MEMORIAL DAY

LET US NOT FORGET THOSE THAT HAVE SERVED AND THOSE THAT ARE NOW SERVING!  PLEASE SAY A PRAYER.  WE OWE THEM FOR ALL THAT WE HAVE!

Skill Set: Violence

Tiger ,hits the nail on head with this one! 

Skill Set: Violence

Violence is a universal language.  It’s the one form of communication everyone understands.  Regardless of the language, culture, society, time or place, everyone comprehends violence.   In order to stop aggression you must be fluent in violence.

Some people  - using the term “people” loosely – have no qualms about hurting others.  Dave Grossman calls them “wolves.”  They prey on others with an enormous appetite.  “Sheep dogs” protect the sheep, those who are incapable or unwilling of defending themselves against the wolf.  “Incapable” are the young, elderly and such.  Some are simply “unwilling,” because under the right conditions everyone is capable of doing harm to others.  The capacity to do violence lives in each of us.
Violence is in our DNA.  In the Middle Ages it’s said about twelve percent of all deaths were violent, man against man.  Today the average hovers at around two percent.  All animals will kill, but man is one of the few creatures who kill their own kind with regularity.
“Sheep” don’t like “sheepdogs.”  Most people think it’s because the dog tells the sheep what to do.  The real reason is that dogs are wolves, or at least 99.9 percent or so wolf.  The sheep dog can and will get violent.  But this aggression is kept in check except when necessary and only in defense of others.  And that is the key, knowing when it is appropriate to use aggressive force.
Violence is only justified in defense of self and others.  This requires one to study the morals and ethics of when and why force is acceptable.  Force may only be used when there are no other options.  It is for protection.  Like it or not these same morals and ethics extend to the threat.  You do everything possible to avoid having to use force against someone.  You go beyond polite, steering clear of even the possibility of becoming involved in a situation where you might be required to use violence.  But, when the time comes and they won’t listen to reason – “Leave my house now! – or block you from avoiding or escaping, they will understand force.  Stop them before they hurt you. 

 While we all have violence in us, being willing to confront an attacker may not be enough.  You’ll need tools and skills.  The best tools are firearms.  The firearm allows smaller, weaker people to defeat those who are physically “bigger” and doesn’t require years of study to become proficient.  To use them safely and efficiently you will need training, an education in their use.  Then, like every other martial art, practice is necessary to maintain and improve your skills.
The only reason it’s called “defensive handgun” is because you didn’t start the fight.  But when the time comes you’ll have to become violent, and aggressive in its application.  Stopping a violent attack requires a higher level of violence.  Two objects with equal power create a stalemate.  Make sure that when the time comes you are capable, willing and ready to judiciously apply violence.  Life is valuable, and every measure, including violence – the one language everyone understands - should be used to protect it.
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy,

Skill Set: Do It Right....Tiger McKee

Skill Set: Do It Right

With firearms there is a proper technique for everything you need to do.  You “do it right” every time.  This ensures safety – always our number one concern – and efficiency, which is mandatory for self-defense.
The attention you give when handling firearms must be constant.  It takes a fraction of a second for a mistake to occur.  Mistakes with firearms are embarrassing at best, but often tragic.  The devil is in the details, and how you do anything is critical for several reasons.
Safety is mandatory when handling firearms.  Always using the proper techniques reduces the chances of you making a mistake.  It starts when you pick up the firearm.  Acquire the proper grip on the pistol, as opposed to picking it up just any ol’ way like it’s a book.  The finger is off the trigger and clear of the trigger guard.  The only time your finger is on the trigger is when the sights are on target.  At all times you’re thinking about what is a safe direction to point the muzzle, and keeping it indexed.  You check to confirm it’s empty and clear; you use the right technique.
You do it right every time because each time is a training repetition.  We learn through repetition.  Any time you handle a firearm it’s a learning opportunity.  The brain does not have a filter to funnel or separate out the “bad” repetitions.  Your goal is to make every one a “good” one.  If you get bored with the process, or haphazard in how you perform – even with the small tasks – you become unsafe, and you’re learning the wrong way to do it.  You shouldn’t have to think to determine which is the proper technique.  It becomes a religion – with a little “r.”
Consistency in your techniques is mandatory to ensure you’ll do it right when lives depend on your performance.  Using firearms is a serious matter, and should be approached accordingly.  For example, this thought should be in your mind every time you press the trigger:  “Lives depend on this shot.”  Remember, for our application firearms are weapons.  This principle applies to anything you do with a firearm.
You must also approach any and every task with a happy heart.  “I’m glad I get to shoot another group,” you think.  As opposed to, “Oh man, the instructor is making us shoot again.”  Anything you approach with dread will not be done right.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re cleaning your weapon – a task I’m not fond of – or dealing with a threat.  Attitude is everything.
As for the big picture, it’s all the same.  It takes discipline and focus to do things right; being human we tend to take the easy route, which normally isn’t the best one.  As Martin Luther King, Jr. said:  “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.  He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”  Regardless of the task you must be focused, disciplined and take joy in doing it right.
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy