Author: hsoi

For them, but not us.

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

Yesterday, the Texas Senate overwhelming and very quickly passed a bill that would allow THEM to carry concealed handguns where normal citizens could not.

Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said the measure that would allow legislators, statewide elected officials, some former legislators and some state employees to carry their concealed weapons in bars, churches and hospitals and at sporting events and other places they are currently prohibited — including businesses that post signs outside saying concealed handguns are prohibited.

“This bill is really about logistics,” Patrick said earlier, when the bill was approved by a Senate committee. “We go from one place to another — maybe five or six places in one evening for functions and events — and we may be faced with either leaving (guns) in the car or taking them inside and violating the law.

“This bill is just to solve that problem.”

It’s not like us mere peasants could ever face that problem… no. How nice of them to grant themselves privilege. Meantime, campus carry struggles in the legislature.

I did see Wentworth voted against this: good for him.

The linked-to article was also updated with this:

Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, just released the following statement on why he voted against allowing lawmakers to carry their concealed weapons in additional places:

“Today, I voted against the Committee Substitute to Senate Bill 905. As a strong proponent of Second Amendment rights, I could not in good conscience grant myself a privilege that I had failed to first grant law-abiding citizens. Concealed handgun license holders are allowed to carry almost everywhere they go. In my judgment, if we are going to expand when and where Texans can legally carry a concealed firearm, we should start with our citizens — not our lawmakers.”

Good for him.

Texas Senate passes Concealed Carry on Campus

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It looks like the Texas Senate has passed concealed carry on campus.

Or maybe not.

I’m not sure about the news report. It says:

The issue was attached to SB 1581 , a bill intended to collect about $30 million in fee adjustments out of education.

Debate between Sen. Jeff Wentworth , D-San Antonio, and the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Judith Zaffirini , D-Laredo, went back and forth.

But, the SB 1581 sponsored by Zaffirini was out of the 79th Legislative session. We’re in the 82nd, and THAT SB 1581 was sponsored by Ogden.

So… I’m trying to verify. It’s still too early and the legislature’s website isn’t fully updated yet.

Updated: I’d say it’s verified. See here. Seen a couple other reports. I think KXAN needs to improve their reporting.

Personally, it’s a tainted win. I don’t like this sort of “passed via amendment” process. We all hate it when crap we don’t like gets through because of this sort of thing (here, tack it onto a bill we know no one will vote against!), and just because this is something we like doesn’t mean it justifies how it got through.

It also looks like our “benevolent leaders” have spoken that they feel they are somehow better and more important than the rest of us lowly citizens, and are trying to exempt themselves from places one is prohibited to carry.

2011-05-09 workout

/ hsoi

Today’s workout went well. Continuing to improve, be it getting stricter and fixing form, or more weight, more reps, whatever. Feeling good.

I have noticed my weight going up. They would call this a “bulking phase”. I’m not opposed to that, it is part of what I’m wanting, but on the same token my clothing isn’t taking kindly to it. Had to wear a suit yesterday and it fit just a bit different. 🙂  It’s all good overall tho.

I did overhear a conversation at the gym. Trainer talking with a female client about goals. He was upping the weight on her, she was a little afraid of it, lots of joking about getting big and huge (tho that won’t happen). Was her goal to have big numbers? No, to have her clothing fit well. It was interesting to me because I too have that same goal, just working in a different way. 🙂

A day at the range – why you need it.

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This past Saturday I was out at KR Training helping with Defensive Pistol Skills 1 and a relatively new course called Personal Tactics Skills.

DPS1 went about as expected, tho I could see Karl continues to make small evolutionary tweaks to the approach and curriculum. I like that he’s never static with material. Sure, the core concepts and focus remain the same, but the approach to teaching them is always refined in an attempt to find the best way to convey and ensure students pick up on the concepts.

Personal Tactics Skills was different. This was my first time helping with that course, and only the second time the course has been taught. The material comes from numerous sources and really isn’t new, just the format of presenting it all. There is no live-fire in this class. It’s all about discussion, role playing, demonstration. It’s no-stress, no real physical exertion, but it’s a LOT of mental work.

And that’s so important.

We all love throwing lead downrange. It’s fun. But is throwing lead going to keep you out of trouble? Well, if you get to the point of having to throw lead, you’re already in deep trouble. What would be better is if you could have avoided the situation in the first place, if you could have kept things from getting to the point of having to throw lead.

That’s what PTS is all about.

Karl wrote a good article titled “Scenario Based Training – Why You Need It“. Read it. Yeah, you might think that because we’re instructors that there’s bias because we’re trying to drum up business for ourselves. Here’s the reality. Do you think Michael Phelps won all those Olympic gold medals by only getting his feet wet in the kiddie pool? No, he had to get into the pool and swim and work in the context he chose to excel in. If you want to be a champion fighter, MMA, boxing, whatever… you have to get in the ring and spar. So if you want to be good at winning a gunfight well… you don’t really want to get into a gunfight because that’d be hard to train. 🙂 But you can simulate it, you can replicate it. You can put yourself into those situations. They allow you to figure out what you need to do, how you can react. It’s so much better to figure these things out now and not when the flag flies. Especially consider that now, you will probably fail, you will probably make mistakes. Better to make them now when it costs you nothing but a learning experience, than when it could cost you something much more expensive.

I mentioned to students in class a good DVD that complements what was taught. It’s called “Practical Unarmed Combat” from SouthNarc of ShivWorks. I have a review of the DVD here.

A good day at the range.

Remember your sunblock, folks.

Got to start breaking in my S&W 640. I like it. While I bought it primarily for the extra weight to help with recoil management, the grip ended up helping a lot more because those small “boot grips” on my 442 leave the top corner of the backstrap exposed and it bites into the web of my hand, whereas the 640’s factory grip covers it just enough to keep it from biting. I do want to try out the boot grips on the 640 for comparison. Next range trip I guess.

Oh, and again… dumping 20-round mags of .308 out of an AR-10 has a high giggle factor. 🙂

Sunday Metal – Venom

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Venom.

Perhaps cheesy. Perhaps not the most talented musicians in the world.

But there’s no denying their place in metal and how metal wouldn’t be what it is if not for them. Pioneers.

One of my favorite songs, from my favorite Venom album: “Buried Alive”

And just because the “Ultimate Revenge” video was such a fucking cool video back in the day, here’s their performance of “Countess Bathory”

 

High giggle factor

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Got to shoot Tom’s AR-10 today.

Boy that thing has a high giggle factor.

Nothing like rapidly emptying a 20-round magazine of .308 at 25 yards to put a smile on your face that you just can’t wipe off. 🙂  Makes me want to pull out my M1A and trick it out.

Back from a day at KR Training. Tired. It’s late. Mother’s Day tomorrow… I’ll have to write things up later.

The Art of Video Games

/ hsoi

I think it’s wonderful when non-traditional art mediums get their due. Just because it’s not an oil painting on a canvas doesn’t mean it’s not art. Or as well, the consideration that some mediums are “childrens” and not to be taken seriously, like cartoons or comic books. To me, that just shows you don’t understand the medium.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is going to be presenting an exhibition on The Art of Video Games.

The Art of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. The exhibition will feature some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early developers such as David Crane and Warren Robinett to contemporary designers like Kellee Santiago and David Jaffe. It also will explore the many influences on game designers, and the pervasive presence video games have in the broader popular culture, with new relationships to video art, film and television, educational practices, and professional skill training.

Forty years? Geez… that makes me feel old. 😉

What’s cool tho? Look at the winning games. It’s hard to argue with their choices. If I’m in the Washington DC area while this is open, I’d love to go see it. Else, I do hope it tours and comes somewhere near me.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Daley

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As Daley leaves office as Mayor of Chicago, he requests armed bodyguards.

So, guns are good when they protect him, but the peasants aren’t allowed to have guns to protect themselves.

I see.