The Ambiguity Zone, Part 3: Information is power, but not if it’s ignored

When things are ambiguous, correctly processing all relevant information becomes critical.

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 27, 2019

Make up your mind, before you need to

Daydreaming can be a good self defense technique. Here's an excellent example.

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 2, 2019

Following up on the Three Easy Steps: Readiness as a habit

Last week I introduced Grant’s Patented Plan To Becoming More Self-Reliant In Three Easy Steps ™: Buy a pocket knife. Buy a small high-intensity flashlight. Carry them with you every day. My approach to preparedness, whether the subject is self defense or disaster readiness, is to start with becoming better prepared to handle common, […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 5, 2019

How to get prepared in three easy steps

I admit to a bit of creative over-simplification in today’s title, but there’s an important lesson in it. My wife and I were walking in the woods recently, and the topic of conversation touched on preparedness. Rather, the lack of preparedness amongst a large percentage of the adult population. How the other three-quarters lives […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 28, 2019

The critical skill no one teaches

The ability to judge risk is critical to the long game of self defense. (As it happens, it’s also critical to efficient preparedness, investing your retirement funds wisely, and the choice between flying or driving to your vacation destination.) Yet, despite its importance, it’s very rarely talked about — especially in the self defense community. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On October 15, 2018

What if nothing happens?

No matter what the preparedness focus, be it just self defense or a full-blown disaster, in the back of everyone’s mind is a little voice that wonders if they’re not being just a little silly. “After all”, the little voice says, “you’re spending a lot of your time, energy, and money on something you don’t […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 16, 2018

The best defense is still not being there

A few weeks back I wrote an article on why I don’t entertain the notion of “what-if” scenarios. If you haven’t read it, you should. On a somewhat related note, I also don’t entertain the notion of the foregone conclusion scenario. It’s the one that presupposes a specific outcome or a specific event in an […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 2, 2018

Selling defense without talking about prevention

“F**k marketing. There are too many people in marketing.” — Steve Jobs A while back I saw a slick promo video for a training organization (which will remain nameless), and it’s bothered me ever since because it makes the job of teaching people how to truly stay safe so much harder. The video showed footage […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 23, 2018

Some lessons from the Las Vegas attack

As I write this it’s been five days since a man opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding over 500. While information is still being processed by law enforcement, and there are still many unanswered questions about the motives of the attacker, enough information has come out […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On October 9, 2017

You win 100% of the fights you don’t have

Ever heard the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? It should be engraved on concealed carry licenses all across the country. You’re always better off taking small precautions (regular immunizations, checkups, and eating properly) to prevent getting sick than you are spending lots of money trying to get well […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 28, 2017

Fort Lauderdale and the wisdom of traveling light

Last week’s shooting attack at Fort Lauderdale Airport gives us an opportunity to look at risk management from a personal standpoint. Airports are a favorite target of terrorists and are obviously attractive to deranged individuals as well. Part of the attraction is no doubt their status as a consistent no weapons zone; no matter where […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 13, 2017

The Fort Lauderdale attack: it’s not the gun. Again. Still.

Just a few days ago a man with a history of mental issues boarded an airline in Alaska, after declaring his gun in checked luggage as required by law. He sat down in his seat and the suitcase containing his pistol and ammunition was placed in the cargo hold beneath him. When he got to […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 9, 2017

“All The Lumens”: how much flashlight do you really need for self defense?

I got an interesting email in response to my recent review of the FourSevens Quark Smart QS2L-X and Preon P2 lights. In that review I said that the lithium-powered Quark Smart, at 950 lumens, was actually more than enough light for my purposes and that the Preon at 220 lumens was still easily sufficient for […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 24, 2016

Incident Analysis: Road raging car vs. motorcycle. How would you handle it?

I’ve spoken before about the need to be able to protect yourself when you’re not armed, and today’s topic is a perfect example: a video of a motorcycle versus car road rage incident from Florida shows the need to defend yourself when a firearm is either not available or is not the right choice. Not every […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 8, 2016

Do you carry religiously? You may not be as safe as you believe.

I know that most of the people reading this blog are here to learn about defensive shooting, concealed carry, firearms training, and related topics. The rest are interested in things like rifles, revolvers, reloading, and other technical issues. In other words, regardless of the group into which you fit, if you’re reading this you’re probably […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 18, 2016

On the Umpqua Community College killings.

I’ve had numerous emails and messages asking me what I know about the killings which took place in my backyard this morning. What I can tell you is that I have relatives and friends in Roseburg, some of whom are hurting tonight. Evil came to a beautiful part of the country — my part of […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On October 1, 2015

Personal safety apps: do they really keep you safer?

Sometimes I think people have a distorted view of personal security — particularly in the media! Now I know that’s hard to believe; after all, if you can’t trust the media, who can you trust? (In case anyone doesn’t get the sarcasm in that sentence, well — it’s sarcasm!) They’ve been reporting lately on a […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 17, 2015

Don’t let what you CAN’T do get in the way of what you CAN do. That goes for your children, too.

A story out of a middle school in Alabama has made the rounds recently. The principal of that school suggested that parents send their kids to school with canned food, which they could hurl at an attacker in self defense. Predictably, the gun community (particularly certain segments of it) responded with scorn and derision: […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 27, 2015

Are fists deadly weapons? Is a punch a lethal assault? You might be surprised!

Whenever police shoot a knife-wielding attacker there are cries of excessive force because the suspect “only had a knife.” Somehow the reality that a knife is in fact a dangerous weapon escapes many people; they see the gun as a more powerful tool and therefore only to be used against equally powerful tools. The trouble with […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 3, 2015

A mob is heading into your space. What do you do?

Imagine this: you’re out for a nice evening with your wife. You decide that you’ll go see a movie at the local mall, maybe have a little dinner afterwards, and then head home for some much needed rest. A perfect date night, right? Well, it certainly would be, right up until the movie theater […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 17, 2015

If the police can’t come, what will you do?

All over the country, police budgets are being slashed. For some counties here in Oregon, tax revenues have declined so sharply that police patrols are no longer 24 hours per day. What would this mean if it happened in your town? A recent story out of Dallas, OR — a small town west of Salem, our state capital […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 2, 2015

Gun people really don’t understand pepper spray. Not many other people do, either!

A recent article about the failures of pepper spray got me to thinking: why don’t people understand what it’s really for? Gun people (that is, people who own and/or carry firearms for personal defense) sometimes get a little myopic. Oddly enough, people who don’t like guns get a little myopic too. When it comes to […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 22, 2015

Are you defensively fit? This New Year, resolve to be.

I know, I’m not big on the whole New Year’s Resolution thing either, but I’ve found that it’s easier to make lifestyle changes stick when there is more than one benefit to the resolution! Lots of folks start off the New Year with a resolution to get into better shape. For most folks it’s about […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 6, 2015

Wasp spray for self defense? This myth just won’t die!

It’s happened again — a supposed “expert” says yellowjacket killer is an effective self defense weapon. True, or unabashed nonsense? The internet is buzzing about a recent NBC news segment where a security “expert” recommended the use of wasp/yellowjacket/hornet spray as a good replacement for pepper spray (aka oleoresin capsicum or ‘OC’ for short), […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 16, 2014

Just because the environment is non-permissive doesn’t mean you’re defenseless!

Given the choice, when face-to-face with an armed attacker I’d rather have my gun in my hand. Should I give up because I can’t? One of the common memes in the gun control movement is that we must ban guns because the average person is completely defenseless against them. Oddly enough, there are a lot […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 26, 2014

How can YOU enhance your physical security?

As I’ve said countless times, both in print and in classes, your personal safety isn’t just about buying a gun. Here’s some discussion on how to look at security in a more holistic manner. I’m a “gun guy”. I don’t think I really started out to be one, but over the years it’s worked out […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 1, 2014

Do you know how to respond to a mass murder attempt?

The recent attacks at Fort Hood and on the Jewish community in Kansas remind us that irrational attacks happen. How can you respond if you find yourself in one of these situations? Attacks on large targets, meaning areas where many people congregate, are meant (or hoped) to result in mass casualties. The attacker(s) most […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 15, 2014

Be honest: are you in any condition to run away?

One of the most ignored aspects of personal security is your physical condition. Why is it important to be in the best shape you can be? Over on Greg Ellifritz’s blog, he talks about running away from an attacker. It’s an excellent article and you should take the time to read it. One thing he […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 27, 2014

How can you really use situational awareness to be safer?

Most people who talk about situational awareness don’t really understand what it’s about or how to use it to their advantage. Here are some reasons why that’s the case, and a resource for learning the proper role of situational awareness in your total self defense plan. A few years back I wrote a very controversial […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 25, 2014

What is the most useful self defense tool you can carry? How about…the humble flashlight!

Is there something you can carry which can actually help keep you safe, to help identify and prevent trouble before it happens? The flashlight can, which is why I believe everyone who is interested in personal safety and preparedness should carry one. While I spend a lot of time talking about firearms and shooting, I’ve […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 18, 2014

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