September 3, 2010
Hello, fellow USCCA Member!
September is here, and that means brown leaves are right around the corner. Personally, I can’t wait… I love this time of year!
I’m sure you know what I mean when I say that going for walks is fun… and knowing that I’m able to protect and defend myself wherever I go makes it all possible.
Okay… Let’s get started.
|
== Survival Update ==
|
Judicious Use of Deadly Force
...When would the use of deadly force by a private citizen against another human be considered judicious, sensible, prudent, cautious, careful, justified, or well thought out? ...
by Bruce eimer
From Concealed Carry Magazine:
When would the use of deadly force by a private citizen against another human be considered judicious, sensible, prudent, cautious, careful, justified, or well thought out? How can a private citizen be authorized to kill another human under his or her own summary judgment? The very simple answer is that deadly force is recognized as a last resort for when you need to use it to save your life. Here we are referring to the "doctrine of competing harms" and the "doctrine of necessity." Put very simply, you are allowed to break the law (in this instance: kill), in the rare circumstances where following the law (i.e. not killing) would cause more injury to you or other innocent humans than would breaking it. In reality, the answer is not so simple. Any time you even draw your gun, you are walking on thin ice. If you are going to keep or carry a gun for self-defense, in addition to being well trained in marksmanship and tactics, you should be well educated about the circumstances under which the use of deadly force is warranted legally and morally, so that you can be judicious. If you own or carry a gun, you must be judicious.
There is probably no one who has contributed more to our understanding of the conditions under which the defensive use of deadly force is ethically, morally, and legally justified than has Massad Ayoob. Ayoob is a prolific firearms writer, book author, master firearms instructor, legal expert, and the founder and director of the Lethal Force Institute (www.ayoob.com). In this month’s column, we will examine some of the important points taught in Ayoob’s instructional DVD: Judicious Use of Deadly Force. This DVD is an ideal companion to Ayoob’s authoritative textbook on the subject: In the Gravest Extreme. I consider this DVD to be essential study material for every citizen who keeps or carries a loaded gun. I have also been fortunate to train with Massad Ayoob, taking his Lethal Force Institute I and II courses and I consider him to be one of the best master instructors with whom I have ever studied.
Let us begin with some definitions. Deadly or lethal force is that degree of force that a reasonable person would consider capable of causing death or grave bodily harm (i.e., crippling injury). Those of us who carry a concealed handgun carry with us the power to use deadly force. This is a tremendous power. With such power, as Ayoob points out, there comes a tremendous amount of responsibility and thus, a higher standard of care. This higher standard of care demands that the armed citizen, senior or otherwise, exercise good judgment and appropriate restraint.
Good judgment includes always effectively concealing your firearm and retaining it. It entails properly securing your firearm at all times so that your weapon does not fall into unauthorized hands. Good judgment means avoiding situations that you know beforehand could turn ugly. It means you never provoke a confrontation when you are armed and that you leave the scene of a potentially escalating confrontation if you can.
Appropriate restraint means exercising appropriate self control and self discipline in confrontational situations because you are armed and you carry the power to use deadly force. It means using your head and not overreacting.
Let’s examine what Ayoob teaches about the circumstances that justify the use of deadly force:
As civilians our only obligation and right is to keep ourselves and our families from being unlawfully injured or killed. We may only use equal force in response to the application of force against us. If we are not innocent of provoking a confrontation, or we are not being immediately threatened with deadly force, we cannot use deadly force in response. This is unlike the obligation of a sworn police officer who may use necessary force to fulfill his or her duties, such as seeking out and arresting malefactors.
Ayoob teaches a formula for determining the circumstances under which we would be justified in employing deadly force. The formula is both simple and yet complex. Deadly force is justified when you are confronted with "an immediate and otherwise unavoidable danger of death or grave bodily harm" to either yourself or other innocents, whose innocence and situation you are totally certain about. You can’t intervene with deadly force in a situation you come upon without knowing what’s really happening. Don’t make assumptions based on what seems to be happening. The danger must be clear and present, immediate and unavoidable. This formula is based on English Common Law and Dutch/Roman Law, and it applies in all fifty states. It is determined by three criteria which can be remembered by the acronym A.O.J. Think "Administration Of Justice". The situation must meet all three criteria.
A = Ability. The person deemed to be a threat must possess the ability or power to kill or maim.
O = Opportunity. The person deemed to be a threat must be capable of immediately employing his power to kill or maim.
J = Jeopardy. This means that the person deemed to be a threat must be acting in such a manner that a reasonable and prudent person would conclude beyond doubt that his intent is to kill or cripple.
All of the above are judged by the doctrine of the "reasonable man". That is, what would a reasonable and prudent person have done in that situation knowing what the defendant knew at the time? After the fact information is inadmissible into the equation. Your defense of self-defense is affirmative if you knew all of the above at the time you employed deadly force.
Now, with that said, I would add a fourth criterion to Ayoob’s three. That is the criterion of preclusion. What this means is that you must have done everything within your power to have avoided having to use deadly force in the first place, without placing yourself or other innocents in jeopardy.
Let us now look at some caveats that Ayoob goes into in detail in his DVD and in his Lethal Force Institute training. I’ve already mentioned my fourth criterion of preclusion. This criterion does not contradict the "Castle Doctrine," or your right to stand your ground and defend yourself in any place where you have a right to be. Ayoob gives the following general rule in the DVD: If you have warning that a situation is likely to turn bad, you should not venture knowingly into it. For example, if someone says that if you show your face at a particular place (a bar, a street corner, a class, etc.) they will kill you, don’t go there! If you do go there, and then you are forced to use deadly force in self-defense, and you kill the guy, you may be found culpable. We don’t live in the Wild West although there may be some who beg to differ.
Another caveat has to do with how you size up the criterion of ability. Here we are talking about the concepts of power and disparity of force. Clearly, a person with a gun or a knife, and the ability to use it, has the power to kill or cripple you. However, you can’t shoot that person unless he has the immediate opportunity to use that ability on you, and he acts in such a manner that leads you to reasonably conclude you are in immediate jeopardy. What about if the threat does not have a gun, or a knife, or a bludgeon? There are several other factors that would fulfill the ability criterion:
One factor is force of numbers. Two or more threatening persons, even without identifiably deadly weapons, against you alone, would constitute a disparity of force. If they attack you and act in such a manner as to lead you to believe that, unless you do something, they are going to kill or cripple you, you are on solid legal ground. Against a group of attackers, each member of the group shares the same responsibility for the fear the group creates in the intended victim, and also shares the danger from the intended victim’s lawful response.
A second factor is the able bodied against the disabled. So, if you are old and frail, or physically challenged, and you are viciously attacked by a younger, more able bodied man (and the criteria of opportunity and jeopardy are in play), you are on solid legal ground.
A third factor is greater physical size and strength. If you are attacked by King Kong Bundy, you are on solid legal ground in using a force multiplier (a weapon) to avoid being killed or crippled.
A fourth factor is training or reputation. Is the attacker or threat a person known to you to be highly trained in the destructive (martial) arts? For this criterion to be considered a valid, affirmative defense for the defensive use of deadly force, you must have known about it before you resorted to using deadly force. It is not valid if you didn’t know it at the time, but learned that it was so after the fact. You will be judged based solely on what you knew at the time!
A fifth factor is male versus female. Our society assumes that females are more vulnerable and that there is a cultural predisposition for males to be more inclined than females to violent physical aggression. So, if you are female, and you are being attacked by a lone male, and the other criteria of opportunity and jeopardy are in play, you are on solid legal ground in terms of using deadly force if you have no other viable choice to avoid being killed or crippled. This would also include self-defense against rape.
Rape is violence.
No one submits to rape unless the aggressor says submit or else get murdered or crippled or maimed! Ayoob’s DVD notes that criminal justice statistics show that 79% of rapists are unarmed, but nevertheless, there is a disparity of force present–they are armed with ferocious aggression, greater size or physical strength, or strength of numbers, as in a gang rape situation. It also notes that 14% of rapists are armed with contact weapons (e.g., an edged weapon, a bludgeon, etc.), and only 7% of rapists tend to be armed with a gun.
The knife or edged weapon is a lethal threat.
Now let us briefly address the issue of being threatened by someone who has a knife. Clearly, a knife or edged weapon is a contact weapon, as opposed to a firearm which is a remote control weapon. So, a man one hundred feet across a busy street who yells and threatens to kill you with a knife is not an immediate threat. You can’t shoot him! However, that same man brandishing a firearm is an immediate threat if, by his actions, he places you in imminent jeopardy.
The knife issue merits a closer look. Here, opportunity is of special importance. The opportunity factor is a component of two things: distance and obstacles. It may not be part of the common knowledge, but a man with a knife or club twenty-one or fewer feet away from you, has the ability and opportunity to place you in imminent jeopardy. Thanks to the pioneering work in the 1980s of Dennis Tueller, a since-retired Salt Lake City Police Dept. Lieutenant and Gunsite instructor, we now know that it takes around 1.5 seconds for a person with a knife to close a gap of twenty-one feet and be on top of you! For the average trained person who is carrying a concealed handgun, it will take more than 1.5 seconds to draw from concealment, fire, and hit the target at seven yards. So, a person who is threatening you with a knife at twenty-one feet is placing you in imminent jeopardy. The original Tueller study was published in 1983 in SWAT Magazine in an article entitled, "How Close Is Too Close?"
Well, there you have it. This has been a summary of the highlights of what Massad Ayoob goes through in his DVD, and his DVD contains but a small part of what he goes through in his actual courses. I strongly recommend that, at a minimum, you get the DVD and read Ayoob’s book: In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection.
As I stated earlier, Ayoob emphasizes that with power comes responsibility, and with more power comes more responsibility and a higher standard of care. So, if you own a gun for self-defense, and especially if you carry, you had better be prepared to exercise a higher standard of care. In addition to being capable of making a bullet fly true, you had better know when you have the right to do so, and when you do not.
References
Massad F. Ayoob (1990). Judicious Use of Deadly Force. The DVD. Concord, NH: Police Bookshelf. (www.ayoob.com).
Massad F. Ayoob (1980). In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection. Concord, NH: Police Bookshelf (www.ayoob.com).
The Lethal Force Institute. P.O. Box 122. Concord, NH 03302. Tel: 603-224-6814. www.ayoob.com
© 2003-2010 U.S. Concealed Carry Association. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
Book Review: Dealing With Danger
...For anyone who has ever witnessed or experienced deadly weather conditions, an act of terrorism, a natural or man-made disaster or a violent crime and asked themselves, “What can I do to survive?”...
by USCCA
Dealing with Danger is John Higgs’ third instructional
book on surviving life-threatening incidents. What makes Dealing with Danger necessary reading for anyone who wants
to increase their chances of surviving dangerous events is that it teaches the
reader to develop a simple system that can be applied by almost anyone to almost any threatening situation.
For anyone
who has ever witnessed or experienced deadly weather conditions, an act of
terrorism, a natural or man-made disaster or a violent crime and asked
themselves, “What can I do to survive?” the answer is right there in the
sub-title: “Be Prepared, Aware and Decisive”.
Be aware of
what is going on around you; when you see something that may become a threat to
your security prepare to deal with it by developing a simple plan; Determine
what event(s) will make you decide to put your plan into action.
In 132
pages the reader is shown:
- The three mental stages most people
go through when put in harm’s way - How fear may be necessary for
survival - The question we must ask ourselves when
we detect a threat to our security - Why most plans must include a Decision Point
- Threats at home, outside the home, and when it’s time to leave
- How groups of people respond to danger
You can find it at Lulu or Amazon
USCCA Partner: 4 Tactical Tips To Survive A Home Invasion!
...a home invasion requires tactical thinking BEYOND just the point and shoot reaction many gun owners have instilled in themselves from typical range training...
by Jeff Anderson
Imagine this scenario…
You’re sitting at home watching reruns of ‘The Simpsons’ (remember the one where Homer started his own religio…oh nevermind) and there’s a knock at your front door.
"Who’s there?"
"Hello, my daughter is selling girl scout cookies to raise money for military veterans and we’d like to show you her selection."
Being the real "patriot" you are, you’re tempted to open the door to "do your part"…
…but you’re not stupid either!
You look out and notice that you don’t see any little girl, but you DO notice one man standing on your porch you catch a glimpse of another one running to your back door for a sneak attack from the rear.
Which Weapon Do You Reach For?
Your .45?
Shotgun?
Claymore mine?
All are handy little weapons in the fight you recognize is about to happen, but there’s one weapon that you’d better have at the ready now that’s "go time"!
It’s your BRAIN!
A fire fight is a thinking man’s game (and woman’s ;-).
As a tried and true gun owner, your first instinct may be to start blasting away.
Start with the front door lowlife and work your way on to the next vermin, right?
But a home invasion requires tactical thinking BEYOND just the point and shoot reaction many gun owners have instilled in themselves from typical range training.
So let’s break it down a little bit further and really tap into your cranium…
Your Home Invasion Defense Plan:
First, you don’t know what these guys are going to do or even how many of them there are.
Being the smart "thinking shooter" that you are, you know…
* Your living room is NOT the best defensive position! Too many entries and exits and it’s easy to shoot through walls so you’re more likely to get shot.
* You know you have an attacker at the front and at the back and in your adrenalized state, your peripheral vision goes to hell in a handbasket.
* You have family in different areas of the house and no time to take a firing position AND coral them to safety.
So what do you do?
1. You need a "code word" for your family so that they all know how to spring into action.
Forget the Spec Ops secret code. "ESCAPE" works much better than "RED WOLF". Simple…to the point.
2. Have a "safe room" set up in your house where everyone can retreat to at the same time.
It needs to be stocked with several items to be prepared for surviving the upcoming fight.
The list isn’t all that long, but it’s longer than what can be listed here (more on that in a minute).
But you KNOW you need to have a phone to call law enforcement, right? Use it!
3. DON’T leave your safe room!
Assuming you have those you love with you, don’t be one of the idiots who puts on his cape and decides to go take the fight to the guys invading your home.
4. Create a "fatal funnel"
Hunker down in a corner to the opposite side of the opening of the door so you have maximum time to make a shooting decision and are the last thing the home invaders see when busting in.
You have the advantage in this case because they have to assess the room before making a move (is anyone in the room; where are they; recover; reorganize; act)
You just have to decide whether to shoot or not and you already know that either it’s a bad guy coming for you or the police coming to rescue you.(hint: don’t shoot the police)
Stay in place until the police arrive, even if you think the threat is gone.
But What If…
* You have a loved one taken hostage?
* You were taken by surprise and handcuffed to a railing?
* You have to leave the safe room to rescue a family member?
* You can’t get to your firearm (or don’t own one)?
* The police weren’t notified and no one knows you’ve been tied up for days while your family is tormented?
All good questions!
Look, home invasions don’t just happen in "high crime" neighborhoods!
They happen EVERYWHERE (even in rural areas where home invaders know that there’s no one around to hear your screams).
OWNING a gun isn’t the same as knowing what to do with it tactically should you ever be faced with such a violent invasion of your castle.
And I’m not just talking about "point shooting" or getting a 1" shot group between the eyes.
I’m talking about all the other sneaky tricks that support your firing skills and are even MORE important.
In fact, there’s a new program released recently that takes "home invasion defense" to an all new level.
The program is called "Home Defense Tactics" and it’s most likely the #1 selling Home Defense Manual right now because it’s getting a lot of publicity. You’ll find it at:
http://realselfdefensetechniques.com
It’s loaded with some pretty unorthodox tactics, but when it comes to defending yourself and your loved ones from a couple of sadistic predators in your home, you’d damn well better be able to stoop to their levels and take them out fast.
Home Defense Tactics is a manual + 2 CD set that’s LOADED with the real life survival strategies you need to defend against society’s most feared criminals should they enter your home.
Go ahead and check out the website and you’ll see what I mean about "unorthodox".
Again, it’s at:
http://realselfdefensetechniques.com
Enjoy the training!
USCCA Toon of the Week
Why We Need National CCW Reciprocity NOW
Gun Rights Roundup
by Buckeye Firearms Association
According to the The Columbus Dispatch, about 200,000 Ohioans have obtained concealed handgun licenses. But nearly 2,000 others have gotten licenses from Utah without even having to visit that state.
Why? In many cases, they are seeking the right to carry in states that do not yet recognize their Ohio license.
No matter what state you live in, your ability to travel is limited to the agreements your state’s Attorney General has made with other states. The only way to expand your range of travel within the U.S. is through a careful selection of non-resident licenses.
What does this say about concealed carry today? It says that we need passage of a national reciprocity law. If such a law were enacted, it would allow a person who possesses a valid concealed weapons license to carry a gun in every state that issues licenses. This would eliminate the need for so many Americans to play a game of "license bingo" every time they go on a long trip.
Last year, nationwide reciprocity legislation was considered in the U.S. Senate, but failed when two Republicans, including Ohio’s lame duck Republican Senator George Voinovich, voted AGAINST nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry license-holders. The resulting 58-39 vote failed to overcome a Democrat filibuster.
This brings up another reason we need nationwide reciprocity. In 2004, then-Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro began honoring Utah’s permits even though the states’ agreement requires "substantially comparable" eligibility requirements. Current Attorney General Richard Cordray interprets the rules as comparable. But who will be the next Attorney General?
The fact is that until nationwide reciprocity is passed into law, your right to carry in other states is always going to be at the whim of whoever is currently your state’s Attorney General. Even if you’re fortunate to have someone who supports your right to carry, a future election could change things dramatically.
All it would take is one successful anti-gun candidate to rise to the office of Attorney General and reverse reverse the opinions of his predecessors. If that happens, you could find yourself with fewer and fewer places where you can travel while legally carrying.
No law-abiding citizen should be forced to labor under the burdensome and expensive process of obtaining multiple licenses in order to exercise the right to carry, nor should our right be subject to the whim of whomever happens to be state Attorney General.
It is time to pass a nationwide reciprocity law to fix these issues once and for all.
Gun Rights Roundup is a joint venture of Buckeye Firearms Association and USCCA. We will keep fighting until every American enjoys their natural right to carry and self-defense. For more news on pro-gun law, politics, and events, click here to subscribe to Buckeye Firearms Association’s FREE Newsletter.
Coming Up On Armed American Radio
The Official Voice of the USCCA
by Mark Walters
Coming up this week on AAR Joe Miller returns after winning the Alaska republican US senate primary!! Joe joins me for his second appearance on AAR to take a victory lap! Also the former navy SEAL Larry Yatch returns to AAR to finish the discussion we started last week on preparation, avoidance and awareness techniques and much more!!! Be there!!
Don’t forget to join Armed American Radio on FACEBOOK to keep up with all of the latest, up to the minute information as we talk about freedom. Also, please visit me at http://www.armedamericanradio.org for all of the latest affiliate stations around the nation carrying the broadcast and information on where to listen to the show LIVE every Sunday. For a copy of my book, co-written with Ms. Kathy Jackson, please visit www.lessonsfromarmedamerica.com
I’ll see YOU on the radio THIS Sunday from 8-11pm ET, 5-8pm PT
Mark
Quote of the Week
"No law ever prevented a crime." — Anonymous
“Didja get that? ‘No law EVER prevented a crime.’” —Another Anonymous Guy
USCCA Member-Only Video Tip
Here’s this week’s premium video tip; presented for the continued advancement of the armed citizenry and the preservation of our liberty! Use it well…
Cr Williams:
I’m doing test against a timer; chambered and not. You’ll see the difference here as I take the shots. Part 2 of 2.
USCCA Forum Highlights
Every paying website member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over sixty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!
If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!
*******************
The last thing in the world I want to do is call myself a "law abiding citizen" when I can’t understand the confusion of the law. I have my CCW Permit for Nebraska, but I have many important questions that I get conflicting answers to. My biggest one is carrying in my truck. With seat belt and all any kind of draw would be difficult. I would think since I have "permission" to conceal I could put it in my center console or even stick it between he seats while driving. A very unfriendly law enforcement officer told me that my license only permits me to carry on my person not my vehicle. Huh? I should lock it in the trunk while in my vehicle? Really? What about open carry? I hear its legal in Nebraska but not Omaha. I have a license to conceal carry, I can’t open carry? I mean it just doesn’t make sense.
I have looked at a handgun laws website and open carry website. I just get more and more confused. Can anyone help me out here? Is there a law enforcement officer or someone who knows one here in Nebraska to find out the truth. I just simply want to exercise my right, but certainly within the law. I’m not, nor have I ever been a law breaker. Help! I have talked with security guards who open carry and asked them what they had to do to carry. They say “Nothing, its legal here.” Huh? Same with some armored car employees and so on. Do I just go ahead and hire a lawyer just for a consultation? I honestly think that since the State Patrol controls the conceal carry licenses that our local police department isn’t up to speed on current law’s and changes. (No offense meant). Plus the actual statutes that can be read are so vague.
*******************
What about attacks on cyclists?
I’ve always loved shooting sports and have long been a cyclist. Recently, both in national and local news, there have been a number of reports of attacks on cyclists. In fact, one group I belong to is currently engaged in a campaign to ensure that police don’t dismiss incidents wherein a motorist has used their vehicle as a deadly weapon. There have been a few of this kind of violent encounters locally - in fact, I perceive that there’s a trend building.
I tried posting one suggestion on the group’s forum: to avoid if at all possible any response (like flipping the finger) at motorist’s who’ve taken some sort of aggressive (less than lethal) action. The response I got was "mixed" - with several long-standing members accusing me of siding with the aggressive motorists!
These folks have NO experience with aggressive people, they’re mostly just wanting to ride their bikes out in the country and they (mistakenly!) believe that flipping a finger at a motorist is "just the way to show their anger." Hah! Exactly the wrong thing to do, of course.
Looking around, I see no expert self-defense courses for cyclists. If these good people ever went to a self defense class like most states require for licensing to carry - they’d soon see the insanity in "taunting" someone who’s driving a ton or so of deadly force in a state of anger. Obviously - most of these people also have no intention of buying and carrying a pistol for defense (they unconsciously don’t believe it’s "necessary" I think). But I see the need: these people need some "official advice" they’ll take more seriously than they’ve taken my suggestions.
Just wondering: has anyone heard of a self-defense book or a course tailored for such people?
*******************
I am wondering what people are doing when they have to secure their weapon in their car. I’ve been looking for a lockable safe that I can mount in the center console of a 2011 Honda Pilot. I have a small safe (Gun vault, micro vault) that attaches via a cable or screws, but it won’t fit in the Pilot. Under the front seat is not an option due to access, nor is the rear cargo area. I park in an unlit remote lot and don’t want people seeing me store my weapon. I would love to carry at work, however my employer prohibits this. Hopefully the changes in the Ohio legislature will pass soon and give me back this right. Until I can safely store my weapon, I will not carry
Video of the Week
Open Carry in Livermore, California
Most applaud the efforts of the activists who are trying to change public opinion about citizens being openly armed in public. However, there is the concern for a backlash of public outcry that will just get more legislation enacted. Notice in this video that it is repeated how open carry in California is only legal with an “unloaded” gun.
USCCA Photo of the Week
All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s
website:
http://www.a-human-right.com/.
It is a fantastic site. Please check it out!
USCCA Self Defense Story
Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!
July 28, 2010
Tulsa, Oklahoma
From: Tulsaworld.com
Homeowner shot after interrupting burglary at his home
Click on the above link to read this interesting story and learn from it. The key point in the article is where the 17 year-old burglar picked up the victim’s gun and shot him three times. Though it is not elaborated in the article, it seems to indicate that the homeowner’s gun was left unsecured in the house. Many gun owners don’t have children or any visitors that make it necessary to lock up their guns. Some gun owners live alone with all of their visitors having knowledge of gun safety rules.
How many gun owners leave one in a nightstand or another place where it can be found and easily put into criminal use by a burglar who may visit while we are away? It would be a terrible thing to come home to a burglary in progress and be shot with one’s own gun that the burglar happened upon.
USCCA Q&A
Last Week’s Question: ANSWERED.
I would like some recommendations for people who have conditions that limit their abilty to train at the range. I have sever arthritis in addition to nerve damage from a very bad auto accident. Even prolonged dry firing causes me severe pain. Thank you, Bill Stephens
RSM:
I can empathize with your problem. I’ve got some arthritis problems in my right hand, elbow and shoulder, although apparently not as bad as yours. The first question that comes to mind is “are you using the right gun?” Holding a 40oz 1911 in the normal “Weaver” position gets rather wearing for me after a while and I can’t put a lot of snappy .40 downrange without paying for it the next couple of days.
Your head and heart may be telling you “full size .45 with +P ammo” but you might be far better off with a lighter gun and a less potent cartridge. Practice equals shot placement and good placement trumps ballistics in any situation. I don’t have trouble with a DA trigger (at least not yet) so my usual carry gun is a light weight 38 snubby. Obviously you have to adapt the gun to your particular problem. If the trigger press is a big part of your pain, a DA revolver is not the solution. Think about a relatively light gun with an “easy” trigger such as a compact Glock or XD.
Another interesting option if you have both weight and trigger issues might be the new .380 SIG P238. Recoil management is one of my major discomfort issues. I carry “full-house” loads but cope with it by mostly practicing with mild “cowboy” loads (125gr @ 600fps). It also helps me to use a heavier gun such as my old Mod. 60 or even a full size “service” revolver. To expand on this, I have a J-Frame .22 with a grip similar to the one on my carry piece. In terms of dry fire practice, what seems to matter is the cumulative number of “clicks” you do, not how many you do at any one time.
10 clicks at a time, several times a day will probably be as useful as a single long practice and should be much less uncomfortable.
Anonymous:
My wife has arthritis in her right hand so bad that the “trigger” finger is deformed and won’t fit in the trigger guard. she trained her left hand , more accurately she trained her brain so that she could use her left hand, and now shoots very well left handed.
R. Shadoe :
It sounds as if your physical condition limits the length of time you can train rather than your effectiveness. As a lifelong shooter & a rehab R.N. I would recommend focusing on drills that give you maximum benefit for short periods of time as often as possible. I would highly recommend all shooters purchase the best .17 ca target air pistol they can afford, I have a 25 year old Daisy Model 717, and practice every day. I hope this is of some help.
Anonymous:
The key is going to be to train as much as you can for as long as you can. With painful conditions, that might not be very many rounds very often, but do the best that you can….. after all, that is all any of us can do. (be as well trained as our wallets, body, mind, and soul can take)
This week’s question. Have an answer? Use the “Answer a Question” form below to give an answer- I’ll share them here next week!
My question is I hear and get emails from so many supposed pro gun groups, how do you know which ones are for real? I do not want to join a pro-gun group and find out that my membership is used to support the wrong side. I’m a member of USCCA. –Stephen Feagans
Do you have a pressing concern? Use the ‘Ask a Question’ contact form found at this page to let me hear your advice. Just use the graphic below!
 |
 |
