104 years ago today, Arthur Rose Eldred became the first Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
In the century that followed, over two million young men have earned the award.
Archive for August, 2016
The First Eagle Scout
Monday, August 22nd, 2016Born For Action – RamBro aka Bosnian Rambo
Sunday, August 21st, 2016Because sometimes, we all just need to sit back and smile.
ADS Presents – Active Shooter Impact on Law Enforcement Response Training and Preparedness
Sunday, August 21st, 2016Law Enforcement across the country have focused on planning for, and reacting to, Active Shooter events. ADS Inc has shared this blog entry with us to briefly discuss the scenario and to show some material solutions.
As it relates to law enforcement, an “active shooter” situation is described as one in which a shooting is in progress and typical law enforcement protocols may be affected in terms of methods used for responding to the incident. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the “active” aspect of the term implies both law enforcement and the bystander have the potential to affect the outcome based on their responses. (Federal Bureau of Investigation 2013) According to a study released by the FBI in 2013, Law enforcement and an active shooter exchanged gunfire upon their arrival to the scene in 45 out of the 160 active shooter situations throughout 2000 – 2013.
Nearly half of the shooter involved officer deaths in this study were due to being under fire in open spaces and having little training or knowledge of how to respond or protect themselves. According to Greg Ellifritz, President of Active Response Training (Follow his blog), this study revealed the importance for law enforcement to undergo additional training similar to that of military tactics such as “bounding overwatch.” (Ellifritz 2014)
The new FBI study of 2014 and 2015 active shooter incidents was released just three days after the Orlando nightclub shooting (omitting the statistics from this incident). There were a reported 40 active shooter incidents throughout the 2014 to 2015 time period.
Of the 40 incidents, more than half (26) ended with law enforcement at the scene; 14 incidents ended in both gunfire exchange with law enforcement and the shooter being killed, while 12 others resulted in the shooter being apprehended. This is a dramatic difference from the FBI’s 2000 – 2013 study that revealed more than half (90) of the 160 active shooter situations ended on the shooter’s initiative with the shooter committing suicide, ceasing to shoot or fleeing the scene. (Federal Bureau of Investigation 2016)
Although these frightening statistics (see Diagram A) are hard to comprehend, they show a strong trend towards improving the way our law enforcement are educated and protected in responding to active shooter situations.
ADS’s INVOLVEMENT:
PROTECTING YOU SO YOU CAN PROTECT OTHERS
In response to the growing number of ballistic threats to Law Enforcement, and the government’s effort to create awareness around active shooter situations, ADS has worked with reliable tactical & body armor manufacturers, LBT and Custom Armor Group (CAG), to develop a custom packaged solution.
ADS is proud to offer affordable ballistic protective equipment for law enforcement officers that is light weight, NIJ06 certified and available to ship immediately. ADS’s easy and affordable solution is the ballistic protection your department needs at a fraction of the cost.
ACTIVE SHOOTER BALLISTIC RESPONSE KIT
situation. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for one. Our Active Shooter Ballistic Response Kits are designed to provide you with the utility and protection you need to effectively respond to an active shooter situation without breaking the bank or dealing with long lead-times.
Starting at just $295, each kit comes with your choice of a black Standard or Advanced Plate Carrier Vest from LBT, a set of Level III or Level IV rated ballistic armor plates from CAG, and a matching “POLICE” hook and loop patch.
Click here for a spec sheet.
Visit adsinc.com/active-shooter-response for more information.
Armor Express Hosts Saves Retreat at Northern Michigan Headquarters
Sunday, August 21st, 2016CENTRAL LAKE, MI – Six Police Officers and their families, which credit Armor Express body armor for saving their lives from death or serious injury, have descended upon Central Lake, Michigan to partake in a company sponsored Saves Retreat.
The Saves Retreat kicked off Thursday at the company’s global headquarters, announced Matt Davis, CEO and President of Armor Express. “We view our Saves as the true life-blood of our company,” explained Matt. “This retreat gives us the opportunity to give a little back to these heroes that sacrifice so much to protect everyday citizens.”
The company has a formal Saves Program which tracks those Officers who have been positively impacted by the protective qualities of their products. Heading up the program is Armor Express Save Lt. Brian Murphy, who was the first responding Officer to the 2012 Sikh Temple massacre in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Brian was shot 15 times during the altercation with the assailant. His body armor absorbed 3 of the rounds.
“Only these Officers and their families know exactly what they have gone through. By bringing them together we want them to know that they aren’t alone. They form life long bonds and friendships which are part of the healing process,” noted Brian.
“What these families go through is all too often taken for granted. These guys are true heroes but little focus is given to their own personal healing. We try to foster an environment where that healing can take place,” added Davis.
During the retreat the families have an opportunity to tour the Armor Express facilities, meet the employees, and share their life saving stories. Following the tour the company is hosted a picnic for all the Save Families and employees as a gesture of gratitude.
Davis continued, “The Saves wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the hard work of our employees. They take a lot of pride in what they do and they deserve a lot of thanks.”
After that, the group moved to a home on Torch Lake which was donated for their use by a generous family from Central Lake. For the next three days they have the opportunity to relax, build relationships and enjoy some camaraderie.
MULTITASKER Twist in MultiCam
Sunday, August 21st, 2016The Twist from MULTITASKER is a pen-shaped multitool for weapon maintenance and optics/sight adjustments. CNC machined from T-6061 aluminum and Mil-spec Type III Anodized. Weighing less than 2 oz, the Twist is 5” x 2/3”.
Features:
-Aimpoint turret adjuster on rear cap
-Pocket clip is a light-duty slotted screwdriver
-Heavy-duty dental pick with brass shank
-3/32 pin punch
-Radial carbon scraper
-M16A2 style FSP adjustment tool on a magnetic ¼” hex bit holder
-10 ¼” hex bits + carrier strip
Offered in Black anodize finish or MultiCam hydrodip by B5 Systems.
Available from www.skdtac.com/Multitasker-Twist as well as www.brownells.com.
Photo by Richard King Photography
Tactical Tailor – Jetboil Pouch
Saturday, August 20th, 2016
Tactical Tailor’s Jetboil Pouch is pretty self-explanatory: it’s a pouch for your Jetboil, although it’ll also fit a Primus no problem; there’s even a bit of extra room for storing a meal. The pouch comes complete with two Fight Light Mallice Clips, so it can be mounted to the outside of a pack, freeing up precious internal space. Plus, the Jetboil Pouch features a rool down top for a proper seal, and to keep out unwanted dirt and debris.
Available In Black, Coyote Brown, MultiCam, and Wolf Grey.
www.tacticaltailor.com/Jetboilpouch
Gunfighter Moment – Larry Vickers
Saturday, August 20th, 2016I recently returned from a trip to Switzerland and after shooting with some friends I was once again reminded of two things; the AR-15/M4 and Glock handguns absolutely dominate in terms of sheer numbers being used each and everyday on ranges around the world. They are by far the most popular of their type and we live in the best time ever for both weapons. As you can guess I use and recommend BCM carbines as my first choice and for Glocks check out my Vickers Tactical editions available exclusively thru Lipseys. It’s in everyone’s best interest to know these two firearms as they are the industry benchmarks and will be for some time to come.
Be safe and shoot straight.
LAV out.
Larry Vickers
Vickers Tactical Inc.
Host of TacTV
Larry Vickers of Vickers Tactical is a retired US Army 1st SFOD-Delta combat veteran with years of experience in the firearms industry as a combat marksmanship instructor and industry consultant. In recent years he has hosted tactical firearms related TV shows on the Sportsman Channel with the latest being TacTV of which Bravo Company is a presenting sponsor. Larry Vickers special operations background is one of the most unique in the industry today; he has been directly or indirectly involved in the some of the most significant special operations missions of the last quarter century. During Operation Just Cause he participated in Operation Acid Gambit – the rescue of Kurt Muse from Modelo Prison in Panama City, Panama. As a tactics and marksmanship instructor on active duty he helped train special operations personnel that later captured Saddam Hussein and eliminated his sons Uday and Qusay Hussein. In addition he was directly involved in the design and development of the HK416 for Tier One SOF use which was used by Naval Special Warfare personnel to kill Osama Bin Laden. Larry Vickers has developed various small arms accessories with the most notable being his signature sling manufactured by Blue Force Gear and Glock accessories made by Tangodown. In addition he has maintained strong relationships with premium companies within the tactical firearms industry such as BCM, Aimpoint, Black Hills Ammunition, Wilson Combat and Schmidt & Bender.
With over 300,000 subscribers, his Youtube channel features a new firearms video every Friday.
Larry Vickers travels the country conducting combat marksmanship classes for law abiding civilians, law enforcement and military and works with Aztec Training Services to coordinate classes to best meet the needs of the students attending the class.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Bravo Company USA. Bravo Company is home of the Gunfighters, and each week they bring us a different trainer to offer some words of wisdom.
Pentagon – Kalahari Hat
Saturday, August 20th, 2016This summer has been a scorcher here in Hampton Roads so anytime I see a sun hat while doing research (aka web surfing) I check it out. This one is from Greek brand Pentagon. They make a lot of 5.11-style clothing and I only learned about them during IWA this year as they are not well known here in the US. However, I do know you can find some of their stuff on Amazon.
What I find interesting about this hat is that they’ve laser cut ventilation into the sides of the hat and incorprated a neck shade in a wide brimmed hat. That’s some pretty serious business and between the material and design they promise SPF 50. UV damage to skin is serious business boys and girls. Protect your skin while you’re young. Offered in Coyote, Tan and Grey.
