Required Reading

Because of a dearth of newsworthy items that haven’t already been shared in the comments elsewhere, RNN is being preempted. Instead, I am going to present a collection of some (most? all? I lost track because I have written some 1800 articles for MVAP and who knows how many others at the previous places) of my previous self-defense writings here at MVAP. Along with the links, I will provide some commentary about the article and note any changes in the advice contained therein.

We start with the articles I titled Harden Up and Harden up Volume the 2nd.

In the original piece I covered a lot of the basics about self and home defense. I stand by most of what I said in that piece. The one thing that I would amend, I corrected in the companion piece: If you have to use force to end a threat, be the first to call the police, but do not speak to them again without an attorney present.

I will also point out simply not speaking to the police is not enough. You need to affirmatively pronounce that you will not speak to them without an attorney. Additionally, you are under no obligation to assist the cops in their investigation regardless of what they may say. Threats of obstruction charges are just that: threats. In all 50 states, obstruction requires a physical act.

The next article we’re going to review is one called Get Out And Train. In it, I discuss the need for regular training and recommend some specific things to concentrate on.

Among other things I discussed the need to validate your carry rig. I now extend that to your home defense rig, assuming they are different. Take whatever you plan to use for Home defense to the range and wring it out. I’m not talking a 500 round burn down, but go run a box or two of your choice for defensive ammo through it. make sure it all works the way it should.

While we’re on the topic, I wrote about Guns For Home Defense a while back. It’s a good primer on the best general choices for home security.

The only thing that I would mention here is that a .45 caliber 1911 is no longer my primary home def handgun. It has been replaced with a Sig 320 X-ten. No real reason for the change.

I wrote a surprisingly erudite article about what the best caliber for everyday carry was back in 2023. In it I compared the various common carry calibers and declared a winner.

I mostly stand by this one, only because the data doesn’t lie. Do I wish it were otherwise? Sometimes. . .

I figured I better include the one that inspired the above article, Choose Wisely. That article discussed the different types of bullet construction. Of note is the fact that despite my prediction, non-lead bullets have not been made mandatory outside of Cali.

I still think .380 FMJ is a piss-poor choice for a carry round.

And finally there was my series entitled Stay Frosty. In it I discussed a variety of news items showing the need to be ready. I link the last of them here. It contains links to the rest of the articles in the series.