Yesterday in a church in Texas, a gunman opened fire. He was able to get off two fatal shots, and then a member of the church safety team fired once and put him down. Here are some facts you need to know as you see the story unfold.
1. The criminal used a 12 gauge shotgun.
The make and model of the gun he used is permitted in all 50 states, and is never targeted in these so-called "assault weapons" bans.
2. Training is essential.
The first person he shot, was actually a member of the church safety team. The safety team member can be seen on video attempting to draw his gun from the small of the back. It is very clear he had not trained, nor practiced much in correct draw and fire methodology. He did not appear to attempt to communicate in any way with his other safety team members.
3. Don't just carry - train & practice.
* You need to be able to draw & fire and hit a vital Zone target 7 yards away within 1.5 seconds. Even if you *think* you can do this, you need a class where an instructor will coach you - you might have errors in your draw stroke that you do not see.
* You need a good carry handgun.
Your carry gun needs to be 9mm or larger. It needs to have no safety to disengage. It needs to be supremely reliable (GLOCK, Sig, or S&W - all other less expensive makes are questionable, at best). A subcompact (GLOCK 43, Sig P365, S&W Shield) is ok, but a compact with 15 rounds (GLOCK 19, Sig P320, S&W M&P 2.0C) is better. And a more expensive gun is often going to do well, also.
* "Fast is fine, but accuracy is final"
- Wyatt Earp
* Don't carry in small of the back.
Carry at 4:00 or AIWB. If you don't know what those mean without a Google search, you haven't trained, or you haven't trained with a competent defensive carry instructor. The Carry Permit Class is NOT training - if it was, we wouldn't need points 2 and 3 above.
4. It was one man.
Some memes on social media say it was "armed people" who stopped the threat. NO! It was one man who calmly and quickly drew and fired accurately. The rest either fumbled with gear that was "good enough," or they froze.
5. Evil is everywhere.
Even (my pastor might say "especially") in church. Prepare accordingly.
Summary.
Training is where you learn skills. Practice is what you do after that class to hone those skills. If you say you are "too advanced" to take a specific class - you probably NEED that class. If you were "taught" by family, the military, or the police, then you NEED a class more than anybody else.
Gear won't make you a better shooter, but bad gear will get in your way at the worst possible time. If you say things like "well, it's good enough," or "it works for me," then I know immediately that you have limited training and even more limited practice.
If you take a "tactical" class that does not emphasize marksmanship, then that should be the last class you take with that instructor or company. And if you haven't taken a class, then you are woefully underprepared. And the carry permit class is NOT training (my students know what to do when I repeat something like this).
Link to a video of the incident.
1. The criminal used a 12 gauge shotgun.
The make and model of the gun he used is permitted in all 50 states, and is never targeted in these so-called "assault weapons" bans.
2. Training is essential.
The first person he shot, was actually a member of the church safety team. The safety team member can be seen on video attempting to draw his gun from the small of the back. It is very clear he had not trained, nor practiced much in correct draw and fire methodology. He did not appear to attempt to communicate in any way with his other safety team members.
3. Don't just carry - train & practice.
* You need to be able to draw & fire and hit a vital Zone target 7 yards away within 1.5 seconds. Even if you *think* you can do this, you need a class where an instructor will coach you - you might have errors in your draw stroke that you do not see.
* You need a good carry handgun.
Your carry gun needs to be 9mm or larger. It needs to have no safety to disengage. It needs to be supremely reliable (GLOCK, Sig, or S&W - all other less expensive makes are questionable, at best). A subcompact (GLOCK 43, Sig P365, S&W Shield) is ok, but a compact with 15 rounds (GLOCK 19, Sig P320, S&W M&P 2.0C) is better. And a more expensive gun is often going to do well, also.
* "Fast is fine, but accuracy is final"
- Wyatt Earp
* Don't carry in small of the back.
Carry at 4:00 or AIWB. If you don't know what those mean without a Google search, you haven't trained, or you haven't trained with a competent defensive carry instructor. The Carry Permit Class is NOT training - if it was, we wouldn't need points 2 and 3 above.
4. It was one man.
Some memes on social media say it was "armed people" who stopped the threat. NO! It was one man who calmly and quickly drew and fired accurately. The rest either fumbled with gear that was "good enough," or they froze.
5. Evil is everywhere.
Even (my pastor might say "especially") in church. Prepare accordingly.
Summary.
Training is where you learn skills. Practice is what you do after that class to hone those skills. If you say you are "too advanced" to take a specific class - you probably NEED that class. If you were "taught" by family, the military, or the police, then you NEED a class more than anybody else.
Gear won't make you a better shooter, but bad gear will get in your way at the worst possible time. If you say things like "well, it's good enough," or "it works for me," then I know immediately that you have limited training and even more limited practice.
If you take a "tactical" class that does not emphasize marksmanship, then that should be the last class you take with that instructor or company. And if you haven't taken a class, then you are woefully underprepared. And the carry permit class is NOT training (my students know what to do when I repeat something like this).
Link to a video of the incident.
