The Cornered Cat
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Home invasion
November 9, 2012

…ing that the family called the cops, and both attackers leave in a hurry. End of story. Assuming the news account is substantially correct (sometimes they are not), there are several lessons we can learn from this story. 1 – Guns save lives. The presence of the gun inside the home undoubtedly saved this family a lot of grief and heartbreak. 2 – Guns don’t save lives by themselves. When violence strikes, a determined person must act quickly and… Continue reading →

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Big
November 23, 2012

Let’s start this blog post with a definition. Here is what I mean when I say a handgun is “too big” for someone’s hands. 1) If you cannot reliably reach all of the gun’s controls or make them work for you in an efficient way. 2) If you cannot flick the safety off with your dominant thumb, without shifting away from a good firing grip while you do it. 3) If you cannot keep the correct part of your finger on the trigger with the gun’s backstrap… Continue reading →

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Building Good Habits
December 31, 2012

…e several, separate safety lapses that led to his injury. The non-existent chamber check simply completed the cycle of bad safety behavior. Let’s start off with a refresher on the Four Universal Rules of firearms safety: All guns are ALWAYS loaded. (Treat them so!) Do not point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot). Be sure of… Continue reading →

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Recurring Questions
January 1, 2000

…yourself.) Do obsessively follow every safety rule you know, every time you shoot or take the guns out of your safe. And do draw her attention to your safe gun-handling. Do not argue about whether or not you are going to own guns. Instead, focus on discussing how you can safely store the guns you are going to own. Do discuss with her what she should do if she ever comes across one of your firearms when you are not home. See the article titled… Continue reading →

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Context matters
November 3, 2012

…rving a warrant. But it does not work too well for John and Jane Doe in their everyday lives. Military resources: soldiers have instant communications between multiple units; armed buddies often within yelling distance; long guns and grenades and lots of other goodies; body armor that includes helmets and flak jackets; all firearms are carried openly and instantly accessible, including keeping long guns within arm’s reach at all times… Continue reading →

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What Gun for a Woman?
January 1, 2000

…What gun for someone who weighs less than __ pounds? Her overall size is mostly irrelevant in choosing a handgun. But short people often have small hands, and her hand size will matter greatly. See the articles titled, “Guns for Small Hands” and “Trying on a Handgun.” In choosing a long gun, look for shotguns and rifles with youth stocks. I’m 5’4″, and I prefer stocks with a pull length of around 13 inches…. Continue reading →

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What is a “Safe Direction”?
November 4, 2017

…nning to defend yourself inside your own home, where you have lots of time to think about the most likely ways for an assailant to enter, and consider your planned responses to each one? Planning to allow customers to handle guns inside your shop? Or planning to have students handle guns inside your classroom? Keyword: planning. You betcha it matters then. And there are no excuses for failing to use a reliably safe direction in such… Continue reading →

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All Hallow’s Eve
October 31, 2013

…d our garden hose had recently died. I chopped off two feet of hose per kid, then ran down to the dollar store and picked up two firefighter hats. Mission accomplished. Total cost per kid: $1. The year after that, one of the kids got into the Christmas decorations and pulled out a garland. And a string of battery-powered mini LED lights. You could almost see the wheels spinning: Hmmmm… what can I do with these? A short time later, he came… Continue reading →

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