When choosing a weapon to carry, one must carefully choose what is best for them. You have the choice of a revolver or a semi-automatic pistol. Each type has positive and negative aspects to them. Careful consideration should be given to each one and ensure that what you choose fits your physical abilities and needs. Another consideration is weight of the pistol, how you want to carry it and will you carry additional magazines or speed loaders.

Many people cannot operate semi-automatic pistols due to physical limitations. Some do not have the hand strength to manipulate the slide properly without causing malfunctions. Some factors to consider are strength, hand size or possibly arthritis. Some do not like semi-automatic pistols because of the likelihood of malfunctions. Some semi-automatics do not have an active safety on them and some consider them unsafe.

While all pistols have a maximum number of bullets they carry, most common revolvers are limited to six bullets. This is another factor to consider when making the choice of a concealed carry weapon. If you choose to carry a revolver, will you carry a speed loader, should you need it? Most people will not carry a speed loader and further, it takes more training to become proficient at reloading a revolver in a timely manner. Revolvers are much less likely to malfunction, which is a strong point to consider.

Another consideration is the size of the revolver, the weight and whether or not it has a hammer. Many revolvers are light weight and hammer-less. While being lighter is a good thing, depending on the caliber of bullet you choose, it may have more recoil when fired and be more difficult for some to manage. A pistol that is heavier in weight causes less recoil. If your choice of revolver is hammer-less, you will have a stronger trigger press, making it more difficult to hit your intended target. Hammer-less revolvers are more comfortable to carry and less likely to get hung up on clothing.  If your revolver does have a hammer, you may choose to fire it single action, having less trigger press to negotiate. When thinking about reliability, if a revolver malfunctions, you simply have to press the trigger again versus a semi-automatic requiring 3 to 6 steps in the malfunction clearance procedure. You may think about paying a gunsmith to lessen the amount of pressure it takes to press the trigger. Semi-automatic pistols typically provide the ability to have more ammunition than revolvers.

No matter the choice you make, make sure you train to become proficient with your weapon. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of training. In my experience, most people fail to train adequately. I am not trying to insult anyone and do not think that you need to train to be a Green Beret or Navy Seal. I do believe that you should be able to manipulate your weapon without having to stop, look at it and then think your way through the process to return the weapon to action.  The point of carrying a weapon is to protect yourself, loved ones and possibly others who are in peril. I have stated in previous articles that you must have conscious competency with your weapon. Some refer to this as “muscle memory”. If you bring a weapon to a fight, make sure you know how to use it properly so that you are not a liability to yourself or anyone else.

If you are unaware, Red Flag Laws close to home.  “Columbia City Council passed a trio of bills designed to give police more powers to tackle both guns and bias-motivated crimes. The new ordinances will make it easier for Columbia police to confiscate firearms from gun owners who are deemed to be an “extreme risk;” tighten restrictions on guns near schools; and create a city hate crimes ordinance. Under one new ordinance, the Columbia municipal court or other courts that may have jurisdiction in Columbia are empowered to issue protection orders if someone is deemed an “extreme risk”. (Greenville News September 18, 2019)

Shooting is a skill that must be learned. Hopefully, everyone had the opportunity to be taught by someone knowledgeable and competent. Two of the fundamentals of marksmanship are sight alignment & sight picture. To be a proficient marksman, one must be able to apply these fundamentals repeatedly and correctly. Sight alignment is the relationship between the front sight and rear sight. Sight picture is the relationship between the front sight, rear sight and target. The front sight must be in clear focus when applying these fundamentals.

I was taught to close one eye when shooting. This allows me to focus on the front sight without much difficulty. As I progressed in my career and age, the concept of shooting with both eyes open became more prominent. I struggled with this concept but through training, was able to adapt and utilize this technique. I find that shooting with both eyes open is fine for anything within 7 yards. When the distance becomes greater than that, I choose to close my weak eye allowing better focus on the front sight.

When I am teaching anyone, I ask them to use both techniques in order to determine what works best for that particular individual. Some people simply cannot shoot with both eyes open. That is fine. There is no one set way to do this. If any instructor tells you that you have to do it “this way”, find another instructor. I spoke about what to look for in an instructor in last month’s article.

Shooting with both eyes open allows me to pick up my front sight a little bit quicker thus allowing me to put rounds on target quicker. I do not necessarily have to have perfect sight alignment when shooting up close and quick. I may have nothing more than a flash sight picture. If shooting competition, I may want to close the weak eye to better focus on the front sight so that I can shoot a tighter group. In a deadly force encounter, I most likely will have both eyes open. This will also allow me to have a larger field of vision and allow better situational awareness.

As with anything else, there is always a positive and negative side with everything. Find out for yourself what works best for you at close distance and as you progress further away. You should also know which eye is the dominate eye. Some people are cross eye dominate. That is not a problem as all you need to do is move the weapon to your eye allowing you to align the sights.

I do encourage you to send questions, concerns or thoughts to me. If you or anyone you know is looking to improve on your skills, I hope you contact me to set up a training date. If you have a group and want training, we can arrange that also.

Stay vigilante in the efforts to maintain our right to bear arms.

Everyone should strive to enhance their knowledge base in order to become wiser and more proficient. We do this by seeking out knowledge we either do not have or wish to enhance and build upon. We read articles, seek out videos and any other means available to us.

When dealing with techniques and tactics with firearms, we want to know that we are provided the best instruction available to us. We want to walk away knowing that we have actually learned something of value to us. Especially if we have paid good money for the lesson we attended.

What does it take to be a good instructor? First, you must be able to articulate your teaching objectives in a manner that is conducive to each learning style. Not everyone learns the same way. There are 3 different learning styles; Kinesthetic, auditory and visual. As an instructor you must ensure that you are addressing each style to ensure full understanding of the material being taught. If you, as an instructor, fail to address one of them, you have left someone in the class behind. If you are the student, make sure your instructor is teaching to your style of learning.

Every instructor must have a base level of core competencies in which to effect learning. We do this by attending classes to become certified in the fields we wish to teach. That is only the base level. This is the book knowledge everyone must possess. Once you have this, you must go out and put it into practice. This is where we develop our teaching style and learn how we, as instructors, are able to get our point across to students. It is a learning process for us and only through experience do we become better.

Instructors must also be able to adapt to each individual student to make them at ease. Learning a new skill is difficult and this causes self-induced stress. A good instructor recognizes this and is able to make the student more at ease, coaching them through the process.

Learning in an instructor’s class how to diagnose shooter errors and what the target grouping looks like is one thing. Being able to diagnose what a shooter is actually doing and making them understand it and overcome it, is another. The ability to diagnose shooter error only comes through many repetitions and experience. What I am able to diagnose in a matter of 3 to 5 shots, may not be as easy for another instructor who has limited experience. Some shooters may be squeezing the trigger using the entire strong hand instead of only using the trigger finger. A less experienced instructor may not recognize this as quickly. This is only one example. There are many subtleties that are sometimes difficult to observe and diagnose.

Having been an instructor for almost 4 decades does not mean that I know everything and it must be done my way because I have seen this before. A closed-minded instructor is limited in their ability to be effective. Just because I have 4 decades of experience does not mean that I cannot learn something new from someone else. I have worked with students and not been able to effectively communicate my thoughts to them. When this has happened, I have asked other instructors to assist me and the shooter. This is for the shooters benefit and mine also. A fresh set of eyes is a good thing. Can an old dog be taught new tricks? I hope so.

I also know several instructors who possess only book knowledge, along with a list of instructor certifications but lack real world experience. Just because someone has a degree or certifications does not make them an effective instructor. There is no substitute for real world experience. Especially dealing with a lethal force encounter and the legalities involved.  In previous articles, I have written about physiological changes that happen under stressful situations. It is difficult to simulate stress in a training environment. Real world scenario training must be integrated in order to produce stress and understand limitations.

Bottom line is this, if your going to pay someone to teach you, don’t you want to ensure you are getting the best for your money? If you would like to take advantage of the knowledge and training, I have garnered over the years, contact me.

The 2^nd Amendment of the US Constitution states; “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. This constitutional right, unlike others, has been infringed upon by lawmakers regulating and passing laws stating that individuals must have a license in order to carry a weapon in the state and cannot cross state lines unless the visiting state has reciprocity. To do so, would make one a criminal in the state they are visiting.

This is the only right granted by our forefathers in the United States constitution that is manipulated and subjected to regulations by states in order to exercise it. Our 1^st Amendment rights and others are not regulated or require us to have a license in order to exercise them. How is it that this constitutional right has been subjected to laws and regulations for us to be able to exercise it? Elected officials have passed these issue laws in attempts to provide more “safety” to the public, while additionally producing income for the state.

Currently there are 16 states that have passed constitutional carry laws. South Carolina legislators have introduced Bill 3456 “Constitutional Carry Act of 2019”. This is the 3^rd time a bill of this type has been introduced in South Carolina. While I support the 2^nd Amendment and believe every citizen, who is not a convicted criminal, should be able to exercise this right, I also believe that there is a level of responsibility that comes with it. I have spoken about the need for training and the value of it. This is where I have reservations about everyone carrying a weapon. Too many people are unsafe with weapons and are nothing short of a liability and danger to others. The need for competent training cannot be understated.

As with anything else in life, if you are not trained correctly, how can you possibly be expected to understand the ramifications of the tool you are using? Weapons are a tool and the ability to correctly and safely operate a weapon affects everyone who is exposed to it. Don’t get me wrong, I want people to be able to defend themselves. I just want to know that myself and my loved ones are not in danger of some person who lacks a complete and thorough understanding of weapons manipulations and safety, pulling a weapon out and possibly injuring or killing one of us. I have seen too many people harmed by reckless handling of a firearm.

Guns are inherently dangerous and should be handled and treated with the utmost respect. I do support some type of training curriculum for those wanting to carry a weapon. This can do nothing but ensure everyone has a basic understanding of the safety and operation of a weapon. I know some people will disagree about any training standards or required classes. Having been around firearms for over 4 decades, I have seen things that are simply hard to comprehend and still am surprised by what I continue to see. Training can help alleviate some of the problems, not all of them.
I hope those who read this can appreciate the need to be a responsible gun owner and the value of training to produce safe gun handling and competency with weapons.

As always, if you need or want any training, reach out to me and I will do my best to accommodate your training needs. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Thanks to those who reached out to me with questions. I look forward to meeting some of you soon.

Train the way you fight and prepare for all contingencies.