CONTENTS 4 – Why the Armed Lifestyle: Amy Lucas leads us off by explaining the core value of knowledge being what arms people rather than the tool in hand. Learn how she balances daily life using a proper mind set and training to prepare herself for a wide range of possible scenarios we all may face on day. 10 – Editor’s Notes: AL Magazine Editor, Trampas Swanson welcomes everyone to our first issue and describing our mission statement. Find out who we are, where we’ve been, where we’re heading and what to expect from our team along the way. Great things to come! 12 – Body Language: What you don’t say is often more important than what you do. In this article, Amy Lucas discusses how you carry yourself and the image you project to others can be the first line of defense in not becoming a victim. 16 – SIRT Training: Few things come along in life that rightly earn the title “game changer”. Learn what makes NRA & USCCA Training Counselor, Trampas Swanson say the SIRT pistol from Next Level Training has earned the crown as the king of firearms training aids. 21 – Writing Shotgun with Charlie: Firearms Instructor and YouTube personality, Charlie Cook joins the team with this ongoing segment for each issue that pays homage to his vastly popular video series called “Riding Shotgun with Charlie” in which he interviews some of the 2A community’s top names while he drives them around in his car.
MARCH 2022 Issue 1 here we go...
Editor: Trampas Swanson Graphic Design: Baz Thakur/ Deadshot Design Publisher: Calibre Publishing Cover pic: Amy Lucas Armed Lifestyle magazine is a digital-only publication available FREE OF CHARGE via the AL App on a wide range of digital platforms, including iOS, Android and Windows. For more information, visit www.pocketmags.com and search “Armed Lifestyle”. Armed Lifestyle can also be read online at: www.issuu.com, www.magzter.com and www.readly.com Calibre Publishing Limited Wyche Innovation Centre,
25 – USCCA Family Protection: Trampas Swanson and Dan Tonto team up to give readers an inside perspective on the United Concealed Carry Association and their available training opportunities. Discover for yourself why joining as a member is a “must have” for those who train to protect themselves and their families.
Walwyn Road, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire,
30 – G44 Glock Shooter’s Missing Training Link: For years, Glock shooters have searched for an inexpensive .22 caliber training option to their larger caliber pistols. After thousands of rounds down range and numerous students taught over the past two years using the Glock model 44, the long-term T&E results are in.
WR13 6PL
34 – First Aid First: Dan Tonto shares his knowledge of over two decades as a paramedic on why First Aid skills and basic equipment are critical to being prepared for critical incidents that could happen at any time at home, work and anywhere else we may be daily.
©Calibre Publishing Limited 2022
Tel: 01684 878 003 Web: www.thearmedlifestyle.com Letter, idea or question? Got something to say? A question for our
40 – When the Treat Isn’t a Bad Guy: Threats come in many forms, not just human. As part of being truly “armed” for survival, Don Alley discusses the importance of an emergency preparedness plan and where to begin. Look for this topic to be regularly explored as we move forward. 44 – 6mm Airsoft Training: Discover why the world of airsoft isn’t just for kids anymore. Bill Pryce Thomas explains how the 6mm platform has changed to closely mimic “real steel” training around the world. 49 – The Last Word with Rob Pincus: As each issue wraps, one of the industry’s top training experts, author and 2A advocate, Rob Pincus sends readers off with his final thoughts. In this issue, Rob discusses the difference between Training and Practice. We’ll learn why are each important and when should they be used.
experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the editor (editor@thearmedlifestyle.com), write to us at the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.
IN THIS ISSUE
37 – Dementia and Firearm Safety: Mental heath is an issue often dealt with yet rarely discussed within the firearms community. AL Magazine seeks to change that narrative with each issue, starting with staff writer, Jamie Headley discussing what happens when a loved one and their family face the onset of dementia. Learn what may be your options and who is out there to help. Do not miss this article!
Why the Armed Lifestyle? 4
Why the Armed Lifestyle? By Amy Lucas Lifestyle knife because is defined I like the as design the physical, and frequently psychological, teach the social, Marines. and economical Originally, values, we used interests, obsidian, opinions, bone, andorbehaviors antler. When of a certain steel became available individual, group, or - that’s community. what we It isused. how aMany life is have lived. saidThe it before, lifestyle armed the best is knife not isjust theabout one you weapons, have. We it train is about witharming knives of variouswith yourself lengths the skills, to adapt knowledge, to distance. and Itools like the to allow handle you to to have be a slight able to handle curve atallthe theback situations or withlife a pommel, throws atso you theboth hand good doesn’t and slip offIt the bad. is a back. mindset The you grip choose. should Most be textured of us utilize and not this round. mindsetI prefer to some a guard, extent so regularly. the handSchools won’t slip conduct off the firegrip drills, andwe onto talkthe to blade. our kidsForabout a fixed what blade to do youinreally an emergency, don’t needwe anything keep aover first 8-9 aid inches. kit and A spare pocket tireknife in the blade car.should Livingbean about armed 5 inches lifestyle (depending is about on your localthat integrating laws), mindset have into a textured your daily grip and routines if possible, and making a guard it of some your natural type. state Having of being. a wave type design for fast opening is alsoWe desirable. understand A slight thatcurve gaining at the back abilityoftothe protect handle ouris lives also desirable. may meanKnives changing should hownot webethink shiny! and how we carry ourselves. PMCI: It also With means so that many weknife needstyles to bebeing very aware taught of byour instructors, surroundings how doeswhat and the Apache is going Fighting on around system us.differ? If trouble shows up and we Redfeather: cannot escape, Wewe don’t can stand handleour it, and ground. haveWe mentally fight like prepared the wind! for Whymost the stay probable in place?situations. We do not fight as if we were dueling but as ifChoosing we are on to acarry battlefield. a firearm We is don’t certainly train for onepoints way but of being more of a freestyle prepared to defend method.against While teaching a threat.theHowever, use of the responding knife we incorporate theinNative appropriately a defensive Culture assituation well. Wedoes want not our students just come to understand naturally it the needs reality to be of the learned. knife. ItIt isissomething necessary toyou avoid! become PMCI: What confident and role skilled does with the fighting that firearm knife which play into takes thecommitment military, law enforcement to continuously andtraining private and military educating application yourself. as wellBecoming as a civilian an world filled Expert doesn’t with happen concealed overnight carry firearms? but rather over time and with Redfeather: The military and law enforcement has always carried repetition. knives Carry both a firearm for utility is and not CQB. always Training feasible to access or even thelegal, bladesowhen it is out oftoammo wise also consider or when the non-lethal firearm options is grabbed as well. is vital.Pepper A knifespray, is no match for knives, tasers, a firearm tactical butflashlights a man with and a knife pens can are sometimes all good alternate access their weapon options, just make quicker. sureThere you are understand a variety the of knives laws governing out there specifically of possession designed those items for easy in your access State. fromJust a utility like a belt firearm, or vest. those PMCI:will tools Arebe they far any morespecific effective exercises if you have you would trainedrecommend with them and for those alooking have solid to understanding contour their strength of how and to deploy dexterity those for knife skillstraining? during aRedfeather: dynamic critical We have incident. specific Martial routines arts and that other can hands-on help develop selfreflexes and defense modalities dexterity. are also Among greatthose options, routines but they we train comeusing with a war post (alsotocalled commitment training a pell), as well. using different patterns of cuts and stabs, Youand have starting the right slow to learn defend both yourself edge alignment in this country, and good but body right that mechanics. also comes Training with in water responsibility, also teaches andcontrol it shouldn’t and adds be strength. taken lightly. In my classes I always talk to my students about
PMCI: For those looking to get into knife training, where do you suggest they start for training? Redfeather: With us! We have seminars on a regular basis which you can sign up for in my website, www.apache-knife.com PMCI: Before we go, could you please let our readers know a
the importance of training. Whether it is with me or another instructor it is imperative to continue learning and practicing since most defensive skills are perishable. I teach most of my classes In Michigan and our Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Permit class is 8 hours. The requirement for Michigan is 5 hours in the classroom and 3 on the range. The student must shoot a minimum of 30 rounds to qualify. If you complete the eight hours of training, plus meeting the strict application eligibility requirements, you can apply for your CPL. If that is approved, it is then legal for you to carry a concealed firearm. As far as the State is concerned you have completed enough training to legally carry. But I can assure you, if that eight-hour class is all the training you have done, it is not enough. The difference between marksmanship on the range is quite different from a defensive shooting incident. Michael Martin, the Author of Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals, points out that unlike relaxed exercises on the range with paper targets at 50 feet, dynamic critical incidents are usually fast, they are usually close (with nearly 90 percent falling between nine and 15 feet), and when rounds are fired, multiple rounds are usually fired. Training can take on many forms. Most people think shooting a box of rounds downrange is adequate practice. And I would
want that same proficiency while handling and shooting firearms. Repetition is key. In the Armed Lifestyle Magazine, we will be introducing you to many training courses out there that would be beneficial to you. You will also be introduced to some of the best Instructors in the country! We will also offer training tips and drills that you can do without even having to leave your home. I encourage you to continue training for the armed lifestyle because the right to bear arms does not supersede the responsibility that comes with it. “The only way to be sure that your gun will always be there when you need it is to always carry it with you.” – Massad Ayoob
Why the Armed Lifestyle?
say that process is just that, practice. Not training. In the book Defensive Shooting Fundamentals, by Rob Pincus, he describes a Dynamic Critical Incident that will be Surprising, Chaotic, and Threatening. The course teaches intuitive shooting methods designed to provide you with the most effective and efficient training for the most probable types of self-defense situations. Defensive shooting fundamentals will guide you through the steps you’ll need to take to go from just sending rounds downrange to training in specific tested methods of armed selfdefense. This is just one of the many courses available to you to expand your defensive skills. Being a responsible gun owner means understanding when a person is justified in their legal use of deadly force. If you must defend yourself and you did not respond to a situation correctly, you could find yourself in another situation, but this time defending yourself from legal ramifications. The prosecutor is likely going to try to convince the jury that you took the class, and you should have known better. In a perfect world, you only need to be told something once to master it. But unfortunately, our brains do not work like that. After one hour of training, people retain less than half of the information presented. After one day, people forget more than 70 percent of what was taught in training. After six days, people forget 75 percent of the information in their training. It is well established that repetition is the key to memory. When we practice shooting or a new movement repeatedly, we are literally “grooving” new neural pathways within our central nervous system. This is also known as “muscle memory.” How often have you ended up in the driveway of your home and put your vehicle in park and don’t even remember driving home? We have become so proficient in driving that we are on “auto pilot.” Well just like you are on “autopilot” while driving we
AL
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NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE 6
D E R A P E R P O T D E R A C S M O FR
New Shooter Perspective
By: Jamie Headley
WELL, HOW DID I GET HERE? FROM SCARED TO PREPARED, ONE WOMAN’S JOURNEY – Part 1 As a firearms instructor I love working with new shooters. It is rewarding to help someone overcome the natural fear of a loaded gun and begin the journey of using it safely, responsibly and with the respect it deserves, but the best part is when they realize shooting is fun. Really fun. I can relate to these students because it wasn’t that long ago that that was me. I often tell new students that I was in their exact shoes less than 2 years ago. It seems to calm them to know that an ordinary person just like them was able to learn to shoot and even become an instructor. Then I inevitably get the question, “how did you do that”? To do this story justice we need to go back in time a bit. I did not grow up around guns. Which is probably good as I was kind of a dorky kid. Although my father served in the military before I was born, he never spoke about firearms and there were not any in the house to my knowledge. My first real exposure to guns was about 15 years ago. My husband Scott is a hunter and former military, so we had guns in the house. I was not opposed to them and always wanted to learn to shoot and eventually we went to the range so he could teach me. (Potential mistake number 1 - Don’t have your spouse teach you things regardless how good they may be at said subject) So there I was with a Sig Sauer 226 .40 caliber in my hot little hands feeling nervous but ready to make that target my bitch, but things didn’t go the way I planned and the experience pretty much sucked. I couldn’t rack the slide and my hands shook, my heart raced, and I jumped every time someone else’s firearm went off. I am pretty sure I closed my eyes every time I pulled the trigger. After we got home, and I downed a couple of glasses of wine, I admitted to Scott that I really did not enjoy our day at the range (he guessed that by the near nervous breakdown he witnessed ) but I told him I thought it was important to know how to handle guns safely if they were going to be in the house and I wasn’t ready to give up. I figured the next logical step would be to buy a gun for me. I figured maybe something smaller with less recoil would be a good option. A couple weeks later, we were on our way home from a funeral, and I needed some retail therapy to cheer me up, so when I saw a gun store, I suggested we stop in. As I looked around, I was drawn to a Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Magnum revolver. Why that gun? I don’t know. It was heavy in a good
way, and I liked the way it felt in my hand even though it scared me. Maybe it looked like what I thought a gun should be after growing up with my father watching John Wayne and Dirty Harry movies. I have no idea why I thought that was the appropriate gun for me. If you are unsure why I say this, note the photo of one below. It is huge. Regardless, we bought the .357 that day and went out to the range a few weeks later. Scott had me use .38 ammunition, knowing that the recoil of .357 caliber rounds would probably make me cry. Unfortunately, the result was pretty much the same. I was nervous and none of it felt natural, so I put it in the gun safe, drank some wine and didn’t touch it for a of couple years.
I am told I can be stubborn; I prefer being thought of as, not one to quit, but that’s just semantics. Bottom line is I was still determined to learn to shoot, so I agreed to take the CPL (concealed pistol license) class thinking maybe if I learned more about guns in a structured environment and not from my husband, I would get more comfortable. The CPL class in Michigan is 8 hours long, 8 HOURS LONG. I spent the entire 5 hours of classroom time in an inner turmoil trying to decide if I wanted to even carry a gun (concealing that .357 would be interesting to say the least) and if I could really take a life, even in defense of my own. I ran over a squirrel the week prior and cried and apologized to St. Francis the whole way to work. By the time we got to the range part of the class, I was a mess. Oh yeah, and no one mentioned that I was going to have
to my choice this time. I am 5’4’’ and have really small hands (my ring finger is a size 3.5) and I had trouble racking the slide on my husband’s guns presumably because of the size and strength of my hands. I saw a woman at the gun counter who was about my size and I asked her if she had a gun. She pulled back her jacket to reveal she was carrying and told me it was a Ruger 9mm sub compact. She said she loved it and had no problem with the slide. So that became my next gun. A few weeks later I grabbed my new gun and went to the range with a friend who was a Range Safety Officer (RSO), thinking I might be less nervous having someone other than my husband teach me. I did find the Ruger more enjoyable to shoot but I was still struggling with the slide and was still terrified and exhausted after just 50 rounds down range. So back into the safe went my gun. Fast forward 4 years to early March of 2020. My husband and I were exploring Ann Arbor MI, (we had moved to the area the prior year) and saw a gun range. We decided to check it out and we were very impressed with the 3 separate bays, classroom, nice retail space and member’s lounge. We decided we would join Ann Arbor Arms (A3) and I was once again psyching myself up to learn to shoot. What can I say? I am a distant descendant of William Wallace, there is just not a lot of quit in my genetic makeup.
NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE
to “qualify”. I guess I should have assumed that, but I didn’t. It might have been good to know I was going to have to shoot one handed, run other drills, not just stand there and shoot. Had I known, I would have practiced or possibly bailed on the class and gone shopping with the girls, so I guess it was good I didn’t know. So, there I was, terrified and visibly shaking like a chihuahua in wintertime. (Note: the range “qualification” for CPL in Michigan is not defined and is left up to the discretion of the instructor. If you are new to shooting and decide to take the CPL, ask what the qualification course of fire will be so you can prepare.) The instructor took one look at my .357 Magnum and vibrating hands, and suggested I use his small snub nose revolver. It was much smaller and certainly looked less intimidating and fit better in my hand. What I didn’t know then was that the smaller barrel made the gun have far more recoil, so much recoil that my hand hurt for days afterward. Emotionally and physically exhausted, I made it through the range qualification and passed the class. But knowing what I know now, I shouldn’t have. I would like to say that I found and tapped into my inner Warrior Goddess and ruled that range, but that did not happen. I didn’t point the gun at anyone or do anything else grossly negligent or unsafe, but had I been in an actual defensive situation, the only thing that would have saved me is my attacker laughing too hard at me to attack. That instructor should not have passed me. It was a pity passing. I filed the paperwork, got my CPL, promptly sold the .357 and headed to the sporting goods store to find a more appropriate gun once again for me. I know this is starting to sound like the definition of insanity – keep doing the same thing and expect a different result but hang in with me here. I ended up settling on a Ruger 9mm ECP subcompact. Why that gun? At least there was a bit more logic
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NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE Covid hit and while locked down in my house and experiencing the world through Zoom, I signed up for a virtual beginner’s handgun class that was being offered by A3. Without the stress of being on a range I felt like I really absorbed the material taught and reached out to the instructor to schedule a private lesson once the range opened back up. I took my first lesson with Lead Instructor Robby Torres in June of 2020. Something clicked in that lesson. I was still nervous, but Robby was very encouraging and able to ease my fears and convince me that I was not going to hurt myself or anyone else if I just followed the 4 Universal Safety Rules. I took my second lesson the very next day. Next, I set a goal of simply becoming competent with the gun, nothing more, nothing less. I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry, I just wanted to learn to shoot. I was still struggling a bit with racking the slide, although not as much, so we sold the Ruger (are you seeing a pattern here?) and I bought a S&W 9mm EZ. Yes, this time I bought the gun, not Scott. It was in my name
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and that gave me a little boost of confidence and empowerment. The EZ was made for someone like me. The slide was very easy (hence the name EZ) to rack and equipped with a standard external safety as well as a grip safety which calmed my fears of unwittingly shooting myself. I committed to training and took a lesson with Robby almost every week. I also started doing dry fire drills at home that he showed me to improve my confidence and dexterity with the gun. That also helped save on the cost of ammunition. All the staff at Ann Arbor Arms were kind, patient and willingly answered my questions. Within a few weeks, I achieved my first big milestone. I went to the range to shoot by myself. I had achieved the confidence to handle the gun without immediate supervision, although I am sure the guys were keeping an eye on me and an ear out for screams. I was hooked. There is something really empowering and exciting about the sound and feeling of slapping a magazine into a gun, racking the slide and firing away.
FOLLOW THE 4 UNIVERSAL SAFETY RULES AND YOU WILL NOT HURT YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSE. Assume every gun is loaded and treat it as such Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy Keep your finger off the trigger until you have acquired your target and are ready to destroy it Always know what is around and behind your target
some classes as A3 and met some great women who became friends that I could share this journey with. We tried each other’s guns, shared ammo and tips on things we learned. A3 became my happy place. During one of our range outings, my friend Deb had me shoot her .22LR caliber gun. It was such fun, and .22LR ammo was far less expensive and still available. Also, minimal recoil, no big bang, just total pew pew fun! Feeling totally loyal to Glock at this point, I bought a Glock 44 .22LR. I now had 2 guns and I was hitting the range weekly. I also started to wonder if I was going to end up on some ATF watch list. My skills were getting better, and I had broadened my goal to becoming competent to carry not just shoot. Magazines have word limits on articles, and I have hit that limit, so check back in the next issue for the rest of the story. There are more guns coming and going and lots more to share. Until then here are some things to consider if you are new to shooting or are hoping to persuade someone else to consider shooting:
It is perfectly normal to be scared, in fact, shaking, jumping, heart racing are all the intended physiological responses your sympathetic nervous system creates. Don’t feel foolish about your body doing exactly what it was designed to do. Understand it will take a little time to get comfortable and build skill, but i you will get there. Shooting is not terribly complicated once you have the proper grip, stance, presentation. Don’t give up. Take a few private lessons with a professional instructor. Make sure you are comfortable with this instructor. If not, find another one. I really do not recommend learning from anyone who is not a certified instructor regardless of their history with firearms. Consider joining a range and meeting other new shooters. Having a tribe and a home base really helps. Dry fire training goes a long way and is free. Commit to doing that at home. Make sure the gun is unloaded and clear and keep all ammunition stored away from where you are dry firing. Depending on your interest level and goals there can be A LOT to learn. Just take it in small chunks – or do what I did and go all in! Remember, using a firearm is serious and a huge responsibility, but it can also be lots of fun! Stay safe, stay responsible, stay tuned for the next issue! AL
NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE
Even the smell of the gun powder was enticing. It smelled like victory. True to form, a couple of months into my training I realized I did not like the grip safety on my S&W. Having small hands, it was just one more thing that could interfere with my grip. So, you guessed it, I sold it and bought a Glock 43X which is a single stack, 9mm sub compact. Most of the guys at A3 carried Glocks, as did my husband and my close friend who is a police officer. I felt like I had graduated. The Glock wasn’t a gun made for people with weak hands or specifically for women. It was a gun that men carried and respected. By this time, I had gotten fluid with the movement of racking the slide and realized it was a matter of momentum and technique more than strength, so I had no problem with the 43X slide. In addition to my lessons, I also took
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Mission Statement: By Trampas Swanson After over seven years of being THE industry magazine for the private contracting world with PMCI Magazine, we discovered the growing interest came not just in the form of those who carried a gun professionally but their family, friends, and many others. Requests regularly poured in about home protection, how to spot danger in our daily lives rather than on post in a foreign land and much more. When editor, Bill Pryce Thomas was asked by owner, Nigel Streeter to bring his excellent leadership to our parent company, Calibre Publications, the timing was perfect to evolve to meet the needs of the growing demand. With a firm salute to the those who came before us, it is a great honor as the new editor to begin this new journey with you all. Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Armed Lifestyle Magazine! This publication was founded with a core mission to educate readers on a wide range of topics that could prove vital to their abilities to safely enjoy daily life. Many of the Armed Lifestyle writers come from former Military, Law Enforcement, Fire / Rescue backgrounds, and all are current Firearms Instructors or Training
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Counselors. More importantly, these men and women are all someone’s son or daughter, husband, or wife, parent or even grandparent. These writers have all spent year’s training and learning to recognize threats within our environment to protect ourselves, our families, homes, and communities. For them, the Armed Lifestyle Magazine is an extension of their classrooms to provide readers ongoing education and fellow instructors across the country quality reference materials to better help them educate others as well. Let’s start with the elephant in the room, our title, starting with the term, “Armed”. Traditionally, the term “Armed” has been defined for centuries as being equipped with a weapon of some sort to harm and possibly kill. This leaves no explanation for empty handed aggression or the ability to use your cognitive thought process to survive a threat. It is now 2022 and well past time to redefine our ancestors outdated and grossly misused definition of the term “Armed”. Our goal in doing so is to widen our thought process about what being armed really boils down to. Simply put, “Armed” with the proper mindset, skill,
knowledge, and willingness to create and execute a plan for survival, whether the threat is an attacker, a natural disaster, or a global pandemic. Realistically, any item we as humans pick up in our hands is simply a tool until we use our mental capacities to weaponize it by putting it into action. Armed Lifestyle Magazine aims to educate readers on the rich history, valued traditions and core fundamentals needed to navigate the ever increasingly violent world in which we live in. Along the way, we will enjoy being able to explore outstanding training in the fields of situational awareness, mental health, firearms marksmanship, defensive shooting, critical incident survival from certified professionals. Industry experts will weigh in on their favorite products to better help put these skills into action as well as points to ponder after reading each issue. Best of all, we’ll learn about some truly amazing people in which we get to share our armed lifestyle community. This is Our Time and Our Story. Enjoy! –
Trampas
BODY LANGUAGE 12
By: Amy Amy Lucas Lucas BODY LANGUAGE By: While working as a Corrections officer in a maximum-security prison I had contact with prisoners that were incarcerated for some of the most heinous crimes. Most were doing lengthy sentences or life with no chance of parole. I was incredibly young when I was hired into the department and attended 16 weeks of training to learn how to manage prisoners in all situations. Although the training was thorough it does not prepare you for everything you are going to see or deal with daily. I was raised in a nice rural area, in a loving home, and had never dealt with any type of scenario or situation that was potentially life threatening. Heck, I had never even been in a fight. While in training, we learned about Body Language. Body language is the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movement. It became apparent very quickly that I needed to pay attention to the offender’s body language. It was also important to be able to carry myself in a specific way that showed confidence and authority while acting calm and cool in a place that was not always calm and most definitely not cool. I also had to work on my verbal communication skills. I had to find the balance with my tone of voice and how to respond appropriately. What I said and how I said it could affect the prisoner’s response. The prisoner’s preyed on the weak and always waited for the right opportunity. Reading a person’s body language and what was going on around me took quite a bit of time but eventually became second nature to me. It was important to be able to see when things were getting ready to go left and for me to be ready for WHATEVER might come my way that shift. Even when leaving those prison walls for the outside world I carried myself in the same manner. The difference was when working on the inside I knew who the “bad guy” was. In the world I did not. Paying attention to your surroundings and the people around you should be second nature to you when living the Armed Lifestyle. However, you do not get 16 weeks of training like I did and the people around you are not prisoners. You must retrain your brain, mindset, and how you carry yourself when walking out your front door every day. Locator apps on your phone and telling people where you
are is a good thing, but we want to prevent an attack from even happening in the first place. Most times, we are not prepared. We need to think like a criminal. You do not need to have criminal tendencies to put yourself in the mindset of a criminal. These attackers are weak, cowardly pieces of garbage. They have no remorse or no feelings when looking for a target. They are constantly looking for the greatest gain for the least amount of trouble. So, here is the body language you can quickly and easily do every time you enter a potentially dangerous area to reduce the chances of being targeted and attacked. Do not play on your phone. If an attacker is on the hunt and you have your head in your phone, you are more likely to be a target because you are distracted. They can easily make a surprise attack on you. Twenty-three percent of people convicted of robbery were interviewed and they said they looked for people who were distracted or looked lost or drunk as someone they thought they could overpower. Keep your head up and your shoulders back and strong solid posture. This is strong, competent body language. It not only attracts good people to you, but it also helps to repel attackers because he wants to go after someone who seems easy and not someone who seems strong minded. Walk with purpose taking in your surroundings as you walk. You will come across as stronger and more confident, but you will be able to spot an attacker sooner making him feel like you just spoiled his surprise attack. Making eye contact with someone sends them the message that “I see you.” That alone will make you less attractive to the potential assailant. Look a little mean or unapproachable. Eyebrows closer together, lips together, no smile, fists clenched lightly down at your sides. This will subconsciously say no to anyone who sees you to stay away. Keep your valuables out of sight. If you have a watch or a bracelet tuck it underneath your sleeve. If you have a necklace, cover it with your shirt or your jacket. If you feel like the area’s dangerous you may want to remove that visible jewelry and safely put them in pockets closer to your body. When muggers were interviewed to describe the ideal person to rob, they are
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BODY LANGUAGE clearly looking at your clothes, valuables, and even your shoes. They typically would not bother someone wearing gym clothes or carrying a gym bag. As they would not likely have anything of value on them. Hold your bag or purse closer to your body. Do not dangle it off your elbow so anyone can quickly just grab it off your arm and run. I recommend carrying a cross body purse or satchel. Avoid carrying all your valuables in your purse. If you must carry cash, wear a pouch or money belt to hide it. Have your bag positioned towards the front not against your backside. Avoid walking next to the street where your purse could be yanked from your arm by someone on a motorbike or vehicle passing by. Your hands are going to be one of the main things he focuses on, looks at and evaluates because your hands are what could stop him and even hurt him. Hold something in your fist that could be dangerous to an attacker, but that is also legal. If you have mace, hold it in a clenched fist. Mace is not going to deter the bad guy while it is in your purse or pocket. It is going to deter them while it is in your hands. You might decide to carry a tactical flashlight. By always keeping a good flashlight on you and using it to illuminate dark places like under cars and around corners or you could use it to temporarily blind the attacker. You could also hold a sharp key, so it points out of the knuckle. About two thirds of muggers said they followed people before attacking. Be careful of anyone that tries to stop you to ask for the time or directions. You might take that quick look at your watch to give the time and boom he has you. They are trying to stop you, preoccupy you, and then attack you at the time. Do not break your stride and do not stop. If they are persistent, it might be time to give loud verbal commands, such as “Stop! Get away
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from me!” Not only will the bad guy understand what you want him to do but it will bring attention to anyone in the area that something is not right. The trips to and from your car when arriving or leaving could leave you vulnerable. Make sure you look on all sides of all windows before you open your door. Always check the backseat of your vehicle ideally before you get in. Always look in your mirrors before you exit your vehicle to make sure no one’s outside your vehicle waiting for you to exit. If you do not plan to exit your vehicle, immediately remember that when you put your car in park most vehicles doors unlock. So, make sure that you lock the doors or turn off that feature in your vehicle if you are getting out right away. Park in well-lit areas and close to areas that can be observed by others. Check all your mirrors before exiting the vehicle. Identify Escape Routes and opportunities to increase distance between you and a threat (walking, running, or driving away). Get into the habit of scanning any area that you enter and look for the exits. Take the long route with the crowd instead of the shortcut through the alley. Regardless of how convenient a shortcut might seem, or however safe you might feel heading to your car late at night all alone, that is the kind of behavior that criminals count on to find easy victims. And finally, take the time to monitor yourself! Doing just one or two of these things may reduce the chances of an attack. But doing all these things together will significantly reduce those chances. Paying attention to your surroundings and your body language could prevent an attack. AL
Proudly Celebrating 25 Years of Made in America, Or Not Made At All.
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SIRT PISTOL TRAINING
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING As a nationally known firearms instructor and training counselor certified by both the NRA and USCCA, I regularly receive emails from people inquiring about tips and tricks on how to improve shooting and training techniques. Folks from all ranges of experience levels are all looking for that “Holy Grail” of aftermarket products to do the hard work of training for them and immediately make them a better marksman. Questions about new grips, expensive replacement triggers, lasers and various other devices both new and old are regularly covered. While yes, there are tons of great products on the market to make life shooting sports more comfortable, my answers always gravitate back to focusing on the fundamentals of sight picture, sight alignment and trigger press.
One of the best ways to practice all three aspects marksmanship and to obtain noticeable results quickly is with dry practice. Unfortunately for some pistols, high repetition dry practice can cause long term damage. With striker fired pistols such as the 80% of the world’s shooting population, the slide must be manually cycled to reset the trigger each time it is dry fired. While this may sound like a simple way to train, it may cause the shooter to form bad habit or “training scar”. Due to breaking from their master grip to cycle during dry practice, it often carries over during live fire to subconsciously try to cycle the slide as they would in dry fire practice. Fortunately for the
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BY TRAMPAS SWANSON
majority of the industry’s shooters today, there is one product that will NOT do the hard work and time invested for you, but WILL give you the means to be able to make your time off the range just as valuable as the time spent with live fire.
Back in 2015, while our team was attending the world’s largest industry only firearms / outdoor trade show known as SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas, NV, I discovered the most innovative training tool created during the 42 years of my shooting experience. The Shot Indicating Reset Trigger (SIRT) Model 110 was a Glock shaped laser training pistol produced by NextLevel Training. The company was founded by SIRT inventor, CEO Mike Hughes. For those who followed television’s reality shooting show, TOP SHOT on the History Channel, may remember Mike as the season 3 finalist cutting the Superman-like physique and square jaw. What viewers didn’t realize at the time was Mike’s company was on the verge of creating what would change the training world for serious shooters in the form of its SIRT pistol. Modeled loosely after the most popular service firearm in the world today, the Glock model 17 9mm, the SIRT pistol is designed as an inert firearm shaped training device designed to teach proper, consistent manipulation of the trigger while allowing for quick and easy self-diagnosis without need of live ammunition or a training partner. With trigger control arguably being the single most important aspect of any shooting discipline, this device
more safely in environments more conducive to true learning than standard one-way ranges could every possibly allow. Let’s look at several factors that make the SIRT such a valuable training tool.
WEIGHT & SIZE
With the SIRT being almost exactly the same size and weight as my Glock 17, I can use my standard Streamlight attached to its railed dust cover, fit it into my standard training holster and safely practice my speed reloads using the weighted interchangeable magazines.
COST EFFICIENCY
Powered by a single $3.00 US Lithium 123 CR camera battery, it is estimated the average user gets around $0.0002 per shot before having to replace the battery. Drills and shooting challenges can be performed in any room or back yard without the need of LIVE FIRE and range fees.
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING
does not need snap caps or real firearms to work. Unlike standard striker fired pistols, the SIRT pistol is a fully self-contained unit using red and green laser technology with a resetting trigger to simulate that of the Glock trigger. By training to feel the break point of the trigger and watching the red laser projected under the barrel activated by interface of the trigger pull, one can learn what is commonly called the “Glock reset” drill and only let out on the trigger between shots enough to reset the trigger while not allowing slop or over travel in the trigger pull using muscle memory and the positive “click” and feel of the reset. Depending on model, the SIRT uses of either a second red (Model 110) or a separate green laser (Pro Model) mounted in the muzzle activated by the breaking the shot, the user can verify where the training shot would hit in relation to the authentic Glock sights mounted on the top of the slide and can be easily replaced with any appropriate aftermarket options. For the past seven years, I have been using a Pro Model SIRT Model 110 both for my daily personal training routine and as part of my range drills for the students I teach weekly. During this time, I have easily shot well into the thousands of simulated rounds while seating in my office, practicing home defense drills walking through my house during the day and night as well as on the range between live fire exercises. Personally, I have seen three main advantages in this device since using the SIRT as part of my training routine. Over the past two years, we have been using the SIRT pistols with a great firearms training simulator system from Laser Ammo called the Smokeless Range. (More on this in coming issues so stay tuned!) Not only has the Glock, S&W and SIG variants of the SIRT worked well with the simulator to help students hone their fundamentals but also help illustrate intuitive defensive shooting techniques to advanced shooters. This combination of training equipment allows large groups of students to training much
RAPID SKILL ENHANCEMENT
With my personal training, the SIRT pistol quickly helped give me feedback I could easily see for myself and help develop proper muscle memory when not on the range. The SIRT greatly enhances point shooting to the degree that you may sometimes start instinctively index shots before using the rear sights. The SIRT develops a strong trust in your natural aiming instincts. As an instructor, I have seen the SIRT quickly reduce recoil anticipation in my students by having them shoot a few shots with the SIRT before going to LIVE FIRE. During a student’s shooting session, if I begin to see a pattern in their shots starting to routinely strike low, I will stop them, have them again fire the SIRT a few times and continue with LIVE FIRE exercises. Every time I have done this, the student’s shots will immediately return to point of aim /
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So if the SIRT is so great, who would benefit the most from training with one? Let’s look at a list of top answers. - Firearms Instructors / Training Counselors - Novice shooters learning proper technique - Experienced shooters looking for cost effective ways to train from concealment or dry firing a skill challenge - A shooter looking to cure training scars - Tactical users such as Law Enforcement or citizens training to defend themselves in a CQC or Close Quarters Combat situation - New shooters seeking to learn proper safe firearms handling - Competition shooters looking to dry practice their course of fire during a walk through After reading the list, you may think this covers pretty much anyone interested in shooting. You would be RIGHT! The SIRT pistol offers something for all ages and skill levels to benefit from. The only change I would like to eventually see made to the SIRT is the implementation of a moving slide to simulate charging the firearm during training with changing magazines. With a retail price ranging from $239 - $469 depending on which type laser and slide material you may want, the benefits of having a child safe training tool you can work with any time
of the day or night are personally well worth the investment. As a father of two small daughters, this was a huge bonus. By not being a live firearm, you can also travel anywhere with the SIRT and train without interrupting your regular training regimen. At the end of the day, if you are one of the millions who regularly shoot striker fired pistols such as over 80% of the world’s Law Enforcement carrying Glock handguns or over 70% of US citizens carrying Glocks as concealed carry weapons, you NEED a SIRT in your life. This training device has proven to greatly enhance shooting skills safely and efficiently as well as promoting the desire to training more often outside of the range. This ultimately equates to more LEO and civilian lives having a much better chance of surviving armed encounters over time. Recently, my personal favorite variant of the SIRT pistol has been the new model 115C which emulates the size, weight and look of the Gen 5 Glock 19 9mm pistol. It fits in all my Inside and Outside the Waistband holsters while offering the same index point from the draw. Its duty sized counterpart, the model 115 would make a great addition to any security or law enforcement agency’s training program. Overall, I have been very impressed with the entire SIRT catalogue over the years. To highly recommend these training devices students and fellow instructors is probably the easiest endorsement I have given in a decade. To find the SIRT pistol that fits your needs, visit them at www.nextleveltraining.com.
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING
point of impact. The lack of recoil present while performing the same range of motions tends to carry over mentally back to the LIVE FIRE. When first performing this, you will see shooters possibly going back to anticipating recoil after a few shots, but as the switch back and forth from SIRT to LIVE FIRE, you will see a huge difference quickly.
**** Editor Note**** Save money with each purchase by using Discount Code: STG2020 at checkout.
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TRAINING OR PRACTICE?
BY CHARLIE COOK
Riding Shotgun With Charlie came from a speaking project. I’ve been in Toastmasters for a few years and I was working on a manual called “Communicating on Video“. Toastmasters is an organization that helps people with public speaking. It helps with much more than speaking. It gives you confidence, organization skills, and leadership skills, too. There were five projects in that manual: interview someone in a tv talk show or radio show format, be interviewed by someone in a tv talk show or radio show format, conduct a press conference, make an editorial video, and make a video teaching someone how to do a speech. While I was working on all those projects, I had the idea for Riding Shotgun With Charlie. I wanted to hang out with rockstars and even be a rockstar when I was young. Who didn’t? Yes, you can ask me how it worked out. I spent 10 years playing trombone in a Motown, funk, disco band in Boston. During my gigging years, I opened for Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, and even Earth, Wind, & Fire. The band even played at Meatloaf’s daughter’s wedding and Meatloaf came up and did a 10 minute version of Mustang Sally with us. I got into firearms in 2002. I had been an instrumental music teacher in public schools for a few years. After September 11, we had a meeting where the principal said if anyone was in the school that shouldn’t be there, he would get on the intercom and announce that “the eagle has landed” and everyone was supposed to lock their classroom doors and hide under the desks. I ended up telling the other teachers that if the teachers on the first floor had firearms, they could shoot the bad guy and have the police send a body bag. They thought I was crazy. I went out to find out what I needed to do to get a firearm license in Massachusetts. It took about 4 months, which included taking a class, being interviewed by the local police, and passing background checks. And of course, paying a fee. I was excited to have a license to have a firearm. I ended up taking some other training that involved some live fire (NRA Basic Pistol Course) and I was hooked. After acquiring some
family firearms and joining a local range, I got into it more. I became a Range Safety Officer so I could run bowling pin shoots. Then I started helping with some firearms training with the Gun Owners Action League. Eventually GOAL’s Director of Education suggested I become an instructor, which I did. Over the years, I taught at a local shooting school and started teaching classes on my own. Eventually, I would teach 20 people in a course at the shooting school and realize how much the boss was making. Then I got a bit more focused and started pushing my own classes. I got certified to teach a number of NRA courses: Basic Pistol, Basic Rifle, Basic Shotgun, Personal Protection Inside the Home, Refuse To Be A Victim. And a couple of non-NRA classes: Utah Concealed Firearm Permit & SABRE Pepper Spray.
I watched Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. If you haven’t seen it, a late-night talk show host takes some rock and pop stars out for a ride in his car, pretends to get some coffee, then plays music of the artist he’s with, and they sing along and tell stories about the band or how the song came about. It’s so ‘fake’ that I’ve heard the car is on a flatbed tow truck and he isn’t even driving. Regardless. I noticed that James Cordon is chubby, English and mildly funny. And I thought “I’m chubby, I can speak English,
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
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RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
I’m mildly funny. I can do what he’s doing!” I declared that I was going to start a show driving around gun folks in the car and I was going to call it Riding Shotgun. I found out that there was a website called Riding Shotgun. My mentor, Dennis, said that I need to inject my personality into my projects. So I called it Riding Shotgun With Charlie. Seems simple enough. I bought a couple of GoPros from Facebook marketplace and Craig’s list. I tried taking a class on editing video but learned a lot from trial and error. Mostly error. I felt like a terrorist, I just wanted to learn to fly the plane. There are many things in video editing that I didn’t want to learn because it wasn’t going to apply to what I was doing. Learning was (is) a slow process for me so it took some time. I contacted some friends who were firearm instructors, some musician friends, and my mentor, to see if they’d be up for it. It was all paying dues to learn some interviewing skills and learning how to edit. I probably did 5 or 6 shows with some local friends. I found out that a long-time friend’s husband was a victim in an armed robbery, and it ended up being written about by Rob Pincus & Mark Walters in “Lessons from Unarmed America”. So, I called my friend, set up a weekend to fly to Minneapolis and film a show with her husband. He suggested a weekend during the Minnesota State Fair, when Mark Walters would be doing a remote radio show. I was able to film a show with Mark while I drove him from the hotel to the fair. Mark asked me to be a guest on Armed American Radio that evening. Ironically, one of the guests was Paul Lathrop from Second Amendment Foundation’s Polite Society Podcast. I had no idea that I would end up as a regular co-host on PSP a few years later. I had a layover in Chicago on my way back to Boston, I checked my voicemail and there was a message from Mark. He said he loved the show, loved the idea, no one was doing a show like this, and he wanted to help promote it. I had no idea what they meant. I had no idea what the show could be or where it
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would take me or anything else. When Mark called me two days later and asked if I wanted to speak at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Tampa in a month, I HAD to say Yes! There I ran into everyone who was anyone in the gun rights community. Massad Ayoob. Alan Gottlieb. John Lott. Tom Gresham. Folks like Cheryl & Danny Todd, AWR Hawkins, Nikki Goeser. One of the people I ran into was Amanda Suffecool. She and her brother, Rob Campbell, had a radio show outside of Cleveland called Eye On The Target. In May 2015, they were looking to talk to instructors in every state. I reached out and got to be the guy from Massachusetts. I saw Amanda’s nametag and asked if she had a radio show. She said yes, then she Facebook requested me, and invited me to lunch with her and another friend. GRPC that year was a success to me. And for me. I wasn’t putting out RSWC shows yet, but I did have GunGrams. These are videos where I play the trumpet while I shoot a gun as a percussion instrument. I’ve got 280 videos on YouTube, and they’ve been watched over 20 million times on my channel and on other people’s channels and videos. There were also several people that wanted to know what I was doing and how they could get on the show. It was wonderful to make so many new freedom loving friends. A few months later, Amanda invited me to co-emcee a concealed carry fashion show with her outside Cleveland. Again, how can I say no?! While I was in Ohio, I drove up to Detroit to film a show with Marcus Allen Weldon. He was known as “the Santa shooter” as he was dressed as Santa Claus and involved in a self-defense shooting. I was slowly “getting the stagecoach across America”. I kept filming shows during the next few months. I filmed in DC with Rev Kenn Blanchard and NJ with Anthony Colandro. I was a fan of both, as I was an avid listener to both of their podcasts. Things were really moving, and I don’t know how it happened. Since the beginning, I’ve done over 130 shows in 30 states. One of my objectives is to do a show in every state. That takes
The idea of the show is to interview people in the firearm community. Authors, activists, good people involved in selfdefense situations, instructors, YouTubers, podcasters. People that are the movers and shakers in the 2A community. I want to have video interviews of people who are just people. People that are living the Armed Lifestyle and sharing that way of life with and to others. As a community, we need to show others that we ARE everyday people. We’re parents. We’re colleagues. We’re at the grocery store. We’re at the local restaurants. We’re at the local coffee shops. We love and care about our family and friends, just like our non-gun friends (if we have any-Hehe). We want them to be safe too. We’re all trying to live our own American Dream. The American Dream is vast. And the American Dream is what YOU want to do and to make sure you’re pursuing it. Having Riding Shotgun With Charlie is part of my American Dream. Writing (Shotgun) With Charlie is an extension of the show. I’m going to be writing the conversation with my passengers. There’s a lesson to learn from everyone. Maybe a new lesson. Maybe a reinforcement of something you already knew. Maybe something to avoid. They say you “either win or learn”. I”m hoping you do both. In the YouTube descriptions, I’ve got a “favorite quotes” section. They’re things the passenger says that stick out and had an impact on me. I hope they help you, too.
I’ve been fortunate to have some success with RSWC. In 2017 at the Gun Rights Policy Conference, the Second Amendment Foundation awarded me “The Defender of Liberty”, which was something I wasn’t expecting. That year, I had a few million views of GunGrams around the world. In 2019, they awarded me “Ray Carter Blogger of the Year”. I went around for 2 days saying “Blogger of the Year…didn’t write a word”. That’s when I started writing show notes, which also led to having the show and show notes published on Ammoland. I”ve had folks like Massad Ayoob, Rob Pincus, Hickok45, Ashley Hlebinsky, Dianna Muller, and Alan Gottlieb (in HIS Corvette!) on the show. There’s a few people that are ‘Dream Passengers’ that I haven’t had on the show. Yet. Moving forward in each issue of the Armed Lifestyle Magazine, I’ll be writing more about the show. I’m sure my English teachers wouldn’t have ever thought I’d be writing. Me, neither! But I’m excited to be writing and sharing the show and it’s lesson here with you in Armed Lifestyle Magazine. We’re all living the Armed Lifestyle in some capacity. Writing (Shotgun) With Charlie is going to help teach you about laws around the country, how to handle some situations, how to be more at your own level, so you too are living the Armed Lifestyle.
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
planning and work. For the last 2 years, every time I’ve gone someplace, for funerals, taking kids to college, visiting friends, whatever, I’ve filmed a show. I’ve done a little ‘southern tour’ in 2020, hitting Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. In the summer of 2021, I went to Sioux Fall, SD, to take a MAG40 class. I filmed shows in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Within two weeks, I was heading to Ohio for a FASTER Saves Lives course and filmed 2 shows in Ohio. I’ve done more traveling in the last 2 years than I have in the previous 10 years.
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TRAINING OR PRACTICE?
Evil in our world lurks at every corner. It plots, plans, and searches for an opportunity to act in ways that could potentially permanently change our lives physically, mentally, or sadly both. Rightfully defending yourself against such evil should not come with the continuing threat of being punished for exercising our premortal instinct of self-preservation. Between politicians and liberal legislation banning or limiting our rights to carry certain tools essential to protection, it is more important than ever to make sure we are protected both criminally and civilly should the day arise that we should be the righteous that stand bold as a Lion against such threats to our lives and the lives of others. I’ll start this article with the statement that this is NOT a paid advertisement but rather a report on one of the most important aspects of personal protection for the prepared member of the armed lifestyle. The television news and other media outlets have spent years trying to wrongfully train citizens of the United States and other countries around the globe that self-protection is limited or even completely wrong. It is time to change that narrative and become better educated and personally protected home and abroad. We as prepared citizens need to fully understand how entities like the USCCA and its parent company, Delta Defense can help give us a good peace of mind that in the event we must protect ourselves or a loved one. We need to know that someone will be in our corner to help us navigate the legal system and to not end up being punished civilly at a substantial financial loss or criminally by losing our valuable freedom because we chose to do what was needed to survive a violent encounter. As a former Law Enforcement officer, I have seen firsthand how myself and others could quickly end up in the spotlight for merely doing our job correctly as trained. Regardless of how brave your actions are or at whatever considerable personal risk you managed to overcome to accomplish your mission, you are ALWAYS going to end up the bad guy in someone else’s story. Stop an armed robber, mugger, or murderer with lethal force and expect the family to sue because you injured or killed someone that they misjudged. Thankfully, during my days as a Sheriff’s SWAT team operator, we had entities such as Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
BY: TRAMPAS SWANSON with Dan Tonto
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
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USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION 26
to advocate for us inside and outside the courtroom to make sure justified law enforcement officers didn’t have to suffer from unjust and unethical criminal prosecution and civil action lawsuits. Sadly in those days, civilians did not have such luxuries despite facing the same threats lurking within our environment. After I retired, I went on to become a civilian firearms instructor and training counselor, responsible for not only training new and experienced shooters but other new instructors as well. Once I became certified through the National Rifle Association (NRA), I discovered a much younger organization, the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Unlike the NRA’s allencompassing sporting guns outlook, the USCCA’s training division was focused solely on what their name implies, concealed carry of a firearm with a curriculum designed to assist shooters at all skill levels. As an instructor, I appreciated the more up to date and personal defense focus of the USCCA amid a growing demand for self-defense training within our industry. For me, this was not an either / or decision to choose between organizations. I am and will always be a Benefactor Life Member of the NRA. I appreciate their fight for our Second Amendment rights in political circles and all the excellent training they have established as the gold standard of fundamental marksmanship training. The USCCA offered more focused essential, concealed carry and home defense training for the types of new shooters and professionals coming into the gun-owning world that may not have grown up with the “old guard” NRA, hunting, and shooting skeet. The USCCA’s roots lie as one of my favorite publications; Concealed Carry Magazine helmed by Founder Tim Schmidt, Executive Editor Kevin Michalowski, and the fantastic staff of editors, columnists and contributing writers. The articles and insight provided in each issue free to its USCCA members was a huge inspiration for the Armed Lifestyle Magazine to be created to branch out from the niche of self-defense and explore the whole 2A environment. At the heart of all of it, the USCCA founder wanted to make sure his company could protect those who mattered most, the responsibly prepared citizens. Delta Defense, the parent company to the USCCA, developed a membership program that would help with any expenses upfront
and residual that may be incurred during a critical incident such as having to defend against an attacker. Notice, I have not said the word firearm? That’s because this protects more than just gun owners, it protects anyone willing to stand against a threat and win, whether that’s empty handed, with a knife or even a vehicle in situations such as potential carjackings. Having had experience with how comforting it is to have this sort of support from an established company that not only believed in someone doing what’s right but that will be in your corner every step of the way, I understand how underrated and invaluable this could be for civilian concealed carry practitioners. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t have tens of thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars or more needed in costs to deal with the legal fallout that will come if I must defend myself from a home invasion in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the USCCA does, and they offer it and much more to its members including a robust training platform which will help its members become fully immersed in self-defense training and education which is designed to help members become mentally, physically, and legally prepared should they find themselves involved in a self-defense situation. I became a member of the USCCA as well as a range partner via our Swanson Training Group (STG) in January of 2019. What I did not know until then was how much available training via streaming video and downloadable material each member of the USCCA had access to via their member’s only website. From the time I had discovered the USCCA’s membership benefits packages until the time I ultimately signed up, I researched dozens. I quickly realized there were only three viable contenders in which roughly all things were almost entirely equal. Unlike the other two contenders, the USCCA offered the package I most wanted, a network of not only great attorneys but also a deep bench of highly respected firearms and self-defense instructors from across the country to educate people in and out of the classroom. With the membership package I signed up for myself and my wife, Candace, who is also an instructor, we get regular online training opportunities and discounts from well-known partner companies. In the first three months alone, I ended up saving more money in discounts and training than what I paid for the membership for the entire year!
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
As of last year, the USCCA launched even more member training with an entire line up of videos and range challenges under what they call the Protector Academy. These videos are regularly updated and range from how to teach your children about safety to how to properly use a red dot option on your rifle. While the video series in each category is not a full four-to-eighthour course, it will educate you enough to decide if you wish to find a local instructor to learn about topics more in depth. My personal favorites include Emergency First Aid and Tips on How to Stay Safe on Social Media. For first time gun owners, the information on firearm selection, best ways to carry and how to prepare to make your first trip to the range are amazing. Since signing as a range partner, our company has been able to work with some of the great Delta Defense representatives over the past few years, who helped facilitate our training company to teach in Las Vegas in addition to locations around our home territory of Florida. During this time, I have also been able to befriend other representatives across the country as well, who have equally done a great job of creating opportunities to help educate more people via in person classes and free monthly webinars. These consummate professionals have worked tirelessly to become vital assets to both their range partners and potential students looking to learn the benefits of such a beneficial membership in the USCCA. A couple of years ago, my region of Florida received a new representative that hit the ground running with our training group, Dan Tonto. Coming from years of experience in sales from other industries as well as public service as a firefighter/ paramedic, Dan was very impressive from day one with his out of the box thinking and an eagerness to learn, train and promote the
growth of every range partner he works with. That sort of selflessness and fresh thinking really got our team on their “A-game” to brainstorm how we can educate more people on the importance of having legal and financial protection for those who train hard every day to protect their families. As Dan helped me learn more about the world of Delta Defense / USCCA protection in the early days of getting to know each other to better explain to our students, I, in turn, invited him and his wife to train with our STG team. We had a great time in class, along with our other students and even more so on the range. The first day working together one on one, Dan showed off his skills by shooting a playing card in half at 10 feet. Game, set, match, Dan “Da Man” Tonto. I think it is safe to say, he grasped the fundamental concepts and represented the Delta Defense / USCCA team very well! I have learned a lot in a short amount of time, things that I feel like I have taken for granted before working with Dan. Although I have been a member for three years now, I feel even more confident in my family’s decision to take the plunge and become USCCA members. To best explain why the USCCA membership is so important to consider, I prefer to wrap this article with Dan’s own wise words. Dan - Do you feel that you are COMPLETELY prepared for a self-defense incident? In other words, you train on a regular basis, you have a self-defense plan in place, and you have attorneys at the ready for your criminal and/or civil defense should you need them because you acted in self-defense by using force. Being prepared for a self-defense incident requires a 100% commitment on your part which means you must be prepared mentally, physically, and legally. Considering there is a violent crime in this country every 26 seconds (FBI statistic), being unprepared is NOT an option. If you called the police for an emergency and you knew that the responding officers had a total of just 4-hours of training, would you be okay with that? Well, that’s how much training most concealed carry holders have if that. Quite honestly that’s just not enough. Police officers carry firearms for the same reasons as law abiding citizens do; for self-defense, yet they continuously train, and the average CCL holder does not train at all or has minimal training. As a member of the USCCA, you will have access to some of the “best-in-class” online self-defense education and training, along with the ability to search for and attend “in-person” classes with one of thousands of USCCA Certified Instructors around the U.S. In addition, the USCCA has purchased a Self-Defense Liability Insurance Policy and all members get added on to their policy as an “added insured.” That means if you are involved in a covered self-defense incident, you will have help in both criminal and civil court. For covered incidents, there is NO LIMIT on defense
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USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
expenses for both criminal and civil court and as you can imagine, attorney fees will add up quickly. There is also a $2,000,000 annual liability insurance limit which is applied towards damages if they are awarded in a civil case. There is also a $100,000 cost of bail expense limit included in the policy as well. The USCCA’s Attorney Network is made up of over 1200 attorneys and USCCA members have access to the Critical Response Team, an in-house team trained in Crisis Management who are available 24/7/365 who will get you in touch with your attorney and other resources immediately. I often hear people say they have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than being involved in a self-defense incident. That’s just not true. According to the National Weather Service, just 270 people get struck by lightning in the U.S. every year. Conversely, according to American Gun Facts.com, there are between 500,000 and 3,000,000 instances where a firearm is used in self-defense every year; that’s thousands per day. Twohundred and seventy people will definitely fill up a room, but it would take about 50 football stadiums to fit 3 million people. That’s crazy. If you are the “Protector” of yourself and your loved ones, this membership is a “need to have” and should be part of your self-defense plan because it is so comprehensive. Memberships start at just $29/month; a small price to pay for so much value; especially considering there is also a 365Day Money-Back Guarantee making it essentially risk free to join. Please scan the QR Code below to get a FREE self-defense e-guide, as well as more info and details on how to join. You can also reach out to dan - dan.t@deltadefense.com
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FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
THE G44:
Glock Shooters’ Missing Training Link - By Trampas Swanson Question? What happens when you cross the history’s most popular caliber with the world’s most popular firearms manufacturer? Answer: You get the Glock model 44 chambered in .22 LR! For the diehard Glock fan base, this was a long-awaited platform, shooters had been searching for decades. These shooters had to sit by the side as they watched companies such as S&W, SIG, Ruger, even Colt release or license .22 versions of their popular larger caliber handguns and rifles. Prior to December of 2019, only option for running .22 LR on a Glock platform came in the form of a conversion unit from Tactical Solutions that was almost as expensive as the base model Glock it was designed for. Finally, after much anticipation, the model 44 hit the market just as we moved into the year 2020 and Glock shooters rejoiced. I should know, because honestly, I was one of them. After spending a half hour shooting a sample of the new pistol on the range during SHOT SHOW 2020, I immediately requested a sample for T&E as soon as I could. During two years of range training during the COVID pandemic and resulting fall out, I have been able to work intimately with the G44 on the range teaching classes and honing my own skills. As time progressed, I wrote for several industry publications about my first thoughts and developing opinions on the G44 as the round count on the gun grew higher. After thousands of rounds and hundreds of students taught, shooters and instructors alike weigh in for the final report!
BEYOND PLINKING
As we entered the COVID shutdown, the United States crossed into a period of widespread ammunition shortages. The leading cause was due to the growth of over 10 million new gun owners over the span of 2020 and 2021. Major ammo manufacturers report in at anywhere for 12 – 14 months in backlogged orders. Unlike the common defensive calibers such as 9mm, .45, 5.56, it has been easier to find bulk quantities of .22 LR at affordable prices when in stock. Regardless of what brings shooters to the range, they all have a common need for affordable ammo and trigger time to have fun growing their skillsets. The hot “buzz” term for all these new and traditional gun
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owners over the past two years has been the same, Self Defense! Between media fearmongering, increased national violence and the rapid growth of powerhouse organizations such as the United Concealed Carry Association, people have flocked to firearms training. Professional firearms instructors have seen vast increases in Concealed Carry, Basic, Advanced firearms, Situational Awareness and First Aid courses. As an NRA and USCCA Training Counselor, I have not only taught hundreds of students during this span and before, but also been honored to help certify new firearms instructors as well. I have seen how our Swanson Training Group (STG) methodology, techniques, and proper mindset has trickled down to the students of our candidate instructors and continued forward. The challenges of teaching students how to properly shoot lie in helping them learn proper stance, breathing, grip, sight picture / sight alignment, trigger control and follow through / recoil mitigation. Over my twenty years of helping law enforcement and civilian shooters become more efficient with firearms, I
FIRST LOOK
When I originally received the pistol from Glock I was sad to see the model 44 only shipped with two 10 round magazines, unlike most other Glocks that come with three magazines. Since then, I have managed to acquire 4 other factory magazines from various resources. Like its larger counterparts, the G44 included standard Gen 4 style backstrap additions for those with larger hands. The overall size of the frame and slide were that of a standard model 19 chambered in 9mm. With the Glock model G19 being the most popular model among civilian sales and second behind the full sized G17, Glock clearly marketed the G44 to the largest possible audience.
While the dimensions are almost exact, the G44 comes in about 9 ounces lighter than its G19 counterpart. This is mainly due to the G44’s hybrid slide that incorporates a steel core breach block and rails wrapped in a lightweight polymer cover. This keeps the slide light enough for the force of the .22 LR to reliably cycle the slide. Combined with a fluted chamber that allows for gas flow around the cartridge during firing to clear debris away, the action helps fight fast build up commonly associated with the tight tolerances of the .22 platform. The G44 ships with the standard white dot front sight and white outlined “U” shaped and can be upgraded with any sights that will fit models such as the 19, 17, 34 or their corresponding models. This allows shooters to closer replicate their favorite larger firearm they may carry to training, duty or everyday carry (EDC). The standard 5.5 lb trigger felt like every “out of the box” Glock I have ever shot. The flush fit ten round magazine loaded easily and dropped free cleanly. After several sessions in my office dry practicing magazine changes and trigger presses, I was looking forward to getting some rounds down range as soon as possible.
G44 SPECS
Caliber Overall Length Slide Length Width (Overall) Slide Width Height w/ Mag. Overall Sight Distance Trigger Travel Distance Magazine Capacity
FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
have noticed where the most learning occurs. In the classroom, the stance and grip can quickly be attained and practiced using training aids as simple as blue guns or ASP red guns, both which are simply gun shaped blocks of solid plastic. To get true feedback from sight picture / sight alignment and trigger control, SIRT guns from www.NextLevelTraining.com or high end 6mm guns driven by green gas have proven to be faster to decrease learning curves. These greatly assist in getting students better focused on the fundamentals. However, when it comes to breathing, recoil mitigation and follow through, nothing can take the place of live fire. This is where the Glock model G44 comes in handy.
.22 LR 7.28 inch 6.85 inch 1.26 inch 1.00 inch 5.04 inch 6.02 inch 2.76 inch 10 rounds
ON THE RANGE
During one of my many range trips, I was joined by fellow instructor, Jim Wenzel and well-known holster maker, John Phillips aka the “King of Kydex” from Survivor Creek to offer their perspectives on the G44 as well. Our team met early one
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FIREARMS: GLOCK 44 morning at the Baldwin Pistol School owned by good friend, Tom Martin. Over the next two hours, shooters ran various strings of fire and made their notes. The ultimate compliment to come from this initial session was simply, “It shoots like a Glock”. The pistol ran flawlessly and felt very natural to a group of guys who have spent the bulk of their shooting careers pulling Glock triggers. Part of our session included running the G44 with the Swarm .22 caliber suppressor from Elevated Silence (www. ElevatedSilence.com ). A good day got even better when we switched to running suppressed. There was barely any noticeable point of aim, point of impact shift even at the 20 yard mark. All hits staying within the paper target’s 9 right or any of the 4” steel used during the day. The diminutive suppressor “hands down” out performed three other .22 caliber suppressors I had in our inventory. Using the shorted configuration of the Swarm performed flawlessly, delivering the same impressive accuracy with the threaded barrel as the standard nonthreaded Glock barrel showed unsuppressed. Both Suppressor and Mini Mag ammunition from CCI were used with only a difference of a ¼” in accuracy difference in the two. The suppressed ammunition grouped slightly lower than the full power variant. This range session made me really excited to introduce this pistol to my students at the range. Rather than just having new shooters jump from running SIRT or 6mm guns in the classroom to live fire with their 9mm or .45 caliber pistols on the range, my STG instructors and I divide shooting into subcategories as well. Depending on the skill level
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of our students, we will work them from the SIRT and 6mm to a .22 caliber handgun in which all their basic fundamentals can be practiced over and over under the watchful eye of a qualified instructor. This offers our students all the major fundamentals while keeping cost and recoil low. In the past, I often used a Ruger MKIII and MKIV 22/45 pistol for initial live fire.
pistol has to capability to make you a better thinker, shooter and strategist if done correctly. Retailing for $430, the average market price found in the local gun shop is right round $399. I recommend this pistol as a great training aid to many of the new NRA and USCCA Instructors I certify to begin their teaching endeavors. The accuracy, constant trigger pull, familiar size and weight make for a perfect combination for an affordable pistol for training. With the rising cost of ammunition and lack of availability, the Glock 44 offers one of the best options on the market to continue live fire training and to best educate others in the process. Many will agree concept of a .22 caliber version of the most popular handgun platform in the world was long overdue. However, I applaud Glock for taking their time to get it right the first time. The best way to really appreciate G44 is to shoot one for yourself. Several ranges across the country offer them to rent prior to purchase. I highly recommend giving it a try for yourself. To find out more about this model and other Glock products, visit www.us.glock.com.
FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
As many readers know, the Ruger Mark series of pistols are an ultra-reliable and accurate .22 option for new and seasoned shooters alike. With most of our students running Glock 9mm variants, the Glock 44 was quickly adapted and helped learning curves between .22 and larger calibers greatly decrease. Even more so than using the Ruger Mark pistols. Students moving from the feel of the factory Glock trigger and standard factory Glock sights of the G44 to the same of the G17 or G19 was a direct transfer of comfort and proficiency. Try as others may, nothing feels and performs like a Glock than another Glock. During the range trip, the G44 was shot over 800 rounds. Aside from the occasional shooter induced error and two noted failures to go into battery issues due to an extremely dirty chamber, the G44 had not regularly had any malfunctions. After the shooting ceased for the day, fellow instructor, Tom Martin spoke to me about an issue he had with his three G44 pistols. It seems Tom had been given some bad ammo in which produced above average chamber pressures. The results were ejectors constantly breaking and needing replaced before the problem was diagnosed. While this is a relatively simple fix, it still is not something you wish to regularly deal with. Since having this issue and disposing of the problematic ammunition, Tom has reported zero issues afterwards.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I recommend the Glock model 44 for a myriad of reasons. As a long time fan of the innovative Ruger Mark series and the classic Browning Buckmark line of pistols, the one clear advantage the Glock offers over the others is the one to one ratio it shares with the Glock 19. (For those wondering, the G44 it will not interchange slides with its larger caliber cousin.) From the new shooter to the tactical officer or GSSF competition shooter doing practice walk throughs with low budget live fire, this
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SAFETY: FIRST AID FIRST FIRST AID FIRST
DAN TONTO, EMT-P, USCCA CERTIFIED FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR
In life the most prepared of us will always have a better chance at completing the mission versus those who are not prepared. How many times have we seen someone sick or injured and we see people standing around doing nothing? As a paramedic for the last 31 years, and a USCCA Certified Firearms Instructor, two roles that require a lot of mental and physical preparation, nothing could be truer. In fact, at Delta Defense, the Service Provider of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, the organization where I work, we preach this every day because nothing is more important than being prepared, whether it’s defending yourself from an attack or treating someone who has been injured or just falls ill. We are our own first responders. As they say, when seconds count, emergency services (police, fire, EMS) are just minutes away. Providing first aid for someone who is sick or injured is not only a noble cause, but it is something that all of us should have some basic understanding of. First aid is just that; it’s providing immediate care to the sick or injured whether further advanced level care is needed or not. If further advanced level care is
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needed the “first aid” that you provide can be the difference between life or death. So now the question or questions become: how can I provide first aid to someone if I don’t have any medical training? What should my emergency first aid kit also known as a Multiple First Aid Kit (MFAK) look like or have in it? There is also something called an IFAK, which is an Individual First Aid Kit which is essentially a small MFAK and used to treat yourself or just one person. An IFAK has much fewer contents and is designed to be added to your gear and not as a standalone. The MFAK treats multiple people and is designed to be carried by itself as its own entity. For the purposes of this article, I’ll be discussing the MFAK (larger kit) although having an IFAK (smaller kit) is a great idea, it just won’t be sufficient to treat multiple people. I should also note that the M in MFAK is sometimes used to refer to “mini”, “medical” and “military.” My advice; don’t get caught up on the name, just understand that a larger portable kit will treat multiple people whereas a smaller kit will be limited to just one person. First and foremost, providing first aid to someone does not require
Emergencies that require first aid are broken down into two main categories: Medical and Trauma. Examples of medical emergencies would be: sudden cardiac arrest, chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, stroke, diabetic emergency to include hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia (too little or too much blood sugar), fainting/loss of consciousness (also known as syncope pronounced siNGkəpē), shock (sudden loss of blood pressure), etc. You may need to provide first aid for a heart attack victim or someone having a stroke or other medical emergency. The simple act of calling 911 and being there to comfort someone is huge and should not be minimized.
Traumatic injuries result from an individual being physically injured. Motor vehicle crashes, gunshot wounds (GSW), stabbings, blunt force trauma, falls, drownings/near drownings and environmental injuries are all examples of how someone can suffer a traumatic injury which can result in: minor or major bleeding, strains/sprains/broken bones, minor/severe lacerations, concussion/head injury, burns, frostbite, heat related injuries (heat stroke being the most severe and can lead to unconsciousness or even death if not quickly treated), traumatic pneumothorax (a condition where air leaks into the pleural cavity, the space between the lungs and chest wall causing the lung or lungs to collapse or partially collapse), tension pneumothorax; similar to traumatic pneumothorax but air is unable to escape the pleural cavity thereby squeezing the lungs and heart making them unable to function), unconsciousness and cardiac arrest. The severity of the medical or traumatic emergency will determine if advanced level care is required beyond the first aid provided. As an example, if someone suffers from a slide bite injury on the hand while at the range, chances are some hydrogen peroxide or soap and water and an adhesive bandage will do the trick and no further medical attention is necessary. The most important factor is being able to quickly identify if the medical or traumatic emergency is life threatening or severe enough to require further medical intervention. Your assessment skills will be the best tool you have. Once you have assessed the situation, what you do next will be the next most important thing.
SAFETY: FIRST AID FIRST
special skills or years of training. It requires a bit of education and the understanding of whatever you put in your MFAK; you know how to use/operate it. You can start by taking a first aid or CPR class through an approved body like the American Red Cross (First Aid, CPR & AED), Stop The Bleed, the American Heart Association (CPR) or the U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s Emergency First Aid & Fundamentals Class. The classes offered would take up less than 8-hours of your time. There are also many great first aid videos online as well. The only caution here is to make sure the presenter is a qualified individual for whatever he or she is teaching. Watching a video of a layperson teaching a first aid technique without any credentials is not advisable.
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SAFETY: FIRST AID FIRST
For example, if someone has a severe arterial injury to an extremity where blood is literally spurting into the air; the patient needs a tourniquet applied immediately depending of course where the injury is. If the severed artery is too high up on the extremity or it’s coming from the head or neck; you’ll have to use something else like an Israeli Bandage (a.k.a. Emergency or Combat Bandage) or a bulky dressing with the application of direct pressure to stop the bleeding. The main goal is to stop the bleeding before the patient bleeds to death. The good news is, that anyone can apply direct pressure to a wound that is severely bleeding. That simple act alone can save someone’s life. Let’s talk about what supplies you need in your MFAK. This is going to be based on your level of training, but as you will see, your MFAK needs to be portable and have basic supplies. Remember, these kits are designed to render first aid, not advanced life support. I am a paramedic trained to perform many advanced life support techniques, yet my MFAK is very basic with very few exceptions. What helps me over the layperson are my assessment skills, but that should not deter you from providing competent first aid to someone in need. Like anything else in life, the more training you have in something, the more of an expert you will be. In providing first aid in a severe emergency, the goal is to get the patient to the next level of care; most likely EMS whose job it is to get the patient to a medical facility.
You may consider other items or more of certain items based on the mission. As you can see, with the exception of chest decompression needles which are generally used by paramedics and physicians, my MFAK is very basic, BUT you need to be proficient with the supplies you carry. For example, the application of a tourniquet or Israeli Bandage requires practice because when either is needed, time is NOT on your side. Ultimately, being prepared should always include having access to an IFAK/MFAK with the knowledge of how to use the supplies contained within and the knowledge of providing basic first aid to ourselves or our fellow citizens in need. We never intend to be sick or injured or come across someone who is sick or injured, but if you do, wouldn’t you like to know what to do? You may just save someone’s life. For more information on first aid and saving lives check out the organizations below. https://www.usconcealedcarry.com https://www.heart.org https://www.redcross.org https://www.stopthebleed.org
SO WHAT’S IN MY MFAK?
Tourniquets (SWAT-T – Stretch, Wrap & Tuck tourniquet and CAT – Combat Application Tourniquet), Israeli Bandage (Emergency Bandage, Combat Bandage-2 or more), bulky dressings, gauze, adhesive bandages, steri-strips, HyFin vented chest seal, emergency blankets, CPR mask, tape, gloves, trauma shears, aspirin (for heart attack), glucose gel (for hypoglycemia), liquid bandage, QuikClot, SAM (structural aluminum malleable) splint for long bone fractures, chest decompression needles, work gloves, a tactical pen (one with a tungsten tip to break glass,) LED pen light, Pulse Oximeter (a device that shows someone’s oxygen saturation in the blood), knife, seatbelt cutter.
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Dan Tonto went to the Connecticut State Fire School during college; volunteered as a fire fighter/paramedic in his community and was a Lead Paramedic Supervisor for a hospital-based EMS system which provided EMS to the City of Danbury, CT and surrounding areas. Currently, Dan is an Account Executive for Delta Defense, a USCCA Certified Firearms Instructor and has been a Paramedic and CCL holder for over 30 years.
FIREARM SAFETY AND DEMENTIA BY JAMIE HEADLEY
There are many safety concerns when caring for a PWD but most dangers are a risk primarily to the PWD not caregivers or others. Firearms obviously increase the scope of risk and put those in the vicinity of the PWD in potential danger. In May of 2015 a former law enforcement officer accidentally shot his wife of 57 years. As the ambulance raced to save her, he was unaware he had caused her any harm. As a dementia consultant I have delt with this issue more than once. The law enforcement officer noted above was not a client and thankfully I have never had a client in a situation where a firearm had been discharged. Recently, I met with my friend and client Deb to assist her in planning for her father’s care as he had just been diagnosed with dementia. Her father, Bob, had been becoming more and more forgetful and confused over the past several months and had even gotten lost driving a very familiar route to the grocery store. Bob lived alone and, understandably, wanted to stay in his home if possible. He was struggling with the diagnosis and how it would change his life. We talked through care options as we walked Bob’s house so I could assess for fall risks and other safety hazards. When we got to Bob’s home office I saw the mounted deer head, the gun safe and Bob’s framed military memorabilia and awards. Deb anticipated my question and said “Yeah, Dad still has his guns, and it makes me nervous after seeing how confused he was the day he got lost. I am also concerned about caregivers coming into the house with all his guns here. But he is not going to give them up willingly. That is one of the issues I need you to help me with.” Having met Bob, I knew this was going to be a tough obstacle. Bob was a decorated veteran, avid hunter, and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. He was a competitive shooter as well as a range safety officer (RSO) at his gun club, albeit a decade ago. Shooting and guns were a big part of Bob’s lifestyle and his identity. I have been through this with many clients, trying to find a way to help them through the dementia journey safely while still allowing them to maintain as much of their independence, identity, and dignity as possible. It is always tough, but some
journeys are tougher than others and I knew this would be a one of those. No one wants to give up their independence and rely on the care of others even if they are aware that is the only logical solution. This is why suicide is always a concern in these situations. To complicate the issue, dementia can rob a person of insight and awareness of their impairment which will make logic and reasoning an ineffective tool in convincing a PWD that they need to make changes and accept help. Mayo Clinic describes dementia as a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life. The term dementia does not refer to a specific disease but to the symptoms listed above. Several diseases and medical issues can cause dementia. Many people associate dementia with Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of progressive and irreversible dementia in older adults, but there are several other causes of dementia. Here are some examples of causes of reversible and irreversible dementias: Depression Adverse effects of medications Endocrine issues Normal pressure hydrocephalus – or fluid on the brain Alzheimer’s disease (irreversible) Huntington’s disease (irreversible) Lewy Body (with or without Parkinson’s - irreversible)
FIREARM SAFETY AND DEMENTIA
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large segment of the American population is moving into the clinical age range where dementia is a legitimate concern. The fact that we are living longer, increases the odds of a person having some form of cognitive impairment prior to death. With gun sales continuing to hit record levels for the last two years, the number of persons with dementia (PWD) who possess firearms is likely to continue to increase.
Although dementia involves memory loss, presenting with memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia, although
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TRAINING OR PRACTICE?
it’s often one of the early signs of the condition. Depending on the cause, as we noted above, some dementia symptoms might be reversible. Symptoms vary but common symptoms include: Cognitive changes Amnesia - Memory loss Anomia - Difficulty communicating or finding words Aphasia – Difficulty articulating thoughts into language or understanding language Agnosia – Inability to recognize common items or understand how to use them Apraxia - Difficulty with coordination and motor functions Anosognosia – Inability to recognize symptoms or deficits Difficulty with visual and spatial abilities, such as getting lost while driving Difficulty reasoning or problem-solving Difficulty with planning and organizing Confusion and disorientation Psychological changes Personality changes Depression Anxiety Inappropriate behavior Paranoia Agitation Hallucinations Clearly these symptoms are not conducive to safely handling a firearm. The presence of anosognosia can make the process of implementing care and other safety measures very difficult. If a person is unable to perceive their symptoms or illness, they will likely be unwilling to take steps to eliminate the risks such as driving, accepting care, having someone else manage finances and giving up firearms. I wish I could tell you there was an easy solution for this issue, but there is not. Each case of cognitive impairment is somewhat unique because each person is unique and there are a variety of ways the impairment may present. Some people with dementia can understand the risks the dementia poses and willingly give up car keys or move into an assisted living environment, but many of my clients do not understand the gravity of the situation and fight any changes even though they are in their best interest. Again, logic and reasoning do not always matter. In the case of my client, Bob hated the idea of removing his guns and having caregivers come in. It felt intrusive and like he was being robbed of his independence. He was in his right mind to feel that way. This was intrusive and it was removing some of his independence. Dementia does that and it is horrible. Luckily in this case, Bob was in the early stages of the disease process and was able to understand the need for these changes. He was willing to have his daughter store his guns for him, but he felt vulnerable not having any firearms in the house. We were able to convince him to try some alternative solutions. We installed an alarm system that could be controlled remotely by
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Deb and had a fob with a panic button setting that he could push in case of emergency. Since Bob was still able to conduct his basic activities of daily living or ADLs (bathing, feeding, mobility, dressing, toileting) we were able to utilize family and friends to assist with instrumental ADLs which require more complex thinking or problem solving (managing finances, driving, home maintenance, meal preparation, medication management). But at some point, as his dementia progresses there will be a need for increased care that will require professional outside services. What should you do if you have a loved one who is displaying signs of dementia? Each situation is a bit different, however here are some things I can recommend: If a loved one is experiencing the symptoms above, get them assessed and diagnosed as soon as possible. As I noted above, some symptoms are reversible, but if it is a progressive dementia the sooner it is diagnosed the more able the person with the disease will be able to participate in decisions regarding their care. Diagnosis usually begins with a visit to the primary care physician followed by a neurological examination and potentially a neuro-psychological exam. This is done to rule out reversible symptoms as well as gain an understanding of what areas of the brain are impacted by the disease. In an irreversible dementia, treatment is focused on symptom management and quality of life since there are no curative options. Educate yourself on dementia. The more you know the better you can plan and advocate. Familiarize yourself with reality orientation vs therapeutic fibbing. For example, if a loved one is confused and asks about the whereabouts of another person who has passed, orienting them back to reality by stating “Mom, you know Dad is dead” is not always the best option. That cold hard truth can often cause confusion, suspicion, a resurgence of grief, fear, and anxiety. Although counter intuitive, a therapeutic fib and a distraction to something pleasant, such as “I’m not sure where Dad is, but let’s go have some ice cream while we wait for him” can often re-direct their thinking to something in the present and avoid the pain of reality orientation. This can be very difficult because we are taught not to lie, but when a loved one is cognitively impaired our primary responsibility is to keep them safe and help them have a good day. Do or say whatever it takes to give them a good day. Understand that progressive dementias like Alzheimer’s cause brain failure and are due to the physiological changes and breakdown of the brain tissue. Your loved one cannot control the dementia symptoms anymore that someone with a severe brain injury can. They are not necessarily trying to be difficult, so try to be patient. Understand that dementia is often unpredictable, just because Dad never wandered or was aggressive etc., does not mean that those presentations can’t happen without warning in the future. You need to be proactive and prepared for how the disease will progress.
Ask for help. There are multiple organizations and advocates that can help you. It is incredibly hard to be a full-time care giver and a family member at the same time. Beware of organizations that help you find care options and get paid by the care community or agency for the referral. They are not working for you; they are working for referral money. Formulate a plan. You will need to understand medical, financial, insurance and legal options and impacts. Prepare to deal with change. Your loved one is going to change and how you care for and support them may need to change as well.
“Through partnering FFLs, Hold My Guns® provides a voluntary, supportive off-site storage option for gun owners when there is concern about unauthorized access to firearms by a household member experiencing cognitive decline due to dementia. As a for-gun-owners, by-gun-owners nonprofit, our team encourages all gun owners to take a self-governance approach to protect their household by keeping firearms secured to prevent unauthorized access that can lead to tragedy. One of the reasons we daily carry firearms is because we know that we can find ourselves in unexpected situations where we need to address a threat with deadly force. Yet, we must humbly recognize that unexpected situations go beyond encountering a criminal at the grocery store. Tomorrow may bring an unexpected brain injury due to a car accident that could result in cognitive impairment. It is imperative to have a personal safety plan in place that includes a plan for the secure storage of firearms. Do not put off creating such a plan because you only associate cognitive decline with aging -it is something that can happen to anyone. Furthermore, Hold My Guns® highly recommends consulting with an attorney and creating a Gun Trust, which allows for joint ownership of firearms. A Gun Trust is helpful because it facilitates the transfer of firearms between members of the trust, and can make utilizing off-site storage easier, without unintentionally violating state laws. Hold My Guns® cannot underscore enough the necessity of the right to pre-deprivation due process. Taking a proactive approach by having a Gun Trust and a personal safety plan for firearms storage are two ways that gun owners can sustain agency during times of crisis or personal need. This helps to preserve rights not only for individuals but for gun owners everywhere.” Walk the Talk America (WTTA) is another organization that has been doing great work to reduce any negative outcomes at the intersection of firearms and mental health issues. Rob Pincus who is a nationally known firearms trainer, author and consultant also is a board member of WTTA and he has helped several people that are dealing with impairment issues address the hard choices that have to be made. In a recent discussion Rob stated, “One thing that I know has helped some families is the technology advancements that have been made regarding securing staged
defensive firearms. For situations when impairment isn’t constant, it may be possible for someone to contact a family member or trusted friend to open a Wi-Fi connected safe in an emergency situation when the affected person is lucid and convinces the responsible party that they are in a state where access to a firearm would be appropriate. While there are obvious pitfalls to that arrangement, in some cases, they will be less concerning than the thought of the tragedies that could occur with unsupervised access to firearms while in an impaired state.” If you can’t remove the firearms initially, remove all ammunition or disable the firearm. Keep them locked in a safe location not easily accessed by the PWD or outside visitors. Insure any that are valuable and do not publicize the presence of them in the home. Clearly the issue of removing firearms is a serious one in a dementia situation and one that should be addressed early on. As difficult as doing that may be, I can assure you it will be better than the possible alternative of someone getting injured or killed and the aftermath that will follow if that happens.
TRAINING OR PRACTICE?
When it comes to dealing with firearms in the home, the organization Hold My Guns® is a wonderful resource. In a recent conversation, Sarah Joy Albrecht, Founder and Executive Director of Hold My Guns® shared how the nonprofit works.
Jamie Headley is a USCCA certified firearms instructor with Steel & Stilettos Firearm Training. She is also the founder and President of Dementia Services Group, a dementia consulting company that helps families navigate the dementia journey.
www.thearmedlifestyle.com
WHEN THE THREAT ISN’T BAD GUY
When the threat isn’t Bad Guy Implementation of the armed lifestyle is one of accepting personal responsibility. We care for and love our family and circle deeply, so much that we take their safety as a duty that we will perform. We do not shirk that responsibility onto the state, onto law enforcement who cannot necessarily be right there right when we need them, or onto anyone else. We get the training, the skills, and earn the proficiency. We spend the money on the gear we need to do this, which means sometimes we don’t have that cash for tickets to The Game or the evening out. We do this because our people are worth it to us, and we understand that there are bad people in the world who will put their desires and gain over the safety of our people. We remain vigilant against it. Defensive training is all about the protector against the Bad Guy. Another person. Conflict between people. Good training takes Bad Guy’s intent, resources, and behaviors into account, and assesses and expands the same capabilities of the protector. Bad Guy may move quick and rush us. We train to get off the X, move behind cover, and increase Bad Guy’s time and distance to get to
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us. Bad Guy might have a knife, bat, gun, or more. We train for threat prioritization and engagement. Bad Guy might be three individuals. We train multiple threats and transitions. A day of this great training at the range or the dojo is one skill building and camaraderie among a growing group of like-minded people, but we never forget that it is purpose-driven serious training for protecting your circle. If we truly care about our circle, and our protective instincts run deeply for them, we must consider much more than Bad Guy as the only threat we face. What if the threat is not an interpersonal one? What if the threat is a tornado, a flood, an economic downturn, or a pandemic? When bad things are about to happen and our family looks at us for the answers, what will we have for them? Or are we only a guy with a gun? This is where our personal responsibility shines; the demonstration to our loved ones that we are looking out for them, their wellbeing, and our futures. Whether as simple as having charged flashlights in a nighttime power outage, or as complicated as
The elements of
Survival
PROTECTION Awareness of factors that might cause harm, obtaining resources that will assist in protecting from harm, and actually defending against harm.
POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
must be at the forefront during all survival related actions
FIRST AID IMMEDIACY OF NEED
The knowledge, skills, and gear necessary to mitigate injury.
SHELTER That which insulates you from the environment or helps condition the environment to be more hospitable. Tent, sleeping bag, clothing, fire
HYDRATION Water, the knowledge, skills, and equipment necessary to locate it and make it suitable for use. Containers, filtration knowledge and gear.
SUSTANANCE Food, the knowledge, skills, and equipment necessary to locate it and make it suitable for use. Hunting skills, foraging skills, hunting and trapping equipment, preservation knowledge.
RESCUE & RECOVERY The knowledge, skills, equipment, and other resources to remove from the situation as well as recover from the situation. Tools, repair materials, insurance, bug out gear, improvisation knowhow, fuels, supplies.
WHEN THE THREAT ISN’T BAD GUY
must always be taken into account.
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WHEN THE THREAT ISN’T BAD GUY
having multiple revenue streams inverse to trends in a financial downturn (i.e., having a side hustle that is resilient to, or does better, in an economic downturn, such as an auto mechanic), our ability to handle crisis has been considered and planned.
preying on the uninformed. Yes, someone has made a gadget that will play right into your fear, but when you develop a preparedness strategy there will be no need for it in your equipment list.
WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?
Your initial outlay should be about $2. A pen, and some paper. (And yes, using a computer is fine.) “But but but… I want a Bug Out Bag!”, I hear you exclaim. Yes, I do too. But why buy a bag when we have no idea what will be going into it, what it needs to endure, or anything else? Let’s not fund the Industry of Fear, let’s have a plan and a purpose. There will be plenty of stuff to do, and plenty of things to buy, and some of it will be Cool Guy stuff. But since we don’t have infinite money, let’s put it where it needs to go first.
Our goal in this endeavor is to make an emergency preparedness plan that will cover as many of the threat scenarios as we face, and to address these threats within the time, effort, and money constraints we have for it. To do that, we’re going to limit the scope of our initial preparedness efforts to one objective. Survival. This is the ‘true’ survival… the same one that all the reality survival and bushcraft shows and channels use, in fact, and with the appropriate hierarchy. It seems relatively simple, but there are significant considerations once every threat is factored in. When considering threat scenarios (actual events, such as a flood or a forest fire), our preparedness should be informed by the survival hierarchy so that we know what to address. These are our priorities. If a desired preparedness objective does not fit one of these priorities, we should really be considering why it’s being included. The first, second, and third preparedness priorities are positive mental attitude, protection, and first aid. Generally, whatever other preparedness priority we were attempting to accomplish will be interrupted to deal with threats to our safety (protection) and treatment of injury (first aid). Yes, there are exceptions. Immediacy of need is the driving force for prioritization. After that, shelter, hydration, nutrition, and rescue/mitigation are considered. But always be thinking of these in parallel.
WHERE TO BEGIN?
The typical protection enthusiast will spend hours selecting the right pistol, then a few holsters for various carry modes, then maybe another pistol that’s smaller for more discreet carry, then sights, magazines, mods, and hopefully training. Selecting the perfect knife is just as fun. The important part here is not the gun, knife, and stuff; it’s the “spends hours”. That’s where we begin. Realistic preparedness planning has two assumptions: 1.) You do not have infinite time. 2.) You do not have infinite money. With these assumptions in mind, determining what is desired from the preparedness efforts is next. Is this just getting a bunch of cool-guy stuff? Taking some cool-guy classes to brag on the ‘Gram? If so, this column might not be for you. If instead it’s to develop effective preparedness planning that maximizes the safety and survival of your circle, read on. Since we do not have infinite money, maximizing the value of each dollar is important. Don’t bankrupt the family buying $10k in MRE’s when you have no real strategy or even an idea of what threat you face. The preparedness industry is often called “The Industry of Fear” because of irresponsible marketing techniques
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We simply must eschew any mindset of “I’m a git er done kinda guy, screw your dumb planning”, or “won’t need documentation in the apocalypse”. There are a lot of people that think planning and organization is useless and characterize thoughtfulness of approach as unmanly or weak. The reality is that this is mission planning with time, resource, and objective considerations, and your family is depending on you to do it well. The attitude of false bravado where people think end-of-world prepping is all this endeavor is about is a part of prepper myth that we are going to avoid.
FIRST STEPS
The assignment for this month is to take that $2 pen and paper (honestly, a laptop is better!), and write down every threat scenario you face, or are concerned about. These are the environmental, socioeconomic, interpersonal, infrastructure, and other actual real-world situations you and family may face. There are quite a few examples in the word cloud, but don’t just use that as a list. If you live in the desert, a forest fire is not something you might need to deal with. You might also have many that aren’t on the list. It’s OK if you miss some threats. The plan we are going to make is very easily adjustable as new threats are identified, as well as when new resources are obtained, skills are learned, and tasks are accomplished. Ultimately, this list is for YOUR plans for YOUR family in YOUR situation. Pre-made plans might be a decent start, but when your family is looking to you to make things right, you’ll be glad you had your solution and not one made up by someone else.
Donald Alley is a firearms, personal protection, and emergency preparedness instructor in Michigan with Keep and Bear, LLC . He is a black belt in jujutsu, and an NRA and USCCA instructor.
6MM TRAINING
Living The Gas Life The Inside Track By Bill Thomas WITH “6MM TRAINING” FINALLY ATTAINING NOT ONLY AN ACCEPTABLE, BUT INDEED A WELCOME VOICE IN THE FIREARMS WORLD PERHAPS IT’S TIME FOR US TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE EXCELLENT PLATFORM OPTIONS OUT THERE, AND IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO DISCOVER THAT SOME PROVIDERS ARE ALREADY WELL ADVANCED IN WORKING WITH BOTH POLICE AND MILITARY UNITS TO PROVIDE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE TRAINING TOOLS, TOOLS THAT ARE READILY AVAILABLE TO ALL! BILL TELLS US THE STORY… I’ve been shooting now for nigh on fifty years, some thanks to the military when I was a young cadet, but most of it privately. Given the opportunity I would shoot anything from a potatogun up to a howitzer… if it goes “pop or bang” then it’s fair game as far as I’m concerned, and with every platform I try, a learn just a little more. For the last 28 years I’ve also been involved with what has more recently become known as “6mm Training”, and I’m not for one moment going to try and pull the wool over anyone’s eyes that when we talk about “6mm Training Platforms” we are talking about airsoft “replicas”; yes, the very self-same “replicas” that you’ll find on old paintball fields and some actually very advanced dedicated skirmish sites worldwide in the hands of enthusiast players quite literally “having a blast” each and every weekend! However, how many times have you heard now-famous shooting luminaries start their story with “it all began with my little Red Ryder…” so let’s not be TOO harsh on these BB-spitting creations, as unlike that beloved Daisy model some of them actually replicate real-world firearms down to exact weight, size, and every other specification you can imagine, and many of them are of extremely high quality, offering performance that once again might make you sit back and think… hard! The electricpowered models that you’ll see mostly on the airsoft gaming sites that originated many years ago in Japan though are not what I’m talking about here, although they are GREAT fun; what I’m talking about are gas blowback pistols and rifles (GBBPs and GBBRs) which mimic entirely the operation of a real firearm. When I was at SHOT with Trampas back in 2019 I spent some
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time showing him what I believe are amongst the most versatile non-lethal firearm training tools ever, and it’s been great to see other shooting buddies adopting a new direction as they now also believe that “6mm” can assist them in filling their evergrowing, never-to-be-full training toolboxes! I spent some time with Trampas showing him both gas-powered pistols and “AR” models, and he found it incredible that just like the “real deal” he could pretty much create the platform he wanted, using the same style of accessory parts that he would mount on a real .223 carbine. He asked me about stocks, rails, optics, different barrel lengths, and accessories and all I could tell him was “yup, no problem, you can build that” and it was a joy to see a new appreciation dawn for him.
Once upon a time I may have agreed with them, as the old systems that were first available certainly had their “moments”! Once upon a time “gas guns” and spring-powered toys were IT though, and if you’ve been involved as long as I have you will remember the name “Nagata” and models of the 80’s and early 90’s form the likes of JAC, Maurzen, Asahi, MGC, Kokusai, Escort and Sun Project! These were the days of the intricate “bullet valve” (and even bellows!) and they were totally different from what we would now class as a “gas gun”. Many required and external bottle and hose setup to drive them along, and that put a lot of people off, including me, until in the 1990s along came “airsoft gods” Tokyo Marui ™ with their commercial electric gearbox, and the rest, as they say, is history.
6MM TRAINING
And the creation of what many may still see as “toys” is just as large a business in the big, wide shooting world as any, and some of the big “firearm names” like SIG are really pushing this forward, with many more handing out licences to approved partners. But okay, I’m going to come out and say it bluntly again… who in their right mind would head to a range training session with a gas BB pistol, rifle or carbine??? Surely you’re going to be laughed at by “serious shooters”, right? I’d say an unequivocal WRONG! Indeed, as far as I’m concerned there are some instances where the not-so-humble-any-longer GBB can positively thrive in the training role; for sure, they’re not going to help you any with muzzle-signature acceptance or recoil management, but they CAN help with safe handling, efficient sighting and workspace manipulation processes, and a whole host of other “skills and drills”. It does take an utter change in mind-set to reach this point of acceptance, but there are those of us that have been crying “overall benefit” for a LONG time!
CHECK THAT ATTITUDE
Most times when I speak to shooters, and not necessarily new shooters at that, about training with a “6mm platform” I’ll undoubtedly be met with a collective shaking of heads, and I’m certain that many must think “the old boy has finally lost it”, but it’s an agenda I come back to time and again. Many shooters that I speak to who have been into maximising their options for safe training for a while get a bit jaded, and I all too often hear the words “I want more options, more scope to train safely and effectively, and not necessarily on a range”, but still they refuse to look at a platform that is easy to maintain and now cheap to run as the way forward, citing all the old tropes that gas-powered “BB guns” are “just for the kids”, are expensive, that they’re hard to get any real performance from, and that they don’t perform when the temperatures plummet.
However, at the very same time that TM were dominating the electric game-gun market, and rightly so, at the same time we saw the rise of the GBB pistol, and as we came into the 2000’s “GBBs” were readily available and generally reliable; yes, mags were a pain, and if you didn’t look after them they would vent in a huge cloud of gas the moment you looked at them, and they would definitely do it the moment you REALLY needed your pistol
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6MM TRAINING
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tuning; I’m really interested to see what G&G come up with when their gas MGCR carbine platform finally becomes a reality! So, onto MYTH #2 “ammo capacity”; the fact is that most GBBRs run on real capacity magazines or “realcaps” of 30 BBs, although a handful of manufacturers have upped that; remember that for the gaming side the magazines will carry hundreds of BBs and many electric guns (not the newer ones for sure) will continue to cycle once the magazine is empty. Many of us as civilians run semi-only rifles and carbines, so therefore if you are training on a semi-only platform with a “real capacity magazine” this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage! A GBB pistol or carbine will lock the slide or the BCG to the rear when the last BB is fired, just like your regular 9mm or .223 will, and the reloading drills are exactly, 100% the same. Now I’m not for a moment suggesting that any of us are anywhere close to “Operator Level” as that’s patently ridiculous, but WE CAN train with our chosen platform to perform our drills and to take aimed shots effectively, and I’ve found that with a number of my gas rifles I am able to actually use an optic to get on target too! To paraphrase here, you REALLY need to look at running a GBBR not as an airsofter, but as a shooter, although in many instances these things are, in my mind, one and the same when you reach a certain point. For many of us this is what shooting is all about, right, working as safely and efficiently as possible with a firearm, and who doesn’t love that moment in a training session when ammo runs low and you need to pull off something amazing, and you can because you’ve trained correctly?
6MM TRAINING
to perform! And alongside this was the fact that the gas used to power the pistols was not what we are used to today; you bought your “can o’ gas” but honestly had no idea what was in it, and to be frank, most of the gas manufacturers didn’t have a clue either! However, time moves on, and with it we have become more questioning of EXACTLY what goes into the “mix” when we buy a can of gas, and we understand more why certain components are more important than others when it comes to optimal efficiency of a gas platform, and this moves me neatly onto debunking MYTH #1, that gas platforms are inefficient and hard to get the best from! Fact is that airsoft gases have become better and more consistent over the years as the best producers have looked into what needs to be added to the base gas, how pressure affects the gas/mix in the bottle, and even the shape of the bottle itself! GBBRs are also arriving from source at a safe power level direct from the manufacturers so we’re not having to immediately fettle them to get them within country-legal limits any more, although I will be the first to say that when many gasses are heated you will get an upswing in power, but this can be mitigated against and managed. GBBR hops (the way you put spin on the BB to attain accuracy) too were once the very bane of my existence, and like many others I fabricated weird and wonderful tools of my own in order to adjust the hop of my earliest gas platforms; if you look back at some gas rifle designs it was almost impossible to adjust the hop without first cranking the upper and in some cases removing the BCG (yes, they have BCGs!), which was of course massively frustrating when you were trying to get the best and most consistent trajectory for your BBs! Again, this is starting to be meaningfully addressed by the likes of VegaForceCompany in Taiwan with their “Guide Hop”, and I would simply point you towards one of the great airsoft company’s (in my opinion) G&G with their muzzle hop adjustment when it comes to ease of fine
TREAT IT RIGHT!
So, consistent platform performance can be assured these days, and lower mag capacities are right for us when it comes to training, but there’s still that question, MYTH #3, about maintenance isn’t
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there? Bottom line, in my opinion a GBBR is actually just as easy to maintain as a real firearm! A GBBR, specifically an open, fulltravel bolt model, is basically as close as you can get to a real firearm in terms of operation. There’s a big old bolt carrier group that moves back and forth in the upper receiver, whilst the lower houses a trigger group, fire controls and a magwell… and that’s all she wrote (okay simplification, but you get my drift…)! When it comes to the cleaning I learned a LOT from my old USMC buddy Robbie (who is also a “6mm Believer”), and his “top tips” are; “After break-in period or parts have been properly tunedpolished, clean your rifle! Degrease all parts (dash of dawn dish soap in hot water, clean cloth wipe away all grease and dirt, then remove any residue with rubbing alcohol (90%), especially barrels and any hop buckings after every use. Touch up, then remove excess; treat all seals with a cotton swab dipped in pure silicone and Teflon (Dupont is my fave) but don’t allow this on buckings (always degrease buckings!) or use it in barrels as it will affect consistency and accuracy big big!”. So, in a nutshell what do you need to be doing in terms of maintaining a GBBR, and ultimately it’s pretty much the same as working with a real firearm, you need to keep your barrel clean, and the working parts lubricated. You need to clean the platform after each use (not strictly necessary but it’s a good routine to get into!), and keep the outer parts lightly oiled, especially with steel models! You need to keep on top of your magazine maintenance and make sure that seals, valves and o-rings are all in good shape, and make sure that you don’t overgas your mags in the first place. Overgassing, just like with a GBB pistol, can be the downfall of many a user! All too often I see people just holding the gas can down onto the fill valve and giving it a LONG old punch of gas, but remember now what I said about different “gas mixes”? A constant stream of gas can not only chill things down and cause the mag to vent, but can now also result in not getting the best “balanced mix” inside, so take your time and feed the gas in using smaller squirts with a “settling gap” between squirts! Also, whilst heating a magazine may seem like an obvious move to get more performance, the very dynamics of gas mean that if you re-gas a warm mag you may not get a complete fill, so be wary of that too!
So, with all that said, what’s to stop you “Living the Gas Life” as part of an Armed Lifestyle? I’d say very little other than an open mind. In terms of safety, with a GBBR nothing happens until you load a magazine and charge the platform, and indeed nothing CAN happen once your magazine is out, so even if there is a recalcitrant BB in the “chamber” there’s no way it can leave the barrel until you insert the mag again. Gas magazines though are really still the prohibiting cost factor these days when it comes to owning and running a gas pistol, rifle, or carbine, as the price of the actual platform appears to be coming down and down! Sure, you’ll still pay a pretty penny for as platforms from the likes of WE, VFC, GHK, TM and Umarex but largely these days you get what you pay for, and that’s a gas platform that is ready to roll from the box! Ultimately “Living the Gas Life” is all about how you approach your training, and there most definitely will need to be a definite “attitude adjustment” if you want to live it fully. If you’re prepared to take that step and join those of us that love a gas platform and train hard with one as part of a fully-rounded “firearm workout” that uses EVERY tool in that box, trust me, you’ll have an absolute blast when you do!
I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS TRAINING COLUMN IN ARMED LIFESTYLE Magazine. It’s been many years since I’ve regularly written for any publication, but it is fair to say that my first opportunity to influence a large audience was in print. Over twenty years ago, I was given an opportunity to write a column in S.W.A.T. Magazine™. I had written many articles prior to that moment, but this was different. In a column, I could write about whatever I wanted. It wasn’t a commissioned article about a specific product, course or technique. It was a blank page to fill as I saw fit. I wrote about how important it was for armed professionals to understand the difference between qualifying, which they were required to do annually and truly training to learn new techniques and expand their capabilities. I thought it was an important article. Even with all the content I’ve produced since then, I’m proud of it, especially because for years to follow people would tell me that it influenced them and changed their perspective a bit. Twenty years ago, I was thrilled to motivate people to train more than they were required to. The training community has changed dramatically since the 1990s. It is much larger, much more diverse and the average American gun owner spends dramatically more time and money on training (believe it or now…). So in this first article for my column in Armed Lifestyle, I want to affect the way you think about the difference between training and practice. Training: Learning new concepts or skills. Practice: Developing your ability to perform and apply what you’ve learned. I find far too many people think that attending a class or two is enough to be prepared to defend themselves or others with a firearm. Unfortunately, the way some classes are presented encourages this. If there is a “final exam” taken or big “qualification course” shot at the end of the course, it can mistakenly convey to the student that if they pass the test, they are finished. That they have accomplished their underlying goal. This is a mistake. There is always work to be done after any worthwhile class, and that work is “practice”. Everyone who
has taken a live fire defensive shooting skills course with me has heard me say “there is no way you will be able to own the physical skills at the end of the day, you will need to practice.” Tens of thousands of students have gone through I.C.E. Training’s Figure 8 Drill. Many of them have asked their instructor if they could do it again. They often feel strongly that they could do better if they had another chance. Wanting to pass a test at the end of a course is a result of conditioning to expect that such a test is part of the process. In reality, the Figure 8 drill is run in a way that is intended to show you what you need to practice after the training course is over. There is no “passing” in the traditional sense, unless the instructor does a poor job of running it. The whole point is to push the student to failure and give them some clear areas to focus their practice on. If you are thinking “Kobayashi Maru”, it’s not quite that dramatic, but learning the important lessons from the Figure 8 Drill does take some character… and putting in the work after a class does as well. Attending a class can be fun and challenging in an exciting way. Completing a course is an accomplishment, usually with a group, that you can document, talk about and be proud of. Practice is the work. Practice is often done alone. Practice doesn’t seem as worth celebrating… but it is. Practice is where you really get better. Practice is where you reach your potential. After time, Practice is where you maintain your abilities. In truth, you should be practicing much more often than you are training. Once you’ve taken a quality class or two and learned valuable fundamental concepts and techniques, the practice begins. You should practice frequently after taking a class to ingrain the techniques that were new to you. You should practice in a way that prepares you to apply your skills in an actual defensive event. Practice, as the saying goes, until you don’t make mistakes… and then increase the challenge as you can to develop your skills to a higher level. I’ve been looking forward to this project and the opportunity to share more thoughts on preparation for armed defense through this column. I hope you learn some things here and begin to consider reading these pieces as a valuable part of your training regimen… and that it gives you many things to practice!
TRAINING vs PRACTICE
TRAINING vs PRACTICE? WITH ROB PINCUS
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