Uncategorized

Not accidental

Posted on by Caleb

In Nebraska, a man is facing 3rd degree assault charges for a negligent discharge at the shooting range.  The person in question was taking about his Glock, and apparently failed to do a chamber check before beginning the takedown process, and then inadvertently shot a fellow range patron in the shoulder.

Two things of note, I am beginning to dislike how the media represents negligent discharges; they’re almost always referred to as “accidental”, and usually accompanyed by a statement like “the gun went off”, or “then the gun fired” as if by some magic the gun just went off.  The second thing I want to point out is safety – all firearms are always loaded, and if you’re taking a firearm down, especially a Glock you need to be double sure that the firearm is unloaded.

Safety is key, in this case the person was negligent in his safety procedures and ended up injuring someone.  Remember the Four Rules.

shotguns

Trap Gun on a budget

Posted on by Caleb

I’m sure that a lot of shooters out there are like me, and have thought about getting into trap shooting, but because they’re not “into” shotguns are kind of put off by the high price of a lot of trap guns on the market.

H&R Firearms, which is a subsidiary of Marlin (which has now been bought by Remington) has introduced a trap model of their incredibly versitile line of of Topper shotguns.

I love my Survivor .410/.45 Colt shotgun, it’s handy and accurate.  I give H&R a lot of respect for making quality, affordable guns that get the job done.  Based on my experience with other H&R guns, if you’re looking for an entry level trap gun, you probably won’t go wrong with an H&R.

self defense

Armed teachers

Posted on by Caleb

Here in the States, this story would have ended much differently.

Two Palestinian terrorists disguised in Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uniforms entered the study hall at Makor Haim High School in Kibbutz Kfar Etzion southeast of Jerusalem.

Armed with guns and knives, the terrorists managed to stab several students before armed school counselors arrived and shot them dead.

In the US, all those kids would have been killed, and we would have been treated with weeks of media coverage about evil assault weapons or some such.  In Israel, armed school employees pulled their personal firearms and took care of the problem.

People talk a lot about how if you allowed teachers to carry in our schools it would just cause a bloodbath; there would be chaotic gunfights all over the place and people just randomly shooting.  While that’s quite obviously hyperbole, I do believe that if you’re going to allow teachers to carry, then those teachers should be required to go through a training course.

I’ve advocated in the past for a “teacher carry system” that would be similar in design to the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which allows airline pilots to carry firearms on board the aircraft.  There is a lot of training and screening that goes into that, and if we’re going to get armed teachers and administrators in our schools, then we’re going to have to climb through a lot of red tape to get there.

Guns and schools is a major hot-button issue for a lot of people.  School shootings are relatively rare compared to other forms of violence in the country, but because children are involved, they always draw a lot of media attention and the accompanying charged emotions that goes with such stories.

Frankly, I support arming teachers; I think that if someone wants to accept the responsibility and training that comes with that, then they should be allowed to carry and supported in that roll with training.  I don’t for a second want every teacher in the country to have a Beretta or a Glock, but I want responsible individuals concerned for their safety and the safety of their students to be able to legally provide for that safety, and to receive the appropriate training to do so.

(H/T to KDT for the link)

gun control

Purdue Exponent Gun Control, Part 2

Posted on by Caleb

I have to say, I’m pretty proud of the response by Purdue students to the anti-gun op-ed piece that ran on the 24th, which I blogged about yesterday.  Not one, but two excellent letters appeared in the Exponent, which quite accurately refuted the points made by the original op-ed writer.

Guns on campus, and in off-campus housing is a touchy issue, I agree 100% with that.  I know that some of the apartments in the area have a strict no-firearms policy; but at the same time I knew students who kept legally owned firearms in those apartments all the same.

I am proud of the response by several Purdue students though; I have always believed that engineers should be able to understand that a firearm is nothing more than an inanimate machine better than those hippy-dippy pot smokers at IU (I keed, I keed).

shooting

Don’t push the issue

Posted on by Caleb

Uncle has a tough question up; one that there really isn’t a clear answer to.

I have been a shooter for over a decade. My wife has no problems with my hobby and has encouraged me to teach our children both firearm safety and how to shoot well. However, I have found no way to get my wife to try sport shooting with me, due to her negative experiences with firearm victims when she worked in an Emergency Room

He doesn’t know how to get around that emotional barrier and get his wife to come shooting with him; which seems to be a source of frustration for the guy who asked Uncle the question.  I agree with Tam who says in the comments that not everyone is going to want to be a shooter, and I also agree with Sebastian  who points out that part of the reason guys try to get so many people to come shooting with us is because it helps fight back against the overwhelming anti-gun tide out there.

To answer the original question, I would say that the most important thing to do is not push the issue with your wife.  If she doesn’t want to go shooting with her, that’s fine; leave the issue alone.  Pestering her and constantly trying to get her to the range is certainly not going to make her want to go shooting.  The best solution is to keep shooting, keep going with your kids; and eventually if your wife wants to come with you, she will.

To relate a bit from personal experience, I have a friend who saw some action overseas, and for the longest time wanted nothing to do with any firearm that even looked like something he would have carried.  That meant M9s, Remington 870 shotguns, and especially AR15 pattern rifles.  It took him several years, but he’s just now finally starting to get over the negative emotional relationships he had with those types of firearms.

So don’t push the issue. That’s the key thing is that you’ve got to take it easy with people who are outside the shooting sports, especially those who have an emotional reaction or association with firearms.  You’re not going to overcome that emotion by persuasion, the only thing that’s really going to beat it is time.  I can’t emphasize that enough, constantly driving the issue will do nothing but turn her or any other prospective shooter off to the shooting sports.  Don’t push it, just be patient.  She’ll come around when and if she’s ready.

shooting

Hardcore in Idaho

Posted on by Caleb

This is how they roll in Idaho.

That’s right, they’re running a steel match in the snow, in Idaho.  In January.  Makes me feel pretty poor about my manhood, seeing as I don’t go to outdoor ranges in the Indiana winters.  I just hope this doesn’t lead to some kind of trend of gun-bloggers standing out in the snow with their iron trying to prove their manhood by shooting in the coldest weather possible.

Uncategorized

McCain wins Florida

Posted on by Caleb

Looks like Sen. McCain has picked up a key win in Florida.  It seems that Rudy’s “strategy” of skipping the early primaries and campaigning in Florida didn’t work out so well.

Two GOP sources with direct knowledge of Giuliani’s plans said he will drop out of the race and endorse McCain at an event in California on Wednesday. (from CNN.com)

What does this do for McCain’s campaign?  Despite the fact that the number of delagates he wins is cut in half thanks to Florida’s primary shenanigans, this really gives him a tonne of momentum going into Super Tuesday next week.  Plus, as mentioned above, it will/should remove Rudy from the race.  I’ve never been a fan of Rudy, and I’ll be glad to see him go.  He’s no friend to the 2nd Amendment for sure; but he’s not really a friend of liberty or personal freedom at all.

I want to watch the McCain campaign closely.  His quotes about gun control as well as his backing legislation that would have closed the “gun show loophole” make me extremely wary of a McCain presidency.  I like McCain’s foreign policy, but when it comes to domestic policy, he really makes me nervous.  McCain-Feingold, backing anti-gun show legislation, the immigration sell-out; that sort of track record makes me nervous about him.  If I’m forced into a choice between Mitt Romney and John McCain, I don’t know what I’ll do.

Hoosier

Pro-gun Hoosiers

Posted on by Caleb

Contact your State Senators and express your support for Senate Bill 356.  It would enhance Indiana’s current right to carry laws, by allowing Hoosiers with CCW permits to carry in all public buildings, with exceptions for airports, penal facilities, and county courthouses.

Follow this link to find out who your state senators are.

From NRA/ILA

gun control/news

The Purdue Exponent on Gun Control

Posted on by Caleb

As, student newspapers. A recent edition of the Purdue Exponent featured an article which was essentially a “pro-gun control” piece. Instead of fisking the article in the open on the blog, I decided to write an email to the author of the piece. The original article is at this link, I’ll let you know if I get a response.

Update: The Exponent published this piece today, which is essentially a counter-point to the original Op-ed to which I linked. There is one part that’s sort of incorrect, which I’ve copied below.

Due to the law requiring a carry permit to have a handgun on your person for any amount of time, however, it is technically illegal to take one home from a gun retailer before first acquiring a carry permit.

The law states as follows:

Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) and section 2 of this chapter, a person shall not carry a handgun in any vehicle or on or about the person’s body, except in the person’s dwelling, on the person’s property or fixed place of business, without a license issued under this chapter being in the person’s possession.

But includes under the exceptions this section:

(11) any person while carrying a handgun unloaded and in a secure wrapper from the place of purchase to his dwelling or fixed place of business, or to a place of repair or back to his dwelling or fixed place of business, or in moving from one dwelling or business to another. (emphasis mine)

So it is quite legal to buy a handgun at a gun store, and carry in the secure wrapper back to your house/apartment; however if you want to actually take it to the range, you should have a carry permit.

The only other troubling piece of the second op-ed are the quotes by the West Lafayette Chief of Police, who comes off as a rather anti-gun administrator, who is just looking to deny permits.  I know I have some Boilermaker readers, and I was wondering if any of you had experience with trying to get a permit through the West Lafayette PD.

Uncategorized

A handful of history

Posted on by Caleb

Tam hits right on what makes old guns so awesome.

The possibility of what a gun has seen, and where it’s been is always one of those things that has intrigued me, and has in part spurred my interest in C&R firearms (aside from my ability to get carry guns in the mail); you look at that old pistol and you kind of wonder out loud “what have you seen?”