48409933 concealed weapon crash unknown

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Concealed Carry Magazine, USCCA and Delta Media, LLC are not responsible for mishaps of any kind which may occur from use ofpublished firearms information, equipment recommendations, tactics and training advice or from recommendations by staff orcontributing writers. Carrying a concealed weapon can be very dangerous if you are not well trained and familiar with the weaponyou carry. Now dont get us wrong, its not the governments job to tell you how much training you need! It is your responsibility asan armed citizen. Notice: Some advertisements may concern products that are not legally for sale to California residents orresidents in other jurisdictions. If this bothers you, GET INVOLVED! Support the bill of rights and vote for folks that believe in thenatural born right to self-defense. No advertised or reviewed item is intended for sale in those states, or in those areas where localrestrictions may limit or prohibit the purchase, carrying or use of certain items. Check local laws before purchasing. Mention of aproduct or service in advertisements or text does not necessarily mean that it has been tested or approved by Concealed CarryMagazine, USCCA or Delta Media, LLC.

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Introduction

Askanyprofessionaltrainer,andtheywilltellyouthatoneofthemostimportantqualitiesina

personwhoistakingstepstogettheirConcealedWeaponspermitisthattheyarealwaysreadyandwillingtolearn. Infact,Idontknowasingletrainerwhohaseversaid,There.NoIknoweverythingthereistoknowaboutthis.NowIcanfinallytakeabreak

Noway!BecominganArmedCitizenandwarriorisaneverendingroadtowardeducationand

enlightenment.IhopethatfromthisCCWCrashCourse,youwillgainavividunderstandingofthe

importanceofcontinuedlearningonthesubjectofcarryingconcealed.

Goodreading,friend.

Table of Contents

TheConstitutionalRightandSocialObligationtoCarryaGun 1

CommonSensePointersforCarryingConcealed 8

ChoosingtheRightHandgunforYou 10

CarryingaGunisNotaHobby 13

Afterthe

Shooting

Stops

16

PrincipalsofSelfDefense 22

ConditionOneandOnly 27

IsYourConcealedCarryHandgunReliable? 30

Complacency 32

ForceonForceNotebook:TheGunGrab 35

Fundamentalsof

Handgun

Shooting

40

ImportanceofCarrying100%oftheTime 46

GettheMostOutofYourTraining 48

ManagingUncertainty 54


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1

THECONSTITUTIONALRIGHTANDSOCIALOBLIGATIONTOCARRYAGUNRobertH.Boatman

CarryingAGunIsAnAbsoluteRight

TheframersoftheConstitutionwereundernopressurefromtheNRAwhentheywrote"the

rightofthepeopletokeepandbeararmsshallnotbeinfringed."

Inthesamesparesentence,theyreaffirmedtheirhistoricalpreferencefora"militia"overa

standingarmy,andindicatedthatthismilitiashouldbecomposedofarmedcitizens citizensofa"free

state"whoserighttokeepandbeararmsmustneverbeinfringed.Antifreedomzealots,including

academicinvalidsandthehypocritesofthemisnamedAmericanCivilLibertiesUnion,havestoodon

theirpointyheadsintorturedattemptstomisinterpretthissentenceeversince.Thoseofuswhoknow

howtoreadtheEnglishlanguagehavenotroubleatall.

Therightofthepeopletokeepandbeararmsshall

notbeinfringed.THERIGHTOFTHEPEOPLEtokeepand

beararmsshallNOTbeinfringed.Therightofthepeople

TOKEEPANDBEARARMSshallNOTbeinfringed.Theright

ofthepeopletokeepandbeararmsSHALLNOTBE

INFRINGED.WhatpartofNOTdotheilliteratesoutto

subverttheConstitutionNOTunderstand?

TheConstitutionofthestateofPennsylvania

(adoptedSeptember28,1776)allocatedmorewordsto

makethepointevenmoreunmistakable:"XIII.Thatthe

peoplehavearighttobeararmsforthedefenseof

themselvesandthestate;andasstandingarmiesinthe

timeofpeacearedangeroustoliberty,theyoughtnotto

bekeptup;andthatthemilitaryshouldbekeptunderstrict

subordinationto,andgovernedby,thecivilpower."

Indeed,theindividualrighttokeepandbeararms

forpersonaldefenseisbasedonexactlythesameprinciple

asciviliancontrolofthemilitary.OnewondersiftheACLU

wouldarguewiththat.

TheSecondAmendment,likemostotherarticlesintheBillofRights,wasadoptedfromthe

EnglishBillofRightsof1689which,inturn,wasbasedoncenturiesofEnglishCommonLaw.English

juristSirWilliamBlackstoneobservedthattheEnglishBillofRightsclearlymeantthatEnglishmen


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2

possessed"therightofhavingandusingarmsforselfpreservationanddefense"andthat"havingarms

suitablefortheirdefense"wasoneofthefiveauxiliaryrightspeoplepossessed"toprotectandmaintain

inviolatethethreegreatandprimaryrights,"thefirstofwhichis"personalsecurity."

UnfortunatelyfortheEnglishpeople,theyhavebeenpersuadedbytheirownfarleft

governmentand

insidious

anti

gun

activists

to

allow

the

English

Bill

of

Rights

to

be,

as

they

might

say,

shatupon.Today,theEnglishdonothavetherighttokeepandbeararmsforselfpreservationand

defense.Asadirectresult,theyliveinacrimeriddensocietythatgrowsworsewitheachpassingday.

Therecent2000InternationalCrimeVictimsSurveypublishedbytheDutchMinistryofJustice,a

highlyrespectedandaccuratemeasurementofthepercentageofpeoplebynationwhoarevictimsof

violentcrimes,rankedEnglandfaraheadoftheUnitedStates(whichranked8th),andsecondonlyto

Australia(whereEnglishstyleantigunlawsarealsoineffect)asthemostviolentnation.Arecently

disarmedEnglandnowhastwiceasmuchviolentcrimeastheUnitedStates.

TheEnglishHomeOffice,whichcooperatedinthesurvey,hasrefusedtopublishthesefindings

inEngland.

It's

better

not

to

remind

the

gullible

subjects

how

empty

were

the

promises

of

safety

and

securityforwhichtheysoeagerlytradedawaytheirveryrealandpricelessfreedomsand

responsibilities.ThegreatRomanphilosopherandsenator,Cicero,immortalizedarmedselfdefenseas

an"inalienableright"morethan2,000yearsbeforetheU.S.Constitutiondidso.Cicerosaid:Thereexists

alaw,notwrittendownanywherebutinborninourhearts;alawwhichcomestousnotbytrainingor

customorreadingbutbyderivationandabsorptionandadoptionfromnatureitself;alawwhichhas

cometousnotfromtheorybutfrompractice,notbyinstructionbutbynaturalintuition.Irefertothe

lawwhichlaysitdownthat,ifourlivesareendangeredbyplotsorviolenceorarmedrobbersor

enemies,anyandeverymethodofprotectingourselvesismorallyright.

Evenpeople

to

whom

armed

self

defense

is

but

aremote

abstraction

often

endorse,

without

evenrealizingit,theunquestionableprinciplesunderlyingtherighttocarryagun.JaronLanier,writing

inDiscoverMagazine(Feb.2001)saidinreferencetonewcopyrightprotectiontechnology "Ina

democracy,citizensaresupposedtoactaspartnersinenforcinglaws.Thoseforcedtofollowrules

withoutbeingtrustedevenforamomentare,infact,slaves."

Itisperfectlyobviousthatwehaveanaturalrighttoarmourselvesandtokillanycriminalor

otherforcethatthreatensusjustassurelyasanelephanthasarighttokillanattackinglionanda

motherbearhasarighttokillawolfgrinningsuspiciouslyathercubs.Animalrightsextremistsextend

theanimals'righttothekillingofhumansundersuchcircumstances.

EventheDalaiLama,NobelPeacePrizeandall,saidinMayof2001duringaspeechabout

"nonviolentresolutionstoconflict"to7,600OregonandWashingtonhighschoolstudents "Butif

someonehasagunandistryingtokillyou,itwouldbereasonabletoshootbackwithyourowngun."So

saidtheDalaiLama.Therearecriminalsamonguswhoarebothhomicidalandincorrigible.Their

parentstookashotatcivilizingthemandfailed.Theirschoolteacherstookashotatthemandfailed.

Theoddsareoverwhelmingthatgovernmentwelfareprogramsandpenalinstitutionstookashotat


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3

themandfailed.Ifiteverbecomesyourturntotakeashotatthem,don'tfail.CarryingaGunHas

AlwaysBeenBothaRightAndaDuty

Therehavebeenmanysocietiesinwhichnotcarryingaweaponwasaseriousandseverely

punishablecrime.ThiswastrueinGreece,Rome,Europe,Britainand,thoughseldomenforced,isstill

truein

certain

places

in

America

today.

This

is

as

it

should

be.

A

citizen

who

shirks

his

duty

to

contribute

tothesecurityofhiscommunityislittlebetterthanthecriminalwhothreatensit,andisbetteroffliving

inasocietythatplaceslesserdemandsonhiscapacitytoacceptresponsibility.

ArmedCitizensOfThe21stCentury

In1987,ayearafterGlockswereintroducedtotheU.S.,Floridaenactedapioneering"shall

issue"righttocarrylawthathasservedasthemodelfortherestofthecountry.TheFloridalaw

affirmedtherightofaprivatecitizentocarryaconcealedgunandeliminatedtheabusessotypicalof

"discretionary"righttocarrylawsthatresultedingunpermitsbeingawardedarbitrarilytothepolitical

croniesofpettyofficials,limousineliberals,movieactors,athletesandvariousothercelebrity

representativesof

the

rich

and

famous

crowd,

but

denied

to

so

called

"ordinary"

citizens.

The

Florida

lawmadeitcrystalclearthatanycitizenwithbasicfirearmstrainingandafelonyfreerecordwouldbe

issuedaconcealedcarrypermituponrequest,period.

Florida'slandmarkrighttocarrylawwassupportedbytheFloridaDepartmentofLaw

Enforcement,FloridaSheriffsAssociation,FloridaPoliceChiefsAssociationandotherlawenforcement

groups.AnditwassupportedbyFloridavoters.

Themedia,however,waspredictablyvociferousinitsoppositiontotheexerciseof

Constitutionallyguaranteedrights,andinitstotalsubmissiontothepartylineofradicalantifreedom,

anti

self

defense

and

anti

gun

forces.

Headlines

predicted

vigilante

justice

and

wild

west

shootouts

on

everycorner."Floridawillbecomethe"GunshineState.""Apistolpackingcitizenrywillmeanitchier

triggerfingers.""Florida'sclimateofsmolderingfearwillflashlikenapalmwheneverystrangertotesa

piece.""Everymentalsnapintrafficcouldleadtothecrackofgunfire."

Suchdireandcolorfulpredictions,ofcourse,provedtotallyfalse.Nevertheless,thatsame

hystericalfearmongeringandbaldfacedlyingareusedeventodayeverytimeanewstategetsreadyto

passanenlightenedrighttocarrylaw.Inactualfact,theonlynotablethingthathappenedforthefirst

fiveyearsafterFloridapasseditsrighttocarrylawwasthat,ashomicideratesintheU.S.soared,

Florida'shomicideratefelladramatic23percent.Afewoftheopponentsofconcealedcarryactually

hadthecouragetoadmittheywerewrong.

ThankstotheintensivelobbyingeffortsoftheNRA,alongwiththetirelessgrassrootsworkof

politicallyawaregunowners,33statesnowhaveFloridastylelawswhichrequirethepromptissuance

totheircitizensoflegalpermitstocarryconcealedweapons.WelloverhalfoftheU.S.population,more

than60percentofallhandgunowners,liveinthesefreestates,yetnomorethanonetofivepercent

everapplyforsuchlicenses.


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4

Notwithstandingthefactthatmostpeopledonotcarryguns,themerepossibilitythatan

intendedvictimcouldbearmedwithahandguneliminatesmillionsofcrimeseveryyear.

AccordingtotheFBI,stateswith"shallissue"righttocarrylawshavea26percentlowertotal

violentcrimerate,a20percentlowerhomiciderate,a39percentlowerrobberyrateanda22percent

loweraggravated

assault

rate

than

those

states

that

do

not

allow

their

citizens

to

legally

carry

guns.

ProfessorofCriminologyandCriminalJusticeatFloridaStateUniversity,GaryKleck,inPoint

Blank:GunsandViolenceinAmerica(AldinedeGruyterPublishers,1991)foundthat"robberyand

assaultvictimswhousedaguntoresistwerelesslikelytobeattackedortosufferaninjurythanthose

whousedanyothermethodsofselfprotectionorthosewhodidnotresistatall."

Convictedfelonsrevealinsurveysthattheyaremoreafraidofarmedcitizensthantheyareof

thepolice.Andwelltheyshouldbe.Armedcitizenskill2,000to3,000criminalseachyear,threetimes

thenumberkilledbythepolice.Andonlytwopercentofcivilianshootingsinvolveaninnocentperson

mistakenlyidentifiedasacriminal,whereastheerrorrateforthepoliceismorethanfivetimesthat

high.

Kleck'sresearchshowsthatprivatecitizensusefirearmstoprotectthemselvesandthwartcrime

about2.5milliontimesayear.Citizensusefirearmstopreventmasskillings,bankrobberies,gang

attacks,carjackings,rapes,kidnappingsandhostagetakings.Theyusethemtohelpcaptureprison

escapeesandmurderers,tocometotheaidofoutnumberedorambushedlawenforcementofficers.

Yetonlyahandfulofthese2.5millionlifesavingusesoffirearmsareeverreportedinthemainstream

press.

Ifalotmorepeoplecarriedguns,whatkindofasocietywouldwehave?Certainlynotthekind

predicted

by

anti

gun

fanatics.

Those

hysterical

doomsayers

have

been

proven

absolutely

wrong

one

hundredpercentofthetime.Wouldwehaveacrimefreesociety?Certainlynot.Criminalsareas

naturalandimmunetototaleradicationasfruitflies.Butabetterarmedsocietywouldseverelylimit

theviolentdamagecriminalswreakbeforetheyarestopped.Criminalsarenaturallyselfdestructive.

Thereasonstheyaresodoesn'tmatter.Toassistthemintheirselfdestructivenessisthepoliteand

civilizedthingtodo.Thusanotheragelessaxiom:AnArmedSocietyIsAPoliteSociety.

In1998,JohnR.Lott,Jr.,seniorresearchscholarintheSchoolofLawatYaleUniversity,

authoredthemostcomprehensiveandexhaustivestudyofcrimeandguncontrollawseverconceived,

basedonthelargestdatasetoncrimeeverassembled.Hislandmarkbook,MoreGuns,LessCrime(The

UniversityofChicagoPress,1998,2000),nowavailableinanupdatedsecondedition,includesthorough

analysesofmorethan54,000observationsandhundredsofvariablefactorsacrossmorethan3,000

countiesinall50statesfor18years.


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5

Theassiduouslyresearched

conclusionsreachedbyLottimmediately

setoffawaveofpanicamongantigun

fanaticsanddreworganized,systematic

personalattacksofthemostviciousand

dishonestnature,

including

death

threats

leveledatLottandhiswifeandchildren.

YetnotasingleseriousacademicchallengeofLott'sresearch,hismethodologyorhisincontrovertible

conclusionshaseverbeensuccessfullymounted.Infact,Lott'sconclusionshavereluctantlybeencalled

"bulletproof"evenbytheliberalmainstreampress.

Bottomline,inkeepingwiththetitleofhiswork,themoregunsthereareinsocietyandthe

morethesegunsarecarriedbyprivatecitizens,thelesscrimethereis.

Thesearesomeofthereasonswhypolice,whofightcrimeforalivingandarewellawareofthe

realitiesofstreetcriminals,supportrighttocarrylawsforprivatecitizensbyanoverwhelmingthreeto

onemargin.Thisisanevenhighermarginofsupportforrighttocarrythanthestrongsupportvoicedby

thecivilianpopulation.

Policemenarenobody'spersonalbodyguards.Theirjobsaretofindandarrestpeoplewhohave

committedcrimes,nottopreventsuchpotentialcrimesfromhappeninginthefirstplace.Clearly,the

responsibilityforvictimpreventionlieswiththevictimtobe.

TheSeventhCircuitCourtofAppeals(Bowersv.DeVito,1982)didnotmincewordswhenit

ruled,"ThereisnoConstitutionalrighttobeprotectedbythestateagainstbeingmurderedbycriminals

ormadmen."

WhatItMeansToCarryAGun

ThatloadedpistolinyourholsterisapowerfulexpressionofyourConstitutionallyguaranteed

libertyasanAmericancitizen,yourrecognitionofthesolemndutyyouhavetoyourfellowman,and

yourwillingnesstoacceptthefullweightofalifeanddeathresponsibility.

Whenyouarepreparedtodefendyourself,youareequallypreparedtodefendallofsociety

andallofitsguidingprinciples.Yourresponsibilitiesarethereforemany moral,legalandtactical.That

iswhymostpeople,includinglifelonggunowners,experiencedhuntersandcompetitiveshooters,even

instatesthatfreelyissueconcealedcarrypermits,donotchoosetocarryagun.

Yourmoralresponsibilitiesaretofireyourgunintoanotherhumanbeingonlywhenthelineof

necessityhasclearlybeenreached,andthentofirewithouthesitationandtofulleffect.Rememberthe

wordsofCicero.

Yourlegalresponsibilitiesaretojustifyyouractionstothosewhowouldcallyouacriminalat

thedropofahat,andquitepossiblytoajuryofyourpeers,mostofwhomhaveneitherthecompetence


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6

northecouragetocarryagunintheirowndefense.ReadthefindingsoftheCitizens'SelfDefenseAct

of2001.

Yourtacticalresponsibilitiesaretocarryyourgunwithconfidence,tobewelltrainedinyour

abilitytooperateiteffectively,andtohaveinstilledinyourselfanironwilltousedeadlyforceto

preventor

end

violence

committed

against

yourself

or

others.

Most

of

this

book

is

dedicated

to

your

tacticalresponsibilities,becausethat'swhatwillsaveyourlife.

Violencehappenseitheratrandom,ordirectedtowardtheobviouslyvulnerable,ortoward

someoneinparticularforareason.Youcanrestassureditwillnothappenattheshootingrangewhen

youareallsuitedupinyourspeedrigwithaplanofactionworkedoutforthecomingrunandgun

stage.Itwillhappenwhenyouarehomesleepinginyourbed,shoppingatthegrocerystore,walking

outtogetthemail,mowingthegrass,atdinner,atchurch,atthetheater.

Themostdangerousplacesintheworldarethosecalled"gunfreesafetyzones"bytheir

ignorantpoliticalcreatorsandknownbycriminalsandpsychopathsas"safetokillzones."Evenan

adolescentschool

kid

can

figure

out

that

an

advertised

killing

field

where

no

one

is

allowed

to

shoot

backisthesafestlocationintheworldtocarryoutamassshooting.Don'tevenconsidergoingtoaplace

likethatunarmed,whetherit'syourkid'sschooloranationalpark.Ifyoucan'thandlebreakingthelaw,

don'tgo.

TheassistantprincipalofahighschoolinPearl,Mississippi,brokethelaw.Hekepta.45inhis

carparkedontheschoolgrounds.Whenaderangedstudentopenedfire,JoelMyrickranforhisgun.

TwostudentswerekilledbecauseMyrickhadtoretrievehisgunfromhiscarinsteadofhisholster.But

the.45eventuallyprevailed,andMyrickstoppedthemassacrelongbeforepolicearrivedonthescene.

Godonlyknowshowmanyliveshesaved.ButassistantprincipalJoelMyrickwasn'tawardedany

medals.Of

the

several

hundred

newspaper

and

television

stories

about

the

incident,

only

afew

even

mentionedhisname.Almostnonerevealedthefactthatheusedaguntostopthekillings.

Whenyoubodyguardsomeoneforawhile,orwhenyoujustliveanormallifewithyoureyes

wideopen,yourealizehowvulnerableweallaretobecominganothertidbitofopportunityinthe

relentlessfoodchainthatsustainsthelifeofthisunpredictableworld.It'sarealizationnotofparanoia

butofreality.That'sthewayitis,alwayshasbeen,alwayswillbe.Youcanignoreitoutoffaint

heartedness,denyitoutoflunacy,submittoitoutofafatalisticcontemptforyourownlifeandthelives

ofothers,oryoucanfaceitwithcourageandintelligenceandprepareyourselftodealwithcapricious

reality'spredispositiontowarddanger.

MostofthosedangerscanbemetwithnothingmorethanastrongI'mnotavictimmindset

andbodylanguage.Manyothersmayshrivelwiththedemonstrationofsuperiorverbalskills.Stillothers

mayrequireafundamentalknowledgeofmartialarts,acontainerofpepperspray,amakeshiftclub,the

presenceofawellwieldedknifeorthesightofafirearm.Afew,perhapsoneinalifetime,willnotbe

affectedbyanykindoflessthanlethalresponseandwillnotenduntilyouchurnyourattacker'sdreams

anddeterminationintoachunkyredstewandspewitalloverthestreetwithacoupleofbigbore

hollowpoints.Thetroubleis,youneverknowwhenorwherethatlastoneiscoming.


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7

Ifyoueverfindyourselfunderattackbyanarmedcriminal,youwillbeonthedefensiveandhe

willbeontheoffensive.Inotherwords,hewillhaveastrongadvantagegoingin.And,thoughhewill

nothavetrainedhimselftoshootnearlyaswellasyouhavetrained,hewillbefarmoreexperiencedin

theartofkilling.Theoddsare,anycriminalwhoisintentonkillingyouhasprobablykilledmenbefore,

knowshowtodoit,knowshowitfeelsandlikesit.You'renotgoingtotalkhimoutofit,scarehimout

ofit,

or

wound

him

out

of

it.

You're

going

to

have

to

kill

him.

Studiesshowthatsimplybrandishingaweaponsavesmanylives,butIampersonallyagainstthe

ideaofwavingagunaroundwhileyouradversarythinks.Thewaytoovercomehisoffensiveadvantage

istostrikewithoutwarning.OnceyoumakethedecisiontofreeyourGlockfromitsholstertheentire

situationshouldbeoveranddonewithinasecondortwo.Themostimportantcomponentinpracticing

yourdrawisfiringtheinstantyouhaveasightpictureonyourtarget,andcontinuingtofireuntilyour

assailantnolongerexists.

Morethanacenturyofmilitaryandpoliceresearchtellsusthatmostpeople,includingupto85

percentoftrainedsoldiersandcops,arepsychologicallyunabletousedeadlyforceinalifeordeath

situationnomatterhowcompellingthecircumstancesmaybe.Ifyoucan'tkill,thereisnoreasonfor

youtocarryalethalweapon.

Carryingaloadedgunwiththeabilityandwilltouseitisnotacasualflingmeanttobringsome

excitementintoyourboringlife.Itisanallembracinglifestyleandmusttakeprecedenceoveryour

respectforlaw,yourfearofsocialcriticism,yourloveofhumanity,yourwardrobeandyourdrinking

habits.Youcanneverbeunawareoftheweightyoucarryonyourhiporunderyourarm.Youcannever

forgetyourresponsibilities.YoumustwearyourGlockwiththesameallegianceasyourweddingring.If

you'renotmarried,yourGlockisyourweddingring.Wearitforlife.Don'teventhinkaboutleaving

homewithoutit.Bepreparedtouseitatamoment'snotice.Carryitallthetime.Andshoottokill.

"Libertyordeath,"themeaningofwhichisclearandabsolute,isbutatrivialphraseifyoudo

notcarryagun.ForfreedomlovingAmericans,thefivemostimportantwordsintheEnglishlanguage

are,andalwayshavebeen frommycolddeadhands.

ThisarticlewasreprintedwithpermissionandcondensedfromachapterinRobertBoatman's

BookLivingwithGLOCKS.Mr.Boatmancanbereachedat:[email protected].

Thisbookisavailablefromwww.boatmanbooks.com.

ViewmoreofRobertBoatman's2ndAmendmentwritingat:www.ironwordranch.com.

Also,viewwww.customizeyourglock.comfortheirGlockmanual.


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8

COMMONSENSEPOINTERSFORCARRYINGCONCEALEDPaulBenjamin

Becauseourlivesaresobusy,wemayoverlooksomeimportantdetails:

Howmanyofuscarryconcealedfirearmsforpersonalprotection,butcantrememberthelast

timethatwepracticedwiththem?

Howmanyofuscarryourfirearmsunderbusinesssuitsallweek,butpracticeattherangein

jeansandTshirts?

Howmanyofuscarryourfirearmsloadedwithexpensive,selfdefenseammunition,butonly

practicewith

cheaper,

target

loads?

Wehavetopracticeregularlywiththefirearmsthatwecarry.Wearecountingonthese

firearmstoprotectourlives.Howoftendowehavetopractice?Thisvarieswithourindividual,personal

performanceandbudget.Whenpracticingcorrectlyandregularly,aminimumofthirtytofiftyroundsa

fewtimesamonthisgood.Remember,wearenotpracticingbecausewecantwaittoshootthebad

guys.

Bypracticing,ourmindsandbodiesmaintainfamiliaritywithourfirearms.Wetherebyincrease

ourprobabilityofneutralizingthebadguysandreducetherisksofhittinginnocentbystanders.

Ifyoucarryyourfirearmunderasuitjacket,youmustpracticedrawingfromconcealmentwhile

wearingasuitjacket.Ifyourfirearmhasanexternalsafetythatmustbetakenoffbeforefiring,practice

takingthesafetyoffbeforeshootingeachstringoffire.Practicesothatclearingtheclothing,gripping

thefirearm,drawingthefirearm,takingthesafetyoff,pointingthefirearmdownrange,andplacingyour

fingeronthetriggerallbecomeonenatural,fluidmotion.Forexample,ifyoucarryinyourfrontpocket,


13/63


9

canyoudrawwithoutthefirearmorholstergettingsnaggedonthepocketlining?Thistypeofpractice

willexposedefectsinyourcarryordraw,andtherebyallowyoutocorrecttheproblembeforeyouneed

todefendyourself.

Remember,ifyouhavetodrawyourfirearmtodefendyourself,youarereactingtosomeones

aggressivemoves.

They

are

already

in

motion,

while

you

are

catching

up.

Your

drawing

and

firing

have

tobeasnaturalasbreathing.Youwillnothavetimetothinkabouteachstep.

Inexpensivetargetammunitioncanbeusedwhiledevelopingandmaintainingsightalignment,

triggerandgripcontrol,andmostoftheotherbasics.However,differentammunitionwillvaryinits

performanceandfeel.Periodically,shootaboutsixroundsoftheexacttypeofammunitionthatyou

carry.Thiswillmaintainyourfamiliaritywiththedifferencesandwillpreventsomeunwantedsurprises,

suchasincreasedrecoil.

Iplantowriteasecondarticlethataddressessomemorecommonsensetipsindetail.Fornow,

hereareafewmorequicktipgems:

Ifnecessary,womenshouldconsidermodifyingtheirwardrobestoenablethemselvestocarry

theirfirearmsontheirpersons,ratherthanintheirpurses.Thefirstthingalotofbadguysgoafteris

purses.Iftheygetyourpurseandyourgunisinit,theyhaveeverything.

Whereveryoucarryyourgunconcealed,practicegettingtoit,drawingit,takingthesafetyoff,

etc.Dothiswithanunloadedfirearm.Itismuchsafertodiscoveraflawinyourdrawwhenbulletscant

comeout.Removealloftheammunitionfromthearea.Checkanddoublecheckthefirearmtobesure

thatitisunloaded.Dontevergetshotwithanunloadedgun.

Chooseaconcealedcarrymethodthattrulyconcealsyourfirearm.Ifyoucarryinafront

pocketand

the

pants

are

tight

enough

for

the

outline

of

agun

to

show,

you

are

not

carrying

concealed;

youaremerelycarryingcovered.

Whenyoumakeitobviousthatyouarearmed,youputyourselfatadisadvantage.Yousimply

becomemarkedasthefirsttarget.Ontheotherhand,whenyoutrulyconcealyourfirearm,youhavean

aceinthehole.

PaulBenjaminisanNRACertifiedInstructor,PAStatecertifiedAct235LethalWeaponsagent

andinstructor,PolicePistolCombatCompetitor,andnamedtothePAGovernorsTwentyforthepast

fouryears.


14/63


10

CHOOSINGTHERIGHTHANDGUNFORYOUGeorgeHarris

There

are

a

plethora

of

options

and

decisions

to

be

made

when

it

comes

to

selecting

a

concealedcarryhandgun.Mostpeoplewantthemostpowerful,smallestinsize,nightsightandlaser

equipped,highcapacity,recoillesshandgunthatweighslittlemorethantheammunitionitcarriesfora

bargainprice.Unfortunately,inaworldofcompromise,thisisaclassicexample.Theconcealedcarry

handgunfortheseriouscarrierisawellthoughtouttoolthatspeakstothespecificsoftheindividual's

needandutility.

InkeepingwiththeappliedmethodologyofObjectiveBasedTraining,fromwhichallclassesat

theSIGARMSAcademyarebasedon,selectionofaconcealedcarryhandguncanbesimplified

significantly.Therewillbecompromisesforsure,butmostlikelytheyarecompromisesthatwecanlive

withoncetheconceptisunderstood.

Letmesaythatwhatyouareabouttoreadisnotallencompassingbutitwillgiveyoufoodfor

thoughtandastartingpointintheselectionfortheoptimumconcealedcarryhandgunforyou.

Whyyouarecarryingaconcealedhandguninthefirstplaceneedsanhonestanswer.Isit

becauseyouareanarmedprofessionalorareyouaresponsiblecitizencarryingconcealedbecauseyou

areexercisingyourrighttolegallydoso?

Asanarmedprofessionaltheequipmentselectionisoftenlimitedtotheissuedutygunoran

optionalpiecethatmeetsaspecificcriterionlikebrandorcaliberparameters.Usuallyaqualification

coursemustbesatisfactorilycompletedaswelltoverifyamaintainedproficiencywiththehandgunof

choice.Someorganizationsaremorepermissivethanothersbutnevertheless,someofourdecisions

regardingweaponandammunitionarealreadymadeforus.

Thisleavesuswithdecisionsoncarrylocation,holstertype,andhowmuchspareammunitionto

carryandwheretocarryitamongtheotheritemsnecessaryforthejob.

Asaresponsiblecitizen,theselectionforconcealedcarryequipmentiswideopen.Withso

manychoicestomake,itishardtonarrowthefielddowntoonegunanditssupportequipment.Atthe

SIGARMSAcademywefeelthatthesimpleryoukeepthingsthebetter.Thismeansratherthanhavinga

varietyofdifferenttypesofgunsandsupportequipmentforthesamejob,makethebestselectionyou

canat

the

time

and

train

hard

with

that

equipment

so

that

when

the

"time

to

perform"

comes,

your

likelihoodofsuccessisgreat.

UsingObjectiveBasedAnalysistostudythesubjectfurther,we'llfirstlookatwhatthe

anticipateduseofthehandgunmightbe.Asaresponsiblecitizenitisreasonabletoexpectthatan

encounterrequiringtheuseofahandgunwouldbeincloseproximitytotheadversaryandpossiblytake

placeinaspontaneoustimeframewithlessthanideallightconditions.Thissuggeststhatthegunneeds

tobecarriedinalocationwhereitcanbequicklydrawnanddriventothetargetwithasinglehanded


15/63


11

gripthatisconducivetodeliveringeffectivefireutilizingthemethodsofpointshootingtaughtinour

classes.

Therecommendationforthisapplicationwouldbetocarryaproperlyfittedgun,inaconcealed

holsteronthedominantside,withthegripframepositionedsothatafiringgripcouldbeaccomplished

withanatural

placement

of

the

hand.

The

holster

should

be

constructed

so

that

asingle

hand

recovery

totheoriginalcarrylocationcouldbeeffectedincasebothhandswereneededforcontrolofthe

adversaryorescape.

Anindividual'sbodysizeandtypewilldeterminewhetherthecarrylocationshouldbeinfront

of,at,orbehindthepointofthedominantsidehip,insideoroutsideofthetrousers,oratanother

locationmeetingthecriterion.Waistsizeandindividualrangeofmotionofthedominantarmfactorin

asdoesthevarietyofbodypositionsthatthepersonmayfindthemselvesinwhenthegunisneeded.

Keepinmindthatyoumaybestanding,seated,flatonyourback,oranywhereinbetweenwhenthe

needforyourgunisimminent.

Handsize

is

of

particular

interest

when

selecting

aconcealed

carry

handgun.

If

the

gun

is

fitted

properlytotheshootersothatthemuzzleisnaturallypositionedonthetargetasthehandisextended

towardthetarget,thesizeandtypeofhandguncanbevalidatedforoptimumperformance.Thesizeof

thepalmimpactssignificantlyonthegripsizethatashootercanaccommodateandthelengthofthe

triggerfingeristhefinalreferencetodeterminetheidealsizedpistolorrevolver.Thatbeingsaid,there

issuchthingasahandgunbeingtoosmallforpracticaluse.Ifthegripofthegunissosmallthatatleast

twofingerscan'tbewrappedaroundit,stabilizingthegunformultipleshotsisgoingtobechallenging.

Thetriggermustbepulledtofirethegun.Somehandsizesinproportiontogunsizeswillnotallowfor

sufficientrangeofmotiontofullypullthetriggertofirethegun.Thepointisthatiftheconcealedcarry

handguncan'tbedrawnanddriventothetargettodeliverthefullcomplementofammunition(if

needed)with

ahigh

hit

probability,

another

option

should

be

exercised.

You

just

can't

miss

fast

enough

toachievesuccess.Itisbulletplacementthatisessentialtorealizingapositiveoutcomewithahandgun.

Sightsfortheconcealedcarryhandgunareamatterofpersonalpreference.Inacloserange

streetencounterthereisagoodlikelihoodthattheywon'tfactorinasessentialitems.However,thefact

thattheyarethere,andarewhatyouarecomfortablewith,givesapsychologicaladvantageforsuccess.

Ammunitionselectionisahighlydebatedissueandoneofthethingsthatkeepusinthe

unendingquestforthe"magicbullet".Ifyouwanttogetthebestinformationavailableastobullet

performanceonlivingtissue,contactseveraltraumaroomsurgeonsandseewhattheyhavetosay

about

terminal

ballistics

in

actual

cases.

You

will

find

it

interesting

what

the

medical

folks

say

as

comparedtoacceptedbeliefsinthefirearmscommunity.Again!Itisbulletplacementonthetargetthat

isessentialtorealizingapositiveoutcomewithahandgun.

Haveenoughammunitionwithyouforareload.TherecenteventoftheTrolleySquareshooting

inUtahwasalessonlearnedinhavingextraammunitionavailablewhentheshootingstarts.


16/63


12

Theprecedinginformationshouldhelpsignificantlyineithervalidatingyourpresentchoiceofa

concealedcarryhandgunortheselectionofthebestonetofityourneeds.Aboveall,haveagunandbe

abletouseitwhentheneedarises.

AbouttheAuthor:

GeorgeHarrishasspentover30yearsinthefieldofAdultEducationwithmorethan17yearsat

theSIGARMSAcademy.GeorgecompletedhisundergraduatestudiesattheUniversityofVirginiaand

earnedhisdegreeinCommunicationsfromtheDeVryInstituteofTechnology.Hehasfocusedhisefforts

inthearenasofsmallarms,smallarmstrainingandcombatskilldevelopment.Georgehasevolvedfrom

anInfantrySoldier,SmallArmsRepairTechnician,andDrillInstructortobecometheCoachandFiring

MemberoftheInternationallyrecognizedUnitedStatesArmyReserveCombatMarksmanshipTeam.As

acompetitiveshooter,GeorgehasthecoveteddistinctionofbeingDistinguishedwithboththeService

PistolandtheServiceRifle.

RatedasaClass"C"CoachbytheNationalRifleAssociation,GeorgehasalonglistofInstructor

certificationsfrom

Federal

and

State

Agencies

as

well

as

private

training

organizations.

He

holds

ArmorerCertificationsfromthemajorfirearmsmanufacturerscurrentlyproducingsmallarmsforlaw

enforcementandthemilitary.

Georgeisactiveinanumberofprofessionalorganizationswhichincludeamongothers,

InternationalAssociationofLawEnforcementFirearmsInstructors,AmericanSocietyforTrainingand

DevelopmentandAmericanSocietyforIndustrialSecurity.

AsDirectoroftheSIGARMSAcademy,Georgeiscommittedtothesafeandsuccessfuluseof

firearmsbyarmedprofessionalsandresponsiblecitizensalikethroughusingtheSIGPrincipleofTraining:

Simple

Is

Good!


17/63


13

CARRYINGAGUNISNOTAHOBBYOlegVolk

Carrying

a

handgun

has

a

lot

in

common

with

riding

a

bicycle.

Both

are

skills

which

require

practice,goodhardwareandaretypicallydoneforenjoymentandhealthbenefits.Bothpractices

requirecommonsenseforsafety.Forexample,donningblackclothesandridingabikeinthemiddleofa

busyhighwayafterdarkwouldnegateanybenefitsfromimprovedcardiachealth.Manysmartpeople

whoarenewtocarryingasidearmdothingswhichareatleastascounterproductive.Let'sconsiderthe

caseofacertainJoeAboveaverage.

Joe'sfirsthandgunwasafullsizemodel.Forthefirstdays,herelishedthefeelingofheavy

metalridingonhiship.Bythesecondweek,thatweightbecameabitofanuisance.Afteramonth,just

astheweathergothotandconcealingthatgunbecamedifficult,helefthispistolathomewhenrunning

errands.Afterall,makingaruntothelocalgrocerystorewasn'tahighriskmission.Oneday,heread

aboutaholdupathislocalconveniencestore,thoughtaboutthelargehandgunleftinthesafeand

decidedthatasmallguninhispocketwouldbefarmoreusefulthanabiggunbehind.Hegotthe

smallestweaponavailableandcarriedit

withhimatalltimes.

Weallrationalizegoingwiththe

mostcomfortablesolutions.Joereasoned

thatbringinganyguntoafightwouldbe

enoughscareanypotentialadversary.If

thatfailed,surelyafewshotswouldbe

enoughto

get

him

out

of

trouble.

Fortunately,hegottotestthattheoryand

survive.

Joe'skidswereplayingintheyard

whenaclearlyrabidraccoonwanderedin.Joehadhistinypistolinapocketholster.Asagoodfather

should,heshottostoptheimmediatethreattohischildren.

Hehittheanimalwithallsixroundsandwatcheditlimpoffintothenearestbushes.Although

thedangerwasaverted,Joegottothinkingabouttheincident.Ifafullmagazinefromhisgundidnot

stopatwentypoundcritter,whatgoodwoulditdoagainstamotivatedtwohundredpoundhuman

adversary.

Whynotgetthebestofbothworlds,agunwhichispowerfulyetlightandsmall?Joedidthat

andfoundthatsolutiontohavedrawbacksofitsown.Painfulrecoildiscouragedregularpractice.


18/63


14

Joedidthemanlythingandignoredthepainuntilhecouldnolongerfeelhisrighthand.Atthat

point,hedecidedtotalktoothergunownersandfindoutwhichotherbrightideasdidnotworksowell

inreallife.Learningtheirexperiencewouldsavehimtimeandmoney.

Toomanygunownerstreattheseriousbusinessofgoingarmedasanextensionoftheir

shootingsports

hobby.

Some

carry

arevolver

one

day,

adouble

action

autoloader

the

next,

and

a

singleactioncollectibleontheweekend.Alternatingbetweendissimilardesignsinvitestroubleshould

oneoftheweaponsbeactuallyneededfordefense.Why?Drasticallydifferentmanualsofarmswithin

thevarioushandgunscanleadtoconfusionduringoperation.AnM1911requiresadownwardswipeto

disengagethesafety.Consequently,apersonaccustomedtothatdesignislikelytoreengagethesafety

onaBeretta92oraS&Wautoloader,whichrequireanupwardsweeptomakeready.Auserhabituated

tousingaGlockwouldfindaSigdecockerleverwheretheslidestopwasexpected.Ingeneral,itisbest

tousedifferentversionsofthesamelineofhandguns,suchascompact,mediumandlargeframe

doubleactionrevolvers.Similarly,itisagoodideatosticktoaconsistentholstertypeandcarry

location.Forgettingwhichpocketcontainstheweapon,orneglectingtodisengageathumbbreakona

holstercould

have

fatal

consequences.

Firearmenthusiastslikeussometimescarryaparticularweaponjust

becausetheyenjoyvariety.Ihaveobservedapersonwhocouldhave

concealedafullsizehandguncarryaBerettaMinxin.22Shortonawhim.

Whiledoingsomadeuseofhisrighttocarry,itprovidedonlyatentative

defensefromanyrealthreat.Onanotheroccasion,hepickeda.45Colt

derringerforaweekbeforelearningthatthegunwasextremelyinaccurate,

shotwellawayfromthepointofaim,andthatthetriggerwassoheavythat

bothhandswererequiredtopressit.Unusualorclassicdesignsmaybefun

to

use,

but

most

of

them

are

much

inferior

to

the

more

conventional

options.

Thephrase"Itwillneverhappentome"isanobviousexampleof

comfortingselfdelusion.Aslightlylessobviousexampleis"Thisgunis

meantforcloserange."Thatstatementpresumesthatthedefenderwillget

topicktherangeoftheencounter,anobviouslyoptimisticstatement.

Moreover,iftheusercanbarelyhitapassive,stationarysilhouettetargetat

justafewfeet,howwouldhedoagainstamoving,duckingopponentwhois

shootingback?

Atthe

other

extreme,

selecting

atarget

.22

pistol

would

help

with

scoring

hits...but

human

foes

arefarmoreresilientthanpapersilhouettes.

Fansofsmallcaliberslike.22Magnumlikequotingpaperballisticstosupporttheirchoices.They

overlookthemuchreducedvelocityduetoshortbarrel,andtheunimpressiveterminaleffectsofthe

diminutiveprojectiles.Althoughnohandgunofferstrulyimpressivestoppingpower,mostcommon

chamberingsworkwellenough.Thebenefitsofchoosingexoticgunsorcalibersareslimcomparedto


19/63


15

thehighcostandcertainhassleofprocuringenoughammunitionforregularpractice.Despitethe

advertisingclaims,magicbulletssimplydonotexist.Attwodollarsperround,fewpeoplecanafford

evenaday'strainingwithunconventionalammunition.Carryinguntestedcartridgesisaninvitationto

malfunctionsattheworstpossibletimes.

Realisticand

extensive

training

is

essential

for

safe

and

effective

deployment

of

the

sidearms.

In

seekingtraining,itiswisetoavoid"miracleworkers",trainerswhopromisequickandoverwhelmingly

effectiveresultsthroughmasteryonasingletechnique.Propertrainingmixesmultiplemethodsof

presentingandfiringtheweapon,andincludesinstructionintacticsaswellasmarksmanship.

Competitiveevents,suchasIDPAshoots,areusefulforlearningtofunctionunderstress.They

aren'tasgoodfordevelopingtacticalsavvy.

Thelessonsofcompetitiveshootingtendtobeofthe"whatnottodo"variety.Learningthata

guncannotbedrawnfromunderazippedupfulllengthcoat,orthatglovematerialcangetunderthe

triggerofarevolver,disablingit,isbestdoneatasaferange.

Uncovertheweaklinksbeforetheweaponhastobeusedinarealfight.Ifanenthusiasticdraw

breakstheholsterinhalf,orcausesthefrontsighttocomeoffthegun,thenthechoiceofgearmay

havetobeadjusted.Samegoesfortryingnewloads,testingnewmagazinesandanyothervariables

introducedtothepersonalprotectionequation.

Evensimpletechniquesarebesttestedundercontrolledconditions,withhearingandeye

protection.Forexample,mostpeopleinstinctivelygetclosetotheircover.Notonlydoesthatexpose

themtohostilefire,italsoreflectsrevolvercylindergapflashoffthenearestsurfacebackintothe

shooter'sface.TrainingwithapartnerandanAirsoftpistolalsodiscouragesothercommonbut

dangerous

ways,

like

carrying

an

autoloader

with

an

empty

chamber.

Fewpeoplecanmakebothhandsavailabletoracktheslidewhilefendingoffanattack.Point

shooting,sometimesadvocatedtotheexclusionofothertechniques,shouldbesimilarlytestedwith

targetsplacedabove,belowortothesideoftheshooter.Learnyourpersonallimitationsaswellasnew

skills.

Carryingahandgunisnotahobby.Firstandforemost,yoursidearmisatoolforstopping

aggressionagainstyouandyours.Justasasurgeonwouldnotuseantiquetoolsonapatient,you

shouldn'tcarryaweaponjustbecauseitisneatorunusual.Considerationsotherthaneffectivenessand

efficiencyshouldtakeprecedenceoverallothers.


20/63


16

AFTERTHESHOOTINGSTOPSSteveKrystek&MichealPotter

When

he

turned

off

the

light

and

laid

back

on

his

pillow

that

night,

71

year

old

retiree,

John

Madison,hadnoideathat27yearold,armedpredator,JonasScott,waslurkingoutsideofhishome.

Butwithinanhour,ScottinvadedtheMadisonresidenceandlaydeadonthefloor,felledbytwoshots

thatwerelaunchedbythehomeowner.Asthesoundofwailingsirenscamecloser,Jonathanturnedto

hiswifeandaskedsimply,Whathappensnow?

Letsfaceit.Muchtimeisdevotedtothehowtoofselfdefense.Butjustasimportantisits

timing.Thedecisiontofireisnotonetobetakenlightly.Becauseoftheconsequences,itsworthyof

closeexaminationbyeveryonewhocarriesafirearm,whetherforlawenforcementorforpersonal

protection.Here,wellexaminetheaftermathofalethalencounter.Thekeyiskeepingyourwitsabout

youaftertheshootingstops.

PRESENCEOFMINDAFTERTHESHOOTINGAfteradefensiveshooting,youmayhave

successfullysavedyourownlifeorthatofothers.Butmakenomistake.Youareatlegalriskuntilthe

shootinghasbeenofficiallycharacterizedasjustifiable.Whatyousayanddointheminutesandhours

afteralethalencounterwillhaveadirecteffectonhowothersperceivetheshootingandhowyour

actionswillbelegallytreatedlater.

Evenbeforecalling911,collectyourthoughts.Replayinyourmindtheexactsequenceof

events.Recallpreciselywhatyouperceivedonthepartofyourassailantbeforeyoudrewyoursidearm.

Rememberwhatitwasthatmadeyouperceiveanimminentdanger,andthencall911togethelpon

theway.

FIRSTRESPONDERSONSCENEItsalwaysbestforyoutocall911andreportwhathappened,

ratherthanathirdpartywhomaydistortorconfusethefactswhiletryingtohelp.Whenthe911

operatoranswers,calmlyandclearlystatethatanarmedsuspectassaultedyou,givethemyour

location,andrequestanambulanceforthesuspectwhohassufferedagunshotwound.

Rememberthatyour911tapewillprobablybeplayedbackincourtlater.Statingyoursituation

inthesetermswillgetthecommunicationprocesswithlawenforcementofftoagoodstart.Once

youveaddressedthosethreemainpoints,letthe911dispatchertakeover.Dispatcherscaremost

aboutofficersafetyandnecessarymedicalaid,soyoushouldbepreparedtoprovidethefollowingvital

informationwhen

asked:

Numberofsuspectsandnumberofvictims.

Whohasbeeninjuredandwhataretheinjuries?

Wherearethoseinjuredlocated?


21/63


17

Whoisarmedandwhataretheyarmedwith?

Wherearetheweaponsnow(yoursandthesuspects)?

Whatisyourexactlocation/position,andwhatareyoudoingrightnow?

If

youre

in

ahouse,

is

there

anyone

else

there?

Howlongagodidthe

assault/shootingoccur,andwasitatthe

samelocation?

Oncetheexigentcircumstances

havebeenrelayed,thecalltakermay

requestmorespecificsaboutyouandthe

incident,andmayadviseyoutodoafew

things:

Whatisyourphysical

description?(Sotheofficersknowwhothe

victimis.)

Ifyoureinahouse,isitsafefor

youtogooutside(andawayfromthecrimescene)?

Whatexactlyhappened?(Theshortversion.Donotvolunteertoomuchinformation.)

Doyouknowthesuspect?Ifso,whatistherelationship?

Wasthereanyoneelsewiththesuspect?

Arethereanyvehiclesinvolved,andwhatarethevehicledescriptions?

Ifyouhaventalreadydoneso,secureyourweaponbeforepolicearrive.Keepinmind,

everythingyousayduringthis911callisbeingrecorded,eventhesoundofyourbreathing.Thetoneof

yourvoiceandthewordsyouchoosewillbelistenedtomanytimesinthecomingweeksormonthsby

peoplewhowerentthere.Becarefulaboutgivingtoomuchinformation.Keepyourstatementsand

answerssimpleandfactual.

Mostlikely,

the

call

taker

will

ask

you

to

stay

on

the

line

until

police

arrive,

which

can

be

to

everybodysbenefit,especiallyifthesituationchangesandofficersenrouteneedacriticalupdate.Even

thoughmostlawenforcementcommunicationsystemsareverygood,arrivingofficerswillnotknowfor

sureifyouarealone,whetheryouarestillarmedorifyouwereinfacttheassailant.Uponinitial

contact,thepolicewillpresentanoverwhelmingshowofforcetoquicklydominateandcontrola(still)

dynamicsituation.Thiswilllikelyconsistofmultipleofficerstacticallypositionedwithfirearmsatthe

ready,firmlyissuingverbalcommands.Expecttobetreatedlikeasuspectanddonottakeit


22/63


18

personallyifyouareforcedintoaproneposition,handcuffed,disarmedandplacedinthebackseatofa

patrolcar.Specificcircumstanceswilldictatetheinitialtreatmentyoureceivebylawenforcement.In

general,payattention,cooperate,andbepreparedforanything,asresponseprotocolsforthesetypes

ofcallsmayvaryfromagencytoagency.

Yourpost

conflict

positioning

and

physical

behavior

are

key

to

asafe

and

tactical

after

action

sequence.Youmayberequiredtomultitasklikeneverbefore,dependingonyourenvironment,whois

aroundyou,thestatusofyourassailantandhowquicklylawenforcementorEMSpersonnelmayarrive.

Donotletyourguarddown,butdonotstandoveryourdownedadversarywiththesmokingguneither.

Doyourbesttobalancereadinessandtheappearanceofnotposinganovertthreattoanyone.Ifthe

incidentoccurredinyourhome,moveyourfamilytosafety,insideoroutsidetheresidence,wherethis

potentiallyhorrificcrimescenecannotbeobservedordisturbed.Iftheincidenthasoccurredonthe

street,gaindistance,getbehindcoverifpossible,andstayawareofeveryoneandeverythinginyour

environment.Maintaincontrolofyourfirearm,whichmaybeholsteredorattheready,dependingon

thedangerstillperceived(untilpolicearrive).Operateyourcellphonewithyoursupporthandif

possible,and

verbally

communicate

with

bystanders

and/or

the

assailant

ifnecessary.

DonotmakethemistakeofhavingaClintEastwoodmomentafteryouvewonyourgunfight.

Blurtingoutmacho,feelgoodstatementssuchas,Hehaditcoming.or,Onelessscumbagtocrowd

ourprisons,rightguys?willnotbewellreceivedbyrespondingofficersorwitnesses.Instead,tryto

makefriendswiththosewhowitnessedwhatoccurredandencouragethemtostickaroundsotheycan

givetheirstatementtothepoliceand/orfurtherassistyouinotherways.Clearthoughtand

communicationimmediatelyfollowingashootingwillbedifficultformost.Good,deepbreathingwill

helpimmensely.Takinginoxygenwillhelptolowertheheartrateandachieveabetterstateofphysical

andmentalrelaxation.Whenyouarecalm,youareincontrol.Andaftersurvivingalethalconfrontation,

you

must

have

absolute

control

of

yourself,

your

adversary

and

your

environment.

Wheninitiallyquestionedbythepolice,thinkverycarefullyaboutwhatyouwillsay.Youshould

expecttobereadyourMirandaRightsifyouareaskedanyquestionsabouttheincidentbypolicewhile

incustody.Itisyourrighttorequestanattorneybeforegivinganywrittenorverbalstatements.

However,declinetoanswerquestionsinarespectfulmanner.Tellthemthatyoufullyintendto

cooperatewiththeinvestigation,butyoudratherwaittoanswerquestionsduetothetraumaticevent

thatyouvejustexperienced.Ifyouchoosetoanswerquestionsonthescene,sticktothefacts,donot

embellish,andmakesurethatwhatyousaythenwillbeconsistentwithwhatyouwillsaylater.

KEEPYOURWITSABOUTYOUThisisacriticaltime.Whatyousayandhowyoubehavewillmake

animpression

on

both

the

police

and

any

witnesses.

The

comments

you

make

now

can

make

or

break

you.

Remember:Youdidnotfireawarningshot.Youdidnotshoottokill.Youfiredyourweaponat

anotherhumanbeingforonlyonepurpose,andthatwastostopthedeadlyattackinitiatedbythe

perpetrator.Youtooktheactionthatyoudidbecauseyouwereinfearforyourlifeorthelifeof

another,period.Endofstory.Ifyousaymorethanthat,youmaydigyourselfalegalhole.Whateveryou


23/63


19

saywillbewrittendownorrecorded,sodonthangyourselfnowbysayingsomethingmachoordumb

thatyoullregretlater.

Asyousitsafelyreadingthisarticle,rememberthatafterashootingincident,eventhesmallest

aspectsofeachpertinentfactassociatedwiththeshootingwillbelookedatinexcruciatingdetailby

peoplewho

werent

there

when

it

happened.

Youwillprobablybeaskedthesamequestions,indifferentways,severaltimesover,toseeif

youranswersareconsistentorifyouchangeyourstoryfrominterviewtointerview.Andremember

thatpeoplestandingnearbyaswitnessesmayhavebeenthinkingaboutsomethingelsewhenyou

perceivedadanger.Theysimplymaynothavebeenawareofthesamethingsthatyouwere,andthis

maybethereasonthattheyhaveadifferentversion.Ifthewitnesseswerecompletelyunawareofthe

dangerwhenyoudrewyoursidearm,thenfromtheirperspective,theysimplyheardgunfireandturned

toseesomeone(you)standingtherewithagunoversomeonebleedingontheground.Forallthey

know,youmaybetheassailant.Thewitnessesmaynothaveperceivedexactlywhatyoudid,even

thoughtheymayhavebeeninclosephysicalproximitytotheevent.

Youwillbequestionedaboutdetails.Thefirstpoliceofficersonthescene,aswellasthe

investigatorsassignedtothehomicidewilltaketurnsinterviewingyou.Theywillaskyouquestionssuch

as:Whathappened?Whydidyoushootyourgun?Whatdidthe(dead)assailantdoorsayexactly?How

farawayfromyou(ortheinnocentintendedvictim)wastheassailantatthetimethatyouperceiveda

threat?Whydidyouthinkthatthispersonwasathreat?Whatdidyoudotoavoidtheincident,if

anything?Whendidyouact?Didyousayanythingbeforetheshooting?Whatdidhesay?Repeatthis

phraseseveraltimes:IwasinfearformylifeandIhadnootherchoice,inordertostophim.When

thatconsistentlyshowsupintheincidentreportofseveralofficers,theleadinvestigatorwilltakeitinto

accountwhendecidingwhethertopresschargesorletyougohome.

THEEMOTIONALANDLEGALAFTERMATHMentalandemotionalsufferingiscommon

amongstsurvivorsoflethalconflicts.

Dependingonthecircumstancesofyourencounter

andwhetherornotyouveexperiencedasituationlikeit

before,yourthoughtsandfeelingsabouttheincidentmay

consumeyouforashorttoalongperiodoftime.Somemay

experiencetheaffectsofPostTraumaticStressDisorder

(PTSD),guilt,selfdoubtorparanoia.Theseemotions

resultingfromadefensiveshootingarenormal;thatisone

ofthereasonswhypoliceofficersareroutinelygiventime

offafterashooting.Duringthefollowingweeks,

professionalcounselingmaybebeneficial,anddiscussingwhathappenedwithtrustedfriendscanhelp

usdecompressemotionallyfromtheseriousnessoftheexperience.Tobesuccessfulinthelegal

aftermath,thisiswhatyoushouldkeepinmind:


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20

NoOtherChoice:Whenthedecisionwasmadetousedeadlyforce,yourperceptionmusthave

beenthatyouorthepersonyouweredefendingwereabouttodieatthehandsoftheperpetratoror

sufferunavoidable,seriousphysicalinjuryifyoudidnotactimmediately.ThreatSpecificResponse:

Remember,lethalforcemustbelaterdeterminedtohavebeenreasonableandnecessary,basedon

thesurroundingcircumstancesatthemomentforcewasused.Whatwerereasonableand

necessarywill

always

be

adeciding

and

critical

factor

in

every

single

self

defense

shooting.1

CONCLUSIONYouhaveadutytoknowhowandwhentousetheweapon.Dontrelyonfriends

attherangeorthegunshoptogiveyoutheword.Getyourselfproperlytrained,takepartintheIDPAor

USPSAtoimproveyourskills,andbyallmeans,takethetimetolearnyourstatesguidelinesfortheuse

oflethalforce.Ifyouhaveundertakentheefforttogainmultistatecarryrightsthroughreciprocity,

thenyouhavemorethanonestatetodealwith.Plus,theresonemoreperspective.

Theoldsayinggoes,Whentheonlytoolyouhaveisahammer,everyproblemstartslooking

likeanail.Sodonttieyourownhands.Expandyourrangeofdefensiveoptions.2Nonlethalforcemay

bewhatscalledfor.Ifyouronlyoptionisthatoflethalforce,andyourefacedwithaseriousself

defensesituationthatcallsforsomethingless,youareatadistincttacticalandlegaldisadvantage.

Aprosecutorcouldthentrytomakeyouintoaposterchildforguncontrol,bysayingthatyou

hadtrainedandarmedyourselfwithonlyoneoptioninmindthatofkillingandthatyouwerejust

waitingforanexcusetouseit.Theargumentwouldbethatyouwereagunnutwitha

predispositiontokilling,byvirtueofyourexclusivetrainingwithonlyonesingletoolyourfirearm.

However,havingdefensiveskillsinbothfirearmsandnonlethalforcemaywellbecentralto

bothyourtacticalandyourlegaldefense.Thatway,youhavebeentrainedinmorethanoneoptionand

canbeshowntorecognizethedifferencewhenitiscalledfor.Letsfaceit.Selfdefenseisserious

business,no

matter

what

tools

are

in

your

toolbox.

But

sitting

months

later

in

acourtroom,

facing

the

juryinacivilorcriminaltrial,youwillwanttoknowinyourheartofheartsthatyouractionswerenot

onlytimely,butappropriateforthethreatthatyouwerefacingatthetime.

1Reasonableunderthelawreferstowhatthereasonableandprudentpersonwouldhave

doneundersimilarcircumstanceswiththesameknowledgethatyouhadatthemomenttheincident

occurred.

2TraininginintermediateforceoptionsisprudentandstreetwiseforanyCCWpermitholder.

Takeituponyourselftolearnemptyhandtactics,takedowns,techniques,aswellastheuseofdefense

spraysandtheproperuseofthefoldingknifeandkubaton.Seewww.pfctraining.comformore.


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21

AbouttheAuthors:

STEVEKRYSTEKservedasthe

seniorteamleaderandtrainerofaUSAF

SpecialWeaponsandTacticsTeamand

laterin

U.S.

Department

of

Energy

Nuclear

ProtectiveForceOperations.Hehas

trainedthousandsintacticalshooting,

combativesandspecialoperations,bothin

theU.S.andoverseas.Steveiscurrentlya

fulltimepoliceofficerfortheLasVegas

MetropolitanPoliceDepartment,auseof

forceconsultantfortheU.S.Government

andDirectoroftheLasVegasbased

ProgressiveF.O.R.C.E.Concepts

(www.PFCtraining.com).

MICHAELL.POTTERisanattorney,author,martialartsenthusiastandmultistateCCWpermit

holder.Withbothactivedutyandreservemilitaryexperience,heisaCaptainintheNavalReserve,

wherehesaseniormemberoftheNavyMarksmanshipTeam.HeisalsoanNRAcertifiedrangeofficer,

instructorandanIDPAandUSPSAtacticalshooter.


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22

PRINCIPALSOFSELFDEFENSETomGivens

Some

years

ago,

Jeff

Cooper

wrote

an

excellent

booklet

entitled,

Principles

of

Personal

Defense.

Thisbriefworkoutlinedsevenprinciplesthat,accordingtoJeff,laythegroundworkforallsuccessful

selfdefenseefforts.ThislittlebookisavailablefromPaladinPress(P.O.Box1307,Boulder,CO,80306).

Itshouldberequiredreadingforanyoneinterestedinpersonalsecurity.Ihavetakenthelibertyof

listingthesevenkeywordsthatJeffusedinenumeratingtheseprinciples,andaddingmyown

perspectivetothem.Itrulybelievethatmasteryoftheseprinciplesasyourstandardoperating

procedureisthekeytopersonalsafety.Manyofusconcentratetoomuchonhardware(specificgun

model,caliber,typeofammunition,etc.),whenitisthesoftwareissuethatreallydecideswhowins.The

sevenkeywordsusedbyJeffCoopertoenumeratehisprinciplesofpersonaldefenseareusedherewith

permissionfromPaladinPress.

ALERTNESS:Thisonetraitisthecornerstoneofallphysicalsecurity.Youcannotdefendyourself

againstsomethingyoudon'tknowisthere.Youmustlearnhabitsofalertnessandawarenesssothat

youarealwaysintunewithyourenvironment.

Elsewhereinthistext,wediscusssomeoftheimportantfacetsofobservationskills,butyou

mustgrasptheimportanceofthisprinciple.Ifyouknowwhoisaroundyouandwhattheyareupto,you

areincontrol.Alwaysbeonthelookoutforpeople,behaviorandactivitythatareoutofplaceoroutof

context.Whenyouseesomethinglikethis,questionit.Askyourself,"Why...?"Ifyoudon'tgeta

satisfactoryanswer,treatthisasadangersignal.

DECISIVENESS:You

are

going

to

have

to

select

acourse

of

action

and

implement

it

right

then!

Nooneisgoingtobetheretotellyouwhattodo.You'reonyourown.Thisisespeciallydifficultforus

thesedaysbecausealldecisionsaremadebycommittee,andnoonelikestosignoffonanythingany

more.Alwaysdosomethingimmediately.

AGGRESSIVENESS:Thisisanotherprinciplethatisdifficultfortheaverageperson,as

aggressivenessissystematicallybeingbredoutofus.Youhavebeentaughtallofyourlifethatfightingis

bad,humanlifeissacredandyoushouldplaynicely.Thetroubleisthatyouwillbeupagainstsomeone

whosharesnoneofthesesentiments!

Toadegree,wedoadisservicetoourstudentswhenweharpcontinuallyonthe"defensive"

natureof

the

pistol.

The

pistol

is

defensive

in

concept,

but

not

in

use.

Gunfighting

is

just

aform

of

fighting,andanytypeoffightingis,bydefinition,anaggressiveactivity.Youcannotwinanytypeoffight

bybeingpassive.Imagineyourselfinafistfightwhereallyoudoisblockpunches,butneverthrowany

ofyourown.Gonnawin?Thesamegoesforarmedconflict.IfIhavetodefendmylifewithafirearm,I

willuseitvigorously,withalloftheviolence,aggressivenessandcommitmentIcanmusterbecausemy

lifeisatstake!


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23

Oncethefightstarts,failingtorespondaggressivelyisthesameassurrender.Ifyouletevil

peopledoevilthingstoyou,guesswhatwillhappen?Youhaveadutytoresistevil.Youowethisdutyto

yourfamily,tosocietyandtoyourself.Ifattacked,attackhimrightback!

SPEED:Speedisthedefiningelementofanyformoffighting.Whoevermovesfaster,wins.You

mustdevelop

quickness

in

your

presentation

and

your

firing

stroke.

This

comes

only

through

structured,

careful,frequentpractice.Youalsomustdevelopspeedinyourabilitytoassessdevelopingsituations

andmakesounddecisions.Again,thiscomesfrompriorpreparation.Playthe"Whatif...?"game,to

developresponsesinadvanceofneed.Thetimetodebatestrategyisnotwhilesomeoneistryingtokill

you.

COOLNESS:Ifattacked,youmustkeepyourwitsaboutyouanddowhatyouhavetodotowin.

Youmustconcentrateonthetaskathand,andinourcontext,thattaskistofocusonthefrontsightand

pressthetrigger.

Invariably,whenIdiscussthiswithanewgroupofstudents,someofthemlookincredulousand

saysomething

like,

"How

am

Isupposed

to

keep

cool

while

someone

afew

steps

away

is

trying

to

kill

me?"Theanswertothatissimple.Everyday,alargenumberofpeoplehavetodothis.Ipersonally

knowaverylargegroupofpeoplewhohavedonethissuccessfully.Thekeyisinpriormental

preparation.Youmustconsiderthepossibilityofanarmedconflict,andbepreparedmentallytodeal

withit.

Partoftheanswerispractice.Practicebuildsskill.Skillbuildsconfidence.Ifyourmindknows

youhaveafairdegreeofskill,yourconfidenceinthatskillwillhelpyouremaincalm.Policeofficersin

thiscountryhaveanaveragehitratioofabout18%.Thatmeansthatinthefieldtheyhitwith18outof

everyhundredshotstheyfire.Thisisduetoseveralfactors.Thefirstisstartledresponse,whichisfrom

notbeingmentallypreparedforanattackandbeingcaughtcompletelyoffguard.Thisalwaysisa

trainingissue.Thesecondisinfrequentorpoorpractice.Forinstance,onemajorEastCoastagencyfired

1293shotsonthestreetin1996,andonlyhit64badguys!(Theyalsohit11bystanders!)Thisagency

getsonedayoflivefirefirearmstrainingperyear,andyoucanbetthatthevastmajorityoftheofficers


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24

neverfiretheirweaponsinpracticeontheirowntime,andneverdoanyhomework.Asaresult,when

suddenlyconfrontedwithashootingsituation,theypanic,stickthegunoutinfrontofthemandempty

itasfastastheycan.Thisiscalledthe"sprayandpray"method,anditalmostalwaysresultsintwo

things:anemptygunandapissedoffbadguy.

Overthe

past

several

years,

the

school

where

Iwork

has

trained

almost

16,000

students,

and

a

fairnumberofthemhavebeeninvolvedinshootings.AsfarasIcantell,theyhaveaboutan85%hit

ratio.Thisisbecausetheycomehereontheirowntime,andspendtheirownmoney,andthenspend

thetimeandeffortittakestoachieveandretainbasicproficiencywiththeirweapons.Doyour

homework.Repetitionisthemotherofallphysicalskill.Maketimetogettotherange.Byconstantly

repeatingthemotionsinvolvedinyourpresentationandyourfiringstroke,youburnaneuralpathway

fromyourbraintoyourfingertips,eventuallyingrainingtheproperresponseintoyour"muscle

memory."Sportsphysiologistswilltellyouthatittakesbetween2,500to5,000correctrepetitionsof

anycomplexmotorskilltoautomateit.To"automate"theskillmeanstobeabletodoitreflexively,

withoutconsciousthoughtoreffort,andthisisthegoal.Youmustconcentrateyourmentalefforton

theevolving

tactical

situation,

not

on

marksmanship,

and

this

is

how

you

remain

in

control

and

hit

under

stress.Getsomepracticeshootingunderstress.Engageinrealisticcompetition,likeIDPAevents.Hunt

deerorsimilargame,andlearntocontrol"buckfever."

RUTHLESSNESS:Manypeoplethinkthatthisisanoddwordinthecontextofselfdefense,butin

reality,ruthlessnessisavitalelementoffightingtostayalive.Inourcontext,ruthlessnessmeans

"absolutesinglemindednessofpurpose."Oncethefightstarts,thereareabsolutelynoconsiderations

otherthanwinning!Itdoesn'tmatterwhyhechoseyou;itdoesn'tmatterwhyhe'sacriminal.Allthat

mattersiswinning.Bearinmind,inourcontext,"losing"canmean"dying."Hithimfast,hithimhard,hit

himwitheverythingyou'vegot,thenassess,andifneeded,hithimsomemore.

SURPRISE:Surpriseisdeliberatelyputlastinthislist,becausesurpriseisthefirstelementofoffensivecombat.Surprisecomesintwoforms:strategicsurpriseandtacticalsurprise.

Strategicsurpriseiswhatthebadguyplanson.Irecentlygotmyhandsonacapturedcopyof

"TheBadGuy'sTrainingManual,"andwhenIopeneditup,Ifoundonlythis:"Sneakupon'emandjump

on'em."Thatistheentirestrategy!Surpriseistheonlytrueadvantagethatthebadguyhasoveryou.

Heistypicallynotassmart,aswellarmedoraswelltrained,butifhesurprisesyou,theadvantageis

entirelyhis.Thenhowdoweneutralizehisadvantage?It'ssimple.Bealert!Ifhecannotsurpriseyou,he

probablycannotharmyou.Thisisaloopedsystemthatgoesrightbacktothebeginningofthischapter.

Bealertandaware,sonoonecansurpriseyou.

Theotherformofsurpriseistacticalsurprise,andthatisyourweapon.Ifattacked,do

somethingthatheleastexpects.Makehimreacttoyou,ratherthanyoureactingtohim.Initiatea

violent,explosivecounterattack.Actionisfasterthanreaction.

Heisjustasculturallyindoctrinatedasanyoneelse.Whenheattacks,hebelievesthatyouarea

helplessvictim.Whatdoesheexpectyoutodo?Whimperandwhinebellyup,anddowhateveryouare

told.Thinkaboutit.Ifhepointsagunatyouandtellsyoutodosomething,whatdoesheexpectyouto


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25

do?Comply,ofcourse.Thereasonhedidn'tshootyouwasbecausehebelievesthatyouwillcomply.If

youdosomethingelse,hehastoprocessthatinformationanddecidewhattodo.Andonlythencanhe

act.Itshouldbeoverbythen.

OODAThisisagoodtimetomentiontheOODACycle,whichisusedintrainingfighterpilotsandothers

whoengageinformsofoneononecombat.ThiswasthebrainchildofCol.JohnBoyd,USAF.

Understandingthiscycleiscriticaltoyourtraining.OODAistheacronymfor"observe,orient,decide,

act."Itdoesn'tmatterifsomeone'sI.Q.is40or140.One'smindhastoworkthroughthissequence

beforeanydeliberateactioncantakeplace.

Observe:For

the

tenth

time

now,

you

cannot

do

anything

about

aproblem

until

you

detect

it.

Getyourheadup,openyoureyes,andlookaround.

Orient:Thismeanstoturnyourattentiontothepersonorcircumstancethatcaughtyoureye.

Assessthepersonasapotentialthreat.Evaluateyourtacticalposition.Consideryouroptionsfordealing

withthethreat.

Decide:Actionisneeded.Selectacourseofactiontofixtheproblem.

Act:Thisisthephysicalactionofselfdefense,whichcanonlyoccurafteryouhavegonethrough

thefirstthreestages.Youcannotactuntilyoudetectthethreat,evaluateit,andselectanoptionfor

dealingwith

it.

The

time

it

takes

to

process

this

information

and

act

is

reduced

greatly

by

being

alert

and

havingpracticedemergencyresponsesbeforethecrisisoccurs.

ThesameOODACycleappliestothebadguy.Whenhetellsyoutodosomething,dosomething

else!Hewillhavetoseethataction,realizethatitisnotwhathetoldyoutodo,decidewhattodo

aboutit(run,shoot,etc.),andonlythencanheact.Bybeingalertandhavingpreplannedtactical

responses,youcanshortcircuithisreactionprocess.


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26

Ifheisintheactstagewhileyouareenteringtheobservestage,youhavelost.Bealert.The

sameworksinreverse.Ifyouareactingwhileheislooking,youshouldbefinishedbeforehecanmove

throughtheorientationandactionphases.

TomGivensisafulltimetrainer,withovertwentyfiveyearsofexperience.Hehashadabout85

articlespublished

over

the

years

in

SWAT

Magazine,

Combat

Handguns,

Petersen

Handguns,

Soldier

of

Fortuneandotherpublications.Heiscertifiedasanexpertwitnessonfirearmstraininginbothstateand

federalcourts,andhehasafirearmstrainingschool,Rangemaster,inMemphis.


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27

CONDITIONONEANDONLYRobertH.Boatman

Texas

Ranger

Charlie

Miller

was

minding

his

own

business

when

a

concerned

citizen

came

up

to

him,notedthehammercockedbackonthebig1911danglingfromtheRangersbelt,andasked,Isnt

thatdangerous?Charliereplied,Iwouldn'tcarrythesonofabitchifitwasn'tdangerous.

Thesightofacockedandlockedsingleactionautogivessomepeoplethewillies.Itjustlooks

tooreadyforaction,likeahungrylionloweredonitsbigpawsinpreparationforalungeatBambis

throat.AhammerlessGlocklooksdownrightpeacefulincomparison,asdoesadoubleactionautowith

itshammeratrest,eventhoughbothcanbefiredjustasquickly.

Youneednotconcernyourselfwithwhatyourgunmightlookliketootherpeoplesinceits

concealedfromtheirview.Butyoudoneedtobeconfidentthatthepistolinyourholsterisbothsafe

andready,

going

into

action

instantly

and

instinctively

with

no

fumbling

or

uncertainties

on

your

part,

andsafelyreturningtoyourholsterwhenitsjobisdone.

Itispossibletocarrya1911patternsingleactionautointhreeverydifferentconditions.These

conditionshaveparallelsinsafeactionGlocks,doubleaction/singleactionautosanddoubleactiononly

pistols.

ConditionThree.Chamberempty,hammerdown.Thisrequiresyoutomanuallycycletheslide

beforefiring.Toreturntheguntoitscarrypositionafterfiring,youhavetodropthemagazine,empty

thechamber,dropthehammer,reloadandreinsertthemagazine,allwithoutshootinganinnocent

bystander.

ConditionThreeisadangeroussoptotheexcessivelysqueamishwhocantstandthesightofa

firearmthatlookslikeitmightbeuseable.Donotcarryyourpistolwithanemptychamber.Becauseitis

agiantstepawayfromcomingtoyourrescue,itposesahazardtoyouandthosearoundyou,though

notparticularlytothecriminalwhomightbeattackingyou.Youwouldbebetteradvisedtocarrya

baseballbat,whichyouaremorelikelytobeabletooperateunderstressthananunreadygun.

ConditionTwo.Chamberloaded,hammerdown.Ona1911,thisrequiresyoutocockthe

hammerwithyourthumbbeforefiring.Italsorequiresyoutoverycarefullypullthetriggerasyouuse

yourotherhandtolowerthehammeroveraloadedchamberbeforereturningtheguntoitsholster.

Thetechnique

for

manipulating

aCondition

Two

carry

is

best

practiced

out

in

the

country

in

afreshly

plowedfield,wherethebulletswillnotricochetoffthepavementortheoccasionalrockeverytimeyou

reholsteryourweapon.

Carryinga1911inConditionTwoiscomparabletocarryingadoubleactionautowithits

counterintuitivemanualsafetyintheonposition.Bothplaceanawkwardandunnecessarystep

betweenyouandsurvival.


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28

ConditionOne.Cockedandlocked.Chamberloaded,hammercocked,thumbsafetyon.This

requiresyoutosnickthesafetydownbeforefiringandsnickitbackupwhenyourefinished,atestof

manualdexteritythatcanbelearnedbyanycreatureequippedwithopposingthumbsandprobablybya

fewequippedwithpawsorhoovesinstead.

A1911

in

Condition

One

is

comparable

to

aGlock,

which

is

always

in

asemi

cocked

condition

whenaroundisinthechamberanyway,andtheinitialpullofthesmalltriggerperformsthesame

functionasthethumbsafetyofa1911.Itsalsocomparabletoanyvarietyofdoubleactionautowith

thesafetyoff,asthetriggerpullcocksthehammerandfirestheguninonesinglemotion,thoughthe

longandcumbersomedoubleactiontriggerpullisdesignedneitherforcontrolnoraccuracy.

Thegreatestbenefitofcockedandlockedcarryina1911,besidesinstantreadiness,isthe

excellenttriggercontrolitmakespossiblesincetheonlyjobthetriggermustperformistosimplydrop

thehammer.Noothertypeofsemiautomaticcanprovidethepreciseandconsistenttriggerpullofa

1911,atriggerpullasfineascanbeachievedwiththebestrevolvers,readilyavailabletotheshooter

withthethumbingdownofthesafety

lever.

ConditionOneisobviouslythe

fastestwaytogetyour1911intoaction,

theleastpronetomistakes,themostdirectpathto

precisetriggercontrol,andbyfarthesafestwayto

carryandoperatethegun.Itis,therefore,theonly

way.ThatJohnBrowningintendedthe1911tobe

carriedinConditionOneisevidencedbythefact

thatamajorfeatureofthegunisthethumbsafety.

Thereis

no

earthly

use

for

the

thumb

safety

the

part

doesnt

even

function

unless

the

hammer

is

cocked.

Itshouldalsobenotedthattheup/safe,down/fireoperationofthesingleaction1911thumb

safetyisnatural,intuitiveandproper.Justtobecontraryaboutit,Walther,whoinventedthedouble

action/singleactionmechanismwiththelittlePolizeiPistolein1929,andSmith&Wesson,who

eventuallycopiedthemechanismandhastriedwithsomesuccesstopromoteittotheAmericanpublic

andthelawenforcementcommunityeversince,wentoutoftheirwaystoreversethesafetyprocedure.

Onadoubleactionauto,thethumbleverupmeansreadytofire(requiringonlyaverylongandawful

triggerpull),thumbleverdowndropsthehammeronafiringpinblock(orrightthroughtheblockonto

thefiring

pin,

an

explosive

occurrence

which

is

not

unknown,

especially

with

some

earlier

aluminum

framemodels).Tobefair,itwasntCarlWaltherwhodesignedthedoubleactionPP,itwashissonFritz.

Somekidsjustneverlearn.

Itspopularforgunwriterstosaythattheproperoperationofa1911pistolrequiresmore

trainingthanotherguns.Asusual,thepopulargunwritershavethingstheotherwayaround.Whilethe

operationofanythingatallrequiressometrainingtoingrainthepropermusclememory,the1911s


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29

singleactionmechanismiseasiertolearnthanthedoubleaction/singleactionsystembecauseitisless

complexandmoreinstinctive.

BobYoung,VicePresidentofOperationsat

ArizonasGunsiteAcademy(9286364565),recently

toldme

that

back

in

the

days

when

he

was

aUS

Marine

Corpscolonelteachingrecruitshowtoshoot1911s,it

tookhim4daysand500roundsofammunitionto

traina19yearoldMarinetodrawhis45fromatied

downGIflapholsterandshootanadversarytwiceat

sevenyardsintwosecondsflat,includingthedraw.

WhenhetaughtBerettaswhosedoubleaction/single

actionmechanismoperatesintwodifferentmodes

requiringtwodifferentgripsandtwodifferenttrigger

pullsittookanotherentiredayandanadditional300

roundsand

Young

never

said

whether

that

19

year

old

Marinecouldpulloffthesametwosecondroutineattheendofit.

JeffCooper,whorevolutionizedhandgunshootingtechniquesfourdecadesago,dubbed

doubleaction/singleactionautoscrunchentickersbecausethefirstdoubleactionshotisacrunchand

thefollowupsingleactionshotsareticks.Facedwiththiskindofmechanicalschizophrenia,theshooter

oftentosseshisfirstshotsomewhereoutinleftfield,notwithstandingthefactthatItsthefirstshot

thatcountsareminderoftenrepeatedbyMaxJoseph,founderandheadinstructorofTactical

FirearmsTrainingTeaminSouthernCalifornia(7148468065).

Whilethereisnoproblematallinapplying1911trainingtopistolsdevoidofthumbsafeties,

suchas

the

Glock

and

the

new

derivative

generation

of

trigger

cocking

double

action

only

autos,

there

aresevereandpotentiallydeadlyproblemsinvolvedwhenyoutrytoapplythattrainingtodouble

action/singleactionpistolswithupsidedownthumbsafetiesthatoperatebackward.Isitanywonder

thatsoldiersfightinginAfghanistanandIraqhavebeenknowntohurltheirBerettasattheenemyand

tradecoldhardcashandallthefruitcakesandlovelettersfromhomefor1911sateveryopportunity?

Heresonefinalbitofadvicetothosewhobelievethe1911carriedinConditionOneis

somehowouttogetthem.Inadditiontoyournormalcarrypistol,shoveacockedandlocked,and

unloaded,1911inaholsteroryourunderwearorwherever.Checkitseveraltimesadaytoseeifithas

surreptitiouslydisengageditsownsafetyandpulleditsowntriggerwhenyouwerentlooking.After

severalweeks

or

months

or

years

of

this,

draw

your

own

conclusion.

RobertH.BoatmanistheauthorofLivingWithGlocks(PaladinPress,2002)andLivingWithThe

BigFifty(PaladinPress,2004)[email protected].


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30

ISYOURCONCEALEDCARRYPISTOLRELIABLE?GeorgeHarris

Thequestioninthetitleofthisarticleseemsliketheproverbialnobrainersincemostofuscarry

concealedwithselfpreservationinmind.Eventhosethatcarryforotherreasonsexpecttheirpistolto

operateflawlesslywhenputintoservice.Theproblemis:howdoweguaranteetothebestofourability

thatthepistolwillworkfirsttimeeverytime?Beyondthat,whatisacceptableastohowmanyshotsthe

pistolwillfirebeforeastoppagetakesplace?Pistolreliabilityrequiressoundequipment,regular

maintenance,qualityammunitionthathasbeeninspected,andfrequentrangepracticebytheuserto

beconsideredsatisfactory.

Thepistolitselfshouldbeofareputablemanufacturerandshouldbeinspectedforsmooth

operationofthemovingparts.Astheactionisbeingcycled,anypartorassemblythatbinds,sticks,or

exhibitsroughmovementmustbeidentifiedandrepaired.Asimplefunctioncheckasrecommendedby

themanufacturer

will

most

often

fulfill

the

task.

Themagazinesshouldbeindividuallycheckedforstructuralintegrity.Nocracksordeformities

areacceptableonthemagazinebody,followerorthebaseplate.Thefollowershouldmovesmoothly

fromtoptobottomofthemagazinebodyandacceptthefullcapacityofammunitionwithoutunusual

forcetoseatthelastfewcartridges.Eachmagazineshouldbefunctioncheckedinthepistolthatitisto

beusedinafterindividualinspection.Thisthreestepprocesswillvirtuallyguaranteethatapreviously

inspectedmagazinewillperformasdesignedanddesired.

Startbyinsertingtheemptymagazineintoapreviouslycheckedemptypistol.Themagazine

shouldmoveintothemagazinewellsmoothlyandfreelywiththemagazinecatchfullydepressed.When

themagazineisfullyseated,releasethemagazinecatchandpullonthebaseplatetoensurethe

magazineislockedinplaceinthemagazinewell.Next,retracttheslidetothereartoprovethe

magazinefollowerwillcontacttheslidestopandcauseittointerlockwiththeslidetoholditopenwhen

thereisnoammunitionpresent.Thisprovesthattheemptymagazinewilllocktheactionopenafterthe

lastshotisfired,whichisthesignaltotheoperatorthatanemergencyreloadmaybeinorder.Finally,

themagazineshoulddropfreeofitsownweightwhenthemagazinecatchisdepressedtofacilitatea

reloadwithoutexcessivemanipulation.

Thefinalproofforthemagazineisforittobecycledseveraltimesthroughthepistolthatitisto

beusedin.Thisshouldbedonewithafullloadofammunitioneachtimeandwithoutastoppageor

interruptioninthecycleofoperation.Magazinesingeneralarerelativelycheap.Provenmagazinesthat

workeverytimeareworththeirweightingold.

Whenitcomestomaintenanceonapistoloritsassociatedequipmenttherearenosetanswers.

Thereare,however,someguidelinesthatwillgoalongwaytoensurethereliabilityofapistol.Cleaning

thepistolmeansthemagazines,holster,magazinepouchandanyothercomponentsoftheconcealed

carryensemble.Dirt,lint,dust,firingresidueetc.needstobebrushed,wipedorblownoffwiththe


35/63


31

appropriatetoolsonaregularschedule.Ageneralruleisthatifitdidn'tcomeonthegunoutofthebox,

itneedstoberemovedfromthegunbeforebeingconsideredclean.Thisincludesthebarrel,magazines,

frameandslide,insideandout.

Equallyasimportantisthelubricationofthepistol.Understandingwhywelubricategoesalong

wayas

to

understanding

where

we

lubricate

and

how

much

to

use

to

be

effective.

Lubrication

is

used

primarilyforthreereasons,frictionreduction,oxidationreduction,andeaseofcleaning.Aneasy

guidelinetorememberisthatifanypartofthepistolisshinyduetofrictionorisanaturallocationfor

collectionoffiringresidue,lubeitwithenoughlubricationsothatitcanbeseenandfeltontheaffected

surface.Toomuchlubewillrunundertheforceofgravityandwon'tstayonthepistol,therefore

contaminatingtheareaimmediatelysurroundingthepistol.Forconcealedcarrypurposesthepistol

needstofirethenormallyavailableamountofammunitionwithoutinterruption.Itneedsproper

lubricationtobeprotectedfromperspirationorothersubstancesharmfultothesurfacefinish.

Ammunitioninitselfwillgreatlyaffectthereliabilityofapistol.Somegunsworkbetterwith

sometypesandbrandsofammunitionthanothers.Buyseveraldiffer

48409933 concealed weapon crash unknown

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