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tIM’S THOUGHTSYou Talked, We Listened...After receiving hundreds of requests from fellowUSCCA members, we’re finally going to take action.Okay, here’s the story. Ever since we launched theSelf-Defense Shield membership benefit for USCCAmembers back in June of 2011, many USCCA memberscalled or wrote wondering if we ever had plans of offeringa similar membership to people who didn’t carryconcealed.They explained, “The USCCA is great for those of uswho carry concealed ... but the fact of the matter is thatMOST of my friends and relatives, while they DO haveguns in the home for self-defense, they’d never dreamof carrying concealed.”Well, all of these letters and emails really got methinking. Why not leverage the power of Delta Defenseand create a “sister association” of the USCCA? We’d offerthe exact same member benefits, but instead of focusingon ONLY folks who carry concealed, we’d focuson the tens of millions of Americans who have firearmsin their homes for the purpose of protecting their lovedones.We launched an exhaustive market study during theearly part of this year and the results were astounding.I am now pleased to announce the birth of the“sister association” of the USCCA, the Home DefenseAssociation of America (HDAA).This will be the perfect association for USCCA membersto recommend to their friends and family who donot carry concealed! As always the core focus of DeltaDefense is to teach and equip responsibly armed citizensto confidently defend their loved ones. The HDAAwill now allow us to extend our reach!For more information on the HDAA, please visitHDAA.com.Take care and stay safe.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINELIVE EVERY SUNDAY8:00-11:00 PM EDT5-8PM PTwww.920WGKA.com — click on “Listen Live”Atlanta area can tune in to: WGKA 920AMARMEDAMERICANRADIO.ORGACROSSTHEEDITOR’S DESKA commitmentNot long ago, I sat next to a man on an airplanewho seemed surprised when he foundout what I do for a living. “I don’t see why a goodperson, like yourself, would need a gun,” he said.Since he seemed more puzzled than repulsed, Itold him the truth: like most USCCA members, Iown defensive firearms because I love my family,my freedom, and civilization itself.At the most basic level, when we act to protectourselves, we also act to protect the peoplewe love. My own parents, married more thanfifty years, oftensay to each other, “I don’t see why a“It’s you and megood person, likeagainst the world!”This sentiment is yourself, wouldmore than a sentiment.It’s a com-need a gun.”mitment. It implies more than just warm feelings,more than simple goodwill. It implies a willingnessto act. Being prepared to protect yourselfsays you take responsibility for your own life andfor the happiness and well-being of people whodepend on you. Without such responsibility onthe part of good people, freedom won’t last long.Ultimately, protecting yourself and your familyprotects civilization. It helps build and maintain astrong, safe community—perhaps one where yourchildren and grandchildren can grow up to do thesame. It shows your determination to defend therule of law within your neighborhood, and yourcommitment to defeat the forces that would tearcivilization down. As economist Thomas Sowellputs it, “If you are not prepared to use force todefend civilization, then be prepared to acceptbarbarism.” Because we are not willing to acceptbarbarism, we choose to protect ourselves, ourhomes, and the people we love.Stay safe,JOIN NOW!USConcealedCarry.com877-677-1919Become a USCCA member and have Concealed CarryMagazine delivered right to your door, along withmembers-only access to the USCCA website, forums, PDFdownloads, and more!3

COLUMNS1316184852CCM PROFILEYih-Chau Changby OLEG VOLKJUST ASKWhat AboutStopping Power?by George HarrisTHE ORDINARY GUYNow I Know WhoOwns the Roadby Mark WaltersREAL WORLD CARRY GEARby Duane DaikerIT’S JUST THE LAWThe Big Questionby K.L. Jamison, Esq.54596162DEPARTMENTS03 TIM’S THOUGHTS03 ACROSS THEEDITOR’S DESKARMED SENIOR CITIZENRules of Engagement forthe Medically Fragileby Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.BEHIND THE LINEThe Cross-DominantShooterby Tom GivensBIRD ON BOOKSThe Concealed CarrySurvival Guideby CHRIS BIRDBALLISTIC BASICSStriker Downby Tamara Keel08 VOICES OF THE USCCA10 LESSONS LEARNED11 DRILL OF THE MONTHPublisherTimothy J. SchmidtEditorKathy JacksonArt DirectorBetty ShontsCirculation ManagerLaura OttoAssistant Circulation ManagerNikki BublitzCopy EditorJohn HiggsPhotographerOleg VolkColumn EditorsChris Bird • Duane A. DaikerBruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.Tom Givens • George HarrisK.L. Jamison, ESQ. • Tamara KeelDuncan Mackie • Rob PincusMark WaltersContributing WritersR.K. CampbellMark Kakkuri • Rory MillerKarl Rehn • Duane ThomasClaude Werner06 LETTERS TOTHE EDITOR07 TRUE STORIES12 STUFF WE LIKEUSCCA Inc. Board of AdvisorsMichael Bane • John FarnamTom Givens • Rob PincusPublished for U.S. Concealed Carry by:ABOUT THE COVERFRONT coverPhotographer: Oleg Volk32ACP and other modest calibers allow even such alightweight pistol as a Keltec P32 to be fired with onehand. The other hand is often needed to retail balanceand mobility.back coverPhotographer: Betty ShontsThe old and the new, but all American: A Winchester1897 poses with a Smith & Wesson model 686, theAmerican flag, and some good patriotic reading.N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way,Jackson, WI 53037(877) 677-1919 • Customer Service(262) 677-8877 • U.S. Concealed CarryConcealed Carry Magazine (USPS: 022-302, ISSN:1550-7866), Volume 9, Issue 5, July 2012 Issue. July6. Published 8 times a year, monthly except combinedissues: Feb/Mar; May/June; Aug/Sept and Nov/Dec. Basic membership is $127.00 per year. by DeltaDefense, LLC, N173W21298 Northwest PassageWay, Jackson, WI 53037. Periodicals postage paid atJackson, WI and additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:Concealed Carry Magazine, N173W21298 NorthwestPassage Way, Jackson, WI 53037.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM

TRUE STORIESArmed Citizen StopsKnife Attack in Salt Lake CityGrocery StoreA Utah man walked into a Smith’s grocerystore in Salt Lake City, Utah, boughta kitchen knife, and proceeded to attackpeople just outside the store while shouting,“You killed my people! You killed mypeople!” The man stabbed one personseveral times in the stomach, and anotherhard enough in the head to piercehis skull. The carnage was stopped whena store customer pulled a legally-carriedpistol and ordered the assailant to dropthe knife or be shot. As soon as the assailantdropped the knife, customersand store employees subdued him andheld him for police. Investigators havefound no motive for the attacks, andpraised the actions of the armed citizenwho saved a bad situation from gettingworse. The attacker has an extensivecriminal history, and had been releasedfrom jail a week earlier.Sleeping Retired WashingtonState Cop Hears Break-in,Foils BurglaryAwakened by sounds of a break-in, a retiredcop in Puyallup, Washington pulleda pistol and fired on four men, onearmed with a crowbar, who had brokeninto his home. The men fled, but onelater died in hospital after seeking treatmentfor a gunshot wound. Police investigatorslater linked the dead man to theburglary, and tracked down and chargedtwo of his accomplices in a string of burglaries.Authorities will not charge thehomeowner, whom police said was justifiedin defending his home.Drunk Indiana Man BreaksInto Wrong House, AlmostShot for His TroubleA drunken 32-year-old Portage, Indianaman had trouble getting into his home.In his frustration, he finally kicked in thedoor and went inside. Unfortunately forhim, it wasn’t his house, and he foundhimself confronted by a gun-wielding28-year-old woman who was surprisedto find the drunken man in her livingroom. She ordered the man to lie downon the floor until police arrived. Theman, who had a 0.21 blood alcohol content,faces charges of residential entryand criminal mischief. The homeownerwas shaken, but unhurt, and is thankfulshe had a gun.Alabama Seventh-GraderKilled in Robbery AttemptA 13-year-old Birmingham, Alabamaboy approached a couple at night as theydrove into their driveway. Wearing a bandanaand wielding a loaded and cockedpistol, the teenager demanded, “Get outand give it up.” The male would-be victimpulled his own gun and shot the robber,who died a short time later. Policeare investigating the case as a justifiablehomicide.California Senior CitizenShoots and Routs Home InvadersA 62-year-old former Marine heard aloud noise as two men broke into theModesto, California home he sharedwith his stepson. Seeing the burglarsaccosting the stepson, the homeownerretrieved a .357 Magnum revolver andfired on the intruders twice, striking onein the leg and putting both to flight. Theinjured burglar will face criminal chargeson his release from hospital. His accompliceremains at large. The homeownerwill not face charges for the shooting.Texas Man Takes Knife to Gun FightA Tyler, Texas man used a large knife tothreaten several men. One of the threatenedmen carried a gun, which he drewto defend himself and others. The suspectcontinued to brandish the knifeand threaten the small group, so the gunCARRY A GUN...IT MAY SAVEYOUR LIFE.The purpose of the True Stories column is to report criminal encounters as they actually happened to real people, notidealized or sanitized versions of such events. Sometimes armed citizens make mistakes, even bad ones, under theextreme stress of a deadly threat. We invite our readers to discuss these specific situations, and consider other ways thesituations might have been handled, on the USCCA discussion forums at www.uscca.us/forum.[ COMPILED BY DUNCAN R. MACKIE ]owner shot him. Though wounded, thesuspect continued his threats with theknife, including cutting the gunman,which got him shot again for his trouble.The would-be victims were then able tosubdue the knife-wielder until police arrived.The suspect is hospitalized for histwo gunshot wounds, and the shooterwas treated and released for severalknife wounds. Authorities are investigatingwhat looks to be a self-defenseshooting.Missouri Home Invadersput Victim in Wrong ClosetA 20-year-old Kansas City, Missouriwoman answered her door to two teenagerswho were seeking someone in theneighborhood. When she respondedthat the man in question wasn’t there,the teens put a gun to her head. Theythen forced her inside the house andinto a closet, while they proceeded toransack the premises. The woman tookup a pistol she kept in the closet andstepped out to confront the two invaders,shooting one of the men and causingthe other to flee. The injured 17-yearoldburglar stumbled out of the houseand died in the front yard. The victim isnot expected to face charges.Washington Man Shoots,Kills Home InvaderA North Bend, Washington man and hisgirlfriend were awakened by the soundof a break-in and a man shouting that hewas going to kill them. Taking up a pistol,the homeowner yelled that he hada gun and for the intruder to leave. Theintruder kept repeating his threats as heransacked the house. When the intruderkicked in the door of the bedroom wherehe and his girlfriend were hiding, thehomeowner shot and killed the intruder.Police praised the restraint of the homeowner,saying he fired only when he hadno other choice.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM7

name of article hereing. They did and my transition started.I really enjoyed the training and becamevery comfortable and confident with it.I joined USCCA and watched the BulletProof Mind DVD series with my wife. Istarted reading about concealed carryand became more aware of day to dayincidents that occur in the general population.I mentioned to my trainer thatI would like to be able to carry legally.He recommended I apply for a CCW. Ihad heard that it was almost impossiblein California, but he encouragedme to apply. The application processwent very smoothly, and I received mypermit within 60 days. It’s been about 6months now, and I carry daily. It’s beenan eye opening process, and I’m a betterhuman for it.Gary in CaliforniaI’ve always kept weapons in the homeor carried in the car. I’m ex-military,but now both my wife and I are handicappedand in our 70s. Personal safetyis a prime consideration and I alwayscarry when out of town or traveling inanother state.Bob in New MexicoWorking in the gold and diamond businessthat ran on large amounts of cash,it wasn’t a much of choice. I can’t afforda bodyguard, so I use a 9mm S&Wbacked up with a .32 Seecamp.Susan CooperI carry because I couldn’t do it inChicago. Now retired to another state,I love guns and like to keep my familysafe.Gary in TennesseeJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEHaving a firearm on my person has been such a partof my life that it is no less important than makingsure I have the keys when I leave the house.Craig BrownellAs I think back to when I made thechoice to carry, there was nothinggrandiose about it. It was quite simpleand quiet actually. I had always beenaround weapons, some of my friendswere LEOs, and I was getting older andmy home town was getting rougher. Itsimply made sense to me.James in OklahomaOver the past several years, the evergrowingcrime rate of assaults againstwomen was the primary impetus for meto make the decision to conceal carry. Ilive in a rural area, so I travel many desolatemiles to get to town, often travelingalone over long stretches of nothingbut wide open spaces that have beenknown for carjackings, road banditsand worse. I guess with urban sprawlcomes crime sprawl. I do not want to bea victim or a statistic to something thatI could prevent from happening using acarry defense weapon if I happen to runinto any of those bad circumstances.CD in New MexicoI got my concealed carry license becauseI carried a pistol a lot while huntingand trapping, but it was not longbefore I realized that carrying for theprotection of self and family was far differentthan for hunting. So the type ofshooting is different for hunting versusprotection. I got training that I feel willhelp win a gunfight when time is of importance,not just hitting and killing ananimal when you have everything justright.Bill from MOI began to carry when I had an expectantwife and my home area becamekind of high risk. Since then I havecarried a weapon (althoughthe particular weapons havechanged with time) prettywell consistently. Timeschange, weapons change, but I will stayarmed for my piece of mind and safety.Bill WadeEven though I am no longer in thelaw enforcement field the training Ireceived has stuck with me. I carry aweapon because I and my family havemade a commitment that we will notbe victims. I also feel that with all thetraining I received that was paid for isstill good, and should not go to waste.I also know that with my backgroundand training I can be of help to any personthat needs help. I do not want to bethe world police, but I do feel that withmy background and training, I couldpossibly be of more help than a personwithout it.Chris MacThe mindset changein becoming an armedcitizen is, in my opinion,the biggest benefit.Gene from IowaNext issue’s question:When relatives and friendsask you about getting theirconcealed carry permits, whatdo you say?Send your comments and pictures totips@usconcealedcarry.com. Each entrymust use fewer than 75 words, and mustbe signed either with a complete nameor with a first name plus location. Dueto volume received, not all submissionscan be acknowledged. Entries may beedited for length and clarity.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM9

THIS IS USCCALessons LearnedThe Situation is NOT Under Control[ BY USCCA MEMBER KEN PARK ]One night while working on my computer, I noticedmy security camera flash on the monitor.This happens when the outside motionlights turn on. I looked up tosee the yard gate open and a figurestanding in the driveway. He was therefor a couple of seconds, looking around,and then he left. I thought the outsidelights may have startled him into leaving.I took my dogs out for a walk andshut the gate.Later, I turned in for the night andwent to sleep. Around 2:30 a.m. my dogsbecame restless and started growling. Iflipped on the bedroom TV, which hasmy camera system on another input soI can monitor all from bed. The gate wasopen again. I could not see anyone movingon the property, but the sound pickup relayed what sounded like a conversationbetween two people, perhaps sittingin one of the two blind spots. I ranthe video backward and found only oneperson entering the yard, and it lookedlike one of my neighbors. Wearing onlya Tee-shirt, he went into the side yard,ending up at the patio table and chairsnext to the boat. The boat was blockingthe view on camera of the chair he wassitting in, and I couldn’t see anyone hewas talking to.I went out, carrying concealed, toconfront whoever was out there and tellhim to get off my property. I scannedthe area and determined it was myneighbor and he was alone. I figured hemust be drunk and had wandered intomy yard. He has been a good neighborfor more than a year.I found him sitting in the patio chairtalking to himself. From what I thoughtwas a safe distance, I told my neighbor10USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMto leave; he was on the wrong propertyat the wrong time of night. He becameangry, cussing up a storm in a tone ofvoice I had never heard him use. He wasnot rational in thought and speech, soI decided that this was not good andwalked back into the house to call thelocal police. They had two officers arrivein minutes.From inside the house, I watched onthe camera system as the two officerstalked to my neighbor. He jumped upand started to swing at the first officer.I was surprised and had never watcheda person move with such superhumanspeed! He could have easily covered thedistance of 20 feet between us had hetried to attack me. The officer tased himand he dropped to the ground, onlyto bounce back up and start swingingagain. The second officer hit him withhis Taser, and again he went down andcame right back up. The neighbor proceededto break one of the patio chairsand use it to get free. He ran off intoanother neighbor’s yard before the officerscould get catch him and get himunder control. What I saw was a personon drugs, and that made him very dangerous.My point is this: I reduced my safetyzone distance and turned my back onhim when walking back into the house.I was thinking, “It’s just my neighborand he’s drunk and disoriented,”when in fact he was on something thatmade him almost superhuman. HadI not sensed his change in voice, andchanged my mind on how to deal withhim, or had I tried to help him directly,the outcome could have been muchdifferent for both of us.All because I thought I knew theperson. HDO YOU HAVE A STORY FOR “LESSONS LEARNED?”PHOTO COURTESY TASERThe officer tasedhim and he droppedto the ground...Concealed Carry Magazine pays $100 each for true personal experiences told by USCCAmembers. 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 reservethe right to edit for clarity and space considerations. Send your stories to Lessons@USConcealedCarry.comCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

THIS IS USCCADRILL OF THE MONTHSNAKE DRILL[ Submitted by David Kenik of Armed Response ]Set up four sets of cover in arow, in front of each other,approximately five feetapart, with a target ten feetin front of the cover.Starting behind the most rearward cover,the drill is to walk serpentine weavingaround the cover positions, shooting thetarget as it becomes visible on each side.After reaching the front of the last cover, continuethe drill in the same manner backward,serpentine weaving around the cover positionsback to the starting position.When reloading, continue to the nearestcover, and reload behind cover, then continue.As you walk, the gun should be pointed downuntil it’s time to shoot.The drill encompasses shooting on themove: backward and forward, use of peripheralvision, use of cover for reloading, and movementof the gun from the ground to the target.HDavid Kenik is the owner of Armed Response,author of the book, Armed Response, andco-author of the Armed Response VideoTraining Series. Contact him at info@armedresponsetraining.com, or visit theArmed Response website at http://www.armedresponsetraining.com.NOW CONTINUETHE DRILL IN THESAME MANNER...BACKWARD!JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM11

THIS IS USCCASTUFF WE LIKEEditor note: The following businesses make concealed carry gear that USCCA members or writers recommend. These arenot paid advertisements. They are personal recommendations from us to you. None of the businesses on this page havepaid any money to be placed here. If you come across a product you’d like to see featured on this page, please send anemail to products@usconcealedcarry.com. Prices listed in this column are current at date of publication.Otis Pistol Cleaning SystemCompact and easy to use, Otis cleaningkits fold to the size of a hockey puck soyou can take them with you anywhere—in a range bag, in a suitcase, in the glovebox or trunk during a road trip. Theflexible cleaning “rod” takes a little gettingused to, but works surprisinglywell once you do. Each kit comes with aglossy, folded sheet filled with detailedinstructions for cleaning your firearm,a nice touch since the patch designis both innovative and non-intuitive.Prices begin around $45.Otis Technology • www.otisgun.comThe Pin-Up CollectionThis collection of women’s holstersfrom Looper Law Enforcement LLC featuressimple, easy to use designs thatwork well with female body shapes andfeminine clothing. Products include“The Betty,” a straight-drop, tuckableplastic holster that clips on the belt inthe appendix position; “The Marilyn,”a plastic clamshell type that clips to thebra under the left arm like a shoulderholster; and “The Sophia,” a minimalistOWB leather belt slide. The mostwell-known product in this collectionis Looper’s famous “Flashbang,” a brabasedplastic clamshell holster thatprovides secure carry and surprisinglyfast access to the firearm. Prices beginaround $40.Looper Law Enforcement LLCwww.looperlawenforcement.comSide Guard Tuck Snap HolsterIncredibly tough and surprisingly stiff,Side Guard leather holsters provide topof the line performance at affordablecustom prices. The Tuck Snap holsteris no exception. Designed to be wornin the appendix position with a shirttucked in over it, Tuck Snap offers a reinforcedmouth for safe and easy holstering.The side guard—a protectivebody shield that gives the company itsname—lives up to expectations in protectingthe gun and its user from eachother. Prices start at $65.Side Guard Holsters LLCwww.sideguardholsters.comHAVAFounded in 2007, Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) exists to raiseawareness and assist disabled veterans with the healing process through activeparticipation in outdoor sports. Volunteers facilitate hunting and shootingactivities for groups of disabled veterans, providing personal attentionand practical help in the field, helping to build a permanent awareness thatmarvelous things are possible despite disabling injuries. If you’d like to helpbe a part of this effort, visit the HAVA website at www.honoredveterans.org.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n MAY/JUNE 2012

CCM PROFILE“the 2ndAmendment[is] one ofthe mostcriticalcivil rightsissues ofour time.”Yih-Chau ChangMost people who carry handguns carry them forself-defense. Yih-Chau Chang carries his to make apolitical statement.He is the Press Secretary forResponsible Citizens of California,a non-profit, Right-to-Carry advocacyorganization, and he leads byexample. His calm, articulate explanationsof civil rights issues often showup on the news. He has been featuredin all mainstream local press in the SanFrancisco Bay Area and also in SouthernCalifornia as an expert in the area of 2ndAmendment rights. He has also beenfeatured on the national level with FoxNews and on the international level withvarious news agencies across Europe.I first found him through the columnhe publishes as the Oakland Gun RightsExaminer. His insightful commentaryproved invaluable for understandingthe convoluted and mercurial reality ofCalifornia gun rights politics. When anopportunity to meet him came up atthe SHOT Show in Las Vegas, I jumpedon it. Meeting Chau in person provedeven more interesting than reading hisarticles. The man manages to combinea sunny, friendly disposition with anextremely imposing physical persona.Athletic and powerfully built, he oftenelicits jokes about not needing a gun forself-defense due to the obvious strength.[ BY OLEG VOLK ]That assertion, by the way, has beenproven wrong by events, for althoughChau studied karate from age ten,when he was twenty-one he was nearlykilled by a deranged man with a knife.Surviving the numerous stab woundsgave him his original push toward gunownership.Although Chau's build makes concealmentof holstered pistols easy, hehas to carry openly due to the restrictiveCalifornia laws. He appeared at all theopen carry events of the Bay Area untilthe recent change in the law made eventhat illegal. He is optimistic that this impositionon lawful Californians is the lasthurrah of the anti-gunners, and that reasonablecarry options will soon becomeavailable. In the meantime, he is improvinghis training and speaking out for theJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM13

PROFILEhuman right to effective self-defense.Chau has been out on the forefront ofhot-button political discussion in theGolden State as a guest panelist for theCommonwealth Club of California andalso publishes a column as the OaklandGun Rights Examiner. In addition, hehas served as a guest commentator invarious radio programs across the country,including Cop Talk Radio in Floridaand the War on Guns Radio programwith David Codrea in Arizona.Have you ever had to useyour firearm in adefensive situation?Thankfully, no. Like nearly all lawabidinggun owners, I hope to neverencounter the situation where I amfaced with that very gravest of extremes.However, I am prepared and trained todefend myself and my family. For some,the issue of the 2nd Amendment is merelyacademic—to be debated in the hallsof educational institutions and in frontof the non-gun-owning general publicvia the mainstream media. For me, thisissue means much more than that. Itwasn’t until I personally became a victimof violent crime that I became painfullyaware of the necessity for a lawfullyarmedcitizenry. This is one of the primaryreasons why I am such a publiclystrident defender of every American citizen’sbasic and fundamental civil right toself defense.What training methodsdo you employ?In addition to the standard battery offirearms training and target practice atthe shooting range, I invest a significantamount of time in physical training. Ibelieve that one should be prepared tomeet the extreme physical demands thatwill undoubtedly come with the unfortunatenecessity of using one’s firearm inlawful self defense. Many noted firearmstraining courses teach their students thatif one is not shooting, then one shouldbe moving, and vice versa. Too often, wefocus all of our energy on the shootingportion of that mantra do not placeChau, Alany Helmantoller and other open carryenough emphasis on the moving aspect.The activists necessity out on for the the town. physical The goal of ability being tovisible in public is to present a peaceableand responsible image of gun owners to otherCalifornians.move quickly during a gunfight, withinoftentimes cramped quarters, betweenChau is wearing aSig 226 (.40S&W)Blackhawk holster.cover and concealment, becomes all tooapparent once one engages in scenariobasedtraining involving simulation munitions.Do you have any recommendations?Absolutely. There are many great firearmstraining schools throughout thecountry and one should enroll in thosecourses as often as possible to maintainand improve what is ultimately the perishableskill of combat marksmanshipAs far as the physical training aspectgoes, I recommend regular runs that coverbetween three to five miles at a time.I recommend being able to consistentlydo at least 10 pull-ups. An ever-increasingnumber of push-ups and sit-ups willalso help to build strength and conditioningin the upper body. Weight trainingwill also help to increase overall bodyChau, Alany Helmantoller and other open carry activists out on thetown. The goal of being visible in public is to present a peaceableand responsible image of gun owners to other Californians.14USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

PROFILEstrength, which will prove to be usefulshould the gun fight turn into a closequarters battle (CQB) situation that involveshand-to-hand combat. Althoughthe degree of physical dexterity will varywidely among those who exercise theirright to carry due to differences in age,size, weight, and sex, those who find myrecommendations on physical trainingtoo challenging should keep in mindthat even a light exercise regimen willonly serve to be beneficial in augmentingtraining time behind the gun.How long have you carrieda concealed weapon?I have exercised my right to carry formore than two years, but I have largelydone so through open carry. Since I hailfrom an urban area in California, obtaininga concealed carry permit is nearlyimpossible. The may-issue concealedcarry statutes in urban counties here inthe Golden State are, in effect, little morethan the political cover used by anti-2ndAmendment sheriffs in their impositionof what are effectively will-not-issue-under-any-circumstancesconcealed carrypermit policies. The only exceptions being,of course, if one is politically connected,a movie star, or is a friend of theparticular sheriff in question.Although I do occasionally carry concealedon private property with theconsent of the business owners, by andlarge, concealed carry is beyond the legalmeans of the overwhelming majorityof law-abiding Californians residing inurban counties who have genuine concernsfor their own personal security inpublic settings, including myself. I joinan ever-growing number of patriotic andlaw-abiding Californians who are workingvery hard to change this fact.What type of ammunitiondo you carry?I generally carry a high-quality JHP, specificallyCorBon, Remington GoldenSaber, or Winchester Ranger.What concealment holstersdo you use?I have an assortment of holsters that Iuse, depending on my style of dress andthe carry requirements for the particularday in question. Nearly all of my holstersare from Blackhawk or Safariland, althoughI have been known to use Bianchiat times as well.What do you do for a living?I manage the flagship location for a retailestablishment with a fast-growingpresence in the San Francisco Bay Areahere in California. The retail segment Iserve happens to be one that frequentlyfinds itself on the receiving end of violentcrime, primarily through armed robbery.Do you have any advicefor our readers?Yes. Over the past several years, the 2ndAmendment has advanced enough inour nation’s social dialogue to now reachthe point of becoming one of the mostcritical civil rights issues of our time.If the issue of Right-to-Carry and the2nd Amendment is as important to youas it is to me, then please take a few momentsafter reading a mainstream newsarticle covering this subject matter onlineto comment and share your point ofview regarding our common civil rightto self-defense. If the article or editorialhas been published with an ideologicallyanti-gun slant, then gently and politelyleave a reminder in the comments sectionindicating that the writer’s viewpointneither reflects the facts nor mainstreamAmerican sentiment on this subject. Ifthe article or editorial supports the 2ndAmendment, then it would benefit alllaw-abiding gun owners to leave a commentthat echoes the tone of that particularpiece’s overall message. Leverage thepower of social media to help educate thenon-gun-owning general public aboutthe basic and fundamental civil right toself defense, as enumerated in the 2ndAmendment. Our collective efforts haveonly proven fruitful thus far becausecommon, concerned, and law-abidinggun owners have taken a few momentsout of their day to help educate thosein the non-gun-owning general publicabout the empirical facts and evidencethat clearly reveal the fallacies behindthe gun control lobby’s misguided position.It is only through the support heardthrough our individual voices that wecan see an everlasting victory for this alltoo-criticalcivil right that helps to saveinnocent American blood and lives morethan 4,000 times every single day. HDue to the restrictive California gun laws, Chaucan only try new designs when traveling.What weapons do you carry?I generally carry my Sig Sauer P226in .40 S&W. I have also been known tocarry my Sig Sauer P220 Stainless or myKimber Eclipse Custom II. In additionto a firearm, I also carry an MOD DuaneDieter Mark II knife and a Surefire E2Dtactical flashlight.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM15

JUST ASK!WHAT ABOUTSTOPPINGPOWER?PHOTOS BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COMA readerasks ifa 9mm isenough.[ BY GEORGE HARRIS ]I have a Beretta 92, similar to the pistol my brothercarried on duty in Iraq,o that I like a lot. Thisis my first handgun and I use it for recreationalshooting and personal defense.Q:Since it is only a 9mm, doI have enough stoppingpower if I had to shootsomeone? Also, I alwaysseem to shoot my first shot out of thepistol low and left, and then toward themiddle of the target after that. Is thereanything wrong with cocking the hammerwith my thumb before shooting thefirst shot? Thank you for your time.A:Thank your brother for his serviceto our country and influencingyou to become a member of the pistolshooting fraternity.Regarding stopping power, opinionsare as numerous as you care to count.16I’ll give you mine with a few facts tosupport my position, and you will havesome foundation as to whether youhave enough stopping power for yourneeds or not.Stopping power has many meanings,but usually it is used in the contextof what effect one shot will haveon a living creature. In some cases itis measured in foot pounds of energyand in others, performance in a blockof gelatin, neither of which are relevantif the impact and penetration on thetarget don’t create a neurological disconnector prevent oxygenated bloodfrom reaching the brain.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMAny conventional handguns carriedby the military or law enforcement arenot capable of a guaranteed one-shotstop with a hit just anywhere on thebody. Ask any medical professionalfamiliar with gunshot wounds andthey will tell you the same thing. Bulletplacement usually equates to marksmanship,and placement to disrupt thecentral nervous system or the cardiorespiratory system is what it takes tostop a man or animal with a handgun.The 9mm that you have, providedyou can hit with it, is sufficient for defensivepurposes, particularly with theright ammunition. The Navy Seals usethe Sig P-226 in 9mm as their handgunof choice. The New Jersey State Policeuses the Sig P-228 in 9mm and NYPDuses a variety of brands in 9mm withno complaints. If these guys who puttheir lives on the line every day thinkCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

JUST ASK!the 9mm is sufficient for their needs,you should feel confident that whatyou are carrying is more than adequatefor yours.For plinking and target shootingthere is nothing wrong with cockingthe hammer and shooting your shotsin the single action mode, particularlyif you are hitting the target.That said, if you ever get intocompetitive shooting such as IDPAor USPSA you will need to learn tofire the first shot out of the pistoldouble action. From the defensiveperspective, nobody is guaranteed tohave both hands available when theneed for the pistol becomes necessary.You need to learn to fire the doubleaction shot accurately with one or bothhands to hedge your bets in a defensivesituation.Without knowing your hand size(which relates to proper gun fit), I willgive you some dry fire drills to workon to aid in getting your double actionshots on target.There are two prevalent reasons foryour low left shots. The first is impropertrigger manipulation. The triggermust be moved with smooth continuouspressure in line with the frame untildischarge takes place. Think of it thisway: The trigger is the gas pedal of thegun. If you had a high horsepower carand wanted to go from 0 to 60 in theleast amount of time without breakingtraction, would you just stomp it orwould you give it a smooth rapid pressto the floor until you got to 60? In orderto maintain 60 when you got there,would you just take your foot off thegas or would you feather it back a bit tomaintain speed? In trigger terms that iscalled reset. In either case, neither thefinger nor the foot loose contact withthe object of their attention until theaction is suspended.The second reason for the low leftshots is that in gripping the pistol,the whole hand is applying increasingpressure as the trigger is being pulled.As increasing pressure is applied to thegrip, the gun tends to rotate inward(left for the right handed shooter andright for the left handed shooter) andslightly down as well. Hold your handout in front of you and make a tightJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEfist, you will see what I am driving at.The cure is simple and easy to do.It is called the Wall Drill. I have writtenabout it in previous issues and youcan see it in multiple locations on theinternet. I’ll cover it briefly to get youstarted, and double action shots out ofyour Beretta should be no more difficultthan the single action shots.First, unload the pistol and removeall ammunition from the area. Next,find a clear, light colored vertical surfacesuch as a wall. Get into your normalshooting position and touch thewall with the muzzle of the pistol. Focusyour eyes on the front sight throughthe rear sight notch, being visuallyaware of both and their relationship.The front sight should be centered inthe rear sight notch. Break contact withthe wall so that the muzzle is as closeas possible without touching. Pull thetrigger through its entire stroke lengthuntil the hammer is released to strikethe back of the slide. The relationshipof the front sight to the rear sight notchwhen the hammer falls is the tellingtale for success or failure. If the frontsight moves in the rear sight notch atany time during the trigger manipulationthe cause of that movement is theanswer to your problem. Generally, byrelaxing the grip of the shooting handand applying a little more pressurewith the support hand the front sightwill become more stable as the triggeris manipulated. Practice this same drillwith one hand, from the holster, supportside etc. and watch your shootingimprove exponentially.Once you are able to master thesedrills on the wall, your next trip to therange will be an eye opener as yourdouble action shots may end up beingbetter than your single action shots.One thing is for sure, your shootingwill improve at a rapid pace and thelow left shots will be a thing of the past.As the old saying goes, Beware of theman with one gun because he probablyknows how to use it! HEDITOR’S NOTE:George Harris has dedicated his lifeto the study and education of othersin firearms and tactics training. As amilitary shooter he earned the distinctionof becoming Double Distinguishedwith the Service Pistol and the Servicerifle. George retired after 21 years as Co-Founder and Director of a well knownfirearms academy to continue the pursuitof his passion for firearms trainingand program development.Ask any medicalprofessional familiarwith gunshot woundsand they will tell youthe same thing...This column from longtime writer George Harris addresses questions that concernnew shooters and people just getting started with concealed carry. Email yourquestions to questions@usconcealedcarry.com.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM17

THE ORDINARY GUYNow I knowwho owns the Road[ BY MARK WALTERS ]I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity that thiscolumn presents me to lend my 26 years of armedlifestyle experience to readers of Concealed CarryMagazine and to fellow members of the UnitedStates Concealed Carry Association.I’ve always believed deep down insidethat it’s us, ordinary people inthe course of our everyday, ordinarylives, who become the greatest teachersof future generations of armed citizens.Like you, I live a pretty ordinary existencein an ordinary suburban neighborhood.I have a family; two kids ages7 and 9, and all the normal, ordinary18responsibility that brings to the table.I take my kids to school, grab a cup ofcoffee afterward, and start a workdaythat sometimes extends well beyond a12-hour day.There is nothing super extraordinarythat happens in my daily life other thanthe hustle and bustle of being an ordinaryguy, doing ordinary things in anUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMotherwise ordinary world. (Hence thetitle of this column each issue.) It is thisordinary existence that serves as the reminderthat although most of us lead arelatively simple and ordinary life, badthings can happen to any of us at anytime, no matter how ordinary our livesseem. Normal life serves as a reminderthat a trip to the supermarket can take anasty turn in an instant, and it is incumbentupon each of us to remain vigilant,no matter how commonplace our dailyroutine seems or how familiar our surroundings.It is for that very reason that this ordinaryperson is armed. I like to think thatI am a step ahead of my neighbors inCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

THE ORDINARY GUYthis respect, and don’t live my ordinarylife with my head in the sand. Like mostreaders of this magazine, I’m probably alittle bit more prepared than others, butin a way that they would never know.I carry a gun. Every day. Everywhere Igo. No exceptions. Ever.I was carrying a gun yesterday whenmy little son asked me to take him fora ride to his grandparents’ house afterschool to show them his newest missingtooth. It was a beautiful day. The sunwas out for what seemed like the firsttime in many days, so we took the topdown on the convertible. My son tossedhis little booster seat in the back seat,climbed in and strapped himself in forthe short 4-mile drive to his grandmaand grandpa’s house.Most folks would consider the rideto my parents’ house somewhat rural.It’s not a crowded urban drive by anystretch, but a comfortable ride throughrolling hills, past a school, and througha sleepy little one traffic-light town; notthe place you would expect trouble, forsure. As I mentioned above, leading anordinary life does not shield us fromthe degenerates and losers that life canthrow our way in an instant–seeminglyout of nowhere if we’re not paying attention.While my little guy and I were simplydriving down the rural road, here comessome kook, alone in his car, flying upbehind me from around a curve, obviouslyitching to go a tad bit faster thanthe 40-45 mph that I was driving. (Thespeed limit is 40, by the way.) As we continuedon our way, I paid close attentionto the moron behind me. You knowthe type, the idiot who every once in awhile throws his hands in the air abovehis steering wheel, leans forward somewhat,yells some obscenity, and thenpounds on the steering wheel to venthis pent up, I’m a loser fueled rage.This guy was getting more agitatedas we progressed toward our destination.My son was completely unawarethat the guy behind him would haverun us off the road and not cared at allthat there was a child in the car whojust hit a pole as a result of his desireto be somewhere one minute earlier. Itwas obvious to him there was a child inthe car: the top was down and my son’shead was clearly visible to anyone behindus, yet this kook became increasinglyaggressive. For example, he wouldslow up, backing off a few car lengths,then step on it, running right up to therear bumper in a failed attempt to drawmy attention.It didn’t work. I watched as he becameeven more agitated when he realized hisattempts to intimidate me were apparently(to him, anyway) going unnoticed.I have to admit that I took some joy inwatching him go berserk behind thewheel, all the while staying extremelyalert to his increasingly hostile behavioras my son and I approached our destination.At this point I was less than amile from my mom and dad’s, and thisguy would soon have me off of his roadand would no longer have to deal withme traveling within 5 mph over theposted speed limit.As I approach the neighborhood onthe right, the speed limit drops to 35mph as the road curves sharply to theleft up a slight hill, and a short rightturnlane opens up for those turninginto the neighborhood. I signaled,slowed, and moved into the turn lane asMr. Dumbass stepped on his acceleratorin one last, failed, attempt to intimidateme by getting as close to my rearbumper as he could before I left his privateroad. My son, never having a clueabout the events that unfolded behindus, was soon safely enjoying the prideat showing his grandparents the gapinghole left in his mouth by his newest losttooth.Here’s why this matters. A situationlike this can escalate rapidly into a lifeand death scenario within seconds. Inthis case there was only one idiot, theone behind me. That’s a good thing forboth of us, particularly him. What thatvery stupid individual did not take intoconsideration was the fact that the slowpokein front of him could have been abad guy carrying a large firearm. In thiscase, I was the perceived slowpoke andI was in fact carrying a large firearm.Lucky for him, I was a good guy. Thisman is alive today for a few reasons:1. I am a law-abiding citizen, not a badguy.2. I ignored his aggressive advances.3. I went about my business undeterredby his dangerous behavior.For all he knew, I could have been abad guy, and in many cases the result ofbehavior like his winds up in a tragedy.There is of course, a flip side; the factthat he, the aggressor may have had afirearm. As a result of my being lawfullyarmed and alert, I automaticallyassumed he may also have been, andremoved myself from the situation asfast as possible. To the anti-gun folksout there who just don’t get it, I wouldsubmit that yet again, an armed individualthwarted what could have been avery tragic event by simply being armed,a gun never having been drawn, and theaggressor never even knowing of its presence.This is yet another example of howa firearm can save a life. In this case itwas the mere presence of my own gun,unknown to the other party, that resultedin the situation ending peacefully byvirtue of the fact that I was removingmyself from the situation as fast and assafely as possible to avoid the possibilityof a confrontation.I am in no way insinuating that had Inot been armed I would have confrontedthis lunatic. I wouldn’t have. In fact,just the opposite. He may have confrontedme. What I am suggesting is thatas a result of my living an armed lifestyle,I am very aware of the dangers thistype of situation may present, the factthat bad guys do bad things, and it is inmy best interest to leave, vacate, depart,escape, or however you want to put it,from any situation with the potential toescalate into any form of confrontation.As a direct result of my being armed,I am aware that the best way to win afight is to avoid it.I was armed, aware, alert, and smarterthan he was. That was a good thingfor all of us. HMark Walters is a NRA certified instructor,co-author of the book Lessons fromArmed America, and a vocal SecondAmendment activist. He is the nationallysyndicated host of Armed AmericanRadio, which airs Sunday evenings at8-11 pm EST (5-8 pm PST) from coastto coast. Mark encourages fans to writehim at mark@armedamericanradio.org.Visit him at www.armedamericanradio.org.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM19

My first reaction to seeingthe new M&P Shield wasto look around for a madscientist and a shrinkray gun.Ihate to say it, but Smith & Wesson’snewest pistol is just plain … cute. Ican’t help but marvel at just how wellthe modern M&P pistol design has beendownsized into a single-stack 9mm deepconcealment gun.Micro-sized 9mm pistols are the hotticket in the concealed carry market,and S&W is arriving fashionably late.Fortunately, the extra research andThe Shield is comfortableand pleasant to shootdespite its small size.Smith &Shield:WessonDown-Sizing the M&P[ BY DUANE A. DAIKER ]The Shield’s accuracy andreliability is exceptional.20USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

BrandModelSmith & WessonM&P ShieldS&W M&P SHIELD SPECSBasic InformationAction Type Striker-firedCaliber9mmCapacity 7+1 or 8+1 roundsTrigger Pull 7 lbs.Weight, empty 19 oz.Weight, loaded 24 oz.Barrel length 3 in.MSRP $449Gun Size InformationLength6 in.Height4.5 in.Grip girth1 in.Short grip1.75 in.Long grip2.75 in.Sight radius 5.25 in.Trigger reach 3.5 in.Concealment index* 13All measurements arewith the flush-fit 7-roundmagazine only.Trigger safetyThumb safetyGrip safetyDecockerMagazine disconnectLoaded chamber indicator4 4 4Cocked status indicatorIntegral lock* Concealment Index provides an indication based on the size of a pistol of how easy or difficult it might be for a person to carry that pistol concealed. Small pistols have alower CI, while larger pistols have a higher CI. The CI is determined by combining the overall length and height of a pistol.“Honey, Ishrunkthe pistol!”right: The Shield resemblesa scaled-down M&P pistol.below right: S&W’sexcellent magazines areknown for their quality,and can be disassembledfor cleaning.development timeseems to have been wellspent. The Military andPolice line of strikerfiredpistols has been agreat success for S&W,so it makes perfect senseto retain as much of the M&P design as amicro-sized pistol will allow.Shrinking the M&PThe Shield is a single-stack pistol with athree-inch barrel that weighs about 19ounces empty. My test pistol was chamberedin 9mm, but a .40 S&W model isavailable as well. The Shield has roughlythe same dimensions as the Ruger LC9or the Kel-Tec PF-9. Put simply, theShield is not quite small enough to bea true pocket gun, but is well suited forconcealment just about anywhere else.This little M&P pistol is a striker-fireddouble-action like its full-size counterparts.The Shield is equipped with athumb safety, although I’m not sure aJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEmanual safety is required for this design.A relatively heavy seven pound triggerpull and a trigger safety equate to asafe design, with or without the thumbsafety.Even in its shrunken state, the Shieldretains all the standard pistol controls.Unlike the full-size M&P, however, themagazine release is not reversible, andthe thumb safety is not ambidextrous.The external levers are flattened and reducedin size a bit to keep the gun thinand streamlined. In fact, the Shield isvery slim, measuring just less than oneinch wide.S&W opted to stick with high-endmaterials, like the stainless steel slideand barrel finished in black Melonite forUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM21

name of article hereThe DeSantis CozyPartner is easilyconcealed under justabout any cover garment.maximum corrosion resistance. Eventhe three-white-dot fixed sights arestainless steel.The Shield comes with two magazines;a flush fit seven-round magazine,and an extended eight-round magazine.The flush fit magazine works wellfor concealment, but the eight-roundmagazine provides just enough extragrip length for most shooters to get afull grip on the pistol. I tend to preferthe smaller magazine for ease of concealment,but it’s great to have the extendedmagazine option, especially asstandard equipment.Disassembly of the Shield is easy,and follows the same procedure as thefull-size guns. S&W’s manual of armsrequires manipulation of a sear releaselever prior to rotating the take-down leverand removing the slide, but no toolsare required.Part Shield, part swordAlthough somewhat large for pocketcarry, the Shield will be a pocket gunfor some people. I tried a DeSantisNemesis pocket holster during thecourse of my testing, which worked22USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMabove: Galco’s Stingeris a simple, butfunctional belt holsterfor comfortable outsidethe waistband carry.left: The DeSantisNemesis is a simpleand affordablepocket holster with aremovable anti-printpanel for discreetcarry.fine so long as I chose my pants wisely.Most people will carry the Shield ontheir belt. The small size of the pistolmakes belt carry as easy as it gets. I carriedthe Shield outside the waistbandin a Galco Stinger belt holster, and insidethe waistband in a DeSantis CozyPartner holster. Supporting the diminutiveShield isn’t much of a challenge foreither holster, and both worked exceptionallywell. If you want to carry on thebelt, either of these holsters would workfor you, and many other options will beavailable soon.The real test of a small pistol, ofcourse, is at the range. Micro-sized gunsare often difficult to handle, but theShield defies that stereotype. Excellentergonomics make this pistol very comfortableto shoot, even with hot defensiveloads. The Shield exhibits noticeablemuzzle flip while shooting, butthe perceived recoil is very mild. I wasactually surprised at how pleasant thismicro-sized 9mm could be at the range.The accuracy of the Shield was evenmore impressive. At seven to ten yards,I could pepper the x-ring of a standardNRA pistol target at will. I attribute this,in large part, to the trigger. While thetrigger pull requires a relatively heavyseven-pound pull, the length of pull isquite short. The trigger has a definiteglass rod feel to it, which facilitates asurprise break. The trigger feel is somewhatunusual, but definitely contributesto the pistol’s excellent practicalaccuracy.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

SMITH & WESSON M&P SHIELDShooting informationAmmunition Rounds Fired Errors / MalfunctionsPractical Accuracy*@ 10 yds.Winchester PDX-1 147 gr. JHP Bonded 40 0 2Speer Gold Dot 115 gr. GDHP 40 0 2Commercial Reloads 115 gr. FMJ 50 0 2* Note: “Practical accuracy” means the reviewer fired the gun while standing, and then placed a circle of aknown size around the resulting group using the USCCA Official Gun Review Excellence target.An extracapacity8-roundmagazinewith a gripextension isincluded.I experienced no functional problemswith the Shield in the course of mytesting. Only time will tell, but this pistol’swell-established design bodes wellfor its long-term performance.Big futureWith the introduction of this pistol,S&W rounds out the M&P line with atrue micro-sized 9mm that shares thesame look, feel, and manual of armsas the full-size pistols. Ironically, thisis something that many fans have beenbegging Glock to do for more than adecade (but to no avail), and yet, S&Wcontinues to innovate in the strikerfiredpolymer pistol market. I think theavailability of the Shield may actuallyhelp sell full-size M&P pistols by closingthe loop on a well-rounded pistolplatform.Even if you don’t buy into the wholeM&P line of pistols, the Shield promisesto be a great gun on its own merits. S&Wis offering a high quality single stack9mm (that performs as well or betterthan any pistol in its class) for an MSRPof only $449. Street prices will be somewhatlower, and that translates to a realbargain for concealed carry. Of course,Smith & Wesson will stand behind everypistol with its lifetime repair policy andits excellent customer service.The Shield promises to be a great successfor S&W, and I predict they will sella metric ton of them. I know that I amplanning to keep this one! HDuane A. Daiker is a contributing editorfor CCM, but is otherwise a regularguy—not much different from you.Duane has been a lifelong shooter andgoes about his life as an armed, responsible,and somewhat opinionatedcitizen. More of Duane’s writing canbe found at RealWorldCarryGear.com.Duane can be contacted at Daiker@RealWorldCarryGear.com, and welcomesyour comments and suggestionsfor gear reviews, gun reviews, and futurearticles.All the required controls arepresent, but are minimized toaid deep concealment.ContactSDeSantis Gunhidewww.desantisholster.com(800) 424-1236Galco Gunleatherwww.usgalco.com(800) 874-2526Smith & Wessonwww.smith-wesson.com(800) 331-0852Speer Ammunitionwww.speer-ammo.com(800) 627-3640Winchester Ammunitionwww.winchester.com(618) 258-2000*The M&P Shield was provided by Smith & Wesson with an option to purchase at a reduced price. The holsters were provided by the manufacturers at no cost. Thefactory ammo was provided by the respective manufacturers at no cost.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM23

©iSTOCKPHOTO - P WEIUnderstanding the range of forcethe choice, removed autonomy.Pain is the next level, a way to get attentionwhen words don’t work. Oftenan implicit bargaining: “If you do X (orquit doing Y) the pain will stop.” Painis clearly more intrusive than simpletouch, far more than voice or presence.It almost certainly means paperwork.It is still preferable to damage, anddamage is preferable to deadly force.The progression is:1. Presence2. Verbal3. Touch4. Control5. Pain6. Damage7. DeadlyMartial arts and most self-defensetraining concentrate on the four highestlevels. This makes sense, since atthose levels the stakes are highest, butthose are actually the rarest levels, andthe ones with the most unintendedconsequences, like potential criminalcharges and civil suits. Most things canbe handled at the two lowest levels,but it is a skill and requires practice.Understanding bad behaviorI’m going to make this quick and dirty.Generally, people do bad things inone of two general ways: Socially andAsocially.Social violence is all about pride andego and self-esteem. It is about membershipin a group (hazing new members,attacking or testing outsiders).It is about achieving or maintainingstatus in a group, such as in MonkeyDances (over “What you lookin’ at?”or “You talkin’ to my girl?”). It includesall incidents of acting out becausefeelings or pride were hurt (“Youdisrespectin’ me?”), enforcing rules(“You apologize to the lady, son”), orestablishing territory. Social violencerequires an audience and is all aboutcommunication and the show.Asocial violence is entirely different.The predator has worked on the quickest,easiest, and safest way to get whathe or she wants, whether that is rapeor enough money for drugs. It is nota contest, there is no show. It is aboutgetting stuff, not sending a message.The audience required for social violencemagically turns into witnessesfor predatory violence.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM25

LOWEST LEVELS OF FORCEUnderstanding yourlegal statusA sworn police officer is paid and trainedby the people of his or her jurisdictionspecifically to intervene in incidentswhere force may be necessary. The officer,by policy and perhaps by law, has a“duty to act.”A citizen does not. There may be amoral duty to intervene, but there is nolegal duty. Thus, there is no automaticassumption of legal protection. If youintervene, if you use any force that involvescontact, you do so as a choice. Youdo so as a private citizen and must takefull responsibility for that choice.Force articulation is too complicated26to explain in a short article. Briefly, anytime you touch another person in orderto control that person’s behavior, youmust be able to clearly explain why youhad no choice:Why the bad thing you were trying tostop was worse than the bad thing youdid (and force you used will always belooked at in a bad thing light). You willneed to justify the tap on the shoulderwhen the subject calls it an assault, ortackling and holding someone until thepolice arrive as “unlawful detainment.”Why you could not have successfullyused less force.Why you had no other options.As you can see, deadly force (when itUnderstand thatmany criminalssurvive on theirreputations. Hecannot afford tolet word get outthat he was punkedby a citizen.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM©iSTOCKPHOTO - ARTISTIC CAPTUREis justified) is one of the easiest to articulate:“He had a gun pointed at thekid behind the counter and he said itwas time to die, so I shot him [to preventthe murder of an innocent]. I was afraidif I tried to yell or do anything else hemight shoot me or the kid [lower levelsof force would have been unsuccessful].I probably could have snuck out or donenothing, but the kid would have died [noother options].”Breaking up a fist fight between twostrangers is rarely as clear and is muchharder to explain, even though thestakes are lower.These three concepts: Scaling Force,Violence Dynamics, and basic force laware crucial to making and justifying gooddecisions should you decide to intervene.They also explain why developingskill at the Presence and Verbal levels isso important.PresenceUnless you are the victim, presenceis enough to stop most asocial predation.You are a witness. No matter howmuch the threat needs money for drugs,he knows if he gets caught he will gothrough withdrawals.Burglars, muggers, rapists, and robbersdo not like witnesses, but theymust see you and see you seeing them.Surveillance makes for great intel, butprevents nothing.Is it safe to be a witness? Not always,especially with strong-arm crimes.Someone already intending to use violencewill hesitate less to use it on witnesses.Numbers make it safer. Civilianswill rarely have the uniform that indicatesthey are backed by numbers unseen,but they have other tactics available.With social violence, mere presenceis far less consistently effective and farmore variable. Much depends on thetype of social violence and who you are.If you are an attractive woman, youngmen in a dominance display will beafraid to quit in front of you. If you area young man, your alert, watchful bodylanguage may be interpreted as anotherchallenge. On the other hand, there aresome neighborhoods where any grandmothercan stop any behavior with alook.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

LOWEST LEVELS OF FORCEIt is very hard to appear on the sceneof a social incident and not be interpretedas part of the social incident. We aresocial creatures.Here are some suggestions to maximizepresence:Not always an option, but be in agroup when possible. Groups of witnessesare safer and harder for the badguy to influence.Cell phones. A witness watching andtalking on the cell phone may be callingthe police and increases the risk.VerbalThe essence of de-escalating a predatoris based on the fact that predators aretrying to do a job safely, effectively, andfor the maximum gain. In experiencedcriminals, this is a subconscious, butvery accurate risk/reward calculation.That gives you three built-in avenues toalter the situation:Lower the reward. This is the least effectivetactic against predation. Poorpeople get robbed all the time, but insocial conflict, people are often trying togain status. If they risk losing status (socialviolence), people tend to modify behavior.When a young man is trying to betough and he hears his behavior called“immature …”Raise the risk. This is what the presenceof witnesses does. There are waysto maximize it, however, and ways todraw attention away from you: “Hey, Ijust saw a guy pull out his cell phone andgo around the corner. I think he’s callingthe cops,” will influence social or asocialviolence. Whether a potential predator istrying to get inside your personal spaceor you see him walking through a parkinglot looking in car windows: “Dude,that’s the third unmarked cop car I’veseen in the last ten minutes. Is somethinggoing on around here?”Raise the doubt. I love this one, butit takes some skill and understanding.People rarely victimize people actingstrange, and this goes for both socialand asocial violence. Strange, in thissense, means unpredictable. Many ofthe mentally ill are routinely victimized,especially the developmentally disabled,the depressed, and the borderline personalitydisorders. Their behavior is safeand predictable. The guy walking downthe street holding a loud argument withpeople only he can see, on the otherhand, tends to be left alone.It can be more subtle. The person whois calm when he or she should be afraidmakes the predator wonder what he hasmissed. Is the potential victim armed?Not alone? Maybe a predator?In averting social violence, raisingthe doubt is simply avoiding the scripts.Almost all types of social conflict arecompletely predictable. You know thesteps. You know if some young guy says,“What are you lookin’ at?” and you reply,“Who’s asking?” the encounter is goingin a predictable direction. It is scripted.Change the script and the other personhas to think.Always know your environment. Apredator approaching you in a bar to tryto lure you to another place gives youmore resources than in an isolated area.You can turn all of the people not payingattention into witnesses with a shout.Some things to avoid:Do not make it about you. When intervening,don’t get personal. Do not evermake yourself the bad guy’s problem.You do not want to be a problem thatneeds solving.Never challenge his manhood or resolve.There are few stupider things tosay than, “You don’t have the guts toshoot me.” Understand that many criminalssurvive on their reputations. Hecannot afford to let word get out that hewas punked by a citizen.Don’t be judgmental. Not for anyweird PC reason, but because in anygiven subculture (including the criminal),only a few people have the rightto tell others what is allowed and isn’t.If a co-worker or someone you superviseor a stranger tells you that you aredoing your job wrong, you will have anentirely different reaction than if yourboss said the same thing. A natural partof that reaction would be teaching a lessonabout overstepping bounds. Whenyou get judgmental as a stranger, youpush the other person into teaching youa lesson, and if his subculture teacheslessons with violence, you may be in fora bad day.Do not turn it into a social game. If youhave decided to intervene, it is to stopbehavior, never to prove who is the betterperson; never to prove who is wrongor right; never to impress an audience.Boundaries are never negotiations.We are socially wired to turn things intoconversations and predators count onthat. If you say, “Back off!” the first thingthe predator will do is put his hands uplike a submissive gesture, smile and lookhurt and take a step forward. He willsay something like, “Baby why do youhave to be like that?” If you try to explain,he will know that your boundariesare meaningless. If you set boundaries,you must enforce them. The pattern isBoundary, boundary + penalty, penalty:“Back off.”“Back off or I will yell for thebouncer.”“GET THIS PERVERT AWAYFROM ME!”No conversation, no explanation.ConclusionsAs a civilian, intervening to preventcriminal activity is dangerous, bothphysically and from a liability standpoint.Unless deadly force is clearly justified,there is always the potential for recriminationson whether the force used wasexcessive or even necessary in any interventionsituation.I want to be very clear here: Talkingdoesn’t always work. If talking will getyou killed, don’t be talking. If you needto engage, then engage and do so withyour whole heart.Anything that can be handled by presenceor talking should be handled bypresence or talking. It gives a cleaner,safer resolution than any other options.No charges, no pain, no blood, no paperwork.HA seventeen-year veteran of a metropolitancorrectional system, and a formeradvisor to the Iraqi Correctional System,Rory Miller has built a resume that includesthousands of hours of firearms,unarmed combatives and tactical workand training. Rory has a Bachelor’s degreein psychology, a blackbelt in jujutsuand college varsities in judo and fencing.He wrote “Meditations on Violence:A Comparison of Martial Arts Trainingand Real World Violence.” Visit his websiteat www.chirontraining.com.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM27

The ability to shoot wellwith one hand only is animportant self-defense skill.Here the author practicesright hand only and lefthand only (both beforeand after, respectively,healing from an injury thatcompletely disabled hisright arm for weeks).THE CASE FORMIRRORIMAGEHOLSTERSIMMIHO[ BY DUANE THOMAS ]In this article I am going to make the case thata smart, self-defense-oriented shooter is going toown, in addition to their daily carry gear, a mirrorimage version of their carry holster.In other words, if you’re right handedhave a left hand holster for your primarycarry gun, and vice versa.As serious gun carriers we take thetime to get trained in how to shoot withthe off hand, how to draw, how to reload,how to execute malfunction clearancedrills—and that’s fine. We shoulddo that. But most of that practice revolvesaround the assumption that ourprimary hand or arm has been suddenlydisabled, such as by taking a bullet duringa gunfight, and we have to executeour off hand skills with our holster setup as it is normally. Most of us (again,assuming a right handed shooter), practiceour left hand draws, reloads, etc.with our holster strapped to the rightside of our body.28Most people do very little, if any,training with the off hand with a holsteralso on that side of the body. Most peopledon’t even own an off side holster.We should, because an injury to the primaryarm or hand could turn us, at leasttemporarily, into off hand shooters. Itdoesn’t have to be anything as dramaticas being shot during a gunfight (thoughthat can and does on occasion happenin the real world). I am referring to somesort of muscular, joint, or bone injurythat temporarily disables our primaryhand or arm. At that point it would bea really good thing if we already knewhow to do all our normal shooting andgun manipulation skills one hand onlyand off hand only, and if we also alreadyowned a mirror image holster.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

Most people do very little, if any,training with the off hand with aholster also on that side of the body.I must confess that for years—decadesactually—I fell into the camp ofthose who kind of pooh-poohed theidea of owning a mirror image holster.Then I went to the Firearms Academy ofSeattle’s Advanced Defensive HandgunCourse (for the third time) and one ofthe class requirements, new since myfirst couple of go-rounds, was for studentsto bring with them a mirror imageholster. Since I am a right-handedshooter, who for the past 15 years orso has been carrying daily in almostexclusively, a straight drop Blade-TechStandard Belt Holster, for me thatmeant a left hand, straight drop SBH.I went to the class, I did the drills.Okay, whatever. Didn’t think too muchabout it, but I became grateful I’d hadthat recent brush-up on my left handonly shooting and reloads a few weekslater, when a sudden, serious injury immobilizedmy right arm for two weeks.I am a bit embarrassed to tell this story.It took a lot of stupid decisions to get30my arm to the point it wouldn’t move,but I offer my misadventures to thosereaders who may be able to learn frommy mistakes.Years ago, I suffered a serious rotatorcuff injury to my right shoulder. I washelping an acquaintance move, carryingan extremely heavy sofa up a flightof stairs to a second floor apartment. Ihad the bottom end of the sofa, whenthe stupid freakin’ so-called professionalmoving man who had the topend lost control and almost droppedUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMThe author’s mirror image holster is a lefthand version of the straight drop Blade-Techdesign he’s been wearing almost every dayfor the past 15 years, though it does featureBlade-Tech’s new Sting Ray belt attachmentversus the tunnel belt loops on his originaldesign Standard Belt Holster.the thing on me. As I caught all that veryheavy weight I felt something tear in myright shoulder. This would prove to be achronic injury that, even around a decadelater, has never totally healed.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

THE CASE FOR MIRROR IMAGE HOLSTERSOf course, I wasn’t smart enough togive up my weight lifting exercise programafter that. Call it vanity. Thus followedyears of laying off the weights justlong enough to heal up enough I couldget back into them, re-injuring myshoulder, taking the time to kinda-sortaheal, working out, re-injury, on and onagain. Finally, just after the FAS course,I seriously racked up my shoulder againwhile lifting weights, this time badly.We’re talking serious pain here, folks.At that point, the brain-like thing todo would have been to baby my shoulderlike it was made of spun glass fora while, right? That’s not what I did.Instead, I went to the range to reassuremyself I could still do sub-second drawseven with the shoulder injury—with allthe sudden, explosive movement, twisting,and additional tearing of alreadytorn shoulder muscles that entailed.Thomas prefers the belt loops on the olderdesign Blade-Tech (left) to the Sting Ray(right) since in his experience the latterallows the holster to move forward andback on the belt, and also does not hold thegun nearly as close to the body.Turned out, I could indeed still do subseconddraws. I knew I was in trouble,though, when toward the end of theshooting session my right hand had lostso much strength I could barely pull thetrigger. When I woke up the next morning,my right arm would not move at all.I could still wiggle my fingers. I couldstill bend my wrist, but I absolutelycould not lift my right arm even a fractionof an inch. This was not, by the wayan I could do it but it really hurt situation.I mean I could not move my rightarm at all. This situation continued forthe next two weeks.I will say (perhaps beside the point,but just to give you some idea of thestate I was in at this time) I did becomevery glad my car had an automatictransmission instead of a manual. Icould get into the car, reach over mybody and put it into Drive with theleft hand, then just leave it in Drive.Manipulating a stick shift would havebeen completely beyond me.As you might imagine, I was terrified.Quite apart from all the other reasonsyou want a functional right arm, Ithought this injury might very well takefrom me the shooting—something Itruly, deeply love.However, I was quite grateful that goingthrough that FAS class had recentlyforced me to acquire a mirror imageholster. Yes, I’ve been trained in how todo a left hand draw from a right handholster, but that is a slower, much morecomplex skill than simply drawing froma holster on the same side of the bodyas the hand that’s doing the drawing.Shortly thereafter, I was back at therange, only this time with my Glock 17in a left hand Blade-Tech SBH. For amagazine pouch I simply took my everydayBlade-Tech double and movedit over behind my right hip instead ofbehind the left. The Blade-Tech magpouch’s compartments are simplyrectangular, they don’t actually shapethemselves to the contours of the magazine,specifically, I assume, so you canuse the same magazine pouch as eithera left- or right-handed shooter, just turnthe magazines around.I practiced my left hand only drawand fire. I practiced my left hand onlyreload, popping the magazine releasewith my left index finger, reinserting thegun into the holster, reaching aroundmy body, grabbing a magazine, insertingit into the gun, hitting the slide release(if I’d shot the gun to slide lock)also with my left index finger, and reassuredmyself about something I hadalready known intellectually was true.Even with only one arm, with the righttraining, and the right equipment, I wasa long way from being defenseless.After two weeks of absolutely nomotion from my right arm, one nightI went to sleep, and while I was asleepsomething happened. When I woke upI could move my right arm. Not a lot,Thomas has recently had good reason tosee the sense in having a mirror imageversion of the daily carry holster as apart of the serious self-defense orientedshooter’s equipment.I could only lift it up to belt level, butit moved. The next day I could lift it tochest level. The day after, I could lift itover my head. It was another two weeksbefore I felt I’d healed enough to sockthe left hand holster back away andstrap on the right hand rig again, but forone month I was very, very glad I hadacquired a mirror image holster. I wouldstrongly suggest you do the same. HDuane Thomas spent ten years on activeduty in the Army, the first threeas an Airborne paratrooper. He hasbeen selling articles to gun magazinessince 1989, and making his livingat it since 1992 when he exited theArmy. An experienced instructor, he isalso an IDPA Master class shooter inStock Service Pistol with a Glock 9mmand a former Washington State IDPAChampion in Custom Defensive Pistol,IDPA’s .45 auto division. He has carrieda gun concealed almost every dayof his adult life. Visit his website atwww.self-defense-handgun.comJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM31

left: A holstershould alwayscover thetrigger area.above: This is a GovernmentModel 1911 with five-inch barrelin a holster designed for a fourinchbarrel 1911. Not ideal andsure to pinch the buttocks.Is YOUR HolsterDangerous?[ BY R.K. CAMPBELL ]There is a certain element of danger in handlingfirearms, motor vehicles, and chainsaws.We do our best to maintain a strictlylow and acceptable level ofrisk. When it comes to dangerousholster conditions we need to be certainthat we have limited the danger in everyway possible. Some of this danger is dangerto our person, but at other times thedanger is to others around us.32Does your gun havetoo much wiggle room?A holstered handgun should be a safehandgun. When the handgun is holsteredit should be secure in the holsterand not move about. The holster mustbe a perfect fit to the handgun. Whenyou consider the problem of a loose fitremember that handgun dimensions differenough that the handgun may actuallysnag and refuse to be drawn from aholster during a critical incident.As an example of an otherwise prettyThis soft holster is designed for concealedcarry comfort. Gould and Goodrich knewa thumbreak might bind against the bodyand designed an alternative type of holdingstrap. Overall, a credible design for theperson willing to practice.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMbright person who got off on the wrongtrack, a fellow I know works behind thecounter of a gun shop. He has figuredout that Glock and SIG pistols usually fit,more or less, in the same holster. Anotherfellow I know never orders a holster for hisBrowning High Power. Instead, he ordersone for the Colt Commander. The HighPower, he claims, fits the Commanderholster, and he owns both pistols. Hetells me the High Power holster will notaccommodate a Commander, though.After all, the High Power is thinner thanthe Colt 1911.This shooter must not be well acquaintedwith Rocky River Leather’s brilliantlyfitted and molded holsters. Theyare darned specific as to what you fit inthem, and require a break-in before theyare ready to be used. This tight moldingaffords dependable security, and resultsin a lightning fast draw for those whopractice.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

ight: Even a pocketholster must be doneproperly and few are. Thisone, from Hidden Holsters,features a well designedspine, excellent molding,and true custom fit.When holstering itwould be easy to allowthe thumbreak into thetrigger guard. Do notallow this to happen!A softerholstermight worksometimes,but thetighter the fitthe better.This IWB from Blackhawk! features a strongbelt loop, a reinforced sweat guard, and atension screw for adjustment. Overall a finedesign that will not let you down,Sometimes there is an application for alooser fit. As an example, the Milt SparksInc. holsters are respected the worldover for good fit and craftsmanship.The molding is first class, but when thecompany recognized a need for a deepconcealment holster, concessions weremade. The Watch Six is less tightly bonedthan the general run of Milt Sparks holsters.It will close after the weapon isdrawn—unlike the Summer Special,which features a reinforced holster weltor mouth. The Watch Six should not beworn without the handgun, as the shapeis not as tightly held as the SummerSpecial. There is no reinforced spine. Thetrade off is acceptable for some becauseit results in a holster that is thinner thananything else in the lineup, but whichJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEThis design from Rhome Desbiens is very well molded to the handgun. Note the care takento form the holster to the extended safety.retains most, but not all, of the goodqualities of the Milt Sparks IWB holsters.While the Watch Six isn’t a compromisein quality at all, this is among a very fewacceptable compromises in fit in myworking battery of holsters and firearms.The fit of the holster is important forsafety. A leather or horsehide holsterwill maintain security by exerting frictionon the slide and frame of the handgun.A Kydex holster exhibits contactprimarily on the trigger guard, althoughsome, such as the NTAC, have an overallwell-fitted appearance. The proper fit iscoupled with an angle that allows a gooddraw while maintaining security. A dangeroussituation exists when the holsteris loose and floppy, and does not properlymaintain security. An example mightbe a handgun with a barrel too long forthe holster. The handgun will rise abovethe holster. If there is a retaining strap itUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM33

is your holster dangerous?The Badger Backup from Desbiensfeatures excellent fit and molding.Note the fit around the slide lock,important in a left hand holster.Attention to detail stops problemsbefore they begin.This Blackhawk!holster is pinchedat the bottom tohold the muzzle fora good fit. There isnothing to criticizein this paddle.must be properly adjusted. If the handgundoes not properly fit the holster thenthe retaining strap simply cannot makeup for a poor fit. You also must understandthe proper draw angle and fit. Asan example, a short-slide pistol with aheavy grip and with a high capacity magazinecannot be worn in a holster witha severe angle. The gun butt might welllever out of the holster.Is your holstertired and worn out?A worn holster is an accident waitingto happen. If the stitching is becomingloose or the belt loop is wallowedout then the holster cannot be secure.A dangerous situation exists when thebelt loop is becoming frayed. The holstermust be married to the belt properly. Theholster must be in the same position foreach and every draw. Only by ensuringthe holster and the belt are firmly matedtogether will we have a high expectationthat the holster will remain secure andallow us to execute a consistent, smoothdraw during a critical incident. The balanceof speed, retention, and safety mustbe maintained.It is a new trend to offer holsters witha variety of belt loops and clips to allowboth outside of the waistband and insidethe waistband carry. There are specifics34to each holster that do not always carryforth from one to the other. It is best thatthe loops be secure. A good exampleis the versatile line from Lukas Adams(Adams Holsters). Not only is the holsterwell made of good material, the holsteris available in sharkskin. Nothing short ofKydex resists scuffs and offers excellentadhesion to the belt like sharkskin.Does the holstermove your gun’s controls?While we wish to have a holster that istightly boned to the handgun, the controls—theslide lock, safety, and magazinerelease— must be protected by arelieved area. The danger in holstering ahandgun and having the safety rub off inthe holster is obvious.During the 1960s, when police departmentswere tentatively exploring the selfloader, there were numerous missteps.Sometimes these holsters were basic revolverholsters with the cylinder bulgeironed out. The thumb break rode closeto the handgun, designed for revolvers.This strap would sometimes rub againstthe 1911’s thumb safety. This is the reasonthat for many years some authoritiesrecommended that the 1911 onlybe carried with a thumb break that wentbetween the hammer and the firing pin.If the safety rubbed off you still had theUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMThis cross draw is from Ted Blocker. It isa great design that carries the handgunat the proper angle. Crossdraws are verydifficult to get right.thumb break as a failsafe. A police dutyholster should still feature the thumbbreak, and with the 1911 it should be adesign that runs between the hammerand the slide.Another situation existed that droveSmith and Wesson to redesign the originalModel 39. Tightly fitted duty holsterswould press the slide release of theModel 39 inward, and if the pistol wasfired, the slide lock would cause the slideto stop functioning after the first shot.One officer was injured in a knife attackas a result of this malfunction.We must absolutely be certain thatsufficient clearance is made for the controlsand safety of the chosen handgun. Ifyou choose a holster based on economyCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

is your holster dangerous?This DM Bullard design has the perfecttilt for concealed carry. Note the fit of theholster. A too severe angle could result inthe pistol tilting out.rather than tactical function then you areinviting a problem.Does the holstermake room for sights?Some handguns feature raised highvisibilitysights and others do not. Butwhatever type of handgun you use, theholster should feature a blocked and reinforcedsight track inside of the holster.Otherwise, the front sight could snag onthe holster.Are you wearing it safelyand using it correctly?Another problem that has presented itselfis attempting to use a strong sideholster in the cross draw position. I amamazed by the number of people whoshow up in my classes with a holsterthey have never attempted to draw from.Simply taking a strong side holster andplacing it on the wrong side for crossdraw use is dangerous. The angle isn’tcorrect, and if you attempt this drawover time you will stretch the holster andcause it to become loose and snag. Neverattempt to make a strong side perform asa cross draw. You will not be able to drawproperly and the draw will be dangerous.The act of holstering the handgun ordrawing the handgun should not be dangerous,but there are some holsters thatare more difficult to use than others. Asan example, the directional shoulderholster that holds the firearm with themuzzle pointed to the rear would presenta hazard if the holster isn’t well moldedto the individual handgun, but the realdanger comes from poor handling. Asan example, when drawing from eitherthe shoulder holster or a cross draw, theweak-side arm should be moved out ofthe direction of the draw. The cross drawis almost always done incorrectly, andthis results in not only a slow draw thatsweeps across the target rather than intothe target. The poorly executed draw alsounnecessarily sweeps the body.Another danger is a holster that is souncomfortable you are constantly adjustingit. One that shifts or allows thepistol to gouge the body may actuallyspill the gun on the pavement, but a holsterthat is constantly being fiddled withalso presents the danger of discovery.Safety checklistIn order to aid my students I have developeda checklist to prevent dangerousholster conditions:• The holster must be molded to thespecific handgun (no fit-them-all orgeneric sizes). The holster must fitthe handgun well.• Even if the holster is designed to useCONTACTSa safety strap, the holster must keepthe handgun secure by pressure onthe long bearing surfaces without theneed for a safety strap.• The holster should not allow thehandgun to slide out of the holsterduring enthusiastic tactical gymnasticseven when the holster does notincorporate a safety strap as part ofthe design.• The trigger guard must be covered.This reinforces a basic safety rule: thefinger is outside of the trigger guarduntil the handgun is drawn.• There should be a reinforced holsterwelt that allows holstering the handgunwith one hand.• There is a built in sight channel thatprevents the front sight from snaggingon the holster as the pistol isdrawn.• The holster must not compromise thefunction of the safety, slide stop, orother controls. The magazine releaseshould not be actuated by the holster.There must be adequate clearancefor the controls. The safety must notbe disengaged in the holster. The bettertypes of holsters include a barrierin the design that prevents the safetyfrom coming off safe in the holster.• Holster selection is important. Theholster must carry the gun securely,and enable the wearer to present thefirearm safely, and with an identicaldrawstroke every time. HR K Campbell is an author with over 40years shooting experience and more than30 years police and security experience.He is the author of seven books and hundredsof magazine articles. He devotes histime to learning more about personal defenseand the human situation.Adams Holsterswww.adamsholsters.com(906) 662-4212Desbiens Gun Leatherwww.desbiensgunleather.com(559) 479-8188Gould & Goodrichwww.gouldusa.com(800) 277-0732Passport Sports, Inc.www.passport-holsters.com(888) 459-1130Blackhawk Products Groupwww.blackhawk.com(800) 694-5263D.M. Bullard Leatherwww.dmbullardleather.com(866) 383-6761Hidden Holsterswww.hiddenholsters.net(813) 404-8155Rocky River Leather Co.www.rockyriverleather.com(919) 776-7161DeSantis Gunhidewww.desantisholster.com(800) 424-1236GDS Leatherwww.gdsleather.comMilt Sparks, Incwww.miltsparks.com(208) 377-5577Ted Blocker Holsterswww.tedblockerholsters.com(800) 650-9742JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM35

You’ll have an easier,better time on classday if you comeproperly prepared.Make YourInstructor Happy[ BY KARL REHN ]At most firearms schools, the most popular coursesare the level 1 classes for those with no prior training.As an instructor, these courses arethe most rewarding to teach, butthey can also be frustrating, asthe students struggle with equipmentproblems. Students used to short targetshooting sessions at commercial rangeswith associated retail stores, where theycan buy anything they forgot or getsomeone to help them fix a broken gun,often leave longer classes (often taughtat club-owned or private ranges) with alist of items they wish they had brought,because they had to borrow those itemsto get through the day.Our school solution has been to buildup an inventory of loaner holsters,magazines, magazine pouches, speedloaders,belts, loaner guns, ear and eyeprotection, and even concealment garmentsand foul weather gear, becausewe hate seeing students struggle to getthrough class working with equipmentthat simply isn’t up to the task. Here aresome tips on how to prepare your gear(and yourself) to attend your first trainingcourse or your hundredth. If you dothese things, you’ll make your instructorhappy, and more important, you’llhave an easier, better time on class day.Which gun should I bring?The simplest answer to this is: whatevergun you own that you shoot the best.What if the gun you carry isn’t the gunyou shoot the best? Aside from the obvious(you should figure out how to carrythe gun you shoot the best, because ifyou are shooting to save your life, you’dlike every possible advantage), the reasonis that any technique learned inclass on one gun can be practiced afterclass with other guns. It’s more importantto learn the technique as correctlyas you can during class. Anything thatmakes operation of the gun more difficultwill only slow you down.What features make a gun more difficultto operate and shoot? A gripyou can’t get all your fingers on; controlsthat are stiff, small, or that youcan’t reach without changing your firinggrip; magazines that don’t comeout when you press the magazine release;a long, heavy trigger pull; complexoperation (DA/SA style pistols),and sharp edges that bite your handduring recoil—just to name a few.(Actually, any of those issues are reasonsnot to have bought that gun in thefirst place, or reasons to have the gun36USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

MAKE YOUR INSTRUCTOR HAPPYfrom other student’s. This is particularlyuseful in situations where almost everyonein class is shooting the same brandand caliber of pistol.Check your zeroBefore showing up for class you shouldgo to the range and shoot some groupswith your gun from a benchrest position,to assess where your gun hits withthe ammunition you plan to use forclass. Benchrest group shooting, whendone properly with the frame supportedby a sandbag or other rest, can teachyou a lot about accurate shooting andthe mechanical capabilities of your gunand chosen load. Trying to check zerofrom two handed standing dramaticallyincreases the likelihood that shooter error(jerking the trigger) will occur.I usually check my zero at 15 and 25yards. The primary task is to evaluatewhere the center of the group is. Thesample group in the picture shows thatmy group center is about an inch highat 15 yards.What I find most often is that students’evaluation of their zero consistsof looking at the center of their hits duringwhatever drills they were practicingat the time and saying, “That’s goodenough” if the hits are generally in theright place. That assessment is usuallycoupled with practice habits that uselarge, close targets. When confrontedwith a more difficult shot, such as a partialtarget obscured by a no-shoot or atarget providing a sideways profile, evenat close range an error in the gun’s zerocan turn a correctly fired shot into anunacceptable miss.Sometimes I find that students haveadjusted their sights to compensate forshooter error (usually flinching), and afterthe errors are corrected, their sightshave to be readjusted. Even if your gunhas fixed sights and shot to point of aimon initial testing, sights can move as thegun is carried and shot.Going electricElectronic hearing protectors arevery useful on class day, particularlyfor those with hearing loss. Someinstructors use a PA system, butmany just yell out the range commands,which may not be audible to38To avoid confusion, mark your magazines clearly.above: Even fixed sights can shift.right: A few comfort items such assunscreen, bug spray, gloves, flashlight,and umbrella can ease the discomforts ofunexpected weather.those on the ends of the firing line.The major drawback to most electronichearing protectors is that theinexpensive models offer lower NoiseReduction Ratings (NRRs) than muchcheaper passive earmuffs. For $20 youcan get passive muffs with 33 NRR,while $50 electronic hearing protectorstypically offer 22 NRR or less. Noise is amajor factor in flinching, so higher NRRwill help you shoot better, but if youcan’t understand the range commands,that can cause confusion and couldcause safety problems. One quick fix tothis problem is to wear earplugs underthe electronic hearing protectors if theadditional noise reduction is required.With this combination, you can turnup the electronic hearing protectors toUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMamplify the range commands to makethem audible through ear plugs, andwhen the shooting begins, you get thebenefit of both plugs and muffs. Somevendors, such as ProEars, offer modelswith enhanced high frequency responsethat compensates for hearing loss fromnoise exposure.Oil your gunGuns are like car engines; they needlubrication to run. The three tinydrops of oil that may be acceptable fora 100-round target shooting sessionprobably aren’t going to do for an 8 hourrange session where hundreds of roundswill be fired. During our pre-class checkin we ask students when they oiled theirgun last, and keep a bottle of lube at theCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

MAKE YOUR INSTRUCTOR HAPPYcheck in table for those who need to useit. Shooters usually run their guns withplenty of oil because they are concernedabout gun function. Gun sellers andgun collectors often use a minimum ofoil because they are more concernedabout the gun’s appearance. One goodrule of thumb (literally) is that the gunhas enough oil when you can press yourthumb on the barrel hood, and see athumbprint in the oil.clockwise, from top left: A little preventive maintenance onmagazines, including a spring replacement if needed, canprevent a host of malfunctions in class. Electronic hearingprotectors reduce confusion and help students hear rangecommands. Essential range-bag items include oil, guncleaning solvent, a bore snake, a brass squib rod, and leadremovingwipes.Cleaning andmaintenance suppliesIt’s wise to bring your own cleaninggear and other gun support equipment.I always keep the items shownin my range bag: oil, gun cleaning solvent,a bore snake, a brass squib rod, theArrendondo does-everything plastic rod(many uses), and some D-Lead wipes,which are useful for cleaning up yourhands after shooting, and for cleaningyour gun and magazines too.Many students new to training andserious shooting have never disassembledor cleaned their magazines, andhave never considered that magazinesprings may need to be replaced. I recommendhaving at least one new magazinespring in your range bag. Each timeyou clean your magazines, compare thelength of the new spring to your existingsprings. If the springs in use aremore than two coils shorter than a newspring, it’s probably time to replace thatspring.Personal maintenanceWeather forecasts can be unreliableand weather can beunpredictable. It doesn’t takemuch to be prepared for harshconditions. A few comfort itemslike sunscreen, bug spray, mechanic’sgloves, flashlight and/or headlamp, umbrella, andwaterproof shoes can ease thediscomfort of heat, cold, rain,wind, and classes that run overtimeinto darkness.Another useful item is waterprooftape, specificallythe cushiony kind madeby Nexcare. After firinga few hundred rounds,contact points betweenthe gun and your handsmay get irritated. If youtape them up before blistersor other injuries occur,you’ll be more comfortablethrough the restof the course.In the end, the realreason to do all thethings I’ve suggestedisn’t to make yourinstructor happy. If youtake the time to getthe right gear and dosome prep work beforeclass, you’ll be able toconcentrate on learningthe course materialwithout struggling withgear that doesn’t work, orborrowing gear you needand didn’t think to bring.Then you can focuson the training, whichwill make you and yourinstructor happy. HKarl Rehn is the lead instructor for KRTraining (www.krtraining.com) andhas taught classes in the Central Texasarea for the past 20 years. He is an NRATraining Counselor, Texas ConcealedHandgun License Instructor, and aMaster class competitor in IPSC, IDPAand Steel Challenge, who has trainedwith dozens of well known tactical andcompetition instructors.Waterproof tape, appliedto contact points inadvance, helps preventblisters during class.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM39

When someone first decides to acquire a firearm, anatural question is, “How do I learn to use it andwhat do I learn to do?”There are many options availableto a new shooter. The least viableoption is the lucky charm option,which consists of buying a gun, neverfiring it, never practicing or training,and hoping for the best. The majorityof new shooters will elect to limit themselvesto shooting alone on a very sporadicbasis, perhaps annually. Otherswill seek some initial training (perhapsbecause training is legally mandated)and then afterwards shoot a little bit onan occasional basis. None of these optionsis likely to create competence, andtherefore confidence, with a firearm.As with any physical skill, there is aprogression that we have to go throughto achieve competence. This progressiontakes time, requires a commitmentof personal resources, and necessitatesconsidering what a person’s ultimateA progression of pistols during training –Browning Buckmark .22, Beretta 21A .22,Bersa Thunder .380, S&W 3913 9mm.below: Firing a decisional shooting drillwith a laser on a command trainingtarget forces the student to thinkthroughout the exercise.right: NRA AP-1 target used forMarksmanship Qualification Program,one motivational way to measure andimprove shooting skill over time.Building aSequential Training System40[ By Claude Werner ]USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

Teaching a beginner how to gripwith a blue gun helps reduceanxiety and improves earlyperformance.goals are. While many people haveachieved a degree of competency justby shooting on their own, following aprogram that is based on intermediateperformance objectives can speedthe process and reduce the resourcesrequired. There are many tasks associatedwith concealed carry of a firearmand it’s helpful to break them out intostages that are manageable for each individual.By identifying the tasks necessaryand then grouping them, shooterscan develop their skills at the pace thatis right for them.Stage 1 – develop basicfamiliarity with a handgunFirearms, especially handguns, aredaunting devices for the first time user.This is doubly true for those who arenot inherently familiar with using handpower tools in general. The deadly potentialthat firearms possess creates astate of mind in many people that requiresa fair amount of instruction toovercome. I have had more than onestudent tell me that their hands wereshaking merely from loading the magazinewith ammunition, and it wasn’t becauseof the physical effort involved.At this stage, the emphasis is less onperformance oriented training than it ison underlying education. Often, we inthe training community take our subjectmatter familiarity and knowledgefor granted. Projecting that familiarityand knowledge onto students can alienatethem quite easily. When I co-taughtNRA Basic Pistol classes, we had greatsuccess by using blue guns as the initialtool for teaching grip. There was a noticeableimprovement in the students’first live fire performance when we beganusing inert pistols for their initialhandling exercises.The learning objectives in this stageare:• Gun safety principles• Mechanical understanding of pistoland ammunition• Principles of marksmanship• How to grip and hold a handgun• Shooting from a steady, perhapsresting position• Cleaning and safe storageThe .22 caliber pistol reigns supremeas the training tool for beginning shooters.Many people start out on centerfirepistols, but doing so doesn’t alwaysyield the best results. Experiencing anexplosion two feet from one’s face instantlyfollowed by a sharp strike to thehands is about as unnatural situationas can be imagined for most people.Minimizing the effects of concussionand recoil in the beginning helps acclimatenew shooters in a more palatableway.The NRA First Steps and Basic PistolCourses, as well as the NSSF First ShotsProgram, provide a good foundation fornew shooters. Many shooting rangesalso offer some kind of basic firearmstraining program that teaches fundamentals.The terminal performance objectiveat the end of the first stages is forJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM41

Practicing flashlight shooting in reducedlight on AN indoor range develops an importantphysical skill useful in real-life encounters.the student to be able to safely handleand shoot a firearm on a controlledrange.Stage 2 – build defensiveshooting skillsOnce a person has acquired some basicfamiliarity with a firearm, it’s time to applythose fundamentals in the context ofpersonal protection. This stage is wherewe learn the proper way to handle andshoot firearms when we are not at theshooting range.One of the most important aspects ofdefensive skill is not marksmanship, butrather practical gun handling, which isa highly overlooked aspect of gun ownership.We handle guns far more thanwe ever shoot them, so it’s appropriateto learn and practice safe gun handlingin a non-range context. Our golden rulehere is to never allow our muzzle topoint at anything we are not preparedto have injured or killed. At times, it willbe necessary to muzzle sweep propertyor inanimate objects, but we wantto vigilantly keep our muzzle awayfrom people and pets. That includes42parts of our own bodies.The shooting exercises atthis stage will come fromready positions rather thanfrom the holster. A significantpart of training andpractice here should involvemaking a good firsthit on the target. Many people get intothe habit of firing multiple shots toosoon. This results in walking the roundsonto the target to get a decent hit, eventually.In your home or on the street,errant misses are a luxury we can ill afford.Also, as my colleague, Rob Pincus,has pointed out, “After the first shot, everyonestarts moving.” That means thatonce the shooting starts the marksmanshipproblem gets much more difficult.It’s best to seize the initiative immediatelyby making the attacker “leak” atthe get-go.The learning objectives for the secondstage are:• Presentation to a ready positionfrom the holster• Engaging a target from a readypositionUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMBeginning from a low ready position helps the studentconcentrate on defensive shooting skills.• Stoppage reduction• Shooting a qualification coursefrom ready position• Instruction on legal issues and howthey are applied in the context ofhome defenseThe performance objective at the endof the second stage is for the studentto be able to shoot a simple state levelqualification course to a 100 percentstandard starting from a ready position.Shooting a qualification courseprovides a mild degree of stress for thestudent that is useful as a stress inoculation.I prefer the State of ArizonaQualification Course from Arizona’slate Firearms-Safety Program, but othersimple tests can suffice. Using a stateaccepted course has value because, inthe event of legal complications, ju-CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

To the casualobserver, you maybe considered lesslikely to be armed.For concealedcarry, this canall work to youradvantage.A single piece of leather,cut and stitched justright, yields an effectivepocket holster.Dressed to DefendAnkle and Pocket Holsters[ BY MARK KAKKURI ]In the world of concealed carry, sometimes we talkabout dressing around a gun—choosing clothingthat better accommodates a hidden firearm.That might include purchasing pantswith a slightly wider waist to providethe extra inch or two needed to comfortablyhold a firearm in an inside thewaistband holster; or it might mean purchasinga shirt that looks okay untucked,44again to hide a firearm in an inside thewaistband holster; or it might meanpurchasing a vest or jacket with built-incompartments meant to safely hide ahandgun. For some, however, a handgunneeds to fit well with a current wardrobe.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMMoreover, life and work circumstances(going to the office, going out for a nicedinner) sometimes mean getting dressedup. Concealing a handgun can seem amore difficult goal when dressed up, but,with the right equipment, it is not onlypossible, but comfortable.The first of this three-part Dressedto Defend series addresses pocket andankle holsters. I’ll be using a Smith &Wesson 340 PD (a lightweight J-frameCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

Both pocket holsters were virtuallyundetectable as long as I was standing......but bothprinted whensitting.The DeSantisNemesis pocketholster adequatelycovered the S&W 340PD’s trigger whilestanding the gunupright in my pocket.in .357 Magnum) as my concealmentweapon.Dressing up while carrying concealedoffers some unique advantages: Beingdressed up generally projects a positive,professional image. You may be perceivedas more self-confident and thereforeless vulnerable. Being dressed up isof course different from wearing streetclothes. To the casual observer, you maybe considered less likely to be armed.For concealed carry, this can all work toyour advantage.Pocket holstersFor me, dressing up includes wearingdress pants. Unless I carry in an outsidethe waistband holster and cover itwith a sport coat, carrying a handgunanywhere on my waist is not practicalor comfortable. With a small and lightweightrevolver like the S&W 340 PD,pocket carry becomes a viable option.While not recommended, some peoplelike to simply drop a small revolver orpistol right in their pocket and just go.I prefer a good pocket holster for threereasons: improved safety, easier draw,and better concealment. An effectivepocket holster such as the Galco PocketProtector or DeSantis Nemesis willcover the trigger of your weapon, standthe gun up in your pocket, allow you toreach in and get a good grip on it whendrawing, and reduce printing throughthe material. Yes, these holsters add extramaterial, weight, and bulk to yourpocket, but the trade-offs seem worthit. Not surprisingly, each pocket holsterhad its strengths and weaknesses.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM45

ANKLE AND POCKET HOLSTERSThe DeSantisApache ankleholster held myS&W 340 PD verysecurely.GALCO POCKET PROTECTOR$24.95Galco’s Pocket Protector sounds nerdy,but is anything but that. While it’s notmuch more than a thoughtful constructionof a single piece of very goodleather, it nonetheless held the J-framesecurely in the front right pocket of mydress pants. The gun stood up in theholster, ready to be drawn, and the holsterremained in my pocket when drawing.The holster’s reinforced mouthallowed for easy holstering, althoughGalco recommends removing the holsterfrom your pocket before holstering.Dress pants being what they are, alightweight, loose fabric the holstermoved with the momentum of my legas I walked, but not obnoxiously so.Standing still resulted in no printing,but sitting showed the outline of theholster. Any tighter style of pants resultedin printing while standing andsitting.DESANTIS NEMESIS$24.99The DeSantis Nemesis functionedsimilar to the Galco Pocket Protector,but with different design principles.The synthetic exterior felt rubbery andsticky, which helped it stay in place inmy pocket. Also, the Nemesis held the46340 PD a bit higher, just short of thestock wanting to peer out of my pocket,but otherwise kept it securely in place.It printed just like the Galco; not at allwhen standing, and showing the outlinewhen sitting. A curious eye wouldcatch the shape and wonder what wasin my pocket. A trained eye would knowit right away.Both pocket holsters offered fast andeasy deployment of the 340 PD andcould be used in other pockets, such asin a jacket or coat.Ankle holstersEven with their printing issues, pocketholsters have the unique advantage ofallowing you to get a grip on your gunwhile keeping it concealed. With anankle holster, the pros and cons areopposite. The Galco Ankle Glove andDeSantis Apache are virtually undetectableunder dress pants, but requirea stoop, reach, and release of a retentionstrap to deploy. I wore the ankleholsters on my left leg on the notionthat to draw I would drop to my rightknee, lift my left pant leg with my lefthand, and draw with my right hand.Moreover, wearing an ankle holster onthe inside of my left leg seemed moresecure and less likely to bump intosomething or someone.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMThe DeSantisApacheholstereasily andcomfortablydisappearedunder a pairof dresspants.GALCO ANKLE GLOVE$89.95Comprised of a premium leather holsteraffixed to a neoprene band withhook and loop closure, the Galco AnkleGlove lived up to its name. With its layerof sheepskin padding between the 340PD and my ankle, this holster fit likea glove; snug, yet comfortable. Whilesome credit is due to the 340 PD forbeing so lightweight, the Galco AnkleGlove is a thoughtful design that distributesthe weight of a gun across theneoprene band and therefore acrossa wearer’s lower leg. Wearing this rigdidn’t make me walk like a pirate, anddespite how robust of a holster it is, itdisappeared under the fabric of mydress pants.The holster held the 340 PD very securely,so the retention strap seemedsuperfluous. Still, it served as an extrameasure of confidence for keepingthe gun secure. I was more concernedabout brushing my leg against somethingand causing the hook and loopclosure to open up. Thankfully, thatnever happened.DESANTIS APACHE$51.99With a wide and strong elastic bandand a robust hook and loop closure,CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

ANKLE AND POCKET HOLSTERSThe GalcoAnkle Glovewraps securelyand stays put.A thumb breakadds anotherlevel of safety.The Galco Ankle Glove lives up to itsnamesake. It fits gun and ankle like a glove!the DeSantis Apache holster may beover engineered; comfortable, but withless “give” than the Galco, the holsterwrapped securely around my leg andpulled the 340 PD in tight. Similar tothe Galco, a sheepskin lining protectedthe gun side of my ankle from any painor chafing. The holster portion of theApache was so tight, however, it was difficultto insert the 340 PD into it. Again,a retention strap seemed unnecessary,but was available for added security.DeSantis offers a strap that wrapsaround the calf and connects to theApache for added stability of the holster.I didn’t find this to be necessary asthe Apache held firm on its own.If I wanted to be dressed to defendand could pick only one of these four,it would be the Galco Ankle Glove onthe merits of its excellent concealabilityand comfort and the fact that it wouldwork with all the dress pants I alreadyown. HMark Kakkuri is a freelance writer inOxford, Michigan. You can follow himon Twitter @markkakkuri.CONTACTSDeSantis Gunhidewww.desantisholster.com(800) 424-1236Galco Gunleatherwww.usgalco.com(800) 874-2526Did You Know...?Gallup poll results releasedin October 2011 show that47 percent of Americanadults currently report thatthey have a gun in theirhome or elsewhere ontheir property, the highestsuch number reportedsince 1993. In the samesurvey, 23 percent ofwomen reported that theypersonally own a firearm,and 43 percent said therewas at least one gun intheir household.In 1986, only eight stateshad shall-issue concealedcarry laws, and 15 stateshad no provision for anyform of lawful concealedcarry.In 2012, 37 states haveshall-issue concealedcarry laws, and only onestate (Illinois) still has noprovision for any form oflawful carry.According to the FloridaDepartment of Agricultureand Consumer Services,there were 935,813 activeconcealed carry permitsissued to Florida residentsas of April 30, 2012. Witha statewide populationestimated at 19,057,542(2011 estimate from USCensus Bureau), thatmeans that approximatelyone out of 20 Floridaresidents have carrypermits.Wisconsin legalizedconcealed carry inNovember 2011. As ofApril 2012, the WisconsinDepartment of Justicehad received over 100,000applications for concealedcarry permits—puttingthe state well on trackto smash its estimateddemand of 125,000permits within the firstyear of issuance.Since March 2011, the totalnumber of permit holdersin Oregon has increasednearly 11 percent, to over152,000 as of April 2012.23 percent of women reported thatthey personally own a firearm ...JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM47

This column reviews a variety of high-quality personal safety, self-defense,and concealed carry related gear. Each product is thoroughly evaluatedunder real world conditions. [ BY DUANE A. DAIKER ]The targetscome in twodifferenttypes:bleedingandmutilating.48Zombie Industries TargetsPerhaps you have noticed the shootingindustry’s recent fascination with zombies?I’ve seen many zombie themedtargets lately, but none quite like thenew targets from Zombie Industries.These life-size three-dimensional targetsare hand painted to resemble theliving dead; the zombies that we love tohate. The targets come in two differenttypes: bleeding and mutilating.The bleeding targets are a plasticzombie shell filled with foam and pinkzombie blood that oozes and dripsfrom any holes. When shot into the target,the pink blood splatters and givesinstant feedback on where the hits occurred.The technology behind thebleeding effect is a paintball infusedfoam mixture. Perhaps I am givingaway the secret behind the technology,but Zombie Industries has a patentpending, so don’t get any ideas!The mutilating targets are constructedentirely of solid foam that is fluorescentorange on the inside. When youshoot these targets, the bullets take outchunks of the foam body and reveal theorange inside. The visual indication ofa hit is actually more immediateand more obvious on themutilating targets than thebleeding targets.The zombie targets cantake a lot of abuse. In fact,a useful life of more than athousand rounds of pistolammunition is not unrealistic.The targets even absorb12 gauge slugs prettywell, although they certainlydegrade faster withshotgun wounds. My testingcrew shot both typesUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMof targets with most every commonpistol round, from .38 Special to .460Magnum, without any premature deterioration.Zombie Industries says the targetscan be stored and re-used. As for themutilating targets, I certainly agree. Thetarget can be dropped back in its originalbox and saved for the next rangetrip. However, the bleeding targets area little more problematic. I’m not sureI would want to store a wet, dripping,paint-soaked target for another day.The bleeding targets may also be inappropriatefor indoor ranges or otherplaces where a wet mess would not bewelcome.Shooting the zombie targets doesrequire a bit of clean up, but it’s nottoo difficult. Interestingly, all the zombieguts, whether wet or dry, are 100percent biodegradable and environmentallysafe. According to ZombieIndustries, this should keep the “treehuggers off your back.”Zombie Industries has a great senseof humor about these products. A quickreview of their website demonstratestheir commitment to staying in characterand selling the zombie mystique.Even the shipping boxes carry throughwith the zombie theme and are a lot offun, although you may get some strangelooks from your neighbors if these boxessit on your front porch for too long.I believe these zombie targets havereal training value. There is a huge differencebetween shooting flat papertargets and 3-D humanoid figures.Using some of your training time toshoot these types of realistic targetscan help prepare shooters for defensivescenarios. You can get the same trainingvalue from the targets whether they lookCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

like zombies or not, but I think ZombieIndustries is smart to take the undeadapproach. Clearly, it’s more politicallycorrect to shoot fictional zombie monstersthan to shoot a realistic depictionof a human. The zombie theme is fun,and may help sidestep other concernsthat could be distracting to the businessof selling targets.All the zombie targets come in a reusablebox and include a wooden stakefor mounting. There are a number ofdifferent styles available, including aterrorist zombie and Nazi German soldierzombie. The bleeding targets are$89.95 each, and the mutilating targetsare $69.95, plus shipping. You canorder online from www.zombieindustries.com.For a limited time, ZombieIndustries is offering a discount forUSCCA members to promote the trainingvalue of their products. Just enterthe discount code “CCM12” at checkout,for a 15 percent discount throughSept 30th, 2012. Zombie Industries alsooffers a line of cardboard and paperzombie targets that are quality productsfor the wannabe zombie hunter ata much lower price.Personally, I find the mutilating targetsto be the best value. The mutilatingtargets are cleaner, easier to store, andeasier to reuse. Although the targetsare certainly not inexpensive, the priceis not unreasonable for the trainingand entertainment value. I can assureyou that splitting the cost of a ZombieIndustries target among a few shootingbuddies would pay off with a great dayof fun and training at the range.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEThe ArmourLite Company was actually formedto address the weaknesses of other tacticalwatches on the market.ArmourLite Professional WatchI have been on a quest to find a reasonablypriced, full-featured tactical watch.Of course, everyone’s idea of a tacticalwatch is different. To me, it’s not aboutbeing non-reflective or having a NATOstylewatch band. I want my tacticalwatch to offer extreme durability, extremereliability, and ease of use underany conditions, at a reasonable price.After some searching, I have found awatch that meets all of my requirements.The ArmourLite Company was actuallyformed to address the weaknessesof other tactical watches on the market.The ArmourLite Professional Series offersa wide variety of watch designswith the same basic features. First, thewatches are shatterproof and scratchproof.ArmourLite developed a proprietaryglass crystal that measures 6,000on the Vickers hardness test, which isseveral times harder than a traditionalsapphire watch crystal. This degree ofhardness is rare in any watch, and notavailable in other watches at this pricepoint that I can find. The ArmourLiteshatterproof crystal is mated to a thickstainless steel watch case with a customrubber retaining ring that ensuressuperior strength and shock resistance.The Professional Series watchesfeature a screw-down crown, and arewaterproof to 100 meterswhich is farbelow even the deepest recreationaldiving depths. Each watch also sportsa uni-directional rotating bezel to trackelapsed time without any additionalbuttons or technology.The heart of the ArmourLite timepieceis a maintenance-free Swissquartz movement. The watches utilize alow power movement and an advancedlithium battery that will run approximatelyten years without replacement.ArmourLite watches feature simpleand easily readable watch faces withUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM49

high quality tritium illumination. Boththe watch hands and number markersare self-illuminated for ease of viewingin any lighting conditions. Most of themodels use two colors of tritium, so theorientation of the watch can be determinedeven in complete darkness.The Professional Series watch I chosefor review (AL54) features a black rubberbracelet, which is my preferredstyle. However, Professional Serieswatches are also available with steelbracelets, leather straps, rubber straps,and Kevlar straps. All watchbands aresecured to the case with a screwed-insteel bar instead of the more flimsy andtraditional spring-bar pin.ArmourLite shatterproof tritiumwatches are extremely durable, reliable,and easy to read. With a numberof styles and colors available, findingone that suits your style shouldn’tbe difficult. Based on what I haveseen in the tactical watch market, thisArmourLite is a great value, with streetprices around $275 for this model. Youcan see the entire line of watches atwww.armourlite.com. I have more expensivewatches that I like as much ormore than this ArmourLite, but I’m notsure I have any that will outperform thisProfessional Series watch.Mitch Rosen Upper Limit HolsterThere are a handful of names that havebecome synonymous with quality inthe holster industry and Mitch Rosenis one of them. Mitch started makingcustom leather holsters in 1991, afterhe became frustrated with the qualityof gear that was available. He set outto manufacture the finest quality gunleather available, and has been deliveringthat level of quality for morethan twenty years as “Mitch RosenExtraordinary Gunleather.”Mitch’s shop in New Hampshireuses only the highest quality materials.Each holster is hand fit to a particularfirearm model with strict attention tothe details, including precise boningfor strong gun retention without theneed for straps or locks. All his holsterdesigns are minimalist, with careful attentionto reducing bulk.Mitch does not offer as many designsas some makers, and there are no50There are a handful of names that have becomesynonymous with quality in the holster industry andMitch Rosen is one of them.combination type holsters that servedifferent purposes. Mitch believes it ishard enough to design and manufacturea holster to perform one functioncorrectly, and forcing a holster to performtwo functions requires compromiseshe is unwilling to make. Amen.I can definitely appreciate the logic inthat philosophy.I had an opportunity to review theUpper Limit belt holster. The modelI received was from Mitch Rosen’sExpress Line, which requires some explanation.Many of Mitch’s holsters areavailable in his Express Line, which is alower-cost alternative to the standardline. More importantly, the ExpressLine holsters have a much faster orderturn-around time, and ship within 2-3weeks of ordering. The differences areonly in the appearance and not thefunction of the holster, with the primarydifference in the degree of handboning of the holster. While your fanciestgun may merit a holster from thestandard line, I see no drawbacks tothe Express Line for a concealed carryholster.The Upper Limit is a straight-dropUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMbelt holster worn outside the waistband.This particular design is forshort barreled guns, and rides high onthe belt so the pistol is easily concealedby a standard cover garment. I muchprefer high ride holsters for small gunsbecause they are very comfortableand easily concealed. Although I worethis holster at the 4 o’clock position, itwould be suitable for crossdraw use aswell.The quality of this holster is readilyapparent, and any concessions madeto the Express Line are not obviousto me. The holster looks great, smellsgreat (sorry, love the smell of realleather), and wears great. It’s almost ashame to have to conceal it!The Upper Limit Express is availablein black or Cuban brown, and sells fora very reasonable $75. I recommendyou consider a matching magazinepouch and a gun belt when you order.The gun belts are also very nice products,but that could be the subject of awhole other column.You should not skimp on yourholster. Your carry gear is as importantas your firearm and your am-CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

munition. When you are ready fortop quality gun leather from a livinglegend in the industry, check outMitch Rosen’s full line of products atwww.mitchrosen.com.Fisher Space Pen InfiniumIf you skipped ahead to the photo, youmay be wondering what makes thissmall and very shiny pen so … tactical?It’s not really tactical in appearance atall, but I still think it’s worth your considerationas serious carry gear.The Fisher Space Pen Company wasfounded by Paul Fisher, the inventor ofthe universal refill for ballpoint pens.Not content with refill technology inthe 1960s, Mr. Fisher invented a nitrogenpressurized refill that used thixotropicink that was semi-solid untilliquefied by the shearing action of therolling ball. This combination of technologyallowed ink to flow without theassistance of gravity, and without regardto extremes of heat or cold.Timing is everything, and Mr. Fisherwill last even longer. So long, in fact,that the Fisher Space Pen Company isbetting you won’t ever run dry. If youdo, the company will refill or replaceyour pen for free. I don’t know of anotherpen manufacturer who will guaranteeyou a lifetime of writing!As you might guess, the InfiniumSpace Pen carries a premium pricetag. While a traditional Bullet SpacePen can be had for less than $30, theInfinium retails for $120 to $150, dependingupon the style chosen. Thereare several colors available, includingthe black titanium and chrome finishof my sample pen. You can viewthe available Infinium styles, and allthe other Fisher Space Pens, at www.spacepen.com.A pen is a useful tool in both youreveryday life and in an emergency. Theability to jot down crucial details (likean emergency phone number, a descriptionof a suspect, a license platenumber, or even the time a tourniquetwas applied) on any surface and underany conditions could be invaluable.A Fisher Space Pen should be onyour basic equipment list, and if youare willing to invest a little extra, theInfinium may be the last pen you everneed to buy. HDuane A. Daiker is a contributing editorfor CCM, but is otherwise a regularguy—not much different from you.Duane has been a lifelong shooter andgoes about his life as an armed, responsible,and somewhat opinionatedcitizen. More of Duane’s writing canbe found at RealWorldCarryGear.com.Duane can be contacted at Daiker@RealWorldCarryGear.com, and welcomesyour comments and suggestionsfor gear reviews.Black titaniumInfinium model,below. Chrome modelshown in display box.PHOTO COURTESY FISHER SPACE PENSperfected this technology during thepeak of the space race. NASA adoptedthe new ink delivery technology toreplace the pencils that Mercury andGemini astronauts had been using becausestandard ballpoint pens wouldnot work in zero gravity. The FisherSpace Pen was born, and has beenstandard equipment on every mannedspaceflight since Apollo 7 in 1968.I have always liked the Space Pen,even for more terrestrial, Earth-bounduse. The pens write anywhere on anything,even if the surface is wet or thepen is upside down. This offers a niceversatility that you may not appreciateuntil you really need it.The Space Pen, however, hasbeen taken to the next level with theInfinium. This new pen is similar insize and shape to the traditional BulletSpace Pen series, but adds an amazingfeature; the pen is guaranteed not torun out of ink in your lifetime. SpacePens always last much longer than ordinaryballpoint pens, but the InfiniumJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEThe pens write anywhere on anything, even if thesurface is wet or the pen is upside down.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM51

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE ... IT’S JUST THE LAWA threat to use a weaponor overwhelming physicalforce is sufficient to place aperson in jeopardy.©iSTOCKPHOTO - GENERISTOCKTHE BIG QUESTION[ BY K.L. JAMISON, ESQ. ]Drug addicts were breaking down her door. She puta bottle in her crying infant’s mouth, grabbed twoguns and called 911.Twenty-one minutes later the situationhad not improved and sheasked the dispatcher, “Is it okay toshoot him if he comes in the door?” The911 operator replied, “I can’t tell you thatyou can do that, but you do what youhave to do to protect your baby.” Thiswas government advice; a refusal to takeresponsibility, a response without an answer.But when she picked up her gunsshe had decided what she would do; andshe was right. One invader died and therehas never been a question over the proprietyof her decision; but she should nothave been forced to make it alone. Youngmothers are forced to multitask, but shehad to juggle two guns, a telephone, anda baby along with a decision on deadlyforce.A variety of instructors have attemptedto create a formula for answering the bigquestion. The NRA criteria 1 consist ofJeopardy, Ability, and Means, resultingin the acronym JAM. Other instructorsuse different terms, with the same definitions,but they do not spell anything. TheJustice Department criteria refer to “ability,opportunity, and jeopardy.” 2 The NRA52acronym is easier to remember in a crisis.JeopardyJeopardy refers to a threat; either verbal orphysical. A leveled gun or “I’m going to killyou is quite clear. Often the citizen mustexplain ambiguous circumstances. Bodylanguage can be more eloquent thanShakespeare on his best day. Bookshelvesgroan under the weight of books showinghow to find meaning in body languageand the soliloquy delivered by an upliftedknife is unmistakable. Bernard Goetz wassurrounded by a pack of muggers on aNew York City subway. He later gave a disjointedstatement about their wolf packbehavior, invasion of his personal space,challenging gaze and demanding tone.Individually these actions might be innocent;collectively they created a threat.The tricky part is that the citizen mustexplain each action, why each action wasa threat, and why these actions collectivelyare a threat. When no threats are voicedand no weapons displayed it becomesdifficult to explain the jeopardy. A generalreputation for violence is admissible toshow the aggressors’ violent propensity;USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMhowever, specific violent acts are not admissibleunless the acts are directly connectedwith the citizen involved. 3When we hear that a person’s conductwas threatening or menacing weknow what is meant. However, in policeinterrogations and certainly in court theperson will be asked why the assailant’sconduct was threatening or menacing.Novelists wear out their thesauruses describingmenacing conduct. Movie scriptwriters are assisted by directors, actors,lighting technicians, and often thememusic in showing a threat. Citizens are ontheir own.A carjacker victimized a Kansas Cityman telling him repeatedly that if thevictim failed to comply he “would shoot.”As he grew frustrated with a stubborn ignitionsystem this changed to, “I will killyou.” Alarmed at this subtle change inthreat and the muzzle of the carjacker’sgun drifting his way, the citizen drew andemptied his own gun. The small changesin threat and muzzle direction were sufficientexplanation and no charges wereever considered.An amateur storyteller filled withadrenaline will have trouble giving a detailedextemporaneous explanation ofthe threat. Adding detail to a statementlater on will be commented on adverselyat trial.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

... IT’s JUST THE LAWThe problem was illustrated in an episodeof the (fictional) TV show J.A.G. Inthe episode, Defenseless a female ensignshot and killed a foreign diplomat. Sheclaimed self-defense, stating that she feltthreatened with sexual assault. However,she was unable to explain what specificacts made her feel threatened. She waswalked through the scene, which remindedher of the little facts which added upto a threat.The threat must be imminent, an unsatisfactorytime measure in an era ofwatches accurate to the tenth of a second.It is described in the Justice Departmentpolicy on the use of deadly force as anelastic term, “involving a period of timedependent on the circumstances, ratherthan the fixed point of time implicit inthe concept of ‘immediate’ or ‘instantaneous.’”4 The policy further defines theterm: “Imminent” does not mean “immediate”or “instantaneous,” but that an actionis pending. Thus a subject may posean imminent danger even if he is not atthat very moment pointing a weapon atthe agent.” 5 The threat cannot be speculativeor at a time allowing for some nondeadlyaction. However, if the assailant isattempting to grab a weapon, perhaps bygrappling with the citizen, that qualifiesas a pending threat. If a subject is runningaway from the citizen, that would normallypreclude deadly force. If the subjectis running toward cover for a tacticaladvantage, that is also a pending threat.In February, 2000 Jose Chavarria of Adel,Iowa was warned by a psychic that JorgeVillalobos would kill him. Mr. Chavarriastruck first and was convicted of involuntarymanslaughter. 6 Even given a morejudicially acceptable warning, the timeframe was too indefinite, the threat tooimprecise, and the ability to take nonlethalcounter action too easy.It is often thought, by those without theexperience that one is not in jeopardy unlessthe assailant actually uses a weapon.It is only necessary that a deadly threatis pending. A threat to use a weapon oroverwhelming physical force is sufficientto place a person in jeopardy. It is wellknown that action is faster than reaction.Therefore, “policies requiring officers towait for overt movement of a weaponbefore taking action can place both innocentbystanders and officers in needlessdanger.” 7 As soon as a threat is recognized,counter-action should be taken.One is in jeopardy if there is imminentdanger and there are no obvious safe alternatives.8Breaking into an occupied home isalways considered a threat. Courts frequentlyrefer to a right of protecting“hearth and home.” Courts are wrong.The self-defense right is to protect personsonly, never property. Breaking intoa home is a presumed threat against itsoccupants.AbilityAbility refers to being in range to doharm. A person close enough to carryout his threat has the ability to do harm.A person with a knife must be closerthan a person with a gun, although itmust be remembered that an attackercan cover twenty-one (21) feet in as littleas one second from a standing start.MeansMeans consists of a weapon or considerablephysical superiority over thevictim. Criminal ingenuity has lead to avast number of common items used asweapons. The courts have consistentlyruled that any item used as a weapon isa weapon regardless of its common purpose.The citizen must perceive the weapon.Bernard Goetz did not know that hisassailants carried sharpened screwdrivers.He perceived the size and number ofhis assailants to be the weapon.Robbers have often used BB guns,toy guns, or the classic finger in pocketto simulate real guns. People have beenkilled or severely injured with BB guns.Studies indicate that deaths are rare, butfor the person involved the frequency is100 percent.When it turns out that the citizen wasmistaken or deceived as to the existenceof the JAM elements there is stilla defense. It is called the appearancedoctrine meaning that it reasonably appearedthat the JAM elements existed. Ifone is in a 7-11 late at night and a mantells the clerk, “Give me the money ordie,” the impulse will be to draw andfire. If it is later found that the deceasedwas the store manager teaching a newclerk how to respond to a robbery, theappearance doctrine makes convictionunlikely.Even the simple JAM acronym maybe difficult to use to analyze a self-defensesituation. Hearing the back doorsmashed open at 2 a.m., the guard dogstrangled, and boots stomping up thestairs to the rhythm of a Charley Mansonsong may degrade the analytic powers.There is a simpler method. The NewYork City Police Academy teaches, “Ifyou have to stop and think if you’re infear of your life, you’re not.” The JAM acronymis valuable for visualizing coursesof action in potential situations. Theacronym is most valuable in organizinga police statement after acting in selfdefense.Telling the truth is important inany official statement; of more importanceis telling the truth well. HKevin L. Jamison is an attorney in theKansas City Missouri area concentratingin the area of weapons and self-defense.Please send questions to Kevin L.Jamison 2614 NE 56 th Ter GladstoneMissouri 64119-2311 KLJamisonLaw@earthlink.net. Individual answers arenot usually possible but may be addressedin future columns.This information is for legal informationpurposes and does not constitutelegal advice. For specific questions youshould consult a qualified attorney.1. THE BASICS OF PERSONAL PROTECTION, National Rifle AssociationTraining Division, Fairfax VA 1988 at 110.2. Dean T. Olsen “Improving Deadly Force Decision Making” FBI LAWENFORCEMENT BULLETIN February, 1998 at 2.3. State v Ivicsics, 604 S.W.2d 773 (Mo. App. E.D. 1980) at 781.4. Hall “FBI Training on the New Federal Deadly Force Policy” FBI LAWENFORCEMENT BULLETIN April 1996 at 26.5. Hall “FBI Training supra at 28.6. Kansas City Star 12 May, 2000 page F-1 clm 1.7. Olson “Improving Deadly Force Decision Making” supra at 3.8. Id at 3.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM53

ARMED SENIOR CITIZENPHOTO BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COMRules ofEngagement for theMedicallyFragile[ BY BRUCE N. EIMER, Ph .D. ]As we age and acquire various bodily infirmities,our ability to effectively handle physicalchallenges diminishes.As we become increasingly fragile,we lose defensive options in theevent of a physical assault. Thedisparity of force in favor of the attackerwidens as a function of our physicaldisadvantages. Given the inevitability54of the age related decline in our physicalabilities, how can we keep safe inthe face of violent crime?There are no easy answers. As ourphysical abilities decline, we may havea more restricted range of defensiveUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMoptions. We probably cannot run awayfast enough, if at all. If we are attacked,we are unlikely to be capable of physicallyfighting back the attacker ona hand to hand basis. Few of us whoretain our mental faculties want to hibernateor hide from the world. Few ofus can afford a personal bodyguard.What are our options?Most experts recommend a layeredapproach to self defense. This meansCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

©iSTOCKPHOTO - EYEJOYNowhere is disparity of force more evident than when an able-bodied person launches anunprovoked predatory attack on a physically handicapped or medically fragile person.have a Plan A, and if that doesn’t work,a Plan B, and then a Plan C, and soforth. However, it is also essential tohave a last resort immediately accessibleand ready to use as an immediateresponse option if you face an imminentthreat of death or serious bodilyharm. That last resort is the deadlyforce option. Recognize that I saidhave a last resort immediately accessible.This means what it says. It doesnot mean that we should considerthe use of a firearm or another deadlyforce option as our first line of self defense.Also, recognize that in righteousand legally justified self defense, deadlyforce is not used to cause the deathof the attacker. It is used because suchan extreme degree of force is necessaryto counter malicious deadly force thatis imminent or has already been initiatedagainst you, the innocent person.An ounce of prevention is wortha pound of cure. If you are old andfrail or just frail, you should practicethe art of avoiding social conflict.Many social conflicts can be avoided;however,some cannot be. What followsare some suggestions for handlingthe conflicts that cannot be avoided.These suggestions are intended to applyto those of us who retain a soundmind, but who have a physically frailbody.Minimize your risk andbe prepared to call 911First, always have a cell phone handywith a speed dial button programmedto 911. Second, use common sense.Don’t go into places where you putyourself at an unreasonable risk ofharm. I believe that most people whoread this column already know thesethings. However, as with all good ideas,they bear repeating and reinforcing.Ideas are not worth a lot if they are notput into action.Your mindset and demeanorIf you are physically frail, it probablyshows. However, your demeanorshould be such that it leaves littledoubt that you are not one to messwith. Ask yourself the following question:How do I project myself to others?Your answer should include theword, confidently.It is easier to project yourself confidentlywhen you adopt the mindsetthat you are as good as anybody else,and you don’t have to prove that toanybody. It’s all right to just be yourself.We all so easily forget that wewere created precious, that our life hasmeaning, that we do not deserve to beabused (physically or emotionally),and that no one has the right to physicallyharm us. Keep in mind that noone has the right to harm you and youhave the right to do whatever it takesto stop someone from seriously harmingor killing you.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM55

ARMED SENIOR CITIZENRehearse the assertive useof verbal commandsWe all need to practice verbal tapeloops for disengaging and discouraginga threatening person from assaultingus. We also need to developconvincing body language to go withthese verbal tapes. Rehearse uppingthe ante; that is, becoming more verballyforceful, if you do not get the resultyou need, which is the threat goingaway and finding something elseto do.Rehearse verbalizing what you wantpeople to do in a commanding voice.It works well to practice this in frontof a mirror. It may help if you thinkof something or someone that makesyou feel indignantly angry. Here aresome verbalizations that may apply.They are listed in order of their levelof forcefulness. Perhaps you can thinkof others. It is important to keep themshort, simple, and to the point.“I’m sorry sir, I can’t help you.”“I said, I’m sorry I cannot helpyou!”“Leave me alone!”“Back off! Stay away from me!“You are menacing me. Go away.Leave now!”“You are threatening me. Stopthreatening me!”“Do not assault me! Leave now!”Stop assaulting me! Leave now!”Do not make me hurt you!”“I will protect myself! You hadbetter leave right now!”Canes are not justfor walking!A good strong cane or walking stickcan serve more than one function.For more information about the useof canes for mobility, self defense, andexercise, I recommend visiting www.canemasters.com. Certainly, any assistivedevice can be used as a defensiveweapon. However, I strongly suggestthat you consider taking some personalinstruction with a qualified andempathetic defensive tactics instructorwho understands the needs of thephysically challenged.What if you are too weak to wield anassistive device as a defensive tool?Given that violent physical assaultstypically happen very quickly, yourwindow of response opportunity isno one has the right to harm you.you have the right to do whateverit takes to stop someone fromseriously harming or killing you.PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM56

HOW YOU PROJECT YOURSELF TO OTHERS CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEENBEING SEEN AS AN EASY TARGET OR NOT.likely to be very narrow. Reactionis slower than action, and slowerstill if you are physically disabled.Sometimes, escaping or avoiding adangerous situation is not an option.When you have no other options, extremeor deadly force may have to beused if you want to stand a chanceof surviving the confrontation. Thismeans that realistically, your immediateresponse option may have to be aconcealed handgun.Disparity of forceThe laws in most jurisdictions acknowledgethe concept of disparity offorce. This concept has been articulatedmost clearly by Massad Ayoob inhis writings and live trainings (www.MassadAyoobGroup.com). An ablebodiedbut unarmed man who attacksan unarmed physically challengedperson has the advantage of greaterstrength and hence, force, on his side.There is a significant power differentialbetween the attacker and victim infavor of the attacker, and the attackerhas the advantage—a disparity of force.Nowhere is disparity of force more evidentthan when an able-bodied personlaunches an unprovoked predatory attackon a physically handicapped ormedically fragile person.If you are medically fragile or physicallychallenged, you may have littlechance of being able to physically stopan attack by an able bodied personwithout getting seriously injured orkilled. In such an instance, your soleviable immediate defensive responseoption might be the competent use ofa firearm.The rules of engagementThe law acknowledges the special extenuatingcircumstances in a self defensesituation of someone who ismedically frail or fragile, physicallyhandicapped or disabled, or physicallyweaker than their unarmed attacker(s)by virtue of age (an elderly man versusa younger man), sex (a woman versus aman), force of numbers (one person versusseveral), or medical status (a manwith disabling arthritis versus an ablebodied attacker). This acknowledge-JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM57

ARMED SENIOR CITIZENPHOTO BY OLEG VOLK • A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COMment alters the legally justified rules ofengagement. Such an individual couldbe justified in using deadly force to savehim- or herself if attacked by an ablebodiedperson, as long as he or she didnot initially provoke the confrontationor unreasonably escalate it. This is becauseeven an unarmed able-bodied attackercan seriously injure or kill you ifthere is a marked disparity of force.Of course, if your attacker displays alethal weapon such as a firearm, a club,or a knife, or makes a furtive movementto retrieve one, the significance of theimmediate threat to your life and limbis even starker, and you are on moresolid ground in presenting and usingyour firearm.The “cracked egg” theoryIf you are medically fragile, from a legalstandpoint, you are like a “crackedegg.” I know this sounds depersonalizing,but it is what it is. The idea is that itdoes not take much force to completelydemolish a cracked egg. Likewise, ifyou are medically or physically frail, itwould not take much force to seriouslyinjure you. Therefore, legal doctrinegives you a little more leeway to eventhe playing field, as long as you are theinnocent person in the encounter. Youmay want to turn the other cheek ifyou are slapped. However, if you are somedically or physically compromisedthat being struck or slapped would notallow you to turn the other cheek, orturn anything for that matter, you mayhave few defensive response optionsother than the firearm.Handgun choice, operation,tactics, and the rulesof engagementIf you are medically fragile, you shouldobtain a qualified defensive firearmsinstructor’s help in choosing the righthandgun for you, and an appropriateamount of training on the safe operationand handling of your chosenweapon. You should plan to achievethe following necessary competencieswith your firearm:• Holding and aiming the gunproperly;• Effectively operating the trigger(do you have enough hand and58You should obtain a qualified defensivefirearms instructor’s help in choosing the righthandgun for you.finger strength?);• Handling the recoil;• Operating the gun’s essentialmechanisms, including all leversand buttons necessary to checkthe firearm’s status, load thefirearm, unload and clear it,correct malfunctions, reload, cleanthe gun, and so on; and• Carrying it concealed andeffectively and safely retaining it.A defensive firearm is not a magictalisman. If you cannot operate thegun as a tool in the circumstances inwhich it is likely to be needed, it will doyou no good.USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMEffective rangeMost lethal encounters occur within aclose range, often within nine feet orfewer. Your preparation and trainingshould focus on this likely reality. If youare mostly in a wheelchair, you shouldpractice shooting close-in targets fromyour chair. If you ambulate with a caneor walker, you should practice shootingwhile using those assistive devices.Anticipate the high likelihood that youwill be thrown or taken to the groundby an attacker, and practice (with acompetent safety-minded instructor)shooting from a downed position.In a life and death encounter, yourmobility will probably be compromisedand your attacker is probablygoing to be on top of you. One upsideof this—if there is any upside at all—is that you are probably going to beforced to shoot your violent attackerat point blank or contact range. Thismeans you are not likely to have touse your handgun’s sights, but you willneed to have your gun pointed into thethreat, and you will have to have aniron grip on your gun, or at least holdit in such a way that it will not be takenfrom you. The skills you focus on inyour preparation and training shouldemphasize all of this. HBruce N. Eimer, Ph.D., psychologistand NRA Certified Law EnforcementFirearms Instructor, trains law abidingcitizens in the defensive use of firearms.His company, Personal DefenseSolutions, also runs the classes requiredto obtain the Florida, Virginia,and Utah non-resident multi-stateCCW permits. To learn more, visitwww.PersonalDefenseSolutions.netand www.DefensiveHandguns.com.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

BEHIND THE LINEa shooter who isright handed, buthas a dominantleft eye is crossdominant.TheCross-Dominant Shooter[ BY TOM GIVENS ]If you teach a large number of students like I do,you will find a surprising percentage who arecross-dominant.No, that doesn’t mean they weartheir spouse’s clothes to class. Itmeans they are strongly dominantin one hand, but their dominanteye is on the other side of the body. Anexample would be a shooter who is righthanded, but has a dominant left eye.It is believed that 85-90 percent ofthe world’s population is right handed.However, about 2/3 of the populationis right eye dominant, and 1/3 is lefteye dominant. Only a small number(thought to be around 1 percent) haveno dominance by either eye. In a studyconducted in the early 1960s, more than5,000 subjects were tested for eye dominanceand almost one third were crossdominant. In that study, 28.6 percentwere right handed, but left eyed. Only3.9 percent were left handed and righteyed. In my experience, females arefar more likely to be cross dominant,for reasons as yet unknown. In somegroups of females we have trained, asmany as one in four were cross dominant.There are several simple tests aninstructor can use to check for crossdominance issues. I’ll describe a coupleof very easy ones here.First, have the student make a smallframe opening at arm’s length, by bringingthe hands together. With both eyesopen, have the student center a smallobject across the room in that opening.Close only the left eye, and then openboth. Close only the right eye, and thenopen both. For one eye, the target objectremained in the opening. For the othereye, the target object disappeared. Theeye with which the object stayed in theframe is the dominant eye. An alternativemethod is to have the student centeran object in the opening with bothJULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM59

BEHIND THE LINEeyes open, then slowly bring the handsback to touch the face, keeping botheyes open. The opening will naturallybe drawn toward the dominant eye.Another method is to have the studentpoint the index finger of the dominanthand at an object across the room,with both eyes open. As describedabove, close one eye, then repeat withthe other eye. The finger will stay pointedat the object for one eye, but appearto move for the non-dominant eye.On the range, the clue that the studentis cross dominant is usually missesthat impact the target a bit high, butway off to the side. For a right handed/left eyed shooter, for instance, the hitswill be high and to the left. Anotherclue can be discovered by watching theshooter while they fire. You may see thegun moving toward the shooter’s nondominantside, or the head movingsideways as the shooter aims. If you seethese clues, it’s time to perform the eyedominance tests described above.With a shoulder-fired weapon, suchas a rifle or shotgun, really the only satisfactorysolution is to learn to shootfrom the shoulder on the same side asthe dominant eye. I am not aware ofany other practical fix for this with longguns.With handguns, we have some options.One controversial method is tosimply learn to shoot with the hand onthe same side as the dominant eye. So, ifyou are left eye dominant, you hold thehandgun in the left hand, which putsthe sights right in front of the dominanteye. Bill Rogers is probably thebest known proponent of this system.Bill believes it is easier to learn to shootwith your non-dominant hand than tochange or overcome eye dominance.Rogers School students have reportedexcellent results with this method, but alot of people are reluctant to carry theirdefensive sidearm on their non-dominantside and perform all functionswith the hand that has less strength andless dexterity than does their dominanthand.Another method is to keep the gun inthe dominant hand, but move the headto bring the dominant eye behind thesights. This can be done two ways. We’lluse the example of a right handed/A third option is to cant the pistol inboard from 15-40 degreesto bring the sights into the focal plane of the left eye.left eyed shooter, for clarity. In the firstmethod, the head is rotated on its verticalaxis to bring the left eye behind thesights. This is sub-optimal, as it pointsthe right eye off to the right side, reducingperipheral vision to the front left. Itappears to work better to keep the headpointed forward, but tilt it to the rightjust enough to bring the left eye behindthe sights. You have probably seen picturesof Jeff Cooper shooting a 1911 ina classic Weaver stance. You may havenoticed his head cocked over to theright. This was because Jeff was righthanded, but left eye dominant, andused this technique.A third option is to cant the pistol inboardfrom 15-40 degrees to bring thesights into the focal plane of the left eye.I am not a fan of this particular method.Untrained people tend to move thehands over to bring the gun in front ofthe left eye. This results in a bent wristin the hand holding the handgun, andis a poor method. That unlocked, bentwrist contributes to malfunctions andoffers less recoil control than a straight,locked wrist.Now that you know what to look for, Ipredict you will notice more cross dominantstudents. Now you know how tohelp them. HOne clue a student is cross dominant isusually misses that impact the target a bithigh, but way off to the side.Tom Givens is the owner of Rangemasterin Memphis, TN. For over 30 years Tom’sduties have included firearms instruction.He is certified as an expert witnesson firearms and firearms training, givingtestimony in both state and federalcourts. He serves as an adjunct instructorat the Memphis Police DepartmentTraining Academy, the largest inthe state. Tom’s training resume includescertification from the FBI PoliceFirearms Instructor School, NRA LawEnforcement Instructor DevelopmentSchool, NRA Law Enforcement TacticalShooting Instructor School, Gunsite 499under Jeff Cooper, and more.60USCONCEALEDCARRY.COMCONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

BIRD ON BOOKSTHE CONCEALED CARRYSURVIVAL GUIDEBy BILL MURPHY WITH ERIC A. MAGNESSI met Bill Murphy at a dinnerduring the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade(SHOT) Show in Las Vegas.Murphy is principal owner andoperator of Firearms TrainingAssociates of Norco in southernCalifornia. He is also the senior lowlight firearms instructor for SureFireLLC which makes flashlights for firearms.He is a senior patrol officer, SWATteam member and use of force instructorwith the Huntington Beach PoliceDepartment.Until we met, I had never heard ofhis book, The Concealed Carry SurvivalGuide. After reading it, I was impressedby the amount of good information andgood photography crammed into its 102large-format pages.After the ubiquitous chapter on safety,Murphy goes straight to the heart ofarmed self-defense with a chapter onmindset. Novice gun enthusiasts oftenspend too much time focusing on equipmentrather than developing a fightingmindset, he says.The book deals with selecting a handgunand ammunition plus a method ofcarrying, along with other equipmentfrom flashlights to ear protection. Mostreaders of this magazine have probablychosen their handguns and methodsof carrying them, so they will likely findthe chapters that follow on skills, techniques,and tactics more interesting.Every experienced firearms instructorhas their own way of teaching, and theirtechniques often vary somewhat withinthe same broad parameters. For example,Murphy teaches a speed reload thatinvolves dropping the magazine whetheror not it still has some rounds in it. Otherinstructors, usually with military backgrounds,teach students to always retainmagazines.[ BY CHRIS BIRD ]The chapter on the use of deadly forcesets out the legal restrictions on the useof deadly force for self-defense or defenseof others. Although the informationis mostly specific to California, thechapter is well worth reading, but shouldbe augmented by knowledge of the reader’sown state’s laws.One of the best and most interestingchapters is entitled, “Low LightTechniques from the SureFire Institute,”where Murphy is senior instructor. Lowlight shooting is probably the most neglectedarea of self-defense handgunpractice. For one thing, there are notmany commercial ranges that will allowshooters to practice at night or in badlight.As Murphy points out, most shootingsoccur after dark or in low-light conditions.He offers four different techniquesfor shooting while holding a flashlight:Harries, Rogers/SureFire, Neck-index,and modified FBI, and provides advantagesand disadvantages for each.Murphy also instructs us on how to,“read the light and adapt.”He urges shooters to find the darkestplace at the scene from which to shootand to avoid being silhouetted by a lightbehind us. Murphy recommends usingthe flashlight intermittently at randomintervals. To avoid return fire, he stressesthat shooters should move after usingthe flashlight or shooting, and get in thehabit of assessing the scene from the badguy’s point of view.A chapter on gunfighting reminds usthat the person who wins is the one whodelivers the most damage to the other.Keep shooting until the threat is no longera threat. This is followed by a chapteron what to do after you have shot someone.It can be summed up as: be verycareful what you say to anyone duringthe aftermath.Murphy describes the Weaver stanceand the modified isosceles stance thathas replaced it at Firearms TrainingAssociates. However, Doug Martin, whois the model in most of the photographs,appears to demonstrate the Weaverstance in the pictures where he is presentinghis handgun. Photos of Murphy,on the other hand, show an isoscelespresentation. The book ends with a verythorough 13-page glossary of terms.I noticed some spelling mistakes andgrammatical errors in the text, but theywill probably concern only a writer oreditor.Minor errors not withstanding, TheConcealed Carry Survival Guide is indeedan excellent guide to surviving a lethalencounter—the next best thing to takinga course at a good shooting school. Thebook is available as a paperback fromAmazon.com for $19.95 or can be downloadedas a pdf through the FirearmsTraining Associates web site at www.ftatv.com for $15. A second edition is plannedfor release in late summer 2012. HTitle: The Concealed Carry Survival GuideAuthors: Bill Murphy with Eric A. MagnessPublisher: Otan’e Inc.ISBN: 978-0-9754768-1-9Pages: 102Price: $19.95 for paperback; $15.00 for pdfPublication Date: 2007Chris Bird is author of The ConcealedHandgun Manual, now in its sixth edition,and Thank God I had a Gun: True Accountsof Self-Defense. A former British Army officer,he is a director of the Texas ConcealedHandgun Association and teaches concealedcarry in San Antonio.JULY 2012 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINEUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COM61

BALLISTIC BASICSWhile self-containedmetallic cartridgesmade firearms a lotmore reliable, strikerfiredsystems are notwithout fault.STRIKER DOWN[ BY TAMARA KEEL ]The introduction of the self-contained metalliccartridge made firearms a lot more reliable.Prior to its introduction, ignitioncould be an iffy thing. Matchlocksand flintlocks were vulnerable torain, and while the introduction of themetal percussion-cap improved things,it still wasn’t perfect. The little capswere hard to handle, and there was stillthe problem of the ignition system beingon the outside of the gun and thecharge it was supposed to set off beingon the inside, which was less than ideal.Combining the cap and the charge in aself-contained cartridge was an obviouswinner.Early revolvers had little difficultybusting caps. A great big spring down inthe grip frame would be connected to asubstantial pivoting hammer, to whichin turn was firmly affixed a nice, sharpfiring pin that would pass through a holein the frame, and crush that little primerwith a satisfying BANG! Easy peasy.Obviously, this needed a bit of revisionwith the advent of the self-loadingpistol. Since the whole top half of thegun moved briskly rearward on firing, it62wouldn’t very well do to have the firingpin attached to the hammer; you’d needto replace it after every shot, the previousone having snapped off. The mostcommon solution in the early days wasto put the firing pin in the slide and justhit the protruding aft end of it brisklywith the hammer.However, instead of a two-piece ignitionsystem, you’ve now doubled yourparts count. Enter the striker.A striker is a firing pin that sits inthe slide and is surrounded by its ownspring. This is more compact, as thewhole ignition system fits in the slide.It does away with the external hammerand makes the gun more snag-proofand reduces the number of parts. Oncelargely found on inexpensive pocketpistols, striker ignition is found on allmanner of autoloaders today. It is not,however without a fault.Most notably, the use of a smallerspring generally means there is less totalenergy in the ignition system to dealwith a recalcitrant primer. The primersUSCONCEALEDCARRY.COMPHOTO BY B. SHONTSon military ammunition, for example,tend to be harder than on commercialrounds, to make them more resistant torough handling and repeated chambering.If you use a striker-fired pistol andhave found a great deal on military surplusammo, buy a box or two to try outfirst and make sure that your pistol likesit before you go ordering three cases ofammunition that may have primers toohard for your gun to reliably set off.Lastly, be aware that strikers can bemore sensitive to dirt and debris thanconventional hammer-and-firing-pinsetups. Whenever you have your sidearmdisassembled for cleaning, ensurethat the striker channel is clean anddry and that the striker moves freely init. During the firing cycle, small metalshavings, powder gunk, and otherresidue can get through the hole in thebreech face and gum up the works, socheck for this. HTamara Keel has been shooting guns asa hobby since she was eighteen. She hasworked in the firearms business sincethe early 1990s. Her pastimes includecollecting old guns, writing, and beingbossed around by house cats.CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2012

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PHOTO BY B. SHONTS“To preserve liberty, it is essential that thewhole body of people always possess arms...”- Richard Henry Lee, 1788, Member of the First U.S. Senate.