I’ve been around firearms since 1972 (that I can prove). Having been in and around them in the military since 1988 and working in the industry since 1996, I have seen and heard some whoppers told in my time.

In this article I would like to debunk some firearms myths with facts, figures and my personal experience as an instructor of this very cliquish yet globally popular martial art.

Myth #1 – Caliber Matters

First off let’s talk caliber. Let me say that this is one of the hottest topics out there and is bandied about with much fanfare and supposition on all sides by experts and non-experts. Here are some facts and figures that actually do matter.

1. A .22 has killed plenty of people. So have a .32, a .380, 9-milly, a .357, a .357 Sig, .40 and a .45 caliber. Bullet type (ball vs. hollow point) has more to do with effectiveness that the caliber.
2. The common term “Stopping power,” is more a measurement of energy and has nothing to do with a dynamic target such as the human body.
3. Shot placement is key.
4. The cavity a bullet can make in a block of gelatin, wet phone books, or a water jug, has very little to do with what it can do in a diversely dense target such as the human body. The human body has differential densities i.e. muscle, tendon, bone and voids (lungs and intestines). All of these affect how the bullet performs.

What does all this mean? Well, if you plan on using your firearm in a deadly force engagement then you better know how to use it and where you need to hit them. Do I carry a .22 to serve a warrant? No, but I don’t walk around loaded for warrant service when I go to the store for a gallon of milk either.

Pick the right tool for the job, I wouldn’t want to use the 16 pound sledge to drive out the pins from a pistol on my gun bench and I wouldn’t want to drive tent stakes into hard earth with the brass hammer either. If you need to and can comfortably conceal & carry a .45, good on you if you are willing to do it every day.

I’m not and don’t need to. While a majority of the time a full size P-229 in .357 Sig is my carry option, occasionally in the heat and humidity of FL (and the relatively safe lifestyle and area I live in), the Walther P-22 does fill-in duty for shorts and t-shirt weather.

Myth #2 – Firearms Experts

Next let’s discuss Firearms Experts. Believe it or not I sold appliances, lawn equipment, and was considered an expert by the company I worked for when I wore an orange apron. My training consisted of reading some training manuals for 30 minutes and taking a test.

Here’s the newsflash, most gun stores don’t even do that and there is no way you could begin to become an expert in this manner. I have been around guns for a long time and don’t consider myself an expert and almost never recommend a weapon to a student until I have a chance to know them and see what their needs and physical abilities might be.

So why can I walk into a majority of gun Stores, pawn shops or Gun shows and get a recommendation on the perfect gun for me in less than 30 seconds from an expert? Answer? Because they are trying to sell guns!

Here’s another from the “experts,” send a female into a gun shop or gun show and see how many recommendations for a .38 revolver she gets.

I’ll wait.

Ergonomically a revolver takes more grip strength to hold because of the rounded back strap requiring the pinkie and ring fingers to squeeze much tighter in order to manage the flip of the recoil. Also teaching anyone to reload a revolver versus an automatic is easier and less time consuming, yet most “experts” will treat a female like a 3 year old that can’t accomplish such a complicated task.

Does the 98 lb. female need a full size 1911 with a 24# spring? No but that’s not to say that with proper technique and weapon she couldn’t accomplish the mission.

Myth #3 – Dryfiring Damages Weapons

Let’s move on to a more recent statement I heard from an “expert” here in my area, which also brings up another age old debate. I took a client to a local range for the shooting portion of the FL CCW. We were browsing the weapons and I was giving general info on different weapons based on the clients needs and wants. We asked to see a specific weapon and the gentleman behind the counter (notice I said behind the counter at a gun range, by most accounts this makes him an expert) obliged us.

The conversation turned to trigger pull and he made a statement that blew me away. He said, and I quote, “I never dry fire my weapon, it will damage them.” Lordy, lordy, lordy! Really? What rock have you been under for the past 40 years? The Marine Corps has made dry firing an art form with a week of Boot camp devoted to it, every competitor out there advocates it and I advise everyone in all my classes to do so (in a safe and secure manner with the weapon and ammo in separate rooms of the house, the lawyers made me add this part).

I can’t think of a better way to work on trigger control, which in my estimation is about 90% of the equation of shooting. Yet here we have an “expert” in his field, someone whom I know is an instructor at this establishment, spreading a vicious rumor to a neophyte. Upon hearing this, my client will think this is gospel unless I dispel this rumor quickly before it takes hold in a recess of his brain. I did so vehemently and quickly upon exiting the range.

These off hand statements can hurt the industry and promulgate these myths that I run into everyday.

Myth #4 – “I’m A Great Shot!”

This usually means I can hit the bull’s-eye more times than not with little to no pressure and no time hacks. Is this a good thing? Sure, if you are a professional target shooter. However, if you are carrying a gun for defensive purposes then it bears little on being able to FIGHT with a gun.

Myth #5 – “A (Insert Gun Here) Isn’t Very Accurate”

Unless you’re talking about a Hi-Point or a Lorcin the gun you have will most definitely shoot better than 90 percent of the people holding it. This is a fact that can be proven time and time again. Good ammo and a brand name gun will be a better shooting package than most of us out there can use, unless your name is JJ Racaza.

Myth #6 – “I Know How To Shoot I’m A Police Officer, Marine..(Fill In The Blank)”

While this line of thinking initially makes sense, I have seen countless people that “should” be able to shoot well and carry a gun for a living that are absolutely horrible at gun fighting. On the opposite side of that, I know guys that are desk jockeys, lawyers and computer nerds that possess gun fighting skills that are phenomenal.

You want to know what the military teaches 90+ percent of the troops? Discipline and firearms safety, which has more bearing on your ability to learn gun fighting than gun fighting itself. The next time you hear this take it with a grain of salt.

Myth #7 – “Kneeling/Modern Isosceles/Monica/(Insert Technique Here) Isn’t Comfortable.”

WTF! IT’S A GUNFIGHT! I assure you that getting shot is a lot less comfortable. Is everything supposed to be comfortable and natural? If at all possible, sure, but the mission is to shoot him before he shoots you. End of story, suck it up!

Myth #8 – “I Can’t Shoot A (Insert Gun Here) Because Of The Grip Angle.”

Really? Put the front sight on the target and pull the trigger until the threat is gone. I’m not a Glock fan but they shoot. See the myth above this one.

Myth #9 – “Guns Need To Be Cleaned Every Time They Are Fired.”

Ummm…No! Keep them well lubed and you will be just fine. Modern weapons run like sewing machines for the most part. My days of “white glove” inspections went the way of my 6 pack abs.

This is article was more or less getting some of the b.s. I hear off my chest, thanks for listening. A special thanks to Brian Sloan for contributing to this article. Brian is a Navy Chief TAD to Djibouti, adjunct instructor with RSKTKR and developer of RSKTKR Electronics products.

“Doc” up!

 

Where have you stashed a handgun in your home or car that you feel is an especially clever stashing place?

Here is a list from a very popular internet thread where all these ideas are collecting.

Hiding Places

1. Empty cereal box in pantry, back when I lived in the ‘hood’. Was hoping thieves wouldn’t be hungry! Kaboom cereal in Kill Bill
2. Hanging upside down from a hook under the bathroom cabinet, just above the door. Inside a closet (not a walk-in) up over the door. Most closets are “shallow” and while a Burglar might go thru your clothes and items on shelving, he probably won’t look straight-up over his head.
3. Behind a decorative blanket hung like a cheap tapestry
4. Non-locking hideaway picture frame.
5. False bottom in bedside drawer.
6. Fake electrical outlets.
7. Some folks split the upholstery seam on the rear of the passenger’s seat toward the driver–insert a small holster and appropriate handgun, sew Velcro on the seams to reseal.
8. Along with my storm door, my main entry door is steel with only a small window at the top. I have a nylon holster with my Colt Detective Special velcroed to the inside of the door, just above the doorknob, canted toward me about 45 degrees, when I open it. I can open the door to someone, & they never know my hand is just inches from a weapon. Should I invite them in, I simply close the storm door and leave the main door open, which puts the gun back against a wall and is never seen by a guest.
9. At my desk is a scanner. It has no guts. Lift up the top, and remove handgun.
10. A good method in general when you’re away from your home is to take whatever you want to hide, stash it in a garbage bag, and put it amongst dirty clothes. NO ONE looks through dirty clothes…unless they’re a perv…then they’re not usually looking to rob you in that case.
11. On the road, usually hide them in with my dirty underwear…… Go ahead, grab yourself a big handful of that!
12. One day when I was replacing the sagging cloth under the couch (you know, the flimsy cloth that covers the couch’s framework?), and realized it would be a great hiding spot. I was surprised by how much room there is under there. I got the dremel and hack saw out and after a little work; I made a horizontal system of hooks with belt fasteners (actually milsurp canvas belts) that can hold four rifles lengthwise. I also made a small wooden cubby-hole and screwed it to the framework near the arm rest. That’s where my barbeque revolvers go. Now it’s not a practical place to store your “go-to” weapons, but it is very discreet place to store your valuable rifles. I attached Velcro along the cloth and underside of the couch so all you have to do is flip the couch back, undo the Velcro and you have full access to your hidden rifles. It’s funny to have guests sitting on your couch, clueless to the fact that they’ve got four rifles and two S&W’s 9″ from their butts.
13. The Sportsman guide has a wall clock that opens up to store a med. to small handgun in. Runs about $55 after shipping. And the clock works!
14. Back when I lived in Chicago I used to keep a fairly short, folding-stock 12ga situated diagonally in a clean extra-extra large pizza box lodged between my trashcan and my kitchen cabinets. It looked like it was just trash waiting for trash-day…
15. In the closet, on a CHEAP plastic hanger (easily broken), (through the trigger guard, no round in chamber), covered with a button up shirt.
16. Under the towels in the master bath.
17. I met a woman today who’s designing a holster for a derringer that will go between her uh………….mammary glands……
18. In an inside jacket pocket on a jacket on a hook in the closet.
19. Under the skirt of a spare toilet paper girl in master bath where no guests go.
20. My brother in law hid his revolver in the brown paper grocery bags that he had folded next to his refrigerator — you know how they get stuck in that space between the cabinet and fridge. He put it in a bag and folded it up.
21. Between the window curtains and the wall above the windows. Can’t be seen from the outside and if your curtains are heavy, can’t be seen from the inside. Yet the gun can remain on a hook just waiting to be used.
22. I used to have a 12 gauge in a soft gun case hanging from a hook, centered on the back of my bedroom door. I would then throw/tuck/hang a flannel robe over it. I kept the door open, so no one ever noticed the added “heft” of the door.
23. Inside a trophy. If you lift up the brass plate it’s hollow inside. If it’s big enough, anyway. This one was one of my parent’s bowling trophies.
24. I used to keep an old Colt Police Positive in a Ziploc bag under some frozen veggies in my freezer. Can still shoot thru the bag…if ya need to…
25. I bought a good-sized pistol safe (a foot square, or a little bigger) that uses a credit card swipe to open electronically. I use an outdated credit card for it. I have the card hidden nearby, in a place that I don’t think anyone could accidentally find. Yet, it’s so close, that I’m positive that I can grab the card and swipe it faster than I could punch in a combo, even on a finger touch safe. It was less than $100 as well. You could carry a backup identical card in your wallet. Fingerprint ones now too.
26. Old shoebox under the bed at night. Gun safe when I leave the house during the daytime.
27. I did this at home and it works great! A typical nightstand or dresser has room between the drawers and the outer paneling. This opening is the thickness of the frame of the cabinet. I removed the bottom drawer, drilled a hole in front of the rear frame and inserted a wooden peg so that the gun is along the side of the cabinet. The peg is on an angle so that when the barrel is fully seated it creates a slight interference with the bottom of the opening. I have a Ruger SP101 .357 that fits perfectly onto the peg and is held tightly. The drawer can be pulled out and dumped, the whole nightstand could be dumped forward and the gun stays tightly in place. I know it is there and because I shoot it almost every weekend and can grab it without looking, however a bad guy would have to get down on all fours and shine a flashlight into the open to see it.
28. How about behind a vent or cold air return? Before I got a safe, I would put a cased pistol in the vent work. I placed it out of sight, so if they pulled off the vent cover, they couldn’t see it. The cold air return was next to the bed, so it was easy to get to in the night.
29. Dancers carry dance bags for shoes. One side pocket is exclusively reserved for a loaded Glock 29 in 10mm that is put inside a Fobus belt holster. This obviates any danger of putting a finger inside the trigger guard while withdrawing the handgun.
30. I use a small CD wallet to keep my trusty little Kel-Tec 380 and a reload in. Makes for a handy place to slip the pistol and holster into when I have to take it out of my pocket for a little while or while I’m driving…stick it right between the seat and console so it’s more accessible than being in my pocket.
31. I bought a/c grills at my old house and made boxes 4″ deep to fit in the stud walls, and placed them up towards the ceiling line like the old wall registers. That way they were high enough the boys couldn’t reach them but low enough my wife could. The grill stayed on with a rubber band. Was there 11 years and no one ever knew.
32. Ever thought of using an electrical box? I keep a spare set of keys in a dummy electrical disconnect box outside my house.
33. A/C vents/ducts/intakes. Usually A/C vents are mounted high and require a stool or ladder to get access. Unscrew panel, tuck in gun, replace panel.
34. While most of my firearms are in my safe, I have the usual few scattered out and hidden in strategic locations similar to those already mentioned. To add confusion to the would be thief, I give him what he wants, upfront. To “express myself” I have several desirable nonfunctioning/unloaded firearms in plain sight as an art form. Upon arriving home, it’s easy to see if any of these are moved or missing, which would indicate that someone unwelcome has entered my home. If any of my “indicator guns” where disturbed/missing upon my arrival, I’d back out and call the Sheriff.
35. Another one that I have seen but not used is a hollowed out water heater complete with pipes that disappear into the wall. The door is hidden on the back side.
36. I keep a 1911 in an old boot that is with a bunch of other shoes on the floor of my closet.
37. I collect beer steins, and have a Davis 22mag derringer in my favorite one.
38. In a special place buried outside, just in case I come back to the house unarmed and have to defend it.
39. When we had tiling installed, I specifically created a false tile. Get on the floor? Sure, can you turn around for a second?
40. Pull the carpet back, grab a hammer & chisel and get to work!

There is a growing minority of firearms industry professionals that are tired of the status quo. Some professionals refuse to question things that are considered “commandments” in regards to firearms training. We are questioning these things, learning, and changing the industry; challenging ingrained habits bit by bit.

For example: the “Weaver” stance versus “Modern Isosceles” stance.

The “weaver” stance came about in 1959 and gained popularity in the ’60s. While it’s been an accepted standard since then, about 10 years ago a growing group came onto the scene using the “modern isosceles,” which is now slowly taking over as the standard.

We are now seeing more and more industry professionals thinking outside the box. Thanks to Internet-based communications and the sharing of ideas, we are seeing rapid changes in the industry. This is a good thing.

This article centers on a statement made in most firearms training classes of all types including mine (in the past, but not lately):

“Under stress we lose the ability to use fine motor skills. Therefore, keep things as simple as possible: don’t use the slide release, palm slap the “paddle” (on an AR), etc.”

Motor Skills

First, let’s define gross and fine motor skills.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the body that enable such functions as walking, kicking, sitting upright, lifting, and throwing a ball. Gross motor skills are important for major body movement such as walking, maintaining balance, coordination, jumping, and reaching.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are the coordination of small muscle movements which occur e.g., in the fingers, usually in coordination with the eyes. In application to motor skills of hands (and fingers) the term dexterity is commonly used. The abilities which involve the use of hands develop over time, starting with primitive gestures such as grabbing at objects to more precise activities that involve precise eye—hand coordination. Fine motor skills are skills that involve a refined use of the small muscles controlling the hand, fingers, and thumb.

If we lose the ability to use fine motor skills under stress, we should be reduced to babbling, kicking, screaming idiots. That is what those who teach the firearms industry status quo are suggesting.

My experience teaching martial arts for many years has shown me that fine motor skills can be used under stress. Watch any Mixed Martial Arts fight where a guy is getting choked out and he manages to do some Jiu-Jitsu move to get out of it. Was he just using gross motor skills? Doubt it.

Procedural Memory

If you train properly — and I don’t mean hitting the range once a year, or an in-service class twice a year, or a professional firearms class every two to three years — you will develop something called procedural memory.

You thought I was going to say muscle memory, didn’t you? When needed, procedural memories are automatically retrieved and utilized for the execution of the step-by-step procedures involved in both cognitive and motor skills; from tying shoes to flying an airplane. This process occurs without the need for conscious control or attention. Procedural memory is a type of long-term memory. More specifically, it’s a type of implicit memory.

Here is an example: I use the slide release/stop. It works for me with the weapon system I use. According to a lot of firearms instructors out there, I will not be able to get my weapon to function in a stressful situation — despite that being what it is designed for! On a well-designedweapon the controls are ergonomically designed to fit the hand (With some manufacturers…cough, cough, Hi-Point… you wonder at the size or shape of the hand they designed it for or why some choose to trust their lives to $200 guns!)

If I can’t hit the button to release the slide under stress, then why have a gun to begin with? For the weapon to be of any use I have to squeeze the trigger (and as a full time instructor I spend a majority of my time fixing trigger manipulation problems). Trigger manipulation, like hitting the side release button, is definitely a fine motor skill.

The next time someone tells you that using the slide stop will get you killed when your fine motor skills go away under stress, ask them “If I lose the ability to use fine motor skills, how will I squeeze the trigger?”

“Doc” up!