Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Vang Comp Thunderstick Summit 2025
Open enrollment registration for the best shotgun summit in the country is now available. Sign up quickly. This one will sell out. I’m teaching there and look forward to seeing some of you.
How many school shootings during 2024-25 school year?
Solid data on real school shootings.
First 30 Seconds: The Active Shooter Problem
Ed’s book is now available for purchase. If you don’t know Ed Monk, he is the nation’s leading expert on school shootings. I read this book in the draft stage a couple months ago. It is outstanding. It is by far the best book on the market about preventing and responding to school violence.
The 3- E’s of Being Elusive (or Rude)
High quality advice on managing unknown contacts (or creepers, as the article calls them). My standard line in situations like those described is “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
Understanding Ohio’s Weapon Laws, Part 10 – Bars and Liquor Locations
Part 10 of this comprehensive series about Ohio gun laws.
Heavy Clothing Stops .38 Wadcutter?!? Unbelievable Results
.38 Special LRN VS Wadcutter from Snub
Lots of data on snub caliber ballistic gelatin testing. You may also want to watch Old School U.S. Border Patrol Light .357 Mag Load – Winchester .357 Mag 110 gr SJHP – Ballistic Test and HOT .32 H&R Mag+P VS 9mm+P in Snubbies.
Heroes and Habits: Lessons From Real World Armed Self-Defense Situations
“Stevens didn’t rise to the occasion that day as some think they will do in a critical moment. He defaulted to his training which was very good and comprehensive. Years of classes, practice, and dedication to defensive pistolcraft paid off that day. Not many people can say they took out two armor-clad bad guys with rifles using only a sidearm and a single magazine.”
Famous Assassination Guns
Interesting information for you gun nuts who are also history buffs.
Trigger Ingress: What It Is And Why You Should Care
“If something besides your finger is able to get inside the trigger guard and pull the trigger, the firearm isn’t to blame; it functioned exactly as intended. In that case, the weak point is the holster.”
Let’s Meet For Tacos
A great way to remember Col. Cooper’s safety rules.
How To Pack A Professional Travel First Aid Kit
This is an excellent article on what kind of first aid supplies to carry when traveling. For most folks, this would be enough to treat the majority of injuries they might encounter. I would add a few things to make it more complete: a CAT Tourniquet for severe bleeding. some duct tape (because surgical tape doesn’t stick well to wet skin), a broad spectrum antibiotic (usually Cipro, Levaquin, or Augmentin but you may consider Azithromycin if traveling in SE Asia) and a prescription anti-nausea medication like Zofran.
You may also enjoy reading Essential Medical Supplies Beyond the Basics.
Cover and Concealment — A Missing Training Element
Important information about optimal use of cover.
The (un)Importance of Gear
“If your pistol shooting experience has only featured a gun with a pistol-mounted optic, and the gun fails during the cataclysmic event, and you have to snag a holstered gun from a downed officer – who still uses iron sights – can you continue the fight?
It’s an outlier, not a likely occurrence. It is a good reason to carry your own concealed backup gun, which you’re more likely to need. But if you’re an armed professional, you need to get competent with standard, box-stock, no frills service guns. To reverse the scenario above, if it’s iron-sight-dude who’s “gun free” at the moment and the only gun available has an optic – same problem — if you’re not competent with that kind of hardware.”
How many rounds can an AK fire before it breaks down?
Some great first hand information about the relative durability of the various different kind of AK rifles. The barrels definitely last longer than the average AR-15.
Dress to Disappear | Clothing Selection for Deep Carry Ep. 3 of 7
Rhett continues his series about very deep handgun carry.
BATFE BANS Non-Lethal Training Ammunition For Civilian Use [UPDATE: BAN REVERSED!]
Good news for those of you who enjoy force on force training.
Massad Ayoob: Four Cases That Show How An Eyewitness Can Be Unreliable
Massad Ayoob discusses some of the inherent problems with “eyewitness” testimony. I worked a homicide before I retired where four separate eye witnesses each incorrectly identified the same person in a photo line up as the killer. They all picked the wrong person. They all picked the same wrong person in the lineup. The person they chose looked almost nothing like the actual killer.
Zeroing In: Choosing the Right Zero Distance for Your Red Dot Pistol
Tatiana shares some tips about zeroing red dots. You may also like her Priority-Shift Drill shooting drill.
What I’m reading…
The Concealed Carry Trap
Ask yourself the questions contained within the article. If you can’t answer “yes” to all of them, you have some work to do.
The Best Guide to Shoulder Holsters for Dummies
For those of you interested in shoulder holsters.
Quietest .300 Blackout Ammo: Decibel Test
The quietest .300 Blackout round.
Scope turret cheat sheet
A handy cheat sheet from Kyle Defoor that will be very useful for you precision rifle instructors. When your student shows up and doesn’t understand the adjustments on his scope, you’ll be able to tell with one look exactly what type of scope adjustments he needs.
Some of the above links are affiliate links. I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.
