Why You Need Guns Now

Even though it’s Christmas and hopefully you’re relaxing, I’d like to quickly remind you why you should have your guns now, as proven by the reactions by both the left and the right after the horrific Connecticut shootings.

In short, the aftermath of these shootings has shown that far too many people lose all rationale and do crazy things after a “disaster.” For instance, it’s no surprise that the liberals want to ban AR-15’s, ban the number of rounds that a magazine can hold, and our favorite New York mayor even talked about confiscating all of the guns in New York.

But the liberals weren’t the only one’s losing all rationale, so were some gun folks.

For example, the website Cheaper than Dirt stopped selling firearms and essentially committed business suicide. Whatever gutless executive made that call ought to be fired and there’s nothing that ticks me off more than people without conviction.

One of the biggest handgun trading websites in the nation is on KSL. It’s a Utah website where people buy, sell, and trade guns. Well, last week I was getting ready to do some advertising on the website and the KSL ad rep I was working with sent me an email and said they were temporarily taking down the entire firearms section. Again, some gutless executive has no idea who his customer is and made a bonehead decision.

The fact is, it’s sad when people can’t stand by what they believe.

But enough about corporate executives being wimps, let’s talk about other irrational things that have happened since the shootings. The popular website Brownell’s sold as many AR-15 magazines in 72 hours as it usually does in 3.5 years.

And pretty much every gun store in the nation was jam packed with lines going out the door and people dropping as much as $7,000 on merchandise. And when my wife was in Walmart last week I asked her to take a look at the ammo section for me and she said it was almost empty and basically the only ammo left was .22.

My point of telling you all this is: first, you ought to be prepared before a disaster takes place. I haven’t bought any guns or ammo or any accessories since the Connecticut shooting because I already have what I need. And if you don’t already have an AR-15 don’t go and buy one now and get ripped off (I saw listings where people were selling a $1,000 AR for $4,000.) Wait until things die down and then go buy one.

Second, keep your head cool during a disaster and the aftermath. While people from both sides make foolish decisions and take irrational actions, try and keep your wits about you. Lastly, the aftermath of the Connecticut shooting is far from over, so please stand by your convictions and don’t buckle like many people already have. In other words, stand by what you truly believe in.

The only type of gun control we need?

After the horrific Connecticut shooting, my phone began to ring from friends and family, as it always does after a tragedy involving firearms. Some were gloating and asking me “how do you defend your guns now?” and others wanted to know if they should buy an AR-15 this week in case they’re soon banned.

Well, I never have a problem “defending” my guns. Any person with common sense knows that evil people, since the beginning of time, have been murdering others. If it’s not a gun, the person might use a sword, or a pipe bomb, or a rock, or any number of devices to kill others.

We also know, as proven by history, that anytime guns are taken from the good guys, the only people with guns end up being the bad guys. After all, the bad guys never follow the rules, or go through background checks, so getting a gun is much easier for them than it is for law-abiding citizens.

With that being said…

I only believe in one simple type of gun control to keep guns out of the hands of those that shouldn’t have them. What I’m referring to is simply a (quick access) gun safe that only you and your spouse have the combination to.

But even as I say that, the Connecticut shooter was 20 years old, and I image when I have a 20 year old they will probably have their own guns and I will trust them with firearms in the house if I feel they are responsible enough to handle them.

And that’s one of the major questions about this shooting. Many news outlets have said the shooter was mentally ill and if his mother knew he was mentally ill, and showing signs of trouble then obviously she should not have allowed her son to have access to her guns.

Of course, as a parent, you probably don’t want to admit your child is mentally ill. I’ve never been in that position, but if I ever am, I hope I will see clearly enough to realize they shouldn’t have access to any guns.

Now…

I’m pretty sure Diane Feinstein and her fellow Democrats won’t think my measure of gun control is strong enough and I know she and others will put on a good show for their constituents espousing the evils of guns. But I don’t think AR-15s are getting banned and I don’t believe any tougher gun controls will result from the Connecticut shooting.

The reason being is because the gun culture in America is now too strong. In other words, there are now too many Americans who have the common sense that guns are needed to protect us in our homes (since the police will be there 9 minutes later, if we’re lucky) and that guns are needed to keep our government honest and to protect ourselves from other evils in this world.

My fear, as usual, is the only time the anti-gun crowd will realize the importance of owning a firearm is after someone has broken into their house and murdered their child, raped their wife, or beaten them to within an inch of their life.

By the way, as far as I know, Utah is the only state that allows concealed carry in schools. Obviously, I think that’s great because when concealed carry isn’t allowed in schools then there’s zero chance of a legally armed citizen stopping a madman with a gun in a school. But if concealed carry is allowed in schools, we have that chance.

My prayers go out to the family members of the victims and even as a parent I can’t begin to image the pain and suffering they are going through now. God bless them and stay safe.

How to avoid lead poisoning

Whether you shoot every day, once a week, or once a month, I want to show you how to avoid lead poisoning and explain to you why this is so important. The fact is, far too many shooters are unaware of the dangers of lead, which was proved to me recently when a group I was talking with didn’t even know ammo still contains lead these days.

So first off, let me explain how you’re exposed to lead every time you shoot. Lead is contained in the primer of each round, so when you fire your gun all of the residue and powder from the explosion lands on your hands, face and shirt and you’re essentially covered in lead particles. (It’s even worse if you use lead bullets without a copper jacket.)

In addition, if you clean your firearm when you get home, that firearm is covered in lead dust. When you’re shoving the cleaning rod down the barrel that dust is shooting out of the barrel into your house.)

And lastly, if you happen to walk around and pick up your brass after you shoot, then you’re picking up brass covered in lead. And if you put that brass in your pocket or scoop it up in a hat, then you have a pocket or hat covered in lead dust.

So why is this such a big deal?

Well, as I’m sure you’re aware, lead isn’t good for the body. It gets absorbed in the nervous system and kidneys, and causes headaches, muscle pain, loss of appetite, seizures… and every guy’s favorite… impotence. 

What’s more, it’s especially dangerous for children to be exposed to lead. Adults absorb about 20% of the lead they ingest, whereas, children absorb over three times that amount… 70% of the lead they ingest.

In fact, when I was with the Agency I knew a guy who’s children were showing developmental problems. He and his family were tested for lead and showed extremely high levels.

What happened is that when he’d get home from the shooting range he would walk all through the house and track lead all over the house from his shoes. Then, he would pick up his children and they’d get lead all over them from the shirt he was wearing.

So here’s what I do to make sure that my family and myself doesn’t get lead poisoning.

1. I have a pair of shoes that are dedicated to the shooting range. I take them off before I even enter my house.

2. When I get home from the range I fully undress in the garage. I take off all of my clothes and put them in the wash.

3. Even though I’ve taken off all of my clothes I still don’t touch my daughter or my wife until I’ve had a chance to shower. When I first get in the shower I wash my face with cold water (hot water causes the pores to open and you’ll absorb more lead.)

4. When I clean my guns, I make sure that I am using cleaning rags underneath and that the lead dust isn’t falling on my carpet. I also make sure I’m alone and that my daughter isn’t anywhere near me. (Obviously, I wouldn’t have anyone around me when I clean guns anyway.)

So from now on when you get home from shooting, please take the proper precautions so you’re not putting yourself, children, or grandchildren at unnecessary risk of lead exposure. 

How to test your new gun

Like a lot of gun owners, I get in certain “moods” where I feel like carrying one of my guns for a while, and when that mood wears off, I switch to another gun. For instance, I’ve been carrying my Glock 19 a lot lately and I’ve been neglecting my Springfield 1911. 

But not anymore. Last week I decided it was time to bring out the 1911 for a bit, but before I did that I wanted to get some work done on the hammer and beavertail. I found a gunsmith in St. George, UT who could do the work and the gun will be ready to pick up this Friday.

But here’s the thing…

When I pick up my gun from the gunsmith I’m not going to immediately put it in my holster and start carrying it around. Nope. I’m going to treat it as if it was a brand new gun (because work has been done on it) and I’m going to test it out like I do each and every gun I buy.

In my opinion, it’s pretty foolish to buy a gun and start carrying it without making sure the gun works. I realize that many guns, especially Glocks, don’t need to be broken in these days and they’ll operate fine right out of the box. However, they’re still mechanical devices that can come flawed from the factory so I’m always testing mine out no matter what.

So here’s the simple test I do when I get a new gun and the one I’ll do when I get my 1911 from the gunsmith this week.

First, I simply look the gun over. I look it over for any cracks, any sharp edges or anything that would immediately scream “this gun has problems.” If I don’t see any problems then I go to the range and put about 200 rounds of full metal jacket ammo through the gun. I make sure the gun cycles properly and that there aren’t any problems. I also make sure that the sights are properly aligned and they don’t need any adjustment.

In addition, I also perform several reloads to make sure the magazines drop free and don’t stick, and that there aren’t any other problems I discover with the magazines.

If the gun works shooting the cheap ammunition then I introduce my jacketed hollow point ammo. I’ll shoot between 100-200 rounds to make sure my gun feeds this properly. I know that jacketed hollow point ammo isn’t cheap, but I really wouldn’t shoot less than 100 rounds when testing out a new gun.

After I’ve put about 400 rounds of ammunition through the gun I’ll take it home and clean it and look it over once again while the gun is apart. After I’ve done all this, then I’ll be comfortable enough to put the gun on my hip and start carrying it concealed. You may feel comfortable doing less or you may want to do more of a test, but whatever you do, don’t bet your life on a gun without first making sure it works.

How to deal with the police when getting pulled over

Last week I was cruising down I-15 in southern Utah and I got pulled over for speeding. The thing is, the speed limit was 75 and I thought I was doing 80 (I still do). I saw the officer driving in the right hand lane.

In other words, he wasn’t hiding on the side of the road, I saw him in the right lane driving slowly so I simply passed him at what I thought was 80 miles an hour. As soon as I passed him he zipped behind me and turned on his lights. I obviously got in the right hand lane and pulled over to the side of the road.

As soon as he approached my car I had my hands on the steering wheel and I said to him, “Officer, just to let you know, I have my concealed firearms permit and I am carrying at this time.” That’s the line I use every time I get pulled over because I think it’s important to notify the police that you have a gun on you.

Typically…

When I get pulled over and tell the officer this he immediately becomes more alert and says something such as, “Okay, keep your hands on the wheel for me and don’t take them off.” However, this police officer looked at me like it was no big deal and he didn’t say anything or become more alert or stand up straighter at all. All he said to me is that he pulled me over because I was doing 87 in a 75.  

Also, when he told me to show him my license (he didn’t even ask to see my permit like most cops do) I asked him if it was okay to remove my hands from the wheel to reach for my license that was in my pocket. He looked at me like I had three heads and then said, “yeah, everyone carries a gun around here, go ahead.”

I handed him my license and he walked back to his car very nonchalantly. When he came back to my car he told me to slow down and lo and behold (thankfully) did not give me a speeding ticket.

Now…

This whole thing went down in a rural area of Utah that clearly has a gun culture. However, in my opinion as a former police officer, this guy was way too laid back, and as any cop will tell you, there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop.

And even though this officer thought it was no big deal for me to tell him I had a gun, I’d be willing to bet this is not the case in 99% of this country and I can tell you it’s definitely not the case when I get pulled over in Northern Virginia.

So if I were you, and I got pulled over while carrying my gun, I would still put my hands on the wheel and notify the officer every time. It’s the smart thing to do even if you’re in good ol’ boy country where they look at you funny for telling them you’re carrying a gun.

My 3 Favorite Flashlights

Last week I was in Tennessee. I didn’t have a car and the only restaurant close to me was McDonald’s. At night, I kept telling myself I was going to call a cab, but let’s just say I ate a lot of McDonald’s and never want to go there again.

While I was walking to McDonald’s at night I was of course carrying (my Glock 19) and since it was dark I also had a flashlight with me. I admit that I don’t always carry a flashlight in my pocket during the day (it’s in my laptop bag) but when I go out at night I always have one in my pocket.

The flashlight that I carry these days is the Olight T-10.

It’s one of the smallest lights on the market and has 3 different settings so you can choose the brightness. The brightest setting produces 230 lumens. But what I really like about the light is how it easily fits in my pocket and doesn’t weigh much either.

The second light that I use is the SureFire G2X Tactical. This light sits right next to my gun safe in my bedroom. It’s not as small as the Olight, but I don’t carry it in my pocket so I don’t care. This light produces slightly less lumens than the Olight, at 200. However, if you’ve ever shined one of these lights in your eyes then you know it’s more than blinding.

The third flashlight I have is the NexTorch TA1.

This is a relatively new flashlight but it appears solidly built and I haven’t had any problems with it. This flashlight “only” has 60 lumens, but gives plenty of light, which is why I have no problem keeping it as a backup in my bedroom.

As far as prices go, the price for the Olight is $34, the SureFire is $73, and the NexTorch is $36. If I could have only one light, it would definitely be the Olight since it can do double duty as a pocket light and a light I can keep next to my safe at night. Plus, it isn’t expensive at all at just over $30, which means if you like to have plenty of lights around the house like I do, you can afford more than one of these.

In other words, if on the off chance you don’t have a flashlight to carry in your backpack or laptop bag… or one in your bedroom at night… you may want to check out the Olight, and from now on make sure you have a flashlight in your bedroom at night and one in your daily carry bag.   

Making Sure You’re Not Followed

This past weekend I taught my Spy Escape and Evasion course in Las Vegas. I had a great group of students who were among the fastest ever to escape from the trunk of a car after being handcuffed.

Among the topics covered during the course were surveillance and counter surveillance. I talked about the story of the Connecticut family who had the home invasion and the mother and two daughters who were murdered, and the father – Dr. Petit – who was the sole survivor.

What most people don’t know is how the home was targeted in the first place. One of the criminals spotted the mother and daughters out shopping earlier in the day. The family looked wealthy to him so he followed them around the store and eventually out to their car. 

Their car…

When he noticed they were driving a nice car he got into his own vehicle and followed the three women all the way to their house and noticed they lived in an expensive house.

Later that night when the criminal and his buddy were together looking to “score” some money, the first guy mentioned he knew where a rich family lived and they probably had cash in the house. The two criminals broke into the house and after spending over eight hours in the home they murdered the wife and two daughters.

The fact is, this could have happened to a lot of folks, which is why you constantly need to be aware of your surroundings and check to make sure you’re not being followed. This is especially important for gun owners.

Why?

Because criminals love to stake out shooting ranges and then follow someone home because they know that person has guns in the house and they can rob them. Every time I go shooting, or purchase a gun, I am always careful to make sure that nobody is following me around or following me home.

The good new is, it doesn’t take much effort to make sure you’re not being followed. Since most criminals are amateurs – like the dirt bags that murdered the Petit family – simply drive around the block if you think you’re ever being followed. In other words, never go straight home. And if you’re truly frightened and sure you’re being followed, drive to a police station or hospital.

And finally, if the stuff truly hits the fan while you’re being followed make sure you’ve got a way to protect yourself, which in my case is my gun (usually a Glock 19 or a Ruger LCP.)  But if you don’t have a gun, use your knife, tactical pen, or any other weapon you can find… But again, the best thing to do is to be aware of your surroundings in the first place.

The East Coast Storm and 72-hour kits

Last week I wrote about the checklist I use to escape my house in an emergency in less than five minutes. One of the items on my checklist to grab was my 72-hour kits. I ended up getting several emails from people wanting to know the contents of my kit and where I get it.

With a storm raging on the East Coast at this very moment, these questions are especially timely, so I’m going to show you exactly what is in my kit.

Years ago, I used to build my own kits… I even ended up buying a bunch of products in bulk and making kits for other people. However, in the end it took way too much time, so I no longer do that.

What I do now is get my kits from a friend who builds them (actually, he builds good kits so that’s how he became my friend.) I buy his kit and then add a few items like a gun and at least 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Before I show you the contents of the kit, remember, a 72-hour kit is a very simple and inexpensive form of insurance. Plus, if you have your kits and are prepared, you won’t be one of the families on the East Coast who are freaking out right now because they don’t have any food in their cupboards.

Here are the contents of the kit I buy, then as I mentioned above, I add a few other items:

6 Food Bars – The bars are 400 calories each. They come wrapped in waterproof packaging.

6 boxes of Aqua Blox – Enough water to last three days. The emergency drinking water is Coast Guard approved and has a 5-year shelf life.

Water Purification Tablets – 10 purification tablets are included in the kit. The 10 tablets will purify as many as 5 two-liter bottles of water.

AM/FM Radio – The radio comes with batteries and headphones and allows you to monitor the weather and other radio stations in the event of an emergency. 

LED Flashlight – The flashlight is rechargeable and will never run out of power. To recharge it you simply squeeze the handle, which generates more power.

30-Hour Survival Candle – Comes with an adjustable wick and can also be used as a small camp stove to heat food.

5-in-1 Emergency Survival Whistle – In addition to the whistle, it includes a signal mirror, compass, waterproof match container, and flint for starting fires.

Waterproof Matches – Box of waterproof matches in case your gear gets wet during an emergency.

Emergency Sleeping Bag – The bag is waterproof and windproof and retains 90% of your body heat.

Emergency Poncho – The poncho includes a hood to protect your entire body from the elements.

Survival Knife – The knife contains 16 different tools, including a Phillips screw driver, can opener, cork screw, reamer, manicure blade, sturdy reamer, hook disgorger, slot screw driver, key ring, toothpick, fish scaler, tweezers, wood saw, cutting blade, and cap lifter.

Respirator Dust Mask – Thicker than the average dust mask and approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Pocket Tissues – Three packs of tissues. Each pack contains 10 tissues. 

Safety Goggles – To protect your eyes from debris during a disaster.

Sewing Kit – To use for sewing clothing or to repair tears in tents or other shelters. The kit includes 3 safety pins, 3 needles, 7 buttons, and 10 different colors of thread.

24-Piece Hygiene Kit – Contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, wetnaps for your hands, a bar of soap, shampoo and conditioner, dental floss pick, hand lotion, body lotion, deodorant, razor, comb, maxipads, shaving cream and a washcloth.

Small 37-Piece First Aid Kit – Contains eight spot bandages, eight sheer junior bandages, four sheer medium bandages, four sheer strips, two antibacterial, three clear strips, two fabric strips, one extra large, two alcohol pads, and two gauze pads.

Deck of Playing Cards – For entertainment.

Note Pad and Pencil – For writing down important information during an emergency. 

Now, use this list to build your own kit, and don’t forget to add ammunition, at the very least. However, if you want to get the kit above, already made, you can visit www.SuperDeluxePack.com.

5-Minute Emergency Checklist

This past summer I remember watching the news about the devastating fires in Colorado. Many of the people interviewed said the all too familiar “we had no idea the fire was so close to our house, we only had minutes to evacuate.” If you found yourself in their position would you be able to evacuate your home in 5 minutes or less?

The thing is, a lot of people are prepared and have food and water stored at home for sheltering in place. But I’d be willing to bet if I knocked on 100 doors and said “you’ve got 5 minutes to evacuate this house”, 99 of those people would be running around like a chicken with their heads cut off unsure of what they should grab.

And because in an emergency you’re already under a lot of stress, I have created a very simple checklist for my family that we will follow in case we have to flee our house ASAP. (The checklist lists the person’s name that is in charge of grabbing each item during the evacuation.)

Jason – 72-hour kits

Jason – Small safe that contains passports, birth certificates, cash, and other important documents.

Jason – Guns and Ammo (Both Glock 19s, AR-15. I have this ammo stored in a small Rubbermaid container that I can quickly grab.)

Jason – Jason’s clothes bag

Amanda – Baby’s bag full of diapers, wipes, formula, clothes

Amanda – Amanda’s clothes bag

Amanda – Medicine for entire family

That’s the entire checklist. It’s not meant to be a survival checklist with 79 different items. It’s meant to be a practical checklist that allows you to truly get out of your house in just a few minutes.

I realize all of use would love to get our photo albums and other sentimental items, but if you find out a fire or tornado is coming any minute, then those things are not essential and will have to get left behind.

I also realize that like any checklist, you’ll want to modify it and add different items than I have to suit your needs. But be very careful not to get carried away and be sure you could literally escape your house in 5 minutes flat. In other words, keep it simple.  

So some time this week I encourage you to have a family meeting and sit down with everyone and make your own 5-minute emergency checklist. Then assign each member of the family different items to grab in the house. Also, don’t forget to have the checklist where everyone can see it. (Mine is posted in my home office.)

Why You Need to Own Multiple Guns

Most gun owners I know already own multiple firearms. After all, there are so many different guns out there how could you just own one? But I do know a few gun owners who literally have just one gun. Sometimes the reason is because of their significant other (AKA wife), other times it’s a monetary issue (which I understand), and then there are the people who simply think one gun is enough (I shudder at the thought.)

One of the obvious reasons to own multiple guns is in case one of them breaks. If you’re using a quality gun, such as a Glock or Smith and Wesson M&P or Springfield XD, then the chances are slim. But they are mechanical devices and eventually something is going to go wrong. If you’re at the shooting range and your gun goes down then it might be days even weeks before you get your gun fixed by a gunsmith or the factory.

Another reason to own multiple guns…

Is to have more than one gun throughout your house. For instance, I obviously have one of my guns in my bedroom in case there’s a home intruder during the night. But there’s also a gun in my basement. If someone were to break into my house while I was in my basement watching a movie, it would be a long haul up to my bedroom if that were the only gun I had.

So, at a minimum have a gun in your basement and your bedroom, but try and have one on every level if you can. Just remember to keep each gun in a “fast opening” safe that you can open in about 3 seconds.

One of the most important reasons to own multiple guns is because your spouse or other family members who live with you need one too. When I’m traveling I feel a heck of a lot better knowing my wife has her own gun and that she’s trained to use it.  (Except if we’ve had an argument before going to bed. Then I ask her if for my own safety I should come and move her gun to my side of the bed for the night – always amusing to me, not so much to her.)

But in all seriousness…

If you’re the only gun owner in your house, how is your family going to protect themselves when you’re out of town? Or what if you’re just running errands a few miles down the road and something happens?

I realize there are still a lot of people who have family members who are scared of guns or anti-gun, but just take baby steps with them. Don’t try and convince them to get a gun, just try and convince them to at least come shooting with you once. It never ceases to amaze me when the people I take to the range are anti-gun when we get there and then as soon as we’re done they’re often saying, “that was so much fun, when can we do this again,” or “I never knew shooting was so enjoyable, I think I might actually get a gun.”

The fact is, there are probably dozens more reasons why you should own more than one gun, including everyone’s new favorite, the zombie apocalypse/end of the world. So if you’ve only got one gun, and you can afford it, get yourself another one today. In fact, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing this afternoon. 

Don’t Even Do This At the Post Office

Most of us believe we understand concealed carry laws fairly well. After all, we know we cannot carry concealed in a courthouse, we know we cannot carry concealed in an airport, and in the vast majority of states we’re not allowed to carry concealed inside a school.

But when it comes to the Post Office many people unknowingly violate the law and I’d be willing to bet you’ve done it once or twice or you know someone who has. And guess what? What I’m talking about has nothing to do with carrying concealed INSIDE the post office. 

Most people can agree it’s illegal to carry concealed inside a Post Office. 

I say “most,” because there are a good number of people who think it is legal. You see, the United States Code (18 U.S.C. 930) that deals with firearms in federal buildings has a section that says there are certain times you can carry concealed in a federal building… “The lawful carrying of firearms or other dangerous weapons in a Federal facility incident to hunting or other lawful purposes.”

People argue that “other lawful purposes” means we can carry for personal protection because we have a valid concealed carry permit. From what my lawyer has told me and from all of the research I have done this is NOT true. 

In fact, the Code of Federal Regulations - Title 39 – which is named “Conduct on Postal Property” says “No person while on postal property may carry firearms, other dangerous or deadly weapons, or explosives, either openly or concealed, or store the same on postal property, except for official purposes.”

So hopefully you understand that you cannot carry concealed inside the Post Office…

But that’s not my main concern and not why I wrote this today. The reason I wrote this and the big mistake people make is that you’re not even allowed to have your gun on Post Office Property. In other words, when you pull into the parking lot and toss your gun into the glove compartment while you go mail a letter, you are breaking the law.

I realize that may sound “dumb” and hard to believe, but the above Title 39 paragraph clearly states “on postal property, except for official purposes.” Now, I had a student who told me that a friend of theirs got arrested in the Post Office parking lot when a police officer watched him put his gun in his glove box…

But the biggest proof I found is what actually happened to a postal employee. A fellow named Clarence Dorosan used to store his gun in his car while he went to work each day. Somehow, one of this supervisors found out he had a gun in his car and he was arrested and fired for having a gun on the property. I’ve even attached a copy of the appellate ruling where the judges upheld his original conviction. 

So since you cannot even carry onto the Post Office parking lot, what should you do? Obviously, one option is to leave your gun at home if you know you’ve got to stop by the Post Office. But where I live there is a restaurant next to the Post Office so I always park in the restaurant parking lot and stash my gun in the glove box and then walk over when I need to send a package or mail a letter. Yes, it’s nonsense, but unfortunately, many laws are.

Why I made this portable target

For the next several months I’ll be doing training in Utah and Nevada, and lately I’ve been spending a great deal of time in Southern Utah near Bryce and Zions Canyon. The best part about being out in this “wide open” country is that the city shooting range is at the bottom of a mountain and anyone can go shoot whenever they want.

In other words, it’s a free public range. You don’t have to pay any range fees. There are no range officers around. It’s up to the public to be responsible, which is the way it should be. Quite frankly, this type of shooting range is a little slice of heaven and is a good change from the NRA shooting range that I usually go to in Northern Virginia. (It seems there’s always an hour and a half wait at the NRA range and the majority of the range officers they employ need a lesson in customer service.)

The thing is, since the range I’m now going to is a public range at the bottom of a mountain, there is literally nothing there. You have to bring your own targets and target stands.

When I found this out, I quickly went online and searched for a portable target system…

A simple enough one popped up and I decided to build it with a slight twist. So here’s the target stand that I built and here’s everything you need to build one too. It really is simple. I promise if I can build it, so can you, since I’m extremely “un-handy.”

First, go to Home Depot and buy eight pieces of black ABS pipe that are each 1.5 inches x 24 inches long. Home Depot has these already pre-cut so you can grab them and go (like I did). Or, you can buy a long piece of the pipe and cut it yourself.

Next, you need two “Tees.” These connect the pipe that holds up the target. In other words, the “Tees” connect the two pieces to the stand, which hold the furring strips (more about these in a second.) After that, you need four “Elbows” to connect the pipes to form a square. And lastly, you need two wooden furring strips that are 58 inches long. (They come longer than this so you’ll have to cut them down a bit.)

Here’s the layout of needed materials again in an easier to read format:

-8 pieces of ABS pipe that are each 1.5 inches x 24 inches

-Two connector “Tees”

-Four “Elbows”

-Two furring strips that are 58 inches long

After you have those items it takes about 30 seconds to put the target together. Once it’s together you simply staple up cardboard and a target. Since I know the directions were likely a bit confusing, see the picture at the bottom of this article to get a better idea of what the finished product should look like. It will cost you less than $40 in supplies from Home Depot and then you’ll be all set to shoot at “rural” shooting ranges should you ever find yourself out in the country.

Should he have shot this homeless man?

A close friend of mine is a police officer who recently took a second job as a security guard to earn extra money. He works for a large department store and last week was his very first day on the job. After his first shift he called me and said, “you’re never going to believe what happened to me tonight.”

Well, he proceeded to tell me that there are a lot of homeless people in the area he works. He said one of his security guard duties is to clear the homeless people off the benches in and around the store, which to me sounds like a full time job in itself.

He said that while he was attempting to clear one of the homeless people off of a bench, the guy pulled a knife on him. Before he could finish his story I interrupted him and asked, “did you draw your gun and how close did you come to shooting the guy?”

A drunken homeless man…

My friend said the guy was very drunk and slowly pulled out the knife and that he simply slapped it out of his hands and then called the police. He then told me that he didn’t feel his life was in danger at the time and he didn’t feel deadly force was necessary, which was why he hadn’t drawn his gun and used it.

In short, my friend gave the perfect answer to why he hadn’t shot the man. In a large majority of instances, if someone pulls a knife on you then using deadly force is justified. However, the key factor is that you have to believe your life is in immediate danger or that the person threatening you could cause seriously bodily injury.

Luckily…

My friend is well trained and understands the law. But imagine if he didn’t. Imagine if he had drawn his gun and shot and killed the homeless man. A few hours later, police would be watching the security surveillance tapes and they would see a drunken homeless man who slowly took out a knife and probably appeared to be no serious threat. My friend could have gone to jail for a “bad” shooting.

Of course, a good lawyer could have probably gotten him off because the homeless guy did have a knife, but my friend would have had to live with the guilt for the rest of his life knowing that he had killed someone who he knew he shouldn’t have.  

The bottom line is, every single shooting and deadly force incident is different and only you will know if you feel your life is in immediate danger. Also, if you’re walking around with a gun and you’re still not clear on your state’s deadly force laws, please look them up today. You and I know that carrying a gun is a big responsibility and knowing the deadly force laws is a major part of that.

Where to put your finger on the trigger?

Trigger control is without a doubt the toughest part of becoming an accurate shooter. Most people can easily align the sights and acquire a proper grip, but when it comes to pulling the trigger, that’s when things start to break down.

The thing is, many people don’t even start out correctly learning how to master the trigger. In other words, they don’t put their finger on the trigger in the proper place from the beginning and that obviously affects the rest of their shooting.

So where exactly should you put your finger on the trigger? Well, like most things when it comes to shooting, there is no correct answer. You see, the majority of instructors will tell you that you want to pull the trigger using the middle of the pad of your finger.

Use the crease?

And a small percentage of instructors will tell you that you want to pull the trigger using the crease of your first knuckle. So who’s right? As I just mentioned, nobody is.

Personally, I pull the trigger using the pad of my finger. However, because of the length of my fingers I don’t pull the trigger using exactly the middle of the pad. The trigger happens to be slightly off center, closer to the crease of my knuckle.

Of course, since I’m always looking for ways to improve my shooting, I have tried pulling the trigger using the crease of my first knuckle. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. I’m a good shot using where I place my finger now, but when I tried the crease it might as well have been a blind man taking target practice.

What Massad Ayoob does…

However, nationally known firearms instructor Massad Ayoob is someone who uses the crease of the first knuckle and he’s an excellent shot. So here’s what I recommend you do the next time you go to the shooting range:

I recommend placing your finger in the middle of the pad, in the knuckle crease, and even off-center of the pad. You just might surprise yourself and you might be the small percentage of people who shoot better using the crease.

You also might be someone who’s been using the crease and realize that you’re a heck of a lot more accurate when you only use the pad and don’t put so much finger on the trigger.

Just remember to always do what works best for you when it comes to shooting and the fundamentals. Don’t let any instructor or any friend of yours try and tell you to do it one way if you know your way is what makes you more accurate and a better shooter overall.

My bullet proof laptop bag

I’m always looking for the slight edge when it comes to my safety…

And for a while now I’ve been looking into bullet proof products.  Of course, I could be ultra safe and wear a bullet proof vest every day but that’s not going to happen. As any police officer will tell you, wearing a bullet proof vest is not comfortable and in 90 degree weather it’s downright miserable.

I’d say that anybody who tells you they wear a vest on a daily basis is either lying to you or they’re probably on the verge of doing something illegal and they know they’re going to need it.

So instead of sweating to death in a vest I started looking at other options such as bullet proof backpacks and laptop bags. However, they were very expensive (usually $500 or more) and I didn’t see anything I liked.

Well, I contacted a fellow I know that makes bullet proof products for the military and police. I told him that I simply wanted a bullet proof panel that I could use in my laptop bag and transfer to other bags. I also wanted to use it for dry fire practice in my house and for unloading and loading my guns in my house.

I told him it had to be level IIIA armor.  Level IIIA armor is the highest level of protection that is made for concealable armor. It’s the stuff SWAT teams use and stops up to a .44 magnum.

I decided that a 10 x 14 size panel would be ideal and my friend kindly agreed to custom make one for me.  As soon as I picked it up from him I began using it in my laptop bag, which comes pretty much everywhere with me.  

I also used it when unloading and loading my guns and dry firing in my house. Plus, it comes in real handy when I have to clean my Glock since you have to pull the trigger to clean it.

The thing is, as soon as I got it I wanted to shoot the panel and test it out. However, I couldn’t bring myself to sacrifice the panel as body armor does cost a decent amount of money. However, before a pistol course this past weekend I decided to finally put it to the test.

Let’s just say I was pleased with what I saw and feel much better about having the panel around for dry fire and other uses. Now I just need to contact my friend and get a new one.

To see the video you can go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2ZA9IMAHak&feature=youtu.be

Perhaps it will encourage you to get a panel for yourself. Even if you don’t carry it around in your laptop bag, at least you have a safe backstop to point your gun in your house.

Also, if you do want a panel send an email to lisa@concealedcarryacademy.com. My friend gave me a very good deal on the panel so I can get you one for a good price.

Learning from the NYPD Shooting

You’ve probably heard about the shooting that took place last Friday in New York City. In short, a former employee killed his co-worker and was then killed by two New York City Police Officers.  One officer fired his gun 7 times and the other officer fired his gun 9 times.

During this hail of gunfire 9 innocent bystanders were wounded all from shots fired by the NYPD. Luckily for the police, nobody was seriously injured by the stray bullets and all of the rounds ended up in a persons leg or arm.

Now, as any shooter knows, the fourth rule of firearms safety is “know your backstop,” and don’t take the shot if you may end up hitting an innocent bystander. And although the police obviously violated this rule, it appears that nothing is going to happen to the officers’ and they’ve already been raised by both the Police Commissioner and the Mayor.

But here’s the thing…

You and I know that most police departments are still a “good ole’ boy network” and the police are able to get away with things that you and I never could. After all, just imagine if you or I had stopped a crazed gunman but in the process had wounded 9 people with stray bullets?

Just imagine the TV headlines… The same Mayor Bloomberg who is praising his officers would be calling for more gun control and talking about how Americans shouldn’t be allowed to have guns. 

Also, before I forget to mention this, there are two reasons I don’t really blame the officers for what they did. First, when you’re in that type of situation you get incredible tunnel vision and they most likely didn’t see any of the bystanders and only saw the shooter.

Secondly…

Most police officers are very poorly trained when it comes to shooting, and I doubt could tell you the 4 rules of firearms safety if you asked them. I know this as a fact because I was a police officer and most officers aren’t really into shooting and only go to the range every 6 months when they are forced to qualify with their duty weapon.

So the lessons that you need to learn from this incident are that you need to be aware of your surroundings in a shooting. It’s not easy because you’ll get tunnel vision like everyone, but if you end up hitting 9 bystanders you may be looking at jail time.

Also, this incident proves once again you do not want to rely on the police when your life is on the line. If you’ve ever taken any of my training courses or any of the other schools such as Gunsite, I can promise you that you’re better trained than the majority of police officers. It may not be the most comforting thing to hear, but you’re the only one who is truly responsible for your family’s safety, which is why you should train as often as time and money will allow.