THIS SITE & ITS LOGO

Why this website?

• This website was created in response to frustration that I had with much of what I had been reading in gun magazines and some of what I saw being taught as defensive firearms training.
• It presents some general points as well as some of the controversial topics in the defensive use of firearms. The Naked Emperor page is devoted mostly to differences in interpretation that I may have with other instructors or with gun writers. I hope that this site facilitates your own evaluation of the issues.
• Unlike a book, a website is easy to modify and to update. This site should be viewed as a work in progress. Visitors are invited to check back periodically. The chart below shows the dates of the latest updates to the various site pages.
• Obviously my opinion will be discernible and I purport to furnish nothing more than my opinion on these pages. You can decide how well founded my beliefs and opinions are.
• This website has grown as intended. During this time I have both developed my own school and published my first book on this subject. I now view the website as part of a quartet that I offer to people who are seriously interested in the use of firearms for self-defense:
  1. The Defensive Use of Firearms website (no charge);
  2. The Defensive Use of Firearms e-mail list (no charge, see below);
  3. The Defensive Use of Firearms book;
  4. Actual training, under the aegis of Defensive Use of Firearms, LLC.

My e-Mail List

• I maintain an e-mail list which I use primarily to distribute annotated links to news items of interest to gun owners, along with some forwarded material on tactics and defense of our rights, and an occasional piece of my own.
• These mailings usually go out every morning, with an occasional update, as required, later in the day.
• If you would like to be added to the list, e-mail me your request.
• I need a first and last name, as that's how I organize my e-address book.
• Include a statement such as "Please add me to your e-mail list," in the text of your message. The list mailing is a manual process and I receive all my e-mail at this address - I'm not very good at guessing. If you leave the subject line of your e-mail blank, it will be deleted as suspected spam.
• I will only mail to people who make their own requests - please do not ask me to add friends or relatives to the list.

Why this logo?

• As to the picture, it is a Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless, Fourth Model, in .38 S&W. While I firmly believe that shotguns and rifles have legitimate defensive roles, I also believe that handguns are Americans' primary defensive firearms.
• I intentionally selected an obsolete firearm for the logo to symbolize my belief that the operator is more crucial than the equipment. In fact, I rank my priorities as follows:
  1. Mental Awareness: Know the current status of your surroundings and its occupants. You should actually be able to avoid most unpleasant encounters.
  2. Mental Preparedness: You must decide in advance what circumstances will trigger your use of deadly force; you cannot wait until you are threatened to make the decision that you will respond with such force. Once you recognize that you have become a target you must become proactive.
  3. Tactics: In the simplest terms, this is using common sense to take any "unfair" advantage which will help you under the circumstances. While most instructors emphasize use of cover, most attacks come at close range, where side-stepping, coupled with deflection of the attack, are the crucial tactics that can give you the time to access your firearm.
  4. Skill: For the shooter this includes being able to place shots where you need them in a reasonable time frame, one-handed, with either hand, if need be. This is but the lowest-common-denominator example.
  5. Choice of Equipment: Last on the list is the actual choice of the gun and its ammunition. It's on the list, but the other issues are more critical.
• In historical point of fact, this particular obsolete firearm was selected because it was obviously designed as a defensive firearm, not a sporting one. Additionally, it is a direct ancestor of the S&W Centennial series, a personal favorite.
• As to the "~spwenger," this site spent its first four and a half years as a "free" site on on EarthLink, where "~spwenger" was part of its URL. This site is now hosted by Web Alaska.
• This website deals with the defensive use of firearms, not their sporting use or their misuse in any form. My fervent desire is that these opinions may help good people prevail against those who would do them harm.

• These pages were designed for viewing on a monitor. I have received a few complaints from people who have trouble reading the light-color text on the black backgrounds. I do not use Internet Explorer so I cannot give specific instructions for that browser. Netscape browsers can have the preferences set, temporarily or otherwise, to view web pages in the default color scheme of black text on a white background. I would assume that a similar option is available in Firefox browsers as they are programmed by the same people who program the Netscape browsers.
• I have also received a few complaints that these pages do not lend themselves to printing legible copies because of the light-color text. Nearly all of the pages are copyrighted. You may print a personal copy of such a page. If your browser does not generate a legible printout, you should also be able adjust your color preferences for printing.

Stephen P. Wenger P.O.Box 4227 Show Low AZ 85902-4227 U.S.A.

First the website, now the book - DEFENSIVE USE OF FIREARMS Click image for further details