Molly Norris is exacting mea culpa by the gallons. On her website, she depicts herself on a caricature giving reasons and excuses plus a written statement about Everybody Draw Muhammad Day. Apparently she did not expect the cartoon to go viral and she soiled her recycled panties at the horror of offending somebody Non-Republican, Non-Tea Party or related approved-to-insult groups. Do notice that the cartoon depicts her wearing a T-shirt with a well known logo which might explain a lot. Even the L.A. Times seems to be miffed at Ms. Norris’ change of underwear. I am guessing they thougt she was related to Chuck.

Well Ms. Norris I am sorry you never expected that Everybody Draw Muhammad Day would go crazy like it did. Personally I am going to be posting my crudely photoshopped cartoon on May 20 and if anybody gets pissed about it, tough tittie said the kitty when the milk went dry.

The Holy Grail of Handgun Shooting and Gospel Writ of Self Defense is that you shouldn’t carry anything in a caliber that does not start with a ‘4.’ Even though the evidence is out there and it has been for many moons, the mantra of .45 is better and 9mm sucks keeps being repeated ad nauseam. What evidence you say? Gelatin Tests? FBI protocols? Wind tunnel testing? Nope, just the rest of the world and how people get killed.

The only two countries I know where the .45 caliber is the principal caliber for self-defense are the United States and Mexico coming behind a distant second. The rest of the world lives and breathes 9mm and .38 special and day in and day out the bodies keep falling. And in the great majority of those rounds are ball ammunition, not the latest and greatest hollow points with controlled expansion, GPS, DVD player and beverage dispenser included. I might be a tad biased since I have personally seen the effects of 9mm ball on real humans. Two incidents that were life changing for families, friends and of course the victims.

Incident one happened a couple of decades ago on a Saturday afternoon in a country south of the Caribbean. The Missus and myself were watching the boob tube after a hearty lunch when detonations were heard coming from outside. Although it was not unusual to hear gunfire due to criminal activity or just criminals being stupid in my neighborhood (ask me about Tactical Feng Shui. I think I invented it.) What followed was a wail of a woman in anguish. I recognized the voice as one of my neighbors which I had known since I was a toddler, grabbed my gun and stepped carefully out of my house.  After a quick scan of the area, I saw my neighbor on the ground holding the inanimate body of her husband. I rushed over, got her to release the body and I proceeded to examine the man who was like a dear uncle to me. He literally draw his last breath as I checked him out for wounds and found one bullet entrance right under his left armpit. It ended up being a raking shot that took both lungs and the heart. It was later determined that the shot originated at the scene of the crime some 20 yards down the street fired by a criminal who was attempting to carjack a couple. The gun used was in 9mm caliber round nose although I forget what gun.

The second incident was a blue on blue shooting. Dear friend of mine whom I known since he was sucking pacifiers had become a cop and was working in the Auto Theft squad. He and his buddies were following 2 guys on a stolen vehicle trying to figure out where they were stashing the purloined cars. They trip ended up in front of an unfinished apartment building with subterranean parking. They decided to go ahead and proceed with the arrest, got out of the car with weapons drawn and jumped on the criminals who were just opening the building’s gate. Across the street, an uniformed officer armed with an Uzi saw the commotion and thinking he was witnessing a carjacking, let out a burst of his sub machine gun. All the shots missed except one which impacted my friend in his upper left arm shattering the humerus and destroying most blood vessels and nerves. He barely made it to the hospital and survived by pure luck and great medical skills but, to this date he walks with an arm which lost 50% of its function. The round doing all the damage was a FMJ 9mm, considered ineffective by many gun gurus. My buddy may wanna have a word with them.

What I am trying to convey here is that the 9 mm is a hard hitting and effective round if properly placed in the opponent’s anatomy.  But what I see is that people will skip training for caliber. I can almost read the train of thought in the brains where they convince themselves that if they hit somebody close enough with a .45, the perp will just keel over impressed by the round. Problem is that bad guys tend to be ornery and not follow instructions unless they are precise and to the proper point of impact.  Close only works for horseshoes and grenades.

Via American Snipers.org in Facebook:

Vanity Fair magazine asked a sniper pal “Was God with you on your tour” My pal replied “Absolutely”. The reporter then asked “Well, don’t you feel the enemy was thinking the same thing?” My pal shrugged and said “Jesus rose from the dead on the third day … but you can visit Mohammed’s grave” … Amen.

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?

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!

You might be a Floridian if…

(italics are mine)

“Down South” means Key West (Or Cuba)

“Panhandling” means going to Pensacola.

You think no-one over 70 should be allowed to drive.

Flip-flops are everyday wear.

Shoes are for business meetings and church.

No, wait, flip flops are good for church too

Socks are only for bowling

Orange juice from concentrate makes you vomit

Tap water makes you vomit

Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

You smirk when a game show’s “Grand Prize” is a trip to Florida.

You measure distance in minutes.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in
five minutes. (so very true)

All the local festivals are named after a fruit.

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.  (And they are garbage dumps…literally)

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store,
but everything to do with shade. (Oh hell yes….)

Your winter coat is made of denim.

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

You’re younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer,
not summer but really hot, and Christmas.

It’s not “pop.” It’s “soda” or “coke.”

Anything under 70 is chilly.

You’ve hosted a hurricane party.

You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.

You pass on the right and honk at the elderly.

You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Withlacoochee, Okahumpka and Loxahatchee. (God help me, I do)

You understand why it’s better to have a friend with a boat than have a boat yourself.

You’ve driven through Yeehaw Junction. (And sometimes did not even notice)

Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include various fish, the NRA and a confederate flag.

You were 8 before you realized they made houses without pools.

You were 12 when you first met someone who couldn’t swim.

You’ve worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas. (Every time but once in 15 years)

You know what the “stingray shuffle” is and why it’s important!

You could swim before you could read.

You have to drive north to get to The South.

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

Every other house had blue roofs in 2004-2005 (Wilma was a bitch).

You’ve gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn’t worth waking up for.

You dread lovebug season. (We just finished spitting them)

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren’t Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances…but Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

You know what a snowbird is and you hate them. (If it is called tourist season, How come we can’t hunt them?”

You know why flamingos are pink.

You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

You were twelve before you ever saw snow or you still haven’t.

Tornadoes/Tornado warnings don’t scare you, and you laugh when your friends from outside of Florida get scared by lightning.

You can catch a largemouth bass and a snook the same day in the same town.

If you’ve watched the sun rise off the east coast of Florida, then took a drive and saw it set off the west coast of Florida. (The Keys do not count)

If its ever rained in your front yard and not your backyard.

If you can find a Cuban flag and a Confederate flag on the same block.

You turn on your heat and air conditioning all in the same day

As of 4:30 pm EST, this was about the only thing I was able to find about the Second Amendment March via daylife. I hope the pictures in the website and the caption in the picture above do no represent an accurate description of the participates attending the march on Washington.