Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
A Stunning Development In Georgia
The governor of Georgia, who vetoed a bill allowing firearms carry on college campuses, has signed legislation allowing stun guns on college campuses.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/15/new-stun-gun-law-in-georgia-electrifies-concealed-carry-debate.html
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/15/new-stun-gun-law-in-georgia-electrifies-concealed-carry-debate.html
All the best,
Glenn B
My Gun Collection Sure Has Grown Since 2009 (2009 = Obama's First Year As President)
Back in November 2009, I took a few pics of my guns for insurance purposes. They were not worth all that much relative to a collector type firearms or to larger collection of working/shooting guns but they were worth taking the pics to me. I just took a look at those pics and was reminded not only of how many fewer rifles, pistols and shotguns I had back then but something else also came to mind. While I don't normally think in pictures, this memory popped up in my head as a perfect picture of Obama looking like his arrogant smug self with words underneath saying something to the effect: President Obama Best Gun Salesman Ever. That may well be true because my gun collection certainly has grown since that year, which by the way was the first year of his presidency.
Take a look at the pics and count them yourself or take my word for it, I had 7 semi-automatic pistols, 1 revolver, 1 shotgun, and 12 rifles (the AK pictured was not mine) in 2009 and is no longer in my possession. Since then I have sold a few but also added several more to bring the count well above the one from back then. Sure, I may have bought a gun now and then but to get where I am at now you have to consider that I was driven to do so by the anti-gun hysteria in his country and especially in my home state of New York.
Where I am now is at a number considerably higher that a total of 21 guns. I now own 2 revolvers, 11 pistols, 5 shotguns and at least 20 rifles for a total of 38 firearms. (I may not be remembering one or two rifles but have 20 for sure, will have to count them again soon.) In addition (and then subtraction) I also bought another 3 shotguns in that period but sold them recently. Finally I also sold one rifle I owned in 2009 and another that I had purchased since 2009. Anyway, as I said, the total I own right now is 38 (+?). That is about an 81% increase in the number of firearms I own. I owe my incentive to buy many of them to President Obama's and Governor Cuomo's tyrannical rule in this country and state respectively.
I'll be selling a few of them soon, probably at least three pistols, one or two rifles and two shotguns. In fact, I have one shotgun for sale on GunBroker.com right now. It's not like I am depleting my arms holdings, it's just that I will need money to buy some others more to my needs and liking. Since I am not rich (need to check my last Powerball and Lotto tickets to even be sure of that - just checked still not rich), I need to sell some guns now and again to be able to buy new ones.
All the best,
Glenn B
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| My pistols and revolver in November 2009. Because of new laws in NYS since then I have had to remove several of those 15 round magazines from NY state. |
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| The AK in the photo was not mine but a relatives. As with my pistol mags, the 30 round rifle mags are now gone from my stock after illegally being made illegal here in NY state. |
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| My rimfire rifles back in Obama's first year as president of these now tyrannized United States. |
Where I am now is at a number considerably higher that a total of 21 guns. I now own 2 revolvers, 11 pistols, 5 shotguns and at least 20 rifles for a total of 38 firearms. (I may not be remembering one or two rifles but have 20 for sure, will have to count them again soon.) In addition (and then subtraction) I also bought another 3 shotguns in that period but sold them recently. Finally I also sold one rifle I owned in 2009 and another that I had purchased since 2009. Anyway, as I said, the total I own right now is 38 (+?). That is about an 81% increase in the number of firearms I own. I owe my incentive to buy many of them to President Obama's and Governor Cuomo's tyrannical rule in this country and state respectively.
I'll be selling a few of them soon, probably at least three pistols, one or two rifles and two shotguns. In fact, I have one shotgun for sale on GunBroker.com right now. It's not like I am depleting my arms holdings, it's just that I will need money to buy some others more to my needs and liking. Since I am not rich (need to check my last Powerball and Lotto tickets to even be sure of that - just checked still not rich), I need to sell some guns now and again to be able to buy new ones.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, August 14, 2016
A Day At A Gun Auction or A Very Expensive Pheasant (Not Under Glass)
Spent a few hours Friday night at the Hessney auction house in Geneva, NY while looking over guns, ammo and other items they would have up for bids on Saturday. Having three pretty much unrushed hours to look things over in advance of the auction and then getting to look them over again a bit on the morning of the auction before bidding starts is much better than just looking them over hurriedly that morning. So, there I was on Friday evening strolling around at my leisure, looking at this and that, to see what I wanted to research online pricewise so I would not overly screw myself if I placed any high bids. I had already placed a few online bids, on items sight unseen, just to judge interest and was outbid on every one of them except a Beretta 950BS Jetfire pistol as new and unfired and in the box with papers. My bid on that held all the way through online bidding which closed shortly before the live auction began. Getting back to Friday evening, I also preregistered for the live bidding and they made sure to give me the same number as that for m online registration.
I wound up selecting several guns to bid on for Saturday after looking them over and then went back to my hotel where I checked prices online via Blue Book of Gun Values, GunBroker.com's current auctions and some other sources. After doing that for about 2 hours or so, I was fairly comfortable in the thought I would not go overboard on any firearms on which I planned to bid. I had also made up my mind not to bid on anything sight unseen or in other words on guns I had not bothered to look at during the preview but then had an impulse to bid on later.
Come Saturday morning, I got up later than I would have if I had not gone to the preview. I had a decent free breakfast, cooked to order, at the motel and after that I headed to the auction house. I was in no hurry both because I had already looked over those guns and ammo lots on which I planned to bid and I was already registered. I had also reserved myself a seat on Friday night, right up in the first row, just about the same exact seat I have been lucky enough to get in the past couple of auctions. With nothing to hurry me up, I took a leisurely drive there and arrived at about 815 instead of my usual 700 or 730. That was nice.
Once inside, I looked over the guns on which I planned to bid again. I wanted to assure no one damaged them and believe me I have seen folks drop them when looking them over. I also wanted to make sure none of the magazines disappeared. One of the rifles I saw during the preview was missing its magazine and that was not listed on the auction tag. That most likely meant that someone has swiped it because the are usually very careful to list a "no mag" on the tag if such if the case. All seemed in order and I looked around some more at the ammo and accessories they had up for bids. One thing I had not paid much attention to the night before were the lots in flat beer case like boxes. Most of those consisted on an assortment of things and one in particular caught my eye. Since they start calling or bids on accessories, archery equipment and fishing rods, reels and tackle, in a side room, before the main auction begins and then keep that bidding going once the firearms auction begins in the main hall - I hoped that they would come to one particular lot like that before they reached the first gun on which I wanted to bid (which was item 29).
Well, they went through a lot of lots fast, sold all the archery equipment, reloading equipment, and some other odds and ends and then started on the tale with the one thing in which I was interested. The thing was that by the time they got to that table, the main auction was well under way and only a few items away from number 29 - a new, unfired and in the box, Marlin 1895G Guide Gun. What they do with those miscellaneous lots and almost all the stuff on auction in that back room is to take bids on any item on a set of tables or in a certain area. In other words, you bid, and if you have the high bid, you can select whatever you want from that table or area, in addition you can select as many as you want of those lots and then pay your high bid times however many lots you want. One person beat me on the first set of bids. She is a dealer and I was shocked she did not take what I had wanted but took something of much less value and only took one lot. I am guessing she had missed what I was after.
The lot that caught my eye was box holding 5 B-Square scope mounts each for a different type of gun. They were all new, sealed in the plastic pack, and were not cheap. All are made of aircraft aluminum (as far as I am aware) and all come with scope rings and mounting hardware. I ran a quick Internet search for them and saw they retail for around $35 to $45 each or more for the shotgun mounts and about $25 for the Russian M44 mount. The Russian the Russian mount has been discontinued and might demand a higher price now.
After checking on them, I saw on one of the many monitors showing the current firearm up for bids in the main auction room that they were on the gun two before that Marlin I wanted to bid on. Time was tight but the second round of bidding for those table lots went off and I quickly had the high bid at $50. Could it be no one else had seen those scope mounts. I selected that lot and another guy standing there, who saw what I had bid on, said no one else had probably seen it or paid attention to it and added I had gotten a steal. I was quite happy. The mounts are: one for a Remington 870 12 gauge, another for a Mossberg 500 12 gauge, another for Winchester 1200 / 1300 / 1400 /1500 12 gauge shotguns, another for Ithaca 3 & 87 12 gauge shotguns and the last one for a Chinese 53 or Russian 44 rifle. The mounts for the shotguns look like they fit over and around the receivers, the one for the rifles looks as if may fit into the slot for the rear sight (that will take some checking to be sure). As it turned out, I walked out of the room just as the firearms auction finished up on lot 28 and moved onto 29, the one on which I wanted to bid. There was no need to worry though, a reluctant bidder outbid me at the last possible second and that rifle was not meant to be mine. His high bid was $525, I stopped at $500.
With the 10% buyer's premium added on plus sales tax, had my $500 bid been the high ne, I would have paid $591.25 in total for it, or $100.61 less than the least expensive local dealer in my area. Not a bad deal. Oh well...there were many more bids to be made. Of course, it costs me to go to the auction but I often buy more than one gun and some other items too. The savings on that one alone would have paid my gas both ways and left me about $50 for food or to put toward a motel. Since I enjoy going to the auctions, I kind of overlook those other expenses. Anyway, at least this time around, I used hotel points for a free night and that gun would have been well worth the $500; anything more though would have put it in the loss column if that would have been the only thing for which I had the high bid. As you can figure though, if I can sell some of those B-Square scope mounts I will have more than made up for the cost of the trip.
Moving on, I also bid on several other guns, the ones I did not have the high bids on were: CZ Model 512, a semi-auto rifle in 22 Magnum, new in the box; two different lots of one each Henry Golden Boy, 22WMR; Henry Lever in 22LR; Browning Citori Model 725 Feather 12 gauge; Franchi Renaissance Classic 12 gauge; Smith & Wesson Model 19-4 as new in the box, this one barely had a cylinder turn mark on it. It had a high gloss finish and was and very beautiful revolver. I bid $450 (note I was bidding up to my max bid depending on where my bid fell relative to another bidder's bid I may have bid lower by $25 on any item an I only went over my limit once during the entire auction). I wish now that I had bid one more time on this one, it would have been worth it in the long run.
Others on which I bid but not enough, well only enough for me, were: Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary edition with heavy hammer forged factory target barrel and a 4x16 scope; Henry Model 39A Golden in 22LR; both a Ruger Mini-14 and a Ruger Mni-30 Stainless; Keystone Arms Davy Cricket 22LR with black synthetic stock; a used but perfect looking Remington 1911R1; H&R Topper Model 88 12 gauge shotgun; Westernfield 12 gauge single shot shotgun; Mossberg Model 44 U.S.(a) {the one missing its magazine}; H&R Model 686 Convertible revolver with 22LR and 22WMR cylinders (all new in box). I came close on several but decided not to go over my limit.
Oh yeah, there was one other I did not wind, that Beretta 950BS Jetfire pistol in 25ACP that I mentioned above, I bid $275 on it online. Yes, that was a lot considering I would have to have it shipped to my dealer and pay a transfer fee plus the premium and tax or go back and pick it up in person on another day so I could get the necessary forms from my local PD (they used to give open forms so you did not need to do anything like that but stopped that practice a year or three ago). The Jetfire was wanted for personal sentimental reasons (I have owned 4 or 5 previous ones) and wanted another to fill that niche in my psyche demanding a real featherweight caliber. I was outbid just as the auctioneer was about to close bidding for it, he had the gavel in the air and was bringing I down when a woman behind me shouted out a bid at the last moment. She bid $275 on it ands she won it. Yes, I also had set my maximum bid at $275 online but as the live versus online bidding went, my online bid kicked so it wound up my most recent bid was at $250, thus to better me, she bid $275 which was my cut off (and I could have but was unwilling to go above that at the live auction). I would have had to bid another $25 to go higher for it but that would have been way too much for it with all other fees considered. It was just about in perfect condition too and I sure wish she would have kept her mouth shut but such goes the bidding at an auction!
I did bid a little bit above my preselected limit on one gun and wound up taking only that one rifle home with me
My new toy is a Savage Model 93 (actually a Savage Model 93BVXP) in 22WMR with 3x12 illuminated reticle Harrier scope (a cheap scope but what the heck). It was auctioned in "as new" condition but without box or papers. It truly is pristine and apparently never fired other than maybe a test shot at the factory but if they did that then they cleaned it well. It has Savage's AccuTrigger, which on this model can b adjusted from 2.5 pounds to 4.5 pounds (if I remember right). The scope on it is also pristine. Today, I sent Savage a request for a hardcopy of the manual as opposed to just downloading a PDF file of it and as I understand they do honor such requests. I also ordered the AccuTrigger tension adjustment tool from then for $2.00 plus shipping. I was just thinking about it, this one will make ours a two Savage rifle household along with the Savage AXIS XP I got at a previous Hessney Auction. All in all, by my calculations, I spent about $100 to $120 less than I would have had I bought this model new at retail with that scope. Not a bad deal on a pristine rifle that's just missing the tension tool, box and papers. I should note, some firearms I buy with the idea of shooting them a bit then selling them for a small profit to help feed myaddiction hobby. This one was not one of them, I bought this one with the idea of me and Brendan having a lot of shooty goodness fun with it and maybe using it for hunting. Time and a few range trips will tell.
I also picked up some other things including those B-Square mounts already mentioned, a new in plastic pack Remington Model 870 Express 20" slug barrel with rifle sights and 3" chamber, Remington Premiere Copper Sabot Slugs (8 boxes), a Kevin Johnson - DNZ Trading Company, C Series (tracker knives), 11" Damascus Steel tracker knife with 6" blade and 5" Pakka Wood (a composite) multicolored handle and it came with a nice with leather sheath. While the blade and sheath are marked DNZ, I see nothing to indicate that either was crafted by Kevin Johnson who is out of Idaho while DNZ is in California but I don't care either way. I got the knife probably as a gift for someone dear to me; early Christmas shopping.
I also had the high bid on a pheasant mount. I figured it would either look good in my son's room or in my brother-in-law Hans' new house (but I am not too sure how he feels about dead animals adorning his walls). Did I mention I had the high bid on it, apparently so high in fact that with the money I supposedly bid on it, you could fly first class to France, rent a limo and driver, go to a posh 5 star restaurant and have them wine and dine you with a main course of pheasant under glass and maybe still have a few bucks left over. I thought I had bid $22.50 on it and about a total of $750 on everything (including the buyer's premiums and tax on each item) but when I went o square my account, the lady at the counter told me I owed tem $3000 and change. No hesitation held back my tongue and I immediately told he there was no way my bill was for $3,000 and they must have added other bidder's charges to my account. She took it in stride, coolly looked at the computer screen studying y bill and then without missing a beat said to me "I bet you didn't bid $2,250.00 on a pheasant mount, did you"! No ma'am was about all I could say other than my bid had been $22.50. Someone forgot to put in the decimal point was all it was but it was enough to raise my blood pressure by several points or so I am guessing. The best thing about the pheasant though was right after I got it out of my car this afternoon, I brought it inside and told my wife "Here's your gift". She said "you're kidding" and I said "nope" and for a second or two I had her.
Now, I need to put some of those B-Square scope mounts up for sale on GunBroker to pay for the pheasant.
All the best,
Glenn B
I wound up selecting several guns to bid on for Saturday after looking them over and then went back to my hotel where I checked prices online via Blue Book of Gun Values, GunBroker.com's current auctions and some other sources. After doing that for about 2 hours or so, I was fairly comfortable in the thought I would not go overboard on any firearms on which I planned to bid. I had also made up my mind not to bid on anything sight unseen or in other words on guns I had not bothered to look at during the preview but then had an impulse to bid on later.
Come Saturday morning, I got up later than I would have if I had not gone to the preview. I had a decent free breakfast, cooked to order, at the motel and after that I headed to the auction house. I was in no hurry both because I had already looked over those guns and ammo lots on which I planned to bid and I was already registered. I had also reserved myself a seat on Friday night, right up in the first row, just about the same exact seat I have been lucky enough to get in the past couple of auctions. With nothing to hurry me up, I took a leisurely drive there and arrived at about 815 instead of my usual 700 or 730. That was nice.
Once inside, I looked over the guns on which I planned to bid again. I wanted to assure no one damaged them and believe me I have seen folks drop them when looking them over. I also wanted to make sure none of the magazines disappeared. One of the rifles I saw during the preview was missing its magazine and that was not listed on the auction tag. That most likely meant that someone has swiped it because the are usually very careful to list a "no mag" on the tag if such if the case. All seemed in order and I looked around some more at the ammo and accessories they had up for bids. One thing I had not paid much attention to the night before were the lots in flat beer case like boxes. Most of those consisted on an assortment of things and one in particular caught my eye. Since they start calling or bids on accessories, archery equipment and fishing rods, reels and tackle, in a side room, before the main auction begins and then keep that bidding going once the firearms auction begins in the main hall - I hoped that they would come to one particular lot like that before they reached the first gun on which I wanted to bid (which was item 29).
Well, they went through a lot of lots fast, sold all the archery equipment, reloading equipment, and some other odds and ends and then started on the tale with the one thing in which I was interested. The thing was that by the time they got to that table, the main auction was well under way and only a few items away from number 29 - a new, unfired and in the box, Marlin 1895G Guide Gun. What they do with those miscellaneous lots and almost all the stuff on auction in that back room is to take bids on any item on a set of tables or in a certain area. In other words, you bid, and if you have the high bid, you can select whatever you want from that table or area, in addition you can select as many as you want of those lots and then pay your high bid times however many lots you want. One person beat me on the first set of bids. She is a dealer and I was shocked she did not take what I had wanted but took something of much less value and only took one lot. I am guessing she had missed what I was after.
The lot that caught my eye was box holding 5 B-Square scope mounts each for a different type of gun. They were all new, sealed in the plastic pack, and were not cheap. All are made of aircraft aluminum (as far as I am aware) and all come with scope rings and mounting hardware. I ran a quick Internet search for them and saw they retail for around $35 to $45 each or more for the shotgun mounts and about $25 for the Russian M44 mount. The Russian the Russian mount has been discontinued and might demand a higher price now.
After checking on them, I saw on one of the many monitors showing the current firearm up for bids in the main auction room that they were on the gun two before that Marlin I wanted to bid on. Time was tight but the second round of bidding for those table lots went off and I quickly had the high bid at $50. Could it be no one else had seen those scope mounts. I selected that lot and another guy standing there, who saw what I had bid on, said no one else had probably seen it or paid attention to it and added I had gotten a steal. I was quite happy. The mounts are: one for a Remington 870 12 gauge, another for a Mossberg 500 12 gauge, another for Winchester 1200 / 1300 / 1400 /1500 12 gauge shotguns, another for Ithaca 3 & 87 12 gauge shotguns and the last one for a Chinese 53 or Russian 44 rifle. The mounts for the shotguns look like they fit over and around the receivers, the one for the rifles looks as if may fit into the slot for the rear sight (that will take some checking to be sure). As it turned out, I walked out of the room just as the firearms auction finished up on lot 28 and moved onto 29, the one on which I wanted to bid. There was no need to worry though, a reluctant bidder outbid me at the last possible second and that rifle was not meant to be mine. His high bid was $525, I stopped at $500.
With the 10% buyer's premium added on plus sales tax, had my $500 bid been the high ne, I would have paid $591.25 in total for it, or $100.61 less than the least expensive local dealer in my area. Not a bad deal. Oh well...there were many more bids to be made. Of course, it costs me to go to the auction but I often buy more than one gun and some other items too. The savings on that one alone would have paid my gas both ways and left me about $50 for food or to put toward a motel. Since I enjoy going to the auctions, I kind of overlook those other expenses. Anyway, at least this time around, I used hotel points for a free night and that gun would have been well worth the $500; anything more though would have put it in the loss column if that would have been the only thing for which I had the high bid. As you can figure though, if I can sell some of those B-Square scope mounts I will have more than made up for the cost of the trip.
Moving on, I also bid on several other guns, the ones I did not have the high bids on were: CZ Model 512, a semi-auto rifle in 22 Magnum, new in the box; two different lots of one each Henry Golden Boy, 22WMR; Henry Lever in 22LR; Browning Citori Model 725 Feather 12 gauge; Franchi Renaissance Classic 12 gauge; Smith & Wesson Model 19-4 as new in the box, this one barely had a cylinder turn mark on it. It had a high gloss finish and was and very beautiful revolver. I bid $450 (note I was bidding up to my max bid depending on where my bid fell relative to another bidder's bid I may have bid lower by $25 on any item an I only went over my limit once during the entire auction). I wish now that I had bid one more time on this one, it would have been worth it in the long run.
Others on which I bid but not enough, well only enough for me, were: Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary edition with heavy hammer forged factory target barrel and a 4x16 scope; Henry Model 39A Golden in 22LR; both a Ruger Mini-14 and a Ruger Mni-30 Stainless; Keystone Arms Davy Cricket 22LR with black synthetic stock; a used but perfect looking Remington 1911R1; H&R Topper Model 88 12 gauge shotgun; Westernfield 12 gauge single shot shotgun; Mossberg Model 44 U.S.(a) {the one missing its magazine}; H&R Model 686 Convertible revolver with 22LR and 22WMR cylinders (all new in box). I came close on several but decided not to go over my limit.
Oh yeah, there was one other I did not wind, that Beretta 950BS Jetfire pistol in 25ACP that I mentioned above, I bid $275 on it online. Yes, that was a lot considering I would have to have it shipped to my dealer and pay a transfer fee plus the premium and tax or go back and pick it up in person on another day so I could get the necessary forms from my local PD (they used to give open forms so you did not need to do anything like that but stopped that practice a year or three ago). The Jetfire was wanted for personal sentimental reasons (I have owned 4 or 5 previous ones) and wanted another to fill that niche in my psyche demanding a real featherweight caliber. I was outbid just as the auctioneer was about to close bidding for it, he had the gavel in the air and was bringing I down when a woman behind me shouted out a bid at the last moment. She bid $275 on it ands she won it. Yes, I also had set my maximum bid at $275 online but as the live versus online bidding went, my online bid kicked so it wound up my most recent bid was at $250, thus to better me, she bid $275 which was my cut off (and I could have but was unwilling to go above that at the live auction). I would have had to bid another $25 to go higher for it but that would have been way too much for it with all other fees considered. It was just about in perfect condition too and I sure wish she would have kept her mouth shut but such goes the bidding at an auction!
I did bid a little bit above my preselected limit on one gun and wound up taking only that one rifle home with me
My new toy is a Savage Model 93 (actually a Savage Model 93BVXP) in 22WMR with 3x12 illuminated reticle Harrier scope (a cheap scope but what the heck). It was auctioned in "as new" condition but without box or papers. It truly is pristine and apparently never fired other than maybe a test shot at the factory but if they did that then they cleaned it well. It has Savage's AccuTrigger, which on this model can b adjusted from 2.5 pounds to 4.5 pounds (if I remember right). The scope on it is also pristine. Today, I sent Savage a request for a hardcopy of the manual as opposed to just downloading a PDF file of it and as I understand they do honor such requests. I also ordered the AccuTrigger tension adjustment tool from then for $2.00 plus shipping. I was just thinking about it, this one will make ours a two Savage rifle household along with the Savage AXIS XP I got at a previous Hessney Auction. All in all, by my calculations, I spent about $100 to $120 less than I would have had I bought this model new at retail with that scope. Not a bad deal on a pristine rifle that's just missing the tension tool, box and papers. I should note, some firearms I buy with the idea of shooting them a bit then selling them for a small profit to help feed my
I also picked up some other things including those B-Square mounts already mentioned, a new in plastic pack Remington Model 870 Express 20" slug barrel with rifle sights and 3" chamber, Remington Premiere Copper Sabot Slugs (8 boxes), a Kevin Johnson - DNZ Trading Company, C Series (tracker knives), 11" Damascus Steel tracker knife with 6" blade and 5" Pakka Wood (a composite) multicolored handle and it came with a nice with leather sheath. While the blade and sheath are marked DNZ, I see nothing to indicate that either was crafted by Kevin Johnson who is out of Idaho while DNZ is in California but I don't care either way. I got the knife probably as a gift for someone dear to me; early Christmas shopping.
I also had the high bid on a pheasant mount. I figured it would either look good in my son's room or in my brother-in-law Hans' new house (but I am not too sure how he feels about dead animals adorning his walls). Did I mention I had the high bid on it, apparently so high in fact that with the money I supposedly bid on it, you could fly first class to France, rent a limo and driver, go to a posh 5 star restaurant and have them wine and dine you with a main course of pheasant under glass and maybe still have a few bucks left over. I thought I had bid $22.50 on it and about a total of $750 on everything (including the buyer's premiums and tax on each item) but when I went o square my account, the lady at the counter told me I owed tem $3000 and change. No hesitation held back my tongue and I immediately told he there was no way my bill was for $3,000 and they must have added other bidder's charges to my account. She took it in stride, coolly looked at the computer screen studying y bill and then without missing a beat said to me "I bet you didn't bid $2,250.00 on a pheasant mount, did you"! No ma'am was about all I could say other than my bid had been $22.50. Someone forgot to put in the decimal point was all it was but it was enough to raise my blood pressure by several points or so I am guessing. The best thing about the pheasant though was right after I got it out of my car this afternoon, I brought it inside and told my wife "Here's your gift". She said "you're kidding" and I said "nope" and for a second or two I had her.
Now, I need to put some of those B-Square scope mounts up for sale on GunBroker to pay for the pheasant.
All the best,
Glenn B
A Week Of Doing Almost Nothing And Loving It
Not having had a vacation, a real one, in way too long, I hopped in the old Corolla this past Tuesday (had an appointment to keep on Monday and other stuff to do) and took a drive up to visit my brother-in-law Hans at an undisclosed not so superseKrit location amidst tall pines and mighty oaks (and maybe a few other kinds of trees too). I was supposed to have driven up to NH for the annual Northeast Bloggershoot but that got canned because Brendan begged off or should I say told me to bugger off. His pals set up Saturday (yesterday) as Fantasy Football selection day and that was it for the trip to NH. That drive has taken us anywhere from about 4.5 to 8 hours depending on traffic and I just did not feel up to driving there alone. It wasn't that I could not make it but did not want to make the trip by myself for a one day event then come home the next day even knowing there were excellent people going to attend and that it would have been a good time. Still, it would not be the same without Brendan (I know from having gone there solo once before) so I backed out. Hopefully we will go next year.
Being I had already told my boss I was taking off the entire week, I figured I had best get myself somewhere and the only other somewhere I could think of was Hans' new place in the countryside. So off I happily went in the Toyota with clothes for a week (no doing laundry for me while there but am doing it now) a shotgun, a pistol, lots of ammo for each and a mini-keg of New Castle Brown Ale. (Hans had plenty of other beer, and booze and while there I also picked up a case of Stella Artois.) Along the way I picked up some edibles.
On the way to Hans' place, I heard a loud ping or twang while driving. I knew it was from the Corolla but not what. When I stopped at a farm-stand to get some fresh corn and other goodies, I noticed steam coming from under my hood. That was at least two hours after hearing that noise. Popped the hood and saw there was a tiny hole in the radiator from which a narrow spray of steam was escaping and that widened into a wider cone before it wafted away in the breeze. Still had almost all my coolant so drove on to Hans' place, made it there without overheating. Looked at it later and pulled a branch and some small acorns from the front of the radiator but once it had cooled off nothing was leaking. Picked up some sealant the next day and that did the job. Need to get the damn thing flushed.
As for the rest of the week, once I got to Hans' place, Hans and I did almost nothing except relax, eat and drink. I never even fired a single round or did I practice with my crossbow that I had left there the weekend before. (I would have been there continuously since then but had to be home last Sunday and had an appointment and stuff to do at home Monday.) I did try to change out the safety on the Remington 870 that I brought along. It has a J-lock safety button but lost the damn spring and now have to order another (damn those tiny springs once they get sprung they are hard to find). Other than that, we picked up some supplies and on Thursday we drove over to the racetrack at Saratoga Springs.
We stayed for just two races. The first was a steeplechase the other a normal race. I bet on the second race but only after asking a woman, selected at random, which horse she thought would win the 2nd race. She said either the 2 (Meagan's Muse) or 3 horse (Egyptian Rose). Hans bet on 2 and I bet on 3. I also bet on the 5 horse for reasons of my own. Sure as shit flows downhill, Egyptian Rose came it first. Meagan's Muse was second and the 4 horse third. I had bet $5 on Egyptian Rose and walked away from the window with $25.25. I wish I had remembered to bring my $50 scratch off lottery ticket from the car; I could have cashed it there and would have bet the $50.and that would have been nice.
Anyway, after the race, I searched for that woman for quite some time wanting to give her half but to no avail. Not finding her, Hans and I had some almost good pizza for lunch, at the track, with the winnings.
I took off from Hans' place on Friday and headed west for Geneva, NY - about a three hour ride. Took me a bit longer since I stopped here and there but considering the stops, I made it in good time. I stopped by the Hessney Auction Company that evening and spent my time, for three hours, previewing rifles, pistols, shotguns, ammo and other assorted items to be auctioned the next day. Then had about a 40 minute drive back to Auburn, NY (only place I could get a room at Holiday Inn for points), stayed the night there and was back in Geneva the next morning for the auction. I picked up some excellent deals ta the auction but more on that in another post.
Drove home from Geneva, leaving there about 4PM and getting home about 1145. Took my time, pulled over a couple or few times because of really bad downpours making it almost impossible to see any distance on the road and making it smart to pull over. Got home safely and am happy to be here but man is it ever so hot (was hot upstate too but not as bad as here). Just as I got home, the weatherman on the radio said it was 85 degrees (just before midnight). Oh well, lest I bore you more, that is it for now so let me close by saying I had a great and lazy week of doing almost nothing and am probably a couple pounds heavier for it. Back to the diet today.
All the best,
Glenn B
Being I had already told my boss I was taking off the entire week, I figured I had best get myself somewhere and the only other somewhere I could think of was Hans' new place in the countryside. So off I happily went in the Toyota with clothes for a week (no doing laundry for me while there but am doing it now) a shotgun, a pistol, lots of ammo for each and a mini-keg of New Castle Brown Ale. (Hans had plenty of other beer, and booze and while there I also picked up a case of Stella Artois.) Along the way I picked up some edibles.
On the way to Hans' place, I heard a loud ping or twang while driving. I knew it was from the Corolla but not what. When I stopped at a farm-stand to get some fresh corn and other goodies, I noticed steam coming from under my hood. That was at least two hours after hearing that noise. Popped the hood and saw there was a tiny hole in the radiator from which a narrow spray of steam was escaping and that widened into a wider cone before it wafted away in the breeze. Still had almost all my coolant so drove on to Hans' place, made it there without overheating. Looked at it later and pulled a branch and some small acorns from the front of the radiator but once it had cooled off nothing was leaking. Picked up some sealant the next day and that did the job. Need to get the damn thing flushed.
As for the rest of the week, once I got to Hans' place, Hans and I did almost nothing except relax, eat and drink. I never even fired a single round or did I practice with my crossbow that I had left there the weekend before. (I would have been there continuously since then but had to be home last Sunday and had an appointment and stuff to do at home Monday.) I did try to change out the safety on the Remington 870 that I brought along. It has a J-lock safety button but lost the damn spring and now have to order another (damn those tiny springs once they get sprung they are hard to find). Other than that, we picked up some supplies and on Thursday we drove over to the racetrack at Saratoga Springs.
We stayed for just two races. The first was a steeplechase the other a normal race. I bet on the second race but only after asking a woman, selected at random, which horse she thought would win the 2nd race. She said either the 2 (Meagan's Muse) or 3 horse (Egyptian Rose). Hans bet on 2 and I bet on 3. I also bet on the 5 horse for reasons of my own. Sure as shit flows downhill, Egyptian Rose came it first. Meagan's Muse was second and the 4 horse third. I had bet $5 on Egyptian Rose and walked away from the window with $25.25. I wish I had remembered to bring my $50 scratch off lottery ticket from the car; I could have cashed it there and would have bet the $50.and that would have been nice.
Anyway, after the race, I searched for that woman for quite some time wanting to give her half but to no avail. Not finding her, Hans and I had some almost good pizza for lunch, at the track, with the winnings.
I took off from Hans' place on Friday and headed west for Geneva, NY - about a three hour ride. Took me a bit longer since I stopped here and there but considering the stops, I made it in good time. I stopped by the Hessney Auction Company that evening and spent my time, for three hours, previewing rifles, pistols, shotguns, ammo and other assorted items to be auctioned the next day. Then had about a 40 minute drive back to Auburn, NY (only place I could get a room at Holiday Inn for points), stayed the night there and was back in Geneva the next morning for the auction. I picked up some excellent deals ta the auction but more on that in another post.
Drove home from Geneva, leaving there about 4PM and getting home about 1145. Took my time, pulled over a couple or few times because of really bad downpours making it almost impossible to see any distance on the road and making it smart to pull over. Got home safely and am happy to be here but man is it ever so hot (was hot upstate too but not as bad as here). Just as I got home, the weatherman on the radio said it was 85 degrees (just before midnight). Oh well, lest I bore you more, that is it for now so let me close by saying I had a great and lazy week of doing almost nothing and am probably a couple pounds heavier for it. Back to the diet today.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Inexcusable and Maybe Even Criminal Negligence...
...are the only things I can think of right now as to the reasons a 73 year old woman, volunteering as a roleplayer in police training, reportedly was gunned down and killed by a police officer. Ironically, the woman had been assigned the role of the 'victim'. The officer, who had been playing the bad guy, reportedly fired shots at her from his revolver, at least one of which was apparently a live round, killing her. More:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/10/woman-killed-in-simulation-exercise-at-florida-police-academy.html
Someone scewed up big time and needs to be held accountable. In fact, as I see it, it is likely that more than one person was negligent in this case. First of all, I believe whoever allowed an actual working firearm to be used in shoot/don't shoot training, in which roleplayers participated, was very negligent. Based on many years of experience both receiving and giving similar training, I know such training calls for the use either non-firing training weapons or of firearms modified to only be capable of firing nonlethal training rounds like Simunition. In addition, whoever was running the event was negligent for not assuring that absolutely no live ammunituon was allowed into the training area. Of course, the officer who fired the deadly shot(s) was also negligent for not assuring that he did not have any live ammo and that none was in the weapon he used for the training. Finally, if the officer fired more than one live round, how was it he did not stop firing once he felt the recoil of the live ammo!
I wonder if this rises to level of criminal negligence or culpable neligence as called in FL. I think it may well rise to that level and warrant criminal prosecution. That though will depend on the findings of the prosecutor and courts in FL. Even if it does, I would be surprised if the officer or others involved would be prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter. However I look at it though, I believe it to be inexcusable negligence that led to and resulted in the woman's death.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/10/woman-killed-in-simulation-exercise-at-florida-police-academy.html
Someone scewed up big time and needs to be held accountable. In fact, as I see it, it is likely that more than one person was negligent in this case. First of all, I believe whoever allowed an actual working firearm to be used in shoot/don't shoot training, in which roleplayers participated, was very negligent. Based on many years of experience both receiving and giving similar training, I know such training calls for the use either non-firing training weapons or of firearms modified to only be capable of firing nonlethal training rounds like Simunition. In addition, whoever was running the event was negligent for not assuring that absolutely no live ammunituon was allowed into the training area. Of course, the officer who fired the deadly shot(s) was also negligent for not assuring that he did not have any live ammo and that none was in the weapon he used for the training. Finally, if the officer fired more than one live round, how was it he did not stop firing once he felt the recoil of the live ammo!
I wonder if this rises to level of criminal negligence or culpable neligence as called in FL. I think it may well rise to that level and warrant criminal prosecution. That though will depend on the findings of the prosecutor and courts in FL. Even if it does, I would be surprised if the officer or others involved would be prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter. However I look at it though, I believe it to be inexcusable negligence that led to and resulted in the woman's death.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, August 8, 2016
My Garden Poem
My back’s still sore
From my bending overMy knees ache more
From kneeling on clover
Yet holes were dug
And bushes are in
From wife no hug
Nor merely a grin
But chores are done
And now I'll smile
Cause I’m the one
Without work for awhile!
Bushes
When I woke up this morning at 0610, my hips hurt, my shoulders ached almost as badly as my hips, my back and neck were sore. So, I went back to sleep for a couple of hours or tried anyway. My wife interrupted me at 0700 calling me to get me up because I wanted to be up kind of early for a retired guy and to get 4 or 5 bushes planted before it got too hot today. I went back to sleep again with all of the same aches and pains and again woke up at about 0830 and went right back to sleep. I finally crawled out of bed at about 0945, all stiff and creaking in just about every joint. I threw some laundry into the washer, grabbed a cup-a-joe and sat down at my laptop. Been there ever since dreading having to go out back and plant those bushes. It's not that it going to be a lot of work, hell it's only 4 or 5 of them and the soil I fairly easy to dig into; it is just that everything still aches. Got a tick bite on mine arse a month or so ago and started to ache in my joints within a week or two; doc swears it is not Lyme disease but I have not felt like this since the first two times I had it. Regardless, those holes have to get dug and those bushes need to be planted in them - otherwise I am going to get holy hell for not doing it as promised - no excuses will appease she who must be obeyed.
Then, after that, I am calling the doc to see if I can go in for another blood test. The first time I had it, the test came back positive but it was only after having been tested several times and suffering for well over a year. Then, the second time they told me: "It's definitely, positively, absolutely not a Lyme disease rash" but we will test you just in case. Of course, the test came back positive. It's a sneaky little disease that can cause different appearing rashes and sometimes no rash at all but it sure pains the joints the same each time (at least so far for me) and that is why I am pretty sure after those two previous episodes that I have it again or have something similar.
It's damned ironic, or at least it will be darned ironic, that if I actually have Lyme disease I have to plant those bushes today while in pain caused by a disease that I most likely got from a tick bite while dumping a load in the woods (next to a bush). Oh well, such are the joys of life. Now, I am going out to dig some holes.
All he best,
GB
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Not Too Bad For A Lefty
In fact, Brendan's friend Pat was pretty good shooting my Remington 870 and doing it left handed.
Yeah, his first shot was a bit off to the right (took off some of the bark on his right-hand side of the tree) but at least two of his other shots, if not all, were just about dead center. (And yes it was a dead tree and I say that for the tree-huggers but even more so for the shots-ricochet-off live tree types cause I do not ant to hear your BS criticism when it is not warranted.) The distance was guesstimated to be about 30 yards or so.
Anyway, both Brendan and Pat had fun shooting the 870. Yet, neither shot more than 10 rounds through it since the masculine youths today are not manly men like us of old. Of course, being a manly-man with an 870 is one of the reasons my adversary Arthur I. Tis comes around so often to slap my shoulders, especially the right one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yeah, his first shot was a bit off to the right (took off some of the bark on his right-hand side of the tree) but at least two of his other shots, if not all, were just about dead center. (And yes it was a dead tree and I say that for the tree-huggers but even more so for the shots-ricochet-off live tree types cause I do not ant to hear your BS criticism when it is not warranted.) The distance was guesstimated to be about 30 yards or so.
Anyway, both Brendan and Pat had fun shooting the 870. Yet, neither shot more than 10 rounds through it since the masculine youths today are not manly men like us of old. Of course, being a manly-man with an 870 is one of the reasons my adversary Arthur I. Tis comes around so often to slap my shoulders, especially the right one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Fantasizing Bambi Lovers...
...would probably react much differently than they preach should a bear break into their home not once, not twice but yet a third time in three consecutive days. Add to that the fact that the bear not only damaged the homeowner's property but injured her dog. The animal loving whackos are rabidly berating the homeowner fot having the bear shot. Some of the more radical among the Bambi Believers have reportey posted the woman's address online and some have made death threats against her. More here.
I think she did the right thing and hope she and the guy who shot it both enjoy the steaks.
All the best,
Glenn B
I think she did the right thing and hope she and the guy who shot it both enjoy the steaks.
All the best,
Glenn B
William Tell or Not...
...it appears that I put the crossbow together right. It sure seems like I have had it for a long time without getting to shoot it but I finally got around to some this weekend. Only shot it enough to assure it was working properly and on the mark.
The three bolts in the pictured target were fired from about 20 to 25 yards. I also fired a shot from about 50 yards, that one was several inches high, so a sight adjustment may be in order. I should get to that this week since I am planning a trip to relatve's place where I can shoot it. I might not be up to shooting an apple off of anyones head but think it will do the job on a whitetail deer or black bear.
All the best,
GB
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Friday, August 5, 2016
Where $100 Actually Is Worth $100 or More
Well it is definitely not in the state of New York. NY ranks as third from the bottom of a list of all states (and DC) when it comes to how much bang per buck you get for $100. In NY, $100 is valued at only $86.43 of worth. The only two 'states' worse than NY were the state of Hawaii and the District of Columbia, DC being the worst of all. On the other side of the coin, if you live in states like Mississippi (ranked number one) or Arkansas (ranked 2nd) you are more well off with your hundred bucks than elsewhere. More here.
Just as with the number of guns per capita, as discussed in my blog post here, NY's poor standing disappoints me once again but comes as no surprise.
All the best,
Glenn B
Just as with the number of guns per capita, as discussed in my blog post here, NY's poor standing disappoints me once again but comes as no surprise.
All the best,
Glenn B
Does Race Baiting Have No Limits
A black man has claimed that the federal government, of which he is an employee, has allowed for racism on the job because it allowed a person to wear a hat with the Gadsden Flag on it to work and he (the black man) was offended by that. That the EEOC is even considering whether or not wearing that hat is a form of racism is almost beyond belief even under the Obama administration. More here.
My words of advice to the complainantgo fuck yourself asshole get a life; that flag is not a symbol of racism but of the unity and strength of the American people and of our readiness and willingness to defend ourselves.
All the best,
Glenn B
My words of advice to the complainant
All the best,
Glenn B
Number Of Guns Per Capita By State
Have you ever wondered how many guns, per capita, are in your state? I never gave it a thought before but found this link on NY Firearms forums: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/most-heavily-armed-states-in-america/?ftag=ACQb72972c&vndid=5333141
It was a bit of a surprise that New York, my home state, came in dead last with the least number of guns per person. I was surprised only because I thought that CA, NJ or DC (no not a state but included in the list) would come in last. I actually was shocked for a moment when I found out where Washington DC fell on the list and you may be surprised too. Hold down your mouse key and scroll over the blank space between the dashes to see its rating or go to the link and see it there.) Yes, DC, is the 'state' with - the second highest - amount of registered firearms per capita. That shocked me at first but after giving it just a little bit of thought I figure it is likely because of all the judges, federal agencies and police departments that have guns there versus its small population.
Before closing I must add that I posted this for amusement more than to spread any knowledge about gun ownership and I say that because the list is badly flawed as it completely leaves out handguns. All else I can say about it is that, without knowing it before, I have been and will continue to do my part to try to raise NY up from dead last on the list.
All the best,
Glenn B
It was a bit of a surprise that New York, my home state, came in dead last with the least number of guns per person. I was surprised only because I thought that CA, NJ or DC (no not a state but included in the list) would come in last. I actually was shocked for a moment when I found out where Washington DC fell on the list and you may be surprised too. Hold down your mouse key and scroll over the blank space between the dashes to see its rating or go to the link and see it there.) Yes, DC, is the 'state' with - the second highest - amount of registered firearms per capita. That shocked me at first but after giving it just a little bit of thought I figure it is likely because of all the judges, federal agencies and police departments that have guns there versus its small population.
Before closing I must add that I posted this for amusement more than to spread any knowledge about gun ownership and I say that because the list is badly flawed as it completely leaves out handguns. All else I can say about it is that, without knowing it before, I have been and will continue to do my part to try to raise NY up from dead last on the list.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Never Been There & Never Done That...
...and I am sure I never will do it. If you don't want to see a sick dude in action, don't watch this video.
And there I was, for years, thinking they had sex with goats!
All the best,
Glenn B
And there I was, for years, thinking they had sex with goats!
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Yesterday In History (What Can I Say, I Forgot About Yesterday)
Yesterday, August 1, 2016 was the 50th anniversary of the University of Texas, Austin, Tower Shootings. The gunman, Charles Whitman, shot 49 people and killed 16 of them. He already had also killed his mother and his wife earlier that morning. After his death, an autopsy (that he had requested in his writings) revealed a necrotic tumor in his brain but it was never concluded if the tumor led to rampage. Prior to the shootings, Whitman had suffered from apparent mental health issues for some time and had fits of violent rage. He sought medical and psychiatric help evidently to no avail.
While I remember a lot of the general story from my youth, I was 10 at the time this happened, I did not recall the details. I found an interesting detailed piece on it over at Wikipedia. Read more about him there. There are many interesting points in his story but I found one of the most so to be the amount of preparation he put into carrying out his killing spree. Hasty as were those preparations, they were extensive nonetheless. It is evident that he had plannedto be shooting for a long time if he could. If he had better fortified his position to prevent access to the police, he may have been up there for days before they stopped him. Luckily, he was killed by a shotgun wielding officer after another officer had gotten the jump on him and fired all six shots out of his revolver at Whitman but missed with all of them from about 50 feet away. (I swear my last post was written before I even became aware of this stuff; yet, the officer getting him with the shotgun and the other officer missing with all 6 shots from his revolver, support what I said in that other post regarding a shotgun versus a pistol.)
A hat tip to Dom Di who had a post about the shooting up on his FB page.
All the best,
Glenn B
While I remember a lot of the general story from my youth, I was 10 at the time this happened, I did not recall the details. I found an interesting detailed piece on it over at Wikipedia. Read more about him there. There are many interesting points in his story but I found one of the most so to be the amount of preparation he put into carrying out his killing spree. Hasty as were those preparations, they were extensive nonetheless. It is evident that he had plannedto be shooting for a long time if he could. If he had better fortified his position to prevent access to the police, he may have been up there for days before they stopped him. Luckily, he was killed by a shotgun wielding officer after another officer had gotten the jump on him and fired all six shots out of his revolver at Whitman but missed with all of them from about 50 feet away. (I swear my last post was written before I even became aware of this stuff; yet, the officer getting him with the shotgun and the other officer missing with all 6 shots from his revolver, support what I said in that other post regarding a shotgun versus a pistol.)
A hat tip to Dom Di who had a post about the shooting up on his FB page.
All the best,
Glenn B
1970s Era Shotgun Tactical Training Video
I had to watch his twice to believe what I was hearing and seeing. I began my career in law enforcement at the tail end, right at the end of the tail, of the 70s. In the 1980's I took on collateral duties as a firearms instructor for handgun, rifle and shotgun and later for the MP-5 submachine gun. One of my preferred weapons throughout that time all the way through today has been the Remington 870 shotgun.
While some good points are made in this video about the spread of buckshot and other types of shot and the dangers caused by that to innocent bystanders, I find a lot of what is said in this training piece to be off target. My personally preferred round in my 870 shotguns has usually been 1 ounce slugs although I also carry buckshot in case a situation calls for it. As to me usually loading with slugs, there are no "spread" problems when it comes to slugs. Had the officer who shot the bad guy, in the first scenario of this video, been firing slugs, chances are he would have hit the bad guy and no one else. On the other hand, when the training officer claims that the officer would have put down the bad guy with a single shot from his revolver, that is doubtful to me. Would the officer have hit him with a revolver shot, under stress of incoming fire, in a standing unsupported position, at a distance of 50 yards (which was the distance that was attributed to that shooting)? It would have had to have been one heck of a great shot. A shotgun, shooting slugs, is a very effective weapon at a distance of 50 yards yet the training officer only mentions that slugs are a good choice when deep penetration is required. The truth is though that the likelihood of hitting the bad guy with one shot from the shotgun generally would have increased an officer's chances of hitting the bad guy several fold over his being able to do so with a revolver. As for this particular department, apparently the Pasadena PD in California, it could have been that the department in question only allowed officers to utilize buckshot when on routine patrols. If that was the case, I think they should have switched to slugs or at least have given the officers that option.
Some other things that I found less than acceptable in that video were: the officer firing with other people in the line of fire regardless of the weapon or type of ammo he was firing. That problem persists today throughout police departments and law enforcement agencies within the United States. You can read about police shooting an innocent bystander either directly or by way of a ricochet just about every few weeks or so. In some situations it may be impossible to avoid such a threat to bystander but still be necessary to shoot the bad guy to prevent a greater threat to the public than would be caused by your shot should it go astray. At other times though, and I think this is in most instances, you may have to withhold fire when innocents are in the line of fire. In that regard, the training officer made a very important note, you may not even see the bystanders. Remember to assess as each and every situation unfolds.
Then there was the training officer standing there displaying his revolver with finger on the trigger. Even as the 70s came to an end we were trained to keep the booger picker off of the trigger until ready to shoot. It may have been different in other agencies or departments but safety was a high priority in my agency. We had one guy, on my first LE job, who refused to pay attention to that and he wound up shooting himself in his thigh while drawing with his finger on the trigger and the thumb snap still closed. The gun did not come out of the holster immediately and he tugged harder, finger still on trigger and still forgetting to hit the thumb snap. It went bang and he went to the ER. So, it was something I paid attention to and faithfully have practiced since then.
Of course, there were also the potentially problematic and dangerous use of police commands used on at least one stop. Did you pay attention to the commands used by the officer who stopped the vehicle with three suspects in it. He sad: "Freeze, stay in your car and put your hands on your heads". Do you see the problem with that, it too is a problem that persists today and I do not mean using the word 'freeze'. What I am referring to is the use of contradictory commands. How can someone who has complied with a command to freeze then also move to put his hands on his head. Commands like that not only confuse suspects but can also confuse officers during such a stressful situation. Another officer may have heard the command freeze, say as he drove by the first officer to turn around his vehicle, and either not heard or not paid attention to the first officer then saying put your hands on your head. That second officer seeing the suspects raise their hands might then perceive a threat that simply is not there because the suspects would in fact be complying with the first officer's commands. That could lead to a suspect being shot though not posing a threat.
If you are going to stop a suspect and tell him not to move, give him the chance to stay motionless for at least a couple to few seconds as you assess the situation. It may be prudent to assure that you do not see any weapons within his reach over his head, in a hat band, or otherwise nearby before you tell him to put his hands up or on his head. You may also want to preface the second command, the one to put his hands on his head, with the word "now" so it is obvious that you have a new command starting at this moment. Also, why have all three suspects move at once. It usually is easier, at least for me, to watch one guy move while the other two remain motionless than to observe all three moving at once. Tell one of them to do it, then the next and then the next as the others remain motionless while the one is moving.
If you are in law enforcement in an armed encounter, or a homeowner protecting his family, paying attention to stuff like this may save your life, prevent you from shooting a bystander and may also help keep you out of jail for a wrongful shooting.
All the best,
Glenn B
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