If there’s one thing it might have been nice to not witness it’s the rise of the Tactical EVERYthing in the gun industry. Don’t misunderstand me: true tactics are not only useful but can be lifesavers. Suffice to say it is not the legitimate tactical side of guns but rather the sudden surge of tacticool that’s causing eye rolls so hard I can see inside my skull. Recently a video on social media caught my attention because it featured everything we associate with the Tacticool Guy (also known as the TacTard, TacJoe, or, according to outdoor writer Richard Mann, the TacRon – a term that combines “tactical” and “moron”). This video has it all: tactical range pants, tactical beards, tactical sunglasses, tactical looking-without-seeing – you name it. If it’s tacticool, odds are the latest video from the European Security Academy (ESA) Ukraine has it.

Unfortunately, the video I’d hoped to share within this post failed to load properly. In order to watch the guy known as Instructor Sem do his thing, visit ESA’s Facebook page here. And to see a sampling of videos giving you an idea of what ESA has to offer its students, look below.. (But seriously, do not miss the Facebook page video. I’m telling you, you cannot, must not, miss it.)

To finish the videos off, a flashback to Mat Best 2014 and his take on what it takes to be tacticool.

What do you guys think is the must-have item – or items – of a tacticool gunner?

*One of the greatest terms ever coined for someone who is tacticool but female? TacTart. (Thank you Sheriff Jim Wilson for that one.)

At the end of the above video, a woman is shown loading a pistol mag – or trying to, anyway (I assume it’s a woman based on nail choices). Word to the wise: it’s a lot easier to load mags if your fingernails don’t double as claws. Glitter polish? Rock what you want so long as your nails don’t interfere with your gun handling.