Gun Nuts Media

The back of my house borders fifteen acres of woods; and if the weather is nice sitting on our deck in the cool of evening can be quite pleasant.

Me: For some reason, every time I look at those woods I half expect to see a zombie lumbering out of the underbrush.

Friend 1: You know, if that happened, I’d probably take a dump right here in my pants.

Me: I’d probably dash up to my closet, briefly pausing at the top of the stairs to thank the Lord that the day I’d long prepared had finally arrived.

Friend 2: What would we use to board up the sliding glass door?

Mrs. Ahab: The dining room table could work pretty well, and we could use the wood from the deck to board up the windows.

Friend 2: Would I have time to go back and get my cats?

Me: Rule Number 1 of a Zombie Apocalypse: No returning for pets.

I don’t remember what we talked about after that, but that’s why I love our friends. A conversation about the eventual Zombie Apocalypse fits quite nicely into regular conversation.
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Well, I guess this amounts to an unintentional “point-counterpoint” series here. I had planned on posting today about backup guns, reloads, etc, when I was directed Chris’ post at his blog about his backup guns and reloads that he carries.

The reason this entry is a counterpoint to the on at Anarchangel is because I had planned (and still will) talk about why I don’t carry a reload, or a backup gun. I’m one of those guys that carries a wheelgun around; specifically the king of the “meat-and-potatoes” a Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum. I’ve found that with the right holster and careful clothes selection, I can readily conceal that revolver, even with a four inch barrel. Shockingly, with only six rounds, I don’t feel under armed or poorly prepared for anything.

The first reason that I don’t carry a backup gun is an issue of size – I am not blessed with a 6 foot frame, or the bulk to lug two fully loaded handguns around. If I’m carrying the Ruger, that’s it, that’s all the gun I can realistically support. A backup gun, even one of those dinky little Kel-Tecs, or a 2 shot derringer, is going to take up pocket space that I don’t have.

I look at sentences like this, and I just have to laugh.

Oh and I also always carry a knife; a way to deal with screws, small nuts and bolts, and wire (either a multitool, or a keychain tool); a flashlight (actually I usually have two); some cording (550 cord); and a way of making fire.

I’m not making light of Chris’ choices, if he’s comfortable with that, excellent for him. I just can’t imagine my 5’6 frame waddling around with that amount of crap on or about my person. Between my cell phone, my work Blackberry, a multi-tool/knife, one carry gun, my wallet, and my keys, I’m out of pockets, and belt space is pretty much used up as well. But hey, if you can squirrel all that stuff on or about your person somewhere, more power to you.

The weight/bulk and lack of pockets are also why I don’t carry a reload – but the other factor is that as a civilian, the mathematical odds of me getting into a situation where I’d need to discharge a firearm are pretty long. The odds of me being in a situation where I’d need to discharge a firearm and would need more than 6 rounds are even longer.

Like I said, I don’t want you to think that I’m mocking Chris, or making light of what he carries on a regular basis. I’m not – what I am doing is saying that what works for him might not work for you. For that matter, what works for me might not work for you.
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I haven’t done a “Hotel Manager” post in a while, mostly because nothing has stirred that old fire for a bit. However, I just found out that another one of my friends is leaving Hyatt – another friend who is burned out from the grind.

One of things I’ve not talked about is the kind of camaraderie that is formed between Front Office Managers in the hotel community. I would work 12-13 hour days, and so would my fellow managers; we would spend more time with each other than we did with our significant others. After a while of that, you develop almost a “trench mentality”, and if the rapport is good between you and your colleague you’ll rapidly come to trust them.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing – one of the constants of the hotel industry is that workers in the industry tend end up in relationships of a physical nature with one another. Like I said above, when you’re spending more time with your colleagues than with your wife, and a lot of your colleagues are women…it can create problems.

I was glad when I got out of the hotel business, and I’m glad for my friends when they get out. Although she’ll probably not read this, I wish her the best of luck in her new job.
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I think this is a great idea, courtesy of Sebastian. I’ve mentioned in the past that I really believe that a lot of the problems that we as gun owners encounter is a problem of public perception – the media has stereotyped gun owners into a specific grouping, and that grouping scares Suzy Soccermom. Now, sometimes we don’t help ourselves, and I’m guilty of that myself, but by and large gun owners are just regular folk, like everyone else.

I think a video series would be an awesome tool to show people that gun owners are a lot more than the media stereotype, we’re conservatives, we’re liberals, we’re doctors, we’re truckers, we’re just like the rest of the country.
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You can ask any of my brothers – while my older brother has always been fascinated with World War II and the Jet Age when it comes to aviation, there is something in the aircraft and pilots of World War I that holds a special grip on me.

Perhaps it’s the fact that many of the “fighters” of that era were barely more than box kites with propellers and machines guns; maybe it’s the fact that the pilot was really in contact with his aircraft; maybe I just like scarves and goggles.

In the post just below this, I mention my desire to get an ultralight version of a Fokker E. III, a big part of that is my curiosity on what it would have been like to fly back then. On a side note, I’ve always been more attracted to ultralight aviation, due in part to the decreased amount of federal hoops that I’d have to jump through. If you’re interested in learning more about ultralight aviation, check out these links. (Link 1, link 2)

Back on the topic of World War 1 aviation, one of my favorite planes from that era is the aforementioned Fokker Eindecker. While not the most maneuverable, or fastest aircraft ever, the Fokker E series changed warfare; pilots such as Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann used it as the platform for creating tactics and maneuvers which are still taught in air combat training to this day. Aside from his 40 air to air kills, and mentoring Manfred von Richtoven, Boelcke is most famous for creating the Dicta Boelcke, which as you can see is still relevant in this modern age of jet fighters. If you think you’ve heard of Max Immelmann, it’s probably because you’re heard of the Immelmann Turn, which gets it’s name from Max Immelmann. Interesting, the Immelmann Turn as we know it today is not at all the same maneuver that the pilot would have used during World War 1.

The modern Immelmann Turn is a half-loop followed by a half-roll at the top to right the aircraft – in an aircraft with top speed of 90 mph, attempting this maneuver would have likely led to a stall; even if you did not stall, the loss of speed would have made any further maneuvering almost impossible. In contrast, the Immelmann Turn of World War 1 most resembled what is now called a Hammer-Head Turn: after making a diving attack, the pilot would pull up, and as his aircraft approached stall speed, use the rudder to yaw the plane back into a dive. When properly executed, the Immelmann Turn would allow a pilot to gain position for another diving attack on his target. The Immelmann Turn was especially effective with the Fokker Eindecker series of aircraft; the aircraft used wing warper instead of ailerons to control, however the rudder was very large and responsive. By taking advantage of the large rudder and this maneuver, a skilled Eindecker pilot could dive in on unsuspecting targets, make a strafing run followed by an Immelmann Turn, and then strafe his targets again.

World War 1 was a war that included many firsts, among those were the first air-to-air engagements in warfare. The introduction of the airplane as a tool for waging war changed the face of the battlefield, just as certainly as the introduction of the machine gun.
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Get there in style. So what if the top speed is 54 mph? So what if trucks on the highway would be passing you? There is a combination of factors that would make flying an ultralight-class Fokker Eindecker replica one of the coolest things ever.

Now if I could just figure out how to add an interrupter gear to a Rotax 503, I’d be all set.
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I wanted to tie up some loose ends I had left hanging out from the Home Security series. I’m aware that the subject of proper home security could fill several books, and there is no way possible that I could have covered everything in a three part series.

I did get some good emails and comments, and I want to address some of them here.

• What, no crossbows?

No, no crossbows. I actually thought about including bow and arrow weapons on the list of lethal projectile weapons; however I then looked up how much your average decent crossbow costs. If you really want a single shot weapon, just buy an H&R single shot shotgun for 90 bucks at Wal-Mart.

• What if I don’t have (or want) an alarm system?

Uh…get one? In all seriousness though, while it does cost money (ours is $35 a month for the service from Brinks) having an alarm system does have all the advantages mentioned in the series, as well as another that I didn’t mention. Having an alarm system will generally lower your homeowner’s insurance. I’m not in the business of shilling for Brinks, but to me the alarm is just like the fire extinguisher, or the .357 Magnum.

• I live in a suburb, and floodlights aren’t allowed by the homeowner’s association.

You can still get motion sensitive lights, just have them be regular intensity lights. They’re less likely to disturb the neighbors, and still create the desired effect, admittedly to a lesser extent, of illuminating any potential intruders. Or teenagers trying to sneak in past curfew.

• I own a condo/townhome, etc – my concern over excessive penetration extends to the neighbors as well.

The wiseass in me would say “don’t miss”, but there are options available. For handguns, you could go with the Glaser Safety Slug. I do not have personal experience with Glasers, but some people swear by them – of course, other people hate them. The choice in that regard is yours.

That’s about it for the loose ends – I’ll be happy to address an emails I get regarding the home security series right here on the blag.
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