Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.

Criminal Clues: Tips to Avoid Appearing Like a Soft Target

It’s important to understand the criminal victim selection criteria and strive to reduce those “tells” in your daily life.

Dry Practice Safety Protocol | Swift/Silent/Deadly

Dry practice is one of the more dangerous things we do with firearms.  Here are some tips to make it more safe.

Two Centuries of Duty Pistols: Guns of the NYPD

A fun look at historical NYPD pistols.

Handguns for Bear Defense: Will Any of Them Stop the Threat?

In last week’s dump, I posted an article discussing using AR-15 rifles for bear defense.  Are handguns better or worse?

The Twin Falls In-N-Out Incident

John compiled some of video footage (from different angles) of the recent Idaho active killer attacks.  Lots of stuff in this video that you likely haven’t seen in your mainstream news feeds. You may also enjoy Running to the Guns.

Predictable Performance: What 100 Cold Runs Revealed

Jeff conducts a very valuable shooting experiment.  You should also read his article titled 

Practical Pistol Standard Course of Fire

A shooting drill to try on your next range trip. 

Threadlocker How-To // The Glue That Binds Us

Threadlocker facts.

Travel Security Starts with You—The Armed Traveler

Michael Janich has some good information on low key travel weapons.

Magazine Spring Myths – GUNS Magazine

Dispelling some magazine myths.

When the World Breaks

“Understanding how we react during all phases of a disaster is not only intellectually compelling, but crucial for how we approach public safety and disaster preparedness. As natural hazards increase in frequency and urban environments grow denser, the psychology of disaster has become a field of growing importance. Researchers now look closely at the behavioral patterns that arise when danger erupts because these patterns can determine who reacts quickly, who hesitates, and who survives.”

Appendix Carry | Carrying Comfortably While Seated

The Art of One-Handed Shooting – The Armory Life

Try some of these modifications during your one handed shooting practice.  If the changes make you shoot better, adopt them.  If not, discard them.

Trained vs. Untrained: The Physiology of Self-Defense

How trained versus untrained people experience life threatening stress.  And while we are on the topic, it’s important to realize 3rd hand knowledge in tactics is not real.

Missing school shootings in the FBI’s 2025 Active Shooter report

“The most likely reason to underreport active shooters is to show a declining trend.”

Is purse carry worst carry?

If you don’t want to carry in a purse, take a look at Best Concealed Carry Fanny Packs & Belt Bags for Women.

Breaking News: Silencer Shop CEO Explains NFA Injunction

There are lots questions about last week’s court decision involving suppressors and short-barreled long guns.  In this video, the CEO of Silencer Shop discusses the details.  Until this case law is implemented nationwide, please be careful purchasing these items.  And if you are going to build a can yourself, read How to avoid ATF’s homemade silencer entanglements.

Why Reality Is Never Enough

“But the market does not respond to predictability. It responds to novelty. It rewards you when you show up in a way it has not already been seen a thousand times.

AND…

When you’re using the same AI models everyone else is using to do your writing / editing / thought-partnering / thinking / marketing strategy / vibecoded webdesign …

Yeah, YOUR stuff is going to look and sound like everybody else’s, and it sure as heck ain’t gonna get the job done.”

Shooting Off the Ruck

I claim no advanced sniper knowledge beyond attending a couple police SWAT sniper schools and getting certified to teach the topic to cops in my former state.  I was my agency’s sniper for a long time, but seldom deployed.  For what it’s worth, I always shoot better off a ruck than off a bipod.

Your brain was hardwired to copy

Read this and place it in the context of doing skill demonstrations in training.

Jeff Cooper’s Color Code: You’re Doing it Wrong

“Col. Jeff Cooper’s Color Code of Awareness (the “Cooper Color Code”) — you’re very likely doing it wrong. There’s a possibility this article will slaughter a few sacred cows. It is certain to cause some ass pain. That’s okay, though. What we want to do, more than anything else is to get engaged professionals talking whether they agree with the author’s contention or not. Know why? Because discussion, disagreement, and civil discourse are where learning occurs.”

You might also find How to Read a Room Before You Sit Down – Option Gray informative.

50 or 100 Yards? The Zero Distance Debate, Settled – Tactical Fitness Austin

I can make a good argument for either distance.  For me, my red dot sighted rifles have 50 yard zeros.  My rifles with magnified optics get 100 yards zeros.  

Bullet Construction Matters

Please don’t use these lightweight varmint bullets for self protection.  I personally investigated a shooting at my former agency where a varmint round didn’t penetrate a car windshield from about 20 feet away.  I also have a police officer friend who shot a man with one of these rounds.  The guy he shot ambushed him, firing a few missed shots.  Upon receiving return fire from my friend, the suspect jumped up and started running toward more substantial cover.  The officer hit the guy in the butt with a varmint round as he was running away.

The suspect fell.  The bullet liquefied a section of the glute muscle, but did no serious damage.  The suspect was out of the hospital with a bandage in two hours.

Quote to Ponder:

“Assume life will be really tough, and then ask if you can handle it. If the answer is yes, you’ve won….

Life is very likely to provide terrible blows, unfair blows. Some people recover, and others don’t. And there I think the attitude of Epictetus helps guide one to the right reaction. He thought that every mischance in life, however bad, created an opportunity to behave well. He believed every mischance provided an opportunity to learn something useful. And one’s duty was not to become immersed in self-pity, but to utilize each terrible blow in a constructive fashion.”

– Charlie Munger

Some of the above links are affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle reader for your computer or phone HERE.  

Here are a few free books that I think my readers might enjoy. Check these out.

One caution….

These books were free at the time I posted them. Prices change rapidly. Please check the price before you hit the “buy” button! 

If you cannot see any of the links below, there is likely a setting in either your internet browser or ad blocking software that prohibits “live links.”  If you see a blank page below, check those settings.  I promise you that there are book links actually listed directly below.

Happy Reading!

While you are contemplating book purchases, don’t forget my travel safety book.

For an even larger selection of great books (not free), check out my Recommended Reading page.

Some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase an item using one of those links, I get a small percentage of the payment.  It does not cost you any additional money.

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.

Irons vs Optics: Why Pistol Optics is the Clear Winner

Justin’s thoughts on pistol mounted optics.  He’s right.  But I still run iron sights.  I can still see them clearly and shoot well with them.  At this stage of the game, with a shortened life expectancy, it doesn’t seem to be worth my time and effort to learn a new system.

The RevolverGuy’s Reading List

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I’ve been slacking a bit in posting recent Revolver Guy content.  These posts will make up for that.  To start, check the link above.  It’s one of the mots comprehensive revolver book lists I’ve ever seen.  You might also like:

The Smith & Wesson Enhanced Boot Grip

Revolver Gunsmith Roundup, Part I

SAC Tactical Revolver Class AAR

Trigger Reset Simplified : 3 (or More) Reasons Why Everything You Know About it is Probably Wrong

A sensible look at trigger management.  I was taught to pin the trigger and then “catch the link” in most of the firearms schools I attended in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  I don’t think it’s the most effective way of teaching rigger management today.

OST Target Stencil – Save Some $

Using a stencil to turn your old Amazon boxes into USPSA targets.

Armed Lifestyle Magazine

Some articles that many of you will enjoy.

12 Ways To Get More Out Of Your Next Firearms Training Class

Very good information for you to study before your next shooting class.

.22 LR VS .32 ACP – Short Barrel Ballistic Gel Test

Both of these calibers are laughed at by ballistic “professionals” who warn you never to carry either defensively.  How well do they perform in real life?

Here are some more .32 acp gelatin tests.

ARs for Bear Defense: Practical Choice or Potential Disaster?

Can you use an AR-15 for bear defense?

Ahead of the Crowd

Intelligence sources for monitoring civil unrest.

Lethal Force Vs Pepper Spray: Is There Ever A Justification?

The late Marty Hayes discusses the legal use of deadly force against someone using pepper spray against you.  I see a lot of criminals using pepper spray now, especially in large crowd violence scenarios and group “takeover-style” robberies.  You should be mentally prepared for this possibility.  I have been confronted by criminals armed with pepper spray in my police career.  I did not shoot them.

Appendix Carry vs. Strong-Side Carry: Which Concealed Carry Method Is Right for You?

Advantages and disadvantages of both carry methods.  If you are interested in the topic, you may also like Frontal Carry.

Neuroplasticity on the Range: Designing a Firearms Training Regime Around the Mind

“When building a shooting program intended to function as a personal defense mechanism, the shooter’s neural networks must function effectively under threat, requiring stress inoculation as a vital component of program design.”

Technique: (Slide) Rack City, Rack Rack City

Two weeks ago, I included an article in the knowledge dump about “proper” ways to close the slide after a reload.  I used to be somewhat militant about recommending “the best” way of doing this.  Now I don’t care so much.  I let students use the slide release, overhand grip, or slingshot the slide.  All of those methods work.  This is a comprehensive look at all the positive and negative aspects of the various methods used to chamber a round in a semi auto pistol.  As long as the student gets the round chambered quickly, it really doesn’t matter so much to me how he does it.

Better Than Free: How To Differentiate In The Age Of AI

In a dump a couple weeks ago, I posted an article about how AI is altering the material we read.  This is a followup to that article.  It describes eight categories of items that people will pay for even if the AI alternative is free.  This is where all of us should be concentrating our entrepreneurial efforts.

Fanny packing: Criminals increasingly stashing guns in tourist staple

This article is now five years old.  If anything, the trend is now even more popular than it was when the piece was originally published.  As fanny packs (now worn over the shoulder) become fashionable urban attire, criminals are starting to carry guns in them again.  Keep your eyes open when you see someone carrying a fanny pack this way.

For what it’s worth, the only armed criminal I ever arrested who was carrying a holster was a jewelry store robber who carried two pistols in an old school Uncle Mike’s neon green gun fanny pack.

Precision, adaptability and response: The need for LPVOs in equipping today’s patrol officer

I switched from a red dot to an LPVO on my police duty rifle back in 2015.  I can think of several situations where the LPVO gave me an advantage in real-life tactical situations.

Free Targets And Downloadable Resources

Download and print some free targets for your next range session.  

HOW TO SUTURE: DIY GUIDE TO WOUND CLOSURE METHODS

Some systems collapse medical skills.

Although not a skill most of you should be doing, this article will be valuable for advanced practicioners.

Stop the Killing. Stop the Dying. — TacMed USA

Continuing on the topic of medical skills.  You may also enjoy The SALT Method: Triage and Treatment for Mass-Casualty Incidents.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Skills Check: The Meltdown Drill

Try Steve’s “Meltdown Drill” here.  For another shooting drill, try Practical Pistol Standard Course of Fire.

The Pistol in British Military Service during the Great War

Very cool 38 page PDF document covering WWI British pistol use and training.  The training and standards advocated here are more advanced than what we currently use to train our modern-day cops.  It’s sad to think that we’ve actually lost ground in 100 years of “progress.”

“These cover grouping, rapid and snap shooting, at a variety of ranges, and engaging targets whilst advancing on foot. Shooting is to be conducted with both right and left hand, single and double action, to tight timings. One practice involves firing at targets whilst moving down a trench. There are mounted practices for those for whom they were appropriate.”

“He advocated the use of instinctive shooting at close ranges and using the sights for longer distances.  Tracy’s stated “War Shot” standard was the ability of a man to hit a 12” by 16” rectangle, with one pistol shot at ten yards, in one second.”

For other articles about older pistols, also check out:

Remington Handguns Pt. 1: The Old Era

Eight Of The Strangest Self-Defense Pistols Ever Conceived

The Lifetime Likelihood Of Needing A Gun For Self-Defense

My friend Alex does a really good job analyzing these statistics.

Fight Cancer Like a Man: A Breakthrough Treatment for Prostate Cancer Without Surgery, Radiation, or Sacrificing Your Manhood

What I’m reading….

Random Thoughts on Counter-Ambush For Police

Criminals and terrorists ambushing police officers has become exponentially more common in the past few years.  Cops are looking to alter their tactics to more safely approach their calls.  We don’t have to re-invent the wheel here.  South African cops have been getting ambushed for a long time.  Here are some tips from a leading South African police trainer about how they prevent police ambushes.

How To Shoot Handguns At Long Distance

Few people shoot handguns at really long ranges.  Even fewer do so with iron sights.  If you are an antique like myself, this old school technique commonly called “shooting out of the notch” works really well.

Considerations for Fighting With a Little One at Your Side

This is an article that all of you armed parents should read.  It presents some out-of-the-box thinking on the topic.

“My husband and I are fairly evenly matched when it comes to our defensive skills. But while I sometimes struggle to carry just one of our children, my husband can collect all three of them in his arms and carry them with ease. He’s also the family breadwinner. He’s capable of getting the rest of our family to safety and can provide for our children long term if I don’t survive a violent encounter. That makes flipping traditional gender roles a smart choice for our family, and it might be for yours too.”

Quote to Ponder:

“Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson.”

— Alan Cohen

Some of the above links are affiliate links.   I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.

I originally wrote this article 13 years ago.  Just a few weeks ago, I went out to dinner with a long time friend from high school.  She teaches women’s self defense classes at a local college.  She mentioned that she used this article in every class she teaches.  Until I had spoken with her, I had honestly forgotten about writing it.  I decided to update the article and repost it in the hopes that it will be valuable to my female readers.

-Greg

In the various self protection classes I regularly take as a student, a common theme I encounter is instructors noting that their female students are “too nice.”  In the interest of social conformity or in the attempt to be polite, women often endure situations that could have been avoided if they weren’t so afraid to speak up or even to be “rude” to strangers who are attempting to victimize them.

Those classes regularly cause me to reflect on a situation I encountered on the way to work nearly 20 years ago.

While driving to my police training job, I decided to stop off at the post office to mail a few letters.   The closest post office to my house happened to be in the city where I lived, and not the city where I worked (and had police jurisdiction).  While I was wearing a police uniform, I had no more arrest authority there than any other patron.

The parking lot lot was fairly busy, with lots of cars and a bunch of people walking around.   As I got out of my car, I saw a really strange looking guy approaching random women in the parking lot.  He was a white male in his mid 40’s.   Long hair.  Bandanna on his head.  Tie-dyed shirt.  Too-tight khaki booty shorts.  Socks pulled up over his knees.  Do you get the picture?  He was a weird dude.  His strange appearance caused me to watch him fairly closely.

Walking up to the post office, I saw that the odd looking man attempting to thread his belt through the loops at the rear of his shorts.  He was asking every woman he saw for help putting on his belt.  I initially thought he was developmentally disabled, but as I neared, I noticed his very clear, intelligent speech patterns and a lack of any physical infirmities.  He didn’t need any help.  He was trying to get women to touch his ass!

The most disturbing thing was that all of the women were complying with his requests.  One middle-aged lady was clearly uncomfortable.  He was begging her to help him with his belt.   She was trying to help him as he “guided” her hand all over his rear end.  She looked mortified, but didn’t say or do anything to stop the man.

Then this strange little man noticed me walking past and seemed scared.  He said: “Thank you, I got it!” and scampered off.  The woman was visibly relieved and thanked me for being there as we walked into the post office.

I mailed my letters and walked out. Guess who was out in the parking lot again?  Tie-dye man was accosting yet another woman.  He was physically blocking a college-aged girl from getting into her car by using the same scheme: “Help me with my belt. I need some help threading it through the loops back here.”  This girl was trying to ignore him and get into her car, but he wouldn’t let her.  She appeared terrified.

To my surprise, rather than fighting, screaming, or calling the police, she started helping him with his belt.   He grabbed her hand and rubbed it up and down his ass.

I couldn’t take it.  I walked up to the guy, pulled the woman’s hand out of his and told him to leave.  I also told him that I would have him arrested if I ever saw him in the parking lot again.  The freak sheepishly apologized and walked away.  I never saw him again.

It got me thinking about a few things…..

Did I make the right move by confronting him?  I was out of my jurisdiction, didn’t have any arrest powers, radio communications, or backup.  From a legal and “officer safety” standpoint, I did everything wrong.  But I’m glad I did it.  Those women being victimized were even more glad I intervened.

Looking back, the world was a different place 20 years ago.  Police officers were more respected by society and we were given a bit more leeway to handle things “unconventionally” without the presence of body cameras and the general public looking to video every police interaction hoping to get some short term notoriety documenting police “misconduct.”  

In today’s world, I probably would have called the local police rather than intervening myself.  I think most other officers would do the same.  That means it’s even more important for potential female victims to stand up for themselves.  No one is coming to help you.

In the intervening years, I’ve thought a lot  about those women in that parking lot.  None of them wanted to touch that freak’s ass.  All of them were clearly scared and disturbed.  Yet none of them did a single thing to avoid the situation.  They could have just walked away from him, they could have told him to back off, they could have yelled for help, they could have pepper sprayed him.  Hell, the guy was small.  Most of the women could have kicked his ass in a physical fight.

The ladies didn’t do any of that.  They just meekly complied.  I don’t think they wanted to be considered “rude” or “mean”.   It’s disappointing.

Listen, ladies.  You don’t have to be nice to people who are clearly trying to victimize you.   You don’t have to help every stranger who asks for your assistance. It’s OK to be mean.   If you are confronted by a criminal, respond quickly and decisively. You have my permission.  I don’t care what you do…hit the guy, run away, scream for help.  Do something!  Don’t meekly enable your own victimization.

I can’t change society.  What I can do is provide some educational resources that might make my readers change their own actions and reduce their risks.  I don’t know what I can do to help women become more assertive in situations like this except encourage you all to ask some questions  and pre-plan some logical responses.

What would you do if a man grabbed your hand and placed it on his butt in a public parking lot?

What would you do if you saw this happening to someone else?

How could you prevent it if you saw the strange man approaching?

Think those questions over.  Come up with a plan of action.  And ladies, if you are waiting for someone to give you permission to stand up for yourselves when you are feeling threatened, permission is granted!  Be mean. Be rude.  Refuse to be helpful if your safety is at risk.

And more importantly, encourage the women you love to do the same.

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.

School shooters are content creators. Will they wear Meta Ray-Ban glasses to livestream their attacks?

Important information for parents and teachers.  This may be a very useful way to interdict some of these attacks before they happen.  You will also want to read the author’s article titled Georgia school shooter was obsessed with True Crime Community (TCC).

Picking the Right Barrel Length For Your Suppressed 300 Blackout.

For those of you interested in the .300 Blackout.

Staying Healthy in the Fray: The Impact of Crowd Management on Officers in the Context of Civil Unrest

It’s summer time and riot season.  If you are a cop tasked with responding to crowd violence, here’s a free book for you.  Also for my police readers. research about public perception differences between strikes and takedowns Takedown or Knockout: Same Law, Different Reactions.

The BEST Snub Nose .22 LR Ammo for Defense to Date? CCI Velocitor 4″ Auto VS 2″ Snub Ballistic Test

The Punch load is my preferred option for .22 self protection duties.  The Velocitor is a close second.  Here’s how it performs out of both 2″ and 4″ barrels.  For some more gelatin tests, check out this one comparing .44 mag and 10mm auto Leverevoltion loads out of handguns.

Take Two: Hollywood Still Can’t Handle a Gun – American Handgunner

“Bullets do not care about your ego.”

The Walther PPK Is Not Very Good

For any of you with James Bond fantasies.  This gun’s reputation is far better than it should be.  It’s one of the few guns I genuinely hate shooting.  Read up to learn about the pistol’s main issues.

How to Shoot a Smith & Wesson Revolver – Douglas Wesson

A few links about firearms history.  Besides the one above, check out these too.

Retro Shotguns – Old School Cool – The Truth About Guns

Scrapping in the Old West – A Bit of Everything

How the Kentucky Rifle Turned Frontier Hunters into America’s First Snipers

Remington Model 8 Proved the Accuracy of Self-Loading Rifles

Carrying a Pocket Pistol

Richard Nance shares some high quality information about carrying a pocket pistol (so long as it isn’t a PPK).  If you like the article, check out Rich’s book as well.

USPS Handgun Mailing Rule 2026: The 99-Year Ban Is Gone

Good news for gun owners.

The Truth About Low Light: Free Webinar Aug 13 » Concealed Carry Inc

Dan knows a lot about running a gun in the dark.  This will be a good seminar.

Criminals Think Differently – Understand Them & Remain Armed

A primer on some of the distinctive thought processes that criminals have.  As the late Dr. William Aprill said “they are not like you.”  For another example of this concept, watch Dave Spaulding’s video They Don’t Think Like You Do.

AIWB Or: How I learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb.

Simon’s thoughts on AIWB carry.

Running Alone? My Concealed Carry and Safety Setup

Solid advice for female runners.

Should you carry a reload for your CCW revolver?

I tell students in my revolver classes that I consider carrying a reload for your small frame revolver to be an act of optimism.  How long does the average gunfight last?  There are variations, but three to five seconds is a pretty good estimate.  How long does it take to reload a small revolver with a speed loader?  With practice, most of you will be in the four to five second range.  

See the problem?

If you decide to remain optimistic, Caleb describes How to carry a reload for your CCW revolver and How to reload your small revolver.

Warning! Hurt Feelings Ahead, But The Truck Gun Idea is Asinine for Most Intended Purposes

If my memory holds, I believe that we have seen exactly ONE active killer stopped by a guy who retrieved a long gun from his car before engaging the killer.  Overall, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to carry a rifle in your car in most urban environments.  The ever-present risk of the gun being stolen outweighs any potential benefit the gun confers.

Biological War: A Scenario

What I’m reading…

3 Reasons I don’t Like Backup Guns

I generally only link to articles that share advice on a topic about which the author and I generally agree.  I don’t agree with this article. 

Why post it?  Because the issues he mentioned should be part of your consideration when deciding when or if you need to carry a second gun.  As a dude who carried a second gun on my person every single police shift I worked for 25 years, I think I he overstates all of the negatives he describes.

With that said, I think most of you will be fine if you skip carrying a backup piece to the grocery store.  I don’t often carry a second gun on my person now that I’m retired, but some of you face different risks than I encounter now.  There are also some important advantages to carrying more than one gun.  Read Passing Off a Backup Gun.  Understand the issues involved and make your best decision.

What’s the Future of Firearms Training? Let’s Ask 3 Guys Who Should Know

Where is our industry heading?

Guns of GOA G.O.A.L.S. 2026

Some new guns you probably haven’t seen before.

Defensive 1911: Managing 1911 Safeties

I see a lot of operator error in classes when students don’t properly use the safeties on the 1911 platform.  You’ll also like the same author’s take on Defensive Shotgun Upgrades & Accessories.

Training Toys or Tools?

Alternatives to live fire.

Animal Bites in the Outdoors: What Every Hunter, Hiker, and Camper Should Know

I cover bite wounds in a lot of my medical classes.  If you are going to be in a remote area without available care, pick up some Augmentin as an antibiotic.  It’s the antibiotic of choice for most animal and human bites.

On the topic of remote areas, you might also like What Wilderness Experts Know That the Rest of Us Don’t.

August Rangemaster Newsletter

Good information about both shotguns and pistol mounted optics.  Opens to PDF.

Teaching civilians isn’t the same as teaching cops

“But when it comes to physical skills like firearms, defensive tactics and practical self-defense, too many cops assume their law enforcement knowledge automatically transfers to citizen defenders. It doesn’t.”

Quote to Ponder:

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle reader for your computer or phone HERE.  

Here are a few free books that I think my readers might enjoy. Check these out.

One caution….

These books were free at the time I posted them. Prices change rapidly. Please check the price before you hit the “buy” button! 

If you cannot see any of the links below, there is likely a setting in either your internet browser or ad blocking software that prohibits “live links.”  If you see a blank page below, check those settings.  I promise you that there are book links actually listed directly below.

Happy Reading!

While you are contemplating book purchases, don’t forget my travel safety book.

For an even larger selection of great books (not free), check out my Recommended Reading page.

Some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase an item using one of those links, I get a small percentage of the payment.  It does not cost you any additional money.

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.

Running A Pistol Slide: Clam Shell, Sling Shot, or Slide Release? Or Who Cares?

At one point in time, I had very strong opinions about this topic.  Now I’m firmly into the “Who Cares” category.

Common Pistol Malfunctions: A Beginner’s Guide to Safe Gun Handling

A Girl and a Gun has posted several articles on the topic of firearms malfunctions in the last couple weeks.  For more, check out:

Pistol Malfunctions: Recognize. Diagnose. Respond.

When the Gun Stops

4-Minute AK Fixes

Some very ingenious AK improvements for you home tinkerers.  You might also like Unbreakable? Not Quite: Common AK Failure Points.

AR-15 Precision Long Range Shooting Basics

For those of you more interested in ARs than AKs.  No matter which one you choose, you will benefit from learning Long-Range Rifle Fundamentals: The 6-Step Routine.  And for one more article on the topic of AR-15s, here are some sensible upgrades for your rifle.

Defeating the Covert Accomplice: Part II

I posted Part One of this series a couple weeks ago.  Here is the follow up.

HOT Weather Concealed Carry | Tips To Get You Through Summer

Some warm weather CCW tips.

Off Body Carry: What Do You Have To Overcome

For those of you having problems with the concealment principles in the video above.

Stop Shooting in a Straight Line: The Case for Target Depth Training

Make sure you regularly add some distance transitions into your practice sessions.

Is the Opioid Epidemic Over?

Some really good information about the current status of opioid overdoses in the United States.  You should read 7 Things EMS Providers Should Know About the Opioid Epidemic in 2026 as well.

Training Program for New Ruckers

Rucking (fast walking while carrying a load) is an excellent exercise.  I do it several times a week and find it easier on my joints than long distance running.  This article provides a good beginner’s workout template.

You can carry a backpack full of weight, but for efficiency I use the Zelus 20 pound weight vest.  It adds a load in a comfortable manner that keeps you from becoming miserable.  The Zelus vest is inexpensive and far more comfortable than any other weighted vest options I’ve tried.

Gunshot Wounds to the Chest: Three Life-Threatening Problems

A solid overview of how to diagnose and manage penetrating chest trauma in the field.  You might also like When Active Shooter Medical Doctrine Fails at the Point of Wounding.

Tactical Pens: Ultimate Covert Defensive Tool?

My advice for using “tactical pens”:

Use a metal pen that doesn’t look “tactical.”

Don’t try any fancy joint locks, takedowns, or weapon disarms.

Hit the bad guy as hard as possible as many times as possible in the head/neck/collarbone area.

It’s not rocket science

Does Entropy Explain Why Crime Is Dropping?

A possible explanation for why the crime rate is dropping so rapidly.  For more good news, read ATF Backpedals on Training Ammo, Barrel Imports

The Ghosts of Guerrilla Memory: How Civil War Bushwhackers Became Gunslingers in the American West

What I’m reading…

How To Field-Strip S&W Revolvers

A very useful video for learning how to detail strip your Smith and Wesson revolvers.  The best reference book to help you out is JB Wood’s Revolver Assembly/Disassembly.

For a bit more revolver content, check out Revolver Legends: Five Shooters Who Changed Handgun History and Mastering The Revolver Reload.

Tips for Babywearing and Conceal Carry [2026] ⋆ Primer Peak

For those of you with little ones.

Where to Shoot

A valuable resource to find ranges close to your location.

Tell me you don’t know how to ‘Gray Man’ without telling me you don’t know how to Gray Man…

“The point is that clothing, bumper and window stickers, and overtly in your face slogans plastered on everything of a certain style, and any number of other indicators are expressions that declare you identify with a certain lifestyle. ‘Tactical Folk Dress’ is as blatant and predictable as Emo, Goth, Scene, Pride Ally, etc. and is its own brand of branding.

When you choose to be expressive, you aren’t a gray man. When you choose to wear the T-shirt declaring you’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6 you aren’t being unobtrusive and low profile. You might not be open carrying, but it is probably the next best thing. Wearing gun brands or other identifiables is as indicative as printing while concealed carrying. It gives people information about you.”

One more “gray man” article here: You’re Not Fooling Anybody

Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 – Part Deux

Erick does a great overview on this 20 gauge option and the defensive loads available for it.  I second his point about recoil.  This shotgun isn’t the best choice of you want the lightest possible recoil.  It’s the right choice for someone who can’t hold up a heavier shotgun.

Dark Arts for Good Guys: Break on Through to the other side

With the world’s current events, this might be useful information for some of you trying to deal with road blocks.

Gas Station Fight Leads To Prison Sentence | Active Self Protection

The most frustrating thing I have to explain to new concealed carriers is the fact that a punch or two does not generally rise to the level of “deadly force” under most state laws.  Don’t believe me?  Ask the guy who is now spending 20 years in prison.

Quote to Ponder:

“I think you could kind of see it as a criticism creation balance sheet. And if you’re criticizing more than you’re creating, you’re sort of withdrawing from the system more than you’re adding. And even if you get close, it should be 10 to 1, right? Some people are critics, right? Whatever. But for the most part, you should be contributing way more than you are. 

You know what’s a great way to do this? Go on somebody’s Twitter and look at how much is original content and how much are quote tweets. If it’s tons of quote tweets and presuming that it’s not just, this is awesome and I really like this, which no one is doing, go, you’re extracting from the system more than you’re adding to it. 

It’s always people who have never written a book that say, this is so badly researched, this is so lazy, this is this way, this is this way. I’ve noticed when it’s really visceral criticism of the book, they tend to have a profile which is criticism of everyone else’s attempt to do anything. The loudest shouts come from the cheapest seats.”

– Freya India

Some of the above links are affiliate links.   I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.

I had several calls in my 25-year police career where I did everything right, but I still can’t help but think that my solid police work caused more harm than good.  Here’s the one I think about most.

It happened a couple years before I retired.  One of the new guys on the shift made a traffic stop at about 4:00 pm on a busy road.  Very quickly he called for an additional backup unit.  I was the farthest car away, so I didn’t respond.

The backup officer arrived quickly and everything seemed under control.  About 15 minutes later, the new officer called for an additional backup unit and specifically asked for me to respond.  That’s very unusual, unless the suspects spoke Spanish.  I was the only officer on my shift who spoke the language and I often got called out to translate on traffic stops.

Expecting that he needed my translation services, I rolled to the scene.  When I arrived, I was surprised to see two white dudes in their mid-twenties handcuffed and sitting on the curb.  A couple handguns and a baggie of meth were laid out on the hood of the police cruiser.  The detained men were speaking English.

Clearly the officers didn’t need me for my Spanish skills.  I asked the new guy what was going on.

He told me that he had made a traffic stop for speeding and noticed that both the driver and the passenger seemed nervous.  As the officer looked into the passenger compartment of the car, he noticed a bag of what appeared to be illegal drugs sitting in plain view in the cup holder in the center console.  He called for backup.  The two officers got the suspects out of the car and handcuffed them.

The initial officer then retrieved the baggie of drugs from the center console.  He field tested the brownish-colored powder.  It tested positive for methamphetamine.

The officers then proceeded to search the car’s passenger compartment.  They found a Taurus G-2 handgun loaded with ball ammo under the driver’s seat.  They found a .22 Heritage Arms single action revolver and a partial box of .22 long rifle cartridges under the passenger seat.

Those guns warranted felony “carrying concealed weapons” charges at that time in the state of Ohio.  In addition, both suspects had felony drug convictions which gave them an additional charge of carrying “weapons under disability.”

The officers knew that I was the department’s former training officer and a firearms instructor.  They needed help.  Neither knew how to unload the single action revolver.

The .22 revolver that the new cops couldn’t unload

I unloaded the gun for them and asked the officers what these guys were up to.

The officer who made the stop said: “I don’t know.  They won’t talk to us.”

I asked if they had been Mirandized (they had) and if the officers wanted me to try to interview the suspects.  They did.

I walked over to the detained driver and introduced myself.

“Hey man.  We arrest people with guns and drugs pretty regularly.  I have to tell you though, I don’t see many .22 cowboy guns like that one you have.  I’m betting there’s a story behind why you are carrying it.  Want to tell me about it?”

The guys looked visibly relieved and the driver let out an audible sigh.  “It’s a long story.”

“Dude, I get paid by the hour.  I’m all ears.”

I don’t know for sure why these guys were willing to talk to me and not my coworkers.  Maybe because I was nice to them.  Maybe it was the fact that I was old enough to be their father.  Maybe they thought I was in charge because I was so much more senior to the guy who pulled them over.  It doesn’t matter.  Both prisoners began talking.

These guys were minor drug dealers.  They weren’t big players.  They were the kind of dudes who were long-term drug addicts.  They bought a little extra to sell to their friends in order to help finance their own habits.

They had been roommates with another guy who was also an addict and small time dealer.  That dude (the roommate) had been killed the week before.

It seems the roommate had run his mouth, bragging about being in possession of $1200 worth of crack cocaine and heroin.  A gang banger who had two previous murder arrests (no convictions) heard about the drug stash and tried to rip the roommate off.  The roommate fought back unarmed.  The murdering gang member shot the roommate twice in the face, killing him.

The guys we had arrested were on the way to their dead roommate’s funeral.  The roommate’s girlfriend was a tweaker who hadn’t been able to score any meth recently because her dead boyfriend was her primary drug supplier.  She was going through extreme withdrawal symptoms.  These dudes didn’t want her to be dope sick at her lover’s funeral.  They were going to give the meth we found in the car to the girlfriend so that she could make it through her late boyfriend’s closed-casket showing and graveside service.

“You know the meth is illegal and we have to deal with that, but I can understand why you guys have it.  Your roommate’s girl is probably hurting pretty bad right now.  She’s in a rough spot and you guys are trying to help her out.  I can respect that.  I might have done the same thing if I was in your position.”

The driver replied: “Thank you.  I fucking hate meth.  I’m a heroin addict, but I never do meth.  You can give me a drug test and see for yourself I’m telling you the truth.  It fucking sucks to get arrested for shit that I don’t even use.”

“Yeah, that does suck.  What’s up with the guns?”

The men continued their story.

Both men had been present when the gang banger killed their roommate.  They knew the killer’s identity.  They ratted out the killer to the Columbus police homicide squad.  They gave the detectives enough information to file a warrant for the murderer’s arrest.  The warrant was on file, but cops hadn’t caught the killer yet.

The killer knew who had ratted him out.  He was hunting the guy my coworker had pulled over and had threatened to kill him on sight.  My prisoner thought his roommate’s funeral was the perfect opportunity for the killer.  The killer knew my prisoner would be there and the killer would most certainly attempt to settle the score at the graveside service in the cemetery.

The prisoner I was talking to told me to look in his wallet.  I did so and found a business card from a Columbus Police homicide detective.  I called the detective and verified the story the prisoner told me was correct.  The detective was certain that the murderer would kill our prisoner if he encountered the guy before the cops arrested him on the murder warrant.

My prisoner continued:

“I’m not a violent guy.  I’ve never owned a gun in my life.  But I know if the murderer finds me, he’ll kill me too.  I knew I needed a gun.  A guy in my neighborhood sells stolen pistols.  I went to him and asked him to sell me two guns.  One for me and one for my other roommate here.  The murderer doesn’t know which of us talked to the police, but we were the only witnesses.  He’ll kill both of us as soon as he finds us.  

The cops can’t protect me.  I’ve got to handle this shit myself.  I bought the only two guns my street contact had.  I paid $150 for the 9mm and an extra $100 for the .22 with a box of bullets.  I’m just hoping the cops arrest the killer before he finds me or my family so I don’t have to use the guns.”

The driver admitted that he had purchased both guns and had given the .22 to his living roommate.  The roommate didn’t want the gun and just stuffed it under the seat for the ride to the funeral.  The passenger roommate admitted to buying the meth that they were going to deliver to their dead friend’s girl.

We charged the driver with both guns and the passenger for possession of methamphetamine.  We seized the evidence and took both criminals to jail.

Looking back on this case, I can’t help but to acknowledge a few difficult facts:

– Both of these guys had just witnessed their roommate’s murder and were now getting arrested for serious felonies.  Could someone’s week really get worse than that?

– They did the right thing by reporting the murderer’s name to the police.

– The police hadn’t worked very hard to arrest the killer, placing the informants in grave danger.

– The informants were trying to manage their own grief and help a dead friend’s grieving girlfriend through a horrible situation.

– They knew the cops couldn’t protect them, so they made the completely reasonable decision to purchase firearms the only way they could do so in order to protect themselves from the murderer who was currently trying to hunt them down.

Now because of a chance traffic stop, they were being arrested while the murderer was still free.  We seized the only instruments they owned that would allow them to defend themselves and their families from the rampaging murderer.

We were taking them to the same jail to which the murderer would also eventually be confined upon arrest, thereby guaranteeing a confrontation inside.  But the murderer was part of an organized street gang with lots of friends in that jail.  What do you think our informants’ chances of surviving that jail confrontation are?

Did we do the right thing?

The low level drug dealers we arrested weren’t model citizens by any means.  But they were trying to do the right thing by turning in the murderer at grave risk to their own personal safety.

If we hadn’t arrested them, there was a good chance that they would have killed the murderer in self defense, a net gain for society.

In the name of “justice” we screwed all that up, virtually guaranteeing that two men who were willing to testify against their friend’s murderer ended up dead themselves.

While the department congratulated us for getting guns and drugs off the street, I knew that the actions we took had far more lasting and complex consequences than incarcerating yet another “bad guy.”

Unintended consequences are a bitch and they haunt me even to this day.  If I were walking in our prisoners’ shoes, I undoubtedly would have taken a similar course of action.

As I was clearing the call, the song “Snow” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was playing on my cruiser radio.  The lyrics hit me hard.

“The more I see, the less I know
The more I like to let it go”

I can’t help but think that if my co-worker hadn’t made that traffic stop and those arrests, the world would currently be a better place.

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.

Not Just The Big Booms – Repeated Blast Pressure

A very interesting article about how a relatively minimal amount of gunfire can cause brain-harming overpressure events under some circumstances.

Defensive Shotgun Selection: Which is Right for You?

Justin gives us an in-depth evaluation of the shotguns on the market today and provides his advice about which to choose.  On the topic of shotguns, Rhett’s video about prioritizing shotgun training during periods of time when ammunition is expensive makes lots of sense.  Pick up those practice shells now.  An industry insider informed me that both Federal and Winchester will be raising their ammunition prices six percent starting August first.

Strong-Side Carry: A Practical Guide

Although most of the cool kids in the gun world carry their pistols in the appendix position these days, there are good reasons to carry behind the hip as well.  This article covers the relative advantages/disadvantages of carrying at three to five o’clock.

12 Easy Ways to Secure Your Home Against Bad Guys

Inexpensive options to make your home more difficult to enter.

Open Carry

John Farnam shares some very astute observations about open carry.  You will also want to read his followup analysis of an open carry case described by a defense attorney friend.  For my thoughts on the topic, read Friends Don’t Let Friends Open Carry.

P&S ModCast 456 – Women’s Insights For Teaching Women

An excellent discussion for anyone who teaches female shooters.  I know all of the panelists.  I’ve taken classes as a student with all of them.  All of them have taken at least one of my classes.  Some have taken my close quarters gunfighting instructor class.  They are dedicated to learning and sharing best practices with the students they teach.

The Most Valuable Endorsement: A Girl & A Gun’s Instructor Gear Report

Continuing on the topic of female shooters, here is the chosen gear selection from a recent A Girl and a Gun rifle instructor class.  On the same site, you will also want to read Tatiana’s article on Does This Gun Actually Fit You?

Frost Rising: Book 1 In The Crown Acres Series (Crown Acres: Community After the Fall

What I’m reading…

Reading a Lot Doesn’t Make You Open-Minded. Reading the Right Way Does.

On the topic of reading books, you might appreciate this article.

“Reading doesn’t make you right more often. It makes you wrong less painfully.

It shows you, over and over, across centuries and disciplines, that the smartest people who ever lived spent most of their time doing exactly what you’re doing right now: figuring it out. Getting it wrong. Revising.

But only if you let it. Only if you read the things that challenge you, not just the things that confirm you. Only if you treat your bookshelf as a tool for growth instead of a trophy case for what you already know.”

The Collective Mood and You

I occasionally am asked how I assess the relative safety of the areas I inhabit when I travel to third world countries.  Different customs and language change societal norms, but these factors remain relatively constant no matter where you are in the world.  Take a look at this article and learn how to assess the baseline.  It will help you make a good decision.  The techniques are mentioned by the authors of Left of Bang, an excellent book to check out if you want to learn more about baseline behavior profiling.

Collectors’ Quirks – The Little Things That Matter

Quirky gun features that may make your gun more collectable.

Carrying Concealed: How to Overcome “Condition One” Anxiety

If you get anxiety about carrying a pistol with a loaded chamber, some of these tips may help.  I firmly believe the best course of action for someone worried about this issue is to convince them to carry a revolver instead.  I’d much rather have a revolver with six rounds ready to go than a 15-shot auto pistol with an empty chamber.

Defensive Firearms Training: Preparing for the Reality of High-Stress Encounters

Massad Ayoob shares some advice on dealing with stressful encounters.  You might also like Massad’s take on “Suicide by Cop” encounters.

Keys Between the Fingers – On Her Own

It seems like I have been trying to debunk this self defense myth for my entire lifetime. Hitting someone with car keys between you fingers is an absolutely useless fighting technique.

If Annette’s video didn’t convince you, watch my friend Nic allowing a student to hit him full power with the keys in her fist. She suffered more damage than he did.  Link opens to Facebook video.

Scripting Your Attack

I like Kevin’s idea of “scripting” potential attacks.  You might also like his article on the FEAR Bag.

.22 Mag Rivals 9mm for Self Defense! Speer Gold Dot – Ballistic Gel Test W/Steel Barrier

Why I really like the .22 magnum and occasionally carry one for self protection.  While on the topic of .22 defensive rounds, you might also like to see how the Stinger performs out of a short barreled revolver.

Dewine signs law requiring anyone pulled over to disclose name, address, date of birth

For my Ohio readers.

The More You Know: Living With Astigmatism When Using Red Dot, Holographic and Prismatic Optics

Great advice for seeing a red dot more clearly if you have an astigmatism.

Improving Your One-Hand Shooting

Tips for shooting better with one hand.

The Shape of Enshittification.

A very interesting long form analysis on the impact that AI will have on our culture, especially writing.  As a guy who makes a significant portion of my income from my writing efforts, this concerns me.  This excerpt is important:

“So does that mean that the book is dead??

Not quite.

And the distinction here is important:

What’s dying is a specific kind of book. The how-to book. The one you bought to get the seven-part formula on how to do something step-by-step.

In 2019, the best place to get that type of information was a book.

In 2026, it’s a chatbot that has already read that book, plus a thousand more like it, and will hand you an answer in fifteen seconds, shaped to your exact situation.

Which means the how-to book has the same problem as an AI story.

It has a “shape” that AI can easily copy.

But Tim is just as clear about what doesn’t.

The market for information is collapsing into the chatbot. But the market for transformation is moving the other way.

Books that offer a unique point of view.

Books that offer a bold new Big Idea.

Books that offer an escape.

Books that tell a story only a single person in the world can tell.

Books that transform your thinking.

Those kind of books….

Are actually hotter than ever.”

You’ll notice that I’m taking this advice to heart.  I’m writing fewer and fewer “how to” articles and more articles with unique perspectives.  I’m focusing on sharing my experiences of taking almost 5000 hours of professional firearms and combatives training, 25 years of police work, and 30+ years of training thousands of students on the range.  AI can’t compete with that.  I think you’ll enjoy the metamorphosis.

The Scourge of Teen Takeovers

A deep dive into one of the more pressing crime problems in today’s age.

Quote to Ponder:

“Part of you knows that there is some wisdom in voluntarily exposing yourself to terrible things.  Because terrible things are coming your way and you’d better get used to it and maybe get good at it.  And one of the ways you can do that is to practice a bit.  You don’t want something terrible that happens to you to be the first difficult thing you’ve ever contended with.”

– Jordan Peterson

Some of the above links are affiliate links.   I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle reader for your computer or phone HERE.  

Here are a few free books that I think my readers might enjoy. Check these out.

One caution….

These books were free at the time I posted them. Prices change rapidly. Please check the price before you hit the “buy” button! 

If you cannot see any of the links below, there is likely a setting in either your internet browser or ad blocking software that prohibits “live links.”  If you see a blank page below, check those settings.  I promise you that there are book links actually listed directly below.

Happy Reading!

While you are contemplating book purchases, don’t forget my travel safety book.

For an even larger selection of great books (not free), check out my Recommended Reading page.

Some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase an item using one of those links, I get a small percentage of the payment.  It does not cost you any additional money.