Category: Self Defense

5 Steps to Improve Your Dry-Fire Routine.

Most of us are spending a lot of time indoors that would otherwise be excellent shooting weather or are unable to get to the range. Editor-in-Chief Mark Keefe asked if I would share some thoughts on dry fire to perhaps help shooters get some repetitions in while stay-at-home orders are in effect. I am happy to do so with the understanding that there are many ways to organize dry fire, and this is but one, albeit one that I find very helpful………….

Step 1: Feel and Observe.

The objective here is, perhaps surprisingly, not to break perfect shots but to learn and understand exactly how the trigger feels along its movement and to observe the baseline movement of the front sight as the trigger is manipulated. As long as the front sight stays within the notch of the rear sight, life is good, and the shooter needn’t concern himself with judging the quality of the break. The entire point is to identify the ‘parts’ of the trigger movement and to be able to learn to recognize the feel of each………

Step 2: Explore Inputs and Variables.

With the movement somewhat mapped in my mind, I now begin to see how I can keep the front sight more reliably centered through the break. I am still not “forcing” the shot with a “NOW!” approach but working through a checklist of inputs to explore the reaction in the sight alignment at the moment of release. At this point, I still largely defer judgment on the quality of my “shots” and am simply exploring and learning. I have three reliable “go-to” variables that I work through……….

Step 3: Get to the ‘Wall.’

This step translates the data gained in step one into practical knowledge. The shooter seeks to press through the take-up to “hold” at the initial resistance of the engagement stage with the sights aligned. With a single-action semi-automatic, this is a slight, simple movement. With most double- and single-actions it’s a longish, simple movement………..

Step 4: Combine Presentation with the Movement Stage.

When I have found the degree that I can sweep through the take-up, I then begin to dry fire, getting to that point as the pistol extends into final firing position from the holster or ready position. The goal is to be at the engagement stage of the trigger as the front sight settles fully into the notch on target. This assumes that the shooter has already made the firm decision to fire and is not presenting to assess a potential shot, in which case the finger would remain off of the trigger.

Step 5: ‘Steering’ the Trigger.

Steps three and four do not really apply to double-actions, whether revolvers or the first shot in double- and single-action handguns. This step applies as more to double-actions than it does to striker-fired pistols. Many shooters are somewhere on the spectrum between somewhat intimidated and downright afraid of the double-action trigger. This is a perfect time to address and overcome that.

Grupos de Autodefensas Para Mi!

I think we’re going to see a lot more of this.
And for those places where things have still been peaceful, neighborhoods should have serious discussions about having plans like this ‘sitting on the shelf’ in case it becomes necessary.
Just consider; Last week I’d be confident that no one in Kenosha had any idea what was about to happen. Now consider what might occur in your city in the same circumstances.

Armed neighborhood watch group forms to protect Kenosha subdivision

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About a 10-minute drive from Downtown Kenosha, two men stood this week with AR-15 firearms protecting their subdivision.

The armed men were Jason and Gilbert, part of a group of about 10 residents of the subdivision that have been out nights since Tuesday protecting their neighborhood in light of the unrest in Kenosha.

Despite the we-mean-business message the group conveys to passing motorists, The men were anything but threatening Thursday night. They were sincere in their concern for their neighbors and city. Continue reading “”

The restaurant owner will probably get off on self defense, but I still don’t advise people to do their own police work.

Vegan restaurant owner shoots suspected burglar over Third Ward break-in

An owner of a burgled Third Ward vegan restaurant tracked down a man suspected of the break-in and shot him in the leg, according to police.
The break-in at Green Seed Vegan, 4320 Almeda Road, was reported around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police said the owners had “a really good description” of the suspect from surveillance footage and officers set off to find him.
“Unbeknownst to us, the owners were also looking for the suspect,” Houston police Commander Caroleta Johnson said.

About an hour later, a report of a suspicious person with a weapon was reported at Fannin and Stuart Street in Midtown. There, police found the accused burglar — identified Thursday morning as 37-year-old Jermyn Russell — with a gunshot wound to the leg. He is expected to survive and a burglary charge is pending his release from a hospital.

Police said they believe at least one of the owners tracked down the alleged burglar and confronted him. An argument began over what was believed to be stolen property — which officials described as iPads and other electronics — and escalated to gunfire, police said. Amid the shooting investigation, blood could be seen on the sidewalk.

The owners were briefly detained for questioning, police said, but charges against the shooter are pending the results of a Harris County grand jury.
The Green Seed Vegan owners could not be reached for comment and a woman who answered the phone at the eatery said she was too busy filling take-out orders.

 

This is the second one in less than a week in Polk County Florida.

Central Florida man shoots home intruder dead after ‘bizarre’ crime spree

A homeowner fatally shot a home intruder after the suspect’s “bizarre” crime spree Friday morning in Lakeland, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

The dead man, 45, and a woman who was with him had driven from Orlando to Polk County to meet someone, Judd said.

When the man broke into a resident’s home, the homeowner’s parents, wife, and a 9-year-old were also inside.

Judd said the homeowner didn’t immediately shoot, but called 911 and tried to subdue the suspect after the 6-foot, 250-pound man crashed through a glass front door, Judd said. Continue reading “”

Guardian stops intruder at Central Florida high school, had flare gun and cocaine in his possession

LEESBURG, Fla. – A guardian at a Central Florida high school confronted an intruder on Thursday, according to officials.

A spokesperson for the Lake County School District confirmed to FOX 35 News that a school guardian at Leesburg High School confronted a man he saw jump a fence and come onto campus on Thursday morning.

They said that law enforcement was immediately called and the person was arrested.

According to an arrest report, 30-year-old Jabari Scott had a flare gun in his right waistband but it contained a 410 shotgun shell in the barrel, “ready to fire.” An additional shotgun shell, nine rounds of .380 ammunition, one 9mm round, one .223 round, and one 12 gauge shotgun slug shell were also in the man’s possession, investigators said.

In addition, police said that Scott had a white, powdery substance on him too, which tested positive for cocaine. It was said to be in five, small Ziploc-style bags. He also had an unidentified brown powder substance on him, which did not test positive for heroin or meth.

The Leesburg Police Department said that Scott claimed that the items listed above were actually his little brother’s and that he did not want him to get caught with them.

No one was reportedly hurt and everyone is safe.

Oh, we’re already awake, it’s just that we’re not making a big deal about being awake…..yet.

BLUF:
In the big Left Coast cities, citizens have almost no ability to arm themselves to protect their families or property, but once you wander out past the city limits, you find those still in possession of their 2nd Amendment rights (and their testicles) who are ready, willing, and able to stand up to the lawlessness and say very loudly and clearly, “Not here.”

In several instances, Antifa has been very promptly and swiftly (and sometimes violently) ejected from towns or neighborhoods who knew what their intentions were and collectively decided to take a stand. Those stories are wonderful to hear, because to me it means that regular people — you know, those crazy people who have jobs, families, responsibilities, maybe faith in God and a love of their country — are starting to tire of the violence and overall nonsense. 

Waking the Sleeping Giant

In recent weeks, not only have we seen some very large holes punched in the narrative of what happened to George Floyd, but we’ve also seen the very thin veil come off, as the “peaceful protests” by Black Lives Matter and Antifa rapidly devolved into perhaps the worst string of violent riots the country has ever seen. As of this writing, the city of Portland, Oregon has been host to violent riots for 86 days straight — nearly three months of chaos.

As we all know, violence in the name of outrage (or really in the name of anything) is nothing new for the Left. No one is quicker to protest violence by smashing your face with a brick than the tolerant, loving Left. No one understands better than the Left that the way to fight perceived racism in America is with even stronger and more brazen racism. No one — not even L. Frank Baum — could construct a better Straw Man to rail against than the Left, and they’ve built one to rival Burning Man against President Trump (see Trump as racist, sexist, homophobe, Islamaphobe, et al).

None of this is a surprise to anyone who is actually paying attention, regardless of what side you vote for. If you don’t see how lawless and dangerous the riots have become, then you’re not willing to see. Continue reading “”

No charges filed against Wapato man in fatal shooting

WAPATO, Wash.– A 31-year-old Wapato man who shot a man and wounded another man will not be facing charges at this time, according to Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic.

Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic says Jesse Villa shot and killed 27-year-old Tadd Blodgett and wounded 22-year-old Isaac Bobb on August 20.

Blodgett and Bobb are enrolled Yakima Nation tribal members, according to a police report.

According to a police report, Jesse Villa arrived home from work at about 3 a.m. to find his wife and three men outside at the 700 block of W. 7th St.

“They had come over earlier that evening and had been partying and hanging out,” Brusic says.

However, a small fight began after one of the men started pushing Villa’s wife, according to Brusic.

The prosecutor says Villa told them the men to leave, and when they wouldn’t, he went inside to get a gun.

When Villa went into his house, a family member was told him that his wife was being assaulted, says Brusic.

Reports say Villa grabbed a gun and went outside to find his wife on the ground with the men standing over her.

One of the men charged Villa and the other swung at him, according to Brusic.

Villa fired his gun and shot two men. Blodgett died at the scene and Bobb was taken to the hospital, according to a police report. Continue reading “”

Robber was shot, killed in struggle with man working on his car

The victim in an Allentown homicide earlier this month was shot to death by a man he’d tried to rob, investigators said Wednesday.

The shooter is not being identified and faces no charges for acting in self-defense, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said in a news release.

The incident occurred at about 2:55 p.m. Aug. 8 in the city’s 1700 block of South Idaho Street. Juan Rivera, 28, of Lowell, Massachusetts, ended up dead after he and another as-yet-unidentified man approached an individual who was in his vehicle in the rear parking lot of an apartment complex, Martin said. Continue reading “”

Staying Alive in the Brave New World

Michael Bane
Okay kids, let’s make some assumptions here…you are free to accept or reject them as you see fit:
 
• We have fully entered a new phase of “acceptable” violence. What we now see is “recreational arson,” that is, the setting of fires with the inherent risk to human life for fun. Remember when you were a kid and how thrilling setting off fireworks was for you? This is the exact some thing, kicked, as Emeril might say, up a notch.
• One major political party and their farthest left members fully support this violence, because they see it as the best chance for wholesale social change, e.g  [no Michael, that’s i.e. ]  the Socialist States of America (or some other similar euphemism for fascism, which is what we are really looking at here).
They are correct. Historically, times of massive uncertainty offers a narrow window for massive political/government change. The other side understands that this is “The Year of the Jackpot” [Refer: Robert Heinlein], and they are all-in.
• Yes, we have seen this kind of urban violence before in the late 1960s/early 1970s, but what is different this time is that in the earlier case there was among most citizens an agreement about what America was, a consensus of the exceptionality of the U.S., if you will. That does not exist today. Rather, well before the China Virus and the riots, the two Americas, one red and one blue, were already locked in what has been called — fairly, I think — a “Cold Civil War.”
• Maybe if we all take a deep breath, calm down and relax, we’ll come through this. But maybe not. “Maybe” is a very big word. As we have said on THE BEST DEFENSE, self-defense is always a compromise, a balance of risk/reward. If we apply that same thinking to our current situation, we see the fallacy in “relax.” If we relax and the current crisis just fades away, everything is cool If we relax and are, in fact, wrong, we lose the country, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the vote, our guns and maybe even our lives. The teeter-totter is wildly weighted on only one end.
 
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, given those assumptions, what do we need to know as we face the Brave New World? I have been thinking about that a lot and talking to my team, who I believe are the best in the world at what they do. If we immediately move down to a “tactical,” as opposed to “strategic” level, here are some thoughts. Once again, feel free to either accept them or reject them out of hand. None of us have any words on a marble tablets delivered down from a mountaintop:

Continue reading “”

St. Louis Couple Who Defended Home with Guns Offer Warning at RNC

The St. Louis couple who brandished guns to protect their home from Black Lives Matter protesters two months ago spoke on opening night of the Republican National Convention, warning that if Democrats win in November, American suburbs will be in trouble.

Yet in the first paragraph of its report, Reuters said the couple—Mark and Patricia McCloskey—repeated “unfounded claims by President Donald Trump that Democrats will destroy America’s suburbs.”

As if to contradict Reuters, Black congressional candidate Kim Klacik appeared in a video in which she strolled through the Baltimore neighborhood she hopes to represent as a Republican, showing the decay that has occurred under more than 50 years of Democrat control. According to Fox News, her campaign advertisement has been viewed more than 11.4 million times.

Reuters might also check with the New York Post, which reported several days ago about BLM protesters who marched into a residential neighborhood “demanding that white residents give up their homes.” Continue reading “”

WOMAN USES BEAR RIFLE TO STOP KIDNAPPING NEAR WALTON

EUGENE, Ore. – A local woman used her bear rifle to save a kidnapping victim from possibly being murdered on Sunday, keeping one of the armed assailants at bay.

In an interview with KEZI 9 News, the woman said she spotted the man, who was badly beaten, on Highway 126 near Walton as she was on her way to go bear hunting. After calling 911 the victim told her he and his girlfriend had been kidnapped, and the kidnapper was driving his car, which was parked nearby.

“He is going to kill me, and he’s probably going to kill you since you are here,” the man told her.

The woman, whose identity we are not revealing, said she told the man to find a place to hide. When she saw another man walking down the highway with a handgun, she got her hunting rifle out and waited for troopers to arrive.

Troopers arrived to the scene at about 7:30 a.m. but the suspect had already fled the scene on foot. He and a second suspect remain at large, and a third was taken into custody.

Michael Light, 39, of Florence, faces charges of second-degree assault and first-degree kidnapping.

Investigators say Light and the two other men assaulted the man for an extended period of time in his campsite. Light then kidnapped a woman, who the bear hunter says was the victim’s girlfriend and Light’s ex-girlfriend.

A search found Light and the female victim in a vehicle in the area, and Light was taken into custody. The woman suffered minor injuries.

Michael Lokey-Wilson, 31, of Florence and Jonathan Dakota Appelt, 28, of Florence were identified as the other two suspects involved.

“I live for this event. I really do,” Moner said. “There’s nothing like seeing a woman pull the trigger on a firearm for the very first time. It’s like a light just goes off in her. It’s a moment of enlightenment.”

Detroit Women Flock to Gun Training.

Tanisha Moner has had a gun pointed at her twice in her life. Once by two strangers who kidnapped, robbed, and sexually assaulted her when she was 17. And, again, by another robber as she worked a management shift at a restaurant.

The traumatic experiences left her scarred, afraid of guns, shuddering at the sound of a firework and popped balloon. That changed the day she decided to face her fears and showed up for a gun-carry class at a local range.

“Succumbing to your own fear is the only thing that can stop you from doing anything you want to do,” Moner told the Washington Free Beacon.

She said that first gun-safety training class years ago helped her overcome her fear and ignited a passion to help others overcome their own fears. Continue reading “”

Home invasion suspect found shot on highway

LABETTE COUNTY, Kan. – Deputies find a possible home invasion suspect shot and laying on a highway in southeast Kansas.

Today around 6:15 a.m., the Labette County 911 dispatch got a call about a person laying on the highway at Hwy 59 and 17000 Rd. When deputies got there, they found a 33-year-old man bleeding from the chest.

During the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office says they learned that the man broke into a nearby home. Authorities were told that the homeowner heard the suspect inside and shot the armed suspect. The suspect then ran away from the home.

An ambulance took the 33-year-old suspect to Labette Health and later transferred him to Freeman Hospital in Joplin.

The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating and have not released any names at this time.

I really don’t advise shooting at fleeing burg bunglers, and especially at their car tires, but these people aren’t me.

Occupied burglary with shots fired by resident in Yakima County

YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting that an unknown person or persons had forced open the door to his home when he was asleep on the couch Friday morning.

The 911 call was placed from a residence in the 900 block of Van Belle Road in unincorporated Yakima County at 6:13 am.

The resident stated he woke up and yelled at the two suspects in his hallway. One of the individuals replied with an expletive before they both ran from the home.

The homeowner attempted to disable the vehicle with a shot to the rear tire with his shotgun as the burglars were driving away. The resident described the vehicle as an early 2000’s dark green Ford extended cab truck.

The homeowner was able to describe one of the suspects as follows:

A dark-skinned white or Hispanic male, average height and weight with short dark hair covered by a dark baseball cap.

The report shows no items were missing from the home or property according to the resident.

Don’t mess with Texans

Apartment intruder shot and killed

A 19-year-old man died overnight Sunday when he was shot inside another person’s apartment, Dallas police said.

The incident happened sometime before 1:15 a.m. on the 8300 block of Park Lane.

Police allege Darwin Chavarria had tried to get into another person’s apartment at the Villas Del Solamar complex without their consent. That person tried to stop Chavarria from getting inside, but wasn’t able to do so. Then they shot him.

Police found Chavarria lying on the floor inside the apartment, where they say he died from the gunshot wound.

The tenant, a suspect in Chavarria’s death, was taken to the Homicide Unit for questioning, police said.

Intruder shot, critically wounded after breaking into Fort Worth home

An intruder found inside a home was shot and critically wounded Thursday morning, police said.

No other injuries were reported in the shooting.

Fort Worth police responded to a shooting call just before 10:30 a.m. in the 3300 block of NW 30th St.

The family arrived home and discovered the intruder, police said.

At some point, a man grabbed a weapon and fired.

No one has been arrested in the case as police continued their investigation.

Police also are investigating where the man obtained the weapon.

Fort Worth police did not release any other details.

And the number one state with most NICS checks so far this year is…….

Dwarfing all other states, FBI data show Illinois had 4.6 million background checks for guns in first seven months

(The Center Square) – Illinois topped the list of all states for firearm background checks so far this year, and is already on pace to blow last year’s numbers out of the water. And reports persist of people waiting beyond the three-day waiting period to pick up the guns they’ve purchased.

There are also more than 143,000 Firearm Owner Identification, or FOID card, applicants still waiting for their cards to be processed by Illinois State Police.

A state Representative says this is tantamount to civil rights being infringed.

Monthly records from the FBI’s NICS Firearm Background Checks report show in the first seven months of the year, there have been nearly 4.6 million checks. That dwarfs every other state, with only Kentucky coming close with 2.2 million checks from January through July. Continue reading “”

Upshur County grand jury declines to indict veteran in June shooting death

An Upshur County [Texas] grand jury has declined to indict a veteran in a June 18 incident that left a man dead, determining the shooting was self defense.

Matthew Gregory Harris, 36, had been charged with murder in the death of Michael Clint Moses, 45, in western Upshur County.

“While any death is a tragedy, the absolute right of self-defense including deadly force was justified in this case,” Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd said in a written statement. Continue reading “”

This is an example of the ‘felony murder’ rule, where the perpetrators are responsible for any deaths, even of bad guys when a homeowner kills one in self defense,  that happen during a crime.

Man charged in brother’s shooting death during burglary

A man died Thursday and two others were arrested after a homeowner fired his gun during a burglary, according to the Middletown Division of Police.

One of the men arrested is the deceased’s brother, officials confirmed Friday.

Andrew Roberts, 22, Jonathon Oatneal, 23, and Joshua Oatneal went to a residence in the 2600 block of Aspen Drive in Middletown late Wednesday evening to commit a burglary, according to a release from Middletown police.

During the burglary, the homeowner fired his gun. The bullet struck Joshua Oatneal, the release states. The two other men then transported Joshua Oatneal to the Atrium Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Police responded to the medical center at 12:02 a.m. Thursday, the release states. Joshua and Jonathon Oatneal were brothers.

Police said Jonathon Oatneal and Roberts were charged with murder and aggravated burglary.

 

 

Woman shoots at armed suspect during convenience store robbery in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS — An armed robber fled a north St. Louis convenience store Wednesday night after one of his victims pulled out her own gun and started shooting.

The robbery happened at around 11:35 a.m. at New Carrie’s Corner Market at 4500 Athlone Avenue in the O’Fallon neighborhood. A man entered the store, pointed a gun at two victims and demanded money from the cash register, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said.

As one of the victims, a 55-year-old man, was getting money out of the register, a 46-year-old woman pulled out her own gun and fired shots at the suspect.

The suspect ran away. It was unclear if he was shot, police said. He was able to get away with some money, but police did not give an estimate of the amount.

Neither victim was injured during the robbery.

The investigation is ongoing.

Woman armed with handgun stops burglary, four people arrested

BELL COUNTY, Texas — A Bell County woman armed with a gun confronted a burglar who broke into her home in the 3800 block of Stillhouse Dr. Monday night, according to the Bell County Sheriff’s Department.

The woman was upstairs and heard what sounded like someone kicking down the front door, the sheriff’s department said. She went down stairs with a handgun and confronted the burglar, who the sheriff’s department said was also armed.

The burglar left the house without any shots being fired and got in a nearby vehicle. The vehicle, with four people inside, was later pulled over on FM 2410 in Belton. Continue reading “”