Category: Self Defense

How Many Guns Do I Need?

On By Tom LindsayIn Gun Rights, Self Defense, Training2 Comments

Michael over at the RKBArms Blog asked the same question recently. You can see his personal answers there.

First, let me say that I really think the question is almost invalid, especially to a law abiding American. On the one hand, the anti-gun crown will answer “zero,” which just leads to a pointless discussion.

On the other hand, it’s almost like asking how much money I need, or how many pages long should a resume be*. There is no real answer, or at best, any answers depend strongly on the assumptions that are made.

Here are the five essential guns Michael identified, which, given the nature of his blog, apply to a defense situation:

1. Every Day Carry
2. BUG (Back Up Gun)
3. Home Defense Sidearm
4. Home Defense Carbine
5. Home Defense Shotgun

I can’t disagree with any of these from a defensive standpoint.

All I would add would be the caveat that there should be enough additions for each able bodied shooter in the household. In a SHTF situation, having a carbine and/or handgun for each person would make survival a lot more likely.

It also occurs to me that, depending on the size and layout of the house or area being defended, the number of Back-up Guns may need to increase.

For me, my guns are

1. Glock 21SF
2. Glock 19
3. Glock 17
4. SKS with detachable magazines
5. Mossberg 500

Admittedly, I sometimes carry the Glock 19 in lieu of the Glock 21, depending on my clothing choices.

In a SHTF situation, I would carry the G21 and SKS, my wife would carry the G17, and my son would carry a Ruger 10/22 with 4 – 30 round magazines.

The key here is making sure everyone is proficient with their assigned guns, and knows where spare ammo, holsters, etc. are stored. Then train, train, train.

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On the gripping had, this list touches addresses defense needs only. One could make any number of lists based on the category in question:

Competition: One for each competition type and class. Skeet gun, trap gun. 3-gun rifle, Camp Perry rifle. SASS: 2 pistols, a rifle in pistol caliber, and a shotgun. (That’s by far the easiest. Maybe.)

Hunting: Big game, small game, medium game.

Then there is collecting.

* On the issue of how many pages a resume should be, most people will respond one of two ways: either the resume should be all one page to make it easier to read, or the resume should be as many pages as it takes to convey the amount of information to get an interview.

But, in fact, this is a trick question: there is no answer any more, and here’s why. Most resumes will never be printed on paper, they will only be viewed and read on a computer screen. So, since there are no pages, the question is invalid.

I suppose I would go with the second answer at that point – include everything you need to include so you get the interview. Remember, no one hires your resume, they hire the person, after an interview.

Disclosure: I work as an engineering recruiter, to pay for ammo and match fees.

Range Visits for Self Defense Practice

On By Tom LindsayIn Drills, Self Defense, Training1 Comment

The ideal place to practice shooting for self defense is an outdoor range, because you need to be able to practice shooting on the move, shooting from odd positions, and other scenarios that you would encounter in a self defense situation.

Unfortunately, many of us don’t have access to an outdoor range often enough to practice these perishable skills. In some previous posts, I gave some thoughts about how I practice at an indoor range to get ready for competition. Yesterday during lunch I went to the range to practice my self defense shooting.

Here’s what I practice for self defense. Since my range doesn’t allow me to draw and shoot, all shots are from low ready.

I use a silhouette target set at 7 yards to 10 yards. I use 10 yards because I’ve paced off my house, and this is the longest shot I would have to make. Sure, I might face longer shots, but that’s not what I’m practicing today.

I start with the target at 7 yards, and make single shots into the central target zone. For me, this is a triangle formed by the nipples and the larynx. A shot in this area makes the most effective hole in an attacker, and is most likely to stop the fight the fastest. I want 10 or so good shots in this zone, with good form and follow through.

Next I do two shots to the triangle, starting with a measured pair, and moving to a double tap. Again, I want good hits, good form, a follow through.

Next, I do Mozambiques – a shorthand for a drill invented by Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper, consisting of two shots to the triangle which fail to stop the threat, followed by a shot to the head. It should be noted, from my experience at competitions where it has been included, that a true Mozambique is not a quick “two shots to the body and one to the head.” There is a pause between the first two shots and the head shot to assess whether the head shot is needed. This is important, because in a real fight, there is no way to know that the third shot would be needed. So, that’s the way you should practice it.

In fact, if you have a shooting partner at the range, a great way to do a true Mozambique is for the partner to watch you shoot the first two shots, then call “Yes” or “No” indicating whether your shots stopped the target. If not, then you follow up with a head shot. Then, go on farther – if that shot isn’t dead on the central nervous system, follow up with a pelvic shot.

Next, I turn my body 90 degrees left, and starting with the gun at low ready, I press out to the target with my right hand and deliver shots to the triangle, first singles, then doubles. This simulates a shot to the extreme right, where you might not have a chance to square yourself to the target.

Next is a couple of Mozambiques from this position, but I try to square myself to the target between the body shots and the follow up, just like I would want to do in a real situation.

Next, do the same from the other side. Naturally, using the weak hand means taking more care, but that’s the point of practice. You will get better.

If your range allows, shots from the retention position would also be included. My range has a bench in front of me, so this isn’t a good idea.

Next, I run the target out to 10 yards and practice making single shots and doubles, either to the triangle, or to another zone like the pelvis, so I can distinguish those shots from others. The longer distance doesn’t seem like much, but it’s enough for me to make a difference.

I usually end the session with the target at 5 yards, and I shoot 4 or 5 shots as fast as I can, while keeping them in the triangle.

As you can see from the photo, I’m not always as accurate as I want to be, but most of the shots are in the triangle or in the head, or at least where I was aiming. But I am getting better, and that’s the whole point.

"Sheriff: Time For Citizens To Arm Themselves" – The Flip Side

On By Tom LindsayIn Self Defense3 Comments

Like a lot of folks, I heard the story about Spartanburg County SC Sheriff Chuck Wright’s news conference on Monday, and his advice to women in his county: Get a concealed carry permit, get a gun, and carry it.

It was full of such observations as “when you can get your barrel back on the target quick. That’s gun control.”

I wasn’t so much surprised that a Sheriff was offering this advice. After all, this is the south, and his views are in no way in the minority here. I was more surprised that so many news outlets covered it, without offering any opposing viewpoint at the end.

I felt pretty good about it, and even sent the link to some friends.

Then I heard the story reported on the local news radio, and the reporter then said that the Sheriff said that women don’t have to be accurate, they just have to get close.

I re-read the article, and there it was:

At one point, Wright held up a fanny pack and said, “They make this right here where you can conceal a small pistol in them. They got one called The Judge that shoots a .45 or a .410 shell. You ain’t got to be accurate; you just have to get close.”

Whoa.

Now, I agree that with .410 shot, the Taurus Judge is probably accurate enough at “rapist distance” to do enough damage to stop an assailant even with a hit to a non-vital area. However, while I’ve never shot a Judge, from talking to those who have, and from reviews I’ve read, with buckshot the Judge is quite a handful to shoot. It would be all the more so for a woman. Couple that with an attacker who is, at best, amped up by adrenaline, and at worst, by meth or more, and “just get close” probably won’t do the job.

In fact, what bothers me is many women may hear the Sheriff, and opt instead for the cute pink Airweight, and then never practice with it. Because, after all, “You ain’t got to be accurate.”

Sheriff Wright needs to be sure women in Spartanburg, and all gun owners for that matter, understand that carrying a gun brings with it a responsibility to practice. Now, South Carolina’s concealed carry permit program does require training and a proficiency exam, but shooting is a perishable skill, and we all owe it to ourselves to stay up with our skills.

What to Carry if You Can’t Carry

On By Tom LindsayIn Planning, Self Defense3 Comments

A couple of recent events in my life got me thinking about the topic of what to carry should you find yourself in a situation where you can’t carry a gun.

There are two situations where this would come up – involuntarily and voluntarily. While I have found the solutions are similar, they do differ some.

In the last week there have been 4 robberies or attempted robberies on or near the campus of Georgia Tech, in midtown Atlanta. This hits home because my daughter is a student there, and frequently passes by the place where some of the incidents happened.

Under the law in Georgia, students and faculty are prohibited from carrying guns, even with a valid Georgia Weapons Permit. Visitors to the campus are allowed to bring guns, but they must stay in your car. This leaves students on campus without firearms for defense.

So, for my daughter, there is a three-pronged solution to living in a gun-free victim zone. First, she doesn’t travel alone on campus at night, and even in the day, she doesn’t travel alone in areas that are not well traveled by others. As much as it pains me as a father, this is the one time I am glad she seems to be always surrounded by boys. Of course, with the Ratio at Tech, that’s not hard to achieve.

Second, she carries pepper spray with her almost always. It’s a cute little pink bottle I bought for her as a present when she first started school there.

Third, she’s taken self defense courses, and she stays in shape. That way, she can fight or flee as the situation allows.

Does this make me feel better for her? A little. Her Mom, not as much. But we have come to accept that we do what we can.

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The other situation is voluntary. I’m not talking about the time when you decide to leave your gun in the car instead of taking it into the doctor’s office – more the time when someone physically can’t use a gun.

My mother-in-law lives alone in an apartment near us. My wife calls on her often, but she can’t be there all the time.

Recently, my mother-in-law asked me for advice about what kind of gun she could buy for protection, and I had to be brutally honest with her – none. She isn’t physically able to use a gun reliably. And even if she could, she isn’t physically mobile enough to be able to go practice with it, or to be able to quickly reach her gun safe (required!) before an intruder did.

Plus she lives in an apartment, and Rule 4 means she would have no good field of fire any way. With the construction of her apartment, even .410 bird shot would take out her neighbor and her neighbor’s neighbor.

The solution? A trip to Wal-Mart and $20, and I came home with 4 large cans of wasp spray and an air horn. Wasp spray in the eyes will totally ruin an intruder’s day, and it looks a lot less menacing than a bear-sized can of pepper spray.

She now has a can of wasp spray in her bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, the four places she stays in the most. The air horn is by the couch, and she’s talked to her neighbors, who now know that’s her call for help.

I also got her a small can of pepper spray, that’s on her key chain, for when she’s going to and from her car.

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And my daughter’s dorm room got a couple of large cans of wasp spray. Take note, boys.

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It’s not a perfect world, and given that, we can’t always be guaranteed our Second Amendment protections. But by thinking through the possibilities and planning ahead, we can make the most of what we do have.