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Showing posts with label Personal Safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Safety. Show all posts

Sunday, March 4, 2018

#NeverAgain - The Practical And Non-Emotional Version

For your Oscar Party chit-chat between commercials.....  Originally posted at the BoomerPreps Facebook page:

The rich, pompous, protected-by-armed-guards Hollywood elites will flap their gums in mock righteous indignation at tonight's award ceremony (which I hope none of you are watching). Their rally cry will be #NeverAgain. Well, I've got some #NeverAgain items to add to your list that will actually stop or minimize the slaughter of our school children.

#NeverAgain will we be lulled into a feel-good false sense of security by putting up "Gun Free Zone" signs in an attempt to stop homicidal maniacs.

#NeverAgain will we put our trust in any bureaucracy to keep us safe. Background checks, visits by the police and tips to federal authorities all get overlooked, time and again. Our safety is our personal responsibility.

#NeverAgain will we make it legal for teachers, administrators or other school employees who have been properly trained and vetted, to be disarmed in the place where we most need them armed.

#NeverAgain will we allow the actions of a homicidal maniac to influence and restrict the access to firearms owned and used safely by millions and millions of law-abiding Americans.

#NeverAgain will we stand silent when the ACTIONS of an individual are ignored, and the blame is placed on the inanimate object he used for mass murder.

#NeverAgain will we allow Political Correctness and Social Engineering of school districts to prevent the arrest, suspension or expulsion of dangerous students from our schools. Your actions have consequences in the real world. Teach them that lesson while they're still young.

Share with your friends.

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Copyright 2018 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Another Gun Free Zone Slaughter - And THE Solution

Yet another Gun Free Zone got all shot to shit, with 17 dead.  Apparently, only the Gun Grabbers are surprised by this with their immediate calls that, "Something must be done!!!".

This problem - Gun Free Zones becoming Free Fire Zones - is not going to stop until we do two things - one short-term, and one long-term.  Oh, and the Gun Grabbers and their ilk will not agree with either one of these.

First, let's get some points of agreement:

1.  Any place in the world that does not have a physical deterrent to bad guys is considered a "soft target" and will always be their first choice of attack.  This is why churches, schools, markets/malls, theaters, etc., are nearly always the targets of the attackers.  Lots of people and little or no defense against an attack.

2.  We're into at least our second generation of kids who have not been taught how to deal with adversity.

3.  You will never, EVER be able to stop all mass killings.  I don't care how badly you want to wish it away, humans are violent, have always harmed each other, and will continue to do so.  What we can do - must do - is minimize the damage from each individual event.
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The liberal, Gun Grabber Fix is wholly useless.  Their demand that background checks be done, and High Capacity (actually, regular capacity) magazines and the guns to which they're attached be banned, are both useless as tits on a bull.

In virtually every mass shooting, the guns were either purchased legally, or were stolen.  Duh.

So, the ones that were purchased legally - so far, without exception, through gun dealers that administered background checks - does nothing.  (This is, once again, the case with the current shooter).  Either the person was normal at the time, or The System fucked up and, even though they had the information that the buyer was not eligible for a purchase, approved the buyer anyways.  Death by bureaucracy.

And it's already illegal to steal shit, so making another Feel-Good law ("At least we did SOMETHING!!") making it even MORE illegal to steal guns, is again, useless.

It's akin to issuing a protective order against someone.  To someone intent on doing harm, a restraining order is as effective in stopping them as the paper it's written on.

So let's just ban the Evil Black Guns all together, m'kay?  How has that worked in Mexico?  Hell, guns are basically illegal yet Mexico has dead, bullet-riddled bodies stacked like cord wood in the streets.

And making the government the sole holder of weapons has worked out perfectly every time it's been done.  Just ask the people from Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany and Pol Pot's Cambodia.

And do you really think that law abiding American's are going to give up their guns without a fight?  Seriously?  There's a meme out there along the lines of, "There are a trillion rounds of ammunition and 200 million guns in private hands in America.  If there was a gun problem, you'd know about it!"  Try to confiscate those guns, and you'd know about it in short order.
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So how 'bout we do something that is actually effective in stopping - or at least minimizing - the carnage wrought by people with evil intent?

Short-Term Fix:  Physically Harden Our Society

This includes physical barriers to limit access, and a greater ability of citizens to physically defend themselves and others.  We're actually seeing progress on both of these things slowly happening, but the pace needs to quicken.

Physical barriers - I think it's very important that these barriers not have the appearance of a prison.  We're seeing some larger cities install those posts along roads where pedestrians are present that will stop a car or truck from just mowing down people.  They also make them look like tree pots.

For things like schools, you MUST limit the entry/exit points.  If schools need money, it needs to go here, and not into the pockets of the liberal teacher's unions.

Each school should only have AT MOST 2 or 3 access points where you can actually come in contact with students and staff.  And (here's the kicker) each of those points needs to be manned by at least two armed individuals.

Notice I said "individuals" and not "police officers".  I guarantee you that if individuals with Concealed Carry Permits were offered the opportunity to spend a few hours a day, one or two days a week to stand guard at each of the access points, you'd have a waiting list a mile long.

Why at least two persons per access point?  Because, if like the shooter in Florida, the bad guy shoots someone before they enter the campus, the back-up can sound the alarm, and then return fire.

And it wouldn't cost the school a dime, other than the time it takes for scheduling.

Along those same lines, if a teacher or administrator has their permit, encourage them to carry as well.

What the above mentioned items also do is to help build a sense of community.  Neighbors looking out for each other.

Now, the liberal response will be, "All of those guns around those children will make them less safe!".

Bullshit.

Right now, if a teacher, administrator, janitor or whatever employee wanted to shoot up a school, they could do it.  Nothing could stop them from wholesale slaughter right now, this very second, in every school in America.

Except another teacher with a gun.

In conjunction with this normalized gun policy, we absolutely MUST exorcise this concept of Gun Free Zones from America.  It is simply the liberal mindset of a Utopian society.

If we put up signs, or disallow guns via legislation, guns will never be present.  Kumbaya, brother.

Good God, that hurts my head.  Sorry, cupcake, your world doesn't exist and it never will.  What is so horrific in your world view is that to be safe, everyone must first be assumed to be guilty - or at least pre-disposed - towards hurting others.  We're taking away your rights for the Greater Good.  So, like the late-great state of California ( and NY, CT, MA, IL, et al), you take away the ability of good, decent citizens to arm themselves, because The Nanny State thinks them all to be threats.

And this, despite all of the evidence to the contrary in Shall-Issue states.  America needs to wake the hell up.
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Buckle up, comrades.  If the short-term fix caused you emergency Safe Space occupancy, the long-term fix will bring on a full-force melt-down.


Long-Term Fix:  Mentally Harden Our Society

If I had to put a date on when the tipping point occurred, I'd say it was October 1, 1993.  That was the day when Polly Klaas was abducted.  This sweet 12 year old girl was taken from her mother's home and strangled to death.

It scared the hell out of America.  The thought that Small Town America could have strangers entering homes and killing children spread panic throughout America.

The response was to smother your kids with protection and to micro-manage their lives ("helicopter moms").  This full-control ideology seamlessly flowed into the schools of America where, again, everything is managed for you.  If there's a bully, or if someone says or does something you don't like, it is actually against the rules to fix it yourself - you MUST have the (State) school do it for you.

The result has been kids growing up without the ability to solve problems on their own.  The message drilled into our children's heads is, "The State will take care of you."

I remember when my boys were in grammar school in the late 1990's, and they came home with a paper saying that if they were physically attacked at school - and subsequently defended themselves - both the aggressor and my child would be suspended.  The only acceptable response was for my child to turn tail, and find a teacher.

I damned near lost my mind.  I had a talk with them that was clear as rain:  If someone physically hurts you, you WILL defend yourself until they stop.  I told them that they would NEVER be punished by me or my wife for defending themselves.  Never.  I told them that I would take any heat that was dealt out by school officials, and if they were in fact suspended, I'd take the time off work and spend it with them.

(I also made it painfully clear that if they started the aggression, there would be hell to pay.  They believed me).

Around this same time is when the Participation Trophy came to prominence.  It didn't matter what activity mom signed you up for, even if you sucked at it, you got a pat on the head.  Performance was irrelevant.  Reward without effort.

The result of that is kids who expect to get recognition and recompense regardless of their actions or efforts.

Combine those two, and we now have a generation-and-a-half of humans who have been trained to never deal with adversity, and who expect a positive outcome for everything they do (or don't do).  Like a small child, they have been trained that if they throw a hissy fit, they will get attention and what they want.

So, if I've been trained that the State is going to take care of all of my needs, and then the State does something I don't like, what's the outcome going to be?

If I don't have any coping skills, and I'm now not getting the positive outcome I want, well, I'm gonna explode.  I'm gonna throw a tantrum.  If society is lucky, it will just be someone who has a meltdown in a mall, and they just get escorted away and a new prescription for happy drugs.  On the other end of the spectrum, we get a school, church, business or large gathering place all shot to hell, and people die.

Our Cupcake Du Jour - Nikolas Cruz - falls in the latter category.  He was expelled from the school he shot up, his parents recently died, and supposedly, there's a girl who scorned him.

In his eyes, society has shit in his Coco Puffs, and he's going to show them all who's boss the only way he knows how.

The fix for this is both simple and impossible:  We must allow and encourage our children to fix their own problems.  At home, at school, and eventually, at work.

It's never going to happen, though.  Why?  Because that means giving up control in the schools, and centralized control is the core of socialist ideology.  The socialist teachers and administrators will never just teach kids reading, and history, and math.  They see it as their obligation - their mission - to also show them their world view that obedience to authority is paramount.  Without solidarity there can be no society.  None of this individualism, personal excellence or grabbing for the brass ring nonsense.  Those are the ideas of the evil capitalists.

You must work for, and be subservient to the Greater Good.  We Are Borg.  If some kids get killed, or a theater or church gets shot up, well, that's just collateral damage in furtherance of the final goal.
One death is a tragedy;  one million is a statistic.
Joseph Stalin
You're nothing but cannon fodder for the socialists.  But they have the propaganda game down pat.

Hey, we'll fix your interpersonal problems.  We'll feed you.  We'll give you happy drugs.  We'll house and clothe you.  We'll give you some walking around money.  But we demand unwavering obedience.

If you take away the school's ability to make the child's life easier - by fixing their problems and filling their bellies - you take away their power to persuade.

So this is going to have to fall on the shoulders of the parents.  I am not optimistic.

The first batch of kids that were indoctrinated with this statist mentality are now parents.  Most don't know any better than to do the same with their kids.

Some are, gratefully, turning to home schooling.  It's a tough road to hoe, but many are doing it.  Not only are you paying the taxes for the drones in public school, but you've got to pay for the text books and study guides to teach your kid, plus give up a source of income of the parent who stays home to teach their child.

God Bless every home that is trying to get out of the grip of the State.  It's a horrible place to be.
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So, we're down to only implementing the short-term solution, and even that will be an uphill battle.  The money might be appropriated to reconfigure the schools to limit physical access, but there won't be wide-spread acceptance of armed citizens in schools.
We don't let them have ideas.  Why would we let them have guns?
Joseph Stalin
Disarmament is an important secondary goal of all good socialists.  If The Deplorables don't have guns, they can't resist when things get really sporty.  They sure as hell can't let some uncouth Red Neck look good saving kids in a school.  It goes counter to the propaganda that All Guns Are Evil.

The Central Committee says, "Nyet.  Not gonna happen."

Sleep tight, America, and say a prayer for the next batch of kids that will be shot up at another school in this land.  It's a foregone conclusion.


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Copyright 2018 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Wake Up - Charlottesville Is Just The Latest In A Long String

Gawd, I didn't want to do this post.

The whole Charlottesville deal.  In short, WHAT THE HELL?!

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this thing, let's refresh our collective understanding of American speech and actions:

First:  There IS NO SUCH THING AS ILLEGAL HATE SPEECH in America.  The first amendment and a shit-ton of court cases say so.  You can be a loud-and-proud racist - like the KKK or The New Black Panthers - and no one can stop you from spreading your hatred.  You have two options when you hear speech with which you disagree:  You can leave and not listen to it, or you can protest the speaker by NON-VIOLENT MEANS.

Second:  Simply because you call someone a fascist, a racist, a misogynist, or a homophobe, DOES NOT MAKE IT SO.  That being said, even if the person you're labeling IS one of those things, tough shit.  They still have the right to say what they want, regardless of how hateful, painful, "unsafe" or just plain mean YOU think their speech is.

Third:  In broad terms, the only type of speech that is illegal is that which IMMEDIATELY incites violence against others ("Let's go beat that skinhead!"), places others in IMMEDIATE DANGER (yelling "Fire!!" in a movie theater), or slanderous speech which is directed towards an individual or group and which negatively impacts the reputation of the individual or group.
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OK, I'm watching the whole thing unfold at my store on Saturday morning, Pacific time.  I'm thinking, "Where are the cops?"  There are people from both sides attacking each other with sticks, fists, newspaper machines, pepper spray and the like.  "Where the FUCK are the cops?"

Then, things turn for the worse.  Some Nazi-fuck runs down a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a lady and injuring around 20.  Cowardly, fucked up shit.

The president makes this statement about the violence:
“I think there is blame on both sides. And I have no doubt about it, and you don’t have any doubt about it either,” Trump told the media. “And if you reported it accurately, you would say it.”
Let the reaming begin!

Trump DARED to not blame the violent situation solely on the right-wing protesters.  He correctly placed blame and condemnation on ALL who participated in the violence.

The result was sickeningly predictable.  RINOs caved and chastised the president.  The left did what the left always does - claim victimhood and blame the president.  And the press, well, they soiled their shorts like they haven't soiled them in a very long time.

The four-hour Viagra time limit has clearly been exceeded.

It has been non-stop hyperventilation  about how we fought the Nazi's and what they stood for.  The maddening irony is that all of these supposed anti-fascist groups and media are actually practicing exactly what we fought against in World War II:  Shut down and silence the opposition through violence.

RINO-In-Chief, John McCain media-ass-kissingly heroically said there is no moral equivalence between Nazis and the myriad of left-wing groups.

The media soiled themselves again.  Kleenex, to the publisher's office, stat!

Trump, NOT ONCE, said the BELIEFS OR WORDS of any of the groups were morally equivalent (although I would challenge that when discussing the antifa and black nationalist groups).

The moral equivalence is not about what the various groups stand for, it's how they BOTH VIOLENTLY ATTACKED THEIR OPPOSITION.

It was Classic Alinsky - "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog.

Wait, what's this?  The bastion of liberal, alt-left-think, The Los Angeles Times - to their credit - ran an article where basically both sides in the Charlottesville cluster-fuck proudly stated that they and their groups, started the violence.  Seriously, both sides took credit!

Well slap my ass, and paint me a pinko!  Isn't that what Trump said?

Don't matter.  Queue crickets chirping.

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OK kids, buckle up as we enter the Way-Back-In-Time Capsule, and let's visit Dallas, Texas in July of 2016 - one whole, long year ago - practically ancient history:
In July of 2016, an avowed black nationalist murdered five police officers during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Dallas, Texas. The act of violence was well-planned and was motivated entirely by the hate-filled ideology of the shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson. 
With several officers dead by the hand of a committed black nationalist, one might think the Obama administration may have considered the assassinations domestic terror and launched an investigation into groups associated with this ideology. 
Not at all. 
Barack Obama condemned the shootings, but he did not call out or even allude to Johnson’s hateful views. He did, however, blame “powerful weapons” for the violence. 
In her statement on the shooting, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch exploited the tragedy to push for gun control and praise the cause of Black Lives Matter. No mention of Johnson’s ideology or “hate” was made in her statement, but she did manage to directly name multiple cases of police-involved shootings — all after cops were the ones murdered.
Ah,  the old switcheroo!  "Wardrobe!  Bring in the Strawman!"

Don't blame the individual, blame the inanimate object.  That would be like Trump blaming the murder of the woman in Charlottesville on the car.

Trump would then have AG Sessions march out and chastise car makers for the death and destruction they've brought upon our fair land, then defend the Nazis for their good works and blaming the Jews for "being in the wrong place at the wrong time".

Except none of that happened.  Trump gets hammered and Obama gets his belly rubbed and told what a great guy he is.
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The real world:

This shit is getting real.  We are seeing with disturbing regularity where police departments are ordered to stand-down when leftists riot and/or initiate violence.

Democrat-controlled cities will provide you no safe harbor.  You will not be allowed to speak of ideas and policies which are in opposition to the controlling narrative of the left.

The police in these cities have, uniformly, been instructed to "stand down", and they've followed those orders.  WITHOUT EXCEPTION, cities which have had left-wing violence directed towards right-wing speech - and where the police stood by with their hands in the tactical vest pockets - have been cities controlled by Democrats:  Berkeley (more times than I can count), Baltimore, San Jose, Ferguson, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Oakland, Washington DC, Portland, Sacramento,  and, oh yeah, Charlottesville.

Here's the thing:  I'm not suggesting you don't go to any damned rally or convention, or hear any speaker you want.  Not even close.

I'm just saying that you need to expect unchecked violence if the city in which you are attending the event is a Democrat-controlled city.

As a personal suggestion, get your CCW license if your state requires one to carry a gun, and get to the range on a regular basis.  It is a horrible thing to think of having to defend your life for expressing your political beliefs, but that's where we are.

Or don't, and get your head caved in by a bike lock being wielded like a mace, or baseball bat using your head for T-ball practice.  Your choice.

It would be more horrible to see our right of free speech and assembly violently taken away by these leftist fascists.

Hide your head in the sand, click your heels and wish it all away.  Pretend it's just a phase our country is going through, and "this too, shall pass".

Or do something, and prepare.

Here in Nevada, there's a whole lot of physical red state between me and Clark County (Las Vegas), and a decent amount between me and Washoe County (Reno).  On the down-side, those two counties account for 87% of the population of the state.  Clark County alone is around two-thirds of the state population.

Still, my wife will soon be picking up her CCW.  She regularly works in Carson City (the state capitol) and that's prime protest turf for the leftists.
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As an aside, Reno in Washoe County is an interesting city.  Outside of the city proper, it's as red-state as you can get.  Seriously, it's surrounded on all sides by conservatives!  I've heard serious talk of partitioning the county just above Reno, and creating a separate, new county.  The folks that live in that area have absolutely nothing in common with the sanctuary city, leftist ideology of Reno.

Could be interesting.....

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Copyright 2017 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Getting Stressed Out On The Range

Last week, I had a wonderful lunch (wonderful because they're good folks, and the lunch was was on their dime!) with some friends in Reno.  Since I was up in that neck of the woods, I decided to hit one of the indoor pistol ranges.  It had been way too long since I'd done any sort of pistol training.

I brought 3 guns with me, a Glock 19, Glock 26 (my primary concealed carry gun) and a Smith & Wesson M+P Shield (my secondary concealed carry gun).

My regular routine is to run one magazine through them just to re-acquaint myself with the sights, then go into "stress mode" training.  More on this in a second.

Since it had been a while since I'd been to the range, I put two magazines through each pistol.  I did one at 7 yards and one at 10 yards.  Everything was in the bullseye or no further out than the 9-ring.

I'm all, "you a bad, bad man" thinking it had been so long since I was in the range, and I'm still tearing out the center of the target.

Well, that glow of self-congratulations didn't last long!

It's difficult - ok, impossible - to replicate the stress one would be under if you were using a weapon in self-defense.  The best you can do in an indoor range where you can't move around (because of the other shooters) is to add some timed "games" to your practice routine.

One I was using goes like this:  You set a timer on your phone for 5 seconds.  Your 2 x 3 foot target has 4 of the 6 inch "Shoot-N-C" targets - one placed in each of the 4 corners of the larger paper target.  If you're not familiar with these targets, they have a black background that shows your hits instantaneously.  As an example, here's one of their 12 inch targets I used to zero a rifle.


When the bullet tears through the target, it instantly leaves a yellow ring so you can see where you hit.

I load my magazine with 6 rounds.  I number the targets 1 through 4, starting with the upper left hand target, and going clockwise.

First time through, I've got the gun in my right hand pointed down range, I hit the "go" button on my phone with the left hand, and shoot all 4 targets in numerical order within the 5 seconds.  If I miss a target (no yellow ring), I must fire again, hitting the target before moving on to the next - and knowing in my mind I only have 2 extra shots.

Why do this - limiting myself to only two extra shots?  Getting in the habit of "spraying bullets" doesn't stop bad guys, and puts any potential bystanders at risk.  I want fast, accurate shots.

After successfully doing the shots in 5 seconds, I drop it to 4 seconds, then to 3 seconds.

I'll then mix up the order:  I'll do a "Z formation" - 1,2,4,3.  Then a reverse Z - 3,4,2,1.  Then an "X", then a reverse X - you get it.

OK, so I start off with my Glock 26, and get through the drills in fine fashion.  Yeah, baby... bad, bad man....

Next up is the Smith and Wesson.

"Humility has just entered the building!"

I take the first shot at target 1 and miss entirely.  WTF?  I take the second shot and hit low-left on the target.  I move to target 2, same thing, miss then low left.  Buzzer goes off.

WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!?!?

I do the drill again, with virtually the same results.  It must be the gun, right?  Did I drop it, and mess with the sights?  No, no dropped gun.  Barrel must be dirty.

I bring in the target, and put on one of the 12 inch Shoot-N-C targets.  I load the magazine with 5 rounds, and shoot them all in rapid fire fashion.

All 5 are down at the 7 o'clock position - lower left side of the target.  And then it dawns on me:  I'm over-squeezing the  grips when I'm shooting under stress.

To see this for yourself, grab an empty pistol, or anything that is gun shaped, hold it out in front of you, and squeeze your grip.  You'll see the muzzle pull down and to the left.

Wait, wait, wait!  Pump them brakes there, cupcake!  How come this didn't happen with the Glock?

Hmmm, good question.

Well, it's all about the grip... and lack of practice.

First off, here are the two guns in question - Smith and Wesson on the left, Glock 26 on the right.



Size and weight wise, they're just about the same.  It's the differences that count.

The Smith uses a single stack magazine.  Each cartridge sits right on top of the one below it.  This gives you fewer rounds per vertical inch (which is a negative), but also gives you thinner grips (which is good or bad, depending on your hand size).

The Glock uses a double stack magazine.  Each cartridge is slightly offset from the one below it.  This gives you more rounds per vertical inch (good), but fatter grips (same good or bad as above).

The Smith can carry 8 rounds in the magazine (or 7 if you use the standard magazine) and the Glock holds 10.

Here's what they look like side by side - Smith on left, Glock on right -


It doesn't look like much of a difference, but in the hand, it's very noticeable.

There's a BIG difference how the grips fit in my hand.  First is the Smith -


And the Glock -



Notice that the back of the Smith grip nearly fills my entire palm, and the Glock stops at my "life line" (interesting.....).  At the front of the grips, my fingers fit well with both guns (it looks like my pinky is off of the Glock, but it is being held by the grip extension).

At this point, it seems as though the Smith should be giving me better control than the Glock, but the exact opposite is what's happening in the real world.

I think these pictures explain it.  Natural placement of my trigger finger on the trigger.  You want the center of the pad at the tip of the finger to be centered on the trigger.  First the Smith -



And the Glock -



First, compare the angle of the middle knuckle on each hand.  The Smith has a sharper angle - more distance between the inner finger surface and the side of the pistol - than the flatter angle of the Glock.

Then notice the angle of the knuckle at the end of the trigger finger.  The Smith is bent inwards, where with the Glock, the finger tip is flat.

So, aside from the better "fit and finish" of the Glock to my hand, I train like crazy with the Glock.  As this "stress test" showed, I must have NEVER done any rapid shooting with the Smith.  Just lobbing slow and easy shots down range.

This seriously pisses me off at myself.  I have been semi-regularly concealed carrying the Smith for the past few months ASSUMING I was proficient and accurate with it.  We all know about assumptions...

Accept The Challenge

Get thee to the range, and do some stressed out shooting.  The drills above are even better if you do them with a buddy where he/she randomly calls out the numbers rapidly after each shot.  You're getting both the stress of timed shooting AND competition with another person ('cause you KNOW you want to win!).

Obviously, you can do even more life-like exercises if you're at a range that allows holster draws (most indoor ranges frown on such things), or if you go out into public lands and set up IDPA-like drills.

More practice is more better!
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Oh, and keep the targets small - no larger than 6 inches for pistols.  And keep the distances similar to "gun fight" distances - no more than 10 yards or so.

Lastly, if you're setting up a scenario, be sure that as you're moving from shot to shot, try and incorporate moving away from your targets, not towards them.  If you're getting closer to the bad guys, you're making yourself easier to hit.  No bueno.

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Copyright 2017 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Monday, January 30, 2017

Banning ALL Muslims? Hmmm....

I had hoped to post an article on the trials and tribulations of our first homestead winter with frozen ground, frozen pipes, my frozen ass and other new experiences of living in 4-season land.  Instead, I'll regale you with cutting edge journalistic inquiry on the current, "All Muslims Are Banned" hyperventilation epidemic being experienced by our domestic snowflakes.



This near-impossible-to-locate data took a mind numbing tool bag of investigative techniques to unearth.

I Googled it, and it took (literally) 22 minutes to compile.  Apparently, The Old Gray Lady was taking a nap, so I jumped in to help the elderly.

So, the Snowflake meme on this is that the evil (Not My) President Trump is banning all Muslims from entering the country.   Ehhh, not so much.

Here comes that hard hitting investigative stuff, cupcake:

There are 1.703 BILLION Muslims in the world.  The seven countries involved with this TEMPORARY BAN, account for 205.3 MILLION of those Muslims (Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia).  If you'll note, the latter number is much, MUCH smaller than the former number.

In fact, it's equal to a little over 12% of all Muslims in the world.  Now, my dear cupcake, while you were in elementary school, I know your mom was doing your math homework for you so you could get your Participation Trophy, but seriously, even someone as indoctrinated in socialist ideology as you must know that twelve percent is not 100%.

For you Snowflakes that took advanced math, it's about 1/8th of the total.  That means that 7/8th aren't included.  It's A SMALL FRACTION of the total. Get it?

I didn't think so.

But wait, there's more!

The United States only has 3 countries on its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.  I know this is going to melt you down to a mushy little puddle, but all three of them are also on President Trump's list, too!  Shocking, right?!



Yeah, those wonderful, American lovin' folks from Iran, Sudan and Syria make the cut.

Hold on to your Depends for a second, 'cause I still had about 30 seconds left to find a Bad Guy list that the other 4 banned countries were on.  Damn if I didn't find it, too.

The State Department has a page that gives you lists of counties from around the world where you shouldn't go.  Unless you don't like your head attached to your body in its current configuration.

Its called the Alerts & Warnings list.  With the exception of one of the remaining 4 countries (Libya), all of these countries were already on the list BEFORE President Trump took office.

That Obama fella was such a hater, right?

Oh, and with regards to Libya (home to Benghazi and other shit holes), this was updated to reinforce to American citizens that are still there, TO GET THE HELL OUT.

Now, all of you liberals, socialists and Hollywood elites (redundant, I know...) must feel terrible that Mean Old Not My President Trump and his State Department cronies are hurting the tourist travel to these fine destinations.  Princess Cruise lines must be in a tizzy not being able to drop by Tripoli on their tour of the Mediterranean.  You know, their always-sold-out Rome to Tripoli to Benghazi loop?  Ah, the memories.....

Anyways, you can help these poor people.

Because of your principled stance on this injustice, you should use this list as a travel planning guide.  Yep, instead of going to the south of France, go to Mogadishu in southern Somalia.  Think of the good times you and the kids can have!



Look at that!  They even have a fireworks display!  Ahh, magical times for the whole family....

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Hey Snowflakes, wake the hell up.  Like it or not, there are people in all of those countries that would love to chop off your head, and spit down the hole.  The only thing that would be better for them, would be if they could do it in the mall where you get your lattes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all the fault of the US government.  Let's say you're right.  Trump just became our president a scant 10 days ago, so he didn't have anything to do with it.

All he's trying to do is make sure your morning caffeine fix isn't interrupted and you can scoot back to mom's basement, a flag burning rally, or your DNC meeting.

Try using some of those critical thinking skills you were supposed to be developing while in college.  You know,  stop gulping the drivel served up by the complicit media, and actually run a Google search for yourself.

Question everything - positive and negative - and you may see that, as in this case, slowing down the migration of folks with a high likelihood of ruining your day, isn't such a bad idea.


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Copyright 2017 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Time To Run And Hide and Confiscate

Seriously, sorry for the dearth of posts.  Explanation below.

First, though, I want to address the stupid bastards with regards to this morning's Muslim terrorist shooting in Orlando.

There will obviously be calls for weapons bans from The Usual Suspects, including the need for Common Sense Gun Controls like detailed background checks to protect us from all of the evil that is out there.

1.  Background checks WERE conducted on this guy.  In fact, he had the super-duper background check you need for a "G" class permit - the one that is required for private investigators, private security (you know, for the big-wigs who want to take your guns, but employ "hired guns" for themselves) and repossession folks.

In short, this bastard was thoroughly vetted, yet this still happened.  Why's that?  Because he was a crazy, Muslim fanatic that thinks gays should be wiped from the face of the earth.

GOING THROUGH A BACKGROUND CHECK ACCOMPLISHED EXACTLY NOTHING, other than keeping a civil servant employed by the licensing fees, and giving the soft-heads in our society the warm and fuzzy feeling that accompanies, "at least we did something".  These people make me want to puke.

2.  There will be calls for banning "Assault Weapons" and/or their ammo (why are they called "patrol rifles" when they are fully automatic and held in the hands of police officers?).

Exhibit 1:  Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris.  These guns are banned in France yet somehow the Muslim fanatics got their hands on them.

Exhibit 2:  Bataclan Theater massacre in Paris.  These guns are banned in France yet somehow the Muslim fanatics got their hands on them.

Exhibit 3:  Inland Regional Center massacre in San Bernardino.  These illegally altered, fully-automatic guns are banned in the US yet somehow the Muslim fanatics got their hands on them.

Do I need to continue or do you get the point?  I could add the daily news reports of Muslim suicide bombers blowing up scores of people around the world.  I haven't checked the facts, but I'd lay good money that every single one of those countries has laws against building bombs and blowing them up in public.

How's that working out?

Banning weapons and ammo only makes it easier for the bad guys to kill the good guys.  Period.

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So, how do we respond?

Get ready for the onslaught from the Liberal Media, and respond.  Respond forcefully, clear-eyed and often.  Use facts AND passion.

These bastards (the gun-grabbing, liberal politicians and their media Quislings) are going to do a full-court press with this one.  Guns and dead gays - this is going to be a field day for them.

What WON'T happen, is they won't tie it 100% to Muslim fanatics.  The target of their ire will be the tool of their murders, not the murderers themselves.

Push back HARD on this!  "These guns are illegal around most of the world, yet these massacres still happen.  Why is that?  What's the common denominator in all of these acts?"

They will deflect with their answers ("The body count would not have been so high if these guns were illegal").  Bring the discussion back on track ("You have no way of knowing that.  Dozens have recently been killed with bombings in Turkey.  Bombs are illegal, yet they are still detonated.  The issue is the murderer, not the tool he used.").

Adapt and respond.

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What do we do to protect ourselves?

As noted by The Great And Powerful Remus, stay away from crowds.  Serious as a heart attack.  This is the single most effective way of keeping yourself away from a mass shooting.  Stay away from the masses!

If you were a Muslim fanatic, where would you hit to do the most damage?  I dunno, maybe a nightclub full of sinners (gay or straight).  Or a sports stadium.  Or the church full of the non-believers.  Or a shopping mall.  Or a school full of non-believer kids.  Or a movie theater.

Now, for me, this is easily accomplished.  I no longer attend sporting events (I refuse to voluntarily submit to any sort of search to watch a ball game in person - that's insane).  My clubbing days are WAY behind me (just celebrated wedding anniversary number 30 - woo hoo!).  My kids are grown men, so no worries about schools, I buy most things online (except for the important things), I have pay-per-view  for movies and I've never been a church-going guy (don't you DARE tell me how to speak with God!).

When I must go to malls or grocery stores or restaurants, I'm always armed.  No exceptions.  I refuse to allow the unconstitutional laws of this state and country to put my life at risk.  Not gonna happen.

I understand there are risks in that approach, but my life is more important to me than being "law abiding".  My choice, and I make it clear-eyed.

I encourage you to do a similar self-assessment, and make your own choices.

But, but, but Chief, if you stop doing all of these things, the Muslim fanatics win!  Sorry to break it to you, but they've already won.  As soon as the horrific USA PATRIOT Act was signed into law, they won.

Instead of Bush exhorting the nation to "buck up", "stand tall", "never take a step backwards", he cowered and handed to key of freedom to the Deep State.  Instead of, "There is nothing to fear, but fear itself", we got the DHS, TSA, VIPR squads and the whole lot.

We're encouraged to be weak and timid and compliant.  Just what the Muslim fanatics wanted.  Mission Accomplished.

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OK, the reason for my lengthy absence:  I'm finally gonna be OUTTA HERE!  We're moving from the liberal cesspool known as the SF Bay Area, and moving to Nevada.  Getting through all of the selection process, making the offer, doing inspections, et al, has been incredibly time-consuming.  So cut me some slack!

If all goes as planned, I'll be a Nevada resident in late July/early August.  The house we're buying faces the Eastern Sierras, so I'll be able to see the dust cloud when California finally implodes to the west of us.  The beer is on me if you want a seat.

I WILL still be an owner of the precious metals store.  I may touch on how that will happen at a later date.

Even though our current town is semi-rural (we do $300-$400 million a year in agriculture) our new COUNTY in Nevada has 10,000 fewer people.  Me likee!

The only drawback to this location is its proximity to Reno.  While we're over an hour away, Reno is an illegal alien haven - yep, a "sanctuary city".  Even more disturbing, is that it has been chosen as one of the upcoming relocation endpoints for a batch of "refugees".

To say that my county and Reno are polar opposites would be an understatement.  But that can change quickly.  California went from giving this country Ronald Reagan, to evacuating its collective bowels and producing Jerry Brown, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer.

This happened amazingly fast - literally during my adult years.  I can say that I will do all that is in my power to ensure it doesn't happen in my new home and region.

So, for a while, posting may still be light.  I'll eventually finish up the final segment for the Multiple Sources of Income series, as I think it's an important topic.

And if a rant presents itself, well....



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Copyright 2016 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Keeping Your Wits About You

A few years back, I was teaching an Introductory Pistol class at a local gun range and shop.  All of what happened below was going on not more than 20 feet from where me and my 6 students were in class.  Didn't hear a peep!

Normally, the place had two employees present when they were open, but for some reason, the other employee didn't get into work on time.

Shortly after opening the store, some guy comes into the store and starts asking about picking up some pepper spray for his girlfriend.  The employee came out from behind the counter to go over to the pepper spray display which was locked up.

As the employee is unlocking the case - with his back to the "customer" - he gets his head slammed into the wall, and the bad guy tried to pull out the good guy's open carry pistol.   Thankfully, the gun was in a Serpa Retention holster, so the guy couldn't get the gun out.

The good guy - a rather large gentleman - threw an elbow at the bad guy hitting him square in the face.

Here's the point to the story - The bad guy ran out of the store.  The good guy drew his weapon, got sights on the bad guy.... and re-holstered his gun.

Why?  He was no longer being threatened.

This story has a different ending.  In this case, the good guy got free from his ropes, got his pistol, and shot the bad guy.

As he was fleeing.
David Martinez, 38, was shot and killed on Sunday after he turned a Craigslist offer into an attempted armed robbery. His victim, bound inside his own home, managed to untie himself and fire shots as Martinez fled. Martinez, who had a long criminal history, crashed his vehicle and died at the scene.
Now, I'm not going to shed too many tears that this turd-of-a-human is dead.  What I am saddened by is that this victim likely turned himself into a criminal.

In his adrenaline-soaked state of mind, he saw bad guy and shot bad guy.  Even though he was no longer being threatened.

Training and mentally walking through different scenarios would have saved him from this grief.  Keeping his mouth shut after the shooting might have helped as well.  One of the first things the Second Call Defense program stresses is that after you call for 911 help, you call your pre-paid attorney.

Then shut the hell up.

At our precious metals store, we regularly discuss different scenarios where bad guys emerge.  Our response is always greater than the threat presented - including the use of deadly force - but it's not always the expected response.

For instance, if a gun or other deadly weapon is displayed, there is a very good chance you'll be shot before you get a chance to harm us.  If you grab some merchandise and flee, you'll be pursued and likely get your ass kicked, but use of deadly force is unlikely unless our lives are threatened.

Use your head.  Go through scenarios in your mind.  Don't hesitate in defending yourself, but practice identifying situations where the use of deadly force is justified.

And when it isn't.


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Copyright 2016 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Thursday, December 3, 2015

They've Got It Good, Here In America

Yesterday, I was working on another post when I got a text asking me if I was watching the news.  I clicked over to Google news and saw what was going on in San Bernardino.

Predictably, your president made a statement about how we need more, "common sense gun control".

How is it possible that the president of the United States doesn't have access to facts?  Facts about who is committing these mass shootings.

Take a 6 minutes out of your life and watch this excellent video by Bill Whittle about murder rates here in America and around the world.



I'm pretty sure they have an Internet connection at the White House, so Barry should be able to watch this as well.

Yet he still spews his lies and promotes his agenda to disarm you.  Ironically, as another friend noted, Barry made his remarks about how America is the only country that has these mass shootings.... in Paris - which just had its guts blown out only weeks beforehand.

And the last time I checked, Mexico has got more mass shootings and bullet-riddled corpses than they have non-corrupt government officials.  You know Mexico - that highly gun-controlled country to which he has granted statehood - at least when you consider their freedom to cross any of our borders, attend government schools, get driver's licences and collect welfare checks.

So, what kind of profile can we draw about these mass murderers?

  • They used legally purchased guns.  All of the existing "reasonable gun control" boxes were checked.
  • They are Muslims or mentally-ill liberals.

Are there exceptions?  Of course.  Tim McVeigh in Oklahoma City 20 years ago, and the recent wacko in Colorado Springs who shot from the abortion clinic come to mind.

Oh, and Barry also conveniently forgets to mention the single largest source of mass shootings in America.  This source does tend to use illegally-gotten guns.  It's young, black inner-city males.

It might also help his policy wonks to consider who IS NOT committing these heinous acts of terrorism.  This should help them focus their efforts elsewhere:

  • They're NOT Second Amendment-loving gun owners who are members of the NRA, GOA or other similar civil rights organizations
  • They're NOT conservatives
  • They're NOT Christians
  • They're NOT young, white inner-city males

You see, Barry, it's not the guns that are the problem.  Hell, every one of these terrorist acts is stopped by good guys with guns.  The problem is the culture in which these terrorist animals believe, and where they are free to practice their evil-doings.

Oh, and I hate to break this to you, but it ain't global warming, either.  The airfare to Paris was a waste.  Sorry to burst that CO2-filled bubble of yours.

But you know that.  Yet you focus your efforts of control on the very sources able and willing to fix the problem.

What the hell is wrong with you?

Your actions, policies and rhetoric directly contribute to this problem.  America is becoming one big "soft target" under your reign.  You refuse to enforce our border laws, you enact stringent gun laws on the law-abiding, and you refuse to address the FACT that the vast majority of mass shootings are committed by anti-American liberals, black inner-city males and radical Muslims.

I'm still waiting to hear how just one of your "common sense" gun laws would have stopped a single mass shooting.  C'mon, Barry, gimme just ONE.

I'll ask again - what the hell is wrong with you?
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I know, I know.  I'm brushing up against Einstein's definition of insanity (Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result).  Barry won't change.  Liberals won't change.

And the mass murderers won't change, either.  They don't need to.  They've got it good, here in America.


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Copyright 2015 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Monday, January 26, 2015

Getting Rubbed The Wrong Way

Before I start with my frothy rant, watch this -


We hear from police officers asking us to not, "Paint all of the good cops with the same brush as the bad cops."  On its face, I agree 100%.

Most of the LEOs I've come in contact with are good, honorable and just individuals.  No doubt.  The VAST majority.

But I've also run into my share of turds - most shockingly when one was a witness in a drug case in which I was a juror ("Losing Trust and Respect").

I have no idea what punishment, if any, was meted out to that "officer", but I'm guessing it was little to none.  You or I would have been arrested for perjury and jailed.

That's part of "the rub" with what's going on with all of the Ferguson, NY City, Oakland and other protests going on around the country.  People are getting sick and tired of seeing the law broken by LEOs and them getting little more than a slap on the wrist.

One set of laws and punishment for them, another set for us.

Ferguson, in my opinion, was a 100% justified shooting.  I can say with certainty, that if I were in the same circumstances, I would have done the exact same thing the LEO did.  Actually, I would have likely shot him BEFORE he punched me.

While the trumped-up "racist shooting" meme was full of crap, the deep, deep mistrust of many LEOs is not.

More and more, it's not just minorities that feel this way.

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The second part of "the rub" has to do with what was in the video.  How the Supreme Court is blatantly and egregiously, disregarding and discarding the Constitution.

For a second, remember the primary purpose of the Constitution:  To LIMIT the power of government over the citizenry.

In every example given in the video, the Supreme Court has granted LEOs across the entire country a valid, "legal" excuse for performing unconstitutional acts.

To reiterate, acts which would land non-LEOs in jail.

Now, many LEOs may say, "Well, just because we're allowed to do it doesn't mean we WILL do it."

Sure.  Just like we were told the paramilitary SWAT teams wouldn't be used for anything other than hostage and active shooter situations.

That's a pile of crap, and everyone knows it.  It's human nature to "push the envelope" - to go right up to the line of what's acceptable.

Well, the line's apparently been erased.  All nice and legal like.
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  All flavors of government had better get their shit together.  When you have crossed the line so far that regular, non-criminal, corn-fed, God-fearing, peace-loving Americans are saying you've gone too far, you've gone too far.

Look at the faces of those that are in these protests.






Retirees, Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen-Xers.  White, black, brown and tan.  Men, women and children.  Rich, poor and middle class.

Kinda looks like America, don't it?  That's a whole lot of pissed off people.

I just don't think this will end well...


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Copyright 2015 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Terrorists - Again - Didn't Get The Memo

 From the website of the French embassy in the US:
France has stringent regulations on firearms and ammunition. As a rule, firearms which have no legitimate sporting or recreational use are not permitted entry into France.
Yeah, how's that law working out for you?



Hmm.  Doesn't much look like a deer rifle or sporting clays shotgun.  Those little rascals broke French law!

Again.


This scenario could just have easily played out in a gun-restricted state like California, New York, Massachusetts, or Connecticut.

If a bad guy wants a gun, they'll get it.  Taking guns away from good citizens won't make them any safer, it just makes them more likely to end up dead.

Seriously, if you were a terrorist in America, where would you attack?  Just like with other criminals, you'd attack where you have the least likely chance of resistance.

These Islamic bastards knew with absolute certainty that not a single person in the offices of the magazine where they were attacking had a gun.  At worst, there may have been a knife for slicing their brie.

France, and its people, have chosen to make themselves vulnerable.  The states listed above - and a handful more - have done the same.

They willingly make themselves defenseless in the hopes that their "example" will somehow convince the bad guys that Guns Are Bad.  Gimme a hug!

So, what kind of example do you want to set?  One where the mindset of the populous is that of appeasement and helplessness, or one where bad guys get hit back hard.  Deadly hard.

Which do you think will keep you - and your whole community - safer?



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Copyright 2015 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Fearful Of The Fear Of Death

Where are the anti-gun nuts?

Where are the "War On Women" whack-jobs?

Where are the, "Islam is a religion of peace" supporters?  You know, the ones who say violence is not part of core Islam.

As most of America now knows, a recently fired worker, Alton Nolen, (aka  Jah' keem Yisrael to his ISIS-lovin' Facebook buddies) of Moore, Oklahoma, brutally stabbed, then chopped off the head of a former co-worker.  He then proceeded to stab another woman, but was stopped by another coworker who had a concealed carry permit, and shot the "peaceful" Islamist, stopping his very real rein of terror.

Let's recap, shall we?

Those evil, awful, gun nuts once again saved - at the very minimum - 1 person's life.  This Islamic nut job was on a roll, and would have surely killed many more.  One man, one gun, countless lives saved.  Seriously, what is wrong with these gun-grabbers?

The War On Women in America is non-existent outside of the minds of liberal, professional victim-mongers.  Unless, that is, you count the Islamist's that are waging war on all women, everywhere.  How can these women's groups remain silent?  Women are raped, mutilated and murdered as normal daily activities by these radical Islamists, but you want to get your panties in a wad because of some perceived "glass ceiling"?

Religion of Peace supporters?  Crickets chirping.  Why?  Because they're so lacking in numbers - or backbone - to be effectively non-existent.

DO NOT let the administration and their RINO supporters lull you into the belief that if we, "kill them over there, we won't have to kill them here."  It's unadulterated crap.

They are assuming you are a soft-headed bot that is easily swayed by the fear they peddle.  You know that to make, "the homeland" safe, we must secure our borders.  Stop the bastards from entering, and they can do no harm.

Still, some will make it through, and others - like this US-born, Jah' keem Yisrael - will stage attacks.  An armed citizenry will stop them before their terror spreads past the initial victim.

Remember:  You cannot stop a "lone wolf" attacker.  It is impossible.  Dropping bombs in the Middle East or turning the US into Check Point Charlie will do nothing.  Well, nothing good.

I took this from Knuckledraggin' My Life Away -
Fear of death will not prevent dying - but may prevent living.
You want to live in a constant state of fear or perceived victimhood, go ahead.  I don't have time for you.  I've got too much living to do.


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A bit of a follow-up to last week's post on police abuse.

Watch this video.



If this bastard isn't fired from his job.... oh never mind.  He'll get a slap on the wrist, and nothing more.  I'm sure his union rep is putting together a compelling tale about how the stress of the job pushed him over the edge, and he now needs to go on paid disability leave for the rest of his life.

Think what would happen if an employee at Macy's treated a customer in the same manner.

"BUYING A BLOUSE IS NOT A RIGHT, IT'S A PRIVILEGE.  GIVE ME YOUR CREDIT CARD AND ID!  NOW!"

That clerk would be fired on the spot, and charges would most likely be made by the victim for assault.

Why is a clerk at a retail store held to a higher standard than a public servant?

As I stated last week, it is ongoing, constant abuses such as these that eventually result in responses such as that of Mr. Frein sniping police officers in Pennsylvania.

You can only push so far.


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Copyright 2014 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Monday, June 9, 2014

The Vegas Shooting

By now, most of America has heard of the shooting of two Las Vegas police officers -
(CNN) -- A Las Vegas couple who gunned down two police officers and a civilian before killing themselves apparently looked at law enforcement as oppressors, a sheriff's department official said Monday.

Among the clues: a "Don't Tread on Me" flag and a Nazi swastika the couple placed on one of the police officers they ambushed Sunday at a pizza restaurant. They also pinned onto the officer's body a note saying something to the effect of "this is the beginning of the revolution," Second Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters.

"We believe that they equate government and law enforcement ... with Nazis," McMahill said. "In other words, they believe law enforcement is the oppressor."
 I think this Sheriff hit the nail on the head.  I think it's part of a trend, and one that's going to continue.

And if you own guns, I believe this is going to impact you directly.

Back in 2013 I wrote this ("Losing Trust and Respect") -

But, there is some push back.  And, I predict, if the police and bureaucrats don't start policing themselves, I believe hell is going to rain down on their heads.  The push back will become more common, more covert and more aggressive.

It is already happening on a sporadic basis.  The recent shooting at LAX was by a guy pissed off at TSA tactics.  There was just some guy in Arkansas that was caught blowing up electrical transmission lines.  Christopher Dorner - the former LA cop - went off on a killing spree because he felt the system was being stacked against him.

This government 'superiority complex' is out of control.
In this case, the perceived or actual oppressor was the police.  It may be the EPA, the BLM, the TSA - any government agency that runs rough-shod over citizens with no checks-and-balances or realistic opportunity for "redress of grievances."

People are going to take justice into their own hands.

The power to stop this is 100% within the power of these government agencies.

Saying "officer safety" is of paramount importance falls on deaf ears.  I care about my family.  My rights.  My property.

If the only way you are able to do your job is by abusing the people you're charged with protecting or serving, then you shouldn't be in that job.

A little more brains and a little less brawn is in order.

When a GA Sheriff basically says, "Eh, tough shit.  The officers made a mistake," when they blow up the face and chest of a baby in a bassinet with a flash-bang grenade, people lose empathy for the police.  If fact, they get pissed off.

And many are getting pissed off enough to do something about it.

How in God's name does it seem like a good idea to deploy an armored personnel carrier, 7 officers decked out in full assault garb, all carrying fully-automatic assault weapons, grenades, smoke bombs and who knows what else - to arrest a drug dealer, all on the word of a confidential informant?!

Are you serious? Not some drug kingpin.  Not some guy holed up in a fortified, machine gun protected fortress. 

But a street-level meth dealer.

But they won't change.  Why?  Because of human nature. 

If you've got a bunch of toys, you want to play with them.  If you dress up these "elite" units, they want to go to the dance once in a while.
But we all know nothing will change.  In fact, it will get worse.  If, as I predicted, people start shooting back,  sabotaging government facilities and assets, and in general, making life unpleasant for TPTB, the police and government officials will only clamp down even tighter.  We'll have more restrictions, more intrusions, more checkpoints, more abuse.  This will bring more retribution.

It will be a vicious, vicious circle.

I still believe this.  The myriad CONUS-based government agencies that have purchased over a billion hollow-point rounds of ammo didn't buy them for target practice. 

They believe the abuse/retribution/abuse/retribution cycle will happen, as well.


Accept The Challenge

And this is where non-criminal gun owners need to pay attention.  We're next.

These Vegas shooters draped a Gadsden flag and a swastika over the officers.  The Gadsden is probably the most common icon that the media associates with TEA partiers and gun owners.

The male shooter had a lengthy but largely trivial police record.  It won't be portrayed that way by the Talking Heads on TV, or the breathless Bloomberg gun-grabber bloggers.  This dude will be painted to be the second coming of Charles Manson.

Guns + Gadsden + swastika + criminal record will all be melded together as further proof that all gun lovers and TEA partiers are nothing more than blood thirsty anarchists looking to overthrow the government.

The first step will be in coming for the "gun and ammo" hoards.  Remember, to the compliant media and the uneducated public, a Mark III pistol and a 10/22 rifle with a "value box" of 500 rounds is considered a hoard.

The shooters in Vegas had 200 rounds with them, in what was called, "a small arsenal".  I guess what I bring with me to practice at the range would be considered a national security event.  Same goes for most of the folks that frequent most public ranges.

We've got a big target on our chests with lots of red laser dots dancing about.  Government, media, and the gun-grabbers all have us lit up like a Christmas tree.

So, other than the guns you carry every day, and those that you use for home defense, everything else needs to find a new place to stay.  It's simple math:  Don't have everything you own all in one place.

This is good practice anyways, but is virtually a requirement now.

Stock up on the down low.  Fill or build that hoard, but do it with cash only.  No debit or credit cards, no checks, no Paypal.  Nothing but cash.

Same goes for reloading supplies if you partake in that activity.

In general, stay off the ridgeline.  Don't make yourself an easy target.



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Copyright 2014 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Unpredictable Violence


Low Probability/High Impact Events

In our Emergency Preparedness course, we talk about disaster events that are very unlikely to happen, but if they do occur, the consequences can be devastating.

An extreme example would be a meteor screaming out of the heavens and landing on your house.  There is little you can to to prevent it, It's very unlikely to happen, but would be horrible should it occur.

There are a number of events that are much more likely to occur - although still unlikely - yet most people give them almost no thought. Like the meteor example above, there may be little we can do to stop the disaster from happening, but there ARE things we can do to minimize the negative impact.

Do you remember the rioting in LA after the first Rodney King verdict?  It was essentially spontaneous.  As soon as the verdict was known, the lid came off, and the violence escalated.  If you were in the wrong place when it started, you were in immediate, life-threatening danger.

Staying out of LA on the day a verdict was to be presented would have been a prudent decision.  You have no idea how it will turn out, and some people might not like it.

The same goes with Super Bowl winners, NBA Championships and World Series final games.  People get crazy when big events happen, and that craziness often leads to violence.

Don't tempt fate.  Stay away.

But what if you're caught totally off-guard and find yourself in the middle of a threatening situation?  Here are some ideas:

Assume the police are overwhelmed.  At the very minimum, it will take several minutes for them to arrive.  A lot of bad things can happen in 5 minutes.  You are now 100% responsible for your own well-being until they arrive, or until you can get to a safer location.

If you're in a car, stay in it and lock all doors and windows.  Drive out of the area as quickly as possible.  If your tires are slashed, don't stop.  Drive on the rims if need be.  Escape and evasion are your priorities.  Exit the car, and you're likely to become a victim.

If you're on the street, get inside as quickly as possible.  If you're able, pick an office building before you pick a retail store, as stores are more likely to be targeted by looters.  Move to the back of the building if possible.  Try not to go to upper floors - if a fire is started, you may be trapped.

Arm yourself.  If you have a firearm, defensive spray or stunning device, have it ready and prepare yourself mentally to use it in self-defense.  If these aren't accessible, grab whatever is available.

ALWAYS look for a chance to get to safety.

Never let your guard down.



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Copyright 2014 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com