Just merely a guess on my part (And I've met and know very few here personally) but I'd say most of those who carry and post here already are doing 1 and 2 and I'd hope that folks don't just think after qualifying at the Ne. state level for CHP that they're good to go. Honestly was surprised how easy it was.
Actually, from reading many discussions over time, I'd say a lot of people aren't following rule 1.
As for Rule 2---a lot of people think that they have a high competency level with their firearm/holster combination. The problem is, many people base that on their personal opinion, as opposed to any objective standard. They've never actually tested themselves on anything, so they don't actually
know.
They
might be outstanding. But....they might not, either. They haven't ever tried anything other than (perhaps) the state CCW qualification (which, literally, a 10-year-old can pass).
As an example: At the NFOA meetings last year and prior, I ran a Steel Challenge fun stage that was set up similar to Roundabout (one of people's two favorite SC stages, because the targets are close and you can run it really fast). People could shoot it however they liked, with whatever gun they liked. If they didn't have a holster for their gun, they could do a table start. If they HAD a holster, it was their choice if they wanted to start there.
SC stages are about as directed toward the primary practical self-defense shooting skills as you can get---it literally is all about the draw, and getting accurate shots on target at speed. No reloading on the clock, no movement on the clock (Roundabout doesn't, at least), no having to figure out what your stage plan is--none of that. On the beep, draw, and hit all 5 steel plates as fast as you can. We'll record the time
Do that a total of three times (in a real SC match, we'd do it five times, but at the NFOA meeting we did it only three), and we'll throw out your slowest run and add the rest together, and that's your score. Lowest score wins.
Many people chose to shoot the stage with their carry gun (or their favorite handgun to shoot) from their carry holster or a standard OWB belt holster.
And
MANY were shocked at how their holster bound the gun, how it was hard to reach, how they forgot to take off the safety, how many pulled their first DA shot badly, and how long it took them to hit five unmoving 12" plates at 7 to 12 yards.
A couple dropped magazines as they tried to shoot. Some had guns that wouldn't run continuously for the 15 shots required to finish the stage. (Jams due to grip, magazine issues, gun issues, etc.)
Many had significant trouble re-holstering their firearms safely.
Most of those folks (who brought guns to the meeting, and had them on them) did indeed follow Rule One. But....from the surprise they demonstrated, Rule Two was not followed nearly as well.
An amazing number of people suffer from talisman thinking--the idea that "having a gun" will mean that they are safe. That merely
having it is sufficient. Many people don't shoot even an entire box of ammo out of their carry gun in a year...and this is among the people who actually DO carry on a daily basis.
Lots of people follow Rule One, and good on them. It means that in a dire situation, they have one of the tools best suited to saving their lives in a lethal force situation. This puts them FAR in advance of most people, who simply don't.
But because they don't know what a level of competency actually looks like (most people don't---where would they see it, if they didn't happen to hang around with people who ARE competent, and know what that looks like?) many people have a confidence-to-competency ratio that is....a little out of whack.
In my opinion, at the very least, anyone who is following Rule Two (for the part about gun handling skills) should be able to pass the
Nebraska LEO Firearms Qualification. (Truthfully, "competency" should require getting a 100%. However, Rule Two is about
basic knowledge, so "passing" is sufficient. That's the minimum standard required for LEOs in this state.)
I shot this five years ago:
The LEO Qual is simple, straightforward, requires the ability to safely draw, a couple of reloads, the ability to transition, and solid basic fundamentals for accuracy. The par times are extremely generous, the target is huge, and the level required to pass is low---a 70%, or 35/50. (You can actually miss EVERYTHING at the 10 and 15 yard lines and still pass, scarily enough.)
And yet....I'm thinking that other than passing the CCW qualification, a large majority of people who follow Rule One only practice draws and hitting single large stationary targets at close distances with no eye towards time or pressure. This means that they MIGHT be absolutely fantastic shooters. Or not. And they don't actually know which it is, because they haven't ever tested themselves on any objective standard related to the shooting skills needed for self-defense.
Long story short: I think a lot of people who think they follow Rule Two don't realize that they aren't actually following Rule Two---and if they knew, would change things so that they WERE following rule two. They just don't know. Simple question to ask yourself, regarding the shooting skills half of Rule Two:
When was the last time you measured your basic shooting skills against an objective standard?
