Who is Jeff Cooper?

Jeff Cooper

"Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician."
- Jeff Cooper

If you're a curious sort, browsing Internet links can lead to interesting discoveries. A link that read, Don't Try to Catch a Falling Gun caught my eye. That story mentioned, Jeff Cooper’s four rules of firearms safety. Jeff who? That is answered by Wikipedia with a detailed entry on the Father of "the Modern Technique" of handgun shooting, and one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms.

Jeff Cooper taught pragmatic use of the pistol for personal protection in the 1960's. His technique emphasized two-handed shooting using the Weaver stance, replacing the once-prevalent one-handed shooting. The five elements of the modern technique are:

• A large caliber pistol, preferably a semi-automatic
• The Weaver stance
• The presentation (how to unholster and point the handgun)
• The flash sight picture (how to shoot immediately with no time to aim)
• The compressed surprise trigger break (how to pull the trigger properly)

The "flash sight picture" regards a scenario where an enemy is 7-yards away (21 feet). The FBI says an aggressor could reach you in a second and a half  — about the time it takes to "present" a pistol and "flash sight" fire immediately.

Cooper is also famous for his 4 Rules of Firearm Safety:

1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.
4. Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

Lastly Wikipedia describes the Cooper Color Code. This is not the Homeland Security Threat Level Colors of danger but rather a personal level of threat awareness.

White - Unaware and unprepared. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "This can't be happening to me."

Yellow - Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation but you're aware that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself." You use your eyes and ears, and periodically scan your surroundings. This is the default if you're carrying a gun.

Orange - Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has gotten your attention. Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state but you remain on watchful alert. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.

Red - Time to Respond. Your mental trigger from Condition Orange has been tripped and there is clear danger present.

Bottom Line

I have no experience with guns. I knew there are gun magazines and clubs, etc but I always supposed they talked about the best kind of gun and bullets, how to store them and keep them clean. And they do discuss this (a lot). I never realized there was so much thought given to how to stand and how to pull the trigger. Makes sense in hindsight.

Five Laws of Firearms Safety

“Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” - Mae West

Today's blog message was first published on CodeNameInsight as The Four Commandments of Firearms Safety Explained.

There is no excuse for the "accidental" discharge of a firearm (which mostly has
fatal results). Every time there is a news report of someone involved in an
accidental shooting, you can be sure that they broke one (or more) of the Four
Commandments of Firearms Safety.

1. "Treat all firearms as though they are loaded. "
   Whenever you touch a firearm and don't plan to shoot immediately, your first task must be to clear the weapon and make sure it is not loaded. Never trust someone else's word that the gun is safe.
   
2. Never point the muzzle "at something you are not willing to destroy."
   It only takes a faction of a second for a gun to accidentally "target" someone while being moved about and in that unfortunate moment it fires and kills. AWAYS know and pay attention to where the gun is pointing.
   
3. "Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire. "
   

   "When I see a shooter with their finger on the trigger when they are carrying
   the weapon, picking up their weapon, or holding their weapon, I know this is a
   sign of a very inexperienced shooter." - CodeNameInsight

4. KNOW your target
   Never shoot at a sudden movement or a shape in the dark. The thing that moved might be your hunting partner instead of the dear. The dark shape could be your neighbor instead of a burglar. Don't shoot unless you are certain you have identified the target.
   
5. Know what is next to and behind your target
   If you miss your target, where will the bullet go? Bullets don't just stop because you missed. What unintended target will be hit if you miss? If you hit your target but the bullet goes completely through, what will it hit next?

Bottom Line

These five simple rules, if followed at ALL times, can reduce the number of "accidental" firearm deaths to almost nil.

Smart Guns

“Computers have enabled people to make more mistakes faster than almost any invention in history, with the possible exception of tequila and hand guns” -
Mitch Ratcliffe

I read an interesting article on “The Volokh Conspiracy” (a legal blog – not conspiracy theory). (Why is it that some of the leading bloggers are also laywers? Volokh, Instapundit, Althouse) The topic of discussions is “Smart Guns” As I understand it, a smart gun has an embedded chip that restricts its use to the original owner (or keeper of the electronic gun “key” embedded in a finger ring). This prevents a child from firing the gun by accident. (Unless you store the “key” with the gun of course!) Newer smart guns hope to use biometrics like the shape of your hand to determine the “owner”.
The idea of smart guns is popular for those who wish to protect children and prevent stolen guns from being used by felons. Some like it so much they want the government to make smart guns mandatory for all gun sales. This is where Volokh comes in with valid questions.
A smart gun won’t work if the embedded computer chip is jammed or fried. An EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack or even a massive solar flare could melt the chip leaving you with a worthless lump of metal. So it’s possible your smart gun could fail when “the worst” happens and you really need it. Is this an acceptable risk?
The Supreme Court has allowed guns laws that “do not materially interfere with the right to keep and bear arms”. Would requiring you to own ONLY a smart gun be a serious interference?

Bottom Line

As I’ve said before, technology is a mixed blessing. It can make some wonderful preparedness tools (like GPS) but can also fail us when a crisis occurs. Use the best of old and new. Take advantage of modern technology but keep the old fashion tools on hand as standby.

Fall Hunting Season

"Those who hunt have a few preparations they need to start making now." - Gallimaufree, Suburban Survival

So begins a blog titled "Fall Hunting Season". I'm not a hunter and this is a serious problem if I ever had to live off the land or sea. I'd love to learn but past attempts at fishing have not been fruitful. I lack the patience to wait for fish or game like my father and grandfather. My wife jokes that my hunting skills are limited to what I can catch at grocery stores and fast food take-out.

Bottom Line
If you are a hunter or are interested in hunting I recommend Gallimaufree's article for suggestions on preparing for a new hunting season.

If you are not a hunter then create a long lasting food store in your basement, closets, etc. People in small apartments have used the space under their beds, inside suitcases, under tables, etc. Anything that is empty space to store emergency food. If you're planing for really long term survival, store seeds for future gardens.

Protecting your Food Storage

"They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-haaa!" - song title and lyric

When a disaster happens, people may become hungry and desperate and look enviously at you with your back-up power generator and grilling steaks on the BBQ. Things can get ugly when you have food and your neighbors do not.

There are several ways to cope with this situation:

1. Share
   When the Mormon church recommends that its members store one year of food, it is generally acknowledged that families won't really need to survive for one year on food storage alone. Instead the one year buffer gives you plenty to share with others who don't have stored food. We have friends who lived in Puerto Rico when a hurricane hit the island. Neighbors came for many days with starving kids pleading for food and medicine like aspirin. Fortunately they had supplies to share.
   
2. Keep a Low Profile
   A second strategy is to use stealth. Hide your food storage in multiple locations around the house so if you get raided you only lose part of your supplies. Don't flaunt your supplies and keep it secret, especially after a disaster. Neighbors may still become suspicious if you're not spotted waiting in long food/water lines (because you don't need it).
   
3. Use Force to Defend Yourself
   Personally I don't own a gun but there are those who advocate having the means to fight back should someone try to steal your emergency supplies. If you buy a gun or rifle be sure to have a gun lock and keep it away from children. As a child playing hide and seek, I found a hunting rifle in my dad's closet. Kids will find out your hiding places.

Bottom Line
Having an emergency food storage is a wonderful accomplishment. Now take time to think about how it will be used or protected during an actual emergency. Will you share it, hide it, or defend it?

Updated Nov 8.

For another blog on self defense and your options check out Run and Hide or Blow Their Heads Off at Code Name Insight.

Also interesting: Krav Maga - Israeli Martial Arts