May 2012 | Page 2 of 4 | Tennessee Gun

17 May 2012

Take a Kid to the Range – Pass on the Heritage

This isn’t a rant so much as a plea. Take a Kid to the Range – Pass on the Heritage

We have to introduce more people to the joys of shooting. One of the things that drove me into firearm training was the joy I received from watching someone who was hesitant and maybe a little scared of guns blossom into a gun enthusiast. It’s a great feeling to vicariously experience the feeling of strength a person has when they learn they can control such a powerful tool.

In our country certain mindsets are dying, the joy of self-reliance, independence, and strength of character are being replaced by the cult of personality, conformity, and dependence through apathy. I do not believe firearms ownership to be the single solution to these problems, but I do believe firearm ownership is a strong indicator that we are making progress at destroying the symptoms. You see, the vast majority of firearm owner’s I know are dedicated to the idea that they are responsible for their actions; you cannot go to a self-defense forum or training seminar without having that concept drilled into your brain.

Gun usage is an all or nothing proposition, you are safe, or you are not, either you hit the target or you did not. It is about absolutes. In an age of moral relativism, introducing our youngsters to the idea that there is a fundamental right way of doing things, and that in some instances your intent, or your apology does not take back the consequences for failing to do what is right.

What is even better is that firearms lend themselves to teaching those essential lessons in a way that does not alienate the child. Learning self-discipline is hard, but taking a kid shooting is an easy way of teaching self-control and helping a child master those concepts while building a strong relationship.

As Herb Parsons said “Hunt with your kid and not for them”

Lastly, not only is shooting one building block of raising a strong child, it builds the next generation of shooters keeping the sport alive.

Once again, I plead with you, Take a Kid to the Range – Pass on the Heritage

15 May 2012

Clint Smith Tactical Load

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbUgANV_yL4

Clint Smith is an expert on the use of Defensive Firearms. He is a Marine Corps Infantry vet, SWAT officer, and has been running Thunder Ranch since 1993.

I like his style, this thought process, and how he teaches. When I teach firearms classes, there are several techniques and lessons that I share that I gleaned from Mr. Smith.

I have searched YouTube for good training videos to share, and I have found several clips of Thunder Ranch training videos. Think of them as advertisements for their full length training videos. (I don’t gain anything from this, but I do think there videos are a valuable and worthwhile purchase.)

This particular video discusses the often misunderstood “Tactical Load”. I enjoyed watching it, and I learned some new ways to share information with others. It is worth the time to watch.

I love watching Clint Smith and I believe that you can also learn from the information provided by him. I try to emulate his style when appropriate, and over the years, the information I have learned from him has definitely improved my skills as a shooter and a instructor.

There is alot of shooting information on the internet, and you normally get what you pay for. Clint Smith produces some valuable content.

10 May 2012

Proper Handgun Grip Demonstration

Today’s article on handgun grip demonstration starts with a demonstration that I do in my firearm classes to show the students WHY we grip the handgun as high as we can. Normally I do this with a plastic red gun, but since we were on the range with a double checked handgun I decided just to throw the concept out to you.

Simple physics is comes into play. As the slide recoils to the rear of the gun the closer you can get your hand to the line of force the less “bucking” you are going to feel. The lower your hand is on the grip panels of the gun, the more leverage the recoil will be able to exert.

If you think of your hand as a fulcrum (pivot point), the grip as the lever, and the slide recoiling as the force it is readily apparent that the longer the lever is from the fulcrum to the force, the less energy is needed to do work. In this case the work is the gun bucking in your hand.

The bigger the kid on the seesaw, the closer they need to be to the fulcrum to keep from tossing their little cousin into low earth orbit. The larger the recoil impulse of a firearm the more important it is for you to choke up on the grip the right way.

8 May 2012

Genny Gives a Nursery Tour

In today’s article Genny Shows the Nursery

She wanted to show off the nursery she worked so hard to create. Her family really helped, her mom and sister came and painted. Additionally, her youngest older sister painted some really cool pictures. She even sneaked in an apple with an arrow through it for Tell…

As Genny shows the nursery you can tell her pride in the work. As well as the excitement of having our first child. I am glad WT has a nice nursery. However, I care more about the boy than I do his bed.

Update:

Now that the boy is 4 years old we finally packed up the crib, he doesn’t spend much time in here anymore – as he would much rather be out and around folks trying to get them to play policeman, army man, doctor, or, his favorite, cooker (chef).

I am glad he had such a nice nursery, but he is a lot more fun now that he is bigger. Now the boy has a 2×4 loft bed that has stairs and his name on it. I was going to build one, and even bought a book for it, but Genny couldn’t wait and found one on craigslist.

8 May 2012

Handgun Scenario #6 Encounters With the Police

This video is a clip from the old TN handgun permit video. It is being used under the fair use doctrine.

This video will show a brief encounter that a legally armed citizen will face.

Please watch it and then think about what you would do in this situation.

An armed citizen generally has an extremely compressed window in a use of force situation. If you have not spent some time seriously considering what would cause you to use force and the implications (Physical, Legal, Moral, Psychological, and Sociological) then you are setting yourself up for failure.

Consider your gut reaction and what you immediately think you should do. Then think about the implications of those actions. See if it changes your mind on what you should do.

Answer these two questions:

Would I have taken same action as the armed citizen in the video?
If I had, would it have been legal?

I think this kind of handgun scenario training is invaluable to preparing a person to carry a gun for self defense. If you never work on handgun scenario training you will have to work through the situation when it occurs.

This will waste precious seconds and may cause you to do the wrong thing. Please look at the post on OODA loop for more information.

Monthly Archives: May 2012