I am an advocate of Action Shooting Sports for the enormous benefits a shooter can derive. Static Range will only give you a measurement of Marksmanship & Gun Handling in a quiet, pressure-less environment but it is a myth that goes down the drain the second you are under the slightest influence of adrenalin.  I have seen shooters that felt pretty good about their craft in a static range become a bowl of ticked off pudding when they are under a timer and must move or face moving targets. Action Shooting Sports will give a shooter an initial measurement of what he ir she will do when the cow chips hit the wind power turbines.

The other thing(s) you get when competing against other shooters is an instantly available pool of knowledge yours for the observing and asking. You will see a technique that you did not know almost in every match and will try it. It may work or it might not but you have something you did not have before and that is golden. And if you are having troubles adapting that technique, have no doubt that somebody will me very willing to teach you the finer points till you get it right.

There is also a sense of camaraderie among individuals that are usually fiercely independent. It is a meeting of liked-minded folks that breathe the sport and will discuss, test, argue and advertise different schools of tactics, themes or trainings received. Backstabbing is almost non-existent you can let your hair down and make mistakes knowing that any catcalling will be done without malice: just friends laughing with you instead of at you. Information about just anything guns will be shared in between sips of Gatorade, mineral water and an occasional cloud of tobacco smoke. After Match meals to relax and comment anything and everything happen quite often if you wish to attend. And even if you do not attend, nobody feels offended because you did not partake on the meal: they understand because they are like you.

I am the least gregarious person you’ll ever meet. If you happen to visit me at home, I have no qualms on telling that I like you (you have my address so a certain level of liking is present, otherwise you don’t even get my zip code) but that it is time for you to leave the premises because I need my alone time. Even so I enjoy thoroughly my IDPA Matches with the shooting, bantering, jokes, arguments, discussion and even the occasional bartering that happens, specially if the wife never finds out.

So, join a Action Shooting Club to learn and have fun. It is the cheapest therapy in town. Although truth be told, we are a bit crazy sometimes.

If we weren’t, why would be come out to shoot in a Saturday morning in Miami with 40 degree weather, winds at 15 m.p.h and a constant drizzle while standing in two inches deep of very cold mud? 🙂

… will be dare to do the following when their local temperature rises again to 42.

1. Turn off any heating systems.
2. Open all windows.
3. Wear only summer clothes. (Sandals or flip flops are acceptable)
4. Deal with winds between 10 to 25 mph.

Most houses and living quarters in South Florida do not have any kind of heating other than the kitchen oven. Also they are built to reject heat, not absorb it. You could not find a portable heater in any store anywhere because the dozen there were available in the Four County area were snatched in the first 30 seconds of the first cold front but most hurricane lamps and Coleman Gas Lamps will help heat up a room till the carbon monoxide alarm goes off.  Winter clothing? There is not such thing as wool or down in South Florida. There were riots in the local WalMarts for hoodies and Long Johns (Old guys with canes are mean as hell and can swing hard. In a pinch they will pitch their dentures at you like a the Senior’s version of a shuriken). We are wearing construction gloves to protect our hands and about 4 pair of socks.

Next hippie that talks to me about Global Warming will get a free shave and a haircut with my grass trimmer.

To this outstanding faux Ford Ad flipping the ugly middle finger at Audi’s Green Police Superbowl commercial. Standing ovation to Sharp as a Marble.

In an article in the Hufftington Post, ‘I am‘ Sam Isaac Edwards goes into deep soul searching cum confession explaining that because we was stupid that during a night of libido bullshit showing off to a girlfriend, after chugging half a bottle of tequila and fingerfucking with a .45 caliber gun he ended up with a negligent (Yes I am Sam, mixing booze, guns with macho posture and ending up with a non-programmed shot is NEGLIGENCE) discharge that killed his refrigerator. Because of his self-confessed stupidity, I Am Sam begs legislators to think again before allowing less enlightened humans carry a concealed weapon wherever alcohol is served.

This Flagellant article reeks fabrication. After a half a bottle of Tequila, normal human beings are pretty much in between deep sleep or serious alcohol coma. Yet I Am Sam is still in good shape but barely tipsy enough to forget his finger placement…Ooopsie! And if you were really “in control” after the fore mentioned half a bottle of tequila, then your problem is not guns but serious alcoholism. Put the gun down and go to the nearest AA meeting.

And you know, if you would have stopped there, I might have shut up and just make a comment about how your lack of brains is not enough to suspend the rights of the rest of your fellow citizens. But you had to add:

I opened the door and something deep red ran out onto the tile in quick rivulets. Jeez, I thought, I musta hit an artery. I had. Ocean Spray Cranberry, the Aorta sized bottle.

A tad over the top with the overreaching visual. You went from souffle to scrambled eggs with extra two stirs and the piece of deep literary and psychological insight became just another cheap political ploy. And publishing it in the HuffPoo didn’t help either. So I am calling it Bravo Sierra and you go to Jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. And for the next time, less is more.

Hat Tip and Muchas Gracias to Say Uncle

Terri Strayer shoots a good one across the bow with CandyApple Red, Pink, Purple. It is obvious she feels strongly and rightly about the issue, but we agree on the “the damn thing must work & screw the color”  point. And let’s face it folks, the Battle of the Sexes is the longest running one in the history of humanity without any end in sight. Sex sells, sexism doesn’t or disrespect. Pink guns sell even if you don’t like the color. I draw the line with a polka dot Mossberg 500.

By the way Ms. Pepin, you can put the rifle down now. The red dot on top of my bald spot is getting kind of old. 😉

You gotta give it to the AlGorians, no matter how much Mother Nature proves them wrong, they love to come up with an excuse to explain why weather events happen just the opposite they predict.

In today’s New York Times we have the article “Climate-Change Debate Is Heating Up in Deep Freeze” and the best quote is the following:

Most climate scientists respond that the ferocious storms are consistent with forecasts that a heating planet will produce more frequent and more intense weather events.

OK, now if you care to explain to me how can I produce a pound of ice from the inside of a hot oven, I’ll buy into this Global Warming bullcrap. Otherwise just shut the hell up and wait till summer to bring the issue again.

Tell me if you heard this one from other CCWers: ““I’d never wear a vest. It screams ‘Shoot Me’ at the top of the building.” Or this one: “Fanny Packs? Only people carrying a gun use fanny packs in this day and age.” Or even this one (my favorite): “I can tell who is carrying by the way they (dress-move-walk).” Welcome to the wonderful debate on concealment garments.

To the uninitiated, carrying a concealed weapon requires a deep change in a person’s way of life. A sidearm is not an “accessory” but a life saving device that should be carried every day and not just whenever you feel like or “think” you might be in danger. You cannot predict when you will be a victim of a crime because if you could, Why would you go there? You avoid it altogether and that’s it. So, as stated initially you have to have the gun with you in order to have an effective means of self-defense and that will force you to change your life style and that includes what & how you carry plus how you cover it.

And I have news for the anti-vest crowd: Civilian Non-shooters do not know you are packing just because you have a 5.11 Vest. Some in the know may suspect you are carrying, but unless you display the weapon, they only suspect, not know for sure. How do I know this? Guess who is been carrying a gun covered by a vest for a decade in a very hot, very humid city? Yep, you’ll see me strolling the streets of Miami with the ubiquitous khaki vest with the temperatures in the high 90s and the humidity up there to cook broccoli. Have I been “found out”? Twice that I know of and both times were by fellow Concealed Carriers that were dressed “suspiciously” enough that I noticed. We made eye contact, looked at our waist areas and smiled at each other as if saying “Yep, me too! Nice seeing you Brother!

I was not going to mention it because I have not seen a civilian yet making that mistake, but make sure your cover garment is loose enough not to print by just breathing. Civilians tend to overdo in size and length but I have seen undercover cops not quite paying attention to what they wear. I remember one time an undercover police officer wearing a light blue sweater during a summer night in Ft. Lauderdale (blending, you are doing it wrong) and the sweater was so tight that not only you could tell he was packing a 1911 in an outside the belt holster, but you could almost read the serial number in the gun.

Am I ever asked about wearing a vest? Yes. 95% of the people who ask will inquire if I am going fishing or am I a professional fisherman. The rest will ask if I am a photographer but most people and I mean 99 out of  100 don’t even care what I am wearing. I have the advantage of wearing some sort of vest for the last 30 years as part of my regular wardrobe so it is second nature for me. And this is the key: Second Nature, be comfortable with what you wear and carry.

The first important item about carrying a gun is to have a good belt and a good holster. A belt that can handle the weight and a holster that is comfortable will do wonders for your carrying pleasure. Flabby belts that let the gun flap around and a cheap holster that loses shape and cannot retain the gun properly are a constant reminder that you are carrying. The more you are aware that you are packing, the more you will messing with the gun in public places and you will out yourself.  Using the same principle, the fanny pack you bought at Walgreens on sale for $5 that is so thin and feeble it looks like you are wearing a cheap candy wrapper will have you adjusting it every 5 minutes or less.

And yes, it is important point is to somewhat blend with your surroundings. An orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt covering you gun in a funeral or awards ceremony might attract unwanted attention and then somebody might notice you are carrying (or may make them blind and won’t see a thing). Please choose a hawaiian shirt with muted tones for such events. If you want to wear a vest but are afraid that it may scream GUN! you may want to use a bit of camouflage in the form of non-gun related patches or pins. It helps that you actually know about those non-gun related themes so, if you don’t fish but know cars don’t use anything fishing but use some racing stuff. People will focus on the patches and pins and will not even think about what is under your vest.

In the end, the most important thing is the way you carry yourself. If you act like you are not carrying a gun (again, get good comfortable equipment) your body language will show that and people will “know” that you are not carrying. And that’s the name of the game.