Claude responds to: Situation Awareness and How it Affects You

Claude sent me a reply this a.m. to the incidents Debbie and T-Bone (Previous Post) had and generally asked as to how many John Q. Dumbasses spent the night in the hoosegow or face up on a cold slab because of their brains bein vacuum packed for freshness......but their mouth motor was still able to run on its own. And it reminded me.....
  
When I was still married years ago, and my kids were very young I had a brother in law who is a great person but an even bigger smartass than I and that takes some doin folks. He was young and bulletproof as most of us usually are and was out at a club in South Houston. On his way home or wherever he shot down Edgebrook to the Whataburger or Burger King at the Gulf Freeway and went in to get some clubbers haute cuisine. Fast food.

As he stood in line, a punk came in with what he described as an Uzi or Mac-10 sub machine gun and came to the counter. Being the perennial smartass he turned to the bad guy and asked ,"Is that thing real?" (knowing him the entire family knew he asked in his best smartass fashion and tone) to which the bad guy replied by placing it against his chest and BANG!,pulling the trigger. We got the call from Ben Taub and rushed there....long story short

He got the million dollar wound. Close contact range, full metal jacket bullet, high speed projectile passing through the lung without striking bone on the way in and on the way out. As we call it a through and through. He lived and to this day as my kids say he's still a smartass.

DON'T THINK IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO YOU OR YOURS, AND DON'T THINK IT ONLY HAPPENS IN DESERTED PARKING LOTS OR HOME INVASIONS.

IT CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE TO ANYONE AT ANY TIME.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR SENDS THANKS TO CLAUDE AND DEBBIE, AND T-BONE....... AND TO GOD, GOOD KARMA AND EXCELLENT TRAINING THAT THEY ALL CAME HOME SAFE AND ALIVE.

Eddie

Situation Awareness and How it Affects You

Paw Paw Davis or T-Bone as I have called him has been my best friend for 20+ years.  He has known me as an instructor the entire time but I never pushed him into nor did he ever show interest in having me train him until about two years ago when he took my CHL course Sua Sponte or of his own accord. Interestingly, he took it with the woman I’m about to tel y’all about in second.

T-Bone had an interesting encounter the other day. He and I share a house since his wife passed away couple years back and my engagement to my last lady friend also met its demise. Bein best friends we share expenses and whiskey, never run out of bullshit to talk, and just makes sense cause neither of us is rich or presently connected to a relationship other than short term. The whole “why haven’t you called? Where are you? Trip  helps keep that crap at a distance and we each got a dog so……..hey who need the aggravation? Anywho..he has taken to his training very responsibly and since he lives in the same house as his instructor, he gets the added benefit of havin me there to ask and gather from….”

T-Bone and I have over the years ended many a bar fight some of which have reached legendary status (trust me the stories are always better the way he tells them) but we have never started any and he has never seen or heard me threaten to use my weapon. Until Thursday his personal experience had never put him in condition Orange or “get ready cause it looks like this is gonna get nasty real quicklike…..” He had slipped down to The House of Pies on Kirby in Houston to get a pie for my birthday and one to take to his sisters for the Turkey Day family dinner he was going to. Time frame is 07:00 am to 8:00 am and of course there was a line out the door and down the walk. As he tells it a lady in line commented to people that “there’s a cash line…” and people bailed to go get in it. Upon finding out that no such line existed people returned and most went to the back of the line except for the gentleman who had been in front of T-Bone. He slipped back in line in front of T-Bone who asked “what are you doin?” the fella replied “this is my spot” to which T-Bone replied “Nah , you got outa line and lost your place.” The gentleman made a short reply and basically asked what he was gonna do about it when behind him T-Bone heard John Q Dumbass chime in to the effect “Yeah! What are you gonna do about it….cause I won’t mind spending the night in jail.”  J.Q Dumbass was in line with girlfriend whom T-Bone says wasn’t looking of like mind as her dumbass male companion and was mortified. Point here is the guy said it loud enough and with clear enough intent and inference to alert T-Bone that he was serious. Up went the flag in his mind and the accompanying physiological responses. What I am extremely proud of in regards to how T-Bone took his training and responsibility as a CHL holder carrying his weapon at the time was how his reply to J.Q. Dumbass was fantastically “ You won’t spend the night in jail, You’ll spend it in the hospital….” And he turned around as Dumbass deflated and backed down with no further “Gore” gas exiting his pie hole. All the while T-Bone is keeping an eye on him in the reflection in the window of the establishment, real good tactic and one all should use. He got the pies, came home gave me mine with a “happy Birthday” and recounted the story and how much it affected him Paramount in T-Bones after action assessment of his own actions is just how incredibly stupid “Dumbass” was about something that was none of his business and how the adrenalin rush had kicked in because he knew the guy wasn’t foolin. Over a place in line for a pie.

Today, two days later T. is still amazed at the guys stupidity and how the release of the adrenalin from his system (and I’m sure the carbs from the feast) put him in a lethargic fog all day yesterday. Adrenalin dump does that. I have told him over and over that he did the exactly correct thing and responded in the exactly appropriate manner. and I am proud of him for taking his training and using it and trusting it to get him safely out of what could have easily been real badddddddd. He will replay it over and over again for quite some time. That is part of the process. Eventually the realization will come to him that he was correct in being both scared and in a heightened state of alert/readiness. You see it takes a while to let your conscience accept that in that type of incident you don’t solicit the assault, “Dumbass” just jumps in and presents an assault. You are forced to deal with it and T-Bone did it just right or by the book. Non Violent conflict resolution.

Debbie is my best trainee proficient, intelligent, open minded and conscientious about her situational awareness (most times, she’ll know why I said that). She came to training because no matter what anyone in her family had told her she had an “incident” in the parking lot of a mall/retail place.  She knew in her gut that she was targeted and being stalked by a predator. I always tell y’all “go with your gut”… if deep down inside something tells you that something just ain’t right……IT ISN’T! ! !  She was lucky enough to gain entry to her vehicle (which is a 2500 lb. weapon if needed) and unass herself from what could have been baddddddddddd. She has professed to me both before and after training and licensing that she didn’t like guns, didn’t like handguns, and had no use for guns……. Until then.   She went from the ground up. Chose her own weapon and method of carry and aced the course. She takes instruction as well as anyone I’ve trained and better than some so much so that I’ve recommended that she become an instructor herself. She’s comfortable with right where she is for now so kudos to her.

T-Bone and Debbie were both  LUCKY……cause it coulda been a lot worse. They are both very intelligent and went with their gut feelings and maintained their cool long enough to get away from what could have been a deadly encounter and   as I say “GO WITH YOUR GUT”. They did.

TIS THE SEASON TO BE CAUTIOUS  

………YOUR INSTRUCTOR          Eddie

Big Thanks to a Student and Friend

Hi Y’all, Your Instructor here,

One of my trainees surprised me on my birthday with a wonderful gift. A web site where these update info sessions are being posted. Bookmark: eddiesteeves.com as my ver yown web site.  Bill Robertson is a good friend and a genius at setting up web sites and marketing. His company is BigTexasDesigns.com check out his work and I may have him contact my trainees if I screwed something up with my plentiful “computer skills” In his world this Instructor becomes da “instructee”. Thanks to Bill and his lovely wife Barbara. I’ll have pictures up on it in the very near future and you can subscribe to my blog so you don't miss anything. Email me specific gun stuff to my new email address at: instructor@eddiesteeves.com   Google Bill and toss some work at him he’s a good guy but…… don’t try to sneak up on him he’s well trained!

Eddie

Lower price alternatives in a high priced field of dreams

 Hi Y'all,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  This update has no question. It does in a way carry on the theme of the last question.

Firearms and handguns particularly are not cheap. Oh I guess as compared with cars or flat panel TV's, or country club memberships, their not so bad, but they can be very expensive, and that's not even considering collecting and that marketplace. Fine firearms at Sotheby's and Christies Auction houses regularly sell from the tens of thousands to the millions, and those weapons are never fired. If you had the coin and the willingness to deal with the BATFE you could pay the tax stamp and buy a fully automatic machine gun. The wait for permission and the actual transfer if allowed takes months and the cost of let's say a fully automatic M-16 rifle is about $5000.00 and a Browning M2 .50 Caliber machine gun will run at least $15 to 20,000. That is serious jack and they are investments that don't lose value. But who has that kind of coin layin round? Not me. That's for sure. As CHL holders and normal people with normal jobs and lifestyles it's sometimes hard to put money aside even for self defense needs which are usually down the list of priorities. That is incredibly wrong folks ! ! ! In this day and in this world, if you don't have anything to defend yourself with and that one incident happens everything else changes in the "BLINK of an eye" and it changes forever. "Killin a man takes away all he's got and all he's ever gonna be..." Paraphrased but true. How much is your life worth? Your husband, wife, children, grandchildren and their lives? I can suggest some lower cost alternatives. Let's take a look. If you take heed and get your self/families self defense needs taken care of you will stand a good chance of keepin what you have inanimate or human when the door gets kicked in or you're attacked in the parking lot or your own driveway.

Revolvers:  Smith & Wesson has a police trade in program. They take police revolvers back from Departments and officers who upgrade and rebuild/refurbish them and wholesale them at a fraction of original cost. I see them all the time at gun shows although they appear at different times due to upgrade fiscal year policies. They are outstanding values. I usually see .38 special and .357 magnum models running from $230. to $300.00.
Rossi makes fine revolvers available at stores like Academy running $199. to $300. brand new, Taurus has some also. You can also find great deals at pawn shops and gun show tables used sections, and you can bargain with those folks. Don't overlook Ruger single action/cowboy type guns the Blackhawks run around $300. on used tables as do their double actions in older varieties.
E.A.A. has revolvers in the $250. range. all are good guns I have seen and handled

Semi Automatic Handguns: Price leader new is Hi Point from .380 to .45 ACP most under $200.00. Some "experts" and retailers will tell you they're  cheap, and they're right. That is cheap folks. Not pretty but they go bang. I know this for a fact. Seen em and handled em. I see Ruger and Taurus 9 mm handguns in pawn shops and at gun show tables used at around $239.00 to just under $300.00 great guns great buys. EAA has a witness line that new runs about $350 to $450. Once again you can find Police trade ins from Smith & Wesson running just under $300. to $400. depending on model if you shop at the gun shows. Glock and Sig Sauer both have the same programs but are slightly higher yet still far below new price. FN and FEG both have high quality Hi Power (Browning 9mm) spin offs that are fantastic buys.

The first rule of a gunfight is ...."Have a gun". You will have more success if you shop around. Trust me. By the way. The Police trade ins all come with full factory warranties and most semi autos have some frills like Nite Sites a must have. These are all weapons I have handled and fired and would feel perfectly safe defending myself with, and when you just gotta have that fancy 1911 from Baer..... trade it in or pass it down and knock yourself (and your checkbook) out! Me..... I don't need a thousand dollar gun. All these I recommend are under $500.00 sooooooooo...How much IS your life worth? your wife? your kids? your grandkids?

Ask me about any weapon you are curious about. Truthfully I've seen damned about all of them and handled and fired most.

Thanks y'all.                         Your Instructor......EDDIE

A HUGE P.S.: Academy is running a Taurus PT 101 ( I think that's the model) in .40 S&W for $299.00. Taurus firearms are usually outstanding values anyway but this is an exceptional one. This weapon is what I consider to be a product improved Beretta model 92/M9 Taurus firearms come with a lifetime guarantee and are top quality. I have handled and fired several and they are very accurate and well made. They come with two magazines (I believe 14 rounds) adjustable 3 dot sights and trigger locks. They have a hammer drop safety as well as the ability to carry in what is known as "cocked and locked or condition 1. That is where you have a round in chamber, hammer cocked and safety in on safe hence cocked and locked.

Hey, if you want a quality weapon this a hell of a deal. It is a full size service type weapon but I carried its Beretta counterpart for years and had very little difficulty concealing it. It would be a great Christmas present.           Eddie

Second Amendment, Associations and Gun Laws

Dear Folks,

I have been asked many good and intelligent questions by you as my Trainees, and I truly appreciate them. I have been asked to comment on subjects like of course, politics and political associations that would affect us. I have been asked about the current president and his administration. I have been asked about The Second Amendment to The United States Constitution.
As a firearms Instructor and owner I, as you am affected by all of the above. I’m gonna  pass on Obama because anyone who knows me knows how I feel about that particular can of worms opened on the last election day.

1. The Second Amendment:  I am not a Constitutional scholar. I don’t even know any. That said, I do   NOT  believe that it guarantees ME  the right to anything.  I have read and re read it over and over again and after listening to Justice Sotamayor and her colleagues during their discourses on application of the Second Amendment during the Heller case, I realize that that right as seen or imagined is in real jeopardy. I know I over simplify but if twelve politically appointed judges decide what are and are not rights then what is a “RIGHT” other than a turn you make?  The so called Constitutional Guarantees are not guaranteed at all when twelve people you probably never have nor ever will meet decide “the law” and for the hell of it, look up the word  “right” definition #10. Don’t be naïve. Fear the government that fears you.

2. Associations: The NRA. I am currently a member. I am not always a member because I don’t always agree with them and how they treat people that don’t agree with their rather hard line. They do some good work. I was taken aback when I took a tour of their HQ some years back and saw what I consider to be gross opulence by way of artwork, furnishings, structures and how the whole tour was very propagandized and  constantly filled with suggestions of donations for this and that. Let me tell you, the doors in that place were some of the most beautiful pieces of solid American hardwoods I’ve ever seen and proudly stated by the tour guide as “ costing anywhere from $5000.00 to $17,500.00 per door. The NRA sends out more junk mail and requests for money than AARP or those Life Insurance companies. Considering the place I can see why and where those donations go for the most part.

3. The Texas State Rifle Association is the only one I stay in membership with. It is in Austin all the time on the hill taking care of us as citizens and gun owners in Texas. They do very good work. They have been responsible for major legislation that directly affects us from the CHL law to Castle Doctrine to Traveling definitions, to laws that affect the safety of law enforcement. I suggest you join and it is the only one I suggest you join.  I have the membership brochures if you want one. Let me know.
THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY has a new gun law that just took effect. In the Heller Decision the Supreme court said states could institute “reasonable” gun laws even after asserting that the Second  Amendment is an individual right……. So in a nutshell New Jersey has instituted a new restriction law that is either that you can only buy one gun a month (or I could be wrong;  one gun a week) which includes  GUN STORES AND RETAILERS ! ! ! NO BULLS**T. I believe that at present it is only a provision for handgun purchases but even so….what retailer of any product could survive buying only one piece of merchandise per week or month? Doesn’t take a genius to see that Jersey wants gun dealers out of business, and now they’ve instituted a legal way to do it.

Anyway there you have it for what it’s worth. Ya want to discuss politics or religion come on by and sip a little whiskey and we’ll do it but then again as Claude and T-Bone always say “ Don’t get me started….About the Space Station” …….

Your Instructor EDDIE