OK, now I have to admit that I’m still not carrying on a regular basis, but I’m making baby steps in that direction. Thanks for reinforcing that intent.

http://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearms/articles/2144601-Dealing-with-citizens-legally-carrying-a-concealed-weapon/

Of particular interest to me was his discussion about the ‘tells’ of who may be carrying concealed, be it citizens or off duty LEO. Not just dress, but mannerisms.

I know we’re both head down at work.. be safe and we’ll talk again soon.

http://ezine.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=41

There’s a picture of the case he uses with an explanation. Lots of stuff to think about in the post.. the gentleman writes about being an instructor for one of Massad Ayoob’s classes.

As I mentioned, haven’t shot much lately.. right now spending some time looking into tactical flashlights. Lots to choose from; at least it’s cheaper than looking at firearms. Narrowed the choices down to an LED Lithium based unit, but probably with rechargeable battery pack. They make some stupid bright ones these days..

http://www.surefire.com/gear-recommendations/home-defense/p2x-fury-defender.html

Also looking at ‘less than lethal’ stuff.. for when the situation doesn’t call for use of lethal force.

ok.. as with you, work comes early. Time to wrap up and head to bed. Take care and we’ll talk again soon.

I know I’ll never be as good a marksman as I want to be.. then again, I recognize I set unreasonable goals for myself. When I was looking to improve my marksmanship, I planned to hit the range nearly every day, 50-100 rounds each time. It becomes your life. I imagine the people who do well in the competitions have this level of training regimen. I found out quickly there was absolutely no way I could support this level of training.. if for nothing else, the time required.

What I decided to focus on instead was what you mentioned.. situational awareness. Be aware of what’s going on around you; carrying concealed don’t mean nothing if you’ve got the headphones plugged in and daydreaming. This was just one of the first links I’ve found, but you can find plenty of information on Jeff Cooper’s Color Code.

http://www.frfrogspad.com/color.htm

For me it means being aware of what’s going on around me.. in addition to self defense situations, it’s a help even at work. Walk into a mechanical room and something doesn’t sound right, investigate. I’ve used this for years.. to the point where I could look at a testing station from across the room and tell where the system was in the test cycle based on the blinking light sequences on the equipment.

It’s really no different than hearing your car make a funny sound. You’re aware of what it normally sounds like, now something different shows up. You’re instantly alert and trying to determine what the noise was.

Another thing is learning how to act.. at the breakfast place, did you ever notice that the local LEOs always sat at that big table in the back corner.. the one my friends and I sit at as well? Back to the wall, watching the entrance. Last time I saw you there you weren’t at the big table, but you were still sitting near it and facing the entrance. Was that planned on your part? 🙂 (As an aside, my friends are out on the road, and I don’t make it to the breakfast place most weekends.. just FYI)

Getting late, so let me wrap this up. I think it’s good that you did the competitions.. enough can’t be said for keeping the adrenaline under control in high stress situations. I don’t conceal carry as much as I should, and I’m more than happy to go out with ya on your baby steps. But to me, it’s just as important to be aware of our surroundings as it is to be carrying. And being aware is something we can do at all times, even when we may be in areas where we can’t carry.