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tIM’S THOUGHTS 

ACROSS THE 

EDITOR’S DESK 

NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits 

From left to right, Mike Piccione, Tim Schmidt and 

Pat Kilchermann. 

The Future for USCCA Members 

is Very Bright! 

(250,000 members... here we come!) 

I 

recently had a fascinating dinner and strategy session 

with Pat Kilchermann and Mike Piccione. (Pat 

is the director of marketing for the USCCA and Mike 

is the editor of Guns & Patriots.) Pat, Mike and I spent a 

day and a half discussing all sorts of different ways we 

can increase the value of a USCCA membership. You see, 

I understand that in order to keep our members and 

customers happy, it is pretty darned important to keep 

“pushing the envelope.” Now, some of the things we 

dream up don’t always work out the way we thought they 

would ... but alas, that doesn’t stop us from pressing on. 

I guess the whole point of this letter is to give you a 

heads up that a whole bunch of exciting news is on the 

horizon. Based on some extremely positive survey feedback, 

we’re about to roll out a new benefit package that 

will literally blow your socks off. I can’t let the cat out of 

the bag yet, but needless to say, the entire USCCA staff is 

buzzing about what’s going to happen. 

I have to hand it to people like Pat Kilchermann and 

Mike Piccione. These guys are masters at coming up 

with amazing ideas and then getting them done. With 

the help of people like Pat, Mike, and the rest of the 

amazing USCCA team, I am more confident than ever 

that we’ll exceed our goal of 250,000 members by the end 

of next year. 

Take care and stay safe, 

As I write this, I’m getting ready to head to 

Pittsburgh, PA for the 2011 NRA Annual 

Meeting and Exhibits. I’ve never been to 

Pittsburgh before, or to an NRA Meeting, for that 

matter. But it’s definitely time to test those waters— 

especially since so many USCCA members will also 

be walking the exhibit halls to see what’s new in 

the firearms world. I’m looking forward to meeting 

those folks, to renewing old friendships and making 

new ones. I’m 

I’m pleased at the 

chance to share the 

story of the USCCA’s 

contribution to the 

concealed carry 

movement with gun 

owners who might 

not yet have gotten 

the word. 

also excited about 

the opportunity 

to represent 

the USCCA and 

its mission to 

thousands of 

NRA members. 

I’m pleased at 

the chance to 

share the story 

of the USCCA’s 

contribution to 

the concealed carry movement with gun owners 

who might not yet have gotten the word. Most of all, 

I’m thrilled to seek out new products, businesses, 

schools, trainers, and people to feature in the pages 

of Concealed Carry Magazine. 

As the USCCA membership continues to grow, 

so will our ability to provide awesome benefits 

that include more education, new resources, and 

excellent training opportunities for our members. In 

coming months, I hope you’ll enjoy seeing these new 

products and resources as much as the CCM and 

USCCA team has enjoyed creating them for you. We 

live in exciting times! 

Stay safe, 

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MAY/JUNE 2011 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM 

3

CONTENTS MAY/JUNE 2011 

38 

FEATURES 

20 

24 

26 

29 

Different problems need 

different solutions. 

Better Let Her Pack 

by Miguel Gonzalez 

Why I Have A 

Concealed Carry Permit 

by Emily Burton 

Sig Sauer P229 SAS Gen 2 

by Duane A. Daiker 

The Warrior Expert: 

Counter Ambush 

by Rob Pincus 

Help new shooters make 

46 informed choices. 

34 

38 

42 

46 

Buying Guns Online 

by Duncan R. Mackie 

Lower Levels of Force 

by Rory Miller 

The Challenged Shooter, Part 1: 

Shooter Status 

by Peter Grant 

Drills for Handgun Selection 

by R.K. Campbell 

Signed articles in Concealed Carry Magazine reflect the views of the author, and are not necessarily the views of the editors at Delta Media, LLC. Concealed Carry Magazine 

and the U.S. Concealed Carry Association are registered trademarks of Delta Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2004-2011 by Delta Media, LLC. Reproduction, 

copying, or distribution of Concealed Carry Magazine is prohibited without written permission. 

4 

USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n MAY/JUNE 2011

COLUMNS 

13 

CCM PROFILE 

Nick Antrillo 

by Oleg Volk 

16 

SHARPEN 

YOUR SKILLS 

Tactics: The Art of 

Planning Ahead 

by George Harris 

18 

THE ORDINARY GUY 

Japan, Civility and Gun Control 

by Mark Walters 

50 

REAL WORLD 

CARRY GEAR 

by Duane A. Daiker 

54 

BEHIND THE LINE 

Weapon-Mounted Lights 

for Private Citizens 

by Tom Givens 

56 

ARMED 

SENIOR CITIZEN 

Edged Weapon Attacks and 

the Myth of Self Defense 

by Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D. 

60 

IT’S JUST THE LAW 

Ceremonies 

by K.L. Jamison, Esq. 

62 

BALLISTIC BASICS 

The Mechanics of Accuracy 

by Tamara Keel 

DEPARTMENTS 

03 

TIM’S THOUGHTS 

03 

ACROSS THE 

EDITOR’S DESK 

06 

LETTERS TO 

THE EDITOR 

07 

TRUE STORIES 

08 

THIS IS USCCA 

10 

LESSONS LEARNED 

11 

DRILL OF 

THE MONTH 

12 

STUFF WE LIKE 

ABOUT THE COVER 

FRONT cover: 

Photographer: Oleg Volk 

Model: Architect Nick Antrillo enjoys 

shooting his Beretta 92FS, here worn 

in an Uncle Mike’s LE series paddle 

holster, for games and range practice. 

His normal daily carry is a Ruger LCP 

carried in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket 

holster. Read more about Nick in the 

CCM Profile beginning on page 13. 

back cover: 

Colt Delta Elite chambered in 10mm 

Auto lies alongside a Cold Steel Spartan 

knife. 

STAFF 

Publisher 

Timothy J. Schmidt 

Managing Editor 

Kathy Jackson 

Art Director 

Betty Shonts 

Circulation Manager 

Laura Otto 

Assistant Circulation Manager 

Nikki Bublitz 

Copy Editor 

John Higgs 

Photographer 

Oleg Volk 

Column Editors 

Duane A. Daiker • Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D. 

Tom Givens • George Harris • Marty Hayes 

K.L. Jamison, ESQ. • Tamara Keel 

Duncan Mackie • Rob PIncus 

Mark Walters 

Contributing Writers 

Emily Burton 

R.K. Campbell 

Miguel Gonzalez 

Peter Grant 

Rory Miller 

USCCA Board of Advisors 

Massad Ayoob • Michael Bane 

John Farnam • Tom Givens 

Marty Hayes • Rob Pincus 

Published for U.S. Concealed Carry by: 

N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way, 


(877) 677-1919 • Customer Service 

(262) 677-8877 • U.S. Concealed Carry 

Concealed Carry Magazine (USPS: 022-302, ISSN: 

1550-7866), Volume 8, Issue 4, May/June 2011 Issue. 

May 20, 2011. Published 8 times a year, monthly 

except combined issues: Feb/Mar; May/June; Aug/ 

Sept and Nov/Dec. Membership is $67.00 per year. by 

Delta Media, LLC, N173W21298 Northwest Passage 

Way, Jackson, WI 53037. Periodicals postage paid at 

Jackson, WI and additional mailing offices. 

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: 

Concealed Carry Magazine, N173W21298 Northwest 

Passage Way, Jackson, WI 53037. 


5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

In the April 2011 issue, Lenny C. (Letters 

to the Editor) complains that the blank 

white cover of his USCCA magazine attracts 

the wrong sort of attention by suggesting 

itself to be porn. How about giving 

the magazine a disguise? Let the cover 

proclaim it to be the journal of the U.S. 

Canine Companions Association... or the 

Undersea Salvage and Collection Club 

of America... maybe even the Ultraviolet 

Spectrographic Chemistry Collegiate 

Alliance. We’d just look for the familiar acronym, 

and Mr. Volk would get a chance 

to photograph something other than yet 

another person holding gun. 

Scott Bates 

We took a poll around the office, and 

prefer Ubiquitous Skedaddling Carnival 

Clowns Anonymous—though there was 

a strong minority vote for becoming the 

Ukulele Strummers of Central Cleveland 

Abbey. 

Just got through reading Letters to 

the Editor (April 2011) about the complaint 

concerning the plain wrapper delivery 

method. Several years back, I had 

a subscription to a motorcycle magazine. 

During the three year subscription I received 

only about 40% of the issues from 

the normal monthly mailing. I recently 

subscribed to a popular gun magazine 

and have only received two of my first 

four issues. In contrast I have never had 

a problem with Concealed Carry. If those 

folks at the post office don’t know what it 

is they don’t pilfer it. Please keep the plain 

wrapper. 

Peter Thompson 

While we heard from many readers on 

both sides, we heard from far more who 

value their privacy and appreciate the discretion 

with which CCM is mailed. 

In the Feb/Mar 2011 issue, Massad 

Ayoob states in “Five Lessons from the 

Courtroom for Armed Citizens” that 

Washington and Florida are the only two 

states where there is a law in place for the 

government to pay back the legal fees 

when a defendant is acquitted. Does he 

mean the legal fees that are incurred in a 

criminal defense or a civil defense? 

In Mississippi, the “Castle Doctrine” 

law states that the court shall award 

reasonable attorney’s fees, court costs, 

compensation for loss of income, and all 

expenses incurred by the defendant in 

defense of any civil action brought by a 

plaintiff if the court finds that the defendant 

acted in accordance with the law. 

Mort Abramson 

Ayoob writes: “Washington and Florida 

compensate for criminal defense only. 

The compensation comes from the prosecuting 

authority, which is responsible 

for bringing the prosecution, but can’t be 

held responsible for an individual private 

plaintiff in a civil case.” In Washington, 

this good law recently came under attack 

by an official who quietly slid a repeal bill 

into committee. Gun owners throughout 

the state flooded the capitol switchboard, 

and the bill was quickly slipped off the 

agenda almost as quietly as it first appeared. 

I am writing to thank you for the excellent 

articles and columns in CCM. Some 

of the information I acquired and the 

skills that I learned through reading the 

magazine may have saved my life yesterday. 

It was nine in the morning and I 

had just arrived in Baton Rouge. I was 30 

minutes early for a meeting in a government 

building and parked in one of the 

few remaining spots between F150 and a 

subcompact. 

I reluctantly secured my Taurus PT709 

Slim (Hornady Critical Defense rounds) 

and my spare magazine in the center console, 

as concealed carry is not permitted 

in this building. I also removed my pocket 

knife. As I stood there eating an orange 

with the trunk open, I became aware of 

movement to my right. As I turned in that 

direction, a disheveled male with widely 

dilated pupils, dressed in pajama pants 

and a T-shirt, had already closed to within 

eight feet of me. Both his words and 

his posture were threatening. I had the 

distinct impression that he was under the 

influence of drugs. He was a good three to 

four inches taller than me and had at least 

30 pounds on me. My vehicle was behind 

me and I had no route of escape to either 

side. He blocked the path in front of me. 

Due to volume received, not all letters 

can be answered. Letters may be 

edited for space and clarity. 

Send your letters to: 

Concealed Carry Magazine, Attn: Editor 

N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way, 

Jackson WI 53037 

Or email: 

editor@usconcealedcarry.com 

I felt quite vulnerable, having just secured 

my weapons. As I glanced in my 

trunk, I saw a large golf umbrella with a 

metal shaft, which I casually took into my 

hand. I did my best not to exhibit fear, 

tersely answered one of his questions 

and made it clear that I did not wish to 

continue the conversation. He slowly 

continued to close the distance until he 

was six feet directly in front of me, hands 

in his pockets. I had no way to determine 

whether he was armed but assumed that 

he was. 

I will never know whether it was my 

words or the large umbrella in my hand, 

but he walked away without another 

word. I was immediately grateful for my 

training and practice, not just with my 

weapons, that permitted me to remain 

calm and protect myself. 

Later, the thought occurred to me that 

to a bad guy this parking lot offered easy 

prey. Most of the cars were late model 

suggesting that their drivers had financial 

means. But I suspect that the most attractive 

feature of this location to a criminal 

is that he is nearly guaranteed that no 

one he might approach would be armed. 

I found it especially ironic that on the 

property of a government building, my 

2A rights were practically nonexistent. 

I cannot ever recall reading a news report 

where a concealed carry holder shot 

someone in a government building. It is 

as if in order to transact business with the 

government we are required to put ourselves 

at unnecessary risk. 

Repeated training over the years and 

your magazine served me very well yesterday. 

I am also convinced that I had a 

Guardian Angel from above who had my 

back. 

Keep up the good work. 

Glenn Ahava 

We’re glad you’re safe! 

6 


TRUE STORIES 

CARRY A GUN... IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE. 

The purpose of the True Stories column is to report criminal encounters as they actually happened 

to real people, not idealized or sanitized versions of such events. Sometimes armed citizens make 

mistakes, even bad ones, under the extreme stress of a deadly threat. We invite our readers to discuss 

these specific situations, and consider others ways the situations might have been handled, on the 

USCCA discussion forums at www.uscca.us/forum. [ COMPILED BY DUNCAN MACKIE ] 

Pistol-packing Pastor 

Bags Teen Burglars 

Just after church services in his 

Lighthouse Worship Center in 

Beaumont, Texas, pastor James McAbee 

saw two youths enter his church’s youth 

center, which is under renovation. 

The youth center has been the site of 

several burglaries in recent months, 

and McAbee suspected the two were 

up to no good. He went to investigate, 

armed with the pistol he is licensed to 

carry concealed. The pastor attempted 

to talk to the men, who are brothers, 

but received threats of violence in 

return. McAbee ended up holding the 

two on their knees, at gunpoint, until 

police arrived. One of the two would-be 

burglars threatened to pull a gun on the 

pastor and was calmly told by him, “Sir, 

if you pull the gun, I’m going to have 

to shoot you.” The pair was arrested 

without incident. 

Cross-Dressing Robbers 

Foiled by Armed 

Store Manager 

Two heavily-armed men dressed as 

females were foiled in their attempts 

to rob the Gold & Silver Extravaganza 

in Pearl, Michigan by the armed store 

manager. Realizing the “women” wanted 

to do more than shop, he opened 

fire with his own pistol, killing one robber 

and critically injuring the other. 

Both robbers carried several handguns. 

Police have not revealed names 

of any of those involved in the incident. 

Authorities report the investigation is 

just beginning, but the state’s castle 

law, enacted in 2006 should work to the 

store manager’s credit. That law allows 

the use of deadly force when people believe 

they are in imminent danger. 

Home Invasion Ends in 

Death for Ex-Boyfriend 

After an unsuccessful attempt to 

reconcile with his former girlfriend, an 

unidentified man tried to force his way 

into her Houston, Texas home where 

she was watching TV with her current 

boyfriend. Fearing damage to her door 

from her ex’s repeated banging on it, 

she let him in. A fight then ensued between 

the men, and ended when the 

current boyfriend drew a gun and shot 

the ex several times, killing him. Harris 

County police will present the case to 

prosecutors, who will decide whether 

to file charges against the shooter, who 

claims he acted in self-defense. 

The intruder seized 

Brown by the mouth 

and nose and started 

dragging her to an 

upstairs bedroom. 

Florida Beauty Queen Shoots 

Ex-Con – With Pink Pistol! 

Responding to a 3 a.m. knock on her 

door, Meghan Brown, 2009’s Miss Tierra 

Verde, was confronted by an ex-convict 

demanding entrance to her home. The 

intruder seized Brown by the mouth 

and nose and started dragging her to 

an upstairs bedroom. Awakened by the 

commotion, Brown’s fiance attacked 

the intruder, only to be severely beaten 

for his trouble. That distracted Brown’s 

attacker long enough for her to retrieve 

her pink .38 Special revolver and shoot 

the intruder four times. The man was 

pronounced dead at the scene. Police 

think robbery was the motive for the attack, 

and have not charged the beauty 

queen in the self-defense shooting. 


Would-Be Robber Takes 

Knife to Gun Fight 

Armed with a butcher knife and 

wearing a ski mask, a man entered a 

drugstore in Wauconda, Illinois and demanded 

a large amount of painkillers. 

After being giving him the medicines, 

the store’s pharmacist and assistant attempted 

to overpower the robber. In the 

ensuing scuffle, the robber broke free 

and threatened the two store employees. 

The pharmacist then drew a pistol 

and shot the robber several times, striking 

him once. Charges are not expected 

to be filed against the pharmacist, who 

was legally entitled to have the gun at 

the store. The robber will be arrested 

after his recovery from his gunshot 

wound. 

Pizza Driver Foils 

Robbery with a Gun 

A Detroit pizza man was making 

a delivery to the 20200 block of 

McCormick Street in Detroit, Michigan 

when he was accosted by three men, 

one of them armed, who demanded 

money. Rather than comply, the pizza 

man drew a pistol and fired on the robbers, 

killing one and putting the others 

to flight. Authorities have not released 

the names of those involved in the incident 

and are continuing their investigation. 

Drug Offender Killed in Ohio 

Convenience Store Robbery 

A drug offender entered a convenience 

store in Portsmouth, Ohio and 

demanded money from the cashier. 

While the cashier was complying, another 

store employee, armed with a 

legally carried pistol, approached the 

robber from behind and ordered him 

to drop his gun. Instead, the robber 

turned on the second employee who 

then shot him several times. The robber 

died outside the store. The store 

had been robbed several times previously. 

This was the third time in recent 

months that area store employees have 

successfully defended themselves 

against armed robbers. H 

7


In this section, USCCA members share their 

challenges, experiences, and successes with 

each other, to the benefit of all. 

voices of the uscca 

What’s your favorite concealed carry 

method? What makes that method 

work well for you? 

I bought your normal inexpensive elastic 

and Velcro belly band thinking that I 

would use it until I found the perfect holster. 

Two years later, after buying and trading 

for a dozen or so different holsters, I 

am still using the belly band for every day 

carry. I like it because it keeps the weapon 

close to my body and does not allow it to 

move around. It has a space for a spare 

magazine and small flashlight or other 

tool if I like. The band puts no weight on 

my belt so it can be worn with any type of 

clothing from gym shorts to a dress suit. I 

have read a lot about how folks deal with 

restroom functions while carrying and 

with my belly band I can simply raise it 

and the weapon stays in place and remains 

accessible. There is also no chance 

that I will forget and leave it behind. If I 

choose to open carry while around the 

house I can simply strap the belly band 

on over my house clothes. Since it is elastic, 

it will conform to whichever weapon I 

may be carrying that day, be it a compact 

.380 or a full size 9mm. The only downside 

that I have found is that it takes two 

hands to safely re-holster. They are not 

going to be for everyone but so far a simple 

belly band is what has worked best 

for me. I will continue my search for the 

perfect EDC holster but I may well have 

already found it. 

Joe C. in TN 

I use a right side appendix IWB. 

Conceals very well. I always wear my 

shirts un-tucked. Easier access in the car 

and feels more secure to me when I am 

on my motorcycle. I may be just a touch 

faster on the draw also. 

Wayne in OH 

Appendix IWB is my favorite way to 

carry. I use a Dale Fricke Archangel holster 

for either one of my XD(M) 9mm. 

Besides using a good holster, the best tip 

I can give if you’re going to carry IWB, is, 

don’t skimp on the belt. I used a flimsy 

belt for some time and had problems 

keeping the gun where it belonged, plus 

some associated pains in the back and 

my leg. Now that I use a sturdy riggers 

style belt, the difference is night and day. 

The holster stays where it’s supposed to 

and any pains or discomfort from carrying 

IWB have gone away. Plus, it’s the fastest 

draw I’ve experienced in the various 

ways I’ve carried. 

Joel in MI 

I prefer pocket carry for two reasons: 

First, my pistol is always in the same exact 

place, no matter what I happen to be 

wearing. Second, my pistol is always unnoticeable, 

no matter what I’m doing. 

The downside, however, is that shooting 

a tiny, powerful pistol is extremely difficult, 

and therefore requires lots and lots 

of extra practice. My pocket holsters were 

made by Robert Mika. His work is made 

from sweat-proof material which molds 

to the gun sufficiently to permit onehand 

holstering. 

Steve in WA 

I first started carrying at 5 o’clock, but I 

have a physical problem getting my hand 

and arm back that far so I tried appendix 

carry at 2 o’clock and found a winner for 

me. My most comfortable carry is my Colt 

Defender .45 ACP in a Blackhawk soft 

tuck holster #3. One thing about appendix 

carry is that the gun is very accessible 

when riding in my car with seat belt on. 

With the safety on and one in the pipe I 

am comfortable with appendix carry. 

George in MI 

Let’s start by saying I’m a lefty. I carry 

a 1911 IWB between 8 and 9 o’clock, just 

behind the hip bone. I use TT Gunleather 

Holsters and belts. I have holsters for 

3-inch, 4-inch, 4.25-inch, and 5-inch barrels. 

No matter which I’m carrying, they 

all ride the same way in the exactly the 

same place, and can be brought into play 

in the same manner from under a loose 

fitting shirt. I carry my wallet in my weakside 

back pocket so I don’t accidentally 

expose my weapon when taking out my 

billfold. 

DJ in FL 

In the months when it is cooler I like 

using a tee-shirt holster from A Better 

Holster. It is always easy to get to and it 

hides so well. Plus you can carry up to 3 

spare mags under the other arm. I kept 

the purchase from my wife because I 

wanted to see how long it took for her to 

notice. She never did see it but one day 

when leaving a store, she was holding my 

arm and brushed up against it and said, 

“What is that under your arm?” I just 

smiled and kept walking. 

Russ in MI 

8 


I am a lefty, so finding a good holster 

for those of us in our “right brain” can 

be rather frustrating. One of my CCW 

instructors is in the business of making 

handmade holsters for concealed carry. 

It works well, fits well, and the draw is 

flawless. I prefer an IWB holster because 

I feel they are better for concealment 

purposes. 

Scott L. in OH 

I believe that simple is better, especially 

in a crisis situation. We’ve all heard 

the “half as good as in practice” lesson, 

so I have taken out the extra steps between 

the beginning and ending of a 

gunfight. I carry a Kahr CW9, with no 

safeties other than the DAO trigger, in 

a Don Hume IWB holster at about 3:30 

coupled with two 7 round magazines in 

a G&G pouch on the weak side. 

Shawn H. in NE OH 

There are two important things for 

ease of carry. Comfort (so that you’ll 

continue to carry) and ease of concealment. 

The most effective combination 

I’ve found to cover these two important 

factors is the Crossbreed IWB holster, 

and a thin, low-profile gun. I carry a 

Walther PPS .40 in a Crossbreed Super 

Tuck Horsehide, with a heavy-duty belt 

from Crossbreed. It is very comfortable, 

and since I carry it every day all day, if I 

have to go without, it seems odd, akin to 

not wearing your watch or your pants. 

Well, the latter may be a bit embarrassing, 

just as you’d be embarrassed if you 

needed your firearm and did not have it 

in your possession. 

Dan in VA 

I use a Blackhawk IWB holster that 

has been modified by adding a clip on 

the lower web. This causes the holster to 

lay down a bit more and fit me better. 

Mark J. in CO 

I like to front pocket carry and ankle 

carry with 2 guns (and 2 extra mags) that 

are the same so that there is no confusion 

about how to use either one of them 

if it comes down to a gun fight. That way 

I have access to them if I’m standing or 

sitting and I have interchangeable parts 

if I need to repair one of them. Both 

ways are very concealable. I have never 

been detected (that I know of) after carrying 

for about 20 years. I figured that 

shoulder carry and waist carry will be 

detected by people who like to hug you. 

Bruce in NC 

OWB and Kydex for me. I like the 

Raven Concealment Systems Phantom 

Modular with the accessory pancake 

wings. It holds my H&K P7 PSP high and 

tight, just the way I like it. I add a short 

length of paracord to tether the holster 

to a belt loop so it does not slide around. 

Sometimes I’ll mirror it with an identical 

P7 PSP in a left-hand holster on the 

left hip. The P7 has great ambi characteristics, 

so it’s good for a lefty. If needed, 

it’s also a good hand off gun to my 

wife or whoever happens to be with me 

if bad stuff happens. 

Todd in WA 

My usual carry method is in an OWB 

holster. To conceal I wear a vest, untucked 

shirt, or a jacket. I use El Paso 

Saddlery or Galco holsters because 

they keep my 1911 tucked tightly to my 

body. I also use a Crossbreed Super Tuck 

(IWB) to carry a snubby revolver when 

I’m wearing light summer clothes. Both 

methods work well for me and the guns 

are in the same position always, so no 

confusion if a draw is required. 

Mary in NM 

How about a favorite concealed carry 

position? I have three favorite methods 

depending on the situation, but they 

are all at the same or nearly the same 

position. Consistency is my most important 

issue. In a life and death situation, 

I don’t want to go searching for the 

gun. They are all at the appendix area. 

Smart Carry when concealment is critical. 

Joab holster and Ehud magazine 

pouch when casual with an untucked t- 

shirt or sweatshirt. Tommy’s Gun Pack 

when biking and as a nighttime fanny 

pack as mentioned by Kathy Jackson 

in the July 2010 issue of CCM. (Since 

my middle finger has a nasty habit of 

coming in contact with the trigger on 

my XD 9 when practicing presentation 

from the gun pack, I double stitched a 

nylon loop in the pack and attached a 

Zack concealment holster to it. Works 

perfect!) 

Tad in Ohio 

Next issue’s 

question: 

How have you helped your children 

or grandchildren learn to be 

safe around firearms? What suggestions 

about kids and guns do 

you have for other parents? We 

love pictures! Photos encouraged. 

Send your comments to tips@usconcealedcarry.com. 

Each entry must 

use fewer than 75 words, and must be 

signed either with a complete name or 

with a first name plus location. Due to 

volume received, not all submissions 

can be acknowledged. Entries may be 

edited for length and clarity. 


9


Lessons Learned 

A Frightening Truth 

[ BY USCCA MEMBER JIM FLEMING OF MID-MINNESOTA SELF DEFENSE INC. ] 

While teaching a firearm selfdefense 

course this weekend, I 

was approached by a student 

with a question. 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - ID-WORK 

Recently, while he was out of town, 

a male individual that he had 

hired to do some remodeling at 

his home came to the home after hours. 

He knocked on the door, and one of 

the student’s children opened the door 

while the wife was busy cooking in the 

kitchen and unaware of the visitor. The 

man walked into the house uninvited. 

He confronted the wife in the kitchen. 

She immediately ordered the man to 

leave the home. He walked to the front 

door and without saying a word, locked 

it from the inside and then began pacing 

about the living room, apparently 

muttering to himself, touching himself 

in an inappropriate way, and ignoring 

the wife’s continued orders to leave 

the home. She became frightened and 

brandished a butcher knife at the man, 

screaming for him to leave the home. 

Her children were huddled, frightened 

out of their wits behind the mother. The 

man finally backed to the front door, 

opened it, and ran off into the night. The 

woman did not call the police to report 

the incident, later claiming that, “He 

didn’t really do anything.” The husband 

reported that he has implored her to 

take self-defense firearms training but 

she has refused because, “I don’t believe 

in guns.” 

The student’s question was, if the man 

had suddenly attacked her, would she 

have been permitted to use the knife 

to defend herself? The other instructors 

standing within earshot all looked at 

each other, their faces stony and somber. 

They understood the implications 

all too well. The student had a glimmering 

of understanding. I did my best to 

answer the question, explaining that a 

woman, facing even an unarmed male 

is in a disparity of force situation that 

justifies the use of deadly force to protect 

against an attack she reasonably 

believes is being perpetrated to take a 

life or cause crippling injury. But there is 

much left to say about this situation. 

One: it happened within twenty miles 

of my home, to a family just like mine, 

just like yours. Many times I say to people, 

“You are not special, you are not 

blessed. It can happen to you, in your 

home or on the streets, any time, day or 

night, and you will not get to choose, because 

someone else is going to make that 

choice for you, and they will not give you 

any warning of their decision. You have 

got to be aware of that reality and aware 

of what is going on around you, all the 

time. Not just when you want to be.” 

Two: a woman, with no training in 

the use of edged weapons, who engages 

in hand to hand combat with anyone, 

armed only with a butcher knife seized 

from the kitchen cutting board, has no 

concept of what that battle will be like or 

“i don’t 

believe in 

guns.” 

whether she will survive it. It takes years 

of intensive training to handle a knife 

in a fight to the death. And when one 

trains for such things, they do not do it 

with a kitchen knife, poorly designed for 

the task. That fight will be brutal, it will 

be physically demanding, and it will be 

bloody. My own father had such a fight 

in the hedgerows of Normandy, trained 

as an Army Ranger. He survived, but 

woke screaming in the night from time 

to time for the rest of his life, with scenes 

of that conflict running through his subconscious 

mind. 

Three: A woman who does not “believe 

in guns” was naively willing to do 

battle, poorly equipped and trained as 

she was, because she believed that her 

life and the lives of her children were in 

mortal danger. And they were, make no 

mistake about that. The individual she 

confronted was trying to make up his 

mind or steel himself to a task he had 

already decided to carry out. This was 

very likely his first time. It will not be 

his last. I implored the student to contact 

the police and tell them about the 

incident and the identity of the intruder. 

10 



I hope he does, but I cannot force him 

to do so. The next victim may not be as 

lucky. And unchecked, there will be a 

next victim. 

Four: a firearm is nothing more than 

a tool. It can be used to hunt for food, 

it can be used in recreational sporting 

activities, and it can be used to preserve 

your life in situations where someone 

else who does not give a damn about 

you, your family, your children or your 

right to life, seeks to take it for their own 

warped or selfish reasons. 

A firearm will not carry the day in 

every instance. It is not a talisman or a 

death ray. You have to be trained to use 

it. You have to be trained to develop the 

mindset to use it if you must. And you 

have to be trained to understand when 

you are legally authorized to use deadly 

force. You cannot use it to scare assailants 

because many of them are mentally 

hardened or deranged enough that they 

will not be scared. The argument made 

by blowhards that “the sound of the action 

of a pump shotgun being racked is 

enough to scare an intruder into running 

from your home” is a fantasy. I’ve 

had criminals tell me that often enough 

to know it’s the truth. 

I invited the student to have his 

wife come and attend a class, to listen, 

to evaluate. The four women in 

the class, each of whom was taking 

the class for their own private reasons, 

all reacted more emotionally. 

“You tell her I said to stop that foolishness 

and get her butt in here and learn 

how to protect herself and her family.” 

I do not believe in the Easter Bunny 

because I have never seen him, or the 

Tooth Fairy for that matter. I do believe 

in guns because I have seen them, owned 

them, fired them, and trained with them 

for my entire adult life and before. I am 

aware, I harbor no illusions about my 

personal safety, and I fervently hope that 

I never have to use my training to save 

my life or that of another human being. 

But after all these years, I also know that 

hoping will never be enough. H 

Mid-Minnesota Self Defense Inc. 

www.midmnselfdefense.com 

DO YOU HAVE A STORY FOR “LESSONS LEARNED?” 

Concealed Carry Magazine pays $100 each for true personal experiences told by 

USCCA members. Close calls, near misses, and defensive gun uses (with or without 

shots fired) all teach important lessons! Submissions must be shorter than 600 words; 

we reserve the right to edit for clarity and space considerations. Send your stories to 

Lessons@USConcealedCarry.com 

Drill of the Month 

Handgun Accuracy 

[ BY MARTY HAYES OF THE FIREARMS ACADEMY OF SEATTLE ] 

To pass the Firearms Academy 

of Seattle’s Master Certification 

(which encompasses several 

aspects of defensive handgunning, including 

accuracy, speed, multiple targets, 

reloading skills, moving target engagement 

and low light shooting) the 

student must first be able to draw and 

fire six shots in 30 seconds, standing 

offhand without support. All six shots 

must hit within the A-zone of an IPSC 

target, or the “Down Zero” center of an 

IDPA target. 

If the shooter cannot perform this 

simple task on demand, then they need 

work on controlling the trigger. 

Practice Drill #1: 

Just Slow Down 

If you are taking two seconds to pull 

the trigger, take four seconds. Slow 

down your trigger pull to the extent that 

the gun fires only by gradually building 

up continuous pressure. You must not 

know the exact point when the gun will 

fire. It just fires when it wants to, after 

you have built up sufficient pressure. 


Ball and Dummy 

In a 10-shot magazine, load, at random 

intervals, five dummy rounds and 

five live rounds. Do this without looking 

at the magazine, and close your 

eyes when you load it into the gun. 

Then draw and fire one round, concentrating 

on a perfect shot. If it is a 

live round, and the shot is perfect, you 

are rewarded by a perfect hit. If it is a 

dummy round and it is perfect, you 

are rewarded by no movement in your 

sight picture. Of course, non-perfect 


This 6-shot group, 

all landing in the 

center of an IDPA 

target, was fired 

from a doubleaction 

revolver at 15 

yards in 16.12 sec. 

shots will produce misses or a jerk of 

the sights downward. 


Concentration Drill 

At four yards, fire one shot into the 

center of the target, cover that hole 

with the front sight and fire five more 

shots, without looking at the target. 

Do this until you can claim one ragged 

hole in the target after six shots. H 

The Firearms Academy of Seattle 

www.firearmsacademy.com 

(360) 978-6100 

11


STUFF WE LIKE 

Editor note: The following businesses make concealed carry gear that USCCA members or writers recommend. 

These are not paid advertisements. They are personal recommendations from us to you. None of the businesses on 

this page have paid any money to be placed here. If you come across a product you’d like to see featured on this page, 

please send an email to products@usconcealedcarry.com. 

PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK 

CED Professional 

Shooting Range Bag 

CCM contributor Miguel Gonzalez 

writes: “A range bag is probably the 

most abused piece of gear of any shooter. 

It has to carry a lot of weight, gets 

thrown around, kicked, over-stuffed 

and no pampering. Enter the tough CED 

Professional Shooting Range Bag. It is 

spacious inside and comes with a gun 

pouch that doubles as pistol rug, more 

pockets than you 

will ever need 

(including a dedicated 

mag pocket), 

brass bag and 

the main bag zipper 

is built like a 

railroad track. 

Colors are black, blue, red and green. 

Price is $100 and under.” 

Competitive Edge Dynamics 

www.cedhk.com 

ADE Speed Sights 

These unusual, large, diamondshaped 

sights were recommended to us 

by CCM photographer Oleg Volk. Oleg 

writes: “Speed Sights speed up sight 

alignment considerably at close range 

and allow greater precision farther out. 

12 

Now that they are available with Tritium 

inserts, I will be upgrading my carry pistol 

to include Speed Sight ‘Diamonds in 

the rough’.” Prices start around $80. 

Advanced Design and Engineering 

www.SpeedSights.com 

Alessi CQC/S 

CCM columnist Bruce Eimer recommends 

USCCA members check out the 

Alessi CQC/S, a top-grade leather outside 

the belt holster which uses snaps 

to make installation and removal of 

the holster, well, a snap. Riding with a 

slight forward cant, the CQC/S should 

be worn just behind the hip. The holster 

is available in black or brown leather, 

or exotic leathers for an extra fee. Bruce 

claims, “This is the best snap on outside 

the belt holster on the market. It rides 

really close to the body and high for superb 

concealment.” Price: $135. 

Alessi Holsters 

www.alessigunholsters.com 

Helpful 

Website for 

Handgun 

Owners 

Volunteers Steve 

Aikens and Gary 

Slider run a free, 

well-maintained 

reference site 

which includes 

many helpful links 

to state laws and 

government sites. 

If you have a question 

about state laws related to concealed or open carry, or any other aspect of 

handgun ownership and use, this is a great place to start your search because 

it contains a lot of information and very little clutter. Gary writes, “I depend on 

people to keep me up to date especially on the little state changes,” and asks 

readers to contact him if they find any errors or omissions anywhere on the site. 

Check it out at www.handgunlaw.us. 


CCM PROFILE 

Nick 

Antrillo 

“Owning a gun is 

your civil right.” 

[ BY OLEG VOLK ] 

Nick Antrillo’s first shooting experience happened on a 

deer hunting trip in 1960 at the age of six, under the 

supervision of his father and his Uncle Joe. 

Nick got to carry a lever 

action Winchester Model 

94, chambered for the 30-30 

cartridge. They didn’t see any deer, 

probably because a proper stalk is 

difficult with a 6-year-old chattering 

constantly, “Can I shoot a deer, Dad? 

Huh, can I? What do they look like? I bet 

I’ll see him first. Were there any deer 

here? What about over there? When 

I shoot it we’ll get the biggest buck 

ever.” One afternoon they stopped 

the hunt and set up a can on a rock 

instead. Nick’s father then taught him 

to shoot the 30-30. The stock was too 

long to shoulder, so Nick fired with the 

buttstock under his armpit. He aimed 

down the buckhorn open sight and hit 

within a foot of the target. He hasn’t 

stopped shooting since, and his aim 

much improved with practice. 

Guns and shooting have been in 

Nick’s family for generations. Records 

show an ancestor immigrating to New 


Jersey Colony in 1775 and joining the 

New Jersey Militia in 1776 to fight in the 

Revolutionary War. Every succeeding 

generation has been involved in guns, 

shooting, hunting, and competition. 

Even his grandmother had a Colt 1908 

Hammerless pistol with a beautiful 

carbonic blue finish. Nick still owns that 

pistol. Most of his cousins also shoot 

and hunt; several have concealed carry 

permits in their own state of residence. 

Even Nick’s brother (now living in antigun 

California) has always enjoyed the 

shooting sports. Both brothers cherish 

the childhood memories of shooting 

together with their parents. 

13

PROFILE 

and sometimes four days a week. Nick 

supplied the coaching, the loaner 

guns, and the ammunition. Shortly 

after Insun started shooting practice, 

one of the sushi chefs got mugged for 

his paycheck and severely beaten on 

the way home. Now he expresses an 

interest in self defense and learning to 

shoot. That week another Kaizen emabove: 

In addition to his work as an 

architect, Nick is a partner in Kaizen, 

a successful chain of Asian fusion 

restaurants in Las Vegas. 

right: During his long career as an 

architect, Nick designed several wellknown 

commercial buildings. 

Now an architect living in Las Vegas, 

Nevada, Nick is very passionate about 

everything he does. An architect 

by both calling and profession, he 

speaks with feeling of the constructed 

wonders dotting Las Vegas. He 

drives in NASCAR rallies, sometimes 

applying the same spirit of driving to 

the commute. When a quirk of fate 

landed him an interest in an Asian 

restaurant that he had earlier designed, 

he set about improving it with much 

imagination and enthusiasm. His deer 

hunting forays became full-blown 

explorations of the desert and the deer 

ecology. Though he won’t mention it, 

helping people around him is equally 

a passion with Nick. 

After this year’s SHOT Show, I invited 

one of his restaurant employees 

to model for me. With time before 

my flight being too short to fit both 

the photo shoot and the pre-planned 

range trip, we decided to combine the 

two events. An immigrant from Korea, 

Insun had never handled a gun before. 

That first experience went extremely 

well, and she fell in love with shooting. 

For the two months that followed, Nick 

and Insun visited the range two, three, 

14 


PROFILE 

No, and if I run my life right I might 

be able to avoid it forever. 

What training methods do you 

employ? 

Range practice with a variety of 

guns and ammo, not just my favorite 

carry piece. I shoot in USPSA and Steel 

Challenge regularly. These are just 

games, but they sure help keep one’s 

head in the right “mode.” 

Nick coached Insun Park, 

a Kaizen restaurant 

manager, during her first 

range trip. Since then, 

Insun has become an 

enthusiastic marksman 

and received more 

extensive formal training. 

Nick proved a patient and 

very capable instructor. 

“When other people see you behave responsibly 

as a gun owner, they’ll respond respectfully. 

Then you spread the interest to them.” 

ployee went out and bought himself a 

Crossman air gun to develop handling 

skills, because he wanted to become 

a gun owner too. Given the support 

Nick’s employees receive in their quest 

for effective self-protection, it’s a small 

wonder that labor relations at Kaizen 

are quite cordial. 

“When people see the value and fun 

of gun ownership, and they have a safe 

and responsible role model to follow, 

the interest and desire spreads like 

wildfire,” says Nick. “It’s wonderful to 

be at the head of all that momentum. 

I’m teaching them all the positive messages 

to offer to other people. Owning 

a gun is your civil right. It’s healthy, responsible, 

useful, and downright fun. 

The laws are on your side to become 

a gun owner. When other people see 

you behave responsibly as a gun owner, 

they’ll respond respectfully. Then 

you spread the interest to them.” 

In March, I took a four-day defensive 

pistol course alongside Nick and 

Insun. Nick’s shooting technique, rapid 

but smooth, was quite impressive 

to watch. Using his IPSC gun, a Beretta 

92, he delivered rapid and accurate 

hits apparently effortlessly. Between 

strings of fire, he coached and encouraged 

other learners. His joy of learning 

and practicing new skills was obvious 

and contagious. A man who grew 

up when gun ownership was socially 

unremarkable, Nick is making it better 

than merely unremarkable by his 

example and evangelism. He is making 

gun ownership attractive and celebrated 

in a way that crosses generations 

and cultural backgrounds. 

Have you ever had to use your firearm 

in a defensive situation? 


Do you have any recommendations? 

There are so many myths out there 

regarding guns, shooting sports, self 

defense, and the right to bear arms. 

I really encourage people to pursue 

their own critical continuing education. 

Ultimately, myth will always hurt 

you badly. 

The truth may hurt once in a while, 

but ultimately it will also be your salvation. 

How long have you carried a concealed 

weapon? 

About 15 years. 

What weapons do you carry? 

Currently a Ruger LCP. In past years, 

I used a 5-inch 1911 in 45 ACP, a Glock 

19, and a Colt Pony. I have never carried 

a backup gun. 

What concealment holsters do you 

use? 

With this pocket gun, a DeSantis 

Nemesis works very well for me. We 

also have a local man in Las Vegas, 

Nevada Gunleather, who makes a line 

of custom holsters. 

What do you do for a living? 

I practice architecture in Southern 

Nevada, commercial and public buildings 

only. I also own a wonderful restaurant 

in Las Vegas, Kaizen Fusion 

Roll and Sushi. 

Do you have any advice for our 

readers? 

As an armed individual, I’ve never 

seen a gun as a means of justice, only 

as a means of defense. Knowing the 

difference answers millions of “what 

if” questions before they are even 

asked. H 

15

SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS 

Tactics— 

the art of planning ahead 

[ BY GEORGE HARRIS ] 

Most of us who carry concealed do so in preparation for 

that dreaded event in which we have to actually use our 

brain and our skills to get out of harm’s way. 

The road to being fully prepared 

is endless in that there are an infinite 

number of scenarios that 

we could possibly face. Even though 

the task of preparation for every conceivable 

event seems insurmountable, 

perfecting the basics of handling and 

marksmanship will take us a long way 

toward achieving success when the time 

comes to perform. 

Along the trail of learning foundational 

skills, we should be thinking of 

tactics and how we would integrate the 

two to better achieve our goal of survival 

in a potentially lethal confrontation. It is 

true that the objective of shooting is hitting 

the intended target, but in a potentially 

lethal confrontation there is a high 

likelihood that bullets will be incoming 

as well as outgoing. This added dimension 

will change the objective to surviving 

the confrontation intact while dominating 

your adversary to the point of no 

longer being a threat to you or anybody 

that you may be responsible for. This 

will allow you to escape danger and let 

the local authorities do their job with 

a lesser likelihood of endangerment as 

well. 

In the world of the soldier, police officer 

or other armed professional, the 

word “tactics” or “tactical” takes on a 

meaning of some super secret information 

that only a select few can know. 

Betrayal of that knowledge to others on 

“the outside” may result in being thrown 

out of the organization and or ostracized 

for sharing the information with 

unauthorized members of society. 

For as long as I can remember, “tactical 

training” had the connotation of 

being for law enforcement and military 

only, civilians need not apply. Today, in 

some circles it is still that way. But, if you 

think about it, by definition (Webster’s 

Collegiate: the art or skill of employing 

available means to accomplish an end), 

tactics and tactical training employ similar 

techniques no matter what your position 

in the gun carrying world might 

be, armed professional or responsible 

citizen. 

Before I give the wrong impression, 

I do want to clarify that there is a need 

for training exclusive to the armed professionals 

of the world, in that in some 

cases the tools they use are exclusive to 

them (explosives as an example). And 

too, the disposition of the contact with 

the adversary is almost always to contain, 

control, eliminate, and/or pass off 

to the next level of authority. As a responsible 

citizen with no legal authority 

to do the above, there is little reason to 

train for something that you would in 

all likelihood never use, and if you did, 

would allow the courts and lawyers to 

have a field day. 

The focus for the responsible citizen 

is to use whatever means they have 

available to them to get out of the mess 

that they are in, without being hurt or 

injured, and leave it up to the professionals 

to handle the disposition of the 

situation. 

What are we preparing for? 

As I see it, tactical training should be 

directly applicable to a perceived goal 

as it applies directly to the individual. 

We must first start by thinking tactically. 

One of the first thoughts that we might 

have is, what specifically are we preparing 

for? If we can nail it down to one or 

two concerns, that narrows down the 

training focus considerably, and allows 

the train-up time to transition to practice 

and sustainment fairly quickly. If, 

on the other hand, we want to prepare 

ourselves for any and all possibilities, 

we have a broader scope to cover and 

will have to prioritize what we are learning 

in the order of likelihoods of actual 

incidents taking place. 

The first part of effective tactics is 

thinking. Avoiding a confrontation is a 

battle won the easy way. 

Using your knowledge of the area that 

you inhabit to stay out of known trouble 

spots is a good example. If you live in one 

of those trouble spots or have to travel 

in, or through one of those areas, think 

about the best time to make your move. 

More often than not, when there is the 

greatest amount of light and inhabitants 

available, the more inconspicuous 

you can be, therefore the less likely to 

be singled out for attack. As you travel, 

look for danger signs and be prepared 

to take a detour should you find yourself 

approaching an unsavory situation. 

Always have plan “B” and “C” ready to 

implement should the need arise. 

Places to think about 

Another consideration is where we 

spend on average one third or more of 

our lives. It’s a four letter word called 

“work.” We see on the news almost every 

day where a disgruntled employee “goes 

off” and starts shooting or destroying 

the place. If that happened where you 

16 


SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS 

work, what’s your plan? How about your 

significant other’s work place? Does he 

or she have a plan in case the day all of 

a sudden goes to hell in a hand basket? 

What tools are available to fight with, ie; 

fire extinguishers, impact instruments 

etc. Do you have your concealed sidearm 

with you or do you work for one of 

the kinder, gentler companies that won’t 

let you bring a firearm on the property 

because of whatever lame reasoning 

that they give. If you do have your gun, 

could you make a shot from any location 

in your work area if necessary to stop 

the attack? What are the escape routes? 

Is there a designated safe place to go to? 

How do you communicate with the outside 

world and what kind of information 

do you provide for those on the way to 

help the situation? I could go on, but the 

bottom line is to get used to the fact that 

it could happen to you, so be prepared 

to respond, should you ever need to, by 

planning your tactics to get through the 

situation alive and uninjured. 

In our “off time” we must be considerate 

of where we choose to spend it, what 

the potential dangers might be, as well 

as what to do if the unexpected arises to 

change our carefully laid out plans. 

I have to believe that few if any who 

visit our many malls that dot the country 

go to the mall thinking that this is 

the day that “it” is going to happen. 

Hopefully, more people than not think 

tactically about a plan of action should 

they find themselves facing the unforeseen 

while doing their shopping. All 

of the considerations that we give to 

escape and intact survival in the work 

place should be employed at the mall, 

plus a few additional considerations 

as well. Try to stay away from choke 

points where masses of people will collect 

while trying to escape a critical incident. 

This will slow your escape and potentially 

put your destiny in the hands 

of other people less prepared than you. 

Locate the stores on the outer perimeter 

that have a back door to the outside for 

an escape route. Once outside, be aware 

of your surroundings and continue 

away from the scene. Just because you 

are outside doesn’t mean that you are 

out of danger. Keep going until you are 

well out of the affected area. Call 911 

during your escape if you can; give the 

best concise information that you can, 

and remember that your responsibility 

is to you and your loved ones that you 

may be protecting and leading to safety. 

You don’t need to be a hero. 

Some of us like to spend our off time 

in the mountains, at the lake, or at some 

other outdoor location. Some of these 

places may be far off the beaten path, 

which means that you are responsible 

for your own safety and the cavalry is 

a long way away even if you have the 

ability to call them. Predators that will 

harm you range from two legged to four 

legged to no legged. Make sure that you 

are aware of all of the natural dangers as 

well as the human dangers. It should go 

without saying that you should match 

your armament to the anticipated dangers 

that might be encountered. As always, 

be aware of your surroundings. 

Look for danger signs. Bear droppings 

mean that a bear has been at that exact 

spot sometime previously. Warm bear 

droppings means that it wasn’t too long 

ago and the bear is possibly eyeing you 

to become raw material for his next contribution 

to the landscape. 

Our southern border with Mexico has 

become a dangerous place to visit and or 

recreate. All you have to do is look at the 

news to see criminal activity (to include 

murder) happening along the border in 

every state that touches Mexico. Tactical 

awareness is paramount for survival in 

this situation. A prudent person would 

avoid contact with others unless you 

are sure that you know who they are. 

Maintain the high ground if possible, 

and avoid potential ambush points like 

the plague. You never know who might 

be laying in wait for their next victim 

and what their intentions are. Trust your 

gut! If something tells you that there 

is danger near, pay attention to it and 

leave the area. 

The place where many of us tend 

not to think in a tactical manner is our 

home. Even though we think we know 

the layout of our home, do we really? 

The next time an overcast night occurs, 

cut all of the lights off and try to work 

your way into every room of your house 

without tripping over something, running 

into the furniture or making noise 

during your movement. Where is your 

cell phone or other communication device 

located that you might use to call 

for help? Have you designated a “safe 

room” for your family to go to in the 

case of a burglar or home invaders occupying 

a portion of your living space? 

Do you know the construction composition 

of your house? What will absorb a 

bullet if you have to shoot inside of the 

house? Where is the rest of your family 

located if not in the safe area? Can you 

find flashlights, light switches, or secreted 

weapons in a totally dark house? 

How close are the neighboring houses 

which might be occupied? These are 

all things that must be thought about 

prior to finding your home invaded by 

unwanted visitors that you have to deal 

with until help arrives. 

These are but some of the questions 

that need to be answered prior to finding 

yourself in a potential life and death 

situation. 

It is called tactical planning. Having 

a plan that has been tested with all individuals 

who could be involved can 

make the difference between being a 

winner or enduring the ravages of being 

a looser. 

Tactics along with marksmanship 

that can be put into play on demand is 

the goal that we should strive to achieve 

to ensure success in any lethal or potentially 

lethal confrontation. 

Simple is Good! H 

George Harris has spent over 30 years 

in the field of adult education with 

more than 17 years at the SIG SAUER® 

Academy. He has focused his efforts in 

the arenas of small arms, small arms 

training and combat skill development. 

George has evolved from an infantry soldier, 

small arms repair technician, and 

drill instructor to become the coach and 

firing member of the internationally 

recognized United States Army Reserve 

Combat Marksmanship Team. As a 

competitive shooter, George has the coveted 

distinction of being Distinguished 

with both the service pistol and the service 

rifle. As director of the SIG SAUER® 

Academy, George is committed to the safe 

and successful use of firearms by armed 

professionals and responsible citizens 

alike through using the SIG Principle of 

Training: Simple Is Good! 


17

THE ORDINARY GUY 

Japan, Civility, 

and Gun Control 

[ BY MARK WALTERS ] 

By the time you read this, Japan’s death toll will more 

than likely have been determined, the financial damage 

estimates calculated, and the nuclear nightmare will have 

likely played out. 

The incredible destruction 

wrought by one of the world’s 

most powerful earthquakes and 

the resulting aftermath of human suffering 

and displacement on an almost 

unimaginable scale have reminded us 

that humans are mere guests on this 

planet we call home. 

Like you, I watched the incredible 

drama unfold before high definition 

video cameras, the images of a relentless 

sea taking anything it wanted, and 

the helplessness of mortals running 

from an inescapable destiny. Like any 

catastrophe, we see the inevitable images 

of despair: the lines of survivors 

seeking food, water, and medical attention 

in makeshift triage units. The 

only walls left standing serve as a poster 

site for photos and lists of the missing 

left by desperate survivors seeking the 

whereabouts of doomed loved ones. 

But there was something else that the 

world noticed. Amid the unimaginable 

horror of destruction, the unimaginable 

suffering, the Japanese people behaved 

themselves in ways that American cities 

could only envy. I am speaking of the 

behavior of the Japanese people during 

a time of great crisis, the civility with 

which they have conducted themselves 

in the face of tragedy, and the resulting 

lack of the utter chaos that is so often 

evident in an American city during less 

catastrophic events. 

I watched with fascination as the 

walking wounded stood patiently in 

lines that seemed to snake for miles, 

awaiting food and water rations; the 

very necessities of life. No looting. No 

rioting. No scenes of street chaos. No 

police abandoning their posts and participating 

in thievery for a pair of stolen 

sneakers. No Japanese standing on 

rooftops with AR-15s poised to kill a 

18 


Amid the 

unimaginable horror 

of destruction, 

the unimaginable 

suffering, the 

Japanese people 

behaved themselves 

in ways that 

American cities could 

only envy. 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - PARKERDEEN 

Compared to the looting and violence in America (above), the Japanese maintained 

civility and order in the aftermath of a terrible natural disaster. 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - ALLKINDZA 

fellow citizen who dares approach what 

is left of a family’s belongings. No spray 

painted walls declaring, “Looters will be 

shot on sight” or “You loot, I shoot.” 

What does it tell us of American society? 

I have seen few stories in the mainstream 

media that truly focused on the 

analysis rather than just touch on the 

surface of the differences between our 

reactions to catastrophe. Pick one. The 

1992 Rodney King riots? How about 

Katrina? For crying out loud, American 

cities erupt in rioting, violence, looting, 

and pillaging in the winning city after a 

basketball game! 

In America, one of the primary reasons 

we give for protecting our right 

to keep and bear arms is the example 

of our need to defend ourselves during 

crisis precisely for the reasons I mentioned 

above. State legislatures across 

the nation are passing and governors 

are signing laws known as Emergency 

Powers Acts that keep a state official, 

namely a governor, from issuing orders 

that limit our constitutional right to 

bear arms during such emergencies. 

I spent many years in Florida, and 

rode out the notorious 2004-2005 hurricane 

season that saw me board up 

my own home on no less than three 

separate occasions during a seemingly 

back-to-back string of major storms. 

The fourth one that came heard me 

shout “the heck with boarding up,” as I 

simply grabbed my family, a couple of 

bugout bags, a shotgun, AR-15 and my 

handguns. The only preparation I felt I 

needed then was to come back to what 

would be left of my home, spray paint 

the wall as I mentioned above, and sit 

there heavily armed awaiting an insurance 

adjuster. 

Over the years, I remember hearing 

anti-gun groups point to Japan as an example 

of the success of strict gun control, 

as proof that by keeping guns out 

of the hands of the entire population we 

can reduce gun violence to near nothing 

as the Japanese seemingly have. To 

the regular Joe Schmo, that argument 

might seem to make some sense … until 

now when, in fact the opposite has 

been proven and the lie of gun control, 

yet again, has been exposed. 

Based on the incredible behavior the 

world has witnessed from the Japanese 

population, one can surmise that a lack 

of guns in their society has absolutely 

nothing to do with the lack of crime 

on their streets. As a free American, I 

would love to feel I didn’t need a firearm 

to defend my home during time of great 

upheaval, while walking the streets of 

New Orleans during the aftermath of 

a violent storm, traveling our nation’s 

freeways, walking into a rest stop late at 

night or a convenience store … like the 

Japanese have proven that they can. 

Until Americans can act with the dignity 

of the Japanese during times of incredible 

trial, until the authorities can 

guarantee me and my family our safety 

regardless of where we find ourselves, 

until Americans can be trusted not to 

burn their own neighborhoods after a 

sporting event, I will carry my firearm 

everywhere. 

Sadly, the events in Japan have spoken 

volumes about our actions toward 

each other as fellow Americans. Watch 

what happens during the next crisis in 

America. 

Pathetic. H 

Mark Walters is a NRA certified instructor, 

co-author of the book Lessons from 

Armed America, and a vocal Second 

Amendment activist. He is the nationally 

syndicated host of Armed American 

Radio, which airs Sunday evenings at 

8-11 pm EST (5-8 pm PST) from coast 

to coast. Mark encourages fans to write 

him at mark@armedamericanradio. 

org. Visit him at www.armedamericanradio.org 


19

A man’s notes 

about surviving 

a woman on her road 

to carrying a 

concealed gun. 

right: Range day 

getting to know the 

Kahr CW9. Author 

was allowed to 

shoot it and found 

it accurate and 

enjoyable to shoot. 

below: The book 

that started it all. 

PHOTO BY B. SHONTS 

Better let her pack 

[ BY MIGUEL GONZALEZ ] 

Christmas morning 2010 will forever be the day I 

remember as the end of my old life. 

A 

mistake was made that 

changed the balance of power 

in my household and I no 

longer was “The Man,” but became 

a partner. As when the soviets managed 

to steal the U.S. atomic bomb 

secrets and create their own nuclear 

arsenal, the shift of power in my 

house was tectonically moved when 

Sarah, my wife of 24 years, laid her 

hands on a book. Under recommendation 

of my former friend Gail Pepin, 

I bought her the book The Cornered 

Cat: A Woman’s Guide to Concealed 

Carry, and gave it to her as a present 

in the effort that she might get a bit 

interested in shooting. Gentlemen, 

do not make the same mistake! 

I should have seen something was 

happening. After she started reading, I 

noticed that she was no longer yawning 

while we were watching shooting 

shows on TV. She began paying attention 

and even dared to ask a couple 

of questions, which I was more than 

happy to answer. Then more questions 

came out of the blue: Was my 

carry gun single action, double action 

or safe action? What kind of ammo do I 

use for defensive purposes? What kind 

of holster? 

A faster-thinking living creature by 

now would have started to prepare for 

battle, but I am a man, and slow-witted 

by definition. I was actually jumping 

for joy that my dear beloved was 

getting into guns after decades of me 

pushing the issue. I was hoping that 

she might get interested enough to go 

to the range at least quarterly, and get 

the cobwebs out of her snubnose .357 

Magnum revolver I bought her. But 

suddenly, the sky fell on my head as 

in a Hollywood blockbuster movie: “I 

want my gun!” was her war cry and as I 

babbled about the gun she already had 

and how good a man-stopper it was, 

she put her foot down. She slowly and 

surely dissected my initial reaction by 

explaining–with the patience wives reserve 

for husbands–why she needed 

to choose her own gun and why my 

selection of gun was the equivalent 

of buying her a vacuum cleaner for 

Valentine’s. 

20 


Selecting a gun for Sarah is a challenge. 

She is so petite that she is barely 

two inches above the federal standard 

requiring use of a booster car seat for 

children. Luck has it, a friend was selling 

his Kahr CW9, which she tried, and 

smiled as it fit her perfectly. She manipulated 

it without fumbling or fear, 

and after seeing her shoot the old .357 

Magnum snubby, I knew she could 

handle the recoil of a smaller weapon. 

She was happy with the Kahr, so I was 

happy with her decision and happy 

that the ordeal was over. What a fool I 

was! 

“I think it is time for me to get a concealed 

weapons permit,” were her next 

words. I quoted Cicero’s old exclamation: 

“O tempora o mores!” Which in 

English means, “Darn modern times, I 

am screwed.” Yet I refused to wave the 

white flag and instead, pulled my last 

reserve of ego from the depths of my 

mutilated manhood by saying, “I am 

an NRA certified instructor and I will 

be your instructor!” 

Yes, now I know it was one of the 

stupidest ideas I could ever have, only 

surpassed by that day I confused an 

alligator with an old log and tried to 

pick it up. The NRA Basic Pistol Course 

is supposed to last eight hours, but in 

my household lasted about a week and 

a half. Two hours of range time–and I 

only required five stitches. I will not go 

into detail, but the February cold spell 

we had in Southern Florida was directly 

attributed to the hard stares she 

gave me whenever I apparently went 

too stupid or too bossy with her. She 

aced the written tests and did fantastically 

at the range, so I was happy to issue 

her certificate knowing she earned 

it the hard way. And in the spirit of a 

future and happy marriage, I waved 

the white flag, tipped my king, and 

kneeled down in surrender to the inevitable 

force: A woman with a cause. 

I thought I was spared of any further 

sacrifices from now on, and she was 

to take the rest of the gun stuff on her 

own. Once again–and as usual–I was 

wrong. 

Her gear came next. Knowing that 

she is a frugal woman, but also wanting 

her to have some decent stuff, I 

managed to do right buying the range 

bag and eye protection in pink, and 

electronic ear protection. I won a small 

battle on the cheap plastic holster and 

magazine pouches by signing a contract 

which stipulated that those items 

were for initial practice and to be sub- 


21

should carry every day. Since it was a 

government building and because I 

was carrying my weapon, I had to wait 

outside. It was then that I noticed I was 

surrounded on a four block radius by 

either state, local or federal buildings 

and that if I were to be in need to use 

the facilities, I’d be in a world of internal 

hurt. The information was filed for 

future reference as in, “Next time plan 

ahead and make sure you can have a 

place to ‘rest’ and not go to jail.” Sarah 

came down after barely 15 minutes, 

singing the praises of the all-female 

staff and the speed of the process. She 

was told that it might take up to two 

months, but a realistic expectation 

would be three weeks. 

Next thing I hear 

is, “We are going 

to the range.” 

Sarah chose the Galco Miami Classic II as one of her carry options. It fits with her 

business work clothes and it is comfortable to wear. 

stituted by gear of her choice whenever 

she so desired, and in the quantities 

she demanded, or my soul was to be 

damned for eternity plus thirty days. 

She then proceeded to assign me with 

searching stores, the internet, and the 

20th cell of Hell for a contoured leather 

belt in 1.5 inch width. I asked what a 

contoured belt was and she just let 

out a sigh while murmuring minimal 

curses about the stupidity of men. She 

went on to explain women’s curvature 

and how a belt should conform to it in 

order to properly sustain a holster and 

hold a weapon steady. I admit that I 

stopped paying attention at “women’s 

curvature” and my mind wandered 

toward other applications of such geometrical 

features. She noticed my leery 

and lost eyes and after applying her 

standard correction method to my distraction, 

a second set of stitches were 

needed on my anatomy and I returned 

to the search. Forty-eight hours, two 

laptops and four search engines later, 

I managed to find one that pleased her 

sense of style, utility and frugality. As a 

reward, I got scratched under the chin 

and I purred with glee. Yes, we have 

cats in our household, and yes, I am 

placed at the bottom of the totem pole. 

In the state of Florida you can either 

send your application for a concealed 

weapons permit via mail to Tallahassee 

or if you happen to live near a regional 

Division of Licensing office, you can 

show up with your certificate and a 

check, and fill all the requirements (application 

form, fingerprints and photo) 

electronically. We decided to go to our 

local office in downtown Miami using 

the Metro Rail which, if anything, by 

just looking at some of the passengers, 

showed her the many reasons why one 

After all the work she had me doing, 

I was expecting a reprieve in the form 

of a restful weekend with a Sunday ingesting 

an inordinate amount of pancakes 

and sausage plus snoring in front 

of the TV; that was not to be. Next thing 

I hear is, “We are going to the range,” 

using the tone of voice women have 

in which you can actually see an accusatory 

finger floating in front of the 

words. By now, I was wiser and just 

grabbed her and my range bag, loaded 

everything into the truck, and drove 

to our local shooting palace. For the 

next two hours I carefully and humbly 

supervised her, gave some pointers 

that she followed as she became increasingly 

better at manipulating and 

shooting her gun. She is not ready to 

compete against Julie Golob, but I do 

feel that an unknowing predator would 

risk a nasty surprise if he decided to 

mess with this Southern Chick. 

Final Thoughts: It goes without 

saying that I am being facetious in the 

above writing … OK, mostly facetious, 

but I am not allowed to comment 

on the veracity of the stitches. What I 

want to impress on my fellow males is 

that there are huge differences in the 

way women think and we don’t. No 

matter our intentions, we might not 

22 


BETTER LET HER PACK 

be the best to convince our mates that 

they should take up the responsibility 

of defending themselves and their 

family, which I hope would include us. 

We take the defense of our loved ones 

so seriously, we fall into the trap of 

not trusting anybody with their wellbeing 

unless they are somebody we 

know intimately. Worse, we may think 

nobody can do better than us because 

we love our mates and we have their 

best interest at heart. So, we must train 

ourselves to let go and to gently steer 

them into the world of self-defense 

the way they do it to us when the lawn 

needs mowing or the leaking faucet 

needs to be fixed; yes, sneaky like that 

if necessary. Once she gets bitten by 

the bug, we should be nothing but 

supportive, but from afar, and give 

her all the time she needs to train and 

improve while we take on some of her 

responsibilities. 

But women do not escape from this 

miniature rant. Yes, men can be bullheaded 

and stubborn as a Kentucky 

mule, but we truly care for your safety 

and that is why we become such idiots 

about you learning how to shoot. 

Give yourselves the chance to learn, 

and take up shooting for your pleasure, 

self-reliance, and as something you 

both can do together. Instead of dinner 

and a movie night, go for shooting 

and dinner evenings. Trust me, guys 

dig chicks with guns. Plus guys in a relationship 

with armed women tend to 

be pretty faithful. 

And ladies, once you are fully comfortable 

and even shooting regularly, 

become an instructor! Help more of 

your sisters to learn shooting and selfdefense 

from somebody who knows 

the tribulations of being a woman on 

the road of true independence. 

And now, if you will excuse me, I 

have to go change my bandages. H 

Miguel Gonzalez spent several years in 

the security business, and counts it a victory 

that he has no extra holes or scars 

that were not medically given or self inflicted, 

although he has seen more guns 

by the wrong end than any healthy and 

law abiding person should. He has carried 

concealed in two countries (Venezuela 

and the USA), is a certified NRA instructor, 

and describes himself as the worst IDPA 

shooter in the State of Florida. Contact 

him via email at Miguel@gatillo.com. 

Fashion Meets Function 

[ BY BETTY SHONTS ] 

Ladies, you don’t have to be stuck with safety accessories 

that are drab, oversized, and uncomfortable. 

PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK 

Many companies offer accessories 

especially made for us. Packing 

in Pink’s gear are designed by women 

for women, with the philosophy that 

“just because I shoot like a man doesn’t 

mean I have to look like one.” They offer 

eye and ear protection, hats, shirts 

and more. But selling feminine shooting 

gear isn’t all they do for us; for every 

purchase, Packing in Pink makes a donation 

to breast cancer research. 

Browning, a well-respected name in 

the shooting and outdoor industries, 

makes numerous accessories tailored 

for women, including clothing and 

range gear. Their “Range Kit for Her” 

combines style and function with tinted 

shooting glasses, ear muffs, and soft 

foam ear plugs in a case. 

Howard Leight, a leading provider 

of ear protection technology, offers ear 

muffs and anti-fog, protective eye wear 

in dusty rose, and are specifically made 

to fit women’s smaller head and face 

sizes. 

The next time you’re at the range, not 

only can you make a bold statement 

in safety and style, you won’t have to 

worry about the hubby borrowing your 

gear. H 

CONTACTS: 

Browning 

www.browning.com 

Howard Leight 

www.howardleight.com 

From upper left to right: 

Hands off my gear, hubby! 

Packing in Pink, Howard 

Leight and Browning all make 

just-for-her range safety gear. 

Packing in Pink 

www.packinginpink.com 


PHOTOS COURTESY HOWARD LEIGHT AND BROWNING 

23

©iSTOCKPHOTO - PHOTO4U 

It was profoundly frightening to have 

someone so concerned that I have a 

carry permit again as fast as possible. 

[ BY EMILY BURTON ] 

I have had a permit to carry 

a concealed handgun for the 

past 15 years. 

Why I Have A 

Concealed 

Carry 

Permit 

However, I am ashamed to admit 

that in 2010 I actually let my 

permit expire for two months. 

That’s not just a figure of speech, I truly 

am embarrassed. But reality conspired 

to remind me in short order why it is 

a very good idea to always have a concealed 

carry permit. 

I have never carried on a regular 

basis. I got the permit just in case, if 

something happened where I felt it 

was necessary, I would be able to carry 

legally. I found that having a concealed 

carry permit was an excellent filter for 

my actions: if I felt I would need to 

carry my gun somewhere, I just didn’t 

go there. I know some will argue with 

me on this one, and that the only logical 

choice is to have the gun with you 

always. My carry gun (when I carried), 

was a Glock 19 and my carry rig was a 

fanny pack. Recently, life conspired to 

convince me that having a gun on my 

person all the time should become a 

real, major priority. 

n MAY/JUNE 2011

left: In the past 20 or so 

years, the application for 

a concealed carry permit 

has proven, for many law 

abiding citizens, the portal 

to a lack of fear of violent 

assault from criminals. 

right: The Dru Sjodin Sex 

Offender Public Website 

is named in memory of a 

young woman who was 

raped and murdered; it 

was what allowed author 

Burton to discover a 

perpetrator’s history of 

rape and enabled her to 

send him back to prison. 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - COSINT 

My son’s 17-year-old friend was 

raped. In the aftermath, because this 

was someone for whom I cared, I dedicated 

myself to helping the police find 

these people and seeing them arrested, 

and also finding witnesses who could 

testify. There were three offenders involved. 

I went online and found that 

one of these people was already a Level 

3 sex offender with two convictions for 

child rape. While I wasn’t able to get 

enough evidence to get him arrested, I 

was able to go to the parole board with 

my evidence and have his parole revoked. 

He went back to prison. While 

we couldn’t nail him for the new rape, 

we could indeed see that he went back 

to prison to finish out his sentence for 

the previous child rape. I felt very happy 

because shortly after he was arrested 

he temporarily escaped and was recaptured 

soon afterward which added 

several more years to his sentence. I 

thought to myself, “Thank you, stupid 

person, for actually adding more time 

to your prison term.” 

Now I find myself in a situation where 

there is a very real, statistically more 

probable likelihood that I might be attacked. 

Though I managed to get one of 

the rapists put away, there are two more 

of them out there. It is very likely they 

know who I am, and that I am the one 

who landed their fellow rapist in jail. 

I’m thinking they are probably somewhat 

irritated by that. I still know the 

victim, and they certainly know her and 

where she lives. She spends time at my 

house. All it would take for them to find 

me would be to follow her. For a while 

after the attack, she actually lived with 

me, though she has now moved into an 

apartment across town. I found her an 

unarmed-self-defense instructor. If she 

were actually old enough to own a gun 

I would teach her to shoot; however, 

she is not. She wants a handgun and 

concealed carry permit the instant she 

turns 21. I don’t blame her. 

As I write this, it occurs to me this 

would be an excellent time to teach her 

to shoot. A few years lead time to build 

up her skill level before owning and carrying 

a gun would certainly be an excellent 

idea. Being skilled with any weapon 

you carry is just a highly desirable thing 

for anyone who really cares about their 

own safety. 

While visiting the corrections department 

(during which I told them that I 

was going to dedicate myself to helping 

put a multiple child rapist back 

behind bars), one of the women 

working there did not want me 

to leave the building until I had 

done the paperwork to renew 

my carry permit. It was not her 

job to do this, but she went 

and found the paperwork herself 

and asked someone from 

another department to come 

and take my fingerprints 

right then and there (it took 

her less than five minutes 

to drag someone over to do 

them). Then she personally 

found an ATM for me to withdraw cash 

for the fee. It was profoundly frightening 

to have someone in corrections so 

concerned that I have a carry permit 

again as fast as possible. 

In the near future I am going to be doing 

much experimentation on the best 

way to carry and conceal a Glock 19. As 

I sit here typing this, I am expecting a 

shipment from Galco in the next few 

days containing six different holsters: a 

thigh holster, two belly bands, a fanny 

pack and two different holster purses. 

Stay tuned to hear what I learn from the 

upcoming experimentation. H 

Florida has been the role model 

for other states passing shall-issue 

concealed carry permits (sample permit 

shown, law allowing same passed in 

1988) though Washington state where 

Burton lives has had a shall-issue 

concealed carry permit system in place 

since 1965. 


25

Brand 

Sig Sauer 

Model 

P229 

Action Type SA/DA 

Caliber 

9mm 

Capacity 13 + 1 

Trigger Pull 10 lbs. DA, 5 lbs. SA 

Weight, empty 32 oz. 

Weight, loaded 38 oz. 

Barrel length 3.9 in. 

MSRP $1,108 

SIG SAUER P229 SPECS 

Basic Information 

Gun Size Information 

Length 

5.5 in. 

Height 

3.9 in. 

Grip girth 

4.75 in. 

Short grip 

1.5 in. 

Long grip 

2 in. 

Sight radius 3.75 in. 

Trigger reach 3 in. 

Trigger safety 

Thumb safety 

Grip safety 

Decocker 

Magazine disconnect 

Loaded chamber indicator 

Concealment index 10.75 

SAFETY FEATURES 

4 4 

Cocked status indicator 

Integral lock 

Sig Sauer P229 

SAS Gen 2 

Left side of Sig 

Sauer P229. 

T h e C a d i l l a c o f C a r r y G u n s 

[ BY DUANE A. DAIKER ] 

I will admit to being a latecomer to Sig Sauer firearms. 

A 

Sig P229 is twice as expensive as 

a similarly configured Smith & 

Wesson or Beretta pistol. For that 

reason alone, I never paid too much attention 

to them. Over time though, as 

I experienced more and more types of 

firearms, I began to realize that certain 

guns are more expensive for a reason. 

In the past few years I have come to 

truly understand the Sig Sauer appeal. 

It’s more than just marketing or branding—it’s 

about quality. The fit and finish 

on Sig pistols is exceptional. When 

you handle the guns, you are immediately 

impressed with the quality and the 

smoothness of the action. In addition 

to the cosmetic appeal, the top notch 

construction and materials makes for a 

functional, durable, and highly reliable 

weapon. 

Gun details 

The Sig P229 is a compact doubleaction/single-action 

pistol that has 

been in the Sig lineup since the early 

26 

1990s. A slightly smaller version of the 

full size P226, the P229 has a 13+1 round 

capacity in 9mm. The P229 platform 

is well suited to civilian carry, and the 

SAS model is tailored specifically for 

concealed carry. SAS stands for “Sig 

Anti-Snag” and refers to the aggressive 

“carry melt” process applied to the slide 

and frame in Sig’s Custom Shop, which 

smoothes all the corners and edges for 

comfort in carry. The melt is very visible, 

and gives the pistol a distinctive look in 

addition to the practical advantages. 

This Sig comes well equipped with 

the most popular features, including 

the Sig Short Reset Trigger (SRT) and 

the SIGLITE three dot tritium night 

sights. The 229 SAS is available in an 

all black Nitron finish or in a two-tone 

finish with a stainless slide over a black 

frame. 

Unlike previous SAS models that 

came with wood grips, the Gen 2 model 

comes with black polymer grips. Of 

course, there are a wide variety of factory 

and aftermarket grips available to 

dress up your P229. The optional grips 

pictured in this article are from the 

Hogue Extreme series of grips, which 

are crafted from aerospace grade aluminum 

and hard anodized. These grips 

are extremely thin, and are offered in 

a variety of textures. For a concealed 

carry gun, I like smooth grips—and the 

matte black Hogues are perfect. 

The P229 I reviewed was chambered 

in 9mm. The gun is also available in .40 

S&W or .357 Sig. In 9mm, the pistol has 

a magazine capacity of 13 rounds. In 

the other calibers, the magazine holds 

only 12 rounds. One potential criticism 

of the P229 is a slight disadvantage 

in capacity over the similarly sized 

sub-compact Glock 19, which has a 15 

round capacity in 9mm. Of course, the 

Sig P229 accepts the same size magazines 

as the full-size P226, which allows 

you to use Sig’s 15-round or even 

20-round magazines, when desired. 

Disassembly of the Sig for cleaning 

and maintenance is very easy, and requires 

no tools. Simply ensure the gun 


The 15-round magazine from the 

full-size P226 extends slightly below 

the P229’s grip frame. 20-round 

magazines are also available from 

Sig Sauer. 

The business end 

of the Sig P229 

is an impressive 

sight! (No safety 

rules were violated 

when taking this 

photo.) 

is unloaded, lock the slide back, rotate 

the takedown lever, release the slide 

lock, and remove the slide. The barrel 

and recoil guide rod and spring are then 

easily removed. No further disassembly 

is required, and anyone can learn this 

simple process. If you choose to remove 

the grip panels, only a flat blade screwdriver 

is required. 

Carry impressions 

The P229 is a little thick and heavy 

for a compact pistol, so most very deep 

concealment methods will be difficult. 

This Sig is well-suited for traditional 

belt carry, or possibly in a shoulder holster. 

I carried the gun on my strong-side 

hip. For outside the waistband carry, I 

used a Galco Concealable Belt Holster, 

and for inside the waistband I used a 

Galco SC2 Inside Pant Holster. Both 

holsters exhibited the highest levels of 

functionality and quality that are hallmarks 

of the entire Galco line. The carry 

melt treatment unique to the SAS model 

definitely helps with comfort and 

concealment by eliminating sharp corners 

and edges when the gun is pressed 

firmly into your side for carry. The SAS 

is also less likely to snag on cover garments 

when drawn from concealment. 

Shooting impressions 

The P229 is a pleasure to shoot. 

Certainly, some shooters don’t care for 

the transition that has to be made in a 

traditional DA/SA pistol from the 10 

pound first double-action trigger pull to 

subsequent 5 pound single-action trigger 

pulls. However, for anyone who is 

used to this type of setup or who has the 

patience to practice, it shouldn’t present 

a problem. The heavy initial trigger 

pull is an important safety feature 

and eliminates the need for any type 

of manual safety. The P229 is always 

ready to shoot with a pull of the trigger. 

Over the course of 200 rounds of various 

ammunition types, this gun was 

flawless. Frankly, I didn’t expect any 


The P229 is quickly and easily 

disassembled into its basic parts for 

cleaning and maintenance. 

less—given Sig’s well-deserved reputation 

for reliability. Accuracy was also 

very impressive, with groups averaging 

less than two inches when fired 

without support at 10 yards. To say this 

gun is “combat accurate” would be an 

understatement. “Impressively accurate” 

would be far more descriptive! 

Recoil on this compact 9mm is very 

27

SIG SAUER 229 

AMMUNITION 

Rounds Fired 

Errors / Practical Accuracy* 

Malfunctions @ 10 yds. 

Hornady 124 gr. TAP FPD 40 0 2 

Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr. FTX 40 0 2 

Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. GDHP +P 40 0 2 

Commercial Reloads 115 gr. FMJ 80 0 3 

* Note: “Practical accuracy” means the reviewer fired the gun while standing, and then placed a circle of a known size around the resulting 

group using the USCCA Official Gun Review Excellence target. 

The Galco Concealable holds the gun 

close and tight, allowing for easy 

concealment under a loose fitting shirt. 

moderate and the gun is easy to control. 

Even the 9mm +P loads seem very mild. 

Undoubtedly, the rather large grip on 

the gun and the heavier weight of the 

pistol help tame the recoil. Even in .40 

S&W or .357 Sig, I believe this P229 will 

be very manageable. Quick follow-up 

shots are very easy to deliver with the 

mild recoil and the very smooth single 

action trigger. 

My only complaint with this gun is 

one that applies to Sig Sauer pistols in 

general. The slide release lever is toward 

the rear of the slide, behind the 

decocking lever. This is nearly the same 

position that other guns have a thumb 

safety lever. If you generally use a high 

thumb position, such as commonly 

used in shooting a 1911 type pistol, you 

will likely be riding the slide stop lever 

and preventing the gun from locking 

open on the last round. This is primarily 

a training issue, but it’s something to 

be aware of if you plan to transition between 

gun types. 

Final thoughts 

There is no question that Sig Sauer 

builds a high quality pistol. The Sig P229 

is already a nicely sized gun for carry, and 

the SAS version adds the “carry melt” that 

makes the gun much more functional in 

a concealment holster. When you consider 

the accuracy and ease of handling 

of this gun, there is no question it is an 

excellent choice for concealed carry. The 

thick grip of the P229 may be too large for 

some people with small hands, but if the 

gun fits your hand, you will not be disappointed 

with its performance. 

Some buyers will balk at the price of 

the P229 SAS, which was retailing for 

$1,108 at press time. Actual street prices 

are somewhat less, and the gun can 

be purchased for under $1,000 in many 

places. While it is certainly true that a 

Glock 19 can be purchased for several 

hundred dollars less, and provide very 

similar functionality, that represents one 

of the classic conundrums over “value.” 

A Chevy and a Cadillac will both get you 

where you want to go, but a Cadillac will 

get you there in style. The Sig P229 SAS 

Gen 2 is definitely the Cadillac of carry 

guns. H 

Duane A. Daiker is a contributing editor 

for CCM, but is otherwise a regular 

guy—not much different from you. 

Duane has been a lifelong shooter and 

goes about his life as an armed, responsible, 

and somewhat opinionated citizen. 

Duane can be contacted at Daiker@ 

RealWorldCarryGear.com, or through 

his fan page on Facebook, and welcomes 

your comments and suggestions. 

CONTACTS: 

Hogue, Inc. 

www.getgrip.com 

(800) 438-4747 

Hornady Ammunition 

www.hornady.com 

(800) 338-3220 

Sig Sauer, Inc. 

www.sigsauer.com 

(603) 772-2302 

Speer Ammunition 

www.speer-ammo.com 

(800) 627-3640 

Galco Gunleather 

www.usgalco.com 

(800) 874-2526 

The SC2 is Galco’s version of the classic 

“Summer Special” inside the waistband 

holster with a thumb-break retention 

strap. 

**The Sig P229 SAS was provided by the manufacturer, and was later purchased at a discounted price. The 

holster pictured was provided by Galco Gunleather at no charge. Some of the ammo for testing was provided 

at no charge by Hornady and Winchester. Prices as of March 2011. 

28 


Learning how to shoot around 

cover with simple barricades is 

fine, but the first time you shoot 

around real objects shouldn’t be in 

a real gunfight. This is an example 

of training in context. 

The Warrior Expert: 

Counter Ambush 

[ BY ROB PINCUS ] 

What do we mean by Defensive Shooting? 

When we talk about developing 

defensive shooting skills, 

what exactly do we mean? 

What skills do we need and under what 

circumstances are we anticipating the 

need to use them? 

It is important to note right here at 

the beginning that all shooting is not 

the same. I often refer to “driving” in the 

same way that I am talking about “shooting.” 

Just because you are using a vehicle 

with four tires and an internal combustion 

engine doesn’t mean you are always 

doing the same thing. People who 

live in a congested city drive differently 

than people who live out in the middle 

of nowhere. They need different skills 

and maybe even different types of cars. 

Driving on snow is different from driving 

on a banked oval racetrack. Driving 

for pleasure is different from driving to 

transport material from one place to 

another. In the same way, target shooting 

is different from trap shooting and 

defensive hunting is different from competition 

shooting. If you are having an 

emotional reaction to the last couple of 

sentences that involves the use of the 


word “fundamentals” or a specific concept 

like “trigger control” that makes 

you want to say it all boils down to the 

same thing ... consider whether or not 

you had the same reaction in regard to 

the driving comparisons and something 

like holding your hands at “10 and 2” or 

pressing the gas pedal smoothly. Maybe 

you did, or maybe, like many people involved 

in shooting, you’ve been conditioned 

to think that there is one way to 

shoot properly. 

Answer these questions about what 

we mean by “Defensive Shooting” and 

the circumstances under which we will 

be likely to be doing it: 

29

name of article here 

How much time to spend sitting every day? How often do 

you train drawing your gun and shooting while seated? 

1. What type of gun will we use? 

2. Will we know what and where the 

target is just before we know we need to 

shoot? 

3. Will we know how many shots we 

need to fire? 

4. Will we need to assess our shots 

while we are shooting? 

5. Will we be on balance? 

6. Will we have time to prepare? 

7. Can we take a do over? 

8. Are we in danger? 

9. Will we have a set time to perform 

our shooting? 

Now go back and answer them again, 

but replace defensive shooting with 

hunting, practical competition shooting, 

shooting to measure your skill, recreational 

shooting, bull’s-eye competition 

shooting and defensive competition 

shooting. Did you get different answers? 

I know that I do. 

It is those different answers that lead 

us to the conclusion that defensive 

shooting is fundamentally different 

from other types of shooting and should 

be treated as such when we choose our 

gear, techniques and practice methods. 

The most important differences are 

in questions 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9. These are 

the major differences between defensive 

shooting and shooting in typical training 

environments or competition (even 

so-called “defensive” competitions). 

In those settings, you usually know the 

answers to numbers 2 & 3. In competition, 

you know that your top two shots 

will be scored, so you need to fire two 

good shots or you need to hit each piece 

of steel once, for example. In training, 

you will often be told how many shots 

to fire in a string (though this is thankfully 

becoming less and less standard as 

private sector schools move to un-choreographed 

strings of fire as a default). 

In competition, you will usually be given 

some type of briefing or be allowed to 

see the course of fire prior to taking your 

turn. In training, you will often be told 

exactly what to shoot after a specific signal 

and then given the signal to execute 

the drill. Knowing the answers to these 

two questions changes everything about 

the way your brain executes the skills. 

For many years, we have made comparisons 

between defensive training 

and sports science. There are very well 

researched and established methods for 

training physical skills that are used in 

professional sports. Whether we are talking 

about swinging a golf club, throwing 

a ball or shooting a gun, we can very accurately 

control our body in a precise 

way under controlled conditions. We can 

get into a “zone” and execute complex 

motor skills on a signal or at our own 

pace because we can practice in close 

to the exact conditions and without any 

anticipation of significant difference in 

the conditions under which we will need 

to execute those skills in a game or competition. 

The problem is that without 

the answers to questions #2 and #3, we 

cannot practice exactly what we need to 

practice prior to the moment we need to 

execute the skill. Keep in mind, we can 

always practice the skill at a higher level 

than we are likely to need. In the training 

world, this is the route that many 

schools of thought have taken. Teach 

people target shooting skills, demand 

extreme levels of precision and proclaim 

that skill degradation and the natural 

urge to “go faster” under the circum- 

30 


The Balance of Speed & 

Precision Target offers 

several opportunities for 

different levels of deviation 

control and variations on 

commands to fire all on one 

piece of paper. Waiting in 

front of this target for any 

of a number of commands 

will force the shooter to 

process information prior to 

shooting, just like in a real 

situation. 

stances we will be fighting (related to the 

answers to many of the questions posed 

above) will place us where we should be. 

I find that approach to be akin to saying, 

“You can’t really practice the right thing, 

so we’ll just give up and practice something 

that makes us feel good.” Shooting 

a nice tight group or seeing your shot go 

“right between the eyes” does make you 

feel good—no wonder this approach 

has been popular. The fact is that the 

time component of defensive shooting 

is always going to be “as fast as you 

can.” Training to shoot one-inch groups 

means that you will condition yourself 

to shooting well at that pace. That pace 

may not stop the bad guy fast enough 

when the answer to question #9 is, “No.” 

In the competition, the emphasis on 

time as the measurement of success has 

placed at the top of the list an emphasis 

on performing a known task under 

controlled conditions as quickly as possible. 

Again, knowing that the answers 

to the questions above will be very different 

in a truly defensive shooting 

situation (especially questions 2 and 3) 

changes everything. Look at steel shooting 

for example: Things like plate racks 

or speed runs on large steel train us to 

swing our gun through a known pattern, 

timing our pressing of the trigger based 

on prior experience. The human body 

has the capacity to get very, very good at 

MAY/JUNE 2011

THE WARRIOR EXPERT 

this. Watching any world class competitor 

take out a plate rack is awe inspiring, 

but unless they are being attacked 

by a bunch of guys who are duct-taped 

together and will go down with one hit, 

the skill is not a useful one for defensive 

shooting. When you don’t know that the 

targets are going to be in the exact same 

place and you must shoot and assess 

(question #4) because you don’t know 

how many shots you’ll need to fire at 

each target, techniques developed for 

shooting multiple pieces of steel will be 

irrelevant. 

Questions 5, 6, 7, and 8 are directly 

related to the condition of our brains 

and bodies when we are performing 

our skills. It is very well documented 

that there are predictable changes that 

take place throughout our system when 

we are startled, scared, and in a life and 

death fight. The degree of these changes 

may vary, but their existence is about as 

close to an absolute as we can have in a 

real fight. This article is not the place to 

detail the various natural reactions, but 

they include changes in blood flow, heart 

rate, vision, motor control, and the perception 

of time. If you want to brush up 

on the details, I cover the most important 

ones in my books, but Mike Martin does 

an even better job in his, Fundamentals 

of Concealed Carry. These changes are 

significant and they will impact performance. 

While we can’t really simulate 

them in our training environment, we 

should choose to train techniques and 

tactics that take them into account, not 

simply accept that something is a good 

idea because it “can” be done or works 

well in another type of shooting. 

Question #1 is the only question that 

I haven’t addressed. Its relevance is 

much more about what you choose to 

purchase and train with before your incident. 

If you only own one type of gun 

and carry it, it is fair to say that you have 

an incredibly high likelihood of being 

able to answer this question accurately. 

The answers to the other questions and 

the skills you choose to develop should 

strongly influence what type of gun you 

choose. Choosing one that excels in other 

types of shooting could be like entering 

a tractor pull with a Ferrari. Choose 

the right tool for the job you’ll need to 

do, under the conditions that you’ll most 

likely need to do it. 

Go back and look at the questions 

again with a thought to the worst-casescenario 

defensive shooting; No, not 

zombies at the movie theater, just a 

single attacker situation where most of 

the questions are unanswerable because 

you are truly caught off guard. We call 

this the Ambush. True defensive shooting 

should be done from the approach of 

Counter Ambush Training. The foundational 

requirement for any training to be 

truly Counter Ambush is The Processing 

of Information prior to the Execution of 

any Learned Skill. 

Without that important component, 

you are merely shooting free throws instead 

of training for the conditions of the 

The Warrior Expert Theory 

The Warrior Expert Theory states 

that through frequent and realistic 

training, one can become capable 

of using the power of recognition 

to make responses during a dynamic 

critical incident more efficient. 

WET is a simple theory that has huge 

ramifications on the way we train and 

what we choose to train in the first 

place. Recognition is the method of an 

expert. You can only “recognize” something 

if you have been exposed to it previously. 

Experts are people who have 

spent a significant amount of time being 

exposed to a specific area of study 

and are able to capitalize on their ability 

to recognize information related to it. 

In my book, Combat Focus® Shooting: 

Evolution 2010, I talk about chess players 

and doctors as typical experts in 

their areas. They can often make accurate 

diagnoses or choose appropriate 

moves without long periods of research 

or cognitive processing because they 

recognize patterns of information in 

their observations. As a person interested 

in self-defense, we need to be a 

Warrior Expert. We need to seek out opportunities 

to be exposed to the stimuli 

that represent threats and the appropriate 

responses to those threats frequently 

and realistically so that, in the worst 

case scenario, we don’t have to take a 

lot of time to cognitively process, make 

decisions or execute complex learned 

responses (like drawing and shooting a 

gun). 

The Warrior Expert Theory covers 

both the soft side of decision making 

and the hard side of skill performance. 

In the brain, what we have commonly 

referred to as “muscle memory” is actually 

created by the strengthening of the 

connections between neurons in the 

brain that are used to perform physical 

skills. This strengthening is actually 

a physical thinning of the gap between 

the frequently used neurons through 

repeated layering of fats when the connection 

is used. The thinner the gap, the 

less time it takes for an electrical signal 

to be passed between the neurons, the 

faster an action can be performed and 

the easier it is to perform it. Given the 

choice between a relatively wide gap 

(an unrehearsed action) and a well established 

thin gap, a charge is more 

likely to follow the path of least resistance. 

This can be seen as physical skill 

recognition. 

Knowing that our training resources 

are always limited, the Warrior Expert 

Theory reminds us that we need to 

maximize their value by training as few 

tactics and skills as possible (to increase 

the “frequency” of exposures and repetitions) 

and train in the context that we 

will need them (“realistically” based on 

plausibility). 

This column will take the title 

“Warrior Expert Theory” and will use 

WET as a backdrop for everything that 

I discuss. Developing recognition level 

responses means that you can take full 

advantage of your brain and body’s 

natural ability to work together and integrate 

with tools to help you get safe 

as quickly as possible when ambushed. 

Your automated system can “take over” 

when you need it most, if you prepare 

it. That preparation starts with sound 

principles and concepts that lead to the 

development of efficient techniques 

and well reasoned tactics. H 

32 


THE WARRIOR EXPERT 

This pistol is probably really good at something... but having it as a concealed carry 

option would be like driving a Monster Truck at the Indy 500.... tools should fit the 

job. Not all guns are created equal and you should choose one that makes your task 

easier, not harder! 

actual game. When you are defending 

yourself, you are doing so from an attack 

that ultimately is an ambush in some 

form. If it weren’t, then hopefully you 

would have avoided it. Even our special 

operations military personnel have 

trained with us for many years almost 

exclusively in Counter Ambush skills 

as part of our Extreme Close Quarters 

program. In that program, we start with 

the premise that the normal CQB procedures 

have failed and a bad guy shows 

up from an uncovered danger area or 

gets in close enough to grab a long gun. 

In our S.W.A.T. Training, we assume the 

bad guy is not a lethal threat, but does 

need to be fought and controlled. In our 

Executive Protection training, Personal 

Defense programs, Firearms Skill 

Development courses, Officer Survival, 

Home Defense, Concealed Carry and 

Women’s Assault Prevention programs 

all assume that you have been caught 

off guard in some way and need to process 

information prior to executing any 

learned skill. 

I often say that my instructors and I 

don’t just do firearms training, we strive 

to help our students learn how to make 

rapid decisions and execute complex 

motor skills under extreme and unexpected 

stress. This enters into all facets 

of our programs. How do we do this? 

How do we get our students to process 

information prior to executing the skills 

they’re developing? It can be as easy as 

alternating between two commands on 

the firing line which indicate engaging 

two different types of targets for someone 

who just bought their first gun, or 

as complex as having multiple, well-rehearsed 

and capable role-players engaging 

in at-speed close quarters attacks using 

impact reduction suits and sim guns 

with our country’s greatest warriors. We 

even have an App for it, for when you are 

training by yourself! 

You can integrate this aspect of training 

to your own regimen very simply by 

forcing yourself to truly perform skills 

on demand. Working with a partner, the 

next time you are at a range, give each 

other short instructions rapidly and execute 

the shooting necessary as quickly as 

you can. Don’t contemplate the course 

of fire and don’t form a strategy ahead 

of time. Take the skills you have developed 

previously and apply them to the 

problem that is presented. This starts to 

simulate the ambush moment. Having 


complex targets that offer various levels 

of deviation control (sizes of targets), set 

at different distances and of different 

colors and shapes will make the training 

easy. “Shoot the red circle once and 

bad guy #3 in the chest multiple times, 

GO!” that simple sentence can throw the 

average “good” shooter’s ability to apply 

their skill rapidly into the gutter. Simply 

giving the same two instructions, letting 

the shooter think about them, asking 

them if they are “ready” and then giving 

them a signal to execute ruins the whole 

thing and makes your shooting a sport, 

not Counter Ambush Training. To keep 

your defensive shooting training as real 

as possible, focus on high center chest 

sized targets the majority of the time, require 

rapid multiple shot-strings of fire, 

engage targets between 6 and 20 feet 

away, integrate a flinch prior to drawing, 

perform lateral movement while 

searching, reloading, assessing, clearing 

malfunctions and doing about anything 

other than shooting at a target beyond 

two arms reach. Understand that precision 

is either yes or no. Shooting a tight 

group inside of a large target is just wasting 

time, not “better.” Try to perform all 

of your gun handling without looking at 

your gun. Utilizing these tips will make 

it more likely that you are really training 

for defensive shooting and not just 

“shooting.” 

The next time you go to the range, 

think about a technique or consider a 

piece of gear, think about the nine questions 

above. Think about the skills you 

are going to need and the context in 

which you are going to need them. It isn’t 

easy to apply the discipline necessary 

to follow the counter ambush training 

methodology, but it probably won’t be 

easy to survive a true ambush either. H 

Rob Pincus owns I.C.E. Training and 

teaches firearms classes throughout the 

country to students interested in learning 

more about using firearms in self defense. 

The developer of the Combat Focus 

shooting program, Pincus also hosts 

and writes for Outdoor Channel’s wildly 

popular show “The Best Defense” and 

“S.W.A.T. Magazine TV.” His work has 

appeared in Police, Tactical Response, 

SWAT, and GunWorld. 

33

Buying 

Guns 

Online 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - JSOLIE2 

Shopping 

online for 

your favorite 

firearm 

doesn’t need 

to be a hassle. 

[ BY DUNCAN R. MACKIE ] 

For the firearms enthusiast, buying guns is always fun! 

I 

bought my first gun, a Smith & 

Wesson Model 37 Chief’s Special 

Airweight, when I was a young patrolman 

in an East Coast department, 

with less than a year on the job. I spent 

hours going through gun catalogs and 

looking at pistols in dealers’ showcases, 

and I finally bought it in a local hardware 

store. With interest, the gun cost 

me 110 dollars. 

Much has changed since then, including 

how we can buy guns. Back in 

the day, most gun purchases happened 

face to face. However, firearms of many 

types and varieties could be purchased 

through the U. S. mail. The Mannlicher- 

Carcano rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald 

used to shoot John F. Kennedy was a 

mail order gun, a fact used to drum up 

support for the Gun Control Act of 1968, 

the first major and sweeping regulation 

of the sale and possession of firearms 

in U. S. history. Mail order sales of firearms 

ended with GCA68. After that, all 

firearms purchases by individuals had 

to be face to face transfers and either 

a private purchase (one private citizen 

to another private citizen), or from a 

Federal Firearms Licensee (or FFL as 

they quickly became known). A federal 

requirement for Brady/NICS background 

checks was added to purchases 

from FFLs in 1994, and gun control 

activists are still agitating for similar 

regulation of private gun sales between 

private citizens. 

Now, it is possible to buy guns over 

the internet and across state lines. That 

process still involves Brady/NICS background 

checks, and FFLs on both ends 

of the transaction, but law-abiding citizens 

can shop online at their computers 

in the privacy of their homes for the 

pistol, rifle or shotgun of their choice. 

There are lots of websites that feature 

sales of new and used guns. A 

Google search for “gun sales websites” 

yielded more than 6 million hits: Guns 

America.com, GunBroker.com and 

AuctionArms.com are probably the biggest 

that sell firearms online to private 

individuals, and all operate basically 

the same way. Some people like auction 

sites because they feel they can find 

bargains that way, whereas others don’t 

want to bother with an auction and 

would just as soon buy things outright 

in the first place from private citizens or 

dealers who place classified ads selling 

guns on one of the many web sites dedicated 

to that purpose. 

Auction sites often lead to higher 

prices for sellers, which is why sellers 

like them. Auctions also add an emo- 

34 


above: Guns America’s web site, a site 

for both auctions and classified ads for 

gun sales. 

right: Glen Parshall at Bargain Pawn 

in N. Las Vegas logs a customer’s gun 

transfer into his FFL books. 

tional element to the purchase process, 

and auction purchases seem to have a 

higher incidence of buyer’s remorse. 

That’s no reason to avoid them, just 

know going in what to expect. Whether 

it’s an auction site or a straight sales 

site, the main points of the selling process 

and all of the transfer processes for 

any online firearms site are basically 

the same and are fairly straightforward. 

Both auction sites and sales sites make 

their money by charging successful sellers 

a small percentage of the sales price, 

and by the sale of optional services to 

sellers, such as highlighting ads online, 

and levels of membership. Given the 

tens of thousands of items that can be 

sold in a year, those small fees soon add 

up. 

To buy a gun online, set up an account 

at the site of your choice, either a 

sales or an auction site, then find a gun 

you want. If you have questions about 

the gun, you will have an opportunity 

to contact the seller, usually by email 

or telephone. Photos and descriptions 

of the gun offered for sale in both auctions 

and classified ads almost always 

accompany the item auction or sales 

notice online, along with information 

about the seller, including location, 

contact information, and their sales 

history. Some sites have levels of seller 

memberships, which can be useful in 

gauging the reliability of a seller. Use 

the contact information to ask questions 

of the seller. 

Buying a gun from an online site’s 

classified ad for selling is not hard. 

Browse the offerings, find something 

you like, meet the sellers purchase 

terms, pay for it, arrange for the transfer 

of the gun, pick it up from your FFL, and 

you’re done. Auctions are a little more 

complicated. They run for the number 

of days set by the seller, at the end of 

which, if there is a winning bid, there is 

a period of time which is usually a few 

days, but sometimes longer, to contact 

the seller and make payment and gun 

transfer arrangements. While the auction 

is open, you can “watch” it, meaning 

you can sign up for emails that will 

alert you when activity, such as another 

bid or a change in the terms or status 

of the auction, has occurred. Some auction 

sites have a form of automatic bidding, 

meaning you enter the maximum 

amount you are willing to pay for an 

item and the site automatically places 

bids for you as the bidding progresses, 

always bidding the least amount to win. 

When you are outbid, sites with this feature 

will raise your bid, but it will never 

bid more than whatever maximum bid 

amount you have set. If the item has a 


35

BUYING GUNS ONLINE 

Red Flags 

to watch 

out for: 

• Little or no sales history in a vendor 

• Low or no customer feedback 

ratings. 

• Sellers demanding cash only 

• Sellers who don’t want to answer 

your questions or don’t answer 

them to your satisfaction 

• Sellers who offer shortcuts on the 

transfer process or paperwork 

(HUGE red flag!) 

• Sellers who don’t provide contact 

information 

• Sellers who don’t accept returns 

reserve price, a minimum price below 

which the seller is not obliged to sell the 

gun, automatic bidding will attempt to 

meet the reserve price. Pay attention to 

the reserve price: You can be the high 

bidder on an auction and still not win it 

because the reserve price has not been 

met. 

Many gun auctions have a “buy now” 

price, meaning if you have a burning 

desire for a particular piece and 

don’t want to trust to your luck in the 

auction, you can “buy it now” for that 

price. For example, my wife likes 1911s 

and has a birthday coming up. I found 

a Colt Series 70 Combat Commander 

on GunBroker.com. Bidding on it will 

continue for four days and three hours 

and the current bid is $630. The buy 

now price is $1,200. If I’m satisfied that 

my wife will really like this particular 

Commander, I can skip the bidding and 

pay the seller’s buy now price to buy the 

item without having to bid on it. 

As the end of bidding approaches, the 

prices bid will likely go up. If I want to 

bid on the Commander in our example, 

I can either use the automated bidding 

process mentioned earlier, or use the 

“Watch” feature to follow the bidding, 

and raise my bids as long as it isn’t more 

than I want to pay. If the bidding goes 

beyond what I want to pay, well, there’s 

always another auction! 

How does an auction end? It’s sort of 

like a live auction, but not quite. There’s 

no live auctioneer shouting “Going, 

Going, Gone!” but most auction internet 

sites have something similar. 

GunBroker.com, for example, has a “15 

Minute Rule” which just means that an 

auction doesn’t close until there has 

been no bidding activity for 15 minutes. 

This allows everyone a fair chance to 

bid on the item. 

Having successfully bid on a weapon, 

what’s next? Contact the seller to arrange 

payment (including shipping and 

transfer fees) and transfer of the item. 

Payment is usually via PayPal, a credit 

card or a money order, although some 

vendors accept personal checks and wait 

for the check to clear before shipping 

the item. By federal law, all interstate 

transfers of firearms must be through 

Federal Firearms Licensees. Contact an 

FFL near you and arrange their receipt 

of the gun for you. A signed copy of your 

FFL’s current federal firearms license 

will be sent to the shipping FFL, who 

will then ship the weapon to your FFL 

in strict accordance with all applicable 

federal and local laws and regulations. 

Pay special attention to the gun 

laws in your state. In the early days of 

online gun sales, I lusted after a North 

American Arms Guardian in .32 ACP. 

I was living in Maryland at the time, 

which banned the sale of the NAA 

Guardian for reasons known only to 

the Maryland Handgun Roster Board. 

It wasn’t until after I had won the 

auction that I discovered it was illegal 

to own an NAA Guardian in Maryland! 

Fortunately, the seller let me back out 

of the sale, but most gun sales sites now 

have prominent language reminding 

bidders it is their responsibility to 

check the laws of their states for the 

legality of owning a particular firearm 

or accessory. 

If you don’t know of an FFL to receive 

your newly-purchased firearm, don’t despair. 

Most sales sites have lists of FFLs 

in every state willing to receive firearms 

transfers for you. If you plan on buying 

a lot of guns online, I suggest shopping 

for an FFL to receive your purchases 

in the same way that you shop for firearms—which 

is very carefully. Fees for 

sending and receiving guns are set by 

the individual FFL and they will vary. 

In my hometown, Las Vegas, Nevada, I 

have seen quotes for a firearms transfer 

range from a low of $25 to a high of 

$100, with something between $25 - $50 

36 


BUYING GUNS ONLINE 

Ways to protect 

yourself: 

• Ask a lot of questions of the vendor 

• Ask the seller for, and check, references 

• Read the customer feedback 

• Keep records of emails and phone conversations 

with the seller 

• Get warranties and terms of service in 

writing 

• Deal with sellers who have lots of sales 

history and high positive feedback 

• If something seems too good to be true, it 

probably is! 

• Trust your instincts. If you don’t get a 

warm, fuzzy feeling about a seller or a 

deal, don’t do it! 

Key points in the 

transfer process: 

• Pay for the gun, including all shipping fees 

• Arrange for an FFL near you to receive the gun 

• Give your FFL the contact information for the 

shipping FFL, so he can send a copy of his FFL 

to the shipping FFL 

• When the gun arrives at your FFL and has been 

entered into his firearms 

transfer register, fill out the 

required transfer and other 

paperwork, pay whatever 

fees your FFL needs, and take 

your gun home! 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - RED LIGHT BY NATAQ - WALLET BY DOROO - BOX BY TALAJ 

being about the norm. Expect your FFL 

to abide by all the pertinent local and 

federal laws and regulations, and to 

charge you separately for a Brady/NICS 

check, unless you have a CCW and you 

live in a state that meets ATFE requirements 

for exemption from the Brady/ 

NICS check. 

Some FFLs make online transfers 

easier than others. For example, Glen 

Parshall at Bargain Pawn in North Las 

Vegas has a process that is about as 

smooth as it gets. When I buy a gun 

online, and after I have paid the seller, 

my email to Glen with the seller’s name, 

address, what the item is, and my name 

and preferred contact method starts the 

transfer process. Glen sends the seller a 

copy of his FFL and they ship the gun 

to him. When it arrives, Glen logs it into 

his books, and then I stop by his shop, 

fill out the required forms, pay Glen’s 

transfer and Brady/NICS fees, and take 

my gun home. 

Getting what you pay for 

Nothing in life is foolproof. When 

you buy anything, online or in person, 

you are trusting the seller, so “Buyer 

Beware” is a good thing to remember– 

and practice! When buying from an 

online auction or sales site, pay careful 

attention to the terms of service, warranties 

and return policy if any, and 

what, if anything, the seller and the auction 

site will do for you in the event of 

a disagreement or problem. Check out 

the seller’s online ratings, and pay attention 

to how many sales he has and 

how long he has been selling. Check 

the seller’s customer feedback, which 

is usually posted along with their ads. 

Many online gun sellers derive much of 

their income from selling guns online, 

and they value their online reputations, 

which is why they actively solicit, and 

care about, online feedback from customers. 

Use that to your advantage. All 

things being equal, sellers with a larger 

number of sales, a longer time selling, 

and a higher positive feedback rating 

can more often be relied upon to be 

“straight shooters” in their business 

dealings. However, don’t let that substitute 

for your own due diligence. Check 

the sellers out! Keep records of your 

emails and notes of your conversations 

with sellers. In case of a dispute, those 

records may be useful to you. Get warranties 

and terms of service in writing. 

Internet gun sites often have some 

sort of complaint resolution policy to 

help buyers experiencing problems, so 

check in advance for things like that 


when you contemplate buying something 

online or for that matter, anywhere! 

If a site doesn’t have such a policy, 

take your business to one that does. 

If possible, pay with a credit card. 

While a credit card payment sometimes 

raises the purchase price by the amount 

of the card company’s fees (typically 

about 3 percent), it may offer advantages 

if you need to challenge a sale. 

Buying guns online doesn’t need to 

be a hassle. With a little common sense 

and due diligence, it can be a safe and 

cost effective way to augment your gun 

collection. H 

Contacts 

Glen Parshall 

Bargain Pawn 

1901 Las Vegas Blvd. No. 

North Las Vegas, NV 89030 

(702) 399-9950 

www.bargainpawn.com 

Duncan R. Mackie is a ten-year police 

veteran, police firearms instructor, and 

life-long gun enthusiast living in Las 

Vegas, NV. He holds several NRA pistol 

certifications,and is a life member of 

the NRA, GOA, CCRKBA and the Second 

Amendment Foundation. He may be 

reached at LVGUNGUY@gmail.com. 

37

If you have 

only one 

option, you 

can only 

respond to 

one type of 

situation. 

Whether you only have a deadly weapon or only have a collection of joint locks or 

only have a sweet disposition and a way with words, hoping you will run into the 

right problem to match your skills isn’t a strategy. It’s actually kind of dumb. 

Lower Levels 

[ BY RORY MILLER ] 

“Why should someone who knows how to shoot and carries 

a gun also learn how to use lesser levels of force?” 

It didn’t sound like a serious question, 

at first. More like the kind of 

thing you would use to start a conversation 

or an argument. Still, it made 

me think and sometimes things have to 

be put into words. 

To begin with, the things that should 

be obvious are: 

Legally, ethically and practically, 

shooting someone is rarely the right answer. 

The competing harms doctrine 

(see below) stipulates that deadly 

force is justified if and only if you believe 

yourself or a third party to be in 

immediate danger of death or serious 

physical injury. Maine’s statutes 

on competing harm reads (Maine 

of Force 

Criminal Code Part 1 Chapter 5): 

103. Competing harms 

1. Conduct that the person believes 

to be necessary to avoid imminent 

physical harm to that person or another 

is justifiable if the desirability and urgency 

of avoiding such harm outweigh, 

according to ordinary standards of reasonableness, 

the harm sought to be prevented 

by the statute defining the crime 

charged. The desirability and urgency 

of such conduct may not rest upon considerations 

pertaining to the morality 

and advisability of such statute. 

[ 2007, c. 173, §18 (AMD) .] 

2. When the person was reckless or 

criminally negligent in bringing about 

the circumstances requiring a choice of 

harms or in appraising the necessity of 

the person’s conduct, the justification 

provided in subsection 1 does not apply 

in a prosecution for any crime for which 

recklessness or criminal negligence, as 

the case may be, suffices to establish 

criminal liability. 

[ 2007, c. 173, §18 (AMD) .] 

To boil it down, in the eyes of the 

courts and in the minds of most humans, 

people are more important than 

stuff. Some state statutes differ, for instance 

Texas Penal Code 2.9.42 reads: 

Sec. 9.42. DEADLY FORCE TO 

PROTECT PROPERTY. A person is justified 

in using deadly force against another 

to protect land or tangible, movable 

property: 

(1) if he would be justified in using 

force against the other under Section 

9.41; and 

38 


Many are unwilling to pull 

the trigger on an assailant, 

but will not hesitate to tase. 

(2) when and to the degree he reasonably 

believes the deadly force is immediately 

necessary: 

(A) to prevent the other’s imminent 

commission of arson, burglary, robbery, 

aggravated robbery, theft during the 

nighttime, or criminal mischief during 

the nighttime; or 

(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing 

immediately after committing burglary, 

robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft 

during the nighttime from escaping 

with the property; and 

(3) he reasonably believes that: 

(A) the land or property cannot be 

protected or recovered by any other 

means; or 

(B) the use of force other than deadly 

force to protect or recover the land 

or property would expose the actor 

or another to a substantial risk 

of death or serious bodily injury. 

But in most jurisdictions, harming a 

person to save property is frowned on. 

You will have to convince a jury that 

you used the lowest level of force that 

would work. 

Talking is considered preferable to 

hurting, hurting is considered preferable 

to injuring, and injuring is considered 

preferable to killing. Even though 

it is possible to injure a person with a 

gun, a gun is considered a deadly weapon 

and, if it is used, you must be able to 

justify deadly force. 

If the person threatening you with 

a blunt instrument is a fit, healthy, 

experienced criminal, deadly force 

may well be your best or only option. 

If the threat is an eighty-year-old 

with dementia swinging his cane at 

you, you should be able to handle it 

with something other than a firearm. 

That’s the obvious stuff, most of 

it legal or moral. Most of the situations 

that most of us will encounter 

can be resolved without deadly force. 

Realistically, most can be walked away 

from. 

One less obvious reason is tactical. If 

you have only one option, you can only 

respond to one type of situation. This 

isn’t limited to guns. Any training that 

doesn’t span from observing to talking 

and all the way up to small unit tactics 

leaves holes in a self-defense plan. 

If you can’t tell the difference between 

a predator and a potential date, 

you’re in trouble. If you don’t know how 

to set boundaries or calm people down 

(and understand thoroughly when each 

of those tactics is likely to work) you will 

take unnecessary risks. If you don’t have 


39


The survival skill here 

isn’t winning a gunfight. 

The survival skill is 

turning it into a gunfight 

in the first place. 

You are pressed into a corner, off balance, crunched 

up, dizzy, surprised, with damage coming in. 

lethal force options (and the training, 

mindset and equipment to apply them) 

you will be helpless in certain situations 

… and if your family has no plan for disasters 

ranging from earthquakes and 

fires to home invasions, well, there is a 

potential problem there, too. 

What are the appropriate responses 

when a friend insists on driving, drunk 

off his ass, and says he will not give up 

his keys? When Uncle Bob starts punching 

Cousin Jimmy at the family picnic? 

When your mentally ill friend suddenly 

decides to run into traffic? 

Having only a deadly force option is 

like a country with only a nuclear option. 

If all we had were nukes, what 

could we do against terrorists? 

The other side of the same coin: the 

martial arts guru also only covers a 

small piece of the spectrum of violence. 

Whether you only have a deadly weapon 

option or only have a collection of 

joint locks or only have a sweet disposition 

and a way with words, hoping you 

will run into the right problem to match 

your skills isn’t a strategy. It’s actually 

kind of dumb. 

There are two other reasons that 

come immediately to mind that should 

be obvious and aren’t. One requires 

some background: I’ve been a martial 

artist for a relatively long time (since 

1981) and I’ve spent an ungodly amount 

of time with real criminals. My day job 

is teaching martial artists how big a gap 

there is between what they practice and 

the way assaults happen. 

I’ve also been a tactical team leader 

and trained as a tactical shooter, and 

it is nothing like self-defense shooting. 

You can’t afford to forget that. 

Assaults happen fast and hard at extremely 

close range, and unless the 

threat can surprise you, he’ll give you a 

pass. Knife, gun, fists and boots, or just 

a piece of brick or a rock in a sock, you 

are pressed into a corner, off balance, 

crunched up, dizzy, surprised, with 

damage coming in. 

The survival here isn’t winning a 

gunfight. The survival skill is turning it 

into a gunfight in the first place. How 

do you protect yourself from a flurry of 

blows while drawing? How do you create 

space and buy the time to draw your 

weapon? How do you do it in such a way 

that the threat, who has you at a complete 

disadvantage, doesn’t know what 

you are doing? If he sees your hands 

duck out of sight, hands that should by 

all rights be up and protecting you, he’ll 

know something is up and he might 

well escalate the speed and damage. 

Surviving an onslaught at this range 

is a specialized skill—one I haven’t seen 

taught on a range. Realistically, I haven’t 

seen many martial artists who can 

teach it either, but there are a few. 

So much goes right here and I’m 

just playing with some of the implications 

now: weapons jam at close quar- 

40 


LOWER LEVELS OF FORCE 

Even perfect marksmanship does not guarantee a 

perfect outcome. Nearly all criminal encounters can be 

solved with lower levels of force -- and you will need to 

convince a jury that you used the lowest level of force 

that would work. 

ters because of bad grips and dangling 

clothes and pressure on the slide, barrel 

or hammer. The muzzle blast may do as 

much damage as the bullet. How much 

backflash and echo will come from a 

contact shot? (Expect another article on 

that when we’ve had some time to field 

test.) 

The second reason would be obvious, 

except most people, shooters or 

not, are in denial about some simple 

facts. Taking a life is a profound act. It 

is something that some find they simply 

cannot do. I’ve put a big, burly jail guard 

through a scenario, a man with probably 

a hundred hand-to-hand fights 

under his belt. He wasn’t someone you 

would think of as a pacifist … but he 

couldn’t point a gun at a human being. 

Worse, he was completely unaware that 

he wasn’t pointing it. As he approached 

the threat, one hand up and ready to 

fight, the other holding his gun behind 

his leg, he clearly remembered looking 

down the front sight at the threat. 

Until you have been in the position to 

pull a trigger, you don’t know—you can’t 

know—if you will. I have seen “heart” 

grow over time, when an initially meek 

officer spends time with a professional 

group. I have yet to see a training that 

implants heart. Confidence increases, 

but confidence is completely different 

than heart. Confidence is believing 

you will do the right 

thing should the dark day 

ever arrive. Heart is actually 

doing it. I haven’t 

seen a lot of correlation 

between the confident 

people and the ones who 

come through. 

I’ve noticed that criminals 

who act defiant at 

gunpoint comply immediately 

when faced with 

a Taser. Not all of course, 

but many. 

Is it because the Taser 

hurts? It hurts a lot (trust 

me on that one), but does 

it hurt as much as getting 

shot, recovery, and potential 

death or disability? 

I doubt it. The pain 

certainly doesn’t last as 

long. 

The reason is because criminals 

expect the officer to hesitate before 

shooting. They know that a certain percentage, 

even of trained, motivated officers, 

won’t pull the trigger at all. But 

most won’t hesitate to tase. 

Ask, advise, order and then what? 

With a lethal option it can be an agonizing 

decision. With a pain compliance 

tool it is time to ride the electric 

pony. 

One last reason to have non-lethal 

options: For a certain percentage of 

you reading this, you won’t be able to 

shoot another person. We do not know 

who you are, and unless you have been 

there, neither do you. If you find on 

that dark day that you’re a pretty nice 

person, you may want to have some 

other options. H 

A seventeen-year veteran of a metropolitan 

correctional system, and a former 

advisor to the Iraqi Correctional System, 

Rory Miller has built a resume that includes 

thousands of hours of firearms, 

unarmed combatives and tactical work 

and training. Rory has a Bachelor’s degree 

in psychology, a blackbelt in jujutsu 

and college varsities in judo and fencing. 

He wrote “Meditations on Violence: 

A Comparison of Martial Arts Training 

and Real World Violence.” Visit his website 

at www.chirontraining.com. 

Gun Tote’n Mamas new lineup 

includes bright colors and fun designs. 

Gun Tote’n 

Mamas 

Expands Lineup 

[ BY KATHY JACKSON ] 

Claudia Chisolm, president 

of Kingport Industries and 

designer of the Gun Tote’n 

Mamas line of concealed carry 

purses, once told me her design 

strategy. “I’m not out to produce a 

trendy purse,” she said. “We want to 

produce classic, everyday styles that 

are affordable for people and that 

will stand up to the test of time.” In 

keeping with this philosophy, GTM 

purses in the past have been a bit 

drab. Functional, affordable, durable, 

but honestly, a bit on the boring 

side. 

Not so with the new lineup! Oh, 

the purses remain affordable and 

durable. They still feature the very 

practical functionality that originally 

drew me to the company. But 

many of the basic shapes are now 

available in brighter colors and fun 

patterns, and they have become 

much more attractive for daily use. 

At the same time, the company has 

expanded its offerings to include 

unisex and urban man bags with 

the same impressive quality at reasonable 

cost. 

Prices for these well-designed 

purses start around $65, and you 

can find the website at www. 

guntotenmamas.com. H 

PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM 


41

[ BY PETER GRANT ] 

This is the first of four articles examining how to teach 

a disabled person to defend themselves with a handgun. 

We’ll assume the shooter has 

not used firearms before becoming 

disabled, and is approaching 

them with a “clean slate,” 

having everything to learn. 

First, a word about my qualifications 

to write these articles: I’ve trained disabled 

and handicapped shooters for 

well over two decades, first in South 

Africa, then here in the USA. In 2004, 

I suffered an injury leading to permanent 

partial disability, as described in 

the previous issue of Concealed Carry 

Magazine, so I’ve had plenty of opportunity 

to apply my lessons to my own 

needs as well! I’ve worked with shooters 

like myself, who were trained and experienced 

with firearms before becoming 

disabled, and with their help have developed 

techniques to overcome such 

handicaps. I’ve also trained many novices 

who’ve helped me to refine these 

techniques and apply them to specific 

problems and needs. 

Assess physical handicaps 

Before a shooter fires a single round, 

their disability must be carefully assessed 

in terms of how it will impact 

their ability to safely and effectively 

use a firearm. That doesn’t involve only 

pressing the trigger, of course. We must 

examine several factors. 

This article, and this series, will focus 

upon physical disability. Mental 

disability is a very different issue, with 

many ramifications (some of them legal: 

if severe enough, mental disability 

can disqualify one from owning a firearm). 

If the shooter has any degree of 

mental disability or handicap or limitation 

whatsoever, I normally won’t train 

them unless their medical practitioner 

certifies, unambiguously and in writing, 

that they are able to distinguish 

right from wrong, make informed decisions, 

and bear the moral and legal 

responsibility of owning and using a 

42 


PHOTOS BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM 

left: As Josh Benson 

demonstrates, given appropriate 

instruction and enough 

personal motivation, even 

people with severe physical 

challenges can become 

accomplished shooters and 

learn to protect themselves. 

above: Bert Rollen tries the new 

Keltec RMR30 .22 Magnum 

carbine for fit. Despite his 

handicap, Bert handles .45 ACP 

handguns fine — but prefers 

lighter firearms when they are 

practical. 

The Challenged Shooter 

PART I 

SHOOTER STATUS 

firearm. Absent such certification, the 

instructor may be legally liable for any 

negative consequences that may ensue. 

In physical terms, how stable is the 

shooter? If their disability involves legs, 

spine or their sense of balance, their 

stability will be affected. This impacts 

not only their ability to shoot, but the 

safety of those around them. If they may 

fall while holding the gun, they must be 

trained to keep their finger off the trigger 

and not tighten their grip while falling, 

otherwise a negligent discharge is 

waiting to happen. If others are standing 

nearby at the time–particularly an 

instructor–the odds of someone getting 

in the way of that bullet are better than 

fair. 

If the shooter uses any aids to stand 

or walk–crutches, a walking-stick, a 

walking-frame, or other device–then 

their first priority is to hold onto that 

aid while drawing and shooting. There’s 

no point in their being able to draw 

perfectly, by the numbers, while simultaneously 

falling flat on their face! 

Also, the use of such supports will usually 

prevent the use of both hands to 

shoot, so they’re going to have to learn 

to shoot one-handed. If they are in a 

wheelchair, that simplifies matters, but 

only partially. They may need at least 

one hand to retain mobility, turning 

a wheel to propel themselves toward 

cover. If they find themselves in a closequarters 

incident (for example, some 


thug comes up behind them and tips 

over their wheelchair, prior to grabbing 

their handbag or rifling through their 

pockets), they may have to use one 

hand to brace themselves or push the 

wheelchair off themselves, while the 

other fends off the attacker or goes for 

their gun. 

What firearms can 

the shooter handle? 

Having assessed balance, stance, and 

related issues, we now have to look at 

the shooter’s ability to handle a defensive 

firearm. Many disabilities, particularly 

spinal cord injuries, can affect upper 

body and arm strength and mobility. 

Decreased mobility may imply restric- 

43

THE CHALLENGED SHOOTER 

A plastic dummy gun allows 

new shooters to experiment with 

unfamiliar carry methods and 

practice drawing without fear that 

they might accidentally discharge a 

live round during the process. 

For challenged shooters who need 

to work on balance or related issues 

while handling a gun, using an Airsoft 

replica provides the best safety. 

tions on the shooter’s ability to draw a 

handgun from concealment. A method 

of carry will have to be selected that 

makes the most of the shooter’s mobility. 

For example, if he’s in a wheelchair, 

any carry position behind the hips will 

make it almost impossible to draw the 

gun with any speed. The shooter’s body 

will press the gun into the wheelchair, 

and their arm (particularly the elbow) 

may strike the chair as their hand goes 

to the grip. Cross-draw or shoulder holsters 

will prove much more effective in 

such cases, or a holster or pouch attached 

to the wheelchair. Use of crutches, 

a cane, or a walker, will also impose 

restrictions on the best method of carrying 

and drawing a handgun. 

In the same way, reduced upper 

body or arm strength will affect the 

shooter’s ability to control a handgun. 

I’ve trained many disabled shooters 

who couldn’t handle serious recoil, and 

couldn’t raise a heavy handgun to eye 

level for more than a few seconds, making 

use of the sights very difficult. Such 

people will have to select weapons and 

44 

calibers they can control. This applies 

not only to defensive use, but to training. 

Many disabled shooters, including 

myself, experience progressively increasing 

pain or fatigue during a training 

session. If their handgun adds to 

the problem through excessive recoil, 

training will become a burden rather 

than a pleasure; counter-productive, to 

put it mildly! 

Medication and pain 

If the shooter uses medications, these 

must be carefully assessed. Many disabled 

people take painkillers, muscle 

relaxants, nerve agents, or other medicines. 

I always look at the manufacturer’s 

instructions. If there are warnings 

about driving or operating machinery 

while taking it, then caution should be 

exercised in teaching the user to handle 

firearms. If there is any doubt at all, ask 

the shooter’s doctor to rule on what is, 

or is not, advisable. Certainly, shorter 

training sessions, increased supervision 

(preferably one-on-one on the 

firing line, although fewer instructors 

are okay for classroom lectures), and 

constant alertness by both student and 

instructor to the shooter’s physical and 

mental condition are essential for the 

safety of all concerned. Don’t ignore 

fatigue or wandering concentration; 

rather, end the training session earlier. 

There is also the shooter’s pain tolerance 

to consider. Many handicapped 

shooters will experience increasing 

pain while pushing their body through 

a series of shooting drills. Such pain can 

dull concentration, creating a safety 

problem, and the pain can last far beyond 

the shooting session, making the 

next day or two very uncomfortable. 

Instructors must take this into account 

and tailor the training to the needs of 

the shooter. Training tools, weapons, 

techniques, number of repetitions, and 

other details must be carefully selected 

and structured to minimize any increase 

in pain, and the training session 

must end before it becomes too much 

to bear. The instructor will have to be 

sensitive to the shooter’s needs here. 

Many, in their eagerness to learn, won’t 


Caution should be taken should the shooter be on medication 

that has side effects. 

admit to feeling pain. It takes experience 

to be able to see the subtle signs 

that something’s not right, and firmness 

to insist on “safety first” if necessary. 

Assessing all these elements can 

be problematic, particularly if the 

instructor isn’t experienced in dealing 

with them. For this reason, I very 

strongly recommend that the first 

few training sessions with a disabled 

shooter should not involve actual 

firearms at all! There are Airsoft 

replicas of many modern handguns. 

These fire small plastic pellets, which 

may sting slightly if they hit someone, 

but are unlikely to cause any real injury 

(particularly if routine precautions like 

the use of protective shooting glasses 

are observed). Novice shooters will 

handle them with a lot more comfort 

than a real gun, and they’re suitable 

to teach basic techniques, particularly 

safety precautions. If a shooter needs 

to work on balance or related issues 

while handling a gun, Airsoft replicas 

are as safe as it’s going to get for them. 

If they fall while using one, they’ll soon 

learn how to do so in such a way as not 

to trigger a shot–and if they do trigger 

one or two in the process, the plastic 

pellets won’t cause the same damage as 

a bullet. 

It’s also a good idea to let the shooter 

experiment with different carry 

methods while using replica firearms. 

That way, they can position holsters 

anywhere on their body or their mobility 

aid, and try to draw the training 

weapon, without fear that they might 

accidentally discharge a live round. A 

primary carry method can be selected, 

and a holster ordered to fit the weapon, 

before they ever start shooting “for 

real.” This removes a great deal of stress 

from those unaccustomed to firearms. 

Of course, some shooters will become 

impatient with “playing around,” 

and want to get to “the real thing.” This 

is understandable. I find the best way 

to deal with it is to allow them to fire a 

few rounds through some of my guns at 

the close of each early training session. 

They don’t have to draw the gun, as 

they’re using a range table; they can sit 

down to shoot, if necessary, rather than 

try to balance themselves; and there’s 

no pressure. They can have a little fun 

and slake their appetite for the real 

thing while learning the basics in a safe, 

controlled manner. By the time they’ve 

got the basics right, they will be ready 

for a full session with a real firearm. 

Finally, initial training sessions are a 

good time to select the firearm(s) best 

suited to the shooter’s limitations and 

level of disability. We’ll discuss this in 

detail in the next article in this series. 

H 

Peter Grant is a retired chaplain, now a 

full-time writer. He has been exposed to 

conflict situations around the world for 

much of his life, and has had to defend 

himself against unlawful attack on 

more than one occasion. He has trained 

disabled and handicapped shooters on 

two continents for more than twenty 

years. He writes about firearms and selfdefense, 

and many other topics, on his 

blog at www.bayourenaissanceman. 

blogspot.com. 


45

above: Firing the full 

size .45 demonstrates 

the obvious recoil. 

The balance of speed, 

power, and accuracy 

should favor accuracy. 

right: The student 

may find that a highcapacity 

magazine 

pistol overstretches 

the hand and that the 

slimline pistol is the 

better overall choice. 

Drills for 

Handgun 

Selection 

[ BY R.K.CAMPBELL ] 

As an NRA certified instructor, I teach a variety of 

handgun courses. 

Most add to the student’s 

knowledge, some are state 

regulated for CWP certification, 

and most include some form of 

exit exam or drill upon completion of 

the course. But there are other drills 

that are important to determine the 

proficiency of the student. These are 

regarded in my classes as entrance exams. 

These exams give the student and 

the instructor an understanding of the 

student’s proficiency. They also help 

the student choose the right handgun 

for their use. 

While quality handguns differ in 

features, most are tactically similar, 

with the final arbitral of survival being 

the student’s skill. But students, being 

human, often make a poor choice. 

Choosing what is available or what they 

can afford isn’t always a bad idea, but 

many students choose a handgun that 

is too large or too small. Either end of 

the spectrum may be disadvantageous 

when it comes to mastering the handgun. 

Occasionally a student will choose 

a handgun that is too powerful for their 

present level of experience. I have had 

students show up for class with a handgun 

that would tax the abilities of any of 

my burly instructors. It is obvious that a 

student just beginning in the handgun 

game doesn’t need to attempt to master 

a highly specialized handgun such 

as an ultra light .357 Magnum revolver. 

These poor choices come from inexperience 

or poorly thought out advice. We 

46 


above: Firing from behind cover is 

sometimes preferable to the barricade 

position. This young student is 

progressing rapidly. 

below: The first class and a good 

group with the Taurus .40. 

have all made the wrong decision at one 

time or the other concerning handgun 

choice, tactics, holsters and ammunition, 

but the instructor’s job is to challenge 

and instruct the student. 

I have developed a fifty-round drill 

that tells a lot about the student’s skills 

and ability with the chosen handgun, 

caliber, and ammunition. These drills 

are useful as entrance drills for advanced 

courses and for evaluation before choosing 

a handgun. Expending fifty rounds of 

ammunition is much easier to do than 

to spend more than five hundred dollars 

MAY/JUNE 2011 n

DRILLS FOR HANDGUN SELECTION 

for a handgun that is not suited to the 

student’s ability. The handgun may not 

be reliable and it may be too powerful 

for the student. 

We allowed a rather generous score 

when evaluating the test. A perfect 

score would be 500, with fifty in the 

X-ring. As a baseline, the instructors 

and I fired the course with the Beretta 

92 9mm, Colt Government Model .45, 

and a Taurus M 65 .357 Magnum revolver 

loaded with .38 Special +P loads. 

Instructor-level shooters were able to 

clean the course. 

While a student would not be able to 

do the same, a poor choice would be 

evident. As an example, a young student 

came to my course with a compact 

.40 caliber pistol that she had obtained 

as a Christmas gift. The pistol is 

a good example of the breed, but she 

preferred the snubnose .38 she had 

grown up on. To cut to the chase, she 

did poorly with the .40 pistol. Switching 

to the snubnose Smith and Wesson .38 

Special (loaded with +P loads), she fired 

the single best score of the class during 

qualification. The class included students 

of varying experience firing full 

size 9mm and .40 caliber handguns. 

Beginning 

The drill involves firing ten shots at 

each step. The first step is to fire ten 

rounds at seven yards with one hand. 

During this drill the student is encouraged 

to discard area aiming and aim for 

a finite point on the target. This drill 

demonstrates the student’s control of 

the handgun and grasp of the basics. 

The next step is to move to ten 

yards and fire ten rounds again, this 

time also with one hand shoulder 

point. The handgun is extended 

and the student carefully fires ten 

rounds. There is no time limit. 

Next, the student fires ten rounds at 

ten yards with the two-hand hold. The 

groups will tighten up considerably, 

illustrating the superiority of the twohand 

hold. At this range the student 

should be able to hold all shots in the 

X-ring. 

Next, we move to a long fifteen 

yards. At this range the student fires 

ten rounds with any stance. Some 

prefer the isosceles, some prefer the 

above: The first consideration is always 

safety. Get the student up and running 

before we go tactical. 

Weaver stance. There is no time limit. 

Next, the student moves to a braced 

barricade position and fires ten rounds. 

There is no time limit. At this range, 

faults such as lingering on the sight 

picture too long and then jerking the 

trigger by rushing to break the shot 

are common. The instructor should be 

aware of these problems and offer remedial 

instruction. 

It is a good idea for the student to run 

this course with the .22 caliber rimfire 

handgun. Running a combat course 

below: This student has done well after 

a late start in shooting. It is a long way 

from the .22 to the lightweight .45. 

with the .22 accomplishes many things. 

First, the low recoil of the .22 encourages 

the student. Marksmanship is 

stressed. The student learns the basics 

without the distraction of flash, blast 

and recoil. 

For advanced students, the choice of 

the combat gun is underlined, whether 

the choice is good or bad. A handgun 

that is too powerful for the student 

(such as a .40 compact, as one example) 

may strike far from the point of aim. 

The student may do well with the 

48 


DRILLS FOR HANDGUN SELECTION 

above: This student did good work 

with the Smith and Wesson .40 

caliber pistol. 

below: This young woman had a good 

day during her first day on the range. 

She fired her course with the Taurus 

.22 caliber revolver. 

The Drill 

1. Seven yards, five shots, one hand. 

Repeat. 

2. Ten yards, five shots, one-hand 

shoulder point. Repeat. 

3. Ten yards, two hands, any style, 

five shots. Repeat. 

4. Fifteen yards, two hands, any 

style, five shots. Repeat. 

5. Fifteen yards, barricade or cover, 

five shots. Repeat. 

first few drills, but fall apart at longer 

range as recoil becomes tiring. That 

is why it is important to fire the short 

range drills first. If the student does 

fine at short range and then a problem 

becomes apparent at fifteen yards, 

we have accomplished our goal. We 

are not firing to beat the qualification 

course, we are firing to learn–and that 

is a substantial difference. 

Variations 

This course is useful not only in 

checking the student’s ability to use 

and control a certain handgun well, 

but also in checking a new technique. 

As an example, the one-hand shoulder 

point is used in the basic course. 

If the student is indoctrinated in the 

Stressfire technique they will wish to 

rerun the course using only the front 

sight as a reference at the close ranges. 

A variation may involve firing from 

cover that does not include the barricade, 

but using a popular range construct. 

Variations are allowable as long 

as the course is consistent and the results 

may be compared at a later date. 

As an example, if you run the course 

with the your Glock 19, keep the course 

consistent if you wish to compare 

against results with the Glock 26 sub 

compact at a later date. In this manner, 

you will be able to choose the handgun 

that serves you best. 

This is a student’s results the first time 

on the range with a full power .38 

Special load in a snubnose .38. Not bad 

at all. 

Scoring and Conclusions 

The highest score is 500 with fifty in 

the X-ring. If you are able to achieve 

this standard with a full size service 

pistol, some thought should be put 

into the concealed carry handgun. It is 

not unusual for a skilled shooter to be 

able to fire the same score with a Colt 

1911 and a Colt Commander or a Glock 

17 and a Glock 19. But when we move 

to the sub compacts, such as the Colt 

Defender or the Glock 26, the score inevitably 

falls. 

If you are running at about seventy 

five percent with the sub compacts, 

you are still in good shape. But consider 

the drop in score when you deploy a 

Kel Tec PF 9 or the Glock Model 27 in 

.40 caliber. Can you really control them 

well in all situations? How about that 

Ultra Light .38? Are you well armed or 

do you have a false sense of security? 

This is a simple drill that does not 

lie and tells a lot about the shooter’s 

ability. H 

R K Campbell is an author with over 

40 years shooting experience and 

more than 30 years police and security 

experience. He is the author of three 

books and hundreds of magazine 

articles. He devotes his time to learning 

more about personal defense and the 

human situation. 


49

This column reviews a variety of high-quality personal safety, self-defense, 

firearms and concealed carry related gear. Each item reviewed is thoroughly 

evaluated under real world conditions. [ BY DUANE A. DAIKER ] 

The minimalist 

design of the 

Yaqui Slide makes 

it very versatile. 

Andy’s Leather Shop 

Yaqui Slide Holster 

One of the simplest holster designs is 

the Yaqui Slide, originally made popular 

by Milt Sparks Holsters. This particular 

style was used and endorsed by Colonel 

Jeff Cooper, which made it an instant 

classic among the API/Gunsite followers. 

Milt Sparks discontinued the Yaqui 

Slide in 1995, but a number of other 

holster makers have jumped in to fill 

the gap. 

Andy Langlois, of Andy’s Leather 

Shop, is just one current source for 

this style of holster, but you don’t need 

to look any further. Andy runs a small 

shop in New Hampshire, and churns 

out high quality leather goods with true 

old world craftsmanship. Andy doesn’t 

have a flashy website or a professional 

ad agency, but his work is top notch. 

Andy’s Yaqui Slide is a very basic 

holster for 1911 pattern pistols. It does 

what a holster is supposed to do, which 

is hold the gun secure and close to the 

body, and protect the trigger. These holsters 

are crafted from thick, high quality 

bridle leather, which translates into 

great toughness and durability, and 

true to the original design, the holster 

is fully sewn—no shortcuts with rivets 

or screws. 

The minimalist design of the Yaqui 

Slide makes it very versatile. The same 

holster works for any size 1911, from 

sub-compact to full-size. The low cut 

design and fully exposed grip make for 

a very fast draw. Interestingly, when 

the holster is empty it looks very nonthreatening. 

For those who carry different 

size 1911s, or have to deal with 

removing their gun from time to time, 

this type of holster could be ideal. 

Critics of the Yaqui Slide design would 

say the holster provides little protection 

for the gun’s finish—which is true. 

There is also a possibility that the open 

bottom design will permit the gun to be 

pushed up and out of the holster during 

normal activity. I didn’t experience this 

problem, but it is something to consider 

when making your carry decision. 

If you are interested in trying a classic 

Yaqui Slide holster, I suggest you 

give Andy a call at (603) 630-4072. Andy 

is very pleasant, and you can actually 

talk to the guy who will cut the leather 

and hand mold your holster. The Yaqui 

Slide is available in a variety of colors 

and even exotic skins. The basic model 

starts at $45, and if you mention this 

n MAY/JUNE 2011

column, Andy will give you free shipping 

on your order. 

If the Yaqui Slide is not your cup of 

tea, Andy also makes a scabbard-style 

1911 holster that fully covers the pistol’s 

slide. Also, if you are into long guns, 

Andy makes a variety of rifle slings and 

accessories. His “Ching Sling” is very 

popular, and is actually distributed by 

Brownells (www.brownells.com). You 

can see all of the Andy’s Leather Shop 

products at his old website, www.shottist.com, 

or his new e-commerce enabled 

website, www.andysleather.com. 

Adventure Medical Field 

Trauma Kit with QuikClot 

You live the “prepared” life style, 

right? You are ready to defend yourself 

and your family if necessary. You prepare 

for the worst. But, do you have a 

professional quality first aid kit immediately 

available to you? If not, you 

should be ashamed of yourself. I am 

not talking about some freebie first 

aid kit or the little plastic box of adhesive 

bandages and alcohol swabs you 

have had in your car’s glove box for a 

decade. I mean a real first aid kit that 

will handle first responder needs for a 

serious injury—like a gunshot wound. 

For these types of high quality kits, 

I look to Adventure Medical Kits. AMK 

has a diverse line of medical kits to meet 

nearly any needs. In my car, I carry the 

Field Trauma Kit with QuikClot. This 

particular kit is from the “Professional” 

line and is recommended for hunting 

guides, as well as military and law enforcement 

personnel. This kit has your 

standard supplies for minor bites, cuts, 

and scrapes, but also contains a trauma 

pad and dressing, and an application of 

QuickClot Sport. 

QuikClot is an emergency wound 

dressing that promotes rapid natural 

clotting and prevents blood loss. The 

quick application of QuickClot to a severely 

bleeding wound greatly increases 

the chances of surviving long enough 

to reach professional medical help. 

QuikClot should be in every medical kit, 

but often is not. 

The Field Trauma Kit comes packed 

in a small black nylon zippered pouch 

that will fit just about anywhere. You 

can view a list of the entire contents 

of this kit and other kits at www. 

adventuremedicalkits.com. The Field 

QuikClot is an emergency wound dressing 

that promotes rapid natural clotting and 

prevents blood loss. 


Trauma Kit is a great compromise 

between size and capability, while 

remaining affordable. The Field Trauma 

Kit retails for $45, and can be had for a 

few dollars less with some comparison 

shopping. Before you buy another piece 

of tactical gear, be sure you have a high 

quality medical kit like this one. 

ReadyShot 

Laser Training System 

When I contacted ReadyShot about 

testing a system, I received a very surprising 

response. The owner, Brent 

Backhaus, actually credits some of the 

inspiration for this product to an article 

I wrote on cost effective practice that 

appeared in CCM in May 2008! Well that 

made me even more interested in giving 

the ReadyShot system a try. 

ReadyShot converts your carry gun 

into a laser trainer with an interactive 

electronic target. This gives you the 

ability to conduct “dry fire” training 

simulations in your home, with instant 

real-time feedback on your sight alignment 

and trigger control. Short of live 

fire practice, this is as good as it gets for 

training. 

I ordered the ReadyShot system for 

my Glock 19. The “Gun Insert Kit” consists 

of a replacement magazine that 

contains the system’s electronics and 

battery, a short cable, and a laser emitter 

diode. The magazine is inserted into 

the gun in the usual fashion, and the 

cable runs down the barrel to the laser 

unit, which is inserted into the muzzle 

end of the barrel. 

One of the tricks with a Glock, 

Springfield XD, or Smith & Wesson M&P, 

of course, is designing a system that 

permits multiple “dry-fire” shots without 

having to rack the slide. These types 

of guns generally don’t permit multiple 

dry fire shots without at least partially 

cycling the pistol’s action. ReadyShot 

has solved this problem. In the Glock 

model I tested there is a spring in the 

replacement magazine that hooks on 

the Glock’s ejector tab and provides 

spring tension resistance to the trigger. 

The trigger doesn’t actually “break,” 

but reaches an end point of travel. The 

laser “fires” when an electronic sensor 

in the magazine senses the proximity 

of a small magnet that adheres to the 

51

largely the function of incorporating 

some pretty high technology in a relatively 

low volume production process. 

ReadyShot understands the price of 

the system is significant, and often offers 

a 30 percent discount for U.S.C.C.A. 

members, bringing the price down to 

$391, plus shipping. If you are interested 

in the system, I suggest you contact 

Brent, through the contact info on www. 

readyshot.com to discuss your particular 

needs and concerns. The ReadyShot 

system is a big purchase, and talking to 

the product’s owner and designer will 

make that purchase a lot easier. I have 

enjoyed the training flexibility of this 

system, and I believe you will as well. 

If you are looking for a comprehensive dry fire 

system, this is definitely worth your consideration. 

back of the trigger. This permits multiple 

trigger pulls and activations of the 

laser, but does not exactly replicate the 

feel of the stock trigger. The laser emitter 

can be adjusted so the laser’s point 

of impact matches the aiming point of 

the pistol’s iron sights. 

Once installed, which only takes a 

minute or two, my Glock 19 would fire 

a short laser “burst” each time I pulled 

the trigger. That, in itself, is pretty cool. 

Nothing inanimate in my living room 

was safe from the “red dot of death.” 

The ReadyShot system fills the magazine 

well, chamber, and barrel so there 

is no chance of an accidental discharge 

when the laser unit is installed. 

The real training benefit of the system, 

however, is to pair the “Gun Insert 

Kit” with the ReadyShot Target. The target 

is a computerized electronic board 

with a laser-sensing surface that registers 

the hits and their location on the 

target, and provides visual and audio 

feedback. As a stand-alone unit, the target 

has a number of training modes to 

train for speed and accuracy. The system 

is well-designed to train a shooter 

to draw on a random signal and hit a 

specific portion of the target on command 

and with instant feedback on 

where the hits were made. This is difficult 

or impossible to do with most dryfire 

training methods. In addition, you 

can plug the target into your PC-based 

computer and really exploit the power 

of the system with even more tools for 

designing, analyzing, and recording 

your practice sessions. 

If you are intrigued by the ReadyShot 

system, there are a lot more details 

available online, including videos of 

the system in use. If you are looking 

for a comprehensive dry fire system, 

this is definitely worth your consideration. 

While there are certainly limits 

to the value of training without recoil 

management, laser dry fire practice is 

very beneficial for practicing skills like 

drawing from concealment and firing 

the first shot on target. It can also be a 

lot of fun—like having your own indoor 

shooting gallery! 

One criticism of the ReadyShot system 

will be the price. The list price for 

the complete system is $559, which is 

certainly not in the range of an impulse 

buy for most people. However, that is 

TruGlo Switchback Watch 

What makes a watch tactical? Well, 

being manufactured by the same family 

of companies that makes the excellent 

TruGlo firearm sights is a step in 

the right direction! Being a fan of quality 

timepieces, the display of TruGlo 

watches at the SHOT Show got my attention 

and I requested a sample for 

review. 

I received TruGlo’s basic model, the 

Switchback. This is a three-hand timepiece 

in a black carbon-reinforced polymer 

case, which makes the unit very 

light weight. The watch is powered by 

a multi-jeweled precision Swiss quartz 

movement—a nice feature for a watch 

at this price point—and is waterproof to 

50 meters. 

The watch features a tactical black 

woven nylon “NATO band.” I had never 

worn a watch with a NATO-spec band, 

and I actually had to look up directions 

on how to fasten the strap. Once you get 

the hang of the process, it’s quite simple. 

It also makes the watch easily adjustable 

to various sizes if you need to 

wear it on the outside of a jacket sleeve 

or attach it to a piece of equipment. 

The most unique feature of this 

watch, however, is the use of tritium illumination. 

The Switchback uses three 

different colors of tritium (green, orange, 

and blue) to illuminate the dial 

and the hands. Unlike many watches 

I have owned, the TruGlo tritium is 

quite bright, and makes the watch easily 

readable in any light conditions, including 

total darkness. The use of dif- 

52 


The Switchback uses 

three different colors of 

bright, glowing tritium. 

ferent colors makes the watch easy to 

read even in odd orientation, because 

orange tritium always marks the 12 

o’clock position. 

This entry level TruGlo watch retails 

for $190, but street prices are closer to 

$125. This is a great value for a Swisspowered 

timepiece of this quality. The 

look is unquestionably “tactical” and 

the watch has no lack of functionality. 

If you are looking for a watch with some 

attitude, consider the Switchback or 

one of TruGlo’s higher end models. You 

can see the entire TruGlo watch line at 

www.truglowatch.com, or call them at 

(888) 8TRUGLO. 

Benchmade Triage 915 

The Triage 915 is a knife I asked 

Benchmade to make. Well, I don’t really 

think the production of this knife had 

anything to do with me, but it is the exact 

knife that I wanted! I have always 

liked the utility of the Benchmade “rescue 

hook,” but never understood why 

there wasn’t a model with a regular knife 

blade too. Combining a serious folding 

knife with a rescue hook and a carbide 

glass breaker creates a great everyday 

carry knife with a lifesaving rescue tool 

that is always in easy reach. Brilliant! 

I also appreciate the “non-tactical” 

look of this knife—especially when 

ordered with the “safety orange” handles. 

In a world where any knife can be 

looked at as a weapon, the Triage looks 

(and sounds) more like rescue equipment. 

While a 3.5-inch blade is pretty 

sizeable, the knife is not particularly 

scary looking, and shouldn’t draw too 

much undue attention. 

The Triage exhibits typical 

Benchmade quality, using N680 highly 

corrosion resistant steel for the main 

blade, and 440C stainless steel for 

the safety cutter blade. The handles 

are a very grippy, textured G-10, with 

stainless steel liners. The knife is also 

equipped with a reversible pocket 

clip for tip-up carry. In another nod 

to discretion, the pocket clip is the 

“deep pocket” type, which exposes 

very little of the knife when carried. 

The Triage is similar to the wellestablished 

Griptilian folding knives, 

featuring Benchmade’s excellent AXIS 

lock. The AXIS mechanism locks securely, 

and permits one handed closing 

when necessary. This is a great everyday 

knife—with the added benefit of the 

rescue tools—in a very practical and 

discrete package. 

The Triage 915 retails for $165 with 

either black or orange handles, and 

you can choose a plain edge or a 

“ComboEdge” with partial serrations. 

Personally, I like the utility of serrations 

on a knife of this type. The knife pictured 

has the optional black BK coated 

blade, and retails for $180. You can find 

these knives somewhat cheaper if you 

shop around a bit. Benchmade stands 

behind all its knives with a lifetime warranty 

and its excellent customer service, 

including the LifeSharp program. 

Check out the new Triage 915 and other 

top quality cutlery at www.benchmade. 

com. H 

Duane A. Daiker is a contributing editor 

for CCM, but is otherwise a regular 

guy—not much different from you. 

Duane has been a lifelong shooter and 

goes about his life as an armed, responsible, 

and somewhat opinionated citizen. 

Duane can be contacted at Daiker@ 

RealWorldCarryGear.com, or though 

his fan page on Facebook, and welcomes 

your comments and suggestions for gear 

reviews. 

All prices as of April, 2011. 

Combining a serious folding knife with a rescue hook and a carbide glass breaker 

creates a great everyday carry knife and rescue tool . 


53

BEHIND THE LINE 


Weapon-Mounted Lights 

f o r P r i v a t e C i t i z e n s 

[ BY TOM GIVENS ]

There are worse things 

than being shot, and 

killing your own child or 

spouse is one of them. 


This is a continuation of our discussion from a previous 

column (Behind the Line, CCM January 2011) concerning 

shooting techniques for low light encounters. 

To recap our earlier discussion, 

there is a distinct difference between 

the low light needs of a 

SWAT police officer or a military door 

kicker (who are both quite often tasked 

with going into dark places to actively 

seek out bad guys) and the role of 

the private citizen in self defense. The 

flashlight is a “proactive instrument,” 

whereas the handgun is a “reactive instrument.” 

In a typical street robbery, 

carjacking, or similar crime resulting in 

a need for immediate self defense, there 

will be neither the time nor the need to 

deploy a flashlight. These events do not 

take place in total darkness, and the 

range involved is typically quite short, 

particularly in a low light environment. 

Realistically, about the only circumstance 

involving a flashlight and a 

handgun at the same time for a private 

citizen is in the home, at night, when 

investigating the proverbial “things 

that go bump in the night.” Here again 

though, the mission is still quite different 

for the homeowner and the SWAT officer 

serving a warrant. The homeowner 

should know the layout of the home, the 

location of choke points and obstacles, 

and have a general plan of action built 

on that knowledge. He won’t need the 

flashlight for navigation. Actually, the 

primary purpose of the flashlight for the 

homeowner will be target identification 

and target discrimination. The armed 

homeowner needs to know for certain if 

that is an intruder in the hallway or his 

teenage son sneaking in after curfew. 

Unless you live alone, this is a circumstance 

fraught with the possibility of a 

tragedy of disastrous proportions! You 

must know who that is before pointing 

a loaded deadly weapon at them under 

highly stressful conditions. There are 

worse things than being shot, and killing 

your own child or spouse is one of them. 

Let’s start with weapon-mounted 

lights, which are very fashionable right 

now. Almost all current defensive handgun 

designs include rails on the dust cover 

to allow the attachment of a compact 

light source, and several manufacturers 

make rugged, dependable pistol lights 

with high light output. Some years ago, I 

felt that these were a sensible addition to 

a dedicated home defense handgun, or 

“nightstand pistol,” particularly if coupled 

with a high capacity autoloader. If 

the homeowner grabbed the gun in the 

middle of the night, he would likely have 

enough ammo in a high-cap pistol, and 

the light source already attached would 

not have to be found and grabbed separately. 

However, recent developments 

have changed my opinion. 

In the past few months there have 

been two negligent shootings (one fatal) 

of unarmed suspects by police officers 

with a weapon mounted light on a 

handgun who were trying to illuminate a 

suspect. In both cases, the officer meant 

to activate the light, and unintentionally 

fired the gun, striking the suspect. 

Go back to the second paragraph above. 

If you are trying to light up the shadowy 

figure in the hall, but shoot your 

child unintentionally, you will have to 

live with the consequences. There are 

several factors at work here that make 

these tragedies more likely. First, few 

homeowners are going to train with the 

light on the gun to the point of learning 

to work the switches without getting a 

finger near the trigger, particularly under 

high stress. I’m not talking about 

getting practice firing the gun with the 

light attached. I’m talking about practicing 

using the light without firing the 

gun. Second, the Force Science Institute 

and other highly respected sources 

have documented the phenomenon of 

“trigger searching,” even among highly 

trained and skilled SWAT operators. Do 

a quick Google search on Force Science 

and “trigger search” for further enlightenment 

(forgive the pun). Third, if the 

only light you have is a weapon mounted 

light, you have to point the gun at 

everything you look at; a clear violation 

of Rule Two (never point your gun at 

anything you are not willing to destroy). 

Remember, the purpose of an illumination 

tool is to identify and discriminate 

a target before pointing a gun at it. 

This is not possible if your only light is 

weapon mounted. So, the bottom line 

is, even if you have a weapon mounted 

light (WML), you have to have a hand 

held light, as well. The WML is strictly for 

shooting, not for searching or for target 

identification. 

That brings us to hand-held flashlight 

techniques. We’ll discuss these in detail 

in the third installment in this series. H 

Tom Givens is the owner of Rangemaster 

in Memphis, TN. For over 30 years Tom’s 

duties have included firearms instruction. 

He is certified as an expert witness 

on firearms and firearms training, giving 

testimony in both state and federal 

courts. He serves as an adjunct instructor 

at the Memphis Police Department 

Training Academy, the largest in the 

state. Tom’s training resume includes 

certification from the FBI Police Firearms 

Instructor School, NRA Law Enforcement 

Instructor Development School, NRA 

Law Enforcement Tactical Shooting 

Instructor School, Gunsite 499 under Jeff 

Cooper, and more.

ARMED SENIOR CITIZEN 

below: You can 

carry a good pocket 

knife like this 

Summa folder by 

CRKT almost all the 

time and anywhere. 

Edged Weapon Attacks and 

the Myth of Self Defense: 

Senior Citizens 

Be Prepared! 

[ BY BRUCE N. EIMER, Ph .D. ] 

When was the last time you sat on a train, a bus, or in a 

restaurant, club, or movie theater, and worried that you 

might be attacked by a knife wielding madman? 

The Sayoc 

Tactical 

Group teaches 

students to put 

the attacking 

bad guy on the 

defensive. 

If you were to admit that you did that 

yesterday, some people, especially 

those who suffer from hoplophobia, 

and who don’t want to think about 

such things, might want to give you a 

mental health diagnosis. However, the 

most recent episode in February of 

2011 of a crazed knife-wielding murderer, 

wilding through the streets and 

subways of Manhattan, drives home 

the fact that such a thing could happen 

to you. In fact, the husband of a member 

of the gym I belong to was attacked 

by that guy on a Manhattan subway 

car! 

Senior citizens are frequently considered 

easy prey by violent criminal 

predators. The good news is that if you 

are reading this article, you are disproving 

the validity of that belief. I have discussed 

in previous articles the fact that 

we seniors have the advantage of surprise 

on our side. It can be a good thing 

to be underestimated. Fortunately, 

you do not have to be a former Special 

Forces operator to learn some simple 

counter attack techniques to turn the 

tables on a knife wielding attacker. You, 

my friends, can learn how to do it too. 

However, it does take some training. 


The Sayoc Tactical Group regularly 

offers seminars on Counter Edged 

Weapon Tactics to prepare good 

people to survive edged weapon 

attacks by bad people. 

Throughout human history, oppressed 

groups of people in a myriad 

of cultures were forced to find accessible 

tools to use as weapons. Hence 

stick, edged weapon as well as empty 

hand fighting techniques evolved into 

well developed martial art forms such 

as those of Japan, the Philippines, and 

Indonesia. These martial arts cultures 

developed techniques for aggressively 

deploying edged weapons in a fight and 

for defending against edged weapon 

attacks. As a student of edged weapon 

combatives with the Sayoc Tactical 

Group (STG) (www.SayocTactical. 

com), I have been fortunate to study 

some of these techniques with like 

minded partners. 

Edged weapon realities 

At contact distances, relying solely 

on your hands or any other body parts 

in the face of an edged weapon attack 

should be a last resort. Before that, we 

should have exhausted verbal dissuasion 

and any other attempt to abort or 

escape the situation. Unfortunately, in 

“gun-free zones” and jurisdictions that 

do not permit carrying firearms, the 

law abiding citizen is really on his or 

her own in a close quarter blade confrontation. 

In such a situation, getting 

an impact or edged weapon into play 

would be our next goal. However, if this 

cannot be done, then we are in an empty 

hand versus blade confrontation. 

Avoid jumping too quickly into an 

“empty hand versus blade” training 

mentality because there seldom is a 

good outcome to an empty hand versus 

blade confrontation; rather, it is 

a least bad outcome—you are most 

likely going to get cut and the question 

is how to minimize the damage. In the 

real world, it is false confidence to assume 

that you will be able to reliably 

deploy empty hand defenses and knife 

disarms and remain intact physically. 


Knife attacks happen very fast—faster 

than the eyes can track. Therefore, always 

keep avoidance in mind. Learn to 

recognize precursors to attacks and to 

violent behavior. Anyone who teaches 

empty hand tactics in this context without 

mentioning this is irresponsible. 

The person who has the blade has 

an advantage. Imagine for a moment 

that you are fighting your clone. You 

are empty handed and your clone has 

an edged weapon. You will lose because 

the “you” with the blade will be a more 

dangerous fighter than the “you” without 

the blade. What this means is that 

if you want to come out the winner in a 

close-quarter fight with a blade wielding 

attacker, you have to be better than 

that person with the blade. 

The “De-escalation mindset“ 

Situational awareness is essential to 

staying safe and surviving in the world. 

In order to survive an attack and win the 

57

above: How can you 

“defend” against an ambush 

attack like this without a 

weapon assisted aggressive 

counter-attack? 

right: Since a folder is easier 

to carry than a fixed blade, 

an assisted opening folder 

such as this CRKT Ignitor 

may provide a good solution 

to the problem of getting 

your folder open fast. 

fight, you must be ready. The Readiness 

Formula is Awareness + Willingness + 

Preparedness = Readiness. 

Awareness. Always be aware of your 

360 degree world so that you can pick 

up early on any precursors to an attack. 

Willingness. You must be willing to 

do whatever it takes to win. This means 

you must be willing to fight for your 

life, and to use deadly force if you are 

faced with deadly force. This requires 

a decision on your part. If you carry a 

deadly weapon, you had better be willing 

to use it if you need to. In previous 

articles, I and other contributors have 

discussed the judicious use of less 

than lethal force and lethal force. For 

the best discussion on this topic, read 

Massad Ayoob’s In the Gravest Extreme, 

or better yet, take one of his seminars 

(www.MassadAyoobGroup.com). 

Preparedness. It is not enough to be 

willing. You must also have the necessary 

training, both mental and physical, 

so that you are prepared to use 

deadly force if you must in order to 

survive. The good news is that you do 

not have to become a black belt to learn 

some simple counter edged weapon 

tactics. 

The mental piece. Whether there 

are precursors to an attack or not, and 

whether you pick up on them or not, 

you need to train yourself to prepare 

mentally. Your personal security requires 

that you are prepared and mentally 

willing to use your weapons every 

time there is a change of state. I am 

talking here about the “de-escalation 

mindset.” This means that every time 

there is a change in the situation and 

the door opens and someone comes 

into your space, you need to go through 

your mental drawstroke, so to speak. 

Most of the time there is no problem. 

But, if there is a problem, if you train 

yourself to do this, you will be prepared 

to do whatever you must do. The deescalation 

mindset is a cycle we should 

go through all the time. The more you 

do it, the easier it will be, as it turns into 

58 


ARMED SENIOR CITIZEN 

a habit that becomes hard wired into 

your brain. 

The reactionary gap. The point is 

that we, the good guys and gals, are 

always riding a time curve. Remember 

the principle that action is faster than 

reaction. When there is a change of 

state, you must change with it. This is 

plain common sense survival. I know it 

does not sound “right” to people who 

do not want to face reality, because it is 

reality! If you were on that subway car, 

would you have been ready to go? 

The myth of self defense 

In a fight, everything is a balance between 

offensive and defensive mindsets. 

If one person is purely defending, 

then the other guy according to the 

laws of the balance can go 100 percent 

on the offensive. Eventually, he will 

find his way through your defenses 

and wear you down. However, if you 

can force him to react defensively, that 

will slow down his offensive attack. As 

a student of edged weapon combatives 

with the Sayoc Tactical Group, this idea 

has been imprinted into my brain. We 

do not like to use the word “defensive” 

because when you do so, you accept 

the mentality of that “if I can begin to 

defend myself successfully, I am winning.” 

This mentality will get you killed! 

If you are taken by surprise, the fight 

begins with the bad guy being the 

“feeder” (that is, feeding you his blade 

or his blows or his bullets) and you being 

the “receiver.” If you are to prevail, 

you must change that immediately 

by making yourself the “feeder” and 

the bad guy the “receiver.” The term, 

Counter Edged Weapon, gives us an accurate 

description of the desired mentality. 

With every movement, you must 

counter the bad guy’s attacks. As you 

counterattack him, now he will have to 

defend himself, and if he doesn’t have a 

counter offensive strategy, he will lose. 

Your end goal in an inescapable close 

quarter engagement is to end his attack. 

This may translate into making 

your attacker go into a fetal position as 

you overwhelm him. 

In summary, in order to prevail and 

survive the ordeal that you did not start, 

you need to be attacking and wearing 

your attacker down every time you 

Lessons from the tiger. The tiger does not block. He strikes aggressively with his 

claws. Learn to pair a block or a parry with a strike. 

counter his movements. To this end, 

STG conducts counter edged weapon 

seminars that teach participants how 

to parry, tap, and strike simultaneously. 

Summary 

You need not be taken by surprise. 

Follow the concepts presented here 

and train yourself to be prepared for 

anything. At the very least, carry a good 

fighting-folder pocket knife with you 

everywhere so that you have a better 

fighting chance if you are unfortunately 

attacked by someone wielding 

a blade. Check out some of the videos 

at www.SayocTactical.com and learn 

what you would be dealing with if you 

were attacked by a man with a knife. 

Consider signing up for a seminar on 

counter edged weapon tactics. Don’t 

let strangers get too close to you; that 

is, breech your personal space. Always 

leave yourself an escape route. H 

Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D., psychologist 

and NRA Certified Law Enforcement 

Firearms Instructor, trains law abiding 

citizens in the defensive use of firearms. 

His company, Personal Defense 

Solutions, also runs the classes required 

to obtain the Florida, Virginia, and 

Utah non-resident multi-state CCW 

permits. To learn more, visit: www. 

PersonalDefenseSolutions.net and 

www.DefensiveHandguns.com. 

Acknowledgment: The author gratefully 

thanks Tuhon Tom Kier, Director 

of the Sayoc Tactical Group, for his help 

in preparing this article and for opening 

this author’s eyes to the realities of 

edged weapon attacks. 

Contacts 

Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) 

www.CRKT.com 

(800) 891-3100 

Massad Ayoob Group 

www.MassadAyoobGroup.com 

Personal Defense Solutions 

www.PersonalDefenseSolutions.net 

(215) 938-7283 

Sayoc Tactical Group 

www.SayocTactical.com 

(610) 496-2670 


59

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE ... IT’S JUST THE LAW 

The state 

must adopt 

the citizen’s 

violence 

through an 

informal 

or formal 

ceremony. 

©iSTOCKPHOTO - MAICA 

Ceremonies 

[ BY K.L. JAMISON, ESQ. ] 

The state has a monopoly on violence. 

This is a concept dating from the 

concept of the “King’s Peace” established 

a thousand years ago. 

However, a generous state shares this 

monopoly with its citizens under certain 

circumstances. The state must adopt the 

citizen’s violence through an informal or 

formal ceremony. The most informal is 

the police officer’s report. If the officer 

stresses evidence favorable to the citizen 

then ceremonies held at higher levels 

will be constrained in the harm that they 

can do. 1 

Even if the officer does not arrest 

the citizen, the matter will be sent to 

the prosecutor for charges. The county 

prosecutor (in some states called a district 

attorney and in the federal system 

the U.S. Attorney) has absolute power 

to decline to prosecute. Presented with 

a good reason not to prosecute he will 

maintain his conviction record by not 

filing charges. A “good reason” is an obvious 

defense or a difficult prosecution. 

These informal ceremonies seldom end 

the matter, except in the most obvious 

cases (and often not then). The prosecutor 

will often share responsibility by 

sending the matter to one of the formal 

ceremonies. The formal ceremonies include 

the Coroner’s Jury, Grand Jury and 

Preliminary Hearing. 

The coroner is usually an elected 

county official in charge of investigating 

suspicious deaths. He (or she) is a “conservator 

of the peace” in his county, and 

traditionally considered to be a law enforcement 

officer. There are no extraordinary 

requirements for the position. 

The coroner is empowered to empanel 

a jury for a community verdict on the 

cause of death. He may summon witnesses, 

and employ a medical examiner 

to testify as to the cause of death. The 

jury may return a verdict of self-defense, 

accident or felony. The prosecutor may 

accept this verdict as the community’s 

verdict adopting the citizen’s violence. 

However, he is not required to do so. 

Once charged, bail will be set. 

Reasonable bail is a constitutional right, 

used to guarantee appearance at court, 

and cannot be used simply to keep a 

defendant in jail. In practice it is used 

to keep persons believed to be violent in 

jail. Without coming before a judge, a defendant 

can be released only by paying 

the bond, or arrangement with a bonding 

company. For long-term residents 

the bonding company may dispense 

with the need for a surety. They are a 

business; everything is negotiable. 

Shortly after arrest the client must be 

taken before a judge for arraignment. 

This is a formality in which the charges 

are read to the defendant on the theory 

that the guest of honor will then know 

what the party is about. Conversations 

with persons who have been arraigned 

indicate that it goes straight over their 

heads, lost in legal jargon. A copy of the 

charges (the paper the judge reads from) 

should be requested. If an attorney is 

present for the defendant, he will waive 

reading of the charges and be handed a 

copy. Bail will be addressed perfunctorily. 

Having an attorney in advance will 

be an advantage in addressing this question. 

The defendant may be released on 

recognizance (ROR) or on “Ten percent 

60 


...IT’S JUST THE LAW 

equivalent.” ROR means released on 

a handshake promise to appear. “Ten 

percent equivalent” means that if the 

citizen posts ten percent of the amount 

of the bond, he gets out. If he appears at 

trial, he gets the ten percent bond back. 

As this is the amount bondsmen charge, 

they hate this program. 

If bond remains too high following arraignment, 

it can be addressed in more 

detail at a bond hearing set for that purpose. 

Before forcing a citizen to spend vast 

sums for a trial, and perhaps months in 

jail awaiting trial, the government must 

first prove it has a good reason. There are 

two ways to bind a defendant over for a 

trial; preliminary hearing and grand jury 

hearing. Both must be before a “neutral 

magistrate.” Arraignment will be followed 

within a month by a preliminary 

hearing. Such hearings may be set earlier 

for incarcerated defendants. The 

purpose of the preliminary, known as 

the “prelim” by denizens of the system, 

is to protect the citizen by determining 

if there is any evidence supporting 

the charges brought by the police and 

prosecutor. Specifically, the judge at the 

hearing must determine if there is some 

reason to believe a crime was committed 

and some reason to believe the guest of 

honor committed it. While a theoretical 

safeguard, very few defendants win preliminary 

hearings. The preliminary hearing 

is an opportunity for the defense to 

learn something about the prosecution 

case. Defendants may be asked to waive 

preliminary hearing. If they do not, the 

case will be presented to a Grand Jury, 

the defendant re-arrested and forced to 

post another bail bond. 

Some prosecutor’s offices avoid preliminary 

hearings through indictments 

before the Grand Jury. Grand Juries 

are secret proceedings where only the 

prosecutor produces evidence. The defendant 

has no right to introduce evidence, 

and may not even know that he 

is a subject of interest. While very few 

defendants win preliminary hearings, 

virtually no defendant wins a Grand Jury 

hearing. The saying is that a Grand Jury 

will indict a ham sandwich. There was 

an instance of a Texas Ranger who killed 

an assailant in the city street, while the 

Grand Jury watched from the second 

floor of the Courthouse. With this first 

hand information, they returned a “No 

True Bill” (no crime) before his wounds 

were treated. 2 This is not something the 

average citizen can expect. In the old “LA 

Law” series a lawyer killed an assailant, 

voluntarily appeared before the Grand 

Jury and was exonerated. This series was 

fiction. There is a name for persons appearing 

before a Grand Jury in the naïve 

belief that they only need to tell the 

truth, they are called “inmates.” The 

Grand Jurors will be indoctrinated by 

the prosecutor. There is no beating this 

system. It is ironic that Grand Juries are 

The defendant has 

no right to introduce 

evidence, and may not 

even know that he is a 

subject of interest. 

constitutionally guaranteed, in the federal 

system, but preliminary hearings are 

more to the defense benefit. 

If a defendant wins a preliminary 

hearing, or the prosecutor does not 

press the grand jury to return an indictment, 

this usually, but does not always, 

end the matter. Double jeopardy does 

not apply unless a trial jury is selected. A 

prosecutor may therefore take a case lost 

at preliminary hearing or which a grand 

jury has returned a “No True Bill,” and 

re-submit the matter to the grand jury 

as often as desired. It is wise not to spark 

that desire. 

After shooting four muggers in a New 

York subway, Bernard Goetz won his first 

trip to the grand jury; he then, however, 

made the politically incorrect suggestion 

that guns be distributed to civilians. 

His lawyer, on “Face the Nation” stated 

that Mr. Goetz felt no remorse about the 

shootings. A neighbor alleged that he 

had made racist statements. Any one of 

these statements would have aroused 

criticism of the prosecution; together 

they inspired a full-scale effort to send 

Mr. Goetz to prison. 3 A new grand jury 

was given an improper definition of selfdefense, 

and indicted Mr. Goetz for everything 

the prosecution requested. 

On 11 October, 1981 a man entered 

a tavern and attacked two patrons with 

a hatchet; he was promptly shot and 

killed. The following day the Kansas City 

Star described the assailant as the “victim,” 

and the man who defended himself 

as the “gunman,” a la Billy the Kid. 

This terminology stands law and common 

sense on its head. Unfortunately, 

this terminology has been common in 

the media. Following a defensive gun 

use the media will give the “gunman” an 

“opportunity to tell his side of the story.” 

One homicide detective referred to them 

as “vultures.” They thrive on sensationalism, 

which is never good for the defense. 

It may be useful to tell the truth, but 

simply telling the truth rarely helps, it is 

how the truth is told that makes it useful. 

Lawyers are authorities on how to tell the 

truth. 

A suspect has the absolute right to 

an attorney at any step in the criminal 

justice system under the sixth (and 

fourteenth) amendment to the U.S. 

Constitution. No matter how innocent 

the citizen might be, no matter how 

knowledgeable, an attorney is required. 

For a layman to search for justice in the 

thickets of the law is akin to going on safari 

without equipment, with no idea of 

what the game looks like and no guide 

where game might be found. H 

Kevin L. Jamison is an attorney in the 

Kansas City Missouri area concentrating 

in the area of weapons and self-defense. 

Please send questions to Kevin L. 

Jamison 2614 NE 56 th Ter Gladstone 

Missouri 64119-2311 KLJamisonLaw@ 

earthlink.net. Individual answers are not 

usually possible but may be addressed in 

future columns. 

This information is for legal information 

purposes and does not constitute 

legal advice. For specific questions you 

should consult a qualified attorney. 

1. The conundrum of calling the police and at the same time remaining silent is discussed in Alan Korwin’s After You Shoot, Bloomfield Press Scottsdale, AZ 

2011. An evaluation of this work is forthcoming. 

2. Jenkins & Frost I’M FRANK HAMER, State House Press, Austin Texas 1993 at 72. 

3. Fletcher A CRIME OF SELF DEFENSE, The Free Press, N.Y. 1988 at 5. 


61

BALLISTIC BASICS 

Training aids like 

Crimson Trace 

Lasergrips can make 

learning to shoot 

little guns easier. 

[ BY TAMARA KEEL ] 

The Mechanics 

of Accuracy 

“You carry one of those little guns? You can’t hit nothin’ 

with one o’ them. They ain’t accurate!” 

I 

have heard this countless times, 

about all kinds of handguns. I’ve 

probably heard it most often about 

snubnose small-frame revolvers. It’s 

a factoid that would come as a surprise 

to my boss at the first gun shop 

I worked at, seeing as how he’d regularly 

win bets proving he could hit pie 

plates at 25 yards and more with his 

S&W “Bodyguard,” shooting doubleaction, 

no less. 

There’s no real reason that a little 

revolver is any less mechanically accurate 

than a long-barreled one; basically, 

clamped in a vise, it should shoot 

pretty much as well as a bigger gun. 

There are several things that impact 

its practical accuracy, however, which 

is to say how well it shoots for nonexperts 

like you and me. 

Barrel length doesn’t really impact 

mechanical accuracy; as long as you 

have enough rifling to get the bullet 

spinning, the rest is gravy. But barrel 

length impacts something called 

“sight radius.” The longer the barrel, 

the farther away from the rear sight 

you can put the front sight, and the 

greater this distance, the easier a time 

you have lining up your sights on the 

target. 

Smaller guns are also, well ... smaller. 

This has a couple of important effects: 

In the first place, the grip of the gun 

is all shrunk down to a size that only 

allows you to get one or two fingers 

around it. This is important because 

smaller guns are also usually lighter, 

so you are holding onto this bitty, 

lightweight little blaster with one or 

two fingers and now you have to pull 

the trigger, which involves applying as 

much as ten pounds of force to an object 

that weighs less than a pound, and 

which you don’t have too firm of a grip 

on to begin with, and ... well, some 

idea of the difficulty of this task can be 

appreciated by looking at the target of 

a newbie snubby shooter, which usually 

has holes scattered all over it. 

Did I mention that you’re trying to 

hold this thing steady while pulling the 

trigger, all the while knowing it’s going 

to smack your hand like a baseball bat 

when it goes off? Because that’s the 

inescapable penalty Isaac Newton assigns 

to putting powerful cartridges in 

lightweight little guns. 

I have good news and bad news. 

The good news is that these difficulties 

can be overcome, and you can 

shoot these little guns accurately, as 

my ex-boss proved to any doubters 

willing to risk five bucks. The bad news 

is that it takes time and practice. 

Thankfully, there are tools available 

to help with this practice: Lasergrips 

and snap caps make dry-fire practice 

easy, for instance, and an investment 

in good instruction can help you iron 

out the bugs in your technique. 

With a bit of time and effort, when 

somebody says, “I bet you can’t hit 

nothin’ with that little gun,” you can 

just smile at them and ask, “Got five 

dollars?” H 

Tamara Keel has been shooting guns as 

a hobby since she was eighteen. She has 

worked in the firearms business since 

the early 1990s. Her pastimes include 

collecting old guns, writing, and being 

bossed around by house cats. 

62 


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