No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.14.23/243 - Release Date: 1/27/2006 23 Jan 06 The 2006 ASLET Conference in Albuquerque, NM is now over. ASLET has bounced back in spades from its recent internal difficulties. The Conference was well run, extremely well organized, and big! Too many classes and products to mention each, but here are additional highlights: Jim Bliehall of ITS (Intelligent Target Systems) gave Mas Ayoob, Dennis Tueller, and me a personal introduction to his automated targeting system currently installed at the Albuquerque PD outdoor range. It consists of two, tandem, cable-driven, lateral movers, all inserted into a storefront mockup. They are controlled by a deceptively simple console. Animated VCA's, mixed in with animated non-targets, are the result. Mas, Dennis, and I all shot on it, and we discovered that the system integrates a number of critical skills into a dynamic shooting exercise. Relatively inexpensive, rugged, battery powered, and easy to maintain, this ITS system is impressive. Recommended! ST Pro, the company that makes the placebo, training rounds we all use, is now making the "Talon," a small, all-plastic, hand-held impact eapon. I'm carrying a copy in my vest pocket now. This is a clever, low-profile device that can significantly enhance one's striking power. I like it! Adi Dhondy of Phoenix International displayed his high-speed-pursuit-ending spike system. It works like most, but Adi uses big, heavy spikes that make short work of most tires. In addition, he makes a pocket model, the size of a wallet. Every beat car should have several of these in the glove compartment! I now have a couple in my car. A young martial artist, Eddie Ivester, presented a wonderful class on blade defense. This is the first time I've seen reasonably teachable techniques on this delicate subject. I learned a lot. This kid knows his stuff! My long-time friend, Phil Messina, from Modern Warrior was on hand to present a retention and disarms class. Again, I picked up a number of new and useful techniques. Phil has much mud on his shoes, and any class with him and his crew is enlightening, to say the least! Dr Jim Williams, an emergency-room surgeon, presented a wonderful class on bullet placement. He has done a good deal of work on the subject, and his conclusions were confirmation that we're teaching this subject correctly. For example, we learned that lower-abdominal wounds result in significantly more fatalities than do penetrating chest wounds! The "zipper" technique that we are currently teaching fits in with what Dr Williams has seen. Lower-abdominal wounds are debilitating and disorienting in the short term and fatal in the long term. Bill Hickok was right all along! Jim Bliehall ITS 36 Haven Dr Cedar Crest, NM 87008 505 228 2246 jbliehall@ intelligenttarget.com Carol Todd STAction Pro 3815 N US Hwy 1, Ste 50 Cocoa, FL 32926 321 632 4111 888 966 0668 321 639 2409 (Fax) _stactionpro@cfl.rr.com_ (mailto:stactionpro@cfl.rr.com) Adi Dhondy Phoenix International 20860 Heatherview Dr Brookfield, WI 53045 888 667 9494 262 784 2732 262 784 7946 (Fax) _tdd@magnumspike.com_ (mailto:tdd@magnumspike.com) Eddie Ivester ICT PO Bx 67 Tularosa, NM 88352 505 921 3862 Phil Messina MW 711 N Wellwood Av Lindenhurst, NY 11757 516 226 8383 516 226 5454 (Fax) _103423.2576@compuserve.com_ (mailto:103423.2576@compuserve.com) /John (Interesting comments about lower abdominal wounds. I advocate the first shot to the pelvis, when practical, to destroy or hamper mobility. Many old-timers favored a shot in the vicinity of the navel. Fairbairn and Sykes observed that people shot in the belly tended to drop whatever they had in their hands and clutch the belly. Modern experience, particularly with those under the influence of drugs, has not always borne this out. We need to be careful not to confuse lethality with rapid incapacitation - a shot that penetrates the large intestine will certainly create the potential for serious infection but that is an issue of days, not seconds.) 23 Jan 06 Garand Clip Belt Holder After trying to find a suitable belt holder for a charged Garand clip for many years, Gregg Garrett of Comp-Tac has finally made the perfect one, out of Ky-Dex. Secure and fast, this is the ticket. Recommended! Gregg Garrett Comp-Tac PO Bx 1809 Spring, TX 77383 713 681 6881 Comp-tac.com /John (A great battle weapon in its time, John Garand's M1 Rifle probably generates too much ballistic power for the defense of urban homes. However, it may have other applications that would make this accessory of interest.) 24 Jan 06 Slinging the Urban Rifle: My preference is to sling the rifle muzzle down, and on the strong side. That way, one will not inadvertently point it in an unsafe direction during mounting, and, when assuming the interview stance, both rifle and pistol will be on the same side. On the downside, sometimes the sling gets tangled up with the pistol's grip during mounting, when using this method. This is less of an issue when the pistol is concealed. However, one should learn to mount the rifle from both sides, as, during the course of the day, the rifle will have to be moved from one shoulder to the other and back several times, for the sake of comfort, and who knows what shoulder it will be on when it needs to be mounted? Numerous tactical sling systems are available, all of which make it easy to transition from rifle to pistol, as all one needs to do with the rifle is drop it. On the downside, tactical sling systems must be climbed into and out of, then adjusted. It all takes time. They all render a high weapon profile, and many do not permit shooting from the support-side shoulder. My personal preference is a plain-vanilla, two-point sling, but tactical sling systems do have their place. When slung, I prefer the rifle right side-up. That is, the muzzle is down, of course, but the rifle itself is slung so that the sights are facing upward. Slung upside-down, the rifle can still be mounted quickly, but a rotation must be added to the procedure. Such a rotation constitutes an extra step. Dave Johnson of Boonie-Packer makes several two-point slings which facilitate the rightside-up sling method. I use them on all my urban rifles. Recommended! Mounting an urban rifle from the muzzle-down sling position is analogous to drawing a pistol from a holster, and it needs to be done just as fast and as smoothly, while the shooter is in lateral motion. Dave Johnson Boonie-Packer PO Bx 12517 Salem, OR 97309 800 477 3244 503 581 3191 (Fax) _dajk2c@comcast.net_ (mailto:dajk2c@comcast.net) /John (The AR-15 variant that I rely on for home-defense has a single-point sling that lets it hang muzzle down, in front of my chest. This allows mounting on either shoulder but is not intended to carry the carbine for any length of time. The M1 Carbine that serves as my truck gun has an issue sling and I prefer to sling it muzzle down, on my non-dominant shoulder. This allows me to grasp the forestock with my non-dominant hand and swing it up to mount the gun on my dominant shoulder. Muzzle-down carry is handy, so long as the gun is not long enough that you will stick the muzzle in dirt or mud if you squat or kneel.) 25 Jan 06 Comments on urban rifle slings from a friend in SA: "We mostly teach what we call the 'African Carry' over here, for both rifles and shotguns. The weapon is carried muzzle-down, on the support-side shoulder. This way, mounting involves only two placements of the hands. Fast and uncomplicated. The rifle banging against an open-holstered handgun is a real problem. As such, support-side shoulder, muzzle down has been adopted by most of us. However, as you pointed out, when slung this way, the gun can easily be within grabbing distance of a belligerent suspect when one assumes the interview stance and confronts him. We like 'SpringSlingz.' These are made of thick, bungee cord and stretch to accommodate nearly any emergency. In addition they tend to roll off metallic rank and ID badges, rather than become snagged on them, nor do they get caught on buttons and snaps. Like you, we tend to shy away from complicated, harness set ups, unless one is going to live in it all day. You know our motto: 'GUNS, AMMO, WATER? LET'S GO!'" /John (In my experience, the issue of bungee-cord slings vs. web slings is much like that of jockey shorts versus boxer shorts - a matter of individual preference.) 25 Jan 06 We "die in the gaps." At the recent ASLET Conference, my esteemed colleague, Phil Messina, in teaching a class on retention and disarms, pointed out to students that techniques often fail, because inadequately trained practitioners "die in the gaps." That is, when they link together a series of psycho-motor sub routines into a full technique, the seams remain. Their execution is intermittent, hesitant. They dither in the seams and thus give opponents opportunities to exploit delays. Accordingly, Phil stressed the importance of constantly practicing and testing each technique, until the seams all disappear. A friend on active duty called me today and reported on a recent, mandatory pistol "qualification" he attended. Local instructors encouraged students to use the "Weaver Grip" when shooting their M9 pistols. The "Weaver Grip," as explained, was unusable; many students couldn't even get into it. With this technique, the support hand is way too far forward to be useful. After listening patiently for a while, my friend could no longer remain silent! He pulled the "instructors" off to the side and informed them that there was no such thing as a "Weaver Grip!" There is a "correct grip," which is used in conjunction with the "Weaver Stance." He then demonstrated it to them. Upon being thus enlightened, the instructors' scores immediately went up, and they, along with the rest of the class, were well on their way toward learning and using respectable fighting techniques with the pistol. Sometime in there, they all "qualified" too! The point in both instances is that poor technique will, of its own accord, quickly become disreputable and fall out of favor when it is regularly exercised, tested, and found wanting. So, how is it that inferior techniques not only refuse to die but, in fact, garner a stubborn, self-righteous following among the uninformed and unsophisticated? The answer is that too many of us don't live the Art. We just talk about it. We can talk ourselves into anything, so long as no one calls our bluff! When one does not carry guns (and blades) every day, does not shoot regularly, does not handle loaded guns daily, does not exercise his fighting skills routinely, does not relentlessly improve his routine through his own practical experience, most of his knowledge base is just conjecture, and he will predictably "die in the gaps" during a real fight. I'm sure those young, military instructors were well meaning, but, with all due respect, they don't even carry a gun (or a blade) regularly, and they don't know what they're talking about! If we are ever going to purge our instructional community of silly twaddle, like the "Weaver Grip," if we are going to speak with real authority to our students, then we must commit ourselves to personally living the Art every day, not merely performing lip service. There was a time when American military officers and staff NCOs carried loaded pistols all the time. It was a point of honor! It was the way you honored your rank and your charge. Today, it is an infraction, even for generals! It is a measure of how badly this civilization has deteriorated. Those of us who teach and enlighten must never become delinquent in this regard. Let it not be said of us, that our students "died in the gaps." /John (Leaving aside John's insistence on the use of the Weaver "stance," the initial point of this missive about "dying in the gaps" reminds me of a friend who runs the gun shop in a small city where I used to live. I learned that he was referring students to my CWP course with the advice, "Forget all that kung-fu gunfighting Steve teaches and concentrate on the legal stuff." In a world where most attacks are not likely to become sufficiently clear to justify the use of deadly force until the assailant is within one or two arm's lengths, one is likely to need to use unarmed techniques to deflect the initial attack and to create the time in which to draw the gun. If these techniques are not trained on the shooting range, as an integrated part of the shooting exercises, the instructor has left a massive gap for the student.) -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .