I have gone back and forth on knives over the years in my self-defense training. Working in hand-to-hand, force-on-force, experiences led me to see the obvious utility of a small, fixed blade. Still, as an overall preparedness tool, while a knife is essential, a dedicated “fighting” knife sits low on the totem pole for me... Continue Reading →
Defending Property: No
Under the American system of law you cannot use lethal force, or potentially lethal force, to protect property, period. The most common form of this seems to be in connection with automobile theft. Thug tries to steel a citizen’s vehicle, citizen intervenes, thug ends up dead. Well, even if found and ruled justified after the... Continue Reading →
Keep it Close to Home
The concept of limiting who you are willing to protect by inserting yourself into a violent confrontation is nothing new. Well over twenty years ago the instructor for my concealed carry course (in a state that mandated a full day course that primarily focused on legalities) suggested that the concealed carrier “keep it close to... Continue Reading →
The Most Important Pistol Skill
The most important skill with a pistol, as it pertains to self-defense, is being able to deploy it efficiently, safely, and quickly. We could say that the draw to a first, solid hit, is most important. I would submit that the draw itself can be separated out from the first accurate hit to an extent... Continue Reading →
Open Carry: Fit Only for the Uninformed
I generally avoid the topic of open carry as those devoted to it certainly should have every legal right to do so. Still, just because you can does not mean you should. There are certain environments where open carry is more acceptable than others, but they are few and far between. If you live in... Continue Reading →
The Necessity for an Alternate Carry Mode
I have long promoted keeping a holster for your carry gun that is for the opposite hand. In the event that you sustain an injury to your dominant hand, or in the event of having surgery on your dominant side elbow, shoulder, wrist, etc…, you will be out of commission for a recovery period and... Continue Reading →
Focusing on the Essential Arsenal
The past two years have witnessed a dearth of ammunition availability and sky-high prices on anything that actually is available. Likewise, guns themselves were hard to find for a long time, although that particular shortage has greatly subsided at the time of this writing. I suspect that the ammunition crisis will not subside for some... Continue Reading →
Knives and Self-Defense
I have dabbled with the application of the knife as a defensive tool over the years and it has remained the red-headed stepchild of defensive tools for myself. Now, to be clear, it is a foremost preparedness tool in that having a cutting tool on person is essential; having a rescue-cutting implement to free people... Continue Reading →
Carrying Small Guns Post 2020
For those who say they only carry a full-size gun, and they carry it every day, all day, I want to I would say, I don’t believe you. Either you don’t carry all the time, or, you carry smaller guns, at least occasionally. I realize that there are some people who have almost no professional... Continue Reading →
Speed VS. Accuracy: The Most Asinine Argument in the Gun World
Of all the stupid arguments in the self-defense world, and there are many, the most ridiculous is the argument over “what is more important, speed or accuracy?” this is even more stupid than fighting over 9mm versus 45 ACP. More stupid than auto loader versus revolver. This is the most stupid of them all, because... Continue Reading →