Concealed Carry Drills Test

If you read a lot of gun magazines like I do, then you know there are a million and one drills that a person can practice. And each of these drills depends on what your purpose is for using the gun. For instance, are you using the gun for self-defense or are you solely a competition shooter?

Since the reason I carry a gun is for self-defense purposes, I want to share with you two simple drills that I practice and that I recommend you practice over and over until you’ve mastered them. And please remember, these are self-defense drills, which means they are practical. They don’t involve “race” guns that are tricked out for competition.

And they also don’t involve you having four magazine pouches on your belt, or anything silly like that. In fact, I don’t know a single person who carries four magazines, and the majority of people I know don’t even carry one extra magazine on their belt. (I myself only carry one extra and it’s in my pocket.)

So let’s get to the first of the two drills:

The first drill is the two-second drill and the only target you need is a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. You will also need some type of timer. You will put the target three yards away for this drill. Set the timer for two seconds, and when it beeps you must draw and fire one round in two seconds or less. All hits on the 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper count.

If you miss the paper, or miss the two-second mark, then you have failed and you need to practice until you can complete the drill by getting one round onto the paper in two seconds or less. Once you’ve mastered the drill at three yards then move back to five yards and start over again. Once you’ve mastered five yards then move back to seven yards and keep moving further and further back. But remember, if you can’t get the shot off in two seconds, or you miss the paper, it doesn’t count.

The fact is, we know that in a self-defense situation it’s going to happen incredibly fast, which is why you need to practice getting your gun on target and making accurate hits in a matter of seconds.  As legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday has been quoted as saying, “Take your time in hurry.”

The second drill is the 5-Second Reload Drill.

Load the magazine in your gun with only one round. Then, in your pocket (or wherever you actually carry a spare magazine) have a full magazine of 15 rounds or so. You’ll again need a timer and an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. This drill starts at 5 yards.

Set the timer for five seconds. When the timer beeps, draw and fire one round, reload, and fire as many rounds as you can within the five-second time limit. Again, only hits on the white paper count.

The first time you do this drill you might only get two shots off, but practice this over and over until you can get three shots, and four shots, etc. Once you feel comfortable, move back two yards and make the drill more challenging.

Like I said earlier, I know there are dozens of handgun drills to practice. But start with these two so you learn how to get the gun out quickly with accurate shots and so you know how to reload quickly in an emergency.

More Shooting from Your Vehicle

In both the Advanced and Elite pistol courses I teach, we practice shooting from a vehicle. This is obviously important because many of us spend hours in our car every day, especially if you live in a place like Washington, DC or LA.

The reasons you may have to shoot from your vehicle include a carjacking or a homeless person who, instead of asking for money, pulls a knife. In fact, you may have read about the horrific incident last week in California where a homeless man doused a driver in lighter fluid and set him on fire.

Apparently the homeless man was standing in front of 7-11 asking for money. The driver walked past the homeless man and didn’t give him any money. When the driver got in his car the homeless man set him on fire. As of now, the driver is in critical condition with third degree burns.

It’s stories like this that are good reminders to always be vigilant and aware. But also, this shows that since most of us spend so much time in our cars you need to know how to properly draw and shoot from your vehicle.

First, let’s start with your draw:

I carry my gun in my front pocket quite often these days. When drawing from a pocket you have to slightly lean back so that you’re able to get your hand in your pocket. Once you draw the gun it’s very important not to muzzle your legs. (If you have an accidental discharge you could shoot yourself in the femoral artery and bleed out in less than a minute.)

If the attacker is at your driver side window you’ll draw the gun and bring it up (toward the front of the car) and then quickly turn it to the left and point it at the window. This will keep you from sweeping your legs. Also, it’s extremely important to put your left hand (your support hand) on your chest, so it is out of the way and you don’t shoot it off.

If the attacker happens to be at the passenger side window (and you’re alone in the car) you simply draw the gun and punch out one handed and shoot. If you have a passenger with you, that’s a risky shot and only you can decide if it’s worth taking.

If the attacker is directly in front of you, simply shoot straight through the windshield.

The fact is, unless you’re rich and have a bulletproof windshield, your rounds will go right through and you should be able to stop an attacker.

The thing is, since an attack is often from the driver side door, I highly recommend you practice this draw with a safe and empty weapon. Sit in your garage, with the garage door closed (and the car off so you don’t kill yourself) and practice drawing and “firing” the gun as if there is a carjacker or someone else trying to kill you.

At first, practice the draw slowly to ensure you’re not muzzling your legs or being unsafe in any way. Then speed up your draw as you get more comfortable. I realize that a lot of folks won’t end up practicing this, but if you own a car, and spend time in a car, doesn’t it make sense to practice drawing in a car?

I think so, which is why I do it and why students do it in my pistol courses. So if you’ve never attempted it, I encourage you to practice this critical draw.

Executive Protection Lessons Every

American Needs to Know

When I was with the Agency, I did a good amount of executive protection work. And although you may think executive protection work has nothing to do with you, you’re about to see how it applies to your own life.

The fact is, when it comes to this type of security work, the most important part is the Threat Analysis. For instance, let’s say you called me today and wanted to hire me to do some protection work. The first thing I would do is to ask why you want this protection? Have you had death threats, are you a high-profile celebrity, are you the CEO of a major company?

The thing is, the majority of people who want to hire protection don’t have any immediate threats, which is why the Threat Analysis focuses mostly on their lifestyle. In other words, let’s say you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I would do a lifestyle assessment to see what could get you in trouble in your life.

For example, maybe you never vary your routines, maybe you go to a gym in a dangerous part of town, maybe you’re a married man who is way too close to his personal assistant. I would also interview all of your family members so they could tell me about your behaviors, where you socialized, and the list of the places you frequented most.

That’s a very quick overview of the Threat Analysis, but I bring this up because this is something that you should be doing in your own life for you and your family. In other words, examine your lifestyle and see what could lead to some type of trouble… and then change it.

And it’s important to remember, the Threat Analysis is not just about physical threats. Did you know the number one threat for high net worth individuals is divorce? (Just ask Tiger Woods, who in my opinion, deserved to see his $100 million “disappear.”)

Medical emergencies happen to be the biggest threat of all when it comes to executive protection work. Do you have a first-aid kit in your house… in your car? (I have one in all my 72-hours kits and I have had to use them in the past.) 

Now let’s talk about the second most important part of executive protection: The Advance. This simply means the planning and logistics of the security measures regarding where you or the principal is going.

To apply this to your own life, when you go on vacation do you know where the closest hospital is? When you stay at a hotel do you stay somewhere between the 3^rd-5^th floor and check out the hotel evacuation routes? When traveling, do you do detailed planning so you know if you’re going into a safe city and know the streets you should avoid traveling on? (A good Advance involves a lot of checklists.)

The third most important part of executive protection is the Security Detail itself. How many people will be on the Detail, how many hours will they be working each shift, have you hired the best possible specialists, etc.

I realize you likely don’t have a security detail following you around, and neither do I. But like me, you may have people in your life you care about (for me it’s my wife and daughter.)

Well, when we are out and about I am particular about keeping an eye on them and making sure I am between them and various threats that could occur. (Such as a man walking down the street toward us when we are out for a family walk.) You need to be trained and then use that training to keep yourself and family as safe as possible. In other words, you should be your best Security Detail.

Again, as I just mentioned, I realize you’re probably not a billionaire or someone who needs executive protection. However, each and every one of us are important and our lives our priceless. So each of us should focus on the 3 lessons above and then apply them to our own lives.

As things continue to head down hill in this country it’s this type of security knowledge that could make the difference for your well-being. (Just imagine if you did an Advance on a hospital while traveling and the fact you had the directions to the hospital and could get there in 5 minutes saved a family member’s life.)

If You’re Over 55, Please Hand in Your Guns

This past week I got a letter in the mail from a gentleman named Kurt who lives in Florida. Kurt took my concealed carry course and wrote to me, “In April I will be 86 years old, just recently bought my first firearm… I appreciate what you’re doing and I wish you well.”

I appreciated Kurt’s letter and wanted to mention it for a few reasons. First, I think it’s great he got his permit and now has a gun… it’s never too late to gain firearms knowledge. It also reminds me of a question I’ve had throughout the years: “Am I too old to get a gun?”

Personally, I believe you’re never too old, as long as the “hamster is still functioning properly on the wheel.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re 21 or 91, as long as you can properly manipulate the gun and are of sound mental health, then by all means get one.

However, if you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you know that the UN doesn’t agree with me. As you’re aware, the United Nations is the group of politicians that… well… talk a lot and don’t really do much. (Sounds like another group of politicians I know.) But in the UN Arms Treaty that’s now being drafted, they want a section that essentially says elderly people can’t own guns and they need to be disarmed.

And no, this isn’t a joke.

Why do they want this? Well, I’ll let a doctor from Johns Hopkins tell you: “Therefore, as we enter our twilight years – clinically speaking, age 50 and above [Global life expectancy is only 67 years] – science tells us that we are in no shape to be handling or using a deadly weapon.”

Basically, the doctor and the UN believe that if you’re over 50 you ought to turn in your guns. So what does the doctor suggest you protect yourself with instead? You’re going to love this: He recommends a rape whistle. So as some home intruder is kicking down your front door about to invade your home and do who knows what to your family, just blow loud on the whistle.

Once again, this doctor and the UN’s advice proves that “common sense is the most uncommon of the senses,” and that as the world gets more and more “screwed up” it’s common sense that is going to keep you alive and well.

So it doesn’t matter what age you are, you simply need to take the time to make sure you can operate your gun and you need to get to the range and practice with it. I realize we all have busy schedules, but you should be able to make it to the range once a month and at the very least every other month (that’s only 6 times a year.)

Also, not that the UN Arms Treaty has a chance of going through, but if it did I’m sure our wonderful politicians would insert the following clause: “All people over 55 must turn over their guns, except my bodyguards~ Signed B. Obama… And mine too. ~ Signed D. Feinstein.”