List Members Reply: On the topic of .22-caliber conversion kits, a few list members have replied. The initial comment came from an instructor who reports excellent accuracy at relatively short range with CZ's own Kadet Kit for their CZ 75. He notes, however, about 25% "smokestacks" (empty cases stuck in the ejection port) when using bulk-pack ammo from an unspecified major manufacturer. Beyond that, a few list members gave high marks to the Advantage Arms kits for Glocks and poor marks to the Kimber kit for 1911's. Advantage Arms apparently also offers a 1911 kit. Marvel also offers a 1911 kit and the list member who reported favorably on it also reported favorably on the Ceiner kit for a Beretta 92. The favorable reports, however, focus on accuracy, with mentions of fussiness about ammo with regard to reliable cycling. This is an endemic problem with .22's, even with most pistols built around the cartridge. Thus, in the context of a single survival gun, when one may have to make due with whatever ammo can be scrounged, I would still lean toward a revolver, where the only ammo-related issues would be accuracy and relative need for cleaning. One list member made a theoretical reference to sub-caliber cylinder and barrel inserts to fire .22's from centerfire revolvers but admitted that he has never used them. The reports on the conversion kits for autoloading pistols seem to reflect their use as low-cost training aids, not for harvesting small game. --- From GOA: It would have been nice if we were celebrating victory on ObamaCare today - and could turn our attention to other issues. This was not to be, however, thanks to House Democrats who campaigned as "moderates," but in the end, danced at the end of Nancy Pelosi's strings. Saturday, the House passed ObamaCare by a 220-215 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate, where South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham - hardly a staunch conservative - has pronounced it "dead on arrival." We remain convinced that we can and will kill ObamaCare, but only if the grassroots keep the pressure on. ACTION: Write your Representative. Thank him - or reprimand him - for his vote on ObamaCare. You can use the Take Action feature below to send a pre-written message to your Representative - the appropriate e-mail will automatically be sent, based on how your Representative voted. http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=14329881&PROCESS=Take+Action --- Fort Hood, Summing Up?: ...Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan's assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally are not supposed to carry them. Last week's shootings, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 30, demonstrated once again the folly of "gun-free zones," which attract and assist people bent on mass murder instead of deterring them... If someone else at the processing center had a gun when Hasan started shooting, it seems likely that fewer people would have been killed or injured. Furthermore, the knowledge that some of his victims would be armed might have led him to choose a different, softer target in order to maximize the impact of his attack... Even less relevant is the allegation that Hasan used illegal armor-piercing ammunition. The Brady Campaign bizarrely chose to highlight that claim even though there was no indication that any of Hasan's victims were wearing bullet-proof vests, let alone that his bullets penetrated them. Perhaps the group hoped that such puzzling illogic would distract people from the plain fact that having a gun is better than not having one when you are confronted by a homicidal maniac. http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/11/the-folly-of-unilateral-disarm ... The wife of one of the soldiers shot at Ft. Hood understood this all too well. Mandy Foster's husband had been shot but was fortunate enough not to be seriously injured. In an interview on CNN on Monday night, Mrs. Foster was asked by anchor John Roberts how she felt about her husband "still scheduled for deployment in January" to Afghanistan. Ms. Foster responded: "At least he's safe there and he can fire back, right?" - It is hard to believe that we don't trust soldiers with guns on an army base when we trust these very same men in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, most of CNN's listeners probably didn't understand the rules that Ms. Foster was referring to. The law-abiding, not the criminals, are the ones who obey the ban on guns. Instead of making areas safe for victims, the bans make it safe for the criminal. Hasan not only violated the army's ban on carrying a gun, he also apparently violated the rules that require soldiers to register privately owned guns at the post... http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/11/10/john-lott-ft-hood-end-gun-free-zone/ On the Other Side of the Fence: On Monday, Chicago Mayor Daley blamed the Ft. Hood Jihad Massacre on America's love of guns! "Unfortunately, America loves Guns. We love guns to a point where that uh we see devastation on a daily basis. You don't blame a group." The Mayor is using a straw-man argument that conveniently provides him with an opportunity to politicize the terrorist attack as part and parcel with America's love of guns. Mayor Daley, and other politicians, like to blame gun violence on the guns themselves because that is so much easier than admitting any inconvenient (politically incorrect) truths which might be revealed if they were to place blame where it belongs. Kids murdering each other in the inner city? That's because of guns, not the War On Drugs which turns poor children into black market drug distributing gang members. Islamists murdering people while shouting Allah Akbar? That's because of guns, not the Jihad being perpetrated globally against all so called "infidels". They blame guns because guns don't vote... http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/10/chicago-mayor-daley-blames-fort-hood-on-americas-love-of-guns/ --- Not That It Matters...: The rifle allegedly used in the cowardly slaying of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Q. Brenton on Halloween night is not a "military-style assault rifle" as asserted in a Seattle Times report, which was subsequently used by Seattle Weekly reporter Nina Shapiro in an attempt to blister a local gun rights advocate, Alan Gottlieb. Shapiro should have done some homework before rushing to smear Gottlieb. Reader reaction to her comments is essentially very negative. Indeed, when initially contacted about the gun - after the Seattle Times had published an image of the rifle on its website - one SPD information officer could not specifically identify it without a bit of help from the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner... That image shows a Kel-Tec SU-16CA, a semiautomatic rifle chambered for the .223 Remington cartridge, the same round that is used in AR-15 style rifles manufactured by Colt, Bushmaster, Remington, Sig Sauer and a host of other companies, including Washington State's own Olympic Arms. Actually, none of these guns is an assault rifle by true definition. They just resemble military rifles and have been demonized because they are black. What if we applied that same standard to people? ... (Lethality or wounding is not determined by the mechanism that replaces a fired cartridge or even if the bullets are launched repeatedly by a sustained press of the trigger. They are a function of the power of the cartridge and the placement of the bullet.) http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d10-Seattle-murder-weapon-not-militarystyle-assault-rifle --- Speaking of...: Here's an interesting comment (first one below article) on the "effectiveness" of FN's 5.7x28mm cartridge: Mouse gun indeed. Our swat team shot 13 rounds into a drug dealer from about 12 yards. A P90, which uses the same round as FN 5.7 was the weapon and all hits were center of the chest. All the dealer could say to the SWAT officer, was stop hitting me with that, it hurts. Suspect didn't drop his gun until another SWAT Officer shot him with a .40 in the spine. That ended his evil ways and freed up another cell phone in the hood. We now stick with M-4's and have quite a few P90s in the armory. We call the round a "less than lethal" round. http://backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/2009/11/10/fort-hood-go-ahead-blame-the-weapon-not-the-killer%E2%80%A6/ Related Discussion: ...Another point is that even if the round penetrates body armor, it tends, being only a .224 caliber bullet, to make rather small wounds, thus requiring multiple hits to incapacitate - or kill - quickly. The Ft. Hood body count of 13, out of 44 shot - many of them more than once - would seem to bear that out. I would also point out that the good guys don't have a monopoly on body armor (and no - I'm not advocating additional restrictions on civilian ownership of body armor). If brave citizen Mark Allen Wilson had been armed with a firearm capable of defeating body armor, perhaps he would have survived, and David Hernandez Arroyo, Sr. would have been stopped earlier. Finally, the Second Amendment exists to protect the people's means to resist would-be tyrants by force of arms. That's not limited to unarmored would-be tyrants... (As I have pointed out before, soft body armor rarely extends below the belt. If you think you are engaging an assailant wearing body armor, aim for the lateral pelvis.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d10-The-FN-Herstal-Fiveseven-pistol-Gun-controls-new-whipping-boy --- AARP, Again: ...Some opponents claim AARP supports gun control. AARP declared in its 2007 policy book, "Congress should eliminate gaps in and strengthen enforcement of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and other federal gun laws." The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act required federal background checks on purchasers of handguns... In a 2001 letter to a constituent from AARP legislation and public policy Director John Rother, AARP outlined its pro-gun-control position (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3). Also, in a Dec. 10, 2004, press release, AARP stated: "AARP believes in the Constitutional right to bear arms. But to make the nation safer, we must do what we can to keep guns out of hands of children and criminals. AARP supported the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which went into law in 1994 with bi-partisan support, but was allowed to expire this year." ... (Actually, it was the federal ban on semi-automatic military look-alike firearms and "high-capacity" magazines that expired in 2004. This material is about halfway down the linked page.) http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=115617 --- New Jersey Quadriplegic Can Get Gun Permit: There is "no reason" James Cap, a quadriplegic who is physically unable to hold a gun or pull a trigger, should be denied a firearms ID card - a requirement for the purchase of any gun in New Jersey, a judge in Somerville said today. "I hope you enjoy the use of your firearm," Superior Court Judge John Pursel said before signing an order that will allow Cap to get a permit as long as any guns he buys are stored in a safe and only qualified people assist him with the weapons. When he buys a gun, Cap will be able to shoot with the help of a friend, who can put his firearm in a special wheelchair mount. A mechanical device will allow him to aim and fire with breaths through a tube... http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/11/post_36.html --- The Beat Goes On: ...The crime trend in Volusia County [FL] over the past few years has been one of increase. But finally, officials are seeing the crime rate level off. And the number of some property crimes has even decreased, said sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson. Locals' fear, however, has not subsided and state firearm permits statistics show the number of people arming themselves locally for protection is still rising. Despite the increases, state and local officials said gun-related accidents and complaints appear to be down... Overall use of the range has increased "tremendously" this year, Baylie said. And it's isn't a growing population of hunters that's keeping the county facility busy. The place is filling up with locals looking for some sense of personal safety, the "general populous wanting to be prepared," said a range master who declined to provide his name. Among them, are more women and elderly than ever before, county officials said. And many, like 23-year-old college student Danielle Sitzman, are unfamiliar with the weapons they are toting. In fact, it's common for new gun owners and range users to turn to the range masters for quick lessons in gun safety, officials said. But that's a good thing, they said. The last thing a new gun user should do is take the weapons home and "store them away" after the purchase... http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlHEAD02111009.htm Background checks on the sale of firearms were up 4.3 percent in October, according to data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). A total of 1,233,982 checks were reported for the month, up from 1,183,279 in October 2008. The 2009 year-to-date total for background checks is 11,403,417, an increase of 18.1 percent over the same time period last year... http://www.ammoland.com/2009/11/09/background-checks-on-firearm-sales-up-in-october/ --- No Bill in Oregon Self-Defense Shooting: Wheeler County District Attorney Daniel Ousley announced today that a Wheeler County Grand Jury convened on Thursday, November 5th, to review investigative facts into the death of 61-year old Howard Franklin Means from Portland. The Grand Jury carefully reviewed witness accounts in addition to Wheeler County Sheriff's Office video taped interviews, photographs, and collected physical evidence items. The Grand Jury then handed down no indictments, concluding the actions of those involved in the death of Mr. Means were justified as self defense and in defense of another person... Fearing for his father's life, Daron Havlik attempted to shoot the handgun out of Mr. Means' hand with one round from a .357 handgun. This shot caused injury to Mr. Means' hand and firearm. Despite the injury, Mr. Means' retained hold of his handgun and subsequently fired one round at Daron Havlik that passed through his shirt sleeve without seriously injuring him. Daron Havlik subsequently again returned fire from his handgun striking Mr. Means. Russell Havlik, who was next to his juvenile son, also fired at least one round from a .30-06 bolt action hunting rifle at Mr. Means in defense of his family... (Well, there's the training that comes in the box with the gun and then there's the training American males get from countless movies and TV programs - where else would one get the idea to try to shoot a handgun out of an assailant's hand?) http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/NEWSRL/news/11_06_2009_update_wheeler_means_death.shtml --- Mexican Officer Sentenced for Ammo Purchase: A Mexican police officer was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in federal prison for unlawful possession of ammunition. Federal prosecutors say 51-year-old Santiago Gutierrez-Othon, of Hermosillo, Sonora, was seen leaving a gun show at the Pima County [AZ] Fairgrounds with a box of ammunition on March 8. Law enforcement officers stopped his vehicle for a traffic violation and say Gutierrez-Othon first denied purchasing any ammunition. When officers discovered 500 rounds of ammunition for an AR-15 rifle in the trunk of his car, they say Gutierrez-Othon admitted to the purchase. They also say Gutierrez-Othon stated that he planned to bribe Mexican customs authorities to bring the ammunition into Mexico. (It appears to be the position of BATFE that Mexican officers must have a department purchase order to purchase ammunition legally in the US - police ID is not considered sufficient.) http://azdailysun.com/articles/2009/11/11/news/state/20091111_arizo_207243.txt --- Rule Three Reminder?: An officer accidentally shot himself in the ankle at the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy Monday morning. Phoenix police Detective James Holmes said an officer unintentionally discharged his firearm while the weapon was holstered during training, grazing his ankle. The officer was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released. The officer has not been identified, but Holmes said he was not a recruit. Holmes said the incident is being investigated to determine the cause and to prevent future episodes. (Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire. Grammar is not what it used to be - "while the weapon was holstered" or "while the weapon was being holstered"? We have had a few discharges of holstered service pistols due to inanimate objects, such as jacket pulls or holster locking lugs, inside trigger guards of holstered guns. In the former example, it is a poor choice of garment. In the latter example, it is a defect in holster design, generally coupled with a short-stroke trigger, such as on a Glock.) http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Officer-accidentally-shoots-self-at-police-academy-69583212.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .