A List Member Replies: This is a reply to an item about an expedient, budget trauma kit. My intention is not to snipe at a well intentioned tactical tip. Officers should use caution not to improvise unnecessarily. A Kotex is designed to absorb small amounts of menstral blood discharged in a non-life threatening manner. Bleeding that may be caused by a traumatic injury can flow at a rate that can cause death within 4-5 minutes. A Kotex is not sufficient for serious bleeding. Dressings such as the Olaes modular bandage or the Israeli Battle Dressing are much better choices. Snake bite tourniquets are designed as constricting bands, not tourniquets. They are not designed to completely occlude arterial blood flow. A tourniquet must be at least 1" wide to minimize the risk of permanent tissue and/or nerve damage. Carrying the Special Operations Forces Tactical Tourniquet (SOFT-T) or the Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) are much better choices to carry in a personal emergency medical kit. They are the only 2 tourniquets approved by the military for combat use. If either of these tourniquets are too costly or too bulky, the next best choice is the Stretch Wrap and Tuck tourniquet (SWAT-T). The SWAT-T is a heavy duty rubber band designed to be used in conjunction with gauze or other blood stoppers to form a compression dressing or can be used as a tourniquet. A sanitary napkin and snake bite tourniquet could be used in an emergency when nothing better is available, but there are far better options for a pre-packed individual emergency medical kit. --- More on Phoenix Open-Carry Demonstration: For starters, a radio station has a poll (http://www.790knst.com/main.html, left side of page) about the propriety of bringing an AR-15 to a presidential event. Note the third option, "I would have brought more guns," which has received 55.28% of the vote at the time I type this. Next we have a couple of videos: an interview with Chris by Ernie Hancock, a fellow libertarian, followed by a CNN interview with Hancock, in which it is revealed that Phoenix PD had been advised of the event in advance and actually provided security for the libertarians. Considering the intimate relationship between Big Brother and the Tory media, I had a tough time staying in my chair when I heard the talking head from CNN try to claim that the libertarians had been disingenuous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GiXzpfGhA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqPSV0ZQL1Q&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.talkingpointsmemo.com%2Flivewire%2F2009%2F08%2Fassault-rifle-interview-outside-obama-event-in-phoenix-was-planned.php%3Fref%3Dfpa&feature=player_embedded The protester carrying an AR-15 rifle outside President Barack Obama's speech in Phoenix on Monday staged the "publicity stunt" with the help of two local Libertarian groups that have worked with the man on Ron Paul's presidential campaign... Hancock told CNN's Rick Sanchez on Tuesday that the gun display was planned well in advance. Hancock met with a Phoenix police officer last week, informing him that he and others in his group planned to bring firearms... http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/08/19/20090819riflestunt0819.html Related Audio Clip: Phoenix-based Alan Korwin is interviewed by a Chicago radio reporter. http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/gregjarrett/wgnradio-gjuncut090818b,0,3393286.mp3file On Tuesday, MSNBC's Contessa Brewer fretted over health care reform protesters legally carrying guns: "A man at a pro-health care reform rally...wore a semiautomatic assault rifle on his shoulder and a pistol on his hip....there are questions about whether this has racial overtones....white people showing up with guns." Brewer failed to mention the man she described was black... http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2009/08/18/msnbc-no-mention-black-gun-owner-among-racist-protesters --- Meanwhile, Back in New Hampshire...: The corporate media is freaking out over Americans exercising their right under the Second Amendment and open carry laws in Arizona and New Hampshire. It just drives them nuts citizens would show up at Obama events with legal weapons. As Chris Matthews insinuated in his confrontational interview with William Kostric after the New Hampshire patriot showed up with a sidearm at an Obama event, these people want to assassinate the president. "Why did you bring a god damn gun at a Presidential event. I think those things make people wonder what you're about," asked an irate Matthews... (Video clip is included.) http://www.prisonplanet.com/corporate-media-demonizes-defenders-of-the-constitution.html --- However, Nine Years Ago...: ... But the media reaction was markedly different nine years ago when a group of Black Panthers marched on the Texas Republican Party's state convention on June 2000 brandishing AK-47s. Indeed, that incident itself was chalked up as then-Gov. Bush's fault by none other than then-MSNBC "Equal Time" co-host Paul Begala. A search of Nexis and the Media Research Center's News Tracking System found no stories on that evening's broadcast network newscasts about the Black Panthers brandishing "assault weapons" to protest then-presumptive GOP presidential nominee - and Secret Service protectee - Gov. George W. Bush's refusal to intervene in the pending execution of convicted murderer Gary Graham... http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2009/08/18/media-barely-noticed-legal-gun-brandishing-leftist-black-panthers-2000 Related Commentary: http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d18-FOLLOWUP-Antigun-bigotry-may-be-losing-traction --- White House Supports Open Carry: Armed men seen mixing with protesters outside recent events held by President Obama acted within the law, the White House said Tuesday, attempting to allay fears of a security threat. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said people are entitled to carry weapons outside such events if local laws allow it. "There are laws that govern firearms that are done state or locally," he said. "Those laws don't change when the president comes to your state or locality." Anti-gun campaigners disagreed with Gibbs's comments, voicing fears that volatile debates over health-care reform are more likely to turn violent if gun control is not enforced... Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino, said concern about whether Obama will enact new gun restrictions may also be contributing to the tense political climate... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081803416.html?referrer=emailarticle --- Pending the Outcome of the Lawsuit..: There's growing controversy over whether concealed guns be allowed in bars and restaurants. Only eight states expressly prohibit handguns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. Arizona has just removed itself from that list. Another state, Tennessee, decided to expressly allow licensed gun owners to keep their guns concealed when they go out to eat. Across Tennessee, frustrated bar and restaurant owners can't believe the new law... State lawmakers who pushed for the change say that residents have the right to bear arms even in places where alcohol is served... In April, 49-year-old Ben Goeser was gunned down at a sports bar in Nashville. His wife was there... Nikki Goeser says she would have certainly had a gun at her side, and would have shot the gunman dead under the current law... Restaurants and bars can get around the law by posting a sign prohibiting firearms. But owners worry the signs alone aren't enough and they might actually have to enforce them, checking their customers for guns at the door...The bar owners are now suing the state to repeal the law, arguing that guns and liquor don't mix. http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0809/650655.html http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2009/08/19/abc-highlights-widow-murder-victim-who-supports-loosening-gun-laws-te --- Banning Guns Can Hurt Business: Ohio law allows any private business who chooses to prohibit guns on their property to put up a "no guns allowed" sign. Some do so because they don't like guns, some do it as a courtesy to notify gun owners that they serve alcohol so are off-limits under the Ohio Revised Code, and some do it because they have been mislead. There are many ways for a business owner to be mislead on the issue of whether or not to ban guns in their business. Some have been told by lawyers or insurance providers that they will have addition liability if there is a shooting, whether accidental or in self-defense. This is simply not true. Section 2923.126(C)(2)(a) of the Ohio Revised Code grants all businesses immunity from any action taken by legal firearm carriers... (This is one reason why bar and restaurant owners prefer for the state to ban firearms on their premises - so they don't have to take the heat for a foolish decision.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d19-Banning-guns-could-hurt-business --- Oops, Wrong Couple: A 23-year-old Milwaukee man was being robbed at gunpoint when he pulled out his own gun and fatally shot one of the suspects. It all happened early Thursday near 1st and Clarke. The 23-year-old man was walking his girlfriend home when two teenagers pulled out a gun and tried to rob them. But the victim also had a gun. He shot and killed one suspect, 17-year-old Kevin Ollie. Ollie's gun also went off, and he accidentally shot the other teen robber before he died. The robbery victim's family says he had no choice but to fight back. The District Attorney's office agreed. Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said the victim acted in self-defense and will not be charged with any crime... (Note that this occurred in Wisconsin, one of two states that lack any lawful CCW for private citizens.) http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/53259052.html Not Exactly an Angel: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/53264232.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Georgia Version: A man is in the Colbert County jail after he was accused of breaking into a home where the owner fired a shot at him... May said Elom is accused of breaking into a residence only a few doors down from his house on Woodmont Drive early Monday. During the break-in, May said the 32-year-old homeowner tried to protect herself and shot at Elom. The incident occurred around 1:20 a.m. "The victim said she was awakened by dogs barking," May said. "She said she got out of bed, picked up her pistol (a 9 mm) and walked down the hallway." May said the woman told authorities that when she got near the kitchen, she saw the suspect and fired the gun. "She only had one bullet and she missed," May said. At that point, Elom charged her and they struggled for a few minutes, the woman said... (I have no idea why someone would only keep one round in a defensive pistol unless she had lost the magazine. One can only hope that she has learned her lesson.) http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090819/ARTICLES/908195026/1011/NEWS?Title=Woman-takes-shot-at-burglar --- Oops, Wrong House, North Dakota Version: Burglaries and robberies continue to hit the metro. This time, an intruder was shot at by a West Fargo homeowner. WDAY's Stephanie Goetz tells us what police are asking from locals to help stop this dangerous rash of intrusions. Burglars in West Fargo are taking their crime to another level, little fear as they break into homes while people are inside, sleeping... In this latest break in, this usually quiet neighborhood was disrupted by the sounds of gun fire early this morning. Around 1:30, West Fargo Police say a husband and wife woke up to a man in his early 20's in their house. Police say the man was in between the parents and their 2 year old daughter's room. The husband yelled for his wife to call 911. He then got a handgun and shot at the man. Police are still looking for the brave intruder... http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/23912/group/home/ --- Oops, Wrong Phone Store: Life can change in a second. It can also end. Cell phone store owner, Javid Iqbal saw both on Wednesday afternoon, in just 17 seconds... It was amazingly fast. Security video released to 11 News showed Iqbal behind the elevated counter, when the would-be robbers rush the store. Two men with bandanas covering their faces, the leader gun in hand, vaulted over the case. But in the five seconds that it took, Iqbal was already around the corner in the back, gun in hand. "I see that guy come in the back pointing a gun. I just started shooting," Iqbal says. The two men were just inches apart, arms and guns extended. Iqbal fired three times, hitting 34-year-old Bryan Thorn. Both robbers tried to flee after shots were fired, the second (still unidentified) man made it out, but Thorn did not. He collapsed dead in the doorway... http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090814_nlc_clerk-fires-back.df672232.html --- Rule Four Reminder: A Macon man told police he was protecting his wife, three kids, and his home after he shot at an intruder. A Macon Police report says it happened at Hidden Lakes Apartment complex Sunday around 3 a.m. The man told officers he was asleep on his living room sofa, when he heard a noise. The man says he woke up to find a man coming through his window. He says he yelled at the intruder, but he kept coming through the window, according to the police report. The man says he sleeps with a gun, so he pulled it out and fired two rounds at the intruder, according to the police report. The intruder backed out of the window, according to the police report. The man says he doesn't know if he hit the intruder, but he did hit his big screen television. The officer says he ran a check on the man and his gun, and both came back clean. (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Was the window behind the TV? Some people express Rule Four as "Always be sure of your target and what's around it.") http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=68043&catid=153 --- Taser Failure: This video is a good argument why people should not select Tasers over firearms. I don't know if it's still the case but, at one time, it was the policy of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department not to deploy chemical or electrical restraint devices unless at least one other deputy was covering the subject with a firearm. (No claim is made that gunshot wounds are effective 100% of the time either but I believe, given decent ammunition and bullet placement, that the odds are better.) http://m.qctimes.com/vmix_7a4d5038-82fc-11de-aa19-001cc4c03286.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .