I realize that going to the range and shooting your gun is the fun and exciting part of gun ownership. However, I think more attention needs to be paid to what happens if you ever have to use your gun in an actual self-defense shooting. For example, what happens when police arrive? Should you talk to them? Are they going to arrest you?
Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time and money with my lawyer getting these exact questions answered and I recommend that all gun owners do the same and at the very least, have a lawyer you can call. However, if you’re ever in a self-defense shooting you might not have your lawyer’s phone number handy and your loved ones might not know who to contact either.
That’s why I created the “aftermath contact” form…
You see, the reason people like you and me own guns is because we’re intelligent enough to realize it’s a form of insurance. Of course, we pray our house never burns down, or we never get in a car crash or someone never tries to kill us. But we’ve got insurance for all three.
And the “aftermath contact” form is part of my insurance and part of being prepared so that if I ever have to defend myself with a firearm, my loved ones know exactly who to call and what to do.
So let’s get to exactly what this form is: In short, it’s a simple document that is kept in one or more safe locations where my family members can access it. The first item on the form is my lawyer’s complete contact information. This includes his phone number and email address.
The second item…
Is the contact information of the expert witness that I plan to use along with his phone number and email address. However, my family has been instructed to give this information to my lawyer so that he can call the expert witness. My family is not to call them on their own.
Next, they are supposed to have my lawyer contact a private investigator and to have that investigator go to the scene and take pictures. My family is also instructed to go and take pictures if at all possible.
I also have a place to put the name of a close friend or family member to come and be with my wife to comfort her and be with her as she’s doing all of this. After that is a place to contact someone to start arranging bail. Perhaps you have a wealthy family member or friend or someone you know who could lend you a large amount of money at a moment’s notice. If you don’t know anyone who could come up with a lot of money then this form also has place to put the information of several bail bondsmen.
And because I believe this form is so important and it only takes a few minutes to fill out, I’ve attached a blank copy to this page for you. Print it off, fill it out, and store it in a safe place. You’ll hopefully never need it, but at least your family knows what to do if you ever have to use deadly force to defend your life.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Why You Need to Practice One-Handed Shooting
I’ll admit that one-handed shooting isn’t the most exciting thing to practice. After all, it’s a lot tougher to shoot with one hand and most of us aren’t as accurate this way. However, if you plan on carrying a gun or having one in your home for self-defense purposes it’s important you know how to shoot one handed.
But why? Well, the common theory is that one of your hands may get shot or injured during a gun fight. But from the studies I’ve read this is rarely the case and in fact, it’s usually several other reasons that limit you to only one hand. For instance, perhaps you have to hold off an attacker with one hand while drawing your gun and shooting with the other. Maybe a criminal has gotten way too close to you with a knife and you’re fighting off the knife with one hand and using your gun with the other.
Another reason…
You might be shooting with one hand is because the other hand is holding something. When the human body comes under intense pressure our hands literally lock onto what we’re holding. When I was in the police academy many years ago they showed us a training video of an officer serving a search warrant. The officer was carrying the warrant in his right hand and when a gun fight broke out he did not let go of the warrant and was running around with it in his hand. (This is why I always try and avoid carrying anything in my right hand when I’m out and about.)
So, if you’re carrying a cup of coffee in your left hand and all the sudden your life is in danger you might not let go of that coffee and might force yourself to shoot one handed. Also, the object in your other hand may be a lot more important. Perhaps there’s been a shooting and you have to drag somebody away from danger or perhaps you’re carrying your child in one of your arms.
Also, don’t forget that we’re all human and have accidents.
When I was a freshman in high school I fell off my bike and broke both of my arms because I went flying over the handle bars. I’m sure that you’ve broken your fingers or injured your hands once or twice in your life and you never know when this is going to occur. If you happen to break your arm tomorrow I hope you don’t carry your gun until you’ve practiced drawing and shooting with your other hand.
When it comes to the actual method of how to shoot one handed there are many schools of thought. But when I do training I prefer two methods and tell people to use the one they’re most comfortable with. In the first shooting position you take the non-shooting hand and cross it over your chest with your hand in a fist. (It’s as if you’re pounding yourself in the chest like Tarzan.)
The second way to shoot one handed is by clinching your fist together and bringing it toward your body instead of crossing it over your chest. In other words, pretend you’re weight lifting and are doing curls with a barbell to get huge biceps. Well, you would make a fist and curl your arm close to your body.
In both of these positions I like to put my right foot back (because I’m right handed) to give myself a stronger stance and more stability. Of course, you do what works for you and what feels best but either way, next time you’re at the range shoot a few rounds using just one hand.
But why? Well, the common theory is that one of your hands may get shot or injured during a gun fight. But from the studies I’ve read this is rarely the case and in fact, it’s usually several other reasons that limit you to only one hand. For instance, perhaps you have to hold off an attacker with one hand while drawing your gun and shooting with the other. Maybe a criminal has gotten way too close to you with a knife and you’re fighting off the knife with one hand and using your gun with the other.
Another reason…
You might be shooting with one hand is because the other hand is holding something. When the human body comes under intense pressure our hands literally lock onto what we’re holding. When I was in the police academy many years ago they showed us a training video of an officer serving a search warrant. The officer was carrying the warrant in his right hand and when a gun fight broke out he did not let go of the warrant and was running around with it in his hand. (This is why I always try and avoid carrying anything in my right hand when I’m out and about.)
So, if you’re carrying a cup of coffee in your left hand and all the sudden your life is in danger you might not let go of that coffee and might force yourself to shoot one handed. Also, the object in your other hand may be a lot more important. Perhaps there’s been a shooting and you have to drag somebody away from danger or perhaps you’re carrying your child in one of your arms.
Also, don’t forget that we’re all human and have accidents.
When I was a freshman in high school I fell off my bike and broke both of my arms because I went flying over the handle bars. I’m sure that you’ve broken your fingers or injured your hands once or twice in your life and you never know when this is going to occur. If you happen to break your arm tomorrow I hope you don’t carry your gun until you’ve practiced drawing and shooting with your other hand.
When it comes to the actual method of how to shoot one handed there are many schools of thought. But when I do training I prefer two methods and tell people to use the one they’re most comfortable with. In the first shooting position you take the non-shooting hand and cross it over your chest with your hand in a fist. (It’s as if you’re pounding yourself in the chest like Tarzan.)
The second way to shoot one handed is by clinching your fist together and bringing it toward your body instead of crossing it over your chest. In other words, pretend you’re weight lifting and are doing curls with a barbell to get huge biceps. Well, you would make a fist and curl your arm close to your body.
In both of these positions I like to put my right foot back (because I’m right handed) to give myself a stronger stance and more stability. Of course, you do what works for you and what feels best but either way, next time you’re at the range shoot a few rounds using just one hand.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Examples of Why You Need to Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger at all Times
One of the four rules of firearms safety is to keep your finger off the trigger until you’re on target and ready to shoot. However, from my experience many people are confused as to exactly what this means, so I thought I’d clear it up (especially since if I’m ever training with you I’d prefer not to get shot.)
So here we go: What this rule means is that until you have identified your threat and have made a conscious decision to use deadly force, you do not put your finger on the trigger. For instance, two weeks ago I had a guy arguing with me about how if he heard a bump in the night at 3am he would absolutely have his finger on the trigger from the moment he picked up his handgun. He told me that if he ran into a prowler while searching his house he wanted to be able to immediately stop him. And that if his finger wasn’t on the trigger he might not have time to shoot before the guy got to him.
In short, I told this fellow that this was a terrible idea and that one day he would end up shooting his wife who got up for a late night snack or his 16 year old son sneaking in from his girlfriend’s house.
You see, as you’re walking around your house at 3am you’re already a little nervous.
And if you see someone you’ll be startled and that startle will cause you to flinch causing your fingers to tense up. And if that finger happens to be on the trigger it’s going to pull the trigger and you’re going to shoot whatever startled you.
That’s why you never put your finger on the trigger until you’ve identified your threat and you know that it’s a person who you need to use deadly force against. In fact, about two weeks ago I heard something fall in my basement. I grabbed my gun and slowly walked downstairs.
As I was clearing the downstairs I forgot about a large cardboard box that loosely resembled a person. When I saw the box I flinched a bit and I felt my finger tense up against the frame of the gun. (My finger is always straight. Had it not been straight and had it been anywhere near the trigger, it likely would have pulled it.)
Let me give you a non-firearms related example that happened to me last night.
Every night I get up to go to the bathroom about 4am. Well, last night I got up to go to the bathroom as usual. As I opened the bathroom door in my half-asleep state to go back to bed, my wife was standing there and she about gave me a heart attack.
I shouted “geeze” and asked her why she had decided to sneak attack me and she said that she was simply waiting to go to the bathroom too. I offered her the suggestion that standing directly in the doorway like a serial killer was probably not the best way to greet me as I left the bathroom in the future.
But my point is, if for some reason I had a gun in my hand, with my finger on the trigger when I came out of the bathroom I would probably be a single man right now. (Insert hilarious jokes here.)
So from now on, whether you’re clearing your house of a potential intruder or carrying a gun for any reason, please keep your finger off the trigger until you’ve made the decision to use deadly force.
So here we go: What this rule means is that until you have identified your threat and have made a conscious decision to use deadly force, you do not put your finger on the trigger. For instance, two weeks ago I had a guy arguing with me about how if he heard a bump in the night at 3am he would absolutely have his finger on the trigger from the moment he picked up his handgun. He told me that if he ran into a prowler while searching his house he wanted to be able to immediately stop him. And that if his finger wasn’t on the trigger he might not have time to shoot before the guy got to him.
In short, I told this fellow that this was a terrible idea and that one day he would end up shooting his wife who got up for a late night snack or his 16 year old son sneaking in from his girlfriend’s house.
You see, as you’re walking around your house at 3am you’re already a little nervous.
And if you see someone you’ll be startled and that startle will cause you to flinch causing your fingers to tense up. And if that finger happens to be on the trigger it’s going to pull the trigger and you’re going to shoot whatever startled you.
That’s why you never put your finger on the trigger until you’ve identified your threat and you know that it’s a person who you need to use deadly force against. In fact, about two weeks ago I heard something fall in my basement. I grabbed my gun and slowly walked downstairs.
As I was clearing the downstairs I forgot about a large cardboard box that loosely resembled a person. When I saw the box I flinched a bit and I felt my finger tense up against the frame of the gun. (My finger is always straight. Had it not been straight and had it been anywhere near the trigger, it likely would have pulled it.)
Let me give you a non-firearms related example that happened to me last night.
Every night I get up to go to the bathroom about 4am. Well, last night I got up to go to the bathroom as usual. As I opened the bathroom door in my half-asleep state to go back to bed, my wife was standing there and she about gave me a heart attack.
I shouted “geeze” and asked her why she had decided to sneak attack me and she said that she was simply waiting to go to the bathroom too. I offered her the suggestion that standing directly in the doorway like a serial killer was probably not the best way to greet me as I left the bathroom in the future.
But my point is, if for some reason I had a gun in my hand, with my finger on the trigger when I came out of the bathroom I would probably be a single man right now. (Insert hilarious jokes here.)
So from now on, whether you’re clearing your house of a potential intruder or carrying a gun for any reason, please keep your finger off the trigger until you’ve made the decision to use deadly force.
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