Tale of Two Presidents
31 July 14 Benjamin Netanyahu and Harry Truman Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, the last living member of Enola Gay’s crew, just died at the age of ninety-three. “Enola Gay” was the nickname of the American B29 bomber, commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbits, that delivered the atomic bomb (code named “Little Boy”) to the Japanese city […]
More On International Travel
25 July 14 On international travel, from a friend and student: “Several years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel on a low-cost deal, so I decided to go. I was the guest of an organization promoting the education of Jewish youth. Nothing much exciting happened in the two weeks I was there, […]
Places to Stay Away From!
23 July 14 “Terrorism is not ‘the pursuit of legitimate goals by illegitimate means.’ Whatever these murderers may be trying to achieve, ‘creating a better world’ certainly isn’t one of their goals!” Salman Rushdie Places to stay away from: Recent reports on acts of terrorism, perpetrated by devotees of assorted demented ideologies (the vast majority […]
Lusitania?
19 July 14 Lusitania? “I have never heard anything about the ‘resolutions’ of the Apostles, but I have heard a good deal about their ‘Acts.’” Og Mandino Under a timid, military-hating President Wilson, America resisted becoming involved in what would ultimately be called “The Great War” (WW1), already raging in Europe since July of 1914. […]
No Excuse Zone!
18 July 14 “As a teenager you are at the last stage in life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.” Fran Lebowitz AR Dust-Covers and Annoying Surprises! During my Urban Rifle Courses, I council students armed with ARs to manually close the spring-loaded dust-cover at nearly every opportunity. […]
Always Faithful!
14 July 14 “‘Impossible’ is a word found only in the dictionary of fools.” Napoleon Bonaparte Between December of 1941 and VJ Day (15 Aug 45), the WW I Monument Castle Tower atop Mount Battie, overlooking Penobscot Bay on the Maine Coast, was occupied continuously by volunteer members of the “Home Guard,” mostly ageing WWI […]
Powertac
9 July 14 Powertac E5 Flashlight: An LEO friend recommended I get a copy of Powertac’s E5 flashlight. I did, and it is now mounted on my STS/AR and has been traveling with us. It is a genuinely small, military-grade, personal flashlight. Less than $100.00. And, it puts out 950 lumens! I still like my […]
“Border”
7 July 14 Southern “Border:” When in South Africa several years ago, I did some informal instruction at a range near the costal city of Durban. My hosts lived in Durban and transported me around. On the way back to town one Sunday evening, it was late and dark, and we passed a large cemetery. […]
The Art!
5 July 14 The Art of Learning: “History is never erased, nor forgotten. ‘Regret’ is merely wishing things were different, absent any willingness to act in order to cause a change. By contrast, ‘repentance’ is a sincere admission that we’re going the wrong way, combined with a personal resolve to change direction. ‘Regret’ is a […]
Personal Responsibility
4 July 14 Independence Day! How far we’ve come! This from a friend and LEO: “I received an invitation to attend a 2014 ‘Police/Security Expo’ in Atlantic City, NJ. In it was a warning to all LEOs in attendance ‘not carry your service revolver on the expo floor.’ Nearly all who attended complied with the […]
DTI Trauma Kit Link
3 July 14 Lots of Web Pages got knocked-out yesterday. For many of us, the CMK links I sent thus far still don’t work This one is working now: Defense Training International (DTI) Kit If you still can’t find it, let me know /John
DTI Trauma Kit
2 July 14 I’m not sure what happened to the link to CMK I listed in the recent Quip on IBSs, but go to: https://custommedkits.com/product_page.php?product_id=252 That will take you to the section on the DTI Trauma Kit. Or, call CMK directly at 713 723 6000 Sorry for the confusion! /John
Courtroom Safety
2 July 14 Personal safety in courtrooms, from an Instructor and lawyer who works in one regularly: Most of us don’t spend much time in courtrooms. That includes even most lawyers. However, like hospital emergency rooms, courtrooms are dangerous places, and for the same reason. You won’t find happy people in either place! Sometimes, litigants, […]
Truama Kit
1 July 14 IBD (Israeli Battle Dressing) to the Rescue! From a friend and student in UT: “Last Saturday evening, my wife and I were emerging from a local restaurant just a minute or so after a collision between a bicycle and a car in the resturant’s parking lot. The bike and rider had been […]
More on Our Un-Armed “Forces”
30 June 14 Un-armed Forces! From a friend and student, currently on active duty with the USAF: “Air Force Instruction 31-117: ‘Senior military and civilian officials may not bear government-owned firearms for personal protection within the United States’ So, we can only be armed while deployed overseas: Overseas commanders may authorize senior military and civilian […]
Additional rifle Comments
28 June 14 “Fate makes no appointments, nor does it wait on any man! You have to be alert and ready the instant it arrives. Even then, there are no guarantees!” Anon More comments on modern military rifles, from friends in the industry: “Several decades ago, ‘light’ sporting rifles, intended for rough-country and mountain hunting, […]
Setting the Example!
28 June 14 Watch These Experts! In a local newspaper photo, a recent Marine “change of command” ceremony at Robins AFB in GA is depicted in enough detail to clearly reveal that at least two uniformed Marines are carrying M9 (Beretta 92F) pistols in fabric, flap belt-holsters. All look snappy, but (I wish I were […]
Plastics/polymers and Serious Rifles
27 June 14 Plastics and serious rifles, from a friend and manufacturer: “Use of polymers in firearms has become commonplace. With serious rifles, plastic lower receivers may be arguable, but using plastic structural components to support the barrel is extremely unwise, yet both H&K and Beretta have done this. Plastic is suitable for parts of […]
Follow-up
20 June 14 Follow-up: This from a friend and student, who is Jewish: “Boys (and most of the girls) in our Congregation have to qualify with the pistol, and fam-fire a rifle and shotgun, before their Bar-Mitzvah. All men are requested to carry during services and meetings. Most do.” My reply: “Can I join?” Comment: […]
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.
