1 Nov 06

I apologize for taking so long on this. Our new contact in Iraq is:

Gy/Sgt O’Toole
MWSS 373/MP Platoon
Unit # 41116
FPO AP 96426-1116
brian.otoole@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

He will see to it that all care packages get to the Marines who need it most. Many thanks to everyone for their generosity. Let’s not let these guys get the impression they’ve been forgotten!

/John

 

3 Nov 06

Too much information?

In Western Civilization, one of our cultural mantras is, “The more information, the better.” We steadfastly believe that more information is always better than less, and that all information, no matter how banal, is important. That philosophy has surely penetrated the Pentagon. We know this is true, because the Army wants, among other dubious “features,” an electronic “round counter” to be integral with the next generation of infantry rifles. Presumably, this will take the form of an LED display somewhere on the rifle that will let the shooter know how many rounds remain in his current magazine.

However, effective fighters are successful, not just because they have lots of information, but because they are able to identify, separate out, and concentrate on the few pieces of really important information, while brushing aside the rest. They thus move smoothly through the fight, unfailingly setting the agenda, always thinking ahead of, and thus outmaneuvering, their opponent(s).

Among fighters, naively believing that all information is of equal value is a fatal error. In fact, when fighting, most information is of no value at all, and much of it is of negative value. Being able to quickly separate the significant from the insignificant is an art, and true fighting is more art than science!

Filling young fighters’ heads with all manner of chaffy information while the fight is still in progress is counterproductive, indeed delay-inducing. While fighting, one can manage only so much, and only the few most important things need concern the fighter. The rest can be considered “clutter,” and the less of it vying for his attention, the better.

The Air Force discovered this when fighter pilots complained that their heads-up displays contained way too much information, most of it of such scant concern during actual fighting, it could be considered trivial. During a fight, pilots need to know only a few things, and non-critical trivia need not be constantly flashing in front of them, competing for their attention!

I hope the Army is not trying to turn infantry rifles into “miniature flight decks!”

/John

 

3 Nov 06

“Challenge by Choice,” from a friend and instructor in SA:

“Our ultimate goal for our students is, of course, Unconscious, Competence, where no witting thought must be expended in order to figure out the next action. The Master simply performs, with smooth, seamless coordination, doing what needs to be done at the exact, right moment, whilst assimilating input in order to seamlessly flow into the next required action.

To the uninitiated, it will seem that this process is destined to take quite some time. However, I have personally witnessed students, within two days, achieving a surprising level of competence, and I honestly believe the only reason these students can perform to this level in such a short period of time is the fact that they earnestly, yes, even selfishly, lust after this capability and desperately want it for themselves. This viewpoint has now just been confirmed for me.

I ran a course for a group who had each been designated an ‘instructor’ by their local departments. Everyone passed at the legislated minimum competency level (any chimpanzee could do this!), but many were unable to do much better. This same group returned to the range today in order to have another go at qualifying. It’s been only a week, but the instant shooting started, it became excruciatingly clear that much of what had been taught, had already been lost. Stances, grips, and trigger manipulation had all badly deteriorated. The bright spot was that those few who showed a genuine, personal interest and a strong will to learn (the same ones who arrived early to help with range set-up and who stayed late to help with clean-up) had retained much more of what had been taught than had the average student.

Students who come to us because they want to will always vastly outperform those who come because they have to. They comprise the priesthood wherein this priceless body of knowledge resides and flourishes. This is why a uniform is no guarantee of personal competence.

In the coming, world conflagration, once technology has been blown to bits, and all the machines have died, it may well be the committed, civilian shooting community that determines the next course of world history!”

Comment: Goethe puts it: “Until one is personally invested, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless grand ideas and splendid plans:

The moment one irreversibly commits himself, Providence turns!

Helpful things come to pass, that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of incidents, meetings, and material assistance, which no one could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you do, or dare, begin it. In audacity there is genius, power and magic. Begin now!”

/John

 

3 Nov 06

Excellent comments on electronic, rifle round counters, from a friend in the System:

“The intent here has little to do with a soldier’s need for information. It is a matter of ‘round accountability’ and the individual soldier’s responsibility for every bullet expended. It has nothing to with the welfare of the soldier, and everything to do with efficiently manufacturing scapegoats and assigning blame. The real effect is to provide erstwhile unemployed bean-counters with yet something else to count!

A more pernicious result is to make young soldiers leery of ever using their weapons, because of the extreme likelihood of them being thrown to the wolves during inevitable post-shooting recriminations.

In short, the Army isn’t trying to turn infantry rifles into ‘miniature flight-decks,’ but rather into ‘miniature flight-recorders’ for the benefit, and entertainment, of post-combat, armchair analysts!”

Comment: Ogden Nash:

“Justice has been rerouted
From present to future tense;
The law is so in love with the law
It’s forgotten common sense!

Does man now serve the law, I ask,
When law was made by man?
Or, law still serve its rightful task
protecting men from Man?”

/John

 

6 Nov 06

On the worsening crisis in Western Europe, from a friend and student in Belgium:

“I concur! With our the current, elected ‘leadership,’ Western Europe is spiraling into chaos. With ever-more-restrictive gun laws, we’re all starting to hope that the inevitable armed conflict starts sooner, rather than later. At least now, some of us have the means, skills, and determination to put up a credible defense. When all are disarmed and castrated, which is the clear aim of our politicians, we’ll be promptly slaughtered like sheep. It’s happened here before!

European politicians (much like yours in the States) do not like those of us who still own guns. They see us as a threat to them and their lust for power. They look upon all citizens as utterly expendable cannon fodder who exist only to serve them, and they self-righteously resent the fact that some of us don’t see things the same way!”

Comment: Politicians are all alike, here and there!

“When there is no justice in the land, a nation’s administrators are little more than a gang of criminals.”

Augustine

/John

 

7 Nov 06

With the holiday travel season upon us, here is some flying advice from a friend and student who travels even more than I do:

“Be informed and self-contained. Don’t put yourself in a position where you have to rely on the benevolence of the airline, TSA, or airport officials. They’re mostly incompetent and couldn’t possibly care less.

Carry a small flashlight. TSA (currently, at least) has no problem with these. It will come in handy when the power goes out in the concourse or on the plane. It can also serve as a non-lethal weapon. After screening, keep it on your body, so it will be with you during an emergency exit.

Don’t allow anyone in your party to wear headphones in an airport. Everyone in your party needs to be paying attention, not drifting off into semi-consciousness.

Find your gate and proceed to it as if we are on a mission. After you’ve located your gate, you can then worry about lunch, getting your shoes shined, etc.

Don’t talk too much! Keep your life story to yourself. When asked, you’re ‘visiting friends;’ you’re never ‘on business.’

Travel light. Large, carry-on bags take the fun out of air travel! When you have big bags, check them through and get them out of your life until you arrive at your final destination.

Go through screening quickly and without drama. Don’t draw attention to yourself.

After screening, purchase snack items and water for your carry-on bag. That way, when you land in Atlanta or Chicago, and you’re casually informed that you can’t get off the sweltering airplane for several hours, your discomfort will be minimized.

Check guns through in checked baggage, but put your holster in your carry-on bag. After screening, you can go to a restroom and put the empty holster on (concealed, of course). That way, when you arrive and deplane, you can quickly rearm yourself shortly after you claim your luggage.

Modern airports are no place to stroll around in condition white.”

Comment: Most of all, don’t fail the attitude test! TSA folks and airline employees like nothing better than a power struggle. They know they can make you miss your flight. Remain self-collected and unruffled, dull and boring. Even under the best of circumstances, you’re going to miss a flight or a connection now and then, and your baggage will occasionally arrive late. Get over it. If you’ve never missed a flight, you’re spending too much time in airports!

/John

 

7 Nov 06

More from friend and teacher, Skip Gochenour:

“When confronting a VCA, the first imperative is to live through the encounter. The fact is: you could well end up (1) dead, (2) crippled, or (3) in jail. The decision to violently resist unlawful force carries with it all of those risks. The decision must always be balanced against doing nothing, which also carries with it great risks. There is no risk-free way out, no free lunch! Failure to recognize, consider, and confront these bona-fide hazards is evidence of an unhealthy delusion.

Many refer to the doctrine of continuing to shoot the VCA ‘until the threat is eliminated.’ This technique does not take into account the time in which the VCA’s brain continues to be adequately oxygenated. So long as his brain remains oxygenated, his body is capable of violence. Thus the Practitioner needs to find time for the VCA’s brain to be depleted of oxygen. This critical time can be acquired by forcing the VCA to hunt for, re-acquire, and attempt to re-engage. Studies done by ATSA and others have shown that stepping to the side will consume one to three seconds of the VCA’s valuable time in order for him to re-orient. Such side-stepping, punctuated by prompt re-engagement of the VCA, will do more to consume the time needed to deplete the oxygen in his brain than will repeated shots from a static position. In addition, entry wounds to the side of the VCA who is turning to re-engage will now have a ‘reasonable explanation.’

Ultimately, your trail lawyer is stuck with the case that is delivered to him. What he must do is persuade a jury that his view of the meaning of the facts is the one that should be accepted.

By analogy, he is trying to convince members of the jury that they are about to consume the best lunch they have ever enjoyed. The problem is that the main ingredient is shit! The lawyer’s mission is to take the main ingredient, mix it with mayonnaise (lots of mayo!) and spices, get the best bread, greens, tomatoes, garnishes and sides in order to make the sandwich appealing and attractive. He places this ‘meal’ before the jury, glorifying it with verbal enticements, hoping to convince them it is the most wonderful sandwich they ever seen. That is a lawyer’s job.”

Comment: Skip’s endorsement of rapid, lateral movement is shared by nearly all of us. Remember, we have to live long enough to win!

/John

 

8 Nov 06

Glock Issues:

In a conversation today with a good friend, who is also a Glock Armorer and instructs for Glock, I brought up two irritating issues which keep raising their ugly heads among Glock owners and users: (1) Light primer strikes, and (2) Progressively-deteriorating, heavy trigger.

Both these problems typically crop up with well-used and poorly-maintained Glocks during one of our heavy ammunition-consumptive courses where we typically shoot a high volume of ammunition through each pistol over a short period of time. Seldom do we see either problem with a new gun.

Both problems can be caused by the addition of out-of-specification, after-market parts. These are dubious additions and are not recommended, but Glock itself has produced a small number of faulty parts, and they have quietly fixed the problem in most cases. But, all that only accounts for a minuscule percentage of incidents.

In nearly all cases, light primer strikes are the direct result of the user lubricating the firing-pin channel. Glock’s firing-pin channel needs to be maintained bone dry. Oil and grease in the channel hold grit, and the mixture retards the acceleration of the firing pin. A Glock with a dry firing-pin channel will reliably function with nearly any reputable brand of ammunition.

Progressively-deteriorating, heavy Glock triggers are nearly always the result of inadequate lubrication of a critical juncture, the trigger bar and the connector. The interface of the trigger bar and the connector needs some lubrication. Without any, the trigger will become progressively heavier until, in some cases, the pistol won’t fire at all.

It all comes down to user-level care and maintenance. All guns have issues, and the user needs to keep on top of them. I, for one, have no use for unreliable guns!

/John

 

8 Nov 06

Excellent comments from friend and colleague, Jim Yeager:

“Have you noticed that students over-lubricate handguns and under-lubricate rifles? I am astounded at the number of ‘former thiss’ and ‘former thats’ who show up with bone-dry ARs and then scoff when I suggest that they lube it before class, saying ‘I carried my rifle like this for years in the military, and I always carried it dry.’

‘Carried it?’ Yes.

Fired it? Not much!

My concerns manifest themselves when the rifle starts acting up, to the surprise and disgust of the shooter, generally before his first magazine is exhausted!”

/John

 

8 Nov 06

More on maintenance and lubrication, from a friend with a major gun company:

“We conducted an extensive, half-year study of our pistols which were returned to us, because they ‘didn’t work.’ With both LE and commercial guns, in excess of 95% were ‘restored’ to normal serviceability after being nothing more than cleaned and lubed. Fewer than five percent required replacement of parts or additional maintenance of any kind.

I am astonished with the percentage of gun carriers who, often for years, ignore the condition of the gun that is ostensibly intended to keep them from harm. For one, my boots are sometimes badly scuffed and in need of polish, but I damn sure look after my pistol!”

Comment: Gun carriers, take note!

/John

 

10 Nov 06

As I indicated back in September, NY state troopers will upgrade to the G37 in 45GAP Caliber. Change will be complete by the end of next year.

Interestingly, the Superintendent said yesterday that the change was not due to any inadequacy associated with the 9mm round (admitting that would, of course, raise question as to why the 9mm was selected in the first place!). Instead, he made this curiously damning statement:

“… research from the FBI (yah, let’s blame them!) shows that in most police shootings, regardless of how many rounds an officer may fire, only one or two shots actually hit the target in the torso. By increasing the size of the rounds troopers use, we’re are hoping to increase the likelihood of incapacitating the intended target.”

Here is his statement translated into plane English:

“So, since you idiots can’t hit anything anyway, we’ll just give you bigger guns. Bigger caliber, not improved training and higher standards, is always the ‘solution’ to personal incompetence.”

I wonder how many of his troopers enjoy that slur being directed at them. Unfortunately, individual excellence scares the snot out of most appointed administrators. Competent people must make them nervous!

/John

 

10 Nov 06

On pistols and calibers, from a friend in SA:

“Much has been said about pistol caliber choice. In South Africa, most citizens can only own one gun for defensive purposes. Most select a pistol, so they can have it constantly with them. Our VCAs use military rifles smuggled in from the north or stolen from police. So, at the outset, those targeted for violent crime are outgunned and usually outnumbered. The only way to victory is through exceeding personal competence and icy determination.

It is for this reason that I recommend to my students handguns that have a high magazine capacity. Multiple attackers, using military rifles, can often be defeated or driven off, only by keeping them at bay at extended ranges until such time that help arrives or the gang of VCAs decides to disengage and go after easier pickings.

G19s and 17s are extremely popular here, for precisely that reason. We would love to shoot people with the 45GAP too, but that ammunition is not available here, and we would run out too soon anyway. ‘Nine-shooters’ don’t cut it here. ‘Stopping power’ is a good thing, but it avails one nothing when he runs out of ammunition before the fight is over.”

Comment: Once again, “Where you stand depends on where you sit!” Over here, we train and equip our civilian students mostly for short gunfights, on the assumption that their challenge will likely be a singular VCA, armed with a pistol or edged weapon. When circumstances change, we may have to change our approach too!

/John

 

14 Nov 06

From one of my instructors:

“John, I just wrung-out my new Kahr M1 Carbine this weekend, shooting in excess of 750 rounds, with no cleaning. It ran without a hiccup. Last round functioned as smoothly and well as the first. It looks as if Kahr has fixed whatever problems they had in the past with this gun.

I’m pleased, and it fits nicely in a tennis-racket bag. It will make an ideal car-gun.”

Comment: This is good news indeed! Kahr can now be added to Fulton Armory as quality manufacturers of the M1 Carbine. This little rifle is ideal for many in many circumstances, and, loaded with Cor-Bon DPX ammunition, it is a formidable, serious, piece.

/John

 

14 Nov 06

On personal excellence, from a friend with a large, metro PD on the East Coast:

“… all patrol officers here are told, once deadly force is justified, we should seek cover and just shoot in the direction of the threat, keeping the bad guys’ heads down and preventing them from getting close, as we wait for help. This unwritten philosophy is in no way confined to this department. They don’t want us to get hurt, but they don’t want us to hurt of kill VCAs either, even when they are representing a deadly threat. There is little ever said about individual marksmanship, how to effectively/lethally engage human targets, individual tactics, or ‘winning the fight.’

We are required to assume help will always be just minutes away, that our radios will always work, and that we can always count on the department’s ‘backing.’ We are not trained as the individual operators we will need to be in the next terrorist attack.”

Comment: When politicians actively court the votes of criminals and their families, it is not surprising that they don’t want any of their potential voting constituency shot by police. Thus, both police and good citizens become expendable, as violent criminals are coddled and protected as the valuable resource big-city politicians believe them to be.

/John

 

14 Nov 06

Confirming pistol/caliber selection, from a friend in the Philippines:

“Your South African friend’s predicament is mirrored over here. For most of us, pistols are the only firearm available. Multiple assailants are a common here too, with most being armed with superior weaponry, but not necessarily superior skills. Still, the power of rifles is enough cause one to dwell on the value of real cover!

High-capacity pistols have always been preferred here for that reason. Single stack pistol are carried only by those who carry more than one pistol and/or routinely travels with a crew, all of whom are similarly armed. For those of us who have to go it alone, a high-capacity 9mm is the ticket, reflected in the popularity of the Browning HP in the 70s, Beretta 92F in the 80s, and Glock 17s from the 90s to the present.

Few of us carry only one spare magazine. Two is the general minimum, with more in the car. In fact, Glock’s 33-round stick is standard kit here.

The most comforting enhancement was developed by your good friend Peter Pi. No one is under-gunned over here when their pistols are stoked with 115 Cor-Bon HPs. We use this round a lot, and it works just fine! We’ll all be switching over to DPX when it becomes available.”

Comment: This world is a tough place. Some places are undisputedly harsher than others, but, when a bad neighborhood comes to a place near you, you better be ready. They’ll be no time to change your mind, and your cries of “unfair” will fall on deaf ears!

/John

 

15 Nov 06

From a friend with the LAPD:

“Recently, our prison administrations here have been quietly removing weight-yards. Convicts no longer get to ‘bulk-up’ at tax-payer expense. In response, prisoners are now conditioning themselves with good, old-fashioned PT. In addition, they routinely make heavy bags out of mattresses and train with each other in attacking and disarming police. The famous ‘Folsom-roll’ (as demonstrated by Rodney King on the infamous video tape of his arrest) is commonly practiced.

One of our guys made a traffic stop in the Valley last week, and out came a recently-released ex-con. The con was agitated and animated. He kept moving back and forth towards the officer, yelling and waving his arms. The cons call this technique ‘churping.’ The idea is to distract the officer with the verbalization and movement while moving ever closer.

The con suddenly went for the officer, wrapped his arms around the officer’s Sam Brown and grabbed for his gun as they went to the ground. Our officer was able to cap the con’s hand with his and used his other hand and elbow to strike. The gun ultimately came out of the holster and immediately discharged once, striking the con in the leg. He kept fighting as if nothing had happened.

The officer was finally able to draw his back-up gun and put it to the con’s head. The con immediately, and meekly, surrendered. He was apparently willing to be wounded but not killed. He’ll be going back to prison shortly.

Around here, VCAs are vicious, clever, trained, and they’re not afraid to take us on. Every one of them has a plan!”

Comment: Personal excellence and readiness saved this officer’s life, along with his back-up gun, something no uniformed officer should ever be without. The “Barney Fife” era is over!

/John

 

15 Nov 06

With Democrats, many rabidly, hatefully leftist, soon to take control of Congress, we are all well reminded:

“The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed; where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. Few saw the Third Reich coming until it was too late. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once!”

Alex Kozinski

/John

 

20 Nov 06

A good friend, and one of my instructors, just completed a series of 9mm pistol ammunition tests. Here are his conclusions:

“DPX was not as dramatic as HP on the bare jug (of water), more like good, second-tier, +P hollowpoints, Remington or Speer Gold Dots. That is to say, plenty good enough, but not equal to that soul-killer, Cor-Bon 115gr HP. However, the clincher is that through barriers, DPX was also very good, almost no difference from the bare jug and vastly better than regular HP.

My conclusion: I’d use Cor-Bon 9mm 115gr HP exclusively if my targets were always going to be skinny guys in T-shirts, in the open. However, for punching through any kind of cover, like car doors, heavy clothing, brush, drywall, plywood, etc, DPX is my new best friend. If any 9mm can get through a windshield, this is the one!”

Comment: Jack’s conclusions mirror my own. DPX renders excellent performance over a wide spectrum of circumstances. It is my new, best friend too!

/John

 

21 Nov 06

Last weekend, I was in GA conducting an Urban Rifle/Pistol Course through Georgia Tactical. One of my students was Ashley Burnsed, President of Blue Force Gear. I was using my EOTech-equipped, 40S&W. Beretta CX4 Carbine. It’s a nice, light, short carbine that comes in handy when one must carry it around all day!

Up until now, I’ve been using a plain-vanilla, nylon strap as a sling, slinging the rifle, muzzle down, on the support side and/or the strong side, changing shoulders several times during the course of the day in order to avoid chafing on one side or the other.

Ashley showed me his Vickers Sling System, and I immediately decided to try it. It is a two-point sling that can be adjusted as to length, both ways, instantly, without ending up with dangling, loose ends. It can be used over-the-neck, over-the-shoulder forward, over-the-shoulder rear, or over-the-back. In the former two carry modes, the rifle hangs right-side-up and can be instantly scooped up and mounted. Shifting shoulders is fast and convenient, and you can come right out of it when necessary.

Most tactical sling systems I’ve used (and I’ve used nearly all of them), particularly three-point systems, are difficult to figure out how to install, perpetually tangled up and misadjusted, have exasperating dangling ends, and are nearly impossible to come out of with any kind of speed. I haven’t been a particular fan of any of them, and I’m still not.

However, the Vickers System I really like, and I continue to use it. We had four US Marines from Parris Island join us at our Course, and Ashley generously equipped all of their M-16s with the Vickers System, displacing the ponderous three-point system they came with. They all loved it, and used it for the entire two days.

This is the first sling system I’m prepared to recommend!

Ashley Burnsed
Blue Force Gear
PO Bx 853
Pooler, GA 31322
912 663 7771
ashley@blueforcegear.com

/John

 

21 Nov 06

We all marveled with delight at the splendid attitude displayed by all our US Marine students last weekend. On the other side of the ledger, we were astonished and dismayed at the interminable stream of paperwork necessary to get rifles and pistols, ammunition and magazines, off the base and on to a private range. It got so complex that, at one point, I suggested just buying ammunition from a local sporting-goods store, instead of going through the endless, bureaucratic gauntlet involved in acquiring it from a government source and then transporting it to our range. Once again, it is only a few dedicated and courageous people who make the whole system “work,” to the degree that it does. We had a gallant, young first lieutenant in our class who is just such a person. Thank God we have them!

It became painfully obvious to all of us that the military bureaucracy has waxed so impossibly ponderous, tedious, inbred, and labyrinthine that quickly mobilizing, much less equipping, a large, fighting force would now take so long that it would be a moot point. And, of course, every officer knows that failing to cross a “T” or dot an ”I” is an instant career-ender. Under such a system, getting people trained gradually migrates to the bottom of the list of priorities. The System is in dire need of streamlining. Too many bean-counters. Not enough leaders. In war, you can’t “manage” men into battle, you have to lead them!

Once again, I’m reminded of Ogden Nash:

Abracadabra, thus we learn
The more you create, the less you earn
The less you earn, the more you’re given
The less you lead, the more you’re driven
The more destroyed, the more they feed
The more you pay, the more they need
The more you earn, the less you keep
And now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my sole to take
If the tax collector hasn’t got it before I wake!

/John

 

22 Nov 06

Social Commentary, from one of our instructors, who is a state employee:

“At work, I am required to belong to a labor union. I was never given a choice. Union dues are automatically deducted from my paycheck, just as are federal taxes and Social Security ‘contributions.’ That money goes to support partisan, political candidates and causes to which I am personally opposed, but individual members like me are, of course, never asked about political preferences.

Quite the contrary! Before every election, including the last one, our Union ‘directs’ all members to blindly vote a straight-party Democrat ticket. Voting any other way is condemned as ‘disloyal,’ as if we were all aspiring party members in a Marxist, police state!

The Union’s executive director said:

‘We want… fewer jails… fewer guns… less vice… less greed… less revenge…’

Fewer jails? Fewer guns? Less of that nasty, capitalistic greed? How utopian! Sounds like a Communist paradise, where the last capitalist will ultimately be hanged by the tripe of the last gun owner. In fact, nearly identical words have been spoken by Joe Stalin himself. Our Union claims to work to empower its members, but, by limiting gun ownership, individual members are effectively weakened. Perhaps it is actually our union’s leadership, who, like the leftist politicians they support, are fearful of armed members!”

Comment: Late union leader, George Meany, valiantly and steadfastly kept Communist influence out of the American Labor Movement, at least when he was alive. He saw the corrupting effect of Communists in Europe, and wanted nothing to do with them. Unfortunately, his legacy is obviously fading. Unlimited power for themselves is now a goal, indeed a religion, shared by leftist/Marxist politicians and those who support them. The bitter, vile intolerance they direct at all who dare oppose them betrays their true agenda. It always does!

/John

 

25 Nov 06

Gun Sales:

A large gun retailer in our area tells me that he has seen a significant and sustained spike in the sale of pistols, military rifles, magazines, police shotguns, and ammunition in the wake of this month’s mid-term elections. Some buyers are existing gun owners, but many report they are buying guns for the first time, “while we still can!” It seems Democratic election victories make a lot of people nervous about the continued legality of the private ownership of guns in this Country!

One hot seller is the Springfield Armory XD in 45ACP. There is no doubting that Americans like forty-five caliber pistols, and the XD is a high-capacity gun, much slimmer than the G21, that works just fine and is reasonably priced. Of course, SA has been advertising the product heavily, and I’m sure that has contributed to brisk sales also.

This, of course, all comes as good news to the gun industry, at least temporarily. However, the Industry, along with the NRA, is, even now, planning on spending heavily in an effort to stifle a host of new, burdensome anti-gun, anti-gun-owner, and anti-gun-retailer laws and harassing bureaucratic regulation that is now bound to emanate from Democratic party leadership. Individual Democratic legislators, even when personally opposed, will be hard pressed to resist pressure from the DNC on this issue. Indeed, many Republican legislators will predictably climb on an anti-gun bandwagon too, when they detect political winds blowing in that direction.

The good news is that most Americans are not nearly as gullible as they used to be! We still remember post-Katrina events in New Orleans and surrounding area. In fact, on that very theme, local politicians are now telling (with a straight face) metro-area residents they will be on their own after the next disaster, perhaps for weeks, even months. Interesting that Americans are admonished to have a personal supply of food, water, first-aid supplies, communications gear, fuel, transportation, etc… everything one might expect, except guns and ammunition! Those last two items are never mentioned on any list. Such an omission is illogical, inconceivable, inexcusable, and, sadly, predicable, when it comes from the mouths of typical, paranoid gasbags who are far more worried about themselves than they will ever be about the welfare of citizens.

We are told to expect neither protection nor assistance from the government at any level, yet in the same breath we are told we needn’t take any measures to protect ourselves. This glaring contradiction is, of course, deliberately ignored by the media. Indeed, it is on the media’s “unmentionable” list. Armed citizens obviously make them nervous too!.

As always, the sage are alert, aware, and prepared. Naive flower-children never will be!

/John

 

25 Nov 06

Successful Disengagement, from a friend and instructor in LA:

Today, after dropping off my daughter at a party in Wilshire, I stopped for gas. As always, before exiting my car, I looked around. Seeing nothing, I popped out and, after fumbling with my credit card, began pumping.

In the few moments it took for me to activate the pump, seemingly out of nowhere, two women approached the front of my car. I knew I was going to be asked for money, so I looked at them and started shaking my head negatively, while making eye contact, which aborts most such approaches. Not this time!

The lead one was an slovenly, Asian women, long, tattered overcoat, hands in pockets. The other, a younger, white women in a tight, tank top, dyed jet-black hair, bright lipstick. She was clearly dressed to garner attention.

They came closer, but the fuel hose was between us. The Asian women immediately asked for money. I said ‘no,’ politely but firmly. She then moved closer and started asking me about my Thanksgiving. Quick look behind me showed no one there. I politely answered my Holiday was fine and that ‘I hope yours was too.’ She began mumbling incoherently as her hands came out of her pockets. I finally took my hand off the gas nozzle and assumed an aggressive interview stance, again looking behind me. I loudly announced what I should have to begin with, ‘I’m sorry. I can’t help you.’

The white women immediately took note and said to the Asian women, ‘Come on. Let’s go’ and began moving away. The Asian women stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at me. She finally said, ‘Well, you don’t have to be so angry at the world,’ but she said that as she nervously backed away, shortly to join her friend. I never replied.

I turned to look behind me once more, finished pumping, replaced the nozzle, and left.

Just another day in LA, but their reaction to my assumption of the interview stance was stark and determinative. It is clear to me they believed I had a pistol under my coat. It surely worked this time.

Now if I could only get a carry permit, but around here, that’s just ‘California dreamin’!’”

Comment: These two predators were clever enough to wait until my friend glanced down at his credit card. He was probably selected because he is well dressed, drives a nice car, and was momentarily distracted. However, at the first sign of active, competent resistance, and the subtitle hint of deadly force lurking just under the surface, the two predators precipitously lost interest and voluntarily disengaged. My friend had a plan and was fully prepared to escalate as necessary. It may have saved him a great deal of heartburn, maybe a great deal of harm!

/John

 

26 Nov 06

More Cor-Bon DPX tests:

“We tried choking DPX with everything we had available: drywall, multiple layers of fabric and leather, plywood, sheet steel, et al. DPX penetrated through-and-through and subsequently expanded symmetrically in gelatin on the other side in every case. Such intervening barriers invariably frustrated subsequent expansion with nearly all conventional, jacketed/lead, hollow-points.

Then, we got a door from a wrecked, 2001 Dodge Dakota. At the upper edge, a double-layer of sheet steel is folded back on itself in order to create a rigid perimeter for both the inner and exterior panel. The effect is four layers of sheet steel, a formidable barrier indeed!

We shot into it with every brand of conventional, lead HP we had on hand. A shallow dent was the best we could do. Conversely, DPX, from a G26 (9mm), G30 (45ACP), and a BHP (40S&W) and all went through-and-through, punching a nice, clean hole.

George and I just shook our heads. The stuff really works!”

Comment: Yes, it does!

/John

 

27 Nov 06

Shooting in Atlanta, GA:

“Last night, a pizza delivery man shot and killed one of four armed-robbery suspects here. Delivery guy has a valid CCW permit and has not been charged.

A suspect approached the pizza guy and threatened him with a small pistol. Backed up by three accomplices, he demanding money. The delivery guy drew his own pistol and fired one round, fatally wounding the suspect holding the gun and scattering the others. Pizza guy’s pistol was 45ACP. No word on the brand of gun or ammunition. Wounded suspect was DRT.

Our local politicians are already decrying a ‘wild west’ atmosphere, and arrogantly questioning why the delivery guy even had a gun. True to type, they’ve slobbered all over themselves with sympathy for the dead robbery suspect, while displaying none for the robbery victim.”

Comment: In our upside-down world, violent criminals are now a critical resource for seedy politicians who depend on their political support. They prefer that innocent, upright citizens, like this pizza guy, trying to earn an honest living, be murdered at the hands of their dimpled, darling felons. These gasbags just can’t stand the thought of good citizens successfully defending themselves with guns, because they themselves are not respectable by any stretch, and they resent, indeed hate, those of us who are.

It seems to me that GA’s CCW system and the Second Amendment worked perfectly yesterday! We have one violent criminal who will never commit another crime nor any longer contaminate the gene pool, and we have a honest and productive citizen healthy enough to continue earning an honest living and paying taxes. And, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, of course, unless you’re a sleazy Marxist trying to consolidate your power base.

/John

 

28 Nov 06

Good news, for a change:

“John, as you know , I’ve been a logistics officer with the USMC for ten years, and, yes, I can surely vouch for the bureaucratic nature of our System and, yes, we surely have some stupid rules, as you pointed out.

The good news is that our System today has more capability than any other in the world, before or since! I know it’s an annoying and inefficient when you want to conduct training at a small range, but our System is infinitely expandable and extraordinarily capable. You need to understand this about military systems: we’re not ‘efficient,’ and really can’t be. But, we are extremely effective, and we regard efficiency as existing only to enhance effectiveness, not the other way around. All military supply systems are going to be wasteful, at least by private-sector standards. It’s the nature of warfare and of constantly preparing for war.

Rommel said, ‘Amateurs study tactics. Professionals study logistics,’ and he is more right today than ever. We here at DOD are far from perfect, as you noted, but we do it better, far better, than anyone else in the world!”

Comment: Thanks for the update and education, Bud, and thanks for your service to our Country. How I pray you are right!

/John