No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.407 / Virus Database: 268.13.1/466 - Release Date: 10/7/2006 What Is The Definition Of Expunction?: A federal agency is balking at a Wyoming law that allows people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence to regain their right to own guns simply because it wants to take guns away from as many people as possible, a state lawyer has told a federal judge. At the heart of the suit appears to be whether the Wyoming law really constitutes expunction because the record of the conviction remains available for purposes of enhancing penalties for any subsequent crime. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1008gunlawsuit1008.html --- Gun-Free School Zones Endanger Teachers And Students: A list member has had an excellent commentary on the recent spate of shootings at schools published in both his campus newspaper and the local newspaper. The feedback to the latter has been mostly favorable. http://themissouriminer.com/content/view/231/53/ --- The Pot Calling The Kettle Black?: Article from South Africa bemoans the fact that the recent murders in US schools are not likely to produce restrictions on the private ownership of firearms in this country. Conspicuously absent is any mention of the total failure of South Africa's attempts to disarm its citizens in reducing violent crime there. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=22&art_id=iol1160294496227U252 --- Oops, Wrong Witness: A West Virginia man, the reigning World Boxing Empire Middleweight champion of the world, tackled and detained for police another man who had just robbed a cabbie. Ballard chased Ennis into the parking lot, after realizing the 5-foot-11-inch, 176-pound Ennis wasn't armed with a gun or a knife, tackling him at the curb. http://journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=4161 --- Proposed Venezuelan AK Factory Alarms Neighbors: "...The questions the United States and Chavez's neighbors are asking are who will get the extra AKs Chavez purchased and will build, and how will these weapons affect a region historically plagued by violence and conflict." http://www.azstarnet.com/news/150088 --- From John Farnam: 1 Oct 06 Today, at an Urban Shotgun Program in MA, a Mossburg 590, being used by a student suddenly went down. Normally, the Mossburg is among the most reliable of all the shotguns we see, but, on this copy, the magazine follower got stuck in the forward portion of the magazine tube, and spring pressure in the tube naturally went dead. The gun was immediately out of action, and my student was unable to complete the exercise. We tried to free the follower, without success. It was wedged tight in the tube. My student was compelled to switch to another shotgun in order to finish the Course. I subsequently learned that the magazine follower responsible for all this heartburn was not the one that came with the gun! The factory follower had been replaced with an aftermarket substitute. Unfortunately, after replacing the factory part, the gun was never tested, until it found its way to our Program! My student learned a frustrating, but important, lesson. Most aftermarket parts are inferior to the factory parts they are designed to replace. However, there are exceptions. In any event, any time a part is replaced in, or modification is made on, a serious gun, the gun must be thoroughly tested afterward, BEFORE being placed back into service! My student was lucky! This unexpected difficulty was detected during training, and the price he paid was only a moment or two of frustration, not a fatal injury. Undetected, it could easily have been the later! /John (A prospective student discussed with me the installation of a 3.5-pound connector, without the addition of a New York trigger, to the Glock pistol he intended to use for his training with me. As he is an attorney, I asked him to evaluate whether he would want to have that pistol introduced in evidence in an American lawsuit against him, despite the claims of the parts vendor/installer that the 3.5-pound connector is standard in every country but the US. When the student showed up, the parts vendor/installer had reluctantly reinstalled the original five-pound connector. Part way through his training, the student complained of soreness on his support-hand thumb, from abrasion by the slide lock, the part that is pulled down to release the slide from the receiver on disassembly. Never having had that complaint before from any of the students I have taught to shoot autoloading pistols with the thumbs pointed forward, I inspected the gun and found that the factory slide lock had been replaced with an oversize one, with very sharp serrations. I encouraged him to ask the parts vendor/installer under what circumstances he envisioned a customer needing to perform a "speed field-stripping." That evening I deleted the link to Glockmeister from my website.) 3 Oct 06 Grasseaters in high places: "As an experienced, oil-field technician, I volunteered to be a part of a team sent to Iraq last year, in an effort to get the local oil-producing infrastructure back on line. As civilian employees of the Army, we were all told directly that, while there, we would be issued, and allowed to carry, a pistol. When we arrived, we discovered that we had been lied to! We were subsequently informed that the 'general' (never did find out which one) had decided that civilian employees would not be armed, at any time, in his domain. Naturally, we all ignored his pompous, half-witted 'order,' acquired guns, ammunition, holsters, and blades (all locally), and carried them, concealed, all the time we were there. When I finally asked our JAG why we were (ostensibly) unarmed in a zone of active fighting, he thoughtlessly dismissed my question with the comment that we were not 'trained in such things.' Not willing to let it go, I offered to challenge him personally and beat him, hands-down, at any pistol course he could name. He suddenly discovered he was needed elsewhere and abruptly turned and walked away, never answering my question. I later checked for myself and learned that the carrying of defensive weapons by forward-deployed civilians is in full keeping with both the laws of land warfare and US Army tradition. I guess I was not prepared to believe that our own military management (the term 'leadership' does not apply) declines to attach any value to our lives! When we're killed or kidnapped, they must figure they can always hire more! Not surprisingly, those of us who initially volunteered have all declined a second tour, denying the Army our immense, collective experience and knowledge. I love my country, but I don't enjoy working for people who care nothing for my personal safety, even my very life!' Comment: The American military's ghoulish fear of guns (and people carrying them) creates yet another needless, pointless defect in the War effort. The Republic cannot long endure at this rate! /John 3 Oct 06 School Shootings: Why is it that sociopaths, when they get the urge to harm the innocent, select places where, when they arrive in possession of a gun, they know they will be the only one there so equipped? Why don't "school shooters" ply their trade at the local police headquarters or at commercial gun retailers? Could it be that they know full well most people in those places will be armed? Sociopaths may be demoniac, but they're not fools! In Israel, all teachers and school officials are continuously armed. Curious that we don't hear of school shootings there, do we? We've all heard of the "separation of church and state," but public schools in America have no compunction about advocating religion, the faith of "Learned Helplessness." In public education, personal initiative, personal courage and boldness, and personal achievement are all discouraged and punished as "aberrant behavior." What is relentlessly nurtured, encouraged, and rewarded is (1) personal helplessness, (2) victimhood, and (3) cowardice. American children are taught, from infancy, that even occasionally wanting some capacity for independent action is unthinkable. Rather, being a "good victim" is one's ultimate expression of patriotism. In fact, we learn that the government won't even like you until/unless you are a victim (and remain one your entire life). When they leave school, American youth discover that "learned helplessness" had mutated into "enforced helplessness." Personal ownership of guns, for example, while not strictly illegal in some places (though leftist politicians are doing their best to correct that), is still publicly discouraged, in every conceivable way and at every level. Gun owners are marginalized by government and media alike as deviant and unpatriotic. In Israel, where things are even more exciting than they are here, society has long-since come to their senses with regard to personal security. There, they know where there are gatherings of innocent children, there must also be responsible adults who are armed. They also know and understand that most of those responsible adults will not be police officers. The vast majority are armed citizens, who don't think "being a good victim" is in their, or their nation's, best interest. Additional video cameras, additional reams of "procedures," and additional media hand-wringing will not provide protection for innocent children. Armed teachers, parents, and school officials will. When, as a nation, we stop worshiping at the feet of the false god of "Learned Helplessness," we will collectively see the wisdom of really, physically protecting children, not just continuing to wallow in self-deception. Several years ago, my friend and colleague, Mas Ayoob, suggested training and arming teachers as they only real way to protect innocent children in schools. He was instantly denigrated by the media, and even some in our own camp, for even suggesting such a preposterous thing. As always, he was ahead of his time! /John 5 Oct 06 Comments on school security, from a friend in Israel: "I am attending classes locally. All school administrators and most teachers wear pistols, neatly cased in holsters on their waists. They are all plainly visible. The practice actually has a calming effect! Everyone knows the school administration takes active protection of students seriously, not just with lip service, but with substantive action." Comment: There are two kinds of pain: The pain of discipline, or the pain of regret. We can avoid one, but not both! /John 6 Oct 06 Play and Players: Poker journalist, Roy West, puts it well: "When you find yourself playing with clueless lightweights, be neither astonished nor upset when they play like idiots!" He goes on: "Poor players don't recognize skillful play. Competent players will gracefully get out of the way when they are supposed to. Poor players don't know when they're supposed to! Yes, competent players beat poor players, in the long run, but anyone, at any time, can get good cards," ...or a lucky shot! Similarly, competent gunmen are more than a match for the typical, clueless, gun-wielding hamburger. But, even idiots can get lucky, and, unlike the case at the poker table, you may not live long enough to test your theory at the next game! When they represent a lethal threat, VCAs need to be taken out, instantly, ruthlessly, and with all the skill your can summon, as if they were skilled gunmen, not the buffoons they usually are. Yes, they are probably unskilled and incompetent, but, like the poor card player, they can still be extremely dangerous. Give them an edge at your peril. When confronting David, Goliath, towering over him, paused and snickered. It was a fatal mistake! David took advantage of the gap Goliath created for himself. Goliath didn't get a second chance. You won't either! /John -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .