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Jeff Cooper’s Principles of Personal Defense

A vertical image of Jeff Cooper's Situational Awareness color codes

Col. Jeff Cooper, creator of the “Color Code” that sharpens a person’s situational awareness, is also the author of the booklet, Principles of Personal Defense, in which he describes 7 characteristics a person should strengthen in themselves to best be able to ward off a violent attack. They’re primarily technique-oriented.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law ]

SemperVerus® has added the component of biblical insight as a foundation to each principle, in keeping with the understanding that Scripture inherently supports the right of self-defense as presented in the booklet, The Case for Biblical Self-Defense.

1. ALERTNESS — “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

2. DECISIVENESS — “An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 (HCSB)

3. AGGRESSIVENESS — “Be angry and sin not.” Ephesians 4:26 (KJV)

4. SPEED — “With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong.” Amos 5:9 (NLT)

5. COOLNESS — “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

6. RUTHLESSNESS — “Hate what is evil.” Romans 12:9 (NIV)

7. SURPRISE — “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 (NIV)

Read in full the booklet, Principles of Personal Defense.


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Dry Fire and Self-Defense Apps

General Apps

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Prepper Survival, Travel, Leadership, Reader Apps ]

Dry Fire Apps

Shot Timer Apps


Invite SemperVerus to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

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Self-Defense & Church Security Training Directory

Personal Training Resources  |  Church Security Training Resources

The knowledge you acquire when you learn how to drive a car translates into safety and confidence every time you use the car. The same is true with firearms and their use in self-defense. Just as cars are dangerous machines when driven irresponsibly, so, too, are firearms when handled without the proper care, attention, and education they deserve.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety ]

A gun is only as good as the training of its owner. Firearm triggers don’t pull themselves; they require someone to interfere with the physics law of inertia: if a body is at rest, it will remain at rest unless it’s acted upon by a force. That force (us) should be responsibly trained in basic—as well as advanced—gun safety rules, and self-defense principles and law. The following resources offer that training.

When practicing drawing from a holster or generally demonstrating gun handling, you may want to use inert, detailed, and realistic replicas of actual weapons referred to as “Firearm Simulators” or “blueguns” made with strong, steel-reinforced, impact-resistant polyurethane. Ring’s Manufacturing is known for crafting detailed and accurate blueguns. See its extensive line of products here.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Directory of Firearm Podcasts & Video Channels ]

The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety

An image of the four gun safety rules

Col. Jeff Cooper (1920–2006) was a US Marine, the creator of the modern technique of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. He introduced the concept of the mental alertness color code which indicates the degree of peril a person is willing to act upon and which facilitates a person to move from one level of mindset to another (situational awareness) to enable the person to properly handle a given situation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun ]

As a way of encouraging universal firearm safety, Col. Cooper also advocated a simple 4-point set of rules anyone can understand:

  1. EVERY gun is loaded until proven otherwise.
  2. Point the muzzle ONLY at what you want to destroy.
  3. Put your finger on the trigger ONLY when you’re ready to fire.
  4. KNOW your target and what’s behind and around it.