Category Archives: Editorial
Force Options Executive Protection Training
Executive Protection seems to be a buzzword lately. There is a lot of talk, and a lot of people claiming to be experts in the field. In addition I have seen a lot of negative press lately from supposed professionals. It seems that everyone is coming up with their own EP class, so one should take care vetting a school before shelling out the hundreds to thousands of dollars these companies are charging. Luckily I was fortunate enough to attend Force Options Advanced Executive Protection course.
The course consisted of seven days of intense, fast-paced training. We covered everything from hand to hand combat to counter-sniper work. The days were packed, and the nights short, but at the end of everything I wish I had another week.
Force Options is the brainchild of Fred Mastison. It would literally take me three pages to list his qualifications (that I just linked to) so I’ll say this; Fred is an incredibly knowledgeable instructor who has done everything he’s teaching you, the course was well planned, and safety was foremost in everything we undertook. I’ve been to some classes where safety precautions were lax, and that is not something you want to see.
It was definitely a shift for me to be running a pistol from concealment instead of trucking around with a rifle and plates, but that by no means made it easy. I really wish I had taken some time to clean up my pistol skills, because I was sorely lacking. Thankfully I had great instructors on hand and by the end of our full day of live pistol fire I was up to speed.
Another awesome treat was working with dogs brought by Michael Magill (a Force Options instructor and owner of Worlds Finest K9) Michaels dogs are expertly trained and the experience of working with professional K-9’s is something that many schools cannot offer.
Force Options has a large list of classes, from running SAW’s to precision rifle marksmanship, and even teaming up with Larry Vickers for pistol courses. I learned a lot with these guys and cannot wait until I can attend another.
Check them out at http://forceoptionsusa.com/ and tell Fred I sent you!
The Vanguard of Executive Protection – BPI
Some of you know that I have been working towards becoming certified as an Executive Protection agent. It’s something that I want to do both to hone and improve my skill, and to provide possible career options.
When I explain this to people, I am usually asked what EP is or receive a response similar to “Is that like a bodyguard?” And while yes, they are in the same family, both professions are about as similar as a Chihuahua and a Mastiff. I always likened EP work to a private sector Secret Service, and until today I had no idea how close I was to the truth.
I use twitter mainly to talk about guns and training and tactical gear and the like (also humor) and I began to make contact with various people associated in the field. At some point I ran across Eric Konohia (president of @BPISecurity) and took notice of his questions of the day. Sometimes he would use acronyms or terms that I was unfamiliar with, but answered the best I could with applicable knowledge from previous experiences. This lead to some good dialogue and I was able to learn more.
I believe it was early this year that Eric started writing a regular blog on the BPI website, detailing best practices and giving a rarely seen insight into the industry. Eric has supplied a wealth of knowledge for anyone willing to listen. In fact, today’s post Eric interviews Chuck Vance, a man who created and innovated the EP field after leaving the United States Secret Service in 1979. I know there are a lot more exciting things on the way (although I have no idea what.)
The BPI slogan is “Mindset is Key” but I get the impression there is an underlying statement: “Integrity is Paramount” A year ago I didn’t know who Eric Konohia or BPI was, but a lasting impression has been made. I have gained knowledge and affirmed conclusions. Class is in session boys, its up to you to learn.
Mikhail Kalashnikov Was Screwed
In the 1940s, Mikhail Kalashnikov was a strapping young lad enlisted in the Soviet Army. While in the hospital after having been wounded in World War II, he started designing guns in his spare time. In 1947, he came forward with a rifle he called the Automat Kalashnikov, which you know as the AK-47.
See, Mikhail and his fellow soldiers were fed up with the rifles in use by the Red Army, agreeing that they all pretty much sucked donkey balls.
The AK-47 turned out to be one of the most awesome things ever to shoot bullets. It can take a mountain of abuse–from getting dropped in a river to having its barrel loaded with sand–and it will still work like a charm. It’s easy to produce and idiot-proof to operate and, in 1949, it became the official rifle of the Soviet Union.
Today, it’s the most popular assault rifle in the world. Between the real ones and the knockoffs manufactured in China and elsewhere, there are thought to be over 100-million AK-47s in circulation in more than 60 countries.
With those and just two magazines of ammo for each, you could shoot every man, woman and child on planet Earth.
So this guy has to be the Bill Gates of the gun world, right? The damned thing has his name on it, even if they just sent him $10 for every one sold (and they sell for as much as $500) the man would be a billionaire.
So how did the venerable genius make out? Broke as hell. Communists have no concept of “intellectual property” or “personal property”. Under Communism, if you invent anything, it was out of the kindness of your own heart, kinda like overpaying on your child support.
The Soviet Union sure as shit wasn’t paying off its inventors. Yes, this is why COMMUNISM SUCKS. Kalashnikov was living in a one-bedroom apartment on the state pension.
The Soviet Union just gave Mikhail a small bonus to thank him for his contribution to the collective and asked him to please build more legendary shit. In 1999, the Izhevsk Machine Shop finally patented the AK-47 after 52 years of heroically ignoring billions of dollars in royalties. Though, we’re pretty sure a patent is basically useless at this point. We doubt China is going to start mailing them royalty checks any time soon.
