The Wakefulness Thing: Several days ago I shared a link about a
20-year-old volunteer firefighter in California who is facing a felony
charge for firing a shotgun to detain a man who was assaulting a woman
outside the defendant's home. In explaining his precipitous action, he
stated, "Had I been more awake, I probably wouldn't have gone outside."
I commented that the first few minutes one is awake one is functioning
at a similar level as just being over the legal line of alcohol
intoxication. This prompted an angry response from one former Marine and
later, similar but, more moderate comments from a former volunteer
firefighter.
The former demanded that I share his reply with the list, which I did.
Since then:
* One list member contacted Bill Lewinski, director of Force Science
Research Center. Lewinski replied that people who have just
awakened do suffer from varying degrees of cognitive impairment,
for varying periods of time. Such impairment may extend to
difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality. The rate of
recovery from such impairment may improve with practice, such as
for mothers who wake at the cry of their babies, soldiers in
combat, and career firefighters.
* Another list member replied that while he no longer has the
articles, he recalls a set of studies, about 15 years ago, in
which EEG's were performed to measure alertness in subjects under
a wide range of consciousness, including under the influence of
alcohol and other drugs and in various states relating to sleep or
sleep deprivation. His recollection is that post-sleep recovery
time ranged from 15 seconds to 15 minutes.
* One astute list member pointed out the value of dogs in giving the
earliest alert of a possible intruder, potentially increasing the
time frame for recovery from sleep.
* It appears that I may have confused some other article warning of
the waking state with an FSRC article that included a specific
comparison of 20 hours without sleep to a BAC (Blood Alcohol
Content) of 0.1%, the old legal limit for non-commercial drivers.
* Having said all that, I will summarize my thoughts. There are many
factors, individual and otherwise, including recent sleep history,
that may affect how quickly one returns to normal function after
waking and how impaired one may be during the recovery period.
Odious as the comparison with alcohol appears to be for a couple
of list members I will persist with two comparisons. One of the
problems with DUI is that drivers who are in the early stages of
impairment often fail to realize that they are impaired. Also,
experienced, heavy drinkers learn to drive without obvious signs
of impairment at BAC's that would produce obviously impaired
driving in "lightweight" drinkers. For those of you who are
convinced that you are functioning at 100% capacity as soon as
your feet hit the floor, I use the words of my former teaching
partner - "It's your gunfight." For the rest of us I counsel not
engaging if not immediately necessary until you are sure that
you're fully awake. Obviously, if someone has broken into your
bedroom, you have little or no choice. However, if you must leave
the safe room or the house itself, make sure you really know what
you're doing. Lastly, in at least one forum discussion among
serious people, several mentioned that they choose not to keep a
firearm accessible until they have arisen from bed to retrieve it.
This is an issue that each person needs to decide individually;
mine are kept where I can access them in bed but not without
making a conscious effort to do so.
---
One More in the Wrong Column: A 70-year-old woman shot and killed her
former daughter-in-law in the parking lot of the preschool where the
young teacher worked, Utah police said Saturday. Mary Nance Hanson is
accused of firing multiple shots into the car of Tetyana Nikitina, 34,
as she prepared to leave Friday from the Salt Lake Community Action
Program Head Start school. Police said the suspect called 911 and was
waiting at the scene when officers arrived. When asked why she had fired
the shots, she told a 911 dispatcher, "I don't know, and that's all I'm
going to say." ... Hanson, a concealed weapons permit holder, was booked
into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of murder. She lives in
Taylorsville, as did Nikitina... ( fear that the fact that Utah allows
permittees to carry on school grounds will become a red herring in this
case.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/30/AR2010013001593.html?hpid=sec-education
---
Arizona May Protect Hunting and Fishing: A group of state legislators
and gun-rights advocates wants to make hunting and fishing a
constitutional right in Arizona. Rep. Jerry Weiers, R-Glendale, has
proposed House Concurrent Resolution 2008. It states that citizens would
have a right to "hunt, fish and harvest wildlife" and make public
hunting and fishing the "preferred means of managing and controlling
wildlife." If supported by the Legislature, the resolution would put a
proposed constitutional amendment on an upcoming ballot for the voters
to consider. If approved by voters, it would become Arizona's 36th
right. The state's 35 constitutional rights include the right to
petition and assemble, right to bear arms and the right to a trial by
jury. Ten states include hunting and fishing rights in their
constitutions. In Arizona, a similar bill failed two years ago. It was
opposed by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and environmental
groups... (While the Arizona State Constitution, Article 2, � 23,
guarantees a trial by jury, historically, this right has not been
extended to those charged with most misdemeanors unless the misdemeanor
is one of a growing list created by the appellate courts.)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/01/31/20100131politics-hunting0131.html
---
The Backup Gun Reviewed: ...A generation ago, just about all law
enforcement agencies fielded revolvers and my outfit was no different. I
was fortunate to work for an agency that took officer safety seriously
and provided officers with a 4 inch service revolver and a more compact
snub for backup and off duty use. Since our duties took us far off the
beaten path, a large percentage of the troops routinely carried their
snubs as a backup. We all pretty much felt that if we got ourselves in a
jam, the "New York reload" of producing the backup gun would be far more
efficient than trying to top off our primary with speedloaders or loose
rounds. When pistols replaced revolvers as the sidearm of choice,
attitudes relative to BUGs began to shift. Many officers suddenly felt
that lugging a second gun around was no longer worth the effort. After
all, they reasoned "If I run my piece low or dry, I can reload my pistol
in the blink of an eye." Maybe so, but my belief is that such thinking
misses the point... (This article is shared for two reasons. I recommend
carrying at least two handguns for several reasons, the foremost being
that doing so allows keeping a gun available to be drawn and fired with
either hand. Secondly, the issues involving the carry of a backup gun
[BUG] by a police officer generally are the same as for carrying any
concealed handgun.)
http://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/articles/1997266-Backup-gun-strategies-for-the-police-professional/
---
The Tribulations of Compact Handguns: ...You cannot simply treat your
defensive handgun as if it were some anti-virus software. You know,
install and update (you do update your virus software, don't you?) and
forget about it while it runs in the background. This is a handgun, not
a magic talisman. You have to feed it the ammo it likes. So test your
selected carry ammo in your carry gun, and make sure it does not give
you these kinds of problems. But how to test? Simple, test one round to
endurance. If you're shooting a revolver, load the cylinder and fire one
less than capacity. Reload, and fire one less again, leaving the same
cartridge unfired both times. It has now been subjected to ten or twelve
recoil impulses. Pull it out of the cylinder and compare it to an
unfired cartridge. Any difference in length, and you can't use that ammo
in your revolver. Do the same with a pistol; load and fire all but one,
extract it from the chamber, load it first in the mag again and repeat
another magazine's worth. Any shorter? Then you can't use that ammo...
(As to revolvers, I favor full-weight guns and, where weight reduction
is truly needed, nothing lighter than an aluminum frame with steel
cylinder, as in S&W's Airweights and the discontinued Colt Cobras and
Agents. At that, personally, I stick with the standard-pressure 125 gr.
Nyclad hollowpoint in these guns, which I socked away when it was
discontinued by Federal, several years ago. It has been reintroduced but
I've yet to see it for sale and I just checked AmmoEngine.com. Like the
Colt models mentioned, S&W K-frame Airweight revolvers are out of
production but if you can locate a Model 12, you will find that it's
much more pleasant to shoot than it's J-frame lightweight brethren.)
http://gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/The%2BEternal%2BTradeoff
---
More Thoughts on Revolvers for Concealment: ...I recently came across a
revolver that met most of Ed's criteria. Gathering dust on a shelf in
one of my favorite gun shops was a Smith & Wesson Model 65. It was a
police trade-in from the time when revolvers were almost every cop's
sidearm. Over the past twenty years, law enforcement agencies have
steadily traded in their revolvers for semi-autos. This has been a boon
for wheel-gunners, as many of these trade-ins have been carried much and
shot little, and most won't bust your budget. The Model 65 is a
stainless steel, fixed sight, bull-barreled six shooter chambered in
357 Magnum. The one I found had a 3" barrel and a round butt grip
frame, and it was a perfect candidate for conversion to a snubby... (The
longer I do this, the more I favor three-inch barrels for concealed
carry. The added weight over a two-inch barrel not only dampens recoil,
it helps stabilize the gun against a hurried trigger stroke. The added
length will give .38 Special loads a welcome boost in velocity. In an
IWB holster, the added barrel length is no harder to conceal. I have
seen short women who have trouble clearing leather with a three-inch
barrel and the shorter barrel does fit better in a pocket although a
Model 65 is not what most people would attempt to conceal in a pocket.
In the last year or two of revolver issue, NYPD was encouraging new
recruits to choose a three-inch duty revolver so they could carry the
same gun on and off duty and the three-inch Model 65 mentioned above was
the last revolver issued by the FBI.)
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=35340
---
A Solution in Search of a Problem: ...This year, the highest-tech gun
belonged to Armatix. The German firm has an electronic safety that
automatically disables the pistol when it's not within a few inches of a
custom wristwatch. The watch sends a wireless arming signal to the gun.
If the gun is picking up a signal from the watch, a green LED on the
back lights up. Try squeezing the handle without wearing the watch, and
you will see a red warning light. Anyone can pick up a limited edition
version of the pistol for about 7,000 euro, which is pretty steep for a
22cal plinker. They start shipping next month. (At today's rate, 7,000
euro is approximately $9,700. In the long-run, this is probably
immaterial because this pistol is basically a proving platform for
technology to be applied to more serious handguns. "Smart" guns are not
a smart idea, for most users, most of the time. Prior electronic efforts
have focused on biometrics, a concept that may not allow the gun to fire
if grasped in the opposite hand or in an unconventional grip, perhaps
due to injury. How close must the Dick Tracy watch be for the Armatix
pistol to fire? the opposite wrist? If so, it will likely fire if an
officer is in a struggle over the pistol, whether it is in the hand of
the officer or the assailant. If not, it won't fire if the officer needs
to shoot from the non-dominant hand. There is a very limited role for
these "safety" devices but, once they become commercially available,
they may be imposed on all of us. As I recall, New Jersey has already
mandated "smart" guns, as soon as the technology becomes available.)
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/01/high-tech-guns-digital-revolvers-koosh-bullets-and-triple-tasers
---
JB Bore Paste - for the Precision Riflemen: Ever since it's introduction
there have been heated debates into the wee hours of the night about JB
Bore Paste, pitting man and beast against each other about it's
miraculous cures for severely fouled bores and how others were ready for
the scrap yard by merely opening the jar near any barrel in the house.
Well Ladies and Gent's it is time to dispel all the myths surrounding
this diminutive ivory jar, that has carried many of us benchrest
shooters over the threshold into the "Benchrest Hall of Fame". Before we
get into the "PROPER" use of JB Bore Paste lets dissect the process that
takes place within the bores of our firearms that cause the degradation
to their inherent accuracy... (Brownells is a vendor of the products
discussed and obviously has a vested interest in their sale. However,
for anyone seeking to maximize accuracy from a precision rifle or regain
it from a hunting rifle, this article may offer some new and useful
information. I have made it a point to bookmark it for future use.)
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=12950/guntechdetail/Benchrest_Shooting?mc_ID=2033
---
From John Farnam:
24 Jan 10
One More Thing:
I've been asked about S&W's "Bodyguard/38"
It was indeed on display at this week's SHOT Show, along with the
"Bodyguard/380" (upon which I did comment).
Both are small, personal pistols, with integral lasers.
The 380 version is interesting, and I can see its merit for some
consumers. At the time, I didn't think the revolver was interesting
enough to comment on, but I was apparently wrong, so here they are:
I struck me that the Bodyguard/38, with its simplified mechanics and
liberal use of plastic, is similar to Ruger's LCR. Price is similar too.
The cylinder-release latch is on the top of this little pistol, rather
than on the left side, where S&W has put it since 1895. As I handled
the gun, it took me the better part of a minute to figure out how to
load it!
I'm sure it is perfectly functional, but, who want a snubby revolver for
concealed carry, will probably be better served by S&W's existing 340PD.
Between Crimson Trace and Lasermax, one can now easily retrofit nearly
any pistol with a laser.
/John
(I fear we see the birth of a new fad - polymer-frame revolvers. From my
perspective, the introduction of the Pro series 640, with dovetails fore
and aft to mount more visible sights, is of greater import. As I
commented earlier, this may give those who want the HexSite, as well as
many other sight systems, the means to install them on a small-frame
revolver.)
25 Jan 10
Opportunity!
From an Instructor:
"... just bought a new SIG/556 Rifle... best part about the deal is that
is was on sale for $1,200.00, with an additional $300.00 rebate from SIG!
So, I got a 556 for less than most ARs!
.. for those who want a superlative military rifle, like the SIG/556,
now is the time!"
Comment:
"Opportunity knocks, but seldom nags!"
/John
(I'm sure that this is a good rifle. One reason to consider sticking
with an AR-15 variant, if you're contemplating your first purchase of an
"Evil Black Rifle," is the greater availability of spare parts and at
lower price for that system.)
27 Jan 10
Small, 380Auto Pistols:
Kahr, SIG, Kel-Tec, Taurus, Ruger, and now S&W have all recently united
in producing small, thin, single-column 380Auto pistols, the smallest
ever made in that caliber, designed specifically for concealed carry
for those for whom going armed is a delicate, often embarrassing, issue
and who must therefore carry with a high degree of discretion and secrecy.
Retailers tell me that five-shot, snubby 38Spl revolvers, from S&W,
Ruger, and Taurus, have, for at least the past three decades, been top
sellers. Seldom actually shot, but often carried, these little
revolvers are everywhere and continue to sell well.
However, it strikes me that small 380Auto pistols are now taking over
that market! The pervasive, continuing scarcity of 380Auto ammunition
alone is prima-facie evidence of that!
Other driving factors include increased ammunition capacity (seven shots
instead of five), thinness, reduced recoil, and rapidity/adroitness of
reloading.
As a serious caliber, the 380Auto is limited, as we all know. For that
matter, the 38Spl suffers from many of the same limitations. Happily,
modern, high-performance ammunition, like Cor-Bon's DPX, have upgraded
practical effectiveness significantly. And, while so limited, the
380Auto is still indisputably superior to remaining alternatives: the
32ACP, 25ACP, and 22LR.
For doctors, attorneys, nurses, ambulance crews, 7-11 clerks,
taxi-drivers, pizza delivery-guys, and a host of others for whom
discrete concealed-carry is a pseudo-profane, but desperate, necessity,
legitimate choices, until now, have been profoundly limited.
Not any more!
/John
(Some people may opt for a .380 for reduced recoil. Historically,
pistols in this caliber have operated by direct blowback; models with
locking breeches generally have less felt recoil. Even with reduced
recoil, handguns get very difficult to shoot accurately when they get
too small; make sure that the pistol is manageable for its intended user
before plunking down your money. I remain concerned about the ammunition
supply. Apparently the greater scarcity of .380 ammo was a combination
of two factors - increased demand for the caliber as thousands rushed to
get carry permits this past year and the need to shut down production of
9x19mm ammo I order to produce this 9x17mm round. If it happened once,
it can happen again.)
27 Jan 10
Battery Issue, from a friend in FL:
"I was at the movies yesterday and found it necessary to use my small
flashlight to find something I had dropped. It is a tube-light and
powered by
two, 123 lithium batteries. They were many months old and on their last
legs. The light kept going dim.
At home later in the evening, I heard what sounded like a small
explosion in the kitchen. My flashlight, which I had left on the
counter with the intention of replacing batteries, was still in its
belt-holder. When I picked it up, it was so hot I was forced to drop it!
The light had exploded with enough force to blow out the lens in front,
and push-button in the back.
Batteries themselves were corroded and leaking.
I cleaned up the mess, replaced the batteries with new ones, reassembled
the light, and it now, once again, works normally."
Comment: While unusual, this happens now and then. We all have, and
carry, flashlights. Check your batteries now and then!
Corroded/leaking batteries need to be replaced immediately. After
several months, all batteries need to be replaced, just to insure your
light is up to par when you need it.
Don't neglect your critical equipment!
/John
(Most of the newer "tactical" flashlights use lithium batteries, which
have a substantially longer shelf life than other types; SureFire says
ten years for theirs. The shift to LED's has done wonders to increase
the life of these batteries once they go into use. More comments follow.)
28 Jan 10
More on exploding flashlights, from a friend in the System:
"The culprit here is nearly always cheap, foreign-made batteries,
usually from China! This issue was identified on our military-side over
a year ago. As is the case with serious ammunition, high-quality,
domestically-produced batteries are always best.
In addition, it is poor practice to mix new batteries with
mostly-expended ones, within the same flashlight. When replacing
batteries, replace all of them at once, with new ones. Old batteries,
regardless of suspected remaining life, need to be discarded. Do not
retain them, as they are more trouble than they are worth, and they
should never again find their way into serious equipment, except under
exigent circumstances.
Make it personal policy, when it is time to replace batteries, to
replace all, at once, with fresh ones!
Our relentless insistence upon top quality doesn't end with firearms,
holsters, sights, nor flashlights, but well and truly extends to the
ammunition and batteries we put in them!"
Comment: Looks as if China is a poor source for baby-toys, ammunition,
.. and batteries!
/John
(I have been told by a reliable source that SureFire sells lithium
batteries for their products at cost. Current prices are $21.00 per
dozen for the 123A battery used by most models; I assume that this does
not include shipping. While not cheap, it certainly beats the price of
$6.12 per battery, plus tax, which was the best I could do back in the
late 90's. As I hope is clear from the preceding reports, this is not a
good area to go for bargain-basement alternatives.)
From AzCDL:
Four pro-rights bills are scheduled for committee hearings next week.
SB 1098, the "Firearms Freedom Act," will be heard in the Senate
Judiciary Committee on Monday, February 1, 2009.
SB 1102, the AzCDL-requested "Constitutional Carry" bill, will also be
heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.
HB 2347, the House version of SB 1102 (Constitutional Carry), will be
heard in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee on
Wednesday, February 3, 2010.
SB 1011, authorizing college and university faculty members, with CCW
permits, to possess a concealed firearm on campus, will be heard in the
Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee on Wednesday, February
3, 2010.
We urge you to contact the committee members on these bills and WE'VE
MADE IT EASIER FOR YOU!
AzCDL has added a Legislative Action Center to improve YOUR ability to
contact Arizona legislators and share your opinion at
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/home/ . This is the same interface used by Gun
Owners of America and many other successful organizations.
To take action on the above bills from AzCDL's Legislative Action Center
home page, click on "Issues," then click on "Legislative Alerts and
Updates" (
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/?style=D&). There you will find
a list of the bills mentioned in this Alert that require action.
Clicking on any one of them will take you to an editable letter. You
can add your own text or send it as is, after filing in the required
fields. WE WILL NOT SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH ANYONE! We
also recommend keeping the "remember me" box checked so that next time
you send a letter there will be less work to do.
Our Legislative Action Center is new to us also. If you spot any errors
or have any suggestions, please let us know by sending an email to
[email protected].
In other news, the following bills recently passed out of committee.
HB 2307, the House version of SB 1098 (Firearms Freedom Act), passed out
of the House Judiciary Committee by a 5-2 vote, with one member absent,
on January 28, 2010.
SB 1172, which improves the language in Arizona's school gun safety
program statutes, passed out of the Senate Education and Accountability
Reform Committee, by a unanimous 7-0 vote, on January 27, 2010.
The normal process for any bill passing out of a committee is to go to
their respective chambers Rules Committee. The following bills are due
to be heard Monday, February 1, 2010 in the Senate Rules Committee:
SB 1021, which incorporates defensive display into the statutes
regarding the justification for deadly force.
SB 1153, knife preemption.
SB 1172, school gun safety improvements.
Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via
these Alerts.
You can also follow AzCDL on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts
and Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .
AzCDL's Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Renew your membership today!
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html
Copyright � 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
The tactics and skills to use a firearm
in self-defense don't come naturally
with the right to keep and bear arms.
http://www.spw-duf.info
