SafeMind LLC

11/06/2025

It's all about vision.
You can't shoot what you can't see.
However, shooting isn't a photograph but a motion picture. It's not about a single moment in time but what happens before, during and after each shot.
From a student's first moment with me, through their development, we put shooting into a vision and movement context. Otherwise, their progression will be slow and lacking the tools to improve.

Your Defense is Personal

10/25/2025

Often, violence is unpredictable and nearly impossible to prevent. First, a random, normal interaction with a stranger, then an attack that would be challenging to defend against.
While we don't know what happened, or what words were said, this could happen to any one of us. Perhaps we can use this tragedy as a reminder that the words "I'm sorry, my bad" can go a long way to diffuse a potential situation and that even good actions, and words, may not be enough.
Many years ago a good friend of mine was leaving a bar in Scottsdale and there was a fight out front. He wasn't involved in it, and was walking away from the area, when he was hit from behind, causing him to fall backwards and hitting his head on the curb. It fractured a couple of cervical vertebrae and severed his spinal cord, leaving him as a low level quadriplegic. Fate may find you.

Your Defense is Personal

TJ Pizzitola, 29, was one month away from becoming a father. Police say he was killed after a suspect blindsided him and punched him from behind.

10/18/2025

There's more than shooting when learning to compete. It takes work, on and off the range. Dry practice, equipment maintenance, reloading and cleaning up the range, leaving it better than you found it.
Sounds like lessons for life.

Your Defense is Personal

10/13/2025

There are some lessons to be learned here.
-Skinny pedal on the right, once again, could have saved the day
-Win the race to 911. I don't believe that this gentleman called 911, but the Fire Chief did. Thus, the Chief got to control the narrative, and the outcome.
-Although it doesn't appear that the victim said, or did anything, to initiate this incident, it's best to S**U if you have an urge to make a comment to someone you don't know. You don't know if that person is normal or an unhinged lunatic like the Chief is.
-Nothing good happens at the "stop and rob". Convenience stores have a high rate of bad stuff happening. Why go?
-The police are not your friends. Full stop. Yeah, many of my friends are cops, but they were friends first. An officer that is questioning your about a potential crime isn't here to do you a favor.

I'm eager to see the second part of this.

Your Defense is Personal

This is part one of the ABC15 (in)Defensible investigation. Watch part two here: https://youtu.be/hxuOqvSTensYoung construction worker Matt Massucci was acc...

10/12/2025

Many of us need to listen to music while walking, hiking or running. The downside is that it significantly reduces your awareness of what's going on around you, particularly behind you.
Whether a cyclist trying to pass, or a creeper creeping, this young lady has some solid advice.

Your Defense is Personal

10/09/2025

I've often mentioned "the skinny pedal on the right" as the primary defensive tool when dealing with a car jacker.
It's faster, it almost always works, and it doesn't take any more training than you already have.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Cw96KqCzV/

Your Defense is Personal

10/05/2025

Imagine that you are driving home from the range and stop at the "stop and rob", aka, convenience store for a slurpee. While paying for the drink a robbery commences and you believe that you are in imminent jeopardy so you use lethal force to defend yourself.
During the investigation it's noted that you are wearing a shirt that states that you love violence.
Does this help, or hurt, your claim of self defense?

Your Defense is Personal

09/27/2025

My family and I drove by this just after the shots were fired.
Road rage.
What is your threshold to get out of your vehicle and approach another driver when angry? Mean words? The finger? Lack of turn signal?

Your Defense is Personal

Around 2:15 p.m., police responded to the area of 7th and Missouri avenues for reports of a shooting

09/20/2025

Iron sights never fail!

During our Thursday night Cactus Combat Match League outlaw match the rear sights yeeted off of a brand new 2011.
Granted, the pistol went from box to range and screws hadn't been torqued or loc-tited, but, frankly, that's how most shooters roll.
Yeah, dots crap the bed, usually, again, due to improper torque and no loc-tite, and batteries, but I've had my fair share of irons go bye-bye while shooting.
Fortunately, we had the pi***la up and running (thank you Fix-it-sticks torque driver, and a dab of blue.

Check your gear....

Your Defense is Personal

08/31/2025

After a lifetime in the backcountry, a decade in the military and two and a half decades on Mountain Rescue, few injuries are as preventable, and debilitating as a blister.
I've, literally, seen some of the hardest people I know completely shut down because of blisters. For some it's a constant curse, for others a rarity. Regardless, I've seen just about every preventative measure and few are a sure thing. While the prevention is often hit or miss, the solution seems universal.
-If you feel a hot spot, address it now. The longer you wait, the worse it will get.
-while there are lots of favorites to patch it up, good ol moleskin seems to work best.
-clean and dry the area
-Cut a piece of moleskin twice the size of the blistered area
-cut moleskin into an oval. Corners and straight edges will peel and make matters worse.
-cut a piece of thin gauze, just bigger than the blister and place it in the center of the moleskin.
-if the blister has ruptured you can cut a "donut" shaped piece of moleskin to keep the rest of dressing off the injury. This goes around the injured site, with the hole where the blister is.
-Apply moleskin and smooth out center and edges. Any wrinkles will cause the dressing to bunch up and come off.
-Carefully put on sock, not allowing it drag over dressing.
-lace up shoes/boots and get moving.

Your Defense is Personal

08/27/2025

You know you're a gun guy when you read the WiFi as "ARMED-GUEST"

Why, yes, yes I am....

Seriously, donating blood is one of the easiest ways that you can save a life. Train all you want, and can, but add this to your plan.

Your Defense is Personal

08/21/2025

So many lessons come from this unfortunate event.

-If buying from Craig's List, Offerup, Facebook Marketplace, be careful. Many of the buyers, and sellers, are scammers (this is a different discussion, well worth having)
-Look up the buyer on the internet. Use social media, and other platforms to learn more about them. What do they look like, are they real, and such.
-Meet in a public, well lit location.
-Let someone know where you're going and have a plan to let that person know if you are ok, or not.
-Don't bring a lot of cash, only the amount needed for the transaction.
-Be armed.
-Just because the person you are meeting is a child, or a woman, doesn't make it safer. Kids can be criminals. Woman can be criminals.
-Have a plan for when it goes badly.
-Don't look at your phone, or be distracted. Conduct the transaction and leave.
-Don't trust, and definitely verify.
-Be armed.

Your Defense is Personal

Bullets hit multiple homes in the area.