Three for the Weekend

Just a few links to give you some weekend reading/viewing:

       First up, TGIF, Active Response Training has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump for this week. Links to articles on such diverse topics as how to safely unload a crossbow, a critical look at the AR500 company and its products, 10 common concealed carry mistakes to avoid, what training you would need for a theoretical "Bachelor’s of Tactical Science", a study into the safety of chokes (as used in sports), and more. Check it out.

       Second, Jon Low at Defensive Pistol Craft pulled a fast one and published a new post on April 15 (normally his posts are 3 to 4 weeks apart). That's okay because, as usual, we have a good selection of commentary and links to various articles. A couple points he discusses in his post:

     At a meeting of the Tennessee Firearms Association, a Metro Nashville, TN police officer told us of a gunfight he was in in which he fired 14 rounds at a suspect.  None of his rounds hit the suspect.  Fortunately (not intentionally), a wooden fence caught all of his bullets.  He said he never saw his pistol's sights.

     A Lebanon, TN police officer told me of shooting a suspect.  He fired one round that struck the high thoracic cavity and killed the suspect immediately.  The officer said, his front sight was as big as a basketball. 

     I hope that when you shoot, you will be focused on your front sight. Because that is the guarantee that you will hit your intended target. Which means you will not be hitting the innocent bystanders in the background.

 And:

Stephen Obregon --

. . . as a new instructor, I've been told that only experienced Military and LEOs are really qualified to teach Gunfighting/Tactics (advanced classes dealing with force on force, building clearing, CQB, cover and concealment, decision making, etc.) and as a civilian with none of that in my background and who has never been in a gunfight, I am not qualified to teach that kind of stuff, regardless of how much good training I receive from reputable instructors who do have that experience.

Jon Low's response --

     The civilian self-defender or protector-of-others has the primary duty to escape or facilitate the escape of others. 

     The law enforcement officer has a duty to pursue and arrest. What does that have to do with escape?  Nothing.

     The Armed Forces combatant has a duty to kill the enemy by fire, maneuver, and close combat.  What does that have to do with escaping? Nothing.

     Also note that the vast majority of veterans have no small arms training.  They may have familiarization, but not training.

     So, why would military or law enforcement experience have anything to do with civilian self-defense training?

      Finally, Monday, April 20, is Patriot's Day. For those of you that might not be aware of the day (which included me), it is a celebration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It is a state holiday in several Mid-West and Eastern states. Ammo.com has an excellent article about the holiday and the events surrounding the two battles in its article, "Patriots' Day: The Forgotten History of America's Patriots' Day and What it Commemorates." An excerpt:

       The American mythos surrounding the Minutemen is about as powerful as that surrounding the cowboy. Thus it is fitting that the Minutemen were born during the battle that kicked off the struggle for American independence.

       While it’s true that the Minutemen were in existence before these battles, it was during Lexington and Concord when they really came into their own as an important force. Indeed, in response to the “midnight ride,” militiamen were organized as far as 25 miles away while British troops were still landing.

       Lexington was more of a minor skirmish than anything. The British troops weren’t even supposed to be there. British Marine Lieutenant Jesse Adai decided to turn right instead of left, putting him in Lexington instead of Concord.

      Upon meeting up with the rebels, an unknown British officer rode in front of the British troops, waved his sword and ordered the militia to disperse, yelling "lay down your arms, you damned rebels!” For his part, the captain of the militia ordered his men to disperse, but his orders were either unheard or not obeyed. In any event, while some of the men did choose to disperse, none of them laid down their arms. Both commanding officers ordered their men not to fire, but someone did.

      No one is sure who fired first. In fact, most historical sources agree that it was someone uninvolved in the fighting. Only one British troop suffered minor injuries. However, eight patriots were killed and 10 were wounded at Lexington. Most of these occurred during a British bayonet charge.

       In Concord, militiamen from both Concord and neighboring Lincoln were already amassing. Tensions mounted between an advancing Patriot militia and a retreating British force at The North Bridge. A firefight broke out, leading militia commander Major Buttrick to yell out, "Fire, for God's sake, fellow soldiers, fire!"

       Fire they did. The British regulars were soon outnumbered and outmaneuvered. It was a stunning strategic victory for the American Patriot forces.

The Reaction to the Battles

       It’s likely that none of the colonists expected to win this battle, nevermind to win it quite as handily as they did. Most probably didn’t even think there would be a confrontation where each side was shooting to kill. However, the early stages of the American revolution are filled with examples of the colonists being surprised as they walked further and further out onto the ledge of independence.

       All told, 15,000 militiamen showed up to encircle Boston on three sides and to keep the British regulars hemmed inside the city where they could only do negligible damage. Men were pouring into the region from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, forming the core of what was about to become the Continental Army.

       General Gage did not declare martial law, but instead continued his move to seize private weapons by other means.

      The main reason the battle was a strategic failure for the British is because it baited them into exactly the kind of confrontation they were trying to avoid by confiscating arms from the colonial militias. The battle was largely seen as the moment when the rebels crossed the metaphorical Rubicon and could not go back to the status quo antebellum.

      For what it’s worth, the Patriots very heavily relied upon propaganda to paint this battle in a positive light. Inconvenient facts were suppressed and more positive aspects of the Patriots’ role in the battle were played up to give the colonists a battle they could believe in.

      Over the years, the battle began to take on an almost mythic quality. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem "Concord Hymn" was one of the earliest post-Revolutionary attempts at lionizing the battle. "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was memorized by generations of schoolchildren.

      Four Massachusetts National Guard units can directly tie their lineage to this battle.

Read the whole thing. For those interested in an in-depth review of those critical events, I would highly recommend Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer.