Last week in our marketing meeting, our staff, comprised of fathers of daughters and sons (ranging from three year olds to twenty years olds) to staff that has grown children to staff with no children; we all had an answer. Not the same answers, but we had answers.
Over the weekend, ( June 3-5) 54 people injured, 11 killed in 7 separate mass shootings. These shootings happened at graduation parties, outdoor entertainment areas and malls.
A church in Iowa, a hospital in Utah all with in the last week alone.
287 Mass Shootings in the US since January 2022! ( defined by more the 4 people shot)
I have spent the last 10 days deep in research. Not out of some twisted. morib need to expose myself to such depressing facts, but to understand what we as a nation as a people intend to do to ease the mind of parents dropping their kids off at school, sending them to the mall with friends, celebrating a victory after a football game, feel safe in a house of worship.
I read article after article on every side of the debate, the radical left, the radical right, the independent extremists, the folks who have never even so much as touched a water gun in their lives to the people who take their kids to the shooting range with them every Saturday.
What I read was lots of blame. Violent video games, violent music, violent movies, parents not parenting, parents parenting too much, cyber bullies, participation trophies, mental health, too many gun laws, not enough gun laws., age for purchasing guns, not enough gun training, training kids to be killers, broken homes, I mean the list goes on and on.
After reading 30 or so articles, I was more confused than when I started. I was in college in Texas when the shooting happened at Virginia Tech. Texas, where kids attending high school had gun racks in the back of their pick up trucks, Texas where guns were a right of passage growing up. The debate across the nation quickly turned to whether or not colleges should allow students to campus carry. Guess what, everyone and noone had the answers back then too.
Cars are still being mass produced even though 1 person an hour is killed by a drunk driver. Drug manufacturers still make addictive painkillers, even though 2 million or 24% of the population are addicted to them, and 92,000 died by overdosing in 2020 alone.
In 1978, the Jonestown massacre happened. 900+ members who followed Jim Jones were murdered/committed suicide by drinking laced koolaid. Koolaid is still a staple in most homes.
One particular article I read even dismissed the notion that EVIL WILL FIND A WAY. The author called this notion a myth. That mass shootings aren't about good vs evil. The author continues with..." A good guy with a gun is theology..."
]]>
As a 2020 Democrat Presidential candidate, though, Beto became best known for his total repudiation of those sentiments. During the primary debate in Houston on September 12, 2019, he famously proclaimed “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK47...!” His campaign capitalized on this by selling t-shirts with the catchphrase, and Beto reiterated his call for mandatory confiscation in a CNN Interview. Asked “Are you, in fact, in favor of gun confiscation?,” he replied, enthusiastically, “Yes, when it comes to AR-15s and AK-47s…”
This melodramatic rhetoric did nothing to improve his chances and he dropped out of the race a few weeks later. However, his call for mandatory gun confiscation was echoed by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, who went so far as to promise that Beto was “going to take care of the gun problem with me. [He’s] going to be the one who leads this effort. I’m counting on ya.”
Beto is now running as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in " Come and Take It" Texas. News reports indicated that he initially stood by his toxic stance on guns and confiscation, but – true to form – did another complete about-face ahead of the March primary amid speculation that it was just too much uncomfortable baggage in the intensely pro-gun state. At a campaign stop on February 8, Beto responded to a question with, “I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone. What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment.” Deafened, perhaps, by the collective sound of jaws dropping across America, a spokesperson for O’Rourke’s campaign “declined to comment” on this stunning reversal.
The latest, but doubtless far from final, shift from Beto occurred at the SXSW 2022 festival in Austin, Texas, in a March interview by Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune. “After some prodding, O’Rourke gave a direct answer” on his position that month on mandatory firearm confiscation:
I don’t think anyone should have [assault-style weapons]. And if I can find the consensus within the Legislature to have a law in the state of Texas that allows us to buy those AK-47s and AR-15s back, we will. As you said earlier, I cannot mandate or dictate anything as the next governor of the state of Texas. I’m going to have to do this by listening moving forward.
As positions go, this new one registers on the confiscation dial somewhere between “Hell yes!” and “Not interested in taking anything from anyone,” being “I hope I can get the Legislature to fall in with my gun confiscation plan.” We’re not seeing this slogan on Beto’s campaign t-shirts just yet, so a fresh take (or two, or more) is certainly possible between now and the election in November.
Perhaps Beto genuinely believes that defending the Second Amendment is completely compatible with his gun bans and mandatory gun grabs of ordinary semiautomatic firearms. Or maybe he’s still holding out hope that Joe Biden will make good on his promise, and is keeping his anti-gun credentials in working order.
Certainly his most recent swivel demonstrates an obvious lack of situational awareness, given that gun buys by law-abiding Americans have surged to unprecedented highs since (and possibly because of) his “Hell yes!” threat in 2019. Texas alone logged over 2.3 million NICS background checks in 2020 (compared to less than 1.5 million in 2019), many of which involved first-time gun owners. These Texas voters are unlikely to find Beto’s lip-service to the Second Amendment convincing, especially as, in the larger context, his shameless vacillating calls to mind the worst stereotype of the pandering, habitually opportunistic shill of a politician who will say anything he thinks will help elect him.
For those who are confused, uncertain or mystified about where Beto stands on firearm rights, please know our position is simple, straightforward and unchanged. Hell no, Beto.
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20220321/hell-yes-no-yes-again-and-hell-maybe
]]>
You get to be the Director in creating your own masterpiece commercial. You can use your cell phone or video camera, but please submit the final version in a horizontal 16.9 format.
Starting today until November 16, at 5pm PST we will be taking submissions for the most creative, fun, energetic, humorous commercials you can create.
Here are the rules...
1. HAVE FUN! Show us your creative, side.
2. Commercials must be a max of 30 seconds. Longer submissions will be disqualified.
3. Format for commercials should be any .mp4 or H 264 format. You can use your cell phone or video camera, but please submit the final version in a horizontal 16.9 format. Videos can be sent to Andrea@g-sight.com via, dropSend, www.Dropsend.com. (A free file transfer service.)
4. Your commercial MUST show the G-Sight Product.
5. Entering this contest, you permit G-Sight Solutions to use your commercial content in the future.
6. The G-Sight team will pick the top 3 commercials and put them on the G-Sight Facebook, on Monday, November 22, 2021 for the public to vote on. Voting ends, Wednesday November 24th at 5pm PST.
7. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 26th via G-Sight Social Media.
WINNER will receive a PRO PACK, ELMS+ Baseball cap and G-Sight Polo.
]]>
That was until an end to hostilities, an armistice, took effect between the Allied Powers and Germany on Nov. 11, 1918 on the 11th hour of the day. Although no country signed the Treaty of Versailles until June 1919, officially ending World War I, the day of the armistice marked the end of WWI combat.
President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11, 1919 the first Armistice Day. The idea was to recognize the day fighting ended by having parades and halting business at 11 a.m. In the spring of 1938, Congress approved an act to make November 11 a legal holiday to honor veterans of WWI and celebrate a day of peace. After World War II, Armistice Day changed. Veteran advocate organizations wanted Congress to amend the act of 1938 to change the name of the holiday. Congress did, and in 1954 Armistice Day legally became Veterans Day, a holiday to honor veterans of all wars.
A 1968 bill moved recognition of Veterans Day and some other holidays to Mondays, giving the public three-day weekends. However, confusion and public distaste for the change nullified it. In 1975 President Gerald R. Ford returned the observation of Veterans Day to November 11 no matter what day of the week.
]]>
We wanted to share a little bit about these heroes and their service to the United States. They each play a very important role on our G-Sight Team, and we are thankful for them every day, but especially for their sacrifices on Veterans Day.
Eric Elton, Special Operations Officer US Army Veteran
Eric spent 22 years and 10 months active duty. He shared with us his most memorable moment during his service.
“When I was promoted to SGT. I knew from childhood I wanted to be a Soldier. Not just any Soldier but I wanted to be an Infantryman. My grandfather was an Infantryman in WWII in the 75th Infantry regiment. He had his legs blown off from a land mine while pushing his commander out of the way. His sacrifice and ability to never let that change him was my passion for wanting to join the military. He achieved the rank of SGT while he was in, so I always wanted to achieve that same rank. When I did It was a surreal moment in my life that I will never forget. “
Kevin Klingberg, US Airforce, Veteran, Customer Experience Team
Kevin served 20 years in the US Air Force as a commissioned officer in the Security Forces career and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his service, Kevin filled various positions from operations officer to headquarters staff officer and squadron commander. From Kunsan Air base to Seymour Johnson Airforce base to many more over the US, to serving as Deputy Group Commander Nellis Airforce base NV. Upon leaving the Air Force, Kevin parlayed his military experience with the security services contractor at the Nevada National Security Site ( formerly known as the Nevada Test Site) where for 13 years, he worked as a manager and director supporting security operations and asset protection at this national -level facility.
One memorable experience for Kevin was his four month deployment to the Doha International Airport, Doha Qatar as Security Forces Squadron Commander providing asset protection for a deployed f-16 squadron. Their mission was to provide "no-fly zone" support in the aftermath of the Khobar Towers terrorist attack at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Jose Garcia Rizo, US Marines, Veteran, Customer Experience Team
Jose was enlisted in the Marines right out of high school. He spent 8 years in the Marine Corps, and attained the rank of Sergeant and billet of a squad leader. He had the home of being assigned to the prestigious 1st Marine Division. His greatest memories of the Marine Corps involve being deployed under the Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force OIW in Syria.
Tim Larkin, Former Military Intelligence Officer, Spokesperson for G-Sight
Born in Boston to an Irish family, Larkin learned from his environment the social status of being able to defend yourself. But the most impactful event of Larkins’ life was when he was 12. The son of a Navy officer, he and his brother would watch the Navy SEALs train and were adopted as junior mascots while the men trained.
“These guys early on taught me that they were training for a very different thing. You know, they weren’t training because somebody was bullying them or they had threats. They were training with the idea of how to effectively use violence to protect the country. It was really startling. I didn’t realize what an effect it had on me.”
So with the zeal of a young man pursuing a dream career, Larkin went on to ace SEAL training and might still be there if fate hadn’t had a different path in store for him. A catastrophic jump that Larkin was lucky to survive would change everything.
Told he’d never be an active agent again and moved to the Intelligence area of the SEALs, Larkin learned a wide-range of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat. He also took with him the life lesson that he has used to inform everything about how he handles the world.
WE SALUTE YOU!
]]>November 11th is the one day set aside each year to honor those who have served and continue to serve our nation. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, the day we pay tribute to fallen service members, Veterans Day offers a great opportunity to teach civilians about the sacrifice service members and their families make year-round. How do you plan to celebrate this year? Here are some ideas for activities to try in your community.
1. Organize a care-package packing party. If you don’t know someone currently stationed overseas, contact a nearby base or an organization like Blue Star Moms to identify troops in need.
2. Visit a veterans’ hospital. If you don’t have a local VA office, contact an assisted living or nursing home facility nearby. Chatting with elderly or injured veterans is a great way to brighten their day, plus you’re likely to hear some highly fascinating stories about their time in the service. Take flowers or an activity they could do in bed.
3. Get creative. For young children, a fun project is a great way to start teaching about the holiday and its importance.
4. Encourage your child’s teacher to develop a Veterans Day lesson plan. A timeline or short writing project is a great way for students to learn about the holiday’s history. Consider organizing a creative writing contest with the theme of Veterans Day. Talk with the school and understand their requirements. You may find willing volunteer judges among student organizations, local veteran organizations, active duty, reservists, teachers, or professors at a local university.
5. Invite a veteran — a parent, grandparent or faculty member, perhaps — to speak to students about what it’s like to be in the military. Don’t know any veterans to invite? Contact your local VA their Public Affairs Officer will likely be able to identify a good guest speaker. There are many veterans who work at VA facilities and would be happy to be to speak to students.
6. Wear a red poppy to show support for veteran and active duty service members. The American Legion Auxiliary distributes red crepe paper poppies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day nationwide. The poppies are all handmade by veterans as part of their therapeutic rehabilitation, and donations received in exchange for the flowers go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans in our communities. Contact your local American Legion office to find out where you can get one in your community.
7. Take time out of the day to acknowledge veterans in your workplace. Consider an office-wide coffee break with a patriotic themed snack. During the event, make sure to recognize each veteran employee. (Plan ahead to make sure you don’t miss anyone.)
8. Celebrate with service. Show service members your gratitude throughout the year with a home-cooked meal, thank you note or day of volunteering.
9. Support veteran-owned businesses. It’s not always easy to identify which businesses are founded or operated by veterans. Contact your local chamber of commerce to see if they have any resources.
10. Express thanks. Whenever you see someone in uniform, extend a simple word of gratitude or small act of kindness to show how much their service means to you.
11. Send a card. Start compiling a list of names and addresses of the Veterans you know and send them a thank you card this year. Continue building out your list and make a tradition of sending these out each year. It only takes 10 minutes to send a welcome gift to a veteran or deployed service member.
Andi Dupper- Marketing Manager- G-Sight Solutions
I am excited to introduce the newest member of the G-Sight Customer Experience team, Jose Garcia Rizo. Jose joined the team at the beginning of September 2021.
Jose was enlisted in the Marines right out of high school. I 8 years in the Marine Corps, he attained the rank of Sergeant and billet of a squad leader. He had the home of being assigned to the prestigious 1st Marine Division. His greatest memories of the Marine Corps involve being deployed under the Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force OIR in Syria.
Prior to joining the G-Sight team, Jose worked in Law Enforcement as Deputy Sheriff and did security contracting. He is the proud father of two little boys and loves spending time with them outdoors. In his down time, he’s shooting, hiking, grilling, and exercising, in general anything that puts him in a state of motion.
When I asked him about working for G-Sight he had this to say,
“I love the culture of this company and it’s pursuit to providing great tools to new shooters as well as experienced ones. I can certainly say I enjoy being an employee for a company in an industry that is also my main hobby.”
Jose is committed to living his best life in honor and inspiration of his friends; two killed in combat and many others to suicide.
We are honored to welcome this Veteran to our team.
]]>
In March last year, federal background checks, a rough proxy for purchases, topped one million in a week for the first time since the government began tracking them in 1998. And the buying continued, through the protests in the summer and the election in the fall, until a week this spring broke the record with 1.2 million background checks.
“There was a surge in purchasing unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Garen J. Wintemute, a gun researcher at the University of California, Davis. “Usually, it slows down. But this just kept going.”
Not only were people who already had guns buying more, but people who had never owned one were buying them too. New preliminary data from Northeastern University and the Harvard Injury Control Research Center show that about a fifth of all Americans who bought guns last year were first-time gun owners. And the data, which has not been previously released, showed that new owners were less likely than usual to be male and white. Half were women, a fifth were Black and a fifth were Hispanic.
In all, the data found that 39 percent of American households’ own guns. That is up from 32 percent in 2016, according to the General Social Survey, a public opinion poll conducted by a research center at the University of Chicago. Researchers said it was too early to tell whether the uptick represents a reversal from the past 20 years, in which ownership was basically flat.
“Americans are in an arms race with themselves,” said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents South Los Angeles, where the surge in gun violence has been particularly sharp, on the City Council. “There was just as much a run on guns as on toilet paper in the beginning of the pandemic.”
Now the gun debate is, once again, taking center stage, this time at a moment of hardening political division and deepening distrust. Sales usually spike around elections, but the sheer volume this time is notable. It also gives a worrying glimpse into the way Americans view one another — as people they want to protect themselves from.
As the country’s major political parties move further apart, so does the legislation that flows from them — and like voting rights and abortion, guns are no exception. There is no single reason for the surge, but social scientists point to many potential drivers.
“There is a breakdown in trust and a breakdown in a shared, common reality,” said Lilliana Mason, a political scientist at the University of Maryland who writes about political violence. “There is also all this social change, and social change is scary.”
Many gun store workers reported that last year set records for sales and also that they noticed different types of buyers walking in the door. Thomas Harris, a former law enforcement officer who works at the gun counter at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Roanoke, Va., said that around March last year, the customers he would speak with began to include more white-collar workers, such as people from insurance firms and software companies. He said many of the buyers were not conservative and most had never handled a gun.
“Outside of seeing something on TV or in a movie, they knew nothing about them,” he said, adding that they did not know how to load a gun or what a caliber was. He said many of these apparent first-time buyers purchased more expensive guns, in the range of $400 or more. The purpose, he said, was not to carry the gun around in public, but to keep it at home. “They were saying: ‘We’re going to be locking down. We’re constrained to our homes. We want to keep safe.’”
The Northeastern and Harvard data come from a survey of 19,000 people conducted in April. Researchers found that about 6.5 percent of American adults bought guns in 2020, or about 17 million people. That was up from 5.3 percent in 2019, said Dr. Matthew Miller, a professor of epidemiology at Northeastern, who conducted the study with Deborah Azrael, a researcher at Harvard. While about a fifth of gun buyers last year were first-time buyers, the share was about the same in 2019, he said, suggesting that the trend did not start with the pandemic.
As for gun owners overall in 2021, he said, 63 percent were male, 73 percent were white, 10 percent were Black, and 12 percent were Hispanic.
The pandemic accelerated a trend of rising gun sales. According to The Trace, a news outlet that tracks gun sales, purchases have been rising steadily over the past decade, with a jump around the beginning of 2013, after the Sandy Hook shooting. Sales did not change much under former President Donald J. Trump, but they exploded in 2020, up by 64 percent from the previous year. The single highest month last year was in June, as protests swept across the country after the murder of George Floyd.
The pace has continued this year: Americans bought more than 2.3 million guns in January, the highest since last July, according to The Trace. And overall, in the first quarter, sales jumped 18 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2020, according to The Trace.
The government does not track the number of guns sold in the United States. Even the federal background check data do not give a complete picture, as many sales are private. Estimates of the total number of guns in circulation range as high as 400 million and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing.
ns of slowing.
Let’s start with defining the term. Generally, a 2nd Amendment sanctuary is a city, county, or other jurisdiction that has adopted a resolution declaring that restrictive gun control laws passed by a higher legislative body, such as the federal government or a state legislature, violate the Constitution and will not be enforced in that jurisdiction.
These resolutions are intended to send a strong message to legislators that law-abiding gun owners, represented by their local governments, are opposed to such gun control measures.
Now, let’s take a closer look at these Second Amendment sanctuaries and why this trend is picking up steam across the nation.
A Growing Trend Across the U.S.
2nd Amendment sanctuaries have multiplied over the past few years. More than 1,200 jurisdictions in 37 states have adopted resolutions opposing the enforcement of state and federal laws that violates the Second Amendment. Sanctuaries are found across the nation, from Paris, Maine to Lake County, Florida; Needles, California to Kenai, Alaska.
Inspired by the recent expansion of the immigration sanctuary movement, law-abiding gun owners and their local governments saw the need to re-assert their Second Amendment rights. Many feel that current laws and pending legislation—ranging from universal background checks and magazine restrictions to extreme risk (“red flag”) orders—would infringe the individual’s constitutional right to bear arms. Years earlier, several states, including Alaska and Kansas, had passed resolutions declaring they would not comply with any federal gun laws they viewed as unconstitutional. These resolutions served as models for the Second Amendment sanctuary movement.
Committed gun owners can take the initiative to persuade local officials and policymakers to adopt Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions. For example, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus provides recommended steps to accomplish this goal, including coordinating efforts with other gun activists, communicating with law enforcement and legislative officials to urge them to action, and attending public legislative sessions to present petitions calling for a sanctuary resolution.
Why the Trend to Second Amendment Sanctuaries Now?
Second Amendment sanctuaries are a direct response to other types of sanctuaries, particularly those created over the past decade by localities that have passed resolutions to limit their cooperation with federal enforcement of immigration laws. But sanctuaries have a deeper-rooted history.
Sanctuaries arose in ancient Greece and Rome, where temples offered protection to fugitives from the law. Early Christian churches also served as sanctuaries, offering similar protections. Authorities would not desecrate a church by engaging in conflict or attempt to forcibly remove a wrongdoer from the sanctuary. Typically, the suspect would remain in the sanctuary until he could negotiate a solution, such as making restitution to an aggrieved party or agreeing to go into permanent exile. Over the years, the role of churches as sanctuaries steadily declined. In modern times, embassies often serve as similar sanctuaries.
What Does the Sanctuary Movement Mean for Gun Owners?
First, these “sanctuary” laws do nothing to prevent a local U.S. Attorney in your state from prosecuting you for a violation of federal law. On the other hand, the laws may not even be legally necessary; the right to keep and bear arms is expressly guaranteed by the Second Amendment, and the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed that such a right was fundamental in the Heller decision. District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008). In the event of any conflicts about Second Amendment rights, federal law supersedes state law and local ordinances. The Federal District Court in your state has the authority to determine whether any infringement on your firearm rights—local, state, or federal—is constitutional. Ultimately, any appeal of these issues will take place in the federal circuit courts and/or the U.S. Supreme Court.
Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions send a clear message to politicians: gun owners will not accept gun control laws that infringe on their constitutional rights. Only time will tell if the Second Amendment sanctuary movement will reduce or eliminate the restrictions and limits placed on law-abiding gun owners. Possibly, the movement will give cities and states an extra measure of protection for residents’ rights to keep and bear arms.
Regardless of the Second Amendment sanctuary trend, the fact remains that your right to self-defense and to keep and bear arms is uniquely protected by the U.S. Constitution.
]]>After some research and some time on the range. I have learned there are definite pros and cons of completive shooter sports as they relate to defensive firearms training.
Knowledge of Your Gun and Gear
Every shooter wants to be knowledgeable and "one with" their gun. If you are not “one with” your gun, holster, and mag pouches, you will be after a few matches! In competition you are constantly focusing on your firearm and the practice of shooting, under great amounts of pressure and stress. You and your firearm become ONE pretty fast!
Safe Gun Handling
Competitive shooting sports promote and enforce safety procedures and respectful range etiquette. Because only one person at a time is allowed to handle a loaded firearm under the direction supervision of a range officer (RO) there is a great deal of control over the situation. If there is any infraction, you can be disqualified! Talk about motivation.
Moving and Cover
Gunfights are not duels. Survival depends on your ability to move efficiently from the threat and take hard cover to protect yourself. IDPA requires you to think about movement and how to use cover while engaging targets, while USPSA is more on the stand and deliver movement and working around sneaky vision barriers at times. It is important to remember that walls, unless heavily reinforced with concrete or steel, are not sufficient cover for a self-defense situation.
Mindset and Decision Making
Mindset for self-defense is very different than for competition. The advantage of competitive shooting sports requires a “winner’s mindset” and ability to make decisions in the moment as an athlete. Formulate a good plan, practice the plan, execute the plan, and then learn from the outcome.
Self dense situations rarely present you with time to make a decision. The proper mindset ahead of time of what you will or will not do morally, legally, or based on your skills will aid in the decision-making process.
Speed and Accuracy
Accuracy matters most. Never compromise your speed for accuracy. If you are not able to hit what you shoot at, you will always lose a gunfight or points down in a match. There are two things that should be done fast in a gunfight/match: drawing and reloading.
Trigger Time
All of these concepts are important for competition and self-defense. There are differences in the execution of shooting skills for defensive vs sport, but with the right understanding of how you apply the concepts, trigger time is trigger time — and time well spent!
]]>
Jonathan Morales; Customer Service Expert, Gun Safety Officer
Jonathan Morales is one of the newest members of the G-Sight Team. Morales joined the Customer Experience department in October of 2020.He has been in the firearms industry for over 5 years. He also works as a firearms instructor and Range Safety officer at a local gun range. His knowledge of firearms is heavily focused on post WW2 era firearms.
His favorite part of working for G-Sight is working in an industry he enjoys. “It allows me to continue teaching firearm safety and etiquette to those who are newer to the world of guns as well as those who just want to get better at shooting.” says Morales.
Morales’ favorite firearms is the full autoMP5 and M249 SAW.
His best advice to anyone regarding firearms is always follow basic firearm safety
In closing, Jonathan says he will demolish an entire pack of Oreos if given the opportunity. “Do not give me the opportunity.”
]]>]]>
When you look at this picture, which guy needs self defense? If you found yourself in the above situation, what would you do?
Your response will show your self defense expectations and where you see yourself in violence. It’s an inkblot test, or one of those optical illusions where you can see either a vase or two faces—people immediately see one or the other, some see both and can flip it back and forth in their heads, others can never see the inverse of their initial impression.
It’s interesting to note the very different responses you get from two distinct populations: The sane/socialized and the sociopathic/or otherwise experienced in the use of violence.
Sane & Social Self Defense
Sociopathic or Otherwise Experienced in Violence
As a teaching tool, the goal here is not to shame those who reflexively see the image through the social lens, nor to reward those who know the “right” answer and parrot it because they think that’s what we’re looking for. The goal is to show you what’s inside of your head, your most basic assumptions about violence and the role you expect to play in it.
Before I knew anything about violence I would have seen myself as the guy on the ground, and been intensely interested in learning what to do next in self defense. In training, I would’ve wanted to start from that position and work to stop or counter what the other man was doing.
Like the vase/two-faces image, it can take someone else pointing out the inverse before you can see it. And even then, it takes effort to see it again.
This is the role training plays: You need to put in the time and effort to change your reflexive assumption and role-choice.
This isn’t as simple as exclaiming, “Hell yeah, I’m the guy gettin’ it done!” You need to actually train to be that guy. You need to practice putting work into people on the mats, rather than practicing trying to stop others from putting work into you.
This is about a very frank and honest assessment of where you are, truly and at your core, with this self defense stuff.
If you wondered at the story behind the picture, the individual motivations of the people there and who was right and wrong, you need to understand that none of those things have any bearing on the mechanical facts of violence. Being right or wrong grants, nor takes away, any power. Injury occurs with no regard for moral superiority.
If you saw yourself as the downed man and saw it as a puzzle to be solved to “save” yourself (i.e., “How do I defend myself in that situation?”), understand that you are behind the power curve of violence, a reactionary rather than active participant. You empathize with the victim, as all good, sane and socialized people should; but such empathy will make you the victim in life-or-death violence.
If you said you were the standing man because you “knew the answer” from previous contact with us, you need to really think on that—are you just saying it, or is it really what you feel? If you’re just saying it, understand that “knowing the answer” isn’t the same as doing. If that’s what you want for yourself you need to train to make it a reality.
If you looked at the picture and felt the sensation of cranking your foot back and delivering another good, solid boot to the head…
…well, either something’s broken inside you or you’ve done it enough to reflexively choose to be the winner. Or you’ve trained assiduously to overcome your natural empathy when necessary and know what the next bit feels like because you’ve walked your body through the motions over and over again on the mats in self defense training so when you find yourself there, it won’t be the first time, but the 301st time you’ve stomped a downed man.
Again, all of this is not presented as a yanked-rug, “gotcha!” but as a learning tool that cuts through all bluff, bluster and badassery. Say what you will, but you cannot hide your own reaction to the picture from yourself.
Take that honest gut reaction—regardless of where it puts you on the violence continuum—as a useful assessment of how much work you need to do to be the one in the driver’s seat.
]]>
Written by Andi Dupper; Content and Social Media Marketing
In February I decided to join the growing number of women gun owners. I have gone shooting with different friends on a few occasions in my life, and trained at a range with a former special forces veteran twice. That had been the extent of my firearm experience. So, in deciding to become a responsible, law abiding gun owner, I decided I would take a CCW class.
I walked into the classroom, 8am on a Saturday morning, Starbucks in hand, pen and notepad, anxiety and nerves in tact. I had zero idea what to expect. Was I walking into a room full of gun toting, know it all rebel rousers (antiquated depiction, I know, but still my mind got the better of me) that would reduce me to a meek mouse in the back of the class?
To my surprise, I walked into a room filled with other women and four men. All my nerves calmed, my demeanor changed. I was among my peers, other women looking to get their CCWs. Women who were interested in taking control of their own self defense, taking their power into their own hands.
Our class was taught by a bad ass woman too. Alex is certified by the NRA, a certified trainer for CCW trainers, a champion in Krav Maga and plenty more that I can't remember. Alex was knowledgeable, funny and made everyone in class very comfortable. And like the nerd that I am, I sat in class taking the most detailed notes, I mean after all, there is a test at the end of all of this!
We finished up in the classroom and it was off to the range. Like I mentioned before, I've shot guns a handful of times, so I wasn't too terribly anxious about squeezing a trigger. Plus, I have been practicing with my ELMS 9mm for about 4 months. Even though I haven't been using my own gun, I was able to work on breath control, trigger pull and my aim. I learned in all that time practicing, and being able to ask Tim Larkin questions, that I am cross dominate when it comes to focusing on a target through the firearms sight.
When it came my turn on the range to shoot, I was so confidant. I cradled that Beretta, aimed at the target and landed nearly every shot, center mass. Now, in no way do I think I am a perfect marksman. I am fully aware that I have so much more to learn, so much more training to go through to become a more proficient and ready gun owner.
In 2020, nearly 40% of all new gun owners were first time gun owners and of that 40%, 40% were women. These women, like myself have a variety of reasons to purchase guns and get training. Whatever the reason women are a strong growing demographic and we're enjoying our guns!
I started training about a week ago on the range with Alex. My goal is to compete one day. To all the women out there that are intimidated or fearful of getting a personal gun, my advice is to move past any fear or anxiety and wake up your inner warrior!
]]>