Tag Archives: concealed carry

Is it knowledge? Is it training? Are you doing both?

03 Thursday Oct 2024

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How are you developing as a shooter? How are you developing as a defender?

Take a look at E-Learning and Video instruction. What it is not is training. It is providing knowledge. An interesting thing is that it is often called training. Today you can find provided knowledge everywhere on the internet. E-Learning and video learning is readily available and often free. The video learning can be a good way to acquire knowledge and watch someone handle and shoot a firearm in whatever platform or context out there. You can see it demonstrated and how it is supposed to be done by watching others with skill perform tasks. It can be difficult for the new shooter or novice and in many cases the experience to determine what is educational and what is beneficial. Yes, there is a lot of bad instructional videos and there is a ton of entertainment video that is not providing good knowledge and can cause more problems than help.

What about the written word? Another way to find knowledge. The book in hand on paper. I have a pile of them. I have learned a lot from them. I do from time to time go back to them for reference and I am still acquiring them and knowledge from them today. Over the decades there have been many great shooters, competitors, Military, Law Enforcement, trainers and educators in the firearm industry producing a collection of valuable texts. These writers put in vast amounts of time, study and dedication to build skills and knowledge through trial and error, and personal experience. A great way to gain knowledge from those greats who are here today and those great educators that have gone before us. Too many to name.

Consider context
What are you seeking knowledge about? Is it general recreational? Is it Defensive in Everyday Concealed Carry? Is it in Home Defense? Is it competitive in nature (gaming)? Is it as an armed professional? It is true that the fundamental shooting skills and basics will cross over many contexts of firearms use. There are however skills, tactics, and strategies that are specific to the context or reason for having and using the firearm. Context for knowledge and skill development.

How does training come to play then?
Training is going out and putting hands on the tool. In this case the firearm and gear. Spending the time to learn, practice, and form to muscle memory the physical parts to build response. With training you get something you do not get from E-learning and video or books. With training under an instructor, you develop under the watchful eye that can help you correct problems and excel in the physical completion of the tasks with efficiency and effectiveness. You can also get the explanation of the “Why?” At any rate this means getting away from the screen and on the range with the gear in hand and putting rounds down range. Your level of training will depend on you getting to the range and shooting and developing physically.

Summary.
You have to put the work in! A 4-hour CCW, no range, video class is not going to make you ready for Everyday Concealed Carry or real-life defensive use of a firearm. A video will not make you a better shooter without getting to the range with the firearm doing and replicating what you saw. It means going and feeling the recoil impulse and learning to manage it, seeing the sights and relationship to the target and how they move during the firing sequence, and a multitude of other factors that must be felt and observed to understand and learn to manage. It means training with the gear you intend to use. E-Learning has to be combined with range training and physical development. You will find it difficult to identify errors because you are behind the gun and performing tasks. You can’t see what you are doing wrong. A watchful and sharp eye can help you achieve what may take a very long time on your own. Be aware that you must get out and shoot to get good at it and you must get out and shoot to maintain the current shooting skill level.
I have personally worked in and lived in a world where video learning was provided but the person didn’t take the time to build the physical skills and learn to perform the technique and routinely practice it. I have seen the failure of video learning alone and many times it resulted in a serious injury. It is sad to say I have seen the failures of those who didn’t put in the work because they believed it wouldn’t happen to them.
Be safe. Shoot regularly. Be prepared and skilled. Train often.

Constitutional Carry and Training Obligations

20 Tuesday Apr 2021

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Do training obligations still exist with legal Constitutional Carry and Permit less Carry?
Answer; MOST CERTAINLY!

The number of states that are moving to Constitutional Carry is growing relatively quickly across the country. I believe at the time of this writing we are at 20 states with Constitutional Carry and a few more well on their way to passing. Be careful though before you go out and get strapped and carry. Some states have some restrictions. Know the law in your state. Even with the restrictions Constitutional Carry is a good thing for the 2nd Amendment and preservation of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Here I am a firm believer in the idea that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms shall not be infringed. There are many laws on the books that still infringe on the 2nd Amendment.

The 2nd Amendment

Iowa recently passed Constitutional Carry and became the 19th state to support it. In Iowa it means there is no longer a requirement to obtain a permit to purchase or a Permit to Carry Weapons. As of July 01, 2021 a Iowa resident may carry openly or concealed in the state of Iowa without a permit. That is of course if you can legally possess and buy a firearms. Yep, those laws still apply and the NICS Background check is still required to purchase. No training required for Constitutional Carry as an Iowan in Iowa. Be aware this is the second BIG CHANGE in Iowa Carry, Use of Force, and Permit laws in three years.

Well, what happened to the Permit to Carry Weapons you ask?
The Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons in the state of Iowa is still available. Training and proof of having completed training is still a requirement when applying for a Iowa Permit to Carry. An Iowan will still need a Iowa Permit to Carry when traveling to and through other states. Constitutional Carry will not see reciprocity rules state to state. Our best advise. Get your Permit to Carry and cover your bases. It really doesn’t cost that much and still there are benefits in having one. No delays when making gun purchases, state to state travel while going armed. And, it brings a little respect to you in the fact that you went out and put in the work and made the effort to get your permit the right way.

So, now let’s have it. WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE RECKLESS UNTRAINED PEOPLE CARRYING GUNS TUCKED IN THEIR PANTS? Believe me I get it. I have been around a lot of ranges and gun shops and witnessed first hand the bad, unsafe gun handling. As a trainer, range safety officer, and teacher in the industry I have seen the folks talk about how they have been around guns all their lives and still have no idea. Some people we can not reach. As a teacher I have to face that and accept it. I do my best to encourage gun owners at all levels to seek out training and not just e-learning but actual in person classes. Find out what you do not know! What do you have to loose? Talking crap gains you nothing.
Still, I am of the mind that the government should not mandate firearms training in order for a person to be able to carry or own a gun and be allowed to have the ability to defend oneself or another. I do believe that the vast majority of gun owners are responsible and understand that going armed has great responsibility and they will seek out some form of training. A gun owner should be willing and able to accept and attend, at minimum, some basic firearms training. Silly me. I still have faith in my fellow gun owners. Every person, regardless of background, who goes armed and lives the concealed carry lifestyle is obligated by the nature of his/her daily concealed carry activities to get basic concealed carry training and proceed to the most advanced training they can afford and find.

Get the training anyway.
You buy a fire extinguisher in preparation for a fire that may never occur. You buy a gun in preparation for a defensive situation you hope never occurs.
You must have knowledge of what to do with and how to operate the fire extinguisher in order to be effective with it. You make plans for what to do in the event of a fire. Some form of training is involved.
In today’s world we plan and train for the Mass Killer Event and what to do when such an event occurs. We plan and train for the possibility of the terrorist threats. Businesses and schools have all kinds of protocols and procedures in place to deal with all kinds of incidents. They provide training to employees and students to save lives. Law Enforcement ad Military train extensively and have procedures and policies in place to give guidance during critical incidents. In many of these cases the training is part of being a employee or a student or a member of service and the employer is required by law to provide said training.
What about the private conceal carry citizen or private gun/home owner? Yes, you will have to pay for, supply, and find time for the beneficial training you are obligated to seek out to be a responsible Every Day Carrier of Defensive Weapons. We expect our law enforcement to be well trained. Why not ourselves? Is being trained not now our responsibility and obligation when we choose to go armed among the sheep who choose not to and those who can not or choose not to defend themselves. Should we not be holding ourselves to the standards of training and skill levels we hold our Law Enforcement to? As concealed carriers and gun owners we take on the responsibility of being our own first responders, responsibility for our actions, and responsibility to be as highly trained or even better trained than those who reply to the call to become Military and Law Enforcement and stand on the front line.

Over eight million new gun owners have joined the ranks in the last year and a half. New or old makes no difference. Are you being stand up and getting the training and experience not only you deserve but also that which your fellow citizens deserve? Constitutional Carry in your state or not you are expected to be see you on the range and in classes training and putting in the work for yourself and others.

A FINAL NOTE; In today’s world of unrest, de-funding police, and declining numbers of first responders, and longer response times.
“The time to learn new shit, life saving shit, is not when you are in the middle of the shit! Know your equipment and how to operate it and yourself under stress before the need is upon you! Risk is high and your abilities and knowledge will determine how you come out on the other side. There is a bigger picture you will be part of.”

Be safe, Be trained, Be prepared.

Security, Safety, Training and Guns

25 Thursday Feb 2021

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I am a firm believer in a person’s right to self defense and the coming to the aid and defense of the innocent. The Second Amendment gives us the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Without getting deep into the weeds, I also believe there are gun laws on the books that are a clear infringement of the 2nd.

Becoming trained is not a requirement by the Constitution or in all states or cases. Owning a home defense gun does not require training by law. Concealed Carry or Open Carry does in some cases, depending on states, require comprehensive training and in some cases only requires minimal training. It just depends on where you live. I do not support firearms or concealed carry training being required by law. It should be the responsibility of the gun owner or the armed citizen. In any cases anyone who intends to go armed or has a gun for home defense should be demonstrating a willingness to seek out training. Owning a gun has some responsibilities. Owning a gun for home defense, concealed every day carry, or carrying a gun in support of a security team and providing security for others has even greater responsibilities.

Personal defense, home defense, concealed carry or even supporting security at a church or business requires more it than just having a firearm. From time to time we see incidents where the victim had a defensive firearm but never got the opportunity to use it for defense in a critical incident due to a lack of training and situational awareness. This is a failure. A failure on the part of the armed citizen to get properly trained and prepared for the moment they may need to use deadly force in the defense of self or others. It is also a failure on the part of the security group organizer to require training before a person be allowed to join the team and continued training after the team is assembled. It is not enough just to have a gun! Some training can be done in Distance Learning and other requires In Person Training. There is a much bigger picture here than just having a gun.

There is more to it than carrying or having access to a gun for defense, LIKE;

Justifiable Use of Deadly Force
Situational knowledge of when should force be use vs. when can it be used
Situational Awareness
Mental Preparedness and Mental Conditioning
Post-Shooting Responsibilities
Environmental Control
Becoming a Trained Observer
Becoming trained in Threat Assessment
And More

Besides the training areas listed above you have to be good at gun handling and be a good shot. You are going to be required to hit a threat that will likely be moving as you are likely to be moving. A person who is going armed needs to be capable of hitting with both precision and a general defensive accuracy while under stress. You need to have a good understanding of what you are personally capable of. Accurate shooting while using the sights, unsighted shooting, low light shooting and unorthodox shooting positions. Physical skills and muscle memories are formed in training and routine practice. Repetition is key in maintaining and forming muscle memories. This is where in person training stands out above distance training.

As a private citizen take into consideration that Law Enforcement, Corrections, and some security businesses require an employee attend a academy of some sort. Some are quite long and the training curriculum contains many areas we have discussed. Those employees are also required to attend annual training to maintain that knowledge and update. Range Qualifications are part of that academy and annual training. A private citizen has no requirement to train beyond Concealed Carry Permit training by law. It is your choice. It is your responsibility to seek out and attend training.

To sum this all up;
IT IS NOT ENOUGH JUST TO HAVE A GUN! THE TIME TO LEARN IS NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION! If you are taking on the responsibility for the security of others or even yourself, you have a responsibility to train. You have to be good. You have to be a good shot under stress and in unorthodox shooting situations, You have to be good at situational awareness, You have to have a good understanding of Use of Force Laws. You have to be good at situational awareness and threat assessment. You have to commit to being better than the bad guy. You have to commit before you take on the responsibilities that are required morally and intellectually.

Be Safe, Be Trained, and Be Prepared

Tueller Drill is NOT a Rule

07 Sunday Oct 2018

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I recently was involved in a group discussion about 21 feet and a knife wielding attacker. In the discussion the participants were working to figure out when it is appropriate to fire on a knife wielding attacker. When should you shoot? vs When can you shoot? I noticed some misconceptions and that there are many with bad information about the Tueller Drill and what it represents. Always keep in mind that shooting should be a extreme last resort. Shooting is an action that should not be taken lightly and if you have the opportunity to avoid it, avoid shooting if at all possible.

First look at the Tueller Drill. Emphasis on drill. Used routinely today in defensive training.

In 1983 Sergeant Tueller, of the Salt Lake City, Utah Police Department conducted an experiment to determine what a good reactionary gap would be for an officer facing a knife wielding attacker. Through his experiment he found 21 feet to be a good reactionary gap. In the experiment he found that it takes a person, on average, 1.5 seconds to cover 21 feet. It takes the an officer, on average, 1.5 seconds to clear the holster and fire two shots on target. Notice here that these participants in the experiment are not static. In considering that, we can determine the attacker can reach and can stab the officer before or as the officer fires. This indicates a virtual tie. The experiment made it clear that at the distance of 21 feet an officer should have his/her weapon out of the holster and at the ready while giving commands to the possible attacker. The officer should also be prepared to move laterally, off of the line of attack, in response as the attacker moves forward.

The Tueller Drill is NOT a 21 foot rule that justifies a person in firing on a possible attacker. The Tueller Drill is a drill used in defensive training to teach reactionary gap when facing a possible attacker who is wielding a knife, stick, or a improvised weapon that present a danger of serious injury.

If a possible attacker is twenty one feet away from a defender and is not moving forward he/she is not an imminent threat to the defender. Even if a possible attacker has a knife in hand and is verbalizing the threats to do you serious bodily harm he is not an imminent threat due to distance. The possibilities of a knife wielder doing you serious bodily harm at a distance of 21 feet are very low. At 21 feet the knife can not touch you and you are not within the reach of the possible attacker. So, at the distance of 21 feet you are not in imminent danger and should not shoot the knife wielder just because the knife is present and verbal threats have been made.

A defender with a gun has a dilemma. If he shoots too early, he risks being accused of murder. If he waits until the attacker is definitely within striking range so there is no question about motives he risks injury and even death. The Tueller experiments quantified a “danger zone” where an attacker presented a threat and preparations should be made by the defender to respond.

 

What should a defender be doing at 21 feet?

When facing a possible attacker wielding a knife (or even a stick) you should have your gun out of the holster and at the compressed ready. Prepared to use the gun if necessary and circumstance change forcing the use of deadly force. This is the time for giving commands to the individual to get away and leave the area. This is also the time for you to attempt to make more distance and leave if possible. Avoid shooting if at all possible and get yourself out of the situation without having to use deadly force. With your gun at the ready and preparations made, at the instant the possible attacker begins aggressive forward movement to follow through with the attack you will be more justified to shoot than you would if the possible attacker is stationary and not moving forward to close distance on you. With your gun at the compressed ready you reduce the time it will take to respond to the attack than the time it would take to present from a concealed holster. Even if you are not required to shoot the bad guy, make the call. Call law enforcement and report the incident. Be a good witness and have a good description and a direction of travel. Let law enforcement do their job and track the individual down for prosecution.

 

Malfunction/Stoppage Drills on Day 1

02 Monday Jul 2018

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Malfunction/Stoppage Drills on Day 1?

It has been a discussion lately on the internet about malfunction/stoppage drills on day 1 of class. It has been mentioned that it is not something that should be taught on day 1. I disagree. There are many reason to teach malfunction/stoppage clearing in the first day of training. It is not uncommon for students to see a malfunction/stoppage in the early stages of training. They often are not sure how clear it or have no idea of what to do when the stoppage occurs. Often displayed in a confounded look at the gun as if a stoppage is not possible. Many of the classes available are one day classes. It is not preparing the student if you do not cover malfunction/stoppage. I believe it is a must to cover and conduct malfunction/stoppage drills fairly early in the class. I’ll give a few reasons.

Shooter induced failures

Operator Error is to blame. Shooter induced failures happen far more frequently than one might think. While more common with some guns than others all are prone to shooter induced malfunction/stoppages. Here you can see stoppages caused through; Bad shooting position. Lack of a solid shooting platform for the gun to set in to operate efficiently. If you have a good platform for the gun to set in you can reduce and even end stoppages with guns that are sensitive to limp wrist, bent elbows, poor grip and other bad fundamentals. Lets face it. Many shooters need help with the fundamentals not only to make the gun operate and use the energy of the firing cartridge effectively. Good fundamentals also helps in shooting accurately. Another one is operating the slide. Part of good gun handling. Covering the ejection port and riding the slide is asking for trouble. Easily remedied by learning to efficiently operate the action and using proper hand placement when doing it.

Guns

Several things come into play here.

Gun type or action

Most commonly in contention here is the 1911 or gun with manual safeties. Shooters and students new to defensive shooting often fail to operate the manual safety effectively. They fail to remove the safety when engaging targets when training in defensive use of the handgun. Many people go to the range, step to the firing line, load the gun and make it ready at the firing line but never operate the safety during a string of fire. In actual training they fail to operate the safety. Forget to remove it when presenting and addressing the target. This give the sense of a dead trigger from not loading the chamber and placing the hammer in the cocked position depending on action. Knowing you gun and how to operate it efficiently is helpful here.

Gun Quality and Reliability

Some guns are just not known for reliability. They are finicky when it comes to ammunition. They are plagued by bad magazines. They are often poor quality. These can be low cost guns, moderately priced guns and even those high cost guns. Some are hit and miss. One may run good and the next one may be a problem gun. The best way to avoid these issues is to seek out and save your coins to buy a gun known for reliability.

Maintenance

In some case it is the owner’s neglect that is the problem. Failure to properly lubricate and clean a gun can induce malfunctions. I heard Ken Hackathorn say it, “If you treat your gun like you treat your lawnmower. Buy a Glock.”

Yes Sir! Malfunction/Stoppage drills are day one material and should have a mention in every class. “Tap and Rack” will clear the majority of malfunctions. “Tap Rack, Rip and Clear, Reload” will fix many of the more complex malfunctions/stoppages. If it is really jammed up, “Tap Rack, Slide lock, identify, clear, cycle, reload.” Not only should you learn to do it but you should know it to a point that you don’t have to look at it to clear it unless it just will not clear and return to operation with “Tap Rack” or “Tap Rack, Rip, Clear, Reload”. Learn to do it in the dark. You may well have to.

There is something to be said for the reliability of the Glock, Smith&Wesson M&P, and the Springfield XD. There are a few others in there. Buy the most dependable and reliable gun you can afford. Your life could certainly depend on it. It’s your defensive handgun not your target shooting, fun range day gun. You want it to go bang in that critical moment of need. Test it in a class.   TAP and RACK!

Unorthodox Shooting Positions

18 Monday Jun 2018

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Unorthodox Shooting Positions

Do we need to train and then practice routinely shooting from positions other than the standing position? YES!

If you spend any time watching gun fight videos you will encounter large number of videos that show the defender in an odd position while shooting at the bad guy. Why is that? Some of these folks have been injured in the gun fight. Limiting or taking away the ability to stand and fight. In other cases the defender is behind cover/concealment and fighting back. Yet very often the defenders find themselves shooting from the ground. There is a good chance you will be knocked to the ground by the bad guy. Forcing a person to shoot from their belly, back, or seated in some fashion. They can also be seen shooting while in transition from one position to another. Likely while getting back to and fighting to their feet. Also look for the defender to be in a extended lean often off balance while attempting to shoot from behind cover. Unorthodox positional shooting is very plausible when it comes to defensive shooting. Yes, unorthodox shooting positions are a big part of defensive shooting and you need to be training in them.

If you spend all of your time on the range standing (often stationary) you are not training for a real defensive shooting event. Almost all of the students I have pass through classes at T-M Firearms Training have not trained in unorthodox shooting positions nor even attempted them until they are covered in class. With all of the imperial evidence that unorthodox shooting position are common in a defensive shooting event it is clear you and I should be training in these positions. The unorthodox shooting positions should be trained and practice routinely in order to be prepared and have the ability to get accurate shots on the threat. Not an easy task in training and even harder under stress. Since it is so hard to find a place to shoot that will allow you to train and practice you will have to search for one. In the initial phases of learning unorthodox shooting positions one should seek out a training school or group that teaches such positions. A warning here; Do Not attempt to learn unorthodox shooting positions on your own with live fire. Get with an instructor who can teach it and make sure you are safe when starting to learn. Muzzle awareness and other safety concerns are of high priority when learning these positions and an instructor will be able to oversee your training for safety. After learning the skills find a place you can practice them. If you can’t find that place you can practice with training devices that do not require live ammunition. Use snap caps, laser indicating training devices. One that stands out here is the SIRT Pistol and ARBolt.

Want another reason for training in unorthodox shooting position? Close Quarters Contact. There is great probability that if you and your attacker are in contact you will end up on the ground and grappling. Even if you are not training in Force on Force CQC learning to present and shoot your gun from odd positions gives you some skill sets to use in that instance.

If you are defending you are going to be fighting. The best way to increase the chances that you are going to WIN is by training and learning to be better than that evil screw ball who is trying his or her best to do you or another harm.