Xavier Thoughts

Monarchy

2011-08-01T21:55:00.001-05:00

Discovery of Treasure

2011-01-17T00:44:00.001-06:00

Feminine Protection

2011-01-15T00:46:00.002-06:00

Federal Charges Filed in the Danziger Bridge Massacre

2010-07-14T08:10:00.003-05:00

It looks as though the Feds have brought charges against the real shooters of the Danziger Bridge Massacre. This has been a long time coming. I first blogged on this monumental abuse of police authority five years ago. Now, finally, the death penalty is a possibility.

Visit your local gun store for ammunition, leather goods, and news about the economy

One cannot help but wonder if the usual antagonists failed to get behind the push for justice in this case because of the difficulty in painting it as a racial killing. Exactly fifty percent of the gun men are black. The current US Attorney General is certainly no friend of gun owners or free thinking Americans, but I will give credit where it is due. His department got this one right.

Winchester 1894

2010-07-11T07:09:00.012-05:00

911 can send crime stoppers at 80MPH.
Her rifle can send them at 1600 MPH.
Questions?

Wedding Photographer

2010-07-11T07:04:00.002-05:00

This is why I hate weddings.

Checking a Used 1911 with a Purchase in Mind

2010-06-21T23:30:00.000-05:00

There are many advantages to buying guns used. Not only is the price lower, but the selection is more varied. You can often tell the functional quality of the gun by examining wear patterns on it. It is not uncommon for the seller to allow the buyer to shoot the gun. That is the ultimate test, and no NIB gun seller can match it.

Prelude: Make sure the pistol is unloaded. Lock back the slide and check the chamber. Put a finger on top of the magazine follower and across the chamber. Look again. Make sure the pistol is unloaded. During all of this inspection process, keep the muzzle in a safe direction.

#1 Check Originality.

Know what the pistol should look like. Know what the markings on the frame and slide should be and where they should be located. There are many mix master pistols out there, and some are quite good. Essex is not a secret Colt foundry in Area 51 though. Non-original small parts that can be recified do not necessarily lower the price of a pistol, nor do well installed aftermarket parts that work right if the buyer wants that modification. However, they do show that someone has been monkeying around with the pistol, and other inspections should be carried out more stringently. On a collector's piece, they DO lower the value, and should have replacement cost deducted from the price accordingly. We are talking buying shooting pistols here though, not collector's guns.

#2 Check For Damage

The seller should let you field strip the pistol. If he does not, pass on it. Period. There is no reason to refuse this on a used gun except to conceal damage.

Once inside the gun, bring the frame and slide rails up to eye level and check them for straightness like you would a piece of lumber. A bulge on both sides of an area means this gun has suffered a KaBoom. Likewise, run the barrel between your fingers, checking for bulges. Check the bore. Check the barrel and slide lugs for damage and peening. Check the barrel seat for proper fit and signs of impact. Check the breech face and barrel hood for peening. Check the slide for cracks at the beginning of the recoil plug tunnel. Check the frame for cracks at the beginning of the dustcover and the slide stop hole. Some guns with a hole where the rear of the slide stop enters the frame will be cracked in the frame rail above the hole. This is so common that many newer guns have the rail cut out here. A crack in this area is not a cause for alarm in a shooter, but can be a bargaining chip on the price. It is easily repaired by cutting out the crack. Look for signs of an incompetent person using tools inside the pistol. The finish should show normal wear on the rails, breech face, barrel and slide lugs, and other moving parts. Holster wear is OK. In fact, it is a common sign of a gun that works as advertised. Signs of impact from tools, especially around the right slide stop hole are signs of incompetent monkeys with tools in possession of this pistol. A stripped magazine lock screw is a sign of the same.

#3 Check Functions

The slide should pull back easily, without any change in resistance along the length of it's travel. It should lock back quickly and positively with the magazine inserted. Try this both with and without the magazine checking for smoothness of travel.

A Wilson Combat or genuine Colt magazine should insert and lock positively, and fall free upon release, without resistance. It should not rattle in the gun. You may want to bring your own along for this check, as used guns are often sold with cheapo magazines. If the gun has an extended ejector, the magazine should not touch it when inserted.

Ask if it is OK to release the slide from slide lock. This will not harm a 1911 if not done over and over. If it is OK with the owner, remove the magazine with the pistol at slide lock. Place your left thumb on the slide lock and release the slide. The hammer should not follow the slide. Check this one more time. Then, with the hammer still cocked and your finger off the trigger, try to push it off the sear. If the hammer falls in any of these instances, the gun is not safe to load with live ammo until repaired. If the seller balks at this test, pull a snap cap out of you pocket to perform it with. The test will not be as stringent with a snap cap, but if the gun fails with a snap cap, it will certainly fail without one. If the seller balks at the use of a snap cap for the test, pass on the gun.

The thumb safety should snick on and off without resistance in either direction with the hammer cocked. The hammer should not move when engaging the thumb safety. Once engaged, press on the trigger a couple of times with the grip safety depressed. Then raise the rear of the pistol up to your ear and slowly pull back on the hammer. Listen for a little tink sound. If you hear this sound, the thumb safety is allowing the sear to move on the hammer hooks while engaged. Replacement of the thumb safety or sear will be in order.

The grip safety should not allow the trigger to be moved when not depressed. When depressed, it should offer no resistance to the trigger. Depress the grip safety, pull the trigger back and hold it. Release the grip safety. Then release the trigger. The trigger and grip safety should both pop back out quickly and smoothly.

With the hammer cocked and thumb safety off, use your weak hand to hold the slide about 1/8 inch out of battery while pulling the trigger. The hammer should not fall. If it does, the disconnector is worn or monkeyed with, and you may be holding a full auto 1911.

Ask to dry fire the gun. The trigger should release the hammer at a poundage suitable for your likes or greater. Greater poundage than required can be reduced without parts replacement. Making a light trigger heavier often involves new parts. The trigger should be smooth throughout it's travel, and the sear should break cleanly. Once dry fired, lock the slide back and take a look at the breechface. The firing pin should be retracted.

Insert a Bic-Stick type ball point pen into the barrel, plastic end first. Cock and drop the hammer with the barrel pointed straight up. The pen should fly out of the gun at least two feet. Any less is a sign of a weak mainspring, or a sign of firing pin damage.

#4 Check Fittment

On some pistols, such as a Colt, some lateral movement of the slide in battery is acceptable. Unless it is a match grade top of the line gunsmithed pistol, it is expected. The pistol may rattle a bit if shook vigorously from side to side and still be accurate. Other pistols, such as a Les Baer are expected to lock up tighter than Fort Knox.

The rear of the slide should blend smoothly into the frame. Neither the ejector nor the extractor should be above or below the surface. The trigger should not flop around sloppily in it's track. The magazine release should be flush on the right side with a magazine inserted.

Many people evaluate barrel lock-up by pressing on the barrel hood in battery. Movement is considered to be bad. While a firm lock-up is nice, of greater importance is whether the barrel returns to the same location with each slide cycle. The muzzle end of the barrel should not move within the bushing. The slide should not have wear on the muzzle end that passes into the dustcover on recoil.

#5 Evaluating Modifications

If the pistol has any modifications, they should be well done. I look at the fit of aftermarket grip safeties, especially the way the lines of the pistol was blended into the line of the grip safety. If the rear of the frame has humps in it where it was blended, the gunsmith did not have an eye for quality. The gap between grip safety and frame should be no greater than the thickness of a piece of paper. The grip safety should not rub on either side of the frame.

If it has an aftermarket bushing, I remove it and check that for fit too. A correctly fit bushing should not require a bushing wrench for removal. It should not require a hammer for installation.

Aftermarket extended thumb safeties should snick on and off without mushiness or resistance. I check the underside of the left side of the slide to see if the thumb safety has been battering it. The apex of the thumb safety should be at least 1mm below the slide at rest.

An aftermarket barrel should have no peening on the hood, or the lugs. The slide of such a gun as well as the frame should be checked as well. A well fitted, quality aftermarket barrel (assuming good rifling) is always a plus for me.

Look at the sights. Quality sights with a professional installation are a big plus for me. Sights that look like Bubba bought them on sale at a gun show and installed them with a rock are not. Adjustable sights that are off center make me wonder why.

A refinished gun is not necessarly an indicator of a worn out gun. Many pistols are refinished after customization is completed. Some finishes, such as hard chrome enhance the durability of the gun. Others like a home baked Gun Kote job may not last long. One thing to consider is that a refinish (assuming it's not 24 kt. gold) should never add to the cost of the gun, but a bad refinish can subtract from it. A good finish is expected. The same applies to grips. If the price is being jacked up because of them, ask to buy the gun without them, unless they are factory ivory. If you want them, and they are not ivory, they should not add to the price of the gun. Ugly or dinged up grips subtract from the price.

A non-original full length guide rod and an extended slide stop are red flags to me. They tell me the last owner did not understand this pistol very well. Conversely, a pistol that came with a FLGR but now presents with a GI set-up tells me the last owner knew the gun. Known cheapo aftermarket parts (they are easy to spot) tell me the last owner had a ghetto mentality about the gun.

Often I will be told "This gun was done by (insert name of reknowned 'smith")". It pays to be able to recognize quality work, and to know what different people's work often looks like. Suffice to say, a gun that has passed through a reknowned gunsmith's hands should have an appearance and function several degrees above what the factory puts out, regardless of who makes the gun. It should NEVER look worse than a top of the line gun. These men do not put out trash. Many less than stellar gunsmiths do. Which brings us to item #5.

#5b Spotting Incompetent Work

People love to fiddle with a 1911. It's hard not to. It looks so easy. It's not. It is easier to screw up a 1911 than to "improve" one.

The first thing that jumps out at me is buggered up grip screws. If a man cannot use a screwdriver, he is not mechanically equipped to open up a 1911. 'nuff said.

Next I look at the feed ramp with the slide locked back. There should be about a 2mm step between the bottom of the barrel and the top of the feed ramp on a Government Model. Incompetent gun hacks love to take a Dremel to the feed ramp of 1911's. If this step is not present, the gun will never feed ammo properly, and it cannot be repaired for less than the cost of a frame replacement.

I look at lowered ejection ports for the straightness of the lines. The scallop behind the ejection port should have smooth edges and be in the right place.

I look at the sights for signs of heavy handed handiwork. Punch marks around the sights and the slide stop hole, as well as stripped mag release screws and pins inserted backwards are red flags.

#6 Shooting the Pistol

One of the advantages of buying used is the ability to test fire the gun without lowering it's value in the marketplace Many sellers will allow you to fire their gun if they percieve you as a serious buyer. It never hurts to ask. Offer the owner a "test target" to help him in his sale if you do not buy. Expect to buy the ammo, and no +P ammo. No reloads from your Brother-in-Law Bernie. Only clean factory ammo, and some JHP if it's a defensive weapon. Somewhere between 50 and 100 rounds. Buy the ammo from the seller if he is a dealer. If he will only let you shoot one magazine "out back" make it your preferred JHP and try your darndest to create a jam. Offer to clean the gun when you are done. The combination of a high dollar guaranteed ammo sale, a decent test target, and a clean gun is often to much to resist if the seller trusts you. Heck, invite him along to shoot your prize Python while he waits.

Once at the range, I first load three rounds of JHP and shoot them to see if I get hammer follow or a full auto effect. I do this twice, at different speeds.

Then I load a magazine full of JHP and empty it into a target as fast as I can with a limp wrist. For once, I do not care about groups. I am trying to jam the gun. I note where the empties fly. I pick one or two up and check them for centered primer strikes and dents in the case. Then I load up another magazine with JHP and do the same limp wrist procedure, except this time holding the pistol upside down. I do this often enough that the Range Officer knows I am in a buying mood.

I try to fire the pistol with the thumb safety engaged. I try to fire it with the grip safety released. I allow my thumb to ride the slide to see if I can initiate a malfunction.

If the pistol continues to work as advertised, I load up some target rounds and shoot for accuracy. I am not a bullseye shooter, so I usually shoot from sandbags at 15 yards. As long as the pistol performs better than me, I figure it is accurate enough. I shoot several groups of five rounds, and compare consistency as well as accuracy. I try to eliminate any of my own shortcomings from the equation.

If the pistol has no failures, I clean it, and get to re-examine the interior, but this time with the advantage of fresh soot and cleaning fluid. If the job is done carefully, it can reveal damage that is invisible to the naked eye. Liquified soot will travel right to a crack. A piece of cloth dragged over a part can snag on a burr the finger can not feel.

Finally, let me say that the price of the gun should be agreed on at the counter, before the test fire. You should never use the test fire as a bargaining chip to lower the price. If you do that, the seller will likely never allow you to test fire a gun again, and you might like the next gun even more. The test fire should be seen only as a means to eliminate a potential problem gun before a transfer of ownership. You should only request a test fire if you are prepared to buy right then. If you find a problem that eliminates the gun, explain what you found in good humor. Above all, do not become hostile, but do not waver. If the owner offers a lower price, consider it and take it if you like, but never, never, make him think you are trying to get him to lower the price. At the range, a change in price should always be the seller's option. One more thing, if the seller has gone this far to sell you a gun, he deserves your loyalty. He is an honest seller, the type all gun buyers look for. The ability to buy a gun you have shot first is valuable. It is a valuable consideration when you are haggling at his counter. Don't forget that.

Monsterbike

2010-06-06T00:29:00.001-05:00

Please Don't Forget.

2010-05-31T01:11:00.001-05:00

From the Archives ~ Standing on the X

2010-05-30T22:15:00.000-05:00

After I encountered the story of Keith Labrozzi, and that of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler, I felt compelled to share a few of my lessons learned. I don't know it all, I am no self defense guru, but I have been in and out of some damned spooky places and situations both in the States and third world countries of the Orient. I had the advantage of learning to protect myself through avoidance in countries where I did not speak the language very well. Advantage? Yes. I did not respond to the verbal tactics used to bewilder a victim and place them off guard. To remain safe, I had to study the body language and tactics of those who would do me harm. I found that criminals share many commonalities as they go about their business. There is a lot of bad information, assumptions and beliefs out there, only one of which is the gun being a magic talisman. Hopefully, I will address a couple more here.

Sometimes, because of events I have experienced in my life, I have a fatalistic point of view. When your number is up, when you are standing on that X,......Well, everyone has to die sometime.

But then, as a nurse, I know not everyone dies immediately. Some victims of crime are crippled. Some are paralyzed. Some jockey wheelchairs and wear colostomy bags. They develop decubitus ulcers that demand constant care, lest they become infected, creating sepsis and killing the victim, concluding a tragic chain of events years after a victim's bad decision and a criminal's actions set them in motion. Other victims survive on life support, brain dead, unknowingly generating years of agony and turmoil over every medical and nursing decision their loved ones are forced to face. I do not want to do that to my wife and children.

When I worked Home Health, providing specialized wound care in some of the most crime infested areas of a poverty stricken state, I carried redundant guns. One was on my hip under my lab coat, or in a SmartCarry holster if I was wearing scrubs. One was my nursing bag, secured in a middle compartment, velcroed shut. That bag was actually a soft sided briefcase designed to carry a gun. I recommend a similar bag to every nurse or physician I teach. In my pocket I carried a revolver, because I expected the struggle to be in confined spaces, quickly going to the ground, with the firearm jammed in the criminal's ribs. In the back of my Jeep Cherokee, I carried an aluminum baseball bat, my non-lethal weapon.

Twice over a period of eleven years of this type of work, I felt compelled to draw a weapon. Once, I pulled the bat. Each time, the event could have been avoided by better planning on my part. The learning curve was steep, but I was learning.

There are reasons why a grammar school dropout who cannot multiply 26 by 4 is able to outwit and victimize a person who is of demonstrably higher intelligence and social proficiency.

First, the criminal does this for a living. They are not as dumb as many think they are. If you fail to respect their level of skill, you will be unprepared to deal with them. They are not dumb. They just attended a different "school" and studied a different "curriculum". To understand and predict their behavior, you must know a bit of that curriculum as well. Understanding the behaviors and motivations of different types of criminals is the framework with which a wise person protects themselves. Know your enemy. Then practice avoidance if you can. If avoidance is impossible, try evasion. Try both of these tactics prior to defense. You do not have to "win" a dangerous encounter. Nobody wins a gunfight. They simply survive.

The next reason that a criminal can overcome a victim is they have a plan. They are acting offensively, while the victim is reacting defensively. By having a plan in place before contact is made, the criminal has a distinct advantage. They have considered contingencies. They know what they are going to do. They often work in numbers, confusing and surrounding the victim beforehand. They know what's coming. The victim does not. Know how the criminal works. He has a plan, and is looking for a victim to impose the plan on. The criminal has considered, and quite possibly experienced the reactions he will receive from his victim before the fact. Having a plan of action to deal with criminal activities is vital once you have been targeted. There is no one plan to fit every contingency. Having a counter plan is good, but removing yourself from the victim selection process is a far superior tactic.

The active criminal conceals their intent until they have selected a victim, moved in for the attack, and possibly made a couple of probes to assess the victim's responses. Recognizing the criminal's actual intent is vital. That gives you the edge to counter his plan with a plan of your own. The most frequent mistake that a victim makes is the failure to recognize the threat until it is to late. The criminal works with behavioral devices to conceal his actual purpose. The potential victim must see through the veil and recognize the actual intent if they are to counter the criminal. The criminal may be a scruffy crackhead, or they may be an attractive member of the opposite sex. They may be working alone, or in groups, either seen or unseen. They may even be an angry family member.

Once the criminal's plan is set in motion, the victim must seize the initiative. They must place the criminal on the defense. They must force him into the role of the person who is reacting to the unexpected. Your gun may be unexpected, or it may not be. It is your choices, your behavior that must redirect the conflict, not your firearm.

Analyzing when you are most vulnerable is key. Military men know that insertion is not the time of vulnerability. Extraction is. Crimes that occur when a person is entering a building are often crimes of opportunity, the work of amateurs. The criminal is easily disengaged. This is also a time when a more experienced criminal will size you up. They will sometimes make the first contact on your entrance, knowing that an exit is soon to follow. Crimes that occur when a person exits a building are much more likely to be targeted towards the specific individual, and be premeditated. The criminal knows your presence when you are leaving. While you were otherwise engaged, he was formulating his plan, and perhaps gathering allies. He possibly even knows the path you will take, as it is usually the most direct one to your vehicle. These are much more difficult to avoid and disengage from.

I knew that I was most vulnerable when I left an apartment or house in the crime and gang infested areas where I worked. Before I opened the door of an apartment to leave, I would take a look outside the window. The patients understood why, hell they lived there. I always, on the first patient contact, explained that I did not carry drugs, syringes (a lie), money, or valuables. I wore an ugly old Timex. I carried a beat up camera for wound documentation......I actually took sandpaper to it to make it less desirable. I drove a humble Grand Cherokee with a dented fender and ugly rims. I made certain the young men in the home, often involved in illegal if not outright gang activity, knew my purpose. I was there to provide nursing service, not to act as a police informant. I made sure they knew I would pull out and not only let them rot, but impede further care by other agencies if I was threatened. I did not equivocate on these issues. Often, these young men would serve as my protection against the threats as I came and went about my business. I would talk and listen as I worked, gathering information not just on specifics, but on the emotional climate of the area. I made mental notes of who came and went in the homes, the layout of the homes, as well as blankets hung in doorways and doors padlocked shut. One of the odd beliefs in these areas is that law enforcement needed a separate search warrant for padlocked doors inside a home. Thus, a padlocked door indicated illegal activity within the home. All good information to know. Even though young men or women, often seen as criminals, might serve as my protectors in these neighborhoods, I kept my distance and would not allow them to walk me to my vehicle. They knew why.

I would park where I had alternate routes to my vehicle. I would keep open space around me and structures and objects as much as possible. I made myself a difficult target. Still, I had to approach my Jeep. The criminals knew where to lie in wait. Thus, I was careful to park where I would have some room to see my attacker as he approached my vehicle, and where I could observe the vehicle from inside the home. Time and distance were my protection. I had a square convex mirror stuck on the rear glass of the Cherokee's hatch so I could see an approach from behind as I opened it. I had remote controlled door locks, and I disabled the passenger side and rear outside door handles. I kept the batteries changed in the door remote, giving me max power in opening them, and I kept the Cherokee maintained with a full gas tank.

Today, my situation is different, but I still take the time to realistically recognize my vulnerabilities, and to raise my level of awareness when I am most vulnerable. It is the heightened awareness that prevents a person from being victimized, not the gun concealed on their person.

Drawing and using a gun is only a part of one plan. It is a possible counter action, but not the only one. Keeping your back to the wall in a restaurant is only one technique. We plan for crimes that we hear about, the ones that make the 6:00 news. Most crimes do not occur as the spectacular robbery with multiple patrons in a restaurant or bar. They occur when the victim is alone and vulnerable, in a laundromat, walking a dog, or approaching their automobile or front door. These opportunities for criminals to ply their trade must be countered as well. Gunfighting is not about guns, it's about fighting. You must be willing and able to fight, and fighting is about survival. The gun is only a means of increasing your advantage in a struggle for life and survival. The best way to survive is to recognize and avoid or offset the threat altogether. Survive at all costs.

Related: When Being a Good Guy Isn't Enough
A Tactical Analysis of the Tyler Courthouse Shooting and the Tacoma Mall Shooting
By Syd

From the Archives ~ Recognizing Threats

2010-05-17T21:27:00.001-05:00

A couple of ~~weeks~~ years ago I wrote a post on the realities of surviving a gunfight. Much of my writing focused on the need to avoid the conflict. Many believe that they can avoid conflict by avoiding particular areas. This is not always the case. A person must go about one's life, and the criminal element does the same. A person may be more likely to be attacked in certain areas, but they can be victimized virtually anywhere. Indeed, they are often less prepared in their own element. Conflict avoidance requires threat recognition.

To recognize threats, one has to understand how the criminal mind works. The criminal is a predator. He (or she) sees the world as having two types of people.....Other predators and prey. Many honest gun owners like to think of themselves as "sheepdogs" but to the criminal, the sheepdog is simply another brand of predator. Like other beasts, it is a matter of survival for the criminal to prey on those weaker than themselves. To select the wrong victim is to become prey. If you want to survive in the criminal's world, you must be seen as a superior predator. Once you understand the criminal's thought processes, most attacks can be avoided simply by removing oneself from the victim selection process. There are several steps to victimization.

Intent
This is when the criminal decides to commit a crime. He likely has not selected a victim yet. Internally, however, the criminal has made the decision that he must fill a need, whether it be money to pay off his grandma's medicine bill, or cash to buy a bit of crack. He has decided to go to work. He may work alone, or with others, but like anyone else who goes to work, the working criminal's body language and demeanor changes. The criminal must disguise his intent, however, lest he be snared by the ultimate predator, the police. Thus, the working criminal lies in wait, like a lion in the grass, waiting for suitable prey. He is observant, and he will toss out bait to potential prey to see if he gets a nibble. Often, a criminal team will place the least threatening member in view to test potential prey while the others on the team remain hidden. He is not a fisherman, however, he does not require a nibble. The criminal is a predator. Failure to nibble at the bait is also a sign of potential prey. Remember, the only way to be left alone by this predator, or team of predators, is to be seen as a superior predator.
A superior predator may not attack, but they will always recognize other predators. If the criminal is recognized by someone he sees as an equal or superior predator, he will stay in the shadows as long as he or his territory is not threatened. If the recognition comes from someone he sees as prey, however, he begins to work in earnest.

Selection
The criminal, once he has observed a potential victim, will send out some test runs to determine if the person is indeed prey, or predator. These tests may be asking for a match, the time, or change. The initial tests all have one thing in common. They violate boundaries, and determine if the selected person will allow their space and generosity to be violated. The predator is mimicking a common panhandler to get in close, test the waters and position himself for attack. All of these persons are easily recognized by their inappropriate behavior and boundary violations. Like the fish who fails to recognize the moray eel on the reef, the person who fumbles for change with a predator has sealed their fate. The ruses are many and varied. I have seen crackheads target tourists and ask to get their pictures taken. I have seen balloon ladies that had accomplices working in the shadows. I have seen young women toss out lewd comments as their male accomplices tried to blend into the landscape. I have seen kids sitting on trash cans in housing projects while older gang members waited around the corner. I have even seen one teen lay on the side of the road in the projects waiting for a good Samaritan as his accomplices hid behind a dumpster. Like the anglerfish, these predators actively dangle lures to allow them to catch prey. To be seen as a potentially superior predator, one must simply recognize the threat, refuse to engage, and continue without alarm.

If the predator is engaged, a request for change quickly becomes a demand for a dollar, then a twenty, then a blow to the head as soon as the victim refuses. This kind of escalation is common with young gangs who quickly befuddle their prey with unrelated questions and demands from all directions. As the victim struggles with the insistent demands and questions, the gang will begin positioning itself for attack. These criminals work like sharks, first brushing their victim, then bumping it, and finally going after the victim is a swirl of blood and gore as others also jump in.

The most feared predator is the one who uses the silent selection process. This criminal watches the parade of people passing by, while trying to blend into the scenery. He wants to be neither seen or remembered. Once he recognizes and selects a victim, he knows he needs the right time and place to launch his attack. He may follow his selected victim to a more promising location. If he follows his victim, he knows that he must go unrecognized as a predator. He is the tiger in the jungle, relying on stealth to get close enough to quickly subdue his prey. Like the tiger, he leaves his lair to hunt. He may stalk his victim for long periods of time. He may lose interest in a selected victim that never knew he was there. He may follow the victim until the victim enters an area where an attack can be successful. If the time and place are already in his favor when the victim is selected, however, the victim will be like the fly who fails to recognize the chameleon among the leaves. Thankfully, these predators who use the silent selection process are not as common as other predators. They are, however, highly effective, giving the victim very little warning. The key to recognizing them is the last chance of conflict avoidance.

Positioning
The final indicator of an impending attack is positioning. Once positioning commences, the victim has been selected, and an attack is imminent unless immediate action is taken. Positioning is recognizable by escape routes being cut off if the attacker is alone. In the case of multiple predators, attackers will both surround and approach from vulnerable angles. This is the jackal approach to the hunt. Once it occurs, the only choice the victim has is to either fight for their life or pray for the predator's generosity. If the predator moves into position, he has already decided that his victim is prey. He will attack. The only thing that will stop the attack is the sudden realization he has made a fatal error and chosen a superior predator. Proof of this mentality is the many incarcerated criminals who believe their last victim somehow victimized them instead.

And this, finally, is where citizens arming themselves against criminals need to focus. Armed citizens like to think of themselves as sheepdogs. However, inside every sheepdog is a lineage that can be tracked back to the wolf. The sheepdog understands the wolf because he is a wolf with another purpose. He is a predator as well.

Pawn Shop Circuit: If the Price is not Right.......

2010-05-06T18:21:00.006-05:00

I strolled into Neil's pawn shop today, and I found the usual firearms underneath the glass. Nothing special. We talked a bit about concealed carry classes. Neil was up for a renewal, and he wanted to go to a class that had a more authorative legal session. I recommended a local class that the DA assists with on Saturdays. It's hard to get much more authorative than that.

I looked over the jewelry for Mother's Day and we talked some more. Finally, we drifted back to the guns and I noticed that what I thought was the same old Charter Arms Undercover was not. In Neil's case was a Smith & Wesson Model 30, with a pinned barrel and a battered finish. I asked to see it.

The little 32 Long revolver locked up nicely, and appeared to have been a purse gun or a pocket gun for a long time. Whoever owned it did not believe in holsters though. The finish was comprised more of bare metal and rust than blue. Neil had it priced at $219.

"How much?" I asked.

"For you, $200." Neil started, as he shifted his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"I don't know," I said. "It's a 32, and I don't shoot that. Plus, I pretty much quit buying guns."

"You have been pretty much a stranger," Neil responded. "How about $175?"

"Let me think about it." I countered, and Neil placed the revolver back in the case.

"I think I got into that one for too much," said Neil.

"Yeah, probably so. I don't have that luxury though," I countered.

"Hey, let my show you this one from the back," said Neil, and he disappeared behind the office door. When he returned he had a familiar blue box in his hands. He opened it to reveal a pinned Model 15 with diamond grips. "What year do you think this is?"

"Probably right at 1957-58," I replied. "Is it coming out?" The box matched the gun, but somebody had written 1973 inside the lid.

"Not yet. Want me to call you when it does?"

I looked the gun over. It was laying on a rag in the box without the tools. It was a four screw gun. It had just enough wear at the muzzle and yoke to take it out of collector status for most people, but not enough on the cylinder to put it firmly into the shooter category for me. "Sure, dial me up when it's available," I replied. "I'll be interested for the right price."

"I think I might be able to do that on this one," said Neil.

"Good deal." We shook hands, and I left for home with a four screw Combat Masterpiece on my mind.

Stark White Backgrounds

2010-04-29T04:48:00.004-05:00

Zack Arias gives a tutorial on shooting into a stark white background. It's not how I did it , but I might use it in the future.

For the image at right, I used a white cinderblock wall and direct sunlight. It did not take much to blow out the wall when the jacket was properly exposed. At any rate, Zack Arias is blogrolled. Good stuff there.

Springfield Mil-Spec Mud Test

2010-04-25T11:18:00.006-05:00

Foul language warning.......

A Question of Purpose

2010-04-24T16:31:00.006-05:00

Original question: practical snub nose range?
I've been praticing 10 yards. very humbling shooting a snubby for first time. i would like to stretch out to 25 yards by summers ends.

This question was asked in an online forum that I help moderate. It received the usual responses of how 25 yard accuracy was possible with a snubnose revolver. I finally had to say something. My response, for better or worse, is below. Oh, and the illustration is not me. It is FBI Agent Jelly Bryce proving he can drop a silver dollar and have his Model 27's sights on target before the coin clatters to the floor.

I'm aware that the snubbie is capable of making 25 yard shots. There are some guys that make amazing shots with snub nosed revolvers at great distances. If I work at it long enough, I might be reliably accurate at 25 yards with it myself. That's not the thing though.

For me, a snubbie is a close in weapon. It's a fighting gun, and a darned good one. It has stood the test of time for a reason. It's a weapon that fits the problem. It has some great attributes. It conceals well, is extremely reliable, fast on target, and it will fire with the muzzle jammed into the ribs of a man beating the snot out of you.

And you see, that is the issue, really. Almost all fights, and most lethal encounters start at a range of ten yards or less. Conversation distance. I carry the snubbie for personal protection, not exhibition shooting. I figure the chances of someone standing in the open, shooting at me from 25 yards is pretty remote. By contrast, having to defend myself from a range of fists and lead pipes to 20 feet against a moving aggressor while I am moving myself has a higher probability. As a civilian, having to defend myself from my back after being hit in the head from behind is also fairly high. Thus I train in that fashion. I practice at ten yards, often less. I practice from concealment against a timer, while moving. If possible, I use a target that moves as well. I practice shooting one handed, weak handed, and from the supine position.

The most important consideration for me is five shots to a reload, and a cartridge that is on the relative low range of effectiveness. I want shots in my target fast from concealment. I want this done before he gets shots in me. I want to be getting myself towards cover for a reload or an escape at the same time that I am defending myself.

If I am forced to deal with a maniac with an AR at 25 yards, then for me it's a question of tactics. Take cover. Either advance behind cover to a more effective range, or draw them in to effective range and ambush them. But...... at 25 yards in most environments that an attack would occur in, escape is a more healthy option than engaging the aggressor.

But then, fighting is always a question of tactics, in theory at least. Maximize the effectiveness of your weapon of choice while diminishing the VA's effectiveness. The subject is engaging to discuss, and it provides a guide of action and training. Mike Tyson once said everyone has a plan until they are punched in the mouth. He was right about that, and he knew fighting pretty well. Thing is, Iron Mike wouldn't want to face a maniac with an AR at 25 yards with only his fists. He would die if the maniac had only an ounce of skill or luck. If Tyson could take cover behind a brick wall and ambush the maniac when he came looking for him though, he might stand a chance. If he could stay inside the arc of the AR's barrel as he beat the maniac's face to a pulp, he would likely live. I strive for the ferocity of Tyson when attacked, but I don't have his strength, endurance or skill with my fists. So I carry a gun instead. Chances are, a snubbie up the nose will be a passable substitute.

Blues Man

2010-04-23T22:04:00.010-05:00

I photographed a local guitar player for a soon to be released CD last weekend. Gary Ferguson once played in South Texas on the Rock & Roll and Blues circuit. He has slung riffs with the likes of Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Kenny Rogers once borrowed a dollar from him.

Gary's favorite instrument is his 1956 Gretsch Duo Jet. The photos I took last weekend were for what may be the last album Gary will record. He has contracted Alzheimers, and is slowly losing his ability to play. I tried to capture the fragile slice of time that remains of his musical creativity for him.

Trek Commuter Update

2010-04-17T06:12:00.012-05:00

I received the Specialized Armadillo tires and mounted them on the Trek 970 commuter bike. My tastes have evolved to the right ~~combination~~ conglomeration of parts and ingenuity for me, and the Trek will be very similar to my Raleigh commuter bike.

Because the Trek has no fender eyelets on the front forks, fenders may be a challenge. Also, I had to go with 26X1.95 tires, the more narrow Nimbus Armadillos were no longer available. Beach cruiser style fenders would fit. A commuter bike needs fenders, so I guess I'll fit the cut down fenders that I had on the Raleigh at first.....

This afternoon I am off to photograph a local guitarist for an album release.

2010-04-09T22:34:00.002-05:00

2010-04-07T23:31:00.013-05:00

An American expat living in Italy for the last 20 years decided to blog a bit about my last post. Mike said:

"Does that sound a little paranoid to you? It certainly does to me. Where is the line between reasonable precaution which constitute preparedness and over-the-top paranoid delusion? Can planning for every contingency to this degree become a trap for some people which itself diminishes freedom? Or, does it make sense to plan meticulously for the extremely rare event of armed home invasion and the even rarer event of home invasion by a team of commandos?"

I typed up a response for Mike, and thought better of it. Chances are, since he did not have the courage to post a comment on my blog, he would simply delete my comment on his. So, I preserved it here prior to posting it. To wit:

Mike, we all form our opinion of the world around us based on our personal experiences. I do not "prepare for violent contingencies as if a squad of commandos is liable to attack at any moment" as you put it. I prepare for a violent and quick moving encounter that has me behind in the OODA loop. That is much more likely to be one or two criminals than a squad of crack commandos. Regardless, if I am behind on the OODA loop, chances are I will be impaired for life or dead unless I have the means of rapidly reversing the unfolding events.

Mike, the reason why a high school drop out failure at life thug can defeat and put down a well trained college graduate in a violent confrontation is not because he is smarter. It is because he has a plan and he is familiar with human behavior in violent encounters. To be able to survive such a situation, a person can depend on luck, or they can prepare themselves through training and education. To adequately prepare, they must understand the nature of a violent encounter and what their inadequacies are when attacked.

A gun does not protect you Mike. The ability to use the gun swiftly, effectively and decisively are what protects you when you are down to your last option. You will note, however, if you took the time to read before you decided to type out your screed, that I advocate first recognition, then avoidance and evasion of threats. To remain safe, the threat must first be recognized.

The fear of appearing "not normal" leads many people walking around totally unprepared for a violent encounter with a criminal. I do not know if you are a person such as this, or if you are a gun owner who simply believes that having a gun is enough. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I do encourage you to become a gun owner if you are not, and get solid, professional training in self defense if you are. Your lack of understanding of the nature of a violent encounter is readily apparent.

I took a look at your sidebar, and I saw "I'm an American expat living in Italy these last 20 years." That about sums it up, doesn't it? I'll put it to you this way Mike. I'm a law abiding citizen of a country where I can carry an effective means of self defense. I chose to do so. Because I do so, I invest the time to learn to use it effectively.

Now you can peck away all the you like about it, but that will not change. Am I paranoid? Are you talking clinically paranoid? Paranoia is a term that delusional people use in a derogatory fashion to describe those better prepared than themselves. It makes them feel more secure as they smugly cite statistics and anecdotes. All the while, people continue to die in violent encounters, while others manage to survive. I encourage you to investigate why some victims survive while others do not.

I'll answer a couple of your questions as well. Have I been a victim? Yes. Did it lead me towards gun ownership? No. I already owned guns. It did lead me towards effective, realistic training.

I recently had a friend, a police officer, die as the result of a violent encounter. He was holding a taser on a criminal instead of his gun. The criminal pulled a gun and shot and killed him before his partner could return fire, or before my friend could transition from his taser to his own gun. Should he have tased the criminal? IMHO, yes. However, he followed his training and went for his own gun when he saw the criminal produce a gun. As a result, he was behind on the OODA loop, was shot and killed.

These encounters happen with breathtaking speed. Training is essential, but more importantly, recognizing and understanding the threat is imperative. It is this aspect of self defense that so many people ignore, and if you had taken the time to read a bit deeper, perhaps you would have found it.

Excessive gun fanaticism? It's a gun blog Mike. Oh, occasionally it gets into photography, bicycles and such, but my core readership is gun owners and those who care about defending themselves if need be. I know my readers, just as you know your readers.

Rather than just address your blog post, I went searching through your blog for your true feelings on guns. I found it, I think, at the end of this post.

"Let me be perfectly clear. My own, extremely biased opinion is there are too many guns in the hands of too many people and something should be done about it."

I should have known. Have a good life Mike. Enjoy your blogging. Goodnight.

Interesting.

2010-04-05T18:45:00.000-05:00

On Tactical Reloads

2010-04-03T12:57:00.008-05:00

David Armstrong has some incisive thoughts up on tactical reloads. If you are a reader who carries a gun and contemplates effective personal security including lethal force, I suggest you give David's blog, The Thinking Gunfighter a read. Quick, smooth tactical reloads are impressive, especially when performed running and gunning. But are they a viable lifesaving skill in a ~~real gun fight~~ struggle to save one's life?

A while back, I showed a series of photos on how to perform a 1911 reload in this post, and I am fairly proficient at getting the job done. My preference for a handgun reload though, is the shotgun I fought myself to. If I am still in need of ammunition with the smoking shotgun in my hands, I hope there will be another shotgun nearby, or a half empty firearm on the floor.

My thoughts on David's article are in the comments. Thinking Gunfighter.... an apt name to that blog. I'll still carry a spare magazine opposite of the piece on my belt though. A balanced gun belt is a good thing.

Light

2010-03-31T21:15:00.005-05:00

I dislike most of the "strobist" portraiture I've seen. It seems as though many photographers use raw lighting without any modifiers to soften it. Perhaps that is the "modern" look to photography, but I much prefer my images to be lit with a more diffused light. In my opinion, the lighting should never overpower the image, the subject, or the message (assuming there is one) of a picture. If it does, the harsh light is like a shriek of a turpentined feline in a violin concerto. Studio lighting should imitate natural light in my opinion, and the closer it mimics it, the better. Thoughts?

2010-03-29T20:17:00.000-05:00

Alien Bee/Softlighter II Review

2010-03-28T05:59:00.044-05:00

In January, I ordered off camera photo lighting. After quite a bit of research, I finally settled on AlienBee B800s, two of them. I ordered a heavy duty stand and a general purpose stand from the same manufacturer, Paul Buff. After further research I had Buff throw a remote activation system, the Cybersync CSR and CST into the box. He sent along a shoot through umbrella as well. I ordered a Softlighter II from another source in lieu of a softbox.

I immediately noted that the general purpose light stand did not seem stable enough with the monolights. I ordered another heavy duty stand from Buff, and set aside the lighter duty stand for speedlights. In general, I have been impressed with the Alien Bees lights and the Cybersync activation system. I have used the system on five photo shoots over the past month and a half. I have not had one misfire.

The AlienBee monolights can be set to operate as a slave, using the Nikon's commander mode to activate them, or they can be activated with a radio control system such as the Cybersync. My preference is to make my key light radio controlled, and operate the accent light as a slave. I have also modified a Vivitar 283 speedlight with a Wein Peanut Slave to use as a hairlight if desired.

The AlienBee monolights recharge fast. I have found that I can shoot a burst of five frames per second, with the two B800s set to half power and I will not have a single dim frame. If I raise the power up to 3/4 or above, a slight difference in the image lighting can be discerned in successive frames.

I like the fact that I can plug everything into a wall socket and forget about batteries. Already, the difference between the Vivitar 283 and the AlienBees is apparent. I would not want to be limited by my supply of Duracells or tethered to a convenience store. Sure, a wall socket and alternating current has it's limitations as well, but that is only a limitation of location. I can plan for that, and switch to all speedlights if I have no power.

The Softlighter II is a very well made light modifier. The system can be used as a softbox, a bounce umbrella or a shoot through umbrella. That is versatility. I have found the construction to be superb. When stowed, the Softlighter II is as small as an umbrella in a cloth case. In fact, it comes with its own cloth case that holds everything. It is quick to assemble, and simple to use. The only issue I have had is the fire resistant sock is about 1/32 too small to fit over the AlienBee monolight's square case. A little stretching of the stitches to the point of refusal, and the Softlighter fit, but a better fit would be appreciated. Of course, the Softlighter is from another manufacturer, and it can't be expected to fit everything perfectly. This would not be an issue with most monolights or with speedlights.

The umbrella shaft of the Softlighter II is a two piece affair, allowing the lower section of the shaft to be removed once the umbrella is opened. Then the Softlighter can be brought right up to the subject, resulting in incredibly soft light. Initially I was concerned about the quality of the threads on this shaft. I should not have been. They are cut well, and I have not had a single crossthreading incident. I have not placed any grease on them, but I might dab a bit of high temp white grease on them in the future as insurance. The Softlighter II is so flexible, so easily carried, and creates such a beautiful glow that I plan on ordering another one in the future, just to have a back-up and possibly use as a soft accent.

Now, I am a rank noob when it comes to studio lighting. I do not have the years of experience using different brands and set-ups on difficult locations that some people have. I have only used these lights and modifiers in five or six photo shoots thus far. Still, they have been packed, unpacked and packed again easily and without fail by a newbie. They have traveled down dirt roads and across railroad tracks in a plastic box tossed in the back of a Jeep. Did I not once say I don't baby my equipment? I think so. There will be some readers who will want to know how the equipment held up after a year of this, and that is understandable. At present, I can only give my assessment from where I am at now. The stuff is durable and it has improved my portraiture markedly. I should have made this leap long ago. It is exhilarating to have so much to learn again.

I once thought that lights were a nice addition to photography. I was wrong. Photography is all about light. Without the ability to control and manipulate the light, the photographer is at the mercy of the sun and clouds, or severely limited to amateurish on camera flash photography. That is not where I wanted to be. I have finally come to the realization that my lights and my ability to control them are as important as my camera body and lens. There is no reason that the investment should not be comparable.

The final indicator of quality lighting is in the images though, so with apologies to those readers who come here for the guns (see the Clark Meltdown 649 post y'all) here are some of my recent portraits with the strobist information............

Strobist: AlienBee AB800 with Softlighter II camera left. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Triggered by Cybersync. Gold reflector at 4:00.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Triggered by Cybersync. Gold reflector at 4:00.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 camera right 1:30. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 3:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 2:30. Reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera Right 9:00. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera left 11:00. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II as Keylight. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera left at 11:00. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Camera rotated 45 degrees. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 10:00. Reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera Right 9:00. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera left 11:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera right 2:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. Gold reflector camera right, 3:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 10:00. Reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 camera right 1:30. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 camera right 1:30. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

For those faithful readers who have endured thus far, or who might have an interest in photography. more of my work can be see on my photostream on flickr. Feel free to comment there as well as here.

Books I have been reading on photography and lighting:
Sculpting with Light: Techniques for Portrait Photographers by Allison Earnest

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography by Kirk Tuck

Beyond Portraiture: Creative People Photography by Bryan Peterson

And finally, because I feel I need help in this area,

Posing Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios by Billy Pegram

Two Wheeling Again

2010-03-27T19:59:00.005-05:00

I've started taking advantage of the warmer weather, and have returned to biking to work. It's nice to ride among the breeze and falling cherry blossom petals in the morning. Like an obsessive biker, I have started working on the Trek 970 in earnest to transform it into a back-up bike.

I lucked out and found another vintage gym basket to attach to the Trek's rear rack, and I installed a kid bike BMX handlebar. New cables are necessary, but I think I have enough parts to bring everything together..........

Specialized Armadillo Hemisphere tires

All That You Have Is Your Soul

2010-03-27T09:18:00.001-05:00

Biker Words

2010-03-25T09:14:00.002-05:00

Dictionary of Bike Commuter Slang courtesty of Bike Hacks. Good stuff.

Cheap Wedding Photographer

2010-03-24T19:42:00.000-05:00

Portrait Lighting

2010-03-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

Umbrella or Softbox?

2010-03-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

The Ruger 10/22 M1 Conversion

2010-03-21T21:57:00.000-05:00

I like the Ruger 10/22 rifle. It's cheap, reliable, and reasonably accurate. With the right barrel and scope, it can be a tack driver. I've built a few, and they are a fun gun to shoot. The problem is, the wilder the modifications become, the less handy the rifle becomes.

One of the handiest rifles ever designed was the M1 carbine. Often, in the real world, handy beats the pants off gnat's ass accuracy. Now, the vesatile 10/22 can be modified to ressemble the M1 carbine. No longer do you have to search out a used Marlin 99M1 and roll the dice. Take a look at E. Arthur Brown's Ruger 10/22 to M1 carbine package.

Get one. Build it. Learn about Appleseed. Become a Rifleman.

Clark Concealed Carry Revolver

2010-03-20T08:27:00.009-05:00

I had just finished my last case yesterday when the cell phone in my pocket rang. Although I carry my phone with me for family emergencies, I give out the number jealously. Answering a phone in cases involves having a nurse reach under my gown to retrieve it and hold it to my ear before it stops ringing. One ring and concentration is broken. One slip and sterility is broken.

On the other end of the line was Renee at Clark Custom. "Xavier, Jimbo has your gun ready," she said cheerfully. The docs were were discussing a weekend of golf versus shooting, but were keeping an eye on my conversation, wondering if all was well at home. I struggled to keep the conversation generic, to conceal the purpose of the call from their inquisitive ears.

I couldn't recall what time Clarks closed on Friday. I had to ask though, I knew they were closed on Saturday. "Fine, go ahead and give forty milligrams of lasix, and I'm on my way," I replied. A confused Renee agreed. As I excused myself, Dr. Ferguson asked if everything was OK. "Yeah, I need to take off though," I replied.

"You shooting in the matches this weekend Xav?" called Dr. Antonopoulos as I waved good day. I gave him a thumbs up and a shrug.

As soon as I entered the parking lot, I called Clarks back. "Renee, what time do you close today?" I asked.

"Lasix? What's lasix?"

"Don't worry about it," I replied, "What's your closing time?"

"Four o'clock."

"I'm on my way," I said.

"Be careful, drive safely," Renee said. "You know we will hold it for you if you don't make it in time."

"Thanks Renee. See you in a bit."

Pine bark littered the blacktop as I pulled off the exit into the logging town of Princeton Louisiana. At least I didn't miss my exit, I thought. As I wound along the long drive into the Clark family property, I saw a familiar face working on a rusty lawn tractor underneath his garage. In the rural South, people still wave at passing motorists. Jerry Miculek looked up from his work on the tractor to wave at me. I waved back and continued down Shootout Lane to the nondescript cinder block building where top tier competition guns are built and shipped all over the world. The cow bell rang as I entered the door.

"Matt, I think you might have something for me," I said to the man behind the display counter of guns. Matt still works at Clarks, even though he could have retired years ago. He called out for Jimbo, who was working in the busy shop beyond the counter. Shortly afterwards, Jim Clark Jr. appeared, his magnifying lenses perched above his ball cap, and a metal flecked apron protecting his clothing.

"Glad you're here," said Jim. He reached among the cardboard boxes stacked on a shelf behind the counter, and pulled out one with my name on it. As he opened it, I saw the gun I had been waiting for. In July of 2009, I collected my Colt Commander after a Clark Meltdown, and I dropped off the stainless Smith & Wesson 649 that rested in the box. I picked the revolver up, opened the cylinder, and checked it's condition, even though I knew it was empty.

The gunsmiths at Clark Custom had deftly removed every sharp edge on the Bodyguard frame and cylinder, then bead blasted the result. It felt good. The Uncle Mike's rubber grip still fit the gun perfectly. "We figured you would want the trigger polished," said Jim, as I ran my fnger along it's mirror surface. He was right. A polished trigger face allows the shooter's finger to slide across it on the long double action trigger pull of a revolver. The result is greater accuracy as the muzzle of the gun is not pulled off target.

"Thanks Jim." I replied. "Mind if I dry fire it?" Jim gave the go ahead and I aligned the sights and pulled the trigger. It was silky smooth but still at what felt to be stock weight. Perfect.

Jim was waiting for me to examine the front sight. Last July, he was experimenting with dovetailing a Trijicon shotgun sight onto a J frame revolver. He had proudly displayed his work to me as I picked up my newly melted Colt. The dovetail was perfect, with a paper thin distance between the barrel and sight base to compensate for heat while shooting. The rear sight notch was opened up to accommodate the big glowing front dot.

"I've got to ask Jim, because I know of several people ready to send you guns for this mod....... Are you ready to make it a staple modification?"

Jim smiled. "Much as I'd like to, I don't see how I can," he replied. "We have a one year waiting time on comp guns right now, and I just don't see how we can accomplish it. Besides, with these scandium frames........"

I started to point out that my revolver was stainless, but Jim knew that. He was talking about working difficult metal in the future, and trying to turn a profit on precision hand work. "So it's a one-off then?" I asked, just to make certain.

"Unless someone wants to wait a year and pay more," Jim replied, never one to close an open door or turn away work. I asked how much I owed him. "One bead blast finished Meltdown, one XS Trijicon sight furnished and installed..... $362.64," came the reply. I pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check. Years ago, I had purchased the 649 as a practice weapon to decease wear and tear on my aluminum framed Model 38. I had bought it used for a price in the neighborhood of $230. I now held it as a bespoke one-off custom gun with less than six hundred dollars invested.

Today will be a great day at the range.

From an email

2010-03-19T21:12:00.002-05:00

Here's a billboard recently established on I-75 just south of Lake City and a group gathered there to celebrate its unveiling. The cost of 10 months rental of the billboard and doing the artwork was $6500. That's a reasonable cost to reach out to 1,000,000 vehicles per month and perhaps motivate participation in the electoral process.

A telephone call

2010-03-19T13:25:00.000-05:00

I got the call today that myself and several readers have been waiting for..........

Blackout

2010-02-25T19:52:00.001-06:00

Danziger Update

2010-02-24T18:32:00.011-06:00

Today, a former New Orleans police lieutenant entered a guilty plea stating that he conspired to obstruct justice regarding the Danziger Bridge Massacre. Federal prosecutors say Lt. Michael Lohman took part in a scheme to plant a gun at the scene, and helped rewrite police reports to make a fabricated version of the tragedy seem more plausible.

New Orleans police officers Sgt. Robert Gisevius and Sgt. Arthur Kaufman have received letters stating they are targets of the federal investigation into the killings on the Danziger Bridge in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Gisevius is accused of being one of the shooters. There is not yet any word whether the other officers involved have been notified they are targets of the federal investigation, but the bill of information against Lohman is clear that others wil be charged. It is quite possible the Feds are waiting to see if the news of Lohman's plea bargain and cooperation will turn another witness, perhaps one who was present at the scene of the killings.

Six civilians were shot by police officers on the bridge on Sept. 4, 2005. Two of them, Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old man with the mental capacity of a child, and 19-year-old James Brissette were killed. The other civilians were severely wounded. Police officers were responding to a report that snipers were firing at helicopters from the bridge. This report was later shown to be untrue.

"In any circumstance, that's a critical call, a high-risk call," Eric Hessler, the attorney representing Gisevius stated. "It raises your adrenaline, it automatically puts you in fear for your life. And when you are responding to that call in the midst of Katrina, when all kinds of misinformation is being given out, you are certainly going to be in a heightened state."

"I can assure you, when my client left the back of that box vehicle, there was gunfire all over," Hessler claimed. "And in that situation, he is reasonably fearing for his life."

Sgt. Kaufman was one of the lead investigators assigned to get to the truth of what happened on the Danziger bridge. The investigation claimed the shooting was justifiable. Federal prosecutors are now describing the investigation as "corrupt." Last August, the FBI conducted a surprise search of Kaufman's office and seized files and computer hard drives. The New Orleans police has maintained that the officers involved only fired upon the group of civilians when they themselves were fired upon. Charges against the seven officers involved in the shooting were dismissed on a technicality by Criminal District Court Judge Raymond Bigelow in August, 2008.

This week, the FBI confirmed they are also investigating the police shooting of a 41-year-old Connecticut man in the Faubourg Marigny five days after Katrina, and the NOPD acknowledges the agency has received federal subpoenas for documents related to two other post-Katrina police shootings.

100 Strangers Question

2010-02-14T07:08:00.003-06:00

I just joined this group and plan on starting my 100 strangers in about a month or so.

Here's my question: I only own a compact digital camera. Is that good enough to get some nice shots? Do you guys all use a digital SLR or is a compact enough? I really want to buy a SLR, but it's way expensive and I'm not that skilled with photography yet.

To those of you who use a compact: don't people decline way more often because the camera doesn't look "professional" enough?

Thanks a lot!

It is the photographer, not the camera, that makes great shots.

If you use your compact well, know it intimately, and tweak it's settings to get the most out of it, you will shoot more beautiful photographs than 98% of the people who own DSLRs. This is aptly demonstrated by several award winning journalists going into war zones, and similar situations with only point and shoots. They are getting the shots, great shots, on the fly with incredible light. The work is making national and worldwide publication and acclaim. The first was Magnum photographer Alex Majoli in 2003.

The point and shoot has several advantages over the DSLR. It is quiet. Discreet. Ideal for candids. It is light. It is simple and quick. The LCD screen is perfect for off hand shooting. That is why a Nikon S52 is my constant companion. Even when I am carrying two (yes two!) Nikon D200s.

The DSLR gives you a bit more credibility in regards to stranger photography, but it also gives a false impression of a photojournalist. With some strangers, this can be a plus, with others it can be a hinderance. I am often asked if I shoot for a magazine or newspaper.

Until I finally bought my first D200, I shot digital exclusively with point and shoot cameras that I purchased used in pawn shops for under $60. I ride my equipment hard, and considered them disposable. Then one day a D200 was on the pawn shop shelf..........

Get started in the project. The type of camera you have is not a limitation, unless you make it one.

On the Super Bowl

2010-02-13T22:45:00.005-06:00

I only have one thing to say about the total annihilation, the total smack down of the blue and white used to be favorites in Super Bowl XLIV...... When Peyton Manning was a kid, chances are he went to bed at night dreaming about throwing the winning touchdown for the Saints in the Superbowl. Last Sunday, he did.

Who Dat?

Now back to the regularly scheduled blog.........

Pawn Shop Circuit: Bad Guns

2010-02-10T13:51:00.006-06:00

It has been said that there are no "bad" guns. I would disagree with that. A bad gun is one that is unreliable. A bad gun is one that goes snap when it should go bang. Bad guns are the ones that don't do their job.

Today, I swung into Kenny's Pawn Shop to see what was on the shelves. He had a Smith & Wesson M&P (the new plasticky kind) a couple of Glocks, and a Springfield XD compact. Among his little guns was an Iver Johnson 25 caliber pistol that resembled a Walther PPK, and a well worn Charter Arms Undercover for $129. What grabbed my interest though was a stainless AMT pocket pistol, the AMT Back-Up. I remember years ago when these were a staple among the police. I looked it over and asked Kenny if it came with an extra magazine. It did not. One mag only.

I'm not too interested in shooting another caliber, and the pistol would not carry any easier than a J frame in my pocket, or my Colt Defender on my hip. Three-eighty is some expensive ammunition to practice with too. I got rid of my .380 pistols years ago. I am not that familiar with AMT, but I have not heard a lot of good things about them. In fact, the usual range cussing would be the opposite. Still, it was a classic back-up gun. Kenny was wanting $239 for the flat little pistol, but I decided I should do a bit of research first.

When I got home, a quick Google search revealed my suspicions. Here is a sampling from The High Road, from people I correspond with and respect:

The early guns had SERIOUS safety flaws, in that the safety was "off" after the lever had moved less than 10% of its entire length of travel.

As far as AMT goes, let me just say that during the last 40 years well over 300 guns of various makes and models have passed through my collection. Only two stand out in my mind as truly BAD guns. One was the original 380 Backup (SA) and the other was the 45 Backup (DAO). Both were such total POS that throwing them into the Atlantic Ocean could be considered environmental pollution.

If it says AMT on the slide, there's a 50/50 chance that the gun will be either trouble-free or not run at all. The AMT Backup seems to be the worst offender of the line.

At $169, that AMT 380 is about $170 over priced! If it was thrown in with a trade or came along w/ some cash, maybe! It would depend on the main gun in the trade, what I was giving up & how much cash!
AVOID IT! AVOID IT! AVOID IT!

Sorry Kenny, I won't be back after that one. Maybe the Undercover...... If the price drops.

N2A

2010-02-09T21:02:00.001-06:00

It sits on a Corvette C6 chassis. Front clip styled like a 57 Chevy. Side like a 58, rear like a 59. Hence the designation "789."

More here.

2010-02-07T16:33:00.001-06:00

It's been a few days. I'm unable to determine if the criminal has been nabbed.

Chance

2010-02-07T07:15:00.005-06:00

Saints in the Superbowl.

Mitch Landreau the Mayor of New Orleans.

Take that Nagin! Who Dat?

Peanuts

2010-02-01T10:46:00.001-06:00

By inserting a Wein Peanut Slave into the the PC cord socket the Vivitar 283 speedlight that a friend mailed me, I can convert it to a slaved unit. That will make the old flash safe to use with my camera if the D200 is used in Commander Mode.

I will need an umbrella swivel adapter for the top of my existing lightweight light stand. Thus equipped. I will have a portable single light strobist unit. I'll need a bag too.......

A Smith & Wilson

2010-01-31T13:26:00.022-06:00

"Whatcha got in that box Mister?" There have been times that I almost wanted to put a rattlesnake in a blue Colt box and stroll through a gun show. I didn't know if I would even make the gun show today. It was my call weekend, and I've been busy. I began yesterday at six in the morning, and I walked out of the hospital after dark. When I got home, I collapsed sideways on the bed, devoid of sheets, as my wonderful mate was doing laundry. Today, I had another couple of cases, but we finished at noon, and I left the hospital with only my pager to remind me I was not a free man.

After a burrito, I decided to gamble the gate fee and head to the gun show any way. I checked the gun vault for trade fodder, and at the top of the stack was the SW1911 I purchased from Neil last year. I purchased the pistol as trade fodder, and it still resided in my gun room. I opened the box, checked the chamber, and headed to the gun show. I was violating my gun show rule number four, carry cash, but the banks were closed, and I hadn't planned on going. Perhaps I could get a swap for the SW1911......

I was looking forward to seeing old friends, and after I let an officer of the law fumble, paw, zip tie and tag my pistol, I entered the Last Bastion of Freedom. As usual, I made my way to the rear of the arena where Cowboy Bob peddled his wares. I first purchased a firearm from Cowboy Bob years ago, a Star Model A. I thought it would shoot 9mm parabellum, but I soon learned that Largo wasn't just the name of an island off Florida. Bob was a gentleman about it. He took the gun back, returned my money in full, and I have been a faithful customer of his for the past decade or so. Bob's pencil thin moustache and Stetson aren't that unusual, but his lavishly engraved Colt single action Army revolvers are heady fare at small town gun shows. He always has used guns, usually at fair prices and is an eager trade. Heck, I purchased my first Remington Rand M1911A1 from Cowboy Bob. There was no telling what he might have!

Cowboy Bob was not there. A dealer who didn't know Bob was in his usual spot. I cruised the tables a bit, and took note of several items of interest, I looked at a S&W 22 caliber AR clone for $500. That seemed like a fair price. The Colt version was a bit more. Both, however, are available at any time for the same money. I passed.

I spied a Clark Custom 38 Special wadcutter gun. It was in the cardboard and styrofoam Colt box, and had obviously been built by the old man himself. The bluing was like new, and tiger tooth stippling covered the frontstrap. The old Keithville location was hand engraved on the slide. It was interesting, but the dealer selling it liked it a lot. The price was $1600. I decided to keep my thirty-eight specials in wheel guns.

As I attempted to pass by the bearded guy from Arkansas who sells mix master M1911s as all original war relics for inflated prices, he called out "Whatcha got in the box, Mister?" I started to say 'Grandpa's trashy old Singer sewing machine gun,' but I refrained. I just smiled and kept walking. He dodged past his Chinese 1918 trench knives and asked again. I finally told him a S&W 1911 that I was looking to trade off. He asked me how much I wanted in cash.

Lesson #1 in negotiating: Never be the first to state a figure. Lesson #2: Guns are worth more that cash. Cash doesn't shoot, and there are many ways of obtaining cash. I told the fellow that I only wanted a trade, and if he had anything to barter besides cash, we could talk. He eyed his stack of beater GI guns, and decided he would save them for some unsuspecting fish. I walked on.

As I passed a table full of zip lock baggied ammunition, the seller inquired about my mystery box. We talked 1911s a bit, and I learned his two Kimbers ate everything shoved into their chamber, even lead wadcutters. He went on to inform me that Colt 1911s and S&W1911s only shoot hardball and I would do well to swap the pistol for the Taurus revolver he just happened to have. I thanked him for his generosity. After all, it is unusual to find such an honest reloader selling factory ammunition in reusable and biodegradable containers. I decided not to take advantage of the offer though.

I was starting to believe I had walked into one of the gun shows I often read about when I came upon my old friend Lester. "You still trying to sell that pistol Xavier?" he asked.

"Trade Lester, trade...." I replied. I asked to see what Lester had purchased, and he opened his sportscoat to reveal two Smith & Wesson revolvers in his waistband. The diamond grips of one caught my eye. Lester grinned and pulled a Combat Masterpiece from his waist.

"Damn. Yesterday? I asked.

"Just now, in the parking lot," he replied. Then Lester saw my face. "Don't even think it," he instructed me. We cruised the tables together, and I asked about Cowboy Bob. Lester had not seen him the previous day either. Nobody seemed to know what had happened. Finally, as the arena became crowded with people coming in from church and Sunday dinner, Lester and I decided to call it quits. I still had the SW1911.

"Have you ever thought about ordering a 22 conversion kit for that thing and making it a dedicated 22 caliber training gun?" Lester asked as we walked through the parking lot. Actually, I had not. Lester went on, "I hear Wilson Combat is putting out a pretty decent 22 conversion." Hmmmmmm.... A Smith & Wilson, mail ordered to my door. I could do that. Hmmmmmmm....

Wilson Combat 22 conversion kit

2010-01-30T06:32:00.001-06:00

Lights

2010-01-29T05:11:00.003-06:00

The AlienBees monolights and accessories came in yesterday via the brown van of joy. I spent the evening checking things out. Everything seems to work well, and the equipment was well packaged for shipping.

I plan to order another heavy duty light stand and use the lightweight stand with a reflector. I just have more confidence in the larger stands. I'm looking forward to a learning curve with studio lighting. More later.......

Pocket Wizards

2010-01-28T19:45:00.001-06:00

2010-01-27T17:19:00.000-06:00

Choices Made.

2010-01-26T21:23:00.007-06:00

I ordered the studio lights over the weekend. Two AlienBees B800s, a general purpose stand, a heavy duty stand, a shoot through umbrella and the Softlighter II. I also ordered the Cybersync CSR and CST units to activate the lights without a cable tethering the camera to them.

While I wait for the lights to arrive, I am brushing up on my reading about lighting. Lots of information out there.........

I went by Neil's pawn shop. The Model 10 was still on the shelf priced at $299.

AlienBees B800 Information & Testing

2010-01-22T05:47:00.006-06:00

I'm considering purchasing some studio lights for portrait work. The AlienBees set-up is looking attractive. I'm thinking a B800 with an umbrella, and the 10 ft GP stand.

More on AlienBees.

Update: The more I research AlienBees, the more I like them. The price is extremely competitive. The owner of the company, Paul Buff, is a retired USMC avionics technician who revolutionized the studio lighting industry through customer service, customer focused marketing, durability, and price.

I'm already considering a ~~brolly box~~ Softlighter II to soften and diffuse the light, and possibly a backlight to separate the background. The initial expense will be something I will have to grin and bear.....

Paul Buff interview

On 22 Sustitutions

2010-01-18T23:30:00.012-06:00

Todd G has complied several salient thoughts on training with a 22 pistol as a substitute for your carry gun. With the present economic crunch and ammunition costs, a 22 pistol may seem like an attractive alternative.

I still advocate teaching new shooters marksmanship with a 22 pistol. I also advocate training with what you carry. When I still traveled into "Indian Territory" on a daily basis to see patients, I would pop into an indoor range each day to run one magazine (or cylinder) through my carry gun. That amounted to 60-70 rounds a week, sometimes less if I carried a revolver that week. Round counts do not build proficiency. Familiarity builds proficiency.

I do not disagree with Todd, I still shot some weekend volume at the range as well. Failure drills are important, as is shooting with either hand. Being able to shoot accurately on the move with an adrenaline dump is the skillset to strive for though. This comes from being as familiar with the gun as we are with our automobile. Each day we get in a car and perform complex tasks based on time and space, often within mere feet of injury or death. We do it easily, without thinking. How? We do it every day, a little at a time, not by driving 500 miles once a month.

I sometimes wish I still had the time each day to shoot a magazine. With my present job, unfortunately, I do not. My risk is lessened, and my time is more precious now. I do, however, make certain that I stay intimately familiar with the gun I rely on, and I still benefit from the time I shot them that frequently. But give Todd's article a read. It's good food for thought.

Accident?

2010-01-17T08:39:00.010-06:00

"I want my baby out of jail. He's just a young boy. He didn't do anything wrong. It was a freak accident." These are the words of Marsha McMillan, a grandmother whose boys fired a 30-30 rifle into the air on New Year's night.

Neighbors complained. According to the news report, Roberto Bracey "removed the clip but didn't realize a bullet was still left in the chamber." At some point afterwards, Roberto Bracey had the gun in his hands, pointed it in the direction of his friend, Marquies "Hugga" Thomas, and pulled the trigger.

Thomas, who was shot in the chest, was pronounced dead at the University of Mississippi Medical Center approximately two hours later. Oddly, other reports state the gunshot wound was to the victim's leg. Bracey has been arrested and charged with murder.

It's a tragedy when a friend kills a friend due to negligence ignorance or stupidity. What many people may not understand, or refuse to accept, is that this tragedy was not a "freak accident" as Ms. McMillan claims. People who fire guns into the air in celebration are inherently negligent. They do not have any concern for gravity or perhaps they believe the lead projectiles will safely orbit the Earth for eternity. Celebratory shots fired into the air kill people almost every year. So, by the very nature of his prior actions of firing a gun into the air, Roberto Bracey was either woefully ignorant or he did not give a damn about the lives of others.

Reportedly Roberto Bracey removed the magazine from the rifle. I have to wonder if it was a lever action rifle with a tubular magazine. If the media cannot agree on the location of the fatal wound, then how can we expect them to get firearms esoterica correct? Lever action rifles are by far the most common 30-30 rifles. The 30-30 cartridge is a rimmed cartridge that does not feed well from a box magazine. A quick scan of any gun shop or pawn shop rifle rack is all that is necessary to determine that the 30-30 cartridge is far and away more common in a lever action rifle, whether Winchester, Marlin or other manufacturers. However, the Winchester 54, the Savage 840 and the Remington 788 do exist. All are bolt action, magazine fed rifles available in 30-30 WCF.

Lets suppose that Roberto Bracey did have a 30-30 rifle with a box magazine, and that he did remove the magazine but failed to check the chamber afterwards. These actions demonstrate a complete ignorance of basic gun handling. His ignorance does not absolve him of responsibility. If he were to don scrubs and a surgical mask, and attempt to perform cardiac surgery, would his ignorance of medicine excuse him from his actions?

No. There is the expectation that reasonably intelligent people will try to prevent the killing of others, and will abstain from handling items that may kill others if they are ignorant of their use. Roberto Bracey demonstrated ignorance, and he demonstrated that he did not give a damn. At least he did not give a damn until he suddenly realized the life was escaping from him friend. I feel sadness for Roberto Bracey. His grief must be a heavy burden. However, he is responsible for his actions, no matter how much he may regret them afterwards. He killed Marquies Thomas, and Marquies Thomas is in the cold January ground, never to breathe or walk again. Roberto Bracey and his family may try to shift blame to the slow response of an ambulance service, to the short staffing of an Emergency Department, or anywhere else they may dream up. The fact is, Marquies Thomas would be alive if Roberto Bracey had not behaved recklessly, negligently, and foolishly with a gun.

I do not think first degree murder charges are applicable, but there is definitely a case for negligent homicide. Roberto Bracey is where he belongs. If he ever handles a loaded gun again, hopefully it will be after he learns to use it safely.

Oh Say can you See?

2010-01-16T13:13:00.010-06:00

Back in December 2009, I began to read about Medal of Honor recipient Van T. Barfoot's fight with his homeowners association. It seems the homeowner's association forbade the flying of flags on a free standing flagpole based on asthetics, and the old vet wanted to fly Old Glory properly outside his home. When he was denied a permit for a free standing flagpole, Col. Barfoot erected one on his property anyway.

The Sussex Square Homeowners Association first threatened legal action. Colonel Barfoot remained unswayed. After the story of the old soldier's struggle began making the military blogs, the mass media was coerced into paying it some mind. Then the homeowners association went into damage control mode.

I may be late, but I recently learned that The Sussex Square Homeowners Association has agreed to drop threats of legal action against the 90-year-old veteran of three wars. Col. Barfoot's star spangled banner yet waves.

Colonel Barfoot's MoH Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot.

Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank.

As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety. Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers.

Thoughts for Today:

2010-01-16T10:09:00.004-06:00

"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment."
~Lao Tzu

"If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence."
~Lao Tzu

"From caring comes courage."
~Lao Tzu

Butt Bandits

2010-01-16T04:19:00.011-06:00

nick said:

"LOL can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen I suppose.

put yourself out there, you're going to butt heads with people. that's true of anything. thought you were a bit tougher than this. friggin 12 year olds on youtube can handle that.

will miss ugly gun sunday... s'bout it."

For fifteen years I went into peoples home, into dangerous situations and communities to help a bunch of idiots who neither appreciated what I did, or cared. I suspect that many thought it was amusing that I would keep coming back. Before that, I was a part of a liberation effort of one country and the suppression of two coups. Those who benefitted from what I participated in, at risk to my own life and limb for absolutely no gain, now believe me to be a fool for doing so. They despise our country for helping them when they were invaded. They laugh at us. They support those who would harm and kill our children based on religious prejudice. Yet they still will not get off their dead asses and do what is necessary to protect themselves. They are the leeches of the world.

Today, I see the same type of parasites, these same ticks on society, every day. They arrive on gurneys for me to patch up and send back home to suck more blood from society. Each day. Over and over again. They come in shot to shit, cut to Hell, or beat to a pulp because they don't know how to behave in a civilized society. They come in barely hurt but in handcuffs and whining like a little piggie, because they killed somebody driving drunk or stoned. They come with broken glass shoved into their rectum, or claiming to have vomited blood so they can get their demerol fix. Anything for the dope.

At the hospital, I do not have the authority to chose who I will work on, or even to not give the dope. I will do what the case demands and I will work the cases the doc deems necessary. I suppose if some dumbass breaks a coke bottle and shoves the jagged neck of it up his ass to get dtugs, he must want them pretty damned bad. What the Butt Bandit doesn't realize is that he places the medical professionals who remove his ass glass at risk of death from disease if they are injured caring for him. He places their spouses and children at risk. All it takes is one cut. When the spouse contracts HIV, and the child is orphaned by a dead Daddy, the act of shoving a broken Coke bottle up your ass to get demerol is pretty damned childish, selfish and stupid. I don't care how badly you are hooked.

I can't take away the dope from the dopeheads in the hospital. I can here. Nothing here but Ugly Gun Sunday for ya? Good. No more Ugly Gun Sunday. No more pretty pictures either.

12 years olds on YouTube? I'm not a fucking twelve year old on YouTube, idiot. Perhaps you missed that little bit of information. Let me explain something to you, nick without a shift key.......... You don't know what the fuck you are talking about. You are the same kind of parasite that is beneath my contempt. You take what you want and offer nothing. Then you spit in the face of those who have fed your lazy ass when they say no. Tough? You are a child. A simple, stupid, immature and worthless punk kid.

Bye asswipe. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Well Damn.

2010-01-15T16:29:00.006-06:00

Damn. I never suspected.........

OK. The lights will be left on. The reference material will remain available. I did not realize that some of it was so difficult to find, or that people wanted it so much.

When I left for work this morning, I noticed that I had about fifty comments to my last post. I figured I would answer each one once I got home. I came home to find them pouring in faster than I can read and publish them. At work I received two telephone calls, something that I usually cannot allow. I returned the calls in between cases and was amazed at who I had touched. All I could say when I hung up was "Damn. Well, Damn."

Friends, thank you for the outpouring of support and goodwill. The blog will remain available, and I will likely return to it to update things after a few days or weeks. I need to get away, I need to to put down the keyboard. I need to pick up my guns and go shoot. I need to pick up my camera and go shoot. I need to take my daughter out for ice cream. I need to run Ilsa along the river. I need to go to Gunsite. I need to get away.

I remember my favorite blogger, Rob Smith. When he died and I thought his blog would dissolve it hit me hard. I visited his place this afternoon, and I read in his side bar...... "If my blog does not meet your standards, then LOWER YOUR STANDARDS. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?" Rob was right. I chuckled at his Axis of Asshole insignia and I re-read some of his words.

I read some of Syd's work. I still long for an update on Syd's posts. If anyone was my Blog-daddy, it was Syd. Exploring his thoughts and trying to reach his level of competence inspired me to better myself. I never considered that my attempts had the same effect on others. The idea just doesn't seem realistic. I am not worthy of that.

Over the past few months I thought I had some great material for blogging, but the muse just danced a dance I could not follow. I will, perhaps, write about some of my past experiences, some of my recollections. I may or may not be accurate. Hell, is our memory of distant events ever not colored by more recent experiences? I don't know where this blog will go, or how often it will be updated, but I will keep it public for you.

I apologize if anyone went berserk trying to save information, that was not my intent. I had intended to keep it up for a week or so, and then let it go. I did not want to sound histrionic, as though I would toss the baby out with the bathwater, but I suppose I came off that way. I apologize for that.

I cannot promise that I will ignore stupid comments. I may publish them anyway. I may have inadvertly published an email or two in the comments of yesterday's blog. I will go through them, find the emails and try to delete the email addys without deleting the comment. Not certain how, but I will try.

Thank you for the support and goodwill. All of you. Even the ones who think this is an overtly political blog. Even those who disagree but said thanks anyway. Yep, the lights will stay on. They just might not have an addition for a while.

I went by Neil's pawn shop yesterday. The S&W Model 10 was still there. Still $299. I'm still holding.

The End

2010-01-14T13:36:00.004-06:00

I'm sorry guys, but I will soon be turning off this blog. I am tired of arguing with a bunch of know-it-alls and chuckle-heads. I am tired of getting emails from people who object to what I write about criminals and people who have handled firearms irresponsibly. This is a blog, not a forum. I have tried, however, to answer even the most thick headed missives with respect and decorum. Frankly, I often wanted to simply say "Who the Hell do you think you are? Write your own damned blog. I am not here to serve you."

I began this blog out of anger at the New Orleans/Katrina firearms confiscations. I continued it because I felt I had a few things to say that would help others. I hung on past that point because people told me they enjoyed my writing.

I will not disolve my blog into nether space, but it will be made into a private reference and diary for myself in the very near future. If there is information here you would like, copy it quickly.

It's been a good run, thank you for your readership and friendship.

Clark Custom Carry Piece

2010-01-12T08:13:00.004-06:00

I'm starting to become anxious to receive the call to drive over to Shoot Out Lane and pick up my Smith & Wesson Model 649. Back in July 2009, I dropped it off with Jim Clark for some remodeling. I purchased the little snubbie a few years back from CDNN. I think I paid about $230 for it. It looked like it had hit the concrete a few times, but the crown was good, and it shot reliably and as accurately as I could muster from any snubbie.

The plan was to give the gun a Meltdown treatment and a bead blast finish. Then, a tritium XS shotgun front sight would be dovetailed onto the muzzle. The rear notch would be hogged out to match the front sight. The lone example that Jim had to show me had the topstrap checkered ala a Model 27. I liked that too. I'm thinking I will stick with the Uncle Mike's grips.

I'm wishing now that I had weighed the gun to see how much metal is removed in the Meltdown. Perhaps when I pick it up, a reader can help me with that.....

What Brand Pistol for War?

2010-01-12T06:29:00.008-06:00

I was just this morning reading on a forum what pistol internet ninjas say they would like to tote on their hip into the theater of Afghanistan or Iraq.

The usual plastic fantastics were listed. It made me think of what people carry when they tend to know sidearms and they have a choice in the matter......

The original MEU (SOC) pistols were hand-selected standard government issued Colt M1911A1s that were gutted, deburred, and prepared for additional use by the USMC Precision Weapon Section (PWS) in Quantico, VA.

They were then assembled with after-market grip safeties, a rounded hammer, ambidextrous thumb safeties, lighter triggers made by Videcki, improved high-visibility sights, accurized match-grade barrels made by Bar-Sto, Pachmayr rubber grips, front cocking-serrations, and improved stainless steel magazines made by Wilson Combat.

The trigger-pull weight is specified at between 4.5 and 5.0 pounds of pressure.

The pistol's components are hand fitted and are not interchangeable. The last four digits of the weapon's serial number are stamped on the top of the barrel, on the right-side of slide assembly, inside of the beavertail grip safety, on each side of the ambidextrous thumb safety, and on the inside face of the mainspring housing group.

Due to wear and tear of the MEU(SOC) pistols, the U.S. Marines attempted to look commercially for replacements. On 17 February 2005, Marine Corps Systems Command announced that it was going to purchase 150 Springfield Armory Professional Model pistols for use as MEU(SOC) pistols. Despite the planned purchase of the commercial pistols, Marine Corps Systems Command has continued to solicit parts to build additional MEU(SOC) pistols.

Source: Cut and paste from Wikipedia. Use: Personal reference. Don't like it? Write your own blog.

Updating Firmware

2010-01-11T20:45:00.000-06:00

Ugly Gun Sunday

2010-01-10T06:54:00.000-06:00

The Story of Reggie

2010-01-09T20:03:00.006-06:00

(from an email, author unknown.....)

They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie as I looked at him lying in his pen. The shelter was clean, and the people really friendly. I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open. Everyone waves when you pass them on the street. But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to.

I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn't look like "Lab people," whatever that meant. They must've thought I did. But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous owner.

See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too. Maybe we were too much alike. For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls - he wouldn't go anywhere without two stuffed in his mouth) got tossed in with all of my other unpacked boxes. I guess I didn't really think he'd need all his old stuff, that I'd get him new things once he settled in. But it became pretty clear pretty soon that he wasn't going to.

I tried the normal commands the shelter told me he knew, ones like "sit" and "stay" and "come" and "heel," and he'd follow them - when he felt like it. He never really seemed to listen when I called his name - sure, he'd look in my direction after the fourth of fifth time I said it, but then he'd just go back to doing whatever. When I'd ask again, you could almost see him sigh and then grudgingly obey.

This just wasn't going to work. He chewed a couple shoes and some unpacked boxes. I was a little too stern with him and he resented it, I could tell. The friction got so bad that I couldn't wait for the two weeks to be up, and when it was, I was in full-on search mode for my cellphone amid all of my unpacked stuff. I remembered leaving it on the stack of boxes for the guest room, but I also mumbled, rather cynically, that the "damn dog probably hid it on me."

Finally I found it, but before I could punch up the shelter's number, I also found his pad and other toys from the shelter. I tossed the pad in Reggie's direction and he snuffed it and wagged, some of the most enthusiasm I'd seen since bringing him home. But then I called, "Hey, Reggie, you like that come here and I'll give you a treat." Instead, he sort of glanced in my direction - maybe "glared" is more accurate - and then gave a discontented sigh and flopped down with his back to me.

Well, that's not going to do it either, I thought and I punched the shelter phone number. But I hung up when I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten about that, too. "Okay, Reggie," I said out loud, "let's see if your previous owner has any advice........."

"To Whoever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by Reggie's new owner.

I'm not even happy I'm writing it. If you're reading this, it means I just got back from my last car ride with my Lab after dropping him off at the shelter. He knew something was
different. I have packed up his pad and toys before and set them by the back door before a trip, but this time... it's like he knew something was wrong. And something is wrong... which is why I have to go to try to make it right. So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls... the more the merrier. Sometimes I think he's part squirrel, the way he hordes them. He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in
there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't matter where you throw them, he'll bound after it, so be careful - really don't do it by any roads. I made that mistake once, and it almost cost him dearly.

Next, commands. Maybe the shelter staff already told you, but I'll go over them again: Reggie knows the obvious ones - "sit," "stay," "come," "heel." He knows hand signals:
"back" to turn around and go back when you put your hand straight up; and "over" if you put your hand out right or left. "Shake" for shaking water off, and "paw" for a high-five. He does "down" when he feels like lying down - I bet you could work on that with him some more. He knows "ball" and "food" and "bone" and "treat" like nobody's business. I trained Reggie with small food treats. Nothing opens his ears like little pieces of hot dog.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, once about seven in the morning, and again at six in the evening. Regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He's up on his shots. Call the clinic on 9th Street and update his info with yours; they'll make sure to send you reminders for when he's due. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet.
Good luck getting him in the car - I don't know how he knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. I've never been married, so it's only been Reggie and me for his whole life. He's gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn't bark or complain. He just loves to be around people, and me most especially. Which means that this transition is going to be hard, with him going to live with someone new. And that's why I need to share one
more bit of info with you....

His name's not Reggie. I don't know what made me do it, but when I dropped him off at the
shelter, I told them his name was Reggie.. He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn't bear to give them his real name. For me to do that, it seemed so final, that handing him over to the shelter was as good as me admitting that I'd never see him again. And if I end up coming back, getting him, and tearing up this letter, it means everything's fine. But if someone else is reading it, well... well it means that his new owner should know his real name. It'll help you bond with him. Who knows, maybe you'll even notice a change in his demeanor if he's been giving you problems.

His real name is Tank. Because that is what I drive. Again, if you're reading this and you're from the area, maybe my name has been on the news. I told the shelter that they couldn't make "Reggie" available for adoption until they received word from my company commander. See, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've left Tank with... and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq, that they make one phone call to the shelter... in the "event"... to tell them that Tank could be
put up for adoption. Luckily, my colonel is a dog guy too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he'd do it personally. And if you're reading this, then he made good on his word.

Well, this letter is getting to downright depressing, even though, frankly, I'm just writing it for my dog. I couldn't imagine if I was writing it for a wife and kids and family. But still, Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long as the Army has been my
family. And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family and that he will
adjust and come to love you the same way he loved me. That unconditional love from a dog is what I took with me to Iraq as an inspiration to do something selfless, to protect innocent people from those who would do terrible things... and to keep those terrible people from coming over here. If I had to give up Tank in order to do it, I am glad to have done so. He was my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. I don't think I'll say another good-bye to Tank, though. I cried too much the first time. Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you, Paul Mallory"

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star when he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog. "Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright. "C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard in months.

"Tank," I whispered. His tail swished. I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my face into his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me." Tank reached up and licked my cheek. "So whatdaya say we play some ball His ears perked again. "Yeah Ball You like that Ball "

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared in the next room. And when he came back......he had three tennis balls in his mouth.

Believing

2010-01-07T22:37:00.003-06:00

The weatherman says a wintry storm is coming tonight. I didn't know whether to believe him. He has been imprecise so many times before.

Never the less I found the hydrometer and checked the antifreeze. I left the garden hose dripping and I brought in the plants. Earlier my co-workers had made contingency plans, schemed to gain a day off work if we received any snow at all. I drove home not believing. A skeptic. Unswayed.

Tonight I went out with the dogs for a last bathroom break before bed. I felt the wind. Maybe it is coming.....

Meanwhile, in North Carolina........

One Armed Citizen

2010-01-06T10:59:00.000-06:00

Ten Most Expensive Car Crashes

2010-01-05T15:29:00.015-06:00

#10. Bugatti EB110 ... $500,000

This 1992 $500,000 super-exotic Bugatti EB110 was being driven by a mechanic as part of its annual checkup. He claimed there was an oil slick on the road which caused him to lose control and crash into a pole. The owner of the Bugatti is a famous "feel good" guru named Emile Ratelband. No report of how good he was feeling after this wreck......

#9. Pagani Zonda C12 S ... $650,000

Only 15 Zonda C12 S were ever built, but that didn't stop this owner from driving it like a bat out of Hell. He wrecked this beauty in the wee morning hours while driving in Hong Kong.

#8. Mercedes Benz SL 300 ... $950,000

The SL 300 "Gullwing" represents the very finest of Mercedes. The owner thought it would be a good idea to race this million dollar car on the streets of Mexico at the annual "La Carrera Panamericana" race, an event limited to classic cars produced before 1965.

#7. Jaguar XJ220 ... $1.1 Million

The XJ220 once held the record for highest top speed for a production car (217 mph).

#6. Ferrari Enzo ... $1.3 Million

The most famous Ferrari Enzo crash (shown above) was at Malibu , California in 2005, when the driver, "Fat Steven" Eriksson crashed the car at 196 mph.

#5. Bugatti Veyron ... $1.6 Million

The Bugatti Veyron is the most expensive production car in history. Only 300 are expected to be produced, and already two have crashed. Above is the first one. The driver thought it was okay to speed at 100 mph in the rain. He only had the car for one week.

#4. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT TDF ... $1.65 Million

This extremely rare classic car, the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT "Tour de France", crashed into a wall at the Shell Ferrari-Maserati Historic Challenge in 2003.

#3. Ferrari 250 GT Spyder ... $10.9 Million

The record price for a 1961 250 GT California Spyder at auction was set on May 18, 2008when a black one was sold for $10,894,900. So what is one doing buried in the sand? Not really a wreck, but still a near total loss, the owner had it stored near the beach when a hurricane hit.

#2. Ferrari 250 GTO ... $28.5 Million

The 1962-64 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most valuable car in the world. In 2008 an anonymous English buyer bought a 250 GTO at auction for a record $28.5 Million. The crash above represents a car worth more than the combined value of all 14 Enzos (see #6 above) involved in accidents. After a track event involving historic cars, the owner rammed into the back of another car after traffic slowed down.

#1. Tiger Wood's Escalade... $55 million and rising....

I Like Guns

2010-01-04T10:10:00.000-06:00

Ugly Gun Sunday

2010-01-03T11:39:00.003-06:00

Must do ugly gun, must do ugly gun, must do ugly gun, must do ugly gun, must do ugly gun.....

I'm in the process of processing wedding pics, so please excuse the delay....

Pawn Shop Circuit: Three Franklins

2010-01-02T13:34:00.006-06:00

I was out taking some photographs this afternoon when I found myself near Neil's pawn shop. "Where have you been?" he asked jovially as the bell on the door handle announced my entrance. He put his newspaper down and met me at the gun counter. "I've been wondering who would come in and buy that one," he smiled as he pointed to a Model 10.

The revolver was in good shape. It was a Model 10-2, and everything was correct except for the grips. The 10-2 is a difficult Model 10 to find. It was only manufactured in 1961. I do not own one. I looked the revolver over, and it checked out good. I asked Neil the price. "Two-ninety-nine," he replied, placing his hands on the counter, his cigar clamped between his fingers.

"Damn Neil, that's a lot. I'll have to sleep on that a bit. How firm are you?"

"I just took it out of hock this morning. That's what they go for now," Neil replied, taking a puff on his stogie. "Kid, you must have a bird dog nose for Smith & Wesson. Not a Smith in my case for months, and you walk in on the day I pull this 'un out."

We chatted a bit more, and I handed the old wheelgun back to Neil. In the parking lot, I pulled my pawn and gun show price journal from between the seats of my vehicle. In it I record the prices of guns I purchase, look at, and am interested in. Even if I do not buy the gun, I record the price. My journal helps me keep a finger on the pulse of what particular guns sell for in my area. I recorded this revolver, and I looked back to March of 2009, and saw that Kenny had a Model 10 snubbie for $319. The last Model 10 I purchased was was a nickel 10-8 from Neil for $239. But I clearly recall not too long ago, when a used Model 10 priced over $200 would clearly show the seller was smoking something, and it wasn't La Palomas.

I already own several Model 10 revolvers with four inch barrels, as well as several M&Ps, and a couple of Model 10 snubbies. I really don't need a revolver simply because it has a particular number stamped on the frame. I did sleep on it though. I closed my eyes for a second at a red light. Perhaps Neil's prices had caught up with the market. Perhaps I am behind the times. Maybe it's the Obamanation. It doesn't matter, really. I just know that three Franklins will buy a lot of 45ACP.

On Kirk Caldwell.......

2010-01-02T10:34:00.001-06:00

NUGUN said it well. Lets not be too quick to condemn the man who may have had to make the most horrendous decision of his life.

More.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T15:04:00.007-06:00

First, the wedding went off well.

Next, for the Colt shooters, it looks as if Colt finally has an online factory store. You can once again order parts directly from Colt! Of course if you shoot a Kimfield and Wesson 1911, a lot of the parts will fit those as well. Are Colt parts really better? Some are, such as the recoil plugs that capture the recoil spring to prevent the plug from flying into your eye on field stripping the pistol.

Happy New Year!
¡Próspero Año Nuevo!
Gelukkig nieuwjaar!
祝你新年快乐
Bonne Année!
Buon anno!
สวัสดี ปี ใหม่
Selamat tahun baru!
あけましておめでとうございます
Frohes Neues Jahr!
سنة جديدة سعيدة!
Feliz ano novo!
Anno Nuovo e Felice!
祝你新年快樂
새해 복 많이 받으십시오

A Kel-Tec PF9

2009-12-31T20:55:00.000-06:00

2009-12-29T10:50:00.001-06:00

Given

2009-12-25T18:24:00.002-06:00

We exchanged gifts today, both for Christmas and tomorrow's wedding. Absolutely no question about it. It was the right gift.

FWIW, he gave me 100 rounds of 45ACP...... again.

Wedding Joke

2009-12-25T17:46:00.003-06:00

I have to remember this for tomorrow........

Barack Obama meets with the Queen of England. He asks her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?"

"Well," says the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people."

Obama frowns "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?"

The Queen takes a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle." The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. "Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"

Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, my Queen?"

The Queen smiles. "Answer me this, please, Tony. Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"

Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, "That would be me."

"Yes! Very good," says the Queen.

Obama goes back home to ask Joe Biden, his vice president, the same question. "Joe. Answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?"

"I'm not sure," says Biden. "Let me get back to you on that one." He goes to his advisors and asks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men's room and recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall.

Biden asks Powell, "Colin! Can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"

Colin Powell yells back, "That's easy. It's me!"

Biden smiles, and says, "Thanks!" Then, he goes back to speak with Obama.

"Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell."

Obama gets up, stomps over to Biden, and angrily yells into his face, "No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"

Prose as a Gift

2009-12-25T07:05:00.008-06:00

I don’t carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don’t carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don’t carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m angry. I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.

I don’t carry a gun because my sex organs are too small. I carry a gun because I want to continue to use those sex organs for the purpose for which they were intended for a good long time to come.

I don’t carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.

I don’t carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.

I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.

I don’t carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Syd

Thank you for writing this Syd. It is the perfect prose to go with the pistol I am giving my newly minted son-in-law at his Christmas wedding today. That along with directions to Gunsite and Thunder Ranch.

I am certain that some in my extended family may question the gift. That is not my concern, really. My concern is that the man have the means to protect himself and those I love. They will reside in Houston. So, for those who may doubt the wisdom of Syd's words, and my thoughts on the matter, here is one more reason.......

On December 9, 2009 in Houston, Texas, a tire shop owner used his handgun to save his life against four armed and violent felons. Police say that four armed criminals attempted to rob the El Mante Tire Shop on the 11000 block of Bauman Road at about 8:30 PM. Fearing for his life, the store owner drew his lawfully carried handgun and fatally shot one of the robbers. The three surviving robbers turned tail and fled in a black Mercury Mountaineer pimped out with chrome rims.

The store owner was unharmed, alive, and after the expected formalities with law enforcement, went home to his loving family. That is as it should be, but never let it be forgotten that the reason his life was spared was because he refused to die and because he had a gun at hand.

Ugly Gun Sunday

2009-12-20T14:24:00.001-06:00

Playing Lead Guitar

2009-12-16T16:49:00.002-06:00

"What are you doing now-a-days, Xavier?" one of my old nursing instructors, now gray but still intimidating, asked me. I was dressed in my finest duds for the pinning of a new crop of ~~students~~ nurses, all fresh and eager in their starched whites, capes and caps. We were at the reception, the new nurses having recited the Nightingale Pledge by candlelight. Back home, blood soaked scrubs lay in a laundry basket in my bedroom.

"Oh, I'm the lead guitarist in a Southern rock band," I lied.

"I bet you are," she replied, peering over her reading glasses at my soul.

"If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be travelling on, now,
'cause there's too many places I've got to see."

Esophageal varices are blood filled devils at the base of the esophagus, that arise from the azygos vein, and the superior vena cava. Usually the result of portal hypertension from liver damage, whether caused by alcoholism or hepatitis, they can become the cause of a dramatic blood spewing demise in a matter of minutes.

When the first strains of "Free Bird" begin to sound from my iPod, a metamorphosis takes place with my team. Some suddenly realize they missed their smoke break. Others realize that they are being summoned, and they enter my suite with trepidation in their hearts, but willing.

"But, if I stayed here with you, girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
'cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change."

When Big Joe rolled the gurney containing the young black man in, there were already splatters of crimson on his sneakers and blood on his pillow. I went through my recital of preparations with the chirping at the beginning of "Free Bird" filling the air. "Do you drink? Smoke? Illegal drugs?" Negative. "Hepatitis, HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis, Sickle Cell?" No.

Realizing that Lynyrd Skynyrd may be the last thing this young man wanted to hear, I switched the playlist to Motown.

"You can't hurry love
No, you just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take......."

"False teeth, false eyes, hearing aid, hairpiece?" I asked as though reciting a poem long memorized. The young man removed a partial plate with several gold teeth. "Tounge ring or lip ring?" No. I looked over his history, searching for an idiology. He had been banded on five previous occasions. That was not good. Each previous banding had likely resulted in scar tissue right where we needed to work. I got my goggles out of the drawer and tightened the cinch securing them to my head.

The team assembled, consent obtained, we began the sedation. He did not fight much as we entered his esophagus with the gastroscope. For a man of his age, that was not a good sign. The base of his esophagus was a fearsome mass of lavender scar tissue and one violent purple bulging clot. "Bander," I ordered.

A band ligator was being loaded on an alternate scope. It is a device that can deploy seven rubber bands, one at a time. Seven chances, seven little rubber life preservers to stop a varicele bleed. Just yesterday, we had saved a life by working with two scopes, the first applying direct pressure against a hemorrhaging varicele while the equipment was loaded on another. "Hurry."

"Ligator." As the first scope was ripped from the young man's esophagus, a great rush of bubbling blood spewed from his mouth and nostrils. I quickly inserted the Yankauer to the back of his oropharynx to keep us from being sprayed in a volcanic gush of hematemesis. The banding scope went down into the torrent of blood, the monitor screen an unfocused blur of red. My physician was relying on memory, working blind. I continued to manage the flow of frothy crimson as best I could when at last the cup to the bander reached it's mark and sucked the tissue inside.

"Although I might be laughing loud and hearty
Deep inside I'm blue
So take a good look at my face
You'll see my smile looks out of place
If you look closer, it's easy to trace
The tracks of my tears."

Through the ligation cup, we were looking directly into the azygos vein, at it's opposite wall. Pop! The first band was deployed. Suction released. The tide of blood blew the precarious band off the scar tissue, washing it right up and out of the young man's mouth. Quickly the physician reapplied pressure to the area with the gastroscope itself.

"Get me blood!" I ordered.

Pop!

"They are still type and matching."

"Emergency O positive!" I ordered again as I looked towards the monitors.

Pop!

"Outside I'm masquerading
Inside my hope is fading"

37/12...... SpO2-0. Damn. "He's not moving air Doc," I called for the crash cart. Big Joe rolled it in. Laryngoscope. ET tube. Bag. No carotid pulse. "Start CPR." Big Joe found his mark and as I bagged, he brought up the pressure with his compressions. "Have we got that blood yet?!!"

"Morrhuate Sodium," Doc ordered. "Epi!" More blood gushed from the young man's mouth and nostrils, dribbling across his dead eyes. "Epi."

Emergency O positive blood was spiked and shoved in. A femoral line was inserted and secured.

"Stop compressions." No pulse. "Resume CPR." I switched positions with Joe and he bagged as I compressed the chest. When the respiratory therapist arrived, she relieved Joe and he left the room. With each compression, more blood was being blown from the patient's mouth. The respiratory therapist cupped her hand over the patient's mouth to keep the cataclysmic flow off of us.

"Bicarb."

"Dopamine."

Another unit of blood. Bagging and compressions. Nothing. Finally, CPR was stopped. He was dead. Bled out. My paper scrub cap was stuck to my forehead with sweat and blood. I found Joe crouched outside the door. He had grown up with the young man. They were team mates on their high school football team. Friends. "I'm sorry," I said. Joe just nodded. Dried tears streaked his face.

"Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.
Though this feeling I can't change.
But please don't take it badly,
'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame."

The Wedding Gun

2009-12-15T22:15:00.004-06:00

What kind of man gets his future son-in law a gun for a wedding gift?

A man who trusts his son-in law. A man who believes his daughter has made the right choice. A man who is ready to give away his most precious gift, who wants the husband to be able to protect that gift of which he is most proud.

This is the pistol I purchased for my son-in-law to be. Training is part of the package, but I know he understands that. When it is opened, some may question such a gift, but I have a feeling he will understand. It is a Colt. A heirloom. A gun I would carry myself. It is not an evil thing. It is a tool that allows for defense of life and all that is precious. Because he will enter matrimony with one who is most precious to me, my wish is that he have the means to protect his bride, my daughter.

How could I do any less?

An Old Vet

2009-12-13T23:04:00.000-06:00

Ugly Gun Sunday

2009-12-13T06:07:00.001-06:00

Pawn Shop Circuit: Trek 970

2009-12-12T15:19:00.004-06:00

I swung into Kenny's pawn shop while Christmas shopping today, and hanging on the rack outside was a purple bike. Hmmmmm I looked it over..... A Trek mountain bike. Cro-moly lugged frame. Solid Shimano components. No suspension to wear out, and a rack on the back. $49. A perfect base bike for a back-up commuter bike.

"Hey Kenny," I asked as I entered the shop, "How much do you want for the purple bike out there"

"Well, all the bikes are 20% off today," Kenny said. "Let me figure it up."

"Mind if I take it down from the rack and ride it a bit?" I asked.

"Go ahead," said Kenny.

Forty dollars, another bike. My wife is going to kill me.

Survive

2009-12-12T08:48:00.009-06:00

I remember when this emblematic song hit the airwaves. 1981. I was a much younger man then, and the song reverberated a chord in me. I became a Hank fan, and I appreciated the man as much as his music, even though the image he sold along with his music did little for me.

What I didn't expect was to see myself in the video of the song, released in 2007. 3:42. Wow!

Thought for Today:

2009-12-10T07:16:00.001-06:00

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
~ Sun Tzu

2009-12-09T18:34:00.008-06:00

Imagine being awakened at midnight by a crazed drunk trying to break into your home. Imagine you have never fired a shotgun before, but your son has one in the home. You call 911 and the police are on the way when the drunk uses a patio chair to shatter the glass door at the rear of your home.

"Riley had stepped across the back patio threshold and into the kitchen," said Lincoln County Sheriff Chuck Mangion. "His motivations are unclear from this investigation," Mangion said. "He went over a fence with a locked gate and he had to fight off a dog once he got in the yard, so I doubt he was looking for help," Mangion said. "I doubt that (getting help) was his motivation." Riley's sister was passed out from drugs and alcohol in his car. Riley himself had convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol as well as a possession of marijuana conviction.

District Attorney Richard Smothermon issued a ruling yesterday that Donna Jackson had the legal authority to shoot and kill Billy Dean Riley about 12:40 a.m. on December 12, 2009. Smothermon has declined to file any criminal charges against her.

All I can say is good shoot Ms. Jackson. I'm sorry you were forced to take these measures, but I am glad you had the resolve to defend yourself. I'm glad too, that you had a gun that allowed you to overcome a threat to your life. Thank you Mr. Smothermon.

The entire 911 call below:

2009-12-08T17:22:00.001-06:00

The Phoenix Police Department is on the defensive after a September 2008 incident that led a Phoenix homeowner to sue the city and police department. Tony Arambula is seeking $5.75 million in damages for himself and his family after he was shot six times by police on September 17, 2008, after officers responded to a call about an intruder inside his central Phoenix home.

Phoenix Police Spokesperson Tommy Thompson said in a press release this week that officers responded to a call at Arambula's Phoenix home, but "after entering the residence, one of the officers mistakenly shot the armed home owner." Arambula now alleges while at his home that night, officers conspired to cover up the mistake. Michael Manning, Arambula's attorney, said the 911 tape helps prove the claim. "The sergeant says, 'don't worry about it, I got your back,'" said Manning.

The press release from Phoenix police goes on to say that the "department has been honest and forthright from the very onset of this incident. No attempt has been made to conceal the truth or the facts surrounding it." Thompson acknowledges Arambula's lawsuit in the release and says his department will not be making any further statements as the litigation process takes its course. The claim, filed by Manning on behalf of Arambula, names the city, its police department, the officer who shot Arambula and two other officers.

The night of the shooting, Arambula said an intruder had broken into his home. Arambula called 911 and told police he was holding the intruder at gunpoint. As officers arrived, Arambula's wife Lesley said she told them her husband was inside the house holding a gun on the intruder. "I told them my husband was inside, he was the one with the gun," she said Tuesday.

The officers entered the house with a shout of "Police!" Almost immediately afterward, Phoenix police Officer Brian Lilly shot Arambula in the back. Three more shots were fired at Arambula, one hitting him in the arm.

The claim said that when Arambula fell to the floor, Lilly shot him two more times. That's when Arambula told Lilly he'd shot the wrong man. In his Internal Affairs interview, Lilly admitted firing at Arambula without any verbal warning, according to the claim. Arambula said he did everything he was supposed to do in that situation. "I would have loved if they would have told me to get on the floor and drop to my knees," Arambula said. "To not have given me any opportunity to not get shot, it's confusing. I pray that this never happens to another family."

High Dollar Nikon

2009-12-07T22:54:00.003-06:00

Perhaps the rarest of all Nikon Collectibles and most significant Nikon Camera ever produced. The camera was designed and used for NASA Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia Missions. The Camera has much improved and oversized buttons, levers and windows to accomodate the usage of gloves.

This auction is for the Nikon F3HP Nasa Camera and The Rarest Nikkor 55mm F2 UV Nikkor for usage in space. This includes two battery packs. A protective cap for the spare battery pack. The Rare Focus Pins (Still in the Bag) With The Rare Tall Shutter release for Gloves.

The 55mm UV Nikkor is amongst the rarest of lenses and was specifically designed to be used with this camera while photographing in space. This lens also designed to use gloves. Featured a large aperature ring with a f=Stop Range from F2-F16Has a coal black finish and Unique focus free operation with a very unique rear element as seen in photos. Has unique metal caps that are also unique only to this excessivly rare lens. Few in existance. This is Number 19. Many have been lost and this one has been sitting on a NASA Shelf a long long time. Few People have ever seen and very little is known about this lens, Perhaps the rarest Nikkor.

Price: US $69,000.00

But hey...... Free shipping!

Last Night's News

2009-12-07T05:48:00.005-06:00

I just learned my daughter, the eldest, the attorney, is getting married the day after Christmas. He's a good man. He listens. Gave me ammo for Christmas the past three years. In the right caliber.

I need to get him a wedding present. Something nice. Something that says I respect you and trust you. Something blue. With a pony and ivory. I'm thinking in a 45 caliber.

Ugly Gun Sunday

2009-12-06T10:40:00.004-06:00

I don't know if its real or a Hollywood prop, but it is ugly.

Two Words

2009-12-06T10:32:00.001-06:00

Comcast Sucks.

Meanwhile, at West Point.......

2009-12-03T05:55:00.004-06:00

A U.S. Army cadet reads a book entitled "Kill Bin Laden" as he waits with other cadets for U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver an address on U.S. policy and the war in Afghanistan at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point.

Not surprisngly, the mass media fails to note a few things about this particular cadet that sets him apart. You don't get that geedunk from a gumball machine.

Another excellent read.......... It's good to see that the men destined to defend my ass are not reading "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance"

Torture Test

2009-12-01T23:12:00.001-06:00

Todd torture tests a new pistol over at pistoltraining.com.

Pawn Shop Circuit: Ammo Considerations

2009-11-30T14:14:00.004-06:00

I've only shot the modern rendition of the Smith and Wesson M&P a couple of times, and I was impressed. To me, it seemed to be a decently designed, reliable and accurate pistol. It felt good in my hand, and the controls were instinctive. Reading about the torture test of the M&P on pistoltraining.com attested to the plastic M&P's durability. It seemed to be a good gun if a person wanted a plastic fantastic.

So when I walked into Neil's pawn shop today and saw two black polymer M&Ps among the Glocks, I was surprised and a bit interested. (There was only a S&W Model 66 and a Taurus 1911 to draw my attention elsewhere.) I quickly noted that one M&P was priced at $519 while the other was $349. The less expensive pistol did not seem to have that much wear than the other, but then I noticed..... The $519 gun was chambered in 9mm. The less expensive pistol was in 40S&W. Popularity of caliber does play a role at the used gun counter, something for any new gun purchaser and future gun trader to consider.

At Kenny's pawn shop, I noted yet another used M&P. This one, like Neil's, was priced at $350. It was chambered in .357 Sig. Curious, I drove to the big box sporting goods store nearby, to get a retail price on a new Smith & Wesson M&P. The same pistol, in 9mm as Neil had sold new for $549 plus tax. I'm pretty certain Neil was giving himself some bargaining room with favored customers. While at the big box store, I noted the new .22LR Ar style rifle being put out by S&W was also on hand, priced at a nice $449. Hmmmmmmmmm.

2009-11-29T11:27:00.002-06:00

Please don't get me wrong, I totally love this as it is an awesome picture, and I have total respect for your photographic vision. I only wish my photographic vision were half as good. However there is one thing, which is that I see in color. Do you not? I hear dogs see in black and white are you a dog? When I look at this I see a totally unrealistic representation of reality as I see it. Why don't people understand that human beings see in color and black and white far from being artistic is just a depature from reality as bad as anything you could do in PhotoShop? That's my only comment otherwise I love this. I just really wish it had been in color as it would have been double awesome. dmofong999 please see my photostream

More totally awesome photo critique here...........

Ugly Gun Sunday

2009-11-29T05:53:00.000-06:00

2009-11-27T23:55:00.003-06:00

First, I would like to thank my readers who have emailed me well wishes while I was at a rather abrupt hiatus in my blog. I also want to apologize to the folks who continued to check in each day or two to see if there was anything new posted on my blog. I genuinely appreciate your readership.

I would say that I was spirited away by extraterrestrials, or traveled to distant and dangerous lands with a super secret squid platoon, or perhaps, that I had been in the witness protection program. The truth is much more pedestrian. I woke up one morning with a double dose of writer's block and a side order of other responsibilities. Sometimes, for whatever reason, we begin to feel like a repetitive, dissonant chord in a run away symphony of disagreeable music. When that happens, we can lose focus and turn to things that we feel are more productive.

As many of my readers know, I have rediscovered a long lost love for photography. It's not easy reacquiring old skills. I have been reading, studying, capturing light and sculpting with light. I am beginning to get a few images I am happy with.

There have been some readers who have exhorted me to get back to guns and shooting as a topic. It's true that this blog has been generally seen as a gun blog. Guns, shooting, and defensive survival skills are a part of my life. However, I feel that what I needed and wanted to say a few years ago has been said ad nauseum. There are a lot of great gun blogs on the internet. Folks that are better equipped than myself, both with a keyboard and a trigger, write blogs.

I've reached that place in defensive training and gun ownership that makes me comfortable, and barring some unpredictable event that produces a paradigm shift in my way of thinking, I am not likely to change. To me, it's basic. Train hard. Shoot a caliber sufficient to incapacitate while maintaining the accuracy necessary to stop a threat as quickly and efficiently as possible. Train hard. Train to shoot on the move, to recognize emerging threats so you have the response time needed, and take every advantage you can to preserve your life and the lives of those you love. I have found what I believe to be my solution to the problem of self defense. My solution might not be the best choice for everyone, but I believe it is the best for me. I've written about it, and until there is a change, I think I've said it as best I can.

I've never been one to discuss politics much, nor religion. I am not going to become an evangelical drone in opposition to the current political administration, no matter how distasteful I may find it to be. I have my beliefs, and they will not change. I figure the thing to do at the present time is as much damage control and containment as possible and vote the sons of bitches out of office in the next go-around. My blog is not likely to become a political blog.

I have rediscovered this love of photography though, and I have been teaching my daughter how to use her own digital SLR. At the end of the summer, I surprised her with her own Nikon DSLR, and she has been learning to see as a photographer. We have also planted the seeds of our own photography business, with her working as my assistant as I photograph actors and writers in the area. I continue to work as a nurse, but I am starting to consider an actual side-line business of photography. I have thought about studio space, the financial aspects of it all, and I may be drafting up a business plan soon. These are the things that have taken away the time I once devoted to writing.

Learning new things takes time and dedication. While my blog has been a journal of sorts, I recognize that the bulk of my readers do not come here for my thoughts on capturing light and composing form. So, while I am still regaining my footing in that area, I have kept my thoughts to myself for a while. For those truly interested, I apologize. I do want to say that I am OK, in good health, and that I have not been devoured by jackals or pancaked by a beer truck while riding my bicycle.

To catch up with the burning question I left hanging in my last post of more than five sentences........... The gun range at the Police Academy........ There was a demonstration of the Heckler & Koch MP5, and a SWAT officer's personal AR. I was amused at all the gadgetry on the AR. Perhaps in SWAT, lights and infared cameras have a practical application on an automatic carbine, but I almost started to think SWAT was an acronym for Special Weapons and Toys. During the SWAT demo in a previous class, I was not impressed with the tactics demonstrated. Of course, it might not take much in the way of tactics to take down the standard delusional Bubba that is well armed but off his medications. That's their job, and I figure they do it well enough. Who am I to criticize how they do it as long as they do not infringe on the rights of the law abiding?

The range class was four hours on a Saturday morning, and I got to fire a total of thirty rounds. Budget cuts, I guess....... Although I had 500 rounds of 45ACP and a range bag full of 1911's in my trunk, we were not allowed to bring our own weapons into the class. I had the choice of a .38 special S&W revolver with a four inch barrel, or a 9mm Glock. I chose the revolver, shot it double action. I smoked the rest of the class and performed as well as the best instructor did with his Glock. One of the instructors tried to match me with the revolver and failed. The instruction was competent, although an unfounded gender bias was verbalized several times. At 15 and 25 yards, I kept all my groups tight and I hit multiple targets as they were called out to me. Thirty rounds was used up quickly though.

After the class was over, I helped put away the target frames, and I noticed a couple of falling plate racks in the storage shed. I mentioned to the instructors that I had ample ammunition in a 45 caliber and several nice pistols to share if the instructors wanted to roll out the plates and continue to shoot a bit. Although the rest of the class had left, the instructors declined my offer. I won't speculate why.

But at any rate, I will be back to writing, but the subject matter will likely stray from guns rather frequently. This may have been viewed as a gun blog by many, but in truth, it is just a blog of my thoughts. It's getting late, and I am on call with a full schedule of cases in the AM. Thank you for your readership.

2009-11-11T05:55:00.000-06:00

Please remember and thank our veterans today.

Thank you,
xavier

Ugly Gun Sunday

2009-11-08T09:17:00.002-06:00

After last Sunday's blue Beretta that several folks said they might buy, I went through the dusty ugly gun files to see if there was one I might buy. Yep, there was. The Semmerling. I would buy it. Its still ugly.

Super Soakers and Overlords

2009-11-07T05:16:00.008-06:00

"Officer Safety Bulletin for the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office (training Bulletin # TB-09-003. Dated Feb 23rd, 2009.)

On Feb 22nd, 2009 a patrol Deputy came across the above child’s super soaker. However what was found inside the power soaker was a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun. Both the shotgun and the water soaker were fully functional."

Last night, one of my friends in law enforcement, a good and honorable man, showed me a bulletin concerning a Mossberg 500 shotgun that was "concealed" within a Super Soaker water gun. We talked about the firearm a bit, and I listened as Micheal told me the pistol grip on the shotgun obviously made it illegal as it "altered" the weapon.

Surprised, I asked if altered weapons were illegal. The response I received was predictable and sad as he answered in the affirmative. I pointed out that the pistol grip depicted on the shotgun was a standard Mossberg less than lethal pistol grip, that a Hasbro Super Soaker grip would not even bolt up to the receiver. Michael refused to believe this and continued to argue that the pistol grip must be a Super Soaker grip and therefore the gun was illegal, even if it met the 26 inch OAL and 18 inch barrel standard.

I saw that Michael would not be swayed from his belief. Perhaps he was correct. So I asked...... If my daughter wanted a pink AR15, and I swapped out the stock, foregrip, and a few other choice items for hot pink accessories, would I then be a felon under the same "no altered guns" statute?

"No," Michael replied, "It's all about intent. It's the intent that matters......." Throughout our conversation Michael kept repeating "I can see where you are going with this."

What a sad state of affairs, when we, as a nation, in the interest of public safety, are willing to let the agents of our government arrest and prosecute people not for what they do, but for what we believe they intend to do. What a pathetic people we are that we would abdicate our rights as Americans to chose to act as we desire, within the reasonable framework of a civilized society. We have chosen to let others think for us, to tell us how to act, what to do, and indeed how to think. The sad thing is, these "overlords" believe they have a divine right to take on this responsibility.

Michael, you thought you knew where I was going with this. No you did not. You had no idea.

Several weeks ago, I wrote that I would attend a civilian police academy. I would take a look at things from the other side of the badge. I have done that, and I am pretty close to the end of the curriculum. I had planned to blog during that time, but my regular readers no doubt noticed that my writing dropped off drastically. There is a reason for that.

The more a man thinks and learns, the less he should open his own pie hole. He should take the time to digest and integrate the new information into his own life experience and perceptions. I have done this, and as I near the completion of the course, I find it increasingly difficult. Last night, Michael mused "You've been through how many weeks of the academy and you haven't learned any more than that?"

No, Michael, I have learned a lot. I just might not have learned what you expected me to.

This morning, I go to the range to shoot under the direction of police firearms instructors. I understand that there may be classmates who have never held a gun before present. I am aware too, that each instructor knows me personally, knows my track record and experience level with a pistol. It will be interesting to see whether they take the opportunity to act as my overlord, or whether they approach me as a citizen who desires to see both sides of the coin. The learning experience continues.........

For Today:

2009-11-06T08:12:00.000-06:00

"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious."
~ Sun Tzu

That's a Costume!

2009-11-03T20:20:00.003-06:00

Think little Bobby's homemade Halloween costume was an involved undertaking? Check out Big Daddy!