Control your emotions
A Serious Mistake that will undoubtedly lead to a Negative Outcome.
Publix shopper allegedly shot another in the foot during confrontation, police say
As a friend of mine likes to say:
When you carry a gun, you give up the right to defend your honor.
She is being charged with Aggravated Assault with a Firearm on the first victim and Attempted Murder on the second.
She probably had not read my book Serious Mistakes and Negative Outcomes, which is available on the top of the page in Tactical Professor Books, along with my other books.
Question from a Patron
One of my Patrons https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor sent me the following message:
I have been reading online ‘experts’ who say that with riots and increased numbers of unemployed, that the day of the lone attacker is over, and that concealed carriers need the additional ammo and quick reload capabilities of modern semi-auto pistols, to handle multiple attackers. According to these ‘wise’ folks, the day of the concealed revolver or low capacity pistol is past.
What are your thoughts? Is this paranoia, or an evolution of threat?
Here’s what I think.
It’s both. They’re right that there is some elevated risk of attack if you go to ‘stupid places where stupid people are doing stupid things.’ However, if you look at the FBI figures about the overall volume of crime v. the number of people who become casualties at mass gatherings, the percentage of casualties at mass gathering is infinitesimal.
The logic is skewed in a similar fashion to the way BLM logic is skewed. Just because we hear about a questionable incident doesn’t mean the other 999 don’t represent the reality of the big picture. For instance, the FBI reported in 2017 there were an estimated 810,825 aggravated assaults in the nation. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/topic-pages/aggravated-assault As best I can tell, those are all the same kind of attacker situation (1 or 2) that has existed since the FBI started gathering statistics. The big picture hasn’t really changed, only what some people are looking for in it has. We’re all victims of selective perception at times.
I’m familiar with the comment “No one wants to be a statistical anomaly.” I’m also familiar with Tom Givens’ observation that the only students of his who have lost their fights were because of forfeits, i.e., they were unarmed. Let’s face a reality that every Infantryman knows all too well, ammunition is heavy and uncomfortable to carry. Periodically, I hear the quip “no one in a gunfight says they brought too much ammunition.” My response to that is that a lot of people who are attacked think “I wish I’d brought my gun.”
It seems like periodically we have to relearn the lesson that the pocket pistol on you is more useful than the service pistol left in your safe. With respect to one of my colleagues, the concept “It should be comforting not comfortable” is probably the most foolish and out of touch saying that has ever been uttered in the training community.
Thanks to my Patron for asking a good question.
Links to my ebooks are at the top of the page as TACTICAL PROFESSOR BOOKS.
You are your first responder
Two men were beaten to death and a woman was seriously injured late Thursday [July 30, 2020] during an attack at a home in a gated Windermere community while a 10-year-old boy called authorities while hiding in a bathroom, police said.
Worthwhile items to note from the article.
- The attacker’s car had been identified as ‘suspicious’ earlier in the evening by the POlice but was not pursued when it sped away, per the Department’s policy.
- It is a gated community.
- The attacker pushed the gate open with his car.
- He was armed with an impact weapon, to wit: a baseball bat.
- The couple confronted him when he tried to steal a vehicle parked at their house.
- After killing the man of the couple and severely injuring the woman, he made entrance to the house and killed another person.
- The first man killed was the grandfather of the boy who hid in a bathroom and called 911.
- The second man killed was the father of the boy who hid in a bathroom and called 911.
- The killer attempted to commit suicide in the house afterward by drinking bleach.
Another version of the story. https://nypost.com/2020/07/31/boy-called-cops-during-home-invasion-that-killed-grandfather-uncle/
A home across the street is listed for sale at $699,000. It’s a ‘nice neighborhood.’ Note also that the crime scene is nearly to the end of the cul-de-sac. It is not the first house in the community the criminal would have encountered.
Initial and cursory analysis
- In every encounter, there is an element of chance
- Going outside your home to investigate a suspected crime is, literally, ‘looking for trouble.’
- If you go ‘looking for trouble,’ you should be prepared, both mentally and physically, in case you find it.
- Your presence will not necessarily deter a criminal.
- Contact and Cover does not apply solely to POlice work.
- Don’t assume that criminals think the same way you do.
If you would be interested in purchasing any of my shooting workbooks for handgun or rifle, they are available from the menu at the top of the page. As the American Insurgency escalates, you may find having a functional knowledge of the weapons you own to be useful.
Private lesson –Training Modules
I had the opportunity to exchange a private lesson for a haircut today. The stylist is an experienced shooter who has taken a number of classes and can run a pistol quite competently. This made the choice of modules for the lesson a little different than might usually be done for a private lesson. Since we were at her home, no live fire was indicated. I used three different learning modules for her lesson.
Image Based Decisional Drills
The first module was using the Image Based Decisional Drills from The Complete Combatant. http://www.thecompletecombatant.com/image-based-decisional-drills.html Only one category of Negative Outcomes relates to marksmanship, the other ten relate to Bad Decisions of one sort of another. IBDD provides a useful method to practice interactive decision-making. Although it was originally developed for live fire purposes, it can easily be done without live fire by using an inert training pistol.
We set up a small training area with a face target.
It took only a few minutes to run through all 25 cards in the deck.
Using IBDD to put context into the manipulation process showed that some supplemental instruction was in order. The supplemental items we covered were:
- Correct grip for pepper spray.
- Trigger manipulation under stress.
- Sequencing of movement, verbal communication, and firing.
- Non-verbal communication techniques for dealing with low life individuals.
- Changing direction quickly (close order drill).
This is an overview of the Image Based Decisional Drill concept, process, and kit.
Using a SIRT pistol is an excellent tool for non-firing sessions with IBDD but even an inexpensive toy gun from WalMart would be an adequate training aid.
NRA Pistol Marksmanship Simulator Training Course
Even with experienced shooters, I am finding value in the NRA Pistol Marksmanship Simulator Training Course. https://www.nrainstructors.org/CatalogInfo.aspx?cid=47
By adjusting the laser dot above the sights of a SIRT pistol, the simulator allows the operator to see the effect of their trigger manipulation and follow-through. The sights on my SIRT have been replaced with real metal sights.
Any NRA Certified Pistol Instructor can conduct the NRA Pistol Marksmanship Simulator Training Course. The Course of Fire is not specified so I use the previous and current versions of the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting qualification test.
Introduction to Snub Revolver
Finally, we did a quick dry practice introduction to the snub revolver. Since she is an experienced shooter, the introduction focused mostly on the differences between the revolver and an autoloader. The overview consisted of:
- Proper grip for a revolver.
- Trigger finger positioning and manipulation.
- Accessing a downed partner’s weapon from both face up and face down positions.
A great deal can be accomplished in a couple of hours when live fire isn’t required and contextual Learning Objectives are established.
To avoid confusion, I won’t list my books in this post because they’re not free. If you would be interested in purchasing any of my shooting workbooks for handgun or rifle, they are available from the menu at the top of the page. As the American Insurgency escalates, you may find having a functional knowledge of the weapons you own to be useful.
Another ‘Worst Possible Case’ – Interrupting a Murderer
As I have commented before, there is no single ‘Worst Possible Case.’ Several news outlets reported the murder of an entrepreneur and venture capitalist this past Monday (7/13/2020). The murder occurred in his expensive ($2.25 million) high rise condo in New York City. It was a gruesome crime with the apparent intent to ‘disappear’ the victim.
https://nypost.com/2020/07/14/decapitated-dismembered-body-found-in-nyc-apartment/
There are several pertinent points but one that is seldom talked about is our reaction to finding a body. We have no idea what a killer’s timeline is nor even if the killer is still present or nearby.
Another source added it appeared that the killer had been “interrupted.”
A working theory is that because the body parts were still present and the saw still plugged in, the murderer hadn’t finished with the grisly task of dismemberment. Although the victim was attacked and most likely killed early Monday afternoon, his relative (either sister or cousin, the reports conflict) discovered the body on Tuesday afternoon. All things considered, the ‘cleaning up’ may have been going on for over a day.
Probably the best Course of Action upon discovering a body is to RUN the other way as fast as you can and when in a safe place, call the POlice. Secondarily, if you are armed, be prepared to engage the killer without hesitation. If they’ve already killed someone else, they may not think twice about trying to kill you.
Note also the macabre, but most likely unintentional, dark humor of the POlice describing the decapitated victim as “unconscious and unresponsive.”
As is often the case, follow the money to the alleged murderer.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/17/us/fahim-saleh-killing/index.html
To avoid any confusion, I won’t list my books in this post because they’re not free. If you would be interested in purchasing any of my shooting workbooks for handgun or rifle, they are available from the menu at the top of the page. As the American Insurgency escalates, you may find having a functional knowledge of the weapons you own to be useful.
Responsibly Armed Radio Podcast
We had a great inaugural episode of Responsibly Armed Radio. Lou Ann Hamblin and I were the guests. Tatiana Whitlock and Judi Wells were the hosts with Special Guest Appearance by Dave Stall.
Our topics were definitions of Use of Force, Critical Decision-Making, Reasonableness, and Next Steps for those new to our Art.
Here is the link to the show: https://responsiblyarmedradio.libsyn.com/responsibly-armed-radio-season-1-episode-1
I wasn’t nearly as serious as the picture looks. 🙂
Tactical Professor books (all PDF)
- Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
- Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
- Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
- Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
- Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
- Package deal of Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shooting Your Black Rifle (20% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html
Conducting a Defense – Terrain Analysis for the Homeowner
The AR-15 rifle has become popular as a tool for Home Defense. However, there hasn’t been much discussion about how to use rifles to deal with deadly threats outside and yet threatening one’s home. The escalation of Civil Disorder has heightened our awareness of a broader range of necessary home defense. Conceptually, this might be considered FORWARD Home Defense.
One of the first aspects of preparing for such a Forward Defense is to conduct a terrain analysis of the area outside the home. This analysis should consider both the Area of Influence (where a homeowner could actually disrupt an attack) and the Area of Interest (where a homeowner could detect an attacker’s intent outside of the Area of Influence.) We can use the Terrain component of METT-TC as a structure for our terrain analysis. The 1992 edition of Field Manual 7-8 INFANTRY RIFLE PLATOON AND SQUAD https://www13.shu.edu/offices/rotc/upload/FM-7-8.pdf describes the analysis as follows:
(3) Terrain. The leader considers the effect of terrain and weather on enemy and friendly forces using the guidelines below (OCOKA):
(a) Observation and fields of fire. The leader considers ground that allows him observation of the enemy throughout his area of operation. He considers fields of fire in terms of the characteristics of the weapons available to him; for example, maximum effective range, the requirement for grazing fire, and the arming range and time of flight for antiarmor weapons.
(b) Cover and concealment. The leader looks for terrain that will protect him from direct and indirect fires (cover) and from aerial and ground observation (concealment). (Author’s note: Cover and Concealment also applies to what the Enemy might use.)
(c) Obstacles. In the attack, the leader considers the effect of restrictive terrain on his ability to maneuver. In the defense, he considers how he will tie in his obstacles to the terrain to disrupt, turn, fix, or block an enemy force and protect his own forces from enemy assault.
(d) Key terrain. Key terrain is any locality or area whose seizure or retention affords a marked advantage to either combatant. The leader considers key terrain in his selection of objectives, support positions, and routes in the offense, and on the positioning of his unit in the defense.
(e) Avenues of approach. An avenue of approach is an air or ground route of an attacking force of a given size leading to its objective or key terrain in its path. In the offense, the leader identifies the avenue of approach that affords him the greatest protection and places him at the enemy’s most vulnerable spot. In the defense, the leader positions his key weapons along the avenue of approach most likely to be used by the enemy.
(f) Weather. In considering the effects of weather, the leader is most interested in visibility and trafficability.
Some aspects of the terrain analysis may surprise you. For instance, Google Maps can be used to measure distances around your home. You might find that the distance from your front porch to the furthest Avenue of Approach and Point of Likely Cover is 236 feet (79 yards).
Doing a terrain analysis gives you an idea of the area you need to defend and also what tools you might use to defend the approaches to your home.
There will be further explanation on my Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor but this is worthwhile food for thought to start.
Tactical Professor books (all PDF)
- Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
- Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
- Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
- Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
- Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
- Package deal of Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shoot Yor Rifle (20% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html
Mr. Happy/Frowny Face Decisional Drill
For this drill you will need paper plates, a silhouette target, a deck of cards, and a table or platform to put the cards on. The object of this drill is to practice thinking with a gun in hand.
Draw faces on two paper plates. One plate with a happy face (no shoot), one with a frowny face (shoot). Different color markers for each plate, one Red and one Black.
Put the two paper plates on a silhouette.
Place the silhouette at 4 yards
Use only the Ace, Two, and Three cards of all suits from a deck of cards and then shuffle those cards.
Place the cards face down on the table in front of you.
Sequence 1
Turn a card over.
If the card is the color on the frowny face, draw or present the pistol and then shoot the frowny face plate with the number of rounds indicated by the number of the card. I.e., if the card is the 3, then shoot 3 shots. The Ace is one shot.
If the card is the color on the happy face, don’t draw or present, i.e., no shooting.
Pistols having a capacity of less than 12 rounds will require reloading. This is a good opportunity to practice reloading skills under a bit of stress. Pistols with capacities more than 12 rounds can start loaded with less than 12 rounds to gain this additional practice opportunity.
After all 12 cards have been turned over, there should be 12 hits on Mr. Frownyface and NO hits on Mr. Happyface.
This drill can also be done at home using a SIRT pistol, a toy pistol, a water pistol, or some other simulation. The marksmanship might not be measured but the decision-making and thinking skills are the primary purpose of the drill.
The drill has several variations but for most people, this is a good start to work on decision-making.
Tactical Professor books (all PDF)
- Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
- Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
- Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
- Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
- Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
Make Ready speed
Here’s an interesting metric for response time I’ve never seen tested. The question came up because of a Twitter post about two unpleasant people having a confrontation in Philadelphia. The verbal confrontation occurred as a result of a car blocking traffic.
https://twitter.com/CollapsePosts/status/1243473965332541446
Cast of Characters
- Footmobile Personage – Centerline holsterless IWB carry, Browning pattern autoloader in either Condition 2 (hammer uncocked) or, more likely, Condition 3 (hammer down, empty chamber).
- Automobile Personage – Pistol presented in soft IWB holster (Uncle Mikes or Blackhawk) in either chambered or, possibly also, empty chamber carry.
- Automobile Personage’s passenger, who is put in the line of fire as a result of the confrontation.
Possible response time metrics
For the Automobile Personage: if he perceived the Footmobile Personage’s display as an actual deadly threat, how long would it have taken him to get his pistol into action? Within that question, there are numerous different possible start positions; 1) starting with holstered pistol in belt, 2) starting with holstered pistol on seat next to him, or 3) starting with holstered pistol in the console or glove box.
Starting with the holstered pistol in the belt has two variations; 1) holster stays in pants and the draw proceeds normally or 2) the holster comes out of the pants along with the pistol. Then the holster would have to be wiped off the pistol. All three possible starts then have two possible further variations; 1) pistol has a round in chamber, in which case the holster has to be wiped off, necessitating sweeping the Support Hand with the muzzle or 2) the holster has to be wiped off and then the slide cycled to put a round in the chamber.
For the Footmobile Personage: if he perceived the Automobile Personage’s display as an actual deadly threat, how long would it have taken him to get his pistol into action? Start position is with the Primary Hand holding the concealment garment up. The concealment garment is released to draw the pistol. This then has two possible variations; 1) the draw goes as desired with no fouling of the draw by the concealment garment or 2) the concealment garment falls down and fouls the draw, requiring the entire draw sequence to be repeated using the Support Hand to clear the concealment garment. Further variations are; 1) if the pistol is in Condition 2 (hammer down), then the hammer has to be cocked, either with the thumb of the Primary hand or swept to cocked position by the thumb of the Support hand or 2) if the pistol is in Condition 3 (Chamber Empty), then the slide has to be cycled to put a round in the chamber.
For the Automobile Personage’s passenger: how quickly can he exit the Kill Zone if the Footmobile Personage decided to start shooting? There are at least two possible variations; 1) get as low as possible in the car and hope that the car and Automobile Personage absorb any bullets fired by the Footmobile Personage or 2) completely exit the vehicle and take cover outside of it.
Target engagement
From the standpoint of target engagement, the Footmobile Personage is in a much better position to achieve a good firing stance, either for aimed fire or indexed fire (point shooting). The Automobile Personage would probably be forced into an indexed fire stance because of the angle the target is to him. Unfortunately, indexed fire in this position tends to be very erratic because the left eye has a better view of the target and tends to control the movement of the gun.
Fortunately, the entire incident turned out to be an example of social distanced monkey dancing. Nonetheless, we can ask certain doctrinal questions to help our future preparation and Recognition Primed Decision-Making.
Also, is there gun registration in Philadelphia? I thought that was pre-empted by Pennsylvania State law.
Tactical Professor books (all PDF)
Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
Thanks to Gun Free Zone for drawing my attention to the incident.
tacticalprofessor 
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