Gun-Control Doctors

According to NRA-ILA, only two states continue to forbid Right To Carry (RTC): Wisconsin and Illinois.

In 2005, Wisconsin legislature passed a RTC bill but it was vetoed by the governor. As recently as August, 2007, Governor Doyle is still fighting hard to " ... [force] Wisconsin’s law-abiding gun-owners to forfeit their Second Amendment rights. Not since his 2001 effort to ban the possession of all firearms other than single-shot rifles, pistols and shotguns has Doyle waged such an assault on the basic individual freedoms of the citizens of the Badger State."

It's obvious that Governor Doyle is a 'one man band', determined to pursue his own agenda. Considering the long history of conflict between the governor and the legislature, one wonders what factors may have been involved in the governor's adamant stand.

One influence may be the 2-page manifesto published in 2005 by the Medical College of Wisconsin / Firearm Injury Center.

The Guest Editorial by Stephen W. Hargarten, MD, MPH, titled "Public Health Implications of Carrying Concealed Weapons: Have We Thought This Policy Through?" was published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal - 2005 - Volume 104, Number 7.

One wonders whether Governor Doyle has read this, and whether it influenced his thinking. Keep those questions in mind while we examine the contents ... which often wrong, always agenda-driven.

The policy discussion about conceal and carry laws has been largely focused on crime, with supporters arguing that personal protection with firearms lowers the crime rate. A recent report of the National Academies of Science has concluded, however, that the available body of research does not support claims that conceal and carry laws have a measurable impact on crime.

On the contrary, there is sufficient anecdotal AND statistical evidence to the effect that states with RTC laws have experienced a lowering of Major Crime (Rape, Assault, Homicide, etc.) subsequent to the enactment of RTC laws.

A main concern about the conceal and carry legislation is the potential public health risk of injury to vulnerable populations, especially youth. Wisconsin’s youth suicide rate is 36% higher than the national rate.

It is disingenuous to relate adolescent suicide with RTC, since minors are not eligible for Concealed Carry licenses in any state in the union. There is a suggestion that minors will use the firearms owned by their parents, who usually would have owned the weapon regardless of RTC laws. Also, since 96% (48 out of 50) of the states have RTC laws in some form, it's telling that "Wisconsin’s youth suicide rate is 36% higher than the national rate." If the suggested relationship did exist, Wisconsin -- which still forbids RTC -- should have a LOWER youth suicide rate.

In the event of such legislation succeeding in this legislative session, two important issues should be considered. First, what kinds of guns should be allowed to be concealed and carried? ... [T]he safety of particular types of firearms should be studied. Design defects in firearms contribute to unintended fatalities. One such design defect, exposed hammers that rest on firing pins, is present in the Ruger Blackhawk revolver, and has been associated with over 40 deaths and numerous injuries.

Wrong, and misleading. The Ruger Blackhawk (I own two, both purchased over a decade ago) features a 'transfer-bar' system. The hammer does NOT rest on the firing pin. Unless the hammer of this single-action revolver is pulled back to full-cock, and the trigger pulled back, it is not possible for the forward momentum of the hammer to impel the firing pin against the primer.

There is no reasonable justification for this erroneous statement to be included in what purports to be a scholarly essay. It not only demonstrates the ignorance (or deliberate subterfuge) of the author, the statement is apparently included to impose a 'scare factor' upon the reader.

The design and safety characteristics of firearms should be taken into account when determining the types of weapons that may be carried concealed. This is particularly important since past legislation would have immunized firearm manufacturers and dealers from liability for design negligence. Unlike almost all other consumer products, there is no national product safety oversight of firearms. Legislators may wish to limit the availability of more dangerous firearms through safety standards such as California’s “drop safety” requirement for all new handguns sold in the state.

Wrong, and misleading. "Past legislation" is obviously referring to a Federal law prohibiting civil suits against firearms manufactures for the mis-use of their product by careless or felonious users of their firearms. Armorers are as liable for 'design negligence' as are any other manufacturer, unless the manufacturer happens to be located in China.

As for the California "Drop Test" law, that was a patently obvious (and successful) attempt to drive firearms manufacturers away from the California firearms market. Many firearms manufacturers have discontinued much of their sales from that state because the law requires them to 'donate' examples of their product for destruction-testing ... with no compensation when their pistol (for example) is return after having been repeated dropped on a concrete floor from a height of six feet.

It is estimated that as many as 30,000 applications for permits will be made in the first year of conceal and carry and that as many as 100,000 permits will be issued over a 5-year period. The public health implications of tens of thousands of individuals carrying handguns with a spectrum of potential safety defects have not been adequately discussed

A spectrum of potential safety defects?

That's fairly vague. Okay, let's discuss that.

Product Liability laws apply to firearms as thoroughly as they apply to Mack Trucks. Defective products are a sure road to dissolution of a manufacturer, who will probably be obliged to sell everything he owns to pay to civil lawsuit to which he is subject. Enlightened self-interest. Enough said. End of discussion. Turn the page.

Emerging technologies, such as personalized handguns that would be inoperable to unauthorized users, should be critically examined. There has also been no evaluation of the risk that a legitimate conceal and carry permit holder could have his or her handgun forcibly taken away and used for criminal purposes. One study of law enforcement fatalities has found that 21% of officers killed with handguns while on duty were killed with their own service weapons.

• The "emerging technologies ... inoperable to unauthorized users" thing still doesn't work, and even if it does it is usually not reasonable in a self-defense context.
• Anyone who is attacked by a highly motivated predator will either be injured/killed by the predator by whatever means, or have the means to defend against said Goblin. I'm thinking, I'm more likely to be killed because I was unable to defend myself, than if I attempted to defend myself against an unarmed Goblin and failed.
• When a police officer is killed with his own weapon, it's because he or she screwed up. It certainly isn't because he or she was in possession of a weapon.
  
• What has this last bogus statistic to do with civilian Right To Carry laws?

how are we going to know if this policy has had a positive or negative effect? The National Academies of Science report recommends that more comprehensive data and analysis are essential to the development and evaluation of policies and programs that involve firearms. Currently, states like Wisconsin are unable to fully evaluate the effects of conceal and carry legislation.

How are you to know, unless you try it? Oh, wait ... could you maybe observe the results of RTC laws in the 48 states which permit their citizens to defend themselves?

Whose fault is it that "... states like Wisconsin are unable to fully evaluate the effects of conceal and carry legislation."

Could it be ... Wisconsin's fault?

Conclusion:

Failure to address the public health implications of conceal and carry policies and practices may have unintended consequences for the health of the public. Do we really need this policy implemented to address crime and homicide? Do we want loaded, defective, or poorly-designed guns in our environment? Do we have the funds and infrastructure to accurately evaluate this policy?

Answer:









Recommended reading

Guest: ARPC Single-Stack and Glock Matches

In response to my plea for someone who actually competed in these two matches, WhiteFish gave permission for me to post part of an email he sent me on the day after the match.

... Shot both the single stack and Glock matches over the weekend. The results from the single stack were best left there, however, I did have some good stages and bright spots.

You would have enjoyed watching Bob H*****, the god of steel, bang away with 8 shots on a mini-popper and then 6 shots at a regular popper on the next stage - only to discover the screw in the rear sight had come out and it was sliding from side to side with each shot. It was something to behold! H***** proving that he is actually human! I let Bob shoot my Kimber on our last stage which had some difficult long shots with no-shoots attached (and two low ports with swingers).

Al Austen won a Springfield .45 at the post-match drawing, as did Bruce Bennett. Scott Springer won the single stack match.

The weather at the Glock match was miserable. I was drenched (and eventually cold) even with a Goretex raincoat. I shot the new Glock 35 in 40 S&W - only about a hundred rounds through it prior to the match. It proved to be a "shooter". Finished 25th overall out of 55 shooters with a overall % of 64.5%, 3rd C Limited, and 6th of 14 Limited shooters overall with a Limited match % of 85% - not far behind Bob Scheussler, who is now in B Limited. That effort earned me a plaque that will be coming from Emanuel Bragg. Lots of shooters were bunched very close together, so I wasn't far out of the top 20 overall.

I shot with Bruce Bennett and Bill Mayne, essentially a squad of WA shooters except for me. BTW - Trevor Ott is nothing short of amazing. Trevor beat, shooting Production, 6 open Glock shooters, including Bill Marrs, while shooting a borrowed stock 9mm Glock belonging to his father!

My calves ache today, but otherwise I survived the weekend.

Note that the weather in the Albany, Oregon, area was threatening on Saturday, but the Single-Stack match was conducted under semi-dry conditions. For Oregon at the end of September, that's as good as we can expect.

The Glock Match started out on a wet, cold, breezy Sunday morning. The rain was minor drizzle all morning and intermittent rain the rest of the day.

You've heard that the Eskimos supposedly have a hundred words for snow? That may not be true, but the fact is that all languages have built-up words (such as German) based on a root word, and many phrases or expressions which are variations on the theme. In Oregon, we tend to be more discerning about the way we describe rain. For example: mist, 'light rain', shower(s), 'intermittent rain', rain, 'slanting rain' (rain and wind combined), 'heavy rain', "hard rain', downpour and 'gully-washer' might be considered a descriptive progression of precipitation.

As a Native Oregonian, I carry boots, gloves, umbrella and rain-gear in my car from Labor Day to Independence Day. When we go to matches during this period, SWMBO and I typically don boots and rain pants before we leave the house. Sometimes we find we don't need this much protection, but I can state with confidence that we wear raincoats and rain-pants at 90% of the matches during the 9-month "rainy season" in Oregon.

I'm surprised to see WhiteFish commenting on the weather here. I've seen him shoot all day wearing no more protection than a wool shirt over the same clothing he wears all year. When he says he "... was drenched (and eventually cold) " is remarkable. I was amazed to learn that he even owns a Goretex raincoat.

In the ten years we've been shooting together, I've never seen it.

Forget "Global Warming". It appears that Oregon has entered a "mini-ice age", folks.

I've also received email from other competitors, commenting on the experience of back-to-back eight stage matches. Gary G-Man had invited us over for a BBQ after the Saturday Single-Stack match, which we regretfully declined because SWMBO is still recuperating from Surgery. He writes:

Last weekend would not have been the best time to have a get-to-gather anyway. I always forget how tiring it is to shoot 8 stages in a day, let alone shooting another 8 stages the following day. My ol body rebels when my mind says it can do it.

Yeah. Well, at least you stepped up to the line and did it. The closest I came to the match was when I went to the 7-11 to buy the Sunday Papers, so we could do the crossword puzzles.

I've also heard that these two matches will again be presented back-to-back next year ... but in the summer. Sounds like a good idea.

UPDATE: 06-OCT-2007 - Match Results
2007 Single Stack Match
2007 Glock Match

Of Arms and the Law: ATF from the inside

Of Arms and the Law: ATF from the inside

The First Monday in October ... the date when the Supreme Court of the United States begins its deliberations for the year ... is an appropriate date for this subject. (click on the link above for the article.)

Of Arms and the Law offers this discussion about the director nominee (and current Acting Director) for the BATFE, Michael Sullivan. Word is, he may not be the best choice for ATF Storm-master.

Toto, we're not in Kansas any more.

OA&TL writer David Hardy also offers this link to a Times Online article decrying "Replica Guns", bought in Germany and smuggled into England. The Brits are 'up in arms' (you should excuse the expression) about these replicas, legally sold over the counter without restriction in Germany, which are converted into firing/lethal weapons in England. You can guess the purpose.

I'm reminded of Jeff Goldblum's line in Jurassic Park: "Life will find a way."

The point being, of course, that ...

When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

It seems silly that we feel obliged to constantly remind The Brits of this Law of Nature, especially since they just ... don't ... listen.

Silly Buggers.

ARPC Single Stack & ARPC Glock Match

As I mentioned a week ago, I hadn't intended to shoot the two 'special' matches at the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club this weekend. However, I expected to attend at least one, perhaps both matches.

The weather was not cooperative, and I was more concerned with attending SWMBO as she recuperated from surgery than leaving her alone for part of the day to watch Practical Pistol matches, so I missed both range days.

I had hoped that I could at least give you the match results, but they aren't available online at this date (Sunday, September 30, 2007). However, I'm sure they will soon appear here.

If any of you who did attend can provide a description of the match(es), or photos, or both, I hope you will write to me at the email address found at the bottom of this page. I will be happy to host your contribution.

For those of you who are concerned, SWMBO is recuperating quite nicely.

Thank you for the flowers, Lori. They were delivered Saturday afternoon. If you write, I'm sure SWMBO will send you the photo she took of the arrangement. It was beautiful, and brightened her home and her mood.

UPDATE:
Information on the match available in Comments section. I'll have a brief "I Wuz There" Guest article up shortly. And I corrected the link to the ARPC Match Scores webpage in this article.

UPDATE: 06-OCT-2007 - Match Results
2007 Single Stack Match
2007 Glock Match

Texas Star ... There Will Be Trouble

Almost everyone discovers that the Texas Star can be difficult to shoot clean, especially when presented in a stage which offers a challenging mix of IPSC targets, Pepper Poppers, Plates and The Texas Star.

Each target design offers unique problems for you to solve, and the results are often frustrating.

In the video below, you see four or five individual shooters as they address these challenges. The first shooter does fine on the plates and the star, and only misses one shot at a Pepper Popper toward the end because he rushes a shot. Everybody else in this video misses multiple shots.

When you're shooting a pistol with a 10-round magazine and the stage is set up with three 7-shot arrays, you may be excused for expecting that you can clear each array with no more than 10 shots. Sadly, this is often not the case.

Even Open-gun competitors can find themselves "behind the stage", needing to make an unplanned reload even though they have four or five extra shots to complete this 21-round stage. (I know I did, and I'm happy that nobody was filming my performance!)



You can view higher definition videos of this stage at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

Please pay special attention to the large file sizes ... the first (HPIM4356.MPG) and the last (7a9star.wmv) videos are 15MB downloads, while the 2nd video ("Mike Wilson's Near-Perfect run on the Texas Star Stage) is a 6MB download.

PS: You'll notice that the last competitor, Norm, has a few misses even though he turned in an excellent time. Some people just miss faster.

Incidentally, you can see the match results here. This was Stage 4: Can You Say "Steel" Norm was 2nd overall for the stage, Mike W. beat my time by 5 seconds.

Very Nice Job, Mike!

Cox & Forkum: Final Bow

Cox & Forkum: Final Bow



If you were as curious as I was about the October 1, 2007, cartoon by Cris Muir, it was probably because of the following panel:



Cox and Forkum have announced that they are discontinuing their political cartoons as a collaborative effort.

Click on the opening link to read their explanation.

I'll continue to feature their website on my sidebar under "Places I Recommend", for my own convenience. I've watched their efforts with amusement and occasional discomfort, and about their 'retirement' I can only say:

Damn!

Cops Writing Cops

Thanks to LawDog for the heads-up on this ugly little website.

Cops Writing Cops is a private website where Cops write to complain that they were cited for violating traffic rules (including "Speeding" ... you know, when you drive faster than is safe).

These yahoos gentlemen seem to think they are above the law, and that just because they possess a "Friends Of Police" card they should be exempt from traffic safety laws.

I haven't read all of the posts there, but I've read enough to understand that the website is positioned as a place where LEOs can vent their displeasure at being given a ticket for breaking the law.

I have, however, read the comments. I'm glad to see that many of these comments say, in more or less words: "This site makes me sick". These comments are presumably posted by LEOs, which makes me happy because I would say the same thing if I could figure out how to sign on to the website ... which I can't, because I don't have the LEO credentials.

Here are some of the lame excuses ... and similarly outrageous comments ... provided in a shabby effort to whitewash the excesses of a bunch of Elitist Enforcers.

This LEO was caught doing 85.* in a 65mps zone:

I really didn't mind the ticket once I knew I was getting one. I've written thousands and is it really that bad?? The thing that bothers me is 1) she showed no respect for me. All the years I have worked, the different units I've been on, the shitheads that I have arrested didn't mean squat to her. I've given breaks before for people doing 19 miles over the limit. I have even let one go for doing 150+ on LSD.

Oh really? You allowed a "shithead" to drive 150mph while on hallucinogenic drugs? That speaks well for your judgement. Was this "shithead" by chance a LEO? I would feel much safer driving in your state, knowing that your priorities include allowing a drugged-out driver to continue driving on the same road with my family.

Here's another:

My name is Chris F. I am currently an NYPD officer for 17 years. I would like to add Trooper DS Payne of the North Carolina State Police to the DICK of the month.
On April 5,2007 I was traveling from NY to NC to see my family. I was on US 220 in Asheboro when I was stopped by Trooper Payne. I stopped immediately and turned on all interior lights and shut off the TV my kids were watching. Trooper Payne approached the veh. and asked me what my hurray was. I told him I was driving for 12 hours with my wife and 3 children and we were almost at our destination. I apologized for my speeding, then he asked me if I knew what the speed limit was, I said I thought it was 65mph. he asked me for my license and registartion. I handed him my drivers license, my NYPD photo ID card, and since I am also the state trustee for my FOP lodge, I gave him my NYS FOP photo ID card. After looking at the cards, Trooper Payne then tossed both cards in my lap and said "I ASKED FOR YOUR VEH. REGISTRATION". I then gave him my registration and insurance card and both my id cards and asked if the cards would help me and he gave them back to me and said " I didn't ask for them, don't want to see them, and I don't care."

After about 5-10 minutes Trooper Payne returned to my veh. with a speeding summons for 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. I signed the ticket and said to him " Thank You for the courtesy you showed me", he said " you don't see me speeding up & down the highways of NY do you?". I then said I had the opportunity to extend the professional courtesy to 2 NC Troopers on 2 separate occasions to which he replied "now that's enough out of you". I then rolled up the window and drove away.

Yes I was speeding, and I will pay my fine, but I think every police officer out there should know that the day I got my speeding summons, 2 Charlotte Police officers were killed in the line of duty, and their funerals were that weekend. If Trooper Payne stops another police officer who is on his way to pay respects to 2 fallen brothers, is he going to write them also.

Emphasis on being with your family ... swell, so you risked the lives of your family by driving 12 hours straight, and driving too fast, and you think it justifies ignoring your unsafe driving habits because you were doing it 'for the children'?. Did you ever consider that the trooper who stopped and ticketed you had more concern for your children than you demonstrated?

Then you got all outraged about the ticket and brought in the honorable death of a brother officer in some lame effort to inject 'perspective' to the situation. Your children must be very proud of you, that you are such a wuss that you can't even take a simple speeding ticket without whining.

Let's look at one more silly-ass attempt to justify obviously illegal activities:

... WHILE OFFICER JOHNSON WAS ON PATROL HE STOPED A PICK UP FOR SPEEDING.HE APPROACHED THE VEHICLE AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER.WHO FOR OFFICER SAFETY EXPLANED HE HAD A WEAPON IN THE TRUCK.OFFICER JOHNSON ASKED FOR A CDW LICENSE .THE DRIVER REPLIED I AM A DEPUTY SHERIFF,OFFICER JOHNSON ASKED FOR DRIVERS LICENSE AND REGESTRATION .AND PROCEDED BACK TO HIS CRUISER .WHILE WRITING THE CITATION A STATE TROOPER WHO KNEW THE DEPUTYS VEHICLE PULLED ALONG SIDE OF OFFICER JOHNSON AND ASKED IF HE COULD HELP OUT AND CUT THE DEPUTY A BREAK. THAT HE PERSONALEY KNEW THE DEPUTY AND HAD WORKED ALONG SIDE HIM FOR YEARS .OFFICE JOHNSON REPLIED HE DID NOT CARE WHO THE INDIVIDUAL WORKED FOR OR WHO HE WAS NOR DID HE GIVE A SHIT THAT THE TROOPER WAS ASKING FOR A FAVOR HE WAS GOING TO WRITE THE DEPUTY A SPEEDING TICKET. JUST IN CASE OFFICER JOHNSON BREAKS DOWN ONE NIGHT .HE WORKS FOR KENTUCKY VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT POST 7 (LONDON KY) AND LIVES IN HARLAN KY

I am NOT going to address the illiteracy of the author, except that if this was a LEO he certainly does not look (here) like someone who is accustomed to writing reports.

The important points here are that (a) the citing officer refused to 'cut a break' for a speeding LEO, even when the LEO affiliation was emphasized by a brother office; (b) the coy reference to a (concealed weapon) was an obvious ploy to insert the "I'm a cop, leave me alone" gambit (which did not work here), and (c) the "just in case, Officer Johnson works (here) comments are an obvious encouragement to deny "officer Johnson" support in a future situation where the officer needs back-up.

I think this last is the most egregious demonstration of a Closed Society.

It's bad enough that these fools should expect preferential treatment for the simple fact that they are charged with enforcing the very laws they flout;

It's worse that they seem to feel justified in holding up for ridicule the officers who enforce the same laws for everyone ... even other Law Enforcement Officers;

The worst is that when these honest LEOs fail to live up to their unreasonable expectations, they seem to consider it only just that the honest LEOs are subject to craven undermining of the simple rules of engagement which all LEOs depend on for their personal safety ... for the most petty reasons.

I know many Law Enforcement Officers here in Oregon, and to a man they are honest, loyal, courageous and just representatives of their Departments.

The departments which are the homes of these contributors to Cops Writing Cops should, in my private opinion, make a special effort to identify the authors of these despicable diatribes, and cast them out of the force. These losers are representative of the dregs of humanity, a source of humiliation to their departments, and a shame to their community.

In case you are not yet convinced, allow me to leave you with just one more example of the LEOs which they claim to represent:

From The Desk of A "Remove Me"

nobody around here with a badage agrees with your site....I've tried to log into the site and post on the forum but it doesn't let me for some reason. please take me off the mailing list and I don't want to be associated with it......

respect perhaps...but if I deserve a ticket then I'll take a ticket....but my girlfriend, friend, wives....whanna !...what a bunch of babies who think their badage (sic ... badge?) should mean more than it does, that's not what it's for....

pavlovsdawg@hotmail.com

I applaud this brave Officer. He has the courage to speak up when the audience is apparently all of a mind to contradict him, and more importantly to allow bodily harm upon he who disagrees with their selfish opinion.

We need more Law Enforcement Officers like him, and fewer ... much fewer ... of The Other Kind.

Thanks for the head-up, LawDog.





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Uncle Jay Explains The News

I've been a big fan of Uncle Jay Explains The News for ... oh, I don't know; probably about 15 minutes. Ever since Gentle Reader (I stole that term from LawDog) "The Hobo Brasser" sent me a link to "Uncle Jay Explains Congressional Recess". (Note: not on the original Uncle Jay Explains" website.)

Checking out Uncle Jay's Website, I note that on September 24, 2007, Uncle Jay explains BLOGS.
Essentially, there are two kinds of writing on the Internet:

1. Amateur Blogs that are biased and undependable, and
2. Solid, professional JOURNALISM that's biased and undependable.

I have to admit, Uncle Jay has Amateur Blogs down, dead right.

Did I mention that I don't get paid for being biased and undependable? That's right, I need to get a PayPal link up on my website right away!

Or, I can continue to submit the occasional article or photo essay to USPSA's 'House Magazine", The Front Sight. It's possible that with just one submittal a year I can make something like 10,000% MORE annually than by relying on PayPal contributions.

Hmmm ... tough choice.

So you can help me here. Can I see a show of hands? How many Gentle Readers are willing to send me a token contribution of $50 a month if I continue blogging?

Anybody?

Okay, how many would contribute the same amount if I close Cogito Ergo Geek? Would pay me NOT to Blog?

Huh? Hey, wait a minute!

Okay, never mind. I'll forget the PayPal, we'll just continue the way it is: I'll write, you won't like it.

If I'm not offending anybody, what fun is it?

A Personal Note

SWMBO is scheduled for surgery this week, and I'll be spending much of my time for the next week with her welfare uppermost in my mind. In fact, I'll be her honored handmaiden ... er, hand-geek ... for the days immediately following the operation. She won't be moving around much for a while.

It's not a matter of great worry; the prognosis is good and it's not a life-saving or experimental procedure. But she will be unable to work for four to six weeks and, as is common with surgery, she will will be confined to home even after she feels like getting up and moving.


As a consequence, we won't be around much for a while.

Whether this will adversely affect my blogging in the immediate future (post-Wednesday), it's too early to tell. Chances are I'll have little to do while she's imitating a couch potato, which may result in more time to write.

However, if the blogging drops off for a while ... well, you'll know.

We've already received the best wishes from many of our friends, and I'm sure those of you who know SWMBO understand that she is indomitable.

SWMBO is the strongest person I know, man or woman, and I have every confidence that she'll be back on her feet in record time.

I can't wait until I again see her RO-ing a stage and calling to the squad:

Hey, you guys! Get off your ass, get out here and tape some targets, will ya?

Why do you think we call her She -- Who Must Be Obeyed?

UPDATE: 26-SEP-2007:
I'm finally back from the hospital, having left SWMBO half-dozing after a dinner of Raspberry Jello, water and Percocet. Her surgeon was pleased with the results of the operation; SWMBO is less pleased, uncomfortable, and receiving close and gracious attention from her nurse Jean and CNA Lalala ... who check on her every 15 minutes to make sure she's as comfortable as they can make her. I stuck around for five hours holding her hand, wiping her brow, receiving a lovely bouquet sent by her younger sister, phoning everyone in her family (and the people at her office) to let them all know that she is okay.

Last night I took her out to dinner, where she was unable to finish her Salmon salad. She had the waitress bring her a box so she could take the more-than-half of the salad home. I hope she feels like finishing it tomorrow, when I bring her home. I doubt it; we'll probably end up throwing it all out. I'll take her back in a few weeks and see if she has a better appetite when she isn't facing surgery the following day.

Me? I'm perhaps almost as glad as she is that the operation is over with. There are still weeks of recuperation to get through, and I'm aware that this extended period of inactivity will grate on her nearly as much as did the surgery.

We are grateful for the good wishes of her friends who have kept her in their thoughts and their prayers. We give thanks to God for his beneficence, and for the medical system which renders major surgery no more traumatic than much worry, some physical discomfort, and a quiet period of recuperation.

It wasn't that long ago when this would have been a life-threatening situation. In some places, it still is.

NRA Leadership: Guest Blog

The Hobo Brasser has been a stalwart advocate of the National Rifle Association for as long as I have known him (and certainly for many years before that), and I value his opinion on more subjects than the best makes of Irish Whiskey and Race Guns.

When I took the NRA to task earlier this week, he added his own comment to the article. Today, he sent me a thoughtful extended comment which he as graciously permitted me to include as a separate point/counter-point perspective.

I have lived all over the country. During the early 70’s in Colorado the state legislature came within a few votes of outlawing the ownership of handguns. Who was the strongest voice against this, yep the NRA. Here in Oregon when some idiot legislature tried to get a law passed that you could not possess a gun within 1000 feet of a school (which would have made criminals out of many of us myself included since the high school is in my back yard) it was the NRA who mobilized us to write and help defeat this bill. Today I get notices weekly about what is going on in our state legislature and in the nation’s capitol that keeps me informed as to what stupidity and down right sneakiness our elected "representatives" are up to.

There are more examples, but everyone, besides you, I think gets why we should all belong to the NRA. As I have said before there are other pro-gun lobbyists, but none as effective as the NRA. The NRA lobbyist here is Oregon is known by all the members of our state legislature. He has been an effective voice for our gun rights. In fact, the liberals who are anti-gun consider him and the NRA to be their worst enemy.

To address your "strikes": I concede that so called "zero tolerance" policies are idiotic or lead to such idiocy as the kid being lead from school in cuffs. However, it is the enforcement of the policy by gun fearing liberals who take all things to an extreme -- like political correctness. How many conservative school teachers do you know? Had a sane policy been in effect what would have happened at Virginia Tech?

You negated strike two yourself.

From time to time people - who know better - in front of a camera, say things they shouldn’t. Look at Jim Zumbo. Yes, Heston said no one should own an AK-47. He regreted it as well.

I know this will not change your mind, but I hope you will put it up as a guest blog to counter your rant against the NRA.

He signed his note: (Life Member)

__________________

THB noted that I had 'negated strike two' myself, and I'm glad he recognized the change in pace. In fact, when I first read the original NRA release I found several statements to which I was initially opposed, until I re-read them more carefully and discovered that the statements were similar to Gun Control positions except for the insertion of a single word.

For example, my "Strike 2" was aimed at this statement:

We support and encourage the distribution, development and use of safety locks, trigger locks, gun safes, or any voluntary means necessary and appropriate to keep firearms away from, or inoperable by, those who shouldn't have them.

The key word here was voluntary. The Gun Control position is to propose mandatory methods (mandatory trigger locks, mandatory gun safes, mandatory dismantling of firearms, etc.), which smacks again of 'zero tolerance' and other mindless draconian measures which fail to take into account the circumstances.

Another quote which initially struck my eye was:

So we believe in zero tolerance for anyone illegally buying guns for juveniles.

I am so attuned to hearing the Gun Control wing-nuts argue against the concept that children can be taught to treat firearms with respect, that juveniles can learn safe gun-handling skills, that on first read I completely missed the key word illegally. When I read the statement again, I realized that I agreed with it completely even though the phrase included the killer key words 'zero tolerance'.

There are other examples in the NRA speech which tripped my personal hot-buttons, and every one of them turned out to be much better considered phraseology than my guarded mind-set was able to recognize at first glance.

That's why I ended my article with a grudging admission that maybe the NRA wasn't a complete sell-out.

Because I recognized that I have issues to deal with in regards to the NRA, and that they are largely of my making (not the fault of the NRA), it occurred to me that perhaps I'm not the only one who instinctively and unfairly am guilty of under-estimating the integrity of the NRA.

I had left the article in its original form, to show that even a curmudgeon can learn to see the value of this organization.

If you were disappointed that I seemed to yield on my basic premise ... that the NRA is largely without value for firearms owners in America ... then perhaps you may find yourself willing to give them another chance.

Some mules just naturally require a bigger stick.

WiFi - is GOOD!

Several weeks ago I bought a laptop computer for no better reason that I wanted one.

There are some work-related reasons involved, but mainly I wanted the option to upload photos from my digital camera to a computer while I was still at the range.

I enjoy taking pictures at matches, and sometimes I take more pictures than my available memory can hold. (That's over 3GB, which is about two hours. Don't laugh, I have exceeded this limit a few times at two-day matches, and I regretted having to decide whether to film match performances late in the match. Some of the most interesting situations take place near the end of a large match.)

I've had people ask me to give them copies if the pictures I took of them, and sometimes of the whole match. It was disappointing that I couldn't do so, because I had no way of creating a transportable media to hand them at the end of the day.

No more! Now I can burn a CD at the match, and give it to someone who has suffered through an awkward stage (or a very well-run stage) before they go home.

The problem was when I wanted to transfer the files to my desktop computer. I have so far relied on the CTAM (Chevy Truck Access Method), which in this case involves using a 4GB thumb drive to copy the folders I created from the SanDisk memory chips out of the camera, move them to the desktop, and then do the editing and cutting.

My best solution was to set up a Wireless Local-Area Network (WiFi, essentially) at home so I edit them on the laptom and transfer them directly to the Internet.

---

The problem was, I didn't know anything about Wireless networking and I was reluctant to invest money in a system which I may or may not be sufficiently technically competent to install.

So it came as a happy surprise when, last week, my landlord (I live in a Town-house Duplex) approached me as I was watering my garden, with the question "Jerry, you have a Cable Modem don't you? What would it take for me to hook into your modem for high-speed Internet access?"

My answer was immediate: "No problem, just buy me a WiFi router. I'll hook it up and give you access to the encryption key."

He decided that was acceptable, and wandered off. Saturday, after no more encouragement from my landlord, I wandered over to my local Computer Store after completing the Dundee September Club Match and bought a 54 MBPS (Mega Bits Per Second) WiFi router for $50.

I bought this from a computer store rather than from an online vendor such as Tiger Direct because this is the merchant who built my new desktop computer, and I like to support local merchants. As it happens, I got a decent price on the router even when compared to similar products available from in-town big stores such as Staples and Office Max.

Today, after spending most of the day with SWMBO (we had to do some shopping at COSTCO and remove the air-conditioner from her window), I took my new router home. I loaded the CD into the desktop and painfully followed the step-by-step instructions provided there.

It took me about an hour to install the router, because of my Y-Chromosonal tendencies to avoid RTFM (... uh, not reading the manual) I missed some obvious requirements. One of these requirements was to read the specifications on the bottom of the hardware, which provided userid and password which is needed to complete the firmware installation. Sure, I'm a Geek. But I'm a Guy first, and therefore only marginally competent to understand the need to know what I should respect during the installation process.

The other Guy-Thing that slowed me down was a tendency to fiddle with the blinking lights just to see "what happens when I push this switch?"

In this case, I pushed a switch on my laptop ... which killed my WiFi connection that I had already established. Took me an hour to decide I should reboot the laptop to refresh the connection and the "Authentication Key" (read: password) so that the internet address I was usint to test the connection were actually available.

So in case you're thinking about installing a WiFi router in your home, here are a few suggestions to make your day less frustrating:

1. RTFM! (Read the Install Manual before you start installing)
   
2. When they say to pull the power plug on your Cable modem or Router and wait for x-number of minutes ... pull the plug and light up a smoke. That stuff needs to reset!
   
3. Don't push buttons on your client computers while you're trying to establish an Internet connection.
4. When all else fails ... reboot.

It's actually not difficult to install a WiFi router, if you don't allow yourself to get distracted.

One other comment: The cables provided by the manufacturers of WiFi routers are too small to place the router in the best possible places (away from electronic devices, toward the center of the structure, and in a 'high' place ... especially when it must be connected directly to your computer and your computer sits on the floor.) Fortunately, most routers are able to communicate at least 100 feet from where-ever you put them as long as the walls the signal needs to penetrate aren't brick or steel or some other dense material. So positioning might not be a major factor.

Heck, if I can do it ANYBODY can hook up a WiFi Router so your laptop can piggy-back on your hi-speed modem.

NRA Leadership

I've often stated, both in public and in private, that I gave up my NRA membership several years ago and that I intend to never re-instate it.

No matter what I say, I always receive comments such as:

"Yeah, all, that, but the NRA is our most powerful and best political weapon against confiscatory and other unconstitutional gun laws."

Okay, it's never stated exactly thus, but the point remains that when people get elected to a leadership position in the NRA, they turn into instant wusses.

I object to that, because it inevitably seems as if the NRA leadership is conceding that the second amendment is based upon hunters being able to keep their favorite goose gun. I've never believed that. I always thought that the 2nd Amendment was about the inalienable right for civilians to own firearms, period.

Now, and for several years past (at least for a decade, which is proven by citations exhibited below), the official spokesmen for the NRA have consciously and deliberately espoused "assault weapon" and "Zero Tolerance" limitations on this right.

Both of these terms are anathema to me, because they have been so easily tolerated by leaders in the NRA.

Why do these supposed supporters of the 2nd Amendment say these things? Are they becoming "politically correct" in order to demonstrate that they are not so radical that they are beyond compromise?

Or is it that they really don't believe in the 2nd Amendment, in its literal interpretation?

I think it's a combination of the two, and the only question is whether they're going more Number One or Number Two.

Let's look at quotes from two Elected Leaders of the NRA, and see which is which.


Number One: Zero Tolerance
The following is thanks to a link from The War on Guns, under "Wayne Says No" Speech by Wayne Lapierre (NRA National Meeting of Members; Denver, Colorado; May 1, 1999)

So I would like to take this opportunity to clearly state our positions in a comprehensive way.

More than anything, I want to frame my remarks as part of a constructive, respectfully-conducted discourse that will surely follow in the weeks to come.

I wouldn't stand before you today if I didn't believe, and I couldn't prove, that our common-sense policies can have a more immediate impact on violence, and make more citizens safer, than anything that anyone else is proposing.

So I'd like to speak in response to the President's recent press conferences and news appearances. And please, listen not just for what we've done, but for what more we can all do.

First, we believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.

(Emphasis added)


Strike 1: "Zero - Tolerance" policies are the C.Y.A. guidelines which allow incompetent education-plebe bureaucrats to suspend a middle-school boy for drawing a picture of a gun at school.

Or "In late October 2003, a 9-year-old boy was arrested at gunpoint and handcuffed for waving a toy gun over his head while seated on a bench in downtown Lorain as his mother was getting her hair done at the Northern Institute of Cosmetology on Broadway. ... A police officer pointed his gun at the boy's head, ordered him down on the ground and handcuffed him, according to the report.

No, I'm not in favor of "Zero-Tolerance" rules. God forbid that they become laws. But Wayne LaPierre is in favor of them.

Strike 2: Mandatory "Safe Storage" of firearms

That's why, for over a century, we've written the book on safe storage of firearms. We support and encourage the distribution, development and use of safety locks, trigger locks, gun safes, or any voluntary means necessary and appropriate to keep firearms away from, or inoperable by, those who shouldn't have them. We have always condemned anything less.

So why does the NRA-ILA publish a "Fact Sheet" opposed to Mandatory Storage/Trigger-Lock Legislation?

Everyone knows that firearms must be stored safely, but most Americans feel that it is not the government`s business to dictate how people store things in their homes. There is no compelling need for such invasions of privacy ..."

<>Uh ... wait a minute.
LaPierre says: "We support ... voluntary means necessary and appropriate to keep firearms away from, or inoperable by, those who shouldn't have them." The NRA-ILA is against "mandatory storage/trigger-lock legislation"

Okay, never mind.

Strike 3:
Okay, I don't have a "Strike 3."

Yet.

...


Let's move on to Charlton Heston's "There is no reason for anyone to own an AK47" statements.

On May 6, 1997, in a KGO-TV (San Francisco) 'drive-time' interview with Ted Wygant of KGO, newly elected President of NRA Charlton Heston made the following comments:

(Transcript courtesy of WYLDONE on "The Firing Line", December 01, 2001)

The following transcript is verbatim, without alteration, and includes misspellings.

VMS TRANSCRIPTVideo Monitoring Services of America, L.P.720 Harrison Street, Suite 320San Francisco, CA 94107(415)543-3361 (415)543-6148 DATE May 6, 1997 TIME 8:00 - 9:00 AM (PT) STATION KGO-AM (ABC)LOCATION San Francisco PROGRAM Morning Drive Time

Ted Wygant, anchor: Well this is very appropriate to talk with Moses as we talk about it, at least. Now let's say good morning to the man who played it so well, Charleton Heston. Good morning, sir!

Charleton Heston (Actor/NRA Board Member): And good morning to you, Mister Wygant.

Wygant: Well, we're delighted to have you with us, and we appreciate your time because you have taken on a task that I think a lot of folks might have backed away with because a lot of concern about the National Rifle Association.

Heston: Our country belongs to Hercules, doesn't it?

Wygant: Yeah, right. What made you do it? How come you want to get in the middle of this?

Heston: Well, I've, of course, been- found myself in the arena, if you will, on a number of public sector causes. I suppose starting back when I started demonstrating for civil rights back in 1961. Long before it got fashionable in Hollywood. And then the Screen Actors Guild, and the National Endowment For The Arts, and the Separate Theater Group, and so on- and then the Presidential Task force, and the Arts and Humanities. And I've been a member of- of the National Rifle Association for, oh, twenty years or more. When I was a kid in Michigan, in the Depression, I lived in a little hamlet in Northern Michigan with about, oh, a hundred houses which contained easily two hundred and fifty, three hundred fire arms of various kinds. Mostly being used for hunting, of course- food for the table. But I was asked, as is true with all of the jobs I've done. Somebody asked me.

Wygant: Well, you've got quite a task. And- and you've been named first vice president. You- you're a member of the board at-at one point, and gee, you just zipped right up.

Heston: I just was elected to the board on Saturday.

Wygant: Yeah.

Heston: It's the primary defender of the second amendment of the Bill Of Rights, which is, of course, a core document. The Bill Of Rights is right at the basis of the American idea, those wise old dead white guys that made up the country knew what they were about. And you- it is a mainstream issue. Most Americans, in fact, support the second amendment's right to bear and carry arms, and there are, as you suggest, a few extremists, and some of them are- are on the board. And we have, however, we- they elected- or re-elected in the case of Wayne LaPierre, and elected in my case and Cain Robinson's case- police chief Cain Robinson is now second vice president. We re-elected Marion Hammer as president.

Wygant: Mister Heston, could I ask you to stand by here for just a moment? We have to get to traffic, but I- I do want to continue talking with you. Could you hang in for a minute?

Heston: Yeah.

Wygant: Okay, good. Thanks. ****************

Wygant: Okay, right now let's get back to Charleton Heston talking to us from his home in Southern California. Let me ask you, you mentioned that there are some right wing folks- far right wing, still around the NRA. Are you going to try to get them off the board and out of the picture?

Heston: That- that's certainly the intention, and I think it's highly doable. Wayne LaPierre is- is a superb leader, Marion Hammer's a strong president. And I think Cain Robinson and I can provide some useful support there.

Wygant: Now the image of- of the NRA has been an organization that supports the right of people to buy any legal firearms, and, of course, you go to any- any gun store- gun shop and you see things there that are big, and brutal, and deadly, and far more than you need for- for hunting or home protection. Do you stand by- I mean, the image is...

Heston: AK-47's are inappropriate for private ownership, of course.

Wygant: Yeah, but the image is that they're- the fire power of these weapons is far more than a hunter or a homeowner would need. Why is it necessary to have those guns available anyway?

Heston: I just got through telling you. The possession- private possession of AK-47's is entirely inappropriate.

Wygant: Right, but AK-47's one thing, but I've been in a gun shop- I've been in gun shops, and there's fire power there that doest's seem necessary and that people worry about being out there in- in the hands of, you know, potential criminals.

Heston: I'm not certain what you're point is- that there are guns available in gun stores?

Wygant: No, guns that go beyond what a hunter would need. In other words, why does the NRA support guns that have overkill? Let's put it that way. Shouldn't there be some sort of limit?

Heston: Well, for any certain time, AK-47"s are entirely inappropriate for private ownership, and the- the problem, of course, is not guns held by private citizens, but guns held by criminals. And where we have failed, where the government has failed is with entirely cosmetic actions like the Brady Bill, which is meaningless. I'm not even- don't even think it should be repealed because it doesn't do anything. and it's been in- on the books for more than two years. In the course of that time, I think it is, nineteen people have been arrested, and two have been imprisoned felons with felony records for trying to purchase a firearm.

Wygant: Well, we've- we gotta- I really appreciate talking with us. It'll be interesting to see- interesting to see how you handle the public image of the National Rifle Association and those in the far right in the group. And if you don't mind, we'd like to talk to you again.

Heston: I hope we can do that.

Wygant: Alright, thanks very much.

Heston: Mister Wygant.

Wygant: Thank you. Charleton Heston from his home in Southern California, and the KGO Radio News time is 8:23. # # #

(NB: Boldface emphasis from the source)

I saw this interview on television, and I think it's telling that the original video is not available now, nor was it available within a few days of the original interview. Unfortunately, at the time I first saw it I made no effort to capture the film clip. Well, I was a lot less "geeky" then.

I was then incensed, as I am still, that Charlton Heston stated "AK-47"s (sic) are entirely inappropriate for private ownership..." and "... entirely cosmetic actions like the Brady Bill, which is meaningless. I'm not even- don't even think it should be repealed..." (this last part is speaking of The Brady Bill and not necessarily addressing "AK-47-type firearms.)

But upon reflection, and with the perspective of a decade's though: the interview occurred with mere hours of Heston's assumption of NRA office, and while he may be big on flintlock rifles he may have had personal opinions which were not entirely representative of the National Rifle Association.

In fact, it may even be significant that he never again made public statements to the effect that private ownership this sort of firearm was "... entirely inappropriate ..."

...

I'm not saying I'm going to run right out and join the NRA. In fact, I'm adamant in my opposition to some of the NRA position AND people.

I still object to the NRA's attempts to force me to subscribe to a magazine which is only marginally interesting ... or well-written ... as part of my membership dues.

And the "Zero-Tolerance" thing still gives me cold chills.

But I am willing to admit that some of the issues which I have long held dear may not be grounded in fact. I guess I have to think on this some more. I still don't LIKE the NRA, in part because I've never thought of the President (Wayne) as being very much of a leader.

Still, they may not be as 'all bad' as I had originally thought.


This may be a good time for The Hobo Brasser to tell me how much he likes "Wayne's World."

I need more ammunition!

ARPC: Back-to-Back Specialty Matches

Source: Email from Mike McCarter


____________________________________________

11^th Annual Oregon Single Stack back to back with the 3^rd Annual Oregon Glock Championship

Welcome to one big weekend of shooting fun. This year we have decided to put on these two big matches back to back with each other. Here are some answers to questions about one or both of the matches.

What do the stages look like this year? If you check out the USPSA Limited / Production National stages on www.uspsa.org under the National Matches heading, we will be using a modified version of stages 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16. We thought this would add a little fun to each match.

Where is the best place to stay overnight at in the Albany area? We have a special deal with Phoenix Inn in Albany and if you mention Albany Rifle and Pistol Club you can get a room for $69 plus tax.

When do the matches begin? Both matches will begin at 9am.

Will the stages be the same at both matches? No, what you shoot on Saturday will be different than Sunday’s match.

Will lunch be available Saturday and Sunday? Yes, if you fill out a lunch order form each morning our neighboring deli will deliver lunch around 12:30 each day. Due to the fact that we are shooting 8 stages at each match there will not be an official lunch break.

Are you giving guns away this year at either of the matches? Yes, we will have 3 Springfield 1911’s given away at the Single Stack Championships (one ticket per entry), one Single Stack to the staff and squad moms, plus we will be giving away, for the first time, 2 Glocks (one ticket per entry) at the Oregon Glock Championships.

Do we have more room for competitors in either match? Yes, we have limited room for the Single Stack and plenty of room for the Glock Championship but don’t tell anyone if you want to increase the odds of winning a handgun.

How are the divisions set up for the Single Stack and Glock matches? The Single Stack match will be the same as we did it last year. L10 for single stacks shooting under the L10 USPSA rules, single stack for competitors shooting under the single stack USPSA rules and Open for other Limited 10 non-single stack guns. L10 division of the 11^th SS Championships will shoot for trophies, other divisions for ribbons and everyone is in the drawings for the handguns to be given away. Glock Championships will recognize all divisions of Glocks except for Glock revolver. Awards will be based on the number of entries in each division, class and category. In both matches awards will be mailed directly from the award factory to the winners.

Will there be extra shirts and hats at the Single Stack? Yes, a few extra shirts and hats will be available on a first come first serve basis.

What is the weather going to be like? Only God knows and I’m sure that answer is not high on the priority list for Him. Be prepared for anything. We will have some water available but it is always best to bring your own. I find most competitors are unprepared when it concerns fluid intake during the match.

What rules are these matches conducted under? We are running these matches under the current edition of the USPSA / IPSC rules.

Please feel free to send an email or call if you have additional questions about either match. If you received this email you are either signed up or we are thinking you should be here.

Mike McCarter Tom Chambers
Match Director Range Master
nomikes@hotmail.com tomdagadget@hotmail.com
541-619-0038

D.C. Gun Ban News

If you're not a regular reader of Geek With A .45, you should be.

If your not a regular reader of G45, it's probably for one of the following reasons:

1. You're new here, and never saw the link on the sidebar
2. You've been here before, and didn't notice or ignored the sidebar link
3. You use to read that blog, but quit because G45 hasn't been posting regularly for the past few months.

As is implied in the sidebar classification, G45 is one of the websites I visit EVERY DAY, and for good reason. When he does post, it's usually something worth reading.

Such is the case in his recent reference to a Dave Kopel article published in The Volokh Conspiracy titled "Recent Developments in DC Case on Handguns and Self-Defense Bans."

Essentially, DC appealed in the case of Parker v. District of Columbia, and found that their efforts were being presented to a coldly unimpressed DC Court of Appeals. The District either hadn't done their homework, or the attorneys who drafted the appeal were incompetent.

(NB: The Kopel article includes links to the District's motion and other filings on the case.)

The context of the appeal was reminiscent of throwing the baby from the Troika to distract the pursuing wolves. They seemed willing to concede that long guns were acceptable as self-defense weapons, but having made that concession they argued that it was not necessary for citizens to resort to handguns for the same purpose.

G45 deftly plucked the following quote as most representative of Kopel's dissertation, and I see no better example:

The strategic implications of DC's decision are enormous. It appears that DC has decided that its long-gun self-defense ban is constitutionally indefensible. The most logical inference is that DC (despite statements by the Mayor at press conferences) has concluded that it cannot convince the Supreme Court that the Second Amendment is not an individual right. DC is retreating to position that the individual Second Amendment right is not violated by a handgun ban, as long as individuals can possess other guns.

You and I have suspected that the results of the Parker ruling would prove to be the seminal event which may lead to a Supreme Court re-evaluation of the 2nd Amendment. This may be a giant step in the right direction for firearms owners.

And while I'm at it, I just realized that I haven't linked to The Volokh Conspiracy on my own sidebar. I have corrected that oversight. You'll find it under Other RKBA Websites, along with Dave Kopel's 2nd Amendment website.

TCGC 9/07 Stage 1: Skinny Views

We really took advantage of luck of the draw, pulling this as our first stage of a very difficult Points Patch. It gave us a moment to warm up, and the points penalty wasn't so heavy if we screwed up that it would lose the match before we even got started.

Good thing for me.

This stage featured the only moving target in the entire match, which forced us to slow down right at the end of what was otherwise a 'hoser' stage. Difficult to do, when you're red hot & rolling, but necessary.

That was the theme of this Points Match. Change-ups were included in almost every stage, and you had to be on your toes, be sharp, think it through and understand the challenges involved.

Match Director Norm the Ungrateful (you'll see references to his match-balance expertise again in this six-part series) managed to force us to think our way through the match, instead of just dumbly shoot our way through. If you weren't mentally sharp, if your equipment wasn't reliable, if you were just a little off your best game ... Norm provided us with the perfect opportunity to trash the match on every stage.

I've decided to present the entire match here, and even though you may at first glance decide that the videos and commentary aren't very interesting and you don't really care, you may discover that there are hidden truths to be found here.

Some people thought it was inane when James T. Kirk announced: "We have picked up life signs of an unknown entity"; when Christopher Columbus wrote in his log: "Our course has exceeded the limits of previously navigated waters"; when Captain Piquard mentioned "The Borg are a curious race"; and when Captain W. Bligh wrote: "The crew is restless". But the people who rejected these ominous pronouncements as insignificant were merely demonstrating their own lack of situational awareness.

Read, and heed.

The first stage is presented without scoring. It's short, and it's not very interesting. Except that it postulates some interesting questions.

How do you navigate a stage? Do you go close to the early targets for the easy A-zone hits, or do you stay wide to position yourself for the next target array and save yourself a few steps ... and a couple of seconds of Stage Time?

When you have to engage targets through a port, do you crowd it and trade position on the next array for a few feet closer distance, or do you stay well back so you can engage the activated moving target from a stable position even if you're farther away from it?

These questions and more are addressed by this series, by this match, and by these videos. You are invited to critique every shooter on every stage. You can see many different techniques on every stage, and decide which would be your choice

You may not have been there. You may not have had the opportunity to make these choices in an actual match. But by watching these videos, you may gain some perspective about how you SHOULD shoot these stages (and by extension, similar stages) if/when you find yourself in a similar situation.

You can also view this as a 5MB download at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery, or go directly to it here.

TCGC 9/07 Stage 2: Madness

Classifiers are boring ... but they become interesting as soon as you screw up.

That is a certifiable Geek Quote, and you can write it down.

I managed to screw up CM03-08 here, and I worked hard to convince the people in my squad that I was sand-bagging. It wasn't such a hard sell. I caught one no-shoot target, and they were convinced that I MUST have done so on purpose.

Then they shot the stage, and I wasn't the only screw-up.

I've shot this stage, or a variation, several times. I got it right one time, and was very proud of myself. That's gone, now.

Sometimes Practical Pistol shooting is like Figure Skaters doing Figure-Eights. It's a technical test, not fun to watch, but still a definitive test of certain skills. Boring, but necessary.

This stage is essentially a test of accuracy, but it also challenges draw/first shot time, and reloads. It's a good time to push the envelope, spray and pray that you hit the brown cardboard instead of the White.

That never worked for me, either. You either have the skill on demand, or you don't. This is where "Bragging Rights" become meaningful. It's a survival stage ... you won't win the match on this kind of stage, but you can certainly lose it.

This video is also available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery, more specifically at 7t92.wmv.

TCGC 9/07 Stage 3: "W Take 2"

On this stage, the competitor is truly challenged to rein in his urge to hose the stage and, instead, take a little more time to get a good sight picture and sight alignment.

The temptation is almost unbearable, and the risk is nearly unendurable.

The balance ... is a great challenge, and this may be one of the most challenging sneakiest stages of the match.

It's uncommon for such subtlety to be presented at a club match, and the credit goes to Match Director 'Norm the Ungrateful'. During the match I failed to take note of the stage designer credits, but I see the sly hand of Norm in this and many other stages in the match.

Norm tries to push the people who attend his matches. We've seen this before in the Columbia Cascade Section, and it has made better shooters of us no matter how we may whine and grumble.

A few years ago Tom Chambers served as Competition Director for CCS and most of the Points Matches were characterized by stages which emphasized accuracy and moving targets. The things we hated most, he emphasized. The result was that we were forced to learn the skills we had avoided. We didn't much like him for it, but we sure liked the results. When we had a Sectional match, we found that visitors against whom we competed had to work harder to beat us, and it didn't always turn out that way. When we attended major matches (a rarity in that then-insular environment), we finished much higher in the rolls than we had expected, because Tom taught us to shoot more accurately.

Now Norm is teaching us to think, and while his opportunities to influence the way we shoot may not impress us so emphatically, I am confident that we have as much to learn from Norm as we learned from Tom.

I note that this stage stage was the only one of the many penalty-target-infested stages on which I managed to avoid hitting the no-shoots. Would that I had been so cautious on the other stages.

Let's take a look at the video of one squad trying to shoot fast at tight, close targets:


This video is also available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery as 7t93.wmv

TCGC 9/07 Stage 4: Shooting In The Cold

It wasn't cold on this Oregon September match day, but you couldn't prove it by watching the competition.

We saw a couple of competitors with ammunition-feeding problems. Richard was still fighting his perenial magazine problems, and Craig was so plagued that he quit before finishing the stage. It's hard to fault Craig for this decision, and nobody like to be labeled A Quitter, but I believe I would rather have stuck to it if only to engage the last of the 'easy targets' and taken my chances.

Perhaps not. Again, if you're not the guy fighting the gun, it's easier to criticize than to deal with the problems.

This stage was notionally 'free style', except that you had to take the first three targets through a port. In reality, there were only a few variations available on the theme ... when/how you engaged targets T4 and T5, and when you reloaded. About the only advantage you could find was, surprisingly, when and how you engaged the 'difficult' targets in the back left corner from the shooting port in the front right corner of the stage.

There were two cardboard IPSC targets, close to the ground and hidden from any other position, which were bounded by no-shoot penalty targets. Most competitors dove into the port so they could get as close as possible, needlessly wasting a couple of seconds to move closer. I stopped two steps farther away to engage them ... but then, I hit one of the penalty targets and loudly cursed both the course designer and the set-up crew. On the other hand, Al did the same thing with his Limited gun and made the shots, clean. Skill is always a factor, and when they tight, difficult shots come at the end of a 30-second run it's the more physically fit competitors who prove to be ... competitive.


This video is also available at Jerry the Geek's Shooting Gallery as a 15mb download.

TCGC 9/07 Stage 5: MOVE!

DVC

IPSC has as its motto, D V C, that is to say, Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas, or accuracy, power and speed, and these three are indivisible in the concept of IPSC shooting. However, the ratio of accuracy, power and speed is up to the competitor.

That's what IPSC says.

In reality, it is a challenge to find the proper balance between shooting fast and shooting accurately.

The 'power' factor is determined before the competitor even starts his trip to the range, being decided by the caliber, bullet weight and the velocity of the ammunition he has chosen for the match.

The balance between SPEED and ACCURACY is partly determined by choices which are similarly made before the match. For example, tuning the trigger and practice determine the speed with which the competitor can make 'double taps' quickly and accurately.

The best way to increase the speed is to move quickly rather than to shoot quickly. For example, evaluating the geometric relationship between targets and shooting positions can save steps, and thus can save time which might otherwise be spent moving.

Choosing the best place and time to reload will also save time, if the choices are wisely made. Generally, the best choice is to reload while moving; 'standing reloads' are anathema to the IPSC competitor.

Equipment plays an important part in IPSC competition. Choosing sights which match your visual acuity, tuning magazines so that they feed ammunition and so that they drop quickly when the magazine release is pressed, both can enhance either accuracy or speed ... or both.

Firearm reliability is based on careful and frequent cleaning, care in reloading ammunition, changing springs as appropriate to insure that every part works correctly every time -- all of these preparatory measures will enhance the competitive experience.

On the range, the competitor needs to know his strengths and weaknesses.

If he is agile and quick, he may find it advantageous to move to the position which is closest to the targets before engaging. If he is accurate, he may find he performs better by engaging targets from a further distance and save time by saving steps.

The cautionary note here is: if you're all A-zone hits, you're probably shooting too slow.

Every competitor needs to know his strengths and weaknesses. Capitalize on his strengths, avoid being caught in a situation where he must rely on a skill in which he is not comfortable.

Free-Style stage design allows the competitor to choose from his personal skill set, rather than be forced to do something he does not perform with alacrity.

This stage allows every competitor to choose his own personal 'best way' to engage the variety of targets. Although the title of the stage suggests that he "MOVE!", it's possible to engage all of the targets from no more than two shooting positions. Ammunition restrictions (magazine capacity) may make it unpalatable to do so.

Those competitors who are limited to no more than 10 rounds in a magazine may find that they need to reload before they can take advantage of the stage, but fortunately the interim targets are readily accessible during movement, if he realizes that he can move as close as he wishes.

All of the difficult targets can be engaged from a position which allows the competitor to stop, plant his feet firmly, and shoot at them after he has taken a breath and acquired a steady, comfortable stance.

Not all competitors recognize these possibilities, and the video demonstrates the ways in which a small group of shooter either take advantage of the design, or else allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the challenge of shooting 26 rounds in less than 30 seconds.

If shooting a stage without malfunctions is a factor which you have not assured, the video, unfortunately, also explores the ways in which firearm reliability can either save you or sink you.

While watching the video, you can test your own grasp of these principles by determining whether you can tell what each competitor is doing correctly, versus what each competitor is mistakenly choosing the wrong skills for this stage.


This video is also available as a 15MB download from Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery, as 7t95.wmv

Adam - 20070913

Tonite we're starting a very special series. Letters from an American IPSC shooter, son and brother of American IPSC shooters, who is serving his country "Over There".

Adam S., son of Bill S., has been writing letters home for several months. Bill has shared many of his eldest son's letters with me during this period, and I have been unable to resist asking Bill for his permission to share these letters.

Bill wasn't shy about giving permission, so I'll include Adam's latest letter here and probably many of his earlier letters in the near future. I've saved them all, as I'm sure Adam's family has.

Most of these letters are very personal, but perhaps this is the most personal as Adam has recently come home to meet his newborn child and is here sharing his joy.

These aren't what we usually consider "Letters From The Front". These are "Letters To My Family, and as such are more important.

While you are reading Editorials from the New York Times and ads therein from leftist organizations, I hope you will have also read these letters from an American Soldier ... who we might consider a "Medic" .. and use the content to put a face to these brave men (and sometimes women) who are fighting for their country.

I couldn't believe it! There are endless little 'first-times' streaming around the [S] (2.0) household. Some I hear about formally, most happen to be 'oh by-the-way, Amaya can laugh and grab now', which have both a breaking and melting effect on my heart. I think what I miss most about my little girls is the teaching. I love teaching (to them).

Kristena told me how much fun she had while shooting. Her conclusion is that she wants a gun that is soft, quiet, and doesn't kick hard. I told her that is like dressing a lion as a sheep. Just because you disguise the signs of lethality does not mean it's no longer lethal. The bang and the snap help you to revere what it is you're playing with.

I am excited for Billie Jo's son, though I haven't shown that to [Billie Jo] enough. You always have more support than what is on the surface; I hope to show [Billie Jo] how much I care about her son. The last month has been a period of darkness with communication. I also hope to change that soon as well.

45 degrees at night? I did the math, that's about right for here too. 45C. Which is about 123 f. Glad we're experiencing the same weather! Actually, with today being an exception (115) it has been cooling off some. The nights are getting cooler and the day light is getting shorter. I look forward to the changes of seasons because those changes signify time; well, time elapsed.

I don't have any engraved crystal Beer Stein trophies! I fear that I've fallen quite behind on the trophy count in these past few years...

Life in the desert is lonely and lengthy, but alas it is disciplined and deliberate. For one-week I've had ample time off, but was drained and distracted long enough to not catch up on much correspondence. Today I was briefed on a very large mission which leaves me 3-days to prepare for it. I will obviously fill you in on the details of the mission after it's over. I should not be gone for more than 72 hours, but during this absence pray for strength, endurance, and impact.

I have a curious question for you, I've always assumed the reasons but I don't really recall asking. Thinking back to your early 20's, what was it that inspired you to start KB? Was it the building? Surely there are many trades that involve welding and fabricating. Was it the industry? Was it the fitness? Was it outside sources or inside motives? Needless to say, I proudly say I literally 'grew-up' in a gym. Some may call me a fitness nut, but there is a deep-rooted love for fitness that began in my youth. I loved KB perhaps only second to you, and I will always love the gym.

Oh! I nearly forgot, I have been designing stages! Off-the-wall, some of them. Some very unusual props and reactive components as well. I started drawing and thinking while guarding that Tigris River bridge. The entire theme was Iraq War based, including the bridge (a traffic control point), the dfac (sic), a roof-top guard position, a market, etc. As my mind wandered I even thought of an Adam-oriented side-match fun shoot that involves shooting from an inverted table (the exercise kind we, as kids, used to spin ourselves end over end in)! Safety would be a huge issue obviously, but it could be done. I even rehearsed the physics of drawing from a table upside down and even doing a reload- not as hard as you might think as long as you can keep the blood from rushing to your head!

My mind often wanders to my father (as well as being a father). Sometimes even the strangest memories surface and my heart deeply yearns to revisit those times. Additionally it turns on the desire to re-create those memories with my own children. Such are the thoughts of a young father I suppose; especially one overseas with the time (too much time) for introspection.

"Some men wonder if what they do will ever make a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem." - Ronald Reagan

I love you (a lot), I miss you (very much), and I can hardly wait to see you again,

Adam

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Now that Summer (for all intents and purposes) and the Major Matches are over, we're back to shooting at Club matches. Some folks refer to this as "The Competitive Season, Part III".

Part I is February until sometime in June, when we have club matches.
Part II is June to Labor Day, when we have Major Matches.
Part III is September through much of November, when most of the big matches have been completed.
Part IV is from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and January after New Years.

All of this leads up to the concept that some people don't do much match shooting except for club matches, and this year I'm one of them. So it is with real pleasure that I note the re-commencement of regular club matches.

That's the good part. The not-quite-so-good part is the slow grind back to shooting up to expectations, rather than to innate ability.

Today was a good example of not shooting up to expectations.

You will recall that a few days ago I talked about the Albany Club Match, wherein I jinxed myself by focusing on shooting a Clean Match (no misses or other penalties) up to the last stage, where I scored three miss penalties.

This week was No-Shoot week. In a match with only one moving target and essentially simple, yet challenging stages, I managed to hit no-shoot penalty targets on 3 out of the six stages.

Worse, I jinxed myself again.

At the end of Stage 4, while waiting for the preceding squad to clear Stage 5 (of 6), I casually mentioned: "Have you noticed that my gun is running much better now? I installed a new recoil spring. I think that fixed the problem of the slide not going into battery."

You guessed it: on the final two stages, I experienced gun problems because my slide wasn't going into battery. Maybe I should switch from a 10# recoil spring to a 12# recoil spring?

I've checked the slide, the barrel and the frame. I am unable to discern any cracks. After Stage 5, I field-stripped the gun, wiped off the powder residue from slide, frame, barrel and recoils spring assembly, and applied another light coat of oil. I did note that I was missing not one but TWO of the five slide-mount screws, so I installed (with Blue loc-tite) replacement screws.

All to no avail. My problem wasn't sight alignment, it was reliability.

I wasn't the only one in my squad experiencing reliability.

Richard installed an Extended Magazine Release on his STI Limited gun. On the first stage, he dropped 3 magazines when he didn't intend to make a reload.

He removed the Extended Magazine Release. I've had the same experience, as have many other shooters of my acquaintance. We've all realized that it offers no advantage, but instead causes problems because we're just not use to that mag release button sticking out so far. As Richard said: "It worked just fine in practice!"

Yep. That's what I said.

After the 3rd stage, Richard decided to install a longer magazine release spring. It was a lost cause, because for some unknown reason he continued to have magazine problems. By the last stage (Stage 5: "Tennessee Two-Step") he was having problems with jams when his gun went to slide-lock and reload jammed the slide.

I note that within the CCS Section, the ARPC 12th annual Single Stack Match (NB: link is an MS Excel spreadsheet) is the last weekend of this month, followed by the Glock Match (NB: link is an MS WORD document) on Sunday.

Lots of local people were shooting Single-Stack, Limited 10 or Production in preparation for those two matches. If nothing else, the experience served to re-acquaint them with the gun they don't usually use in competition. More often, it showed them that they have often forgotten, or have not recently experienced, the idiosyncrasies of the pistols they don't use much anymore.

Getting back to the main subject.

By the last stage, Richard and I were both stuck with guns which were 'occasionally' malfunctioning, and we didn't know why.

We were having fun, regardless of our personal problems. The weather was absolutely perfect: it wasn't raining (much), the wind wasn't blowing targets down, the sun wasn't burning us up and there was no snow on the ground. The company was good, everybody worked (even unto the 'tear-down' at the end of the match -- TCGC doesn't offer 'paid' tear-down as do two of the other clubs in the section, but that's not a problem.

So I admit, the following video puts both Richard and me in A Bad Light, but it's all because of mechanical problems which we attempted, but were unable to correct during a match.

I can't speak for Richard, but if you find it funny it's because you haven't ezperienced the same problems ... yet.

We'll laugh at you then, and expect you to grin and bear it.



Of course, that doesn't excuse my 3 penalties for no-shoots.

Match results are available here, and more pictures and videos will soon be available at Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery.

3 on 1

The Last Stage (ARPC September, 2007)

This match will remain in my memory for a while.

I had a clean match going up to the end, when I became over-focused because I haven't shot a stage with no misses or penalties since God Knows When.

But I allowed myself to get distracted, and ended up with three misses on The Last Stage.

On this stage, the goal was to get 3 hits on each paper target. I only got 2 hits on 3 of the targets. Not that I didn't shoot at them all 3 times, I just managed to pull the sights off the target. The really embarrassing thing is, I didn't call any of the misses; I thought I had hit everything, to the point where I actually asked for an overlay on a target. At a club match? Come on, how anal can one Geek get?

Fairly anal, I guess.

The number 3 is suppose to be lucky, because it's the first prime number after 1. For me, it's just another opportunity to prove I can't stand prosperity.

Here's the video from the stage, on YouTube.



It's also available as a 15mb download from The Video Shooting Gallery (and yes, I used the name before Michael did.)

3 pianos 3!

The Hobo Brasser sent me the link to this excellent video, a performance by Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino in The Netherlands: September 15, 2006. (7:24 minutes duration)

The music is hot, the audience gets right into it, and where else are you going to see three such talented showmen?

Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis
Uploaded by Hanvak

Backup is provided by Ron Woods of The Rolling Stones, and Carl Pickens. The band is lead by ... I think ... the conductor on the Tonite Show.