Obstacle for Female Shooters

"The biggest obstacle for ladies is bad advice from husbands or boyfriends."

Jerry Miculek

Shotgun for Urban Environment

"What made the shotgun the best weapon for bringing down large flocks of birds is the exact quality that makes it great in an urban environment. It will never be a general purpose weapon, but the shotgun will have a place in the arsenal of any unit that finds itself in close quarter engagements. "

Adam Geibel

Shotgun Best Short Range Weapon

"The multiple projectile ability of a shotgun greatly increases the probability of a hit on an assailant, and the multiple projectiles increase the likelihood of a disabling hit. A typical police load would be a 12-gauge 2 3/4-inch (70 mm) 00 ("double-aught") buckshot shell consists of 9 .33 caliber (8.5 mm) round balls, each of which is similar in size and velocity to a lightweight handgun bullet. This shot spreads out to a greater or lesser degree depending on the barrel choke, and can be effective at ranges as far as 75 yards (70 m). The delivery of the large number of projectiles simultaneously makes the shotgun the most effective short range weapon commonly used, with a hit probability 45% greater than a submachine gun, and twice as great as an assault rifle."

Wikipedia entry under "Riot Shotguns"

Violent crimes increased in 1st half of '06

Richard B. Schmitt
Los Angeles TimesDec. 19, 2006 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - The number of murders and robberies in the U.S. continued to grow during the first half of 2006, fresh evidence that violent crime is on the upswing after more than a decade of decline, the FBI said Monday.

From January to June 2006, violent crime increased 3.7 percent compared with the first six months of 2005, the bureau reported.The number of robberies increased 9.7 percent, while murders rose 1.4 percent. Aggravated assaults increased 1.2 percent; forcible rape offenses declined less than 0.1 percent.

The increases, which were felt in regions across the country, follow an overall jump of 2.3 percent for violent offenses in all of 2005 and portend another year of rising violent crime, experts said. In 2005, violent crime posted its largest overall increase since 1991.A number of different explanations have been offered for the increase, including cutbacks in federal funding to state and local law-enforcement agencies, which has led to fewer police on the street in large cities, and demographic factors, including an increase in the number of males between the ages of 14 and 24.

The trend also has kindled a debate over whether the country is spending enough for crime fighting and prevention at a time when growing numbers of federal dollars are being targeted toward terrorism and homeland security.

"Violent street crime did not go away on September 11," said Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union. In many cases less money is being spent, he said.

The West had the largest increase in violent crime: 4.7 percent.The FBI said the number of reported robberies was up in cities of all sizes. The largest increase, 12.8 percent, occurred in cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999. But robberies also increased in metropolitan counties, up 8.4 percent.Cities of populations of 500,000 to 999,999 reported the sharpest increase in murders, up 8.4 percent. In metropolitan counties, murders were up 3.1 percent.The data are based on reports of more than 11,000 state and local law-enforcement agencies.

Experts said the crime upsurge reflected an increase in gang violence, particularly in midsized cities, and a growth in gun crimes, including robberies and homicides.

James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University in Boston, said the problem has been compounded by the number of police on the street in large cities dropping almost 10 percent since 2001. The crime problem, he said, "is not going down unless we make some major changes in what we are doing."Federal aid to state and local police has declined to about $890 million in 2006 from $2.5 billion in 2001.

Technique Worth Half the Fight

"Some people are born tough; they are fast, strong or have a good heart for fighting. These qualities alone represent 50% of a win in any street fight. But in adverse conditions, it is just not enough.”

Rickson Gracie

Mental and Physical Practice Defeat Fear

“The anticipation of fear can sometimes be far worse than the actual meeting. Through mental practice, the anticipation can be defeated. Mental practice may also see us through a lethal confrontation. Physical practice will aid in such a situation…Both types of practice are importation to each of us. It is the combination of the two that is most important, however. The combination creates a definite edge in your favor should a worst-case scenario develop around you. The combination allows your brain to stay in a cognitive thought mode during fight or flight.”

Randy Hamrick

Training to Use the Adrenaline Dump

You’re faced with a dangerous threat from the bad guy in front of you.

Your fight or flight instinct kicks in and your body begins a process that you are entirely powerless to resist:

1. You turn to face the threat squarely;
2. Both eyes focus on the threat, sometimes literally creating “tunnel vision”;
3. You experience “auditory exclusion” where your hearing diminishes;
4. You begin to crouch to make yourself a smaller target;
5. You start to back up to create distance;
6. Blood flows away from your extremities to your core organs and large muscle groups;
7. Chemical changes in your blood prepare it to coagulate more readily;
8. Your heartbeat increases dramatically;
9. Your fine motor skills diminish causing you to fumble with the simplest of tasks like putting your keys in a lock.

You cannot stop this process. To react properly, you need to train enough and practice enough that your skills do not drop off as quickly as someone who is untrained.

It is also helpful to make sure that you do not misinterpret this type of “adrenaline dump” as “fear”. Yes, your brain is telling you that you are “scared” and it is beginning to prepare you for combat with some of the most powerful natural chemicals available to the body. Your arms will feel like wood. Your stomach will be fluttering. Your legs may be trembling. Your mouth will be dry.

With training, this isn’t a signal to dread – it’s a signal to treasure.

But to get there, your training needs to be as realistic as possible. It should prepare you so that you “are not surprised when you are surprised”. You should practice “what to do when you don’t know what to do”.

Victims often report that they were stunned to realize that they had no idea what to do next.

Remember the Crime Triangle: Criminal + Victim + Opportunity = Crime.

You are not a victim. You are a hunter and this attacker is now triggering your rehearsed and trained responses. The late Col. Jeff Cooper said you were well-prepared when the attacker was in more danger when attacking you than you were of being attacked.

Train hard, train smart.

Are you practicing close enough?

According to Randy Hamrick, FBI statistics show us that 50% of officers killed by gunfire are within five feet of the suspect, 25% are within 10 feet and another 15% are within 20 feet.

You will hear knowledgeable instructors referring to the majority of gunfights occurring in “the hole” – a reference to the space up to two outstretched arms between the two opponents. This equates to the distance of your outstretched arm and his outstretched arm.

With almost all shootings happening at 7 yards or less, why are we practicing shooting at targets 25 yards away?

The same can be said for hand-to-hand (H2H) confrontations. According to the Department of Justice, 72% of all assaults begin with a grab or a shove. This means you are within one arm's length (his) at the beginning of the attack.

If we truly believe that you will fight like you train, shouldn't we be training at the most realistic distances?

Carbine defined

"Depending on who you talk to or which dictionary you consult, a carbine is either 1.) a short-barreled rifle, 2.) a ligher version of a full-sized rifle or 3.) a short long gun which uses pistol ammunition."

Denny Hansen

Woman Shoots Former College Basketball Player Invading Home

Dec. 13, 2006


SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- A former University of Cincinnati basketball player was shot and killed after breaking into a home, authorities said Wednesday.

The Clark County sheriff's office identified the man as Jonathon Carson. He was 29.

Carson, a guard, played in 17 games for the Bearcats during the 1997-98 season, starting in one and averaging 3.1 points. Prior to that, he was a standout at South High School in Springfield.

Carson was one of two men who broke into the home Tuesday night, the sheriff's office said. Both men were shot by one of the homeowners. The other man, Dow Huffman, 23, of West Liberty, was listed in fair condition at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.

"These individuals came in intent to commit a felony. They were armed with three firearms," said Sheriff Gene Kelly, adding that one of the men wore a mask.

Kelly said one of the men began to beat up a male homeowner and that a female homeowner retrieved a gun from the bedroom and shot both suspects. Carson died on the front porch.

No charges have been filed.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Uh, excuse me...didn't someone tell that female homeowner not to have a gun in the house because it could be used against her!

Friction

Friction favors the defense.

Man charged with shopping mall bomb plot

By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer
A man was arrested Friday by federal agents on charges of planning to set off hand grenades in garbage cans at a shopping mall.

Derrick Shareef, 22, of Rockford, was arrested when he met with an undercover agent in a parking lot to trade a set of stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun.

Federal officials said he planned to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans at the CherryVale shopping mall in Rockford, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.

He was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Federal officials said that in September, Shareef became acquainted with a witness who was cooperating with the FBI and confided to him that he wanted to commit acts of "violent jihad," as well as other crimes.

Can I shoot a home invader?

Question: A buddy of mine and I had a disagreement today about when to use lethal force on someone who has BROKEN into your house. I said that since my doors are locked, he would have to actually break in and would be fair game. What is your input?

Can you shoot someone who has invaded your home?

Your purse as a weapon?

Should a woman try and use her purse as a self-defense weapon?

Check out the discussion on the Defend University self-defense question and answer section...

The Glock Advantage

Glock pistols are:

Among the most reliable on the market with good quality factory ammunition;
More affordable than many other brands of equal dependability;
Lightweight for easy carry in a variety of ways;
Simple to operate;
Easy to shoot in several calibers;
Available in frame sizes to fit most hand sizes;
Don’t need expensive modifications out of the box;
Easy to assemble and disassemble;
Easy to maintain.

Denis Prisbrey

Self-Defense Advice for Elderly Mirrors Rape Escape Strategy

I came across some old and interesting self-defense advice to the elderly from the late Bill Langlois, a former San Francisco decoy cop that worked to take muggers off the streets. (Langlois died in Oct. of 2000).

He tells seniors to:

1. Have a plan of action for a variety of scenarios;
2. Include your companion in your plans. Discuss what you both should do in case of an attack.
3. If you are alone and attacked, he advocates feigning a heart attack.

He offers this last piece of advice for two reasons:

The attacker is most likely a fairly experienced criminal and probably does not want to hang around while his victim potentially dies, turning a simple robbery into a homicide;

By falling to the ground, the elderly victim does so in a controlled fashion rather than being hit or knocked to the ground while offering the chance to kick at the attacker. “Chances are that people will say, I don’t want to fall down and expose myself to attack like that; but the chances are high that this predator, having gotten to this point in his hunt, will knock you down anyway. When you do down this time however, it will be on his terms – disoriented and possibly severely injured – at that moment you’re at the mercy of a man who is now electrified by the thrill of his lopsided victory and the hatred he has for his victims”.

This is the same advice that supports the defensive position used in the Rape Escape method taught to girls and women.

We get the same sort of argument from certain circles that Longlois has here – “Never, never, even go to the ground! Only death and dustbunnies await you there!”

Yet, we’ve taught thousands of women that they can avoid being hit and avoid being taken to a secondary crime scene by adopting the defensive position on the ground. Their strongest weapons (their kicks) are in between them and the attacker’s weakest targets (knees, groin, throat, face). And they finally have a way to protect themselves while carrying a baby or small child.

Buying Time

“We found that the bodyguards engaging [shooting back at attackers] can buy 10 seconds, during which the evacuation team should be able to get the principal well clear of the kill zone. “

Leroy Thompson

Fatal Hits Not Always Immediate

"Generally speaking, one or more good center hits to the upper chest will end the fight quickly [with a handgun], but there are exceptions. A heart shot deer will often run about 50 yards before collapsing. Why? Because even though there has been a sudden loss of blood pressure, there is still enough oxygen in its system to sustain it for 15 or 20 seconds. This sometimes happens with humans as well. A determined adversary will often stay on his feet and keep fighting for 15, 20, or even 30 seconds after he has been fatally hit. A lot of damage can be done in this length of time...Always keep this in mind and be prepared to take further action if you are faced with a failure to stop.”

Rick Miller

Fight at Night Two Thirds of the Time

"However, most law-enforcement training takes place in daylight, even though studies reveial that more than two out of three officer homicides and most violent crimes occur during the hours of darkness or in diminished light."

Sean P. Egen

Transportation Safety Tips When Traveling

1. Avoid looking like a tourist as much as possible;
2. Don't rent cars that brand you as a visitor. Ask that all rental identification marks be removed;
3. Ask for a rental car with air-conditioning so you can keep the windows up while driving;
4. Avoid sleeping at bus or train stations. Don't accept food or drink from strangers in these places since travelers have been drugged and robbed in this way;
5. Don't get into unmarked or unlicensed taxis,
6. Lock your compartment while on the train;
7. Watch all your luggage and valuables, don't let unofficial porters transport your luggage;
8. Move with a purpose, stay aware of people who might be watching you or following your movements;
9. If you are lost, duck into a restaurant, store or hotel for directions. Avoid map reading and other signs of confusion while on the street;
10. Know important phrases in the local language -- asking if someone speaks your language, asking for help, asking for the police, asking for a doctor;
11. Avoid unsolicited and unofficial tour guides;
12. Do not discuss personal information or travel arrangements with strangers;
13. Avoid taking short cuts, poorly lit side streets or narrow alleys;
14. Beware of pickpockets on the streets around popular tourism attractions and transportation centers;
15. Avoid traveling alone at night.