Last June and September, I wrote about the record setting gun sales and new gun owners in 2020.  Looks like 2021 will be another banner year for gun sales.  

According to the article linked above:
"In January, more than 4 million background checks were processed, compared with the previous January's 2.7 million. And in February 2021, 3.4 million checks were reported; in February 2020, 2.8 million were completed. 
During the entire month of March 2021, the FBI completed nearly 4.7 million background checks compared with the same month the year before when the agency reported 3.7 million checks."

Looks like Americans are buying an extra 1 million guns per month compared to last year!  I love that many of these guns are being sold to first time gun owners.  As more people exercise our 2nd Amendment rights, it will be harder for them to be taken away.

​​If you know any new guns owners:
1. take them to the shooting range
2. connect them to resources for training and information
3. encourage them to join gun rights groups  

A few weeks ago, a student took a course from me using a carry gun with a custom trigger.  This particular trigger was shorter and lighter than the factory one.  This student was a very safe and accurate shooter but I recommended that he consider changing his gun back to the factory trigger.   If you are ever involved in a shooting, you may have to defend customizations to your gun in court and you definitely don't want to be accused of having a "hair trigger."

I solve this problem by carrying stock guns.  My self-defense guns (even those for home defense), are factory originals with no modifications.     

For some expert insight into this topic, read this excellent (and short) article by Massad Ayoob, for his recommendations on what not to do on your carry guns.  

I'm partnering with a group called "Powhatan Home Defense" to offer 3 introductory handgun clinics over the summer months.  These sessions will give beginners the steps needed to get started to owning a handgun for self-defense.  More details are available on the flyer below.

Officer Christopher Royer, a police officer in Nashville, shot and killed a man who attacked him with two butcher knives during a traffic stop on Saturday night.   If you are a private citizen who owns a gun for self-protection, do yourself a favor and read this article (and watch the video).   Officer Christopher Royer

In my opinion, this was an excellent example of using a handgun for self-defense.  Some observations:
1. Officer Royer didn't use his gun to protect property - the bad guy got into the police car without any resistance. 
2. He gave the bad guy every chance to stop the attack.  Officer Royer retreated 25 yards from the man with the knives.  In the video, you can see the bad guy to run at the cop.  At that point, it is clear the bad guy is an imminent threat - this is life or death.
3. He shot the bad guy in the chest to stop the threat.  When the adrenaline dump of the life or death situation occurs, you will fall back on your training and practice.  Officer Royer had likely practiced making shots to the torso to stop the threat.  Once the threat stopped, he stopped shooting.

President Biden has recently been discussing bans on AR-15s and other standard semi-automatic rifles.  

This recent article on the CDC's 2018 report on deaths in America puts an interesting spin on the need to ban rifles: falling kills a lot more people than rifles do.  Here are some of the facts shown in the report, in 2018 there were: ​

• 297 intentional deaths by rifle
• 443 intentional deaths by hammers, clubs and blunt objects
• 37,455 deaths by accidental falls

126 times more people died by accidentally falling than those killed by rifles.   Seems like we could save more lives by banning hammers or ladders!  

Something that isn't mentioned by those trying to ban guns, of course, is how many lives are saved by rifles (and other guns)  each year.  Studies have shown that guns are used between 16 and 100 more times each year to save lives than to take lives.  That's between 500,000 and 3 million times each year to save lives!!!

Today I'm reposting an article from the NRA's website, 4 best concealed carry positions.  The author includes some pros and cons for each of four options for carrying a firearm on your body.   

If you want to begin carrying a gun, it is a good idea to do some research and learn what some of the common options are.   What works for you will depend on the gun you will be carrying, your body shape and size and the types of clothing you wear.  My #1 piece of advice is to get a good holster with stiff sides that completely covers the trigger guard.  A holster like this will protect the trigger to ensure the gun isn't shot accidentally while you are carrying it (this means no guns stuck in your waistband or in your jacket pocket). 

My second recommendation is to get training on how to safely draw a gun from a holster AND reholster it and then practice with an unloaded gun.

I saw this recent story on the President Biden calling on Congress to enact "common sense" gun laws.  By calling it common sense, they are hoping to make this gun control sound non-controversial.  Don't fall for it.  He's asking for universal background checks, assault weapon (standard semi-auto rifles) bans, "high" capacity magazine bans and ending immunity for gun manufacturers. 

These proposed laws will not make Americans any safer.  Common sense should tell us that criminals don't obey the law.  Gun laws only make it harder for law abiding citizens to protect ourselves. 

The final line in the article was also interesting to me:  "I've always believed that we should get background checks done because it's probably the most popular measure," Murphy said. "And once Republicans see the sky doesn't fall, we can work on other things."

Senator Murphy is basically referring to what is sometimes called the "snowball effect."  Just like a snowball rolling down a hill will get larger, once one law gets passed it is easier to pass more.  Gun owners should stand strong together in opposition to ALL forms of gun control.   Check out my gun rights page for more information on how you can get involved.

In my defensive shooting courses, I recommend that my students start following news on shootings and other circumstances where they might need a gun for self-protection, this is training for your mind.  An excellent way to do this is to sign-up for VCDL's VA-ALERT e-mail list.  Another way is to read good books on self-defense.  

I just finished reading "Surviving a Mass Killer Rampage" by Chris Bird and I highly recommend it.  The author describes in-detail many mass shootings, some that were stopped by citizens or law enforcement and some that were not.  Reading about these killings gave me a glimpse into what a situation like this might look like and some of the options when fighting back.  A majority of these shootings are over before law enforcement arrives and is able to confront the shooter.  His overall point is that allowing private citizens to carry guns and eliminating gun-free zones will significantly reduce the carnage that these killers can cause.   

In addition, the author attended several multi-day courses meant to train private citizens to stop mass shootings.  The book describes the content of these courses in detail.  This section includes lots of basic tactical information and some things concealed carriers could use to practice on the range.   For instance, one of the courses talked about the importance of scoring your first hit and had the students take their first shots each day at 50 feet.  That is well beyond the average distance of a gunfight but I see the wisdom of regular practice at longer distances and I plan to work that into my future sessions. 

Every course I teach starts with the three NRA rules for safe gun handling:

• ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
• ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
• ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

In the NRA Basics of Pistol course, we also cover additional safety rules needed to be a responsible gun owner.  One of these rules is:

• Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons

It is important that guns are not left lying around.  A gun is incredibly attractive to kids.  If they see it, they will want to touch it but they do not realize how dangerous it is.   This month I've seen two articles about young kids getting accidentally killed playing with guns.

• The first one was a 5 year old girl in Georgia who was shot and killed by a playmate at a babysitter's house.
• The second incident was a 2 year old boy in Indiana who shot and killed himself.

I never leave guns just lying around.  When I'm done at the range or carrying for self protection, I always put the guns into a safe or lockbox.  Some people may see this article and say, "I can't afford to buy a safe."  You don't have to buy a safe for $1000 or more, even something as simple and cheap as a $20 lockbox will keep your guns away from kids.  Also, all new guns come with a cable lock.   These aren't the best thing for quick access but would prevent the tragedies likes the ones mentioned above.

Bottom line, if you can't afford to or won't lock up the gun when not in use you shouldn't buy it.  

I saw two recent articles that reminded me of the importance of carrying a gun with you as often as possible - even when you don't expect to need it.  It isn't only bad guys a handgun can protect you from.

Last month, 36 year-old Ruthie Mae Brown was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs while out for a walk in Alabama.  What a tragedy for her four kids to lose their Mom in such a needless way!  Carrying a gun while out walking or running is not easy or convenient but clothing options are getting much better, even for ladies.  Check out something like the concealed carry leggings made by UnderTech Undercover.

The second story I saw happened earlier this month in Washington State.  In that instance, a man protected himself from a pack of wolves with a rifle.   Not much detail was provided in this article either but the man carried a rifle with him while checking his game camera.  To quote the author:

"Carrying a gun in the woods is, once again, considered prudent and wise. Fortunately, guns and ammunition are better, more powerful, reliable, and relatively cheaper than they have ever been before."

There were two different outcomes in these stories because one of the victims had the ability to protect himself against predators.