This week, we look at bad choices in defensive firearms; what not to do when carrying concealed; knife training for self defense; how to deal with the fear of carrying a gun in public; what to do if someone is approaching your car when they shouldn’t; and a non-apologetic look at a DA/SA autoloader article. Happy Wednesday!
Bad defensive firearms
This is actually a pretty good article looking at the worst choices in defensive firearms for someone who is new to the subject. While I’d disagree with his absolutist aversion to the “mousegun” — there are times when they are an appropriate choice — the rest of his thoughts pretty much mirror mine. Send this to someone you love!
Things not to do, concealed carry edition
This is a surprisingly good article about the mistakes made by a lot of people who carry a concealed handgun. It goes well beyond the “not using a good holster” reminder, to include such things as paying attention to the medications you’re taking, checking your employee manual to see if you work in a non-permissive environment, and an admission of the increased training and practice requirements of guns with safety levers. Definitely a good reminder about a wide range of topics that affect just about every concealed carrier.
Why knife training may be beneficial
As you may know I’m somewhat agnostic with regard to edged weapons training, but I’m always willing to listen to arguments (on either side). This article has some interesting arguments for edged weapon training, one of which is that it’s applicable to more than just knives. It’s an interesting look at a topic where I’m admittedly a novice. (You should also check out my recent Training Talk episode with knife expert Alessandro Padovani, where we have a very wide-ranging look at some of the many reasons why knife defense is beneficial to a total defensive readiness posture.)
Getting past the fear of concealed carry
This probably isn’t an article for you, but you might know someone to whom it applies! Many people want to carry a defensive handgun but have some trepidation about doing so. In this article the author talks about a simple strategy to reduce the fear and help the concealed carrier become comfortable with their choice. (You’ll want to ignore the horrid stock picture his editor chose for the opening image…!)
How to handle the stranger approaching your car
Frankly, the self defense world would be far better served by articles like this than articles about how to reload faster! Dealing with the stranger who approaches your car is something we’ve all experienced, but have you thought about it ahead of time? Here is a comprehensive strategy for derailing the unwanted interaction.
The traditional double action autoloader: an apologist’s view
I’m sharing this article not because I agree with it, but because it illustrates why I don’t recommend traditional double action/single action (DA/SA) guns for self defense. That’s because, to reach and maintain any given level of proficiency, they require more training time and substantially more practice time than other designs. The article tacitly admits as much every time it addresses the very real DA/SA shortcomings by saying “with proper training…” Many people have told me that dealing with the DA/SA design’s complexity is “just a training issue”, to which my reply is always “yes, that’s my damn point!” If you have a DA/SA gun, you need make sure you devote training and practice resources to maintaining your proficiency. If you’re considering a DA/SA pistol as a defensive tool, I strongly recommend you reconsider and pick a design which isn’t as complex and doesn’t require as much of your scarce preparedness resources.
– Grant
P.S.: Do you know someone who owns a snubnose revolver for self defense? It’s always a great time to give them a copy of my new book, Protect Yourself With Your Snubnose Revolver! It’s available now in Kindle, iBooks, and paperback versions. Trust me: any snubby owner would love getting this!
Opening photo by Backpacker – pixabay.com (CC0 public domain)
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