Why You Need a Cache

This past weekend, I was teaching a Spy Escape & Evasion course in the Washington, DC area. We got to the topic of caching (storing items in another place besides your home) and one fellow couldn’t understand why in the world anyone would need to do this if they were a law-abiding citizen.

Well… first, let me go a little more into the definition of caching. When I recommend that someone store a gun and ammo, food and other materials it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go dig a hole in the woods and bury a large container. A “cache” could also be a small rented storage unit or storing some items at a relative’s house or in a cabin in the woods.

My point is, when a lot of people think of caching they think of the extremist dressed in camouflage that’s caching ammo cans all around his property. I believe caching is for the prudent person who doesn’t want to keep all their eggs in one basket.

In other words…

Yes, there is a chance the government could try and confiscate our guns one day. But right now, there’s a more likely chance that one of our houses will burn down. And if you happen to come home from dinner one evening and your house is going up in flames you don’t want all of your guns and ammo to go up in flames too… you want to be able to go to another location and secure a gun and other needed items in the meantime.

To make this point even clearer, look at caching the way you look at the stock market. We’re always told to diversify and to never invest our money in only one stock because if that stock crashes (Enron) then we’ve lost all our money.  Caching is simply diversifying your life-saving gear to multiple locations, in addition to your house.

If you do decide to cache…

I believe it’s a good idea to spread things out. For example, you might have a storage unit for a few items, you might bury a PVC tube on your property or other land, and then you might fill an ammo can or two and bury that elsewhere.

Also, when it comes to caching make sure and bury items that work. In other words, I know of people who’ve purchased cheap guns for caching purposes. The guns are pieces of junk but these folks couldn’t see themselves burying a quality gun because they see it as a waste of a good gun and money. Personally, I think this is crazy because if you ever need your cache, you obviously want a gun that you can depend on.

So don’t be cheap when you’re assembling your cache. If you ever have to rely on your cache it means that something very bad has happened, and at that moment in time you’ll wish you cached the best guns, ammo and other gear that money can buy.

One last thing for today. To this article, I’ve attached directions for building a PVC pipe cache, plus a few of the items you may want to put in your cache.

Why You Need a Cache

This past weekend, I was teaching a Spy Escape & Evasion course in the Washington, DC area. We got to the topic of caching (storing items in another place besides your home) and one fellow couldn’t understand why in the world anyone would need to do this if they were a law-abiding citizen.

Well… first, let me go a little more into the definition of caching. When I recommend that someone store a gun and ammo, food and other materials it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go dig a hole in the woods and bury a large container. A “cache” could also be a small rented storage unit or storing some items at a relative’s house or in a cabin in the woods.

My point is, when a lot of people think of caching they think of the extremist dressed in camouflage that’s caching ammo cans all around his property. I believe caching is for the prudent person who doesn’t want to keep all their eggs in one basket.

In other words…

Yes, there is a chance the government could try and confiscate our guns one day. But right now, there’s a more likely chance that one of our houses will burn down. And if you happen to come home from dinner one evening and your house is going up in flames you don’t want all of your guns and ammo to go up in flames too… you want to be able to go to another location and secure a gun and other needed items in the meantime.

To make this point even clearer, look at caching the way you look at the stock market. We’re always told to diversify and to never invest our money in only one stock because if that stock crashes (Enron) then we’ve lost all our money.  Caching is simply diversifying your life-saving gear to multiple locations, in addition to your house.

If you do decide to cache…

I believe it’s a good idea to spread things out. For example, you might have a storage unit for a few items, you might bury a PVC tube on your property or other land, and then you might fill an ammo can or two and bury that elsewhere.

Also, when it comes to caching make sure and bury items that work. In other words, I know of people who’ve purchased cheap guns for caching purposes. The guns are pieces of junk but these folks couldn’t see themselves burying a quality gun because they see it as a waste of a good gun and money. Personally, I think this is crazy because if you ever need your cache, you obviously want a gun that you can depend on.

So don’t be cheap when you’re assembling your cache. If you ever have to rely on your cache it means that something very bad has happened, and at that moment in time you’ll wish you cached the best guns, ammo and other gear that money can buy.

One last thing for today. To this article, I’ve attached directions for building a PVC pipe cache, plus a few of the items you may want to put in your cache.

5 ways to get your gun out faster

If you ever have to draw your gun in self-defense, the encounter will likely be over in a matter of seconds, although it will feel like an eternity. This is why it’s critical to practice your draw so you instinctively and quickly get your gun out and on target if you ever need it.

A perfect example of this is the recent pizza deliveryman who was (almost) robbed at knifepoint. The deliveryman quickly drew his gun and shot his assailant, who turned out to be a career criminal. It turns out that this deliveryman also happened to be a former law enforcement officer who no doubt had practiced his draw more than once.  

So what’s the best way to improve your draw speed?

Well, there are five different things that I recommend you try and that I do myself. First, you have to get a quality holster. You need to be able to get a solid grip on the gun while the gun is still in the holster. If you have to adjust your grip on the draw while you draw, that’s precious time you’re losing. You also want to make sure the gun comes smoothly out of the holster and the front sight isn’t catching on anything. A few good holster makers are Crossbreed, Milt Sparks, and Blade Tech.

The second way to improve your speed is through dry fire practice. At your home, using a safe and empty weapon, practice your draw for 5 to 10 minutes every day. At first, start slowly to ensure you’re getting a solid grip on the gun and that you’re drawing the gun straight up, rotating it toward the target, and then driving the gun straight out.

Once you’ve practiced the draw several times and you’re confident that you have the basics down then it’s time to introduce the third way to improve your draw speed, which is using a competition timer.

You might think you’re already fast, but a timer helps you push yourself even further. Use a timer on your phone or a competition timer (I use the Pocket Pro II) and get yourself to the point where you can get the gun out and on target in two seconds or less. Two seconds or less may sound fast now, but after some practice it’s very achievable. I’m willing to bet that the pizza man had his gun out at least this quickly or else he probably would’ve ended up dead.

The fourth way to improve your draw speed is to videotape yourself. These days almost everyone has a smartphone with a video camera or you can get one of those inexpensive flip cameras. Set up the camera in your home and videotape yourself practicing your draw using the timer.

After filming your draw for about 5 minutes, go through and evaluate the tape. The #1 mistake that folks will discover is that they’re draw is not efficient and they’re not going in straight lines. In other words, many people go “bowling,” which means they are drawing the gun and then bringing it up on target at an angle, instead of driving straight out (picture a person doing the bowling motion with a complete follow though). Many people also “go fishing” where they draw the gun too high and make a circular motion as they bring it down toward the target (picture someone casting).

Another benefit of videotaping yourself is that you might realize your stance is wrong and if you videotape during live-fire training you can see if you’re flinching or jerking the trigger.

The final thing you can do is the Tueller Drill created by Dennis Tueller. In short, have somebody stand seven yards away from you, and on the “go” signal have them rush you. You need to use a blue training gun for this drill, NOT just a safe and empty weapon. You want to see if you’re able to draw and “shoot” before the person touches you.

The fact is, even if you’re the world’s most accurate shot, if it takes you 5 seconds to draw your gun… well… you might not survive the gunfight, unlike the pizza man mentioned earlier. So work on improving your draw speed today, even if you spend just five minutes doing it.

How to Avoid Getting Attacked in Your Car

This past Sunday, a man and his wife were driving through Brooklyn, NY. They were sitting at a stoplight when a group of 10 teenagers started crossing in front of them. The light turned green and the teenagers were still in the road when the man honked at them to move out of the way.

As soon as he honked, the youths started kicking and pounding on his car. He got out of the car to assess the damage and they turned their attack on him. He was severely beaten by the pack of teenagers and according to the news, he had a fractured nose, broken septum, and multiple bruises on his body.

As the driver was getting beaten, his wife began dialing 911 as she was dragged from the car and beaten too. Thankfully, the couple didn’t have any life threatening injuries and they survived the attack by these 10 kids.

Stories like these are becoming more commonplace, such as the incident that happened in Virginia when a man was stopped at a red light and someone threw a rock at his car. When the driver got out of the car, he was attacked by a group of 100 youths. Thankfully he survived too.

The fact is, when groups of teenagers (or any group for that matter) get together they often do stupid and dangerous things. That’s why every time you get in your car you should first lock your doors. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving 2 miles to get milk, get in the habit of locking the doors as soon as you get in your vehicle.

Also, it should be obvious that you should never get out of your vehicle if it comes under attack. If kids start kicking your car or someone throws a rock at your car, hit the gas pedal and get out of the area. If people are blocking your forward movement then either run them over (depending on the severity of the situation and whether your life is in danger) or throw it in reverse and back up.

Drive to a police station or someplace safe, call police and only assess the damage done to the vehicle at that time. If you have no way out and you feel you can’t go forward, reverse, left or right, then it’s time to draw your firearm. If a group of people are surrounding your car then simply displaying your firearm will often get them to disperse.

Of course, you never draw a gun just to display it, you draw it because you believe you might have to use deadly force to save your own life or that of a loved one. And if the group of attackers starts smashing your windows and you or your loved one are about to get dragged out of a vehicle then that would be the time to defend yourself with a firearm.

Remember, you can easily shoot through your front windshield just as easily as a side window. So if people are smashing your car or threating your life and they’re directly in front of you, you don’t have to wait until they’re at your door to protect yourself.

Besides using good situational awareness and hitting the gas pedal to escape a dangerous situation, don’t forget to practice drawing your firearm in your vehicle.

Do this in your garage with the garage door closed (so your neighbors don’t get spooked) and with a safe and empty weapon. Make sure you can quickly get to your gun while seated from wherever your carry position is. You should be able to draw your gun in your vehicle in two seconds or less, just like you should be able to do it in two seconds or less while standing.

Handling the San Francisco Train Shooting

By now, you’ve probably heard about the murder that took place on a San Francisco commuter train. The gunman didn’t quickly pull out his gun and shoot someone… instead, he pulled out his gun multiple times and even used it to wipe his nose before shooting someone.

However, not a single person on the train noticed him pulling out the gun because everyone was absorbed in their cell phones. As the District Attorney stated, “These people are in very close proximity with him, and nobody sees this… They're just so engrossed, texting and reading and whatnot. They're completely oblivious of their surroundings."

I’m not going to go into a lecture about situational awareness because if you’ve ever trained with me you know how important it is, and you’re aware of the color code. What I do want to share with you today is how you should react if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. In fact, I got the following question (below) from a gentleman named Phil H. that fits perfectly with what I want to share with you.

Phil H. wrote to me regarding the train shooting, “I'm not going to comment on the obvious issue of awareness, but my question is how should a CCW holder react to a situation like that? It was a crowded environment. Making the other passengers aware could spark a panic. Shooting the gunman before he has shot his weapon doesn't seem like a good option. Nor does doing nothing and just being a good witness. But with the crowded environment, taking any action could endanger a lot of lives. So what is the best response to a gun threat in a crowded environment?”

In this specific instance of being on the train, drawing and shooting is definitely not the way to go. It’s too crowded and people are packed into each other like sardines. Also, I wouldn’t just sit there and be a good witness. Obviously, a person can choose to do what they wish, but if the gunman shoots someone and you just stand there and watch… you might be next. If I found myself in that situation I believe the best option is to go hands-on.

The gunman in this case gave a world of opportunity for people to stop him, he was begging for attention and was almost saying “please notice me” when he pulled out the gun multiple times before actually using it. There was plenty of time for a passenger close to him or even several feet away to go hands-on and disarm him.

There are several different techniques for disarming a person with a gun and I know that police academies teach one way, the martial arts teach another, and federal agencies teach another. However, the method I like is what the Secret Service refers to as “Grab, Squeeze, Break, Pull.”

All of the actions in this disarming method happen almost instantaneously but here’s how it breaks down. You grab the gun and squeeze (you are squeezing the person’s hand on the gun, so your hand is on top of theirs wrapped around the gun.) As soon as you grab and squeeze you chop down on their arm to make it bend at the elbow and you pull forward throwing them forward and off balance to the ground where you then remove the gun.

Again, this is just one method of disarming a person with a gun and you should find what works best for you. But in a crowded situation like a train or bus, going hands-on and disarming the threat is often the best solution.

Also, if you ever go hands-on, you don’t have to create a panic or start screaming. In the train situation, as soon as someone saw the gun they could have quickly and silently made their way to the killer and brought him down without anyone getting scared and getting in their way in the panic.

Gun Free Zones and the Law

A few weeks ago, I was doing training in Flagstaff, AZ. While I was there, I needed a new, white dress shirt so I decided to stop by the one and only mall in Flagstaff. As I approached the entrance, I noticed a rather large sign with a gun and an X through it.

In other words, they were letting me know this mall was a gun free zone and they did a good job of it as you couldn’t miss their sign. Now, when a concealed carry permit holder encounters a “gun free zone” we obviously have some choices to make. We can walk back to our car and go someplace else. We can walk back to our car and secure our gun in the vehicle and then go shopping. Or, we can just ignore the sign and go in anyway.

I’m not suggesting that anyone should ignore the sign, but let’s say you walked into the mall and didn’t notice the first sign, but you were already in the mall and noticed a second sign. If for some reason you got caught in a gun free zone carrying concealed what could happen to you?

I know some people let their mind wander and think that SWAT is going to descend on them and take their gun and they’re going to spend a year in jail and never get to carry a gun again.

Well, maybe that’s true in a place like California… but here’s what’s more likely to happen…

I live in the state of Utah. In Utah, a private business’s sign that says it’s a “gun free zone” does not have the force of law. In other words, if I walk into a business and they find out I have a gun they can simply ask me to leave. I can’t get in any legal trouble (unless I refuse to leave when asked to do so.)

However, if while in Utah I enter a private residence or a house of worship that’s a gun free zone, that does have the force of law. So what will happen if I get caught with a gun in church or in a private residence? Well, no SWAT team is going to get you and no year in jail either, but you could get charged with trespassing.

Back to the mall in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is different than a mall in Utah. If I had entered the mall with my gun and somebody had noticed it and reported me, I could have been charged with trespassing. This is because in Arizona, all “gun free zones” signs have the force of law, no matter what kind of place (private business, house of worship, etc.) they are posted in.

As you can see each state is different.

I imagine most states will only charge you with trespassing in the situations when the sign has the force of law but you never know, so make sure and research your own state’s laws. And again, not that I am saying you should ignore the “no gun” signs at a business, but if you accidentally make a mistake and find out you’re in a gun free zone too late, don’t freak out. Just calmly exit the business and if you’re carrying concealed nobody should ever know you have a gun in the first place.

Liberty Gun Safes?

I live in southern Utah and recently found out that Liberty Gun Safes are made in Payson, UT about 2 hours from my house. If you’re not familiar with Liberty Gun Safes they’re makers of the large gun safes that cost a small fortune, and if you’re lucky enough, will house your entire arsenal.

The thing is, whether you’re buying a Liberty, Canon, Browning, or another safe manufacturer, most people don’t know how to shop for the right gun safe. What I mean is, if you’re purchasing a safe at a gun show for $500 that says, “made in China” you might as well not buy a safe at all.

Why?

Because these types of safes can be easily broken into with an axe or sledgehammer. A quality gun safe is going to set you back $2,500 or more and will definitely be made in America. The reason for this is because a quality safe has thick steel (around 3/16 of an inch) and weighs so much that it’s not cost effective to ship it from China.

What’s more, a quality gun safe will have a fire rating of 60 minutes or more. What this means is that for 60 minutes your guns will be protected and won’t begin to warp or go up in flames. It will also come with a special fire seal around the door that expands 5-times it’s size when subjected to heat so that smoke and water won’t enter the safe.

Also, somewhere on the safe you’ll want to see the Underwriters Laboratory RSC sticker. Underwriters Laboratory is the third-party firm that beats the heck out of the safes and subjects them to all types of tests. Their RSC (Residential Security Rating) means the safe will withstand attacks against it with various tools.

Now even though these top-of-the-line safes have all of the bells and whistles…

One thing I wouldn’t get is the fancy electronic keypad lock. Almost all problems that I’ve heard regarding these safes involve problems with the electronic lock. If I were you, I would stick with the old spin dial lock just as long as you remember to spin it off when you’re through using the safe.

The bottom line is, if your gun collection is like mine then it’s worth a good amount of money, which means it makes sense to protect it with the best safes out there. So when the time comes for you to get the 64 gun safe (we can dream can’t we) make sure you know the right questions to ask so you’re not getting a safe that can be easily defeated by criminals or a fire.