Magazine Jul-2010

REVIEW!
SMITH & WESSON

MODEL 60 PRO SERIES
volume 7 JULY 2010

THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE
FOR THE ARMED CITIZEN
BACKUP
GUNS
A GOOD IDEA?
CONCEALED
CARRY CLOTHING
FIRST AID
FOR CRITICAL
INCIDENTS
WHY SHOOT WITH
ONE HAND?
TRUST YOUR GUT
usconcealedcarry.com
CONTENTS
JULY 2010
28 cheap, flimsy, OR unsafe - BUT NOT THESE. 32

Too often CONCEALED CARRY CLOTHING IS
Massive bleeding is an emergency that

requires the right equipment AND skills.
FEATURES
Smith & Wesson Model
23

60 Pro Series: PINT SIZE
Shoot With One Hand? Why?

36

BY CR Williams
THE TACTICAL PURSE

38

BY K.L. Jamison Esq.
PERFORMANCE
BY Caleb Giddings
Back Up Guns for Civilians

26
THE NIGHTTIME FANNY PACK
38
a Good Idea?

BY KATHY JACKSON
BY Tom Givens
28 Concealed Carry Clothing
The Holster Maven Looks at

BY KATHY JACKSON
Stop the Bleeding, Save

32
a Life: First Aid for
Critical Incidents
BY Grant Cunningham
Finding Your Balance:

40

Whats Missing from your
Firearms Training?
BY Rob Pincus
Pretty in Pink: STI Elektra

44
Offers Beautiful Carry
Option for Women

BY DIANE WALLS
USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2010
COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS
13
04
TIMS
THOUGHTS
THE ORDINARY GUY

Trust Your Gut
BY MARK WALTERS
05
ACROSS THE
16
SIG SAUER ACADEMY EDITORS DESK
Sustain And Improve
Your Handgun Skills
BY GEORGE HARRIS
20
PROFILE
Danica Das
48
36 BOTH HANDS AVAILABLE.
SOMETIMES YOU JUST WONT HAVE
06
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
07
TRUE STORIES
REAL WORLD
CARRY GEAR
08
THIS IS USCCA
52
BEHIND THE LINE
10
DRILL OF
THE MONTH
56
11
LESSONS
LEARNED
Gun Therapy
BY BRUCE N. EIMER, Ph.D.
12
STUFF WE LIKE
BY DUANE A. DAIKER
The Concealed Carry Presentation

BY TOM GIVENS
ARMED
SENIOR CITIZEN
60
ITS JUST THE LAW

Defend The Scene
BY K.L. JAMISON ESQ.
62
44
the 9MM STI Elektra was designed

for women by women.
BALLISTIC BASICS
Jell-O Shots
BY TAMARA KEEl
JULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
Signed articles in Concealed Carry

Magazine reflect the views of the author,
and are not necessarily the views of the
editors at Delta Media, LLC. Concealed
Carry Magazine and the U.S. Concealed
Carry Association are registered
trademarks of Delta Media, LLC. All Rights
Reserved. Copyright 2004-2010 by Delta
Media, LLC. Reproduction, copying, or
distribution of Concealed Carry Magazine
is prohibited without written permission.
CONCEALED
CARRY MAGAZINE
VOLUME 7 - JULY 2010
Publisher & Editor
Timothy J. Schmidt
Managing Editor
Kathy Jackson
Art Director
Betty Shonts
Circulation Manager
Laura Otto
Copy Editor
John Higgs
Photographer
Oleg Volk
Column Editors
Duane A. Daiker
Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D.
Tom Givens
George Harris
Marty Hayes, J.D.
K.L. Jamison, ESQ.
Tamara Keel
Rob Pincus
Gabriel Suarez
Mark Walters
Contributing Writers
Grant Cunningham
Caleb Giddings
Diane Walls
CR Williams
Published for U.S. Concealed Carry by:
N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way,

Jackson, WI 53037
(877) 677-1919 Customer Service
(262) 677-8877 U.S. Concealed Carry
Concealed Carry Magazine - July 2010 Issue; July 9,
2010 (USPS: 022-302, ISSN: 1550-7866) is published
8 times per year for $37.00 per year by Delta Media,
LLC, N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way, Jackson,
WI 53037. Periodicals postage paid at Jackson, WI and
additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
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Passage Way, Jackson, WI 53037.
tIMS THOUGHTS
Dad, Can I Shoot an RPG?
My youngest son, Sten, just turned seven and my oldest, Tim Jr., is about to be
twelve years old. I recently decided to bring my youngest son to the shooting
range with Tim Jr. and me. I sat and explained to him that he would be going to
the shooting range for the very first time
and he would get to shoot real guns. Sten
stared at me in disbelief and asked, Dad,
can I shoot an RPG?
Now his question was completely innocent and honest because he plays
a fair amount of video games with his
brother. And these video games are spoton realistic when it comes to modern day
weapon systems. Heck, my boys know
the difference between an M95 and an
M105!
So, I start thinking to myself, Sheesh, I
hope its still going to be fun shooting .22
Remington!
My fears were completely unfounded. Sten and Tim Jr. shooting.
My young son, Sten (you remember, the
one that wanted to shoot an RPG), had the time of his life. We spent almost three
hours shooting that afternoon. I am happy and proud to say that both of my
sons displayed flawless gun handling and safety habits.
The whole point of this story is that in this day and age of super-duper fancy
and realistic video games, there is still NOTHING like spending time on a REAL
gun range shooting REAL guns with your kids and/or grandkids.
God bless and stay safe,
JULY 2010 COVER

Photographer: Oleg Volk
Model: Minnesota State University student Danica
Das poses with a Smith & Wesson M&P9c. The gun
has swappable backstraps, useful for people with
small hands. Read more about Danica in the profile
on page 20.
JOIN NOW!
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ACROSS THE EDITORS DESK
Look Ma, No Ads!

[ BY KATHY JACKSON ]
Notice anything different about this issue?

Yup, youre rightthere are no ads.
USCCA founder and publisher Tim
Schmidt recently announced that,
beginning with the July issue (thats
this one!), Concealed Carry Magazine
will no longer be accepting paid advertising.
With this change, we will be bringing you more content than ever before. More gun reviews. More feature
articles. More discussions about
training classes, concealed carry
products, holsters and gear. More
of everything that makes Concealed
Carry Magazine such a valuable resource for our members.
Several people have asked me,
Kathy, why is CCM doing this?
Whats the advantage in it? Heres
one: USCCA members have asked
for clearly written, unbiased reviews
they know they can trust. Although
CCM has never allowed our advertisers to dictate what appears in the
magazine, getting rid of paid advertisements means our readers know
that we are serious about avoiding
bias and prejudice in our writing.
Call it a credibility thing.
Others have wanted to know if the
overall direction of the magazine
will change simply because we no
longer accept paid advertisements.
It will not. The basic direction of the
magazine will remain the same, with
minor tweaks in specific areas so that
our readers always know we are being honest with them. You will see
some changes in the gun reviews
well be phasing those changes in
over the next few issueswith some
exciting improvements in the way we
report our range trips to our readers.
Our writers will put an increased emphasis on transparency when they
write, so that you will always know

where theyre coming from and why
it matters. And as editor, I will be
working overtime to be certain that
we continue to bring you the best of
what this industry has to offer.
Many USCCA members have
asked us for a closer look at the tried
and true. We will do that. Oh, well
still bring you reviews of the new hotness! Just like you, were always fascinated to hear about the latest and
Great news! As of
July 2010, Concealed
Carry Magazine will
no longer accept paid
advertisements.
greatest offerings from the manufacturers. But now we have more room
for content in the magazine, so well
also regularly look back at where
weve been, and showcase existing
firearms and holsters and other concealed carry products that do the job
just fine.
When Tim Schmidt and I first discussed making this change for the
magazine, I asked Tim a very important question. What about the
little guys? I wanted to know. You
know, the small companies making great products that have been
with us since Day One? My worry
was that these deserving companies would be hurt by our decision.
After all, Concealed Carry Magazine
reaches the BEST audience of concealed carry people in the country! Nobody else does what we do.
How would these small, specialty
businesses be affected by our deci-
sion to avoid paid advertisements?

Tims response waswell, it was
pure Tim! He told me that we would
handle each situation on a case-bycase basis. Youre right, Tim said.
We dont want any of the companies
making really great stuff to get hurt.
So lets just stop taking their money.
All this really means is that they wont
pay us to tell the readers about them.
That doesnt mean we cant tell people about them! I felt like slapping
my forehead and groaning, it was so
obvious.
You may notice that theres a new
page in the USCCA Members section:
Stuff We Like. This page is for, um,
stuff we like. Not stuff someone
has paid us to like or write up. Just
stuff weve tried and enjoyed that
we want other members to know
about. In one issue, we might discuss
SmartCarry holsters (heres a hint,
guys: a SmartCarry holster works
great for dancing and in situations
where you might get hugged). In
another issue, we might choose to
remind our members about the
first-rate work High Noon Holsters
puts out. So if YOU come across an
excellent product or an outstanding
company that YOU think other
USCCA members should know
about, please drop us a note at
products@usconcealedcarry.com so
we can check it out. Thats why Stuff
We Like is there!
As we move forward into this new
phase in USCCA history, Concealed
Carry Magazine continues to provide
solid information and views you can
trust. Were excited about our new direction, and were glad that members
like YOU helped make it happen. H
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor,
I have been a USCCA member for a
while now and I believe it is time that
an Illinois member is heard. I feel truly
sorry for all those members who feel
that they must carry a weapon to feel
safe in all those lawless states when
they could move to Illinois where it is
safe. Here we have no need to carry,
concealed or otherwise. Illinois has
many police organizations who work
hard to protect us. I read the other
day that there have been only 13,000
murders in Chicago since the current
Mayor Daley took office. Now I ask
you, what other state can make that
claim? I realize that other states do not
have this level of security, and I really
pity their residents.
There are, of course, certain inconveniences that come with this security that we have here, but who really
needs to go outside after dark? And
what is wrong with keeping the drapes
drawn? That helps control inside temperatures and saves energy. When I
lived in Chicago, I found that an extra
layer of concrete blocks inside on the
rooms facing the street adds a certain
unique quality to the inside decor.
And so, as I sit in my living room
tonight with my Kevlar drapes closed
over the wrought iron grill, I laugh at
all those living in other areas. I can pet
my seven Rottweilers who keep beggars and salesmen away, and sleep in
total safety knowing that no one here
will be accidentally shot. However,
since the weather here is so severe, I
am moving to Texas tomorrow.
Tom Dyer
Congratulations on the Texas move.
~ Editor
Editor,
First, I appreciate the article by
Attorney Jamison on his discussion
of the McDonald Case [Due Process
for Gun Owners May/June 2010].
In his article he states: Its [Chicago]
firearms law is mindlessly restrictive and discriminatorily enforced.
I couldnt agree with him more. In a
July 2009 article in NRA publications,
the 7th Circuits ruling was discussed.

What was mind boggling for me was
the illogical logic of this circuit. They
ruled that Chicago could continue to
keep people from having the means
to defend themselves even though the
highest court in the land ruled otherwise in Heller [District of Columbia v.
Heller, 2008]. So can we conclude that
anyone residing in that fair city would
and could expect the government to
provide that protection and defense?
Think again. In 1982, the very same
7th Circuit in Bowers v. Devito ruled:
There is no Constitutional right to be
protected by the state against being
murdered by criminals or madmen.
I realize that justices such as
Sotomayor, Kagan (if confirmed) and
their kind will not be interested in the
intent or strict interpretation of the
Constitution and its Bill of Rights so
divinely inspired through our founding fathers. They will be more concernedwith their pursuit and imposition of their ideology. What we do in
the elections of November 2010 and
2012 will have profound impact on
the destiny of our country. Let us all
resolve to stand firm and to actively
engage our representatives to remain
accountable to We the People.Let us
remember the words of Thomas Paine
in 1776: Tyranny, like hell, is not easily
conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
Bob Soule
New Hartford, CT
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly, Paine also said. May
we always remember the true cost of
freedom, and value it accordingly.
~ Editor
Editor,
I subscribe to CCM because I believe
it is geared toward the average guy
like me, John Q. Citizen, who carries
a firearm for self and family protection. Mr. Giddings [Revolvers Dont
Jam ... and Other Firearms Myths
May/June 2010] could only relate instances of competition revolvers and
Due to volume received, not all letters

can be answered. Letters may be edited
for space and clarity.
Send your letters to:
Concealed Carry Magazine
Attn: Editor
N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way,
Jackson WI 53037
Or email:
editor@usconcealedcarry.com
competition ammo failures. How does

that benefit me since I dont shoot
competitively? I have a quality .357 revolver with thousands of rounds fired
and not one failure. Why no failures?
Because I shoot new, brand name
ammo and I havent tricked out my
gun to do something the manufacturer never intended it to do. I subscribe
to several gun magazines and the first
thing I read in every magazine are the
accounts of average citizens who had
to use their weapon to defend themselves. In my opinion this is where
the learning is for CHL holders not in
the problematic issuesof competitive
shooters. Send Mr. Giddings to the
New York City Police Department and
have him go back to the time when every officer carried a revolver. Have him
start at that time period and go back
in time and pull every officer involved
shooting report and see if he can find
even a mention of a revolver jam or
failure to fire.
Peter Thompson
Missouri City, Texas
There are no magic swords. Standing
on the range during an advanced defensive handgun class a few weeks
back, I watched a fellow students stock
S&W 686 revolver come apart when one
of the screws stripped out. Similarly,
watching over beginning handgun
classes, I have seen cylinders freeze from
a little grit under the star; extreme sidesplatter from bad timing; and revolvers that have seized because the ejector
rods backed out. These events do not
happen only to competition shooters or
to people using poor reloads. They happen to everyone, including those training for self defense using standard defensive firearms. Good planning takes
such realities into account.
~ Editor
TRUE STORIES
CARRY A GUN... IT
MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.
How would you handle situations like these? Discuss scenarios and more online in the usconcealedcarry.com
forums. Familiarize yourself with your local and state laws regarding self-defense.
If I Had a Hammer...
A Mississippi man getting ready for
work around 6:45 in the morning answered a knock at his door and found
himself in a fight for his life.
The visitor, a man police identify as
37-year-old Paul Mahaffey, attacked the
homeowner with a hammer and began
beating him. Badly injured, the homeowner reacted by shooting his assailant,
who died at the scene from a gunshot
wound to the chest.
When the police arrived and began to
investigate, they found Mahaffeys vehicle parked where it would not be visible
from the house. Police say the homeowner was dating Mahaffeys ex-girlfriend, and speculated that Mahaffeys
attack was driven by a jealous rage.
Although prosecutors do not anticipate filing chargesthe police believe
it was self defensethe district attorneys office will present the case to the
grand jury for clearance. The hospitalized homeowner is expected to make a
full recovery.
A Real Hero
In Omaha, Nebraska, a 25-year-old
man picking up a prescription and
some ice cream at a Walgreens pharmacy was headed for the checkout
counter with his purchases when two
masked men entered the store. One of
the masked men carried a short shotgun. According to witnesses, the men
began yelling obscenities at everyone
in the store, shouting, Nobody fing
move! as they entered the building.
Inside the store near the entrance,
a woman chatted on the phone as she
used the ATM. Perhaps fearing that the
woman was calling for help, the masked
man with the shotgun grabbed her and
shoved the shotgun barrel into the
womans back.
Thats when the customer at the
counter reacted, drawing his .40-caliber handgun and firing at the gunmans chest. The gunman stumbled
but did not fall, then staggered out the
door, dropping the shotgun as he went.

Meanwhile, the other intruder fled
down an aisle toward the back of the
store. The customer followed him and
ordered him to the ground, then later
brought him back to the front of the
store to keep an eye on him and the entrance while employees called the police. The customer also instructed employees to close and lock the door, but
they were unable to do so because the
fallen shotgun prevented the door from
closing.
Thats when
the customer
at the counter
reacted, drawing
his .40-caliber
handgun and firing
at the gunmans
chest.
Arriving police found the first intruder still in the stores parking lot, where
he had collapsed approximately 20 to
30 yards from the entrance. He died at
the hospital a short time later.
As police entered the store, the customerwho had been holding the intruder at gunpointdropped his firearm to the ground and stepped away
from it. Police arrested the second intruder on suspicion of robbery and use
of a weapon to commit a felony.
I think I have a client whos a real
hero, the customers lawyer later told
the press. He not only averted a robbery, but he may have prevented somebody from being seriously injured or
killed.
Police questioned and released the
customer after consulting with his

lawyer, but cited the customer for carrying a concealed firearm without a
concealed carry permit. The county attorney says he will not pursue any other
charges, as he believes the man acted
properly under the circumstances.
Texas Governor
Shoots Coyote
In February, Texas Governor Rick
Perry was out for an early-morning jog
without his security detail but with his
daughters Labrador retriever when he
and the dog were menaced by an aggressive coyote. The governor, who has
a concealed carry permit, regularly carries a laser-equipped .380 Ruger loaded
with hollowpoint ammunition. When
the coyote came out of the brush, Perry
yelled at it to chase it off. The coyote
stopped only briefly before resuming
its apparent attack. At that point, Perry
drew and fired one shot. The coyote
died at the scene, and the governor and
his pup went home unscathed.
More Than They

Bargained For
At a home furnishings store in
Missouri, two brothers apparently
staging a robbery got more than they
bargained for when the manager, a
65-year-old woman, found one of them
rifling through the cash register in the
sales office at the back of the store. The
womans petite 45-year-old daughter
then retrieved a firearm from her purse,
which she had left in her vehicle in the
stores parking lot, and held both men
at gunpoint until the police arrived.
Both women had applied for and received concealed carry permits earlier
this year, but only the younger regularly
carries her firearm.
No charges have been filed in the incident. Police, citing the need to interview witnesses and review surveillance
tapes, say it may take up to a month before the prosecutors office receives the
case.
THIS IS USCCA
In this section, USCCA members share their

challenges, experiences, and successes with
each other, to the benefit of all.
voices of the uscca

Read any good books lately? Which book or books were
most influential in your decision to carry, or in your early understanding of what it means to be an armed citizen? Which book or
books about self-defense are you currently enjoying and why?
The Founders Second Amendment:
The Origins of the Right to Bear Arms
by Stephen P. Halbrook, Ph.D. Second
Amendment attorney Stephen Halbrook
wrote this book as a compendium of
writings and statements by this countrys
founders as recorded during the period
leading up to and through the crafting
of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Almost a time machine to the late 1700s,
much of the content is directly quoted
from original documents.
Mark Avery
When I first started learning to shoot,
there were two books that strongly influenced me. The first was In the Gravest
Extreme by Massad Ayoob, a classic
which outlines the moral and legal case
for self defense. The second was Effective
Defense by Gila Hayes, which provided a
lot of the practical, nitty-gritty details I

needed in order to make concealed carry
work for me. Recently rewritten and massively updated as Personal Defense for
Women from Krause Publications, this
work remains one of the first and best
books I recommend to women new to
concealed carry.
Recently,
Ive
enjoyed
reading
Meditations on Violence by Rory Miller. It
provides a fresh and unexpected look at
the reality and complexity of human violence from a deep thinking man with far
too much personal experience of it.
Kathy Jackson
Washington state
The most influential reading materials
in my desire to carry a gun were police
books. Charles Remsbergs Street Survival
and The Tactical Edge taught me what
peace officer school didnt. Coupled with

peace officer classes on gun handling,
advanced tactics and high risk warrant
service, they helped me understand what
it is to carry a firearm and the responsibility attached to it. Much of how I carry
today can be traced directly back to my
early training, and excellent police books
which I still have and re-read all the time.
Gary M. Smith
Arlington, Texas
As an Army officer with 28 years of
open carry experience I was unprepared
for the nuances of concealed carry, even
after completing my carry permit training. The Gun Digest Book of Concealed
Carry by Massad Ayoob changed all that
and gave me the tips, techniques and
procedures I needed to confidently carry
a concealed pistol. I recommend it to everyone I know who already carries or is
interested in getting their carry permit.
Richard
Saginaw, Michigan
My decision to carry was an evolution
involving events, magazines, videos and
books.
The event: Monday, April 16, 2007,
Virginia Tech Massacre. I had been on
that campus many times both as a recruiter and as the father of a student. I
was in that building several times before
that tragedy. That seminal event made
me ask myself, what if? My answer,
concealed carry.
The magazine: I dont recall how I
came to know about Concealed Carry
Magazine. I think I picked one up at
a bookstore. Here I found a wealth of
information and almost became overwhelmed in trying to make all the decisions related to concealed carry. I signed
up for a carry permit class, but my enthusiasm was waning. Typical paralysis
of analysis common to engineers.
The video: Suzanna Gratia Hupps tes-
timony to Congress relating the Lubys

Cafeteria massacre had almost as profound an impact on me as the Virginia
Tech massacre. That video put me back
on track to get my carry permit, choose a
weapon, develop a training program and
decide on a carry method.
The book: The emotional component
of a decision to carry only takes analytical types so far. The book that helped
carry me through from the emotional to
the analytical was More Guns Less Crime,
by John R. Lott, Jr. The just released third
edition with its considerable added material has me rereading it now.
Howard Cohodas
Canton, OH
to Choose, Carry, and Shoot a Gun in Self

Defense, by Chris Bird. I bought this for
my wife, but of course I had to read it too.
Id seen one of the earlier editions some
years ago but didnt recall all of it. Rereading, though, was fun. It is an excellent book for beginners; it is also a good
re-read for old fudds like me, who need
to revisit the basics now and then.
Mike Dodson
The first book that piqued my interest was Thank God I Had a Gun by Chris
Bird. The book recounts fourteen true
accounts of self-defense. The first story
is a long one about gun confiscation in
New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
For me, I think my process of waking up and paying attention

started when I read Gavin de Beckers The Gift of Fear. More
than anything else, it convinced me that those little stirrings of
unease mean something, and I should pay attention.
Paul in Washington state
Lessons from Armed America, by Kathy
Jackson and Mark Walters. Construction
of the book is unique and effective: Mark
describes, in detail, a situation involving
use of arms in one chapter; in the next
chapter, Kathy discusses it from a practical and legal point of view. The situation
descriptions are based on interview and
documentation and the analysis is completely footnoted. Its a no-bull look at
how things are. Very good book.
Another book I bought for my wife
is Death by Gun Control: The Human
Cost of Victim Disarmament, by Aaron
Zelman and Richard W. Stevens. The
Queen asked a simple question: What
do I say when someone says gun control is a good thing? This book provides
many answers. Although it has commentary, and a lot of it is interesting and easy
to follow, it is largely a reference text. It
has been so carefully footnoted that its
interest level falls off a little. Still, if you
are a serious student of the right to bear
arms, its a must-have text as the statistics, history, and arguments are well laid
out.
The Concealed Handgun Manual: How
That story made me rethink my preparedness for catastrophic events. Other

accounts caused me to be more aware of
everyday circumstances where I needed
to increase my awareness level, such as
underground parking lots, night visits
to convenience stores, ATMs, and other
areas of opportunity for violent encounters.
Chris Bird also wrote The Concealed
Handgun Manual: How to Choose, Carry,
and Shoot a Gun in Self-Defense. The
author covers topics such as how to see
trouble coming and avoid it, gunfighting
tactics: when to shoot and how to shoot,
and what to expect after you have shot

someone. He also has details on many
actual self defense shooting incidents
and the newest info on concealed carry
laws and licenses. Great resource book.
Roger in Missouri
In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of
the Firearm in Personal Protection by
Massad Ayoob. I read it before I even
took the class required for a permit. It
absolutely convinced me that, even given the concerns regarding firearms for
personal protection, I needed to do it.
Another I read at about the same
time that further convinced me is The
Seven Myths of Gun Control by Richard
Poe. This one includes some fascinating
facts and figures and works to debunk
the major myths that are used by gun
control proponents to support their
specious claims.
Dan Hammond, Sr
Im thumbing Rob Pincus new book,
Combat Focused Shooting: Evolution
2010, a very good piece of fresh reading. Not a rehash of old stuff. Focuses
on getting hits with speed. It just came
out mid-May. Id also suggest Hit or
Myth by Louis Awerbuck as required
reading; in that book, the main focus
is getting hits in the right places under
any conditions and an understanding
of the dynamics of a gunfight. To Ride,
Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth by
Jeff Cooper offers a collection of essays
on mindset, shooting, self defense, and
life with determination. If you are going to read one book by the godfather
of self defense, Jeff Cooper, this is it: a
solid classic.
Uncle Dave in Bloomington
Next issues question:
Does your carry method change from one

season to another? What specific changes
do you make to accomodate seasonal
changes to the weather?
Send your comments to tips@usconcealedcarry.com. Each
entry must use fewer than 75 words, and must be signed
either with a complete name or with a first name plus location. Due to volume received, not all submissions can be
acknowledged. Entries may be edited for length and clarity.
THIS IS USCCA
PRACTICE DRILL OF THE MONTH
THE SLAP, RACk, AND ROLL DRILL
BY MICHAEL MARTIN OF MN TACTICS
PHOTO BY B.SHONTS
[ Editors Note: This drill is taken from the

book Concealed Carry Fundamentals
by Michael Martin, an excellent and very
visual introduction to the basics of concealed carry. ]
Description
The Slap, Rack, and Roll drill is designed to give the shooter opportunities
to clear malfunctions while engaged in
the exercise and to determine if he is
prone to flinching in anticipation of
recoil. To conduct the exercise, an assistant will load the shooters magazine
with a mixture of live rounds and dummy rounds. When ready, the shooter
will fire a full magazine.
Goal
This exercise allows the shooter to
build appropriate neural pathways
(muscle memory) to quickly clear
malfunctions. The shooters goal should
be to safely clear the dummy round
while maintaining his eyes and muzzle
on the target.
Distance
21 feet.
Things That a Coach

Can Watch For
Watch for the shooter to maintain his
muzzle downrange when clearing the
dummy round (which will require him
to turn his body slightly, not the muzzle
of the gun) and watch to see if he maintains his eyes on the target. Also watch
for any flinch when the shooter presses
the trigger on the dummy round.
Alternatives
The assistant can actually load the
magazine in the firearm, which would
allow him to have the top round be a
dummy round.
10
To conduct the exercise, an assistant will load

the shooters magazine with a mixture of live
rounds and dummy rounds.
Place two or more dummy rounds in
sequence.
To simulate the effects of adrenaline
on the hands, run this drill after holding
your hands in icy water.
To simulate the effects of auditory
exclusion, run this drill with live stereo
ear pieces inserted under your normal
hearing protection. Turn up the volume
loud enough so that the combination of
music and hearing protection drowns
out all other sounds. This will teach you
to recognize your firearms proper operation and failures by feel aloneyoull
learn to trust that your firearm actually fired even though you didnt hear
the bang and youll learn to identify

failures through a lack of recoil, rather
than a lack of sound. During this version of the drill, the assistant will also
be responsible for hearing any range
commands and communicating them
to the shooter. H
Minnesota Tactics
9001 Springwood Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125
(651) 210-1790
www.mntactics.com
Concealed Carry Fundamentals
www.keyhousepress.com
THIS IS USCCA
LESSONS LEARNED
TED BUNDY WAS A NICE GUY, TOO.
BY BETTY SHONTS
his happened years ago when I

was in my early 20s, but every
once in a while, I ponder over it
and wonder what couldve happened
had I been less assertive and more gullible.
My parents live 70 miles south of
me in the countryside of Tennessee. I
would pack my bag, hop into my battered old Sonoma, and drive down to
visit them for the weekend.
They own a store in the towns square
and were both working there that day,
so I stopped by there first to say hello. I
hung around for a little while, and then
left to head for their house.
Theres only one main road that
leads out of town to my parents home.
I drove past the familiar rolling hills
and round hay bales, flicked on my
turn signal and headed up their road.
A car turned with me. Partway up the
road, it started to blink its headlights
at me.
Did I have a broken tail light?
Flat tire?
Was the person a friend of mine?
I decided to pull over. Looking back,
it was dumb that the driveway I chose
to pull into was my parents. (But the
other driver didnt know that, thank
goodness.) I kept the engine running
and rolled down the window.
I observed the car in my mirrors. A
stocky, oily, pale-looking, middle-aged
man exited the car and approached.
He had both hands out where I could
see them, and he did not appear angry
as if I had committed some offense.
I believe at the time I was armed with
a Kahr K40 and an extra magazine in a
belly band holster. It was easy access,
even while seatbelted.
He stood around eight feet from my
open window and said with authority,
I see youre not from around here.
Uh, oh. What now?
Youve got out-of-town plates, he

added, just as firmly.
I didnt know the guy and he wasnt
telling me about a broken tail light or
flat tire. Unsure of his intentions, I gave
him answer that was neither timid or
hostile.
Ive lived around here for years. Just
not any more, I said, matching his
firm tone and looking at him squarely.
Pause.
He softened and took on a more
bashful tone. Oh, well, I uh, saw you
What kind of person notes

I AM traveling alone,
observes the origin of MY
license plates, and then
proceeds to follow ME?
back in town there. I saw you were
alone and well, I followed you. I was...
looking for a campground and was
hoping youd know of one.
Nope, dont know of any. I said
sharply. The warning bells starting
clanging and I was watching every
move he made.
Well, maybe youd like to go find a
campground with me.
I stuck to a terse No through repeated attempts to get me to go with him.
Seeing how I was not giving ground
and not warming to him, he finally
made a swift goodbye, returned to his
vehicle and left. I continued up my
parents winding driveway.
Over the next few minutes, my unease grew. Ive had cheesy one-liners
and bungled approaches from creepy
guys before, but what was it with this
one that filled me with dread?
His behavior had easily switched
from Air of Authority to Hey, Im A Nice
Guy as soon as I showed I wasnt timid.
What kind of person notes I am traveling alone, observes the origin of my
license plates, and then proceeds to
follow me? A lonely, desperate schmo
looking for a campground and a date
half his age? How about a predator
looking for an easy mark that someone
wont miss right away?
What wouldve happened had I been
a free-spirited girl who gleefully traveled down the road with him to find a
campground, expecting to sing songs
and roast marshmallows around a
fire? Chances are, the man may have
been a lonely, desperate schmo and we
wouldve had a dandy time singing 99
Bottles of Beer.
But theres a reason I remain assertive and carry a gun. If theyre not trying Air of Authority to make us drop
our shields, they try Nice Guy. Ted
Bundy used both to lure his victims,
pretending to be a policeman or feigning injury to get sympathetic help from
his targets.
The little prickles on the back of
my neck said this guy should not be
helped. Ill always think of him as the
guy with a shovel, duct tape and garbage bags in his trunk. H
DO YOU HAVE A STORY FOR LESSONS LEARNED?

Concealed Carry Magazine pays $100 each for true personal experiences told
by USCCA members. Close calls, near misses, and defensive gun uses (with or
without shots fired) all teach important lessons! Submissions must be shorter than
600 words; we reserve the right to edit for clarity and space considerations. Send
your stories to Lessons@USConcealedCarry.com
11
THIS IS USCCA
STUFF LIKE
WE
Editor note: the following businesses

make concealed carry gear that USCCA
members or writers recommend. These
are not paid advertisements. They are
personal recommendations from us to you. None of the businesses on this page have paid any
money to be placed here. An asterisk (*) denotes companies that have supplied samples to one or more
CCM writers within the past year. If you come across a product youd like to see featured on this page, please
send an email to products@usconcealedcarry.com.
An oldie but goodie:
Several years ago
during a
firearms class a fellow student let
slip that he enjoyed taking ballroom
dancing classes on the weekends.
Another student asked him, How do
you conceal carry while dancing?
With a grin, the man told the group
about his SmartCarry Holster, a kangaroo pouch designed to be worn below the belt line. Given its location, he
noted, he could dance and not worry
about his partner putting her hands
on his waist or shoulders. Great idea!
Cost: $50 to $60.
the
Crossbreed SuperTuck Holster allows
users to tuck a dress shirt right over
the top of the holstered gun, securely
hiding it from view. With a leather
backer designed to conform to the
users body, the SuperTuck wears
comfortably, while the Kydex front securely holds the firearm. Cost: around
$70, plus available options.
* CrossBreed Holsters
www.crossbreedholsters.com
(888) 732-5011
info@crossbreedholsters.com
* SmartCarry Invisible Holster

Concealed Protection 3, Inc.
www.smartcarry.com
(888) 459-2358
Gun
Rights
Group
Worth
Watching:
Keep an eye on Students for
Concealed Carry on Campus. Check
out their website at www.concealedcampus.org to see some of the good
work theyre doing. Their media page
has some great video clips! If a donation isnt in the cards, remember they
always need volunteers. Anyone want
to teach some college students how to
shoot?
Students for Concealed Carry
on Campus
www.concealedcampus.org
In a recent issue you had an article about affordable carry holsters [A Look at Inexpensive Holsters by RK
Campbell, Feb/Mar 2010]. I saw one I liked for a J-frame and
contacted the company, GDS Leather. I am very happy I did,
because Dan was great to deal with, knew just what I needed,
and did a very nice job on my holster. I would definitely recommend his work to anyone looking for a good quality holster.
Thanks for that article, and keep up the good work.
Ted
North Branch, MN
I would just like you to know that I have

been using the DeSantis EZRider II for the Glock 27 and
it works great! It has a paddle that attaches to your pants
belt so it does not have to hand carried. It also has room
for a spare mag. I also purchased the EZRider for smaller
guns, and the size difference was so small that I would
carry the Glock 27 instead of the Kel-Tec P32. The EZRider
was returned. But I use the EZRider II often. And the cost
is less than $50.00!
Lee Schmidt
GDS Leather
www.gdsleather.com
Dan@gdsleather.com
DeSantis Holster & Leather Goods

www.desantisholster.com
(800) 424-1236
12
iSTOCKPHOTO - DORIANGRAY
THE ORDINARY GUY
R
U
O
Y
T
S
U
R
T
T
U
G
[ B Y M A R K W A LT E R S ]
Before my recent move to Georgia where I currently

reside with my family, I spent many years in the Tampa,
Florida area, relocating there in the early 1990s.
ike many Florida residents, I had

gotten sick of the cold weather up
north. After graduating from college
in Virginia and taking a job with one of
the nations largest trucking companies,
I soon became fed up with corporate
people telling me where I needed to
live, so I sold all of my furniture, put in
a two week notice, turned in the company car, and quit my job to head to the
sunagainst my mothers best wishes!
With my background, I was confident
that I would find employment in the
field where I had eight years experience,
and my young management experience
would certainly be a plus as I sought
a new company. I was right. Less than
two months after I relocated I had a new
job, a brand new car and a livable salary
... and I was living where I had always
wanted to live.
The problem was I wasnt really happy. Although I was gainfully employed
in a career field, I hated working for
someone else. I had that entrepreneur
blood coursing through my veins and
the itch to work for myself was getting
easier to scratch every time someone
told me what to do! I knew I had to venture out on my own and I spent every
day working on a plan to do just that.
Finally the opportunity presented itself
and I took the leap.
Beginning a small consulting company, I watched as my little one-man
operation began to take on a life of its
own and develop into more than I had
originally planned. It was exciting, yet
also a little frightening as I expanded.
Within two years of full operation, I was
actually earning more than I had made
previously in my corporate job and was
now ready to begin hiring additional

people. The decision to bring on additional people was one that would take
my company to new heights. Not long
after making the decision to expand, I
found myself moving into a bigger office and bringing three additional people on staff.
One of those staff members was a
man named Osborne.
I had found Osborne in a local hang
out in a very nice neighborhood in
North Tampa shortly after starting my
company. Oz, as we called him, used
to come into Goodfellas after work
like many of the other local residents
of the upscale area north of downtown
Tampa. Oz was an extremely charismatic individual who could captivate
you with his Island type accent and his
wit. Originally from Africa, Oz was stuck
in a dead end job with the local country
club and was looking for a new opportunity. I decided to give him a chance.
As expected, he took to the job as a
dispatcher/salesperson very quickly.
13
You know the feeling Im talking about:

that pit of your stomach feeling that
tells you something is wrong.
Customers and trucking companies

alike enjoyed talking with him and his
sales numbers began to rise. It felt good
to give him the chance and there was a
level of personal satisfaction that one
gets when they can impart their knowledge and experience to another person,
watch them grow and take part in that
persons personal success. My partner
hired Ozs wife, Andrea, to work in his
insurance brokerage company in the
same building and things seemed to be
going well.
Although things were going good and
the company was on the right path to
success, my relationship with Oz began
to turn for the worse. As I got to know
him better, things began happening
that became uncomfortable in the office. He began asking for personal loans
and when I refused, he would get angry. He began demanding time off with
pay for holidays the company did not
honor, he began getting testy with customers and he seemed to become angry at the most minor incidents. I was
getting concerned as he began making
others around him uncomfortable and
it quickly became apparent that I had a
decision to make.
I set some new rules for my three
employees and called a meeting one afternoon to lay the new groundwork for
future growth. I made it clear that the
new goals were now company policy
and must be adhered to if one wanted
to maintain their employment. As I had
anticipated, Oz had trouble keeping up
with the new quotas and within two
weeks I had written him a warning let-
14
ter that his performance was not up to

standard. In that letter I mentioned that
he had 30 days to show improvement or
he would be subject to termination.
Now I was trusting my gut instinct. If
there was anything I had learned while
starting and running this small and
growing company, it was how to trust
my gut. You know the feeling Im talking about: that pit of your stomach feeling that tells you something is wrong.
I had learned that my gut tells me the
truth and in this case my gut was telling
me things werent going to go smoothly
when I had the impending conversation with Oz the one we both knew
was coming that he was fired.
My gut told me that Oz would not react kindly nor would he go quietly with
a smile on his face and a big thank you
for the opportunity with a gleam in his
eye. No, this was not going to be comfortable. My previous run-ins with him
storming out of the office had made
me very aware of his angry side and the
disgruntled employee thing was not
far from my mind.
My gut told me to be prepared for the
worst.
I had originally planned to call him
into my office late in the day on Friday,
hand him his final check, thank him for
his service and inform he was no longer
needed at my company. But his actions
throughout the week made it apparent
that I needed to end this relationship
right away. Calling Oz into my office, I
quickly but firmly told him he was no
longer employed and that he needed
to gather his things immediately. Quite
unexpectedly, Oz was extremely calm,

smiled, thanked me, gathered his few
things from his desk and quietly left. I
was relieved to say the least.
Indications were that Oz was not going to go quietly. I had seen another side
of his personality and it concerned me. I
had seen his propensity toward anger. I
had heard his racial comments directed
at me. I had heard his discussion with
other employees and I had overheard
him speaking to his wife. More importantly, I had seen the look in his eyes. I
could feel and sense his anger at other
things outside of my office. He was distant and seemed to be getting farther
away every day.
What Oz never knew, was that I was
prepared that day. I was prepared for
the unthinkable. If Oz had decided to
react violently, he would not have taken
me by surprise. I was ready in advance
in the event my worst nightmare came
true and not just at the exact moment I fired him, but throughout the
rest of the day and the weeks to follow.
I was armed that morning, very well
armed in fact, with two pistols on my
person. I had seen the look in his eyes
as the weeks had gone by. There was
something about the way he distanced
himself. He was not to be taken lightly.
But on this day he would walk out without so much as a whimper.
Weeks went by and I had heard that he
and Andrea had left Florida, later winding up somewhere in North Carolina.
I had taken some pride in the fact that
what Oz had learned from me, he had
taken with him and was able to find em-
iSTOCKPHOTO - ELIRIUM
ployment in the same field I had taught

him. I wished him well and moved on.
So why do I tell you all of this?
TWO YEARS LATER

Oz was but a distant memory at our
thriving little company. With more than
10 employees on the payroll and annual
sales exceeding $3 million, we were being eyed by an industry giant wanting
to purchase us. Then an employee from
down the hall walked into my office and
proceeded to tell me a story about Oz
that would shock me, yet not surprise
me. Earlier in the day, my employee
had received a phone call from a young
woman she had never heard of before.
The young woman was Ozs wifes sister,
who had been searching with her family
over 15 years for Ozs wife, Andrea. I listened in fascination at the sordid details
of Andrea being Ozs stepdaughter from
a previous marriage, her having been
reported missing by her family years
before, and her allegedly being denied
contact with her family by Oz during

their marriage. This young woman had
been seeking information about her sister with whom she had briefly rekindled
a relationship after those many years of
forced separation.
Now it was impossible, because Oz
had killed Andrea. He shot her in their
apartment in Lowndes County, Georgia
just two years after he left my company.
According to Andreas sister, Oz was
upset that Andrea had been in contact
with her family after all of those years,
so he put a .38 revolver to the back of
her head and fired multiple times, killing her.
Oz would spend two years in the
Lowndes County Jail awaiting trial before pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and agreeing to a 20-year sentence in the Georgia State Penitentiary
System with no possibility of parole.
He is now a resident of Georgias Smith
State Prison that specializes in housing
inmates with behavioral problems that
cant be handled at other institutions.

With credit for the time served in county jail awaiting trial, Oz is scheduled for
release in November of 2022, when he
will be 70 years old.
On the day I fired Oz, my gut told me
something wasnt right and that I needed to be prepared to cope if things got
out of hand. Although Ill never know
if Oz picked up on my ability to defend
myself if needed, I trusted my gut. I am
glad I did! H
[ Mark Walters is a NRA certified instructor, co-author of the book Lessons from
Armed America, and a vocal Second
Amendment activist. He is the nationally syndicated host of Armed American
Radio, which airs Sunday evenings at
8-11 pm EST (5-8 pm PST) from coast
to coast. Mark encourages fans to write
him at mark@armedamericanradio.org.
Visit him at www.armedamericanradio.
org ]
15
Sustain and Improve Your
Handgun Skills
[ BY GEORGE HARRIS ]
Readers and students often ask me to recommend ways

they can stay sharp with their previously learned skills.
The easy answer, of course, is to practice, practice
practice.
n reality that is not the answer they

are looking for. They want the specifics of when, how, and why the drills
they do will benefit them. They want to
sustain their previously learned techniques and improve through self analysis. This segment is the first of a multipart series that will give the reader the
tools to hone their shooting skills for
the rest of their shooting lives.
Assuming the reader knows how to
run the gun and use a holster, the rest
of this article will focus on a drill that
forms the foundation of successfully
16
shooting a handgun regardless of the

skill or ability of the shooter. I recommend this drill to any shooter not performing at the expected level because
it brings the shooter back to the two
things necessary to hit the target: stabilizing the muzzle on the target and
moving the trigger without affecting the
stability of the muzzle.
The Wall Drill started as a no-name
dry fire drill back in the 1970s. I was trying to simplify the process of shot delivery to the most basic formula.
I had been taught a variety of dry fire
drills previously in the military but they

all had too many steps for me to concentrate on them all at one time. These
drills were confusing since at the time I
had no idea as to which step was more
important than the other. About the
same time I was working in the field of
adult education and how adults process information both in peaceful and
stressful conditions. The general consensus was that the average human
could cognitively process around five
to seven separate actions under ideal
circumstances. Under the pressure of
stress, either real or imagined the cognitive processing diminished to one or
two bits of information. At the time,
military marksmanship was taught at
the basic level with eight or more steps
that had to be synchronized with one
Absolute number one:

muzzle position in
relation to the target.
Absolute
number two:
trigger
movement.
another to deliver an accurate shot.

The problem was obvious in that there
was too much information to process at
once and therefore confusion was imminent. Frustrated with my less than
satisfactory performance, I set out
to find the real answer to successful
marksmanship.
The first part was to separate the
must-do parts of accurate shot delivery from those that werent absolutely
essential. What I finally came up with
was the two things absolutely necessary
to hit a target. Everything else could
and often would complement these
two things in successful shooting, but
werent absolutely necessary to hit the
intended location.
Absolute number one is muzzle position in relation to the target. I reasoned
that if the muzzle was pointing at the

target (with a very slight offset to accommodate gravity) when the bullet exited,
I would without a doubt hit the target.
I refer to this as muzzle management.
Absolute number two is trigger
movement. I discovered that all but the
most accomplished shooters move the
muzzle in relation to the target as they
operate the trigger to discharge the
gun. Even when trying to move the trigger without affecting the muzzle, it was
almost impossible to do consistently.
I was fascinated that something so
simple was so difficult to do.
Just as you discipline a child in order
to correct unacceptable behavior, I determined that the trigger finger had to
learn discipline in trigger movement to
correct unacceptable movement of the
muzzle on the target. Hence the phrase

trigger finger discipline was added to
muzzle management as the two key absolutes to accurate shot delivery.
Armed with these discoveries my dry
fire practice became more satisfying
and my live fire results were improving noticeablybut not to where I felt
they could be. I felt that I could improve
the process of shot delivery if I looked
at what human components played
the biggest parts of the equation. Since
I was not as consistent with my trigger finger as I thought that I could be, I
studied how the hands and fingers operate together and separately.
I discovered that when the index finger moved, it was natural for the other
fingers to move also. This caused the
muzzle to move away from the intend-
17
Trigger manipulation can be as fast as

you want it to be as long as it doesnt
seriously affect the position of the
muzzle on the target.
ed area on the target. This discovery
and my understanding of how adults
learn changed forever how we view trigger movement.
For as long as I could remember, the
word squeeze had been the predominant word to describe trigger operation.
When you learned the word squeeze
early in life, it was a physical action
done with the whole hand. Think about
the last thing you squeezed. Ill wager
that more than the index finger was
involved in that act. So if I suggest that
you should squeeze the trigger to fire a
shot, your mind and body automatically default to previously learned information and compress the whole hand
to discharge the shot. When this happens, the muzzle is moved away from
its intended location and we achieve
disappointing results.
For that reason alone, my staff and I
rarely use the word squeeze in relation to trigger operation. We start with
press, pull, operate or manipulate.
There are a few other factors involved
that you might discover while performing your dry drills such as changing
pressures with either hand as the trig-
18
ger is being operated, or perhaps freezing the trigger finger due to gripping
the gun too tight in the web of the firing hand. The objective is to support
the gun with one or two hands, hold
it as still as the circumstances permit,
and operate the trigger until discharge
occurs. Conventional training usually
infers that the shooter should slowly
squeeze the trigger to fire the gun. Let
me suggest that trigger manipulation
can be as fast as you want it to be as
long as it doesnt seriously affect the position of the muzzle on the target.
While I was studying how the hands
could be conditioned to achieve better
shooting performance, it became apparent that the eyes guide the hands
to the target and are essential to stabilizing the gun on the target. Through
simple eye-hand coordination (the
ability to point your finger where you
are looking), you can put the muzzle
of the gun somewhere on the target
by looking at it and pointing at it. This
comes with the caveat that the gun
needs to fit your hands similar to the
shoes on your feet: Not too big and not
too small but with some flexibility in
size to suit the desires of the individual.

To fit the gun to the hand of the
shooter, center the grip of the gun in the
web of the shooting hand between the
thumb and index finger. Place the index
finger along the side of the frame of the
gun, just above the trigger guard, parallel to the barrel. This positions the gun
so that anything the shooter points the
finger at, the muzzle points to the same
location. The second part of the test is
the reach of the trigger finger. Without
adjusting the position of the gun in
the web of the hand, the trigger finger
must have full contact across the face
of the trigger. If the trigger finger wont
reach across the face of the trigger, the
gun in its present configuration is too
big for the shooter. If the trigger finger
reaches across the trigger and contacts
the frame during the trigger manipulation prior to firing, the gun is too small.
In either case, a change in grip composition or configuration on the gun or a
simple trigger change may give a more
appropriate fit of the gun to the shooters hand.
Another interesting phenomenon
that I discovered with myself initially
and later found to be common among
shooters in general is that their visual
concentration tends to leave the sights
and transition to the target in proportion to the rearward movement of the
trigger. This causes a lack of follow
through and the false perception of
increasing gun movement as the trigger is moved to discharge. This creates
a whole set of problems on its own.
Without follow through we really dont
know where the gun was pointing when
the bullet left the muzzle. The increased
perception of movement causes reluctance to fire the shot, which foils the
whole shot delivery plan and induces
the gun to discharge at a precise point
in time by jerking the trigger. This
moves the muzzle off of the target and
often the result of this type of visual behavior is to hit lower than anticipated
on the target, particularly at distance.
As the eye transitions focus to the target the gun must be lowered slightly to
clear the way for our central vision to
see the target.
After it dawned on me that most
shooters allow their eye focus to drift
away from the sights to any number of

planes up to and including the target, I
realized that the eyes had to be conditioned to stay on the gun until the firing
sequence is complete.
Here is where the Wall Drill was conceived. I had shot the Dime/washer
Drill which aids in trigger movement
without moving the rest of the gun.
(The Dime/washer Drill involves placing a dime or a washer on top of the
barrel near the muzzle of the unloaded
gun and operating the trigger smoothly
enough to release the hammer without disturbing the dime/washer.) I
had also shot the Pencil Drill where we
placed tape on both ends of a pencil to
increase the diameter to fit the bore of
the pistol and dry fired at a target a few
inches away to improve the consistency
of our groups.
The Wall Drill is similar to these drills
but differs in its simplification of the
shot delivery process and the conditioning of the eyes, hands and brain
to work in concert rather than as three
separate entities.
Essentially the Wall Drill is conducted
with the shooter and an UNLOADED
and double checked gun in the shooting position of their choice with the
muzzle just out of contact with an unmarked vertical surface. A wall is the
most likely surface to use for this drill,
hence the Wall Drill.
With the muzzle as close to a blank
wall as possible without touching , focus on the front sight through the rear
sight using the sight picture that you
are most comfortable with. Operate the
trigger to dry fire with an awareness of
what happens to the relationship of the
Try to move the

handgun from the
holster to the target
and back to the
holster using only
the dominant hand.
This exercise in itself
is important from a
safety perspective as
well as determining
if the handgun being
used actually fits the
shooters hand.
sights as the trigger releases the hammer or striker. The goal is to consistently trigger the gun with no change in the
relationship of the sights.
In reality, it is highly likely at first that
the sights will exhibit some bounce
on each stroke of the trigger. It is then
up to the shooter to self-analyze and
change grip pressures as well as finger
positions to attenuate the movement
of the sights until the final goal of no
movement of the front sight in relation
to the rear sight is achieved.
By being able to trigger the gun with
no change in the relationship of the
sights, without loosing visual contact
with the sights through the whole process, the shooter has learned what has
to be seen and felt in order to deliver a
good shot.
The wall makes the eye stay on the
sights because they have no place to
go. The sights are used to guide the

muzzle to the target. When there is no
change to the relationship of the sights
due to proper trigger manipulation, the
muzzle is on target through the release
of the shot and the likelihood of hitting
the target is 100 percent!
The Wall Drill continues to evolve as a
training and diagnostic tool for underperforming shooters. It can be used
with everything from Air Soft guns to
long guns. It allows the shooter to see
and feel what is necessary to achieve
a good shot. In its advanced uses, the
Wall Drill is used to fire shots as a conditioned or semi-conditioned response
requiring no conscious thought to fire a
shot at the highest level of accuracy.
The next installment of the series is a
means to verify and validate the affects
of the Wall Drill in live fire.
Simple Is Good! H
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George Harris has spent over 30 years
in the field of adult education with
more than 17 years
at the SIG SAUER
Academy. He has
focused his efforts in the arenas of small arms,
small arms training and combat
skill development.
George has evolved from an infantry

soldier, small arms repair technician,
and drill instructor to become the
coach and firing member of the internationally recognized United States
Army Reserve Combat Marksmanship
Team. As a competitive shooter,
George has the coveted distinction
of being Distinguished with both the
service pistol and the service rifle. As
director of the SIG SAUER Academy,
George is committed to the safe and

successful use of firearms by armed
professionals and responsible citizens
alike through using the SIG Principle
of Training: Simple Is Good!
Sponsored By:
sigsauer.com 603-679-2003
19
CCM PROFILE
DANICADAS
[ BY OLEG VOLK ]
Danica Das is an unusual woman. If she were a movie

character, shed be less probable than James Bond and
Superwoman combined.
ut she does exist (with more accomplishments and aptitudes

at age 21 than any dozen Miss
Americas) and she is one of the thousands of Minnesotans who wears a gun
daily.
A year ago, I saw a discussion of gun
rights advocacy methods on a web forum. One of the members observed
that sex sells and so we should find
some blonde bombshell of an RKBA
spokeswoman and get media attention
that way. It seemed like a bad idea, but
he was right about the need for a charismatic, articulate and capable proponent of our ideas to counter the mass
media talking heads. In another thread
on the same forum, a proud father
wrote about his daughter participating
in Cowboy Action Shooting and posted
a photo of her in character. He also told
me his daughters background. The
choice of the RKBA voice for Minnesota
suddenly became crystal clear.
To her parents Jonelle and Dee,
Danica was the miracle child. The first
child ever born in Minnesota with the
mother on dialysis at the time of delivery, she survived and thrived. Most parents are proud of their children, but few
have more reasons for pride than the
Das family. As a scholastic member in
the Academic Decathlon team, Danica
won about 40 medals over the course
of four years in high school. Danica ran
cross country for four years and com-
20
peted in track and field, running relay

events and pole vaulted. She competed
in Mock Trial in the roles of both defense and prosecution, eventually competing at the state level. She also participated in vocal and drama competitions with her high school. During her
senior year of high school, Danica was
elected prom queen. At her graduation
party, she had so many awards that they
couldnt all be worn at the same time.
Put on a scale, her medals weighed in
at 30 pounds!
Danica is now studying English
Literature
at
Minnesota
State
University, Mankato. She plans to be-
come an editor, turning her love of

books into a career. Fiercely independent, Danica worked two jobs during
her first two years of college. She was a
lab technician for a local iron foundry
in which she tested samples of castings
to evaluate their chemical composition, yield points, hardness and tensile
strengths. She also helped on sinter
heat shifts and furnace relining, and
monitored molding sand. She has also
assisted people with developmental
disabilities at a local group home. She is
now working there full time. Every one
of her many accomplishments came
from great effort and dedication. Now
to safeguard this treasure....
With adulthood came the realization that her father went armed for a
good reason. Finding herself out alone
at odd hours and in remote locations,
Danica learned to appreciate the option of effective self-defense. Though

tremendously strong, she stands only 5
feet 1 inch and would do better with a
pistol than going hand to hand against
possible threats. She is willing to take
calculated risks, such as learning to
sky-dive, but draws the line at taking
unnecessary risks like being unarmed.
Besides looking out for herself, Danica
also recommends an open-minded approach to learning about guns to people around her. To that goal, she and her
father have appeared in several pro-RKBA posters intended for American and
Indian viewers.
Danicas father, Dee, grew up in a rare
part of India where personal firearm
ownership was possible. His interest in
guns bloomed fully after the move to
America. As soon as it became legally
possible, he began to carry a sidearm.
At 20, Danica and her father were invited to take part in cowboy action shooting. She was hooked at once! Her father
and an NRA instructor taught her the
safety and handling of historic arms,
trigger control and sighting. To everybodys amazement, she beat many of
the other competitors. Tiny but athletic,
left: Danica and her

father once posed
for a series of gunrights posters used
in India.
right: Finding
herself out alone at
odd hours and in
remote locations,
Danica learned
to appreciate the
option of effective
self-defense.
Give yourself a chance
21
she wielded twin .45 Colt revolvers and

a lever action carbine to good effect.
Dee then taught his daughter to shoot
other guns, for her enjoyment and for
her safety.
Of the modern defensive arms, she
favors 9mm and .40 caliber CZ pistols,
but its her fathers Sig P6 (P225) that she
loves best. Thin and reliable, it became
her constant companion. Even before
Danica turned 21 and was able to carry
it, Dee knew that his pistol should become hers. The veteran sidearm was refinished by Sean Averill (galtsguns.com)
and given for her 21st birthday along
with a Woolstenhulme designer gun
purse
(designerconcealedcarry.com)
and several concealment holsters. On
many weekends, she and her father go
to the Key City conservation club range
for pistol practice.
Personable, bright and persuasive,
Danica is an effective ambassador for
gun rights. Her low-key, logical and
friendly approach works to convince
even those who wouldnt have given
other RKBA supporters a hearing. With
women like her representing the future
of civil liberties in America, we can worry a little less.
Was there a specific incident that
caused you to carry a gun?
The decision to carry came very gradually. My father got his conceal and carry permit on a whim and I thought he
was crazy and didnt see the need. Yet as
I got more involved with the gun community and started shooting for myself
I realized I liked it! Now that Im getting
older and tend to be out and about later
at night I find myself in areas in which
carrying puts me at ease and Im now
grateful that I can carry if I choose or
need to.
Have you ever had to use your firearm
in a defensive situation?
No.
What training methods do you employ?
My Father and I try to shoot every
Sunday. We used to frequent our local indoor range every week. Now
that summers here we have attached
ourselves to a local conservation club
22
where we have more

room and can shoot
from different angles
and situations. My parents used to flaunt their
conservation memberships in front of me, yet
now that I have my own
we all take part in our
usual Sunday ritual of
shooting.
Do you have any recommendations?
I would recommend
being open minded
about firearms. I was not
the biggest fan of them
before I got hooked. I
thought they were dangerous and only manly
men should handle
them and not someone
like little ole me. Yet now
I realize that people es- At 20, Danica tried cowboy action shooting. She was
pecially like little me hooked at once!
should get active or take
a chance on them. Its always beneficial developmental disabilities. Yet Im purto invest in ways to protect yourself and suing my degree in English Literature
who knows, you may end up protecting and hope to someday find myself in
editing.
someone else someday.
What weapons do you carry?
Right now I carry a Sig P6. My Father
also carries one, so we match. Clich?
Yes, but a good way to get a different
perspective while shooting. After all,
hes the one who taught me how to
shoot and still does to this day.
Right now I carry in a Fobus hard
plastic holster. It goes inside the waistband and has a soft rubber coating on
the inside which keeps it from rubbing.
I do find that I like a softer outside the
waistband holster a little better as I like
that they move with me and fashion often keeps my waistbands tighter than a
holster can fit.
What type of ammunition do you
carry?
Nothing special, after all I am a cheap
college kidcant break the bank.
What do you do for a living?
Right now, I work for a company that
manages group homes for people with
Do you have any advice for our readers?

I would tell readers, especially young
women, to give guns a chance. When
I first met up with some of my fathers
friends from the gun community I
thought they were all gun nuts or fanatics. Yet as soon as I stopped rolling my
eyes at them, I started having fun and
actually learned a thing or two. I realized that its about time I took my safety
into my own hands and I feel better
about myself for it. No longer am I just
a little girl. Its boosted my confidence
and I feel more connected to my community as I know that I can help out
if need be. I can do my part with the
neighborhood watch now.
Id also say give yourself a chance.
Youll be surprised how easy it is for
anyone to shoot or carry including
small girls such as myself. You dont
have to be G.I. Jane to shoot or protect
your family. Yet that added feeling of
toughness that comes with it doesnt
hurt either. H
The Model 60 Pro is

compact enough for
everyday carry, with
more punch than a
pocket pistol.
Smith & Wesson

Model 60 Pro Series:
Pint size performance
[ BY CALEB GIDDINGS ]
The compact snubnose revolver has been a staple of

concealed carry since the first person to figure out that
a shorter barrel made the gun more portable cut down
the barrel on a percussion revolver.
ince then, shooters and people

interested in powerful, compact
weapons for personal defense
have done everything they can to make
revolvers easier to conceal and carry
while maintaining shootabilitythe
ability to place rapid, accurate hits on
target in a defensive situation.
In 1965, Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 60, the first regular
production all stainless steel revolver.
Originally chambered in .38 Special on
S&Ws J-frame platform (the designation for their small-frame revolvers),
the Model 60 was an immediate hit. In
.38 Special the Model 60 holds five car-
tridges. Later updates to the Model 60

included being rechambered in .357
Magnum, allowing the gun to fire the
hotter magnum rounds as well as the
.38 Special rounds. The gun was also
offered with various barrel lengths including a five-inch barrel model.
In 2008, Smith & Wesson introduced
the newest member of the Model
60 family, the Model 60 Pro Series.
Chambered in .357 Magnum, the 60 Pro
features a three-inch slab-side barrel,
wood stocks, and a Trijicon night sight
on the front sight blade. While clearly
designed for concealed carry, the all
steel construction and three-inch barrel
relegate the 60 Pro to a belt carry gun as

it is too heavy and large for pocket carry in all but the largest of cargo pants
pockets. However, the 60 Pro is lighter
and smaller than the next size up on the
S&W revolver chart, the K-frame guns,
giving it an advantage for carry permit
holders and armed professionals of a
smaller stature.
The Smith & Wesson Pro Series guns
feature touches normally seen on
Performance Center Guns but without
the hefty price tag that those revolvers
usually demand. But night sights and
pretty grips arent just for show on this
gun.
At the range
Unfortunately, all the technical specs
in the world cannot tell how well a pistol shoots. Small frame revolvers are
notoriously difficult to shoot well, com-
23
Model 60 Specifications
Caliber
.357Magnum/.38 Special +P
Capacity
5 Rounds
Barrel Length
3 inches
Front Sight
Trijicon night sight
Rear Sight
Adjustable
Overall Length
8.7 inches
Weight Empty
23.4 oz.
Grip
Wood
Material
Stainless Steel
Finish
Matte
MSRP
$877 as of May, 2010
top left: The 60 Pro sports

a 3-inch barrel and an
excellent night sight,
making it a great choice
for low light shooting.
above: The sights on the
60 Pro are far better than
whats usually found on
pocket pistols.
Ammo used in testing

CALIBER
CARTRIDGE
AVG. VELOCITY
.38 Special +P
CCI Blazer 125gr. JHP
923 fps
.38 Special
CCI Blazer 158gr. LRN
764 fps
.38 Special +P
Black Hills 125gr. JHP
1010 fps
.38 Special
Magtech 130gr. FMJ
800 fps
.357 Magnum
Winchester 110gr. JHP
1215 fps
.357 Magnum
Glaser Silver Safety Slug, 80gr.
1757 fps
.357 Magnum
Hornady 158gr. XTP
1198 fps
bining an alliance of heavy trigger pull,

short sight radius, and stouter-than-average recoil into a package that is often
challenging for even expert shooters to
manage. The Pro series from Smith &
Wesson sought to address many of these
issues on the Model 60 Pro, starting
with the trigger. While the single-action
trigger on a defensive revolver is largely
24
irrelevant; this trigger breaks cleanly at

three pounds in single-action mode.
The double-action trigger is heavy, but
unlike many other factory small frame
revolvers is not gritty or rough. A clean,
smooth double-action trigger that does
not stack goes a long way toward making a small revolver shoot well.
The extra inch of barrel on the 60 Pro
also helps, as do the excellent adjustable sights. While adjustable sights on a

carry revolver are somewhat controversial, they provide a much clearer sight
picture than the traditional gutter
rear sight that is integral to the topstrap
part of the frame. Most importantly in a
defensive gun though,
is the tritium insert in
the front sight. In low
light and night conditions the front sight
glows green. This gives
the shooter an aiming
reference far superior
to
non-illuminated
sights on similar revolvers, and is probably one of the best
features on this gun.
Taming recoil is the
overall weight of the
gun, coming in at 23.4
ounces, and the excellent wood stocks on the pistol. While
the stocks are attractive, theyre also
highly functional at reducing muzzle
flip by positioning the shooters hand
high on the backstrap of the small pistol. A high grip on a revolver is popular
among competition shooters to control
recoil and assist with rapid delivery of
follow-up shots.
A challenging test for any shooter and
gun is the Pistol-Training.Com (www.
pistol-training.com) Dot Torture test,
which features 10 two-inch dot targets
on a single sheet of paper. Shooting the
dots with a variety of strings of fire, to
pass the test the shooter and gun must
keep all 50 hits in the designated dots.
At seven yards, the Model 60 Pro scored
48 out of 50, with the two misses being entirely shooter error on a weakhand-only string. The Model 60 Pro is
capable of impressive accuracy. At 25
yards shooting slow fire double-action,
all shots stayed well within the eightinch A-zone of a standard IDPA target.
While eight inches at 25 yards doesnt
sound like much, the ability to produce
on-demand center of mass hits from a
defensive revolver is no small feat.
Standard pressure .38 Special loads
produced negligible recoil, while
.38 +P loads were easily manageable
for follow up shots. With 110 gr. .357
rounds into your pocket when reloading in a hurry.
Bottom line
Fast access is possible from

complete concealment.
Even for small statured people, the 60 Pro

conceals easily under a fitted polo shirt.
Magnum rounds recoil was sharp, but

not unpleasantan experience mirrored when using .357 Magnum Glaser
Safety Slugs. With 158 gr. bullets in .357
Magnum loads, however, the recoil did
become unpleasant and hard to control
in follow-up shots.
Carry impressions
Ultimately though, the Model 60 Pro
series is a carry gun. Carry guns that
are unpleasant to carry stay at home,
and carry guns that are unpleasant to
shoot dont come to the range. For the
last three months, the Model 60 Pro has
been my primary and everyday carry
gun. It replaced a much smaller and
theoretically easier to conceal pocket
pistol which created the first challenge:
changing from a pocket carry set up to
the more complicated belt carry system. Belt carry is more difficult for anyone employed in a professional environment who wishes to carry. Business
casual is not forgiving for carrying a
concealed firearm. The Model 60 Pro
Series conceals very well underneath
even a fitted shirt in a simple Blackhawk
nylon holster. The gun is very comfortable despite the assertion that a carry
gun should be comforting, not comfortable. Its a fact that people wont
carry guns that cause pain or discomfort. In an inside the waistband holster,
I was able to carry the 60 Pro every day
for three months without ever thinking,

I cant wait to take this gun off! From
business casual to a t-shirt and jeans,
the little J-frame was easy to conceal
and easy to carry day-in and day-out.
Inside the waistband (IWB) carry can
be difficult at times with revolvers. That
cylinder bulges into some painful spots
sometimes! However, contrary to popular belief, the J-frame Model 60 isnt
much wider at its widest point than a
1911. With a good holster, the cylinder
bulge isnt even a factor.
One of biggest strengths of the 60
Pro is that the parent design has been
around for so long. Because of that,
there is a plethora of good gear out
there for the Model 60. Holsters come
in all different types, from Kydex models to exotic leather and everything in
between. There is no shortage of speed
loaders for the gun either. Safariland
makes their excellent Comp-I and
Comp-II speed loaders for the J-frame,
and Buffer Technologies also make their
competition-popular Jetloader (which
is similar to the Safariland Comp-III) for
J-frames. Of course, there is the ubiquitous HKS speed loader, which releases
the rounds with a twist of the knob on
top and is my personal favorite for concealed carry. I tend to favor the HKS
over the Safariland models for carry
because the twist mechanism makes
it less likely to accidently discharge the
The Model 60 Pro Series isnt a perfect

gunno gun is. The 60 Pro gives up on
portability in favor of shootability and
sacrificing ease of carry compared to
a smaller, lighter revolver in favor of
shooting easier. Even with those sacrifices, the Model 60 makes an excellent concealed carry gun for day to day
use. The relative light weight of the gun
comes together with the smooth trigger
and excellent sights to make an ideal
package for the shooter looking to carry
a double-action revolver. What sets this
particular gun apart from other small
frame revolvers is that people will actually shoot it. A revolver made out of
space age metal that weighs less than
my cell phone isnt any good if you dont
practice with it. But the Model 60 Pro
is a gun that can be taken to the range,
shot 100 - 200 times, wiped off, loaded
with defensive ammo and put right
back into the holster it came out of. H
[ Caleb Giddings is the author of
GunNuts.Net (www.gunnuts.net) and
host of Gun Nuts Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts). When not
shooting revolvers in IDPA and USPSA,
Caleb Giddings is a loving husband and
insurance agent in Indiana. He blames
the revolver thing on watching too many
cowboy movies while growing up. ]
Contacts
Safariland
www.safariland.com
(800) 347-1200
HKS
www.hksspeedloaders.com
Buffer Technologies
www.buffertech.com
(877) 628-3337
Blackhawk!
www.blackhawk.com
(800) 694-5263
Smith & Wesson
www.smith-wesson.com
(800) 331-0852
25
These are just some of

the types of parts we
see break on quality,
well maintained
handguns. If, for
instance,the firing pin
or the extractor break
youre out of the fight
without a BUG.
Here are a S&W 442

and a Ruger LCR,
two fine examples of
a small, 5-shot .38
revolver.
[ BY TOM GIVENS ]
Back Up Guns
for Civilians-
For the past ten years, Craig Harper has been a staff
instructor at Rangemaster.
e is highly trained, having taken

courses from a number of the best
firearms instructors in the U.S.
He also has experience as a Military
Policeman in the U.S. Army. A few days
ago, Craig and I were discussing a recent incident in which a police officer
was killed. The officer was shot in his
dominant arm (right handed officer,
shot in right arm). Although conscious
and trying to fight back, he was unable
to reload his empty handgun with only
his non-dominant hand, and was executed by his assailant. Craig and I both
felt that if this officer had been wearing a backup gun (BUG), he might have
26
been able to access it and continue the

fight. Unfortunately, he did not have a
second gun.
To quote Craigs comments, For a
long time, I was of the mind that I didnt
need to carry a BUG. After all, I had a
very good primary gun that was wellmaintained. It always ran. In a class
we both participated inI think it was
with [John] Farnamyour 1911 failed.
Remember that, your slide flying down
range to about the 7-yard line? I saw
that and thought, I know Tom takes
very good care of his guns, and it still
failed. If it can happen to him, it can
happen to me. That is what convinced
a Good
Idea?
me that I needed a BUG. Ive carried
one ever since.
Craig continued, During last years
Tactical Conference in Tulsa my thinking was reinforced. I was shooting my
practice Kimber during the scenarios
and it malfunctioned. I cleared it and
continued on until it failed to feed again.
At that point I discarded it, ducked behind cover and retrieved my Kahr PM9
out of the ankle holster and finished the
stage. My time for the stage sucked, but
I was still in the fight! Without a BUG, I
would have needed my knife to make a
bayonet charge; not a good idea when
the bad guy is shooting at you. So you
can carry a BUG or be BUGged (Being
Un-Gunned).
Craig is so right, and that is why I carry a lightweight .38 revolver on my an-
kle, every day, in addition to the Glock

35 in the IWB holster on my belt. My
G35 is accurate and reliable, and holds
lots of .40 S&W ammo. But if the striker
or some other vital part breaks, the G35
isnt even a good club. Thats what the
Colt Cobra on my ankle is for.
BUGsfor civilians?
For many years, while working in law
enforcement, I carried a small .38 revolver as a BUG, sometimes in an ankle
rig, sometimes in a pocket holster. After
I became a full-time trainer, I was no
longer involved in law enforcement and
carried on a state issued handgun carry
permit, like any other armed civilian.
At that point, I confess that I began to be
a bit lax about carrying a BUG, relying
on my holstered full size sidearm. After
a short period, while traveling around
the country teaching defensive shooting classes, I went back to religiously
wearing my BUG every day. Why?
The answer is simple. In class after
class after class, everywhere I went, I
saw well maintained, expensive, quality
pistols break during high round count
classes. By break, I dont mean malfunction. I mean they suffered a parts
breakage that rendered the gun out of
action until a replacement part could
be procured and installed. Bummer!
This happened, and continues to happen now, with unsettling frequency.
This phenomenon is not limited to one
make or model, either.
When working extensively with military units after 9/11, I saw one M9 after
another suffer parts breakages, usually locking blocks or firing pins. At one
point, I actually had a three pound sack
of broken M9 locking blocks and firing
pins. With SIG pistols, Ive seen the trigger return spring break on all models,
and Ive seen several slide stops break
on P220s, rendering the guns inoper-
able. With Glocks (yes, even Glocks!),

Ive seen several trigger return springs
break, one locking block disintegrate,
strikers break, extractors chip or break,
take down latches fall out, and two
slides fail structurally.
The 1911 is a chapter all to itself. In
the incident on the range that Craig
mentioned, he and I were attending another instructors course, something we
both try to do at least once a year. I was
shooting a 1911 customized and tuned
by one of the best pistolsmiths in the
US. I kept the gun cleaned and properly
lubricated, and used only quality ammunition in it. During a drill, the slide
stop broke into two pieces, putting the
gun out of action. At the end of the drill,
I put that one in my range bag and got
out my spare, which I loaded and continued the class. I wouldnt have had
that luxury during a fight! I have seen
1911s in class break extractors and ejectors, seen barrel bushings come apart
on three occasions, seen the thumb
piece break off the thumb safety, and
even seen the lower barrel lugs shear
off, turning the gun into a very nice paperweight.
Revolvers are certainly not immune.
In fact, when a revolver malfunctions,
it is usually a problem that will require
time and tools to fix. Ive seen firing
pins breakparticularly the hammer mounted firing pins on Smith &
Wessons. Ive seen ejector rods back out
or get bent, strain screws back out from
vibration, and bullets jump forward under recoil, locking the cylinder so that
it wont rotate and cannot be opened. If
any of these events occur in a gunfight,
you darn well better have another
gun to continue fighting with.
Since Murphy has
a habit of showing
up when hes least
welcome, I recog-
the cost of losing

is simply too high
to take the risk of
not being armed.
JULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCAR
nize that a well made, well maintained

sidearm may break at a critical point in
a gunfight. Given that, I carry a second
gun, so if this happens, I can transition to the second gun and continue
the fight. We carry a sidearm every day
because we recognize that although a
gunfight is a low probability today, it is
a possibility for which we can be prepared and which we will deal with if we
have to. Also, although that gunfight is
a low probability event, the cost of losing is simply too high to take the risk of
not being armed. To me, the logical progression of this train of thought is that
my sidearm is not likely to break during
a fight, but if it does, the potential penalty is too great, unless I have a BUG.
So, every day, I carry my sidearm, and
as life insurance, I carry my BUG. H
[ Tom Givens is the owner of Rangemaster
in Memphis, TN. For over 30 years Toms
duties have included firearms instruction. He is certified as an expert witness
on firearms and firearms training, giving testimony in both state and federal
courts. He serves as an adjunct instructor at the Memphis Police Department
Training Academy, the largest in
the state. Toms training resume includes certification from the FBI Police
Firearms Instructor School, NRA Law
Enforcement Instructor Development
School, NRA Law Enforcement Tactical
Shooting
Instructor
School,
Gunsite 499 under Jeff Cooper,
and more. ]
One of the
authors BUGs,
an aluminum
frame 6-shot .38
Colt Cobra.
27
The
Holster
Maven
LOOKS AT
Concealed
Carry Clothing
[ B Y K A TH Y J A C K S O N ]
Let me state the awful truth right up front: I am not,

generally, a fan of trick clothing designed for
concealed carry.
here are a lot of reasons for this.

Too often such clothes are done
poorlymade of cheap or flimsy
materials, created without thought to
how they will be cleaned, uncomfortable to wear, and sometimes actually
unsafe.
Because I am such a cynic when it
comes to concealed carry clothing, my
suspicious mind worked overtime writing this review. I handed the products
around to friends and family, seeking
28
opinions and points of view different

from my own. I took them up to the
range, and asked other qualified instructors to check them out. And while
nothing in life is perfect, Im willing to
recommend the garments mentioned
here.
Concealed
Carry Outfitters:
Vested Interest
I love this vest! Like a lot of other
vests designed for concealed carry,

the Holster Vest from Concealed Carry
Outfitters features hidden pockets intended to work as gun-holders and
magazine carriers. Unlike far too many
others, these pockets actually do the
job they are intended to dowithout
fuss and without bother. Even better,
this holstered vest suspends the guns
weight directly from the users shoulders. With this design, you dont carry
any extra weight on the back of your
neck no matter how heavy your gear.
Thats amazing.
Crafted from sturdy Fortress fabric imported from Australia, the black
vest looks and feels like the tough oilskin it is. Thoroughly modern, the
fabrics Teflon coating seals in the oils
and waxes that make it water resistant.
The Holster Vest

from Concealed
Carry Outfitters
features hidden
pockets intended to
work as gun-holders
and magazine
carriers, but looks
and wears like an
ordinary vest.
above: Under each arm, multiple

pockets of varied sizes and shapes
offer hide-outs for ammunition,
firearms, knives, flashlights, and
other gear. The included thumb
break retention strap provides
much-needed security for the
firearm.
When worn, the stiff structure of this
vest behaves almost as if made of thick
leather, with very little flex. Concealed
Carry Outfitters offers the same design
in several other fabrics, which looked
equally sturdy to a cursory inspection,
but I gave the oilskin version the full
workout.
Fully lined and with all seams wellsealed, the vest features a mesh lining
through the shoulders and upper body
intended to help keep the user cool in
warm weather. Unfortunately, since I
live in the Pacific Northwest, I havent
had a chance to test the cooling properties of the mesh. However, because
I live in the Pacific Northwest, I can
tell you with great confidence that the
vests waterproofing works as advertised. Studying the seams, I found no
errors of workmanship, and the hardware appears first-rate.

By my count, there are 14 pockets
throughout this vest, including the
Cordura nylon holster pouches. I might
have missed one or two, as many of the
pockets are hidden invisibly behind
seams. Finding a place to store your
gear will not be a problem. Finding your
gear again later might be, unless you
keep track of where you stowed it.
A holster pouch rides inside the vest
directly beneath each arm, with elastic magazine pockets fore and aft of
the holster. This provides space for
two firearms and four extra magazines.
Other pockets of varying depths and
sizes near the same locations can carry
folding knives, flashlights, and other
gear. Because the vest design places
the weight load directly beneath the

arms, this vest requires very little loadbalancing and it does not allow one side
to droop.
Unfortunate but unavoidable, placing the holster directly beneath the arm
means the drawstroke from this vest
requires a longer reach than most other vest carry methods. This might be a
caution for the abdominally enhanced
male or bosomy female, but most wont
find it a problem.
Both gun pouches include Velcroattached retention straps with solid
thumb breaks for security. In my opinion, carrying a firearm in these loose
pouches without using the retention
straps would be unsafe. Because the
pouches are designed to accommodate
longer barrels, if you wish to carry a
29
short-barreled firearm the manufacturer suggests dropping a small handkerchief into the bottom of the pouch
as a sort of booster seat. A small gun
easily rides there without the help, but
the draw becomes much easier when
the grip doesnt snuggle down under
the covers.
Priced at $190 and made in the USA,
the Holster Vest from Concealed Carry
Outfitters gets a solid thumbs up for
materials, workmanship, and good
design.
CCW Breakaways:
Redefining pocket carry
Company owners Jay and Georgann
French enthusiastically tell people
about Jays creation: pants with pockets
designed specifically for safe, discreet
concealed carry. Whats the big deal?
Just this: the pocket actually functions
as a true holster, holding the firearm
securely in the correct orientation to
allow a fast draw. Readers familiar with
pocket carry probably blinked a little bit
at that. Pocket carry and fast draw
arent usually terms that appear together. But these pants, and these pockets,
are different.
It takes a little bit of work to get the
pocket set up, notes Jay, but once you
understand what youre doing, its pretty simple. Indeed, when the pants arrived in the mail, it did take a little while
to figure out how to adjust the pocket
properly. But both the flyer that arrived with the pants and the companys
website provide detailed, step-by-step
instructions with pictures to help the
process along.
The twill dress pants, pleated in the
front, appear well-made, with good
stitching and solid hardware. The cargostyle khakis offer the same functionality
as the dress pants, but with a more casual look and feel in a very sturdy fabric.
Since CCW Breakaways come in mens
sizes and styles only, my buddy Don
Stahlnecker (USCCAs web developer,
instructor at the Firearms Academy of
Seattle, and all-around nice guy) agreed
to be the guinea pig. Don reported that
both pairs of pants were a skosh on the
large side when they arrived, but a trip
through the wash brought them down
to perfection.
30
CCW Breakaways pockets readily

snap free when needed, creating a
fast and easy one handed draw.
The waistband and pocket of CCW Breakaways

look just like those on comparable pants,
but with a difference: hidden snaps along the
top edge allow the pocket to readily tear
open for a fast, accessible draw.
tently yank the trigger by

running a hand up the
outside of your pants. For
all those reasons, simply
dropping a bare gun into
a pocket is a bad idea.
The multiple angle
and depth adjustments
answered my concerns
about gun orientation.
Once adjusted to suit a
particular firearm and
human body, the pocket
holds the gun where it
needs to be. But what
about protecting the trigger? CCW Breakaways
pockets are made of thin,
slippery material which
provides good lubricity
for a smooth draw. But
that thin material isnt
much of a trigger-protector. Noting the problem
to Jay as he showed off
his prototype at the 2010
SHOT Show, I didnt really expect much in the
way of a response. But Jay
Properly adjusted, CCW Breakaways pants easily
surprised me, taking the
conceal a Glock 26 in the pocket even while seated.
concern seriously and
working
hard
to
address it. Current proExtraordinarily deep, the patentpending front pockets offer a myriad duction models feature a trigger-proof setup options. Using Velcro panels tector made of seat belt webbing sewn
in strategic locations, they can be ad- across the strategic spots. This stuff is
justed to suit nearly any firearmand thin enough to move easily and natuthat includes full-size guns rarely used rally with the pants, but sturdy enough
for pocket carry. A standard 1911 fits to prevent any outside pressure from
as discreetly into these pockets as eas- getting inside the trigger guard and
ily as a tiny Kel-Tec. The pocket allows depressing the trigger. Barring truly
the user to adjust depth, grip angle, extraordinary circumstances, Im satisand where the gun rides on the leg. Our fied that the trigger cannot be moved
tester found that it took a day or two of by outside influence with this design.
Jay didnt stop there, however. After
fiddling around to find the really ideal
spot for the gun to ride for maximum another customer (a fellow USCCA
concealability. Once properly set up, member) expressed concerns that the
the pocket can remain set indefinitely seat belt webbing didnt provide as
much protection as hed like, Jay dewithout readjustment.
Now for the tough question: is this re- cided to offer an extra shield, a drop-in
ally a safe way to carry a firearm? I have piece of solid plastic roughly the shape
long said that any gun carried loose in a of a wallet. This isnt available on propocket is simply asking for trouble. You duction models yet, but will be an opneed to cover and protect the trigger. tion on the next runalmost certainly
You need to be sure the gun will stay by the end of summer.
Two unavoidable safety issues rewhere its put and will be in the correct
orientation when you reach for it. You main. First, in common with all forms
need to be sure that you cant inadver- of pocket carry, these pants do not alJULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
low the user to drop car keys or other

items into the same pocket where the
gun rides. You need to think of the gun
pocket as a holster, not as a place to put
stuff. Second, our product tester noted
that with a bare gun in the pocket, it
takes a very conscious effort of will to
keep the trigger finger outside the trigger guard during the draw. If youre not
paying attention, Don warned, youll
find that the pocket directs your finger right onto the trigger. Thats not
a product-design issue, but a training
issueand it bears repeating. Always
train yourself to draw with your trigger
finger straight, regardless of how you
carry.
Many folks over the years have
found pocket draw slow and clumsy.
Although the gun drops into a pocket
easily enough, getting it back out past
the pocket mouth can be difficult once
youve got a firing grip on it.
CCW Breakaways offer a revolutionary solution to the clumsy draw problem. The entire top edge of the pocket,
hidden securely underneath a fold-up
section of the waistband, easily snaps
wide open with a yank. Because the
entire top edge of the pocket easily rips
open, its quite possible to draw even
while seated. But a casual observeror
even a sharp-eyed onewont be able
to see the feature that makes it work.
Both front pockets offer the same
features, but can easily be rigged to
support different firearms or different
uses. CCW Breakaways sells various
accessories for the pockets, including
well-designed magazine socks that affix
to the inside of the pocket with Velcro.
This lets the user choose the ideal depth
and placement for the reload. It also allows the comfort of being able to drop
car keys into the same pocket as the
magazine without tangle trouble. Knife
socks offer an opportunity to discreetly
carry a clip-on folding knife without the
clip showing outside the pocket, while
a larger pepper spray sock protects and
positions a small OC canister.
Priced at $90 and made in the USA,
pants from CCW Breakaways offer good
looks paired with good function. The
truly revolutionary pocket design may
change forever the way we think about
holsters. H
31
Proper tourniquet
application with
placement high on leg
maximizes effect and
minimizes risk.
Stop the
Bleeding,
Save a
Life:
First Aid
for Critical Incidents
[ BY GRANT CUNNINGHAM ]
A fight, particularly involving bullets or blades, is a

nasty, messy thing. In the course of saving your life
from the violent acts of another person, its entirely
possible that you or someone you hold dear could be
severely injured.
xtreme trauma, such as a knife or

gunshot wound, presents an immediate risk to life. Your attacker
may be motionless on the ground, yet
the blows he struck could leave you no
better off. Nows the time to apply first
aid to preserve life until a trauma surgeon can start working.
Specialized training
Most first aid courses are poor preparation for dealing with severe trauma.
Massive bleeding is an emergency that
requires not just the right equipment,
but the skills to use it appropriately and
32
efficiently. Ive yet to take a standard

first aid course that dealt with extensive
wounding beyond Call 911!
Thats how I came to be in a classroom looking at Powerpoint slides of
horrific wounds and listening to Josh
Smith tell us how best to deal with what
we were seeing.
Josh is the founder of StrikeFirst
LLC, a training company in Portland,
Oregon. My wife and I, along with a dozen others, were taking his Tactical First
Aid course to learn how to treat these
kinds of wounds and keep ourselves
alive until we get to a trauma center.
Joshs experience fits this class perfectly. A firefighter and EMT, he was
also active duty military for two tours
of the Middle East. Hes seen gunshot
wounds, amputations, severe lacerations and more. Hes just the guy to
teach us how to take care of othersor
even ourselveswhen the unthinkable
happens.
Dealing with massive trauma is not a
tidy matter, Josh tells us, as the first of
many gruesome pictures appear on the
screen in front of us. Its reality time for
the students in his care.
The basics
Stopping severe bleeding, Josh explains, is a matter of pressure. In the
first aid courses Ive taken, its always
been emphasized that the best way to
stop bleeding is through direct pressure. First aid manuals typically il-
A trauma kit doesnt need to

be large. This pouch contains
everything needed, yet fits
easily on a belt.
Proper method
of applying
pressure dressing:
maintain direct
pressure while
tensioning the
bandage.
TacMed offers
the SOF-T, a
popular trauma
tourniquet.
lustrate direct pressure with a person

holding a gauze pad against a wound.
This might work for scratches in your
garden, but when dealing with massive
trauma such as the breach of an artery
its not enough. Those manuals never
revealed how much pressure is necessary, let alone how best to apply it.
In order to shut off a severed blood
vessel, you have to be able to channel pressure directly to it. If that vessel
is well below the skin, pressure on top
wont do the job. You have to get to the
source, and the proper way is to form a
sort of anvil to do the actual pressing.
The anvil directs pressure to the proper
place.
Josh instructs us to pack the wound
as tightly as we can with gauze and then
apply pressure to the gauze. If weve
done it correctly, the gauze serves as the
anvil and the pressure will be transmitted to the vessel in the wound.
Of course, gauze isnt terribly rigid
and some of the pressure is diverted
into compressing it instead of the broken vessel. If theres a lot of bleeding, it
will take a lot of pressure to control it.
Josh explains that you often have to use

both hands and lean into the wound,
and that your fingers will cramp very
quickly. Thats why its helpful to have
someone standing by with a pressure
bandage so that the wound can be
wrapped to keep the pressure up.
Wrapping it up
Joshs advice for wound wrapping is
to use an Ace-type bandage. As he emphasizes, it should be the regular style
elastic, not the newer self adhesive
style. The latter isnt as strong, and because it doesnt slide on itself, it cant be
properly tensioned.
We practice applying the bandage
to each other, taking care to maintain
a great amount of tension with each
wrap. Josh even shows us a little trick: a
half-twist in the bandage, centered over
the wound, transmits even more pressure. Dubious, we try it. Sure enough,
we can feel a noticeable increase in
pressure underneath the twist.
We also try the famous Israeli Battle
Dressing. This ingenious product combines a thick gauze pad, an elastic ban-
dage, and a tensioning device in one

package. Josh points out that its easier
to apply to yourself but he thinks its a
wash when bandaging someone else.
I try it on my own arm as well as my
wifes; I prefer the Ace-style bandage
generally, but if I had to do it to myself
Id rather have the Israeli dressing. One
more thing is added to my shopping list.
The class practices on arms and legs,
and even learns proper techniques for
areas where we cant easily wrapplaces
like the groin and armpit. Through it all,
Josh emphasizes that simplicity is better in life-or-death situations. The more
different types of bandages you have,
the more decisions you must make. He
believes in simple, small medical kits
with multipurpose supplies. Its easier,
he believes, to learn to use one or two
products very well and for a wide range
of wounds.
Its a philosophy he revisits many
times over the course of the day.
Back to the future

The heavy artillery for stopping
massive bleeding is the tourniquet. Id
thought the infamous device was not
considered a viable option in this day
and age, but Josh tells us that the tourniquet is very much alive and in common use.
The modern tourniquet is made of
nylon webbing and has a device to control the tension. They no longer cut into
flesh because the wide webbing applies
pressure over a greater area, lessening
33
Instructor Josh Smith shows

students how to apply direct
pressure to injured leg.
tissue damage. Theyre standard issue

for our soldiers in the field, and hes
used them more than once.
The key is proper application. We
learn the four (and only four) spots on
the body where a tourniquet can be
safely used, how to properly tension it,
and how to deal with failures.
As Josh explained, the tourniquet is
a lesser of two evils device. Its risks
are outweighed by its ability to stop the
very worst bleeding. Properly used its a
life saver.
Hemostatics: the modern

way to stop bleeding
Josh launches into a discussion about
hemostatic agents, those materials designed to absorb blood and cause it to
clot at the source. There are a couple of
different forms of hemostatic agents:
granular, made to sprinkle into a
wound, and solid, such as impregnated
gauze or semi-rigid foam.
Having used both in the field, Josh
much prefers the second type, preferably the gauze variants. As he explains,
granular agents must be poured directly onto the severed vessel. Contrary to
what you may have seen in the movies, granular hemostatics dont actually work when just sprinkled onto a
34
wound. If they dont get to the source of

the bleeding, they cant be of any help.
What this means is that you have to
have enough hands to hold the wound
open, clean any pooled blood out,
while opening the hemostatic package
and pouring the material into place.
If the bleeding is severe enough, the
new blood can simply wash the granules away with no effect. If the wound
occurs outdoors, its not unusual for
wind to blow away the material as it is
poured.
Josh says that granular agents are
great in hospital settings, where there
is no wind and they have assistants
with suction equipment. For use in the
field, he greatly prefers one of the solid
agents, and hes particularly fond of impregnated gauze.
Since weve already learned how
to properly pack a wound with plain
gauze, theres no learning curve to using the hemostatic type. Pack it into
the wound just like the regular variety,
apply pressure and wrap as weve practiced. The agent will have the perfect
setting in which to work, and he says
the effects are like magicthe bleeding
just stops.
The only issue with these products is
that theyre expensive. Thats not going
to stop me from adding some hemostatic gauze to my shopping list, however.
Chest wounds
One topic that Josh identified as full
of myth is the chest wound (sucking chest wound as its often called).
He explained the process of air being
trapped in the pleural cavity between
the chest wall and the lung and how it
prevents the lungs from inflating properly. The condition is known as tension
pneumothoraxand it can kill.
Hollywood is fond of the tension
pneumothorax, he said, because it usually involves a dramatic decompression
with a needle. The procedure, properly
termed needle thoracostomy, is tricky.
The best way is to insert a properly
sized needle into the second intercostal space on the mid-clavicular line.
He showed us just where that is, and
more importantly how to properly insert what kind of needle to relieve the
problem.
As Josh pointed out, it takes some
time for the condition to present itself,
and there are warning signs along the
way. We learned what they are, when
they appear, and just what to do to help
slow the onset of symptoms.
One of those preventive measures involves proper treatment of the wound

itself. We learned to use the Asherman
Chest Seal (ACS), which covers a thoracic puncture wound and provides a
one-way valve to allow for the passage
of trapped air out of the hole. A tension
pneumothorax can still occur, but with
a way for some of the air to escape, onset is delayed significantly.
In the absence of that special dressing, we learned to improvise using an
occlusive material (such as a plastic
bag) and some tape. Not as good as the
ACS, but in a pinch it will work.
The bottom line

Severe trauma requires specialized
techniques to treat successfully. These
cant be learned in a regular first aid
course. They need to be learned from
a specialist, preferably one with actual
field experience.
There are tactical first aid courses
springing up all over the country. Many
medics are coming back from the
Middle East, eager to share their hard
learned lessons with the rest of us. Be
sure to check any instructors credentials before you sign up for any course,
but do get this type of training. Anyone
who is around firearms regularly, especially someone who carries one for
self defense, needs to know how to save
lives in the worst of circumstances. H
Contacts
Ace Bandages
A division of 3M Corp.
www.3m.com
Asherman Chest Seal
Rusch, Inc.
(800) 514-7234
www.rusch.com
Josh Smith
Founder/Chief Instructor
Strike First, LLC
(503) 758-8516
www.strikefirsttactical.com
SOF-T Tourniquet
Tactical Medical Solutions, Inc.
(888) 822-6331
www.tacmedsolutions.com
An interview with
Josh Smith
Grant Cunningham: What is your
background?
Josh Smith: I was a firefighter and
EMT prior to 9/11. After that, I wanted
to serve my country in the military. I
enlisted in 2004, and spent about a year
and a half in the 327th Infantry, 101st
Airborne. Once I had some experience,
I was selected for service with the famous Tiger Force. I ended up in Iraq
for 27 months over two tours, working
on small reconnaissance and sniper
teams. Between those tours, I attended the Special Operations Emergency
Medical Skills Course, where I broadened my knowledge of dealing with
battlefield casualties.
GC: Besides self defense, why should
someone take a tactical first aid
course?
JS: We rely on 911 for so much, but
there are times when they cant get
there fast enough. Accidental gunshot
wounds are common, and Ive seen
bow hunters trip and drive a broadhead
into themselves. Massive bleeding can
happen in the blink of an eye, anywhere, and dealing with it is the most
important thing you can know.
GC: What do you carry in your trauma
kit?
JS: Im a big believer in making things
simple, yet very flexible. In my kit youll
find two tourniquets, a couple of 3
inch Ace bandages, 3-inch rolled gauze,
some duct tape, and a roll of QuikClot
Combat Gauze. Thats it. This allows me
to treat just about any type of massive
hemorrhage, which is the fastest way to
die from an injury.
GC: Duct tape?
JS: That white medical tape you see
sold in the first aid section of the drugstore is useless. It barely sticks to itself. In the field, when youre trying to
bandage up someone whos covered in
blood, its important that you have tape

that will stick to damp surfaces. Duct
tape is perfect. It doesnt look medical,
but it does the job better than anything
Ive used.
GC: I dont need a huge first aid kit?
JS: No. Bleeding is the major risk and
it can be treated with a small amount of
simple gear. Big kits often lack the basic equipment needed to treat massive
bleeding. You should train to make the
most of simple gear, but without training, even the biggest kit is useless.
GC: What about lower levels of first
aid?
JS: Theres a difference between a
trauma kit and a boo-boo kit. The
boo-boo kit is more useful on a day-today basis, but the trauma kit will save
your life. The most important thing
with small wounds is to prevent infection, so my boo-boo kit contains some
triple antibiotic gel, antibiotic spray,
and lots of Band-Aids.
GC: Besides this training, what else
should the well-prepared person
know?
JS: What to do if no one is coming
very soon. Beyond bleeding, you definitely need to know CPR. You also need
to learn how to deal with airway issues
like choking, especially if you have
kids! Remember that the operational
environment doesnt necessarily mean
combat. It can be a natural disaster,
industrial accident, or anytime youre
treating an injury where it occurs. You
need to be prepared. H
35
Exclusive! To learn more about one-handed shooting,

see the video from CR Williams on the USCCA website at
www.usconcealedcarry.com/videos/one-handed-shooting.htm
Knocked to the ground,

you can take time to get
back up for a two-hand
hold or get the gun online and take the shot
from where you are.
Which seems safer?
Shoot With One Hand?

[ BY CR WILLIAMS ]
I first saw it with shooters on the range and Ive also seen at
a class: Right-handed shooters moving to the right as they
engage a target, twisting and cranking and turning to the
very limit of their range of motion in an unthinking attempt
to keep a two-handed grip on their handguns.
hen, in a move to the left, looking as if someone had taped both

hands to their gun. The apparent
reluctance with which they finally released the left hand so they could stay on
target was curious, and instructive, at the
same time.
I can, and have, learned how to crank
around directly behind me with a twohanded grip if I have to or if its the best
way to employ the weapon, but I also find
it easier to leave the support hand behind
and extend the weapon in a one-handed
grip like the one I was originally taught to
shoot with. And I can do that with either
hand.
There are a number of reasons why I
suggest you start now to become able to
36
do the same thing. All of those reasons

can be placed into two categories: necessity and choice.
Most instructors review necessity at
least in part, that part being injury to the
support or shooting hand. Other things
that qualify as necessary would be:
The need to hold onto something or
someone with one hand;
the need to fend something or someone off;
the need to strike with one hand;
the need to catch yourself when you go
off-balance with one hand while still
having the weapon out and able to fire;
the need to have one hand swinging
freely as you run so you can move faster.
Anything that forces you to remove one
hand from the weapon can be classified

as necessity and requires familiarity and
competence shooting one-handed with
either hand.
In a USCCA Video Tip covering access
from a seated position, I discuss the usefulness of being able to shoot with either
hand, two-handed or otherwise, because
it offers you more tactical options. This is
what I mean by choice. Use of cover is a
prime example. Being able to shoot onehanded means you can use the other
hand to brace yourself and set your standoff distance. (Its recommended that you
set back at least six feet from cover to
avoid splash and ricochets; Combatives
instructor Kelly McCann suggests putting
a hand out to get an initial three or four
feet of set-back as a simple way to gauge
the position you take.) If the nature of
the cover demands a larger-than-normal
lean to clear the muzzle, having a hand
free to keep yourself from falling into line
of fire would be very handy indeed. And
the ability to switch hands at will allows
Above and below: Williams

demonstrates a quick prone
position taught by Sonny Puzikas
as a way to go to ground quickly.
Whether you go to ground
deliberately or are knocked down,
you may need to shoot one-handed
once youre there.
You can practice

guiding and defending
another, such as a
child, using something
like this box or a
weighted duffle bag.
left and right:

Comparison of exposure
from behind cover using
one and two-hand
holds. From the same
side, there isnt much
difference. Change
hands, however, and you
can keep a little more out
of the line of fire.
Why?
you (if you are a right-hand shooter) to
roll out and present a smaller target to
the left of cover than you would be able to
with a right-hand grip of any kind.
In limited space, being comfortable
with one-hand shooting provides you the
option of full extension to fire or if you
desire, a compressed but perhaps more
awkward two-handed hold. You may not
need to go one-handed in such circumstances, but just knowing you have that
choice can take some stress out of the
situation. Less stress is good in a gunfight.
Finally, being able to shoot one-handed, especially if you can use either hand,
facilitates evasive movement and helps
with being able to shoot on the move. At
anything more than a fast walk, you need
an arm swinging to keep you in balance or
else you have to slow down. The counterbalancing arm allows a more stable hold
than you can imagine one-handed until youve actually tried it. Being able to
shoot one handed can give you the ability
to move at more acute angles and more
directions while still keeping your gun

on target. It allows you to move faster to
gain distance, get to cover, or make the
attackers task more difficult while being
able to make accurate return shots to end
the fight quickly.
If you havent done it for a while or
havent done it a lot, shooting one-handed could be a little awkward or uncomfortable at first. Shooting with the support
hand could be very uncomfortable at first.
Do it anyway. Persist. Get accustomed and
comfortable with it. You may not shoot as
well under some conditions. But time and
focused practice will return dividends. In
fact, I would not be surprised if shooting
with the off hand improves your shooting with your primary hand.
You may never get as good shooting
one-handed as you are from the solid
two-hand hold. You may never get as
good with one hand as you are with the
other. Persist in the practice, though, and
its likely you will get good enough to save
your own or someone elses life one day.
And thats the best reason I can think of

for starting to work on it. H
[ CR Williams is a moderator on the USCCA
forum and the lead man on USCCAs Video
Tips series. His primary interest is currently to find better ways to be able to go home
after the fight is over and then to effectively
present those methods and means to others. Questions or comments about any
of his material can be directed to crwilliams@usconcealedcarry.com. ]
Contacts
Suarez International USA, Inc
www.suarezinternational.com
(928) 776-4492
Sonny Puzikas
Progressive Combat Solutions
www.progressivecombat.com
(800) 399-4580
37
above: The modern version

of the Mountain Mans
possibles bag.
right: Author demonstrates
problem of men carrying
tactical purses.
The
TACTICAL
PURSE
[ B Y K . L . J amison , E s q . ]
Awakened by a 2 a.m. crash downstairs, a homeowner

snatched up his pistol and cell phone to investigate.
tationing himself at the top of the

stairs, he took as good a tactical
position as his sleep-fogged mind
could devise. He tucked the handgun
into his waistband so that he could reach
the switch on his right and flood the
downstairs with light. But he was wearing pajamas. The pistol pulled the pajamas around his ankles, which sent him
tumbling down the stairs to lie next to

the flowerpot the dog had knocked over.
A secure carrier for his equipment would
have prevented some bruised embarrassment on this occasion, and worse in
the case of real intrusions.
When an intruder kicks in the door
at 2 a.m., strangles the Doberman, and
stomps up the bedroom stairs humming
a medley of Charlie Manson songs, the

homeowner is at a tactical disadvantage.
The homeowner will be surprised, and
usually roused from sleep. He will often
face a superiority in numbers, strength
or skill. The Western worlds response to
superior fighting ability has always been
technology. The citizen will need equipment to allow him to detect the bad guy,
fight the bad guy, and control the bad
guy. How one sleeps is how one will
fight. If one sleeps in the nude, one fights
The Nighttime Fanny Pack

[ B Y K A TH Y J A C K S O N ]
Remember the 1980s?
he big hair, the skinny ties, the days

of totally awesome florescent shirts
and bulky sweaters and overdone
makeup and paint-splattered clothing
andoh, the memories!those horrible flimsy stirrup pants. Oh, wait, stirrup
pants are back in. Or were, briefly. Never
mind. Remember the exercise clothing
fad, when it was, like, totally cool to go
out in public wearing a sweat band on
your forehead and micro-shorts styled
for jogging? With leg warmers, no less.
And a gnarly fanny pack.
Some of those styles might be coming back around (giant hoop earrings
38
... really?), but not fanny packs. Fanny

packs, we are told, are the last refuge of
the fashion-challenged, a testament to
mans (and womans) inability to grasp
that time has moved on and that styles
change. Never try to conceal your firearm in a fanny pack, they sayyoull
look like a refugee from the last century,
only less rad and more sad.
The fashion police rarely check up on
bathrobes, though, and thats good, because otherwise someone in this house
would be serving hard time. No names,
please: we must protect the guilty.
Despite that, even the fashion-forward
might find a use for a fanny pack if they
ever thought about wearing it under
cover of darkness ... with a bathrobe.

It works like this: for home defense,
you need a firearm, a light, a phone, and
a plan. Build the plan first and the others
take care of themselves. Our home defense plan uses a handgun rather than a
long gun, though of course we all know
that long guns bring more power into
play. But having children means were
more likely to need to move through the
home when theres a bump in the night.
Although Id much rather hole up from
the beginning, we have to all get together first, and that means Ill be moving
before I can bunker. It also means I am
more likely to need a hand free for holding onto a child, leaving only one hand
in the nude. When alerted to an intruder

the citizen will have time to grab once,
and in that one grab must sweep up
all the technology required to even the
odds. This is done the same way women
have always swept up their days supplies with one grab: with a tactical purse.
Purses can be bought for spare change
at garage sales and are ideal for carrying
tactical supplies. They have compartments for keys, wallets, and makeup;
which convert nicely to arranging a
handgun, ammunition, flashlight and
supporting equipment.
A camouflage Rambo bag or black
ninja bag has doubtless been made
for the same purpose. So, why a purse?
The answer is, because it is a purse. It
is difficult to accuse a citizen of macho,
Rambo, killer fantasies when his equipment is carried in a purse, pink if at all
possible.
There are purses for all occasions,
but not all circumstances. Outside the
home, a man with a purse draws attention, some suspicious, some predatory.
On the street a man with a purse will
cause the predatory species to think homosexual, weak, wont call the police and
will attract problems rather than repel
them. There are alternatives.
When investigating a disturbance in
the neighborhood or a stranger at the
door one should be able to grab up defensive equipment in a carrier which
does not scream Hes

got a gun! Discretion
cuts down on the hysterical calls to 911,
and explanations to
responding police officers who may be
disposed to handcuff
first and question
later. Some individuals have been successful with bags designed
for cameras or similar
equipment. However
the predatory species A variety of
options.
may view these bags as
opportunities and the
struggle begins with a
fight over control of ones gun. The whitecollar crowd has embraced day planners
with integral holsters. However, these
are inevitably laid down and the loss of
control will only get worse.
Every state that has passed License
To Carry has seen an explosion in the
popularity of fanny packs. They have
multiple pockets and many designs include a holster. In an emergency they are
easily snatched up and occasion notice
only in the most formal of venues. They
are commonly offered in black, although
a less ominous color that matches ones
clothing is less likely to draw attention.
In every state where License To Carry
has passed vests have become very pop-
for running the firearm. So weve chosen to build the plan around a handgun,
with a long gun available for back up.
So how does the fanny pack get into
the mix? Well, the set up I prefer uses a
handgun stored in a fanny pack along
with cell phone, a spare magazine or
two, and a small but bright tac light. You
can also tuck spare keys into one of the
pockets. With this set up, I can instantly
attach everything I need to my body, regardless of what I wore (or didnt wear)
to bed that night. The pack even functions to hold a bathrobe shut if theres
time to throw the robe on. If theres not,
the pack can be worn over sweats or just
grabbed and flung over one shoulder
like a purse.
A concealed-carry fanny pack, specifically designed to carry the gun, func-
tions as a true holster. It keeps the firearm secure against

the users body, covers and protects the
trigger, and holds
the grip in a known,
stable orientation to
make drawing easier.
My hands stay free
if I need them free.
If I choose to carry Fanny pack holds firearm, reloads, light, keys, and a
the drawn gun, I still charging cell phoneand can double as a belt for the robe.
have an instantlyaccessible safe place to set it down. If room from me, leaving me the unsavory
I need to move through the house to choice of doing without or making noise
get to the children, I wont be juggling to retrieve it. Itll be attached to my body
the essentials. Theyll be with me. If I and ready to hand.
Call it a victory of function over
need to stay put, one of the essentials
wont end up on the other side of the fashion. H
ular. Some vests are specifically designed

for concealed carry and come with attachments for holsters. A few of these
designs have become so popular as to
be more uniform than concealment. A
common fishing vest succeeds in covering the belt area and provides sufficient
pouches for a pessimists equipment list.
The 2 a.m. invader will have the advantage. With one grab the homeowner
must sweep up all the equipment needed to detect, fight, and control the invader. A prepared tactical purse will go
far to even the odds. Those who sleep in
the nude may prefer a tactical robe or
tactical pair of pants ... or at least they
should. H
39
When challenging students to

process information and apply skill
based on their own abilities while
visualizing real threats, you will
often see individual timing during
a drill vary dramatically, with
some finishing a drill noticeably
before others. This reflects variables
in individual ability and the
circumstances under which we may
need to defend ourselves.
Finding Your
Balance:
Whats Missing from

your Firearms Training?
[ BY ROB PINCUS ]
If youre like most shooters at the range, the biggest

piece missing from your training is the tying of the
execution of your complex motor skills to a processing
of information.
hat does that mean? It means

that your brain and muscles are
probably anticipating exactly
what youre going to do just before a
command or other signal tells you to
go ahead and do it. This means that you
may have a dramatically skewed understanding of your ability to perform under defensive shooting situations.
When you are standing on a firing
line waiting for a buzzer and you know
exactly what you need to do when that
buzzer goes off, the involved neurons
in your brains motor cortex are already
primed and sending messages to the ex-
40
act muscles that will be used to perform

the task ahead. Blood flow is increased
to those muscles to prepare them for
work and other considerations are
tuned out from your conscious mind.
It is very much like a basketball player
about to take a free-throw or a major
league baseball player standing in the
batters box waiting for a pitch. As soon
as the expected stimulus is presented,
or on your own initiation in the freethrow analogy, the complex motor skill
will be executed as practiced, rehearsed,
visualized and anticipated. How unlike
a defensive shooting situation is that?
A defensive shooting situation

happens during what I refer to as a
Dynamic Critical Incident (DCI). DCIs
are surprising (you dont know they are
going to happen), chaotic (you dont
know what is going to happen next) and
threatening (in the cases were talking
about, there will need to be an identified threat). Because of the unexpected
nature of the worst case scenarios, it is
vital to practice your skills as often as
possible in a non-choreographed way.
When you are standing on the firing line
getting ready to practice your defensive
shooting skills, you should try to minimize your anticipation of exactly what
you are about to do as much as possible.
In this way, you can gauge your actual
ability to apply your shooting skills on
demand much more realistically. This
is important so that you have an ap-
propriate level of confidence and use

the appropriate amount of deviation
control (time, effort, energy) when you
are actually called upon to defend yourself or others. Too often, surveillance
camera video shows shooters who look
like they are shooting in an out of control way when they are attacked, pulling
the trigger much faster than they do in
training and practice and not executing
their fundamentals as they might have
intended to. This can lead to missed
shots, delays in stopping the threat or
even injury to bystanders.
I have written extensively about
the concept of the Balance of Speed &
Precision (BoS&P). In the early days, I
referred to this as the Balance of Speed
& Accuracy and some are still using this
terminology, which means the same
thing. The Balance of Speed & Precision
Understanding your
Balance of Speed &
Precision over the full
range of plausible defensive
shooting situations means
that you should train one
handed and in unorthodox
shooting positions as well as
more-preferable two handed
standing positions.
41
left: A one-handed shooting drill.

below: The SEB Target is the authors
favorite commercial target. It offers many
opportunities to challenge students to
understand how to apply various levels of
deviation control on demand.
is the most important underlying concept that drives realistic defensive

shooting training because it helps you
understand how to develop efficient
shooting skills by only using the necessary amount of deviation control for
any given shot you need to take. If you
can get away with simply extending the
firearm in and parallel with your line
of sight and using decent trigger control to get a combat accurate hit (one
which significantly affects the targets
ability to present a lethal threat), you do
it. If you recognize that you need to use
sight alignment and sight picture to get
the hit you need, you do that. Through
frequent and realistic practice, you can
develop an intuitive ability to use the
minimal amount of time, effort and energy you need to get the shot that your
situation demands. Training in Balance
of Speed & Precision drills is what most
people are missing in their firearms
training.
A Balance of Speed & Precision drill
offers at least two possible initiation
commands and at least two types of
targets that require noticeably different
amounts of deviation control. The easiest BoS&P drill to set up requires a can
of spray paint and any silhouette type
target. Place the target about 10-12 feet
42
from the firing line and paint a

small circle 2-3 inches in diameter, on either side of the head.
You now have two different
types of targets: the high center
chest of the silhouette (an 8-10
inch box or circle) and the two
small circles which require noticeably more deviation control to hit.
Your commands could be, Threat,
Left, and Right, with the first requiring you to fire multiple shots into the
high center chest and the latter two requiring either single or multiple shots
into the appropriate small circle. With
this simple drill, you have taken away
your brains natural ability to prime
your motor system for the exact set of
actions that will be needed. You also are
training yourself to execute those motor
skills only after processing some specific information that lets you recognize
what you need to do. Of course, you are
still standing on a range and there is a
great deal of overlap between the three
possible commands, but at least you
are stepping away from the free-throw
and getting yourself into a much more
(neuro-physiologically speaking) counter ambush situation.
Of course, you can make these drills
more complex or use other commands,
shapes and targets. You can even use

multiple targets that are exactly the
same, but set them at different distances
from the firing line to experiment with
the effect that distance has on your balance of speed and precision. The variations are limitless. Generally, training in
this way will require a training partner
who understands the drill and can issue
commands, but we recently released
an App for the iPhone, iPad and iPod
Touch that you can customize with
the exact variable appropriate to your
target setup. The App will randomly issue firing commands for those who are
interested in training alone, while still
forcing them to process information
before executing the specific complex
motor skills required.
I like to think of an extreme difference between generic readiness to do
something and a specific preparation to
do something that you have a high anticipation of needing to do. The sports
With a little thought and some spray

paint, simple targets can be modified to
create opportunities for better training.
analogies and athletic training models
that people often apply to shooting are
very realistic, but we often forget that
they come from very controlled environments. While training in a choreographed way (with only one thing to do
after a command or after a stage briefing in a competition) may be great for
sport shooting or developing isolated
marksmanship skills, the dynamic and
surprising nature of defensive shooting
demands that we step away from the
dance-routine and into a much less predictable world if we want to have a truly
accurate understanding of our abilities.
Using the Balance of Speed & Precision
drill concept can help you to develop
your skills more intuitively and more realistically. H
Simple targets allow

the brain to prime
the body for the
execution of the
complex motor skills
of shooting very
precisely before the
actual command to
fire. This can lead to
an overconfidence
in ones defensive
shooting ability.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rob Pincus owns I.C.E. Training
and teaches firearms classes
throughout the country to students interested in learning
more about using firearms in
self-defense. The developer of

the Combat Focus shooting
program, Pincus also hosts and
writes for Outdoor Channels
wildly popular show The Best
Defense and S.W.A.T. Magazine

TV. His work has appeared
in several magazines, including Police, Tactical Response,
S.W.A.T., and GunWorld.
SPONSORED BY: I.C.E. TRAINING WWW.ICETRAINING.US

43
Trigger Pull
4.5 lb.
Weight, empty
22.8 oz.
Weight, full
28.9 oz.
Barrel length
3 in.
MSRP
$1369.74
Height
5 in.
Grip girth
5-1/2 in.
Grip length, front
2-1/4 in.
Grip length, rear
3 in.
Sight radius
5 in.
Trigger reach
3-1/4 in.
Integral lock
8+1
7 in.
Cocked status indicator
Capacity
Length
Loaded chamber indicator
9x19 (tested) also

.45ACP available
Magazine disconnect
Caliber
Decocker
SAO
Grip safety
Action Type
STI Elektra SPECS

Thumb safety
Elektra
Trigger safety
STI
Model
Gun Size Information
Basic Information
Brand
4
SAFETY FEATURES
Pretty
in Pink:
STI Elektra Offers
Beautiful Carry
Option for Women
[ BY DIANE WALLS ]
Elektra field stripped easily, with no auxiliary tools required,

and all the parts seemed to glide on each other with nothing
more than the factory lube.
A great many of my cohorts at Firearms Academy of

Seattle made it to the SHOT show this year.
e were all buzzing about on our

separate errands, but tried to
connect as often as possible so we
could keep each other up on what was
new and wonderful to be seen. When
my friend Jennie Van Tuyl caught up to
me, she was all excited about a new gun
she had seen at the STI booth. Jennie,
who shoots competitively, has owned
an STI for awhile and loves its reliability
and performance. She said this gun was
the most beautiful thing shed ever seen
and I had to look at it. As I was already
on a mission to find pretty guns, I went
to visit STI and see what the excitement
was about.
Displayed on a mirrored stand amid
44
the rest of the STI models was the

Elektra in both its color options of pink
and black. I admit Im not all that fond
of pink or the propensity among firearms manufacturers to make anything
aimed at the womens market pink. This
gun, with pearlescent grips as luscious
as a strawberry frappe, was the prettiest pink gun I had ever seen. It was gorgeous in the smoky pearl black, too.
My photographer husband set about
taking pictures and examining it while
I introduced myself to Michael Boyett,
the media and sales contact for STI. We
exclaimed over the quality fit and finish
of the guns on display. When I asked if
the Elektra would be available for test-
ing and evaluation, Mr. Boyett handed

me his card and said to contact him after SHOT and hed see that I got one.
True to his word, Mr. Boyett came
through with a pink Elektra for me. I
looked forward to showing it off to all
my friends and seeing if it was as nice to
shoot as it was to look at.
STI claims the Elektra was designed
for women by women as a carry gun.
Its Officers size 1911 platform has an
aluminum frame to reduce weight. To
improve recoil control, they use an STI
Recoilmaster recoil spring assembly
with two springs. The Heinie SlantPro
Straight Eight night sights are channel
mounted in the rounded top of the slide
to make them snag free. The smooth
grips are offset by attractive stippling
on the front strap that offers good grip
without hurting the hands. Added to the
Photo by Tom Walls
STIs Sabertooth
slide serrations are
dramatic and offer
excellent grip.
One of the authors

better targets from 10
yards, freestanding,
with carry loads.
checkering on the backstrap, this arrangement keeps the gun firmly in hand
while shooting in spite of the high polish
of the grips. While the sides of the slide
are polished and etched with the model
name on one side and the company logo
on the other (in matching pink or black),
the top is a matte finish to cut down
glare. The cocking serrations are dramatic curves that STI calls Sabertooth.
These not only add flare to the look,
they offer excellent grip without biting
(in spite of the name).
The first order of business was to field
strip the gun and clean it thoroughly
for its photo debut. Even new out of
the box, it disassembled easily. Unlike
many high-end 1911s, it required no
pounding on the slide-lock pin with a
punch to get this piece to come out. All
the parts seemed to glide on each other
with nothing more than

the factory lube. Reassembly, however, proved to be somewhat tricky for me. The recoil spring assembly was difficult to hold in just the
right orientation for a successful re-wed
of slide to frame due to the machining
under the swing link. With a bit of practice, the user could get the hang of this,
but a mention in the owners manual
about this feature would have saved me
painting the atmosphere over my workbench blue (thank goodness no children
were present). At least there were no extra tools required to get the job done.
Every one of my female shooting
buddies who saw it was quite taken by
Elektras good looks. We did the girl thing
and tried it on with a number of outfits
in our own private fashion show for the
camera. This gun is definitely stylin
with any look from casual to dressy. It
makes a statement worn proudly in the
Photo by Tom Walls
Photo by KATHY JACKSON
Even with the authors

short fingers, Elektra
provides good hand fit.
The Heinie SlantPro Straight Eight

sights required a bit of adaptation
for 3-dot sight users.
open while training on the range. Even
tucked away concealed for daily carry,
it makes you feel pretty, whether youre
into frills or not.
Beauty is as beauty does, as the old
saying goes. The fashion shots were
done and it was time for Elektra to prove
itself on the range. We started with some
break-in work on falling steel. Shooting
9mm 115 grain FMJ practice ammo
proved to be easy and fun. Although
45
1.
some of the shooters were unaccustomed to the sight configuration and
were hitting low with it at first, everyone remarked how easy it was to handle
for such a light gun. The first day, it ran
without balking with only a light grease
on the rails. One of my friends shot a
couple of rounds and commented Man,
this thing is bone dry! But it runs!
Having proven its reliability under
less than ideal conditions with ball ammunition, I decided to see how it fed
a variety of defensive loads. I took it
home, cleaned and lubed it, and went
out for some accuracy work. See the
10 yard combat accuracy table for re-
2.
3.
sults. I shot the Elektra free standing

with a two-handed grip, slow fire, to see
how well each ammunition type would
group for me.
Throughout the testing process,
about 400 rounds of various types of
ammunition were put through the gun.
The only issues we had with it were
ammunition related. One round of our
usual economy-grade 9mm 115 gr. FMJ
practice ammo had a bad primer and
wouldnt go off despite a full strength
firing pin strike. A box of Remington
UMC 115 gr. JHP rounds bound up all
three of the magazines Id been sent to
test. We did a comparison to the other
defensive rounds that had fed flawlessly and found it to be considerably

shorter in length than the other exemplars. I notified Remingtons quality
control people of the problem and they
promptly and courteously sent me a return label for the remainder of the box
with a promise of a replacement box to
come. The problem was annoying, but
not hazardousand Remington deserves props for their quick and professional response to the issue.
STI is known for their custom competition-style 1911s. The performance
of this lightweight, 3-inch-barrel gun
was excellent. The trigger was clean and
Photo by Tom Walls
Kathy Jackson liked the controllability

of the Elektra for shooting steel.
46
4.
Photos by Tom Walls
5.
6.
crisp at the break and distinct on the

reset. It comes with a short trigger from
the factory, so its an easy reach as well.
Even with heavy defensive loads, the recoil was very manageable. My husband,
known to all his friends as a dyed-inthe-wool 1911 man in the traditional
.45ACP, shot it and exclaimed, Thats
like cheating!
As we were discussing the Elektra
during our range session, one of my
dearest shooting buddies asked me,
What is it about the 1911 that makes it
worth shelling out $1400 for one?
Shortly thereafter, after running
a magazine through Elektra singlehanded, non-dominant hand at rapid
fire pace, I pointed at her target with
all the deadly hits on it and replied,
Thats why, right there. Earlier, from
10 yards, she had turned in a group of
eight slow-fire shots about the size of
a nickel.
1.
Elektra in a Kramer #1-1/2 IWB straight drop holster looks

good with black.
2.
This Blade Tech OWB works under a sweater for Kathy as

a carry option for Elektra.
3.
Elektra in a Kramer #3 IWB conceals well under a silk

jacket and adds to the dressiness of the look.
4.
Elektra rides high in this Blackhawk Serpa OWB retention

holster.
5.
Elektra is a bit large for pocket carry but these Eotac

tactical pants and a DeSantis Superfly holster carry it off.
6.
Jennie shows Elektra in a Bianchi Carrylok with her

western vest and belt.
Once I knew the Elektra was reliable, I decided Id see how it was for
daily carry. I loaded it with Remington
Golden Sabers, popped it into a Kramer
#1-1/2 IWB holster and tried it on. The
straight drop of the holster caused the
butt to print in my usual appendix carry position. A Kramer #3 IWB holster
that my husband had for his officers
size 1911 did better with the rake angle
tucking the grips forward and closer
to my body. As Im used to a polymer
gun for daily carry, I found the grips
to be hard and edgy in comparison.
The thinner profile, though, made it
virtually disappear even under a light
weight garment. The lighter weight in
comparison to the commander sized
all steel 1911 I sometimes carry when
Im working a class at FAS, was a welcome change. The 8 + 1 capacity is only
one less than a commander size and the
shorter magazines tuck away incon-
spicuously in a pouch or pocket, too.

By the time I had to send the Elektra
back for the next writer in line, I was
beginning to re-think my carry gun
choice. There is no shortage of holsters, magazine pouches, accessories
or anything else available for an officers sized 1911. The design has been
around since about 1911. With
proper maintenance, modern metallurgy that gives us lightweight aluminum frames and better finishes for the
steel slides has made these guns more
amenable to the rigors of daily carry.
Now, if only STI will see fit to match the
color of the Elektra to my 2002 Concord
Purple Harley Davidson . H
[ Diane Walls is a longtime martial artist
and shooter. She is on staff at Firearms
Academy of Seattle as an assistant instructor for handgun and womens programs. ]
Contacts
Alessi Holsters
www.alessigunholsters.com
(716) 706-0321
Blackhawk!
www.blackhawk.com
(800) 694-5263
Blade Tech Holsters
www.blade-tech.com
(253) 655-8059
Bianchi
www.bianchi-intl.com
(800) 347-1200
DeSantis Holster
& Leather Goods
www.desantisholster.com
(800) 424-1236
Eotac
www.eotac.com
(803) 744-9930
Federal Premium
Ammunition
www.federalpremium.com
(800) 322-2342
Firearms Academy of Seattle

www.firearmsacademy.com
(360) 978-6100
Galco International
www.usgalco.com
(800) 874-2526
Hornady Ammunition
www.hornady.com
(800) 338-3220
Kramer Handgun Leather
www.kramerleather.com
(800) 510-2666
Remington Ammunition
Ammunition and
Components Plant
www.remington.com
(800) 243-9700
Speer Ammunition
www.speer-ammo.com
(800) 627-3640
STI International, Inc.
www.stiguns.com
(512) 819-0656
47
This column reviews a variety of high quality personal safety, self-defense, concealed
carry and shooting-related gear. Each item reviewed is thoroughly evaluated under
[ BY DUANE A. DAIKER ]
real world conditions.
this light will serve you very well, no
matter what your intended use.
The 4 Sevens comes very well
equipped with a pocket clip, a rubber
handgrip, a lanyard, a belt case and
even a set of batteries. In addition, all
Quarks are backed-up with a 10 year
factory warranty. Considering the
MSRP of only $59, that is a fantastic value. You can view the Quark AA2 and other 4 Sevens flashlights at www.4sevens.
com, or call (678) 608-0308.
Uzi Tactical Pen
ALTHOUGH NEW TO THE MARKET, 4 SEVENS LIGHTS ARE IMPRESSIVE.
I have reviewed a number of tactical pens recently. A tactical pen is an

everyday tool that can go anywhere
and is optimized to serve as an improvised weapon if necessary. I like the
concept and I have legally carried various tactical pens into any number of
secure areas and weapons-free zones.
4 Sevens Flashlight
4 Sevens claims to be redefining the
flashlight. Honestly, that may be a bit
of advertising hyperbole, but it shows it
that 4 Sevens wants to be an industry
leader in a very competitive industry.
Although the 4 Sevens lights are relatively new to the market, they are quite
impressive.
After the 2010 SHOT Show, 4 Sevens
offered to send me a flashlight for review. My interest lately has been in the
new breed of lights that run on standard
alkaline batteries, especially when their
performance reaches levels previously
attained only with expensive lithium
batteries. For that reason, I requested
the Quark AA2 Tactical light.
As the name suggests, the Quark AA2
is a two-cell light that runs on standard
alkaline AA batteries. Despite this very
pedestrian power supply, the Quark
cranks out an impressive 200+ lumens
in maximum output.
This model is a typical tactical flashlight of this genre with a knurled, hard
anodized aircraft aluminum body and
a push-button tail cap switch. The
Quark has very advanced electronic
48
features, however, with five output levels and three flash modes. In order to
best manage light output and battery
drain, the light can emit from .2 lumens
(moonlight mode) to 206 lumens, and
can be set to constant on, beacon, SOS
or strobe. The various modes are selected by the push-button switch and
tightening or loosening the tail cap.
The full operating instructions are too
complex for this column, but once set
up, modes are easily selected.
I am impressed with the quality and
performance of this light. The output
is truly amazing for an alkaline powered unit. I love having the versatility of fueling my light with commonly
available batteries, especially when Im
travelling a lot. The light is well set up
for both tactical and everyday use, and
the quality is readily apparent. I believe
The Uzi Tactical Pen is very different

from any other pen I have reviewed in
this column. It is about a quarter of the
price! This Uzi pen is a strong, wellbuilt tool that retails for $19.95. At this
price point, the Uzi Tactical Pen is affordable for anyone. When I have carried similar pens from other manufacturers, I often live in fear of losing my
$100 pen. With the Uzi, I dont worry
nearly as much and I carry it more.
For your $20 investment, you get a
quality pen crafted from aircraft aluminum. The end cap is designed with
a sharpened and serrated crown that
makes a painful weapon. The manufacturer, Campco, describes the serrations as a DNA catcher, which is an
excellent euphemism for a feature that
could take chunks out of an attacker.
The barrel twists to extend and re-
The UZI Tactical Pen features a sturdy metal body and sharpened DNA catcher on the tail cap.
tract the ball point pen. The pen writes
well and takes standard ball point pen
refills. A very hefty pocket clip makes
for easy carry on a shirt or pants pocket.
My only complaint with the Uzi
Tactical Pen is that it could be slightly
more discreet. The DNA catcher looks
a little menacing, and feels sharp on a
close examination. Having the name
Uzi on the body of the pen probably
doesnt help either. No one has questioned the pen since I started carrying
it, but this pen is a little less benign in
appearance than some tactical pens.
You can purchase the Uzi Tactical
Pen direct from Campco (www.camp-
ity of a pistol with removable grips.

If your favorite polymer pistol doesnt
fit your hand the way it should, you
do have options. Any number of gunsmiths can do grip and frame modifications, but be careful who you choose
because its more complicated work
than you may think. Not just anybody
with a Dremel tool should be turned
loose on your favorite carry gun.
Last year I was introduced to Ben
Simonson of Boresight Solutions, LLC.
Ben owns and operates a shop in south
Florida that specializes in grip reduction and frame alterations for polymer
framed guns. After seeing some photos
of Bens work, and hearing testimonials

from some of the most knowledgeable
gunfighters I know, I sent my Glock 19
off to Ben for his basic reduction and
texture package.
I have a number of Glocks with grip
reductions, but Bens work stands out as
the best I have seen. His work has a factory appearance, with straight edges
and very consistent texturing. The
modified grip surface is top notchaggressive enough for an excellent grasp,
but not so aggressive that it is irritating to your hand or destructive to your
clothing.
I have larger hands, so I went with the
co.com) or from other online sources.

If you are in the market for a tactical
pen, and can live without the fancy box
and packaging, the no-nonsense Uzi
Tactical Pen may be exactly what you
need.
Boresight Solutions
grip reduction
The popularity of polymer framed
handguns has given rise to a cottage
industry of plastic-smiths who specialize in modifications to the frames of
these modern wonder guns. Polymer
framed pistols have many advantages, but also an inherent drawbacka
lack of grip options. Glock and other
manufacturers have started to address these concerns with replaceable
backstraps on some newer models,
but you still dont have the versatil-
Glock 19 with a standard grip reduction and texturing and

magwell cut-outs from Boresight Solutions, LLC.
49
standard grip reduction, which removes

less grip material and leaves some remnants of the finger grooves. The standard reduction includes an undercut
of the trigger guard and beavertail for
a more comfortable and higher grip on
the gun. Also included is Bens signature trigger guard modification, where
the bottom edges of the trigger guard
are radiused and polished. Those with
smaller hands will likely prefer the extreme reduction, which removes considerably more material, including all of
the finger grooves. I also opted for the
optional magazine well cutouts, which
help facilitate clearance of a double
feed malfunction which requires the
magazine to be stripped from the gun.
Boresight Solutions offers a whole
menu of related services, all at very reasonable prices. For example, the standard grip reduction is $145a great
value for high quality custom work. The
turnaround times are very reasonable,
but have gotten longer lately due to
high demand.
Ben is a great gunsmith and a standup guy. He is very focused on meeting
his customers needs and delivering top
quality service. While Ben certainly caters to his law enforcement and military
clients, he is a strong proponent of civilian concealed carry and training. If you
are fortunate enough to be in the Miami
area, Ben is also an FFL and a Class III
dealer.
For plastic-smithing, you wont do
any better than Boresight Solutions.
Check out the full range of services at
www.boresightsolutions.com. With a
relatively small investment, your polymer framed pistol can be transformed
from generic to a true custom fit.
Peltor Tactical Sport

Hearing Protector
I spend a fair amount of time using hearing protection, and I almost
always use electronic ears. I hate the
isolation of wearing standard ear muffs
or ear plugs. When you are interacting
with other peopleas in a class or at a
matchthe benefit of electronic ears
is enormous. Modern electronics allow
you to carry on conversations and hear
range instructions, while blocking out
harmful noise levels.
50
The Peltor Tactical Sport hearing protector, showing

the power and volume controls.
However, not all electronic hearing
protection is created equal. Low end
electronic ear protection can now be
had for less than $40 from some manufacturers. The lower end products utilize older technology that simply mutes
or clips the loud audio signals. This is
functional, but can be annoying, and
makes it difficult to listen to desired
sounds while shooting.
The Peltor Tactical Sport is a great
example of the new breed of hearing
protection that uses smart chip technology to amplify most sounds while
instantaneously suppressing sounds
at dangerous levels. The difference is
very noticeable on the range with clear
reproduction and even amplification
of conversations and ambient sounds,
while suppressing the sound of gunfire.
If you spend any significant amount of
time at a shooting range, the additional

cost of this type of technology will be
well worth the investment.
The Tactical Sport looks like traditional folding ear muffs with a padded
headband. The muffs are very comfortable, with soft ear cups that fit well and
form an excellent seal. The muffs are
slim and contoured to provide a good
cheek weld when used with long guns.
The classic problem with electronic
ears is leaving the power switch on so
when you pull them out of your range
bag the batteries are dead. This Peltor
unit solves that problem with an automatic shut off after two hours. With an
estimated run time of 500 hours on two
AAA batteries, battery changes should
be infrequent. When you do have to
change them, the external battery compartment is easy to access.
I have used these Tactical Sport muffs

extensively, both at the range and on a
hunting trip. They worked flawlessly.
On the range, I could follow normal
conversations even with sporadic
shooting all around me. On the hunting
trip, I appreciated being able to crank
up the volume to amplify the ambient sounds of the woods while stalking
game. A few times I found myself taking
a break and actually forgetting I had the
hearing protector on my head.
After a couple of months with these
Peltors, I really found nothing to dislike about them. When it comes to
safety equipment that is supposed to
be transparent (like hearing protection)
that is a great compliment. At a street
price around $120, the Peltor Tactical
Sport may be the best value around in
advanced hearing protection. Peltor includes a microfiber storage bag and two
sets of ear cup covers: tactical black and
hunter safety orange. Peltor products
are available from many outlets, both
online and at your local sporting goods
stores.
Sidearmor IWB
In recent years, the number of concealed carry holsters has exploded. I
could review a new holster or two in
every column and never run out of ma-
terial. Certain holsters, however, are

classics that stand the test of time. For
years, one of the best known Kydex inside the waistband holsters (IWB) has
been the Sidearmor IWB, and it is still a
great choice for serious carry.
The Sidearmor IWB is constructed
completely of thin Kydex with full coverage of the firearm, including a sweatguard panel. It is extremely versatile,
with a wide variety of attachment options. When purchasing, you can select
belt loops or J-hooks and each can be
set up for a variety of belt widths and
holster cants. For a slight additional
charge, the Sidearmor can also be
equipped with a shirt tucker to create
a tuckable IWB holster. These options
permit the user to set up the holster
for virtually any manner of inside the
waistband carry.
I find this holster to wear very well.
While it is not the thinnest IWB holster
on the market, it is very stable and has
great retention. By keeping the belt attachment directly behind the holster,
the system takes up less space on the
belt and minimizes movement of the
gun. The holsters generous cut offers
maximum protection for the firearm,
but still permits a full grip and easy
draw.
The construction is top quality, with
genuine Kydex and stainless steel hardware. It is hard to believe that this holster wouldnt last just about forever.
Unlike a leather holster, there are no
concerns about getting this rig damp
with sweat, and no maintenance is required.
Sidearmor produces a number of
quality holster designs, but the IWB is
their best seller. The Sidearmor IWB is
a modern twist on a classic IWB design
that has become a classic in its own
right. And at slightly more than $60,
the Sidearmor IWB is a great value. This
holster will fit Glocks, Springfield XDs,
1911s, and the FN FiveSeven. For more
information, visit Sidearmor at www.
sidearmor.com, or call (928) 526-4379.
[ Duane A. Daiker is a contributing editor for CCM, but is otherwise a regular

guynot much different from you.
Duane has been a lifelong shooter and
goes about his life as an armed, responsible, and somewhat opinionated citizen. Duane can be contacted at Daiker@
RealWorldCarryGear.com, or though his
fan page on Facebook, and welcomes
your comments and suggestions for gear
reviews. ]
All prices as of May, 2010
ABOVE: The Sidearmor IWB has full coverage on the

inside edge, including a sweatguard, while still
permitting a full grip on the draw. LEFT: optional
belt loops and shirt-tucker attachment.
51
BEHIND THE LINE
STEP 2.
STEP 1.
The Concealed Carry

[ BY TOM GIVENS ]
Presentation
Firearms Instructors must impart a number of skills to

their defensive shooting students.
ne of the most important of these

skills is the presentation, the act
of drawing the handgun from the
holster for use. Students must be able
to execute a swift, safe, and efficient
presentation, yet this critical skill is
often overlooked, or given scant attention by trainers.
I have often read on internet discussion boards that a fast draw is seldom
needed and if trouble is brewing, one
should have a gun in hand. This approach overlooks a couple of very real
circumstances that we face in actual
defensive gun uses. First, police officers often enter potentially dangerous
situations with gun in hand. They are
52
usually, however, responding to a radio

call that forewarned them of a hazardous situation. The private citizen, on
the other hand, is usually reacting to an
immediate threat stimulus from an attacker, quite a different situation. Also,
if the cop turns out not to need his gun,
he holsters it and thats the end of it.
In many jurisdictions, a permit holder
can be in serious trouble for drawing prematurely or if it turns out the
situation does not call for lethal force.
Third, if firing is called for, the more
time it takes you to get your gun out,
the less time you have to make decisions and fire accurately. The ability to
safely, quickly, and efficiently produce
your handgun can be a life saving skill,

and its one that requires some effort to
master.
Lets look at the requirements I mentioned. Presenting the handgun safely
means getting the gun out without endangering the shooter or any other innocent party in the process. Improper
draw technique often sweeps the
shooters own body or other persons
in the immediate vicinity and trigger
finger discipline has to be ingrained
as part of the drawstroke. Presenting
quickly means getting the gun on
target in the least amount of time possible. An efficient presentation is one
that gets the gun into a stable firing
platform with minimal steps and motions, ready to deliver accurate fire.
A safe presentation depends on sev-
STEP 4. Gun is on
target and ready to go.
STEP 3.
eral factors. First and foremost is trigger finger discipline. All properly designed holsters will completely cover
the handguns trigger guard, keeping
a finger or other object from entering the trigger guard while the gun is
holstered. Once the student starts the
gun moving upward, though, the trigger will be exposed. Thus, the shooters
trigger finger must be straight, and indexed above the trigger guard, alongside the pistols frame, where it remains
until the gun is on target. Second, the
motions involved in drawing the gun
and moving it to the shooting position
should not allow the muzzle to sweep
over parts of the shooters body or
other persons. Third, the support hand
must be positioned so that it is not in
front of the muzzle at any time during
the process. I suggest placing the support hand flat on the chest, at sternum
height, thumb up and fingers together
(see photos). Teaching the presenta-
tion in a one-step-at-a-time process at

first helps to ingrain these proper hand
positions and prevent accidents.
An efficient presentation requires as
little motion as possible. Speed does
not come from hustle, it comes from
smoothness and economy of motion.
Every unnecessary motion just adds
time to the whole process. Ideally, the
handgun will move through only two
planes: straight up and straight out. To
use a strong-side belt holster as an example: the handgun is drawn straight
up the shooters side until the thumb
touches the pectoral muscle, at which
point the muzzle is rotated toward the
target, the support hand joins the gun
hand, and the gun is thrust into the
eye-target line and extended toward
the target. This simple set of motions
gets the gun on target as quickly as
possible, in the line of sight, so visually
indexed fire can be delivered immediately.
The ability to
safely, quickly, and
efficiently produce
your handgun can be
a life saving skill,
and its one that
requires some effort
to master.
53
Gun hand has swept shirt to the rear

and obtained a firing grip, support
hand on chest.
Here is the typical strong-side belt
holster presentation broken down
into four simple steps. As mentioned,
teaching these steps as building blocks
helps the student absorb and replicate
the correct motions.
Step one
The gun hand obtains a full firing
grip on the gun, in the holster. This is
critical. If you miss your grip, re-grip
the gun first and then draw it. Once
the gun is out of the holster, trying to
shift your grip will eat up time and create the possibility of dropping the gun,
so get your master grip while in the
holster. At the same time, the support
hand moves to the sternum, thumb up,
and fingers flat on your chest.
Step two
The gun hand raises the pistol from
the holster. The shooter should drag his
thumb up his rib cage until it touches
his pectoral muscle. This ensures that
the gun is free from the holster and gets
the gun closer to the eye-target line.
When the shooters thumb touches his
Pec the muzzle is rotated up toward the
target and the gun hand wrist is locked.
(In a bad-breath distance confrontation the gun can be fired from here.
This is often referred to as a retention
position.) Once the handgun is pointed
54
toward the target in this position, the

hands are only a few inches apart. The
gun hand is moved toward the shooters centerline and at the same time the
support hand slides over toward the
gun hand. As the fingers of the support hand overlay the fingers of the gun
hand, a two-handed firing grip is established.
Step three
Both hands are now on the gun and
the gun is just below the shooters line
of sight. A straight line from the shooters eyes to his intended target is called
the eye-target line. The gun is immediately brought up to the eye-target
line and thrust toward the target.
Step four
If the decision to fire has been made,
Done properly,
the muzzle
is past the
support hand,
as the gun moves to full extension the
trigger finger contacts the trigger and
the eyes verify that the gun is on target by use of the sights or a rough gun
silhouette on target (depending on the
distance and the degree of precision
called for by the circumstances).
This simple four-step process gets
the gun out of the holster, under control and on target as quickly and efficiently as possible. If the support hand
is otherwise occupied or unavailable,
the same basic movement of the gun
hand would still be used. Now, this is
the process for the presentation from
an exposed holster. When we add a
cover garment we have to add one step
to the presentation. Were not going

to change the process just described,
were only going to add one thing,
which is getting the cover garment out
of the way. How this is done depends
on the type of garment worn to conceal the gear.
Garments that open down the front
(jackets, vests, windbreakers, overshirts) are swept out of the way with
the gun hand on the way to the hol-
stered pistol. The most efficient method seems to be to hold all the fingers of
the gun hand as if holding a small ball
in your fingertips. Use these to aggressively throw the garment out of the
way to allow a full, unimpeded grasp
on the handgun. Once the garment is
out of the way, proceed with steps 1-4
as described previously.
Pullover garments require a slightly
different technique. The support hand
instead of
pointing at the
support hand.
is used to pull the garment up sharply

and hold it out of the way until the
gun is free from the holster. You want
to pull the garment upward hard, then
toward your centerline, so that your
support hand winds up in its proper
place for Count Two of the drawstroke.
Again, once the gun is out of the holster, proceed with steps 1-4.
Holstering your handgun is the exact opposite of the presentation. First,
be sure we dont need the gun out any
more. Beware the tendency to speed
holster. Come down to the ready position and look, then holster deliberately. First, be sure your trigger finger
is indexed properly and then retract
your support hand to your chest, to
the same place it goes to on Count
One. Then bring the gun back to your
pectoral index, turn the muzzle down,
and holster. If you have an open front
cover garment, the little finger of the
gun hand can be used to move the garment out of the way as you holster. If
using a pullover, leave the gun out in
front as you retract the support hand
and pull up the garment. The gun is
not brought back to the pectoral index
until the support hand is back on the
chest, holding the garment out of the
way. Most accidental discharges that
involve working from the holster occur on re-holstering, not on the drawstroke. So, take care and be conscious
of trigger finger discipline and muzzle
direction while holstering.
The photographs illustrate some
of these key points. Fortunately, the
presentation is a skill that can be mastered in dry practice, at no cost. Use
the photos as a guide for your dry
work, and in short order your presentation skills should be good to go. H
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Givens is the owner of
Rangemaster in Memphis, TN. For
over 30 years Toms duties have included firearms instruction. He is certified as an expert witness on firearms
and firearms training, giving testimony in both state and federal courts.
He serves as an adjunct instructor
at the Memphis Police Department
Training Academy, the largest in the

state. Toms training resume includes
certification from the FBI Police
Firearms Instructor School, NRA Law
Enforcement Instructor Development
School, NRA Law Enforcement
Tactical Shooting Instructor School,
Gunsite 499 under Jeff Cooper, and
more.
Sponsored By:
RANGE MASTER
RANGEMASTER.COM 901-370-5600
55
ARMED SENIOR CITIZEN
PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK, A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM
the medical and psychiatric definition of a

true phobia requires that the afflicted or
phobic person be aware that his or her fear
is irrational and that it causes
some kind of functional
impairment.
GUN THERAPY
[ BY BRUCE N. EIMER, Ph.D. ]
As a practicing clinical psychologist, firearms instructor,

gun owner, and concealed carry practitioner, I believe
that responsible gun ownership is healthy and adaptive
behavior.
n this column I shall discuss how

learning to be a responsible gun
owner is both therapeutic and survival oriented, hence the term gun
therapy. However, there is a caveat. It is
not possible for everyone to become a
responsible gun owner. Unfortunately,
not everyone can benefit from gun
or any other form of therapy! There
are some people who should not be
permitted to own firearmsviolent
criminals and sociopaths constitute
the group that immediately comes to
mind.
I am a gun therapist and I practice
56
gun therapy. Gun therapy is not about

using a firearm to coerce or force a client into getting better! It is not about
teaching people how to use firearms
to threaten or intimidate others. Those
behaviors are both illegal and immoral.
Gun therapy is the art and science of
teaching people how to take responsibility for their own personal protection. It is about teaching principles of
personal defense, how to be responsible gun owners, and self-reliant and responsible human beings. It is all about
self improvement. It is about teaching
people how to communicate, negoti-
ate, move, shoot, and employ less than

lethal as well as lethal force when necessary. It is also about teaching people
good manners. To borrow a phrase
from Robert Heinlein, An armed society is a polite society. Manners are
good when one may have to back up
his acts with his life.
Rule #1. Power tools

are dangerous
Firearms are power tools and as such,
they are dangerous. They are designed
to be deadly weapons and would be
quite useless if they werent dangerous. In non-military contexts, firearms
can be conceptualized as emergency
rescue tools designed to kill when killing is necessary to save innocent lives.
However, firearms are not the only
power tools that are dangerous. Other
Being an effective firearms

instructor requires that you
regularly practice shooting
all types of guns, including
little pocket pistols like this
Kahr Arms P380.
power tools that arent designed to

kill, but which nevertheless are very
dangerous if not used responsibly and
safely, include saws, drills, lawn mowers, meat slicers, and motor vehicles.
Clearly, none of the above mentioned
power tools can cause death or severe
bodily injury by themselves as they
have no independent agency. Their lethality lies in how they are employed.
Therefore, their proper use and ownership demands requisite knowledge,
skills and attitude to assure safe handling.
Rule #2.
Firearm ownership is not
for everyone
As we discuss in our book, Essential
Guide to Handguns (Rementer & Eimer,
2005), there are certain types of people
who are strongly advised not to own
firearms because it is dangerous for
them to be gun owners. Pathologically
fearful, depressed, hotheaded, careless, impulsive, reckless, stupid, aggressive, arrogant, rude and irresponsible people should not own guns.
Sociopaths, psychopaths and violent
criminals should not be allowed to own

firearms.
People who should not own firearms
cannot be counted upon to follow safe
firearm handling practices. They cannot be trusted to act safely, smartly,
morally, righteously, courteously, considerately, or in sum, responsibly, because their brains are just not wired to
do so. Our mind is our most powerful
weapon. Therefore, it can be our most
dangerous weapon. An unhealthy,
misdirected or runaway mind is destructive, while a healthy and focused
The National Rifle Association

is the largest and most powerful
gun rights lobbying and firearms
education organization in the
world. Its Executive Vice President,
Wayne LaPierre, is seen here with
Bruce Eimer at the 2010 Second
Amendment rally in Harrisburg, PA.
mind is constructive. As a practicing
psychologist, I help people overcome
mental disturbance, build a healthier
mind, and make their behavior more
adaptive. As a practicing firearms instructor, I advise folks who own firearms to invest in good training and
good equipment. As both a psychologist and firearms instructor, I urge people to be responsible gun owners, and I
also teach them how.
57
Rule #3. Becoming a

responsible gun owner
To become a responsible gun owner,
you must acquire a necessary body
of knowledge, develop an appropriate set of skills, and adopt a positive
attitude. You must cultivate a strong
mind, behave in a socially appropriate and adaptive manner, practice safe
gun handling procedures, and know
the law. I developed a serious interest
in firearms, armed and unarmed self
defense and training rather late in life.
My journey has broadened my horizons and helped me build better morals, develop greater self reliance, and
learn greater restraint and self control.
I have discovered, as have many of my
students and clients, that it is never too
late to remedy ones deficiencies. Even
old dogs can learn new tricks and improved behavioral habits if they have
good intentions and a modicum of
intelligence, social and otherwise. So,
Rule #3 states that the best remedy for
ignorance and fear is attitude readjustmentand attitudes are readjusted
through knowledge.
Hoplophobia and
the flight from personal
responsibility
Hoplophobia is defined by the internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia, as a
fear of firearms and a fear of armed
citizens. The term is derived from the
Greek word, hoplon, which refers to
weapon. The late Colonel Jeff Cooper,
firearms instructor, author, historian,
philosopher, father of the modern
technique of the pistol, and founder
of Gunsite Firearms Academy, attributed anti-gun zealotry to hoplophobia,
which he defined as an irrational aversion to and fear of firearms and other
forms of weaponry. Cooper opined that
anti-gun hoplophobes held the fixed
idea that firearms and other deadly
weapons have a will of their own. Of
course, we know that firearms do not
because they are not living things and
thus, they have no independent agency.
As a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, I know that the reality of
hoplophobia is much more complex.
A common theme underlying the psychodynamics of hoplophobes and
58
Some people, such as Suzanna Gratia Hupp, seen here with Bruce Eimer, turn
tragedy into the motivation to make things better. She became a legislator, author,
speaker, and effective gun rights advocate after witnessing a madman murder her
parents with a firearm in a gun free zone.
gun haters is the unconscious or
semi-conscious fear of their own hostile and aggressive impulses running
wild if they had the means to make it
happen (and the ownership of firearms
would give them the means). It is similar to what people with a severe fear
of heights (acrophobia) often describe
when they are looking over the edge
of a precipice. They fear the irrational
impulse to jump. If their fear extends to
being in a closed-in high up place, such
as inside a high-rise office or apartment, or on an airplane, they typically
describe a fear of the irrational impulse
to break the window glass or wish the
plane to fall out of the sky.
While both the impulse and the fear
are irrational, psychological analysis
reveals that both are real and understandable. They both are psychologically related to repressed, suppressed
and sublimated aggression and the
flight from personal responsibility. This
is one source of the gun grabbing
mentality. Many of these folks fear
their own hostility and know that fire-
arms are not for impulsive, hot-headed

people who cannot control their rage.
However, the problem becomes more
vexing. Instead of taking personal responsibility for their own feelings and
looking to develop insight into the
source of their own fears, these folks
deny their own nature. They attribute
their own worst fears and unsociable
impulses onto others. In psychological
parlance, this psychological defense
mechanism is called projection. So,
instead of their deeming themselves as
being dangerous with guns in their own
hands, and working to improve themselves, they attribute dangerousness
and recklessness to others, in this case,
all gun owners.
Interestingly, many of these folks will
often use expressions such as, I feel
like shooting myself. They often believe that people who own handguns
would display a handgun to gain leverage in an argument. Hoplophobics
tend to overreact. However, they tend
not to recognize this in themselves.
They claim that gun owners are more
likely to overreact in heated situations.

This is the wanton blood in the streets
syndrome. It hasnt happened yet in
America, and it is unlikely to happen
unless law abiding citizens are systematically disarmed. Hoplophobes, gun
haters and gun grabbers also typically
do not recognize that in most jurisdictions, threatening someone verbally
while possessing a handgun (legally or
illegally possessed), will typically result in stiff penalties upon conviction.
In fact, in some states, such as Florida
which has a Castle Doctrine law, it will
land a person in jail for three years.
According
to
the
American
Psychiatric Association, the medical
and psychiatric definition of a true phobia requires that the afflicted or phobic
person be aware that his or her fear is
irrational and that it causes some kind
of functional impairment. Of course,
most hoplophobics, especially gun
grabbers, do not acknowledge these
facts. As a practicing psychologist, I call
this lacking in insight. I have successfully treated numerous people with a
variety of simple and complex phobias
including hoplophobes.
Rule #4.
Firearm ownership and
concealed carry demand
a higher standard
Anyone who legally carries a concealed handgun, or who is trained in
the martial fighting arts, is held to a
higher standard of conduct both morally and legally. That means the legally
armed citizen must think about the
use of force continuum. The amount
of force that you use to defend yourself
must not be excessive under the circumstances. It must be proportionate
to the degree of force with which you
are confronted.
The actual use of a firearm for self
defense is the highest level on this force
continuum and the last resort that is
reserved for use only In the Gravest
Extreme (Massad Ayoob, 1980). When
you carry a concealed firearm, you
therefore must use extra discretion.
Rule #5. Avoid getting

into confrontations
You must consider what might hap-
pen if you become engaged in a tussle

because every confrontation in which
you, the armed citizen (senior or otherwise) are involved also includes the
presence of a deadly weapon. Thus,
you must always think about how you
can avoid getting into confrontations,
because if you instigate or escalate a
confrontation, and then it turns bad
and you have to use deadly force, you
will be held accountable.
So, if you go armed, Rule # 5 is that
you should avoid confrontations unless you have the training and skills to
handle those confrontations less than
lethally, and you are prepared to deal
with the consequences should the situ-
Anyone who legally

carries a concealed
handgun, or who is
trained in the martial
fighting arts, is held
to a higher standard
of conduct both
morally and legally.
ation get out of hand. Recognize that in
many, but certainly not all jurisdictions
that allow concealed carry, you are permitted to use deadly force to protect
yourself or another innocent person
from death or serious bodily harm, or
to prevent the commission of a forcible
felony, such as rape, robbery, burglary,
kidnapping, or arson. For example, see
Floridas guidelines online at http://
licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/
self_defense.html. Also, check your
state and local laws. Using or displaying a firearm in any other circumstances could result in your conviction for
crimes such as improper exhibition of
a firearm, manslaughter, or worse.
Recognize that verbal threats are
not enough to justify the use of deadly
force. There must be an overt act by the
person which indicates that he immediately intends to carry out the threat.
If you are threatened, in order to justify
the use of deadly force in self defense,
you must reasonably believe that you

will be killed or suffer serious bodily
harm if you do not immediately take
the life of your attacker or adversary.
In order to be justified in employing
deadly force in the defense of another
person, the circumstances must justify
that persons use of deadly force in his
or her own defense. In other words, you
must stand in the shoes of the person
being threatened or attacked.
Being a responsible gun owner
means that you understand the necessity of continuously working on developing your knowledge, skills and attitude about solving social problems. A
firearm is more than a handful of bad
guy repellant. As such, the responsible
gun owner recognizes the necessity of
learning how to properly use their firearms, learning when and when not to
use them and learning how to maintain and secure them (www.gunsandresponsibility.com). H
[ Bruce N. Eimer, Ph.D., psychologist
and NRA Certified Law Enforcement
Firearms Instructor, trains law abiding citizens in the defensive use of firearms. His company, Personal Defense
Solutions, also runs the classes required
to obtain the Florida, Virginia, and
Utah non-resident multi-state CCW
permits. To learn more, visit: www.
PersonalDefenseSolutions.net
and
www.DefensiveHandguns.com. ]
Sources
Kahr Arms
www.Kahr.com
In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of
the Firearm in Personal Protection by
Massad Ayoob (1980). Concord, New
Hampshire: Police Bookshelf.
From Lubys to the Legislature: One
Womans Fight Against Gun Control
by Susanna Gratia Hupp (2009). San
Antonio, TX: Privateer Publications.
Essential Guide to Handguns:
Firearm Instruction for Personal
Defense and Protection by Stephen
R. Rementer and Bruce Eimer, Ph.D
(2005). Flushing, New York: Looseleaf
Law Publications.
59
IT DOESNT HAVE TO MAKE SENSE... ITS JUST THE LAW
DEFEND THE SCENE

[ BY K.L. JAMISON, ESQ. ]
On 14 August, 1889, David Terry punched or slapped

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field.
his was not Terrys first act of violence relating to the system of justice. An attorney himself, and a former justice of the California Supreme
Court, Terry had stabbed a San Francisco
Vigilante in 1856. He was tried by the
Vigilantes, but escaped their famous
penalty for obscure reasons.1 He stabbed
one opposing litigant in open court and
threatened another with a hatchet. He
assaulted an objectionable newspaper
editor with a cane, and when the man
resisted, pulled his ever-present bowie
knife, but contented himself with beating the editor with the handle. In 1860
he resigned from the California Supreme
Court to challenge and kill a state legislator in a duel.2 He came to one-sided
blows with Justice Field due to a tawdry
divorce action. Sarah Hill claimed to
be married to the very wealthy William
Sharon and wanted a divorce and half of
Sharons fortune.3 Sharon filed for a restraining order in federal court to prevent
use of what his alleged missus claimed to
be a marital contract. The alleged Mrs.
Sharon hired the combative Terry to represent her. This brought him into conflict
with Justice Field. In those days Supreme
Court Justices rode circuit and heard
cases. Justice Field ruled against the alleged Mrs. Sharon. Terry, who had married his client, took offense, punched one
Deputy U.S. Marshal and unsuccessfully
assaulted another with his ever-present
bowie knife. Terry was sentenced to six
months for contempt of court, which
he passed threatening the life of Justice
Field. Five months after his release his
path crossed that of Justice Field in a hotel dinning room in Lathrop, California.4
Witnessing the assault, the judges
bodyguard, Deputy U.S. Marshal David
Neagle stepped between them and identified himself as an officer. Mr. Terry, the
very reason the Deputy had been assigned to the Justice, reached under his
60
vest, where Deputy Neagle knew from

experience he carried a bowie knife. The
Deputy drew and fired twice, killing the
assailant.5 Unfortunately, the shooting
scene was not secured, and no bowie
knife was recovered. In the pandemonium after the shooting the new Mrs. Terry
collapsed on the body screaming that an
unarmed man had been killed. If Terry
was unarmed that day, it was the first
such occasion in his history. Mrs. Terry is
suspected of having removed the knife. It
has been suggested that she might have
found it difficult to remove the sheath as
Panicked changes
to the scene by
the survivor will
always be taken as
evidence of guilt.
well; however Bowie sheaths of the day
were often attached with an easily disengaged button or clip.
Deputy Neagle was charged with murder. The case was removed to federal
court; however Deputy Neagle languished
in jail without bond until the 9th Circuit
ordered his release.6 The California
Attorney General appealed to the U.S.
Supreme Court claiming that there was
no authority for a Deputy Marshal to protect a Supreme Court Justice. On 14 April,
1890 the Court ruled In Re Neagle that it
is entirely appropriate for a federal marshal to defend a Supreme Court Justice.7
All it cost Deputy Neagle was months in
prison, and thousands in attorney fees.
Neither the time nor the money could be
recovered by the defendant then or now.
Deputy Neagle saw an assault by a known
violent offender who was known to have
threatened the life of his charge. The assault was followed by a gesture which he
knew to have produced a deadly weapon
in the past. His reaction was appropriate, but the lack of a weapon on the
body caused questions which were most
quickly answered with murder charges.
Had the scene been secured these questions might have been answered with less
inconvenience to Deputy Neagle. The
same problem exists today.
A gas station in Kansas City was hit
by a shoplifter who grabbed a handful of frozen sandwiches, boasted, You
cant catch me, and ran. The clerk pursued. The thief pointed a gun at the
clerk but the clerk was a quicker shot.
Like a good citizen, the clerk went back
into the station to call the police and report the armed assault. The local Good
Samaritans saw the thief bleeding on the
street stole the gun, stole the sandwiches
and would have stolen his underwear if
the police had not arrived.
Not finding a gun, the police presumptions dropped from justifiable homicide to mistake, called the Appearance
Doctrine in Missouri. Unfortunate
comments during the investigation led
to murder charges. Despite being represented by one of Kansas Citys leading defense attorneys (not the author), the clerk
was convicted of second-degree murder.
Minor inconsistencies inspire further
questions. In the MacDonald Murders at
Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, Dr. MacDonald
stated that hippies broke into his
home and killed his family. Criminal
Investigation Division detectives found
a flowerpot serenely upright in the midst
of disorder.8 This lead to suspicion, which
lead to reenactment, which lead to the
discovery that furniture, blood, fibers,
threads, and hair were in places inconsistent with the doctors story.9 On further
investigation, it was discovered that before the detectives arrived, an ambulance
driver had moved the flowerpot that had
inspired suspicion.10 In the meantime,
however, it served to focus the investi-
gation on Dr. MacDonald. Four decades

later, Dr. MacDonald maintains his innocence; however, he was convicted and
remains in prison, because of an investigation begun by a flowerpot in the wrong
place.
The history of criminal law is replete
with crime scenes contaminated by rescue personnel, sightseers, police, and
even looters. The citizen must protect the
shooting scene. Assuming the shooting is
justifiable, protection of the forensic evidence works to the citizens benefit. If the
shooting was not justified, no amount of
impromptu forgery will cover it up, and
attempts to do so will be evidence against
the shooter. The jury in the O. J. Simpson
criminal jury believed that certain evidence against the defendant had been
improved and therefore disregarded
evidence which certainly pointed toward
his guilt. If the forgery had been blamed
on the defense, Mr. Simpson would be
spending his life in prison.
Panicked changes to the scene by the
survivor will always be taken as evidence
of guilt. A resident of the Guinotte Manor
housing project in Kansas City had a
continuing feud with a neighboring
drug house. The resident fortified himself with an unknown type of bolt action
rifle loaded with a single 30-30 cartridge
which more or less fit, but clearly was not
designed for the weapon. Alarmed at a
midnight transaction, he made the poor
tactical decision to defend his home by
standing in front of it with the rifle. The
drug merchant drove off, but the resident
stumbled, fell, and in falling fired the
rifle. The unaimed and unmatched bullet unerringly hit the driver in the back
of the head. The resident did not have
the skill to make such a shot deliberately.
He also did not have the presence of
mind to stay put. He ran, dropping the
rifle in a nearby lot, and a valuable piece

of evidence was lost. Had the resident
stayed home and remained silent the
police might have chalked it up to what
they charmingly call misdemeanor murder.11
The lack of the rifle made it difficult to
prove the gun fired by accident, and accurately by a fluke. Concealing evidence
is always taken as consciousness of guilt,
and an admission that the evidence
would have been bad for the guest of
honor.12
Citizens are continually told that if
they shoot a bad guy outside the house,
to drag him inside the house and put a
kitchen knife in his hand. Citizens are
advised thusly by police officers and lawyers; persons who should know better.
Planting a weapon on the corpse is called
a throwdown, a disposable weapon
used to support a claim of self-defense.
The first problem is that police invented throwdowns; they know the possibility
and investigate it.13 Whenever a kitchen
knife is found at a crime scene (and even
self-defense shootings are investigated
like a crime scene), the detectives look in
the nearest kitchen. A missing steak knife
from the kitchen at the rear of the house
found next to a burglar at the front of the
house will cause embarrassing questions.
In one case, the killer inflicted cuts
to his own body, placed the knife in the
dead mans hand, and claimed he had
shot the dead man in self-defense. The
medical examiner found that the location of the knife was impossible, the
wounds on the killer unlikely and the
lack of evidence which should be present
indicated a fraud.14
Friends who attempt to improve
the evidence for the defense are another
problem. The average citizen has no idea
what a crime scene is supposed to look
1. The number of lynchings and other arbitrary justice by the San Francisco
Vigilantes appears to have been exaggerated. The Vigilante survived the
attack which doubtless helped.
2. Laws against dueling were lightly enforced but frequently denied
participants government office.
3. Estimated at $15 to 30 million at the time. Sharons fortune had been
diminished by maintaining a staff of attractive ladies in convenient
apartments.
4. See generally Jan Young Sharons Rose of Death in Real West March
1963 at 32 et seq. and Phillip R. Urie Knife-Wielding Justice in Wild West
February, 1993 at 46 et seq.
5. Calhoun THE LAWMEN Smithsonian Institution Press Washington and
London 1989 at 121-122.
6. Calhoun THE LAWMEN at 128.
7. 135 U.S. 1 (1890). Surprise surprise.
8. McGinniss FATAL VISION, New American Library N.Y. 1983 at 25-6.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
like and therefore imitates one badly. In

one case, a police officer chased a rapist into an alley, the rapist resisted and
was shot stone dead. The officer radioed
a report that he appeared to have killed
an unarmed man. Every man on his
shift responded and checked the body.
Investigators followed to document the
scene. When they rolled the body over
they discovered two guns and six knives.
This seemed an improbable arsenal to
carry in a flight down an alley. It was taken as clear evidence of tampering with
the scene, making the shooting questionable, as well as all other shootings by this
particular shift.15
Tampering with physical evidence is
an independent crime. In Missouri it is
committed if one alters, destroys, suppresses, or conceals any record, document or thing.16 This charge may be in
addition to the murder charge, and will
support the murder charge.17
In order to supply the miracles of reconstruction portrayed on television, the
forensic team must be given a pristine
scene to work with. After defending oneself, the citizen must defend the scene
from the larcenous, the meddlesome, the
ill intentioned partisan and bumbling
friends. H
[ Kevin L. Jamison is an attorney in the
Kansas City Missouri area concentrating
in the area of weapons and self-defense. ]
Please send questions to Kevin L.
Jamison 2614 NE 56th Ter Gladstone
Missouri 64119-2311 KLJamisonLaw@
earthlink.net. Individual answers are not
usually possible but may be addressed in
future columns.
This information is for legal information purposes and does not constitute
legal advice. For specific questions you
should consult a qualified attorney.
Id at 124-5 & 144-7.

Id at 178.
Bad people killed while doing bad things.
State v Allison, 845 S.W.2d 642 (Mo.App. W.D. 1992) at 646.
See Jordan NO SECOND PLACE WINNER, Police Bookshelf, Concord
NH 1989 at 15-17 and Sasser SHOOT TO KILL, Pocket Books, N.Y. 1994 at
15 for instances where numerous peace officers visited a fellow officers
shooting scene, and when investigators arrived, an improbable arsenal
was discovered under the deceased. Such help could get a survivor
arrested.
Owen HIDDEN EVIDENCE Firefly Books, Buffalo N. Y. 2000 at 85. This
book is an extremely valuable reference for criminal defense lawyers.
Charels W. Sasser SHOOT TO KILL Pocket Books NY 1994 at 15.
RSMo 575.100.
State v Storey, 901 S.W.2d 886 (Mo.en banc) at 895-6.
61
BALLISTIC BASICS
PHOTO BY OLEG VOLK A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM
Translucent, tough, and consistent, ballistic

gelatin provides an industry-wide standard
of comparison in penetration tests. Here,
Gold Dot and Ranger SXT 9mm bullets hang
suspended inside a block that clearly shows
their entry dynamics.
JELL-O SHOTS
JELL-O is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods. Kraft Foods has no affiliation with Concealed Carry
Magazine, the United States Concealed Carry Association, or Delta Media LLC. Nor does Kraft Foods
produce ballistic gelatin; that was a play on words intended to make the reader smile.
[ BY TAMARA KEEL ]
When reading advertisements for premium selfdefense cartridges or ammunition review in firearms
magazines, its common to run across phrases like The
HomeGard bullets reliably expanded to .7 inches or
The BadguyZapper X rounds penetrated to an average
of fifteen inches which, if youre not a gun nerd, can
leave you scratching your head and wondering just what
exactly they were penetrating.
nce upon a time, bullets got tested

by going to the nearest slaughterhouse and plugging a cow or
even, if you were tight with the government, shooting cadavers. Nowadays,
thats considered a little gross. Plus, nobodys likely to get mugged by a Black
Angus, so it doesnt have much bearing on reality. Instead, bullet designers
and ammunition testers rely on what
are known in polite company as tissue
simulants.
While all kinds of stuff ranging from
modeling clay to big jugs of water have
been tried, they all had problems: Clay
was too dense and didnt give accurate
penetration results. Water gave prettylooking expanded bullets, but they
penetrated too deeply, and it was hard
to measure the hole, since it filled right
back in.
The industry standard has become
something known as ballistic gelatin.
62
This is very similar to the stuff on your

dinner table, except with fewer marshmallows floating in it, plus it smells awful. Scientific types have determined
that a mixture of 10 percent gelatin
(carefully controlled for temperature and calibrated for consistency by
checking it with a BB fired at a predetermined velocity) gives results almost
exactly like muscle tissue.
The gelatin in question has some
unique advantages, as well as some
drawbacks. For one thing, unlike poor
Bessie at the slaughterhouse, its translucent. This means that high speed
cameras can record the bullets impact,
as well as what its doing at every stage
of its passage through the gelatin. If
youre looking for certain effects from
your bullet, such as early and explosive
expansion or a deep and controlled
penetration, you can tell if youre getting it. Further, the trajectory will be
somewhat frozen in time, so you can

inject it with colored dye and take pictures of it that look good in advertisements.
The most notable downside is that,
unlike a big block of gelatin, real targets
are not homogeneous through-andthrough. They have bones and all the inside bits that are icky and not only look
gruesome, but affect a bullets path and
performance. Some researchers (and
the guys on the TV show MythBusters)
will sometimes reflect this by sticking
pig bones in the gel for certain tests.
The single biggest advantage to
calibrated ballistic gelatin, however,
is that it provides a consistent basis
for comparison: Whether the test was
done by the AAA Ammo Corporation
or the Zebraville Police Department,
10 percent Ordnance Gel is 10 percent
Ordnance Gel; unlike clay and cows
and ... er, cadavers (ick!) it provides a
controlled medium for comparison.
Compared to this standard, previous
methods really were shooting in the
dark. H
[ Tamara Keel has been shooting guns as
a hobby since she was eighteen. She has
worked in the firearms business since
the early 1990s. Her pastimes include
collecting old guns, writing, and being
bossed around by house cats. ]
Mark Walters and Tim Schmidt Uncover The

Inside Secrets of Over 33 of the Most Popular
Concealed Carry Holsters On The Market!
When you absorb the information in this system,
youll save $1974.21 by NOT having to buy holsters
that will end up collecting dust in your holster drawer...
Concealed Carry Basics Volume 2:
The Ultimate Concealed

Carry Holster Guide
Here are some video screen shots and sample workbook pages from Concealed Carry
Basics Volume 2: The Ultimate Concealed Carry Holster Guide. Tim demonstrates
the draw from sportcoat concealment while Mark gives his introductory talk in front of
our giant table of holsters.
One of the more fascinating aspects of our 35-page workbook is our detailed 5-point
rating system. Each holster was rated on 5 different variables. This rating was then
weighted and an average overall rating was given!
Heres what youll get when you order
Concealed Carry Basics Volume 2: The Ultimate Concealed Carry Holster Guide.
2-Disc DVD Set: Over 2 hours and 20 minutes of detailed analysis and commentary
on over 33 of the most popular concealed carry holsters. Mark and Tim take turns
discussing all the ins and outs of the holsters that work and the holsters that DONT
work!
35-Page PDF Workbook on CD: The workbook contains even more detailed
information and photos of each holster that is covered on the DVDs. Each workbook
page contains a review summary, a ve-point ratings graph, information on the company that makes the holster, and how you can go about getting one for yourself.
Audio Interview on CD: After Mark and Tim spent three grueling days under the
hot camera lights, they sat down and recorded a behind-the-scenes audio interview. Youll have your own CD of this recording where Mark and Tim talk candidly
about their own personal carry-holster experiences.
PAYMENT INFORMATION
Check or Money Order Enclosed

(Payable to USCCA)
Please charge my
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with payment to:
NOTE: Charge will appear as US Concealed Carry Assoc.
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The USCCA BulletProof 100% money-back guarantee gives you

a full year to return ANY of our products if you are unhappy!
ARTWORK BY OLEG VOLK A-HUMAN-RIGHT.COM

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REVIEW!

SMITH & WESSON

volume 7 JULY 2010

28 cheap, flimsy, OR unsafe - BUT NOT THESE. 32

Massive bleeding is an emergency that

Shoot With One Hand? Why?

THE TACTICAL PURSE

Back Up Guns for Civilians

28 Concealed Carry Clothing

The Holster Maven Looks at

Stop the Bleeding, Save

Finding Your Balance:

Pretty in Pink: STI Elektra

Option for Women

USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2010

THE ORDINARY GUY

SOMETIMES YOU JUST WONT HAVE

BEHIND THE LINE

The Concealed Carry Presentation

ITS JUST THE LAW

the 9MM STI Elektra was designed

JULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM

Signed articles in Concealed Carry

N173W21298 Northwest Passage Way,

JULY 2010 COVER

USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2010

ACROSS THE EDITORS DESK

Look Ma, No Ads!

Notice anything different about this issue?

write, so that you will always know

JULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM

sion to avoid paid advertisements?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

the 7th Circuits ruling was discussed.

Due to volume received, not all letters

competition ammo failures. How does

USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2010

MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.

door, dropping the shotgun as he went.

JULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM

customer after consulting with his

More Than They

In this section, USCCA members share their

voices of the uscca

lot of the practical, nitty-gritty details I

peace officer school didnt. Coupled with

USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2010

timony to Congress relating the Lubys

to Choose, Carry, and Shoot a Gun in Self

For me, I think my process of waking up and paying attention

That story made me rethink my preparedness for catastrophic events. Other

and what to expect after you have shot

Next issues question:

Does your carry method change from one

JULY 2010 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM

[ Editors Note: This drill is taken from the

Things That a Coach

To conduct the exercise, an assistant will load

the bang and youll learn to identify

USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2010

his happened years ago when I

Youve got out-of-town plates, he

What kind of person notes