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“Silencers,” “Cans,” “Whisper Pickles” are just some names that gun owners use to describe the same thing: a suppressor....
08/08/2025

“Silencers,” “Cans,” “Whisper Pickles” are just some names that gun owners use to describe the same thing: a suppressor. I use one on my home defense rifle, a 300 Blackout SBR, depicted here, and I will make the case for why you should consider doing the same. I also have one on my pistol caliber carbine (MP-5), but the pros and cons are the same for both platforms.

I have left pistols off this concept as adding a suppressor negates one of the key advantages of using a pistol which is its ease of maneuverability. A suppressor will work just like on any other gun, but it will make your pistol much more unwieldy by likely almost doubling the barrel length with the addition of a suppressor, but if that’s all you got, use a threaded barrel and get to work.

Do not be fooled by TV or movie depictions of suppressors. They often show them as being so quiet that a bat could not hear them. Movies have depicted them being used in a crowded train station with a hundred people being a few feet away from a running gunfight, oblivious to the suppressed shots being fired around them (I’m looking at you John Wick 2).

In reality, shooting a gun is loud and it is particularly so if you are inside your home, defending it from intruders. The sound is quite literally deafening (temporarily), the flash is blinding (momentarily), and the concussion of the blast can be disorienting. If there was a way to mitigate those effects to an extent, would you think that would be valuable in such a chaotic environment? Of course!

A good suppressor will not completely eliminate all of the hazards of firing a gun inside a building, but it will take that edge off and make the whole experience easier to manage.

A suppressor works by trapping and slowing the gases of a fired bullet for a microsecond inside a cylinder, filled with baffles or via 3D printed geometric shapes, attached to the end of your gun. That temporary delay in the expansion of those gases allows them to cool and expand at a slower rate while coming out of the muzzle. That tiny delay makes the “boom” a little less jarring and the flash less intense.

The reduction in the blast signature as well as diminished “felt recoil” as experienced by most shooters using a suppressor makes it easier to get more accurate and faster follow-up shots if needed.

This is a simplified description of how suppressors work and there are whole websites dedicated to this topic if you wish to dive into a very deep and complex “click hole” on the topic to learn more.
If you decide to use a suppressor, you will have to jump through a few hoops.

Suppressors are “restricted” by the National Fi****ms Act of 1934. For practical purposes, that means you will need to subject yourself to added scrutiny by the Bureau of Alcohol, To***co, and Fi****ms via the submission of fingerprints, a waiting time for review, and notification of your local sheriff. The whole thing can take a few weeks if all of your ducks are in a row.

You will also have to pay a $200 “tax” for the privilege of owning a suppressor. That “tax” will go to $0 on 01 JAN 2026 so if you are in no rush and want to save a few bucks, you can get yourself a belated Christmas present for your stocking!

Please feel free to add your opinions, share your stories, or ask questions. Thanks, and as always, watch your six!

Today’s discussion revolves around how the bad guy usually targets his potential victim and how you can likely avoid bei...
03/11/2025

Today’s discussion revolves around how the bad guy usually targets his potential victim and how you can likely avoid being his next target. Being present in your world and exercising just a little bit of vigilance while in public can make a world of difference.

First off, this discussion assumes we are discussing a “normal” predator. Anyone can be victimized by that “random crazy dude” who just happens to pop a bolt as you walk on by. Not much you can do to avoid that one other than respond quickly and decisively to limit the damage.

Second, there is very little difference between human predators and animal predators such as tigers (typically solitary, ambush attack) or wolves (typically pack, stalking attack). Both categories use the following tactics to succeed:

1. The attacker will identify the target as someone who they think they can victimize with minimal risk and maximum gain. They are looking for a “soft” target.

2. They will plan their attack, sometimes hastily as a target of opportunity or have a designed plan after doing some
reconnaissance. They will stalk and close with their target.

3. They will likely initiate the attack with suddenness, speed, and violence of action.

Because of this, you will likely be 2 ½ steps behind and at an initiative deficit. Your “GO Signal” will likely be as you see the attacker close the distance between you and them while they are taking obviously threatening actions, thereby “initiating” their attack.

These bad guys are typically “resource predators” in that they want your stuff (purse, wallet, phone…) and are willing to hurt you to get it.

OK, so how do we mitigate this? Well, if you don’t look like food, you might not be on the menu. Meaning, by being obviously aware (get your face out of that GD phone), moving with a confident and purposeful stride, meeting another’s gaze with a “I see you and I know something you don’t” look in your eye, carrying your gun, and being unconsciously competent in its use, will at least send the signal that you just might be more trouble than it's worth.

I will leave you with these facts:
• Approximately 25% of robbery victims are assaulted even if they are compliant…sometimes, fatally! By comparison, approximately 5% of those who respond with a firearm are assaulted.
• Women are 2.5 times more likely to be seriously harmed if they do NOT resist compared to women who resist with a firearm.*
• Women are 4 times less likely to be seriously harmed if they resist with a firearm versus those who resist without a firearm.*

* DOJ National Crime Victimization Survey

The moral of the story is that you need to aware in your world (what looks right/wrong in this place at this time) and you need to be prepared to be your own first responder because as the old saying goes, “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”

Please feel free to add your opinions, share your stories, or ask questions. Thanks, and as always, watch your six!

In past posts, I have covered the use of the three primary fi****ms options that people use for self-defense: Handguns, ...
09/10/2024

In past posts, I have covered the use of the three primary fi****ms options that people use for self-defense: Handguns, Shotguns, and AR Platforms. I am a tad remiss in the fact that I have left out another option…intrigued? I thought so.

I present to you, the Pistol Caliber Carbine or PCC for short. This one you see here is my MP-5, 9mm pistol to which I have attached a suppressor (make sure to be compliant with all federal and state regulations regarding ownership and use of suppressors if choosing to use one) as well as adding a collapsible stabilization brace to make it easier to handle.

This arrangement allows for the use of a 30 round, standard capacity magazine which provides double the capacity of a typical semi-automatic pistol. More bullets is more good in a self-defense situation because it is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

By using subsonic, quality self-defense ammunition, coupled with a suppressor, you can vastly lessen the felt recoil as well as reduce the sound signature (BIG BOOM) of your shots. This can make a difference when shooting indoors in a home defense situation.

Less felt recoil and a quieter sound signature can allow you quicker and more accurate follow-up shots if needed to neutralize a threat to you and your loved ones if a bad guy decides to pay your home a visit.

I have kept my PCC in “minimalistic mode” but if this were to be your primary home defense gun, I would add a quality weapon mounted light for target identification and a holographic sight (red dot) for target engagement.

Fully equipped, a PCC can be easier to maneuver than a shotgun or AR in a home due to its smaller size, it can be more stable than a pistol as it is held by the pistol grip and forend as it is bigger than a standard pistol, it has a robust 30 round magazine capacity, and it often has a very low recoil impulse which makes it easy to control.

The PCC is an often overlooked home defense option, just not by me! Perhaps it is the right one for you.

Please feel free to add your opinions, share your stories, or ask questions. Thanks, and as always, watch your six!

As a fi****ms instructor, my students often ask, "Why not use a Taser, pepper spray, or a good kick to the groin?" Well...
03/23/2024

As a fi****ms instructor, my students often ask, "Why not use a Taser, pepper spray, or a good kick to the groin?" Well...

First, all of those options require you to be 0-15 feet from your attacker which can be way too close for comfort if they are armed or physically superior to you. A gun has a functionally infinite range for self defense considerations.

Specifically, Tasers are 100% effective...about 50% (or less) of the time. They will not work if you are too close or too far from your attacker. Most of them have a range under 21 feet. They are one, maybe two shot devices. They are defeated by thick clothing or a very simple barrier, even shrubs. Both prongs need to hit and must stay in the target to be effective and can become dislodged easily. As a cop, I have seen them fail multiple times. Can they work? Yes, but I am not betting my life on it.

Regarding pepper spray, I carry it in addition to my pistol because I want something between deadly force and harsh language to resolve a situation that my require force, but not DEADLY force. Pepper spray is often effective at diminishing an attacker's ability, but will not necessarily stop a determined, intoxicated, or mentally deranged attacker. Also, you can get some on you if you are down wind. I have been sprayed before as part of my police training. It sucks, but you can fight through it. Is it a good tool? Yup. Will it reliably STOP a violent attacker every time? Nope.

How about "Open Hands" or "martial arts" as a weapon? Well, even if you are a combination of Bruce Lee, The Rock, and John Wick, you simply do not have the skills to pull it off, especially if you are out numbered or your attacker is armed with a weapon. Should you have some basic, open handed skills if a confrontation is not a DEADLY force encounter or you need to disengage long enough to get to your gun? Absolutely. Should you count on that "yellow belt" in karate you earned back as a freshman in college to save your life? Ummm...nope!

As a rule, avoid trouble, extricate yourself from trouble that cannot be avoided, and be prepared to defend yourself or others if all else fails. A gun should always be part of your self defense plan, even if it is the last resort.

Please feel free to add your opinions, share your stories, or ask questions. Thanks, and as always, watch your six!

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