Common myths, mistakes, and misconceptions. Volume One.

One thing that always saddens and frustrates me is the volume of inaccurate information about firearms. These myths, mistakes, and misconceptions are driven and perpetuated by political bias, fallacies based in Appeal to Authority, brand and caliber fanaticism, media and movies, ignorant public figures, and so on. There are far more that I will discuss in future entries, and dispelling these will be a primary focus of this website. - Confidence, overconfidence, and competence - “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” -Vince Lombardi Shooting is an athletic activity. It requires mastery of both fine and gross motor skill functions, extreme focus, mental conditioning, and commitment, in order to achieve competence and confidence in one’s abilities. What I experience to be the single most bothersome and dangerous mistake, is simply not committing the necessary time and effort it takes to be competent with firearms. Many of you reading this have engaged in an activity during the course of your life that required serious commitment in order to become competent at it. Let’s use football for an example. How good would you expect to become at football if you only practiced for an hour every six months? Is playing the piano for an hour or two, a handful of times a year, ever going to make you good at playing the piano? Of course not. This is why we should never approach firearms with the mentality that practicing and training ourselves in their use, should be done as sparingly, especially when the stakes are so high and the potential consequences so grave. One of the root causes in this mistake is when firearm owners (be it civilian, police, or otherwise) gain the ability to aim and fire a weapon at a large static target, and then go on to assume that this proves that they’ve achieved the level of competence necessary to use a firearm in ANY given situation. This is where the Dunning-Kruger Effect comes into play.

This false sense of security can be pointed out by asking a firearm owner a few questions, that often prove to be eye-opening for them: - Do you plan on standing still while someone is shooting at you? - Do you plan on not seeking cover while someone is shooting at you? - Do you think that your attacker will stand still or not seek cover while you shoot at them? Of course, the invariable answer to these questions should be “no.” To quote the philosophy of one of my favorite instructors, Sal Mascoli of IDO Consulting: “Fights move, we move.” The phrase, “Get off the ‘X’.” is a common one you’ll hear in regards to defensive firearm use. The “X” is wherever you currently are when shit hits the fan. Quickly moving off of the X, returning fire, and seeking cover if it’s available to you, is almost always going to be step one in a gunfight. Using a firearm, especially a handgun, while moving and attempting to engage a moving target (especially one that’s both moving and partially obstructed by cover) requires a skill set and training level that’s significantly higher than what it takes to shoot at static targets on a range. In addition to the previously mentioned types of dynamic factors in real world gunfights, you’re also going to experience a massive surge in adrenaline, which can lead to difficulty with fine motor skills (like perfect trigger press on a handgun) loss of both vision and auditory acuity, and other sensory and cognitive impairments. Further details on the effects of the fight or flight response, specifically in regards to gunfights, can be found here: https://www.leavenworthtimes.com/article/20150423/opinion/150429696 Police are generally thought of as being proficient with firearms, if not outright experts. They typically receive more training than a civilian who has completed a concealed weapon permit course, and they’re required to re-qualify on a shooting range annually or biannually, whereas most concealed weapon permit holders don’t have to re-qualify nearly as frequently. Yet even with that additional training and practice, the rate at which police hit their targets is dismally low. Below is one study and one summary article on two examples, from the New York Police Department and Dallas Police Department: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG717.pdf https://www.policeone.com/police-training/articles/new-study-on-shooting-accuracy-how-does-your-agency-stack-up-gjG6Z4UVZlhcEASk/ The average hit rate for the NYPD was only 18% during a gunfight. When they weren’t taking return fire during a critical stress situation, their hit rate was still only 30%. Dallas comes in slightly better with a 35% hit rate across the board. While I suspect this has something to do with the fact that NYPD issues pistols with an abnormally heavy trigger pull (making them more difficult to fire accurately), hit rates that average above 50% are incredibly rare for police departments in general. It is worth reiterating that this is within the context of firearm users with more training and range time than the average civilian, as well as being more accustomed to dealing with high stress situations. This should lead to at least two important conclusions: 1.) Police are not the holy grail of competent firearm use, and should always seek further training and a more regular cadence of practice. 2.) Most civilian firearm owners are poorly prepared for armed self defense, and should always seek further training and a more regular cadence of practice. This is an uncomfortable realization for many people. Humility is never fun, but always crucial. There’s an awful lot of tough guy and tough gal machismo attitudes out there towards firearm ownership and use, and, in my experience, they usually come from individuals who are the most unprepared. Such attitudes will never have a place on this website. Some common expressions of overconfidence I hear are “I grew up shooting guns.” and, “I was in the Marines/Army/Navy/Air Force.” or, “I have a carry permit.” Not a single one of these facts proves that someone is competent in firearm use, even if they resulted in mastery of basic marksmanship fundamentals. In my experience, it also doesn’t mean that the person using any of those phrases has even mastered, or respects, the proper safety practices. I’ve witnessed several negligent discharges in person, with some of those coming frighteningly close to tragedy. All of those "NDs" came from the hands of someone displaying some form of overconfidence. It’s never been a brand new shooter that is humble and seeking to learn, or a veteran shooter who realizes that they’re not infallible. The reality is that someone who’s only done the bare minimum to acquire a carry permit or a firearm while only practicing occasionally, is far more likely to be a greater danger to themselves, those they care about, or a bystander, than to an armed attacker. We’ve all seen the tragic stories on the news about negligent discharges and accidental shootings that take an innocent life. Part of being a responsible gun owner is committing oneself to being an eternal student. Even top-ranked tournament shooters and the best and bravest people in our Special Forces are constantly practicing, training, and educating themselves. The world of firearms and their use is constantly evolving with newer and better techniques and equipment. This is why I am of the strong opinion that if you’re not ready or able to make the commitment to serious training and regular practice, you’re better served by not pursuing defensive firearm use at all. - Common firearm selection mistakes - "Handguns in the streets, long guns in the sheets." - Ben K. Choosing the wrong firearm for a specific use case is one of the most common mistakes. Many people will jump straight to purchasing a handgun for home defense, despite the fact that in most cases a rifle or shotgun is far better suited for this role. The primary advantages of a handgun is their ability to be concealed and the high degree of mobility which they provide. This is excellent for when you’re carrying and/or concealing a weapon outside of the house in your day-to-day activities, but it comes with a big compromise on effective terminal ballistics. Terminal ballistics is the term used in reference to how a projectile (bullet) transfers its kinetic energy into a target. This field of study includes wounding and penetration characteristics, ability to defeat body armor, etc. Terminal ballistics, ammunition choice, and other related topics will have a much more in-depth discussion in the future. Common handgun rounds such as 9mm, .380ACP .40 S&W, .45ACP and .357 Sig, are slow moving, relative to rifle rounds. This limits the amount and type of damage they can do to a soft target. Most intermediate rifle rounds are moving fast enough to create much more damage in the form of temporary wound cavities, hydrostatic shock, or fragmentation, and are typically much better at deeply (or completely) penetrating a target compared to common pistol caliber rounds. Shotgun rounds are also ballistically superior to handgun rounds in the sense that the amount of energy and the number of projectiles transferred into a soft target in a single shot, trumps a single handgun projectile by a significant margin, even though shotgun projectiles are moving at a speed similar to handgun projectiles. When your goal is to stop a lethal threat as quickly as possible, you’ll want the most effective tool for that job given the environmental circumstances and contingencies. Below is a study on differences in wounding characteristics between different projectile types. You’ll need a PubMed account to access the entire study, but the abstract will give you a good, quick summary: "Wounds inflicted by high velocity, center-fire rifles firing hunting ammunition are radically different from wounds caused by handguns or .22 rim-fire rifles. Injuries from pistol or .22 rim-fire bullets are confined to tissue and organs directly in the wound track. In contrast, high velocity rifle bullets can injure structures without actually contacting them. This is due to the temporary cavity produced by such missiles with the resultant shock waves having pressures of up to 200 atmospheres (20 MPa). Organs struck by such high velocity rifle bullets may undergo partial or complete disintegration. Hunting ammunition, as it passes through the body, tends to shed fragments of lead from its core, producing a characteristic snowstorm picture on X-ray." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/263931/ The other reason shotguns and rifles are a better choice in most cases is due to the fact that the weapon can be fired and manipulated in a much more stable manner. Being able to shoulder a weapon greatly increases your control of it, as opposed to holding out a handgun at arms length, unbraced. When firing a pistol, you’re attempting to absorb most of the recoil through your hands and into your arms and shoulders. You’re also attempting to press the trigger in the most controlled manner possible, while not anticipating the forthcoming recoil and not applying any undue pressure to the trigger in any way that will cause the muzzle to deviate from its intended target. Both of these techniques are far easier said than done, and have a steep and arduous learning curve. It typically takes someone several thousand rounds to be able to consistently hit a target at any appreciable distance with a handgun, and that’s just while standing still, whereas rifles and shotguns are far more forgiving of less than ideal trigger presses, grip, and shooting form. Handguns also suffer from a shorter “sight radius”, which is the distance from the front sight to the rear sight of the firearm. The closer together the sights are, the larger the margin of error you’re going to have in your sight picture, and vice versa. You’re going to be more likely to miss what you’re actually aiming at in your sights with a shorter sight radius versus a longer one. This isn’t to say that you can’t be very accurate and effective with a handgun, but the effort required to do so is staggering in comparison to rifles and shotguns. - Shotgun myths - The most commonly recurring myth I see about shotguns is in regards to the way they pattern when fired. The myth is that you can simply point a shotgun in the general direction of a bad guy and you’re guaranteed to do damage. This is flat out wrong. Shotgun patterning is the term used to describe the way that the projectiles (pellets, BBs, etc) increasingly spread out from one another, over increasing downrange distance from the muzzle when it’s fired. Shotguns pattern in a circular shape, but the rate at which they spread out is dependent on several variables. One of the main determining factors is the barrel length, and what kind of choke tube is installed in that barrel (though not all shotguns use choke tubes). Even a sawed-off or legal short barreled shotguns, will only have about a 6” spread pattern at five yards or less, and a 12” spread at 15 yards. This can be witnessed here:

It’s unlikely that you’re going to have an engagement distance of more than 10 yards inside of your own home, unless you’re living in a mansion. A more typical shotgun (something with a 16” barrel or longer) is going to have a dramatically tighter patterning over distance, even using a completely unrestricted choke tube. So in conclusion on this myth:

- Common mistake: Incorrect ammo choice - I encounter a disturbing amount of shooters using full metal jacket (FMJ, also commonly referred to as “ball” ammo) ammunition in firearms intended for defensive use. The problem with ball ammo is overpenetration, and a lack of effectiveness in regards to terminal ballistics. Ball ammo will typically pass straight through the body of an enemy with very little resistance in comparison to expanding ammunition. This creates tremendous downrange liabilities. Expanding ammunition (commonly referred to as “hollow-points”) open and expand when they hit a target, primarily soft targets. This creates significant drag to where they will often come to rest inside the body of an attacker. If they do exit, they’ll be moving much slower, posing far less downrange risk and liability. Expanding ammunition also does significantly more damage once inside an enemy’s body. Expanding pistol and rifle rounds typically increase in diameter by as much as three times their original diameter. This will result in much more tissue damage and greater hemorrhaging. As previously mentioned, ammunition and terminal ballistics data will be covered in great detail further on in this series. But for now, be sure to never load a defensive firearm with non-expanding ammunition unless you’re practicing on the range. A quick insight on ammo choice is to simply use what your local law enforcement uses. The FBI has selected Hornady Critical Duty and Winchester PDX1, and is available for many common calibers. It's worth noting that both of those are "bonded" hollow-points, optimized for barrier penetration. The Federal HST is my personal choice for a non-bonded hollow-point. It demonstrates excellent terminal ballistics and has been widely adopted by both federal and local law enforcement agencies. I've also found it to reliably cycle in the vast majority of modern handguns.

- Common mistake: Lack of light and lack of target identification. “We're killin' strangers, so we don't kill the ones that we love.” -Marilyn Manson Statistically speaking, a ton of crime happens at night. In fact, the majority of the most grievous types of crimes such as rape, murder, and robbery, take place at night, as shown in the study here: https://www.thesleepjudge.com/crimes-that-happen-while-you-sleep/ It’s incredibly important for you to have a light mounted on any firearm you might use for defensive purposes. For one, you simply cannot shoot what you cannot see. It’s also incredibly important to be able to positively identify a target before you fire at it. This goes back to the fourth golden rule of firearm safety; “Know your target and what is beyond your target”, as well as rules two and three, to some extent. There are a litany of tragic stories about gun owners who fired at someone during the night before they properly identified who that person was. Sometimes it’s a loved one, or just a random intoxicated person who tried walking into someone else’s house, thinking it was their own. A quick Google search will provide many examples. Here are a some: A woman accidentally shoots her friend, believing he was an intruder: https://abc13.com/shooting-man-shot-mistaken-cypress/5990260/ A mother accidentally shoots her own daughter on a surprise visit home from college: https://fox6now.com/2019/09/03/mom-accidentally-shoots-daughter-surprising-her-from-college/ A man accidentally shoots and kills his drunk, unarmed neighbor: https://www.kxly.com/questions-linger-after-homeowner-shoots-kills-accidental-intruder/ A woman accidentally shoots her friend in the dark, mistaking him for an intruder: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/hamilton-surprise-home-invasion-killing/2117324/ Darkness tends to lead to heightened tensions and fear-based decision making, on top of the already heightened state of being confronted by a potential intruder or attacker. While the individuals in those examples were able to hit their targets, they did not positively identify those targets, first. These stories prove why having a light mounted on any defensive firearm is a crucial part of using firearms safely and effectively. Weapon mounted lights have another benefit as well, which is being definable as a “force multiplier”. These come in many different forms, but the United States Department of Defense defines a force multiplier as: “A capability that, when added to and employed by a combat force, significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment.” Many things, like expanding ammunition, are force multipliers. A quality weapon mounted light will be capable of discharging a very bright beam of light that will not only allow you to effectively aim and engage with your weapon in low light and no light conditions, but it can also temporarily blind an assailant, as well as greatly reduce their ability to see you and what you’re doing. Using a firearm in low light and no light conditions is difficult, even with a weapon mounted light. It’s yet another skill set with its own nuances, contingencies, and learning curve. There are times when using a powerful standalone flashlight is preferable before possibly pointing a weapon at someone. Lights and using them will be discussed more in depth in the future of this series. - Common misconception: Handgun “stopping power” - When it comes to common handgun calibers, there is no magic bullet or round that is going to be significantly more effective in terms of terminal ballistics than that of another round in a similar category. I group handgun rounds into three categories; pocket pistol, common, and magnum. When I discuss pocket pistol calibers, I’m not necessarily referring to the inherent size of the handgun, since many very small pistols can be chambered in something as large as .45ACP. I’m referring to more common ones such as .22, .25acp, .32acp, etc. These are very small and light rounds that are not particularly effective against human targets. When I discuss common pistol calibers, I’m referring to 9mm, .40S&W, .45acp, .357 Sig, and so on. In other words, the types of rounds you’ll find in most “service” sized handguns, that most police carry. When I discuss magnum handgun rounds, I’m referring to larger handgun rounds that are capable of humanely taking down large game animals such as deer or elk. The lines between these categories is often blurred and it’s difficult to set a hard line between them since the ballistic characteristics and performance of a single caliber can vary greatly depending on the powder charge and type of projectile it is loaded with.

When it comes to the common handgun calibers, it has been shown through decades of FBI research that 9mm is currently the most effective overall round when accounting for a multitude of real world factors. The following is the executive summary of the findings from the FBI Training Division in Quantico, VA. Pay special attention to the first and fourth bullet points: "Caliber debates have existed in law enforcement for decades.

• Most of what is “common knowledge” with ammunition and its effects on the human target are rooted in myth and folklore
  

• Projectiles are what ultimately wound our adversaries and the projectile needs to be the basis for the discussion on what “caliber” is best
  

• In all the major law enforcement calibers there exist projectiles which have a high likelihood of failing LEO’s in a shooting incident and there are projectiles which have a high likelihood of succeeding for LEO’s in a shooting incident
  

• Handgun stopping power is simply a myth
  

• The single most important factor in effectively wounding a human target is to have penetration to a scientifically valid depth (FBI uses 12” – 18”)
  

• LEO’s miss between 70 – 80 percent of the shots fired during a shooting incident
  

• Contemporary projectiles (since 2007) have dramatically increased the terminal effectiveness of many premium line law enforcement projectiles (emphasis on the 9mm Luger offerings)
  

• 9mm Luger now offers select projectiles which are, under identical testing conditions, outperforming most of the premium line .40 S&W and .45 Auto projectiles tested by the FBI
  

• 9mm Luger offers higher magazine capacities, less recoil, lower cost (both in ammunition and wear on the weapons) and higher functional reliability rates (in FBI weapons)
  

• The majority of FBI shooters are both FASTER in shot strings fired and more ACCURATE with shooting a 9mm Luger vs shooting a .40 S&W (similar sized weapons)
  

• There is little to no noticeable difference in the wound tracks between premium line law enforcement projectiles from 9mm Luger through the .45 Auto
  

• Given contemporary bullet construction, LEO’s can field (with proper bullet selection) 9mm Lugers with all of the terminal performance potential of any other law enforcement pistol caliber with none of the disadvantages present with the “larger” calibers " -FBI, 2014.
  

The full justification for the FBI’s reasoning to switch to 9mm can be found here: https://sofrep.com/gear/the-reasons-why-fbi-went-to-back-to-9mm/ This is not to say that 9mm is the end all, be all, of handgun rounds, but that it simply best fits the needs of most users in a self-defense capacity, when used with modern expanding ammunition. The same can be said of various rifle and shotgun rounds, which will also be discussed further later on in this series. End of Volume 1.