What is Custom Stippling and why Should You Get on Your Firearm?

Stippling is an enhancement on your firearm where a soldering iron is used to burn dots into the polymer frame of your handgun.  The dots leave a raised surface that gives the frame, fore end, or anywhere else you chose to stipple your gun a nice texture. 

Stippling can be done with tiny dots or with a more aggressive pattern like I have on my Glock 19 in this picture.  Before you ask, yes it is pink.  My buddy Anson Beck of Falcon Operations Group did a special custom 2 tone pink paint job for me.  I also have plain black, as well as olive drab and coyote brown paint jobs but this pink one is my favorite.

I believe you should be able to shoot well with a stock gun.  However, there are a couple of enhancements that I do like and stippling is one of them.  The pattern stippling leaves really enhances the grip and the feel of reference points on your gun. In case you didn’t know, a solid strong firing grip is essential to getting good consistent shots on your target.  So if you have been on the range and your hands get sweaty or wet because it is hot or raining outside, then stippling will really help you. 

I get stippling on all my handguns.  The pattern I get as you can see in the picture focuses on the right side of my grip which is great for concealed carry. I shoot right handed and leaving the stippling on the right side of the grip ensures it doesn’t rub on my clothing when I carry on my body.

Once you start stippling you will not want to shoot a firearm any other way!

If you want to know how to get in touch with my friend who does this fine work for me or any other questions about how stippling helps my training let me know by leaving your comments here.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

Upgrade Your Survival Supply with Natural Immune Boosters.

If all you have stored for food in your earthquake kits is beef jerky and a roll of life savers it is time for you to upgrade your supplies.  You should definitely have some seasoning, herbs, and natural remedies in addition to canned goods, freeze dried food, water, etc.

I came across this graphic and wanted to share it with you.  It lists the health benefits of lemon, ginger, and garlic.  They call these ingredients “Nature’s Miracle Trio.”  This power trio is super healthy and it will make your MRE’s taste better.

It is important to treat your body as a temple and feed yourself healthy foods and nutrients like lemon, ginger, and garlic.  Healthier people can outrun zombies and outlast sheeple in a SHTF scenario.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

4th of July Fireworks Safety Tips!

If a barbecue is not enough to entertain you this 4th of July and you must start lighting up fireworks in your neck of the woods then please read these safety tips from the following organization:

The National Council on Fireworks Safety

Click that link to read a list of things you can do to stay safe and prevent injuries.  The next best thing you can do is go watch a fireworks show where professionals that are trained to use pyrotechnics coordinate the fireworks display. 

That might not be as exciting as lighting up your street with “Flying Spinners and Aerial Repeaters” but it will keep you out of harm’s way.

Have fun and be safe out there.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

Obama Gun Study Backfires and Proves Guns Save Lives!

Obama has hit another snag along the road to his gun control agenda.  A recent study by the CDC looking at the injury rate of people involved in violent crimes revealed that people were more likely to be injured if they used a self defense method other than a firearm.

Anthony Gucciardi of StoryLeak.com wrote a great article about this story.  This is a piece of Anthony’s analysis on the story:

In a recent study orchestrated by the CDC and carried out by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, it was found that individuals involved in violent crimes who defended themselves using techniques other than carrying a gun were more likely to be injured when compared to those who were carrying a concealed firearm.

All-in-all, the Obama ordered report ended up finding more pros than cons in regards to the right to an open or concealed weapon. The report also reminds us of the numerous causes of gun deaths, citing that most gun deaths are at the hands of those who used a gun for their suicide — not homicide. The report highlights the poor state of America’s suffering mental health. The report states that suicide by guns outweighs the amount of deaths caused by violent crimes by 61%.

Anthony went on to report these facts…….

The study also mentions mass shootings, and how these scenarios are the least common shootings of all. The study cites that since 1983, there have been approximately 547 victims and 476 injuries of mass shootings. To put that into perspective, thousands are killed each year from bats and human hands as Anthony Gucciardi has detailed in the mega article ‘A Brief And Bloody History of Gun Control‘.

New Jersey Woman is Victim of Vicious Beating all is Caught on a Nanny Cam!

This is a sad story about a woman in New Jersey who was home with her young kids when she was viciously attacked by a man who burst into her home and began giving her a serious beating.  This all happened in front of her daughter who was watching TV on the couch.  Things ended with the guy pushing her down the stairs to the basement.

I have to warn you this video is very graphic but watching it will teach you a valuable lesson.

When she was interviewed the woman said she chose to take the beating and let the guy do whatever he wanted so he would not go after her kids.  That is NOT the choice I would have made.  It is obvious she didn’t have any firearms or self defense training.  Now she and her kids are traumatized.  This incident will affect her, her kids, and her husband for the rest of their lives.  It will have consequences for their marriage that affect the intimacy of the relationship all the way to the decisions they make about parenting their children. 

There are several things that could have happened to prevent this woman and her family from being victims that day.

1. They should have had an alarm system that was on and armed while they were in the home.  The news reports about this story show an ADT truck in the driveway after the incident when it was already too late.  If the alarm company sign didn’t stop the bad guy the sound of the alarm going off would probably have scared him away.

2. They should have had some self defense training.  Learning how to fight helps instill the mindset that you have a duty to protect yourself and react if someone attacks you.  This guy was bigger, stronger, and more determined than this woman.  She did what she knew how to do which was nothing.  She defaulted to a victim mentality because that is how she was wired.  I have heard countless stories of people who fought back against an assault and the bad guy gave up because their “victim” was too much trouble.  See bad guys are lazy, they don’t like to work too hard and this woman made home invaders job real easy.

3. They should have invested in a firearm and some gun training classes.  I am not a cop but I believe the investigators and a jury would have found this woman justified in shooting this man in self defense.  There is now way she could out muscle him and it is apparent that he was there for more than just taking her television.

I wish this woman well as she and her family recover from this incident.  I hope they look carefully at their strategies for personal protection now and make sure this never happens again.  Let this story be a lesson for you to prepare now so you never become a victim of a violent attack like this one.

I teach people proven strategies on how to prevent being victimized by incidents like this in my signature “Refuse To Be A Victim” crime prevention workshops.  Click here for more information about those events.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

The Urban Survival Chick uses Peltor Tactical Sport Electronic Ear Protection!

When you are out on the range your primary concern should be staying safe, NOT making a pretty design on your target.  Part of your range safety ritual MUST be wearing protective gear like ear protection. 

Common sense would tell you that a gun shot would be pretty loud right? But, if you haven’t heard a gunshot before you don’t know how loud it is or understand the potential for hearing damage over time.  Even if you were to work around heavy machinery you’d have to wear hearing protection to preserve your hearing over the long run.

Electronic ear protection is the only type I recommend.  I use 3M Peltor Tactical Sport Hearing Protection.  You hearing protection should cancel the loud noises that could damage your hearing like the sound of the gun going off with each trigger pull, AND amplify sounds you need to hear like important range commands.

Beginners who are unprepared for the range wear those cheap foamy ear plugs that muffle every sound.  Those might be ok if your are a college student trying to study at the library.  They are even ok if you are trying to catch some ZZZs on a plane.  The cheap ear pro is better than having nothing but it is not adequate for you or my students. Now you know better.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS protect your ears out on the range.

Look up Peltor Tactical Sport Hearing Protection and you will find several places to buy them online or visit your local gun shop.  This is a popular model that retails for around $150.oo but you could find them closer to $100.00.  They are comfortable, durable, and run on AA batteries.  You could spend more money and get a fancier model but if all you need is some good quality hearing protection for the range then these are the ones I highly recommend.

Let me know what you think about these Peltors.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

Costco is a great SHTF Resource!

The Urban Survival Chick loves to buy SHTF supplies at Costco!

When you go for your everyday shopping needs do you ever treat it like an adventure to find as many emergency survival supplies as you can?  I DO!

One of my favorite survival stores is COSTCO!  I don’t ONLY go there for the free samples.  The free samples are a really nice Bonus!

When I am at Costco or any other store I comb the aisles looking through a prepper’s eyes and see the items on the shelves in a different light.  I bet the thousands of people that walked by this box of freeze dried meals didn’t even notice them.  They had no idea if they picked up this one box of food they could have extended their family’s life for a few more days. 

Take a look at your survival supplies and make sure you have at least 7 days worth of food immediately.  For your long term survival needs plan on storing at least 6 months to a year’s worth of food for your household.

Next time you are at the grocery store pick up a few extra items for your food supply and you will be well stocked before you can say BACON BITS.

P.S. Don’t forget the crumbled bacon because everything tastes better with bacon!

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

Teen Mom in Oklahoma Shoots Armed Intruder and Protects her Baby!

Here is a “Guns Save Lives” story from Oklahoma that I pulled out of the vault.  Sarah McKinley, an 18 year old widow and mother of a 3 month old baby shot and killed an intruder on New Year’s Eve 2011.

The bad guy was trying to get into her house for several minutes and then started to break down the door.  This young mother put her baby down in the bedroom with a bottle, grabbed her shotgun and pistol, and called 911.  While she was on the phone with the 911 dispatcher the criminal busted through the door and came after this young mother armed with a knife.  She acted quickly and fatally  shot the scumbag.  Oh and he had a friend waiting outside that was forced to run away but was eventually caught by the police.

Sarah MacKinley told reporters the following about her experience.

“I wouldn’t have done it, but it was my son,” McKinley told ABC News Oklahoma City affiliate KOCO. “It’s not an easy decision to make, but it was either going to be him or my son. And it wasn’t going to be my son. There’s nothing more dangerous than a woman with a child.”

This mom deserves big props for having the right protective mindset and taking action to protect her child.  I bet bad guys in that area will think twice about knocking on her door after hearing this story.

You can read the full article here.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

What Jacket does The Urban Survival Chick wear out on the Range??

There is a saying that gun training community lives by and it goes like this, “If it Ain’t Rainin’ it Ain’t Trainin’.”  That means when you go out to the range for a firearms class you don’t just quit because there is a little drizzle.  You train rain or shine.

That being said you will need a good jacket to keep you warm and dry out there on the range.

My favorite jacket to wear out on the range is my Condor Phantom Soft Shell Jacket.

I got this one from my friends at Falcon Operations Group years ago and I wear it everywhere now.  In fact I love it soooo much that I got it in black because I like to color coordinate my outfits.  What can I say, an Urban Survival Chick’s got to accessorize.

This Condor Jacket is not only comfortable but it has a “Breathable Shell Technology” that keeps you dry and circulates body heat. It comes in olive drab, tan, black, navy, and foliage.  As a bonus it is super easy to clean.  Just put it in the washing machine inside out on low temperature, and tumble dry on low. I am all about making life simple.

Here are some of the jacket’s cool specifications straight from Condor’s website:

– Vertical chest pocket
– Two hand pockets
– Two sleeve pockets
– Two 4″ x 4″ shoulder patch panels
– Two internal pockets
– Full front double zipper
– Underarm vent zipper
– Double layer reinforced forearm
– Drawstring waistband
– Adjustable wrist cuff
– Full front YKK zipper with double zipper pull

You can do some more research on the jacket here: www.condooroutdor.com.

Hope this tip on range attire helps you find the right gear to keep you performing at the shooting range in style!

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick

Female Firearms Training Advice!

      One of the questions I often get asked by women is “MaryAnne, as a woman can I really handle a gun?  Can I learn to shoot a firearm just as good as my husband?

     The answer is……..Absolutely YES.  Many women have the misconception that they are not strong enough physically to shoot or handle a gun, or that home defense and protecting the family is the man’s job.  That is ridiculous.  When was the last time you spent every waking hour with your husband, boyfriend, or father?  How many single mothers or single females are out there living on their own?  What about when you send your daughters off to college?  Will daddy or mommy be there to protect them?  No. You only have yourself to count on in any given moment. Besides what man wouldn’t think their woman is sexy when she can have his back in a dangerous situation? 

Here is a video of me shooting steel targets on the range at 25 yards with my Glock 19.

       As you can see I like to have fun on the range.  I wasn’t able to shoot like that overnight.  When you have a good mentor that can teach you how to shoot the right way you will have a great time at the range too.

       Women ask me “Will I be strong enough to shoot the gun well?”  YES!!!!   When I train with my firearms my training runs anywhere from 8 to 48 hours.  I spend a lot of time standing, running, changing positions, doing drills on the move in awkward positions, and at times under extreme weather conditions like very hot and dry desert climates.  It doesn’t matter what size you are or how old you are, I can teach you how to use your body effectively to properly hold the firearm and handlee the recoil.  You must learn to use your body the right way to maximize your efficiency and conserve energy so you can shoot over several hours or days with frequent rest breaks of course.  Your body and eyes naturally fatigue after a few seconds of consistent practice.  Besides, if you ever have to face a threat, and I pray that day never comes, chances are the gun fight will only last a few seconds and with adrenaline pumping through your body I know you will summons the strength to fire off a couple of effective rounds to stop your attacker. 

          More and more females are entering and dominating the fields of competitive shooting.  The percentage of women in law enforcement and the military is increasing. Women are also being portrayed in television and film as lead action heroines that know how to fight and shoot.  So gone are the days of Susie homemaker stay at home mom that bakes pies all day and wears an apron. 

          The new face of today’s woman is prepared for battle and can handle herself in dangerous situations.  Besides most of my students have been female and they are better shots than men on their first time at the range.  Women are great students and don’t have anything to prove to anyone but themselves. Of course men are allowed to train too if they are up for it.  Most of the time men are worried about being the best and fastest and I don’t have time to babysit their egos.  If they are teachable and open minded they are certainly welcome to a co-ed firearms class and certainly to my seminars and workshops. 

I believe “A family that trains together, shoots together, and prays together…. stays together”.

Click here to see a list of my upcoming Training Events.

          So ladies, as sisters in arms we must get trained and support each other.  If you have a personal experience where you used a firearm to defend yourself or any questions about firearms training share them here.  I hope to see you on the range someday soon.

To Your Surviving and Thriving,

MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick