Plumbum et Circenses

At work last night, we received and put out a BOLO for a murder suspect from a couple counties over. The story is in today's paper.

25-year-old mother and her 3-month-old infant son stabbed to death. She had a protective order against the killer. She called 911 when he showed up at the house. They arrived and found bodies.

Many of the gun bloggers lambaste the Brady Bunch for "dancing in the blood" when a scumbag uses a gun to kill someone. I'm conflicted when I find us wrapping ourselves in the bloody mantle of righteousness and say, "If she had a gun, she'd be alive."

Miss Clayton may have had a hell of a lot better chance with a gun, no doubt... but that's not what this is about. Send a good thought, a quiet prayer, light a candle - whatever you do - for an innocent woman and infant murdered in cold blood. These things shouldn't happen.

--------------------------------------

I read through a "news" piece somewhere recently about gun laws. Typical MSM nonsense, predictable commentary. One comment, though, stuck out, and I paraphrase: "I hate guns. My [relative] was killed by a gun."

Your relative was not killed BY a gun. Your relative was killed BY a scumbag who USED a gun. You cannot blame the tool for the action. We sing the praises of Michelangelo (the Renaissance artist), not his paintbrush or chisel.

--------------------------------------

Over at Second City Cop, there is a post noting the rumored loss of their 100-round-per-year practice ammo allotment. If you read comments on other posts, you'll note a theme of frustration and just trying to stay out of the line of fire, but this sums it up:

I am in some serious self-protective mode out there. My intention each day is just to get to the end of my tour unscathed and untouched by scandal or the possibility of added liability through arrest etc.

You have to be damn insane now to go put your hands on someone and put them in jail. Won't happen with me, this police career is over, finito, done. The paychecks will continue for a few more years however, just like before, just a lot less stress.

What have we done to our officers when they are more afraid of doing their job than they are of not doing it?

--------------------------------------

I had an inquiry on the Bersa last week, which I replied to. The seller didn't get back to me. I got six emails from him this evening, roughly summarized to, "I'm still interested, let me know." I wrote back yet again, and asked him where he was, and to confirm that he has a New York pistol permit. He replied to this one.

to answer your question my main residence is Queens and my summer home is right outside Hunter Mountain in upstate N.Y. I just finished filling out the gun permit form because Queens is still considered to be the same as "the city", they take 6 months to hand you a permit unless you know someone. I have seen your listing if you still havent sold your Bersa and you would consider me I would like to outbid anyone else if it is as good as it looks,and performs and if we do a complete private sale including your copy to have my fingerprints,my copy having yours and notarized. Everything that would ensure neither of us breaking the law. In the meantime the firearm can stay in my family summer home. Thanks

[sic]

The list of idiocies here is staggering.
(1) Main residence is Queens. Queens is one of the Five Boroughs. It is New York City, not "considered to be the same as".
(2) New York City does not issue carry permits unless you have (a) money or (b) connections. They VERY OCCASIONALLY will issue a "premise" permit - but I guarantee it takes longer than six months.
(3) The firearm can not stay at your family summer home until you have a NY pistol permit. You would be guilty of violating Section 265.01 of NYSPL, "Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th degree" - a Class A misdemeanor. *I* would be violating Section 265.11, "Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the 3rd degree", which is a Class D felony, thereby eliminating ALL of my firearms and several other civil rights that I rather enjoy. Like doors that I can unlock, access to alcohol and tobacco, voting, and an un-stretched rectum.
(4) Fingerprints on a bill of sale? What crack are you smoking?
(5) It's not a frickin' auction, Skippy. It's "for sale". Prix fixe.

I've got some acquaintances in NYPD. I'll be passing along this character's info.

A few things rattling around in my head.

At our fire department banquet this winter, a lifesaver certificate was presented to several members on behalf of an AED manufacturer. They had a save last year - a legitimate save, not a clinical save, in that the patient has resumed a normal life. Bystander CPR and an AED on the squad saved this guy.

The certificate they received is framed and hung on the station wall. It's a piece of paper and has a manufacturer's logo prominently emblazoned on it. What's worth more to those firefighters is the handshake of the guy they saved.

The AHA and ARC keep trying to decide what the "best" CPR is. 5:1, 10:2, 5:2, 15:2, 30:2, compressions only, etc etc etc. I think I've seen all those ratios go by in the nearly twenty years I've known CPR. (Dad was an instructor and taught it to me when I was about ten. I couldn't be certified but I knew how to do it.)

"Certified" is nonsense. The exact ratios are nonsense. Knowing how to do effective chest compressions (and rescue breathing if you are so inclined), plus early defibrillation is what saves lives. Take a class once. Even if your card expires, the knowledge doesn't, and could save a life.

I've had to do real-live (real-dead?) compressions once, and have played go-fer on more than a few others. It's not fun. It's not exciting. There is no dramatic music playing in the background as William Shatner narrates. You will feel ribs cracking under your palms. Your patient may well vomit on you. That's reality - but reality isn't often pretty.

Find a class nearby and sign up. It's usually free, many fire departments and sometimes churches will host the class. If you can't find something nearby online, call your local American Red Cross chapter and ask. Plan on giving up a couple weeknights or a Saturday. I think the current CPR class is 4-6 hours. Add in First Aid for good measure and go to 10 hours.

Isn't it worth it to save a life?

----------------------------------------------

I re-organized my reloading cabinet today. I need to set aside some money and make an order from somewhere. Brass and bullets mostly. Need to stop by the local reloading shop and get a few more pounds of powder. Another pound each of 2400, H4831, TrueBlue (keg?), a jar of TrailBoss, and need to look into good powders for full-house .44Mag and .30-30Win loads.

I've got more primers than I thought, nearly 10,000 total. Small and large pistol, small and large rifle, and a thousand of small pistol magnum match that I snagged during the worst of the shortage and have yet to develop a load for.

----------------------------------------------

While doing the reloading cabinet, I worked my way down the row and checked the ammo cabinets... and smiled to myself. I continue to be amused when the media breathlessly announces an "arsenal" of three guns and "thousands" of rounds of ammo. It is inevitably a 10/22, a pump-action shotgun, and a low-end centerfire rifle in .30-06, plus a half-dozen bricks of .22, a flat of trap/pheasant/duck loads, and a few boxes of Remington CoreLokt 180gr hunting ammo. I smile because I see that, and the only thing that comes to mind is, "Pikers."

Also, if you Google the definition of "arsenal", you will find that it is generally a whole building, usually government-owned, and three Fudd guns with a few boxes of ammo probably doesn't count. (If you search only on the word "arsenal" you are greeted with LOTS of information about an English football club.)

----------------------------------------------

Working night shifts has SEVERELY cut into my range time. I've got TWO new-to-me guns that have yet to go bang, and I'm itching to ping steel with the rifles (and pistols?) again.

----------------------------------------------

Need to find a new doctor. My primary care doc retired last year, and I haven't been troubled to find a new one yet. The fire department requires and provides an annual physical that covers the basics, and refers you to your own doctor if anything unusual comes up. Nothing has. However, I'm starting to show minor symptoms (fatigue, cold, unable to lose weight, etc) of a hypothyroid condition (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) that was diagnosed and asymptomatic when I was twelve or thirteen, and it should be checked up on and treated if necessary.

----------------------------------------------

I think that covers it for the day...

I've had numerous thoughts and blog posts kicking around in my head lately. Often I'll have an idea and jot a little note to myself to think about developing it into more. Unfortunately, most of them will never coalesce into more than a paragraph or so - so I'll just wrap them all into one big brain-dump!


Special Parking
I'm not talking about handicap spaces. Not even "with child" spaces at the grocery store - that's catering to their customers and they're a private business. No, this one irks me even more. I drove by a new public building in our county the other night, looking the place over when I had a few minutes to kill. The first TWO ROWS of parking were posted. Not handicap. Not "county vehicles"... but "LEV/Fuel Efficient Vehicle Parking ONLY". WTF? Talk about reinforcing the entitlement mindset!




American Runs On...
You know how the slogan ends. If that's what America runs on, we're doomed. I stopped at our local one for a cup and a sandwich before work the other night. I had to tell my order to the idiot behind the counter THREE TIMES before he got it even close to right. And then he forgot my donut. After all that, I finally noticed that the idiot had, in addition to the drive-thru talkie on one ear ... his goddamn ipod earbud in the other. Stupid should hurt.


Remington Home Defense loads
Remington, maker of firearms and ammunition for a LONG time, has released a line of shotgun shells for home defense. From their own product description:

Remington HD Ultimate Home Defense shotgun ammunition features the same pellet material as the popular Wingmaster HD™ tungsten-bronze hunting ammunition and is offered in two loadings. Consumers can choose from a load of BB’s for the highest terminal energy or a duplex mixture of #2 and #4 pellets for excellent pattern density and outstanding stopping power with a reduced chance of over-penetration.

Only one problem. While the "HD" alloy is denser than lead, the increased density is not enough to make #2 or #4 shot an acceptable defensive load. Birdshot is for birds! The BB load is borderline-acceptable, as BBs are .177" diameter and will provide somewhat greater penetration. However, a quick bit of math shows that BB pellets have ONE THIRD the mass of #4 buck - often considered to be the bare minimum for effective defense.

If you're going to use a shotgun for defense - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! - use an appropriate load. BIRDSHOT - and BBs are bird shot - IS FOR BIRDS.


Indiana Senator Evan Bayh (D)
Senator Bayh announced earlier this week that he will not be running for re-election in the fall. In his own words:
"Congress is not operating as it should, [...] too much partisanship and not enough progress—too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving."

I am not familiar with Senator Bayh's political ideology. I generally won't broad-brush by party affiliation, only by the title of "politician". However, I have to give him a strong "attaboy!" for having the guts to stand up and say that something is wrong. Now, let's find someone to FIX IT.

Which brings me to...


Replacing Elected Officials
While working out the other night, I glanced up at the TVs arrayed across the gym and noticed a poll graphic on CNN. It seems that of those interviewed, 63% felt their elected officials did not deserve re-election in November. Nearly TWO THIRDS. That is what a statistician would call "significant" and a politician should call "frightening". The devil, however, is in the details - and we'll know the details come November 3. If the masses cast their ballots and re-elect the incumbent idiots, then we truly deserve what we have wrought.

And that brings us along to...


The GOP
Also an "on the screen while exercising", the blurb was "GOP claims Tea Party threatens their chances" or some such. The point being that the Tea Party will divide the conservative voters and let the Democratic candidates win with a plurality, instead of a Republican winning by a majority.

The thing is, though, if the GOP is that threatened by the Tea Party, they shouldn't be whining about the Tea Party "stealing votes" - they should be looking very closely at their platform and constituents and figuring out what values they would need to incorporate in order to recover those voters. It's not rocket science. The Big Two have lost touch with the vast majority of the population. We are no longer represented by our colleagues and peers, but ruled by lawyers and career politicians.

Using Mr. Bayh as an example: he entered public service as the Indiana Secretary of State at age 30, served just over two years, and was then elected Governor for eight years, at which time he was elected to the US Senate. He is now 54 years old and has spent TWENTY FIVE of those years on the public payroll. He is a CAREER POLITICIAN. In seven years, at age 62, he will be eligible for his pension as a retired senator. That pension amount will be paid by us for the rest of his life - and is roughly equivalent to the average US household income in 2009. Not a bad gig, huh? (I'm on the public payroll too, but I have to work 30 years and contribute from my own base pay in order to receive my pension.)


"Civilians"
There is a fairly small (but noisy) section of society that rails against firefighters and police officers calling the general public "civilians". The argument is that it creates an us-them mentality, a sense of superiority, and so forth.

I lean the other way. The firemen and cops are the ones you call when things are going sideways. There is an us-them - because they have all sworn an oath to serve, protect, defend, uphold, etc. I took that oath, more than once - to preserve and uphold the laws of the state and the country, and the US Constitution. Haven't taken that oath or one very similar? Then you are relying on the sheepdogs. You may not consider yourself a sheep, but when things are bad, you're calling us.

Am I superior to you? Not at all. I'm just another joe trying to get by, who happens to believe in what he's doing enough to risk everything for a stranger. It's not for glory - I shun reporters. It's not for money - I volunteer. It's for love. Love of the job, love of helping, love of my fellow man. John 15:13. I will if I have to, but I sure don't WANT to.


FLASHLIGHTS!
Yeah, I'm a flashlight geek. Can't help it. Big lights, small lights, unusual lights - they're all good. I thought about trying to gather all the flashlights in the house and cars and such for a group picture, but decided it would be WAY too much effort, and I'd probably miss a couple. Suffice it to say, there are flashlights in every room, most drawers, every car, most coats. MagLite is very well-represented. I've got one Surefire. (I'd have more, but $65 for a light hurts.) A handful of made-in-China store brand lights. A Streamlight or two. Couple Pelicans. My EDC light is a Leatherman Serac S2 (now discontinued, I need to buy a couple more and stick them away).

I had a gift card for Lowes burning a hole in my pocket, so I went down there browsing the other day. MagLite has had an LED AA light for a while, but now it's MOAR BETTER with a "smart switch". Different brightness levels, blinky modes, etc. I decided to try it out. They claim the beam is focusable - it is, just barely. The flash modes are useless gimmicks, IMHO. The high-low is nice. Light quality is very good, nice bright white light. The cost of all this, however, is an extra inch in length and an extra ounce in weight over the halogen AA MagLite - and a $12 price premium ($21 vs. $9).

Now that I've got one, for my nickel, it's cheaper and better to buy one of the NiteIze LED combos. This particular one is a new model coming soon, I have one of the older versions and find that it works like a charm. A Mini-MagLite was never designed for long throw, so losing focus isn't a big deal to me.

And that's it. The whole brain dump. Until another random thought strikes me.