Glock Pro And Con:
A Guy Submits His G21 To A Torture Test:
http://www.theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Item
A Police Department Rejects All Its G22's and G27's:
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/hhnj.html
---
Liberty Watch Radio Today:
Sunday 3/4/07, on Liberty Watch at 12 PM MST, retired INS Agent Michael
Cutler will be speaking on how it is that illegal aliens kill over 2100
Americans a year.
At 1 PM MST, Tuscon Police forensic scientist Aaron Brudenell wil spend
an hour in studio about the physical aspects of how they solve crime.
The program is on AM 690 in Tucson, Am 930 in Douglas, and AM 1240 in
Globe, or you can listen live on the internet at:
http://kvoi.com/listenlive.php . The whow will be archived Sunday night
at:www.libertywatchradio.com/listen , if you miss it live.
---
From AzCDL:
SB 1251 will be heard in the House committee on Government on Tuesday,
March 6, 2007.
SB 1251 - Strengthens the "public establishment or event" storage
requirements:
� Defines "secure storage" and "readily accessible."
� Prohibits recording information about the weapon or individual.
� If an "operator" doesn't comply, they can't prohibit weapons.
Information on this and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website:
http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html
Please take the time to send a polite note to the committee members and
let them know that you want them to vote SB 1251 out of committee with a
recommendation for passage by the full House.
Below are the email addresses of the committee members in both
semi-colon and comma separation formats. Use the list that is
compatible with your email software.
Semi-colon format:
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected]
Comma format:
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]
As legislation progresses, we will keep you up to date via these Alerts
and at our website.
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Join today!
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html
Copyright � 2007 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.
In a snub to those who wrongly suffered under Arizona's brutal, and
since overturned, "guilty until proven innocent" law, Governor
Napolitano vetoed SB 1302 on March 2nd. The bill would have made it
clear that the legislature intended to apply the 2006 "Castle
Doctrine/Burden of Proof" legislation to all cases pending at the time
it was signed. Unfortunately, due to a recent Arizona Supreme Court
decision, cases pending at the time were held to be subject to the old
law, where the burden was on the accused to prove his or her innocence.
This bill was intended to correct that deficiency. The media is
claiming that the Governor bowed to the wishes of the Prosecutor's
lobby, who claim that the courts would be overloaded with appeals of
cases pending at the time if this bill were to pass into law.
Considering the reality of the situation (only a few hundred murder
cases statewide, with only a fraction of those involving self-defense
justifications), we find this excuse hard to fathom.
Information on this and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website:
http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html
SB 1302 passed both the House and the Senate with more than the 2/3
majority needed to enact it as an emergency measure. It remains to be
seen if the legislature will attempt to override the Governor's veto.
AzCDL will notify you if there is any further news on this critical
legislation.
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Join today!
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html
Copyright � 2007 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.
---
From John Farnam:
27 Feb 07
On ATMs, from a friend and student:
"I flew into northern Michigan last week. Multiple delays conspired to
deliver me to my final destination at 2:00 AM. The weather was cold, and
it was snowing.
In a momentary lapse in judgment, I decided to get cash on the way to my
hotel. I found an outdoor ATM machine in a strip mall. I parked in
front of the ATM and exited my rental car. I scanned the area as I've
been trained and did not see anything unusual. However, the moment I
exited my car, two men simultaneously exited a dark pick-up seventy-five
feet to my left. Both hurriedly walked toward me.
I immediately abandoned my quest for cash, got back into my rental and
left, never making contact with them.
Here is what I learned:
I should have had a pistol with me. Concealed guns need to be carried
always, legally if possible, but carried in any event.
ATM's are bad news, even during the day. Leave home with enough cash to
make their routine use unnecessary. Outdoor ATM's are particularly to
be avoided.
Serious predators are not easily dissuaded. The casual larcenist
practices his trade only in good weather and can often be turned away
with posture and verbal commands. VCAs who practice in bad weather are
probably a good deal more desperate, and dangerous."
Comment: A fight avoided is better, by far, than a fight won. My friend
disengaged at the critical time. He was able to instantly shift his
thinking from "convenience mode" to "survival mode." That critical
capability may have saved his life.
/John
28 Feb 07
Africa Today:
This trip to SA, we, once again, conducted a Defensive Handgun Training
Program for the Scorpions, SA's version of the FBI. Again, we had
wonderful students who were all there because they wanted to be. For
the first time in their lives, they all fired on Safe Direction's famous
Rotator Steel Targets. Agent fired a great deal of ammunition and made
grand progress on the road to becoming a professional gunmen! Agents
are issued G22s, G23s, and G27s. However, there are not yet enough
Glocks to go around, so there were other, older pistols still in the
system, Vektors and CZs.
Some agents were accustomed to carrying their pistol with an empty
chamber. This delusional practice is common outside the USA and is a
spin-off of the equally mendacious philosophy of "condition-based" gun
handling. It was, of course, immediately corrected.
Yes, South Africa's violent crime is out of control, and there are a
host of other challenges, but the little nation still tries pretty hard
to function, and this trip I was impressed by everyone's determination
to make things work and get along with each other. The Justice Minister
(their "Attorney General") personally visited us while we were shooting
on the range! He made an inspiring speech where he commanded his agents
to aggressively go after violent criminals and put them in jail. He
concluded by saying, "Sometimes, in order to save a life, you have to
take a life." Oh, that we could get such gritty honesty out of any of
our politicians!
In Capetown, one of our students, a young farmer working his family farm
as his ancestors have for generations, expressed frustration over his
mostly failed efforts to organize his neighbors and persuade them to
bear arms regularly. "My neighbors, who have been murdered in their own
homes, all died with a home-safe full of guns!" It struck me that we
have much the same challenge over here. I've heard many say that when
violent crime gets "bad enough," grass-eating Americans will begin to
carry guns regularly, more than just the two-percent who currently do.
Not so! In South Africa, where violent crime is many times what it is,
even in the most crime-ridden places in the USA, instead of taking
positive, pro-active measures to protect themselves from harm, most
people simply sink deeper into denial and come up with ever-more
preposterous rationalizations for doing nothing. Until a blade pierces
their liver, they will tenaciously cling to dear falsehoods, because, to
grass-eaters, it is less painful to face death itself than it is to face
the prospect of being compelled to repent and admit that they're not
only wrong, but have always been wrong. They would rather die, and
their wish is being granted every day, in spades!
The problem does not lie with restrictive gun laws, nor with a weak and
hesitant criminal-justice system. The problem starts with a groveling,
grass-eating, whining, excuse-making personal philosophy that is
fostered, from an early age, by the educational establishment in all of
Western Civilization. Instead of proudly claiming their own
magnificence, children are taught to grovel, whine, and blindly do
whatever all the other Lemmings are doing, no matter how stupid, so long
personal responsibility can be avoided at all costs, even when the
"cost" is violent death.
South Africa is like most of the rest of Western Civilization, just
further along! Yet, I love it there, and I'm sure I'll return.
/John
---
From Force Science Research Center:
Force Science News #66
February 23, 2007
I. NEW TESTS SHOW DEADLY ACCURACY & STARTLING SPEED EVEN INEXPERIENCED
SHOOTERS CAN ACHIEVE IN SHOOTING COPS
The latest round of experiments in the Force Science Research Center's
on-going "hit probability" study has produced preliminary findings with
surprising and unnerving implications for LEOs. Among the new discoveries:
--even "na�ve shooters," untrained and unpracticed with handguns, are
amazingly accurate in making head shots at close range, and tend to
shoot for the head instinctively;
--shots intended for an officer's vested area often end up in
unprotected vital parts of the body because of a suspect's poor gun
control;
--the speed with which an officer can be put behind the reactionary
curve, even by assailants who have no expertise with firearms, is startling.
"These findings deepen our understanding of the true dynamics of a
gunfight," said FSRC's executive director Dr. Bill Lewinski of Minnesota
State University-Mankato. "We've now established that even unskilled
offenders, to the shock of everyone involved in these tests, are capable
of much faster and more accurate shooting at close range than previously
believed.
"This gives us a better idea of the speed at which officers need to act
to protect themselves, and it raises a very challenging question for
trainers: How can we get officers to respond faster without compromising
good decision-making?"
That dilemma will be addressed, Lewinski promised, as the long-range
research advances to new levels.
FSRC's 3-phase hit-probability study, which kicked off with field
research last spring [6/06], is intended to document the speed and
probable accuracy of assailants and officers trying to deliver sudden
on-target rounds from various distances within the time frame of most
OISs...to confirm which tactical options seem most likely to protect
officers...and to determine what training systems seem most effective in
increasing an officer's ability to make fight-stopping hits, as well as
imprinting other survival skills.
The years-long project was designed by Lewinski and Ron Avery, an FSRC
technical advisor, president of The Practical Shooting Academy, Inc.,
and executive director of the Rocky Mountain Tactical Institute. Avery,
himself a world-class shooter, is in charge of all field testing.
The latest research, concerning attacker shooting performance, was
carried out during a recent 2-week period at the indoor range of the
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, with the cooperation
of Ed Janke, associate dean of the school's Public Safety Division and a
member of FSRC's National Advisory Board, and Brown County (WI) Sheriff
Dennis Kocken. Trainers Bob Willis, Randy Revling, and Erik Walters
assisted Avery with the courses of fire.
The participating subjects were 103 volunteers from NWTC's 2-year
corrections and law enforcement program. Predominately, they were males
in their late teens and 20s, with a few in their 30s or 40s. "In terms
of age, gender, and physical ability, they tended to be very
representative of the felon pool" that attacks peace officers, Avery
told Force Science News.
"Several had long-gun experience, hunting with a shotgun or rifle, which
is not the same as shooting a handgun," he explained. Over 1/3 had
"never fired a handgun and only a few had more than a passing exposure"
to sidearms, thereby qualifying them, group-wise, as na�ve shooters. "A
lot said they were very apprehensive and nervous about shooting," Avery
said. "They were not predisposed to like it."
Na�ve shooters are important, Avery explained, "because they give us
baseline data for human ability, without bias being introduced by
training experience."
After a brief safety review with red guns, the participants were given
functional weapons with live ammunition and, in a controlled sequence,
were told to address targets especially designed by Avery for ultra
precise measurement of shot placement [See Force Science News
Transmission #48, sent 2/17/06]. Those with no experience were allowed
to fire half a dozen "familiarization" rounds "to get the feel of sound
and recoil" but were not told how to hold the gun, except to "grip it
firmly" and to avoid touching the trigger until the muzzle was safely
down range. Each shooter used his or
her same assigned gun throughout the tests, either a Glock 17, a
Springfield XD in 9mm (supplied by Springfield Armory), a Beretta 9mm,
or a S&W J-frame short-barrel Special.
The shooters each started from a series of 4 positions, reflecting how
offenders commonly have guns when confronted by LEOs:
1. Hand on the gun, which was concealed at the rear waistband;
2. Gun hidden at the front waistband, with a garment covering it;
3. Gun in hand, hidden behind a leg;
4. Gun held to a baseball hat which the subject was holding by the bill,
simulating a hostage situation or an intended suicide with sudden
homicidal capabilities.
Holsters were not used, consistent with the recent FBI study documenting
that run-of-the-mill street punks rarely carry weapons holstered. [See
Force Science News Transmission #62, sent 1/8/07]
Each shooter presented the gun and fired from each of these starting
positions at 9 different distances, ranging from 1 to 25 yards from the
target. The controlled lighting was "dimmer than daylight, but not
low-light," Avery said. "They could see their targets clearly."
The shooters were told that at the sound of a timer they should "shoot
as fast as you can, as well as you can, trying to hit the target with
every shot but not slowing down in an attempt to gain accuracy," Avery
said. "We wanted them to get the first round off in under 1 second and
to complete 3 shots within 1.7 seconds. That's similar to a real
assailant bringing a gun out and firing as rapidly as he can." They were
not told what part of the target to try to hit, just "wherever you feel
is best."
Data from the tests are still undergoing a detailed computer analysis,
but based on on-site observations and preliminary reviews, these are
some of the highlights Avery and Lewinski consider significant:
POINT SHOOTING. An overwhelming majority of the test subjects used point
shooting at all distances when firing rapidly, and almost all used
1-handed techniques at close ranges. At 5-7 yards and beyond, many
shifted spontaneously to 2-hand stances, with an increase in hit
probability noted.
Even though point shooting, the volunteers still tended to extend their
arms fully and bring the gun up to eye level. "Rarely did they use a
combat tuck," Avery said. "Even at 1 yard, they tended to extend their
arm to shoot."
To Avery's surprise, many initial rounds, especially when the gun was
brought from behind the back, tended to go to the right of the target
(from the shooter's perspective). This contradicts conventional wisdom,
he said, which holds that shots from a right-handed shooter often end up
going to the left. If this apparent discrepancy is sustained in further
testing, officers who are taught to move to their left in hopes of
avoiding early rounds may, in fact, be stepping into a field of fire.
HEAD SHOTS. At close distances (1-3 yards), more than half the simulated
offenders "shot at the head without being told to" and had a "very high
hit probability" with at least 1 of their shots, Avery noted. "It was
astounding how they could keep the pattern in the head."
The chest (center mass) was the second most likely target.
Avery explained that people tend to shoot where their attention is
directed. Unless they are trained otherwise, they are likely to look at
the face, particularly in close-up encounters. "We communicate with each
other nonverbally by watching facial gestures, and we look at each
other's eyes, especially at close distances." Consequently, he
speculated, the much-reported tendency of street assailants to target
officers' heads may be less a "deliberate, diabolical plot" and more
related to natural instincts.
BRACKETING. Often a shooter missed a desired placement with the first
round but was able to "bracket" subsequent rounds for successful hits
"without slowing down," Avery said. "They were able to coordinate their
actions, process feedback on hits, and adjust their placement very
rapidly, even with no previous training or practice."
He conceded that due to research limitations this tendency may have been
"a little artificial" during the experiments because hit placement was
more easily detected on the paper targets than might be true with a
clothed human being, especially in low-light conditions. However, even
at distances where they could not see their hits, the bracketing
tendency was noted.
SPEED. A strong majority of the shooters fired all 3 rounds within 1.5
seconds. That included reaction time in responding to the timer signal.
Some were able to react and shoot all 3 shots within 1 second. A "very
large majority" fired all 3 with about a quarter-second between shots.
Some were longer, up to .35-.40.
An actual assailant who is deciding when to shoot without reacting to an
auditory signal and who is likely bringing his gun out and up with his
finger already on the trigger could be expected to get a first round off
even faster than the volunteers, Avery said.
DISTANCE VARIABLES. At 5 to 7 yards, many of the shooters "directed fire
at a bigger part of the body" than the head, Avery reported. But still,
"a lot of shots hit in the head, neck, and upper chest." He attributed
this to "the guns climbing in recoil and the shooters not being able to
control that at speed." He said that "a significant number of rounds
impacted above the level of a vest," even at distances where luck became
a strong factor in shot placement.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE. Shooters who missed the intended target altogether
often produced "collateral hits on a side target as far as 4 feet away,"
Avery observed. This has implications for officers who tend to cluster
together. "They need separation to avoid getting hit by accident by
shots from a barrage intended for another officer."
MUZZLE BLAST. At 1 yard, "specks of unburned powder" from muzzle blast
frequently "covered the whole head" of the target, Avery recalled. "Some
targets were blown apart." Without adequate eye protection, an officer
risks being "flash-banged and flash-blinded, probably out to 3 yards,"
even with near misses from a felon's gun.
QUICK LEARNING. "Within a very short time, at least half the volunteers
had a very good grasp" on the basic mechanics of shooting, Avery noted.
"A lot of subconscious learning took place within the first 15 shots.
For example, without being told, many learned how to set the wrist to
control recoil. Some people just have a natural ability to pick up a gun
and be able to control it. It was amazing how well many of these people
could shoot with no training at all. Flat out amazing!"
"Natural aptitude" was most noticeable among "the more athletic types,"
he said. "It was evident that weight training and higher-than-average
grip strength give you a clear advantage in shooting, especially at
distances beyond 3 yards. But even the smaller, weaker subjects for the
most part were able to fire fast and accurately."
He cited one small female who produced a gun from behind her leg and
delivered 3 head shots from 3 yards in less than 1.5 seconds. "And she
had never held a gun before," Avery said.
"These findings," Lewinski said, "are certain to have significant impact
on officer-survival training."
In the next phase of the hit probability study, Avery and assistants
will test various survival options for officers, seeking to confirm
which offer the most likely safety, given the distance and nature of an
armed attack. The final phase, up to a year away, will explore what type
of training will best assure that officers make the best choice when
they are suddenly challenged by a suspect determined to kill them.
Findings from the study to date, including results from pilot
investigations with the Milwaukee and Austin (TX) Police Departments,
have made clear some sobering challenges for officers and trainers
alike. Among Avery's conclusions and observations to date:
1. "Training that is focused on accuracy first and speed second is not
going to cut it" in preparing officers for the realities of a gunfight,
he told FSN. The emphasis needs to be on developing "relevant speed,
especially at close distances, combined with precision shooting." That
life-saving blend is possible to achieve, but it requires specialized
instruction that goes far beyond mere qualification shooting and, being
a perishable skill, it demands continual reinforcement.
"There have been studies in the past that state the average gunfight
lasts 3 seconds," Avery said. "But with accurate rounds delivered by the
suspect, the typical fight may realistically be over in half that time.
That's the new standard officers need to train against. The person who
gets a gun out first AND gets the first good shot is likely to be the
one who wins. If you don't train and practice high-speed shooting with
accuracy on a regular basis, you are not prepared adequately. It's that
simple."
(The challenge arises over the issue of judgment, Lewinski pointed out.
Other research has shown that as a specific task is speeded up, good
decision-making tends to suffer at some point. "The mission will be to
find the delicate balance that heightens speed and accuracy in shooting
without sacrificing speed and accuracy in judgment," he said.)
2. In the recent FBI study of attacks on officers, the average age of
"Victim Officers" was in the mid-30s. "But don't confuse experience on
the street with firearms ability," Avery warned.
"Too many officers think that because they've been on the job for a
number of years or have scored 100% on their qualifications that they're
prepared for the realities of a high-speed, close-range shoot-out. They
don't realize just how fast things are going to happen at average
gunfight distances. It's time for them to reexamine their beliefs, which
definitely will not stand up to reality.
"With the current standard of training and readiness in law enforcement,
the chances are high that a determined offender can take on a cop
successfully at short range. The average kid who decides he is going to
kill a cop can hit almost as well as a world-class shooter at 1 to 3
yards."
3. It is time to reevaluate the benefits of security holsters. When
split seconds may mean the difference between life and death, the danger
of a delayed response caused by fumbling to access his gun may be more
dangerous to a threatened officer than the danger of a potential
disarming, Avery asserted.
However, Lewinski pointed out that in a study conducted by FSRC in Los
Angeles, "We found that officers wearing a Level 3 holster who practiced
quickly drawing on a regular basis were often as fast as the fastest
officers drawing from a Level 2. Perhaps we should be holding officers
to a higher performance standard if they wear a higher-level security
holster."
4. Use caution in closing distance. "Officers sometimes close in too
soon, with an arrest on their mind rather than survival," Avery said.
"These experiments show that at close range, some offenders may very
well go for your head. Before you get close, you not only want to see a
suspect's hands and be ready to control them immediately but you also
need to have a well-rehearsed plan in mind for what you're going to do
if he still comes out with a gun."
In the absence of funding from government entities or other sources, the
hit probability research is being financed by seminars and other
speaking engagements contracted through FSRC, Lewinski said. Independent
funds continue to be sought for this project and others that have
profound implications for LEOs and their employers.
[For personal comments and opinions from Ron Avery on the hit
probability results, visit his website:
www.practicalshootingacademy.com. For a report on preliminary testing of
"attackers" at the Milwaukee Police Academy, see Force Science News
Transmission #48, sent 7/7/06.]
================
(c) 2007: Force Science Research Center, www.forcescience.org. Reprints
allowed by request. For reprint clearance, please e-mail:
[email protected]. FORCE SCIENCE is a registered trademark of
The Force Science Research Center, a non-profit organization based at
Minnesota State University, Mankato.
================
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
