1 Dec 05

Great training thought, from one of our instructors in OH:

“In order to address this important area of training, we’ve instituted ‘WEAK HAND/ONE HAND’ days.

Designate a single day, and do everything (except driving and other activities where there is a safety issue) one-handed. Get dressed, eat, shower, read a book, brush your teeth, work on your laptop, dry-fire practice, et al with only the opposite hand. Stick with it for the whole day! It is a quick and inexpensive way to maintain and increase important skills. It compels body and mind work together to overcome unfamiliar obstacles.

IMPROVISE, ADAPT, OVERCOME- FIND A WAY TO WIN. DON’T WASTE VALUABLE TIME DOING NOTHING MORE THAN LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO LOSE. It is a character-defining attitude that none of us exercise nearly enough!”

Comment: We all need to be doing this!

/John

 

2 Dec 05

Comments on the UN Gun Ban defeat in Brazil, from a friend and student there:

“Good news from here in Brazil! Last 23rd October our federal government made a national public consult about the continued private ownership of guns. The question we Brazilians had to answer was, ‘Do you agree to ban the public, commercial sail of all firearms and ammunition?’ Only two answers were allowed: ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ ‘No’ won by 64 to 36, a huge majority.

IANSA, the UN, and other Marxists were shocked that their little stunt went down to such a decisive defeat, despite all the effort they put into it. They tried to assure us Brazilians that we’re all too stupid to own guns. They got it shoved up their nose!

Stay strong in the USA. We need your NRA down here!”

Comment: Fallacious ideas quickly die of their own accord, when they articulated clearly. That is why you never get a straight answer from a Marxist/liberal. Freedom-loving people everywhere rejoice in this decisive verdict.

/John

 

2 Dec 05

Hot off the press!

The newest edition of The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning is now
available.

The books were delivered from the press on Friday and are not yet listed
at Amazon (you can still get the previous edition there).

The price is $25.00 (this includes shipping and handling)

You can order with a credit card by calling 303-443-9817
You can order online using PayPal at DTIPubs.com
Or send a check or money order for $25.00 to
DTI Publications, Inc
PO Box 18746
Boulder, CO 80308

Orders are shipped daily using USPS Priority Mail

If you have questions please call us at 303-443-9817 or send email to
nicholl@frii.com
Makes a great Christmas Gift!

The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning
By John S. Farnam
ISBN 0-9659422-4-4
Copyright 2005

For more than 30 years, John S. Farnam has been teaching the latest
defensive firearms techniques to police departments, federal and stat
agencies as well as foreign governments. Now his classic book, The Farnam
Method of Defensive Handgunning, has been fully updated and revised.
Whether you are a novice or experienced shooter, you will find valuable
insights on the types of defensive handguns and the tactics for using
them.

This new edition features fully updated information on the “why” of
defensive shooting including chapters on the legal justification for using
lethal force. It contains valuable information about tactics you will use
every day to avoid criminal confrontation or to react promptly and
effectively if you do encounter a potential criminal. You will also find
vital information on mental toughness and personal tactics that can help
you to preserve your own life and the lives of family members when facing
an imminent deadly assault.

The chapters on handgun operating systems present the variety of handguns
currently in use with advantages and disadvantages clearly described. You
will also learn about the newest developments in defensive ammunition, and
the importance of selecting and testing the right rounds for your handgun.

/John

 

7 Dec 05

Bearing Arms:

A friend who lives in the UK but, when he comes over once per year, shoots with us here in CO recently commented that he can always tell when he has arrived in the USA. He reports that Americans walk “with their heads held high, as if they owned the place!” “You’ll see nothing like that in all of Europe, even Western Europe” he laments. “Europeans walk around slumped over, like whipped dogs. They typically look dismayed, fearful, apprehensive”

He continues by observing that even he walks confidently and upright when he is over here, carrying a pistol, and breathing American air!

Americans who bear arms, not just on shooting ranges, but throughout our day, look upon the practice not as just a banal habit, but as a way of life, a way that is uniquely American. Who bear arms exhibit a dash, which, to the observant, is unmistakable!

America’s creation was a bold experiment and one most gave scant chance of succeeding. We Americans are an historical aberration, and, when America is gone, nothing like it will ever exist again. It is truly said, “Free men bear arms.”

/John

 

11 Dec 05

SA’s trouble with tourists:

“Forty German travel agents were robbed at gunpoint in their bus in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha Township Wednesday night. Two armed men entered the group’s stationary tour bus and demanded money. The travel agents, who are on a week-long educational/promotional visit to South Africa, were in the country as guests of SA’s Tourism Bureau. All had been assured that SA’s reputation for a high level of violent crime had been ‘greatly exaggerated.’

A spokesman for the Tourism Bureau said he was ‘deeply concerned’ with the incident.”

Comment: SA’s new draconian gun laws have apparently failed to deliver on the promise of a lowered rate of violent crime! I don’t think any of these travel agents are going to recommend SA as a tourist destination.

/John

 

11 Dec 05

Christmas Shopping, from a friend and Instructor on the East Coast:

“My wife rarely carries. I, of course, do. We started our annual Christmas shopping day on Saturday. We went separate ways, making arrangements to meet for lunch at a local restaurant. Coordination was via cell phone.

Mid-morning, my wife called and advised that she would be fifteen minutes late for lunch. However, her phone, which had started the day with only a half charge, died during our conversation. Our young daughter was with her.

While I was waiting at the restaurant, my daughter came in alone and advised me that “mommy was sick” in the car. I rushed out to the parking lot and found my wife suffering from vertigo, induced by heavy perfume smells in the department store where she had been shopping. She was nauseous and on the verge of vomiting, unable to get out of the car.

I gave her an Antivert and waited there with her until it began to work. In the interim, I charged her cell phone battery via the charger I keep in my vehicle. As the weather was pleasant, we decided I would take the children back to the restaurant for lunch, while she remained in the car. I left her my back-up pistol (Kahr-9).

I learned my lesson! A cell-phone battery, one-half charged, is inadequate to get one through a busy day! A cell-phone battery charger in every vehicle is a must. We only had one, in my car. We never considered it necessary to have one in her vehicle. We know better now!”

Lessons: Emergency/safety equipment needs to be well maintained and checked regularly. It is all too easy to let slide things like regular battery charging. Dead phones can be more than a just a nuisance!

Back-up pistols are critical, not just for the carrier, but for the otherwise unarmed person whom the carrier may have to quickly arm in an emergency.

/John

 

11 Dec 05

ND story, from a friend with a corrections dept:

“We two ND’s here last week. An officer was preparing to ‘turn in’ her pistol (G17). She stood in front of the clearing barrel and attempted to unload. She removed the weapon from her holster, pointed it at the barrel, cycled the slide (ejecting the chambered round), released the slide (chambering another), and then pressed the trigger. The weapon, of course, discharged. Astonished, she then re-cycled the slide and pressed the trigger again! To her chagrin and amazement, the weapon discharged a second time.

At this point, an armorer came out and relieved her of the pistol. This officer is new, having been with us only a few weeks.”

Comment: What is so clear and obvious to us instructors is not always clear to students. This officer got her sequence mixed up during the unloading process. In addition, she left out the final step and failed to physically check the pistol before attempting to “dry fire.” Adequately detailed explanations and sufficient repetitions are the key to competent instruction, but, when we’re racing the clock, sometimes students, like this one, get left behind.

Not all who carry guns are “gunmen,” just as not all boat owners are mariners. Our goal should to be produce gallant, competent, professional gunmen, not merely timid, amateurish, occasional gun carriers.

/John

 

15 Dec 05

Church Security

I just completed a training program for a large, Christian church in FL. We trained the entire staff of ushers, which are being formed into unit that has a secondary (security) function. Some are cops and carry anyway, and a few others have local CCW permits and carry occasionally, but, for the most part, inconsistently. All carry now, and all have successfully completed the first phase of their training.

“Church security” seems a contradiction of terms, but churches everywhere, particularly Christian churches, have been compelled to seriously address this issue. It is indigenous to our times! The idea is to have a mini-police-force, on property, at all church functions, a force consisting of armed church members who are trained and can be called upon, at a moment’s notice, to deal with a disturbance or a security emergency.

On a philosophical level, my students struggled with this notion, and it required a good deal of intense discussion for them to come to terms with their new responsibilities. In the end, all recognized that this was necessary and that they, each one, needed to step forward and participate.

I see this as a trend. Christian and Jewish churches will increasingly find themselves under attack, both ideologically and physically, by Marxist politicians and violent Islamic evangelists alike. Most will respond with naive denial, but some, like this one, will take reasonable, albeit reluctant, steps to confront this challenge. They deserve a lot of credit for confronting the threat honestly.

/John

 

16 Dec 05

Shooting in Iowa:

A suspect was convicted today of shooting and wounding a special agent with Iowa’s Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The incident took place back in May.

The officer confronted the suspect on a stairway. The suspect then produced a revolver and pointed it directly at the officer. In response, the officer put up both his hands, holding his cell phone in one of them. He made a useful target! The suspect fired. The single bullet struck the cell phone and continued on through the officer’s hand. The suspect was arrested a short time later, without further incident, by other officers. The wounded officer survived but suffers from some permanent disability.

Lesson: Pilots have a saying: “In a mid-air emergency, (1) AVIATE, (2) NAVIGATE, (3) COMMUNICATE.” The sequence of events is more important than the actual activities. What the saying emphasizes is FIRST THINGS FIRST! One needs to aviate first, getting control of the aircraft. Then, he can worry about where he is and with whom he needs to communicate. Sequence is critical! Transposing steps is a recipe for disaster!

Likewise, in a personal security emergency, we need to: (1) MOVE, (2) EVALUATE, (3) DECIDE, (4) ACT. Communicating via cell phone is way down the list! I’m not sure what putting up one’s hands is designed to accomplish.

In this business, whatever else we are, we must be decisive and courageous. Hesitant ditherers need not apply. We see what happens when they do!

/John

 

18 Dec 05

Comments on church security, from a retired state trooper trying to put together a security plan for his church in KY:

“Acceptance by members of our congregation has been cautious. However, several have loudly voiced the opinion that church should be ‘the last place on earth where there should be security concerns.’ I agree, but we recently identified two, registered sex offenders who are routinely attending our services….”

Comment: I suspect there are few American church congregations who don’t unwittingly harbor sex offenders, some registered, some not. Sexual deviates looks upon church goers as naive, gullible prey. It is no surprise to find them mixed in.

“Church security,” like it or not, is acutely necessary, for many reasons. The foregoing is just one.

/John

 

19 Dec 05

My good friend Mas Ayoob puts it all too well:

“Another sad example of people who can’t tell the difference between ‘how things should be’ and ‘how things are.’ We see it too often among our own gun people: ‘If I’m in a justifiable shooting, my department will take care of me,’ or ‘If I’m in a shooting, I’ll be all right so long as I did the right thing.’

Right up there with ‘The Titanic is unsinkable’ and ‘Don’t worry, ladies and gentlemen, those chains are made of chrome steel.’ (King Kong, 1933)”

Comment: It has been said that there is no slavery more disgraceful than that which is self imposed. It is also true that there is no deception more inexcusable than self-deception!

/John

 

20 Dec 05

Road rage incident in the Philippines:

“An acquaintance died last weekend during a road-rage encounter. He was driving with a single passenger when another car cut into his lane just ahead of him. Incensed, he immediately overtook the errant vehicle and blocked its path. The errant vehicle stopped, and everyone (driver and two passengers, all male) exited. The driver of the first vehicle also exited, saying to his passenger that he was going to give the misguided motorist ‘a piece of his mind.’

A shouting match quickly developed, with threats exchanged. The driver of the first vehicle then turned away from the three men and started to walk back to his car. He never made it! One of the men from the second vehicle ran up behind him and bashed his skull in from behind, using a length of pipe. Victim was DRT. The trio then fled and are still at large.”

Lessons: Anger, when out of control, can quickly get you in over your head! While we all need to take pride in our existence, one cannot “take a stand” at every provocation. Aggressive disengagement is nearly always the best plan, particularly when in a public place. When you go looking for trouble, don’t be astonished when you find it, more than you wanted!

Watch your back! Keep looking around. Give them the impression that they will be unable to sneak up on you. You may not see a weapon now, but an attacker can produce one in an instant.

/John

 

21 Dec 05

In Washington, all seem to be into ponderous pronouncements these days. Here is a sage comment from a friend and instructor:

“Early in the American Civil War, a local gasbag/politician was trying to organize a volunteer regiment in Wisconsin, whose commander he intended to become. Addressing the assembled men, whom he hoped to convert to volunteers, he said, ‘Men, our motto will be, ‘Victory or Death.’‘ A guy in the back replied, ‘That’s a little harsh, Colonel. Make it, ‘Victory, or pretty damned badly wounded’ and I’m your huckleberry!

Like you, I’m ill-disposed toward clever slogans. They are usually created by comfortable authors who have never had the experience of crapping in their pants while huddling in the dark, alone in a cold, wet, pitiless ditch, with somebody out there trying to kill them. Those of us who have had this defecating experience usually prefer toilet paper, clean shorts, and a good supply of ammunition to clever phrases!”

/John

 

22 Dec 05

Another sad case of personal incompetence, from a friend in WY:

“Our local chief of police carelessly left his own carry pistol (G23) in a downtown restaurant bathroom several weeks ago! The story has been kept quiet, but the chief has finally acknowledged his gaff. The loaded pistol, in its holster, was inadvertently left on a counter in the bathroom. The chief didn’t even realize his mistake until the pistol was quietly returned to him by one of his own officers later the same day. Restaurant employees had discovered the gun and immediately called police. Responding officers traced the gun back to their own chief. The incident was not investigated, and the chief got an inaudible slap on the wrist from our city manager. Around the department, the subject was quickly dropped!”

Comment: I believe absolutely that an LEO has the individual responsibility to acquire and maintain personal competence. When somebody takes public money to do a job, he or she must be able to perform adequately. This has nothing to do with “departmental” training. It is an ethical responsibility, a matter of personal integrity and character. The legal power OF arrest requires the competence TO arrest. Bottom line: learn to handle your weapon and yourself, or find other work. For CCW permit holders, the same responsibility applies. Learn it and live it, or go back to eating grass!

/John

 

22 Dec 05

Silent revolution:

I was on the phone this morning with a good friend who manufacturers holsters under military contract. Most are concealment rigs, shoulder and hip holsters. His stuff is wonderful and is worn by many star-wearers and their security staffs. Interestingly, he reported that less than half of incoming orders are for the Beretta (9mm, M9) pistol, the “official” sidearm of the US Military! There are a few requests for the M11 (SIG228), but the majority now are for the “old” 1911 pistol in 45ACP! Colts, Kimbers, Springfields, S&Ws, they have them all! In addition, there is suddenly (and curiously) an ample supply of 45ACP ammunition, as well as 9mm, in Country. I wonder where it is coming from, since the official story is that it hasn’t been ordered in years!

It seems there is a quiet revolution going on the active parts of the Army and Marines. The Beretta is being quiescently displaced with the 1911. It is, so far, all unofficial, but it is going forward relentlessly nonetheless. I, for one, think this clandestine evolution represents a great step forward, but, like all positive developments, it must be kept quiet. “Good news” is always “bad news” in our upside-down age!

/John

 

23 Dec 05

Report from the front, from a friend in Country:

“I have been in the presence of our adversaries here, interviewing/interrogating many. Although not competent in fighting skills, at least by our standards, they do understand their mission, and they are wholly committed to the all-inclusive extermination of Western Civilization, most particularly the USA! No ACLU or DNC to muddy the waters of their world!

Since the only components of “Western Civilization” willing even to acknowledge this threat are the USA and the UK, we had better come to respect this enemy and truly understand its unshakable commitment to our removal from the face of the Earth. They see us as weak, decadent, confused, and ripe for overthrow. They believe they can run us out of Iraq, just as we were run out of there the first time, just as we were run out of Korea and Vietnam. They dare to believe they can win. This time, we better move quickly to locate, close with, and destroy them- while we still can!”

/John

 

24 Dec 05

G21s and the LAPD:

LAPD’s problems with the G21 appear to be mostly over. As always, Glock moved in fast, correctly identified the problem, and fixed it.

At the heart of the issue was misaligned rails on a few of the guns, which caused interference with the free movement of the firing pin. That is where the “ignition failure” problems began.
As a result, Glock is examining all our G21s, mostly owned by individual officers. All G21s discovered to be out of factory specifications, or otherwise unserviceable, are being fixed or replaced, on the spot, by Glock.

Glock responded quickly and has worked with our Firearms Unit to solve this problem to get our G21s back in service as speedily as possible. Glock wants those guns working and at work. We do too!”

Comment: Once again, Glock deserves a lot of credit for getting right on this. No quibbling and no denial. They just isolated and fixed the problem, getting the customer up and running again. In the gun business, customer service is paramount. Few do it better than Glock!

/John

 

26 Dec 05

Lion Hunting:

John Taylor referred to himself as “Last of the Ivory Hunters.” An adventurous Britisher, from the 1920s through the 1950s, John was on a more-or-less continuous safari in South and East Africa, hunting mostly elephant. The native Chinyungwe gave him the nickname, “Pondoro,” which translates to, “Lion.” In such remote areas did he spend most of his adult life, that he didn’t even know WWII had broken out until he read about it in old newspapers used to wrap supplies he had arranged to be sent to him in the bush! Upon returning to London in the 1950s, he discovered, too late, that civilization represented a lethal snare. Owing to politics, he was unable to return to the Africa he loved. He died in London, penniless, in 1969.

He has interesting comments about lion hunting:

“… what rifle to use for lion? See to it that you have plenty of power. The lion’s tenacity to life is something you can’t possibly appreciate until you have had actual evidence of it. You can drill him through and through…, and he’ll come on…, and he will still be able to kill you first. It’s happened many and many a time.

… the British seem to have a mania for featherweight, smallbores, throughout Africa, and when I hear of one of them getting killed or mauled, I just can’t shed a tear.

… You may shoot many lion without being charged by one; but sooner of later it will be your fate to face a charging lion. I consider it the acme of foolishness to tackle lion with a low-powered rifle.

… when lion hunting, I strongly recommend you carry a good handgun, in an open-top holster. When a lion gets you down… he will chew on an arm or leg for a long time and appear to be quite satisfied. Men have tried to get hold of the lion’s tongue, only to have their hands crushed to pulp. Had they a handgun… they could have blown out the animal’s brains a few seconds after being brought down.”

Comment: “Tenacity for life” represents a challenge no matter what you are trying to kill! In fighting, it is a matter of being more tenacious than your opponent. When you raise the ante high enough, most human opponents will break it off, rather than risk losing the only life they have.

His comments about fast pistols in open-top holsters are also interesting. He apparently had scant interest in wimpy rifles and slow pistols. When carrying a rifle, you should always be carrying a pistol(s) too. When the lion “brings you down,” it will be too late to “get ready!”

/John

 

26 Dec 05

From my friend who works at a “Gentleman’s Club” in TX:

“We had the ‘wrong dogs’ loose in the club on 22 Dec! At midnight, the upstairs bar reported a fight in progress. Sure enough, two male customers were swinging at each other, exchanging verbal threats. As I arrived, one of the combatants suddenly lunged backwards holding his wrist and screaming, ‘He’s got a knife!’ The other combatant was, indeed, brandishing a (now bloody) blade at his opponent, and the rest of us.

I closed in, yelling ‘police,’ and struck the arm holding the knife with my ASP expandable baton. The arm immediately went limp as the knife fell to the floor. The suspect was completely confused from that point forward, and we had no trouble getting him cuffed and out of the area.

Within moments, we received another frantic call! It was a different fight, this one in the downstairs bar. When I arrived, a fight was well and truly in progress, and several others were doing their best to join in. The situation was getting out of hand!

It was so loud, verbal commands were unproductive, so, once again, I used my baton to make a path through the mob to the original, two combatants. When even that was not working well, I defaulted to my Panther Stun Gun. I began continuously discharging it as I moved toward the fight, making physical contact with the few who did not want to move.

I remembered ‘The Four Ds.’ Not only did this weapon (in combination with movement and verbal commands) ‘divide their focus,’ it certainly also ‘disrupted their plan!’ Everyone finally started moving back. I had decisively seized the agenda, and all now stopped and looked to me to see what I would do next.

I wasted no time! We moved in, seizing the original combatants, who were both cuffed and evacuated immediately. The show was over almost as quickly as it had started, and the rest of the customers, seeing that there was no more excitement, went back to drinking and socializing as if nothing had happened.

As for the few who came into contact with the Panther, reaction was immediate and dire. No one expressed interest in a second episode! I recommend this ERD for the kind of close-in work we do, where non-lethal weapons are indispensable!

I cannot stress the importance of being able to assess situations quickly, develop of plan quickly, as well as the ability to move smoothly from one weapon to the next. Verbal commands are paramount, but one must be prepared to up the ante when necessary. When you carry only one weapon, and you are unable to think and speak clearly, you won’t do much good in this business!”

Lesson: If you can refrain from panic, when all about you have given into it; when, despite chaos surrounding you, you can still think clearly and move quickly and deftly; all will eventually move back and let you take control. This is literally the definition of decisive leadership: a benevolent meateater, among grasseaters. Good show, Bud!

/John

 

29 Dec 05

Lou Alessi, artist in gunleather:

I’m carrying my Garthwaite/Detonics now is a beautiful Alessi shoulder holster. I’ve known Lou for many years, and his brilliance and artistry with leather are legendary. The harness is balanced and comfortable, and Lou incorporates an ingenious pull-through, retention system that is smooth and effortless, yet holds the pistol securely. It all fits elegantly and insouciantly under my CCC vest. Nothing not to like!

In concealment leather, Lou has few equals. Good show, my friend!

Lou Alessi
Alessi Leather
2465 Niagara Falls Bd
Amherst, NY 14228
716 691 5615
716 691 5639 (Fax)
LFAlessi@cs.com

/John

 

31 Dec 05

7.62X39, Soviet

A friend at a large, local gun retailer tells me that they are no longer able to get low-cost, foreign-made 7.62X39 (30 Soviet) ammunition. Kalashnikov and SKS owners consume large quantities of the stuff “making big rocks into small rocks” at gravel quarries on weekends, and they are sorely disappointed. Domestically-produced ammunition is still available in quantity, but it is much more expensive.

Gun sales, in general, continues at a brisk pace in this nervous world. Serious weapons rule!
Curiously, Beretta’s new, rotary-barrel PX4 pistol sells well. Their conventional 92 series continues to do poorly.

/John