Quote of the Day: Joe

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Weerd Beard

This one comes from Joe, but over at Robb’s place.

Political statements aside my criteria is to carry a rifle when I have definite plans to use it or know that the unexpected threat requires more firepower than can be provided by a handgun. This covers hunting and self defense against large animals like a bear.

One the political front I think my open carry as a political statement post is still applicable. The type of carry, when, and where requires some political awareness. A “rule” we come up with that works in Florida may not be appropriate for NYC or San Francisco and might be pointless in Orofino Idaho.

I have never open carried outside of gunnie-gatherings. But it really makes sense coming from my background. I grew up in Portland Maine, where a Man open carrying had his gun confiscated from a public fair. I believe he later won a lawsuit, but the town is still constantly rattling sabers about various stupid anti-gun causes.

Here in Massachusetts, open carry is just as legal as it is in Maine…only here you need a permit to OWN a gun, and the Police can refuse to renew, or restrict that permit for any reason. In the case of open carry (or more specifically people who accidentally exposed their holstered guns) the reason most often given is “Bad Judgement”.

Those aren’t people all having steak at the local applebees in an open carry event…these are people who’s shirts came untucked, or who’s coats blew open in the wind and happened to be spotted by a cop, or somebody who called a cop.

There are certainly different climates around the country.

Posted in Guns, Politics | Leave a comment

“Gun Death” Safety Standards

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Here’s a turn-around for the anti-freedom fiends. They talk about guns not being regulated for safety. Well first let’s get to the “Gun Death”

Rhode Island company Summer Infant Inc. is recalling 1.7 million baby monitors after two infants were strangled by their electric cords, safety regulators said.

So two children are dead because of a faulty and unsafe product. Compare that to the gun industry. We make jokes about it, but for all the recalls by various gun makers, have you ever heard of anybody killed or injured by an improperly made firearm? Heck a lot of the recalls I’ve read about are from faulty drop-safties, has anybody heard about a gun under recall even discharging a round because of mechanical fault? The closest I can think of (at least in America, I’ve heard a few bits about various foreign rifles) is this hit-peice, which I think is well refuted here.

Oh yeah its the gun industry that’s REALLY unsafe and needs regulation. And of course a strangled baby is vastly better than somebody who might have a handgun that doesn’t have a California or Massachusetts approved Drop-safety.

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Less Lethal

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Weerd Beard

First let’s talk about Open Carry because cool kids are talking about it. I remember a while back reading about a California open carry story about a group of people cleaning a public beach while carrying. Overall it was a good story, but for one little detail. One of the guys had his gun (unloaded per Cali, bullshit law) his magazines (naturally, no point in packing a pistol without ammo) and HANDCUFFS. Seriously? Now I won’t say there will NEVER be an instance where a civilian might need a pair of cuffs. But those instances are SUPER DUPER slim, and overall a private citizen’s reason for carry is simply to keep themselves and others alive until the cops can show up. If cops were always around to protect me maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to own guns for protection. Then again if cops were around to protect me, we’d be living in a Police state, and likely I’d be typing this on my phone from the cattle car…

Now there’s the talk of the people lugging around long-guns in urban situations. Now we all know handguns suck, and long guns are superior implements for self-defense. In one of the early Vicious Circles various people were discussing hypothetical rifle carry. Now if a disaster happened and 911 was a busy signal, and the Police are either preoccupied, or non-existent (or the enemy), I’d probably prefer to have my FAL or my Mossberg 590 on me with a 1911 as a backup. But on my given day where I am leaving home expecting not need a gun, but knowing that nothing in certain, and my life is worth it, I pack a 1911. Why? Well I like it, and I’m good with one. I like .45 ACP and I think its as good as you can hope from a pistol, and its comfortable and easy to carry. That last bit is most important. To carry a rifle around you either need to sling it across your back where you won’t be able to get to it in a hurry, or slung in a more tactical position where you’ll likely need a hand to steady it, and therefore a hand you won’t have free. Sorry, just not worth it, I’m not leaving my home looking for a fight, if it wasn’t a legal nightmare here I might keep a gun in my truck to fall back to, but not slung. Say what you will, but it just isn’t likely enough to be worth the trouble.

OK all that was to get to this discussion. Sebastian has been following the Gerald Ung shooting case. I’ll first up say I have not been following the case outside of Sebastian’s blog, and I’m certainly looking forward to his interview on NRA news, and I will repost the youtube file here.

From what I gather from Sebastian (and I overall trust his judgment when it comes to reporting details) but Mr. Ung had been out drinking and ended up offending somebody enough to get him and his buddies threatening to attack him. Ung Retreated, and only when he was on his back did he draw his pistol and shoot. Also I guess he put 6 .380s into the jerk before he went down. What got me onto this topic was this bit:

This case does, however, show the risk inherent in using deadly force. That is a big reason I am a strong advocate of carrying less than lethal force in addition to lethal force. It gives you more options, and will ultimately make you look far more sympathetic to a prosecutor and jury if you had exhausted all reasonable options available to you before resorting to deadly force.

I think my point can simply be made by this case, if Ung had pulled a can of OC or a stun device he might be dead, because he certainly wouldn’t have had time to pull the .380, and no matter how much you belittle the .380 ACP, 6 of them ALWAYS trumps a less-lethal device in fight-stopping power.

Now back to my point about the handcuffs. In my no-at-all-humble opinion, less lethal items like batons, OC spray, and stun devices are tools for law enforcement, not civilians. Where they come in handy are the not-uncommon situation where some jerk is causing a stir that warrants an arrest, and while they aren’t willing to go peacefully, they also aren’t posing a deadly threat to anybody at the exact moment.

This is when the cops hose them down with OC spray, and cuff them and haul them off.

This is when YOU are walking away, and keeping your eye on the threat until the threat goes away, you get away, or the fight escalates.

We have a little back-and-forth, talking about various scenarios, each getting more specific than the next.

But without mind reading there is no clear answer. Does this guy just want to blacken my eye to please his ego, or is he going to beat my head into the curb? Does he have a knife in his pocket that he’s going to pull if I fight back? Will his buddies pull him back, or join in? Is the guy just posturing, and will OC convince him to kill me?

Without mind reading I can’t say what would be better, OC or a gun. Also without mind reading a jury won’t know either. Sorry, there’s no “Eureka” moment here.

What I will say is I’m not going to crowd my tool box, because when my mind and pulse are racing I don’t want to decide between the pepper spray, and the gun…and be wrong.

Overall I’m going to be walking away. I’m going to talk as much as I can to de-escalate the situation. I’d rather be thought a pussy and a coward than to shoot somebody. If somebody is still interested in attacking me, I have little choice to assume they are not in it for an ego stroke, and I am in danger. If I pull my gun and the fight continues that’s time for deadly force.

We can go back-and-forth, on would-a-should-a, but you start getting into realms where you are now talking about carrying a rifle with you in case you are attacked by MS13 gang-bangers, or ChiCom paratroopers with automatic weapons and body armor.

Most of the time that pepper spray is going to be just something you lug around, just like your gun. But only one of those items are more likely to save your life, and Sebastian illustrates a case where if a man carries pepper spray he might have been killed.

Jury talk is just conjecture, each case has its own merits. I’ve even heard people say that carrying pepperspray might get you in MORE trouble because the prosecution could paint you as bloodthirsty if you reached for your gun first…but I suspect that is as valid as the fabled handloads for self defense discussion.

Overall I’ll say leave the pepper spray to the cops, and carry your gun, because if you can’t walk away from a threat, that is a SERIOUS threat.

Posted in Guns, Self Defense | Leave a comment

Bad Justice, They’re Out There!

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Weerd Beard

OK so my muse struck, but not on a good note. This is yet another reason why you should carry, and have a home-defense gun.

Doucette is out on parole for the 1987 murder of a Salem man, Raymond Bufalino.

Murderer, out on parole, now back in custody after a pretty nasty domestic dispute.

Monday’s arrest is not the first time Doucette has been in trouble since his parole four years ago. Eighteen months after his release, he was arrested in Haverhill and charged with raping a woman, but that charge was later dropped.

Rape can be a dodgy crime, there are honest-to-god rapes that never see a conviction because of lack of evidence, and there are people who cry wolf for various nefarious reasons, and everything in between, but reading on, I’m inclined not to side with the choir boy.

“A life is a life,” Spenlinhauer said after the Parole Board’s decision was announced. “How hard is it to understand that a life sentence should be a life sentence?”

Sadly lots and lots of times. This doesn’t even matter if its a touchy-feely, free-range organic leftist/marxist state like Massachusetts, as this just as often happens in Bible-belt/gun-rack state where a lifer pulls the heartstrings of the parole board. This is why I stand behind capital punishment. If you’re going to declare somebody is going to die in prison, the humane thing to do is give them a quick painless death, rather than let them rot. Also when somebody has been cremated you can be assured they won’t commit another crime.

Prosecutors not only cited the Bufalino murder, but two home invasions — one in Lynnfield involving a family grieving the death of a young son, and the other in Peabody, in which a stun gun was used — Doucette committed while he was awaiting trial. The crimes were included as part of a 1991 plea deal that resulted in Doucette being sentenced to seven life terms in prison.

Read that part again, TWO home invasions, plea deal, and SEVEN life terms, and he was ARRESTED on PAROLE THIS MONDAY!

Oh and FYI electronic stun devices like TASERs and Stun Guns are illegal in Massachusetts.

Is there any wonder why despite our strong gun laws our violent crime here is on the rise? Is there any question why I’m outraged that I have to pay for a permission slip to buy guns or ammo, and can only buy approved guns in this state, despite my clean background and upstanding status, while two-legged predators like this are allowed to walk free with SEVEN LIFE SENTENCES under his belt?

I strongly support the police, but there is only so much they can do when life in prison means “A couple of years”.

Cary your guns, people. If you don’t have guns or a carry permit, GET THEM! Also have a home defense gun, and a plan to use it if a monster like this forces his way into your home. Also don’t think this can’t happen to you. Look at the domestic violence charge, he was dragging his girlfriend from his truck while on parole for murder and home invasion, and had been charged with rape. There is nothing off-limits to a monster like this. Monsters like this will eat your children, rape your wife, and burn the lot of you to death, just as soon as steal your flat-screen TV and your old prescription for percocets; and with a vehicle at his disposal he had the capability to terrorize ANYPLACE, not just his home area. One can pretend that you live in a “Good Neighborhood” because you don’t live in walking distance from crack houses and housing projects, but when you think about driving distance, even the gentrified suburbs are an easy hop for a monster looking for a target-rich environment.

carry your guns, practice with your guns, and be prepared to use them.

And if you ever happen to kill a Goblin like this in a self defense situation, I have little doubt you have done society a great favor.

Posted in Bad Justice, Self Defense | Leave a comment

The Meh is strong with this one

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Today I appear to be wearing my cranky pants. Not feelin’ the Muse. So enjoy your “Gun Death”, and how about a word of the day.

pummelo I just like to say it…pummelo.

They taste OK too, but honestly not as good as their name sounds….

Pummelo

Posted in Biology, Blogging | Leave a comment

“Gun Death” Beating Death

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Weerd Beard

I’m having trouble making heads or tales out of this strange case…what I’m sure of is it isn’t a “Gun Death”.

According to an affidavit for a search warrant for the home, the two were found by Robert’s sister, Paula Anderson, around noon Monday.

When police arrived, they found Lisa laying on the couch in the living room with a large wound to the front of her head and blood on the wall nearby. Bloody footprints were heading to and from the bathroom, which was covered in blood, the affidavit states.

Police found a bloody knife on the bathroom sink. They said Robert had wrappings on stab injuries to his ankles, wrists and neck, and bandages and wrappers were found in the bathroom.

Trumbull County Coroner Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk told police a baseball bat most likely caused Lisa’s death, which he said happened Thursday or Friday.

Of course this line makes it a lot more clear.

According to police reports, at the end of December and beginning of January police were called to the home three times for domestic disputes.

In January, reports show Lisa called 911 to report Robert threatened to shoot and hang himself.

But he didn’t shoot anybody, nope a knife and a bat were used. Much better, right?

Posted in Gun Death? | Leave a comment

Manic Depression

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Has anybody noticed that the anti-rights advocates seems to have cycles where they madly flail, wring hands, clutch pearls, an gnash teeth, followed by cycles of complacent silence?

While I have no reservations calling their ilk mentally ill, I don’t know if this is signs of the illness of manic depression, but certainly appears to exist.

What do you think?

Posted in Freedom, Guns | Leave a comment

Need Caffeine

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Seriously I was just filling out a log book and I wrote “Feb 02-15-2011”. COME ON Weer’d, that’s the notation equivalent of “ATM Machine”!

Also seems whenever I write the year I feel obligated to write the full year. I don’t ever remember writing out “1999” except when it was necessary, but now that the century is turned, I somehow feel compelled to write the century down. I wonder if the people living at the turn of the 20th Century felt the same way. Seems whenever people are talking about the first few decades of the 20th they seem to feel obligated to state the century. The gun I carry is the “Nineteen-Eleven”, and it was introduced into US Military service in “Nineteen-Eleven”, not “Eleven”.

At least I say “Twenty-Eleven” when I give the date, rather than a few years ago when I said “Two-Thousand and nine”.

And in closing I’ll say another stupid redundancy that I hear all the time. “Can you give me your PIN number?”

We live in a world of Acronyms, which is well and good, but it seems a huge chunk of us don’t know what these Acronyms actually STAND for.

Got any others that tweak ya?

Posted in Random | Leave a comment

How It’s Done

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Heh, the leftist talking point that Republicans and conservatives dislike Obama and his policies because we’re racist…right?

Well played, give bigots no quarter, and rather than attacking them, let them stand on their own bigotry and feel the shame. BTW did you notice how often he mentioned “Science” but didn’t actually have much scientific data, studies, or information to back up his racist assertions? This appears to be a common tactic for people supporting a view with lies is to CLAIM science, or data in hope that people will simply assume it exists somewhere.

h/t Hotair

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

A Little More on Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Weerd Beard

So when the wife and I were first dating we did the whole Valentine’s Day thing. Candy and Flowers, heading out to a restaurant, maybe a Movie.

But let’s face it Going to restaurant on Valentine’s day SUCKS. You need reservations, and it’ll be crowded and likely understaffed. Flowers are kickass, but they cost more on that day, and your selection is less diverse. And I dig on candy, but the traditional Valentine’s sampler is 5 chocolates you like interspersed with 15 ones you don’t much care for.

I personally didn’t give a shit, and I’d say that’s true for most guys. She liked the hoopla that comes with dating somebody, but the catch was she didn’t like it when a “tradition” was started, she preferred a little bit of a surprise.

So some years I really had my shit together and she had a great Valentine’s day, and other years I’d not be on my A-Game and it would suck. No matter what I’d be nervous and work my ass off and not have a good time.

We we decided to not bother with Valentine’s day. Now there’s a romantic catch, I do still buy my wife gifts, flowers, and take her out to eat, just NOT on February 14th. Makes things less of a pain in the ass for everybody, and she will ALWAYS be surprised.

LOVE it, and I LOVE her.

So hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s day!

Posted in Family and Friends | Leave a comment