If you’ve wandered into the “gun side” of YouTube in the last few years, or any guncentric social media, chances are high that you’ve encountered the self-defense community there. From drills to improve your gun handling to discussions about mindset and gear, there are innumerable videos available online to address issues relating to armed self-defense. Despite most tech platforms’ seemingly constant attempts to surreptitiously squelch discussion of firearms, gun rights, or really anything surrounding weapons at all, the community continues to thrive, whether YouTube decides it can be monetized or not.
Anyone who has been awake for more than 20 minutes so far this decade has an idea of what sorts of threats walk around outside their door, thanks to the endless media coverage of active shooting events, armed protests/riots spanning small towns to Portland or the U.S. Capitol and beyond. It should be no surprise, then, that content driven by the topics of self-defense and concealed carry is top of the heap in this segment of the market. There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to concealed carry content, and the hardest part is deciding what’s worth watching.
Riding near the top of “Gun-Tube” channels is one that’s rapidly approaching double digits in age, called Active Self Protection (ASP). Using a format that was relatively unheard of when it began, channel owner John Correia narrates and discusses videos of real-life violent encounters from across the world. Badge cams, surveillance videos, or cellphone captures play out on screen, as John highlights key events, decisions, and turning points that dictate the eventual outcome.
Despite not technically being “training” content, it’s worth considering that thinking about the sorts of scenarios that play out in real life and analyzing what works and what doesn’t is just as valuable as building hands-on skills at the range or in a martial arts/grappling class. It doesn’t matter how good your draw-to-head-shot time, or side-control, is if you’re caught flat-footed trying to figure out what
