Parking Lot Tactics
Greg Ellifritz recently wrote an excellent article about mitigating the risks we encounter every time we go into a parking lot. https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/five-parking-lot-precautions It’s great advice; much like my own protocols that I developed after LCDR Schaufelberger was assassinated in his car in El Salvador. https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2018/05/25/in-memoriam-albert-schaufelberger/
Two points in particular resonated with me. First,
Walk against traffic going to and from your car. … You may also be able to detect the driver distracted by texting or scrolling the internet on his phone before he runs you down as well.
Every time you go into a parking lot, you will see people who simply cannot put their cell phones down for ONE Minute between their cars and the store. As soon as they get out of the car, they start texting or talking, completely obvious to the two ton homicide machines moving all around them. When they leave the store, they continue blabbing even while they’re backing out of their parking space and driving down the lane.
The title of Colonel Rex Applegate’s most famous book Kill Or Be Killed comes to mind. Such people are ready and willing to kill you as they distractedly put their manslaughter machines in motion or they’re ready to be killed while yapping about something of no importance.
By walking against the traffic, you’ll have more chance to see the distracted driver before they run you down and then say “I’m so sorry” while you’re leaking and being loaded in the ambulance aka ‘amber lamps.’ https://youtu.be/53Bx5PLrOIk?si=zCk8BcJyDLOVFUS0&t=173 Note: in the first part of the video there “may be strong language used by those shown in the video. Viewer discretion is advised, especially for young children and sensitive viewers.”
The second point that resonated with me was:
If I do carry a shopping bag, I always carry it in my non-dominant hand. I like to keep my gun hand free for a faster draw should I decide I want to respond with my weapon.
I disagree with Greg about this. My comment on his Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/posts/five-parking-lot-138083166 was:
One point of difference. I carry the bag in my Primary Hand. During 10 years (around 400 iterations) as a role player in Force on Force scenarios, we never saw any clients drop something in their Support Hand when they were forced by the scenario into shooting. Even Rogers Advanced Level shooters would shoot Primary Hand Only. Same thing for less skilled shooters. That observation changed my mind about how to set myself up for success.
Parking lots are spaces in-between other places of relatively greater safety. Ramp up your level of awareness for two minutes when you drive into the parking lot and when you leave the store to exit the parking lot.
If you would like to read more in-depth information about shooting and personal protection, consider subscribing to my Patreon page.
Fraternity Picnic Shooting
A précis of the incident:
- Fraternity holds picnic at an Atlanta park
- Uninvited intruder wearing ski mask crashes picnic and starts a confrontation
- Fraternity members try to de-escalate the situation
- Masked intruder pulls out a gun and starts shooting
- A fraternity Brother is shot in the head and dies on scene
- Other fraternity Brothers, who have Weapons Carry Licenses, are armed
- They draw their guns and shoot the masked intruder
- Intruder is neutralized with bullets and later expires in hospital
Sad that carrying a pistol has become a necessity even at a pleasant fellowship event but I’m glad the Brothers had theirs. It could have been much worse. There are a lot of emboldened wackos wandering around. The report indicated that the intruder had been walking down the sidewalk next to the park and just decided to make trouble for an unknown reason.
RIP Mr. Pearson.
Situational Awareness and Positioning (part VI)
Greg Ellifritz included an article I wrote ten years ago in this week’s edition of his Weekend Knowledge Dump. https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weekend-knowledge-dump-november-15-2024 This afternoon, the concept was revisited for me as I went to lunch.
I walked to the neighborhood Burger King to use a coupon I had for lunch. As I rounded the corner of the building, a somewhat disreputable looking individual came into view. First red flag: he had one pants leg pulled up and tucked in a sock, which I always assume means some kind of affiliation, although now it may merely be stylistic. The more important red flag was that he was wearing a backpack that had a large black rod sticking out straight up behind his head. It looked very much like a weapon to me. I did a quick mental rehearsal and headed toward the door.
There was a bicycle and cup of ice cream by the door, which I assumed were his. He was standing off to the side, so I went in. After receiving my food, I sat where I could keep an eye on him. Shortly after I sat down, he had drawn the rod and was flipping it in the air. It appeared to be a piece of one inch electrical conduit about the size of a Baltimore POlice espantoon https://baltimorepolicemuseum.com/en/what-makes-an-espantoon-an-espantoon, i.e., 22 and 25 inches in length. One end was wrapped with what appeared to be electrical tape. That’s the end I had seen sticking up above his backpack.
Since he had his impact tool in hand, I decided I was not going to leave the place until he was gone. Fortunately, he shortly afterward got on his bicycle and took off. Since I was planning to take a walk after lunch, I went in the opposite direction when I left.
It was an interesting reminder of the concept of synchronicity. https://iaap.org/jung-analytical-psychology/short-articles-on-analytical-psychology/synchronicity-an-acausal-connecting-principle/
For those who would interested in the series about Awareness and Positioning, these are the links.
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/06/25/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-i/
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/10/16/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-iii/
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/10/18/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-iv/
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2015/04/01/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-v/
In a related post, https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2016/08/05/practicing-awareness-part-iii/ I wrote:
“I don’t mind walking past low-lifes but it’s important to be mentally prepared to deal with them and fail the interview. Someone once said that I give my students permission to be rude; that’s totally true. There’s a difference between rude and mean, though. In my vernacular, being rude relates to enforcing my boundaries. Being mean is encroaching on someone else’s boundaries. That can set you up for trouble.”
Be aware but don’t be a jerk.
Evolution Security Podcast 169
We had a very interesting conversation this week on the Evolution Security Podcast https://evosec.libsyn.com/ep-169-claude-werner-the-tactical-professor .
Things we talked about.
- Negative Outcomes
- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- The Cost of Killing https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2016/07/24/the-cost-of-killing/
- Social Space Gunfighting Class
- Dr. William Aprill and psychology
- ‘shooting better’ rather than ‘slowing down’
- Practicing with Black Rifles https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2019/07/31/shooting-your-black-rifle-the-book/
- And more.
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – July 2024
No incidents from Chicargo in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly this month. There is one in The Armed Citizen column though, a bicycle robbery.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-109150993
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – July 2024
The Good
Prosecutor says deadly shooting in downtown Anderson appears to be self-defense
Many, perhaps most, shootings take place in Social Space. This appears to be one of them.
The Bad
[Unintentional] shooting at Kentucky gun store under investigation
Another story emphasizing the importance of safe gunhandling by observing Fundamental Rules at all times. A combination of Rule Two (Point in a safe direction) and Rule Three (Keep finger outside trigger guard) violations caused the death of an innocent bystander. Rule One (All guns are always loaded) applies no matter where you are, even when examining a gun taken out of a display case.
The Ugly
Two women involved in custody battle shot dead
People sometimes get insane over child custody. Every unpleasant custody battle story I read makes me glad my parents weren’t like that.
“A 65-year-old retired probation officer from Chicago fatally shot her grandchild’s mother on an Upper East Side street Friday just yards from Gracie Mansion, then turned the gun on herself, NYPD detectives said.”
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the July edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
Surveillance Detection – It’s a Real Thing
Surveillance Detection is a lifestyle not something you pull out of your pocket on occasion. It’s better to avoid trouble than to get out of trouble.
“[A couple] had just returned home from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with $3,300 in winnings when they were ambushed[, shot, and robbed]. Now two men are facing charges in the attack.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/16/hard-rock-casino-robbery/74830644007/
Doorbell video on NY Post
More Doorbell video
Robbers – Tristin Wright, 36, and Marcus Jenkins, 34
“Sheriff Judd said Jenkins has 53 previous felony charges and 18 previous misdemeanor charges and has been to state prison five times.”
There are a lot of low lifes out there and they won’t cut you one bit of slack. Notice that this attack escalated to ‘gun violence’ almost immediately.
Riverview couple urges vigilance after being ambushed
“Delacruz owns his own security company and says situational awareness is always top of mind, but he got lost in the moment enjoying a great date night.”
Here is a previous post about the principles of Surveillance Detection.
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2024/01/03/surveillance-detection-principles/
Tactical Tip of the Day
If you go into a Wings takeout joint and a guy has a gun with an extendo tucked in his belt, leave immediately.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Disturbing surveillance video shows the moments two men started shooting at each other at a DeKalb County wings restaurant, all over a few dollars.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – March 2024
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is an iconic movie in American cinema and arguably the best of the ‘Spaghetti Westerns.’ Rather than my usual boring rants about Serious Mistakes, Negative Outcomes, http://seriousgunownermistakes.net and excruciatingly detailed analyses of Armed Citizen incidents, I’m creating a short collection of a Good, Bad, and Ugly incident each month. Here’s the March 2024 issue.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-101430615
My Patrons get first look at it on the last day of each month. The following month I unlock the Patreon post on the last Monday and link it here for my blog Followers. Today’s the day to unlock the March 2024 edition.
My hope is that it will be both educational and entertaining. The movie soundtrack is outstanding so a snippet from the soundtrack is part of each month’s post also.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – March 2024
The Good
Woman shoots 2 alleged intruders, killing 1, inside West Philadelphia apartment, police say
The Bad
The Bad section this month was difficult to decide which incident to use but the most tragic won out.
Mother accidentally shoots, kills daughter when searching for keys in purse, police say
The Ugly
Kentucky man accused of shooting roommate for eating last Hot Pocket, police say
Enjoy!
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the March edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like. Naturally, my hometown of Chicargo is prominently featured.
Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2024
TacCon 2024, as we call it, is now in the books. [link] It is an annual teaching and learning conference for those who are, or want to be, serious students of the Art of Self-Defense and Personal Protection. This is the fourth year it has been held at the Dallas Pistol Club, a marvelous facility.
The Conference is three days long. This year there were 42 trainers, who taught 69 different classes in 10 different ranges/classrooms. Topics ranged widely from shooting technique to unarmed combatives to medical procedures to using social media effectively and safely. Some classes are live fire, some are hands-on non-live fire, and some are lectures.
There is also a pistol match for those who choose to shoot it. The match is not mandatory and some attendees don’t shoot it. Not everyone who attends TacCon is a gun person, although most are. The Pistol Match consists of 40 rounds shot on turning silhouette targets at distances of 3 to 10 yards.
The presentation I gave was Off-Duty Shootouts of the LAPD. The basis for my presentation was the entirety of shootouts by LAPD officers, while they were off-duty, during the period 2005 to 2022, the last year full reporting has been published.
Since there are generally 10 classes going on at time, it’s impossible to attend them all. Some of the classes are repeated once or twice but the majority are not. Classes I was able to attend were:
Friday
Beware of… Well, Just Beware by Tom Givens
As my colleague Craig Douglas likes to ask “How do you do ‘Situational Awareness?’” Tom provided some answers to that question.
Civilian Defender Philosophy by Dr. Sherman House
The Art of Self-Defense and Personal Protection has many different facets, as represented by the wide variety of topics presented at TacCon. ‘The Real Dr. House’ presented his thoughts on how to prioritize and integrate them.
SATURDAY
Off-Duty Shootouts of the LAPD by Claude Werner, the Tactical Professor. To start the day off right, my presentation was one of the 8AM offerings.
Why study Off-Duty POlice Shootings? LAPD officers are encouraged to NOT take “enforcement action” while off-duty. Off-duty lethal force incidents involving LAPD officers are almost always Self-Defense/Personal Protection incidents much like those that could be encountered by Armed Private Citizens. They provide a thoroughly researched and documented database of shootings and the circumstances that led up to them.
Pistol Match
I finished about middle of the field. But since I shot a Taurus 856 snub revolver and speedloaders against a bunch of red dot equipped service sized autoloaders, I’m okay with that. POV video of the match will be up in a few days on my YouTube channel.
10 Tips for Teaching Gateway Students by Karl Rehn
It’s heartening to me to see how many high level instructors are thinking about best practices for teaching entry level gunowners and shooters. Karl’s wasn’t the only such presentation at the Conference but the only one I could attend.
During lunch, Andy Stanford from Surefire did a video interview with me about Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make and Guns That Get No Respect. When he publishes the edit, I’ll link it.
More about the Conference tomorrow
NYC Subway Monkey Dancing
#fridayfundamentals
Today’s post is not about shooting technique, it’s about avoiding being an idiot. I’m writing a series of Patreon posts about the incident but Idiot Avoidance is the bottom line.
By now, probably everyone in America has heard about the shooting that occurred last week on a New York subway train. The full video is available on ABC 7’s video – Brooklyn subway shooting: the full video https://abc7ny.com/videoClip/nyc-subway-shooting-brooklyn-man-shot-on-train/14527921/
The most important lesson of the entire incident is not about weapons’ usage or unarmed combat or weapon disarms. The important lesson is to avoid ‘Monkey Dancing.’ Rory Miller coined this term years ago and it’s important.
“The term Monkey Dance was coined in the book “Meditations on Violence” to describe the human dominance ritual. It’s a deliberately ridiculous name for a ridiculous pattern of behavior.“
Rory Miller
Before the would-be shooter, who ended up being the shootee, began to access his weapon there were three and a half minutes of Monkey Dancing. It’s also worth noting that accessing his pistol took him 14 seconds because he had it in a zippered pocket of his jacket. He had taken off the jacket in preparation for the Monkey Dance, so it was off-body carry at that point.
It’s also worth noting that with two exceptions, the crowd watched and enjoyed the spectacle for four minutes. They only became unnerved by the introduction of a gun. Then, they began to panic and scream. “Let me out!”
The two exceptions were the woman in the face diaper behind the Black man and another man who took a big chance and stepped in to create a break. The woman, although not involved up to that point, immediately stabbed the Black man in the back several time when he began his Ground and Pound. It only took her a couple of seconds to get started so she must have had her knife in hand ready to go.
Monkey dancing is stupid and irrational. Don’t do it.
tacticalprofessor 
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