Hurricane season… One of the worst seasons in the world! Hurricane season begins on July 1st and end November 30th. For this last few years the tropics have been relatively calm, but over the past two weeks they have kicked up. As a Florida resident, I keep supplies on hand because if I “stay ready I never have to get ready”, meaning if my supplies are on hand, I will not be rushing around last minute searching for items. For new residents in hurricane prone ares, it can be difficult to determine exactly what is needed in a severe weather situation. I'm going to list a few critical items that I feel should be in any emergency kit. First Aid Kit- Hurricanes are forces of nature to be reckoned with. It is best to keep a kit on hand to treat any minor wounds that could occur from flying debris. Water – This cannot be stressed enough. PLEASE keep water to last for several days while in the mist of and following a storm. If the storm is large enough, facilities could go down and you would be left on your own for a couple days. The rule is 1 gallon of water per person per day… but some is always better than none. Communication – Yes, I know we all have cellphones, but if the power is out for a couple days can we depend on that? In 2015 a lot of people do not have land lines so when the power is out cellphones die and that leaves you detached from the rest of the world, my advice; keep a storm radio. This will allow you to get updates on the storm. If it runs on battery power, extras are a must. Protection – Even in times of bad weather, people like to take advantage of the darkness provided by no electricity. Always be prepared. The scum of mankind does not take an off day just because of the wrath of mother nature. Candles/Light – After a hurricane, expect for power to be out. You're going to want to have plenty of candles and batteries available for flashlights, otherwise be prepared to go to sleep around 8:30pm every night. Food – Typically, we Americans shop for food on a weekly basis. But what happens when you aren’t able to get your weekly items due to a disruption caused by a storm? This is why an emergency food supply is necessary! Remember the food is for survival not to taste good… I would recommend 3-7 days worth at a minimum. Keep in mind when you're looking for food to store, you may not have the necessary power needed to cook it. The above items should be covered at a minimum. Remember, this isn’t for long term survival, but long enough to get you through the aftermath where normal life is inhibited because of lack of power, disruption to supply lines, etc. Supplies for 3-7 days would be recommended because by then, normal life should be beginning to take shape again. Of course, we all remember that bitch Katrina so more is always a good option... God speed! This is a portion of my actual setup. It's a good idea to keep your supplies spread out. You don't want to have a storm claim everything that you have stored.
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When it comes to firearms training, there are two terms that you will hear a lot and need to understand. These terms could be the difference in life and death in a gunfight. The terms, cover and concealment. These words seem pretty straight forward, but are commonly confused. When you think about, that's understandable. People use different names for different things all the time. We can be talking about the exact same thing while using two different words and not even realize it. That's what the Cave is for, we're determined to getting everyone on the same page. CoverFor all intensive purposes, cover is your best bet when bullets start flying. Cover can be simply defined as anything that has the capability to stop hostile fire. Pretty much anything that can keep you from getting shot. A few examples are brick or concrete walls, a car's engine block, large rocks or mounds of compressed dirt, or a steel door. If it's solid, thick, and dense, it will work. Remember, you hear people yell "take cover" not concealment. ConcealmentIf we think of cover as anything that can hide you from enemy fire, concealment is anything that can hide you from enemy sight. It may not be the best option, well, it definitely isn't the best option, but it's better than being out in the open. Thick vegetation, a bed, a standard house door, and a covered window are all examples of concealment. Remember, you're hiding. When your best option is concealment, you want to be the best hide-and-seek player of all time. Move as little as possible until you are ready to engage your target. Minimize any noise emitting and reflective objects. All you have is the element of surprise, use it! Now that you have a good understanding of what is cover and what is concealment, expand on it. make a habit out of recognizing objects in your daily life & identifying them as either cover or concealment. You want to do as little guess work as possible when bullets start flying. And even if you still have trouble keeping the terms straight, remember this one thing... If you can shoot through it, you can get shot through it.
I hear it all the time. "Why do you have so many guns? You getting ready for a war or something?" Well, hopefully not, but if one comes, I know that I'm ready. The real reason I have so many guns is simple. I LOVE GUNS! That's it. I don't need any other reason. If my guns were shoes, hats, cars, coins, or even knives no one would have an issue. If all laws are followed, there should be no problem with how many guns or what kind I choose to spend my money on. We are all entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Ring a bell? No one has the right to tell any other citizen that he cannot enjoy firearms as long as it doesn't overstep another's rights. Spending your money and your time to invest in your enjoyment while respecting other's rights is no reason to feel ashamed. Embrace your inner gun enthusiast and let your freedom flag fly proudly! Pro gunners are often depicted as uneducated, wild, ignorant barbarians that only care about shooting things with little regard for much else. This couldn't be further from the truth. The fact is, we come from all walks of life and are more concerned with gun laws than anyone else. You see, responsible gun owners are the only ones that have a vested interest in gun litigation. We're the ones that actually follow the laws. The uneducated, wild, ignorant barbarians are going to do as they please, no matter what the government says. I know for a fact that I would let my driver's license expire before my pistol permit. It's happened before. The next time a person asks you why you have so many guns, ask them why they have a car that drives so fast. The highest speed limit in America is 85 mph. That 140 on the dash is technically not even needed, but it's there. Ask them why they have more than one dinner fork. More than one butter knife. More than one pen. Even more than one plate. It seems so normal when it isn't a gun we're talking about, doesn't it? I refuse to apologize for my passion. To be honest, I should never have to...
I could talk about trigger control all day, but one of the most common mistakes I see is incorrect placement of the finger on the actual trigger. In addition to a slow, steady press to the rear, follow through, and feeling the reset, what part of you finger is in contact with the trigger can make a huge difference in hitting your mark, or missing it completely. Take a look at the picture. On the left, you see proper placement of the index finger on the trigger. You want to have the trigger bisect the pad of the index finger tip. This will allow for an even distribution of pressure when firing. Now look at the center picture. Out of all, this is the one that i see the most. Usually, new shooters are concerned with mitigating the effects of recoil. While this is definitely important, there are better ways to achieve it. Placing the trigger in the first joint of the trigger finger will cause a slight pull of the gun towards the hand and the further away the target is, the more the shots will be off. Now check out the picture on the right. This is a common mistake of shooters trying to avoid the previous issue. Not enough of the trigger finger will result in a pushing effect and can be just as bad as too much trigger finger. The only difference is the shots will be in the opposite direction. Either way, your hits will be off, if you hit at all... For some, this might not be such a big deal. I mean, in the pictures the target was hit in each of the situations. And from the looks of things, they were not off by much. But keep this in mind, the goal of training is to achieve consistency and improve on your skills. The more fundamentals we can correct, the more advanced we can become. You want trigger finger placement to be second nature. In a stressful situation, seconds matter. Don't waste any trying to find where you finger needs to be. Practice it before you need it so that when the time comes, it's almost automatic.
Remember, when stressed, you revert to the highest level of training you have mastered, not your highest level of training. You hear it all the time, "Why didn't he just shoot him in the leg?" Every single time I just shake my head & try my best to ignore the ignorance. Believe it or not, it's not that simple... The fastest human clocked was Usain Bolt at just under 28mph. Let's say that a person running, with adrenaline factored in, can run half that fast. That's 14 miles per hour. Now if a body is moving 14 mph, how fast do you think the legs are moving individually? How about the arms? Exactly. REALLY FAST! It would be damn near impossible to focus on your surroundings, a fast moving target, and what's beyond that target and make a shot like that. In fact, it only happens by accident or in movies. Now take a look at the targets in the picture. Notice anything? Targets do not have legs. Only one has an arm that is not in front of its body. The top left is an actual police used target. Anyone that has ever trained has been taught to shoot 2 things, center mass or head. That's it. It's called "deadly force" for a reason. If I am in a life or death situation, I'm going to choose life for myself, that only leaves death. Guess who I'm dealing that to... But police officers should be a much better shot, right? Not even. Police officers, believe it or not, do not practice shooting all day. I spoke with several and flat out asked them how often do officers hit the range. The answer actually surprised me. For the average patrol officer, it is required that he qualifies with his weapon (time between qualifications varied from 1 to 6 times per year). That's it! There is no set schedule for logging range time. For a tactical response team, the consensus was about once per week. I don't care who you are, one time shooting every 7 days will not give you the skill set needed to hit a target like that. On top of that, the only time deadly force is supposed to be used is when a person is deemed a threat to the lives of others (*"supposed" being the key word). In my opinion, that doesn't call for a leg wound. Now think about this, law enforcement agencies are government funded. That means that you and I pay for what they use. When budgets get low, practice bullets are pretty high on the list of things to cut. That's almost a set up for failure. All police officers aren't snipers. In fact, only the ones called snipers are snipers & they miss too. This is just another reason for individual citizens to take it upon themselves to train. Every American needs to be able to defend himself. Period. And I bet you won't shoot someone trying to kill you in their damn leg... |
AuthorKeep in mind that I am by no means a gun expert. I have had some safety, handling, and shooting training, but nowhere near the amount I feel is needed to claim the "expert" title. With that being said, I am a man that owns a LOT of firearms, knives, and gear! I have been shooting since I could hold a rifle and have even competed in and won a few competitions. The advice and tips that I give are based on personal experience, but are by no means to be taken as law. Please consult a trained, certified professional for all your firearms needs. Enjoy! Archives
May 2016
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