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Richard Fairburn

Law Enforcement Firearms

Dick Fairburn has more than 40 years of law enforcement experience in both Illinois and Wyoming, working patrol, investigations and administrative assignments. Dick also served as the section chief of a major academy’s Firearms Training Unit and critical incident training program. He has a B.S. in Law Enforcement Administration from Western Illinois University and was the Valedictorian of his recruit class at the Illinois State Police Academy. He has published more than 300 feature articles and two books: “Police Rifles” and “Building a Better Gunfighter.” Dick is currently serving as the public safety director in a Central Illinois community, overseeing the police and fire departments, as well as the 911 center.

LATEST ARTICLES
“This is the law: The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.” — John Steinbeck
For many “small statured” officers, shooting performance can be marginal and a smaller grip frame would be a Godsend
Only slightly bigger than the .380 version, the 43 kicks the power level up to the 9x19 and is designed to take all the hot loads you care to burn through it, +P and +P+
What lessons from the incident today in Tennessee can you take with you if the next active shooter incident happens in your jurisdiction?
Ground Zero has jail-style lock boxes at the checkpoint for visiting officers to secure their handguns (but they didn’t always)
My trip to Hawaii illustrates how some states do not give LEOSA-armed officers such a warm welcome
The finished shape of the bullet probably has more to do with the overall effect — bullets with sharp edges can slice blood vessels rather than tear them, causing a more rapid bleed out
If you don’t prepare yourself for the possibility of coming under attack in an ambush situation, other cops may have to risk their lives trying to save you
The 10mm is rising from the ashes and hunters are driving the resurgence
Now that some elements of our society have “declared war” on American police, we must quit simply talking about the ambush threat and train specific tactics and responses