With the present administration’s ban on Russian imported ammunition, a number of people in the gun-o-sphere are gnashing their teeth and lamenting about the already difficult ammo shortage.
Less ammo means less ability to practice which means deterioration of a perishable skill, right? In other words, is my safety being negatively affected because I can’t practice?
The answer to this would probably be a qualified yes.
But there are things that you can do right now which can actually enhance your safety more than having a room filled with ammunition where you can wallow amongst the cartridges like Scrooge McDuck swimming in his room of money.
Yes, you heard that right, you can be doing things right now which improve your ability to maintain your safety more than having a ton of ammunition. Let’s face it, ammunition by itself does not make anyone safer.
Naturally for the firearms portion of your defensive plan it’s vital. But here’s something that’s almost counterintuitive. If you are relying on your firearm alone for your defense you might be less safe than you think. Thinking of a firearm as a magic talisman that can ward off evil is dead wrong. Unfortunately some people think of firearms as sort of a remote control device that can either scare off attackers or provide some sort of defensive shield around you and your family.
This is where people can get in trouble. Relying solely on lethal force or the threat of lethal force leaves you vulnerable to the vast majority of encounters and situations which do not require lethal force.
Where I’m going is to get you to start thinking about your need to beef up your non-lethal defense options versus relying only on your lethal defense options by the sheer fact that they are statistically less likely to happen.
Here’s what we can be doing now to increase our safety and security:
Do the boring things that we always talk about but sometimes forget.
Lock your doors
Check your smoke detectors
Stock up on fire extinguishers
Pay attention.
Who is looking at you?
Is someone moving when you move?
Are you tailgating someone?
Are you cutting the line in front of someone?
Get in shape.
Running, dodging, rolling, pushing, pulling.
Strong people are harder to kill.
Learn how to fight.
Striking, kicking.
Grappling.
Defending against weapons.
One benefit of formally training in a combat sport/art is that you will get in shape.
Dry fire.
Drawing
Sight picture
Trigger management
Tactical reloads
Emergency reloads
Practice with high-repetition, low-round count drills.
Think multiple magazines with just one round.
Shoot one, reload, shoot one, reload.
Shoot one, move, reload. Shoot one, move, reload.
Crime of all types is going up. There is an increasingly alarming level of people with no respect for the rule of law.
Train now like your life depends on it. It’s your training and your skills that are going to save you and your family, not a mountain of ammunition.