Evolution and FUDDS

 There's a little kerfluffle regarding Ken Hackathorn and his commentary on things like appendix carry, as well as "gadgets" we put on guns, such as optics and lights. The short summary is that Hackathorn doesn't allow AIWB in his classes, and he's not a proponent of optics and lights. 

To go into greater detail, Hackathorn said that any gun carried AIWB is officially a "decocker." Amusing because in the modern world of semi-autos, a lot of kids have never dealt with a DA/SA gun. (Tell me you're old without telling me you're old.) Further, he was very derisive of optics or lights unless you are military or police. That's pretty divisive right there.

Now most of you are probably at least passingly familiar with Ken Hackathorn. Quickly, he's a former US Army SF soldier, deputy sheriff, and has been a consultant for numerous companies that you've doubtless heard of, including Glock and HK. He contributed greatly to the world of competitive shooting, including being one of the original advisors to IDPA. He's trained thousands of people and he's an excellent shooter. To be completely dismissive of anything he says would be, at least in my opinion, a mistake. One of the east coast match directors I know referred to Ken Hackathorn as "the only guy in IDPA that gives a shit about the shooters."

All that said, Hackathorn is missing the mark when it comes to today's shooters. While appendix carry isn't universal, or even universally recommended, it works really well for a lot of shooters. And while lights on guns rarely see real world use, when you need it, it is really nice to have it. Optics are a game changer for a lot of shooters, but most especially shooters with aging eyes. (Of which, I am sure, Hackathorn is one!)

Now I'm not going to beat on Hackathorn, but I am going to observe that I think almost everybody hits a point in their life and/or career where they are less accepting of new developments. My grandparents wouldn't even entertain a cordless phone, much less a cell phone. I remember trying to get my grandpa to use a cordless phone, telling him that he could make or take phone calls from the living room, but his response, every time, was to point to the little table in the kitchen, and say, "that is where we make phone calls." Mental flexibility had simply fled the building.

So while I'm not calling Hackathorn old or out of date, I am questioning his mental flexibility. Not that he doesn't have anything to offer, because this man has decades of relevant experience when it comes to the employment of firearms in real world scenarios. I would still take a class with him any day of the week. I wouldn't call him for advice about appendix carry or pistol optics, however.

I suppose that if I draw the timeline out far enough, I'm going to fall into the same trap. One day something will change or there will be a new development, but I won't be able to wrap my mind around it. Hopefully I'll have enough presence of mind to recognize the disconnect. Hopefully that will be enough for me to recuse myself from that topic, discussion, or point of instruction. Hopefully.