Urban Rifle: Part One

We got started on the rifle in earnest after lunch on Saturday.

As expected, we started with the basics: Sighting in at 40m. I had read the specs on Farnam's Web site, so I was already zeroed, but I wanted to verify after 560 miles in the trunk.

Zeroing in
3 shots, slightly left but otherwise on the money.

Before we made any adjustments, John and Vicki shot each and every rifle (nice work if you can get it).

Vicki outshot damn near every guy there. She is a rifleman, through and through. My rifle was dead nuts, as she verified. The slight left bias was written off to my right hand/left eye dominance. Either way, I was well within minute of bad guy. John: "No changes, you're good to go."

Farnam works by the 40-to-240 theory. The 5.56mm round, if zeroed at 40m will return to zero at 240m. From zero to 240m, the round will never be more than 2.5 inches off zero. That is, despite what the DoD thinks, the MAX effective range for the 5.56mm.

Rifle technique
As I said Wednesday, there is a lot of rifle technique that I adopted. The most noticeable is the ready position.

Instead of low ready where you simply lower the rifle, John's ready position is to never take the rifle off the shoulder. He teaches to lay the rifle flat against the body, muzzle down and pointed to the left (for right handers) with the rifle rotated 90 degrees.

You end up with the stock sitting flat on top of your shoulder and the top of the rifle against your chest.

Here's why I like it so much.

From low ready, when you snap up on target, you tend to overtravel. Then you pull down, overcorrecting, and finally bounce up on target. By adding the 90 degree roll, it is far easier to snap the rifle into the right position, the first time.

When you couple in the high front thumb grip that Chris Costa teaches (competition style) it makes for a natural, comfortable way to carry the rifle.

THIS is my safety

When the rifle is mounted (i.e. anything but hanging on the sling) the safety is off. John figures it's an impediment that will pop up when the time is the worst. If the stock is on the shoulder, the safety is off and the finger is OFF the trigger. Again, when doing 360 degree turns and scans, the rifle was chambered and hot while facing the entire class. Muzzle discipline was no joke in the class.

Test by fire(ing)

After we had everyone on the money, we switched to an endurance test. 100 rounds, as fast as you can accurately fire.

The preparedness part of my brain cringed as I rocked off 100 valuable 5.56 rounds. The lizard side, however, was saying "YYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!"

My focus was on not trying to be perfect with the dot. I had zeroed from prone, but was shooting standing. We had the option of kneeling, a table, or prone but I chose standing cause I want to practice like I'll fight, which is not going to be from a solid bench rest.

I was pretty happy with how easy it got to time the trigger press to the dot movement. In fact, it became a heck of a lot easier than waiting for the perfect, rock-solid dot on target.

Out of my flight of four, I was done well ahead of the others.

When we went down to examine, I joked to the head cop that I switched to the .410 upper over lunch. He stood in front of my target (and he's a pretty little guy) and said "How many holes do you see around me?"

"Uh, none," I said.

"100 rounds into my torso will make me very, very dead. Don't worry about bullseye accuracy, this is about shooting accurately, first. You shot first and fine."

Lesson learned.

Side note: Lot's of guys started to see the first issues start to arise with their boomsticks. My Franken-AR ran 100 for 100. The only stoppages were to swap out empty Pmags for full ones.

Small bullet, small target, small problem

Since we still had the paper out, it was time for the up-close and personal rifle work.

Working from 10 feet, we got reminded about height over bore offset. Since I work a lot with the rimfire kit, I'm up close and used to the sight offset.

For those unfamiliar, on the AR rifle, the sights sit about 2.5inches above the centerline of the bore. This was Gene Stoner's solution to his inline recoil buffer system. Instead of angling the stock down, like most rifles, Stoner has a straight back stock.

This makes for better recoil management (key, with the monster 5.56mm) but requires the eye to be too low for normal sights. So, the AR had the sight mounted 2.5 inches higher.

The end result is that any shot from 25m and closer, the point of impact will be 2.5 inches below point of aim.

For the purposes of this drill, we were looking to take a brain stem shot to shut down a terrorist holding ma-in-law hostage. The target is an area roughly behind and the size of the nose. To hit it, at this range, we had to hold over the target by 2.5 inches.

2.5 inches is a heck of a lot of face real estate. I was putting the dot slightly above the point right between the eyes, and I was hitting upper lip. Once I came to mental terms with holding at the hairline, I was fine.

Duck, ma!
The drill went like this:

We stepped from around an imaginary wall, at low ready, and yelled "What do you want?"

When asked a question, researchers have found, people will divert mental attention away from the task at hand (holding a hostage) for a few second to formulate an answer. In this window, we were to come to a firing stance and make the brain stem shot (double tap, actually).

Out of 20 reps, I only gave ma-in-law a pierced ear once. The rest were money shots.

Been there, done that
At this point, one of the co-instructors told the tale of his first few months on the S. African police force (after years in SA Spec Ops). He was faced with the same shot, and he took it.

The first shot went clean through the victim's shoulder, followed by several more to the perp. The victim was grateful for the rescue, but the instructor still had to deal with ventilating an good guy.

The lesson. If you feel that you can take the shot, go ahead. But be damn sure you can do it.

I'm pretty confident (on a bright, square range with perfect weather and no adrenalin). But I have had the talk with Mizz Merchant about when to duck.

Summary
-- My rifle is pretty dependable. It is mechanical, so it can and will fail, but for this duration it held up better than a lot of more expensive rifles.

-- My EOTech holds zero very well. Need more.

-- 2.5 inches of sight offset is a lot bigger than you think.

-- The flat body rifle hold is far more comfortable and effective than low ready.

-- Don't worry about 1" groups, this is a fighting rifle. Keep the shots in COBG (center of bad guy) and all will be well.

-- Get used to the fact that the dot will be dancing, you're human. Instead, focus on working that trigger press to break the shot when the dot is on the target.

Next issue: Steel at varying distances.

JOGI update

Once again, I was Plan B for the social media job.

Congrats to Plan A, whomever you are.

*sigh*

I swear, sometimes...

working here is like working in an Airplane! movie.

I'm talking about in-game events with an intern, when I see (over his shoulder) my boss walk by balancing a rubber pirate sword on his nose.

And by boss, I mean me.

The comical part is, he never missed a beat, as such sights are common.

Morning delays

Sitting at car dealer, waiting for recall work to be finished.

Part One of rifle report hopefully to see light of day this afternoon.

Carry on.

Guess what I found?

At the local bookstore here in Podunk...

MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL.

Now I have my "official" copy, which will be the lender as I'm hanging on to the self-published version for when Larry blows up into a huge movie writer.

If you have not gotten a copy, yet... Shame.

Go directly to Larry's blog, do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not read Perez Hilton.

READ THE SAMPLE CHAPTER.

Trust me, the whole book is better.

Course overview: Handguns

To review:

My personal philosophy on training is that every person must embark on their own Musha-Shugyo, or training journey.

There is no one-size-fits all program. I believe that you must absorb as much education as you can, disregard that which does not work for you, adopt that does work, and drill what remains into muscle memory.

I remind you of that because there was a lot of the handgun portion I did not absorb into my personal journey.

To be clear, I am not smarter nor more experienced than John Farnam. I am, however, responsible for my own safety. Therefore, I endeavor to craft my training journey to fit my body and situation.

Handgun skills
Farnam started us off with the draw and trigger reset. He uses the four step draw that I (thought I) use.

Step 1: Establish master grip.
Step 2: Rip and rotate.
Step 3: Press out, meet support hand.
Step 4: Up to eye line, trigger press.

Part of my problem was that dreaded four letter word: Fast.

Full of fail
I forgot my fundamentals and was going balls out for speed. Why? No idea.

OK, OK... I was nervous, OK? I have been to training before, but never with a dozen cops and John Farnam watching. This was the first thing we did and I screwed it up.

This is good.

Farnam's philosophy (which I share) is that we do not train to show how good we are. We train to fail. Only through failing can we figure out what works and what doesn't.

Well, I got to learn a lot.

For starters, the support hand that I KNOW I keep tucked to the chest through the draw... Isn't always there. FAIL.

My draw is a "scooper draw." In other words, I start to extend the firing arm as soon as the gun clears Kydex, which makes for along scooping arc. FAIL.

On the reholster, the support hand sometimes fails to return to the chest in a flat fashion (I make a fist). FAIL.

I do, however, have pretty good trigger reset control. Despite my frequent forgetfulness of this skill at Rock Your GLOCK, under nerves and pressure, I was riding the link well.

Sights? Uh, sure.
We never really worked farther out than 7-10 yards with the handguns. Aside from the draw, my technique seemed pretty solid. I was one of the few not to the "get those thumbs up" lecture. My reloads were, thanks to practice and good mag pouches, consistent and quick. I rang the steel with almost every shot (except the rotator, but more on that in a sec).

The thing is, I don't recall ever using my sights.

I'm pretty sure I did, but even after the drill I don't recall a conscious sight picture.

Farnam teaches a "zipper" burst with the handgun. Starting at the naval, you run a four-shot burst up the torso, ending in the high chest.

I was zipping the targets up well, but I don't think I took more than a flash sight picture at best.

So, I guess that's a FAIL... Or a new acceptance of the Pincus-style philosophy about the balance of speed and precision. All I know is that Clint Smith would not be pleased.

After the draw
Farnam works hard to get students out of the sights. I have never really had this problem, but under stress it could pop up. By living in the sights, the shooter loses all peripheral vision and situational awareness. Most instructors break this by teaching the 360 scan.

Farnam teaches this by the 2 second rule. If you have not shot something in 2 seconds, you get the gun out of the face. Here's where we differed in philosophy the most.

I prefer the standard low ready, which is to keep the firing grip, but lower the arms and gun by a foot or so. Farnam does not like this as students cheat and lower the gun 1 inch, thus living in the sights. He also worries that this creates a retention issue (true).

His method is to pull the gun back under the chin, rotated 90 degrees. The end result is that the ejection port ends up 6 inches below the eyes (and under almost any safety glasses). He says it's more secure and you can "chin point" and fire if needed.

I have to disagree. Yes, it does reduce the take away threat, but what good does my gun do if I'm frakkin' blinded by burning gasses? I won't be wearing safety glasses in that dark alley.

This was one of the areas where taking the police class did not fit me. As a civilian, I can take retention steps that cops cannot. For example, I can run away instead of standing there holding a suspect. I will not be clearing a building, I will be running or bunkering in.

For me, I have adopted a modified low ready. I lower the gun a foot or more, then pull my elbows back to my sides. Think of the "ready position" from a Rock Your GLOCK shoot. My muzzle is still pointed at the threat (not the ground 8 feet to the left) but it is less ready for a takeaway attempt.

Again, no one size fits all technique.

The big controversy
The biggest gap between my comfort level and Farnam's method lies in position Sul.

Literally "south" this is where Farnam wants the handgun when doing a 360 scan. Place both hands flat on your chest, with the thumbs making a point at the top and the gun hand laying on top of the weak hand. If you had a pistol while doing this, you'd have Sul.

Farnam's thought, which has merit, is that the pistol is still up and close to ready, but the muzzle is down and safe for you to face people (which he then had us do several times).

IMHO, the same can be accomplished from low ready without compromising the master grip. In addition, Sul can be compromised by an in close attacker pressing the gun/hands back into your chest. The same cannot be done with low ready. If a close in attacker grabs the gun hand, you are likely already aimed at his low line areas. Press trigger until problem solved.

I'm not sure if this has more merit in the police realm, but for my non-LEO personal protection I see little benefit to Sul.

Of course, as with all things on this blog, that's just my opinion. Your experience and benefits may be different.


The Rotator
This steel target was at once the most evil and most fun thing we did with a handgun.

Made by Safe Direction, this idea behind this paddle-type target is to get the paddle rocking back and forth until it flips over. This requires precision fire (8"x8" target) and precision timing on a moving target.

All but three in the class were rocking John Browning's .45. If we shot well, we could flip it in 3-4 shots. The .40 guys took a bit longer. The one gent who brought a 9mm was hating. IIRC he never got the thing to flip. He came back on day two with a .45.

I was lucky. The trick is not to miss and to flip it before a mag change. The heavy arms slow down so much if you miss or have to reload. I got mine to flip with a quick double tap as it paused at the top of the arc. It tipped over as I went to slide lock.

The other rotator drill started with me standing by my target, spinning it, and running back to the line to draw and make it stop. Again, I lucked out and did it in 2 shots. Gotta love 230grs of momentum.

We ended the morning by shooting and moving. Come to the line, on command move, draw, and engage four to each of three targets, with 8-10 feet of movement in between.

In another case of FAIL, I was sidestepping, competition style. The preferred method was to go heel-toe while pivoting upper body.

Summary
Things I thought I did well were a mixed bag of WIN and FAIL. I now know what I need to work on. I have a new exercise, the Men's Room drill, that I'm using to clean up my draw stroke.

In short, the men's room at my office has a mirror that you see once you enter the door. There is a long enough walk to complete a full drawstroke, while watching the moves in the mirror. If the motion sensor light is off, I know the room is empty, so I use the light as my cue to execute a draw (sans gun, natch). Practice is good.

I know it may sound like I didn't agree with most of Farnam's teachings. Far from the truth. I adapted far more than I rejected. But, as I said, it's a Musha-Shugyo and you must find what works for you. I was not comfortable with the gun under my chin nor with Sul, so it does not fit into my journey.

Tomorrow, we'll cover the first half of the rifle portion. The rest of the class was full of things that I immediately adopted to my personal journey.

Off topic

Did anyone else catch the KETV "I-Team Investigation" into the "in memory" stickers people put on their cars?

It was quality, modern, mainstream journalism.

"So, you put a sticker on the car as a memorial to the dead?"

"Yep."

"Why a sticker?"

"Flowers kept fallin' off."

"Why a car?"

"The dog kept lickin' the sticker off."

"So, why this person?"

"They're dead."

"Mm hmmm. Dead, right. So... why a sticker?"

"I'm going inside now, please get off my porch."

Summary: People put "in memory" stickers on their cars in memory of a dead person.

Thanks you for clearing that up, I Team.

(I, apparently, is either for Idiot or Imbecile)

One more time, people

Rule No. 1: Treat all firearms as if they are loaded, all the time

Rule No. 2: Keep your finger off of the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire.

Rule No. 3: Do not point a firearm at anything you do not want to destroy or kill.

Rule No. 4: Be sure of your target, as well as foreground and background.

How many of the four were violated here?

SARPY COUNTY, Neb. -- A woman shot in the home of a Sarpy County deputy Sunday night was handling a gun when it went off, said Sarpy County Sheriff Lt. Randy Furby.

The 24-year-old woman's two children, ages 2 and 7, were in the house at the time, Furby said.

The bullet hit the woman in the chest. She has since gone into surgery and is in stable condition, Furby said.

Multiple law enforcement agencies and the Douglas County Crime Lab all arrived at the home near 155th and Edna streets just after 8:45 p.m.

Sheriff Jeff Davis said other people witnessed the shooting.

It is not clear why the woman was handling a gun.

As always, Freedom Fiends, submit your guesses as to how long it takes before the official story is "the gun possibly malfunctioned and just went off."

(At the same time, best wishes and thoughts go out to the family. Stupidity should only affected the stupid, but sadly family is often caught up, too.)

Course overview: Housekeeping

Over the next few days, there will be recaps of the Police Defensive Handgun and Urban Rifle course.

Today's installment, housekeeping.

Friday evening:
We all gathered at the Sturgis PD for the "lecture" portion of the evening. As a non-LEO, I felt mighty naked surrounded by armed people while I carried little more than three blades and purpose-built pen. Alas.

John arrived and "lectured." I use quotes because John's lectures are more of anecdotes, questions, and pithy quotes. Enjoyable, while educational.

The highlights were:
- In an increasingly dangerous world, rifles are king. Handguns are nice, but rifles are a must.
- Preparedness, preparedness, preparedness. Food, ammo, rifle, medical, training, preparedness.
- We carry guns because we don't trust the cops to be there the second we call, yet we trust the ambulance to be there? Silly. Carry your own med gear, such as an Israeli Battle Dressing (IBD).
- In John's world, we train for one reason, one purpose, and one goal: VICTORY.

Saturday morning:
We met on the Sturgis PD range at 0900.

John began by explaining the range safety rules. He not only runs a hot range, he's very strict about it. The best way to describe it would be "modified Israeli-style."

Israeli-style in that we were to be armed with pistol and rifle at all times. John very much prepares his students for SHTF times, and that means armed. His opinion is that within 10 years, the sight of Americans with slung M4s will be as common as it is in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

I say modifed becuase, unlike the Israeli protocol, John has his rifle and handgun fully stoekd with one in the pipe.

When slung, rifles must be muzzle down and on safe. Pistols must be on safe and holstered in a quality holster. Maneuvering a slung AR around in a port-a-john was a training drill in and of itself.

On the rifle, the second you mount the rifle the safety comes off. Manual safeties are impediments, in Farnam's world. Needless to say, trigger finger disciplne is paramount. After most rifle drills, which hlaf the class would do at a time, shooters were to go to low ready and move while doing a 360-degree scan. At first, there was something troubling about a shooter turning around at the line with a hot weapon. Overall, muzzle discipline was good.

Muzzles are also to be kept down at all times. This presented a bit of a challenge to those of us who have studied Clint Smith or Chris Costa. Both preach that loading/unloading/malf clearance should all be done muzzle up to allow crud to fall out. Fortunately, I had worked enough of the drills that I could still do them without looking or having the rifle in my "workspace," but others struggled to keep eyes on target during these drills.

Press checks are also paramount, and this technique is one of the places John and I disagree.

But first, this:

My personal philosophy on training is that every person must embark on their own Musha-Shugyo, or training journey.

There is no one-size-fits all program. I believe that you must absorb as much education as you can, disgard that which does not work for you, adopt that does work, and drill what remains into muscle memory.

When training, however, give the instructor your 100% effort. Just because John and I disagree on brass check techniques, does not mean there is no merit. For many, his way will be best. For me, however, the Clint Smith technique works better. During the class, I tried John's way with full effort. I did the same with his rifle technique, and found it superior to my previous style.

John wants students to maintain a master grip on the pistol, then use the offside hand to retracxt the slide slightly. Then, the firing hand comes from under the trigger guard to pinch the slide in place so the offside hand can examine the chamber with a finger. All this happens while the gun is pressed into the chest for rearward support.

Too much hand jiggling for me and I never like using non-hands parts of the body for non-injury weapons manipulations.

I prefer Smith's method of using the weak hand to come up under the barrel while maintaining a master grip with the firing hand. The weak hand pushes the slide back, while the palm of the firing hand provides resistance. The trigger finger then can come up to tactilely feel for the presence of brass.

Doing this by touch is key in low-light.

His technique for rifle is pretty similar to mine. Before loading a mag into the rifle, feel to see if the top round is right or left. Drive the mag home, work the bolt. Now pull the mag and feel to verify the round is now on the other side. There is no where else the former top round could have gone, but into the chamber.

He then shows how to slightly retract the bolt and check, but I'm confident in the mag check method and don't want to risk an out of battery on the rifle.

That about covers the housekeeping part of the class. Tomorrow, we'll cover the handgun portion.

New (to me) rifles

Need some info, Freedom Fiends.

Share with me your experiences, stories, advice, etc., on an old Winchester 61 and an old Winchester 74.

Both need cleaning and a wee bit of rust removal.

Gear report

As part of the after action report from the Farnam course, I evaluated my gear.

Overall, I was very, very pleased.

Several classmates encountered gun issues, but both my AR and XD ran flawlessly.

I did experience some gear issues, but aside from one failure they were mostly learning curves.

The boomsticks:
The AR ran like a champ. At the lecture, we introduced ourselves and shared our gear. My Doublestar lower, with DPMS parts, and the DPMS upper (all built from a kit) was the only "frankengun" in the class. The majority of my peers were either running Robinson XCRs or factory-built ARs.

I figured if anyone would have reliability issues...

It was wasn't me. One factory AR just stopped running. Two others would not feed a full magazine. The Chinese AK wouldn't stay zeroed. And one XCR had all the threading on the end of the barrel fall off.

My plan was to clean the rifle before I left as it had 5-10 sighters through it (never happened). Then I was going to clean it the night before (never happened). I was going to clean it after the first day (never happened).

The end result was almost 700 rounds fired (on occasision, 100 at a time) in a dirty, dusty, dry atmosphere with only a quick squirt of CLP right before starting on Day One.

The XD only had about 200 rounds, but it ran flawless. This is my EDC, so I was happy to see no malfs.

Other good gear
Magpul Pmags are awesome.

I watched one gent load a metal mag, then drop it on the concrete. Voila, trashed mag. During one drill, I had to speed reload in the middle of the line. As I was 2-3 in line, so another 11-12 people followed me. By the time I recovered my mag, there were multiple boot prints.

It ran like a champ.

Blade-Tech mag pouches are awesome.

Despite being the only non-LEO there, I was also the only other one using an AR mag pouch, in addition to my XD mag pouch. Both are Blade-Tech with the Tek-Lock.

My speed reloads were consistently quicker than others because I was working from a consistent and solid mag location. This was especially helpful when changing from awkward positions. Others were fumbling for mags from cargo pockets or vest pockets.

One note, I need to lose weight. The pouches rubbed on my hip in a way that has left a hard contusion that's there a week later. Ouch.

Love my EOTech
I zeroed at 40m before I left. The gun then rode 500 miles in a case with another AR. Then rode in the trunk back and forth in no case. Spent 2 days banging on my hips and legs...

And never, ever lost zero. Three checks, three shots each, three times zero was solid.

The red dot helped with unconventional shooting, but it rocked in the night shoot.

Bad gear
My single-point sling (from... somewhere? It's many years old) broke at the end of the night shoot. I was walking bag to my range bag to grab it and go, when the snap hook broke in half.

For the record, prying gravel out of a phantom flash hider is no fun. They're sharp.

I stopped at the hardware store and got a snap ring to get me by.

So... any recommendations?

Late gear, good response
Seeing as I was going to be on a hot range, I upgraded my med kit (or tried to). A month in advance, I ordered a kit from Resq-pak, designed for collisions with high-velocity, lead-based projectiles.

It didn't make it in time.

I e-mailed the comapny to check the status. I was told that there would be a delay in this product they had not forseen. So... they sent me a similar kit (free) and promised I'd be on the top of the list when the other kits were available.

So, good on you ResQ-Pak. You did not need to do that, as I understand supply issues, but you took a neutral customer and made him into a positive customer (sharing the experience with a few dozen readers).

Summary
I realize my gear is not God's own guns. I'm sure I was just riding a hot streak in the great cosmic crap game of life. But I still felt pretty damn good about my stuff when it ended the course 100%.

That went well, I think

Interviews went well, I hope.

Should find out today.

Sorry folks

Multiple-hours-long job interview today.

No posts 'til Friday.

The men behind CorBon

One of the added bonuses of my educational adventure was the chance to meet Pete Pi and his family.

Pete is a former Detroit cop who got tired of using substandard ammo against the nation's worst thugs. So, in a time before namby-pamby lawyering reached current levels... He made his own carry ammo.

Then his partner wanted some. Then his shiftmates. Then the captain wanted the whole precinct.

Thus, CorBon ammunition was born.

After years of part-timing, Pete gave up law enforcement (for a bit) and turned into a full-time ammo guy.

In the mid 90s, he relocated to Sturgis to expand his factory. Now, in addition to churning out premium ammo and hunting around the globe, Pete is a reserve police officer with the Sturgis PD.

Pete and his son Pete, Jr., are also instructors of Farnam's system (along with CorBon sales rep Ross Botha). All three, along with very tall son Dane Pi, were clasmates.

Meeting the Pi family was a great experience and has raised CorBon to the top of my "quality products" list. If the ammo is made to the same standards Pete exhibited on the range, I have the utmost faith in its function in my gun (oh, and both John Farnam and Clint Smith recommend it).

Oh, and what wonderful toys they shared. Wilson Combat ARs, Robinson XCRs, Patriot Ordnance... Surefire cans... .300 Whisper ARs. The "stock" Wilson trigger was... well... awesome. Me want.

(For the record, if you are on the line and a guy stands next to you with the Surefire muzzle brake... move. That thing hurts, even in .223. The shooter was wearing plugs AND muffs.)

With that, I want to publically thank the whole CorBon contingent (Sr., Jr., Dane, Jerry, and Ross) for making the only non-LEO in the course feel welcome.

I know my endorsements mean squat, but I encourage everyone to consider CorBon as an ammo source. I've met the quality of man that makes the product and I was impressed. As I burn up my current carry ammo, I'll be making the switch to DPX in my .45s and .380.

Know when to say when

When is it time to give up the guns?

We fight long and hard to make sure anyone coming for our guns does so at great personal peril.

The popular kids would say, “From my cold, dead fingers.”

But, there may come a time when you do have to give up your guns… and you should.

Or else you end up facing a stern-faced nephew, with one hand on his hip, telling you in a very firm, loud voice to “put the gun down.”

This weekend, I was the nephew.

As most of you know, I went back to my hometown for a 3-day class with John Farnam. The upside to this location was I got to crash at my mom’s house, and I only had to pay for it with future stage 3 lung cancer (she smokes… a lot). She was out of town, so I spent most of my free time (not much, granted) at my aunt’s.

Since I was in town, my aunt wanted me to pick up my uncle’s firearms and bring them back to the Table Top state. About two years ago, he was “retired” from his job and subsequent medical stuff discovered Alzheimer’s.

He went from forgetful, to slipping into zombie-like states for a few minutes. Last month, the sudden explosions of rage began.

So, the neglected, dusty (and rusty) guns in the closet became a point of concern for my aunt. Particularly the .357 single-action revolver.

I was under the impression that this was all cleared. My role was merely to take the firearms, clean them up, and store them in my safe. I was not taking them away out of want, nor was I looking for sellable collector’s items. I was a watchman.

Apparently, this was NOT cleared with my uncle.

When I arrived Sunday evening, after two hot, sun-burned, dusty, sore, sweaty days with an ever-increasing in weight AR slung around my neck, I was ready to wind down.

Instead, a days-long battle was waiting to blow up.

The revolver in question has been in my uncle’s possession for nearly 50 years. He calls it his “play purdy.” It has a custom western rig and hunting knife. It is his most prized heirloom.

He was not ready to part with it, even to a safekeeper.

My aunt, who can be a bit caustic, was very calm and civil. She tried to explain that his mental capacity was not 100%. She tried to reassure him that it was in his best interests.

I then watched my 6’4” big-hearted, loves everyone, teddy bear of an uncle explode into an Alzheimer’s rage.

He opened the case, grabbed the pistol and yelled at my aunt, “If you try and take this, it’ll be the last thing you do.” Then he threw the pistol on the table and onto the floor.

I was sitting back, out of the fight. This abrupt action shocked me into action. I started up out of the chair, but backed down when he tossed the gun down.

My aunt continued to explain why this had to be done, but he continued to rage.

When he scooped the pistol back up (albeit upside down in a non-firing grip) I stopped watching and found myself standing in the classic “interview” pose. My weak had was out in a calming, palm out and down position, but my strong hand went from “massaging my sore hip” to having a master grip on my XD.

I ordered them both to stop and for my uncle to put down the gun. He insisted he unloaded it earlier in the day. I repeated my command, emphasizing to put down the gun.

After insisting he was trying, he put it back in the case.

Later, he apologized for losing his temper, but he really wanted to keep the heirloom. I accepted his apology, then I told him why I reacted as I did. I don’t like people arguing with guns in their hands around me. I thanked him for complying and putting the gun away. 30 minutes later, he did it all over again because he forgot. 30 minutes later, he apologized again. The whole time he was sobbing.

Unfortunately, this is a situation still in flux.

The gun was put back in the closest, and I watched my uncle go back to the closet (I had moved seats to I could watch the whole time) and check to see if the case/gun was still there. He did this every 20 minutes for 2 hours, as he kept forgetting he had already looked. 2 hours later, he had forgotten most of the issue.

I left that night with no guns. With the exception of the revolver, there was no ammo in the house. The closet got locked.

The plan, admittedly not the most honorable, was for my aunt to give his nightly meds (which includes a tranquilizer). After my uncle went to sleep, she would relocate all the guns to the enclosed porch where I would collect them.

Somehow, only the long guns were there. So I have a Springfield 1903A3, a Winchester 7 .22LR and another old Winchester .22LR in the safe. No pistol.

The .357 remains locked away, but it needs removed from the house.

Aside from the personal drama, the lesson I want to impart is that there IS a time when we need to give up the guns.

The problem is that we won’t know when that time has passed. I know my uncle wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he doesn’t understand the “sudden” mistrust. All he knows is that he does not want to hand over a prized possession, nor be disarmed.

But the doctor reports near 90% loss of short-term memory. He may take an “unloaded” pistol and find it loaded after all.

I empathize, but I know the guns have to go. My only option that night was to forcibly take it, but I was not prepared to devastate a huge, strong man for whom I care very much. Afterwards, he went in the kitchen and looked so absolutely hopeless and depressed… to say it was hard to watch is a gross understatement.

I’m still processing all the data from that event, and I have no firm, resolute answers.

I do know (two days and 500 miles too late) that I failed. I needed to man up and take the guns. I failed to add a degree of safety to an unsafe situation. I now have to rely on my (seriously anti-gun) mom and (neutral) aunt to safely get the gun out.

I left an important job in untrained hands. My instant, thin-sliced judgment is that the threat is minimal. But now, because I was weak, I have to hope and pray that I was right.

I failed. Absolutely, without a doubt FAIL.

Freedom Fiends, this is not a conversation that can wait. If you have older relatives or friends, you need to think NOW about this scenario. Talk it over. Figure out now how to handle this then.

Don’t think this is an old person’s problem, either. My wife had a former co-worker who was a shooter. He fell while running and suffered a traumatic brain injury. His behavior and attitude changed to unpredictable, angry, and violent. His family (I hope) had to address what to do with his guns. I don’t know what, if anything, they did.

I won’t lie, friends. I was rattled when I got back to mom’s house at 2 a.m. I still am, to an extent. I have spent years and lots of money preparing myself mentally and physically (in that order) to deal with a violent threat. My failure was preparing for a violent criminal actor, not a mentally affected loved one.

Would I have shot my uncle if he established a firing grip and started to cock the single-action? Probably not. The room was small, I was close, and a physical takedown could have been done safely (for me) and quick enough. The gripping of my pistol was an unconscious reaction to a threat. Glad to see it worked.

Sorry if I rambled, but writing this out will hopefully help me organize my thoughts and establish an action plan. I may have to drive back up for another event soon. If this issue is still open, I will resolve it and then deal with the mental scars of how much this will hurt my uncle. I’m not looking forward to this, but it must be done this time.

Clint Smith teaches that you have no idea what the threat will look like.

I thought I understood what he meant.

Now, I truly do.

The plan

Back from 3 days with John and Vicki Farnam.

LOTS to share.

But first...

A much more personal piece that will get written over lunch (I hope).

Warning signs

Tam has spotted signs of the pending cyborg apocalypse.

Don't say she didn't warn you.

Blatant bleg for attention

Gunny and sci fi author Larry Correia is asking us readers for some input.

One of the main reasons I ordered his self-published version of Monster Hunter International was the cool patch that came with the order. See his site for the patch.

As he works on MHI:2, he's asking us amateur Monster Hunters to work up our own team patches.

The MHI: Nebraska patch has been created and submitted.

As you can see, the patch features a vampire quarterback (Major Applewhite, in case you were curious) being staked in a cornfield and fumbling (true story).

Since then, the MHI: Nebraska team has been nicknamed the "Omaha Stakes."

Larry will be having a poll/vote on his blog. The winning patch gets into MHI:2 and becomes official MHI canon.

Help me put Nebraska into vampire/werewolf/zombie killing history!

Side Note

I was in... cough... traffic school the past few days, and two things got me to thinking.

One was the expected "no guns" sign on the door to the National Safety Council building in Omaha. I knew it was there, and planned accordingly.

The second came when I overheard several people looking for the CCW class (upstairs, lead foots downstairs).

Why, in the wide, wide world of sports, would you want to train for your CCW at a place that doesn't trust you after said training?

"Congratulations, you are now qualified and allowed to have a loaded gun with you.... Just not here."

"Uh, why?"

"Well, obviously you are a hazard and a danger to everyone you meet, and have substandard training."

"But... You just trained me!"

"Yep, and I'm an idiot."

The hypocrisy here is staggering. It would be like Cordon Bleu granting a culinary degree, then refusing to eat your food cause it's nasty.

(Lame simile. Please help me out with a better one.)

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Packing for a weekend of shooty goodness

I head out for Sturgis and John Farnam's Defensive Handgun and Defensive Carbine class tomorrow. In 24 hours, I should be passing through Sioux Falls, S.D., before the big left turn on I90.

I started laying out the non-boomer gear last night (it stayed in the safe). Damn, it takes a village-worth of gear for this.

On the upside, I got a nice buzz from the paint pen after 45 minutes of marking mags, pouches, muffs, and other gear and putting witness marks on all the screwed-on or -in parts on the ARs.

I debating spending way too much on a Blackhawk rifle case over lunch. My old skool aluminum double rifle case works fine, but requires me to lay down a seat to fit it in the trunk. I may be a media and communications dude by occupation, but I'm not into advertising GUN! to everyone in the truck stop parking lot.

My plans are to try and post at least a daily log over the weekend, but I don't really know the schedule yet. I may get "home," clean the boomers, then pass directly out.

We'll see if pics can be taken, but my first and foremost priority is learning from Farnam.

I did learn that weather will move us from the police range for the lecture to the police department. I'm curious as to whether I'll be the only non-LEO in the class. I'm 100% certain I'll be the only person NOT in a tac vest.

I have to say, I'm not getting much accomplished at work today. I just keep looking a the clock and thinking about the weekend.

More to come....

Well, there's your problem...

Pa-in-law has a new Hi-Point 9mm carbine.

OK, he likes it. Good enough.

When I was confirming zero on the primary AR over the 4th, he decided to try the 9mm out.

It worked OK, at first then started having all kinds of malfs. Fail to feed, fail to extract, fail to eject.

FAIL.

Three different mags had the same results.

I was, admittedly, more focused on reloading my .22LR conversion mags, as I was snap shooting steel while he reloaded.

When I looked at the brass on the tarp, I deduced a problem with his carbine.


Formerly the bottom of a "new" 9mm case.


Not an ammo engineer, but I'm pretty sure daylight is a bad thing to see.


Almost pretty, eh?



Bottom side, again.

Apparently, the discussion he and I had about storing ammo in the semi-trailer he uses as a storage shed fell on deaf ears.

This "was" NIB Winchester White Box, at one point. But, after countless winter-spring-summer-fall temp cycles in a non-climate controlled steel box, the brass has become brittle.

This is not the first time this has happened to him. His XD9 was spitting brass and brass bits when used some "trailer" 9mm last year.

I shudder to think about the quantity of ammo he's got stored that way.

Please, please, please... Treat your ammo nicely.

(or, give it to me!)

Stay safe,
JM24

Oh, that's not good

The OWH:

Police are investigating a possible homicide at 2857 Ida St. in Omaha.

They would not confirm the circumstances of the death. Neighbors said a woman and her son, about 12-years-old, lived at the house. They also said police had been on the scene since early Sunday afternoon.

One neighbor said there was a strong smell at the home for more than a week.

Overheard at The Shack

Joe (atop a 32ft ladder): "Hey, Hon? Do me a favor?

Mizz Merchant: "What's that?"

J: When I fall to my death, tell people I said something cool like "Death to Tyrants," instead of "aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!"

MM: "I was thinking, 'Oh, who will watch My Little Ponies!"

I'm shocked... SHOCKED... I tell you

Carter Lake Police Chief Kannedy will NOT be charged in the shooting of his officer.

From the OWH

No charges will be filed against the Carter Lake police chief who accidentally shot a police sergeant Wednesday at the police station, the Pottawattamie County attorney said today.

About 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Police Chief Shawn Kannedy was showing Sgt. Dan Driver and another officer, Joshua Driscoll, how magazines of two different Smith & Wesson revolvers were interchangeable, County Attorney Matt Wilber said. A live bullet was in Kannedy's gun, and the gun went off.

A bullet struck Driver in the lower abdomen just beneath his bulletproof vest, Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said.

The whole article goes on to say that there is no proof the chief was negligent.

No...

Proof?

Really, Matt Wilber? Really?

Oh, and a HUGE SHOUT OUT to intrepid reporter Jason Kuiper who accepts that the officers were exchanging magazines in their revolvers. Without crack reporting like that, Jason, this blog would die off. Outstanding work.

Kuiper is either too dumb to refer to his FRAKKIN' AP Stylebook, page 267, where a revolver is defined. OR he's so bad at his job he merely writes down whatever Officer Friendly tells him without nary a question.

Let's review this story, shall we?

Chief shoots officer, tries to blame gun.

County Attorney decides a chief LEO pointing a loaded gun at a brother officer, then shooting said officer because the chief was too stupid to do a chamber check.

The self-titled "official paper of Nebraska" not only is OK with that reason, a reporter and at least TWO EDITORS are too inept to realize you can't put a bloody magazine in a bloody revolver.

(I'm two steps away from turning into a sputtering mess who ends up screaming and storming from the room.)

Seriously, Freedom Fiends, if this happened TO ANY ONE OF US, would we be told, "it's OK, shake it off."?

Ask the kids with the AKM in Bellevue a year or two ago. He failed to chamber check, shot a kid, and the prosecutor wanted to nail him to the tree.

As David Codrea will say "The Only Ones..."

EDITED TO RANT:

Wilber said there is a law in Iowa regarding the reckless discharge of a firearm, but that would involve more than just negligence.

Officers rarely are charged in connection with shootings that occur during training, Wilber said. For such a charge to be filed, he said, someone would have had to have been waving a gun around or pointing it at someone to scare them before it goes off. Or someone would have to shoot a gun into the air, he said.

Danker said the investigation into the shooting should be wrapped up in a day or so. Unless something comes up that indicates he should do otherwise, Wilber said, he won't file any charges.

So help me, if I don't stop reading, my head is goign to explode.

One good thing to come from the Jackson circus

Some reports say Jacko the Whacko will be buried without his brain, which has been held for testing.

PHEW!

Takes care of those Zombie Jackson concerns.

You spin me right round, Chiefy, right round

In the comments to the last post, Freedom Fiend PTG asks "How long before Chief Kannedy announces that his weapon must have been defective? Product liability suit to follow?"

Not long, my friend.

CARTER LAKE — A Carter Lake police sergeant was wounded Wednesday by his chief.

Authorities are investigating how, as a city press release explained, Police Chief Shawn Kannedy fired a weapon inside the Police Department offices that hit Sgt. Dan Driver.

Kannedy, Driver and a third officer had been discussing firearms when the chief accidentally discharged one, according to the city release.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker, whose office is investigating, said the sergeant appeared to have been shot accidentally in the lower torso, beneath his bulletproof vest.

Danker said that the gun may have malfunctioned, but many details about the shooting remain unclear.

I'm sure the evil, evil black gun went off all by itself. Sure it did. The fat finger on the trigger had nothing, NOTHING, to do with it at all.

Side note: Do you have to be a gun-moron to be police chief? Why is it the paper pushers with badges that always seem to shoot toilets?

Is that in the interview?

"Can you name the four firearms rules?"

"Uh, what now?"

"HIRED!"

Best wishes to the unfortunate bullet stopper who picked the wrong time to ask chiefy about his piece.

Gather round, let's watch the media spin

BREAKING NEWS from the OWH;

A Carter Lake police officer reportedly was injured at the police station this afternoon after accidentally firing his weapon.

The officer reportedly shot himself in the thigh.

He was taken to Creighton University Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury.

The accident occurred shortly after 3 p.m., officials said

Place your bets, Freedom Fiends! Let's see how long it takes the media to turn "accidentally firing his weapon" and "shot himself" into "gun discharged" or "gun went off."

I saw 2 hours, tops (only because the newsroom is in mid-shift from day crew to night crew).

They're probably worth it

After seeing "Public Enemies" I was curious as to who made the gunleather Depp's Dillinger used to tote his twin 1911s.

Not too much digging unveiled that Ted Blocker Holsters was behind the '30s goodness.

So, being the inquisitive type, I e-mailed the company to ask if they would be selling these gems.

The response:

A double rig is $490.00

However, the holsters will include a safety retention strap, which was not on the movie version.

Well, heck. I can see why they add the strap, but that kills some of the romance. Kind of like seeing the reissued 'lemon-squeezer' revolver from S&W with that ugly-arsed lock.

Still, if I had $500 and nothing to spend it on...

Update II: Training

Less than two weeks until Sturgis and John Farnam. To say I'm getting pumped is an understatement.

Over the 4th, I took the primary AR out to verify the EOTech and Magpul MBUS were zeroed for the class mandated (40m). So that's good to go.

I used the unexpected AR upper to build out a lower I had in the safe, so hopefully I get a chance to zero that rifle at 40m. It will be my equipment failure plan for rifle. I may have to "borrow" the single point sling adapter from the FNH pump, however.

The 5" XD45 will by my primary, with the 4" packed along as insurance.

I have all the necessary ammo purchased and packed. My usual range gear is in its usual place in the range bag.

Finally, I have a blowout medical kit that should show up in today's mail. The contents (including SWAT-B, Israeli battle dressing, and Celox) will hopefully NOT come in handy over the trip.

After 200+ times, I'm not looking forward to the drive. Thank Athena for satellite radio.

Update I: The job hunt

In what can only be described as "so my luck," I have an interview with one of the better jobs on my resume list.

So, doing my due diligence, I run the director of said department through Facebook and LinkedIn. No joy.

Then I run the No. 2 through. Bingo, hits on both.

What? She? Crap.

Turns out the No. 2 in the department is friends with two very key players at my current gig (including the chairman of the board of trustees).

I figure my under the radar job hunt may pop up on screens real soon.

About that time, my work Blackberry starts to buzz (FYI: 10 p.m. at night). I look to see an e-mail from (gulp) the chairman.

Turns out, he's answering some questions I asked him a FRAKKIN' MONTH ago. But no mention of the other thing.

Still, I'm not a fan of coincidence.

I'm so boned.

A belated birthday

To the AK-47.

Say what you will, it's a durable, monkey-simple piece of hardware. I own a semi-auto version. It's no beauty, but it works first time, every time.

Movie review: Public Enemies

Movie: Public Enemies

Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale

Synopsis: John Dillinger's short, but active life post-prison

Director: Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, Miami Vice).

Expectations: Yes, this will rock.

One word: Mixed.

My Take:
I was expecting so much from this film. Bale, whom I love. Depp, who I have grown to respect as a master actor. Mann, the director of some of the best (and most accurate) shootouts in movie history. This film has to rock, right?

Well, it sorta did. Larry Correia hit it on the head when he said you have to view this film with a split personality.

As a film fan, it was really good. Bale was kind of 'meh,' but Depp was fantabulous as Dillinger. As an aside, Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) was stellar as sleazeball J. Edgar Hoover. I hope he starts doing the MasterCard ads (of which he does the 'priceless' voiceover) in the Hoover nasal tones.

As a gunny, it rocked. Thompsons that sounded like Thompsons. Lots of Tommy guns at night (with the Cutts compensator-induced fireball). The BARs were cut down whippet gun style, which was really more of a Bonnie and Clyde thing. Watching the .30-06 brass chunking out of the BARs was all kinds of billy badass.

And the sound! I swear to Athena that the film gunshots were as loud as the real thing. When Baby Face Nelson lights up Dillinger's full-auto .38 super... whoa.

As a history minor and overall fan of the motorized bandit era... it sucked.

Michael Mann (and the screenwriter) apparently decided the true story of the 18 months of mayhem wasn't flashy enough. So, they decided to have G-man Melvin Purvis (Bale) blow away Pretty Boy Floyd to introduce the character. It was all dramatic, with a .351 Winchester and double set traggers.

Problem is, it never happened. Floyd was tagged my local police and found bleeding out by Purvis in an apple orchard later. The only thing Purvis did with Floyd was hound the glory for his death.

Then, during the Little Bohemia shootout (which Mann took the effort to shoot at the real Little Bohemia) Mann has the heroic Bale gun down Baby Face Nelson. Unfortunately, Nelson was still alive when Dillinger was killed (hope that wasn't a spoiler... in Titanic, BTW, the boat sinks).

Nelson was killed after HE chased down a carload of cops and shot it out with 'em. Nelson killed all but one, but he as severly shot up in the process. His wife and partner left his body in a cemetary, where police later found him.

Purvis is made out to be quite the honorable, heroic figure. Gunning down Nelson and Red Hamilton. They do give a nod to accuracy when they have Purvis also chop up a car of innocent men with his Tommy gun, but that's quickly passed by.

In fact, the only people killed at Little Bohemia were one innocent guy in the car and one agent (by Nelson). Two other innocents were hurt, and two lawmen were hurt.

Why, oh why, Michael Mann did you have to ruin perfectly dramatic history? Would Bale not sign on unless he was the white knight? Purvis was, to be blunt, a sycophant paper-pusher for Hoover. His nickname (not in respect) was Lil' Mel. In this film, he's the tall, dapper, heroic lawman.

They did mention, in the epilogue, that Purvis quit the FBI within a year and later killed himself.

(sigh)

Would I recommend the film? Yes, it's still a good film, Depp's performance better come up at Oscar time, and the gunplay was awesome.

But for the history of Dillinger and gang, tune into the History Channel tonight for "Crime Wave: 18 Months of Mayhem." It's the far more accurate way to spend 2 hours on Johnny D. and gang.

Ethics question

My 'hood sounds like Fallujah after a three-week bender.

My neighbors, who already ignore their poor dog except to yell at him, went off to the downtown fireworks show, leaving the pooch in the backyard as always.

The poor guy is terrified of fireworks. I mean, foam at the mouth, race in circles, panicked terror of fireworks.

So, Freedom Fiends, I turn to y'all for a judgment call.

Is it a social faux pas if I give the poor pup some Benadryl-laced treats if it's for his own good?

Oooooh, that's a good question

From Tam:

What firearm would it be most in the spirit of the holiday to take to the range today? An M1 Garand? A Colt Peacemaker? A Charleville Musket? A GE Minigun?

Wow...

Rifle: M1
The quintessential American rifle. High powered, well-built, walnut.

Runner-up: AR15
The civvie version of the U.S. issue rifle. If it's good enough for the boys and girls keeping my freedoms safe, it's good enough for me.

Shotgun: Remington 870
The 870 is to American shotguns as the '57 Chevy is to classic American hot rods. Bonus, both have 1.38 billion aftermarket accessories.

Runner-up: Winchester 1897 trench gun.
Leave it to the 'Mericans to stick a bayonet on a 12 gauge.

Handgun: 1911
Can't have a celebration of American freedom/firepower with out an entry from St. John Moses Browning. The 1911 is as American as apple pie. No wussy 9mms here (no caliber flames, please).

Runner-up: Uh... 1911A1
Duh.

Wild card: Barrett .50 (any model)
This is a two-fer. The idea of a fiddy for the masses is a uniquely American idea, and there is no more American of a gunmaker than Ronnie Barrett.

Runner-Up:M2 Browning .50 heavy machine gun
Ma Duece... John Browning... Older than dirt, still bringing the thunder to enemies of America worldwide. Hoo rah.

Your turn.

My fireworks

Multiple shells through the FNH Police pump.

Several mags of 5.56mm through the primary AR.

Several more boxes on .22LR through the conversion kit AR.

Steel was singing from 40m and 100y.

Ah... The sounds of freedom.

Happy Independence Day.

*So what does the rattlesnake thing mean?*

So "whispers" my mother-in-law to Mizz Merchant everytime she comes over and sees the Gadsden flag flying beneath the Stars and Stripes.

The answer, from Gadsden.info:

Although Benjamin Franklin helped create the American rattlesnake symbol, his name isn't generally attached to the rattlesnake flag. The yellow "don't tread on me" standard is usually called a Gadsden flag, for Colonel Christopher Gadsden, or less commonly, a Hopkins flag, for Commodore Esek Hopkins.

These two individuals were mulling about Philadelphia at the same time, making important contributions to American history and the history of the rattlesnake flag.

Christopher Gadsden was an American patriot if ever there was one. He led Sons of Liberty in South Carolina starting in 1765, and was later made a colonel in the Continental Army. In 1775 he was in Philadelphia representing his home state in the Continental Congress. He was also one of three members of the Marine Committee who decided to outfit and man the Alfred and its sister ships.

Gadsden and Congress chose a Rhode Island man, Esek Hopkins, as the commander-in-chief of the Navy. The flag that Hopkins used as his personal standard on the Alfred is the one we would now recognize. It's likely that John Paul Jones, as the first lieutenant on the Alfred, ran it up the gaff.

It's generally accepted that Hopkins' flag was presented to him by Christopher Gadsden, who felt it was especially important for the commodore to have a distinctive personal standard. Gadsden also presented a copy of this flag to his state legislature in Charleston. This is recorded in the South Carolina congressional journals:

"Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard, such as is to be used by the commander in chief of the American navy; being a yellow field, with a lively representation of a rattle-snake in the middle, in the attitude of going to strike, and these words underneath, "Don't Tread on Me!"

Definition: No fun

Sitting at home on a day off leading into a three-day weekend, writing cover letters, listening to the cars splash by, reminding you that it's too wet to go shooting.

Oh, and the Mizz wants to go shopping this afternoon.

If she hadn't been an officer...

Somewhat disconcerting story in the OWH.

Had she not been a police officer, who knows what might have happened?

Maybe nothing.

But on Tuesday, police found a stun gun in the front seat of an SUV driven by a 47-year-old Omaha man who had been following the plainclothes female officer for several miles — changing lanes when she changed lanes, slowing when her car slowed.

The officer, an 18-year veteran, was returning an unmarked police car to the police training facility in northwest Omaha when she made eye contact with a male driver on the North Freeway.

The man began following her, near the Lake Street exit, according to a police report. He kept following her up 30th Street, through the Florence area and onto Interstate 680.

The female officer finally pulled over at the Fort Street exit off I-680 just before 4 p.m. The man followed.

The officer got out of the unmarked car holding her police badge and asked to see the man’s identification. He refused and left the area.

The officer followed the man to a parking lot near 99th Street and Blair High Road. Other officers arrived and ordered the man out of his Chevy Tahoe, at gunpoint, after he refused their order to get out. The officers found the stun gun on the floor of the front seat.

The man was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon, careless driving and obstructing a peace officer.

People in such situations shouldn’t hesitate to call 911, said Omaha Police Officer Jacob Bettin, a police spokesman. "Don’t let things escalate to the point where it could be too late to make a call," he said.

As an 18-year vet, she likely has a pretty good set of situational awareness skills.

If you see the wolf, it's hard to get bitten in the butt.

New blogger discovery

"Travis McGee's still in Cedar Key, that's what ol' John MacDonald said."

Well, actually, he appears to be somewhere in the area of Sioux City, Iowa (airport code: SUX).

He's a tad... Libertarian... in his leanings, which is all right with me.

Check out the The Travis McGee Reader for a northern plains dose of reality.

An offer I hope you can't refuse

OK, Freedom Fiends, I turn to y'all in my hour of need.

As you have no doubt noticed, since taking my current position at the Northeastern Nebraska Crawfish, Center-Pivot Irrigation, Sanctimonious Medical Center and Fish Fry, my attention to The Shack has... well... sucked.

Trust me, it hurts me more to let this, my baby, languish and stagnate.

Here's how you can help me prevent this from happening.

Ol' Joe has a long shot chance at landing a media/PR gig with a local firm that reps some of the big players in the boomstick market.

Yep, I may get paid to talk about guns.

This firm is really keyed into the New Media and Social Media, which is awesome. The Shack, which I generally have had to hide my involvement from employers, is now a job asset.

Here's what I need from you, dear reader.

In comments, post your recommendation. I will be sharing this blog with the King and Queen Poo-bahs of the firm in question. If you've read something here that amused you, educated you, motivated you, or even annoyed you. Now is YOUR CHANCE to tell me about it.

If you'd like, share the links to your favorite posts.

Here's the deal, if you can help me land this sweet, sweet gig, I will repay you by getting back to regular blogging. In fact, the depth of my sources may improve.

So, help a poor gun blogger out and GET ME HIRED!

As always, friends.

Stay safe

I do not think this word means what you think it means

From KETV.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Despite its well-known label as one of the city's biggest targets for robbers, a Leavenworth Street Kwik Shop again served as a convenient option for an armed person seeking loot...

The Kwik Shop has been robbed at least 25 times since 2001.

Despite?

Despite?

Dude, it gets robbed BECAUSE of its well-known label as an easy target.

Now, when a stop-n-rob gets a well-known label as a lead dispensary for tangos, then you'll see thugs opting to avoid the place.

As long as the media keeps trotting out the managers who tell their fodder... er... staff to hand over the cash and beg for their lives, then the bad people will continue to use this store as their personal ATMs.

Dog attack averted by handgun

Sort of.

Here's the news piece, we'll share our thoughts afterwards.

A 15-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were walking their small Japanese Chin about 7:30 p.m. when the dog was attacked and killed. Now, the Nebraska Humane Society is trying to locate the owner of the pit bulls that killed it.

The kids were in the 3400 block of North 42nd Street when two pit bulls running loose in the neighborhood attacked their dog, said Mark Langan, the Humane Society's vice-president for field operations.

The pit bulls dragged the Chin into a nearby garage.

The girls' father came out of their house with a handgun and fired at least one shot into the air. The pit bulls ran off and later were located by the Humane Society. The dogs had no identifying tags or microchips.

When the Official Beagles of The Shack get walked, one of the walkers is a Man With A Gun.

The lead is wrapped around his off-side hand, since a 30 pound mass of wriggling pooch on your gun hand adds a degree of difficulty to the draw stroke.

Now, long-time Freedom Fiends know that I am no fan whatsoever of shots fired in the air. What goes up, must come down somewhere. If I had my druthers, any bullet I fire will end up in a matter of my choosing (in this case, attacking dog.)

Personal friends also know that having to shoot a dog would crush me (possibly more than a human). But to protect my girls, I'll deal with the aftermath.

Example: Mizz Merchant, the girls and I were out for a walk a couple of days ago. The Mizz points to a big bush and says, "Aww, there's a loose dog that just ran back there. A big black one."

Now, typically, I try to get the good dog owner karma by corralling loose dogs and calling the owners. There is one big black lab in our AO, however, whose owner has no concept of tags or fencing. The pooch is friendly, and odds are it is her.

That said, all I know is "big, black dog on the loose" and we have two dogs out in the open. So I try to get between the dog and my brood.

Turned out that it was our friendly neighborhood loose lab, but in the event it was a more violent animal, I would not have been firing into the air.

Local Freedom Fiends know one of us who has had to shoot a dog in defense of kids. I know the person was saddened by the act, but was faced with no choice. It was a good shoot, by a prepared person who had thought through the actions before heading down the trail. In other words, this person did everything right.

Stay safe.