No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.3/395 - Release Date: 7/21/2006 Applying For A New Jersey Firearms Purchaser Identification Card: Within this biased article are some insights about the hoops through which law-abiding citizens must jump to purchase a firearm in New Jersey. (And, yes, Monica, your colleague should be able to outfit a legitimate militia with a single swipe of the company credit card, so long as the company wants to foot the bill.) http://www.topix.net/content/kri/4123411672258811559533265684773899998320 --- Watch Those Ricochets: Three NYPD officers suffered graze wounds from what were most likely ricochets of bullets fired at dog that was attacking an officer. http://ww2.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=5185541 --- Pause For Thought: Dean Speir presents a medley of photos of kaBooms! in Glocks. Clearly these do not occur in every other Glock pistol and, as far as I know, only one has occurred in a 9mm Glock. My personal opinion? I would accept a gift of a Glock in another chambering but would not spend the money on a Glock in other than 9x19mm. http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/greatest_hits.html --- From Force Science Research Center: Preliminary findings in a study involving pursuit driving suggest that more training improves response and memory in high-intensity encounters (Newsletter #49). http://www.forcesciencenews.com/home/current.html --- From John Farnam: 17 July 06 Comments from a frustrated friend who owns an indoor gun range: "... invariably the ones with chronic gun problems are Frankengun owners, who have stuffed their guns chock-full of after-market parts and endless accessories. I want to reach across the counter and grab them by their scrawny necks, while screaming: WHEN YOU HAVE RELIABLE IGNITION AND FUNCTIONING, DON'T "FIX" IT. LEAVE IT ALONE!" Comment: Again, we only deal with serious guns for serious purposes. Thus, "recreational" guns, like "recreational" food, don't interest me, nor do I have patience with those who keep getting the two mixed in with each other! /John (There is a difference between "accessorizing" a gun and functional improvements, such as a professional action job and better-fitting grip stocks. Night sights may also be a reasonable option.) 17 July 06 At recent Urban Rifle courses, we've encountered several AR-15s equipped with the after-market "Accu-Wedge," a wad of rubber that is jammed between the lower and upper receivers. It is supposed to improve accuracy. What it does mostly is preclude the gun from functioning normally! The extremely limited effective range of the 223 cartridge does not justify any "accuracy enhancements," any more than such things would be advisable on an M1 Carbine. Making believe your rifle is something it is not is, at once, injudicious and delusional! /John 17 July 06 On fighting, from a security specialist in TX: "As I was making rounds last night, I noticing a disheveled customer on the main floor. He was yelling incoherently at our DJ. It was obvious this person was both intoxicated, and geared up for a fight. I confronted him with my usual, 'House security, sir. Is there a problem here?' He straightaway responded with a fusillade of vile curses as he, apparently losing interest in the DJ, began moving aggressively toward me. His fists were clenched. When close enough, I precipitously struck him in the chest with a double palm-heel. The blow took him by surprise. It knocked the wind out of him and sent him stumbling backward. Seizing the initiative, I closed the distance, swept him to the floor, and, after tense moments of serious wrestling, managed to get him cuffed. When I caught my breath, I summoned my uniformed guards. During the entire affair, which lasted only a few seconds, among all the other patrons, no one offered to assist or even call for help. That is what we've come to expect here! When things go south, as was the case here, usually within seconds, one must be able to quickly size up the situation, make a plan, and then act at the critical moment. Minds chronically filled with 'clog and clutter' are seldom able to transition to action soon enough. Sometimes, that clutter is actually generated by too many choices! Even when fairly clanking with weapons, from guns to impact tools, one still needs be well versed in plain-vanilla fighting, seamlessly escalating and de-escalating as circumstances dictate. The 'ultimate advantage' is not this weapon or that, this caliber or that. It is clear thinking and the ability to move from thought to action directly and smoothly. The notion that, to be successful, one must be equipped with this or that weapon is self-deception and constitutes little more than an excuse to lose. I've seen many such losers, all with too much faith in their equipment and too little in themselves! (1) Mind and Spirit, (2) Technical Superiority, (3) Icy Determination, and (4) Superiority of Purpose, all combine to bring forth personal victory. The rest is just commentary!" /John (Abraham Maslow said, "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." This dictum is evident in the above advice to "be well versed in plain-vanilla fighting." Take into account, however, that the commentary comes from a bouncer in a bar in Texas, who may stand on different ground legally than the average citizen on the street.) 18 July 06 I just got off the phone with a good friend who is Rangemaster with a large, metro PD in the Midwest. The topic was rifles in beat cars, used by patrol officers. His department is equipped with Beretta Storm/CX4 Carbines in 9mm, and they are delighted with them! What he likes most is the fact that the Carbine shoots the same ammunition as his department pistols, and both weapons use the same magazine! Practice is pleasant, and officers, even small ones, consider recoil and muzzle blast eminently manageable. Their qualification course requires reasonable accuracy out to fifty meters, and the little Beretta Carbine delivers in spades. Several carbines assigned to the range have now logged in excess of 20,000 rounds. On several, maintenance has been minimal, including deliberately not lubricating them (as a test). Even so, there have been extremely few stoppages, all corrected on the spot. So far, they've broken one extractor. I now have my own copy of the CX4, in 40S&W, and I'll be using it over the next few months. I must say it is short, handy, and light, easy to maneuver, even inside of a car. The cross-bolt safety button may be an issue with left-handers. I'll get a reading from by left-handed students as to how big an issue it actually is. Beretta may have something here! Get hold of my friend Craig Turner at Beretta at 321 777 5453. He has all the details. More later. /John (Pistol-caliber carbines enjoyed a flurry of popularity in law enforcement about a decade ago, perhaps as a coattail effect of the MP5 fad. It was noted, however, that pistol bullets out of carbine barrels tend to have greater penetration of common building materials than 55 gr. .223 bullets and that the latter will penetrate soft body armor while the former won't. Just as many special-response teams have gotten rid of their MP5's in favor of M4's or other weapons chambered in .223, many agencies have opted for .223 patrol rifles. Pistol-caliber carbines fill a niche, particularly for people of small stature who may not be dedicated shooters. Personally, I carry an M1 Carbine as a truck gun and readily admit that it offers ballistics comparable to that of a carbine in .357 Magnum. I own more M1 Carbines than AR-15's and can more readily afford to lose one of the former.) 19 July 06 As we were concluding an Advanced Urban Rifle Program in WY last weekend, one of my students was having a terrible time passing our test, which required him to switch shoulders as he engaged multiple, steel targets. I consider the ability to shoot rifles "left-handed" a critical skill. In the end, he was unable to pass, despite heroic effort. He is Jewish, and his personal lineament was wounded, though he hid it well. During our closing ceremony, he asked to briefly speak to all of us. Permission was, of course, instantly granted. He indicated that his family had come to this Country from Russia several generations ago, like so many, fleeing religious persecution. Many Jewish families never made it! He told us about the "knock-on-the-door-in-the-middle-of-the-night," which portended the murder of so many. He went on to say that his ancestors, the few who survived and the many who didn't, were mostly unarmed and, more to the point, had no practical weapons skills. They, like so many other betrayed innocents, were defenseless and helpless when remorselessly murdered. "Since in America," he went on, "my family and I have made it a personal mantra to be well armed, well skilled, and fundamentally unapologetic about refusing to be victims of criminal violence. The 'knock-on-the-door-in-the-middle-of-the-night' may be coming for all of us, and maybe sooner than any of us imagine possible. I may have missed here this afternoon during my test, but I won't miss then, nor will I hesitate!" Tears flowed down his cheeks as his voice trailed off. The rest of us stood in silence as we were all reminded that moment of what this Country stands for. America is a shining beacon, a ray of hope to billions who live in virtual slavery and whose lives are routinely and casually snuffed out at the insouciant whim of thoughtless potentates. In ancient times, each warrior was known by the unique design on his shield. During close-quarter fighting, it became virtually impossible to know friend from foe without an intimate knowledge of shield designs. For example, all shields carried by Spartan Hopolites bore the Greek symbol Lambda, (^) or "L," which stood for Laconia, the area in southern Greece where, in the Tenth Century BC, their ancestors (and ours!) had settled and founded the city-state of Sparta. Derived from the Semitic letter, "Lamedh" (ox-goad), lambda is the eleventh letter in the Hellenic Alphabet and the basis for our letter "L." Originally a picture-symbol for scales, the letter eventually took on the abstract meaning of "balance." Lacedaemonians (Spartans) painted upper-case Lambdas on their shields, symbolizing not only their fierce unity but also their belief that the demands of the state must never interfere with the freedom and independence of the individual citizen. Thus, it is, even today, the upper-case lambda ( ^ ) that is painted as chevrons on our armored vehicles, representing warriors who balance duty with honor and freedom. Let us never forget that we Americans bear the onus of our proud, Western Heritage, so nobly earned in 480 BC at the pass of Thermopylae by King Leonidas and his Army of three-hundred Spartans. Because of their bravery, audacity, and determination, and that of many others in generations since, the "knock-on-the-door-in-the-middle-of-the-night" has not been part of our lives, at least not yet! /John 22 July 06 Observation from a friend in SA: "Last week, we shot in the middle of a typical Cape Town winter rain. This place is not known as the 'Cape of Storms' for nothing! We all got soaked. Water had no effect on the operation of our CZs, but it did on Glocks. Glock magazines, when soaked, hang in the weapon. My shooting partner, who usually dumps used mags out as fast as I can blink, had to manually rip mags out in order to reload. Nearly all other Glock shooters experienced the same problem. This is the wettest it has ever been while we have been shooting, and it is the first time I have noticed water having this effect on Glock magazines. It is, of course, no problem for those of us who have trained properly, but it confused quite a few." Lesson: Our training routines must address situation like these, which, though rare, like sand traps at the golf course, lie in wait to confound the unwary. /John (I began my US Army Basic Combat Training in December 1969 at Ft. Lewis WA. Anyone who knows the area will understand why that is where I was first exposed to the dictum, "If it ain't rainin', you're not trainin'." Unfortunately, in my current neck of the woods [literally; I live in Arizona at 6,300 feet above sea level, in a forest of juniper and Ponderosa pine, with a few Gambel oaks for variety], rain usually brings an unacceptable risk of lightning strikes, leading me to avoid conducting training in the rain. Nevertheless, one of my biggest frustrations as an instructor has been the occasional student who has had a weakness in his equipment revealed during my range exercises and has chosen to regard it as a personal insult rather than a learning experience. As an aside, my one Glock pistol is coming back from a grip reduction by Robar this week. When I carried it in, I was asked if I wanted the new back strap to fill in the scallop that is uncovered when the original back strap is ground off. I hadn't thought about it in advance but did not hesitate in my decision to leave the scallop in place - it may be needed for better access to rip out a stuck magazine.) -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .