Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
The Champion: Remembering Marty Hayes
We lost yet another firearms instructor this week. Marty Hayes (founder of Firearms Academy of Seattle and ACLDN) dies in his sleep a few days ago. Besides Marty, this year we have lost John Benner, Super Dave Herrington, and John Holschen as well. If you are interested in training with the OGs of the training world, you should do so before it’s too late.
I didn’t know Marty well. I took the Deadly Force Instructor course that he and Massad Ayoob taught. He and his wife Gila were very supportive of my training efforts and shared my travel book with the ACLDN family when I published it. He did good things in the firearms training world and we will all miss him.
For more info about Marty’s life, read this tribute from Massad Ayoob.
A Hard Two Weeks for Sacred Spaces: What the Data (and Headlines) Are Telling Us
Data about attacks on houses of worship. For some more sobering statistical information, read Support for Political Violence Among Americans.
Prep Your Apartment or Suburban Home for Riots and Civil Unrest: How to Get Ready FAST
Good advice here. If you don’t want to board up windows with plywood, you can quickly cover them on the inside with thicker gauge chicken wire. I have rolls of chicken wire and heavy duty hooks stored in my garage for such use.
The chicken wire won’t stop a person from climbing through if he has enough time, but it will certainly delay him long enough to allow the homeowner to shoot. It will, however, repel both rocks and Molotov cocktails. That provides a tremendous amount of utility.
A Reappraisal of the Revolver Tactical Reload – RevolverGuy.Com
Some out of the box thinking when it comes to revolver tactical reloads. I think this methodology makes perfect sense. If you come to my class at the Gunsite Revolver Roundup, we’ll be comparing this technique with the traditional tactical reload on the clock to see which is superior.
CPAP Power Consumption: How Much Power Does Your CPAP Use?
Here is a preparedness topic that some of you may not have considered. If you use a CPAP machine, do you have the ability to make it work it during a long term power outage? This article explains the electrical requirements of most machines and how to calculate how much juice you need to run it without electricity.
I bought this Jackery power station to fuel my CPAP and it works fine. If I was buying a replacement today, I’d probably get an EcoFlow instead.
Thunderstick Summit Video
A quick video short of the “Classic Qualifications” shotgun class I taught at the Thunderstick Shotgun Summit a couple weeks ago. During the class, I explained how shotgun technology and training methodology has evolved in the last century. I gave brief history lessons and then ran the guys through period-appropriate training drills and quals. We started with a 1934 FBI shotgun qualification and advanced up through the current LAPD shotgun qualification. The majority of this video is me covering drills from a 1984 shotgun qualification originally designed by Chuck Taylor.
For more Thunderstick goodness, read ThunderStick Summit’s Q&A Session.
How to Pattern the Defensive Shotgun
Continuing on the topic of shotguns, here is some good info about how to best pattern your defensive loads.
This Is Where The Rubber (Shotgun Slug) Meets The Road
A little more shotgun content…
This article covers ballistic gelatin tests of rubber shotguns slugs and rubber buckshot. If you shoot someone with one of these rounds when lethal force isn’t justified, you will probably go to prison. He also gelatin tested shotgun beanbag rounds.
The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey
Bad news for my author friends. Very few people are reading for enjoyment any more.
“In a large nationally representative sample of the US population, the proportion who read for pleasure on an average day declined over the last 20 years, from highs of 28% in 2004 to lows of 16% in 2023; a relative decrease of 3% per year.”
Folks often tell me that they now read more on social media and on the internet. I do too. Spending time reading on the computer has dramatically cut down my time with real books (either in paper or digital form) as well. I don’t know if that is a good thing. Despite having all of the information in the world at our fingertips, does it seem like society is getting smarter or dumber?
I think making a concerted effort to read less social media and more real books will make your life significantly better.
What I’m reading…
Staying Safe During Vehicle Attacks – 88 Tactical
Although vehicle run down attacks don’t get nearly the publicity as compared with a mass shooting event, dead is dead. It doesn’t matter if you were shot in the head with a high-powered rifle or run over by a U-Haul van. You should be prepared for anything, especially when out in public amongst a large crowd of people.
How to Shoot Small Pistols Better
A few tips to help you keep your mouse gun rounds on target.
ARMED CITIZEN – OCTOBER 2025
Claude’s valuable commentary on a few of the higher-profile self defense cases the NRA included in their monthly “Armed Citizen” column.
If All You Have Is A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail by Steve Moses
Steve Moses discusses some legal and practical implications of using a sap or blackjack.
Federal Judge Rules Post Office Gun Ban Unconstitutional — But Not For Everyone » Concealed Carry Inc
You’ve likely heard of the recent case where the court affirmed that armed citizens should not be prohibited from carrying in post offices or other government buildings. Don’t be in a hurry to open carry your favorite blaster the next time you mail a package. Read the article above for the latest details on the case.
Real Armed Robbery Caught on Camera: What Would YOU Do?
It’s best to understand the late Dr. William Aprill’s take on criminal psychology: “They just aren’t the same as you and I.”
In a robbery like this, you must flee, fight, or try to negotiate. Make a decision and implement it. No half measures. Our victim here chose poorly. Don’t think for a second that these robbers won’t kill you after even the tamest insult or hint of non-compliance..
10 Best Ways to Defend Yourself Against Civil Unrest
Advice from Steve Tarani.
Should a Gas Mask Be Part of Your Emergency Gear?
It doesn’t look like “riot season” is going to slow down when we start seeing cooler weather. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a couple gas masks in case the riots make it to your neighborhood or workplace. This article covers most of the basics. When it comes to “budget” gas masks, the author didn’t mention THIS ONE, but it is made in America, has really good reviews, and is less than one third the price of most of the other masks mentioned in the article.
Wet Ammo: How Much Moisture Is Too Much?
Interesting timing on this one. Two days ago I shot up 150 rounds of self defense ammo (.38 spl Winchester Ranger) that had been soaked in water when my apartment flooded almost two years ago. Despite being completely submerged, all of the rounds functioned just fine.
Prepared Isn’t Paranoid. It’s Love With a Plan
The psychology of preparedness. Along a similar line, do you see concealed carry as a “lifestyle?” If so, you might also like What Is Concealed Carry?
Weapon retention techniques for handguns–a compendium of articles.
I know the TL;DR crowd will never read something like this, I truly appreciate the work that content creators do to amass these article compendiums.
Timing Is Everything
Everything you would possibly want to know about revolver timing.
Ed’s Manifesto: Beware Of The J-Frame Revolvers Known As Chatas
How snubby revolvers are used in the Mexican criminal underworld. If you like J-frames, you might also appreciate these three articles as well.
An Official Journal Of The NRA | Optimizing the Small Frame EDC Revolver
An Official Journal Of The NRA | Revolver Reliability
Optimizing the J Frame EDC Revolver
Understanding Ohio’s Weapon Laws – Part 13 – Anti-2A Businesses and Civil Immunity Issues
Continuing Lon’s excellent series on Ohio weapons laws.
Civil War is Coming – Professor David Betz
A very sobering assessment. The research that the professor quotes can be found at Civil War Comes to the West – Military Strategy Magazine.
Despite the grim outlook, Crisis and Chaos Beget Clarity.
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