THERE IS A MAN WITH A LEGAL GUN AT A POLITICAL EVENT! OH MY GOD!

That has been the cognoscenti reaction to New Hampshire and Phoenix. where law abiding citizens had the unspeakable gall to legally carry firearms in the open. Immediately the race card was brought into play (“You know them rednecks just wanna kill our black President!”) but MSNBC pretty much shredded it when it manipulated the video of a man with a rifle at the Phoenix rally and vapid newsgirl Contessa Brewer explained that “because people feel like, yes, there are Second Amendment rights for sure but also there are questions about whether this has racial overtones. I mean, here you have a man of color in the presidency and white people showing up with guns strapped to their waists or to their legs.” Unfortunately for the MSNBC Race Card players, other outlets (Mostly Internet) showed that the alleged racist redneck was in fact a Black Gentleman.

After that colossal failure, the “reasonable” crowd of reasonable morons entered the fray. “Well yes, you do have a right but is it reasonable to have a gun at a politically charged event? What if…?” The Reasnoally Afable Idiots want to point out that tempers could flair if a gun is brought to such an emotionally charged event and bad things could happen.  HELLO? There are no “what ifs” here my dear moron. There were TWO EVENTS WERE WEAPONS WERE PRESENT AND NOTHING HAPPENED! q.e.d.

I know, it is obvious, but some people need to be foresmacked with a cricket paddle to loosen up the gears inside the cranium and process the information right in front of their noses.

Now, should I scare them and inform them about the people attending these rallies and carrying a concealed weapon? I better not, they would not look their best if their bowels loosen up in front of the camera.

I told my wife about how I want my remains disposed off when I die. Cremation for sure, but I want inside the box with my body some 20 pounds of hickory chips and 5 gallons of molasses. I also want some sort of audio reproduction device that activates with a fast rise in temperature connected to a cellular telephone which will send out a pre-recorded message to a select few (or many.)

The idea is that when they shove the box in the crematorium, the audio device will activate, call those above mentioned selected few and hear me say “Damn it, it is getting hot in here! Somebody crack open a window or something!” And for the hickory and molasses, I want people that, as they leave, have a sudden urge for BBQ and head for the nearest pit. And no, there will be no after-funeral munching cold cuts in my name at my house. If I ain’t going to be there to enjoy it, neither will you.

Unless my wife decides something she would really like to do with my ashes (like using me to fertilize the lawn) I wouldn’t mind being sneaked half  into Stones River National Cemetery and half in Evergreen Cemetery, both in Murfreesboro, TN. They are both Civil War cemeteries and I would not mind listening to the old soldiers and their stories. I can’t think of a better way to spend the afterlife.

I just finished some state-mandated training in firearms and the old thought of you always learn something whether is how to do it or how not to do it is very true. One of the things I learned is that some people take securing their firearms a tad too cavalier which is to say, they don’t. I will not go into specifics but there is no reason for anybody to leave a weapon unsecured or barely so. The amount of options to properly secure a firearm in almost any situation is plentiful, affordable and with a good level of security.

I am not endowed with a high paying job (actually I am ‘in between jobs’ at this time) but my firearms are safeguarded. The system is not top of the line, Houdini-proof, fire resistant to the flames of Hell for eternity but your average thief will have tough time trying to break in and steal the guns.A bit of research can provide you with the best level of security according to your budget. Remember: you do have a sizable investment in guns, may it be a $500 Glock or a $5,000 AR-clone with all the bells and whistles. Invest in security wisely. With that said, I am gonna focus on the budget-minded gun owner that does not have a vast arsenal or a vast budget but still wants to properly secure his or her handguns.

Handguns at home: If you are only in possession of handguns, your best bet is a small safe. And no, the night table with a lockable drawer is not a secure location for your handgun and the same goes for that “secret” place in your attic, basement, under the bed or old shoe box in the closet. A quick search in the net brings a great variety of small document boxes & safes and from stores like Walmart to Cabelas. But I recommend buying without actually examining. One cannot appreciate craftsmanship on a website so it is imperative that you take the time and actually go to a store to check them out. Stack-On and Homak make great pistol safes in price ranges starting well under $100. In fact, the Stack-On Medium Personal Safe With Electronic Lock can be bought at WalMart for $68 and is big enough for several handguns and even documents.  Small safes are a great for handguns only if you properly bolt the darn thing.  Invest in long lag screws, epoxy, more screws and whatever else you can imagine to make life almost impossible for a burglar.  If by any chance you happen to know somebody in the hotel liquidation business, you can get your hands on a hotel room safe for almost peanuts (usually under $50) and it will be big enough for guns, ammo, laptop and may other things. I personally own one and right now it has 2 handguns, 5 magazines, and about 500 rounds of ammunition in boxes and still has plenty room to spare.

Handguns in the car: Securing a weapon in a vehicle is and it is not easy. I am still amazed that anybody would consider leaving a handgun in the glove box, center console box or just under the seat. The issues with securing a handgun in the car is comprised of space, ability to access the gun and our desire (or lack of) to modify the inside of the vehicle to accommodate the box and risking depreciate its value at trade-in or selling time. A simple solution is Center Of Mass Gun Safe. The COM Safe are one-gun, well built safes that come with a 3 foot long security cable that can be looped or secured to any hard point inside your car. The COM safe comes in three flavors: Lock & Key, Combination Lock (both under $40) or Biometric Lock ($180) and they can even be used as airline/TSA approved gun containers for air travel.

Please remember this: there is no 100% secure method to keep the guns out of the hands of a determined burglar if he has time and tools. Our best bet is to make it difficult so he must invest time that does not have and force him to choose a softer, faster target. Thinking otherwise is just fooling ourselves.

There is one more layer of security that you can use to protect your handguns and it is the one between your ears. I already mentioned that a safe that is not properly installed is rendered useless and the same applies if you leave it open or visible to anybody. Securing a handgun is not only to protect it from burglars but also to protect your loved ones and even curious visitors that should know better but still have the stupid need to irresponsibly manipulate a gun. If you have kids, keep the safe locked at all times. If you have visitors, do the same. At the end of the day you are the only one responsible if a firearm ends up in the wrong hands and hurts people. Be safe and keep everybody around you safe.

How many times we see in movies and TV that a good or bad guy engages in a shootout from behind a car and the incoming bullets bounce harmlessly off the body with a cute spark indicating a strike?  The image of a Police officer stopping his car, getting off and taking cover behind the door is deeply embedded in the minds of anyone who has seen 2 episodes of any Cop show from the 1950’s till today. Unfortunately physics are a bit more unforgiving and quite more deadly.

This particular vehicle is parked at a range in South Florida where Local Law Enforcement train. I assume (yes i know) that it is being used as training aid and I might say it is a quite sobering demonstration of the property of bullets flying at high speed. The vehicle was the target of different calibers shot by handguns, shotgun and rifle and the result is evident as shown in the following pictures.

The “puny” 9 mm and the .40 S&W had no troubles making their way through the door of this cruiser which pretty much kills that old Hollywood visual staple. But the real butt kicker lays on the nex couple of pictures. Do click on picture for better detail.

As you can see, almost all the most common rounds used in the US were used to ventilate a tad the trunk of the vehicle. But the kicker lays on the next picture.

Yep, those are exit holes on the other side of the car. Even the allegedly less-than-lethal 9mm managed to go through on both sides.

If we ever have the misfortune of having to use a vehicle during an armed confrontation, about the only safe area you could use is behind the engine which possesses enough mass to block incoming rounds.  That is if the person shooting at you decides not to look under the vehicle and aim for your feet.

So, unless you own an armored vehicle, do not make the mistake of believe you are driving an item that will produce cute sparks while deflecting projectiles. Remember: Your average vehicle is about as bulletproof as a Radio Flyer and you will be the bullet stopper in the end.

I am guessing that by now you are pretty much aware of the literal hissy fit that Liberals are throwing about the protesters against Obamacare. The now famous Obama as Joker poster has shocked some to tears and the well expected cries of racism are bouncing of the rafters. Liberal nutjobs are demanding the head of Glenn Beck for comparing Obama to Hitler (and Stalin and Mao) and even Maureen Dowd is demanding that the opposition’s freedom of speech should be crushed. You see, it is all Hate Speech not First Amendment if the criticism does not come from the selected ones in the Left.

You see, this picture is Hate:

But this one is Free Speech as expressed in the Constitution:

This is a gentle and polite political discourse:

But this is just is KKK fearmongering:

People can only deal with so much bullshit. I know my bucket is full already.

Attention Subjects: You are not to contradict what comes from the Government. Your elected representatives not only do not represent you anymore but actually order you to do their bidding forgetting that they work for you. Dissension must be curbed by ridicule (calling it AstroTurf as in fake grassroots) or to denounce it by emailing the White House and snitching on the dissenters. Just to be sure that these disruptors don’t take over Town Hall Meetings with their pesky questions, Union volunteers are now sucking up all available spaces in any room a Town Hall meeting is being held and removing (by force if necessary) those heathens who dare to oppose Obamacare.

Disclaimer: If you find this post offensive, racist and politically contrary against the Exalted One and his political bootlickers, please be free to contact SNITCH@WHITHEHOUSE.GOV … wait, I got it wrong, you must contact flag@whitehouse.gov and let them know that an enemy of the state is deeply conspiring against the Government by using that fishy First Amendment Right.

I read these words in an article by Pat Rogers about 2-3 years ago in a magazine. The first thing it did to me was to put a dent in the desire to obtaining a crapload of ancillary tactical “cool stuff” that I really did not need. The second thing was that made me sit down and figure out what do I really need according to the way I live.  Even though I might drool over the latest tactical fashion statement out of Blackhawk or have the urge to get me a very cool tactical vest with trauma plate and enough webbing to molle a lawnmower, Does my lifestyle and threats actually require it? The answers was enlightening and also made my wife happy because it would not deplete our meager bank account.

I live in South Florida. Heat and humidity are more than plain annoyances: wearing the wrong clothing will send you to the ER with a severe case of heat exhaustion and might even kill you (ask me how I know).  Does it make sense to wear an EOTac denim jacket? Heck no, no matter how many cool and hidden pockets to carry stuff it has. I am a sucker for vests, I’ve been wearing one type or another for 30+ years but considering the weather plus the unstoppable force of the calendar against my body,  I am forced to wear the lightest one I can buy. It does not have all the bells and whistles but I won’t have to pull over every 5 blocks for prompt hydration. I am even about to try a EOTac’s Tropical Sport Shirt and IWB holster because all those times I overdid it under the sun add up and I do not want to end up being berated by the wife while I lay in front of an AC vent and chugging Gatorade or in the hospital being hydrated with a bag full of liquid via needle sticking up my arm. I know I look cool in a bitchin’ tactical vest, but I do not have the desire to look that cool in ICU.

At home I am the typical SoFla (South Florida) guy wearing shorts and flip-flops so that sexy thigh holster in coyote brown not only look weird but it will chaff the hell off my delicate skin.  Solution? If I am not carrying a J-frame in the shorts pocket, there will be a weapon placed within three to five steps of wherever I am located.  Before you cry safety!, I must inform that I have no kids so gun access to minors is not an issue, specially since both cats have no opposable thumbs and have been trained in the Four Rules of Gun Safety. Very few friends ever come over and with one exception, the guns go into the safe while they are around. One gun will be holstered on me for the duration of the visit because Bad Guys will not hesitate to be impolite enough to ply their trade with people in the house.

An honest evaluation of your needs and conditions is fundamental to determine what gear you really need. You might be a young buck with tons of health to spare and a strong back which can withstand carrying an M4 all day, but if you live in any city or suburban area there is a great chance that somebody will see you when you go outside to mow the lawn and call the local authorities.  A sudden picnic with a dynamic entry courtesy of  your local SWAT team is not a enjoyable prospect in anybody’s schedule. If you are an old fart like myself, you are going to get tired soon and start ditching crap or losing your sharpness and attention to your surroundings which are more important than any gear you may carry.

Now let’s be real, if you hear somebody breaking in in the middle of the nigh,  Are you really going to waste time putting on the above mentioned very cool tactical vest with trauma plate with 6 spare mag for your Ugly Black Rifle, 2 sets of trauma kits, hydration bag and pouch for IPod? No, you will grab a secured yet readily accessible long or handgun, perhaps a spare mag, cell phone dialing 911 and you will make a stand in the safe room or your bedroom. No, you are not going to get the chance to use all the 6 pounds of cool gadgets (light, lasers in red and green, ACOG, range finder and bottle opener all in picatinny rails) because it would be the dumbest crap you can do since you bough the Barret .50 caliber rifle to kill the possums in your small city backyard.

So let’s be smart about our gear and adapt it to the reality we live in. Study your most realistic threats and plan accordingly.  We all like cool gear but it must be used in a way it helps our chances of surviving a confrontation.