Gun Tips by Lloyd "Duke" Hodges

Firstly,  I must apologize for not having Gun Tips last month.   Now I think a good tip is do not talk politics at the gun range.  It is a good time to do some thinking about fire arms.  Evaluate the whys you own and or carry.  Ego is not a reason and can get one into a life-time of misery. Self protection and protection of family is more than reasonable recalling all that we have witnessed in recent times.  Begs a question: When are you right and when are you wrong?  You must make that decision.  Ask questions, get opinions, read publications.  These are viable things that can help enable a positive mental process  for action and reaction.   We humans are blessed with an instinct that may alert us to a dangerous situation.  Ever ask yourself why you feel discomfort in a  given surrounding?  Many decades ago when I was a law enforcement officer walking a beat without a radio my primary defense was to be highly alert.  This emotion helped me do the job and go home at the end of my watch.  Today I still rely on being alert and I am still here.  I practice with my carry gun and since it is equipped with a laser I can dry fire (after ensuring that it is unloaded.  Verify, carefully in fact) with certainty of my point of aim and point of impact and when engaging in live fire, the hit pattern is very good.   I have said that shooting skills are perishable which means use it or lose it.  You may have some super custom gun, however, one can forget the recoil and target recovery needed to continue the drill.  Have you thought about being in an active shooter situation?  What will you do?  Engage or retreat?  Since I have never been in such a horrific circumstance, what might I do.  I don’t know, I have, however, thought about it.  My gut feeling is to engage to prevent loss of life.  One thing that bothers me is the so called gun free zone.  I have come to consider such places as kill free zones.  Think this:  If I knew I’d be defending the lives of my loved ones and innocents tomorrow, how would I prepare today?   The word mindset comes into play.  I have mentioned this before.  Massad Ayoob (who? Pick up a gun magazine and find out) states can you take the life of one human to save the life of one dear to you.  Some thought should be directed to this question.  Think!  Develop that mindset with legal considerations.