There is a constant stream of articles coming from establishment medicine “experts” that denigrate our Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms along with the individual focus our patients deserve in order to be protected from social priorities that would override that.
One that’s received a fair amount of press was an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times by an emergency physician in San Luis Obispo, California, Steven Sainsbury. (See the SAF’s Lee Williams if you can’t get past the LA Times’ paywall.) It’s titled “Thinking of Buying a Gun for Self-Defense? Don’t Do It”.
To begin with, the title itself lies behind the looking glass. What else would you buy for self-defense if not a gun? Nothing is more effective (following avoidance), affordable, and usable for all ages and conditions of people, with a wide variety of individualized choices available.
Poor Dr. Sainsbury claims to have treated hundreds of gunshot wounds in his ER and “not one” ever, was “by a law-abiding citizen in self-protection.” Hundreds of criminal shootings versus no lawful self-defense shootings? I’d worry about his perceptiveness if I had to seek care from him.
I’m prepared to believe that no shooting victim has presented to him admitting that he was shot in the course of committing a crime. But considering the consensus about 1-2 million defensive gun uses each year in America, it’s just not possible that a busy ER doc has never treated one. Though we can be sure he hasn’t known he’s encountered the 95% of DGU survivors who didn’t even need to fire. Likewise, his belief that a gun in the home is more likely to harm a resident than a criminal is a long-quashed myth beloved of Moms Demanding Attention and legislators attacking rape victims.
At best, this is a physician opining by personal anecdote instead of from data—another jump onto the fading bandwagon of medics promoting gun control.
Sadly, it’s still mainstream to respond with “a heightened sense of fear” even in Alabama of all places, when someone walks into a church service with a holstered pistol. (Yes, from the LA Timesagain.) The author even refers to the Sutherland Springs church massacre, which was so bad because the only armed respondent was across the street instead of at the church. The same story line concluded much differently in White Settlement, Texas.
Of course, pseudo-scientists can try to flank us by attacking ammunition via wildlife studies, as was reported in The Hill earlier this year. The main data point is that the bald eagle population growth rate has declined about 5% over the past 3 decades. Because consuming lead can harm animals (though the degree of harm from this has never been clear), the authors constructed a “hypothetical” lead-free environment that, uh, “hypothetically” might have prevented this. In science, hypotheses are developed to be challenged; they aren’t ends in themselves.
Eagles have been found dead having ingested lead pellets from ammunition, scavenged along with their typical feeding on carrion. Fewer have been declared dead by lead poisoning, and there is no correlation attempted with changes in the incidence of use of lead ammunition in the study area.
Meanwhile, their findings must be viewed against the well-documented “steady increase in eagle abundances [sic] in the northeast United States in recent years” despite a marginally lower rate of expansion. Their numbers have still quadrupled in just the past 10 years. They are competitive birds, and many more niches are occupied now than 30 years ago—so why wouldn’t the population growth rate start slowing at some point?
For a corrective based on medical science, see this month’s NRA America’s 1st Freedom magazine. An article by Suzanne Edwards, “No Doctor Should Prescribe Gun Control” quoted DRGO findings and positions very credibly. We’re glad for our organization to be referenced in this way, in the service of facts and in support of objective evaluation.
The role of doctors practicing the art and science of medicine is to provide the best care for each individual patient. It is NOT to pursue political agendas, no matter how rewarding in position, publicity or the approval of strangers.
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— DRGO Editor Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
The NRL Hunter Series has taken off by storm in both the hunting and precision rifle shooting community. The opportunity to find, range, and engage targets all independently and compete while doing it is a game changer when it comes to precision rifle courses of fire. These are typically two day national matches held all over the country with different divisions within the competitors. See HERE for more info about NRL Hunter and HERE for an AAR on the very first match.
There has been a large amount of new shooters coming out to try NRL Hunter but can be a little overwhelmed by a two day national level match. Which brings the National Rifle League to this big unveil, NRL Hunter ONE.
The NRL Hunter ONE series gives newer shooters the chance to experience the NRL Hunter Course of Fire with easier to find targets, closer matches, and equipment that they already own due to less restrictions on ammo and firearms as the standard NRL Hunter series.
Some of the rules mentioned,
Any 30 cal projectile traveling less than 3275 fps (which means can shoot .223 or 6mm)
Max weight of firearm is 16lbs
No power factor
No divisions
Scores will be taken due to a percentage of NRL Hunter ONE shooters qualifying to shoot within the NRL Hunter Grand Slam. Which in the standard NRL Hunter series shooters qualify for this finale within the two day matches. Scoring is accumulative which means that the more matches you attend the higher your score will be, and also the better prepared you will be to shoot within the NRL Hunter national matches.
NRL Hunter One match directors can host as many matches as they want.
No membership needed to shoot but for your scores to count towards the Grand Slam invite you will need a NRL Hunter membership which will count for both NRL Hunter ONE and NRL Hunter. Become a member.
Due to this being a growing series it’s important for the shooters to be as much a part of this series as the directors board is. If you want matches closer to you find a range that has the ability to host this type of match, (open land and acreage, not flat land) and reach out to the range with information about this series. They may LOVE to start hosting these matches. (Especially in the hunting areas of the country).
More info will be coming about this series including a match schedule. To stay up to date on information follow the Website and join the Facebook Group.
See below for an overview of last years Grand Slam. The event that some NRL Hunter One shooters will qualify for.
Just breaking today, and why this episode is out three days early, the ATF has declared that “some” forced reset triggers are in fact illegal machine guns.
Listen to the boys explain what this means for you if you own one, and what may happen with the ongoing lawsuit between Rare Breed Triggers and the ATF.
We created SOC-F in 2013 for one purpose: to make a positive and meaningful difference in the lives of SOF families who have given so much for our country and our freedom. We do this by raising money for one incredibly worthwhile purpose: to provide medical, financial, and other support to SOF members and their families in ways that are often not met through other sources–what we call the “gaps.”–Special Operations Care – Fund
For those unaware in the veteran space, SOC-F is an awesome organization dedicated to helping our warriors with the problems that arise here. Working for the government, especially in defense, should be a fairly low stress thing. Minus the fighting and possibly dying parts that is.
What I mean, as a veteran myself, is the more mundane items of life. Getting paid on time, getting coverage for doctors visits, getting all the regular details of the day-to-day should not be stressing the lives of our armed forces and especially special forces communities. They should be focusing on the fight because the details are sorted. We know, all of us who have served know, that reality is far from that ideal. The Military drops the ball on the daily, often badly, and that leaves someone to cover down.
SOC-F covers down.
SOC-F is there to help the families while their warrior get on with the whole business of war. Prepping for, deploying to, and returning from are all part of the efforts SOC-F looks to cover on. As a charity, they are powered by donation.
We were going to head their this weekend for the auction, unfortunately scheduling has made this impossible. But we will still be participating in the auction and I am here to encourage all of you to do so as well.
This one of a kind Knights Armament 7.62 x 51 rifle is the rifle that was carried by Army Special Mission Unit Operator, Lou Goodman, in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
A unique program was established between the Army and Knight’s, where the operators could buy back the guns they used overseas. Lou is donating his personal gun.
It has served much justice to the enemies of decency and liberty.
Donated By Louis Goodman / USASOC Commando
Steve Penley Original Painting
Blanton’s Complete Collection
The Blanton’s Complete Collection. Each of the Blanton’s Horse Tops
***Items must be picked up at the SOC-F Event or in GA. Shipping Alcohol is not permitted due to ATF and State Alcohol laws.***
Check it out. Items are live for preview and some are open for bidding. There are about 100 items up for bid. Rifles, art, a Porsche with dinner, tour, and driving experience, build every Q gun at Q HQ.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are seen in an undated photo. The couple captured headlines with a long crime spree before being shot to death in an ambush in Louisiana.
Bonnie and Clyde, the names are known in every American home. Most picture two star crossed lovers committing crimes in dust bowl era America. Robbing banks, stealing cars and living wild and free. In reality, Bonnie and Clyde were cold-blooded killers running in a gang of cold-blooded killers. Their gang murdered 13 people and died as violently as they lived. Along the way, they collected quite the arsenal, and today, we are going to take a peek behind the curtain to see what armed the Parker-Barrow gang.
We won’t go over every single firearm in their massive arsenal, but we want to cover some of the more interesting weapons wielded by the gang. They had dozens of guns, but it’s clear which guns they were partial to.
Barrow’s BAR, aka the Scattergun
Where does a two-bit chump like Clyde get a Browning Automatic Rifle? Well, he stole one, well actually, he stole three, from the Missouri National guard. The BAR was a magazine-fed, fully automatic rifle that chambered the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. The BAR provided a ton of firepower, and Barrow loved his gun.
He took a hacksaw to the barrel and stock and trimmed the gun considerably. He cut the barrel back as far as he could and left a pistol grip akin to something you’d see on a sawn-off shotgun. The now smaller weapon allowed Bonnie and Clyde to use the weapon in and out of the vehicle. BARs are big guns, and if you’re a motor-borne bandit, something shorter is more maneuverable.
He called it the scattergun. We might call shotguns scatterguns because of how they disperse shot, but Clyde called it the scattergun because when he pulled it, people scattered. The full-auto .30-06 rifle could rip through the vehicles of the day and took any kind of cover away from law enforcement.
The magazine-fed gun easily outgunned officers armed with revolvers and shotguns. In the Bonnie and Clyde death car, they found three BARs and 100 round loaded BAR magazines.
Bonnie and Clyde and The Whippet Guns
Bonnie’s preferred weapon was supposedly a 20 gauge semi-automatic Remington Model 11. Bonnie was the definition of petite, and the light recoiling semi-auto 20 gauge was likely light and handy for her. A second 12 gauge variant of the same gun was also known to be used by the gang.
Clyde trimmed back the barrel and stock to make the classic sawn-off shotgun we all know and love. He called these Whippet guns. They could be hidden under a coat, and ‘whipped’ out when needed. The semi-auto action and some loads of buckshot made them intimidating weapons. The famed photo of Bonnie pointing a gun at Clyde shows the 20 gauge Remington Model 11.
The Model 11 was an American variant of the Browning Auto 5. This recoil operation shotgun was one of the first successful semi-auto shotguns. This pattern weapon was extremely popular, and it’s not a surprise Bonnie and Clyde ended up with the gun.
The Winchester Model 1901 – A Heavy Hitter
My favorite gun found in possession of Bonnie and Clyde was the Winchester Model 1901. The 1901 succeeded the 1887 as Winchester’s lever-action shotgun of choice. This particular model chambered the mighty ten gauge shotgun cartridge. The Winchester 1901s came to be because 1887s couldn’t utilize the more powerful smokeless powder shotshells.
The Model 1901 did not come in 12 gauge because Winchester didn’t want to compete with their own 12 gauge model 1897. The gun came with a massive 32-inch barrel which, if you’ve followed the theme, was trimmed considerably. Interestingly enough, Clyde wasn’t an idiot. Handling a 12 gauge or 20 gauge Remington Model 11 without a stock is doable.
Handling a ten gauge anything without a stock is a lot tougher. They trimmed the barrel but left the stock in place. This made the weapon controllable and offered some thunderous power. The 1901 wasn’t a popular gun, and only 13,500 were produced, and one ended up with Bonnie and Clyde.
The Handguns of Bonnie and Clyde
While we covered three very interesting long guns, it’s worth noting they had a pile of handguns. In fact, the car they died in held seven M1911 pistols. The famed handgun was in use by the Army at the time and represented a very modern handgun for 1930. It offered faster reloads and more rounds than revolvers.
On top of that, they found a Colt M1903 in their vehicle. This little 32 ACP pistol was a popular gun for lower-profile carry. Compared to the 1911, it was much smaller with a lot less recoil. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Bonnie’s handgun. She was 4 foot 11 inches tall and weighed 90 pounds. Her hands were likely small, and the M1903 like sat well in her hand.
We know she used a Colt Detective special. This little gun was found taped to Bonnie’s thigh. It was likely hidden under a dress and rather easy to access. The little 38 Colts were rock solid guns and were reliable to a fault.
Finally, the Bonnie and Clyde gang had a Colt Model 1909 Revolver. This 45 Colt revolver offered a modern double-action design with a flip-out cylinder in the proven 45 Colt cartridge. This six-shooter brought the thunder and was a modern design in a classic cartridge.
An Arsenal
It seems like the gang led by Bonnie and Clyde were more attached to firearms than gangs before them or after them. Sure, some guys had their favorites, but Bonnie and Clyde had a car full of guns and ammo. The fact they heavily modified the weapons os extensively showed some insight and some tactical prowess. Id’ love to be able to pick their brains, but unfortunately, Frank Hamer and his crew removed them. All I can do is examine and assume, and I think my assumptions are fair.
I want to share a ‘Letter to the Editor’ I read today.
It is short, so unlike other fiskings I will post it in its entirety first before we take it apart, like baffled ASE certified mechanics looking at an atrocious home repair job. You know the ones, they just quietly mutter “What the f#&%…” over and over again as they get deeper into the problem with the car and see the previous problems that problem was built upon.
Remember also, like the title says, these people vote…
Editor,
Semi automatic assault weapons should be illegal in the United States of America. All the most deadly shootings in recent US history have involved the use of high capacity machine guns. Firstly, according to everytownresearch.org, between the years of 2009 to 2020, a total of 1,363 people in the United States have been killed and 947 were wounded in a total of 240 mass shootings. For example, in these shootings the most devastating impact was when semi automatic assault weapons were used. Also, assault weapons have no purpose except to cause mass destruction. These are weapons that are meant to be used in war, not for civilian self defense. According to everytownresearch.org, 5 percent of all mass shootings deaths between 2009 and 2012 involved an assault weapon and accounted for 76 percent of injuries. This means that even though it was not in the majority of shootings, it caused the most devastating impact. In conclusion, semi automatic assault weapons should be illegal in the United States of America.
Keep in mind this was posted March 21st 2022, so current events apply.
Let’s take it apart.
Semi automatic assault weapons should be illegal in the United States of America.
Okay, bold start. I can dig it. Now back up your premise, please.
All the most deadly shootings in recent US history have involved the use of high capacity machine guns.
Aaaand you lost us. This is a blatantly false assertion with a number of problematic sources for its information. Let’s start with the claim ‘ALL’ and realize that, unless you are talking about Las Vegas and Pulse only, the premise falls apart entirely. Recall that the third deadliest shooting is still Virginia Tech, which took place with semi-automatic, capacity-limited handguns, one of which was a .22lr. (Note: This excludes .gov slayings which still far outstrip civilian ones in their scope and bodycount)
BOO! Scary. Much Danger!
Also, ‘involved the use of high capacity machine guns’ they did not. The closest, and only by a legal change made post attack that questionably going to stand up in the long run, was Las Vegas and the bump stocks. Critical analysis of the event will tell you that the use of rapid, poorly aimed fire arguably reduced the lethality of the event, which was also set to involve explosives (confirmed far deadlier, paging Tim McVeigh) if it had proceeded as designed. Aimed shots from the distance of Mandalay Bay to the packed concert venue could have resulted in dramatically higher death tolls instead of the 411 injuries and 60 dead by gunfire that it did. In total 867 were injured in the attack, but those injuries were not all the result of gunfire, all of the mass of people trying to escape the attack injured more people than gunfire by 50.
Was it bad? Yes. Could it have been dramatically worse, even with a bolt action rifle? Absolutely, the methodology of the attack and the target produced a perfect environment to generate casualties, and we are lucky in the darkest of ways that the attacker chose unaimed spray and pray into the crowd, that once dispersed, blunted its ability to cause injury. The rate of fire was not a significant factor in the method and level of injury, the shooter position, venue design, and event crowd dispersal were assuredly the primary factors. There is no rifle, built in the last century, that doesn’t make Mandalay Bay a horror show.
However, none involved machineguns. NFA controlled items are rare participants in crime in general, to say nothing about singling out massacres, despite the assertions of the NFA to the contrary. Handguns dominate slayings and will continue to do so, regardless of murder rate rising or falling, because they are convenient.
Firstly, according to everytownresearch.org, between the years of 2009 to 2020, a total of 1,363 people in the United States have been killed and 947 were wounded in a total of 240 mass shootings.
We will skip over the obvious bias and loaded motives of everytown and the Bloomberg apparatus. Suffice to say the data is technically accurate, which is the only accuracy they need to then draw wild conclusions with their data and organize the “do something” crowd of useful idiots.
For example, the ‘letter’ points out 1,363 deaths over an 11 year period. It fails to put those deaths into any other context, even ones involving homicide. A context like there being 16,799 homicides in just 2009.
We also fail to differentiate ‘Mass Shooting’ from ‘Mass Attack in Public Space‘ which is the imagery invoked by ‘Mass Shooting’, not any given drive-by that tags 4 people. The imagery is deliberate on the part of everytown, and similar .orgs, who wish the only thing that comes to mind when the words ‘Mass Shooting’ cross the screen to be Sandy Hook, Pulse, and Las Vegas and not criminals doing crime things.
For example, in these shootings the most devastating impact was when semi automatic assault weapons were used.
This is a nonsense statement. The most devastating impact by what measure? That people died? Is there a number of deaths that make ‘most devastating’? Because in 9 of the top 11 most lethal shootings, handguns were involved. Four of them were exclusively handguns. Were these not devastating? Two of the top six most lethal mass shootings were exclusively handguns, were those not devastating? The only attack that took place exclusively with an ‘Assault Weapon’ in the top five was the fifth, by the logic implied in the statement above it should be the first and handguns should rank much lower.
But they don’t, because that is not how injury/threat matrices work. The weapon and it’s capabilities, beyond the fact that it is lethal, start to factor less and less into the overall equation and the environment, disparity of force, and population of the target location matter more. The only significant influence we could attribute is to remove repeating firearms from the equation. Not semi-auto, repeating. Every lever action, pump action, and bolt action too, anything that has the ability to remove and reload a cartridge in a remotely efficient manner.
We like to pretend the ability to reload “rapidly” increases the lethality of a situation when analysis has shown that it is the combined ability to reload at all, no effective countering violence is brought against the attacker, and the region experiencing the attack still presents valid targets per the attacker’s criteria. It was those last two factors that made Mandalay Bay so lethal.
Also, assault weapons have no purpose except to cause mass destruction.
An odd assertion considering… well… everything relevant to this assertion. Take away every defensive use, every sport, every hunt, every fun afternoon at the gun range, and that leaves personal small arms… still being the worst weapon of war for causing mass destruction.
Have you seen any other weapon? Like, any of them?
Things an AR-15 cannot do
These are weapons that are meant to be used in war, not for civilian self defense.
The folk of Ukraine would like a word, as all the civilians get dragged into defending themselves from a government’s aggression. Small arms are all for civilian self defense whether on the individual level of defending one’s home from a home invader or from repelling an enemy assault from a foreign army. That is what individual small arms are for.
That is also what they are overwhelmingly used for. Every survey of defensive gun uses conducted shows an astounding number of lawful proper uses compared to total homicides. It isn’t a fraction in favor of DGU’s, it is a ratio greater than 5:1 at the absolute most pessimistic and likely around 60:1. Sixty successful defensive uses per single homicide, homicide involving any method and not just firearms. This is what cold calculus calls a highly favorable exchange rate, but that vastly oversimplifies the situations to a patently absurd level.
In short that statement is both improperly put and misunderstood. These are weapons meant for civilian self defense, including war. Recent history shows that civil status in society is the delightful exception, conflict is the norm.
According to everytownresearch.org, 5 percent of all mass shootings deaths between 2009 and 2012 involved an assault weapon and accounted for 76 percent of injuries.
That seems to be in conflict with the earlier ‘all the most deadly shootings’ statement made earlier, but this whole statement is asinine so let’s roll with it.
Only 5% of deaths during mass shootings are using these yet this should be our focus? What about the 95%? Literally a 20:1 death rate for other method of death in these mass shootings but the 1 in that equation is what needs banning?
Your math sucks.
This means that even though it was not in the majority of shootings, it caused the most devastating impact.
Did it? Would the 76% of injuries happen to be because there was an outlier event? Like.. say.. Mandalay Bay? An outlier event among outlier events, still devastating and tragic but we cannot build policy against outliers effectively without taking drastic and draconian measures. The cure worse than the disease. This also discounts the fact that it is no cure, it is snake oil. The government cannot protect you, they can merely respond to your person’s violation.
In conclusion, semi automatic assault weapons should be illegal in the United States of America.
Congratulations, this would rate about a D in most writing or critical thinking curriculum. You made a statement, failed to support it in any manner of argument/counter format that stands up under merit of scrutiny, and rely on out of context data from a known biased and partisan source to bolster the argument.
I like approaching platforms that I lack proficiency with. One I often ignore is the snub nose revolver. I only own a single snubby, a Ruger LCR in 9mm, which might be the most non-revolver revolver one can own. With that in mind, I decided to approach the Hardwire Tactical Super Snubby test to see just how bad I sucked at snub nose revolvers.
What You’ll Need for The Super Snubby Test
This one is super simple. Bring your eyes and ears. Also, toss a B8 target in the range bag and your chosen snub nose and 15 rounds of ammo per run. Don’t forget your shot timer since we got par times to beat. That’s it. I appreciate something somewhat drama free and easy on the ammo. I used some ammo from Global Ordnance.
I’m betting most of us will shoot it more than once, and if that’s the case, I suggest bringing a B8 for each fun. This makes scoring much more straightforward and easy to accomplish.
Running the Super Snubby Test
The Super Snubby Test has three iterations, and each fired under different par time and a different range. Five rounds will be fired at each stage.
Stage one begins at ten yards. You’ll assume a low ready position with your snubby. You’ll use both hands and fire five shots at the go signal within 8 seconds. I was the most challenged at his range. My first run had me dropping rounds well below the black and realizing my POA and POI weren’t perfect.
Stage two means moving to the 5-yard line. Low ready once more with five rounds. Aim and fire five rounds with both hands at the beep and do so in under 5 seconds. I did better at this stage and made a POA correction to help get more shots in the black.
Finally, stage three of the Super Snubby Test brings you to the three-yard line. Assume a low ready, but only use your strong hand at the beep fire five rounds in 3.5 seconds. I surprisingly did rather well at this stage and landed four out of five in the black.
Pulling Scores
There is no official pass or fail standard for this drill. Anything outside of the time constraints feels like it should be a fail. The score for a good snubby shooter should be 90%. Scoring is pretty simple since the B-8 provides the numbers needed to calculate the correct score.
A perfect score would be 150 points, so a score of 90% means you made at least 135 points. How well did I do? I approached the Super Snubby Test humble enough and attempted to make 70%. I assure you I did not make 70% on my first run. 70% would mean a score of 105 points and a C. Cs pass as good as As, right?
It took my third try to get into the 70% score, and honestly, the one-handed run saved me on this run. I dropped all five in the black, and I got just above the line. I didn’t have issues with the time constraints, so I slowed down a bit, and that helped.
The Snubby
The Super Snubby test had now captured me. I need to get to 90%, and I plan to start a healthy dry fire regimen with my Ruger LCR and my Shot timer. I want to get into the 90% range eventually. It’s such a simple test that I’m sure snubby master can dominate. However, I’m not a snubby master.
I’m not even a journeyman. At best, I’m an enthusiastic amateur. I don’t carry a snubby, but I like to be proficient, and I do enjoy building some solid skill, so I think it’s a worthwhile score to chase.
Right on the heels of Ohio and Alabama signing Constitutional Carry into law, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb added their state to the growing list now tottering on 50% of the nation.
Permitless carry continues to be billed as dangerous and crazy and continues to prove out as a complete nothing burger for officer safety and the citizenry at large. A card saying that you aren’t a felon and can carry a gun because you paid a little extra tax, sat in a classroom for a day, and waited for the state to complete their bureaucratic machinations, is no basis for sound firearm handling or general safety practices.
It’s was and remains a feel good measure, security in name only, that doesn’t grant permitted individuals any skill or proficiency and does little to nothing to prevent dangerous or reckless behavior with a firearm or curb armed felony violence. Being able to pass the background check to buy a firearm, being a legal possessor, is about the only rational standard we can apply to being able to carry that firearm.
Education on best practices both for shooting and carrying should be educationally encouraged, but state mandates tend to create a false sense of competency and readiness more than they actually push societal safety and proficiency. The ‘standards’ are low, because this is a right we are talking about. In that vein the standard should be that it is a right and proficiency after should be considered the responsibility. Responsibility is a societal mandate, not a legal one.
Starting in July, anyone who legally could carry a handgun with a permit previously now could do so without one moving forward, due to House Bill 1296. That means most Hoosiers 18 years and older can carry a handgun in public without ever having received a background check, unless they had done so to purchase a handgun.
Permits still will be available to those who want one, such as those traveling to another state that has reciprocity with Indiana.
“HEA 1296, which I’ve signed today, entrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our state,” Holcomb said in a statement. “It’s important to note that if a person is prohibited, under federal or state laws, from possessing a firearm before this law goes into effect, that person will still be prohibited. And if a prohibited person has a firearm, he or she can be prosecuted.”
There it is in the last line, if a prohibited person has a firearm he or she can be prosecuted. If someone, prohibited or otherwise, does something illegal with a firearm they can be prosecuted, tried, and convicted for the violating act. Nothing about permitting legal gun owners to carry their firearms does anything to drastically influence the threat profile for officers or other citizens. So the permit process was always just a rights tax, a control to discourage otherwise lawful use of a firearm for one of its core purposes in personal protect. I want to see Michigan and Wisconsin (and yes, even eventually Illinois) adopt this as standard practice. Where permits are still available, maintainable for reciprocity, and valid, but that carry of a firearm is a right unhindered by taxation of time and money.
In Michigan, our Governor just vetoed a bill that would force the state to do its job (continuing to run permits and supporting services) in an emergency like COVID. There were several instances where permit renewals were impossible because the state apparatus wouldn’t process them, either offices were closed or no face-to-face contact was permitted even though it was required under the law. This pushed people into felony status who were unable to renew and put people at risk who were unable to complete the permitting process when no reasonable accommodations were made for COVID. It is unconscionable that a government can demand a process and then fail to provide their part in that process without consequence, but that was just vetoed here. Good times. Perhaps next governor we will get Constitutional Carry, no more stupid pistol registry, and a few other bits of nonsense taken off the books like immediate felony status for expired permits.
Taking design lines from both the P320 and the P365 the Sig Sauer P322 is joining popular pistols from Smith & Wesson, FN, and even Taurus in the popular modern plinker line.
P322, Sig Sauer
Looking at the pistol, clearly P365 framework extended for a little comfort, sight radius, and capacity.
Speaking of,
20+1
Yep, 20 rounds. This thing holds them. A 20 round magazine, threaded barrel for suppression, and optic ready backplate/sight for a Zero or a 507k rounds out a slim and comfortable .22lr pistol. Very clearly challenging the FN 502 to coolest factory .22 battle in the parking lot.
In short, Sig builds a suppressor ready, optics ready, slim line 20+1 round capacity .22lr on the P365 grip dimensions, and it looks absurdly fun. The P322.
I haven’t shared a Sage Dynamics video in awhile and the data Aaron puts out is relevant to a bunch of interests, to include my own. So we are correcting that with the Romeo 2 review.
As many know, the Romeo 1 (not the Pro) was a less than spectacular addition in its earlier iterations of red dot optics on the market. It caused a lot of consternation in the Sig super fan camps and caused a lot of feelings of vindication in the Sig hater camps. Biases confirmed in what manner or another, what is the internet for if not for confirmation bias?
Anyway, the nuts and bolts of the situation was that Sig’s Electro-Optic division learned. They received a bunch of good data form these tests and these broken sights. They used that data and implemented a quick fix and a long improvement. The quick fixes resulted in the Pro model of the Romeo 1. An optic much improved and one I am currently carrying EDC on my P229. Is it my absolute favorite dot? No, but it is serviceable and I see no reason to swap to my preference of 508T at this moment.
The long improvement has been the Romeo 2. Like LPVOs, dots have been on an upgrade trend as we see shooters pick and settle on feature balance to get what they want out of their sights.
The Romeo 2 is the first optional open/closed emitter optic I am aware of. It offers unshrouded, partial shroud, and full shroud with lens options to cut down on small debris intrusion and other impediments with the optic. Battery access and control scheme also have upgrades. About the only thing the Romeo 2 has that is potentially problematic is a modified footprint. It’s still DPP real estate, but without the front lugs so plates will be necessary. Plates are normal in the dot life nowadays though, so that amounts to just more of the same.
What I find most interesting is the ‘build your own’ option the Romeo 2 has brought to the table. Open or closed at preference. You can reconfigure based on environment. For regular EDC you may go shroudless, or the partial options, while in the winter or going to a wetter and/or dirtier environment you might seal it up. This allows from some exceptional used flexibility without remounting and will allow maintenance for damage to the more easily replaceable parts (the shroud and rear lens) should they take enough damage to warrant it.
I don’t know if this signals a trend in optics as configurable. I don’t think so.
Configurable is great in theory, it is even good in practice when executed properly. But we’ve seen that most users want to have a single simplified solution when it comes to their carbines, and I believe that trend is going to continue with optics. We, despite the costs, will trend toward having two guns with dedicated optical systems rather than one gun with a configurable one. Users like a solution they can pick up. We saw this in AR’s and the theory of the swappable upper. That theory, when exercised well, holds a lot of merit for flexible capabilities. But users overwhelmingly have shied away from modular use, not modular capability but modular use in practice, and have trended towards dedicated complete systems.
Can you use the same lower to run a CQB optimized SBR and an accuracy optimized Designated Marksman rifle? Absolutely. Our years long practical implementation study has shown us that users will end up with two rifles, not a single receiver and multiple uppers. It is human preference, less steps to use. So despite the cost and practical benefits it is most likely that a user will end up with two pistols, even if they are the same pistol, and that both those pistols will be running a different optical configuration… even if both optics are Romeo 2’s. People are interesting that way.
Now, preferences and configurations for something like a department? Different story with a dedicated armorer or method of maintenance. There could easily be a summer carry/winter carry policy or update set into motion. That’s where capabilities like this can prove out. For the most part I see the capability as a build it and leave it, you’ll pick the configuration. For something like the M17/M18 that could be deployed to a variety of climes and places it could also prove useful.
Time will tell. It looks to be a well executed concept.
Brandon’s Darwin Awards #8, people doing really dumb S*%T with firearms… still…
Just like vehicles, forklifts, chemicals, heavy equipment, and simple cooking implements in your kitchen, people do very dangerous things with firearms too.
Firearms can be operated safely, competently, and responsibly without too much effort. But there is a little effort. There is some combination of brain power needing application to the practical and safe handling of the projectile throwing device and where the projectile is intending to be shot into that needs to occur. If isn’t hard. You have to check your work.
It’s these fools who end up in ER’s, or dead, and used as examples for why the Second Amendment should be restricted and things should be taken away. #Thisiswhywecan’thavenicethings
Now, those arguments are rather poorly put together but that has never stopped gun controllers from trying or succeeding in the past. Just because it’s an utterly ridiculous idea doesn’t mean that it doesn’t signal the right virtues for votes… I mean save lives. Save lives, right?
Yeah. For the kids and if it just saves one life.
In short, be responsible. Exercise responsible understanding that you are holding a tool, not a toy that is proofed against every injury than can manage to proof it against. Understand that special targets, ammunitions, and persons with physical limits, and select fire weaponry all have proper ways to go about shooting them for a reason. These proper ways can be flexed (altered) within reasonable physical limitations by understanding those physics, you can’t throw out the concerns and just send it.
Anyway, hit play and enjoy not being these people. You are smarter than those people. You are here.
We covered the super ultra awesome SciFi next gen ninja warrior optic and future soldier system that Magpul and Maztech are putting together. That is exciting.
But nothing, and I do mean nothing, made me more excited than this little guy.
The Magpul Dust Cover for AR-15’s. That’s it. This little oft forgotten part until that little kick leg spring finally gives up the ghost and then it is flopping around noisily.
For many years now companies have been slowly making our lives easier and better by getting rid off the obnoxious part of the AR that cling to life. The trigger guard, retaining the rear takedown pin spring/detent, threaded bolt catch pin, but nobody had brought us an easy mode dust cover worth the effort.
Magpul has… and I am ecstatic. Between this and non forward assist uppers, AR uppers have become solely barrel oriented and that is just fine by me.
Magpul isn’t the first to do polymer covers, but that has been coming. They have made install, and replacement, and absolute snap. This ease and quality of maintenance improvement is the type of change I geek out over more than I probably should, but I don’t care I love this stuff.
What did they do? Well if you aren’t in a position to watch the 39 second video, they took the spring coil, long rod with the tiny c-clip, and stamped metal dust cover and turned life easy. That nearly 4 handed operation that needed to be done via handguard removal and all kinds of deep level maintenance, is now a simple internally loadable spring.
That same device that helps load the spring in the cover for easy install is also the tab that pops the cover open… all on that same spring. No more trying to load the coil spring while it is trying to escape and then push the rod through. Fit the forward fixed leg into the receiver spot for it and then let the spring loaded leg which is also your cover opening spring close it. Done. The tab is the same length as the short leg on the coil spring so there is not interference with brass or any such durability nonsense. Magpul apparently open and closed these something on the order of 10,000 times (IIRC) to check to see if something would break. For reference, that makes it more durable than the barrel.
Also no more weird oxidation of the cover, polymer is just polymer, it’ll scratch maybe but it won’t react to moisture, oils, or solvents for firearms. For those using industrial solvent cleaning tanks on rifles and worried about the effects, these come off. Easily. They can then be reinstalled easier even than the old clamshell A1/A2 handguards. On/Off/On again in seconds.
Simple maintenance of systems is something I adore. I love it seeing it make an end user and maintainers job easier. Anything I can hand down to what the military knows as “10 Level” (User) and it can be done by them without almost no (I do emphasize almost because some Marine or Soldier will absolutely strain the limits of the theory, ‘Grunt Proof’ it is assuredly not) margin for error with simple directions makes a maintainers job easier and quicker.
Need to mount 88 Optics? Easy optic mounts mean I can have 88 people do that once under supervision or 11 people do it 8 times, etc. Now in that same vein, dust cover replacement because the spring broke or the cover is busted? Old one comes out, the new one goes in, a few seconds from unpackaging the part to it being properly installed. No need to remove a bunch of much more critical parts to get to a supporting part whose original design relied on those parts to retain it.
Upgraded replacement, retention, and materials. Magpul continues their legacy in that regard here.
Cognitive dissonance: the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.
The Question
Kris Walters, currently a platoon sergeant for a BN scout/sniper platoon, made a post in a Jeff Cooper Scout Rifle group showing his latest scout rifle build. This brought out a myriad of comments about scope ring height, low cheek weld, head position, bore offset etc. Many of the comments stated that having a higher scope height will hurt you as a shooter rather than help, especially in the applications today.
Kris Walters Steyr Scout
Who these comments are coming from doesn’t matter, what their background is, none of it matters if these statements have merit. Well, one of the best field shooters in the game decided to test the theory.
Below, Andy Reinhardt, a Precision Rifle Instructor and Competitor within field shooting disciplines (such as within Competition Dynamics Steel Safari and NRL Hunter) decided to test if having a lower cheek comb or higher scope height will help or hurt when shooting to distance. His findings below.
Note: All of these findings apply to Andy and his style of shooting. While these findings have been substantiated with a lot of other shooters in the same discipline, (ie: field style shooting, positional shooting) it is up to you to decide if it is right for you. There isn’t an end all be all when it comes to these things. We all have different body structure, shooting applications, equipment. The goal is just to not live in the “it has always been this way” and to challenge yourself to be open to new ideas and grow from it. Shooting is art, discipline, and science.
Andy’sFindings
“Ok, I’d like to address a common falsely held belief about scope ring height and traditional “cheek weld” This post was spurred by the previous post from Kris and his Steyr Scout on the Scout Rifle page. First 6 comments it received was. “Why are your rings so high!?!” or “I would lower those rings”….. I like most everyone else was caught up into that dogma for years…but no more….Let me preface my next statements. I have been a firearms instructor by trade for almost 2 decades now and have been shooting long range precision rifle as a sponsored factory shooter for a dozen different companies for the last 10 + years. I have always been of the opinion that you should set up your rifle optic in as low a position as you can comfortably get behind the rifle….why?….Because thats how I was taught and my instructors before me…etc…etc.
Andy and Collin Fossen shooting a Competition Dynamics match. Photo by CDAndy and Collin taking first place at the Competition Dynamics Steel Team Safari
About 4 years ago now, I was shooting a match at Rifles Only in Texas with a good friend of mine Nico Detour who is a former Marine, Sponsored shooter, firearms instructor and currently does contract work for several agencies. As I was prepping for my next stage I took a look at his rifle and started asking questions…“why is your scope so high?” ” why is your cheek piece as low as it can go?…did you just take your bolt out and forget to raise it back up?” He informed me that he and another competitor friend of ours, Solomon Mansalla (who is also a Marine Sniper Instructor), had been doing alot of testing of equipment and particularly rifle/scope setups and found this particular position to be the most precise over every different position they had shot it from. I was immediately skeptical…but since I know the high level of proficiency and skill of both of these men, I decided to start doing some tests of my own to see if I could replicate their finding……
Testing
When I got home I immediately went to work. I wanted to get some baseline testing done before I started changing anything about my rifle setup. I have always been a huge proponents of shooting dot drills on close range paper targets to address fundamental errors, so I started their and recorded myself on video shooting the drill to try and diagnose any common problems.
My tests involved shooting both rimfire precision rifles at 50 yards on .25″ circles (as I could afford to shoot alot more) and verifying those results on my centerfire rifle on .5″ targets at 100 yds. Each test was on a 8.5×11 piece of paper that had 25 dots…5 rows of 5 dots. I shot 2 round per dot on a particular line, each dot from a different position for a total of 10 shots per line fired from 5 different positions. I would then repeat 5 times for a total of 50 rounds on target.
Dot #1 was fired from a low prone position using a bipod for a control group , (all subsequent shots are fired off a barricade using an Armageddon gear Mini Wax Canvas Heavy fill Game Changer bag for front support which I had previously established to be the most solid position and bag possible using this same method), #2 dot was High Prone, #3 dot Low Kneeling, #4 dot High Kneeling and #5 dot Standing.
I immediately noticed something interesting as soon as I finished shooting my first 50rd drill! The further I got off the ground…the lower my shots were in relation to the dots!! IE, from a prone position both my rounds were in the same hole and were perfectly centered in the circle. When I moved the rifle up to a higher position, my bullets still shared the same hole, but started to get lower in relation to the circles and when I reached a full standing position were touching the bottom of the circle and even breaking out below the bottom edge…..Interesting!
I kept shooting these drill about 4-5 time a week with my rimfire and at least once a week on my centerfire rifle, keeping each test target and reviewing it against the rest. After a couple weeks I was satisfied that the results were consistent enough to start messing with my setup to see if I could change the outcome of my performance and make my standing, kneeling and prone group placement match each other…I first went to the videos I had taken of me shooting these drills and noticed that when I was prone, my head was in the traditional prone “turkey neck” position…but as I started to get higher off the ground, my head came into a more erect natural position.
When keeping my traditional cheek weld position on the stock, this caused my eye to get farther from the scope and made it higher in relation to the scope position, which in turn was making my shots go lower…my eye was not looking through the same place in the scope every time! Even though I was well within my comfortable and clear eye relief (eye box) the small shift in eye placement was changing my POI (point of impact). In essence was inducing a small parallax error! I kept running this test over the next several months changing LOP (length of pull), facial anchor point (cheek weld), comb height and scope ring heights.
Conclusions: After 6 months and several thousand rounds of both rimfire and centerfire ammo this is what I have found. I have made a few adjustments to my stock and shooting position. First, I shortened my LOP by an inch…this has made the rifle sit closer to the centerline of my body/shooting eye across all position. Second, I have raised the height of my scope rings (from medium to tall), which puts my head in a more upright and natural position. This has made my shooting more consistent and puts less strain on my neck and back when holding a prone or compromised position for a long period of time.Third, I have moved my cheek piece to a lower position and changed my facial anchor point from a high face, right under the cheek bone, to a low jaw position right were the teeth and gums meet on the lower jaw. This in conjunction with the higher scope gives me more consistent accuracy across every position, especially when shooting from a compromised position.
Final Conclusions
Since a shot is very rarely taken in the field from a low prone position (grass and other obstructions typically don’t allow it), making these changes have been highly beneficial to me and I have passed them on to all my students. I have seen my (and my students) scores and placements in matches get more consistently higher since making these changes. With these changes to the rifle, I do have to take a slightly higher, yet comfortable prone position, but across the board all shots are more consistent and repeatable especially when in a compromised position.
I am able to hold a prone position longer when forced to do observation on the rifle as I am more comfortable and in a natural body position. Our body naturally wants to have our head in an upright and neutral position squared above our shoulders. This has changed the way I shoot rifle for the better and I will continue to keep trying to improve. We all tend to set up our rifle in the most stable (prone position) and never think that it will shoot any different from any other position.
Since I did these tests, I have been talking to a lot of top 3 Gun competitors and they have also come to the same conclusions using the AR based platforms as well..Higher scope, lower facial anchor point (cheek weld) and shorter length of pull lead to a more stable, natural and sustainable position leading to greater accuracy potential. I had noticed when shooting the same targets at distance from prone and then from a kneeling and standing position, that my shots would typically come in lower on the target or would miss low. I had always assumed that this was a function of not performing a fundamental correctly from the less stable position or was induced by shot anticipation etc…What I have come to learn is that I was inducing that parallax error because my rifle was set up strictly for a prone position and when I went to anything else my eye was farther away from and slightly higher than in prone and therefore was causing my shots to drop low!!!
I had always heard Brian Whalen mention in his classes that he would lower his cheek rest and shorten LOP when he shot from a barricade or standing position and I just never put 2 and 2 together that this was the main reason for doing this!! (I just figured it was because be had no neck! Since the majority of the stocks I own did not have a quick adjust turn wheel feature, I opted to change my rifle setup to optimize it for the more compromised positions and slightly raise my prone position to accommodate the change. This has all but eliminated my low shots from positions above prone.
So why have we been stuck doing the same old thing for years and wheredid this all start?!?
From my experience, the firearms community tends to be very dogmatic and resistant to change. Many of the top shooters and trainers have come from a military background and their instructor taught it this way, as did their instructors instructor, etc, etc. Nobody is ever stopping to ask …why do we do it that way?!?! Or having the ability to test a different method and change equipment or settings to see what worked best. It was a run what you have been provided and make it work scenario.
This also has come a lot from bench rest type or prone square range shooting that only utilizes one position and therefore has never seen the need to look into any other way. I have seen a lot of students and shooters over the years try and contort their body around an ill fitted rifle and then wonder why their results where sub par. Always be learning and questioning why we do what we do, as this is the only thing that leads to innovation…imagine if Col Cooper had never questioned the handgun techniques of his day…we’d all still be shooting the old FBI one hand crouch position with our support hand in our pocket! Always a student…sometimes an instructor.”
So how can you as a new or seasoned shooter start testing this method? Well, try these three adjustments that Andy mentioned.
First, I shortened my LOP by an inch…this has made the rifle sit closer to the centerline of my body/shooting eye across all position.
Second, I have raised the height of my scope rings (from medium to tall), which puts my head in a more upright and natural position. This has made my shooting more consistent and puts less strain on my neck and back when holding a prone or compromised position for a long period of time.
Third, I have moved my cheek piece to a lower position and changed my facial anchor point from a high face, right under the cheek bone, to a low jaw position right were the teeth and gums meet on the lower jaw. This in conjunction with the higher scope gives me more consistent accuracy across every position, especially when shooting from a compromised position.
If you don’t want to go that crazy with adjusting your equipment, maybe run your cheek comb down a rotation/click and shoot some groups prone then barricade. Maybe after that shorten your LOP. You don’t have to go wild and start chasing it, but your bullet doesn’t lie. Shoot the weird positions and see where you’re hitting after doing any sort of adjustment. Even before this post I have heard of shooters moving their cheek down a touch and shooting a two day match. Doing this gave them more comfort in both prone and on barricades.
Thank you to Andy’s sponsors, which ultimately help him to be able to do these tests. Steiner optics, XLR, Proof Research, Hawkins Precision, Thunder Beast Arms.
And if you want to read up on the scout rifle from the man himself Jeff Cooper, click Americanrifleman.org (reposted from September 1985. RIP Jeff Cooper)
The boys are back, concluding their cliffhanger from last week to answer the question: why is your EDC weird? Let’s be real, there are a lot of people out there on the internet posting completely implausible concealed carry rigs, and we’re here to roast it.
As a young man looking to join the military, I, as many do, sought out advice from friends and relatives who served. I did my best to consult with someone from each branch. One recurring piece of guidance I received was to find a specialty that would translate into civilian life. As most 21-year-old kids do, I ignored that advice and decided to become a Small Arms Repairer in the National Guard. Looking back on nearly 10 years of service (and counting) I began to reflect on the lessons I learned as a young man. Here are 10 things my time in the military taught me.
1. Be flexible.
Life happens, s–t hits the fan, and the general human tendency is not to help their fellow man. We must allow for a certain amount of deviation in our plans. Whether it’s a company commander who doesn’t share the same priorities as you do or the clerk at the gas station who clearly doesn’t understand you are running five minutes late. We must allow for flexibility in our plans and do our best to plan for the unknown.
2. Have compassion for your fellow man.
Coming from a “perform perfectly or your buddies could get killed” background, this lesson is counterintuitive to the military mindset. We as military members are often told to embrace the suck, to drive on, and to deal with our personal problems on our own time. As a leader of young men and women, I had to learn to show a certain level of understanding to the personal issues of my soldiers. It has been my job to develop these young men and women both professionally and personally. Demonstrating the ability to show compassion and empathy shows that you are not some preprogrammed robot with all the answers. We are all humans. We are all fighting our own battles.
3. Be tough on those you care about.
Set up your no s–t rules and stick to them. There is a phrase that was burned into my memory from an old school (and slightly crusty) Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). He used to say, “firm, fair, and consistent.” Set your rules, enforce then equally among all, and, most importantly, be consistent in your punishment (or praise). I always thought he was just a hard headed old man who was set in his ways. Then I became a father. Oh boy, nothing can prepare you for that day. As I pondered allowing my son to take a bath in the dog dish because my efforts in thwarting his plan have been futile until this point, I remembered the words that genius (and, looking back, not so crusty) old man told me. Firm. Fair. Consistent.
4. Leadership is learned.
We have all seen it. The ‘roided out E6 who got promoted based on his physical fitness test scores but can barely read the warning labels on the tub of pre-workout he guzzles. He can’t participate in a conversation without referencing making soldiers do push-ups or “back in my day”. We all know this NCO and we all hated this NCO. What these personality types lack is not the ability to lead, it’s proper mentorship. We must seek out the positive traits of those around us that we look up to and learn to emulate them in our every-day life. Self-reflection is not an instinctual trait humans possess, it is one of the most important we must learn.
5. Seek results, not excuses.
This is one of my biggest pet-peeves. It is far too common for me to ask why a task wasn’t completed and be confronted with all the reasons why it was impossible. I think of myself as a fair and understanding man. I am slow to anger and realize that life happens sometimes, but what I have learned during my time in service is that sometimes we just have to roll with the punches and complete the mission. Not everything in our lives goes as planned (see rule #1), but we still need to achieve positive results in the face of major difficulties. We must drive on. I think Nike said it the best. “Just do it.”
6. Take responsibility for your actions.
I personally believe that one of the hardest skills any man or woman has to learn is to take responsibility. As children we are protected from harm. Our parents who love and care about us make sure nothing bad happens in our lives, to the best of their ability. Then one day we become teenagers. As we grow into our teens, we are afforded more freedom. We drive ourselves to school, to work, to a friend’s house. We are responsible for our own grades and making it to work on time. There is no longer that guiding hand always pushing us towards the light, but its still there to keep us from the dark. Then we turn 18, move out, and have bills to pay. We are pushed into a cruel dog-eat-dog world and were barely even adults.
The easy solution is to start to place blame. I got fired because my boss didn’t like me. My girlfriend left me because she’s psycho. These excuses are the easy button, the painless way out. The hard route is to accept that our problems are a direct result of our previous actions and the actions of others combined, but we are the common denominator. The day we finally figure this out, we truly ascend into adulthood. We can finally begin to grow.
7. Action beats inaction.
Far too many times I see young leaders afraid to make a decision. Maybe they have never had to be in charge before, never looked around a room to see all eyes staring back, anxious to see your next move. It can be overwhelming the first time you realize you’re someone people look up to. Natural instinct (and muscle memory) tells you to pick up the phone, send a text to your leader, and wait for further instruction.
I am here to tell you that, as a leader of leaders, we want you to make mistakes. It is okay to be wrong, it is okay to make a bad call. This is how we learn. At the end of the day, if you considered the health of those around you and nobody got hurt, we can probably still sort out the mess. At least you did something, at least you acted. That in itself is the right decision. Make mistakes where they can be fixed so you make fewer where they cannot.
8. Take the time to develop those around you.
Flash back to that ‘roided out E6. Now imagine being his co-worker instead his subordinate. Frustrating, right. Always having to cover down on their tasks, always picking up the broken pieces to still make mission. Saying to yourself, “I wish somebody took the time to train you.” Well guess what? If you are not training those around you then you are part of the problem.
We tend to get so wrapped up in getting to a job well done that we forget to take a minute to point out training opportunities. Take that extra second, minute, hour. Train those around you because one day they may be your boss. That is a lesson we tend to learn the hard way.
9. Live the core values you expect from those around you.
This is one that infuriates me to my core; I see leaders scolding their subordinates for infractions they themselves habitually commit. Sadly, this seems to have become commonplace. I equate this to having a complete disrespect for the men and women working for you. Nothing kills morale faster. Nothing hurts cohesion more. Talk is cheap, live the values you preach. Lead by example. This is how you gain the respect of those around you.
And finally,
10. Respect is earned.
I am going to tell you all a little secret. If you have to tell someone that they have to respect you, they don’t. There is a certain amount of respect that rank or title holds, but having men follow you to their certain demise is true respect. It is trust, it is loyalty, it is knowing that the person out front did the risk-reward ratio and what happens in the next few minutes is for the greater good. This is no easy task, earning the respect of those around you is hard. It requires making the tough choices, it requires doing things the hard way because it is what’s morally right. True respect is something you have to fight yourself and all your lazy tendencies for. We do it because it is hard. Respect is earned, not given.
