About the Website i
About the Author ii
Preface 1
Introduction 2
How it Feels to Take a Bullet 4
Situational Awareness 8
Personal Threat Assessment 11

• Personal threat assessment tips 14
• Putting it all together 19
• Daily situational awareness tips 24

Terrorism: a new type of threat 26

• Acts of foreign terrorism 26
• Domestic terrorism and related criminal acts 34
  • Stalking: 36
  • Carjacking: 50
  • Home invasions: 55

The Color Code Alert System 62

• Color Code Awareness 63
• Condition White 64
• Condition Yellow 64
• Condition Orange 64
• Condition Red 65
  • Summary 65

The Combat Mindset 69

• Fight or flight response 71
• Tips for winning a violent confrontation 78
• The essential principles of victory 82
• Physical components to winning a violent conflict 83

Basic Combat Shooting Fundamentals 85

• Identifying aspects of the human body 86
• Firearm safety 87
• Grip 91
• Stance 93
  • Balance: 93
  • Head position: 94
  • Movement: 94
  • Recoil control: 95
  • The Isosceles stance: 96
  • The Weaver Stance: 97
• Trigger control 99
• Breath control 99
• Sight alignment 101
• Muscle memory 102
• Shot placement 104
• Self-diagnosis of common shooting errors 112
• Combat vs. target shooting 114
• The ready position 116
  • The high ready position: 116
  • The low ready position: 116
• Drawing from the holster 118
• Reloads, stoppage clearing and press checks: 133
  • The speed reload: 134
  • The tactical reload: 135
  • The emergency reload: 13
• Stoppage clearing: 141
  • Press checks: 145
• Controlled pairs and hammers 148
• The Hammer: 148
  The Controlled Pair: 148
• Cover vs. concealment 150
• Using cover: 151
• Movement within a violent confrontation: 153

• Immediate threat concept 156
• Dealing with multiple threats 157
• Body armor/drug response 157
• One-handed shooting 162
• One-handed reload 163
• The CJDT (carjacking defense technique) 166

Handgun and Holster Selection 167

• Intended purpose 167
• Comfort and ergonomics 168
• Concealability 168
• Weight 169
• Quality 169
• Weapon action 170
  • Single-action: 170
  • Traditional double-action: 171
  • Double-action only: 171
• Calibers 172
• Holsters 175
  • Fanny packs: 176
  • Inseam holsters: 176
  • Shoulder holsters: 176
  • Traditional hip holsters: 177
  • Ankle holsters: 177
  • Tactical leg holsters: 178

The Need for Advanced Level Training 179

• The ability to function under extreme stress 180
• Justifiable use of force laws 181
• Hands on training vs. books or videos 182
• Selecting an instructor 183
• The student's responsibilities 191

Esoteric Principles and Considerations 192

Other Considerations 196

• After the fact 196
• Miranda rights 197
• Secondary/back-up weapons 200
  • Rationale for carrying a back-up weapon: 200
  • How and where to carry a back-up pistol: 209
• Deploying a weapon from the concealed position 212
• Proper concealed carry 213

Alternative Methods of Personal Defense 215

• Defensive chemical sprays 215
  • Chloroacetophenone (CN): 216
  • Orthochlorbenzalmalononitrile (CS): 216
  • Oleoresin capsicum (pepper spray): 217
  • Anatomical considerations: 219
  • Dispersion devices: 222
  • OC and the laws of self-defense: 224
  • Health, first aid and decontamination: 225
• Knives 227
  • Pros: 227
  • Cons: 231

Summary 233

Appendix A: Reference Letters 234

Appendix B: Author's Contact Information 245