Play the odds

Look around the room you’re in right now: Chances are, if you’re in a building that’s been built in the last 30 years, there’s either a smoke detector, fire alarm or a fire extinguisher within a few feet of where you are. This is a good thing, because losing everything in a fire just sucks. Our society recognizes this, and mandates the installation of such things to protect our health and safety. (As an aside, if you have a gun in your home, you probably should have a fire extinguisher as well, because the fire department takes just as long (or longer) to get to your home as the police department does). 

But what are the odds of a fire happening in your home compared to the odds of you being a victim of a violent crime in your home?

The answers may surprise you. 

According to the CDC, in 2009, someone died in a fire every 175 minutes, and someone was injured in a fire every 31 minutes. A scary thought indeed, which is why all those smoke detectors make sense. But if those odds makes you nervous, the chances of you being a victim of a violent crime should freak you right out. 

• A burglary is committed once every 10 seconds
• Violent crimes happen once every 20 seconds
• One of out five homes will experience a break-in 

So why is protecting one’s family and property with a smoke detector something that the government encourages (and even mandates) yet protecting one’s family and property by means of a firearm something that the government discourages (and even bans)? 

You’re not paranoid for wanting to own and carry a gun. You’re just better at math than most people. 

Why did you decide to buy a gun?

Simple question, isn’t it? Why did you decide to join thousands and thousands of other people like yourself and purchase a firearm for self-defense? 

If you’re like me (and I know I am), it was because of a real threat (a psychotic relative) and a perceived threat (a rise in violent crime in the Phoenix area). Either threat is a very valid reason to arm yourself and your family against the threat of grievous bodily harm, and if you’ve done so already, congratulations, you’ve made the most adult decision you’ll ever make in your life. 

But what are you willing to defend with your gun? Your life? You family’s lives? Your co-worker’s lives? The life of a random stranger on the street? Your car? Your stuff? Someone else’s stuff? These are all questions you need to answer before your gun is in your hand, because there will NOT be time to answer them when the shooting starts. 

Let’s look at a recent VERY high profile court case, the trial of George Zimmerman. I’m not going to try to break down what happened that night and how it might apply to you: Massad Ayoob (who literally wrote the book on armed personal defense) already has done that for us. Instead, let’s look at the decisions made by Mr. Zimmerman before that fateful night. By volunteering to be a Neighbor Watch patrolman, Mr. Zimmerman made the decision that he was willing to intervene in the affairs of others (his neighbors), and by carrying a pistol while doing so, he decided he was willing to use lethal force to defend his life if needed. 

Were those the right decisions? Not for me to say: I wasn’t in his position, and a jury of his peers has exonerated him of any wrongdoing that night. I do know that I decided what is and is not worth my involvement when I started down the journey of concealed carry, and I heartily suggest everyone else do that as well. 

Get a book on the firearms laws of your area and read it cover to cover. Consult with a lawyer. Get training. Consider buying self-defense insurance. Talk with your spouse or significant other about what they consider is worth defending with your lives. Ultimately, you should consider what is important and irreplaceable in your life and what is not. For me, I can always by another TV set or car, but I can’t replace my wife and children.

Your gun is not a talisman of self-protection and the more you know now about when and if you’ll need to use it, the quicker and more effective you’ll be, if, God forbid, you need it to save your life or the life of someone else. 

Can you make the shot when you need to?

All of us here at TeamGunblogger support practical pistol shooting as part of a balanced approach to self-defense, and one of the reasons why I shoot competitions on a regular basis it to test my shooting skills in stressful situations. In other words, can I make the shot when it’s needed, and what are the limits of my shooting ability?

Case in point, Stage 10 from the 2012 USPSA Area 2 Championships, specifically the 1:07 mark in this video where I drop a round into a no-shoot as it covered up the “shoot” target.

I was confident I could make the shot and put two rounds into the shoot target before the no-shoot covered it up, except I couldn’t. My shooting skill couldn’t cash the check my mind was writing for it. The good news is, I gained this knowledge in the context of competition and not out on the street, where the consequences of not hitting your target (or hitting the wrong target) is a LOT more severe than just a few penalty points in a shooting match. 

 

 

Ladies, It’s Time to Stop Expecting Someone Else to Protect You

“I don’t know what I would do if I was alone and something happened.”

Sound familiar?  Unfortunately, it probably does.  Whether it’s nature or nurture, most women have an expectation that someone else will step in to protect them in a life-threatening situation.

I’m not going to get into any feminist arguments about this subject, but the truth of the matter is, many of us women expect others (our men, neighbors or even strangers) to protect us from bodily harm.  It’s reasonable for us to expect that our parental figures would protect us from the boogie man and bumps in the night when we were younger, but all too often, this mindset often carries over to adulthood for many women.  

I will admit that I lived most of my life with a victim mentality and I never thought about changing my dangerous and possibly fatal mindset.  It was only after I became proficient with a firearm and started competing that I realized I was no longer dependent on anyone else to protect me. Looking back, I realize how unfair this mentality and expectation was to my loved ones and myself.  I also feel quite fortunate that I’ve made it this far, considering I had no skills or plan to protect myself and unfairly relied on others to do something extraordinary on my behalf.

The good news on this subject is that there has never been a better time for women to learn to protect and defend themselves, and you don’t have to relegate yourself to Tactical Elite Operator Combat Courses or any other type of training that may seem intimidating or uncomfortable.  There are several great options out there for women who would like to learn to use a firearm in a non-intimidating environment with other like-minded women.  I chose the women-only route when I got my start with shooting, and I’m glad I did.  The women I received my training from are some of the best competitive shooters in the world, and we are very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from them. 

Babes with Bullets – These wonderful ladies hold a series of camps held across the US, offering a three day firearms training program for novice women who have little or no handgun experience.  This is where I learned to use a firearm and as a bonus, learned the basics of practical pistol competition. 

A Girl and A Gun Shooting League – A ladies only organization established by women shooters for women shooters for pistol, rifle and shotgun sports.  The league is designed to take beginners to whatever skill level they wish to achieve, and provide experienced shooters with more opportunities.  They have chapters across several states, click the link to find a chapter in your area.

The Well Armed Woman – Local groups of women around the country that meet monthly to practice, learn and grow as shooters. Creating opportunities for women to be introduced to issues important to women shooters, learn safe gun handling skills and train together.  TWAW also has chapters across several states, click the link to find a chapter in your area.

The Cornered Cat – Defensive handgun classes for women with compassionate instruction, and usable shooting techniques that work well with female body types.  Click the link to find a class in your area.

Will Shooting Firearms Competitions Get You Killed?

Short answer: No. Doing dumb gun stuff in the midst of a gunfight gets you killed.
You can avoid doing dumb gun stuff under pressure by shooting practical pistol matches because they help vaccinate you against such things, one match at time. However, if you treat a real gunfight like it was a shooting match, you’ll be in a world of hurt.

Long answer: 

Massad Ayoob is probably THE most respected firearms instructor and personal defense consultant alive today. He literally wrote the book on personal defense with a firearm and his MAG40 pistol class is considered to be one of the best classes for dealing with what happens before, during and after the defensive use of a firearm. What does he say about shooting practical pistol matches? 

“A shooting competition isn’t a gun fight, but a gun fight is most definitely a shooting competition.” 

And he prefers IDPA as well.

Another firearms expert, Todd Green, formerly of Beretta, H+K, Sig-Sauer and now of pistol-training.com, explains his reasons why he recommends shooting competitions. 

“Possibly the biggest benefit of competition is that it is often the most stressful shooting many people will ever be exposed to. While obviously not the same as being in an actual gunfight, shooting in a competitive event in front of peers and strangers will do a great job of showing you just how easy it is to make mental mistakes under stress. Learning to stay focused on the task at hand and building experience fixing mistakes under pressure both have legitimate real world payoffs.
At the end of the day, there are pros and cons to competition shooting for the ‘defense-minded’shooter. But, the pros are pretty universal and the cons are really only cons if you let them be.“ (Emphasis in the original) 

Here’s some more expert opinion from top firearms trainer Mike Seeklander: Marine veteran, former law-enforcement officer and host of The Best Defense on Outdoor Channel. 

“I’ve always been a proponent of competitive shooting, as long as the individual competing understands what they are going to get out of shooting matches. They’re going to love it. They are going to get some energy from it. They are going to want to do it more. It will make the average person, especially the average police officer who doesn’t get to train much, WANT to train because every human wants to be better at something. BUT the rules of the game are different than the rules of defense with a gun.” (emphasis in the original)

So, will firearms competitions get you killed?

Yes, if you expect that a gunfight will play out by the rules of your game of choice. 

But if you want to shoot accurately and quickly during one of the worst days of your life, you may find that regularly shooting practical pistol competitions like IPDA or USPSA will provide you the skills and mindset you need to survive a gunfight and come out on top. 

Mind Frame

I was a commercial advertising photographer for 15 years, and it always seemed that once somebody found out what I did for a living (usually guys) the next question would inevitably be, “Hey, so what’s a good camera for me” or “How do I take better pictures?”

My answers to these questions were true, but rarely pleasing. A good camera is the the one you currently own, as long as you have it with you and you know how to use it, and the secret to taking better pictures is taking LOTS of them and learn from your mistakes. “Well,” I’d say, “how many rolls of film do you shoot each week?”

Their eyes would glaze over, and you could see the gears of their mind slip as they grappled with the idea of shooting *a* roll of film a week just for practice, much less multiple rolls of film. For the record, my favorite camera wasn’t the Hassies or Sinars I owned, it was my little Olympus XA because I could carry it all the time and have it ready for when great photos happened right in front of me. Is there a connection between that and personal defense? You betcha. 

Craftsmanship and intent of purpose makes the difference between taking pictures and making a photograph. I’ve had some lucky shots in my time, but I’ve found that that the harder I work, the more great photos I take (like the shot that starts off this post).

Same thing with pistol shooting. When I mention to friends and acquaintances that my hobby is practical pistol competitions, I get asked “Y’know, I was thinking about getting a gun for home defense, and…,”(and yes, it’s usually guys that ask this question as well).

A pistol is not a talisman against attackers, just like buying the latest and greatest camera ain’t gonna make you Galen Rowell. Attitude, practice and dedication (and a whole lot of natural skill) are what make good photographers and good pistol shooters.

Being interested in defending your family against attack is a very good thing, but first start with the basics: Is the exterior of your home well-lit? Is there anything about your house that would discourage an intruder and send him somewhere else? Do you practice the Cooper Color Code or something similar when you’re out and about? No amount of firepower will make up for somebody getting the drop on you, and there’s not a pistol in the world that deters home invasions like an alarm company sign on your front lawn. 

The type of hardware you use is secondary (if not tertiary) to having the right attitude and state of mind, because the best gunfight is the one you DIDN’T get into. 

Stay safe. Have fun. And carry your gun, because it’s a lighter burden than regret. 

Another Reason Why This Website Exists

The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently completed a survey of new gun owners and found that…

• The majority of first-time buyers (60.3 percent) tend to be active, using their gun once per month or more, with one in five reporting usage of once a week or more.
• Target shooting is by far the most popular shooting activity among first-time gun owners, with 84.3 percent of respondents saying they used their firearms for this purpose, followed by hunting (37.7 percent) and plinking (27.4 percent). Practical pistol shooting (17.3 percent) and clay-target shooting (14.6 percent) were shooting sports also enjoyed by first-time buyers.
• First-time gun owners who have participated in hunting (53.2 percent), practical pistol shooting (46.3 percent), clay-target sports (44.0 percent) and gun collecting (42.4 percent) said they want to increase their participation in these activities.

If you’re one of the many, many people who has purchased a gun in the last few years, welcome, we hope you’ll find something you’ll find useful and enjoyable. 

Stick around, and we’ll both learn something. 

A Quick Start Guide to Practical Pistol Competition

As a relative newbie who still remembers his first pistol competition, I thought I’d jot down a few notes to help others get started. I ain’t Rob Leatham (yet), but I sympathize with those who want to get into practical pistol but don’t know where to start.

• Shoot your daily carry pistol to start, but only if your daily carry gun is a compact 9mm or larger. If you carry a .38 snubbie or a compact .380, shoot something else. I started out with a CZ75 for home defence, and that’s what I still use in competition.
• Don’t succumb to the temptation to lowball the holster. A $30 Fobus may look the same as a $70 BladeTech, but they’re completely different to use. One releases smoothly and easily every time, and the other can hang up and turn into an embarrassing, slow and potentially dangerous tug of war. I found this one out the hard way.
• Don’t be intimidated by the other shooters. Even Brian Enos started out as a newbie.
• Go to a match just to watch and learn the etiquette, safety routine and procedures of shooting before you compete.
• Be sure to tell the scorer it’s your first time competing in a match: Chances are there will be a safety briefing you’ll need to go through before you compete, and that gives the scorer a chance to team you up with a more experienced shooter who can show you the ropes.
• Practical pistol is a good way to learn how to shoot in a stressful environment, but it’s also a sport, so…
• Relax. Be safe. Have fun.

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