On The Wild Side

 I’d lost the battle. It was a valiant effort (if squinty eyes and cocked head are valiant), but Mother Nature won; I needed reading glasses. I probably owe legions of students an apology too, because for years, when someone would bemoan a “fuzzy front sight” or show up to shoot with upside-down cheaters perched on nose (yes, really), I’d scoff. “You’re not going to have your shooting glasses on when you have that defensive encounter,” I’d bark…

Now I get it. And in addition to the blurry-front sight issue, I also had trouble seeing screw-heads, reading scope turrets and perhaps most offensive, my practice sessions were getting shorter because of eye fatigue. I needed help.

Enter SSP Eyewear. I almost literally stumbled upon these safety glasses at a recent shooting event. As I was squinting to get a better look, the sympathetic SSP representative pushed a pair toward me. “Try these,” he said … and my world was changed.

Read the rest of this post at Women’s Outdoor News.

In our last discussion about handguns doing the unexpected, we discussed what some call the “loudest sound you’ll ever hear,” the dreaded “CLICK” when you’re expecting a “BANG.” But what about when your handgun goes “…bang…sort of?”  When something didn’t quite sound, or feel, right? If you hear a lighter-than-normal “bang,” and/or feel lighter-than-normal recoil, it’s possible that a “squib load” may have entered your ammo supply.

Though it’s extremely rare, a squib load/round is one whose propelling energy is less than necessary to push the projectile out of the firearm. This results in your handgun bullet being lodged somewhere between the chamber and the muzzle-a condition that could cause you major problems if you keep shooting. That’s because firing another round behind the squib might result in that following round- and the gases propelling it-getting stuck behind the lodged bullet. Consequences range from a mortally damaged handgun to a very seriously injured shooter.

Visit NRA Family for the entirety of How to Handle Squib Loads and Hangfires

The author on the range.

My college years were spent in a tough, crime-ridden town. During freshman orientation week, a friend a was robbed by what he insisted was “a gang of nine-year-olds!” These young hoodlums somehow managed to take my friend’s bicycle, camera, and wallet. After I stopped laughing I couldn’t help ask how this “gang” managed to ambush him. “Well,” he said, “I was taking some cool photographs of the neighborhood….”

I immediately realized he wasn’t paying attention. Not having situational awareness explains how most people get mugged. When people don’t pay attention to their surroundings, they have no chance to see bad guys coming until it’s too late.

Though psychologists tell us keeping ourselves safe is a basic human instinct, I have found that surviving is something we have to learn how to do. Also, if you chose to carry a gun concealed, you certainly want avoid that worst-case scenario of having to use a gun to defend your life. Actually you have taken on added responsibility to pay attention.

Visit Range365.com for the entirety of Five Keys to a Self-Defense Mindset.