If you’re interested in attending a class or if you want to host one, please contact me for information.

The Kent Carbine/Subgun Instrucotr School went well. The guys in the class were all trying to pick up what I was putting down. The teach backs were all solid and hopefully the dudes self diagnosed and their next class will be better. This one course does NOT make you an instructor! That would be the same as saying one run gets you ready for a marathon or one range session prepares you for a gunfight. Just like shooting, Instrucotrship is a process and a journey. No one is perfect, we keep attending training and refining and improving the craft to the best of our ability.

I was fortunate to attend a one day carbine and one day pistol class last week from Frank Proctor of Way of the Gun. Frank is an easy going dude and he shoots his guns well. I was able to pull down a few tips and drills that I plan to incorporate into my personal training regimen and in my classes. The nice thing about attending as an instructor is to be able to see how other instructors run their game. By and large I dont demo alot at speed, I typically do demos slwo to show what I’m doing. I think I might start even though in the past I have felt like it was show off time. Students didn’t pay to watch me shoot, they paid to shoot and be coached. One man’s thoughts anyway.

Last the DM gun has it’s last part being shipped on Monday. It is a working gun right now and I think I have what I want. I do need to give it alot of reps to see if it will hold up to the pressure. The full break down is on my facebook page with a picture.

As always, I apologize for typos.

Here is the interesting and often forgotten part of this class. The whole thing, start to finish, is meant to be an INSTRUCTOR course. So my expectation and my thought behind the class is that you spend every minute thinking about how YOU will set up your user programs for NEW shooters! I know you can shoot good, I’M NOT IMPRESSED!!!

You should be refining and fine tuning your ability to deliver material so the student gets its. You should be taking notes on what I do well during the class, and what I suck at so you dont do the same. Instead of shooting my standards drills and then clapping your self on the back, recognize that my standard may be too low for you, or maybe too high for your agency. What will you do to change them so they work for your students.

This class is truly more about teaching others to shoot than your shooting ability. ALL of us miss shots during the week. All of us will flub a reload, drop a magazine, or whatever. No big deal. We cannto afford to miss the mark when it comes to the students and the information we are trying to pass on. Their very lives may depend on the information we are trying to relay. Being an “Instructor” is more than a red shirt and a whistle.

I had a bust week last week with SWAT stuff and with prepping/teaching in service for my departments Sergeants. Funny to me that I teach all over the NW, but this is the first time my own agency has leaned on me for tactical training to my peers. Weird.

Anyway, one of the missions we did was a large compound, multiple houses and multiple bad guys. My team, another large team and a portion of a third team were required to handle this job. All told we used 7 armored vehicles and had roughly 65 SWAT men on the job. Everything went smooth as silk. None of the five pit bulls had to killed, all of the 27 weapons were recovered and some career criminals are in the jailhouse.

My wife says that shit went smoothly because I’m the best damn team leader on the planet and my plan and execution of that plan was flawless. (She’s my wife fer chrissakes, shes supposed to think like that!) I think the plan was good and I owe thanks to another T/L who helped plan and ultimately convinced me the 7th piece of armor was needed. The guys did well in executing the plan, by and large it went as I thought it would.

On to the title though. These guys certainly had enough guns on scene to qualify as means. The guns were there, they had bullets and were in good working condition. So the means to shoot at us was there. We used S&C tactics, so they certainly had ample opportunity to pick up the guns, clean-lube-load, and either pre-emptively assault us or wait until we were vulnerable in some fashion. Last they probably have the mindset to kill cops, we’ll never know since they eleceted not to.

So, means, opportunity and mindset were all present. I cant effect the means; if guns are there I cant control them until I control the target. I can kinda control opportunity by way of tactics, a faster tactic might let me bounce a guy before he can acquire the means to assault. It might also send me dashing into a hornets nest. S&C gives bad guys opportunities that Dynamic does not, it’s a fact. The reverse is also true sometimes. I dont really think we can control mindset, a predisposition to violence does not simply go away.
 
So how come we were not engaged with gunfire? I think that an overwhelming show of force, an aggressive posture, might cause someone to rethink their plan. Although many bad guys might want to harm us, the futility of starting that fight might stay their hand. For the guys that would be inclined to read this blog, that was a big “Duh!” moment for you. Our detractors would say that 7 armored cars and 3+ score of SWAT men is overkill. It is too much, it is excessive. Well, we do know that no gunfight erupted, none of the officers were injured or killed and none of the suspects were harmed.

Whats the point? The point is choose the tactics that gives you the highest chance of controlling Means, Opportunity and Mindset. And bring alot of men with guns.

I had a bust week last week with SWAT stuff and with prepping/teaching in service for my departments Sergeants. Funny to me that I teach all over the NW, but this is the first time my own agency has leaned on me for tactical training to my peers. Weird.

Anyway, one of the missions we did was a large compound, multiple houses and multiple bad guys. My team, another large team and a portion of a third team were required to handle this job. All told we used 7 armored vehicles and had roughly 65 SWAT men on the job. Everything went smooth as silk. None of the five pit bulls had to killed, all of the 27 weapons were recovered and some career criminals are in the jailhouse.

My wife says that shit went smoothly because I’m the best damn team leader on the planet and my plan and execution of that plan was flawless. (She’s my wife fer chrissakes, shes supposed to think like that!) I think the plan was good and I owe thanks to another T/L who helped plan and ultimately convinced me the 7th piece of armor was needed. The guys did well in executing the plan, by and large it went as I thought it would.

On to the title though. These guys certainly had enough guns on scene to qualify as means. The guns were there, they had bullets and were in good working condition. So the means to shoot at us was there. We used S&C tactics, so they certainly had ample opportunity to pick up the guns, clean-lube-load, and either pre-emptively assault us or wait until we were vulnerable in some fashion. Last they probably have the mindset to kill cops, we’ll never know since they eleceted not to.

So, means, opportunity and mindset were all present. I cant effect the means; if guns are there I cant control them until I control the target. I can kinda control opportunity by way of tactics, a faster tactic might let me bounce a guy before he can acquire the means to assault. It might also send me dashing into a hornets nest. S&C gives bad guys opportunities that Dynamic does not, it’s a fact. The reverse is also true sometimes. I dont really think we can control mindset, a predisposition to violence does not simply go away.
 
So how come we were not engaged with gunfire? I think that an overwhelming show of force, an aggressive posture, might cause someone to rethink their plan. Although many bad guys might want to harm us, the futility of starting that fight might stay their hand. For the guys that would be inclined to read this blog, that was a big “Duh!” moment for you. Our detractors would say that 7 armored cars and 3+ score of SWAT men is overkill. It is too much, it is excessive. Well, we do know that no gunfight erupted, none of the officers were injured or killed and none of the suspects were harmed.

Whats the point? The point is choose the tactics that gives you the highest chance of controlling Means, Opportunity and Mindset. And bring alot of men with guns.

The conversation went in a lot of directions, these kinds of discussions typically do. At on point team leadership came up. I ran a drill with the guys that I do with T/L Classes. I had them tell me traits of a good leader. They started to fire off words, Integrity, Honor, Discipline, Dedication, Character, Courage, Communicator, Diplomat, Fair, and so forth. The list is always the same and I use this to illustrate that the concept of a good leader is universal. Be that guy, and you will be considered a good leader. Deviate in any one category and you may not be.

Here is a news flash for some of you young(er) studs. The list applies equally to you. If I was to name off traits of a good team member, the list is the same. Instead of pointing up, look in the mirror and ask yourself whether or not you are meeting the stringent requirements you demand of others. If you are not, fix yourself. Self reflection is required of everyone who takes up arms, who has the responsibility of defending others from harm, who have the sacred trust of others.
 
I am not perfect, I have made alot of mistakes over the years from the time I was a Sergeant in the Army until now. I have tried to learn from my mistakes. I have tried to be a model for others in the SWAT world. I have tried to remain self disciplined, forthright, and honest with team members, T/L’s and team command. I am not perfect, but goddamnit, the mistakes I have made are not from a lack of trying.

Run your own list, and then regardless of position, try to live up to your own high standard.

If you are interested in hosting a course or attending any of the courses above, please contact me to get scheduled.

One of the easiest and maybe most effective and versatile personal breaching tools that you can own is a Tomahawk. I see and hear alot of discussion about small halligans, sledges, Fubars and so forth as a means to make emergency entry into a structure for LE. Discussions about using 5.56 as a breaching round in the worst of scenarios, driving cop cars through doors, and full size tools work but may be impractical for the given situation.

A quality Tomahawk that is built first as a TOOL, will take the place of many other options. I am fortunate to possess an RMJ Shrike Tactical Tomahawk http://www.rmjtactical.com/. The good folks at RMJ make a top quality product that is buit to take abuse. I have tried other tomahawks of lesser price and lesser quality. In most cases the steel is dinged up quickly, the handles break under pressure or the design is better suited for throwing than real world applications.

The RMJ ‘hawk can and will breach padlocks, light doors, windows, sliders and trailers in short order. With a little more effort, you can defeat solid core residential doors to make your entry. The sheath system is secure and quick to deploy. The shoulder sling allows you to carry it in the back out of the way and deploy it with a single tug. It is very quick to put it away as well. You can tell the moment you touch it that it is built to last.

The stigma of carrying one is the biggest hurdle for LE. It is “aggressive” and I dont advocate carrying it for normal patrol calls. It is a great thing to have behind the patrol bag and quickly slings up in case you need it. It would be really nice to hanve a tactical wheelbarrow full of every breaching tool known to man for the emergency call. I could just roll it up and select the best tool for the job. However, that is not efficient or practical. The RMJ Shrike is a great all around tool, it is not cheap, but you will only have to buy one. Save your pennies and pick one up.

I will be including a Tomahawk block of instruction during the breaching courses from this point forward. I am sure you will be surprised at what a quality Tomahawk can accomplish in trained hands.