Author: hsoi

It’s precisely a safety issue

/ hsoi

Louisiana is a step closer to allowing concealed carry on campus. Here’s hoping it makes it.

“Guns and campuses simply do not mix,” [Higher Education Commissioner Sally Clausen] said. “This is not a 2nd Amendment right; this is a safety issue.” 

It’s exactly a safety issue. If being safe is a matter of keeping people from harm, please tell me how “gun free zones”, such as college campuses, keep people from harm? There’s no invisible shield surrounding the campus keeping the evil out. We’ve got years of data showing that once you allow concealed carry, violent crime goes down. Where’s your data showing otherwise? We’ll be waiting.

Cops don’t believe in gun control??????!!?!?!

/ hsoi

Or at least, this 25 year veteran cop doesn’t. (h/t to Linoge)

Pens and pencils don’t make you misspell words; cars don’t make you drive drunk, run red lights or speed; and, no, not even a “morning star” can swing itself.  

The logic behind banning firearms in order to lower crime is as ridiculous to me as banning cars because so many people are injured and killed every year in accidents and drunken driving crimes. It is not the car that is at fault; it’s the driver who is at fault. And, by the same token, it isn’t the gun … It is the criminal who commits the crime and it is the criminals who need to be addressed and dealt with, not any device they use in the commission of their crimes.

As our government steadily changes more and more to the Left, gun control and outright gun ban issues will become very hot topics. So, I think it’s imperative Americans use some common sense in this area and realize gun control is in no shape, form or fashion crime control.  

If someone commits a crime with a gun, follow the law and punish the person, but leave the Second Amendment alone, it is in the Constitution for a reason.   

You know what they say about insanity…

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

… doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

So they’re thinking about taxing soda and sugary drinks to pay for The chOsen One’s proposed healthcare legislation. (h/t to The Volokh Conspiracy)

Not only this is just asinine in and of itself, it’s going down a familiar road.

We need to pay for something. I know, we’ll tax something that we think is evil… which will fund our pet project and have the side-effect of making the evil thing less affordable and appealing to people, which will save people from the evil (aren’t we so altruistic!). But then, when people are saved from the evil, we won’t have any more funding for our project… so we’ll have to find something new to tax.

And so on we go… spiraling down the toilet.

But of course, it’s all in our best interests… we can’t make our own choices, we can’t be responsible for ourselves, we need someone to make every decision for us. We’re not even allowed to be responsible for our bad decisions no… we must be saved before we can make them. Thank God for the folks in Washington. I wouldn’t know how to wipe my ass without them… oh, and probably be taxed for that too.

</sarcasm>

Ground-fighting for self-defense

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

I know this is opening a can of worms, but I’m fine with that. 8)

In a previous post on Modern Army Combatives I stated that while I think it’s good to know ground-fighting skills to ensure you’re a well-rounded fighter, I think the strategy of “going to the ground” is unwise. You have to realize that my perspective isn’t sport-fighting, which is fun to both watch and participate in, but as I’ve only so much time in a day to practice what I practice, I prefer to practice and orient myself towards self-defense and fighting applications. Thus my strategy is not to “go to the ground” but perhaps to put my opponent there, and if I end up there that I want to get back up as fast as possible.

Marc MacYoung has a great article on ground fighting and grappling and how it (doesn’t) fit into the realm of self-defense combatives. I say it’s a great article because we’re in agreement. He provides a detailed list of why “going to the ground” isn’t ideal. He also provides a detailed list of when such skills are applicable. If you disagree with this article, I’d like to hear your line of reasoning. Not everyone likes MacYoung, he’s opinionated, but he knows his stuff and there’s no bullshit.

Yes ground skills have their place and it’s wise to know how to fight on the ground, how to apply chokes and submissions, but I’d say it’s even more important to know how to use those skills to get yourself up off the ground and back on your feet.

Ammo ban? Perspective.

/ hsoi

Howard Nemerov provides some perspective on the rumors of an ammunition ban.

Bottom line: Buyers help keep prices high because of concerns over what might happen in the future. As prices spiral and demand clears the shelves, people worry about getting ammunition in the future. Add a few rumors, people worry more and demand goes up even more. It may be best to stop stockpiling ammunition for now to reduce demand. Instead, spend your energy on convincing Congress that the civil right of self-defense is an idea whose time has come.

The NRA is running a promotion where you can join free for one year.

If you live in Texas, you should also join the Texas State Rifle Association. If you don’t live in Texas, you should join your equivalent local/state organization.

If you choose to do neither, at least be politically active. With the Internet, it doesn’t take long to find your Congresscritters and send them a quick email. When you contact them, keep it polite, respectful, to the point.

Applying what you know to what you don’t know

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

So after having made a cane and immersing myself in cane videos, I got to thinking about further ways to study the cane.

You see, in Kuk Sool’s cane curriculum, there’s only a limited bit of cane taught. This is understandable, and really no one system or style can teach it all — they’re all limited in some manner or other. Thus to really get the most out of something you need to freely explore it on your own. Still, sometimes it’s tough to freely explore something without at least some degree of direction to get started in. I’ve found something that works for this and I’d like to share it with you.

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Martial arts cane videos

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

In light of my cane making, this morning I found myself going around YouTube in search of cane videos. Man, I remember when I used to search for martial arts videos and would find nothing. Now there’s just too much to list. 8)  From my searching, I wanted to highlight some of what I found.

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