A lazy Sunday. 77 degrees, cool breeze of 14 miles per hour and a humidity of 45% makes for a great time to spend time in the porch doing IDPA Scores and casting some bullets.

And that would be basil in the pots. Out of view we have parsley (two kinds), rosemary, oregano, Bay tree, cilantro, dill and I forget what else.

Next time you are grilling and a minute before serving, drop a 6 to 10 inch branch of rosemary in the coals and close the grill. The smoke will give a slight rosemary flavor to your meat or fish without overpowering any other flavors. The smoke will also scare away mosquitoes and other bugs.

Armed robbery at a Starbucks located inside of the University of Miami. UM is a Gun Free Zone, but apparently nobody informed the Bad Guys of this decision.  I wonder if the robbery would have happened with a shop full of Open Carry people but at least we can tell Brady and Co. that a Gun Free Starbucks is not so safe & secure after all.

By the way, in the same news item I found something interesting. After Virginia Tech, Universities decided that the best way to deal with major crimes and specially incidents like an Active Murderous Shooter was to warn everybody via email & text messages. I am not shocked to see that the system is used for “very important stuff”:

“It’s a little bit shocking,because usually when we get crime alerts, it’s either a test or something minor like somebody snatching an iPod“

Cry wolf and all of that….

UPDATE: Perps caught! It was an inside job where an employee left the door open so the accomplices could come in and clean the till. Again the one thing that called my attention was the reaction of the students:

UM student Gemma Shields noted, “I think it’s really terrible. It’s really shocking that we’re on campus, and something like this is happening where we’re supposed to be secure.”

That what they said at Virginia Tech too.

Mine is signed by Charles Bronson, how about yours?

And yes, I really look like that.

Some stuff I learned through experience.

1. It is always a bad idea to involve Government Services. Public Servants have a very short fuse and they despise being involved in something funny that they did not create. Calling 911 to report screaming coming out of your neighbor’s house while they are having sex is a no-no. Nothing endangers good relations with you town dwellers and the local fuzz as having somebody dragged naked to a patrol car with a face full of pepper spray and the ensuing civil lawsuit. Also do not call USAMRIID and tell them that the arabic-looking owners of the nearby 7-11 present Ebola symptoms and they are chanting while coughing over the sandwiches. That the 7-11 owners are Dominican and singing salsa and bachata tunes will not make a difference to the lab rats in the white NBC suits.
2. Never pull a scary prank on somebody packing a gun or with easy access to crew served weapons. You never saw Allen Funt or whathisname in Punk’d trying to scare the daylights of anybody in a gun shop or range. There is a rumor that some idiot actually came up with a fake zombie invasion on Ted Nugen’ts ranch never to be heard from again. It is alleged that nearby earthquake monitors registered the amount of shooting coming out of the Nugent Household.
3. If the joke ends with stitches, Celox or calling for a casket, you have gone too far. Remember, one of the great things about practical jokes is to have the mark laugh alongside with you after is over. If your prank results in major medical intervention or the presence of a coroner at the end of the practical joke, you may want to tone it down a smidgen for the next time.
4. Be tasteful. Dragging body parts stolen from the morgue behind your car like some ghoulish Newlywed decoration is just tasteless. That kins of stuff should be reserved for Halloween only.
5. Avoid E-Mails that warn about nasty or scary pending legislation. Not only this is an old and tired joke that nobody buys anymore, but you are an amateur writing idiocy in legalese. Besides Congress will beat any comer… and for real.
6. Make sure your mark does not mind being the target of a prank. Unfortunately some people have no sense of humor, specially wives and significant others of the female persuasion. If you keep telling your wife that she looks like Britney Spears and then give her a USMC Boot Camp haircut while she is asleep, expect yourself to wake up without some body parts, the house, the truck, the kids and the bank account and a restraining order crazy glued to your butt.

Enjoy April’s Fool!

Yes Virginia, it is going to hurt. Badly.

We know that Shooting and Shooting Sports are safe. Contrary to what the Disloyal Opposition and Media say, accidental Shootings are in an old time low among civilians. Still we must be ready for that accident if it were to happen so? Are you ready?

Do you carry a First Aid Kit that can handle a gunshot wound? Do you know what do do in case of a gunshot wound? Do you know how to use that expensive pouch you bought that has QuikClot or Celox? We keep repeating that in a defensive scenario we are the first responders but this also should be true for medical emergencies. You can be Wyatt Earp with a gun, but if you are Barney Fife with a gauze, you are not helping yourself or your family. Get training at least at a basic level The Red Cross offers instruction all over the country for individuals or groups that want to learn the basics. Trust me, every little bit of knowledge will help you or somebody survive.

Does the range you attend have an established plan to deal with medical emergencies? Does it stop at calling 911 and getting the mop and the bucket? Is there somebody that has First Aid training working in that place? Ask questions and demand answers! You must plan ahead and according to what’s available and what is not. If the range is located next door to a Fire Station, maybe you can breathe a tad easier (Luck will have it that the day you need them, the paramedics are away half across town in another call. Don’t laugh, I’ve saw that happen.) If the nearest Paramedics are 10 minutes away and the Range has only acne-covered teens collecting cash and giving you paper targets, you may want to have a very complete plan ready or select a better location for your practice.

The same applies if you are a member of a shooting club. Does the club have a plan? Who are the selected Responders in case of emergency and how well are they trained? Who else is also trained?  First Aid kits? Is the area near a hospital or should there be a plan to transport an injured man to the nearest medical facility? Most major metropolitan areas respond to shooting incidents with a Medevac, Can you clear an area for the helicopter to land safely?Do you have Paramedics in your club? Abuse them! Ask them to set up a basic First responder class and to organize an emergency protocol for the club. Again, every little bit helps.

And don’t forget other life threatening situations besides gunshot wounds? Do you shoot in a rural area and wild poisonous critters may be the problem? How about your local weather? Heat related injuries is a common danger in our club and every year we have our share of people (Me number one idiot) that overdo it and have to be dragged to a cool place and iced down like a snapper in a fish market. No major situations have happened because we have a plan in place to deal with anybody that might be affected. If your issue is cold weather, seek information on the subject and prepare accordingly. I wish I could be more detailed in this matter, but we are awfully unprepared for frostbite in Miami.

I think you get the idea. You cannot prevent all injuries or cover every contingency, but being ready to tackle a major or minor emergency will save a life.