BOOK REVIEW: STREET SMARTS, FIREARMS, & PERSONAL SECURITY by Jim Grover

Title: Street Smarts, Firearms, & Personal Security: Jim Grover's Guide to Staying Alive and Avoiding Crime in the Real World
Author: Jim Grover, aka Kelly McCann
Description: Covers home security, child safety, travel safety, unarmed combat, less-than-lethal weapons, firearms.
Comments: Broad coverage of self-defense topics, author tells it like it is.
Overall Rating:

Review

This book is a compilation of the best of Jim Grover's popular "Personal Security" columns in "Guns & Ammo" magazine and feature articles in "Handguns" magazine. Despite the sources, an incredible amount of non-firearms self-defense information is included.

Grover tells it like it is and doesn't apologize for it. He has a breezy irreverant writing style that makes his articles fun to read.

His credentials include: on-site security specialist in the world's hottest of hot spots, firearms and combatives instructor to ultrahigh-speed military and police units, and hands-on security traininer to interantional corporations, among other sensitive assignments.

Topics covered in "Street Smarts, Firearms, & Personal Security" include:

• How to vastly improve the physical security of your home
• Develop alert street smarts
• Stay safe while traveling in your vehicle, out of town, or abroad
• Recognize and avoid crimes of the new millennium
• Keep your children safe
• Choose and use effective non-lethal weapons
• Engage in unarmed combat
• Use practical shooting skills

The physical security of your home is broken down to three layers of security, which includes making it a hard target and setting up your own safe room. Advice is even given for apartment dwellers.

It is refreshing to read about less-than-lethal weapons such as pepper spray and key-chain defense implements. Most self-defense books never cover them, or discount their use. Grover makes a compelling case of using these less-than-lethal weapons before ever going to hand-to-hand combat.

The book covers modern crime such as scams, personal information theft, identity theft, riots, and terrorism.

Combatives, or unarmed self-defense. Grover's "force continuum" is verbal commands, bridge weapons, empty hand techniques to subdue or arrest, and finally deadly force. Unfortunately, only 13 pages are devoted to unarmed combat. This reflects his propensity for pepper spray and other weapons including firearms. More content could have been added to round out the discussion of firearms and less-than- lethal weapons.

38% of the book is on firearms. But don't be dissuaded if you have an aversion to guns, as it can be an important component of your overall self-defense plan.

I have to admit I had a negative view of guns because I don't want a deadly weapon in my residence. As I learned more however, I realize that a firearm can be used responsibly and kept safely in my home. It's an equalizer when confronted with someone bigger and stronger. Don't believe it's a panacea, because it is the tool of last resort.

Grover provides a thorough primer into firearms. He covers a variety of topics around firearms fundamentals, including picking a good instructor, safe training, gun handling, caliber, basic combat shooting drills, stances, combat draw and reload, and concealed carry. Firearms situations covered include home defense strategies, effective vehicle defense, nighttime survival shooting, confined area shooting, multiple targets, one-handed point shooting, shooting movement, team tactics, and your first gun.

Summary

"Street Smarts, Firearms, & Personal Security" is an outstanding book. The book is a great complement to others marketed as self- defense, as those books cover mostly unarmed combat. This book's strength is its broad coverage and topics rarely discussed in other typical self-defense media. Highly recommended. Buy now!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Books Self-defense books covering the foundation of personal protection and security. Includes recommended books.
• Videos Self-defense DVDs and videos serve as excellent supplemental learning tools as you see self-defense techniques performed.
• Training Live self-defense training from qualified instructors allows more personalized training, technique correction, and practice with partners.
• Information Additional websites that provide self-defense and personal protection information.
• More Articles Read more general self-defense articles from our library.