Priorities

Your first priority should be towards your safety and the safety of your family. If you are with your family ensure they are together, stay together and seek to evacuate the scene immediately. You will want to get them at least one terrain feature from the attack site. That is code for at least one full city block or enough distance you can worry less about secondary explosions or explosions targeting our first responders. If you can evacuate via your vehicle, then skinny pedal on the right and don’t look back. Get your family to safety first and foremost.

Strong Point

If you cannot evacuate one terrain feature or more and you are forced to strong point then find a secure area and lock it down. Remember, in these events there will be chaos and confusion, you may find it better to strong point until the scene is safe. Try to find a location at least off the beaten path away from the attack site. Secure the door and if possible barricade it with something. This is the time to gather as much information as you can, but also go into power conservation. Create a rotation of about 30 minutes and then power down the remaining devices. Use this time to gather as much information as possible. In particular safe egress routes once you decide to beat feet.

Strength in Numbers

If you are with your family, but you are separated at the time of the attack now is the time to fall back to your link up plan. Hopefully you put one in place that has something basic such as if we are separated in case of an emergency then go to this location and wait so many minutes. If still no link up, then go to this place and wait so many minutes. The goal is to try and gain distance from the attack site while at the same time gather your family members. You also want to have as part of your link up plan some type of communications plan. Should there be an emergency you will touch base with family via a group chat/text with your status and location. Every hour on the hour everyone should check in with a status update. Should you have a family member not check in now you have to retrace their steps in an attempt to locate them.

Separation anxiety

If one of your family members fails to check in, you need to retrace their steps. What was their last known location and start from there. In this case it may be ideal to break into two different parties. Your main body should continue to strong point or evacuate to a safe location. While you look for your missing member. While there are plenty of reason someone missed a comm-check be prepared for the worse. Chances are the scene may still be unsecure and dangerous, but there may be wounded and dead you must confront. Do what you can or what you must.

Worse case scenario

We all know where this is heading, you locating your family member and they severely injured and immobile. Your first priority should be to ensure the scene is safe. Then do your best to treat the injury. The most common fatality in these types of events are blood loss. Since medical teams cannot enter until the scene is safe you are the first responder. Let’s hope you have the bare bones of a medical kit such as tourniquet. Follow all medical protocol for it’s application and stabilize to the best of your ability. Yes, very few things can replace a tourniquet, but should you not have one or other medical supplies; improvise.

It is sad this is part of our landscape these days, but that shouldn’t stop us from preparing. It also shouldn’t stop us from hunting this bastards down.

The post Right of Bang… appeared first on Trident Concepts.

When Baggy is Bad

One of the problems we see in our Concealed Carry classes occurs when students are attempting to re-holster. The concealment garments loosens and gets funneled into the holster’s mouth prior to the pistol re-holstering. The concealment garment gets shoved further into the holster applying pressure to all parts of the gun, to include the trigger. One of the most important features you look for in a holster is protecting the trigger and trigger guard has sufficient protection. In other words, while the pistol is holstered no object can gain access to the trigger. While you might have chosen an excellent holster that meets this objective, shoving a piece of your concealment garment into the holster as you re-holster will override your efforts.

No One is Exempt

You don’t have to be practicing from concealed to experience this issue. In fact, we brief in the beginning of all our classes the aspect of re-holstering must be conducted in a safe and controlled manner. Insure there is no foreign objects near the mouth of the holster. The most common culprit is the bottom hem of your shirt, but other items to keep an eye out for are drawstring hems & zipper pulls. In fact, I have a good friend who experienced a negligent discharge as a result of a zipper pull. Crazy stuff can happen so be safe and in control. Next, observe the re-holstering process. Look down to ensure there is no foreign object near the mouth of the holster. As you gently re-holster be on the lookout for any resistance. If you feel more resistance than normal…STOP! Identify what is causing the resistance, address the issue and carry on.

There is No Prize for the Fastest Re-holster

If you find yourself in a real world situation consider the fact you will be highly stressed, these procedures will help ensure when you re-hoster you do so safely. Before you re-holster ensure the scene is safe or the target is secure. Once you have completed all scans consider performing some ammunition management, after you complete that final step slowly, very slowly re-holster. Yes, I do suggest you observe the process, but keep things in perspective. The reason you are re-holstering is either you are being relieved, there is no longer a lethal threat or you are off the proverbial “X”. If you have any reason to believe there was still a threat to your safety then you wouldn’t be re-holstering. So, in this case, taking your eyes off your battle space to safely re-holster is the tactical imperative.

Protect the Trigger

For those who carry “off body” I first strongly encourage you to reconsider. I realize it is more difficult for women to carry concealed and this is an option for them. During our Concealed Carry Combatives classes we see so many off body ideas go the way of the dinosaur. If you carry off body I strongly encourage the trigger still be protected. That means light sheaths or in some cases a minimalist holster. I love the Vanguard 2 from Raven Concealment and use them more times than I can count. In the case of “off body” I would affix the holster to an anchor point so when I obtain my firing grip and retrieve the pistol from my off body concealment it separates from the holster on the drawstroke.

It is easy to second guess what happened in these events, but I am more inclined to remind folks of proper concealment protocol. Always re-holster safely and under control.

The post The Perils of Concealed Carry appeared first on Trident Concepts.