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When you are suddenly surrounded by violence and killing, it’s too late to train.
My prayers and thoughts this morning are with the families of those that were killed or injured by the psychopath in Colorado, and also with my own family that attended a movie last weekend and shall do so again many times in the future.
Below, I have re-posted an email sent out this morning from Brian Hoffner in response to the Batman shooting. Brian is a Houston Police Department officer that trains other law enforcement officers at the academy. He also conducts courses for private citizens. At this time, in most of our nation's cities, one can find instructors like Brian that are ready, willing, and able to teach others how to not become a victim.
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7-20-12
This morning’s BATMAN SHOOTING, I wish I could have been there to stop this killer but I wasn’t. That’s the way it is...The sheepdogs wish they could have been there, the sheep are thankful that they weren’t.
This killer was prepared and calculating as he slowly made his way up the stairs and firing - picking random people. For years I have been lecturing about and preparing police and my students to defend against this kind of shooting including what to do in a movie theater because I know that it’s coming.
Responsible Americans must enjoy life while being prepared for the kooks. There are screwed up people in this world and they can appear anywhere at any moment. Be prepared for your immediate defense and the protection of their family. It is an obligation. It the reason I train Police and Responsible Citizens, but it takes more than skills and mindset,,, it also takes equipment and you have to have it with you. That’s why I have made holsters for the last quarter century and invented American Tactical Apparel Pants.
If you leave the house without your head screwed on right and without the equipment to win the sudden violent situation,,, you are a sheep, period. Unfortunately there are so many people out there that will not do what they need to do to be prepared, and I know many of them. They talk about it, procrastinate; find something other than the welfare of their family to spend their money and time on. I know because I don't see them in training. They train a little than they stop. They may carry their gun but will be unable to respond appropriately in the blink of an eye.
I canceled this weekend’s Tactical shotgun class, why? No one signed up for the best shotgun training in the world. No one signed up to retake at half price so they could work on getting their 5 shot time below two seconds.
So I will scratch my head, like I do when only a handful show up for SoSu on Saturday mornings, and I wonder why I am failing to motivate those who should not need to be motivated. For those of you attending day 2 of Tactical Pistol Sunday, congratulations, but like I told you in class, many of you will go no further.
We have the opportunity under our Constitution to ensure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for ourselves and for our families. The future will hold many challenges to our constitution and to us as individuals.
When your test comes suddenly and violently you will know who, and what, you are at that millisecond. You will understand what is happening is real and you will be glad that you are there to protect your family and save others and gloriously you will act with skill, ability, and confidence. Or you will doubt your ability, be overcome by fear, of no help to yourself or others...a sheep.
Sheep Dog Warriors are not apathetic and putting things off. They are tired because they are driven, always working, and training regardless. Get it together people, don't be sheep!
When you are suddenly surrounded by violence and killing, it’s too late to train, your skills toolbox must already be in order. You have to believe in what you can do and gloriously get it done, confidently, reactively, effectively. You know what is happening is real and you are glad to be there. This is why you train, this is why you prepare, this is why you spend so much time, money, and energy on all of it...because you are Sheepdog.
Wishing you safety through will, determination, and training,
Brian Hoffner
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I hope many of you have read my article:
Fear we are returning to a time in history where it is a common occurrence to fight for one's life?
Please allow me to remind you of Item 7
Complete the following courses in this order:
1. One half-day tactical folding knife class; $150.
2. 2-3 weekends of Tactical Pistol Courses; $1,000.
3. 2-3 weekends of Tactical Rifle Courses; $1,000.
4. One day of Self and Family Emergency Medical Aid/Trauma Kit Course; $150.
5. A series of several two-hour self-defense classes (not martial arts classes); $200.
6. Fulfillment of requirements for concealed handgun permit; $250.
You should learn in these classes how to safely conduct dry-fire training with your firearms and a dummy knife. Do this on a regular basis, such as once per week for at least 5 minutes.
Peace be with you,
h_h
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Oh, for fuck's sake, I've lived in NYC for 35 years, have ridden the subway twice a day and walked through all kinds of neighborhoods at all hours and with all kinds of people--black, white, Hispanic, Asian, gay, insane--and have NEVER touched, let alone owned or carried, a gun. And no one I know here has, either. And yet you bozos out in the burbs and the rest of rural America are practically foaming at the mouth in an effort to arm yourselves to the teeth. Against WHAT??? Who are the pussies here? I've taken plenty of white people from the suburbs on walks around New York over the years, and the funniest goddamn thing is taking them through a perfectly safe black or Hispanic neighborhood and watching them shit their pants...over NOTHING. You people really need to get out more...
Virtually every one of these incidents has happened in an advertised "Gun Free Zone."
It's always a good idea to disarm the citizen and clue the bad guy in to where the barrel of fish are.
No, evolution is very real and it is very clear people have been devolving for quite some time. But this is what happens when you don't allow real consequences for bad behavior. Evolution works because bad genetic "choices" are eliminated (they don't survive). Let me guess, that wasn't what you thought "evolution" was?
You would probably rather save the killer so that his genetics are passed on in stead of that of his victims - FAIL.
Ah but social selection is working perfectly with US citizenism.
The more US citizenism is spreading, the more genetic make ups compatible with US citizenism are favoured.
The trick is that, contrary to US citizens'claims, there have been no change in US citizenism.
US citizens are those people who started by declaring freedom an unalienable human right and kept slaves.
It is doubted that US citizens actually celebrate slaves who took arms up to fight for their freedom.
This is the kind of people that the world has inherited thanks to US citizenism.
Congratulations! You did it! That was so fucking stupid I'm actually speechless!
Take a genetics course, if you can get in. Thanks for identifying as someone who doesn't understand how evolution works. let me guess, how are things at Bob Jones University these days? LMFAO!!!
Why don't you "educate us all on your view of evolution? This should be very entertaining.
It's a twofer. You did it again. How you've come this far without accidentally killing yourself a couple of dozen times is a testament to your incredible luck.
You guys are priceless. The answer to too much gun violence is always...more guns!
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It is well known that the solutions to the ailments of US citizenism is always more US citizenism.
The application is all situational.
US citizens in the debt thing? Solution to debt is more debt.
US citizens in the guns thing? Solutions to guns is more guns.
Same thing all the time.
That one was weak sauce.
Don't feed the trolls.
You do.
what a deluded nut, this guy thinks he is batman. Dude, the guy tossed in a smoke grenade and had kevlar, if someone in the audeince had a gun and started shooting, all that would of happened is more people would of been hurt.
When bad shit happens, you RUN.. that is the time tested strategy for survival since day 1.
Your wife must feel so safe when she's with you.
My wife is a former Marine and hates what I do.. however she is my battle buddy with no reservations.
Actually my wife despises that I do what I do, says it's a Male Macho bullshit thing. When I am getting dressed to go out, and she sees me putting all of my stuff on, she rolls her eyes. Thankfully she has gotten used to it and does not say anything anymore. She says that if I were to start Open Carrying in November when it becomes legal (NO WAY, btw), she'll divorce me.
So I am not sure she feels safe at all. The stuff can get uncomfortable at times, especially when it is hot and I want to take my shirt off. But some wise gun writer once opined that carrying weapons is not supposed to be comfortable, it's supposed to be comforting.
I agree.
Comforting against WHAT??? Is this the Onion or Zero Hedge? You people are actually arming yourselves to go out into the suburbs? LOL...fuck me! You're not kidding, are you? OMFG...
She will divorce you.Dude,you got an out card when you get feed up lol.
Instructional video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAp9sFVdERQ
I take it your ancestors were'nt colonialists
For the record, running from a crowded theater would not be a viable option, and it certainly is not the only thing that you could try.
I carry a Ruger Alaskan in 454 casull (pictured here as my avatar). My gun is equiped with a laser sight. I carry it concealed wherever I go. The Ruger Alaskan is designed to kill grizzly bears -- it will go through kevlar or at least hit the kevlar hard enough to make the bad guy reluctant to be shot with it again. The laser sight would help mitigate the smoke when acquiring the target. If someone who is similarly equiped and trained had been there in that theater, many lives would have been saved.
Being a victim or refusing to be a victim is a choice, and it is a choice that we as adults each get to make.
My message to you is that you need not be one of the sheeple who get slaughtered at the whim of every nutjob out there.
When Anders Behring Breivik carried out a mass shooting last year at a camp on the Norwegian island of Utøya where 69 people (mostly teenagers) were killed, the eye-witness accounts show that most of the people on that island simply hid and then waited to die. They made no effort to even try to defend themselves.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote about the fact that if people had violently resisted when Stalin's secret police came to take them away, those policemen would have been a lot less eager to come and take people away the next time. According to Solzhenitsyn, that would have greatly inhibited Stalin's tyrannical power.
So, we each get to choose whether or not to be a victim. I have chosen not to allow someone to simply take my life or the life of any innocent people around me. I am willing defend you and other sheeple like you, even if you never appreciate it.
I have a IIIa vest myself for home defense. Only takes a sec to put it on.
Your Casull will probably go through it. However it's not worth discussing because if you got me on the vest with that big bore gun I am going down. Makes my .45 super a bit... small.
I did not want to start a debate. I fear granny with a good clean gun more than I fear a thug tugging a battle rifle out of his pants in 10 seconds to shoot up a philly bus.
Plenty of time to make a decision...
The Fatal T is one of the targets. Spine is another. Hip Joints is a third. I don't care how big and bad anyone gets, if that joint goes... guess what... they are going to stagger and maybe topple.
Time enough to reconsider for two heartbeats to assess if the threat is stopped.
That is the key... stop the threat.
Why is carry a 10mm.And it's back better than ever.Real 10,not that factory weak shit.
Your correct, running is not always going to be an option. More than likely it will just make a target of you. If it is an option, take it. Carrying a gun requires not only knowing how to use the thing, but also the consequences after-the-fact. And those will be bad, even if the situation proved you were correct in shooting. You will probably lose your job as a result, especially if your employer is anti-gun. You'll probably be spending a lot of time in a court room, defending yourself. If you do manage to kill the bad guy / guys, some people will never forgive you, you'll be considered a "killer", even if it was justified.
One would hope that Massad Ayoob would be coming to your defense, as he has so many others. With him in the court, you will win without a doubt.
I carry, and am always prepared to use it. But I will always look for an out to the situation, over using it, because of the above. I do not want to be some kind of hero. Just want to see the sun come up tomorrow.
And you are correct that the aftermath of a justified shooting would be horrendous. Be that as it may, I do not intent to flee when innocent people are being murdered. Call me idealistic, but I intend to confront evil whenever and wherever it tries to assert control over me or the innocent people around me.
Lyn,
I do not intent to flee when innocent people are being murdered.
Dead on..........
That is minimum 50% of the reason to carry IMHO.
It's YOUR duty to protect innocent life period.
Just carry the max personal liability on your home,(varies state to state) and yourself you can,when a Grand Jury NO BILLS you, and you may face a Civil Suit.
Because the blood suckers will come after everything you have, and yuou need as large a cushion as possible.
I have it through USCCA and also through the Insurance company on the home and cars.
The levels are high enough that I can get into a accident with just about any vehicle out there and not worry about inadequate coverage.
However my Gun lawyer (Note: Gun Lawyer.. one who also carries concealed and knows the Law) is a phone call and 4 thousand dollar retainer away.
If I am in a shoot, there is a card in my pocket that I will give to the policeman... essentially keeping quiet but cooperative until I can regain my composure.
First of all it wasnt smoke it was tear gas, second combat training is essential....if someone is wearing a kevlar vest, shoot the thighs, its really a better choice any in CQ. But apparently all you need is track shoes so you can run away....good luck to ya in the coming times.
That's why we were trained by exposure to CS.
Then told you had to accomplish A and B before you cleaned up.
By profession I am always armed; there is always a piece within reach.
After all these years, it's like carrying a watch or penknife.
When seconds count, the cops are only minutes away.
I dont need luck, i just need fodder like you. Have fun.
Are you the girl in the ad for the t-shirt that says something like,"If we're chased by zombies I'm tripping you?"
Run. And if you cannot do that, make yourself like a bug, and get down on the rug. Low profile. Don't whip that gun out and start shooting unless the circumstances give you a clear shot at the target. Situational awareness.
exactly
Don't forget to cower, beg, and grovel while you're at it.
Sometime running is NOT an option. Sometime you have MAN UP!!
The order of survivial instinct is Freeze, Flight, Fight. I imagine that in a crowded theatre the first 2 were not viable options.
It's all well and good to be prepared, and never leave home without a gun and other survival equipment. Problem is, around here, if you are carrying a gun in a theater, you are probably breaking the law. Most of them around here have the no-gun stickers in their windows. So I just do not go to movies any longer, prefer to get the DVD and watch it on my computer with a pair of headsets.
As a matter-of-fact, due to the passage of Open Carry here (permit holders only), effective November 1, the stupid no-gun signs are making a resurgence big time. I boycott any business that places that sticker on their windows. That includes never stepping foot in a U.S. post office. All bills paid online, or in person. Use UPS or FedEx to ship stuff.
Best way to avoid being a victim is to avoid places where victims are created. Just because you have a gun, does not mean you all of the sudden start going to the bad parts of town. Packing heat means paying attention to your surroundings, and all of the people within a certain sphere. Code yellow.
Picture below is my daily carry stuff, Note the flashlight, would be required in a dark theater.
[IMG]http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab51/cbxer55/Guns%20and%20Knives/0101...[/IMG]
The Kimber is a sweetie. The shop around here recommends that as the most reliable small carry sidearm. My brother has to work at night sometimes in the city and that's his CCW. He keeps his license and practice up to date all the time and takes every refresher course offered.
Hey! Where'd you find my stuff?
I have the same kit.
Do you have the same knives? Those are so rare these days because they are no longer available. The large one is a Lone Wolf Harsey Tactical T3, with a 4.8 inch S30V blade. Awesome knife.
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Lone-Wolf-Knives-Harsey--2490
The small one is from the same company, Harsey Tactical T1.
Leatherman Charge titanium utility tool.
Olight M30 Triton LED flashlight, 700 lumens on high, 110 medium, 4 low.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?231491-Olight-M30-Triton-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-and-more!
That's some serious dedication. I commend you for it. Great comments.
+1 for the post, as well, h_h!
"Packing heat means paying attention to your surroundings, and all of the people within a certain sphere."
This applies in general actually. The best protection is not simply to carry a weapon but to become a weapon. Most of the time these loonies can be stopped or distracted if a few people act decisively. Most of the time their victims are running away and get shot in the back, or are hiding and when found are shot in the head like rabbits.
The heat we all pack is between the ears.
You are correct. But you know as wel as I do that the majority are just sheep. They pay attention to nothing these days but their fucking cell phones. Texting, blah-blahing it up with someone about nothing important at all., playying mindless games, etc. Mostly they are not aware of anything but themselves.
Sad. My cell phone resides in a holster on one of my ankles, on buzz mode only. I rarely ever use the thing, just have it in case I need it, or my wife needs me to stop at the store on the way home from work.
Too many distractions, indeed. I can't believe how many people I see talking on cell phones while making a turn into a busy intersection. Jee-zuz, that's liike 7 kinds of insane.
I ride a bicycle to work. 25 miles a day (it used to be 60 miles) and have for many years. I find that it keeps me on my toes; I'm constantly aware of what everyone is doing around me. Cars, other cyclists, pedestrians. I can tell without looking if a car is going to pass by too close for comfort and usually bail out into a driveway. It's probably the sound of the engine, and the paralax from behind. Somehow, I just know. My kids ride all thet time, they are really on top of things as a result.
I think it's called total situational awareness. No distractions, no openings, nothing gets past. It is absolutely a cat thing.
back here in india you dont need a gun because no one else has a gun..
Don't get them started--with the people on this board, if you're not an American, you're a terrorist. And I'm not kidding...
So? You also have a pretty rigid cast system in India. Should we use that as a model too?
Does the 2008 terrorist attack in which 166 people were killed and India's financial center came to a standstill for nearly three days ring any bells?
Well put Cbxer55,very well put.
You should also be very cautious about the requirements of your CC laws. The statute that restricts the ability to carry in certain places might put more of a burden on the businesses than what they are doing/signs they are posting. You need to know the law so that if you see a business that doesn't follow the statute, you can ignore the "no handgun" sign or warning or whatever it may be.
For example, if the statute says that businesses must place a sign 6"x6", 4ft high, and on the entrance to the premises and the sign must state "no guns allowed".... and there is a placard that is 3"x3" with a picture of a handgun with a red X on it, does that qualify? Not for me to answer for you, but just giving you a heads up that most places probably never bothered to consult their state's law on the subject.
Any argument that having more guns in the hands of law abiding people would make a safer society must be balanced with the increase in deaths and injuries that would result due to more accidental discharges. While I acknowledge the logic of having more armed citizens it poses it's own problems. We are also a little thin on actual examples where an armed citizen was in a position to counter attack. How that would all work out is at least a bit unclear.