Current Safety Article
This month let's take a look in a different, but equally important direction.
Many of us carry firearms whilst riding or out in public. There are many responsibilities that accompany this choice and to list them all would require a novel. So, I am going to discuss only one. Not a legal discussion or which gun or caliber is "best", but rather are you doing your due diligence in staying proficient.
Actual physical performance. Truthfully answer this question. How long would it take you to recognize a threat, react by drawing your weapon, and then place a pair of well placed rounds into the center of the threat? Be truthful.
If the answer is more than 1.5 seconds you will probably be a victim. Controversial, right? It's all muscle memory. Fine motor skills. Do you regularly practice drawing and do dry fire? As we get older, we lose our speed and finer motor skills. If you do practice, do you do so correctly? Have you watched yourself in a mirror? We aren't going to go into techniques here.
More questions though. Other than your annual HR 218 recert, when was your last live fire practice? When you did, was it from concealment in a holster or were you on a bench? Did you practice clearing the three types of jams? Did you reload during the course of fire?
I know there are are probably experts here. But, it doesn't matter how good you used to be or how much you have shot in the past. if you haven't practiced recently, you haven't practiced.
Shooting is a fine motor skills and needs constant practice to remain sharp. Personally, I shoot a minimum of every 6-8 weeks and at least 200 rounds. That probably isn't really enough.
Here was my epiphany. In all my years of shooting and hunting before law enforcement, then my journey through the academy, training on the job, quarterly reverts, I didn't learn one tenth of what I did during a four day defensive handgun course. Before the course, I thought I was good, and I was. But I realized and learned something important.
I learned more during that four days than I did my entire life before that. There was no comparison. I was good before. I am expert now, but only with constant reinforcement.
Remember this. Practice does NOT make perfect. Only perfect practice make perfect!
