Dear Reader: I have been and apparently always will be a lousy updater of my blog. I am not a guy who foists his opinions on the world. I prefer to skulk under the radar, keep a low profile, work at my trade. Which is why I will never get rich as a trainer. And if you , as a reader of blogs, are looking for a guy to lead you to the Promised Land, just in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not your guy.
I’m a guy who deals in the deepest and darkest elements of society. Me, a part-time, some-time, SWAT medic/cop, trainer, and jack of all trades… I deal with the detritus of society that most folks don’t have a clue about. The 72-hour detention nutcases. The fragments of what used to be a human being who can’t swallow her food anymore, and at 0200 I’m supposed to solve the dilemma of her dying for her extended family.
But every now and then some ignoramus will draw me out, and like a moray eel, I tend to bite hard once I’m drawn out of my lair. The following is a post I uploaded yesterday on a website I hang out from time to time. It’s pretty much my only internet hangout, mostly because bullshit is called pretty early, and there’s sense of humor, and a sense of community. One of my favorite serious gunwriters, John Barsness, hangs out there too. Not that he, nor anybody else, gives a shit who I am or what I might represent.
I kind of like the egalitarian, no bullshit attitude at 24hourcampfire.com. Actually, I don’t kind of like it. I REALLY like it. I like that bullshit gets called bullshit. I like that good people who actually shoot rifles, shotguns, and handguns go there. I like that bullshit gets called. I like it rough and ready. I like that I am just another one of the guys there.
So here’s my post from yesterday. Take it for what you will.
First thing, I don’t think NOBODY should EVER go unarmed, ever. An armed society is a polite society.
Second thing, the damn near LAST question you should be asking is what gun or what caliber you should be carrying.
Asking what gun or caliber to carry straight out of the gate is like asking whether to buy a DeWalt or a Makita or a Jet without having done more than drill one hole or cut one board, or worse, never done either!
The first question anyone should ask when they "suddenly" realize they live in a "dangerous environment" is, "Why the F*** didn’t I realize I was in danger before this?" Because the answer to that question will give you a helluva lot more information, if seriously answered, than asking what kind of gun you should carry. I recognized in freakin’ elementary school that this was a dog-eat-dog world, and the thin veneer of civilization that preserves the weak extended only as far as the playground door. I live in what a lot of my colleagues would consider a white-bread civilized town in the middle of flyover country, but I am aware 24/7 that mortal danger is only a heartbeat away. In the common parlance, I’m in Condition Yellow. Have been since I was a kid.
The first rule of self-defense is that the most powerful weapon you possess is your mind. Not your brain; your mind. We use the term "defensive mindset" a lot in civilian training. We use other adjectives in LE/SWAT training, but the bottom line is "mindset", as in, how have you set up your thinking, how have you prepared your mind for what might happen?
When it comes to personal defense against deadly threats, your mindset is the FIRST thing you have to address. Are you prepared to kill someone if they threaten you with deadly force? Yes?
Well, then. My question then is, HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? Have you ever killed anything? A deer, a squirrel, a fish? If not, you’ve got a steep learning curve ahead of you. Have you ever seriously fought anyone who wanted to seriously hurt you? If not, you’ve got a steep learning curve ahead of you.
More important: have you ever obtained training in the use of your weapon(s) in deadly force situations? If not, how do you know you’ll be able to utilize your weapon in such a situation? How do you know you won’t be overwhelmed, disarmed, killed with your own weapon?
Do you see the operative question here? TRAINING is orders of magnitude more important that what weapon(s) you choose. Training in the use of your weapon is only the first step.
TRAINING in what to do before, during, and after a deadly force encounter is the key to survival. Can you get this training from surfing the ‘net? NO!!! Can you get this from buying more guns than God gave a goat brains? NO!!
Before you EVER carry or keep a gun for self defense, you need appropriate training. Training in not only how to use your weapon(s), but when to use your weapon(s), and how to survive the legal aftermath!
I have taken training in these discipline from the best, not only in civilian circles, but also in LE and MIL arenas. I learned a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG time ago that choice of weapon is at best secondary when it comes down to my survival. You might do the same, if you care to follow the path to enlightenment.
I give you two names: Clint Smith, and Massad Ayoob. There are others, but these are the two I’ve come to know and trust.Follow those names. (Pay the money. It will be less than the cost of a good handgun.) Get the training. After you’ve trained, you won’t have to worry about what gun to carry. You will know beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Until then, you’re wasting my time.
******
I gotta tell you folks, I’m really getting tired of Tactical Anatomy.
I’m tired of telling people what I freakin’ KNOW they NEED to know to keep their people safe, and them not caring about it.
I’m tired of looking into glassy eyes and wondering if they’re EVER gonna get it. As any of you who know me personally know, I have not made any personal profit from pushing Tactical Anatomy/Shooting With Xray Vision onto the stage. Lost money? Yep. Heck yep. (That’s my old guy version of what my daughter says…"Hell, yeah!"…. what can I say. I’m just a softspoken weenie.)
As it happens, I’m moving to Texas soon. And I’m not sure if Tactical Anatomy is going to survive this transition. I have better things to do with my time than try to convince law enforcement leaders that they need to train their people to shoot with authority. I’ve been preaching this message for a decade or more, and I’m not sure it’s done any good. I’m not sure I want to keep butting my head against this wall.
Do cops need what I teach to get better at surviving gunfights? I think so. Do I want to keep making this cause the raison d’etre of my life? I’m not so sure.
But I’m not complaining, believe me! I feel blessed beyond words for the good things that have come out of this work of my experience and my life. The good people I’ve met, and the good things that have come on from this work. But I feel like I’ve either got to move up, or move on.
I’m going to be at ILEETA at the end of April this year, which I anticipate will be my last public appearance teaching my stuff. I have decided to let my IALEFI membership expire, and after that, we shall see. I spent 10 years pushing what I believed to be critical stuff for LEO survival. Now, I’m tired.
What say you?
