Edition 56
Comments: None
I hope you and your team are well and continuing to diligently train and prepare for the day that is surely coming.
The focus of this newsletter is crime prevention. I find it useful sometimes to talk about ‘preparedness’ issues because they have a direct bearing on crime prevention.
For instance, if your family has not prepared for drought, famine or plague (pestilence), etc., then, at some level, your hope is in the government.
This means you’ll have to join other ill prepared people like yourself heading to or at government run ‘distribution centers.’ And that means you and whatever family members accompanying you are more likely to become victims of crime (think SuperDome) or, with today’s headlines in mind, disease. And those family members left behind at home are more likely to become victims of crime since you’re not there to protect them.
It’s probably worthwhile to study the likelihood that the Federal government can even handle an emergency of national proportion.
On the other side of the coin, being prepared will certainly designate you as a target. I know without a doubt many people see no need to prepare now because they plan to just take your stuff when they need it. Why sacrifice? Just take from those that have.
Aesop’s post-modern grasshopper would have stolen the ant’s stores upon being told ‘You should have prepared’.
So, you have to decide:
- Not prepare and possibly suffer the consequences, along with my family? Maybe become one of those formerly ‘good’ people that are, out of desperation, forced to become thieves and robbers?
Don’t say you won’t do that. Unless you have watched a family member starve to death or die of thirst or die slowly because they lack medication, when taking from someone who had food, water and meds might have prevented it, then you don’t know what you’ll do when that time comes. - Prepare to live and – concurrently – prepare to kill people in Category 1 when they come for your food, water and meds.
The choice is yours.
Not too soon to start thinking about gift certificates for training as a Christmas present. They’re available for every class.
It’s also not too soon to start thinking about the UBC in December. We’ve made some major revisions to the curriculum, making the scenario more challenging and realistic. Don’t forget DC1 is a prerequisite for DC2 and UBC and CO1 is a prerequisite for DC1.
As always, hope to see you in a class soon.
Train hard; put God first!
Steve
Attention Fathers and Sons
Day of Wrath Revisited
Last newsletter I recommended you download and read William Forstchen’s DAY OF WRATH. If you have read it, then the following will make perfect sense to you.
We’ve put together a Counter Vehicle Ambush training day using our two ‘range’ cars around this scenario:
You’re driving in the slow lane on a four lane highway. You have at least one passenger with you. You notice a car overtaking you in the fast lane. Each time the car pulls alongside the cars behind you they swerve off the road and wreck. This happens every time the car in the fast lane pulls abreast a slower car behind you.
What do you do?
Probably my first choice would be to slip into the fast lane, pull away (if I could), and take the first exit. If Paladin Training was a driving academy, that would be the school solution. End of class. Thank you for your attention.
But, Paladin Training is about fighting with guns. I’m not qualified to teach you evasive driving. So, we’re not going to let you drive away. In our scenario, as is usually the case when you really need to get somewhere quickly, like ‘somewhere else’, there are two cars abreast of each other ahead of you. The car in the fast lane is going 1/10 of one mph faster than the car in the right and your birthday will come before you can pass.
Now, what do you do? Now would be a good time to check out the videos at About ISIL if you haven’t already done so to better understand your predicament.
I call this a training day rather than a class because we’re all going to learn from the experience. We have two donated ‘range’ cars at the range. One has taken a lot of hits over the years and is ready for the recycling station, the other is pristine. Let’s call the pristine car ‘GC’ and the shot up car ‘BC’.
First we’ll place BC down range and shoot at designated hard points from an angle behind it, as if we’re the BG’s overtaking a car from the rear. We want to see what protection the car provides, if any, from bullets coming at an angle from the rear.
Next, we’ll turn the BC around so that it’s facing uprange and put cardboard targets in the two front seats and one in the back seat passenger side. The GC will be parked uprange of it and offset to the right as if it’s the car in the slow lane being overtaken. We’ll put two students in the GC. At the signal, the student in the passenger seat will climb into the rear seat and engage the cardboard ‘occupants’ of the BC with his carbine. We’ll each have a chance to see how well our carbine load penetrates windshields (we’re collecting extra windshields now) and sheet metal. I’m sure we’ll learn some other things, too.
- Prerequisite: This is open only to past UBC participants.
- Date: Saturday, 20 DEC.
- Location: Lake Darpo, Society Hill, SC
- Cost: No charge
Even though there’s no charge, I’ll need a headcount so contact me if interested.
Open Carry?
A couple of months ago ‘open carry’ or ‘Constitutional Carry’ advocates — mainly in Texas — were much in the news. With their in your face activities they created adversarial relationships where up to that point a sort of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy had ruled. I’ve been meaning to write about it, but have put it off because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. With that in mind…
See this?
Dumb and Dumber
The behavior of ‘Dumb’ and ‘Dumber’ above is so stupid I question whether or not they should even be allowed to own real guns.
A Tactical Issue
So much for the element of surprise, an absolutely essential ingredient in a defensive situation where, by definition, you are reacting to a situation already in progress. Any dedicated BG walking into that establishment will simply assassinate these two first. Or, rob them. Seriously. Check this out: I LIKE YOUR GUN
The same goes for wearing handguns in the open. You can’t control who comes within arm’s length of you in a crowded environment, or simply standing in line at a theater or check out line, etc. As we go about the business of life we are often simply surrounded by strangers. Hide the gun. That’s your best retention device.
A Political Issue
Many, if not most, of the businesses I visit are ambivalent about the 2A to the Constitution. While it’s not my first choice, I’m okay with that. I don’t knowingly do business with people / companies that are openly hostile on the issue, but as long as they practice ‘live and let live’, I’m okay.
Businesses exist to make a profit. Any overt behavior that negatively impacts that, like scaring customers away because we walked into the place openly carrying a firearm, will understandably bring about a reaction against that behavior. We should not have a problem with companies that are protecting their legitimate interests. Live and let live works both ways.
Starbucks’ CEO Howard Shultz said, ‘Guns should not be a part of the Starbucks experience’. He’s absolutely right! If I’m in Starbucks, I’m there to enjoy a cup of coffee and would prefer not to have to wonder about the intentions of a private citizen — a total stranger — walking through the door wearing a handgun or AR. And, if I anticipate that situation, I’ll probably just not go there.
A good question: What takes precedence, Steve, yours preferences or the Constitution? The Constitution, obviously, but ‘because I CAN’ do something is not necessarily justification for doing it.
The way to win this battle is through education and respect. Respect… that’s all we want from them, right?
I encourage you to read Mr. Schultz’ comments on the issue here: STARBUCKS
A “You’re Going to Get Yourself Shot” Issue
We teach that a handgun in a holster does not in and of itself represent a threat. On the other hand, putting your hand on the grip will be seen as an escalation of force and the message it carries is, ‘I’m getting ready.’ Likewise, a long gun slung or hanging by a two point sling is considered safe and does not, in and of itself, represent a threat. So, acquiring a firing grip on a slung long gun , as pictured above, may likely be seen as an escalation of force and carry with it the same message: ‘I’m getting ready.’
What would you think if you and your family were eating out and you saw someone coming through the door with their hand on a handgun? Get ready to fight or flee! Well, you should probably think the same thing if you see someone walk thru the door holding a long gun in a firing grip.
One of these days, some unthinking but otherwise innocent open carry advocate is going to get shot by some concealed carry advocate. No matter how justifiable it may be, that’s not going to help us.
A Side Technical Issue
When it is correct to wear a long gun, please don’t use a single point sling. The design practically forces you to keep your hand on the gun while you move and, as discussed above, this might be seen as threatening.
But, there’s another problem with single point slings. Check out the video here, specifically between the 8:35 and 9:25 marks for graphic evidence of the danger inherent in using them, and the reason they’re banned in our carbine classes: