Questions on Thoughts of Paul Howe

[TCinVA]

Thought of another question:

In the facebook videos when Howe picks up a pistol you'll see him clear the gun. Then look behind him. And clear the gun again.

Has he explained his methodology for doing this?

When you are clearing a gun, it's because you are going to be doing something other than shooting it. If you intend to be doing something with the firearm other than shooting it, then it is a splendid idea to make damn certain it doesn't have any live rounds in it.

I don't know Paul's reasons for doing that. He may have something else in mind entirely than what I propose.

But my guess would be that forcing yourself to properly clear the gun a minimum of twice and forcing yourself to actually look at what you're doing to clear the gun twice pretty well eliminates the possibility of missing something in your clearing process and getting a loud noise.

You may think it sounds silly, but when you handle and shoot guns on an almost daily basis because you make your living with one, the chances of being too hasty in clearing a firearm one time out of the thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of times you do it becomes almost an eventuality rather than a probability. Paul has been around for a minute and so he likely knows how many famous firearms instructors have had unintentional discharges of a firearm.

If you deliberately clear the gun, then force yourself to look at something else breaking focus on the gun and then come back to it with new eyes expecting it to be loaded and requiring a second deliberate clear, your odds of getting the status of that weapon confused are minimized. If that's his reasoning, I bet you he'll be able to cite a real world example where that specific process would have prevented an accident he witnessed or knew about.

The more you handle firearms the more careful and deliberate you have to force yourself to be. That one in 10,000 event isn't unlikely when you do something 10,000 times.

[Borderland]

I lurk a lot and read/search more than I post, and there's folks on here who I consider SME's saying that they're not. Perhaps SME means something else but in my eyes, the advice you all are offering is valuable. If I don't address your post directly it's because I'm trying to keep my own thoughts and biases out and I'm only answering questions or adding/asking for clarification.

@Dan Lehr would you mind clarifying? I'm trying to figure out if you're saying I'm not asking the right question(s), or if Howe didn't explain his position.

@nycnoob I'd have to experiment but I think the answer to your question means spending a lot of time on range figuring out your holds. At 25 yards you might lollipop the bull but at 5 yards you'd probably lollipop the actual X-ring circle. I haven't had a chance to go back and read (I'm reading Tom Given's Concealed Carry Class) but I think the section where he talks about is not in the technique section (as I first thought) but in the target selection chapter.

@Borderland "You may be over thinking this." Probably, but I enjoy the thinking/learning/evolving process of this.

@1Rangemaster "what can you shoot competently" For the most part I've been able to shoot all semi autos well. Some are easier to shoot than others (like a 19 to a 43x) and some get me better points (a P30L to a G19). I suppose I should spend more time on what @blues and @BehindBlueI's mentioned: average criminal reactions and area of operations.

Thank you all for your responses!

I think some of us fantasize or dream about shoot outs. I dream about not having the right weapon or maybe the wrong ammo for a weapon I have. Those are subconscious fears coming out while I sleep. Maybe our resident phycologist (Glenn) could analyze that..

I've never been involved in a shooting so why should that be something my subconscious worries about? I think the same thing applies here. Do you need a long gun for self defense? I've been adamant about that here in the past and provoked some vigorous responses from people that think you do. I own both a 16'' shotgun and SA rifle but don't carry either in my vehicle or on my person. My long guns are locked in my safe. Fighting my way to those seems ridiculous to me.

I train with the pistols I carry and have available 24/7. If that isn't going to solve the problem at hand then I'm just plain screwed.

[Rex G]

I agree with TCinVA about the careful and deliberate part. Some NDs happen because the user opens the action/cylinder, looks, but does not see the cartridge(s), then closes the weapon, and fires that unintended shot. Looking away, and looking again, might well be a means to reinforce that first clear-and-look, by looking and clearing again. This is just a guess, as I have not been zucked into joining the f*c*-book, so, have not seen the videos being discussed.

[BN]

Thought of another question:

In the facebook videos when Howe picks up a pistol you'll see him clear the gun. Then look behind him. And clear the gun again.

Has he explained his methodology for doing this?

During the Ohio OPOTA Pistol Re-qualification, when pistols are cleared when done shooting, the command is remove the mag and put it away. Rack the slide several times and let the round fall to the ground. Lock the slide back and visually determine the chamber is empty and put your finger in the chamber also. Then look away. Then, again visually and manually determine the chamber is empty. Layers of safety.

[43Under]

When you are clearing a gun, it's because you are going to be doing something other than shooting it. If you intend to be doing something with the firearm other than shooting it, then it is a splendid idea to make damn certain it doesn't have any live rounds in it.

I don't know Paul's reasons for doing that. He may have something else in mind entirely than what I propose.

But my guess would be that forcing yourself to properly clear the gun a minimum of twice and forcing yourself to actually look at what you're doing to clear the gun twice pretty well eliminates the possibility of missing something in your clearing process and getting a loud noise.

You may think it sounds silly, but when you handle and shoot guns on an almost daily basis because you make your living with one, the chances of being too hasty in clearing a firearm one time out of the thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of times you do it becomes almost an eventuality rather than a probability. Paul has been around for a minute and so he likely knows how many famous firearms instructors have had unintentional discharges of a firearm.

If you deliberately clear the gun, then force yourself to look at something else breaking focus on the gun and then come back to it with new eyes expecting it to be loaded and requiring a second deliberate clear, your odds of getting the status of that weapon confused are minimized. If that's his reasoning, I bet you he'll be able to cite a real world example where that specific process would have prevented an accident he witnessed or knew about.

The more you handle firearms the more careful and deliberate you have to force yourself to be. That one in 10,000 event isn't unlikely when you do something 10,000 times.

I've trained with Paul twice and also seen all of his videos.

Tim, you're right (as usual). He clears a gun, looks away, then does it again. It forces focus, and he has his students do the same thing in class.

As for the OP and his question about Paul using the Glock 26, it seems to be the gun he always returns to. In the past he's mentioned that he'll buy one gun a year and will post about what that is. I remember when he bought the Shield .45 a few years ago. Yet recently he has posted videos featuring the G26. I guess it hits the sweet spot for him.

[Borderland]

During the Ohio OPOTA Pistol Re-qualification, when pistols are cleared when done shooting, the command is remove the mag and put it away. Rack the slide several times and let the round fall to the ground. Lock the slide back and visually determine the chamber is empty and put your finger in the chamber also. Then look away. Then, again visually and manually determine the chamber is empty. Layers of safety.

Training prevails. It would be great if everyone who owned a firearm had the training that a US military recruit has now. I didn't have a lot but it was USN and the 60's. USMC was hard ass. The unfortunate part of that was no training with a 1911. All we trained with was a Garand. I remember being given a 1911 and two mags for a night watch. I had it figured out on my own but honestly, that was the first 1911 I ever held in my hand. 1970.

OK boomer.

[Tensaw]

Thought of another question:

In the facebook videos when Howe picks up a pistol you'll see him clear the gun. Then look behind him. And clear the gun again.

Has he explained his methodology for doing this?

I don't know if this is Howe's thought process, but... Whenever we unload/clear a firearm, our brain tells us that that is what we are doing. And your brain can trick your eyes into "seeing" what it expects to see; in this case, an empty chamber. By breaking completely off the visual plane of the chamber, then re-checking a second time, we are more likely to see that there is in fact a round in the chamber. More simply put, we can have lyin' eyes...

Unloading/clearing should be a slow, deliberate process. Every time.

Edited: spelling

[Joe S]

I recalled something on Ellifritz's site that was similar: https://www.activeresponsetraining.n...ubby-lifestyle

[TGS]

Thought of another question:

In the facebook videos when Howe picks up a pistol you'll see him clear the gun. Then look behind him. And clear the gun again.

Has he explained his methodology for doing this?

"Visual inspection, physical inspection, look away, repeat" is such a common standard of instruction among .gov/mil/LE agencies that I'm not sure I've ever taken an agency course where it wasn't the proscribed practice (even if not rigidly enforced).

It's just a mental break in the process which is supposed to force your brain to reset and perform a deliberate action since we go through the motions on certain things and aren't actually processing what we are doing. Refer to people "clearing" the gun, aiming downrange and pulling the trigger as is practice among some competition groups, only to experience a discharge. They cleared the gun, but their mind was either preoccupied or doing something so mundane, repetitive, and routine that they unintentionally train themselves out of actually checking the gun; I.e, being mentally engaged in what they're doing.

[DDTSGM]

@Dan Lehr would you mind clarifying? I'm trying to figure out if you're saying I'm not asking the right question(s), or if Howe didn't explain his position.

I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier.

I believe Howe explained his position adequately: He carries a Shield in .45ACP because I figure I can solve multiple opponents with six to seven rounds..." and "For me, trying to blend in and avoid trouble, I feel comfortable with a single stack that will allow me to fight to my rifle." You reported that Howe also said if he's expecting trouble he would "go with a high capacity".

What I was unartfully trying to address was the tendency to give credence to tactics/procedures 'experts' put forth in lieu of our own critical thinking.

The fact that you were second guessing yourself on what you had determined was best for your situation based on what an 'expert' said prompted my response.

In terms of going lighter or heavier on loadouts, wouldn't you agree that it's true that virtually no civilians (including LEO's) can predict the day's events with enough certainty to make the 'do I go heavy or light today' decision with any degree of certainty? Therefore, I'd think it would be best to always carry the largest sidearm that you will actually carry every day in terms of size and capacity.

As much as I hate folks who quote fictional books and authors as if they have authority, I'm a going to lay some Steinbeck out here:

This is the law. The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplementary. John Steinbeck, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights