You Learn Something New Every Day: Yesterday a list member sent me a
year-old article about a Pennsylvania man who claimed that his Kahr P40
pistol fell from its holster while he was using a public restroom and
discharged on impact, shattering the toilet bowl. I replied that I
doubted his account because the pistol is equipped with a firing-pin
safety that postdates Glock's "voluntary safety product upgrade"
involving their firing-pin safety. The list member replied with a very
credible account of a similar incident with an HK USP and how he was
able to replicate the discharge by supporting the pistol at various
angles until he found one where a blow, with what I take to have been a
rubber hammer, would cause both the plunger of the firing-pin safety and
the firing pin to move. He was able, repeatedly, to induce detonation of
primers in otherwise empty cases in the chamber. Some list members may
recall, a while back, that an Alabama man won a lawsuit against Taurus
after he dropped one of their striker-fired pistols, holstered and with
safety engaged, and was shot in the abdomen. I doubt that conventional
drop-testing in the industry includes setting the pistol in a jig, as
the list member had done, and subjecting it to impact at a wide range of
angles, in small increments.
---
F Troop vs. Service Members: Another list member has alerted me that
BATFE has apparently changed the definition of state of residency for
active-duty military personnel. In the past, for the purpose of
purchasing firearms, they were considered residents of the state in
which they are "permanently" stationed. The manager of a local gun store
informed him that he had recently been instructed, during the course of
an inspection, that he is responsible to verify that firearm purchases
by service members comply with the laws of the state that issued the
driver license which they present for identification. Thus, a service
member with a California driver license, stationed in North Carolina,
would not be able to purchase a pistol that is not on the California DOJ
list of approved firearms, anything California classifies as an "assault
weapon" and, perhaps, might not even be able to purchase any firearm
without having it shipped to a California FFL. BATFE has also completely
reorganized their website, making it very difficult to locate
information there. They used to have an easily searchable FAQ.
---
So What Are You Saying?: ... In terms of actual policy, rather than his
previous record, Obama is a long way from being anti-gun. This is not
because he has fond memories of sitting in a deer stand as a lad in
Hawaii or of talking shotguns with Dick Cheney. It's because his mother
didn't raise a fool. Like some other Democrats, he may recall that in
1994, after banning "assault weapons," they lost the House for the first
time in 40 years. Obama knows that anyone who staunchly favors banning
guns won't vote Republican no matter what. But some independents who are
protective of their weapons may vote Democratic if that issue is off the
table. Off the table is exactly where he intends to keep it. Last year,
65 House Democrats wrote Holder vowing to "actively oppose" any effort
to restore the assault weapons ban. The president has enough trouble
getting legislation that enjoys overwhelming support in his party. He is
not about to pick a fight with centrist Democrats over gun control.
Opponents of gun control should not rely on Obama's innermost sentiments
on the subject. He obviously doesn't cherish the right to keep and bear
arms. But for those who favor Second Amendment rights, here's the nice
thing about having such a canny politician in the White House: He
doesn't have to. (I think Chapman is looking through rose-colored glasses.)
http://townhall.com/columnists/SteveChapman/2010/02/14/obama_spurns_gun_control?page=full
---
The Plot Sickens: The woman accused of shooting six co-workers, three
fatally, at the University of Alabama - Huntsville, apparently had
killed her brother with a shotgun years earlier.
On some things they agree: There was an argument. More than one shot
was fired. Amy Bishop, who had fatally shot her brother, Seth, was
found by officers outside the family home. She was sent home, rather
than held in jail. But a statement released by Braintree Police
Chief Paul Frazier and a State Police investigative report from more
than 20 years ago released by the Norfolk district attorney's office
differ widely in other respects - and in the conclusions they draw.
Frazier, based upon the recollections of an officer involved in the
case, said the girl had fought with her brother in the 1986
incident, then shot him with a shotgun and fled down the street with
the rifle [sic] in her hand, at one point pointing it at a car to
try to get it to stop. Later, at the station, Frazier said, the
booking process was abruptly stopped and the young woman released.
Frazier said the release of Bishop had "frustrated" officers at the
time and called the handling of the case "troubling." ...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/02/statement_from_32.html?camp=localsearch:on:twit:metro
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213/ap_on_re_us/us_ala_university_shooting_brother_2
...Mass shootings are rarely carried out by women, said Dr. Park Dietz,
who is president of Threat Assessment Group Inc., a Newport Beach,
Calif.-based violence prevention firm. A notable exception was a 1985
rampage at a Springfield, Pa., mall in which three people were killed.
In June 1986, Sylvia Seegrist was deemed guilty but mentally ill on
three counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in the
shooting spree. Dietz, who interviewed Seegrist after her arrest, said
it was possible the suspect in Friday's shooting had a long-standing
grudge against colleagues or superiors and felt complaints had not been
dealt with fairly. Gregg McCrary, a retired FBI agent and private
criminal profiler based in Fredericksburg, Va., said there is no typical
outline of a mass shooter but noted they often share a sense of
paranoia, depression or a feeling that they are not appreciated.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213/ap_on_re_us/us_ala_university_shooting_58
---
The Case for Distance Shooting: Your sidearm will never be a carbine,
but it will be there when you need it, provided you brought it in the
first place and you have the skill to use it effectively. Back when I
first started in law enforcement, the trend on shooting and qualifying
emphasized accuracy over speed and the ability to place your shots,
albeit slowly, in a nice tight group. We shot out to 50 yards in
qualification. We shot with strong hand and support hand and even shot
from a sitting and prone position. We also shot at extended distances up
to 200 yards or more with our duty handguns when I was training with my
friend and mentor, Sgt. Dalton Carr, as a deputy sheriff... From my own
experience and research into shooting performance under stress, I've
been measured and have measured human performance at all levels from the
very best to the most basic. One observation involves the use of the
handgun versus the carbine. As a rule of thumb, given the same person
(or even two people of similar skill and ability), whatever you can do
with a handgun you can do with a carbine at about two (and usually
three) times the distance. What do I mean by that? What you can do at
five yards with a handgun, you can probably do at 10 to 15 yards with a
carbine. So if you practice on being proficient at seven yards and
under, start to slow down at 10 and have to take two to three seconds to
get your first hit at 15 or 25 yards, and two seconds or more for
subsequent hits, or four to seven seconds to get hits at 50 yards or
farther then you are seriously behind the performance curve against a
carbine wielding opponent of similar skill. Consider having to face a
carbine in the hands of a committed terrorist in a mall when you are off
duty and armed with only your handgun. You see him at 25 yards and he
sees you. For him it's a fairly easy shot if he chooses to aim and not
spray bullets in your direction. For you, it may be pushing the envelope
to ask you to place a bullet in him in under 1.2 seconds from a ready
position... (I do not know if this article is restricted-access so I
have copied and pasted a longer segment than I usually do. It has often
been argued that a private citizen may have difficulty justifying the
use of deadly force beyond 15 yards, much less beyond 25 yards. For
several years I have concentrated the handgun training I provide on
close-quarters, where most criminal threats are likely to manifest.
However, times are changing and the likelihood of hearing "Allahu
akhbar!" prior to gunfire increases daily. See John Farnam's commentary,
below.)
http://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/2002861-Making-the-case-for-distance-shooting/
---
Useful Products: I have mentioned before that Tuff Products offers a
line equivalent to the Bianchi Speed Strips but in a wide range of
calibers and sizes. In addition to their five-round Quick Strip in
.38/.357, I use them in .44, .30-30, .308 and 9mm, the latter for a
revolver that handles this rimless round without moon clips. Recent
offerings include Quick Strips for 12-gauge shells and a pouch designed
for five AR-15/M16 magazines, which looks most suitable for those of us
who prefer the 20-round variety, and can also be adapted to carry many
other items. The announcement I received offers a 20% discount for the
remainder of this month, with a code of "20%Feb2010." The announcement
states that the offer is for existing customers so I don't know if the
coupon will work for new customers. I have no financial interest in this
company but I am a repeat customer.
https://www.tuffproducts.com/home.php
---
From John Farnam:
8 Feb 10
Follow-up comments on genuine shooting skill, from friends at the NTI:
"During the first decade of the NTI, we rarely saw participants with
marginal shooting skills. We all, including you and me, considered
ourselves Professional Gunmen, and, as a point of honor, we would shun
excessive dramatics, and all else that distracted us from the honest and
humble pursuit of the Art.
That all began to change during the second decade, and 'excessive
dramatics' (mostly engendered by too much television-watching) is
presently epidemic!
We now regularly see aspiring participants engaging surprise targets, at
a range three meters, with at least half dozen rounds from their
high-capacity pistols, of what can only be described as 'panic-fire.'
Bullets that actually strike the Critical Zone (cardiac area) rarely
account for more than ten-percent of rounds expended. Many
embarrassingly notice the target still calmly standing after such
'engagements,' having failed to hit the critical zone even once. Only a
few competent marksmen are able to consistently hit similar targets at a
range of fifty meters, even fifteen meters!
At the dawn of your and my LE careers, we learned to routinely make
accurate hits at fifty meters, using double-action revolvers in
trigger-cocking mode. It can be done! Today, all of us dare not forget
founding principles of disciplined, controlled, accurate fire. It is
fundamental!
Continue to be bold, my friend and colleague, in your assertion of that
these critical skills are primary to our Craft."
Comment: When training as an Infantry Officer in the 1960s, I was told
that new and wonderful technology had reduced the roll of Infantry to
little more than mop-up duties. "All you'll ever have to do is step
over bodies, " I was told, more than once!
Young Infantrymen at the beginning of WWII, and even WWI, were told the
same comfortable lie. And, all of us subsequently discovered, the hard
way, that it is indeed a lie! For now, and the foreseeable future,
heroic Infantryman will be required to shoot and kill the enemy,
employing precise fire from their rifles and pistols, at ALL ranges he
can be effectively engaged.
Today, critical, practical marksmanship skills, with rifles and pistols,
are suddenly being "remembered."
We never "forgot!"
Teaching "fundamental marksmanship," I am told, is "coming back"
We never "left!"
And, as long as I am able, never will!
/John
(Several comments: When I attended my basic Law Enforcement Firearms
Instructor Development School I had difficulty with the 50-yard stage of
the "qualification." There were four WesTec security officers in my
class, shooting revolvers, and I realized that I would have had an
easier time at the longer ranges shooting a wheelgun. The instructor,
when he first saw the guys on the range with revolvers, remarked, "manly
guns for manly men." Revolvers are usually inherently very accurate and,
when they were the predominantly issued guns in law enforcement, more
emphasis was placed on marksmanship, partly because a revolver does not
have many rounds to waste. In law enforcement, at least four things have
changed. A smaller percentage of recruits have prior experience with
firearms. Minimum height requirements are, for the most part, past
history, meaning that there are more officers with small hands.
High-capacity pistols do encourage the spray-and-pray phenomenon.
Training has shifted in response to the recognition that when officers
lose gunfights, they generally do so at close range, where they don't
have time for precision marksmanship. NTI is neither a real gunfight nor
a real match - it is more of a laboratory for tactical use of firearms.
A while back we had another comment from NTI, that even old-timers, such
as John, who shot two-handed and used the sights even at close-range
inanimate targets that appeared suddenly, seem to shoot one-handed and
may forgo the use of the sights if the target is an animate one that may
be shooting back, albeit with an Airsoft gun. As I have said elsewhere
[http://www.spw-duf.info/emperor.html#close], marksmanship and the
body-index techniques for close-quarters confrontations are two sides of
the same coin. One ought not to be set aside for the other.)
9 Feb 10
These comments from the owner/operator of an indoor range:
"An acquaintance came to our Range yesterday evening. He wanted to ask
me some questions about his carry-pistol and then take it to the range
and run several dozen rounds through it. He explained that he had been
carrying it concealed, '... off and on,' for several months, ever since
a gruesome homicide made our local news early last fall. I've
encouraged him to get involved in some professional training, but he has
put it off.
Once in a stall, he faced down-range, drew his pistol (SA XD/M, 9mm),
and then pulled back and released the slide, chambering a round. I
stopped him and asked if he had been carrying this pistol, in this
condition, on his way to the Range.
He said, '... Of course!'
I responded, '... and you didn't have a round chambered?'
'Well, I don't carry with a round in the chamber, because I want to
be... safe' ... ad nauseam
I then went through the usual lecture, the one about 'Who promised you
your support-side hand will be available to you at the start of your
next gunfight?'
Like so many, he readily acknowledged the unassailable logic of my
argument, but he was '... still not sure'
I then advised him to remove his holster. I took the pistol from him,
unloaded it, replaced it in the box it came in, and strongly advised him
to leave it there until he 'finds the time' to attend professional
instruction!
I can only wonder how many other frightened, confused, wilfully-ignorant
people there are, running around like this person, concerned about there
personal safety, yet unwilling to do much more than take timid, abortive
half-steps."
Comment: I'm sure their number is legion, and growing with every edition
of the Evening News!
What follows is opinion:
You're either in the Navy, or you're not!
When a person indicates that he chooses to not carry a gun, because he
is sick, or he just enjoyed a cocktail, or he is on medication, or he
has made the personal choice not to go armed, for reasons that
apparently suffice for him, you'll hear not a peep of argument from my
corner. Far be it from me to dispense unsolicited advice!
However, when an otherwise normal, rational, and able-bodied person
knowingly holsters a modern, autoloading pistol whose chamber is empty,
and then expects to share a car, or dinner-table, with me, he will have
to find someone else with whom to socialize. I want nothing to do with
him!
I consider that person unstable and worse than useless. He is
intentionally living in fantasy-land, and being in his presence is
therefore contrary to my best interests. This world has never been
sympathetic with the delusional!
I can't count on his skills, nor obviously, his judgment.
/John
(A bit harsh perhaps, particularly for the range operator; he does not
appear to be a Dale Carnegie graduate but I wasn't there to here the
other side of the debate. However, I agree wholeheartedly. I am
fortunate only to have had to draw once on a hostile adversary,
something I was forced to delay for lack of a carry permit in the
jurisdiction where the incident occurred. I was confident delaying
because I knew that I would be able to draw and shoot with either hand,
if it came to that [my strongest argument for carrying at least one gun
accessible to each hand]. When the time came, my left hand was occupied
keeping the robber from deploying his knife. Yes, I know that the
old-time MP's practiced a technique to rack the slide and chamber a
round as they drew their chamber-empty 1911's but they were not involved
in grappling matches as they were doing so. If you're not comfortable
carrying your handgun in a state of readiness, replace it with one you
are comfortable carrying ready for instantaneous use. As suggested by
the range operator, such lack of comfort is often a function of lack of
training.)
---
From AzCDL:
Your action is needed on two Senate bills that are scheduled for Third
Read votes on Monday, February 15, 2010.
The first is SB 1021, which incorporates defensive display language into
the statutes for the justification of deadly force. To send a message
to your Senator to support SB 1021, go here:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14685051 .
The second is SB 1172, which makes improvements to the Arizona Gun
Safety Program and expands the categories of qualified instructors. To
send a message to your Senator to support SB 1172, go here:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14685031 .
And, if you haven't already done so, there is still time to contact
Senate and House committee members urging them to support SB 1168 and HB
2543. Both bills strengthen state firearms preemption laws, add
firearms storage and accessories to the list of things political
subdivisions cannot regulate, and remove the prohibition on carrying a
firearm in public parks without a CCW permit.
SB 1168 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee at 1:30 PM on
Monday, February 15, 2010. To send a message to the committee members,
urging them to support SB 1168, go here:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14676351 .
HB 2543 will be heard in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety
Committee at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. To send a message
to the committee members, urging them to support HB 2543, go here:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14678286 .
Over in the House, controversy is brewing about Representative Adam
Driggs' stalling the progress of HB 2347 (Constitutional Carry). Many
of you may have already seen the NRA's comments about Rep. Driggs:
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=5385 .
HB 2347 already passed out of the House Military Affairs and Public
Safety (MAPS) by a 5-2 vote on February 3, 2010. House Speaker Kirk
Adams had also assigned HB 2347 to the House Judiciary Committee, which
Rep. Driggs chairs. Rep. Driggs has, at this point, refused to release
the bill or schedule it for a hearing. AzCDL is continuing to work to
resolve this impasse and to have HB 2347 heard by the full House.
Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via
these Alerts.
If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
AzCDL "tweets" from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news
as it happens.
You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .
AzCDL's Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .
These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League
(AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots
organization. Renew your membership today!
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .
AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .