Never before have I walked the downtown streets of a major city and felt more at ease than I did walking the streets of downtown Phoenix. I was impressed by the courteous disposition of the attendees and vedors. If an armed society is a polite society, then this event was full of very heavily armed people!
Today, I had the chance to be a citizen. Not by exercising my franchise, but by joining with other citizens to make my voice heard. Right or Left, Democrat , Republican or Independent, there is nothing like standing with strangers united in a cause that you hope will change history.
This is what makes America the “shining city on a hill.” We have the privilege of saying, “no.” Not just the privilege, we have the duty. It is no accident the language of the first amendment of the constitution guarantees the right of the people to peaceably protest.
“Congress shall make no law…abridging…the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Go get involved. Do something. Don’t know where to start? Here’s a place.
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
The previous administration did little to prevent the growth of the federal government. The new administration has gone from slouching toward tyranny to sprinting to full fledged statism. Citizens are taking notice and joining the resistance.
Texas and Utah are preparing legislation to make similar challenges.
We are beginning to realize that more government means less liberty. More spending, more programs, more intervention takes away your ability to make your own decisions and chart your own course.
Last week a young lady had trouble removing a wrist-band from a musical venue. I presented my folding knife and carefully cut the stubborn wrist-band off her wrist.
She asked me:
“Do you always carry a knife in your pocket?”
I replied:
“No, it’s usually clenched between my teeth.”
Besides being a convenient topic of conversation, a good folding knife is useful for general utility, emergency preparedness and personal defense.
It’s a rare day when I don’t use my folding knife to open a package or fix a contraption. If I present my blade around someone new, normally there is a spark of fear..a natural reaction given my intimidating, yet dashing appearance. After they realize I took-out my knife to help them as opposed to do them harm there is usually a compliment paid like ‘that’s a cool knife!’.
A good knife is found on most lists of emergency preparedness items. Bear Grylls might use his knife to build shelter and to cut the head off a horned viper or fend off alligators:
…but there are less glamorous settings where a knife has been used for emergency rescue:
A quality folding knife can come in handy for personal defense when other weapons are either illegal or impractical or as a secondary weapons system. In some states it is close to impossible to get a concealed weapons permit but almost all allow the open carry of a folding knife. *Please check with your local magistrate before carrying any weapon.*
As a weapon, a knife is an excellent secondary weapon because it is unlikely to malfunction and never requires a reload. If you are really cool (like me) you get a knife that matches your carry gun.
If you decide to carry a knife as a supplementary weapon for personal defense, I recommend you attend training on edged weapons to learn how to properly use a knife as well as to understand how to defend yourself against an attack by someone with an edged weapon. There are those who have underestimated the threat of an edged weapon and have paid dearly. *Warning…graphic image*
Yes, you guessed it…we at SOTS have compiled another top 10 list.
Pros: Most advanced locking mechanism keeps it open and shut
Cons: All the brilliance was used up in the locking mechanism. The handle is quite mediocre.
Pros: Advanced locking mechanism, open-assist and cool digi-camo design.
Cons: Belt-clip might conceal the knife too well which may lead to legal complications in some states
Too Safe
There is no such thing as “too safe.” The stakes are too high. My mentor had me review “the rules.”
Treat every gun as if it is loaded.
Always exercise proper muzzle control. Never cover (let the muzzle point at) anything you don’t intend to destroy.
Trigger finger stays off the trigger until the muzzle is on target.
Know your target and what lies beyond.
I watched my mentor very carefully. He never violated the rules.
Whenever a gun left his possession or came into his possession, he assumed it was loaded, treated it as such, and checked it’s status. Before dry firing, he removed the magazine and checked the chamber twice. When dry firing, he always had a safe direction to point the muzzle.
He had me do the same when dry firing the Glock. After each trigger pull of the Glock, the slide has to be activated to cock the hammer and ready the trigger. He explained that and I quickly did it. He stopped me.
“Give it a visual chamber check when you’re cocking it.”
He did a visual chamber check between each dry firing pull of the trigger. A small habit but one that lowers the odds of a potentially catastrophic negligent discharge.
Holstering, my mentor always made me slow down.
“You can never be too fast on presentation. You can never be too slow on holstering…If you’re going to shoot yourself, this is when it usually happens.”
He showed me how many people, not thinking, cover their leg or hip when holstering because they point the muzzle inward trying to get it in the mouth of the holster. Train keeping the muzzle pointed away, use your extended small-finger to find the holster and then slowly, firmly seat the gun. Then, practice.
Training
Practicing is not training. Standing at seven feet, 15 feet, and 20 feet and shooting two or three or ten magazines at a paper target isn’t preparing you to deal with the situations that make carrying important. Static target practice helps you get acquainted with your gun but it will not prepare you for a serious, perhaps deadly, confrontation. You MUST train with various scenarios, under stress, in bad weather, you must give yourself every opportunity to “feel” what it’s like to shoot in confrontational situations.
When we got to the range, I’d anticipated we’d shoot a few rounds at targets and then maybe try some various drills. Nope. My mentor (after going through another safety review) walked me down the range and started describing a scenario.
“You’re right here, in a parking lot, just got out of your car, and 20 or 30 feet away, over there, a guy gets out of his car and approaches you. What do you do?”
This wasn’t shooting. What was this? Can’t I just go over there and shoot a magazine at the bowling pins and see how this Glock 36 feels? This was training in tactics.
It became very clear very quickly that carrying a gun isn’t about “carrying a gun.” It’s about all the variations and situations that can occur while you’re carrying a gun. And, more importantly, it’s about how you react to those situations.
My mentor continued, “He starts talking to you, approaching you, asking for directions. What do you do?” No time for an answer. “He’s now 10 feet away, moving faster. What do you do?” But, I… “Now he’s five feet away and pulls a knife. What do you do?” I… “Too late…you’re dead.”
I never even got a chance to think about proper grip, proper presentation, proper sight picture, proper trigger press…I was dead. All to prove a point.
Simply carrying a gun didn’t make me safer in that parking lot scenario. It was, in fact, of no use to me, even though I’ve “practiced” (a lot) shooting a gun. This was the purpose of training. To give me the mental and physical skills to be able to rapidly make a decision, under stress and win the fight.
The Goal Is to Win
The goal is to win. That doesn’t necessarily mean shooting the bad guy. Winning means getting to live to see your loved ones and live another day. Sometimes that means running away as fast as you can. Sometimes it means just telling the bad guy, “No thanks, back off, wrong guy.” Sometimes it means running to cover and then engaging the bad guy.
Sometimes it means shooting one bad guy and not shooting the other. Sometimes it means running into the fight, sometimes it means letting it come to you. Sometimes it means shooting and hitting repeatedly until you know with absolute certainty that the bad guy is dead. The only “right” answer is doing what it takes to go home to your loved ones.
The scenarios created by my mentor made training more real. Running a scenario and making that split second decision made it much more real. Even though it was only bowling pins, the added effect of an imagined scenario, varying threats, my mentor’s voice taking the part of the bad guy responding to my verbal engagement, etc. made things much more serious; brought the reality home much more drastically and heavily.
Carrying a gun is serious, serious business. If you only practice and don’t train, if you do get into a threat confrontation, it will be too late.
I was privately embarrassed at how naive I had been to think that simply qualifying for the concealed carry permit and carrying a gun made me ready to carry a gun.
Refresh Your Perishable Skills
Practicing is not training. Even after many, many “practices,” when we started training and my mentor said, “Shooter ready? Go!” I went right back to my bad habits. It takes a lot of correct, trained practice to make it work in a stressful scenario. How much more correct, trained practice will it take to make it all stick when the real deal happens and bullets are flying at my head? A lot.
However, it was important for me to learn that even though my grip isn’t quite where I want it to be and that my presentation isn’t as smooth as I want it to be, my stance needs some work…I still got hits. Lots of them. Only two or three times did it take more than one shot to get a hit.
“You shoot better than half the guys I trained with in the police.”
stated my mentor. Doesn’t say much for the police force. But it does mean that practice is better than nothing.
How many of you concealed carry people haven’t been out on the range in a month? When was the last time you practiced presentation? When was the last time you did some dry firing and practiced your trigger press? Do something. Think about that while I pull out my soapbox…
I believe whole-heartedly in the individual right to keep and bear arms. The right to defend ourselves with more than a rock and smooth talk when necessary is what makes the USA unique and blessedly so.
Philosophically, I disagree with the laws that require tests and classes and qualifications to exercise that right (I don’t see any classes and permits to exercise your First Amendment rights).
But, just as I believe an individual must exercise reasonable personal restraint when exercising freedom of speech, if you’re going to carry a gun, you’ve got to have the discipline to get trained and keep getting trained. Just as I believe it’s a duty for citizens to be willing to defend themselves and others, I believe it’s a moral imperative to be trained to do it well.
Even just the few hours I spent on the range training with my mentor, proved to me how little I knew and how ill prepared I was for a confrontation. Not physically but mentally. Only training can get you prepared mentally. My brief experience showed me how much more I need to do to prepare myself and I’m committed to doing it.
If you’re going to carry, you’ve got to make that commitment as well. Don’t let the city or county or state tell you how it has to be done. If you go do it on your own, then they won’t have to go into big brother mode and do any more legislating than they’ve already done. DO IT! If you can’t do anything else, practice is better than nothing. I’m putting the soapbox away.
Good Training, Good Lessons
Practicing is not training. Training gave me the opportunity to have to decide if I would carry my gun in my hand while I ran or leave it holstered, how fast to run, how to clear a shell that didn’t eject, reloading, stumbling over a rock, not clearing my clothing completely with my support hand, breathing hard and trying to get hits, working behind cover, etc. And many other things that I wasn’t even aware of consciously. And…it increased my confidence.
I discovered that I didn’t even notice the recoil of the .45. In the heat of the moment, I never thought about “too much gun.” I was surprised to find out that the narrower grip of the Glock 36 didn’t fit the way my fingers curved around it. My “refined” hands like the thicker grip. Until I get to be a better shot, I think I like the idea of 9 vs. 6 in a magazine as well. I also learned I could get 2 out of 3 on a bowling pin at forty yards (says more about the gun than the shooter, trust me). I couldn’t have learned any of this without training. And it fed my desire to be a more skilled and confident practitioner of the 2nd Amendment.
Train, train, train…if the goblins come, be ready.
I’ve heard people complain that the NRA is too right-wing, too unwilling to compromise, too extreme, too this, too that. Well, even if all of that were true, let’s be honest; without the NRA there would be no D.C. v Heller and there would be no Printz v US. Your ability to keep and bear arms, your ability to hunt, your ability to purchase a firearm would be different than it is today. No organization has done more to preserve our liberties as armed citizens.
We need the NRA and, the NRA needs you. With the present administration and the climate in Washington DC, your 2nd Amendment rights are threatened. Will Congress risk the debacle of 1994 again? Are they still considering us bitter gun-clinging fanatics that won’t organize? Time will tell. But, if we sit back and hope for the best and do nothing, we’ll deserve it if the worst comes.
Take advantage of the NRA’s FREE membership now. Right now. We have to stand up and be counted and joining the NRA is a powerful way to be heard.
Starting Out
After passing the concealed carry class, I discovered that taking the class was the easy part. The first time I carried a gun was a nerve racking experience. I knew that everyone I met was going to “know” I had a gun and would be panicked.
I started by carrying the gun in one pocket and the magazine in another. My inexperience lead me to believe I’d somehow accidentally discharge the gun. With time, I got more accustomed until I felt funny going anywhere without it. I would try to get to the range and practice but didn’t get out as regularly as I “should.”
It was a year after getting my permit that I had the chance to do more than practice. The lessons I learned took me to the next step on my conversion journey.
Safety
We’ve all heard the lists of do’s and don’ts but it all starts before you get to the range. You have to ask yourself, “do I want to die today?” “Do I want to kill someone else today?” “Do I want to destroy anything with my firearm today?” Sound a little over the top? The answers seem obvious. But if you answer, “no,” you must make the decision that you will do nothing that compromises safety in any way.
At the risk of embarrassing yourself; at the risk of taking more time; at the risk of embarrassing others, you will never compromise safety for any reason. When you pick up a firearm, it’s deadly serious.
Mentors
When you are starting out, find a mentor or several mentors. Books, DVDs, the internet, etc, are all fine but you need to find someone you trust who has a wealth of experience because nothing takes the place of experience. When you’re just starting out, you don’t have any so borrow and learn from someone else’s. You need personal, face-to-face, on the range time.
I’ve had great mentors; my dad and my grandfather when I was starting out. They taught me how to be safe and how to take care of a gun in the context of hunting. Defensive shooting is entirely different but that initial familiarity was important. I found a great mentor in a local NRA certified instructor who, with a phone call and the price of ammo, is always willing to take me out and give me pointers, let me shoot different guns.
Call the NRA or go on the web to find a local NRA instructor. Call your local shooting supply store and ask them whom they recommend. If you have a local outdoor television show, call the station and talk to the host. Trust me, these guys aren’t real “Hollywood types” they are a whole lot nicer and more approachable. They’ll, more often than not, be happy to help.
I’m lucky, one of my closest friends was an LEO instructor and has competed in three-gun competitions, cowboy shooting…all kinds of things. He’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know about shooting. I trust and admire him. I have a standing invitation to get together with him and shoot and train whenever schedules allow. I finally took him up on it as I was looking to make a purchase and wanted to shoot the various guns.
Pick Your Gun
Whatever is in your budget, feels comfortable in your hand, and is at least a 9mm. It’s not the gun, it’s the shooter. As Dr. Ignatius Piazza of Front Sight fame says, “Any gun will do if you’ll do.”
The choice is a personal one and can be different for every shooter. It’s your choice. Even if all your friends are comfortable with a particular make, model, or caliber, if you’re not…you won’t carry it. Then, it doesn’t matter which gun you chose. I looked primarily at the Springfield XDs and the Glocks. Both great guns. If I could afford it, I’d buy both. It comes down to personal preference.
Initially, I had looked at the .40 caliber models. I was worried that 9mm was too small, that .45 was too much gun, etc. But my mentor said something that made sense to me. “If you can get a bigger bullet and shoot it comfortably, go bigger.”
Well…okay. Even though I really like the ergonomics and the beefier guide rails on the XD, I wanted a .45. Springfield doesn’t make an XD in the sub compact size in a .45 so, I went with the Glock.
Now, I have what I will call, “refined,” hands…okay, they’re little, sissy, girlie hands (no offense to sissies). I was unsure about whether or not I could hold the double stack Glock 30 but I wanted more than 6 bullets in a single stack Glock 36 magazine.
Again, my mentor, “I’m going to make sure I know how to make every shot count. It’ll be a rare situation indeed when I meet more than 7 bad guys at once.”
Could I actually conceal anything bigger than the slimmer Glock 36? Lots of questions. Questions that are only answered with experience and training.
Practice and Training
Practicing is not training. Practicing is shooting a couple of magazines at a paper target. Training is learning to get comfortable with your gun, your grip, your stance, etc. before you ever go to the range and start shooting. Training is what will actually prepare you for conflict and confrontation.
My mentor introduced me to the Glock, showed me it’s features, told me what to look for if I was looking at purchasing a used gun, and then showed me how to field strip it. Then, we worked on stance, grip, presentation, etc. Then, I spent the duration of “Blackhawk Down,” disassembling and reassembling the Glock.
Practicing is simply repetition. Training is what gives practice meaning and value. For example: If you learn an effective grip and train slowly building speed to attain that effective grip, then you can repeat the effective grip again as practice until your muscle memory makes the effective grip automatic. Practicing an ineffective grip gives you nothing more than an ingrained bad habit.
This came back to haunt me on the range the next day.
A dual-purpose motorcycle is the modern adventure-traveler’s premier form of transportation. The attraction of touring the globe on two wheels is obvious…much less obvious are how a dual-purpose motorcycle is useful to a sportsman and those that appreciate emergency readiness.
For Adventure:
Adventure touring on dual-purpose motorcycles has enjoyed increased popularization due in part to recent celebrity rides:
Riding dual-purpose bikes evolved from a time when most roads were not paved and there was a need for a two-wheeled conveyance to perform on dirt and roads. The modern version of this sport, Enduro racing remains popular today.
Some hunters have used dual-purpose motorcycles to access territory not available to standard off-road vehicles. Modern electric motorcycles provide an almost completely silent engine:
For Emergency Readiness:
Living in Los Angeles during the riots and earthquakes taught me a few things about emergency travel in urban areas. Some events call for emergency evacuation. If under normal conditions, the smallest variation in weather conditions or traffic emergencies cause traffic to pile up for miles, what can we expect during a natural disaster or civil emergency?
If such an emergency were to occur, having a dual-purpose bike that gets 50 MPG + could come in very handy. Although riding itself presents certain hazards, the risk can be mitigated through proper training and wearing of protective gear from manufacturers like:
Since there are several dual-purpose motorcycles we like we thought we would, can you smell it?
..wait for it…
here it comes…
SOTS Top 5 Dual-Purpose Motorcycles:
5. Suzuki V Strom
Pros: Exceptional horse-power and comfortable saddle and riding position.
Cons: Mediocre suspension and a horrible name
4. Yamaha WR 250
Pros: Excellent engineering from a company with a strong presence in offroad racing.
Cons: Low on power, few accessories for long-range riding and Spartan ergonomics
