Ben has done a full in depth video on his truck bag during his EDC series, but there have been some udpates to what is in there. Enjoy this update video, and go check out some of the items he mentions. If you want to see the original video head on over to our YouTube page and look for the Vehicle EDC video.

As I walked into my local library toward the new release shelf, this little book seemingly screamed, “Read ME!” Flipping to the back of the book cover I read these words:

"The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to facism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience."

Hook, line, and sinker I judged the book by it's cover, added it to my stack, and a quick barcode scan later walked out into the warm evening with my new (to me) discovery.

This book surprised me as it challenged my point of view. When I walked out of the library with "On Tyranny" I fully expected to read something that I completely agreed with and would absolutely love. In truth, at one point I almost did not finish reading it because on the surface Mr. Snyder and I seem see the world through diametrically opposed lenses. I did finish it, and I am glad that I did, because while I do not agree with some of the conclusions Mr. Snyder draws, he makes solid arguments and the truth of his 20 lessons can not be discredited.

Die hard pro-Trump supporters that refuse to see any flaws in our current president would do well to avoid reading this book. Those of you who are willing to have your views scrutinized would do well to consider picking up this tiny tome and taking time to reflect. Mr. Snyder does little to hide his contempt for President Trump in this book. This is my only complaint with the book, and at the same time I give Mr. Snyder credit for standing true to his convictions, after all it is his book.

Once past the initial shock of realizing that this book was written from a different world view than my own, I was able to dig in and get to the meat of the book. The 20 lessons put forth in "On Tyranny" deserve serious consideration. Lesson 10 states it best:

“Believe in truth. To abandon fact is to abandon freedom."

The facts of what happened in the 20 ^th Century can not be changed, but we can learn from them. No matter what side of the political aisle you fall on, truth is truth, and Mr. Snyder has put together a solid game plan on how to combat against Tyranny.

I would recommend reading "On Tyranny". If forced to give it a star rating, I would give it a 3.5 out 5 stars, but mostly because I do not agree with the point of view Mr. Snyder has, not because I disagree with his points. I don't know if that is fair to him or not, but the book had the potential to be a wonderful, simple primer on combating Tyranny and unfortunately became a mild propaganda piece that will loose some validity once the current presidential term is over. The book is still worth reading for the lessons drawn from history. The book is short, easy to read, and worth the time spent. If you read it with an open mind you will learn some valuable lessons.

The course is a comprehensive shooting program developed to give the student the skills necessary to defend against a terrorist or criminal attack. This course covers:

• Malfunction reduction
• Reloading
• Individual movement
• Use of less than optimal shooting positions
• Transition exercises from rifle/carbine to handgun
• Use of barricades
• Basic low light techniques
• Stress and movement drills
• Combat mind set
• Counter vehicle ambush techniques

Ammunition requirement (brass cased ammo only):
Handgun: -1000 rounds Live (min.)
Carbine: -500 rounds Live (min.)
Required equipment: Iron sighted or military style optical
device, magazine fed rifle, caliber .223 or higher is suitable for
this course; three (3) extra magazines (min); handgun, belt-mounted holster, three (3) extra handgun
magazines or speed loaders, appropriate eye, ear, knee and elbow protection; clothing suitable for weather
conditions.
Note:
1. This course is both physical and stressful in nature. You should arrive at SMTC mentally and physically
prepared for 2.5 full days of intense training.
2. This is a no refund / no course transfer program of instruction. If you have to cancel or drop from the
course for any reason prior to or during, you will receive no monies back and will not be granted a
course transfer.
Prerequisite: none
Length/Cost: 2.5 days, $500.00
Dates: Sept 29-Oct.1, 2017
Notes: SMTC has a limited number of Glock 17 and 19- 9mm handguns for rent during the course if needed.
Additional cost of $100. Will be added to the course fee if you require a rental gun. The rental fee includes:
Handgun, Holster, Magazine Pouch and 3 magazines. You will still be responsible for ammunition and a firm
belt.

To register please call Storm Mountain Training Center at 1 304 446 5526 and tell them you want to register for the Wise Men Minuteman 2 course.

The ProTac line always makes the list list for quality lights, in fact Ben own several of them. In fact, at first glance this flashlight may not even seem special, it is the "Duel Fuel" part that makes it so attractive. The 1L-1AA stands out because you can operate the light with either a single AA battery or a single CR-123 battery. Again other lights on the market can do this, but you have to change the tube, or have an insert. This means if you are not carrying the extra part with you, then you can not make the swap. The 1L-1AA allows for immediate use of either battery with nothing extra. We have even run the light off a AAA battery!

The CR-123 batteries always seem to fail at the most opportune moment and are much more difficult to source. Like us, you probably carry spares just because of this issue. With this flashlight, if your CR-123 fails, you can just grab a AA and "click" back in business. Check out the video below for our review of this fantastic flashlight, or skip on down below for some of the more standard information about the Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA Duel Fuel.

Now for all the boring specs on the flashlight: The 1L-1AA Duel Fuel has a .85" diameter black annodized aluminum body. The weight of the light varies, based on the battery option selected, between 2.4 and 2.8 oz. The C4 LED has a 50,000 hour lifetime and produces 350 lumens on high with a CR-123 battery and 150 lumens on high with a standard AA battery. The ProTac 1L-1AA has 3 modes, high, low, and strobe. Streamlight's TEN-TAP programmable switch allows the user to program the flashlight modes to there specific need. The light is waterproof up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. It features a tail switch that let's the user select the modes as well as use it in a temporary mode. 

Run time will depend greatly on how you use it. If used constantly on high, the spec sheet says you will get 1.5 hours out of a CR-123, but plan on only getting maybe half that at any significant lumens. It will continue to run and give light but the brightness will begin to decrease significantly. Most people use a mix of the modes and you can safely figure you will be able to get a weekend of use out of a battery on a camping trip as long as you don't stay up all night reading. Also, if you run the 1L-1AA on AA batteries you will get pretty much half what you get from a CR-123. This makes sense as the CR-123 batteries are 3v and the AA are only 1.5v. Just don't think you will get the same results with a AA.

The light does come with a nylon "holster" and is serialized by Streamlight. The light also has a removable pocket clip that can be mounted on the brim of a hat for hands free use. The pocket clip can bend out of shape very easily and become virtually useless. This is the biggest issue with the flashlight and is common across the Streamlight brand. It can be fixed with a simple zip tie, but know that it can slip out of your pocket. 

Overall the Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA Duel Fuel flashlight meets virtually every need a person would have in a EDC flashlight. Compact, light, bright, good run time, and easy to find batteries for. If you are looking for an every day carry flashlight, you can not miss with the Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA Duel Fuel.

Here are some items we suggest be in your IFAK:

• SoftT-W Tourniquet - http://amzn.to/2fJrEyV
• 4” Israeli-Type Bandage (Israeli Emergency Bandage or OLAES Recommended) 4" - http://amzn.to/2fMRm4a 6" - http://amzn.to/2g7soAD
• Hemostatic Dressing (QuikClot 25G Sponge or Clotting Gauze Recommended) http://amzn.to/2fJrszJ
• QuikClot Combat Gauze (z-fold) http://amzn.to/2eUl0H1
• Compressed Gauze (NAR or H&H PriMed Gauze Recommended) - http://amzn.to/2etUW7i http://amzn.to/2fMTrwX
• Nasopharyngeal or Oral airway kit - (NPA) http://amzn.to/2eUkglv (OPA) http://amzn.to/2g7myiO
• Decompression Needle 12ga and 14ga – 3 ¼ length (Here is a kit that has one and chest seals http://amzn.to/2eUkpoS these are difficult to purchase online. You can find them but it is much more difficult due to how needles are regulated)
• Chest Seals x 2 (Halo, Hyfin, Asherman) - http://amzn.to/2g7tdti
• 1” or 2” Tape (can be homemade from “duct or 100mph tape”) http://amzn.to/2fMWd5F
• Nitrile Gloves - http://amzn.to/2eUiNf2
• Trauma Shears - http://amzn.to/2eQ0owt

There is no doubt that the last 16 years of conflict in the middle east have driven the firearms market, from a revolver/bolt action centric scene, to one of a more ‘modern/tactical’ driven market. Far be it from me to bemoan the whole affair, wishing more revolvers and ‘budget’ bolt-action rifles or lever guns handed down through the family. I enjoy shooting the modern sporting rifle, as I did during active duty.

While the modern propaganda machine, Hollywood, goes on speaking out both sides of its mouth (both sensualizing firearms and calling for more control of them) works well for the makers and sellers of firearms, it doesn’t do we the people any favors. Say what you will about Bradley Cooper, at the end of the day, no matter how many rounds he put down-range in preparation for his role as a Navy Seal, he is still no better off than my nephew in his caped pajamas with the a red and blue S on his chest. I don’t have anything against Bradley Cooper. I just take him for who he is, an actor. No, I didn’t see the movie; I saw enough of the trailer to make me not want to see it. Aside from the daylight-to-daylight phone calls and the non-existent chief bad-guy, the movie fails to grasp the life in the sandbox. I don’t know how many times I saw Iraqi soldiers try to emulate Rambo with the belt fed RPK machine gun. They all wanted to stand and fire from the hip. Claiming through broken English phrasing and gestures that this was a better way to fire, somehow magically increasing the hit probability while simultaneously causing the enemy to flee in the wake of their awesome ability. It was only after hours of classroom lecture, dry fire practice, and finally live-fire with targets at known distances did we convince them that it was better to lie down and use the sights. Even then, they were still shit, and ran out of their combat flip-flops at the first sound of a twig snapping.

Aha! You may exclaim, But what about those guys from the Magpul training videos? I got you there…

No, you really don’t. IF, for whatever reason, you think that after reading all of this, then you’ve missed the point. To begin with, a crack team of advertising executives, with one goal, created those videos: to make you buy their shit. I have no personal experience with either Mr. TuroSkin himself (Travis Haley) or The Boardwalk Beard (Chris Costa) to say whether or not they have your best interest at heart when it comes to firearm manipulation within the day in day out grind of life. Something tells me, no. They also have a whiff of that Kim Kardashian loop: they’re famous because they’re in that video, and they’re in that video because they’re famous.

I have no problems with people trying to make a buck. Hey, it’s hard out there and you have to carve in your own niche to thrive, but I think in the long run they do a disservice to ‘ our community ’. The idea that we need to train reflexive fire with our ‘carbines’ is beyond absurd. I like to play dress-up too, but as an adult we can only do it on Halloween without having nice conversations with our friendly local law enforcement officer on our Second Amendment rights. Furthermore, if you think attending a couple of rifle courses taught by a couple of gurus will make you into the rifle behind every blade of grass; you’ve got another thing coming. In order to get to that level of proficiency, you have to train with a squad of guys. Even then, you have to live and breathe the mud, rain, cold, and downright pain that comes with it. Still, that doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be the bullet sponge of the day, or live action land mine tester when and if that day comes. Let’s not forget that they’re entire jobs revolve around training for scenarios that they were trained on in the service of our country. It’s a false dichotomy, or a very expensive excuse as to why you bought an FN Scar in 308. What they sell doesn’t match what the everyday firearms community needs. We’d be far better off finding the local guys who know the same information, and practice with them.

Don’t think that just watching the videos will allow you to do the same thing, either. If that were the case, I’d be a level 12 Jedi, due to the amount of time I spent in an ambulance on a range for medical coverage while in the Army. I can think of better things to watch on the Internet that, things that give a big release of dopamine at the end.

As a combat medic with the 82nd Airborne from 2003-2008, Luke Wayman deployed three times and was politely asked to join in the stop-loss associated with the surge of 2006-2008. His areas of deployment included: Fallujah, Iraq; Zurmat District, Afghanistan; and Bayji, Iraq. Wayman was honorably discharged from the Army in 2008, and currently works as a secret squirrel scientist for the Department of the Army. If you’re lucky, you can catch him starting controversies at a local gun shop by selling guns at a local shop. His service dog, Ike, always accompanies him.