Repeat After Me…

If I carry a concealed weapon, I will not be a dumbass and will use a holster unlike this individual.

A Flagstaff man accidentally fired his gun inside a crowded McDonald’s into a wall, which ended with debris hitting fellow customers, police said.

The 24-year-old man had the firearm in his waist band, the police report states, and when he leaned against the back wall, the weapon discharged.

Young man, tell me you aren’t a sports fan because you should have learned from Plaxico’s mistake.  This is not how responsible people carry firearms.  We use a good sturdy holster.  Not that cheap nylon crap from Uncle Mike either.  It should be in a real freaking holster.

You were aware of the mass shooting and you did not want people freaking out about your gun, yet you couldn’t be bothered with using a real holster?  Tell me, how did that negligent discharge work for keeping it all on the down low?

I would like to point out however this is yet another example of the hole in “training requirements” assuming boy wonder here had a CCW, which he probably is, obviously satisfied the training requirement but evidently he skipped class on buy a holster day.*  The bottom line is there are many people that live in states that have no training requirement and they don’t do this type of crap.  Then within states with the training requirement you still have people who do.  Maybe it isn’t as much the training but the attitude of the person carrying the gun.  You can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink.

My guess on what happened given the description is that clothing got within the trigger guard and when he leaned back it applied pressure and went bang.  The other option is he violated rule 5 but I don’t think he would have put a hole through his jeans without also penetrating himself.

*Though it seems that military service satisfies the requirement, maybe they never told him to use a holster for sidearms.  About the best alternative option is participation in organized shooting sports.  I do not know specifically what sports they consider acceptable, however if it’s IDPA or USPSA they don’t let you do Mexican carry.  They tell you to use a freaking holster and what happened is exactly why.  Small-bore rifle and bullseye on the other hand, that just means you can hit the broad side of a barn, not that you know how to carry.

In Which I Think We All Know Why

Given the following incident, I think the answer as to why his roommates did not renew his lease becomes obvious.

When he came to collect his belongings on Saturday night, the two residents were escorting Simpson out of the house when Simpson grabbed a shotgun, racked it, and pointed it at them. The residents ran to the back of the house and called Pullman Police Department.

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a lively time of year for little old Pullman.  Though this year so far has been considerably more lively on the firearm front than usual.  Now I don’t have specifics but I know it’s safe to say that pointing a shotgun at someone is against the law.

I have a feeling there is more behind the scenes here, however the answer is not to the shotgun.  Incidents like this though are what our opponents grab and latch onto as a reason why college students should not have firearms.  Many students, as well as employees are disarmed by the schools policies yet things like this still occur.  Yet this incident occurred only a half mile from the last incident.  Not to mention that students have been attacked walking home after class through these neighborhoods.  It’s as if all those policies and laws don’t really do anything except prevent responsible law-abiding people from having or carrying arms legally*.

So I would like to stand up, applaud, and thank this moron, James Simpson, for supplying ammunition to the enemy and furthering their goals to keep their honest law-abiding fellow students disarmed to be easy prey.

*After VT,  I know for a fact that there was a decent number of people who started carrying against school policy to class.  They did so after they discovered there was no real legal bite to the policy.  At worst they could be expelled if caught and the individuals felt, “Concealed means Concealed” and if they need it expulsion is the least of their worries at that time.

Doubly interesting is a good chunk of those who carried were engineering students.

Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

Honestly I don’t weep or feel sorry for the kids involved in this:

A boy, who was a passenger in the carjacked vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.  The other three juvenile occupants in the vehicle were apprehended at the scene by Irvington officers.  They were a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 17-year old.

Except it goes from bad to all around unpossible.

Police say they found a weapon in the carjacked vehicle.

Underage minors can’t legally have a firearm.  Carjacking is against the law as well.  So is threatening someone with a weapon.  Why didn’t the law stop them?

It’s almost as if the law is merely a tool to punish bad behavior.  Nah, that couldn’t be it because the anti-rights cultists keep insisting laws help prevent and stop violence.  Never mind the fact they merely provide a method of punishment.

Bummer for the car owner that probably now has a totaled Jaguar.  It’s a good thing that NYC is so restrictive on their distribution of Concealed Pistol Licenses as well.  That car owner could have effectively defended his life and property from those kids wielding an illegal weapon.  It’s a good thing someone else made the decision for that car owner to disarm him.*

*If you can’t tell, I’m being  sarcastic the fact is it is not the states job or role to tell be how they should be defending themselves and their property.  The state carries no liability when you’re shot by a carjacker so what right do they have to sit in the back and force you to be shot?

Unpossible – That’s against the law don’t ya know?*

Let me start off by pointing out this is probably the most dangerous time of year in the area.  All of the following dangers increase greatly: the road, general stupidity, and criminality.

Students have been coming back into town since early last week, school doesn’t start until next Monday meaning idle hands.  Further you have people who are transiting through the area while dropping friends off, other people just generally unfamiliar with the town, as well as other things.  Not to mention the rush coincides with the University of Idaho which is merely 10 miles away.

The population grows by 30,000 in a matter of a week and with it goes a shift in demographics.  It also means we start seeing stuff like this again.

A 29-year-old Pullman man was arrested early Thursday morning after he allegedly put a firearm to an acquaintance’s head near Stubblefield’s on Colorado Street and pulled the trigger.

Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said the Ruger semi-automatic pistol didn’t fire when Joseph Hopkins allegedly put it to another man’s head following a drunken confrontation around 3 a.m.

Umm, didn’t you get the memo, carrying a concealed weapon, or even an open weapon is illegal while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Not to mention the fact I’m reasonably sure the individual in question was within a bar consuming alcohol.  This is significant because in the state of Washington:

(1) It is unlawful for any person to enter the following places when he or she knowingly possesses or knowingly has under his or her control a weapon:

 (d) That portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age;

That right folks, unsurprisingly someone violated the law, and then topped it off with what ultimately could be considered attempted murder.  Last I checked, murder was still against the law right?

Yup, still is.

As always, what would have another law done in this case?  Not a damn thing.

So how many laws does it take to restrain a criminal who has no will to follow them?  Who is really affected by all those laws?

The answer to that second question is honest law-abiding citizens.  See often I go into bars but not to drink, but to pick up a friend who called for a ride, or meet up with old college friends for a bite to eat.  According to the state I can’t carry because walking through that door will make my brain go off its rocker and start shooting people.  Being around those evil spirits will cause me to want to drink and lose my judgement.

Never-mind that people are ultimately responsible for their behaviors and actions. If I get drunk it’s my responsibility not to get behind the wheel of a car.  If I’m carrying a gun it’s my responsibility not to get drunk and hinder my ability for sound judgement.  It all comes back to the individual and responsibility.

I want to be respected and treated like an adult.  The CSGV and Brady Bunch would prefer that I be treated like a child.  Pardon me, but f-off, I prefer being an adult and having responsibilities, it results in the ability to have fun and create awesomeness.

*Make sure to read that title with a nice thick “Fargo” accent.

Someone once asked me a question…

They saw my XD on my hip and I actually had my mag carriers on and the asked me the following:

Why did you put on your gun to come to the movie theater?  Do you really think something is going to happen?

To which I replied,

I put on my gun because I got dressed and criminals don’t call ahead.

It ends up last night, or early this morning depending on your view, there was an incident in Colorado.

A gas mask-wearing gunman opened fire early Friday at a suburban Denver movie theater, leaving at least 12 people dead and dozens more injured, police said.

It took no time at all for the gun grabbers to start dancing in blood though.  My personal favorite was the woman on twitter who informed me since no one shot back, we obviously didn’t need to have the right to arms.  Let me start at the beginning, pardon while I synopsize I’ll get to why in a minute.  She posted a tweet yesterday stating how she had physically fought off a rapist and she didn’t need a gun to do so and was glad her attacker didn’t have one.  She then used that statement as a justification for a total ban on firearms. This is how I replied:
<
Here’s the rest of the conversation, remember from the bottom up, I know it’s annoying I can’t figure out a way to change it.
So after the tweets last night I thought the conversation was over.  Well it was until she had some new blood to go dance in as you can see by her comments this morning.

Notice how she called me the ass and implied I was making assumptions but provided absolutely no answers to the questions I asked.  Her solution when I presented arguments she couldn’t handle or respond to was to block me.  All I wanted was for her to justify her position with facts and logic.  Obviously the force is weak with this one.  Especially with this awesome tweet after she blocked me.
So even with my previous examples of people defending themselves and others, the fact that there wasn’t a CCW holder in the theater means that the right is pointless.  Tell me, why wasn’t there a cop in the theater?  It is not the job of the CCW permited populace to protect everyone else.  Our duty is to ourselves and our families.  If we end up protecting you in the process, that’s a bonus.  If we choose to intervene on your behalf, we could end up being hung out to dry by the legal system so why would we?

Most entertaining though is she says that we’re eating our words this morning.  Except we never claimed that guns were some sort of magic talisman, it’s just that it serves no purpose to disarm the law-abiding but to ensure their victimhood.  She cannot argue against this point and she knows it.  That’s why she hasn’t even attempted to answer any of my questions.

She may have blocked me, but she can’t exactly stop the signal.  Feel free to go tweet at her if you like.  (Do NOT harass her, just try and get her to justify her position.)

Back to the subject of the movie theater, unsurprisingly the media has already gone into PSH mode and have resorted to using the Journalist’s Guide to Firearms Identification.
So take this as yet another reminder.  Be careful out there and carry your damn gun, you probably wont know when the wolf comes knocking.
h/t Weer’d

 

SSCC #355–Minneapolis

 

 

Arrested and beaten for exercising his rights.  I have a feeling that these officers disliked concealed carry and felt a way to go Roid Rage on someone.  The proof in this case is in the fact that he wasn’t charged either.

State Sponsored Criminal #355:

Because if you don’t like that someone is carrying legally, beat them and arrest them.

h/t Uncle.

Why I carry a gun…

I have had many people ask why I carry a gun, especially living out here where many actually leave their doors unlocked.  The thing is where I live isn’t special.  Carrying a cop around just isn’t an option.  And when things go down the whole event happens in seconds, not minutes or hours.

Why would I bring this up?


Pullman police responded twice Wednesday evening to reports of armed robbery.

The first call came in at 10:44
p.m. in the 400 block of South Grand Avenue, where one victim reported
that he and his co-worker had been robbed at gunpoint in a parking lot.

The attacker only made off with 37 dollars however it appears that he has probably escaped, especially if he’s from outside the area.  The second incident also serves as an extra reminder that your vehicle presents a method of defense, even if the attacker is more suitably armed.

The second incident occurred at about 12:34 a.m. Thursday in the 1200
block of Southeast Johnson Avenue. Tennant said the 35-year-old victim
from Oregon was driving in the area completing work on a cell phone
tower when he was confronted by a man with a crowbar who reportedly
tried to steal his vehicle.

Always attempt to drive off.  It is the reaction the criminal isn’t expecting and even then shooting at you isn’t going to accomplish anything.  In my case it may get me to go into reverse and run you over since you have proven your intent.  You vehicle though provides more protection than nothing, use it to your advantage.

Most of all though, be alert, stay calm, and carry your damn guns.  Bad things happen even to good people, I carry a gun because I know that fact and I prefer to be prepared for the unexpected.  Don’t expect for someone to be able to magically save  you either if the goblin shows up either.  You are the help. You are the rescue. You are the extraction team.

Royally late new shooter report

In August a family friend got a pistol for her birthday.  The only thing was though she had never learned to shoot.  Her father is by no means opposed to firearms, however her mother hates them with a passion. 

I immediately got back to her, she was extremely busy with work for the next couple weekends but she could make it out to my place for dinner one night.  She came over brought her new pistol.  Went over the four rules, dos and don’ts, as well how to operate her particular weapon as well as a slew of others.

She finally had a day off so we could take her out.  I prefer to avoid ranges I’m unfamiliar with when I have a new shooter.  I don’t like having to pay attention to other people around me possibly being unsafe while also watching a new shooter.

After talking to Laurel, Corina, and Dan I found a place that would work really well.  Only trick would be finding it, I knew approximately where it was.  Rolled in as the sun was getting lower in the sky, perfect photography lighting, nice and warm.

We started her off with the 22 single action revolver.  After a few shots and she was getting comfortable since she had never shot before, and hadn’t ever handled a weapon except at my house a week earlier I wanted to make sure it was enjoyable as opposed to painful.

DSC_2008

After the 22 Revolver I pulled out the High Standard. It has more mass and is semi automatic.  DSC_2048

I spent some more time going over it’s operation again, how to load and release the magazine.  How to verify the weapon is clear, as well as how to unload it.  She did quite well for her first time shooting.

DSC_2090

After this I fired some rounds out of her new pistol.  The question of the day is since it’s a small 9mm, very light, how would the recoil feel.  For me it was manageable, however thanks to it be double action only the trigger pull is extremely heavy and makes it uncomfortable.  We put about about 50 rounds through it, we discovered it was causing her to flinch, we spent time working on that as well as spent some time on her stance.  I’ve noticed a lot of new shooters have a tendency to lean back.

DSC_2298

Even though that little thing packs a punch for the shooter, she absolutely enjoyed it and had a total blast.  After we finished up with the pistol we pulled out my AR and went through some rifle fundamentals.  I normally start with the rifle to teach with then move to pistol but I made an exception in this case.

DSC_2740

I spent some time covering basics of position and breathing.  After which she ripped up the hillside 100 yards away.  Accurately I might add.  Normally I would have run down and put up targets but we were chasing daylight and we had to get back out of BFE.  Someone had left some targets up and she just shot those.DSC_2744

I must say though, the above picture says it all.  A big smile, obviously having fun, and enjoying herself.  I yet again must ask the question, WTF does VPC or the Brady Campaign have to offer?