My students know that the most important takeaway from any class I teach on the defensive use of firearms is the part where we talk about avoiding the defensive use of firearms. Avoid, evade, escape, These three words will go further than any gun or shooting drill ever will in keeping you out of trouble. The following article is reprinted with permission of its authors, Kelly McCann and Michelle Ly of Kembativz Brand. Look it over and see if you can think of other “pre-attack indicators” you would add to the list.
 
Recognizing a Potential Threat Before it Manifests into an Attack Can Save Your Life
 
Ever think it would be useful to be able to see a developing problem before it went ballistic so you could avoid trouble altogether? People talk a lot about situational awareness but never add any specifics or color to their discussion. Generally, good situational awareness is being alert for anomalies; seeing and recognizing the visually unlikely circumstances that could indicate an attack is imminent. 
 
Well, take a look below and keep alert for these things. Any one of them alone is likely nothing to worry about, two of them should alarm you; three of them? Probably a solid indication you need to get away from the situation right now!
 
1.  Inexplicable presence. Or in tradecraft language cover for action cover for status. People adrift for no reason should interest you. Most people are walking with purpose, have keys in their hands, are carrying packages to and from somewhere. When none of that is going on and someone is just loafing? Ask yourself what they're up to.
 
2.  Target glancing.  Be watchful for people who look at you trying to not look like they're looking at you (if you catch our drift). They could be determining target value, looking for police or anyone who might intervene, CCTV cameras and where their escape route is.
 
3.  Sudden change in status. If someone is loafing on a bus stop bench and the ONLY thing that changes is your arrival near them and they suddenly change their status (were smoking, were sitting, were napping) when you get near them, consider if that's coincidental or not. ESPECIALLY if number 1 & 2 applies.
 
4.  Correlation of movement.  You notice some things that alarm you and you cross the street. So does the person causing you alarm. Or you walk past the person on the bus stop bench and they fall into step behind you. Or you move away from the person giving you the hairy eyeball in a bar and a minute later, there they are near you again. You'd be right to be concerned.
 
5.  Hidden hands causing unnatural movement(s). That guy who fell in step behind you? He's walking with a hand held behind his leg. That's not natural. That guy coming toward you who crossed the street to intersect your path? His right hand is in his left armpit. What's up with that? What's up with that is that criminals know the fastest draw in the world is no draw at all...the weapon is already in his hand.
 
6.  Inappropriate clothing. Criminals don't spend any money on support equipment. They don't have cool guy gear like concealment holsters. They park their weapon in the groin line or abdomen carry. Light shirts can "print" if they're too snug and make it difficult to conceal a weapon. Might explain that sweatshirt he's wearing on a 70 degree night.
 
7.  Predatorial movement/actions that seek an advantage/dominant position. If two people walk up on you apparently to ask you where something is and one steps to your side (flanking) that's a predatorial movement. If someone hovers at your 4-8 o'clock relative to you ask yourself why they would do that. Be very sensitive to any positioning that makes you feel vulnerable.
 
8.  Unnatural impediments to free movement. Any time your freedom of movement is restricted you should be alarmed. No one has the right to do that to you. And if it's done against your will it constitutes an assault. If you're walking and someone impedes your movement, take a quick step back to keep the person in sight and check your flanks. If a vehicle is involved (you're driving and suddenly a vehicle backs out in front of you and stops, creating a pregnant pause...) look to your flanks immediately to see if something else is in store for you and get ready to push that car in front of you out of the way.
 
9.  Unsolicited attempts at conversation. C'mon...no one really falls for that anymore, do they? Unfortunately yes, yes they do.
 
10.  Baiting.  Ever been minding your own business and had someone bark, "What are you looking at?" or "What did you just say?" Well if it ever happens to you, just realize you're the object of entertainment and that NOTHING you say will be the right thing. Get yourself out of the situation quickly before it goes completely South!
 
There are more of course but these TOP 10 PRE-INCIDENT INDICATORS are a great start to raising your StreetWise IQ and avoiding some totally unpleasant situations!
 
Kelly McCann and Michelle Ly own Kembativz Brand and deliver impactful corporate training to Fortune 500 companies helping them improve the Duty of Care Standard and keeping their employees safer. Contact them at [email protected]
​

When it comes to concealed carry handguns and civilian defense, let's understand from the get-go, there is seldom any one right answer to anything. "What's the best ____________? (Fill in the blank.) Whatever that blank is, there are going to be arguments pro and con. With only a few exceptions, I will go further and say if you have an instructor who takes the position that there is only one way to do almost anything, (his way) you might start looking around for a new instructor. That being said, the subject of this posting is "which is better?" A double stack or single stack handgun. Now as you might guess, my answer to this question is, (drum roll), it depends. Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each, first from a technical point of view.

Shootability. I don't care what you’re carrying, if you can't hit what you are aiming at, it's time to do something else. Regardless of caliber, a double stack is always going to be heavier than a single stack. For example, a Springfield XD S Single Stack 9mm with a seven round magazine weighs in at 23 ounces. The XD Mod 2 9mm with a 13/16 round mag comes in at 26/27 ounces. But that's only three ounces difference you say. Right, but these weights are for empty guns. When you load the magazines to their capacity, you will quickly notice the weight difference between the two. From a shootability perspective, a heavier gun has a tendency to handle felt recoil better than a lighter gun. Muzzle flip is also noticeably less as well. Result? Better accuracy and quicker return-to-target second shot capability for most people. More so, a double stack by definition will have a larger grip than a single. Depending on your hand size, for many, this is also an advantage as you can get a better and more consistent grip on the gun. The downside? For some the heavier gun may be initially harder to shoot because it is well, heavier. You may have to build up your arm a bit. The grip? If you have very small hands, the wider grip may not work so well for you. If you have a too narrow single stack, there are plenty of after market grips available to fill your hand better. Not much you can do if the double stack polymer grip is just too big.

Concealability. By and large, this argument goes to the single stack. Smaller grips translate to a more concealable gun. More so, a lighter weight also helps to prevent pants sagging from carrying a heavier weight gun.  Finally, for most people a smaller lighter gun is simply more comfortable to carry, and therefore they are inclined to carry it more often than not. The counter argument to this is that you will have no problem carrying the larger gun if you properly "dress around the gun." A good gun belt usually solves any sagging problems, and proper concealment garments should solve any concealment concerns. As to the overall comfort argument, well, everything is a trade off.

In the gunfight. This of course is where the rubber meets the road. The simple question is, do you really need more than those six or seven rounds in a single stack if you find yourself in a self defense situation. My answer? I have absolutely no idea. We have all heard the three three and three rule. The average gunfight takes place at a range of less than three yards, lasts less than three seconds, and involves less than three shots being fired. Presuming this is true, it would appear on its face that your single stack will do just fine. But of course people are not statistics. Remember, the fight will be what the fight will be. Are there multiple attackers? Did the bad guy bring a knife to a gunfight? Are you the victim of a flash mob? Is it a home invasion situation with one bad guy? Two or three bad guys? I really have no idea. What I do know, however, is that in the history of gunfighting, no winner ever complained later that he had too much ammunition. There is, on the other hand, more than ample evidence of losers complaining  (those who survived) that they did not have enough ammunition. Is the solution for the single stackers to simply carry additional mags? Maybe, but as a practical matter I am not convinced that in reality you will have the time to go through your reload drills when bad guys are shooting at you. A fellow instructor brought up one other point. Students are often trained to practice double taps. Some are told the drill is "bang bang assess." Although I do not agree with this, I know this is a commonly taught drill. On the street, it is very unlikely that you will really be counting rounds, and nor should you. As i teach, you shoot until the threat is ended. The nice thing with a higher capacity mag is that you may fire more rounds on more threats without the the obvious danger of running dry. In the Chicago area, a victim facing two attackers is extremely common. If we figure on three shots per attacker to "stop the threat", a single stack doesn't leave a lot of room for error. 

So what do I recommend? I don't. You have to figure out what’s right for you. If you just can't get comfortable with a larger gun and as a result, don't carry, then take a good look at some quality single stacks. If all things are otherwise equal from the comfort/concealment perspective, take a look at a good quality double. But regardless of what you decide, if this is what works best for you, then go for it. 

As all my students know, there are two parts to any gunfight. The first of course is the one with the bad guy. Now presuming that this goes the way we all hope it goes, you then progress on to the second part of the fight, that is, with the legal system. This is the part I want to talk about now.

You can face legal liability for part one of the process in two ways. Either through a criminal prosecution by the state, or in a civil lawsuit by the guy you just shot, or perhaps by his family if he is no longer around to sue you himself. But fear not, say you, because any shoot you will be involved in will be a "good shoot" and thus you have nothing to fear. That guy lying on the ground with a bullet in him doing a reasonable imitation of being the crime victim will be no problem for you, standing there with a gun in your hand doing a reasonable imitation of being the attacker. At least from the initial perspective of the approaching officers. But let's make this easy. Say all the stars are in alignment, and the state decides not to prosecute you. It was indeed a "good shoot" at least from the point of view of the local State's Attorney. (A lot more to say on this, but some other time.) So it's party time. You have been vindicated and all is right with the world. At least until a guy knocks on your door the next day and hands you an envelope. Contained therein, (lawyers talk like this) is a notice that you are being sued in civil court for a bazillion dollars, plus legal fees and costs.

Do you panic? Do you see all of your life long savings and assets being taken from you and given to lawyers and other miscreants? No again say you with a smile. You live in a state that provides immunity from civil lawsuits where the shooting is justifiable. So you tell the plaintiff to go pound sand. Do you think that's how this is going to go down? Really? Well it might, but I wouldn't count on it. Here's the problem, taking Illinois as an example near and dear to many of us. (Other states may have variations on this theme, but their statutes are generally quite similar.)

Illinois law says: 

"In no case shall any act involving the use of force justified under this Section give rise to any claim or liability brought by or on behalf of any person acting within the definition of “aggressor” set forth in Section 7-4 of this Article, or the estate, spouse, or other family member of such a person, against the person or estate of the person using such justified force, unless the use of force involves willful or wanton misconduct." (Emphasis mine)

So what's the issue here? Didn't I say that the state decided not to prosecute and that it was a good shoot? Therefore the civil case should be dismissed out of hand. As I said above, I wouldn’t count on it.

Here's the rub. In order for this to work, there has to be some determination that the shoot was in fact justified. From our facts, you don't have that. What do I mean? The state did not prosecute. So what. That does not legally mean there was a finding by some legal authority that the shoot was justified. Mas Ayoob in his excellent new book "Deadly Force" talks about this problem. He recommends that you get a "Closing Memorandum" from the State's Attorney saying at the minimum that the case is closed, and better, that the shooting was found to be justified. Will this work. Yes and no. Yes, if the State's Attorney will provide such a memorandum. And no, because the State probably will not provide such a memo. At least so I have been told. I have discussed this matter with a few former prosecutors that I know well, both on the State (Illinois Cook-County and Indiana-Lake County) and federal level. The answer was the same in all cases. No, they will never put in writing anything that says a case is closed if they decide not to prosecute. As one said to me, what if new evidence comes up some day later? We don't want a written memo out there saying the case is closed. So I asked what procedure do they follow if they decide not to prosecute. One said they just pick up the phone and call the cop and say there nothing here. Another said they might make a "nolle pros" notation on the file, but nothing more.

So now where does that leave you? At the minimum, you may have to convince a civil court judge that the shoot was justified under Illinois law, and then, and only then, and presuming the court agrees, can you move for dismissal. (Some states have established a separate hearing and procedure for this. Illinois and others have not.) Now that is not a slam dunk either. Regardless of the procedure you may now have to follow, this translates into "bring money." Lawyers and court costs, time off from work, and all of the other not so pleasant parts of being a defendant even in a civil case begins to add up quickly.

So, the "good shoot is a good shoot" myth is just that, a myth on the level of the tooth fairy. It’s only a "good shoot" when and if the legal system, arguably both criminal and civil, says so. And that my friends can be a very expensive process.

And this takes me back to the advice I gave you all in my classes. As our friend Wyatt Earp said, how do you win a gunfight? Both parts? Easy. Don't show up. Other than that, things get complicated.

We'll talk later about wining the battle and losing the war, i.e., not guilty in the criminal case and guilty in a civil prosecution. Also, one of these days we really have to talk more about insurance. Until then...have a great day.

 

WALTHER PPS VS SIG P938

When it comes to single stack concealed carry, I have two pistols that I prefer. First is the Walther PPS 9mm. However, for those times when I need to pocket carry, the PPS is simply too big. So I bought the SIG P938, also a 9mm shooter. For my PPS, I usually carry it in a High Noon pancake style holster. For my SIG and pocket carry, I use a Remora holster, which fits perfectly either in the right front pocket of my jeans or cargo pants. I also bought a Crossbreed OWB for my SIG, which I like a lot. I admit that I'm impressed with the smaller and lighter SIG hanging on my side which is so comfortable that I have literally forgotten that I was carrying it. (Not a good thing, by the way.) But what about where it really counts, that is, how do these two fine guns actually shoot, at least in my hands? I decided to do a back to back shoot-out at the range, and here are some of my findings.

As my students know I believe in, and stress, combat shooting at what I call "reality range". That is ten feet or less. As a city boy, I don't know the last time I ever heard of a bad guy standing 21 feet away and demanding your wallet. That's just not how it happens. So at ten feet or less, I fired both pistols back to back, firing rapid fire double taps. The short version, both were equally accurate. At 15 and 25 yards, both pistols were equally combat accurate, keeping five shot groups well within a 9 inch paper plate. I must add, however, that the somewhat larger size and weight of the PPS made it a bit more accurate at these longer ranges, especially at 25 yards. But apart from accuracy, there were some differences.

As the SIG is lighter and smaller, the recoil was more noticeable. It was, shall I say, a bit snappier than the Walther.  With practice, this is quite manageable, although after about 150 rounds, my strong hand needs a break. 

So what of the PPS? Well, the converse it true. Recoil was more manageable than the SIG. 

Also note that the SIG is basically a 1911 style gun. As such, the SIG is intended to be carried "cocked and locked." That is, it is designed to be carried with a round in the chamber, the hammer in a full cocked position, and the external thumb safety engaged. If you are not familiar with this style of handgun, I cannot stress enough how important it will be for you to spend some quality time practicing your drawstroke, being sure to disengage the external manual safety as you present your firearm. The PPS of course has no such external or manual safety to worry about. The trade off? The SIG has the classic 1911 type trigger with its very clean break. The Walther? Not so much, but not bad either. 

Speaking of triggers, the SIG comes with a fairly heavy pull, 7.5 to 8 pounds. The Walther is more in the 5 to 6 pound range. There is a reason for the relatively heavy SIG pull. The heavy pull is effectively an additional safety. Remember cocked and locked? 

Last, I would be remiss not to mention sights. The SIG comes with probably the best night sights you can find as standard. Although the Walther's sights are good, the ability to rapidly acquire your front sight with the SIG is outstanding. In a totally dark environment, raise the SIG to eye level and you will see three very clear and very bright sights. 

Some of the stats:

SIG weights about 16 ounces unloaded vs PPS at about 20 ounces. And yes, the additional four ounces is noticeable. 

SIG Overall Length: 5.90 inches, vs PPS at 6.3. 

Capacity with standard mags is 6 rounds for both. Both have extended mags available with the SIG offering a seven round mag and the Walther offering a seven or eight round mag. 

Sig Barrel Length: 3 inches vs PPS at 3.2.

Sig Width is 1.1 inch vs the PPS at 1 inch. No, I did not find the one tenth of an inch material between the two guns. 

Sig Warranty: forever vs Walther the same.  

So what is the verdict as a carry gun? Well, if comfort in carrying, concealability and less chance of printing is a major concern, the SIG wins hands down. If more comfortable shooting is your primary concern, and a less complicated manual of arms is important to you, than go with the Walther. At my "realistic range" distances, both will absolutely do the job. So which is my favorite? Well, because the Sig does well as an outside/inside the waistband holster carry, as well as pocket carry, I give my nod to the Sig 938. I feel well armed and well served by either. If you can, try firing both and then decide what works best for you. 

GR