Quick question

So what's "a safe direction" on an airplane?



On the other hand maybe we should ask another question - like why was the guy handling his firearm on the airplane while in flight?

Winter Haven Police Field Test Pistols | TheLedger.com

Whoops...

Winter Haven Police Field Test Pistols | TheLedger.com: "The Police Department had a problem with two .45-caliber GAP Glock Model 37 pistols that exploded in two separate training incidents, causing minor injuries to an officer and a cadet. Their fingers were bruised when the triggers were damaged by the explosions."

Apparently they're looking at the ammunition as a cause of the problem. I don't know folks, what do you think? I'd be pretty darned happy that all I got was a bruised finger after firing bad ammo...

Tracers

Here is an AC-130 firing its big-ass 105mm howitzer with what appears to be a tracer round.


Here is an AC-130 firing at night...with a couple other guns.


This one is from Afghanistan. This is what it looks like at night when an AC-130 orbits a target...


Here's one from Saigon. Puff the Magic Dragon was breathing heavy that night...


Not too sure where this one comes from but you can see the flares being dropped for spotting:


Yes, those are tracers over those beautiful old Corsairs at Okinawa. Some people just don't realize how "hot" the fighting was during WWII...


A tracer from an M-16. Notice the flash from the action as it is just beginning its cycle

And here's what it looks like without the nightscope...


Anybody want to guess where the sniper is....was?


A tracer from a slightly bigger gun. A tank.


You gotta' love ordinance testing...lucky bastards.

Pistol Wallpapers

Ken Lunde's Pistol Wallpaper Pages is a great collection of those wallpapers that tell others what yer' all about.

Another one for the good guys

Looks like some armed robbers in a home invasion got a surprise - an armed homeowner. Sounds like the guy protected his family, just like God intended him to do. Now, ask yourself what would have happened had Sarah and her minions had their way...

Wear a shirt - get suspended

Seems that the world is just too frightening. A "school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district's policy."

Yep. An image.

Donald Miller III, a 14-year-old student in Lancaster, Pa. has been suspended because he wore a shirt with a picture of a gun on it and, when the teachers took umbrage, refused to wear it inside-out.

The school's lawyer seems to think such abridgement of free speech is ok if folks are left feeling uncomfortable about the image. "There's a much higher level of sensitivity these days, but it's based on reality."

What reality? The one in a pipe dream of a safe world if we banish any image of something we don't like? Fortunately the kid's parents are suing. More power to them.

Why not look at the real issues?

You know, as these stories keep rolling in I have to wonder. Why don't people look into the real issues? This Alabama kid walked into his school this morning, fired a shot into the ceiling and then shot himself with the revolver in front of 150 other kids.

Of course the easy thing to do is blame the revolver (and you all know that that is exactly what the Brady Bunch will do). Nobody will stop and ask why exactly a kid would do such a thing. It's all the gun's fault and the fault of the guns owner for not keeping it locked up.

The threads of society are coming apart and we're seeing it play out day-by-day in increased violence, a crashing economy, and the destruction of the underpinnings of a stable life. Of course it's always easier to blame objects rather than culture - we're supposed to be tolerant of culture...

That whole thing about guns on campus

You know how we keep pointing out that guns aren't the only way to kill people on campus? You know how we keep saying that if there were no guns these nuts would still be able to kill a lot of folks?

Take a look at what they found at UC Davis today....

Gun (and knife) of the day - Winchest 94/22

These are my two of my favorite possessions....no, that makes it sound like a collection of Star Wars action figures. These are two signs of love from my father - a man who spoke rarely of our relationship as I and my brother were growing up. He demonstrated his love in quiet walks and gifts that were meaningful rather than simply wrapped-up trinkets.

The rifle is a Winchester 94/22. If you look closely you'll see that the wood is of the finer grade back when Winchester took pride in all of their rifles and not just the premium grades. The checkering was sharp when it came out of the box and I can still remember opening it up and thinking, "This is mine!".

My father told my brother and I the same thing, "I'll buy you your first gun, after that you're on your own." Big brother picked the 94/22 and I followed a few years later. We put many many thousands of rounds through our rifles and still shoot them when we get a chance. The blue is wearing thin and there are hints of a patina starting to creep in, but I can still pull off a snap shot with mine and there's no doubt big brother can do the same. A rifle you shoot that much becomes a part of you and there's an understanding between shooter and steel that is unlike any other. I got my first kill with that rifle. I've taught friends to shoot with it. I've wandered the hills and the desert and it has never failed me.

I'm afraid to let friends touch it now. For years I've worried over it and protected it from the slightest scratches, dings, and dents. When I finally put a dent in the stock I almost cried. When I was able to steam it out I smiled for a weak. I once found a spot of rust on the action, cleaned it off with the care of a jeweler and swore no gun I ever owned would taste the foulness of careless rust again. The patina it is starting to show now is honest, it's the mark of love, of days afield with father and brother. What was a gift of love is slowly turning into an heirloom.

The knife came much later after Dad's two boys had both grown, moved away, and been married. My father commissioned it from Dick and Rob Patton of Patton Knives formerly of Idaho and rumored to be in Texas now, but nobody knows if they are still in business. Dad had commissioned another beautiful blade the year before for my brother and my mother had them make a third the year after I received mine. The detail work on all of them is wonderful and they are somewhat similar, but still different enough to clearly be our own. The blade shows a touch of the Japanese tanto and the hilt calls back to the fighting knives of the southwest. Together they make a beautiful line and balance all their own.

There's something special about the rifle. There's something special about the knife. Each time I gaze on them I am flooded with emotions. I remember my father and brother and the days when we walked through the sage brush or fired at pop cans for hours until we ran out of ammo. I feel the pride and love of my father who spent so much time choosing the blade, the wood, the pins, and all for me. I feel the deep bond between men of the same blood who may not always get along, but we're family and when the chips are down we would do anything for each other. I feel the resolve that such things will never be taken away without a fight. I will pass them on to my sons and they will pass them on to their's.

God help the man who thinks I have no right to these signs of love and thinks that they can be taken away with the stroke of a pen. God help him indeed, for such a man is not simply stepping upon rights and laws - he's trampling on family.

Gun of the Day - Jaivanna cannon

This here popgun is the Jaivana cannon. That guy sitting behind the spoke on the right is nobody important.

The Jaivanna is the largest wheeled cannon ever constructed. The single-shot barrel is 242 inches long (6,137mm) and has an 11" bore (280mm). It is carefully engraved (well, okay carved) with elephants, ducks, and peacocks. Across the top are a couple of rings to help lift the sucker with a crane that was never fully constructed.

Sighting was a rather difficult affair, but it included a 776mm long elevating screw that helped out somewhat. Unfortunately windage was a bit tough to set without four elephants or four pairs of bulls (not included in the purchase price) shoving around the 50 ton bullet launcher. And that's with the caison

Rumor has it that it was only fired once. They used about 1,543,236 grains of gunpowder behind a 771,618 grain cast iron ball (that's 100kg of gunpowder and a 50kg cannon ball). They say the impact of the projectile made a nice divot that is now a pond.

Of course, being a single shot muzzle-loader manufactured in 1720 it might be acceptable under the Brady gun bans... bwahahahahahaaaa!

Other options for the more "petite" shooter include the Dardanelles Turkish Bombard...

and the Tsar Cannon...


Of course with all such firearms hearing protection is recommended. Concealed carry holsters are not available at this time...

Who's reality?

Here's the "reality based self defense" instructor's version of events:



Here's the reality of a prison murder.




Want to guess why I started carrying a gun and a rapid-opening tactical knife?

There is a heaven!

And I wanna go play there...

More?

Two more shootings in two days. One at the city council meeting and another at Louisiana Tech. How long until folks start to realize that there's a deeper problem than guns? When are we going to address the real issues? The country is at a low simmer, but if we go into a true recession, have an unusually hot summer, or the elections continue to go poorly then it may just boil over...

I know a lot of people are calling for removing all firearms from society because they are more likely to be used by unstable people. Frankly, I don't care. I want a fair chance to fight back - not to be a waiting victim. Society causes violence and this society is in trouble. You would be a fool to wander around hoping that the government will keep you safe.

One thing is certain - every time a shooting gets national coverage there will be more to follow and with each copycat there will be more calls for gun bans.

Ay' there's the rub...

Well, it looks like I'm not the only one slacking-off lately on posting. Winter sucks. Less light. Cold weather. Barometric hell. After-holidays-let-down. Call it what you will, but a lot of gun bloggers (including yours truly) have slowed down a bit.

Maybe it's the depressing spector of the US 2008 elections and the disgusting array of candidates. Maybe it's the growth of terrorism. Maybe it's the rise in crime that always appears when economies begin to slip.

I don't know.

However, what I do know is that we can't slack off on demanding that our rights are protected. Over the last decade we have made good gains in the rights of Americans to carry concealed. That kind of progress can't be whittled away.

We face a continuing problem of jackasses running around and performing mass killings in order to get attention. We see anti-gun politicians lining up to take office. We see the Brady Bunch and the Mad Mayors doing everything possible to disarm the law-abiding citizen. Even more frightening, we see governments around the world becoming increasingly insular and building larger stockpiles of military weapons.

2008 has just begun and we are only glimpsing the array of forces standing against us. The media, government, police agencies, wealthy private interests, and others are all working to destroy the rights of citizens.

Now more than ever do citizens need to stand up and make their voices heard. Now more than ever does freedom need to be defended.

We may be weary, but we dare not rest. For resting may mean sleep and to fall asleep while guarding freedom means a sleep in which no dreams will come.

Gun of the Day

Going once...going twice...you'll never see this in your gun case!

I just found this beautiful Colt (click image for larger pic) on jamesdjulia.net from an October 2006 auction. Don't you wish you could have afforded it?

Here's the story from the auction:

The most prestigious of all was a rare, cased, factory-engraved presentation Colt semi-auto 45ACP. Engraved and embellished with gold and presented to Governor E. Lee Trinkle of Virginia by Governor John H. Trumbull of Connecticut, it carried a strong presale estimate of $25,000-$40,000 but after a long, heated bidding battle, it went out far above high estimate at $55,200.

Evening

It's dark. The weather here has been especially brutal over the last week and snow has piled up throughout my city. My back hurts from shoveling. Four little children sleep in my house - each one my joy.

With the changes in the weather my knees and shoulder have been a wreck. Those of you who have never lived in a cold climate where the barometer acts like it's on a roller coaster should count yourselves lucky. Old injuries come back with a vengance. Early arthritis makes hands and knees act like they're wrapped in athletic tape. I'm trying to get into better shape, but the odds are against me and it's going to be a long haul. Besides my muscles are just as angry at me because the dry winter weather has dehydrated me and my calves keep cramping.

I know, I'm too young to be bitching like this. I should be exercising more, eating better, and drinking lots of fluids. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the American electoral process always picks the best candidate.

Why do I bring this up? Because I'm blogging away and it strikes me that should someone kick in my front door I might not make it quickly enough to the closet to get my .45 or shotgun.

What's that first rule about gun fights?

Oh yeah...have a gun.

Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to drag my carcass across the room and retrieve my bullet launcher. I may have stiff knees, a loose shoulder, and a screwed-up back, but I'll be damned if I'm going to just sit back and hope the meth zombies pick somebody else's house...

OW! grrrrrr......owowowow.....ungh.....@#*&%@!

Okay....I feel better....except for my neck.

Now, if I could just find a way to get the Vodka out of the freezer and upstairs to my room without having to bend my knees or back I'd be a happy man...

Of Camelot and Bullets

What is a gun?

It's a tool - nothing more. It is neither good nor evil. It endows its owners with nothing more than the ability to wield the tool for whatever purpose was already within his heart.

As in the times of King Arthur and his mythic sword Excalibur, we live in an age where guns take on mythical status that rival even the story of the Lady of the Lake. The Excalibur of today can launch a thousand projectiles that kill a hundred men while throwing them backward through windows, doors, and walls. Today a warrior need only point a firearm at his target and it will surely fall. None are safe from the omnipotent power captured within the forge, hammered upon the anvil, and groved within the lathe.

Of course, this is fantasy just as were the rumors of magic within Arthur's sword of old. It's myth and it deserves to be treated as such. If a weapon achieves significant status you can believe that it was the person behind the weapon that mattered, not the steel itself. So too, when a weapon is remembered in infamy such as that which was used to kill Abraham Lincoln no blame can be layed except upon the neck of the murderer. Good and evil come from the hearts of men - not from the fires of the forge.

When you hear someone speak in awe or fear of firearms, point out that they are buying into the marketing hype of manufacturers and the myths of Hollywood. Ask them if they would buy into the belief that a particular hammer would allow them to build a Frank Lloyd Wright house. When they laugh, remind them that a gun is a tool too.

A firearm is a powerful tool, but that does not make it something mythic. Myths are made by men and have no more hold on reality than the fables of Camelot where all were safe, no one wanted for anything, and peace always reigned under the wisdom of the knights arrayed about the table round.

Kidnapping Attempt

Check out this vid. Ladies, do you really think having a gun is a bad idea when a guy is coming at you with a baseball bat and is trying to kidnap you?

Safety Dammit!

Okay, so a few days back I made a post about an accidental discharge I had in my car. One of the key points is the absolute rule that you never cover anything with the muzzle of the gun that you don't intend to destroy. Here's why.


Alright, let's just review the basics one more time:

1. Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
2. Never allow the muzzle to cover anything that you are not willing to destroy.
3. Never place your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Always be aware of what's beyond the target.
5. Shoot until the threat is eliminated.
6. Reload.

It would appear that 1 & 2 were the rules broken on this one. And unless his right leg was somehow holding him hostage I'm pretty sure that #5 does not apply....

Howitzer

You know some days you just need to go out and let off some steam....