Community Watch, Texas Style: A man accused of raping a woman at
knifepoint in a Dallas apartment was beaten by an angry group of people
and shot at least twice, authorities said. The 26-year-old man, who was
not identified, underwent surgery Friday after being hit with a baseball
bat and shot, apparently once in the head, according to The Dallas
Morning News..."He got what he deserved," Sharon Ivy said. "You don't go
into (a) house ... do things to (a) momma and think it's all right. That
was just a community watch." ...The boyfriend and some others confronted
the suspect in the apartment, and a fight began. Police said the fight
led out into the parking lot, with an unknown number of people taking
part. The suspect in the rape eventually broke free and ran into another
apartment, where he was shot.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5527818.html
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: Alerts for the week (and there are a lot this week) are
posted on the NRA-ILA website.
http://www.nraila.org/
---
From John Farnam:
3 Feb 08
2008 SHOT Show, Las Vegas, NV, Second Day:
This is, of course, Super-Bowl Sunday, so the Show started clearing our
about a hour before the Big Game.
More notes:
Beretta is offering their PX4 Storm Pistol with both the "C" model,
("Constant-Action Trigger," Beretta's version of the DAK) and the "D"
model, with its longer trigger and longer reset. I can't imagine anyone
wanting a "D" model when the "C" is available, but Beretta continues to
make both. However, one useful feature of the "D" model is that the
hammer can be "double-dropped" on a dud round. The "C" model's hammer
cannot. None-the-less, my personal preference is the "C" model, and
that is what I carry.
On Beretta's Compact version of the PX4, a nice, small pistol, the
magazine floor-plate is hinged to provide a pinky-finger-shelf for even
the biggest hands. Extremely clever!
Gunvault, a company famous for quick-access lock-boxes, intended to be
kept in night-stands, now makes full-size gun-safes, with the same
raised, finger template! They are designed for quick access. However,
one model features an electronic fingerprint reader, so it is not only
extremely secure, but also continues to provide quick access. When the
finger-print reader proves reliable, this may be the start of a trend!
Blackhawk is marketing 511-style trousers and shirts with built-in
tourniquets! The tourniquet is concealed, but already around your arms
and leg, in two separate places. All you need do is tighten it when
necessary. These garments may prove useful for people wearing lots of
gear. You don't have to take any gear off in order to apply a tourniquet!
Blackhawk's famous "Galdius" flashlight is being superceded by the
"Gladius Maximis." Looks and works the same, but puts our nearly twice
the light!
ASP is marketing "air-weight" handcuffs. They are extremely light and
handy, making it possible for nearly any officer, no matter what his
capacity, to always have a set of cuffs on him.
ASP's famous expandable baton now features the "lever-lock." It extends
centrifugally, as before, but elegantly collapses with a simple twist of
the extended segments. An end-cap with ceramic, glass-breaking spikes
is also available, making it possible to break car-glass with a modest
and low-profile strike. One may even combine an extendable baton with a
high-output, LED flashlight. Makes a versatile tool that performs three
separate tasks!
Surefire is finally manufacturing Matt Graham's famous "Combat Ring."
It is a rubber ring and finger ring that fits onto the end of most
Surefire flashlights and facilitates the "Graham Method" of holding both
pistol and flashlight together. With distinct advantages over both the
Harries and Goode flashlight techniques, I'll be evaluating the Graham
Method over the next few months. The whole kit retails for under ten
dollars!
Among Cold Steel's new products this year is the "Kudo" folding knife.
It is Lynn Thompson's interpretation of the low-tech folders
traditionally made in South Africa, and it is his expression of
admiration for the determined ingenuity of non-technical people.
Inexpensive and rugged, the Kudo is designed as a utility knife that
anyone can own.
Filson, famous for rugged outerwear, is introducing, finally, their line
of clothing intended for women. Lots of interest!
Steel M-16 magazines are appealing to many, because of their strength
advantage over aluminum. C-Products is a popular manufacturer, as I've
mentioned before. Another is the "Fusil," marketed by Elite Arms. My
copies of Fusils run very well indeed.
Speaking of M-16 Magazines, Magpul's plastic model runs fine too. I
have one copy, and it runs well in all my rifles. An excellent feature
of Magpul's magazine is that each comes with a locking "cap" that is
designed to keep upward cartridge pressure off the magazine lips. It
does that, but it also seals a fully-charged magazine, protecting
ammunition from the elements. It is also extremely handy for air
travel, as TSA insists all ammunition loaded into magazines be
"protected" on the feeding end. Magpul's magazine cap satisfies TSA
and gets ammunition out of sight. Excellent feature!
Magpul's long-awaited "Masada" 223 rifle is now going to be
manufactured, under license, by Bushmaster. It is called the "ACR,"
Adaptive Combat Rifle, and Bushmaster is already promoting it!
First-Light has added the "Tomahawk" to their line. A short,
right-angle tactical flashlight with a rubber, finger ring, it is
compact and bright. I like the small size! I'll be working with a copy.
Action Target's "Evil Roy" portable steel pistol target is perennially
popular as is their "Dueling-Tree." Both are extremely well designed and
very useful on the range. Action target knows steel!
More tomorrow!
(Note that any flashlight technique that couples the beam with the
muzzle is likely to violate Rule Two as searching with the muzzle means
the you will be pointing it at many things you don't intend to shoot,
possibly including innocent bystanders.)
/John
4 Feb 08
2008 SHOT Show, Las Vegas, NV, Third Day:
More items of note:
Aluma-Grips now makes thin, aluminum grip panels for the Browning
Hi-Power, as well as for the 1911 Pistol. Aluma-Grips make the pistol
thin and easy to carry concealed. I love them, and I surely wish they
would expand their line to include other popular pistols!
Eric Rohrbaugh, of Rohrbaugh Pistols, examined my copy of the R9 and
found it to be within factory specifications and eminently serviceable,
after digesting 250 rounds of +P 9mm ammunition, mostly DPX and
PowerBall. Although Rohrbaugh doesn't recommend +P ammunition for this
pistol, I assured him that was ALL I ever shot in it! I am not
concerned about shooting +P ammunition through my R9, not that I ever
was! I consider it a very acceptable backup gun.
Tactical Design's "Professional" duty holster is making a comeback. The
trend in duty holsters has been to load them up with multiple
release-levers, to the point where a quick draw becomes all but
impossible. It's the wrong direction! The molded nylon professional
holster has only one release button, and the pistol automatically
re-secures itself instantly the moment it is reholstered.
My old friend, Brian Hoffner, is making the ingenious "Tac-Rail" system,
where a tactical package (rifle magazines, shotgun ammunition, IBDs,
smoke grenades, et al) can be instantly attached to a patrolman's duty
belt, and detached just as fast. Excellent way to have emergency gear
handy!
Fred Choate, of Choate Industries, now has magazine extensions for
nearly every shotgun made. Also on display were folding/collapsible
stocks for many rifles and shotguns. Everything Fred makes is
top-drawer! His shotgun magazine extensions are among the few I would
ever trust.
The Taurus 24/7, compact Version, makes a nice package! The trigger has
a long, light take-up and a shallow, distinctive reset. It is basically
a Glock with a two-position, manual safety, but ergonomics are wonderful.
Mossburg is now offering a clever, segmented stock on plastic-furnitured
12ga and 20ga pump shotguns. Segments can be added and removed in order
to instantly alter the stock's length. Excellent way to correctly fit
small-statured shooters!
John Ring, of Ring's Simulators, maker of the wonderful "Blue Guns" that
we use all the time in Retention and Disarm training, is now offering a
series of realistic-looking weapon props for force-on-force scenarios.
He had on display several large pipe wrenches, crow bars, and hammers
(made of rubber) that were so realistic looking I was astonished! Great
stuff.
Dave Skinner, at STI, has a new, small, thin, 9mm, 1911 pistol, called
the "Rogue." It is designed to compete directly with SA's excellent
EMP. Again, the concealment market in America is hot!
At the DSA booth, on prominent display were the "Spartan" series of
FAL's and AR-15s. Inspired by friend and colleague, John Krupa, Spartan
rifles make liberal use of parts treated with Robbie Baarkman's
incomparable NP3 coating. Light, short, and extremely reliable, even by
DSA standards, these are excellent, fighting weapons. I love mine!
The AXR is an American-made AUG that takes AR-15 magazines. We all
liked it. Very well put together. AUG fans now have a place to go!
Hi-Viz is now making a light-tube, AR-15 front sight. Light-gathering
is exceptional, and it provides a front sight one can really see
clearly, even through the small, rear peep.
A friend at Springfield Armory asked me if I thought poorly of their XD
pistol. I asked whatever gave her that idea! As I've said on numerous
occasions, we see many XDs in Classes, and they run fine. They have a
few sharp edges that need to be rounded, and the grip safety, when not
depressed completely, prevents the slide from moving all the way back.
Those are the pistol's only two real weak points, and the former is
easily corrected. The latter can be address in training. SA is a fine,
American, gun company, and, like all America gun companies, I want to
see them widely successful! Next time you see me, I may be carrying an XD!
Last day tomorrow!
/John
5 Feb 08
2008 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, NV, Last Day:
The 2008 SHOT Show is now officially over. It is a big trade show, and
I didn't get to see some things I intended to, but the great strength of
our industry was on display, and I suspect the rest of 2008, an election
year, will see brisk trading indeed:
Some additional notes:
I took a closer look at Ruger's LCP, 380Auto Pistol today. Unlike the
Kel-Tec version, Ruger's has a manual slide lock and a distinctively
shallow trigger reset, both significant improvements. This is going to
be a popular concealment gun for some and back-up gun for others. The
LCP represents a marketing masterstroke by Ruger!
Ruger's larger SR9 pistol garnered interest also, as it represents
Ruger's active competition with Glock, SIG, S&W, Beretta, and H&K.
Surely useable, but the trigger's substantial over-travel will
negatively influence accuracy.
Ruger's excellent five-shot snubby, the SP101, comes well-melted and
with the hammer spur removed. Nice concealment pistol!
Charles Daly is, along with everyone else it seems, now marketing an
AR-15, as well as both single and double-column 1911 pistols. They look
and feel nice to me!
The "Shadow Shield" is an ingenious barricade that is a large,
continuous mirror on the front side (except for a small observation
hole)! When tilted slightly downward, the mirror reflects the ground in
front of it back forward. The effect is that whoever is standing behind
it effectively vanishes! Designed for covert observation, The Shadow
Shield, like a chameleon, instantly adapts to whatever terrain it is
being used on. Amazing!
LiveSight produces conventional, paper targets, featuring good guys and
bad guys, printed with a 3-D pattern! When observed normally, the
target looks out-of-focus, but, through 3-D glasses, the target takes on
a life-like, three-dimensional appearance. The effect is eerie indeed!
The three-dimensional effect is retained, even when one eye is closed.
This target will add realism to training, but wearing 3-D glasses is
disorienting and, after a few minutes, nauseating. Sessions will have
to be short.
Glock's "SF" (for "Short Frame") modification, now standard on the G21
and G30, makes the trigger reach slightly shorter, contributes to a
generally improved grip, and thus represents a positive improvement. I
predict the "SF" modification will quickly become standard on all
Glocks's models. It certainly should!
The 2009 SHOT Show will be back in Orlando, FL.
/John
(Invariably, every year I am asked a few times if I will be attending
the SHOT Show. No doubt there is an occasional quantum-leap product that
debuts there but, if it's that great, I will either hear of it or see it
within the year. I continue to believe that the operator is more crucial
than the equipment and prefer to spend my vacation time and travel
dollars on training, typically at IALEFI conferences these days.
Remember, this comment comes from a guy who still carries revolvers.)
8 Feb 08
2008 has been the snowiest winter in the history of the state of WI!
By five pm Wednesday, most of Madison's streets were unplowed, had at
least a foot of snow, and were littered with abandoned cars, trucks and
busses. Everything in the City abruptly stopped!
An unexpected catastrophe took place out on Highway 90/94. A
nineteen-mile stretch just south of Madison became impassable and
stranded over eight-hundred cars! All those cars, AND THEIR OCCUPANTS,
were still there the next morning, twelve hours later. No one could get
to them. The snow was too deep, and wind reduced visibility to zero
while creating monstrous drifts. Some didn't live through it!
Four lessons here:
(1) Don't travel lightly! Be always prepared. Have what you need to
live through foreseeable unpleasantries. Warm clothing, food and water,
and appropriate arms and ammunition should be in the kit of every motor
vehicle. Keep your gas tank full!
(2) Pay attention! Don't blunder into known/predictable emergency
situations. Smart people don't try to drive through storms!
(3) Have a well-tuned "This-Is-Not-A-Good-Idea" internal alarm. And,
when your "TINAGI" alarm goes off, pause and listen! Getting caught in
a life-threatening circumstance that was easily avoidable is pretty stupid!
(4) Don't expect someone from "the government" to rescue you! Police,
fire, and all other public emergency services are, in most areas,
inadequate to address even "normal" circumstances. During a wide-spread
calamity, they are all, in short order, hopelessly overwhelmed! They'll
be no one to help you. You'll be on your own!
/John
(When seconds count, the police are minutes away. When disasters occur,
the waits are longer. In some communities fire departments or other EMS
providers offer emergency medical training through Community Emergency
Response Team [CERT] programs.)
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
