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Established
I apologize ahead of time for any vagueness, omissions, or mistakes in the AAR, as my notes are a bit incomplete, as a large amount of discussion arose organically and not as a set part of the class curriculum. Also note that this AAR has been sanitized at the instructors’ request, for OPSEC reasons, given that this AAR is freely available to anyone.
This was my second course to incorporate a large amount of low-light training. I had previously taken a low-light pistol course with Kenan Flasowski (former SFOD-D, a truly underrated instructor), along with various pistol manipulation courses with Larry Vickers and Todd Louis Green, and a pistol-oriented combatives type course with Craig Douglas. I used an H&K P30LS with the Grayguns Reduced Reset Carry Perfection Package carried in condition 1, with an X400 Ultra - Green laser mounted with the DG-11 and zeroed for 25 yards. For all holster manipulation drills, I appendix carried the P30LS using a slightly modified RCS Phantom at about the 0130 position; for the portions of the class where there was no manipulation and all drills started with gun in hand, I used a Safariland 6004-39512. I carried the magazines using Kytex Shooting Gear open top magazine carriers, and had Taylor Freelance Border Special +5 magazine extensions (with the aftermarket springs) on all magazines. My handheld was the Surefire E1B, slightly modified with a zip tie and two Scünci No Damage elastic hair bands to form a jury rigged lanyard. Besides the usage of the Safariland at times and the addition of a second magazine carrier, my set-up was identical to my EDC: t-shirt with relatively form-fitting jeans, The Wilderness Ti Instructor belt, SFB, folder, phone, etc.
Lee Vernon and Christopher Gray were the primary instructors. Class started at 1200; weather alternated between sunny and cloudy, with a fair bit of wind; temperature started at about 75 °F and dropped to about 60 °F at night. Sunset was approximately 2000, with a large full moon that was semi-obscured by light cloud cover. There was 11 students, all civilians, with one former LEO. Most guns were Glocks, with an M&P, a 1911 of some sort, Beretta PX4 Storm, a Springfield XD, and my H&K. Holster positions were mostly strong side, both IWB and OWB, with a couple of appendix, though I was the only one that used a cover garment consistently for that position, and one of the few to consistently use a cover garment at all. Several students used a SERPA, which was noted by the instructors, and the users were reminded to be exceedingly careful on the draw, especially when under stress. The students brought various types of lights, ranging from no-name Sam's Club purchases to a couple of Surefires and Streamlights; I was the only one running a WML and only one with a laser. To my knowledge, very few of the students had done any serious training besides myself and one other student, though most had gone through at least one basic class with local trainers or with Front Sight.
The class started out with a quick overview of how everything would go on the first day, with the class starting with some fundamentals in order to get a baseline down for each person's performance, before moving toward the low-light tactics portion of the course. It was stated that this class would have minimal emphasis on manipulations, as it was primarily a tactics course, and that it was expected that everyone had a solid weapons manipulation foundation. After having each student do a quick intro, the instructors introduced themselves.
Lee's firearms background consists purely of private training and courses, but he is also paid firefighter and EMT. Being a first responder, Lee has been able to see the aftermath of many incidents, and has been able to take away lessons from them. He had been teaching for 6 years at this point; he noted that most firearms classes were rarely put in the proper context of the realities of self-defense, and instead only offered manipulation instruction. This was not to disparage the manipulations courses, as a solid manipulations foundation is necessary in order to perform under stress, but to try to get across to the students that having great weapons manipulations skills is only one piece of the puzzle when it came to self-defense.
I had previously met Lee through two ShivWorks classes, as a fellow student. My positive interactions with him at the classes, coupled with my desire to brush up on low-light skills and a convenient break in my firefighting training, is what got me to sign up for this class.
Chris was in the US Army as a 95C before joining a major central TX metropolitan PD, where he has been for the last 16 years. He has worked UC, patrol, and even on a bicycle. He has been an instructor for the department before, and has been with Lee for two years at this point. Much of the curriculum, particularly the active shooter portion, was be derived from various training courses that Chris had received, along with his years of experience as an LEO. He notes that simply because an act is legally justified doesn't mean absolute protection from a civil suit; being able to articulate and justify one's actions is incredibly important in the aftermath of an incident, which ties into the ability to have more than simply manipulations skills.
One can not predict when bad things happen, so the probability of finding yourself in a situation that needs to be addressed at night with or without the use of force is pretty high. But rarely are there opportunities to get that practice and training in that environment until now. Having worked the streets and hostile environments, we understand the importance of regular low light and night time training. The dynamics of a dark environment adds additional problems which are not encountered in normal daylight or lighting. The environment in which the light source will be used in, the type of light (hand held or weapon mounted), different techniques, as well as a breakdown of ones shooting fundamentals while employing such devices all adds to the complexity of low light/night time tactics and skill applications. This is where learning how to properly employ such devices and gaining experience in low light environments can make the difference of effectively taking care of a problem or becoming a liability.
Active shooter incidents are fast, chaotic, and over in most incidences before law enforcement make initial contact with the shooter. That means a CHL (Concealed Handgun License) or legally armed citizen could be the difference in lives saved if confronted with such a scenario. Or, it could mean that you have no other choice but to confront the threat as the threat is what stands between you and your family while trying to escape. Statistics show that most “Active shooting incidents” happen in large, public venues where there are large numbers of unarmed and unprepared people. That being said, the dynamics of a potential active shooter incident could prove to be overwhelming and deadly if not properly prepared. Either way, do you really know what you would do or how to go about handling such a situation if ever confronted with such a scenario? Our Active Shooter Response class breaks down the issues and tactical considerations that one should consider before or after intervening in such an incident. One should truly be prepared to make an educated decision as to the proper and best response to such violence rather than being a liability to themselves or others.
This was my second course to incorporate a large amount of low-light training. I had previously taken a low-light pistol course with Kenan Flasowski (former SFOD-D, a truly underrated instructor), along with various pistol manipulation courses with Larry Vickers and Todd Louis Green, and a pistol-oriented combatives type course with Craig Douglas. I used an H&K P30LS with the Grayguns Reduced Reset Carry Perfection Package carried in condition 1, with an X400 Ultra - Green laser mounted with the DG-11 and zeroed for 25 yards. For all holster manipulation drills, I appendix carried the P30LS using a slightly modified RCS Phantom at about the 0130 position; for the portions of the class where there was no manipulation and all drills started with gun in hand, I used a Safariland 6004-39512. I carried the magazines using Kytex Shooting Gear open top magazine carriers, and had Taylor Freelance Border Special +5 magazine extensions (with the aftermarket springs) on all magazines. My handheld was the Surefire E1B, slightly modified with a zip tie and two Scünci No Damage elastic hair bands to form a jury rigged lanyard. Besides the usage of the Safariland at times and the addition of a second magazine carrier, my set-up was identical to my EDC: t-shirt with relatively form-fitting jeans, The Wilderness Ti Instructor belt, SFB, folder, phone, etc.
Lee Vernon and Christopher Gray were the primary instructors. Class started at 1200; weather alternated between sunny and cloudy, with a fair bit of wind; temperature started at about 75 °F and dropped to about 60 °F at night. Sunset was approximately 2000, with a large full moon that was semi-obscured by light cloud cover. There was 11 students, all civilians, with one former LEO. Most guns were Glocks, with an M&P, a 1911 of some sort, Beretta PX4 Storm, a Springfield XD, and my H&K. Holster positions were mostly strong side, both IWB and OWB, with a couple of appendix, though I was the only one that used a cover garment consistently for that position, and one of the few to consistently use a cover garment at all. Several students used a SERPA, which was noted by the instructors, and the users were reminded to be exceedingly careful on the draw, especially when under stress. The students brought various types of lights, ranging from no-name Sam's Club purchases to a couple of Surefires and Streamlights; I was the only one running a WML and only one with a laser. To my knowledge, very few of the students had done any serious training besides myself and one other student, though most had gone through at least one basic class with local trainers or with Front Sight.
The class started out with a quick overview of how everything would go on the first day, with the class starting with some fundamentals in order to get a baseline down for each person's performance, before moving toward the low-light tactics portion of the course. It was stated that this class would have minimal emphasis on manipulations, as it was primarily a tactics course, and that it was expected that everyone had a solid weapons manipulation foundation. After having each student do a quick intro, the instructors introduced themselves.
Lee's firearms background consists purely of private training and courses, but he is also paid firefighter and EMT. Being a first responder, Lee has been able to see the aftermath of many incidents, and has been able to take away lessons from them. He had been teaching for 6 years at this point; he noted that most firearms classes were rarely put in the proper context of the realities of self-defense, and instead only offered manipulation instruction. This was not to disparage the manipulations courses, as a solid manipulations foundation is necessary in order to perform under stress, but to try to get across to the students that having great weapons manipulations skills is only one piece of the puzzle when it came to self-defense.
I had previously met Lee through two ShivWorks classes, as a fellow student. My positive interactions with him at the classes, coupled with my desire to brush up on low-light skills and a convenient break in my firefighting training, is what got me to sign up for this class.
Chris was in the US Army as a 95C before joining a major central TX metropolitan PD, where he has been for the last 16 years. He has worked UC, patrol, and even on a bicycle. He has been an instructor for the department before, and has been with Lee for two years at this point. Much of the curriculum, particularly the active shooter portion, was be derived from various training courses that Chris had received, along with his years of experience as an LEO. He notes that simply because an act is legally justified doesn't mean absolute protection from a civil suit; being able to articulate and justify one's actions is incredibly important in the aftermath of an incident, which ties into the ability to have more than simply manipulations skills.