Colorado Universities Vary In CCW Policies: Police at the University of
Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado say allowing concealed
weapons on campus is more trouble than its worth, but Colorado State
University is sticking to its policy that allows permit-holders to carry
their guns...
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=69940
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Finding A Gun At The Scene Of A Gunfight: A New Hampshire man who came
upon the scene of a fatal shooting of a police officer picked up the
officer's handgun and used it to fatally shoot the officer's assailant.
(This is why some instructors of large classes conduct drills in which
each student has to pick up someone else's firearm and use it. I am
partial to the concept of mastering and carrying one model of handgun
but agree that it's useful to be competent with many.)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C271853%2C00.html
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Florida Man Arrested For Beating Burglar: A Broward County man,
frustrated with the inability of the sheriff's department to control
burglaries in his neighborhood, got a bit vigorous in his attempts to
recover items stolen from the home of his estranged wife and children.
He now faces charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault. The burglar
has already been released from custody.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cburglary11may12%2C0%2C4637370.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
---
In The Washington Times?: A former surgery professor from southern
California uses space in The Washington Times to expound a bunch of
misinformation about the Second Amendment. (Many of his claims are
thoroughly debunked in Clayton Cramer's recent book Armed America: The
Story of How and Why Guns Became as American as Apple Pie.)
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20070512-102003-3818r.htm
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Profiting Off Tragedy: ...Take, for instance, Fred McChesney, a gun
control supporter who, according to the Associated Press, bought up
dozens of domain names with frightening connotations such as
CampusKillings.com, VirginiaTechMurders.com, and SlaughterInVirginia.com...
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/NathanTabor/2007/05/13/capitalizing_on_an_american_tragedy
---
From John Farnam:
8 May 07
Battery-powered optics, from an LEO friend and Range Officer:
"I've had an EOTech on my duty-AR for over a year. It has run just fine
all that time, serving me well. During a range exercise last week, the
illuminated reticle my EOTech started blinking, indicating low power. I
routinely carry spare batteries, so I popped in two new ones. To my
dismay, the sight would now not even turn on!
On the way home, I was deciding how to ship my EOTech back to the
factory for repair, figuring it was inevitable. However, when I got home
I decided to check all my batteries. The original two were a year old,
and, sure enough, on my battery tester they showed themselves to be
nearly dead. Not surprising. What was surprising was that nearly all my
spares tested mostly dead also, including the two with which I had
replaced the original two!
Bottom line was that my entire supply of "spare" batteries was stone
dead, and I never suspected it! Such a simple thing could have had
serious ramifications under the right circumstances. I learned, and we
all should know, that, just because batteries are not being used doesn't
mean they are retaining power. Old batteries, even when still in the
original packing, may be just as dead as batteries that have been in
constant use."
Lesson: TEST; DON'T GUESS! It has been said that the next great world
conflagration will be won by the civilization with the best battery
technology. I suspect that is profoundly true. Batteries are the weak
point of all powered optics, and one must know, not just hope, that
"spare" batteries are good to go. "Old" batteries is bad news, even
when they've done nothing but sit on a shelf!
I am persuaded that many of the "problems" that have been reported with
EOTechs and Aimpoints are actually battery related.
/John
(Not to belittle the point about batteries but I once had a LaserGrip
fail while teaching in the high desert of Arizona. Replacing the battery
failed to correct the problem, which later resolved, using the original
battery. It appears that extremely low humidity can create issues with
static electricity that may influence devices that use microcurrents,
such as my Oehler chronograph. I don't know if sighting devices may be
similarly affected. I just checked the EOTech website and noted that
some of their devices use N alkaline batteries while the two that use AA
batteries can use alkaline, rechargeable or lithium batteries. The
latter are reported to have excellent shelf life, while NiMH
rechargeable batteries hold their charges poorly. John's friend failed
to provide EOTech model and battery type. Comments are welcome.)
8 May 07
Important tactical lessons, from my instructors in SA:
"We conducted in-service, force-on-force training with our patrol
officers yesterday. We set up high-risk vehicle stop scenarios, ranging
from high-jackings, to stolen vehicles, to armed robbery suspects.
Students were given information as would have been received by radio
dispatch, and thus had some insight into what they were facing.
It was a humbling experience for most! Here are important lesson all
learned and some had to relearn:
(1) AS ONE GETS CLOSER TO THE THREAT, OPTIONS PROGRESSIVELY DRY UP!
Smart officers stayed back and behind cover as they gathered
information. Foolish ones broke cover and timidly approached dangerous
suspects. Most died within two or three meters of the bad guy(s). The
obvious lesson: STAY BACK. STAY COVERED. PRESERVE YOUR OPTIONS.
(2) PANIC IS A LUXURY ENJOYED (at least for a short time) ONLY BY
LOSERS. Panicked officers promptly forgot their training, forgot their
sights, and fired wildly, hitting nothing they wanted to hit but
succeeding in hitting a great many objects they didn't want to hit! The
lesson is: DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO PANIC. USE YOUR SIGHTS. AIM YOUR
SHOTS. HIT YOUR TARGET AND NOTHING ELSE. If there must be a gunfight,
let's end it quickly and decisively!
(3) IN ORDER TO WORK EFFECTIVELY TOGETHER, WE MUST COMMUNICATE
EFFECTIVELY. Clearly, many of our officers had seldom worked as part of
a team. Team brevity codes and well-drilled SOPs made the difference
between a coordinated, synergistic team effort and a group of confused
officers that resembled a gaggle of stray chickens!
Most kinds a training does not fry brain-cells as does force-on-force
exercises. It is tedious and time consuming, but few other forms of
training so plainly reveal our weak points!"
/John
(These points are well taken. However, private citizens (and some
officers) may not have advance knowledge of "the problem" and may not
have the luxury of being able to draw a firearm legally, in advance of
having the justification to fire it. This is why, despite the
theoretical advantage of aimed fire, I have increasingly emphasized a
continuum of point shooting in the training I offer. While it may be
best to maintain distance and cover and to use your sights, when trouble
comes to you suddenly and at close range. it's nice to have the means to
counter it.)
9 May 07
"Unarmed Forces?"
The recent break-up of a plot to gun down unsuspecting American soldiers
at Ft Dix, NJ, once again, has many thinking about personal
preparedness. The conspicuously obvious solution is that every American
officer and staff NCO needs to carry a loaded pistol, on base and off,
every waking minute of the day. This will insure armed and competent
men and women will always be nearby when a security emergency erupts,
and it will serve notice to all who intend us harm that we mean business
and that we're not all "good, little victims."
Of course, there are risks inherent with the concept of treating staff
NCOs and officers like adults. But, there are also risks in continuing
to maintain large concentrations of easily-identified, unarmed,
defenseless American soldiers in vulnerable places, where existing
security forces can be easily overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, the current command structure has made the term, "Armed
Forces," the latest oxymoron!
In any setting, we must maintain our own personal, individual state of
readiness. Don't feel like putting on your gun or wearing attire that
can conceal it? Don't want to be bothered putting your rifle in the
trunk? Is your TTGSW kit in your car? Where is your blade, flashlight?
Worried about violating some stupid decree intended to insure that you
are a perpetually helpless, frightened victim?
These decisions are yours, and your very life depends on them.
Unfortunately, some (legal) risk always attaches to maintaining a
reasonable state of personal readiness, but it pales in comparison to
being unprepared. "Authorities" and politicians are surely not going to
tell you any of this! Don't expect someone you don't even know to care
about you more than you care about yourself. You are on your own. Be
ready. Getting murdered is no fun!
/John
(I believe that "TTGSW" means "tactical treatment of gunshot wounds.")
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
