Self Defense Carry Website

Rather than trying a re-direct (which doesn't always work well) to take you immediately to the new Self Defense Carry website please click the link below. It's the same content, and more, expanding all of the time.

http://www.selfdefensecarry.com

Thanks for reading!

Stay safe.

Dumbing Down the Discourse

If I see another stone-stupid, amateur YouTube blab fest passing itself off as an intelligent product review, I may just throw up. Honestly, the open availability of the internet and video cameras (really good ones are now standard equipment in any smart phone) and the urge to be a media personality have produced a slew of extremely bad, boring and pointless video reviews.

They actually aren’t reviews. They are a painful rehashing of data available from the maker’s site. There it is in a condensed and accessible format. On Johnny Blade’s video channel, it is just part of the mash up. Here is a recent example. I’m researching various knives, folding and fixed blades, for opinions and demonstrations on ergonomics, use and function. There are many, many YouTube knife “review” videos out there, such as this one (my fictional compilation resulting from exposure to too many of these so called reviews).

First, a crudely done title card appears, accompanied by bad heavy metal bar band music. Then, a sudden slightly out of focus cut to a kitchen table where upon lies a knife. The reviewer’s voice, “What’s up, guys? Rusty Ninja here. Today, I thought I’d, like, take a look at my new blade… Cool. Got it last week and I really like it. Its a Blatherslice Mall Warrior.

A hand and wrist wrapped in a thick “survival bracelet” appears in the frame, grabs the knife, and the hand flips the blade out as the guy says something like “Ka-swish! Awesome blade, dudes…!”

He brings the knife closer to the camera so it is even more out of focus and turns it, spins it around, points it in different directions while commenting, “Awesome… Check that blade. Cool G10 scales, pocket clip (he points helpfully to the pocket clip as if the viewer has never seen one before), tight lockup, no blade play (as he grabs the blade in one hand and tries to wiggle it back and forth).”

“Yeah, another cool blade from Blatherslice. OK, let’s go over the specs on this one. The blade is, uh…, let me check, ah… yeah, four point two inches long, the overall length is…”

This goes on for perhaps four or five minutes which is about half the entire video, if we are lucky. After the recitation of specifications, we are treated once again to the disembodied hands and forearms moving, twisting, opening, closing, turning the knife in various ways while the voice reads off the various features: scales, clip, opening device, blade shape (as if we can’t see that already). Everything one could get from a quick look at the maker’s page and specifications table.

One helpful reviewer explained, twice, what the “cutting edge” means. Just in case you weren’t sure. 

If we are lucky, the disembodied voice will keep his personal life, past adventures and preferences for particular knives to himself, but usually we are not that fortunate. One video “reviewer” spent about 20% of the time talking about the braided lanyard he had made for his knife. Another, by a very well known, opinionated reviewer, spent almost a half an hour on one knife review, much of which wandered far off topic, including a peruse through the maker’s catalog for a number of those minutes.

Some reviewers spend far too long droning on about themselves and criteria that don’t really have much use in describing a knife’s design requirements and functionality. Some reviewers have constructed lists of items that must be laboriously checked off. This could be easily distilled into a few salient points that are relevant to the particular design, but that would require some actual analysis and possible field experience. 

Good knife designers create and build knives for distinct purposes which, if the designer knows his or her stuff, will be expressed in the characteristics of the knife. Hopefully, these features will be there because they derive from the designed purpose, not to make them attractive to mass market customers who will buy something mostly because it looks cool.

What criteria and function did the designer have in mind when he chose the blade shape, grind, steel and length? Why is the swedge where it is and shaped as it is? Why did the designer choose a thick (or thin) blade? Why is the handle shaped as it is? For what intended purpose? Is the handle material suitable for the intended use and if so why, or why not if the reviewer disagrees? Does it cut well? Show me. What kind of cutting work is it best suited for? Show me.

Reviewing stuff is not easy if it is done well. You can’t get a new gizmo, play with it for a day or two and create anything meaningful for a review unless it is a review of how happy you are to have bought or been given something you like in the first place. I have reviewed, among other things, guns, holsters and firearms accessories. These things are serious pieces of equipment, and are made to be used. One has to spend time putting them to the uses the designers intended in order to understand how they perform and will last in their jobs. At times, what seemed to be good initially, turned out to be not so good, but without using it and paying close attention to those parameters over time, it is not possible to produce a decent, useful review.

My opinion is that the best knife reviews, both video and text reviews, are smart, focus on the design and use of particular knives, demonstrate excellent video and graphics and well written, in depth text. Not poorly made or written summaries that point out the obvious and rehash information readily available from the maker. 

Some reviewers that I particularly like:

THE EDGE OBSERVER

SPYDERCOLLECTOR

SPYDERCO EDGE-U-CATION

SYPDERCO DESIGNER INSIGHT VIDEOS

THE LATE BOY SCOUT VIDEOS

A Very Quick Look at the Spyderco Dragonfly 2

Ever since I was a youngster growing up in Texas I have carried some kind of knife, most usually a pocket knife. There was a time many years ago when I lived on our little mountain farm in Colorado when I was not without my old Buck Ranger. Now, being an old person, I still carry a knife every day. The modern buzz-term is EDC (every day carry) which I think is sort of pretentious. It's a pocket knife, which is an essential tool for many tasks, and the tool that is capable of making other tools if needs be.

These days I opt for quality, a small size and light weight and a knife I can always depend on. My favorite knife in this role is the Spyderco Dragonfly 2. There are many video and text reviews of this little knife available on the internet. Most are merely re-hashing of the specifications data available on the Spyderco site, along with ten to thirty minutes of bodiless hands fondling the knife before the camera while the "reviewer" goes on (and on) telling you little of substantive interest. I've written about this before.

So, I herewith put to you a very brief look, not a review, of the Dragonfly 2, and a small comparison look at it with a Delica 4 for your enjoyment and information. If you should like more information, I suggest starting with Spyderco.com, and, if that is of interest, join the Spyderco Forum for further discussions, questions and answers.

Old and Armed to the Teeth

My wife and I went on our regular walk around town today. It was pleasant for 7000' in southern Colorado. Small town, little traffic and it seems you know most everyone you meet. Still, there are strange cars and strange people in town. Now that summer is coming, so will the tourists and travelers. The last thing you expect here is trouble. But like Monty Python so accurately noted: No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

I remember in another small town in Oklahoma, many years ago, awakening in the middle of the night to see a large man standing in our bedroom doorway in the moonlight. He didn't linger after I snatched my S&W .41 from the bedside table. I chased him though the house, out the back door into the night. He disappeared into a car that started up on the street and sped away with the lights out. He was caught a few days later. Had a record. Peeper. Looked to me like he was trying to climb the perp ladder.

So, even here, you never know.

The interesting thing was that I took an inventory of the weapons I was carrying today on our walk. Well, two were actually weapons and two were tools that can readily serve as weapons if the need arises and one was just a tool.

One S&W M&P Shield in 9mm
One Ruger LCP
One Spyderco Delica 4
One Spyderco Tenacious

One Fenix AAA flashlight

Why two of each? I've come around to Massad Ayoob's philosophy that if you are going to carry a gun, you might as well carry two. If one becomes inoperative, dropped, taken, then you have another. If you have a friend in a bad situation that could work with you and he or she doesn't have a gun, you have an extra to give to them.

Two knives? Well, I like knives. They are the most basic of tools. With a knife you can make other tools. I don't really need a backup knife, I just like the ones I have and sometimes take two along just because I feel like it.

The flashlight? Well, sometimes you need a light to see in dim or dark places.

Now there are some people who would consider a senior citizen who walks about his own little village packing what they might consider to be four deadly weapons to be odd, if not a little crazy. I understand that but I can't do much with people like that so I just don't raise the subject. I can also see the remote possibility that some might be thankful for it, should the worst ever be realized.

Carrying a Non-Tactical Knife

As I wrote in an earlier post,

I believe the word "tactical" that is so frequently applied to gear, especially self-defense gear, is grossly misused. So, this post is about a knife that does multiple duties, none of which are tactical, but which I hope will be outstanding in all respects.

Like many people, I think a knife is man's most basic and fundamental tool. It's a tool that can be carried in your pocket to do many things including, if needed, make other tools. Besides, I just like well made knives. That said, I should note that I can't afford expensive well made knives, although I like to look at them and research them on the internet.

I've had a number of small to medium knives that suites what is generally referred to as EDC knives, "every day carry". I'm not sure I like that term so much either, but it's pretty well embedded in the language so I'll go along with it. In keeping with my new philosophy to simplify and focus on the essentials and necessaries, I decided to look for an EDC knife that would be suitable for cutting onions, string, cardboard, sticks, fingernails and a bad person if absolutely necessary.

I attempted to avoid "unnecessary" features, like additional locks, odd blade shapes, assisted opening devices, tricky locks, ball bearings, and strange blade shapes. I've had knives with all of some of these features and they have all eventually ended up in a drawer or on eBay.

So what do I expect in a general all-purpose carry knife.

One that I can carry without it being a bother. It should be light enough to keep in my pocket all day without discomfort or distraction. It should be easy to retrieve and open, with one hand if necessary, to do normal knife tasks. The handle should be big enough to fit my hand comfortably yet not bigger than necessary and should be made to resist slipping even when wet. The handle should also be made so that the knife can be used hard and long without discomfort.

The blade should be long enough for most ordinary tasks from cutting string to slicing up food in the kitchen. It should be made of steel that is hard enough to hold an edge through a long work session, yet not so hard or shaped so weirdly that it is difficult to sharpen. For my purposes, the blade configuration should be for a slicer and piercer, not a hacker, chopper or pryer. It doesn't need to be especially coated to resist marks or not reflect the light. I don't plan to be cutting things in the dark. And the blade and handle should be shaped to accommodate different grips for different cutting tasks ranging from heavy force to light, precise slicing. Jimping and finger choil, where appropriate, should be present and well made.

Overall, the knife need not have accessories like assisted opening devices, ball bearing pivots, "safety locks" in addition to the normal locking mechanism.

How does one find candidates for this kind of knife? This is where the internet helps and hinders. It helps to be able to identify a wide variety of knives first from their images on the internet sites, to finding reviews or write-ups posted there. While photographs are pretty much self explanatory, knife reviews are quite another story.

There are sites and blogs that regularly devote their time to obtaining and reviewing knives. Online stores like Amazon and Knife Center, etc., will post customer 'reviews' for their products. I've read many of these regarding knives I have been interested in, but I have also come away with the knowledge that many are basically useless regarding real information, many are there because the writer has an issue or prejudice against or for certain brands, designs or companies. Many unfavorable reviews are based on the country of origin for a knife, not about the knife itself. Customers reviews can be both the most informative, and the worst and you must read carefully before accepting an individual's opinions as fact.

Some non-customer reviewers, knife fans who take the time to review knives of their choosing either on blogs like this one, or with videos posted on You Tube, often have their prejudices as well. Many times these are clustered around the country of origin - Chinese made knives are automatically considered somehow inferior to American made, and while Japanese made knives are better than Chinese made ones, American made is still considered better. This, obviously, is not the

de facto

case.

It's an opinionated review jungle out there.

I decided that I would look at the quantity of reviews over time for knives that fit in my categories, as above, looking for those knives that had been around for a number of years (longevity of design and the manufacturer carries some weight), and the percentage of good vrs bad reviews from both independent reviewers and customers over an extended period. If a knife had been on the market for less than a year, for example, and the reviews were 85% positive, but among those reviews were many 'no content' reviews, i.e., "This is an awesome blade. It's really sharp and my friends think it's way cool." or "I just got this knife yesterday and I really love it." and the overall review numbers were small, like less than twenty after a year for sale on a decent online store, I disregarded the high positive percentage.

I looked for stable designs, usually gradually improved over time, with hundreds of reviews. I also at the content posted by the reviewers - do they have much of substance to say about why they like or don't like a particular knife. These are the important ones.

Appreciating all of the work put in over the years by the owners of Spyderco knives, I looked through their inventory and found a number of models that fit my likes and criteria. All of these had strong reviews, and the designs had been around for years and were continually upgraded by Spyderco.

I made the mistake of buying one of their less expensive models, a 'byrd' Meadowlark 2. Chinese made, but that's not a problem for me. The price was very good, less than half of their standard model that is most similar to the Meadowlark, the Delica which has better steel and is made in Japan. I received the Meadowlark and immediately was sorry for my choice. While I like the overall design, the blade shape, the opening mechanism that is merely a hole, not studs, flippers or torsion bars, the quality of manufacture was substandard. And, the knife came in a package that had already been opened and the inside of the knife was dirty.

Note the open, dirty tape on the package.

The inside flaps were torn, and the poor re-sealing job is evident in this photo.

Spyderco knives come new with the clip mounted on the tip end of the handle over the lanyard hole. This one has been moved. Note the wear marks on the clip screw holes around the lanyard hole.

I think the knife was a returned item, but even so, the blade was stiff and hard to open. Adjusting the tension of the pivot screw had no effect, except to loosen the blade so it dragged on the liners. I immediately returned it.

However, I think the design meets my criteria for what I want in a carry knife, so I ordered the better model, the Delica, which has been around for about twenty years in it's original configuration. Now, Spyderco offers generation four of the Delica with good steel, reportedly outstanding handle material and the blade shape and design that interests me. And, the reviews are almost embarrassingly good.

I am hoping that this will be my last carry knife purchase, at least as far as design, function and company goes, I will have the opportunity to put it to the test beginning next week. I'll report here on what I find.

Spyder Delica 4

FFG handle. Flat ground blade.

Tactical? Please Give Us A Break

Lately, it seems that you can have anything in a "tactical" offering: knives, hats, pants, flashlights, ball point pens for Christ's sake. Probably my iPhone is a tactical unit unbeknownst to me. Some things are actually tactical and some aren't.

The first "tactical" fighter, the Fokker Eindecker

The Eindecker was purposely designed in 1915 to apply tactical operations against an enemy force - to shoot down enemy aircraft using a synchronized machine gun. The other items are just things.

Things actually become "tactical" when used in a tactical way. A ball peen hammer can be a tactical instrument. Or not. Depending.

Tactical, definitions of:

of or relating to combat tactics: as

a. (1) of or occurring at the battlefront, (2) using of being weapons or forces employed at the battlefront, (3) of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose, (4) made or carried out with only a limited or immediate end in view.

I've been looking at new folding knives for everyday, general use, commonly called "edc" knives by the literati of knives. It's hard to find one that isn't also referred to as "tactical" in some way. I've also seen tactical shirts, pants, jackets, boots, flashlights, walking sticks and can openers. It's become almost silly the way marketeers will slap the word "tactical" on practically anything. And, raise the the price a few points as well.

Take a basic folding knife with a frame lock and a three inch drop point blade. This would be a basic all around knife suitable for slicing potatoes, string, cardboard, deer skin, wood or punching through drywall. Put on some high-grip scales, add some serrations and a black coating, and shazam! you have a tactical knife worth considerably more in purchasing dollars and prestige for the tactically-minded male who buys it.

I think the "tactical" mindset has gone way far over the edge. I see videos instructing what appear to be normal people in three day courses of advanced handgunning, or example, that, at some significant expense to the participants, prepare them for the zombie apocalypse. Why? I would say that in a real zombie apocalypse, a handgun would be the least effective gun I'd want to get my hands on.

So called gear "reviewers" truck themselves and their buddies out into the desert, gear up in all sorts of camo clothing, vests, ammo carriers, helmets, gogggles, gloves, knives, flashlights, carbines, pistols and knives and video themselves blasting the crap out of various targets they've hauled along with them. It is pretty obvious that they are playing at being military "operators" preparing for the apocalypse. Any apocalypse will do as long as it comes pretty soon before they get too old to play.

Tactics, both actions and gear, are best left to the military. Any study of military history shows that tactics tend to get modified and invented in action anyway. Wearing tactical pants and toting a tactical knife won't get you any real advantages other than make you feel like you are someone you aren't.

But, this "tactical" craze won't peak anytime soon I'm afraid. There is too much money to be made with it. We will just have to hunker down and get through it the best we can, separating the acutal useful stuff from the "tactical".

That's my tactic.

Sometimes It Takes A Gun

We live in a small town, a village really, of about 900 people, which grows to three times that number in the summers when the part-timers come back to enjoy the mountains. Today, early December, life is quieter and often remains so for hours. We don’t worry overly much about shootings here, except perhaps for someone getting in a little target practice just outside town, or maybe scaring off a bear in the back yard at night. But that doesn’t mean we are complacent. Colorado Springs is only an hour and a half up the road.

As you already know a Christian fanatic, fueled by images of “baby parts” which were such a big part of Fiorina’s campaign rhetoric (not to get into the fact that the story was completely fabricated, a blatant, and as it turned out, dangerous, lie.) killed innocent people at a Planned Parenthood office there. This was another religiously motivated mass murder, followed shortly thereafter by another religiously motivated mass murder in San Bernardino, planned and executed by a couple with obvious jihadist connections. The fundamental difference was that one was a Christian motivated mass murder and the other was a Moslem motivated mass murder.

What has all of this to do with violence in our small village? It’s put everyone on edge. I’d say the anti-gun folks are stressing and the pro-gun folks are increasingly wary and many of them go about armed. A friend was talking with a Sheriff recently who said that he and his deputies just expect anyone they deal with around here to be armed. To him, this was a good thing. He, and many others believe that we need to be able to defend ourselves and fight back when necessary.

However, it will not have escaped your notice that the press and media have exploded once again with “gun control” issues after the San Bernardino shootings. Someone said that doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result each time was a definition of crazy. Possibly so. Certainly a definition of ineffectiveness. I’d like to explore this a bit.

People who claim to be anti-gun are lying. They aren't really anti guns. They want the police or military to show up with guns when they are called upon to confront violence and evil. Most would almost certainly be glad if, in a dangerous situation like being subject to the attentions of a deranged gunman or gunwoman, you or I showed up with a gun and fought back. A few of them might be glad if they found a gun and were able to fight back themselves. Most anti-gun people would not know what to do with it, but still… Anti-gun people aren’t protesting against the people with guns who came to protect them. They are generally pleased when murderers get shot in the commission of their crimes or soon thereafter.

So, if guns themselves are not actually evil things, just tools created to perform specified tasks, and the evil or bad things done with guns are really the fault of those who wield them, then what is the problem? 

The problem could be that anti-gun people just don’t want to get shot and have gotten into their heads that if no one had a gun, they could not be shot. Never mind that someone bigger, stronger, more trained, more vicious than themselves could just beat them to death or worse, and that by not having a gun, they would be in no position to stop that. That would be OK because there would be no “gun violence”, which is a nonsensical and stupid term to begin with. Let’s try “hammer violence”, “bat violence”, “knife violence”, “fist violence”, “screwdriver violence”, “table lamp violence”, “garrote violence”, “bottle violence”, etc. It’s just violence which can take many forms but needs a bad actor to make it happen. Take away the gun, the knife, the screwdriver and the bad actor remains.

I suspect the anti-gun people have fundamentally not accepted the fact that we are all mortal. Sure, they know this intellectually, but seemingly not personally and emotionally. We are all on the river to death but our actual last port of call is unknown. I don’t think they believe that they will live forever but their actions indicate that if they do the right things, take the right attitudes, eliminate as many dangerous items and situations, they will live a lot longer.  While many pro-gun people may also be of the same mind regarding our actual end on the earth, I would conjecture that they are more concerned with how their life is lived and what it means than the details and date of their leaving of it. 

As I get closer to the eightieth year in my life, I have come to believe that there are no “safe places”, there are no hedges or guarantees and that the quality of one’s life is more important than the duration of it. It is important to love and be loved, be a moral and kind person, and to actively stand up and oppose idiocy and evil whenever they are encountered.

It is a sad comment on our times when ordinary citizens must consider going armed in order to fight such evil if it should appear. But, sometimes it takes a gun.

Bond Arms' Hand Held Shotgun

Bond Arms Patriot Derringer with the 3.5" barrel chambered for .410/.45 Colt

I recently received this beautiful T&E (test and evaluation) gun from Bond Arms. As I mentioned in a previous post, I will be putting this one to the test over the next few months. I will also be getting the ideas and reactions from some of my friends whom I have invited to comment on and shoot the pistol. Some of whom are quite familiar with handguns, and some not. Some young and in their prime, some old and frail, or at least not very athletic and strong and with little handgun experience.

I have also received four holsters for this gun. One from Bond Arms made as a "driving holster". Could also be a "sitting down holster" too. D.M. Bullard kindly sent me one of their full-grain custom made concealment holsters, the Bodyguard, for this gun, a holster design I have experience with and like. Paul G., owner and chief kydex bender of pjholsters made up and sent two IWB concealment holsters. Mine are straight drop since I prefer appendix carry for concealment. I will be giving these all a real world test and reporting here on my findings.

So, for now, some photos of my Bond Arms Derringer "system" for concealed carry and self protection:

Three Bond Arms Derringer barrels - all are interchangeable

Patriot with 3" barrel and Bond Arms Driving Holster

pjholster without the hammer shield

pjholster with the hammer shield

pjholster shot-shell holder

D.M. Bullard's Bodyguard OWB holder

The Gun Nuts and Toxic Topics

Those of us who like, own and understand guns are often stereotyped as a collective aggregate of paranoid nuts who are afraid the government – most often the Federal government – is out to outlaw and confiscate all civilian guns. We are also generally presumed to believe that FEMA death camps have been secretly built under selected Walmart stores to house those who won't surrender their guns. Personally, I would find this hilarious if it wasn't a belief firmly held by more than a few whack-o conspiracy theorists who use this idea to feed their internet free speech machines. This unfortunately transforms the hilarity into a more deeply felt sadness at the hold ideology has on certain people.

Jade Helm has come and gone. Texas is still a state in the Union. It's not under martial law. No guns have been confiscated by the "government". The death camps underneath Walmart stores have yet to have been found. The paranoid voices have moved on to other conspiracies lurking in the shadows of their minds and the gun nuts remained concerned that guns will soon be outlawed and confiscated. Even given all this, I think that, in a more ordinary way, the gun nuts may be right.

I do not think that there is any kind of secret conspiracy among government and clandestine powers subject to the new world order, Huffington Post or the Illuminati, to name only a few of the ghosts that haunt the conspiracy minded paranoid among us. It think it is more simple and prosaic than that. It is simply that the anti-gun people may eventually get enough political clout to force a majority of the congress to enact draconian anti-gun laws that will, in effect, accomplish their goal of removing guns from the hands of US citizens. Period.

There will be no conspiracy among evil, liberal, commie, secret societies. Instead, there is more of a chance that rather ordinary people will become so motivated by the fear that they and their friends and families will be somehow so threatened by the mere existence of guns possessed by strangers that they will successfully demand guns be outlawed. Logic and reason play little part in this, rather these people are motivated by fear of the unknown (they know little to nothing about guns other than what they read, see on the news or in the movies, most of which is flat wrong or misleading at best), and they are motivated by the belief that guns are bad. "Guns are bad" is a "toxic topic" – you can't discuss it in any kind of open-ended or reasonable manner. Toxic topics are not open to real debate or investigation, but, like religion, are matters of belief, dogma and emotion. To understand this idea, consider the question of torture.

Most people, certain fundamentalist religious states excepted, will say that torture is bad, unethical and should be a crime, or at the least, certainly avoided in almost all circumstances. A significant number of those would go further, declaring that torture is a violation of fundamental human rights and cannot be condoned under any circumstances. A strong statement that should be subject to discussion and analysis, but you will find it impossible to engage such people about it; it's not open to discussion except in support of their beliefs. They won't hear anything against it. But listen to this.

Based on an actual incident, the following scenario will illustrate the necessity of rational discussion about hard ethical topics: A man stole a car but before he was apprehended, he ditched the car someplace and was soon captured on foot. Taken to the police station he was urgently questioned as to the location of the car. He would not reveal that nor admit to the crime, although circumstances and evidence conclusive enough to convince the police that we was, in fact, the guilty car thief. The police revealed that, unbeknownst to the thief, a baby was in the car when he stole it. Now, the baby is locked alone somewhere in that car, the weather is hot and the child in danger of being severely injured or of dying if not found and given medical attention. Still, the thief refuses to admit to taking the car or its location. Officers questioning the man torture him by smacking him around until he reveals the car's location. The infant is rescued and survives.

In this case, was torture, the violation of the thief's civil and human rights in pursuit of a more ethical end, justified? Are there instances when the end really does justify the means? What part does intent play in these ethical acts and decisions?

I think these are valid questions and queries of this sort need to be asked and discussed, not taken off the table because they contravene or "disrespect" someone's notions of ideology or dogma or rights.

I think that guns are one of these topics that need rational and evidence-based discussions. This is not likely to happen with a large segment of people since they consider it to be "off the table" and not open to reason, evidence or discussion. In other words, they won't touch it. It is toxic.

What can one do? I think the choices are two: ignore it or confront it whenever necessary. Ignoring it won't do anything to change or address it. Confronting toxic topics will perhaps lose you some friends and cause people to mutter about you over their cups of herbal tea, but you certainly aren't going to change any minds by keeping silent.

I was in my local gun store a couple of years back, talking with the owner when a stranger came in. He approached the counter where we were and eventually said to me, "You look familiar."

"I don't think we've met," I said.

"Weren't you at the Tea Party meeting last week?" he said.

"I'd rather shoot myself than go to a Tea Party meeting," I said.

You could tell he was confused. Here I was, engaged with the owner of the gun store about who, in his world, I had to be. But, I had quickly declared my belief that gun ownership did not automatically mean agreement with certain political views. I was open to what he had to say, but he turned quickly and left. Too bad.

There are all sorts of us who like guns, own guns, carry guns and believe the Second Amendment was created to give us a fighting chance should we ever be called upon to preserve those rights again, but who don't fit the nut case mould as many anti-gun people would like us to. And, we are willing and able to get into those toxic topics and not let them win by default. 

So Much for Theory, Welcome to Jerusalem

The Palestinians, and other religiously motivated individuals, continue to attach Jews in Israel. Now, there are unaffiliated youth who are turning to knives in the streets, on the busses and in public places. Read about it here: http://michaeldouglasscott.com/2015/10/17/so-much-for-theory-welcome-to-jerusalem/

How does this relate to self defense carry? The article points out that the Israeli authorities are making it much easier for their civilians to carry guns, and point out that armmed civilians have been a definite help to their police and armed security. They also point out that civilians will need to be armed and vigilant to counter these threats.

The article also mentions that these kinds of religiously motivated attacks are increasingly happening in the western countries and will likely continue and increase. That includes the USA. 

If we think we will be immune to these kinds of religious fanatics, we are wrong.

Best to be prepared.

Enemies

Enemies among us. Who are they? It is easier to say who they are not. 

They are not your friends or allies. They don't look different than you. They don't wear uniforms. They are not harmless but are armed and mean to do you harm. They don't take prisoners. They don't care about you. They are not interested in a 'fair fight'. If you don't give them what they want, they may kill you. They may kill you even if you do.

One thing they all have in common is the determination to make you do what they want. Give up your money. Hand over your possessions. Surrender yourself, and perhaps your loved ones, to their pleasures. Provide them with their brand of twisted entertainment. Suffer. Die. Their reasons are many, but their intent is the same. Conform to their demands or suffer the consequences.

Broad generalizations sweep these people into certain identifiable categories: criminals, psychologically ruined psychopaths, religious zealots, and political hardliners are a few of the more obvious ones. We know they are out there among us, but we have no way of recognizing them unless they commit a dangerous act. By then, it is often too late for the victims to take measures to protect themselves.

Mr. Two Time Loser with that meth monkey on his back needs more drugs. Drugs cost money. He walks into a neighborhood convenience store, pulls the pistol he stole from his last burglary and demands money from the clerk. He gets some, but not as much as he feels he is entitled to so he herds the clerk and the customers into the back room intending to take what money they have on them, but panics and begins shooting.

The situation is that only the criminal is armed. The police are unaware of what's going down, being involved with their regular duties, and perhaps dealing with other criminals who have committed various crimes. They can't be everywhere. You have to call them for help. What can the potential victims do?

They can do anything but act like lambs at the slaughter. Rush the shooter. Throw things. Act like a group of angry people who won't go quietly into that good night. The odds are that someone is going to be hurt. However, if no one does anything to stop the shooter, everyone is going to get hurt, or worse. There appears to be a kind of herd mentality in these incidents where a jerk with a gun can be instantly obeyed by a group of people who stand a very good chance of successfully opposing him. But, no one wants to fight back.

The situation changes if someone in the group is armed. By deciding to carry a gun that person has made the commitment to not stand idly by in fear if confronted by a deadly threat. Now, the criminal and the group are on an even keel. One of our potential victims pulls her legal pistol from her purse and opens fire on the bad guy. What happens?

In the vast majority of situations like this, the bad guy, or guys, run. They do not like to be shot at. They panic when their lives are in danger. They run. Even if they don't, in the rare cases when they chose to stand and fight, the potential victims are energized enough to either defend themselves or to flee and seek shelter.

Another scenario which today is becoming increasingly possible and is more deadly than the violent criminal encounter happens when the enemy is motivated not by money or personal animosity, but from an imperative to force his ideology on everyone else. During the last century these ideologues were motivated by political and national systems like Nazism and Communism. They were quite clear in their aims, declaring war on their enemies and wearing uniforms to openly identify themselves. But, that was old school. Today, the ideologues we have to worry most about are motivated by religion, don't wear uniforms and are quite willing to kill as many unbelievers as necessary to force their way of life and religious laws on the rest of the world.

America has been fortunate to have suffered only a few attacks from the religious extremists, but we can certainly expect more, along with the rest of the civilized world, as they push out among us and convert more of our gullible and disaffected citizens to their jihad.

I don't intend to get bogged down in the debate about whether Islam is a religion of peace or not. I think it is obvious that many of Islam's most fundamental adherents are the jihadists that inflict and promote violence in the name of Islam around the world. There is no need to rationalize about poverty or political issues, just listen to what they say about why they do what they do.

These people are the enemy, just as the meth addict with a gun is the enemy, or the home invader from across town, or the road-rage psycho who wants to kill you for driving too slowly is the enemy.

The only question one has to answer is what to personally do about this. There are a limited number of choices.

You can do nothing and just go on with your life as if there are no enemies about and plan for your future as if it was going to be a peaceful extension of your present.

You can keep your cell phone charged so you can dial 911 if the worst happens and you need help and protection from evil.

You can get in shape and take your pick of martial arts classes to increase your defensive capabilities.

You can be fatalistic and convince yourself that it will never happen to you, but only to someone else.

You can make sure your will is up to date. 

You can do all of these things and you can also arm your self and get the necessary training to better protect yourself and others should it come to that.

The anti-gun people will readily buy into many of those steps but the last one. And, for them, that is their choice. However, they do not get to prohibit me from legally owning and carrying a gun just because they don't chose to prepare meet the enemy. 

That is their choice. They don't get to chose for me.