Weekend Reading and Viewing

 Greg Ellifritz has posted a new Weekend Knowledge Dump. First I want to thank him to a link to my post on "Government Gun Training" which he raises in relation to a video of a female police officer who was completely overwhelmed by a suspect armed with a hammer. There are two main points that struck me in the video. First, irrespective of sex, how many of us are really prepared to quickly and decisively act when attacked? It is a psychological matter. Some of it is shock at what is happening ("I can't believe this happening") and some is attempting to process what is happening ("What do I do?"). Second, is the physicality of the attack. I'm not trying to put down women, but the reality is that most women--even if they have training--are not physically capable of going toe-to-toe with a fit, adult male. Worse, women are often short-changed in training because they get treated with kids' gloves because they (women generally) don't like getting hit at full speed and power. This can also an issue with many men: in our sedentary world where fighting is verboten, many men are in poor physical shape and have never taken (or given) a punch.

    Moving on, some other articles and videos to which he links that caught my attention:

• Greg links to an article from Recoil magazine on "Practical Paranoia and Preventable Death" that discusses the less exciting, but more common ways, that we can die: things like falls, drowning, burns, etc. As another of his links points out, there is a real danger that we have spent too much time and money on equipment and training not optimized for solving likely problems. While the latter article is concerned with firearms training and self-defense, there is the broader issue of self-protection. If you have a safe full of guns, but no fire extinguisher or first aid kit in your home, you might want to reconsider your priorities.
• Greg includes a couple articles from Mass Ayoob. One ("The Way Of The Weasel") is on the use of surreptitious draw techniques for readying a firearm before actually having to draw it. The other ("Adapting To Change") discusses some changes Ayoob has made over the years as old age (particularly, arthritis) catches up on him.
• Another article on concealed carry and using a public bathroom. 
• An article from Guns & Ammo on using a cap and ball revolver for self-defense. This might be a viable alternative in some jurisdictions that make it difficult to own a modern firearm. As the author points out, this is not a magic end-run around state laws on firearms (he gives a couple examples). His recommendation? "[A] .44 caliber Ruger Old Army revolver is the absolute best choice." This is Ruger's updated version of the Remington New Model Army Revolver (aka Remington Model 1858). Unfortunately, Ruger discontinued the model, but there are other manufacturers the produce copies of the Remington New Army revolver. The author also goes into caliber and energy and recommends using a black powder revolver of at least .44 caliber.
• And an article on "Why I am not a 'Gun-Guy'." This isn't a criticism of people who like guns, but the attitude that the person (training, drive or motivation, tactics, etc.) is more important than the weapon when it comes to self-defense or combat. I wonder, though, if the author is taking it to extremes. The author considers a "gun guy" to be "a man or woman who is a very serious student of the gun. Someone who is a subject matter expert from the butt-stock to the muzzle." And then gives some examples of very technical things that he expects a "gun guy" would know. With that background, he says that he cannot be a "gun guy":

[Because] I’m not a scientist; I’m a Warrior. If you will recall from a previous article, a Warrior is a combatant in a violent struggle of opposing wills. As such, my objective is to keep myself and my loved ones safe. In order to do that, I will prepare myself and my environment to impose my will on anyone or anything that attempts to harm me or those in my charge. I will escalate or deescalate force with or without a firearm. The firearm is simply a tool I use to impose my will. Much akin to the way a carpenter may view the use of his hammer. The hammer is one of the tools he uses to frame a house. He isn’t in love with the hammer; it’s just one of many tools he or she should be proficient in.

The two are not mutually exclusive. To draw an example from the hunting world, Ron Spomer is both a hunter and a gun guy. In fact, there is a certain amount of knowledge of the tools that are required. To draw from the author's example of a carpenter, you probably wouldn't be much of a carpenter if you showed up to frame a house with a ball-peen hammer in hand and a bag full of roofing nails. 

• In a similar vein, Greg offers a video from the Suited Shootist entitled "I Wish I Knew This Sooner" which discusses the dangers of focusing so much on certain shooting skills (the Suited Shootist uses speed of draw and split times as examples) while ignoring other defensive skills (using empty handed techniques or verbal skills as an example); or spending so much time on learning defensive or combat skills that they forget to live their lives.
• And, for revolver shooters, a look at the "Safariland Speedloader Comp III, Triple Speedloader Holder, and Speed Strips." Greg recommends the Comp III and indicates that it is what he uses when carrying a revolver. I haven't used the Comp III, but I have used the Comp II which is a more concealable option that still is a push to release design (as opposed to twisting a knob). I say more concealable, but the Comp II is still intended for duty use, while the Comp III is intended for competition. I would note that Safariland pretty much only offers its speedloaders for .38/.357 caliber rounds, so if you want some for a larger (or smaller) caliber, you are probably out of luck. 

A lot more there, so be sure to read the whole thing.