Several months ago (Saturday, January 15, 2005) I posted a summary describing the way that the Violence Policy Center (VPC) twisted reality to suit their own purposes. The name of the VPC piece was "Gold Medal Gunslingers", and it was a real piece of work.
VPC worked overtime to put IPSC competition in the worst possible light.
IPSC didn't help. Darth Nick had led the fight to include IPSC competition as a "demonstration event" at the Olympics, hoping against all odds that the IOC would allow IPSC to at least show that this was just another shooting sport. You know, 'nothing happening here, move on'.
The worst possible result would have been that the IOC rejected the proposal entirely and with snotty disdain, so of course this is what happened. Thus the title for the VPC series "Gold Medal Gunslingers". They rained on our parade of pistol shooters, and took full advantage of our collective naivette.
This political push from IPSC was the progenitor of the "Classic" target, which was proposed because some regions objected to the politically incorrect "Metric" ('looks like a person') target. The whole thing was a major boondoggle, and the best that can be said about the entire affair is that IPSC leadership seemed to be trying, at least, to make Practical Pistol Competition acceptable to the world-wide audience.
What a bunch of Maroons. But I digress.
This opened the door to criticism from organizations which had a hidden agenda of making money by publically denegrating competitive shooting (and all other kinds of shooting & firearms ownership.)
Thus, the entrance upon the world audience of Gold Medal Gunslingers.
That was in the year 2000.
Here it is 2005, and VPC has revived the attack on IPSC.
The link provided at the top of this article is a compendium of quotes taken from IPSC training videos. It features some of the best-known IPSC practitioners, and without much commentary . . . simplyl by sly selection of quotes . . . attempts to make IPSC look silly.
I think you have to be already pre-disposed to believe that private ownership of firearms is an indication of cultural maladjustment, if this attack is to succeed. But we know that there are plenty of people who are predisposed to think the worst of anyone who owns a firearm, and I expect that this feeds their sick fantasy.
Got look at the site, see what you think, and report back here. Tell us what message YOU think the VPC is attempting to deliver.
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8 comments:
The pot calling the kettle black? You try to defend IPSC by attacking it's leaders and calling them "maroons"? This is your blog and you can say whatever the hell you want, but if you had your facts straight, maybe you wouldn't come off sounding as misinformed as the VPC.
What pro USPSA video are they pulling these clips from?
Anonymous . . .
You have a point, and I don't just refer to your statement that this is my blog and I can say anything I want.
The IOC is notoriously Politically Correct, in the sense that they are bound to echo the Least Common Denominator of all the nations of the world. You may not believe it, but some of the Nations Of The World don't believe that private citizens should be allowed to own firarms, let along handguns. This reflects the policy of the United Nations and their continuing attempts to relieve the world citizenry of their personal defense weapons.
In a word, confiscation. No intermediate steps through registration which California has demonstrated are on and the same.
In this environment, our IPSC leadership chose to rise above the background noise (so to speak) and declare that "We're Queer, and We're Here, Deal With It". In a word, IPSC was bearding the lion, and at the time (pre-Geek-Blog) I voiced my reservations in that I didn't expect the IOC to react kindly to such uppity individualism, and that it would result in undermining the should-be espoused position of IPSC and its world-wide members that IPSC competition was just another gun game.
The results proved that the IOC was not kindly predisposed to adding yet another run&gun pistolry as Olympic Sport, but instead took the opportunity to denigrate the sport.
As predicted.
Thus the depiction of the leadership if IPSC as "A Bunch Of Maroons". Or, in normal-speak, morons.
I said it then, I say it again now, it was nothing short of moronic to make such a bold move without ascertaining a certain degree of acceptance from the IOC. This crucial step seems not to have been taken by IPSC leadership. Why? Nobody knows . . . which is typical of bold moves by our IPSC leadership. (Witness the various rule-book versions which, over the past five years and more, have attempted to bowlderize the sport.)
But I do have to give both IPSC and the IOC a certain amount of credit. At least they were operating in the open, and we knew whose opinions we were hearing. This is degree of transparency which, I note, is not evidenced when individuals criticize opinion pieces anonymously.
Frankly, I'm not inclined to accept without question the rejoinders of a person who declines to identify himself/herself. If YOU have an opinion which directly contradicts mine, or which supports that of IPSC or IOC, you have two choices.
You can either identify yourself, personally, and accept the slings and arrows of outrageous opinion, or you can hide behind the anonymity of an unknown person.
Don't get me wrong. I encourage anonymous posts. Those who frequent this website are aware of my continuing efforts to seek out and eliminate SPAM posts, for the benefit of readers who would otherwise not comment if they were required to identify themselves. Also, I encourage controversy.
However, nobody is impressed by random and ANONYMOUS admonitions that I should "Get (my) facts straight", when those (supposed) "facts" are not defined.
If you believe that I have not presented the facts of the matter accurately, I encourage you to define them in your point of view. If they are worth the effort, I will gladly address them and, as anybody who regularly reads my writings will attest, acknowledge any argument which proves me wrong.
I do appreciate your readership, Mr/Ms Anonymous, and if you choose to enter into a dialogue you will find MY email address at the bottom of the webpage. Please feel free to write.
However, I do have strong opinions about IPSC and its leadership, and I reserve the right to express them openly.
You will find that, while I am fiercly defensive about the right of the people to own, carry and use firearms (with the usual cavaets concerning safety), I do not feel constrained to accept or defend the decisions of IPSC leadership.
You got a problem with that?
Overload,
you have the same links as I do, so you know as much as I do about the 'training videos' which VPC has chosen to quote. In a word . . . nothing. I don't personally own, nor have I viewed, any videos which feature the people quoted.
If anyone can identify the tapes/disks which include the quotes, I'm sure everyone who reads this would appreciate your enlightenment.
I don't personaly find any of the quotes deplorable. My opinion may be biased because my agenda (as I assume yours) does not automatically assume that private citizens are not capable of controlling their passions when a firearms is present. Nor do I think it is an egregious act to acknowledge that stage designs may feature a 'scenario'.
Jerry,
The only video I know of is the 1990 USPSA 3 Gun Nationals DVD
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00029YLWM/qid%3D1127595843/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-2764477-8410402
which I own, but don' remember these from it. However, calling Leatham the 1985 Bianchi Cup winner dates this video a bit, as he's won a whole lot more since then (but no more Bianchi Cups). The World Speed Shooting Championship is better known to me as the Steel Challenge. Rob only won one other Steel Challenge, 2002, so the video was made before that.
Also the preference mentions that the clips are taken from "mail-order videotapes about combat shooting", so there may be more than one source.
CP Bullets, mentioned in clip 4, is based out of PA, but I've found a few phone numbers in the 215 area code. I've not found much via google on them in receint years. Again the early 90s.
Dave Stanford is listed as the USPSA president in track 7. What years did he serve?
In the final track, the numbers 35 and 65 are mentioned as the # of IPSC countries. If the video was old, that would explain the difference. The IPSC website today shows 78 different regions.
Again, I'll try and check my DVD tonight for the different stages listed and such.
Overload in Colorado
I'm not at home so I can't double check but that video sounds like the one I ordered from Dillon circa 1990. If you don't hear back from me about this please feel free to remind me (I'm heading back to TN next Thursday).
Watched the DVD today. Not the source, or at least the exclusive source.
CP Bullets was not mentioned.
Dave Stanford IS USPSA President
Number of IPSC countries aren't mentioned.
"Track 1" is Dillon's Shooter Ready video which is an introductory video into IPSC....its also the first IPSC video I ever owned and while looking back on it now, simple in its nature, its also very instructive. There are many "tips" that I picked up from that video and applied to my shooting style...and still to do this day. I watched every move TGO made and tried to copy them....my reload style is the same as Leathams.
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