My HideAway Habit

Years ago, I stumbled across an interesting knife mentioned on a gun forum. Called the HideAwayKnife, it was a small fixed-blade designed to be pretty much undroppable. The unique design made it perfectly suited to both defensive and utility purposes.

I always carried a folder (or three) and figured I could handle them effectively if I needed to use them for last-ditch personal protection. But as is so often the case, a bit of force-on-force taught me how foolish that was. There just isn't enough fine motor control to spare.

I ordered a HideAway, along with a training drone and SouthNarc's great training DVD. I know better than to think a DVD alone can prepare anyone to fight for their life, so I loaned it to an instructor (retired SEAL) I've worked with extensively in armed and unarmed technique. He was impressed, and helped me develop better competency with the little knives.

Only about an inch and a half long, they fall well within most jurisdictions' knife carry blade length limits. Some areas ban all fixed blades regardless of length. As with the confusing array of gun laws on the books, it is our responsibility to research what is and is not allowed where we live and travel. Nebraska, for example, defines a knife with a blade over 3.5" in length as a weapon, but then throws in "any other dangerous instrument capable of inflicting cutting, stabbing, or tearing wounds" for good measure. This state also defines a "deadly weapon" as "any firearm, knife, bludgeon, or other device, instrument, material, or substance, whether animate or inanimate, which in the manner it is used or intended to be used is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury." Animate or inanimate? Well, I did have a cat with an attitude years ago who qualified.

But getting back on topic, I don't want a bad guy getting any closer to me than absolutely necessary and a knife is absolutely an up-close-and-personal weapon. I also understand that I will not be able to set the parameters of any true defensive encounter. Having highly-concealable options for the worst-case scenario can only be a good thing.

HideAways are like potato chips, though. You can't have just one.

New Sights And Level III Class

I got a good chance to test out my new Wilson Combat Ultimate Speed Sights in the Advanced Pistol Level III class last weekend. The class included a lot of low-light work with and without flashlights, and overall I have to say that so far fiber-optic front sights and I just don't get along.

We were working about mid-range and the only ambient light was from the viewing room windows. With light only coming from behind the gun, the front sight appeared totally black. When using my Surefire E2D 200-lumen LED light, the fiber-optic insert became totally academic as the silhouette of the sights stood out clearly against the brightly illuminated targets. Working without lights, my sights were essentially invisible until they picked up my muzzle flash.

In normal light the sights are taking some getting used to, but do work very well. My hits were good from the start and got better as the class progressed despite fatigue and adrenaline. I had some problems with my Wilson not locking open on an empty mag (the same thing I sent it back to have fixed) during the flashlight drills, but I feel I was probably limp-wristing with the gun held in one hand and the flashlight in the other. During all two-handed shooting the gun ran perfectly.

The tactical medicine portion of the class was excellent. We were each given a Tac Med Solutions Downed Operator Kit and hands-on work with training versions of its components.

My CERT training in disaster medicine gave me an edge in the surprise force-on-force exercise that followed. This was the first FoF scenario I've ever done that included administering emergency medical care to a victim. It was a very valuable experience, and more training opportunities in this area would be greatly appreciated. And since the syllabus made no mention of a FoF drill, there was no opportunity to mess myself up psych myself out for it ahead of time. Also very valuable.

One thing I'm noticing after training with multiple training providers is how much of their material can conflict. Exposure to a variety of techniques is great, especially with instructors who explain where those techniques came from and why they work, but it makes for some awkward moments when what you're expected to do in class is diametrically oppposed to a technique you've practiced extensively for months or years.

Oh yeah, and nothing makes you feel more like a doorstop in a training class than a fellow student who's an Army Ranger turned police officer.

Mr. Wilson's Coming Home!

Wilson Combat notified me that they shipped my gun back to my FFL yesterday with a scheduled delivery date of Monday. I can hardly wait!

They said the mechanical work was completely within the lifetime warranty, so my only cost will be for the new sights. They also said they would credit me for the overnight shipping to Berryville, so my out-of-pocket for the whole thing should be negligible.

Their first shipment of production Ultimate Speed Sights isn't coming in until January, so they offered to install a set of their prototypes instead. I said sure, so it will be interesting to see how they turn out.

All in all, Wilson Combat's customer service is second to none.

I'm so glad I won't have to carry the Government CQB any more. It's a great gun, but a (literal) pain when you're 5'4" and carry appendix IWB. And I'll say it again, an Ed Brown Bobtail is the greatest single improvement to 1911 concealability ever devised.

Stay tuned for a review of the Ultimate Speed Sights. I have an Advanced Pistol Level III class next weekend including low-light work, night fighting, and trauma care. Should be a good one.

MAG-40 AAR

Two weeks ago, I took Massad Ayoob's MAG-40 class, two days covering the Armed Citizen's Rules Of Engagement and two days of StressFire-based live fire. The material covered was incredibly valuable, both in the classroom and on the range, but the greatest benefit I derived from this class had nothing to do with either law or shooting.

On the second day of classroom instruction, Mr. Ayoob discussed the physical and emotional aftermath of a defensive gun use. As he listed the effects someone who has had to shoot in self-defense should expect, I realized they were things I experience every day but have come to think were normal. Then he described how post-shooting police officers who have the same symptoms don't recognize them either. The ton of bricks hit me, big time.

A single extremely traumatic event causes many of the same difficulties as post-traumatic stress. The only difference is in the latter case, the trauma is endured for months or years instead of minutes. What I discovered was while I thought I had done such a good job of dealing with my personal trauma, it wasn't anywhere near as behind me as I thought.

My first reaction was feeling like a failure and a fraud, that all these years I had been lying to myself and everyone else. My family did everything in their power all my life to convince me I was worthless and I should be grateful they tolerated me at all. Others tolerated me only because they didn't know the "truth" and they would abandon me as soon as they saw through my facade. My role in the family was "scapegoat" and that indoctrination made me attractive to people looking for easy victims.

When that old pattern showed up again, I felt like I had also failed to beat my family's destructive indoctrination. Failure again. See where this mess was going?

I spent that night mostly in the bathroom, getting pretty much no sleep. A great way to hit the range the next day. Monday's first live-fire day was a waking nightmare. I was in full-on adrenaline dump the whole time, shaking so hard I could barely hold my gun. My bobtail Commander Wilson wouldn't lock the slide back on an empty mag, so I shot the rest of the class with my Government-size Wilson CQB.

I shot like crap. No, I would have had to do better to shoot like crap. I had run out of adrenaline by Tuesday, and spent that day in parasympathetic crash, spaghetti arms and everything. Even so, I managed to do a bit better than on Monday, and passed the qualifier.

So what's the bottom line here? I don't know yet. I am dealing with the old problem of "shoulding" on myself: I "should" have beaten this crap by now, I "should" have better control over my life, blah, blah, blah. Thanks to the information provided in the class, I have new directions to explore toward really overcoming what happened to me.

Or maybe the lesson is that some things you never fully can forget. Maybe they stay around forever. Maybe I need to learn how to turn these weaknesses into strengths. Maybe this is one more example of the destination being the journey.

This isn't your typical After Action Report. In deference to the usual model, I will say that Mr. Ayoob is a tremendous speaker and the legal information provided in this class is absolutely essential for anyone who has and carries guns for self-defense. What comes after the shooting may well be worse than the violent criminal action that precipitated it. It gives one pause to truly reconsider what using the most effective tools to preserve innocent life really means. And that is a good thing.

There was a great guest lecture by Bill Laughridge of Cylinder & Slide, one of the top pistolsmiths in the country. He described the evolution of our modern defensive handguns, and what features help and hinder their safe and effective use.

I brought a new 70-page narrow-ruled notebook to the classroom portion of the training, and nearly filled it. I'm glad I decided against bringing my netbook, because I could barely write fast enough to get everything down, never mind typing.

The live-fire sessions were also extremely valuable, despite being something of a blur to me under the circumstances. It was a great opportunity to experience shooting under extreme stress in safe surroundings. Nothing like actually experiencing how that affects your skill. As Mr. Ayoob said, we should expect some "post-LFI stress syndrome" for just that reason. I just got a bigger dose than anyone else. I absolutely want to take the MAG-40 again, once I come to better terms with what I learned about myself in this one.

Mr. Ayoob was also presented with a certificate signed by Governor Dave Heineman appointing him to the rank of Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska. Governor Heineman has proven himself a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.

I cannot fully express my thanks to Massad Ayoob and Gail Pepin (aka "The Evil Princess") for this training experience. I might, however, respectfully suggest that Mr. Ayoob consult with his opthalmologist after referring to me in passing as a "baby fox."

Post-Operative Update

Judge had his surgery to remove his melanomas on Wednesday. Everything went really well.

Since there is no loose skin to suture inside a horse's ear or on the hairless part of the dock of the tail, both sites have to heal as open wounds. Despite the whole ear tumor being bigger than a golf ball, its point of attachment was only about the size of my thumbnail and did not involve the ear cartilage. That spot is nearly healed already.

The site of the tail tumor is not nearly so small and neat. In order to get good margins, Judge has a divot a bit over two inches across that goes well into the muscle. I'm treating it with Granulex V spray, plus Judge has ten days' worth of twice-daily Trimethoprim/Sulfadiazine tablets.

The vet came out to the barn to do the surgery because after all our trailer loading practice, when it was time to haul him to the clinic Judge wouldn't load. He's always been very well-behaved and cooperative, but in recent months he's been aloof and short-fused. Thoroughbreds are more normally reactive than most other breeds, and I attributed the rest of the behavioral changes to his moving up through the ranks in the herd. He's now the dominant gelding and thinks himself to be quite the ladies' man.

According to the available literature, equine melanoma is not painful. I could touch either of the tumors without Judge showing any sign of discomfort. But despite those facts, now that they're both gone Judge is back to his old cooperative self.

When we were trying to get Judge loaded, there was no shortage of "helpful" advice. The horse is being a pig, the horse is disrespectful, you need to get after him and make him mind. I now know those tumors, especially the one in his ear, were bothering him more than I thought. I feel absolutely awful for not doing something about the tumors sooner, despite normal veterinary advice being to leave melanomas alone unless absolutely necessary since surgery can cause otherwise localized masses to metastasize.

So I owe Judge a huge apology. The ear tumor is going in for histopath, since it was an atypical melanoma. It's way too soon to tell how fast the tumors will return, since most melanomas do. But regardless of the tumors' size or appearance, I will take action at the first sign of change from normal behavior.

I broke one of my own cardinal rules here: that horses never do anything without a good reason, and any time a horse is resistant look for a physical cause first. Judge's personality change was from physical discomfort, pure and simple. I won't make that mistake again.

Punishing Judge for being a disrespectful pig would have accomplished nothing except making him more miserable than he already was. He probably would have (justifiably) started avoiding me altogether. Removing the tumors fixed his behavior, not inflicting negative reinforcement and positive punishment.

The horse does not lie. We humans just have to be willing to hear the truth.

Clunk!

I had a CLUNK in a public restroom over the weekend.

No, it wasn't my gun, the restroom was a one-holer, and it was in a business where if the proprietors had known what happened, they would have just pointed and laughed.

In no-jacket weather, I've been carrying my two reloads in a spare snubby-size pocket holster in my left front jeans pocket. It's comfortable, they're readily accessible, and they're less conspicuous than in a mag carrier on my belt.

While I was paying careful attention to my 1911 in its Minotaur Spartan IWB, the other side of my jeans drooped just enough for the two loaded mags to slip out of the snubby holster and hit the tile. No harm-no foul, but a great teaching experience.

Keep track of all of your EDC gear, all the time. Thus endeth the lesson.

Trauma-Free Trailer Training

Judge's ear melanoma has gone weird, so the vet wants to remove it and send it in for histopathology. As long as he's taking that one, he's going to remove the other melanoma on Judge's tail as well. That necessitates trailering Judge to the vet clinic about 30-odd miles away.

Judge has only been trailered once, when he was moved to where he's living now from the place where he was born. That was several years ago. Since I like to stack the deck for success whenever possible, we spent the day today doing Trailer Loading 101.

We pulled my trailer into a safely-fenced area so I could use free-shaping to get Judge calmly loading himself. I brought some of my other horses in as well, since loading like ladies and gentlemen is an essential skill. Milton The EvilPony™ is a trailer loading champ and could come in handy to give an uncertain horse a lead. Funny how even the worst little snot around has something he does really well.

By clicking and rewarding the slightest effort made in a positive direction, Judge was soon loading himself with no physical coercion at all. No halter, no lead rope, no drama.

It really helps to have a trailer that's big and airy enough for the horses to feel comfortable. Judge is a solid 16 hands, and in my 7'8" tall, extra wide trailer he has plenty of room.

Sarge was especially fun to work with. In about ten minutes, he would load himself when I told him, "Load up." He would stand in his proper spot, then turn around when asked, walk to the top of the ramp, wait until I told him it was okay, then walk down the ramp and stop at the bottom. Then I had to put him back out with the other horses because he kept loading and unloading himself and getting in the way.

Hopefully Judge will have smooth, stress-free trips to and from the vet, with Milton along for company. Once he gets there, well, I don't expect that part to be so pleasant.

Maybe I'm weird, but I enjoy playing with my horses, seeing how each one learns and the different activities they like over others, and learning how their minds work far more than riding them.

How To Catch A Horse

Trainers get lots of calls from people who can't catch their horses. I thought I'd post a short video to show how it's done.

Dramamine Warning: This is my very first attempt at video recording. It was made on my phone (Motorola Droid) while walking over rough ground in a high wind. No way to mount a tripod.

Sarge recently skinned up his scar but good, and I have to treat it every day again. That's pretty much all I'm doing with him right now, so he knows perfectly well what's coming when I show up. Even though he's not crazy about being treated, the quality of our relationship is such that he still comes willingly when I call him.

That's the key. If you have a foundation of mutual respect and understanding, everything else just works.

You Ride Like A Girl

You wish.

And halfpassgal/Shannon's piece de resistance:

Breathe

I've been riding twice as long as halfpassgal's been alive, and wish I had half the velcro-seat she does. When I work with horses who were messed up by ignorance and/or arrogance, I make sure I've stacked the deck way more in my favor before ever getting on them.

Even so, like the mare in the first video, sometimes they flash back to past bad memories and revert to old behaviors they developed way back when to save themselves. When that happens, the only way out is through. You have to stay on, stay calm, not punish, and straighten things out.

No funky sticks, magic ropes, waving flags, or endless circling. Just good classic horsemanship, pure and simple. As the late Col. Alois Podhajsky said, "Riding forward is the essence of correct training."

Calm, straight, and forward beats all those funky sticks, magic ropes, and round-penning ad-nauseam every time.

There's Training . . .

And then there's TRAINING.

While I can see both sides of the argument about whether training and qualification should be required for a concealed handgun permit, I absolutely believe anyone who carries a gun should get as much training as he or she can afford. I admit to being a training junkie, and try to get in at least three or four classes every year.

Practice also has training value, as do shooting sports such as IPSC and IDPA matches. But nothing shows you where you need to focus your self-improvement efforts like force-on-force. Everything changes when the targets are shooting back.

Even knowing in general terms what's coming doesn't change the adrenaline dump and its associated tunnel vision and loss of fine motor control. Airsoft pellets don't hurt as much as Sims, but they hurt enough that I don't want to get hit, and can sure tell when I am.

Accurate Airsoft replicas of most of the popular defensive handguns are available that fit everyday carry rigs. My KWA all-metal 1911 works especially well, since the thumb safety holds the slide in place while holstering. Airsoft recoil springs are far too weak to do that job on their own. I have two spare magazines, and can drop them without fear of breakage on thick grass, thick carpet, or dojo mats. Cement or gravel, not so much. Sure, the mags will hold more than eight rounds, but I only load eight for added realism.

Force-on-force is for more than just guns. I have drone versions of the blades I carry as well, and suiting up for a session involves wearing training versions of everything I normally wear, in the same places they'll be if I need the real thing.

I have to laugh when I hear range Rambos discussing which shooting stance is the "correct" one for a defensive gun use. When the fit hits the shan, your stance will be 100% whatever works. The more movement necessary, the less your shooting position will resemble anything you do standing at the line punching holes in paper. And movement will be necessary. Clint Smith wasn't kidding when he said, "If you’re not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you’re not loadin', you should be movin'. If you’re not movin', someone’s gonna cut your head off and put it on a stick."

So don't think standing at the line making one ragged hole in the middle of a sheet of paper at ten yards prepares you to fight for your life. That one ragged hole is to gunfighting the way school figures are to Olympic figure skating. A fundamental skill upon which to build the rest.

So punch that paper. Get some run-and-gun with practical shooting sports. But if at all possible, get some force-on-force training. It's a potentially life-saving eye-opener.

Firsts

Sarge is reaching the point in his training where he trusts me enough to give me the benefit of the doubt. I can present new things for him to learn, and because I haven't hurt him, his immediate reaction is calm curiosity instead of fear.

Today, I decided to try girthing him for the first time. With the scarring in his back, he might not be able to wear a girth comfortably. If so, he would be permanently retired at the ripe old age of three. I seriously doubt he'll ever be able to handle a saddle with the weight of a rider, but driving in harness might still be a possibility.

I used a training surcingle, first letting him look it over and then just laying it over his back. He thought that was okay, so I let down the off side, reached under him, and brought up the buckle end on his near side. Just holding against him was okay, too, so I buckled it on the longest hole.

No objection, so I took it up one notch, then another. The surcingle was girthed as snugly as if it was part of a driving harness. And Sarge's reaction to this? Yawn.

There was none of the excitement that used to happen back in the bad old days, when terrified horses were snubbed to posts as saddles were strapped in place. No bucking, no resistance, no pain, no fear. There was no halter, no rope, no physical restraint at all. And it took less than five minutes from start to finish.

After Sarge wandered around for a while looking bored by the whole thing, I figured why not introduce him to the round pen and longeing? After all, so far so good, and a chance to move out more would test how comfortable the surcingle really was for him.

So I put his halter on and led him out to the round pen. Once inside, I took his halter off to avoid any possibility he could catch it on the fence. Using a longe whip only to wiggle along his side as a suggestion to stay out on the circle instead of right next to me, he walked and trotted calmly in both directions for about ten minutes or so. Plenty of time for a first attempt.

Then we went back to the barn. I groomed him, told him he was wonderful, and turned him back out. Thus endeth the lesson.

Good horse training appears very boring, because nothing seems to be happening. A horse should walk off the very first time he wears a saddle the same as if it's the thousandth time. If anything more spectacular happens, it's my fault and not the horse's.

Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Sound familiar?

Knowing Your Limitations

Marko Kloos, the Munchkin Wrangler, hit yet another one out of the park with his essay, "A Vote For Gun Control Is A Vote For Thunderdome:"

Every martial art that involves direct unarmed hand-to-hand fighting has weight classes. This is done because a bantamweight boxer will get his clock cleaned by a heavyweight ninety-nine out of a hundred times. Sending a 115-pound fighter up against a 220-pound fighter is simply not an even contest, because the heavyweight can deal (and absorb) much more powerful punches.

Let me repeat that little factoid: even a trained fighter in prime shape has no realistic chance of winning an unarmed fight against a heavier opponent.

Of course, in the comments there were plenty of martial artists claiming that's just not true. They have seen the little guys beat the big guys, over and over, or done it themselves. Okay, fine, but they all seem to use the dojo as the source of their proof.

As Sgt. Rory Miller pointed out so well in "Meditations On Violence," real-life attacks bear no resemblance to sparring on the mats. Or fighting in the steel cage, for that matter.

I have training in empty-hand, but that doesn't make me any bigger, younger, or sounder than I already am. That's 5'4" tall, mumble-mumble years old, with plenty of creaky souvenirs from a misspent youth riding and falling off horses. Sure, I can throw the 6'5" and 300 pound uke around just fine when uke cooperates with the exercise, but if uke declines to participate? No freakin' way.

Now substitute a pack of street criminals for uke in that image . . .

The best thing I've learned from my empty-hand training is my own very real limitations when deprived of effective tools for self-defense.

The truth is that criminals who make a living threatening injury or death for the contents of a cash register or a wallet won’t be greatly handicapped by any laws that prohibit the carrying of guns. They carry them anyway, but as I’ve pointed out, they’d still tilt the favors in their odds even if the magic gun control fairy could make all the guns go *poof* overnight. Gun control is tossing their intended victims into the ring with them after forcibly disarming them…to make sure the violence doesn’t escalate.

Violence wasn't invented along with firearms. It's been around as long as the human species. Massacres and atrocities have been perpetrated on the weak by the strong for thousands of years. Julius Caesar didn't need guns to kill a million people. The machete was the primary weapon of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994.

As an old-West poem praising the Colt revolver supposedly said, "Be not afraid of any man, No matter what his size, When danger threatens, call on me, And I will Equalize."

As Marko has stated elsewhere, "People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that’s the exact opposite of a civilized society."

Rule by the young, the strong, and the many. None of which I happen to be. No matter how hard I train.

I will still train, of course. There is a place for empty-hand skills in anyone's defensive toolbox, just as there is for the stick, the blade, and the gun.

Just so we know, really know, their limitations. And ours.

Putty In My Hands

Cando Theraputty, to be exact.

I'm always looking for ways to improve my shooting. My snubby convinced me that while my hands are strong, they're not strong enough. Fifty rounds through that little thing is still downright unpleasant. And the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P ammo I use for carry? Ouch.

I've tried those hand strengtheners with springs and the rubber balls without much success. A physical therapist friend suggested I try the putty, so I ordered a set of four-ounce containers of six different resistances from extra-extra soft to extra firm. A four-ounce blob is just right for a small woman's hand, and I can work through all six stages in ascending order in about twenty minutes while watching TV.

Noticeable improvement was very quick. I still think I suck, but my standards for suckage have become much higher.

Learning Curve

The adventure of learning the snubby continues. Before I even picked up the gun from the dealer, I got a copy of Ed Lovette's book, "The Snubby Revolver: The ECQ, Backup, and Concealed Carry Standard" as a general reference. The book was invaluable in preparing me to approach this new tool from an informed perspective.

I got a Hogue Monogrip for the gun, and keep swapping between it and the factory grips. There's no question the Monogrip is easier to shoot, but the factory grips are much easier to conceal. Even tucked in a jeans pocket, the gun just disappears. I'm thinking I'll start out shooting the Monogrip and then switch back to the factory grips as I become more proficient.

I still can't seem to find a hold that feels natural and secure. I shoot high-thumb on semiautos, and obviously that can't work on a wheelgun. At least my hands are small enough to keep my thumbs away from the cylinder gap when habit takes over.

Experimenting around the house with an empty gun and an Ace bandage, I've found the alternative carry positions possible with little guns aren't as impractical as they seemed. With the right pants, ankle carry is perfectly doable using Massad Ayoob's big-drop-step-off-the-X draw. That method works so well that I wonder why anyone still says you have to take a knee or stand on one leg like a flamingo to draw a gun on your ankle. I don't wear dresses or skirts unless absolutely unavoidable, but discovered I could do a thigh rig if I had to. Worn not too far above the knee, it's acceptably comfortable and accessible, and sure beats not having a gun at all.

Several people have suggested Crimson Trace Lasergrips, either for defensive use or as a training aid. I have Lasergrips to fit my Hi-Powers and shelved them after using them for something over a year. Strange as it sounds, I found they slowed my shooting. I try to train for unconscious competence and anything that disrupts conditioned behavior chains tends to slow them down by breaking the pattern. I have a multi-caliber laser boresighter that is placed in the chamber, and will see if I can get a .38 Special adapter for it.

The trigger job smoothed things out beautifully while not significantly lightening the pull, so repeated dry practice is like physical therapy for my damaged trigger finger.

All in all, with the snubby, the journey is proving as valuable as the destination.

Love BUG

The more I work with my S&W Airweight J-frame, the more I think this little gun is one of the best investments I could have made in my shooting skill set.

Oh, I'm not producing any targets yet worth keeping or posting online. For every live round I fire, I probably execute fifty or more hopefully-perfect dry trigger presses. Most of the time, I can keep a dime balanced on top of the gun while dry practicing.

So what's the value of all this "non-productive" busywork? Besides ammo savings, I mean.

My shooting with the snubby ain't there yet, but my 1911 shooting is getting WAY better.

The Close Quarters class I had on April 18 showed me that my old tendency to jerk the trigger still returns under pressure. Watching my groups straggle off toward the lower left was frustrating and discouraging. So I decided to buckle down and confront my problem head-on by concentrating on the little, lightweight, jumpy gun as a means to get better with the big, heavy, stable one.

And it works.

But targets with such little tiny holes sure look funny. They'll look a lot less funny when all the little holes come together to make one big ragged one.

It'll get there.

Gun School After Action Report

On April 18, I had the pleasure of attending Signal 88 Security's Intermediate Close Quarters Gunfighting class.

There was so much covered in the class that I hardly know where to begin.

Some highlights:

• Two-handed and one-handed gun manipulations and malfunction drills.
• Integrated combatives, using empty-hand techniques to create distance from an attacker and allow the defender to bring his/her gun into play.
• "See what you need to see in order to do what you need to do." -- Threat identification and assessment being more important than having your sights dominating your field of view.
• A gunfight is far more about the FIGHT rather than the GUN, and how poorly punching bullseye holes in paper prepares you to fight for your life.
• The difference between AIMED and SIGHTED fire: all of our shots were aimed, but very, very few were sighted.
• The Israeli approach to using cover: "When you're afraid, you hug cover, so don't be afraid to hug cover."
• Avoiding tactical errors that get people killed.
• Weapon retention, and how to shoot while aggressively defending your weapon.
• Moving off the X, shooting on the move, how tactics need to differ against a knife compared to a gun.
• The full three-dimensional 360 degree after-action drill, and the importance of always moving in the direction of the known.

It was eye-opening to see what fell apart and what didn't under increasing pressure. I need WAY more one-hand-only and weak -hand-only practice under non-square-range conditions. Much of that will have to be Airsoft due to the constraints of shooting range rules, but I don't seem to notice recoil or the weight of the gun anyway as the intensity of the drill increases. Anything that builds so-called muscle memory and provides stress inoculation has value.

To my amazement, this is the first training class I've been in that didn't draw blood. Every time I do any serious training, I end up hitting the first-aid kit at least once. Maybe things are looking up.

Signal 88's chief instructors are highly qualified. The class I was in was taught by Devin Crinklaw. Devin is a well-established tactical instructor with a vast amount of tactical training and experience ranging from defensive tactics to explosive breaching and hostage rescue operations.

He is an Instructor Trainer for P.P.C.T., and holds or has received numerous instructor and operator certifications including: Nebraska State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, NRA Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, CQB Instructor, Rapid Deployment Instructor, Patrol Rifle Instructor, Concealed Handgun Instructor, S.P.E.A.R. Instructor, Dynamic Simulation Instructor Trainer, Bill Scott Raceway (High Performance Tactical Driving) and Emergency Vehicle Operations instructor, and holds numerous other credentials specific to combat tactics and training. He has executive protection experience domestically and abroad and is a Certified Personal Protection Specialist. He holds Black Belts in two different martial arts, currently works as a police officer and SWAT Team Member, and is a Primary Defensive Tactics Instructor Trainer for the Omaha Police Department.

I've also previously taken a Signal 88 handgun class taught by Trevor Thrasher: Trevor has wide ranging tactical and special operations experience as both an operator and instructor. This includes service as Army Green Beret, Police Officer, SWAT Team Member, Body Guard, and Private Military Contractor with operational experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trevor has received certifications as an Israeli Counter-Terrorism Tactical Instructor, Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, Israeli Tactical Shooting Instructor, Concealed Carry Handgun Instructor, S.P.E.A.R. Instructor, Police Krav Maga Instructor, FAST Defense (Fear, Adrenaline, Stress, Training) Instructor, P.P.C.T. (Pressure Point Control Tactics) Instructor, U.S. Army Special Forces Military Hand to Hand Combat Instructor, Police Take Down and Ground Control Instructor, and holds various other instructor and tactical operations certifications with a heavy emphasis on CQB and Combatives, He was the Primary Defensive Tactics Instructor at the Omaha Police Academy, and the primary tactical instructor/adviser for a group of foreign special forces conducting on-going counter terrorism operations, He currently works as a part-time police officer in the Douglas County area, serves as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant with the 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Colorado National Guard), and performs contract security services for various organizations both locally and overseas. He is the Director of Special Operations for Signal 88 Security.

Everyone who takes training seriously wants to go to the big name schools, Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, Front Sight, Blackwater, Lethal Force Institute. But top quality training can also be available locally, and you can afford more training if you don't have to pay for travel and lodging. And there's no such thing as too much training.

Don't overlook the valuable resources in your own back yard.

Command Presence, Command Voice

Via Robb Allen, we have an excellent essay on the Brillianter.com blog about the use of verbal commands in self defense.

At the beginning of the Force Continuum are Command Presence and Command Voice. For the private citizen, Command Presence is staying in Condition Yellow, moving positively and confidently, and wearing clothing that favors stability and maneuverability. If I wander down the street listening to my iPod with my head down and shoulders slumped, wearing high heels or flip-flops, dangling a purse off my elbow by a flimsy strap, I'm setting myself up to be an attractive target. Not so if I stride confidently, my head up paying attention to my surroundings, my Maxpedition pack worn cross-body, and wearing clothes and shoes in which I can run and fight. Even when I had to wear skirts to work, I left my black business pumps in my office and walked to and from my car in running shoes.

Just as natural predators scope out the herd to pick out the vulnerable, so do criminals. Neither a mountain lion nor a mugger wants to have to expend too much energy or incur too much risk when taking down prey. But let's say the shark wants to approach nearer and bump the bait.

That's where Command Voice comes in. Being a small woman, I set the boundaries right away. Because I watch shadows and reflections when walking down the street and stay in the middle of the sidewalk where someone approaching me has to cross open distance first, so far I haven't been blindsided (knock wood). For business-suit types, I move inconspicuously out of arm's reach as they ask for directions. My response is polite leaning toward terse. I sound like I'm in a hurry, which I usually am.

The panhandlers and similar folk get warned right away. "That's close enough. Sorry, I can't help you." I take the "interview stance" and move to my 3 or 9 if they persist. "Back off, I can't help you." I don't back away, since then I'm moving into unknown territory and may fall. My hands are up and empty which looks nonthreatening but puts me in a good position to fend or take action if the person keeps coming. So far nobody has, but I'm always ready.

Then there are other situations that demand immediate control. My property is fenced with padlocked gates posted against trespassing, and it is not for sale. Despite that, I am currently dealing with the fourth round of people who want to buy my property and won't take no for an answer. None of these would-be buyers actually want my circa-1881 house and woods, they just want the land so they can bulldoze everything and build a McMansion. The extremely poor choices these various people have made over the years have been duly documented with the county sheriff, the county attorney, the state patrol, the state fire marshal, and my lawyer. So you can understand why I have a very, very low tolerance for strangers trying to go where they don't belong.

I came home early one day to find a pickup truck parked in my driveway and a man trying to get through the fence within clear sight of a "No Trespassing" sign. I pulled up on the side of the road and got out of my car, keeping the engine block between myself and Mr. Stupid. I didn't waste time on niceties:

"STOP!"
"STAY RIGHT THERE!"
"SHOW ME YOUR HANDS!"
"EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE!"

He stopped, all right. Hands out and empty, he babbled something about how he'd made a BIG mistake and wouldn't come back if I'd just let him leave. Fine with me.

Then as he peeled out up the gravel road, I called the sheriff with his plate number, description, description of his vehicle, and direction of departure. Too harsh a response? Maybe, but with documented threats on file, I will cut somebody trying to circumvent locked gates to get onto my posted property no slack whatsoever.

Did I present my weapon? Of course not. Would I have done so if the man attacked me with sufficient physical violence to put me in fear of serious injury or death? Absolutely, in an instant. My hand was next to my still concealed and holstered gun, out of his visual range. Fortunately, he left instead of advancing.

No matter how much of what kind of training I have, I'm still a small, not so young any more female with bad knees and other physical shortcomings that put me at a huge disadvantage if I close with a bigger, stronger opponent. I want to keep him at a distance and stop the threat from there, not encourage him to get within grabbing or striking range. His reach and strength are greater than mine.

But through Command Presence and Command Voice, I was able to take control of the encounter -- and hopefully make it clear that any such future attempts would not be tolerated.

The bad guy is the one who chooses to initiate the encounter. Had he not tried to get onto my locked and clearly posted property, there would have been no encounter at all.

The bad guy is the one who chooses how far up the Force Continuum the encounter goes. He could have escalated, but he wisely chose to leave.

I am more than happy the incident stopped where it did, but had it not I was committed to stopping it no matter what. Sorry, but when people are threatening to destroy my home, "just give them what they want" does not apply.

And welcome to the blogroll, Brillianter.com.

Count The Mistakes

In training, I've been instructed to analyze news segments about citizens victimized by criminals. Even though all the details obviously won't be told, there are lessons to be learned from the mistakes these victims made that contributed to their victimization.

Recently, this story appeared on the local news.

A man is robbed in his own driveway. What can we learn from his unfortunate experience?

Mistake # 1: The man noticed a suspicious car tailing him and ignored it. Don't ignore warning signs. We (still) have instincts for a reason.

Mistake # 2: He knew he was being followed and went home anyway. If tailed in a car, do not go home. Instead, head for a busy, well-lit area. Even at midnight, there are lights, activity, and surveillance cameras at Wal-Mart.*

Mistake # 3: Between the contents of his wallet and his going home, the escaped Bad Guys know where he lives. They can return at their leisure to clean out the household valuables. Depending on what was in the wallet and how resourceful they are, they might try a little identity theft on the side. An argument can be made for having a "throw-down wallet" with a few dollars, a couple of those fake credit cards that come in junk mail, and other worthless decoy materials. The robbers probably won't hang around to inspect the contents.

And the biggest mistake of all? Thinking it's okay to bumble through life in Condition White because nothing bad will ever happen in your "upscale neighborhood." As the pickings get slimmer in so-called "bad" areas, more and more criminals will figure out where they need to go to find the good stuff.

Anyone care to speculate whether the wake-up call will lead this man or his neighbors to learn how to be harder targets?

Some might take exception with the lack of gun-related recommendations above. If I'm in my car, I have a whole bunch of options available on the list before I get down to "present your weapon." That's held in reserve if every last effort to Avoid, Disengage, Evade, and Escape fail.

* The same rules apply if you're on foot. Watch your surroundings. If followed, cross the street, go into a business, take some kind of evasive action. Don't get herded into a slaughter pen.

Good News!

In February, I paid for a close-quarters gunfighting class that I ended up missing because I had to work. Now it looks like I'll be allowed to apply the fee I previously paid to their next class in the middle of April.

That's less than a month from now! Better get started scrounging for enough ammo . . .

Front Sight Rocks!

Thanks to The War On Guns, I found this four-part video series about one of my very favorite places, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute. I train there, and have a lifetime membership which allows me to take any class they offer as many times as I want at no cost for the rest of my life.

Yeah, you read that right. Buy a membership and train free for life.

Check it out.