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What Is The Definition Of Expunction?: A federal agency is balking at a
Wyoming law that allows people convicted of misdemeanor domestic
violence to regain their right to own guns simply because it wants to
take guns away from as many people as possible, a state lawyer has told
a federal judge. At the heart of the suit appears to be whether the
Wyoming law really constitutes expunction because the record of the
conviction remains available for purposes of enhancing penalties for any
subsequent crime.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1008gunlawsuit1008.html
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Gun-Free School Zones Endanger Teachers And Students: A list member has
had an excellent commentary on the recent spate of shootings at schools
published in both his campus newspaper and the local newspaper. The
feedback to the latter has been mostly favorable.
http://themissouriminer.com/content/view/231/53/
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The Pot Calling The Kettle Black?: Article from South Africa bemoans the
fact that the recent murders in US schools are not likely to produce
restrictions on the private ownership of firearms in this country.
Conspicuously absent is any mention of the total failure of South
Africa's attempts to disarm its citizens in reducing violent crime there.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=22&art_id=iol1160294496227U252
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Oops, Wrong Witness: A West Virginia man, the reigning World Boxing
Empire Middleweight champion of the world, tackled and detained for
police another man who had just robbed a cabbie. Ballard chased Ennis
into the parking lot, after realizing the 5-foot-11-inch, 176-pound
Ennis wasn't armed with a gun or a knife, tackling him at the curb.
http://journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=4161
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Proposed Venezuelan AK Factory Alarms Neighbors: "...The questions the
United States and Chavez's neighbors are asking are who will get the
extra AKs Chavez purchased and will build, and how will these weapons
affect a region historically plagued by violence and conflict."
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/150088
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From John Farnam:
1 Oct 06
Today, at an Urban Shotgun Program in MA, a Mossburg 590, being used by
a student suddenly went down. Normally, the Mossburg is among the most
reliable of all the shotguns we see, but, on this copy, the magazine
follower got stuck in the forward portion of the magazine tube, and
spring pressure in the tube naturally went dead. The gun was
immediately out of action, and my student was unable to complete the
exercise. We tried to free the follower, without success. It was
wedged tight in the tube. My student was compelled to switch to another
shotgun in order to finish the Course.
I subsequently learned that the magazine follower responsible for all
this heartburn was not the one that came with the gun! The factory
follower had been replaced with an aftermarket substitute.
Unfortunately, after replacing the factory part, the gun was never
tested, until it found its way to our Program!
My student learned a frustrating, but important, lesson. Most
aftermarket parts are inferior to the factory parts they are designed to
replace. However, there are exceptions. In any event, any time a part
is replaced in, or modification is made on, a serious gun, the gun must
be thoroughly tested afterward, BEFORE being placed back into service!
My student was lucky! This unexpected difficulty was detected during
training, and the price he paid was only a moment or two of frustration,
not a fatal injury. Undetected, it could easily have been the later!
/John
(A prospective student discussed with me the installation of a 3.5-pound
connector, without the addition of a New York trigger, to the Glock
pistol he intended to use for his training with me. As he is an
attorney, I asked him to evaluate whether he would want to have that
pistol introduced in evidence in an American lawsuit against him,
despite the claims of the parts vendor/installer that the 3.5-pound
connector is standard in every country but the US. When the student
showed up, the parts vendor/installer had reluctantly reinstalled the
original five-pound connector. Part way through his training, the
student complained of soreness on his support-hand thumb, from abrasion
by the slide lock, the part that is pulled down to release the slide
from the receiver on disassembly. Never having had that complaint before
from any of the students I have taught to shoot autoloading pistols with
the thumbs pointed forward, I inspected the gun and found that the
factory slide lock had been replaced with an oversize one, with very
sharp serrations. I encouraged him to ask the parts vendor/installer
under what circumstances he envisioned a customer needing to perform a
"speed field-stripping." That evening I deleted the link to Glockmeister
from my website.)
3 Oct 06
Grasseaters in high places:
"As an experienced, oil-field technician, I volunteered to be a part of
a team sent to Iraq last year, in an effort to get the local
oil-producing infrastructure back on line. As civilian employees of the
Army, we were all told directly that, while there, we would be issued,
and allowed to carry, a pistol. When we arrived, we discovered that we
had been lied to! We were subsequently informed that the 'general'
(never did find out which one) had decided that civilian employees
would not be armed, at any time, in his domain. Naturally, we all
ignored his pompous, half-witted 'order,' acquired guns, ammunition,
holsters, and blades (all locally), and carried them, concealed, all the
time we were there.
When I finally asked our JAG why we were (ostensibly) unarmed in a zone
of active fighting, he thoughtlessly dismissed my question with the
comment that we were not 'trained in such things.' Not willing to let
it go, I offered to challenge him personally and beat him, hands-down,
at any pistol course he could name. He suddenly discovered he was
needed elsewhere and abruptly turned and walked away, never answering my
question. I later checked for myself and learned that the carrying of
defensive weapons by forward-deployed civilians is in full keeping with
both the laws of land warfare and US Army tradition.
I guess I was not prepared to believe that our own military management
(the term 'leadership' does not apply) declines to attach any value to
our lives! When we're killed or kidnapped, they must figure they can
always hire more!
Not surprisingly, those of us who initially volunteered have all
declined a second tour, denying the Army our immense, collective
experience and knowledge. I love my country, but I don't enjoy working
for people who care nothing for my personal safety, even my very life!'
Comment: The American military's ghoulish fear of guns (and people
carrying them) creates yet another needless, pointless defect in the War
effort. The Republic cannot long endure at this rate!
/John
3 Oct 06
School Shootings:
Why is it that sociopaths, when they get the urge to harm the innocent,
select places where, when they arrive in possession of a gun, they know
they will be the only one there so equipped? Why don't "school
shooters" ply their trade at the local police headquarters or at
commercial gun retailers? Could it be that they know full well most
people in those places will be armed? Sociopaths may be demoniac, but
they're not fools! In Israel, all teachers and school officials are
continuously armed. Curious that we don't hear of school shootings
there, do we?
We've all heard of the "separation of church and state," but public
schools in America have no compunction about advocating religion, the
faith of "Learned Helplessness." In public education, personal
initiative, personal courage and boldness, and personal achievement are
all discouraged and punished as "aberrant behavior." What is
relentlessly nurtured, encouraged, and rewarded is (1) personal
helplessness, (2) victimhood, and (3) cowardice. American children are
taught, from infancy, that even occasionally wanting some capacity for
independent action is unthinkable. Rather, being a "good victim" is
one's ultimate expression of patriotism. In fact, we learn that the
government won't even like you until/unless you are a victim (and remain
one your entire life).
When they leave school, American youth discover that "learned
helplessness" had mutated into "enforced helplessness." Personal
ownership of guns, for example, while not strictly illegal in some
places (though leftist politicians are doing their best to correct
that), is still publicly discouraged, in every conceivable way and at
every level. Gun owners are marginalized by government and media alike
as deviant and unpatriotic.
In Israel, where things are even more exciting than they are here,
society has long-since come to their senses with regard to personal
security. There, they know where there are gatherings of innocent
children, there must also be responsible adults who are armed. They
also know and understand that most of those responsible adults will not
be police officers. The vast majority are armed citizens, who don't
think "being a good victim" is in their, or their nation's, best interest.
Additional video cameras, additional reams of "procedures," and
additional media hand-wringing will not provide protection for innocent
children. Armed teachers, parents, and school officials will. When,
as a nation, we stop worshiping at the feet of the false god of "Learned
Helplessness," we will collectively see the wisdom of really, physically
protecting children, not just continuing to wallow in self-deception.
Several years ago, my friend and colleague, Mas Ayoob, suggested
training and arming teachers as they only real way to protect innocent
children in schools. He was instantly denigrated by the media, and even
some in our own camp, for even suggesting such a preposterous thing. As
always, he was ahead of his time!
/John
5 Oct 06
Comments on school security, from a friend in Israel:
"I am attending classes locally. All school administrators and most
teachers wear pistols, neatly cased in holsters on their waists. They
are all plainly visible. The practice actually has a calming effect!
Everyone knows the school administration takes active protection of
students seriously, not just with lip service, but with substantive action."
Comment: There are two kinds of pain: The pain of discipline, or the
pain of regret. We can avoid one, but not both!
/John
6 Oct 06
Play and Players:
Poker journalist, Roy West, puts it well:
"When you find yourself playing with clueless lightweights, be neither
astonished nor upset when they play like idiots!"
He goes on:
"Poor players don't recognize skillful play. Competent players will
gracefully get out of the way when they are supposed to. Poor players
don't know when they're supposed to! Yes, competent players beat poor
players, in the long run, but anyone, at any time, can get good cards,"
..or a lucky shot!
Similarly, competent gunmen are more than a match for the typical,
clueless, gun-wielding hamburger. But, even idiots can get lucky, and,
unlike the case at the poker table, you may not live long enough to test
your theory at the next game!
When they represent a lethal threat, VCAs need to be taken out,
instantly, ruthlessly, and with all the skill your can summon, as if
they were skilled gunmen, not the buffoons they usually are. Yes, they
are probably unskilled and incompetent, but, like the poor card player,
they can still be extremely dangerous. Give them an edge at your peril.
When confronting David, Goliath, towering over him, paused and
snickered. It was a fatal mistake! David took advantage of the gap
Goliath created for himself. Goliath didn't get a second chance. You
won't either!
/John
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info