"Veterans Disarmament Bill" On Way To President: ..."The core of the
bill's problems is section 101(c)(1)(C), which makes you a 'prohibited
person' on the basis of a 'medical finding of disability,' so long as a
veteran had an 'opportunity' for some sort of 'hearing' before some
'lawful authority' (other than a court)," the organization [GOA] said in
a new criticism of the plan. "Presumably, this 'lawful authority' could
even by the psychiatrist himself," the organization said. "Note that
unlike with an accused murderer, the hearing doesn't have to occur. The
'lawful authority' doesn't have to be unbiased. The veteran is not
necessarily entitled to an attorney - much less an attorney financed by
the government," the group said.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59341
---
Oops, Wrong Store: A convenience store robbery-gone-wrong ended with one
suspect dead and westbound Interstate 10 traffic backed up for nearly
two hours Friday. Three armed suspects entered the Y and M Market in the
1500 block of Second Street in Coachella about 11:30 a.m., according to
the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. That's when they encountered
something they may not have expected. "The store clerk armed himself and
shot one of the suspects," Sheriff's Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela
said...The owner declined to comment on the incident, but neighbors said
the market has been around for at least 15 years and had been robbed
several times. The Desert Sun reported in January 2002 that a robbery
there left a suspect injured from two gunshot wounds. The owner said in
2002 it was the third time he was robbed at gunpoint in four years.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071221/NEWS0801/71221035/-1/newsfront
---
Officer, Citizen Both Indicted In Road-Rage Shooting: A Robbinsdale (MN)
police officer was indicted for allegedly making terroristic threats
during a confrontation in which the other driver shot him in the
leg...On Wednesday, Martin Treptow, 35, was charged with making
terroristic threats, as well as two other felonies: drive-by shooting
and reckless discharge of a firearm. Treptow, who has a gun permit, said
he shot Beard, without knowing he was an officer, to protect his wife
and two children who were in his vehicle the afternoon of June 7.
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/12666302.html
---
New York Man Convicted In Shooting Outside His Home: A Suffolk County
jury on Saturday night found a black man guilty of manslaughter for
shooting of an unarmed white teenager outside the man's house last year,
ending a racially charged trial...Mr. White was convicted of shooting
Daniel Cicciaro, 17, point-blank in the face on Aug. 9, 2006. Daniel and
several friends had left a party and showed up Mr. White's house just
after 11 p.m. to challenge his son Aaron, then 19, to a fight, and had
used threats, profanities and racial epithets. Mr. White awoke and
grabbed a loaded Beretta pistol he kept in the garage of his house in
Miller Place, a predominantly white hamlet on Long Island.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/nyregion/23trial.html?ref=nyregion
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1223missingstudent1223.html
---
Rule Five Reminder: Police say a 9-year-old Tempe boy has died after he
found a handgun and accidentally shot himself. Tempe police spokesman
Brandon Banks said Elijah Suppah was home alone with his younger sister
Friday evening when he shot himself in the neck. (Rule Five: Maintain
control of your firearm.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/217546
---
Tangentially Related: The incoming mayor of this city (Philadelphia) is
proposing a comprehensive plan of aggressive police tactics, including
limiting the movement of people in high-crime neighborhoods and
directing officers to increase searches of people on the street for
illegal weapons, all in a desperate effort to curtail gun violence and
stop the slayings of young black men. (At least, unlike NYC and Los
Angeles, law-abiding citizens can legally carry firearms in Philadelphia.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/22/AR2007122200384.html
---
From John Farnam:
18 Dec 07
Latest version of the "Liberator", from Firstlight:
Firstlight's latest version now has a strobe feature, similar to the one
featured on Blackhawk's Galdius flashlight. The switch is a continuous
pressure-bar. One end is "constant-on." The other is "strobe," so
one's thumb can select either option, without the necessity of involving
both hands.
K-9 units have been buying the Liberator with great enthusiasm, because
they so often have one hand occupied. They can hold a dog-leash, and a
flashlight, in the same hand, and still be able to operate the
flashlight without involving the other hand. This new version will be
even more useful.
It is a clever product, and one that deserves the attention of the LE
Community.
/John
(There is a belief in some quarters that a strobe light causes
disorientation. Some who lived through the 60's may question that.)
18 Dec 07
Sabre, revisited:
At the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando, FL, I had a chance to visit Sabre
Defense's booth, In fact, my friend and colleague, Mas Ayoob, was so
enthusiastic about their version of the AR-15, that he insisted I talk
with the Sabre folks and handle their rifle, made entirely in
Nashville, TN.
When Mas talks, I listen! So, I talked with their head guy, Dave Power,
and got a chance to handle their XR15 (Pro) Model. It was surely an
acceptable M4, but so many people are making AR-15s these days, I
probably didn't pay as close attention as I should have.
In any event, I have my own copy now, and, after using it for a while,
I've now added Sabre to my list of recommended 223 rifle manufacturers,
which include Robinson Arms, DSA, Rock River Arms, DPMS, and S&W. Sabre
is right up there with the best, and their customer service is excellent.
One feature one notices right away about the XR15 is its lightness! It
is the lightest of the lot. Hard to beat as a car-gun.
In the ultimate analysis, the Stoner System is inherently inferior to a
gas-piston rifle. However, every real American should own at least one
AR-15, because that is our currently military rifle, and all of us will
probably have to use one to defend ourselves during our lifetimes. It
just makes sense to own a copy!
/John
(One factor I considered in selecting a "Mixmaster" M1 Carbine as my
truck gun is that its loss in a theft of the vehicle would be easier to
afford than that of a more costly AR-15.)
20 Dec 07
Sage advice from a seasoned veteran in SA:
"At the range earlier this week, I relearned an old lesson.
A colleague challenged me to a duel. Ten rifle rounds at twenty meters
on a piece of copy paper. Fastest wins, provided he gets more hits than
his opponent. It's a common diversion over here!
We both shot LM4's, the civilianized version of the army's R4 (223),
which is SA's version of the Israeli Galil, which is Israel's version of
the Soviet Kalashnikov! The friend who challenged me is an
accomplished shooter, and his speciality is his stunning rate of fire.
I have seen few people who can fire as fast as he can.
Well, I strolled up to the line and formulated a battle-plan: move,
mount, sight, fire, catch the link, recover. Simple enough! When the
buzzer sounded, I got myself mounted, sights fell in place, and I fired
my first shot just about when my challenger's third was going off. I
knew my hits were good, so I quickened my pace, catching the link as my
sights settled back on target the instant the link snapped in. I fired
my last round a second after his last had gone off.
My challenger beat me on the time portion of the contest, but he had
only four hits, to my ten. I won!
Lessons re-learned. Know how fast you can shoot and routinely operate
just back from the edge of your envelope. Don't shoot faster than you
can hit!"
Comment: It can't be said too often: Slow down and hit! Practice your
entire routine, so that, as with a ballerina, there are no wasted
parts, no wasted motions.
No one will ever be impressed by the speed of your missed shots, just as
they're not impressed with the stylish paint job on the airplane that
never reaches its destination!
/John
("Catching the link," also known as "resetting the trigger," refers to
letting the trigger go forward, after the shot is fired, only as far as
the point where the shooter feels the click of the sear resetting. While
doing this may save a minute fraction of a second before the next shot
can be taken, I believe that its primary value is ensuring a consistent
grip on the firearm with the shooting hand, which, in turn, ensures a
consistent recoil arc, hence greater accuracy. With autoloading pistols
it also seem to render "limp-wristing" moot.)
20 Dec 07
Rohrbaugh R9 Pistol:
The Rohrbaugh R9 is the smallest 9mm autoloading pistol ever made, to
the best of my knowledge. It is a seven-shooter. In profile, it is no
bigger than my Kel-Tec 380, albeit a little thicker. Kahr and some
others also make excellent backup 9mm pistols, and I have several, but
the R9 holds the small-size record.
We've had several R9s in class, and I have to say they've all run fine.
The pistol is self-decocking (DAO), has no manual slide-lock lever, and
no manual safety. The slide does not lock to the rear when the last
round is fired, and the magazine release is in the butt, European
style. And, I suspect the pistol's useful life is well under ten
thousand rounds.
So, the R9 is slick, thin, and small, and, in Comp-Tac's "Left-Hand
Surprise " holster, it makes a formidable back-up. Henk Iverson, at
Strike Tactical, makes a similar left-hand, backup holster for the
Kel-Tec 380.
The manual advises owners of the R9 not to shoot +P ammunition through it.
When I brought this issue up to Mr Rohrbaugh himself at the SHOT Show,
he indicated that the use of +P ammunition would not break the pistol
but would shorten its life. However, I don't think anyone (certainly
not me!) is going to shoot this little pistol enough for any of that to
matter!
At $1,100.00 and change, the R9 is pricey, and it is assuredly NOT fun
to shoot. A dozen rounds at a sitting is plenty for me! However, as a
backup, it is hard to beat. I'm carrying my copy now, with Cor-Bon
PowerBall ammunition, in the LHS holster mentioned above. And, I'm
practicing shooting it with my left hand, unsupported, as that
represents the scenario that is the most likely.
With so many currently trying to get concealed pistols into their lives,
the little R9 has come along at the right time!
/John
(While many handguns that could be described as "fun to shoot" may
either be inappropriate for self-defense or impractical for concealed
carry, when someone describes a handgun as "NOT fun to shoot," the alarm
goes off for me. One must be mindful that a defensive handgun,
particularly one that is viewed as a backup [as I view each of the pair
that I carry] is likely to be fired under the worst, not the best of
conditions. John, at least, has the sense to train with his R9 under the
conditions he envisions for its use on the street. While the best 9mm
loads are +P, there are still a few standard-pressure loads available in
this chambering that developed good records in real shootings.)
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
