Paradigm Shift

On November 21, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn My Quest for C Class, Paradigm Shift5 Comments

When I first took up competitive shooting, back when the Earth was still cooling, I discovered something that, in retrospect, was detrimental to my growth as a shooter. It’s taken me a long time to change that, and even now, I have only changed half of it. The time has come to change the rest.

The Mistake

The club I first shot with in Alabama was filled with pistol shooters who had grown up in the time when Bullseye and PPC were the reigning games. So, they concentrated a lot on accurate shooting, and not as much on speed. I, on the other hand, was new to competition, and I looked at the scoring method, which was total shooting score divided by time, and realized I had an advantage. Most of the members were shooting 9s and 10s but shooting slower than me. I found that I could shoot 7s and 8s but shoot faster, and win. For two years this worked, and I either won or came in second in just about every match. This was my mistake.

Fast forward about five years, to an IDPA club in east Texas. I was still fast enough to get away with shooting not so well. Yes, there was an added penalty for a complete miss that wasn’t there in the Alabama club. But I still did well. I was shooting against some professionals – a couple of Border Patrol agents and some Texas DPS Troopers – and I usually managed to at least be the high amateur. So I settled for faster scores with poorer shooting, and I told myself that was good. My mistake continued.

The Truth

Now, I was faced with the Truth – I can’t shoot badly fast enough to win. So I concentrated on shooting better. In the past two years I’ve learned my about sight alignment and trigger control than I ever knew before. And my shooting scores have improved.

But, I can’t move as fast as I did, and it’s killing my overall scores.

I won’t re-post the video of me shooting the same stage as Dave Sevigny in USPSA, but it’s there in black and white. Dave shot the stage in 28 seconds and I shot it in 63 seconds. That means he could have started over again, and still beat me.

Now, the good side to this is, as I said, my shooting scores have improved. Dave had 174 points and I had 162, right in the middle of the pack. Looking at the other stages, and all 67 competitors, my shooting was in the middle, definitely C Class. But, over the last 20 years I’ve gained weight and slowed down, and that will keep me in D or worse.

And, I need to face it – if I am in a life and death struggle today, I probably won’t survive, because I’m so out of shape and overweight. I’ve been telling myself that I can survive on shooting skills or survival preparations, but that’s not true.

The Answer

If I am ever to get any better in this sport, and if I am going to have a chance of surviving TEOTWAWKI, I have to lose weight and get in shape. And the truth is, at my age, it’s only going to get worse, without hard work.

This isn’t anything new. I’ve been saying the same thing for a long time. My doctors have been saying the same thing for a long time. I would go on a diet and exercise program that was successful for a while, but only as long as I kept it up. Then the old habits would come back.

So I write this today, not to moan and complain, but to get it in black and white. I have to change my lifestyle, if I am going to get better. If I am going to live.

The Shift

I have a plan*, and over the next few months and years I’m going to share my progress, my ideas, my successes, and my failures.

I admit I was reluctant to do this publicly on my blog. But if I am going to succeed I need motivation and support, and maybe this is where I will find it. So, here it is.

* The Plan.

It’s a radical plan my doctor suggested. I suspect he got it from some shady website, maybe a late night infomercial. It has 2 crucial steps, and it scares me, but I’m going to try it.

1. Eat less.

2. Exercise.

I know, it’s radical. Wish me luck.

What We Are Up Against

On November 18, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn RKBA

I was reading my normal morning blog fix today, and I was reminded by Joe Huffman of some statements not so long ago.

This is what we are up against:

I think — you know, we can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans to legitimately own handguns and rifles…

Bill Clinton
March 1, 1993

And we should — then every community in the country could then start doing major weapon sweeps and then destroying the weapons, not selling them.

Bill Clinton
October 1, 1993

Banning guns is an idea whose time has come.

U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden
November 18, 1993

Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of all Americans to feel safe.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein
November 18, 1993

We’re here to tell the NRA their nightmare is true!. We’re going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We’re going to beat guns into submission!

U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer
November 30, 1993

If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them, Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in, I would have done it.

Diane Feinstein
February 5, 1995

My family ask me why I get so vociferous when I talk about the Second Amendment and my right to keep and bear arms. This morning I printed these quotes out, so I can let them read it for themselves.

Robert Woodall on HR 822

On November 18, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn RKBA

HR 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity act, passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday by a vote of 272 to 154. This bill requires states to recognize the carry permits issued by other states.

Many have expressed surprise that Rep. Rob Woodall, Republican of the Georgia 7th District, voted No, despite being a proponent of the Second Amendment. But Mr. Woodall explained his position clearly on the floor of the House.

At first I thought his position was a cop-out, but I find it a well reasoned and lucid explanation.

Unfortunately, it’s based on fantasy and wishful thinking.

It assumes that all the states enforce and apply the Second Amendment, so we must enforce and apply the Tenth Amendment and allow them to continue to do so. The problem is that all states don’t apply the Second Amendment. In fact, some actively oppose it. The purpose of HR 822 is to enforce the Second Amendment explicitly rather than implicitly.

Just about every Amendment since the 13th has included the phrase “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation” or similar language. Before that, it was understood that Congress would enforce the Constitution with appropriate legislation. That’s the Congress’s job.

All HR 822 does is enforce the Second Amendment with appropriate legislation.

Doing that with the Tenth Amendment is another issue for another time.

HR822 Redux

On November 15, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn RKBA

Yesterday I posted an open letter to my Congressman, Dr. Phil Gingrey, urging him to vote for HR822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act.

I fully expect him to do so, since he is a co-sponsor.

I did not, however, give much guidance on how you can contact your Member of Congress to urge them to do the same. I assume my readers are capable of using the Interwebz to find such things.

Barring that, the website Congress.org has a nifty app that allows you to enter your zip code and fins out who your elected officials are. Please avail yourself of this service if needed.

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As an aside, please don’t let this be the only time you contact your representative. I make it a point to write or email my Congressman and my Senators at least monthly.

Keep your letters and emails short and to the point. Don’t ramble.

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I am proud to live where I live. Our Congressmen in the past have included Larry McDonald, Newt Gingrich, and Bob Barr.

But I’m reminded of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gobachev’s rule: “Доверяй, но проверяй.”

Trust, but verify.