Riclin Firearms Training, LLC

You need to practice shooting in all sorts of awkward positions. It is very unlikely you will have the opportunity to assume a perfect Weaver or Isosceles stance to engage the bad guy. The position you use will be the one you happen to be in when the bad guy attacks. You need to be able to shoot from any position…sitting, standing, walking, lying down…you never know.

The holiday season is upon us and many of you will be traveling. If you are going to be traveling with your handgun be sure to go to www.handgunlaw.us for current information on the various states’ concealed carry laws. As of 11/23/2011, according to that web site, the following states will accept your New Mexico concealed carry license…AK, AR, AZ, CO, DE, FL, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NV, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Please note that this list has been recently updated by the NM Department of Public Safety. And remember, while traveling, you must comply with the concealed carry laws of the state that you happen to be in.

Practice your reloads…both the ‘speed’ reload (when the magazine is empty and the slide locks back) and the ‘tactical’ reload (where the magazine is partly empty and you simply replace the magazine). Practice both types until you can do them smoothly. Then close your eyes and practice…you need to be able to do them in the dark as well.

If you are planning on flying with your handgun, check out this web site Glock Talk and in particular the forum thread that link takes you to. Mac’s Guide to Flying with a Firearm is a very good article on flying with your firearm and well worth reading if you will be flying with your handgun.

Mac says…

My Colorado CWP gives me a lot of places I can carry. And seeing as I travel a lot, I’ve started flying with my CCW quite a bit too. At first it can be a little confusing, nervous, etc. But after doing this for a few years, and a lot of trips, I’ve been able to boil my system down to something that I believe is secure and works for me.

A. Packing and security
B. Checking your bag at the airline
C. Things I’ve had go wrong (there are very few, and none were major issues).

You can get even more information reading through a number of additional and informative posts in his thread.

Tip of the Month… When you travel, make use of www.handgunlaw.us to learn what the laws, rules and regulation are for the states you will be traveling in. I recently traveled to Montana (which meant driving through Colorado and Wyoming as well) and was able to figure out where I could and couldn’t carry in those three states. Steve and Gary are doing us all a great service by developing and maintaining this very useful site.

Practice with the pistol that you carry. And I don’t mean just stand there and shoot. I mean practice the way you spend your day. For example, most of us spend a lot of time sitting down every day. Therefore you should practice drawing while sitting down. This can be done at home as part of your dry fire routine (and remember the safety rules apply to dry firing as well). Practice while sitting at a table, in an easy chair, in an office chair…anywhere you are liable to sit. Then on your next trip to the range do some shooting while you are seated…you will be surprised how well you do and will see your confidence increase. And remember, like your spare tire, you never know when you may need it!

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Read Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper.

It is an excellent guide to the mental conditioning aspects of self defense and will give you a lot to think about.