I have carried a “tactical light” my entire adult life. When I was in my early twenties LED technology had just become a thing. I remember having a 40 lumen light and being amazed how bright it was. It was a tiny thing that blew away the big D-Cell mag lights. Wow, times have changed. ... Continue Reading →
A Must Watch: Ed Monk’s Presentation on Active Killers
Ed Monk is a noted expert on active killers and I have heard good things about his presentation on the subject, as well as the classes that he offers on active killer response. Well, Tim Larkin had Ed on his podcast and there is a five-part video presentation of it on YouTube. I heard several... Continue Reading →
Necessary Skills for the Armed Citizen in 2022
As I continue to train in and practice personal protection my evaluation of the world that surrounds me continues to evolve. A thought exercise that I have done for quite a few years now is try to prioritize the most essential elements of self-defense for the civilian. Occasionally, my criteria changes based on my further... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Deadly Force: Understanding your Right to Self Defense by Massad Ayoob
This is, absolutely, one of the two must-read books on the topic of self-defense law. If an individual will read only a single book on the legal use of deadly force, I think the Law of Self-Defense, by Andrew Branca, is the obvious choice as it is specifically written to be clear and concise for... Continue Reading →
Get Home Bags and Get Home Guns: The Reality
I seldom travel far from home anymore, but in years past I often would be several hours drive from home for my work. I would routinely work at different office locations that were between two and five hours drive from home. It was always on my mind: what would happen if an emergency situation occurred... Continue Reading →
OC Spray for the Gun Carrier: A Comprehensive Guide
I carry OC Spray daily, all the time, even though I always carry a handgun. I have taken OC Spray training from different instructors who specialize in it as I consider it an integral part of civilian oriented self-defense. OC Spray fills a completely different defensive role than does the handgun. The pistol is a... Continue Reading →
Concealed Carry While Hunting
First, let me say that you must be cognizant of the laws in the jurisdiction where you hunt. Some states, or some state or federal lands, etc…, have laws or ordinances that prohibit concealed carry while hunting in the field. For the majority of the nation that is exempt from such stupidity, there is no... Continue Reading →
Long Guns as a Show of Force: Careful Considerations
My opinions on the limited role of long guns for civilian self-defense are not popular. Why would they be? What could be more fun than taking a carbine class? How can one rely on the pistol, a platform that takes an enormous investment in training just to reach baseline proficiency, when everyone with an AR15... Continue Reading →
The Mailbox Gun
The defensive firearms community has paid some lip service to the “run to the store gun” or “grab a gallon of milk gun” gun, but the issue I take with that is going to such places is by no means low on the risk profile. There is a reason that gas stations are called “stop... Continue Reading →
Long Guns: The Wrong Tool for the Job
Once again, I accept that I will get skewered for this article by the chest-rig wearing mall ninjas, but recently we have witnessed another high-profile incident in which a long gun was involved, and I would submit that the display of the long gun in this incident contributed to the terrible and tragic outcome. We... Continue Reading →
