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U.S. Concealed Carry
Weekly Newsletter
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The entire USCCA website will be down from 11:00 pm CDT to 12:00 midnight CDT, Sunday June 17th, 2007. We will be performing a major server migration. This will be the first in a series of steps to improve website features & performance. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
June 15th, 2007
Dear Friend,
Happy Father's Day! You know, I always love Father's Day, because every year my wife buys me a new gun...Okay, you got me- but you can't blame a guy for trying!
Do you remember back a few newsletters ago, when I mentioned that John Stossel of 20/20 was putting together a piece on gun control and concealed carry? Well if you don't, this guy (the author of "Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity") actually aired a four and a half minute segment on how guns SAVE lives!! It was truly an awesome piece of television, and to say the least, I gained a LOT of respect for John Stossel that night!
Well anyway, I found that entire clip! So if you didn't see it, you have GOT to check this out!
What did I tell you? Wasn't that awesome?! Look- if you're anything like me, you're probably too "pro-gun biased" to convince our friends and family who are "on the fence" that GUNS SAVE LIVES. So, I think that sharing this open-minded, factual video with them is a perfectly objective way to show them the truth!
SHARE THIS VIDEO!! (click below)
That's definitely a tough act to follow, but I think Tom Perroni does a pretty darn good job here. I can't get enough of this guy!
(CQB) Close Quarters Battle for the Concealed Handgun Permit Holder
By: Tom Perroni
When you hear (CQB) Close Quarters Battle you think of SWAT doing a building or room entry; methodically searching a house or building room by room and floor by floor. You conjure up images of operators all clad in black carrying
MP-5 sub machine guns.
I teach a different type of (CQB) at Perroni's Tactical Training Academy. First let's take a look at some statistics. The FBI in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
tells us that most shootings - about 80% - occur in low or reduced light. Most shooting involving police officers and civilian concealed carry permit holders happen at a distance of less than ten feet with average distance at three feet.
In most police shooting the average number of rounds fired is ten. Keep in mind that most police agencies have a magazine capacity of 15 rounds. Of those ten rounds only two hit the subject that means an 80% miss rate. It is fair to say that most gun fights last about 10-15 seconds. And I would say as a general rule we know that action beats reaction.
I am sure you have also heard about the "Anatomical Theory of Stopping Power"
The theory that states there are only two places on the human body that you can shoot a subject and get immediate incapacitation:
1. The cranio-ocular cavity (about the size of a business card). This is the area on the head between the eyebrow line and the mustache line (Right between the eyes).
2. The Cervical Spine. From the base of the brain to the top of the collar bone (In the area of the Throat.)
Both of the above mentioned areas, when hit with a bullet, will shut down the central nervous system, thus incapacitating your attacker. There are also schools that teach the Pelvic Gretel shot. I am not a big proponent of this. When teaching I often ask my students "How many of you have seen a chicken get its head cut off?" "What happens once this happens?" The answer I most often get is it runs around for several minutes. My response is if a 10lb chicken can run around for several minutes what do you think a 200lb man bent on bringing the fight to you will be able to do? (Adrenalin is a powerful drug) I often get asked, "Well, what if I shoot him directly in the heart?" The answer is: It will take about 15 seconds to bleed out. How much damage can the attacker inflict in that time?
This may often happen because most police academies and shooting schools teach to shoot to center mass (It's a larger target area to place shots). When the day comes and you are in a gunfight and place your shots center mass and the attacker does not go down then panic can set in and the good guy keeps shooting center mass. More hits mean more blood loss, but it's still a time consuming process.
Remember I also teach that the Handgun is a tool: a tool to fight your way back to the long gun or shotgun you should have had if you new you were going to be in a fight. But since we carry a concealed handgun permit and often times we only have access to a handgun lets discuss (QCB) with a handgun.
The first thing I teach is the "Combat Mindset" this has been covered in a previous article. Then we move to Handgun handling skills this includes but is not limited to the 5 points to the draw. Let's go over them. I am a firm believer that if you can not present the handgun properly then you can not fight with the handgun.
1. Non shooting hand moves to abdomen, Shooting hand moves to handgun a good grip is acquired in the holster ( the web of the hand is high on the tang of the back strap.) And we have disengaged any retention device on the holster.
2. We draw the handgun out of the holster by pulling up until we clear the top of the holster. Elbow pointing up and to the rear.
3. The Elbow is rotated downward to the holster and the handgun rotates up and has a natural point of aim at the center mass of the target with a slight cant of the handgun to the right.
This is what I consider CQB position #1 shots can be fired in this position and with a slight upward tilt a head shot can be taken. Please note this is not aimed fire but rather point shooting using your body to index the handgun towards the target.
4. The handgun is pushed towards the attacker moving forward in a straight line. At this point in the middle of the chest the non shooting hand makes contact with the handgun, with fingers over fingers thumb over thumb giving 360 degrees of control on the handgun as we hold the handgun in this position.
This is what I consider CQB position #2 close retention shots can be fired from this position. This also gives the shooter a great deal of control over the handgun when moving in any direction. This is also great for handgun retention. Please note this is not aimed fire but rather point shooting using your body to index the handgun towards the target.
5. Then we press the handgun out until the arms are fully extended in a perfect Isosceles position to take distance shots at 15 yards or greater.
I consider (CQB) or close quarters battle at a distance of 10 feet or less with the average distance being 3 feet. I teach my students to shoot and move from the threat. Remember when doing a draw if you go from #1 to # 5 you may give the attacker your gun or at the very least make it easy for the attacker to take your handgun from you. However in order to be proficient at this distance and with this method, practice is the key. There is no such thing as muscle memory.
However perfect practice makes perfect patterns. When you're in a gunfight it will normally be at close range. Are you prepared to fight? Will you rise to the occasion or default to the level of your training? I once had a student ask me after a Handgun courses for Concealed carry why we only trained a 3-7 yards My response was Do you really think you should be shooting at someone 25 yards away? My father always taught me when training for the fight make it as realistic as possible; paper targets don't shoot back. Your attacker will not just stand their. The root word in Gunfight is "fight". Remember to train at CQB distance and remember to move. My father taught me to remember 3 things in a gunfight... Shoot, Move, Communicate. Smooth is fast; speed is fine; accuracy is final. There are no second place winners in a gunfight.
If I had to sum this all up for you it would be: train hard, train often and train for the fight. Remember that most gunfights happen at close distance. Are you prepared to prevail? Have you trained properly to shoot to stop the threat or have you just spent time at the range? Practice the 5 points to the draw and practice your close quarter's battle shooting use your body to index the shots in the head and cervical spine.
"Conflict is inevitable; Combat is an option".
Tom Perroni is the owner, President and Chief Instructor of Perroni's
Tactical Training Academy. Pulling on a five-year law enforcement
operational background, Tom has spent the last fifteen years delivering
training to government, military, law enforcement and private security
companies. Tom is also the lead contract instructor trainer for the
Virginia Dept. of Criminal Justice Services, responsible for vetting private
security trainers approved by DCJS. Tom is also a Contract Instructor for
Blackwater Training Center. Tom appreciates feedback and can be reached
through the Contact page on his company website at
http://www.perronitactical.com.
Gun and Gear Review
Here we go! My favorite part of every "Tip of the Week". This is where we get to look at some neat and interesting guns and gear.
Okay, If you've been half as excited about the "Tactical LED Pocket-light" review series as I've been, then it's taken WAY too long for this week's newsletter to arrive! As promised, here's week one, of the "Tactical LED Pocket-Light" review.
My first impression of this light was how it was unique, in that it's a solid tube design, with neither the tip or the tail being any larger than the body. Like most LED lights, it has the standard rubber thumb-switch on the tail, which can be depressed partially for momentary lighting, or "clicked on" for constant usage. The tail cap can be unscrewed a half turn to prevent it from turning on in your pocket, but it's really not necessary, as unlike some other LEDs I've used, this has a very nice and firm switch, and the tailcap's threads come pre-greased, making it only turn on when you want it to. We all know there's nothing worse than going for your LED, only to find out that your $10 batteries expired themselves in your pocket!
One thing that I thought was very cool was that it has a tether that can be attached, that you can slip your wrist through, so you don't lose it, or so you can find it in your pocket quickly. This tether is solid nylon, is not elastic, and is 7 1/2" long.
Like most LEDs, the INOVA T1 has an impeccably perfect round beam, that is solid light- none of those weird patters that you get with the old incandescent flashlights... uhg, so primitive!
Roughly, what the beam pattern looks like.
This light emits a cool beam so pure that it almost seems a faint shade of blue. The beam-pattern has a concentrated center, and an outer layer with a larger circumference beam that has a lesser degree of concentration to it, which lights up the area, but saves most of its power for the center. Note that the outer layer is MUCH larger than the center.
PROS and CONS: In the week that I've had this T1, I've carried it daily, and subjected it to many times the usage and stress that I would have had I not planned on reviewing it. With all that said, it's held up VERY well. The rubber push button is in great shape, and the glass optical window remains unscathed (I note this, because I have used some lower-end LEDs with plastic covers, and as soon as they get mixed with the keys in your pocket, the beam quality begins to suffer...). In fact the only notes I have are these:
1)While twirling the light by its tether around my finger five days after beginning to carry it, the tether actually broke by the nylon cord that attaches it to the flash light. I tied it back on, and it has held up since.
2)Being 85 lumens, it naturally doesn't have the "reach" that some of the 110+ lumen lights that I have used have. But, it does do very well up to the 150ft that its packaging claims.
Overall, I'd say this is a very well built light. It's small, easy to carry, it turns on when you need it to, and ONLY when you need it to. It is easy to grip and doesn't slide with wet hands, is easy on batteries, and again, I can't stress enough about how pure the beam is.
For more information, Inova has a really cool website at www.inovalight.com.
USCCA Forum Highlights
Every Deluxe Member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With almost seventeen-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!
A statement about guns that makes a lot of sense. Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force.
Holster for walking or running I need to start walking and running more and the only holsters I have is a old belly band that is in need of replacement and a OWB Galco holster than can carry my S&W 6906 and my Kimber Ultra Raptor II, but I want to be able to...
My Experience at Front Sight I wanted to post this for everyone now that I've finally finished my article about Front Sight. I've pasted the text from it below. If you want to see it on my site with the pictures, go here...
COME AND ENJOY THE BENEFITS of a community of THOUSANDS of people who carry concealed, just like you! In addition to our General Discussion forum, we've got forums dedicated to Guns and Holsters, Knives, Lights, and Gear, Tactics and Training, and even an Off Topic forum where our members can discuss anything from wild-game recipes to great spots to vacation to in Maine. We're waiting for you!
Quote of the Week
Sometimes a good quote will inspire or motivate you. Sometimes, they'll just put a smile on your face! Here is the quote for this week...
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
~Benjamin Franklin
Closing Thoughts Member Feedback: Some of the best ideas, tips and thoughts come from other USCCA members just like you! So if you have something you'd like to share with the rest of us, please don't hesitate to send me a message. Click here to go to our contact form.
Well ladies and gentlemen, I hope you've enjoyed this week's newsletter, and that you're staying cool through the early-summer heat. Does your carry configuration change with your summer wardrobe? Swing on by the Guns and Holsters forum and tell us about it!
Until next time friend, stay safe, and of course- HAPPY FATHERS DAY!
P.S. - Don't forget, the entire USCCA website will be down from 11:00 pm CDT to 12:00 midnight CDT, Sunday June 17th, 2007. We will be performing a major server migration. This will be the first in a series of steps to improve website features & performance. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
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