Timothy Wilks reportedly approached a group of people with butcher knives as part of the ‘prank.’
Timothy Wilks, a 20-year-old man, was fatally shot while filming a prank robbery video for YouTube.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of a string of businesses in Nashville on Friday night, wjhl reported.
Wilks, along with a friend, reportedly approached a group of people with butcher knives during what was supposed to be a “prank robbery.” A person in that group, David Starnes Jr., 23, fatally shot Wilks, NBC News reported. Starnes Jr. told detectives he was unaware of the prank and that he was acting in self-defense of himself and others, according to a statement by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
Why!? Why are ‘Murder’, or ‘Robbery’, or ‘Kidnapping’ “pranks” still a thing? Why, under all that is sacred and sacrosanct in this world, do we still consider it funny to make people fear for their lives? Didn’t enough clowns (both formal and figurative) get shot and beaten back in 2016 to prove that messing with people outside a controlled environment is fatal?
Understanding Recreational Fear
We as a society, we as a species, get a thrill off surviving. Survival instincts are strong within us and harken back to the days where we were in much closer placement to other apex predators on the food chain. In modern times this has developed into using fear for fun, it triggers that survival high when nothing ultimately bad happens to us.
We have entire industries devoted to recreational fear. Horror movies, horror games, haunted houses, scare parks, fright nights, and so forth. We have monetized our base terrors for fun. Do you comprehend how crazy advanced that makes us? Even skydiving and bungee jumping, hell even roller coasters are part of the recreational fear market. ‘Thrill’ rides.
Fear can be fun… When it is contextualized.
The careful regulation and contextualization of the Recreational Fear market space
Look, when we start playing with fear we are playing with rules… not laws, rules. Rules of instinct as we purposely trigger the survival responses of our base psyche.
Woe unto thee who forgets that one of those responses… is violence. And it is a particularly effective one, kill the thing that wants to kill you. It is such a deep effective rule that every major animal species on the planet will bite, claw, gore, kick, or otherwise lash out at you in its own defense when it is threatened.
We are deliberately triggering this reaction, this response, for a recreational payoff. It is high risk. Much higher without context.
You go to a horror movie expecting a horror movie. You go to a haunted house expecting a haunted house. You go skydiving expecting to free fall to the earth.
These are fears with context. You and I go there for the jump scare and other effects. Sure, knowing its coming mutes the effect somewhat but I am not going to add a bunch of holes to the spooky murder clown in the funhouse I paid to go into. I will to the spooky murder clown (formal or otherwise) that randomly appears out of nowhere, especially with a weapon.
Context is key, especially in recreational fear. You are playing with survival instincts.
I do not patronize my grocery store, a restaurant, or any other business, expecting to be confronted by an armed ‘YouTuber’ in a fake robbery for the fun of it. Out of context fear pranks are the dumbest shit on the planet. You are asking to die. You are deliberately triggering fight or flight without the safe contextualization that triggered participants are willingly part of the experience.
You want an oblivious audience for your prank? Make it a fart joke, not touching off the primal violence instinct deeply developed for eons in order to keep the species alive.
Other headlines focus on the AR-15 used near the end of the incident.. go figure.
The incident was video and audio recorded by a surveillance camera and paints a clear picture of the events as they unfold. These aren’t “Good Guys” and/or “Bad Guys,” these are three neighbors and they are throwing enraged words, snow implements, and bullets… over shoveling.
The video is brutal, on all accounts. There is a lot to unpack from it.
The Events Leading Up To The Shooting
Around 9:00 A.M. on Monday, James and Lisa Goy were killed by James Spaide after the three got into a heated argument over the Goys pushing snow into Spaide’s yard, Spaide then killed himself in his home. The Goys left behind a 15 year old son who is reported to be special needs.
This is… or was an ongoing and years longstanding dispute between Spaide and the Goys, that is now permanently resolved, according to accounts from the neighborhood.
The three minute video I viewed of the surveillance opened with the dispute in the middle of the small road between the two properties. The Goys are yelling at Spaide and Spaide is yelling back at them. The Goys call Spaide a “fucking faggot” and tell him to go back to where he came from, they mutually call each other ‘scum,’ I do not know if Spaide is foreign born or homosexual but the Goys were fully engaged in throwing verbal slurs and allegedly had thrown a snow brush or scraper at Spaide at this point. Spaide was equally verbally engaged.
Spaide then goes back into his house while the Goys keep yelling at him.
Spaide returns with a handgun. The Goys keep yelling at him, calling him a pussy and and saying he doesn’t have the balls to do it and more in that vein. I’m not kidding… it is in the audio, its high school drama between three people aged 47 to 50, and now a gun is involved.
Spaide opens fires, the audio records several shots before the James Goy reacts as if he is hit, the Goys continue yelling through the shots, James Goy then exclaims that he’s been shot by Spaide and is seen retreating beneath the camera into their parking area. Spaide turns the gun on Lisa Goy and shoots her several times at close range, she drops to the ground in the road, injured.
Editors Note: [Certain reports have alleged Lisa Goy was armed and started shooting first. I do not see evidence to support that theory. We do not see Spaide react as if he is being shot at, he does not shoot at the person allegedly shooting at him until after shooting James Goy (larger and more threatening). The evidence supports the theory that Spaide fired on the Goys after continued verbal provocation, not a weapon drawn by Lisa.]
After both Goys are injured, Spaide returns to his home. The Goys can be heard calling for help and continuing to verbally antagonize Spaide. Neighbors come out to “help” by asking the clearly wounded and bleeding Goys if they need help, until Spaide returns with a rifle.
The neighbors back off as Spaide reemerges and approaches Lisa Goy, who is in the road, still bleeding. James Spaide then tells Lisa Goy she, “should have kept her fucking mouth shut.” and executes her at close range with the rifle.
James Spaide then walks up the drive to James Goy, off camera, and asks, “who is the pussy now?” then executes James Goy at close range with the rifle.
Spaide then returns to his home where authorities found him dead with a self inflicted gunshot wound.
The Aftermath
The internet is abuzz with speculation and sympathy for one or the other side in this dispute and a corner of the web is already crying that this event was “staged” (because they claim that every time about every major event ever) and completely ignore the wisdom of Occam’s Razor. The simplest solution or explanation is often the correct one.
The simplest explanation is: We had three average garden variety suburbanites get into a stupid fight over snow shoveling and they all died. They all willingly, and on camera, participated in this fight. They all willingly, and on camera, participated in the fight’s escalation. No, people are not ‘better’ than this, they reach this level of dumb all the time, ask anyone who regularly deals with the public, but it doesn’t result and severe injury or death enough to curb the behavior at a species level.
Human Ego
Emotion drove this event, but it followed a brutal logic for those paying attention. The decisions made by both sides of the argument were arrived at through the tainted logic of ego and anger. Nobody in the situation decided to take ego and anger out of their decision making process. Three people are dead. A young man is orphaned, perhaps having directly witnessed his parents execution… over snow. Every choice the three make, while “wrong” objectively and unfortunate in the result, makes sense through the lenses of anger and ego.
Anger and ego are human traits, we all have them, we all experience them, and it is our practiced discipline and cold logic that best keeps in check our ‘hot logic.’
Cold Logic Lessons and Takeaways
There are several takeaways from this incident. The traditional ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ relationship does not apply, in that the ‘Good Guy(s)’ are based on which side of the stupid argument you emotionally resonate with more, and not the ‘Law-Abiding Non-Antagonist vs. Criminal Antagonist’ relationship that we standardize on. The subjective ‘good guy(s)’ in this situation are entirely on the viewers emotional sympathies to select or not, and the objective ‘good guy(s)’ don’t exist.
This type of situation happens, humans are emotive creatures that do not respond well to antagonism. We also possess the easy capacity to be antagonistic to someone we don’t like. Remember this, “You are the villain in somebody’s story.” It is a wise check on your own perspective, of your ego and altruism, that other perspectives exist, and that their perspectives to them are every bit as valid is your perspective is to you.
So with that in mind let us break down the cold lessons of James Spaide, James Goy, and Lisa Goy
Your ego can kill you, don’t let it.
This one is simple, do not let your desire to “win” an argument overshadow your absolute obligation to be around to safeguard your family. Antagonism, even responsive to a challenge, rarely leads to good outcomes. Prison is filled with people who “had to” kill somebody.
Your opposition is under no obligation to play by your “rules” for this fight. They never are.
The Goys show a classic case of a human phenomenon known as disassociation, there are several manifested facets (observable symptoms, if you will) of disassociation but one of them is an absolute convicted belief that your perception of the events occurring is the only one, and the ‘right‘ one. You ascribe rules to the situation and cannot believe when those rules are broken. This isn’t ‘I can’t believe the Lions won that football game,’ it is a total denial and rejection of the facts at hand. Humans are very good at doing this and it is very bad for them.
The Goys are absolutely astounded that Spaide shot them, they don’t even stop verbally sparring with him once shot. The Goys disassociated with reality and came up with their own. In that place of make believe, Spaide would not shoot them. Even when Spaide started shooting at them, and then shot them, the Goys continued to ‘live’ by their established rules for this argument in which Spaide would not actually shoot them and they would ‘win’ because, “he’s a pussy.”
The Goys never got to the ‘Oh, F&#K!” moment of realization where this situation was in no way under their control, they never logically acknowledged that Spaide, the man with the gun that they are actively antagonizing, has just as much say in how this event goes as they do. And that man consciously chose to go away and bring backa gun… twice.
You all can recognize that moment. It was the first time you hit black ice or hydroplaned your car and the machine, the situation, which was utterly under your control up until that point is suddenly not. Or even more, you aren’t driving, someone else is and it is their control, or lack thereof, that is driving your chance of injury or death.
Now take that moment of panic and awareness of your lack of control and apply a motive. The “car,” a participant in the situation, now actively wants to hurt or kill you. Where before it was simply uncaringly dispassionate physics, now it wants to harm you. Terrifying? Absolutely, unless you’re disassociating from the situation and none of those things merit a spot in your brain because, in your mind, they simply can’t happen.
Your adversary has no obligation to reason. They do not have to think as you do. They do not have to lose. They get to define what winning is for them.
This tangents off the disassociation.
James Spaide “won” the argument. It was not a positive outcome. He is dead. The Goys are dead. Spaide left the Goy’s son a special needs orphan. Nothing good happened.
But James Spaide set the terms of “winning” as ‘kill the Goys,’ a couple who he had an ongoing hostile association with. It is no stretch to theorize that he considered them the antagonists, or villains to use the earlier term, even if the Goys thought similarly about Spaide in some way or form. Differing perspectives grants the opportunity for these scenarios under hostile conditions.
Handguns and Rifles…
This is perhaps the coldest lesson we can observe. The fact that multiple handgun rounds left two people wounded but semi-mobile. It is likely that shock contributed to their immobility as much as or more than the injuries they had sustained. Handgun wounds have a low fatality percentage for several reasons. The Goys used their limited but available mobility and cognizance to continue the fight, not in a way geared toward their survival… but in one that was continuing the argument as if it were still only a verbal brawl.
A rifle at close range is a different story. This is the cold calculus of physics. When Spaide returned with the long gun the results were final, despite being at a similar range to the handgun.
If someone threatens violence, with ability and opportunity, believe them and act accordingly for your survival.
Lisa Goy can be heard telling James Spaide to, “go ahead” after he returned to the confrontation with a handgun.
This is not telling the drunk guy at the bar who threatened to kick you ass, but can barely stand, to go shove it, this is someone motivated enough in this confrontation to leave it and return with the direct means to end your existence. That should be and needs to be a threat you appreciate, you cannot afford to be wrong. We risk our lives every single day and tomorrow is never guaranteed to us, but we usually work to scale those risks to manageable levels, not escalate an avoidable one to deadly.
The Goys orphaned their son with special needs. Yes, Spaide pulled the trigger, committed the murders, but Lisa Goy can be heard giving him the literal ‘go ahead’ and is then shocked when he does so, as is James Goy.
As a fan of Gun Youtube, I subscribe to lots of good channels, including one of my favorites, Active Self-Protection. ASP, for short, did a video on a shotgun drill called the Shotgun Casino Drill, and immediately I knew I had to try it. I love shotguns and find that shotgun drills are somewhat rare, especially drills that require more than five rounds. As I typed this, I’m one bottle of water away from running the drill six times total, so my thoughts are fresh.
Breaking Down the Shotgun Casino Drill
The drill requires a shotgun, ten rounds of ammunition, four targets, a means to carry spare ammo, and 5 yards of range. The gun should be loaded with four rounds, three in the tube, one in the chamber. Spare ammo should be on hand to reload as necessary.
The drill is very simple. One round is fired into target one, two rounds into target two, three rounds into target three, and four for four. With a gun loaded with only four rounds, you’ll be forced to reload along the way. You have to complete the drill in 30 seconds.
You can load whenever you want during the drill and are not forced into any boxes regarding reloading.
Running The Shotgun Casino Drill
Wooo, this was a fun one. I ran the Shotgun Casino drill with a Mossberg 590A1 outfitted with a Tactaload Stock and my home brewed shotgun battle belt. In the video, they allowed the pump gun to run fully loaded. That seemed too easy, so I ran three in the tube and one in the chamber. The Tactaload stock held five additional rounds, and my belt held more than enough. I used full powered 00 buckshot instead of birdshot for a more realistic recoil experience.
The par time of 30 seconds sounds generous until you run the drill a few times. You have four in the gun and have to reload six rounds in some way or another. Reloading is the trickiest part, and here is a protip, trim your thumbnail before you do this drill.
Reloading the shotgun is always challenging, and you can have a lot of leeway to load the way you see fit. You could load the gun fully before firing the first shot, reload when necessary, or however else you see fit.
I ran the Shotgun Casino drill five times with the Mossberg and tried various reloading strategies and techniques. This includes mag tube reloads only and a combination of port and tube reloads. I also practiced using the belt versus the Tactaload and vice versa.
For my fastest run, I took out the 1st and 2nd target, fired one round into target three, and reloaded all five rounds from the Tactaload stock. I fired the final two rounds into the third target and transitioned to the 4th target. At the 4th target, I fired my remaining three rounds into the target and port loaded the final round to finish the drill. This run gave a final time of 22 seconds.
The Semi-Auto Option
I ran one round of the Shotgun Casino Drill with my Benelli M4. The gun has three in the tube, one in the chamber and four in the side-saddle, and my belt held the two rounds I needed to finish the drill. I ran it once with the semi-auto after five pump action runs. Predictably the semi-auto was much easier to run, and I scored a 20.52 time with the M4 on my first try.
What I learned
I didn’t necessarily have an epiphany, but the Shotgun Casino drill reinforced all the shotgun basics. Reloading is best done smoothly rather than rapidly. When I took just half a second to think about my actions, I ended up being much faster. When I went nuts trying to scramble for rounds, I messed up my reloads. Also, recoil control is critical, and when speed was on the line, I felt my technique slipping under pressure. A few times, I let my push/pull technique slip, and I felt the full-powered recoil, and it threw me off.
That meant seconds were added to my run that could’ve been cut if I didn’t drop my technique. The Shotgun Casino Drill identified weaknesses I have in my training and habits and showed me where I needed to improve. That’s where the real benefit of drills is the ability to identify weaknesses.
If you’re a shotgun enthusiast, then the Shotgun Casino Drill is something you should most certainly pursue. If all you have on hand is birdshot, the drill is still valuable and allows you to work out your weaknesses. I’m going to commit to this drill a lot more often, even with dummy rounds and dry fire.
My goal is to get it down to 18 seconds with a pump gun and 15 with a semi-auto. For now, I’m going to scrape skin, bust knuckles, and work to get faster at my shotgun reloads, along with some perfect technique dry fire. The Shotgun Casino Drill is now one of my favorite drills, and it’s going to push my shotgun skills further.
If you are accustomed to carrying firearms, this can be scary. Every state has different laws, and you can’t stay current on all of them. I’ll discuss how to travel with your firearms safely and legally.
Introduction
Nothing here is meant as legal advice. This is simply a collection of information available at the time of this writing and is always subject to change.
Interstate transport of firearms in the US is not heavily regulated, and there are protections in place for legal owners to move their weapons across state lines for legal purposes.
The inadequately respected 2nd Amendment is the foundation of your right to travel with firearms. More clearly, 18 U.S. Code § 926A: ‘Interstate transportation of firearms’ protects someone passing through even states which would not otherwise allow you to possess them, so long as your possession is legal in your destination. (Some states like New Jersey are extremely strict even about meal stops so it is best to plan no stops there at all.)
Concealed Carry Reciprocity
If you plan on traveling with handguns, your concealed carry permit can simplify things. Even if your home state allows permitless carry, it can be useful to have one when in states that reciprocate.
A handgun can remain loaded while carried in those states. Otherwise, its ammunition must be packed separately.
Check out state to state reciprocity maps like these that will give you the current run down on carrying in other states, what protections you have and what precautions to take.
Avoid Trouble On the Road
Familiarize yourself with state and local laws where you will be traveling and for your destination. Once you have completed your trip, these are the regulations that you must abide by.
When transporting a firearm (except when carrying legally concealed under state law), it should be unloaded and locked in a case, and as inaccessible to the driver or passengers as possible. If you carry ammunition, it must be in a separate locked compartment. Even a portable gun safe doesn’t allow you to keep the firearm and the weapon together.
The more layers of distance these are from you, the better. In the trunk (or a locked box in a pickup bed) is ideal; in the interior cargo area of an SUV or an open bed pickup is acceptable.
If you can make the trip without ammunition and it can be simpler just to buy it when you arrive. Ammunition, like guns, isn’t allowed in carry-on luggage on commercial aircraft (it must be checked in a locked container separate from the firearm[s]).
For me, a locked ammo can with ammunition and my normal firearm case, also locked, work well.
The important takeaway is that the ammo and the firearm must be separated, and in general both should be inaccessible.
Different Stroke for Different States
Some localities carry special restrictions. For more on this, the NRA website on state gun laws has up to date information. Here are some gems:
Hawaii requires all firearms entering the state to be registered
New Jersey has very strict rules for firearm transport; avoid that state if possible.
New York state permits are void in New York City; be very cautious.
Each state has its own regulations about where you may or may not carry, how firearms must be secured in a vehicle, and whether you are required to notify officers during a routine traffic stop that you are carrying a weapon.
Study other states’ laws carefully before traveling, just as you studied your own state’s to obtain your permit. Your state’s rules don’t apply once you leave it.
Firearms on Planes
Travelling with firearms by air may seem intimidating, but it is actually pretty straightforward.
Ensure that it is unloaded. And check all your baggage for loose ammunition, as that is strictly prohibited.
The firearm must be locked in a hard case of some sort. I’m not talking about a TSA lock here, but a good secure lock, for which only you have the key or combination.
The firearm must be declared and checked in. That means, tell the person at the check-in counter that you are bringing a firearm (not “I’ve got a gun!”) and where it is. Occasionally, TSA may pull you aside and ask you to open the case so they can verify the contents. Comply happily, but be sure to lock the case and your bag before you leave it. Obviously, plan to show up early.
Stay alert. Rarely, someone will come looking for you regarding your firearm(s), so listen for your name and keep your key with you at all times. If the bag requires another inspection, and they can’t find you, it doesn’t fly.
Double check your airline’s specific regulations before you fly. Rules can change.
In Conclusion
It’s good practice when making travel plans to check what rules may have changed on your route and means of travel. There are some very good websites that will tell you more: TSA’s is here, USCCA’s is here, NRA’s is here. Fore example, the USCCA site makes recommendations for a number of documents to bring along. When in doubt though, contact a lawyer and/or law enforcement agency in the locality in question for specific information.
There are far too many details about traveling with firearms to cover in one article, but these are the basics of how to proceed safely and legally.
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—Richard Douglas founded Scopes Field, reviewing different scopes and guns on the market. He’s a strong 2nd Amendment advocate and believes in science-backed gun solutions to our nation’s biggest problems.
Grey Man Tactical is a little America owned company creating new ways to organize your gear. The MOLLE world has enveloped us to an extreme degree. It’s an industry-standard yet to be unthroned. Most tactical gear, be it a holster or a medical pouch, is likely outfitted with MOLLE straps. Grey Man Tactical produces Rigid MOLLE Panels that are designed to organize your hard case, your pack, your gun safe, or even the back of your car seat.
The Rigid MOLLE Panels are made from a strong polymer material that has little give to it. They come in a vast multitude of sizes. They can be near the size of a door to a tiny dimension for the front panel of your backpack. The panels are outfitted with a MOLLE ladder system for easy gear attachment. The sides are adorned with slots for both rope and straps of all types.
Grey Man Tactical sent me two panels, both aimed at fitting in your average everyday backpack. One is designed for the main pouch, and one is designed for the front pocket of a pack. The wide variety of sizes produced is genuinely outstanding. Grey Man offers sizes to fit all manner of backpacks.
Packing with a Rigid MOLLE Panel
It’s easy to see where the appeal of these panels would sit with most people. You can strap tons of your traditional tactical gear to one and have easy access to it on the fly. If I was a cop I’d pack it a particular way. I’d want to use the panel to attach extra cuffs, mags, a gas mask, extra gloves, an IFAK, etc. Heck, you can break down an AR 15 kit to it should you desire. That’s a great way to use these panels, and for people in those professions, these panels make a ton of sense.
However, that’s not where the benefit of these panels stop. I went from being a Marine into numerous normal professions and took some tactical gear with me. My occupations included repo work, forestry, and more, I’ve found lots of ways to incorporate tactical gear into multiple occupations. I don’t mean as a dude wearing a plate carrier for no reason, but adapting tactical gear to make my regular jobs and even recreational activities a little easier.
These panels would be perfect for someone who needs access to tools quickly. Like when running a tow truck. One of these panels would act as an easy and rapid access tool panel when equipped with the right pouches. Are you a wildland firefighter? Well, strap one of these into your fire bag, and you’ll never lose your radio, flashlight, multitool, gloves, eye pro, and beyond.
As someone who likes an adventure, I’ve incorporated these two panels into my pack to keep it well organized and to keep my must-haves easily accessible.
Adventuring with the Rigid MOLLE Panels
My last adventure was a combination of a 7-mile hike and bike ride through a state park to a beautifully preserved Civil War fort. We had plenty of stops along the way to see beaches, ponds, and the other fun stuff Florida can offer. Knowing it would take all day to finish I packed for a day.
I used the panels to organize my pack for adventuring and all types of trips. The idea was a well-organized amount of gear that is easy and quick to access. I have a good idea on what I need for a day of adventuring and packed as such.
I used a moderate-sized Blue Force Gear backpack and loaded it down with all the must-haves. On my small Rigid MOLLE Panel, I attached a first aid kit, a flashlight, a Leatherman multitool, a SOG Baton, a small spare flashlight, 25 feet of paracord, two carabiners, and a Thyrm lighter.
The full-sized panel saw a pouch stuffed with Ibuprofen, snacks, a compass, disposable ponchos, band-aids, a survival blanket, caffeine pills, wet wipes, and a cell phone charger. I also attached a poncho liner for those cold times, a flask of water, and an external battery. If you flip that main panel over, you’ll find a Gerber fixed blade knife, a pair of gloves, and a carabiner.
All this stuff is must-have for my southeastern United States adventures. I might add a couple of pairs of socks, but that’s it. If you own multiple panels, you could load them for different tasks and instantly pack a bag for a different purpose. I can have my bug out gear on one panel and my adventure gear on another. Swap ‘em out, and I’m on the road.
Suit Up
The Rigid MOLLE Panel is an awesome organizational tool. They make packing easy and quick. You can use them for near anything, from recreational gear, tactical gear, medical gear, and beyond. Hell, camera nerds have tons of gear they could use this panel with. The Grey Man Tactical Rigid MOLLE Panels will set you up for success. They give you a nice organized pack that makes everything rapid and easy to access. Check them out here.
Let us dig into the tales, once again, of the skilled user scale. It is a perpetual battle we are waging but I am slowly seeing the gains take hold in the critical spaces they need to, the hearts and minds of service members, police officers, and veterans. But if you are not one of those categories this knowledge benefits you as well. It lets you take the advice of someone using their overarching job title of ‘cop,’ or ‘soldier,’ or yes even ‘Marine’ to project an expertise they do not possess.
These are the “Qualified” Novices.
These are the people who have completed a program of study designed to be a minimum acceptable standard, and in some cases were handed a badge that stated boldly and artistically “Expert” upon it.
So it isn’t always the Novice’s fault, they were told they were an expert but people they trust know these things. In many instances these people will be pulled to teach as ‘Experts’ by their leadership who won’t take the effort to find actual experts and are simply looking to repeat the bare standards through copy paste, not promote true competence. This ignores so many facets of the teaching process and has set up soldiers, sailors, airmen, and yes even Marines, for failure.
The saving grace for the Marines is that their ‘Novice’ standards are actually fairly thorough and the force takes pride in it, I haven’t observed that ethos from any other branch. While the Army pretends to, their actions often produce the opposite effect and soldiers grow disinterested as their leadership says one thing and proves another by short stacking them and compounding failure upon failure into just another check in the box. The stories I hear out of Navy and Airforce circles show even less emphasis on proficiency within the service and that is only disrupted when a leader places atypical emphasis on the topic. I don’t know enough about Space Force phaser quals yet to comment.
Last year, while helping Guard members train, I had never seen soldiers that engaged in the process for my entire 3 years in the Guard. I know the apotheotic attitude is pervasive and deep seated, I talk with people who are trying to change it.
There is Nothing Wrong with being a Novice
Shooting skills are a developed discipline, there are no shortcuts. Does talent play a factor? Yes. Does having good eyes and a healthy constitution help? Absolutely. Can technology make it easier? Definitely. But none of these things substitute for 1,000 good repetitions of the shot process with live rounds on a target.
Nothing helps you get better at calling a shot in the wind like doing it. Nothing substitutes for refining you zero at distance like doing it. Nothing helps you bust your own misconceptions and bad habits like ironing them out during live fire.
Nothing helps you hit the target better than repeatedly hitting the target, and understanding how you did that.
Quality time at 25m
While 50 or 100 gives you more flexibility, 25m of distance can be used very effectively. For handgun skills, 3m, 5m, 7m, 10m, all very useful for pushing to 25m, 50m, and 100m. 25m can be used to push for 300m and beyond when done correctly with rifles. Don’t let a lack of ‘range’ on your range keep you from practicing, scale your practice.
It’s that ‘correctly’ that is continuing to trip up units and hamper troops, especially newer ones who were pushed through abbreviated programs where they learned effectively nothing. You have troops sitting there with middle and senior leaders saying “You’re qualified,” and many of them thinking “The f*ck I am!?” and having it compounded into them that novices are experts, and if they question it they are told to shut up and “figure it out.”
Less ‘Figure it out’ and more time actually figuring it out. On the range. With live rounds.
With a selection of very simple drills and no more than 25 meters of distance people can be brought from novice to competency. We can have people stop looking at their carbines and sidearms like strange barely recognized machines and more like the reliable tool that they are. We can make it so that it doesn’t matter if the Guard, or Marines, or Reserves are standing around without a magazine in their rifle looking a bit ridiculous because the people holding them can make them ready on demand, they are competent. [That isn’t to say a Con3 or Con1 weapon wouldn’t be faster, they would, but it would still be a significant force improvement]
Clint Smith put it most succinctly in my opinion. “Everyone needs to know these things on an AR-15, how to load it, unload it, fix it, zero it, and hit a pie plate at 25 yards.”-paraphrased. That’s it, that is 90% of the win right there, everything else can be built on that foundation. Long distance shooting, CQB, unconventional positions, offhand shooting, offside shooting, barrier work, working around vehicles, it all comes back to rest on the basics that we are failing to cement.
Not just have trainees complete these things and check the box, have them know them. These are the tasks you can practice with that short range, these are the things people who rely on these tools need to know. They need to be able to perform on demand. And these are where we are failing in our emphasis in these training programs, pumping out “qualified” novices instead of competent shooters. This failure is from leadership, letting things slide and turn into checks in boxes instead of life saving skills.
We can do better. We know how. Now we focus on doing it.
