At one time or another, just about every human being has given serious thought to the unthinkable—about what it might be like to be the victim of a home invasion. Those of us who regularly carry guns in public also understand that we may have to defend ourselves at home. Even hunters will admit to having considered how they might have to use their duck gun or deer rifle to protect themselves or their loved ones.

But while having a gun in your home is certainly a good idea, it is (or should be) only one element in your personal protection plan. You DO have a plan, don’t you? Not anything “set in stone”—just some basic steps that you and/or any member of your household understand and follow. After all, as the old military saying goes, “No battle plan survives the first ten seconds of contact with the enemy.”

Where to start? First of all, consider the kinds of simple basic steps that can be done long before an actual confrontation. Burglar alarms are getting more sophisticated and less expensive. Whether you choose the simple motion-activated units that only notify the homeowner, or the more advanced systems that automatically call 911, having some form of warning system is almost a no-brainer.

By the way, as astonishing as it sounds, in a disturbing number of home invasions, police discovered that doors and/or windows weren’t even locked. In warm weather areas, windows and patio doors often have nothing but screens to stop attackers.

Dogs can be very helpful. Even in an apartment or condo (if allowed), a small dog can yelp up a storm, alerting you to the presence of an unwanted guest. As a bonus, they can also act as a deterrent to burglars when you are not at home. Criminals of all stripes prefer to avoid dogs.

But what if you don’t, or can’t (due to allergies or other issues), own a dog? No problem. If you live in a single-family home or townhouse where it is possible, just buy a big dog watering dish and place it conspicuously in the back yard. A “Beware of Dog” sign (or an “I Love my Pit Bull” sticker at the front door) can have the same effect.

Educate yourself, and everyone else in the household, about the wide variety of threats that can materialize. Contrary to the typical “guy in a ski-mask with a tire iron” shown on TV, home invaders can strike at any hour of the day, not just in the middle of the night. Many rapists purposely target at-home women during daytime hours.

By the way, taking the above steps can also help you legally, should you ever have to defend yourself or your loved ones. Your preventive steps can be effectively used by your defense attorney to convince a jury that you were acting as a conscientious and responsible citizen. Conversely, prosecutor may attacked a homeowner for their lack of defensive measures.

The bottom line is that preparation and deterrence can prevent an attack in the first place, which is always preferable to defending ourselves in court.

We who can legally permitted and trained to carry in public have a special responsibility to focus on the task at hand, but also to remain vigilant, aware of the world around us: comings and goings through the
door of the restaurant, the backpack by the door with no owner, the man sitting in a parked car for hours.

This is called “situational awareness” and it is much different than multitasking. Situational awareness involves being attentive to what’s happening around us in order to understand how “things” in the
immediate environment—information, events, and one’s own actions—will or might impact us. Inadequate situational awareness is a primary factor in accidents attributed to human error.

Situational awareness is especially important when information flow is unusually high, such as a loud movie theatre or outdoor concert. I remember cleaning and reassembling an M16 rifle while a drill
sergeant shouted out orders. It was exceedingly hard because the brain said multitask: pay attention to the authority figure and rebuild the rifle. Of course the sergeant was performing a service, in a way, teaching what combat might be like when fear combines with a thousand extraneous inputs, any one of which might lead to death. What we eventually learned was that only through extreme concentration could we assemble our M16. We learned, in other words, to drop the drill sergeant into the background, to be aware but only to focus on reassembling the rifle. We learned situational awareness and we got the job
done. 

Only one thing can truly occupy your mind at any given time. In a fast food restaurant you try to eat the burger without letting the tomato squeeze out and onto our shirt and pants, all while fetching extra ketchup for the kids and talking to the spouse. 

If you remain situational aware you have a chance to respond effectively. One who is multitasking—talking
to a spouse, fetching the ketchup, and fiddling with a cell phone, not a chance.

When you carry, you have a responsibility to focus, to stop believing that you can multitask and to remain situational aware. Put the cell phone away!

You’ve decided to carry a concealed firearm and that’s great! Before you dive head first into it, let’s go over a few tips that will help you on your way to successfully and safely carrying your firearm.

This article will touch on 10 Tips for the newbies, and will also serve as a refresher for those that have been carrying for years. Remember, you can never train enough.

Tip #1: Buy Multiple Holsters before Multiple Firearms

Choosing a firearm and accompanying holster can be an intimidating task, and you’re sure to end up with a drawer full of holsters until you find the one that’s right for you. Getting situated with a comfortable system is extremely important. Not only will it be the safest way for you to carry, but it will also help you carry every day (because it’s comfortable). So many people decide to leave their firearms at home because they don’t like the way their holster feels. Don’t be that person. Find a great holster that you love, then maybe get yourself a new firearm.

Tip #2: Wear your Holster, Belt and Firearm Around The House First

Some call this stupid, I call it proactive. If you don’t know exactly how your new setup will act while you’re out and about, you could have something unintentional happen such as your firearm dropping to the floor or accidentally exposing it to people around you. Neither of these will result in a good day.

Take your time with your new setup and get familiar with it. When you sit down, pay attention to it’s orientation. When you stand up, see if your holster has shifted around while you were seated. It’s better to figure these things out in the privacy of your own home vs out in public which leads me to the next tip.

Tip #3: Don’t Touch It, You’ll Only Draw Attention

On a few different occasions, I’ve picked people out of a crowd that were carrying a concealed firearm. How? They gave it away by adjusting and fidgeting with their setup in public. People do notice this, and it will draw attention. If you feel that your holster or firearm has shifted, wait to check it until you’re in a private area such as your vehicle or a rest room. If you’ve practiced Tip #2 enough, you should know exactly how your holster should feel if it ever moves out of place. If it doesn’t feel like that, keep your hands to yourself.

Tip #4: Keep Your Carry Firearm Stock

I love fancy gadgets just as much as the next guy, however I have a very strict policy with keeping my concealed carry firearms completely stock (with the exception of sights). The reason is simple: The manufacturer has spent a whole lot of time and money to make your firearm work correctly. If you start adding aftermarket parts like triggers and slide release levers, you are opening yourself up to failures.

Some people will debate this all day and never be satisfied with my answer, but I’m sticking to it and offering it up as a suggestion.

Tip #5: Don’t Act Like You Have A Gun

Very often, new carriers will act a little nervous while out in the public eye. If you aren’t playing with your firearm and it’s concealed properly, no one knows that you’re carrying it. Relax, take a deep breath, and go about your normal daily routine.

Tip #6: Actually Practice And Train With Your Setup

So incredibly important that I cannot stress this enough. It’s great that you want to carry, but even greater if you are as familiar with your firearm and cc setup as you are with the back of your hand. Take yourself to the range and practice drawing from concealment. Practice with different clothing on as well. Your draw will be different if you’re wearing a t-shirt than it is if you’re wearing a winter jacket. Be prepared for any situation.

Tip #7: Always Practice Safe Firearm Handling

Remember the 3 Rules of Firearm Safety? Recite them and practice them each and every time you’re around a firearm. If you pick up your firearm and safety check it, then set it back down, and then a minute later pick it up again, you should be safety checking it again. Any time that a firearm leaves your physical possession, you should be safety checking it the moment you pick it up again. Trust me when I say that it’s not overkill. If everyone were to do this without fail, negligent discharges would diminish close to zero.

Tip #8: Don’t Advertise

Telling your immediate family and very close friends is one thing, but advertising it beyond that is not usually the best of ideas. Don’t give away your carry location either. One wrong person that has this information would get an advantage over you. Retain your element of surprise by keeping this information as private as possible.

Tip #9: Be Confident With Carrying A Round In The Chamber

Laugh all you want, old timers. The fact remains, many people that are new to carrying are at first afraid of carrying with one in the pipe. If you never were, just move along. This section isn’t for everyone.

Tip #10: Have Fun And Stay Safe

Absolutely, carrying a firearm is a serious matter. But, it doesn’t need to be stressful or intimidating. If you’ve got a setup that you’re happy with and fits comfortably, you’re ahead of the game. The fact that you’re carrying at all is a testament to how much you value life and safety. Maintain this attitude, gain as much knowledge as you can on the topic, and carry on.

I started hunting with my dad at a very young age and took a hunter’s safety course as a requirement by my Dad.  In that course we were taught that mechanical safeties are by definition “mechanical devices prone to failure.” This has stuck with me throughout my years of shooting and even more so now that I am an instructor.

Many people have the misconception that these mechanical devices automatically make a gun “safe” and therefore you can let your guard down about the firearms safety rules once they are engaged. This leads to complacency and dangerous behavior. The thought that this mechanical lever or button is going to prevent someone from firing a gun if they gain access to it is far from reality. But due to the name of these devices, uninformed people assume they instantly make a gun “safe.”

Due to these misconceptions, I believe that calling mechanical safeties a “safety” actually leads to firearms being more dangerous — the idea that once you “turn the safety on” you can ignore the standard rules of firearms handling.  Following the rules of safe gun handling does not end because you utilize a mechanical safety. Instead, if you choose to own or carry a firearm that requires the use of a mechanical safety, you should make an even greater effort to follow the basic safety rules of gun handling due to these firearms having more likelihood of an accidental discharge if you forget to engage the mechanical safety.

There are many versions of the basic safety rules. To me, these three are the most fundamental:

1. ALWAYS KEEP THE GUN POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION. This is rule #1 for a reason. A safe direction means a direction in which, if the gun were to go off, it would likely not cause injury or damage. If you forget every other rule in the book and follow this one, even if the gun goes off, it will not hurt or kill anyone.

2. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT. Ready to fire means you are ready for the bullet to leave the gun. Even if the gun is pointed at the target, you do not place your finger on the trigger until you are ready for the bullet to come out of the muzzle.

3. ALWAYS KEEP THE GUN UNLOADED UNTIL READY TO USE.  This is the best safety for making a gun “safe.” Whenever you pick up a gun, always check to see if the gun is loaded, remove the ammunition source, open the action, visually and physically inspect the chamber and magazine area, which should be clear of ammunition.  If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.

Utilizing these safety rules as the foundation for everything you do with firearms and will keep you and others around you much safer than learning to use a mechanical safety.

Why I Don’t Have Safeties on My Defensive Pistol

I teach my defensive pistol students that if they ever need to utilize lethal force, they will most likely be surprised by the attack. After all, if you are expecting to need to use deadly force, you will avoid the confrontation if at all possible rather than preparing for it. This means you will need to react quickly under severe mental and physical stress. Your body will react in many ways, including the loss of fine motor skills. Operating a mechanical safety is a fine motor skill that will be difficult even with training under this kind of stress.

Without the pressure of someone attacking, I see people fumble the operation of a mechanical safety during training. This delay could mean the difference between your attacker being on top of you or not. It is now an accepted fact that the average person can cover a distance of approximately 21 feet in the time it takes a trained individual to draw and fire their defensive handgun (approximately 1.5 seconds).

Conclusions

Although mechanical safeties are intended to prevent accidents and injury, they can actually lead to lapses in normal safety procedures and result in injury. Combine this with the fact that in a defensive encounter, safeties could cause a delay in being able to protect ourselves or our loved ones.

Many people say that they train to work their safety. Only being in a defensive encounter would let us know if that training worked. My suggestion is to utilize that time practicing the two main rules of safe gun handling and get a defensive firearm that does not require the extra steps.

One of the most frequent questions that I get as a CCW instructor is what to do if stopped by a police
officer while legally carrying a concealed handgun. The answer depends on the local and state laws where you live, but I think that most situations merely call for a little common sense.

You have to understand that when a police officer approaches a vehicle, they have no idea what they are going to encounter.  Every traffic stop has the potential to be deadly, and every officer has been through hours of training reminding them of just how serious of a situation it can be.

So what does this mean if you get stopped while carrying? The first thing is that you have to do to make the situation easy and clear for the officer. Pull off the side of the road far enough, if possible, to give the officer enough room to approach your vehicle without having to worry about oncoming traffic. Roll your window down, place both hands on the steering wheel and leave them there until told to do otherwise. The first thing the officer is going to want to see is your hands, because that is where any threat is going to come from. If it is dark outside, take the added step of turning on your vehicle’s interior light; it is just one more thing that shows you’re looking out for his safety. It’s your responsibly and common courtesy as a CCW holder to remove as many perceived threats as possible from the situation.

This is not the time to start digging in your glove box or center console for your insurance card or registration. To an approaching officer, that looks surprisingly like someone reaching for a gun. This is also not the time to jump out of your vehicle and walk back towards the officer. Although your tag number, vehicle description and location should already have been called in before the blue lights come on, there may be radio communications occupying his or her attention. Seeing a driver exit their vehicle and start walking back raises all kinds of warning alarms as the officer thinks back to their training on how many deadly encounters started that way.

Once the officer approaches and begins speaking with you, make sure that he/she knows you have your CCW permit and if you are currently carrying, than ask the office for instructions.  The officer should be giving very specific directions to control your actions, so do exactly as told.  If asked for your identification, let the officer know where it is and what you have to do to retrieve it, and you don’t do anything without letting the officer know beforehand.   The officer controls the traffic stop from start to finish. Let him/her do that. Any issues can be dealt with through a supervisor after the fact.

If you follow the above guidelines, you’ll find that the majority of officers will show appreciation for it. They will recognize the efforts that you took, and it may even influence how they handle the initial reason for the stop.  A CCW holder identifying themselves is mandatory and could also relieve apprehensions during a stop, for Office’s already know up front you passed a background check, had been through training, and presented little threat during a stop. Rather than raising tensions, it eased them.

One last word. If you carry, make sure that you know the laws in your jurisdiction and those
jurisdictions you're legally allowed to carry, and make sure that, unless directed otherwise, your handgun stays out of view during a traffic stop.

The NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting course with CCW requirements is to teach the basic knowledge, skills and attitude for owning and operating a pistol safety.

You should expect at least 12 hours of instruction, which includes classroom and range time learning to shoot revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.  You will learn NRA's rules for safe gun handling; pistol parts and operations; ammunition; shooting fundamentals; range rules; shooting from the bench rest position, and two handed standing positions; cleaning the pistol; and continued opportunities for skill development.

Students will receive the NRA Guild to the Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure, Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification booklet, Ohio General Attorney Handbook, take the Basics of Pistol Shooting Student Examination, and receive a course completion certificate.

To earn a certificate, you need to pass the test and should be able to consistently shoot five shot groups within a nine inch circle from 1-15 feet prior to earning a certificate.

Please contact Trigger Action, training department at ohiotriggeraction@gmail.com or 614-496-0308 if you have any comments or concerns regarding your NRA Basic Pistol Shooting course.

Keeping your Technology Safe and Using Technology to Keep you Safe

 We love technology. However, you may not always take the extra steps to protect your technological investments. You may not realize how technology can help you stay safe as well. There are many free and/or affordable options on the market that are designed to help you protect your investments and to work safely. You simply just have to do your homework on your options.

The number one way to keep your smartphone hack-proof (and all contacts information and e-mails secure) is to require a password for use. Do not use easy to remember passwords like 1-2-3-4, or 2-5-8-0 (straight down the keypad) or personal information, such as your birthday or the last four digits of your phone number. Those kinds of passwords are easy to figure out so you want to make the password harder for someone to figure out and use against you. It’s an extra step but one that can potentially save your business and sanity.

Here are three good rules to technology safety:



1. Keep technology locked up literally and virtually. For instance, don't leave laptops or tablets in the car visible.
   
2. Install a tracking device on valuables (see below).
   
3. Install the same anti-virus software and protections as you would on your home or office PC on your phone. Smartphones are susceptible to the same viruses as computers. Moore emphasized that since we rely on phones and laptops as everyday business tools, a virus can have a devastating financial impact on your livelihood.
   

 Apple has created new technology to protect iPhones called Activation Lock.  Activation Lock will allow owners of an iPhone to erase all information from their smartphone and turn it off from a remote location (if lost or stolen). The only way the devise can be reactivated is by entering the user ID and password.

You should also consider storing documents on a safe cloud platform to keep information on laptops safer. Cloud platforms often offer transaction and form management features in addition to electronic storage. 

Surprisingly, there are a number of safety and security apps or web-based programs on the market. Do your research and determine which features are most important for your business. Do you use your cell phone for business? Do you e-mail and receive client financial documents from your smartphone? Do you carry your laptop with you and use it for work?  Most answer “YES” to many of these questions.

Smartphone Safety

We are multi-taskers. You take phone calls, answer emails, text, juggle busy schedules, are in and out of your car all day and often times start early in the morning and end late at night. Sometimes the everyday things we do can be a danger to ourselves without even realizing it – like texting and driving. Another option for keeping the information on your smartphone safe if it has been lost or stolen is to install a tracking device on it. A tracking device can also be installed on laptops and notebooks. Key features to look for in a good tracking device include:

1. Remote storage and/or secure cloud storage options.
   
2. Encryption feature with a permanent delete (quarantine) option.
   
3. Anti-theft features which remotely locks or wipes data from a missing/stolen device, and tracks the device via GPS, Wi-Fi, and phone signal. A bonus feature is that some can remotely take picture through the device’s camera to catch any thieves in the act of using the device.
   
4. Real-time internet threat protection to block dangerous text links and keep you safe online.
   
5. If you have researched some of the info-based websites, you know that you can enter a phone number and find out personal information about anyone. Utilize the service that offers a local number, with a local area code, not affiliated with your actual cell number. That makes it impossible to track you in that manner. It works with all carriers.
   

With the significant investment we make in technological tools it is a financial and business set-back when your laptop, smartphone, net/notebook, purse, camera has been lost or stolen. There is amazing technology on the market that can act as an electronic “leash.” These devices signal when you wander a preset distance from your property, i.e. 60 feet. You can also get “last seen” GPS information. Many of the units are portable and can fit in a wallet or on a keychain.

Also invest in an encryption product for your laptop hard drive. If it's lost or stolen, the thief can't gain access to your confidential data or your client's data.  

Personal Safety

I was fascinated to know that there is a clever GPS enabled ring that broadcasts your location if you signal for help. This device allows you to push a button when you feel threatened while at a showing or during an open house. Your emergency contacts then receive a text with your location, a GPS map link, and your medical history. It can also provide up-to-the minute location tracking. Your contacts will be able to call 911 for you and provide pertinent details.

If you prefer not to wear locator jewelry, you can still provide your location, in case you need to signal for help. There is a web based application that sends alerts and text messages to your contact list when you signal that you are in danger. You can record critical information that law enforcement officials will need to locate you, including client info, your vehicle description and showing information. You also have the ability to drop digital “bread crumbs” when working.

Knowing there is technology out there designed to keep you safe on the job and knowing your options and what works best for you will help you to make well informed decisions on what you need to maintain your personal safety.

That is a difficult question to answer. Most individuals that are concerned about their personal safety to the extent that they have obtained a concealed handgun license and feel they are adequately trained to deal with a self-defense encounter should they be confronted with one. Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. 

The gun owner with just the basic training for the  Ohio CCW permit is wholly unprepared for anything but the most basic of self-defense with a handgun.  During the Fort Hood event, 13 people were killed and another 30 were injured. One trained police officer responding to the incident stated that she saw a man dressed in a military uniform carrying a gun when she arrived at the scene. The man pointed his gun at her, at which point she was temporarily blinded by the laser sight that was mounted to the man’s gun when the laser beam was shined in her eyes. In response, she retreated to cover behind a wall and began firing at the man as he ran towards her firing his pistol. The officer’s shots were ineffective and the assailant rounded the corner. At that point the two exchanged gunfire at a distance of about 8 feet. The officer was hit 3 times and the assailant was grazed by one bullet fired by the officer. Both individuals’ pistols malfunctioned—which probably saved her from becoming the 14th fatality. The officer was unable to clear her malfunction and get her pistol working again. The assailant then kicked the pistol out of the officer’s hand and cleared his own malfunction, but was shot by other responding officers before finding another victim to shoot.

Could you have effectively dealt with this fast-moving action if you were involved? Do you know to instinctively move out of the way to cover? Or, will you just freeze there trying to figure out what is happening?  Do you know the difference between cover and concealment? (A hint…one of them will stop bullets from striking you and the other won’t.) Have you ever fired your gun from behind cover? Do you know how to minimize your exposure to your attacker’s gunfire when you are shooting from behind cover? Have you ever practiced shooting at a moving target, especially one moving directly towards you? Have you practiced shooting from a retention position to deal with an attacker that is less than an arm’s length from you? Have you ever shot your gun from a position other than standing? Can you even get to your gun from any position other than standing? Do you know how to rapidly clear any malfunction that your gun may have? Do you even know how to recognize that your gun has malfunctioned? Do you know how to retain control of your gun when someone is trying to take it away from you? Do you know how to accomplish trauma “self-aid” should you be injured during a gunfight and there is no one around to immediately help you? All of these are things you could easily have to deal with during and in the immediate aftermath of a gunfight. Do you have the training and skills to perform them quickly and effectively?

 The typical gun owner/CCW permit holder gets even less training with their firearms. The basic firearms courses typically do not deal with the things that will improve your abilities in a gunfight—things like having the proper mindset, understanding situational awareness, gun fighting tactics, etc. The training that is required is typically focused on safe handling of firearms, basic nomenclature, shooting fundamentals, and that particular jurisdiction’s concealed carry laws. While these are all important, there is much more that you need to know if you hope to come out on top should gunfire erupt during an encounter. 

I tell many of my CCW students taking the basic Ohio concealed carry course that their chances of surviving a gunfight based on that training alone is 50% at best. Those odds are not good enough
for me and I hope you feel the same way. So, what should you do…GET ADDITIONAL TRAINING!! 

Advanced training like the NRA’s Personal Protection in the Home (PPITH), and Trigger Actions, Defensive Shooting, are offered by Trigger Action, LLC.  These courses include accessing your handgun from its concealed carry position and drawing it quickly from a holster, shooting rapid and accurate follow-up shots, shooting from behind cover/concealment, shooting while moving, dealing with multiple assailants, shooting at varying distances from very close to far, quickly reloading your firearm, and clearing malfunctions. And these are just the skills you need to master in using your handgun. There are other skills that are also needed such as understanding the psychological and physiological affects of stress, improving your situational awareness, etc. 

So the answer to the question "Can you Survive a Self-Defense Encounter" really comes down to how prepared you feel you need to be should you become involved in a encounter. Waiting until that moment to realize you are not prepared enough will not increase your chances of coming out on top at all.

You don’t have to fire your pistol every time you draw it.  What if the bad guy suddenly gave up and thrust his hands high into the air and you, using your verbal skills to turn bystanders into witnesses, now have witnesses watching you shoot a man with his hands in the air? What if the bad guy turned tail and ran at the first sight of your gun?

In both situations, the imminent threat has disappeared and you no longer have the right to shoot. But in both situations the imminent threat could reappear very quickly, so you had better have your gun out and be ready.

The difference between brandishing and drawing your firearm in the face of the threat is your ability to articulate that threat you saw was real. If there was no threat and you pull your gun, well, that is brandishing. If there was a threat and you pulled your gun and the threat instantly disappeared, then you have no right to open fire. But you did have the right to pull your firearm.

This is another reason why you need to be the first person to dial 911 after you pull out your gun. If the bad guy runs around the corner and dials 911 and says, “Some guy just pulled a gun on me!” and gives your description, who do you think the police are going to be looking for? What attitude do you think the police will have when they find you?

On the other hand, what if you are the complaining witness and you tell police, “I was threatened by a man in a white shirt and blue jeans. He ran away when I drew my firearm.” That looks much better for you, doesn’t it?

When police get there, you had better be able to clearly tell them what prompted you to pull your gun. If you cannot, you may be cited for brandishing.

Remember please consult your attorney on your rights to carry a firearm, this article is for general information only and is not legal advice.