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After the second day of range at the most recent MAG 40 course hosted by Safety Solutions Academy I sat down and spoke with a gaggle of students that participated in class. The students were from a wide variety of backgrounds and from geographical locations from around the US. I like to get to know the students that I am working with, especially the students that face challenges. Richard faces the challenge of living and working in a State that has little respect for his God given rights. NJ. Today we talk to Richard about NJ, concealed carry, the RTKBA and a whole host of other subjects. Make sure to take a look at NJSafe.net. Also, please take a look at the Plan B from Safety Solutions Academy and help to spread the word!

Although the MAG 40 for 2016 has come and gone, my interview with Bryan Bolivar of Modern Rifleman Radio has tons of information that will be beneficial for years to come. Make sure to take a listen and check out the information on the MAG 40 and MAG 20 courses that Safety Solutions Academy hosts annually. Also make sure to check out Modern Rifleman Radio with Bryan Bolivar and Ken Kowalski. You can subscribe to the SSA podcast by heading to http://SafetySolutionsAcademy.com/itunes. Finally, keep an eye out for lots of content talking about the MAG-40 course from the viewpoint of the students.

Thanks for listening! You can check out APEX Tactical Specialties by following this link. Please follow this link to leave a review for the SSA Podcast on iTunes. Visit Safety Solutions Academy on the web for more great content and to find out about our courses. Have a great day!

Thanks for listening! Please follow this link to leave a review for the SSA Podcast on iTunes. Visit Safety Solutions Academy on the web for more great content and to find out about our courses. Have a great day!

It is vital that we are constantly challenging our beliefs. When it comes to the more critical aspects of our lives, we owe it to ourselves to make certain that we are evaluating on truth rather than on what we believe to be the truth. Of course that is an endless quest, however, it is an important one. Today I share with you a conversation designed to help me in that pursuit of knowledge. While at the NRAAM in Louisville, I took some time to talk with the folks at Sig Sauer. My specific questions revolved around the Sig P320 and the fact that it didn't have the trigger safety that is common with so many striker fired handguns. The result of the conversation was this podcast. I spoke at length with Scott Kenneson, the director of training for the Sig Sauer Academy. The conversation was a great one and I hope that you enjoy it.

Connect with Safety Solutions Academy by heading to https://SafetySolutionsAcademy.com Find out more information about the MAG-20 course at https://safetysolutionsacademy.com/mag

Check out the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast at https://SSAPodcast.com Safety Solutions Academy teaches it's flagship course, Critical Defensive Handgun Course on a regular basis and you should swing by the website to take a look at when courses are coming up. You can find the course schedule here. Thanks for tuning in. Please leave a review on iTunes by heading to https://safetysolutionsacademy.com/itunes. Get a chance to win two days of training with Safety Solutions Academy, Just leave a review at the SSA Podcast Facebook page! I appreciate your feedback!

Check out the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast at https://SSAPodcast.com Safety Solutions Academy teaches it's flagship course, Critical Defensive Handgun Course on a regular basis and you should swing by the website to take a look at when courses are coming up. You can find the course schedule here. Thanks for tuning in. Please leave a review on iTunes by heading to https://safetysolutionsacademy.com/itunes. Get a chance to win two days of training with Safety Solutions Academy, Just leave a review at the SSA Podcast Facebook page! I appreciate your feedback!

This weeks interview was a treat to record. It really starts to get to the heart of the type of content that I am trying to create. Throughout our discussion we uncovered lots of quality information digging through our guests journey through life to today. We talk about the types of threats he had to deal with as a crew member on an armored car His background as an EMT, and professional firefighter, How driving can be an important defensive skill and how he drove himself out of a car jacking Why dental hygiene is so important, The Movie Top Gun Mental heuristics, Glycolysis The OODA loop and Jackson Pollocks Paintings. I really think you are going to enjoy my interview with Dr. Sherman House DDS. Dr. House is a practicing emergency Dentist in Nashville, TN. In addition to his dental practice he provides CE opportunities for his colleagues in dentistry. He runs the website Revolverscience.com And he is the founder of Paul-E-Palooza, a memorial foundation for the late Paul Gomez which has raised more than $125,000 to benefit the children of Paul Gomez. The next PEP will be held August 19 and 20 of 2017 Paulepalooza.com for more information.

When you find yourself in a situation where you are discussing your rights to keep and bear arms or your right to self-defense, I think it is pretty important to make sure that you are discussing with logic on your side. Logic is an important tool and often the gun culture rails on the other side for not using it. Well, pot, kettle, black. Wake up people. Gun owners don't do much better when it comes to logic. Take a look at this: https://safetysolutionsacademy.com/fallacy Then listen to what I have to say about the whole thing.

There is really no better way to positively impact our lives than to make a positive impact on our health. If we increase our level of physical performance, mental focus and emotional stability, we can both impact the quality of our day to day life and our ability to perform when we faces the stresses of life up to and including dealing with a violent encounter. If we are more physically capable, we can use our strength, speed, power agility and endurance to our advantage to win a fight. that is pretty obvious. It works the same way when we sharpen out mental focus and our emotional stability. We can process information faster and more accurately and keep our minds focused on the task at hand instead of the reasonable fear that we may be feeling. At the same time, understand that our physical composition, our mental focus and emotional stability can be great tools for avoidance of violence as well. What ever the state of your health, if you carry concealed, you need to be working to improve your health to improve your safety!

Rob Pincus isn't the oldest guy in the gun industry, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from his accomplishments. In the 20 years that Rob has been in the gun industry he has certainly made waves. He has worked in Law Enforcement, in Media, as an instructor and now in the role of conceptual designer of a defensive handgun, the Avidity PD10. I worked with Rob as a Senior outside instructor of the Combat Focus Shooting Program and as a Master Instructor of the Defensive Firearms Coach Program and the School Attacker Response Course and have continued to work with Rob even after departing from the CFS team in 2014. Rob is a wealth of knowledge and I always enjoy spending time with Pincus talking about the industry, where it has been, where it is going and how it is going to get there. This interview with Rob certainly takes the long road, but as I'm sure you would expect, we really get to some quality conversation along the way.

When it comes to guns, gun safety needs to be a primary concern. This isn't because guns are more dangerous than other objects that are common in our lives, but instead, because there are many people who are simply ignorant about guns and how to use them safely. Gun Safety isn't for when we are in a defensive handgun class, or for when we are at the range, or for when our kids are watching. Instead, gun safety is for EVERY TIME you handle guns. In today's show we are going to take a look at the gun safety rules that I teach, expect my students to follow in class, and the rules that I live by EVER TIME I touch a gun. Pay attention, it might save your life or the life of someone you love.

Concealed carry isn't easy. We all wish it was easier, but it isn't. At times it can be frustrating, and uncomfortable, and inconvenient. So of course we work hard to find solutions to our problems. Sometimes those solutions can really fix the problems and other times, they can just create more problems than we started with. What about off body concealed carry? Is solves the comfort problem with 5 stars! BUT, when it comes to the success of concealed carry as a whole, off body concealed carry can lead to some serious issues. Today on the SSA Podcast we are going to take an honest look at off body concealed carry, how it can help us, and what problems it can cause for us and those that we love. I hope you enjoy the show and learn at the same time!

When it comes to GLOCK, I don't buy into the idea of GLOCK Perfection. Instead I think GLOCK Versatility is more like it. GLOCKs are designed to accommodate versatility but even more important is the fact that there are folks out there like Lone Wolf Distributors that take GLOCK Versatility to a whole new level. Today I talk with Zack Carlson of Lone Wolf Distributors about their products, GLOCKs and life in general. I hope you enjoy this episode of the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast!

I am not bashful about safe gun handling. There isn't room to be because the consequences of an error in safe gun handling can be so serious. You need to be thinking about safe gun handling as well and for the same reasons. Most people think about safe gun handling as simply gun safety rules. Gun safety rules are an important part of safe gun handling, but they aren't the whole enchilada. I look at safe gun handling as three big parts: Knowing and understanding gun safety rules. Following gun safety rules EVERY time you handle guns. Making sure that you store and stage your guns in a relatively secure way so that they are inaccessible to unauthorized users. Knowing and Understanding Gun Safety Rules We cannot do what we don't know. Ignorance plays a significant role in accidents with firearms. It is why education is so important. Gun safety education in particular. In this post I talk specifically about how to teach others gun safety if you find yourself in the position where that needs to happen. Knowing gun safety rules is the first step to safe gun handling. Follow Gun Safety Rules EVERY Time You Handle Guns Knowing isn't enough. In addition to knowing gun safety rules you need to be using those same gun safety rules EVERY time you handle guns. This is where the rubber meets the road. It isn't enough to know rules and recite rules, you need to put them to use. Gun safety rules are for the range, for getting your ccw gun on in the morning, for cleaning your gun when no one else is around, for taking a class, or plinking in the desert. Your seatbelt can't protect you when you don't wear it and you lose a layer of safety when you don't put gun safety rules into play. Safe Gun Storage and Staging If you want to learn more about proper gun storage and staging I recently published this post that goes into detail about how you can safely secure your guns when they aren't in your direct control. The article goes well beyond the typical rhetoric about gun storage and is worth your time. Safe gun storage and staging is critical because it keeps those that are ignorant of gun safety rules or unwilling to follow gun safety rules from being able to access your guns with out significant effort to do so. In addition, it keeps those that have malicious intent from being able to harm you or those that you love with your guns

At one time or another, we all face it. A situation where we wish we had our concealed carry handgun, but we don’t. It happens to all of us eventually. I’m not encouraging you to not carry your gun. On the contrary, you should be carrying your gun when you can, but the fact is you can’t always and that is when you need to be ready for the worst. Why? Because murphy said so. Today on the Safety solutions academy podcast we are going to discuss how to stay safe when you can’t carry your gun. You can’t always carry your gun. There are all kinds of situations where carrying your gun isn’t a possibility. Some situations are chosen for you Medical procedure or emergency Court appearance Renew your ccw The State in which you reside Where your employer sends you for work Some situations may be your choice Going out for a few drinks to celebrate Going to see your favorite band (doc and rush) Or flying to see family When you aren’t carrying your gun, it means that you are without an important and powerful tool. But, not having a gun doesn’t mean you don’t have the ability to protect yourself. That is today’s topic how to protect yourself when you don’t have a gun. Avoidance Skills If you can avoid a violent confrontation all together Avoidance Carry yourself with confidence Know what you are doing, where you are doing it and then do it with gusto. Awareness So much more than keeping your head on a swivel. You must become familiar with your surroundings so that you understand what normal is and can recognize what is out of normal. Joshua Gideon - No soft Targets. Learn to do a risk assessment so that you can identify the risks, how to avoid them and how to mitigate them if they can’t be avoided. De-escalation Swallow your pride Walk away Get Away Run away Driving Skills Safety Solutions Academy’s flagship course is Critical Defensive Handgun. The course can be taken as a 1/2 day, 1 day and two day course and is one of the most important courses that you can take if you depend on a handgun for defensive use. It will teach you the critical skills that you need to protect your life and the lives of those that you love and the confidence to enjoy your life even if you are never forced to use your skills. Learn more about Critical Defensive handgun by following this link. Less Lethal Options Just like with firearms, you need to make sure you are in compliance with local and state law when it comes to less lethal options. Chemical defense spray Fox Labs 2 Ounce Flip Top Stream Pepper Spray SABRE 3-IN-1 Pepper Spray - Advanced Police Strength - Compact Size with Clip Electronic Control Devices. TASER c2/Bolt

Welcome to the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast. I have an outstanding interview for you today with an excellent guest and I’m not going to waste any time before we dive in. Today we are going to talk to Massad Ayoob: Internationally know firearms and self-defense instructor who specializes in the laws surrounding the use of lethal force. He has authored more than 20 books and in excess of 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for multiple magazines including: Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Guns & Ammo, Combat Handguns and Gun Week. Since 1995, he has written self-defense and firearms related articles for Backwoods Home Magazine which also makes Mas a prolific blogger. He also has been featured on a segment on the television show Personal Defense TV Ayoob has extensive courtroom experience as a testifying police officer, expert witness, and police prosecutor. Even with all that courtroom experience, he is not an attorney Ayoob is, however, a former Vice Chairman of the Forensic Evidence Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers His published work was cited by the Violence Policy Center in their amicus curiae brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in the District of Columbia v. Heller case. Additionally Ayoob filed a declaration in a second amicus brief in this case. News coverage of Massad Ayoob and what he has accomplished has appeared in or on: Los Angeles Times Boston Globe New York Post National Enquirer ABC's "20/20" BBC News Magazine Massad Akoob has taught police techniques and civilian self-defense to both law enforcement officers and private citizens since 1974 We have spoken with Massad Ayoob before, but today’s episode is different. We spend very little time talking about the legalities of the use of deadly force and instead, hold true to what I am trying to accomplish withe the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast by conducting deep dive interviews that take a look at our world in a way that hasn’t been previously considered. In today’s episode of the Safety Solutions Academy podcast, we talk about topics such as: His very serious introduction to defensive firearms at the age of 12 How he developed his focus on the legalities of the use of deadly force How the shooting landscape has changed through the 50’s, 60’s and into today. And of course the upcoming mag 40 hosted by Safety Solutions Academy In June where a whole slew of folks will have the opportunity to spend time with Massad Ayoob. Stick around to the end of the show and I will let you know how you can attend this course. We hit all of those topics and so much more! I hope you enjoy today’s show with an industry Icon, Massad Ayoob as much as I enjoyed recording it! Please visit SafetySolutionsAcademy.com and check out the MAG 40 course at this link to get registered today.

Gun Safety: Storage vs. Staging With Gun Safety being such an important topic, it only makes sense that we take some time to consider how we deal with our firearms when they are not in our direct control. The steps we take to protect ourselves and others from those unauthorized users that may attempt to access our firearms depends on the specific use of those guns. I divide the two different security protocols into the categories Storage and Staging. What is the difference between Storage and Staging? Understanding terminology can be an important aspect of safety. Of course the concepts are more important that the words that label those concepts and today I want to talk about the concepts behind the terms Storage and Staging. Storage is what it has always been, the methods you use to secure your guns when they are not in use. If you aren't out in the woods hunting, your hunting rifle is stored securely at home (I hope...) Staging is a term I first heard from Rob Pincus of I.C.E. Training and it specifically describes the methods that are recommended for securing your defensive firearms when you are depending on them for home defense. What you can expect to learn from today's Safety Solutions Academy Podcast: The differences between storage and staging How you should store your guns for safety How you can stage a handgun for self-defense What conditions are appropriate for your staged handgun Why the trigger guard needs to be covered on a fully loaded staged handgun What you should do next: Evaluate your Storage and Staging methods and make changes to increase your overall safety. Check out the Hornady Rapid Safe. Share this podcast. Use the social share buttons to tweet this show out or to paste it to face book. Or use the email button to send it directly to someone you know that can use the information in the show. Get subscribed to the Friday15 list so that you receive the free resources for today's show simply text "friday15" to 33444 and get the link to the resources to today's show and all the other Friday 15 Episodes! Head to iTunes to subscribe to the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast and to leave a rating and review!

Defensive training can be fun, entertaining and helpful. At the same time, it can also be a waste of time and money. Most people never find out either way because they simply don't train. If this is you, it is your loss. You see, you and those that you love will have to bear the burden of the consequences of a violent encounter should you ever face one. If you fail to prepare ahead of time you have missed your chance to avoid or mitigate the consequences. You see, that is the purpose of training. The fun and entertainment are a bonus to the real purpose of defensive training: To avoid violence all together or to mitigate the consequences should violence be unavoidable. Today we are going to discuss the 5 critical areas of defensive training that you need to be paying attention to to help keep you and those that you love safe. Tune in to understand what you should be training next.

In the world of self-defense and personal protection, it is common to look to the law enforcement and military worlds for guidance in equipment, accessories, tactics and mindset. At times, this can produce some valuable insight. I would argue, however, that at least as often (probably much more often) these areas can lead us astray when it comes to understanding how we can lead a safer life a an armed citizen. I believe that the average armed citizen could find much more relevant information if they were to look to another realm all together. The executive protection world mimics the role of the concealed carry permit holder much more closely than the military or law enforcement influence that is so prominent. In this episode of the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast we are going to talk with Joshua Gideon about the connection between executive protection and concealed carry. Who is Joshua Gideon? Joshua currently works in IT and has previous experience in IT as a director in a medium sized pharmaceutical corporation where he served in the role of IT and Security Director. Previously, he left IT and trained and worked extensively in Executive Protection for 5 years. Joshua has a tendency to approach personal protection from an intellectual angle rather than having the gear centric focus. Is the host of No Soft Targets Radio a new podcast available on iTunes. What you can expect to learn on today's show: We talk about what executive protection is How executive protection principles can be applied to the life of a concealed carry permit holder. We also discuss the idea that your personal security is scaleable. What you should do next: Head to iTunes and do a search for No Soft Targets Radio. While you are there, leave a rating and review and subscribe to the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast.

When I teach concealed carry classes (and I try to average 1 CCW class each month just to stay in touch with those new to defensive handguns) I am always impressed by the number of people that are ignorant of the legal aspects of self-defense, especially the use of deadly force. I shouldn't be so surprised. The legal system can be complicated and when it comes to self-defense it is even more complicated that one would hope for. Many attorneys don't understand the finer points of the legal system and self-defense. The problem is that when it comes to both the criminal and the civil legal systems in the U.S., ignorance is not an excuse for stepping outside the bounds of the law. This leads us to another challenge. Often people that are ignorant don't know they are ignorant. How could they? How can people know what they don't know? It is for this reason that I host Massad Ayoob and the Massad Ayoob Group every year for the MAG-40 course. This is an outstanding opportunity to learn what you don't know and need to know abut the legalities of self-defense and the use of lethal force. If you depend on a gun for self-defense, the MAG classes should be considered required. Today we take a tiny look at what you should be seeking out when it comes to legal knowledge. You see, there are things that you can do, simple things, before, during and after a violent encounter to help and reduce the likelihood of you running into an undeserved legal quagmire that can easily cost you 10's of thousands of dollars to defend against and could cost you your physical freedom and/or your personal financial security. The steps are simple so listen carefully and then take action! If you get a chance, swing by iTunes and leave a rating and a review for the SSA Podcast and don't forget to subscribe so that the new shows are delivered right to your favorite listening device!

Concealed carry isn't as easy as everyone would lead you to believe. In fact, I think it can be a difficult challenge for many folks to get the training they need, practice to stay proficient, find a system that makes carry comfortable and convenient while still providing reasonable access to their gun. It can be downright difficult. The physical aspect of shooting can be a challenge for some folks as well. Especially when we expect them to get hits with the actual gun they are going to carry. Because of all the challenges that concealed carry poses, many folks select a small gun to ease the burden. A small gun certainly makes carry easier, but, when it gets to the shooting part, things can get tough with itty bitty guns. Small sights, stiff springs, long and heavy triggers all in a package that is hard to hold on to and recoils more than you might like all adds up to a gun that is hard to shoot. So, what do most people do? They practice and train with a gun that is easy and enjoyable to shoot and carry the gun that is easy and enjoyable to carry... Do you see the problem? Yeah, you guessed it, you actually need to be able to get the hits with the gun that you carry concealed. There are some times when it makes sense to practice and train with a gun other than your carry gun and those are the situations we are going to talk about today on the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast.

Some random thoughts for you today that lead to some meaningful lessons in self-defense and personal protection.

An Interview with Dr. John Edeen MD The Safety Solutions Academy Podcast Interview Shows are intended to help and bring a new viewpoint to the discussions that SSA typically has regarding personal safety, self-defense and defensive shooting. Today’s guest does a great job of that. Dr. John Edeen, MD is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon currently in practice in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Edeen is a veteran of the United States Navy. John is a hunter, a defensive shooter, a concealed carry permit holder, an NRA Instructor, has dabbled in competitive shooting and is a self proclaimed defensive training junkie. I met John in NE Ohio when he attended a course hosted by Safety Solutions Academy and we have kept in touch since. Dr. Edeen is currently serving as the membership director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership and has placed a significant amount of effort in helping to spread the word and the message about DRGO. You can view his media page here. What We Discuss: As a person and as a parent I am relatively attentive to safety. In fact, I would say that I routinely err on the side of personal safety and security in the choices that I make for myself and in my family. That hasn’t stopped my kids for choosing otherwise. Don’t get me wrong. My kids aren’t reckless. They are normal healthy, active kids. That means from time to time we have injuries to deal with. Over the past few years between the two of them, we have had 3 fractures to deal with. Today’s conversation with Dr. Edeen goes beyond guns. We talk about how John got involved in guns, kids and injury prevention, athletic injury, the Second Amendment and the Medical Profession, why hospitals should permit concealed carry, DRGO and much more. What You Should Do Next: Visit DRGO.us. Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership is an organization that goes well beyond doctors. It is focused on providing information and expanding the rights of anyone that is involved with the medical profession. That is all of us. Take a few minutes to consider if there are ways you can help your kids lead a safer life. That trampoline you have? Yeah, you are better off selling it to a pedophile on craigslist than keeping it… Subscribe to the SSA Podcast and head to www.safetysolutionsacademy.com/itunes to leave a rating and a review.

Range Safety: Your Actions can help to keep yourself and those around you safe. When we practice and train with our defensive firearms we train to live a safer life. As a result we don't want our practice or training to injure us or any one else. This makes range safety a priority. When it comes to range safety, we all play a role in making sure that our trip to the range doesn't end in tragedy. There are some steps that you can take to make sure that range safety is a priority when you go shooting. Promote a Culture of Range Safety and Safe Gun Handling Range safety is more than just having a set of policies and procedures. Of course that should be a part of the whole picture, however, if that is where it ends you are simply in CYA mode. A better approach is to promote a holistic approach to range safety. Gun safety is an all the time proposition. Make sure that you are promoting a culture of gun safety. Take Actions to Avoid Accidents and Mitigate Consequences on the Range The only way to avoid the negative consequences of accidents on the range is to avoid those accidents all together. We can take significant action to avoid accidents, however, we cannot eliminate them completely. There will always be circumstances that are outside of our control. When we cannot prevent an accident from happening we need to have plans in place to mitigate the negative consequences of those situations. Through avoidance of accidents ever taking place and mitigation of consequences when accidents do happen we can reduce the overall impact of accidents on the range. Range Safety Policies and Procedures Having policies and procedures in place can help to reduce accidents in some situations. However, don’t think for a moment that a policy alone will keep you or those around you safe. Policies need to be practical, they need to make a meaningful difference in safety and they need to be used. Maybe most importantly, safety policies cannot be the end of range safety. There has to be support for the policies that are in place, or they are just a set of rules to cover your tail when something preventable happens. Your range safety culture shouldn’t be about covering your ass. Instead it should be about avoiding accidents and mitigating the consequences when they cannot be avoided. One of the most important policies to have in place is a policy of education. Educate People about Range Safety It doesn’t matter the circumstances. Range Safety is an important factor and is a focus of every visit I make to the range. Communicate on the Range to Increase Safety Sound communication makes everything better and it follows with Range Safety. It is impossible to create and promote a culture of Range Safety if you don’t communicate about it. If you wait until you NEED to communicate about range safety you are doing it wrong. Remember, range safety is about prevention. Prevention is best achieved with well thought out and deliberate actions not last minute commands followed by a sigh of relief. Have an Emergency Action Plan and be ready to use it! Fact. You can do everything right and still face a range accident. Once people are injured your focus needs to shift to reducing the consequences of whatever it is that happened. This is when you emergency action plan needs to come into play. I discussed emergency action plans in a previous Friday 15 and you can find that episode here. The key to your emergency action plan is that it needs to be complete, it needs to be reviewed with all people present and it needs to be clearly posted to make sure that it can be referenced in an emergency situation. Take a minute to listen to the Medical Skills Matter Friday 15 and subscribe to the Friday 15 email list so that you can download the EAP template. What you need to do next: Subscribe to the SSA Podcast on iTunes. Subscribe to The Friday 15 list and download the free resources from today’s episode.

Teaching Gun Safety: Tips to make sure you are teaching gun safety efficiently. Gun safety is the most important topic in firearms training that we can discuss. With more and more new shooters entering the ranks as both shooters and gun owners, the pace of gun safety education has had to pick up to meet the demand. Many folks don’t enroll in a formal course to learn gun safety. Instead they trust their friends and acquaintances to help and guid them. This can be met with great success or it could be a dismal failure. Often it is something right in the middle where all involved narrowly escaped disaster, through luck. Luck counts, but don’t count on luck. We need quality gun safety education so that folks can intentionally avoid an accident with a gun. Accidents with guns are serious events that can lead to serious injury or death. In many situations a bit of attention to detail can help everyday folks do a better job of teaching gun safety and those are the tips I’m going to give you today. Don’t forget to visit the blog post for more info on teaching gun safety. You can find it at www.safetysolutionsacademy.com/teachgunsafety. What you can expect from this episode of the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast Important ideas you need to understand BEFORE you teach someone gun safety. How to be a more efficient teacher by: Setting a good example Using conversation to your advantage How to teach the thinking behind gun safety And why DOING is the most important aspect of teaching gun safety. Here is What You Should Do Next: Take Advantage of These Important Resources: Professional instruction can be found in gun safety courses as well as in other quality defensive firearms courses. Safety Solutions Academy has a strong focus on gun safety in EVERY gun course including in our concealed carry courses and Critical Defensive Handgun course. If you need to brush up on your gun safety before you teach or want a leg up before you take a course, order Massad Ayoobs book, Gun Safety in the Home. Visit the Safety Solutions Academy website for more insight into teaching Gun Safety. Visit the Blog post at www.SafetySoltuionsAcademy.com/teachguntraining for info on how to teach your soups or your kids about gun safety. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

What Non-Shooters Need to Know about Guns In life I have found that just because I don't want to deal with something doesn't mean I don't have to deal with it. I don't want to do dishes, or laundry, or mow the lawn, but I have to do all those things any way. There are other things I don't want to have to deal with ever and I actively work to avoid them. Things like changing a tire on the side of the road. Not only unpleasant, but also possibly dangerous. None-the-less, I may have to deal with a roadside flat and as result, I have prepared myself with the knowledge and the tools to change a tire if I need to. In the same vain, I think that responsible adults should prepare to deal with similar situations that may arise regardless of their distaste for the activity. So it is with guns. There are things that everyone who is old enough should be educated in. What you can expect from today's episode: What to do if You find a Gun Rules for Safe Gun Handling How To Unload a Gun and Verify it is Unloaded Guns Don't Operate on Their Own Guns Don't Always Work Rules for Safe Gun Handling Keep your finger someplace other than the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Keep the gun pointed in a relatively safe direction whenever possible. Keep in mind that you are in control of a deadly weapon and if you use it with malice or negligence you can hurt or kill yourself or someone else. These rules will keep you in pretty good shape anytime you need to handle a gun, even if you don’t want to. In addition, I teach two other rules as well and they are particularly helpful in the scenario I laid out above. Minimize administrative gun handling. No one person has the authority to declare a gun unloaded. Here is the bottom line when it comes to gun safety rules for the non-shooter: Know the rules. Use them EVERY TIME you handle a gun. If you do, you will keep yourself and those around you relatively safe. How? Here is how: If your finger is off the trigger the gun is very unlikely to fire because it is usually fingers that fire guns. They don’t go off by themselves. If you keep the gun pointed in a relatively safe direction if the gun some how fires there will be relatively little consequence. If you remember that you are in control of a deadly weapon, if you are not sure what to do you will get someone that knows what to do to help you. If you minimize the handling of the gun you greatly reduce the risk that there can be any kind of an accident. If you need to handle the gun and unload it and you verify with someone else that the gun is unloaded, again you reduce the risks greatly. I think it is pretty clear how important it is to know the rules of gun safety. Even if you don’t use guns regularly, you could find yourself in a situation where you need to deal with a firearm. A general understanding of gun safety rules can go a long ways toward keeping you safe. What you should do next: Consider that I may not have written this blog post for you. SHARE IT. Share it with your shooting friends and those people in your life that are responsible and that you love even if they aren’t a shooter. Just go up to the white bar at the top of your browser, select the text, copy it and then paste it into an email, text message or post on your favorite social media platform. Help spread the word! Subscribe to the Friday 15 list so that you can download the skill checklist for non-shooters. Have your loved ones listen to this episode of the SSA Podcast. You are subscribed aren’t you? Take a look at these books and dvd’s regarding workplace violence. They will have important tips that can help you survive even if you don’t have a gun. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

Are You Making Concealed Carry Mistakes? The stakes of violence are high and for that reason we would like to know as much as possible about the ways that we can really keep ourselves safer. For many people, the solution is carrying a handgun concealed. I agree that concealed carry is important, but at the same time, the self-defense industry is rife with issues. One of the biggest issues is that a large percentage of people are making some significant mistakes when it comes to concealed carry. The question you need to be asking yourself is are YOU making a concealed carry mistake that could cost you your life? Concealed Carry Mistakes: Big errors might be more common than you think. In fact, you might be making what I consider a concealed carry mistakes. The reason why is simple, the self-defense arm of the gun industry is full of misinformation that is passes off as the gold standard. In most cases, this isn’t done on purpose, but that doesn’t make the consequences any less severe for people that head into real violence with bad conceptual information. That’s the problem. The consequences are severe and can be as severe as a loss of your personal freedom or your financial security. It’s for that reason that you need to know about common concealed carry mistakes and take an honest account of your situation and make changes if you choose to. 5 Common Concealed Carry Mistakes: What you can expect from today’s show. In today’s episode of the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast we are going to take a look at: Why it is an error if you only carry your gun when you think you are going to need it. The real reason why carrying with an empty chamber is a concealed carry mistake. The issues that surround off body carry and why it could be a serious CCW error. Why you need to widen your horizon beyond firearm solutions for your safety. Take Advantage of These Important Resources: You can read more information on 5 Common Concealed Carry Mistakes by visiting the Safety Solutions Academy website. You might want to take a look at this video on carrying a round in the chamber. Here is What You Should Do Next: Subscribe to the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast and please leave a rating and review. Take a critical look at your concealed carry habits and consider if you might be making some mistakes that need correcting. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

Finding a Quality Concealed Carry Holster Anyone that has spent tine carrying a concealed handgun has accumulated a collection of concealed carry holsters. It isn't because we carry so many guns, instead, it's because holsters come in so many shapes and sizes for so many different uses for so many different people. I think finding the right concealed carry holster is the most difficult gear related aspect of concealed carry and it is one of the biggest reasons that people that have concealed carry permits don't carry guns. There are so many guns and so many materials and so many styles and so many positions that manufacturers How to select a holster that will allow you to carry your handgun Safely, Comfortably and Securely. A holster has a lot of duties and the unfortunate truth is they don’t all play well together. In fact, often when a holster does one thing well, it makes it difficult to do other things well. This guide will give you some ideas of the responsibilities that you have in selecting a quality holster. What is a “Quality” holster? Some one should send this guide to many of the holster manufacturers that stock your local gun shops shelves. Of course you may find some quality holsters on the shelves, but unfortunately they are the exception not the rule… So what is a quality holster? A quality holster helps you to carry your handgun safely, comfortably and securely. A quality holster has specific characteristics that I remember with the nemonic: R-A-G T-O-P R - Retention A - Application G - Gun Fit T - Trigger O - Open Mouth P - Position If you are looking for your first holster or are needing to replace the holster that you are currently carrying consider thinking about R-A-G-T-O-P while you are searching for the replacement.Follow this link and get subscribed to the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast.

Defensive Gun Training: How to find a range where you can practice REALISTIC skills. I always end Safety Solutions Academy courses with a debrief session. I ask my students to provide feedback on the course or, ask questions that they are wondering about so that we have one last opportunity to discuss class related issues as a group. One of the questions that is asked with and incurable frequency is, "Where can I practice the skills we just learned?" It is a great question and an issue that I have struggled with as a defensive shooter and a professional defensive firearms instructor. Over the years I have found some success in either helping to coach the facilities I use toward more practical firearms training or when that isn't possible finding a new facility to either conduct realistic practice for myself, or, high quality, realistic, defensive training for Safety Solutions Academy. If you are interested in finding a location that is more suited to defensive firearms practice I may have some suggestions for you on how you can help your facility to adapt to realistic training or how you can find a location that will allow you to train realistically. Take some time and listen to today's episode of the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast and see what you can do to get some realistic defensive firearms training or practice in at your facility. You can find an extensive blog post on today's podcast at www.safetysolutionsacademy.com/defensivegunrange. If you enjoy the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast, please take a moment to subscribe to the show and leave a rating and review on the SSA Podcast on iTunes. Simply head to www.Safetysolutionsacademy.com/itunes and then click the button to head to iTunes where you can leave an honest rating and review. My goal with reviews and ratings is to simply get information to protective listeners so that they can decide if the Safety Solutions Academy podcast is the right show for them to subscribe to and download.

Equipment: Why we should all be talking and learning about concealed carry gear. There seems to be some serious pushback in the defensive world to the idea of paying attention to the defensive gear you select. I understand where this resistance to gear is coming from. It stems directly from the idea that there are plenty of folks out there that focus on gear only. Consumers Retailers Media outlets They are all guilty of paying too much attention to the gear. If we are realistic about our defensive needs it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that no one NEEDS a $2500 defensive handgun. Yet there are plenty of very expensive defensive guns out there and plenty of people that are willing to pay for them. Rarely will a $2500 custom GLOCK out perform a stock GLOCK in meaningful terms. Sometimes the effect is exactly the opposite. In tweaking the standard we can create more problems. If you took the $2000 excess and spent it on training rather than on costly enhancements to an already capable gun think of the difference that you might see in your performance. You would be faster and would be prepared to deal with much more than a skeletonized slide can provide. The idea is, we can take equipment too far. If, however, you don’t understand that some gear is going to perform better than other gear in defensive situations, you are missing the point. There are some important ideas that people need to understand about gear. When we ignore defensive equipment it leaves the evaluation process of defensive tools up in the air. New defensive shooters Folks looking for a change People trying to correct an error Folks need to have discussions, hear opinions and learn about concealed carry gear. If CCW gear isn’t being talked about, how is that learning supposed to take place. You can get the links to the free resources I talked about in today's show by following this link.

Today, people are clamoring for safety and for good reason. San Bernardino was a wake up call. Paris got people’s attention, but San Bernardino hit home. It took place in a state with some of the most restrictive laws. The people that were killed were unable to stop it and police, as fast as their response was, were unable to stop it. As a result terrorists murdered Americans in cold blood. San Bernardino is smelling salts under the nose of America. The problem is that America has been asleep for years and when you wake up from that deep of an unconsciousness you tend to be a bit groggy. The fighting spirit of the American people has dissipated with sleep. We have lost our mindset. Today in episode 370 are going to take and unscripted harsh look at why mindset is the key to your personal safety. In some ways the rush for the tools that many people are making is a mistake because it short cuts the reality of what you really need and we will take a look at what it is that you can do to increase your commitment to your personal safety. When it comes to defensive training and concealed carry there are typically 3 areas the people can choose to focus on within any specific discipline. We might be talking about unarmed aspect of self-defense or the medical aftermath that you may need to deal with or even the legal fight you might face following a use of lethal force. It doesn’t matter what the area is it can be approached from three different angles: Mindset Skills & Tactics Tools If we take a look at each aspect and what it is it would break down something like this: Mindset Mindset is your willingness to act. What will it take for you to actually respond to a situation. Where is your line in the sand? Skills & Tactics Think of skills and tactics as how it is that you will act after the line has been crossed. This may take into account your previous experience and the pedagogy that you have invested in. Tools Tools make up the actual physical assets that you act with. When it comes to Mindset, Skills and Tactics or Tools, the list is ordinal. It simply means that one of the list is more important than all the others. The most important is MINDSET. Consider this: Without the willingness to act you have nothing. The way you do something is irrelevant if you never do it. The tool you do something with doesn’t matter if you never do it. You must have the willingness to act. Doing it is the answer. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Those are the words of Theodore Roosevelt spoke these words in Paris of all places. The question that you should be asking yourself is not what gun should I get. The gun is the tool. Instead you need to be asking do I have what it takes to DO SOMETHING? Some ways to build mindset: Get outside Push your limits Reflect on what you value and what you are willing to do to preserve it. Christmas morning look at the people around you. What are you willing to do to keep those people safe? What are you willing to do to keep yourself safe so that those people have you to enjoy and guid e them in life. Reflect on who you fear and what they are willing to sacrifice. YOU MUST BE WILLING TO raise their bet. You must go all in. If you appreciated this Friday 15, if you want to learn more about how you can harden yourself and increase your mindset, I want you to connect with me. When you do I am going to send you a pdf of the resources I talked about in this episode and future resources that are going to help you to make real improvements in your personal safety. All you need to do is take out your cell phone and text the word “Friday15” to 33444 and I will get you a link to where you can download your free pdf. Thank you for spending some time with me prepare yourself and those that you love by increasing your mindset. Get out there get some training, when you do, keep it simple, stay safe and have a great day.

You! Call 911! When you need help in an emergency situation you usually need it pretty quickly. Yet we know that once you call, you are on your own for minutes before help arrives. Minutes can seem like an eternity when lives are on the line, but so often people hesitate to call 911 when they see emergency circumstances on the horizon. Know why to call 911, when to call 911, and how to call 911. Knowing what the right reasons are for calling 911, when to call 911, and what needs to happen when you call 911 can make a big difference in the outcome of an emergency. In general, the more information we can help the dispatcher understand about a situation, the more likely emergency responders are to have the information they need to help resolve the situation once they arrive on scene. In some situations, the call itself can help get the correct response to the scene. It makes sense to take some time to consider why we might call 911, when that call should be placed and what the important aspects of the call are BEFORE we ever have to place that call. Important Resources Here is a children’s book you can use to help your children understand how to call 911 in an emergency. Here is a resource for adults to understand the importance of the information that a 911 Dispatcher needs. Lone Star Medics is one of my go to resources when it comes to getting proper tactical medical training. What you should do next: Gain knowledge Develop skills Procure tools You can do all those things by connecting with Safety Solutions Academy. Simply use your phone to text “friday15” to the #33444 for additional resources delivered to your inbox in an easy to use pdf document. The links are right there for you to follow so that you can figure it all out. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

You are doing self defense wrong! Most defensive shooters out there are doing it wrong. By definition. If you are a defensive shooter, it means that you are specialized in a very specific area of defense. Shooting might be the most fun area to specialize in. It might be the sexiest. When you need shooting it certainly is important. Most folks never need the gun. Instead they need avoidance skills. They need unarmed skills. The need medical skills. Yet very few take that seriously. Medical Skills: More important than defensive firearm skills. It is true. Medical skills are more likely to be used in a much wider set of circumstances than defensive handgun skills. As a professional defensive firearms instructor, I have never had to fire my gun in self defense, yet there are 4 times where I have used medical skills to impact another person’s life in a significantly positive manner. It is probably the same with you. Even if you do find yourself involved in violence, serious injury is a common consequence of violence. So it only makes sense that you would want to have medical skills to help deal with the consequences of violence once you do what needs to be done. So do something about it. Important Resources American Red Cross - Common first aid and CPR courses. American Heart Association - Common first aid and CPR courses. Lone Star Medics is one of my go to resources when it comes to getting proper tactical medical training. What you should do next: Gain knowledge Develop skills Procure tools You can do all those things by connecting with Safety Solutions Academy. Simply use your phone to text “friday15” to the #33444 for additional resources delivered to your inbox in an easy to use pdf document. The links are right there for you to follow so that you can figure it all out. I will also include an easy fill in the blank Range Emergency Action Plan for you to use to organize your resources. This will help to make sure you are ready should you ever face a accident on the range. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

15 Minute Friday is a fast paced short presentation designed to get you thinking about your own personal safety and the safety of those around you. Today in episode 0367 we are going to talk about our emotions and how our emotional state can effect our personal security. 15 Minute Friday: Your emotions and personal protection. I have experienced it and I’m sure you have as well. My emotions, whether good or bad, have at time distracted me from important tasks that need to be dealt with. This experience can range from exciting, to slightly annoying to downright dangerous, depending on the emotions and how we learn to recognize and deal with them. Understanding that our emotions have an impact on our personal security is the first step to harnessing our emotional power to increase our safety. What you can expect to learn: Different ways that you emotions can distract you from important things that are going on in your life Ways you might evaluate your emotions and their appropriateness depending on the circumstances Remember that avoidance is a powerful tool and understanding and regulating your emotions can be a big step in the right direction toward increasing your safety Some ways to understand the positives and negatives of your emotions and their impact on your personal security. Important resources: You can find more resources on important personal safety topics at Safety Solutions Academy Subscribe to the SSA Podcast on iTunes Take a look at what SSA has to offer on it’s YouTube Channel Know that your emotions can distract you. At the same time we must understand that our emotions are there for a reason. Emotions can be a very rewarding part of life and at times they can be a tool that can help you to recognize and respond to danger. Develop strategies and skills to that you can maximize the benefits of your emotions. Realize that at time your emotions may overwhelm you and at those times you may be the most venerable to risks associated with personal protection. As a result, you need to recognize and accept that you may face threats when you are least prepared and least expecting them. What you should do next: Right now I want you to take a moment and do something for me. Take your phone and open up your text messaging app. Open up a new text message and enter the number 33444 in the to: field That is 33444 the text message I want you to send is friday15 the word “friday” followed by the digits 15. With no spaces “friday15” when you do this you will receive a link to download a quick pdf with some reminders about how your emotions can impact your personal safety. Again text “friday15” to the number 33444. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

Ben Branam and Bob Mayne of Modern Self Protection and Handgun World In the modern world there is all kinds of information available to us just about any topic we want to learn about. That info is right at our finger tips ready for us to access at a moments notice. The firearms industry is no different. In fact it may be an industry with a higher than average density of new media options for its consumers. There are tons of YouTube channels, podcasts, blogposts, and more. That is a good thing. Today I am sitting down with two folks that are active in the firearms podcast and instruction world. Bob Mayne, of the Handgun World Podcast and Ben Branam of Modern Self Protection are two of the many people that in the industry that are creating quality content for consumers in the firearms and personal protection industry. Today we are going to have a conversation about podcasts, firearms instruction and the gun world in general and it is gonna be a blast! In a world where three gun podcasts collide… One of the most rewarding aspects of the firearms industry is the people. It is people like Ben and Bob and you that make my job as awesome as it is. When I heard from John, a SSA Alumni and a listener and friend of Ben and Bob’s that this dynamic duo was going to be in NE Ohio to teach a two day course, I did my best to clear my schedule so that I could network, make new friends and record some audio for you. I am glad that I did. I was able to spend all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening with Bob and Ben. I got to know their program, their instructional styles and then as individuals. It was a good weekend. Bob and Ben were in town to teach their Beyond Concealed Carry Course and I am guessing that they will be back in Ohio in the future to teach again. Until that happens you have the opportunity to train with Safety Solutions Academy. SSA’s Parallel course would be our Critical Defensive Handgun Course. It is carefully designed to help you understand and master THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS for defending yourself and those that you love should you face a violent encounter where innocent life is on the line. Follow the link and check out the course outline for our Critical Defensive Handgun course and get registered today! What you can expect to learn: Why Bob and Ben like podcasting as a way to reach folks like you How the Handgun World Show and Modern Self Protection got their start What it is that motivated these two firearms industry podcasters to move into firearms training What Beyond Concealed Carry is all about What challenges the course and it’s instructors have faced as they have matured in both instruction and podcasting Take Advantage of These Important Resources: Find Bob Mayne and the Handgun World Podcast at Handgun World and in iTunes You can find Ben Branam at Modern Self Protection and iTunes Make sure to take a look at their course schedules for their next Beyond Concealed Carry Course or for SSA’s Critical Defensive Handgun. One of the things that Ben and I talked about was the book, The Gift of Fear. It should be on the top of your reading list if you haven’t read it. Here is What You Should Do Next: Listen to Modern Self Protection Listen to Handgun World Get some training Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

It would be nice to live in a world where a good defensive shoot was a good defensive shoot. The unfortunate reality is that there are many things that can get involved in the legal aspect of self-defense that simply don’t belong there. Of course sometimes people make errors, or they misunderstand, but people also attack others for political gain and in the name of “social progress.” When you consider what is at stake when you find yourself in the legal system as the result of a defensive gun use, it makes sense to consider how you can position yourself best to avoid the potential loss of freedom and the serious financial consequences that can come from a bout with the legal system. Massad Ayoob on Deadly Force Massad Ayoob began writing in the firearms industry in 1971 and as an author, law enforcement officer and expert witness he quickly became the industry’s noted expert on the use of deadly force. Mas continues his work today traveling the country and instructing law enforcement officers and armed citizens in the use of deadly force and the legal defense of the use of deadly force. Massad Ayoob Group’s MAG-20 is a 20 hour lecture based course designed to help the layman understand the critical nuances that make self-defense law different from other forms of criminal law and for the cost of less than two hours with a top criminal attorney students are able to get a more solid grasp on self-defense law than most attorneys receive in their formal education. Each year Safety Solutions Academy hosts Massad Ayoob for both his MAG-20 and MAG-40 course which includes 20 hours of live fire training. Dates for the 2016 courses will be coming soon. What you Can Expect to Learn: What specific actions you can take today to reduce your legal profile should you need to defend yourself or other innocent people. Defensive handgun modifications that should be avoided and modifications that are good to go. What legal concepts are important to understand and where you can learn about them. How to find a good attorney so that you have the legal representation you need. And much more! Take Advantage of These Important Resources: Pick up a copy of Massad Ayoob’s book, Deadly Force Take a look at the course descriptions for the MAG-40 and MAG-20 courses and determine which one is the right course for you and then set a goal to attend that course in 2016. Increase you level of defensive proficiency with your defensive handgun by taking a Critical Defensive Handgun Course with Safety Solutions Academy. Here is What You Should Do Next: Pick up a copy of Massad Ayoob’s book, Deadly Force Take a look at the course descriptions for the MAG-40 and MAG-20 courses and determine which one is the right course for you and then set a goal to attend that course in 2016. Increase you level of defensive proficiency with your defensive handgun by taking a Critical Defensive Handgun Course with Safety Solutions Academy. Thanks for taking the time to consider what I have to say! -= Paul Carlson =- Please keep in mind that some of the links included here on the blog may be affiliate links. When you click through an affiliate link, Safety Solutions Academy gets paid a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support in clicking these links. If you would prefer to not follow an affiliate link, simply open a new browser window and perform a google search for the products you are interested in.

When you find yourself in the midst of 100+ hot, dirty, tired, sweaty, men and women who have been training hard all day in the sun, and they have smiles on their faces, while they are digging deep into their pockets you know that you have found a special place and a special group of people. Each year in mid August I find myself in just such a scenario in Garettsville, Ohio at an wonderful event called Paul-E-Palooza. Today’s Safety Solutions Academy Podcast Episode # 364 we are going to talk about an amazing event for an amazing purpose that brings together an amazing bunch of people. We are going to cover a recap of sorts of Paul-E-Palooza 3. It is one of my favorite times of year. It’s like Christmas for defensive training junkies and at the same time, it is an opportunity to spend time with a wonderful group of people, whom many of which I am lucky enough to call friends. I’m going to do my best to try and share with you what Paul-E-Palooza 3 was like. Those of you that were there will probably smile and think back fondly. Those that were at PEP 1 or Paul-E-Palooza 2, Electric Bugaloo and missed PEP3 might feel a tinge of frustration that you missed it but think back fondly to your time in past years. Those of you that have never been to a PEP hopefully will get some idea of what PEP is all about. Paul-E-Palooza is a Memorial Fund Raiser The fact that PEP is a MEMORIAL fund raiser, again, A MEMORIAL means that there are a lot of people that wish that Paul-E-Palooza didn’t exist. You see. It Is because of the death of Paul Gomez that it exists. Those that knew Paul would rather have him than Paul-E-Palooza. Yet at the same time Paul-E-Palooza is a beautiful thing. The friends and colleagues of Paul Gomez came to gather to support his children in an impressive way. As a result a training event evolved in a fashion that organizers believed Paul would have a appreciated and it has been an outstanding success. Each year that PEP has run it has earned mid 5 digits to help provide for Paul’s children the things that all children need like braces, and school tuition. From that aspect PEP is really a beautiful thing. Safety Solutions Academy’s flagship course is Critical Defensive Handgun. The course can be taken as a 1/2 day, 1 day and two day course and is one of the most important courses that you can take if you depend on a handgun for defensive use. It will teach you the critical skills that you need to protect your life and the lives of those that you love and the confidence to enjoy your life even if you are never forced to use your skills. Learn more about Critical Defensive handgun by following this link. PEP an Opportunity to Train for Reality Realistic training can be invaluable and at the same time difficult to find. Not so at Paul-E-Palooza. You can see the list of instructors here at the PEP website and also here at an after action report I wrote regarding Paul-E-Palooza 3. There are few places where you can get so many different genres of personal defense related training. PEP is one of them and this year at Paul-E-Palooza 3 is one of the places. You can get great medical training, outstanding defensive theory courses, a better understanding of mindset, unarmed combatives training, experience with sharp weapons, weapon retention skills, disarm work and general preparedness information. I talked about this in a recent blog post I wrote for the personal defense network you can read it at SSA.training/trainforreality. Take a few minutes to take a look at the blog post. The idea that we can’t be dependent on the gun and the gun alone. We have to have other skills. Think of the train to Paris and the 3 U.S. service men. There they were with no firearms pitted against a well armed if ill prepared terrorist. They needed a wide variety of skills including medical skills to keep everyone on that train alive. PEP can help you round out your skills if you are willing to do it. You might not master those skills, but you at least you can find the instructors that can help you to master the skills in the future. PEP 3: A nest in a tree of trust and understanding… PEP is a place where lots of big people come together. I don’t mean big like Paul Sharp, Greg Elifritz big. Instead I mean big as in big time. What is interesting is that although there are lots of egos they don’t seem to bump like we might expect us to do. It’s pretty awesome when you get lots of alpha dogs together yet they get along better than most regular groups of people. Maybe its the idea that an armed society is a polite society Or maybe when big people come to gather for big reasons they set the little things aside. I love it but with very few exceptions, people just aren’t cross at Paul-E-Palooza. I think we might tear each other apart on social media if it wasn’t for the common ground we have come together to celebrate and that is a very cool aspect of PEP. If you regularly have issues with your ego bumping into other egos, maybe you should

Everyone wants to live a safe life right? In the firearms community folks tend to purchase a gun, head to the range and then call it good. Some folks that are a bit more dedicated get their permit and some actually get real defensive handgun training. But the question we really need to be asking our selves is, does any of that really make us safer? Today on the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast Episode # 363 we are going to talk about some very simple changes you can make to your life so that it is truly safer. [smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/safetysolutionsacademy/363.mp3" title="363 - Easy steps to increase your safety!" artist="Paul Carlson - Safety Solutions Academy" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" ] Safety is an interesting topic. Why? Probably because the majority of people are happy just FEELING safer. Let me say that again. They aren’t worried abut actually being safer, instead they are content with just feeling like they are safer. Those same folks often take actions that might be headed in the right direction toward true safety, but they fail to follow through on actually increasing their safety. This dude cannot abide. Safety is critical to life. If we don’t actually increase our safety we are relying on luck and hope to keep us around. Call me a control freak, but I actually want to survive to be an old man. So, today we will take a look at some simple things you can do to really be safer. In Episode 363 you can expect to hear about: Why locking doors can be a big increase in safety A strategy for keeping your office door relatively secure without locking everyone else out of your office A key fob car lock strategy that impressed even the LE officers in a recent Critical Vehicle Concealed Carry class What kinds of training can really make a difference in your safety What tool you actually need to have with you if you depend on it or safety Steps you can take to improve your health More! Important Resources: Legal Courses Medical Courses Avoidance Courses Defensive Handgun Courses Critical Vehicle Concealed Carry Here is what you should do next: Please head to the podcast blog page at SafetySolutionsAcademy.com/363 and comment with one step you are going to take to lead a safer life! Carry the discussion on social media by using the hashtag #ssapodcast363. Please point your browser to SafetySolutionsAcademy.com/itunes and leave a review for the SSA Podcast. Thanks for taking the time to download and listen to the Safety Solutions Academy Podcast! -= Paul Carlson =- Here is the latest episode of Safety Solutions Academy

When it comes to defensive shooting in the home, light is important. Light is what allows our eye to see what is around us and since vision is the primary input when it comes to defensive situations that means light is important to home-defense. It helps to see so that we can gather information to know that an attack is imminent or in progress We need to be able to see when the threat ceases so that our use of force can also terminate. Maybe most importantly, we need to be able to see so that we can identify our “threat.” Since we need to see the attack and the attacker we need light. It is generally accepted (and correct) that violence is statistically more likely to take place at night and as a result, it happens when there is less light available to see what we need to see. The opposable thumb part of the human loves tools and so lights have become an important part of the defensive shooting world. And we have come a long way since the days of the 4 D Cell maglight that we all thought was so bright at the time. So far in fact that lights are small enough and bright enough to be mounted directly on handguns seems like a perfect solution. A bit back I received an email from Bryan Bolivar one of the hosts at Modern Rifleman Radio and Bryan wanted to know what I thought about Weapon Mounted Lights as a tool for home defense. Bryan asked all the right questions in his email and we had a great conversation sorting through the issues. One of the things Bryan asked about specifically was if this was a topic covered in Safety Solutions Academy’s Critical Defensive Handgun class. We don’t specifically address WMLs as a training point in our CDH Course, however, we do address specific questions that students have. If you come to class with a WML we are likely to be talking about Weapon Mounted Lights! If you are interested in taking your defensive handgun training to the next level, visit Ssa.training/cdh Here is the email that Bryan sent: I was interested in your discussion about weapons mounted lights on TGN Ep133. You opened my eyes a bit and raised some questions. I keep a weapon mounted light on my home defence pistol but can see how it can be less effective outside of the home. Since that is not really an option up here, I never really gave it much thought. I can tend to be myopic in my focus of my own situation as much as I call foul when others do this. The reason I have it on the gun is in fact to use as an indirect flash light, shining either at the floor or ceiling. It is a impressive how much the TLR-1 lights up a room especially off a white ceiling. My thought on this is that by using the light when pointed either up or down, I am not going to inadvertently flag a family member, yet can clearly see any threats in the room. I also am not focusing a beam of light on something that may in fact reflect back on me, blinding me (say a mirror). Also, when I do point at a target with the weapon mounted light, it provides bright contrasting background for me to see the front sight post and align the gun naturally with a good sight picture. Finally, I am concerned about my ability to accurately make hits with a flash light in one hand and the gun in another. I have never been taught techniques to do this successfully. I am curious to hear your thoughts on this and I am wondering if this is something that gets covered in your courses, say the 2 day critical defensive handgun course October 24-25, 2015? Cheers, Bryan The discussion Bryan and I had answered the questions he had in his email and really got to the bottom of some big training concepts that applied not only to Weapon Mounted Lights on a handgun, but to other areas as well. Handgun Mounted Lights Increase Complexity Guns aren’t the most complicated of tools out there, however, when we add gear like a weapon mounted light to a handgun, the complexity of the tool increases significantly. We have to understand that under stress our capacity for dealing with complexity is diminished. Humans have a tendency to focus on the treat to the exclusion of all else. It is a normal, natural survival instinct that has many positive benefits. That tendency however, makes it more difficult to operate our tools. We really need to be able to operate our firearms without thought to the operation so that we can place our cognitive attention on the remainder of factors that need our focus. Adding complexity to our handgun means an increase in training time or more focus needed on the mechanics of running the gun when we should be attending to other matters. It also should be noted that the most difficult part of operating a gun is pressing the trigger when you mount a light on your handgun you are very likely increasing the task load on the trigger finger. Yes, we should use the weak hand thumb to operate the switch on the handgun, however, this leaves us in a difficult situation if the weak hand is not on the gun. Keep in mind that one of the big arguments FOR a Weapon Moun

In 2015 the firearms instructor business is booming! Folks from all different kinds of backgrounds are teaching all different kinds of classes. There are introductory classes and conceal carry being taught regularly. And you can add to that advanced classes competitive courses and the high speed Tactical stuff too. With everything that is out there, the firearms instruction consumer has many different choices to make. As with anything else when there are lots of choices there are some that are good choices and some that are not so good. Today we are going to speak with Rob Pincus of ICE Training. Rob is one of those folks offering up his instruction for sale but at the same time he spends a chunk of his time every year as a student. In addition in his role with the personal defense network he is someone that has to choose quality instructors to represent the PDN brand. Today we're gonna discuss about how it is that Rob Pincus chooses quality instructors and how that might help you make good choices as well. Honest reviews are are one of the ways that people make good decisions in today’s info filled world. And looking at reviews and ratings can be a great way to buy a vacuum but One of the issues we have to be worried about is the understanding and motives of the reviewer. That can make reviews a bit of a flawed system that is hard to trust alone when we are discussing a life and death issue like defensive firearm training. And so today we talk with Rob Pincus to look at some other ways that we can work to select the best defensive firearms trainers. You can find Rob Pincus at http://www.icetraining.us and at http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com. What are the problems with having so many instructors? As I mentioned in the intro right now in the firearms training industry there are heck of a lot of students and a heck of a lot of instructors. Some might even say a glut of trainers. When you look at the number of instructors out there that are offering their courses in return for the resources of the student what problems do you see? Who are the best instructors out there? When I think about instructors that are out there I really think about 4 of groups of people that are teaching classes. Avg Joes Fanboys Grand Masters Coperators Is there one group of instructors that tends to do a better job of instructing folks and defensive handgun use than the others? Or is an individuals background less important than marketing might make it seem? If I just learn one thing… Resources are something that are often left unconsidered by the student when selecting training and instructors. Usually when considered, it is simply from the standpoint of dollars which is one of the more concrete resources we deal with. Just because money can be held in your hand doesn’t make it the most important consideration. There are a lot of people out there who take the attitude of if they learn one thing from an instructor, their investment in training was worth it. What do you think about that take on teaching and learning? How do you select good instructors for PDN In your role as managing editor of the personal defense network, you are tasked with bringing content from many different instructors together at a single resource, the personal defense network. In a sense your task with the same problem that the consumer is. What is it that makes a good instructor and who is it that you wanted to give bandwidth to on the personal defense network? How can our listeners apply your ideas to selecting a quality instructor. How does your approach differ from what it is you think the consumer should do as they are looking for that quality instructor? Distance Learning Rob, you have several books out, one of which is called Counter Ambush, The science of Training for the Unexpected Defensive Shooting. It is a good look at an important and often over looked niche of defensive shooting, dealing with the ambush. Folks that are interested in taking a look at Counter Ambush can find it at Getssagear.com/counterambush That will take you to amazon where there are only 4 copies left in stock On page 147 of your book Counter Ambush you state: “Sure, in-person coaching during a formal training class is probably the best format, but books, articles, blogs, online discussion forums, training DVD’s and various other resources are available to you. Of course, you need to use critical thinking and discretion when taking advice from any expert via any remote method. The further away you get from a face to face experience, the harder it may be to judge someone’s expertise.” This gets back to the idea of using reviews and or after action reports as the sole method for vetting an instructor. With so much distance learning material being created in the defensive world, how is someone to judge that expertise? Resources for Instructors We have a lot of instructors that listen to this podcast which is pretty flattering. The kind of instructor that takes the time to list

Often, when people make the decision to take an active role in their own safety, they take steps that seem to have a great impact as opposed to steps that really make marked difference in the safety of the life they lead. A perfect example is the rush that many people have to acquire a firearm, ammunition, accessories and training that they believe will keep them safe. Now do not take this the wrong way folks! For some people, that firearm WILL mean the difference between life and death. But for many more, there are other skills and tools that will be the keys to saving lives. Skills like, first aid and CPR. Skills that deal with choking, or treating someone with traumatic injury. Nope. Not anywhere near as sexy as defending your family with a gun, But, it is statistically MUCH MORE LIKELY that you will provide someone with life saving care than protect them with your gun. To that end, today we are going to talk to Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics about the importance of emergency medical skills. What skills are the most critical? Who needs to have them? What tools are critical to saving lives and where you can get those skills? I am looking forward to sorting out some important ideas regarding defensive training today with Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics. When folks think about their personal security and self-defense they immediately move towards shooting, striking, you know the sexy stuff. But the fact is that is only part of the equation. People like Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics are critical to personal protection as they help round out the package and help you develop all the skills you need to truly be safer that is why we are talking to Caleb today and that is why we will be hosting Caleb next month for Lone Star Medics Medicine X EDC. During today’s episode we talk about: Caleb’s Background His work with the Personal Defense Network Why Medical Skills are so important What medical tools are important for preserving life? We answer some of your medical related emails And a whole lot more! On March 21st and 22nd we will be hosting Lone Star Medics here in Cleveland Ohio to teach Medicine X EDC. This is a two day course that combines a touch of lecture, a strong dose of practical medical skills with life fire and FoF scenarios to help you gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to deal with injuries that you or someone you love could sustain in a violent attack or simply while going about your daily life. Sign up for a medical course. Then get a tactical medical course under your belt! Register for Medicine X EDC Our next episode we will be back to talking about holsters! Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today! I appreciate it greatly. Get out there, get some training, some medical training. When you do, keep it simple, stay safe and as always have a great day! Please visit us at Safety Solutions Academy for information about Med X EDC and other important courses.

When it comes to equipment issues there is no area where folks struggle more than in selecting the right concealed carry holster. Getting it wrong can have some serious consequences ranging from discomfort to safety issues. This means that there are some things you need to get right the first time. In my trailer, I have a bin full of holsters that students often need to dip into to solve holster problems in class. Wouldn’t it be better if we could sort out some of these issues before we make a holster mistake. Or even before we make another holster mistake? The Jobs of a Concealed Carry Holster A concealed carry holster has a complex job. Often times the different duties of the concealed carry holster are counter to each other. This makes a holster difficult to design and difficult to select. This can be one of the most difficult and at times frustrating aspects of concealed carry. If we work to understand concealed carry from a conceptual concept it can help us to break down the complexity and make some good choices. Conceptual Purpose of a Concealed Carry Holster You should expect your concealed carry holster to carry your concealed carry handgun safely, comfortably and securely while allowing you quick access to your handgun should you need to defend yourself or your loved ones in a life threatening violent encounter. Your Concealed Carry Holster and Safety Your Concealed Carry Holster and Comfort Your Concealed Carry Holster and Security Your Concealed Carry Holster and Quick Access Characteristics of a Quality Concealed Carry Holster Let’s take a look at the characteristics of a quality concealed carry holster. A Decent Concealed Carry Holster Works With Your Concealed Carry System A Good Concealed Carry Holster is Built for YOUR Gun A Quality Concealed Carry Holster Protects the Trigger A Quality Concealed Carry Holster Retains Your Gun A Good Concealed Carry Holster Allows You to Draw Your Pistol Quickly A Quality Concealed Carry Holster Makes it Relatively Easy to Re-Holster A Good Concealed Carry Holster Maintains It's Position A Good Concealed Carry Holster Helps You to Conceal Your Handgun Everyone that carries a gun has to deal with holsters of one kind or another and there seems to be no more universal frustration among those that carry concealed than holsters. Hopefully today’s show gave some good quality concepts for you to start looking at you holster as a tool to accomplish a goal as opposed to a pain in your rear. If you found today’s pod-cast helpful please head to iTunes or Google or Facebook and leave an honest review and rating regarding SSA and what it is that we do. This gives me valuable feedback when it comes to improving the show as well as help others find the information on the interwebs that will be truly beneficial to them. Thank you for taking the time to leave those reviews and ratings! Also: Critical Defensive Handgun March 7th and 8th 2015 Atlanta GA One or two day options If you don’t live in Atlanta, or if class has come and gone, don’t despair, Head to www.ssa.training/cdh for info and registration. Next podcast we will be taking to Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics. We are going to dive deep into the idea of Medical care and why it should be a key part of your defensive skill set. Then we will be back on holsters taking a specific look at how you can find the right holster for you. We will discuss carry position, holster material and how to evaluate that holster you have or are thinking about buying

William Aprill is a mental health professional with almost 20 years of experience in a wide variety of roles. His back ground as a Sherrif's Deputy and a Special Deputy to the US Marshall's Service combined with his mental health experience and tenure as an instructor in the combative arts puts William in a Uniqu position to understand the violent criminal's mind and what that means for those that train to lead a safer life. William takes the time to discuss why understanding the violent criminal mind is important and why failing to understand can lead to inappropriate training and a failed response when we are faced with violence. William will be coming to NE Ohio April 25th and 26th, 2015, to co-teach a course called "Unthinkable" which will be a well balanced course that deals with unarmed combative skills, armed skills and criminal psychology. Follow this link to find out more information about William Aprill, Unthinkables and how you can properly prepare to deal with a Violent Criminal Actor.

The GLOCK 22 is one of the most common handguns out there. It is a fullsized 40 Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun with a 15+1 capacity. Many law enforcement agencies selected the GLOCK 22 as their service weapon over the last decade and a half. Recently however, many police agencies have started to transition to 9mm from the 40 as the 9mm gains strong favor as a defensive handgun round. This transition means that there is a glut of 40 Smith & Wesson handguns on the market and these handguns can often be found for less money than the equivilant 9mm handguns. GLOCK likes to tout Perfection which I think is a bit of an over statement. I would like to think about GLOCKs as Versatile. there are a tremendous number of accesories availible for GLOCK handguns including the simple parts required to convert a GLOCK 22 to a 9mm GLOCK. It is certainly an economical and reasonable project to convert a 40 S&W GLOCK to a 9mm GLOCK. A simple conversion barrel and some new magizines can turn an inexpensive service pistol or the 40 caliber handgun you already have into a 9mm handgun that is perfect for a back up to your carry gun, or a great handgun for serious defensive training to save wear and tear on your defensive handgun. If you would like to convert your GLOCK 22 or GLOCK 23 to a 9mm handgun listen to today's podcast for information on how you can make the conversion, what parts you need depending on the purpose for your converted handgun and what part you don't. Click here to head to Safety Solutions Academy to take a look at the additional resources available for your conversion including links to the parts you need!

Situational awareness is one of the pillars that has been taught for self-defense and personal protection for decades. It is an important skill that we should use whenever possible, but we need to understand bot the limitations of situational awareness and when it can fail us.Today we will talk about specific examples where we count on situational awareness to save our tail when instead we should count on counter ambus training because awareness simply isn't likely to work. We will also talk in detail about how situational awareness really can make a difference in your personal safety.Check out the resources that go along with this podcast at Safety Solutions Academy!

I had the opportunity to speak with the General Manager of Blade-Tech, Kyle Thompson at the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers Show in Little Rock Arkansas.Kyle and I talked about a variety of topics such as the difference between Kydex and injection molded hosters, how versitile holsters can help you decide how to select the best concealed carry holster, what makes for a quality belt for concealed carry and ambi appendix carry holsters.Take a few minutes to listen to what Kyle has to say about BLade-Tech and concealed carry and then apply as needed.

If you own an AR-15 you probably appreciate the number of accessories that are readily available for your rifle. Whether its stocks, rails, sights, optics, lights, lasers, or cigar cutters you can hang it off of your rifle. Of all the accessories, the most important may be the one that feeds your blaster. Magazines are an important part of your rifles function. Quality AR-15 magazines are reliable and durable. Today, magazines can do more than just feed your gun. The folks at HexMag have shown that they can work, look good and even make life a bit easier in some ways. There are plenty of polymer magazine manufacturers for the AR-15 rifle and it's cousins out there. HexMag is a Colorado based company that is fairly new to the market and is committed to building quality mags for training, defensive use and use by professionals that carry rifles for a living. The HexMag AR-15 Magazines are a full polymer body with a stainless steel spring. Of course the follower is a no tilt follower and the magazine can easily be disassembled with no tools. The easy disassemble encourages magazine maintenance and is accomplished through a colorful push button hexagon on the bottom of the magazine. The Pushbutton hex on the bottom of the mag not only allows for easy cleaning, but it can also be swapped out for different colors. This allows the magazine to be easily identified by color as the hex is easily visible even when the magazine is stored in a pouch. It is these types of innovations that separate HexMag from some of the polymer magazine manufacturers that have been around for awhile. I talk with the guys from HexMag about their magazines, the Second Amendment and much more. Give it a listen.

Targets make a big difference when it comes to your defensive firearms training. Targets are more than measurement tools for recording your hits and misses. When used properly, they can also help you to recognize when scenarios require you to shoot and when they don't and even force you to think in ways that are similar to the ways you will need to in a real life violent encounter. The folks at Hill and Mac Gunworks seem to have taken the steel target and refined it. Steel targets provide great auditory feedback and targets that fall give some good visual feedback as well. Steel targets aren't without their difficulties though. If they are steel, they make lead and copper fly and with poor design that can be a problem. If the targets are reactive, they need to be reset which takes time. And neither of these points addresses the fact that typical steel targets don't address the fact that visual stimulation of the need to shoot is left out of the equation. Hill and MAc Steel Target Systmes are certainly worth a look if you are searching for steel targets for defensive firearms training. I haven't yet had the opportunity to shoot a HMG target, but with the experience I have with shooting steel, the targets are certainly promising. Their design increases safety and at the same time provides convienience. The available accessories are also an important factor. The targets can be lifted up to traditional human heights with an elevation kit and there is an optional electric reset kit that will allow targets to be reset or exposed using the spring loaded base and a remote control. As a defensive shooting instructor, the electronic reset is where I find the most value with the HMG targets. HMG has taken on the challenges that targets present to quality defensive firearms training. Take a listen to my conversation with Mac to find out how.