Four person teams of Explorers will compete in the Scholastic Steel Challenge where they’ll be timed to 1/1,000th of a second as they shoot four stages of five fixed steel plate targets each. The four best of five runs for each shooter will be added to determine the individual’s time, and all four individual times will be combined for the team’s time.

Strictly supervised by certified range officials for safety and to make sure competition rules are adhered to at all times, Scholastic Steel Challenge competitions give Explorer Post 15 participants the opportunity to challenge other Explorer Posts from across the state, as well as compete for state and national titles.

Sheriff Campbell said, “As the charter Explorer Post in this new endeavor, the Explorers in Post 15 are excited and motivated to bring this opportunity to other Law Enforcement career minded youth across the state and nation.”

“This important new training opportunity will help us build future leaders of our community while at the same time better preparing these motivated youths to strive for excellence in all they choose to do, including pursuing a career in Law Enforcement.”

Explorers from Post 15 are looking forward to representing both their Sheriff and the citizens of Leon County in Scholastic Steel Challenge competition. For more information on SSC visit www.ScholasticSteelChallenge.com.

The Explorer program is aimed towards youth between the ages of 14 and 21 who are interested in choosing a career in Law Enforcement. For more information about this program contact the Prevention and Resource Unit at (850) 922-3323.

All the manufacturers are working to fulfill backorders that will extend well past the Gingrich inauguration.  One has only to check the current stock market values of the 2 publicly held firearms manufacturers in America to see that their values have increased dramatically in the last year.

It is now impossible to count the number of manufacturers of Sport Utility Rifles (AR platform rifles) and 1911 and polymer pistols.

In the training business we have an ever increasing number of providers.  We have experienced an increase of 600% in women participating in training.

How have we arrived at this point, three years into the administration of the most anti freedom president in the nation’s history?

Where has all this energy and enthusiasm come from?

What is driving this expansion of our industry, this expression of freedom of our citizens?

I submit to you that 2012 is the culmination of a Perfect Storm that began brewing in 1988.  The year of the first shall issue concealed carry law passed in Florida.  This law was the impetus for more than 40 more states to pass similar legislation.

In 1994, the Clinton administration passed their version of the Sport Utility Rifle ban and the ban on standard capacity magazines, requiring manufacturers to sell only reduced capacity magazines.  Along with a significant tax increase, these two issues cost President Clinton his ability to govern from the left as America mobilized to take over the national legislature.

In 2001, jihadists attacked America, using commercial aircraft.  Once the passengers understood what was going on, Americans took the fight to the jihadists.  While the plane crashed, the heroes aboard the aircraft prevented another victory for the jihadists and provided a lesson for all Americans.  Never surrender, fight, they may kill you but if you do not fight they will surely kill you.

In 2004, the Clinton bans on Sport Utility Rifles and standard capacity magazines expired, even as the leftists fought to reinstate the law that did nothing to reduce crime or make America safer.

In 2005, “The Lawful Commerce in Arms Act”, shepherded through by the National Rifle Association was passed and signed by President Bush.  This legislation provided that firearms manufacturers, distributors and dealers could not be sued out of business.  This one act actually saved this industry in America and tens of thousands of jobs.

In 2008, government expansion took off.  At an ever escalating rate, freedom has been continuously restricted, debt has been heaped upon all of us and crime has been increasing.

In 2011 and 2012 we are watching the fall of the insolvent governments across Europe.  We are watching the overthrow of “The Friends of Obama” (governments he greeted warmly in 2009, traveling across the Middle East, offering apologies for America).

In case after case, Americans witnessed hours of attacks on the hardworking European producers by consumers and terrorists of every stripe.  Americans have taken notice of our real economic situation (almost Greece).

Americans are aware that the potential for large scale unrest is real.

Americans have awakened to the realization that they really do have only themselves to rely on when unrest rises to these levels.

About the author:

Buz Mills, a USMC Veteran, has served on the Board of Director NRA since 2009 and is the President of Gunsite Academy, Inc., the world’s oldest, largest privately owned firearms training facility, training USMC/Special Operations personnel deploying to Middle East, law enforcement and civilians.Buz is a lifetime hunter, gun collector and competitive shooter (IPSC national competitor). Buz is also a political activist/lobbyist, supporting local, state, national pro-2A candidates.

While I think it is good to have and express opinion(s), it is the desire of some to force said opinions on others as an “ultimate truth” that makes me chuckle. I have formed the opinions I hold based on life experience, training, actual street time, having been in a few combative situations (including having my ass kicked) and listening to the many people I have interviewed over the years that have prevailed in armed conflict and then “marrying it” all together in a coherent package that makes sense to me. I can articulate why I feel as I do to my students and to those who care to hear. If you don’t, that’s cool…I have no desire to force my thoughts on you. At the same time, if I want to know what you think, I will ask.

The truth is I usually want to know what others think! I don’t know who originally said “Life is like a parachute, it works better when it is open” but it is true, thus by keeping an open mind and listening to the thoughts of others, I might actually learn something new (gasp!) which may lead me to re-think how I go about the process of threat preparation. Truth be told, at this stage of my life I seldom hear anything really new but that does not mean I do not enjoy the journey! There is nothing like sitting down with a group of sharp shooting enthusiasts and exchanging ideas, especially if they are based on real world action and nothing will ruin such an experience faster than a self-appointed guru who barges and tries to dominate the discussion with his/her personality and “knowledge”. Several years ago, I was at an event involving a group of gun writers who were sitting in the hotel lobby after the day’s events drinking a few beers and exchanging ideas. All was going well until a “famous instructor” sat down and began to tell all the best way to do anything. I listen for a few minutes and once I realized he had nothing to offer beyond bluster and bullshit, I got up and started to leave. In a very surly tone of voice he yelled across the hotel lobby, “Hey, am I boring you!?” I stopped, turned around and said “yes, as a matter of fact you are.” Comedian Ron White is correct, you can’t fix stupid…

Stupid are the disputes that are insignificant but people still insist of arguing them even when no one’s mind is changed. Weaver, Isosceles or Modern Isosceles…which is best? I’m not sure it matter if you are lying on your back, shooting through a car window from a seated position or returning fire with an injured arm as you are not going to achieve any of them. You are going to shoot in the position you can obtain. 9mm versus .40 and .45…I know people who are convinced you will die in a fight if you do not have a gun of 40 caliber or larger. While killing the human organism is not hard, it IS difficult to stop it quickly and handguns, regardless of caliber, are famous for doing this poorly. Ballistic science has proven that a bigger bullet will touch more tissue than a smaller one, thus a bigger bullet is a better bullet. Now for the Harsh Reality…the bigger handgun bullet is not so large that it will make up for poor shot placement! Emergency Room Physicians will confirm this if you ask so it is not a matter of just hitting; it’s a matter of hitting something important and possible doing it multiple times… so maybe bullet diameter is not the only factor when selecting a personal sidearm…

Point shooting versus sighted fire makes the rounds regularly with new terminology (target focused, threat focused, body index, etc.) being used in an effort to “modernize” the concept. While both sides claim superiority, actual armed conflict has shown it is not one or the other but both if one wants to truly prepare for armed conflict. Hard core sighted advocates maintain “if you don’t have a sighted index you should have a felt (body contact) index” while point shooters claim the technique will work as far back as 25 yards. Really!? In order to point shoot at 75 feet, a great deal of practice must be put into developing the skill which certainly eliminates the “instinctual advantage” that many claim is the biggest benefit of point shooting. Based on my research into actual shootings and my personal experience on the street, it is not an either/or proposition. You need to be able to point shoot and use sighted fire, know when to transition from one to the other and make the techniques used for each style of shooting blend seamlessly. I call it “Situational Combative Pistol” and I offer it as one of my courses at Handgun Combatives.com.

Regardless of what whiz-bang name is placed on any shooting technique, there are only so many ways to shoot a gun and they have all been invented…probably between 1840 and 1940 to be perfectly honest. Anything thought to be “new” is just a variation of something we already know with a new name attached. The fundamentals of combative pistolcraft are really essentials…you must be able to grip the gun with either one or both hands, hold it on target without moving the muzzle (trigger control), present it where it needs to go, manipulate it depending on weapon status, etc. etc. There is no way to circumvent this process regardless of which doctrine you adhere to.

I once had an instructor tell me “trigger control is not important in a gunfight due to the close ranges involved.” Really?! Obviously he did not understand trajectory as 1/16th inch of muzzle movement translates to a 4 inch POA/POI divergence at 20 feet. The vital high chest region is approximately 8 inches in diameter (less if the torso is sideways) meaning a minimal amount of muzzle movement at a room size distance will result in a miss of the vital organs, resulting in a physiological failure to stop. A panic filled, convulsive grip of a pistol is probably 2 or more inches of muzzle movement which translates to what at 20 feet?! It is possible to miss at close range especially in the stress and duress that is armed conflict. I have said for years that trigger control is weapon control meaning the pressure applied to the trigger face spreads throughout the gun and I believe a shooter is more likely to miss due to lack of trigger control than lack of sight alignment. Some will disagree but by spending time arguing are we just entering another stupid dispute? I guess that is for each of us to decide.

Dave Spaulding is the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year and Law Officer’s Firearms columnist. A 28-year law enforcement veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, he is the founder of Handgun Compatives. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT—and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. Visit his web site at www.handguncombatives.com and like him on Facebook.

SSSF/SCTP has committed to over $450,000.00 to support the event.

SSSF/SCTP will contribute:

• $2,000.00 endowment for every collegiate team that participates in the 2012 ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championship
• $4,000.00 of additional endowment money if the collegiate team is registered as a SCTP affiliated Team making that a total of $6,000.00 in endowment money.
• $3,000.00 of endowment money for division 1, 2 and 3 for each of the six disciplines for a first place team.
• $2,000.00 of endowment money for division 1, 2 and 3 for each of the six disciplines for a second place team.
• $1,000.00 of endowment money for division 1, 2 and 3 for each of the six disciplines for a third place team.

The events SSSF/SCTP will participate in are:  American Trap, American Skeet, Sporting Clays, 5-Stand, Bunker Trap and Olympic Skeet.

“Over the past year, the SCTP Directors of Development across the United States have been focused on organizing several very successful Intercollegiate Clay Target Regional Championships,” said Jon M. McGrath, Chairman of the Foundation.  “We look forward to helping promote the 2012 44th Annual ACUI Intercollegiate Clay Target Championship in San Antonio as well.”

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) across the United States, including participant registration, coaches, state coordinators, state and national championships, promotion, communications, websites, public relations and growth strategies. The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation exists to raise funding and other resources for Youth Development Programs in the shooting sports industry.

SCTP is a youth development program where adult coaches and volunteers model sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, and team work while using shooting sports programs to teach these and other positive life skills to SCTP athletes.

To learn more about SCTP call (586) 737-0805 or visit their website at www.shootsctp.org.

The Third phase of surrender is giving up your weapons.

The last phase of surrender is up to the monsters who have taken control of your life and perhaps the lives of your loved ones. The last phase of surrender is out of your hands.

Surrender during war
During the American Revolution 12,000 Colonists captured by the British died in captivity on prison ships, while only 8,000 died in battle. Had the 12,000 who surrendered continued to fight, many would have survived and they could have done great damage to the British and likely shortened the war.

Civil War prisoners were treated so badly that some 50,000 died in captivity. More Americans have been killed by Americans than by any foreign army in any war. Six hundred and eighteen thousand Americans died in the Civil War.

As many as 18,000 captured American and Pilipino prisoners died or were murdered at the hands of the Japanese during the six days of the “Bataan Death March.” Had most of these soldiers slipped into the jungle and fought as guerrillas they could have tied up elements of the Japanese Army for months or years and perhaps more of them would have survived the war.

Of the Americans who actually reached Japanese prison camps during the war, nearly 50,000 died in captivity. That is more than 10 percent of all the American military deaths in the entire war in both the Pacific and European theaters combined.

In addition to the 50,000 captured Americans who died in Japanese prison camps an additional 20,000 were murdered before reaching a prison camp. If those 70,000 Americans had continued to fight, they could have provided time for the United States to build and maneuver its forces, perhaps shortening the war and saving even more lives. Some of them would have likely survived the war. If they had all died in battle their fate would have been no worse.

During the early stages of the “Battle of the Bulge” American soldiers were massacred by the German troops who captured them.

During the Vietnam conflict many American Prisoners Of War were tortured daily for years by the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans died during the process. Only Officers (Airmen) held in North Vietnam were ever repatriated. Enlisted Americans captured in South Viet Nam were routinely tortured, mutilated and murdered by the Communists. As a combat soldier and knowing my fate should I be captured, I was committed to fighting to the death. I made specific plans to force the enemy to kill me rather than allow myself to be captured.

In recent years, American troops captured by Islamic terrorists groups have virtually all been tortured and murdered in gruesome fashion. If I were fighting in the Middle East, I would make a similar vow and plan to fight to the death. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to be captured by our Islamic enemies.

Death by Government
RJ Rummel, who wrote the book, “Death by Government” states that prior to the 20th Century; 170 million civilians were murdered by their own governments. Historians tell us that during the 20th Century perhaps as many as 200 million civilians were murdered by their own governments.

Some of the Nations where the mass murder of civilians occurred during the 20th Century include Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, The Congo, Uganda, Armenia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Laos, China, Cuba, Manchuria, Iraq, Iran, Biafra, Rwanda and many others. The slaughter of civilians by governments appears to be as common as not.

Most of these slaughters were only made possible by disarming the victims before killing them. Had these people resisted, their fate would have been no worse and perhaps better. Resistance is much more difficult after the government has already taken the means of resistance away from the people. Planned genocide has been the primary reason for weapon confiscation throughout history.

Jews and others who surrendered to the Nazis were murdered in slave labor camps by the millions. Had all the Jews in Europe resisted when the Nazis started rounding them up they could have made the Nazis pay an enormous price for the holocaust. The fact that Hitler confiscated guns in 1936 made resistance far less feasible.

Had the Jews in Germany resisted, the outcome may have been the same but the world would have learned about the holocaust years earlier and may have intervened. Most people would prefer to die fighting and trying to kill their oppressor, than be taken off to a death camp and starved to death or murdered in a gas chamber.

William Ayers, former leader of the Terrorist organization “The Weather Underground,” and close friend of Barack Obama, told his followers in the Weather Underground, “When we (Communist Revolutionaries) take over the United States, we will have to kill 25 million Americans.” He was referring to those who would never submit to a Communist takeover. Those who would refuse to deny and reject the Constitution would have to be murdered. If this sounds impossible, remember that Genocide by Government was the leading cause of death in the last Century.

Surrendering to Criminals
The “Onion Field Murder” in California was a wakeup call to Law Enforcement Officers everywhere. On March 9, 1963, two LAPD Officers were taken prisoner by two criminals. The Officers submitted to capture and gave up their weapons. They were driven to an onion field outside of Bakersfield.

One Officer was murdered while the other Officer managed to escape in a hail of gunfire. The surviving Officer suffered serious psychological problems, having been unable to save his partner. As a result of this incident, the LAPD policy became, “You will fight no matter how bad things are.” “You will never ever surrender your weapons or yourself to a criminal.”

Consider the Ogden, Utah record store murders. Read the book if you do not know the story. The manner in which the criminals murdered their young victims cannot be described here. Resistance might have been futile. Compliance was definitely and absolutely futile.

The courts in this country have ruled that the police have no legal obligation to protect anyone. Why do Law Enforcement Officials always tell civilians not to resist a criminal, while they tell their Officers to always resist and never surrender? Police administrators fear being sued by a civilian victim who gets hurt resisting. Furthermore, the police, like all government agencies derive their power by fostering dependence.

According to Professor John Lott’s study on the relationship between guns and crime, a victim who resists with a firearm is less likely to be hurt or killed than a victim who cooperates with his attacker. His book is titled “More Guns, Less Crime.”

The Doctor and his family in Connecticut complied and cooperated, meeting every demand of the home invasion robbers to whom they had surrendered. The Doctors wife and daughters were tortured, raped, doused with gasoline and burned alive. How did surrender and cooperation work out for them?

In another home invasion robbery, a kindly couple with 9 “adopted, special needs children,” surrendered to the robbers. The victims opened their safe and did not resist in any way. When the robbers where finished ransacking the home and terrifying the children, they shot both parents in the head several times before leaving. How did surrender and complete cooperation work out for them?

Handing over your life by surrendering to someone who is in the process of committing a violent crime against you is a form of suicide. Some survive but many do not. The monster gets to decide for you.
We have heard brutalized victims say, “The robber said that he would not hurt us if we cooperated.” Why would you believe anything that someone who is committing a crime against you says? He will be lying if he speaks. As we say in law enforcement, “If a criminal’s lips are moving while he is speaking, he is lying.” Criminals by definition are dishonest and should never be trusted or believed.

You have no doubt heard friends say, I would not resist a criminal, after all why would he kill me? This is stupid and naive. In law enforcement, we call these people “Victims by Choice” (VBC). There could be a long list of reasons why a criminal would kill you despite your cooperation.

You may be of a different race, thus a different tribe. Only members of his tribe are actually human in his mind. He may feel hatred toward you because you have more than he does. Gratification from being in a position of total power is reason enough for some.

Criminals are sometimes members of a Satanic Cult who worship death such as the “Night Stalker” in California. Eliminating a potential witness is often cited as a reason to kill a victim. Sometimes criminals simply enjoy causing suffering and death. There are people who are in fact, pure evil. I have heard criminals say, “I killed her just to watch her die.”

A victim who begs for mercy can give his attacker a tremendous feeling of power which many criminals seem to enjoy. You cannot expect mercy from someone who does not know what mercy is.

Resist!
We each have a duty to ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our city, our state and our country to resist criminals. Reasoning with a thug who believes that his failures are because of people just like you is not likely to be helpful. Pleading with a terrorist who has been taught from birth that his salvation depends on murdering people like you is a doomed plan. Resist!

Resist! His gun may not be real. After you are tied up it will not matter. His gun may not be loaded. After you are tied up it will not matter. He may not know how to operate his gun. After you are tied up it will not matter. Resist!

Statistically if you run and your assailant shoots at you he will miss. Statistically if you run and he shoots and hits you, you will not die. Bad guys shooting at the police miss 90 percent of the time. The odds are on your side. Better to die fighting in place than to be tied up, doused with gasoline and burned alive. There are things worse than death. Surrender to a criminal or a terrorist and you will learn what they are. Resist!

If you resist with a commitment to win you may well prevail, especially if you are armed and trained. If you lose it is still better to die fighting in place than to be taken prisoner and have your head cut off with a dull knife while your screams gurgle through your own blood as we have witnessed on numerous videos from the “Islamic practitioners of peace,” as well as the Mexican drug cartels.

Some who have refused to surrender.
History is filled with brave people who refused to surrender. Some of these men and woman have won their battles despite what seemed to be insurmountable odds. Others have gone down fighting and avoided being tortured to death. Some fought to the death to help or save others. Many have fought to the death for an idea or a belief.

When General Santa Ana (also the President of Mexico at the time) ordered 180 “Texicans” to surrender the Alamo, Col. Travis answered with “a cannon shot and a rebel yell.” Eventually General Santa Ana was able to build his troop strength to ten thousand. The Mexicans then swarmed the defenders and killed them all.

The battle of the Alamo delayed the Mexican Army long enough for Sam Huston to build his Texican Army, which met and defeated the Mexican Army and captured General Santa Ana. General Santa Ana traded Texas for his life and the sacrifices of the Alamo defenders changed history.

Frank Luke was a heroic aviator in WWI. Shot down and wounded he refused to surrender when confronted by a German patrol. He killed 4 German soldiers with his 1911 Pistol before being killed. Luke was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

When his unit was pinned down by German Machine Guns and all of the Officers and non commissioned officers in his company were killed or wounded, Alvin York never considered surrendering. Instead, he attacked hundreds of German soldiers killing about 25 with his rifle and pistol and then captured 132 others by himself!

Most of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto (Poland) surrendered to the German Army. They were taken off to death camps and murdered. Between 400 and 1,000 Jews refused to surrender and armed with only a few pistols, revolvers and rifles, they held off the German Army for three months before dying in battle.

During the “Battle of the Bulge,” the 101st Airborne was surrounded by the German Army and ordered to surrender. Faced with overwhelming odds, the Commanding Officer of the 101st sent this reply to the Germans. “Nuts.” The Americans refused to surrender and they stopped the German advance. Most of the Americans troops survived.

On Sept 2, 2010, 40 armed criminals took over and robbed a train in India. Some of the robbers had guns, others used knives and clubs. When they began to disrobe an 18 year old girl for the purpose of gang raping her, one of the passengers decided to fight. He was a 35 year old retired Gurkha soldier. He drew his Khukasri Knife and attacked the 40 robbers. He killed three of the robbers and wounded 8 more despite his being wounded in this 20 minute fight. The remaining criminals fled for their lives leaving their stolen loot and eleven comrades dead or wounded on the floor of the train. The eight wounded robbers were arrested.

How does one man defeat 40? How does he summon the courage to fight such odds? He utilized all of the Principles of Personal Defense: Alertness, Decisiveness, Aggressiveness, Speed, Coolness, Ruthlessness, and Surprise. He was skilled in the use of his weapon. Most importantly, He refused to be a victim and allow evil to triumph!

If this one inspirational soldier can defeat 40 opponents using his knife, it would seem that we should all be able to defeat a group of armed criminals by using our firearms if we are professionally trained as was this heroic Gurkha soldier.

Final thoughts
How will you respond if you are confronted by evil as some of us have been in the past and some of us will be in the future? If you have not decided ahead of time what you will do, you will likely do nothing. Those who fight back often win and survive. Those who surrender never win and often die a horrible death. Have you made your decision? Remember, no decision is a decision to do nothing.

Larry Mudgett is a long time Rangemaster and Instructor at Gunsite. Larry and his wife Stacey also run classes in Utah through their own school, Marksmanship Matters. Larry retired from the LAPD after nearly 35 years where he served as the Chief Firearms Instructor at the LA Police Academy for 13 years and the Chief Firearms Instructor and team member for LAPD SWAT for 14 years. Larry also served as an Infantry Light Weapons Sergeant in the First Air Cavalry in Viet Nam 1967-1968. Larry trained the first USMC Special Operations Training Group at Camp Pendleton and was an adjunct firearms and hostage rescue instructor for the DOE Central Training Academy for 10 years. He currently teaches Rifle, Carbine, Pistol, Double Action Revolver and Single Action Revolver.
Learn more at marksmanshipmatters.com. 

My wife calls it “controlled paranoia” in which I trust little of what goes on around me and expect nothing when it comes to the tools I carry with me. If I expect nothing, why do I carry them? It’s not that I doubt their ability to function properly when I need them; it’s that I do not expect them to have an instant affect on anyone I might use them on. If I don’t expect the punch I throw or the rounds I fire to work instantly to stop a determined aggressor, then I will quickly launch into a contingency instead of standing there in utter amazement thinking, “Wow…it worked so good in the commercial” or “The gun magazine said this was the ultimate man stopper. WTF!”

If there is one “truth” in all of the lessons I have learned it is combat is 10 percent physical and 90 percent mental. John Steinbeck was absolutely correct when he said “The final weapon is the brain, all else is supplemental.” Weapons are a means to an end, not the end result.

Gun people have a fascination with gear which is fine, but gear does not win the fight. The battle is won via the preparation that goes into the fight before it ever happens and the best fight is the one that never takes place. I remain amazed at the number of people who attend combative training and look forward to being in some type of altercation. It doesn’t matter if it is hand to hand, knife or gun training, here is always some wanna- be Ninja at the end of the course that can’t wait to be “tested” or get a “notch in their gun”. It’s as if they feel they will be part of some warrior club or Ninja fraternity with a greater status in life. They picture themselves the heroic victor instead of the dead schmuck. Let me give you a piece of harsh reality…every time one enters conflict they run the risk of losing! It doesn’t matter how much training you have, skilled you are or how many muscles, s@it happens and nothing can assure victory.

Even the great warrior philosopher Sun Tzu understood that the best battle was the one that never takes place. I believe there to be a Hierarchy of Threat Management that goes in this order: avoid, evade and counter. Conflict should be avoided at all costs. Don’t go to the bad parts of town, don’t hang out with questionable people, don’t commit criminal acts… basically don’t do stupid stuff, it’s that simple. That said, Murphy is alive and well and sometimes will deal us a crummy hand.

Your car breaks down in a bad area of town, you make a wrong turn and get lost in “no man’s land” or you just happen to cross paths with someone who likes violence. In such situations the best thing to do is avoid conflict. If you have a flat tire, drive on the rim until you get to a more secure place, after all, you can buy a new rim but not a new life. If you see someone walking toward you that doesn’t look right, change directions, go into a store, turn around…do anything but make contact with someone who might do you harm. But if conflict comes your way and after your best attempts to avoid and evade have failed, then you must counter with GREAT enthusiasm! This is not the time to worry about liability or legal ramifications. It is the time to be an active participant in your own rescue! To think about what may happen in court after the fact will just hinder your ability to fight so don’t think about it!

For years I have advocated what I call “The NESS Brothers” as a way to remind me and my students of the proper mode of thought as I go through life. Avoidance and evasion are achieved through greater awareness while countering a threat is all but impossible without the willingness to do so. If I were to make The NESS Brothers look like a mathematical equation, it would look like this:
AwareNESS + WillingNESS = Prevail!

Both of these words mean multiple things beyond the obvious. Yes, awareness means knowing what is going on around you at all times, but is also means knowing what is normal in the environment in which you live and work, what and who should be there and what/who should not. I believe that human beings really do have a Sixth Sense (no, not talking to dead people) that tells them when something is out of kilter, the hair on the back of the neck, gut feeling or women’s intuition…whatever, but listen to it! Doing so may require no more action than just standing back and watching for a few moments but what I can tell you is whenever you are in doubt about something, there is no doubt…don’t! If you don’t know, don’t go.

Willingness is certainly being willing to do whatever it takes to prevail. Forget “survive”, that’s what you do when you have no say in what is about to happen, it means “to remain in existence” and I want to WIN! The concept of willingness has never been better expressed than in John Wayne’s last movie THE SHOOTIST when he explains to Ron Howard about gun fighting:
“It’s not being fast or even accurate that counts, it’s being willing! I found out early that regardless of cause or need most men aren’t willing. They’ll blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull the trigger and I won’t!”

After decades of study and many interviews, I have come to realize the advantage in armed conflict does not go to the man (or woman) who can shoot the tightest group or the fastest string of shots, it goes to the one who is the most ruthless, the one who kills without thought or reservation and that is very few of us. Mindset is defined as “a course of action based on a previous decision, a set path based on reason and intellect” and few normal people think about killing another human being ahead of time, most will find such thought disturbing or at least a bit strange, but it is the single biggest factor in whether or not you will win in armed conflict! It is what willingness is all about. Part of my controlled paranoia is having a plan to kill everyone I come in contact with. It’s not that I want to; it’s that I will and to be quite frank, it gives me a certain peace of mind regardless of how demented it might seem.

Willingness also means being willing to train/prepare at your own expense, willing to buy whatever equipment you might need and being willing to stay abreast of new information or techniques. The NESS Brothers is really a lifestyle commitment to ensure that when danger comes to visit you or your loved ones, you will have the wherewithal to take action no matter how much you may not want to. In the end, it is all up to you…plan wisely.

Dave Spaulding is the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year and Law Officer’s Firearms columnist. A 28-year law enforcement veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, he is the founder of Handgun Compatives. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT—and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. Visit his web site at www.handguncombatives.com and like him on Facebook.

Gear does not make the combatant, but good gear can certainly enhance performance. After three plus decades of practical street experience and a lot of time spent researching the topic of interpersonal conflict, I truly believe combat is 90% attitude and 10% physical skill. Skill needs to be so familiar that it can run on auto pilot and having

Holsters are important and they should be given as much thought as the handgun being carried. For 16 years, I wrote a column for Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement Magazine called “Plainclothes” and while I did discuss tactics and techniques, I also saw a large number of holsters over the years. Some were good, some bad and some just OK, but one thing that was obvious is there is no one holster that will work for all people. A combative carry holster, especially a concealment rig to be worn everyday in street clothes, should be selected based on the normal mode of dress, gun used, body shape, any physical limitations to the draw action and other personal considerations. In a nutshell, the holster needs to fit YOU and not some writer or instructor, not that such people are ill-informed, they just are not you.

I have gotten to know a large number of skilled holster makers over the years, people like Milt Sparks, his protégé Tony Kanaly, John Bianchi, Neale Perkins, Tex Shoemaker, Ted Blocker, Thad Rybka and Ken Null just to name a few. These “masters of leather” can hide a large gun on a very small person if the individual involved will truly commit to a concealed carry life style. All are/were gentlemen but the man I got to know best was Lou Alessi who passed away a few years back way ahead of his time. Alessi Holsters are still being made while Lou’s former partner, Skip Ritchie, still makes holsters in the original Alessi shop under the name Ritchie Leather. Like many people who have used a large numbers of holsters, I have my own opinions on the features that go into a good holster and on one visit to Lou’s Amherst, NY shop I got to have my say. I was showing Lou how he could improve his designs when he stopped, looked at me and said “OK as—ole, you’re the expert…show me how to do this!” Lou said it good naturally so I was not going to waste the opportunity. I described a holster with less cant for wearing on the side of the body, an outside piece of leather molded as a pocket, reinforced mouth band for one hand manipulation and a shorter profile to take up less real estate on the belt. To make a long story short, the result was the Close Quarter Covert (CQC) holster which Lou told me was his best selling holster just before he passed on. I pushed Lou for an easy on/off version which resulted in the snap on/off CQC-Snap (S) holster which might be the most copied holster in the holster industry. Both of these holsters are still available from Alessi and Ritchie Leather.

As Kydex grew in popularity, I saw the advantages of having a CQC-S style holster made in fast on the draw Kydex, but Lou was too busy to venture into the increasingly popular synthetic. With Lou’s blessing (he was that that kind of guy!) I approached Jim Murnack of Fist Holsters and asked him to make a Kydex version. Jim has mastered a process of stitching Kydex together much like a leather rig which helps keep the holster thin and low profile. Jim was able to capture the ride of the CQC-S in Kydex making it flat riding and fast into action. Square Kydex holsters are popular these days and this Fist holster rides just a close to the body as these rigs but with the advantage of being easy to take on and off the belt. Jim named the holster the “Dave Spaulding” and I am flattered, but I do not make a dime from its sale. So if you have a problem with me, don’t let those feelings keep you from trying a very good holster design. The accompanying photo shows a Dave Spaulding rig with a leather appliqué on the front to make it look like leather, but it is Kydex underneath.

I have long been a fan of paddle holsters but found very few were well executed. The design became popular with revolvers where the gun’s center of gravity is in the middle (cylinder) of the gun which is not the case for pistols. Grip heavy semi-autos are not stabilized on the belt with a traditional paddle design allowing the gun to rock and shift constantly as the body moves which hinders an operator from intuitively drawing the gun without conscious thought. Groping and searching for a shifting handgun is not conducive to maximum performance but the idea of a high performance paddle is enticing. I took a Kydex rig from a very well known manufacturer and modified it over several months in an effort to create a close fitting, stable and comfortable paddle rig and finally arrived at what I (and a number of my students) felt was the right combination. Unfortunately this holster maker blew me off, so I took it elsewhere.

Dan Hillsman is a little known custom maker to the shooting community at large, but very well known in the Special Operations and federal law enforcement community. Dan made the holsters worn by actor Denzel Washington in the Tony Scott film “Man On Fire” after Mr. Washington was trained for the role by Don Rosche of Advanced Weapons Training International, one of Dan’s very satisfied customers. Dan makes his holsters from Bolatron which allows him to mold his synthetic holsters to a degree that rivals leather… they are simply the best Kydex-style holsters available! Dan likes a challenge so I contacted him and explained what I wanted. The holster needed to lock on to the belt and waistband as I wanted the added support trouser material offers a belt mounted gun. I also wanted the paddle/lock pad (not sure yet what to call it…see the photo) to be screwed to the holster body as constant on/off motion eventually cracks a Kydex paddle that is molded over the belt from one piece of material

After months of trial and error, Dan was able to create a holster that locks on to the belt keeping the grip in one position, can be made in various cants, is as close to the body as a pouch-style holster can be and is very fast on the draw while staying concealed. As a matter of fact, Dan was so impressed with the speed this holster displayed he named it “The Scalding Spaulding” though, once again, I do not make a dime from its sale. Both holsters that carry my name I believe are top of the line carry rigs that will work for a wide range of end users. Are they the “end all be all” of handgun carriage? Hardly, but I think they are good ones and deserve your consideration. At least scope them out and see for yourself. They are not inexpensive, but if you are looking for something cheap try Wal-Mart…they have few holster selections.

Dave Spaulding is the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year and Law Officer’s Firearms columnist. A 28-year law enforcement veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, he is the founder of Handgun Compatives. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT—and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. Visit his web site at www.handguncombatives.com and like him on Facebook.

Let me make something perfectly clear: The NRA is not the Gun Lobby. Neither is the NSSF, nor the GOA, nor even The Firearms Coalition, nor the hundreds of grassroots and activist organizations or the thousands of local gun clubs. I am the Gun Lobby. Whenever you talk about the Gun Lobby, you are talking about me. All those groups and entities work for me, but they are not me, and they do not necessarily speak for me. My power does not derive from my personal wealth nor financial support from the industry that serves me. My power comes from the fact that I am one of tens of millions who understand that individuals have the right and the obligation to protect themselves from criminal assault, and that no one — not the government, not the media nor anyone else, has the right to decide what, when, where, or how I responsibly exercise that right and obligation. We – each of us – are the Gun Lobby, and we’re not going away, We’re not backing down, and we’re not giving in – not one little bit.

It infuriates me when I hear “reporting” and editorializing about “the powerful Gun Lobby” and “the intransigent Gun Lobby” and sometimes even “the evil Gun Lobby,” as if we were a handful of rich fat cats in safari shirts sitting in a mahogany-lined room full of leather, stuffed animals, and cigar smoke plotting how to increase our profits by increasing crime. We are the people! We are the 80 to 90 million people in this country who own guns and the tens of millions more who do not own guns, but fully support our right to do so.

Unlike the anti-rights groups like the Violence Policy Center and the Brady Campaign, we do not get the bulk of our money from wealthy do-gooder endowments like the Joyce Foundation or wealthy individuals like Mike Bloomberg. I am the Gun Lobby and I get my money by working for it in factories, on construction sites, in small businesses, stores, shops, farms and ranches. I pull the money I use to support or oppose candidates and to pay my professional advocates, not from tax dollars or union dues, but from my own back pocket.

Unlike my opponents, I do not derive my power from friends in the media or from minions in state and federal offices. I derive my power from the volunteers I can muster and the votes I can deliver. I want little from politicians — mostly to be left in peace. If a politician disturbs my peace, I will do my best to fire them and hire someone else to do the job. That’s not bullying, or threatening, or undue influence, that’s the American ideal as expressed in the First Amendment — Americans expressing their will and support for the Constitution with our individual votes.

Unlike the Bradys and Bloombergs who advocate for regulation, limits, bans, and government controls over law-abiding citizens, I do not advocate government making any decision for any responsible individual. I do not advocate the arming of teachers or the arming of students, or the arming of anyone. Instead I oppose their being forcibly disarmed, and defend the right of all responsible people to make their own choices. I do not assume that thoughtful, responsible people will become heartless killers or mindless idiots because a gun is present. I reject the notion that “the trigger pulls the finger,” as some of my opponents have suggested. I trust responsible adult citizens to be responsible adults, and that trust has been proven consistently everywhere it has been given. I reject the idea that a sign on a wall or a policy in an employee handbook can, will, or ever has stopped someone intent on murder and mayhem from carrying out their criminal acts. To the contrary, I believe that such acts can and have been prevented and curtailed by responsible citizens who had the means and were willing to place themselves in harm’s way for the sake of others. I believe that it is wrong to disarm such people based on their job or where they happen to be.

I am the Gun Lobby. I am deeply rooted in the ideals and principles of this great nation. I am a true American and a true grass roots movement, not like the externally funded, Astroturf organizations that oppose me. Certainly there are honorable and committed individuals who truly believe that guns are the problem, that guns cause crime and that giving the State a monopoly on violence is the key to establishing a peaceful and safe society. I know that those people are wromg.

I am many, diverse, and have varying levels of knowledge and understanding, but I am unified by a single individual truth: that no one has the right to make me helpless in the face of violence to myself, my family, my community, or my country.

Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit and link is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. To receive The Firearms Coalition’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Knox Hard Corps Report, write to PO Box 1761, Buckeye, AZ 85326.

Copyright © 2011 Neal Knox Associates – The most trusted name in the rights movement.

If this is true, I accomplished the mission with my most recent blog on the Blackhawk SERPA. Judging from the comments on line as well as the e-mails sent there were more than a few folks who read it. Some were in opposition to the holster design and they gave good reasons for their opinion(s). These readers drew attention to how the design can be “locked up” due to debris in the mechanism while others commented that since it was made of polymer, it was easy to rip from the belt. Valid concerns and I will leave it to the reader to decide if they are important factors in whether or not you want to buy a SERPA.

What is disappointing are the people who decided to make it personal. One wrote stating, “I will never attend one of your courses as your comments on the SERPA make it clear that you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Really?! I e-mailed him and asked for his reasoning for his statement but he has yet to respond. As it turns out, a friend knows him and he told me, “He is an acolyte of (a famous instructor) and he spends his time on line challenging people who do not believe what (famous instructor) believes. He has no real world LE or military experience; as a matter of fact he is an assistant manager at a bank.”

Please understand there is nothing wrong with being a bank manager (my mother was one) but knowing someone’s background does offer insight into who they are, how they think and whether their thoughts should carry any “weight”. When I attend the 2012 SHOT Show and if I see this instructor, I am going to ask him if he endorses such behavior by his followers. I will do so in private
(with due respect) and not in a public forum where it appears to be more about raising one’s profile without spending years building knowledge, experience and a (deserved) reputation.

While I was receiving anti-SERPA messages, I also received messages thanking me for the information provided. A good example is: “Dave, I want to thank you for your blog on www.downrange.tv about the SERPA holster as it gave me a solution to my problem. I bought the SERPA because I like the idea of having a holster that will hold my gun in place no matter what I am doing. After seeing the You Tube video of the guy who shot himself while drawing from it, I was concerned I had made a mistake. Even though I like the idea of a holster that allows me to release the gun with the same hand motion I use to draw I was starting to doubt my choice. Your blog explained what could possibly happen and gave me several ways to avoid this. While others may ban it, you offered ways to make it work and I appreciate this. I will be in your class in Pennsylvania and look forward to training with you. Merry Christmas! Rick H—– .”

Thankfully some understood what I was trying to do. It had nothing to do with whether or not I endorsed the SERPA, it was about offering solutions for those that do. As I have stated before, being an instructor is more than just being a purveyor of my doctrine, it’s also offering possible solutions for real world problems. It never has been nor will it ever be about me and “The Doctrine of Spaulding”, it’s about the student and preparing them for situations that could cost them their lives. Trainers should not be “dictators” that insist “my way or highway” they should be knowledgeable, experienced guides for the continuing journey that is training.

I have helped develop products I hope will help solve real world problems. The Ameriglo CAP sights were a result of decades of painting or taping front sights. High visibility, contrasting front sights do work in conflict but are nothing new. I remember putting Liquid Paper on the front sight of my S & W Model 19 revolver in the 1970’s. CAP Sights offer a contrasting sight without having to worry about solvents removing the contrasting color, but the end user must know whether they will work for them. While testing the prototypes I had a shooter confront me stating, “WTF! …These sights don’t work for me!” as if I had done him a personal wrong. I told him, “Then I wouldn’t buy them if I were you.” What is a solution for one person may not be a solution for another but that does not mean (as instructors) we should not offer suggestions. Instructors should be capable of directing you, the student, towards a possible solution… In reality, isn’t training a possible solution for a potential problem?

Dave Spaulding is the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year and Law Officer’s Firearms columnist. A 28-year law enforcement veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, he is the founder of Handgun Compatives. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT—and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. Visit his web site at www.handguncombatives.com and like him on Facebook.

The .22 LCR

The HUGE utility of the .22 LCR — and something that we’ve been talking about a lot on the podcasts and on THE BEST DEFENSE — is that it’s a convenient, low-cost tool for practicing with a gun that for some people can be notoriously hard to shoot. Snubs are the embodiment of Jeff Cooper’s “carried a lot; shot a little” dictum. But the problem is that snubbie revolver’s short sight radius, light weight and resulting “brisk” recoil make follow-up shots a bit of a challenge (LOL! With an ultralight .357 and 125-grain screamers, is that ever an understatement!).

The solution to the challenge is, as it pretty much is with all guns, to shoot them a lot. A .22 option allows you to shoot them a lot, and cheaply. I’m going to go out on  a limb here and suggest that if you’re new to CCW and think a snub revolver might be the way you want to go, I might get the .22 LCR first…no, .22 isn’t the world’s best self-defense cartridge, but it is substantially better than harsh language. Secondly, you will have a gun that you can shoot a lot and that you will keep even if you decide to go to a semiauto for CCW. If you feel comfortable with the .22, it’s an easy transition to the .38 (which I’ve been carrying for a couple of months now) or the .357 version.

Secondly, a .22 revolver is a great gun in its “kit gun” role…a gun that you’ll have with you in your “kit,” fishing or otherwise. Recall that S&S has made small-frame .22s described as “Kit Guns” for decades. To update this concept, a .22 small, light .22 revolver is a great addition to a grab-and-go bugout bag, because if you have to grab and go, you now have a back-up gun to your primary piece, and you can easily add 100 rounds of .22 ammo to the bag. I currently have an S&W Kit Gun and 100 rounds of CCI Mini-Mag 36-gr hollowpoints in my grab-and-go bag. That gun will be replaced by a Ruger LCR .22, because I’ve shot the centerfire LCR a lot and love the trigger, I have extensive holster options for the platform and, hey, it’s a Ruger and will probably outlast cockroaches and Keith Richards!

DRTV will have a full video report next week…