John Westra John Westra

Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight?

The title of this article is intended to draw attention to the common expression; “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight,” the implication of which is that the gun is far superior to the knife. But, even if true, does it matter?

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John Westra John Westra

What is Brandishing?

It would be nice if there was an actual definition that was legally meaningful in all of the states and local jurisdictions.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.

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John Westra John Westra

How Much Should You Pay for a Handgun?

If you can afford it, there is nothing wrong with carrying an ultra-premium handgun. I carried one for years. However, when considering the question, I decided to switch to a relatively inexpensive option, based upon the following rationale.

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John Westra John Westra

Helpful Resources

You Tube is filled with self proclaimed experts giving advice on everything from firearms selection to tactics to legal advice. There are very few sources of truly useful and accurate information.

We recommend three in this posting.

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John Westra John Westra

How Many Shots?

Personal defense when using a firearm is a set of paradoxes. In this post we will explore the issue of how many shots to fire when attacked.

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John Westra John Westra

Lessons from Rittenhouse

After a detailed review of the Kyle Rittenhouse case, from the precursory event of the police shooting of Jacob Blake to the verdict of not guilty, there are several lessons to be learned relative to the Concealed Carry curriculum as taught by Advanced Defensive Strategies.

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John Westra John Westra

Are Non-Lethal Options Effective?

Non-lethal options fall into three categories: Impact (kinetic), Electric, and Chemical. The impact option includes batons, Billy clubs, or even your hands and feet, namely items that you might carry with you in lieu of a firearm.  It might also include items that you pick up on an improvised basis, such as a bat, a piece of pipe or rebar, a brick, or a stone.

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John Westra John Westra

The "Stopping Power" of Handguns

Simply stated, handguns do not have stopping power.  A related term is "knock down power."  Both are the creations of Hollywood and fiction authors. The operation of a handgun cannot defy Newton's third law, which states; "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." 

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