Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Hegseth Authorizes Off-Duty Service Members to Carry Private Firearms on Installations
This is a very positive initiative. Let’s hope the base commanders are supportive.
how to tell if men will attack you on the street
I think most of you know by now that I lead a very “colorful” life and embrace experiences and perspectives that are often outside the norm for a tactical writer and trainer. Interestingly enough, many of you have told me that you enjoy when I share alternative sources of information that you’ve never seen before in the weekly knowledge dump. Here is one such link.
Aella is a social scientist, researcher, and sex worker who has a valuable perspective. In this article written for women, she discusses factors that make her feel safe/unsafe when alone in public. If you’ve read my book, you’ll recognize her first rule. I find that one is universal no matter where you are in the world and what sex you are.
If you liked this piece, you may also like her work on childhood sexual abuse.
Suppressors and the hidden cost of hearing loss in policing
Why police rifles should be suppressed.
Turn Practice Into Performance: A Practical Guide to Shot Timers
An informative post about how to optimally use a shot timer to enhance your performance.
Sight Drift Happens
This happens far more often than you might think. I saw it a lot in my job as police armorer and have had it happen in some training classes as well.
You should also read Paul’s article Twelve Suggested Action Items For What We’re Seeing In The News.
Gabe White: The Draw of the Art
Gabe White is one of the best shooters I know. If you haven’t heard about him, read this article and then take one of his classes if you can.
Post Office Gun Ban Unconstitutional? Federal Court Blocks Enforcement—For Some
The latest on the post office gun ban.
Organized Street Crime in Plain Sight
If you’ve read this blog for awhile, I’m hoping you are smart enough not to intervene if you see a homeless dude smash the window of a car parked on a city street, steal some items from inside, and take off running.
The author of this piece chose to attempt to chase the thief down instead. I’m betting you aren’t prepared to deal with the organized resistance he encountered.
What I’m reading…
What is the Perfect Height Red Dot Mount?
How high should your AR-15 red dot be? If you have a traditional optic, Kyle Lamb has some good advice on scope mounting Kyle Lamb’s Guide to Mounting a Scope for ARC.
Detailed report on Maryland school shooting
An in-depth look at some of the post-incident failures following a Maryland school shooting. If you are involved in school security or are a parent of a child who attends school, you should read this one. You might also like the author’s article Four ways school shootings are averted.
TESTING 9MM HOME DEFENSE AMMO
The reasons why I prefer the 124 grain HSTs and Gold Dots for my 9mm defensive loads.
What Owning a Gun in Japan is Like
The process for owning guns in Japan. When I visited Japan last year, I met an American competitive shooter and tactical trainer who had relocated there with his family. Even though his American life revolved around guns, he made the decision not to own any in Japan because the process is so burdensome.
Your practice is producing rehearsal actors, not competitors.
This article is about athletic skills practice, but has tremendous carryover to shooting practice.
“Most people practice like they’re running drills.
Safe. Controlled. Quiet. Every variable managed. Every potential source of failure removed. Clean because they designed it to be clean.
And then they step into the real game. The real call. The real market. The real competition.
And they scratch.
Not because they didn’t work hard. Because the reps they put in don’t carry the information of the environment they’re trying to perform in.
If your athletes are great in practice but fall apart in games, you don’t have a mental skills problem. You don’t need a sports psychologist. You need a different practice design.
The drill is a simulation. The game is the thing.
You cannot train for the thing inside a simulation that removes everything that makes the thing hard.
This is the trap. And almost nobody in coaching — or business, or creative work — talks about it. Because the drill feels productive. It looks like work. The reps accumulate. The progress is visible.
But you are not building the skill. You are building the skill of doing the drill.
The drill does not exist in the real game.”
Best Practices for Investigating an Officer-Involved Critical Incident – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
A free 322-page ebook that is a worthwhile read for police officers, expert witnesses, and investigators.
INTEGRATED COMBATIVES | Why You Should Always Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
A good discussion of the advantages of the fixed blade knife over the folder in a combative context. I will note that the commentary on Hicks’ law has been thoroughly debunked in the context of fighting and self protection.
What to know about cychlorphine, the synthetic opioid 10 times stronger than fentanyl
A new drug for cops, parents, and harm reduction advocates to be aware of.
The Car As A Coffin • Survival Centric
Hock’s thoughts on car fighting.
The Origins of 764
“The 764 network is the term used to describe a group of interconnected, decentralized online groups that weaponize digital platforms like Discord, Telegram, and Roblox to target and exploit underage users. Members of such groups locate vulnerable, unsupervised youth online and then groom and radicalize them, often sharing violent content such as gore, neo-Nazi content, animal torture, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in order to desensitize them.”
Get Out Safely: Travelers’ Safety In A Hotel
Do you have an evacuation plan for your hotel when you travel?
Your Officers Need to Be Anaerobically Fit
When I was a cop, I focused my workouts on both power lifting and anaerobic fitness. It’s hard work, but very valuable for the job. Cops should be sprinting as well. Up until I seriously injured my knee, I sprinted one or two times a week even long after I retired. I’m still recovering from that knee surgery and can’t sprint right now. I still do weekly short hobbling jogs with the goal of getting back to sprinting eventually.
Secret Service agent assigned to Jill Biden shot himself in the buttocks: report
Industry rumor has it that the agent was reholstering after using his weapon-mounted light to search for something under the seat of his car. If you think you need a WML, you need a handheld flashlight as well.
Quote of the week:
“One of my hopes is to age into a better mindset.
The general trend seems to become less open minded, less resilient, less capable of handling change with ease and flexibility as the years roll by.
I hope to grow in the opposite direction. How can my mindset be better today than it was yesterday?”
– James Clear
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