Tag: Mall Ninja

April 1, 2021- ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

April 1, 2021 /

It is April Fool’s Day; there can be some real fools in the Tacticool space. I thought that it would be fun to identify some of them today.

The Mall Ninja– The mall ninja type is a person that gets kitted up to go out in public. My definition would include swords and trench coats, tactical dress with the bat belt on and wearing a full on backpack out in public. It is not clear to me if they are wearing all that gear because they think it might be useful or whether they are trying to drive a reaction.

One time, I saw a guy in a local grocery store wearing a kilt with a bush knife and handgun on his belt. The kilt was obviously a statement, but then to be decorated with weapons I couldn’t help but wonder if that was provocative or not. I averted my eyes one so they didn’t get burned but also I didn’t want to get into any issues.

The Keyboard Warrior- I suppose this category isn’t limited to the Tacticool space, but to the internet in general. The keyboard warrior is someone that knows it all or done it all and likes to post about it. The majority of their time and experience is spent within the virtual realm. In reality, we are seeing the highs and not the lows (if it is in fact true). They may have an encyclopedic knowledge of firearms or weapons with little practical experience.

The Role-player- I am not one to judge ones interests but I think sometimes these people end up trying to live their fantasy. This category is on the fringe of Tacticool, maybe more like wannabes. They can also bridge into the Mall Ninja category as well.

The (un)Prepper- This is the person that calls themselves a prepper, but the only preparation they have made is buying firearms and ammunition. The so called plan when the Shit Hits The Fan is to take what they need, hence all the firepower. This person will likely end up dead in the first week or join a band of renegades.

Not Internalizing the Rules of Gun Safety- This is the adage of becoming familiar enough to be dangerous or familiarity breeds complacency. There are so many stories about this especially if you have been around this space for a while. Anyone can have an accident or even an equipment failure but if you are properly following the rules, a violation of one rule but not the others can have a safe outcome.

I went deer hunting with a guy one time and I heard a shot from his direction. When we got back together, he said I heard something and so I shot, it turned out to be a person. That scared the crap out of me and I never went out with him again.

There are others in the woods, at the range and in public like that. It is why I prefer to skip chances at deer hunting in preference of safety. Keep your eyes open for for other Tacticool fools, they roam among us.

March 5, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

March 5, 2020 /

We have an exchange student for the year from Spain living with us. Unfortunately, part of his agreement to be here is that he cant participate in the things that are the most uniquely ‘American’. For instance, no shooting, no driving, no ‘high risk’ activities. We spend a fair amount of time enjoying those activities.

However, for Christmas, he purchased this book for me called ‘100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation’ by Clint Emerson. I have been slowly reading this over the last couple of weeks.

Now, I like to learn and I believe in the philosophy of preparation. Given the recent COVID-19 hysteria, I am noodling going quite a bit deeper into this next week. The title ‘Tacticool’ is denotes something that might look better on the surface than it really is as well as bring a little humor into my work.

Quite frankly, a lot of this book is mental masturbation such as how to ditch a plane, use a flight suit and swim into another country without detection. I learned a few things like cell phone cameras can pick up IR light or how to make a polymer from milk (casein). I think the value of this book is around the idea of situational awareness: where weak points in hotels could be or tactics around kidnapping and escape. Of course the likelihood of this ever happening is extremely small.

If you are a budding Mall Ninja or an untrained SEAL then this is a manual for you. Otherwise, it is primarily for fun. Remember that your brain is your biggest tool/weapon/asset and keep exercising it because you never know when you need recall the best technique to survive a grenade attack.