Part 1 of our Tubular Target Trilogy When we study the subject of bus takedowns, the first question we have to ask ourselves is: Why? Why train for, or learn about, Tubular Target Takedowns? If you are in law enforcement, you …
Category: Intel
Studying this info should make you a better protector. It’s provided to the public free, in the hopes of making our dangerous world a safer, better place.
Area Targets: A Tango’s Dream
“Point” and “area” targets are military concepts that are directly applicable to active violence and counterterrorism. You should know more than just the difference between them, which is not rocket science. You should know how to avoid having a target on your back, be it the point or area variety. Some of this article was excerpted from a password protected summary of a site security survey I conducted at a high school in Arizona.
Interview with Angela McQueen
Angela McQueen wrestled a gun out of a wannabe killer’s hands in her high school cafeteria, most likely saving many lives. On 04 Nov 2022, I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Ms. McQueen where the incident took place, at Mattoon High School in Mattoon, IL.
Assaults From Vehicles, Part I: Car vs. Pedestrian
In our Vehicle Fighting courses, we train on what to do if you are attacked IN or AROUND YOUR car, truck, or SUV. This three-part series will mainly focus, instead, on what to do if you are attacked BY someone …
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The ABCDEs of Cover
Threats may choose to take you in the open. Here are some field expedient things you can substitute for cover if you are bushwhacked in a “cover deficit.”
Tagged with: ABCs of cover, body armor, Caprarelli, CoTCCC, Kiribati, north hollywood shootout, patient rescue, TCCC
The Byrna HD PepperBall Handgun
A friend recently obtained a Byrna Technologies HD. The Byrna is a less lethal PepperBall launcher. It also launches hard plastic impact munitions similar in concept to bean bag rounds from a shotgun. We shot it a bit at “Robbie” …
Tagged with: beanbag round, brian terry, byrna, daunte wright, less lethal, pepper ball, pepperball, slip and capture
Kalashnikov Selector Manipulations
This article explains the whys and wherefores of everyone’s favorite part of the Kalashnikov series: the right side mounted mode-of-fire selector lever.
Glossary of Gunspeak
Here are definitions of some concepts we teach you about in our classes. Sometimes different trainers use different words to mean the same things; this glossary will hopefully help you clarify some of the “tacticool” words that get bandied about …
In Places They Don’t Talk About at Parties: Lessons from STEM School Highlands Ranch
The tragic shooting of 07 May 2019 has several lessons you should learn, paid for in blood. Here are some of them.
Tagged with: armed security, blue on blue, brendan bialy, claire davis, hoplophobia, john hurley, joshua jones, kendrick castillo, line of fire, marjorie stoneman douglas high school, officer gordon beesley, school security, shamson sundara, STEM school highlands ranch, target discrimination, unarmed security
The Under-Practiced Art of Issuing a Challenge
Something like 16 out of 17 times, when an armed citizen draws a gun in self defense, NO shots are fired. But the mere presence of a firearm, without relevant, practical, realistic training, will not ward off evil spirits like some magic talisman. Here are some dos and don’ts of how to tell a crook to go assault someone else.
Firing the Stockless Shortie
Call it what you want. Some call them PDWs, personal defense weapons, after a unique brand of firearms initially considered for downed aircrew survival. Some call them “AR pistols” and “AK pistols.” Those are legal terms for getting around silly …
Tagged with: AK pistol, AR pistol, brace, isometric tension, MP5K, OSI, pull push, push pull, SBR, stockless, stretch technique, wrist brace
ASR Rifles and ASR Med Kits
Most people get guns for “GPs,” general purposes. But, like golf clubs, different guns have different niches in your battle plan. Before you get a gun (or another gun), you should have some idea what you plan to accomplish …
IEDs: A Different Approach
Traditionally, training on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has focused on how to recognize one, or how to differentiate a “suspicious” package from any other object in your environment. We might discuss how different IEDs are constructed, or what they are …
Rule 3: You’ve come a long way, baby
Tagged with: dry practice, FAMAS, manual safety, negligent discharges, NRA rules, PSL, Rule 3, safety rules, trigger finger
Industry Day, 28 Nov 2020
On Saturday, 28 Nov 2020, Warlizard Tactical and Heloderm LLC hosted an “industry day” at our favorite firing range. We try to do that periodically, to give our wonderful volunteer range safety officers (RSOs), adjunct instructors, their friends, and family …
Tagged with: Jennifer Fulford, NSWE, one handed, primacy of training, purge, skorpion, stoppage reduction, training scar, workspace
Mind the Gas Port
“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” I grew up on Air Force fighter bases. During my first Thunderbirds airshow, …
Tagged with: advanced primer ignition, AUG, BFA, blank, blast injury, blowback operation, contact wound, DGI, direct gas impingement, disarms, forcing cone, gas operation, gas piston, gas retarded blowback, gast vent, impeded slide movement, inverse bell curve, killing the dragon, operating systems, ported barrel, revolver, riding the dragon, roller delayed blowback, safety through competence, short recoil, squib
Grip, Hold, and Stance
What’s the difference, when they matter, when they don’t, and why you must have several in your repertoire. Some of this was written for the training summary of our 10 Oct 2020 Pistol fundamentals class, specifically addressing aspects of grip, …
Alert Carry Conditions
Choosing a “carry condition” that fits your lifestyle and risk assessment well requires a thorough understanding of your options. What carry condition you chose will affect your safety and level of readiness, as well as how you should train for …
The Lie: How Much Ammo Do You Need?
A homeless panhandler’s average annual income is $500,000.00. Not including welfare, disability, handouts from kind people, or “stimulus” checks. Does that mean you should never slip the guy with the cardboard sign a few bucks? Of course it doesn’t. Whether …
Tagged with: ABB plant shooting, average gunfight, Boston Marathon bombers, Ed Lovette, EDC, Forza, Jeffrey Pugliese, Joseph Reynolds, Louis Awerbuck, Mark Renninger, ND, pocket pistol, pocket rocket, Sean Collier, slef-licking, SOP 9, SOP 9 study, Stephen Sharp, Sydney Vail, Tina Griswold, Watertown shootout
COVID-19 and Practice Ammo Availability
We all knew there would be yet another run on ammunition. I just figured it wouldn’t happen until the weeks leading up to the election. Firearms dealers have seen more panic buying since the Clinton administration than the 19th century …
“Stand Your Ground” and “Castle Doctrine” in Arizona
A student wrote to me after a class, asking about some phrases she had heard elsewhere: “stand your ground” and “castle doctrine.” Here are some of the things I explained to her. STAND YOUR GROUND The phrase “stand your ground” is often bandied about …
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Why hammer on the stoppage reduction drills?
“I did my homework, and got off my wallet, to get a gun that never, ever jams. So why do we have to practice stoppage reduction till we can do it blindfolded?” The following is taken from an after action …