Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Cover and Concealment – What Your Vehicle Offers
I’ve attended and taught a whole bunch of classes where we’ve shot into and out of cars. It’s a useful exercise. If you haven’t done a class like this, here are some basics about which parts of your car will stop a bullet and which won’t.
Taser Weapon Confusion
If you are a police officer carrying a Taser, you are wrong if you don’t understand the important elements Warren brings up in this article.
As a side note, I just got home yesterday from a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic. I saw quite a few pairs of National Police patrolling from motor bikes while I was there. It was common that one of the cops would carry a handgun and the other would carry a Taser (and no pistol). It’s the low budget way of preventing Taser weapon confusion.
My cop readers should also take a look at Think About The Hands – American Cop.
What Shot Feedback Can Tell You About Marksmanship Errors
Ed Head discusses how to analyze your target after firing. You may have seen a chart showing this same information. Karl Rehn weighs in on that in The Chart With No Name.
Editor’s Notebook: Physical Infirmity
“With physical infirmity, you are left having to adapt, adjust, modify – and reconcile. Thinking about it and putting a plan in place before you need it is just a smart investment.”
How to Shoot Faster (and Actually Hit)
Mike Boyle’s thoughts on shooting faster. Here are a couple more articles/videos discussing the speed shooting instructional process.
Trigger Reset. Ride It or Release It? A Smarter Approach to Faster, More Accurate Shooting
Tactical factors in speed shooting with Paul Howe
Trigger Press Speeds: Control, Movement, Precision
The Levels of Eye Contact
Although this article primarily deals with romantic eye contact, his different levels are also applicable to criminal violence.
Be aware of the -1 level (intentionally avoiding eye contact). It often indicates that you have been targeted and the criminal doesn’t want to betray his intentions. The Level 5 gaze is also problematic. The criminal is likely looking at you as a target and trying to figure out how to get what he wants from you.
The Level 7 “eye fuck” is a way males provoke aggression or a fear response in their victims. The Level 9 “crazy eyes” should be avoided in every context.
Crazy Oakland Pawn Shop Gunfight Caught on Camera
Part of the role of training/study is to remove situation novelty so that you are less surprised when something similar happens. I’m willing to bet that this gunfight would be “novel” for almost all of you. Have you ever considered that your gunfight may be closer to looking like this than an old west high noon duel?
What I’m reading…
You’ve seen me link to my friend Kevin’s articles (both from his own blog and the work he did for the NRA publications) in lots of previous Knowledge Dumps. This is his first fictional book.
AK-47 Targets, Trajectory, and Testing: Known Distance Knowledge
A wide variety of good AK information. Here is the same site’s similar compilation for AR-style rifles.
On the topic of AR-15 style rifles, you might also be interested in AR15 External Ballistics 101.
26 Rules to Be a Better Thinker in 2026
Being a better thinker is more important than being a better shooter. Do you wonder why we are all having problems thinking and concentration? The scientists in this interview make a good case for social media, short form video watching, and constant push notifications on our phones leading to what the kids call “brain rot.”
Buy Cheap and Stack it Deep
Caleb’s thoughts on the future of ammunition prices.
Record Low Crime Rates Are Real, Not Just Reporting Bias Or Improved Medical Care
Last year’s violent crime rate was at a historic low. Lots of folks believe that the crime rate is truly much higher, but fewer people are reporting the crimes. Others postulate that advances in medical care keep people alive when previously they were more likely to die after an attack. This paper questions both of those assumptions. It’s a good read if you geek out on crime data.
Self-Defense and the Law: Weapon-Mounted Lights for Concealed Carry
Should your CCW gun have a weapon mounted light?
Continuing on the topic of illumination, you cops should consider using headlamps on duty for low light administrative or investigative tasks. Headlamps will make life far easier for you in almost any non-tactical low light police job task.
If you are a headlamp newbie and are just trying to figure out if they are useful, I recommend that you pick up one of these lights. They are less than $5.00 each and serve as an excellent headlamp gateway drug.
Why Carry A Revolver?
Your weekly dose of revolver content. For more wheel gun goodness, check out the links below again.
Defensive Revolver Utility Curve Video
Revolvers: Ideal or Obsolete?
Looking at some 38 Special Commercial Ammo
An Official Journal Of The NRA | Putting Red-Dot Optics On Revolvers
AYOOB: CAN YOU SHOOT YOUR 1911 BACKWARDS?
Massad discusses some ambidextrous techniques to operate a 1911.
Mass shooting at high school hockey tournament
Shootings at school sporting events have increased in the last 20 years as schools have gotten better at drilling lockdown/evacuation procedures. That forces the shooter to change tactics if he/she wants to create a large body count. The link above describes what happened at the recent high school hockey game shooting attack. You might also like this take on the recent Canadian school shooting.
If you research mass shootings, you’ll also want to peruse Updated Detailed Information on Mass Public Shootings from 1998 to 2025.
Introduction To Concealed Carry Belts: The Foundation Of Your EDC Setup
Very few concealed carriers pay much attention to the belts they wear. In this piece, Jacob dispels some gun belt mythology. For what it’s worth, I agree with his recommendation. The EDC Belt Co. foundation belt is the one that I wear 99% of the time.
The Best Personal Defense Strategies for Civil Unrest
Steve Tarani discusses how to use “soft skills” to avoid civil unrest in your daily life.
The OLD MAN Shotgun (inspired by Claude Werner AKA THE TACTICAL PROFESSOR)
While the shotgun “mini-shells” aren’t very popular in the tactical shotgun world, I think Sherman is on to something here. I have the Mossberg 590S. It has been 100% reliable after firing over 300 of the mini shells. Those mini buckshot loads have about 75% of the power of a regular 00 buck shell but only about 25% of the recoil. That is a good compromise for some folks.
Some People’s Nerves
Thoughts on flinching.
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