Tale of Two Ranges
28 Aug 12 Last weekend, on the East Coast, I ran an Urban Rifle Course for a group of students with whom I work periodically. A grand time was had by all, and I filled their young minds with radical nations, as always! The first day, we were at a typical “club” range complex that […]
Arguments for an empty chamber
23 Aug 12 Arguments for an empty chamber on pistols being carried for serious purposes: Several respondents have written with regard to my recent argument against the empty-chamber carry-condition for carry-pistols (“Amber,” or “Transport Mode”), the condition now being “allowed” for US troopers currently deployed in Afghanistan. I indicated this new policy actually represents an […]
Opportunity!
22 Aug 12 Cor-Bon, a large and well-respected name in the serious ammunition business, maintains and runs a large and sophisticated training academy, including range complex, training staff, classrooms, Pro-shop, et al. Students include police and non-police. I am a guest instructor there on a regular basis, as are a number of my well-known colleagues. […]
Will they now admit their former policy was stupid?
20 Aug 12 An official “policy shift,” unfortunately coming too late for a host of murdered Americans, now allows our troops in Afghanistan to be “armed” all the time, even within the wire. Well sort of! Sadly, despite the fact that charged magazines are now allowed to be inserted into magazine wells of pistols (mostly […]
Sticky Problem!
14 Aug 12 Comments on the subject of “sanity:” “‘Sanity’ is a legal term, not a medical one. As a result of ‘mental illness or deficiency,’ is this person able to tell right from wrong, and able to control his behavior? Who can’t tell right from wrong, and/or know the difference but are unable to […]
Insane?
11 Aug 12 This from a friend in the medical system: “Milos Forman’s 1975 feature film, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ starring Jack Nicholson, based on Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel of the same title, made a clever and passionate case against in-patient care for the chronically mentally-ill. That side of the argument eventually prevailed! […]
Church shootings? Nothing new
10 Aug 12 Church shootings? Nothing new: On Sunday, 30 June 1985, a deadly shooting rampage took place at the First Chinese Baptist Church, located in the Chinatown District of Los Angeles, CA. A disgruntled, former member of the church, armed with a handgun (1911) and several spare magazines, showed up just minutes before the […]
Guns in the Phillippines
9 Aug 12 Guns in the Phillippines, from a friend there: “Most M16s here were produced locally, years ago, under license from Colt. Nearly all are now decades old and have seen continuous, heavy use. Factory anodizing is nearly all worn off, and barrels are shot-out. Yet, when properly maintained, they still run well. I […]
From a friend in Israel
8 Aug 12 International trends, from a friend in Israel: “American-made M16s and variants are still the mainstay here, but our locally-made Tavor is now gradually replacing the M16, at least in our special-forces brigades. The bullpup Tavor Rifle (TAR21) is designed and manufactured by IMI (Israeli Military Industries). Until several years ago, rear echelons […]
Nasty confrontation avoided?
7 Aug 12 This from a student in the Midwest: “Yesterday evening, my wife and I were out on our usual evening walk. We live in a quiet, upscale, suburban neighborhood. Suddenly, a local taxicab came up behind us, beeped his horn, slowed to a stop, and, through the open passenger-side window, the driver asked, […]
Evil!
6 Aug 12 This from an LEO friend: “In July of 1966, Richard Speck sexually assaulted and then, one by one, murdered eight student-nurses in their apartment in the Jeffrey Manor Neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. Speck, a weedy, unimposing, perpetually-unemployed loser, used a knife to intimidate and eventually murder all eight of his victims. […]
Sage comments from various correspondents
4 Aug 12 Sage comments from various correspondents: From WY: “‘Learned Helplessness’ is forcibly injected into the veins of every American child the moment he/she enters grade school! I recently consulted with a local school district on their ‘safety plan.’ In it, teachers are ordered to notify an administrator (one of only two or three) […]
Home Invasions?
3 Aug 12 I recently viewed a TV news program, emanating from the Chicago area, purporting to provide home-owners with sound advice with regard to home-invasions by VCAs. The “expert” they consulted mouthed perfectly the party-line. The “principles” promoted by these nanny-state Liberals never change: 1. You’re too stupid to own a gun! Daring, initiative, […]
These comments from a recent immigrant from SA
30 July 12 “Dignity of an Armed Citizen” RA Heinlein These comments from a recent immigrant from SA: “… as a proud American Citizen (by choice, not by birth) I want to shout a warning to all my countrymen: don’t allow erosion of our right to be privately, individually armed! I lived through this in […]
From a friend in the West Indies
27 July 12 From a friend in the West Indies: “Greetings from the warm, wild, wild West Indies. “As you know, we have some of the strictest gun laws under the US Flag. Mandatory jail-sentence of seven years for possession of an unlicensed firearm. Possession of ammunition, not on your license, evokes a similar state […]
Theater Shooting in CO
25 July 12 By this time, we’re all familiar with events of early Friday (20 July 12) in Aurora, CO. The suspect apparently purchased all guns and ammunition used, legally. He did not have enough of a criminal record, at least officially, to by rejected for purchase by NICS. However, a television interview with his […]
“Man plans, and God laughs”
19 July 12 “Man plans, and God laughs” In the last of his radio “Fireside Chats” of 1940, FDR coined a new phrase, “Arsenal of Democracy,” to describe the hysterical domestic military build-up, then going forward at a frenzied pace. War-fever had caught on! Hitler’s precipitous invasion of Poland a year earlier, and his U-Boats […]
Wrong direction
16 July 12 “Chance favors the prepared. Fortune, the bold. Providence, the audacious!” We’re going in the wrong direction: Wars can’t be successfully propagated exclusively with cantankerous, grumbling, Metamucil-swigging, easily-irritated codgers, so, as noted, we have to inject our years of experience directly into the blood of our current generation of heroic, young firebrands. “Readiness” […]
Are we training, or just pretending?
15 July 12 At a Defensive Handgun/Urban Rifle Program recently, one of my students was a strapping, young Marine E6 with a nearly a decade of active service. His learning attitude was excellent. He was there on his own dime, and anxious to learn everything he could. As a Marine Infantry Officer (Ret), I am […]
USMC BBQ, Loveland, CO, 28 July 12 (Sat)
14 July 12 USMC BBQ, Loveland, CO, 28 July 12 (Sat) My good friend and colleague, Bob Jensen, is hosting a BBQ at his shop (Jensen’s) in Loveland, on 28 July 12 (Sat). Proceeds benefit our Wounded Warrior Program. As a USMC Infantry Officer (Ret), three-times wounded myself (Vietnam), I appreciate what Bob is doing, […]
Gun industry legends Dave Spaulding, Massad Ayoob, Mike Boyle, and John Farnam join Fernando Coelho to dive deep into the history of the gun industry, shedding light on how firearms and firearms training have transformed over the decades. They discuss the dramatic shift from traditional print reviews to the digital age of internet forums, social media influencers, and YouTube personalities of the industry.
