Police Qualification Standards, Debunking the Myth

So Joe talked about it at the beginning of the month.  I did as Ry suggested and put some extra effort into the video this time around.  It isn’t professional quality by any means though my skills are improving.  It was new unfamiliar software and there were tons of little features I wanted to play with.  I’m getting better with Adobe Premiere, next is After Effects.

So let me start off with a rehash of what we did and why we did it.

Last January a reader on Joe’s blog commented about the LAPD qualification being exceptional and that since they have to qualify every month it’s stringent.

Joe and I weren’t able to find a detailed description however she did and linked us to it. Joe then set about making stages.  You can find the stages here and here.  At this point we had everything we needed to run “a bunch of beer guzzling, uneducated hillbillies“, many of them were the same as before, through the course and see how they did.

Now Joe noted earlier that we had a 90% pass rate for those who scored above 60% and he’s right.  We did have a 90% pass rate at that score level, which is for qualifying in the dark.

Three people were just under the 70% mark, which is the LAPD pass requirement for daylight.  There however is another difference I couldn’t easily cover in the video.  You see the LAPD uses automatic turning targets for their qualification course.  For them it is impossible to have a scoring hit after the time limit is exceeded.

We didn’t have that option, instead we had to fall back on USPSA rules and penalties for shooting a fixed time course of fire.  What this means is that any shot fired after the second buzzer carries with it a penalty of -10 points.  Note the highest possible score for a single shot is 5 points.  So if you make up that shot the best you can do is be down 5 points if you hit an A.

This becomes a serious issue with single shot strings because most likely you will only fire one shot after the buzzer.  You have no extra shots to even out the debt and you just continue to decrease the score.  To give you an idea of how quickly this adds up, 5 penalties will result in a failing score.  So if you have trouble with the 2 shots in 2 seconds and are right on the edge, there’s three penalties.  Couple that with 4 misses on top of that and congrats you have failed.  It doesn’t even need to be full misses, just the aggregate non Alpha hits can add up and shove you under, especially if you’re shooting a minor caliber instead of major.

I know that at least 2 of the three failures had penalties for exceeding time limits, I would need to get the raw score sheets to see exactly how many there were for each shooter.  Though I suspect given their scores, if you change the penalty to -5 from -10, IE subtract just the best possible hit and just turn that shot into a mike, the three in the 60% region would most likely pass.

I think this quote from Tam puts it better than I could.

 I have yet to run across a standard LE qual course that couldn’t be passed by anybody who could stand flat-footed, aim at the ground, and hit it.

In twenty years of being in the firearms industry, I have had the opportunity to see LOTS of police officers shoot. Those that are good are generally good because they are also firearms enthusiasts and sport shooters in their spare time. Most cops aren’t.

In other words they are good shots in spite of being trained and certified by their department, not because of it.

Yup, that’s about how I felt about the LAPD course after I shot it.  Next on the list though is shooting the bonus course.  I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be able to do that but I’ll draw up the stages and may do it over a couple matches.  Doing it all in a single match makes for a lot of “standards” and much less puzzle solving.

The 2nd Amendment Foundation and You

So I got an email from my friend Ray Carter at the Second Amendment Foundation this morning.

Unbeknownst to me there was a Kick Starter drive started for a film that is dear to our cause.

There’s 14 days left in their drive with a goal of $65,000 dollars.  Yeah times are tough on wallets, but you know what it’s also only going to get tougher for our right to keep an bear arms.

There is no question that California is dead center in the fight to keep an bear arms.  Every time I’m around other gun owners and the subject turns to our rights, inevitably the subject of California’s draconian laws comes into play.

If you have 10 bucks, kick into the bucket and you’ll get a digital copy of the film.  Hell, at just 50 you get a DVD and a crew T-Shirt.

How serious does the Second Amendment Foundation and Calguns Foundation consider this project?

The Second Amendment Foundation and the Calguns Foundation have each contributed $5,000.00 to get this project off the ground. 

Let’s get this project completely airborne and complete their goal.  This is something that definitely needs to be spread around.  Tell your friends, tell your relatives, make this happen, it isn’t just California in trouble.  California is merely the front line. 

Quote of the Day – A Girl and Her Gun (9/19/2012)

The most dangerous thing about these people is that they want to affect our minds. They want to convince us that we do not matter. That we have no value. That if we were truly decent and caring people we would care more about the man trying to shove parts of his body into you or me by force than our right not to have that happen.

A Girl and Her GunYou Have Worth

September 19th, 2012


[I find it interesting that our opponents arguments are exactly as A Girl points out more and more.  There is little to question about the way our opponents view criminals and the law-abiding.  Their views are that the life of the criminal is worth more than the person who is being violated.

How sad is it when their position in the argument is that you should let the criminal violate you and then the state will give him “due process”.  I don’t think he really understands how the legal system works.  Due process isn’t a method to argue against self-defense.  Due process is a legal term to protect the innocent from the force of the state.  Due process only applies within the realm of the state.  A criminal does not get entitled to have a jury vote thumbs up or down before their victim can fight back.  The victim is a one man jury and the state will apply due process on that one man jury.

What does this mean for criminals?  It means that if a criminal tries to kill someone, the victim can try to kill them right back.  In the eyes of the law and due process, the victim will be justified in their actions while the criminal will not.

Never mind that the particular individual who brought about this argument failed reading comprehension 101.  As I told A Girl yesterday regarding his commentary on “due process”:

WTFO? I think I just killed brain cells trying to make that supposedly logical leap…

It is unbelievable how willfully our opponents voice their distaste for the law-abiding while embracing, defending, and supporting criminals. -B]

Hey Hey Kids! It’s that time of year again!

Lets play finish the article!  Here’s the headline:

University of Idaho student in stable condition after fall from roof

No cheating first we need to collect ideas of what happened.

First up it’s a student so my immediate guess is this individual was at a Fraternity or Sorority when this incident occurred.  Write down if you agree or disagree, the answer follows.

… after falling from the roof of his fraternity shortly after midnight Wednesday morning. 

I am shocked, I say shocked that an upstanding young student from the Greek system would find himself in such a position.  It’s not like this thing hasn’t happened before.  As a note, there was an individual that fell at WSU August 23rd, though it was just a party house not associated with the Greek system.

Next wild ass guess, though I will admit it’s not really that wild… Alcohol was a factor in the accident!  What say you gentle reader, do you think this individual was sober when he decided to venture across the top of his humble abode?

… but there was also alcohol involved,” said Moscow Police Chief David Duke. 

[sarcasm]Damn, I was really thinking he was stone cold sober![/sarcasm]

How sad is it that I can just read the headline and know exactly what happened like a standard write-up with fill in the blanks.  The only difference in the name of the individual, frat house, school, and responding agency.

Why would I bring this all up though?  Well remember though that these individuals are not the majority of students and yet they are the shining examples used by the anti-rights cultists that concealed carry shouldn’t be allowed on campus.  Unsurprisingly though their examples are often criminals as well.  Not to mention the criminal incidents that don’t get reported by the media, some so horrible  they should issue hunting tags for the animals who did it.  All the while the school looks the other way or attempts to blame the victim (seriously).  (As a FYI, that references two different independent incidents believe it or not.)  WSU doesn’t like the black eye these types of events bring and does anything it can to hide it.

I find it interesting though that the example group our opponents use against college carry often find themselves in situations that would otherwise preclude them from carrying.  Drunk, underage, drug use, etc.  Yet our opponents use them as their example to disarm others who merely go to class and go home.  Ensuring that they can remain easy victims for the predators they oh so clearly support.

As a side note, we often talk about self-defense and avoiding risky situations.  Going into Greek row, more specifically attending any kind of party there I consider high risk, especially for the fairer sex.  It’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way it is.  Know that it’s high risk and act accordingly, preferably just avoid the damn thing.

First you don’t shoot, then you apologize for it?

So this morning a bunch of miscreants invaded sovereign US soil.  The knocked down a wall, took down the flag and burned it.  The response by the embassy security detail was how shall we say, lacking.

Linoge I think was onto something when he said the embassy boss didn’t want to standing in front of a board trying to explain fatalities.  This is why I probably am not, and will never be an overseas ambassador.  My solution would match the below.

Childers in Rules of Engagement had the right idea.  (Sorry for the music going over top).

Not only did he defend the sovereign US soil, he retrieved and protected the American flag. The embassy is US soil folks.  For those who do not understand what I am saying, this was equivalent to them invading somewhere in the states.  If someone breaks into your house, you can shoot the bastards, and in this case people breaking into your house is the equivalent to an act of war.

So here’s a news flash to the US Egyptian Embassy, next time do your freaking job, defend the embassy, the flag, and do not apologize for their aggressionThen again we have a president who supports the Muslim Brotherhood so what should we expect?  I wouldn’t be surprised if the embassy was told to let them be run over.  Heaven forbid we actually defend America.

I know every last Marine in that embassy is feeling sick because they were prevented from doing what they’ve been trained to do.  Pardon me while I go watch a movie now.

On Today

Initially I wasn’t going to put up a post regarding today.  Then I went over to Weer’d’s place and read his post.  I was about to write a comment but instead I realized it was growing into a post.  Here’s what I wrote before I pulled the plug.

I haven’t forgotten, I may or may not put up a post this year.

Yesterday I was embracing the suck and someone was all too unhappy about it. You see our Federal overlords have declared everyone and their mother suspected terrorists for things as innocuous as going about their daily business.  Things such as using cash for a transaction.

I do remember that day.  I remember it quite well.  I remember staring at the TV in disbelief as I watched what was happening live as I prepared to go to school.  I remember the freedom and liberty I had prior to that day.  I also remember hour our government reacted.  They have reacted to the point where they label me with the same title as those monsters.  By god if they’re going to stick me with that title, I am going to embrace the suck and drag the meaning of that word right straight down.

Thanks to the behavior of our modern government, in 2001 terrorists were responsible for that atrocious act.  In 2012, the best that can be said is it was done by evil.  By monsters who despise and hate us.  The title of terrorist no longer fits because according to our overlords, those who fight these monsters are terrorists as well.

Every year on this day I used to be angry at just those who attacked us.  Angry at those who took the lives of so many innocent people.

As the years progressed though I found my anger including others.  While I am still mainly angry at the men who started this snow ball, I am just as angry at the American politicians for exploiting this tragedy for a power grab.  At the same time I am angry because the American people have been complacent with it.

The biggest difference for the majority of America between now and September 10th, 2001 is that we have considerably less freedom now than we did then.  Some would argue that “it was necessary” and it keeps us safe.  The only thing is, it doesn’t do anything to actually make you safe, it just makes a bunch of sheep feel safe.

Today is a day of mourning.  Mourning for not only those we lost, but an ideology that is slowly being destroyed, all in the name of the “War on Terrorism.”  Most of the things on the above list are things that I do as well as many of my friends.  Hell, you can go through all the flyers for different types of flyer’s here.

When you start labeling normal behavior as a “potential terrorist action” why don’t you just admit that you think anyone who isn’t just a good little sheep a terrorist that needs to be put down?

I would further like to note, the mere fact I’m willing to voice this dissenting opinion probably gets me labeled a terrorist as well.  See, they don’t outlaw speech anymore, they just tell you what you said makes you either a racist or a terrorist.  Isn’t all this freedom we have nice?  Never mind that the government actually fits the real definition of the word terrorist.

*I think I need to get one of these T-Shirts to wear on September 11th every year from now on.

SSCC #404 – New Brunswick

The two students claimed in their lawsuit they were sleeping when plainclothes police broke down the door and rushed yelling into the basement apartment of the Somerset Street rental house about 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2010. The officers handcuffed and beat the two, the lawsuit stated.

The students also claimed a destructive search of their room was made by officers, while they were left in a cold room in only their underwear. They alleged they were called a slur against homosexuals.

You know why officers would do something like that in New Jersey?  Their odds of getting shot are quite low thanks to their gun control.  Neither of these individuals were arrested or charged either.  You’ll be glad to know though the city and the police department are picking up the costs for those officers actions.

State Sponsored Criminal #404: John Doe

Because cops should be able to kick down any door for any reason and beat the people inside.

The War on Mice

Those who know me know I hate varmints and vermin with a passion.  We had a small problem last year but we quickly got it taken care of and didn’t have any further issues.  Well this year they have returned, with a vengeance.

Our cats clued us in to their return as they started staring at the access panel to the Jacuzzi tub again.  We opened it up and there was evidence galore they had recently come back.  Down went the kill traps and the wait began.

Yesterday morning I woke up to this:

The other trap had been set off but evidently they got lucky and didn’t take a metal bar to the face.  I reset the traps and away we went.  The wife got home and informed me of the following:

That’s right, two more of the little buggers took metal bars to their necks.  I reset the traps and not even 3 hours later I’m informed by the wife, they’re full again.

Now I’m saying, holy !@#$ Huston we have a problem.  I clean it all up.  Reset the traps and add in two more.  I wake up this morning to find the sneakiest bastard of the bunch:

The little bastard tripped three out of the 4 traps and some how didn’t get snapped… Well the 4th trap broke his neck and ripped open his nose.

Earlier in August the wife and I signed up for pest control which thus far had worked well.  Took out a couple of larger wasp nests that were forming in areas that were difficult for me to get to.  We’ve seen fewer creepy crawlies overall.  At that point we hadn’t seen much in the way of mice signs so they didn’t do much at that time.

Well now that harvest is in full swing, and I’ve killed 6 in 24 hours, they’ll be back out on Thursday.  TMW is less that thrilled right now though because I’m leaving with Joe tonight for Mecca and then we’re headed to Reno for GBR tomorrow morning.  So that means if there are any more of the little buggers she gets to clean them up and reset the traps.

As an FYI, just about everyone has mice problems this time of year in the area, even brand new construction.  It’s the down side of basically living surrounded by wheat fields.  I would poison them, but the last thing I want is for them to die in the crawlspace.  The house would stink to high heaven and then finding the little buggers would be an interesting venture all of it’s own.