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This week’s Personal Security Newsletter covers three critical topics every responsible citizen should understand: how a proper handgun grip for pistols and revolvers improves safety, recoil control, and consistency when carrying concealed; a close-range Defend and Retreat concept focused on briefly disrupting an aggressor to create space and escape rather than prolonged engagement; and an investigative look at how criminals are exploiting wireless camera vulnerabilities to defeat home security systems—along with practical countermeasures homeowners can use to stay protected.

A Practical Guide for Pistols and Revolvers

A correct grip is the cornerstone of safe, accurate handgun use—especially for concealed carry, where consistency under stress matters more than raw speed. Whether you carry a semi-automatic pistol or a revolver, your grip should emphasize control, recoil management, and safety, while remaining repeatable from the holster.

Begin by seating the pistol high in the web of your strong hand, placing the backstrap firmly into the “V” between your thumb and index finger. This high-tang grip reduces muzzle rise and helps the sights track straight up and down during recoil. Wrap your strong-hand fingers evenly around the grip—firm, but not crushing—to avoid unnecessary tension that can disrupt the trigger press.

Next, bring in your support hand to fill the remaining grip surface. Rotate the support hand forward so the palm contacts the exposed grip panel, then wrap the fingers over the strong hand. Thumbs generally point forward along the frame, staying clear of the slide. Apply most of your gripping pressure with the support hand; this stabilizes the pistol while allowing the trigger finger to move smoothly and independently.

For concealed carry, practice establishing this full firing grip while the pistol is still holstered. A consistent grip from the draw reduces the need for mid-presentation adjustments and improves safety and efficiency.

Revolvers require special attention to hand placement. As with pistols, take a high grip, but maintain a clear space near the cylinder-to-barrel gap. Seat the revolver deep into the web of your strong hand and wrap your fingers securely around the grip.

Your support hand wraps over the strong hand, with thumbs stacked downward or curled over the strong-hand thumb—never extended forward alongside the cylinder. Hot gases escape from the cylinder gap when firing, and improper thumb placement can cause serious injury.

Because revolvers often have heavier trigger pulls, a solid, balanced grip is essential to maintain sight alignment throughout the press. Firm control is key, but avoid excessive tension, which can cause shaking.

A proper grip is not about strength—it’s about repeatable, safe control. Master it, and your concealed-carry handgun becomes a predictable, dependable tool when it matters most.

A Close-Range Concept for Creating Space and Escaping

Defend and Retreat is a situational self-defense concept, not a fighting style, and not a promise of dominance. Its sole purpose is to briefly disrupt an aggressor at very close range, create a momentary advantage, and break contact to escape. This concept is most relevant when verbal de-escalation has failed, and immediate distance cannot be gained.

At close range, outer clothing—such as a coat or jacket—can limit an aggressor’s ability to strike effectively if it is used to restrict movement rather than to wrestle. The emphasis is on control, imbalance, and disengagement, not prolonged confrontation.

The concept relies on temporary upper-body containment: using the garment's structure to reduce arm mobility while keeping your posture upright and mobile. By limiting the aggressor’s ability to bring their arms into play freely, you create a short window to deliver simple, gross-motor defensive strikes and immediately move away.

Any defensive striking within this concept is purpose-driven—meant to disrupt balance, breathing, or focus just long enough to disengage. Lingering increases risk, especially if the aggressor has accomplices or weapons.

This concept assumes lawful self-defense, meaning:

Self-defense laws vary by jurisdiction, but retreat when safe is universally viewed favorably.

Defend and Retreat is not about winning a fight—it’s about surviving an encounter. Control briefly, disrupt decisively, and leave immediately. The safest outcome is always distance, awareness, and escape.

Across the United States, police departments and local media have begun reporting a troubling pattern that many homeowners remain unaware of: criminals disrupting wireless home-security cameras during burglaries and thefts. These incidents are often underreported or framed as “technical failures.” Still, in multiple documented cases, investigators and law enforcement officials have stated that intentional interference with Wi-Fi–based cameras and alarms was suspected or confirmed. From Texas and Arizona to California, Washington, Minnesota, Connecticut, and New York, reports describe burglars targeting homes equipped with popular wireless cameras and doorbells, with video feeds freezing, dropping offline, or failing to upload during the crime itself.

In several cases, including suburban neighborhoods and high-profile burglary investigations, police noted that security systems appeared functional before and after the incident, raising concerns that temporary signal disruption was used to defeat cloud-dependent cameras. Porch piracy cases, athlete-targeted burglaries, and organized residential theft rings have all been linked by investigators to this same vulnerability. While not every incident can be conclusively proven, the consistency of these reports has prompted public warnings from law enforcement agencies and consumer-advocacy journalists.

The underlying issue is not the cameras themselves, but exclusive reliance on wireless connectivity and remote cloud storage. When a system relies entirely on Wi-Fi to transmit alerts and video, any interruption—whether accidental or malicious—can create a window of opportunity for attackers. As these crimes evolve, so too must homeowner defenses.

Security professionals emphasize layered countermeasures rather than panic or overreaction. Cameras that offer local recording—such as onboard memory cards or in-home network video recorders—can preserve evidence even if an internet connection is disrupted. Hardwired cameras or Ethernet-connected hubs eliminate reliance on wireless signals. Cellular backup for alarms, visible lighting, and audible sirens adds additional hurdles that are difficult to defeat simultaneously.

Equally important are behavioral countermeasures: maintaining exterior lighting, securing doors and windows, coordinating with neighbors, and responding quickly to unexplained system outages. A camera that suddenly goes offline should be treated as a potential warning sign, not merely a technical glitch.

The growing body of reports suggests that this tactic is not hypothetical—it is already in use. For homeowners, the lesson is clear: convenience-driven security systems must be reinforced with redundancy, visibility, and common-sense safeguards. In an era of smarter criminals, resilience—not reliance on a single device—is what truly protects the home.