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.

As I wrote back in June, Americans have been buying guns at a record rate in 2020.  According to the NRA, as of August we're up to 5 million new gun owners in 2020!  How awesome is that?  See their Instagram post below.

I'm excited that many people have decided to take their self protection into their own hands and exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.  I'd like to welcome all new guns owners into our community.   I'm hopeful that we will see the impact of these new gun owners in November at the ballot box.

Vote for freedom!

I've been training lots of new shooters lately.  Most of them really enjoy their experience learning to shoot and ask what would be good next steps.   I've always offered an Intermediate and Advanced Defensive handgun as good next steps but nothing specifically focused on improving marksmanship.  I recently found the NRA's Marksmanship Qualification Program.  This program includes standard courses of fire with various types of guns to qualify at each of the following levels:

• Pro-Marksman
• Marksman
• Sharpshooter
• Expert
• Distinguished Expert

I decided to shoot the prescribed courses of fire to see what level I would qualify at.  Below you can see my final target qualifying at the "Distinguished Expert" level.   I shot this target with my Glock 19 from 30 feet with five shots in ten seconds with each left and right hand using one and two handed grips (20 shots total in 40 seconds).   Open the link above if you'd like to read more about the MQP standards and courses of fire.

Working my way through the levels was tons of fun and I think will really help new shooters develop speed and accuracy.  Next time you go to the range, give it a try! 

I've taught a lot of new gun owners to shoot in the last two months.  The crazy events of the year 2020 drove many people to buy guns and get training in how to protect themselves.  Four of my recent students (all women) brought with them a brand-new M&P Shield EZ handgun.  This gun is built by Smith and Wesson and chambered in .380 Auto or 9mm.   I think these guns are very popular because they are affordable, easy to rack and comfortable in small hands.   

Everyone that brought it to my course plans to use it for self defense.   However, once we got out on the range and started shooting each of the four students had issues de-activating the grip safety.  Sometimes the gun would fire and something they would have to readjust their grip to get it to fire.  This happened with four out of four students using an M&P EZ!  A grip safety is supposed to be automatically de-activated when you grip the gun.  You shouldn't have to think about it.  These ladies each had a correct two-handed grip on the gun (strong-side hand high on the backstrap) and did not always de-activate the grip safety.  I've never seen someone have problems de-activating a grip safety on any other makes of gun (such as the Springfield Armory XD or a 1911).  Due to the performance I've seen with these guns, I would NOT recommend you purchase one for yourself.

Bottom line:

• Pros: They are easy to rack and small and concealable.  Good trigger, grip texture and sights.  
• Cons: Grip safety:  will it go bang when you need it to?

Ever since the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Americans have been buying guns at an amazing rate.

Fox Business reports that the National Shooting Sports Federation estimated that there are 2.5 million new gun owners since the start of 2020.  The Washington Times reported that Virginia guns sales were 77% higher from in the first five months of 2020 versus the same period in 2019.   

Guns sales traditionally spike when there is any sort of civil unrest that make people uncomfortable with the government's ability to protect them.  I know gun sales have surged even more since the George Floyd protests turned violent.  I appreciate that people want to have the ability to protect themselves.  

Congratulations to all of the new gun owners!  If you are one of them, I'd recommend you seek some training to give you the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to own and operate a gun safely.   Search for courses available in your area on NRA Training's website.

For everyone else, my encouragement to you is to not wait for the next big panic event.  Prepare ahead of time for the unexpected: a pandemic, riots or a hurricane that knocks out power to your house for 5 days.  Buy enough of whatever supplies your family will need to last through events like this when they aren't at peak demand.