Today, I planted, in pots, about 15 tomato plants, one eggplant, six Jamaican (I think they were Jamaican) Wax pepper plants, a basil plant, a bunch of cilantro (in one pot) and six cucumber pots. I used a 50-50 mixture of composted soil from my compost pile and bagged commercial garden soil for about 40% of the plants, solely bagged garden soil for about another 40% of the plants, and pure composted soil from my compost heap for about 20% of the plants. I also planted some green beans and tomato plants in the ground. I have less suitable ground in which to plant vegetables this year because my neighbor put up a six foot high privacy fence along the small strip of in the ground garden I had available to me in the past. It will get a lot less sunlight this year so I opted to put almost everything into pots that I could place, and move, around on sunny spots of my backyard lawn. I will still plant the remaining vegetable plants along that fence and hope for the best with them but do not expect them to do that well; I have a few tomato plants left over.
I put in a good four to four and a half hours of light to medium physical labor. Well, I should say light to medium for most folks. For me it was medium all the way through. Damn, it has been a year and six months since my cancer treatments ended and a year and two months since they first said I was cancer free and I am still miserably out of shape. I guess being diagnosed with an inactive thyroid, back in September of last year, due to the radiation treatments having destroyed my thyroid has not helped but I have been taking a pill for that. Granted, the doc has had to increase the dosage a few times and I think she will have to do so again once or twice before I feel back to normal but you would think by now, or at least I would think, by now, that garden work would not be much of a chore for me. I was wrong, it was more than I expected. Then gain, it was nowhere near as bad as last year so I have improved since then even considering the thyroid thing. Really though, I have got to get mine arse to a gym and cannot understand why I have not been motivated to do so.
Oh well, as for the garden, I am hoping it grows as well as others have in the past for me. Last week I planted a few perennials on the side of my house that gets the least light. They are supposed to do well in less than six hours of sunlight, I hope so. Some of the perennials I planted last year have come up again this year and are quire promising to make a nice display.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 20, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Polish Zombies
Maybe not what you think cause I sure don't mean some Pole who was bitten by a mostly rotted and rancid walking cadaver and then turned into one himself.
What I do mean is: one medium to large not quite ripe banana, two strips of ripe pineapple (each about 3/4 to the same size as that one banana), one medium to large kiwi, 4 ounces of OJ, the juice of half a lemon, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Meyer's Dark Rum, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Luksusowa Potato Vodka (a product of Poland) and eight ice cubes (medium sized from a normal sized ice cube tray) all pulverized/liquefied into a smoothie in a blender. Wow, I am feeling it and it tasted great too, all while supplying at least a couple to a few days worth of fruit (although maybe not the best drink for diabetics).
Yeah, I could have had one of those well advertised '22nd letter and eighth number' drinks but it just would not have been the same, even with alcohol added - there just would have been no way to call that a Polish Zombie (already a stretch) - a bloody something or other maybe - just not a zombie!
All the best,
GB
What I do mean is: one medium to large not quite ripe banana, two strips of ripe pineapple (each about 3/4 to the same size as that one banana), one medium to large kiwi, 4 ounces of OJ, the juice of half a lemon, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Meyer's Dark Rum, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Luksusowa Potato Vodka (a product of Poland) and eight ice cubes (medium sized from a normal sized ice cube tray) all pulverized/liquefied into a smoothie in a blender. Wow, I am feeling it and it tasted great too, all while supplying at least a couple to a few days worth of fruit (although maybe not the best drink for diabetics). 
Yeah, I could have had one of those well advertised '22nd letter and eighth number' drinks but it just would not have been the same, even with alcohol added - there just would have been no way to call that a Polish Zombie (already a stretch) - a bloody something or other maybe - just not a zombie!
All the best,
GB
Ammo Prices Getting Back to Normal - Heck No, Not Even If They Are Lower!
I have heard it on gun bloggers' sites, on firearms forums, at the range and elsewhere: 'Hey, it looks like ammo is becoming more available and that prices are dropping back to normal'. The truth is, even though I have been settling for buying ammo at lower than super price gouging prices and letting people know when the prices are fairly good (considering how high they went), ammo prices are nowhere near normal. So what are normal ammo prices. In that regard, I will grant the ammo companies this much - higher fuel costs raised the price of everything and war related use of resources have made ammo components more expensive - so I will say that normal ammo prices (kind of, sort of, maybe) are those that they were under the presidency of George W. Bush subsequent to the rise in fuel prices that made everything go up in price.
So, what does that mean today. Well it means that when you see a price on something like CCI, TMJ, 40 grain, .22WMR at only $15.50 per box of 50, here, you may think that the prices are getting back to normal. Why? Because weren't the prices at some other establishments just a whole lot higher than that, such as the .99 cent per round, or $49.95 per box of 50 price, offered here for very similar ammo, in the same caliber (only difference is essentially that one is HP and the other TMJ), made by the same manufacturer and for which there is usually a minimal price difference if any.
The truth is that while some ammo seems to be a bit more available, at somewhat lower prices than the ultra high price gouging highs that prices reached, current prices are nowhere near normal yet and some still remain super high priced (as can be seen in one of the examples above). When will they reach kind of, sort of, almost normal prices again? When the prices of ammo like that, in the same caliber and grain weight, made by the same manufacturer, reaches prices like the $9.87 per 50 rounds for hollow points, and $10.16 per box of 50 for solid points as it was offered here well after Bush had left the Oval office and Obama had been in office for awhile. They may reach true normal again six months to a year after the price of gasoline falls back to what it was before the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. For now though, if they go as low as the pre-Obama prices, I will be more than satisfied and I will keep buying as much as I can, of calibers I can use, at even higher prices than that so long as the prices are not in the stratosphere.
Let me say, I have to qualify the above because I have seen the price of one particular type and brand of ammo go back to normal on one website if only fir a very brief time. Yesterday, Cabela's had a 500 round bricks of Remington .22LR for about only .04 cents per round plus shipping. That low of a price on .22LR has been unheard of as of late! They only allowed 1 brick per customer so I was not all that unhappy when I was to late to find any remaining in-stock.
All the best,
Glenn B
So, what does that mean today. Well it means that when you see a price on something like CCI, TMJ, 40 grain, .22WMR at only $15.50 per box of 50, here, you may think that the prices are getting back to normal. Why? Because weren't the prices at some other establishments just a whole lot higher than that, such as the .99 cent per round, or $49.95 per box of 50 price, offered here for very similar ammo, in the same caliber (only difference is essentially that one is HP and the other TMJ), made by the same manufacturer and for which there is usually a minimal price difference if any.
The truth is that while some ammo seems to be a bit more available, at somewhat lower prices than the ultra high price gouging highs that prices reached, current prices are nowhere near normal yet and some still remain super high priced (as can be seen in one of the examples above). When will they reach kind of, sort of, almost normal prices again? When the prices of ammo like that, in the same caliber and grain weight, made by the same manufacturer, reaches prices like the $9.87 per 50 rounds for hollow points, and $10.16 per box of 50 for solid points as it was offered here well after Bush had left the Oval office and Obama had been in office for awhile. They may reach true normal again six months to a year after the price of gasoline falls back to what it was before the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. For now though, if they go as low as the pre-Obama prices, I will be more than satisfied and I will keep buying as much as I can, of calibers I can use, at even higher prices than that so long as the prices are not in the stratosphere.
Let me say, I have to qualify the above because I have seen the price of one particular type and brand of ammo go back to normal on one website if only fir a very brief time. Yesterday, Cabela's had a 500 round bricks of Remington .22LR for about only .04 cents per round plus shipping. That low of a price on .22LR has been unheard of as of late! They only allowed 1 brick per customer so I was not all that unhappy when I was to late to find any remaining in-stock.
All the best,
Glenn B
Countdown - Three Weeks Until Another Sucker Bites It
In three weeks, to the day, my daughter is getting married. She is at a friend and neighbor's house getting sloshed at her wedding shower. Mind you, she is not the sucker. The sucker will become my son-in-law. I don't mean that with any nastiness, not even a dram of it. I mean it as a fact, plain and simple. We men have been suckered into marriage as a life long contract for, I would guess, eons. Having been married for the past 27 years plus, I readily call myself a sucker. I sucked it in - hook, line and sinker.
Now, you ladies may think that my wife could consider herself in the same boat but let me explain before you get all presumptuous. I am not a sucker in as much as I was suckered into it but much more so in as much as, for some reason, I want to stay in it. Why? Because my wife is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Thus, even though, I can bitch and moan about things she does that do not please me (even things she does not really do and that I only imagine she does), I will gladly suck it all up, and more, to stay together with her. That is not just because it is cheaper to keep her; it is because, in my own twisted, possibly demented, and certainly convoluted way (like any other heterosexual married man), I need her, I depend on her and I love her very much. (Why is that??? - That is the question all normal men ask themselves!)
Yes, I am sure my future son-in-law will fit perfectly into that same category in relation to my daughter, even though he surely does not think it now - pre-wedding. Thus another sucker who thinks he is the master of the house bites the bait and is hooked hard and then reeled in by the true master - the woman in his life. He will learn, we all do (we men that is, who are straight and who get hooked)!
As for my daughter, I hope she enjoys the two bottles of Moet & Chandon I bought for her shower. I could have spent that money on a really good 15 year old. Watch what you are thinking, I meant a 15 year old bottle of single malt Irish Whiskey. Although, of course, being a sucker I figured it would please both her and the wife to give her the Champagne. That even though the wife is not partial Champagne since my daughter loves it. With any luck, it will make the wife a bit more partial toward an undeserving me because it makes our daughter happy and she was happy when I gave it to her just before the party commenced.
Man oh man, there is no hope for me. I am not just a sucker, I am pussy whipped. Now I am heading over to crash the party for a glass of the Champagne. Or maybe I would be better off here just sucking down the potato Vodka that I had to buy myself because the Champagne broke my budget.
All the best,
Glenn B
Now, you ladies may think that my wife could consider herself in the same boat but let me explain before you get all presumptuous. I am not a sucker in as much as I was suckered into it but much more so in as much as, for some reason, I want to stay in it. Why? Because my wife is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Thus, even though, I can bitch and moan about things she does that do not please me (even things she does not really do and that I only imagine she does), I will gladly suck it all up, and more, to stay together with her. That is not just because it is cheaper to keep her; it is because, in my own twisted, possibly demented, and certainly convoluted way (like any other heterosexual married man), I need her, I depend on her and I love her very much. (Why is that??? - That is the question all normal men ask themselves!)
Yes, I am sure my future son-in-law will fit perfectly into that same category in relation to my daughter, even though he surely does not think it now - pre-wedding. Thus another sucker who thinks he is the master of the house bites the bait and is hooked hard and then reeled in by the true master - the woman in his life. He will learn, we all do (we men that is, who are straight and who get hooked)!
As for my daughter, I hope she enjoys the two bottles of Moet & Chandon I bought for her shower. I could have spent that money on a really good 15 year old. Watch what you are thinking, I meant a 15 year old bottle of single malt Irish Whiskey. Although, of course, being a sucker I figured it would please both her and the wife to give her the Champagne. That even though the wife is not partial Champagne since my daughter loves it. With any luck, it will make the wife a bit more partial toward an undeserving me because it makes our daughter happy and she was happy when I gave it to her just before the party commenced.
Man oh man, there is no hope for me. I am not just a sucker, I am pussy whipped. Now I am heading over to crash the party for a glass of the Champagne. Or maybe I would be better off here just sucking down the potato Vodka that I had to buy myself because the Champagne broke my budget.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, May 17, 2013
So My Son Asked Me...
..."How much ammo do we have for our AKs". That was last night when he was getting ready to go on a trip to upstate NY with his girlfriend today. I just said we have some and asked if he wanted any for the trip. He said "nah" and took 100 rounds of 22WMR and maybe 30 rounds of 12 gauge shells, some buckshot and some birdshot. He could have taken some 7.62x39mm too, along with his AK, but I guess he figures we should conserve for if things get really bad and ammo becomes impossible to find.
As it turned out, just after he asked me that, I saw that Sportsmansguide.com had both 7.62x39mm ammo (at the least expensive price I have seen in a long while but still not a great price at .27 cents per round) and Sellier & Bellot 12 gauge 00 buckshot (at a very good price of $5.50 per 10 rounds) in stock.
Nah, I didn't order any. What can I say, I am either broke or lying or both. You figure it.
All the best,
GB
As it turned out, just after he asked me that, I saw that Sportsmansguide.com had both 7.62x39mm ammo (at the least expensive price I have seen in a long while but still not a great price at .27 cents per round) and Sellier & Bellot 12 gauge 00 buckshot (at a very good price of $5.50 per 10 rounds) in stock.
Nah, I didn't order any. What can I say, I am either broke or lying or both. You figure it.
All the best,
GB
Not All In Law Enforcement Are Against The RKBA
I tip my hat to the Sheriff's Departments who are supporting the right of the People to keep and bear arms and who have filed suit against the state of Colorado and its gun-control laws.
See: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/17/18323842-majority-of-colorado-sheriffs-file-suit-against-new-gun-laws?lite
Al the best,
Glenn B
See: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/17/18323842-majority-of-colorado-sheriffs-file-suit-against-new-gun-laws?lite
Al the best,
Glenn B
Remember Under Bush - There Were 30 Million Illegal Aliens Here...
...now, all of a sudden, there are only 11 million. That can only mean that Obama must have gotten rid of about 19 million of them over the past 4 1/2 years. Since that must be the case, I just do not understand why he cannot get rid of the other 11 million the same way he got rid of the first 19 million of them. What are they, tough guys or something? Or, are they just the ones Obama has chosen to keep around!
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Driver Thwarts Car Jacking - Takes Down Perp
Here is a pretty impressive and fairly graphic video showing a guy defending himself against an armed thug in what seems to be a possible car jacking. It happened recently according to the date stamp on the video, either February 3nd or March 2nd depending on how the date stamp was set up to read.
My interpretation of what I saw there is: The store owner/driver looks as if he may have sprayed the bad guy first or tried to poke him in the face with his car keys, he definitely has something in his left hand when it comes out the window, the first time, at the bad guy. Then he fends off the bad guys pistol, with his left hand, as he draws with his right hand. Note that, to me, it appears the first shot was at point blank range, the muzzle of the driver's handgun maybe even touching the bad guy on his body just under his left arm when the bad guy is still up against the SUV. You will see, if you watch closely, something black in the driver's hand which is almost undoubtedly his own pistol. Keep watching closely to see that the bad guy seems to spasm for a split second with gun arm pulling back and his head snapping to his right just after that something black in the drivers right hand goes to the I mentioned on the bad guy. The driver retracts his right hand and whatever is in it into he SUV. Note the second bad guy's reaction was just after what I think was the first and point blank shot; it was obviously too soon after the second time the driver's pistol came out of the window to be in reaction to it the second time his gun was being brought into play. Right about then is also when bad guy number one tries to flee. It was then that the driver appears to have fired two more shots, as the bad guy was trying to get away but was still an armed and a very imminent threat. Both follow-up shots look to have hit their mark judging by the movements of the desperado right after each shot was fired. The bad guy going down, hopefully permanently after the third shot. Like this one did, most such gun fights end in a matter of only a few seconds. I was pretty amazed tat a guy who had just left his store, and evidently forgot to lock the door, was alert enough to successfully to stop the threat but that is exactly what he did. It seems almost certain that he saw the bad guy approach in his side view mirror or heard him running up to the car because his left hand came out that quickly to deal with the threat. I have got to hand it to him, he was on the ball, at least on constant yellow alert and rapidly moving right from it to red. In addition, let me point out some smart things he did after the shooting and one not so smart. The not so smart first, he did not take cover once out of his vehicle. The first thing, after the shooting that he did that was smart was to break his tunnel vision. He walks to the back of the SUV and then starts to back up and looks left for a moment as if to look for other threats. Then he walks toward the rear of the vehicle again, gives a quick peek to the left, and walks out toward the left around the back of the SUV, effectively using the corner of the building for cover even though far from it in case the other bad guy was still around the other side of it. That would give the bad guy much less of an angle to hit him if still there. Note he maintains a combat ready stance throughout these moves. It also seems as if he may have communicated with the guy coming over from his left from across the street as the driver's hand can be seen going up for a moment when he is behind the SUV and the other guy, apparently a bystander, has just started to come toward him. Then he does something, again, very smart, he kicks the bad guys weapon away from the body. Remember, he sure could not be certain if that guy was dead or not. Then he backs away from the body, keeping the bad guy covered as he does so. The video ends to soon after that to tell much of what else he may have done to secure the situation (such as maybe pick up the bad guy's pistol) but there was one other thing, it looks as if (and I am guessing here) he may have been trying to get a cell phone out of his left jacket pocket. It seems to me that this guy did what he did based more than on watching Bruce Willis movies. I would bet he had decent training and practiced at it more than once, had a plan ready if ever accosted, and had a follow-up plan for what to do once the gun fight was terminated and he was the winner.
If anyone has a link to the story behind the video, please leave it in the comments section. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
My interpretation of what I saw there is: The store owner/driver looks as if he may have sprayed the bad guy first or tried to poke him in the face with his car keys, he definitely has something in his left hand when it comes out the window, the first time, at the bad guy. Then he fends off the bad guys pistol, with his left hand, as he draws with his right hand. Note that, to me, it appears the first shot was at point blank range, the muzzle of the driver's handgun maybe even touching the bad guy on his body just under his left arm when the bad guy is still up against the SUV. You will see, if you watch closely, something black in the driver's hand which is almost undoubtedly his own pistol. Keep watching closely to see that the bad guy seems to spasm for a split second with gun arm pulling back and his head snapping to his right just after that something black in the drivers right hand goes to the I mentioned on the bad guy. The driver retracts his right hand and whatever is in it into he SUV. Note the second bad guy's reaction was just after what I think was the first and point blank shot; it was obviously too soon after the second time the driver's pistol came out of the window to be in reaction to it the second time his gun was being brought into play. Right about then is also when bad guy number one tries to flee. It was then that the driver appears to have fired two more shots, as the bad guy was trying to get away but was still an armed and a very imminent threat. Both follow-up shots look to have hit their mark judging by the movements of the desperado right after each shot was fired. The bad guy going down, hopefully permanently after the third shot. Like this one did, most such gun fights end in a matter of only a few seconds. I was pretty amazed tat a guy who had just left his store, and evidently forgot to lock the door, was alert enough to successfully to stop the threat but that is exactly what he did. It seems almost certain that he saw the bad guy approach in his side view mirror or heard him running up to the car because his left hand came out that quickly to deal with the threat. I have got to hand it to him, he was on the ball, at least on constant yellow alert and rapidly moving right from it to red. In addition, let me point out some smart things he did after the shooting and one not so smart. The not so smart first, he did not take cover once out of his vehicle. The first thing, after the shooting that he did that was smart was to break his tunnel vision. He walks to the back of the SUV and then starts to back up and looks left for a moment as if to look for other threats. Then he walks toward the rear of the vehicle again, gives a quick peek to the left, and walks out toward the left around the back of the SUV, effectively using the corner of the building for cover even though far from it in case the other bad guy was still around the other side of it. That would give the bad guy much less of an angle to hit him if still there. Note he maintains a combat ready stance throughout these moves. It also seems as if he may have communicated with the guy coming over from his left from across the street as the driver's hand can be seen going up for a moment when he is behind the SUV and the other guy, apparently a bystander, has just started to come toward him. Then he does something, again, very smart, he kicks the bad guys weapon away from the body. Remember, he sure could not be certain if that guy was dead or not. Then he backs away from the body, keeping the bad guy covered as he does so. The video ends to soon after that to tell much of what else he may have done to secure the situation (such as maybe pick up the bad guy's pistol) but there was one other thing, it looks as if (and I am guessing here) he may have been trying to get a cell phone out of his left jacket pocket. It seems to me that this guy did what he did based more than on watching Bruce Willis movies. I would bet he had decent training and practiced at it more than once, had a plan ready if ever accosted, and had a follow-up plan for what to do once the gun fight was terminated and he was the winner.
If anyone has a link to the story behind the video, please leave it in the comments section. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
Shooter - Know Thyself and Improve Your Shooting
While reading a thread about buying a 1911 pistol, on the Long Island Firearms Forums, I came across a post in which a poster told about having seen two other shooters, shooting 2 brands of 1911 pistols, from a bench rest, getting group sizes up to 5" at 15 yards; then about how he shot a yet third brand of 1911 pistol from the bench rest, also at 15 yards, and got a much better group size of 2". He apparently believed that the difference in group size was due to the pistols or at least that is what was implied in what he wrote because he said "...my RO shot a tighter group, closer to the bulls eye that either of the other two 1911's that day, from a rest." (He as referring to his Springfield Armory Range officer model as opposed to 1911 pistols manufactured by Wilson Combat and Ed Brown.) Note how he says his pistol shot better and not that he was, in that particular situation, the better shooter and thus probably failed to give credit where it was due. My guess would be that had he shot worse than the other two guys he would have blamed it on his gun or at least implied such.
I figured it would be good to explain why there was probably such a difference in group sizes, fired by different guns, that he witnessed. It may benefit folks to know that good quality 1911 type pistols, in good working order, made by reputable manufacturers, in the same, or even somewhat different, price ranges as to MSRP, will be about as accurate as one another for general combat shooting.
When the post writer said that the shots were taken by all three guns from a bench rest, I am figuring he meant a hands on pistol type bench rest, something like the following two examples and not a Ransom Rest, the third photo below.
Note that the first two photos show the shooters are holding the pistols, with the Ransom Rest there is not a hand on he gun. That is because the Ransom Rest fires the gun once the mechanical rest is activated by a person. The human hand never holds or even touches the gun in that mechanical rest when it fires. The Ransom Rest is made from metal, is quite heavy and is secured to the bench with the gun secured in the rest. This is usually the type rest, if not the actual brand, used by gun manufacturers when they test their firearms for accuracy.
If the rest, from which he saw the shots taken, were ones which required the shooter to hold the firearm and activate the trigger with his trigger finger, then we can safely bet, that if nothing was mechanically or physically wrong with those other guns or the rests, it was the fault of the shooters for those larger groups and the prowess as a shooter of the person who wrote the post for his/her smaller group. If it was a from a Ransom Rest my bet would be either that: the rest was not set-up properly, the rest was faulty or the ammo was faulty. As for the poster shooting better in that instance as per his/her own claim he/she was not as good a shooter as the other guys, my bet is the poster simply did it better that time and both of the others merely did not do it as well as usual. If a shooter is holding the firearm, that shooter affects how it fires and how accurate are the shots. I strongly doubt it was due to the makes of the guns. It could have been, of course, also due to faulty or junk bench rests but my bet still is on the shooters because almost certainty, had the two who did not shoot as well known anything about bench rest, both shooters would have complained that something was wrong with it had there actually been something wrong and the other shooter did not seem to have a problem with the bench rest and shot a better group.
Let me show you an example of why, I think, it was probably the shooters and not the guns that mattered:
The above target was shot at 7 yards from a position of standing, strong hand supported (weak hand supporting the strong hand or two hand hold). There was no other support. There were 28 shots in total, on that target, all fired from a Remington R1 1911, same ammo. (All factory fresh JHP ammunition, think it was Remington, no reloads and not some super-duper man stopper ammo at crazy velocities.)
The second target was shot at 10 yards (yes further away than was the first target) from a position of standing, strong hand supported, just as was the first target and with the same exact Remington R1 1911 and the same ammo. So why the difference in group size, why did it get markedly better at 10 yards out than at 7 yards?
The difference was the shooter and nothing else. No, there were not two different shooters, it was the same guy shooting each time but it definitely was the shooter who made all of the difference. I know that for a fact because I shot both targets. The first one consists of the very first 28 shots I ever fired with my Remington R1 1911. I had not fired a pistol in .45 caliber for about at least 5 years more or less. I was anxious to shoot it and maybe subconsciously concerned about recoil and it shows. I took a little break after that, fired another pistol for several shots, a 9mm, and did much better with it. I thought about what I may have done differently with the .45 and about what I should do to correct for it and to get it right; in other words I realized it was me and not the pistol or the ammo at fault and decided to correct myself. I fired another 14 rounds out of it. The result was the second target and I note again it was even further away than had been the first target yet has a much better group.
In almost every instance of good versus poor shooting (or better versus worse shooting in instances where a shooter is consistently poor or good but can improve either way), with a current production good quality firearm, from a respectable manufacturer, in good working condition, it is the shooter who makes the difference. The human factor is, almost without any doubt in my mind, the variable in the shooting described by the guy who made that post in the firearms forum. The only doubt there could be would arise because I do not know anything about the specific firearms and ammo that he/she saw being shot.
How does that benefit anyone who shoots. Well, if they understand what I said and if they believe it, especially that they themselves are likely at fault when not getting great groups (knowing thyself, so to speak), and then work on their technique to improve it using the fundamentals of pistol shooting correctly, their shooting will almost certainly improve. That is unless they know they are already perfect and are always doing it right for each and every shot. If they think like that, there is no hope for them unless they actually are perfect shots. In all my years, I have not met one perfect shot, nor heard of one, except when shooters who are legends in their own minds are describing their own marksmanship abilities.
All the best,
Glenn B
I figured it would be good to explain why there was probably such a difference in group sizes, fired by different guns, that he witnessed. It may benefit folks to know that good quality 1911 type pistols, in good working order, made by reputable manufacturers, in the same, or even somewhat different, price ranges as to MSRP, will be about as accurate as one another for general combat shooting.
Note that the first two photos show the shooters are holding the pistols, with the Ransom Rest there is not a hand on he gun. That is because the Ransom Rest fires the gun once the mechanical rest is activated by a person. The human hand never holds or even touches the gun in that mechanical rest when it fires. The Ransom Rest is made from metal, is quite heavy and is secured to the bench with the gun secured in the rest. This is usually the type rest, if not the actual brand, used by gun manufacturers when they test their firearms for accuracy.
If the rest, from which he saw the shots taken, were ones which required the shooter to hold the firearm and activate the trigger with his trigger finger, then we can safely bet, that if nothing was mechanically or physically wrong with those other guns or the rests, it was the fault of the shooters for those larger groups and the prowess as a shooter of the person who wrote the post for his/her smaller group. If it was a from a Ransom Rest my bet would be either that: the rest was not set-up properly, the rest was faulty or the ammo was faulty. As for the poster shooting better in that instance as per his/her own claim he/she was not as good a shooter as the other guys, my bet is the poster simply did it better that time and both of the others merely did not do it as well as usual. If a shooter is holding the firearm, that shooter affects how it fires and how accurate are the shots. I strongly doubt it was due to the makes of the guns. It could have been, of course, also due to faulty or junk bench rests but my bet still is on the shooters because almost certainty, had the two who did not shoot as well known anything about bench rest, both shooters would have complained that something was wrong with it had there actually been something wrong and the other shooter did not seem to have a problem with the bench rest and shot a better group.
Let me show you an example of why, I think, it was probably the shooters and not the guns that mattered:
The above target was shot at 7 yards from a position of standing, strong hand supported (weak hand supporting the strong hand or two hand hold). There was no other support. There were 28 shots in total, on that target, all fired from a Remington R1 1911, same ammo. (All factory fresh JHP ammunition, think it was Remington, no reloads and not some super-duper man stopper ammo at crazy velocities.)
The second target was shot at 10 yards (yes further away than was the first target) from a position of standing, strong hand supported, just as was the first target and with the same exact Remington R1 1911 and the same ammo. So why the difference in group size, why did it get markedly better at 10 yards out than at 7 yards?
The difference was the shooter and nothing else. No, there were not two different shooters, it was the same guy shooting each time but it definitely was the shooter who made all of the difference. I know that for a fact because I shot both targets. The first one consists of the very first 28 shots I ever fired with my Remington R1 1911. I had not fired a pistol in .45 caliber for about at least 5 years more or less. I was anxious to shoot it and maybe subconsciously concerned about recoil and it shows. I took a little break after that, fired another pistol for several shots, a 9mm, and did much better with it. I thought about what I may have done differently with the .45 and about what I should do to correct for it and to get it right; in other words I realized it was me and not the pistol or the ammo at fault and decided to correct myself. I fired another 14 rounds out of it. The result was the second target and I note again it was even further away than had been the first target yet has a much better group.
In almost every instance of good versus poor shooting (or better versus worse shooting in instances where a shooter is consistently poor or good but can improve either way), with a current production good quality firearm, from a respectable manufacturer, in good working condition, it is the shooter who makes the difference. The human factor is, almost without any doubt in my mind, the variable in the shooting described by the guy who made that post in the firearms forum. The only doubt there could be would arise because I do not know anything about the specific firearms and ammo that he/she saw being shot.
How does that benefit anyone who shoots. Well, if they understand what I said and if they believe it, especially that they themselves are likely at fault when not getting great groups (knowing thyself, so to speak), and then work on their technique to improve it using the fundamentals of pistol shooting correctly, their shooting will almost certainly improve. That is unless they know they are already perfect and are always doing it right for each and every shot. If they think like that, there is no hope for them unless they actually are perfect shots. In all my years, I have not met one perfect shot, nor heard of one, except when shooters who are legends in their own minds are describing their own marksmanship abilities.
All the best,
Glenn B
Take The Star Road
Peter, over at Bayou Renaissance Man, has electronically published his first book. It is a work of Science Fiction, Take The Star Road, and is currently available here. It will be published in a paper version, later on.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Right To Keep And Bear Arms Versus Special Privilege
Recently, a friend and former coworker of mine was dismayed because there was no provision, under the NY SAFE Act (gun control law) allowing retired federal agents to retain the law enforcement privilege of carrying standard capacity firearms
magazines as opposed to low capacity magazines. He acknowledged himself as now a civilian but believed that, due to service to the nation as a law enforcement officer, there should be a provision, in gun control laws, like the NY SAFE Act, exempting members of that group from so called high capacity (actually standard) magazine laws.
This was my reply:
The truth is that now, once retired, you are exactly "...legally a civilian..." in virtually all regards. As you can see, even groups like FLEOA (the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) pay less attention to you and your concerns now that you are retired and are now in a smaller group - retirees – than the larger group - active LEOs - of their membership. The fact is, now that you are a 'civilian again', you have returned, in the majority of ways, to a much larger group. You are a regular citizen without any, or with greatly reduced, special privileges based on your having been a member of a special group - law enforcement. In fact, we have always been part of that larger group - the citizenry - we never left it just because we were LEOs.
Unfortunately, too many of us had forgotten that while part of the world of law enforcement we were still citizens. We separated ourselves by the ‘us against them’ mentality. Let’s face it, to some extent, every law enforcement agency or department sadly removes itself, and its officers, from feeling itself as part of the regular citizenry by way of the us against them mentality. Then suddenly, upon retirement, we individual officers are reminded once again that we are just typical citizens; granted ones who have served our nation, and defended our Constitution, but now pretty much without the special privileges we had while so employed though in some cases we do retain a few of them.
Luckily for me, I never forgot throughout my career that I was defending the Constitution, serving the people nor that I was one of the citizenry. That can be evidenced by me having had become involved in a few cases of rights violations, over the years while an LEO, wherein I spoke out about those violations and reported them to my supervisors. Mind you, I am no weeping whiner about criminals getting their due and just punishment but I never could abide by blatant criminal violations of someone's rights by the same people who were supposed to be enforcing the law, such as beating a prisoner unjustifiably or warrantless entries when a warrant was required by law. While part of the government, I was also a watchdog against government that would slip into tyranny even on the ground level. I was even more so a proponent of firearms rights because I have always known that if the government ever wanted to illegally take over, become a tyranny, or in any way suppress our rights and liberties, it would come after that right first and hardest (just as the government is doing today). So, upon retirement, from a 32 year career in LE, it was easy for me to realize, that while a member of both, I was not as much part of the group of retired LEOs as I was part of the group of United States Citizens.
Please, don't for a moment think that I have forgotten or ignore that I am part of both groups, it is just I realize which group is most important and that is not the smaller of the two. When we were working as federal agents, we were the servants of the People and not their masters. Sadly, the government, over the past several years, seems to have forgotten that. The only way we are going to survive as Americans, living in the UNITED States of America, is to remain united with one another. Just look to Missouri’s recent actions regarding federal gun control; they have voted in a law to make it illegal to enforce federal gun control within that state. Think about that, it is truly befitting of the words inspiring and frightening. It means that a single state is willing to stand up against the federal government and maybe all of the other states, in order to protect the right of the people to keep and bear arms as opposed to the state supporting special entitlements for special groups. It is inspiring because it is a good thing in that it supports the rights of everyone, frightening because it could be an indicator of an impending civil war if it goes much further. Imagine, a state that has actually realized that the rights of all outweigh even the rights of the government (a very special interest group indeed).
While it would be nice to be able to retain our law enforcement firearms privileges into retirement (and note our ability to carry firearms and standard capacity magazines instead of low capacity magazines was a privilege of the job not a right) we must not try to do so by way of giving up our right to keep and bear arms and thus the right of the People to do so. Giving up our right to keep and bear arms is basically what we are doing if we push for changes, to gun control laws, that allow us special exemptions from gun control laws to carry higher capacity magazines or certain types of firearms that the same law prevents the rest of the citizenry from possessing. By trying to obtain such a privilege, based upon our law enforcement service, we would be giving up the right to keep and bear arms for ourselves and the citizenry because we are in effect agreeing with the government that special conditions must be met to sustain such an advantage and such not be granted to every citizen because they are not in our preferred group – thus negating a right the People already possess. In other words, we have fallen into the "us against them mindset" even in retirement and we have become concerned with our welfare, as retired LEOs, more so than we are concerned with the rights of the People whom we supposedly served. All that will accomplish is to assure that the citizenry, in large numbers, will see us as part of the problem, the problem being the government today which is more oppressive of the rights of the people than any I have seen in my lifetime. By seeking special government sanction regarding the keeping and bearing of arms, we are becoming the lackeys of the same government that is destroying that right for the People by turning it into a special privilege for the few. We would be lending support for the destruction of that right for other citizens by way of our not fighting equally for their rights as we are for our 'retired LE' privileges.
Now mind you, I am not saying not to take advantage of such benefits if they are available to retired LEOs. I think you would be crazy not to take advantage of something like LEOSA or something like the waiver of a pistol license fee for retired LEO’s. We are due some special privileges but not those that seek to undermine the rights guaranteed in our Constitution. However, I do not lend support to LEOSA, and never have, without first assuring that I have given 10X the amount of support to assuring we, as regular citizens, remain at liberty to exercise our right to keep and bear arms. In fact, if it came down to a choice, and it actually has done so for me, I would abandon all support for LEOSA and dedicate all of my efforts to the RKBA for virtually all citizens. The truth is that there should be no need for LEOSA because as I remember reading: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Bear in mind, no matter how you read it, it does not say that in order to keep and bear arms you must be in a militia. Nor does it say, or even imply, that in order to carry certain types of weapons, or certain magazine sizes (or amount of ammunition ready for use), you must first be part of a special group such as a militia or a law enforcement group. It does say though, it is the right of the People! It also says that the militia is needed to keep a free state secure and because of that, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be reduced (infringed). In other words, something was needed for the People to be able to keep government in check and to maintain the nation as a free state all while remembering that any state is made up of its people.
Back then, the militias were made up of every able bodied man, from teen years into old age, who could carry a weapon. They were used for very few things but all involved protection of the people. The most notable use of the militias was to assist in the overthrow of tyranny, thus keeping the people free. The only way they could have done so was by having the liberty to bear arms. You will remember, no doubt, that the first battle of the American Revolution, was fought by Minutemen (militia) because the English were attempting to disarm them by seizing an armory. Special interest groups - the government and the military - were involved in trying to deny the larger general interest group – the citizenry – of its rights. To those people, who would soon become the first American citizens, such a thing as being unarmed was unfathomable and they were willing to die to protect the RKBA as well as others.
Therefore, I arrived at the conclusion that I must, first and foremost, support We The People on any rights issues and not we the special interest groups while at the same time standing for the rights of the individual. While I do and will continue to take advantage of a law like LEOSA, to remain armed in my travels throughout the United States, because I would be crazy not to make use of it, I can no longer support those efforts that want to give members of special interest groups special privileges above and beyond those of any other citizen. I have been and am even more vehemently fighting for the right of us all to keep and bear arms without infringement. Why? Because it seems to me that special preference over the People of the United States is the first way a tyrant assures that many of those to whom he grants such advantages will remain loyal to him and thus make it more likely that tyranny will raise its ugly head. So, I choose to remain loyal to the Constitution and to the People, both of which I was sworn to protect. That is especially true on the issue of the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
I strongly recommend that you do so too. I suggest that you, as a retired law enforcement officer, while remembering you are indeed also a civilian, join together with others among the general citizenry of the nation who are fighting for the our right to keep and bear arms and our liberty to exercise that right freely. Look into the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, the National Association For Gun Rights or others. Bear in mind that while they are groups, they are not fighting for a special interest to be bestowed merely upon their groups, they are fighting for a right, and the liberty to exercise that right, that belongs to all of us whether or not we choose to exercise it. Then join at least one of them and donate to their efforts to protect our RKBA. Continue writing to politicians to support that same right. Keep reminding them that yes indeed you are retired law enforcement but also remind them you, and they too, swore to uphold the Constitution and thus the Second Amendment and all other rights of the People. Keep on contacting special interest groups like the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and the Fraternal Order of Police. Let them know that even as a retired LEO, you stand with the People on this issue and, as sworn defenders of the Constitution, so too should they.
The only way that we are going to win on this issue and to assure that tyranny does not have the final say is by uniting. In order to unite we must defend and support the larger group whose rights are at risk and forsake the special privileges sought by the special interest groups. This is a rights and liberties issue, it is not about privilege.
All the best,
Glenn B
magazines as opposed to low capacity magazines. He acknowledged himself as now a civilian but believed that, due to service to the nation as a law enforcement officer, there should be a provision, in gun control laws, like the NY SAFE Act, exempting members of that group from so called high capacity (actually standard) magazine laws.
This was my reply:
The truth is that now, once retired, you are exactly "...legally a civilian..." in virtually all regards. As you can see, even groups like FLEOA (the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) pay less attention to you and your concerns now that you are retired and are now in a smaller group - retirees – than the larger group - active LEOs - of their membership. The fact is, now that you are a 'civilian again', you have returned, in the majority of ways, to a much larger group. You are a regular citizen without any, or with greatly reduced, special privileges based on your having been a member of a special group - law enforcement. In fact, we have always been part of that larger group - the citizenry - we never left it just because we were LEOs.
Unfortunately, too many of us had forgotten that while part of the world of law enforcement we were still citizens. We separated ourselves by the ‘us against them’ mentality. Let’s face it, to some extent, every law enforcement agency or department sadly removes itself, and its officers, from feeling itself as part of the regular citizenry by way of the us against them mentality. Then suddenly, upon retirement, we individual officers are reminded once again that we are just typical citizens; granted ones who have served our nation, and defended our Constitution, but now pretty much without the special privileges we had while so employed though in some cases we do retain a few of them.
Luckily for me, I never forgot throughout my career that I was defending the Constitution, serving the people nor that I was one of the citizenry. That can be evidenced by me having had become involved in a few cases of rights violations, over the years while an LEO, wherein I spoke out about those violations and reported them to my supervisors. Mind you, I am no weeping whiner about criminals getting their due and just punishment but I never could abide by blatant criminal violations of someone's rights by the same people who were supposed to be enforcing the law, such as beating a prisoner unjustifiably or warrantless entries when a warrant was required by law. While part of the government, I was also a watchdog against government that would slip into tyranny even on the ground level. I was even more so a proponent of firearms rights because I have always known that if the government ever wanted to illegally take over, become a tyranny, or in any way suppress our rights and liberties, it would come after that right first and hardest (just as the government is doing today). So, upon retirement, from a 32 year career in LE, it was easy for me to realize, that while a member of both, I was not as much part of the group of retired LEOs as I was part of the group of United States Citizens.
Please, don't for a moment think that I have forgotten or ignore that I am part of both groups, it is just I realize which group is most important and that is not the smaller of the two. When we were working as federal agents, we were the servants of the People and not their masters. Sadly, the government, over the past several years, seems to have forgotten that. The only way we are going to survive as Americans, living in the UNITED States of America, is to remain united with one another. Just look to Missouri’s recent actions regarding federal gun control; they have voted in a law to make it illegal to enforce federal gun control within that state. Think about that, it is truly befitting of the words inspiring and frightening. It means that a single state is willing to stand up against the federal government and maybe all of the other states, in order to protect the right of the people to keep and bear arms as opposed to the state supporting special entitlements for special groups. It is inspiring because it is a good thing in that it supports the rights of everyone, frightening because it could be an indicator of an impending civil war if it goes much further. Imagine, a state that has actually realized that the rights of all outweigh even the rights of the government (a very special interest group indeed).
While it would be nice to be able to retain our law enforcement firearms privileges into retirement (and note our ability to carry firearms and standard capacity magazines instead of low capacity magazines was a privilege of the job not a right) we must not try to do so by way of giving up our right to keep and bear arms and thus the right of the People to do so. Giving up our right to keep and bear arms is basically what we are doing if we push for changes, to gun control laws, that allow us special exemptions from gun control laws to carry higher capacity magazines or certain types of firearms that the same law prevents the rest of the citizenry from possessing. By trying to obtain such a privilege, based upon our law enforcement service, we would be giving up the right to keep and bear arms for ourselves and the citizenry because we are in effect agreeing with the government that special conditions must be met to sustain such an advantage and such not be granted to every citizen because they are not in our preferred group – thus negating a right the People already possess. In other words, we have fallen into the "us against them mindset" even in retirement and we have become concerned with our welfare, as retired LEOs, more so than we are concerned with the rights of the People whom we supposedly served. All that will accomplish is to assure that the citizenry, in large numbers, will see us as part of the problem, the problem being the government today which is more oppressive of the rights of the people than any I have seen in my lifetime. By seeking special government sanction regarding the keeping and bearing of arms, we are becoming the lackeys of the same government that is destroying that right for the People by turning it into a special privilege for the few. We would be lending support for the destruction of that right for other citizens by way of our not fighting equally for their rights as we are for our 'retired LE' privileges.
Now mind you, I am not saying not to take advantage of such benefits if they are available to retired LEOs. I think you would be crazy not to take advantage of something like LEOSA or something like the waiver of a pistol license fee for retired LEO’s. We are due some special privileges but not those that seek to undermine the rights guaranteed in our Constitution. However, I do not lend support to LEOSA, and never have, without first assuring that I have given 10X the amount of support to assuring we, as regular citizens, remain at liberty to exercise our right to keep and bear arms. In fact, if it came down to a choice, and it actually has done so for me, I would abandon all support for LEOSA and dedicate all of my efforts to the RKBA for virtually all citizens. The truth is that there should be no need for LEOSA because as I remember reading: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Bear in mind, no matter how you read it, it does not say that in order to keep and bear arms you must be in a militia. Nor does it say, or even imply, that in order to carry certain types of weapons, or certain magazine sizes (or amount of ammunition ready for use), you must first be part of a special group such as a militia or a law enforcement group. It does say though, it is the right of the People! It also says that the militia is needed to keep a free state secure and because of that, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be reduced (infringed). In other words, something was needed for the People to be able to keep government in check and to maintain the nation as a free state all while remembering that any state is made up of its people.
Back then, the militias were made up of every able bodied man, from teen years into old age, who could carry a weapon. They were used for very few things but all involved protection of the people. The most notable use of the militias was to assist in the overthrow of tyranny, thus keeping the people free. The only way they could have done so was by having the liberty to bear arms. You will remember, no doubt, that the first battle of the American Revolution, was fought by Minutemen (militia) because the English were attempting to disarm them by seizing an armory. Special interest groups - the government and the military - were involved in trying to deny the larger general interest group – the citizenry – of its rights. To those people, who would soon become the first American citizens, such a thing as being unarmed was unfathomable and they were willing to die to protect the RKBA as well as others.
Therefore, I arrived at the conclusion that I must, first and foremost, support We The People on any rights issues and not we the special interest groups while at the same time standing for the rights of the individual. While I do and will continue to take advantage of a law like LEOSA, to remain armed in my travels throughout the United States, because I would be crazy not to make use of it, I can no longer support those efforts that want to give members of special interest groups special privileges above and beyond those of any other citizen. I have been and am even more vehemently fighting for the right of us all to keep and bear arms without infringement. Why? Because it seems to me that special preference over the People of the United States is the first way a tyrant assures that many of those to whom he grants such advantages will remain loyal to him and thus make it more likely that tyranny will raise its ugly head. So, I choose to remain loyal to the Constitution and to the People, both of which I was sworn to protect. That is especially true on the issue of the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
I strongly recommend that you do so too. I suggest that you, as a retired law enforcement officer, while remembering you are indeed also a civilian, join together with others among the general citizenry of the nation who are fighting for the our right to keep and bear arms and our liberty to exercise that right freely. Look into the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, the National Association For Gun Rights or others. Bear in mind that while they are groups, they are not fighting for a special interest to be bestowed merely upon their groups, they are fighting for a right, and the liberty to exercise that right, that belongs to all of us whether or not we choose to exercise it. Then join at least one of them and donate to their efforts to protect our RKBA. Continue writing to politicians to support that same right. Keep reminding them that yes indeed you are retired law enforcement but also remind them you, and they too, swore to uphold the Constitution and thus the Second Amendment and all other rights of the People. Keep on contacting special interest groups like the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and the Fraternal Order of Police. Let them know that even as a retired LEO, you stand with the People on this issue and, as sworn defenders of the Constitution, so too should they.
The only way that we are going to win on this issue and to assure that tyranny does not have the final say is by uniting. In order to unite we must defend and support the larger group whose rights are at risk and forsake the special privileges sought by the special interest groups. This is a rights and liberties issue, it is not about privilege.
*************************************************************
I hope it helps gets the message across to others who are retired from law enforcement and to those who are still active LEOs.All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 13, 2013
How Much Difference Does 39 Years Make?
Apparently not much if you are Hillary Clinton, she is still an uber liberal!
Hat tip to Bob C for sending me this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Hat tip to Bob C for sending me this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
NJ Firearms & Politicians = "Confiscate, Confiscate, Confiscate"
Watch the video, then read about what he is talking about at the below link.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/pro-gun_advocates_angry_over_n.html
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/pro-gun_advocates_angry_over_n.html
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Hope You Had A Happy Mothers' Day - My Mom Did
I visited my mom at the assisted living facility where she lives. It is really a very nice place. She has her own apartment, this is not a nursing home and she shares a community room, a dining area and a fairly nice garden. I visited her today and when she saw me, she was brought to tears, happy ones - go figure. We took a walk to the marina at the end of the block on which she lives, she rode in a wheel chair and I pushed. It is about a half mile from her front door to the end of the pier. Once there we sat there, enjoyed the nice day, and talked for about an hour or a bit more. Then back to her apartment. My sister and sister-in-law visited her yesterday.
Our visit today was a short one, only about an hour and a half in total but I had to get back home because my mother-in-law was coming over. Sadly my mom cannot visit our house because it is just too inaccessible for her; she cannot do stairs and the only bathrooms are on the 2nd floor and in the basement plus there are entry stairs.
The next visit will probably be longer as they usually are and I may take her out to eat somewhere local to her place. There is a nice seafood restaurant at the marina. Today, I considered stopping in there with my mom and forgoing the visit with my mother-in-law and brothers-in-law but saw it already was way too packed at half past noon to have an enjoyable time there. There was a huge crowd of Mothers' Day revelers. I figured another day would be nicer, less hurried and no reservations required. Then again, I also bought her a gift card for Friendly's awhile back, she loves ice cream, that we still have to use. If it was up to me, I think the seafood restaurant would win out but she does love ice cream and I will have to leave the choice up to my mom.
All the best,
Glenn B
Are You A Tax Payer - Then You Should Be Furious...
...once you watch this video. Granted this video is about California's welfare system but you could easily extrapolate to wind up at the conclusion that this is the same basic thing happening in any state in the USA that hands out welfare. They all hand out way too much of our money to those useless pieces of crap on the dole. I say make them work, make it work-fare not welfare or give them no support at all. If they do not want to work, banish them to an island and feed them on old stale bread, cheese and peanut butter with only water to drink. You would see them become productive citizens really quickly if that were put into effect.
A hat tip to Wirecutter for having posted this on his site from whence I shamelessly lifted it.
All the best,
Glenn B
A hat tip to Wirecutter for having posted this on his site from whence I shamelessly lifted it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Hey Al Gore, Was it Global Warming...
...or cooling or the catchall of climate change that was responsible for this event; see:
Let me just say: Fuck you Al Gore, you egregiously repetitive deceitful sack of shit.
Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/12/18213239-giant-sheets-of-ice-creep-onto-minnesota-shore-surge-toward-houses?lite=
All the best,
Glenn B
Let me just say: Fuck you Al Gore, you egregiously repetitive deceitful sack of shit.
Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/12/18213239-giant-sheets-of-ice-creep-onto-minnesota-shore-surge-toward-houses?lite=
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Panic In The Park
A man, playing with a realistic looking AirSoft type gun caused a panic in a Queens, NY park that ultimately led to his arrest. While I still live in NY State, you can bet I am very happy I moved out of New York City (Queens is part of the city). See:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/05/08/exclusive-man-arrested-for-allegedly-shooting-realistic-toy-gun-with-kids-in-queens-park/
Imagine, the arsehat in the video that accompanies the article saying that it was an unacceptable FIREARM! Granted, it looked real but they knew he was shooting plastic pellets out of it. Of course, under NYC law, such firearms are illegal.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/05/08/exclusive-man-arrested-for-allegedly-shooting-realistic-toy-gun-with-kids-in-queens-park/
Imagine, the arsehat in the video that accompanies the article saying that it was an unacceptable FIREARM! Granted, it looked real but they knew he was shooting plastic pellets out of it. Of course, under NYC law, such firearms are illegal.
All the best,
Glenn B
Blog Link List Adjustments
Okay, as I long suspected have known, Jen of DoubleNickelFarm is a gun owner and supporter of the RKBA. She just preferred to keep it on the quiet side. Now though she has opened up about it and thus her blog link has been moved from Other Bloggers of Note to TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, Not At Them.
I have also added an additional blog: http://isshedangerous.blogspot.com/
That's All Folks,
Glenn B
I have also added an additional blog: http://isshedangerous.blogspot.com/
That's All Folks,
Glenn B
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Has The Pentagon Declared War On U.S. Citizenry
It seems as if the Pentagon, under the leadership of Barack Osama Bin Hussein Obama, has struck a direct blow against the citizenry of the United States of America and against The Constitution, which all military personnel are sworn to uphold, by its seizure of the capability of DefCad to distribute plans for The Liberator via the Internet. The Liberator is DefCad's plastic, 3D printed pistol.
According to a report by FoxNews.com, the Pentagon has scrubbed the plans, for making those guns, from the Internet. (source)
This is what you will see, at the very top header of the DefCad page:
"DEFCAD files are being removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information."
If click on the Liberator icon, you will wind up on a page where this is seen:
"Download: This file has been removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information."
If the above is true, if indeed the Pentagon, or the U.S. Department of Defense Trade Controls, has forced those plans off of the Internet, then it has almost certainly violated our Constitution, specifically the 2nd Amendment and as I see it the government has declared war on its own people by using the military to take such action within our borders.
Folks, the US Department of Defense Trade Controls oversees import and export of defense article (as in national defense, like military weaponry). There is no possible way, as I see it, that this plastic pistol, that reportedly feel apart after firing only 6 shots, could be justifiably deemed a defense article under the purview of this department or of the Pentagon. What this appears to be is the U.S. Government, and U.S. Military's central command, actively abrogating the rights of U.S. Citizens on U.S. soil. This is what we have been fearing all along - a military takeover of the United States and it could well be commencing with this move.
We are now, as far as I am concerned, living in a Fascist nation wherein the government has begun taking military steps to control of industry just as the Nazis did in Germany. The Obama Administration repeatedly has negated our rights, seemingly toward no good end and without Constitutional justification or authority. Obama certainly seems to proving himself a tyrant and dictator of current times with little to no regard for the rule of constitutional law, in my estimation.
It may be to late to bury your firearms to protect them from illegal government confiscations but, if need be, let's hope it is not too late to dig them up to prevent any unconstitutional, illegal, fascist confiscations of plans from our arms industry or any illegal and tyrannical denials of our rights and liberties.
With trepidation,
Glenn B
According to a report by FoxNews.com, the Pentagon has scrubbed the plans, for making those guns, from the Internet. (source)
This is what you will see, at the very top header of the DefCad page:
"DEFCAD files are being removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information."
If click on the Liberator icon, you will wind up on a page where this is seen:
"Download: This file has been removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information."
If the above is true, if indeed the Pentagon, or the U.S. Department of Defense Trade Controls, has forced those plans off of the Internet, then it has almost certainly violated our Constitution, specifically the 2nd Amendment and as I see it the government has declared war on its own people by using the military to take such action within our borders.
Folks, the US Department of Defense Trade Controls oversees import and export of defense article (as in national defense, like military weaponry). There is no possible way, as I see it, that this plastic pistol, that reportedly feel apart after firing only 6 shots, could be justifiably deemed a defense article under the purview of this department or of the Pentagon. What this appears to be is the U.S. Government, and U.S. Military's central command, actively abrogating the rights of U.S. Citizens on U.S. soil. This is what we have been fearing all along - a military takeover of the United States and it could well be commencing with this move.
We are now, as far as I am concerned, living in a Fascist nation wherein the government has begun taking military steps to control of industry just as the Nazis did in Germany. The Obama Administration repeatedly has negated our rights, seemingly toward no good end and without Constitutional justification or authority. Obama certainly seems to proving himself a tyrant and dictator of current times with little to no regard for the rule of constitutional law, in my estimation.
It may be to late to bury your firearms to protect them from illegal government confiscations but, if need be, let's hope it is not too late to dig them up to prevent any unconstitutional, illegal, fascist confiscations of plans from our arms industry or any illegal and tyrannical denials of our rights and liberties.
With trepidation,
Glenn B
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
I Am Not A Prisoner of Ammo Buying Urges - I Am A Free Man!
My Absolute Last Ammo Order - As In Concluding, Ultimate, Ending, Closing, Terminal or final order of ammunition that I shall have ever made online as one several days ago for Winchester, 115 grain FMJ, 9mm ammunition. I promised myself that I never again would order ammo online or buy it from any other source. I promised myself that because I know, deep down inside, I am not an ammo hoarder. Nor am I a guy who goes out and shoots up his entire stores of ammo on his next range visit only to be left wanting for more of it. I am a sensible, oft frugal, reasonable, law abiding (well I do jaywalk and forget to move my vehicle for alternate side of the street parking now and then, among other such minimal infractions) firearms owner who is not addicted to buying as much ammo as I almost can afford whenever it becomes available. Nor am I a worrywart, who is overly concerned that zombies are suddenly going to rise up and take over America (well, depending on your definition of zombies that is) while trying to kill of the rest of us.
My Absolute Last Ammo Order - As In Concluding, Ultimate, Ending, Closing, Terminal or Final order of ammunition that I ever shall have made online, or anywhere else, was one made several days ago for Winchester, 115 grain FMJ, 9mm ammunition. As soon as I ordered that, I promised myself I never again would order ammo online or buy it from any other source. I promised myself that because I know, deep down inside, I am not an ammo hoarder nor an ammo buying obsessive/compulsive. Neither am I a guy who goes out and shoots up his entire stores of ammo on his next range visit only to be left wanting for more of it like a junkie shooting all of his dope and soon needing another fix. I am a sensible, oft frugal, reasonable, law abiding (well I do jaywalk and forget to move my vehicle for alternate side of the street parking now and then, among other such minimal infractions) firearms owner who is not compelled into to buying as much ammo as I almost can afford whenever it becomes available. Nor am I a worrywart, who is overly concerned that zombies are suddenly going to rise up and take over America (well, depending on your definition of zombies that is) while trying to kill of the rest of us.
Neither am I concerned, and thus forced to buy ammunition, just because some folks think it is the devil himself who is in power in Washington, D.C. (I think maybe it's his cousin but not actually the devil) and that he and his minion want to destroy the American way of life and are well on their way to having done so. That is not really happening though - is it? Isn't it normal for the government to buy billions of rounds of ammo, armored vehicles, lots of rifles with 30 round magazines (that they cleverly call personal defense weapons with standard magazines when they buy them but call assault weapons and high capacity magazines when in the hands of free citizens) and have their civilian servant forces prepare for armed encounters against the citizenry. I mean, are we a socialistic/communistic type of a country - or what! Am I worried about all of that? Nah, not me but I am a practical sort of a guy and want guns and ammo in good supply anyway - but not too much and I don't need anymore ammo.
As I was composing all that, calmly sitting here at my computer, suddenly I heard something like this. It was the call to arms of http://gunbot.net alerting me that the price of one of the calibers of ammo I have earmarked had a price drop to my personally preselected price level. I went to their site and saw that the alert was for .32 Auto. Suddenly I heard a voice saying: 'Holy low priced horse shit Batman, did you see that? Prvi Partisan 71 grain, FMJ, .32 ammo is on sale at Widener's at only .24 cents per round as per gunbot.net!' I thought: Wow, those are pre-second term election ammo prices; how can I not pick some up before it is too late. "No - No- NO - DO'T BUY ANYMORE" is what I was also thinking. The urge was strong to buy and seemed as strong to avoid buying. "I know I can do it!", thought I. Then I heard another sound, like this except it was booming and getting faster, I began to realize I was perspiring, even salivating. It was like this. I had to do something to stop it, to make that feeling go away, to dissipate the thoughts of: 'I gotta get some quick before it all sells out'. Oh what to do?
I knew how to make it stop, at least for the immediate future. I selected the number of boxes of ammo and filled in all the other required info then, I pressed "Submit Order". It was almost as if I had no will of my own. Ammo buying, its like this and it is over and over and over and over an over again, maybe until there is no more ammo to buy. Another 250 rounds of ammo is about to be on its way to my doorstep. Oh my, can't anyone help me end these nightmares.
I really don't need any help; mind you I can do it by myself. I know I can beat this on my own. I don't need no stinking shrinks or counselors or interventions or friends on whose shoulders to cry. No sir, no ma'am I don't need your help. I know I must fight it, I know I can do it. I am resigned to it, to not buying one more single piece of solitary ammunition ever. I will not be pushed into making anymore ammo deals. I will not index myself as some sort of ammo buying freak, I am not a prisoner of a compulsion to buy ammunition, I will make no more ammo deals for a single bullet. (Click), I am not a prisoner of imagined uncontrollable ammo buying urges. I am a free man!
Later 4 U, I have got to go check http://gunbot.net/ while I still have the freedom to do so.
All the best,
Glenn B
My Absolute Last Ammo Order - As In Concluding, Ultimate, Ending, Closing, Terminal or Final order of ammunition that I ever shall have made online, or anywhere else, was one made several days ago for Winchester, 115 grain FMJ, 9mm ammunition. As soon as I ordered that, I promised myself I never again would order ammo online or buy it from any other source. I promised myself that because I know, deep down inside, I am not an ammo hoarder nor an ammo buying obsessive/compulsive. Neither am I a guy who goes out and shoots up his entire stores of ammo on his next range visit only to be left wanting for more of it like a junkie shooting all of his dope and soon needing another fix. I am a sensible, oft frugal, reasonable, law abiding (well I do jaywalk and forget to move my vehicle for alternate side of the street parking now and then, among other such minimal infractions) firearms owner who is not compelled into to buying as much ammo as I almost can afford whenever it becomes available. Nor am I a worrywart, who is overly concerned that zombies are suddenly going to rise up and take over America (well, depending on your definition of zombies that is) while trying to kill of the rest of us.
Neither am I concerned, and thus forced to buy ammunition, just because some folks think it is the devil himself who is in power in Washington, D.C. (I think maybe it's his cousin but not actually the devil) and that he and his minion want to destroy the American way of life and are well on their way to having done so. That is not really happening though - is it? Isn't it normal for the government to buy billions of rounds of ammo, armored vehicles, lots of rifles with 30 round magazines (that they cleverly call personal defense weapons with standard magazines when they buy them but call assault weapons and high capacity magazines when in the hands of free citizens) and have their civilian servant forces prepare for armed encounters against the citizenry. I mean, are we a socialistic/communistic type of a country - or what! Am I worried about all of that? Nah, not me but I am a practical sort of a guy and want guns and ammo in good supply anyway - but not too much and I don't need anymore ammo.
As I was composing all that, calmly sitting here at my computer, suddenly I heard something like this. It was the call to arms of http://gunbot.net alerting me that the price of one of the calibers of ammo I have earmarked had a price drop to my personally preselected price level. I went to their site and saw that the alert was for .32 Auto. Suddenly I heard a voice saying: 'Holy low priced horse shit Batman, did you see that? Prvi Partisan 71 grain, FMJ, .32 ammo is on sale at Widener's at only .24 cents per round as per gunbot.net!' I thought: Wow, those are pre-second term election ammo prices; how can I not pick some up before it is too late. "No - No- NO - DO'T BUY ANYMORE" is what I was also thinking. The urge was strong to buy and seemed as strong to avoid buying. "I know I can do it!", thought I. Then I heard another sound, like this except it was booming and getting faster, I began to realize I was perspiring, even salivating. It was like this. I had to do something to stop it, to make that feeling go away, to dissipate the thoughts of: 'I gotta get some quick before it all sells out'. Oh what to do?
I knew how to make it stop, at least for the immediate future. I selected the number of boxes of ammo and filled in all the other required info then, I pressed "Submit Order". It was almost as if I had no will of my own. Ammo buying, its like this and it is over and over and over and over an over again, maybe until there is no more ammo to buy. Another 250 rounds of ammo is about to be on its way to my doorstep. Oh my, can't anyone help me end these nightmares.
I really don't need any help; mind you I can do it by myself. I know I can beat this on my own. I don't need no stinking shrinks or counselors or interventions or friends on whose shoulders to cry. No sir, no ma'am I don't need your help. I know I must fight it, I know I can do it. I am resigned to it, to not buying one more single piece of solitary ammunition ever. I will not be pushed into making anymore ammo deals. I will not index myself as some sort of ammo buying freak, I am not a prisoner of a compulsion to buy ammunition, I will make no more ammo deals for a single bullet. (Click), I am not a prisoner of imagined uncontrollable ammo buying urges. I am a free man!
Later 4 U, I have got to go check http://gunbot.net/ while I still have the freedom to do so.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Likely Effects Of NY State's 7 Round Magazine Law
Repeal the NY SAFE ACT. Nothing else needs to be said, just do it. A hat tip and my thanks to Peter Q for sending me this one.
Al the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 6, 2013
250 Rounds of Aguila .45 Ammo Left On My Doorstep
I must be getting old and forgetful because today I received an order of 250 rounds of Aguila, 230 grain, FMJ, .45 Auto ammo, that I kind of, sort of, somehow forgot that I had ordered. That also could be because I recently made a couple of orders of 9mm Ammo or just because it was no big deal for me to order ammo. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I love finding ammo at my front door, I just wish someone else was paying for it.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
The Liberator - They Actually Printed A Working Plastic Pistol...
...and I have to admit I was dead wrong because I thought it possible, when I first heard of this project, that it was all a hoax for them, Defense Distributors (aka: DefCad.org) to get donations and maybe pocket them instead of really figuring out how to "print" a working gun. What can I say but I am a cynic. I owe them an apology for my having thought that and I think maybe a small donation too, especially in light of the fact they have made the plans freely available to anyone.
Edited to add: Donation sent.
All the best,
Glenn B
Edited to add: Donation sent.
All the best,
Glenn B
Intense Shootout Footage - Police Versus Bad Guy In Middlefield, Ohio
The video, at the following link, is
intense or in other words very graphic and extremely violent in nature. If you
do not want to see someone die, don't watch. It is the complete start to finish
dash cam video of a police cruiser showing a subject being stopped by police
for running a stop sign and then getting out and opening fire on the officers
with an AK-47 and the officers taking down the bad guy. It took place in March
2013, in Middlefield, Ohio.
http://video-embed.cleveland.com/services/player/bcpid649725534001?bctid=2350624009001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAQBxUNqE~,xKBGzTdiYSTvTgY_KEDQxGs6uqT6UiMm
This video and the accompanying and very informative linked article tell a story about how shit can hit the fan very badly and very quickly. There are many things you can learn from it, both what to do and what not to do if you are ever involved in a shooting. One of the most important things to do would be to keep your cool. I think you will realize, after watching the video and listening to the audio (there is audio once they make the vehicle stop, it does not come on until then), that the officers stayed pretty cool under fire. Yes, the female officer is heard screaming once, or at least I think it was her BUT she was pretty calm under fire, AND remained so after being hit twice by gunfire. Her voice is steely.
The male officer must have stayed calm enough because he hit the bad guy with 9 shots. He fired a total of 29 rounds and the female officer fired 17 rounds. Yes, that means that it seems that a total of 46 rounds were fired by the officers (other reports say 50 but so far all agree that the bad guy had 19 injuries. Only bullets were recovered from his body. Either 10 bullets passed through him or some passed through and others caused multiple wounds (only guy I ever shot had 5 bullet holes from a single bullet) or only 9 hit him and they caused all 19 wounds. In the best case scenario, the bad guy was hit 19 times. The officers reportedly fired a total of 47 - 50 rounds depending on which report you read. Officer Savage (the male officer) reportedly fired 29 - 33 rounds (again depending on the report you read) and Officer Thomas (female officer) 17 rounds. With 19 hits at best, that leaves 28 - 31 shots out in the ozone, so to speak. That may not seem like great shooting on the part of the officers but let me say, it just isn't the same as shooting at paper at the range - NOT AT ALL because paper does not shoot at or in any other way threaten you.
I know what it feels like to be confronted by an armed pair of thugs and shoot at them. I can say without a doubt that it is nowhere near the same as anything I have ever encountered at the range as far as my reaction and actions went. Luckily for me, my first and second shots were well enough aimed to end the confrontation. There is nothing to prepare you for it though, nothing in your law enforcement training, nothing you see in a movie, nothing you read in a book or online. Not even this video can prepare you for how you will react and act at a moment when your life is on the line. I cannot fault the officers too much for missing with that many shots, I am sure that the pucker factor was in full force when this got underway. My guess would be though that, if they remain on the job, they will practice shooting more than before.
Luckily for them, the bad guy was an even worse shot. He shot 33 rounds at the cops. He apparently missed with all of his shots except possibly for one or two, the shot that took off Officer Thomas' finger and the one that hit her in her thigh. While every report I have read says that the bad guy shot off Officer Thomas' index finger on her left hand, I wonder about that a bit. I know for a fact that some police officials also have to be wondering if that is really what happened to her finger. Chances are she is right handed, as are most of us, and if she is I am wondering if it actually was a shot from the bad guy's gun or one from her own pistol that shot off her index finger. It happens. If she is lucky, no one will ever question it that all that much or the doctors were able to determine without a doubt that the was from one of the bad guy's shots. Yet, for now, it is something to consider if you are a shooter regardless of who shot her finger. A self-inflicted gunshot to the off hand, as you bring it up to get a two hand hold on the gun, is not that uncommon an injury as all too often the shooter places that hand in front of the muzzle as the shooter brings up the gun with the other. The cause, in this case, had she actually shot herself in that finger, probably would have been that she was on an adrenalin overdrive. Note, I am not saying she did shoot herself or even that it is likely but that such things do happen and you should be aware of it if you are a pistol shooter.
Note again, Officer Thomas was cool under fire. She had the wits about her to calmly communicate with her partner right from the get go. She tells officer Savage that "he is hiding something" referring to the bad guy. She got out of the patrol car, walked around to the other side behind it (using what cover she had) and then starts to approach the bad guys vehicle. She warns officer Savage as the dirt bag gets out of his car with the gun. She returns fire as does Savage (who fired from inside the car through the cruiser's windshield). She is hit. A break in the action takes place with the bad guy on his knees and Savage, also calmly, asks Thomas if she is hit. Listen to her reply she is one cool person even after having been hit. She calmly and with determined steeliness communicates with her partner, telling him to cover them and she will call dispatch. She calls it in and her partner starts to fire at the scumbag who is again seemingly preparing to engage officer once again - watch closely in case you did not notice but as the officer starts shooting at the subject, who is on his knees, it appears he is trying to change magazines or to somehow manipulate the action on the rifle.
It is only once the piece of shit has been riddled with bullets and is lying on the ground, not moving, that the officers both loose some of that calmness. Officer Savage can be heard screaming: "send back-up now" as Officer Thomas gives out their location and other info.
To me, it sounds as if a passerby approaches the police officers and asks if they are okay. I do not think that is their dispatcher, even though that is when officer Savage calls for back-up, because the voice then says "I have a pis..." but immediately shuts up when he is cut off by Savage again as Savage again calls for back up as Officer Thomas calls in that she is hit, needs and ambulance and gives their location. The fear and shock in both of the officers' voices is readily apparent but note again - only after the bad guy is already down. Then, that same unknown voice says: "How bad you hit?" to which Officer Savage starts to reply, in a low calm voice again "probably..." followed by something I could not understand. It sounds like he is talking to someone right there with them. Then that same unknown voice says: "Hold on, hold on, is he dead?"
I think it was a passerby who was offering to render assistance and that he initially had been about to say 'I have a pistol, I can help' or something like that. I could be interpreting it all wrong, it could be the dispatcher's voice, but I have explained why I think not. Folks, I bring this up because if you ever approach police to render assistance, do not tell them, as one of the first things you say: "I have a pistol" especially only a moment after they were just engaged in a fatal shootout - unless you are absolutely sure they realize you are one of the good guys and I really do mean that you are ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN they know you are one of the good guys. Mistakes happen and people get shot because of mistaken intentions and mistaken identity during heated moments such as these. Let them know you are there to help by saying something like: "Officers can I help, are you wounded, I know first aid" or ask "should I call 911 for assistance" or tell them "I just called 911 and told them what happened, help is on the way, what can I do to help you" (*which might be the thing to do before you go to help the officers). Do not interrupt them during a radio call for assistance. Hold your tongue until that call is over. It would be a terrible fate to be wounded or killed by the officers when you were trying to help but they, in their shocked states of mind, mistook you for an accomplice of the bad guy.
Speaking about shock and mental state, did you notice that even after the bad guy went down onto the ground in the prone position, and was apparently stopped from being a further threat, and taking no more hostile actions, the officer(s) kept firing. Is that the way it should happen? Probably not under the law the way it is written. Is that the way it happens? Yes, quite often. Was whoever was still firing wrong and doing something illegal and unforgivable? You can bet that someone who does not understand what is taking place would quite likely say that was totally wrong and unforgivable. My reply is: NO, they probably were not wrong! While it may readily appear that the bad guy was probably no longer a threat, we are watching a video of the event and not involved in it. We are not on an adrenalin overload. We are not operating with a mental processing overload. We are home, on our computers, probably relaxed and enjoying a cold one; the officers had just a moment before been under fire and both were injured and that changes things. It is a known fact, that in such situations, the innocent party involved often keeps shooting until the gun goes dry due to physical and mental state in such a situation. Another thing is that the officer had to convince him or herself that the guy was no longer a threat. They shot a lot of shots before he went down and even after he was obviously hit, he kept firing at the officers. So, the officer likely still thought he was a threat. In addition, you can bet that not only are the officers on adrenalin overload, they are suffering from a mental processing overload and are also in shock while at the same time having a super elevated heart rate and blood pressure, they are under extreme stress. Things seem to take place in slow motion, sounds are not as loud as usual, you scream to be heard because you think you are not speaking loud enough. You have tunnel vision. It is even possible that they perceived him as still moving, all that stress can and does sometimes make you hallucinate during a gun battle. You are super stressed. They were scared for their lives and remained so, even after the sack of shit hit the ground, up until the second or two later that they were able to process he was down and not moving and then stopped shooting.
Back to the guy with the mystery voice, for a moment. I have to hand it to that guy, he asked the all-important question when he said: "Hold on, hold on, is he dead". Once the bad guy was down, and the shooting was over, neither officer apparently thought of immediately approaching an handcuffing and disarming him - not necessarily in that order. Now, there is a good chance they did think of it only moments after the video cut off and did so. There is also the better chance that they were waiting for back-up. Me, I am not sure what I would have done even though trained to check the guy out and handcuff him whether or not I thought him dead. Why? Because had the guy still be alive, even though he looked dead to me, he was laying atop a potentially loaded AK-47. I addition, the officers had no idea what or who else was in the car. You cannot assume it was only him. To approach or wait for back-up is a judgment call that you hope you get right. Waiting for back up could mean, if he were still alive, that he could attack again and you would be in another gun fight and be pretty low on ammo, same if an accomplice had been hiding in the car. But at least you could get behind better cover in the meantime, again something the officers seemingly did not do, it seems as if they stayed with the cruiser. Of course, had they approached and the guy was still alive, or had he an armed accomplice hiding in the car, all the same stuff could have happened. The point is though, don't ever think, that just because someone went down it is over. Make sure it is over, and if you can safely do so, secure the subject (even if you think him dead) and then secure the area (like his vehicle to make sure there was not another bad guy hiding in it). If you think it is not safe to do so, then get behind cover, do a tactical reload, check for injuries to self and partner, stop any bleeding, and wait for the back-up to arrive as you continuously observe the downed bad guy, his car and the area in general.
One other note about being a person who inadvertently winds up in the middle of such a situation or even just on the edge of it. Did you pay any attention to the white car that drove up in the oncoming traffic lane while the shootout was going hot and heavy? The driver stopped the car, maybe because he saw the police cruiser's light flashing and wanted to do the right thing, maybe because he saw the gunfight, then sat there for a moment and I am guessing suddenly realized what was happening and what he or she should do pronto. The driver's next actions were the correct ones if safely possible, get the heck out of Dodge by getting away from the danger (don't drive by it or through it if possible).
All in all, I think those two officers did a fantastic job. While I would like to have seen more of their shots hit the bad guy, I must again point out it is not like shooting at paper targets; bad guys are shooting at you in situations like these and that is a major game changer. They handled themselves pretty darned well and rid the earth of a piece of crap.
What we likely are all left wondering now, is where was the guy going and what was he about to do with the guns, ammo, gunpowder, explosives handbooks and the like that were in his car. He was evidently ready to do something as opposed to just transporting it all otherwise why the AK-47 in the passenger compartment either ready to go or ready to load and go. Maybe we should consider ourselves very lucky that it was those two police officers who were not sitting around eating donuts, not sleeping on the job, who decided to do their jobs and go after a guy who ran a stop sign and then were on the ball enough to take out a seeming psycho who pretty much outgunned them. For all we know he could have run that light because he was in a hurry to get to the library to get a book about gardening but somehow I highly doubt that.
A hat tip to Kerry F for sending me the link to the video that got me looking into all of this.
Sources:
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/05/03/news/doc5183fccf74a53428767507.txt?viewmode=fullstory
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/04/27/news/doc517b176a8157a382533942.txt?viewmode=fullstory
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/03/13/news/doc5140ab7acd457648079697.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Other related articles:
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/03/11/news/doc513df548ea98f390006667.txt
Stay safe,
Glenn B
http://video-embed.cleveland.com/services/player/bcpid649725534001?bctid=2350624009001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAQBxUNqE~,xKBGzTdiYSTvTgY_KEDQxGs6uqT6UiMm
This video and the accompanying and very informative linked article tell a story about how shit can hit the fan very badly and very quickly. There are many things you can learn from it, both what to do and what not to do if you are ever involved in a shooting. One of the most important things to do would be to keep your cool. I think you will realize, after watching the video and listening to the audio (there is audio once they make the vehicle stop, it does not come on until then), that the officers stayed pretty cool under fire. Yes, the female officer is heard screaming once, or at least I think it was her BUT she was pretty calm under fire, AND remained so after being hit twice by gunfire. Her voice is steely.
The male officer must have stayed calm enough because he hit the bad guy with 9 shots. He fired a total of 29 rounds and the female officer fired 17 rounds. Yes, that means that it seems that a total of 46 rounds were fired by the officers (other reports say 50 but so far all agree that the bad guy had 19 injuries. Only bullets were recovered from his body. Either 10 bullets passed through him or some passed through and others caused multiple wounds (only guy I ever shot had 5 bullet holes from a single bullet) or only 9 hit him and they caused all 19 wounds. In the best case scenario, the bad guy was hit 19 times. The officers reportedly fired a total of 47 - 50 rounds depending on which report you read. Officer Savage (the male officer) reportedly fired 29 - 33 rounds (again depending on the report you read) and Officer Thomas (female officer) 17 rounds. With 19 hits at best, that leaves 28 - 31 shots out in the ozone, so to speak. That may not seem like great shooting on the part of the officers but let me say, it just isn't the same as shooting at paper at the range - NOT AT ALL because paper does not shoot at or in any other way threaten you.
I know what it feels like to be confronted by an armed pair of thugs and shoot at them. I can say without a doubt that it is nowhere near the same as anything I have ever encountered at the range as far as my reaction and actions went. Luckily for me, my first and second shots were well enough aimed to end the confrontation. There is nothing to prepare you for it though, nothing in your law enforcement training, nothing you see in a movie, nothing you read in a book or online. Not even this video can prepare you for how you will react and act at a moment when your life is on the line. I cannot fault the officers too much for missing with that many shots, I am sure that the pucker factor was in full force when this got underway. My guess would be though that, if they remain on the job, they will practice shooting more than before.
Luckily for them, the bad guy was an even worse shot. He shot 33 rounds at the cops. He apparently missed with all of his shots except possibly for one or two, the shot that took off Officer Thomas' finger and the one that hit her in her thigh. While every report I have read says that the bad guy shot off Officer Thomas' index finger on her left hand, I wonder about that a bit. I know for a fact that some police officials also have to be wondering if that is really what happened to her finger. Chances are she is right handed, as are most of us, and if she is I am wondering if it actually was a shot from the bad guy's gun or one from her own pistol that shot off her index finger. It happens. If she is lucky, no one will ever question it that all that much or the doctors were able to determine without a doubt that the was from one of the bad guy's shots. Yet, for now, it is something to consider if you are a shooter regardless of who shot her finger. A self-inflicted gunshot to the off hand, as you bring it up to get a two hand hold on the gun, is not that uncommon an injury as all too often the shooter places that hand in front of the muzzle as the shooter brings up the gun with the other. The cause, in this case, had she actually shot herself in that finger, probably would have been that she was on an adrenalin overdrive. Note, I am not saying she did shoot herself or even that it is likely but that such things do happen and you should be aware of it if you are a pistol shooter.
Note again, Officer Thomas was cool under fire. She had the wits about her to calmly communicate with her partner right from the get go. She tells officer Savage that "he is hiding something" referring to the bad guy. She got out of the patrol car, walked around to the other side behind it (using what cover she had) and then starts to approach the bad guys vehicle. She warns officer Savage as the dirt bag gets out of his car with the gun. She returns fire as does Savage (who fired from inside the car through the cruiser's windshield). She is hit. A break in the action takes place with the bad guy on his knees and Savage, also calmly, asks Thomas if she is hit. Listen to her reply she is one cool person even after having been hit. She calmly and with determined steeliness communicates with her partner, telling him to cover them and she will call dispatch. She calls it in and her partner starts to fire at the scumbag who is again seemingly preparing to engage officer once again - watch closely in case you did not notice but as the officer starts shooting at the subject, who is on his knees, it appears he is trying to change magazines or to somehow manipulate the action on the rifle.
It is only once the piece of shit has been riddled with bullets and is lying on the ground, not moving, that the officers both loose some of that calmness. Officer Savage can be heard screaming: "send back-up now" as Officer Thomas gives out their location and other info.
To me, it sounds as if a passerby approaches the police officers and asks if they are okay. I do not think that is their dispatcher, even though that is when officer Savage calls for back-up, because the voice then says "I have a pis..." but immediately shuts up when he is cut off by Savage again as Savage again calls for back up as Officer Thomas calls in that she is hit, needs and ambulance and gives their location. The fear and shock in both of the officers' voices is readily apparent but note again - only after the bad guy is already down. Then, that same unknown voice says: "How bad you hit?" to which Officer Savage starts to reply, in a low calm voice again "probably..." followed by something I could not understand. It sounds like he is talking to someone right there with them. Then that same unknown voice says: "Hold on, hold on, is he dead?"
I think it was a passerby who was offering to render assistance and that he initially had been about to say 'I have a pistol, I can help' or something like that. I could be interpreting it all wrong, it could be the dispatcher's voice, but I have explained why I think not. Folks, I bring this up because if you ever approach police to render assistance, do not tell them, as one of the first things you say: "I have a pistol" especially only a moment after they were just engaged in a fatal shootout - unless you are absolutely sure they realize you are one of the good guys and I really do mean that you are ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN they know you are one of the good guys. Mistakes happen and people get shot because of mistaken intentions and mistaken identity during heated moments such as these. Let them know you are there to help by saying something like: "Officers can I help, are you wounded, I know first aid" or ask "should I call 911 for assistance" or tell them "I just called 911 and told them what happened, help is on the way, what can I do to help you" (*which might be the thing to do before you go to help the officers). Do not interrupt them during a radio call for assistance. Hold your tongue until that call is over. It would be a terrible fate to be wounded or killed by the officers when you were trying to help but they, in their shocked states of mind, mistook you for an accomplice of the bad guy.
Speaking about shock and mental state, did you notice that even after the bad guy went down onto the ground in the prone position, and was apparently stopped from being a further threat, and taking no more hostile actions, the officer(s) kept firing. Is that the way it should happen? Probably not under the law the way it is written. Is that the way it happens? Yes, quite often. Was whoever was still firing wrong and doing something illegal and unforgivable? You can bet that someone who does not understand what is taking place would quite likely say that was totally wrong and unforgivable. My reply is: NO, they probably were not wrong! While it may readily appear that the bad guy was probably no longer a threat, we are watching a video of the event and not involved in it. We are not on an adrenalin overload. We are not operating with a mental processing overload. We are home, on our computers, probably relaxed and enjoying a cold one; the officers had just a moment before been under fire and both were injured and that changes things. It is a known fact, that in such situations, the innocent party involved often keeps shooting until the gun goes dry due to physical and mental state in such a situation. Another thing is that the officer had to convince him or herself that the guy was no longer a threat. They shot a lot of shots before he went down and even after he was obviously hit, he kept firing at the officers. So, the officer likely still thought he was a threat. In addition, you can bet that not only are the officers on adrenalin overload, they are suffering from a mental processing overload and are also in shock while at the same time having a super elevated heart rate and blood pressure, they are under extreme stress. Things seem to take place in slow motion, sounds are not as loud as usual, you scream to be heard because you think you are not speaking loud enough. You have tunnel vision. It is even possible that they perceived him as still moving, all that stress can and does sometimes make you hallucinate during a gun battle. You are super stressed. They were scared for their lives and remained so, even after the sack of shit hit the ground, up until the second or two later that they were able to process he was down and not moving and then stopped shooting.
Back to the guy with the mystery voice, for a moment. I have to hand it to that guy, he asked the all-important question when he said: "Hold on, hold on, is he dead". Once the bad guy was down, and the shooting was over, neither officer apparently thought of immediately approaching an handcuffing and disarming him - not necessarily in that order. Now, there is a good chance they did think of it only moments after the video cut off and did so. There is also the better chance that they were waiting for back-up. Me, I am not sure what I would have done even though trained to check the guy out and handcuff him whether or not I thought him dead. Why? Because had the guy still be alive, even though he looked dead to me, he was laying atop a potentially loaded AK-47. I addition, the officers had no idea what or who else was in the car. You cannot assume it was only him. To approach or wait for back-up is a judgment call that you hope you get right. Waiting for back up could mean, if he were still alive, that he could attack again and you would be in another gun fight and be pretty low on ammo, same if an accomplice had been hiding in the car. But at least you could get behind better cover in the meantime, again something the officers seemingly did not do, it seems as if they stayed with the cruiser. Of course, had they approached and the guy was still alive, or had he an armed accomplice hiding in the car, all the same stuff could have happened. The point is though, don't ever think, that just because someone went down it is over. Make sure it is over, and if you can safely do so, secure the subject (even if you think him dead) and then secure the area (like his vehicle to make sure there was not another bad guy hiding in it). If you think it is not safe to do so, then get behind cover, do a tactical reload, check for injuries to self and partner, stop any bleeding, and wait for the back-up to arrive as you continuously observe the downed bad guy, his car and the area in general.
One other note about being a person who inadvertently winds up in the middle of such a situation or even just on the edge of it. Did you pay any attention to the white car that drove up in the oncoming traffic lane while the shootout was going hot and heavy? The driver stopped the car, maybe because he saw the police cruiser's light flashing and wanted to do the right thing, maybe because he saw the gunfight, then sat there for a moment and I am guessing suddenly realized what was happening and what he or she should do pronto. The driver's next actions were the correct ones if safely possible, get the heck out of Dodge by getting away from the danger (don't drive by it or through it if possible).
All in all, I think those two officers did a fantastic job. While I would like to have seen more of their shots hit the bad guy, I must again point out it is not like shooting at paper targets; bad guys are shooting at you in situations like these and that is a major game changer. They handled themselves pretty darned well and rid the earth of a piece of crap.
What we likely are all left wondering now, is where was the guy going and what was he about to do with the guns, ammo, gunpowder, explosives handbooks and the like that were in his car. He was evidently ready to do something as opposed to just transporting it all otherwise why the AK-47 in the passenger compartment either ready to go or ready to load and go. Maybe we should consider ourselves very lucky that it was those two police officers who were not sitting around eating donuts, not sleeping on the job, who decided to do their jobs and go after a guy who ran a stop sign and then were on the ball enough to take out a seeming psycho who pretty much outgunned them. For all we know he could have run that light because he was in a hurry to get to the library to get a book about gardening but somehow I highly doubt that.
A hat tip to Kerry F for sending me the link to the video that got me looking into all of this.
Sources:
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/05/03/news/doc5183fccf74a53428767507.txt?viewmode=fullstory
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/04/27/news/doc517b176a8157a382533942.txt?viewmode=fullstory
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/03/13/news/doc5140ab7acd457648079697.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Other related articles:
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/03/11/news/doc513df548ea98f390006667.txt
Stay safe,
Glenn B
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Maybe I Don't Want To Continue Working As A Security Guard After All
Here is a video clip, purportedly shot at Roosevelt Field Shopping mall, pretty close to my house, that shows a pretty much totally naked guy (no shirt, pants down around his ankles, undies too) running amok through the mall and trashing a store. For a split second, when he was bent over and pulling on the front door of the store, I vaguely thought he was someone I knew. I have seen that guy since yesterday though and since the video was added to LiveLeak yesterday, it could not haven been him or so I would hope. Luckily, my son does not, nor do any of his friends, own a pair of red shoes, LOL.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
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