Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the special “Be Hard To Kill” issue of Ballistic magazine. Who better to set the tone of this issue than the true-grit American warrior Tim Kennedy. Hands down—the man you want by your side in the foxhole (or octagon) of life during these uncertain times. Content creators Robert Jordan and Alex Landeen spent a couple of days with Mr. Kennedy at his base of operations in Texas as he shared stories and life lessons never before seen in print.

On the undercard of this helpful guide for not getting your ass handed to you, we called on MMA fighter Sullivan Cauley to teach us six lifesaving self-defense moves and Sean Utley to show us how to get the most out of your red-dot-wearing fighting pistol. In a gun-free-sheep zone? No problem. Check out Michael D’Angona’s “Fencing Vs. Kendo” story (especially the sidebar on page 60). And, don’t forget the ultimate fight for our 2A rights! Let Mark Chesnut and the industry experts he interviewed guide you through the current “Gun Law Apocalypse.”

On the lighter side we have our partners at Skillset magazine showing us how sometimes fights can be won with mere words alone. Don’t miss their “Dem’s Fightin’ Words” article that unleashes the silver screen’s five all-time greatest verbal beatdowns. Also light, but hard-hitting is Sean Chaffin’s “Poker Is War” piece that covers guns/movies/songs and cards in pop culture.

There’s a packed arena worth of more content in this issue. So what are you waiting for? Pick up your copy today!

CUSTOM CHALLENGE – Odin’s Workshop goes balls-out on an AR, plus win a one-of-a-kind SCCY

CZECH-ERD – Beginner or expert, CZ’s new TS 2 can help competitors realize their potential

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE – Great tips on mixing it up to survive six different attacks

DEATH BY 1,000 CUTS – Will the unprecedented push for gun control kill our second amendment?

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS – What gun-law-pocalypse means to guns and gear makers

FREEDOM FIGHT-AR – While others ban him, Kahr salutes 45 with its special Commander In Chief 5.56

AMAZING ENGRAVING – Bobby Tyler presents 10 engravers’ Peacemaker masterpieces

ONE FOR ALL – Hands down, you get much, much more with Wilkinson’s MAW

FEELIN’ THE IMPULSE – Savage Arms takes a daring new turn with a Euro-style straight-pull