Author Archives: Gary

After begging 911 for help, homeowner shoots intruder in northwest Harris County | abc13.com

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“I got my gun and walked out of the room. Then I saw the door was open, and he was in my house,” Wood explained.

via After begging 911 for help, homeowner shoots intruder in northwest Harris County | abc13.com.

As the saying goes, “When second count, the police are just minutes away.” Now cue some idiot saying he shouldn’t have had a gun and just waited for the police to get there. THIS is why we own guns and there shouldn’t be a restriction on what we get to own. You don’t know who’s try to enter your home or what it will take to shut them down.

-GM

Shannon Watts: American Moms Aren’t Buying What the NRA Is Selling

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And we are on the right side of American opinion. A poll from July 2014 found almost all (93 percent) women voters, including Republican and independents women voters, support background checks for all gun sales, and by a 3-to-1 margin, women will favor a candidate who supports this common-sense policy.

via American Moms Aren’t Buying What the NRA Is Selling | Shannon Watts.

Shannon Watts has penned a new article over at Huffington Post that claims women, “American Moms” in particular, “…aren’t buying what the NRA is selling.” I guess you can lie to yourself enough to believe it. Watts’ butt hurt over the NRA’s recent portrayal of her as a paper doll is palpable.

I guess Ms. Watts has never heard of the likes of NRA Moms like Kay Clark, Julie Golob, or mom to be, Michelle Viscusi. No, Ms Watts and her ilk don’t think they exist. Nor does Ms. Watts recognize the existence or rights of millions of other women who are just as committed as Ms. Watts to the safety of themselves, their children, and their families as Ms. Watts, Moms Demand Action, and Everytown for Gun Safety. The difference is, female gun owners don’t believe that safety will come with giving up their right to bear arms and it’s a stretch to say women aren’t buying into self-reliance and the ability to defend themselves.

A simple Internet search for women gun owners reveals articles from every major news and financial publication with headlines that all state, in varying ways, that gun ownership among women is on the rise. The NRA embraces this and yes, encourages it…As well we should. But the NRA doesn’t have to sell the idea of the right to self-defense to moms. That idea sells itself. Ask any mom what she’s willing to do to defend her child. When you find one willing to stand by and do nothing while someone does harm to their child, you’ll probably find a picture of Shannon Watts.

-GM

Stun guns: so much fun, a photographer made a video about them…

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No, seriously. Patrick Hall of “fstoppers” did a photo shoot capturing the moment each participant was given a dry stun by a friend, significant other, or family member using a common stun gun. They keep using the term Taser but, it’s not a Taser. This video is a montage of the process. There’s a lesson to be learned here. If people are willing to play games like this with a stun gun…How effective can it really be?

-GM

Suspected burglar shot, killed by neighbors watching home | abc13.com

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“Both of the homeowners had their conceal and carry license, armed themselves, went next door to the house and check to see if there were any burglars in the house,” said Sgt. Ben Beall of the Harris County Sheriffs Department.

via Suspected burglar shot, killed by neighbors watching home | abc13.com.

This could easily turn into a legal nightmare. You hear an alarm next door. You don’t just go figure where the alarm is coming from,  you enter the home of a 3rd party, find a burglar, and you end up shooting said burglar. This is one of those times I’m not quite ready to glad hand the shooters for a job well done.

Seriously, how ill advised is it to go into a 3rd party’s home when there is an active alarm? Most alarms are monitored these days. A few people choose not to do it but, most folks recognize that an alarm is nearly useless if it isn’t monitored and police aren’t rolling when you’re not around. But even if it isn’t monitored, there’s a strong possibility another neighbor has heard the same thing you do called the police. So now we have the potential for the police to show up and find you in the house. If the cops are pre-occupied with trying to figure out who you are, you’re all in danger because none of you are able to deal with the bad guy.

It can be difficult to argue that you are defending yourself when you have gone into the aforementioned 3rd party’s home looking for the suspect. This is not the purpose of a concealed handgun license and it goes against the grain of stand your ground law such that you may not be able to claim that defense. After all, you’re in a 3rd party’s home where you don’t necessarily have a legal right or reason to be there in the eyes of the court or a jury of your peers. This is going down hill, VERY quickly.

Now that you’ve entered the home of a 3rd party, you’ve found exactly what you were looking for (the burglar), now you have the makings of a potentially ugly situation. Let’s, as happens in the case mentioned above, the bad guy charges you. Are you justified? God, forbid, it happens in Travis County but, it seems sketchy in even in Harris County. Remember Joe Horn? Horn never left his own property. The guys he shot were in his front yard. And though Horn “walked” away without trial, make no mistake, it ruined him financially and it really could have turned out far differently if the burglars were so motivated. Is it worth the risk?

-GM

Stop Fooling Yourself – Monderno on Physical Fitness and Conditioning

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“Fitness is a monumentally important aspect of firearms and self-defense…”

-Aaron Cowan via Stop Fooling Yourself – Monderno.

 

This article by Aaron Cowan is spot on. Some of you know that a couple years ago, I started training in Krav Maga. While the hand-on skills set is a huge benefit, the real reason I started working out with Jeanna Cournoyer and Mike Williams at Fight Back Fit started with the great GOTR helicopter hog hunt that just happened to land on my 36th birthday.

I flew that day weighing some 340lbs. WAY over the seat limit for the aircraft and though it was a great day, when I saw the photos, I realized I had a problem. I was that guy I knew wasn’t going to last ten seconds in a real fight. Sure, I was fast on the gun. Really fast. But, between knee and back injuries over the years and a career that had me riding a desk for 12-14 hours a day, I simply wasn’t 21 any more. I know some of the older guys, including Jason, are saying, just wait kid…Keep getting older and we’ll talk.

Fact is, that first 30 second stress drill we ran in my first Krav class showed me how long 30 seconds really can be when you’re tasked with maximum exertion for the duration of the fight. Not only was I gassed at the end, I was largely incapacitated. I couldn’t stand up. I was on all fours, gasping for air. There was no way I could reasonably expect to defend my gun if I had to keep someone from taking it, let alone access and use that gun with the accuracy and speed standards stressed in shooting classes I’ve taken over the years.  That drill caused me to flash back to something you don’t hear in every class but, I did hear from Paul Howe, Sonny Puzikas, and a few others who’d been kind enough to take me under their wing over the years…While mindset is critical, the importance of physical conditioning, overall fitness, and endurance are hugely underestimated and neglected by many shooters.

Many will scoff and I get it. Life gets in the way. I’m not going to be jumping out of a burning helicopter any time soon and I am not Jason Bourne. None of that matters, folks. When you’re elected, the fight is on. Just as you have to “run what you brung” in the gun/knife department, the body you’ve got is the one that will either win or lose this fight. The gun or knife might not be available or you’ll have to fight to deploy them. The better shape you’re in, the more effective you’ll be at deploying that gun or knife. And let’s not ignore the fact there is a very strong possibility that you will suffer an injury during your fight. Again, the better shape you’re in before the fight, the better shape you’re likely to be in after the fight.

So where am I after two years? Well, I’m down 65lbs and still falling with plateaus that come here and there. While weight was a big concern, the important part for me is those 30 second stress drills are now occasionally two or three minute drills. While I still find myself feeling momentary exhaustion as anyone would, the recovery doesn’t require 50 minutes of me gasping for air like it did that first day. I can take a 30 second break and get back into the fight in addition to be generally stronger and faster. I’ll never be a kid again but, I am not fooling myself anymore either.

-GM