Comments on war and warfare
18 June 13 Comments on war and warfare, from a decorated veteran and dear friend, in SA: “Years ago, I volunteered and went to war after my National Service. Towards the end of the (Angolan) War, our church decided to gather at a special meeting at Broederstroom to denounce the War, along with all who […]
Churches as “sanctuaries?”
17 June 13 Yesterday, a deranged meth-addict entered a Catholic church in UT, and without delay, approached his estranged father-in-law and immediately shot him in the head at close range. Brand/caliber of pistol used was not divulged. Father-in-law was last reported in critical condition at a local hospital. Suspect subsequently ran out of the church, […]
Ammunition Update
16 June 13 I spent last Friday with the CEO of a major domestic ammunition manufacturer. While there, I was able to get a small quantity of high-performance 40S&W and 45ACP ammunition, as well as some 9mm hardball. He also had some 40S&W practice ammunition and several boxes of high-performance 308. No high-performance 9mm, and […]
Exhaustion!
14 June 13 It was my honor and privilege to work with a local PD SWAT Team in the Northwest earlier this week. We had twenty of them there, all equipped with M4s bearing Aimpoints, as well as Kimber 1911 pistols. A few had Glock 21s. We ran an intense Course. Each officer fired many […]
The beat goes on!
10 June 13 At an Urban Rifle Course here in WA last weekend, I had, as is commonplace, an assortment of ARs in 5.56×45, and one AK in 7.62×39. My students were, as usual, a mix of cops, doctors, lawyers, and business professionals. After several decades of doing these courses, I’m noticing at least three […]
From a friend and student in Norway
7 June 13 From a friend and student in Norway: “This morning I passed a checkpoint manned by local troops from our HV (Norwegian National Guard). It was nice to see they all had fully-loaded H&K G3s at the ready, but pointed in a continuous safe direction, and fingers where they belong. Unlike so many […]
The way great nations go to war
3 June 13 The Congressional “Tonkin Gulf Resolution” of 7 Aug 1964 was the beginning of our big troop build-up in Vietnam. I didn’t get there until the summer of 1968, four years later. As it turns out, the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a fraud. President LBJ insisted that one of our ships had been […]
Finally, in IL!
31 May 13 From my friend and colleague, Frank Sharpe, at Fortress Defense: “Our Concealed Carry Bill is finally through the IL General Assembly. It passed with a super-majority, so our governor can (1) veto it, (2) sign it, or (3) sit on it, but the final result will be the same. It’s, at long […]
More on pistol optics
29 May 13 More on pistol optics, from several colleagues in a position to know: Going back ten years, first-generation MRDSs (micro red-dot sights) were small enough to mount on pistols, but were not sufficiently rugged for serious purposes. Some Operators have even mounted Aimpoint’s T1s on pistols, but the T1 is really too bulky […]
Trijicon RMR on pistols
28 May 13 At this year’s NTI in Harrisburg, PA, (just concluded), a number of my friends and colleagues were carrying (concealed) Glocks, M&Ps, XD, et al, equipped with RMRs. The RMR is a zero-magnification red-dot optical sight that is small enough to go on the slides of many carry pistols. The optic is typically […]
Fatal terrorist attack in London yesterday
24 May 13 These comments from a friend in the UK: “One of our soldiers was randomly attacked by cleaver and knife-wielding Islamic youths yesterday. He died at the scene. The two attackers loitered, bloody knives still in their hands, lecturing bystanders, until police arrived. When they did arrive, one bystander asked police why they […]
The Bill of Rights, paraphrased from a friend and scholar
20 May 13 The Bill of Rights, paraphrased from a friend and scholar: “At the time of the drafting of our Federal Constitution, there was much heated discussion with regard to the structure of the federal government. The proposed construction certainly attempted to dissipate power among the branches, but the rights of citizens were still […]
Ammunition situation
16 May 13 I was in a Gander Mountain in PA today, checking out their ammunition inventory. Gander Mountain is a big outdoor-sports franchise, similar to Sportsman’s Warehouse. No Glocks, nor M&Ps, nor XDs. Not one for sale. No ARs of any brand. No 9mm, 40S&W, 357Sig, 45ACP, 45GAP, 308, nor 223. No 22LR (rimfire) […]
Hypocrisy?
14 May 13 This from a friend in Madison, WI: “The Dalai Lama just drove under my office window, surrounded by a heavily-armed escort. Many uniformed guards, and they carried ARs in plain view, along with pistols. No attempt to hide them. Not clear if they were private or public. I didn’t see a single […]
Aimpoints
13 May 13 At an Urban Rifle Course last weekend, a student brought an Eagle Arms AR, with old-style (A1), standard, iron sights. The company who manufactured the rifle is now out of business, having long-since been absorbed by Armalite. The student was using old magazines (with old springs and old-style followers), and the rifle […]
Student Story
8 May 13 Student Story: Here in the Midwest, a woman we knew came to us for training last week. She received defensive handgun training from Vicki and afterward decided to buy a pistol for personal protection. In this state, state-issued CCW permits are not hard to get, and she is currently applying. This woman […]
“… just an ordinary guy”
6 May 13 Last weekend, during a Defensive Handgun Course in the Midwest, one of my students, an unassuming black man, told us an amazing story: My student lives in Chicago, is gainfully-employed, and has been his entire adult life. He is the very definition of “law-abiding,” having no arrest record, except as noted below. […]
“Dithering,” as policy!
30 Apr 13 At our ILEETA Conference in Wheeling, IL two weeks ago, my friend and colleague, Ron Borsch, coined a new term when describing indecisive police responses to critical incidents, particularly those involving hostages and “active murderers,” he referred to it as “tactical loitering.” The issue is this: We all know, from bitter experience, […]
Rifle Set-up
29 Apr 13 At an Urban Rifle Program last weekend in UT, one of my students brought a folding-stock (under-folder) Kalashnikov (7.62×39), with a cheesy red-dot optic, mounted high, just in front of the rear iron sight. The rifle, like most Kalishnikovs, ran fine for the duration, but my student had great difficulty using his […]
Trauma Kits
26 Apr 13 The Boston bombing reminded us all of the importance of carrying with us a competent, personal trauma kit. Several were on hand at the bombing scene, and tourniquets proved to be real life-savers! Without tourniquets being applied quickly, many victims, who are alive today, would have bled-out in short order. Best emergency […]
Gun industry legends Dave Spaulding, Massad Ayoob, Mike Boyle, and John Farnam join Fernando Coelho to dive deep into the history of the gun industry, shedding light on how firearms and firearms training have transformed over the decades. They discuss the dramatic shift from traditional print reviews to the digital age of internet forums, social media influencers, and YouTube personalities of the industry.
