BANG, CRASH, BOOM! You live in a gated community in, let’s say, St. Louis, Missouri. You’re outside enjoying a Sunday family barbecue in the late afternoon, early evening. The crash is followed by a chant of sorts: “No justice, no peace!” This mantra is loudly repeated as a massive crowd approaches your residence. Your wife looks at you and she is scared. You’re scared too. Now’s not the time to wish you had CCW insurance.  You run into your house and grab your AR-15. Your state allows the lethal force defense of an occupied structure. You come around to the front of your residence and notice a large group of young people. A few members of the crowd appear to be armed with rifles, but you cannot tell if they’re airsoft replicas or real firearms. The crowd is enraged. You and your wife call 9-1-1, only to hear a prerecorded …

CCW Insurance: Protecting Yourself on Paper Read More »

Arc’teryx Mantis 32 CAPACITY: 32 Liters (1,963 Cubic Inches) MSRP: $169 URL: www.arcteryx.com We’re fond of gear that looks commonplace in an urban setting but also excels in the backwoods or when SHTF. The Mantis 32 is one such pack. It works great as a commuter bag. It has a large main compartment, an internal sleeve to carry your laptop, two external sleeves for a travel mug or beanie, an admin section for your pens, keys, phone, multi-tool, and more. But it’s also ideal as a hiking daypack. The laptop sleeve can hold a hydration bladder while its padded back, frame sheet, and aluminum stay provide a comfortable chassis for hauling gear on treks that are longer than your daily commute. It’s a versatile pack with subdued good looks.   Gerber Compleat COLOR: Burnt Bronze, Flat Sage, Onyx, Silver MSRP: $29 URL: www.gerbergear.com When camping, we’ll save cargo weight and …

Gear Up: New Survival Gear for January 2021 Read More »

James Madison once sagely conveyed, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” Had Madison ever driven a car on a gridlocked freeway he’d likely have concluded the same about the necessity of this article. Neither men nor women are angels. When behind the wheel of a 4,000-pound rolling ego-inflator, they sometimes become quite the opposite. According to a 2019 survey of Americans by The Zebra, an insurance comparison website, 82 percent of respondents admitted to having road rage or driving aggressively at least once in the last year. Further, 42 percent claimed they yelled or cursed at fellow drivers. Thirty-eight percent indicated they used obscene gestures toward others on the road. That’s a lot of anger, but unless these signs of frustration escalate, they’re relatively harmless. Our primary concern is what happens when yelling and honking goes too far. The 2019 survey also reports that 7 percent of …

What If You Become a Target of Road Rage Read More »

Many of you will recognize this timeless quote. Its lesson is simple and profound: Every prepared individual should be acutely aware of his or her own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of opponents. Self-awareness can be earned through training and feedback from peers, but accurate intel on the enemy isn’t always so easy to come by, especially if that enemy is wise enough to play his cards close to the chest. This is why military strategists throughout history have placed such a heavy emphasis on reconnaissance — the search for information in unknown or hostile territory. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.” —Sun Tzu, The Art of War Whether you’re fighting a war or simply trying to pass …

Reconnaissance: Training with Guerrilla Mentor Read More »

I don’t know if any of us have been more ready for a year to be over than we are now. Unfortunately, all signs seem to indicate that the ripple effects of 2020’s various crises will spill over into at least the first quarter of next year. As I’ve said before, this year has set some unsettling precedents about how quickly, and how aggressively, our entire lives can be put on hold because people are afraid of the unknown. Or because people don’t want to tolerate opposing ideologies. There’s a very good chance that the widespread acceptance of, and lack of consequences for, nonstop months of riots, vandalism, theft, assault, and general disregard for civility will only serve to embolden malicious actors going forward. The idea that large groups of people can commit crimes with impunity, as long as they do so simultaneously on a large scale, will be a …

Editor’s Letter: Chumming the Waters Read More »

From the time I was a young soldier, I was determined to master my craft — especially shooting. I spent countless hours of my own time shooting, dry-firing, and researching in my quest to get better. And I did get better. I became a good enough shooter to more than hold my own among my peers. But it wasn’t until many years later, when I started competing in shooting sports, that I started to understand what good actually was, and found my skill level increasing exponentially. The reason for my “leveling up” after so many years was that I was now training my shooting less like a soldier and more like an athlete. I wasn’t satisfied though. So, I started researching again. I trained with as many top competitors as I could, read up on athletic performance and sports psychology, on current research into learning and mastery, and over time …

Train Like an Athlete Read More »

While I was writing this article, strong Santa Ana winds had caused catastrophic fires in several regions of California. In the name of public safety, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) — California’s largest utility company — intentionally shut down power to hundreds of thousands of people. The idea was simple: If there’s no power running through utility lines, the risk of fire goes down. Unfortunately, the most recent fire started when a tree fell on a power line in an area where power hadn’t been turned off yet. These events are yet another reminder that our world is changing rapidly. The evolution and progression of technology has anchored our dependence on the power grid, and this is making us more vulnerable. I want you to ask yourself this question: What would I do if a catastrophe disabled and destroyed the infrastructure that my family is dependent on? No more cell …

Vintage Electric Bikes Scrambler S: A Survival Ebike Review Read More »

Over the last few months, I’ve taken several handgun classes that incorporated intermediate and advanced concepts. These skills have made me more well-rounded, but it’s critical to periodically check and strengthen the foundation they’re built upon. With this in mind, I signed up for a one-day pistol fundamentals class taught by David Laird of Dynamic Combative Solutions (DCS) in Phoenix, Arizona. This class was split into two four-hour segments taught back-to-back. The first half, Precision Pistol, was intended as an introductory class, covering basic shooting technique and accuracy. The second half, Holster Fundamentals, focused on drawing the gun from a holster quickly while maintaining accuracy. If you’re an experienced shooter, this may sound painfully simple, but don’t underestimate the value of these core skills. As Ernest Emerson told students at the Surviving Inside the Kill Zone class I covered last issue, “An expert is one who has mastered the basics.” …

Dynamic Combative Solutions: The Recipe for Precision Read More »