For this podcast, I got with Rob Morse of the Slow Facts Blog, Self-Defense Gun Stories, and Gun Freedom Radio.

We talked about some of the terrorist attacks in Israel and what you can do if those come to our shores.

The post Heroism Podcast appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Here are two ways to set it up; Time-based or usage-based.

Time

If you carry every day you should change out your carry ammo every two years max. If you aren’t carrying that gun every day and it lives in the safe more than on you, five years is the max.

Ammo doesn’t really go “bad” in that time frame but, it does start to show wear and can have some corrosion on the casings. Ammo is exceptionally precise in length, width, depth, circumference, and weight. Any change in any of these measurements can make the bullet go off its intended line or cause a malfunction in your firearm.

Ammo is cheap, life is expensive.

Usage

Ammo gets worn out by going in and out of the chamber or by getting handled.

Rifles with a floating firing pin, like your AR-style rifle, ammo should only go into the chamber once and then go into the training bin.

How to tell if it has a floating firing pin and why. When you chamber a round with a floating firing pin the firing pin crashes forward as the bolt closes and actually bounces off the primer. There is not enough energy to set off the round, but it will leave a dent. If you continue to chamber that same round, eventually you will have a problem.

In your rifle you should probably only chamber a round once, and then let that one go to your training bin. I wouldn’t depend my life on it.

Handguns

I dry fire almost every day. I dry fire my carry gun. My carry gun is my everything gun. I shoot competitions with it, I carry it, and I train with it. I’m not the gun-of-the-month person. I’m a one-gun person. I probably should have a second carry gun exactly like my primary so that I can rotate them out.

Every time a round comes out of my gun I mark it with a sharpie. First, one line across it. The second time, I add a line at a 90-degree angle so it looks like a cross. The third time a round comes out I blackout the entire back of the round. And that is the last time it will go in and out of the chamber. I rotate that round to the bottom of the magazine and when it comes up again, it’s time for new ammo.

How Rounds Wear

Ammo wears in a couple of critical ways, the rim gets torn off or rounded, the bullet is set back, the crimp weakens or fails, the jacket or finish wears and corrodes, and the primers break. Anyone of these could be a critical failure that could cost you your life with carry ammo.

The rim getting torn off or rounded is less and less of a problem because more than one police officer has lost their life because of this. Every time you chamber a round the extractor grabs the rim. When you pull that round out of the chamber the extractor is the little claw that holds onto it. Since the extractor is made of hardened steel and the case or the round is brass, the case rim wears. Eventually, the rim will be rounded off or break off and the extractor will have nothing to pull the case out of the chamber with. You will have a one-shot gun.

Bullet setback creates overpressure inside the chamber. When you chamber a round, the correct way, you let the slide slam forward and strip the round off the top of the magazine. The round accelerates forward and the only thing holding the bullet is the crimp. If you have a cheaper crimp, or there is something wrong with the crimp, the bullet will go inside the casing a little further. With less volume in the case you will get more pressure and an overpressure round is not going to send the bullet true and could cause the case to rupture or get stuck in the chamber.

Every time the round is chambered that crimp has to hold the bullet in place. It will only do its job for so long. The crimp will fail at a certain time. It has to so that the bullet can leave the casing and do its job. If the crimp fails completely the bullet will come off and the powder will get stuck everywhere in the gun. I have seen the crimp on the primer fail on an AR rifle and had the primer lock up the trigger and the gun would not fire.

The case is made of brass, steel, or aluminum (now in some cases plastic). Sooner or later it will corrode. The corrosion could cause all sorts of problems inside the chamber. Don’t bet your life that it will work correctly.

Lastly, if the crimp on the primer doesn’t cause your problem, the primer could go bad from being beaten on for a long period of time. The primer could go inert and just not fire, or could fall off like above, or could just slip out a hair so that there is not enough energy from the striker or hammer to break the primer and set it off.

Stay Safe,

Ben

P.S. I’m riding to raise money to fight Alzheimer’s and would love if you could throw a couple bucks at it. Click here to help me and the Alzheimer’s Association out.

The post When to Change out Carry Ammo appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Leadership is as important in life as it is on the battlefield. I know most of you won’t end up on a traditional battlefield someplace, but you may find a little piece of hell on earth that you have to save yourself or your family from.

If the time ever comes when you have to defend yourself or your family, it will feel like a battlefield.

If you want to lead yourself, your family, and others through those times you have to start preparing now.

Here are 5 things you can do to start becoming a battlefield leader:

1. Learn
2. Build Relationships and Leadership Capital
3. Performance
4. Be Decisive but not rigid
5. Practice

Learn: Become an expert in self-defense, fighting, weapons, avoidance, and anything else that you think you might need. And keep learning.

Build Relationships and Leadership Capital: People want to follow others they know and that they know are competent. Others also want to be heard and have an influence on other people. Build relationships with everyone around you so they know you and your skills. Build leadership capital by leading well when it is called for, following others, and supporting leaders above you and around you.

You need leadership capital (a lot of it) if you are going to be able to give commands and have them followed when the chips are down and the battle is raging. People will have to know and trust you so they will do what you are saying and you can lead.

Performance: You have to perform at everything you do and prove yourself every day to keep your leadership capital. As soon as you are seen slipping or you don’t do something as well as you could, people will see that and think you aren’t as good as you say you are at things. You have to preform at almost every meaningless task all the time to have people follow you on the battlefield.

Be Decisive but not Rigid: You have to learn to make a decision and be known as the person that can. This goes all the way down to picking a place to eat. But you can’t have it your way or the highway. In everyday life, suggestions are a good way of making a decision but not being rigid about it. May I suggest Texas Roadhouse (one of my favorite places for food) for dinner? Then see what everyone says. If someone brings up an objection, then overcome it with feelings and reason, or suggest another place. In everything, take in information, make a decision, explain your decision so everyone is on board, then execute.

Practice: This means the little things like “Where should we go to dinner?” Yes, this seems like a pointless thing, but it is a way to practice your leadership. The more you practice now, the better you will get at it, and the better you will perform if you ever need those skills.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Battlefield Leadership; Prepare Now appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Like every skill you have for self-defense, de-escalation should be practiced any time you can.

I actually got a chance last week on the way home from work. It looked like a traffic accident between a bike and a car had just happened right at the entrance to my neighborhood. At first, I thought I’d help medically, but when I noticed that the driver and bike rider are having a screaming match I knew I wouldn’t need that skill.

Both men were yelling mostly absurd things and blocking the road. I thought I’d wait and see what happened. It didn’t cool down after a couple of minutes, so I asked the question of the rider, are you okay? Are you hurt?

Don’t miss this, I did it from a position of advantage. I was in my car, armed, but more importantly, I had a way to escape in my car without being hurt. If you are going to practice de-escalation it is normally between individuals that are very emotionally charged and that could mean they are a danger to yourself or others. Don’t give up your personal safety to practice self-defense skills.

After I asked the second time and got the bike rider’s attention he said the car just barely missed him and he was okay. I told him I was glad to hear that and does he need any help.

The rider actually said thank you and was very moved because no one had asked if he was okay after the near miss. He reached his hand through the open passenger side window and shook my hand thanking me for taking an interest in his well-being.

Again, don’t lose your position of advantage. My left hand was on the wheel, the car was still in gear, and I still had a place to run. Remember, these situations will change continuously, continue to know your way out.

After that, the bike rider got on his bike and started to leave. I pulled forward a little to get between the driver and the rider to let the rider leave. And he did.

The driver was something else… the first thing he did was accuse me of being part of black lives matter and then start calling me a bunch of racist crap. The white driver had already been calling the black bike rider a bunch of racist crap. I was quite taken aback by being called a race traitor and that I would side with that N’ because he was black.

I laughed and asked if he was okay. Then asked if his car was okay. He settled down a little and then told me someone needs to teach that N’ a lesson. I simply said that won’t help anyone. He got frustrated with me, noticed the crowd forming, and left the area.

Worked out okay.

I always do after actions on things that happen. I was at a loss for words when I found out how racist this person I was dealing with was. That was a mistake. No matter what he said, I should have been thinking two steps ahead for my personal security and the security of those around me. What he says doesn’t matter as much as we think it does. Thinking ahead matters a lot more.

What’s the old saying, if you think you have heard it all, something is coming you never thought of. It happens.

The next time you can de-escalate a situation without giving up your personal security, you should try it. Maybe it’s just an argument between your significant other and your kids, or two people you care about and there is no real danger to you, practice. The skills of defusing your family members’ arguments are the same as defusing a hostile argument.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post De-Escalation Requires Practice appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

You’ve seen all the pocket dumps. I’m sure you have argued and heard the arguments of what gun is better to carry and why. Whether it’s for the zombie attack or to carry every day. We argue about gear all the time. Then, sometimes, we talk about skills with that gear.

I’m here to tell you that tactics are more important than the gear and the skill you have with the gear. Your understanding of what is going on and your move toward what you want to happen is your tactics.

A definition of gear is obvious, it’s the stuff you have. The definition of skill is how you can use that gear. Your tactics are the overall mindset and how to employ your skills towards a goal. It’s just bigger thinking.

The first part of being better at tactics is defining a mission. Think strategically now, because when someone is trying to kill you it’s hard to think about anything else besides surviving and panic.

Decide what you will and will not do to further that mission. Some hard questions to ask yourself are will you pass an injured kid to stop a killer or evacuate your family? What about a kid you know that is calling your name for help? To even the toughest warrior, that is a hard question. Answer them now so later you don’t have to stop in the heat of the moment and make a decision.

Part of defining your mission is knowing your priorities of work. Those priorities becomes your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Mine are, in this order, on purpose, my wife, my kid, myself, other people in my charge, extended family members, kids, and other people when I can.

If you look at my priorities of work; mall shooting with my family at my side, you are on your own. A school shooting with my kid in a class room, everyone else is on their own. I’ll help if I can, but my kid comes first.

Part of my priorities of work is also my mission parameters; 1 – I have to be able to look myself in the mirror every day no matter what I do or don’t do. 2 – My family has to survive, then me. 3 – Is the United States’ “Justice System.” I’ll deal with life in that order.

So if it is a school shooting and my kid is in there, law enforcement better have a good plan and be executing it when get there or I will. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something when no one else was and my kid didn’t survive.

When you start thinking at the upper level everything just starts falling into place. In any situation, I will figure out my mission very quickly by going t hrough my mission parameters and priorities of work.

If you do the “what-if” game when you see things in the news and go through your priorities of work and mission parameters you will figure out what your mission is and how to execute it.

If you need a quick reference the Marine Corps provides the acronym DrawD or what the enemy can do in the defense; Defend, Retreat, Attack, Withdraw, and Delay. If something happens in the “real world” you are in the defense and you can choose one of the five.

Whatever you chose, do it, and do it well. Your life depends on it. These quick thoughts are the beginning of tactics.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Tactics over Skills appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps including a combat tour and being part of an anti-terrorism force. I left the Marine Corps to return to Iraq as a private contractor for the U.S. Government fighting terrorism. I gave a large portion of my adult life to fighting terrorism and the horrors that most people don’t want to deal with. To me, a terrorist is about the lowest scum on earth.

Then in 2008, I was called a terrorist for the first time by then-President Obama. The term domestic terrorist had just started and I was on the list. Being a white male, military-aged, former military, contractor, Christian, and gun owner I was on the top of the list. Everyone thought I was crazy for saying the United States Government could do such a thing. The truth is they have been doing it for a long time. Welcome to the party!

Through the years it has only gotten worse. I know I’m on every watch list the government has which makes me both sad and proud. Yes, I will associate with the deplorable’s, that is almost half the country. Yes, I cling to my religion and my guns. Yes, I’m proud to be an American. Yes, I think our government f’s things up a lot. At least I’m not on the no-fly list… yet.

All of these lists that you don’t know you are on, how you got there, or how to get off are a threat to every free person in the world. And I don’t know how to fix it.

It is not time to fight the great boogaloo (which is now a terrorist word as indicated by a leaked FBI memo). I’m trying to get more involved at my local political level because I know local politicians grow up to be state and federal politicians.

This blog is about self-defense. So you might ask how all that plays into your self-defense. Well, the “Justice System” hasn’t been not been impartial for a long time, it has gotten worse. If the “they” of the world think you are on the wrong side it appears unlikely you will get a fair trial.

Do you remember the Austin protester during a BLM protest that was carrying an AK openly and gave a weird interview with his rifle right before the shooting? Then an Army Sergeant driving for Uber, carrying a concealed handgun with a license smoked him after ending up in the crowd by mistake. The Army Sergeant got convicted of Murder early this year over three years after the shooting.

I’ve known since I was a teenager that the deck was stacked against me if I have to use deadly force. It was what I was taught in Law Enforcement and it didn’t take much research at the time to see that if the U.S. Government wanted you, they were going to convict you.

So, you are out there, just trying to protect yourself. Take extra care in what you do. Be more mindful to stay out of places that might put you and your family in danger. Be more careful about where you insert yourself into other people’s problems. And be more careful about who you argue with. All of this could end you up in prison for the rest of your life… and is more likely to happen now than it was five years ago.

In conclusion, welcome to this shitty party that somehow we all ended up in.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Welcome to the Party appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Last month I went to shoot a competition with Bob Mayne at the Handgun World Podcast. Not unusual, Bob and I shoot competitions at least once a month if not more. I normally beat him, but there have been times when he has beaten me. We are normally in the middle of the pack someplace when it comes to overall scores.

Last month was different because I invited a former military guy and current law enforcement guy that are always asking about shooting and one of them tells me how good he is at it. My arrogance and experience come in here when I say that most law enforcement and military guys aren’t very good with their weapons. They lack training and lots of practice.

I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t ask people to shoot competitions with me because they will not. It gets really old, really fast, and excuses are like assholes; everyone has one, and they all stink.

My wife “highly suggested” that I ask these guys, so I did. And no big surprise, I got an excuse for why they both couldn’t go.

That got me thinking about others’ lack of guts. With the chance to lose and look foolish on the line, almost everyone in the military and law enforcement will refuse to play a game with their profession’s chosen tools.

It got me pissed. I am out of both professions and getting too old to play the game professionally anymore. I rely on these people to keep our world safe, and they don’t have the guts to lose or look foolish in front of people they don’t know. How are they ever going to stand up for the things that are needed? When a police officer gets direction from their command to do something against the Constitution or against the people, how are they ever going to say no when they don’t have the guts to shoot a competition with a bunch of civilians?

When the military hands down UnConstitutional, immoral, or illegal orders, how will the individual fighter or commander say no to their command if they can’t shoot a competition?

Courage, like most things, is a muscle that you have to exercise in life. If you don’t practice courage, it will atrophy and die.

How often do you practice courage? Moral and or physical? Do you do new things that you are going to look foolish at? Do you accept challenges when others ask you to do something that should be possible? Do you do things that are hard that others say are hard, shouldn’t be done, or is impossible? Do you do different hard things on purpose because they are hard and scary?

Take a challenge. Do something hard. Say something when you know something should be said. Practice your courage. If what people are saying in the firearms/2nd Amendment culture is true, we are going to need courage both moral and physical soon. Now would be a good time to practice.

Stay Safe,

Ben Branam

The post Wimps in Our World appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

If you have to defend yourself should you give medical aid to the person that just tried to hurt you?

No. Is the simple easy answer and should be the end of it. There are only two reasons this may not be true, and I would argue that it should still be the rule: 1) If you are legally obligated by law to help people under any circumstances, or 2) the person you had to defend yourself against is someone you care deeply about and you really don’t want them to die.

Barring, or even in the two exceptions above, there are three things to consider when helping someone that just tried to hurt you (and this all goes double if you had to use deadly force):

1. The Tactical Situation; will this act put you further in danger?
2. Morally; is it the right thing to do?
3. Legally; will this make your actions more or less defendable in court?

The Tactical Situation

If someone tries to hurt you and then you put them down on the ground so hard that the preditor now needs medical attention, that person just became that much more dangerous. That person is now a wounded animal and you never know what that wounded animal would do.

If I was losing a self-defense situation and was on the ground and had the other person coming up to me, I would assume that person is there to finish me off while I’m down. It would never cross my mind that the person was there to give me medical attention.

Remember most dirtbags (people that commit crimes for a living) are very familiar with criminal violence. In the criminal culture, you don’t give help, pity, or empathy to a person outside your circle. There is no way the person you just had to use force against is going to think you are there to help them.

That person may give up and you might be able to help them, or they may fight back with everything they have trying to take you with them. I would. Wouldn’t you?

Morality

On the surface, it may seem that the morally right thing to do is help someone. Under normal circumstances it is. You should help people that you can, need, and want your help.

A self-defense situation where someone just tried to hurt or kill you is not a normal circumstance. It’s not something you do all the time, it’s not something you probably have ever experienced before. After being in 11 gunfights in Iraq I can tell you after everyone I was overly excited and not thinking as well as I should have after the adrenaline dump. And the more gunfights I got in, the angrier I got that someone was trying to take my life.

It’s hard to help someone when you are angrier at this one person than you have ever been in your life. When you are seeing red, you don’t always do things the way they should be done. I would be afraid to make a mistake and do more harm than good.

I can get that person and anyone else that needs help faster and better by calling for help.

Legally

If you have the knowledge to help someone that is hurt very badly, do you have the knowledge to make it worse? Of course, you do. You have been told how things can go wrong if you put the tourniquet on wrong, or could pull a wound open more to make it bleed faster. If you have more advanced life savings training, you know a lot more things that could go wrong with someone you are working on.

If that person dies or has a major problem after the incident, every lawyer that person has will say you did it. And they will come after you. What might have been a cut and dry self-defense case now looks like a lawsuit and maybe a criminal prosecution if the prosecutor thinks they can win a case against you… especially if they are anti-self-defense.

There isn’t really any way helping that person will help you legally. Even if you go to trial and have most of the jury believe you were just trying to help the person, there will be a few (and it only takes one) that will doubt your intentions because they don’t think they could have helped someone after that person had tried to hurt them or their family.

Conclusion

Don’t do it. Call 911. Get lots of people there to make the scene safe for you and the other innocent people around. Get the professional medics there as soon as possible to give that person the best medical attention they can.

Stay Safe,

Ben

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The post Should You Give Medical Attention to a Bad Guy appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

2003, Iraq, somewhere between Kuwait and Baghdad:

There I sat, doing what I was trained to do. Dressed in 75 pounds of combat gear including body armor, 14 mags, M16, 3 Frags, 2 Smokes, radio, and dozens of other pounds of assorted crap that a Marine in combat needs, but you wouldn’t think of like binoculars. I was in the back of an open-topped truck with 20 other Marines in crammed together, hiding behind sandbags for cover as a machine gun opened up on the convoy from the only structure within miles.

I fired a couple of rounds back from my M16 and then started helping to lay in the mortar system. My real job was “running the board” for the mortars section. I turned locations on the map into actual data to put on the gun systems to make them hit targets miles away that you couldn’t see from the gun line.

This target was easy. It was a giant house about 350 yards from the road and someone with an AK was firing from a balcony. It looked further than that over the open desert, but my range finder confirmed the distance.

I stood up to get a better view and a clear line of sight for the range finder. Standing was a training scar I had picked up over the last year. Every time we did live-fire we were on an admin range where all of us just stood around like we were having fun, instead of thinking about someone shooting back at us.

I stood in the back of that truck getting the range, telling the gunners what to put on their guns, and looking through binoculars waiting for them to fire a round so that I could adjust for them. Stupid. It was one of many times that my habits and training scars would try and get me killed in combat. Luck, a little skill on my part, and a little lack of skill on the enemy’s part kept me alive.

One mortar opened up on the house in handheld mode. The gunned held the gun tube in place and trigger fired a round without a site. Mostly Kentucky winding it onto target.

The second mortar was setting up in conventional mode that would be able to hit the target house multiple times within the time of flight of the first mortar. Like clockwork, the handheld gun fired another round adjusting off the first one, and the conventional mode gun got up and fired a round.

We were going to lay waste to this building. Then the command ”check fire” came down the line. We stopped firing and just waited. A bad habit we had picked up from training. We should have reloaded and been ready to continue the fight. Instead, we stood there waiting for further commands. Two Humvees came up from the back of the convoy and laid waste to the building. One with an M2 .50 Caliber machine gun and the other with an MK-19 belt-fed grenade launcher.

I heard the weapons firing and didn’t have time to see the outcome. We were ordered back in the vehicles and we moved out just as they opened fire. This had become our “drive-by” technique of fighting to get north to Baghdad.

Looking back I saw both my training scar and my bad habits that I had picked up from the Marine Corps and didn’t notice them until they almost got me killed.

Our problem with bad habits and training scars in self-defense is we don’t know what we don’t know. If we knew we were doing something that might get us killed, we would do something else. This is why training scars and bad habits are so dangerous.

I even disagree with some habits that professional shooters and other trainers use constantly because I saw it cause problems overseas in a combat zone. “Cold” weapons became a problem and the habit of clearing weapon systems by pulling the trigger become an issue.

If you carry a firearm around for long enough and it is unloaded, lots of people stop treating it like a firearm. It becomes an extension of them that you wouldn’t worry about like pointing at someone. And you point your rifle at people all the time. ”Don’t worry, it’s not loaded” was always the excuse for poor weapons handling. And they were unloaded until they weren’t. Now you have live weapons being pointed at people you don’t want to kill or destroy. Law Enforcement and the Military are the worst you could ever see at their daily gun handling safety practices.

Pulling the trigger to confirm that a weapon is unloaded came from the competition community where you are only playing a game. And we thought that was a good idea to adopt what they did to the battlefield but that caused more negligent discharges than you can shake a stick at. And instead of the Army and Marine Corps looking at the problem to fix it, they doubled down and started ruining the careers of all those people standing there when a rifle went off into the clearing barrel.

Training scars are hard to overcome. If you just rack the slide and pull the trigger all the time without thought or looking, sooner or later when there is a filled magazine in the weapon, you rack the slide and pull the trigger before even thinking about anything else. And you discharge a round into the clearing barrel… hopefully containing the bullet and no one gets hurt. Other times and I actually saw this happen, you miss the barrel and zing a round off the concrete barrier and it goes down the line of soldiers waiting to get into chow. With luck no one got hit, that time.

If you can’t pick out anything that is a bad habit or training scar that you do, you need professional training. We all have bad habits and training scars.

I’ve recently picked up, from competition, to move without putting my rifle on safe. It gets me in and out of (mostly out) of positions .25 to .5 seconds faster giving me a better chance of winning the competition. This is bad in the real world. I should have my long gun on safe any time I’m not shooting and especially if I’m moving. That is when you are going to hit your rifle on something and ketch the trigger and have a negligent discharge. I know, it couldn’t happen to you, but I’ve seen it happen multiple times in training and luckily only once in combat.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Habits, Good, Bad, and Training Scars appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Last weekend I participated in a church mass shooter training event. Most of the time I’m the instructor or coordinator, but this time I actually got to participate.

My church got a bunch of volunteers to volunteer to be actors in the scenarios. Our head of church safety organized and ran the training. It was a lot of fun, and I got to mix it up with the bad guys more than once. Didn’t even die this time. Not bad…. but…

Most of the scenarios were normal church shooter events; one domestic violence, one attack on the pastor, one run of the mill mass killer, but the last one was an attempted hostage scenario.

I say attempted because the safety team ended it before it could begin. A couple was arguing during church service and the guy was instructed to get up, pull a gun, and do a Hollywood gun to the head back against the wall thing to see how we would work together throughout the situation.

Turns out most of us on the team are default aggressive. One of the team members moved towards the couple when they started arguing. He is a former Army Ranger and still pretty good in a fight. When our bad guy got up and started to produce the gun, the Ranger was able to push the gun up and fire over the head of the hostage into the head of the hostage-taker. One step behind our Ranger was a former Army medic that spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan, he also grabbed the gun, pushed it up and put his own gun to the hostage taker’s head, and pulled the trigger. I was a step behind the medic and was going to do the same thing.

We all ended up next to a giant metal pillar that holds up the building. I thought our bad guy was going to take the girl and try to back into the pillar. I was going to reach around the pillar with my gun, press it to the bad guy’s head and pull the trigger.

Turns out, moving to the pillar was exactly what our hostage-taking roll player was told to do.

Even in training, it was fast. It happened in a blink of an eye. Honestly, I can’t believe how fast my Ranger teammate was able to act and win the fight. It was incredible to watch.

I bet you, like me, have never thought about a church shooting turning into a single hostage-taker situation. But you have probably thought about it in other places. So be prepared for anything, anywhere.

That is easier said than done. When I was in Iraq in 2003 I thought I had prepared for everything in War. I was wrong. And even though I had prepared for it for so long I still had an ”oh shit” moment when I was in my first gunfight. At first, I couldn’t believe I was there and someone was actually shooting at me. It took me a second or so to snap out of it and get my head in the game, return fire, and win the fight.

And even after 11 gunfights in under 4 months, I still had that ”oh shit” moment in the last one. In fact, years later, when I ended up back in Iraq as a contractor and was shot at a couple of times, I had that “oh shit” moment. The moment was less and less each time, but it has been there every time. I was even laughed at one for having that moment and hitting the deck when it turned out our own guard tower was shooting at someone over the wall not at us patrolling up to the backside of the tower. I was on point and my guys laughed at me for a week for hitting the deck.

I hope you don’t have the same experience I do. I hope you never get shot at. I hope someone never tries to take your life or the lives of people around you. But if someone does, be prepared for anything.

You get prepared by looking at scenarios that have happened. Anywhere, and any time. Then think of what if this or that had happed on top of what happened. No aliens, or Delta Force repelling down the roof to kill you, but something that might happen will keep you on your toes.

Once you have done a bunch of scenarios in your mind, the next step is excepting what is actually happening at that moment. Whether it makes sense, fits your preconceived notions, or is an alien falling from the sky attacking people. You have to accept what is happening in front of you and then react to what is going on. Push your speed and move faster than your enemy to get inside their OODA loop or you are going to lose. It’s pretty simple in the end. The person with the best tactics, acted upon faster, generally wins.

Be Prepared for anything.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Be Prepared for anything Podcast 336 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Yesterday on the way home from work I saw a crime in progress or what looked like one.

I was driving down a busy street that has a large homeless problem and high crime. It’s a shortcut to miss some traffic through downtown San Antonio. It is a shortcut I use a lot.

As I stopped at the light I saw one guy running full speed from around the back of a business and someone hot on his heels.

The second guy gave away that a crime was probably in progress. He was holding something inside his pants right above his right front pocket. His pants were too big and it looked like if he let go, he would lose whatever heavy thing he was holding there. The way he was holding it, I couldn’t tell if it was a lead pipe, gun, or big knife.

At first, I was prepared to drive around the car in front of me and blow the light in case they were running at my car. But they cut the corner at the building and started running up the street the way I had come.

I couldn’t tell if they both had just robbed someone or if the second guy was trying to catch and rob the first guy.

Of course, I was armed, but should I have gotten involved?

This one I did not.

Of course, we all want to help people. And if someone was truly in danger, of course, we should help if we can.

The trick is having enough information to get involved. If I assume they are both bad guys that had just committed a crime and try to stop them and it turns out the second guy is trying to victimize the first, I just made things worst.

If I assumed the second guy was trying to rob the first and stop the second guy and he turns out to be a cop after an actual bad guy I just messed up everything and put myself in a world of hurt.

These are just two simple ways this scenario could have played out badly for me. The worst is that this is some kind of internal struggle and while these guys are ready to fight each other, once they have a common enemy, like me or you, they will both turn and fight together.

Sometimes it is best not to get involved. Unless you know, without a doubt what is going on, you shouldn’t get involved because nothing in the world is black and white. There are a million reasons for what you are seeing. You are assuming one thing, and if you are wrong, it could cost you everything and will cost you a lot.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Should You Get Involved? appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Your instincts are a gift from God, and they could save your life.

There has been a lot of work on the subject and everyone is searching for an answer. Science hasn’t figured it out yet and can’t prove it conclusively, but we all know it’s there. You have been somewhere and just knew something was going to happen and it did. But how could you know? How could you know that you should have gone left and not right? Most of the time you can’t explain it but you just knew.

One of the best books about the subject ever is Gavin De Becker’s The Gift of Fear. I’ve read it more than once and will continue to go back every so often until someone writes a better book about it.

In the book, Gavin studies lots of women who were horribly assaulted. Every one of them said they somehow knew the guy that was about to assault them was going to do something bad to them, but they ignored that fear instinct. So his entire thesis of the book is in the title. Fear is a gift, don’t ignore it.

Most of the other works he has done are not worth the time to read, but this was his first book and it is a must-read so you can understand violence if you hope to overcome it.

I believe your instincts are a matter of what you train yourself to look for and the amount of information your unconscious mind can possess compared to what your conscious mind knows.

Michael Bane calls it a ping or email from the back of your head to the front. Your subconscious mind sees something that could be a major problem and doesn’t have time to explain it to you. It just throws a little signal that says go left, not right.

I think you should definitely follow that ping and not listen to society, others that are trying to overrule your choice, or, especially, “politically correctness”.

Your conscious mind is much better about being trained and convinced of things than your subconscious. In Gavin’s book, most of the women wrote off the feeling of their bad guy being a problem because their subconscious mind told the women that they are just being rude. That guy isn’t going to do anything, he is being nice and you should do the same.

In today’s politically correct world this shows up as that person isn’t like you and you shouldn’t be discriminating. That person isn’t the same color, gender, sexual persuasion, economic status, or age as us and that is why you are getting that ping from the back of your head. Better to be rude, than dead or worse.

Trust your instincts and pay attention when that ping comes. It’s okay to be rude. It’s okay to speak up. And it’s okay to leave in the middle of something when your subconscious says run.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Trust Your instincts; The Gift of Fear appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

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If you are in the area of a Mass Killer what should you do after the killing has stopped? Here are some bullet points to think about:

Do you have people with you?

• Evac them away from the shooter and any other crowds
• Leave with them unless:
  • You are involved, and/or
  • You plan to help because you see a need and have the training to fill it:
    • Do you have life saving skill?
    • Can you triage a scene?
    • Do you know enough to get others out and/or emergency personnel in?
    • Hunting time is probably over… but you might have to.

If you are involved as a fighter:

• Keep other away from the killer
• Keep others away from the killer’s weapon(s)
  • Take it and/or use it
  • Hide it / render it inert
  • Stand on it
  • Leave it alone
• Bomb?
• Hostages

Create Distance

• More distance is more better
• As far as you can while still isolating the shooter
• Is he playing possum?
• What if he is a bomb/has a bomb?

Take Cover

• Bombs
• Position of advantage
• From everythign

Watch you six

• Do you need the gun in your hand?
• Cops are coming
• Other bad guys could be in the area?
• Other good guys could be hunting

Evacuate others away from the shooter and triage

• If you can walk, go that way
• Look around for anyone you can help, take them with you
• You are going to take command of the situation until somone else gets there

When the police arrive

• You are the victim
• Do what they tell you to
• No aggressive movements
• It might hurt
• If told to evacutate, go but don’t go far
• talk in simple terms, no specifics and no specific questions answered.

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

P.S. Check me out on Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast

The post Caught in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooter appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

For years most of us in the self-defense world have been suggesting that you very your schedule and your routes all the time. As a practical matter, this can’t always be done.

I don’t know about you, but my boss wants me at work at a certain time every day. He is against me showing up on a changing schedule. It’s bad for his business.

I’ve also noticed that the more I’m on a schedule, the easier my life is. I don’t have to worry about what I’m doing next, because it is on my schedule so much that it has become a habit. I like having my schedule the same so I don’t have to look at my calendar all day every day to figure out what is going on.

Something else I noticed by going to the gym every day at 5 am, I know the people there and their vehicles.

By keeping a schedule I can be more aware of my surroundings. I can tell when someone new is or there is a car in the parking lot that shouldn’t be there.

Just like on my block, when I keep a schedule of places I go, people know me and I know the people that should be there. I know the feel of the place and what normal is.

Notice normal so that you can notice when something is out of place is half the premise of the book “Left of Bang” by Patrick Van Horne and Jason Riley. If you haven’t read it, you should.

The more you learn to notice normal it becomes like pulling into your driveway at home and noticing a car that shouldn’t be there. Once you get good at establishing the baseline (normal), things really do stick out that much.

So having a schedule can help you with that baseline in your everyday life and those places you visit.

A lifetime ago varying your schedule to increase your self-defense became common knowledge. We got it from the VIP protection people. When someone is out to get you specifically varying your schedule helps keep that person from setting an ambush on you.

Most of us don’t have someone out to get us specifically. Most common street crimes are crimes of opportunity or against another criminal for criminal reasons. So by not being a criminal we get rid of a lot of crime that could happen to us.

If there ever is a specific threat against you, most likely would be a divorce or custody battle, and sometimes revenge, then you should vary your schedule and pattern as much as possible. If you go to work every day there are only so many times you can show up and only so many ways to get there.

If you are like me and don’t have specific threats against me, I like to keep a schedule and it makes it easy to establish that baseline and live a good life.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Changing Schedules and Your Safety appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Most of us get into the self-defense world because we recognize violence in our world and realize that violence might find us.

Then we search our memories and find most of what we know about violence comes from movies and TV. By default, we think we need to become a superhero to defeat all the bad guys.

In some rare times, what the situation needs is a superhero, but most of the time if we just do the things we know we are supposed to, we will avoid 90% of the violence in our world.

But studying the mundane is boring. It is way more fun to take classes that are absurd over a lecture on the basics of locking your doors at home. I have more fun at firearms classes that we repel out of helicopters and assault a target than a class on how to draw a gun under different situations and in different ways.

High-Speed low drag is fun and exciting, doing the mundane every day will keep you alive and out of harm’s way.

If you aren’t doing the everyday simple things then you aren’t serious about your or your family’s safety. Most of the things are common sense that should be followed. The signs on how to do things are everywhere and still, not everyone does them.

In Texas, I see this sign in parking lots everywhere. It reminds you to lock your car, take your keys, and remove your belongings. It seems to be getting better in Texas but years ago, everyone would just leave their car running and go into the store and come out and wonder why car theft was so high? I’ve got an idea.

Now we have signs that remind you to do the things you know you should do to keep yourself and your stuff safe. But there are a lot of people that don’t do it. Do you lock your car, take your keys, and hide or remove your belongings every time, at every place?

At home, do you lock your doors all the time, every time? Even when you are standing in front of it? Do you lock your windows? Richard Ramirez, the infamous “Night Stalker” (the original) from California found most of his victims by finding open windows of homes and climbing in. Maybe you should lock your windows. And just an aside, police didn’t catch him, a group of citizens in Boyle Heights California got him after he tried to carjack someone to escape a convenience store after someone recognized him. The citizens nearly beat him to death before officers could get there and “rescue” him.

If you think the police will save you, they want to, but they generally can’t because they can’t be everywhere.

Lock your doors and your windows while you are at home and when you are away.

Here is an “oldie but goodie” from Boy Scouts, the Marine Corps, elementary school, and probably your mother, take a buddy with you when you go places.

My son is now in Scouts and he is required to take a buddy with him everywhere he goes away from camp and when they are on outings. It’s harder for two people to get into trouble than one.

The Marine Corps had the same policy but called them “Combat Buddy.” In combat, it was a really good policy. On the Marine Base, it seemed stupid. But it was a good practice to keep us out of trouble and from having something happen to us.

If you can, use this same policy and it will keep you safer. I know it isn’t always practical, but the more you use it, the safer you will be.

Here are a couple more advanced techniques for your self-defense: Look up from your phone and move with purpose. If you keep your nose stuck in your phone all the time, you will miss lots of things that could kill you. Sometimes it is as simple as the car that is driving too fast in the parking lot you are walking through. Yes, the car is supposed to stop for you, but if the driver doesn’t see you, you are the one that will be seriously hurt or killed.

Move with a purpose is a phrase I’m stealing from the Marine Corps again. After spending 10 years in the Corps, it is hard to forget all the things that I was programmed with. Some of that programming is still useful. A large study was done by law enforcement years ago about how criminals pick their victims. After years of researching and questioning guys in prison for violent attacks, the conclusion was the way people walked.

If someone walked with a purpose, head up, strong-looking, faster moving, no one wanted to victimize them. The criminals picked the opposite people to victimize, people that moved slowly, with an abnormal gait, and head down.

Walking and moving with a purpose have gotten me out of trouble and into a lot of places that I wanted to go. Simple.

Last, “Don’t do stupid things, with stupid people, in stupid places.” I originally heard this from John Farnam and has been repeated by everyone. It might be one of the smartest things ever said about self-defense. If you follow the saying, you will avoid almost everything that will kill you.

My good friend Bob Mayne at the Handgun World Podcast added “at stupid times.” It’s a good addition. Stupid times could be after dark, with a friend when they have been drinking too much, or during a large protest.

If you do the simple things for your self-defense you are 90% there. If you don’t do the simple things and want to do the “high-speed, low-drag” stuff, you will get into more situations where you need high-speed training.

The best way to win a fight is not to be there.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Self Defense Mechanisms to Use appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Self Defense is one of the most serious things we could ever talk about. It’s all about doing combat with another individual where your life hangs in the balance. Seems like it should be serious all the time. Right?

I have a great time working on my self-defense skills and shooting skills. I enjoy it more than most people think I should. I love all of it. Every aspect, but when I just want to go have a good time and need some zen/alone time, I love going to the range.

I will go to the range just to get some group therapy in. I’ll go to the range without a plan to improve some skills but with the simple desire to have a good time. Once I get there my competitive nature kicks in and I find something to work on. But that also is like meditating for me.

I can go to the range and tune everything else in the world out and it is just me, the gun, and the target. And there is no way the gun will lie to me. It will always tell the truth in what I did or did not do by how long it takes me and where the bullet goes. If I have total concentration at the moment the hammer falls, that bullet is going where I want it. If I think about something else, including the next shot before the first one is gone, the bullet will miss its mark.

I know the world is going to shit and you are worried about it. But sometimes it is okay to take a little time out and even enjoy things that should be incredibly serious so that you can keep your sanity.

Stay Safe,

Ben Branam

The post Shooting for Fun appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

I was a young Marine reserve on my way to my “real” job working for an armored car company and heard a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Not a big deal, but something unusual. My normalcy biases were towards a small plane trying to shoot through the New York skyline and missed a turn.

At work, everyone turned on the news and we saw a second plane hit the other tower. I knew at that moment this was an act of terrorism.

I and my partner got our truck and got out on the road. The company was exceptionally understanding and said don’t go anywhere you don’t feel you should. Disneyland Park in California was on our route and I was morbidly curious about what it looked like. For the first time in thirty years, Disneyland park closed for the day.

About halfway through the morning, I got a recall from my platoon Sgt. Go home, get your stuff and stand by for where to go. I called my gun team and gave them the same order while trying to work through the zombie-like city. No one was out, most stores were closed, and the streets were empty.

I got pulled off the truck about mid-day and halfway through the route. We went everywhere, but everywhere was closed. I went home to pack my stuff.

My girlfriend, now wife, met me at my apartment to help/ watch me pack. I think for the first time she realized what I did when I was packing desert warfare gear, extra guns and ammo, and jungle gear.

She asked where do you think you are going? My answer was simple, hopefully, to kill the people that did this to our country.

Like most disasters, it’s not the actual event that changes things, it’s the reactions to the event. I sat at home for two days waiting for my call to report. By the third day, I went back to life.

Life had changed in America, for the better. Somehow we were all Americans again and all the little things, I call them “1st world problems”, were no longer a problem. People appreciated each other and wanted to help.

Living in Southern California at the time, there wasn’t much we could do to help New York City, so people started helping each other. Asking each other how they were doing and actually meaning it and caring about the answer.

America became one. The sleeping dragon had been woken again.

In the next two years, America took over two countries in a matter of weeks. And the world paid attention.

Americans put up flags everywhere and came together. Places that started talking about American Flags being a problem were shunned and ignored.

I remember the city of Berkley California trying to make it illegal to put American Flags on the city and emergency vehicles, so the firefighters put giant flags on their trucks and police cars magically had American Flag stickers put on that no one knew how they got there and somehow couldn’t be taken off.

A news station in California said they were not going to wear American flag pins because they didn’t want to be “divisive” and we all changed the channel. Two weeks late, that channel’s reporters were all wearing pins again.

We as Americans ignored everything that wasn’t patriotic. We didn’t fight as much as we could, just everyone shunned those that didn’t want to be patriotic.

It wasn’t all great. There was violence towards Muslim people living in America, which was wrong. We had some infighting, but the world, and especially America had changed.

My wife was taking a class about American culture and the teacher said she had to throw everything out because American culture had just changed.

On this day, I want to remember the American spirit. We are all in this together and we were all ready to be there for each other.

Now we seem to be afraid of each other. If I say the wrong thing the big media will deplatform me, and just erase everything I’ve done in the last ten years on this site.

I want to get back to when we were willing and eager to help each other out and wanted to show the love we had for this country.

Death and destruction will always be around us. There is no getting away from it. We all have a final destination of death.

What we don’t always have is love.

You might wonder how I can talk about loving people on a self-defense site that talks about having to take a life.

I carry a gun because I love my family and myself.

I teach other people to carry a gun and protect themselves and their families because I love good people.

I do this for free most of the time because I want the good people to outnumber the bad people.

Stay Safe,

Ben

P.S. Help someone when you can and remember to express love and admiration to others and your country.

The post 9-11 20 Years Later appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

NRA Cancelled

Not a surprise with what is going on in Texas and Covid, but their letter to people showed their true colors and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Broken Gun

I’ve been having more and more issues with my carry gun and think I figured it out. But how do you spot problems with your gun and what to do about it.

Heat Injuries

It’s been hotter than crap lately and I was not doing well at the competition yesterday until another shooter noticed and gave me an extra bottle of water. I go and go until I fall out. Don’t be like me, notice this stuff coming so someone else doesn’t have to save you.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Podcast 328 Mixed Bag or Crap: NRA Cancelled, Broken Gun, and Heat Injuries appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Carrying every day is an art. It’s one you have to work on all the time. And sometimes you can’t always carry an optimal way.

When I worked for an armored car company I carried in an optimal way. And I carried two 1911’s. One on my right thigh in a tactical rig before tactical rigs were popular. The other was in a pancake holster on my left side high just behind my hip.

Then there was a third gun no one knew about in my left back pocket. Everything was optimized for what I did for a living and did every day. My left side 1911 actually set further back behind my hip than you would think was optimal. But it fit perfectly there under my body armor because it sat just behind the piece that wrapped around my side. This way the gun didn’t get caught by my body armor and pinch my skin or get caught on the draw.

It took me almost three years working on my setup to come up with my perfect carry methods. Then my company changed the policy and thigh rigs were no longer permitted. Then it changed again to say 1911’s were no longer permitted.

Things always change, and you should be open to new things if they continue to let you carry a gun daily.

Conventional Carry

Conventional carry right now would be behind the hip or on the hip in an inside the waistband holster or outside in a traditional holster. I really pancake style for outside and wrap holsters for inside.

Pancake Style

IWB Wrap Style

In the last ten years, appendix carry has become a conventional carry method. I don’t really like it and don’t use it anymore, but it is really popular and works well.

Unconventional Carry Methods

Unconventional carry methods are everything else. I use it every day and another one weekly. I’ve tried a bunch.

Unconventional Carry Methods I Use

Pocket Carry

I carry a pocket revolver daily. It is my constant companion whether I’m carrying a gun conventionally or not.

If you have ever met me, chances are I’ve been carrying a Ruger in my pocket. It has been there for years and I love it.

My only downside is replacing the holster every six months because they wear out and no longer stick in my pocket when I draw them.

I use a Sticky Holster and it works great for me.

Just make sure whatever you get for a pocket covers the trigger guard so you cannot fire the gun in your pocket. And, the only thing that goes in that pocket is your gun. Nothing else.

Belly Band

I use a belly band holster when I’m working out or especially on my bike where there is no room for a belt or belt loops on bike shorts.

The only one I would ever use is the Cross Bread Belly Band Holster because it has a Kydex shell that holds the gun so you cannot pull the trigger while the gun is inside the holster. And, from what I’ve seen, the holster is about 50/50 for crashes and staying in. I’d love for it to hold the gun tighter but, that is expecting a lot from a holster.

Bag Carry

Sometimes referred to off-body carry. I do this all the time and love “tactical” bags that have a special pocket for my gun. Again, the only thing that goes in that pocket is my gun and nothing else.

I keep the gun in a holster so that nothing can accidentally discharge the gun.

My favorite companies that make great bags, right now, are 5.11 Tactical and Vertx.

I currently carry a 5.11 Rush Delivery Mike Messenger bag every day with my full-sized gun in it. The bag is a little small but carries as an emergency go-bag and work bag nicely.

Unconventional Carry Methods I Don’t Like

I’ve tried all three of these and had horrible results. They are not for me but might work for you.

Ankle Holsters

I bought an ankle holster with a thumb break to carry a backup while working for the armored car company. I dropped the gun out of it and was lucky to recover it. So, ankle holsters are not for me.

Thunder Wear

There have been a hundred different versions of this, but it’s a pouch that you wear under your clothes and between your legs to hide your gun with your “gun”?

I’ve tried them, they are uncomfortable, slow, and not secure. On top of that, I could never hide any gun bigger than a pocket gun without it printing really badly. Not that you could see a bulge, but you could see the outline of the firearm.

Fanny Packs

Whether it was a sleek small bag designed to carry only the gun, or a giant bag that carried everything, I never liked them. I worked with a couple and tried one for a couple of weeks as a gym carry solution, but none of them worked for me.

Conclusion

Carrying a gun is the way. Whatever way you choose to carry is up to you. Above all, make sure your carry method is safe. Safe has two components to it: 1) (and most important) is the gun cannot be fired while in the holster, period, 2) the gun will not fall out of the holster during your normal activities.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Unconventional Carry Methods: Podcast 327 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Do you go to the square range to practice self-defense? Should you?

Last week I went to the square range and worked on my self-defense shooting with my friend from Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, John.

We shot his new Colt Python (if you want to hear about that you will have to become a Shooter’s Club Member) and I worked with my self-defense gun.

Most people in the self-defense world make fun of going to the square range to work on self-defense shooting. But a lot of those same people will tell you the fundamentals of shooting are everything. Can’t you work on your fundamentals of shooting at the square range?

I know it’s dangerous. Most indoor ranges are pretty scary when it comes to the people that show up. I’ve found the guntry clubs to be a little better. If for no other reasons than the ones I’ve been to have bullet-resistant dividers. And those dividers hang out behind you.

John and I went to the local guntry club, Mission Ridge. They have bullet-resistant barriers between shoots and the barrier continues with a bullet-resistant glass piece that extends back behind the shooter. So as long as you stay in the booth you are pretty good.

And Mission Ridge eliminated the range bench behind the line. At first, I hated this, but the only place people have to set things down and take guns out is at the shooting line. That way no one can even take their guns out behind the line. It actually works well.

I worked with a new carry load. I’ve been shooting 124gr +P Federal HST’s and now going to 147gr standard pressure HST. I need to know where they are going to hit in my carry gun. A little five-inch circle with a dot in it works great. I started at five yards, shot a ground, moved to seven, and then to 10. My gun shoots dead on with the 147s at five and seven, but groups a little high at 10. Something to know. And it has less recoil with the standard pressure 147gr load than the 124gr +P. Something else nice to know.

But the square range can be used to work on your self-defense shooting. You can work on recoil control by simply seeing how fast you can get back on the sites and trigger after a shot breaks. You can’t shoot rapid-fire, but you can still work on it.

I like to work on my accuracy at the square range. I do the Dot Torture Drill all the time. Sometimes I can draw from the holster, or I just pick it up from the bench. It’s incredibly hard. Unless you can clean it, don’t knock it.

I also like to use a 5×5 drill target (get one here) to see how far I can move the target back and get all the round inside the 5inch circle. Don’t make fun of it unless you try it. It’s harder than you think, especially out at 25 yards.

What do you do at the square range to improve your self-defense shooting?

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post The Square Range: Podcast 326 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

This is back to some of the basics we all should review from time to time.

Do you have a plan for if things go wrong?

While no plan survives the first contact, the best part of your plan is the objective. In the Marine Corps, we called it the Commander’s Intent. You are going to do this so that this other thing can happen.

When you are the one making the plan, the first thing you need to know is what is the other thing that you want to happen.

I break my planning down into simple things, in this order:

• My Family’s Survival, Wife and Child come first and foremost
• My Survival comes next
• My family not getting physically hurt
• Me not getting physically hurt
• I protect those other people that are in my charge
• I protect friends and family
• I protect kids
• I protect other adults
• I don’t injure the bad guy if I don’t have to
• I protect my stuff
• I seek justice

Obviously protecting my family and myself is on the top of the list. Seeking justice and protecting my stuff is at the bottom of the list.

In the Marine Corps, we might also call this order of work/priorities in the mission.

During a horrible life-threatening situation, I do all things first and foremost to protect my family. Every plan I think about will be do blank so that my family can survive and getaway.

Morally this is your own judgment. For me, protecting people from top to bottom is really easy. I’ve thought about the list long and hard and can even tell you, I know I would protect my wife over my kid if I could only save one. Thankfully that is almost never the case and I don’t have to worry about it. But if I had to make the choice at the moment, I already know what I will go for first. Do you?

If you have to stand there and think about your list, it takes time. And as one of my old mentors use to say, you have the rest of your life to figure it. No matter how long or short that might be.

By making these plans and knowing your list, it keeps you from doing things that you should not, and that will get you killed or hurt.

A while back there was a story of a group of people that invaded a good guy’s home. The good guy was able to drive them out by yelling and screaming and having a gun. When the home invaders left the house, he pursued them out the front door. Someone in the waiting car shot our good guy.

If you look at my list, seeking justice is so very far down the list, that I would do everything else first. Our good guy did all the right things until he pursued the home invaders out the door. On his front yard, he met the real bad guy and it almost cost him his life. Was it worth it?

My plan is to secure my family, myself, anyone else in my charge, and then my stuff. Justice comes in the form of calling the police and having the home invaders arrested and going to jail. No vigilante justice or “in the heat of the moment” crap because I already know what I want the outcomes to be.

I hope you have basic plans set up for emergency situations. If there is a fire in your house, where do you go? If there is a fire in the hotel you are staying at, where are you going?

If someone breaks into your house, what’s your plan?

If you are out someplace and someone attacks you, what’s your plan?

If you are in your car and get stopped by an attacker what are you going to do? And to what end?

You should formulate plans for yourself now. While you are at home and have nothing at stake. When the time comes you will not be thinking clearly and you may not have time to think at all.

If you have a plan, and a commander’s intent, you know what direction you should be moving without thinking and you can react faster and better to whatever life-threatening thing is happening.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Back to Basics: Have a Plan – Podcast 325 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

I spent the last couple of weeks in California, mostly Yosemite National Park. It was amazing! One of the most beautiful places on earth. Go if you ever get the chance. I would say it is worth the risk of going to California and going unarmed.

While I was there with my family, we stopped to play some games in the Guest Lodge because it was raining. There was a lady with two young boys, probably 5 and 7. The kids were wearing masks, but she wasn’t.

During our game, I had moved around the table towards the side of her boys. She asked me to move because I wasn’t six feet away and her kids were not vaccinated yet. I did so because I was on vacation and not there to start an argument. My wife was proud of me for keeping my mouth shut and just moving.

But it reminded me, most people, including professionals, suck at measuring risk. Let’s break down a simple risk calculation for her kids dying in Yosemite versus from Covid.

There have been 126 deaths in Yosemite national part over the last 10 years according to Outforia and an article about deaths in national parks. And, about 4.5 Million people visit per year according to Statista.com.

I couldn’t find actual COVID numbers for kids’ deaths in America, so I used the Texas numbers to get an equivalent. In Texas, there have been 20 kids 9 and younger that have died from/with COVID (not sure how to say that right now). The population of Texas is about 29.2 Million.

If we break those numbers down to look side by side you get:

When you break it down, being in Yosemite was way more dangerous than getting COVID and dying.

As a contractor, I was in charge of base security at a large FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Iraq. The base commander wanted me to make sure no one ever got hurt on his base. I tried explaining to him that I could simply mitigate the risks from outside the wire but I couldn’t stop everything. Someone will fall out of their rack or worse, and what did happen, a soldier committed suicide on the base right after I left. It was horrific, but it was something I couldn’t stop or even begin to work on as a security specialist focused on the threats from the outside.

At your home, work, and when you travel, you should be looking to mitigate the most dangerous potential risks. You have to weigh the risks of something happening versus something that you know and understand.

I just got back. California is not friendly towards guns. I decided the risk was higher of a police officer messing with me over having to use my firearm to save myself or my family. And, as I was hiking through the backcountry I wished I had my gun in case I ran into a bear. The risk of being attacked by a bear in Yosemite is almost zero as long as you don’t try and feed them, or mess with a mothers’ cubs. Doing those two things is the best way to mitigate my risk of a bear attacking me while out on some back-country trail in Yosemite. Yes, that danger is different in other parts of the country.

As I implied earlier, there is not a zero chance of being attacked by a bear, but an almost zero chance. I could still come across a starving animal, or cross a trail at the wrong moment right after her cubs crossed but before the mother did.

Everything in life has a risk. Getting out of bed, or not getting out of bed has a risk of death. There have been car crashes and even plane crashes that hit the house where someone was sleeping and killed them in their own bed. Life happens.

We have to be able to judge risk on an intellectual scale, not our feelings. A bear is scary as shit! I’ve been chased by one back when I was a teenager. Scariest moment of my life. But the reality is, the roads in and out of Yosemite are tight winding and on the side of a cliff most of the time. The chance of dying on the road in and out of the park has to be close to a hundred times more likely than being attacked by a bear. But the bear still feels scarier because the risks of driving are something we got used to and have excepted as part of our lives every day.

If you start measuring your risk against everything with your risk of dying in a car crash is 1 in 107 over your lifetime according to the National Safety Council. Of dying each year in a car crash the odds are about 1 in 8,393. If the actual number risk isn’t as high as dying in a car crash, maybe it shouldn’t take up very much of your time. Just a suggestion.

Put your time and effort into those things that are the most likely to kill you first, then work on the lesser things. Just for some examples, you don’t think about: about 22,000 people die a year in America from medical mistakes, about 45,000 commit suicide, about 655,000 dies of heart disease, about 79,000 die of diabetes, and about 609,000 deaths from cancer (more than COVID19 per year). And for more perspective, in 2019 (according to the FBI) 16,425 murdered in the United States.

All this is me trying to put your risk into perspective. Take care of those things that are most likely to get you first, then go down to the other things.

I’m on the list pretty high for cancer and type 2 diabetes. That’s why I’m starting another 75 Hard Challenge. You can check it out on my other site at 75Hard.biz. It is a 75-day challenge to get you mentally and physically tough. It will start you down the right road.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Measuring Risk: Why We Suck at It. Podcast 324 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Situational Awareness is the one thing that was drilled into me in Law Enforcement and the Military. It is the one thing that directly overlaps from law enforcement, military, and self defense. Why? It is the one thing that will allow you to buy time in an emergency. And time is everything when someone is trying to take your life.

Two things to work on, improve, and practice situational awareness are to notice normal so you can see the abnormal, and ask why people are there at that point in time. What are they doing?

If you work on these two easy things you can move towards mastering your situational awareness and your self-defense.

Noticing normal lets you see when something else is missing or coming. Everywhere you go, there is a normal or baseline. Anything outside that rhythm should stand out to you if you are paying attention.

The one law enforcement always talks about is when it is 100 degrees out and someone walks in wearing a trench coat buttoned up. In the military, it was always looking at what the people are doing around you. If people are leaving quickly or don’t show up like normal they probably know something that you don’t in a foreign land.

A couple of Marines wrote an entire book about it called “Left of Bang”. If you want to know more about noticing normal and then noticing when something is out of place, it is a great book.

The second is to ask “why is this person here?” At first, you will suck at it, but as you do it a bunch you will be able to figure out the stories behind people at the local stop and rob you are at to get gas and a drink. If you do it for a while, you will find that one person that is there to victimize someone. Hopefully, you will figure it out before they victimize you.

Bad guys come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and genders. You have to figure out why that person is looking at you, why they are there, and what they are going to do. If you know this before that person acts, the encounter slows way down and you can buy the most valuable thing in a violent encounter, time.

When you answer that why question you get in front of the reaction curve and you can make that person react to you instead of you having to react to them.

Listen to the podcast to get more examples and motivation on how to be better at your situational awareness (SA).

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
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Stay Safe,

Ben

The post The Best Skill to Practice for Self Defense: Situational Awareness Podcast 323 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

A gun and knife are only tools, your mind is the weapon, train it well.

That has been the closing of the Modern Self Protection Podcast for about eight years now. Everything you learn about self-defense should start with your mindset. Your mindset is the one skill that will enhance all the others.

You can break down your mindset into three easy thoughts.

1. It can happen to you
2. Sometimes violence is the answer / Use enough violence
3. Never give up, never give up NEVER GIVE UP!

It Can Happen to You

Do you ever watch the news at night? How many acts of violence are portrayed nightly? When the reporter talks to witnesses and victims what do most of them say?

“I can’t believe this happened to me.” Or “We live in an area where this doesn’t happen.” Or some variance of those. They never think it will happen to them or in their area.

You have to accept the simple fact that it can happen to you, at any time in any place.

I hear from so many people, “I only carry a gun when I think I’m going to need it.” I’ve got a better idea, if you think you are going to need your gun where you are going, don’t go there!

Violent attacks happen every day to everyday people in places all over the world that are “safe” places to live and work. Predators travel just like you do.

If you think it will not happen to you, you are not prepared and cannot be prepared to take care of what might happen.

Sometimes Violence is the Answer / Use Enough Violence

When violence finds you, and someone is going to kill you or your family, violence is the answer.

Those people that tell you “violence is never the answer” are full of shit. They have no idea what they are talking about and want to live in a world of make-believe.

I wish that violence didn’t exist in our world, but since the time Cain killed Able people have been dying of violence. Only if you decide to accept death at the hands of some monster then “violence is never the answer.”

But if you won’t accept some monster killing you, your family, or innocent people, then violence is the answer.

The monsters using violence on innocent people to get what they want have violence as a way of life. They aren’t like you or me. They don’t feel empathy for someone injured. They don’t care about people they don’t know dying. Even the people they do know they don’t feel empathy for. They accept early and violent death as a way of life.

You have to learn how to use violence as the answer. Learn how the monsters behave and hunt so you can protect yourself from them.

Then you have to use more violence than they are using to keep yourself from getting hurt or killed.

Never give up. Never Give Up. NEVER GIVE UP!

Churchill said it the best, “never give up!”

Once the violence starts you have to keep going no matter what. If you get hit in the face and knocked down, get back up and go after that person. If you get cut, shake it off, and cut them worse. If you get shot, push through the pain and shoot them a lot. Just keep pushing forward.

If you keep going in a fight and don’t give up, you’ll still be there at the end. Keep going. Sooner or later the other person will get tired or make a mistake and that will be your opportunity to save your life and the lives of others.

Once you start, you can’t stop. If you give up after trying to fight back, it will be worse for you than if you rolled over and died. If you fight back and keep going, you will probably be better than if you just rolled over.

Most actual studies prove that statistically in a violent crime you are better off fighting back. But statistics don’t mean a damned thing for you at that moment. There is only life and death. It doesn’t matter if 9 out of 10 people that fight back do better. What if you are that 10th person? That one that you end up dead?

You must learn the skills of violence, how it works, what the other side thinks, and get it into your mind that you will not give up. You will not be the one that is killed. You will be the one that prevails.

I will win a violent encounter.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
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• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
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Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Mind Set: The Ultimate Self Defense Skill – Podcast 322 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Last week I shot competition with a Sig P365XL and Romeo 0 Dot. I shoot this competition about every other week right now and love it.

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Normally I shoot my carry gun or my PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine). But last week I borrowed my friend’s Sig P365XL with a Romeo 0 dot on it. It is his EDC (EveryDay Carry) gun. So he knows it works and the dot works.

I flipped ammo and bought an extra magazine (as he only had two on him at the time) so I could shoot the comp.

We shot AASA (American Action Shooting Association) in San Antonio Texas. The competitions AASA puts on are always great fun and challenging. Best of all, there are always great people there shooting.

Normally I break this comp into different ways of shooting the stages. There are always five, but the way they are set because of range limitations, there is always a challenging stage, a weird/different gun handling something stage, a technical stage, and two burn-it-down stages.

My squad started on the first burn-it-down stage. Normally this stage is just an all-out run and gun that you push as fast as you can go. It’s about timing moving from position to position and just pulling the trigger as fast as you can. Targets are big and close so you can really go fast, and all movement is forward.

I put the Sig in an IWB (Inside the Waist Band) holster I borrowed with one borrowed horizontal mag holder, and the third mag went into my pocket. Not the rig to win the comp with, but I was there to test myself and the gun.

On the beep my draw went smooth and fast… then everything fell apart. I burned every round I had and barely made it under the max time. I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn running the dot. Luckily, the Sig co-witnesses the front sight and a notch in the optic as a rear sight so I shot it with those. They are really small because they sit so low in the optic, but they are usable.

After that, I went over to the safe table and started dry practicing for 10 minutes to figure out the dot. I talked to my friend about his dot being off, but he said no, he had just shot it in a class and it worked great. So I worked on myself.

The next stage was another burner stage and I shot way better! Not the best, but actually keeping up with the group. At that stage, the targets were so close that you can point shoot it and I found myself doing that when I couldn’t see the dot on a yellow steel target. Talking to other guys that run dots, this is a hard stage. You shoot from undercover in a deep shadow and shoot into the bright sun from behind hitting off the steel targets. It makes it hard to see the dot.

The third stage was the challenging stage. It wasn’t really challenging this time, but mulitple sized targets at different distance with multiple movements, in multiple directions, with multiple reloads. Makes it intersting.

By this stage I thought I had it… and as soon as that gun came out of the holster it fell apart again. About halfway through the stage, I figured out I was shooting a reflection of the dot, and not the actual dot in the sight. Because of where the sun was in the sky (about 1 o’clock ), I was seeing that reflection. It made me shoot everything low left. And, of course, I thought that was just me anticipating the shot. I gave that up quickly and went to shooting the iron sights again. As soon as I did that, the real dot magically appeared and I figured out what my problem was.

The rest of the day went way better and I had fun. Most importantly I learned a lot!

My scores… horrible! I was third from last. I’m normally in the upper half or better.

What I’ve learned about the Sig P365 serious of guns:

The Good:

• They are a great sized gun
• Love the family of sizes
• 12 rounds in the XL makes a full grip even for my giant hands
• Reloads go easy with the correct flare on the bottom the pistol
• 15 round mags that work with both grip sizes
• Accuracy is amazing for such a little gun
• Reliability on a clean gun has been 100% out of all the ones that have been through classes and the ones I’ve shot
• The trigger is good
• Aftermarket support is everywhere

The Cons:

• When training with them they get really hot, right where you put your thumbs on a thumbs forward grip
• The trigger is a long way from the frame and the shot breaks a long way from the frame (something it took my realizing before I could shoot the pistol well)
• I would have liked a little longer barrel in the XL, 3.9-4″ I think is the best there is, the Sig XL has a 3.7″ which is just a hair short on the sight radius
• It recoils up a little more than I would like it to. But that is mostly because of it’s small size and weight

The Sig Romeo 0 Dot

The Good:

• It sits as a dot sight should. Far enough down where they put a notch in the back that replaces the rear sight and you can still use the front sight. It puts the gun on the same plain when you draw it and helps with the learning curve and switching guns.
• They seem to be holding up with everything I’ve seen. I haven’t seen a broken one yet on the range or in a class

The Bad:

• Seeing a reflection of the dot where it isn’t sucks! I don’t know if every dot does this, but I don’t like it at all
• The auto-brightness setting can screw you when shooting from a dark place to a bright place. A manual up/down would be great. I’d rather have a huge starburst from being too bright in low light than not being able to see it at all in the bright light.
• It looks like it will break. I haven’t seen one break yet, but it looks weak.

If you want one of these set ups, you should get one. It’s a great gun and Dot. I’m always looking for perfect and still haven’t found it. But I think this set up will be my next carry gun. Or I’m also looking at a Sig M17 with a Romeo 1 Pro on it. Hopefully I can shoot one of those too.

Stay Safe,

Ben

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post A Dot and a Miss: Sig P365XL and Romeo 0 Review Podcast 321 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Do you ever get shiny new gun syndrome?

I do. But is it good for you. When should you want a new gun. When should you get a new gun? Does it matter?

Yes it matters. The more you stick with one gun, the more you will know that one gun and the better you will be with it. Keep trading guns and you will never know everything you can about the gun or be as good as you could be with it.

But is there a time to change that old gun for something else?

Yes, no, and maybe… I think when your old gun is no longer fitting how you fight, carry, or use the gun, then it is time for something new. If you have just worn out a gun, maybe you should just buy another of the same make and model and keep going.

Listen to the podcast and find out about the gun I’m thinking of getting a why? And why I don’t like switching guns?

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post New Gun, The Shiny Syndrom: Podcast 320 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Glocks have internal safeties but no external or manual safety. Are internal safeties on a handgun you carry for self-defense enough?

Should you have a manual safety on your concealed carry handgun?

The answer, like most things in our world is “it depends”.

I’m looking at a new carry gun. I’ve carried a Smith & Wesson M&P9 for almost six years now (without a safety) and like the gun. I just shoot the Sig guns better. And the new Sig 365 is much smaller.

I was at a local gun store today and they had the one I wanted. A Gray P365XL with manual safety. The question I’m asking myself and the point of this entire post is “do I want the safety?” My answer is yes, I like the manual safeties on all guns.

The next question is will it slow me down when the elephant is charging? For me, no. As long as the safety is big enough for me to rest my thumb on top of it.

I was playing with the safety and the counter salesman asked me what I thought. I told him straight up, I am trying to decide safety or no safety. He started to speak about safety and how it could slow you down and more gun store commando talk. I guess I glared at him and he left me alone without another word. After working with the gun for a couple of minutes, yes the safety is big enough for me.

The safety isn’t about the gun being “unsafe” or too slow to “get into action” or anything like that. Manual safety is an administrative precaution for me. It gives me one more thing to help me not have a negligent discharge.

I worked for an armored car company for about seven years and carried a 1911. Most of that time was in California where it was legal for the guard to carry the gun in hand. I did a bunch working around Los Angeles.

The greatest thing about the 1911 was my ability to shove it into the tactical holster I carried without fear of it getting caught on something and going off. A 1911, if used correctly, is the safest gun to holster by far.

To correctly holster a 1911, first put the manual safety on. Then break your grip (activating the grip safety) and finally, put your thumb over the hammer. Now you have multiple safeties to keep the gun from firing if you get it caught on something going back to the holster. I miss that.

With my Smith, I’m always super careful, just like you should be with any gun including a Glock because one of the frequent negligent discharges is when you holster the gun and it gets caught on something and the trigger is activated by whatever it was caught on. The gun doesn’t know it wasn’t your finger and the gun discharges.

I want to go back to the safety as one more added step of security to keep my from shooting myself.

On the faster vs. slower. No it is not. I’ve tested myself a million times with it.

Where people have problems is they train in efficiently or not enough when switching platforms.

Listen to the Podcast to find out about how to train yourself and the biggest mistakes made when training with a safety.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Do Glocks Have a Safety? Should They? Podcast 319 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.” – Nick Fury the Avengers

If you watch the news things are bleak at best. No matter what happens out there we are done is what the news says. I’ve decided to not watch the news. Because what do they know?

I’ve reached out to a bunch of my friends and they have reached out to me. You are not alone about some of the things you are thinking when you watch the news.

Have we passed the point of no return? I don’t know… but it doesn’t look good.

I’ve been asked what to do by a couple people. The answer is simple but not easy.

First you have to have your life, your relationships, your health, and your wealth shored up and ready to go.

Your Life

If the world intends to end, why aren’t you living your life to its fullest right now? Enjoy the time you have before the world goes more to shit.

Are you truly enjoying the things you are doing, what you are doing to make a living, where you are living, and are you just a happy person?

If not… why not? All this is on you. Make your life as good as you make it. Work at it on both sides of the coin. If the worst happens, are you having a good life when it ends? If nothing every changes, are you living the best life you can?

Your Relationships

How close are you to your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and the people you see regularly? Why aren’t you close friends with all of them? Got to it.

If the worst happens you will need friends and people that will help you. After the Nazis started taking over Europe you think people helped the Jews they knew first or last?

People have always helped their friends and always will. Make friends with all you meet. Someday you might need them, or they just might make your life better.

Your Health

How’s your health? If the worst happens (like a global pandemic or worse) are you in as good as shape as you could be? If you really think you will fight the next war you need to be in as good as shape as you can.

War is about the most physical thing you can endure. Lack of sleep, food, rest, and just about everything else your body needs to be at its best is the normal, not the unusual. It is one of the reasons countries around the world don’t want old soldiers. Soldiering is hard on the body.

If things start going south, what meds do you need to survive? How long can you walk? When is the last time you walked for a long time with a load on your back?

If you don’t know what you can do physically, maybe it’s time to get back in shape and find out. This is my worst area right now and I’m working on it. But it takes lots of time.

Your Wealth

I do and don’t mean money shoved under the mattress or stashed someplace.

How is every piece of your finances right now? Do you have debt? How’s your income? How much savings do you have? Liquid and assets?

What kind of non-financial wealth do you have? The Five B’s. Do you have beans, bullets, bandages, and batteries saved up? Do the batteries actually work. You don’t store the last B, bad guys, you just prepare for the day the wolf knocks at your door.

Prepare for the last B

This is and isn’t what you think. You should be on the range about once a month keeping proficient with firearms. You should be working hand to hand skills to keep sharp, but the other thing you need to do is learn tactics.

The shooting is only a part of what needs to happen if the world is going to end. You need to be able to use tactics to out manuever your enemy on and off the battlefield.

If a war comes to America again, there will be no off the battlefield. You will have to learn how to live in a popetial state of war. It was one of the hardest things we did as Marines in 2003. There was no bases. There was no rear area. There was only the front or the “tip of the spear.” If a civil war starts in America there will be no rear area, there will be only war.

To prepare for that, you should read books on small unit tactics. All of the current Army and Marine Corps books can be found online and read. Get a couple and read them. Most are dry and boring, but they have good info on them. And when things get bad, that is what the government will use. Whichever side of the fight you end up on, you will want to know what our military will do.

If you want to continue your education more, you can start reading recounts of battles long ago. This will give you an advantage to our current military.

In the current military there is only so much time. So they are taught what is going on right now. Our military sometimes forgets a lot of things that happened in the past and focuses on training troops for the war that just happened or is happening right now.

Good military innovation only happens when lots of soldiers die on the battle field. And it takes forever! If you can learn what is going on right now, what they are being trained to do, then you will know what the military will do even in a civil war.

If you read the books of the past to find the tactics they used, you will know other ways to fight the battles. This will give you an advantage over our current military.

If you want to read a real account of battle, I suggest the book Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat by James R. McDonough. Almost everything that happened in that book, happened to me in combat. It will give you a feel of the stupidity that happens in combat. It was creepy how accurate it was even today.

Find books of great warriors of the past and start reading. All of them will give you tactical ideas about how to win the next battle. Most will tell you what not to do in combat. Head their warnings… they probably learned it the hard way.

One of the books that changed the way I thought about combat was Dragon Days: time for Unconventional Tactics and Tactics of the Crescent Moon by H. John Poole. The first half of the books are history, literally, and the second half is all tactics that can be used by small units.

Read and learn all you can. Tactics and strategies win wars and battles. Being the best with a rifle can win you a gun fight, but tactics will also win in the long run.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post What You Can Start Doing Now: Podcast 318 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

How is your hope for the future? What is your plan for the future?

Without hope we won’t do anything. You have to have hope for a better future. Admittedly, the future is tenuous at best. But it always has been.

For at least 100 years people have been worried about the United States collapsing. As long as we, the American People, don’t turn on each other, America will live forever.

My worry is that we are turning on each other. And people are talking as if the next civil war is inedible. They are probably right, but I’d like to push that another 150 to 200 years before it happens.

We have to hope for the best, have a plan for that, and prepare for the worst and have a plan for that.

The best is what we have had in the last couple of years to a decade. Life has been good for Americans and the world. It has been nice.

But an old saying made famous by G. Michael Hopf in his book “Those Who Remain” says

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

It’s a pretty wicked cycle. Somehow in our modern world, we have made some men strong and others weak. Now it seems like the weak men are leading the country creating hard times. Some men during the last couple of decades have been tested and made hard by battles.

Many of us fought the war on terror and like most of the last “wars” America fought we seem to be losing. I sight the “war on poverty,” “the war on drugs” and the almost war on immigration. But the problem goes back to the Korean “War” that never was and has never ended.

Now some people think using the same “war” tactic in America to make policy the way they want it will work. Sure, why not?

Wars are bloody horrible things. We think it’s something romantic and heroic. We, the American Colonies thought that when the Revolutionary war began. Then, we the American People thought that during the first couple battles of the Civil War. Now I see that again in people throughout our community.

The horror of war is not something that can be explained, only can be lived to understand. It’s a feeling of dread, despair, hopelessness with the foul taste of dirt, and a smell of death that you can’t escape.

If or when another civil war comes to America it is likely going to be a genocide. Or at least that is what history will call it in the end. COVID death numbers will be a joke that happens almost daily. We will be lucky if half the American population survives.

There will be people like me on both sides. Each extremely good at waging a genocidal war (it’s what I was taught to fight by the Marine Corps). There are only two ways to win a war; one side gives up, or there is no one left to fight. We will fight with honor at first. Only going after those that fight us.

Then the gloves will come off. One side will go after the other side’s family. And that will be the end of honor on any defined battlefield. A warrior’s family is much easier to kill than a warrior.

Families will be used as leverage against the other side. Once one warrior or small group of warriors lose their families, they will have nothing left to live for and nothing worth fighting honorably for. They will start a genocide against the other side. The other side will react in kind.

Survivalists have been studying the problems America and the world have with “just-in-time-inventory,” food is grown thousands of miles from the people that eat it, and energy and goods that a produced have a world away.

It wouldn’t take much to disrupt the goods and services we take for granted everywhere in the world.

When you hear someone talk about the next revolutionary war, tell them how bad it could and probably will be. Let them read this post. Something, anything to make them think about it and not does it.

It only took 3% of the population to fight the first revolutionary war. It wouldn’t take much to spark the next one.

Don’t be that spark, but be ready for it.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
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Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst Podcast 317 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

The top 4 self-defense techniques aren’t some awesome kick, punch, or hold. The first three come in the form of your preparedness to defend yourself. The last one matches who your, what you are willing to practice, and what you can do for your self-defense.

We are all different with different lives. We will all face different attackers if we ever have to defend ourselves. Going back to the 80’s movie “WarGames” quote by the computer at the end is “the only way to win is not to play.”

This quote goes for self-defense as much as it does for global nuclear war. There is no way to truly win a self-defense situation. You will come away with something you don’t want. You will lose something. If you fight and disable your attacker easily there will be a law enforcement inquiry and you will lose half a day’s time just trying to answer questions (at the least). There may be a formal investigation and you might have to go to trial to justify your actions.

If you let the attacker win, you could lose everything up to and including your life. There is no “winning” a self-defense situation. You will lose something if you are truly defending yourself.

Here are the top 4 Self Defense Techniques:

1. Mind Set
2. Situational Awareness
3. Be a Hard Target
4. Fighting Skills

Let me explain each one:

Mind Set

Your mindset is the top self-defense technique. You can think of your mindset as three easy things; It can happen to you, Criminal use of violence, and Never give up.

It Can Happy to You

The news is full of people every night that thought it couldn’t happen to them… and then it did. The first thing you need to understand to get the right mindset is that it can happen to you at any time and in any place.

Crime and violence happen everywhere in our world. There isn’t a place on this earth that is truly safe where violence can’t happen. Just watch the news and see. Violence happens in your home in the form of home invasion robberies or worst. Violence happens in airport secure areas (there was a mass shooting back in 2013 at LAX). Violence happens in “nice neighborhoods”. Violence happens at the White House (person shot outside the White House in 2011).

Once you except that it can happen to you, you can start to prepare for it.

Criminal Use of Violence

Criminals use violence in a way most people don’t want to or can’t understand.

Violence is a way of life for a lot of criminals. They have to compulsion about using it, anyone. Lots of them use it on each other constantly.

Violence is what some criminals do and they learned it the hard way by doing it for years. You going to a weekend seminar about BJJ will not let you understand the kind of violence criminals use.

Walt Rauch in his great book Real World Survival (review here) called them “other humans”. They don’t think like you or I. Criminals don’t mind hurting you. Some of them like it. Criminals don’t do sympathy or mercy. They are like a cockroach to you. You don’t like it but won’t go out of your way to kill it unless it’s somewhere it shouldn’t be.

Criminals look at you like a cockroach. Criminals’ only thought to whether they will let you or let you live is will it help them or hurt them when the police come.

The best movie monologue of how criminals think was done by Jamie Foxx in Baby Driver right before they rob an armored car.

Violence is something you have to understand and understand how to use if you really want to master your self-defense.

Never Give Up!

Winston Churchill said it the best so many years ago: “Never give up. Never give up. Never give up!”

Once you go down a self-defense path you must continue for ever. If you give up after you start the truly evil criminals are going to kill you.

Once you start to defend yourself you much never give up.

If you just keep going, sooner or later the other person will have enough or you will inflict enough damage on the other person to stop them.

Just don’t give up. If you give up the fight, you probably give up your life.

Situational Awareness

Once you have the mindset, next is SA (Situational Awareness). You have to know what is going on around you, in your neighborhood, your city, and the country.

To be as aware as possible it starts before you leave your house. What is the most probable violence you will face in the areas you are going to?

If you are going to church this Sunday, what violence could you face on the way there and back and at the church? You may think you are safe at church or that the only thing you might have to worry about is a mass shooting.

The truth is that no place is safe. Churches have the same level of violence as the community they are in plus the chance of a mass shooting. You should prepare for all of them.

And, don’t forget, road rage on the way there and back. Your awareness should contain everything and the probability of it happening. So don’t forget, most people are more likely to be in a car accident on the way to church than have to face violence at the church.

Once you are out and about, look up at the people and things around you.

Criminals are interviewing you all the time to see if they want to victimize you or your vehicle. If you are walking faster, with your head up, and looking at the people that you pass, a criminal is less likely to choose you.

If you can see an attack coming, they are almost comical. If you never see it coming, the first thing you will know is when someone uses violence against you.

Pay attention, it could save your life.

Be a Hard Target

This is simply deterrence. What you wear, how you move, what you observe, where you go, the routes you use, what you have visible in your car, what your home looks like are all parts of whether a criminal will choose you during the interview process.

The richer you look, the higher the score for a criminal. Maybe you don’t want to wear that $10,000 necklace or watch to Walmart to pick up eggs. Be aware of what you wear says where you are from and how much money you have.

Dress appropriately to not stand out where ever you are going. I dress differently when I go to Walmart than when I’m going to a fundraiser black-tie dinner. I try not to stand out in either place.

Your vehicle and the way you drive can hurt you. The more aggressive you drive, the more likely you are to be in an accident and the more likely you are to be in a road rage incident. People are killed and injured all the time in road rage. Don’t be one.

Does your vehicle fit into the surroundings?

Do you have a predictable schedule and route?

Do you have good locks and a security system at home?

Look at yourself like you wanted to rob you or kill you. How would you do it? Where are you vulnerable? When are you most vulnerable?

Start fixing those vulnerabilities one at a time.

Fighting Skills

Fighting skills are last on purpose. The only way to win is not to play. If you are forced to play, you have to win.

Fighting skills are going to be different for everyone. You’re age, willingness to train, carry tools, the area you live in, and your physical and mental health will all play big into what are the best skills for you.

Once you start getting skills, the tools will present themselves. Of course, I think a firearm is the best tool for self-defense, but not everyone can carry one everywhere every day because of legalities.

As part of learning to fight, learn what is legal in your area, where you work, and where you travel so that you can choose the best tools and skills for you.

Fighting is a last resort. You have failed at everything else and now you must defend yourself. Get better at all the other things first.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Top 4 Self Defense Techniques Podcast 316 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Christmas is here! Thanks God 2020 is almost over…

Are you traveling for Christmas? Do you want to stay safe while you are doing so?

Crime is up across the country. People are pissed about the entire Covid lockdown thing and starting to take it out on each other. Law Enforcement is busy with riots and Covid calls. They are getting overwhelmed by changing policies daily on what they are suppose to do or not do. This makes them less motivated to do proactive police work. Proactive police work is one of the things that keeps the crime rate down.

If you are going to a big city I can guarantee crime is up this year over last year. And dirtbags have families they want to give things to just like you.

This podcast is all about tips to keep you safe while you travel. Included are:

• Hotel Safety
• Airport Safety
• Awareness
• Shopping Safety
• Vehicle Safety

Listen to the podcast to get some great tips on keeping you and your family safe during the holiday season.

PODCAST OUTLINE:

Hotel Safety:

• Staging your room
• Setting a free and easy alarm while in the room
• Exit strategies
• Pre-Booking tips

Airport Safety Tips

• Get there early
• Watch what you pack and where you leave your stuff
• Security Checkpoint Lines
• Relative safety after security checkpoint
• In- Flight and Pre-Flight safety
• Weapons

Awareness

• Step it up
• No phone while out and moving
• Look for the exits
• Look at the people around you
• Use 6 Feet to you advantage (I’ve been sick, stand back)

Shopping Safety

• Shop off times
• Stay away from crowds or near cops
• Patience
• Park with exit in mind, towards the back and pointed out
• Carry a weapon and a light
• Hide your wealth

Vehicle Safety

• Get it checked out / tuned up
• Vehicle walk arounds for equipment and people hiding
• Leave yourself an out
• Know what you vehicle can do
• Be prepared to use your vehicle as a weapons
• Be prepared to abandon the vehicle

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Christmas Travel Safety Tips Podcast 315 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

The post Podcast 314B Carrying a Firearm in the Cold appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:

I got a message from a listener asking about changing his carry gear for the season.

This question comes up every year and I don’t think about it until about this time of year because it doesn’t get cold in San Antonio until about now.
Last week we had our first real cold front and I had to change the way I dress.

Here are the things I think about when I’m changing my clothes for the season:

• Jacket Carry
• Smaller vs Bigger Gun
• Changing Holsters
• Changing Ammo
• Gloves
• Draw Change
• Where you wear your gun
• Everyone Looks like a Bag Guy

Jacket Carry

Jacket carry is me putting a hammerless J-Frame or similar revolver in my right front coat pocket inside a pocket holster. I like a Vedder Holster or a Sticky Holster. You can even get them on Amazon.

What I’m looking for is a holster that covers the trigger guard, that the gun won’t fall out of, but I can bump it off inside the pocket so that I can fire the gun from inside my pocket.

This is an old police officers’ trick. They would drop a J-Frame inside their coat pocket and would just stand there with their hands in their pockets and have the person at gunpoint the entire time. Back in the day, they didn’t use holsters, but you should now.

It works. It’s a great technique, but takes a little practice.

Smaller vs Bigger Guns

In the winter it’s easier to go to a bigger gun as your backup gun. Your small revolver in your front coat pocket becomes your primary gun and your actual carry gun becomes the backup for that one.

In the winter it’s generally easier to hide a bigger gun. If you can, you should. The bigger gun always gives you more ammo, more sight radius, and more velocity. With more velocity on the bullet, you generally get more penetration depending on what ammo you are using.

The penetration is going to be important because everyone is wearing more clothes than your bullet will have to get through to get to the person and then through into vital organs. It is just more your bullet has to travel through to get the effects on a target you need.

Changing Holsters

Yes, if you can or want to, you should. I generally don’t change holsters and just carry my IWB that I’ve been doing all year round. But I also carry a full-sized gun all year round too. If it’s more comfortable and faster for you, given the extra clothing to change holsters, go for it.

Just make sure you carry the gun in the same place. You don’t want to be patting yourself down looking for your gun in an emergency.

Changing Ammo

Maybe. Depends on what you carry during the summer. I just carry Federal HST’s all year round. They just work.

If you are carrying one of the new-fangled controlled penetration rounds, you need to look at the penetration of those rounds. You want something towards the end of the FBI standard of 12 to 18 inches. Everyone is wearing more clothing. You want that 18 inches in your carry ammo during the winter.

Gloves

Do you wear them? Can you operate your gun with them on? Can you ditch them before you go to the gun? If you live in the far north frozen tundra you probably don’t want to ditch your gloves because of frostbite.

And if you have to ditch your gloves how much more time with that take you to draw your gun? Have you practiced ditching your gloves to get your gun?

Have you tried running your gun with your gloves on? Can you do all the things: malfunctions, reloads, draw, and fire with your gloves on?

Draw Change

Do you have to change your draw with the extra clothing and gloves on? Yes… I’ll give you the hard ones. How many layers are you wearing and under which layer are you wearing your gun?

No matter how many layers I wear, my gun is always under my shirt and outside any skintight layers, I’m wearing. So I may have to clear multiple layers to get to the gun. It makes me slower and I have to be more deliberate. Have you practiced it?

Everyone Looks like a Bag Guy

This is Covid related and just the change of the year. I noticed about a week ago when someone walked in wearing a hoodie with the hood up and pulled down with a gator over his face the person looked like a robber.

The reality was, it was just cold outside so the hoodie, and with the current Covid crap going on for the shit-show that was 2020 this will probably continue.

Also, just a PSA, crime is up all over the country. People are just pissed and taking it out on others. Plus cops are busy enforcing mask regulations, we are letting people out of jail, and cops don’t want to deal with people. So many things are making this a perfect storm for crime to go way up. This isn’t just a bump in violent crime this year, it’s an epidemic.

So watch your six out there, and be more vigilant than you were in the past.

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Podcast 314 Carrying a Firearm in the Cold appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

I went to the range on Black Friday with a friend just to shoot the bull and some steel. We went to Lonestar Handgun here in San Antonio where they have lots of steel out on the pistol line that we can just shoot at while talking.

I was worried that on Black Friday it would be a mess. Too many people in too small a place. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But there is always one…

Unfortunately, I think it was a member of the range staff and I could see his mistake coming even if he didn’t. As range staff, instructors, and “firearms experts” we should be setting the example of how we want people to act on the range and how new shooters should act with a firearm.

For some reason he kept going back behind the counter and then walking to the line with a handgun pointed down, slide locked back, and filled magazine in his other hand. The first time he almost waited until he got into the booth before inserting the magazine and letting the slide go home to chamber a round. If I did that they would call it a safety violation and I’d expect to be at least talked to.

After the third or fourth time, he kept loading the magazine sooner and sooner while walking around the counter towards the firing line, he lifted the gun up in his workspace pointing the gun down the line of shooters, including me and my friend.

I tried to say something nice, but the sound of gunfire overwhelmed the words. And the fact that he was now looking back at the other range staff saying something.

A loud “hey, watch where you point that thing” came out before I could think of something more kind to say. He pointed the gun down range and that was the end of that. I’m always afraid I’ll get blowback when I say something, but I guess I’m big enough looking that no one really wants to mess with me.

If you have been around guns at all in your life, try to be the example of how guns should be handled any time you have one. There is always someone watching.

Just a recap of some of the safety stuff to follow. We could all use a refresher from time to time.

1. Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
2. Always point the gun in the safest direction possible.
3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Know your target and what lies beyond.

Some of you will notice that I have been changing number 2. The original from Jeff Cooper, the father of modern pistol fighting, was “never point the gun at anything you don’t intend to destroy.” I don’t like never’s, but like always when I’m trying to teach my brain to do something. No, I’m not implying that I’m smarter than Cooper, just that on the shoulders of giants we can see further. I’ve studied his work for almost 20 years.

Those four safety rules apply everywhere, always. They don’t change at the range, because you are an “expert” or an “advanced shooter” or any other BS reason I’ve heard. They always apply to everyone… always.

I use those safety rules at the range with friends, at high-speed low-drag spec ops schools I’ve been to, and in combat. They work.

Everything else is range etiquette. Some ranges will call them “range rules” or “safety rules” but they are just a way to respect other shooters.

Some of the simple basics should be:

• • Only unbag or unholster your firearm when you are on the firing line and there is no one downrange.
• • Never touch your firearm when there is someone downrange. You wait until everyone is back.
• • Load firearms on the firing line only.
• • Leave actions open when the gun is sitting on the table so everyone knows the condition of the firearm.
• • Don’t rush in or out.
• • Make sure the muzzle of the firearm is always pointed down range even when bagging and unbagging the firearm.
• • Stay in your lane. Unless someone is doing something incredibly stupid, leave them alone.
• • Don’t move guns from bay to bay unbagged.
• • The only proper way to move a gun off the firing line is in a bag, box, or holster.
• • If it is loaded it should be in your hand to shoot, or in a holster that protects the trigger from being accessed until removed. Long guns should have the safety on when not firing and should not be bagged with a round in the chamber.

I’m sure I forgot a couple, but if you stick to the safety rules and the above etiquette, people will appreciate going to the range with you a lot more.

Announcements:

• Hear me on Self Defense Gun Stories Here
• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Got to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better
  • Over 80 How-To Videos about shooting and self-defense
  • Discounts on courses and holsters
  • Special interviews you can’t get anywhere else
  • Sign Up Here!

Thanks for Listening, don’t forget to check out Shooter’s Club and Lucky Gunner for ammo.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Firearms Safety and Range Etiquette Podcast 313 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:
This is my story of how I survived Covid-19. It was my mind set that kept me out of the hospital and allowed me to recover.
I used “affirmations” that included cursing at myself every hour on the hour for about four days. The four days that I probably should have gone the hospital. But even in my depressed mental state I knew that going to the hospital upped my chances of not surviving and having more problems with Covid.
I refused to let this kill me or send me to the hospital. And now I’m back to work and back to life. I’m about 95% right now and still recovering. I’m hoping another week and I’ll be back to working out.

Announcements
• Upcoming Courses
o Click here for the current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Go to Lucky Gunner. When I need ammo, it’s where I go. Check it out. Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
o Get Better for only a couple bucks a month
o Over 60 pieces of content to train you to be better.
o Free Video on the front page
o Discounts to courses and holsters
o Newest Interview gives you all the information you need to know about Pelvic Shots: Do they work? Should you use them?
o Sign Up Here!
• $75 Annual Membership
• $8 Monthly Membership

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.
Stay Safe,
Ben

The post Personally Surviving Covid and Mind Set Podcast 312 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:

After working at the gun shows on the weekend for the last 3 months I’ve found stupid again.

Most of the things I’ve forgotten about, on purpose I think. 

This show we talk about some of the stupid that is out there and the things that just won’t die. 

Our Stupid List:

• Racist Government form 4473
• Lack of Courage to sign the form to get a gun
• Handgun stopping power
• Which gun is made for women
• Everyone needs the same gun I have
• I can pass a background but don’t want to
• Shoot him in the knee
• Little light weight revolvers for little ladies
• Reasonable gun control stops bad guys from getting guns
• I saw that gun at the store down the street for less
• Recoil
• Shooting in complete darkness
• I want a do everything gun
• Found the advanced formula for the gun that does everything better

Announcements

• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Go to Lucky Gunner.  When I need ammo, it’s where I go.  Check it out.  Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better for only a couple bucks a month
  • Over 60 pieces of content to train you to be better.
  • Free Video on the front page
  • Discounts to courses and holsters
  • Newest Interview gives you all the information you need to know about Pelvic Shots: Do they work? Should you use them?
  • Sign Up Here!
• $75 Annual Membership
• $8 Monthly Membership

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Stop Stupid in the Firearm World Podcast 311 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:

I invited Frank Sharp Jr from Fortress Defense Consultants to join me to talk about the “great boogaloo” sort of…

We continued our conversation from two weeks ago.  We restarted our conversation with Kitting Up and fighting.  Frank starts with talking about decision making and one of my favorite tactics, patience. 

Do you really need to fight?  There may be a time when you can’t avoid it, but should you fight right now?  Do you have to fight right now?

If you think you are going to fight, how ready are you for the fight?  What’s your physical shape look like?  When is the last time you wore your kit around?  How long and how far can you move, stand, and fight under a combat load?

We also talk about what to stock up on right now.  Ammo and firearms are still at a premium and if you don’t have a lot now is a hard time to get either.  What is in abundance right now that you can stock up on? Toilet paper?  Maybe… What is around your area that is cheap and in abundance?  Maybe that is what you should be looking for to put in your storage.

We try to answer the hardest question for you, at what point can you not avoid the fight?  Where is your line in the sand?  Figure it out now.

I’ll be taking Frank’s course in January.  Here is a link to the class.  If you want to just be on the range training with me, this is a good class to take.  If you want to get training from me check out my courses here.

Announcements

• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Go to Lucky Gunner.  When I need ammo, it’s where I go.  Check it out.  Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better for only a couple bucks a month
  • Over 60 pieces of content to train you to be better.
  • Free Video on the front page
  • Discounts to courses and holsters
  • Newest Interview gives you all the information you need to know about Pelvic Shots: Do they work? Should you use them?
  • Sign Up Here!
• $75 Annual Membership
• $8 Monthly Membership

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Kitting Up Part II with Frank Sharp Jr of Fortress Defense Consultants Podcast 310 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:

I invited Frank Sharp Jr from Fortress Defense Consultants to join me to talk about the “great boogaloo” sort of…

We laugh about the term and the thought of an all out Civial War in the US. The country is just too big and diverse for another actual Civil War that has two sides squaring off and going at it.  If the fighting kicks off, it is going to be local.  You will be fighting amongst your families, friends, and neighbors.

Frank Sharp Jr and I talk about how bad that could be for the country and how a lot of people just don’t understand what it is going to be like.  It isn’t going to be go fight for a couple hours and then Netflix and chill for the rest of the night.  It is going to be bloody and horrible in the places that have fighting.

If the fighting kicks off, we could lose all sanitation, trash disposal, running water, and electricity in our country.  Most of the people talking about fighting don’t have a plan for this.  These are the things that the movies don’t show you.

Frank Sharp Jr and I come to the conclusion that most of the knowledge that people have about medicine, law enforcement, and fighting come from TV and movies.  And most of those shows are completely wrong. 

For those of you with training, you laugh at the fighting just like I do.  So don’t get your knowledge from the movies when it comes to how war is going to be.  After being in combat I can tell you that Saving Private Ryan and Blackhawk Down are the only movies that even come close.  And only parts of those movies are correct.

Next week Frank and I will continue the discussion about kitting up and going to fight and why it isn’t a good idea, and more importantly we hope that it doesn’t happen. 

I’ll be taking Frank’s course in January.  Here is a link to the class.  If you want to just be on the range training with me, this is a good class to take.  If you want to get training from me check out my courses here.

Announcements

• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Go to Lucky Gunner.  When I need ammo, it’s where I go.  Check it out.  Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better for only a couple bucks a month
  • Over 60 pieces of content to train you to be better.
  • Free Video on the front page
  • Discounts to courses and holsters
  • Newest Interview gives you all the information you need to know about Pelvic Shots: Do they work? Should you use them?
  • Sign Up Here!
• $75 Annual Membership
• $8 Monthly Membership

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.

Stay Safe,

Ben

P.S.  I just set up a self-defense handgun course for Sep 2020 in San Antonio, check it out

The post Kitting Up for the Fight w/ Frank Sharp Jr of Fortress Defense Consultants Podcast 309 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

See the Video about Remembering 911 here.

Where were you when the planes hit on 9-11?  What did you feel that day?  How did those feelings change in the following weeks?

I want you to remember that feeling of unity the following couple weeks.  How the country stood up together against one thing.  Nothing else mattered.  All the petty BS went away… even when the media tried to bring it back, we rejected it.

Everyone became patriotic overnight.  American flags were everywhere, and everyone smiled at them.

Remember that feeling today.  Remember how great it was when everyone stood together.

Try to spread that feeling and go talk to people.  If we all look for that one thing in common we can find that one thing that links us. 

No matter who you are and who that other person is, we all have more in common than not.  If we find that one thing we have in common with someone else, we can build bonds, make friends, and make the world a better place.

This also works for your self-defense.  Your friends are more likely to help you and stand with when bad times come.  You’ll get involved and help friends, but strangers, or “those” people you might not.

Make friends, make yourself and your family safer, and make the world a better place.

What do you have to lose?  Go try it.

Stay Safe,

Ben

PS Check out my motivational web site at 75 Hard.Biz

The post FMF 34 Remembering 9-11 and Unity appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Running, or just moving faster than everyone else makes you stick out.  You will be noticed.  And everyone has this drive to either catch the person running or at least see what is happening.

If you run during a self-defense incident they are going to probably follow you.  You have to have a plan for it.

If you take flight and can’t outrun your attacker, your attacker is probably going to catch up to you.  Now what?

We always need a plan B.  Escape is a great plan A when anyone is attacking you.  But we always need a plan B.

In the military, the simple way is to run around or behind something and set a quick/hasty ambush for your follower.  What works in unit size tactics can work for you.

If you are caught in some kind of lethal force situation and you can escape, you probably should.  When you escape the safe way to do it, is put something, or a couple of somethings between you and the attacker and set a quick ambush.

A quick ambush is as simple as taking cover and being ready to shoot or counterattack anyone that comes after you.  This is done very easily and effectively after a doorway.

If you can run into another room from your attacker and get behind something for cover, now you can have tactical patience to see if your attacker follows.  If your attacker follows, you are in a great place of advantage to win the new confrontation. 

If your attacker doesn’t seem to be following you, look for your next move.  In the military, we call this bounding.  But don’t leave cover until you have that next spot to bound to.  Always have someplace to go before you move.

Don’t stay for a long time.  Cover has a time limit.  You have to move to win.  If you stay there you could end up in a stalemate or a prolonged gunfight.  We want neither.  Stay in your initial position for a couple of breaths to make sure the bad guy isn’t following you, then find someplace to move to.

Kyle moved away from the crowds with nowhere to go.  He took flight in panic and the people of the crowd could sense it.  They followed.  Half of them were on the hunt, and a half just wanted to see why this guy was running.  Half of the people hunting Kyle probably didn’t even know why they were running after this guy.  The hunter drive is deep in our evolution and takes training and practice to overcome.

You need to train, think, and practice to overcome this evolutionary drive.  You do not need to pursue your attacker.  You can let them go.  You don’t have to see what is happening over there if it could be dangerous.  You can live your life without knowing. 

Years ago, my wife and I took a cruise to Mexico.  It was glorious.  On one of the port-calls, we started walking away from the tourist trap area to see what it was like.  About a mile from the port a truck full of Mexican police with rifles at the ready drove by and stopped about a block ahead of us.  Everyone got out to raid a building.  I grabbed my wife by the hand and went down the next side street.  We raced away moving for a couple of blocks hoping not to hear gunfire.  I was on vacation and didn’t want anything to do with whatever was going on.

When we look at situations like mine, of course, we don’t want to be involved.  But in the moment sometimes our curiosity and primal drives get the best of us.  Don’t let it get the best of you.

Plan, think, train, and practice avoidance.  You don’t need to know what is going on.  You can walk away.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post The Hunter Within appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Click Here to Download the Podcast

Today:

Kyle Rittenhouse is a divisive figure in the world.  And will continue to be.

But what can we learn from the shooting?  Tactically, how did he do?  Legally, is there anything we could do better?

We need to analyze these incidents as learning tools so that you don’t end up in the same spot.

You may think Kyle did a good job during the shooting, but he is still in jail right now.  And probably will be there for a long time.  The trial could take years and they probably aren’t going to let him out on bail because of the politics around the shooting.

It looks like they will try him as an adult for murder.  He will be sweating his life and freedom for years.  He may end up like Jorge Zimmerman and will forever be on the run from people that want to kill him because of the incident.  And one of those people may succeed and get him in the end.

How can we avoid this?  Was it a good idea for him to kit up and go out?

More importantly, learn from him when you think about kitting up and going out.  I’m not saying you should, or should not go.  I’m saying that you should know all the risks involved and understand what could happen. 

We also go through both shootings and the tactics there.  How could have Kyle avoided both shootings all together?  Is there something he could have done better once the shooting started?

All questions to answer and know before you decide to go or not go.

Announcements

• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Go to Lucky Gunner.  When I need ammo, it’s where I go.  Check it out.  Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better for only a couple bucks a month
  • Over 60 pieces of content to train you to be better.
  • Free Video on the front page
  • Discounts to courses and holsters
  • Newest Interview gives you all the information you need to know about Pelvic Shots: Do they work? Should you use them?
  • Sign Up Here!
• $75 Annual Membership
• $8 Monthly Membership

OUTLINE:

Kyle Rittenhouse Shooting; Murderer, Victim, or Defender? 

Kit up and go fight? 

Look at it tactically and legally 

Tactics 

• Avoidance 
• Stupid places at stupid times with stupid people doing stupid things. 
• Awareness on point once the fighting started
• De-Escalation
• Escape

Timeline of  each choice 

• Decided to kit up and show up 
• Borrowed a rifle 
• Training he had 
• Equipment (beans, bullets, badges, bad guys, batteries) 
• Before the shootings 
  • Emotionally involved 
  • Yelling at someone that is yelling at you 
  • Pissing contest 
  • Arguing with stupid: don’t argue with a stupid person, they will bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience. 
• Shooting incident 1 
  • separated from the group 
  • Running 
  • Things were thrown at him 
  • Shots fired can’t see everything 
  • Phone call 
  • Running away 
• Shooting 2 
  • Running again with gear on 
  • Falling 
  • People on top of him 
    • Field goal kicker 
    • Skateboard guy 
    • Shooter 
  • stopping power of 556 round 
  • Moving away 
  • Police interaction  
• Aftermath
  • The rifle is where? 
  • Go home 
  • Calls local police and turns himself in 
  • Talk with a lawyer?

Legally 

• Borrowing/loaning a rifle for self-defense 
• Possession and supplying a rifle to a minor 
• Being in a large group of armed men to protect property 
• Stand your ground 
• Murder vs homicide
• Murder 1, 2, and 3 and manslaughter  
• Shooting 1 
  • Not enough video to tell for sure 
  • Item threw at him 
  • The mob itself; ability, opportunity, jeopardy 
  • Innocent people don’t run
  • Multiple incidents
• shooting 2
  • Self-defense unless he says something stupid 
  • Mob running after him this time yelling get his ass and other things 
  • Falls down disparity of force 
  • Kick to the head while on the ground 
  • Skateboard to the head 
  • Gun pointed from someone yelling get him 
• Disengaged for next event 
• Police interaction 
  • Need help
  • Maybe don’t let them tell you no 
  • Rifle still visible 

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.

Stay Safe,

Ben

P.S.  I just set up a self-defense handgun course for Sep 2020 in San Antonio, check it out

The post The Kyle Rittenhouse Shooting: Murder, Victim, or Self-Defense Podcast 308 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Here are a couple things you might want to know about last week.

Labor Day History

On September 5, 1882, 10,000 to 20,000 people marched through Lower Manhattan to protest the horrible working conditions that were going on during the late 1800s as America became an industrial-based economy. The march was organized by the New York City’s Central Labor Union and became the first Labor Day Parade.

The Pullman Railway strike in May to August of 1894 would become the catalyst for a national Labor Day. Pullman Railroad Sleeping Car Company laid off a substantial amount if its labor force and cut the rest of the wages by 30%. Other companies boycotted Pullman to make a point. The entire thing ended up shutting down all railroad commerce and travel in 27 states stretching from Chicago to the West Coast.

Right before the riots started, Labor Day was recognized as a Federal Holiday. President Glover Cleveland signed it into a law as a nation holiday to recognize the average worker. But two days later President Cleveland sent Federal Troops in to put down the Pullman Riots.

Federal troops ended up firing on a crowd and killing over 30 people during one particullarly bloody night of rioting.

Federal troops were recalled July 20. Union leaders declared victory and the riots broke up and died out in early August.

Now we have labor Day. I wonder if history will repeat itself?

Glock’s New Old Pistol the P80

Lipsey’s got Glock to make a reproduction of the original Glock P80 that was sold to the Austrian Military, and later would become the G17 that was imported into the United States.

The reproduction is almost perfect except for three little things:

1. Magazines – This has the current magazine designs that can even be used in the Gen 5 guns because it has the indention for the magazine release on both sides. They also have the current metal liner. The originals didn’t have a lining and were designed to not drop free of the gun. Europeans have always had a hard time with magazines being expandable and wanted their troop to retain empty magazines and designed their guns to do just that.
2. Serial Number Steel Plate – In Austria the serial number is required on the frame but the slide. So the original guns only had the serial number printed on the slide and nowhere on the frame. US law requires the frame to be marked with the serial number. So the little metal plate we all know and love was added.
3. The Barrel – The barrel is a current production barrel and not the original pencil barrel that was made for the Austrian Military. The barrels were actually changed to the current size before the guns started being imported to the United States.

These guns are starting to show up this week at local shops. So if you want one, now is a good time. I found out from a Lipsey’s salesman that there was originally only a thousand made. I don’t think that is true, but if it is, you want one, get it now.

The Beauty Salon Show

The beauty salon and Nancy Pelosi controversy is making me laugh.

It’s up there with one of the stupidest things we could be worried about right now, but the speech she gave about and the speech Trump gave about it made me laugh and the memes are even better!

Thought I’d share the lighter side with you.

Urban Uprising and What can you do?

Riots are on everyone’s minds. How much worse will it get?

I don’t know, but I do know that I want my family and you to be safe no matter what happens. And knowledge is power. But this isn’t something you can wait to learn. If you get in the middle of a riot tomorrow, or your neighborhood comes under attack tonight, how much knowledge do you have?

From experience I can tell you, you will always want more. So keep learning.

Here is a good article from ITS Tactical.

The Chapstick Trick

An oldie but a goodie. If you don’t know this trick for keeping your tactical light on the end of your pistol from getting fouled up during trying, you should.

Go read the article, it’s quick and easy and does miracles for the longevity of your tactical lights’ lenses.

What I’m Reading

There aren’t that many books out by people I respect about church security.

I just started this one by Paul Markel of Student of the Gun and have high hopes for it.

Our Churches across the world need help in physical security. I think the attacks are going to get worse and professional security teams are going to start making the difference on how many people die at any given church and which churches get targeted for violence.

It’s time we, the good people of the world, started working on this more.

What You May Have Missed at Modern Self Protection

Protecting Your Loved Ones When They Can’t Protect Themselves Podcast 307
We go into depth on what you can and should do before and during an attack to make sure you have the best chance of winning. Winning in this case means saving your family.

Magpul Sling MS3 Review
The MagPul Sling MS3 is a great place to start for a first sling or if you don’t know what you want in a sling.…

Are Your AR Mags Loaded? FMF 33
How many rounds should be in your AR mags? and how can you tell if they are loaded correctly without unloading them.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post W.A.A.R On Monday 9-7-2020 Labor Day appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

See the video on loading AR Mags here.

Thirty-Round AR Mags should be loaded at 28 rounds.

More and you risk your rifle malfunctioning.

But how can you tell if there are 28 rounds in there?  Are there more or less?

Here is an easy way to tell if you have loaded your 30-round AR Mags correctly.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Are Your AR Mags Loaded? FMF 33 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Magpul has been making great products since 1999 when they came out with their namesake, a Magpul.  I bought lots of them back in 2001 and went to war with one on every one of my mags in 2003.

Since then the company has expanded like crazy!  It has more product lines then I can count.

I still use a Magpuls on all my AR mags and have since bought a bunch of their other products.

My current favorite product they make is the Magpul Sling MS3.  I have a couple of first-generation slings and one of the second gens.  I love them and use one on multiple weapon systems. 

This is a great starter sling or a sling to put on a rifle that you aren’t sure what kind of sling you are going to use.  The greatest feature of the sling is its adaptability.

With the adaptability, you can hook it anywhere on your rifle with little to no modifications or extra hardware.  I use small pieces of 550 cord as anchors on most of my rifles. 

The sling can also be adapted to run as a single-point or two-point sling. 

With these two benefits, I run MagPul MS3 Slings on most of my rifles, carbines, and PCCs. 

The hooks (paraclips) are easy to use and I can switch between different carry options by simply pushing a button to unlock the clamp and then squeezing it together and hooking the sling somewhere else.

The last feature I use a lot is the adjustability.  It’s fast and easy to adjust the sling to different links.  The sling has a giant plastic buckle in the middle.  Hold the rifle to take the weight off the sling, grab the buckle, and just move it up and down the sling to adjust the sling length.  You don’t even have to take the rifle off your body!

I used this option when I ran overseas to adjust the sling for body armor and different bulky clothing. 

Here in the real world, I use the sling adjustment to hold the rifle tight against my body when I need to sling it.  Instead of letting the rifle flop around on the end of the sling, I adjust the sling tight and pull the rifle against me, that way I don’t have it flopping around when I’m trying to do something else. 

The sling is ultra-durable.  I have yet to break anything I’ve bought from Magpul and this includes these slings.  The only reason I have multiple Magpul MS3 Slings is that I wanted another one, I lost one, and I didn’t want to change it back and forth on different weapons.

If you get one of these slings you won’t be disappointed. 

Get the version with paraclips and not the QD mounts, unless you run QD mounts everywhere.

Get one at LA Police Gear (one of my favorite places to shop), Palmetto State Armory, or sometimes on Amazon.com.

Overview

The Good:

• Convert from single-point to two-point with just a simple clip placement
• Adjust length with just a pull of the buckle without removing anything from the rifle
• The durability makes this thing almost unbreakable
• The Paraclips make it easy to clip the sling to any weapon and change it form weapon to weapon

The Bad:

• Price MSRP at about $50
• They are hard to find right now
• Bulky when folded up

The Ugly:

• No quick release or Quick Side Release buckle to get out of the sling quickly
• Paraclips are the wrong size to hook on most rifle sling hooks.  I use 550 cord to make a loop and attach the sling

Conclusion

This is one of the best slings ever.  Being instantly adjustable, it can adapt to any weapon system easily, being unbreakable it is my choice.  

If you are looking for a single or two-point sling, this is the best sling on the market.

Stay Safe,

Ben

Buy it on LA Police Gear (one of my favorite places to shop), Palmetto State Armory, or sometimes on Amazon.com.

The post Magpul Sling MS3 Review appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:

A question from a listener on how he can protect his family when out and about and at home when he has two little girls.

Having multiple people you are in charge of protecting creates more problems than one or none.  How can you protect them?

We go into depth on what you can and should do before and during an attack to make sure you have the best chance of winning.  Winning in this case means saving your family.

How do you do that when you are out and about and how can you protect your family when you are at home and they can’t protect themselves because they are too young or leave that to you?

My wife leaves most of that to me and doesn’t want to learn more than the basics.  She is getting better and we talk about it on and off.

Talk to your family (age appropriate) about bad people and what you do or are going to do to keep yourself and them safe.

Come up with some plans on how you will react and how you want them to react if something happens.  Worth through the plan if at all possible with them. 

Keep learning how you can protect your loved ones better.  But remember the best one to protect them from violence is not to have them there.  Work on your Avoidance, Awareness, and Escape and Evasion as much as you work on your fighting.

Announcements

• Upcoming Courses
  • Click here for current course list.
• Got Ammo? Need it? Go to Lucky Gunner.  When I need ammo, it’s where I go.  Check it out.  Great prices and a really easy site to use.
• ShootersClubMembers.com
  • Get Better for only a couple bucks a month
  • Over 60 pieces of content to train you to be better.
  • Free Video on the front page
  • Discounts to courses and holsters
  • Newest Interview gives you all the information you need to know about Pelvic Shots: Do they work? Should you use them?
  • Sign Up Here!
• $75 Annual Membership
• $8 Monthly Membership

OUTLINE:

Listener Question –

“I’m not sure if you’ve talked about this before, I’d have to go back through my stitcher archives of your show, but I’m a family man with an 8 year old daughter and a 2 year old daughter that are usually out and about with me when I go out and I’m always worried about how to handle a self defense/active shooter/robbery type situation while the girls are with me. Keeping them safe is my only priority here, and so I’ve gone through the scenarios in my head but I just dont know what the best way to keep them on stuck to me after ‘bang’. I know you’re a father too so you’ve undoubtedly come up with plans to mitigate danger while ushering youngsters away. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that and ways to get through it, both out in public and in a home invasion scenario. By the way, thanks for the book recommendations a while back, I went on audible and got The Gift of Fear, and Left of Bang, both great books and a great deal of takeaways from both, thanks again man.”

 The Books:

• The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
  • Must read to understand violence and fear
  • Don’t read anything else he wrote… not worth it
  • Yes he is anti-gun even though is company employs lots of armed security guards and that is how he has made his fortune.
  • This book is worth the read and the research he did was amazing.
• Left of Bang
  • Notice normal and react before the actual attack
  • Figure it out and do it!

Protecting those you are in charge of

• Age matters
• Number of charges matters
• Their abilities matter
• Your abilities and weapons matter

Options:

• Avoidance
• Awareness
• Escape and Evade
• Code Words
• Age Appropriate Discussions

Fighting while out:

• Last Option
• Three real possibilities: You are attacked, you are around another person that is attacked, you are in a mass killing
• Tactical Patience if possible
• Put yourself between the bad guy and your charges
• Close the distance and destroy your enemy
• Speed, Shock Force, Violence of Action
• If only one person to defend you can move that person with one hand and fire with the other

While at Home:

• Before an Attack
  • Home layout dependent
  • How much work do you want to do or is possible to your house
  • Hard point a room or place
  • Have multiple plans
  • Think about gathering the family and hard pointing if possible
  • Have a code word to get to the hard point location and lock down procedure
  • Weapons plan
• During an Attack
  • Either get everyone to the hard point and set an ambush or
  • Go locate, close with, and destroy the enemy in your home
    • Hard point is by far the best option if possible
    • Problems with “hunting” in your home
      • Getting ambushed
      • Someone getting behind you
      • Losing and pissing off your attackers
      • A raging gun battle in your home where your family is
      • Probability of hurting someone that shouldn’t be hurt is very high
      • A small mistake in tactics could cost you everything, your life, your families’ lives, and maybe something worse than death.
      • You could get unlucky and lose everything
      • Everyone misses the long angles

Use of Words on Purpose, Definitions:

• Destroy – Totally overtake someone or someplace with complete control normally through speed, shock force, and violence of action until the person or place is completely incapacitated
• Enemy – Anyone that is currently attacking your family or loved ones with the intention of hurting them, or the intent to hurt them if they don’t comply
• Dirt Bag – Generally a person called a recidivist; something makes a living by committing crimes.  May also be called a professional criminal
•  Bad Guy – Someone that is currently trying to unlawfully kill or inflict great bodily harm on another person, or will if he or she’s demands are not met and has the immediate ability and opportunity to kill or inflict great bodily harm.

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.

Stay Safe,

Ben

P.S.  I just set up a self-defense handgun course for Sep 2020 in San Antonio, check it out

The post Protecting Your Loved Ones When They Can’t Protect Themselves Podcast 307 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Here are a couple things you may have missed last week.

From Kenosha Wisconsin Shooting Video

If you haven’t watched the video for yourself, watch this video. This is the best video of the events I’ve found that has very little talking points put on top of it.

I hate watching videos from the media that editorialize on top of the videos telling what they want you to see. See what happened with your own eyes and an open mind. Make up your own mind whether this was self-defense or not and be able to explain your position morally and legally.

Here is a little longer video with some editorialization that is from a smart person, not the media. Watch the top one first.

From the video, “… the ultimate play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

Allegedly Find “Assault Rifle” in Staten Island

This crap is going to start being a problem.

Police put out their booty of they found in a home. NYPD executes a search warrant (for what is unknown by the article or unnamed) and they are proud that they found an “assault rifle”, a handgun, and 400 rounds of ammo.

As police and the media villainies having anything in your home it’s going to look bad if a true shooter or enthusiast gets arrested.

I’m not sure how to really fight this. All we can do is talk to our neighbors and friends about what the gun community is really like.

The story and NYPD are pathetic here.

“I Saw an Opportunity and I Took It.”

Understanding the criminal mind is something we should all work on if we want to stay safe from them.

The more you know about how they think, the more you take precautions against bad things happening to you.

Here is a great story by Craig Ellifritz about how criminals think. Read it, learn from it, and except that criminals don’t think like you and me. They are a different kind of human.

What I’m Reading

Shoot Where You Look by Leon Measures

“The reason most adults don’t shoot as well as they could, is they never learned how ‘mount’ a gun correctly.”

In the book, Leon has very different thoughts of shooting a shotgun, including going through how to mount a shotgun correctly. And he is right, most people do it incorrectly.

I don’t mount a shotgun correctly because I spent too many years mounting a rifle and then moving my head behind the sights and optics. If the gun fits you correctly you should be able to mount the gun nice and high and touch your cheek to the stock without moving your head. Your eyes should be behind and looking through the optic or sights, or down the rib of the shotgun.

It takes practice and work, but you can do it. With his book, you can see how it is supposed to be done and then work on it. I’m taking tones of things from this book and adapting it to my PCC competition shooting and myself defense shooting. It’s definitely worth your time if you are going to put in the work.

Product of the Week

Magpul MS3 Sling

This is my favorite sling by far on the market right now. I just bought another one and now have multiples.

This sling allows you to either use it as a sing-point or 2-point sling. Both have their advantages and dis-advantages. But this one allows you to try both.

It also has a quick adjust length that works really well from Magpul.

Everything about the sling is heavy duty and I haven’t broken one yet, and don’t thing you will be able to without a really big hammer.

This is the sling to try new positions to mount slings on a rifle and the sling if you aren’t sure which sling to get. Because it gives you so many configurations you will be able to try just about anything.

The downside right now, they are hard to find. Here are a couple of places that normally stock it that I trust and spend money at.

Palmetto State Armory
LaPoliceGear.com
MagPul.com

If you are thinking of a new sling and you don’t have one of these, you should.

What You May Have Missed at Modern Self Protection

Rioters, Vehicles, and Self Defense
Mobs have been moving around as protests for months now. The violence seems more and more eminent. The chances of you getting stuck in one of these “protests” seems more and more likely

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post W.A.A.R on Monday 8-31-2020 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Today:

Mobs have been moving around as protests for months now.  The violence seems more and more eminent.  The chances of you getting stuck in one of these “protests” seems more and more likely.

What can you do if you find yourself in the middle of a protest with the protesters blocking traffic and starting to turn violent toward you?

This is an impossible dilemma.  It’s like the Kobayashi Maru in Star Trek.  The situation is designed for you to have a no one option and see how you do.  This one could be the options of getting killed or spending the rest of your life in prison.  The more I look at what is going on the more I think it has been designed that way be people that are manipulating the crowds or the agitators in the crowds. 

You have to take responsibility for yourself and the only true way to win these situations is not to play.   Even if you do everything right and defend yourself you still will have law enfocement and the media to deal with for a long time.

Keep up with your avoidance and awareness and stay away from locations of protests that could turn into riots.  Don’t get into a fight is the only way to ensure you will win.

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OUTLINE:

Shout out to Karyn Brownlee running for Texas House District 115.  Check out her web site KarynBrownlee.com

Legal:

• Not a lawyer
• Get Legal Protection:
  • Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network
  • U.S. Law Shield
  • USCCA
• Review: Ability, Opportunity, Jeopardy
• Crowds vs Individuals
• Reality:
  • People using vehicles against crowds are being arrested
  • Check out the McCloskey case in St. Louis
  • It’s going to be painful and expensive if you use your vehicle to defend yourself
  • Just because you think it should be right doesn’t mean it is legal
  • You are guilty until proven innocent
  • Fail Trial is a myth; the jury pool is tainted
  • 12 Licensed drivers that were not smart enough to get out of jury duty are going to decide your fate
  • There is no jury of your pears when it comes to self defense

Avoidance

• Don’t be there
• Blend in and be patient
• Be Vigilant
• Agree with the crowd
• Avoid the fight at all costs except the your live or the lives of your loved ones
• Lock the doors and windows, don’t open them

Tactics

• Use the vehicle to escape first and foremost
• Don’t run over people but curbs, pushing cars, or going through bushes and open areas if at all possible
• Know your vehicle and what it is capable of
• Always leave yourself an out
• Bumping People
• Rubbing People
• Running over the crowd
• Crushing people
• Vehicle damage
• Individual Threats
  • Might have to go to the gun then your vehicle to escape
  • No Warning shots
  • No threatening with the gun, use it or hide it
• Vehicle Disabled and Threats
  • Everyone out the same door and side away from the crowd or where the crowd is smallest
  • Move, don’t stay there, get away from the vehicle and the crowd
  • Don’t let anyone stop you once violence has started
  • The crowd is deadly force
• Once you start to use violence:
  • Shock force, violence of action, and speed are your friends
  • Use as much violence as possible to scare off the rest of the crowd
  • You can’t take the entire crowd no matter what you do, you have to bluff
• Call the police as soon as it is safe, not in the middle of the fight.

No win scenario is the tactics being used

“The only winning move is not to play.” – Joshua, the computer from the movie Wargames

Thanks for listening, don’t forget to check out the Shooter’s Club, and if you need ammo check out Lucky Gunner.

Stay Safe,

Ben P.S.  I just set up a self-defense handgun course for Sep 2020 in San Antonio, check it out

The post Rioters, Vehicles, and Self Defense appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

Here are a couple things you may have missed last week.

9th Circuit Court Declares California Mag Limit Unconstitutional

This happened two weekends ago! And I’m excited about this spreading. Of course, when it comes to lawyers and laws, nothing is as simple as we think it should be.

Daniel Shaw had a California attorney on to talk about what it means right now behind the Iron Curtain and what it could mean to other states across America.

Keep an eye on things out there. How California goes the rest want to follow.

Remington Files for Bankruptcy Again

If you are in the gun world and have been following them you know this is not a surprise. Remington hasn’t been making products gun owners, shooters, and hunters want for years.

When they bought several companies and started destroying them one by one. The only one to survive was Marlin. They killed off Bushmaster, Para-Ordnance, and DPMS just to name off the ones I can remember. And Marlin almost died when they moved the factory and got rid of the people that knew how to make lever guns.

Remington has failed to enter the self-defense pistol market with the R51, the R380, and the R9. The R1, a 1911 style gun is okay. But everyone on the planet makes a good to great 1911. So Remington in out.

The article found a bunch of people saying it’s being done to avoid liability for Sandy Hook and for their “defective” 700 rifle series. Both the claims are hideous and the company has handled them badly. The 700 has been and may still be the most common hunting rifle in history. If there was a problem there wouldn’t be a dozen deaths, there would be thousands. The hit piece done a couple of years ago in the mainstream media could find one video of the problem happening (on a police range to a highly modified gun) and one person that says it happened to them and their son died. There may be a million or more 700’s out there and they found two. Not really a problem. If it was a problem the media could have gone in, bought a 700 off the rack, and made it fire without pulling the trigger. But they didn’t because they couldn’t.

And Sandy Hook: The monster killed his own mother to get the weapons to use out of her safe. You just happened to have a Bushmaster in her safe. I would say the thought of suing the company saying that the advertising made this monster kill his own mother, steal the weapon, and then go on a murdering spree killing dozens of first-graders is one of the most preposterous things ever, and who could be that stupid to take it on. But it seems when this much money is involved people lose all morals, and the anti-gun lobby will use anything and anyone to get what they want. For them, the ends justify the means.

Check out the story the media put up, and now you know the part of the story that the media couldn’t find (incompetent) or they left off on purpose (liars). You be the judge.

Antifa Protests Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Who would have thought that wouldn’t go well for Antifa? The only ones that thought it would go well was Antifa. These guys are starting to mess with cultures they don’t understand. Soon they are going to find a culture that understands violence and it’s going to be really ugly.

Antifa protests Sturgis and after one of the “protesters” kicked at a motorcycle, the protesters had to be rescued by the police. Interesting.

There’s a couple memes going around right now, just wait until those that want to be left alone get involved. These bikers just want to be left alone.

Just Funny to help you get through

Who would have thought it would go on for this long? I’ll bet it goes on until at least the election. Does anyone want to put odds on that?

What I’m Reading

Shoot Where You Look by Leon Measures

“The reason most adults don’t shoot as well as they could, is they never learned how ‘mount’ a gun correctly.”

In the book, Leon has very different thoughts of shooting a shotgun, including going through how to mount a shotgun correctly. And he is right, most people do it incorrectly.

I don’t mount a shotgun correctly because I spent too many years mounting a rifle and then moving my head behind the sights and optics. If the gun fits you correctly you should be able to mount the gun nice and high and touch your cheek to the stock without moving your head. Your eyes should be behind and looking through the optic or sights, or down the rib of the shotgun.

It takes practice and work, but you can do it. With his book, you can see how it is supposed to be done and then work on it. I’m taking tones of things from this book and adapting it to my PCC competition shooting and myself defense shooting. It’s definitely worth your time if you are going to put in the work.

Product of the Week

Magpul MS3 Sling

This is my favorite sling by far on the market right now. I just bought another one and now have multiples.

This sling allows you to either use it as a sing-point or 2-point sling. Both have their advantages and dis-advantages. But this one allows you to try both.

It also has a quick adjust length that works really well from Magpul.

Everything about the sling is heavy duty and I haven’t broken one yet, and don’t thing you will be able to without a really big hammer.

This is the sling to try new positions to mount slings on a rifle and the sling if you aren’t sure which sling to get. Because it gives you so many configurations you will be able to try just about anything.

The downside right now, they are hard to find. Here are a couple of places that normally stock it that I trust and spend money at.

Palmetto State Armory
LaPoliceGear.com
MagPul.com

If you are thinking of a new sling and you don’t have one of these, you should.

What You May Have Missed at Modern Self Protection

Face Masks and Your Physical Protection FMF 32
Five Minute Friday; A quick tip to keep you safe. Should you wear a face mask or not? I think you should for your personal security. Here’s why…

Walker Silencer BT 2.0 Hearing Protection Review: Are They Right for You?
Walker Silencer BT 2.0 Review; the good, the bad, the ugly. I’ve had them for a week, not sure if I’m keeping them. Are they right for you?

The State of the Firearms industry Podcast 305
In this podcast I’ll share my experience of how the gun industry and gun market are looking right now. As well as some of the research I’ve been doing lately about what is going on.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post W.A.A.R. on Monday 8-24-2020 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

See the Video Here!

Face masks are becoming part of our world. Good, bad, or indifferent it seems they are here to stay.

Should you wear one or not for your health? I have no idea. That isn’t my area of expertise. I’ve read a lot about it, just like I hope you have over the last five months.

But should you wear one for your physical security? I do.

I’m always trying to blend into my surroundings. If you are in the local Walmart and you are the only person not wearing a mask, you stand out… a lot.

Lately violence is on the rise. People are frustrated, scared, and pissed off. That’s one step from violence. Look at some of the videos out there where people have an argument that turns into a fight. You probably don’t need that in your life.

I actively try to avoid stupid people that do stupid things like getting in a fight over a face mask. I just don’t want to play.

If you are not wearing a mask for political reasons or health reasons, I suggest that you keep a good eye on the people around you. If you have to, leave.

If you can’t wear a mask for health reasons and someone challenges you about it, tell them once why you aren’t wearing a mask. If they don’t hear you, don’t believe you, or are just indignant, you need to leave immediately because the situation has the potential to get violent.

Be the “Grey Man” and blend into your surroundings. Fly under the radar and only surface when you are ready.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Face Masks and Your Physical Security FMF 32 appeared first on Modern Self Protection.

I’ve used electronic hearing protection since 2001.  I was an early adopter and used electronic hearing protection during multiple combat deployments including patrolling, clearing, guard duty in a war zone, and actual gunfighting.

I’m a huge advocate of them and think everyone should have a good pair.

My last pair from PELTOR wore out again, after about four years the rechargeable batteries no longer charge and found the Walker Silencer BT 2.0s.  They look perfect for me!  

My initial idea was to have the Walker Silencer replace my aging ear pro and my Apple AirPods that also seem to be wearing out.

I had to look hard for the actual 2.0’s as the first generation seemed to have a bunch of trouble with the Bluetooth functionality.  The 2.0’s, according to Walker’s web site solved these issues with better electronics.

The big reasons I thought these would be perfect was the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone, the electronic enhancement of voices when on the range, and the carrying case that charges and holds the earpieces.   I was in for a little over $250 from Optics Planet (a great place to get gun-related stuff). 

Unboxing

When I got the Walker Silencer I was super excited.  It took about a week from Optics Planet.  Not as good as other online sites but not bad, especially because they were the only place that had them in stock.

The box was decorative and made the hearing pro look good, held them against damage during shipping, and had everything in the box.

My first thought when I pulled them out, was everything was big.  In my ear, I didn’t notice that much, and people on the range didn’t say anything.  But the entire package and the plugs themselves are still big to carry around in a pocket compared to my AirPods.

Of course, the Walker Silencer came with an instruction manual that wasn’t that great. Lots of safety stuff and some other things that I didn’t understand, but it did have good instructions on what the controls on the earpieces do.  Each ear you can swipe up or down to get more or less volume and a double or single tap on one side does something different than the other side.  Lots of things to remember.

The app instructions are not great.  The box has a QR code to get the app.  Which would have been great if it worked.  The QR Code just took me to the Walker web site home page.  Nowhere did it tell you where to get the app.  I had to go through the manual and find the exact name of the app and then search for it on my iPhone App Store to find the right app.  Now the app lets me change hearing modes, turn the amplified volume up and down, set sleep times, and check the fitment (which means it just turns everything off for a second).  It seems that every time I open the app to do something it has some stupid message that really isn’t relevant to what I’m trying to do.  I always have to push the “Okay” button to get into the app to do something.  Everything you can do on the app, except change the sleep times, can be done by pushing a series of taps and swipes on the earpieces. 

The outside flat part of the earpiece is actually a touch surface that lets you control them.  The right side controls the setting as hearing protection.  The left one allows for use as a Bluetooth device, connect to a phone call and pausing or playing music, or in my case, listening to podcasts and audiobooks. 

I went outside to water the yard listening to a podcast on them and it was rather windy.  Even though they have “wind canceling technology” the wind noise is still loud and annoying.  Not as bad as some of the ear pro I’ve used, but still enough to be annoying and to interfere with your hearing.  I turned them way down until I couldn’t hear the wind.  It was one of the lowest sound settings available.  You won’t be able to amplify sounds in a windy environment with these.

The charging box is a great idea.  I love some of the design features and some of the others don’t work really well.

The box slides open to access the Silencers.  Making it a strong design and less prone to accidentally getting it caught on and broken at the range.  Plus, the outside is just a square, single piece of plastic, making it stronger than a hinged box.  I like the design a lot for use.

The Walker Silencer box itself is the charging station and protects the earpieces for travel.  The box charges with a micro USB cable that you probably have lying around to charge other devices. 

The earpieces sit in the box and charge… most of the time.  When you put the earpieces in the light comes on on the earpiece when it is charging.  The earpieces don’t just drop in or snap into charge.  I have to push on them and move them around a little to make sure the charging light comes on.  Once it does, they seem to be good to go.  And the outside case is translucent so you can see the charging lights when the case is closed.  Once the earpieces are done charging the red light turns to blue for a few seconds and then turns off.  So the case battery won’t get eaten up for lack of use.

The Walker’s logo on the side of the box helps me make sure I don’t open it upside down on the range.  But if you do, the earpieces fit snug enough that they don’t fall out. 

The best part of the box is the cleaning brush that comes inside.  I have nasty ears and ear wax.  My ear pro can start looking like you want to throw them away they get so disgusting.  I’m glad to have the cleaning tool.  The tool has a brush end and pick end.  The pick end is needed to clean out the small hole that allows sound to pass from the electronics through the foam ear protector part. 

The big downside, and it’s in the manual, and why the Walker Silencer won’t be replacing my Apple AirPods is that you can only pair on earpiece with your device.  And I suggest it’s the left one because then you can use the Bluetooth controls for your music and phone calls.  I can use both earpieces, or just the left one.  The right one won’t work with my phone on its own.  It needs the other one to work.  With my Apple AirPods, I can use either one.  I normally use one AirPod at a time and switch them periodically to recharge the one and to keep ear fatigue down.

First Range Trip

I spent three hours on an outdoor range yesterday filming and shooting.  I didn’t have any battery or comfort issues with the Walker Silencer.  The comfort of them surprised me.  Most ear pro when I first get it, I have to wear it for a couple of hours then take it off and get a break.  I do this for about a day and I’ll get used to it and the ear pro will mold itself to my ears.  The fact that I wore them for three hours without any problems was a great first step.

I initially had the sleep schedule set at 2 hours and the Silencers are way better than other ear pros I’ve had.  They talk to me and tell me they are going off.  Others I’ve had just do a beeping pattern and then will go off after a couple of minutes.  Now I don’t have to remember what the beeping patterns mean because the Walkers just tell me what they are doing.  That includes when you change listening modes.  

The Walk Silencer BT 2.0’s has four different listening modes: Universal, Clear Voice, Power Boost, and HR Boost.  I tried them all and it just made things sound weird and tinny like a cheap microphone.  The best was Universal, and the second-best was Clear Voice.  I do wish they had a setting like my first set of PELTOR CompTac IIs.  Their electronics let me hear a metal on metal sound louder than anything else.  I could hear a safety going off on a rifle at over 50 paces.  It was great.  As an instructor, I loved that super hearing and wish I could get a set of electronics that would do that again.  To get that same super-hearing with these I’d have to turn them up all the way and deal with everything being way too loud.

There is a weird side to the amplification of sounds through the Walker earpieces.  My own voice never gets amplified.  My voice always sounds like I’m talking with normal hear protection on.  Always muffled and flat.  I guess that’s good as an instructor, it will keep me speaking louder so everyone can hear.  But every other set of electronic hearing protection has amplified my voice as much as everything else out there.  If you want to use these for a tactical application where you want to be quiet, I’d say use something else because you will never know how loud you are or aren’t.  But other than that, they work well as electronic hearing protection.  I didn’t hear them cut in and out like cheap first-generation hearing protection and I could always hear the other people on the range around me.

When I’m on the range filming, I use my iPhone.  The only problem with using your iPhone as a camera is if you get a phone call.  The phone call will turn off your recording.  So, I turn my phone to airplane mode, so I won’t get phone calls.  The Walker Silencers flipped out when they lost the Bluetooth connection to my phone for about 30 seconds.  They told me multiple times the Bluetooth connection was lost and something else that I didn’t pay attention too.  And then it took them around 30 seconds or so, to reconnect when I turned my Bluetooth back on.  If you leave your phone in your bag or in the car and walk away while wearing the Walkers, they will let you know that they have a problem.  And you can’t ignore them. 

Even though the earpieces look big, they were actually way more comfortable than I thought they would.  I live in South Texas and it was 101 degrees on the range yesterday.  Wearing anything in the Texas heat sucks and becomes uncomfortable very quickly.  These Walkers did not.  I didn’t have to take them off and wipe off sweat or adjust them or anything.  That was impressive.  Because when it’s that hot, I have to take my glasses and hat off multiple times an hour to wipe off sweat and adjust them.

As hearing protection, we were shooting .357 Magnum revolvers and the noise wasn’t extra noticeable from the report of the revolvers.

I am a little concerned that the Walker Silencer is only rated at 24db protection for indoor ranges and maybe for rifles with big muzzle breaks.  I’ll have to try them.  If I’m firing handguns inside, I’ll just double up by putting on some ear muffs over these.  And they do fit, I tried.

I don’t like wearing the over-the-ear muffs when shooting a rifle because it seems like I’ll always knocking them off with my cheek weld.  And sooner or later, if I’m shooting for an extended amount of time, I will have my right ear ringing. 

I guess I have to go to an indoor range and shoot a little to see how they will work, and I’ll have to go shoot some SBR rifles with muzzle breaks to see how that goes.  Can you hear the sarcasm in that sentence, I have to go?  This is my excuse to go!

Initial Conclusion

The more I use them the more I like them.  I’ll have to use them for a couple more range trips and for mowing the yard before I can say they are good to go or a waste of money.

At first, I was very frustrated with them and thought I’d wasted $250 because I was going to toss them and start looking for something else.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Walker Silencer BT 2.0.

The Good:

• The hard-protective case is great
• Very comfortable to wear
• Having the app is a great idea
• Lots of adjustment for volume
• The price compared to other electronics is a good deal
• You can take phone calls and listen to music with them like a set of earbuds (I’m listening to Pandora on the left one while I’m writing this)
• Comfortable to wear for long periods with a little break in needed
• Come with three different size foam ear inserts and outer pieces for you to use (the medium fit just fine for me)
• The touch surface on the earpieces themselves makes for a big button that controls everything you would need to on the range: volume, reject/accept phone calls, pause/play music, change listening modes, and turn them on/off.

The Bad:

• Hard to get paired initially
• The app still needs work; it crashes, gives weird messages, and doesn’t connect to both earpieces all the time
• The overall size is larger than I would like to carry around with me every day (yes, I’m being super particular, because they still fit in a pocket and really well in a cargo pocket)
• Hard to read instructions
• Doesn’t amplify your voice on the range and makes it sound weird because you think they aren’t working every time you talk
• Controls do different things on the left versus the right earpiece making it a lot to learn and remember.  A guide in the app would be great so that you can look at it any time as a refresher

The Ugly:

• Only one or both work on your phone.  You can’t use either or.  I have the left one paired.  The left one will work without the right one, but not the other way around.
• Getting them to charge in the box takes effort.  I should be able to drop them in and not worry about it or push them a little so they snap in place to charge.  Right now, I have to look at them, move them around a little, and make sure the light comes on to see they are charging.
• Can’t trust the battery indicator on the app, the iPhone battery indicator seems to be closer as it actually changes.

Right now, I’m not sure if I will be keeping these or giving them away.  I’ll have to wear them for the next couple of range sessions and see what happens.

Stay Safe,

Ben

The post Walker Silencer BT 2.0 Hearing Protection Review: Are They Right for You? appeared first on Modern Self Protection.