Late Mailing Tomorrow: I will be out of town overnight so Monday's
mailing will come out sometime in the evening instead of the morning.
---
Deputy Sheriff Fatally Shoots Deputy Constable: A reserve deputy
constable in Harris County (TX) was mistakenly shot by a deputy sheriff.
The deputy constable was working an off-duty security job, apparently
out of uniform, and may have been shot while pursuing the same suspect
as the sheriff's deputy, with a handgun in his hand. I have often
pointed out the need to be able to reholster one-handed, without taking
the eyes off the threat, to minimize the risk of being shot by
responding officers - gun-in-hand is not the optimal way to be
encountered by officers who are under stress.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/rssstory.mpl/metropolitan/3254450
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California Bill De Facto Ammo Ban: The Washington Times takes a look at
two related bills making their way through the California legislature.
(I believe that the bill to require autoloading pistols to stamp a
microscopic serial number on ejected cases would apply to all pistols
sold in the state past a certain date.)
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050709-115052-1918r.htm
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Evolution Of The Armed Robber: While not the best example of spelling
and grammar, this brief article by Bill Wagner, borrowed from the
Policetraining.net Newsletter, points out a trend that should not be
ignored:
Robbery is a crime that has been with society since the first humans
began to interact and own possessions. Recently there has been a
national trend in the crime of robbery that has become a major concern
to the law enforcement community. Today's Bandit has better armed them
selves and developed tactics to be successful that rival that of those
used in military or police training procedures. Robberies are carried
out with SWAT or Military style discipline with every aspect of the
crime being addressed to the advantage of the Robbers. This pattern of
crime has seen national attention starting with the attempted arrest of
Bank Robbery suspects, Platt and Maddox in Miami, Fla. in 1986 by the
FBI. The resulting shootout left two agents dead and five others
wounded. Both suspects were killed. The FBI rearmed themselves after a
review of the engagement with the suspects. The LA Bank Robbery and
shootout with Larry Eugene Phillips and Emile Matasareanu in February
1997 further exemplified the violence and aggression of the new age
Bandit, Better Armed and Better Body Armor. Not only are they upgrading
their weapons and armor, they are also becoming more sophisticated in
their techniques. In a recent series of pattern armed robberies in the
Washington DC area, the suspects wore body armor, were armed with high
powered automatic weapons, wore head sets to communicate and traveled to
and from their targets in stolen vans. The suspects would dump their
stolen get a way vehicles within a mile from the target and then set
them on fire to destroy any evidence left behind and to create a
diversion for the responding police. As they offenses progressed the
suspects became more violent. In one case, they opened fire on a
responding officer. She was unhurt but her vehicle took several hits
from the suspect's automatic weapons. As their robberies continued, they
added a new trick to the diversion by leaving a box of ammo in the
burning vehicles. As the fire burned the rounds would fire prompting
multiple 911 calls for the sound of gunshots. This further aided their
escape efforts by creating an additional element to their diversion.
As we deal with the new age bandit, we must be aware of their
capabilities and have an understanding of their ability to adapt to our
responses and develop new methods to avoid apprehension. First response
officers should stay current with intelligence information and pattern
crimes to better enable them to deal with what might lay ahead when
facing the new sophisticated techniques employed in the old crime of
robbery.
---
From John Farnam:
6 July 05
Mounting Optics on Serious Rifles:
Every sedulous rifleman needs to know how to use iron sights
effectively, both Western style (peep rear) and Soviet style (open
rear). However, optical sights do offer advantages which may be
critical under some circumstances. Battery power, excessive bulk, and
frailty are among the inherent disadvantages.
For serious purposes, my favorites are the EOTech, Aimpoint, ACOG, and
the Leupold Scout Scope. Others may be fine too, but these four stand
out as having the fewest disadvantages.
Here are the most common problems/mistakes with rifle optics:
1) Optic mounted too high. Common on AR-15s, the optic sits atop the
"carrying handle." For most users, this makes a useable and consistent
cheek weld impossible. In fact, the shooter's head usually just hangs
in space, hovering above the stock. A consistent cheek weld is
important, indeed, critical, to fast and effective shooting. Without
one, critical time is squandered" fishing" for the sights.
2) Optic mounted too close to the shooter's eye. Close eye relief may
be fine for hunting non-dangerous game, but it dangerously restricts
overall view on ostensibly serious rifles. With the optic within a few
centimeters of your eye, you will be tempted to "live in your scope."
In so doing, you'll fail to notice danger to the sides. Living in your
scope grievously limits your field of view, even with the EOTech. It is
like sitting in traffic directly behind a large truck! There is just
too much you can't see. Serious optics need to be forward-mounted,
rendering eye relief of at least fifteen centimeters. That way, you
can look AROUND your optic, without surrendering your cheek weld.
Cantilevered mounts I've seen do not hold the optic solidly enough.
Even mild hand pressure from the side will move the scope several
millimeters left or right.
3) Flimsy mounts. Anyone mounting optics on a serious rifle, upon which
lives may depend, needs to understand the task. Even good optics on
flimsy mounts routinely get knocked off or knocked out of zero when the
rifle sees heavy use and it, and its user, participate in rigorous
fighting. La Rue mounts are among the best, but even they can be
installed poorly by someone who doesn't understand what he is doing.
4) Inability to rapidly default to iron sights. When your optic breaks,
dies, fogs up, is knocked out of zero, or is otherwise rendered
incompetent, you need to be able to default to iron sights without
delay. In my opinion, you need to be able to get the entire optic off
the gun quickly, without tools. "Co-witness" rear iron sights are fine,
but the ones I've seen stick dangerously high into the air behind the
optic. A modest palm heel strike would break most of them off at the base.
5) Too much magnification. On utility rifles, optic magnification
should not exceed 2.5X. High-magnification scopes will always be out of
focus at close range. Without a sharp image through the scope, making
adjustments to the point of bullet impact is an exercise in futility.
In addition, high-magnification presents a jolt to your brain as your
eye tries to adjust coming in and out of the scope. You tend to lose
orientation at a time when you desperately need it.
/John
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
