A Few From Grant Cunningham

A sacred cow (Source)

For those interested in self-defense with a firearm, here are a few articles from Grant Cunningham that skewers some sacred cows:

First, Cunningham explains why he doesn't think the shotgun is all its cracked up to be for home defense. Hey, I've seen plenty of movies and know that the shotgun is the ultimate weapon! (Just kidding).

Second, he muses that "situational awareness" is more than "a technique or a practice, but as the sum of your conscious knowledge of your immediate environment." He explains:

Think about that for just a second; situational awareness is simply what you actually know about your surroundings at any given point in time. If your knowledge of your surroundings is complete, and those surroundings don't change, your situational awareness is high regardless of what color code you're in or how much your head is swiveling (to use two common and almost always misunderstood terms from the defensive training lexicon.)

He takes some of his inspiration from an article by Bryan Black at ITS Tactical on gathering intelligence and understanding about your neighborhood.

Third, and finally, he suggests that we don't necessarily need to be trained to the level of the ultimate warrior. He doesn't eschew training, though:

Does this mean you need to become an expert just to keep yourself and your family safe? Does it mean you need to take all of these classes right now, even before you own a gun? 

No, on both counts. But a commitment to getting the training you do need is vital to your physical, legal, and financial well being. Owning or carrying a firearm for self defense is a grave responsibility, perhaps the biggest one you will ever shoulder; doesn't it make sense to learn as much as you can about it? 

I agree with Claire: you certainly don't need to become a Rambo, but you should strive to be more than a Gilligan. Somewhere in the middle is your ideal place. If you'll stick around and take advantage of the free information I (and many others) supply, I think you'll get a better idea of what your own balance is.

The article he references is "We Don’t All Need To Be Rambo" by Claire Wolfe at SWAT Magazine. Wolfe's commentary was directed at those persons that believe that you should not be allowed to exercise your Second Amendment rights unless you are a combat veteran or trained to the same proficiency. She writes:

I own guns. I’ve had some decent training, but it was a while back. I don’t practice frequently. When I do, it tends to be with a favored few firearms. I haven’t rehearsed clearing a room or firing while “moving in a highly dynamic manner” in ages. Nor do I regularly practice things like shooting with partially obscured vision or slippery hands.
According to certain persons (self-styled experts), this makes me an “irresponsible and incompetent” gun owner. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to great training or steady practice. On the contrary. If you have the time, money, need or inclination to train like a pro (and given that we’re meeting here in S.W.A.T. Magazine, there’s a good chance you do), more power to you. We need people like you. 

What we don’t need are so-called experts who set the bar so high that they discourage decent, responsible people from possessing guns. One such bloviator recently wrote, “Get professional training. Then get more professional training. And do it again. Practice on your own. Every week. With each of your weapons. If you’re not going to train with your guns, don’t buy guns for self defense.”

And don't buy a car unless you have the skills of a stunt car driver or professional racer.