Great day out on the range today!  Beautiful weather, shooting with one of best friends and in general just having a really good time.  Shot a drill that I shoot pretty often when out at USANA, the 5, 10, 15, and 20 yard drill.  First shot this drill at a shooting school down in North Carolina.  The name of the school is Trigger Time.  Generally you would use a standard IDPA or FBI Q target that incorporates an 8" A zone hit area.  I like using a 6x12" steel plate target.  Those of you who know me know that I like shooting steel!   This drill is designed to enhance your ability to distinguish between time and distance as it relates to accuracy if you are involved in a confrontation.  Only hits count!  Shooting too fast and missing does nothing to solve the problem.  It just makes you more vulnerable for a longer period,  Not a good thing.  You need to end it as soon as possible and that can only be done with good solid hits place in that high center of the chest area, ( this size target represents that area).  

The real reason for this post is not about my shooting skills.  It more about what I prefer in the way of equipment, HINT!  Those of you who know and shoot with me know that I am a die heart when it comes to equipment.  So I ask you this?  Does anyone see something that is out of place!  besides the old guy on the range. lol

Well I guess a picture is worth a 1000 words!  As you can see the ladies had a great time and were all very proud of their results with the actual live fire training that they did.  It was a great class with a fabulous group of young ladies.  Thank you all for coming.  From an instructor's perspective, when you have the opportunity to work with a group of students like this group it is a very rewarding experience!

Hi folks, up early as usual and getting ready to do a Safety and Basic Skill Class for a group of young ladies later today.  This will be the first class that I am doing for an all female group.  As I mentioned in a previous post the ladies are really starting to take a major interest and active participation in shooting.  I feel very strongly that this is very good for the industry but more importantly that it is beneficial for their safety and that of their families safety.  Having knowledge is truly important but having a understanding of how to apply that knowledge is the key.   I feel very privileged of having been asked to do this class by two very good friends that are police officers one of which is the husband of one of the young ladies and the other who is the father and father-in-law of another.  More to come after the class!

Skill Set: Education

Skill Set: Education

Editor's Note: If you've not done this particular bit of preparation, it's past time to get it done. If you know people who should be reading this, clue them in. Right click on the "permalink" below and "copy link" to past into your email or on social media. This message needs to get out to your loved ones.

There is a storm coming. Make sure your family is prepared.

Now is the time to teach children and young adults how to respond to an attack, or what's commonly called an "active shooter." One of the most common responses when trouble occurs is a sense of surprise. Something you've never seen or imagined before happens. This stems from a lack of education; the mind is either overwhelmed or trying to relate what's occurring to past experiences or information.

The first thing to teach your "team" is to identify trouble. Explain to them that in almost all attacks there are warning signs prior to the event. For example, when they see something on social media that could indicate future trouble they need to show it to you, or inform someone in charge and thenstill tell you.

During the recent attack in Oregon several students said they heard noises – in this case gunfire – but didn't know what it was. I can understand this; if you've never heard actual gunfire, especially inside a building, you might have a difficult time knowing what it is.

Numerous videos show people just standing around clueless while a shooting is taking place only a few yards away. I've seen video of someone walking into a college classroom with a "fake" gun. The majority of people didn't even notice this and the few that do see the "gunman" just stare in silence. Teach your "team" that the sound of gunfire, screaming, furniture being knocked over or anything else of that nature is a sign that something out of the ordinary is occurring. These indicators cannot be ignored.

Moving during an attack is a good thing. Avoidance and escape are tactics we teach during every class and are at the top of our list of responses. Avoidance may mean moving to another location in an orderly manner or as we say "haulin' ass" in an effort to get away to a safer location. Escape may require smashing out a window and dropping out it, even if it's on the second floor. Movement to cover is good, so you'll have to teach them the difference between cover and concealment, and that once the threat knows where you are hiding, concealment won't offer any protection.

Teach your team to fight back. Complying with the attacker and lining up waiting to be shot is not acceptable. The current response model is to lock or barricade the door/entry and then students all gather in one area. Regardless of how well the threat is prepared if two, three or more people counter attack it's difficult for the threat to continue with their plan. Teach your team about improvised weapons and the advantages of communication and teamwork, and then practice these skills.

Personal protection is an individual responsibility. This also applies to your children. Now is the time to prepare young people with the skills to deal with an attacker. If you don't feel comfortable with this responsibility find someone who can help you. Being completely unprepared with no idea of how to respond to a violent attack, regardless of age, is unacceptable. Correct this now.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy

More on gun Safety....Ken Hackathorn

Gunfighter Moment – Ken Hackathorn 

Finger position is ‘King’

Everyone in the small arms training world pays homage to the concept of ‘gun safety’. Some of these gun safety rules are simple to follow, some are not. Visit any indoor shooting range or local gun club and within minutes of your arrival you will likely see someone violating a basic firearms safety rule. Everyone seems to place varying degrees of importance on gun safety. Some folks will tell you that there are ten rules of gun safety; others will quote five rules to follow. In the “Real World” (defined as where the targets are shooting back and there are no ‘firing lines’) there are only two rules that matter. Understand that the most critical gun safety rule is the mindset that ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED. Once you understand this, the only other safety rules you must get clear are muzzle awareness and finger position.

Now, I’m going to say something that will make some folks heads explode; sometimes in the “Real World” we point guns at other people. Often on purpose, and occasionally by accident. We try like hell to never point a firearm at a target we do not wish to engage, but guess what, shit happens. So, no matter how hard we try to avoid unintentional flags of people that we do not want to hurt, it is critical that one has a back up firearms safety system that prevents injury to friendly forces. Finger position or finger register is the key; tt has to be programmed into your firearms handling skills and never violated.

The best news is it is a very easy skill to master. Whenever you handle a firearm, never put your finger in the trigger guard unless you want to hear a loud noise. When on the range or practicing, program your brain that when your sights come off the target, your finger comes off the trigger and out of the trigger guard. It is really pretty simple. Once you start programming yourself to do this, it is pretty easy to adapt to.

I suggest and teach that you place your trigger finger somewhere on the firearm where you can exert pressure against the frame or side of the weapon so that in a startle response you will not end up on the trigger. On a pistol, I teach trying to place your index finger on or as near to the ejection port as possible. On a rifle/carbine put your finger on the stock above the trigger guard or receiver, so that with pressure nothing will go ‘bang’ when you exert positive pressure. On the AR-15 platform take care to NOT put your finger on the magazine catch. I often recommend a small patch of skate board tape placed on the part of the firearm that you want to index with your trigger finger. When your finger becomes raw form the skate board tape, you can remove it as you will now understand where your trigger finger belongs.

Some folks tell me that it is better to engage the safety instead of worrying about finger position. WRONG. What if your sidearm does not have a manual safety? Recently, one of the other Alias instructors detailed his method of always engaging the safety (of an AR or AR control style) firearm for all things when not shooting, including reloading when empty and clearing a malfunction. Mike and Pat are professionals that I have the highest level of respect for. However, I do not teach, nor recommend engaging the safety for every task. Not all small arms have the controls located as ideally as the AR-15 platform; many of the current popular sidearms don’t even have manual safeties and many that do can’t be engaged and still allow the small arm to cycle or load.

Remember, instructors don’t always agree on everything; doesn’t mean that Pat or Mike are wrong. We just don’t agree on this particular safety manipulation. I teach to utilize the safety when moving or when performing shoulder transitions, but when reloading an empty weapon or while clearing a malfunction, I’m not a fan of ‘safety on’. What I am really touchy about is finger out of the trigger guard and ‘in register position’. The way I instantly measure a new face with a firearm in their possession is whether they follow this rule.

If you have to work with or be around folks with firearms, remember, the finger position rule is ‘King’ in gun safety.

– Ken Hackathorn                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                             

For the ladies!

  FIRE AWAY!

 Christine Fewkes

HATS OFF TO THE LADIES

I have been involved with firearms training for a long time, probably longer than I want anyone to know.  That’s because it will give away my age!  Over the past couple of years I have seen an over whelming interest of ladies that are concerned about their safety and the safety of their families.  It has really increased within the past year.  I began to notice this with one of the classes I do generally on a monthly basis.  I hold a Basic Safety and Skill Class at a range in Delaware County.  This is a very basic, but informative class.  It runs for about five hours and includes a live fire segment at the end.  The live fire segment gives a new shooter an opportunity to get a feel for what it’s like to fire a gun.  A lot of the students that are in the class have never fired or for that matter ever handled a firearm.  I really emphasis the fact that this class is just the starting point for them if they decide to own a firearm and that the responsibility is something that can never ever be taken lightly.  I tell each and every one of them that they need to continue to get additional training with a knowledgeable, experienced instructor.  In this way they can improve their skill level so that if they ever need to utilize a firearm for self defense they will be able to do that in the most efficient and effective manner.

Now let’s get into the purpose of this article.  I think that it is fantastic that the women are finally getting involved with the shooting sports.  They realize that it is a lot of fun and a very rewarding and a great confident building activity.  In addition they are learning and practicing skill sets that they can use to protect themselves and their families. 

I personally have found that from an instructor’s point of view, that they are (the ladies) so much easier than the guys to get better results from in a shorter period of time.  I have narrowed this down to the fact that they tend to listen and follow the instructions that they are given.  For whatever reason guys come out and they think because that they are males that they are born with the ability to shoot a gun.  Well I am here to tell you that is not always the case.  They may have bigger and stronger mussels and that can be a beneficial factor, but sometimes the most important mussel, (the one between their ears) might be a little deficient.

Hey guys I not bashing you just stating my opinion!  That opinion is based on a lot of years of experience. 

I have had the pleasure to train and shoot with some classy ladies, like Christine in the pic at the top of the article. Christine and her husband Don are very good friends of mine.  They are both dedicated and responsible individuals who take Self Defense and the Use of Force very serious.  You can usually find them at the range one or two times a week practicing so they can maintain their shooting skills at a very high level.  When Christine is on the firing line she is totally focused on what she is doing.  She does not except anything less than accurate effective hits on the target.  Ladies like her and other women that I have trained and given lessons to are dedicated to their shooting and their well being.  They have become very proficient with a lot of different types of firearms. 

LADIES, TRAIN HARD/ FIGHT EASY!

Safety Tip #4

NEVER BEND OVER TO PICK UP ANYTHING WHEN YOU ARE HOLDING A FIREARM!  

ALWAYS CLEAR IT AND TABLE IT OR RECOVER IT TO YOUR HOLSTER BEFORE BENDING OVER!