Good Riddance SOB

Have you ever had that feeling you are really not part of a conversation, you are more a target of the subject. I get that from time to time, particularly at conferences and seminars.

You Presume too Much

I enjoy interacting with attendees and fans who come to hear my briefs or presentations. It is the major reason why I do them, to stay connected with the public at large. The majority of the conversations either during or after are very pleasant and informative. Sometimes I will get into a conversation with someone who is more interested in defending their position or idea than genuinely discussing the subject. I will listen, make sure I understand their point then provide feedback. I take it for granted most people are interested in learning or educating themselves, but it’s not always the case.

Categories of Failures

I have been vocal about certain methods of concealed carry. I have carefully illustrated the “why” using my experience observing thousand of students come through classes. Over the years we have established a reputation; largely centered around safety and standards. The beautiful thing about performance standards is you don’t have to do a lot of talking. If you cannot meet the minimum performance standard it is in your best interest to understand why. Usually they are broken down into two categories of failures; technical and technique with the latter being the majority. When we identify technique as the culprit we focus our efforts to clean it up. Some techniques, when measured are inherently harder to do well. As a result, safety can become an issue.

Small of the Back

The conversation I was having had to do with carrying in the small of your back. We categorize it as behind the hip. If the firearm is holstered behind your hip regardless of how far it is going to pose more challenging than you might think. The biggest challenge being the time differential. The fastest route between two points is a straight line. When the body is in the way you have to dog leg around it to get to the target. This will take time no matter how little, it is adding time to an event you are already behind on the time continuum. In an effort to try and make up that time many will try to shortcut by angling the muzzle into their body. Add placing your finger prematurely on the trigger and you can figure it out from there.

Safety First

Behind the hip can be carried in two conditions, magazine facing outboard or magazine facing inboard. There are pro’s/con’s to each, but when standards are in play outboard has less travel. When the magazine faces inboard the arm and hand must travel further behind the body to get a firing grip. Regardless of which condition safely re-holstering is the next challenge. Two non-negotiable steps when re-holstering concealed are to clear the cover garment and confirm there is no obstruction to your holster’s mouth. These obstructions could inadvertently gain access inside the trigger guard so as you re-holster the apply pressure to the trigger. With sufficient pressure a negligent discharge is quite possible. The second step is to look the gun into the holster for the same reason we want to clear the cover garment. When the holster is behind the hip it makes it very difficult to consistently accomplish. I have had a few students attempt this in our classes. Safety is never negotiable and they have to be able to comply with these steps to ensure the highest level of safety for themselves and the rest of the class. You might get away with it a few times, but to gain confidence in your drawstroke you will need to practice. The more you practice, the higher the risk with this technique. Most cannot consistently follow these steps and will change to something more traditional.

Remember, when it comes to safety if it is predictable, then it is preventable. As far as performance, there are other options that inherently can out perform when all things are equal.