Shooting for Survival – An FBI Training Film From the 1970s
“Shooting For Survival” is an FBI training film produced by the US Department of Justice circa mid-1970s. This short film presents basic rules for survival against hostile fire including taking cover, shooting from cover and several defensive firearms techniques as they were taught to law enforcement personnel 40 years ago.
But It’s Just a Policy…
Why “Concealed Means Concealed” is a Bunch of Hooey
Since there have been firearms to carry there have been businesses, individuals and organizations that want to restrict firearms carry. This isn’t anything new. However, there has been a recent rash of well-publicized statements from companies like Target, IKEA, Starbucks, Chili’s, Chipotle and others who say that they would prefer to have a “criminal protection zone” than an environment in which their customers are able to #EatSafe and #ShopSafe.
These statements are often met with replies along the lines of “concealed means concealed” or “if you do it right, they will never know that you are carrying.”
It is most likely true that you could carry a concealed firearms into any of these places without anyone ever being wise to it. After all, have you ever seen metal detectors or pat-downs in any of the aforementioned businesses. In many of these cases, you would probably be within the law unless you were asked to leave and refused to do so.
The question is… why on earth would you want to? Continue reading
Talk Training, Survival and Prepping on the GunLink Forums
The scout motto is “Be Prepared.” From Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys:
[Being prepared] means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your DUTY.
– Be Prepared in Mind by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it.
– Be Prepared in Body by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it.
Many GunLink readers have undoubtedly outgrown their scouting years, but that is no reason not to abandon those principles. Life comes with many uncertainties and the world around us is filled with the potential for unexpected situations which could turn out to be dangerous. Spending one’s entire life in a secret underground bunker isn’t feasible (or, likely, healthy) so one must venture forth into the world and meet those dangers head-on. The best way to do that is to be prepared for those situations ahead of time.
Don’t misunderstand – obviously not all of these situations are life-and-death scenarios. Preppers are often derisively dismissed as end of the world whack jobs preparing for some just-over-the-horizon doomsday. Those who choose to carry a concealed handgun are sometimes seen as paranoid.
The truth is, prepping can be as little as carrying a multi-tool or learning a useful skill or as much as stocking your de-milled missile silo with a decade worth of food and water. Training can be as little as hitting the range with your single-shot hunting rifle or practicing your family’s fire escape route or as much as taking a lengthy course from a professional. Survival skills can mean as little as navigating back to town when your vehicle runs out of gas to staying alive when your three hour boat tour turns into an extended stay on a deserted island.
Whatever you’re training for, preparing for or planning on surviving, you can share your tips, ask your questions and join the discussion in the Training, Survival and Prepping board on the GunLink Forums. See you there.
Happy Independence Day
Happy Independence Day, GunLink-ers!
As you celebrate on this long weekend by grilling out, watching fireworks, enjoying a cold one, spending time with your family or whatever else you do, take some time to remember what you are celebrating and what made it possible.
It isn’t just “The 4th of July” – some arbitrary date that means pyrotechnics, a day off from work and big sales. Independence Day marks the anniversary of the Second Continental Congress’s 1776 adoption of the US Declaration of Independence, severing our ties from British rule and paving the way for Americans to enjoy the rights and freedoms that they have today.
Throughout the years, generations have fought and died to preserve what our forefathers built for us. Take a few moments over the weekend to recognize and remember those sacrifices and to pass along those ideals to someone else.
Although John Adams was off by two days when he wrote to his wife Abigail of the July 2nd approval of the Resolution of Independence, his words still ring true:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
Have a safe and happy Independence Day, from all of us here at GunLink!
Target Latest Retailer to Ask Customers Not to Carry in Their Stores
The second largest discount retailer in the US announced today that they would be deviating from their historical policy of deferring to state and local laws regarding firearms carry in their stores.
In their release, the 36th ranked Fortune 500 company said that they “respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law,” making them the latest in a string of businesses making statements. That list includes companies such as Starbucks, Chili’s, Chipotle and others who would rather their customers check their rights at the door than allow them to #EatSafe or #ShopSafe.
As you’ve likely seen in the media, there has been a debate about whether guests in communities that permit “open carry” should be allowed to bring firearms into Target stores. Our approach has always been to follow local laws, and of course, we will continue to do so. But starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law.
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This is a complicated issue, but it boils down to a simple belief: Bringing firearms to Target creates an environment that is at odds with the family-friendly shopping and work experience we strive to create.
As our friends over at Guns Save Life put it, “if Target can’t even keep your credit card data safe, why would you trust them to keep you and your family safe?” Continue reading
Tell Businesses Not to Disarm Customers
Project #EatSafe and Project #ShopSafe: Using Social Media to Urge Businesses to Exercise Real Common Sense
Despite being irrational, fear mongering, hoplophobic bigots, gun control zealots do get one thing right: PR campaigns. They simply do not have the facts on their side, so they try to use emotions to garner support for their misguided ideology and, often, they succeed. Between desperate hand-wringing, fabricated “facts,” and effective use of astroturf social media movements, the vocal minority of the anti-constitution crowd knows how to get what they want (or at least give the impression that they did).
Take, for instance, recent social media campaigns to bully, er… boycott, businesses that weren’t taking an anti-gun position. The #BurritosNotBullets hashtag campaign enlisted social media users to harass Chipotle until they asked customers not to bring firearms into their restaurants. Before that, anti-rights groups and their supporters organized #SkipStarbucks Saturday (it must have been oh-so-difficult for morning commuters and 9-to-5-ers to give up the coffee shop on the weekend) before Starbucks reversed their firearms policy. Whether the online campaigns had anything to do with the decisions or the companies simply made a business decision based on the action of a few demonstrators, the gun control groups immediately began crowing loudly and taking credit for each “victory.” Continue reading
