I touch on a few of the bigger political issues surrounding guns from time to time, but our universe has come under such bizarre attack of late that I wanted to look at a few of the high points:
Colorado passes a bevy of highly-restrictive and socially dangerous anti-gun laws penned and pushed on us by the NYC/DC crowd, now our government has to figure them out (AFTER enactment, of course).
George Zimmerman is rightfully acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in the self-defense shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin but our country riots and screams for "justice."
Cook County (IL) police are raiding the homes of people whose Firearm Owner ID cards have expired, attempting ro confiscate otherwise legally-owned firearms.
A columnist for Bloomberg.com recently penned an article excoriating the "gun culture" as being exclusively "white" - the only basis for this assertion being the number of pictures of white folk in a few gun mags.
Guess the writer was too busy to watch a movie, listen to a rap song, check the crime stats coming out of Chicago or (on the positive tip) watch one of Colion Noir's NRA vids or check the most recent USPSA results.
Illinois is about to become the last state to permit citizens to carry firearms outside their homes for personal protection. Their Governor is trying to gum up the process while innocent kids and adults are killed on the streets of Chicago every day, unable to provide for their own defense.
A self-aggrandizing Liberal super-mom type of woman gets a Glock and obtains a CCW license with the bare minimum of training, mindset, or skills to prove how dangerous we are. She carries it for 30 days then gets rid of it because she found herself to be paranoid, scared, and ill-equipped to bear the actual weight of personal protection. She exposes her own phobias, irresponsibility, and has been publicly excoriated by gun bloggers and gun rights advocates as a charlatan and a fraud.
Our Vice President tells America the most popular sporting rifle chambered for a varmint cartridge is too big and complicated for a woman to use and instead advocates emptying a 12-gauge shotgun into the air if accosted by a violent intruder. Americans have been arrested in the following months for doing exactly as he advised.
- Posted from somewhere on this big blue marble.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Little Wheel or Little Auto?
I've been thinking a lot about my range session yesterday. It's got me jonesing again for a slim semiautomatic pistol for CCW.
I've had an M&P 9 Shield on allocation for quite some time now but now I'm really wishing it would come in. It is primarily to be for Mrs. Normal but now Mr. Normal is missing the old days of carrying a single-stack semi-auto.
I'll probably have my LCR forever. Heck, it's great fun and super easy to carry while providing full-power protection. I really should seek out a local trainer who could give me some revolver-specific instruction (again, I'm far from sucking with it, but could definitely improve).
Buuuuuuut... I sure would like to get my mitts on that Shield. A well-tuned Kahr P9 wouldn't get kicked out of my holster for eating crackers, either.
- Posted from somewhere on this big blue marble.
I've had an M&P 9 Shield on allocation for quite some time now but now I'm really wishing it would come in. It is primarily to be for Mrs. Normal but now Mr. Normal is missing the old days of carrying a single-stack semi-auto.
I'll probably have my LCR forever. Heck, it's great fun and super easy to carry while providing full-power protection. I really should seek out a local trainer who could give me some revolver-specific instruction (again, I'm far from sucking with it, but could definitely improve).
Buuuuuuut... I sure would like to get my mitts on that Shield. A well-tuned Kahr P9 wouldn't get kicked out of my holster for eating crackers, either.
- Posted from somewhere on this big blue marble.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
It's A Perishable Skill, Kids
With the Mini Normal on the way range time has dropped almost to zero, with most of it going toward taking friends shooting or blazing away at matches.
After running a couple errands today and dropping a part off for a friend at the gun club I decided I needed a little revo work, since I've been carrying my LCR a lot lately (it's been my "summer" gun for a couple seasons now).
Let's just say that I managed what (for my skills and abilities) would pass for "proficient."
I didn't suck it up, but I didn't leave the usual mess of tape inside the "got 'em" box on my preferred human silhouette target, either. Also managed to throw a "mike" - something I rarely do even under stress during rapid fire.
Now, I do have to work harder to rock my little revolver and it's the only gun I use a "unique" sighting system on (XS Express front post) but I definitely lived out the axiom about shooting - ESPECIALLY defensive shooting - being a very perishable skill.
That damn miss always gets me... I think about what that means in the real world and it sobers me up. The other 49 rounds would have stopped a threat, even those taken at 50 and 75 feet. But I know I can shoot that little gun a bit better than I did today.
If you're carrying it, practice with it. We don't bury hollow point bullets into dirt berms on the 360 degree range.
- Posted from somewhere on this big blue marble.
After running a couple errands today and dropping a part off for a friend at the gun club I decided I needed a little revo work, since I've been carrying my LCR a lot lately (it's been my "summer" gun for a couple seasons now).
Let's just say that I managed what (for my skills and abilities) would pass for "proficient."
I didn't suck it up, but I didn't leave the usual mess of tape inside the "got 'em" box on my preferred human silhouette target, either. Also managed to throw a "mike" - something I rarely do even under stress during rapid fire.
Now, I do have to work harder to rock my little revolver and it's the only gun I use a "unique" sighting system on (XS Express front post) but I definitely lived out the axiom about shooting - ESPECIALLY defensive shooting - being a very perishable skill.
That damn miss always gets me... I think about what that means in the real world and it sobers me up. The other 49 rounds would have stopped a threat, even those taken at 50 and 75 feet. But I know I can shoot that little gun a bit better than I did today.
If you're carrying it, practice with it. We don't bury hollow point bullets into dirt berms on the 360 degree range.
- Posted from somewhere on this big blue marble.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Priorities
My competitive shooting calendar and my training availability have been balanced against the quickly-approaching birthday of our son. And, as many folks have been sure to let us know, life as we know it is changing.
Now, while we certainly don't need to be told that (in other news, water and sun still make the grass grow) Mrs. Normal and I have spoken often about what changes and what we want to bring our kid into.
Thankfully, our avocations lend well to a guy about to have a kid - cooking, movies/stories, photography, competition shooting, motorcycles, and self-defense. I'd like to think our life isn't "changing" as much as it's growing.
I know I'm not going to shoot as many matches, take as many photo walks, or spend as much time afield for the next couple years, but I don't have to give up any of these things to enjoy life with Mrs. Normal and Baby Normal.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Now, while we certainly don't need to be told that (in other news, water and sun still make the grass grow) Mrs. Normal and I have spoken often about what changes and what we want to bring our kid into.
Thankfully, our avocations lend well to a guy about to have a kid - cooking, movies/stories, photography, competition shooting, motorcycles, and self-defense. I'd like to think our life isn't "changing" as much as it's growing.
I know I'm not going to shoot as many matches, take as many photo walks, or spend as much time afield for the next couple years, but I don't have to give up any of these things to enjoy life with Mrs. Normal and Baby Normal.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, July 14, 2013
A Few Thoughts on The Zimmerman Verdict, and That's It
First, I am a self-defense instructor with a focus on handguns as well as an active competitor. I've spent two years and change teaching CCW courses with the basic focus on situational awareness and conflict avoidance.
Second, I am weeks away from being a father.
I followed the Zimmerman case from local event to national media circus.
The instructor in me immediately asked the most important question (in my mind); what broke down to create a deadly-force encounter?
Did Zimmerman start a fight he couldn't finish? Did Martin attack a man he didn't think would defend himself?
My fellow instructors dug for the facts while the national news media and armchair activists screamed "murder!" We figured there was something more to the case, and we were right.
As the details of the case were made public, one thing became clear. Regardless of the outcome of any trial, two peoples' lives were destroyed.
The facts of the case were far from clear. All we had from the start was that one young man was dead and another man was literally running for his life to escape a modern day lynch mob.
As the details of the event began to coalesce into a case, the media narrative fell apart. The little innocent angelic child lost his wings. The wannabe cop who started a fight he wasn't man enough to finish began to look more like a person who was assaulted while doing nothing illegal. In a word as obscene as the mess we watched unfold, this became a massive clusterfuck.
Fast-forward to July 13th, 2013. Zimmerman is found not guilty, much to the unjustified horror of millions, leaving a few sobering truths in his wake.
1. The only true way to win a violent encounter is to avoid it in the first place. Any other resolution will change your life, or end it.
2. Regardless of how right you may be in pulling the trigger, be prepared for the reality that your private world has come to an end, even for a short while, and that your goal was simply to prevail... with living to see the sunrise as your primary goal.
3. When I raise my son, I will do everything in my power to teach him to be a responsible man who strives for peace and offers respect.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Second, I am weeks away from being a father.
I followed the Zimmerman case from local event to national media circus.
The instructor in me immediately asked the most important question (in my mind); what broke down to create a deadly-force encounter?
Did Zimmerman start a fight he couldn't finish? Did Martin attack a man he didn't think would defend himself?
My fellow instructors dug for the facts while the national news media and armchair activists screamed "murder!" We figured there was something more to the case, and we were right.
As the details of the case were made public, one thing became clear. Regardless of the outcome of any trial, two peoples' lives were destroyed.
The facts of the case were far from clear. All we had from the start was that one young man was dead and another man was literally running for his life to escape a modern day lynch mob.
As the details of the event began to coalesce into a case, the media narrative fell apart. The little innocent angelic child lost his wings. The wannabe cop who started a fight he wasn't man enough to finish began to look more like a person who was assaulted while doing nothing illegal. In a word as obscene as the mess we watched unfold, this became a massive clusterfuck.
Fast-forward to July 13th, 2013. Zimmerman is found not guilty, much to the unjustified horror of millions, leaving a few sobering truths in his wake.
1. The only true way to win a violent encounter is to avoid it in the first place. Any other resolution will change your life, or end it.
2. Regardless of how right you may be in pulling the trigger, be prepared for the reality that your private world has come to an end, even for a short while, and that your goal was simply to prevail... with living to see the sunrise as your primary goal.
3. When I raise my son, I will do everything in my power to teach him to be a responsible man who strives for peace and offers respect.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, July 1, 2013
Happy First Day of Occupation - Part One
And so it begins... July 1, 2013
It's been a while, friends. Since we last got together, a lot's been going on. Sadly, today is the day Colorado falls prostrate to the gods of gun control, Reasonable Restriction and For The Children - false idols both.
Today, Colorado House Bill 1224 goes into effect, severely limiting a law-abiding citizen's ability to legally own standard-capacity magazines. This means most common full-size self-defense handguns in 9mm must be shipped with "compliant" magazines and the most popular sporting rifle in the nation has just had its balls clipped.
Furthermore, there is an uncertain effect on nearly all new modern sporting shotguns as an arbitrary limit has been placed on the number of "inches" of shells a shotgun mag can hold. As most shotguns may be easily adapted to hold a larger number of shells than they do in factory configuration, it's difficult to see how this may be enforced and is certainly NOT going to prevent violent crime. It does, however, create the opportunity for any hunting shotguns bought today or later or which are brought into the state by a hunter or sportsman to be targeted for "determination."
Our occupiers claim this new law, which key members of our state congress don't even understand, will prevent atrocities such as those which took place in Aurora and Newtown last year. However they cannot produce a single piece of factual evidence which shows this will have ANY effect in reducing violent crime or mass shooting deaths.
They claim the rights of gun owners aren't affected - with a smirk. Sure, I can buy the GUN. I can own the GUN. I can shoot the GUN. However, I can no longer purchase the STANDARD capacity ammunition feeding devices for which my defensive, utility, and sporting/competition firearms are designed.
This IS a strict form of control and tacit attempt at re-engineering our sense of security to align with patently false and demonstrably dangerous idealism. Congresscritter Diana DeGette wrongly assumed magazines are single-use only items and we'd rid ourselves of them as soon as we shot them dry. Seriously. That's exactly how she THOUGHT it would work...
If this new law will have no impact on citizens rights to protect themselves, why then are our police exempt from trading, transferring, our acquiring "high capacity" magazines for both duty weapons and OFF-DUTY or personal use?
While I have the utmost respect for honorable law enforcement officers, I don't value an officer's life any more than my own or that of my wife an soon-to-arrive baby boy.
The Colorado legislature, however, must see that a disparity of force exists to allow its police to retain standard capacity magazines, telling me they don't actually view my personal safety and security in the same way.
That is unconscionable, immoral, and demonstrates the contempt these people truly hold in their hearts for folks who simply want to life free while taking charge of their own personal safety needs.
Thankfully, a brave group of law enforcement officers are standing up to these idiotic laws and challenging them in court. We have already seen voter-approved recall efforts to remove legislators who blindly drank the Jonestown grape drink shipped by the tanker-truck to Colorado by special interests in NYC and Washington DC.
And most importantly, the people reject these measures because we know they were a knee-jerk political move to reshape the "color" of a key swing state in the Presidential elections and don't actually do anything to prevent crime, prevent murder, or stop violent criminals.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
It's been a while, friends. Since we last got together, a lot's been going on. Sadly, today is the day Colorado falls prostrate to the gods of gun control, Reasonable Restriction and For The Children - false idols both.
Today, Colorado House Bill 1224 goes into effect, severely limiting a law-abiding citizen's ability to legally own standard-capacity magazines. This means most common full-size self-defense handguns in 9mm must be shipped with "compliant" magazines and the most popular sporting rifle in the nation has just had its balls clipped.
Furthermore, there is an uncertain effect on nearly all new modern sporting shotguns as an arbitrary limit has been placed on the number of "inches" of shells a shotgun mag can hold. As most shotguns may be easily adapted to hold a larger number of shells than they do in factory configuration, it's difficult to see how this may be enforced and is certainly NOT going to prevent violent crime. It does, however, create the opportunity for any hunting shotguns bought today or later or which are brought into the state by a hunter or sportsman to be targeted for "determination."
Our occupiers claim this new law, which key members of our state congress don't even understand, will prevent atrocities such as those which took place in Aurora and Newtown last year. However they cannot produce a single piece of factual evidence which shows this will have ANY effect in reducing violent crime or mass shooting deaths.
They claim the rights of gun owners aren't affected - with a smirk. Sure, I can buy the GUN. I can own the GUN. I can shoot the GUN. However, I can no longer purchase the STANDARD capacity ammunition feeding devices for which my defensive, utility, and sporting/competition firearms are designed.
This IS a strict form of control and tacit attempt at re-engineering our sense of security to align with patently false and demonstrably dangerous idealism. Congresscritter Diana DeGette wrongly assumed magazines are single-use only items and we'd rid ourselves of them as soon as we shot them dry. Seriously. That's exactly how she THOUGHT it would work...
If this new law will have no impact on citizens rights to protect themselves, why then are our police exempt from trading, transferring, our acquiring "high capacity" magazines for both duty weapons and OFF-DUTY or personal use?
While I have the utmost respect for honorable law enforcement officers, I don't value an officer's life any more than my own or that of my wife an soon-to-arrive baby boy.
The Colorado legislature, however, must see that a disparity of force exists to allow its police to retain standard capacity magazines, telling me they don't actually view my personal safety and security in the same way.
That is unconscionable, immoral, and demonstrates the contempt these people truly hold in their hearts for folks who simply want to life free while taking charge of their own personal safety needs.
Thankfully, a brave group of law enforcement officers are standing up to these idiotic laws and challenging them in court. We have already seen voter-approved recall efforts to remove legislators who blindly drank the Jonestown grape drink shipped by the tanker-truck to Colorado by special interests in NYC and Washington DC.
And most importantly, the people reject these measures because we know they were a knee-jerk political move to reshape the "color" of a key swing state in the Presidential elections and don't actually do anything to prevent crime, prevent murder, or stop violent criminals.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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