I recently was away for just over two weeks for some good training. I spent some long days in the heat and humidity working in the woods of Alabama. By the time I returned home, I was smoked and ready to relax. I hadn’t seen my family in that time (nothing compared to all the time I’ve been away on deployments, but I missed them nonetheless) and decided to take them out. With a family our size, this can get expensive. We went to a hibachi restaurant and had a wonderful time. When the bill came…

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Whenever I hear someone talk about a safe room or “panic room”, I always think of the 2002 Jodi Foster movie Panic Room. For those of you not familiar with the film, Jodi Foster buys a house that has a “panic room” in it. People break into her house and her and her daughter lock themselves into the “panic room”, while the bad guys are looking for a fortune that is supposedly in the house.

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In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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A sling is an essential tool that will enhance your use and mastery of the carbine or rifle. There are many makes and models of slings out there. Some are very good and some are junk.

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When dealing with trauma that involves injuries from gunshot wounds, stabbings, blasts, or even vehicle collisions, a working knowledge of the MARCH protocol can possibly mean the difference between life and death.

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When we talk about being prepared and ready, we always think guns, ammo, shelter, food, and water. What we most often overlook is keeping our guns up and running while we get through whatever emergency/disaster we are in. I will refer to this as “the event”. This means having some spare parts for our ARs in the event we have a catastrophic failure.

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I would like to take the time to talk a little bit about planning. The intent of this article is not to teach a class on MDMP (Military Decision-Making Process) or TLPs (Troop Leading Procedures) or any other type of specific planning models. These models are used by the military and are very effective, however, for the average person, I believe that looking at planning from a broader point of view will be more helpful.

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The events last week in Texas yet again show how delicate our First World nation really is. I won’t waste the time here going into how the “green” energy is wholly ineffective. What I will spend time on is that only you are responsible for you own well-being.

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In a recent correspondence with LTAC, a client stated that, “There’s no possible way I can make the ammunition requirements for this class, with the present cost of ammunition.” I felt bad for him. He signed up for the class almost 10 months before it was to start. I know he was looking forward to it, and if the ammo costs ever come back down, he can sign up again.

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As it is a new year and some of us are going over our equipment, doing the annual service on big things that don’t require much maintenance, I found myself reminiscing on doing tie-downs in the 82nd. I realized how spoiled we are.

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I taught an LTAC Home Defense Series - Part One class to a full room this past weekend. It was a privilege to spend Saturday afternoon with that group. It also was one of the best seminars that I have taught.

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“Embrace the Suck” is a philosophy that I have heard throughout my military career. It has benefited me and will continue to benefit me because life, sometimes, just sucks.

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‘Twas the night before the range, ‘twas quiet all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The guns were tucked into their bags with care, with dreams of lead in the air…

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The reality of my current assignment, using and shooting under Nods is zero. And after selling my PVS-14 last year (like an idiot), it is definitely a zero chance. Don't get me wrong, shooting steel under Nods with IR lasers was awesome! The last time I did anything remotely close was '07 in Lejune with a Peq2 bolted to the plastic hand guards of a 16A2 donning 7B's. But I quickly learned that last night would become the "Dot Torture" of carbine courses. At least it was for me.

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The subject of piston AR15s recently came up during a meeting of Lodestone staff. This is a topic that has fallen off the radar for many, but with so many new AR15 owners it seemed like a good time to discuss the reasons behind their initial development, and why they’ve fallen out of favor.

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With all the man-made craziness and confusion going on, one of the most significant events in the history of the world is being overlooked. Saturday, November 21st marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims anchoring in Provincetown Harbor.

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Given the current “Great Ammo Depression” going on in 2020, many shooters have turned to reloading their own ammunition or buy reloaded ammunition from someone they know. Some of you may have some reservations about reloaded ammunition.

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I designed the RTG series of targets while I was deployed in 2010. As the senior Weapons Sergeant on my ODA, I was the primary trainer. Not just for our partner force, but for my Team as well. I had brought multiple targets for use on the range during training. Bringing them all took up a lot of space. Space, when you deploy, can be a precious commodity.

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Well, you’ve done it – you’ve taken your first firearms training class, and now you’re wondering what to do next. You probably have a notebook full of notes, pictures of your targets, a bunch of answered questions, and some new questions – so what now?

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I’ve been carrying a concealed firearm (mostly consistently) for about 16 or 17 years. Not having even seen an actual gun in real life until I was 20 years old, it took me a little while to get used to the idea of carrying a firearm. And it has taken me even longer to find the right way for me to carry.

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