Holding Criminals at Gun Point

Self defense isn’t about punishing criminals, our system is not set up that way. It’s nice if burglars get arrested, tried, and punished but that has very little to do with self defense. The goal of the defender is to protect themselves and their families from harm. That could have been accomplished by ordering the intruder to get out of the house (at gun point) and letting him do so. Click here to read more »

Police May Not Even Temporarily Detain a Person for Openly Carrying a Handgun

Police May Not Even Temporarily Detain a Person Simply Because He’s Openly Carrying a Handgun, if such open carrying in that place is generally not a crime. So holds St. John v. McColley (D.N.M. Sept. 8, 2009), which grants summary judgment to the seized person on his Fourth Amendment claim… Click here to read more »

How Close Is Too Close?

The “good guy” with the gun against the “bad guy” with the knife (or machete, axe, club, tire-iron, etc.).  “No contest”, you say. “The man with the gun can’t lose.” Or can he? A great deal depends on his ability with that gun and the proximity of his opponent.

If, for example, our hero shoots his would-be attacker at a distance of 20 yards, he loses. Not the fight, you understand, but most probably his freedom because he will almost certainly be charged with murder. The only thing that justifies your shooting another human being is the immediate need to stop him from trying to kill you (or someone else), remember? Click here to read more »

The Color Codes – Condition Yellow

Since I previously discussed condition white I figured that I would move on to the next one with a little more information that seems to get missed.

Condition Yellow is frequently defined as “relaxed alert” but that doesn’t really explain what an “alert” person is actually doing. Every self defense class on the planet will pay some lip service to awareness with a stock phrase like “be aware of your surroundings”, but no real explanation about how one goes about being aware. Click here to read more »

Today’s Links September 29, 2009

Making Your Own Carry Ammo?: Even if the reloads were perfect: why bother? Less than perfect reloads will not be as reliable as commercially available ammunition. In terms of terminal ballistics you are not gaining anything. The legal liability is an open question (probably overhyped in most circumstances) but why assume the risk?
Udall’s bill has backers: Federal legislation could create new shooting ranges.
Why MAIG Isn’t a Minor Threat: Interesting analysis of post-heller gun control and the interconnectedness of gun control groups.
Physical Fitness and boxing beats would be rapist.: A failure of the victim selection process.