WE’VE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED the imperatives of safe gun handling as well as how to properly draw from and recover to the holster. Although there are a variety of ways to accomplish these tasks, it always comes down to muzzle management and trigger-finger discipline; there just isn’t any way around it.

One of the safety rules we focus on in every firearms class and safety briefing is keeping your finger off the trigger and outstretched along the side of the gun until you are ready to shoot. It’s a…

Spoiler alert! Shotgun wins! When people tell you to use a shotgun with birdshot for home defense because it is safer, show them this. The hole in the door that you see here comes from No. 8…

An event that occurred in Clearwater, Florida, a little more than a week ago illustrates why it is so important to think before inserting yourself into a situation that might escalate into a lethal…

In an opening scene of the old television show Gunsmoke, Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) delivers fatally on his fast draw. That, of course, was fiction, though the Minnesota native apparently was…

Very early on in my self-defense journey, an instructor said to me, “Use a handgun of the largest caliber you can fire accurately.” That statement seemed to make sense until I realized I was a pretty…

Carrying a handgun under deep cover is an exercise in compromise. For more concealability, you get less accessibility. The debate on where to draw the line on these two ends of the carry spectrum…

I was watching what has to be the all-time coolest police detective movie with the all-time coolest actor portraying the lead detective. The movie: Bullitt starring Steve McQueen. Filmed in 1968 in…

For those who are new to the game, “ACP” stands for “Automatic Colt Pistol.” The .32 ACP was developed by John Moses Browning — the greatest firearms inventor of all time — in 1899 for use in the…

A range bag is a necessary transportation accessory for the “normal” things you need at the shooting range as well as for the more specified or unusual items that tag along. A bag filled with the…

If you do a lot of driving, the Gozenta from Hawg Holsters might be the product for you. This little laser-cut multi-tool secures your holstered handgun to the receiver end of a seatbelt buckle in…

Walther’s PPS M2 is a great concealed carry handgun. It is reliable, accurate and simple. As you know, excellence in concealed carry is as much about the holstering system as it is about which…

The Survival Belt 2.0 is no joke. It is not some belt buckle equivalent of those gigantic Swiss Army survival knives complete with fork and spoon and about 20 other tools made of junk metal. The…

Without a doubt, the single most common reason an armed self-defense claim loses in court is what the defendant did leading up to the event. One of the long-standing common-law requirements of a…

Do you want to be involved in a deadly force incident today? All of us should answer, “No!” However, in some sense, self-defense is not a choice. The requirement for self-defense is often thrust upon…

Gozenta Hawg Holsters MSRP: $20 Gozenta Hawg Holsters The Gozenta (“goes into”) allows you to mount your UltiClip-appointed Hawg holster onto a solid platform from which to draw your gun if needed,…

I received a message not long ago from a 73-year-old woman named Lynette who made a fantastic point, one that I had not thoroughly considered. Through sharing her story, she presented the importance…

The irony is not lost on me that I am using a social media video service to tell you how to circumvent the censorship of social media video services. This outlet and other outlets are actively…

SIG Sauer’s commitment to make its Elite ammunition line a major player in the training, sporting and defensive ammunition arena shows no sign of abating. Its new Elite 365 FMJ and V-Crown 9mm…

I conducted a skills improvement class this past weekend for a group of people who have been legally carrying for between one and four years. As a result, I had instructed them to come to the class…