The Family That Shoots Together Has Intersecting Fields of Fire

Those who have seen my video on becoming a gun owner know that my wife Sandy played a crucial role getting me into guns. But the last time we shot a class together was at MAG-40 in 2012. Over the past 6+ years since then, she has been accumulating nursing degrees while I have been wandering around gun culture.

Sandy with her target from the MAG-40 qualification course of fire.

I am beyond grateful to John Murphy of FPF Training, therefore, for having both me and Sandy as his guests at Concealed Carry Advanced Skills and Tactics this past weekend. It was a great experience to train alongside her, especially the “Who gets to kill the most home intruders drill” (see video below).

We shot just over 600 rounds in 2 days of training, which I think is more than Sandy has shot cumulatively since MAG-40. Considering she was also using a new gun — a Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Carry — and a sub-optimal holster, she did very well!

Sandy moving and shooting the “Thicc Shawn” target. Photo by David Yamane

The curriculum that Murphy has put together is unique in my experience and we both learned so much (about which I will be posting in the coming days).

It was also a gift to have the Naja Kaouthia Tim Chandler coaching. (Readers may recall my working with Chandler at Gabe White’s block of instruction at the 2018 Tactical Conference.)

Tim Chandler coaching Sandy. Photo by David Yamane

Some time after our MAG-40 class, Massad Ayoob humorously inscribed a book to Sandy and me: “The family that slays together stays together.” Last weekend, Annette Evans (who took the video above) updated this to, “The family that shoots together has intersecting fields of fire.”

That’s very true in our case.