WARRIOR TALK NEWS

The “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of Open Carry Part III

Written by Roger Phillips, Suarez International Specialist and Tier One Instructor

The Retention Problem

“Ever since the first caveman grabbed the first rock inside of a fight, man has been fighting over a weapon.”

Weapon retention is something that simply has to be taken into consideration if you are going to carry a gun……concealed or open. I think we can all agree that if you follow the “Three Stupid Rule” your chances of being in a life threatening encounter are very low………that is if you follow the “Three Stupid Rule.” Most young people do not follow those rules and it seems as if the open carry crowd is predominantly young people. The chances rise dramatically if you live outside of the rules. But let’s all face it, even if the chance is low if your number is called it does not matter how many other peoples numbers were not called. All that matters is that you are now fighting for your life or the life of your loved ones. If there was zero chance of this happening then we would not need to carry weapons at all. But we all know that it can happen, so let’s get past the BS that is commonly thrown around by the political activist.


Retention is an issue that must be taken into consideration!

Refuse to admit this fact at your own peril. But do not blame the “self defense” guys for not trying to get this fundamental truth through to you…….blame the political activist for trying to hide it from you. When men fight, there will most likely be a weapon involved (even if it is an improvised weapon.) If there is only one weapon, there will be a fight over that weapon if the fight is not ended quickly and decisively. If you have a visible gun on your waistband, you have brought that one weapon into the fight. Basically that makes almost any fight that you get into a gunfight.

If we can just agree that “fights happen” then we can agree that retention is an issue.

When we look at “our power” it is strongest right inside of our work space. Our work space is from waist to chin, inside of each shoulder. It extends out about one foot from our chest. This is the area where we are our strongest. This is where “our power” is at its peak. This is right inside of the natural arch of the arms, if we were to bring our hands up along the body, from our waist up to our chin. Not only is this “our power” workspace it is also our optimal area of hand speed. If I want to open carry and I want to be the very best that I can be, I am going to wear my holster on my waistband, near my centerline. You can call it “cross draw” or “appendix” depending on the position that you use, but it has many advantages.

The number one advantage is that the gun is in front of you and you have better “security” over that gun. We have better security due to the gun being on the same side of your body as your eyes. The gun is also guarded by being in between your arms and inside of your power work space. This offers great protection from any gun grab from behind. When we look at conventional open carry methods of carry such as “on the hip” or “behind the hip” we see that we are really open from an attack on the gun from behind. When we combine “the eyes,”” the power,” and the “hand speed” from the centerline it is clear that any other carry position on the waistband are suboptimal positions in regards to weapon retention. While this concept may be huge inside of “those in the know” inside of certain tactical circles, it is not that well known inside of the open carry circles.

If you have made the decision to open carry on the hip or behind the hip it is probably a very good idea to invest in a high quality (I mean quality, not prolific) retention holster. Personally, I really like the Safariland retention holsters. Bladetec also has some good offerings. We need to accept the fact that since the gun is not on the same side of the body as the eyes, not inside of the power work space, and way off of the centerline we are going to need to supplement the suboptimal carry method with a holster that will mitigate those obvious weaknesses.

In Part I of this series I talked about “responsibility.” We have a responsibility to make sure that our weapons do not end up in the hands of the bad guys. That means that we must look at the security of our weapon. Centerline carry allows you to operate without retention devices. On or behind the hip should be supplemented with a quality retention holster. I am not interested in debating the tired old argument “Bad guys won’t take your gun.” That is not what my personal experience has shown me and no I will not provide a link or tell the story. All I know is…….BULL! Be very careful listening to a person that has never even been in a fist fight……..let alone a fight for a life.

If someone grabs for your gun, push down hard on his hand to keep the gun in the holster and to trap his hand, then go to town with hand to hand skill sets or access your blade and take out the parts of the machine that allow the machine to fight. Gun guys are notorious for thinking “I do not need hand to hand skills, I’ll just shoot them”……BULL! “I do not need to know knife fighting, I’ll just shoot them”……..BULL! This type of thinking is just another example of the perpetuation of ignorance inside of the gun world.

 

Let’s look at how to keep people from even thinking ”I could take that gun if I wanted to.” It all comes down to establishing a personal space around you. American men hold conversations at two yards. That is finger tip to finger tip. If anyone invades this space you are either dealing with an annoying idiot (you all know what I am talking about,) a person looking to teach you a lesson, or a bad guy trying to get to your gun. Be wary of anyone trying to get inside of this space. As soon as it happens you need to go from yellow to orange. Do what needs to be done to re-establish this space and establish that you do not like people inside of your personal space.

This is why I do not open carry in crowds. This is why I do not open carry anywhere where I know that I will be standing in line.

If you are open carrying in a crowd and it is impossible to avoid everyone, adjust the direction that you stand to mitigate your openings. It all comes down to awareness, common sense, and acceptance that life is not beautiful and people are not great.

The evil of man is just a newspaper article away. Bad things do happen to good people!

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The “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of Open Carry Part II

By Roger Phillips, Suarez International Speicialist and Tier One Instructor

The Mental Aspect of the Fight

 Some people may want to call this “mindset” but that term is very vague and does not do justice to the things that you should really know when it comes to open carry. If we can all agree that there are risks to carrying handguns (open or concealed) and that there is a certain responsibility attached to that decision, then it is clear that we need to “get our head right” about what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how to do it best. If you are open carrying for the reasons mention in the first part of this article, then you need to understand that the mind is the ultimate weapon and the handgun is just the tool that the mind uses to be as efficient and effective as you can possibly be inside of the limitations of “just walking through life.” In other words, it is the mind that turns the talisman into a devastating weapon. Without the mind it is just a chunk of metal, wood, and plastic.

I think that we can all agree that the very best life threatening confrontation is the one that you can avoid. If you don’t feel this way, let me warn you “be very careful what you wish for.” Being a hero is not all that it is cracked up to be. It can be alright (that is the extent of it, that is why almost all hero’s say “I just did what anyone else would do”) or it could be absolutely devastating.

 

“If you spend your life hunting monsters, be very careful to not become one yourself. Because, when you stare into the abyss, the abyss will eventually stare back into you.”

 When it comes down to avoidance, awareness is our number one tool. When you are open carrying, you need to learn the difference between people looking at you and thinking “hey that guy has a gun” and looking at you and thinking “hey that guy has a gun, I bet he thinks he is a bad @$$. I could so take that gun if I wanted to.” Do not make the mistake that people do not ever ponder this. I am a certified good guy and I have pondered it. There are times that I have wanted to teach a lesson or two. But of course being a certified good guy, I did not do it……….but oh was it tempting! To think that people will not take your gun “just because they can” is a huge mistake. That is why everyone that you do not know personally needs to be looked at with a critical eye. I am not saying to be paranoid, but use some common sense and good judgment. If you do not know the person……do not trust the person. We all need to be aware of the bad guys ploy of sending in a “friendly” to set the person up for what they want.  If it seems too good to be true……guess what……it is too good to be true. 

 When you are open carrying, keep your head up and your radar on. Let people know that you see them, when they see you. A little eye contact is good…….too much is bad. A nod of acknowledgement is acceptable, but do not come across as being too friendly or too much of a hard @$$. You should not be striving to engage people, you should not be looking to “educate.” That leaves you open. You should be striving to do what you need to do, inside of your life, and then fulfill your mission and go home. One of the main stay ploys for a bad guy is to get you to stop and have a conversation, so they can close distance. Once the distance has been closed, you are theirs! If you doubt this then you do not know about the OODA loop or “initiative deficit.” Allowing people to engage you in order “to educate” is playing into one of the most successful bad guy ploys that there is.

“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan that will allow you to dominate everyone that you meet.”

 Situational awareness is all about profiling. This has nothing to do with race. We all know that bad guys come in all races, sizes, ages, and sex. You are profiling anything that is simply out of place or unusual. It can be as simple as a glance that is adverted quickly when eye contact is made. It can as simple as a certain type of car. Yes, we do profile cars……right? One of my favorite profiling games that I play is the “who is the most dangerous person in the general vicinity?” As long as the answer is a resounding “ME!” than I am safe. As soon as I begin to question that answer, then I know that I really need to be on my toes. Ego can never be part of this game, the truth is the truth and everything less is a lie. This question cannot be answered through target shooting. Fighting and target shooting have next to nothing to do with each other.

As Gabe pointed out in his book "The Combative Perspective" the term "mindset" is very vague and does not do justice to the necessary mental aspect of the fight. People think that mindset is just awareness and willingness. In my opinion that is less that 10% of the true combative perspective. Gabe sets out the combative perspective into four categories. Inside of each of these four categories are subcategories. The mental aspect of the fight that people refer to as mindset is much more than just awareness and willingness. Gabe’s book is 97 pages. Over half of my “Point Shooting Progressions” book is about the mental aspect of the fight.

Gabe's book is set up as;

Desire for Victory

Elimination of Uncertainty

Situational Awareness

Willingness to act

While most of this is covered in Gabe's book we can also consider;

Know yourself

Know the adversary

Know the dynamics of a fight

Know the correct context of a fight

Know avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation

Know that the situation is the dictating factor

Know the best strategies for your very personal mission

Know when to apply your wide range of tactics

Know which skill sets facilitate the best use of your tactics

Your tactics are worthless without having your head straight.

Your skill sets are worthless without having your head straight.

Your equipment is worthless without having your head straight.

Mindset

Tactics

Skill sets

Equipment

In that order!

The brain is the ultimate weapon....everything else is just a tool.

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Interview Of Gabe Suarez by Military Arms Channel

We spent some time with David Fortier at the recent Big Three Event.  Military Arms Channel was there and did an interview with us regarding the new TSD Combat Systems.  You will find the entire video extremely interesting.  We appear at about 9:25 

 

The “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of Open Carry Part I

By Roger Phillips, Suarez International Specialist and Tier One Instructor

A serious look at making the open carry operator as squared away as they can possible be.

I know there are people out there that believe that I am “anti-open carry.” This is not really the truth of the matter. What I am is “anti-ignorance” and I admit that I am very hard core in this belief. For those that know and train with me, they know why I am like that. They know that I really care about their ability to be the very best they can be when it comes down to the ability to defend their lives and the lives of their loved ones. To me, this is the paramount reason that we carry and any other reason pales in comparison.

I do not carry for a political agenda, or because it is my right, or because I want to be a hero, or because I want the mere presence of the gun to stop a crime, or because of the coolness factor, or to educate people, or the stir up awareness. I carry for one reason and one reason only.

I carry to be the very best that I can be inside of a life threatening encounter involving myself or my loved ones!

Everyone can feel free to call that “one way” or “self centered” but the reality of the matter is that “me and mine” are more important than everyone else. That does not mean that I will not risk my life help innocent people, heck I’ve done it before on a few occasions. What it does mean is that I want to have the choice whether I get involved or not. Open carry cuts down on my options.

Any attack on me is an attack on my loved ones. I am the one that keeps them in good neighborhoods. I am the one that keeps them in good schools, I am the one that keeps them from hanging out with the wrong people, I am the one that keeps them away from drugs, alcohol, crime, teenage pregnancies, and especially the violence that comes out of those issues. I am the one that instills “the three stupid rule” into them. You will be amazed how living with “the three stupid rule” as a guide will cut down on your violent encounters.

Do not go stupid places, with stupid people, and do stupid things.

The importance of a solid parental figure inside of the home can be the difference between life and death for the children inside of that home. That has been my reality! I lost my older sister at 28 years old due to the life style that we had led as children and young adults. Living outside of “the three stupid rule” as we did, for over thirteen years, cost her her life. She made decisions at thirteen years old that were not survivable. I spent thirteen years of my life protecting her and my family from the extremely violent world that she brought into our lives. Never underestimate the value of a strong parental figure inside of the home. As the parent, no matter how important that you think that you are, you are much more important than that. You can be the difference between your children living or dying…….and that is a fact!

IMHO, as a parent or future parent, you should have one mission that overrides all other missions. That mission is to go home and take care of your family. I do not need to be a hero, I do not need to push a political agenda, I do not need to educate anyone about their rights. All I need to do is go home and make sure that my family has everything that I can give them, to give them the ability to acquire the very best life that they can have. I did not fight my way out of the gutter to have my children need to do the very same thing.

This is why I am so vocal on the issue of being the very best that you can be inside of a life threatening encounter. This is why I risk being seen as an “anti-open carry” guy, even though I am not. All I want is for people to get the best information so that they can make the best choices for themselves and their love ones. All I care about is you fulfilling your paramount mission.

Now that people have some insight on “why I do what I do” how about we look at the things that will allow you to be the very best that you can be while open carrying.

The Gun is not a Talisman that wards off Evil

I think it is time for us all to agree, without having to call for links to prove it, the mere presence of a gun may stop a crime from ever being committed. On the flip side we need to agree that the presence of the gun may also be the catalyst of the crime that is committed. Yes, there are plenty of cases that show that people were targeted for their guns……..in their homes and on their person. This is all well documented and backed by common sense. Once we understand this, it becomes very clear that carrying a gun (open or concealed) comes with certain responsibilities. If the gun is a deterrent, not having the teeth to use it efficiently and effectively is like bluffing while playing poker. If you carry (open or concealed) you need to know how to use it efficiently and effectively. You do not want to bluff while holding one ace! If I am concealed, I never have anyone “call” my bluff because I am not bluffing. But if I am open carrying I am always in the position to be “called.” This means that if you decide to open carry you may need a higher skill level than those that carry concealed. Since the gun is visible, you may be in the position where you are more likely forced to use it.

With concealed carry I have more of an option to get involved or to not get involved. Since no one knows that I am carrying, I will be less likely to have my hand forced. I can make the rational decisions, on what to do based on “my mission.” I can watch the confrontation unfold and make the decision “when” or even “if” I go on the offensive. This is what people are talking about when they talk about “the tactical advantage.” This is all about the manipulation of the OODA loop, understanding “initiative” and the huge problems inside of “initiative deficit.” Once again this leads us to the point that open carry individuals may need a higher skill level and tactical understanding than those that carry concealed.

Simply put, action beats reaction! So many gun people do not understand this fact. Until you experience this firsthand you will not understand just how far behind you are most likely going to be. Open carry requires that you have your situational awareness tuned to a higher level, your “line in the sand” drawn clearer, your ability to work through the OODA loop quicker, and that your skill sets inside of the reactive gunfight at a higher level. You may be quicker getting your gun into play (depending on your mode of carry) due to not having a concealment garment, but that may not be even close to being good enough.

If the open carry gun deters the crime from ever taking place……great! But this is something that you cannot rely on. Crimes can also be deterred just by the way you carry yourself and how you handle yourself. There is one stat that will never be sure of, how many times is a crime deterred because of an open carry gun, compared to how many crimes are deterred due to being deselected due to the way you handle yourself and how you carry yourself.

You may want to consider getting some information about the streets. There are certain neighborhoods in Las Vegas where open carry may be seen as a sign of disrespect to the criminal organization that controls those neighborhoods. I know we all want to “go where ever I want to go.” But, is it really smart to fly the one finger salute in the most dangerous neighborhoods in Vegas, to the most dangerous people in Vegas. Going to those areas cover the “going stupid places” which makes you “the stupid person, doing the stupid thing.” Open carry requires a little more discretion than concealed carry. Information about the streets can be had if you know where to look.

Check Roger's Schedule here

Discuss this topic here

TRAVELING WITH YOUR FIREARMS - AIRPLANES

Traveling With Your Firearms – Airplanes

Richard & Corinna Coplin - Suarez International Instructors

 

It might sound daunting.  Getting to the airport and on board your flight has become complicated enough post 9/11.  Doing it with the intention of bringing firearms into the airport and having them sent with your luggage can sound overwhelming.  Fear not!  Knowing what to do and what not to do makes it pretty straightforward.

 

Depending on the airport, the way the involved personnel react to the presence of a firearm and interact with you can vary.  The airline employees in New York or Boston are likely to be somewhat intimidated by your gear while those in Montana or Arizona may treat the items as they would any other luggage.

 

1. A secure case is mandatory.  Any of the major manufacturers such as Pelican and SKB produce suitable hard-sided cases that have holes for placing your locks.
2. The cases with metal reinforced holes are preferable.
3. Get sturdy locks.  They do not have to say “TSA” approved.  They can be either combination or keyed but combination locks are preferred by frequent firearm fliers.  You keep the combination and open it for TSA if requested.  The solid brass three number combination locks available at Home Depot will fit most rifle or pistol cases and are plenty rugged.
4. MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE FIREARMS ARE UNLOADED!  This can’t be stressed enough.  Unload and pack the weapons at home, not at the airport.  Triple check that they are unloaded.  And, check and re-check the case for loose ammunition.
5. Unload all magazines.  Empty magazines can be transported in the case but must be unloaded.
6. Recheck your carry-on luggage for any ammunition, magazines, knives, pepper spray or firearms parts.  Remove them and place them in your checked luggage with the exception of loose ammunition.  That must be in a factory box.
7. You are limited to eleven pounds of ammunition.  Some airlines allow even less.  Do not exceed this weight regardless of whether you ship it within the same container as your firearms or in your checked luggage.  Check with your carrier for their current restrictions on ammunition weight and whether it can be transported in the locked firearms container or if it must be separate and placed in your checked luggage.
8. Check the ammunition restrictions (if any) of your destination.  Example: you don’t want to fly into New York with hollow points. 
9. All ammunition and any gun parts, including shotgun chokes, muzzle brakes, magazines, etc. must be in your checked luggage or checked gun case.  A holster should not be a problem and could be transported in your carry-on for quick retrieval later (see #19).
10. All ammunition must be in a factory box.  Does this mean that the ammunition contained therein has to be what the label says on the box?  Maybe yes, maybe no.
11. Lock the slides open on handguns.  When they x-ray the locked case, it makes it easier to see that the weapon is unloaded.  It also helps if no magazine is in the mag well.
12. When you check in with your airline, let them know you have UNLOADED firearms to check in.
13. They will give you an orange card to fill out.  See Photo.  You will write your name and date on the card verifying that the firearms are unloaded. 
14. You will open the case and place the card inside the case.  If you have a small pistol case that will be inside your checked luggage, you will place the card on top of the case.  Sometimes the airline personnel will ask you to open the case and they will visually inspect the contents and place the card there themselves.  Follow their instructions.
15. Lock the case with your combination locks.
16. Have a separate card on your person with your firearms make, model and serial numbers in case they go missing.
17. You might be asked to stand by for a few minutes in case TSA wants you to open the case for inspection.  Give yourself a little extra time for this.  Thirty minutes should be sufficient.
18. Picking up your locked firearms case will normally be done at the luggage office, not the carousel.  This way they can better control the firearms until the rightful owner (with I.D.) can retrieve them.
19. I wouldn’t recommend opening the case in the airport to load and holster your sidearm.  Too many eyes and it would likely result in law enforcement being called, though in theory, you may be legal in many jurisdictions to carry concealed right up to the TSA screening.  Instead, have a friend who is picking you up, slip a pistol to you surreptitiously. 
20. Expect to pay the airline extra for the rifle case.  Some airlines have a flat fee, others don’t.  Though we have had it checked through without paying.  It might pass as your normal luggage allotment and it might not.  This varies by airline and who is on duty that day.

 

The following link will get you started with the TSA.

 

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm

 

Another helpful link for information regarding your destination(s):

 

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

 

It would be wise to contact your airline for any clarification of their policies and procedures prior to your flight.  Go to the TSA website and read their information as well.  If you have any questions contact TSA.

 

Be conversant in the firearms laws at your destination, e.g. ammunition restrictions, magazine restrictions, transportation methods, concealed/open carry laws, etc.

 

As complicated as it may sound, the entire procedure functions reasonably well and given our present state of politics and culture, the fact that we are actually able to arrive at and enter an airport with our firearms, check them through to our destination and retrieve them there is a very positive thing.

 

United Airlines Tag (front and back)  for inside your baggage if the locked container is shipped within your regular luggage or inside the locked container if shipped as stand alone luggage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two solid brass combination locks and two pistols inside a locked hard sided case inside of a checked piece of luggage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rifle case as a stand alone checked piece of luggage with unloaded magazines, rifle, pistols and ammunition with “Unloaded Firearm(s)” card placed inside the case.

 

 

 

Active Shooter - Carson City IHOP

 
 
So this was the latest event -

Seven people were shot inside of a Carson City, Nevada, IHOP.  Four died on scene.  The gunman, Eduardo Sencion, as often happens, died of the self-inflicted wound to the head. Same story, different characters and location.  What was telling about this one is a statement made by a witness to the event.

"The owner of the BBQ across the street had a clear shot of him walking into the IHOP after he killed the lady motorcycle rider but didn’t take it, citing "it was a pistol against an AK, what was I going to do?""

Now, I will bet this article is going to be super controversial.  But in the vast majority of these events, the bad guy will either kill himself when he is done, or is eventually captured by the victims who could not take it anymore and charge the gunman while he is distracted in some manner. But until either one of those things happen, the killing continues.

There are arguments about inaction due to uncertainty, and fear of getting into aftermath trouble with the authorities.  I would submit that the image of a man shooting people with a rifle is fairly conclusive and informative about what is going on. There are also arguments about getting involved.  The usual story goes something like “I carry my CCW to defend me only”. 

While it is hard to argue with that point of view, not everyone shares it.  If your daughter or wife had been in that IHOP, and I was across the street with a handful of my instructor staff, would you have wanted us to intervene and kill the gunman before he killed your family, or would you prefer we share your isolationist view of CCW?  That is a fair question, and I suspect we know the answer. 

Certainly prudence is called for in our times when the clarity of events is not there.  But when the clarity smacks you in the face like a fired case from a Kalashnikov, it is time to be a man, and not debate whether involvement is prudent.  Not everyone can be a man when that is what events call for, but the world would be a better place if they could.  The time to decide that is today my friends, not when you hear the first shot.

I'm looked at the scene on Google (3883 S. Carson, Carson City, NV) and the BBQ place is indeed just about 100 yards distant across a parking lot.  100 yards…not 100 miles.  Close enough to see Eduardo Sencion shoot a female in front of the store as clear as day. This is not some vague parking lot fight between two men whose fight is none of our business.  This is a true active shooter event and people will begin to die right now!

Options? 

Witness – Non Combatant.  This may be for two reasons.  One might simply not be capable of doing anything.  Consider the elderly veteran in a wheelchair.  Every fiber in his body wants to get across that street and kill the gunman, but he cannot physically make it happen.  Nor is his hand steady enough nor his eyesight keen enough to make the shot.  His only recourse is to call for help.  His desire is admirable and his tactics understandable.

The other reason is less admirable or understandable. That is when someone who should be capable of stopping the killing takes the lizard-like option of running back inside while the killer goes on unimpeded…and then tries to think, while dialing those fateful numbers “9 – 1 – 1”, that hopefully nobody’s wife and daughter is getting killed.  There will be all manner of viable, logical, and reasonable reasons why that course of action was taken of course.  Put a custom high dollar M4 with the best ammo and optics that money can buy at the fingertips of these guys and it will be as if that was a big hockey stick for all the good it will do.  You can self elect for that, but that is hardly anything to brag about.

 
The next option.  Combatant. This is the group that has the heart of the elderly veteran we spoke of earlier, but has the physical ability to make it happen.  A combatant in this event could have done one of a number of things but they all involve and end with killing the bad guy. 

1).  Take the shot from across the street.  “One hundred yards!  Gabe…you must be crazy”.  Well…I have been told that before, but nonetheless, taking the shot from across the street is quite a realistic and viable option.  You won’t be able to do that with a five shot snubby or a pocket pistol, but with a suitably arranged full sized pistol it is not hard at all.

This is substantially easier to do if you have good ammunition (not just what was on sale at the local Wal-Mart), a good trigger (forget those NY triggers please), and good sights that can be indexed quickly on small or distant targets. I have seen shots like this taken with iron sights by young men with good eyes.  Suarez International Staffers Ryan Acuff and Jon Payne have done this with their service Glocks at 300 yards in class (yes…in front of students), so 100 yards would be easy for them.  But taking this shot will be considerably easier with a red dot mounted on the handgun. That is a fact that cannot be argued.

 
2). Arguments against the long shot involve an obstructed line of fire.  If intervening vehicle or pedestrian traffic precludes the long shot what can one do?  Either don’t take the shot and go call for help (hopefully nobody’s wife and daughter is getting killed), or close the gap for the shot.

100 yards.  A man in good physical condition can cover that in about 12-15 seconds.  Then take the shot. What’s that?  You can’t run 100 yards?  Well…that is a problem isn’t it. Once within distance, the shot will be considerably easier.  This is not the time for some politically-correct challenge to drop the gun, or some other silly liability-averse tactic.  Bring the pistol up, sight picture on the bad guy’s face, or even better, the back of his head, and then press carefully…as many times as needed. It will not be difficult to do once you see what he has been up to inside the restaurant while you crossed the street.  

There will be those who have already decided that the death of your entire family is of no consequence to them since it has nothing to do with them.  They will no doubt decry my words as insenstitive, careless, perhaps even unamerican.  Whatever. I have a higher calling than the approval of lesser men, and so do you.  Consider your family in that IHOP when Sension walks in with his rifle.  What would you want me to do?  Is it not proper for you to expect the same from yourself.

Choose today to be the combatant.  Prepare yourself physically, mentally and with the correct equipment. This will not be the last one.

TSD Combat Systems at Scottsdale Gun Club

This last weekend TSD Combat Systems was present at the prestigious Scottsdale Gun Club presenting its packages to the discerning members.  Here are some photos -

 

 

www.tsdcombatsystems.com

Because Life is meant to be lived

Lessons from Jihad in America

John Chambers

Suarez International Tier One Instructor

As we approach the 10^th anniversary of the September 11^th attacks, I believe it would be helpful for all of us to consider the lessons learned from the jihadist assault of Nidal Hasan.  The odds of a massive attack similar to 9/11/01 being repeated are much lower than a single shooter or a team of shooters deciding to reenact the FT Hood or Mumbai incidents.  And as we know from history, it is always better to get your information from primary sources instead of hearsay or the “official story.”  “Smith” is a SI student and has agreed to be interviewed in order that others might learn the lessons that should not be forgotten.

Smith is a pseudonym that was used to protect personal privacy.

JC:  Are you military or civilian and what is your training background in firearms and combatives? 

Smith:  I am civilian from a military family. I've grown up with firearms for as long as I can remember. I've been taught that they are a tool, and something to take seriously. I've been taught the "rules" of firearms- I know enough to be able to defend myself, and am consistently training more all the time. As for combatives, I've been taught those as well but not as much as the military. I also took some martial arts as something to do. I could defend myself if need be, but could use more training. I know that you'd better not carry unless you're willing to take a life when threatened and that it's not a decision to take lightly.

JC:  Were you at the Soldier Readiness Center that day and what are your normal duties on post?

Smith:  I wasn't there but I was supposed to be. It actually happened right before I headed over there. I worked at several clinics in the area and was responsible for suicide assessments, triage, referrals, TBI assessments, psychometric testing, group therapy, and counseling.  

JC:  Where were you when the initial rounds were fired?  Were you immediately aware what was happening?

 Smith:   I wasn't immediately aware. I was working as normal and received a phone call from a superior who is a close friend.  I could tell immediately by the tone of his voice that something was terribly wrong and I'd better switch into “go” mode. He had locked down his clinic but the phone lines had been cut. Hasan was shooting at the glass doors but he couldn't get in at that time. My friend had barricaded his staff and made it difficult to get in. I'm convinced he saved several lives that day. 

He had called me on his cell phone and told me to call 911. At first, I was confused as I heard gunshots and screaming (I still hear them...), I didn't know what was happening, but then I realized what he had asked me to do.   I alerted the MPs, who had started to receive several calls about what was going on. I remember running down the hallway and when people tried to stop me I ran straight through them- I let my superiors know what was happening. I actually had to YELL at them because they were in shock. I also initiated lockdown of our clinic. I didn't really have the authority to do this, but at the time I didn't give a rat's ass because none of the upper level staff were available at the time.

At this time, the receptionists were "checking ID". It was apparent that they weren't clear on what they should be doing. Most of the people in the clinic weren't. To me "lockdown" means nobody in, nobody out- that was not what was happening. It was all very confusing and NOBODY really knew what was happening. There was no real leadership either. I remember just taking charge- which to me is odd as I was a GS6 (don't ask). That's about two steps above the file clerk! The sirens started going off just as we started lockdown. I think people were confused and didn't take them seriously because at least once a month they're "tested" and nobody can understand what the voice is saying anyways. I remember pulling in several soldiers off the street. They didn't know what was going on and thought it was a test of the system, as usual.

I also remember that we had the news on and that's where we were getting most of our info at the time. We were actually told to turn it off so as not to upset the patients in the waiting room! (I ignored that.)

As an aside, Hasan was very deliberate. He paced around one provider's office that he had a beef with for an HOUR, just waiting for him. Thankfully, he had the day off. That probably saved us, because that office was across the street from me. I'm not sure why he went to the SRP site, except that the boys are run through there like cattle and it was the most "bang for the buck" on post. 

JC:  Were you armed with a weapon of any sort?  If yes, what was it?

Smith:  By regulation, I'm not allowed to be armed. I was actually even told at my job that if I were attacked I was "not allowed" to take a patient down because we were an outpatient clinic. I knew I couldn't get away with a gun (at least that's what I thought!) The best I could do was a concealed pocket knife and some pepper spray, so I always carried that. I don't know why, because it probably wouldn't be much use...but at the time it was the best I could do. I had thought through several scenarios at my desk, in case I was ever attacked by a patient, but a mass shooting never crossed my mind.

Otherwise, I remember, during the lock down, staring at my Concealed Handgun License and thinking what a fat lot of good it did for me. I felt naked and vulnerable- and betrayed in a huge way.

JC:   Prior to the incident, did you know Hasan and did you have any mental alarm bells going off when you dealt with him?

Smith:  I didn't know him well, but I'd been around him. I saw his patients on the ward many times. I also read clinical notes that he had written. Something about his phrasing and clinical decision making was off. Something about HIM was off. He ALWAYS gave me the creeps, but because I didn't have much contact with him I didn't really know why.  So I avoided him, because I could.                                                                                                                                                                                     

I know he bothered many people. I also know that MANY soldiers disliked him. Many had complained about him and requested a different doctor.  They also reported that he had tried to push the Muslim faith on them and that he complained that the war was wrong. But they were ignored. He wrote medical discharge boards for many soldiers- sadly, ALL of his work is now under review. It's a cluster and a half.

 

JC:  If someone near Hasan had been armed, how difficult would it have been to engage him at the start of his attack?

Smith:  From what I know, it would have not very difficult. He didn't take cover or anything- he KNEW that everyone was unarmed and that he had free reign. I do know from the reports of those who were there that it wouldn't have been difficult as he was in an open area with no cover. At one point he was even standing on a counter top in full view of everyone who was there. It wouldn't have been difficult to take him down. A couple of people tried to charge him and died in the process. I think one even threw a chair at him.  Another consideration is that he was dressed like everyone else.  You simply don’t expect the bad guy to be wearing your uniform! 

I was not in there, but I WANTED to be so badly. I know that sounds weird, but when my people are in trouble I want to be with them. I hate to liken it to the soldier's camaraderie, but for me it was. Those soldiers were MY soldiers. I would have done anything for those boys and for the people that cared for them.

Because I knew so many of those men I was allowed to train in combatives with that unit in the past and I was close to many who were killed. I remember sitting there, and thinking of what I may need to do if he came to our clinic. At the time we considered this to be a real possibility.

JC:   When you look back on the event, what do you believe are the most important lessons to be learned; both cause and effect?

Smith:  First of all, political correctness kills. Period. That was the cause. The Army is becoming a social engineering experiment and I'm sick of it. Frankly, and this may be radical, but at this time I don't think we need Muslims in the service. It's a conflict for them, and for us. LISTEN TO THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND. His classmates had warned, his superiors had warned, his coworkers and patients had warned, and everyone passed the buck. As far as I'm concerned, everyone who wrote his reviews is partially to blame for this.

Trust your gut. I used to be the type to shrug it off. I now know, and know from countless other examples that my "antenna" are picking something up. If I get the heebies, I'm keeping an eye on you.

Disarming a populace isn't the answer. All that does is make easy targets. The MP's have to check in their weapons at the end of the day, so that increased their reaction time as they had to draw weapons from the armory before they could respond.

Take security seriously- before this, we had been asking for security systems for YEARS. As far as I know, the clinic still doesn't have one.  Make sure that EVERYONE knows what they should be doing. And I don't mean in the way the army does it- they send out a memo that they'll be doing a drill around X time and nobody should panic. Frankly, they need to alert the authorities and NOBODY ELSE and do dry runs. When people know it's "just a drill" they don't take it seriously, and they don't pay attention. Because of this, nobody really knew what they needed to be doing that day.

Make sure you take care of your first responders. We were all in shock and exhausted. Many of us have secondary trauma on top of the primary. We had to take care of everyone else.  The Army made an effort but they needed outside resources. They missed SO MANY PEOPLE, who were suffering, either due to the scale of the event or simple distrust of the Army resources.  “Everything is fine here, Boss!  I’m driving on…”  I still don't think we know the full scope of it.  Many still have not gotten the help they need.

 JC:   Do you believe that DOD has taken the internal jihadist threat seriously or do you think that careerism and political correctness are seen as more important than dealing with potential problems?

Smith:  I think political correctness is winning. They obviously don't take the jihadist threat seriously. They don't even exercise OPSEC with the press.  Troop movements are advertised on the evening news. DOD disarms their soldiers. They make all of us take "cultural sensitivity" classes. They don't check out the Muslims that are in the service, and they make exceptions for them. We even get emails about certain Muslim holidays so we are "educated” about the culture.  I recall getting an email that during Ramadan we should watch for soldiers falling out as they aren't allowed to eat and drink and that they should take it easy on PT! DFACs even had a special "Ramadan Menu" so we could become more “culturally aware.” 

 Obviously they still do not allow us to be armed on post. For the short term they posted MP's at our clinics, but they weren't allowed to do anything! Their orders were such that they couldn't have responded to a real threat. They weren't even armed, they just had radios to "call for help if need be." They were asleep most of the time. The Army' did not even change the cattle calls at SRP. It's pretty much the same as it was before, except now there are two armed guards at the front of the SRP clinic. I think some of the clinics have hired on a private security firm, which is ridiculous because it's unnecessary. Just arm us and you won't have to spend that money.  Often times, there is a roving officer that goes to various facilities, but there is no way to reach him if he is needed. 

JC:  If you could ensure that everyone learned one key lesson from this attack, what would it be?

Smith:  ARM YOURSELF!  If you're not comfortable with a gun, make sure you have something.  You're not safe anywhere, you are on your own!  Get trained to be dangerous!  It's disgusting that the Army disarms people at the gate. This is a place that should be ready to go if something happens. Obviously it wasn't. It still isn't.

It's not near as locked down as people think it is. All you need is a driver's license to get on post. They don't even use the DOD car stickers anymore. And remember, HE HAD AN ID CARD.  Occasionally they'll "check" the cars, but it's actually rather rare. Gate security was and still is very lax.

This is a completely different kind of war. They're infiltrating us by using our own culture against us and because we really want to be liked, we let them.

JC:  Is there ANYTHING else you believe is important about this event that is not commonly known?

Smith:  Yeah. The insurgents have learned from this. Attacks on posts have actually INCREASED since then as it has been made glaringly obvious that we don't take them seriously and are sitting ducks.  

I think I've already said this, but this was the day that it really solidified for me that I am not safe ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. Always be prepared for a predatory attack. These people are serious. And it's not just insurgents- there are other predators out there. The worst part- they look like the rest of us. Oh, and always remember that a real threat is better off dead. Otherwise, it gets caught up in the legal system and tortures everyone.  

 Some Lessons Learned

You MUST be armed and trained, ALWAYS.  Obviously a firearm is best and if possible one should always remember that “concealed is concealed.”  If you can’t carry a gun, carry a couple of blades and become very proficient in their use.  Even a ball point pen combined with speed, surprise and overwhelming violence is better than your bare hands.  No weapon is of any use if it is not able to be accessed immediately.  Remember how “Smith” felt while looking at their CHL card. 

Jihadists and other threats can be anywhere and can look just like you.  Nidal Hasan was an officer in the US Army and wore the same uniform as all the other soldiers on Ft Hood.  He was not running around looking like Osama Bin Laden with robes and a Suchka, he appeared to be one of us. 

Actions determine whether someone is a target.  This is tied in with the previous point:  one cannot let the “normalcy bias” keep you from engaging an obvious threat.  Hasan was in uniform and this builds in a natural hesitation but the fact that he was murdering innocents should have brought him immediate attention of the most lethal kind.

You must be as ruthless as the attacker.  When it is time to kill, it is time to KILL.  No hesitation, no second guessing, just cold execution of the attacker.  An active shooting is not the same as a mugger wanting a wallet and the rules of engagement are much more brutal.

Profile, Profile, Profile!  Political correctness will get you killed and so will the willful ignoring of signs that someone is becoming a threat.  If warning bells go off in your head, LISTEN TO THEM!  Otherwise, more memorials are guaranteed.

The world is not a safe place, and you need to be mindful that an attack can come at any time, from any direction.  If you do not plan for that eventuality you are fooling yourself.  Just because the “authorities” tell you everything is sweetness and light, only you are responsible for you and you should train accordingly. 

 

 

 

To train with John Chambers

The Norwegian Paradigm

The Norwegian Paradigm

I was on vacation on Oahu when I first heard about the events in Norway. At first, like probably most of you, I thought, “Hadji is at it again”. And I must say that although Hadji was not in this instance, I am not by any means sorry for my first conclusions.

The shooter turned out to be the typical “nutjob”, maybe not as crazy as Cho at VT, but nonetheless crazy in the conclusive actions he took to punctuate his statements.

Breivik is shocking, but not surprising to those who stay up on current social events in Europe…and the western government’s inability to control their own country’s borders. If anything, the Oslo event is a harbinger of fourth generation warfare. As the onward march of unassimilating islam increases into the west, western governments will have to make hard decisions that go against all of their post WW2 self-images, or risk losing their nations to immigrants with no desire to abandon the habits of their old culture. That the indigenous people will take strong exception to this is evident to anyone who has visited Europe in the last five years. And it will give an excuse to killers like Breivik.

The solution is not a happy one for the west as they will have to abandon their culturally egalitarian views, and adopt a more socially protective stance in areas of immigration, language, welfare benefits, etc. That they will make the correct decision or not is still undecided, but I am not holding my breath. I expect we will see more.

It is troubling that the media is so quick to label Breivik as a Christian Fundamentalist Extremist, while at the same time it took nearly a week for them to even acknowledge Major Hassan’s connections to Islam. Unless the media grows a set and begins calling a spade a spade (something I am not betting on either), I would expect to see social persecution of Christians while simultaneously giving way to Islam in what have been modern developed countries.

This is a time for Christians to stop acting like pre-Holocaust Jews and take a position of strength, not only slamming the Oslo event as an abomination, but by getting off the road to social appeasement they have been on for the past decade. I am not holding my breath on that one either.

Aside from the socio-political impacts of the Oslo event, there are lessons for the individual man-at-arms.

1). No matter where you are on earth, from Bogota to Oslo, you alone are responsible for your own safety regardless of what anyone in or out of uniform tells you.

2). No place is safe. If they tell you it is, do not argue, but make a plan of action. As I write this I am on a trans-pacific flight, and I have several dual use items at my disposal that I can end a terrorist’s career with.

3). Gun laws are stupid, and anyone promoting gun laws as a vehicle to safety is a moron that should be in monitored care. Norway has some harsh gun laws, yet there you have it. No law can prevent the evil of a an evil man.

4). A target is identified by his actions. A man in a police uniform shooting at unarmed and fleeing victims needs to be taken down by bullet, or blade or fist. Don’t read anything else into this. It is what it is. It is the actions of the man, and not the color of his clothes, that should dictate your response. Hasan also wore a uniform.

5). Be discreet. My sources tell me the first man Breivik killed was an armed security guard. The typical “shoot me fist” type situation.

6). Be armed. Have a gun. If you can’t have a gun, carry a knife. And don’t tell me you can’t because I have carried knives into places that would curdle your blood. If you absolutely positively cannot have a knife then you had better have the physicality to kill with what God gave you because it is all you have. Doing so is not hard…but you have to know how. Yes, I know….it is against the rules. Get over it.

7). Stay away from political crowds trying to make a political point. Hey…do it if you must but my focus is on my own agenda and not that of “The Strong Man On The Horse” that wants to lead me.

I am certain we will learn more about Breivik and why he really did what he did. As we will see what the media decides to do about all those dangerous fundamentalist Christians out there. Stay hard my friends….hard and frosty. We live in interesting times indeed.

TSD Combat Systems Expands

TSD Combat Systems 

 

We have some very interesting and exciting announcements coming, one of which is that we are expanding the Technical Services Division to its own building and renaming the enterprise as TSD COMBAT SYSTEMS. There is simply not enough room at HQ. So we obtained a brand new 2200 SF industrial building to move that branch into, with full FFL, manufacturing, gunsmithing, etc. 

 

We will also be expanding the weapon systems we offer. We will be expanding the  TSD Pistol Program in ways that will surprise. Be ready for updates on this within the month.  As well, TSD will be venturing into...."other weapon platforms". Nothing is off limits. Whatever we wdo will be an example of quality.  No race to the bottom.  Think Rolex, not Timex. 

 

Performance without compromise, quality without excuses, and delivery without drama.  That is what has driven TSD since inception.  That is what drives us today, and that is what we promise our customers.  TSD Combat Systems - “Eyeball accuracy at room distances with 100% reliability, and first round hits at 100 yards with unsurpassed elegance”. Guaranteed! 

 

TSD COMBAT SYSTEMS

Avoiding the gamer trap

By Alex Nieuwland – Suarez International Staff Instructor in South Carolina

I’ve heard all of these comments, some of them recently.

“All of this realistic training to win gunfights is getting in the way of my IDPA.”

“Practicing with my reloads that barely make power factor and barely cycle my gun has made my gun handling worse instead of better.”

“I can’t stop myself from walking backwards instead of pointing my toes in the direction I’m going. I’ve been a gamer for too long!”

All of these shooters had fallen into the gamer trap. I know I had, so I could relate.

Participating in gun games, just like most things, is good in moderation. When taken to extremes, however, it becomes easy to fall into the “gamer trap” where winning the game instead of winning your upcoming gunfight becomes priority #1. As Jim Cirillo, who was an accomplished competition shooter as well as the winner of many gunfights, put it: “It may take extra time in a sports match, but in reality it would save lives. To hell with the score!” [1]

To head off the criticism that I’m just a hater bashing gun games, let me say this: Gun games are fun, and I’m a big proponent. In every Concealed Weapons Permit class I teach, I spend some time explaining the various attractions offered by Steel Challenge, IDPA, and USPSA. For example, Steel Challenge is a great way of testing your draw, sight picture, and trigger press, and finding your balance between speed and precision. IDPA and USPSA offer marvelous opportunities to come try out your carry gear for a very reasonable fee. In my area, where indoor ranges don’t allow drawing from the holster, rapid fire, or shooting on the move, they are a great gift to the shooter inclined to get better at those things. In addition, they offer a great opportunity to spend time with some like-minded individuals.

As part of teaching any Suarez International defensive pistol class, however, we always ask the question: “What’s more important: Shooting the bad guy or not getting shot?” Occasionally, we get a taker for “shooting the bad guy,” but most folks wisely opt for “not getting shot” first, immediately followed by “shooting the bad guy.”

This is where the fundamental difference between winning your gunfight and winning your favorite gun game comes in: there is no bad guy shooting at you during the game. As a result, gun games allow one to focus entirely on the “shoot the bad guy” part of the equation, to the detriment of the “not getting shot” part. Sure, IDPA enforces the “IDPA lean” that places 100% of your lower body and at least 50% of your upper body behind cover, but that still leaves a LOT of your body sticking out from cover for the BG to shoot. This is particularly evident when a right handed shooter tries to take a left-handed corner without switching the gun to his left hand, and vice-versa. When we teach taking a corner in our HRO-CQB: Fighting in Buildings courses, we reduce the amount you expose to the bad guys to no more than the arm holding your pistol and an eyeball by switching hands depending on the tactical situation.

In addition, in IDPA there’s no penalty for shooting from close to the cover where debris and bullets skipping off the edge of the cover would still be a concern to you if someone were actually shooting at you, in addition to giving away your exact position and exposing you to a potential gun grab. When I started shooting IDPA 10 years ago, I did what I saw most of the other shooters do and hugged the cover. This placed me closer to the targets so I could shoot them more easily, and made it easier for the safety officer to see that I was leaning out properly. It also meant I had fallen into the gamer trap.

To overcome my gamer habits and squeeze the maximum benefit out of the time and ammo I spend at a match I have come up with some personal guidelines that have lowered my scores, but have allowed me to climb out of the gamer trap I had fallen into.

Here they are:

1. Mindset: I realize that this is “just a game”, but I want to maximize its potential for realistic testing of my skills and equipment. I realize that using these guidelines will probably hurt my score, but I’m willing to accept that because my overall goal (winning my upcoming gunfight) is more important than my score in a gun game.
2. Use of cover: I will take left handed corners left handed, and right handed corners right handed. I will strive to stay as far back from cover as the stage design allows.
3. Concealment: I will use a concealment garment whenever the rules of the game allow it.
4. Equipment: I will use what I carry as much as the rules of the game allow. For example, in IDPA’s Stock Service Pistol division I use my Glock 19 with Warren Tactical sights from a strong-side outside the waistband holster (Dale Fricke Gideon Elite). In USPSA’s Open division, however, I will use my Glock 19 with Trijicon RMR red-dot sight from an inside the waistband appendix carry holster (Dale Fricke Seraphim). Clearly, I have no hope of winning in USPSA’s Open division competing against true raceguns with an RMRed Glock 19, but that’s not the point. As long as they let me use it in their game, I’m happy. Click here for more info on using what you carry for competition.
5. Proactive reloads: I will do a proactive reload (retaining the partially used magazine) wherever it makes tactical sense, whether I need to or not to finish the stage.
6. Emergency reloads: I will rip the magazine out and retain it during emergency reloads, unless the targets are very close.
7. After action assessment: I will ask the first two questions of the Suarez International after action assessment (“Did I hit him, did it work? Does he have any friends?”) before I unload and show clear.
8. Use of ammo: I will be generous with my bullets. If I feel that a target needs to be shot again, I will shoot it again.
9. Ammo selection: I will use ammo that closely replicates the felt recoil and point of aim/point of impact of my carry ammo.
10. After Action Review: I will videotape my performance in the stages for later critiquing. Did I do my reloads correctly? Did I stay away from cover? In other words: What do I need to be working during my upcoming practice sessions?
11. Competition: I will strive to bring a shooting buddy who is using the same guidelines and only compare my score with him or her.

Hopefully, these guidelines can serve as encouragement to shooters who have so far avoided falling into the gamer trap, and perhaps allow some that have to realize the problem and climb out as well.

Want to share your thoughts? Join the discussion here on Warrior Talk.

References
[1] Jim Cirillo in Guns, Bullets and Gunfights: Lessons and Tales from a Modern-Day Gunfighter; Paladin Press, 1996, page 65.

The Flash Mob Attack - How To Defend?

 

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - All eight suspects are in custody after a brutal attack in Five Points early Monday morning which left the teenage victim in critical condition, according to Columbia police.

CHICAGO, IL (WLS) -- The recent series of mob-style attacks on Chicago's Near North Side mark the first major hurdles facing Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago's new police superintendent Garry McCarthy. The latest attack happened Tuesday night. A witness tells WGN 15-20 teens beat and robbed two people at Chicago and Wabash

AKRON, OH -- Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ''This is our world'' and ''This is a black world'' as they confronted Marshall and his family.

NO. VIRGINIA -- Three people were beaten by mobs in Northern Virginia in two separate incidents that occurred within five minutes of each other on Saturday night, authorities said.

These events have consumed the discussion at most self-defense focused websites in the last few weeks.  Accompanying the discussion is the usual hand wringing regarding what to do if one is beset by a gang of thugs bent on your destruction. Well, I have my views on this which will no doubt shock the senses of the Doodley Doo Rights of the gun world.

First, this was not some group of young teenaged honor students.  In all cases it was a group of urban thugs.  Second, they were not there to practice for their debate on the ills of capitalism.  Third, they understand only one thing...violence.  So understand who they are and be ready to speak their language.

1).  Don't go to stupid places with stupid people to do stupid things.   Simple but often ignored.  Listen, we do not live in a fair world where everyone respects everyone else.  Nor where everyone gets along.  You may in fact be totally color-blind in a socio-ethnic sort of way, but not everyone is.  So even if your liberal sociology professor thinks it is a cool thing to take a stroll at midnight through a ethnically homogenous part of town (different ethnicity that you), it is still a stupid idea. 

 

 

2).  Always have a method to defend yourself.  Even if it is not socially acceptable, or in line with the rules of the day, having some sort of weapon is essential.  Right about now, some of the Doodley Doo Rights are screaming that I am telling people to violate the law.  Well, go and google these stories.  Look at the faces of the victims...specially the one on life support right now.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Your choice is to arm yourself in violation of the rules, or to take the raping, beating and robbery?  What would you choose?

3).  Avoid if you can.  If you are standing around and see a group of twenty young urban thugs about two blocks away yelling, "kill whitey", and looking at your reflection in the store window, realize that you have not been in the sun in a while, here is my advice - "RUN".  If it looks like trouble, it probably is.  The gang is not there to debate the effects of american corporate expansion on the development of the urban neighborhoods with you.

4).  If you cannot avoid, attack...brutally and viciously.  This is not the time to worry about some goofball fear monger's articles about being sued, nor about anything of the sort.  It is time to deploy your weapons and attack the leaders.  Listen folks, there is disparity of force by the sheer number against you and the knowledge you have based on these prior flash mob events. 

If you have limited yourself by the rules and only have a knife, be certain you know how to use it.  Make it big enough that it will cause extreme pain and bleeding when you stab the attacker.  This is not the place for a legally carried tomato peeler that is two inches or less.  You need a fixed or folding knife that is at least 4 inches long. 

When the time comes, do not flash the knife like you are some crocodile dundee type guy ("that's not a knife").  Stab the first man deep and hard in his face and move to the next guy and repeat the exercise.  Do the same to anyone within reach.  When their buddies reel back, screaming in horror and pain, holding their bloodied faces with eyeballs hanging out, it will create hesitation.  Use that time to disengage. 

If you have a pistol, please make sure it is a modern high capacity weapon with a couple of spare magazines in your belt.  The Suarez International company gun, a Glock 17 with three magazines, yields a sum total of 52 rounds.  Figure three rounds per man, and you can reduce an angry mob of panga swinging killers into a fleeing group of bloodied bad guys.  Draw it and yell, "Get The F*** Back!" If they do, run away.  If they do not, shoot the first man in the face. The rest will take care of itself.

It really is very simple.  Might you get into trouble?  Sure, but being in jail because you stabbed three guys on the street is far better than being in the hospital having holes drilled into your head to relieve the pressure on your brain while the female members of your party are getting HIV exams in the next room.  The only way to defeat brutality is with extreme and greater brutality.

Keep that in mind, arm yourself properly and if it comes, be brutal.

The Suarez Group Is Giving Away $25,000

 
The Suarez Group Is Giving Away $25,000

As a special "thank you" to our customers and students, and as a way to give something back to those who have helped us get where we are, beginning this week, and extending until the July 4th weekend, we are adding a special "thank you gift" to randomly selected outgoing orders at One Source Tactical.

That gift will be a 3x5 postcard voucher for either A FREE TWO DAY CLASS OF YOUR CHOICE, or various discounts to training courses ranging from 10% off to 50% off. Overall, over 150 of these gift vouchers will go out totalling over $25K worth of training.

Thank You For Your Business

FEAR

Fear! and being the first man

FEAR! It is the life draining emotion. It is what keeps you from accomplishing and doing and starting. It is excessively protectful. It is how animals think...the kind of animals that get eaten. Seth Godin calls it the "lizard brain".

Fear is destructive in that it prevents you from doing anything at all other than running away or hunkering in a fetal "down and cover".

Fear thrives on pessimism and complaint. The man that wakes every morning, walks outside and smiles at the bright sun and blue sky and cinches down the ruck, and moves out to a day of promise with a straight back and head held high is neither pessimistic nor fearful. I didn't say a "safe day" without challenges, but rather a day filled with opportunities.

Contrast that with the man who slouches in the couch watching one program after another advising him of the coming calamity of the day. He moves through his day defeated and almost mournful, neither noticing nor appreciating the beauty around him...nor the opportunities those seeming calamities present.

The first man makes sh*t happen...the second one watches as sh*t happens to him. Which are you? Which do you want to be? The choice is not in the circumstances, it is up to you.

My father lost everything he owned to communism in 1960...the year that I was born. Had he chosen to be the second man, and he had every right to be, he would have no doubt died out of grief as so many Cubans his age did. Instead he chose to be the first man, in the sort of environment that few americans...even those who like to roll around naked on a bed of TEOTEWAWKI, could imagine.

Think of depression era environment coupled with a Nazi Germany level of oppression. That was post revolution Cuba where a man who was suspected of being anti-Castro could find himself writing a goodbye note to his family while the firing squad got their rifles ready.

In that environment he became an outlaw. Yup...not a law abiding sullen defeated man, but a bright eyed, opportunity seeking black marketeer. Seeing the limits of the Cuban pond, he moved his entire family to the USA leaving his aging brothers and mother in Cuba (she died a couple of years later). He was 53 when he left with nothing to his name and began building from the bottom.

He built a business and regained much of what he had lost because he was the first man and not the defeated complaining and whinie second man. My dad's kids, and wife never lacked a thing...never went hungry, never were homeless, or without education, resources or opportunity. And that through Communism, Lyndon Johnsonism, Nixonism, Carterism, and all the other isms that have come and gone and come and gone.

So you can see my disatisfaction with the incessant doom and gloom hopelessness that I am seeing discussed at Warriortalk from time to time. Good grief men....we have seen it all before...get over it and get moving!

If I was R.Lee Ermey I'd say something to the effect of "stop being a crybaby, grow a pair, and make some sh*t happen TODAY".

But instead I will simply say be the first man.

Why - What - How? The Purpose We Share

The world is a complicated place.  And every few years, it is good to refocus and reorient in the event that distractions have taken place.  And, we must admit, that in the past couple of years, we have all had our share of distractions.

What is our purpose? Everyone needs a cause or belief that motivates them and drives them to action.  It is the why of what we all do.  Everyone who is anyone of substance or consequence needs this purpose, otherwise they will stumble through life by accident, like a cow or..dare I say, a sheep.  This is ours.

We believe that every man and woman is free, but with that freedom also comes a great responsibility of self reliance and individuality.  The freedom to fail or to excel.  No earthly authority or government has that responsibility…only you.  While we would like everyone to excel, we cannot stop those who self-select for failure by anything other than example. Our message may inadvertently reach them, but our message is for those who self-select for excellence.  And, since our path is that of martial pursuits, our purpose is to make you, the excellent, as good and dangerous a fighter as possible.  To steal a cliché phrase from the Army, not be the best you can be, but be the most dangerous warrior you can become.

A part of that responsibility is to prevail in any conflict that comes your way, not only for yourself, but also for those entrusted to you, the loved ones who rely on you for provision and safety. Survival is not enough friends, as one who seeks excellence, you have a responsibility to win decisively. We will make sure you can.

How do we do this?  We do it by giving you access.  We give you access to the basic level training that will keep you alive tonight.  And we give you access to the levels of follow up training at the intermediate and advanced levels that will rival that given to the world’s most dangerous professional operators.  What you do with that is up to you, but you have already chosen to be excellent, so we are not worried about that, but we will never require a military ID nor a police ID, nor even a CCW card. “Police/Military Only” are bad words in our world.

We do it also by giving you access to online and print publications and videos to help you maintain your hard-earned skills.  Additionally, any support equipment that helps your mission is available.  The excellent might have to make do with substandard gear and can make it work, but if better gear is available, it is obtained and added to the skillset.  The excellent use technology, they do not fear it.

Finally, we give you the environment to share with and learn from those of like minds in a safe tribal online community called warriortalk.  Free and open to all who self-select for excellence, it is the foundation of our international tribe, and serves as a basis for exchange of ideas, introduction of new concepts, and networking with tribal bands in each man’s area for sustainment of skills and friendship.

Most people want to see tangible proof, or results.  Why is what we are doing and offering the way to go?  First, you can see that we believe in it.  Any organization that gives away as much free information as we do is clearly driven by the passion of belief.  Second, what we teach you works.  It is not for the self-limiting underachiever, nor for those who live to win a little silver cup by defeating their friends.  But if you are a self-selecting warrior seeking excellence, our system will immediately appeal to you.  Third, we test everything we offer you in both the crucibles of battle field and street, as well as in force on force simulation training.  Unlike other organizations, you don’t have to take our word for anything.  When you realize that you have just evaded a live opponent’s gun muzzle and shot him four times as you drew from street concealment, full speed, you will know what we mean.   

Life is too short, and precious to live by accident, or to survive its dangers by happenstance.  Choose today to excel.  Be the best and most dangerous warrior that God will allow you to be.  Take the first step.  Come and join us.

Where Were The Guns? A Discussion About CCW In Tucson

  

 At Warrior Talk a member named "Ferrari" asked a question that I suspect many guys are quietly asking - Where were all the CCW folk that live in AZ?  I will post some of the material in the original post -

You read the papers, listen to the pundits, surf the net... you'd think that you couldn't throw a dead cat without hitting somebody who's packin heat in the USA.

The media will tell you that we've got SO MANY guns that we're supplying Mexico's drug cartel's with our excess... yet last Saturday 19 people were shot at what I must assume was a well attended event and NOBODY there had the means to protect THEMSELVES or their fellows. This in Constitutional Carry, pro-gun Arizona.

Nobody could possibly contend that these victims got what they deserved... that's not what I'm saying... but the fact remains that on Saturday morning, in the United States of America... the land of the free... the home of the right to Keep and Bear Arms... a wolf was able to walk into a crowd of sheeple and kill indescriminately... without challenge... once again.

I live in the Peoples Republic of Portland Oregon... Absolutely insanely Liberal on a scale approaching Berkley... yet had this psycho shown up at one of our local Tea Party rally's, while it's nearly impossible to stop a dedicated assassin from striking... he'd have faced a fusillade of bullets once the trouble started.

The sad fact of the matter is, that life's not fair, and there are bad people in this world. The lord is way too busy helping those who help themselves to tend to people cowering behind their cell phones waiting for the police to show up and defend them.

For so long as WE remain a society that, through the shameful Liberal ideology of the majority, runs up a big banner saying "Defenseless" over our schools, our offices, our gatherings and institutions... shall we continue to be visited by psycho's and martyr's... slaughtered by those who would take advantage of an unguarded flock of sheeple.

I've seen this quote on many of our sites... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Again I ask the question... in Constitutional Carry Arizona... Where were OUR guns last Saturday morning?

Well...that is certainly a valid question.  Let me give some perspective.

First - The Americans of today are really not too different than the Brits, Canadians, and other people of western europe.  They may like the idea that they can be armed, but few actually exercise that right.  Armed or not, they are what they are. A people distracted with the cares and convenience of life and the entertainment of the day.  Whether they choose to carry a gun or not is irrelevant.  Most of these people would never even consider drawing it, much less using it.  And it would be surprising for most people to learn how few people actually carry weapons in their day to day life...even in Arizona. 

Second - There is the issue of timing. I will bet you that Cho, or Laughner, or Hassan, could have walked into the very classroom at Gunsite while Cooper was giving his famous Mind Set lecture and killed 25% of the class before someone realized what was going on and then returned fire. The idea that it is over in a handful of seconds is true. Initiative in the fight is an advantage that cannot be overstated.  In these cases, the bad guy always has the initiative.  Even with very practiced and highly trained personnel, some expecting trouble, men like Hinkley and Hassan were able to do what he did.  How much more with a group that is simply not expecting anything bad to happen?

Third - The matter of crowd. I do not like crowds. I despise crowds. In a crowd, you do not have the right info about what is happening in a timely manner. And even if you do, by the time you get to where you need to be, the event is probably over. There was one guy there that was interviewed that was armed. But by the time he got close enough to do anything, the bad guy had been tackled. His own words in the later interview were that by the time he arrived on scene, there was no need to shoot. That there was nobody close enough to shoot the guy is proof that football and not pistolcraft is the martial art of the USA.

Fourth - Americans have a "mother-may-I" attitude to everythingthat is cultivated since birth. Self-initiated action is counter-productive to the collective thought since pre-school and continues on through the "education" phase, and later into work life. It becomes a personality trait almost to seek permission for everything.

Then people like this go to a CCW class and are brow beaten until they sh*t themselves with incessant discussions about liability and getting sued and being prosecuted if anyone ever sees the muzzle of your pistol over and over and over. Those two things create an attitude that if any gunfire takes place, they are going to act as if they are not armed and run away...and you would be astounded to know how many cops share that attitude.   Nobody has given them permission to act, so they do not.  Back in the day when I wore a badge, I nearly crashed into an officer that was running away from the scene of an active shooting. 

Fifth - The issue of information.In a crowd, or elsewhere, unless you have all the information needed....ENOUGH INFORMATION TO KILL SOMEONE OVER, you will be slow to action. There is nothing wrong with prudence and circumspection over matters of shooting people when there is not enough data to warrant action.

Picture you are in the crowd...six, seven rows away from the action. You do not have the bird's eye view the Monday morning quarterbacks always seem to have. You hear shooting and screaming. That is all the information you have.  Ok Captain America...exactly what do you know is going on?

All you know is you heard shooting and screaming. Are you going to draw and move through the crowd to the guns? You could, but what if it was the bodyguards shooting a terrorist that was beginning his draw, or about to initiate an explosive? The shots were being fired by the good guys!Now you pop through the crowd to save the day, only to be mistaken for another terrorist by the amped up security guys! Bad scene. 

My point is this guys.  All of the issues listed above contributed to the lack of return fire on the crazy assassin.  I suspect that the media would have probably been less vociferously anti-gun had a CCW actually killed the assassin...or better yet, done so before he actually killed anyone.  However, in all the events that have taken place in the last few years, only one that I am aware of was ended by a CCW person.  And in that event, the woman that ended the killing had ample information about what was taking place.  There is something called the fog of war. First written about by Clausewitz, it defines the confusion that leads to indecision and mistakes. That is why the gathering of information is so important. If you have it, it is priceless, and you can use it to effect change in your environment. Lacking it, you can do nothing.

So to answer Mr. Ferrari's question - they were exactly where they have always been, but without the necessary attentiveness, and willingness, and initiative, they didn't do any good.

 

When Beating Your Friends Is More Important Than Defeating Your Enemies

By Alex Nieuwland, SI Staff Instructor

Almost exactly ten years ago, a friend of mine invited me to my first IDPA match. I still remember the first stage I ever shot. It was called “Officer Down.” For string 1, I started out laying flat on my back with my legs pointed at the target, holding a hammer in my left hand, and a Glock 19 in my right hand. At the buzzer, I sat up and shot both targets twice. For string 2, the hammer and gun switched hands. The only matches I had previous experience with were much more sedate, and I thought IDPA was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Fast forward 10 years. I have shot countless IDPA matches and been an IDPA Safety Officer for longer than I can remember, but I have also received some of the best training money can buy through force-on-force training with Suarez International. I still shoot IDPA matches, and will continue to do so, but I have also realized that most of my fellow IDPA shooters are training to beat their friends, not training to defeat their enemies.

Allow me to explain…. If Osama Bin Laden suddenly parachuted from the sky onto our (cold) range during an IDPA match, which direction would everyone’s guns (after some furiously fast loading) be pointed in? Exactly, all guns would be pointed at OBL, or at his slowly cooling, bullet-riddled corpse. Everyone at the match can therefore safely be placed in the “friends” category.

OBL, however, is extremely unlikely to parachute into an IDPA match. My friends and I are much more likely to encounter one of his followers when we are NOT at a match. And which guns are my IDPA friends using when they are not at a match? Probably NOT the gun they shot the match with.

You don’t agree? Well, let’s look at the data….. Every year, IDPA publishes a list of the gear used by participants in the IDPA Nationals. In 2009, the number of shooters using a Glock 34, a Glock 19 or a Glock 26 was 71, 4, and 0. In 2010, the numbers were 68, 7, and once again 0. Now, I know a LOT of serious shooters, but I only know one (my fellow SI Staff Instructor Randy Harris) who actually carries a Glock 34 every day. On the other hand, the Glock 19 and Glock 26 are some of the most popular carry guns on the market today.

I use the term “cheater heater” for a handgun that is modified to make it handle differently from the competitor’s actual carry gun, or is of a different model from the competitor’s actual carry gun. This data shows that cheater heaters likely outnumbered actual carry guns by at least 10 to 1 at these matches.

What is there to win at an IDPA match? Nothing but a worthless trophy. All of the expensive prizes are given out by random drawing. The person who finished last has as much chance of winning them as the person who finished first. So by their actions, the cheater heater users are saying that beating their friends to win a worthless trophy is more important than defeating their enemies.

But IDPA is just a game! Agreed. Any time you are shooting for score instead of shooting for blood it’s just a game. Force-on-force training is a MUCH better way to train for winning your gunfights than shooting IDPA matches. Shooting IDPA matches, however, allows you to do something you can’t do in force-on-force training: shoot real guns firing real bullets with real recoil and real malfunctions under time pressure with movement and with realistic accuracy demands. It allows you to determine if you have achieved the unconscious competence level with your gun handling skills. That is not a replacement for force-on-force training, but when you combine that with the skills learned from force-on-force training it’s a combination that’s hard to beat.

So IDPA is a great opportunity to bring out the guns you would actually use during a gunfight. If you don’t, your actions show your ego is more important to you than defending yourself and your family from serious harm.

But you carry a J-frame? Five shot .38 Special revolvers are perfectly legal in the Stock Service Revolver division. Bring it out! If you’re worried about finishing the entire course of fire with such a small ammo supply, might I suggest upgrading your carry gun? A Glock 26 is not much bigger and holds more than twice as many rounds. My fellow SI Staff Instructor Jon Payne is working on a DVD that makes this point very well.

But you carry a .380 or a .32? Talk to your match director. If he says it’s allowed (and he probably will), you are good to go. Otherwise, refer to my answer above.

But you carry a Glock 26? The Glock 26 is a popular carry gun and perfectly legal in the Stock Service Pistol division. Bring it out! Sure, you’ll have to pay very close attention to your sight picture for those long distance shots, but that’s part of the trade off of choosing to carry a Glock 26. The gun is capable of making those shots. You are the limiting factor, so get good with it!

But you’d rather use a Glock 34, or an M&P Pro with a 1.5 lbs trigger, or a double stack 1911 with a huge magwell, and powderpuff ammo? You, my friend, have a decision to make: Is it more important to you to beat your friends or to defeat your enemies?

IDPA is also a good place to use your freaky fast draw, an important skill when it comes to winning gunfights. If you normally carry in an inside the waistband holster at 4 o’clock, why not bring that holster? It’s perfectly legal in IDPA, so unless beating your friends with competition gadgetry is more important to you than defeating your enemies, there really is no need to buy a bulky competition-only outside the waistband holster carried at 3 o’clock.

My premise in IDPA has always been, and will always continue to be, that I will use my actual carry gear. Back when I was using a leather pancake holster with a thumb break, that’s what I would use in my matches. I have since switched to an Archangel appendix inside the waistband holster for my usual holster, but unfortunately the writers of the IDPA rule book apparently considered appendix carry so fast that it put all other holster positions at a disadvantage, and banned it in IDPA. So for matches, I use the same setup I currently use whenever I’m wearing a suit: a stock Glock 19 in a Dale Fricke Gideon Elite holster. I use factory 115 grain ammo that has the same point of impact as my carry ammo, and similar felt recoil. I have not done anything to the gun except dry firing it a lot, and installing a new set of sights and some new trigger springs because I wore the old ones out. As a result, when I do well at IDPA, it shows my skill with an actual weapon, not with carefully selected toys I’m using to play a game. I’m preparing to defeat my enemies, not my friends.

Net, I see good folks spending an awful lot of time and money training to beat their friends, while assuming that skill carries over into defeating their enemies. Those who train to defeat their enemies, but also compete in the gun games at a high level know that the two are not the same. Come train with Suarez International, and experience the difference for yourself.

Agree? Disagree? Tell me why on Warrior Talk.

Have You Forgotten?

 
I rarely get emotional when I write an article, but as I dug these images from an old drive on my computer, I confess to feeling a little moist eyed.  Look at them. 

Let these images burn into your mind.  There are very few places where they are even displayed anymore. You see, when we look at them, reality hits us in the face again, like those images did on the television set. Then the lies that so many keep repeating are seen so clearly as lies. No, we can't all just get along...we never could. Pope Urban knew this, but we seem to have forgotten the lessons of history. 

This was neither an accident, nor as some agenda-driven politicians call such things today, a man-made disaster. Look at the images again my American friends, my Christian and Jewish friends.  Look hard. 

Who wants to name the enemy?  Who wants to risk being thought as insensitive, intolerant, an islamophobe, or worse, a racist?  Is that worse than forgetting...or pretending to forget America?

This was a mass murder of 3000 innocent non-combatants by Muslim Terrorists in order to further their dark and evil cause. Their war against the land of the infidels, "Dar Al Kaffir". 

It is almost unfathomable that such a thing could happen to us as a nation, and yet nine years later, there are Americans that are actually considering allowing certain people to build a mosque on that sacred ground.

Think of what the victims might think if someone wanted to erect a monument honoring Seung-Hui Cho at the Virginia Tech building where he murdered his victims.  The only thing is that the WTC murder victims were 100 times more in number than Cho's unarmed students and teachers.

That ground in New York was paid for with the blood of those who were murdered that day by the terrorists.

There were over 3,000 of them.  Men, women, and children.  Some died as the planes impacted the buildings. 

Many burned to death in the fires.  Others lept to their death rather than burn. Here is another horrible picture that is never shown.

Look at it. Don't you dare turn away.  This was a man, maybe a father or a husband. Who wants to tell this man's family that there should be a mosque, a tribute to the perpetrators, built upon the site of his murder?  

Have you forgotten America?  How is that possible?

Darryl Worley wrote a song with that same theme.  Perhaps more Americans should listen to it. 

Have you forgotten how it felt that day?

To see your homeland under fire

And her people blown away

Have you forgotten when those towers fell?

We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell

And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

On this day I will be teaching a gunfighting class to two dozen private citizens in the southeast. 

In the morning, we will have a moment of silence and prayer to honor those who were killed that day, and to those who are today fighting the evil that gave rise to such an event.  We will ask that the Lord comfort the family members of the victims, that He bring chaos and destruction upon those responsible, and that He protect those at the tip of the spear fighting them. We will ask the Lord God of Hosts to train our hands for war and our fingers for battle.  And we will ask for His divine hand upon us, for speed, for accuracy, and for resolve. Then we will begin.

This war is not over...nor did it begin on 09-11-01.  Soon, I suspect we will all have a part to play.  Let us be up to the task. 

The Coming Jihad In America - Part 2

It seems the current policy is to avoid using the term "islamic terrorism" at all costs. It also seems that the policy is to do everything possible to avoid actually admitting that something was an act of terrorism when it can be labeled otherwise. For examples - Major Hassan, the terrorist at Fort Hood is said to have been suffering from pre-traumatic stress, and is still prefaced as the "alleged shooter". Certainly any ties to islamic terror have been seriously downplayed. The underwear bomber is said to have been "misled", or "was suffering from cheeseburger denial syndrome", or something equally stupid.  And the times square bomber was, of course, simply lonely and looking for a good time. Anything to avoid saying that "the emperor is in fact buck naked".

So now we have Anwar Al-Awlaki, who is clearly not suffering any of the "excuse maladies" so popular in PC America, and who has encouraged Muslims to kill U.S. civilians.  This in his first video released by a Yemeni offshoot of al-Qaida. While Al-Awlaki is an american citizen, and could probably even vote in the next elections, he used the 45-minute video posted Sunday to justify, and strongly encourage, the murder of american civilians. American men, women, and specially children.

Given how well US resources did in preventing al-Awlaki's students and protegees from carrying out their evil deeds - students such as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan - the Fort Hood terrorist, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - the underwear bomber, I think it would be a clear and reasonable assessment that not only does this guy have the ear of individual jihadists in the USA and abroad, but that they have every intention of carrying out his wishes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That coupled with the incessant american quest for political correctness in the halls of the very government ostensibly tasked with keeping us safe, makes it clearly obvious that american civilians are now front line targets and that they had better take responsibility for their own safety. Politically correct policies intended more not to offend the enemy rather than keep americans safe will not protect you.
 

The days of training to keep muggers, gang members, and common criminals at bay with your "civilian self defense" CCW five-shot J-Frame revolver are over.

 

Carry your fighting pistol everywhere you go. Learn the combat skills you will need to prevail in a terror attack. Train hard, and be prepared. The enemy is not coming, he is already here....and you are his target.

 

 

 

 

The Coming Jihad...in America

A great deal of speculation, discussion and even finger pointing has taken place since the failed VBIED attack at Times Square.  As I recall the same happened at Fort Hood with Jihadist Army Major Hasan. What was notable was that success or failure was a product of the ability or inability of the terrorist and the authorities had almost nothing to do about it.  As a point of fact, the bomber nearly got away. Then came the rationalizations and verbal gymnastics avoid and overlooking anything even remotely connecting Mr. Shahzad to Islam until it was impossible to avoid.  I can almost see the administration on their knees praying to whomever they pray to – “Please let it be an old conservative Christian white guy”. I suspect they would have even settled for a conservative Christian black guy.  Anything but (gasp) a Muslim jihadist.

America, and truly much of the west, is guilty of two major tactical sins. 

One, we quickly forget the historical lessons of the past.  We seem as a nation to quickly forget and become distracted like a child that suddenly sees a butterfly and forgets the book he is reading. The problem here is that the best indication of future action or performance is past action and performance. It becomes hard to prepare for what an adversary may bring if you forget what he has already brought to past battles.

Two, we constantly underestimate the adversary.  It is as if we think that anyone who is not a product of a democratic society is somehow less intelligent or capable, although that has been proven to be a false assumption several times since September 2001.

Consider this excerpt from a recent Stratfor newsletter -

"A much more successful model of waging a jihadist attack on U.S. soil is the case of U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who shot and killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in November 2009. Instead of traveling to Yemen or Pakistan for training, which would have aroused suspicion, Maj. Hasan used skills he already possessed and simple means to conduct his attack, something that kept his profile low (although he was under investigation for posting comments online seemingly justifying suicide attacks). Ultimately, Hasan killed more people with a handgun than the recently botched or thwarted attacks involving relatively complicated IEDs..."

The enemy is not as stupid as we would prefer he was. The enemy sees the various failed bombing attacks; the first WTC attack....the failed Richard Reid (Shoe Bomber), the failed Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab (Crotch Bomber), the failed Joel Henry Hinrichs III (OKSU Bomber) and the failed Faisal Shahzad (Times Square Bomber).  And he also sees the successful attacks not relying on complicated explosives; Mir Aimal Kasi shooting his victims outside CIA, Malvo and Mohammed - the successful DC Snipers, the various successful Mumbai shooters, the spectacularly successful Major Nidal Hasan, and the plethora of successful active shooter events through the years.

  
Put yourself in the enemy’s shoes....err, sandals.....which option would YOU pick? Which offers the easiest implementation, least chance for detection, greatest chance for success – bombs or bullets?

The mass shooting and not the improvised and unsuccessful bomb is the “easy button”, and that fact cannot be ignored by us as it will not be overlooked by the enemy.

So what do we do?

1).  We must identify who the enemy is.  Please go back and peruse the list of events above, both failed and successful.  What is the common thread connecting the attackers?

2).  Carry your gun everywhere.....a REAL fighting gun....not some sissy "suitable for CCW" 5 shot "self defense gun". The times are not such that concern over a mugger is the issue anymore.  Carry extra ammo with you. It is not difficult at all to carry a full sized pistol with a couple of extra magazines.  I have done so since 1983.  

 

 
These are not the times to be seeking political correctness over public safety.  It is not the time to fear false labels created and assigned by the mass media.  The Israelis learned that lesson long ago.  After all is said and done, it is better to be a live “intolerant racist” (as the MSM would call us) than a dead “co-existing”, tolerant “paragon of political correctness”.  I suspect that had Shahzad’s bomb been successful, lots of tolerant, “co-exist” types would have died right alongside us “intolerant racists”. The times call for careful profiling and suspicious curiosity as well as daily preparation. 

Dress everyday as if you had a business meeting in Mumbai on 26 November 2008 with a bunch of Jews, Christians, and atheist Americans at a cafe right across the street from the Jihad School Of Terrorism.

Be ready or be a victim.