Monday, October 14, 2024

And Down Old Mexico Way, Cartel Armored Vehicles Are Evolving

 They used to be a bit strange and impractical. Mostly good for impressing rival cartels and the general public, and even useful for going up against the National Police. But times change, and so have the designs and efficiency of the euphemistically referred to as the "Narco Tanks".

This article from the InsightCrime website shows just how much things have changed, and more importantly, why.


Mexico’s Narco Tanks Are Going From Impractical to Tactical 

The use of Mexico’s now-legendary narco tanks in face-offs between criminal groups is growing, and technological innovations have helped them evolve from being a symbolic emblem to an important tactical weapon on the battlefield.

Narco tanks are usually trucks, tractors, or pickups that have been adapted for criminal groups in clandestine workshops. Steel plates, turrets for positioning long weapons, and peripheral vision are some of the features that are added, among others.

The Zetas, a group born out of deserters from the Mexican armed forces in the service of the Gulf Cartel, were the first to use this type of vehicle in the early 2010s.

To read the rest of this article go to the link below: 

https://insightcrime.org/news/mexicos-narco-tanks-are-going-from-impractical-to-tactical/

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Sunday With Blackthorn -- A Brief Piece Of Wisdom From Tim Larkin *Plus* Some Political Humor

 On The Subject of Violence  from Tim Larkin Of Target Focus Training


I saw this in an email from Tim Larkin and thought I would share as such very simple, but not readily apparent, truths:

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"Ever seen someone get stabbed?

It's not pretty.

Blood everywhere. Screaming. Chaos.

Most people freeze. They think, "How do I stop this?"

Wrong question...

The right question? "How do I shut him down before he can hurt me?"

Big difference.

Here's the truth...You can't prevent violence once it starts.

You can only do violence better than the other guy.

Scary thought right?

But here's the good news...

You can prevent violence before it starts.

How?

1. Don't be there. Best defense? Good legs. Run. Seriously. No shame in it. See a sketchy situation? Walk away. Hear raised voices? Go the other way. Your ego isn't worth your life.

2. Be nice. Defuse. De-escalate. Give up that parking space. Let the jerk have the last word. Swallow your pride. It tastes better than blood. Remember... kind words cost nothing. Hospital bills? They're steep.

3. If shit hits the fan? Be ready to act. Hard. No half measures. No fancy moves. Just pure, brutal efficiency. Eyes, throat, legs. Shut them down. Fast. It's you or them... choose you.

Most people get this wrong. They try to look tough. Big mistake.

That scares away normal folks. But it attracts the real monsters.

Want to stay safe?

Focus on what happens before violence.

Use your words. Walk away. Run if you have to.

But if things go south? Be ready.

Not to block. Not to counter.

But to end it. Quick and dirty.


It's ugly. But it works.

Remember...

Violence doesn't prevent violence.

It only stops the other guy from hurting you.
 
 
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Political Humor Content For This Sunday




Wednesday, October 9, 2024

It's Workout Wednesday -- Today Lee Morrison Brings Us Two Videos That Work Together

 The two videos today combine what Morrison call "Attachment to your Attacker" and The Blitzkrieg". Now my old instructor Carl always talked about what he called Aggressive Forward Drive. Which is to say once you start striking your assailant, yo stay on him and keep driving him back, and not giving him an opportunity to recover from your counter-attack until he's unable to injure you.

However he also took into account that sometimes after your first strike or two he might start to turn away and back up  away from you forcing you to play catch-up with him while he tries to recover. This is where grabbing your assailant by the collar, upper arm, behind the neck with one hand, etc., come into play. This allows you to fix him in place.

This brings us to the point of the two videos from Urban Combatives I'm putting up today. 




Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Redux From Last Weeks Wheelgun Wednesday

 So last Wednesday, I put up a Youtube video about the history and evolution of the Classic S&W M36. It was a really good video. However, imagine my surprise when the guy who put it up decided to pull it off and make it private 2 days later.

Now ordinarily that wouldn't have bothered me, but by the end of that video it turned out the guy had put it up to plug a holster company!

Really?? 

Well, just to prove that there are more fish in the sea,  I now present to you guys another video so that no one can accuse me of not showing the the S&W M36 the respect it deserves!


 


 

 

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Wheelgun Wednesday At The Blog Is Back

 It's been a while, but today we have a good one for you guys. A video about the Iconic Classic that defined the Snub-Gun, the S&W M36! Enjoy!