There's been a lot of talk about gun control and the 2nd Amendment since Russia's invasion of the Ukraine on February 24th and the Ukrainian government handed-out 18,000 fully automatic rifles in one day to anyone willing to defend their homeland.
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A great quote from the article:
​"Gun controllers," added law Professor Randy Barnett, director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, "have long insisted that Americans don't need guns for personal defense because they can rely on police protection, and they don't need guns to resist tyranny because small arms are no match for modern military. The events of 2020-22 have shown both claims to be unrealistic."

I agree with Professor Barnett.  The 2nd Amendment guarantees Americans the ability to protect ourselves from enemies within the country and from without.  The first shots of the American Revolution were fired on April 19, 1775 in the Battles of Lexington and Concord while the British soldiers were trying to confiscate weapons from the colonists.  Most of the colonists were not trained soldiers, they were farmers, innkeepers, sailors and everyday people and they fought off the biggest army in the world.  I'm hoping the situation in the Ukraine turns-out the same way.

US Ammunition manufacturers have stepped-up to support the Ukraine big time with 2 million rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammo donated to help them stop the Russian invaders.   

Like many other Americans, I've followed the Kyle Rittenhouse trial with interest.  If you think the verdict was unfair, please watch the video his defense team put together, especially the video of the actual shootings and put yourself in Kyle's shoes.  He was being chased and attacked and is lucky to be alive.  

Just like we teach in our Defensive Handgun courses, the verdict came down to the tenants of justified self-defense.  You can use deadly force to protect yourself if your attacker shows the intent and ability to kill you or do you grievous bodily injury.  Kyle was justified in shooting these three people.   In each instance, he didn't pick these fights, he finished them.

Some other observations:

• Kyle showed excellent gun handling skills.  The pictures and video show that he had great trigger finger disciple.
• Kyle showed great marksmanship.  Under duress, he shot his attackers and only his attackers.  No other bystanders were wounded.

Many people in the media tried to make this case about other ancillary things: Kyle's travel from out of state, the gun he used, etc..  He's also been portrayed as a white supremacist.  None of this changes the key facts - he was under attack and defended himself.

In recent days, I read two stories of abusive boyfriends who killed their girlfriends:  

• Last month, an Abusive Ex Murdered His Girlfriend in her home in New Jersey leaving behind two young children.  
• Last week, 27-year-old Jenna Soderberg was killed by her abusive boyfriend, 39-year-old Sherrick Byrd, in a Houston Hotel Lobby.  She had recently filed for a protective order which, unfortunately, didn't protect her.  Byrd had already spent time in prison this year for previous abuse of Soderberg.  

Stories like these make me sick.  I cannot understand any "man" who would physically hurt a woman.  These kind of crimes happen all too often.  According to the National Coalition to Prevent Domestic Violence:

• 1 in 2 female murder victims are killed by intimate partners
• 65% of all murder-suicides are perpetrated by intimate partners
• 96% of murder-suicide victims are female

If you are in an abusive relationship, please get help.  I would also consider your options for self-defense.  I'm not saying that carrying a gun is for everyone but, with proper training, it might give you a chance of surviving a deadly encounter like these. 

This is an incredible article that everyone should read:
As murders surge, Democrats find a new message: Fund the Police.  

Cities across the country decided to cut police budgets last summer in the wake of riots.  The article specifically mentions Washington, DC, New York, NY, Austin, TX, Oakland, CA and Atlanta, GA.  It should come as no surprise in the wake of police cuts that murder rates in these same cities are on the rise.

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.  

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.

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.

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. 

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.

I would guess that most gun owners, including me, have a handgun (or two) in the home for self defense.  In my case, these guns are loaded and in quick access safes to prevent an unauthorized person from getting to them.  If I need a rifle or shotgun, those are unloaded in my safe in the garage and will take significantly more time to get.  Ever since the slaughter of 26 people in a Sutherland Springs, TX church, I've been considering how to have a rifle in my house ready for quick access.  In case you don't remember that case, Stephen Willeford engaged a heavily armed and armored shooter with his AR and was able to stop the rampage.  Rifles are used for self-defense fairly frequently.  Over the summer, I wrote about a man fighting off five home intruders with an AK47.  Recently, I just saw this article about a pregnant women who saved her husband and his daughter from home invaders with an AR15.  

Right now, I'm considering three different options.  Two wall mount options: Gunvault or Hornady.  The third option is  a Hornady under the bed safe.  I like the idea of hiding a wall mount safe in my closet behind my hanging clothes.  Let me know if you have a rifle ready for quick access and what your preferred method of securing it is.