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Oklahoma Bill Would Authorize CCW For School Administrators: The
measure, by Rep. Glen Bud Smithson, would allow top school officials to
carry firearms on school property if they have a gun permit and approval
of the school board.
http://www.alphecca.com/mt_alphecca_archives/001934.html
---
Mexico Joins Canada In Blaming US: Article about the criminal use of
US-purchased firearms by Mexican drug gangs includes an interesting
fact: In all of Mexico there are fewer than 2,500 registered gun owners.
(As to Mexico not manufacturing firearms, that's news to me. When I last
visited Mexico, in 1986, they were manufacturing HK G3's under license,
not to mention a limited number of hunting and sporting firearms.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-guns8jan08,1,2397618,full.story?coll=la-headlines-world
---
From John Farnam:
1 Jan 06
On pistol choices, from an instructor:
"An interesting aspect of current, retail pistol sales is that the
people in our favorite gunshop tell me that sales of 1911s have dropped
off since the ban lifted. "Not enough capacity" is the reason generally
given. Actually that is a good trend, because for those with too little
training, which is nearly everybody, certainly all grasseaters, the 1911
pistol is a poor choice.
In the past two months, I have encountered two military guys, both good
men, a Marine from Vietnam and an Army kid, just back from the Gulf.
Both had 1911s and shot them well. However, neither had ever taken his
weapon entirely apart. Neither knew how. Both were used to depending on
armorers to do that for them.
Men in the presence of the enemy surely have a lot to do, but a 1911 is
no more difficult than that finicky, temperamental M-16/M-4, and it must
be taken apart incessantly if it is going to work at all. Interesting
dilemma!"
Comment: Glad to see at least some of our military guys are gravitating
back to the 1911. Eight solid hits from a 45ACP, regardless of the brand
of ammunition, will stop most fights I can imagine. Incompetence is the
real problem, and more rounds won't solve it!
/John
(I can fully disassemble and reassemble an older S&W revolver, albeit
with a few swear words uttered in the reassembly process, but I don't
consider that a criterion to carry one. My concerns with the 1911
platform are based on my perception that it's an obsolescent design that
may not tolerate some of the modern enhancements.)
2 Jan 06
Fatal shooting overseas, from a friend currently deployed in the Mideast:
"I had just stepped out of the latrine, when a local thug put a pistol
in my back and ordered me to go into a small office building nearby. I
had no idea whom the guy was. I was carrying an M9, concealed in an IWB,
loaded with issue, 9mm hardball.
The thug stated, in broken English, that he wanted access to some
papers. I answered that the papers he wanted were in a desk in a corner
of the room. We went over there, and, as he reached for the desktop, I
saw an opportunity and drew my M9, immediately firing multiple rounds
into the thug's upper torso. Range was only a few feet. The astonished
thug stumbled backward and fell, but not before he fired at me, hitting
me in the chest, at least once.
The thug was DRT. I was not wearing body armor, but the thug's pistol
was a mousegun, 22 caliber, and bullet that hit me struck several pens
and assorted other paraphernalia in my pocket. I got a good bruise from
it, but little penetration. The next day, I was back at work!"
Lesson: Never give up! Never give in! Stay in control. Find a way to win.
Be prepared! As long as you have weapons with you, there is no such
thing as a "hopeless situation."
Good show, my friend!
/John
(Yet there are those who opt to carry .22's for self-defense or to
provide them to wives and girlfriends for that purpose.)
2 Jan 06
Mission of the Pistol, from my friend Dave Kahn:
"There is nothing wrong with the dictum 'Get the biggest pistol you can,
with the highest capacity, and carry the biggest caliber you can handle,
at least as far as it goes. But, it doesn't go as far as it sometimes
appears.
There is more:
While we all agree that pistols are for UNEXPECTED threats and are thus,
at once, (1) defensive and (2) reactive, there are, in addition, the
seldom-discussed, twin issues of MISSION and SETTING. While missions are
similar, settings vary.
The first is MILITARY. For Marines and soldiers, the pistol is an
emergency tool, defaulted to only when shoulder arms fail or cannot be
carried. Soldiers who carry pistols are seldom constrained by bulk and
weight. Concealability is a non-issue, except when visible weapons are
ostensibly prohibited. High capacity is handy, but, as you've pointed
out, eight shots should solve most problems when carefully disposed.
Rifles are the PRIMARY weapon. Pistols fill the role of emergency backup.
The second is uniformed POLICE. Many conflate civil police and military
usages, but that is shortsighted. Police officers are afforded a wider
latitude of independent action than are soldiers. Police officers go,
usually alone, looking for trouble, from which they are not privileged
to retire. While they are allowed, indeed expected, to protect
themselves, their job is to solve the problem at the lowest force level
practicable. Usually, they must work alone and solely with what is on
their belts. Pistols are their PRIMARY, lethal weapon. Rifles and
shotguns are backup weapons and are not normally available in the short
term. A large-capacity pistol makes sense, as concealment is, once
again, a non-issue. Double-column pistols in 45ACP or 45GAP are well
suited to the job, but high-capacity pistols in 40S&W, 357SIG, or even
9mm work just fine too.
The last is ARMED CITIZENS, and, to some extent, detectives. Citizens
are neither licensed nor tasked to enforce laws. In fact, they go
'looking for trouble' at their peril! For armed citizens, the best
personal policy with regard to violence is (1) on attendance, (2)
invisibility, (3) deselection, (4) disengagement, and (5) escape. Thus,
a prudent armed citizen is vastly less likely than is a police officer
to become involved in a gunfight, wherein the discharge of large numbers
of rounds becomes necessary. Indeed, even when the pistol is brandished,
firing is still a less likely outcome than it is for police and military
personnel. Thus, reasonable effectiveness is still requisite,
but ease of carriage and concealment, as well as a forgiving trigger
and retainability, are big criteria for selection. Large capacity is
less of a factor.
I am straining at distinctions, because I think they're useful. A
'general tool' is good enough for any number of applications, doing all
adequately, but none well. However, with a little specialization, one
doesn't narrow the application unreasonably, while utility is greatly
enhanced. An armed citizen, for example, doesn't necessarily need a
police officer's tools. They may be useful, but they shouldn't be
selected simply because they work well for cops.
Ditto with military personnel. The 1911 pistol is a wonderful FIGHTING
tool, when fighting is all that needs doing. But, in domestic defensive
applications, where response is defined and often graduated, the risk
of unintended discharge, implicit as ease of shooting increases, can be
more of a liability than an asset, particularly for the unpracticed. As
you've pointed out when you recommend Glock's NY connector and SIG's DAK
Trigger, for domestic defense, one usually benefits more from a
CONTROLLABLE trigger than from an EASY one.
The foregoing may be an example of straining at gnats, but my clientele
is exclusively citizen and non-police, many recovering grasseaters. My
recommendations to them are colored by the thinking enumerated above. I
recommend neither the 1911, nor the M9, nor the G21 to most. Slim,
short, single-stack, self-decocking autoloaders top the list, as they
are likely to be actually carried concealed, on a regular basis, rather
than spending their lives in dresser drawers, in the box they came in,
because they are too bulky, heavy, and difficult to control for the
average user."
Comment: Dave makes some good points. With all the choices we have,
there is no reason to carry a defensive pistol that is an obvious
mismatch with your body and your mission/setting. However, regardless of
your selection, willful incompetence is still foolish and deadly.
/John
Jan 06
The Wisdom of James Butler ("Wild Bill') Hickok:
Hickok is quoted as saying to a friend, Charlie Gross, in 1871:
"Charlie, I hope you never have to shoot any man, but, when you do,
shoot him in the guts, near the navel. You may not make a fatal shot,
but he will get a shock that will paralyze his brain and arm so much
that the fight will be all over." He added, "... be sure not to shoot
too quick. Shoot carefully. I've known many a feller to slip up for
shooting too fast!"
Comment: Hickok died five years later. He never saw his fortieth
birthday. When he died, shot in the back of the head during a poker
game by a local miscreant, he was a dilapidated alcoholic. But, in his
prime, Wild Bill had no equal. He understood fighting with guns at a
higher level than most of his peers. Even Wyatt Earp conceded that.
We're still learning from him today, as we see!
/John
(The intentional gut shot has been favored by many, including Fairbairn
and Sykes and Bill Jordan. More recent American law-enforcement
experience has not borne this out consistently, perhaps because some of
the more spectacular failures have involved suspects under the influence
of drugs. My own recommendation of placing the initial shot in the
pelvis, so long as one is firing at least a +P .38, is based on the
primary intent to hit bone, not shock the nervous system.)
4 Jan 06
Glock "Pittsburgh" Trigger:
I was informed about a new, even heavier, NY Trigger for Glocks, called
the "Pittsburgh Trigger." Here is the straight information, directly
from my friends at Glock:
"Pittsburgh now has the "NY2 (formerly NY+) trigger," originally
developed for the NYPD. It's orange in color and is designed to operate
in conjunction with a standard connector. Several PDs (in addition to
Pittsburgh), mostly in the Northeast, use it. It is heavy!"
Comment: I recommend for all Glocks used for serious purposes, the
standard (gray) NY Trigger. It makes the trigger crisp and the reset
distinct. I have one installed on all my personal Glocks and find my
speed essentially unaffected. However, I do not recommend the heavier
(orange) version, mentioned above. It makes the trigger needlessly
heavy, and, although useable, it gratuitously slows response time.
/John
(The one Glock that I own is fitted with the original New York trigger,
along with the "competition" 3.5-pound connector. I do not advise the
use of the 3.5-pound connector with the standard trigger-return spring
but have no qualms about using it in conjunction with the New York
trigger substitute.)
4 Jan 06
Sage comments on "trigger control" from my friends at ASTA:
"On the issue of trigger-cocking pistols, ASTA conducted an experiment
not long ago. We constructed a darkened alley. At the end we put a
group of actors, posing as of noisy, obnoxious, drunken miscreants.
They were loud and verbally threatening at times but clumsy and
disorganized, and none produced a weapon. All kept their distance.
Each practitioner tried to make his way past the reprobates to the end
of the alley, and an exit.
During the exercise, most practitioners found it necessary to draw a
snubby revolver (loaded with Simmunitions cartridges) and engage
perceived threats with verbal challenges. The revolver, issued to each
practitioner, had a long trigger pull of fourteen pounds. The
inexperienced had their fingers on the trigger immediately and kept it
there through the entire confrontation. The sage, of course, kept their
fingers in register. Our cadre of actors was instructed to conduct
themselves in a way that made it unnecessary for practitioners to
actually fire at them, and, in fact, no practitioner ever fired
intentionally.
Leaning against a wall was a semi-conscious drunk, wrapped in a tarp,
complete with a bottle in his hand. He periodically mumbled to himself
but presented no verbal threat and did not make eye contact with
practitioners. Our resident 'bum' was scarcely noticed by most
practitioners, as they were far more interested in what they perceived
as active threats. When each practitioner passed the 'bum,' without a
word, he reached out and grabbed them by the ankle!
During the 'grabbing' phase, most practitioners already had the pistol
in their hands. Our survey quickly noted that nearly all practitioners
who had fingers inside the trigger guard at the moment they were grabbed
fired a shot unintentionally as a result. Practitioners who kept their
finger in register almost never experienced an ND when grabbed.
What we were trying to evaluate was the premise that long, heavy trigger
pulls were, or were not, useful in preventing NDs during pernicious
confrontations. The inescapable conclusion to which we all came was
that THE ONLY RELIABLE PREVENTOR OF SUCH NDs IS THE PERSONAL DISCIPLINE
TO ADHERE TO CORRECT
PROCEDURES OF PRIMARY COMPETENCY IN GUN HANDLING. Obviously, triggers
that are long and heavy were of little use therein, in and of themselves.
Our dispute with the mistaken premise that long, heavy trigger pull
weights meaningfully contributing to the reduction of NDs is that there
is little credible evidence to support it. In fact, what believable
evidence there is suggests exactly the opposite! It is a false
assumption, promoted by big-city police executives and mayors who are
motivated neither by officer welfare nor public safety but are
desperately motivated by the fearful specter of seeing their own names
prominently displayed on case captions!
This situation is likened to the current dispute within the police
community over the 'design flaw' in the Glock system that does not
permit take-down of the pistol without first dry-firing. This 'flaw,'
so goes the trumped-up argument, results in NDs. Removed from this
curious equitation is the conspicuous violation, by the operator who
experienced the ND, of primary competency skills, basic gun-handling
rules one learns on his first day at the range!
Modern pistols are designed and manufactured so that they are as 'safe'
as they can be and still reasonably function in the role into which they
are cast. As with all 'nanny-state' ideology, THE MORE WE EXCUSE
BANEFUL, STUPID BEHAVIOR, AND INDEED FUNCTION AS FACILITATORS BY
FABRICATING DELUSIONAL,
ILLOGICAL 'CURES,' THE FASTER WE, AS A CIVILIZATION, DESCEND INTO CHAOS!"
Comment: Any gun that can be made to fire at all can be made to fire (1)
at the wrong time, (2) in the wrong place, (3) in the wrong direction,
and (4) for the wrong reasons. The fool's errand of attempting to
manufacture 'safe' guns invariably results in the creation of impotent
guns. It is akin to attempting the manufacture of 'safe' rat poison!
So long as it is genuinely functional as rat poison, it cannot be made
inherently safe. Guns are currently as safe as they're ever going to
be! Issuing guns that are unusable,
because they are nearly unfireable, may make some police chiefs sleep
soundly, but it does nothing to promote officer or public safety. So
long as good people have operative guns, bad/stupid people will have
them too. Welcome to Planet Earth!
/John
(Longer, more palpable trigger strokes are not a substitute for Rule
Three, keeping the finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame,
until the sights are on the target and the user is prepared to fire.
However, research shows us that even well-trained operators tend to seek
"trigger affirmation," particularly in high-stress, low-light
environments. The longer, heavier double-action stroke may provide a
little more margin of error for the user who realizes that his finger
has strayed into the trigger guard.)
4 Jan 06
On concealment, from a friend and holster maker:
"Your friend's comments bring to mind Walt R's remark about people who
'talk 45s, shoot 9s, and carry Snubbies.'
The essential choice for an armed citizen is whether he will wear a
holster or not. If one decides on a holster at all, I don't think gun
size makes a great deal of difference, within the 1.5 to 4 pound range,
loaded, including holster. Pocket guns can be carried more easily,
without a holster. The choice here is between the reliable Airweight, or
an itty-bitty autoloader with its tiny controls.
In jeans and a parka, you can comfortably carry nearly anything you
want. However, many of your students are business professionals who
typically wear two-thousand dollar suits. Appearance is important to
such people, and gun lumps won't do. Neither will sagging pants, torn
jacket linings, oil stains, etc. I make custom holsters, but they
cannot make size and weight go away.
A mutual friend of ours took this challenge to a tailor in Hong Kong,
whose solution worked, but the extra material did not allow the display
of our friend's manly form. I took the same problem to the owner of a
quality shop in Denver, which specializes in expensive suits for short,
athletic men. He fits attorneys and others who are rich and who want to
carry, but, not surprisingly his best solutions are built around the
smallest, lightest guns.
Bottom line is that I can't find a way to carry a full-sized autoloader
in a belt holster under urban, professional clothes, especially in
summer. My solution is to go casual most of the time. When I must
dress up, I'm limited to an ankle holster, shoulder holster, or
briefcase. However, in the end I always find a way to be armed,
wherever I go!"
Comment: Carrying regularly is, at best, a confounded nuisance! When
you go armed, you're not going to be able to wear form-fitting
clothing. In fact, even when your garments are "generous," dare I say
"slapdash," when an observer looks close enough, he'll still be able to
see a lump somewhere.
The commitment to go armed will require uncomfortable compromises in
gun/caliber size, clothing type and size, and overall lifestyle. The
important step is to think about it, make a choice, and go forward,
never looking back. Your ensemble won't be perfect, and you may change
your mind later, but making that firm, irrevocable decision is always
the first and most important step. Everything after that is just
commentary.
/John
(I don't recommend carrying handguns in pockets without holsters - one
of the primary functions of a pocket holster is to maintain a consistent
position of the gun, optimally a position that facilitates a smooth
draw. I also prefer to carry the same guns in the same mode, day in and
day out, even if it means that I am not carrying the most potent
cartridge that I could handle. Emergency operation of the handgun must
be reflexive and your trained reflexes will betray you the day that you
need your handgun and it is not in its usual position on your body.)
5 Jan 06
Comments on Concealment
"The root of the problem is self-image. The adolescent look upon
concealed pistols as add-ons. This incorrect attitude betrays itself
when they naively indicate they only carry when they are 'operational.'
For the sage, transport and concealment systems are (1) continuous, and
(2) subservient to the weapons platform. Concealment systems, in the
form of clothing, are built AROUND the weapon(s). In the case of custom
suits, there can be no mixed signals sent to the tailor. He cannot be
told, 'fit me according to my ego-driven fashion requisite, and, oh
yeah, cover my equipment too.' He must be told plainly that he is to
fit everything AROUND the equipment."
"This is a challenge I've faced for years in the real estate business.
While it is relatively simple to conceal a pistol when in casual
contact, concealing when you work
with the same people day in and day out is a far more vexing challenge.
I chose the snubby route and have never been made in fourteen years in
my non-permissive environment. However, I recognize the snub's
limitations and work diligently to assure myself that I can access its
full potential."
"When I want something bigger than an Airweight, my solution is off-body
(briefcase) carry. I am programmed to keep the briefcase in physical
contact with my body, including putting my shoe through the strap when
the case is on the floor at a conference table or in the restroom.
Nobody should consider off-body carry unless he is persuaded that his
personal discipline duplicates the moral equivalent of a belt holster."
"When you anticipate running fast or kicking someone, an ankle holster
is a non-starter. Of course, by the same token, when you anticipate
hanging upside down, a shoulder holster is a non-started too!"
"Gentlemen who dress in formal, business attire have to choose full cut,
preferably ventless suit jackets. A good tailor can leave the jacket
sufficiently full at the waist to drape properly over a hip-worn
pistol. Telltale will be the pants leg on the holster side.
Invariably, the weight of the firearm will pull down that pant leg by an
inch, and it is noticeable. Again, a fitter can compensate for this by
adjusting the leg length with the pistol in place. Cuffs are
recommended, because they allow the pants leg to drape
inconspicuously. If the gentlemen is armed some days and not others, he
will have to
have two sets of suits. Cost of doing business.
With the oxford-shirt-and-chino 'business casual' crowd, off-the-rack
pants that are an inch too long will do. Frankly, most men wear poorly
fitted chinos, so that an armed man should not look much different from
the rest of the crowd. This business casual mode has been my standard
dress at NTI for years."
"Out West, concealed guns are more accepted than is the case in
gun-hostile states, such as MD, RI, and MA. In anti-gun states, even
permit holders need to be extremely circumspect. However, as Mas Ayoob
is fond of saying "Cell phones make bulges legal!'"
/John
(I have not been troubled with the issues of pants legs extending to
different heights or asymmetrical bulges for approximately ten years,
ever since I started carrying a J-frame S&W revolver behind each hip.
More importantly, this gives me the option of drawing and firing with
either hand, as circumstances may dictate. Other advantages include the
option of arming a companion who may know how to shoot but may not be
carrying.)
7 Jan 06
Another concealed-carry option, and one that deserves consideration,
from a friend with the Feds:
"A concealed pistol that is slow into action is all but useless.
Likewise, a 'concealed' pistol that is visible to the casual observer is
also of little value. Like you, I need to carry concealed, but, unlike
you, I need to do it in a number of different outfits. One day, I'll
have to blend in with regiment of stodgy business executives. The next,
I'll be mixed in with a rambling hoard of half-naked tourists flocking
to a beach resort!
Many of my colleagues work around this by adopting a different rig,
depending upon the outfit they wear. What concerns me about this
strategy is that one may reach for his pistol in a panic, only to
discover it is not in the place he has trained himself to find it. I've
used most combinations of rigs, from belt holster, to shoulder holster,
to ankle holster, to the Cramer Confidante shirt. The solution upon
which I have settled is a belly-band, concealed under the shirt, with my
pistol (SIG 229/DAK) carried in inguinal channel, between the hip and groin.
I wear an undershirt between the rig and my skin and blouse my shirt out
from my pants, just enough to camouflage the pistol butt's outline. The
pistol is sandwiched between my T-shirt and dress shirt. I generally
get my waist size at least one increment bigger than normal. One can
look 'normal' and still effectively carry in this manner. The pistol
is readily accessible and yet fully concealed. I can wear it with
nearly any outfit, so long as my waist isn't too tight, and I have a
shirt on. A belt is not required. My belly-band has a side slit on the
opposing side in which I carry a spare magazine
and handcuffs.
There are downsides: (1) Reloading is relatively slow, no doubt. (2)
The draw requires both hands, one to lift the shirt and the other to
draw the gun. I practice one-handed drawing, of course, but it is
still slow and involved. (3) Reholstering is also slow, involved, and
requires both hands. When I have the pistol in my hand and have to
suddenly do something that requires both hands, like crawl through a
hatch, the pistol has to quickly go in a pocket, rather than back into
the holster. (4) No arguing that this carry method is not as firm and
secure as a pistol in a hard holster, affixed to a heavy
gunbelt.
However, even with those weak points, I have come to like this carry
option. It is an acceptable compromise for me, superior to most others
I've tried."
Comment: The inguinal-channel carry is an option that is probably not
considered as much as it should be. Many of our students, and not just
females, use and prefer it, both with the belly-band and with belt
holsters.
/John
(The one time I have had to draw on an assailant, my left hand was
occupied, ensuring that he could not deploy his knife. As the situation
developed, it was comforting to know that, if I needed to draw, I would
be able to draw with either hand because I had a revolver behind each
hip. Naturally, it was also comforting to know that I could also hit
firing from either hand because my range time was split equally between
both hands.)
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
