Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Why active shooter drills didn’t help in the Florida high school shooting
Last week, I wrote about the need for police officers to respond to school fire alarms. This article serves as a good followup. It has an excellent list of best practices for teachers (and students) to follow in the event a fire alarm goes off in a school. The expert cited here wrote a really good post-Columbine book about school shootings that doesn’t get the press it deserves.
For some more “best practices” to prevent school violence, check out Gavin DeBecker’s Questions for your Child’s School.
Comparing Death Rates from Mass Public Shootings and Mass Public Violence in the US and Europe
Speaking of school shootings, these statistics are quite telling. The mass shooting phenomenon is certainly not limited to the United States.
Karl Rehn also has a valuable perspective on the issue of post shooting gun control efforts in Six Reasons You Aren’t Agreeing to More Gun Control.
Random Activities Theory: The Case for ‘Black Swan’ Criminology
Some very deep thinking about why “Memorial Crime Control” (what has been happening since the Florida school shooting) is misguided and likely harmful.
“Proper understanding of such crimes and their intense impact on public policy is thus an adaptation of Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s ‘Black Swan logic’. In The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Taleb argues that the most important historic events are unanticipated flukes (‘Black Swans’) that seem unthinkable when they occur, have an ‘‘extreme impact’’, and are, owing to the human tendency to impose interpretive order on even chaotic events, perceived to be explicable in retrospect (Taleb 2007). Under ‘Black Swan Logic’, the most important information is unknown, which is the very reason the ‘Black Swan’ event occurs.
Applying Taleb’s logic to crime and justice in the United States, the ‘Black Swans’ are the rare but horrifying, highly publicized crimes that, because of their ‘‘extreme impact’’ in the form of associated publicity and anger, have disproportionately affected American crime control policy. When we consider the example of child abduction-murder, what could be called ‘‘Black Swan criminology’’ shows us that these unique and tragic crimes result from simple lack of knowledge that a specific threat was posed, and are quickly followed by public outcry (the massive impact), resulting in memorial crime control legislation (reflecting the popularly accepted narrative that the crime ‘‘could have’’ been prevented were it not for a defect in the justice system.)”
Run, Hide, Fight. Active shooter response strategy for teachers.
One more school shooting/active killer article for you today. This one is a brief analysis of the “Run, Hide, Fight” response to an active shooter. For more on the same topic, read my article Run, Hide, Fight: Not always the Best Active Killer Response.
Cross-Dominant Shooting and How to Overcome It
After all the political articles above, here is a different kind of right vs. left issue.
Money Laundering Via Author Impersonation on Amazon?
Here’s a scam you’ve probably never seen before.
25 Gunfighting Stats Learned From Convicted Cop Killers
A quality analysis of several FBI publications studying cop killers. Lots of good lessons here.
Studying Violence | If You Don’t Want to Get Your Ass Kicked…
Very good advice to avoid taking an ass-kicking in many different environments.
Start Shooting Better Episode 6: El Presidente
A classic shooting drill you should try. Want a drill that is a little easier? Check out Claude Werner’s “Determining Your Ability” test. Looking for a rifle shooting drill? Check out Travis Haley’s 22422.
Quick Hit on Braking
A short article with tremendously useful information about emergency driving.
TUHON BILL’S 2018 EDC KNIVES
A knife instructor’s advice about choosing an everyday carry blade.
Around the Globe: Tips to Make Your International Travel Safer
This is generally good advice for international travel. but I don’t always agree with the author’s advice to sit in a cab directly behind the driver.
It depends on the situation. In some neighborhoods, cab travel is too expensive for the locals. If they see an obvious passenger, they know that guy has money. In those neighborhoods, sitting up front with the driver makes the locals think he is driving a friend and not a customer with a bunch of cash. That may save you from a robbery attempt.
When sitting in the back, I like sitting opposite the driver. Any carjacking attempts are going to be coming from the driver’s side. Being able to exit with the cover of the car between you and the carjacker is a good thing.
Besides that, your most likely threat in most third world countries is the driver himself. Sitting opposite the driver makes it a lot harder for him to impede your exit should you have to bolt.
Want more info on taxi safety? Read my tactical training scenario about the topic.
The Concealed Carry Seat Belt Conundrum
Kyle Lamb discusses some options for dealing with guns and seatbelts.
10 Guns From The Old West You’ve Got To Know
You history buffs will enjoy this one. Learn about the guns that won the wild west.
Making Long-Range Shots With Short-Barreled Guns
Have you ever shot your short-barreled pistol at long range? In this article. Massad Ayoob provides a few tips.
“Bottom line: Don’t sell smaller handguns short for long-distance accuracy. Take a hard hold. Smoothly roll the trigger straight back. Get a perfect sight picture and know your trajectory, and no murderous gunman 100 yards away will be safe from the rescuing gunfire you can deliver with your small concealed-carry handgun.”
Speaking of short barreled handguns, you will also appreciate Claude Werner’s snubby revolver selection advice.
4 Tips to Get First Hits with Your Handgun During a Violent Encounter
Excellent advice from Paul Carlson.
A Retired Cop Makes a Case for Carrying a Backup Gun
Do you carry a backup gun? Mike Boyle thinks you should.
Dead Right There
What I’m reading: Lots of people have been bugging me to write a book about my police experiences. If I did, it would be nowhere near as entertaining as Hock’s writing. Hock Hochheim was involved in a whole bunch of craziness during his police career. This is his second book in a series (the first was Don’t Even Think About It) describing daily life as a Texas police detective in the 70s and 80s. These books are without a doubt the most entertaining police story narratives I’ve ever read.
When You Can’t Use Your Sights, Aim With Your Body
Richard Nance writes about using a body index when shooting from a close quarter retention position.
Choosing A Handgun For Concealed Carry: Factors To Consider
Good information for the beginning handgunner. For more beginner’s information (that some of you “experts” should probably read too), take a look at Ultimate Guide: How to Shoot a Pistol Accurately.
A Very Clear Reminder That Stun Guns Are Not Good For Self Defense
I get a surprising number of questions about stun guns. Quick answer? Worthless.
Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
