Did This Really Appear On ABC?: This video appears to be a clip from an ABC program that summarizes a variety of evidence that infringements of the RKBA do not reduce crime. (I don't watch TV "news." Is that John Stossel? I don't normally have the time to shorten lengthy URL's - today is an exception.) http://snipurl.com/1yvp0 --- Ohio Police Academy Offers CCW Course: ... I don't have a man's gun. I don't even have a woman's gun or a "mouse gun," which is what serious shooters call .22s. I don't have any gun at all. But the Great Oaks Police Academy Concealed Carry Course has a great deal. For $25, I can rent a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver and get 200 rounds - cheaper than cartridges alone... If every gun owner took a class like this, we'd all be safer. But meth-heads, crack junkies and street muggers don't take classes. They don't get permits or certificates like the one Lengle gave me Sunday. They just grab a "nine" and use it against defenseless victims. Each month another concealed-carry class graduates from Scarlet Oaks. And the bad guys are a little less sure their next victim is defenseless. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080203/COL05/802030326/1009/EDIT http://www.greatoaks.com/pages/-3211-/ --- Not Your Typical Self-Defense Shooting: Two off-duty officers from different police departments wounded each other in a gun fight in the middle of a road in an Atlanta suburb, authorities said... Officer Jay Daily, a five-year veteran of the Duluth Police Department, exchanged multiple gunshots with Fulton County officer Paul Phillips on Friday afternoon, police said. Daily was in custody Saturday, charged with aggravated assault, Cpl. Illana Spellman of the Gwinnett County police said. "It's been confirmed that the Duluth police officer was the aggressor in this case," Spellman said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22965019/ --- Arizona Restaurant-Carry Bill May Be Amended: The latest push to allow gun owners to carry their weapon into establishments that serve liquor hit a speed bump in its initial outing, but a retooled version is expected this week. It would allow guns inside the restaurants if the restaurant owner agreed. And to signal that agreement to patrons - called "affirmative posting" - establishments would be required to display this notice: "These premises are posted pursuant to A.R.S. § 4-229." ... Cheuvront, D-Phoenix, suggested it would be better to put the notice in plain English, an idea that was echoed by the liquor lobby. (The main thing that needs to be amended is to remove the portion that adds violation to the Criminal Code.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0203political-insider0203.html --- Captain America Packs Heat, Again: Beloved comic book hero Captain America is back in action, armed and ready to fight for freedom in the 21st century... Bucky Barnes, Captain America's longtime sidekick has taken his mentor's mantle. What's more, Bucky is packing heat. Captain America carried a gun when he was a WWII soldier fighting Nazis, but for decades he has appeared only using his shield. It's rattling the world of comics with disgruntled fans arguing that superheroes shouldn't need guns in the first place... http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Entertainment/story?id=4233383&page=1 --- Cities Rated For Vulnerability To Terror Attacks: ... Tucson, it turns out, wouldn't be a bad place to be during a terrorist attack, relatively speaking, according to a study co-authored by a University of Arizona professor... The rankings are based on a complex formula taking into account factors including past terrorist events (none here, thanks), response to disasters and infrastructure, and social vulnerabilities to such events. New Orleans is No. 1, the most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. That doesn't mean it's the most likely to be targeted, but that it would suffer the most damage if hit... http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/223445 --- Latest Glock Modification: As my former teaching partner used to say, "Just for giggles..." http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/smile_muzzle.html --- From John Farnam: 31 Jan 08 Warm comments from a student currently deployed overseas: "I thank you for your instruction in the skills and philosophy of a warrior. I am aggressively passing this discipline on to my guys as fast as I can. On numerous occasions now, I have personally found this to be true: (1) When you make alertness a way of life: (2) When you have critical issues worked out in advance and thus get on target smoothly, without wasted motions, and without hesitation, (3) Move off the line of force, (4) Aim precisely, and (5) Press the trigger carefully, (6) Catching the link without fail, and repeating as necessary, (7) Never staying in one place too long ...you will quickly and decisively defeat each opponent and live through multiple confrontations. By comparison, our opponents are generally ill-equipped and poorly trained. They are no match for us!" Comment: Described above is the difference between a live professional and a dead amateur! Here is a seasoned and well-trained warrior... in action! /John (Some good points are made but it is foolish to underestimate one's enemy.) 2 Feb 08 2008 SHOT Show, Las Vegas, NV, First day: The 2008 SHOT Show is more spread out than last year. Displays are at the Convention Center, but also at two, huge tents nearby. We spent all day walking around, greeting old friends, and seeing what is new. Things of interest: The SIG P250 pistol is more ingenious than I had first concluded. The entire firing mechanism/chassis lifts out of the frame. Frames can be interchanged, as can slides and barrels. The firing chassis is identical for all! The P250 is self-decocking, with a trigger similar to the DAK, but with a shorter reset. It has a double-drop capability (as does the DAK.) Wonderfully versatile pistol! Kel-Tec's excellent 223 Rifle now comes in several versions. Their bullpup 308 rifle was also on display, as was their new PLR-22, a 22LR rifle. Kel-Tec is expanding their line! Speaking of which, Ruger is now marketing their new, seven-shot, LCP, which is a near-perfect copy of the Kel-Tec 380! Ruger's version is nicely rounded off on all edges and corners. Ruger has obviously recognized the expanding market for small, flat, well-made, concealment pistols. North American Arms is making their own copy of Kel-Tec's 32ACP pistol. Kel-Tec suddenly has many admirers! Friends at Cor-Bon tell me the DPX line is their fastest-growing. However, they still produce more 115gr 9mm conventional HP ammunition than any other, single item. Next in volume is 380Auto! Glock currently produces 1,100 pistols every day, and, every one is sold before it is made. Amazing success story! Only thing new is their G30SF, with a slightly reduced grip size. No rifle yet! Aimpoint featured a wonderful rifle setup, where a sniper scope is fitted normally, but an Aimpoint Micro is mounted ahead and twenty degrees to the right. The rifleman can then rotate the rifle slightly counter-clockwise in order to access the 1X Aimpoint for close work, but then mount the same rifle normally and use the high-powered scope for sniper duties. One rifle that serves two roles! EOTech featured their new EOLay, which is a laser, incorporated into the standard EOTech 1X optic. I'm still not sure how I would use this set-up. Advanced Training Systems displayed their "Dummy Dumper" Target system. It is a fully-articulated and dress-able mannequin, which is also hit-sensitive. When presented and subsequently struck the appropriate number of times, it realistically crumples and falls. Amazingly persuasive! My friends at Kahr tell me their PM9 (smallest 9mm pistol) sells the best of all their pistol line. They can't keep them in stock. Again, the concealment market is active! The other gun they can't produce fast enough is the M1 Carbine, now available with a folding stock. Robbie Baarkman at ROBAR is converting Glocks to an all-steel (frame and slide) pistol, complete with his famous NP3 coating. LaserShot had an elaborate display featuring their sophisticated video simulator. Of most interest was a simulation of a laterally-moving, armed person at a range of twenty-five meters. Targets moved straight across the screen at a fast walk. Time after time, the student gets to test and evaluate his ability to reliably strike laterally-moving targets. This is the first time I've ever seen this challenging subject specifically addressed with a video trainer. I found it instructive! S&W's M&P line of pistols is now complete. It includes all calibers, in both full-sized and compact versions. The M&P's reputation for reliability and its variable grip geometry have made it extremely popular among police. Some models (in 45ACP) have a two-position, ambidextrous, manual safety lever, which is, at best, a superfluous redundancy, and, as worst, a functional issue, as there is a lever on both sides of the pistol, and the one that invariably faces to the outside as the gun is carried can easily get inadvertently pushed out of position. Some also come with a magazine-safety (as does Ruger's SR9), which I consider a death-trap on any serious pistol. Fortunately, the M&P can be ordered without it, and it is easily removed on the Ruger. There is much more we haven't gotten to yet. More tomorrow! /John ("Self-decocking" is Farnamese for "DAO." "Double-drop capability" appears to be what others call "second-strike capability," the ability to work the trigger a second time, without needing to rack the slide, if a round fails to fire on the first attempt. The market would seem to suggest that Kahr has worked out the bugs that plagued the early PM9's. I remain terribly disappointed that I did not purchase a second P9 Covert before they were dropped from production. None of the people to whom I recommended the latter model seem willing to sell me theirs. I remain in disagreement with John over ambidextrous safety levers - if I have to pick up the gun with the non-dominant hand, I want to be able to operate the controls one-handed without seriously compromising my firing grip. Since the M&P does not really require the thumb safety, what is the harm if it should be brushed off unintentionally? The 1911 did not even have a thumb safety until its final version - the Model of 1910 just had the grip safety. My impression from M&P armorer course is that agencies can order the pistol without the magazine-disconnect safety; I believe those sold to the general public will all have that feature.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .