Paint-marking rounds are a form of training ammo that is used by law enforcement, military, and security for realistic force-on-force firearm training exercises. These rounds are fired from real firearms that have temporarily been converted for such purposes. While this obviously increases the realism of the drills and exercises it also increases the risks of accidents and injuries.

Over the years there have been numerous deaths related to the use of paint-marking rounds rounds in their various forms. Most of the deaths were due to unsafe practices, such as allowing participants to bring live firearms and live rounds into the training area. In some cases participants were directly injured by the training rounds themselves. However, we know that in order for training to be street-effective it must be as real as possible while avoiding injuries and death. This is why paint-marking rounds and other similar products are so highly valued by reality-based trainers. However, there are other issues regarding the use of these types of products.

1) Paint-marking rounds are generally only available to law enforcement, military, and security personnel.
2) Paint-marking rounds can be very expensive at approximately $2 per round plus the cost of conversion kits for each firearm used.
3) Requires specialized protective gear that can also be costly.
4) Paint-marking rounds obviously involve some safety issues as mentioned above

All of these issues can be quite frustrating for the civilian trainer who wants to increase their defensive and tactical knowledge as well as their firearm handling skills. Although, thanks to modern technology we know have a solution- Airsoft.

Airsoft replicas have many advantages over paint-marking rounds and other similar products, to include:

1) Readily and easily available to everyone.
2) While the costs can vary depending on the type and quality of the gun, generally Airsoft are less expensive overall. Rounds average $3 per 500-1000 and can be used multiple times.
3) Minimal protective gear is required and it can generally be picked up at any sporting goods store that carries paintball or airsoft supplies.
4) Proper safety protocols are still a requirement for Airsoft training but are obviously minimized with the use of Airsoft replicas.

In short, Airsoft replicas now represent the safest and least expensive way to increase tactical and defensive firearm skills.

This training tool has been adopted by law enforcement and security officers around the globe. If it works so well for them, it obviously will work for the rest of us too.

By Darlene Redinger (Kosciusko County Mental Health Association)


When you read in the news that a woman was raped, what do you think of? Do you envision a stranger in a dark alley attacking an unknown female? Well, you couldn't be further from the truth.

The truth is, 80% or more of rapes are committed by an assailant known to the victim. RAPE is not a crime of passion, it's about power, control and anger.

The actual definition of rape is NO plus SEX equals rape. It's that simple. If the female says no and the male continues with sex, that is rape and it goes the same if the male says no. Date rape or acquaintance rape is the most common form of rape. Drugs and alcohol are contributing factors in many date rapes. Having sex with someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a crime, punishable by prison time! if a person is unable to say no due to drugs or alcohol, it is always rape.

Females ages 16 to 25 are most at risk of date or acquaintance rape. Experts state date rape may account for as much as 78% of all reported rapes, although rape is a hugely underreported crime.

Unlike rape involving a stranger, date rapists typically use psychological pressure or physical strength to press for sex, instead of weapons, or threats of violence. Rape is planned, hours or even days before the attack. Rapists frequently choose their victim and "groom" them. Grooming involves paying attention to a girl he normally would not spend time with, becoming friendly and attentive, until the right moment when the rapist is ready to act.

Date rape drugs like Rohypnol (roofies) and Gamma Butyrolactone (GHB) and Ketamine (street names: Special K or Vitamin K) are easy to obtain, cost very little, and have no taste, odor, or color. Additionally, they dissolve quickly and leave no trace. it is easy to palm the drug and drop it into an open drink as it is transferred from one person to another. The victim may not even realize he or she was given drugs! Under the influence of a date rape drug, the victim will do whatever they are told to do without complaint and won't remember a thing the next day!

A major cause of date rape is lack of consideration of a woman's rights and wishes. If she says, "NO", it means NO. Some men feel if they spend money on a date, they are "entitled" to sex or, if she is sexually active, she should have sex with him.

Some men are sexually aggressive because they are basically insecure. Forcing sex on someone makes them feel in control. Rape is violence toward women. Date rape is a serious crime and it involves a betrayal of trust. It's effects can leave lifetime emotional scars. As with all rapes, it is important for the victim to remember it is not her or his fault, no one asks or deserves to be raped.

How can you protect yourself from date rape? Examine your feelings about sex and make a decision about sex before you go out. Make your feelings clear, don't give mixed messages. If things get out of hand, don't be afraid to cause a scene, scream, yell and resist if you can and the person does not have a weapon. Socialize with people who share your values, go to parties in groups and keep an eye on your friends. set boundaries and enforce them.

When you are out on a date, never accept an open drink from anyone, always keep complete control over your drink. If you leave it unattended, get a fresh one. Trust your gut instinct, if you feel the situation is dangerous, get out. Never leave without the friends you came with. Don't leave group situations, keep an eye on the friends you came with and watch out for each other. If a friend is missing, find her. If a friend tells you she was raped, believe her.

If you or a friend is raped or you think you have been raped, do not shower, change clothes, brush your teeth or hair, eat or drink anything and do go to the hospital. If you think you might have been given a date rape drug, ask for blood tests to be run. No one asks or deserves to be raped.


Article courtesy of- The Paper. Reprinted with permission, from the October 27th, 2004 issue.

The following url is a link to an article on how fear is recognized in
the eyes. This might be another signal that predators subconsciously
use to select their victims.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719954/

In order to learn effective self-defense skills it's important to have an understanding of motor-skill research. Essentially this helps us understand how the body responds to a given stimulus. This in turn helps us understand which techniques will most likely be effective under the stress of a real assault and which ones won't.

One aspect of motor-skill research is the understanding of reflexes, instinctive responses to an attack.

Motor-skill researcher, Richard Schmidt has broken the common reflexes down into 4 basic categories:

M1 Reflex
M2 Reflex
Triggered Reaction
M3 Reflex

M1 Reflex is the monosynaptic stretch reflex which occurs when a muscle is suddenly and unexpectedly placed under a load. This is the fastest known reflex. The knee-jerk reflex or patellar reflex(stretch reflex) is an M1 Reflex.

M2 Reflex is the polysynaptic functional stretch reflex. Because it includes more synapses and goes further up the spinal cord it's a bit slower than the M1 Reflex.

Triggered Reaction is slower than M1 & M2 Reflexes because it involves many more synapses. The cross-extensor reflex (withdrawal reflex) falls into this category. This is commonly seen when a person touches a hot stove, hits their thumb with a hammer, or stubs their toe on the door jam. Generally the stimulus is tactile in nature, such as something that causes pain. However, some sounds and some visual cues can also cause this reflex. This is seen when someone gets startled (jumps) during a loud sound or when someone sneaks up behind them and yells. It can also include someone sneaking up behind you and touching you suddenly. Generally, during a triggered reaction the hands will move toward the center of the body to instinctively protect the head and torso or they will move toward the site of the injury or away from the source of pain. Example, when touching a hot stove the burned hand moves away from the source (stove) toward the center of the body and the opposite hand meets it there while attempting to cover it (protect it). In the case of a car accident, the driver will have a tendency to convulsively lock the arms out in order to protect themselves from impacting the steering wheel, dash, or windshield. The passenger may bring the hands up to protect the head and torso or even reach for the dash or door in an effort to keep themselves from impacting the dashboard or windshield. Since most people have not been taught anything else they will usually fall back onto these general instinctive responses / reflexes.

All of the above reflexes are involuntary, meaning that occur without conscious thought. They are referred to as "simple reflexes" by some researchers.

M3 Reflex is a voluntary reaction-time reflex and is the slowest of the reflexes. This is referred to as a "conditioned reflex" by some researchers. For our purpose, this is the category that trained defensive or protective flinch responses fall into. Generally, the stimulus is visual in nature but can also be based on tactile or auditory cues. This could include seeing our car about to hit a tree or seeing another car about to crash into ours. In regards to self-defense it could include seeing a punch coming at our head or even seeing the attacker tensing his arm or making a fist prior to the attack. Essentially, we perceive the possible threat, identify it as an actual threat, and then activate a motor-program. However, in regards to self-defense this is where things get tricky. If we have tons of different motor-programs, say 10 defenses against a straight punch, 10 different defenses against a round punch, 10 different defenses against a knife attack, etc. etc. then it's going to take some extra time for us to choose the appropriate motor-program (response) for that particular attack. Also, if we have been training a bunch of unnatural blocking movements, we have the same problem. By the time the practitioner has actually chosen the appropriate blocking technique it's likely they will have already been hit by the attacker.

The key to real self-defense is to attempt to turn the M3 Reflexes into "automatic responses" which will essentially make them equivalent to Triggered Reactions. How do we do that? Simple! We train with natural gross-motor movements that are often activated during Triggered Reactions. We minimize our physical options and make those options applicable to dozens of different situations and different types of attacks. We train our brain to perceive and identify the threat sooner. Example, instead of waiting to see a punch coming at us before we respond, we should learn to identify
verbal and non-verbal cues that normally occur prior to the attack. Then we respond to those cues rather than an actual attack. We then train these basic responses over and over again through various adrenal / stress inoculation drills until they become spontaneous.

In most cases, if the skills are based on natural neuropathways they are generally easy to learn, easy to retain, and easy to use for the majority of average non- athletic individuals. Those who are athletic will have a definite advantage.


Copyright 2006 - Steve Zorn

While it's true that "self-defense" is offered in many martial arts schools and even some fitness facilities, we must ask ourselves if it's really self-defense that's being taught. Are the students of these schools and facilities really learning to protect themselves or are they just learning simplified martial arts under the disguise of "self-defense"?

I cannot honestly answer this question as it pertains to each and every facility making such claims, but what I can do is provide simple guidelines to help you, the reader, decide if your school or facility is teaching real self-defense or some fake imitation.

As previous articles have pointed out, there is a difference between martial arts and self-defense. While there may be some similarities in the physical applications between the two, this is generally where the similarities stop. Martial arts self-defense programs, what I refer to as traditional self-defense, generally over-emphasize the physical skills while under-emphasizing or even neglecting the psychological and analytical skills needed to deal with life-threatening situations. The belief is that it's the physical skills that determine the outcome of the altercation when, in fact, it's what the student does before the situation turns physical that will determine the ultimate outcome. While physical skills are vitally important, they are the least important of all real self-defense skills.

Self-defense is about staying out of harm's way. It's about learning to detect possible violent situations and dealing with them before they turn violent. Self-defense is NOT about letting someone physically assault you so you can, in turn, defend yourself. Once this is understood, self-defense can be approached in a direct and realistic manner.

So, what does real self-defense training consist of? That's the question I intend to address. The first step to answering this question involves analyzing violent situations and then reverse-engineering them. In other words, we must take a look at how violent situations occur in the first place so that we can learn how to prevent them from escalating to a physical level. Analyzing the situations in this manner can help us understand that there are so many more things we can do prior to using last-ditch physical skills. In other words, while physical skills are necessary, they should be used last and least.

Let's start from the beginning. How can we prevent potentially violent situations? That's easy, we AVOID such situations. To AVOID situations we must be AWARE of such situations before they happen. So, the first step to dealing with violent situations is using common-sense awareness & avoidance strategies. Ultimately, awareness leads to avoidance and avoidance leads to prevention. Understanding this is the key to real self-defense. If we are aware of potentially violent situations before they happen and we avoid those situations, it's highly unlikely that we would ever have to physically protect ourselves. In short, awareness strategies should form the foundation of any realistic self-defense program that is designed to protect lives. Any program neglecting this foundational area is not based on reality.

What about other necessary skills when awareness & avoidance fails? What about methods of escape? Obviously we don't live in a perfect world. While we may have excellent awareness & avoidance skills there is still a chance that we might find ourselves in potentially violent situations. Based on this fact, we must have a solid understanding of how and when to escape.

What about verbal and non-verbal de-escalation strategies? As we know, conflict resolution is about learning effective communication skills in order to successfully deal with conflict in our lives. Wouldn't potentially violent situations be considered an extreme form of personal conflict? This being the case, doesn't it make sense that we should first attempt to resolve such conflict in a non-violent manner if at all possible?

As we can see, there are many steps that can be taken to be aware of and ultimately avoid potentially violent situations. When those situations can not be avoided, there are still steps that we can take to avoid possible physical altercations. Simply put, physical survival skills should be used only as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted.

Don't be fooled by imitation "self-defense" systems that only teach physical skills and avoid or neglect the most important components of all, the non-physical skills. As I have pointed out, a system based solely on physical skills does not prepare the student for the realities of violent altercations. In fact, it does not provide the student with options and instead conditions them to rely on physical skills regardless of the level of threat.

If self-defense is truly the goal, I recommend that you search out an instructor or a system that offers a comprehensive program including an emphasis on non-physical skills. As our lives may someday depend on our training, we should make sure that our training provides us with the necessary skills to not only survive but to win!

Copyright© 2005, Steve Zorn - Personal Safety Unlimited

This article addresses some of the key issues regarding home security. A careful study of this material could make a big difference in how you think about the security of your home and family.

Home security and personal safety are very important topics that you need to know about whether you are a home owner or an apartment renter. You always want your home, your family and your belongings protected. In order to do that you will need to follow some specific security steps that will allow you to prevent any possible burglary attempt or to stop the one in progress. Your budget does play an important role in the selection of various home security products. However, there are products that are available for most budget levels. If you have a lot of money to spend, you may want to install a full blown security system that consists of many different security devices. But even with little money to spend you can still install a less costly basic security system and follow basic crime preventive measures.

Let's look at some of those basic preventative measures...

First of all you should make sure that the outer perimeter of your home is free of obtrusive landscaping or other items that might provide concealment for a burglar. While privacy fences do protect your privacy from prying eyes, they also provide burglars easy access to your home while being able to avoid detection from nearby neighbors or those passing by. Trees and shrubs can also work in the burglar's favor. Be sure to keep all shrubs properly trimmed and make sure that they don't block the view of doors, windows, etc.

The next step is to make sure that your doors and windows are locked when you are away from the house or during the night. The windows and doors should be strong enough to protect your home and should be installed with care in a professional manner. Your door and window locks need to be selected very carefully and should be very hard or impossible to pick. At the very least, each outer door should include a single-cylinder deadbolt lock. Windows usually present the most danger and should consist of a very strong glass. Regular glass can be broken very easy but there is a special reinforced glass that can be used instead. This type of glass will provide you with more protection and safety. If you have any glass doors in your house, you should definitely install the reinforced type of glass. You can also purchase sheets of protective film that can actually be placed directly over your existing windows to help reinforce them against breakage. Window locks are also important. Be sure that your windows have upgraded locks and I also suggest that you install "pegs" through the window frames.

The best advice is not to offer possible burglars easy access to your house in the first place. Many people have a bad habit of hiding their spare key somewhere near the door. It doesn't matter where the key is hidden: under the door mat, in the shed or at your work desk. If a burglar finds out where the key is, he or she will have instant access to your house. There are many ways for someone to discover your secret hiding place. They can simply see where you hide your key or the burglar may use a trial and error search method. The best idea is to never hide a spare key anywhere. You should also change the locks of your home immediately if you have lost your key or had your key stolen by someone. Good electronic locks can also provide an additional level of security but require you to keep your entrance code in secret at all times.

Speak to your neighbors about participating in a neighborhood watch program or starting one if there is no current watch program already in place. The neighborhood watch program is easy to start and will provide all the participants with so much more security. Your neighbors will be looking after your house and will notify you or police officials if there is a burglary attempt. Watch programs can also be a good preventive measure. There is less chance that a thief will try to break into the house located in an area with a neighborhood watch sign. The watch program is also very good for your personal safety since you are less likely to be attacked when your neighbors are watching after you.

The next step is to protect yourself in a case of a burglary attempt. You should have your phone near you all the times so you can call the local police department if you believe that you are in any type of danger. Have a backup supply of power to make sure that your security system does not stop working if the power is lost or shut off by the intruder. Have a motion detector light in front of your house so that you can see in advance if someone is approaching your house. This will provide you time to protect yourself and to call for help. Have a contact number of a neighbor that you trust and who you can contact in a case of an emergency. Make sure you have such things as a flashlight and some type of instruments to fix some basic problems. Access to a cell phone is always a big plus.

Copyright 2006 - Steve Zorn, Personal Safety Unlimited

A brief search of the internet will bring up the following general statistics regarding child safety...which supports the need for realistic educational safety programs.



*two-thirds of molestations and abductions are executed by people known to the children or the children's family!
*2000 children are reported missing every day!
*One child reported missing every 40 seconds!
*725,000 children reported missing every year in the U.S.!
*1 child in 42 will become missing!
*1 in 3 girls, and 1 in 7 boys will be molested at least once by age 18!
*Typical molestor will abuse 30-60 children before being convicted the first time!
*4 million child molestors reside in the U.S.!
*An average of 1 child molestor per each square residential mile!
*500,000 children are sexually abused each year!
*Youth 12-17 are two to three times more likely than adults to be the victims of an assault, robbery, or rape, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey!
*Nearly half of all rape victims are girls under the age of 18!


Don't let your children become statistics!


Steve Zorn, ICPS
Personal Safety Unlimited