I Humbly Yield the Floor

On December 5, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn Review, RKBA3 Comments

A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.

Shane (1953)

Every death at the barrel of a gun is a tragedy. Whether an innocent victim is killed by a criminal, or that criminal is stopped by a law abiding citizen, or a group of gang bangers end up shooting each other, the resulting death could have been avoided, if one goes back far enough in the process.

One of the chief failings of the anti-gun crowd is their refusal to assign responsibility in this tragedy to those who are to blame. They choose to believe that, somehow, the gun – the tool – was at fault, and if all guns were eliminated, then the tragedies would cease.

Make no mistake, they will speak of “easy guns” or “illegal guns” or “assault weapons with high capacity clips and a shoulder thing that goes up,” but what they really mean is all guns. Even the recent history of gun control in countries like England and Australia shows that.

Every time I read an anti-gun diatribe, I am tempted to write about it, and cite the truth – that the vast majority of gun deaths are due to criminals. You don’t know how many draft posts I have saved, that are in this vein.

I forget exactly what I was reading today, but it was the same tired claim that “gun violence” could somehow be solved by more gun regulation. All I know is it got me to sounding and acting like Lewis Black – cussing and jabbing my fingers at the screen.

Fortunately, the next blog I read calmed me down. And for that reason, in matters related to who and what is to blame for “gun violence,” I humbly yield the floor to Sean Sorrentino.

Many gun bloggers, like myself, choose to remain somewhat anonymous. For me, it’s because my side passion might interfere in other areas of my business life, where, frankly, it should have no bearing at all.

When you meet Sean, though, he will be wearing a badge in the shape of the state of North Carolina, that says his name, and under that, An NC Gun Blog.

Sean deals frequently with legislators, anti-gunners, and pro-gun people alike, and, as he told me, he wants them to know where he stands.

I salute Sean not only for his forthrightness, but for his blog. The subject of his blog, more often than not, is to show you who the perpetrators of gun crime in North Carolina are, and what they have been up to all their life.

Sean tells you about the criminals and their records in a very civil manner. He doesn’t name names, he doesn’t throw stones. He just shows you the truth.

As a quasi-aside, Sean doesn’t just write about guns, he shoots very well, too. He was my training partner in Knoxville earlier in the year.

So, in lieu of ranting, in the future, I will just point to An NC Gun Blog. Sean says it better than I can.

It’s Getting to be That Time of Year

On December 2, 2011July 26, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn Uncategorized

Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved.

Ralphie, A Christmas Story

The Christmas tree and all the decorations are already up at the FYH ranch. Thanks to a late Thanksgiving night Seal Team like Black Friday Raid, we have about 80 percent of the shopping done.

I like this kind of season, because it lets me relax, and enjoy Christmas. Ahead we still have tickets to the Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, and a trip to see the lights at Callaway Gardens. But we can just enjoy.

My wife and I started an interesting tradition about 4 years ago. When you’ve been married as long as we have, it’s sometimes hard to think of inventive presents for each other. That year, we weren’t really sure if we could afford to spend much. We don’t go into debt for Christmas.

But I got a couple of commissions paid early, and on the morning of Christmas Eve, my wife surprised me. We were out driving ostensibly to pick up a Honey Baked Ham, and she pulled into the parking lot before the ham place.

The only interesting store in that place was a big box sporting goods store. I looked at her with a grin.

“Yes. Go buy yourself that 10/22.”

I felt like Ralphie. I had wanted a 10/22 for a couple of years, but I’d put it off for some reason or another.

When I got it home I put it in the box and put it behind the tree, and on Christmas morning I said, “Oh, wait, what’s that?”

Next, we drove to her favorite shop, and she got to pick out some comparable gifts.

Every year since then, we’ve gone out on Christmas Eve, and enjoyed ourselves as the other picks some gift that’s meaningful, and oftentimes longed for. It’s every bit as enjoyable for me to experience my wife’s interest and expectation, as it is to open those presents on Christmas.

This year? I’ve got my eye on a Dillon 550 loading press. That cold steel beauty . . .

On Christmas Eve, we’ll see.

How Many Guns Do I Need?

On December 1, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn Gun Rights, Self Defense, Training2 Comments

Michael over at the RKBArms Blog asked the same question recently. You can see his personal answers there.

First, let me say that I really think the question is almost invalid, especially to a law abiding American. On the one hand, the anti-gun crown will answer “zero,” which just leads to a pointless discussion.

On the other hand, it’s almost like asking how much money I need, or how many pages long should a resume be*. There is no real answer, or at best, any answers depend strongly on the assumptions that are made.

Here are the five essential guns Michael identified, which, given the nature of his blog, apply to a defense situation:

1. Every Day Carry
2. BUG (Back Up Gun)
3. Home Defense Sidearm
4. Home Defense Carbine
5. Home Defense Shotgun

I can’t disagree with any of these from a defensive standpoint.

All I would add would be the caveat that there should be enough additions for each able bodied shooter in the household. In a SHTF situation, having a carbine and/or handgun for each person would make survival a lot more likely.

It also occurs to me that, depending on the size and layout of the house or area being defended, the number of Back-up Guns may need to increase.

For me, my guns are

1. Glock 21SF
2. Glock 19
3. Glock 17
4. SKS with detachable magazines
5. Mossberg 500

Admittedly, I sometimes carry the Glock 19 in lieu of the Glock 21, depending on my clothing choices.

In a SHTF situation, I would carry the G21 and SKS, my wife would carry the G17, and my son would carry a Ruger 10/22 with 4 – 30 round magazines.

The key here is making sure everyone is proficient with their assigned guns, and knows where spare ammo, holsters, etc. are stored. Then train, train, train.

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On the gripping had, this list touches addresses defense needs only. One could make any number of lists based on the category in question:

Competition: One for each competition type and class. Skeet gun, trap gun. 3-gun rifle, Camp Perry rifle. SASS: 2 pistols, a rifle in pistol caliber, and a shotgun. (That’s by far the easiest. Maybe.)

Hunting: Big game, small game, medium game.

Then there is collecting.

* On the issue of how many pages a resume should be, most people will respond one of two ways: either the resume should be all one page to make it easier to read, or the resume should be as many pages as it takes to convey the amount of information to get an interview.

But, in fact, this is a trick question: there is no answer any more, and here’s why. Most resumes will never be printed on paper, they will only be viewed and read on a computer screen. So, since there are no pages, the question is invalid.

I suppose I would go with the second answer at that point – include everything you need to include so you get the interview. Remember, no one hires your resume, they hire the person, after an interview.

Disclosure: I work as an engineering recruiter, to pay for ammo and match fees.

The Safety Rules in Depth – Part 3

On November 29, 2011July 26, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn Safety

Rule 2: Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy.

If there was a single gun rule that, when violated, resulted in the most damage, injury, and death, it would have to be Rule 2.

After all, the direction a gun is pointed determines where the bullet goes when the gun fires. While Rules 1 and 3 are devoted to preventing the gun from going off unintentionally, with Rule 2, it doesn’t matter whether the gun is fired intentionally or unintentionally (or, as the anti-gun crowd believe, it goes off by itself). This Rule must be followed, or bad things happen.

Rule 1 is a philosophical rule. It takes a change in the shooter’s thinking to make it work. You need to have a change in your attitude, so that you always treat the gun as if it were always loaded, even if it isn’t. Which it is – see Rule 1.

Rule 2 is a concrete rule. It doesn’t matter how you think about the Rule, what your attitude is. The gun is pointing where the gun is pointing, regardless of how you think about it.

In my experience, Rule 2 is the most violated of all the safety rules. The main reason for this is ignorance and inexperience. New shooters may be used to playing with a toy gun, or not having a gun around at all.

And then there are the thousands of very bad examples on TV and in movies.

Wow. Not only did Vincent violate Rule 2, he violated Rule 3. Bad things happened. Sorry, Marvin.

Almost as bad are the hundreds of images where an actor points the gun in the air as they move around. No one tells viewers that this isn’t for good safety practice, this is so the gun is in the shot with the actor’s face.

This Rule takes concentration. Nothing about Rule 2 can be left to attitude or thinking or philosophy. You must be aware where your gun is pointed at all times, or bad things can happen.

So, what works when teaching Rule 2? Zealous enforcement and repetition. When you find someone waving a gun around, call them on it. Whether you are polite about it or not depends on the situation and the violator, I suppose, but you should be firm and unequivocal in any case. In my family, we are all allowed to call “MUZZLE!” and push the gun downrange or toward the ground if it’s safe to do so.

A search of most gun forums will also find many accounts of violation of this rule at gun ranges, gun shows, and gun stores. When a polite but firm reminder not to point the gun at something they aren’t willing to destroy goes unheeded, the only recourse then is to leave. I know I’ve done it.

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Rule 2 is the failsafe of the gun rules. Follow it – make sure the gun isn’t pointed at anything you aren’t willing to destroy – and even if someone violates the other rules, you will be safe.