Review of the Mossberg 590A1

     I recently purchased th3 Mossberg 590A1 pump shotgun as a home defense weapon. It came with all of the accessories I wanted already installed. The only way to get the gun set up the way I wanted to, was to get the "Blackwater Edition". I could care less about the logo on the side, I wanted the features I wanted. The model I bought, so you can see the specifications, is this one 590A1 Blackwater

 I took the 590A1 to the indoor range and ran 150 rounds through it. All rounds were 2 3/4 inch shells. The shot size was mainly 7 1/2 but I did feed 15 rounds of both 00 Buck and slug through it. Loading the weapon was easy, and could be done fairly fast. I bought the 20 inch barrel model, which holds 8+1 rounds. I like the safety controls on the Mossberg better than the Remington 870, probably because I'm left handed. The all metal safety slide on the receiver is easy to find, and grabs your thumb well, with and without gloves.
    
The trigger group is metal on the 590A1. That might not be a big deal to some, but it's extra insurance for me against a part breaking. The trigger guard allows enough room to operate the gun with gloves on. I ran it with Camelback summer weight gloves on. I don't know what you'd do with ski gloves. The stock is the traditionally shaped synthetic stock, I did not get the pistol grip stock. The stock is stippled for better grip and control over the weapon in adverse conditions.The weapon shouldered well, and pointed extremely well. On occasion the recoil absorber on the stock would grab my t-shirt on the way up slowing me down some. I'll have to find a way around that.
    
      The stock is a Speed Stock version which has storage for 4 extra rounds inside the stock (2 on each side). It was fairly easy to load the speed stock with a little practice. Removing the shells from the stock took longer than I thought it would. I'm sure I can speed it up with some practice. I tried a slug change over from the Speed Stock and it was a nightmare for me. With additional training and repetition I'll do better with it I'm sure. I simply wasn't familiar enough with the weapon or the process.
    
     I really like the ghost ring sites on this shotgun. They are XS Ghost Ring Sights. This was my first exposure to ghost ring sights, but they were AMAZING. So much better than the basic bead sight on my Remington 870. I was able to pick the target up quickly in a variety of light conditions. My slug shots were much closer to where I intended to place them with the ghost rings versus the bead sight, especially at 25 yards. The receiver has a rail mounted forward of the rear sight to allow attachment of optics if you want them.

     The action cycled very well. I didn't have any failures with the first 150 rounds through the weapon. I'm going this afternoon to feed another 100 rounds through it. The slide itself has an integrated rail on the bottom, and two "detachable" rails (one on each side). The integrated rail I liked. The slide is long enough to allow a full hand grip behind the rails, which would allow you to operate any railed attachments on the slide without having to grip over them.

     I strongly disagree with the term "detachable". That was a nightmare. I was able to remove the rail from the slide with the hex bit on my Leatherman MUT tool. That's where the fun ended. The nuts that the hex bolts threaded into fell into the slide handle. Now, let me be clear, that the loose nuts in no way interfered with the mechanical functioning of the shotgun. I shot the last 60 rounds with the little bastards rattling around inside the grip. HOWEVER, removing them from the grip required complete field stripping of the gun (which I intended to do anyways). Then you have to remove the retaining collar from the slide, and shake the nuts out. Not too bad right.....right. But wait, there's more.

     Detachable implies "attachable" in some sense. The rails are re-attachable if you have the patience of a Trappist monk, and improvise a tool or two from a paperclip. Lets assume you've retrieved your rattling parts from the grip, and then decide you want to re-attach them. Now the fun begins. I wanted to re-attach my rail because it gave me a thumb stop, and a point of grip reference on the slide. So, after about 45 minutes of trying to balance the slide, and feed the attaching hex bolts from the bottom, I managed to get one hex bolt attached. YAY! But then I lost the second one into the slide. So the entire disassembly / re-attachment process started all over again. I got both attachment hex bolts in  place and re-attached the rail, but it sucked.

     Field stripping the 590A1 for cleaning is pretty easy, and drama free. As long as you line up the bolt in the correct position inside the receiver all of the parts drop in. Remember to push the slide rails down as they enter the receiver, and it's all good. There are lots of videos on YouTube and other sites on field stripping the 500 Series Mossberg. Watch one a couple of times, or follow along as you field strip your shotgun and you won't have any problems.

     I highly recommend this shotgun to anyone looking for a home defense weapon. It is as dependable as the sunrise, and as simple as an anvil. Aside from the "detachable" rail issue (which was a one time thing and didn't interfere with the operation of the weapon), I love this shotgun. I plan on adding a side saddle shell holder to this weapon, probably a 6 round model. I haven't decided between TacStar and Mesa Tactical for the side saddle. This will give me 19 rounds on the weapon when I pick it up. No looking for ammo, just grab and go.

     Again, I'm not an expert and I don't play one on the Internet. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome. You can submit them through the blog, anonymously if you like, or e-mail them to me directly: survivalinthesuburbs@gmail.com  As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Surviving The Death of a Family Member

     The death of an immediate family member is a intense moment in life. All of us will experience it in our lives. Most often it is the deaths of our parents, possibly a sibling or spouse, and unfortunately on occasion the death of a child.

     I know this is a deeply personal topic for many people, myself included. I get "advice" all the time about not getting too personal on the Internet. "don't tell people too much about yourself" they say or "you never know who will read it" they say. I understand that, I do. This is a personal topic, and I can't write about it in a clinical sense. Quite honestly, it's probably therapeutic for me to write it as well.

     I lost my mother to Leukemia 10 years ago. She fought a courageous and unwinnable fight against her own body for 2 years before succumbing to the disease at 70 years old. I was with her when she died, holding her hand as I had done for most of my life. I was able to tell her I loved her. I was able to tell her I would be OK, and she had done a fine job raising me. It was a blessing to be able to say those things to her before she died.

     I am my mothers only child. My parents divorced before I turned 3. So it was only her and I for my whole life. Aside from two uncomfortable weeks in the summer with my dad, I was with my mom when I was growing up. She raised me. She did it all; fed me, clothed me, disciplined me, housed me, worked full time and cared for her ailing mother as well. Meanwhile my father jaunted off on yet another, seemingly endless, quest for another woman.....which has resulted in 4 failed marriages and 5 half siblings scattered over most of the US. My mom never criticized my father in front of me, she only said "you'll figure him out when you're old enough".

      I remember the day my mother died as clearly as if it were yesterday. It was a Tuesday. She was at my  home, and her breathing sounded really bad, so I drove her to the ER. She never left. Four hours later she was dead. Just like that.

     I was numb. I had absolutely no idea what to do next. The next three days were like a blur. Arrangements were made, condolences were offered, services were held, etc. But then every ones lives went back to normal, except mine. This huge piece of my life was gone. Simply no longer there. Her house was still there, her car as well, all of her physical possessions......just no mom.

     I went through her things and donated her clothes to the needy. Cleaning out her house was very hard. Everything inside was a memory. A memory I wanted to hold on to. A memory of a person who I wanted to hold on to. I quickly realized that the home I had spent my entire childhood in, was no longer home....it was just a house. The person who had made it home was gone. For me that was an important distinction in my grieving process.

     I put all of our (hers and mine) collective stuff into piles. One to be thrown out right away, one to be evaluated in a week, and another to be evaluated later. Each week I went back through the stuff. Over time most of the stuff found it's way into the Throw Away Right Now pile. That was my wife's plan and it worked out really good. She was my support network and helped me through some rough times. She knew I would get frustrated and throw everything away. I'm glad we did it her way because I held on to some really important things that probably would have gotten thrown out.

     In the last week my mom was alive, I promised her I would get a bachelors degree. The strength of that promise, and the strength of the person I gave it to helped motivate me to finish. It was important to her that I get my degree. Two weeks after she died I enrolled at The University of South Carolina. Five years later I graduated from the College of Engineering and Information Technology. No easy feat with a wife, two kids, and a full time job. I remember thinking when I got my degree, that my mama would have been proud.

     While I was in school, I wrote my mom a letter. It was during the second semester of my freshman year. I was sitting in Amoco Hall in the Swearengen Engineering building, and I just started writing. I must have written every day for a week. I don't understand why I wrote it there or why I wrote it then...but I wrote, a lot. I wrote to her all of the things I wished I had said, and apologized for all of the things I wished I hadn't said. That letter was easily the worst formatted, most heartfelt thing I have ever written. It was by far the longest thing I have ever handwritten. When I finished it, I put all 20 something pages into an envelope, and drove 3 hours to put it on my mothers grave. For some reason I felt lots better after I did that. Strange, but helpful.

     I'm not a therapist and I'm not giving advice on how anyone should deal with this kind of thing. But, I learned a few things from it. Maybe they'll help someone else in their time of need.

• Let those who love you, help you. Lean on your close friends and family.
• Be sad, cry, grieve. Miss your loved one. They earned it.
• Live your life the way they would have wanted you to have live.
• Recognize the positive impact they had on your life and share it with others who are important to you.
• Don't have 20 pages of things you wished you'd said. Say them today to the ones you love.

      Anyways, you know the drill by now. I'm not an expert and I don't play one on the Internet. I have other topic for the blog, but this one was important to me. I don't know if it was because it has been 10 years since my mother died or because her birthday was Christmas Eve. It was on my mind and weighed heavy on my heart. Thanks for reading.... I owe you one  :)

A Shotgun For My Home Defense In The Suburbs

     I realize this is a well discussed, often tedious, topic around the Internet. However, I'd like to put my personal spin on it. Maybe, just maybe, I might brush on something not discussed before, or come up with a pretty good idea. It rarely happens, but has been known to occur almost as frequently as Bigfoot sightings.

     I like the shotgun as an option for home defense. I have a couple of pump shotguns, and am now getting comfortable with the reliability of an auto loader as a home defense weapon. The shotgun I chose originally is a Remington 870 Magnum, which I've used for 20 years. The replacement I recently bought, and have yet to run through it's paces is the Mossberg 590A1. The actual version of the 590A1 I bought is this one 590A1 Blackwater.  I could care less about the logo on the side. This was the only way to get that shotgun, configured that way, from the manufacturer. I'm not recommending the above retailer as a place to buy it, but the Mossberg website didn't detail the Blackwater and the site above did a good job I thought.

     The Remington 870 has served me well, and also helped me create a wish list of option for it's replacement. I'm a big proponent of OEM (the manufacturer) equipping a special purpose weapon versus buying the components myself and putting them on. The warranty is big reason, so is relying on their R&D versus my own research which would be heavily Internet based vs real life practical field testing.  That's not a knock on the "home armorer".  I like doing that stuff myself some also, just not on my home defense shotgun. That weapon, second only to my carry gun, has to be 100% reliable. I've got to have 110% confidence in THAT weapon because of the roll it plays in defending my family.

     Over penetration, while a concern in a home defense situation isn't something I want to go into a great deal of depth about on this post. Generally speaking, if something shoots with enough force to kill a person, it will pass through two 1/2 inch pieces of sheet rock. I also don't want to get into the shot size debate either. I use 00 Buck and could care less about the arguments for or against. If you want to use #7 shot, go for it. 

     Upgrades on the new shotgun:

• 590A1 - Military spec with heavy walled barrel. Makes the weapon more durable, but also makes it heavier. If you've ever stood in  line in a grocery store holding a gallon of milk for 10 minutes, you know how heavy almost 8 lbs can be. I'm OK with heavier, I'm not standing a post with it. It's for grab and go defense.
• XS Ghost Ring Sights - hi-visibility white front post. I'm familiar and comfortable with this type of site.
• 20" barrel - full mag tube and 1 in the chamber, the weapon holds 9 rounds. A little extra length adds a little more weight.
• Speed Feed Stock - stores an extra 4 rounds. Two on each side of the stock. Brings the capacity of the weapon up to 13 rounds. If I added a side saddle it would hold 19 rounds of 00 Buck on or in the weapon. Nothing extra to grab. Stock is stippled for better grip in adverse conditions.
• Rail on the receiver - option to mount a red dot should I decide to.
• 3 Rails on the fore grip - One integrated, two bolted on. I'll probably remove the bolt-ons, and add a light to the integrated rail.
• Metal trigger, trigger guard, and safety button.
• Anti-jam elevator, dual extractors, positive shot shell extraction and ejection all increase the reliability when it's needed most.

     A shotgun is longer and more difficult to corner with, but it's the most versatile and powerful weapon a civilian can use for home defense. My 590 has a longer barrel than my 870, but I get 3 extra rounds in the magazine. To me that is worth the extra inch and a half in barrel length.

     With the right rounds you can breach a door, clear a room, and make a 100 yd accurate shot. Granted that will take some training, skill, and practice to effectively make a slug change over for example. So...get some training. That's the long and short of it. Get trained. If you can't effectively operate a shotgun under stress, you shouldn't use one for home defense.

     I'm going to add a light to my 590. Target identification as well as target environment as equally critical in a home defense situation.  For example, knowing the person you're about to shoot with buckshot is actually the bad guy, and also knowing your 4 year old isn't standing behind him are equally important. You should understand that if you miss with a weapon as powerful as a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot, it will go through interior walls. If you don't live in a brick structure, it can go through exterior walls as well.

     I'm going to take my new 590A1 out and shoot a hundred rounds or so through it this week. I'll be curious to see if I actually get the benefits I think I'll get by upgrading from my older Remington 870 to a new Mossberg 590A1. I'll be sure and provide a full range report, and possibly do a side by side comparison vs my Remington 870. Although I think the Mossberg 591A1 would compare more equally to the Remington 887, the 870 is what I have.      
    
     The next shotgun I plan to purchase is the Mossberg 930SPX. It'll be really interesting to compare that to the 590A1. As I said above, I'm getting much more comfortable with the reliability of the auto shotgun. It'll require additional training to learn how to run it effectively, but you know me...I love to train.

     I'm not an expert, and I don't play one on the Internet. The point is to survive to fight another day. 

     As always, suggestions and comments are always welcome. If you have any shotgun drills you'd like me to run in my comparisons, please e-mail them to me  survivalinthesuburbs@gmail.com

Thanks for reading.

First Aid Kit For The Car

    
     I think everyone is familiar with the concepts of a first aid kit. Band Aids and Bactine type kits, designed to treat scrapes and minor cuts. Usually costing $9.99 at Walmart, etc. Those are fine for what they are, they provide minor first aid and patient comfort. Nothing makes a small child feel better than a Mickey Mouse bandaid and a kissed boo-boo. While providing comfort to someone who is hurt is a large part of First Aid, and not to be over looked, that's not the point of this post.

     I'd like to discuss several important components that should be in every first aid kit, ESPECIALLY first aid kits in vehicles. This is not an all encompassing list. I'm not a Doctor, Nurse, EMT, or First Responder. I'm not giving you medical advice anymore than the guy at Home Depot who recommends a hammer to drive a nail is giving you construction advice. I'm simply telling you what *I* have done.

     If you've read some of my other posts, or threads, you'll recognize a common theme when it comes to "high impact" skill sets. Skill sets like firearms, first aid treatment, emergency driving, etc. TRAINING...get some. Do not rely on You Tube, forums, Google, etc to provide you with training. Those are all great sources of training supplements, but they are not substitutes for training itself. Related to this subject, take a Basic First Aid class through the Red Cross. Then maybe an Basic Life Saving (BLS) class, then possibly Advanced Life Saving (ALS). you could join a volunteer fire department, they'll train you for free. You'll get the skills you want AND be able to give back to the community. Win-Win.

     You should receive training to recognize the signs of, and be able to provide First Aid for the following:

• Choking.- Very common in vehicles where small children are eating while you drive.
• Heart Attack. 
• Shock - Very common after a severe vehicle accident.
• Stroke.
• Extremity Bleeding - Also very common after a severe vehicle accident.

As always, in any of these events call 9-1-1.
     Since this is going into your vehicle, you'll need one kit for each vehicle. Trust me this won't be very expensive. Pick up a basic first aid kit to keep in your car. The $9.99 one is fine. I recommend adding a couple of things to it because it's going in the car:

• Israeli Battle Dressing (IBD). Look it up here Battle Dressing  I can't stress the importance of this one enough.  It's VERY easy to apply, in fact, you can apply it to yourself if you have to. this dressing help keep you and/or your family alive until Paramedics can arrive. Get one for each passenger in your car.
• Primatine Mist - Contains the exact same medicine as an Epi-Pen. Over the counter. Cheap. Really important if you transport kids or attend outdoor sporting events. Lots of people don't know they're allergic to bee stings or peanuts until they have a reaction.
• Celox  or Quick Clot. Something to stop bleeding from wounds where you can't apply an IBD like neck, face, fingers, etc.

     See, that wasn't too many things or very expensive. I'm not telling you what to do or giving advice, I'm simply stating what *I* have done. It's up to you to learn how and when to apply first aid. I usually travel with my wife and kids. Often times we're on the interstates or major highways where speeds are higher than in town. Most accidents on these types of roads aren't "fender benders", they're serious. Help can be up to 45 minutes away, even longer if barricades in the medians are present.

     Please learn CPR, and learn to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). Check it out here AED . They're everywhere from office building to the food court in your local mall. You may not choose to help a random stranger, but you should definitely be able to help an immediate family member or close friend.  Do your research, look these things up, get some training. improve yours and your families chances of surviving a medical emergency.

   I'm not an expert, and I don't play one on the Internet. I'm just a regular guy, with a family, working the day to day grind and trying to keep my head above water. The point is, survive to fight another day.

    As always comments and suggestions are always welcome.  Check us out on Facebook SurvivalInTheSuburbs.  Thanks for reading.

EDC (Every Day Carry) In The Suburbs

     Every Day Carry (EDC) is an important part of your survival plan. EDC gear is what you carry on your person day in and day out. It's the gear that will get you from wherever you are when something bad happens, to the next stage of your survival plan. That next stage may be getting to your vehicle so you can leave, or gear up from your Get Home Bag (GHB) and move out on foot. The next stage could also be getting you home where you decide if your next step is to Bug In...or to Bug Out.  In any circumstance, your EDC will be what you go to FIRST. Lets look at EDC in the workplace.

      If you're fortunate enough to work for yourself or work in an environment that doesn't require "business casual" attire, then EDC is a good bit easier. If you work in a corporate environment, like I do, you have to be respectful of your workplace environment and it's policies. It's not socially acceptable in most corporate environments to walk around with a Batman Belt on loaded down with a Leatherman multitool, folding knife, cell phone, flashlight, first aid kit, mini survival Altoid Tin, pepper spray, 50 feet of paracord , extra batteries, GPS, carabiners, keys, etc all dangling and jingling as you walk down the rows of Cube City. Face it.....you look like an idiot.

     Before we go any further lets go on record as saying, I'm not telling you how to live or what to carry....I'm telling you what *I* would do in these circumstances. Rest assured there will be comments either on this blog or on other boards to the affect of  "I work for myself so i can carry a ninja sword, 2 sticks of dynamite, and a rocket launcher at work."  Well...that's wonderful...most of us can't, or have enough common sense not to even if we could. There will also be the "must be right at all costs" guy who will say something along the lines of " I carry anyway, even if it's not allowed, becaue I have the right to."  Yeah...ok. Good luck explaining to the little lady why she and the kids have to move back in with your parents while you find another job in this economy. Me and the Common Sense Crowd will be considering whether to buy your forclosed house as an investment.

       I'm off the soapbox. It's apparent that common sense ain't so common. Anyways, enough about all of that. On to the good stuff.

     Some of those things you might need, some of those things you might feel better having, some of those things are just silly. It's an exagerration, sort of, but the point is to learn some "business camouflage".  Simple techniques that will allow you some latitude on what you can carry in public or at work.

     Look around you, observe the people in your environment. Are backpacks commonplace? If so, great, most of your problems are solved. You can carry your work stuff AND some extras in your backpack. Make sure you seperate the two. Have your EDC stuff an a seperate compartment, or better yet, in a smaller bag inside your packpack. That way if you need your EDC stuff...and only your EDC stuff, you can grab it easily. Please don't consider a fanny pack....please. You laugh, but I still see them in use. I still see the "European Carry All" AKA the Man Purse as well. Talk about drawing attention to yourself...a man purse will do it.

     The winter time is awesome for EDC. Coats mean lots of pockets to hold stuff. Shoes are an important part of your EDC. Choose wisely. Several brands of "outdoor" or "rugged" shoe companies make office appropriate shoes that are still VERY competant in the out doors. Look into some Keens or Merrils for exmple, they look good and perform well. These will save you from having to walk home in a pair of wingtips. There are many brands, but those two come to mind. Do some research.

     Lots of people EDC a folding knife. Some carry it completely in their pocket. Some use the attached clip to clip it to their pocket opening levaing thr clip and some of the knife exposed, it's easier to access that way. If I carry one, I carry it clipped to my pocket opening. Some places of employment allow knives, some don't. One thing I have done in the past is to spray paint the clip on the knife tan. This way it doesn't stick out so much against my khaki colored work pants. Sure...you can see it if you stare, but it passes casual observers without notice.

     Have a good belt. I wear a slightly thicker than normal leather belt to work. I'd like to wear a nylon trainers belt or riggers belt, but it's not business casual appropriate. Have you seen the buckles on those things? So why a thicker leather belt you ask? Because it will support my body weight without breaking. Not that I would ever NEED that, but it made sense at the time I was belt shopping. It looks like a normal belt, it's just thicker...and a little bit wider. Belts are an important part of your EDC, choose wisely.

     My work EDC, in addition to seasonally appropriate clothing,  basically consists of my phone, wallet, keys, iPod, laptop backpack, light snack, water bottle, and a small flashlight. I have a GHB in my truck and I park less than 30 yards from my office building. So I can get to that if I need to. I posted previously about a GHB, please read it if you haven't.

     As always, comments and topic suggestions always welcome. Check us out on Facebook:Survival In The Suburbs

    I'm not an expert, and I don't play one on the internet. Survive to fight another day.
    

Concealed Carry In The Suburbs

     I'm licensed to carry concealed in my home state of North Carolina. I was licensed to carry concealed in South Carolina for 15 years before moving to North Carolina with my job. I would say I carried on average of once or twice week for all of those years. I didn't carry everyday because the places I worked did not allow firearms on their premises. I usually carried on the weekends, or if I went out after I got home from work, or if I had a day off.

     A Non-Permissive Environment (NPE) is a fairly common obstacle that concealed weapons holders encounter in the suburbs. There are three types of Non-Permissive Environments (NPE's) that I have encountered:

• Carry prohibited by statute - places where the concealed law specifically prohibits concealed carry. Banks, Schools, Bars, etc. Violation results in arrest and prosecution.
• Carry prohibited by premise - places that post signs specifically prohibiting concealed carry inside their premise. Violation results in arrest and prosecution.
• Carry prohibited by policy - Companies make it a violation of their policy for employees to posses firearms on their premise. Violation often results in termination. Often combined with prohibition by premise.

     This can be a real issue for concealed firearms carriers (CC'ers). For example some stores in a mall might prohibit firearms, while others will allow it. What if you stop to get a hamburger in one of the mall restaurants and that restaurant also serves alcohol? A CC'er could end up in a NPE entirely by accident and end up in jail. Anti-gunners get extremely nervous around people who have a gun on them, especially if their children are present. It's an irrational fear, I get that....I really do. But understand that if they call the cops, and you're in the wrong....even accidentally, you will most likely go to jail.

     We can spend hours constructing scenarios. You can't plan for everything, you simply can't. If you know ahead of time you're going to end up in an NPE, don't carry. It's as simple as that. But how many times have your plans changed mid-stream? Lots if you have a wife/husband and kids. Things NEVER go as planned. So, lets look at some best practices that can help resolve these issues, or possibly even prevent them from occurring in the first place.

      You may remember my "rules" for a gunfight. Here they are again, for a quick review:
              1- Don't be there when it happens.
              2- If you break rule #1, have a gun. 
              3- Be the one who fires the first accurate shot.

     Lets focus on the "have a gun" part. Since we're not expecting a gunfight, and we're just hanging out with our family. Conceal your gun well. Dress in layers, it's easier in the winter for obvious reasons. In the summer carry a smaller weapon inside the pants or in the small of your back. Don't be one of those tacti-cool, mall-ninja idiot types who thinks it's "cool" to print so others can know you're carrying without actually seeing your weapon. Don't invite trouble. The view is NOT worth the climb on that issue.
 
     Use a good carry holster. Nothing amuses me more than a guy who spends $1,000 on a custom .45 ACP. Then carries it in a $20 nylon "one size fits most" holster. If the weapon isn't secure, or the holster is uncomfortable to wear, you won't carry very often....or at all. Don't break rule #2. A holster is one of the two critical pieces of your carry gear that makes the whole thing work. What is the second piece you ask?  A belt. Like the holster...get a good one. My preference for holsters is AHolster. You can check one out here: AHolster     My preference for a belt is the 5.11 Trainers belt. Check one out here: Trainer Belt.

     If you encounter an NPE, return your weapon to your vehicle, enter the NPE, conduct your business there and leave. Return to your vehicle and re-arm. I have had to do this many times. I wasn't comfortable leaving my weapon in the glove box of my car. What if my car got broken into, or one of my kids got a hold of my weapon, or anything like that? I ended up buying a Nano Vault 200. It's a small lock box that fits under my truck seat. It's secured to the metal seat frame, and has a key lock. It's large enough to hold my G23 and an extra magazine. You can check one out here: NanoVault 200.

     Get some training, and practice as often as you can. I can't tell you how important it is for you to get some quality firearms training. It is your Constitutional Right to have a firearm, it is also your responsibility to own it responsibly. Take a high quality class in your carry gear with your main carry gun. Learn how to clear stoppages, and perform emergency reloads. Learn how to shoot with a flashlight in your weak hand, and how to shoot your weapon with your weak hand. These are the things that will save your life.


One last thing. Know the laws in your area. It's up to you to know WHEN to pull the trigger as well as HOW to pull the trigger. You can be assured that every bullet fired in a public place will have a lawyer attached to it. I'm not talking about defense of yourself and your family inside your home. I'm talking about defense of yourself and your family in public. There is a huge difference. In your home, an intruder has no legal right to be there. In public both parties had a legal right to be there.  The laws are probably different in your area, it's up to you to know them.

     Again, I'm not an expert and I don't play one on the Internet. Survive to fight another day.

     Comments and suggestions for topics are always welcome. You can leave them anonymously if you wish. Thanks again for checking in and reading my blog.
       

Surviving The Holidays In The Suburbs

     The holiday season is approaching. Black Friday is right around the corner. The Christmas rush is in full effect. People will be travelling to unfamiliar destinations to visit friend and family. People will be crushing into retail spaces for shopping, bargain hunting, last minute items, etc. Bad guys will be out in full effect. The economy sucks and scum bags will be working overtime. Be prepared, be alert, be safe.

     You're not going to be able to avoid traffic unless you stay home for the next 5 weeks.  Be extra vigilant when driving. There will be people visiting the area will not know where they are going, people who will make last second lane changes to get into parking lots, many more people texting and talking on cells while driving, etc. EXPECT this, and drive accordingly. Use your keyless entry to un lock your car, which will turn on the interior light. Look inside before you enter the car. Look around you before you exit your car. Please review the post on Vehicle Safety In The Suburbs.

     If you're shopping, you'll be in crowds. You will not be able to maintain your "bubble" of personal space. Be aware of your surrounding and the people in them. Remember that bad guys rarely work alone. If you're buying gifts, your hands will most likely be full. Try to have your car keys ready when you enter the parking lot from the store. Don't stand alone in the parking lot digging in your pockets or purse. Please review the post on Situational Awareness On Foot.

     I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy this time with your family and friends. Survive the fight another day.