Wednesday Wisdom: 19 November 2025

A weekly compilation of valuable information and insights for the citizen defender. These posts will contain links to my writing as well as posts that I believe are worth the time and trouble to read. They will cover the entire gamut of personal security, electronic security, self defense, firearms, equipment, and more. 

Immediate Action to Counter the Free Swinging Blade

You need options: The free-swinging blade is a complex problem. The attacker's hand moves incredibly fast, and instead of just one stab, you're likely to face a rapid series of thrusts, like a sewing machine pounding away. When a sharp blade comes at you, it's natural to flinch, pull back, and try to hollow out.

Violent People Don't Like You. Start Training Like It.

Whole bunch of y’all need to understand that the good comrades of the Progressive side of things hate you, and fantasize about killing you — and then you need to start training like it.

Threat Modeling: An Introduction

Threat modeling is the examination of two things as they relate to each other: an adversary and a security measure. The effectiveness of the security measure is weighed against the skill and capabilities, focus, and time available to the attacker. Threat modeling allows you to understand what you “look like” to your opposition, understand his or her capabilities, and select effective mitigations.

Cooper Commentaries – Nov 94

Self-control is obviously the essence of good marksmanship of any sort, but self-control under conditions of extreme hazard may more properly be referred to as "stress control." We learn of people who fail to shoot well in the field because they were excited. We hear of people forgetting their basic principles in conflict because they were frozen with fear. These are not acceptable reasons. When you are holding a firearm, you have the power to surmount stress. The killing expression, as those who have seen it know, is one of complete calm. Regardless of what you may see on the screen, one does not grimace when he is shooting for blood - with pistol, rifle, tank gun or fighter plane. Thus it is that a great field shot may or may not be a great target shot. He must be a good target shot, but not necessarily a master. What makes him a master field shot is his ability to control stress so that he can put his targeting abilities to proper use, regardless of his personal hazard or excitement. A good hunter is nearly always a good soldier. Let the bunny-huggers bear that in mind whenever they feel threatened.

Extreme Decision Making

People make decisions constantly. We make little ones (do I go around the coffee table on the left side or the right side?) and huge ones (what am I going to do with my life?) and all kinds in between (what kind of car shall I buy?). Decision-making is at the heart of all our lives. Many of our common decisions we make with little or no conscious thought. It’s just part of daily life.

Harlem Hellfighters: WWI’s Fiercest Warriors

In the early days of World War I, France experienced heavy fighting with Germany. In dire peril of defeat, they requested the immediate assistance of the United States Armed Forces. One of the first units to deploy to France was the Harlem Hellfighters. They were a National Guard Unit comprised of African-American men from New York and several surrounding states. Later, they were re-designated as the 369th Infantry. The Germans called them “Hellfighters” because of their deadly hand-to-hand fighting skills.

The Model 76 – Smith & Wesson Submachine Gun

The history of the Model 76 submachine gun began in April 1966, when Smith & Wesson’s Washington, D.C., sales representative received a call from the US Navy Department, which asked whether Smith & Wesson would be interested in designing and producing a 9mm submachine gun. The US Navy needed a submachine gun for its SEAL special operations team in Vietnam. The SEALs’ weapon of choice was the Swedish Carl Gustaf m/45―a well-made and reliable submachine gun.

Percentage of Americans Owning Guns in 2025

There has been a 25% increase in gun ownership in America since 2000. The percentage of Americans owning guns varies depending on the state, age, and other factors.

Over 60% of those living in Montana, Wyoming, and West Virginia own guns.

-- 34% of Americans own guns in 2025.

-- 37% of Americans between 50 and 64 own a gun.

-- 21% of Americans between 18 and 29 own a firearm.

-- 40% of men and 25% of women own guns in America.

-- 66% of American gun owners own more than one firearm.

Infrared Imaging

Thermal cameras form images based on the emitted infrared radiation detected from an object. All objects warmer than absolute zero emit infrared radiation, with most of the spectrum easily detectable by today's thermal imagers. Absolute zero is –460 degrees Fahrenheit so thermal imagers can detect everything if there is a difference in temperature between the object and its environment.

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The Los Angeles Police Department Bonus Qualification Course

I recently fired the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Bonus Qualification Course.* The LAPD administers this course of fire as a primary qualification course and as a bonus qualification course. The LAPD began using the bonus course of fire in 1964. Police recruits had to get a certain score on the course to graduate from the police academy. The bonus course is no longer a graduation requirement, but it does serve as a qualification test for officers to demonstrate their marksmanship skills.

The LAPD Bonus Course of Fire uses the LAPD BT5s silhouette target with shooters earning points according to the value of the target’s rings. To achieve a perfect score of 400, a shooter must place 40 rounds inside target's ten rings. Additional rounds in the head above the two required hits are scored as five points.

The course of fire consists of six stages as follows:

Stage One fired at seven yards with both strings starting from the close contact position: at the start signal, fire 4 body shots in 3 seconds (2 on the right target and 2 on the left target). Return to the close contact position. At the second start signal, fire 2 head shots in 1.5 seconds (1 round on each head).

Stage Two fired at seven yards starting from the close contact position: at the start signal, fire 6 body shots in 3.5 seconds (2 on the right target, 2 on the left target, and 2 on the right target).

Stage Three fired at ten yards starting from low ready position. Repeat the stage one strings.

Stage Four fired at ten yards starting from low ready position: at the start signal, fire 2 body shots in 2 seconds (First pair on the left target, second pair on the right target, third pair on the left target). Between each pair of body shots, the shooter must return to a low ready position.

Stage Five fired from seventeen yards starting with a holstered pistol loaded with 4 rounds and with 6 rounds in the spare magazine: at the start signal, draw and fire 10 single body shots in 30 seconds (alternating right target, left target throughout). The shooter will fire 4 rounds and then perform an out-of-battery speed reload with a 6-round magazine. The shooter will continue to fire the last 6 single body shots alternating right target, left target, etc.

Stage Six fired from behind a barricade at twenty-five yards starting with the shooter’s sights aligned on the target and their trigger finger on the trigger. At the start signal fire 2 single body shots in 4 seconds (1 on the right target and 1 on the left target). There are three barricade positions used during this stage (right-hand, right-side of the barricade, left-hand, left-side of the barricade, and a kneeling position firing over the top of the barricade). Shooters receive a separate start signal for each string.

LAPD officers receive marksmanship recognition and pay bonuses as follows:

-- Distinguished Expert: 385-point average over 6 consecutive months will earn an extra $32.00 per pay day

-- Expert: 380-400 points will earn an extra $16.00 per pay day

-- Sharpshooter: 340-379 points will earn an extra $8.00 per pay day

-- Marksman 300-339 points will earn an extra $4.00 per pay day

So how did I do? I fired the course cold with my SIG P365 using Critical Duty equivalent reloads. I scored a 363 which put me in the Sharpshooter qualification band. I fired the course of fire a second time with the same pistol and scored a 376. In both qualifications I failed to fire the second head shot in each string within the allotted 1.50 seconds so I dropped twenty points right off the top for each qualification.

My targets

All the times seemed reasonable and some were quite generous with one exception. The extension to fire and transitions associated with two head shots in 1.5 seconds is really moving. Although my head shots were in the head’s ten ring, total time for my head shots were right at two seconds for each qualification. Contrast this time with the thirty second time limit for the seventeen-yard stage of 4 reload 6 which seemed excessive to me. I performed seventeen-yard stage in well under 15 seconds for both qualifications and scored the full ten points for each shot.

Of the thousands of officers who have shot the course in the decades since its inception, only 41 had achieved a perfect score until January 2022, when Officer Justice Huynh became the 42nd using a Staccato P becoming a member of the LAPD’s elite “400 Club.”

Officer Justice Huynh and His Perfect 400 Targets

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* Los Angeles Police Department Stand Alone 7– LD 35 Firearms Session No. 40 – Intro to the LAPD Bonus Course, Version 6.0 dated 9/29/2015 with an LAPD review on 10/01/2019

Wednesday Wisdom: 12 November 2025

A weekly compilation of valuable information and insights for the citizen defender. These posts will contain links to my writing as well as posts that I believe are worth the time and trouble to read. They will cover the entire gamut of personal security, electronic security, self defense, firearms, equipment, and more 

Gary Reeder Does Elmer Keith

Elmer Keith’s influence on handgun design was substantial, his influence on handgun cartridge design truly revolutionary. The big-bore hunting handgun as we know it today -– whether a direct descendant of a Keith concept or a totally different gun made possible only after Keith knocked down the doors -– would not exist were it not for that one man’s pioneering efforts. There would be little or no big-game hunting with handguns, because no timid corporate CEO or board of directors would ever have had the courage to manufacture appropriate guns and ammo to prove the viability of the sport. Not without Elmer’s front sight pressed between their ribs. One strong man supplied the guts and the vision, and the world followed, which is the way things usually work in real life.

How Do I Hide This Thing?

After much soul-searching and careful consideration, you’ve made the decision that your life is worth defending whatever the cost. Toward that end, you’ve purchased a firearm and have decided to carry it with you wherever you go.

Musashi 

The Go Rin no Sho is an important and useful work for the martial artist or anyone engaged in conflict, but value it for what it is and recognize what it is not. It is not a moral or ethical guide. 'Kensei' gets translated as "sword saint" but Musashi was no saint-- he was a murdering bastard who, late in life when he felt death closing in, attempted to recreate himself, elevating his murders to duels and his insights to enlightenment.

Global Incident Maps

Maps with lots of information concerning Kidnapping for Ransom, Major Drug Interdictions, School Security Incidents, Self-Defense Use of Firearms, and many more with most being free.

USS Constitution -- A Look Inside "Old Ironsides"

"Sail ho!" I hear from above. The sea spray blurs my vision, but our masthead lookout is right. Two ships are on the horizon. One breaks off and races toward our position off the coast of Brazil. I see the British flag, and my stomach lurches in fear. It's too late to run, as we did in July 1812, escaping a British squadron of five ships off the coast of New Jersey. I nervously tug at the white-spotted and red cotton bandanna handkerchief around my neck. It is Dec. 29, 1812, and I am a sailor on the USS Constitution.

Gunshot Residue and Personal Carry Ammunition

In September 1997, after 8-1/2 years and four trials, Daniel Bias Jr. began a six-year prison sentence for murdering his wife. One of the key issues associated with the case was the presence or lack of gunshot residue on Lise Bias after the shooting. The defense attorney in Bias’s trial argued that Lise Bias died accidentally as she was pointing a pistol at her head: however, the prosecution argued that the lack of gunshot residue on Lise Bias's nightgown and head wound shows she could not have shot herself.

Why To Think. Not, "What to think."  

Thanks — I suspect — to social media, kids seem to believe that the way to win a debate is not through facts, but through emotion: that the winner of a debate or discussion is the one who is the most passionate about the subject at hand — the side that can scream the loudest, tug the most heartstrings, misbehave the most egregiously in the service of said subject.

Home Defense Shooting Drills

Part of my curriculum development work for the live fire drills was to go to the range and shoot the drills I planned to use in the KR Training Home Defense Course. I modified our old Home Defense Tactics course into the new Home Defense Tactics and Shooting Skills course. Instead of teaching home defense with inert plastic guns (often called “red guns” or “blue guns”) in a student’s home, I teach the same skills in the A-Zone classroom building with the inert guns and add an extra hour of live fire drills. 

Security Measures Categorized

Though many view an alarm as a serious security upgrade it is important to realize that it does not actually make your home more difficult to get into. An alarm is merely a detective security measure; that is, it makes your home more difficult to get into undetected. There are three categories of security measures: deterring, delaying, and detective. Alternatively these categories can be thought of as “before” (deterring), “during” (delaying), and “after” (detective) security measures, based on what stage of an attack with are intended to address.

Shooting Incident

To his credit, the captain finally realized that he wasn’t hitting anything he wanted to hit, got his head out of his ass, leveled his pistol on the suspect’s upper chest, focused on his front sight, and carefully (this time) fired four additional shots. This time, all four shots hit the suspect in the center of the chest. The dumbfounded suspect dropped his gun, wobbled for a few seconds, and then dropped to the ground. He was dead at the scene. The captain was unhurt.

Jeff Cooper's Commentaries – October 1993

 Anyone who knows anything about marksmanship knows that it is something one does not boast about. You may remember that Billy Dickson always attributed his long shot on the Indian to pure luck, and this was always called mere modesty on his part. Other examples will occur to you. However, if you would like a conspicuous case study of how it was done, consider the famous "Tinian shot" delivered during the occupation of Saipan and Tinian during the Pacific War.

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Gunfight Analysis: The Richard Mendoza Incident Update

Update:  Officer Miguel Alarcon contacted me several years after the incident discussed below.  He expressed amazement at how accurate the "play by play" description of the incident was with only the video to analyze. My analysis of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) videos: Click here to view the video

Los Angeles: With only 9 months left on probation, Richard Mendoza was not going back to prison. When the the female officer told him to get out of the car, he knew the police would discover his pistol. Mendoza also knew that surprise was on his side so he decided to take the chance.

The LAPD released video of an officer-involved shooting that left the suspect Richard Mendoza dead and one officer wounded in the leg. The shooting happened during a traffic stop in North Hills, California, on the night of July 27, 2018. The video shows a female officer speaking to Mendoza who appears to be cooperating and following her instructions when she tells him to step out of the car. 

Video then shows Mendoza pulling out a pistol and shooting her in the leg. He then turns to shoot at her partner, Officer Miguel Alarcon, over the car.  However, Officer Alarcon quickly fires striking Mendoza in the head and torso. Mendoza later died at a hospital. Police records show that Mendoza was a gang member and had previous convictions on drug and weapons charges. Mendoza indicated during the verbal exchange with the female officer that he had nine months left on probation at the time of the shooting. Mendoza likely attacked the officers hoping to escape rather than be arrested and returned to prison for charges of a felon in possession of a firearm.

In the video you can see Mendoza glancing at Officer Alarcon out of the corner of his eye just before he exits the car and shoots the female officer. Mendoza was likely trying to confirm the male officer’s position in preparation for engaging that officer. You can see Mendoza’s pistol on Officer Alarcon’s body cam video as Mendoza exits the vehicle. The female officer’s body cam shows Alarcon glancing away at just that moment—understandable if unfortunate. Officer Alarcon was simply maintaining situational awareness of their surroundings.

From the time the female officer could have seen Mendoza’s pistol until he shot her was approximately 0.86 seconds—far too short a time for her to react. Officer Alarcon clearly reacted an instant before Mendoza fired at the female officer and before Mendoza turned to fire at him. It is not clear from the various videos whether Officer Alarcon was reacting to Mendoza’s aggressive move toward the female officer or whether he glanced into the car just in time to see Mendoza’s pistol as Mendoza was exiting his car.*
 

I believe it was the latter. Officer Alarcon fired his first shot in 0.72 seconds after Mendoza’s shot which leads me to believe that he saw and reacted to Mendoza’s pistol. The car dashcam video shows Alarcon dip his shoulder in a manner indicative of drawing his pistol an instant before Mendoza shoots the female officer. The dashcam and Officer Alarcon’s body cam both show that he had started lateral movement to his left at the instant of Mendoza’s shot.

After he shoots the female officer, Mendoza turns and aims his pistol where he likely believed Alarcon was still standing; however, Alarcon had moved.  Video analysis does not show Mendoza firing a second shot and I believe not seeing Alarcon where he expected to see him caused momentary hesitation.  In any event, it is likely that Officer Alarcon’s first shot strikes Mendoza before he can fire. The video shows Mendoza beginning to fall 0.5 seconds after Alarcon’s first shot and Mendoza continues falling until he hits the pavement. Alarcon’s second shot ricochets off the top of the car and may not have hit Mendoza.

Officer Alarcon is positioned over the car trunk at this point, likely out of Mendoza’s immediate line of fire. Alarcon’s 3rd and 4th shots go through the car’s rear window. His 3rd shot may have struck Mendoza, his 4th shot probably did not because Mendoza had fallen out of his line of sight by this time. Officer Alarcon fires four shots in 0.90 seconds or a rate of fire of 0.30 seconds between shots. Studies show that Alarcon’s rate of fire would fall within the range of a typical police officer of 0.25 – 0.30 seconds between shots.**

What can we learn from this incident? The person who takes the initiative gets to start the fight—all they require is decisiveness, marksmanship, and the will to win. Mendoza had the initiative in this fight and his surprise attack immediately dropped the female officer.

Officer Alarcon in this incident faced a reactive event where the bad guy was already preparing to shoot him. Studies and countless officer involved shooting videos have shown that the initial reaction of many officers (and private citizens for that matter) who are facing a deadly threat is to stand flat-footed, draw, and try to return fire—this is how most departments train their officers—stand and deliver. That is also what square range practice and many “shooting courses” typically teach.

However, Officer Alarcon did not employ the typical stand and deliver tactic, but rather he dynamically moved off the “X”, drew his pistol, and fired before Mendoza could fire at him thereby ending the gunfight.

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* The Los Angeles Police have not released any accounts of the incident from the officer’s perspective; so some of my analysis is educated guess. 

** Police Officer Reaction Time to Start and Stop Shooting: The Influence of Decision-Making and Pattern Recognition, William J. Lewinski, PhD; et al.; Law Enforcement Executive Forum, Vol. 14, No. 2 • June 2014