some people out there that only understand the language of violence. They will not listen to your begging, but they will listen to a gun muzzle pointed at them. Which speaks their language? Which will they understand? You cannot apply your standards, your morals, your behaviors and modes of thinking to all people because all people do not and will not think and behave like you – if they did, they wouldn’t be violating you right now, would they? Sometimes you have to speak their language, whether you like it or not. As Faith writes:

Violence should not be, and usually isn’t, the method of first resort in man’s dealings with his fellow man. But you’ve got to talk to people on a level that they understand; sometimes the only language they understand is that of violence. This is especially true when it comes to halting violence after it has already begun. After all, when people cry out for someone to “Do something!” about places like Syria and Iraq they don’t mean send in the State Department or the United Nations; in situations where “reason” fails, you don’t send memos you send the Marines.

What really touched me about Faith’s article was his addressing of the “Coexist” bumper sticker. Every time I see one (usually on a Prius), all I can think to myself is “Great! But I’m not the one you need to be proselytizing to; tell that to the people who are trying to kill me.” Or how wonderful it is to preach that from the safety of our country, behind the laws (force, violence) and law enforcement (police, military — you know, people with guns willing to perform violence by proxy for you). Faith writes:

Coexistence is a wonderful thing, as long as everyone is an equally-committed partner in the process. But if one player in the coexistence game decides to not go along with the program, then you could “coexist” yourself right out of existence. It’s the classic Prisoner’s Dilemma; at every level of human interaction, everyone is better off with cooperation. But the incentives to cheat are such that the fear of defection of others creates incentives to be the first to leave the collective. When it comes to pacifism, anyone declining to at least maintain the capability of violence will be at a distinct disadvantage, and the first to resort to violence will likely be the one left standing at the end of any conflict between them. This is why programs like “Global Zero” will never work; it overlooks a fundamental aspect of human nature. After all, in a society of the blind the one-eyed man in king; and in a society that has beaten all swords into plowshares, everything belongs to the man who kept his sword whole… unless another man with a sword stops him first. Si vis pacem, para violentus.

Faith concludes:

So we need not like violence, but we need to acknowledge the role it plays in securing our lives, liberty, property, and way of life. More than that; we need to embrace it, and stand eternally vigilant to carry it out either individually or collectively if (when) the need arises. There will always be someone who cheats, who defects, who simply doesn’t get with the “ideal world” program. If we don’t prepare for that, we are at the mercy of those who do. And on that note, I think that the best way to end this article is the same way it began, with a quote from Violence is Golden: “It’s time to quit worrying and learn to love the battle axe. History teaches us that if we don’t, someone else will.”

He (and Donovan) are right: we need not like violence, but we need to acknowledge the role it plays. Too often people want to just look at violence as a bad thing and believe that doing away with all violence is the solution and thus the goal to which we must strive. But not everyone will share your lofty goals, and there will be those that see your lofty goals as your weakness and use it against you. And then what will you do? As Donovan wrote:

However, the willful submission of many inevitably creates a vulnerability waiting to be exploited by any one person who shrugs off social and ethical norms. If every man lays down his arms and refuses to pick them up, the first man to pick them up can do whatever he wants. Peace can only be maintained without violence so long as everyone sticks to the bargain, and to maintain peace every single person in every successive generation — even after war is long forgotten — must continue to agree to remain peaceful. Forever and ever. No delinquent or upstart may ever ask, “Or Else What?,” because in a truly non-violent society, the best available answer is “Or else we won’t think you’re a very nice person and we’re not going to share with you.” Our troublemaker is free to reply, “I don’t care. I’ll take what I want.”

Violence is the final answer to the question, “Or else what?”

We cannot have a civilized society without violence. Violence is neither good nor bad; like all things, it’s how people use it that determine it’s merit. Striving to rid the world of violence is laudable, but naive, because how else can you enforce your mandate (as ironic as that would be)? Instead, acknowledge the role violence plays in creating a civilized society, and work to enable good people with the means by which to help maintain that vein of civilization.

She avoided being mugged – Here’s what you can learn from her experience

/ hsoi

Lynn Givens seems to have avoided being mugged, either for her electronics or her prescription drugs (or perhaps both). Lynn shared her experience on Facebook, both recounting the event and numerous learnings points. She’s fine and safe, and we’re thankful for her sharing so we can all learn.

What follows is a copy/paste of Lynn’s posting, which she has encouraged us to share.

I have been asked to repost this AAR to include the lessons I learned. I have done so. Share if you would like to.

Just The Facts Please:

Today, around 12:40 pm, I left Tom at home while I ventured out to Walmart. My intent was to pick up two prescriptions and look at their IPod selection, as mine had died.

I parked halfway out in the parking lot; did not want a dent in the ZBULLET; and entered the store near the pharmacy area. I went directly to the pharmacy area and waited in line. As I picked up my two prescriptions, the cashier informed me that I would need to show my driver’s license for ID, because my script was a controlled substance. I gave her my license and she pulled out a 3 ring binder and logged in my name, script number, DL and date. This transaction was done right there at the check-out register. I was going to pay for it later after I was done shopping.
I then headed back to electronics taking a very convoluted path, browsing at merchandise. In the midway, a young man came up and while standing within about 2 feet of me, started texting. As I tried to walk by him, he engaged me in conversation by saying to me, “that was my mom, she was just checking on me again.” Being polite, I said “that’s nice of her”. I then continued onto electronics.
When I got back there, he was waiting there and kept looking in my direction. I continued to look for the Apple Products and eventually asked a salesgirl for assistance. She showed me where they were, I said thank you, and continued to look at the selection. He walks over and asks me if I ever had an IPod before. I told him yes, mine was broken. He then just loomed around in the area watching me intently. If I moved, he moved. I even left the area, he moved away but showed up again where I was. I then went to the salesgirl and asked to check if they had a particular one, she then left to get it out of some far away place that took about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the thug watched me and if I moved, he was there again. I finally, took my prescriptions out of my cart, went to another department, struck up a conversation so as to not alarm the sales women. In a discrete manner, I asked for them to call security, that a man has been stalking me in the store for the last 30 minutes and it has become unnerving. She called for security and seconds later, the stalker was within 3 yards of me again. Fortunately, I had worn my sunglasses to the store, so as I was intently watching him over the top of the glasses, he thought I was unaware of him. If I lifted my head up and looked in his direction, he would disappear for a moment behind a display.

Finally a sales person arrived with my IPod. I told him what was going on and that security never showed up. I described the thug, took 3 pictures of him while pretending to text on my phone. The sales person saw him and got all upset. I told him to relax and just ring me up.

He rang up my scripts and IPod and I began to head for front exit by pharmacy. It occurred to me, that there may be some assistants with him. As I reached the front exit, a young man came walking very fast paced, texting someone, and headed to the back of the store. I had already asked the front store clerk to walk me to my car, he said certainly. I gave him the description of the thug and he was headed back in to get a manager.

Arrived home on orange red.

He either wanted the prescriptions or the electronics, or both.
Many lessons here. Most important one for me; having to give DL to pick up controlled substance. Anyone can watch from afar and know what you got. Makes you a huge target. Lesson learned.

HUGE RED FLAG FOR THUGS TO TAKE PRESCRIPTIONS FROM YOUR CART OR GET YOU IN PARKING LOT.

• I was carrying my S&W M&P 9C in a belly band with extra mags and OC.

I owe my seeing the signs early to Tom Givens, Craig Douglas and William Aprill. Each one has taught me something that gave me the ability to see the signs early.

FIRST, he kept showing up close to me from out of nowhere

SECOND, overly friendly, trying to engage me to get my guard down

THIRD, he displayed a lot of grooming behavior, stroking chin, crossing arms, rubbing forehead, pacing, constantly texting as if communicating with a partner

FOURTH, he had on shorts, tank top, flip flops, it was quite cool in the store, but his shirt was soaked under his armpits

FIFTH, he was walking around with nothing in his hands to buy and never stayed at any display to look at something, just followed me and kept disappearing behind displays when he thought I noticed him

SIXTH, don’t count on anyone but yourself and what is physically on your body to handle the situation; I had already moved my purse to my left shoulder and had access to my OC

SEVEN, THERE WAS NO SECURITY THERE TODAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED, NOR DID A MANAGER COME TO MY AID

EIGHT, I knew there could be more than one person and not to go to my car alone

NINE, as leaving the store, I was watching for a accomplice, and wouldn’t you know, as I left, a young man entered the store walking very fast, headed in his direction texting–coincidence–maybe, maybe not

TEN, alertness and awareness are key. I had electricity going all through my body as this unfolded.

ELEVEN, don’t ignore what your body is telling you. Use that sixth sense.

TWELVE, be aware when you are picking up a script that must be signed for. I may as well been walking around with a sign on me that said, get your drugs here.

That’s all for now.
July 5 at 9:13pm • Unlike • 3
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Lynn Givens Thanks everyone. I post this for others to read and learn. I have had unusual life experiences, this is fourth time in being able to navigate through possible disaster. I hope my experiences will help others to do the same.
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Lynn Givens I think I am done.

More lessons as I ponder today’s encounter

THIRTEEN, I used the plastic packaging of merchandise to see down the isle where he was avoiding being seen, but he could not see me. I was trying to keep distance between us.

FOURTEEN, I was making a plan of what I was going to do. It did include just leaving the store and giving my basket to the door greeter on the way out.
July 5 at 9:42pm • Like • 2
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FIFTEEN, ALWAYS PAY FOR SCRIPTS RIGHT AWAY. This way you can take your scripts and leave.
July 5 at 9:43pm • Like • 2
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Lynn Givens I think I am done.

Wow. A lot to digest.

In fact, because it’s a lot to digest, I recommend you come back and read this a few times. You just read it, come back tomorrow and read it again. Do the same again in the future. You will read, you will ponder, you will digest, and you’ll gain more from revisiting it (no, this isn’t about getting hits to my blog… save it off to your own records to read offline and carry with you, I don’t care — it’s about being able to really learn from this experience, because there’s a great deal in here to learn).

There are a few things I want to point out.

Point 7 – there was no security, and no one came to her aid. Your personal safety is your responsibility.

Points 6, 14 – she was planning, always planning. In fact, I’d say this includes Point 0: already having a gun and OC spray on her person — that was pre-planning. Heck, going even further, getting some training and acknowledging events like this can and will happen to you so you can be prepared and handle them when they unfold; pre-planning.

Be honest. If this happened to you, how would you have taken it? If some guy was being so nice to you, would it have set off any alarm bells? And even if it did, would you have acted on them? or tried to shrug them off (a lot of people do this; see Lynn’s Point 11).

Going back to Point 14, notice Lynn’s willingness to leave everything. So you don’t get your medicine, and it’s going to be a huge hassle to get it again (it’s a controlled substance, going to probably be difficult to get it “reissued”). Whatever. Totally willing to abandon all her shopping, her basket full of stuff, whatever, because her personal safety is more important.

Points… well, just about every other point. The common thread here is awareness. She paid attention and was constantly vigilant.  She used tricks to keep an eye on him (Point 13). She observed out of place behavior (Points 2, 3, 4, 5). She made a fair assumption there would be more than 1 thug (Points 3, 8, 9).

But here’s the bigger point that stands out.

None of this was solved with a gun, or OC spray, or any other sort of weapon or “hard skill”.

It was all solved by being alert, aware, and having prior acknowledgement that bad things can happen to you so you must be prepared ahead of time to handle them. Lynn gives credit to Tom Givens, Craig Douglas (SouthNarc), and William Aprill for giving her the skills she needed to get through that encounter. Yes it was good she had her gun, yes it was good she had OC spray (and it seems she was looking to use the OC as her first line of defense, see Point 6). But the key thing that kept her safe was being able to manage these unknown contacts.

It’s great you want to get your concealed handgun license, but I see so many people that think once they get that, they’re done and good. No, a concealed handgun license is merely your entry ticket into a larger world of personal protection. It’s the minimum entry fee, folks. Yes, you should work on hard skills to become proficient with it, but it’s more important to get these “soft skills”. You should seek out both types of instruction and training.

It’s great you want to carry pepper spray. But have you ever used it? Some people think that buying the canister and putting it on their keychain is done and good to go. But is it really? Are you really able to handle yourself? Will you be able to catch the cues and avoid the situation entirely (the best defense, the art of fighting without fighting… whatever you want to call it), or will it all happen “out of nowhere” and be over before your mind can unfreeze itself and you begin to react?

There’s much to learn from Lynn’s experience, and I’d like to express my gratitude to her for sharing. There’s much to learn here, but you have to swallow your pride and be honest with yourself — your life is worth it.

Snub Carry

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

A few years ago, Karl Rehn adapted the KR Training Defensive Pistol Skills course for “small guns”, dubbing it Defensive Pistol Skills: Back Up Gun (BUG). It serves a couple purposes.

First, for those people that opt to carry a small gun on a regular or semi-regular basis. Maybe you prefer that Glock 26, snub-revolver, M&P Shield, Kahr, or other such small gun. Maybe this is what you carry all the time, or maybe it’s what you carry in the summer because you wear less clothing and it’s easier to conceal a small gun. Or maybe it’s an infrequent thing, like you just slip a snub into your pocket when you run down to the corner store. Either way, smaller guns are harder to shoot – they really are an “advanced/expert” gun, not a beginner gun. Being able to learn some practical skills and techniques for using that small gun is quite useful.

Second, for those people that carry a small gun as a back-up to their primary gun (hence the “BUG” acronym). Carrying two guns isn’t paranoia, it’s preparation, it’s acknowledgment that mechanical objects can and will fail (probably when you least want them to). It’s a way to quickly arm an unarmed other person. There’s utility in having a BUG, and utility in knowing how to transition to it and skillfully use it.

One of the masters of the snub revolver, Claude Werner recently posted an article on the different modes of carrying a snub revolver. The snub gives different options than a traditional full-sized service pistol, and Claude enumerates options and the pros and cons of each.

He talks about:

  • Pocket
  • DeSantis Clip Grip (or other methods, like a Barami Hip-Grip coupled with a Tyler T-Grip)
  • IWB
  • OWB
  • Belly Bands
  • Shoulder holsters
  • Ankle holsters

Of course, there are other modes of carry, but those are the ones he covers.

For me, I admit it varies depending upon circumstance.

I never do ankle. I wear shorts in the summer, and often when I wear long pants I have footwear that covers my ankles (e.g. boots). I know some that use this method, and it’s especially useful for folks that have to sit all day (especially in a vehicle).

I’ve never done a proper shoulder holster. One time on a long road trip I did wear my snub inside the inner shirt pocket of a 5.11 concealment shirt; it was my secondary, because it’d be faster to get to from a seated position. But I didn’t like that too much because it was imbalanced, and made the shirt ride abnormally — the fabric didn’t move like a normal shirt would, the shirt hung awkwardly off me. It was OK for the ride, but I’m unlikely to do that again. But a proper shoulder rig I’m not against, if I can conceal it properly (but I rarely wear coats… it’s Texas, and it’s hot).

Never done a belly band, but I do own a SmartCarry. Tried it for a while, will use it on the rare occasion when it’s the best/right option, but honestly? It makes going to the bathroom a cumbersome event, so I save using it for when there’s no other option.

OWB is fine, if you can support it. I’ve got a C-Rusty Sherrick U.S. High Ride, which is perfect for the application. I like the high ride and the fact nothing descends below the belt. Thus, you could wear OWB with just a shirt and have no concealment problems, or at least, it’s the same problems you’d have with IWB, without the IWB annoyances.

IWB for me tends to be with my Kolbeson Leatherworks leather AIWB. Honestly, I can’t remember the model name (and Josh doesn’t make them any more), but it was designed specifically for snubs and AIWB carry, with a reverse 5º cant, which makes a big difference in ride and draw (vs. say no cant). I prefer this method for my snub, but AIWB doesn’t work so well for me when I’ve got a gut going. See all my postings about weight lifting. 😉

The DeSantis ClipGrip is what I’ve had on my snub for a few years now, and it’s my preferred grip. I’ve been trying other things, but it just hasn’t worked out. What set me down this road was Claude’s combination of Barami & Tyler grips, but they just didn’t work for me. The DeSantis has worked quite well. I don’t use the cip portion much any more, but it’s there and an option.

Most often, when I carry the snub, it’s in a pocket. It’s a matter of my body these days, enough stuff on my belt, and so it works. But it does really suck on the draw.

Anyways, that’s my experience. Read Claude’s article for a good discussion on the pros and cons of each method. There is no one perfect method, as you can see. It’s all trade-offs and sometimes you have to go with what the situation dictates. While I grant the importance of consistency, of “same way every time”, well… as Hogel likes to say, “you can’t play golf with only one club in the bag”. 🙂

Deconstructing the numbers

/ hsoi

Okay bad news here folks. More than guns, the media causes mass shootings.

From a pure numbers standpoint, mass shootings are statistically meaningless. If you look at the FBI Uniform Crime Report there were 12,765 non-negligent homicides (manslaughters/murders, non-LEOs and accidental). Of them ALL kinds of firearms were used in 8,855.

Now if you want to bump the numbers to scare people about guns you add in suicides. Ohhh big scary of the 38,364 suicides in 2012, 19,000 plus were done by firearms.
http://www.cdc.gov/violencepr…/pdf/Suicide_DataSheet-a.pdf

Now, depending on who you ask CDC or other sources, there are between 487,000 suicide attempts (self-inflicted injuries) yet the same source implies there are 959,100 attempts. Another source I read says hospitals treat over 2,000,000 suicide attempts a year. I give you these numbers because whether you vote for 487,000, 959,100 or two million suicide attempts you really have to dig in the CDC numbers to find that in the same year there were only 169 suicide attempts with guns. So it’s pretty obvious that people who are serious about ending their lives use guns. Oddly enough, statistically the most reliable way to kill yourself is by jumping in front of a train, which has a 0% survival rate. Thing is if someone is that dedicated to taking their life, they’re going to find a way, guns or no. So adding in suicides to bump number of ‘gun deaths’ is a red herring.

Okay so back to homicides. Here’s the booger depending on the locale, the numbers of those killed have criminal records upwards to 90%. Allowing for ‘known’ perpetrators the average again comes out to about 95% having criminal records. In short, an overwhelming number of shootings are between those involved in the drug trade or gangs. This especially in the big cities — where most homicides happen. The only way to hide these numbers (and arguably this inconvenient truth) is to include Wyoming and Kansas rednecks shooting each other over messing with their wives. That statistically reduces the professional criminal element common to most homicides.

Now not to sound callous, but innocent people who are gunned down in ‘mass shootings’ seldom top 50 of the yearly homicide rate (12,756 in 2012). But they do make for great media coverage and fear.

Now, growing in Los Angeles in the 1970s, the first time I was involved in a drive by attempt was around 1974 (I was on my way to buy comic books). The shooter missed and I went along my way. I had several classmates who were shot or shot at in this manner. The key point is these incidents were never reported by the media. It was considered criminals trying to kill criminals

In the ’80s and early ’90s the media started covering drive bys. And they increased. To the point that homicides reached an all time high in the US. Gang members would rush home to see how many stations covered their drive bys. The publicity translated into fame.And gang related drive bys went wild.

That’s also an issue when it comes to spree shooters. Although statistically meaningless in how many bodies they produce, the media coverage inspires people looking for fame.

– Marc MacYoung