New CCW Shooting Book

Shooting Book
This well written book illustrates the various shooting positions and techniques that have become the trademark of CCW course designer and shooting instructor Matt Canovi of Canovi and Associates, LLC
The book details the target layout and string of fire for various tactical shooting courses for the private citizen and law enforcement officer that endeavors to improve their shooting skills and accuracy.
The various images and course designs will assist the shooter in practicing (dry fire shooting) to improve their shooting skills without having to travel to shooting ranges and paying expensive fees. Dry fire practice can be a very effective way to maximize a shooter's confidence and skills when done in conjunction with some actual live fire practice.
This book cost just $14.00……… Order Now

Israeli Defense Force Style Point Shooting

Israeli Defense Force Style Point Shooting" handgun courses for Missouri Concealed Carry permit for private citizens and "Tactical Shooting" for law enforcement officers. Take advantage of the one (1) day Basic Concealed Carry Course for the private citizen - cost $85 or just $100 for the Advanced Course. The Saturday morning classroom and shooting range sessions are held inside Bass Pro Shop for your conveince. We offer a one (1) day Advanced Practical Handgun Course for private citizens and law enforcement - cost $135. This is a two (2) hour course ideal for "Past Students" and more experienced shooters, alike, that covers Precision Shooting, El Presidente, Body Armor Drill, The Attack, Barracade Shooting, Slicing The Pie and Shoot-No Shoot. Each "String of Fire" allows the shooter to focus on head shots, reloading & malfunction drills, multiple assailants & precisoin head shot shooting, one hand & decision making drill shooting to allow the shooter to experience shooting "under stress."
             Shooting Book
This well written book illustrates the various shooting positions and techniques that have become the trademark of CCW course designer and shooting instructor Matt Canovi of Canovi and Associates, LLC

The book details the target layout
and string of fire for various tactical shooting courses for the private citizen and law enforcement officer that endeavors to improve their shooting skills and accuracy.
The various images and course designs will assist the shooter in practicing (dry fire shooting) to improve their shooting skills without having to travel to shooting ranges and paying expensive fees. Dry fire practice can be a very effective way to maximize a shooter's confidence and skills when done in conjunction with some actual live fire practice.
This book cost just $19.95……… Order Now
Supreme Court says individuals have right to own guns - Decision is justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history. The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.
The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia........more info
        Shooting DVDs


Israeli Defense Force style "Point Shooting" instructional DVDs professionally produced for both law enforcement and the private citizen. These DVDs gives the shooter step-by-step detailed instructions:

Stage 1- "Proper Grip and Stance (illustrates safe gun-handling)

Stage 2 - Point Shooting and Front Sight Shooting"

Stage 3 - "Close Quarter Battle & Ground Fighting"

Stage 4 - "Multiple Shots For Stopping Power/One Hand Shooting"

Stage 5 - Pre-Test/Post Test (Stress Factor)"

Purchase the set of five (5) DVDs as an Introductory Offer for just $49.95 or $59.95 with accompanying Shooting Book. The book illustrates in more details the various shooting techniques along with great images of target layout, stances and shooting positions……. Order Now
TRAINING TIPS WRITTEN BY MATT CANOVI - There is no Magic Bullet - The most important thing in a gunfight is a gun that works. When you're
in a gunfight, your gun must be able to shoots bullets. If your gun
malfunctions and won't shoot bullets, it turns into a club. The most
common malfunction in a semi-automatic is the failure to feed a new round
out of the magazine and into the chamber. These malfunctions can easily
be caused by the ammunition. Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) rounds are the
most reliable ammunition for use in semi-automatics (as well as fully
automatics), and they greatly reduce the chance for a failure to feed
malfunction; however, the increase reliability also increases penetration.
This increased penetration must be understood, when you choose a
defensive round.…..more of article
Comments of a sastified Amazon.con customer
When I decided to carry concealed I wanted to make sure I knew the dos and don'ts. I didn't want to find myself in a real-world, street scenario where I'd be the victim, not be able to deploy my Glock 27 or not be able to successfully stop the thug threatening my life -- or the life of my wife and children.
I had heard of Matt Canovi among those in the concealed carry and law enforcement circles throughout Saint Louis and southern Missouri. I read up about him and decided to take one of his courses for my CCW permit. I was blown away by his well-read understanding of FBI statistics and how they played into the realities of a gun fight. When his book The R.E.A.L. Defensive Training Book and DVDs recently came on online, I was among the first to buy them! Sure enough -- they cover everything I learned from him as a CCW permit trainee and as an individual who hired Canovi for personal handgun and tactical training at his facility just outside of St. Louis. Matt knows what he's talking about and his book and DVDs give it to you straight and at a pace that allows you to retain what you've learned.
His training and instructional material has given me tremendous confidence. I know that if I ever have to experience an armed attack, I will successfully defend and stop that attack without hesitation. Muscle-memory will be successfully deployed and the surprise of my attack upon my attacker will give me the upper hand. If you current carry, work in law enforcement, or appreciate quality, tactical training, Canovi & Associates is the right investment.

Reviews Written by
Michael K. Griffin

Court says individuals have right to own guns

Missouri Concealed Carry -
Decision is justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.

The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.

Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for four colleagues, said the Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home."

In dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."

He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."

Joining Scalia were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. The other dissenters were Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter.

Capital's strict gun law
The capital's gun law was among the nation's strictest.

Dick Anthony Heller, 66, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection in the same Capitol Hill neighborhood as the court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in Heller's favor and struck down Washington's handgun ban, saying the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own guns and that a total prohibition on handguns is not compatible with that right.

The issue caused a split within the Bush administration. Vice President Dick Cheney supported the appeals court ruling, but others in the administration feared it could lead to the undoing of other gun regulations, including a federal law restricting sales of machine guns. Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check.

Other Hypotheses of Handgun Stopping Power

These hypotheses are a matter of some debate [9] among scientists in the field:

Hydrostatic shock
Hydrostatic shock is a theory of terminal ballistics that wounding effects are created by a shock wave in the tissues of the target. Evidence of such shock can be seen in ultra-high-speed images of supersonic bullets passing through various objects such as fruit; the fruit explodes due to the shock waves caused by the bullet passing through at high speed. This theory however is only applicable to high-speed ammunition such as rifle bullets; handgun ammunition provides insufficient speed and energy to duplicate these effects. "Hydra-Shock" handgun ammunition is therefore technically a misnomer; a bullet so named achieves its wounding capacity through expansion, ensuring maximum energy transfer and a larger permanent cavity than a nonexpanding bullet.


[edit] Energy transfer
The energy transfer hypotheses states that the more energy that is transferred to the target, the greater the damage that is caused.

This theory is frequently referred to by Kennedy assassination theories, who cite the Zapruder film, which shows Kennedy's head recoiling backwards from a shot, as evidence that therefore, that shot must have been fired from in front of the limousine rather than from behind, where Lee Harvey Oswald was claimed to be firing from the Texas School Book Depository, implying a second assassin. However, it has been repeatedly demonstrated, most recently to a large television audience by Penn and Teller on May 9, 2005 on their Showtime network program, Bullshit!, that when a simplified physical model of a brain inside a skull, composed of a melon wrapped with strapping tape, is shot in a similar fashion, the melon recoils backwards, towards the gun; evidence that the actual transfer of energy from a bullet passing through a complex object is much more complex than simple mathematical models based on oversimplified physical assumptions can predict, a priori.

However, it remains a general physical principle, that when a volume of energy is transferred from one medium to another, the greater the volume of energy, the greater the destructive potential.

In ballistics, energy is a function of velocity and mass. Generally speaking, bullets which impact a target with greater energy cause greater damage. A bullet with too little energy might not penetrate the target - although in the case of a living target they may suffer blunt force trauma, possibly resulting in internal injury solely through the force of the impact.

Overpenetration is detrimental to stopping power with regards to energy since a bullet that passes through the target has not completely shed all of its stored energy. However, the increased tissue damage as well as the creation of an exit wound (and increased blood loss) resulting from a bullet passing through a person also affect whether the target is likely to be incapacitated. Bullets that pass out of the body may still injure people nearby.

Rifles commonly propel bullets to speeds of at at least 2-3 times the velocity of the most powerful pistols. Such bullets have more kinetic energy (kinetic energy is proportional to the square of the speed). Bullets not intended to expand such as the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, M855 Ball Round, may cause much more tissue damage as a result, than of expansion or fragmentation of a bullet at handgun velocities.

As discussed above, there are many factors that affect "stopping power." Energy transfer is undeniably related to destructive potential; however, the importance of energy transfer in determining the stopping power of bullets (when compared to other factors like location of the wound and bullet size) is not a topic of agreement.

It is a general principal of physics that the force between the bullet and tissue is equal to the bullet's local rate of energy loss, dE/dx (the first derivative of the bullets kinetic energy with respect to position). The ballistic pressure wave is proportional to this retarding force (Courtney and Courtney), and this retarding force is also the origin of both temporary cavitation and prompt damage (CE Peters).


[edit] Knockback
The idea of "knockback" is a subset or simplification of energy transfer theory, and states that a bullet of sufficient caliber at sufficient speed which transfers all its energy to a subject has enough force, by sheer momentum of the bullet, to stop forward momentum of an attacker and knock them backwards or downwards. The idea was first widely expounded in ballistics discussions during American involvement in Philippine insurrections and, simultaneously, in British involvement in the Caribbean, when front-line reports stated that the .38 caliber revolvers carried by U.S. and British soldiers were incapable of bringing down a charging warrior. Thus, in the early 1900s, the U.S. adopted the .45ACP cartridge in what was to become the M1911A pistol and the British adopted the .455 Webley caliber cartridge in the Webley Revolver. The larger cartridges were chosen largely due to the Big Hole Theory (a larger hole does more damage), but the common interpretation was that these were changes from a light, deeply-penetrating bullet to a larger, heavier "manstopper" bullet.

Though popularized in television and movies, and commonly referred to as "true stopping power" by novice or uneducated proponents of large powerful calibers such as .44 Magnum, the effect of knockback from a handgun and indeed most personal weapons is largely a myth. Because of Newton's Third Law, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction", a handgun bullet propelled with sufficient force to arrest forward momentum or impart backward momentum in a human-sized target mass would impart an equal force to the shooter, knocking both the shooter AND target to the ground. The force of the so-called "manstopper" .45ACP bullet is, in reality, comparable to the force imparted by a 1 kg (2.2 pound) mass dropped from a height of 3.47 m (11.4 feet) onto a surface.[16] Such a force is simply incapable of arresting a running target's forward momentum. In addition, bullets are designed to penetrate instead of strike a blunt force blow, because, in penetrating, more severe tissue damage is done. A bullet with sufficient energy to knock down an assailant, such as a high-speed rifle bullet, would be more likely to instead pass straight through, while not transferring the full energy (in fact only a very small percentage of the full energy) of the bullet to the victim.

The "knockback" effect is however commonly "seen" in real-life shootings, and can be explained by physiological and psychological means. Humans encountering a physical hit, be it a punch or a bullet, are conditioned to absorb the blow by moving in the same direction as the force. The physical effect against a non-penetrating weapon is to reduce the force felt by the blow, and in addition, retreating from an attack increases the distance such an attack must cover, which in the case of non-projectile weapons such as fists or a knife, places the target out of range of further attack. In addition, there is thought that Western civilization movies may have conditioned humans watching them to recoil, buckle, or fall backward when hit by a bullet, because that is the action taken by characters they have "seen" on TV or movies react when shot.

Although knockback is not possible with a handgun bullet, it can be an actual effect occurring in reaction to being hit by a massive slug, such as a rubber bullet or sandbag fired from a shotgun. The dynamics of a slug round are quite different than penetrating bullets; the projectile is here designed NOT to penetrate but instead to strike a hard, blunt force blow, and as the power of a shotgun cartridge is greater than practically any production handgun cartridge, the force imparted is comparable to a hard punch and is capable, by sheer physics, of doubling up, hence knocking down, someone.


[edit] One-shot stop
This hypothesis, promoted by Evan P. Marshall, is based solely on statistics, intended to be used as a unit of measurement and not as a tactical philosophy, as mistakenly believed by some. It considers the history of shooting incidents for a given factory ammunition load, and compiles the percentage of "one-shot-stops" achieved with each specific ammunition load. That percentage is then intended to be used with other information to help predict the effectiveness of that load getting a "one-shot-stop." For example, if an ammunition load is used in 10 torso shootings, incapacitating all but two with one shot, the "one-shot-stop" percentage for the total sample would be 80%.

Some argue that this hypothesis ignores any inherent selection bias. For example, high-velocity 9 mm hollow point rounds appear to have the highest percentage of one-shot stops. Rather than identifying this as an inherent property of the firearm/bullet combination, the situations where these have occurred need to be considered. The 9 mm has been the predominantly-used caliber of many police departments, so many of these one-shot-stops were probably made by well-trained police officers, where accurate placement would be a contributory factor. However, Marshall's database of "one-shot-stops" does include shootings from law enforcement agencies, private citizens, and criminals alike.

Critics of this theory point out that bullet placement is a very significant factor, but is only generally used in such one-shot-stop calculations, covering shots to the torso.

Some CCW holders in the United States have elected since 2006 to switch from carrying hollow-point bullets and especially 10 mm caliber weapons with perceived higher one-shot stopping power to instead favor carrying smaller caliber weapons after the conviction of retired school teacher Harold Fish in Arizona for second degree murder during a self-defense shooting. His conviction for killing a homeless man with a history of mental instability who attacked him while hiking on a remote trail was obtained through a jury trial by stressing Fish overreacted through choosing to use the increased stopping power of 10 mm hollow point bullets. State law in Arizona has subsequently been changed, such that the state now has the burden to prove that a self defense shooting was not in self defense, whereas the burden previously before the Fish incident was that the shooter on trial had to prove that the shooting was in fact done in self defense. Meanwhile, many CCW holders have elected to switch to carrying handguns loaded with FMJ bullets in calibers smaller than 10 mm. A choice often advocated for selecting the correct stopping power in CCW training classes is to select to use the exact same type of bullets (FMJ or hollow point), in the exact same caliber that are used by the local police, to avoid being accused of overreacting during any self defense post-incident trial.[17][18]


[edit] Big Hole School
This school of thought says that the bigger the hole in the target the higher the rate of bleed-out and thus the higher the rate of the "magical" one shot kill. In this theory, the bullet does not pass entirely through the body so that it incorporates the energy transfer and the overpenetration ideals. The people that like this theory cite the .40 S&W round to be the best bet, arguing that it has a better ballistic profile than the .45, with more stopping power than a 9x19mm Parabellum.

The theory centers on the "permanent cavitation" element of a handgun wound; a big hole damages more tissue. It is therefore valid to a point, but penetration is also important, as a large bullet that doesn't penetrate will be less likely to strike vital blood vessels and blood-carrying organs such as the heart and liver, while a smaller bullet that penetrates deep enough to strike these organs or vessels will cause faster bleed-out through a smaller hole. The ideal may therefore be a combination; a large bullet that penetrates deeply, which can be achieved with a larger, slower non-expanding bullet, or a smaller, faster expanding bullet such as a hollow point.


[edit] Other Contributing Factors
As it has been touched on previously, drug and/or alcohol levels within the body, body mass index, mental illness, motivation levels, body part strike (i.e. "armpit hold") all these things and more contribute to the concept of what round will possess true stopping power during which situation. .....full article - Credit given for article/All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

Self Defense Shooting Courses

Researched based Efective Armed techniques for Life theartening situations shooting course book by Matt Canovi. This well written book illustrates the various shooting positions and techniques that have become the trademark of CCW course designer and shooting instructor Matt Canovi of Canovi and Associates, LLC


The book details the target layout and string of fire for various tactical shooting courses for the private citizen and law enforcement officer that endeavors to improve their shooting skills and accuracy.
The various images and course designs will assist the shooter in practicing (dry fire shooting) to improve their shooting skills without having to travel to shooting ranges and paying expensive fees. Dry fire practice can be a very effective way to maximize a shooter's confidence and skills when done in conjunction with some actual live fire practice.
This book (price $19.95 or $109.95 with dvds) is well worth the cost and when purchased along with the DVD Set will provide the shooter with far more shooting information than any other shooting course or offer on the market. "Training is Survival." - Order Now

The recent Missouri State Law change - making it easier for citizens to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon has sparked a real
interest in handgun shooting courses. News of recent shootings in schools, malls and even private homes are helping to focus on the need for personal safety. Canovi and Associates, LLC offers a basic shooting course every other Saturday for just $85 and an advanced course for $100. Both the classroom session
and range shooting course are held inside Bass Pro Shops. View shooting videos on YouTube.





Series of five (5) professionally produced Defensive Shooting Dvds - featuring Matt Canovi's researched based shooting style and technique. This set of five dvds will introduce the shooter to Point/Aim shooting technique, Close Quarter Battle shooting technique and Ground Fighting shooting technique.

In this series Matt will demonstrate the proper gun hands grip, stance and shooting positions for all phases of defense shooting. He will present to the viewer different techniques, shooting stances, sight alignment and shooting on the move presentations.

The five (5) dvds (cost just $99.95 or $109.95 with book) will provider any shooter with defensive shooting information based on real FBI and other research data involving documented police shootings. All training materials provided by Canovi and Associates, LLC is "developed from the street up" for your survival. Order Now

TRAINING TIPS WRITTEN BY MATT CANOVI - There is no Magic Bullet - The most important thing in a gunfight is a gun that works. When you're
in a gunfight, your gun must be able to shoots bullets. If your gun
malfunctions and won't shoot bullets, it turns into a club. The most
common malfunction in a semi-automatic is the failure to feed a new round
out of the magazine and into the chamber. These malfunctions can easily
be caused by the ammunition. Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) rounds are the
most reliable ammunition for use in semi-automatics (as well as fully
automatics), and they greatly reduce the chance for a failure to feed
malfunction; however, the increase reliability also increases penetration.
This increased penetration must be understood, when you choose a
defensive round.…..more of article

Missouri Concealed Carry (Castle Doctrine) Law

The recent Missouri State Law change making it easier for citizens to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon has sparked a real interest in handgun shooting courses. News of recent shootings in schools, malls and even private homes are helping to focus on the need for personal safety. Canovi and Associates, LLC offers a basic shooting course every other Saturday for just $85 and an advanced course for $100. Both the classroom session and range shooting course are held inside Bass Pro Shops. View shooting videos on YouTube.

DISCLAIMER:
The articles posted on this Blog will be written by the Moderator and not by Matt Canovi or Canovi and Associates, LLC.

There is no Magic Bullet

This informative article "Training Tips" was written by Matt Canovi of Canovi and Associates, LLC and republished here with his permission. The material presented here can be viewed on Canovi and Associates, LLC website and is for the more experienced shooter, but it can be helpful for beginners as well.

Training Tips

The most important thing in a gunfight is a gun that works. When you're in a gunfight, your gun must be able to shoots bullets. If your gun malfunctions and won't shoot bullets, it turns into a club. The most common malfunction in a semi-automatic is the failure to feed a new round out of the magazine and into the chamber. These malfunctions can easily be caused by the ammunition. Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) rounds are the most reliable ammunition for use in semi-automatics (as well as fully automatics), and they greatly reduce the chance for a failure to feed malfunction; however, the increase reliability also increases penetration. This increased penetration must be understood, when you choose a
defensive round.

In September, 1987 the FBI convened a Wound Ballistics Seminar at the FBI Academy, and they came up with some interestingly conclusions. Although penetration and wound size govern handgun-wounding effectiveness, penetration is the more critical element and all the participants unanimously agreed that there are only two reliable ways to achieve physiological incapacitation(17). The first is server injury to the central nervous system, and the second is extreme lose of blood. (17

Furthermore, since placing a bullet in a small moving target like the head under the stress of a life threatening attack could be difficult, a defensive bullet must be able to penetrate deep enough into a human


body, so it ensures damaging a major internal organ and thus causing the desired extreme blood loss. This seminar enabled the FBI to develop a, BULLET PERFORMANCE CRITERIA, with a minimum acceptable penetration of twelve inches and a maximum penetration of eighteen inches. (17.......full article