April Fool's Day!: Gun control opponents are universally in shock
because of a find by Lansing, NY Historian Louise Bement this morning.
Bement found a document in the town archives that proves conclusively
that the 'right to bear arms' cited in the second amendment of the U.S.
Bill of Rights was an agricultural declaration that had nothing to do
with firearms...
http://www.lansingstar.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2278&Itemid=67
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Oregon Supremes Rule No Duty To Retreat: The law does not require a
person to avoid or escape a fight with someone else before using deadly
force in self-defense, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in
reversing an Oregon murder conviction.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1175223335114420.xml&coll=7
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Flight Attendant Carries Gun Aboard Plane: A uniformed flight attendant
has been arrested at Dulles International Airport for carrying a
concealed handgun aboard a flight from Atlanta, prompting an
investigation of how the gun made it onto the aircraft. Airport police
received a call just after noon Friday saying the woman was turning
herself in for carrying the weapon on United Airlines flight 7591.
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070331-113008-3444r.htm
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Peaceniks Support DC Gun Ban: Dozens of people turned out Friday for a
rally in support of D.C.'s ban on handguns. The event at the Wilson
Building was sponsored by the advocacy group Peaceoholics to draw
attention to a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling easing the ban. (Note
the phrase "easing the ban." I'm still waiting to learn where DC
residents who wish to own firearms legally now stand.)
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0307/410339.html
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A Different Glock Problem: Dean Speir shares a case of cracks in the
frame of a very early G19. (This information is shared not to discourage
the use of Glocks but to remind people that "perfection" is a Glock
advertising slogan, not an absolute fact.)
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/g19_cracked.html
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From A List Member And Fellow Instructor:
I completed the student version of the new NRA Personal Protection
Outside the Home course recently. Most of the students were NRA
instructors. There was a natural amount of showing off to one's peer group.
I was amazed at how few had even a rudimentary grasp of gun fight
tactics. When confronted with multiple advancing targets, many froze
and fired as fast as they could, exhibiting tunnel vision as they
blasted the cinder block side walls of the indoor range. (They were
instructed to cease fire when the targets cleared the tire grindings
berm, to avoid hitting the side walls.) Some moved straight back, with
the same eventual result of hitting the sides. Several instructors, who
had made it a point to tell me how they had completed every Gunsite
course with honors, moved straight back and took their turn blasting the
side walls.
When it was my turn, I simply moved quickly backwards in a zig-zag
pattern and engaged the targets as I lined up with them. No one seemed
to get a clue from my performance, and the cinder block pock marks
continued when other students took turns after me.
It showed me that I could not assume that "experienced" instructors have
much experience shooting and scooting, and/or are able to think clearly
on the run. The effects of perceived stress cannot be overemphasized
when teaching tactics.
(I don't know if the observed performance may have been consistent with
current doctrine at Gunsite but I suspect that it reflects, in part, the
artificiality of most range practice sessions and of most monthly matches.)
From John Farnam:
25 Mar 07
Comments on manual safeties and holsters, from holster-maker Dave Elderton:
"While this may be true for most holsters, it is not true of my
BraveHeart model. I've made several for the SA/EMP, and countless
copies for various other 1911s, and I specifically design the holster
so that the manual safety lever is locked into the "on" position any
time the pistol is holstered. Thus, when holstered, the manual safety
lever, on either side, cannot be inadvertently bumped into the "off"
position, as described in your last Quip.
In fact, when one mistakenly holsters an EMP, or any other 1911, with
the manual safety "off," it will be forced into the "on" position as the
pistol is seated into the holster."
Comment: Excellent feature!
Dave Elderton
Ky-Tac
408 Ryan Wy, Ste 1911
Edmond, OK 73003
405 844 6040
[email protected]_ (mailto:
[email protected])
/John
(I have always disagreed with John on his objection to ambidextrous
safety levers and, while it is worth noting that a good holster renders
his claim moot, Ky-Tac is not the only brand that does so. One list
member shared this:
I have personal experience with both the ambidextrous safety levers
(on a 1911) and the mag release on a backup gun carried in the left
side pocket.
The ambidextrous safety lever almost never comes undone because my
holster (Milt Sparks VM2) has a groove cut in the part next to my
body that holds the safety in the "on" position.
The backup gun in my left pocket has occasionally engaged the
magazine release, such as when moving heavy furniture.)
25 Mar 07
>From a friend and experienced LEO in the LA area:
"Last night, the home of one of our LAPD officers was invaded by three
armed-robbery suspects. The officer was roughed up, and his car, a
television set, and at least one of his guns was stolen.
Our officer, alone in his home at the time, answered a knock at his
front door at 11:00pm. One of three suspects sprayed him with OC, and
then all three pushed their way into the house. The selection of the
house was random, so far as anyone knows.
It is fortunate indeed that the officer's wife and family were not home
at the time.
The newspaper headline read: 'LAPD Officer is victim of robbery at home'"
Comment:
The headline should have read: "Three home-invasion suspects shot to
death as they attempted break-in at LAPD officer's house"
It should be a standard rule: Don't open your door to people you don't
know, particularly at night. When people come to your house claiming to
need help, keep the door closed and locked as you tell them you are
calling the police, who will provide them with all the help they need.
Many of us who routinely carry guns concealed naively think we only need
to carry when we're out and about. Upon arriving home, many, like the
officer in this incident, immediately take their gun(s) off and
promptly render them impotent and/or inaccessible the moment they cross
the threshold, somehow believing that no personal danger could possibly
exist within their own dwelling.
This officer found out, the hard way, that such habits represent
delusional, foolish, and self-deceptive thinking. When you carry a gun,
it needs to be carried every waking minute of the day, no matter where
you are! The only time you should be separated from it is when you're
asleep or in the shower, and, even then, it needs to be nearby and in a
reasonable state of readiness.
For one, I don't see our world, not just LA, moving toward Nirvana very
quickly! VCAs, with the enthusiastic assistance of sleazy politicians
who lust after their votes and support, can show up unexpectedly any
place you can name, even places where you would never expect!
/John
(Perhaps John's greatest contribution to the discipline is his advice
not do fall into the trap of dividing your life into "safe" and "unsafe"
time.)
26 Mar 07
223 Performance, from a friend in Dallas, TX:
"One of our patrol officers was murdered here Friday. The suspect fired
at him from within a stopped vehicle. Other nearby officers responded
by firing at the suspect, who remained inside the vehicle (Chevy
Caprice) the entire time. Suspect eventually surrendered after being
wounded. He is currently hospitalized.
The point of this is that at least one responding officer was armed with
an EOTech-equipped AR-15. Both rifle and optic ran just fine. The
ammunition did not! The police rifle was loaded with WW 55gr ballistic
silvertip. Range was less than fifty feet. With over fifteen rounds
fired at the suspect, penetration of the vehicle door and glass was
poor, with every bullet fired breaking up upon impact and failing to
penetrate intact. Only fragments came through and did merely
superficial damage to the suspect. In fact, it was police handgun
rounds fired at the suspect, particularly 357SIG, that did penetrate and
subsequently wounded him severely enough to persuade him to stop fighting.
I am convinced that even 55gr hardball would have performed better."
Comment: For over forty years, the unsatisfactory penetration ability of
the 223 round, at all ranges, has been well known within both the
military and the law-enforcement communities. In fact, it is "poor
penetration" that we have actually used as a selling point while
persuading politicians to allow us to equip beat cars with rifles,
rather than shotguns.
Unfortunately, in American law enforcement, we get into a lots of our
gunfights in and around cars. Most pistol rounds do a poor job of
penetrating car doors. Buckshot from a shotgun does not penetrate car
doors either. Slugs from a shotgun do penetrate, but most police
shotguns are not routinely equipped with them. Rifles were supposed to
address this issue, but, as we see, light, frail, crumbly bullets, at
any speed, fail to penetrate car doors, even car glass.
Departments that equip their officers with 223 rifles need to look at
Cor-Bon 62gr DPX and Federal 223 Tactical. Both these rounds will
reliably penetrate car doors without breaking up. In fact, DPX not only
penetrates but it expands fully after penetrating the car door and
subsequently striking soft tissue. I routinely carry DPX in my RA/XCR,
which is one of my car-guns.
It is high time we stop playing games with friable bullets and start
equipping our officers with up-to-date, fight-stopping technology!
/John
(Firearms and their ammunition are tools. One does not use a hammer on
screws and most of us have a variety of screwdrivers for different types
and different sizes of screws. While it may not be financially feasible
to own or practical to carry a battery of long guns, much variety can be
obtained by ammunition selection. In my own case, I now split the "basic
load" of ammo for the M1 Carbine I carry in a locked case in my truck
between low-penetration Winchester "hollow softpoint" and
high-penetration Cor-Bon DPX loads, in separate, distinguishable
magazines. Similarly, if I carried a shotgun in a vehicle, the primary
load would be slugs while, if I depended on a shotgun for home-defense,
the primary load would be buckshot; in either case, the alternate load
would be readily available, either in a Side Saddle carrier or in a
Speed Feed stock.)
29 Mar 07
On Patrol Rifles, from an LEO friend in VT:
"I carry a 45-70 stainless Marlin Guide Gun (lever action) in my beat
car. It is routinely charged with 405gr hard-cast, flat-point, lead
bullets. These bullets will penetrate any car door with ease and still
have plenty of energy to spare. This rifle is an omnipotent
fight-stopper, car doors notwithstanding! Years ago, the 45-70 was a
universally-loved military cartridge, and it is still used by many in my
part of the country, with great confidence, when hunting moose and bear.
The Marlin Guide Gun is short, slick, handy, and easy to use. I believe
it to be an excellent, but much-overlooked, patrol rifle. Ideal for us
in rural law enforcement."
Comment: My friend is right! The Marlin Guide Gun is surely not
suitable for general issue, but, for certain individuals, it make a
great candidate for the role of "Patrol Rifle."
/John
(Psychologist Abraham Maslow counseled, "If the only tool you have is a
hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." Similarly, if you see
every shooting problem as a car door, you may select too large a
"hammer" for other use. See my comments above about ammunition selection
for long guns.)
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
