Hours of the show will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day.

I’ll be teaching my popular rape prevention course, “Rape Prevention for Couch Potatoes” five different times during the event. If you’re one of those who’d like to attend you can register here: http://womenofcaliber.com/colorado.php

This course is one hour and requires very little physical effort as it’s intended to benefit both young and old, fit or fat, you name it. After all, regardless of any of that, EVERY woman has the right to defend themselves, right? It’s very, very disturbing to me that 1 out of 6 women are raped in their lifetime.  1 out of 6?! And the worst part about that is that on college campuses, it is believed that 95% of all rapes go unreported! It’s “only” 60% of all rapes that aren’t reported off campus. Good grief! What are we, some 3^rd world nation that has absolutely no respect for women?! This is heinous, in my opinion and I say that it’s got to stop! And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it stop on my watch! So…*breathing calmly now* if you’re able to come, not only will you be helping yourself, but part of your class tuition will go towards paying it forward in that I get to be able to afford to take this class right to the women who so desperately need it but where they won’t feel so vulnerable such as the women crisis centers, safe houses, etc. If you’re within even a couple of hours of driving time from this event, I highly recommend that you attend. I can honestly say that there’s NOTHING like this being taught elsewhere. I’ve often heard the remark from gals who take just this mini-class that it’s the best self-defense course they’ve ever attended. I hope to see you there.

In addition, I’ll also be teaching the Ten Principles of Preparedness class on each day on the main stage (10:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. respectively). That’s free for everyone.

I’ll also be participating in a special panel, Women of Prepping, that will be held on the mainstage from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on the 19^th.

There are a LOT of fabulous classes being hosted there—several of them that I’m going to try and attend as well. This event has got to be one of the most chocked full of education events like this that I’ve ever seen. Go to www.self-relianceexpo.com for more details.

Hope to see many of you there!

Watching the various episodes of “Doomsday Preppers” on the National Geographic Channel you’re bound to see someone shooting at something. Surely there are plenty of reasons to holler at the television as this newest edition of reality TV unfolds. It’s bound to happen when a show attempts to convey an entire lifestyle, compressed into 2 days of filming, portrayed in a matter of minutes. Imagine what would happen if YOU only shared a tenth of your words to any sentence—there’s bound to be a misstep or two. But one thing that really can’t be edited incorrectly—let alone by a production company that probably doesn’t know the difference between a clip and a magazine—is a shooter’s shooting stance.

The key to proper shooting is creating a proper foundation and shock absorption with your body. Women in particular have a really bad habit of missing this key skill; and unfortunately, there are far too many men who don’t practice it themselves, let alone teach the importance of it to the female shooter in their life.

The other day at the range I watched as a husband proudly showed his wife how to shoot for the very first time. He was SO happy. I was actually proud of her, too, as I observed a healthy respect and attitude towards firearm safety and handling of the firearm. But I confess, I cringed as I watched her shoot with her back arched backwards and one of her arms dropping. Both of these errors are very, very common, but done correctly both of them do so much more good to being able to properly defend yourself than any caliber or brand of weapon ever will.

Let’s start with the feet. Your natural self-defense shooting position should take a cue from any physical fighter such as a boxer or mixed-martial artist. Their feet are positioned in such a way that they cannot be easily knocked off balance from front to back or from side to side. Unfortunately many of the suggested shooting positions nowadays do not take that balance into consideration. Spreading your feet shoulder-width apart and crouching down a bit only provides half a foundation, which is as good as no foundation at all in a life or death scenario. Ironically, the foundation that it provides is only from side to side, but when you’re shooting a firearm, you’re more likely to need a proper foundation that will support a front to back balance most of all. Placing one foot in front and one at the back then makes your foundation unstable from side to side. These vulnerabilities not only affect your shooting accuracy but also your ability to respond quickly to any threats outside of your immediate target.

Proper foot placement should be placing your non-dominant foot firmly forward and leaning forward over the top of it a bit. Place your dominant foot back and to the outside just a bit. Rather than forming a straight line between the feet, you’re creating more of a “L” shape. This way you’re providing support front to back as well as side to side. The key to this foot position is that you don’t place the feet too far outside of your body. The feet are placed outward in an effort to simply extend the perimeter of your foundation under you.  This foot position will be very much like you would see a trained fighter automatically go into when confronted. It should feel very natural to you and is commonly referred to as a pyramid base. You know, pyramids…those incredibly strong structures that have stood the tests of centuries of time? If you’ve got a vulnerability to your foot position, then you have a vulnerability to your shooting. When I’ve taught students who have a background of law enforcement, boxing, or military I find that this foot positioning is very natural for them, to the point that if I do a fake punch or jump in their direction, their body immediately goes into this position.

Next is the back. Women commonly create a poor foundation with their back by leaning away from their firearm. I’m convinced this is a physical manifestation of the what’s going on in their head; and you know what, it’s totally understandable. What usually happens is that they bow their back backwards when in fact they should be leaning into the shot. There’s a physiological and psychological strategy in play with a proper back position. Leaning slightly into the shot not only gives you a better shooting foundation, but it also sends a very different message to YOU as well as an attacker. The stance impacts the brain. You can’t fool your brain into thinking you’re calm, capable and confident when you’re arched away from the target, and that fear will manifest itself in your shot placement. If you look closely at the shooters featured on The History Channel’s “Top Shot”, you will see the men AND the women leaning into their shots regardless of what kind of a weapon they are shooting.

As you lean into the shot, the majority of your weight will be directly under your torso with a bit being allocated on your front foot. Your rear/side foot isn’t just lying around for good looks; it’s deliberately planted and ready to support the recoil that will travel through your body as you shoot. Your shoulders are leaned forward, towards the target. Doing so communicates strength and certainty to the target and to your brain.  Remember, the mental fortitude is just as important as the physical fortitude. Your shoulders are squarely parallel to the target, not angled.

Now, you’re leaning into your shot, so now let your head naturally follow the rest of your body. I always say “nose over toes.”  It won’t be comfortable for you to do much else with your head other than staring down the gun sights towards your target. Bring your head down,  directly behind to the sights of your firearm; but be sure that your arms are extended straight out at the shoulders, not at the breasts, rather just above them.  Your head should be positioned as such that you can just see the front site on your gun. It should be straight up and down, not tilted to one side or the other.

Next bring your arms up to same level as your shoulders and fully extended in front of you. Do not lock them into place; rather you want them to be viable shock absorbers. I don’t care what they do on TV, you do NOT want one arm straight and one arm bent. (Try doing that with proper foot placement and you’ll see just how ridiculous of an idea it is.)  Remember, your arms should not be resting down at the middle of your chest, rather they should be extended outwards, just above your breasts. Put these few tips together and you’ll see that it’s a much more aggressive, confident position that you usually do at the range, or at the very least very different from what you see at the range.

Your hands will naturally support the position of your arms. The palm of your hands will not be overlapping anywhere on top of each other and neither will your thumbs. Again, never allow your thumbs to stack on top of each other. One will pull down on the other as you shoot.  Depending on the size of your grip, your fingers may wrap around each other in the front of the grip, but all of your knuckles on your fingers should be pointing towards your target; your torso is towards your target, your shoulders are square with your target, and your front foot is towards your target—believe it or not, that front foot placement being TOWARDS your target can make all the difference in the world. My husband and I did an experiment in which we shot blindfolded towards a target but we made sure that our foot was always pointed toward our target. The foot pointed in the proper direction made a HUGE difference. The butt of your palms should be side by side, resembling a baby’s bottom. If you put one hand underneath the butt of the gun, you’re going to have some pushing and pulling action each time you shoot, hindering your accuracy. Your thumbs should NOT cross over each other. Rather your dominant hand thumb should be parallel with your non-dominant thumb. If you overlap ANY of your fingers on the gun, you will be pushing and pulling on each of your shots.

If you breathe out as you extend your arms outward and ensure each of these parts of your body are placed correctly, you will have excellent shot placement. I can tell you for a fact that as soon as I fix any of these common stance errors on my students or myself, the shots go exactly where they are supposed to because your entire shooting position is aimed towards your shot and is in place to support the recoil of the firearm. You won’t have any jerking of the firearm regardless of how powerful your caliber may be. This works well regardless of whether you’re shooting quickly or shooting slow. This type of posture is commonly referred to as a “bulls-eye stance.” My best suggestion is that you practice getting into the proper stance instinctively. Sight alignment is an easy error to address if the rest of the foundation is in place.

There are some that will criticize this stance saying that you are making yourself too big of a target, moreso than if you were to lead your body with a shoulder forward. My response to this is that I always assume the perpetrator practices on small targets—you know, like the size of a quarter. I don’t know about you but I haven’t been the size of a quarter since I was a fetus. No positioning will truly make me small enough of a target that would merit compromising my shooting stance with a more solid foundation. Calibers, experience, determination, mindset—all of those kinds of things that people try to say make a difference. But when all is said and done, it’s the shot placement that ensures whether or not I get to go home to my family safe and sound, so that’s what I’ll give credence to every single time.

If you’ve been shooting incorrectly, or if you’ve never shot at all, it’s likely that a proper stance won’t instinctively happen without you creating the muscle memory to go with it. As odd as this may sound to some, I suggest that you make it a habit to do 10 to 15 draws with the proper stance everyday. (I use a hairbrush, pulling it up from my imaginary holster.) As a result, I don’t even have to think about it when I practice, my body naturally goes into the perfect shooting position like a lifetime ballet dancer getting into first position. When it comes to life and death scenarios, this instant muscle memory is a life saver.

I don’t have pictures for you right now, so this video clip from Doomsday Preppers will just have to do. Notice my stance as well as the stance of the students; and notice how little the barrel of the guns move when they are shooting. (The picture at the top of the blog site is not me, just FYI, it was a student, and yes, she did have to correct her stance. For some reason our graphic designer liked this particular photo. *grin*)

National Geographic Doomsday Preppers: NGC Women’s Self Defense

I am frequently asked how I feel about letting the government know I have a firearm. Folks seem to be a bit concerned for my well-being when they learn that I’ve applied for a concealed firearm permit. They are concerned that doing so somehow puts me on a list and now the government can know where to go to take my firearm. Well, that’s one way to put it, Ladies, but I see it very, very differently than that.

Remember one of the greatest strategies of self-defense is to prevent the attack from happening in the first place, right? You do so by appearing confident, by never disengaging from your surroundings, and always being aware, right? This gives a very different message to a would-be attacker than a woman who has her purse lying open in the seat of the car, with the door open, while she’s attempting to simultaneously load groceries into the trunk of the minivan and balance her checkbook at the same time. (Yes, you know who you are. *ahem*)

So, let’s look at the whole concealed carry thing the same way. While some may see it as me showing my cards, there’s the other side of the coin in that I’m doing the same thing with the government as I do with a would-be attacker. As such, in actuality I’m NOT showing my cards, rather I’m actually putting “them” on notice that my home and my life is a “Bully Free Zone”.

Please know that I’m not accusing any one particular government employee of being a bad guy. I have dear friends who work for the government. I’d like to think that they may actually have an influence for good someday. But unfortunately, there are enough genuine “bad guys” within the body of the government that have the power and authority to inflict harm on We The People. The most common attack used by these nefarious persons is to bully. They initiate contact from a bullying position and with the least bit of resistance  from their prey, their natural response is to up the ante of intimidation. Unfortunately, many surrender at this point, especially when the threats are directed towards the loss or harm of their children.

Frankly, they are successful overall with this tactic because of a person’s ignorance of the laws and their freedoms. One thing we need to remember is that the laws of the land stand in your favor.  We also need to remember that the Supreme Court has ruled that it’s acceptable for law enforcement officials to lie to their targets in order to get what they want. A great deal of confessions by the innocent are derived by relentless harassment and manipulation.  So, when I put the powers that be on notice, informing them that I own a firearm and intend to have it with me at all times, I’m also putting them on notice that I have an educated understanding of what my rights are. I can promise you that this is not just posturing. Just like a woman needs to create an aura of confidence and awareness in order to avoid the appearance of being easy prey, I have studied and applied in earnest the laws of the land which truly do protect me.

I know it’s hard to believe that sometimes there are laws out there that protect you, because the mainstream media goes out of its way to promote the government as the supreme power in our life. Especially when you hear newscasts citing kids being removed from a parent’s home just because they sought out a second opinion in dealing with their son’s cancer diagnosis, people’s life savings being destroyed because they had the audacity to drink milk fresh from the cow, and a man arrested and jailed for demanding that his son’s elementary school allow them to “opt out” of homosexual education. Unfortunately, we don’t get to hear about the circumstances of a man who successfully fights back and wins against the big bank who was trying to foreclose on his home, or the man who was found justified in shooting someone breaking into his home—turned out it was a police officer, and even the man in Utah who now threatens to topple a system that generates over $6B by illegally fining, citing, and even imprisoning citizens all because the citizens don’t know their rights and liberties.

Frankly, I consider the “requirement” of getting a concealed carry permit to be a violation of my rights and freedoms. The 2^nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution IS my concealed carry permit. But the bullies have successfully threatened and entreated too many for me to see that strategy as a viable one for now.  Instead, I prefer the upper hand I can enjoy by playing ball with them on their home turf—and still winning.

So, to answer the question, yep, of course I want them to know I’m a concealed carry holder because in doing so I’m putting anyone who would harm me, my family, or my freedoms on notice that I have a serious comprehension of my liberties and I know how to use them, nor am I afraid to use them. After all, the only way to handle a bully is to stand up to them.

Women of Caliber: The Story Behind the Logo

I don’t know if there’s a story behind every logo, but there is one behind the memorable logo created for Women of Caliber. But this isn’t just any story. It’s one of great relevance as we hope it inspires and encourages women all over as they venture on their journey to a confident life of strength and self-reliance.

What many people don’t understand about Israel’s history is that Britain was simply not their friend. In fact, Britain was an oppressive enemy to Israel. This story is specifically about the Hagannah Jews of Israel.

1945-1948 found the Jews preparing for the fight for their lives, their lands, and their freedom. Due to their extensive history of being bullied, scattered, and manipulated the Hagannah were presumed to be easily controlled.  Their numbers were woefully inferior to their enemies. We’re talking WOEfully outnumbered to the tune of a hundred-thousands of enemies to one. The British saw them as simple-minded farmers wrapped up in mindless devotion to insignificant traditions of their ancient forefathers.

During this time of British rule they prepared to abandon Palestine with the expectation that the Arabs would soundly take it over. Afterall, the Arabs outnumbered the Jews

They created a kibbutz that deliberately appeared to be used for farming less than 15 miles outside of Tel Aviv, adjacent to a large British military base.  The kibbutz functioned on the outside as a bakery, laundry services, food productions and cattle herding and was also a very hot spot on Friday nights for the British soldiers who craved the traditional Shabbat dinners.  While appearances were kept up to maintain this cover on the outside, inside the kibbutz, underground, there was a powerful strategy unfolding for the Haganah. This underground portion of their operations was literally scooped out by hand underneath the administration building that was only a half mile away from the British military base.  When visitors were to come to the building, the Hagannah would go so far as to brick over the doorways to their elevator system and they would discreetly transfer their dirt from the underground development to the farming area of the kibbutz. The Haganah went through other extreme measures in order to sell the whole “poor farming operation” to keep up appearances.  After their shift, workers were required to muddy their shoes to appear as if they had been working on a farm, even going so far as to sit under crudely created sunlamps so as to mimic the “farmers tan” that would be expected on farmers and livestock shepherds. The purpose for this underground operation? How about a full-fledged ammunition manufacturing operation?

Unable to purchase obvious tools for ammunition under the watchful eye of the British, the Haganah devised a way to convert a lipstick container into a bullet for the British-designed Sten submachine gun. They defiantly went so far as to establish an administrative building to handle all of their operations and coordination of receiving the necessary supplies within only a half mile of the base. Over a three year period, 2 million+ lipstick tubes cleared customs which was overseen by the watchful eye of the British without ever revealing the 9 mm ammunition each tube was destined to become. Ironically, not only was the Haganah being resourceful in this defiance of British rule but as an added stab of sweet victory they were actually importing millions of lipstick containers from a town in England! The electricity needed to run the 30 machines needed to manufacture the ammunition was provided by surreptitiously tapping in to the British Army’s grid system. Furthermore, the gunpowder came from processed cordite which was, um, acquired from the British artillery shells.  There has to be a bittersweet victory for the Haganah to know that their enemies gladly aided in the funding of their successful victory which was to follow.

If you don’t know your world history well, know that this is the period of time was the foundation for Israel’s astounding victory over the Yisshuv, able to hold out until the arrival of 10,000 Czech rifles which arrived in April, 1948 allowing them to declare their independence a month later and legalize arms manufacturing.

This tenacity and underestimated fire of faith continued among the Jews. Nearly two decades later they found themselves outnumbered and surrounded by their neighbors, comprising of 4 surrounding countries. Outnumbered in planes and tanks by 3 to 1, and outnumbered by soldiers 100 to 1. One of my favorite parts of the 6 day war was how the Jewish army refused to give in to their fear. Rather than fleeing the chasing tanks, the Jews focused on taking over the tanks that approached, slapped the Hebrew Star on them, and then turned them around to conquer the other tanks intended to swiftly slaughter their people. It only took a few of these tanks being taken over before the Arabs abandoned their tanks voluntarily and hightailed it away from the Jewish army with their tail in between their legs. Ironically it is due to these great military acquisitions that the Jews were able to conquer yet another formidable enemy years later.

I hope as you’re reading this you are able to appreciate some of the obvious, and perhaps not so obvious parallels which women have with Israel.

1)      Though we are perceived as an easy target of prey in the eyes of a would-be enemy, we have the ability to use that perception to our advantage and orchestrate our victory as a result.  I assure you that no “bad guy” will every expect the 5’2 ½” female who’s 100 pounds overweight to give them any trouble.  It’s those expectations that I’m prepared to use to my advantage; continuing to play the feeble female as I surprise them with the ability to fight back quickly and effectively either with my physical training or my weapons of opportunity.

2)      The resources of our enemy can easily be used as resources of our own. The same darkness which may hide their approach can also hide our own advantages and provide an ideal element of surprise. Any qualified physical self-defense expert will be able to easily demonstrate to women that using the momentum of your assailant can be to your advantage. Rather than attempting to pull away from an attacker behave like the victor in a tug of war game, who pulls and pulls with their might, only to give up their advantage to the opposing team when they briefly relinquish their tug, resulting in the opposition falling backward and unable to recover from the unexpected as they topple on top of each other like dominoes.

3)      It’s all about leverage, not strength. With that mentality even the smallest or out of shape woman has the ability to defeat an attack. In the Feminine Fortress classes I teach women, I’m able to indisputably demonstrate to them how they can use the smallest bit of leverage at a time when most would call the battle “completely lost.”  The time to apply the leverage is when the attacker is actually the most vulnerable, thinking that he’s already won and conquered his prey, when in fact it’s this cockiness that causes him to let his guard down, opening the window of opportunity for the leverage to annihilate his plans. Leverage is the great equalizer.

4)      Women are great at theatrics and those theatrics are an asset. With the right kind of instruction and the honing of skills a woman can provide herself with the critical advantage. For example, fake crying and pleading could be enough to distract the would-be carjacker from the hand which is reaching into the purse—not to surrender her wallet as the perpetrator would assume, but to instead fire her  gun in defense of her life,  located in the pocket within. The same can be said for a woman who wears her firearm concealed on her hip.

5)      Lastly, one of the greatest assets of women is their passion for others and their natural protective instincts on their behalf. Countless stories have been shared about the unknown strength of a woman which reveals itself when most necessary.  It was this same strength that caused my own mother to flee an abusive husband, single-handedly, while still breastfeeding her newborn son and with 4 other children to care for on her own. The strength of the Jewish nation was that they used that lioness asset before they were under attack in the traditional sense, rather they were willing to pay the price to prepare for the battle long before the enemy showed up in his warrior attire.

So, the next time you take a look at the Women of Caliber logo, take a moment to notice the lipstick tube which, upon closer look, is actually a high caliber round; in doing so take a few cues from another underestimated entity and know that such a perception of frailty can be your greatest strength.

This evening my husband and I went to the outdoor range for a little practice. As always, we brought a can of several hundred rounds.  Every once in a while I will shoot too limp wristed and get a stove pipe, but tonight it was happening on every single shot I took. Uh, that’s not my shooting, that’s something else. I inspected the firearm repeatedly. The slide smoothly racked back and forth. I was a bit stumped for a moment until I noticed that my husband was having the same problem. Well there you have it.  I think anyone would have a hard time believing he’s limp wristed. *grin* Looks like we’ve got a problem with the ammo.

I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to want to practice a certain discipline and only be able to do so one shot at a time. Not only is this a poor way to practice (other than practicing how to handle jams in your firearms) it’s obviously a poor way to defend yourself. If your firearm doesn’t perform properly, it causes a much more severe problem in a self-defense scenario than just missing your shot.  In a real scenario of self-defense you only have one chance at using the element of surprise. If you miss with your first shot, you may not get the opportunity for a second.

My recommendation is to always test your cans of reloaded ammo, both with ammo from the top of the canister and ammo from the bottom.  Even those brands with which you have a successful history need to endure your scrutiny. It simply doesn’t make sense to go to all of the trouble to become comfortable and skilled with using a firearm and have the ammunition fail. In my opinion, any ammo failure is the wrong time. (Actually, in this instance the ammo we used was actually loaded specifically for sub-sonic use and unfortunately it was erroneously sold to us along with some other containers. So consider this also a heads up to pay attention to the labeling on the cans as well. Or else you might experience a “ruh-roh” moment as well. )  Once you test the ammunition in a particular can, I would suggest marking it in a very distinctive manner.  We also have a rule that we don’t load any ammo in any of our self-defense magazines without first testing the batch.

This may sound simple, but the best safety disciplines usually are.

Copyright Protected 2011, Women of Caliber and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

The other day I was on my way up to Salt Lake City to work a “self-reliance conference.”  My car has the entire back window taken up by a vinyl sign for Women of Caliber, mentioning the firearm and physical self-defense classes I offer. Being in a bit of a hurry, I zipped through a school zone without paying attention to my speedometer. After getting midway through the school zone, I slowed down, but if there was a police car watching for me or other speeders I most likely would have been pulled over for speeding.

Instinctively when I recognize that I’m going faster than necessary I look in my rearview mirror to see if I got snagged.  This time was no different. And sure enough, I see a police car pulling out from a side street and come up on me.  I pulled over to the far left lane as I was going to make a left turn at the light, and sure enough, the police car does the same. “Busted” I said to myself, and just waited for him to finish running my plates and turn on his lights.  Suddenly he pulls out from behind me and instead pulls up closely on my right hand side.  He motions for me to roll down my window. “Great!”, I thought, expecting him to tell me to pull over as soon as I finished my left hand turn.  The office begins to speak. “Do you (pause)…” As he pauses I know what he’s going to say—something like “do you have any idea what the speed limit is back there?”  So imagine my surprise when instead he says “Do you…have any cards? Cause I’ve got a lot of women who’d love to talk to you.” Unfortunately, I didn’t have any cards on me as I was to be working outside of my Women of Caliber scope for the conference. Instead I directed him to my website.  I also made perfectly clear that I only teach private to semi-private firearm classes for women and that I focus primarily on a quick-draw self-defense firearm discipline.  He encouraged me to provide him more information (while waiting for the light to change) and I wrapped it all up by telling him the shot was from the hip.  Why the hip?  I’ll tell you.

I’m sure you’ve seen the sexy pictures or movie scenes of the hot, skinny woman carrying a firearm on her thigh, in her bra, in her purse, or even at the small of her back.  There’s also the other carrying areas depicted just under the armpits, in an ankle holster, or stuffed between the belt and the back of some tight jeans.  But the truth is, if it’s self-defense that’s motivating you to own a firearm, then your self-defense mentality doesn’t stop with the purchase of a firearm or getting a “permit” for it.  Carrying it on your person is the best way to make sure you have it when you need it, and it’s actually the safest place to have it when around little ones AND it’s also the most strategic self-defense spot to have it, especially if you get quality training to draw and shoot your firearm in a self-defense scenario.

In the event of an assault, the two most common close encounter attacks come from the back or the front. If he throws you on your back, you have compromised your defense by having the firearm at the small of your back.  If he throws you to the ground, it’s less likely that you’ll be in a good position to grab your weapon from your thigh, bra, or ankle.  Having the firearm on your hip puts it in the closest and most natural vicinity of your hand. (Obviously, placing it on the same side as your dominant hand is important too.) But the number one reason why I believe in carrying it on the hip is because you reduce precious response time, it’s in a natural grab position, AND if you have to, you can actually take the shot from your hip, without having to fully extend your arms out in front of you. Even more important to note, is if you’re trained properly, that hip shot can be just as accurate as the one in which you’re able to fully extend your arms.

With the gun on my hip, I wear a heavy duty Wilderness belt and my Serpa holster. The belt is nice and snug through the belt loops of my pants so that when I have to use the ladies room, there’s no chance of my firearm flip-flopping away from my pants and scaring the bejeebies out of the woman in the stall next to me. The Serpa holster allows me to naturally press the release when I pull the firearm out in a quick-draw self-defense scenario.  It’s designed specifically to make it difficult for someone to come up on me and remove my gun from my possession. It’s a firm holster that will also make sure that I don’t wreak havoc by shooting my firearm in a bathroom stall. (Mind you, every man in the world would come out of the woodwork once this article posts and give their two cents about the Serpa holster and the belt, but that’s to be expected. I am only willing to speak on matters of which I have experience and over a decade of tried and true use.)

Now, having stated that the hip is the best place, strategically speaking, to wear the firearm understand that it carries with it some important skills that need to be practiced.

First of all is practicing removing any clothing out of the way of the draw.  Wearing a firearm on your hip usually necessitates wearing a full shirt or jacket.  This means that as you go for your firearm you’ll need to use your thumb to first clear away the clothing. Every time I put on an outfit with which I’m wearing my firearm I always do a couple of practices clearing my clothing from my firearm draw pattern. If the clothing I’m wearing compromises my ability to do that, then it’s different clothing for me. It’s kind of funny shopping for clothes with my mom or sister. They are looking at how nice something looks on me while I’m making sure my thumb can clear them out of the way of my firearm. *grin*

Next, you’re going to have to make sure that you’re so familiar with the grip on the firearm and the release on your holster that you can easily remove it from your holster.  Again, this requires practice and it’s JUST as critical as target practice—if not, more so. As you remove the firearm from your holster, you want to instinctively keep it close to your side and rotate the end of the barrel forward as it’s coming out of the holster. Practicing this seamless draw is what gives you the advantage in a self-defense scenario. So long as your knuckles, feet, eyes and the front of your body are all pointed towards your target, you can actually hit your target from the hip quite well if necessary.

As most of you know, I specifically teach women in a private and semi-private setting how to master a quick-draw self-defense shot. The beginning of such a shot actually begins with the fundamentals at the hip. You’d be surprised how well a woman can learn to accurately shoot from her hip once she learns these fundamentals and practices this important aspect of self-defense. So perhaps you can practice with a solid practice gun or an airsoft pistol—putting it in your holster and taking it out properly and then squeezing the trigger from the hip.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, my hips are plenty big and I don’t always find it feasible to carry the firearm on me.  In such scenarios, however else you intend to carry it—whether that is in your purse, or under the steering wheel column in your car, it’s critical that you practice repeatedly how you’re going to draw your firearm, aim, and shoot it when necessary.  Of course this is common sense to me, but in the event that someone doesn’t think of this, might I suggest that you NEVER practice this discipline with a loaded firearm.  In fact, I won’t even do the practicing outside of a shooting range with a magazine in the gun—ever.  And even without the magazine I check and triple check my firearm with my husband to be sure that it’s not loaded. Even then I still comply with all of the other safety measures—“the gun is always loaded”, never point it at something you don’t intend to shoot or kill, and keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.

I hope this helps you become more confident and competent in your self-defense measures.

Women of Caliber takes copyright infringement very seriously. Please note that ALL of the content on this page is original and the intellectual property of the author.  Copyright Protected 2011, Women of Caliber and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. NO portion of ANY content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your own site or in your written works.

There was a tragic crime committed here in SLC last night. A man held a gun on a clerk at a gas station located as part of a major grocery store chain. The clerk was in the windowed area that you typically see in the gas stations nowadays. The gunman demanded cash which the clerk did not have. As a result the gunman demanded that he go into the main portion of the store and get him cash. (This guy clearly is not operating with a full deck.) After the clerk left (and called 9-1-1 from the main store) a woman pulled up to fill her car with gas. The gunman approached her and demanded her money which she informed him she did not have. The gunman then ordered her into her car to drive him to an ATM machine. She complied and after giving the gunman money he then ordered her to get back into the car and drive to a cul de sac where he sexually assaulted her.  He then required her to drive a few more blocks away and then got out of the car and instructed her to drive in the opposite direction.

There simply aren’t any words to describe how heinous and shocking this crime is, however, it causes me to write about it in hopes that women will read this and learn how they should handle a similar prospect.

A couple of ground rules here first of all –it’s very, very important that when you have a gun pulled on you like this, regardless of how many movies you’ve seen, you need to remind yourself that the gun is a tool of control in the hands of most criminals—not a murder weapon.  Don’t fixate on the gun. Next, there should never be a situation in which you fail to be aware of your surroundings. As you pull up to the gas station, always select the most lighted and well seen area—even if it means you have to wait in line to get your fuel. When you get out of the car, look around at your surroundings.  Never face the gas dispensing machine directly, always at an angle. And if it has a reflective cover on it, keep an eye out in that reflection for what may be happening behind you.

As you are filling your car with fuel, use the reflection of your windows to help assess your surroundings. Don’t allow yourself to be fixated on the numbers running on the dispenser, the gas nozzle etc. Be aware of what’s going on around you. You can use the reflection in the windows of your car to help you with that as well as constantly moving your head around to see.

Now, on to some actions that I hope each woman reading this will remember. If you are approached while filling your tank, understand that the gas nozzle is a weapon. Pull it while spraying fuel at your would-be assailant and RUN behind shelter immediately.  Even trained police officers miss 70% of their firearm shots, so even IF the perpetrator is intent on shooting you for non-compliance it’s very likely he will miss even when only 6 or 7 feet away from you.  Remember, no matter which end of the gun you are, there will be climatic emotions. Even well-seasoned criminals rarely practice shooting moving targets—and they certainly aren’t able to do so in a manner which will mimic the adrenaline high that they’ve got running through their body. This surge of emotion slows the physical responses as all of the blood is diverted from their brain to other parts of their body for fight or flight. So unless you’re dealing with an expertly trained marksman, moving quickly to shelter is a viable solution. Even better is if you’ve got the opportunity to move to their weak side of their body. (That would be the opposite side of their body which is hold the firearm.  If they are holding the firearm with both hands, then they are likely to have one foot more forward of another.  That foot forward will indicate which side is their non-dominant side.

O.K. So let’s say escaping at the gas pump isn’t possible for some reason or another—and let’s say that I’m your typical female who is not packing heat.  In which case I can guarantee you that I would have tried to throw my keys and my wallet far away from the perpetrator and then run as described previously.

Which reminds me, carrying a firearm may not be realistic for you. If that’s the case then you should always view your cell phone as a necessary “weapon”—meaning that when you get in or out of the car, it’s with you so that you will always be able to call for help after you’ve run.

Moving on… Now let’s look at a situation in which he’s in the car, gun pointed at you, and telling you to drive somewhere specific. Put your seatbelt on, drive towards where he’s telling you, and then step on it, Mama, and run into something, preferably targeting the passenger’s side of the front car. As you’re speeding up, he can’t shoot you because you’re driving. The moment you start to aggressively speed up that gun is going to move because he will have a natural physical reaction. It is VERY unlikely that he will have put his seatbelt on. Most criminals aren’t going to buckle in for a nice leisurely ride to the bank. They will be on the edge of their seat with a minimal amount of balance. If he’s in the seat directly behind you, this is still a viable strategy and once you have selected your ramming target, get your right hand on the seat belt and be prepared to release it and evacuate the car. Yes, you’ll be in some pain regardless of how great your airbags are, but I assure you that victorious pain heals a lot better than victimized pain.

Now, let’s look at another scenario, one in which you’re armed. To be honest, it’s very unlikely that this would have happened to me simply as a result of preventative measures. But also, if the guy comes at me from the back of my vehicle, I suspect he’d notice the Women of Caliber car sign that takes up my entire back window.  I’m positive this has been a deterrent in the past as I’ve traveled at all hours all across the nation.  But enough about me—let’s talk about you. If you are carrying your firearm, I’d still go for the gas pump spray and run first if there is enough distance between you. But if not, I’d pull my firearm with my weak side pointed towards him in order to ensure the element of surprise, and then fire. This action means that two fundamentals need to be in place; 1) that you have practiced shooting across your body like that, and 2) that you have the mental fortitude to pull your firearm when necessary. Just so you don’t feel defeated in reading this advice, keep in mind that this is ideal. Dog gone it, if you have to pull your firearm and shoot it in some other way that’s comfortable to you, then do it and don’t worry about the physical angle. It’s simply offered as a strategic suggestion and one in which I’m comfortable with after practicing it for years.

In spite of many women taking to carrying firearms nowadays– like never before in history—I  find that the majority of them still are not carrying them on their person for whatever reasons.  Instead they are in their purses. I have a firearm in my purse as well. As such,  I have literally practiced a specific response repeatedly in which I feign a frightened and frenzy response to a would-be criminal in an attempt to get my “money” out of my purse, only to be able to grab the trigger of my firearm, point the purse at him, and shoot through the purse towards the perpetrator. If you are unable to shoot through your purse (easier done with a revolver rather than a semi-auto, depending on the type of purse you carry) then you should definitely be practicing a quick-draw movement of your firearm from the purse.

As I traveled cross country over the last month and half, I drove through several states which would prefer women to remain easy targets and have minimal ways in which I could be licensed to carry a firearm, or they do not recognize my Utah Concealed Firearm permit. As such, every time I got out of the car to fuel up the car or to get food or whatever, I always had my Asp weapon on me, as well as my finger on the trigger of my long-distant red-dyed pepper spray. (The dye is much like what they put on money in the event of a bank robbery and it will “mark” the perpetrator for two weeks.) If the woman who was attacked had either of those on her, along with the mental fortitude and physical rehearsal needed to use those defenses, she would have had ample opportunity to strike effectively and run. I can’t imagine she would have had to get in the car with the criminal in the first place.  Either of these weapons can be used effectively with a minimal amount of physical strength and either one will still provide you with an element of surprise which successfully interrupts the synapse of the criminal’s mind.  Remember, he’s probably talked to himself in the mirror, planning his bad-boy bully actions. But I assure you he didn’t practice with an aware and strategic victim in mind. The moment you interrupt his synapse, you’ve got yourself a suitable distraction and you need to take advantage of it by getting away as quickly as possible.  (The throwing of the purse and keys accomplishes this as well in most scenarios.)

In case you weren’t aware, getting into the car with a criminal is one of the worst things you can do and it should be your number one priority to avoid. Use the panic button on your remote control. (Yes, this means stop leaving your keys in the car when you’re filling it up.) Lay on the horn, etc.

The most important key to escaping the same fate as the woman in this story is to mentally prepare yourself for it and the actions you intend to take.

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2011, Women of Caliber and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

We met up at the range near my home in Provo Canyon amidst snow and sleet. But this gal was undeterred. It turns out that it was her very first time to ever shoot a firearm and she actually had been wanting to do so for some time. Unfortunately for her though, she discovered that there are very, very few FEMALE firearm instructors. Was she ever happy to discover that one of the few female instructors in the world is right here under her nose.

So after a little bit of safety, grip, and other procedural info we were to go live! Bless that gals heart! She shot a firearm for the very first time live on camera. She did awesome too! 13 years ago I would have broken down into the ugly cry after my first shot. Even more important, after less than 20 minutes of training, she was able to consistently hit a the targets. I was really impressed with her!

Here’s the link of the short clip they were able to show.

Women and Guns

She was sure to take the milk carton that she obliterated several times–as a souvenir. I’ve never seen someone so happy to be taking home a dirty milk carton! *grin*

Copyright Protected 2011, Women of Caliber and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

I’ve had the occasion recently to try out a new line of ammo.  I have to say. I think I’m in love with www.ammoforsale.com So, here’s what I tested and how it panned out.

Magtech 9mm Luger (115gr) – These came with the standard 9mm round-nose, full-metal-jacketed bullet seated in good, reloadable brass, and appearing to use an anvil primer. I ran these through a standard Beretta 92FS (tests 1 and 2) and a standard Gen 3 Glock 17 (tests 3 and 4) with my standard battery of four-target tests, which consisted of (test 1) ten rounds of slow-fire for accuracy, (test 2) ten rounds of two-shot double-taps, (test 3) fifteen rounds of three-shot triple-taps, and, finally, (test 4) fifteen shots of slow-fire for accuracy. All rounds functioned flawlessly with no stoppages, no misfires, and no feeding problems. Though it is hard to find a round that won’t pass through these two firearms, the same can not be said for the basic accuracy of several 9mm rounds that I’ve tested. These rounds passed my accuracy test with no problems, which shows a consistency in the bullet weight, the measured powder load, and the overall cartridge length (bullet seating). Of course, your accuracy mileage may vary since the shooter is usually the weak link in the firing process. Overall, this is a cartridge I would have no problem recommending to fellow shooting enthusiasts.

Seller & Bellot .40cal (180gr) – These came with the standard .40cal snub-nose, full-metal-jacketed bullet seated in good, reloadable brass, and using a sealed boxer primer. I ran these through a standard Beretta 96FS Brigadier (tests 1 and 2) and a standard Gen 3 Glock 22 (tests 3 and 4) with my standard battery of four-target tests, which consisted of (test 1) ten rounds of slow-fire for accuracy, (test 2) ten rounds of two-shot double-taps, (test 3) fifteen rounds of three-shot triple-taps, and, finally, (test 4) fifteen shots of slow-fire for accuracy. All rounds functioned flawlessly with no stoppages, no misfires, and no feeding problems. It is hard to find a round that won’t pass through these two firearms, and these rounds were no different. The same can not be said for the basic accuracy of several .40cal rounds that I’ve tested. These rounds passed my accuracy test with no problems, which shows a consistency in the bullet weight, the measured powder load, and the overall cartridge length (bullet seating). Of course, your accuracy mileage may vary since the shooter is usually the weak link in the firing process. Overall, this is a cartridge I would have no problem recommending to fellow shooting enthusiasts.

.50cal ammo can – Sure, it’s just meant to storage ammo or other supplies, but you have to admit that most .50cal ammo cans that you see look like they’ve been on the muzzle-end of a day at the range or dragged through every available mud-hole and sandpit east of the Mississippi before getting to you. Not so with this one; repainted to look near-new; clean inside and out; this can is one that you could set on the front table as a decoration – with the right doily on top, of course. Seriously though, this can is in good shape and great working condition. If all of their cans come looking like this, I know where to find my new supplier.

I believe you’ll find a broad range of offerings, and respectable pricing. Enjoy—no really, ENJOY!

Kellene Bishop

Founder Women of Caliber/ The Preparedness Pro