I wanted to jot a quick note about change – and how people seem to think that the clock started when one’s life started. I saw a dust-up about a blog-type piece written discussing “that that was cool” and how “being cool” doesn’t tell the tale.

Along with that was a photo showing a historically-correct holster made by one of the real quality leather workers in the world. The numbers of people squalling about the “exposed trigger guard” made me wince.

It should, as I’ve called people’s attention to silliness – doing something or using something that has become invalidated by the change in best practices – without regard to the best practices of a time long gone.

What’s old, they say, is new again. We continue to relearn lessons long-ago documented by people who’ve been here and are gone. One example is loading-unloading-reloading-clearing stoppages “in the workspace.”

It’s all relative. Some certified, note-on-the-wall Special Ops type reject “workspace” gunhandling for a range of reasons. One is that not all environments are the same – what’s safe on a battlefield isn’t safe in a low-income multistory tenement. You might also consider other downsides to putting your muzzle higher than the cover item you’re behind – do you think the opposition won’t notice?

Gear from my first trip to Gunsite some 23 years later -- not a S&W Model 19, but a GLOCK 19. One still had to practice the fundamentals.

Still, it works fine on a range with nearly limitless downrange impact area where the targets don’t shoot back.

It’s about the same with the holster cut to leave the trigger guard exposed. Can your trigger finger snap faster than your hand can rip the handgun up, out and level? – Yes, it can. I know this because I was a near witness to such an event.

Is the solution equipment? – No, it’s not. Dumbing it down to gear fails to teach the lesson. The lesson learned is far more relevant than the gear.

Meanwhile, minimalists will chant that “there’s nearly no chance I’ll need to reload (-- shoot at distance, clear a stoppage, use a light for target ID, etc.) while others will roll their eyes at the five-shot snub or 6-shot mini-380 as a primary gun.

I do get it, really I do. If one’s not an absolutist, one is subject to scorn. In keeping with Newton’s law, if one is an absolutist, one is also subject to scorn.

Welcome to modern-day information.

When you see a photo depicting someone carrying a revolver (in the photo, he has a sap in his belt under his hand), that doesn’t mean it’s “horsewhip, steam train time.” It could just mean it’s someone who knows something you may not know.

Thinking before using the keyboard. It’s the smart thing to do. Just like thinking before using the gun.

- - Rich Grassi