Every Breath You Take – Breath Control While Shooting

TO BREATHE OR NOT TO BREATHE

Stating the obvious here but — breathing is important!

But it’s even more important if you find yourself caught up in a real life or death situation where your health depends on hitting what you’re aiming at! Remember, when your life is on the line, your breathing becomes more erratic, making it all the more important to know how to manage it.

Which is why team concealedonline.com is going to shine a light on best breathing practices for shooters.

DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE

You’ve probably heard how elite marksmen are able to pull the trigger in-between heartbeats. Definitely cool for experts, but definitely NOT something we recommend you attempt. 

Okay, let’s get real…

Breathing is a natural body motion and can help or hinder your aim. I mean, the whole point of breath control is to make sure your sights are on the mark when you pull the trigger, right?

So it logically follows that controlled breathing can make all the difference in accuracy. When you breathe your chest rises and falls. This movement can cause your gun barrel to drift off-target.

Bottom line: breathing at the wrong time may cause you to move at the exact moment you pull the trigger. Not good.

When you’ve run out of options and you have no other choice left but to draw your concealed carry weapon, your heart rate will accelerate. Your breathing will become more rapid and harder to control. 

So what do you do when you’re under this kind of pressure?

First off — don’t panic.

Second, practice these 3 easy-to-remember breathing techniques. One of them will definitely be better for you than another, so try them all out to see which one fits you best.

TAKE A BREATHER

Half exhale/pause – when you’re ready to fire your weapon, take in a deep breath. Exhale about half of the air out of your lungs, pause briefly and pull the trigger. This is known as “respiratory pause” and helps you maintain aim. The pause allows you to hold your barrel and sights in perfect alignment on target as the gun fires.

Half inhale/pause –- relax, steady your breathing, inhale. When your lungs are about half full, pause and pull the trigger. The inhale and pause is similar to the exhale and pause option above. 

Complete exhale/no pause – –steady your breathing, do a full exhale, pause when your lungs are empty and squeeze the trigger. But keep in mind, a pause is not the same as holding your breath. If you do that, your muscles will seize up and your BPM will change and your shot accuracy will be compromised.

BREATHE EASY

Last thing — make sure to always chill and slow down as much as possible so you can steady your breathing. This will reduce body movement that throws you off target. Even better, if you can — step back, deep breathe in, deep breathe out, and then reacquire your target.

Of course, in life or death situations, this last option IS NOT an option.

Concealed Carrier Fights Back Against Would-Be Carjacker

Team concealedonline.com is always ready to shine a light on CONCEALED CARRY HEROES OF AMERICA who refuse to become victims, in this case, a would-be carjacking victim who would not back down.

Turns out two crooks descended upon a silver Infinity that looked like an easy mark to carjack in New Orleans, not realizing that one of the men in the targeted car — “Benny” — was carrying concealed.

Benny said he had just pulled up to his home with a friend when the gunmen caught them off guard.

“They probably figured this time of morning, we’re gonna just stake somebody out,” he said. “I got out first,” Benny continued, “and suddenly some guy came from nowhere and said, ‘Hey man, I want that car.’ They had ski masks on.”

Did Benny obey the carjacker’s command? Hell no!

Benny said his friend handed over the keys and then took off running for help, hightailing it for the nearby Second District police station.

That’s when Benny knew he had to act. It was now or never.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Benny knocked the gun out of the suspect’s hand, pulled his own weapon, and shot the robber in the stomach!

One gunman sped off in the silver Infinity driven by Benny’s friend.

Then a second gunman came at Benny from the bushes!

“He came just like that and he said, ‘Don’t you move,’” Benny said. “When he said that, I just pulled my coat out and I just started boom, boom, boom.”

Benny drew his concealed carry weapon and fired four shots but didn’t hit the suspect, and the two ended up on the ground.

“I hit him like that, hit the gun out of his hand,” Benny said. “We both tripped and fell on the ground like this here. I had my right hand here. I did like this, boom! He stood up, ‘Oh Lord, Jesus,’ and he broke out and ran.”

Benny said the suspect was shot in the stomach and tried to escape.

“So I ran inside and I went and got some more bullets,” Benny said. “I had his gun on the ground because I took the gun from him. I ran inside and got some more bullets and came out.”

When, he came outside he said police were already on the scene. About 30 minutes after the inciden, 17-year-old Andrew Spikes showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the stomach. Spikes was arrested and booked with two counts of armed robbery.

Police said another suspect, Jonah Marco, drove Spikes to the hospital. Police said he had also driven Spikes and the second suspect to Milan Street to commit the carjacking.

Marco was booked with accessory after the fact. Police said the gunman who stole the Infinity is still at large.

Benny perfectly summed up his harrowing but heroic encounter:

“He had the ups on me,” Benny said. “I could have said, ‘OK, man.’ I could have just dropped my gun. It don’t make no sense. A lot of people says, ‘Well, he had the ups on me and I dropped my gun.’ I didn’t want to go like that, so, ya know, I’m like a Viking. I’m hard to go down. I came up hard.”

Team concealedonline.com salutes the bravery of “Benny”, a responsible concealed carry permit holder who decided enough is enough and took matters into his own hands.

5 Best Hiding Places to Stash A Gun

HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT

Team concealedonline.com knows that personal defense starts with EASY ACCESS to your firearm.

Whether strapped to your hip…

… or stashed under a pile of laundry…

… GETTING TO YOUR GUN WHEN YOU NEED IT is where the proverbial rubber meets the road!

Here’s our top 5 list of favorite firearm stash sites:

[WARNING: if you have kids at home, be extra sensitive to the potential ramifications of each]

1 – BEDSIDE MANNER

If you’re at home and need to respond to a burglar or home invasion scenario, nine times out of ten you’ll be in bed, flat on your back, half-asleep. That’s when a bed frame holster really comes in handy.

The better ones slip nicely between mattress and box spring and stay put. Adjustable holster straps plus elastic pouches for mags or a small flashlight complete this highly recommended readiness ensemble.

2 – UP, UP AND (TUCKED) AWAY

Remember that amazing deleted scene in BLADE RUNNER (the original, not the crappy new one) where Deckard and Gaff search Leon’s (Brion James) apartment? After the two Blade Runner’s leave, it’s revealed that Leon had been hanging from the bathroom ceiling the whole time!

Genius hiding place!

Hang your gun upside down from a hook over the door right inside a closet. A burglar might go through your clothes and other closet stuff, but THEY WON’T LOOK STRAIGHT UP!

3 – THE SUNKEN PLACE

A burglar will be too busy ransacking dresser drawers, closets and the like to bother with what — at first glance, at least — appears to be nothing more than an innocuous pile of dirty laundry.

We recommend putting socks or underwear or anything remotely grimy-looking right ON TOP of the pile to really dissuade bad guys from being tempted to look through your nest of nasties!

And if, like me, you’re a bit of a germaphobe — you might even want to think about first stashing your handgun inside a plastic bag before burying it beneath a grubby pile! Highly recommended!

4 – D.W.C.

If you’re D.W.C. — Driving While Carrying — reaching your handgun without LOOKING LIKE you’re reaching for your handgun is key!

Obviously, glove compartments are totally out! Armrests aren’t much better.

Instead, an effective alternative involves using your seat cover as camouflage.

Split the seam on the rear of the passenger’s seat cover (nearest to the driver), insert a compact holster/handgun combo, and voila!

Carjacker’s beware!

5 – PLANTERS (NO PEANUTS)

Okay, I admit it. I love plants and have an assortment of greenery spread throughout my house.

Here’s the thing about plants. They make great decorative touches, they’re great for the environment, and (ok, I admit it) they’re nice to talk to (they don’t talk back!).

And on top of all that — they’re perfect for stashing a handgun in plain sight, especially since they offer the benefit of built-in camouflage!

So there you have it — our favorite places to conceal firearms at home or on the road!