NOTICE!!! I will no longer be writing or checking on this blog and it will be taken down by September 1. Please visit my new blog at www.gabesuarez.com Continue reading

1. High level of marksmanship ability via Skill and Equipment 2. High level of applied tactics and concepts via proper and complete force on force indoctrination and associated disciplines 3. Complete understanding and internalizing of real world ROE via memorization and daily exercise of the Flowchart of Justified Deadly Force 4. Gentleman Warrior self-image that sets the stage for the requisite mental attitude, and simplifies action. Have those four...really have them, and any active shooter (crazy guy or jihadist) that targets anyplace you happen to be standing, is in far more danger from you, than you are from him. Continue reading

I remember Venezuela when it was one of the most prosperous countries in South America. It's demise began with Chavez (an avowed anti-American communist), and it has continued on the downward spiral common for communist nations. It is likely a matter of a few weeks before the cancer of communism is removed by force of a civil war there, with a multitude of lost lives. That is always how it goes. Communism is brought in by the naive and the impressionable, as well as the lazy and the free-loaders of the world with their hate of those more clever and more hard-working than they are. It is all very interesting, the actual value of mob-democracy when the masses can all decide unanimously to bring in the mechanism of their country's own demise. It is one thing to be invaded and subjugated by an outside and unwelcomed force. But quite another to do it to yourself. We may feel sorry for the victim that is thrown off a cliff by an assailant, but what can we say of someone that jumps... Continue reading

Continue reading

Every culture has its symbols. The Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial. In the south, we see the various memorials to the men who fought the War of Northern Aggression - known elsewhere as the US Civil War. In France, one of these is the Notre Dame cathedral. I have been in many churches and cathedrals in my travels, many which predate Columbus' birth. They are an ongoing and enduring symbol of Europe and by extension America, and the entire line of western civilization. The sense of history and timelessness is indescribable when you walk on the grounds of a 1000 year old church. One of the tenets of Communism is to destroy the symbols of the culture you wish to overthrow. But the same can be said for the Islamic Invasion in Europe. Recall when the Taliban destroyed the Buddhist Statues in Afghanistan? Most won't...but the goal was not a new parking lot...the goal was the eradication of any vestiges of a competing culture. And with the west's continuing historical illiteracy, some of only things that... Continue reading

KILLING WITHIN THE LAW NOVEMBER 2-3, 2019 - PRESCOTT, AZ Instructor: Gabriel Suarez CLASS IS HELD AT SUAREZ HQ AND LIMITED TO TWELVE ATTENDEES Suarez International is pleased to this class. You have learned to use your service pistol with excellent accuracy and speed, now learn to use your words with equal skill of eloquence and expression. This class is a hard and fast presentation of the concepts in the original class as well as pertinent topics from the Interview And Investigation Management Class. By keeping the group small, we will be able to study the Flowchart in depth as well as offer role playing exercises that focus on the investigation that takes place after a use of force incident. You will learn what words to use as well as methods of articulating what happened. Through an incredibly honest, first-hand, “been there-done that” instructor-led discussion the participant will gain a personalized and in-depth knowledge of the process of a use of force, deadly or otherwise, investigation. And most importantly how to manage the interview and subsequent investigation to your benefit.... Continue reading

These are things that have been accepted as truth because they have been said so often. The problem is that many of those repeating these things have no first hand knowledge and so they repeat what they have heard as if they knew firsthand. A myth repeated often enough becomes a widely held belief...almost a religious belief. yet, it is still a myth, and myths are not truth. Myth Number One - The presence of the gun is all you need, so have a gun. Having a gun is a good thing, but it is actually less important than your willingness to use it, your ability to use it well, and your understanding of the dynamics of the fight. The man with a gun who has no ability in its use, no understanding of the dynamics of the fight nor come to terms with using it to kill another man, will die with it still in the holster. Or worse, will over react from a fear-driven perspective. Myth Number Two - It is all about shooting skills. Very few "shooting... Continue reading

I was working drills again with the Amphibian (an NP3 Stakeout with rifle sights) this afternoon before my lifting session. In my opinion, this weapon surpasses all other available platforms for the private citizen proactive weapon application. Bold statement? Well, there are proactive weapons, such as Shotguns, Rifles, SMGs and SBRs. These are not in any way defensive weapons nor reactive weapons. One must go and get them in anticipation of the fight. Or transition to them once he has regained some control over the events at hand...if they are available and the fight threat continues. So few people understand this and so they classify all firearms as defensive firearms, never knowing their true specific and special roles outside of the artificial training range. To choose a weapon one must first identify the mission. A man carrying a weapon in spite of the various signs in New York City would be foolish to select any weapon larger than a small concealable pistol as circumstances preclude it. Same for a man walking alone in bear country would be foolish to be... Continue reading

Rise and rise again Until lambs become lions - Robin Hood Movie (2010) Terror is a "normal part of life" some have said. And that statement may not be inaccurate. The process usually follows in this way. "Thoughts and prayers" are posted on social media. Religious groups make a show of solidarity. Everyone holds hands, lights candles, and weeps. Then the inevitable placement of blame and dialog on prevention. Who commits such acts? Well, its no secret requiring a government funded study. It is either the purview of crazy people (the psychologists and psychiatrists will forgive me), or the work of religious/political extremists. In New Zealand, apparently its everyone's fault and most of the country will now be unarmed or criminals. Something the left in every nation seeks as one closer step to total Venezuelan-esque control. But lets take a moment and really take a serious look at prevention of such situations. Quickly the talk turns to adding police and armed guards everywhere, creating safety screenings, building tall fences and fortifying everything. All the fearful nod at this sort of... Continue reading

Your claim of justified self defense...or defense of others, must fit inside the justification window. Your actions must be contemporaneous to the event...to the assault, attack, etc. Contemporaneous means "close to" in terms of timing. So using our framework of decision-making, you can't legally justify shooting a prospective and potential attacker because you thought, one day, he might seek to harm you. Similarly, you can't justify seeking a subsequent contact with a past aggressor and claim retro-active self defense. This is a point that is so internalized for many of us who've lead a violent lifestyle that we take it for granted, but it bears repeating since so many questions have been raised recently in this theme. The case was a thread on a sexual assault suspect in a bar. At first sight I would question the judgement of going to a loud and boisterous bar where this sort of thing might happen. Having been in a couple of bar fights in my younger years, I'd rather not get into another one. But in truth, this event could happen anywhere,... Continue reading

CZ P-10 TRIFECTA - TRIGGER, FIRING PIN, RECOIL GUIDE ROD The perfect trio for your CZ P-10 BUY IT WHILE SUPPLIES LAST - $49.99 TRIGGER Face Shooter Trigger Shoe - 6061 Aircraft Grade T6 Aluminum Trigger Safety - 6061 Aircraft Grade T6 Aluminum All components Black Hard Anodized Type III Designed for the CZ P-10 Pistol This is a trigger Shoe Only and does not include the Trigger Bar Installation must be by a qualified gunsmith FIRING PIN 50% lighter than factory part Made from American billet tool steel (Not MIM or Ti) Hardened for strength Corrosion resistant Black Melonite Finished Reduces time to ignition Improved accuracy GUIDE ROD Made from 4140 hardened steel with a Melonite finish Enhanced reliability, accuracy and durability in extreme and harsh conditions Faster shot to shot recovery and smoother slide cycling Gabriel Suarez Turning Lambs into Lions Since 1995 Suarez International USA Headquarters Continue reading

I am not a firearms instructor. I hope I am more than that. My life does not revolve around firearms and neither does my training or teaching. My life goals and the same for my students is excellence. Excellence in family, in profession, in martial skills and anything one chooses to do. And I want to discuss how sometimes the virus of others may tend to derail those goals. And it is true…people are carriers of viruses. We know the aggressive virus that drives a team and gives it an energy and a momentum that makes amazing things happen. We also know the impossible virus promoted by those who think everything is impossible. Infected by that virus, nothing will ever get done by anyone. Here is a secret…surround yourself by those with good viruses and eliminate those from your life with negative viruses. Here we go. The Complainer – we all know one or two. They are only happy when they are telling others how they were, are presently, or are about to be, thoroughly screwed and left bleeding and... Continue reading

All men are the same physically speaking. They have been that way since the species was a hunter-gatherer culture. Two arms, two legs, flesh and bone. We have physical limits that can be pushed vis-a-vis training, and for some due to being gifted in some areas physically, but those limits cannot be eliminated. And for those who seem to worship the past, in our day, we have better food, better medical care, and better knowledge on making the body stronger and resilient than ever in history. An athlete today is far stronger, faster and agile than an athlete from the 1700s. No matter how much some want the ancients to know more, be stronger and nearly god-like in their powers, the truth is that they were just men. Men, who I will add, would not only be astounded at the performance capabilities of modern men, but who would have readily embraced modern muscle building, nutrition, and medical practices. Moreover, we all tend to fight very conservatively when the stakes are life and death. At such times we tend to use... Continue reading

When you enter a negotiations, it is important to know what everyone expects out of the encounter. Everybody needs something...and is there to attain it. If you know what the other side is after, you have a great deal of control over the tempo and eventual conclusions. So in this last segment we will discuss the different pertinent parties involved, specifically the initial first responder, his supervisor, the investigator, and of course you. Let's begin with you shall we? You shot shot the terrorist, robber, killer-thug in the face and he is dead on the concrete with his brains showing. You called the 911 system and stood by carefully waiting. You gave a brief but accurate no-shitter depicting yourself several times as a justified victim with proper and articulate language. And the first contact went well. The first question is asked of you by the first officer - "What happened?" That is the stage that is set. What do you want? I know what I wanted, and would still want. I want to be treated like a victim and not... Continue reading

This part we will discuss the first contact with the first responders. And there will be first responders. Some Walter Mitty types on the internet have a fantasy of defending themselves, or killing an active shooter, and then disappearing into the mist, unidentified. Not only will that be very difficult to do given modern responses to such events, but somebody somewhere undoubtedly got a video of it. Fail to make purposeful contact with the first responders, and you will be identified as an armed killer on the loose with every young officer out to make a name for himself likely to shoot you on sight. So, first contact must be made. Here is how you set the stage for success. 1). As soon as it is safe and practical, you need to call the 911 system. You, not your wife or your kid, or the poor bystander you commandeered into helping you. You need to do it, and it is the first phone call you need to make because you can bet others are calling on what they saw. But... Continue reading

Thusfar we have shared what I think are the all important aspects of the study of gunfighting. We have taken all the steps on the map from developing the proper attitude, and self-image, and what that leads to, as well as the sort of training that will best insure your victory in the fight itself. As a point of credibility, not only do I have personal hands on experience with this, but so do my students. I have been teaching these concepts now for twenty years. None of my students, many of whom are private citizens as well as police officers, have ever lost a gunfight, nor have any of them been jailed for their actions during the gunfight. And it is that last point that this next segment of the study is about. The so-called aftermath. The Aftermath (followed by sinister music) is big business. Like the relationship between doctors and pharma that keeps America sick and drugged, the Aftermath-based businesses help keep America afraid, ignorant, and in real danger of the law after a shooting. Both of those... Continue reading

I have been around a long time. In fact, I bought my first pistol when the majority of the Youtube Commandos were still swimming around in their father's nutsack. I have seen many trends and new things come and go, and I have the apparently rare perspective in this "industry" of knowing what killing an armed enemy up close is like. In short, the ability to repeatedly hit him in vital areas hard and - did I say repeatedly - repeatedly, is important. The needs for killing the man that wants to kill you, before you yourself are killed trumps policy, tradition, ideas of propriety, and anything else. This industry is often resistant to technology. We see the old instructor (usually younger than me) pat his belly and announce, "all ya gotta do is train more and watch yer sights", as if he was such a deadly man-killer dropping a diamond of hearsay wisdom. "Its the indian and not the arrow son". Well, here is the reality. An open minded indian of means will not make do with an antiquated... Continue reading

We hear it from time to time. It is a mistake, but like lies, mistakes repeated over and over, and never corrected, tend to become the perception of correctness. The issue is the idea that all training is good. It is not. Not all training is good...and not all trainers provide valuable training. The same can be said for tactics and methods of operating the weapon. "Its just another tool for the box". No...it is mental garbage that you have just injected into you mind like a junkie injects heroin. Once that trash is in the mind, it won't leave. And anything you program vis-a-vis repetition, has been installed in your program. So no...all training is not good. Only good training is actually good. And what is that? It is what is actually useful and applicable to your daily operations. Doing a reload, for example, like the third man in a stack on a direct action team with endless support and endless supply may make the typical gun student's groin twitchy, but has absolutely zero bearing on how he should... Continue reading

“There are things in heaven and earth”, says the poet…that human kind yet doesn’t understand or is able to explain. But the lack of scientific understanding does not invalidate the existence of “those things”. One of those areas we have been deep in study, and for close to thirty years now, is how a mental attitude and established self-expectations translate into live physical performance in combat. Recently some of us were discussing “fear”. The word itself is as inaccurate as the word “love”. We love our mothers and a nice single malt…but not quite in the same way. Yet the word is the same in the English language. Same for the word “fear”. Those words tend to create physical manifestations, which I believe in turn have a deep effect of physical performance. Thinking in words creates physical expressions of those words. Ask someone to show you a “fear face” and they will take on a frightened, submissive, hiding posture, like a child hiding under the covers from the monster in the closet. I believe that such physical expressions of thoughts... Continue reading

Adversaries can see fear. Its in your voice and demeanor. And they are not afraid of your fear. Fear is not a gift and those who think so probably have never been in mortal combat. Bad guys see it. They know it can lead to over reacting, but they also know that the fear is from a reluctance to kill them. If the reluctance is gone, the "defender" takes on an entirely difference countenance...and that scares them. The reason is that before them is not a reluctant fearful victim on the horns of indecision about taking their life. Rather they see someone who has already killed them in their mind and heart, quite dispassionately, and smiling is simply waiting for the green light to execute a plan that has already been seen to conclusion. What your adversaries see depends on what you show them. That depends on what you feel. And that depends on how you see yourself and your role in the events. What is your self-image? Continue reading

SUAREZ FOLDING BRACE ON VERSAMAX TAC-13 from Suarez International on Vimeo. Continue reading

Amazing things happen when preparation meets opportunity. The issue we have is the lack of preparation in professionals as well as private citizens. Oh, they may be well prepared to run a stage imitating an overweight John Wick, but not for what we are talking about. Bruce Lee, in the landmark movie Enter The Dragon (look it up kiddies and watch it), after one of his adversaries broke a board, said simply yet eloquently, "Boards don't hit back". In our study we might rephrase as, "cardboard targets and steel plates...don't shoot back". There is a natural and momentary hesitation that takes place the first time you look over your sights and see another breathing, living human being rather than a training target. It is almost as if the brain is questioning the reality of the very foreign image it is seeing. And then the doubts come in. "Am I correct, and I legal, will I get into trouble, will I be arrested, fired, sued, should I shoot, should I...." At some point along this internal dialog the bad guy realizes... Continue reading

First Live Fire Test - Street Comp Gen 3 from Suarez International on Vimeo. THE NEXT BIG ADVANCEMENT IN COMBAT PISTOLS You could say I am very impressed with how this has turned out. To put it in perspective, visualize a system that keeps the dot on target as you place 22 rounds of 9mm ammo into a face-sized target at ten yards (coffee cup sized target) in less time than it took you to read this, and with surgical accuracy and 100% reliability with street ammo and full power springs. Gen 4-5 shipping now Gen 3 shipping end of February Also coming for Glock 43, 43X, and 48, as well as for 20, 21, and 22 GET YOUR STREET COMP HERE - $60 Continue reading

TACTICS - THE ART OF MANEUVERING AGAINST AN OPPONENT, AND TOWARD A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE. Tactics is proactive and preemptive. Tactics is not reactive. We have a set of skills for the reactive event that help prevent you from getting shot when you didn't expect the fight. Combat proven and street tested skills that have kept us and other alive when by all rights we should have died by gunfire. As essential as those are, they are not tactics. Those skills are habituated responses established by extensive repetitions when a stimulus is presented. This is just like the martial arts people have done for centuries. As our respected staff member states, gun-fighting is karate at 1200 feet per second. But karate is not tactics either. Tactics come before the shots are fired. But tactics are not for leaving the fight. As we said, all you need for that is a suspicion and the willingness to act upon it by leaving. Tactics are created and justified by an understanding of both the dynamics of the fight as well as what is justified... Continue reading

In a previous life I was hard at work in the study of CQB, and was an Assaulter in my department's special weapons team. During that time I trained with a senior SWAT sergeant at LA County's SEB named Gary Rovarino*. Gary was not only gifted in his craft, but also a student of karate which gave us a common language and made us instant friends. At a regional school he was teaching, Gary defined tactics brilliantly - "Tactics is the art of maneuvering against an opponent, and toward a specific objective". To add to this, tactics is the physical and dynamic embodiment of strategy. Strategy is a thought process and involves thinking and looking forward to objectives. Tactics are physical and involve taking action to cause things to happen. To put it in practical terms, strategies are conceived at the Pentagon, and tactics are developed by the Marines. To examine tactics we first need to establish strategies. And in the context of our discussions, strategies for the lone operator, CCW-equipped, regular guy. Presented with a potential for danger or... Continue reading