The Criminal Paradigm

[Michael Brown]

CTO,

I was contemplating posting that statement from ISP as well. It is freaking frustrating.

It basically says that only the police are responsible enough with guns to possess them and that is simply ludicrous.

Fortunately, a major law enforcement publication recently published a survey that demonstrated that over 85% of LEO's nationwide are anti-gun control. That's a higher percentage than the rest of the population.

Statements like that from ISP are the drivel of ambitious administrators that don't represent the views of the majority of cops.

As another example of this sort of bureaucratic nonsense, I was attending a domestic violence prevention class a few years back when I worked in the family violence unit.

A speaker from DVIS was bragging on her new seven figure long-term lodging facility for victims. She made it clear that the victims could stay for up to one year.

"What then?" I asked.

She really didn't have a good answer for that.

I advised that for those seven figures I could have gotten 1000 victims a Glock and better firearms training than the police department gets.

The shelter protects about 40 women for up to a year.

I could have provided 1000 of them the means to protect themselves for the rest of their lives.

When I pressed the issue of effectiveness further, she said "We just can't do that."

It is that type of attitude that guarantees victims for life.

Michael Brown

 

[Crosstimbers Okie]

It is that type of attitude that guarantees victims for life.

Amen.

 

[NikatKimber]

It is that type of attitude that guarantees victims for life.

Amen.

AMEN!!!

 

[Kai]

Are you really preparing for it?

Don't wait. Make a concious decision to start right now.

Michael Brown

Excellent points above. So Michael, in this vein, what is your suggestion? Go to the range regularly, or something more "purposed"?. I know the answer to that, but i'm curious as to what your recommendations are for those in the Tulsa area to train to defend and survive.

 

[Michael Brown]

Excellent points above. So Michael, in this vein, what is your suggestion? Go to the range regularly, or something more "purposed"?. I know the answer to that, but i'm curious as to what your recommendations are for those in the Tulsa area to train to defend and survive.

There are lots of good choices.

Obviously, I am partial to the things I do i.e. using an MMA training method with combatives-based technique and integrating weapons and role-playing. I think its a big deal to have contextually-underscored training: i.e. I am a huge fan of MMA's training method and practice it several days per week but it is very incomplete as contextually-underscored training.

I personally believe its important to do something (anything) every day. That may include physical fitness, specific martial training, reading, visualization, range work, etc.

Whatever you do, strive to be as well-rounded as possible. Range work isn't all there is to it: You need to be able to shoot well but if given a choice between being able to do a 5 second El Prez or being able to do an 8 second El Prez and also being able to fight a three round MMA fight, I'll take the latter.

Develop skills in awareness, hand to hand, blade, impact weapons, firearms, tactical trauma care, driving, and verbalization/de-escalation.

We offer a monthly training group that numerous members here belong to as well as classes through the United States Shooting Academy www.usshootingacademy.com or private lessons through the same.

Jensen's Martial Arts (formerly International Martial Arts of Tulsa) offers some very good training in a number of areas including stick, blade, and MMA.

Then again, if you are realistic, analytical, intellectually honest, and willing to put in some really hard work you don't need me or any other instructor at all.

However most folks, including myself, find it easier to have a guide.

If you'd like to discuss some specific issues or methods, let's take it to a seperate thread so that everyone can benefit from it.

Michael Brown

 

[Michael Brown]

In the 1990's action film "Demolition Man", there is a scene where escaped criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is confronted by several police officers.

Phoenix has recently been imbued with unusual levels of combative skill in a society where very few have any real combative experience or skill and his level of defiance reflects his understanding of the police's lack of competence.

In response, the police select advice from a hand-held computer which fails miserably and the police are dispatched by Phoenix in short order after being mocked and derided briefly.

After the ignominious demise of the officers on scene, the dispatcher (Rob Schneider) comments:

"We're police officers. We're not trained to handle this type of violence!"

Sound far-fetched?

Not in my opinion.

My prediction, based on having a job where I have the benefit of observing criminals daily and seeing the results of their behavior, is that in the next ten years we will see an unprecedented type of violence and defiance from the criminal element.

This defiance will be based on a superior level of software that the average ccw holder/citizen or police officer will not possess.

This will be based on five inter-related factors:

1) The proliferation of MMA

2) The Iraq War

3) The declining physical standard for police

4) The declining physical capabilities of the middle class

5) The emphasis on hardware and range in both police and citizen firearm training


1) MMA

MMA has hit the mainstream.

Just about everyone who watches Spike TV has some idea of what the Guard, Mount, and cross-body mean.

While few train hard enough to gain a high level of proficiency, you are kidding yourself if you believe criminals are not training and are not getting better.

The days of incompetent thugs are passing.

Case in point:

In Charlotte, North Carolina a patrolman stopped a suspect believed to be involved in a stolen property case.

The suspect complied initially and then hit the officer with a double-leg and tried to take him to the ground. From there the suspect tried to apply a technique known in MMA parlance as the triangle choke, a complex combination of contortion of the arms and legs to achieve loss of blood to the brain.

Fortunately, the officer was also a highly skilled MMA practicioner and had trained at an MMA gym for several years and managed to beat the suspect at his own game and held him down until his backers arrived.

On my police department, 98% of officers would have been choked unconcious in a similar situation.

The only thing that saved this officer was a superior level of skill. Not a taser, not O.C., not even a firearm.

Could you have done the same if this was you?

So where did the suspect learn these skills? Was he a wayward fighter down on his luck? A gym rat gone astray?

Nope.

When the suspect was questioned about the incident and how he received his training he responded that everyone in prison is doing it now. Inside prison, MMA is the king of entertainment and many are becoming quite skilled.

The suspect also told the officer he was lucky he'd trained. The next officer he picks won't be so lucky.

2) The Iraq War

While the vast majority of those fighting this war for us are quality Americans, there are a substantial number of thugs and gang members inside our military.

And they are gaining a level of skill they've not had before.

Witness the 2005 murder of a Ceres, California police sergeant by a Latin Kings gang member and U.S. Marine.

This suspect understood the concept of OODA better than any of the three officers on the scene and thoroughly dominated the encounter.

Some offer that since the suspect possessed an SKS, that was the dominant factor in the event. This is simply not the case. The police deal with suspects with rifles on a regular basis but rarely do they lose so decisively.

It was the suspect's understanding of fire and maneuver and OODA that caused that tragedy.

3) The declining physical standard for police:

When a liberal bastion such as MSNBC or CNN becomes concerned about the level of physical preparedness of our police, you know there's a problem.

A few years back I surveyed one of our police recruit classes and found that only three or four of thirty had ever been involved in a contact sport at the high school level.

However about 25 out of 30 owned a video game system at that time.

'Nuff said.

4) The declining physical capabilities of the middle class:

Recently I questioned the athletic director of my daughter's prep school as to why in Oklahoma, a hotbed of wrestling, there was no wrestling program at her school.

He responded that most students just didn't have the physical discipline or desire to participate in a sport like wrestling.

Ask yourself if you're like one of those high school kids.

5) The emphasis on hardware and range in both police and citizen firearm training:

In today's training academies there are very few actually people teaching software over hardware.

We constantly seek a ranged solution to our problems and ignore the necessity of the extreme close range skills that criminals are cultivating.

We provide numerous reasons for it but the bottom line is we are not preparing.

We will look for tasers, better guns, more impressive hollowpoint designs, yet ignore the fact that it is the individual and not his equipment that wins a fight.


If you are not training hard against resisting opponents, don't kid yourself: You won't be prepared for the next decade.

If you're just punching paper, no matter how challenging, you're not ready except for a drunk who challenges you on the side of the road. That guy is becoming the exception, not the rule.

If you recognize it ten years from now, it will be too late to figure it out in a two day class.

My plea to you: Start now.

A new gun cannot replace skills.

Do not wait until its too late. When the criminals recognize that the police are no impediment, you will be the only thing between society and chaos.

Don't wait.

The criminals aren't.

Michael Brown

 

[ttown]

Agree...good piece

 

[grwd]

Good stuff, MB.
Where do you think all the biker gangs got their start? ww2.

 

[berettaman]

Several very thought provoking items.Here's my question.The solutions are made necessary because of the proplems? Why not address the problems? Oh that's right! We have the ACLU.
Who said "first,kill all the lawyers". ???

Good post!!

 

[izahuh]

I finally get to respond to a MB post!....yes.... So what do you recommend, get better with your handgun skills or your hand to hand...