It’s more obvious than ever that we live in some seriously crazy times right now. The George Floyd incident is horrific and, as has been proven time and time again, violence begets violence.
Most people have been in the same belief that what happened to George Floyd was wrong. At the same time, there are some really good police officers out there. Racism is dumb. It just proves a person’s stupidity to think that factors like skin color make a person less than another.
It is extremely important to allow people to express their discontent with protests though.
The problem is when those peaceful protests lose peace.
Once rioting starts it’s every man for themselves. I can’t tell you how many posts I see on social media about people starting to understand the importance of the 2nd amendment and personal protection.
That means more and more people will be exercising their right to bear arms against tyranny. Tyranny that comes from the state as well as other people.
Though gun stores are open, many people are still worried about COVID-19. Rightfully so. It’s a terrible and dangerous illness. It is keeping some people from going to the gun range to practice. On top of that, some gun ranges ask that you don’t practice with the firearm concealed for the sake of potential issues and mess-ups.
These are just a couple of reasons you need to practice at home. If you are going to practice at home, you MUST do it as safely as possible.
This is even more important if you live in an apartment complex like me.
I have 3 main drills to help you get better at conceal carrying. They can also be added to and expanded upon to practice more.
Though there is value in practicing with a fully loaded firearm, it is incredibly dangerous. That’s why I, and my team at Shield Republic, advocate with home practice with a totally empty firearm. Keep it empty to keep from any misfires.
I had a very close friend of mine that had his hand slip while he was trying to clean his AK-47 he built, and it fired resulting in the death of his sister. It was absolutely tragic and REALLY emphasizes the importance of safety at all times and at all experience levels when it comes to firearms.
Drill 1: Dry Fire
I think most people know how to practice dry firing their firearms. As the term implies, there are no rounds in the firearm at this time.
Completely remove the magazine and triple check the chamber is totally clear.
Depending on your firearm, the next part can be done in various ways.
I have a Sig Sauer P226, the best handgun in the world, and it has double action and single action. Because of that, I practice both ways.
The reason behind this practice is to practice understanding your protection piece and getting better at using it safely.
This drill will help you get a better feel of the trigger and the force required to pull it. It also helps with you making sure you don’t freak out and close your eyes or something when you actually fire the gun.
It’s even more important to be able to do this all correctly when it comes to a situation where you need to use it, much like Jack Wilson from Texas. You have to be prepared when it comes time.
Here’s a YouTube video of Tim Kennedy to explain it and show you how to practice it.
Drill 2: Drawing from Holster
The way Tim Kennedy does the video is a combination of both drill 1 and this drill. Now, I love Tim and the content and gear he and his team produce over at Sheepdog Response, but I think it’s better to start by separating the drills first.
As with any at-home drill, make sure your firearm is completely unloaded. Tim mentions a 3-point check, and I agree with that. Keep it totally safe and clear.
Then put the firearm wherever you conceal carry it. Then practice pulling it and sighting downrange at a target.
I have a fairly small office, so I point at a poster or picture on the wall.
It’s important to practice like the firearm is loaded and keep trigger discipline. As my father-in-law always says, “Keep your booger hook (finger) of the boomstick (trigger) until you’re ready to bring the hate (fire at the target).” My dad’s version wasn’t as ridiculous, so I had trouble remember the saying when I was little.
Practice the draw and put it back. Do various situations and scenarios. Try drawing while seated and standing. Maybe a weird situation like you fell over or were just laying down when the crazy happens.
Here’s another YouTube to follow.
Drill 3: Balance Firing
This drill is extremely helpful working on your aim, and it’s very easy to practice.
Balance something on the barrel of your conceal carry firearm and practice dry firing and keeping the item balanced.
It can be done with a coin, a bullet casing, a bullet, flat side down, or pretty much anything small and balanceable.
Put it on the barrel of your firearm and practice setting up and dry firing. This isn’t for your aim specifically, but it will help that too.
A common issue with shooters is to apply too much pressure with one finger when firing. The body’s response to the recoil is to squeeze the grip tighter, but this leads to the bullet moving slighting in a direction that makes it off target.
When it comes to a life and death scenario, you want to be able to perform to the best level possible.
A common saying is “we don’t rise to the level of our competition but fall to the level of our training.” That means you need to make your training harder and better to be more prepared if you ever get in a situation like this.
Here’s a link to a short video (on Reddit, not YouTube) of someone practicing this drill. It has some comments explaining the drill a little more and what it’s used for and how it helps.