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/
Stupidity in the Gun Community
Seen on a Facebook forum I’m a member of.
Original Post
Wife carry’s [is] an LC380ca. She has an issue with the mag release due to long finger nails. Gun shop says they don’t make an extended one. Other than trimming nails does anyone have any ideas. Thanks
Various stupid responses from Common Tater ‘gun experts’ aka Mr. Potato Heads.
Common Tater One
Divorce. Wtf
Possibly Reasonable comment
Bodyguard
Common Tater Two
Every guy remembers the day he said,” she’d be better with talons on her hands”, NOT
Common Tater Three
Trade in for girl with dirt under her nails.
Common Tater Four
a different gun if she does not want to cut her fingernails
A sensible comment
Are LC380 parts shared with any other Ruger models? Maybe a different model with larger aftermarket support is compatible
Common Tater Five
She has a choice: long fingernails or personal safety. 🤷
Common Tater Six
Buy a bigger gun…🌴👮♂️🌴🤣
Common Tater Seven
Revolver if she cant do mag releases due to nails
Claude Werner
It may not be her nails. My LC9S is the hardest gun I own to get the magazine to drop out consistently. It’s a good gun in every other respect but the mag drop is always a problem.
Gunfighter Challenge
#fridayfundamentals
James Butler Hickok, better known as ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok# was murdered on August 2, 1876. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-jackmccall/ He was one of the best known of the Old West gunfighters and his shooting prowess was well recognized. But what did being a ‘good shot’ exactly mean in those days?
The American Mercury, a now defunct magazine, published an article in October 1937 titled “The Myth of the Two-Gun Man.” In it was a first hand account of what the Old West gunfighters actually considered ‘good’ shooting. The account came from Luther North, a contemporary of Wild Bill’s, and it is a far cry from hip shooting and unsighted fire.
Frank was Luther’s brother Major Frank North, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_North another contemporary of Wild Bill’s. So the gunfighters’ test was six shots at 10 yards using the Primary Hand Only, untimed. To be considered ‘good,’ the gunman had to hit all six shots in a 5 inch square target. At least one of the six had to hit an unseen one inch square dead center of the target. That’s an interesting contrast to the mythology of the Wild West gunfight.
Put on a sheet of paper, it would look like this.
A PDF of the target is attached. This short challenge is easily shot at almost any indoor range. Try it out and see how your marksmanship compares to an Old West gunfighter like Wild Bill.
If you like my work, please join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – June 2024
Unsurprisingly, my hometown of Chicargo leads the post this month. Fortunately, the incidents fell in the Good category. Safety and mindset are fundamental in the other incidents.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-107216506
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – June 2024
The Good – Shenanigans from Chicargo
Chicago concealed carry holder scares off armed carjackers in Irving Park
Bonus! The second happened a few blocks from the gas station (probably gone by now) where I worked after school in my Senior year. It wasn’t a great neighborhood then but apparently has gotten much worse now.
Chicago concealed carry holder shoots 3 men who attacked him in Belmont Cragin
The Bad
School District of Palm Beach County employee accidentally [shoots himself] during ‘training exercise.’
This story points out the importance of safe gunhandling at all times. Guns are relentlessly unforgiving of carelessness.
The Ugly
Minnesota dad told landlord he ‘already dug a hole’ before executing daughter’s boyfriend for suspected abuse
The number of people who feel that gunfire is the solution to most every problem astounds me. Many tools are only for a very specific task and guns are one of those tools.
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 June 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.
Recoil Management and Trigger Manipulation
#fridayfundamentals
“The purpose of the drill is to practice recoil management and trigger manipulation.”
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/jim-cirillo-s-1-2-3-6-drill/
Sometimes we take things for granted. A more thorough explanation would have been that for each shot, the shooter does four things in sequence.
- Acquire an acceptable sight picture
- Press the trigger smoothly and fire
- Reset the trigger in recoil while the sights are returning to the target
- Take up the slack in the trigger as the sights settle on the target, and finally
- When an acceptable sight picture is acquired, smoothly press the trigger to fire again
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
Trump Assassination Attempt and DEI
Here’s an opinion that will no doubt annoy many people who have been common-tating about the attempted assassination of President Trump.
A female Secret Service Agent muzzling the crowd and having difficulty re-holstering has exactly zero relationship to the fact that an attempted assassination took place. Sorry folks, a low level field agent’s lack of competence in non-shooting tasks with her issue weapon has nothing to do with the planning and execution failures that took place prior to the shots being fired.
The investigation into the attempt need to focus at a much higher level; all the way up to the head of the Secret Service, her immediate subordinates, and the Supervisory Agents who were responsible for planning the protection of the President. If the planning and execution had been done right, the female Agent in question would never have needed to draw her pistol and none of us would have been the wiser.
Focusing on DEI at the USSS will only distract from much larger issues. Simply the fact that her issue holster is so obviously inappropriate for female agents in the field is an example of bureaucratic incompetence and the allowance of POlice cosplay during training.
Whether this whistleblower’s comments are addressed, one way or another, in the upcoming hearings will be of much more importance than the USSS hiring practices. This EP operation was planned by people who were hired long before Cheatle became Director.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/majority-trump-security-detail-were-171218007.html
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – May 2024
Gunplay and confrontations can often result in Negative Outcomes, whether well-intentioned or not. This month’s Good, Bad, and Ugly stories are all about Negative Outcomes. There’s a useful warning in each of them.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-may-105306627
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – May 2024
The Good
Murder charge dismissed for Mobile man after hearing
The Bad
1 dead, 3 injured in gunfight during car break-in in Downtown Atlanta
This story sadly echoes the fate of Hollywood actor Johnny Wactor who was killed by felons trying to steal his catalytic converter.
The Ugly
Houston attorney shot and killed after fight with upset McDonald’s customer
Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote “Therefore no good deed is unrewarded, and so every good deed merits some good.” A countervailing viewpoint is often attributed to Clare Boothe Luce – “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Enjoy!
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the May 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.
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.
Deep Dive Into California
Doing more research for my Shooting Illustrated series about using CCW Qualification Courses as training structures led to exploring the California Qualification Courses. California has an unusual system in that the State mandates the requirements for the issue of a Concealed Carry License but the Licenses are issued by County Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police. The requirement for live fire is specified in California law but the actual Course of Fire is delegated to the issuing authority.
“SECTION 1. Section 26165 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
(b) A licensing authority shall establish, and make available to the public, the standards it uses when issuing licenses with regards to the required live-fire shooting exercises, including, but not limited to, a minimum number of rounds to be fired and minimum passing scores from specified firing distances.”
As a result, there is a wide variety of “live fire shooting exercises” among the issuing authorities in California. In some cases, the requirement is a relatively simple untimed Qualification Course of 10 to 18 rounds. In other locations, a long, elaborate, and difficult to administer scheme is perpetrated to make the process and qualification very difficult. A few Sheriffs require their Course to be shot twice, once for ‘practice’ and once for qualification.
Some are clearly designed to be five shot revolver friendly, others not so much. Without a shadow of a doubt, having to shoot 50 rounds through a J Frame for practice and then another 50 rounds for qualification in a three hour period is not conducive to good shooting. When the Course of Fire includes a timed requirement at 15 yards and the target is the 7 ring of a B-27, it’s even more difficult. That’s not setting applicants for success.
The most interesting thing I found related to the fact that any weapon carried has to be listed on the License and qualified with. The issuing authority determines what is an acceptable weapon. The Contra Costa County Sheriff has a long list of unacceptable weapons with some surprising inclusions.
- Prohibited firearms include any single action only firearms. This includes any semi-automatic handgun made by any manufacturer built on the Colt 1911 configuration.
- Firearms with attached laser sights, flashlights, red dots, and sighting systems [???] are not acceptable.
- Firearms which have been modified, including modifications to triggers, slides, safety mechanisms, conversions, and magazine releases are not approved.
- Any modifications to firearms after issuance of a permit may result in revocation.
- Glow in the dark or luminescent sights are acceptable. (That’s generous).
- Acceptable firearms include revolvers or semi-automatics with a caliber of not less than .32 or greater than .45. So you recoil sensitive folks who have a hard time shooting the qualification with a centerfire handgun are out of luck.
- Weapons will be inspected for suitability by an Office of the Sheriff Range Master at the time of qualification.
The Course I like best is San Diego County’s. It’s clearly designed to be workable with a J Frame.
- 3 yards: three rounds strong hand, two rounds support hand
- 5 yards: five rounds two hands
- 7 yards: five rounds two hands
Unfortunately, San Diego County does not comply with Penal Code § 26165, subd. (b).) and make available to the public “the minimum number of rounds to be fired and minimum passing scores from specified firing distances.” However, the structure is readily available from secondary sources. Passing is either 12 or 13 hits out of 15 shots; sources vary.
The one I find the most obnoxious is the course used by Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff, Orange County Sheriff, San Jose Police Department, and Santa Monica Police Department. Not because it’s the hardest because it’s not. Their Course is shot at 3, 5, and 7 yards like San Diego’s. It’s also untimed like San Diego’s. But the requirement is to shoot 24 rounds at each distance. What is the point of shooting 24 rounds at 3 yards? That’s only to make it fatiguing, more expensive, and annoying.
Although many thought that the Bruen decision https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/new-york-state-rifle-pistol-association-inc-v-bruen/ was going to make things better in California, it’s not clear that the situation has improved. This notice appears on the Alameda County Sheriff’s CCW webpage. “NOTICE: As implemented by SB2, psychological service fee has increased to $400, effective immediately.” That’s just the cost to get a shrink to write that you’re not a wacko. All the other fees are on top of that.
I feel for our brothers and sisters in California. It used to be a pretty nice place to live but no more.
Here are my Shooting Illustrated articles.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/organizing-your-shooting-practice/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/shooting-practice-for-a-criminal-encounter/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/three-shots-in-three-seconds/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/home-defense-pistol-skills/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/tightening-your-accuracy-and-performance-standards/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/practicing-precision-and-transitions/
tacticalprofessor 
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