Take a look at the picture illustrating this post. It comes from a security camera in the recent El Paso Walmart incident, and has been shared widely in social media as well as more than one blog. It’s also being used to sell an idea, a notion really, that I think is unrealistic and maybe even dangerous.
I’ve seen this very ...
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Welcome to your Hump Day Reading List!
This is your refuge from the impersonal Google and FaceBook algorithms that seem to run our lives these days. Instead of a machine deciding what you’ll see, I personally go out and look for great articles that have value to the quest for greater personal and family safety.
From all of the articles that I ...
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In my job I follow a lot of news stories about horrific events. Once I’ve dissected the event for any lessons, however, I usually don’t think about it much. After all, there will be another attacker, or another disaster, to study tomorrow. Whether I’m just jaded or truly lack empathy I’m not sure, but I don’t think much about such things — except in ...
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Welcome to your Hump Day Reading List!
This is your refuge from the impersonal Google and FaceBook algorithms that seem to run our lives these days. Instead of a machine deciding what you’ll see, I personally go out and look for great articles that have value to the quest for greater personal and family safety.
From all of the articles that I ...
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(From The Management: This post was supposed to appear on Friday, but a technical glitch on the site prevented it from going live. My apologies! — GC)
Getting started in preparedness, whether the entry point is in self defense or in disaster survival, can seem daunting. Even moving from one area of preparedness to another, particularly if they’re unrelated, can be intimidating.
Unfortunately, sometimes the people ...
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Much has been written about (and many arguments started over) the value of competitive shooting for the person who owns or carries a firearm for personal defense. There are generally two polarized views in this manufactured controversy.
The first states that a defensive shooting is always a competition and that only competitive shooters can possibly reach their potential against an adversary. The second believes ...
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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.
She used an example from her previous life in corporate America: Her profession ...
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Welcome to the Hump Day Reading List! Here are what I believe to be the three most important articles you can read this week to enhance your personal and family safety:
My friend Cecil Burch, martial arts legend and expert in entangled fighting, has some things to say about fake ...
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This is a sobering tale, and I share it for a lesson that’s not immediately obvious.
Concealed Carrier vs. Armed Robber
The story is relatively simple: Mr. Miller was at his son’s house looking at a plumbing problem. His son was not home at the time, but was on the phone with his father. The timeline is a little unclear, but it seems that Miller ...
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Welcome to the Hump Day Reading List! Here are what I believe to be the three most important articles you can read this week to enhance your personal and family safety:
In the defensive training world, everything is always about “faster”. We train to draw faster, shoot faster, move faster. Our drills are always about ...
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Welcome to the Hump Day Reading List! Here are what I believe to be the three most important articles you can read this week to enhance your personal and family safety:
I’ll admit I had a few reservations about sharing this article, largely because of the references to seducing women (and the machismo ...
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Welcome to the Hump Day Reading List! Here are what I believe to be the three most important articles to read this week.
Sometimes it’s about bad animals! This news story out of Georgia shows us that dangers don’t always look like our preconceived notions, and sometimes your defensive firearm ...
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It’s Wednesday, and time once again for my hand-picked selection of this week’s best articles to increase your safety, security, and survivability!
It never has been, and it never will be. Self defense is about the resolute refusal to be a victim, and using whatever means you have at hand to enforce that decision. This group of middle-school girls ...
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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.
While it’s true that ...
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Lately I’ve been allowing myself to do something I caution others to never do: read the comments.
Whenever I’ve come across a news story that has something to do with self defense or disaster preparedness, I read a few of the comments left by others. I’ve noticed something interesting: they often use the word “should”.
Continue Reading →“I should be able to shoot anyone who comes into my ...
Sorry for not having a Hump Day List last week, but I was down with a nasty cold. What’s worse than a cold in summer? I don’t know and I don’t want to find out!
I get lots of questions from people who are just starting to suffer from arthritis, scared that their shooting days are coming to an end. It doesn’t ...
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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 know for sure will ever come to pass. What if it ...
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The concept of minimalism intrigues me, because of its emphasis on personal growth rather than the acquisition of things. It forces one to ask “what’s important to me?” and “what do I really need?” rather than “oh, look, free shipping if I spend more money than I originally intended to!”
Sadly, in this case the self defense and firearms media is always working against you.
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Wednesdays are always better with great self defense and preparedness information!
Not every potentially dangerous situation is a surprise. Sometimes they develop from your interaction with another person. Anyone who has ever worked in a service job understands how unhinged people can become over seemingly innocuous things, and sometimes their anger builds to the point of violence. There are some ...
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It must be said that I’m not really a travel bug. Don’t get me wrong; I’m no hermit, but I don’t have the intense wanderlust many people do. I can appreciate it, even envy it to an extent, but I’ve never had it.
So it was something of an oddity for me to be reading an interview with globetrotter Anthony Bourdain titled “All the Things ...
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For at least a decade I’ve subscribed to the idea that a teacher needs to be open to change, and that in fact one of the best ways to gauge the quality of a teacher is to ask what he (or she) has changed their mind about. If they’re learning, if they’re growing, they’ll experience evolution in ...
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In both the self defense and prepping communities, people talk about preparing — training and equipping — for “the worst case scenario”. “We train for the worst case”, schools brag (and their students claim).
What, actually, is the worst case?
If you were to take a little time (or perhaps watch an apocalyptic movie or two) I’m sure you could imagine an absolute ...
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Whether you’re prepping for survival or studying self defense against a criminal, you need to consider the circumstances under which you’d respond — where your tripwires are, the things that will trigger your response. Some people call them “a line in the sand” or “point of no return”, but no matter what the term the function is the same: the circumstances which ...
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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 after the fact.
In self defense terms, it means that ...
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It’s starting to look like spring around here — great articles are popping up! This week: sighting in your defensive handgun; making fitness a priority; some questions about revolvers; defeating a dog attack; some great hotel safety tips; how to use body language to stay safer; and time out doesn’t necessarily mean giving up on your progress.
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It’s the first of March and the Reading List is coming in like a lion! Today you’ll learn about squib loads and how to identify them; how to deal with the HK VP9 magazine release lever; how to prioritize your skills and preparations; the medical skills you need to know to deal with life-threatening trauma; how to unload a pistol for beginners; ...
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Have you ever thought about what it takes to make the decision to protect yourself? Maybe it’s a matter of simply reframing your viewpoint.
Here’s an excerpt on mindset from my new book, Protect Yourself With Your Snubnose Revolver:
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Mindset
First, you need to make a decision: that your own life and the lives of your loved ones ...
A really interesting List this week! We start with geese as a defensive tool (no, I’m not kidding); considerations to make before deciding to engage an active killer; a woman is dead because of an irresponsible and untrained gun owner; women shopping for defensive handguns; what to do and what not to do at a drive-through; how to secure private information on your smartphone; and how to use that phone to deal with 9-1-1.
I’ll admit ...
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One of my recurring nightmares (probably influenced by television) is being in a critical, terrifyingly dangerous situation with my wife. In every episode of this nightmare she can’t see the danger coming and I’m forced to yell instructions to her — instructions on either what do do (“run!”) or what not to do (“stay still!”) Instead of trusting my judgement, she uncharacteristically turns around and starts arguing! She’s then promptly swallowed by the expanding chasm, or eaten by the devilish apparition, or ...
Continue Reading →Another Wednesday, another Reading List! In today’s list: learning to fight back; knowing where your line in the sand is; the police probably aren’t going to save you; what not to do when your attacker is in your face; getting your gun ready when you don’t yet need to shoot; a sad case of someone who didn’t understand when the fight was over; preparing for winter storms; and Greg Ellifritz teaches us to look for opportunities. Read, learn, and share!
