Weekend Reading #69

Some longer or more involved reading:

•  Due to my delay in posting this week, I am able to include the latest Defensive Pistolcraft newsletter and compendium of links from Jon Low. A few highlights:
• Jon has collected quite a few videos and articles discussing the Twin Falls' In-N-Out Burger active shooter incident. And in that regard, he includes the following quote from Gabe Suarez:

      THE GOAL IS NOT TO SAVE LIVES, OR TO STOP THE KILLING,  OR GET ANYONE TO SAFETY.  THOSE THINGS MAY HAPPEN SUBSEQUENT TO YOUR MISSION SUCCESS, BUT THEY ARE NOT YOUR MISSION. 

      THERE IS ONLY ONE MISSION - LOCATE, IDENTIFY, AND TERMINATE THE SHOOTER.  

      EVERY PIECE OF GEAR YOU CARRY, EVERY TRAINING SESSION YOU EXECUTE, AND EVERY STEP AND ACTION YOU TAKE AT THAT EVENT MUST BE ORIENTED TO ACCOMPLISH THAT MISSION - LOCATE, IDENTIFY, AND TERMINATE THE SHOOTER.

But Suarez also is quite blunt that it is not something for the average concealed carrier. From another quote Jon includes:

     So rather than the underachiever’s “three rounds at three yards in three seconds”,  we train for an event like this.  Facing an active shooter or terrorist.  We carry fighting weapons, not convenient mini-pistols.  We train for accuracy, not to beat a timer’s beep.  And we train at extended distances as well as standard distances.  And time and again, these practices have been shown to be the deciding factor in events like this.   

On the other hand, you are more likely to be killed by lightening than be the victim of an active shooter; but, based on data from a 1987 report, you have an 83% chance of being the victim of a violent crime during your lifetime (it is slightly higher if you are a man, and slightly lower if a woman). So while Suarez may poo-poo those who don't carry combat pistols on a daily basis, the "convenient mini-pistols" are sufficient for the vast majority of self-defense situations most people will find themselves in; and, more importantly, the "convenient mini-pistols" will actually be carried while the heavy and/or bulky combat pistol will often be left at home. Unfortunately, it is difficult to collect information about civilians stopping active shooters which John Lott discusses in his paper, "Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police?" let alone the weapons used. I agree that a combat pistol would be better than a pocket pistol or sub-compact pistol once you are using it, but the question for concealed carry is what is the largest will you be able and willing to carry on a regular basis. The better solution might be to learn how to use the "convenient mini-pistol" for longer shots. There is no reason why you shouldn't be practicing shots out to 25 yards with a handgun, or even longer if your range allows for it. Fortunately, unlike the situation even a decade ago, most of the small handguns produced today can be fitted with decent sights.  

• Speaking of accurate shooting, Jon has some guidance:

     A correct grip, surprise trigger break, and correct follow-through will allow you to achieve precision. 

      Once you are able to shoot a tight group, all bullets through the same hole at 3 yards or all bullet holes touching at 5 yards, you have demonstrated precision.  Now you are ready to move your sight to achieve accuracy, which means your point-of-impact matches your point-of-aim.   

     Move your sights to move your point of impact to match your point-of-aim.  Fixed iron rear sights in a beaver tail can be pushed left or right with a sight pusher.  Fixed iron front sights can be ground down if the point-of-impact is low or replaced with a taller front sight if the point-of-impact is high.   

     Correct zero is essential for confidence.  Confidence is the difference between taking the shot, and not to taking the shot because you're not sure you will hit your target, or because you fear that you will hit the hostage.   

     Cool calm confidence is achieved with training, practice, and a properly zeroed pistol.   

     If you are using an adjustable sight on your pistol, it's too fragile for combat.  Self-defense is combat.  Yes, I know it works in the pristine conditions of your training and practice.  But that is not combat.  All kinds of strange things happen in combat.  Murphy's Law is in full force in combat.       

    "The Marine Corps uses red dot optics."       

    Yes, I know.  But that doesn't mean it is best practice.  Remember, the Army used Blackhawk SERPA holsters, which was an act of criminal stupidity.  Institutions, no matter how reputable, do not necessarily follow best practices.  Rather, they suffer from institutional inertia, bureaucracy (not meritocracy), and lowest bidder contracting.   

• Speaking of holsters, Jon has a bit from Gabe Saurez about that recent video of the guy that shot himself in the testicle when drawing a Glock from an appendix holster. An excerpt:

     Striker fired pistols are the norm for much of the CCW and LE worlds now.  But I know that they also reduce your margin of error considerably.  They are great when you are at your best, but a liability when you are not.  Like the man said, “shit happens”.  I think it happens more easily with a striker fired pistol. 

      I had a very successful doctor student. This guy was not quite Elon Musk, but I would not be surprised if they had met at some point.  He always had a very nice tuned high end pistol in class.  But it was always a double action weapon.  It was initially a Sig P226 of some sort, and later an HK P30 series.  All with marvelous DA triggers and optics and everything you could ask for.  All the others, myself included, were using Glocks.  I asked him once why he chose that system.  He told me that he had been an ER Doctor for years and he had handled a plethora of self inflicted gunshot injuries.  And that these ranged from a neophyte that had little skill, to high level sport shooters, to legitimate police operators.  All of them without exception, involved striker fired pistols.   

I've argued for years that the double action trigger acts as an additional safety on a handgun, so I do feel somewhat vindicated reading this. 

• And an important safety tip:

     "Safety Tip:  If you are a concealed carry holder who engages an active threat inside a public business, your immediate post-shooting protocol is critical for your survival.  When police officers flood through the doors on an active shooter dispatch, they are looking for anyone holding a gun.  Keep your hands empty, raise them high with fingers spread, and clearly identify yourself as the reporting citizen who stopped the attacker."  

•  Next up is a Greg Ellifritz's Weekend Knowledge Dump. Some of the articles that warrant your attention:
• Tips to avoid looking like a soft target for criminals (I would note that Jon links to a different article on the same topic in his newsletter).
• Dry fire practice protocols. As Greg notes, "Dry practice is one of the more dangerous things we do with firearms." And the reason is because (a) people don't double-check that the handguns are unloaded throughout the dry-fire session (this is really a situation of "trust but verify" even if the person you are trusting is yourself); and (b) failing to follow the rules of gun safety.
• A history of the duty pistols issued by the New York Police Department starting with the first--a .32 caliber revolver in 1896--up to today's Glock 17 Gen 4. 
• A piece entitled "The Cold Test: What 100 Runs Taught Me" which goes over the value of shooting a particular drill cold at the beginning of a shooting session which will give you a better picture of your actual skills/ability if you need to use a firearm in self-defense.
• For hunters and rifle shooters, an article on using a ruck or bag as a shooting rest.
• An article discussing the 50 versus 100 yard zero for the AR.  Greg comments: "For me, my red dot sighted rifles have 50 yard zeros.  My rifles with magnified optics get 100 yards zeros." Sounds like a good rule of thumb. 
• An article on the importance of bullet construction that warns about using varmint bullets for self-defense. The issue with varmint bullets is that they are designed to expand rapidly in smaller animals (dog sized or less), even at low velocities, to avoid overpenetration and potentially ruining a pelt. But that also means that these bullets will often not penetrate deeply into something larger--like a deer or a person. If you want an expanding bullet, you should make sure to use something suitable for at least deer hunting. 

• "Humanity May Soon Have the Technology To Reach Other Star Systems"--SciTech Daily.  An article looking at using a light sail driven by a laser beam to get small probes to other star systems. 
• The banality of evil: "Fauci was not a mad scientist, but a mere bureaucrat granted unlimited power"--The Dossier.  An excerpt:

 On Monday, Senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul released the first text chain from what we hope are a series of communications recovered from Fauci’s government-issued iPhone, which HHS finally handed over on August 5 in response to Johnson’s request. His phone is said to hold more than 34,000 texts and 522 voicemails. Quite suspiciously, it only contains three saved contacts, which probably means that it was tampered with. I do hope that government officials can secure the data that was possibly deleted.

The senators released something of a bombshell that discusses January 2021 communications between Fauci, then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, and future Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. This was just days after former President Biden’s inauguration. The subject is pregnant women and the mRNA injections. In it, Fauci writes that the supposedly “safe and effective” shot “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.”

One week later, Fauci went in front of cameras and said the vaccines had “no red flags” regarding pregnant women. He later said that there was “no indication whatsoever” of increased adverse events in pregnant women. By September, Walensky and her comrades in the Biden Government Health bureaucracy were strongly recommending vaccination before or during pregnancy.