Guns

Real solutions, please

/ hsoi

Charles C. W. Cooke makes an important observation:

You will notice that in not a single one of the cases [high-profile mass shootings] listed above did a perpetrator buy his weapon through an “unregulated private sale,” through “the Internet,” or in “the parking lot at a gun show.” Not one. Instead, in each and every case, one of two things happened: Either (a) the killer followed the law to the letter, or (b) he broke it spectacularly. That Sandy Hook involved little children made it that much harder to bear. But it did not change the salient fact: that massacrs eand [sic] private sales have pretty much nothing to do with one another.

So are they really wanting to “save innocent lives”? Or do they have other goals, and the death of children is merely a vehicle for them to play on the emotions of the public?

If they are sincere in their efforts to “save innocent lives” then I suggest taking a step back and reexamining priorities and solutions, and being willing and open to new solutions. You know the saying about how the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Well, suggesting these same “solutions” to “gun violence” over and over, when they are demonstrated to not work, well… that’s just insane. So if you are sincere in a desire to end violence, then I suggest you start looking at other solutions instead of the ones that don’t work.

Else, we can only think you are stubborn, ignorant, or nefarious.

 

 

Get over it

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

I have an elderly neighbor (she’s in her 80’s). She’s capable: she totally lucid, drives herself where she needs to go, and you can tell she’s got her pride — she wants to be self-sustaining and not be a burden on anyone. We do help her out as she needs, but again you can tell she does NOT want to burden anyone and only comes to us for help when she’s exhausted all options. I respect that, and am always happy to help her out when she asks.

But let’s face facts. She’s in her 80’s. She moves slow. She’s fairly frail.

She is vulnerable.

I admit, I think about her vulnerability. Some days ago I was over at her house helping her set up one of those “medical alert” systems. She knows her state in life (thus why she got the system for herself). But it still weighs on me. I often find myself thinking about her vulnerability, and if there’s anything I can do to alleviate it.

Then I step back and think about greater issues.

Our neighborhood has recently had a rash of break-ins. Thankfully it’s mostly been cars, but I do know from time to time homes are broken into.

I cringe at the thought of her home getting broken into. And let’s face it. Most break-ins are not random. The criminal has stalked and monitored and determined ahead of time what houses are good targets.

What can she do? Some 16-35 year old male breaks into her home. How vulnerable she is. What can she do in the face of such a threat?

She’s not like Mayor Bloomberg, with her own “private army”, which she can enjoy in her own retirement. She’s not so privileged as to have to have a security detail. What can she do?

There’s so much big talk about “leveling the playing field” in so many other areas of life, but what about here when life itself is at stake?

Anti-gun mantras ring hollow with me. If you’re going to throw worn arguments at me, I say you should look her in the eye and tell her the same. Think about how your actions to deny our society’s most vulnerable citizens with a means of an equalizer actually serve to hurt them more than help them.

Because that’s what a gun is: a force equalizer.

It allows folks like her to tell some evil person bent on hurting her, on destroying her life, to stop and go away.

Can you look her in the eye and deny her?

I’ll even take pro-gun folks to task.

There’s so much rah-rah about guns, calibers, and what’s acceptable for personal defense. It’s not just internet message board bravado, but it’s even things like how Texas law requires a certain “big caliber gun” (.32 caliber or greater) to pass the CHL test. You could carry a .22, but you can’t test with it. Yes, I understand why they required things in this way… but it still kinda bothers me.

I think about my frail neighbor.

Could she fire such a gun?

Pull that trigger weight?

Manage that level of recoil?

I don’t know, but given what I’ve seen of her frailty, I’m not sure.

But because of her condition in life, why should she be denied?

What are you getting into?

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Greg Ellifritz recounts a recent experience that has some good lessons for concealed carry holders. You need to read his article to fully understand what I’m about to say.

But in summary, in case Greg’s article disappears, you have a situation like this:

  • woman and man rolling around on the ground, punching, kicking, something ugly going down.
  • woman is screaming “rape!”
  • carry-holder rolls up on scene, decides to get involved.

Seems pretty clear-cut, eh? If you were the one rolling up on scene, what would you do?

And now, how would your response change if you learned the man was an undercover cop? Which was the case.

Greg’s point:

1) Know what you are getting into. The law generally allows you to use deadly force to defend an innocent third party from what you believe is likely to result in serious injury or death. The key word here is “innocent”. A robber resisting arrest is not an innocent third party no matter how many times she yells “rape”. You can testify all you want about what she said and how you thought she was being attacked. It won’t matter much as you wither under the prosecutor’s questions:

“You claim you thought she was being raped. Were any of her clothes removed? Were any of the “suspect’s” clothes removed?”

“You testified that you drive this route often. How many times have you seen a rape at that location at 3pm in the middle of a busy four-lane road?”

“You testified that you heard the victim yell out “I’m a cop” before pulling the trigger. Do you really believe that a police officer is going to rape a woman in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight?”

“So tell me again why you thought it was justified to kill this off duty police officer? Is it because you believed the words of a convicted robber? Or is it because you got a CCW permit and carry a gun so that you can kill people?”

You see how this is going to play out. Even if you avoid conviction, you will have to take out another mortgage on your house to pay off the lawyer fees. Things are not always as they seem. Don’t be in a rush to save the day when you aren’t fully aware of what’s happening.

We make this point a lot in our classes.

Do you know what the story is? Can you be sure you know? Should you get involved either way?

Yes I understand. We have a hero streak. We have a protector streak. A warrior streak. Whatever you want to term it, but people who tend to go through the trouble of obtaining a concealed handgun license tend to be of that “sheepdog” mentality and wish to be there to protect and defend others; to see justice served; to right wrongs, and all that. No, it doesn’t mean we want to be superheros and cops (tho I’m sure there are some with that attitude), but it’s just that we’re the sort of people with a mindset to want to do right and help others. This is a good thing for society.

Alas, the realities of the situation could throw a big wrench in the works, as Greg points out.

You have to ask yourself: is this worth dying over? is this going to maximize enjoyment of beer & tv? If you get involved and something happens to you, are those other parties going to take care of you? pay your bills? give you a job when you lose yours?

I understand a desire to jump in and help, but you have to be mindful if you’re really going to help or just make it worse… because you may not know the full story. Is it worth dying over? Or ruining your life over? Is the risk worth it?

Part of me hates being that way, because it makes me feel selfish and may keep me from helping an honest person in need. I think an extension of that line of behavior could lead us to a very cold and uncaring society. But on the same token, there’s the reality of how a wrong decision could destroy your life, and then you certainly won’t be able to do much to help better society. Just things to keep in mind. Tread carefully.

KR Training December 2013 newsletter

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

KR Training’s December 2013 newsletter is up.

Highlights include the initial 2014 schedule, which includes a lot of guest instructors, including Massad Ayoob. Don’t miss that.

Also, the 2014 Suburban Dad Survivalist Conference is almost upon us. Come join me and a host of other excellent presenters for a day of learning.

Looking forward to seeing you in 2014.

That’s how you get a customer – Brothers In Arms

/ hsoi / 10 Comments

Another story of “this is how customer service is supposed to be”. Actually, this isn’t so much what we think of as customer service — an after the fact correcting of a problem — but rather how you earn a customer in the first place.

This is about a place called Brothers In Arms (Facebook page)

After a short day at KR Training, I was determined on my drive home to find someone selling a Smith & Wesson M&P9c. There are numerous gun stores on the drive home, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop into them just to see.

There’s a new store in Bastrop that I’ve been meaning to stop into and check out, so I finally did. It’s a small shop, and while the owner was polite, he seemed stand-off-ish and didn’t engage me much. I looked around, it’s a nice little store, but they didn’t have what I wanted so I left.

Then I learned that John’s Guns closed. I had no idea. I liked going in there when I could, but rarely could because any time I was out in that area I was either there well before opening or well after closing time. But it was nice mom & pop store, but seems John retired… at least, according to the sign in the window, and the fact the interior was being renovated.

Out on TX-71 before you get into Austin, I kept seeing these banners for “custom gunsmithing” and other related avertisement, so I figured that’d be worth a try too.

That’s Brothers in Arms.

Turns out they’re actually a full-fledged custom shop, run by two bothers.

I walked in and Brad immediately engaged me, asking what I was looking for. I told him, and when he said he didn’t have any, he immediately turned to his computer to see about ordering one. His distributor had many in stock, he quoted me a price and delivery time, and we had a sale.

That’s how you do it.

I knew I wasn’t going to be out that way for a few weeks, and I knew I wanted some things done to the gun, like replacing the factory sights and installing an Apex kit. Since they were obviously gunsmiths, I asked if I could order the parts and have them shipped to their store, and then have them install them. No problem.  When I got home, I got online, made the orders, and away things went.

I did have some email exchanges with Brad, and he was always prompt in replying. We did have a slight communication confusion about the work and pick up time, but the did right by the customer in the end. They did go out of their way at off time to ensure I had everything done at a time that was convenient for me to do the pick up. When I did, I bought Oldest with me, and they were again open and engaging with him as he asked questions.

That’s how you earn a customer. You engage them, and work to meet their needs. They didn’t need my business (evident by the custom work they do, and the backlog of work they have). They quoted me a good price, were very accommodating, and worked to ensure I walked away happy. I’m more than happy to use them again, and would recommend y’all try them too. Yes, it’s a short drive outside of Austin, but that also avoids the higher Austin sales tax. 🙂  They give fair prices, do good work, and want to earn your business. Can’t ask for more.

 

200,000

/ hsoi

We all love infographics, right? Here’s one someone pointed me to. Pay attention to the stat at the bottom of the graphic.

200,000 women use a gun to prevent sexual abuse each year.

But you told me guns were bad….

Got out of bed this morning? You’re one of the lucky ones.

/ hsoi

Apparently 600 people in America die every year getting out of bed.

Imagine that. You wake up in the morning, and fall out of bed… and that’s it.

600 people in America each year. I wonder what worldwide numbers are; I’m sure higher.

If we assume that’s a steady number, that means in the past 20 years 12,000 people have died just getting out of bed.

Damn. Makes you want to stay in bed all day, huh? 12,000 people dying just getting out of bed.

You know what? Only 543 people have been killed in mass shootings over the past 20 years. That’s about 27 per year.

543 vs 12,000

27 vs 600

22 times more people die getting out of bed, than from mass shootings.

Yes, we can agree that’s still too many senseless deaths.

There’s also a matter of perspective.

If your efforts to ban guns is because you want to save innocent lives from senseless deaths, then why aren’t you putting 22x more effort into banning beds? or making beds safer to reduce the body count to zero? Where’s your fight for legislation to ban beds entirely, making everyone sleep on the floor? or to mandate bed heights, that beds can only be so high off the floor?

If truly your primary concern is preserving life, first pick off the low-hanging fruit that will make a difference in preserving lives. Heck, what are your first aid and field medicine skills like? Do you know CPR? What are you actually doing that will make a more significant and meaningful impact towards saving lives?

I’m not saying you should stop your efforts to ban guns. If truly you believe that’s a right and just fight, go for it. What I am saying is if your primary concern is preserving life, then first focus your finite energy and efforts on those things that will have a greater and more significant impact on preserving lives.

 

A shopping list for the new shooter

/ hsoi / 8 Comments

A few weeks ago, a mutual friend emailed Karl, myself, and a couple other guys asking for guidance in helping a friend choose his first handgun. Our friend’s friend was bent on getting this expensive 1911-style gun, and we did our best to put the kibosh on that choice. Numerous reasons, but one I thought was worthy of its own mention was a breakdown of cost.

See, instead of spending $1200 on some expensive gun that really won’t work well and will only lead to unhappiness and frustration (and a much lighter wallet), Karl gave an improved shopping list. This is mostly copy/paste from what Karl wrote, just slightly edited for reprinting:

My [Karl’s] recommendation, as it always is, is the following:

1) Check the student’s hand size to confirm that a Glock 19 or Smith & Wesson M&P would fit properly without the trigger finger rubbing on the frame.

2) If yes, have the student purchase a G19 or an 4″ M&P. Replace the sights with solid black Dawson Precision Charger rear and narrow fiber optic front. Install either the Apex Tactical Specialties sear (M&P) or the 3.5 lb connector (Glock) as appropriate. That will eat up around $600-650 of the $1200 cost of the expensive gun.

If no, look at the M&P Shield or Springfield XD-S pistols, the Springfield EMP, or Kahr CW9 pistols as narrower alternatives — but do NOT immediately jump to those choices because the new shooter is obsessed with needing a small gun out of paranoia about printing and belief that it will be “too hard” to carry. The G19/M&P are much easier to learn to shoot and train with.

3) Spend the remaining $550 as follows:
a) $200 for a high quality 1.5″ wide gun belt; and Comp-Tac CTAC, Crossbreed SuperTuck, or similar IWB holster; OR a pancake style OWB like the Blade-Tech Eclipse or Raven Concealment Phantom.
b) $100 for 2-3 additional factory magazines. Then number each magazine so they can be identified.
c) $100 for a decent quality range bag
d) $100 for a set of electronic ears (Howard Leight has a new 33 dB electronic set out), and a double handful of foam plugs.
e) $50 for gun cleaning supplies, a bore snake, some D-Lead wipes, and ANSI-rated eye protection

Spending $1200 on that expensive gun would a terrible waste of money.

Especially when you consider much of the above you’ll have to buy anyways, so that $1200 gun winds up being $1500 or more.

To this shopping list I would also add ammo (which is going to be cheaper in 9mm than .45 ACP), and allocating some funds for the new shooter to come to some Basic Pistol shooting classes to learn how to safety and effectively handle their new purchase.

Now you know what to put under the tree for Christmas. 🙂

A question

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

If a woman carries pepper spray, is she paranoid?

She’ll have it on her keychain or in her purse, and she has it with her every time she leaves the house.

So, is she paranoid for doing so?

If she carried a gun instead of pepper spray, does that change your answer?