Self-defense laws vary by state, but generally, you have the right to defend yourself if you reasonably believe that you or someone else is in imminent danger of serious harm or death.

In this video, it appears someone is getting out of the back passenger side door right before the driver walks around the truck with something in his hands. The person in the second vehicle pulls out his firearm and points it at the man coming at him.

Would the man being attacked have been justified if he had pulled the trigger?

Now, let’s consider the scenario where someone is trying to break into your car while you’re inside with the door closed. In most states, you would likely be justified in using a firearm for self-defense if you genuinely believe that your life is at risk.

Try to safely de-escalate the situation or drive away, because avoidance is always the best option. A car is a powerful weapon, and sometimes the best defense is a good offense or, in this case, a good defensive driving maneuver.

But remember that every situation is different, and it’s up to you to use your best judgment, but using a firearm should always be a last resort.

Using a firearm in self-defense during a road rage incident is a serious matter, and you should always be aware of the potential consequences. If that bullet misses, it could hit an innocent bystander.

Always consider the potential consequences and try to de-escalate the situation if possible. Ultimately, it comes down to means, opportunity, and intent.

Stay safe on the roads, and don’t let road rage get the best of you or your trigger finger.

There are several things to think about before deciding if carrying your firearm appendix inside the waistband (AIWB) is for you. The most important factor is your level of training and familiarity with firearms. If you are not comfortable and confident in your ability to safely handle a gun, then appendix carry probably isn’t a good idea.

The next thing is what type of holster, and I can’t stress enough the importance of a trigger guard that covers the entire trigger area. Some holsters I’ve seen have a small gap, which might be what happened to the guy in the video. His holster was made out of Kydex and not leather, so we can rule out the trigger getting stuck on the leather.

When he tucked his shirt in, part of it got stuck in that little space, and when he bent over, it caused the negligent discharge. He then makes his second monumental mistake and tosses the gun on the floor. Fortunately, the guy shot himself in the muscle, and the bullet went straight through.

I appendix carry with a Philster Enigman, and now that I am used to it, I wouldn’t carry any other way.

However you decide to carry your firearm, always and carefully reholster your weapon and choose a quality holster.

So, what are the main reasons for these failures? Well, the wrong propellant will definitely do it. Substituting a slower rifle propellant for a faster pistol or shotgun variant can easily achieve overpressure. That is still unlikely for factory ammunition, but it happens with ignorant home loaders.

Squib Loads

Squib loads and bore blockage are probably the most common causes of overpressure. A squib load occurs because the propellant does not produce enough energy to push the projectile or associated parts (such as a shotgun wad) out of the barrel. When the next round is fired, the pressure cannot escape because of the blockage, so it finds its own way out.

Squibs can happen because the ammunition is old or poorly stored. They can happen due to a lack of propellant or simply not enough. Subsonic loads may also produce this effect when there is not enough propellant compared to the barrel length of the firearm. What makes it out of a 6″ personal defense weapon (PDW) barrel may not make it down a 24″ hunting rifle.

Bore Blockages

Bore blockages can also occur because of poor maintenance. Some issues are carbon buildup, stuck patches, and mud clogged in the muzzle. You can remedy this by inspecting the bore before and after shooting or cleaning. If you’re shooting and don’t know where your round went, check the bore before shooting again.

Secondary Explosive Effect

The last issue I will mention is the secondary explosive effect. This can occur with very low charge weights and too much free case volume or degraded propellant. If the propellant doesn’t burn quickly and efficiently, it will deposit fumes within the case void. These fumes can be highly explosive and may detonate. If you’re reloading subsonic rounds, start high on charge weight and work down. Make sure you select a propellant that takes up plenty of case volume.

Reloaded Rounds

Most people imagine that the high charge weight (too much gunpowder) causes overpressure, but that is rarely the case. If we take a .223 Rem round as an example, the maximum average pressure, according to CIP, is 4300 bar. The single max pressure is 4945 bar, and the single max weapon pressure is 5375 bar.

Given that 24 grains of suitable propellant will be about ballpark for a charge weight within max average pressure and that 28.8 grains are the maximum case filled with H20 gunpowder, we can surmise that it would be nearly impossible to achieve catastrophic failure from overfilling.

An easy way to avoid all this is to buy high-quality ammunition like Swiss P, Norma, RWS, Sako, or MFS. Remember to listen to your shots, and if something doesn’t sound right or feel right, check your gun before firing that next round.

Think of it like this: You wouldn’t give a toddler a Stradivarius violin and expect them to play a concerto, would you? When it comes to firearms, the same rules apply. A piece of equipment is only as good as the person using it.

This guy went out and bought a vest, communication gear, and a riot shotgun, but he did not know what he was doing.

Firearm safety is always your top priority, but being safe and responsible aren’t the only considerations. Firearm training can also help you enhance your shooting skills and become a better shooter.

Firearm training is more important than the equipment you choose because proper training helps prevent accidents, improves accuracy, and instills confidence. It also fosters a tactical mindset and plays a role in making sound decisions in high-stress situations.

This is especially important for those of you who use a firearm for self-defense because your life may depend on your ability to use it.

So, before you buy that next Gucci accessory or fancy upgrade, make sure to invest in proper training as well

However, the real rewards come from a challenge. Take something you cannot do well and aim for consistent improvement. So, I bought a secondhand over and under and began shooting some down-the-line (DTL), sporting, and skeet clay pigeons.

I had to swallow my pride and miss a lot. Now, I hit a lot more than I miss.

I will take part in a few competitions in the next few months and see how it goes. I enjoy every minute of learning a new skill, and I am grateful to my Pro Clay friends who have shared some knowledge with me.

The moral of the story is to step out of your comfort zone and never stay on the easy, well-trodden path. Sometimes, the path you beat through the dense forest leads you to the most rewarding destinations.

This is the Anchor Drill, and although it is a high-speed drill, many things are happening inside it that occur simultaneously. If you cannot explain all that to someone, you should not be teaching it.

The drill in the video is a single-threat drill, but you can also adapt it to a maximum of three threats, with the drill modified accordingly so that you keep the “anchor” sustained. In the video, the anchor is the target.

• There is a reason WHY the forearm comes up to the threat’s neck or throat.
• There is a reason WHY the three initial movements are done simultaneously. If they are not, the drill fails.
• There is a reason WHY the shooting stance has to be different from your normal shooting stance.
• There is a reason WHY your stance is non-aggressive before you engage the threat.
• There is a reason WHY  you don’t take a sidestep.
• There is a reason WHY you lower your gravity base.
• There is a reason WHY your head is below your forearm.
• There is a reason WHY you use a chainsaw draw.
• There is a reason WHY the pistol points at a 45-degree angle.
• There is a reason WHY you shield the pistol so high on the side of the chest.
• There is a reason WHY the pistol does not present or protrude past the front of the body.
• There is a reason WHY the thumb knuckle of the firing hand is so important.
• There is a reason WHY you execute the drill from a concealed carry platform.
• There is a reason WHY the firing hand wrist does not “cock” and point straight at the threat immediately before firing.
• There is a reason WHY the drill is based on the “minimal movement” of the firer.
• There is a reason WHY the firing arm does not chicken wing.

If you do not know the WHY – you shouldn’t be teaching it.

Not only is this drill fast and aggressive, but there MUST be an understanding of WHEN you can use it, along with the impact and consequences of using it for the shooter.

Please check your instructor’s credentials and experience before allowing yourself to be taught this kind of training.

For Christmas, I’d really like it if people stopped teaching stuff from YouTube videos that does not work in real life.

Thank you, Santa!

I have lost count of the ranges I have been on where someone has a gun they think is “rubbish” and “won’t shoot.” 99% of the time, it was simply a poor technique. So, for those who are unsure, here are the basics of rifle fundamentals.

Getting in Position

You may not be able to dictate your shooting position in every situation. You will have to learn to make the best of what you have. In a perfect world, you would be prone and lying down with the rifle. This allows the recoil impulse to be straight and consistent.

You can keep your eyes on the target during and after recoil. You should try to get as comfortable as possible. Never “muscle” the rifle onto the target. It should point at the target naturally while your shoulder acts as a sandbag behind it, soaking up the recoil. If you have to shoot from an awkward position, apply the same principles as best you can.

Damping Movement

Sandbags are your friend, and there is no better option for reducing the unwanted movement of the weapon system. A rear bag will prevent you from inputting involuntary body movement into the rifle (it is the buffer between your hand and the butt). This allows you to control rifle elevation in a highly consistent manner. A front bag will reduce chaotic harmonics and aid recoil consistency.

Breathing

Learn to relax the body, breathing deeply and evenly, to avoid muscle tension as much as possible. Tense muscles affect the recoil impulse and contribute to involuntary movement.

Breathing should be consistent and deep. It’s not always easy if you have to sprint to your position under stress, and that is where excellent fitness comes into play. The higher your VO2 Max, the quicker you can bring the heart rate down and get into deep rhythmic breathing. Your breathing will give you fine elevation control, which you will see in your sight picture.

When you pause this breathing cycle, when you have the target centered, it will give you a couple of seconds without movement to make the shot. Pause too long, and you will induce stress and, thus, increase your movement. If you can’t make the shot in the pause, return to the breathing cycle and reset.

Sight Picture

Sometimes, no matter how good your glass is, you will not have a perfect sight picture. Mirage, heat, haze, smoke, and contrast all come into play. There are technical means to combat some of these factors, but you often find you may have to trust your brain’s ability to make the shot.

Aim small, miss small works well until you can’t make out the “small,” and you have to use the overall image and predict the obscured center mass.

Rifle Fundamentals

Get into position, minimize movement, breathe, and concentrate on your sight picture. You will make the shot if your basic rifle fundamentals are on point.

However, gun violence is a serious matter, but boiling it down to “guns are the problem” ignores the multifaceted factors like mental health, socio-economic conditions, and any other blame you wish to put towards the use of a gun in the death or injury of another.

It’s not as black-and-white as that. That would be like blaming every vehicle for a vehicle accident just because someone you might have known died in one. It’s never been the “object” that committed the act. It was the “person” using the object!

The first gun, or proto-gun, appeared in China around 1000 AD. People have been killing each other for thousands of years, using various weapons such as sticks and stones. We, the “Human Race,” have always been the “cause and effect” of our own violence. Yes, guns have, no doubt, played their part, but they have also saved the lives of people.

Perhaps it’s the same reason when there is a “car accident,” we all slow down to see, knowing something terrible happened. We seem to crave the bad and don’t care about the good. Part of being a responsible “gun owner” is knowing that you have a tool that can cause serious injury, death, or save a life.

The bad people know it, too. That’s why they have theirs and why I have mine. “I train not to be a hero, but I refuse to be a victim.”

Tactical Firearms Training

If you’re a “tactical” shooter and you train in a tactical way, then the drills you go through on the range need some realistic tactical context incorporated into them.

If you’re a “competition shooter,” then you don’t. Unfortunately, instructors regularly teach competition shooting techniques as tactically sound, which they are not.

I sometimes wonder if the reason for that is because too many firearms instructors are competition shooters. Maybe not enough firearms instructors are instructing from an experienced-based background, i.e., they don’t know how to add that tactical context because they’ve never experienced it in real life. They are not always teaching others to do the right thing in real life, which should worry everyone.

Adding tactical context to your firearms training changes everything about that training. You quickly realize there are things you cannot do and some that don’t work.

Moving backward or up range with a firearm pointing downrange is not an operationally sound drill in a million years. It is a safety drill designed for the range ONLY. It provides no operational training value because you would never do it in real life.

You can be super-fast on the draw and run up and down a range all damn day. Still, unless you’re adding the appropriate tactical context that compliments the specific purpose or situation that you’re training for (armed robbery, carjacking, close-range engagements, close protection contact drills), then your training will never be realistic for the purpose you’re training for in the first place.

Mag dump pouches and Oakley gloves, hanging from a belt kit, flapping around like two squirrels fighting in a hessian sack, does not a gunfighter make.

In a world where unforeseen threats can lurk around any corner, being aware of your surroundings isn’t just a skill; it’s a superpower. Situational awareness forms the bedrock of effective self-defense, empowering individuals to anticipate, assess, and respond to potential dangers.

Understanding Situational Awareness

Situational awareness isn’t merely about observing; it’s about comprehending the broader context of your surroundings. It involves actively perceiving, processing, and understanding elements within your environment and recognizing how they might impact your safety.

At its core, situational awareness comprises three fundamental levels:

Perception

The ability to perceive your environment, including people, objects, and activities, while being mindful of potential threats or changes.

Comprehension

Process the information gathered and understand its relevance and implications regarding your safety and well-being.

Projection

You should anticipate future developments or potential threats based on your understanding and adjust your actions accordingly.

The Importance of Situational Awareness

In the realm of self-defense, situational awareness acts as a preemptive shield against potential risks. It allows you to spot and avoid potentially dangerous situations before they escalate, significantly reducing the likelihood of becoming a target.

Moreover, heightened awareness doesn’t just deter threats; it also gives you precious seconds to formulate an appropriate response if a situation unfolds unexpectedly. It’s about being proactive rather than reactive, which gives you a crucial advantage in navigating any scenario.

Criminals LOVE people who aren’t paying attention, especially women, as we are perceived as easy targets.

Situational Awareness Tips

Here are some situational awareness tips that you can easily and immediately put into practice:

Stay Off Your Phone

Being buried in your phone, texting, watching TikTok videos, etc., means you’re not paying attention at all. Attackers love this!

Back Into Parking Spots

It helps you get out much easier if you think you’re being followed or some sketchy-looking person approaches your car.

Keep Your Head On a Casual Swivel

Nonchalantly notice everything around you without looking paranoid or weird.

Walk With Confidence and Purpose

An insecure posture could make you a victim, as it indicates vulnerability.

Gameify situational awareness by noticing something specific, like the license plate game. When walking through the parking lot, notice, say, how many blue cars you see. Or, when you walk into a store, circle the perimeter and count how many exits you see. Looking for ways out of a location helps you create awareness and can also give you an idea of the closest escape route in an emergency.

Remember, it’s about being mindful and prepared, not paranoid. These proactive steps could keep you from being a victim and prevent you from using physical defense methods.

Have a safe, fun weekend, and remember these simple situational awareness tips while you’re out!