Miami Police: “He displayed Tombstone Courage”

Three Bad Guys apparently got to dance with a modern Wyatt Earp and lost. According to Miami’s Channel 7, the miscreants entered Okay Auto Tire Service along Northwest 46th Street and Second Avenue in Miami, forced people to the ground with guns and owner Omar Rangel drew his gun, shot and wounded two of the three assailants.

But what I like the best is the comment of Miami PD Officer Jeff Giordano:

“He displayed tombstone courage this afternoon and fired upon the offenders,”

And that shows a departure from the old Police Mentality of “We are happy with the outcome, but people  should let police take care of things.” Times have changed quite a bit down here in South Florida. Police (rank and file) understands that Gun Owners are law abiding citizens with tons of patience and restrain when carrying a concealed weapon.  And they are also painfully aware that they can’t protect everybody no matter how much they wish it.So, To Miami Police: thank you for breaking the mold.

Gun ownership works. Taking responsibility for one’s protection works. Crime did not pay for those three idiots. And to Mr. Rangel, Que  Dios lo Bendiga. (May God Bless.) you kept yourself, your workers and clients safe today.

Brady Bunch Fundraiser: Embarrasing.

Sebastian just posted that the Bradys have amassed an incredible amount of funds 5 days after they started a fundraiser against Open Carry: A whooping twenty bucks.

It is another nail driven into the coffin of Brady’s Irrelevance. It is old-hairy-uncle-wearing-Speedos embarrassing to see them like this. They need to be put out of their misery. Is there a Lobby Group Death Panel in the Obamacare Bill by any chance?

Pocket Carry… Finally and never again.

Today I decided to do a Pocket Carry as if it was my normal everyday carry. The few times I have carried the wife’s Rossi R46202, it was in an El Paso Saddlery Snap-Off holster: or if it was a quick run to the local Farm Store drive -thru for a gallon of milk, the gun was on my vest pocket.

Today I had to go out to the doctor for a quick “help my back is killing me” visit and after a stop at Lowes for jigsaw blades. I chose a pair of relaxed fit jeans that had deep pockets but not too wide and the gun fit perfectly. No turning or twisting and enough space for my paw to get to the gun with some modicum of speed and control. Since I do not have reloading strips, I chose to take 2 speedloaders by Safariland: a COMP-1 that went into my right vest pocket and a COMP-3 that went into the depths of my left pant’s pocket.  I use both in my IDPA matches so I am quite comfortable with their operation and I know they are fast and reliable.

OK, why the vest if I was doing Pocket Carry? I have worn vests of many different kinds since I was 17-18 so everybody that knows me is used to see me with one. I also have to admit the vest has become my man-purse. Other than a knife and a bandana, I do not carry anything in my pants pocket; my vest as everything a Modern Tactical Urbanite (I gotta copyright that one) should have. I get home, shed my vest and hang it and I am done; I need to get out, I don my vest and I am almost ready. Ta-da!

OK, back to the Pocket Carry. My first disappointment and Duh! moment came when I jumped (read:slithered slowly and painfully) into the truck’s seat and realized there was no way in hell I could reach for the gun in case of emergency or carjacking. That right there killed the whole project for me.  Still I decided to go on and see if I could find the good in it and I did. Pocket Carry is less stressful on the lower back, specially on ones in pain. I have a very comfortable pancake holster for everyday carry, but even that sucker was bothersome during the last couple of days. Point for Pocket Carry. At the doctor’s office I was able to sit down on the chairs with arms without fear of getting stuck but again, no way to access quickly the gun if SHTF. During examination I was asked why I was not carrying my gun today and I smiled. Even dropping trou was not an issue (I know, TMI) and the doctor did not have a clue I was armed. Point for Pocket Carry.

After leaving the doctor’s office (BTW located in a Gun Free Zone which gets ignored. I love Florida!) I proceeded to the local Wally World to fill my prescriptions and then to Lowes and in both places there were no awkward looks, whispering and fingerpointing at the bulk in my pocket. I did find myself walking with my hands in both my pockets without thinking and the right hand on safely the gun. I am guessing not being used to carry like that made me a tad nervous and wanted to have fast access which is amazing since my brain ain’t usually that bright.  After that, I just went home and again i was blessed I did not have to use deadly force.

Conclusion: Pocket Carry is comfortable and I imagine even more so if done with one of the smaller pocket autos.  Personally, barring back pain, not being to able a cover garment or other unusual situation, I will not make it my main way of carrying a gun. The car thing is a deal killer IMHO and I like having the easiness to access my weapon fast and from a holster. Again, it is my choice and might not be yours as long as you know what you are doing and carry right. And it beats being armed with nothing!

Gun Sayings… Value Added Shock.

Non-Gunners gasp at some Gun Sayings. And let’s face it, they are intended to shock and drive home a point. The use of deadly force in a Self Defense situation is not a pretty one and I guess neither is the way we try to teach and learn. We cannot afford to be “sensitive” or politically correct and run the risk of not learning the intended lesson. If at the end of the day, you have acquired a set of instructions that will save your life, then it is worth it. The point is not how pretty is the package but the worth of the content.

“Be polite, be professional and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”

You do not know what your attacker looks like. If you did, you would avoid him/her like the plague. Stop for one second and think at the mental picture you have developed whenever you mentally prepare yourself for an scenario. What does your attacker look like? Obviously we will create an image and unfortunately stick to it even though this person does not exist. So we must suspect of anybody and be ready for anything. Paranoid you say? Well, you heard about shooting is the workplace where a somebody goes crazy and kills coworkers? Have you heard of the date that turned out to be a rapist? (there is even a commercial on TV about it for an alarm company) and our all time favorite: “He was always a great neighbor. Quiet and liked the children.” Let’s not set ourselves for a deadly fall.

“Some people just need killing.”

I think this one is a quote from the late Col. Jeff Cooper but I might be wrong. It speaks about those dumb criminals that even when warned and faced by someone with the capability to issue them harm, they keep advancing and unfortunately they must be put down. Imagine the Meth Freak or Angel Dust Head coming at you unable to process the fact that they might die if they do not cease their aggressive behavior. Or the really stupid goon that thinks that he can sweet talk you out of your gun with threats or that like in the movies, you will be able to snatch the gun out of the hand of that weak woman.  Again, non-gunners will shriek in horror, but there is a big lesson behind it: You might be forced to use deadly force in the face of a doped, dumb & dangerous criminal.

“Always cheat; always win.”

If memory serves right, this one is from Clint Smith. Again, I have seen the disgust in some non-gunners’ faces at the utterance of this wise words. The sad fact is that defending our life is not an sporting event. To think that one should be subjected to rules to make the “competitors” have a level playing field when our life is on the line, is stupid. Criminals Cheat! We heard the victims complain after the fact that “It was not fair” the way they were attacked or the injuries they sustained. Even the Marquess of Queensberry packed a gun (OK. I am making this one up.)

“Anyone worth shooting once is worth shooting twice.”

This one is a corollary to Some People Just Need Killing. Against Hollywood Blockbuster’s conventional wisdom, one single round from your pea shooter will not propel the Bad Guy 30 feet backwards killing him instantly. Handgun calibers are actually very inefficient as people stoppers and that is why any instructor worth his salt will teach double taps, controlled pairs and any multiple shot combination to a student. Bad guys either stimulated by adrenalin or their drug of choice, might be unable to stop their bad behavior from a single shot unless you happen to hit the medulla oblongata with your first at-bat (cranio-ocular cavity shot which is placing a well aimed bullet in the triangle formed by the nose and both eyes, a most difficult shot.) Remember, you will shoot until there is no more threat.

These are just four, if you know more, you are welcome to go ahead and add them in the comments section.

Have you renewed your memberships yet?

Don’t ask me how, but I always manage to congeal all my subscriptions and memberships to die at the same darn time. So I just finished renewing NRA, IDPA and SWAT Magazine plus I have to send my contribution to Gun Rights Radio Network but I screwed around enough and just now opened an account with GunPal which is the Gun version of PayPal. Let me rephrase that so there is no confusion: GunPal has nothing to do with the schmucks at EBay/PayPal. GunPal covers the huge hole left by the PC morons at EBay/PayPal who develop a sudden rash of morality and cancel transactions and accounts if they are gun related somehow. GunPal was created by Gun People for Gun people so a wee bit support is suggested. We should support our guys, right?

So back to the original thought, Have you renewed your memberships & subscriptions?  Git to it! Do not procrastinate! I do that enough ;)

And do join GunPal…. please?

Sebastian, I understand your view but:

We are not talking about a simple (or complicated) political or social misunderstanding here. It is not a difference of opinion on a dark point of the law. The battle for the Second Amendment is about some things tangible and some that are not. It is the respect of freedom and the respect for life. Brady and its bunch were not disagreeing about possibly raising taxes to pay for a new highway project or if a contract is enforceable or not. They were directly subverting my right to defend myself. They were making an overt attempt against my life and the life of my loved ones. There is no difference that they used the law or a gun, the end result was to disarm me and leave me ready to be attacked by the wolves and that I do not take kindly.

McDonald is not just a “case” or an argument or a amicus curiae. Mr. McDonald is a human being which was denied the tools for defensing himself in a violent neighborhood. He is fearful and living a cloistered life because some politicos decided that he had no right to own a handgun. These politicos do not live in the same neighborhood as Mr McDonald and if they leave their mansions, they do so with privileges and bodyguards not available to the rest of the citizens in the community they reign. These politicos are First Among Equals, the Pigs More Equal than Others. A Ruling Class and Royalty in our country exacting power on the rest of us.

Now stop for a second and think of the innocents murdered in Chicago through the years. Think of those that might had an opportunity if they were allowed to exercise their Second Amendment rights but could not because a local government said they are not worthy. Doesn’t that churn your guts? Are you so intellectually removed from the everyday mud it does not affect you? It does to me and it does to a lot of people.

So when you say “that it’s not too much to ask to be civil to our opponents in this debate” I and many others cringe. It would be like sitting down with Lavrentiy Beria and debate about how naughty he was doing all those things inside Lefortovo prison.  Or akin to sharing a hot chocolate and a spirited discussion with Che Guevara about his “pedagogy of the paredon ” (wall where you place those about to be executed by firing squad) to teach the lessons of the Cuban Revolution.  Make no mistake: Brady and Hamm did not pull a trigger or stabbed anyone, but they did and still cooperate with the killing of many.

You have friends and family that are anti-gun? So do I and so do many in our cause. Some were anti-gun but changed their views. Some refuse to own a gun, but do not make any attempts to curtail our rights. The very few that were active against my rights are no longer part of my world and know damn well what I think of them.

We never wanted to impose anything. We simply demanded our rights and never tried to exact our views on anybody. We wanted the choice to defend ourselves, a choice to live and it was denied. Brady and the like did their best to stop those rights, caused death and they are responsible for it. After much fighting, we are turning that idiocy little by little and I really don’t feel like being civil/appeasing/compromising to enablers of murder.

I am glad that Mr. McDonald’s case will be resolved in the Supreme Court and in our favor. He needs a real chance and not a fake guarantee of safety where none exists.

If you happen to live in Seattle…

I would encourage you to go to the Starbucks on Pike Place at 10:30am where the loons of the Brady Bunch are planning on doina “lie in” (both in position and verisimilitude) protesting Starbuck’s decision to respect customers who carry guns legally.

Now, don’t engage in a confrontation, just go inside, order some coffee and sit down to read your favorite gun magazine. Make sure the magazine is visible to the loons, smile and excercise both your First and Second amendment rights. If addressed by the angry hippies, smile and wave.  Take pictures!

Hat Tip to Snowflakes In Hell.