Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
With the upcoming presidential election, the current worldwide military conflicts, and the extensive damage done by recent storms, the USA is in a very turbulent place right now. Until things calm down, I’m going to start each week’s knowledge dump with a few articles covering current events and how you can best avoid becoming a victim.
Check out the links below for some excellent advice related to our world’s crazy current events.
Always Be Memorable…By Putting In The Work.
Violent, Destructive Riots Could Erupt into Post-Election CHAOS
This Time Around, The Election Play Chart Will Not Be Published
5 Firearms To Have On Hand For A Natural Disaster
Project: Managing Emergencies During A 911 System Outage
The Quick Start Guide for Beginning Preppers
Shelter or Evacuate: Making the Right Choice During Civil Unrest
Pocket Preps: Nonmetallic Knives
Some options for those of you who have metal detectors in your life.
Shooting Steel Safety Guide
Important guidelines for shooting steel targets safely.
RUN AND GUN: THE OSCAR PLASENCIA INCIDENT
Massad Ayoob provides a valuable analysis of this police gunfight. Mas brings up a good point:
“When they see the armor, they shoot for the head.” That was the mantra of Richard Davis, the armed citizen and gunfight survivor who invented the soft, concealable body armor which has saved literally thousands of lives since. It was clear to investigators then and now Simms saw the officers were wearing ballistic vests, and deliberately targeted them for head shots. It was equally clear to Oscar Plasencia that in his final shootout with Simms, the cop killer was aiming high, for his head.
The always easy 20/20 vision of hindsight tells us if the body armor had been concealed under a POLICE-emblazoned light raid jacket, it might have turned out differently, and the killer’s mish-mosh of ball and jacketed hollow point ammo, which is typical of criminals, might have lodged in Kevlar instead of fatally piercing unprotected brains.”
Police agencies are increasingly embracing external, non concealed body armor for patrol officers. The external carriers are cooler and more comfortable than a concealed vest. My own agency authorized them a few years before I retired. I made the decision to stick with wearing my concealed vest under my uniform shirt rather than switching to the external carrier. This is one of the main reasons for my decision. It will be interesting to see if the number of officers killed by head shots increases as external body armor becomes more popular.
This Video Is Why I Don’t Open Carry In The City
If you open carry in an urban area, please watch this video. If that doesn’t convince you, read my article that links to dozens of other similar incidents.
Avoid Being a Target — Is Your Pistol Truly Concealed? – The Armory Life covers a similar theme.
Pistol Mounted Optics — Revisited
Erick shares some critical information about pistol red dots.
Open hand or closed fist striking, which is best?
Should you hit him with an open hand or a closed fist? Here’s a look at some of the variables involved in the decision.
If It Was Comfortable, They’d Call It Camping
What I’m reading…
This is my friend “John Mosby’s” latest book. I just started it and I really like it so far. I highly recommend all of John’s books and his Patreon page as well.
Understanding Transitional Spaces
Thinking through some potential threat scenarios.
MARCHE2 to manage trauma patients in a CBRN environment
All of you who have taken my medical classes are familiar with the “MARCH” acronym. Here is an adaptation focusing the same acronym for CBRN exposures. The CBRN scene may be a hazmat exposure. Here’s a quick guideline about how far away you should stay from such an incident.
PSA: An Aggressive Email Scam to Watch Out For – Swift | Silent | Deadly
I know this information isn’t sexy, but self defense isn’t just about defending yourself from violent crimes. You are far more likely to get thousands of dollars stolen from you in scams like this than you are to get your wallet stolen by a crackhead armed with a pistol.
The Weekend Dispatches
Almost like a modern day “Cooper’s Commentary.”
The Anatomy of an Effective Tuckable Holster
I haven’t been successful finding tuckable holsters that work for me. Fortunately, I’ve structured my life in such a way that I rarely have to wear a tucked in shirt. You may not be so lucky. Here are some good tips from the Suited Shootist about how to make a tuckable holster a viable concealment option.
Gun Ownership by Gender in 2024
Interesting statistics showing the clear rise of “Gun Culture 2.0.” While on the topic of statistics and research, you should also read The Misleading Narrative of Firearm Deaths as the Leading Cause of Child Mortality: A Closer Look at the Data and
Don’t Buy A Gas Mask…Unless You Read This First
Gas mask basics.
Driving 401: Immobilized Vehicle
A very informative discussion about fighting from an immobilized vehicle.
Small Guns With Big Holes: The Snub Nose Revolver Evolution
A fun history lesson.
Pushing The Limits of Smaller Guns
While on the topic of smaller guns, in this article Claude Werner gives us a few relevant shooting drills to practice with our pocket rockets.
Car Safes And Trunk Guns
Car guns are universally bad ideas. “Your car is not a holster.”
If you have to leave a gun in your car while you go into an area that prohibits your legal carry of that firearm, the gun should go into a dedicated safe that is attached to a structural component of the car.
I see no reason for a person who lives in an urban or suburban neighborhood to routinely carry a rifle in the trunk. I’ve researched active killer events for two decades. I can only remember one event where a victim was able to get outside to his “trunk gun” and use it to end the attack.
Don’t carry guns in your car.
Best 2011 Pistol Magazines
A performance comparison between the 2011 magazine options.
Always Cheat, Always Win
Life advice from Clint Smith.
What if You’re Locked Up Abroad?
Some advice for the unlikely event that you get imprisoned in a foreign country. I’m going to be brutally honest. As long as you stay away from illegal drugs and don’t act like a drunken moron, your chance of being arrested in a third world country is close to zero. I spend six weeks a year traveling in the developing world. I’ve visited over 60 countries on all seven continents and never once thought I would be arrested.
Although the article claims bribes are controversial and bad, that’s how things work in the developing world. Any one of you would rather trade a couple hundred dollars in exchange for avoiding several days in a third-world jail. Ask to “pay the fine.” I would do so without reservation. It’s the cost of doing business and should be considered a “stupid tax.” Don’t do dumb things on your next trip and you’ll likely avoid contact with the local police.
ANOTHER GREAT GUN GUY PASSES
Massad Ayoob’s tribute to my late friend and mentor Ed Lovette.
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