Ballistic Radio

“Go beyond preparing for the self-defense incident I hope you never have to go through. There’s a reason why people look to martial arts for personal development, because that struggle, that strife, that putting yourself in that position has lessons that carry over to the rest of life as well. Which means that even if you never get into that life-or-death struggle, the lessons you learned from preparing for it do you well with the rest of life.” – Matt LittleJoining us for the first time ever on Ballistic Radio is Matt Little, a competitive shooter, retired Special Forces operator, retired Chicago police officer, and owner of Greybeard Actual. In this episode Matt and John discuss violent criminals and whether there are some that are better to deal with than others. Is the training community focusing on the wrong mindset when teaching responses to violence? Is “not getting shot by the police” an undertaught skill? Is shooting competition a key component for getting better at real-world CQB? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

One of the things I do in my scenarios is, students that gracefully exit and find a way to not use any force at all, they are praised for it.” – Karl Rehn On this episode of Ballistic Radio we welcome back Karl Rehn, owner and operator of KR Training. Karl and John discuss the importance of force-on-force training, what this type of training entails, training progressions, decision making drills, and why “just knowing when to leave” can be more beneficial than shooting skill. All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

“When most people hear violent criminal actor, they imagine someone who is obviously mentally ill, or is going to stand out…The majority of the guys that I have dealt with over the years who have done unspeakably violent things, they act just like you and me 90% of the time, and have a lot of the same motivations in life, but they have an extra option that most people wouldn’t consider. They look at violence like just another option on the list that is equal with pretty much everything else.” – Ross Hick On this episode of Ballistic Radio, we welcome back Ross Hick, a probation surveillance officer and one of the newest instructors at Citizens Defense Research. Are violent offenders really that different from regular people? Are there common misconceptions that we should be aware of? Is there anything we can do to be better prepared to deal with a violent offender if we encounter them? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at BigTexOrdnance.com

I’m not trying to turn them into me. There are some of us who have adopted this as our lifestyle, this is what we do for recreation, as a part time occupation, and partly as our identity. It’s not fair to expect our students to become that. Most of them just want to be safe, get some knowledge, and understand everything that is involved with owning a firearm, and potentially having to use it.” – Rick Remington Joining us on Ballistic Radio is Rick Remington, the owner and chief instructor of Foundational Defensive Training. In this episode John and Rick discuss the great responsibility that comes with being a “Gateway Instructor.” What are the biggest mistakes instructors make with new students? How do we get new students excited about training? What should be done to encourage more local instructors to hone their craft? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

“I don’t think you necessarily need to be perfect in your execution of tactics, I think what’s probably more important might be understanding the why’s of the tactics. If we can do that then we can build thinkers that might think of outside the box solutions to the problems that are presented in front of them.” -Dan PapaleBallistic Radio is honored to welcome Dan Papale back to the show. Dan is a law enforcement officer who has responded to two active killer incidents. What are the current best practices to respond to an active killer? How can we set ourselves up for success when these incidents occur? Is it important to know whether or not we are a high or low responder specifically in this context? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

You are not going to empty the bag of blood that is a human in the quantity of seconds that it takes someone to end your life.” – Rhett NeumayerOn this episode of Ballistic Radio we welcome Rhett Neumayer, who is the owner of Demonstrated Concepts, a competitive shooter, and firearms instructor. John and Rhett discuss small handgun calibers, terminal ballistics, shot placement, and so much more. Does stopping power actually mean anything? Does “energy” really matter when it comes to terminal ballistics? Would private citizens be better served carrying a .22? How should context and mission play a role in handgun selection? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

“Concealment is a challenge. It’s made up of a number of different things, that can ultimately lead to success, but it requires that you do some research, tinker with your holsters, gun placement, clothing materials, and even clothing style.” – Tessah, Armed and StyledJoining us for the first time on Ballistic Radio is Tessah, the owner of Armed and Styled, and Director of Customer Development at PHLster Holsters. Listen as John and Tessah discuss the different aspects of concealment from holster choice to the nerdery of fabric selection. What role does fabric choice play in concealment? What fabric is best for this application? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com.

“Emotional fitness is absolutely as important as physical fitness for survival…and that emotional fitness is not just important for your own health, but for literally everyone around you, in ways that you don’t know, and in ways that you may not be able to ever know. Check in with your friends, be as approachable as you can to your loved ones, and if you don’t have that, now is the time to start.” -Ross HickJoining us for the first time on Ballistic Radio is Ross Hick! Fourteen years as a probation surveillance officer supervising high risk convicted felons within the community, currently specializing in sex offenders, and those with severe mental illness. Ross discusses the “bad guys” hiding in plain sight. In this episode Ross and John go over predatory warning signs, detection, avoidance, deterrence, and the importance of emotional fitness. Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

“…someone has to learn how to fundamentally shoot the weapon well, whether it’s with irons or with a dot, it doesn’t matter at this point. Until they have the fundamentals of grip, trigger control, and aligning the weapon, it’s not going to do much good. After that, you can start looking for whatever the technological advantage is.” -Wayne DobbsBallistic Radio is pleased to welcome Wayne Dobbs back to the show to discuss the evolution of gear, and the technological advances he’s seen over the years. Listen as John and Wayne discuss how the industry has shifted from revolvers to semi autos, and then to weapon mounted lights and red dot sights. Is gear actually better today than it was yesterday? What affect do these advances in technology have on our shooting abilities? Do these technological evolutions matter without the skills to match them? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com and get signed up for their April giveaway!

“The bad things in life are inevitable. Disease, death and loss are coming for all of us, no matter what. But the good things in life are optional, and they are dependent on our behavior and our orientation. You need to set yourself up to enjoy those good things, because the bad things are coming no matter what you do.” -KirkKirk, the newest member of Citizens Defense Research, is back again this week to discuss philosophy, how it relates to shooting, and how it can help us be better practitioners of self defense. How does our mindset affect our shooting ability? What does overthinking do to our shooting performance? How can we overcome our mental road blocks in order to become more efficient and effective defenders? Why are setbacks a good thing? All that and more in this weeks episode! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

Not all shootings are scary, so don’t put that into your training and think that it’s always going to be, because it’s not always…” -Jared Reston In this episode we welcome back Jared Reston of Reston Group Critical Solutions to discuss some of the nuances of training and instruction. Does it matter what a shooter is doing, so long as they’re doing so safely and putting bullets where they intended? Knowing that the goal is to make better shooters now, how can we strike the balance between setting new students up for success and giving them basic building blocks? Does the training community predispose students for emotional turmoil after a shooting? All of that and more in this weeks episode. Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at www.bigtexordnance.com

When you have a minimum standard, you don’t teach people past the standard, you invariably teach down to the standard.” – Caleb Giddings Ballistic Radio welcomes back Caleb Giddings to talk about how minimum training standards impact both the student and the instructor. Listen to the dismay when John and Caleb discover they have become angry old men yelling at clouds as they discuss the flaws and negative outcomes inherent in minimum standards, whether it’s for pumpkin spice lattes or shooting courses. Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

If you don’t accept the fact that there really is evil out there, and that it’s appropriate to use force to thwart it, then everything else you’re doing is just window dressing.” -John Hearne Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome John Hearne, of Two Pillars Training, back to the show to discuss a “holistic approach” to self-defense. Have you considered whether or not you could actually do violence to another person? Is there a way to mentally prepare for that? What skills are needed? Which skills are more important, Hard Skills or Soft Skills? How do we strike the “balance”? And our personal favorite, how does yoga help people win gun fights? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

I remember going to a class with a rifle, with a red dot, and you know what happened right? . . . all this crap about how the red dot was gonna get me killed in the streets.” -Bill Blowers Bill Blowers is back on Ballistic Radio, and this time he’s talking about… Sensitivity? What work does it take to have an opinion versus a talking point? How are new ideas formulated and adopted inside of the training community? What are the marks of a good instructor as far as openness to good ideas go? Why are these pretzels making me thirsty? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

Interested in using a red dot on a pistol, or getting them approved at your agency? This episode has something for you.---------------------------------------------------------------“With any red dot program you have to embrace a higher level of maintenance. There’s no other way around it.” -Dan Smith For the first time EVER Ballistic Radio welcomes Dan Smith, AKA Danno, of Centrifuge Training to discuss all things red dot. So what’s the deal with back up iron sights? How should red dot programs be implemented? Why won’t this dot stay still? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

This was a fun episode that I did with Chris from Citizens Defense Research. Give it a listen and then let me know if you think we left anything off of our list.“Safety and gun-handling are priority number one, always.” -Chris Cypert Ballistic Radio welcomes Chris Cypert of Citizens Defense Research back to the show! Have you ever wondered what “good enough” might look like? Do you need direction for what skills you should be training and the metrics to judge those skills by? John and Chris spend this episode covering all that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

“Plans are useless, but planning is invaluable.” -Chris Cypert Ballistic Radio welcomes Chris Cypert of Citizens Defense Research back to the show! What is the importance of context and why do so many people get it wrong? Is there an easy mode for decision making in chaotic environments? If no plan goes perfectly why plan at all? What’s the difference between planning and worrying? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

“We have unprecedented access to information that used to take years of study to get. Now … you can go on YouTube and you can watch a video from somebody who spent twelve years practicing the art of a sub-second draw. And you can learn everything that they learned in a five minute YouTube video, but that doesn’t give you the twelve years of experience that got them to that point.” -Sarah Hauptman Ballistic Radio welcomes Sarah Hauptman of PHLster back to the show to get to the bottom of how information is given to new gun owners, and why it matters. Are we living in a golden age of easily accessible knowledge? How should someone determine when they’re ready to be giving advice? Do all opinions matter? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

“The word liberal has a lot in common with the word liberty and if we think about that aspect of liberal politics that is in favor of civil liberties then we can see that the right to keep and bear arms is a civil liberty and so when I talk about the liberalization of gun laws I mean laws that make that civil liberty more possible.” - Professor David Yamane Season 9 is upon us and Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome Professor David Yamane back to the show. What’s been driving the recent expansion of right to carry laws? Has the training industry helped drive the concealed carry revolution? Professor Yamane even turns the tables on John and asks the host a question. There’s even sheep (it’ll make sense if you listen, we promise) shipping! All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

As far as target I.D. or …target positive identification, it’s pretty much a gimme in civilian self-defense roles because it’s the dude robbing you right now. That’s not ambiguous, that’s not uhhhhh is this the right guy? No, it’s the guy. That’s either happening or it’s not.” – Chuck Haggard Ballistic Radio welcomes Chuck Haggard of Agile Training and Consulting back to the show to discuss his 30+ years working low light problems. Are weapon mounted lights necessary for concealed carry? Are they necessary for law enforcement? Are they better to have and not need or do they cause more problems than they’re worth? What ARE they good for? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

“Even the idea that I would be a mentor to someone, in and of itself, makes me leery because I’m like wow, I’m an intensely flawed person trying to mentor another intensely flawed person and is that even right to do?” - Craig Douglas Hey folks, John here. To be completely honest I struggled with how to write this description as the topic matter for this episode just doesn’t fit into our usual format for these. I had the honor and privilege to have an intensely personal conversation with Craig Douglas of about the natural human tendency to place people, especially authority figures, on pedestals. We also get into insecurity, ego, altruism, mentorship and how to recognize when it’s time to choose to be a better version of yourself. It’s our longest episode by far, and I hope you guys get something out of it. Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“The idea is to provide you the benefits of an experience without the consequences of real life.” - Craig Douglas Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome back to the show Craig Douglas, of ShivWorks. How important is flight time when it comes to instructing? Do the students effect the instructor more than the instructor effects the students? How can we be mindful as we approach not only self-defense, but life? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“Once we’ve compressed the timeframe that decisions have to be made in they get a lot harder to make. And I think a lot of people because they’re only discussing this in a classroom context; they’re not putting it into the context where the decision will actually be made, they under appreciate the difficulty of what they’re trying to do.” -John Hearne For the second week in a row Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome John Hearne back to the show to discuss the importance of the cognitive process in the context of personal protection. How does stress effect your ability to make decisions? Is there any use to flat range training or is it too artificial? What are the things people need to be focusing on in their training? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

We have had a huge sea change as far as what we consider acceptable risk in our society.” -John Hearne Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome back to the show the incomparable John Hearne to talk about historical perspective, and the propagation of bad, and good, ideas. What would have happened had the FBI selected someone other than Jelly Bryce to influence their firearms training program. Why did it take so long for techniques we take for granted today to catch on? Is every new technological advancement really just a better executed version of a historical concept? Is our concept of risk fundamentally different than those who came before us? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

“The very best instructors that I have seen are students of their students.” – Samuel Middlebrook Samuel Middlebrook of Redhawk Firearm Training makes his first appearance on the show to discuss humility, and emotional health as it relates to training. As an instructor how important is it to acknowledge one’s own knowledge gaps. When we talk about making safe range environments are we missing half of the picture? How does self-image come into play when someone is trying to learn a new skill? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

My era of people probably need to be more patient, and younger folks need to be more open to listening to people with experience different from them that’s not internet based.” – Darryl BolkeOn this episode of Ballistic Radio Darryl Bolke of DB’s Shooting Adventures joins the show to discuss generational gaps, history, experience, and the importance of frame of reference. Are there phases that EVERY student of personal defense goes through if they do this long enough? What do younger generations miss out on when they’re having conversations with the people who have come before? Is there something that everyone needs to keep in mind when they’re trying to communicate information to students, other instructors, and the general public? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

f you are looking for a fight, well then that places you outside the bounds of normal morality, in my opinion.” -John Correia John Correia from Active Self Protection joins the show for a second week in a row, this time to discuss the ethical, moral, and theological implications of using violence to protect our own life. Does our intent matter? How does responsibility and personal boundaries impact all of this? Where does priority of life come into play? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

“Paying attention doesn’t mean paranoia, it means curiosity. It means seeing what’s going on in the world and are the things in this world normal and good, and helpful for me? And if not then I take action in order to make myself safe…” -John Correia John Correia of Active Self Protection rejoins the show to share his thoughts after having analyzed and studied tens of thousands of defensive encounters. Do we need to be worried about being attacked by gangs of ninjas dropping from the ceiling? Do we have unrealistic expectations of what typical violent encounters look like or has pop-culture negatively influenced us? What kind of fight should we be prepared for? Do we need to expand our understanding of what a transitional space is and what threats we may face in them? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

The good idea fairy will bite you in the butt if you don’t make sure that you have solutions to some of these problems already war-gamed out.” -Chuck HaggardFrequent guest Chuck Haggard of Agile Training and Consulting rejoins the show to discuss Outliers, Crime Rates, and whether or not our instincts are helpful inside a violent encounter. How do you prevent the good idea fairy from making an appearance inside a self-defense encounter? Is there value to over-learning a skill or is it wasted time? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

“Decisive action is the key for any great success in life.” -John Murphy Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome back John Murphy of FPF Training for a repeat performance. Who actually has the advantage once violence is inevitable? How is the ego our largest enemy if we’re interested in being better protected? Are there any new ideas in all of this? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

"...We have to have skillsets realizing that we may not be the superhero we think we are every moment of every day.” -John MurphyBallistic Radio is honored to welcome John Murphy of FPF Training back to the show to discuss some of the under-discussed realities of self defense training. What is the importance of technical proficiency inside of a self-defense encounter? How critical is it to prepare for worst case scenarios? If we find ourselves selected for violence who actually has the advantage in the incident? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“You are staying out of trouble, as opposed to getting out of trouble.” - Claude WernerOne of our very favorite guests, The Tactical Professor Claude Werner returns to the show to discuss a myriad of important topics that we should all consider. What is O.O.D.A. and how do people get it wrong? Why is it important to measure personal performance? Has everyone been pronouncing Claude’s 5x5x5 drill wrong? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“I really believe in the old idea of… Mindset, Tactics, Skill, Gear in order of descending importance. But it’s also an order of ascending control. You control your gear absolutely as a regular citizen.” -Kirk On this episode of Ballistic Radio Kirk joins us to discuss his recent trip to The Elite Rogers Shooting School. Hear all about the mental processes necessary to perform at a high level, as well as what impact gear has on performance. Are highly customized guns worthwhile? Do slide mounted optics make a difference if you already can shoot to a high level? Is there a way to train just mental processes alone? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices. Visit them online at www.centurionarms.com

We want the best. But I think there’s something lost along the way when… on one hand we say we want everyone to be armed and then in the same sentence we finish it, (who) has a thousand dollars to invest in a gun (and) holster, and then twice that in training, and that over again in an optic.” – Rhett NeumayerBallistic Radio is happy to welcome Rhett Neumayer of Demonstrated Concepts for his first appearance on the show. As a community are we approaching the topic of self-defense in an ultimately unrealistic way? What are some things that should be considering when giving advice to the “average” gun buyer. Rhett and John discuss how some of the commonly held attitudes in the industry might be ultimately harmful to the overall goal of making sure that people are better able to protect themselves. In the latter half of the show Rhett discusses how he came to be teaching a class geared solely towards stockless shotguns, and how his approach has turned what was once considering to be a poor substitute for a fighting shotgun into something every bit as capable as it’s full length counterparts. ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“…That is what we’re trying to simulate in Force on Force. There’s so much more to self-defense than just pulling a trigger.” -Erik PakieserOn this episode Ballistic Radio welcomes Erik Pakieser of QSI Training for his first appearance on the show. John and Erik discuss Force on Force training and some of Erik’s lessons learned from watching numerous students complete scenarios. What is Force on Force training, and what does is accomplish for folks interested in self-defense? Are there commonly observed issues that students face that wouldn’t be readily apparent absent Force on Force training? Why do people choose not to enter a Force on Force training environment? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

"We have a perfect storm. I’ve never seen anything like this before, I’ve never seen this kind of…any one of the factors we have going on. A global pandemic, civil unrest, or a Presidential Election would be enough to spike up demand for guns and ammo. Any one of those three things. All three of those things at once has emptied the shelves back to the manufacturers.” -Caleb GiddingsOn this episode Caleb Giddings from Gun Nuts Media joins the show to talk about all things relating to the current scarcity of guns and ammo inside of today’s market. Are there vast conspiracies to limit your access to ammunition, or is this all just the perfect storm of circumstance? When will things return back to “normal” or is this just the new normal? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“It’s always been interesting to me, nobody hands you a knife and says don’t worry it’s dull. But we hear it a lot with firearms…” -Brian HillOne of the best (maybe THE best?) instructors John knows, Brian Hill from The Complete Combatant rejoins Ballistic Radio to discuss the foundations of teaching. What are some of the things that instructors should keep in mind? What should a GOOD first class include? Then, Brian and John discuss the importance of understanding the legal side of things, as well as the extreme cost of winning a self defense encounter. ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“Generally speaking people who are very experienced in violence, and have seen a lot of it…avoid it.” -Chris CypertThe newest member of Citizens Defense Research, Chris Cypert, is back again, this time to discuss the lessons learned from a life time of professional study of violence. What are some of the mistakes that people make? What are some of the universal truths applicable whether you’re going out on a foot patrol in Afghanistan or just making a run to the store for milk? Are there things that everyone would do well to keep in mind? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“When it comes to the hidden costs…and the suffering that are brought about, there’s nothing romantic about it.” -Chris CypertThe newest member of Citizens Defense Research, Chris Cypert, joins this episode of Ballistic Radio to discuss lessons learned from countless time spent in places where active conflict is taking place. With more and more unrest/tension gripping the nation what should everyone from either “side” know before they advocate for armed conflict. What should people caught in the middle know? Does history teach us anything about the results of conflict? What can we ALL do to help restore a sense of civility to the conversation? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“The world is providing input like a pitching machine. It doesn’t love you, it doesn’t hate you, it’s just pitching. But you have to be ready to stand there and take the pitches, and that to me is a measure of how much reality do you accept. The longer the latency, the longer the pause before you can start responding, the less acceptance of reality there is.” -William AprillGuys…guess what… FACEBOOK USER QUESTION EPISODES ARE BACK! That’s right, It’s our first one since 2018 and we made it a special one. Joining us to help answer your questions is THE William Aprill of Aprill Risk Consulting. Has today’s climate of upheaval and social unrest changed much for those interested in self-defense? Should we be doing something differently when we select our defensive tools? How do we introduce ourselves to new people in the neighborhood? Is William secretly terrified of the concept of a horse-sized duck? ALL THAT AND MORE! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“So the list of things that you would kill and die for is something that you’ve got to sit down and really think about. It feels kind of morbid but you gotta know how you’re wired because your nature gets a vote, and if a circumstance that activates your instincts, your protection gears, happens in front of you you’re gonna do what you’re wired to do, whether it’s a good idea or not. So it’s a really important thing to know in advance; what is going to activate my need to intervene?” -William AprillTHE William Aprill, of Aprill Risk Consulting makes a glorious reappearance on Ballistic Radio to discuss, strange days. Are we more at risk for violence from “non-criminals”? What factors have lead up to a rise in ambient violence? What are the questions EVERYONE should ask themselves as tensions rise? All that and more! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“One of the things that a lot of people seem to have a hard time with is the fact that … you’re only the good guy in your mind. Because you know who you are, you know your motivations, your moral character and all that. To anybody else out there you are a complete stranger.” -Alex SansoneFor this episode Alex Sansone, AKA The Suited Shootist, makes his first appearance on Ballistic Radio to discuss all sorts of misconceptions centered around actually carrying a firearm concealed. What are some of the considerations that should be in the forefront of your mind when you choose to carry a gun. Are you viewing the world in a way that might get you an outcome you didn’t quite bargain for? Is it really that big of a deal if someone knows that you’re armed? Should you just “dress around the gun”? All that and more! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“I think a bigger issue is that everyone, when they have these scenarios run through their head they always win.” -Lee WeemsLee Weems of First Person Safety joins us on today’s episode to discuss, well, all sorts of things. John and Lee talk about the current state of policing and how community attitudes effect LE attitudes and vice versa, what advice you should give new people when the supply is limited and demand is through the roof, as well as the ways that people approach self-defense poorly from a mindset perspective. This is an episode you definitely don’t want to miss! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“It turns out that being right on the facts doesn’t change behavior, but, there are other things that do. So without arguing a single fact you can actually reduce somebodies support for gun control just by introducing complexity into the conversation. So you don’t have to win any points. You don’t have to prove yourself right. You don’t have to prove them wrong, and they never ever ever have to admit that they’re wrong on anything, but you can still change their behavior and that’s the part that really matters.” -Sarah Cade HauptmanOn today’s episode of Ballistic Radio Sarah Cade Hauptman of gunsguidetoliberals joins the show to talk more about how we can communicate in a way to advance the 2A platform. Are our pre-conceived notions hurting how we try and advance our cause? Are there ways we can be more effective and also improve the overall quality of our day to day life? On paper should John and Sarah even be friends? All that and more! Check it out! Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms , hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

“So the motivation became I’m doing this now because of the people I love and the things I love and I don’t want to be taken away from those things. And if that’s my motivation then I also probably shouldn’t destroy the things I love and the people I love with my attitudes and my actions.” -Paul SharpIt’s the Season 8 premier and we are super excited to welcome Paul Sharp of SBG Bartlett and The Shivworks Collective back onto the show! A *VERY* rusty John takes a deep dive with Paul on the topic of motivation, coaching, WHY we train, and how perspective shapes our ability to be cool towards one another. Towards the end of the episode Paul shares some of his experiences as a resident officer in a high risk neighborhood, and explains how that experience shaped what he’s doing today. Remember Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Centurion Arms, hard use rifles and accessories, at easy day prices.

It seems like you get around the personal protection industry folk and, as a newbie, you go ‘Yeah, I want to do this to have fun, but I also want to make sure that I’m doing it right to protect my family…’ and all of a sudden it is like someone takes sand and pours it over your head and says ‘The fun stops here!’” -Melody Lauer Citizens Defense Research’s own Melody Lauer is back on the show, answering important questions about topics such as whether No Fun Allowed zones are too common in the training industry. Is it possible to take a serious subject too seriously? In our encouragement of excellence and discouragement of frivolity, can fun be an unintentional casualty and does this drive people away from training? Listen in as these questions and more get hashed out in this episode.

I'd been involved in real violence in my life several times, and never before in training had I felt that kind of pressure.” -Shawn Lupka How important is being allowed to fail in a controlled environment? Shawn Lupka of Antifragile Training makes his first appearance on the show to discuss with John the experiences that have guided him down the training path he’s followed. From growing up in a rough neighborhood, to getting training in carrying and using a handgun, to some combatives and retention work…and then the experience he had in pressure testing those skills that led him to question it all. Shawn lays out the basics of why it’s important to regularly practice the skills you learn, how to put together a functioning training group, and the lessons you can learn when you go off the script. Prepare to take notes on this episode!

Bored? Tired of Quarantine and Chill? Have some new episodes!“ECQC is designed to teach deploying a firearm at extremely close ranges. But when we think that through for a second, the solution is not always to deploy a firearm or a knife. So, both are prima facie deadly force; you pull a knife in the middle of a fight and you are deploying deadly force. At some point we’re going to be in situations that the answer is not to deploy a tool that is used for deadly force.” -Larry LindenmanLarry Lindenman of Point Driven Training returns to the show to discuss a topic near and dear to his heart: Saps and Jacks (or, depending on the laws in your state, “small impact weapons”). Not every situation that requires force requires lethal force. Like pepper spray, a small impact weapon like a sap or blackjack can be a very viable force multiplier in trained hands. Larry has put more thought than most into designing a curriculum for these tools and is here to share.