My Quest for C Class
In a recent post I talked about the Wall Drill. I’ve been doing these fairly regularly for about 4 weeks now, and I have found my performance is improving. The sights hardly move at all as I break the trigger.
I was surfing the instructional videos on the interwebz, and I came a cross a really good video on the Wall Drill, presented by its inventor, MSG George Harris of the US Army Reserve, who is also Director of the SIG Academy. It really helped to see it in action.
The most vocal of the anti-gun crowd would love nothing better than to see the complete confiscation of all handguns. But, knowing that this goal is very likely out of their reach, they instead chant the mantra of “common sense gun laws.”
Their version of common sense goes like this: since everyone knows that guns are dangerous, and everyone knows that ordinary citizens can’t be trusted with guns, and everyone knows that guns cause crime, it’s just common sense to limit the availability of guns to ordinary citizens. And, in their minds, I’m sure that limit approaches zero.
Any time there is a high profile shooting, like Virginia Tech or Gabriella Giffords, this case gets driven home by the anti-gun crowd, using the most emotional images possible. The total nut-caseness of the shooters is ignored. After all, it’s the gun that kills.
But, sometimes a monkey wrench gets thrown into this anti-gun concept of common sense: the truth. In this instance, that monkey wrench comes in the form of the FBI Annual Crime Statistics for 2010, released on Monday.
According to the figures released today by the FBI, the estimated number of violent crimes in 2010 declined for the fourth consecutive year. Property crimes also decreased, marking this the eighth straight year that the collective estimates for these offenses declined.
The 2010 statistics show that the estimated volumes of violent and property crimes declined 6.0 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, when compared with the 2009 estimates. . .
Each of the four violent crime offenses decreased when compared with the 2009 estimates. Robbery had the largest decrease at 10.0 percent, followed by forcible rape with a 5.0 percent decline, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter with a 4.2 percent decrease, and aggravated assault with a 4.1 percent decline.
The sticking point for the anti-gun crowd is that gun sales and CCW permits issued are both up. For those who have trouble keeping both concepts in mind, this means that crime went down while the number of guns and the number of lawful concealed carry holders went up.
I’m no statistician, although I have played an engineer on TV, but it seems like this negative correlation flies in the face of the “common sense” the anti-gun crowd spouts.
The truth is, more guns in the hands of more lawful citizens means less crime. That’s because guns don’t cause crime, criminals cause crime, and those criminals are deterred by the threat of armed victims.
So, the next time someone cries for “common sense” gun laws, explain to them the real definition of common sense. Then ask them Just One Question:
Can you demonstrate one time or place, throughout all history, where the average person was made safer by restricting access to handheld weapons?
No one has yet answered this “yes.”
The evidence is clear. Guns aren’t the problem. Criminals are the problem. And that is real common sense.
Last week I went to renew my Georgia Weapons License. This is the eighth time I’ve gotten, or renewed, a concealed carry license. Time flies.
As permits go, Georgia’s was rather simple to get. I filled out a form at the Cobb County Probate Judge office, paid them my money, and went down to the basement to be fingerprinted. They have the same woman doing fingerprints who was there the last time I did this, 5 and 10 years ago. I talked to her a little while she rolled my hands across their glorified photocopier, and in 5 minutes we were done. In a couple of weeks I will get my new license in the mail.
We talked a little about my experience with the application and renewal processes in the places I’ve lived. By far the easiest renewal I ever had was in Alabama, probably 18 years ago. At that time the license had to be renewed once a year. The initial license took a month or so for the background check, but the renewal was something else entirely.
I went in the Sheriff’s office, and the clerk had me fill out the renewal form, and took my $5. Then she called out “Sheriff!”
The Sheriff stuck his head out of his office, and the clerk told him my name, and said, “He’s here to renew.”
He looked at me closely, and then said “Nope, I haven’t run into you this year. He’s good.” And I got my permit right there.
There is currently a bill before the Congress to compel the states to recognize gun permits issued by all other states, just like they do with drivers’ licenses. As long as the Federal reach ends there, with direction to the states, I’m good. If we mess up and let the Feds into the permitting process beyond that, we’re screwed.
Ultimately, I believe all states should allow concealed carry to all citizens who are not otherwise restricted from gun ownership, just as Alaska, Vermont, and Arizona currently allow, without a permit. Permits are a holdover from the Jim Crow laws, meant to prevent freed blacks from taking up arms. Beyond that, they are revenue sources – my Georgia permit cost $75.
As I was leaving the fingerprint office in the basement of the Cobb County Courthouse, I told the Fingerprint Woman I would see her in five years, unless Georgia went the way of Vermont. She smiled and said she was fine with that, she’d find another line of work.
It would be fine with me, too.
My weekend started well. I shot the monthly Action Pistol match at River Bend Gun Club in Dawsonville, Georgia. This match consists of three stages that are moderately challenging, involving a mix of steel and paper targets.
This month there were over 60 participants, including a group of Cadets from The Military College of Georgia, located at North Georgia College and State University, shown above. They shot in full combat gear including loaded rucks – talk about Train as you Play. Fortunately for me, they were shooting Limited to my Production. I felt unworthy.
I finished fifth out of ten in Production, 0.01 points back of fourth and 0.38 points behind third. Looks like my two weeks of dry fire practice is paying off.
+++
After the match, the club served a free hotdog lunch, then I was on the road home. I made it home at halftime of my alma mater Georgia Tech’s game against Kansas. The Yellow Jackets pulled away in the second half, winning 66 – 24.
+++
Sunday was a cleanup day. Next week is the Glock Annual Shoot at the South River Gun Club in Conyers, GA, the largest GSSF match of the year. To get ready, I completely detail stripped and cleaned Bruce, my G17, and the Duke, my G21, since I plan to shoot them in the match.
I also detail stripped Bucky, my Browning Buck Mark .22LR pistol. Between Bucky and my 10/22 Captain America I’ve shot over 1,500 rounds of ammo, without cleaning Bucky at all. To say the gun was dirty is an understatement. I spent a lot of time with gun scrub spray and buff pads.
I also did a little internal work, mostly polishing, that I read about on Rimfire Central.
One thing I know, if I am going to compete with Bucky, I will need to install an extended magazine release. I was not blessed with normal thumbs, and pressing the release now requires me to shift the gun quite a bit. In fact, while practicing mag changes, I found I needed to use my off hand to hold the gun around the trigger guard, then shift my hand to press the release. I can’t imagine how this will work in a match, with a hot gun, and the adrenaline flowing.
I tried drilling and tapping the existing magazine release button, but I found the material is too hard for me to do a good job. I will likely buy one off the interwebz.
I also played around with different sighting ideas on my 10/22 and Buck Mark. Right now I have a 2 – 6 x 40mm scope on the 10/22 and a red dot scope on the Buck Mark. In a .22 match, I would need something quick on the rifle, and I think I can make do with the scope at 2x. I tried the red dot, and that would work, but it leaves me with iron sights on the pistol. I might spring for a reflex sight for the pistol, which would be quicker to use than the red dot.
I may also buy a 45 degree offset Weaver base for the 10/22, and mount either the red dot or a reflex sight on it, and set the scope to 4x or similar. It would still be fast to use.
It’s a busy week ahead.
Fill Yer Hands 