Armed Lifestyle - Issue 1 - March 2022

CONTENTS
MARCH 2022
Issue 1
here we go...
4 – Why the Armed Lifestyle: Amy Lucas leads us off by explaining the core value of knowledge being
what arms people rather than the tool in hand. Learn how she balances daily life using a proper mind
set and training to prepare herself for a wide range of possible scenarios we all may face on day.
10 – Editor’s Notes: AL Magazine Editor, Trampas Swanson welcomes everyone to our first issue and
describing our mission statement. Find out who we are, where we’ve been, where we’re heading and
what to expect from our team along the way. Great things to come!
12 – Body Language: What you don’t say is often more important than what you do. In this article,
Amy Lucas discusses how you carry yourself and the image you project to others can be the first line
of defense in not becoming a victim.
16 – SIRT Training: Few things come along in life that rightly earn the title “game changer”. Learn what
makes NRA & USCCA Training Counselor, Trampas Swanson say the SIRT pistol from Next Level Training
has earned the crown as the king of firearms training aids.
21 – Writing Shotgun with Charlie: Firearms Instructor and YouTube personality, Charlie Cook joins
the team with this ongoing segment for each issue that pays homage to his vastly popular video series
called “Riding Shotgun with Charlie” in which he interviews some of the 2A community’s top names
while he drives them around in his car.
25 – USCCA Family Protection: Trampas Swanson and Dan Tonto team up to give readers an inside
perspective on the United Concealed Carry Association and their available training opportunities.
Discover for yourself why joining as a member is a “must have” for those who train to protect themselves
and their families.
30 – G44 Glock Shooter’s Missing Training Link: For years, Glock shooters have searched for an
inexpensive .22 caliber training option to their larger caliber pistols. After thousands of rounds down
range and numerous students taught over the past two years using the Glock model 44, the long-term
T&E results are in.
34 – First Aid First: Dan Tonto shares his knowledge of over two decades as a paramedic on why First
Aid skills and basic equipment are critical to being prepared for critical incidents that could happen at
any time at home, work and anywhere else we may be daily.
37 – Dementia and Firearm Safety: Mental heath is an issue often dealt with yet rarely discussed
within the firearms community. AL Magazine seeks to change that narrative with each issue, starting with
staff writer, Jamie Headley discussing what happens when a loved one and their family face the onset of
dementia. Learn what may be your options and who is out there to help. Do not miss this article!
40 – When the Treat Isn’t a Bad Guy: Threats come in many forms, not just human. As part of being
truly “armed” for survival, Don Alley discusses the importance of an emergency preparedness plan and
where to begin. Look for this topic to be regularly explored as we move forward.
44 – 6mm Airsoft Training: Discover why the world of airsoft isn’t just for kids anymore. Bill Pryce
Thomas explains how the 6mm platform has changed to closely mimic “real steel” training around the
world.
49 – The Last Word with Rob Pincus: As each issue wraps, one of the industry’s top training experts,
author and 2A advocate, Rob Pincus sends readers off with his final thoughts. In this issue, Rob discusses
the difference between Training and Practice. We’ll learn why are each important and when should they
be used.
Editor: Trampas Swanson
Graphic Design: Baz Thakur/
Deadshot Design
Publisher: Calibre Publishing
Cover pic: Amy Lucas
Armed Lifestyle magazine is a digital-only
publication available FREE OF CHARGE via
the AL App on a wide range of digital
platforms, including iOS, Android and
Windows. For more information, visit
www.pocketmags.com and search “Armed
Lifestyle”.
Armed Lifestyle can also be read online at:
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and www.readly.com
Calibre Publishing Limited
Wyche Innovation Centre,
Walwyn Road,
Upper Colwall,
Malvern,
Worcestershire,
WR13 6PL
Tel: 01684 878 003
Web: www.thearmedlifestyle.com
©Calibre Publishing Limited 2022
Letter, idea or question?
Got something to say? A question for our
experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a
line and let us know. Either email the editor
(editor@thearmedlifestyle.com), write to
us at the Calibre Publishing address above,
or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.
IN THIS ISSUE

4
Why the Armed Lifestyle?
Why the Armed Lifestyle? By Amy Lucas
knife Lifestyle because is defined I like the as design the physical, and frequently psychological, teach the social, Marines. and
economical Originally, values, we used interests, obsidian, opinions, bone, and or behaviors antler. When of a certain steel
became individual, available group, or - that’s community. what we It is used. how a Many life is have lived. said The it
before, armed lifestyle the best is knife not is just the about one you weapons, have. We it train is about with arming knives
of yourself various with lengths the skills, to adapt knowledge, to distance. and I tools like the to allow handle you to to have be
a able slight to handle curve at all the the back situations or with life a pommel, throws at so you the both hand good doesn’t and
slip bad. off It the is a back. mindset The you grip choose. should Most be textured of us utilize and not this round. mindset I
prefer to some a guard, extent so regularly. the hand Schools won’t slip conduct off the fire grip drills, and we onto talk the to
blade. our kids For about a fixed what blade to do you in really an emergency, don’t need we anything keep a over first 8-9 aid
inches. kit and A spare pocket tire knife in the blade car. should Living be an about armed 5 inches lifestyle (depending is about
on integrating your local that laws), mindset have into a textured your daily grip and routines if possible, and making a guard it
of your some natural type. state Having of being. a wave type design for fast opening is
also We desirable. understand A slight that curve gaining at the back ability of to the protect handle our is lives also
desirable. may mean Knives changing should how not we be think shiny! and how we carry ourselves.
PMCI: It also With means so that many we knife need styles to be being very aware taught of by our instructors, surroundings how
does and what the Apache is going Fighting on around system us. differ? If trouble shows up and we
Redfeather: cannot escape, We we don’t can stand handle our it, and ground. have We mentally fight like prepared the wind! for
Why the most stay probable in place? situations. We do not fight as if we were dueling but
as if Choosing we are on to a carry battlefield. a firearm We is don’t certainly train for one points way but of being more
of prepared a freestyle to defend method. against While teaching a threat. the However, use of the responding knife we
incorporate appropriately the in Native a defensive Culture as situation well. We does want not our students just come to
understand naturally it the needs reality to be of the learned. knife. It is is something necessary to you avoid! become
PMCI: confident What and role skilled does with the fighting that firearm knife which play into takes the commitment
military, law
enforcement to continuously and training private and military educating application yourself. as well Becoming as a civilian
world Expert filled doesn’t with happen concealed overnight carry firearms? but rather over time and with
Redfeather: repetition. The military and law enforcement has always carried
knives Carry both a firearm for utility is and not CQB. always Training feasible to access or even the legal, blade so when it is
out wise of to ammo also consider or when the non-lethal firearm options is grabbed as well. is vital. Pepper A knife spray, is no
match knives, for tasers, a firearm tactical but flashlights a man with and a knife pens can are sometimes all good alternate access
their options, weapon just make quicker. sure There you are understand a variety the of knives laws governing out there
specifically possession of designed those items for easy in your access State. from Just a utility like a belt firearm, or vest. those
PMCI: tools will Are be they far any more specific effective exercises if you have you would trained recommend with them and for
those have a looking solid to understanding contour their strength of how and to deploy dexterity those for knife skills training? during
Redfeather: a dynamic critical We have incident. specific Martial routines arts and that other can hands-on help develop selfdefense
and modalities dexterity. are also Among great those options, routines but they we train come using with a
reflexes
war commitment post (also to called training a pell), as well. using different patterns of cuts and
stabs, You and have starting the right slow to learn defend both yourself edge alignment in this country, and good but
body that right mechanics. also comes Training with in water responsibility, also teaches and control it shouldn’t and adds be
strength. taken lightly. In my classes I always talk to my students about
PMCI: For those looking to get into knife training, where do you
suggest they start for training?
Redfeather: With us! We have seminars on a regular basis which
you can sign up for in my website, www.apache-knife.com
PMCI: Before we go, could you please let our readers know a
the importance of training. Whether it is with me or another
instructor it is imperative to continue learning and practicing since
most defensive skills are perishable. I teach most of my classes In
Michigan and our Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Permit class is 8
hours. The requirement for Michigan is 5 hours in the classroom
and 3 on the range. The student must shoot a minimum of 30
rounds to qualify. If you complete the eight hours of training,
plus meeting the strict application eligibility requirements, you
can apply for your CPL. If that is approved, it is then legal for you
to carry a concealed firearm. As far as the State is concerned you
have completed enough training to legally carry. But I can assure
you, if that eight-hour class is all the training you have done, it is
not enough.
The difference between marksmanship on the range is quite
different from a defensive shooting incident. Michael Martin, the
Author of Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals,
points out that unlike relaxed exercises on the range with paper
targets at 50 feet, dynamic critical incidents are usually fast, they
are usually close (with nearly 90 percent falling between nine
and 15 feet), and when rounds are fired, multiple rounds are
usually fired.
Training can take on many forms. Most people think shooting
a box of rounds downrange is adequate practice. And I would

say that process is just that, practice. Not training. In the book
Defensive Shooting Fundamentals, by Rob Pincus, he describes
a Dynamic Critical Incident that will be Surprising, Chaotic, and
Threatening. The course teaches intuitive shooting methods
designed to provide you with the most effective and efficient
training for the most probable types of self-defense situations.
Defensive shooting fundamentals will guide you through
the steps you’ll need to take to go from just sending rounds
downrange to training in specific tested methods of armed selfdefense.
This is just one of the many courses available to you to
expand your defensive skills.
Being a responsible gun owner means understanding when
a person is justified in their legal use of deadly force. If you
must defend yourself and you did not respond to a situation
correctly, you could find yourself in another situation, but this
time defending yourself from legal ramifications. The prosecutor
is likely going to try to convince the jury that you took the class,
and you should have known better.
In a perfect world, you only need to be told something
once to master it. But unfortunately, our brains do not work like
that. After one hour of training, people retain less than half of
the information presented. After one day, people forget more
than 70 percent of what was taught in training. After six days,
people forget 75 percent of the information in their training. It
is well established that repetition is the key to memory. When
we practice shooting or a new movement repeatedly, we are
literally “grooving” new neural pathways within our central
nervous system. This is also known as “muscle memory.” How
often have you ended up in the driveway of your home and put
your vehicle in park and don’t even remember driving home?
We have become so proficient in driving that we are on “auto
pilot.” Well just like you are on “autopilot” while driving we
want that same proficiency while handling and shooting firearms.
Repetition is key.
In the Armed Lifestyle Magazine, we will be introducing you
to many training courses out there that would be beneficial to
you. You will also be introduced to some of the best Instructors in
the country! We will also offer training tips and drills that you can
do without even having to leave your home.
I encourage you to continue training for the armed lifestyle
because the right to bear arms does not supersede the
responsibility that comes with it.
“The only way to be sure that your gun will always be there
when you need it is to always carry it with you.” – Massad Ayoob
AL
Why the Armed Lifestyle?
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

6
NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE
FROM SCARED TO PREPARED
New Shooter
Perspective By: Jamie Headley
WELL, HOW DID I GET HERE? FROM SCARED TO PREPARED, ONE
WOMAN’S JOURNEY – Part 1
As a firearms instructor I love working with new shooters. It
is rewarding to help someone overcome the natural fear of a
loaded gun and begin the journey of using it safely, responsibly
and with the respect it deserves, but the best part is when they
realize shooting is fun. Really fun. I can relate to these students
because it wasn’t that long ago that that was me. I often tell new
students that I was in their exact shoes less than 2 years ago. It
seems to calm them to know that an ordinary person just like
them was able to learn to shoot and even become an instructor.
Then I inevitably get the question, “how did you do that”?
To do this story justice we need to go back in time a bit. I did
not grow up around guns. Which is probably good as I was kind
of a dorky kid. Although my father served in the military before
I was born, he never spoke about firearms and there were not
any in the house to my knowledge. My first real exposure to
guns was about 15 years ago. My husband Scott is a hunter and
former military, so we had guns in the house. I was not opposed
to them and always wanted to learn to shoot and eventually
we went to the range so he could teach me. (Potential mistake
number 1 - Don’t have your spouse teach you things regardless
how good they may be at said subject) So there I was with a Sig
Sauer 226 .40 caliber in my hot little hands feeling nervous but
ready to make that target my bitch, but things didn’t go the way
I planned and the experience pretty much sucked. I couldn’t rack
the slide and my hands shook, my heart raced, and I jumped
every time someone else’s firearm went off. I am pretty sure
I closed my eyes every time I pulled the trigger. After we got
home, and I downed a couple of glasses of wine, I admitted to
Scott that I really did not enjoy our day at the range (he guessed
that by the near nervous breakdown he witnessed ) but I told
him I thought it was important to know how to handle guns
safely if they were going to be in the house and I wasn’t ready to
give up. I figured the next logical step would be to buy a gun for
me. I figured maybe something smaller with less recoil would be
a good option.
A couple weeks later, we were on our way home from a
funeral, and I needed some retail therapy to cheer me up, so
when I saw a gun store, I suggested we stop in. As I looked
around, I was drawn to a Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Magnum
revolver. Why that gun? I don’t know. It was heavy in a good
way, and I liked the way it felt in my hand even though it scared
me. Maybe it looked like what I thought a gun should be after
growing up with my father watching John Wayne and Dirty Harry
movies. I have no idea why I thought that was the appropriate
gun for me. If you are unsure why I say this, note the photo of
one below. It is huge. Regardless, we bought the .357 that day
and went out to the range a few weeks later. Scott had me use
.38 ammunition, knowing that the recoil of .357 caliber rounds
would probably make me cry. Unfortunately, the result was
pretty much the same. I was nervous and none of it felt natural,
so I put it in the gun safe, drank some wine and didn’t touch it for
a of couple years.
I am told I can be stubborn; I prefer being thought of as,
not one to quit, but that’s just semantics. Bottom line is I was
still determined to learn to shoot, so I agreed to take the CPL
(concealed pistol license) class thinking maybe if I learned
more about guns in a structured environment and not from
my husband, I would get more comfortable. The CPL class in
Michigan is 8 hours long, 8 HOURS LONG. I spent the entire 5
hours of classroom time in an inner turmoil trying to decide if
I wanted to even carry a gun (concealing that .357 would be
interesting to say the least) and if I could really take a life, even
in defense of my own. I ran over a squirrel the week prior and
cried and apologized to St. Francis the whole way to work. By
the time we got to the range part of the class, I was a mess.
Oh yeah, and no one mentioned that I was going to have

to “qualify”. I guess I should have assumed that, but I didn’t. It
might have been good to know I was going to have to shoot one
handed, run other drills, not just stand there and shoot. Had I
known, I would have practiced or possibly bailed on the class and
gone shopping with the girls, so I guess it was good I didn’t know.
So, there I was, terrified and visibly shaking like a chihuahua in
wintertime. (Note: the range “qualification” for CPL in Michigan
is not defined and is left up to the discretion of the instructor. If
you are new to shooting and decide to take the CPL, ask what the
qualification course of fire will be so you can prepare.)
The instructor took one look at my .357 Magnum and vibrating
hands, and suggested I use his small snub nose revolver. It was
much smaller and certainly looked less intimidating and fit better
in my hand. What I didn’t know then was that the smaller barrel
made the gun have far more recoil, so much recoil that my hand
hurt for days afterward. Emotionally and physically exhausted, I
made it through the range qualification and passed the class. But
knowing what I know now, I shouldn’t have. I would like to say
that I found and tapped into my inner Warrior Goddess and ruled
that range, but that did not happen. I didn’t point the gun at
anyone or do anything else grossly negligent or unsafe, but had
I been in an actual defensive situation, the only thing that would
have saved me is my attacker laughing too hard at me to attack.
That instructor should not have passed me. It was a pity
passing. I filed the paperwork, got my CPL, promptly sold the
.357 and headed to the sporting goods store to find a more
appropriate gun once again for me.
I know this is starting to sound like the definition of insanity
– keep doing the same thing and expect a different result but
hang in with me here. I ended up settling on a Ruger 9mm ECP
subcompact. Why that gun? At least there was a bit more logic
to my choice this time.
I am 5’4’’ and have
really small hands (my
ring finger is a size
3.5) and I had trouble
racking the slide on
my husband’s guns
presumably because of
the size and strength
of my hands. I saw
a woman at the gun
counter who was about
my size and I asked her
if she had a gun. She pulled back her jacket to reveal she was
carrying and told me it was a Ruger 9mm sub compact. She said
she loved it and had no problem with the slide. So that became
my next gun. A few weeks later I grabbed my new gun and went
to the range with a friend who was a Range Safety Officer (RSO),
thinking I might be less nervous having someone other than my
husband teach me. I did find the Ruger more enjoyable to shoot
but I was still struggling with the slide and was still terrified and
exhausted after just 50 rounds down range.
So back into the safe went my gun. Fast forward 4 years
to early March of 2020. My husband and I were exploring Ann
Arbor MI, (we had moved to the area the prior year) and saw
a gun range. We decided to check it out and we were very
impressed with the 3 separate bays, classroom, nice retail space
and member’s lounge. We decided we would join Ann Arbor
Arms (A3) and I was once again psyching myself up to learn
to shoot. What can I say? I am a distant descendant of William
Wallace, there is just not a lot of quit in my genetic makeup.
NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

8
NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE
Covid hit and while locked down in my house and experiencing
the world through Zoom, I signed up for a virtual beginner’s
handgun class that was being offered by A3. Without the stress
of being on a range I felt like I really absorbed the material
taught and reached out to the instructor to schedule a private
lesson once the range opened back up. I took my first lesson
with Lead Instructor Robby Torres in June of 2020. Something
clicked in that lesson. I was still nervous, but Robby was very
encouraging and able to ease my fears and convince me that I
was not going to hurt myself or anyone else if I just followed the
4 Universal Safety Rules.
I took my second lesson the very next day.
Next, I set a goal of simply becoming competent with the
gun, nothing more, nothing less. I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry,
I just wanted to learn to shoot. I was still struggling a bit with
racking the slide, although not as much, so we sold the Ruger
(are you seeing a pattern here?) and I bought a S&W 9mm EZ.
Yes, this time I bought the gun, not Scott. It was in my name
and that gave me a little boost of confidence and empowerment.
The EZ was made for someone like me. The slide was very
easy (hence the name EZ) to rack and equipped with a standard
external safety as well as a grip safety which calmed my fears of
unwittingly shooting myself. I committed to training and took a
lesson with Robby almost every week. I also started doing dry
fire drills at home that he showed me to improve my confidence
and dexterity with the gun. That also helped save on the cost of
ammunition. All the staff at Ann Arbor Arms were kind, patient
and willingly answered my questions. Within a few weeks, I
achieved my first big milestone. I went to the range to shoot
by myself. I had achieved the confidence to handle the gun
without immediate supervision, although I am sure the guys
were keeping an eye on me and an ear out for screams. I was
hooked.
There is something really empowering and exciting about the
sound and feeling of slapping a magazine into a gun, racking the
slide and firing away.

Even the
smell of the gun
powder was enticing. It smelled
like victory.
True to form, a couple of months
into my training I realized I did not
like the grip safety on my S&W.
Having small hands, it was just one
more thing that could interfere with
my grip. So, you guessed it, I sold it and
bought a Glock 43X which is a single
stack, 9mm sub compact. Most of the guys at A3 carried Glocks,
as did my husband and my close friend who is a police officer. I
felt like I had graduated. The Glock wasn’t a gun made for people
with weak hands or specifically for women. It was a gun that
men carried and respected. By this time, I had gotten fluid with
the movement of racking the slide and realized it was a matter
of momentum and technique more than strength, so I had no
problem with the 43X slide. In addition to my lessons, I also took
some classes as A3 and met some
great women who became friends
that I could share this journey with.
We tried each other’s guns, shared
ammo and tips on things we learned.
A3 became my happy place. During
one of our range outings, my friend Deb
had me shoot her .22LR caliber gun. It was such fun, and .22LR
ammo was far less expensive and still available. Also, minimal
recoil, no big bang, just total pew pew fun! Feeling totally loyal
to Glock at this point, I bought a Glock 44 .22LR. I now had 2
guns and I was hitting the range weekly. I also started to wonder
if I was going to end up on some ATF watch list. My skills
were getting better, and I had broadened my goal to becoming
competent to carry not just shoot.
Magazines have word limits on articles, and I have hit that
limit, so check back in the next issue for the rest of the story.
There are more guns coming and going and lots more to share.
Until then here are some things to consider if you are new
to shooting or are hoping to persuade someone else to consider
shooting:
FOLLOW THE 4 UNIVERSAL SAFETY RULES AND
YOU WILL NOT HURT YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSE.
Assume every gun is loaded and treat it as such
Never point the gun at anything you are not willing
to destroy
Keep your finger off the trigger until you have
acquired your target and are ready to destroy it
Always know what is around and behind your target
It is perfectly normal to be scared, in fact, shaking, jumping,
heart racing are all the intended physiological responses your
sympathetic nervous system creates. Don’t feel foolish about
your body doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Understand it will take a little time to get comfortable and
build skill, but i you will get there. Shooting is not terribly
complicated once you have the proper grip, stance, presentation.
Don’t give up.
Take a few private lessons with a professional instructor. Make
sure you are comfortable with this instructor. If not, find another
one. I really do not recommend learning from anyone who is
not a certified instructor regardless of their history with firearms.
Consider joining a range and meeting other new shooters.
Having a tribe and a home base really helps.
Dry fire training goes a long way and is free. Commit to doing
that at home. Make sure the gun is unloaded and clear and keep
all ammunition stored away from where you are dry firing.
Depending on your interest level and goals there can be A
LOT to learn. Just take it in small chunks – or do what I did and go
all in!
Remember, using a firearm is serious and a huge
responsibility, but it can also be lots of fun!
Stay safe, stay responsible, stay tuned for the next issue! AL
NEW SHOOTER PERSPECTIVE
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

10
EDITOR’S NOTE
Mission Statement: By Trampas Swanson
After over seven years of being THE
industry magazine for the private
contracting world with PMCI Magazine,
we discovered the growing interest came
not just in the form of those who carried a
gun professionally but their family, friends,
and many others. Requests regularly
poured in about home protection, how
to spot danger in our daily lives rather
than on post in a foreign land and much
more. When editor, Bill Pryce Thomas was
asked by owner, Nigel Streeter to bring
his excellent leadership to our parent
company, Calibre Publications, the timing
was perfect to evolve to meet the needs
of the growing demand. With a firm
salute to the those who came before us, it
is a great honor as the new editor to begin
this new journey with you all.
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The
Armed Lifestyle Magazine!
This publication was founded with a core
mission to educate readers on a wide
range of topics that could prove vital to
their abilities to safely enjoy daily life.
Many of the Armed Lifestyle writers come
from former Military, Law Enforcement,
Fire / Rescue backgrounds, and all are
current Firearms Instructors or Training
Counselors. More importantly, these
men and women are all someone’s son
or daughter, husband, or wife, parent or
even grandparent. These writers have
all spent year’s training and learning to
recognize threats within our environment
to protect ourselves, our families, homes,
and communities. For them, the Armed
Lifestyle Magazine is an extension of their
classrooms to provide readers ongoing
education and fellow instructors across
the country quality reference materials to
better help them educate others as well.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room,
our title, starting with the term, “Armed”.
Traditionally, the term “Armed” has been
defined for centuries as being equipped
with a weapon of some sort to harm and
possibly kill. This leaves no explanation for
empty handed aggression or the ability
to use your cognitive thought process to
survive a threat.
It is now 2022 and well past time to
redefine our ancestors outdated and
grossly misused definition of the term
“Armed”. Our goal in doing so is to widen
our thought process about what being
armed really boils down to. Simply put,
“Armed” with the proper mindset, skill,
knowledge, and willingness to create and
execute a plan for survival, whether the
threat is an attacker, a natural disaster,
or a global pandemic. Realistically, any
item we as humans pick up in our hands
is simply a tool until we use our mental
capacities to weaponize it by putting it
into action.
Armed Lifestyle Magazine aims to
educate readers on the rich history,
valued traditions and core fundamentals
needed to navigate the ever increasingly
violent world in which we live in. Along
the way, we will enjoy being able to
explore outstanding training in the fields
of situational awareness, mental health,
firearms marksmanship, defensive
shooting, critical incident survival from
certified professionals. Industry experts
will weigh in on their favorite products to
better help put these skills into action as
well as points to ponder after reading each
issue. Best of all, we’ll learn about some
truly amazing people in which we get to
share our armed lifestyle community.
This is Our Time and Our Story. Enjoy! –
Trampas

12
BODY LANGUAGE
BODY LANGUAGE By: Amy Lucas
While working as a Corrections officer in a maximum-security
prison I had contact with prisoners that were incarcerated for
some of the most heinous crimes. Most were doing lengthy
sentences or life with no chance of parole. I was incredibly young
when I was hired into the department and attended 16 weeks of
training to learn how to manage prisoners in all situations.
Although the training was thorough it does not prepare you
for everything you are going to see or deal with daily. I was
raised in a nice rural area, in a loving home, and had never dealt
with any type of scenario or situation that was potentially life
threatening. Heck, I had never even been in a fight.
While in training, we learned about Body Language. Body
language is the process of communicating nonverbally through
conscious or unconscious gestures and movement. It became
apparent very quickly that I needed to pay attention to the
offender’s body language. It was also important to be able
to carry myself in a specific way that showed confidence and
authority while acting calm and cool in a place that was not
always calm and most definitely not cool. I also had to work on
my verbal communication skills. I had to find the balance with my
tone of voice and how to respond appropriately. What I said and
how I said it could affect the prisoner’s response. The prisoner’s
preyed on the weak and always waited for the right opportunity.
Reading a person’s body language and what was going
on around me took quite a bit of time but eventually became
second nature to me. It was important to be able to see when
things were getting ready to go left and for me to be ready for
WHATEVER might come my way that shift. Even when leaving
those prison walls for the outside world I carried myself in the
same manner. The difference was when working on the inside
I knew who the “bad guy” was. In the world I did not. Paying
attention to your surroundings and the people around you should
be second nature to you when living the Armed Lifestyle.
However, you do not get 16 weeks of training like I did and
the people around you are not prisoners. You must retrain your
brain, mindset, and how you carry yourself when walking out
your front door every day.
Locator apps on your phone and telling people where you
are is a good thing, but we want to prevent an attack from even
happening in the first place. Most times, we are not prepared. We
need to think like a criminal. You do not need to have criminal
tendencies to put yourself in the mindset of a criminal. These
attackers are weak, cowardly pieces of garbage. They have
no remorse or no feelings when looking for a target. They are
constantly looking for the greatest gain for the least amount of
trouble. So, here is the body language you can quickly and easily
do every time you enter a potentially dangerous area to reduce
the chances of being targeted and attacked.
Do not play on your phone. If an attacker is on the hunt and
you have your head in your phone, you are more likely to be
a target because you are distracted. They can easily make a
surprise attack on you. Twenty-three percent of people convicted
of robbery were interviewed and they said they looked for
people who were distracted or looked lost or drunk as someone
they thought they could overpower.
Keep your head up and your shoulders back and strong solid
posture. This is strong, competent body language. It not only
attracts good people to you, but it also helps to repel attackers
because he wants to go after someone who seems easy and not
someone who seems strong minded.
Walk with purpose taking in your surroundings as you walk.
You will come across as stronger and more confident, but you will
be able to spot an attacker sooner making him feel like you just
spoiled his surprise attack. Making eye contact with someone
sends them the message that “I see you.” That alone will make
you less attractive to the potential assailant.
Look a little mean or unapproachable. Eyebrows closer
together, lips together, no smile, fists clenched lightly down at
your sides. This will subconsciously say no to anyone who sees
you to stay away.
Keep your valuables out of sight. If you have a watch or a
bracelet tuck it underneath your sleeve. If you have a necklace,
cover it with your shirt or your jacket. If you feel like the area’s
dangerous you may want to remove that visible jewelry and
safely put them in pockets closer to your body. When muggers
were interviewed to describe the ideal person to rob, they are

www.thearmedlifestyle.com

14
BODY LANGUAGE
clearly looking at your clothes, valuables, and even your shoes.
They typically would not bother someone wearing gym
clothes or carrying a gym bag. As they would not likely have
anything of value on them.
Hold your bag or purse closer to your body. Do not dangle it
off your elbow so anyone can quickly just grab it off your arm and
run. I recommend carrying a cross body purse or satchel. Avoid
carrying all your valuables in your purse. If you must carry cash,
wear a pouch or money belt to hide it. Have your bag positioned
towards the front not against your backside. Avoid walking next
to the street where your purse could be yanked from your arm by
someone on a motorbike or vehicle passing by.
Your hands are going to be one of the main things he focuses
on, looks at and evaluates because your hands are what could
stop him and even hurt him. Hold something in your fist that
could be dangerous to an attacker, but that is also legal. If you
have mace, hold it in a clenched fist. Mace is not going to deter
the bad guy while it is in your purse or pocket. It is going to deter
them while it is in your hands. You might decide to carry a tactical
flashlight. By always keeping a good flashlight on you and using
it to illuminate dark places like under cars and around corners or
you could use it to temporarily blind the attacker. You could also
hold a sharp key, so it points out of the knuckle. About two thirds
of muggers said they followed people before attacking.
Be careful of anyone that tries to stop you to ask for the time
or directions. You might take that quick look at your watch to
give the time and boom he has you. They are trying to stop you,
preoccupy you, and then attack you at the time. Do not break
your stride and do not stop. If they are persistent, it might be
time to give loud verbal commands, such as “Stop! Get away
from me!” Not only will the bad guy understand what you want
him to do but it will bring attention to anyone in the area that
something is not right.
The trips to and from your car when arriving or leaving could
leave you vulnerable. Make sure you look on all sides of all
windows before you open your door. Always check the backseat
of your vehicle ideally before you get in. Always look in your
mirrors before you exit your vehicle to make sure no one’s outside
your vehicle waiting for you to exit. If you do not plan to exit your
vehicle, immediately remember that when you put your car in
park most vehicles doors unlock. So, make sure that you lock the
doors or turn off that feature in your vehicle if you are getting
out right away. Park in well-lit areas and close to areas that can
be observed by others. Check all your mirrors before exiting the
vehicle.
Identify Escape Routes and opportunities to increase distance
between you and a threat (walking, running, or driving away).
Get into the habit of scanning any area that you enter and look
for the exits.
Take the long route with the crowd instead of the shortcut
through the alley. Regardless of how convenient a shortcut might
seem, or however safe you might feel heading to your car late at
night all alone, that is the kind of behavior that criminals count
on to find easy victims.
And finally, take the time to monitor yourself! Doing just one
or two of these things may reduce the chances of an attack. But
doing all these things together will significantly reduce those
chances. Paying attention to your surroundings and your body
language could prevent an attack. AL

Proudly Celebrating
25 Years of
Made in America,
Or Not Made At All.
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16
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING BY TRAMPAS SWANSON
As a nationally known firearms instructor and training counselor
certified by both the NRA and USCCA, I regularly receive
emails from people inquiring about tips and tricks on how to
improve shooting and training techniques. Folks from all ranges
of experience levels are all looking for that “Holy Grail” of
aftermarket products to do the hard work of training for them
and immediately make them a better marksman. Questions
about new grips, expensive replacement triggers, lasers and
various other devices both new and old are regularly covered.
While yes, there are tons of great products on the market to
make life shooting sports more comfortable, my answers always
gravitate back to focusing on the fundamentals of sight picture,
sight alignment and trigger press.
majority of the industry’s shooters today, there is one product
that will NOT do the hard work and time invested for you, but
WILL give you the means to be able to make your time off the
range just as valuable as the time spent with live fire.
One of the best ways to practice all three aspects
marksmanship and to obtain noticeable results quickly is with
dry practice. Unfortunately for some pistols, high repetition dry
practice can cause long term damage. With striker fired pistols
such as the 80% of the world’s shooting population, the slide
must be manually cycled to reset the trigger each time it is dry
fired. While this may sound like a simple way to train, it may
cause the shooter to form bad habit or “training scar”. Due to
breaking from their master grip to cycle during dry practice, it
often carries over during live fire to subconsciously try to cycle
the slide as they would in dry fire practice. Fortunately for the
Back in 2015, while our team was attending the world’s
largest industry only firearms / outdoor trade show known as
SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas, NV, I discovered the most innovative
training tool created during the 42 years of my shooting
experience. The Shot Indicating Reset Trigger (SIRT) Model 110
was a Glock shaped laser training pistol produced by NextLevel
Training. The company was founded by SIRT inventor, CEO Mike
Hughes. For those who followed television’s reality shooting
show, TOP SHOT on the History Channel, may remember Mike
as the season 3 finalist cutting the Superman-like physique and
square jaw. What viewers didn’t realize at the time was Mike’s
company was on the verge of creating what would change the
training world for serious shooters in the form of its SIRT pistol.
Modeled loosely after the most popular service firearm in the
world today, the Glock model 17 9mm, the SIRT pistol is designed
as an inert firearm shaped training device designed to teach
proper, consistent manipulation of the trigger while allowing for
quick and easy self-diagnosis without need of live ammunition or
a training partner. With trigger control arguably being the single
most important aspect of any shooting discipline, this device

does not need snap caps or real firearms to work. Unlike standard
striker fired pistols, the SIRT pistol is a fully self-contained unit
using red and green laser technology with a resetting trigger to
simulate that of the Glock trigger. By training to feel the break
point of the trigger and watching the red laser projected under
the barrel activated by interface of the trigger pull, one can learn
what is commonly called the “Glock reset” drill and only let out
on the trigger between shots enough to reset the trigger while
not allowing slop or over travel in the trigger pull using muscle
memory and the positive “click” and feel of the reset. Depending
on model, the SIRT uses of either a second red (Model 110)
or a separate green laser (Pro Model) mounted in the muzzle
activated by the breaking the shot, the user can verify where the
training shot would hit in relation to the authentic Glock sights
mounted on the top of the slide and can be easily replaced with
any appropriate aftermarket options.
For the past seven years, I have been using a Pro Model SIRT
Model 110 both for my daily personal training routine and as
part of my range drills for the students I teach weekly. During
this time, I have easily shot well into the thousands of simulated
rounds while seating in my office, practicing home defense drills
walking through my house during the day and night as well as
on the range between live fire exercises. Personally, I have seen
three main advantages in this device since using the SIRT as part
of my training routine.
Over the past two years, we have been using the SIRT pistols
with a great firearms training simulator system from Laser Ammo
called the Smokeless Range. (More on this in coming issues so
stay tuned!) Not only has the Glock, S&W and SIG variants of the
SIRT worked well with the simulator to help students hone their
fundamentals but also help illustrate intuitive defensive shooting
techniques to advanced shooters. This combination of training
equipment allows large groups of students to training much
more safely in environments more conducive to true learning
than standard one-way ranges could every possibly allow. Let’s
look at several factors that make the SIRT such a valuable training tool.
WEIGHT & SIZE
With the SIRT being almost exactly the same size and weight as
my Glock 17, I can use my standard Streamlight attached to its
railed dust cover, fit it into my standard training holster and safely
practice my speed reloads using the weighted interchangeable
magazines.
COST EFFICIENCY
Powered by a single $3.00 US Lithium 123 CR camera battery, it is
estimated the average user gets around $0.0002 per shot before
having to replace the battery. Drills and shooting challenges can
be performed in any room or back yard without the need of LIVE
FIRE and range fees.
RAPID SKILL ENHANCEMENT
With my personal training, the SIRT pistol quickly helped give
me feedback I could easily see for myself and help develop
proper muscle memory when not on the range. The SIRT greatly
enhances point shooting to the degree that you may sometimes
start instinctively index shots before using the rear sights. The
SIRT develops a strong trust in your natural aiming instincts. As an
instructor, I have seen the SIRT quickly reduce recoil anticipation
in my students by having them shoot a few shots with the SIRT
before going to LIVE FIRE. During a student’s shooting session, if
I begin to see a pattern in their shots starting to routinely strike
low, I will stop them, have them again fire the SIRT a few times
and continue with LIVE FIRE exercises. Every time I have done
this, the student’s shots will immediately return to point of aim /
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

point of impact. The lack of recoil present while performing the
same range of motions tends to carry over mentally back to
the LIVE FIRE. When first performing this, you will see shooters
possibly going back to anticipating recoil after a few shots, but as
the switch back and forth from SIRT to LIVE FIRE, you will see a
huge difference quickly.
So if the SIRT is so great, who would benefit the most from
training with one? Let’s look at a list of top answers.
- Firearms Instructors / Training Counselors
- Novice shooters learning proper technique
- Experienced shooters looking for cost effective ways to train
from concealment or dry firing a skill challenge
- A shooter looking to cure training scars
- Tactical users such as Law Enforcement or citizens training to
defend themselves in a CQC or Close Quarters Combat situation
- New shooters seeking to learn proper safe firearms handling
- Competition shooters looking to dry practice their course of
fire during a walk through
After reading the list, you may think this covers pretty much
anyone interested in shooting. You would be RIGHT! The SIRT
pistol offers something for all ages and skill levels to benefit
from. The only change I would like to eventually see made to the
SIRT is the implementation of a moving slide to simulate charging
the firearm during training with changing magazines.
With a retail price ranging from $239 - $469 depending on
which type laser and slide material you may want, the benefits
of having a child safe training tool you can work with any time
of the day or night are personally well worth the investment. As
a father of two small daughters, this was a huge bonus. By not
being a live firearm, you can also travel anywhere with the SIRT
and train without interrupting your regular training regimen.
At the end of the day, if you are one of the millions who
regularly shoot striker fired pistols such as over 80% of the
world’s Law Enforcement carrying Glock handguns or over 70%
of US citizens carrying Glocks as concealed carry weapons,
you NEED a SIRT in your life. This training device has proven to
greatly enhance shooting skills safely and efficiently as well as
promoting the desire to training more often outside of the range.
This ultimately equates to more LEO and civilian lives having a
much better chance of surviving armed encounters over time.
Recently, my personal favorite variant of the SIRT pistol has
been the new model 115C which emulates the size, weight and
look of the Gen 5 Glock 19 9mm pistol. It fits in all my Inside and
Outside the Waistband holsters while offering the same index
point from the draw. Its duty sized counterpart, the model 115
would make a great addition to any security or law enforcement
agency’s training program.
Overall, I have been very impressed with the entire SIRT
catalogue over the years. To highly recommend these training
devices students and fellow instructors is probably the easiest
endorsement I have given in a decade. To find the SIRT pistol that
fits your needs, visit them at www.nextleveltraining.com.
**** Editor Note**** Save money with each purchase by
using Discount Code: STG2020 at checkout.
SIRT PISTOL TRAINING
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

TRAINING OR PRACTICE?

RIDIN’ SHOTGUN
WITH CHARLIE
BY CHARLIE COOK
Riding Shotgun With Charlie came from a speaking project. I’ve
been in Toastmasters for a few years and I was working on a
manual called “Communicating on Video“. Toastmasters is an
organization that helps people with public speaking. It helps with
much more than speaking. It gives you confidence, organization
skills, and leadership skills, too. There were five projects in that
manual: interview someone in a tv talk show or radio show
format, be interviewed by someone in a tv talk show or radio
show format, conduct a press conference, make an editorial
video, and make a video teaching someone how to do a speech.
While I was working on all those projects, I had the idea for
Riding Shotgun With Charlie.
I wanted to hang out with rockstars and even be a rockstar when
I was young. Who didn’t? Yes, you can ask me how it worked out.
I spent 10 years playing trombone in a Motown, funk, disco band
in Boston. During my gigging years, I opened for Dolly Parton,
Ray Charles, and even Earth, Wind, & Fire. The band even played
at Meatloaf’s daughter’s wedding and Meatloaf came up and did
a 10 minute version of Mustang Sally with us.
I got into firearms in 2002. I had been an instrumental music
teacher in public schools for a few years. After September 11,
we had a meeting where the principal said if anyone was in the
school that shouldn’t be there, he would get on the intercom
and announce that “the eagle has landed” and everyone was
supposed to lock their classroom doors and hide under the desks.
I ended up telling the other teachers that if the teachers on the
first floor had firearms, they could shoot the bad guy and have
the police send a body bag. They thought I was crazy. I went
out to find out what I needed to do to get a firearm license in
Massachusetts. It took about 4 months, which included taking
a class, being interviewed by the local police, and passing
background checks. And of course, paying a fee.
I was excited to have a license to have a firearm. I ended up
taking some other training that involved some live fire (NRA
Basic Pistol Course) and I was hooked. After acquiring some
family firearms and joining a local range, I got into it more. I
became a Range Safety Officer so I could run bowling pin shoots.
Then I started helping with some firearms training with the Gun
Owners Action League. Eventually GOAL’s Director of Education
suggested I become an instructor, which I did.
Over the years, I taught at a local shooting school and started
teaching classes on my own. Eventually, I would teach 20 people
in a course at the shooting school and realize how much the boss
was making. Then I got a bit more focused and started pushing
my own classes. I got certified to teach a number of NRA courses:
Basic Pistol, Basic Rifle, Basic Shotgun, Personal Protection Inside
the Home, Refuse To Be A Victim. And a couple of non-NRA
classes: Utah Concealed Firearm Permit & SABRE Pepper Spray.
I watched Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. If you haven’t seen
it, a late-night talk show host takes some rock and pop stars out
for a ride in his car, pretends to get some coffee, then plays music
of the artist he’s with, and they sing along and tell stories about
the band or how the song came about. It’s so ‘fake’ that I’ve
heard the car is on a flatbed tow truck and he isn’t even driving.
Regardless. I noticed that James Cordon is chubby, English and
mildly funny. And I thought “I’m chubby, I can speak English,
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

22
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
I’m mildly funny. I can do what he’s doing!” I declared that I was
going to start a show driving around gun folks in the car and I
was going to call it Riding Shotgun. I found out that there was
a website called Riding Shotgun. My mentor, Dennis, said that
I need to inject my personality into my projects. So I called it
Riding Shotgun With Charlie. Seems simple enough.
I bought a couple of GoPros from Facebook marketplace and
Craig’s list. I tried taking a class on editing video but learned a
lot from trial and error. Mostly error. I felt like a terrorist, I just
wanted to learn to fly the plane. There are many things in video
editing that I didn’t want to learn because it wasn’t going to
apply to what I was doing. Learning was (is) a slow process for
me so it took some time.
I contacted some friends who were firearm instructors, some
musician friends, and my mentor, to see if they’d be up for it. It
was all paying dues to learn some interviewing skills and learning
how to edit. I probably did 5 or 6 shows with some local friends.
I found out that a long-time friend’s husband was a victim in
an armed robbery, and it ended up being written about by Rob
Pincus & Mark Walters in “Lessons from Unarmed America”. So,
I called my friend, set up a weekend to fly to Minneapolis and
film a show with her husband. He suggested a weekend during
the Minnesota State Fair, when Mark Walters would be doing a
remote radio show. I was able to film a show with Mark while I
drove him from the hotel to the fair. Mark asked me to be a guest
on Armed American Radio that evening. Ironically, one of the
guests was Paul Lathrop from Second Amendment Foundation’s
Polite Society Podcast. I had no idea that I would end up as a
regular co-host on PSP a few years later.
I had a layover in Chicago on my way back to Boston, I checked
my voicemail and there was a message from Mark. He said
he loved the show, loved the idea, no one was doing a show
like this, and he wanted to help promote it. I had no idea what
they meant. I had no idea what the show could be or where it
would take me or anything else. When Mark called me two days
later and asked if I wanted to speak at the Gun Rights Policy
Conference in Tampa in a month, I HAD to say Yes!
There I ran into everyone who was anyone in the gun rights
community. Massad Ayoob. Alan Gottlieb. John Lott. Tom Gresham.
Folks like Cheryl & Danny Todd, AWR Hawkins, Nikki Goeser. One
of the people I ran into was Amanda Suffecool. She and her
brother, Rob Campbell, had a radio show outside of Cleveland
called Eye On The Target. In May 2015, they were looking to talk
to instructors in every state. I reached out and got to be the guy
from Massachusetts. I saw Amanda’s nametag and asked if she
had a radio show. She said yes, then she Facebook requested me,
and invited me to lunch with her and another friend.
GRPC that year was a success to me. And for me. I wasn’t putting
out RSWC shows yet, but I did have GunGrams. These are videos
where I play the trumpet while I shoot a gun as a percussion
instrument. I’ve got 280 videos on YouTube, and they’ve been
watched over 20 million times on my channel and on other
people’s channels and videos. There were also several people
that wanted to know what I was doing and how they could get
on the show. It was wonderful to make so many new freedom
loving friends.
A few months later, Amanda invited me to co-emcee a concealed
carry fashion show with her outside Cleveland. Again, how can I
say no?! While I was in Ohio, I drove up to Detroit to film a show
with Marcus Allen Weldon. He was known as “the Santa shooter”
as he was dressed as Santa Claus and involved in a self-defense
shooting. I was slowly “getting the stagecoach across America”.
I kept filming shows during the next few months. I filmed in DC
with Rev Kenn Blanchard and NJ with Anthony Colandro. I was
a fan of both, as I was an avid listener to both of their podcasts.
Things were really moving, and I don’t know how it happened.
Since the beginning, I’ve done over 130 shows in 30 states.
One of my objectives is to do a show in every state. That takes

planning and work. For the last 2 years, every time I’ve gone
someplace, for funerals, taking kids to college, visiting friends,
whatever, I’ve filmed a show. I’ve done a little ‘southern tour’ in
2020, hitting Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. In the summer
of 2021, I went to Sioux Fall, SD, to take a MAG40 class. I filmed
shows in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Within two
weeks, I was heading to Ohio for a FASTER Saves Lives course and
filmed 2 shows in Ohio. I’ve done more traveling in the last 2
years than I have in the previous 10 years.
The idea of the show is to interview people in the firearm
community. Authors, activists, good people involved in selfdefense
situations, instructors, YouTubers, podcasters. People
that are the movers and shakers in the 2A community. I want to
have video interviews of people who are just people. People that
are living the Armed Lifestyle and sharing that way of life with
and to others. As a community, we need to show others that we
ARE everyday people. We’re parents. We’re colleagues. We’re at
the grocery store. We’re at the local restaurants. We’re at the local
coffee shops. We love and care about our family and friends, just
like our non-gun friends (if we have any-Hehe). We want them
to be safe too. We’re all trying to live our own American Dream.
The American Dream is vast. And the American Dream is what
YOU want to do and to make sure you’re pursuing it.
Having Riding Shotgun With Charlie is part of my American
Dream.
Writing (Shotgun) With Charlie is an extension of the show. I’m
going to be writing the conversation with my passengers. There’s
a lesson to learn from everyone. Maybe a new lesson. Maybe a
reinforcement of something you already knew. Maybe something
to avoid. They say you “either win or learn”. I”m hoping you do
both. In the YouTube descriptions, I’ve got a “favorite quotes”
section. They’re things the passenger says that stick out and had
an impact on me. I hope they help you, too.
I’ve been fortunate to have some success with RSWC. In 2017
at the Gun Rights Policy Conference, the Second Amendment
Foundation awarded me “The Defender of Liberty”, which was
something I wasn’t expecting. That year, I had a few million
views of GunGrams around the world. In 2019, they awarded me
“Ray Carter Blogger of the Year”. I went around for 2 days saying
“Blogger of the Year…didn’t write a word”. That’s when I started
writing show notes, which also led to having the show and show
notes published on Ammoland. I”ve had folks like Massad Ayoob,
Rob Pincus, Hickok45, Ashley Hlebinsky, Dianna Muller, and Alan
Gottlieb (in HIS Corvette!) on the show. There’s a few people that
are ‘Dream Passengers’ that I haven’t had on the show. Yet.
Moving forward in each issue of the Armed Lifestyle Magazine,
I’ll be writing more about the show. I’m sure my English teachers
wouldn’t have ever thought I’d be writing. Me, neither! But I’m
excited to be writing and sharing the show and it’s lesson here
with you in Armed Lifestyle Magazine. We’re all living the Armed
Lifestyle in some capacity. Writing (Shotgun) With Charlie is going
to help teach you about laws around the country, how to handle
some situations, how to be more at your own level, so you too
are living the Armed Lifestyle.
RIDIN’ SHOTGUN WITH CHARLIE
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

TRAINING OR PRACTICE?

USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
Evil in our world lurks at every corner. It plots, plans, and
searches for an opportunity to act in ways that could potentially
permanently change our lives physically, mentally, or sadly both.
Rightfully defending yourself against such evil should not
come with the continuing threat of being punished for exercising
our premortal instinct of self-preservation. Between politicians
and liberal legislation banning or limiting our rights to carry
certain tools essential to protection, it is more important than
ever to make sure we are protected both criminally and civilly
should the day arise that we should be the righteous that stand
bold as a Lion against such threats to our lives and the lives of
others.
I’ll start this article with the statement that this is NOT a paid
advertisement but rather a report on one of the most important
aspects of personal protection for the prepared member of the
armed lifestyle. The television news and other media outlets
have spent years trying to wrongfully train citizens of the United
States and other countries around the globe that self-protection
is limited or even completely wrong. It is time to change that
narrative and become better educated and personally protected
home and abroad. We as prepared citizens need to fully
understand how entities like the USCCA and its parent company,
Delta Defense can help give us a good peace of mind that in
the event we must protect ourselves or a loved one. We need
to know that someone will be in our corner to help us navigate
the legal system and to not end up being punished civilly at
a substantial financial loss or criminally by losing our valuable
freedom because we chose to do what was needed to survive a
violent encounter.
As a former Law Enforcement officer, I have seen firsthand
how myself and others could quickly end up in the spotlight for
merely doing our job correctly as trained. Regardless of how
brave your actions are or at whatever considerable personal risk
you managed to overcome to accomplish your mission, you are
ALWAYS going to end up the bad guy in someone else’s story.
Stop an armed robber, mugger, or murderer with lethal
force and expect the family to sue because you injured or killed
someone that they misjudged. Thankfully, during my days as
a Sheriff’s SWAT team operator, we had entities such as Police
Benevolent Association (PBA) and Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
BY: TRAMPAS SWANSON
with Dan Tonto
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

26
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
to advocate for us inside and outside the courtroom to make
sure justified law enforcement officers didn’t have to suffer
from unjust and unethical criminal prosecution and civil action
lawsuits. Sadly in those days, civilians did not have such luxuries
despite facing the same threats lurking within our environment.
After I retired, I went on to become a civilian firearms
instructor and training counselor, responsible for not only training
new and experienced shooters but other new instructors as well.
Once I became certified through the National Rifle Association
(NRA), I discovered a much younger organization, the United
States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Unlike the NRA’s allencompassing
sporting guns outlook, the USCCA’s training division
was focused solely on what their name implies, concealed carry
of a firearm with a curriculum designed to assist shooters at all
skill levels. As an instructor, I appreciated the more up to date and
personal defense focus of the USCCA amid a growing demand for
self-defense training within our industry.
For me, this was not an either / or decision to choose between
organizations. I am and will always be a Benefactor Life Member
of the NRA. I appreciate their fight for our Second Amendment
rights in political circles and all the excellent training they have
established as the gold standard of fundamental marksmanship
training. The USCCA offered more focused essential, concealed
carry and home defense training for the types of new shooters
and professionals coming into the gun-owning world that may
not have grown up with the “old guard” NRA, hunting, and
shooting skeet.
The USCCA’s roots lie as one of my favorite publications;
Concealed Carry Magazine helmed by Founder Tim Schmidt,
Executive Editor Kevin Michalowski, and the fantastic staff
of editors, columnists and contributing writers. The articles
and insight provided in each issue free to its USCCA members
was a huge inspiration for the Armed Lifestyle Magazine to
be created to branch out from the niche of self-defense and
explore the whole 2A environment. At the heart of all of it, the
USCCA founder wanted to make sure his company could protect
those who mattered most, the responsibly prepared citizens.
Delta Defense, the parent company to the USCCA, developed a
membership program that would help with any expenses upfront
and residual that may be incurred during a critical incident such
as having to defend against an attacker. Notice, I have not said
the word firearm? That’s because this protects more than just gun
owners, it protects anyone willing to stand against a threat and
win, whether that’s empty handed, with a knife or even a vehicle
in situations such as potential carjackings.
Having had experience with how comforting it is to have
this sort of support from an established company that not only
believed in someone doing what’s right but that will be in your
corner every step of the way, I understand how underrated and
invaluable this could be for civilian concealed carry practitioners.
I’m not sure about you, but I don’t have tens of thousands
of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars or more needed
in costs to deal with the legal fallout that will come if I must
defend myself from a home invasion in the middle of the night.
Thankfully, the USCCA does, and they offer it and much more to
its members including a robust training platform which will help
its members become fully immersed in self-defense training and
education which is designed to help members become mentally,
physically, and legally prepared should they find themselves
involved in a self-defense situation.
I became a member of the USCCA as well as a range partner
via our Swanson Training Group (STG) in January of 2019. What
I did not know until then was how much available training via
streaming video and downloadable material each member of the
USCCA had access to via their member’s only website. From the
time I had discovered the USCCA’s membership benefits packages
until the time I ultimately signed up, I researched dozens. I
quickly realized there were only three viable contenders in which
roughly all things were almost entirely equal. Unlike the other
two contenders, the USCCA offered the package I most wanted,
a network of not only great attorneys but also a deep bench
of highly respected firearms and self-defense instructors from
across the country to educate people in and out of the classroom.
With the membership package I signed up for myself and my
wife, Candace, who is also an instructor, we get regular online
training opportunities and discounts from well-known partner
companies. In the first three months alone, I ended up saving
more money in discounts and training than what I paid for the
membership for the entire year!

As of last year, the USCCA launched even more member
training with an entire line up of videos and range challenges
under what they call the Protector Academy. These videos are
regularly updated and range from how to teach your children
about safety to how to properly use a red dot option on your rifle.
While the video series in each category is not a full four-to-eighthour
course, it will educate you enough to decide if you wish to
find a local instructor to learn about topics more in depth.
My personal favorites include Emergency First Aid and Tips on
How to Stay Safe on Social Media. For first time gun owners, the
information on firearm selection, best ways to carry and how to
prepare to make your first trip to the range are amazing.
Since signing as a range partner, our company has been able
to work with some of the great Delta Defense representatives
over the past few years, who helped facilitate our training
company to teach in Las Vegas in addition to locations around
our home territory of Florida. During this time, I have also been
able to befriend other representatives across the country as well,
who have equally done a great job of creating opportunities to
help educate more people via in person classes and free monthly
webinars. These consummate professionals have worked
tirelessly to become vital assets to both their range partners
and potential students looking to learn the benefits of such a
beneficial membership in the USCCA.
A couple of years ago, my region of Florida received a new
representative that hit the ground running with our training
group, Dan Tonto. Coming from years of experience in sales
from other industries as well as public service as a firefighter/
paramedic, Dan was very impressive from day one with his out of
the box thinking and an eagerness to learn, train and promote the
growth of every range partner he works
with. That sort of selflessness and fresh
thinking really got our team on their
“A-game” to brainstorm how we can
educate more people on the importance
of having legal and financial protection
for those who train hard every day to
protect their families.
As Dan helped me learn more about
the world of Delta Defense / USCCA
protection in the early days of getting
to know each other to better explain to
our students, I, in turn, invited him and
his wife to train with our STG team. We
had a great time in class, along with our
other students and even more so on the
range. The first day working together
one on one, Dan showed off his skills by
shooting a playing card in half at 10 feet.
Game, set, match, Dan “Da Man” Tonto.
I think it is safe to say, he grasped the
fundamental concepts and represented
the Delta Defense / USCCA team very
well!
I have learned a lot in a short
amount of time, things that I feel like I
have taken for granted before working
with Dan. Although I have been a
member for three years now, I feel even
more confident in my family’s decision
to take the plunge and become USCCA
members. To best explain why the
USCCA membership is so important to consider, I prefer to wrap
this article with Dan’s own wise words.
Dan - Do you feel that you are COMPLETELY prepared for a
self-defense incident? In other words, you train on a regular basis,
you have a self-defense plan in place, and you have attorneys at
the ready for your criminal and/or civil defense should you need
them because you acted in self-defense by using force.
Being prepared for a self-defense incident requires a 100%
commitment on your part which means you must be prepared
mentally, physically, and legally.
Considering there is a violent crime in this country every
26 seconds (FBI statistic), being unprepared is NOT an option. If
you called the police for an emergency and you knew that the
responding officers had a total of just 4-hours of training, would
you be okay with that? Well, that’s how much training most
concealed carry holders have if that. Quite honestly that’s just not
enough. Police officers carry firearms for the same reasons as law
abiding citizens do; for self-defense, yet they continuously train,
and the average CCL holder does not train at all or has minimal
training.
As a member of the USCCA, you will have access to some
of the “best-in-class” online self-defense education and training,
along with the ability to search for and attend “in-person” classes
with one of thousands of USCCA Certified Instructors around the
U.S. In addition, the USCCA has purchased a Self-Defense Liability
Insurance Policy and all members get added on to their policy as
an “added insured.” That means if you are involved in a covered
self-defense incident, you will have help in both criminal and
civil court. For covered incidents, there is NO LIMIT on defense
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
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28
USCCA FAMILY PROTECTION
expenses for both criminal and civil court and as you can imagine,
attorney fees will add up quickly. There is also a $2,000,000
annual liability insurance limit which is applied towards damages
if they are awarded in a civil case. There is also a $100,000 cost
of bail expense limit included in the policy as well. The USCCA’s
Attorney Network is made up of over 1200 attorneys and USCCA
members have access to the Critical Response Team, an in-house
team trained in Crisis Management who are available 24/7/365
who will get you in touch with your attorney and other resources
immediately.
I often hear people say they have a better chance of getting
struck by lightning than being involved in a self-defense incident.
That’s just not true. According to the National Weather
Service, just 270 people get struck by lightning in the U.S. every
year. Conversely, according to American Gun Facts.com, there are
between 500,000 and 3,000,000 instances where a firearm is
used in self-defense every year; that’s thousands per day. Twohundred
and seventy people will definitely fill up a room, but it
would take about 50 football stadiums to fit 3 million people.
That’s crazy. If you are the “Protector” of yourself and your
loved ones, this membership is a “need to have” and should be
part of your self-defense plan because it is so comprehensive.
Memberships start at just $29/month; a small price to pay
for so much value; especially considering there is also a 365-
Day Money-Back Guarantee making it essentially risk free to
join. Please scan the QR Code below to get a FREE self-defense
e-guide, as well as more info and details on how to join.
You can also reach out to dan - dan.t@deltadefense.com
Don’t leave your family’s safety and security up to chance.
Learn which firearms and calibers are legal (and which are not), what ammunition is
reliable, accurate and gets the job done, and which gear keeps your weapons safe
and legal in this easy-to-read and comprehensive “Defend Yourself” guide.
Receive this FREE life-changing and lifesaving
guide by scanning this QR code:
SWANSON TRAINING GROUP
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Consult and comply with any and all applicable federal, state, and local: laws,
regulations, requirements, and/or restrictions, including but not limited to those
regarding the purchase, ownership, use, transport, and carrying of a firearm.

30
FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
THE G44:
Glock Shooters’ Missing Training Link - By Trampas Swanson
Question? What happens when you cross the history’s
most popular caliber with the world’s most popular firearms
manufacturer?
Answer: You get the Glock model 44 chambered in .22 LR!
For the diehard Glock fan base, this was a long-awaited platform,
shooters had been searching for decades. These shooters had to
sit by the side as they watched companies such as S&W, SIG,
Ruger, even Colt release or license .22 versions of their popular
larger caliber handguns and rifles. Prior to December of 2019,
only option for running .22 LR on a Glock platform came in the
form of a conversion unit from Tactical Solutions that was almost
as expensive as the base model Glock it was designed for.
Finally, after much anticipation, the model 44 hit the market
just as we moved into the year 2020 and Glock shooters rejoiced.
I should know, because honestly, I was one of them. After
spending a half hour shooting a sample of the new pistol on
the range during SHOT SHOW 2020, I immediately requested a
sample for T&E as soon as I could. During two years of range
training during the COVID pandemic and resulting fall out, I have
been able to work intimately with the G44 on the range teaching
classes and honing my own skills. As time progressed, I wrote
for several industry publications about my first thoughts and
developing opinions on the G44 as the round count on the gun
grew higher. After thousands of rounds and hundreds of students
taught, shooters and instructors alike weigh in for the final report!
BEYOND PLINKING
As we entered the COVID shutdown, the United States crossed
into a period of widespread ammunition shortages. The leading
cause was due to the growth of over 10 million new gun owners
over the span of 2020 and 2021. Major ammo manufacturers
report in at anywhere for 12 – 14 months in backlogged orders.
Unlike the common defensive calibers such as 9mm, .45, 5.56,
it has been easier to find bulk quantities of .22 LR at affordable
prices when in stock. Regardless of what brings shooters to the
range, they all have a common need for affordable ammo and
trigger time to have fun growing their skillsets.
The hot “buzz” term for all these new and traditional gun
owners over the past two years has been the same, Self Defense!
Between media fearmongering, increased national violence
and the rapid growth of powerhouse organizations such as
the United Concealed Carry Association, people have flocked to
firearms training. Professional firearms instructors have seen vast
increases in Concealed Carry, Basic, Advanced firearms, Situational
Awareness and First Aid courses. As an NRA and USCCA Training
Counselor, I have not only taught hundreds of students during
this span and before, but also been honored to help certify new
firearms instructors as well. I have seen how our Swanson Training
Group (STG) methodology, techniques, and proper mindset has
trickled down to the students of our candidate instructors and
continued forward.
The challenges of teaching students how to properly shoot lie
in helping them learn proper stance, breathing, grip, sight picture
/ sight alignment, trigger control and follow through / recoil
mitigation. Over my twenty years of helping law enforcement
and civilian shooters become more efficient with firearms, I

have noticed where the most learning occurs. In the classroom,
the stance and grip can quickly be attained and practiced using
training aids as simple as blue guns or ASP red guns, both which
are simply gun shaped blocks of solid plastic. To get true feedback
from sight picture / sight alignment and trigger control, SIRT
guns from www.NextLevelTraining.com or high end 6mm guns
driven by green gas have proven to be faster to decrease learning
curves. These greatly assist in getting students better focused on
the fundamentals. However, when it comes to breathing, recoil
mitigation and follow through, nothing can take the place of live
fire. This is where the Glock model G44 comes in handy.
FIRST LOOK
When I originally received the pistol from Glock I was sad to see
the model 44 only shipped with two 10 round magazines, unlike
most other Glocks that come with three magazines. Since then, I
have managed to acquire 4 other factory magazines from various
resources. Like its larger counterparts, the G44 included standard
Gen 4 style backstrap additions for those with larger hands.
The overall size of the frame and slide were that of a standard
model 19 chambered in 9mm. With the Glock model G19 being
the most popular model among civilian sales and second behind
the full sized G17, Glock clearly marketed the G44 to the largest
possible audience.
While the dimensions are almost exact, the G44 comes in
about 9 ounces lighter than its G19 counterpart. This is mainly
due to the G44’s hybrid slide that incorporates a steel core breach
block and rails wrapped in a lightweight polymer cover. This
keeps the slide light enough for the force of the .22 LR to reliably
cycle the slide. Combined with a fluted chamber that allows for
gas flow around the cartridge during firing to clear debris away,
the action helps fight fast build up commonly associated with the
tight tolerances of the .22 platform.
The G44 ships with the standard white dot front sight and
white outlined “U” shaped and can be upgraded with any sights
that will fit models such as the 19, 17, 34 or their corresponding
models. This allows shooters to closer replicate their favorite
larger firearm they may carry to training, duty or everyday carry
(EDC). The standard 5.5 lb trigger felt like every “out of the box”
Glock I have ever shot. The flush fit ten round magazine loaded
easily and dropped free cleanly. After several sessions in my
office dry practicing magazine changes and trigger presses, I was
looking forward to getting some rounds down range as soon as
possible.
G44 SPECS
Caliber
Overall Length
Slide Length
Width (Overall)
Slide Width
Height w/ Mag.
Overall Sight Distance
Trigger Travel Distance
Magazine Capacity
.22 LR
7.28 inch
6.85 inch
1.26 inch
1.00 inch
5.04 inch
6.02 inch
2.76 inch
10 rounds
FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
ON THE RANGE
During one of my many range trips, I was joined by fellow
instructor, Jim Wenzel and well-known holster maker, John
Phillips aka the “King of Kydex” from Survivor Creek to offer
their perspectives on the G44 as well. Our team met early one
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32
FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
morning at the Baldwin Pistol School owned by good friend, Tom
Martin. Over the next two hours, shooters ran various strings of
fire and made their notes. The ultimate compliment to come from
this initial session was simply, “It shoots like a Glock”. The pistol
ran flawlessly and felt very natural to a group of guys who have
spent the bulk of their shooting careers pulling Glock triggers.
Part of our session included running the G44 with the
Swarm .22 caliber suppressor from Elevated Silence (www.
ElevatedSilence.com ). A good day got even better when we
switched to running suppressed. There was barely any noticeable
point of aim, point of impact shift even at the 20 yard mark.
All hits staying within the paper target’s 9 right or any of the
4” steel used during the day. The diminutive suppressor “hands
down” out performed three other .22 caliber suppressors I had
in our inventory. Using the shorted configuration of the Swarm
performed flawlessly, delivering the same impressive accuracy
with the threaded barrel as the standard nonthreaded Glock
barrel showed unsuppressed. Both Suppressor and Mini Mag
ammunition from CCI were used with only a difference of a ¼”
in accuracy difference in the two. The suppressed ammunition
grouped slightly lower than the full power variant. This range
session made me really excited to introduce this pistol to my
students at the range.
Rather than just having new shooters jump from running SIRT
or 6mm guns in the classroom to live fire with their 9mm or
.45 caliber pistols on the range, my STG instructors and I divide
shooting into subcategories as well. Depending on the skill level
of our students, we will work them from the SIRT and 6mm to
a .22 caliber handgun in which all their basic fundamentals can
be practiced over and over under the watchful eye of a qualified
instructor. This offers our students all the major fundamentals
while keeping cost and recoil low. In the past, I often used a
Ruger MKIII and MKIV 22/45 pistol for initial live fire.

As many readers know, the Ruger Mark series of pistols are
an ultra-reliable and accurate .22 option for new and seasoned
shooters alike. With most of our students running Glock 9mm
variants, the Glock 44 was quickly adapted and helped learning
curves between .22 and larger calibers greatly decrease. Even
more so than using the Ruger Mark pistols. Students moving from
the feel of the factory Glock trigger and standard factory Glock
sights of the G44 to the same of the G17 or G19 was a direct
transfer of comfort and proficiency. Try as others may, nothing
feels and performs like a Glock than another Glock.
During the range trip, the G44 was shot over 800 rounds.
Aside from the occasional shooter induced error and two noted
failures to go into battery issues due to an extremely dirty
chamber, the G44 had not regularly had any malfunctions. After
the shooting ceased for the day, fellow instructor, Tom Martin
spoke to me about an issue he had with his three G44 pistols. It
seems Tom had been given some bad ammo in which produced
above average chamber pressures. The results were ejectors
constantly breaking and needing replaced before the problem
was diagnosed. While this is a relatively simple fix, it still is not
something you wish to regularly deal with. Since having this
issue and disposing of the problematic ammunition, Tom has
reported zero issues afterwards.
pistol has to capability to make you a better thinker, shooter and
strategist if done correctly.
Retailing for $430, the average market price found in the local
gun shop is right round $399. I recommend this pistol as a great
training aid to many of the new NRA and USCCA Instructors I certify
to begin their teaching endeavors. The accuracy, constant trigger
pull, familiar size and weight make for a perfect combination
for an affordable pistol for training. With the rising cost of
ammunition and lack of availability, the Glock 44 offers one of
the best options on the market to continue live fire training and
to best educate others in the process.
Many will agree concept of a .22 caliber version of the
most popular handgun platform in the world was long overdue.
However, I applaud Glock for taking their time to get it right the
first time. The best way to really appreciate G44 is to shoot one
for yourself. Several ranges across the country offer them to rent
prior to purchase. I highly recommend giving it a try for yourself.
To find out more about this model and other Glock products, visit
www.us.glock.com.
FIREARMS: GLOCK 44
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I recommend the Glock model 44 for a myriad of
reasons. As a long time fan of the innovative Ruger Mark series
and the classic Browning Buckmark line of pistols, the one clear
advantage the Glock offers over the others is the one to one ratio
it shares with the Glock 19. (For those wondering, the G44 it will
not interchange slides with its larger caliber cousin.) From the
new shooter to the tactical officer or GSSF competition shooter
doing practice walk throughs with low budget live fire, this
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34
SAFETY: FIRST AID FIRST
FIRST AID FIRST DAN TONTO, EMT-P, USCCA CERTIFIED FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR
In life the most prepared of us will always have a better chance
at completing the mission versus those who are not prepared.
How many times have we seen someone sick or injured and
we see people standing around doing nothing? As a paramedic
for the last 31 years, and a USCCA Certified Firearms Instructor,
two roles that require a lot of mental and physical preparation,
nothing could be truer. In fact, at Delta Defense, the Service
Provider of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, the organization
where I work, we preach this every day because nothing is more
important than being prepared, whether it’s defending yourself
from an attack or treating someone who has been injured or
just falls ill. We are our own first responders. As they say, when
seconds count, emergency services (police, fire, EMS) are just
minutes away.
Providing first aid for someone who is sick or injured is not only
a noble cause, but it is something that all of us should have
some basic understanding of. First aid is just that; it’s providing
immediate care to the sick or injured whether further advanced
level care is needed or not. If further advanced level care is
needed the “first aid” that you provide can be the difference
between life or death.
So now the question or questions become: how can I provide first
aid to someone if I don’t have any medical training? What should
my emergency first aid kit also known as a Multiple First Aid Kit
(MFAK) look like or have in it? There is also something called an
IFAK, which is an Individual First Aid Kit which is essentially a
small MFAK and used to treat yourself or just one person. An IFAK
has much fewer contents and is designed to be added to your
gear and not as a standalone. The MFAK treats multiple people
and is designed to be carried by itself as its own entity. For the
purposes of this article, I’ll be discussing the MFAK (larger kit)
although having an IFAK (smaller kit) is a great idea, it just won’t
be sufficient to treat multiple people. I should also note that the
M in MFAK is sometimes used to refer to “mini”, “medical” and
“military.” My advice; don’t get caught up on the name, just
understand that a larger portable kit will treat multiple people
whereas a smaller kit will be limited to just one person.
First and foremost, providing first aid to someone does not require

special skills or years of training. It requires a bit of education and
the understanding of whatever you put in your MFAK; you know
how to use/operate it. You can start by taking a first aid or CPR
class through an approved body like the American Red Cross (First
Aid, CPR & AED), Stop The Bleed, the American Heart Association
(CPR) or the U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s Emergency First
Aid & Fundamentals Class. The classes offered would take up
less than 8-hours of your time. There are also many great first
aid videos online as well. The only caution here is to make sure
the presenter is a qualified individual for whatever he or she is
teaching. Watching a video of a layperson teaching a first aid
technique without any credentials is not advisable.
Emergencies that require first aid are broken down into two main
categories: Medical and Trauma.
Examples of medical emergencies would be: sudden cardiac
arrest, chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain,
nausea and vomiting, stroke, diabetic emergency to include
hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia (too little or too much blood
sugar), fainting/loss of consciousness (also known as syncope
pronounced siNGkəpē), shock (sudden loss of blood pressure),
etc. You may need to provide first aid for a heart attack victim
or someone having a stroke or other medical emergency. The
simple act of calling 911 and being there to comfort someone is
huge and should not be minimized.
Traumatic injuries result from an individual being physically
injured. Motor vehicle crashes, gunshot wounds (GSW),
stabbings, blunt force trauma, falls, drownings/near drownings
and environmental injuries are all examples of how someone
can suffer a traumatic injury which can result in: minor or
major bleeding, strains/sprains/broken bones, minor/severe
lacerations, concussion/head injury, burns, frostbite, heat related
injuries (heat stroke being the most severe and can lead to
unconsciousness or even death if not quickly treated), traumatic
pneumothorax (a condition where air leaks into the pleural cavity,
the space between the lungs and chest wall causing the lung or
lungs to collapse or partially collapse), tension pneumothorax;
similar to traumatic pneumothorax but air is unable to escape
the pleural cavity thereby squeezing the lungs and heart making
them unable to function), unconsciousness and cardiac arrest.
The severity of the medical or traumatic emergency will determine
if advanced level care is required beyond the first aid provided.
As an example, if someone suffers from a slide bite injury on the
hand while at the range, chances are some hydrogen peroxide
or soap and water and an adhesive bandage will do the trick and
no further medical attention is necessary. The most important
factor is being able to quickly identify if the medical or traumatic
emergency is life threatening or severe enough to require further
medical intervention. Your assessment skills will be the best tool
you have. Once you have assessed the situation, what you do
next will be the next most important thing.
SAFETY: FIRST AID FIRST
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36
SAFETY: FIRST AID FIRST
For example, if someone has a severe arterial injury to an
extremity where blood is literally spurting into the air; the
patient needs a tourniquet applied immediately depending of
course where the injury is. If the severed artery is too high up on
the extremity or it’s coming from the head or neck; you’ll have
to use something else like an Israeli Bandage (a.k.a. Emergency
or Combat Bandage) or a bulky dressing with the application of
direct pressure to stop the bleeding. The main goal is to stop the
bleeding before the patient bleeds to death. The good news is,
that anyone can apply direct pressure to a wound that is severely
bleeding. That simple act alone can save someone’s life.
Let’s talk about what supplies you need in your MFAK. This is
going to be based on your level of training, but as you will
see, your MFAK needs to be portable and have basic supplies.
Remember, these kits are designed to render first aid, not
advanced life support. I am a paramedic trained to perform many
advanced life support techniques, yet my MFAK is very basic with
very few exceptions. What helps me over the layperson are my
assessment skills, but that should not deter you from providing
competent first aid to someone in need. Like anything else in life,
the more training you have in something, the more of an expert
you will be. In providing first aid in a severe emergency, the goal
is to get the patient to the next level of care; most likely EMS
whose job it is to get the patient to a medical facility.
SO WHAT’S IN MY MFAK?
Tourniquets (SWAT-T – Stretch, Wrap & Tuck tourniquet and CAT
– Combat Application Tourniquet), Israeli Bandage (Emergency
Bandage, Combat Bandage-2 or more), bulky dressings, gauze,
adhesive bandages, steri-strips, HyFin vented chest seal,
emergency blankets, CPR mask, tape, gloves, trauma shears,
aspirin (for heart attack), glucose gel (for hypoglycemia), liquid
bandage, QuikClot, SAM (structural aluminum malleable) splint
for long bone fractures, chest decompression needles, work
gloves, a tactical pen (one with a tungsten tip to break glass,)
LED pen light, Pulse Oximeter (a device that shows someone’s
oxygen saturation in the blood), knife, seatbelt cutter.
You may consider other items or more of certain items based on
the mission.
As you can see, with the exception of chest decompression
needles which are generally used by paramedics and physicians,
my MFAK is very basic, BUT you need to be proficient with the
supplies you carry. For example, the application of a tourniquet or
Israeli Bandage requires practice because when either is needed,
time is NOT on your side.
Ultimately, being prepared should always include having access
to an IFAK/MFAK with the knowledge of how to use the supplies
contained within and the knowledge of providing basic first aid
to ourselves or our fellow citizens in need. We never intend to
be sick or injured or come across someone who is sick or injured,
but if you do, wouldn’t you like to know what to do? You may just
save someone’s life. For more information on first aid and saving
lives check out the organizations below.
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com
https://www.heart.org
https://www.redcross.org
https://www.stopthebleed.org
Dan Tonto went to the Connecticut State Fire School during college;
volunteered as a fire fighter/paramedic in his community and
was a Lead Paramedic Supervisor for a hospital-based EMS system
which provided EMS to the City of Danbury, CT and surrounding
areas. Currently, Dan is an Account Executive for Delta Defense, a
USCCA Certified Firearms Instructor and has been a Paramedic and
CCL holder for over 30 years.

FIREARM SAFETY
AND DEMENTIA
BY JAMIE HEADLEY
Alarge segment of the American population
is moving into the clinical age range where
dementia is a legitimate concern. The fact that
we are living longer, increases the odds of a
person having some form of cognitive impairment
prior to death. With gun sales continuing to hit
record levels for the last two years, the number
of persons with dementia (PWD) who possess
firearms is likely to continue to increase.
There are many safety concerns when caring for a PWD but most
dangers are a risk primarily to the PWD not caregivers or others.
Firearms obviously increase the scope of risk and put those in the
vicinity of the PWD in potential danger. In May of 2015 a former
law enforcement officer accidentally shot his wife of 57 years. As
the ambulance raced to save her, he was unaware he had caused
her any harm.
As a dementia consultant I have delt with this issue more than
once. The law enforcement officer noted above was not a client
and thankfully I have never had a client in a situation where a
firearm had been discharged. Recently, I met with my friend and
client Deb to assist her in planning for her father’s care as he had
just been diagnosed with dementia. Her father, Bob, had been
becoming more and more forgetful and confused over the past
several months and had even gotten lost driving a very familiar
route to the grocery store. Bob lived alone and, understandably,
wanted to stay in his home if possible. He was struggling with the
diagnosis and how it would change his life. We talked through
care options as we walked Bob’s house so I could assess for fall
risks and other safety hazards. When we got to Bob’s home office
I saw the mounted deer head, the gun safe and Bob’s framed
military memorabilia and awards. Deb anticipated my question
and said “Yeah, Dad still has his guns, and it makes me nervous
after seeing how confused he was the day he got lost. I am also
concerned about caregivers coming into the house with all his
guns here. But he is not going to give them up willingly. That is
one of the issues I need you to help me with.”
Having met Bob, I knew this was going to be a tough obstacle.
Bob was a decorated veteran, avid hunter, and staunch supporter
of the 2nd Amendment. He was a competitive shooter as well
as a range safety officer (RSO) at his gun club, albeit a decade
ago. Shooting and guns were a big part of Bob’s lifestyle and his
identity.
I have been through this with many clients, trying to find a
way to help them through the dementia journey safely while
still allowing them to maintain as much of their independence,
identity, and dignity as possible. It is always tough, but some
journeys are tougher than others and I knew this would be a
one of those. No one wants to give up their independence and
rely on the care of others even if they are aware that is the only
logical solution. This is why suicide is always a concern in these
situations. To complicate the issue, dementia can rob a person of
insight and awareness of their impairment which will make logic
and reasoning an ineffective tool in convincing a PWD that they
need to make changes and accept help.
Mayo Clinic describes dementia as a term used to describe
a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social
abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life. The
term dementia does not refer to a specific disease but to the
symptoms listed above. Several diseases and medical issues
can cause dementia. Many people associate dementia with
Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of
progressive and irreversible dementia in older adults, but there
are several other causes of dementia. Here are some examples
of causes of reversible and irreversible dementias:
Depression
Adverse effects of medications
Endocrine issues
Normal pressure hydrocephalus – or fluid on the brain
Alzheimer’s disease (irreversible)
Huntington’s disease (irreversible)
Lewy Body (with or without Parkinson’s - irreversible)
Although dementia involves memory loss, presenting with
memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia, although
FIREARM SAFETY AND DEMENTIA
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38
TRAINING OR PRACTICE?
it’s often one of the early signs of the condition.
Depending on the cause, as we noted above, some dementia
symptoms might be reversible. Symptoms vary but common
symptoms include:
Cognitive changes
Amnesia - Memory loss
Anomia - Difficulty communicating or finding words
Aphasia – Difficulty articulating thoughts into language or
understanding language
Agnosia – Inability to recognize common items or understand
how to use them
Apraxia - Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
Anosognosia – Inability to recognize symptoms or deficits
Difficulty with visual and spatial abilities, such as getting lost
while driving
Difficulty reasoning or problem-solving
Difficulty with planning and organizing
Confusion and disorientation
Psychological changes
Personality changes
Depression
Anxiety
Inappropriate behavior
Paranoia
Agitation
Hallucinations
Clearly these symptoms are not conducive to safely handling a
firearm. The presence of anosognosia can make the process of
implementing care and other safety measures very difficult. If a
person is unable to perceive their symptoms or illness, they will
likely be unwilling to take steps to eliminate the risks such as
driving, accepting care, having someone else manage finances
and giving up firearms.
I wish I could tell you there was an easy solution for this issue,
but there is not. Each case of cognitive impairment is somewhat
unique because each person is unique and there are a variety of
ways the impairment may present. Some people with dementia
can understand the risks the dementia poses and willingly give
up car keys or move into an assisted living environment, but
many of my clients do not understand the gravity of the situation
and fight any changes even though they are in their best interest.
Again, logic and reasoning do not always matter.
In the case of my client, Bob hated the idea of removing his guns
and having caregivers come in. It felt intrusive and like he was
being robbed of his independence. He was in his right mind to
feel that way. This was intrusive and it was removing some of his
independence. Dementia does that and it is horrible.
Luckily in this case, Bob was in the early stages of the disease
process and was able to understand the need for these changes.
He was willing to have his daughter store his guns for him, but
he felt vulnerable not having any firearms in the house. We
were able to convince him to try some alternative solutions. We
installed an alarm system that could be controlled remotely by
Deb and had a fob with a panic button setting that he could push
in case of emergency. Since Bob was still able to conduct his
basic activities of daily living or ADLs (bathing, feeding, mobility,
dressing, toileting) we were able to utilize family and friends
to assist with instrumental ADLs which require more complex
thinking or problem solving (managing finances, driving, home
maintenance, meal preparation, medication management). But
at some point, as his dementia progresses there will be a need
for increased care that will require professional outside services.
What should you do if you have a loved one who is displaying
signs of dementia? Each situation is a bit different, however here
are some things I can recommend:
If a loved one is experiencing the symptoms above, get them
assessed and diagnosed as soon as possible. As I noted above,
some symptoms are reversible, but if it is a progressive dementia
the sooner it is diagnosed the more able the person with the
disease will be able to participate in decisions regarding their
care. Diagnosis usually begins with a visit to the primary care
physician followed by a neurological examination and potentially
a neuro-psychological exam. This is done to rule out reversible
symptoms as well as gain an understanding of what areas of the
brain are impacted by the disease. In an irreversible dementia,
treatment is focused on symptom management and quality of
life since there are no curative options.
Educate yourself on dementia. The more you know the better
you can plan and advocate. Familiarize yourself with reality
orientation vs therapeutic fibbing. For example, if a loved one
is confused and asks about the whereabouts of another person
who has passed, orienting them back to reality by stating “Mom,
you know Dad is dead” is not always the best option. That cold
hard truth can often cause confusion, suspicion, a resurgence of
grief, fear, and anxiety. Although counter intuitive, a therapeutic
fib and a distraction to something pleasant, such as “I’m not sure
where Dad is, but let’s go have some ice cream while we wait
for him” can often re-direct their thinking to something in the
present and avoid the pain of reality orientation. This can be very
difficult because we are taught not to lie, but when a loved one
is cognitively impaired our primary responsibility is to keep them
safe and help them have a good day. Do or say whatever it takes
to give them a good day.
Understand that progressive dementias like Alzheimer’s cause
brain failure and are due to the physiological changes and
breakdown of the brain tissue. Your loved one cannot control
the dementia symptoms anymore that someone with a severe
brain injury can. They are not necessarily trying to be difficult, so
try to be patient.
Understand that dementia is often unpredictable, just because
Dad never wandered or was aggressive etc., does not mean that
those presentations can’t happen without warning in the future.
You need to be proactive and prepared for how the disease will
progress.

Ask for help. There are multiple organizations and advocates that
can help you. It is incredibly hard to be a full-time care giver and
a family member at the same time. Beware of organizations that
help you find care options and get paid by the care community
or agency for the referral. They are not working for you; they are
working for referral money.
Formulate a plan. You will need to understand medical, financial,
insurance and legal options and impacts.
Prepare to deal with change. Your loved one is going to change
and how you care for and support them may need to change as
well.
When it comes to dealing with firearms in the home, the
organization Hold My Guns® is a wonderful resource. In a recent
conversation, Sarah Joy Albrecht, Founder and Executive Director
of Hold My Guns® shared how the nonprofit works.
“Through partnering FFLs, Hold My Guns® provides a voluntary,
supportive off-site storage option for gun owners when there is
concern about unauthorized access to firearms by a household
member experiencing cognitive decline due to dementia. As a
for-gun-owners, by-gun-owners nonprofit, our team encourages
all gun owners to take a self-governance approach to protect their
household by keeping firearms secured to prevent unauthorized
access that can lead to tragedy. One of the reasons we daily
carry firearms is because we know that we can find ourselves in
unexpected situations where we need to address a threat with
deadly force. Yet, we must humbly recognize that unexpected
situations go beyond encountering a criminal at the grocery store.
Tomorrow may bring an unexpected brain injury due to a car
accident that could result in cognitive impairment. It is imperative
to have a personal safety plan in place that includes a plan for
the secure storage of firearms. Do not put off creating such a
plan because you only associate cognitive decline with aging --
it is something that can happen to anyone. Furthermore, Hold
My Guns® highly recommends consulting with an attorney and
creating a Gun Trust, which allows for joint ownership of firearms.
A Gun Trust is helpful because it facilitates the transfer of firearms
between members of the trust, and can make utilizing off-site
storage easier, without unintentionally violating state laws. Hold
My Guns® cannot underscore enough the necessity of the right
to pre-deprivation due process. Taking a proactive approach by
having a Gun Trust and a personal safety plan for firearms storage
are two ways that gun owners can sustain agency during times of
crisis or personal need. This helps to preserve rights not only for
individuals but for gun owners everywhere.”
Walk the Talk America (WTTA) is another organization that has
been doing great work to reduce any negative outcomes at the
intersection of firearms and mental health issues. Rob Pincus who
is a nationally known firearms trainer, author and consultant also
is a board member of WTTA and he has helped several people
that are dealing with impairment issues address the hard choices
that have to be made. In a recent discussion Rob stated, “One
thing that I know has helped some families is the technology
advancements that have been made regarding securing staged
defensive firearms. For situations when impairment isn’t
constant, it may be possible for someone to contact a family
member or trusted friend to open a Wi-Fi connected safe in
an emergency situation when the affected person is lucid and
convinces the responsible party that they are in a state where
access to a firearm would be appropriate. While there are obvious
pitfalls to that arrangement, in some cases, they will be less
concerning than the thought of the tragedies that could occur
with unsupervised access to firearms while in an impaired state.”
If you can’t remove the firearms initially, remove all ammunition
or disable the firearm. Keep them locked in a safe location not
easily accessed by the PWD or outside visitors. Insure any that
are valuable and do not publicize the presence of them in the
home.
Clearly the issue of removing firearms is a serious one in a
dementia situation and one that should be addressed early on.
As difficult as doing that may be, I can assure you it will be better
than the possible alternative of someone getting injured or killed
and the aftermath that will follow if that happens.
Jamie Headley is a USCCA certified firearms instructor with
Steel & Stilettos Firearm Training. She is also the founder and
President of Dementia Services Group, a dementia consulting
company that helps families navigate the dementia journey.
TRAINING OR PRACTICE?
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40
WHEN THE THREAT ISN’T BAD GUY
When the threat isn’t Bad Guy
Implementation of the armed lifestyle is one of accepting
personal responsibility. We care for and love our family and circle
deeply, so much that we take their safety as a duty that we will
perform. We do not shirk that responsibility onto the state, onto
law enforcement who cannot necessarily be right there right
when we need them, or onto anyone else.
We get the training, the skills, and earn the proficiency. We
spend the money on the gear we need to do this, which means
sometimes we don’t have that cash for tickets to The Game or
the evening out. We do this because our people are worth it to
us, and we understand that there are bad people in the world
who will put their desires and gain over the safety of our people.
We remain vigilant against it.
Defensive training is all about the protector against the Bad Guy.
Another person. Conflict between people. Good training takes
Bad Guy’s intent, resources, and behaviors into account, and
assesses and expands the same capabilities of the protector. Bad
Guy may move quick and rush us. We train to get off the X, move
behind cover, and increase Bad Guy’s time and distance to get to
us. Bad Guy might have a knife, bat, gun, or more. We train for
threat prioritization and engagement. Bad Guy might be three
individuals. We train multiple threats and transitions.
A day of this great training at the range or the dojo is one skill
building and camaraderie among a growing group of like-minded
people, but we never forget that it is purpose-driven serious
training for protecting your circle.
If we truly care about our circle, and our protective instincts run
deeply for them, we must consider much more than Bad Guy as
the only threat we face. What if the threat is not an interpersonal
one? What if the threat is a tornado, a flood, an economic
downturn, or a pandemic? When bad things are about to happen
and our family looks at us for the answers, what will we have for
them? Or are we only a guy with a gun?
This is where our personal responsibility shines; the demonstration
to our loved ones that we are looking out for them, their wellbeing,
and our futures. Whether as simple as having charged
flashlights in a nighttime power outage, or as complicated as

obtaining resources that will
harm,
in protecting from harm, and
assist
u s t always be taken into
m
account.
H E L T E R
S
which insulates you from
That
environment or helps
the
the environment to be
condition
trapping equipment, preservation
and
knowledge.
u s t be at the forefront during
m
survival related actions
all
E S C U E &
R
E C O V E R Y
R
situation as well as recover from
the
situation.
the
T h e e l e m e n t s o f
S u r v i v a l
P O S I T I V E M E N T A L A T T I T U D E
P R O T E C T I O N
Awareness of factors that might cause
actually defending against harm.
I M M E D I A C Y O F N E E D
F I R S T A I D
hospitable.
more
sleeping bag, clothing, fire
Tent,
S U S T A N A N C E
the knowledge, skills, and
Food,
necessary to locate it and
equipment
it suitable for use.
make
skills, foraging skills,hunting
Hunting
knowledge, skills, and gear
The
to mitigate injury.
necessary
H Y D R A T I O N
Water, the knowledge, skills,and
equipment necessary to locate it
make it suitable for use.
and
filtration knowledge
Containers,
and gear.
knowledge, skills, equipment,
The
other resources to remove from
and
Tools, repair materials,insurance,
out gear, improvisation knowhow,
bug
fuels, supplies.
WHEN THE THREAT ISN’T BAD GUY
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

42
WHEN THE THREAT ISN’T BAD GUY
having multiple revenue streams inverse to trends in a financial
downturn (i.e., having a side hustle that is resilient to, or does
better, in an economic downturn, such as an auto mechanic), our
ability to handle crisis has been considered and planned.
WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?
Our goal in this endeavor is to make an emergency preparedness
plan that will cover as many of the threat scenarios as we face,
and to address these threats within the time, effort, and money
constraints we have for it. To do that, we’re going to limit the
scope of our initial preparedness efforts to one objective. Survival.
This is the ‘true’ survival… the same one that all the reality
survival and bushcraft shows and channels use, in fact, and with
the appropriate hierarchy. It seems relatively simple, but there
are significant considerations once every threat is factored in.
When considering threat scenarios (actual events, such as a flood
or a forest fire), our preparedness should be informed by the
survival hierarchy so that we know what to address. These are
our priorities. If a desired preparedness objective does not fit one
of these priorities, we should really be considering why it’s being
included.
The first, second, and third preparedness priorities are positive
mental attitude, protection, and first aid. Generally, whatever
other preparedness priority we were attempting to accomplish
will be interrupted to deal with threats to our safety (protection)
and treatment of injury (first aid). Yes, there are exceptions.
Immediacy of need is the driving force for prioritization. After
that, shelter, hydration, nutrition, and rescue/mitigation are
considered. But always be thinking of these in parallel.
WHERE TO BEGIN?
The typical protection enthusiast will spend hours selecting the
right pistol, then a few holsters for various carry modes, then
maybe another pistol that’s smaller for more discreet carry, then
sights, magazines, mods, and hopefully training. Selecting the
perfect knife is just as fun. The important part here is not the gun,
knife, and stuff; it’s the “spends hours”. That’s where we begin.
Realistic preparedness planning has two assumptions:
1.) You do not have infinite time.
2.) You do not have infinite money.
With these assumptions in mind, determining what is desired
from the preparedness efforts is next. Is this just getting a bunch
of cool-guy stuff? Taking some cool-guy classes to brag on the
‘Gram? If so, this column might not be for you. If instead it’s to
develop effective preparedness planning that maximizes the
safety and survival of your circle, read on.
Since we do not have infinite money, maximizing the value of
each dollar is important. Don’t bankrupt the family buying $10k
in MRE’s when you have no real strategy or even an idea of what
threat you face. The preparedness industry is often called “The
Industry of Fear” because of irresponsible marketing techniques
preying on the uninformed. Yes, someone has made a gadget
that will play right into your fear, but when you develop a
preparedness strategy there will be no need for it in your
equipment list.
Your initial outlay should be about $2. A pen, and some paper.
(And yes, using a computer is fine.) “But but but… I want a Bug
Out Bag!”, I hear you exclaim. Yes, I do too. But why buy a bag
when we have no idea what will be going into it, what it needs
to endure, or anything else? Let’s not fund the Industry of Fear,
let’s have a plan and a purpose. There will be plenty of stuff to
do, and plenty of things to buy, and some of it will be Cool Guy
stuff. But since we don’t have infinite money, let’s put it where it
needs to go first.
We simply must eschew any mindset of “I’m a git er done kinda
guy, screw your dumb planning”, or “won’t need documentation
in the apocalypse”. There are a lot of people that think planning
and organization is useless and characterize thoughtfulness of
approach as unmanly or weak. The reality is that this is mission
planning with time, resource, and objective considerations, and
your family is depending on you to do it well. The attitude of
false bravado where people think end-of-world prepping is all
this endeavor is about is a part of prepper myth that we are
going to avoid.
FIRST STEPS
The assignment for this month is to take that $2 pen and
paper (honestly, a laptop is better!), and write down every
threat scenario you face, or are concerned about. These are the
environmental, socioeconomic, interpersonal, infrastructure,
and other actual real-world situations you and family may face.
There are quite a few examples in the word cloud, but don’t just
use that as a list. If you live in the desert, a forest fire is not
something you might need to deal with. You might also have
many that aren’t on the list.
It’s OK if you miss some threats. The plan we are going to make
is very easily adjustable as new threats are identified, as well as
when new resources are obtained, skills are learned, and tasks
are accomplished.
Ultimately, this list is for YOUR plans for YOUR family in YOUR
situation. Pre-made plans might be a decent start, but when your
family is looking to you to make things right, you’ll be glad you
had your solution and not one made up by someone else.
Donald Alley is a firearms, personal protection, and
emergency preparedness instructor in Michigan with Keep
and Bear, LLC . He is a black belt in jujutsu, and an NRA and
USCCA instructor.

44
6MM TRAINING
Living The Gas Life
The Inside Track
By Bill Thomas
WITH “6MM TRAINING” FINALLY ATTAINING NOT ONLY AN ACCEPTABLE, BUT INDEED A WELCOME VOICE IN THE
FIREARMS WORLD PERHAPS IT’S TIME FOR US TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE EXCELLENT
PLATFORM OPTIONS OUT THERE, AND IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO DISCOVER THAT SOME PROVIDERS ARE ALREADY
WELL ADVANCED IN WORKING WITH BOTH POLICE AND MILITARY UNITS TO PROVIDE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE TRAINING
TOOLS, TOOLS THAT ARE READILY AVAILABLE TO ALL! BILL TELLS US THE STORY…
I’ve been shooting now for nigh on fifty years, some thanks to
the military when I was a young cadet, but most of it privately.
Given the opportunity I would shoot anything from a potatogun
up to a howitzer… if it goes “pop or bang” then it’s fair
game as far as I’m concerned, and with every platform I try,
a learn just a little more. For the last 28 years I’ve also been
involved with what has more recently become known as “6mm
Training”, and I’m not for one moment going to try and pull the
wool over anyone’s eyes that when we talk about “6mm Training
Platforms” we are talking about airsoft “replicas”; yes, the very
self-same “replicas” that you’ll find on old paintball fields and
some actually very advanced dedicated skirmish sites worldwide
in the hands of enthusiast players quite literally “having a blast”
each and every weekend!
However, how many times have you heard now-famous
shooting luminaries start their story with “it all began with my
little Red Ryder…” so let’s not be TOO harsh on these BB-spitting
creations, as unlike that beloved Daisy model some of them
actually replicate real-world firearms down to exact weight, size,
and every other specification you can imagine, and many of them
are of extremely high quality, offering performance that once
again might make you sit back and think… hard! The electricpowered
models that you’ll see mostly on the airsoft gaming
sites that originated many years ago in Japan though are not
what I’m talking about here, although they are GREAT fun; what
I’m talking about are gas blowback pistols and rifles (GBBPs and
GBBRs) which mimic entirely the operation of a real firearm.
When I was at SHOT with Trampas back in 2019 I spent some
time showing him what I believe are amongst the most versatile
non-lethal firearm training tools ever, and it’s been great to see
other shooting buddies adopting a new direction as they now
also believe that “6mm” can assist them in filling their evergrowing,
never-to-be-full training toolboxes! I spent some time
with Trampas showing him both gas-powered pistols and “AR”
models, and he found it incredible that just like the “real deal”
he could pretty much create the platform he wanted, using the
same style of accessory parts that he would mount on a real
.223 carbine. He asked me about stocks, rails, optics, different
barrel lengths, and accessories and all I could tell him was “yup,
no problem, you can build that” and it was a joy to see a new
appreciation dawn for him.

And the creation of what many may still see as “toys” is
just as large a business in the big, wide shooting world as any,
and some of the big “firearm names” like SIG are really pushing
this forward, with many more handing out licences to approved
partners. But okay, I’m going to come out and say it bluntly
again… who in their right mind would head to a range training
session with a gas BB pistol, rifle or carbine??? Surely you’re
going to be laughed at by “serious shooters”, right?
I’d say an unequivocal WRONG! Indeed, as far as I’m concerned
there are some instances where the not-so-humble-any-longer
GBB can positively thrive in the training role; for sure, they’re not
going to help you any with muzzle-signature acceptance or recoil
management, but they CAN help with safe handling, efficient
sighting and workspace manipulation processes, and a whole
host of other “skills and drills”. It does take an utter change in
mind-set to reach this point of acceptance, but there are those of
us that have been crying “overall benefit” for a LONG time!
Once upon a time I may have agreed with them, as the old
systems that were first available certainly had their “moments”!
Once upon a time “gas guns” and spring-powered toys were IT
though, and if you’ve been involved as long as I have you will
remember the name “Nagata” and models of the 80’s and early
90’s form the likes of JAC, Maurzen, Asahi, MGC, Kokusai, Escort
and Sun Project! These were the days of the intricate “bullet
valve” (and even bellows!) and they were totally different from
what we would now class as a “gas gun”. Many required and
external bottle and hose setup to drive them along, and that
put a lot of people off, including me, until in the 1990s along
came “airsoft gods” Tokyo Marui with their commercial electric
gearbox, and the rest, as they say, is history.
6MM TRAINING
CHECK THAT ATTITUDE
Most times when I speak to shooters, and not necessarily new
shooters at that, about training with a “6mm platform” I’ll
undoubtedly be met with a collective shaking of heads, and I’m
certain that many must think “the old boy has finally lost it”, but
it’s an agenda I come back to time and again. Many shooters
that I speak to who have been into maximising their options for
safe training for a while get a bit jaded, and I all too often hear
the words “I want more options, more scope to train safely and
effectively, and not necessarily on a range”, but still they refuse
to look at a platform that is easy to maintain and now cheap to
run as the way forward, citing all the old tropes that gas-powered
“BB guns” are “just for the kids”, are expensive, that they’re hard
to get any real performance from, and that they don’t perform
when the temperatures plummet.
However, at the very same time that TM were dominating the
electric game-gun market, and rightly so, at the same time we
saw the rise of the GBB pistol, and as we came into the 2000’s
“GBBs” were readily available and generally reliable; yes, mags
were a pain, and if you didn’t look after them they would vent in
a huge cloud of gas the moment you looked at them, and they
would definitely do it the moment you REALLY needed your pistol
www.thearmedlifestyle.com

6MM TRAINING
46

to perform! And alongside this was the fact that the gas used to
power the pistols was not what we are used to today; you bought
your “can o’ gas” but honestly had no idea what was in it, and to
be frank, most of the gas manufacturers didn’t have a clue either!
However, time moves on, and with it we have become more
questioning of EXACTLY what goes into the “mix” when we buy a
can of gas, and we understand more why certain components are
more important than others when it comes to optimal efficiency
of a gas platform, and this moves me neatly onto debunking
MYTH #1, that gas platforms are inefficient and hard to get the
best from! Fact is that airsoft gases have become better and more
consistent over the years as the best producers have looked into
what needs to be added to the base gas, how pressure affects
the gas/mix in the bottle, and even the shape of the bottle itself!
GBBRs are also arriving from source at a safe power level direct
from the manufacturers so we’re not having to immediately fettle
them to get them within country-legal limits any more, although
I will be the first to say that when many gasses are heated you
will get an upswing in power, but this can be mitigated against
and managed.
GBBR hops (the way you put spin on the BB to attain
accuracy) too were once the very bane of my existence, and like
many others I fabricated weird and wonderful tools of my own
in order to adjust the hop of my earliest gas platforms; if you
look back at some gas rifle designs it was almost impossible to
adjust the hop without first cranking the upper and in some cases
removing the BCG (yes, they have BCGs!), which was of course
massively frustrating when you were trying to get the best and
most consistent trajectory for your BBs! Again, this is starting to
be meaningfully addressed by the likes of VegaForceCompany
in Taiwan with their “Guide Hop”, and I would simply point you
towards one of the great airsoft company’s (in my opinion) G&G
with their muzzle hop adjustment when it comes to ease of fine
tuning; I’m really interested to see what G&G come up with when
their gas MGCR carbine platform finally becomes a reality!
So, onto MYTH #2 “ammo capacity”; the fact is that most
GBBRs run on real capacity magazines or “realcaps” of 30 BBs,
although a handful of manufacturers have upped that; remember
that for the gaming side the magazines will carry hundreds of
BBs and many electric guns (not the newer ones for sure) will
continue to cycle once the magazine is empty. Many of us as
civilians run semi-only rifles and carbines, so therefore if you are
training on a semi-only platform with a “real capacity magazine”
this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage! A GBB pistol or
carbine will lock the slide or the BCG to the rear when the last BB
is fired, just like your regular 9mm or .223 will, and the reloading
drills are exactly, 100% the same.
Now I’m not for a moment suggesting that any of us are
anywhere close to “Operator Level” as that’s patently ridiculous,
but WE CAN train with our chosen platform to perform our drills
and to take aimed shots effectively, and I’ve found that with a
number of my gas rifles I am able to actually use an optic to get
on target too! To paraphrase here, you REALLY need to look at
running a GBBR not as an airsofter, but as a shooter, although
in many instances these things are, in my mind, one and the
same when you reach a certain point. For many of us this is what
shooting is all about, right, working as safely and efficiently as
possible with a firearm, and who doesn’t love that moment in
a training session when ammo runs low and you need to pull
off something amazing, and you can because you’ve trained
correctly?
TREAT IT RIGHT!
So, consistent platform performance can be assured these days,
and lower mag capacities are right for us when it comes to training,
but there’s still that question, MYTH #3, about maintenance isn’t
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there? Bottom line, in my opinion a GBBR is actually just as easy
to maintain as a real firearm! A GBBR, specifically an open, fulltravel
bolt model, is basically as close as you can get to a real
firearm in terms of operation. There’s a big old bolt carrier group
that moves back and forth in the upper receiver, whilst the lower
houses a trigger group, fire controls and a magwell… and that’s
all she wrote (okay simplification, but you get my drift…)! When
it comes to the cleaning I learned a LOT from my old USMC buddy
Robbie (who is also a “6mm Believer”), and his “top tips” are;
“After break-in period or parts have been properly tunedpolished,
clean your rifle! Degrease all parts (dash of dawn dish
soap in hot water, clean cloth wipe away all grease and dirt,
then remove any residue with rubbing alcohol (90%), especially
barrels and any hop buckings after every use. Touch up, then
remove excess; treat all seals with a cotton swab dipped in pure
silicone and Teflon (Dupont is my fave) but don’t allow this on
buckings (always degrease buckings!) or use it in barrels as it will
affect consistency and accuracy big big!”.
So, in a nutshell what do you need to be doing in terms of
maintaining a GBBR, and ultimately it’s pretty much the same as
working with a real firearm, you need to keep your barrel clean,
and the working parts lubricated. You need to clean the platform
after each use (not strictly necessary but it’s a good routine to get
into!), and keep the outer parts lightly oiled, especially with steel
models! You need to keep on top of your magazine maintenance
and make sure that seals, valves and o-rings are all in good
shape, and make sure that you don’t overgas your mags in the
first place.
Overgassing, just like with a GBB pistol, can be the downfall
of many a user! All too often I see people just holding the gas can
down onto the fill valve and giving it a LONG old punch of gas,
but remember now what I said about different “gas mixes”? A
constant stream of gas can not only chill things down and cause
the mag to vent, but can now also result in not getting the best
“balanced mix” inside, so take your time and feed the gas in
using smaller squirts with a “settling gap” between squirts! Also,
whilst heating a magazine may seem like an obvious move to
get more performance, the very dynamics of gas mean that if
you re-gas a warm mag you may not get a complete fill, so be
wary of that too!
So, with all that said, what’s to stop you “Living the Gas Life”
as part of an Armed Lifestyle? I’d say very little other than an
open mind. In terms of safety, with a GBBR nothing happens
until you load a magazine and charge the platform, and indeed
nothing CAN happen once your magazine is out, so even if there
is a recalcitrant BB in the “chamber” there’s no way it can leave
the barrel until you insert the mag again. Gas magazines though
are really still the prohibiting cost factor these days when it
comes to owning and running a gas pistol, rifle, or carbine, as
the price of the actual platform appears to be coming down and
down! Sure, you’ll still pay a pretty penny for as platforms from
the likes of WE, VFC, GHK, TM and Umarex but largely these days
you get what you pay for, and that’s a gas platform that is ready
to roll from the box!
Ultimately “Living the Gas Life” is all about how you approach
your training, and there most definitely will need to be a definite
“attitude adjustment” if you want to live it fully. If you’re prepared
to take that step and join those of us that love a gas platform and
train hard with one as part of a fully-rounded “firearm workout”
that uses EVERY tool in that box, trust me, you’ll have an absolute
blast when you do!

TRAINING vs PRACTICE? WITH ROB PINCUS
I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS TRAINING COLUMN IN ARMED LIFESTYLE
Magazine. It’s been many years since I’ve regularly written for
any publication, but it is fair to say that my first opportunity
to influence a large audience was in print. Over twenty years
ago, I was given an opportunity to write a column in S.W.A.T.
Magazine. I had written many articles prior to that moment,
but this was different. In a column, I could write about whatever
I wanted. It wasn’t a commissioned article about a specific
product, course or technique. It was a blank page to fill as I saw
fit. I wrote about how important it was for armed professionals to
understand the difference between qualifying, which they were
required to do annually and truly training to learn new techniques
and expand their capabilities. I thought it was an important
article. Even with all the content I’ve produced since then, I’m
proud of it, especially because for years to follow people would
tell me that it influenced them and changed their perspective a
bit. Twenty years ago, I was thrilled to motivate people to train
more than they were required to.
The training community has changed dramatically since the
1990s. It is much larger, much more diverse and the average
American gun owner spends dramatically more time and money
on training (believe it or now…). So in this first article for my
column in Armed Lifestyle, I want to affect the way you think
about the difference between training and practice.
Training: Learning new concepts or skills.
Practice: Developing your ability to perform and apply what
you’ve learned.
I find far too many people think that attending a class or
two is enough to be prepared to defend themselves or others
with a firearm. Unfortunately, the way some classes are
presented encourages this. If there is a “final exam” taken or
big “qualification course” shot at the end of the course, it can
mistakenly convey to the student that if they pass the test,
they are finished. That they have accomplished their underlying
goal. This is a mistake. There is always work to be done after
any worthwhile class, and that work is “practice”. Everyone who
has taken a live fire defensive shooting skills course with me
has heard me say “there is no way you will be able to own the
physical skills at the end of the day, you will need to practice.”
Tens of thousands of students have gone through I.C.E.
Training’s Figure 8 Drill. Many of them have asked their instructor
if they could do it again. They often feel strongly that they could
do better if they had another chance. Wanting to pass a test
at the end of a course is a result of conditioning to expect that
such a test is part of the process. In reality, the Figure 8 drill is
run in a way that is intended to show you what you need to
practice after the training course is over. There is no “passing”
in the traditional sense, unless the instructor does a poor job
of running it. The whole point is to push the student to failure
and give them some clear areas to focus their practice on. If you
are thinking “Kobayashi Maru”, it’s not quite that dramatic, but
learning the important lessons from the Figure 8 Drill does take
some character… and putting in the work after a class does as
well. Attending a class can be fun and challenging in an exciting
way. Completing a course is an accomplishment, usually with
a group, that you can document, talk about and be proud of.
Practice is the work. Practice is often done alone. Practice doesn’t
seem as worth celebrating… but it is. Practice is where you really
get better. Practice is where you reach your potential. After time,
Practice is where you maintain your abilities.
In truth, you should be practicing much more often than
you are training. Once you’ve taken a quality class or two and
learned valuable fundamental concepts and techniques, the
practice begins. You should practice frequently after taking a
class to ingrain the techniques that were new to you. You should
practice in a way that prepares you to apply your skills in an
actual defensive event. Practice, as the saying goes, until you
don’t make mistakes… and then increase the challenge as you
can to develop your skills to a higher level.
I’ve been looking forward to this project and the opportunity
to share more thoughts on preparation for armed defense
through this column. I hope you learn some things here and
begin to consider reading these pieces as a valuable part of your
training regimen… and that it gives you many things to practice!
TRAINING vs PRACTICE
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