Emily Miller lives in Washington D.C.. She wants a gun to protect herself.
It’s proving to be most difficult to do so, and she’s writing a series about it at the Washington Times.
All you that believe in a woman’s right to choose? That “no means no”? That participate in “slutwalks”? Why are those of this same group so hell-bent on denying her the ability to protect herself in her chosen way? The inconsistency bothers me.
The Austin Police Department’s Burglary Unit has set up a Facebook page. Why? To enlist the public’s help in locating victims of theft or burglary.
Starting Tuesday October 4th, 2011 the APD Burglary Unit will begin posting updates with recovered stolen property, surveillance videos, success stories of victims reunited with property, top property offenders, and crime alerts.
I think that’s pretty cool. If you’re on Facebook and in the Austin area, go Like the page.
The Highlander and Kurgan may have respected holy ground, but criminals do not.
Recently, Rangemaster instructors Tom Givens, Cecil Booker, and Steve Palmer attended a full day seminar for church security teams from around the country. There were some very interesting blocks of instruction from various law enforcement and church organizations.
One of the points that really stood out was how little public awareness exists of this problem. As one of the pastors of a large church stated, many churches refuse to report crimes against them, or try hard to keep them quiet for fear of scaring the members from attending services and other church functions. Despite this, reported serious incidents at churches have increased by 200% in just the past five years.
According to a spokesman from the Sheriff’s Department’s Homeland Security office, since January 1999 there have been 473 major incidents in US churches, resulting in over 200 fatalities. These range from mentally ill persons assaulting or killing pastors to religion-based hate crimes. Robbery accounted for 27% of the serious incidents, since churches are known to have cash on hand, especially during services. In those 473 incidents, 596 people were killed or seriously injured.
This serves as a reminder that violence can occur wherever there are people. Thinking one is “safe” just because one is in a house of worship is naïve. You are safe where you make yourself safe, and nowhere else. Discretely conceal your personal emergency safety equipment and have it on you at all times. That is really the only way to actually have it when the need suddenly arises.
From the October 2011 Rangemaster Newsletter.
Mob violence is on the rise.
Watch this video of mob attack at a Dallas convenience store. This happened just a couple of days ago.
So what would you do if you were caught up in this? If you were in the store buying a soda… if you were at the pump filling gas… if you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
What would you do?
And consider not just the mob itself, but consider this store clerk getting attacked. Would you intervene to try to save him?
Consider as well… even if you carry a gun, consider the sheer number of people involved. Consider as well that some of these choir boys are likely packing a gun too.
It’s ugly all around.
What would you do?
An important element of adopting the mindset required to practice situational awareness is to first recognize that threats exist. Ignorance or denial of a threat — or completely tuning out one’s surroundings while in a public place — makes a person’s chances of quickly recognizing the threat and avoiding it slim to none. This is why apathy, denial and complacency can be (and often are) deadly. A second important element is understanding the need to take responsibility for one’s own security. The resources of all governments are finite and the authorities simply cannot be everywhere and cannot stop every criminal act. The same principle applies to private security at businesses or other institutions, such as places of worship. Therefore, people need to look out for themselves and their neighbors.
Read more: Situational Awareness: How Everyday Citizens Can Help Make a Nation Safe | STRATFOR
(h/t Tom Givens)
Fewer women than men in the U.S. hold concealed handgun licenses and women who do carry them do so for self-defense and a need to feel empowered, according to a study by sociology graduate student Angela Stroud.
Stroud said her study, which involved 15 interviews with women who hold concealed handgun licenses, found that women seek the license to feel as powerful as men in a culture where women are taught to feel vulnerable.
Full story here. Including some quotes from local CHL instructor, Robert Greene.
I’m not sure how 15 interviews constitutes a representative sample, but here we are.
The main reason I wanted to comment on this article was this:
Starr-Renee Corbin, a manager for the Applied Research Laboratories who works with the Center for Women’s and Gender studies, said she carries her concealed handgun for self-defense, but does not carry it all the time.
“I leave the gun at home on a day-to-day basis and only bring it with me if I’m going on long drives through the state or feel there is an immediate threat,” Corbin said. “I wouldn’t agree that it gives you a sense of empowerment in every situation. It’s just something to have around just in case.”
But does not carry all the time. She only carries if she feels there’s a threat or on long drives.
You know, if we’re going to talk studies, data, and research… then she needs to carry her gun at all times… unless she has superpowers and can see the future. Data shows that most attacks happen in parking lots, going to/from your car to/from buildings (e.g. office, shopping mall, etc.). parking garages, etc.. Any time of day, not just in the middle of the night. These are your day-to-day activities! Why are you leaving yourself vulnerable during those very situations that have the higher likelihood of an attack occurring? Are you looking for an opportunity to say “damn, I really wish I had my gun right now!!”, or would you rather say “I’m so glad I had my gun on me!”? If you’d rather say the latter, the only way you can ensure it is to always carry.
I’m happy that Ms. Corbin has her CHL, I just wish she would carry it… always.
Fred Kemp and his wife had just finished dinner Thursday night. As they walked out of the restaurant, a man came out of the darkness, demanding money.
At this point in the story, many people would say the proper course of action would be to “just give him what he wants”.
But this robber picked the wrong guy. Turns out 63-year-old Fred Kemp, is a former wrestler.
Failure of the victim selection process.
Thinking of his wife’s safety, the 5-foot-7 Kemp instinctively pushed the gun away. But the robber started to pistol whip Kemp in the head, police said.
Kemp didn’t give him what he wanted, but he gave him what he was asking for….
“He started to hit me, so I reacted from there,” a bruised but smiling Kemp said Friday. “I got him out into the street and held his arm. I foot-sweeped him down and I was trying to get a hold of the gun. He banged me up a little bit but my main concern was the gun.”
Pulling out more wrestling moves, Kemp maneuvered the suspect into a rear naked choke hold, or “sleeper hold,” a popular submission technique in mixed martial arts.
[…]
“He asked me to let him go when I had him down,” Kemp said. “I said, ‘No, I’m not going to do that.'”
See? You don’t give them what they want. Period. 🙂
(full story, h/t Fark)
(wow WordPress… you sure are sucking lately… wrote a whole post and you lost it… let’s try again).
Last night my neighbor’s car got broken into.
Another neighbor discovered some “trash” in her flower bed this morning. Turns out it was a wallet and some other belongings. Everything remained in the wallet, except the cash (natch). She called Austin Police. When I saw the cruiser pull up across the street I went to ask what was going on and got the skinny.
It would appear this was a premeditated crime. That is, it wasn’t a teenager walking by a car, saw a wallet, checked for an unlocked door and snatched the money. No… they had tools. There were no windows smashed nor visible damage, but his car door no longer locks… so they suspect a slim jim. His door was locked, his wallet was out of sight in the center console. They still broke in and took it. Their other car was also jimmied open, a bag was taken and also found in the flower bed but nothing of value lost.
APD told us a few days ago some other cars were broken into a few blocks away.
I checked my car. Nothing that I could see.
As I’m writing this, my neighbor called… she was driving out of the neighborhood and on the cross street she saw another APD car. She pulled over, asked, and yup… her car was broken into. I don’t know any more details than that.
But the one neighbor, his doors were locked, but stuff was in the car… not visible, but still there. Exactly why these people were targets, I don’t know, but it does say simply that you should keep nothing in your car except car things, like the spare tire and owners manual.
It also says… the world is getting uglier. You need to be prepared for it.
”When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn’t matter. Am I tired? That doesn’t matter either. Then willpower will be no problem.”
~ Emil Zatopek, Czech Olympic athlete
(seen on Facebook)
A man who broke into a home in Johnson City early Monday was in critical condition Tuesday after being shot in the chest, police said.
Johnson City police say Christopher Ricketts, 23, entered an unlocked home near the intersection of Avenue G and Ash Street about 1:30 a.m. Monday and woke the homeowner while rummaging around.
As you read the rest of the article, it seems evident the case is clear-cut: Ricketts had burglary tools, he was inside someone else’s home rummaging around, the homeowner defended himself and his property.
A couple of key points worth mentioning:
First, the homeowner worked to stop the threat. He didn’t “shoot to kill”, he didn’t keep shooting after the threat had ceased. Seems 1 from a 9mm was enough to get the job done.
Second, the words “entered an unlocked home” jumped out at me. The homeowner was home but their doors/windows were unlocked. I have to wonder if this could have been avoided entirely if the homeowner had simply locked their doors. Predators look for easy prey. If a criminal didn’t mind working hard, they’d have an honest job.
Stuff From Hsoi 