Drifting Fate and a Pile of Spent Brass

Government Tools in the Office and in the Voting Booth

2010-01-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Many people think the government always has to have the newest and bestest. Let me tell you, they are probably thinking of the feds. Maybe things are different on the wrong side of the Mississippi, but that's not the way it is at the county level in the southwest.

I snapped this picture the other day as an example of tools still in use - a microfiche reader and a wooden handled, hand cranked microfilm winder. Note that this was as I passed through the computer mapping department. These aren't old bits of office equipment gathering dust in some corner or surplus that could not be sold off. This is normal, everyday stuff. The microfiche is so important that every office has a reader, sometimes, two, and this is only one of three in our area. When I started working for the county (just passed my sixth year anniversary) I thought they were joking when they started a description of a process with, "Go to the microfiche..." Nope, not kidding.

Anyway, when you hear about another trillion thrown to Wall Street bankers or about how much money may be sunk into a black budget or about a Speaker of the House wanting her own passenger jet liner and then wonder why your roads are bad and your schools can't afford books, think of this picture. Your tax dollars are being sent outside of your area to fund pet projects run out of Washington, D.C. We pay too much in taxes, and we aren't allowed to keep enough where we live.

So, we'll continue to muddle along, hampered by politicians - left and right - whose main concern is peddling to special interest groups. THAT is something the local and federal levels have in common. We'll continue to be denied the use of a calculator with a square root button or pens that don't clump because the budget is too tight. Elected officials will pontificate about non-existent problems with the environment or about giving the vote to illegal aliens, the new don't ask/don't tell demographic. And as I search for the number to the one place that just might know what a microfiche reader is and be able to repair it, I'll wonder how we got here.
How we got here is by trusting big money media, by dumbing down our education to the point where it's just not funny anymore, by abdicating our adult responsibility to the government, and by voting for the lesser of two evils... Survivor and American Idol have not helped. I really don't think the government should have, or at least usually needs, the newest and bestest, but there is an expectation to be efficient and to stay with the times. We can't do that when the government making the important decisions is on the other side of the country instead of at city hall, county chambers, and the state capital.

Do I have an answer? Nothing that will ever catch on: be informed and vote out anyone who believes in big government and who doesn't have a ten year track record of actually defending the Constitution.

I'm done voting for the lesser of two evils. Party lines mean little to me anymore. I'll vote for who is the small government conservative. Period. Throwing my vote away? I no longer think so. Evil is evil. If you get the lesser of two evils, you still get evil. It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff and find the few good politicians out there. They may never rise above all that is stacked against them, but they certainly won't if no one is ever willing to break free from the status quo money machine and it's christened candidates.

Re-arming the Russian Bear

2007-07-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

In a prior entry, we looked at some of the aggressive posturing of Russia and wondered what it meant for the political future of the world.

Well, Putin hasn't slowed down. On 28 June 2007, MSNBC (and most other news outlets) reported a successful test of a new, Russian nuclear missile design, the Bulava M. It will be "seaborn," has a 6,200 mile range, and carry six warheads. Of course, "seaborn" means they ride around in a submarine, silent, very difficult to find, and able to suddenly show up at your doorstep without warning.

Yes, I know what you are thinking. A new missle? Do the Russians even have a sub that runs? With all the economic turmoil in Russia, can they scrape together enough coin to build anything new? I wondered the same things and did some checking. For years now it has been assumed that everything in the Russian military has been incapable of functioning.
In a flashback to Stalinist days of choosing weapons over food for the proletariat, Putin has in fact built a brand new ballistic missile submarine, or "boomer" for those of us who grew up reading Tom Clancy. Bellona.com wrote in December of 2004 that hull testing of a new submarine had been completed at the Sevmash shipyards. The Yury Dolgoruky would be the first of a new line of submarines, the Borey class, and completion was expected to be in 2006.

In April of 2007 Defense-Update.com wrote that the launch of the Yury Dolgoruky at Svemash was imminent and sea testing would go through 2008. Considering the speed at which government works, especially communist (face it, Russia is still communist) governments, they didn't miss the 2006 deadline by too much. D-U ends their article saying another two more Borey class subs are currently in production, with a fourth in the planning stages.
Building a brand new nuclear weapon and four brand new submarines in which to stick said brand new nuclear weapon goes a bit beyond the typical saber rattling for a country as strapped for money as Russia. This is a direct and deliberate move by Putin to put teeth back into the jaws of the Russian Bear.

Russia is in a terrible situation. They have no money, they don't have the means to develop their natural resources, they are in desperate need of oil, and they feel they have lost face with the world. At one time they were a great, ok, large, empire that made other countries quake. Russia give billions in supplies and arms to their allies and were capable of such destructive power that to make a move against Russia would be signing a suicide pact. Now, the old men who once looked forward to wielding such power and living in disappointment, eager to have the stature they were promised long ago. The younger men look back on the Cold War days with nostalgia, listening to the stories of when Russia towered over the West.

On top ego and poverty, Russia is also struggling with an emptiness, a void where the soul of their people once was. No matter your outlook or view of religion, Russia stands testament as the first society who actively lived with no belief in the spiritual. The back of the people has been broken and their is no faith for them to lean on. Apathy and despondence affect almost every aspect of their lives and the birth rate has fallen past the point where researchers believe a country can maintain it's own identity.

When a man like Putin surveys a landscape as barren as Russia, the response will be a forceful one. You make the world bow down, you grab your people and your enemies by the throat and you throttle them until they do what you want. Bush can be a star crossed lover and gaze into Putin's eyes as much as he wants, but when we call such men compassionate and trustworthy, we give them opportunity and space to do what they wish unmolested.

I'll end this with another bit of information for you to chew on. On 14 July, 2007, AXcessNews.com (amongst others) reported that Russia has pulled out of a key European Union treaty limiting the number of conventional forces a country can raise. Behind the new missiles and submarines, we have a growing army. How many countries have ever built up an army without the intent to use it?

SIG P226ST in .357SIG

2007-07-08T20:39:00.001-07:00

SIG-Sauer is well known for their line of reliable and robust combat pistols. A list of their satisfied customers include the Secret Service, Air Marshals, Navy SEALs, Department of Homeland Security, British SAS, Army CID, and the Texas Rangers.

One of their most popular models is the P226. It was originally offered as a 9mm with an aluminum frame and stamped steel slide. It set amazing standards in both accuracy and reliability. They are not cheap, but they offer target gun precision with combat reliability. Later, the .40S&W and .357SIG were added to the line up.

As the name implies, the .357SIG was designed by SIG in an attempt to duplicate .357 magnum revolver performance in an pistol. The attempt was marginally successful, but more recent loadings have come very close to achieving the initial goal. Even if it isn't a perfect match to the magnum on paper, it is a very hot round that has wracked up an excellent record on the street and an amazing list of successes in the hunting field, a very unconventional place to find a semi-automatic pistol.
The version of the P226 you see here is one of the more unusual, though not terribly rare, is the ST in .357SIG. The “ST” designates a milled stainless steel slide, common to all current P226's, as well as a stainless frame instead of the more common aluminum one. This makes for a heavy pistol to carry, but one that is a joy to shoot. The extra weight takes the punch out of the typically snappy .357 round.

.357SIG ammo is expensive, over twice the cost of 9mm and about double that of .40S&W. Why use it, then? If you don't like the “small, light, hyper velocity” philosophy, then there probably isn't going to be much there to sway you. But, current self-defense ammo provides better hard cover penetration than the 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP due to it's velocity and sectional density. At the same time, it doesn't over penetrate in soft tissue, i.e. a person. If you want to use a heavy 147grn. bullet, you can push it along much faster than in a 9mm. And, if you want to go down to 115grns., 1500fps is achievable, typically faster than most manufacturers will push a 110grn. bullet out of a .357 magnum revolver. Most people and government agencies stick with a 125grn. load and find it to be a great all round choice.

Of the 125grn. offerings, the Speer Gold Dot is the most common. It uses a nickeled case to help extraction in abusive environments and the proven Gold Dot bonded bullet. Cor-Bon was the first to break the 1500fps barrier with their 115grn. Load and currently offer a 125grn. Barnes DPX bullet as their premium line. Double Tap Ammunition has a solid reputation with the 10mm crowd because DT loads to the maximum and seems to find an extra 100fps missing from other companies. And, they are some of the most reliable defensive ammo around,with fifty rounds selling for the same price as twenty from the other guy.

The P226 is one of my all time favorite designs. I have average-large hands and this SIG is a perfect fit. A person can gripe about the high bore axis, but that is typical of DA/SA autos. However, the muzzle flip that plagues guns with a high bore axis is virtually absent from all of the SIG line. Part of that is the excellent design of the grip frame, part seems to be magic, but no one complains about the result. Trigger reach is always an issue with DA/SA weapons, and here the SIG is running with the pack. The smooth trigger of the SIG (and the Beretta 92FS for that matter) are usually very smooth and light enough to be worked with precision, and not the “crunch/tick” of other designs. Think of it as more of a “slide/tick.”

You pay a premium for the stainless frame of the ST, but if you want an easy shooting gun for practice or competition, the benefits are worth it. Besides minimizing recoil, which minimizes dwell time between shots, the heavy frame should take a lot more abuse and last longer than the aluminum frames. And, if you want to explore the outer limits of handloading, the ST's are built like bank vaults.

An advantage of all .40S&W & .357SIG SIG's is that the arc of engagement for the extractor allows them to shoot 9mm, .40, and .357 simply by swapping out the barrels. In theory, this should be true for all .40 or .357 pistols with external extractors, but you will have to check out your particular model to see if it's feasible and if conversion barrels are available. For the record, you can't do this with 9mm guns because the breach face is too small.
The steel framed SIG's aren't for everyone, but if you want one, there's no reason to talk yourself out of it. They are just too nice not to like. It probably won't be your next carry gun, but then again, it might. The weight on your belt will also be the same weight that soaks up recoil and reduces that ever important dwell time.

"I think I need a gun...", Education and Training

2007-07-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Even world champions like Tiger Woods rely on constant training and education. Picking an instructor is important, but this won't be the last person you take a course from, so don't sweat the choice too much. The basics are just that, basic, and they are easily taught and easily learned.

When it comes to picking an instructor, start with one who is NRA certified. That doesn't mean they have a PhD in the gun, but it means that they have at least sat through a basic firearms course and taken enough interest in the subject to bother getting a certification. Second, if your state offers concealed weapons permits, find an instructor who is also state certified to teach those courses.
There are two ways to approach basic instruction. You can learn the basics of marksmanship and safety. This is the best way to learn. It sets a firm foundation for everything else. If you can't learn to hit the target safely, on the range, without the stress of someone trying to kill you, you aren't going to be successful at anything even resembling a combat drill.

The other way to learn is best reserved for those people with an immediate threat to their lives. You can quickly learn to shoot a gun well enough to defend yourself in probably 50% of the situations you are likely to occur. The sad fact is that this is the way most people approach firearms, and instructors are more than happy to take your money. A person needs to learn to walk before they can run, and fighting drills at speed is running. This approach is dangerous. A person who is just learning to handle a weapon is simply not going to handle it as safely when worried about other things.

If you are one of those people in the unenviable position of needing to learn self-defense shooting in an afternoon, there are ways to go about it. Dispense with all of the drills related to weapons malfunctions. You simply won't have time to learn and ingrain the proper responses. And, they take time away from learning how to hit your target and not shooting yourself in the process. If the gun fails, there is no way for you to know how to fix it. In all honesty, even the experts won't have the time to fix a gun in the “typical” gunfight. Things are just happening too fast. Second, forget drawing the gun. The fastest draw is having a gun in your hand. If you are surprised with the gun stored in a holster or purse, it's too late for the gun to save you. This is when knowing how to dig your fingers into an attacker's eyes pays off. Third, dispense with target shooting and focus on quick and dirty drills, nothing beyond 21 feet (7 yards), with most shooting done between 5 and 10 feet. That sounds really close, and it is. Most gun fights occur at 7 feet or less. The only other thing that should be focused on is basic weapons retention. At 5 feet, you don't want to essentially turn your gun over to your attacker, which you will be doing with the traditional, two-handed, eye level hold. That's it. Extreme close quarter shooting and fundamental weapons retention. I've spent more time on this than doing it right because few instructors understand the needs of compressed time. Most will try to fit their two day course into a few hours or show you the cool stuff they can do but that you'll never make effective in the short term.
I can't emphasize enough the importance of taking the basics first. If you want to pursue firearms as a hobby or serious pursuit, it's worth the time doing it right. And, even if this is equivalent of buying a fire extinguisher to you, you have the responsibility of learning what you need to in order to defend yourself and your family without being a hazard to anyone except your attacker.

Do I have any recommendations on who to go to for training? Yes, but these are people or schools notable on a national level. That doesn't mean you can't go. In fact, I highly recommend you do. But, unless you are lucky enough to have one of these in your backyard or live near a hosting range, it's going to require some travel.

The first, most well known, and the standard by which all others are judged, is Gunsite. Located north of Prescott, AZ, Gunsite was founded by Jeff Cooper in the 1970's. To tell you the significance that Gunsite and Cooper have had on the shooting community is difficult to encompass in anything short of a book. Every shooting school in the world – military, law enforcement, and private – teaches what they do because of the work Cooper popularized and pioneered from the 1950's and on. A person can never have even touched a gun in their life, drive through the gates of Gunsite, and leave five days later fully capable of controlling their environment and be years ahead of students who follow a more progressive approach to learning.If you can afford to go to Gunsite, don't even bother reading any further. Pay the tuition, take the time off, and go. Part of Gunsite's success is certainly due to a time tested approach of constant challenge and almost manic attention to detail. It isn't a place that those who want to dress up like soldiers are tolerated. It's not a survivalist school or a bunch of people talking about black helicopters and conspiracy theories. If you show up in fatigues, a low slung SWAT holster, spewing a bunch of military jargon without the badge or ID to show you warrant such things, you will be quietly pulled aside, explained the facts of life, and given the choice of shaping up or leaving. These are serious people and have a history of hiring those who don't suffer from the most common ailment among firearms instructors, an overinflated ego. People from Special Forces to soccer moms and everyone in between have been students at Gunsite. Don't worry you won't fit in or that it's an environment where you will be made to feel uncomfortable. I said they are serious people, and when it comes to shooting, they are. They are also polite, intelligent, and up beat who do what they do out of the love of teaching others. That sort of mindset has been critical to Gunsite's success. Another reason Gunsite works so well is that there are no distractions from the training. Even Prescott, the closest town of any size, is rather small. The student spends a week of what amounts to immersion in an environment that fosters self-confidence, safety, and control. Gunsite often says it is not a shooting school, but one that teaches a person how to resolve violent circumstances. (For those of you a bit hazy on your history, the Gunsite logo is the raven, not the German iron eagle.)

The reality here is that few people can, or are willing to, spend the money and take the time to go someplace like Gunsite. Luckily, there are quite a few good instructors and schools around, many of which take there show on the road, holding weekend classes at shooting ranges all over the country.

The biggest competitor to Gunsite is Thunder Ranch in Oregon. Unlike Gunsite which uses many instructors, Thunder Ranch is Clint Smith. Clint has had a successful career from Marine to cop to instructor at Gunsite to the head of the law enforcement program for Heckler & Koch firearms to writer to running his own school. I've never heard of anyone feeling their time spent training at Thunder Ranch was wasted.
Other names I can recommend are Gabriel Suarez, Ray Chapman, Ken Hackathorn, John Farnam, Massad Ayoob, Chuck Taylor, and Tom Givens. There are many other great instructors and many other large schools. However, be warned, those two concepts don't always go together. I could recommend against some schools and instructors, but avoiding the risk of slander, I'm just going to recommend you do a Google search of any school and instructor you are thinking of spending time and money on.
Anything you find by the instructors I've named is well worth a read if you are so inclined. The one book I think everyone should read if they keep a gun for self-defense is “In the Gravest Extreme” by Massad Ayoob. It was written specifically for the armed, average citizen. For those not trained or raised with the concept of force, or the legal fallout from it's use, this will be an eyeopener.
A basic tenant of all martial arts, and shooting is the only true American martial art, is to learn from as many people as you can, take what you can use from each, and dump the rest. Of the instructors I listed up above, each have their loyal followers and rabid detractors. Each side is probably right to one degree or another, but each instructor listed is a wealth of knowledge who has a lot to offer the motivated student.

Once you pay your money and show up for class, don't stay if you feel anything is unsafe or if the class turns into a brag session for the instructor. Depending how far you take your training, you will be doing things that now seem unsafe to you. Part of that is perception and part is that playing with the big dogs entails more risk. Don't worry, you are a long way from making those decisions. For now, if you just feel in your gut that you are being asked to do something unsafe, ask for clarification, and if it's not readily forthcoming or doesn't make sense, walk. Even if you can't get your money back, a few hundred dollars is cheap if it means you don't get hurt or killed.

At the very least, I recommend three classes, backed up by a few hours of private instruction if you feel you need more work. The first is the basic firearms class. This will teach you safety and the basic mechanics of shooting, loading, unloading, storage, and cleaning.

The second is your state's concealed weapons certification class, if applicable. Even if you don't plan on carrying concealed, take the class and get the permit. These classes usually focus on the legalities of using lethal force and very little on actually how to use your gun. Don't kid yourself, you need to know the legalities. Here, ignorance can lead to jail time. And, getting your permit even if you won't carry is good because it shows you've passed what the local government thinks you should know about using lethal force. It's hard for the government to argue in court against what the government has mandated be taught in it's certified classes.
The third thing to take is a basic combat (sometimes called tactical or self-defense) shooting course. This is where you will learn the complexities of how to manipulate a weapon at speed and under stress. Points on how to carry, how to clear malfunctions, reloading, and storage in regards to weaponscraft should be covered. This is where your real training will begin. You can follow this as far and for as long as you are willing to. Do yourself a favor, if you don't agree with an instructor, find out why he does what he does. He might have a better reason for doing it his way than you do for doing it your way. Then again, he might not. Either way, don't argue and do it his way for the duration of the class. After all, you paid to see how this instructor does things, not to get justification for doing whatever it is you are already doing. Remember, take what you can use, dump the rest.

Once you've taken the courses, you will need to keep in your practice. The first way is the most obvious – live fire. That means actually shooting the gun. And, shoot it in the way you would have to use it. Don't cock the piece if you won't be using it that way in an emergency. Some ranges will let you draw from a holster. If the range you are at will, make sure to include that in your practice. If you go out into the boonies to practice at am impromptu range, be courteous and safe. Cart it out if you cart it in, know what is going to stop your bullets and where they will end up (Rule 4!), be attentive for other shooters and where they are shooting in relation to you and you to them, and just use good sense. You've made it this far, don't screw up now.

Try to make it to the range once a month, but at least every other month. Shooting is a perishable skill. If you don't use it, you will lose it. And, this is a something that is not only fun, so it shouldn't be a burden to go, but a skill that you might have to stake your life on someday. You want to be able to do what is needed when the balloon goes up.

The other way to train is through dry fire. Dry fire is “shooting” the gun without any ammunition in it. All you are doing is working the action and pulling the trigger, letting the hammer or striker drop on an empty chamber, and do it again. Dry fire is great to show you how good your trigger control is and it lets you practice things such as draws and reloads in the comfort of your own home.
Dry fire practice has the potential of being highly dangerous and there are certain steps that should be taken to avoid an accident. First, you practice in the same place every time. This will avoid snap shooting at something in the house and keep you in the proper (read “safe”) mindset. Pick a spot, and that is the ONLY spot you will dry fire in. Now that you have your spot, go to another room. No live ammunition ever, every goes into your dry fire area. Pick a spot in the other room to unload your gun. Have a container for your magazines and/or ammunition. Once the gun is unloaded and you've checked it three times, literally, count the number of bullets in the container. Are there as many in there as there should be? If so, move into the other room and take up position in your dry fire spot. Check the gun three more times to ensure it is empty. Even go so far as to stick your finger into the empty chamber (or chambers, if a revolver). Never trust only your eyes. Now, commence your practice.

Your aiming point should be something which will stop your carry ammo. Bullets go through dry wall and many layers of wood. An old tube style television will typically stop a bullet and if you shoot your TV, well it's a lesson learned and you are only doing what bumper stickers have been urging for years. I don't know if the latest flat panels will stop a bullet or not, but I wouldn't trust them too. There are targets such as those from Safe Direction that are made of the same kevlar that bullet proof vests are made of. Obviously, this isn't a target you intentionally want to shoot, but it will stop a bullet if you make a mistake and your gun is loaded. They aren't cheap, but the peace of mind is worth it. You can even go so far as to laminate 16” inches of plywood together. No self-defense handgun bullet is going to penetrate that, not even close. Frankly, I would expect it to stop most rifle rounds.

The use of snap caps is a good way to prevent damage to your gun. Snap caps are dummy bullets that give the firing pin something to hit while you dry fire. Most guns can be dry fired many thousands of times on an empty chamber with no ill effects. But, a broken firing pin or burred breach face happens often enough that snap caps are a worthwhile investment. The obvious danger here is mixing up live ammunition and the snap caps. In order to avoid this, you keep the snap caps only in your dry fire area and far away from the live ammunition you unloaded in the other room.
Twenty minutes of dry fire is fine. You probably aren't going to stand doing it much longer than that anyways. Shooting is fun, but dry fire is the treadmill of firearms training. It's dull and something you just need to put your time in on.

Now comes the most dangerous part of dry fire practice, the end. Many people at this point reload their gun. Unless you are in a combat zone, allow yourself at least a half-hour of “cool down” time. What happens is that a person finishes practicing, reloads their gun, and then suffers from “one more time” syndrome. They automatically repeat what they have been repeating all along. Many, many unintentional discharges happen this way. One of the big gun writers from the 1960's accidentally killed his best friend through such a mistake. The Four Rules apply here just as much, if not more, as they do anywhere else.

As with anything you do in life, you need training and you need to keep up your skills. If your gun is only going to be a piece of safety gear to go along with your door locks, security system, smoke alarms, seat belts, and the rest, you still need to stay proficient. This may seem an undue burden, a condition put out by an obvious gun guy, but I think it's a very valid standard to hold you to. For one, if you find yourself in a position where you need to shoot a person, you need to make that shot. If you don't, you or a loved one will die. If death or grave bodily harm isn't going to occur if you miss the shot, then you shouldn't be pulling the trigger.

After a shooting, the court is going to hold you to being a responsible gun owner. Heavens forbid the worst happens and one of your shots hits an innocent bystander, the court is going to consider you irresponsible for using a gun when you didn't have the skills to do so in such a way as to not prove a danger to the public. Even experts miss, and fighting for your life is going to be the most stressful conditions under which to shoot. But, not maintaining your skills will be seen as irresponsible.

If you find an instructor you like, take a few extra courses. They will also be a good source of advice for what gun would work well for you. Getting instruction in one area where you can put in too much research. Find someone who looks good and jump in. This is the time when theory and thought needs to turn into action. If you pick wrong, then you know not to go back. If you pick right, then you found a good instructor you can use for other classes.

"I think I need a gun....", Kicking the Tires

2007-07-05T21:30:00.001-07:00

Alright, you've now memorized the four safety rules and you have given some consideration as to how you want to employ and use a gun. The urge is to go out looking and talk some shop with the gun store guys, handle a few handguns, toss a shotgun to your shoulder, and get a bit real with this instead of only reading about it.

For the uninitiated, allow me to share a few thoughts from someone who has spent a lot of time on both sides of the sales counter.

The bad news first: at least 85% of gun store employees have no clue what they are talking about. The jobs are low paying and unless you find the true enthusiast willing to work for peanuts, you are probably going to hear a lot of baseless opinion. I said they don't have a clue, I never said they know they don't have a clue. Face it, it's a testosterone laden environment. You are going to run into plenty of posturing and gruff talk. It's not unlike a construction site or locker room in that aspect. The inherent problem is that the average American male thinks he is born knowing his way around guns, cars, and the bedroom.
Things are slowly changing. The newer and more modern shops do a better job treating the new buyer like a human being rather than someone who needs to be educated on "the way things are." I like to patronize the smaller, local shops as much as I can because I support small business. Surprisingly, you don't tend to pay more for guns and you can get some very good personalized services. The larger stores such as Cabela's and Sportsman's Warehouse get national pricing structures and so aren't able to drop prices to compete. What the little store will never be able to compete on is selection. There are so many different guns, it would be a budget buster to carry every variation. However, every store has at least one wholesaler on speed dial and they will be happy to order anything you want. Often you can negotiate a substantial savings on special orders. Hey, it's a sale they wouldn't otherwise make, it will never sit on a shelf so it will be an instant return on their investment, and shipping isn't going to cost extra if you let them combine it with their next order.

One very good thing about gun shops is that they are used to lots of people "just kicking the tires" and looking at the toys. This isn't like a car dealership where high pressure is typical and everyone coming through the doors is going to buy a car someplace. Guys like making the rounds of the local stores. Feel free to walk in and look around. Talk to some people, ask to handle a few guns (pay attention to see if the employees and other customers follow The Four Rules, I think you'll find you are already way ahead of most of the "experienced" shooters.)

Don't be afraid to ask questions. The guy behind the counter may not know anything, but then again he might very well be a font of untapped knowledge. I worked in one shop where almost everyone was a well educated specialist in their area of interest. I worked in another shop where everyone thought they were well educated specialists. Either way, you have nothing to lose by asking. No matter the knowledge level of the person behind the counter, the majority of them are happy to tell you their view on things.
I have to say that on average the firearms community is by far the most courteous and well mannered group of people you will ever meet. But, just like with the arrogant car salesman, sexist mechanic, and know-it-all computer geek, the gun world has that occasional person who will just cross you sideways. Egos and self-perception can get wrapped up in things. This seems to be especially problematic with instructors, something of a vaunted position with the gun shop crowd. If you do run into the bad apple who is condescending or suffers from an overblown opinion of themselves, just walk out. Don't feel bad. It's just part of the human condition that shows up in every walk of life.

Because gun shops are where the local shooting instructors work and/or advertise, ask around for opinions on introductory courses offered in your area. Look for those with NRA certification. If your state has concealed weapons permits, find an instructor who also teaches those classes.

There are a number of indoor shooting ranges around the country. I have yet to see one that doesn't offer gun rentals and at least a minimum level of retail sales. If the temptation to touch off a few rounds is jut too great to resist, rent a gun, buy some ammo, have them show you how the gun works, mutter The Four Rules to yourself, and put some lead down range.
We haven't talked about how to shoot a gun. I could write volumes on the different ways of doing things, what I think is best, and so on. But, I'm going to leave that to your instructor. You will get more from one-on-one than you will from anything you read. Once you have a bit of trigger time, you will get a whole lot more from reading than you will now. I am going to cover three very important things you should know about how to shoot and that will get you started.

First, use the sights. "Sights" plural because they consist of two parts, a rear sight which isa notch, and a front sight which is a post. If you can't figure out where they are located, you honestly shouldn't own a gun. There is huge debate about whether a person should use the sights or should point shoot, pointing the gun at the target and shooting. Point shooting can be done effectively, but it takes talent backed up by a tremendous amount of practice. We don't know if you have the first, but we know you don't have the second.
In speed matches where tens of thousands of dollars at stake, competitors all use sights. The most highly vaunted special forces hostage rescue team in the world, shooting more in a week than most people do in five years, the US Army's Delta Force, have a reputation for using the sights (though I had the tremendous luck to run into a a member who did amazing things with point shooting, how did I know he was Delta?, because all the clues fit and he would never say what he did in the Army, hint: anyone who brags about being part of a covert force isn't and never was.) Big game hunters facing down charging lions, upset cape buffalo, or a bear protecting her cubs all use the sights. What do these people have in common? They can't afford to miss the shot. Neither can you.
Second point: when using the sights, you have three different focal plains. Your eyes can only focus on one at a time. Be aware of all three, cut the target in half with the front sight, center the front sight in the notch of the rear sight, buy physically focus on the front sight. Why? Because that is directly above the muzzle and is telling you the very last part of the gun the bullet will touch while headed down range.
Third: the trick is to work the trigger smoothly. Pull straight back, don't rush things, work on keeping the front sight on target while you move the trigger without moving the gun. Slow and easy is the rule. Don't grab the gun with your whole hand. All that should be moving is your trigger finger.

You can't learn all there is to know with only three steps. Shooting is something that is easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master. Right now, you have The Four Rules memorized and hardwired into your thinking. You have a few basic shooting tips. You can safely shoot a gun and have a moderate level of success. Honestly, you will probably get more out of waiting for your first lesson, but sometimes you just want to jump to the end of the book.

The one thing I would urge you to wait on is to not buy a gun quite yet. Take a few lessons, think about what you have learned and how, if at all, it affects your initial ideas of what type of gun to buy. Then, spend the coin to rent a few guns and see what you like. You will have to eat the ammunition cost. It's the gas the gun runs on and the dealer has to cover their overhead on each piece of inventory they carry. But, the rental cost of the gun(s) can often be a negotiated item since the guns are a resource which continues to pay for itself over time. Most shooting ranges will apply the gun rental cost towards a gun if you by it from them. If they don't have what you want, remember the magic of the special order. Yes, you want to walk out with the gun in your hot little hands, but savings can be found in delayed gratification.
Have fun looking around. Don't take anything personally, apply a liberal pinch of salt to anything that doesn't sound right, and remember that this isn't a purchase that should be rushed. If you need a gun RIGHT NOW because of a specific threat, do what you need to do to survive. Realize that owning a gun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a pen makes you a novelist.

"I think I need a gun.....", Reviewing the Hardware

2007-07-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

I do want to address some of the mental and moral issues one needs to settle before arming themselves. But, since the last entry was a bit of lecture, I thought we'd focus on the hardware today. We want to get our grubby little hands on the goods, right? Ok, so let's look at a few different options in a few different categories, and then you can decide which category you fit in. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

The perennial question is, "which gun should I buy?" Without any other information about you, your size, your experience, you needs, and you desired uses for the gun, I'll ante up with what I recommend more often than anything else: the Glock 19.
If you search through this blog, you will find a write up about the Glock 17. The G19 is the exact same gun except that the barrel and grip frame have been shortened a bit. That little bit of length takes away part of the lower swell on the backstrap, making it more friendly to people with smaller hands. And yet, people with big bear claws are still comfortably using the G19.

The Glock has a very simple and consistent manual of arms makes it easy for people to learn how to use, it holds 15 + 1 rounds (15 in the magazine, plus one in the chamber), it's small and light enough to easily carry and yet large enough to be easy to handle, it is very tolerant of user neglect, it is virtually impossible to make rust, it is one of the most reliable gun ever made, it's low bore axis helps tame recoil, the 9mm cartridge is more than adequate for self-defense and yet is easy to shoot, the ammunition is cheap so that a person will practice, and the initial buy-in to the pistol is very low when compared to other tier one fighting handguns.

Phew, that's one heck of a run on sentence, but it's exactly why the Glock 19 is so good - there are so many things that make it a good choice. If anything cab be called a volkspistol, this is it.

Now, the Glock 19 is a semi-automatic pistol. The quick and dirty definition is that it shoots once for each pull of the trigger and feeds ammunition off of a removable magazine (not "clip") that rides in the grip frame.
A double action revolver is often recommended for the beginning shooter. A revolver has a captive (not removable) cylinder which typically holds between five and seven rounds. With each pull of the trigger, the cylinder rotates, bringing a new cartridge into the firing position. Double action simply means the gun does not have to be manually cocked for each shot unlike the revolvers John Wayne used to win the west in so many movies.
The advantage of the revolver is that it's very simple and has a long, heavy trigger pull. In theory, that long, heavy trigger pull will make it more resistant to you working the trigger when you shouldn't. I'm not convinced of that. In reality what it does is make a gun that is difficult to shoot for the average beginner. With the advent of simple and reliable pistols, I think the revolver, with a few exceptions, should be relegated to the status of an advanced weapon.

If you absolutely refuse to train with your gun, then a revolver is a good choice. You can leave it loaded for decades, pick it up, and it will go bang. Now, you shouldn't buy a gun if you aren't going to take the time to learn how to use it, but some people are going to do what they want to do no matter what someone else says. Smith & Wesson and Ruger make the best revolvers, Taurus wheelguns aren't too bad and are cheaper than the Smiths and Rugers.

You say you won't be carrying the gun, that it will only be used for home defense, and you want something that is easy for your wife to use when you aren't there? Easy: buy a shotgun. Long arms - rifles and shotguns - are much easier to hit with than a handgun. Don't believe the old adage of "you can't miss with a shotgun." You most certainly can. When fired, the shot pellets progressively spread once they leave the barrel. But, at room distances, they are only going to have opened up to the size of your fist. What makes them easier to shoot accurately is that the gun is mounted to the shoulder and you are looking right down the barrel.

There's no need to go with the biggest and baddest when it comes to shotguns. A 20 gauge will do everything a 12 gauge will at combat distances. (The smaller the number, the more powerful the shotgun). Buckshot, a loading with a few very large pellets, is the traditional fighting choice for shotguns. But, it's going to go through lots of walls if you miss and, frankly, you don't need that much punch. You aren't in the military hunting down people in a jungle and you aren't a police officer trying to stop a bank robbery. Darn near anything that goes bang in a shotgun will work for the homeowner. The one caveat is if you live in very cold climates, regular birdshot might not make it through a heavy winter coat. In that case, I would recommend some of the smaller buckshot like a size "4" - don't worry the guy in the gun shop will know what you are asking for.
Do not buy one of those mean looking shotguns that only have a pistol grip. You want something with a full stock. Pistol grips are for people who want to look cool or experts who have a specific need for the shortest shotgun they can get. You want a full stock that you can put into your shoulder.

I am a big fan of the youth sized 20 gauge shotgun for home defense. The shorter stocks and barrels make them easier to use inside a home, they are more than powerful enough, and they don't look like something Delta Force carries around Baghdad. If you are pushed to the extreme and forced to shoot someone, you will be spending some time in court no matter how justified you were. That wood stocked, small shotgun is going to look very benign to the judge and jury. Forget the facts, perception counts a great deal in any legal proceeding, and no one spoiling for a fight picks a child's gun, right?
A pump action is the cheapest and has a bone-chilling sound with the action is worked. Everyone knows that sound and countless lives have been saved by the bad guy simply turning and running away when he knows a shotgun has just been added to the equation. I was about 13 when, home alone with my little sister, a man tried to break into our house. Dad's shotgun came out of the closet, a few shells hastily shoved into it, and I went out to confront the home invader (not the best tactics, but I've always been aggressive and I was 13, so give me a break). I waited until the guy saw me, pumped a round into the chamber, and he disappeared like a ghost. Impressive stuff.

A semi-automatic shotgun takes a bit more care to keep lubed and more attention in choosing the ammunition because, like a semi-auto pistol, requires enough recoil to work the action. Semi-auto shotguns are also more expensive. Once up and running, they recoil less and are easier to shoot.

You want to carry concealed, want a full powered gun, but don't want to carry around a boat anchor? For "full powered," the starting point is 9mm. We'll cover calibers and ammunition later, but if you want to search the web and look at stuff, stick with pistols in 9x19mm, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, .45 ACP, or 10mm.

Well, we've already covered the Glock 19, still a great choice, but Glock makes lots of other guns, anyone of which is a good choice, so check out their website.

There is an entire slew of 1911 style pistols to choose from. These are basically updated versions of the pistol used by the US military from 1911 (hence the name) until 1985. 1911's have a cult following because they are usually chambered in the all American cartridge, .45 ACP, and because they are so easy to hit with it's almost magic. Sadly, this cult status has tended to allow manufacturers to not pay as much attention to quality control as is needed to sell other designs. Guns from Smith & Wesson, Les Baer, and Springfield all have solid reputations. Beware, the 1911 is on the expensive side of things. Personally, I wouldn't even consider one with less than a 3.5" barrel, even better, nothing under 4". Less than that and the physics just work against a person and the guns tend to be very finicky about working properly.
Sig Sauer is a personal favorite manufacturer of mine. The US Secret Service, Air Marshals, Texas Rangers, Department of Homeland Security, and Navy SEALs can't all be wrong. A medium sized Sig is the P229 and their small, thin offering is the P239. Either one will serve you well.
This is a good point to address how a lot of manufacturers address the carry gun market. They take a fullsized model and chop a lot off the barrel and a lot off the grip in order to shorten everything up. Done in moderation, as with the Glock 19 or Colt Commander 1911, this can tidy things up and make a nice carry gun. However, some manufacturers go overboard. There is no real point in shortening a barrel other than to shift the balance rearwards. If you carry a gun on your belt as 99.99% of those who carry do, the barrel is riding parallel to your leg. It's not difficult to hide and shortening things up too much can cause a gun to be prone to malfunctions. Shortening the grip frame makes more sense as that is what will "print" or push against your clothing. There is a trade off to be made here. The shorter the grip, the better it hides. The longer the grip, the easier the gun is to draw and shoot quickly and accurately. Beretta and Heckler & Koch are both notorious for shortening things up far too much.
Kahr Arms makes small, thin pistols and has an excellent reputation for quality. They come with either steel frames or plastic frames. The steel recoil less because they are heavier, the plastic is easier to carry because it's lighter. You will have to decide which is more important to you. I'm intrigued by their new line of .45's, but haven't had a chance to get any actual trigger time on them. Hmmmm, do I sense another gun purchase coming on?
Smith & Wesson makes many types of pistols and revolvers. Their 1911's are some of the best of the bread, but they also make series of pistols that are aimed more at police. Their new line is the M&P, which stands for Military and Police. They are a competitor to the Glock and coming in late to the game, they have the advantage of seeing what people wanted and how the design could be improved. They M&P line still has to prove itself in extreme duty situations (think commando teams covered in mud - in other words, not either of us), but they are some of the most comfortable guns around. The "compact" M&P's are slightly smaller than a Glock 19 and all M&P pistols have interchangeable backstraps so they can be tailored to fit anyone's hand. I'd carry one in a heart beat and think they are one of the most interesting new guns on the market.
Springfield Armory, already mentioned as making 1911's, also has a Glock competitor. Theirs are the XD's, made in eastern Europe, but have a sterling reputation for both reliability and durability. Many shooters love the way they fit in the hand. Personally, they don't work for me, but give them a look, they may very well work for you.
There are other guns you can choose from, but those are the main players without going to full-sized service pistols or to tiny pocket guns.

When it comes to hot weather and casual clothes, pocket carry has a lot to offer. You will be going down in power and size, but a .38 in the pocket beats a .44 mag back at home. Being so small, they tend to be much more difficult to shoot, but at halitosis range, you have bit of leeway. I'll be dedicating a column in this series on different aspects of carrying concealed and we'll go into more considerations at that time.

In the pocket gun category, the all time champ and reigning king is the Smith & Wesson J-frame revolver. They are most often found as five shot, .38 Specials, but other cartridges are available. This is the biggest exception to my "don't start with a revolver" rule. The advantage of the revolver for pocket carry is in the arching design of the grip frame. Stick your hands in your pocket and that arch makes it come up to greet your hand and be the first thing you touch.
Taurus makes similar revolvers for those on a tighter budget.

When it comes to small, full power pistols, there are only two worth considering: Kahr and Kel-Tec. The Kahr is a much better made piece of equipment, but the Kel-Tec is much cheaper. You will have to decide how much you want to spend on life-safety in order to protect you and your family. The Kel-Tecs do work. Usually.
That's the gambit for most people concerned with self-defense. Don't worry about all that ammunition jargon, you'll pick it up with time and I'll address it shortly on the blog. If you are worried about how to carry and how to safely store your guns in order to keep the little ones in your home safe, don't worry about it. Think about it, but don't worry about it. You aren't the first person with these concerns and I'll go over some of the most common and effective solutions.

Now, keep reviewing the four rules of gun safety, because they always come first, no matter what gun you pick.

"I think I need a gun.....", The Four Rules

2007-07-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I never meant for this blog to be a place to introduce beginners to a few of the more important things in life, but then I never meant for it to be a place that only experts would be able to comprehend, either. As it is, pretty much every thing posted so far has been of an introductory nature, because those are the questions that friends and family have asked. And, I think that's great. In fact, I think that is going to help out a lot more people than breaking down the dynamics of different shooting stances or looking at the voodoo science of wound ballistics.

So, for one reason or another, you feel that now is the time to buy a gun. This always starts with the same question, "what gun should I buy?" This is, to put it mildly, putting the cart before the horse. For one thing, you haven't said what you want a gun for. There are all types of guns for all types of activities. Bird hunting, small-medium-large game hunting, practice, plinking, uniformed duty, wilderness defense, urban carry are just a few different things requiring a gun and they all need a different gun. Yes, there are shades of grey there, but just accept the point that a user needs to be specific about what the end use will be.

As my background, training, and experience is predominantly in the individual, civilian, non-law enforcement use of the firearm, that's what most of the inquiries have been about. So, let's assume you are Joe Average Guy and you want a gun that you can use to defend yourself and your family. Ok, now we have an end goal in mind - making you a responsible, armed citizen (which is exactly what the Second Amendment embodies, I may add.) Photo from Garrity's Gunleather
Cool, so when do we go look at guns? You want to do this right, right? If not, you probably should stop right here, because I'm fairly rigid about safety, knowledge, and training. You don't say, "I want to SCUBA dive, what regulator should I buy?", or "I want to sky dive, what parachute should I buy?" Of course you don't say such things, that would be foolish. You'll end up killing yourself if you simply strap on a air tank or parachute and step into the blue. You have no knowledge or skills and you are going to be undertaking a rewarding journey, but one that is dangerous if you mess up.

In fact, not messing up is the very first thing you need to learn. This is also called "gun safety." Learn it, live it, breath it. You had to learn how to drive a car and work with power tools, you have to learn to do this and that takes time. That's ok, don't sweat it, will get through this together.

When you buy a gun or read a list of gun safety rules put out by the local game and fish department, the lists go on and on. I've seen lists that have surpassed forty items. That's crazy. Memorizing and implementing all of that would be like working for the French government, onerous and ineffective. In fact, all of those rules have been distilled down to just four. Anyone can learn and use four rules. These rules were made up by men who dedicated their lives to teaching others about firearms, from beginner to advanced, from civilian to Special Forces. A man named Jeff Cooper hammered these four rules home for decades and they are law.

You will find those rules at the top of my page. They are so important that if anyone only glances at my blog, at least they will see the rules. The rules are self-explanatory, but we'll cover them in a bit more depth.

Rule 1: All guns are always loaded. This can be taken literally or figuratively. An unloaded gun is going to be about as much use as a car without gas. For a gun to be effective, it has to be loaded (we'll cover safe storage farther along in this series.) But, what this rule really means is that all guns you see, no matter the context, are loaded until you have it in your hands and personally make sure it is empty. A gun shop sales person takes a gun out of a display and hands it to you, you check it. Well, it was in a display, of course it's unloaded, right? I've personally come across two guns that were loaded in the case without the staff knowing. A customer had slipped a round into the chamber as a joke, the sales man hadn't noticed and hadn't checked it before returning it to the display. Photo from The Martialist
The sales man violated Rule 1. The first thing you do with a gun is check to see if it's loaded. If that gun leaves your hand for one instant, you check it the next time you are in physical possession of it. You see another person check to see if it's clear and they hand it directly to you, what is the first think you do? That's right, you check it.

Even if you pick up a gun you want to be loaded, you check it to make sure it's loaded and in a ready condition. I had been traveling in a state where a gun could have a loaded magazine, but not be chambered. Upon entering a more friendly state, I slipped the gun in my waistband and went on my business. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I hadn't chambered a round. Why hadn't I? Because to me the gun was loaded, but I didn't check it's state of readiness. I assumed something and I was wrong. We all do it, but learn from others so that you make fewer mistakes.

Rule 2: Never point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. This has been described as imagining a laser beam coming out of your gun. Don't let that laser hit anything you wouldn't be willing to have vaporized. This rule is a bit misunderstood and some people become rather dogmatic about it. The fact is, your gun will cover things you don't want destroyed. In a holster, it's pointed at your body. While drawing, it's pointed at your feet. When handling it, it's going to be pointed at something in the room.

I don't know about you, but I really don't own anything that I'm dying to put a hole in, ergo the gun will be pointing at something I don't want destroyed. What this rule really means is to practice muzzle discipline. The muzzle is the end of the barrel where the bullet comes out. Even if you have followed Rule 1, the gun should never, ever be pointed at someone. That goes for sick jokes as well as carelessness. If you wife (or husband!) is in the kitchen peeling potatoes and you are cleaning your gun, it should not be pointed at your culinary disposed spouse for even a moment. To allow a muzzle to swing across a verboten object is termed "sweeping." Talking with friends and doing some show and tell, the guns never are pointed at a person. If that means doing weird contortions with your hands and wrists, then you do so.Rule 3: Keep your finger off the trigger until you gun is pointed at something you are willing to destroy. This is The Golden Rule. Break all of the others, and nothing bad will happen if you follow this one. Despite what television has taught you, a properly maintained gun will not go off if it is dropped. The one and only way to make a gun fire is to make it's trigger move backwards when a round is chambered. "It was an accident" or "I didn't mean to" hold absolutely no water. What is the first thing people do when they pick up a gun? Nope, they don't follow Rule 1. They put their finger on the trigger, because, gosh darn it, that's what the triggers there for, right?The best way to teach yourself this is to reprogram your brain. Tell yourself that the default position for your index finger is straight along the side of the gun. It should take a conscious effort to make your finger go onto the trigger. Heck, sit down with your gun in your hand and watch the evening news. Never let go of the gun and make sure that for thirty minutes your finger is rested flat along the side of the gun. Don't allow your finger to touch the trigger at all. Consider the trigger guard like double yellow lines on the road - you aren't going to cross either unless you have an immediate and life threatening reason.

It's almost impossible to emphasize this rule enough. In advanced training you will learn to split the seconds to exactly when to put your finger on the trigger, and you will learn to expand the situations where you can do it. But, that is called "advanced" for a reason, so don't concern yourself with that right now. For this level, "don't put your finger on the trigger until you are ready and willing to fire" will work. Photo from Gullyblog
Rule 4: Positively identify your target and what is beyond it. Originally, there were only three rules, but a fourth was added as a way to address and issue that seems like common sense but that most people won't think about in a moment of stress. This concept can best be illustrated by two true stories.

The original impetuous for this rule came after a tragic accident due to mistaken identity. A man lived in an area that was suffering from ever increasing crime. He had been hassled by the local thugs and thought he had better buy a gun so that he wouldn't become a victim. He found a gun that worked for him, he got the right training, he practiced, and late one night, he saw the handle to his front door moving as if someone were trying to pick the lock. The man retrieved his gun, saw the door handle still moving, yelled for the would-be robber to go away. The door handle still kept moving. Thinking he would be a lot safer if the crook never made it into the house, the man shot through the door. Upon opening the now ventilated door, he found his son lying dead on the door step. His son was enlisted in the Navy, had received an unexpected leave, and thought he would surprise his father. The son didn't know the father had had the locks changed or that he had bought a gun. The man had followed Rule 1 - he knew his gun was loaded. He had followed Rule 2 - he wanted to destroy the person on the other side of the door. He had followed Rule 3 - he had deliberately put his finger on the trigger and pulled. What he hadn't done was confirm what he target actually was. He had assumed when making a life-depriving choice.The second story is one I heard in a concealed weapons class I was auditing. One of the students related his own near-disaster. He awoke one night to find a large man at the end of the hallway. Armed, the student pointed his gun at the intruder and yelled at the man to turn around and leave the house or he would be shot. Finger on the trigger and about to send bullets flying, Rule 4 broke through the fear and adrenaline. He stopped his trigger pull, reached behind him, found the light switch and turned it on. The "intruder" turned out to be a Greek grandfather. He was in the country for his granddaughter's wedding which had been held earlier that day. The reception was at the house of the girl's parents, which happened to be right next door to the student. Drunk, not speaking a word of English, and lost in a sea of cookie cutter homes, the man had walked around for a breath of fresh air and was confused on which house he belonged in. He had picked the wrong house and had almost died because of it. Needless to say, the student had tucked his pistol away and, knowing about the girl's wedding, understood what had happened. He guided the old man back to the right house, went home, and had a beer of his own to calm his shaking hands.

When you are undertaking an action that can easily end in a person's death, you owe it to them and yourself to make sure you have the facts and aren't guessing. Photo from Stressfire by Massad Ayoob
The second half of Rule 4 - "and what is beyond it" - is simple. Any bullet you fire is going to keep going until it has traveled it's entire flight path unobstructed, at which point it will fall to the ground. Or, it's going to keep going until some object stops it. If you miss the target or your bullet goes through the target and out the other side, be sure you know what is going to stop it. Those living in dense, urban areas have more of a concern than those living in rural areas. Know your gun, know your ammo, and understand what it is capable of. A regular self-defense round will easily penetrate eight and very often more, layers of dry wall. That means if you start in the room you are in, it will go through a minimum of four other rooms if it doesn't hit a stud. If it hits a stud, take away a couple of layers of drywall. What is on the other rooms? Is someone there? How about if the bullet exits your house, or you are accosted on the street and have to shoot? Are cars passing behind the thug? A busy restaurant?

I was hard pressed in deciding whether I should cover the basic safety rules or the morality of self-defense first. Both are very important to know before a person even signs up for an introductory class. I chose the safety rules because everyone should know them and understand what it takes to handle a firearm properly. If you were actually here, we could cover the rules in just a few minutes and head to the range for some fun. After that we could have a serious discussion about the moral end psychological implications of owning a deadly weapon.

This might have seemed a bit dull, but this is a subject that should be approached in a very careful manner. Real life isn't the movies and owning a gun doesn't turn a person into gunslinger. Nor should it.This was safety. In further parts to this series, we'll address not only the moral choices to make, but training, different types of guns for different situations and needs, safe storage of firearms, some legal issues (but remember, I'm not a lawyer and am not dispensing legal advice, just giving my opinions and observations after having worked and lived in this world for a very long time), as well just how to have some fun.

Now, write down the four safety rules, and make them a mantra to repeat over and over, each day. If you're Catholic, just quietly substitute them in for all the Hail Marys your priest gives you.

Photo by Oleg Volk

Emergency Gear: Electronic Sights and Flashlights

2007-07-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

You've seen them at gun shows, those cheap, knock off electronic dot sights in their no-name boxes. They're dead ringers for the much more expensive optics used by SWAT teams and Special Forces. I know you want the cheap knock-offs to be the same quality, but they just aren't. The gun industry isn't like buying laundry detergent at Safeway or dog food at Costco. On one hand, everything is outsourced, but there is very little "rebranding" that goes on. If you are serious about gear that you can trust your life to, you are just going to have to crack open the wallet, let the moths out, and pony up for the real thing.
Now, there is lots of gear to choose from, and lots of it is over priced or over rated for what the average person needs. As much as I lust after the new Aimpoint M4 with its eight year battery life, I simply don't need anything that trick. The EOTechs will work just as well for me, have a much lower buy in, and have the mount built right in which saves another $100.

There's a good argument to be made that we really don't need more than a $200 Burris SpeedDot (ok, or that we even need them at all, but we'll address that at some other point.) Frankly, the Burris will do everything Joe Average needs done outside of extreme situations.
Myself, I think the EOTech is worth the extra money for a primary rifle because it will take almost as much abuse as an Aimpoint. Where it fails are areas I'll never to use it in - SCUBA insertions, being run over by a HMMV, in other words, extreme combat ops. Face it, few of us are never going to see any combat ops unless things really go to hell in a hand basket. Why not the Burris? Because it's internals just aren't as solid. Notice that a lot of police and military units use EOTechs. Notice that none use Burris. If we really have to subject our rifles to serious abuse due to an event like Hurricane Katrina, the EOTech stands a very good chance of taking it, the Burris is probably not going to make it. Face it, if decent products like the Burris aren't to the point of taking real abuse, the knock-offs aren't going to. That goes for the electronic dot sights we're talking about here as well as for the fantastic and durable Trijicon ACOG tritium powered scopes that are also very popular with people who depend on their rifles and gear on a daily basis.

So, the $375 EOTech is a good substitute for an $800 Aimpoint, the Burris is acceptable, but the $40 Chi-com gun show special just isn't going to cut it. In fact, do yourself a favor and keep on walking when you see them for sale at gun shows. They won't even hold up to the recoil and average knocking around of a range gun that sees moderate use. Even worse, if you have one you'll tell yourself that putting it on your emergency rifle is "only temporary" until you buy something more expensive. But, it's going to stay there for years. There are plenty of good reasons to have an electronic dot sight, but you are much better off running iron sights than having a piece of gear which cannot be trusted.Now, something has to power this stuff, so is that a factor? Yes, and of course, here it comes.... no. AA is the standard for everything. A friend sent me a bit of insight by instructor John Farnam: Best power source is AA batteries. Under nearly any circumstance, you can kick down a door, locate a TV remote, replace your dead batteries, then rejoin the fight. Such 'Exigent-Acquisition' is neither taught nor thought about much in this country, but we need to start!"

It's hard to argue with Farnam and I like a lot of stuff he comes out with. His point about AA batteries is well made and bears serious consideration. Even if you aren't going to be kicking down doors looking for batteries (and hoping there's not another guy just like you on the other side of the door who wants to keep his batteries), AA's can be found in any town, airport, and campground. If you buy your gear to do double duty - daily chores as well as emergency use, then battery availability is doubly important. There does come a point when you have to ask yourself how what is taught in class translates to the real world, the real threats, and, most importantly, how you are willing to interact with the world. There's no trick question here, just the observation that each person has to make their own choices.

No Aimpoint will take AA batteries, but EOTech has a models that will. Their N battery unit is shorter and so will sit farther forward, but the AA unit gives longer battery life on top of having a more convenient battery source. Despite the obvious advantages of the AA versions, I like the N units because of their smaller size.
Since battery type can be a consideration for electronic dot sights, you really need to look at the other battery dependent gear you will have with you. A small digital camera should come along if you have the room. If not, don't sweat it, but documenting the events could prove insightful in the future for both personal and legal reasons. If you feel your cell phone is something that has to keep going, you can find adapters that will allow it to run off a battery. Every version I've seen uses a AA's, so keep that in mind depending on your needs. A flashlight is going to be your most used, and potentially most important, battery dependent item. We covered electronic dot sights first because they are most specialized and if you need one you probably REALLY want it to work. But, you and those who depend on your will be at a severe disadvantage if your flashlight fails.

Dive lights tend to be very strong for their size, waterproof (obviously), and shock resistant. Dive gear isn't cheap, but an extra $15 now won't even be noticed by next month. The ubiquitous Mini-Mag is tough, water resistant but not waterproof (trust me), and you can find spare bulbs in any hardware store. Pelican makes lights for hard-use and has AA models. Inova is well respected and is a top choice by people who know what they are doing. Surefire and Streamlight are probably the most well respected names in "tactical" flashlights. They are also the most expensive. Thankfully, this is an area where quality doesn't have to break the bank. Avoid the $3, plastic jobbers that your grandmother kept in the kitchen drawer for black outs. Think in terms of portability and durability. The big Mag-lites will take (and give, if you want to be able to use your light as a weapon) a beating, but tend to be heavy and cumbersome if you are trying to negotiate your family to safety.
Most current, "white light"/high intensity flashlights use the 123A 3.0 volt batteries. You might not be familiar with them, but they are very common in camera gear and so aren't too difficult to find. Any Wal-Mart or Walgreens will usually have them. I have run into problems because the stock kept on hand is relatively low. Also, if you are going to travel, most gas stations and remote convenience stores will not stock the 123A's.
Some lights come with rechargeable battery packs. I do not recommend such things for emergency use. Rechargeable batteries have a bad habit to dying without much warning. You might only have a couple of seconds of dim, yellow light before the entire unit leaves you in the dark. I found this out through personal experience on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, at midnight, with my buddy's car buried to it's axles in sand. Of course, once spent, you need a place to plug your light into, something which will be non-existent in an emergency situation. Also avoid the gadget flashlights. These are the ones with a built in radio, or you power them by shaking them, or you turn a hand crank, or, recharge them with solar cells. Such things are sold on their gimmick factor and never on their quality. They are always cheaply made, break easily, and perform poorly. Remember, we are talking emergency gear here. If it doesn't work, you and your loved ones could die or, at the very least, suffer severe hardship if it Save your gadget self-indulgence for things that

A side note is to keep a handful of Photon Micro-lights on hand. I prefer the II model for it's "lock on" switch. It's surprising just how much that single LED will light things up when it's truly dark.

Racism: an Issue Whose Time Needs to Pass

2007-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Racism, and by extension discrimination, is based on the idea that decisions and actions will be taken with regard to someone’s ethnic lineage. If one makes any judgement based solely on one’s skin color, the distinction becomes even more extreme. For instance, "Italians make good food and Germans make good cars," is racist, it’s even discriminatory, but it’s not a negative and there is fairly ample evidence to support each contention. However, if I say, "Italians don’t know how to make anything that doesn’t break," it’s now discriminatory in a negative way no matter what one says about Ducatis and Fiats.

To take it further, "white men can’t jump, and so they will be banned from the NBA" is an example of extreme racism and discrimination. All the statements preceding that one could be said to be one’s opinion. But, when it comes to barring someone from an activity because of their ethnicity, then it becomes a legal issue.

If a child is barred from attending a particular school, eating in a particular restaurant, or drinking from a particular water fountain, it is racism at it’s worst. If the power stopping her is a private individual, that person can and will be tried, convicted, and spitted for depriving the child of her civil rights. If the power stopping her is the government, then the child will be condemned as being racist herself and standing in the way of decades of civil rights activism.

Say what? Does that make any sense?

Well, it does to some. The Supreme Court overturned forced racial diversity in a brilliant and stunning exhibition of common sense. Of course, the person being denied entry to a school in this case was white and wanted to go to the school near her home. The school board said, "no way, we have enough white students."

The stated goal of the old civil rights movement was to stop the negative discrimination that was stacking the deck against so many people. If that is the case, then when society comes to a point where race isn’t a consideration, everyone should be happy. Right? Obviously not. People are calling this recent decision discriminatory and pushing us back to the days of segregation.

Brown vs. Board of Education, cited by both the consensus and opposing members of the court, dictated that schools could not make decisions on where to put a student based on the student’s skin color. That was a great decision. Sadly, this is not what people took away from that ruling.

Now, "civil rights" activists are horrified by the most recent SCOTUS decision. Why? Why if the idea of racial parity is the ideal would anyone who says they are concerned about civil rights want a policy based on race to stand? The answer is simple and one of the oldest in the history of the world: because they have a power base that needs the status quo to continue.

Many of the most vocal minority rights leaders would be out of work if race stopped being an issue. The end result of what they really want is not an end to discrimination but to replace negative discrimination with positive discrimination, aka preferential treatment.

I’m no fool. Negative racism towards blacks (and it’s "black," not "African-American," the same way I’m "white," not "European-American," and first and above all we are "Americans") still exists in this country. It’s a terrible thing and should be stomped out wherever it is found. However, two wrongs don’t make a right and if we are going to strive for a higher ideal, we need to live it. Race shouldn’t be a factor for anyone and if the law is to recognize that, it must recognize that across the board. In fact, it shouldn’t even have to recognize anything, race simply needs to become a non-issue and it won’t if official policies are based on it.

Want to help the poor? Then help the poor. Want to help AIDS victims? Then help AIDS victims. In reality, there will be problems that are defined by racial lines, but they are not as prolific as we make them out to be and often the division is one created by those special interest groups who gain power and notoriety by doing so. But, in cases which must be addressed as a racial group, do so in the same way any other group would be addressed, be they unwed mothers, the homeless, unemployed military veterans, and other such groups having a difficult time. Don't do it by punishing or making policies which affect other racial groups.

I can’t say this enough. Two wrongs don’t make a right. To continue racism in any form is to hurt society and plays only to those with vested interests. When a black presidential candidate complains about racism, I have to ask myself just how much racism can there be? when many polls show that same black candidate in the lead.

Reject all racismand in any form you find it, unless of course you are shopping for a nice car or looking for a good plate of baked ziti.

Shades of Tammany Hall

2007-06-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

As the baby boom generation ages, it’s been interesting to watch the slow shift in beliefs touted as gospel by The Left. In the 1960’s and 1070’s, it was about freedom and individual expression. Now, how ironic is it that, the hue and cry is for more government and lamenting the rise of true individual expression.

This was driven home to me by two discussions in as many days.

The first was on a local radio program. The host and guests were lamenting term limitations and the fall of the old-boys’ network in the Arizona state legislature. Was this on the conservative talk radio that Hillary Clinton wants to impose limits upon? No, this was on local NPR affiliate KJZZ, broadcast from the campus of the Arizona State University in Tempe.

Two former state-level politicians were telling the world how sad it is that members of our legislature don’t spend their first few terms mute, literally not allowed to introduce any measures and rarely allowed to join in debate. In the "good old days," you had to earn the right to represent the people who elected you, and you had to get your campaign money through one man. Sure, it was bad if you were at odds with that powerful figure, but, really, that was your own fault, wasn’t it? It made things soooo much easier and efficient. To add insult to injury, freshmen senators now have the audacity to think that they are an equal of the majority leader because their votes carry the same weight. Yes, those halcyon days of yore were so much better. New members of the club could be ushered in to all the secrets of the inner workings, shown the path to life long political power, and the establishment had continuity and a sure hold on the legal process in Arizona.

The second discussion was a BBC podcast where a Silicon Valley pariah was claiming free content on the internet is destroying society. Why anyone could publish anything! This is having the terrible consequence of destroying the "legitimate" media. And, it undermines traditional education where students are spoon fed selected facts by the government system. Who is there to censor and decide what the public sees and reads? Why, the society is going to crumble because we will be unable to distinguish fact from lie if anyone can say anything. At it’s core, says this expert, is the lack of money. No money is being exchanged for information and this upsets the dynamic in an unacceptable way. I can’t help but wonder if he was recently turned down from a job with a newspaper. It never occurred to him or the interviewer that maybe the public is tired of the left wing slant and selective culling of the news by the major media outlets, so that we gladly adopt new sources of information.

What happened to the idea of the freedom of expression, once held so dear? What happened to the values of a free market? What happened to the idea that a free flow of ideas is healthy for government, society, and commerce? What happened to over throwing the man and power to the people?

While the party line has changed over the years, both of these articles find themselves still firmly planted in the fields of current Liberal thought. Rather than the old Liberal "I just want to be free," it’s the now, "the public is too stupid to take care of themselves, and an intelligent person such as myself has to tell those poor sods up from down."

It’s this basic distrust of the average person that fuels the Ruling Elite mentality of the Left. They are distrustful and scared of what a society unfettered by an "enlightened", stranglehold rule might get up to. I can understand that to a bit. After all, the old saying goes, "an individual person is smart, but the general public is stupid."

But so what? In this great experiment in democracy, the common man eventually finds his feet no matter how fast the waters of change are flowing. And, 99 out of 100 times, they find not only solid ground, but profitable, solid ground long before the government or educational institutions are even aware there is a flood. In doing so, the common man pays the taxes that allow the Liberal Elite to gripe about how stupid the common man is.

Times may change, and those who feel they are being denied their place in a structure they are used to are going to be spitting out sour grapes. That’s fine. Change brings opportunity and our modern age is constantly bringing more voice and influence to the average, stupid, common man like myself. If someone is afraid of that, then maybe they have something to be afraid of.

Constitutional Erosion and the Second Amendment: Why America Should Care

2007-06-24T05:29:00.001-07:00

Anyone giving this page even the most cursory glance will see that firearms hold a significant interest to me. Some of you are understand that, some don't. But, even if you aren't a gun owner, I'd ask you to read this particular post. And, if you are a gun owner, I still think you will find something in this one to think about and talk about with friends and family.

In future posts we'll cover some of the more pointed issues about gun control. However, I'd like to take a different tack today, one that affects all Americans - liberal, conservative, even the ambivalent. It has to do with the course we set for ourselves and our country.

For years, the gun culture has warned about marginalizing the Second Amendment. I'm not going to go into Constitutional scholarship, but a bit of background is important for a person to understand what is at stake and why non-gun owners need to care about this issue.

The Second Amendment says:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The anti-gun crowd, including the the ACLU, talks about the right to arm ourselves as a collective right. That means it belongs to society as a whole, specifically the government, not an individual. They cite a few Supreme Court decisions from the 1800's and one from the early 1900's to support that position. During that time frame, the entire Bill of Rights was viewed as recognizing collective rights, with the individual states having power to regulate such things as freedom of speech and of the press.

Today, we have correctly gone back to the original intent of the founding fathers and the idea of inalienable, individual rights. Even the typically liberal law journals have been forced to recognize that when "the people" is referred to, it identifies the private citizen. In "The Embarrassing Second Amendment," Sanford Levinson, a Harvard law professor, detailed this for the Yale Law Review.

That's a quick background and, like I said, we'll go into the agonizing details of Constitutional Law at another point in time. Even if you don't completely agree with the individual rights interpretation of the "the right to keep and bear arms," I'll ask you to admit that the Second Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights and has never been rescinded.

When we ignore entire segments of the Constitution, and individual and civil rights by extension, we begin down a slippery slope. What happens when we allow one part, any part, of the Constitution, to be ignored, is that we accept the idea that our laws and rights are amorphous, changeable by the government and public opinion. Of course, the entire idea of the Constitution is to protect society from that very thing.

We live in a society with two very distinct evils in our midst: a government hungry for more power and a growing population who wish to abrogate the responsibilities of adulthood. That means there are fewer and fewer challenges from the people when rights are infringed.

I vote Republican. I admit that. It's not that I have any love for the Republican party, but it's that the Democrats scare the beejeebers out of me with their desire for a nanny state. Sadly, the Republicans no longer stand for individual rights, either.

Alright, am I am alarmist?, I mean, the government needs to be allowed some regulation such as interstate commerce. Yes, but, let's look at some big and small things happening in our country today. We have Hillary Clinton's "village" to raise children. That's not a nice "community" thing where someone watches your kid while you run to the store. She means that the government knows better than you do about what your child needs to learn and who they should be, and that they have the right to enforce their will over your very own children. She has said exactly that. We have Rudy Giuliani who, as Mayer of New York City, used his prosecutor's background to "creatively" interpret laws in ways they weren't meant to be used but which allowed him to go after the people and groups he wanted to affect. He even brags about such issues in his book Leadership. People accepted it because they liked the result, but was it the right thing to do? Shouldn't he have gone through the proper process to pass actual laws doing what he wanted?

Agree or disagree, this is a problem. We complain about The Patriot Act, but we cower and cringe when it comes to defending ourselves. Just the other night, I was dumbfounded when a news anchor talked about a recent murder, "but the good thing is that a witness called 911 so quickly that the police found the suspect before he could get away." Geez how good was that for the victim? Wouldn't it have been better if the witness stopped the murder? Is our response to a random killing to pick up a telephone? It is because we have been led to believe that it's the government's job to protect us.

We often hear about police chiefs saying, "yes, fighting back saved a person this time, but they shouldn't have taken the law into their own hands." I have a huge problem with this on many levels. For one, self-defense is not vigilantism. Two, in a government for the people and by the people, the law is inherently in our hands to begin with. Vigilantism is wrong because it denies a person due process under the law, not because citizens want a wrongdoer off the streets.

How is a society supposed to maintain individual rights when we ask the the government to do for us what we won't do for ourselves? You say, "that's dramatic, of course we need the police!" I never said we didn't. But, I point out that societies collapse slowly, not in a dramatic parking lot attack. If we won't take charge of our lives at the dramatic moments, we are going to have a difficult time with those things that bring about doom through slow erosion.

The answer, of course, is our Constitution. It's the document that has made our country unique in all of history. Even when it was first drafted, it was something very special, unique in putting the person before the state. Today, John Edwards talks of a politician's "followers," not supporters, not constituents, but "followers," sheep following obediently behind their master.

If we are to keep the Constitution meaningful, then all of it has to be meaningful or it is doomed. Divided we will surely fall. And that is really the point here: if you believe in one part of it, you need to believe in all of it. We can't pick and choose for all of society and for the generations who follow us. We must hold our government to the letter of the law and the intent of the Constitution. If you even for a moment believe the Second Amendment supports an individual right when it says "the people," or if you even slightly believe it just might, maybe mean the individual, then it has to be part of the bundle of rights which we stand together to defend. If you believe that the issue needs to be decided by the courts, then it needs your support until due process has had it's day.

History is not over and attacks on our rights continue. Don't like the Patriot Act, don't like McCain/Feingold, don't like wire taps, don't like people being quarantened without even having a judge review the facts, don't like Guitmo, don't like anything you feel infringes on civil rights? The cure for ambivalence is in the individual caring and taking part in the process. And the tool to use and the shield behind which to withstand the assaults on our rights is the Constitution.

Let no child be thrown out of the lifeboat. Those journalists who feel their First Amendment rights are being trampled supported the trampling of the Second Amendment. Those churches who supported gun control due to (erroneous, IMHO) pacifist beliefs have seen their First Amendment rights severely limited. Those same groups such as the ACLU who supported the collective/"only government should have guns" position now can't understand how we got to the point where we have government invading our privacy electronically and literally having men in black masks and toting machine guns kicking down our doors with little cause or provocation.

It goes beyond the straight Constitutional issues as applied to institutions such as the press and church and it goes beyond issues such those with which the ACLU concerns itself. We see the results and consequences everyday when small, well funded special interest groups are allowed free sway to reinterpret a document labored over by the men who fought to make America free. Parents who saw guns as instruments capable only of evil have seen their children murdered in the classroom, unarmed teachers having no way to fight back. City councils who wanted easy answers for inner-city crime and directed their police forces to focus on gun confiscation and gun buy back programs have seen their crime rates sky rocket while those cities and states which enacted right to carry laws have seen their crime rates plummet.

The McCain/Feingold Campaign Reform Act took away the First Amendment rights of all groups, groups formed because individuals of like minds had no way for their voice to be heard otherwise. Agree with their voices or not, they do have a Constitutional right to free speech. Now, that right is no longer recognized. In the meantime, wealthy millionaires such as George Soros can still be heard and have the financial means to plaster the media with their own views. I can hear the Left cheering. But, it goes the other way, too. The NAACP is now limited in what they are allowed to promote, and people like Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, can say whatever he wants, too. Disturbingly, the cry seems to be that limits should be put on the Big Money, which is what McCain/Feingold said it was to do. There seems to be no outrage over the limitation on the Little Guy's First Amendment rights.

Just as with the "war on drugs," the "war on terrorism" has seen a large escalation in governmental power. The Patriot Act was hated by many, but it still passed. Wire tapping without court order, something done by every president, not just Bush, went into overdrive. We know that terrorists use our loopholes to hide from the government, but, as Benjamin Franklin said, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." Or, as I tend to less eloquently put it, "it's all fun and games until it ends up on your doorstep."

If you don't want to see your rights taken away, then you need to make sure no one else has their rights taken away. The fight over gun control and the Second Amendment is where the most vicious fighting for the integrity of the Constitution is taking place. The tip of the spear is the National Rifle Association. They never say everyone must own a gun, but they unwaveringly say the Constitution can not be bargained away or it's the beginning of the end. Many non-hunters buy a hunting license each year because they support the game and fish departments of their state in conservation and recognize that such departments get a huge part of their funding through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. Likewise, many non-gun owners pay the $35/year for an NRA membership because they recognize the Second Amendment as the focus of the attacks which, if successful, will mark the beginning of the end for the document which has made America unique in the history of the world.

If you are a gun owner and you don't have an NRA membership, you are letting the rest of us do the heavy lifting for you while you reap the rewards. If you aren't a gun owner but have a heart felt desire to see America continue on as one in which we celebrate individual rights, I would encourage your to consider the annual membership fees to the NRA as a small price to pay in order to back the one organization doing the most to support the Constitution. At the very least, be aware of the gun control debate and what is at stake so that you can respond and support the idea that the Constitution was meant for the people, not the government, when attacks on individual rights are made.

If you won't do it for everyone, one day you will find the issues you care about under assault, and who will be left to stand by you?

This idea was captured so well by Pastor Martin Miemoller in his poem, "First they came..."

They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Motorcycles: A Primer, Part II

2007-06-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

In the Part I, we looked at the basic controls of a motorcycle, safety gear, and being a passenger. Now, let's take a look at what to think about when it comes time to buy your own bike.

Safety cannot be over emphasized. Before we get into the fun stuff of looking at different bikes, let's remember that when things go bad at 60mph, the body is going to be punished. Motorcycles aren't cars. When you lose attention here or find yourself beyond the limits of your skill or machine, the price is far greater than simply tapping the breaks or steering into the spin. Make a mistake here and the odds of going down are much greater than those of a mistake causing you to wreck an automobile. Keep sober, keep alert, and realize that you are taking part in a sport defined by managed risk. The greater benefits are directly a result of those things that make the activity a greater risk. If you walk up to a bike and your little voice says, “not today,” walk away and do something else that day.The other thing we have to address is training. Simply put, get some. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation puts on weekend classes all over the country. They are well worth the cost. Second, realize that learning and becoming skilled on a bike isn't something you are going to learn in a weekend and a few months of practice like you did driving a car. There are so many variables involved that you will be adding to your skill level over the years. Don't get frustrated early on if you can't do something, and don't get overly cocky thinking you know everything after a weekend class.

Alright, there's no sense beating those drums anymore. You either get it and respect the damage asphalt can do to skin and what a Peterbuilt can do to your skull or you don't. Let's get to the fun stuff.

You've got some safety gear, you've taken your course, and you have a wad of cash just burning a hole in your pocket. You want a bike so bad you can taste it. But, you don't want to buy the “wrong” bike and you want to get your money's worth. The question always asked is, “what bike should I buy?”Honda Gold Wing, no doubt, anything else would be stupid. Actually, it's that answer that is stupid (I jest, I do like the Gold Wing, but someone shoot me if I ever put a trailer on a motorcycle). It's stupid because there is no one answer to “what bike?” It all depends on your size, age, maturity, amount of money to spend, confidence level, and what you want to do with it.

When you start talking to people about specific motorcycles, you will hear them throw descriptive numbers about. “I had a 250,” “that was a fast 750,” “I rode a 1200 across country.” What they are referring to is the engine size which is calculated by the combined cubic centimeters displaced by the pistons. That leaves a lot of details on the table, but engine size is much more significant in a lightweight vehicle such as a bike than they are in a passenger car. The reference will give you a basic idea about the size, weight, and power of the bike in question. This system is a throwback to the days when there weren't different styles of motorcycles, there were just motorcycles and the habit has remained.
Today, there are all dirt bikes, street bikes, and bikes that blur the lines between the two. For the sake of this article, and because it's what I know, we'll assume you want to ride on the street. With street bikes, there are basic types such as cruisers (Harley-style), sport bikes (the fastest and best handling), tour bikes (carry what you and your gear for days at a time), standards (basic bike – motor, two wheels), and dual sports (the mix of a street bike and off-road bikes). Of course, there are blends and hybrids and all sort of bikes to do things you have probably never even considered.

Buying a bike is a very personal thing that is as much a mix of heart and desire as it is mind and logic. If you want a particular bike, dream about it, can't think of anything else while you are at work, you're probably going to be fairly happy with it. There are a few different approaches to finding that steel vixen that will insist on finding a home in your garage.

There is a very common train of thought that says buy something used and small, learn on it for six months or a year, and sell it when your skills outgrow it. A lot of people have gone that route and have been very happy to do so. Many beginning riders will lay down their first bike, so why abuse a new bike and throw money on something you are going to scuff up? And, after all the lust, desire, and training, you might spend three months dodging Volvos, cleaning bugs off your helmet, and getting rained on and say to yourself “nope, this isn't for me after all.” If you find yourself at all hesitant, buying the cheap, used, small bike saves you from investing too much money on something you won't end up using.

If that sounds like an approach that works for you, a few bikes over the years are constant standouts in this category. The Honda Rebel 250 looks like a Harley that got hit by a shrink ray. The things run forever and you will probably be able to sell it for what you have into it. It is lightweight and easy for almost anyone to sit on and put their feet flat on the ground. Where the Rebel is a cruiser, the Yamaha TW200 is an odd little dual purpose bike. It sits low and has a very reliable motor; it's big balloon type tires roll over anything, and are great little bikes for exploring a campground or your neighborhood.
Moving up in size, the Suzuki GS500F is a great commuter for those wanting a big more punch than a 250cc will deliver. The same can be said of it's major competition, the Kawasaki Ning 500R (formerly the EX500). Both wear the clothes of a sport bike but are really standards – just good, solid bikes that will take the day to day grind.Really, any of the smaller Japanese bikes should be fairly inexpensive and will suit you well for learning. Stay bellow a 500cc motor and your insurance should stay at paltry levels. Keep that same 500cc ceiling and you can be sure to not have too much engine.

In the mid-size cruiser segment, the Star V-Stars by Yamaha are very popular – reliable, look good, sit low, and have a no-maintenance shaft drive. You rarely see the “cool” people talking about them on different forums, but you see a heck of a lot of the bikes during morning rush hour and in parking lots everywhere. The guys who actually use their bikes seem to like them a lot and the Star branded bikes are probably behind only BMW & Harley-Davidson for the number of die hard fanatics who don't want to ride anything else. The endorsement of the road speaks more loudly than anything in print – including my thoughts here – ever should.Is there such a thing as “too much engine?” You wouldn't think so unless you have ridden the crop of modern sport bikes. If there's one thing I will recommend the new bike buyer, it's to NOT buy a hyper-performance sport bike. Don't get me wrong, I think a person should buy what they like, but I encourage those with the go-fast bug to learn a bit before completely giving in to their speed lust. Most people think that a sport bike is the two-wheeled equivalent of a sports car. To a point that is true, but it doesn't tell the entire story. While a sports car is fast and “sporty,” it's a far cry from a race car. That isn't the way it works in the motorcycle world. The sport bike sitting on the dealer's showroom floor today is a true race bike and not very different from what the top riders were using on the track a few years ago. The power of those bikes is simply unreal. The bikes that aren't of the race bike family are sometimes left out because even racers don't use engines that big. Think of them as your very own cruise missile on wheels. Even the small 600cc sport bikes will blow the mirrors off my 1,450cc Harley. And that is why the old way of referring to bikes by engine displacement can be deceptive.This doesn't mean the person who wants to go out and carve the corners is caught in a Catch 22 of “I have to learn before I can do, but how can I learn if I never do?” There are plenty of bikes that combine more than enough horsepower in packages that are friendly and handle well. The shining example in this category is the Suzuki SV650S (the "S" is for the fairing, there is a "naked" model, too.) It's mid-size, v-twin motor pushes the bike along with a predictable power curve not nearly as sensitive as a high-strung repli-racer. Along the same lines but with a four cylinder mill, the Yamaha FZ6 is sometimes referred to as a sport bike, sometimes as a “standard with a fairing” (one of those hybrids, again) and is nothing but loved by it's owners.In this mid-sized engine group is one of my favorite bikes, the Kawasaki KLR650. It's cheap, it's ugly, it's slow, it's reliable, and you can ride around the world on it. A “thumper,” or single cylinder motor, this bike has been around since the 1980's and received it's first significant, evolutionary (but not revolutionary) make over as an early release 2008. This bike is not for someone who wants to look good going down the road, it's for those who want to go down any road they look. The over sized gas tank and fuel sipping habits let a rider cover a lot of remote country between fill-ups. You just have to respect a bike like that. We started with the idea of “small, used, and cheap” and have moved up the ladder to mid-sized bikes for people who want a bit more power. By no means have we covered the entire gambit, but we've given a good bit of info to think about and a few bikes to Google in order to see how they hit your fancy. Size, the engine and physical dimension of the bike, will be a factor, but you won't know if you and the bike fit each other until you get into a showroom and sit on it. Don't be surprised if the dealer won't let you go for a test ride. Would you let a rank beginner ride your bike?

Bikes are more maintenance intensive than the hands-off cars we are used to today. Some people get worked up over one type of widget being more reliable or requiring less maintenance than some other type of widget. My advice at this stage is to ignore all of that. If you stay away from the high-strung sport bikes and anything Italian, maintenance won't be bad and you'll figure it out for whatever you get. Once you have more experience, you can decide what you are willing to do and what you'd rather not have to mess with.

If you are an older rider entering the sport or feel you have the maturity to control your throttle hand, I would still recommend against jumping right onto a hard core sport bike. Riding one safely goes beyond maturity and self-control. They require a large dose of experience to keep from getting in over your head. But, if you want that Honda Gold Wing so you and your wife can take off for a month and see the country, then don't feel as if you should stop yourself (just promise me you won't pull a trailer.) Lusted after that big Harley since your uncle had one? Knock yourself out. Just remember, these are bigger investments and bigger bikes - they are easier to drop and more expensive to fix than that used, small, beater bike. If money isn't an object, then don't worry about it, and we should really get to know each other better.

In the end, you have to like and want what you buy for it to be worth your money. Decide what you think you are going to want to do, look at the bikes that will do it, cross reference with your budget, and take to the open road. This is a sport about emotion and desire. If you deny yourself those basic elements, then you're shorting yourself before you even hit the starter button on your new bike.

What do I wish I had known when I started? I wish I had known how great it would be so that I could have started even earlier. Now get out there and ride!

Harley-Davidson Road Glide

2007-06-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

This is my ride, the Harley-Davidson FLTRI Road Glide.

People react differently to Harleys – they either love 'em or hate 'em. I admit, I used to be in the latter category. Prior to purchasing my Road Glide, BMW held my interest, mostly due to their legendary reliability.

But, in the late 1990's and early 2000's, things in the motorcycle world shifted. BMW decided to reinvent themselves as an upper-end boutique shop. Along with that seemed to come a new attitude, and the internet was filled with previously unheard of problems and a German attitude towards customer service. Who says the Nazi party is dead? At the same time, the Harley Twin Cam engine was establishing itself as a major step forward in both reliability and durability from the Evolution, which was pretty good in it's own right.

After getting ignored about ten times to often and fighting with their service department, when it came time to replace my BMW GS, I decided to see what all this Harley hullabaloo was about. I am a big guy and I like to do long miles and travel on my bikes. Harley has a few distinctly different lines, but I knew I wanted one of their touring models. These models are often called “baggers” because of their factory hard saddlebags (properly termed “panniers,” but get an American to use that word.)

I had done an Iron Butt Association ride on an Electra Glide and found that I really enjoyed the strum of the American V-twin motor on those long, dusty, desert byways. H-D has three basic tourers – the Electra Glide that uses a “bat wing” fairing mounted to the handlebars, the Road King that uses a simple windshield mounted to the handlebars, and the Road Glide that uses a fairing mounted right o the frame. I'd found Electra Glides to get a loose at the higher speeds - which makes sense when you think you have barn door strapped right to the forks. In theory, the Road Glide wouldn't have those problems. In fact, the frame mounted fairing not only put the wind pressure right to th frame, it actually would help protect the top of the forks and the handlebars from buffeting wind.

Also, the touring models have an extra heavy duty frame and transmission meant for wracking up the miles. What you trade off in light weight and handling, you make up for in load capacity and longevity. If I want to go fast, I'll take a car. When I want to experience the road, I'll take a bike. The bagger trade off was more than worth it to me.

So, I went out in search of a sierra red Road Glide, found it, bought it, and now I'm a Harley die-hard like so many other people. I don't like the “lifestyle” when it's all about black leather fringe and bar hopping. I love these bikes despite the lifestyle that so many others buy into. The bikes are solid and built with a level of durability that no one else matches. The components are of the highest quality and Japanese and even BMW items seem downright flimsy and hobbled together after being used to the way a Harley is built. They are slow, they are over priced, but they have fixed their reliability issues long ago.

And, now we come back to that element of riding that is so essential and yet so inexplicable, that certain something about going down the road on a bike that speaks to you that is the essence of what motorcycling is. For me, the Big Twin Harleys have it like no other bike around. They are raw and surly, elemental and American, and if anything made of chrome can be spiritual, it's a Harley-Davidson.

Colt Python

2007-06-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ken Lunde

The last time we looked at a gun on these pages, it was all about function. This time, we're going to look at the Colt Python, a revolver that is all about essence.

Built on the old .41 frame, Colt wanted to create the ultimate .357 magnum revolver, undoubtedly spurred on by the affluence and excitement of post-WWII America. They slicked up their tried and true action, put on a swanky full-underlug barrel with a ventilated sight rib and a legend was born.

The Python is notable for is excellent finish with a deep "royal blue" being the most common. It was also made with a bright nickel finish and later in stainless steel. People rave about the action of the Python as well. It is roller-bearing smooth with just the slightest hint of stack at the end of the double-action pull. Single action is crisp and light and darned near perfect.

Over the years it was made with 2", 4", 6", and 8" barrels to serve a variety of needs. The 4" and 6" are the most common. The barrels have a decreasing radius bore which means it's smaller at the muzzle than at the throat. The difference is very slight, but it is why Pythons are so amazingly accurate and why they often exhibit no loss in accuracy if the barrel is accidentally ringed due to a squib load.

The 2" went after the self-defense/plainclothes police crowd and competed against the 2.5" Smith & Wesson Model 19. The 8" version was built with an eye towards the hunting crowd. The problem is that with a gun as pretty and as costly as a Python, few people were inclined to submit their guns to the riggers of daily carry or the game field.

There are also questions about the Python's suitability as a piece of life-saving gear. All machines have a weakness and the one with the Python is a Catch 22. That action which I raved about is fairly weak. Something as minor as a drop onto a table top can knock it out of time. Because the secret to the precision and beauty of the Python is handfitting, a gunsmith can't simply drop a few new parts in and expect minor fitting. For example, most 'smiths have set prices for Smith and Wesson and Ruger repair work. It's not uncommon to see Pythons listed as "by the hour" because they could be working on that beast for quite some time in order to get it's delicate parts moving properly.

Now, for range use, light duty carry (not uniformed police or a ranch hand's pistol - both situations which tend to bang guns and see lots of abuse), and home defense, I wouldn't hesitate. And, since the 2" offering is so darned cool, I'd just have to carry it sometimes, provided I ever find one at a decent price. If you find a used one, make sure you check the timing. You do this by cocking the hammer with one hand while putting slight pressure on the cylinder with your other hand. Then, pull the trigger and let the hammer down slowly while feeling for the cylinder to lock into place. Colts don't reach full-lock up until the trigger is pulled, so it's easy to think one is out of time when it is actually just fine.

In the end, the Python is an elegant revolver, a product of the progressive engineering minds of 1950's America. It ceased to be a regular production item some time ago, but it will occasionally pop back up as a Custom Shot offering. As we progress farther and farther from hand work, tools like the Python become less common. They are never cheap but for the true handgunner and fine weapons connoisseur they are worth every penny.

Photo from ColtForum.com

Motorcycles: A Primer, Part I

2007-06-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've had a surprising number of people tell me, "oh, I love bikes, don't tell anyone. I don't know anything about them, but they're cool."

Why, yes, they are.

As this blog is supposed to include bikes amongst it's many sundries, there doesn't seem to be a better place start the subject than at the beginning. This is going to be phrased with women in mind, but it applies to any neophyte. In this first installment we'll deal with the location of the basic controls because everyone wants to know what all that stuff is the operator is doing and we'll look at what the passenger needs to know. The next installment will get down to brass tacks of swinging a leg over your own ride.

People love bikes for all sorts of reasons and few can easily be put into words. When a rider tries to tell the world what it's like to ride, we tend to use an absurd level of adjectives and ten-dollar words, making the mistake in believing that the appearance of poetry will lend an air of credibility. I can tell you things I like about riding - the elemental machine with only what is needed to move down the road, the intimacy with the environment, and the unfettered feeling that comes from removing yourself from the steel and glass confines of the automobile. I can even tell you things I feel when I'm on my bike - the falling away of the world's worries, the clean focus of the mind, and the wonder of experiencing every nuance of the world through which I move.

Still, there is much more to it than that. Rather than waste space with flowery language, let us leave it at this: a day on a motorcycle is something you should try at least once in your life.

Affluent as America is, we are blessed with our motorcycles being used primarily for recreation. Prior to WWII, our bikes were often used as a means of cheap transportation. Today, that still goes for much of the world. Even in the States, people who own cars often choose to ride their bikes to work, enjoying a morning wake-me-up ride, sipping gas (40mpg is common), using the HOV lane, and parking in all sorts of spots you never could with a car.

So what should you, the uninitiated, know about bikes so that you don't feel like a complete outsider? Bikes are laid out in a fairly standard manner. The rider sits behind the handlebars and uses all four limbs to control the bike. The right hand twits the grip which is the throttle - the bike's "gas pedal." That's how you "go."

The right hand also squeezes a lever, activating the front brakes. Unlike a car that works front and rear brakes with the push of a single pedal, the majority of motorcycles have split brake systems. There are reasons for this - cheap to manufacture and a skilled rider can manipulate the brakes differently at different times depending on what he/she wants to do. That brings up the question of where the rear brake is. It's the pedal in front of the right foot peg and is pressed down just like in a car. The front brake has up to 80% of a bike's stopping power, so learning how to use it properly is very important. That's how you "stop."

What is the left side doing through all of this? Well, very few motorcycles have been made with automatic transmissions. Most have a manual, the equivalent to a "stick" in a car. The left hand pulls in a lever that activates the clutch, and the left foot works the gear shift lever. Unlike a car, a bike's shift lever only goes up and down and moves progressively through the gears. The pattern is described as starting from neutral, "1 Down, 4 up" (for a 5 speed), with one position changed for each press or lift of the gear shift. Neutral is found by going all the way down to 1st and gently lifting up. If you lift up too hard it will go right into 2nd.

Wait, we aren't done yet! Each thumb works a series of buttons: the starter, a kill switch for stopping the engine, turn signals, horn, and headlight dimmer switch.

I know, it all sounds terribly complicated, but it's not. It just takes some practice and patience. Have you seen the ratty old biker cruising down the highway? He can do all of that stone drunk. And if he can do it, then you will have no problem once you get on a bike and get a bit of training.

Most women will first experience motorcycles as a passenger. So, be a good passenger. Don't shift around in your saddle, don't stand up, don't make sudden movements, don't try to jump off if you think the bike is going to crash - you just aren't used to how a bike handles and making such movements could cause a crash. If the rider is going fast, hold onto them and look to the outside of the turns. This will help to keep the center of gravity as close to the track of the wheels as possible. Looking to the inside of a turn can make you lean over and that can over balance a bike that is near it's limits.

That's the scary stuff about being a passenger and I think guys trying to be macho and showing off has caused many women to dislike motorcycles. So, go with someone you trust, ask them to take it easy, pick a bike with a back rest if it makes you more comfortable, and relax and enjoy the ride.

Safety gear - you dress for the crash, not the ride. Pop quiz: what is the most important piece of safety gear? Nope, not a helmet. The correct answer is eye protection. Think of what the windshield on your car looks like and then think of your eyes. Lack of proper eye protection can actually lead to an accident, so it's most important.

For myself, boots (protects your feet and easily broken ankles), jeans (not as good as leather for abrasion, but decent at around town speeds), gloves (your hands WILL go out in a wreck, and the metal on a bike can be very hot), a long sleeve shirt (not as good as a jacket, but it gets to be 120 degrees here), and a DOT certified full-face helmet (a German study showed that 25% of all head injuries happened to the lower face, an area the half-helmets do not protect, and there will be a sticker showing if it meets DOT standards.) Most often a jacket will go along with all of that.

Living in the desert, I often encounter the attitude of "oh, I can't wear long sleeves or a jacket in this heat!" Do you ever wonder why the old cowboys and Arabs always covered up? It slows down the rate of dehydration and keeps the sun off the skin. You might think you are hot, but your core will stay cool much longer than if you wear less. Modern perforated jackets really leave no reason to ride with only a shirt no matter how hot it gets.

When picking safety gear, buy motorcycle specific items. A fashion weight leather jacket from Nordstroms or gardening gloves will come apart in a crash. And, fit is everything. Wind buffets anything that is loose. You want as snug a helmet as you can stand to wear for a day and you want your jacket and jeans to fit close - not supermodel tight, but without too much extra fabric.

Ok, you know not to move around a lot, you've picked out someone you trust to give you a ride, you are dressed like the true road warrior you are, the next thing to do is swing a leg over and go!

Riding passenger is a scary thing, but you'll soon relax. Pick a time when the traffic is low and go out into the country. Enjoy the new found feel of moving through the landscape instead of by it. Savor the sensation of knowing every smell, the feel of humidity on your skin as you ride past a recently irrigated field, the shifting temperatures as you go down into a dip and up out of a river bottom.

Hey, that other biker just waved, what's up with that? It's the brotherhood of the road. They recognized you as someone who was willing to break from the status quo and take part in a very special way of experiencing life. Most motorcyclists will wave regardless of the type or brand you are riding. The majority of us know it's not what you ride, it's that you ride. The rest is all about personal taste and expression, and isn't that one of the things that attracted you to motorcycles in the first place?

In Part II, we'll talk about being the rider, what you need to know to get started on your own bike, things to consider when picking out a bike, and probably even a few of those "I wish I had known that when I started" items.

*photos from www.harley-davidson.com, except the last which is from www.bmwmotorcycles.com

Cold War II, Are We About to Go Again?

2007-06-12T21:45:00.001-07:00

I was listening to the NPR Technology podcast the other day and heard some interesting news coming out of Estonia.

Supposedly, Estonia has become a leader in computer technology. Yes, that is surprising. But, that’s not the news.

No, the news is that they took down an old Soviet-era war memorial from a square in one of their towns. This upset the Russians and the two countries have been spatting back and forth. Suddenly, Estonia has come under cyber attack. This "denial of services" attack has been aimed at government institutions and before it knocked everything out, the Estonians were able to trace the start of it back to Russia and "various government institutions in Russia."

Russia’s response? "Prove it."

Ah, as if we needed more proof that Putin is a KGB thug in president’s clothing.

Estonia is a NATO country and has requested and received a NATO cyber security team who is in country tying to get everything back on line. The between the lines is that it knocked out Estonia’s entire air defense system. NATO has said they are going to make cyber attacks a priority, but this is the first test of that policy.

So, what will happen? Estonia says that a cyber attack on a country’s defense grid should be treated the same as a physical attack. No loss of life, but if you can’t defend yourself, you can’t defend yourself and one doesn’t accidentally launch a cyber attack (now, whatever you do, don’t press the flashing, red button….)

Yes, it’s been almost a hundred years since WWI, but a person does wonder what the implication of enough saber rattling in eastern Europe will be. Obviously, Estonia can’t take on Russia. Would Russia do more than attack their computers? If so (and the answer is “yes,” what is the world going to do? No one has implied that this particular event is leading us full-steam into a war, and I don’t think it is. But, if Russia’s hand isn’t slapped over this, how far will they try to extend it the next time and the time after that?

And, is this yet another in a growing list of Russia moving aggressively outside their own borders? The smoking gun points to the Russians on a number of poisonings over the last few years, now this, what haven’t we heard about?

I thought I heard someplace that Estonia has some oil, too. Hmmmm, Putin and oil, we know how that book reads.

On top of this, and on top of Bush feeling the need to remind Putin the Cold War is over, the man being groomed to be Putin's replacement is Sergei Ivanov. If elected, he will carry on with Putin's policies. The BBC casts Ivanov as a member of the old, Cold War era and first met Putin as part of Russia's intelligence (KGB) community where he worked for over twenty years. The Carnegie Center calls him one of the “Russian hawks” and doesn't like being asked questions in English.

Is this a new, aggressive turn by the former CCCP? Let us recall Putin going out of his way eight years ago to tell the USA that he would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons first if he felt the need.

WWI had it's encore, as did the Gulf War. Those are the big ones that come to mind, but we are still living with a Korea split by a DMZ and plenty of other conflicts that come back for a second act. Will we add the Cold War to the growing list? History tells us that if an enemy is not completely and utterly vanquished that there is a good chance that a country can find itself fighting the same war multiple times.

Lenin's own writings talked about what to do if a communist country finds themselves broke. The government fakes a change, keeps their head down, and when the country is solvent once more to re-establish the communist regime. For the workers, of course. Estimated time of such a turnaround was given as ten to fifteen years. Of course, that was a hundred years ago and economics are a bit more complex now and it takes more money to run a military for a major country. You can't just get away with handing a rifle to every three peasants anymore. You need tanks, planes, submarines, nuclear war heads, computers..... you get the idea.

Did Reagan win the Cold War? I think he could have if we had followed through and secretly hunted down the ruling members of Russia's Communist Party. The fact is that we never even learned the identities of all the men sitting on the Supreme Soviet – the core power players during the Iron Curtain days. If we have learned, we never released the information and did a good job of keeping it secret.

Tensions over oil, terrorism, and selling of nuclear secrets grow everyday. Russia is facing huge problems with a diminishing population and a government who can't take care of everything like they did under communism but which is unable to let go enough for anyone other than the criminals to found thriving businesses.

Mark Steyn predicts that Russian will hit a critical point in the next ten years in which the temptation to use their muscle to solve their problems could well be overwhelming. With a man like Putin at the helm and grooming a man like Ivanov to continue on with businesses as usual, it becomes less and less likely that we will be able to avoid a revival of the Cold War in at least one form or another. If it doesn't come to an outright arms race, it seems almost inevitable that we will mutually agree to resume our Mexican standoff while competing for oil and fighting proxy wars with countries like Iran.

There are many chess pieces in play right now, far too many to predict with any accuracy what the end game will look like. A smart motorcyclist “dresses for crash” and we would do well to quietly prepare ourselves to deal with an angry and aggressive Russia at some point in the near (ten years +/-) future.

Editing

2007-06-12T00:57:00.001-07:00

I see I need to pay more attention to editing my posts. Ok, I simply need to start editing my posts. I have a bad habit of typing and posting without re-reading the piece. I'll work on this - if the typos are driving you half as crazy as they do me, then we both have a problem. It's late, but I promise to correct the typos in the existing posts after I get some sleep and do a better job of using my virtual red pen on future posts.

Thanks for the patience as I grow into blogger mode.

Immigration

2007-06-11T21:03:00.001-07:00

Due to the recent demise of the Kennedy/McCain Immigration Bill, I wanted to put a few thoughts together about our current problem with illegal immigration.

I had written a long, drawn out statement, but I deleted it. I was just recovering lots of ground, so why go through all of that again.

A few points:

1)READ “Mexifornia” by Victor Davis Hanson (no relation, link to the right). For those of you unfamiliar with VDH, he has a very unique perspective on this issue. He is a Professor in the University of California and teaches Classics. He also is a farmer in California's central valley area and works the small family farm he grew up on. His mind is sharp, he works and lives in an area heavily affected by this issue, and he has a very deep understanding for how America has changed in the last fifty years. Lest someone think I'm pointing you to a Limbaugh-esque tirade, VDH is a Democrat, though of the old school and not the current liberal ruling elite mentality. He offers some wonderful insight and it's not a blame/deport them all fest, not in the least.

2)This border wall issue. When someone says “build a wall” I know they have never been on the border. I live in Arizona and started exploring the border country when I was attending the University of Arizona in Tucson. I'm telling you that no one is going to seal either border – north or south. It's too large, too remote, and too wild. To build a fence is a waste of money that can be better spent elsewhere. It's going to cost a fortune, be ugly in a beautiful part of this nation, and do absolutely nothing for our security. In fact, it will diminish it because it's a fell good measure that will incline people to relax.

3)This isn't a racial issue no matter what Geraldo Rivera says. It's an issue encompassing a racial class, but it's not racial at it's core. People are upset about it because there is chaos and no accountability. We see hospital bills left unpaid to the point places such as Brownsville, Texas, has considered closing their hospital. Maybe they have, I only heard they were thinking of it. Talk to anyone in the medical field in any border state and the problem is huge.

4)Like it or not, this entire thing is going to end up with amnesty. We might as well face it, swallow the pill, install a guest worker program, and get on with business.

5)The only way it's going to stop under the current laws is by closing down the small business owners who would hire Americans if Americans were willing to work those sorts of jobs. I know people in both the construction and restaurant businesses, and they simply can't find willing Americans. Our unemployment is less than 4.5%. The large corporations can afford to pay the fines and fight in court while still being an active, thriving business. We need the workers. If we have a guest worker program, at least they can be taxed and tracked. And, most of the illegal workers are very hard workers. I was on a job site one time where a demolition crew was working. Those guys worked so hard I felt like a slacker for only doing 80 hours a week (then, no more hours like that for me anymore.)

6)We need to stop catering to the illegals, allowing them to function without becoming Americans by nature and attitude, citizenship can come once they prove themselves. This is heart of the issue as the years go by. We don't raise our own kids to be proud of their heritage, it's going to be impossible to instill a patriotic attitude in new immigrants. This one is all on us, folks. We have to demand more of our youth and a whole lot more of our schools.

7)English has to be the language of choice. If you don't speak it, you will get no where. Spanish services will do to the Hispanic population what welfare has done to the blacks – created a low economic comfort zone that affectively keeps them always at the poor end of our society. We have to stop doing such things.

8)No matter what we do, we cannot ignore the legal immigrants. These people follow all our laws, come here to better themselves, and we make them go through an overly complicated process that is frustrating, takes years, and costs thousands of dollars in legal fees. That is unacceptable to say the least.

9)Yes, entering the USA illegally is a crime – hence the “illegal” moniker. But, there is a difference between a guy coming north to find work hard at a better life and the scumbag pusher and thief who is a leach on society. We can't use the same paint brush on all “criminals.” Once we realize that, amnesty is easier to accept.

10)This is a hot button issue. Everywhere I go, this is the issue that gets people worked up. The politicians don't want to touch it because they don't want to lose the Hispanic vote. Well, only citizens can vote, and lot of the Hispanics who are citizens have lived here all their lives and feel like victims, too.

11)We have to demand more of Mexico so that a better economy is possible, enticing fewer people to come north. Right now it's businesses as usual with graft and corruption and keeping huge amounts of money in the hands of a few families. They need to let go of the reigns and pass laws making it easy to open a business. The free market will take it from there.

Those are a few of my talking points on this issue. I live in a border state and a lot of the talk I hear coming from the east and from those who never leave the urban area of Phoenix is unrealistic. I say we make an arbitrary date, say January 1, 2006. Prove you were in the country then and everyone gets a free pass – legal gets their citizenship, illegal gets a guest worker pass. All business register their guest workers, and then it's a whole lot easier to weed out the bad apples and figure out who is causing problems.

There is obviously more to this issue, but that's a good place to start.

Glock 17

2007-06-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a gun snob, so it might seem odd that my current carry pistol is a Glock 17. Glocks are ugly, have awful triggers, and just lack a certain panache. Let's face it, "elegance" is not the first word that comes to mind when you look at a Glock.

Ok, so why carry it? I could ramble, but let's make this easy - you can shoot it really fast out of the holster and maintain great combat accuracy. I'm a sucker for a low bore axis mated with a consitant trigger. The trigger manages to be spongy and crunchy all at once, but it's consistent.

Try to beat a Glock up. The famous Tenifer finish is actually under the black phosphate surface treatment. I wish I could get this same finish on all of my social guns. It doesn't reflect and it never, ever rusts. If you get it to rust, my hat is off to you. My sweat could be marketed as an industrial solvent and I've carried a number of Glocks in the AZ heat and I've never had a speck of rust. Blood, salt water, sweat nothing affects it.

Not only doesn't it rust, it just never breaks. The abuse that these things will take is legendary. You really can throw them across a parking lot, toss them out of helicopter, run over them with a truck and other showman stunts. In other words, it will withstand abuse that your body won't. In more practical terms, they run no matter how much you abuse them. Fill 'em with sand, they run. Dunk 'em in mud, they run. Forget to lube 'em, and it's probably going to run if you have hot enough ammo. Just imagine how reliable it is if you take care of it properly. And, you do take care of your life saving emergency gear properly right?

Ok, everything breaks, so a word of caution. The rumors of Glocks going kaboom are based in fact though I think the hysteria is way over done. Again, without getting technical, just run factory, jacketed ammo and you will never have a problem. Don't sweat buying a used one. Scrub the chamber out well before shooting it, again, use only factory, jacketed ammo and you will be fine. You say you reload? Hey, it's your ammo and your gun, knock yourself out. I've known plenty of Glocks that run tens of thousands of handloads without a problem. But, you are increasing your risk. For my money, Wal-Mart 100 round packs are cheap enough that I'm not going to tempt fate even while practicing.

If everything breaks, and everything does, what are the Glock's weak points? The three most common parts to break are the trigger return spring, the extractor, and extractor spring. All are cheap parts, all last far more than the average person is going to shoot, and they are all easy to swap out. If you can do basic home repair, you can replace those parts. Of course, you void any warranty and you have to do it right. If you do it wrong, don't go looking to point the finger anywhere but at yourself. A gunsmith is going to charge you for an hour's worth of labor to do ten minutes worth of work, but if you are at all hesitant or unsure, consider it an investment in your peace of mind.

Ok, that says a lot about Glocks, but what about the Glock 17? Why did I choose it? After carrying a Glock 23, a 19, and a 35, I've settle on the 17. As common and popular as Glocks are in other calibers, I think the 9mm is their most reliable system (quick tip: guns are usually the most reliable and handle best chambered for the cartridge around which they were designed.) Out of all the 9mm Glock models, the 17 simply fits my hand the best. I most often recommend the Glock 19 to people, as it's a superb design and it's shorter frame is a bit more comfortable to most people. But, not for me. My hands are moderately large and I like the full frame of the 17.

So far, it's box stock and I could leave it be for years and never have an issue. I'm leaving the internals on this one stock because stock is always the most reliable. If your pistol requires gunsmithing to be made carry worthy, you may wish to consider a different design. Hey, look at that, I just got the 1911 guys foaming at the mouth. I love the 1911 and owned, well, let's just say I've owned a LOT of them, but it's a complete bill of goods that it's acceptable to need a "reliability package" on a brand new gun.

I stay away from the +2 magazine base plates. Again, stock is the most reliable. The magazine spring was designed to push up seventeen cartridges and can have an issue if it's asked to work over a longer distance. You might never have a problem, but wouldn't it suck if you were in a fight for your life and your gun malfunctioned because you wanted to be able to shoot two more rounds after going through eighteen shots (17+1 in the chamber.)

The Glock 17 pictured is my personal carry gun and sits alongside a Comp-Tac Gurkha holster, which I'll review after I use it some more.

Eighteen rounds of Federal 9BP hollow points in an utterly reliable and deadly fast package. You can sweat on it, you can bleed on it, you can abuse it, and it just keeps on working. Kind of hard to not love that, even if it is one ugly gun.

Bush, Putin, and the Chinese

2007-06-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bush sent a memo to Putin saying the Cold War is over. This in response to the Russian response of the US putting up a missile defense system in eastern Europe.

Now, this reminds me of a few other axioms:
If you declare a cease-fire, make sure the enemy agrees.
If one side thinks they are in a religious war, it's a religious war.

If Putin doesn't think the Cold War is over, maybe we shouldn't be telling him it is, maybe we should be paying attention and consider the possibility that hostilities are ramping back up.

Re. Russia as a buffer against China: Some think that rather than bicker, Russia will enter a cooperative agreement with China, allowing China to develop the oil fields in Siberia and then splitting the proceeds.

Whoever pointed out that a great deal of the Cold War st reign was due to the Russian mind being a mix of west and east was right on the money. Now, take that a step further - if we couldn't get inside the heads of the Russians or find a common ground, how well is all of this going to work in dealing with the Chinese?

It's why politics without commerce is doomed. Money is a universal language and the businesses will find a way to make it work. Then, they will make sure their governments do what it takes to keep the money flowing.

If the money is flowing between Russia and China, then those bonds are the ones that will grow.

Of course, none of this takes into account the mega-egos involved and the difficulty that free enterprise has in influencing the Russian market. I'm not too worried about the Chinese market. They are one of the largest consumers of BMW 7-series for crying out loud.

It's 102 Degrees, we have a good computer, a lot of ammo...hit it!

2007-06-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Like every blog, it's about my observations on life, an open diary to the world, my way of saying "how cool, check this out" or opening a window and saying "we're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore!" I anticipate much more cool stuff than mad stuff, though the 2008 elections are coming up. I told the Fred Thompson's people I'd be happy to put up signs, so we'll see where that leads us.

There's going to be lots of gun stuff on here. Why? Because this is a place for Americans and all free people to celebrate the single most important instrument in achieving, defending, and holding that freedom. And, guns are cool - see, some cool stuff.

There's also going to be a lot of bike stuff. That is bike as in motorcycle, not bicycle. Bicycles are cool, but I get out of breath getting up for another donut, so no bicycles. Obviously there SHOULD be bicycles, but that's going to have to wait. Lots of stuff about motorcycles, though. I love cars and trucks, but there is no better way to travel than on two wheels - with an engine. All motorcycles are good motorcycles. I ride a Harley, but that doesn't mean you have to and it doesn't mean I'm in the dark about how some people think Harleys are overpriced, unreliable pieces of rolling art. My response is yes, no, and yes.

Ok, books. Lots of books. I might even make a list of recommended reading for those who are so inclined. It's going to look very smart, the titles I put on there. Don't let it fool you, I love a good bit of mindless entertainment and sometimes you can even have depth and entertainment all in one.

So, right, if you are a gun toatin', flag wavin', hard ridin', bibliophile, you are probably going to feel right at home here. If you aren't, I hope you feel like you are sitting on your crazy brother's couch listening to his friends talk. It's safe, it's comfy, and it's fun even if you don't know what is going on.

I will be holding myself to the rigid schedule of posting whenever the heck I feel like it, so check back whenever the heck you feel like it.

Now to get this show officially on the road!

The Spent Brass Political Manifesto, Draft 1

2007-06-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Politics, for good or ill, it stirs the blood and incites emotion like few other issues will. We find ourself in a wasteland, a nation divided between two self-serving factions. Outside of our own borders things are even worse. You know it is bad when France is the only country in recent memory to show some backbone and elect a man who might - might - bring about positive change.

This isn't going to be another cry for "moderation" or "the middle" or even "compromise." We've seen that doesn't work. As I write this the Kennedy/McCain Immigration bill appears to be dead. For all of it's faults, when was the last time you saw Republicans and Democrats working together? Oh, yes, when they were rallying in protest to the FBI raid on Rep. Jefferson's office.

Let's face it, when the modern politician crosses the isle, it simply means that he or she has found an issue on the other side from which they believe they will personally benefit.

"Well, David, if moderation isn't the key and partisan politics hasn't gotten us anywhere, what is the answer?"

History. History is the answer.

We needn't break new ground to find the answer to today's problems, we simply need look back and figure out when things were running more smoothly, pin point it, and figure out what they were doing then that we aren't doing now. Now, let's not be infected by the Bug of Nostalgia Any review of American History shows plenty of greed, avarice, and division. Still, there was something more going on.

We can look at many issues - the bizarre and prevalent attitude that risk is bad, the ambivalence of the electorate, the guilt of being American, the surrender of adult responsibilities to the State, the protection of ego at all costs, the belief that self-esteem is something which can be given or taught, the right to not be offended, submission as a response to aggression, and a whole host of other unfounded, foolish, and self-destructive practices.

We can look at all of those thing, but we don't need to that is akin to treating symptoms and saying, "the cough is killing you, here's some Vick's 44." No, it's the pneumonia that is killing the patient, so let's look at some of the root causes and points of similarity that today's problems have.

This blog, amongst the millions out there, will probably never be read by more than a few friends and maybe the family member who gives it a glance out of politeness. That's fine. Change starts at home.

Wait! Stop! Hold the presses!

This isn't about change, it's the change that has caused many of the problems. Let's say that tradition starts at home.

The past didn't do everything perfectly and those who say "I was born 100 years too late" are ignoring the wonders of modern medicine, transportation, a global economy, and, for the other desert dwellers out there, air conditioning!

Let's work at clinging to what was good, toss out the bad, adapt when something new comes along that is an improvement - new can be very good, just look at civil rights and conservation movements - and be willing to have our voice heard. As weak as that voice may be, someone needs to stand up to the Paris Hilton, "it depends on what your definition of the word 'is' is," zombie, pop culture, digital clock, welfare situation we have today. Let's talk to our friends, co-workers, church members, PTA/NEA group, whatever, and let's stand up for some good, traditional American values where you got smacked on the back of the head and given detention if you didn't say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Can I get an Amen!

That's the general, very general, direction that this blog will be headed in. I'm hoping it will be done as a "leading by example" sort of way and not a "tear someone else apart today" kind of way. Let's call it the difference between the best commentator on TV and radio today, Judge Andrew Napolitano, and that venomous piece of trash Michael Savage who makes all conservatives look bad. In fact, let's avoid the "c" word as much as possible. We are Constitutionalists (that's "C" vs. "c"), traditionalists, and freedom loving Americans. Political party allegiance plays no part in this as both can lay claim to those values in part and both are guilty of trampling them while wearing golf spikes. The later being far more common than the former.

I'd encourage you to look at each situation and think, "how would my great grandfather handles this?" Assuming your great grandfather wasn't a serial killer, I imagine that he would deal with things in a more decisive, pragmatic, and respectful way that we have learned. My grandmother had an 8th grade education, her brothers and sisters not much more, and they were the most gracious, intelligent, insightful, and classy generation a person could hope to meet.

Where did we go wrong? I have a few ideas, ones I'll share as this blog develops. For now, a bit of soul searching is in order, as well as taking a broad look at history. Soul searching, history, and pancakes. It's Sunday morning, so I'm off to find some good pancakes!