Return Of The Next Big Scare

On November 8, 2012June 5, 2013 By Tom LindsayIn 2AF, Gun Rights, NRA, Politics, Rant, RKBA, United Nations3 Comments

It seems that the possibility of a UN Arms Trade Treaty, which I first wrote about in June 2011, has returned, and, in the wake of the re-election of President Obama, it has gotten quite a few otherwise intelligent gun owners quite worked up. The word is that this treaty would require anything from the confiscation of all our guns to the cessation of the manufacture of ammunition.

My point today is to reassure gun owners that no blue-hatted soldier is going to show up at your door and take your guns. This treaty, while attractive to the anti-gun factions, is dead as far as the United States is concerned, and, if it were enacted, would not result in any change in our right to keep and bear arms.

Please consider these facts carefully, and use them as defense against anti-gunners who would attempt to scare you with the prospect of some foreign organization finally accomplishing what they could never hope to do.

Now, there are those in the pro-gun camp whose personalities and modes of thinking tend to lead them to see a conspiracy and a hidden agenda in everything. To those I say that this will be my last word on this subject, barring future developments that change the facts. I will tell you that you are wrong, and point you to these facts.

++++

Now, having said all that, is there cause for concern? Of course. But is there cause for foaming-at-the-mouth panic? No.

Why? Consider the following:

First, Article VI of the Constitution states:

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land;

Thus, only treaties that are executed as outlined in the Constitution are enforceable as law.

Second, Article II states:

The President . . . shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;

So, while the President can execute treaties, the Senate must ratify them, by a two thirds majority. This means that 67 Senators would have to ratify any treaty.

In July 2012 Senator Jerry Moran, R-KS, sent a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, expressing opposition to the UN Arms Trade Treaty. It was signed by 51 Senators, although since that time, Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts has been defeated and will be replaced. However, it is important to note that defeat of this treaty requires only 34 Senators.

Thus, ratification of this treaty is impossible under the current Senate.

++++

But, if the treaty were ratified, would this mean we, as citizens, would be subject to its provisions, to the exclusion of the Second Amendment? No.

As it turns out, the Constitution takes precedent over treaties. In Reid v. Covert, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution supersedes international treaties. Specifically it held that “no agreement with a foreign nation can confer power on the Congress, or on any other branch of Government, which is free from the restraints of the Constitution.”

And, given that the Heller case and MacDonald case have upheld that the Second Amendment guarantees individuals the right to keep and bear arms, no treaty can force a change in that legal stance.

Of course, there is the possibility that, if the treaty were enforced, there would be arguments that it now represents the law of the land. Fortunately, we have courts in this country, and our arguments would be swift, and insurmountable.

Having said that, this begs the question of who would mount such a legal challenge. Almost certainly that would fall to the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation. These organizations’ political influence and legal prowess have been shown time and again. Say what you will about their fundraising or political goings-on, the anti-gun factions fear them, and for good reason.

And having said that, this begs the question of whether you are a member of the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation. If not, I urge you to join today.

++++

Now, it is true that the government has, at times, attempted to enforce treaties, or parts of treaties, that were not ratified by the Senate. One example frequently given by those who are currently up in arms is the UN Law of the Sea Treaty. Even though the Senate has never ratified this treaty, many US agencies, such as NOAA, have adopted provisions of the treaty as part of their operating procedures. This has drawn the ire of may groups, understandably.

However, the limits of territorial waters is not part of the Constitution, so, technically, it isn’t subject to the judgment of Reid v. Covert.

++++

Of course, one reaction I get is that the President would just bypass Congress, sign the treaty, and enforce it by confiscating all the guns.

To that, I have two reactions. First, to those who honestly believe that any President could or would attempt such an obviously seditious and treasonous act, I say, “Really?” You really have a skewed view of the power of the President, much less his political will.

Second, to those who would attempt such a confiscation, I believe I would be joined by millions of other Americans in quoting Leonidas at Thermopylae, “Come and take them.”

The Cost Of Competing

On November 7, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn Competition, GSSF, Training, USPSA

Recently Walt at Walt in PA and Ron at When the Balloon Goes Up! posted discussions of the cost of pistol competition.

Here is a chart from Ron, showing the five year cost of competing in IDPA, 6 matches a year.

To me, this chart bursts a few bubbles. The average shooter (that is, me) frets and worries about choosing the right gun, basing a lot of the decision on the cost of the gun, especially as a newcomer. Yet, as one can obviously see, the relative cost of the gun versus all the other costs – ammo, accessories, entry fees, practice sessions – argues that we should pick our guns based on the best gun for us as shooters, regardless of the price.

That is, of course, a very difficult thing to do. After all, we lay out the money for the gun in one lump, and most of the other money gets spent on an ongoing basis, certainly in sums less than what we laid out for the gun. For me, buying ammo a case of 1000 at a time, I spend $250 or so at a time, and it feels like a lot, even though it’s about half of what I spent on the gun.

++++

Having read this from Ron, I decided to calculate what I spend on my competition over 5 years.

Here it is, for the hardware.

Glock 17	$400
Parts	150
Magazines	60
Belt	50
Holster	60
Mag pouches	40
Hearing pro	30
Eye pro	0
Knee pads	10
Range bag	0
Total hardware	$800.00

Some explanation – I bought my Gen2 G17 in 1992. For competition I added a set of Warren/Sevigny sights, a (-) connector, and an extended magazine release. My eye protection was given to me, and I made my range bag out of a bag I got at a trade show.

As for the cost of competing, let’s look at a 5 year cost of shooting GSSF:

GSSF	$125
GSSF Match Fees	375
GSSF Ammo	540
Total GSSF	$1,040

For 5 years of USPSA:I join on an annual basis, but you could get a 5 year membership for $95. The match fees assume I shoot 3 matches a year. I also assume to shoot 3 boxes of ammo at a match.

USPSA	$200
USPSA Match fees	1,200
USPSA Ammo	2,880
Total USPSA	$4,280

Again it would be cheaper to join as a five-year member. I assumed an average of one club match a month, although I have access to 3 matches easily. This does not assume any major matches, or overnight travel. I also assumed 4 boxes of ammo per match.

Then, of course, is the cost of practice. Assuming I shoot 4 boxes of ammo per month in practice, at $12 per box, I would spend $2,880 over 5 years. Add to that the cost of range time. (For me, I shoot at a Georgia Wildlife Management Area range, which costs me $20 per year.)

So, in total, over 5 years, I would spend:

Hardware	$800
GSSF	1,040
USPSA	4,280
Practice	2,980
Total	$9,100.00

That is a chunk of change, no matter how you do look at it, an average of $1820 per year, or about $150 per month.

++++

But another way to look at it is fixed cost and variable costs.

Fixed	$875
Variable	8,235

At the beginning, one would lay out $800 for hardware, plus $35 for GSSF and $40 for USPSA. Then, you could look at it as the balance of $8,235, spread out monthly over 5 years, or $137 per month, or $32 per week.

Now, it doesn’t seem like so much, which is why I suppose I still do it.

The Decline and Fall of USA Ammo

On November 2, 2012November 6, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn Review1 Comment

In June 2011, on the advice of a fellow shooter, I bought 500 rounds of 115 grain FMJ 9mm ammo from USA Ammo. At the time I was very impressed by the delivery and performance of the ammo, and I gave it 4 eye patches.

Later in 2011, they ran a special on GearHog, and a lot of people bought a lot of good ammo. Still, I was pleased.

Then something terrible happened.

From what I can tell from posts on other sites, the company wasn’t able to keep up with ammo production to fill the GearHog orders, and they started having problems shipping orders on time. Customer service suffered at that time, too. Calls to the company went unanswered, messages were unreturned, and emails seemed like they were going to a black hole.

The appearance of the loaded ammo changed was well. In the first batches of ammo I had gotten, the bullets were shinty and unblemished. Later batches had bullets that were full of small dents and dings, which seemed to indicate to me that the bullets had been in storage or shipment for a long time.

Comments to my previous posts show a trend in the downward performance of the ammo, mostly in fulfillment of the orders. And a cursory Google search shows similar disappointing reports.

Based on these, I can no longer recommend USA Ammo.

I will continue to follow their progress and update as I see it.

Another Lesson Learned

On October 31, 2012October 31, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn Eye Protection, Safety

I recently posted about the time I shot my friend John (not John Wayne) in the eye with a BB gun, and the response of the parents in the neighborhood. Their choice to buy us all goggles instead of confiscating all our BB guns stands in direct opposition to how society reacts today.

I wanted to share another story about eye protection, in the further hope that my readers would vow to always wear eye protection from the moment they begin working with their guns.

WARNING: this post contains some graphic and disturbing language. If reading about a terrible eye injury makes you uncomfortable, GOOD. THAT’S MY GOAL!

++++

One Sunday evening, about 15 years ago, I decided to complete a small kitchen project, which required me to install some small pieces of trim around some newly installed light fixtures.

As I prepared for the project, I gathered all the tools and materials I would need.

Now, as I’ve said before, I’m an engineer, the son of an engineer, and I’ve been around projects and tools all my life. And, anyone who has worked in an industry covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act knows how workplace safety and protective gear are stressed.

So, I had all my materials laid out in front of me, ready to start – a pair of safety glasses, some work gloves, a trimming knife, sandpaper, the wood trim I would be installing, some glue, and some brads.

But first, I noticed that the blade on the trimming knife was a little dull, and I wanted to be sure it would cut easily, since a sharp knife is the safest knife. So, I clicked out the blade on the knife to expose a fresh disposable blade, and used a pair of pliers to safely break off the old blade.

Only, I inadvertently clicked out two blades.

As I bent the knife blade and broke off the old, dull blade, the fresh section in the middle broke off, too.

And flew straight up.

And hit me in the eye.

++++

At first, I didn’t know what had happened, because the piece of blade, about 1 cm long, flew directly at me, and so fast that I really couldn’t see it.

But, after a few blinks, my sight began to get red.

And I felt a chill that I had felt only a few times before, one being when I had shot John in the eye.

++++

I cried out for my wife, who came running into the kitchen. I didn’t even have to tell her what had happened. One look at my right eye and she knew. It was covered with a layer of blood, to the point where I couldn’t see.

I didn’t feel any pain in my eye, and that calmed me somewhat. So, I went in the bathroom and looked and my eye, and I couldn’t see anything, no cut, nothing. And, the blade wasn’t sticking out or anything, so I thought that was a good thing. I cleaned my hands, and took out my contact lens on that eye, and that’s when I saw that it was cleanly sliced, about 1/3 of the diameter of the lens. That was not good.

So, I decided I needed to get to the hospital, right away.

++++

While I waited to be seen by the doctor, the blood slowly washed away, and I thought I was going to be fine.

First, the doctor checked for what I admit was my worst fear – that the blade had gone straight into my eye, and was floating around in there.

Fortunately, he didn’t see the blade in there, and the cut on the surface of my eye was smaller than the blade had been, meaning it likely hit, made the cut, then glanced off and away.

There was blood in my eye, which meant that the cut had extended all the way through the surface of my eye. That was not good. But the doctor felt that would go away, and I would be fine.

He recommended I go see my optometrist, which I did the next day.

My optometrist, I should note, had done his pre-medical training in Chemical Engineering. He and I frequently talked about safety in the workplace. And his first question to me was “Why weren’t you wearing safety glasses?”

++++

It turns out that I was very, very fortunate. The blade had made a small cut in the conjunctiva, just enough to either cut through, or cause enough bruising that my eye bled a little on the inside.

Had the blade flown 1/4 inch to the left, it would have hit my iris. That probably would have blinded me or required surgery to correct. And, had it flown in some other direction, it was, as Maverick said, a target-rich environment, full of muscles and blood vessels.

My vision cleared over the next couple of weeks, and I didn’t wear my contacts for about a month while the cut healed over. As it turns out, the healing of the eye is an interesting process. The eye doesn’t normally have enough blood vessels on the surface to support vigorous healing, but, when injured, it will create them. Then, once the healing is complete, those blood vessels cease functioning, and they scar over. This scar then slowly erodes over time.

In fact, the doctor told me that I was fortunate, that I would live long enough for the blood vessels to completely erode and for my eye to return to normal. It would probably take 30 or 40 years.

++++

Aftermath:

The cut on my eye healed, and I didn’t suffer any vision loss.

Over the next month, the area of the cut became apparent as my eye healed itself. It turned red, and that slowly faded over the next six months, leaving a slightly elevated scar. The location of the scar was such that my contact would slip off the scar, and my vision would go to crap. Then, I would have to rub from the outside of my eyelid to get it back over the scar.

As I have moved, I have told each successive optometrist about the accident, and he has instantly found the scar. But now, as I have gotten older, it doesn’t cause my contact lens to move around near as much as it once did. I guess the scars is eroding, as I was told it would, although it has taken about half the time I was told.

The true aftermath, the reason for this post:

I now put on my eye protection as the very first action of any project, before I even start gathering tools and materials. I’ve had to teach myself to do this, but the memory of how I almost lost my sight makes it easier.

I put on my eye protection as soon as I arrive at the range, if I haven’t worn it on the ride in. And, I make anyone who comes shooting with me put theirs on, and keep it on, as soon as we arrive.

Please, please – wear eye protection, and put it on before you think you need to.