Gun Nuts Media

Folks are talking about the 4 Rules.  I was going to write a post about it, but then I realized that I already did that a year ago.

The short version is that the 4 Rules are elegant, but when you become dogmatic about them, they lose their meaning.  An example of “good” use of Rule 1 is that you simply verify the condition of any gun that hasn’t been in your immediate control.  If I set a competition gun down and walk away for 2 minutes, a week, whatever, I’m going to clear it before I dry fire again, just in case the bullet gremlins snuck a round in the chamber.  The 4 Rules: They’re more like guidelines, anyway.

An interesting discussion cropped up on my Facebook page this weekend about the merits of hot vs. cold ranges; I personally am of two minds on this issue as I can see the merits of both arguments.  The key arguments behind advocates of hot and cold ranges are summed up thus:

• Hot: A holstered gun is a safe gun, who cares if it has ammo in it just don’t touch it when you’re not on the line.
• Cold: Manually unloading each shooter guarantees there are no loaded guns behind the line in someone’s hands.

Both have merit, and both in my opinion have their place.  For example, in a Gunsite class, it would simply take too much time to have each shooter unload and show clear every time they came off the line.  It makes much more sense for them to top off their gun and holster up with a hot gun.  The “hot range” theory operates off two key principles – 1) it assumes that all shooters in attendance are actually going to leave their guns in the holster, and 2) that everyone has a sufficient level of competence with admin gun handling to keep their guns topped off in between strings of fire.

On the flip side, you have the cold range school of thought.  Having been around a lot of matches and seen a lot of novice shooters, I am in favor of cold ranges for matches.  As a certified IDPA Safety Officer and competitor, I like the peace of mind knowing that no one is handling a loaded gun behind my back while I’m on the line.  The reason I like cold ranges for matches is because matches, unlike classes such as Aim Fast, Hit Fast or Gunsite often attract a wide variety of skill levels and competencies which means that not every shooter in attendance is going to be as well versed in gunhandling as the advanced shooters.  So in that environment of unverified competency, it makes sense for the safety officers to manually inspect everyone’s guns.

Personally, I’d love to live in a world where I never had to worry about whether a range was hot or cold – but I’ve also been muzzled quite a few times at indoor ranges and outdoor ranges with “empty” and loaded guns to know that there is a time and place for both hot ranges and cold ranges.

A professional firearms trainer, Kathy Jackson who runs the Cornered Cat as well as working at FAS and editing US Concealed Carry Magazine (and is also my boss in that capacity) really hits the crux of the training argument as far as I’m concerned.

A single guy who has no family and no intent to protect anyone else in the world can be quite content to learn how to hit a target at bad breath distances, and not much else. It’s his life, see? If he’s too slow out of the holster, it’s his life. If he’s fumble prone and likely to shoot himself in the knee or left hand because he never learned how to draw, it’s his problem. If he’s too stupid and unaware to avoid trouble, that’s his burden to bear. His life, his choice. If he wants to wander on in happy ignorance, let him.

But someone with a family might want to give a little thought to working with a great deal more competence and confidence even at farther distances. What if someone across the room grabs his baby daughter and threatens to leave with her? Can he hit a kidnapper at that distance? Can he avoid hitting his baby at that distance? Has he given any thought at all to the types of tactics that might enable him to most safely protect his family in these or other circumstances? That’s going to take more training and more thinking. It’s going to require more skill and more knowledge. So he owes it to himself and his family to learn more. Again, if he chooses not to, it’s his life and he’s the one who ends up mourning the consequences if he gets it wrong.

Read her entire post and the ensuing discussion at TFL.

A carbine in .22 Magnum?  Yes please.