GPSG's STEP Project

08/25/2026

AN RSO ISN’T THERE JUST TO WATCH THE TARGET.

First and foremost, an RSO is there to make sure everyone goes home safely.

The video shows exactly why that responsibility matters.

In a split second, the shooter begins moving the firearm backward. The RSO recognizes the movement and immediately intervenes, preventing the muzzle from being directed toward an area where other people are present.

That is range safety in real time.

On a shooting range, unexpected situations can happen at any moment.

Equipment can malfunction.
A shooter can become distracted.
Someone can be startled.
A procedure can be misunderstood… or simply performed incorrectly.

It is in those moments that an RSO’s awareness can make all the difference.

A good RSO isn't watching only the target.

They're watching the shooter, the firearm, the muzzle direction, the people around them, and the environment as a whole.

They're constantly assessing for changes in behavior or conditions that could turn a routine training session into a serious incident.

Because range safety is never just one person's responsibility.

It requires disciplined shooters, clear rules, proper range structure, and professionals prepared to intervene immediately when necessary.

Sometimes, the difference between a near-miss and a tragedy is less than a second.

That intervention may last a fraction of a second.

The consequences of not making it could last a lifetime.

On the range, teaching matters.

Knowing when to intervene is essential.

STEP Framework Applied: S+T+P

… and hey, we can’t dismiss lil Susie in the back. She must have had a flashback because she was ready!!! Lmao 🤣 😆

08/25/2026

TUESDAY TIPS 💡

Before you can spot what’s wrong, you have to know what “normal” looks like.

Walk into a coffee shop.

A grocery store.

A parking garage.

A train station.

For a few seconds, watch the environment… not the individual.

How are people moving?

Where are they going?

What is the normal pace?

Where is attention naturally directed?

That's your baseline.

Then look for deviations.

Not every anomaly is a threat.

But an anomaly is worth noticing.

🚨 3 BEHAVIORAL ANOMALIES TO NOTICE

1. MOVEMENT THAT DOESN’T FIT

Everyone is moving toward the exits.

One person is stationary, watching people instead.

Everyone is shopping.

Someone appears more interested in tracking a person than the environment around them.

Notice the difference.

2. ATTENTION THAT DOESN’T MATCH THE ENVIRONMENT

Someone repeatedly looks toward the same person, vehicle, entrance, or exit instead of engaging with what brought everyone else there.

Attention is information.

3. BEHAVIOR THAT CHANGES WHEN YOU CHANGE

You slow down.

They slow down.

You change direction.

They change direction.

You stop.

They stop.

One occurrence proves very little.

A pattern deserves attention.

And here's the part people get wrong…

Awareness isn't automatically identifying a threat.

It's recognizing when something doesn't fit the environment before you need to react to it.

You don't need to stare.

You don't need to confront anyone.

You don't need to decide “that person is dangerous.”

Notice. Assess. Create distance when appropriate. Keep moving.

That's Left of Bang thinking.

The objective isn't to predict violence.

It's to give yourself more options before violence becomes the problem.

STEP Framework Applied: S+P

08/24/2026

08/22/2026

115. 124. 147.

What do those numbers actually mean?

For our newer shooters, if you’ve ever wondered what different 9mm grain weights physically look like, we’ve got you covered.

And yes… we know some of you thought more grains = more powder.

That’s not what it means.

A grain is a unit of weight… not a measurement of powder, power, or performance.

There are 7,000 grains in one pound.

When you see 115 GR, 124 GR, or 147 GR, the grain designation refers to the weight of the projectile.

That does not automatically tell you:
• How much powder is loaded
• The pressure of the cartridge
• The velocity
• Or which load is “better”

Those are separate variables.

And here’s where it gets even more interesting…

Powder charge is also measured by weight, but it is a completely different measurement from projectile weight.

Two completely different things.

This is why understanding ammunition matters.

Don’t just know the number. Know what the number represents.

What ammunition question should GPSG break down next?

08/22/2026

🔱 Founder’s Field Note

I have never been completely comfortable with the word master.

Not because mastery means nothing. It does.

It takes years of discipline, mistakes, practice, sacrifice, correction, and experience to become truly good at something.

But I sometimes wonder what happens when being called a master starts to matter more than being a student.

Something changes.
You ask fewer questions.
You hold onto old ideas a little tighter.
You become less comfortable admitting you might be wrong.

You do not want to look like the person who does not know and maybe that is one of the dangers of becoming good at something.
The more you know, the easier it can become to believe you have seen it all.

I have spent enough years around training, protection, leadership, and people to know that life has a way of proving otherwise.

Things change.

Someone younger notices something you missed.

Something that worked for years suddenly does not.

Experience gives you the right answer nine times, and the tenth reminds you that experience does not make you right every time.

That can be hard to accept, especially when people look to you for answers.

There is pressure that comes with experience.

People expect you to know.They expect you to be sure.They expect you to have the answer.

But I think there is something much more dangerous than saying, “I don’t know.”

It is reaching the point where you can no longer say it.

Maybe mastery was never about reaching a place where there is nothing left to learn. Maybe it is reaching a point where you understand just how much you still do not know.

The older I get, the less impressed I am by people who need everyone to know how much they know.

I notice the ones who still ask questions.

The ones who can change their mind without feeling weak.

The ones who can learn something from someone with far less experience.

The ones who are comfortable saying, “I was wrong.”

There is humility in that. There is strength in it too.

As long as you are willing to learn, you are still moving forward.

So no, I am not sure anyone truly becomes a master of anything.

Maybe we just get better, gain experience, understand more, and slowly realize how much there still is to learn. The day we forget, that is the day the title starts mattering more than the work.

Stay experienced enough to lead.
Stay humble enough to remain a student.
~ Sifu Alan Looby Jr
GPSG's STEP Project

08/22/2026

Wisdom begins where the need to prove yourself ends, being humble and recognizing how much there still is to see.

08/21/2026

Three habits every parent should teach their kids.

Child safety starts long before a dangerous situation happens.

It starts with what we teach our children to recognize, question, and communicate.

1. Teach them that secrets and safety DO NOT GO TOGETHER.

No adult should ever ask your child to keep something from you.

Not a gift.
Not a touch.
Not a conversation.
Not a “special” relationship.

Teach your child the difference between a surprise and a secret.

And make sure they understand one simple rule…

If an adult tells you to hide something from Mom or Dad, tell us.

2. Pay attention to favoritism.

Special attention.
Special privileges.
Gifts.
Private conversations.
Being singled out from the other kids.

One interaction may not tell you much.

Patterns do.

If an adult repeatedly treats your child differently from the others, ask questions.

Pay attention to who is creating that relationship, how it is developing, and whether boundaries are being respected.

3. Trust your gut over manners.

Something feels off?

Pay attention.

You do not owe anyone the benefit of the doubt when your child’s safety or boundaries are involved. You don’t owe them a goddamn thing!

You don’t have to accuse anyone.

You don’t have to explain yourself.

You can simply say no.

Because protecting your child is more important than making another adult comfortable.

Teach your kids to speak up.

Teach them that they will be believed.

Teach them that they can come to you with anything… especially the things they are afraid to say.

Build the habits before they’re needed.

Because awareness starts at home.

STEP Framework Applied: S+P

08/20/2026

This is exactly why scenario-based training matters.

This video shows why most parents are concerned over armed teachers.

We watched this video from the Highland County Sheriff’s Office showing an active-shooter exercise at a school.

First… credit where it’s due.

They conducted the training. That matters. Great work on the Sheriff’s Office!

School based active-threat exercises are necessary because when a real incident occurs, there is no pause button, no reset, and no opportunity to ask, “What are we supposed to do now?”

But something else stood out to us…

Students and teachers smiling, laughing and having fun.

We understand this was an SBT exercise. We understand these are kids. And we understand no training scenario can perfectly replicate the psychological reality of a school attack.

But there is a difference between conducting a scenario and creating an environment that forces people to take the scenario seriously.

Because an active-shooter environment is confusing, loud, dynamic and psychologically overwhelming.

People freeze.
People move unpredictably.
People misidentify threats.
People make decisions with incomplete information.

And you can see some of that uncertainty play out here… including students being mistakenly engaged and shot by teachers participating in the scenario.

Thank god it was training.

Because that is exactly what training is supposed to expose.

This brings us to one of the most controversial conversations surrounding school safety…

Should teachers be armed?

The answer isn't a simple yes or no.

Do we believe some teachers are capable of responsibly carrying a firearm and responding under extreme circumstances?

Absolutely.

But firearm proficiency is only one variable.

A school active-threat environment demands threat recognition, identification, decision-making under stress, communication, coordination and the ability to distinguish who is the threat and who is not.

When multiple armed individuals are moving through a chaotic environment, the question isn't simply:

“Can someone shoot?”

It's:

“Can they make the right decision, against the right person, under the worst possible conditions?”

That's a much harder question.

Simply putting a firearm in a teacher's hands is not a school safety strategy.

If armed personnel are part of a school's safety plan, they need serious selection standards, comprehensive training, realistic scenario-based exercises, recurring qualification, clear policies and coordination with responding law enforcement.

Not hope. Not assumptions. Not chance.

This is why GPSG's SSO training works directly with schools and LEO professionals.

School safety is a systems problem, not simply a fi****ms problem.

The goal isn't to create more armed people.

It's to create more capable people.

Find the weaknesses in training.

Fix them before reality does.

Train for the chaos… not the appearance of training.

08/19/2026

WWYD WEDNESDAY™

THE SECOND COLLISION

It's 5:41 PM.

You're driving home on a busy interstate when traffic suddenly compresses ahead.

CRASH.

A vehicle spins across the lanes. Another slams into it. Then another.

Within seconds, multiple vehicles are colliding around you.

You brake hard and stop.

The highway is blocked. People are getting out.

Some are injured.

You call 911.

Then you hear it…

A vehicle approaching from behind at highway speed.

It isn't slowing down.

⚠️ THE SECONDARY THREAT

A tractor-trailer barrels toward the stopped traffic.

Vehicles begin moving onto the shoulder.

The truck swerves, narrowly misses you, then crashes into two cars behind you.

More screaming.

Then you notice a child trapped inside one of the vehicles.

⚠️ THE LIFE-SAFETY DECISION

An SUV sits several yards away.

Smoke is coming from underneath the hood.
A woman is trapped inside. A child is screaming from the back…

"HELP MY MOM!"

The driver can't get out.

An unknown fluid is leaking beneath the vehicle.

You don't know if it's safe to approach.

Before you decide…

SHOUTING.

⚠️ THE HUMAN THREAT

Two men are fighting near the wreckage.

One pulls a gun.

People start running.

You don't know who he is, what happened, or whether anyone else is armed.

Police and EMS are still trying to reach the pileup.

You’re still on with 911.

The dispatcher asks…

"Where are you, and what is happening?"

You have seconds to prioritize!

WWYD?

Opt A
• Give 911 your exact location and the most critical information first. Avoid the armed confrontation unless an immediate threat to life develops that you can reasonably address. Don't rush toward the damaged SUV simply because someone needs help. Assess the hazards and assist only if you can reasonably do so without creating another victim.
Keep reassessing as the situation changes.

Opt B
• You move toward the SUV to get the mother and child out before responders arrive. You may save them. But you're entering a damaged vehicle with unknown hazards while an armed confrontation is unfolding nearby.

You could save two lives… or become another victim.

Opt C
• You immediately confront the armed man. You don't know who he is, what happened, or whether others are armed. You've now inserted yourself into an armed confrontation in the middle of an active highway incident. You may have just escalated an already uncontrolled scene.

WWYD?

A secondary collision.
A trapped mother and child.
An armed confrontation.
Emergency responders trying to reach you.

You can’t give everything your attention at once.

What do you prioritize… and why?

Because in a crisis, doing something isn't automatically the same as doing the right thing.